Chargers came out flat in Week 12 after a terrible game in Week 11. The 2nd lowest scoring team in the NFL put up 10 points in their 1st two possessions. Seven minutes into the game the Chargers were down 10-0 to the Cardinals.
Then Phillip Rivers took over! He set a record for completions to start a game, breaking the record of 22 shared by Mark Brunell and David Carr (that would have been a heck of a trivia question) on his way to tying the record for consecutive completions (25) held by Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill set his record over 2 games. Rivers ended the game 28-29, 259 yards, 3 TDs. By halftime the Chargers were up 28-10 and at the end of the 3rd quarter the score was 42-10 and Rivers day was done.
After giving up 108 yards to the Cards in their 1st two drives, the Charger D only allowed 41 yards the rest of the game. Joey Bosa recorded 2 sacks.
It should have been a game that ended with all smiles, but Melvin Gordon left the game in the 3rd quarter with a knee injury. Gordon was visibly upset on the sidelines which normally isn't a good sign, but the news today was an MCL sprain. I have to wonder why he was still in the game with an (at that time) 35-10 lead when Gordon was questionable all week nursing a knee injury. He could possibly be out for the rest of the regular season and definitely won't play Week 13 against the Steelers.
I believe the Chargers will miss Gordon more than sportscasters are speculating. Austin Eckler is capable of breaking off big runs and is averaging 5.8 yards/carry, but the last game Gordon was out (Wk. 7 vs the Titans) the Chargers had only 47 yards on 16 attempts (2.9 yds/carry) and scored just 20 points., all season lows. Eckler rushed 12 times for 42 yds. I like Eckler, but I'll use a basketball analogy...Eckler is like the 6th man. He provides a spark off the bench, is talented enough to lead the team in scoring every now and then, but you normally won't start him because he can't sustained that high energy play for an entire game. If he tries to conserve that energy to play more minutes as a starter he's less effective. Also, Gordon has developed his blitz pickup technique over the years. Eckler is a decent blocker and a tough guy, but isn't as big as Gordon and isn't asked to block as often.
I also found it interesting that Justin Jackson had more carries than Eckler (Eck still led the team with 10 catches) after Gordon left. Was it just the team giving Jackson a try out in a blow out win or was it a preview of the plan moving forward...that being Jackson taking over Gordon's role and Eckler keeping his role? I honestly don't know the answer, but Jackson was a high volume back at Northwestern (1142 attempts, 5440 yards) and considered in some circles as the most underrated back in last years draft. I still feel that Eck will get more total touches, but I wouldn't be surprised if Jackson isn't the one on the field in early downs and gets more carries. Jackson isn't a one trick pony either, he had 858 receptions in his 4 years at Northwestern. Still, Jackson is a rookie and has had limited time on the field. I doubt Jackson will have had time to learn all the blitz pickups. That may limit his playing time more than any thing else.
The Chargers are going to need the defense to step up in this one...which is a tall order against a team with the level of talent on offense that the Steelers have. Of course, Rivers has to have a good game, but that's no different than any other game. Rivers picked up Offensive-Player-of-the-Week honors for his performance against the Cardinals, it would go a long way to winning this one if he can do it in back-to-back weeks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not much to say about the rest of the NFL. Saints still rolled the Falcons 31-17 despite having uncharacteristically inconsistent play on offense. Rams/Chiefs were on their Bye. Texans are 8-3, wining 8 straight after stating the season 0-3. Bengals have really struggled lately and now Dalton is done for the season. Seahawks, Broncos, and Cowboys are making a push for a playoff spot.
Speaking of the 'Boys. The Thursday Night Game is just coming to an end as I type this. Who would have thought that the Cowboys would win a 13-10 game over the Saints? Brees and Co. looked unstoppable in going 10 straight after losing the season opener. This was big. The Rams now have the #1 seed which means the road to the Super Bowl goes through LA. I would have bet the farm on the Saints if the Conference Championship was played in New Orleans.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
NFL Week 11 - Where Do We Go From Here?
I recent article in the San Antonio Business Journal mentioned that former SA Mayor Henry Cisneros and current Mayor Ron Nirenburg believes SA Officials should "have a discussion" with the Chargers about moving the team to San Antonio. I would be all for it. SA Chargers sounds good to me and I would bet that the city would support the team in a way SD fans never did and LA fans never will.
I felt this was the worst game the Chargers played so far this year. Even including the other two loses. In those games, they played well, just couldn't stay with the Chiefs or Rams. In this game the Chargers shot themselves foot again-and-again. 10 penalties in the first half, 7 in the first quarter alone. 14 penalties for the game. They drove into the Red Zone twice only to have penalties end the drive with 2 long Badgley FGs. Pouncy and Rivers almost lost the ball on the snap 3 times, twice on bad snaps and a 3rd when Phillip just took his eyes off it. That juggle by Phillips made him throw the ball late and got it picked. Rivers also threw a 2nd pick in the 3rd on a lazy WR screen that set up the Broncos 2nd TD. The Broncos 1st TD came after a successful fake punt. Chargers mistakes kept the Broncos in this one.
They even had a miscommunication between Rivers and Gordon right at the two-minute warning. Rivers turned one way and Gordon went the other, leaving Rivers with no where to go. Rivers just went down for a 5 yard loss. I don't know who's fault it was, but it gave the Broncos one last possession to win the game. All those penalties, bad snaps, and mistakes on hand offs shouldn't happen in Week 11.
Chargers dominated the game until the Final drive. Case Keenum goes 5-5 to set up the winning FG. Broncos came in with a banged up offensive line and the Chargers could not sack Keenum even with Joey Bosa making his first appearance of the season. Going into that last drive the Chargers had out gained the Broncos 479 to 249. For the game, the Chargers ran 72 plays to the Broncos 52, won time of possession 37:49 to 22:11, had 26 first downs, to 16 for the Broncos, gained 8.9 yards per play, and only punted twice. They never should have lost this game. It shouldn't have even been close.
After the Week 3 loss to the Rams I posted this..,"Over the next 9 games (10 weeks) the Chargers face a series of games where I feel they should win. Divisional games are always tougher and they play the Raiders twice and Broncos in that stretch so I'm thinking they lose one of those (although they should win all three). The toughest game of the 9 game stretch is at Pittsburgh December 2nd. 7-2 should be doable, if not 8-1. That should mean a record of 8-4 or 9-3 with the last 4-games facing a tough stretch against Cincinnati, at KC, Baltimore, at Denver."...that was pretty prophetic.
It was the Chargers first home game in over a month and I think they got too comfortable. I don't know how else to explain this game. Hopefully its a wake up call for the rest of the season.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of explaining something, how do explain the Eagles this year? As far as I know, no major players left in free agency. This Week they set a record for the biggest margin of defeat by a defending Super Bowl Champion, 48-7 by the Saints. Eagles are now 4-6 and haven't played any where near the way they dominated last season.
The Saints are rolling. Everyone looks at their offense, but their defense is playing great also. Sportscasters are finally giving them their due. If the road to the Super Bowl has to go through New Orleans I'm betting on the Saints making it to Atlanta. Always been a Drew Brees fan and he deserves the MVP this year.
I don't know why everyone is saying the Panthers decision to go for 2 to win was a bad one. Newton had Wright wide open and just over threw him. I don't know how he missed him. Newton wasn't under pressure, in fact he sat back in the pocket forever and no was even close. It should have been an easy toss and catch for the win.
Rams-Chiefs, heck of a game, but I don't know if I like it. Is it really that entertaining to watch a game where the defenses have no chance to stop the offenses from scoring except by luck, penalty, or turnover? With all the talent on the Rams defense, including the top candidate for defensive player of the year, they could barely slow down the Saints or Chiefs. The defenses are so hand cuffed now, that I don't think it's fun to watch.
When the Rams intercepted Mahomes to take the lead in the 4th, all my friends watching the game (all Chiefs fans) turned to me (the only one there rooting for the Rams) and I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "It doesn't matter, they're just going to get the ball back and score again." When the Chiefs went for it on 4th and 2 on their won 35, I knew we had officially entered video game territory. Screw punting, go on every down. The defense probably wouldn't stop the other team from scoring anyway. We even joked around after the Chiefs took their last lead that they should just on-side kick for the same reason...and guess what, no one argued. Rams promptly drove down the field and took the lead back. The most shocking thing that happened was that, with 1:49 left in the game, the Chiefs didn't put it back in the end zone.
I will say that the Chiefs have someone special in Mahomes, and it's not just the physical talent. The kid never got rattled even after giving up a strip sack for a TD and an interception for a TD. Despite throwing for 6 TDs and 400+ gazillion yards, he took full responsibility for the loss.
I also give Sean McVay credit. Despite having an all-star team for a defense and the best RB in the NFL, he realized (probably after getting beat by the Saints 45-35) that there was no way he could win this game unless they put up as many points as they could.
I don't know if I should be amazed or saddened by typing that last paragraph.
I felt this was the worst game the Chargers played so far this year. Even including the other two loses. In those games, they played well, just couldn't stay with the Chiefs or Rams. In this game the Chargers shot themselves foot again-and-again. 10 penalties in the first half, 7 in the first quarter alone. 14 penalties for the game. They drove into the Red Zone twice only to have penalties end the drive with 2 long Badgley FGs. Pouncy and Rivers almost lost the ball on the snap 3 times, twice on bad snaps and a 3rd when Phillip just took his eyes off it. That juggle by Phillips made him throw the ball late and got it picked. Rivers also threw a 2nd pick in the 3rd on a lazy WR screen that set up the Broncos 2nd TD. The Broncos 1st TD came after a successful fake punt. Chargers mistakes kept the Broncos in this one.
They even had a miscommunication between Rivers and Gordon right at the two-minute warning. Rivers turned one way and Gordon went the other, leaving Rivers with no where to go. Rivers just went down for a 5 yard loss. I don't know who's fault it was, but it gave the Broncos one last possession to win the game. All those penalties, bad snaps, and mistakes on hand offs shouldn't happen in Week 11.
Chargers dominated the game until the Final drive. Case Keenum goes 5-5 to set up the winning FG. Broncos came in with a banged up offensive line and the Chargers could not sack Keenum even with Joey Bosa making his first appearance of the season. Going into that last drive the Chargers had out gained the Broncos 479 to 249. For the game, the Chargers ran 72 plays to the Broncos 52, won time of possession 37:49 to 22:11, had 26 first downs, to 16 for the Broncos, gained 8.9 yards per play, and only punted twice. They never should have lost this game. It shouldn't have even been close.
After the Week 3 loss to the Rams I posted this..,"Over the next 9 games (10 weeks) the Chargers face a series of games where I feel they should win. Divisional games are always tougher and they play the Raiders twice and Broncos in that stretch so I'm thinking they lose one of those (although they should win all three). The toughest game of the 9 game stretch is at Pittsburgh December 2nd. 7-2 should be doable, if not 8-1. That should mean a record of 8-4 or 9-3 with the last 4-games facing a tough stretch against Cincinnati, at KC, Baltimore, at Denver."...that was pretty prophetic.
It was the Chargers first home game in over a month and I think they got too comfortable. I don't know how else to explain this game. Hopefully its a wake up call for the rest of the season.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of explaining something, how do explain the Eagles this year? As far as I know, no major players left in free agency. This Week they set a record for the biggest margin of defeat by a defending Super Bowl Champion, 48-7 by the Saints. Eagles are now 4-6 and haven't played any where near the way they dominated last season.
The Saints are rolling. Everyone looks at their offense, but their defense is playing great also. Sportscasters are finally giving them their due. If the road to the Super Bowl has to go through New Orleans I'm betting on the Saints making it to Atlanta. Always been a Drew Brees fan and he deserves the MVP this year.
I don't know why everyone is saying the Panthers decision to go for 2 to win was a bad one. Newton had Wright wide open and just over threw him. I don't know how he missed him. Newton wasn't under pressure, in fact he sat back in the pocket forever and no was even close. It should have been an easy toss and catch for the win.
Rams-Chiefs, heck of a game, but I don't know if I like it. Is it really that entertaining to watch a game where the defenses have no chance to stop the offenses from scoring except by luck, penalty, or turnover? With all the talent on the Rams defense, including the top candidate for defensive player of the year, they could barely slow down the Saints or Chiefs. The defenses are so hand cuffed now, that I don't think it's fun to watch.
When the Rams intercepted Mahomes to take the lead in the 4th, all my friends watching the game (all Chiefs fans) turned to me (the only one there rooting for the Rams) and I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "It doesn't matter, they're just going to get the ball back and score again." When the Chiefs went for it on 4th and 2 on their won 35, I knew we had officially entered video game territory. Screw punting, go on every down. The defense probably wouldn't stop the other team from scoring anyway. We even joked around after the Chiefs took their last lead that they should just on-side kick for the same reason...and guess what, no one argued. Rams promptly drove down the field and took the lead back. The most shocking thing that happened was that, with 1:49 left in the game, the Chiefs didn't put it back in the end zone.
I will say that the Chiefs have someone special in Mahomes, and it's not just the physical talent. The kid never got rattled even after giving up a strip sack for a TD and an interception for a TD. Despite throwing for 6 TDs and 400+ gazillion yards, he took full responsibility for the loss.
I also give Sean McVay credit. Despite having an all-star team for a defense and the best RB in the NFL, he realized (probably after getting beat by the Saints 45-35) that there was no way he could win this game unless they put up as many points as they could.
I don't know if I should be amazed or saddened by typing that last paragraph.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
NFL Week 10 - It's all about the Chiefs
I don't know what the issue was, but the Chargers didn't play well against the Raiders. Luckily it was the Raiders. Rivers had a so-so day against a secondary that wasn't able to cover anybody last week against 49er QB Nick Mullens who threw 3 TDs in his first ever start. Rivers did enough, leading an 91 yard TD drive at the end of the 1st half. Rivers should have been picked in the first drive when he threw into coverage, but got lucky when the tipped ball found the ground. He was picked in the 3rd when he floated a jump ball into double coverage against Keenan Allen. Despite tossing 2 TDs, I thought this was Rivers' worse game this season.
The stat line will look good for the defense with the Raiders only scoring 6 points, but the Raiders moved the ball well. A goal line stand, strip sack, and bonehead play by Derrick Carr (he threw the ball away on 4th down) kept the Raiders out of the end zone. This game could easily have been a lot closer.
They did enough to improve to 7-2 and with the Pats losing to the Titans, the Chargers have the 2nd best record in the AFC. Unfortunately they happen to be in the same division as the Chiefs, who have the best record at 9-1.
Still wondering when Joey Bosa will be back. He's back in practice this week, but may not see game action until week 12.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cardinals defense actually played very well against the Chiefs holding them to 26 points. Cards had their chances to win with the score 20-14 until a 4th quarter interception setup the Chiefs last TD for the 26-14 final score (Chiefs went for 2, but were unsuccessful). Mahomes threw 2 more TD passes, but was held to under 300 yards, ending his streak of 300+ yard games. Cards D sacked Mahomes 5 times. Did someone find a way to slow the Chiefs down or was it that the Chiefs were looking ahead to next weeks showdown against the Rams?
Saints are looking as unstoppable as the Chiefs and it seems like everyone is forgetting that they are also 8-1. Interestingly their only lost came from the Bucs, who outscored them 48-40, similarly to how the Chiefs lost to the Patriots 43-40. The Saints are the only team to beat the other 8-1 team, the Rams, 45-35. The NFL has been tweaking the rules to promote scoring and we're seeing the desired result. Saints would get my vote for the best team in the league right now.
Recent rule changes make it harder on (or call a penalty on); 1) CBs that battle WRs in tight coverage; 2) any defender that makes contact with WRs running free across the middle; 2) defenses trying to combat the "legal " offensive screens used to pick defensive players in man coverage; and 4) anyone who even touches a QB after he releases the ball. I don't see the NFL going back as everyone seems to love these high scoring games. To me it's frustrating to see a defender make a good play only to be flagged for it.
Julio Jones became the fastest receiver to put up 10,000+ receiving yards this week. Jones did it in 104 games, topping the previous record of 115 games by Calvin Johnson. Coincidentally, this week Larry Fitzgerald moved into 2nd all-time in receiving yards with 15,939, trailing only Jerry Rice who has an incredible 22,895 career receiving yards. Despite being the fastest to 10,000 I can't see Jones playing long enough to break Rice's record. Jones is in his 7th season and would have to keep this pace for another 8 seasons to catch Rice.
Pats 34-10 loss to the Titans is further proof that this New England team isn't the same despite the 7-2 (now 7-3) record. Pats had zero turnovers in this game, but suffered their largest margin of defeat since Brady took over as QB.
Bear's kicker Cody Parkey hit the goal post 4 times Sunday. A feat that I would bet that Parkey couldn't duplicate if he tried. Luckily the Bears took care of the Lions easily and Parkey's 2 missed FGs and 2 missed extra points didn't matter.
With Seattle putting up 31 points against the Rams in a loss, I'm putting more stock in the Chargers' 25-17 win over the Seahawks last week.
The stat line will look good for the defense with the Raiders only scoring 6 points, but the Raiders moved the ball well. A goal line stand, strip sack, and bonehead play by Derrick Carr (he threw the ball away on 4th down) kept the Raiders out of the end zone. This game could easily have been a lot closer.
They did enough to improve to 7-2 and with the Pats losing to the Titans, the Chargers have the 2nd best record in the AFC. Unfortunately they happen to be in the same division as the Chiefs, who have the best record at 9-1.
Still wondering when Joey Bosa will be back. He's back in practice this week, but may not see game action until week 12.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cardinals defense actually played very well against the Chiefs holding them to 26 points. Cards had their chances to win with the score 20-14 until a 4th quarter interception setup the Chiefs last TD for the 26-14 final score (Chiefs went for 2, but were unsuccessful). Mahomes threw 2 more TD passes, but was held to under 300 yards, ending his streak of 300+ yard games. Cards D sacked Mahomes 5 times. Did someone find a way to slow the Chiefs down or was it that the Chiefs were looking ahead to next weeks showdown against the Rams?
Saints are looking as unstoppable as the Chiefs and it seems like everyone is forgetting that they are also 8-1. Interestingly their only lost came from the Bucs, who outscored them 48-40, similarly to how the Chiefs lost to the Patriots 43-40. The Saints are the only team to beat the other 8-1 team, the Rams, 45-35. The NFL has been tweaking the rules to promote scoring and we're seeing the desired result. Saints would get my vote for the best team in the league right now.
Recent rule changes make it harder on (or call a penalty on); 1) CBs that battle WRs in tight coverage; 2) any defender that makes contact with WRs running free across the middle; 2) defenses trying to combat the "legal " offensive screens used to pick defensive players in man coverage; and 4) anyone who even touches a QB after he releases the ball. I don't see the NFL going back as everyone seems to love these high scoring games. To me it's frustrating to see a defender make a good play only to be flagged for it.
Julio Jones became the fastest receiver to put up 10,000+ receiving yards this week. Jones did it in 104 games, topping the previous record of 115 games by Calvin Johnson. Coincidentally, this week Larry Fitzgerald moved into 2nd all-time in receiving yards with 15,939, trailing only Jerry Rice who has an incredible 22,895 career receiving yards. Despite being the fastest to 10,000 I can't see Jones playing long enough to break Rice's record. Jones is in his 7th season and would have to keep this pace for another 8 seasons to catch Rice.
Pats 34-10 loss to the Titans is further proof that this New England team isn't the same despite the 7-2 (now 7-3) record. Pats had zero turnovers in this game, but suffered their largest margin of defeat since Brady took over as QB.
Bear's kicker Cody Parkey hit the goal post 4 times Sunday. A feat that I would bet that Parkey couldn't duplicate if he tried. Luckily the Bears took care of the Lions easily and Parkey's 2 missed FGs and 2 missed extra points didn't matter.
With Seattle putting up 31 points against the Rams in a loss, I'm putting more stock in the Chargers' 25-17 win over the Seahawks last week.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
NFL Week 9 -- Something Old, Something New
I really thought that the Chargers would have kept Mike Bagley as the FG kicker after he was perfect in the two games in place of Caleb Sturgis (3FGs, 4 PATs). Sturgis has missed 3 FGs and 4 Extra Points this season...that's right 4 extra points (that total is now 4 FGs and 6 extra points)! Even if Bagley didn't work out, Sturgis wasn't worth keeping anyway. The word on Bagley is that he struggled on kick offs, but I don't recall seeing anything that stood out. It's a good thing the Chargers brought Bagley back to the practice squad since Sturgis played himself out of a job.
Sturgis could have cost the Chargers the win vs. Seattle. Russell Wilson drove the Seahawks down to the 1 yard line with LA up 25-17. Chargers should have been up 30-17 or at least 27-17, but Sturgis missed two extra points and a 42 yard FG. Fortunately for the Chargers a false start pushed the Seahawks back to the 6 and S Jalhleel Addae got a finger nail on Wilson's last pass to prevent the TD.
The last time an AFC team won in Seattle was 2011. Chargers are 6-2 for the first time since 2006.
200th straight start for Phillip Rivers. He becomes only the 4th QB to make 200 consecutive starts (Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning). Rivers hasn't missed a start since he took over for Drew Brees back in 2006.
I haven't seen a Chargers O-line run block like this in a long time. Melvin Gordon is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and against a pretty good Seahawks run D gained 113 yards on just 16 carries. They are doing this with a platoon at RT (Joe Barsdale and Sam Tevi) and 2nd round pick Forrest Lamp still recovering from last years season ending injury.
...and my thoughts on the rest of the NFL this week...
Chiefs-Browns features Patrick Mahomes vs. Baker Mayfield. No doubt that Mahomes has the more talented team behind him, but Mahomes has been almost flawless, seemingly setting a record every week. I see a lot of talent in Mayfield and love his attitude, but he was playing against a stacked deck in the Chiefs. I give credit to Cleveland for hanging in for a while, but the Chiefs offense has been unstoppable so far this year.
JULIO JONES SCORED A TD!
Heck of a game in New Orleans. 39 year old Drew Brees out dueled 24 year old Jarrod Geoff giving the Rams their first loss of the season, 45-35. Rams fell behind by 21 points and came back to tie it at 35-35, but the Saints put up 10 more to put the game away. I can't wait to see the Rams-Chiefs game in two weeks.
Patriots-Packers...old man Tom Brady out plays young stud Aaron Rogers. In the NFL, quarterbacks are judged by titles and Brady has 5. He's led the Pats to 8 Super Bowls! In this era of free agency where its rare to see a player stay with a single team, you wonder if 8 Super Bowls by one QB will ever be matched. Rogers is the most physically gifted QB (although that is being challenged by Mahomes now) playing in the NFL today. With Brady you keep wondering how he does it, with Rogers you wonder how he did that. Pats again find a way to win. This time a couple trick plays, using a WR at RB, and forcing a timely fumble.
With the way RB James Conner is playing, does Pittsburgh even care if LeVeon Bell comes back let alone paying him big dollars by franchise tagging him or renegotiating his contract? Bell is obviously just looking for the big pay check and he doesn't care if it comes from the Steelers or not.
Does anyone even know who Nick Mullens is? He started the season as an drafted addition to the 49ers practice squad. Is he for real, or was it just that the Raiders are that bad right now?
Speaking of the Raiders. What the F... is Jon Gruden doing? Raiders traded LB Khalil Mack and WR Amari Cooper and earlier this week released DE Bruce Irvin. OK, maybe it's a mad scientist at work (Gruden kinda looks like one). According to the site OverTheCap.com, the Raiders will have over 83 million in cap space next year. He also picked up 1st round draft picks in 2019 and 2020 for Mack and another 1st round pick in 2019 for Cooper. This gives the Raiders 5 first round picks in 2019 and 2020.
Sturgis could have cost the Chargers the win vs. Seattle. Russell Wilson drove the Seahawks down to the 1 yard line with LA up 25-17. Chargers should have been up 30-17 or at least 27-17, but Sturgis missed two extra points and a 42 yard FG. Fortunately for the Chargers a false start pushed the Seahawks back to the 6 and S Jalhleel Addae got a finger nail on Wilson's last pass to prevent the TD.
The last time an AFC team won in Seattle was 2011. Chargers are 6-2 for the first time since 2006.
200th straight start for Phillip Rivers. He becomes only the 4th QB to make 200 consecutive starts (Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning). Rivers hasn't missed a start since he took over for Drew Brees back in 2006.
I haven't seen a Chargers O-line run block like this in a long time. Melvin Gordon is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and against a pretty good Seahawks run D gained 113 yards on just 16 carries. They are doing this with a platoon at RT (Joe Barsdale and Sam Tevi) and 2nd round pick Forrest Lamp still recovering from last years season ending injury.
...and my thoughts on the rest of the NFL this week...
Chiefs-Browns features Patrick Mahomes vs. Baker Mayfield. No doubt that Mahomes has the more talented team behind him, but Mahomes has been almost flawless, seemingly setting a record every week. I see a lot of talent in Mayfield and love his attitude, but he was playing against a stacked deck in the Chiefs. I give credit to Cleveland for hanging in for a while, but the Chiefs offense has been unstoppable so far this year.
JULIO JONES SCORED A TD!
Heck of a game in New Orleans. 39 year old Drew Brees out dueled 24 year old Jarrod Geoff giving the Rams their first loss of the season, 45-35. Rams fell behind by 21 points and came back to tie it at 35-35, but the Saints put up 10 more to put the game away. I can't wait to see the Rams-Chiefs game in two weeks.
Patriots-Packers...old man Tom Brady out plays young stud Aaron Rogers. In the NFL, quarterbacks are judged by titles and Brady has 5. He's led the Pats to 8 Super Bowls! In this era of free agency where its rare to see a player stay with a single team, you wonder if 8 Super Bowls by one QB will ever be matched. Rogers is the most physically gifted QB (although that is being challenged by Mahomes now) playing in the NFL today. With Brady you keep wondering how he does it, with Rogers you wonder how he did that. Pats again find a way to win. This time a couple trick plays, using a WR at RB, and forcing a timely fumble.
With the way RB James Conner is playing, does Pittsburgh even care if LeVeon Bell comes back let alone paying him big dollars by franchise tagging him or renegotiating his contract? Bell is obviously just looking for the big pay check and he doesn't care if it comes from the Steelers or not.
Does anyone even know who Nick Mullens is? He started the season as an drafted addition to the 49ers practice squad. Is he for real, or was it just that the Raiders are that bad right now?
Speaking of the Raiders. What the F... is Jon Gruden doing? Raiders traded LB Khalil Mack and WR Amari Cooper and earlier this week released DE Bruce Irvin. OK, maybe it's a mad scientist at work (Gruden kinda looks like one). According to the site OverTheCap.com, the Raiders will have over 83 million in cap space next year. He also picked up 1st round draft picks in 2019 and 2020 for Mack and another 1st round pick in 2019 for Cooper. This gives the Raiders 5 first round picks in 2019 and 2020.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
NFL Week 7
It was pretty good defense on the 2-pt. attempt. They took away QB Marcus Marriota's first option, a fade to his right, then when Marriota looked back left for the slant, S Adrian Phillips was waiting to knock it away.
Everyone has a problem with the Titans going for the 2 point conversion instead of kicking the extra point and going to overtime. It comes down to these two scenarios; scoring from the 2.5 yard line vs playing for a win or tie in overtime. For me that's a coin flip. I understand the point of the announcers/broadcasters that the Titans had dominated the 2nd half, but the Chargers scored on two long passes. The game plan was to limit the Chargers possessions and they did that all day. Going for two was the ultimate, don't let the Chargers offense have a chance to win it, call.
If anything I have more of an issue with the call. Especially after the defensive holding penalty that made the attempt from inside the 2. Titans are a running team and one of the better read option teams with a good running QB in Marriota. Seems to me that a read option would be the go to play if I needed to run one play for less 2 yards to win a game.
I hope I don't jinx it, but the Chargers haven't missed a kick since Michael Badgley took over after an injury to Caleb Sturgis. Badgley went 2 for 2 in FGs and Extra Points and the Chargers needed every one of Badgley's 8 points. I'll be surprised if Sturgis is still on the roster after the bye in Week 8.
There's no good time for your starting RB to have a hamstring injury, but if Melvin Gordon was going to pull a hammy, the game before the bye gives him two weeks to recover. Hamstring pulls are touchy so we'll see what happens, but I'm hoping he'll be good for Week 9 @ Seattle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Got to hand it to the Patriots. They find a way. This time they produce two special teams TDs come from a kick off return and blocked punt. I still don't think this years Pats are Super Bowl material, but I can't deny that they keep finding ways to win.
The Pat Mahomes show continues in Kansas City. Along with WR Tyreek Hill, RB Kareem Hunt, and TE Travis Kelce, this is the most talented offense to come together since the "Greatest Show on Turf" in St. Louis. I'm not sure how anyone can stop these guys, or even if it's possible with today's rules. Looks like the only way to beat them will be the way the Pats did...by outscoring them 43-40. I thought the Bengals would at least be able to score on them, but they folded under the pressure of trying to keep up with the Chief's offense.
Everyone has a problem with the Titans going for the 2 point conversion instead of kicking the extra point and going to overtime. It comes down to these two scenarios; scoring from the 2.5 yard line vs playing for a win or tie in overtime. For me that's a coin flip. I understand the point of the announcers/broadcasters that the Titans had dominated the 2nd half, but the Chargers scored on two long passes. The game plan was to limit the Chargers possessions and they did that all day. Going for two was the ultimate, don't let the Chargers offense have a chance to win it, call.
If anything I have more of an issue with the call. Especially after the defensive holding penalty that made the attempt from inside the 2. Titans are a running team and one of the better read option teams with a good running QB in Marriota. Seems to me that a read option would be the go to play if I needed to run one play for less 2 yards to win a game.
I hope I don't jinx it, but the Chargers haven't missed a kick since Michael Badgley took over after an injury to Caleb Sturgis. Badgley went 2 for 2 in FGs and Extra Points and the Chargers needed every one of Badgley's 8 points. I'll be surprised if Sturgis is still on the roster after the bye in Week 8.
There's no good time for your starting RB to have a hamstring injury, but if Melvin Gordon was going to pull a hammy, the game before the bye gives him two weeks to recover. Hamstring pulls are touchy so we'll see what happens, but I'm hoping he'll be good for Week 9 @ Seattle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Got to hand it to the Patriots. They find a way. This time they produce two special teams TDs come from a kick off return and blocked punt. I still don't think this years Pats are Super Bowl material, but I can't deny that they keep finding ways to win.
The Pat Mahomes show continues in Kansas City. Along with WR Tyreek Hill, RB Kareem Hunt, and TE Travis Kelce, this is the most talented offense to come together since the "Greatest Show on Turf" in St. Louis. I'm not sure how anyone can stop these guys, or even if it's possible with today's rules. Looks like the only way to beat them will be the way the Pats did...by outscoring them 43-40. I thought the Bengals would at least be able to score on them, but they folded under the pressure of trying to keep up with the Chief's offense.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)