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Week 1: Five things we’ve learned

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Each week, I’ll be highlighting five things we learned off the back of the weekend’s games, and what that could mean going forward!

With Week One in the books, it’s difficult to have a true handle on what a team is really like. Was that blowout win/loss an aberration or a sign of things to come? I suppose you can spin it whichever way you like and finding definitive outcomes can be akin to trying to reach the ground floor of the Penrose Stairs…

But here’s my five cents for your reading pleasure:

1. The Cowboys are in deep trouble

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This was evident before Dak Prescott left the game with a fractured thumb that will sideline him for several weeks. The decision to trade Amari Cooper for a pittance without tangibly replacing him meant Noah Brown and Dalton Schultz saw the bulk of the targets (a combined 18 of 41) and CeeDee Lamb was a non-factor going 2 for 29 yards off 11 targets.

With no trade for Jimmy G/A.N.Other in the offing it’s Cooper Rush SZN for games against Bengals, Giants, Commanders and the Rams at an absolute minimum. A sub-standard QB with a receiving corps as thin as NFC West Week 1 Highlight Reel spells trouble for Dallas. They could be staring 1-4 in the face come mid-October.

2. New York Giants are better than we thought

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Is this the dreaded Week One aberration? I debated giving this a ‘Titans-are-bad’ slant but opted for some optimism by throwing some praise to the G-Men.

Whilst Derrick Henry looked off the pace, Saquon Barkley was fully switched on and back to the 2018/2019 standard that the New York fan base fell in love with. With playcalling so gutsy it has coined the term ‘Dabolls’, the Giants first year Head Coach has laid down a marker for how his team can and should play. 

Whilst it may be the Eagles division to lose, there’s no reason why New York can’t be feisty and play spoiler this year in an otherwise weak NFC East.

3. The Bills are who we thought they were

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Less something learned as something confirmed. This team is legit and I was a guy who fancied the Rams at home against a Bills secondary that could be considered their weakest spot. As it happens, they tormented Matthew Stafford, intercepting him three times and giving receivers not-named-Cooper-Kupp a long, long Thursday night.

Praise must also be offered up to the burgeoning deity that is Josh Allen who has developed such a connection with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis that it begs the question – how the hell do you stop these guys scoring?!

4. The Chiefs are fine, relax

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Unless you’re in the AFC West. I know the Cardinals looked totally lost but Patrick Mahomes and co. looked ready to pick up where they left off at the end of the 2021 regular season. By the time the game reached the 4th quarter it was 37-7 and left me wailing at the box score “stop, stop they’re already dead” much like that poor child screams when Homer Simpson pummels the Krusty Burglar into unconsciousness.

One downside for Kansas City? Five fumbles doesn’t look great, even if one was from Chad Henne. Luckily only one failed to be recovered.

5. The Vikings are coming for Green Bay

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Various power rankings had the Vikings languishing in the lower half going into Week One. How foolish we all look now, eh? I know the Packers took a pummelling from New Orleans this time last year but this one felt different. There wasn’t the weird passing line from Kirk Cousins as Jameis Winston had. He threw for 277 yards and a pair of Tuddys. Justin Jefferson? How’s your 9/184/2 to start the season? 

On the other side of the ball, Green Bay were throttled. Hamstrung by the loss of Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers is now relying on rookie receivers and journeymen to make up the difference but no matter how you try to Moneyball your way out of this, Green Bay without a WR1 are in serious danger of losing the NFC North crown to Minnesota. The Packers have officially been put on notice.

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F10Y Fantasy Recap

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Welcome to the fantasy recap, a scaled down, punchier version that the old Hype Train Station and here to give you a quick digest of the weekends action and provide some fantasy advice going forwards.

NB: Scores based on PPR leagues.

Fantasy Stars:

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Justin Jefferson (MIN) – 9rec/184yds/2td 39pts

Jefferson had a monster game, justifying his top 2 WR, 1st round price tag. After Cooper Kupp went off on Thursday night, this felt like the perfect reply in the fight for the overall WR1.

Patrick Mahomes (KC) – 30cmp/360yds/5td + 3rsh/5yds 34pts

Josh Allen stoked the fire on his Hype Train on Thursday but Patrick Mahomes reminded people he is still elite with a blitzing of Arizona despite not having Tyreek Hill after he moved to Miami.

Saquon Barkley (NYG) – 18rsh/164yds/1td + 6rec/30yds 32pts

Barkley is back and in a shock 21-20 victory over the Titans he somewhat ran the show. His best performance since late 2019 was capped off by essentially being the difference maker on the winning drive and conversion.

Surprise Packages:

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Dontrell Hilliard (TEN) – 2rsh/8yds + 3rec/61yds/2td 22pts

Hilliard was seen by many purely as a Derrick Henry handcuff, but he had his own section in the gameplan and as a pass catching running back he maximised his opportunities. Whether teams will now scheme to counter him I don’t know but the element of surprise certainly caught the Giants out.

Devin Duvernay (BAL) – 4rec/54yds/2td 21pts

Another unlikely player to grab 2TDs was Duvernay and neither of them were long bombs either (25yds and 17yds to be precise). With the Ravens you expect it to be Lamar with his legs or Andrews/Bateman in the air so mixing Duvernay in is going to cause some headaches.

Robbie Anderson (CAR) – 5rec/102yds/1td 21pts

Anderson caught a 75yd touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield but was in total targeted 8 times and hauled in 5 to cement his place as the WR2 on the team. Those who drafted him late as a dart throw will probably be annoyed they left him on the bench, happy they have a great asset on the cheap, but now confused whether they can trust it to happen again.

Disappointments:

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Darnell Mooney (CHI) – 1rec/8yds 2pts

I can give Mooney a mulligan as the conditions in Chicago were awful but Justin Fields seemed happy to spray the ball around to every receiver who wasn’t drafted in fantasy.

Allen Robinson (LAR) – 1rec/12yds 2pts

This has been talked about a lot since Thursday night but alarm bells are already ringing over Allen Robinson. It was the Bills defence and there is time to turn things around, but still, oof.

Dameon Pierce (HOU) – 11rush/33yds + 1rec/6yds 5pts

Pierce shot up fantasy draft ADP late on as he was given the starting role but as the opener went on it was clear he wasn’t the clear cut #1. Rex Burkhead saw a lot of snaps and later Coach Lovie Smith said he didn’t have the experience of passing situations to be featured heavily, something that won’t be fixed overnight.

Waiver Wire pickups:

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Jamaal Williams (DET) – Aside from the 3 listed in the surprises segment, Williams was another who had a 2td day and with his pass catching credentials and ability to complement Deandre Swift, he has a role every week and at 45% owned, he may be available.

DeAndre Carter (LAC) – 3 receptions for 64yds and a td is a decent stat-line on it’s own to make him an option. But with Keenan Allen likely to miss time Carter will be stepping up into a role he’s already proven he can fulfil.

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Saints Win, Recapping The Saints Week 1 Win Over The Falcons Quarter By Quarter.

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Somehow the Saints are leaving week 1, 1-0. With 13:40 left in the 4th quarter the Falcons had a 97.6% chance to win this game according to Next Gen Stats and to some fans giving the Saints a 2.4% chance to win seemed too generous. So, quarter by quarter lets see how New Orleans mounted an unbelievable comeback.

Before going into the breakdown, I wanted to start with an admission. I was wrong, in my preview of this game I made a mistake. I predicted this game based on conventional wisdom and logic. What I should have done was predicted this game based on my years of Saints fandom. This game was ludicrous, as a lot of Saints and more specifically Saints-Falcons games are, especially week 1. I should have known better and will try to not make the same error again!  

Now I’ve got that off my chest lets move onto the breakdown.

Quarter 1

The Saints struggles were clear straight from the opening Atlanta drive. They couldn’t contain the Falcon’s creative running game. Marcus Mariota looked really good on this drive with two 11 yard runs and 1 of 5 yards. Before the Saints defense finally stiffened up after the Falcons inexplicably decided to pass and forcing a field goal.

Unfortunately, this opening drive was an ominous sign of things to come for Saints fans.

Two of my Saint’s breakout candidates for this season featured on the first offense drive. Unfortunately, one is Juwan Johnson who looked to be held on a third down incompletion (more on Johnson later) and the other? Punter Blake Gillikin as the Saints wen three and out quickly. Gillikin did boom an excellent 58-yard punt, that with better punt coverage from Alontae Taylor (who flashed multiple times as a gunner today), would have pinned the Falcons around their own 10-yard line.

More on my 3 Saints breakout candidates here-Three Saints Players That Could Breakout In 2022 (whodathype.com)

The Saints’ defense was much better on the 2nd Atlanta drive, 2 good plays by Marcus Maye, one on what appeared to be a run blitz, he nearly stopped Damien Williams for a loss but couldn’t quite make the tackle, leaving Cam Jordan to clean up the tackle for no gain, after a deep incompletion to Patterson. Maye again made a good play of 3rd down; he quickly recognised a WR screen and broke on it to stop the play for a minimal gain and got the Saints defense off the field.

The ensuing offensive drive was much more promising for New Orleans, they marched 77 yards on 5 plays, taking just 2 Minutes and 2 seconds to punch it in for a touchdown. The success of this drive was down to Taysom Hill and a little help from his friends. Hill started with a 57-yard rumble on 3rd and 1, Hill showed great vision and power on the run juking and stiff arming a Falcon defender on route. Hill did have a massive hole to run through though with great blocks from FB Adam Prentice, LG Andrus Peat who pulled over to the right side and TE’s Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson.

Hill capped of the drive with another strong 11-yard touchdown run again to the right side, with an even better block from TE Juwan Johnson, he drove his man to sideline, shoutout to Mark Ingram for leading the way as essentially the FB on the play and Erik McCoy showed why the Saints signed him to a new 5 year deal this week, by getting to the second level with ease to clear the backend of the defense.

The momentum was all Saints after this drive, with the next play from scrimmage being a great FF by Peter Werner giving the Saints the ball back in good position at the Atlanta 43.

Pete Werner forces a fumble! – YouTube

Unfortunately, after 2 good Mark Ingram runs (7 and 6 yards) the offense stalled, at this stage of the game the Saints’ passing offense was completely out of sync.  Winston completed 2 of his 6-passing attempts for 6 yards.

This could have been down to Winston’s missed time with his new teammates in the offseason? This could have been Pete Carmichael finding his feet as the play caller? or a mix of both. It also didn’t help the O-line was struggling in pass protection, a theme that would continue (more on that later).  Either way it wasn’t working.

To add to the offensive woes, Will Lutz bonked the 44-yard filed goal attempt of the left upright. Meaning no points off the Atlanta turnover and this spelt a major change in the momentum of this game.

1st / 2nd Quarter  

After the miss, Atlanta went to work on a bully ball 9 play, 66-yard touchdown drive which started at the end of the 1st quarter and ended in the 2nd. Atlanta ran the ball right at the Saints front, Patterson accounted for 53 of the 66 total yards all on the ground. The Saints were missing tackles and did not seem like the same team that had dominated against the run in the 4 years prior. Atlanta took their first lead of the game.

2nd Quarter

This quarter was much of the same after the Falcons touchdown drive. The Saints did show some resistance against the run in the Falcons next drive. But that was short lived.

Meanwhile the passing attack of the Saints was completely out of rhythm and couldn’t get anything going. There were players open but the pass protection could not hold up, especially when the Falcons blitzed. Both James Hurst and Cesar Ruiz gave up quick sacks, killing drives where players were open, Winston just had no time to get the ball out. The Saints gave up 3 sacks in this quarter and 1.5 of those were to Grady Jarrett (a player I highlighted in the game preview).

The Falcons managed 2 field goal drives mainly led by Mariota and Patterson on the ground. With a big completion to rookie Drake London mixed in there for good measure. Saints went into half time in disarray and down 16-7.

3rd Quarter

The Saints started with the ball and showed signs of life. Alvin Kamara started the drive with a nice 5-yard run, his best gain of the day so far. Chris Olave had his first catch of his NFL career with a crucial 11-yard catch on 3rd and 4 to keep the drive alive.

Taysom Hill had another solid 9-yard gain at this point Hill was still looking like the best weapon the Saints had. The passing game started to click, with Michael Thomas finally getting his first catch after being targeted 2 times previously.

The protection issues ultimately let them down, with a big 9-yard loss on a sack from Mykal Walker on, yet again another unpicked-up blitz.

The Saints did manage a 49-yard field goal. After a good gain on 3rd down to Chris Olave. This was needed for Lutz after the miss earlier.

Just when it looked like the Saints could build some momentum, the Falcons marched down the field for a touchdown. Aided by Marcus Maye picking up a pass interference penalty on a pass intended for Olamide Zaccheaus, placing the ball at the Saints 2-yard line.  Zaccheaus was a pest this drive having 2 catches for 20 yards before forcing the PI. The Falcons punched it in with a Mariota run up the gut.

The next offensive series started well and ended in disaster. A nice 15-yard gain on the ground for Kamara to start, ending with Winston avoiding pressure on 3rd down again, desperately shovelling the ball to Ingram who tried to make something happen and fumbled right back to the Falcons.

With a short field the Falcons offense looked to land the decisive blow, with a pass to the London and Mariota scramble the Falcons were inside the red zone. The Saints finally got pressure on Mariota, he escaped and scrambled towards the 5-yard line, a typical play for Saints fans considering how the game was going. When a turning point play came to the rescue, and it was made by the 2 free agent safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye. Mathieu pulled one of Mariota’s arms of the ball and Marcus Maye punched it out, with Mathieu falling on it. It was a textbook play by the veteran duo.

It went from being first and goal at the Saints 5- yard line, already down by 13 to 1st and 10 with no points added to Atlanta’s lead.

Now, this was just the start of the change in momentum, the offense didn’t quite come to the party just yet. The Saints went 3 and out in only 3 plays from the ensuing possession. Saints fans figured the fumble was just a way to give the fans hope and a way for the team to play with their emotions, with the offense still stuck in neutral.

On a slightly brighter side all the punts did give us a chance to see 2nd round pick Alontae Taylor as a gunner, he was really impressive getting down the field in a hurry, just needs to work on finishing the play at the end, after missing a couple of tackles. Also, Blake Gillikin is still a stud.

3rd/4th Quarter

The Falcons got the ball back with 1 minute 40 left in the 3rd quarter on the 50-yard line, after a nice 18-yard return from Avery Williams. Giving them another short field with the chance to put the game to bed with a touchdown.

At this point the Saints seemed so scared against the run they were playing a lot of base defense (4-3) and were still struggling to stop the Falcons rushing attack.  They were quickly inside New Orleans’ 10-yard line after an 18-yard pass to KhaDarel Hodge. Crucially the defense held with help from a Falcons false start and stiff bend but don’t break redzone defense. Forcing Atlanta to settle for a short field goal to go up 26-10 with 12:41 to go in the fourth.

4th Quarter

Now, this where the Saints offense came to the party. OC Pete Carmichael went to the hurry up offense, a staple of Sean Payton’s tenure and it appears Sneaky Pete isn’t too shabby at calling it either.

Starting with a huge 26-yard connection to my guy TE Juwan Johnson, 15-yard pass to Kamara. A beautiful bomb across the middle to Jarvis Landry. Capped off by a bullet pass on a fade route to Michael Thomas in the endzone, we didn’t know yet that would light a fire in CantGuardMike. Just like that, 5 plays 74 yards in just 1 minute and 29 seconds. The Saints finished the perfect drive, at the perfect time, with the perfect 2-point play. A beautiful play design and route by Chris Olave.

For more on where the Saints got this play, see this thread on twitter from NOLA.com writer Luke Johnson: https://twitter.com/bylukejohnson/status/1569090487381893120?s=46&t=pjr8dFRYhDSX-6V-52acFg

Falcons are still up 26-18 with 11:06 left to go. Surely, they can’t blow another big lead, in the 4th quarter, can they? Well…. Let’s see, shall we? They started well and worked they up to their own 45-yard line with a mix of run and pass, the Saints had started to stiffen up against the run which was promising. The Saints’ defense managed to force a punt after a 3rd and 3 run stop by Shy Tuttle and Cameron Jordan.

Getting the ball back on their own 14-yard line, with 07:04 to go. On came a defiant Jameis Winston and the buoyant Saints offense. Starting with a reception from an Ohio State Buckeye (Chris Olave) and ending with a catch from an Ohio State Buckeye (Michael Thomas) Jameis Winston looked locked in, with the Saints completing their longest drive of the game going 86 yards in 8 plays and crucially only taking 3 minutes 27 of the clock. Thomas, Olave, and Landry all looked excellent on this drive, Thomas especially looking back to his best with 3 catches for 50 yards and a TD on the drive.

Unfortunately, the 2-point try this time was not as successful with a direct snap to Mark Ingram going nowhere, you have to wonder why this didn’t go to Taysom Hill? Leaving the Saints down 2, with 03:38 left.

Falcons started strong, rushing for 21 yards on the first 3 plays (Mariota and Patterson again!) the Saints used their first timeout after the 3rd run, leaving 02:03 on the clock. Pete Werner (who had an overall excellent game, 13 tackles, 1 TFL and a FF) made a crucial play to drop Mariota for a loss on 2nd down as the 2-minute warning hit.

With clock stopped at 01:59 the officials decided they weren’t getting enough attention and decided to call a weak defensive holding on Marshon Lattimore on 3rd down, after Mariota air mailed a ball down field nowhere near anyone. Giving the Falcons a fresh set of downs with 01:52 remaining. Ball placed on the Atlanta 49, crucially the Saints had one timeout remaining, stuffed Patterson for minimal gain on first down. 2nd and 9 Mariota nearly get a first down with an 8-yard scamper, leaving it down to 3rd and 1 at the Saints 42.

Mariota fumbled the snap, recovered it but only enough to get back to the line of scrimmage. Hope was still alive for the Saints.

At their own 20-yard line the Saints had 48 seconds left with no timeouts. Winston produced the throw of the game a 40-yard completion to Jarvis Landry down the left sideline, a perfect throw and it needed to be with 2 Falcons defenders in the area. Landry made a spectacular play caught it and ran for a few more yards, before going out of bounds.

The Saints rushed to the Atlanta 40-yard line, to try and spike it as they believed Landry had been ruled down by contact inbounds, meaning the clock was still running. The Saints got set and spiked it, then a flag. The refs had ruled that Landry was not touched and had got out of bounds, meaning when Winston spike the ball inside the pocket, it was actually intentional grounding. Meaning the Saints lost 10 yards and lost a down. This was a confusing sequence, and it appears the refs got it wrong as Landry was touched his way to the ground.

Alas, the Saints completed one more pass the Juwan Johnson for 17 yards. With no timeouts, Winston rushed to spike the ball again, believing he had one more down, due to the intentional grounding this now meant it was 4th and 4 after the spike not 3rd and 4 as Winston seemed to believe. Winston had just given the Falcons a chance to keep one of their timeouts and left 23 seconds on the clock.

Will ‘Big Nutz’ Lutz as he’s known in Saints world drilled the 51-yard attempt to give the Saints the lead 27-26.

Saints’ fans including me, were nervous, we’ve seen this movie before, and we don’t like the ending. With 19 seconds left and all 3 timeouts, the Falcons started at their own 25-yard line. Following 2 straight incompletions, it was 3rd and 10. The Saints got to Mariota and caused a fumble. Typically, the refs blow the play dead, saying the Falcons had called a timeout prior to the snap.

Try again, this time a 1st down completion to Patterson the Falcons weren’t done yet, they used their 2nd timeout. 6 seconds to go the pass was complete for 5 yards and the clock hit zero. That was it the Saints had pulled off the epic 4th quarter comeback. Wait, hang on, nope the refs again after some time, intervened. Stating the Falcons had called a timeout with 2 seconds left. Not only that but they had also judged a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Marshon Lattimore (admittingly it was a bad play from Lattimore).

Meaning it all came down to this, ‘Mr Automatic’ Younghoe Koo. Had a chance from 63-yards out to snatch victory away from the Saints in heart-breaking fashion.

But there was one final twist, the kick left Koo’s foot at a low trajectory due to the distance and it’s blocked by Peyton Turner! Saints Win and this time it counted!

Conclusion

The Saints came back when they had no business doing so and in true Saints fashion gave all their fans all they could handle.

I tweeted at halftime that this was a game the Saints just needed to find a way to win, and they did just that, with a bit of help from the Falcons yet again blowing a double-digit 4th quarter lead.

Finally, shoutout @ATLFalconsUK who had this glorious twitter exchange with me during the 3rd quarter!

The Saints will need to be a lot better next week in the home opener against the Bucs. But, if the team from the 4th quarter shows up all game/season long. This is going to be a fun one.

I will be previewing of all and recapping all of the New Orleans Saints games this season on New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards

Please let me know your feedback on this article and the rest throughout the season, I’m always looking to improve and add things that people want to read about. I will back later in the week to preview Bucs@ Saints, so please keep an eye out for that.

I want to create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so please follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion

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5 things to look out for in Week 1

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Last night saw the 2022 NFL Season get underway as the Buffalo Bills walked away from SoFi Stadium as winners over the Los Angeles Rams in NBC’s Kickoff Game. The reigning Super Bowl Champions were defeated 31-10 in an epic start to the season. Luckily there are still 15 more games on this weekend’s slate for you to enjoy, here are five things to look out for in Week 1.

1. Will Baker Mayfield stick it to the Cleveland Browns?

Many feel that the 2018 number one overall pick, the first Browns quarterback to win a playoff game in 26 years, was harshly treated by the organisation in their acquisition of Deshaun Watson. He has a chance to get one over them on Sunday, as his former team rock up to Charlotte, NC, to play the Carolina Panthers. The Browns will be without Watson, who faces the first of his eleven-game suspension for sexual misconduct.

2. A first look at Tua and the Dolphins’ exciting new offense.

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Miami did a lot of work this offseason to give third-year QB, Tua Tagovailoa, everything he needs to succeed. He’s got a new offensive head coach who seems to believe in him, a run-game, explosive new weapons in Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson, and vastly improved protection in front of him. He’s not had the easiest of starts to his NFL career, but this season things seem to have calmed down. We’ll know a lot more about his future after Sunday evening’s game at home to New England.

3. 2015’s top two picks go head to head

Week One seven years ago saw quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota face off to start their NFL careers. Sunday sees them meet for the first time since. It’s fair to say that both of their careers haven’t panned out as expected, with the two of them now on their second starting job, this time in the same division! Mariota’s Titans were 42-14 victors back then, will his Falcons win the first of two meetings with Jameis’ Saints this season? 

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4. Who will take the early bragging rights in the AFC West?

We don’t have to wait long for an inter-division matchup in the highly talented AFC West. Sunday sees the Los Angeles Chargers welcome the Las Vegas Raiders to SoFi Stadium. Both sides are vastly improved this season and are looking to end the Chiefs’ recent dominance of the division. Victory here will certainly help towards that, with every win counting in an absolutely stacked conference.

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5. It was a ride, 12’s 

Russell Wilson will brace Lumen Field for potentially the last time as his Broncos travel to Seattle to face his former Seahawks teammates. Denver kicked off an insane free-agency period this offseason by acquiring the Super Bowl XLVIII winning QB via a blockbuster trade. This game will certainly be filled with emotion, what a story it would be if the home team could pull off an upset. The perfect way to finish off the week, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Mr Unlimited on Monday Night Football. 

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Week 1 Preview Saints @ Falcons- Key Matchups And More

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It’s finally here! the first NFL Sunday of the 2022-2023 NFL season is two days away. It’s time to preview the New Orleans Saints week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. I’m going to discuss 3 key matchups. A position to watch, whos playing and whos not? and of course the result.

Overview

The Saints enter week 1 as the favourite against the rival Falcons. Both teams have many new faces, most notably Tyrann Mathieu for the Saints and a new starting QB in Atlanta. Marcus Mariota succeeds franchise legend Matt Ryan after he was traded to the Colts in the offseason (much to Cam Jordan’s dismay). Mariota will give the New Orleans defense a totally different challenge compared to Ryan. Mariota is far more mobile, Arthur Smith is likely to try use this mobility by running the read-option, plenty and often. Unless the Saints show improvement at containing it. The Saints have struggled to defend this plenty over the last few seasons.

These two teams are at very different stages, the Saints with a largely veteran team, should be a playoff team this season and if things go their way, a legit Superbowl contender. Whereas the Falcons are at the start of a rather large rebuild, with very few players to build around.

One paper this should be a walk in the park for the Saints. However, this is a divisional game and one of the NFL’s more heated rivalries. Nothing can be taken for granted here, especially in week 1.

3 Key matchups/Players To Watch

Michael Thomas And The Saints New WRs

One of the primary things I will be watching, how does Michael Thomas and the 2 new Saints receivers look? We haven’t seen Thomas play since 2020 and that was at far less than 100%.

If Michael Thomas is 85% of the player he was, then that is huge for this Saints team and QB Jameis Winston. Reports from camp suggest that 85% might be a conservative number too.

Things have changed considerably since the 2020. Meaning that even Thomas at 85% will give the Saints 3 legit studs at WR, with the additions of Jarvis Landry and Rookie Chris Olave.

It will be interesting to see how Landry’s game meshes with Winston’s. Traditionally Winston prefers to through deep and outside the numbers, whereas Landry’s game has been more in-between the numbers in the short and intermediate range. All signs so far seem good but we need to see it in regular season action.

Lastly, Chris Olave. The Ohio State sensation joins a whole host of other Buckeyes on the roster. How does he match up against good NFL corners? One of the main concerns coming out of college was, if he can be physical enough against press man coverage to get open? All reports from camp have been glowing in this regard. We just need to see it in action now.

This matchup against future all-pro A.J. Terrell and excellent vet Casey Hayward should provide a good measuring stick for the Saints to see where their top 3 WRs are at.

Who Does Marshon Lattimore Match Up Against?

I’m interested to see if Marshon Lattimore will travel against Kyle Pitts. Traditionally Lattimore matches up well against bigger and more physical pass catchers. Compared to the smaller more twitchy players.

So, from a style perspective Pitts fits well for the Saints to match him up against Lattimore. It also wouldn’t hurt for the Saints to take Pitts out of the game as much a possible by having Lattimore on him.

Now, where this get interesting. What do the Saints then do with rookie Drake London? The 6ft 5 210lb first round pick out of USC, also fits the mold of a player worth putting Lattimore on.

So do the Saints just play sides? And let Lattimore lockdown one side of the field and just see who lines up opposite him?

I’m very interested to see how they decide to defends the 2 mammoth pass catchers.

Grady Jarrett Vs The Interior O-Line Especially Cesar Ruiz

Grady Jarret is a game wrecker, a star and one of the best at his position. Whether it be defending the run or rushing the passer, Jarrett can do it all.

So how does the Saints interior O-line hold up against him? I expect Erik McCoy who is a top 5 Center in the league to do just fine, he might lose a few reps but all in all hold up very well. McCoy just got a fully deserved, fat new contract. He will really earn his money against Jarrett this week.

More on McCoy’s new deal here- Saints, center Erik McCoy agree to five-year extension worth up to $63.75M (nfl.com).

The question comes when Jarrett matches up over LG Andrus Peat and RG Cesar Ruiz. Peat is coming off a season ending pec injury and can be inconsistent. This matchup will be a strong test in his first regular season game back.

RG Cesar Ruiz is in a make or break year. The former 1st round pick is going into his 3rd NFL season and there’s not been too much to celebrate from his play on the field. Reports are that he has massively improved his game this offseason. If that’s true we should find out pretty quickly here. I’m not expecting Ruiz to win every snap against Jarrett, that wouldn’t be a fair standard to set. But to see improvement would be huge for the Saints O-line.

If the Saints are going to be the team I expect them to be this season, then they really need their interior O-line to be a strong, especially in the run game. This was an area of weakness last season, compared to years past.

That’s why I think this is one of the key matchups to watch.  

A Position To Watch

That position? Safety and more specifically how will the Safeties be used?

When former HC Sean Payton ‘retired’ the Saints wanted to keep continuity. Hence keeping a lot of the same staff and promoting former DC Dennis Allen to the Head Coach.

Well, continuity is not the word to use to describe the Safety position. Versatility is.  

After losing starting safeties Marcus Williams in free agency and Malcolm Jenkins to retirement. The Saints added 2 new starting safeties, in Louisiana native and LSU hero Tryann Mathieu and Former Jet Marcus Maye.

Marcus Williams was an excellent safety for the Saints but, we was fairly predictable. Generally lining up as a deep safety. In Mathieu and Maye the Saints have 2 players who can line up anywhere, they can player deep as a single safety or in 2 safety looks. They can both play in the box in zone or man coverage to cover TEs/RBs. They can help in run support and be productive blitzers, they can even cover the slot.

What this means is Dennis Allen now has 2 cheese pieces that he can move around the defense all game long, to fit a certain matchup, a certain tendency, or to simply confuse. These 2 could be anywhere at any time. Causing huge amounts of confusion for the opposing Qb’s. As they will be in one position pre snap and somewhere complete different post snap.  

This is going to festinating to see what how Dennis Allen and Co-Defensive Coordinators Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen decide to deploy these 2 in their first game as New Orleans Saints.

State of the rosters

Saints Injury report:

WR- TreQuan Smith- OUT

RB- Dwayne Washington- OUT

CB- Paulson Adebo-OUT

T- Landon Young- Questionable

WR-Michael Thomas- Questionable

S-J.T. Gray-Questionable

S- Tyrann Mathieu- Questionable

C- Erik McCoy- No designation

LB-Pete Werner- No designation

Falcons Injury report:

TE- Parker Hesse- No designation

CB- Darren Hall- Questionable

WR- Drake London- Questionable

Key Saints things to take from this? all signs seem to point to Michael Thomas playing. With Paulson Adebo out, all reports suggest that Bradley Roby will start at outside CB opposite Marshon Lattimore. With Justin Evans and/or P.J. Williams manning the slot. With no designation that means Pete Werner will play which is hugely important for the Saints run defense.

Key Falcons things to take from this? simply that rookie WR Drake London appears to be ready to make his NFL debut.

Result

I think the Saints defense dominate and confuse Mariota. With a wide range of coverages pre and post snap and a ferocious pass rush that gives him very little time to throw.

 I think the offense will be efficient in all areas, with the run game excelling.

Result- Saints Win 27-10

I will be previewing of all of the New Orleans Saints games this season on New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards

Please let me know your feedback on my article throughout the season, I’m always looking to improve and add things that people want to read about!

 I will also be posting at least 1 other article on the site weekly, so stay tuned.

I want to create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so please follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion.

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New Orleans Saints 2022-2023 Season Record Prediction

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We are on the eve of the 2022-2023 season. The 53 man roster is set, for now anyway. This seems like a good time to put out my prediction for how the 2022-2023 regular season will go for the New Orleans Saints.

Disclaimer- these predictions are based on the teams as they are now. Of course injuries, suspensions and trades could all massively change the Saints and any of their opponents throughout the year.

Week 1 @Atlanta Falcons

The Saints are on the road for week 1 against the division rival Falcons. #Falconshateweek is already in full flow on Saints twitter. This is a matchup that has been kind to New Orleans in recent memory winning 3 of the last 4.

On paper the Saints have a far superior roster but, games against the Falcons are unpredicable. Both team usually play each other well.

I predict the Saint’s defense is dominant, against an underwhelming Falcons offense. The New Orleans offense will simply just need to not make mistakes to win this game.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 27- 10

Saints bold prediction- Saints defense has 6+ sacks.

(Record 1-0)

(For a full preview of this game keep an eye out later in the week on New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards and @SaintsReportUK on twitter).

Week 2 Vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Terrific comes to the Caesars Superdome for a huge home opener. Despite Brady and the Bucs dominance on the rest of the league, this matchup has been a stellar one for New Orleans. The Saints defense has held Brady to 13 points per game in their 4 previous regular season meetings.

The Bucs offense has been more potent in the Dome compared to at home and I think this will be a close game coming down to 2 key points, who commits more turnovers? And can the Saints harass Brady to the same degree as they have previously?

I think these 2 teams will split the season series. Brady’s Bucs have performed better at the Superdome but, I’m going to go for a Saints win. It’s going to be very hard to run on the Bucs front with Vita Vea and former Saints Akiem Hicks manning the middle. I think this game is won from the arm of Jameis Winston with Chris Olave have his first big NFL performance.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 30-27

Saints bold prediction- Chris Olave 100+ receiving yards

(Record 2-0)

Week 3 @ Carolina Panthers

3 games to start the season, 3 division games for the Saints. Game 3 means a road trip to the ‘Bank of America Stadium’ in Charlotte. The Panthers have a new man leading the offense. Former number 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield will start under center for Carolina.  I am higher Baker than others. they a bring a young, hungry and fast defense that traditionally plays the Saints well.

I think this is a game where the Saints start slow, coming of a huge performance against the Bucs and despite a late rally; the slow start costs them here.

Result- Panthers Win

Score- 24- 20

Saints bold prediction- Saints defense holds MaCaffrey to under 60 rushing yards.

(Record 2-1)

Week 4 Vs Minnesota Vikings (London Game)

Coming off their first defeat of the season the Saints head to London for a ‘home’ game against the Vikings.

With first year HC Kevin O’Connell a disciple of Sean McVay. The Vikings are expected to have a new and improved offensive system and have stars on both sides of the ball. I expect the Vikings to be a playoff team this year, i even think they might win the NFC North.

I think this game is close, I think it’s going to be an offensive battle. With the biggest play coming from the Saints defense forcing 1 crucial turnover that swings the game in their favour.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 34-30

Saints bold prediction- Winston throws for 350+ and 3+TDs 

(Record 3-1)

Week 5 Vs Seattle Seahawks

Usually when teams play in London they have a bye week. The Saints refused that option, as they felt this would be too early in the season for a bye. To aid the team to transition back from the time zones changes and extra travel that the London game brings. Should the schedule makers have put this game on Monday night? I think yes, But of course its New Orleans so they did not.

So here come the Seahawks, a post London hangover is certainly possible here for the Saints. Luckily this is not the Seahawks of old, gone are the Russel Wilson lead, Legion of Boom teams. Enter the Geno Smith era, at least for now.

I think the Saints defense overpowers whichever QB the the Seahawks are starting on their way to comfortable victory.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 27-14

Saints bold prediction- Saints defense has 3+ interceptions

(Record 4-1)

Week 6 Vs Cincinnati Bengals

A huge Louisiana matchup follows, with former LSU Tiger legends Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase coming to town, as the Saints welcome last year’s Superbowl runner up Cincinnati Bengals to the Caesars Superdome.

On paper it appears the Bengals got even better this offseason, especially on the O-line (admittedly it’s not difficult to be better than last year’s line) with the free agent additions of Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and La’el Collins.

I predict a comeback down to earth game for the Saints, with the Burrow/Chase lead offense being just too much to keep up with on the night.

Result- Bengals Win

Score- 30-26

Saints bold prediction- Michael Thomas over 125 receiving yards.

(Record 4-2)

Week 7 @ Arizona Cardinals

Week 7 takes the Saints head to the desert to face the Cardinals, a team many the media believe will be a playoff team this season. I on the other hand do not share that same vision for them.

Now. I’m not saying are bad, I just don’t see them as a playoff calibre team, more likely around .500. They are not good enough at key spots O-line, CB and other than J.J. Watt (can he stay healthy? ) and Marcus Golden there is not much at Pass Rusher either.

Yes Kyler has weapons and this will be DeAndre Hopkins first game back after suspension. But, I think the Saints defense, especially the front 7 dominate this game. With a statement away win.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 34-21

Saints bold prediction- 3 Saints receivers go over 80 receiving yards.

(Record 5-2)

Week 8 Vs Las Vegas Raiders

A new and improved Raiders come to town. Or so you were told. The Raiders have been a darling of the offseason. With the trade for Davante Adams, free agency addition of Chandler Jones and the hiring of Patriots offensive mastermind Josh McDaniels as HC.

I, on the other hand. See a team with a weak O-line and a defense outside that of Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby who, admittedly are studs. Appears average.

I think the Saints put together their most complete game of the season, they harass Derek Carr all night and Winston throws it all over the field for big numbers.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 38-18

Saints bold prediction- Marcus Davenport 2+ Sacks.

(Record 6-2)

Week 9 Vs Baltimore Ravens

If the Saints are the team I think they are, I think they should win this game. It will be tough though and this Ravens team should not be taken lightly.

Always well coached and led by former MVP QB Lamar Jackson and a strong, deep and versatile secondary, I think this game will be close. My main concern if I’m a Ravens fan, Can Rashod Bateman or any other WR step up this season? If not that’s a lot to put on Mark Andrews in the passing game.

I think this a defense battle, with the Saints relying on their running game and producing just enough in the passing game to get through with a win.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 24-21

Saints bold prediction- Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram both average over 4.5 yards per rush.

(Record 7-2)

Week 10 @ Pittsburgh Steelers

A trip to the Steel City awaits the Saints in week 10. Some of the points I made about the Ravens are true here. The Steelers are well coached, instead of the excellent secondary the Ravens posses. For the Steelers it’s a dominant front 7 led by reining defensive player of the year T.J. Watt.

The biggest question by this point of the season will be, who is the starting QB? Will it be Mitch Trubisky or will rookie Kenny Pickett have taken over.

This could be a low scoring grind it out type of game. As all Saints fans know there’s always at least one let down game every season. A game the Saints should win and they just lay an egg. Here’s where I guess that game comes.

Result- Steelers win

Score- 21-17

Saints bold prediction- Juwan Johnson leads the team in receiving yards.

(Record 7-3)

Week 11 Vs Los Angeles Rams

The Reigning Superbowl Champions visit New Orleans, this matchup when played the dome especially, will not bring fond memories for Saints fans. I feel that trend could continue.

I don’t think the Rams will be a Superbowl powerhouse this season and I really could see the Saints winning this game. But and there isn’t any analysis in this take. For some reason this just feels like a game the Saints will lose, maybe with some frustration from fans, feeling like this was a missed opportunity. Leaving the game feeling like the Saints should have won.

Sometimes as a fan you have these feelings. I’m going to go with my gut here.

Result- Rams Win

Score- 27-20

Saints bold prediction- Alvin Kamara 140+ yards from scrimmage

(Record 7-4)

Week 12 @ San Francisco 49ers

Coming off a loss to the Rams the Saints travel to Santa Clara to face Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers. Will Trey Lance still be the starter? We will see. Shanahan’s offense has traditionally given Dennis Allen issues.

This time I think the Saints defense strikes back, confusing the rookie QB with disguised coverages. Leaving San Fran’s offense in disarray.

Whilst Jameis has is way with the 49er’s secondary.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 31-20

Saints bold prediction- 2+ interceptions for Saints Safeties

(Record 8-4)

Week 13 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As I said earlier I think the 2 teams split this series, so in the second meeting with the Bucs, Tom and his cronies come out on top.

Result- Bucs Win

Score- 27-21

Saints bold prediction- David Onyemata’s Sacks + TFL’s will be 3 or more

(Record 8-5)

Week 14 Vs Atlanta Falcons

Rinse and repeat from my week 1 comments. The only difference here is Desmond Ridder may have found his way into the starting line-up at QB.

Either way I think this is a Saints win.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 34-17

Saints bold prediction- Cam Jordan breaks the Saints franchise sack record with 2+ Sacks.

(Record 9-5)

Week 15 @ Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson will have had plenty of time to knock off the rust by now after not playing for a season and serving his suspension.

Giving the Saints a challenge in this game. I think they manage to shut down the Browns run game. Leaving a passing offense with limited weapons outside of Amari Cooper out to dry.

Winston takes a backseat to a dominate Saints run game led by Kamara, Ingram and Taysom Hill.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 30-24

Saints bold prediction- Marshon Lattimore holds Amari Cooper to 4 or less catches whilst lined up against him.

(Record 10-5)

Week 16 @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Saints bogey team over the last 2 seasons and unfortunately the Eagles are much improved this year compared to those teams. After a masterful offseason, capped with a trade for C.J. Gardner Johnson that depressed most Saints fans. Giving the Eagles defense the final piece it needed.

Unfortunately I don’t think the Saints bring in the New Year with a win. With the Saints issues against the Eagles attack continuing and the formidable Eagles front making it very difficult for the Saints offense to operate, especially in the run game.

Result- Eagles Win

Score- 31-21

Saints bold prediction- Saints offense is held to under 50 yards rushing.

(Record 10-6)

Week 17 Vs Carolina Panthers

I had the Saints losing this matchup in week 3. I don’t see a sweep for the Panthers. Avoiding a slow start this time around. The Saints romp to a dominate win to close out the regular season.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 27-19

Saints bold prediction- Taysom Hill 3 total TDs

(Record 11-6)

There you have it! You now know exactly how the Saints regular season will go (said with tongue firmly in cheek). New Orleans finish 4-2 in the division and 11-6 overall.

I will posting at least 2 Saints articles to New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards every week throughout the regular season and beyond! So stay tuned there.

I want to create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so please follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion.

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Five Things: Preseason Game 3 – New York Giants at New York Jets

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The Giants fell to a 31-27 defeat against the Jets last night, and after two wins and a loss, the preseason is over. With the regular season fast approaching, let’s look at some talking points.

Webb Shooter

Davis Webb’s preseason performances have been impressive, and although he is unlikely to see the field this season, the familiarity he has shown in this offence has given us glimpses of what may be to come for Daniel Jones once Brian Daboll’s system clicks. Davis came into the game late in the first quarter following Tyrod Taylor’s untimely exit due to a back injury and once again carried the team forward.

Normally, focusing on stats is pointless in preseason, but glossing over Webb’s would be doing him a disservice. He finished yesterday’s game with 30 completions on 38 attempts for 202 yards, rushed four times for 13 yards, and threw a touchdown to Tight End Austin Allen. If you look at the whole preseason, he was also joint 5th for passing yards with 457 and had 60 completions on 81 targets, which is the highest number of completions across the NFL.

Cornerback Woes

The majority of Giants fans would agree that the biggest concern this offseason, other than the injuries, has been the state of our cornerback group. Outside of Adoree Jackson, it is very much a patchwork group with no standout backups ready to step in. Sunday’s game was an opportunity for one of them to step up, but unfortunately, it ended by raising more concerns.

Multiple players had rough days, with both Aaron Robinson and Cordale Flott missing tackles that will cost the Giants dearly in the regular season. However, it’s probably fair to say that neither struggled as much as Khalil Dorsey did on the Jets’ final drive. With the Jets on the Giants’ 36-yard line, Dorsey was flagged for pass interference, placing the Jets on the 10 yard line. Four plays later, he was beaten on a corner route and the Jets scored what ended up being the game winner.

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Calitro Shines

Austin Calitro signed with the Giants a month ago, and the much-travelled Linebacker who is on his 9th team, has been fighting for a roster spot ever since. Calitro, a life-long Giants fan, has had an up and down preseason. After impressing against the New England Patriots, he struggled against his previous team, the Cincinnati Bengals, but last night’s showing could just see him avoid being cut and make the Giants’ 53-man squad for the season.

His impressive showing yesterday started with a fumble recovery after fellow Linebacker Micah McFadden forced the ball out of Michael Carter’s hands. Then, in the second half, a poor throw by Joe Flacco was straight at Calitro, and he took the gift all the way to the endzone for the Giants’ first touchdown of the game. By the end of the game, he added five tackles (two solo) and one tackle for a loss to his stat line.

When Will It End

In what seems to be a weekly occurrence, another smattering of injuries has disrupted the Giants’ preparations for the upcoming season. During the weeks joint practise with their final preseason opponents, the Giants saw second-year Edge Rusher Azeez Ojulari leave the field hobbling with what was later revealed to be a lower leg injury. This was only days after one of the stars of preseason Wide Receiver Collin Johnson was ruled out for the season with an Achilles injury.

The injuries didn’t let up during Sunday’s game, although we can be thankful that on paper they don’t look to be as impactful as a number have been in the last few weeks. Tyrod Taylor left the game with a back injury on the dreaded cart, but seemed to avoid a serious injury. Tight End Daniel Bellinger and Defensive Lineman Jalyn Holmes were also both ruled out after they were evaluated for concussions.

As Sign of Things to Come

After sitting through last year’s abysmal offensive play, Giants fans were intrigued when the tandem of Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka were brought in to overhaul the playbook. Early signs in camp pointed to a more modernised offence and, although it is still very much a work in progress, it would seem that the pieces are starting to come together.

Looking at the three games that the Giants have played in the preseason, they averaged 25 points a game, something they only managed three times in the entirety of last season. Couple this with the 272.7 Passing Yards per game and the 382.7 Total Yards per game (both of which were the highest in the league) and you have a reason to be optimistic.

Obviously, this is only preseason, so it cannot be interpreted as a foreshadowing of what is to come, but for a team that has struggled so frequently in recent years, it’s a breath of fresh air and long may it continue.

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Five Things: Preseason Game 2 – Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants

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Preseason game two is in the books and another win for Big Blue this time over the Cincinnati Bengals. Here are five things to mull over:

Decisive Daniel

Brian Daboll kept his cards close to his chest this past Friday, refusing to say whether Daniel Jones would play in the preseason game against the reigning AFC champions, but he will be pleased with the performance of his much-maligned quarterback after deciding to start him.

After multiple weeks of inconsistent practises and an up and down showing last week against the New England Patriots, Jones produced an assured performance, albeit against the Bengals’ 2nd string team as the starters were held out.

Jones was under centre for most of the first two quarters before Tyrod Taylor replaced him on the Giants’ fourth possession. During those three possessions, Jones played 24 snaps, completing 14-of-16 passes for 116 yards. The only mark on his stat sheet will be the interception. Nevertheless, Daboll was keen to express though that he thought rookie Tight End Daniel Bellinger should have caught the ball that ricocheted into the hands of Bengals rookie Safety Daxon Hill.

Fourth-Quarter Comeback

As the fourth quarter got underway last night, the Giants were 16-7 down and heading towards defeat. However, a quick field goal after a stalled drive that started in the 3rd quarter was converted, and the game was suddenly closer at 16-10.

The Bengals’ next drive ended around midfield when Evan McPherson missed a 58-yard field goal. This meant Davis Webb found himself with great field position, knowing that the team needed a touchdown. Nine plays later, Webb would connect with Alex Bachman for a 22-yard touchdown. He then followed it up with a run of his own to convert the two-point conversion, and suddenly it was 16-18.

The Bengals would answer that with a touchdown of their own, but a failed two-point conversion would give the Giants an opportunity to seal the game. In a drive that took just over two minutes, Webb would find Bachman again for the go-ahead touchdown, and Jamie Gillan converted the extra point. The final play of the game would come after undrafted rookie free agent Tomon Fox smashed into Trenton Irwin to cause a fumble that was recovered by newly signed Olaijah Griffin.

Injury Ravaged

The Giants entered Sunday’s game with EIGHTEEN players unavailable due to injury. For the stats people out there, that’s 21% of the roster and it doesn’t include the five players either on injured reserve or the physically unable to perform list.

It was due to these issues that the Giants had to start their sixth player at Centre Max Garcia, which subsequently put Daboll in two minds on whether to play his starters.

Most of the players did play, and unfortunately, things only got worse. In the first half alone Wide Receiver C.J. Board injured his ribs, Kicker Graham Gano suffered a concussion as a result of having to make a tackle on a returned kick, and rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux was almost carted off with a knee injury but luckily only strained his MCL. Nothing changed in the second half as last week’s standout, Darrian Beavers, left with a knee injury, which has now been confirmed as an ACL tear, ending his season.

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Take a Punt

As alluded to in my previous point, Graham Gano left the game in the first half with a concussion, leaving the Giants in the precarious position of not having their standout kicker available for the rest of the game. Normally, in a situation like this, you would start going for two-point conversions, but preseason allows opportunities for experimentation. 

Punter Jamie ‘The Scottish Hammer’ Gillan took over kick-off duty and, on the whole, performed well, but the real experiment started early in the 4th quarter with the Giants facing a 4th and 9 on the Bengals’ 12 yard line. Gillan and versatile Safety Jullian Love trotted out to become Place Kicker and Holder respectively, and they connected with a 31-yard field goal. The pair returned late in the 4th to secure the XP that gave the Giants a 3-point lead.

Bach to Bach(man)

Wide Receiver Alex Bachman has been on the roster bubble the last two preseasons for the Giants, and he’s been a mainstay on the practise squad. He has seen game time with the Giants, but opportunities have been scarce, with a combined 56 snaps on Offense and Special Teams in four games. Last night, however, may have just shown exactly what Bachman can do.

In a breakout performance, he finished yesterday’s preseason game with 11 catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns, both from Quarterback Davis Webb. When asked prior to the game, Brian Daboll was complimentary about his attitude: “He showed up in the spring and worked as hard as he possibly could and got better each day. He’s one of the first guys in the weight room each day. He was down, down on the depth chart, rep chart if you will, and all he does is compete and play hard. And I appreciate guys like that. I think his teammates do, too. It was good to see him have some success out there. He’ll get more chances.”

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What’s the deal with Tua? Is this his breakout season?

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I think it’s fair to say that Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t had the best of starts to his NFL career. Before the injury he was seen as one of the best quarterback prospects since Andrew Luck, but things haven’t quite worked out in the league.

That being said, I don’t think there are many quarterbacks at all that would be able to succeed if they went through what the ex-Alabama QB has had to deal with over these past few years. Yes, he’s been nothing more than average, but he’s not had the chance to be anything else.

That could be set to change as Tua has been spectacular so far in Training Camp. The front office has surrounded the QB with a loaded offense, and there is a whole load less noise around him and the team, even with the Brady stuff, there’s positivity there.

But before we delve further into why I believe the narrative is about to change, let’s recap Tua’s career so far.

Going into the 2019 college football season, Tua Tagovailoa was the expected number 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. He was one of the biggest stars in college football after his come from behind 2018 (2017 season) National Championship win from the bench as a freshman. The following season he came second behind Kyler Murray in the Heismann voting and lost the Natty to Clemson, but did break Baker Mayfield’s single-season FBS passer rating record of 199.4. 

2019 looked set to be just as successful, before a shootout loss to LSU and a season-ending injury occurred in the space of 7 days. His season was ruined against Mississippi State on November 16th, the 10th Week of the CFB season, dislocating his hip and sustaining a posterior wall fracture, a very uncommon injury to suffer on the football field. A bad one.

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After he was drafted in 2020 (5th overall), Tua was cleared to play medically in the summer but was expected to sit behind Ryan Fitzpatrick for the year. 2019 proved that the team were all in on him, and Tagovailoa had spent the offseason rehabbing rather than training. Some believed it was possible he’d never play football again, so it seemed right to take a slow approach. The lack of a pre-season in 2020 too meant he was very raw in terms of NFL snaps. 

Joe Burrow of LSU, the quarterback who eventually went number one overall, started from the get-go for Cincinnati, whilst Justin Herbert took the opportunity to start that game vs Kansas City and ran with it, looking like a star as a rookie.

Tua’s first snaps were in relief of Fitz in a blowout win vs the Jets in Week 6. Bar a situation like that, it seemed highly unlikely that Tua would play a game that season, especially with the Fins in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The team’s bye week then followed, in which Tua was suddenly announced as the starter for the Week 8 game at home to the Rams, out of nowhere. After that, nothing really made sense with the team’s handling of him.

It’s expected that Brian Flores was pressured by Stephen Ross to start him, probably caused by how good Herbert looked. I think Ross was determined to prove that they didn’t make a mistake by not drafting him by showing Tua off to the world, which was totally the wrong choice to make. 

As we know, he didn’t play anything like the Chargers QB, he wasn’t awful, but didn’t show off anything bar his ability to scramble when the pocket closed. It was hardly surprising, you could tell the training wheels were on. He also looked lighter and weaker, like he wasn’t ready to play yet. Almost as if he spent the last 12 months recovering from a serious injury.

Flores’ decision to pull him late in games when the offense was struggling to find a groove backfired massively. I admire the ambition to win, but ultimately that was probably the beginning of the end of his time in Miami. It created a huge media story of a lack of confidence, which just wouldn’t have been there if he kept Tagovailoa in the games and let him learn.

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2021 came around, and the team attempted some moves to help him succeed, but not many worked out. The very heavily RPO-based offense suited his skill set, but the decision to have not one, not two, but three guys in his ear relaying it to him was dumb. New England looks to be learning that at the moment.

Drafting Jaylen Waddle was also smart, reuniting Tua with one of his college receivers, without him the offense would have absolutely stunk last year. Since Tua has been in Miami, his receivers have created the least amount of separation in the entire league. Imagine how bad it would’ve been without Waddle.

There were however some absolute disasters too, the main one being the failure to address the offensive line. The unit got even worse after losing Ereck Flowers. 

Don’t forget Will Fuller too. Signing him would have been such a good idea, had he played. An odd finger injury kept the WR out virtually the whole year. All of this was going on whilst the Deshaun Watson situation was developing. Fuller’s addition only sparked more rumours. 

Surprise surprise, the line got the QB hurt at home to Buffalo in Week 2, derailing the season from the very start, missing three games, of which the team lost all three. Week 7, also against the Bills, saw Tua sustain an finger injury that put him out for the game against the Texans, the game after the trade deadline.

Baltimore were the next opponent after Houston, on TNF, a game where the quarterback, who lead you to a win at Foxborough, was active, but not starting, as a ‘precaution.’ What the hell was that? His finger was healed enough to be active. Heck, he was even on the golf course on the day of the game.

Jacoby Brissett hurt his knee just after the half, prompting Tua to go in and try and extend a 6-3 lead. The unit was moving better with Tagovailoa, so even when Brissett was cleared to go back into the game, Flores stuck with him. How odd. 

These kinds of decisions just didn’t make any sense, and they happened regularly. We know you didn’t get on, but your replacement was the disaster that was Brissett, I thought you wanted to win Flores?

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After the game, Tua started the rest of the season. The continuity, paired with a significantly better defensive performance saw six more wins follow, before a collapse from the offense on a win-and-in-game in the rain in Nashville. A bad game, towards the end of a season. 

A season in which we saw improvement from Tua Tagovailoa in less than ideal circumstances. The Dolphins finally going back down to their level after beating up on bad teams down the stretch. 

Anyway, enough of the old regime, bar the meddling owner trying to illegally pursue Tom Brady for the second time, the team looks in a much better place. It seems that GM Chris Grier is more fond of the now third-year signal caller than Flores was, together with Mike McDaniel they’ve given him everything he needs to succeed this offseason.

Bringing us to today, where confidence in Tua seems higher than ever.

It’s almost as if you give a QB a relatively trouble-free offseason, with minimal noise, an upgraded offensive line, two more playmakers and a running game, he’d look pretty damn good in training camp.

I’m not surprised, he’s got some very key attributes to be a successful QB in this league. The pocket presence is good, you really can’t deny that. Tagovailoa knows exactly where to go under pressure, often stepping up into the pocket when it collapses. He needs to protect himself when scrambling though, trying to truck defenders isn’t wise. Tua had the league’s 5th best pressure to sack percentage last season at only 14.4% Brissett was 2% higher on that list and took just one less sack in 169 fewer snaps. 

Then there’s touch, the Dolphins #1 throws a very catchable ball, which is often very accurate, accuracy being his main strength. Tua is rarely off target, especially in short range. He’s one of the best in the league at completing those quick throws. 67.8% of the quarterback’s throws were completed last year, putting him right between two very similar players in Jimmy Garoppolo and Mac Jones.

Tua’s going right into the offense that has seen Jimmy reach two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl. A QB-friendly system that creates opportunities off of play action thanks to an excellent run game. I’d argue that if he was in Josh McDaniels or Kyle Shanahan’s offense last year, the young QB would’ve been better, than his former Alabama teammate and, certainly Garoppolo. The numbers are so similar, and consider situations. 

His first year without rehabbing since the injury has helped, he’s clearly worked on his arm strength and throws outside of the pocket. The two biggest criticisms of his game since his debut. Both elements have been poor so far in his NFL career. Local reporters have been impressed with the difference.

It feels like every single practice we’re hearing about a 50-yard connection to one of his many receivers. His accuracy has shown up too, with many balls that are expected to be intercepted, ending up right at the chest of the intended target. 

Tagovailoa’s play has been recognised, being one of only five players to have worn the orange jersey twice since the start of OTA’s. The orange jersey is awarded to the player with the best practice the previous day, by the coaching staff.

Elsewhere on the offense, the wall protecting him is looking much better. They’ve now got a veteran leader in Terron Armstead, to pair with Robert Hunt who’s been the only acceptable lineman these past two years. Playing Conor Williams at C is odd, but if it allows you to get your best five out there then I guess it makes sense. 

By the sounds of it, the run game has been the phase that’s impressed the most though. Which is exactly what is needed in this offense, Chase Edmonds, who by the seems of things may be the feature back, has been impressing. 

All of this should really help Tua, who I expect to have a much better season. I’m not expecting him to be Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, or Patrick Mahomes, but can he be Kirk Cousins? Absolutely. 3500 yards, 25 TD’s and 10 INT’S or so seems entirely possible from what we’ve been hearing is going on in Training Camp. 

Tua and the offense were the standout unit in Thursday’s joint practice against the Buccanners. Everything that’s happened so far on the lead-up to the season points towards a much improved year from the Fins’ 3rd-year quarterback. 

Our 2022 NFL Season Guide is now available to pre-order. With over 160 pages packed with previews, reviews and opinions from fans across the league and the UK, this is the comprehensive NFL UK fan guide written by NFL UK fans. Log on to www.full10yards.co.uk/guides/ and enter code FULL10 for 10% off your copy today.

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Five Things: Preseason Game 1 – New York Giants at New England Patriots

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Our first game against the New England Patriots has now been and gone. It wasn’t a convincing performance by any means, but there were plenty of talking points. Here are five things that stood out:

Jones vs. Tyrod

Whilst it is unlikely that this will turn into a starting job competition, there is already some intrigue regarding how bad the Giants’ record would have to be before the coaching staff pull Daniel Jones and move forward with Tyrod Taylor. Thursday’s preseason game was a good opportunity for them both to show what they can achieve this season if needed.

Jones took the first two series and had a good but not brilliant showing, completing 6 of 10 passes for 69 yards as well as a 7-yard scramble. He would have likely had a much-needed touchdown too if Kenny Golladay hadn’t dropped a pass that hit him right between the numbers.

On the other hand, Taylor showed exactly what the Giants had been missing the last few years from a backup, which is competency. He completed 13 of 29 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Again, like Jones, there were good moments, but against a stronger calibre of player, a few overthrows may have ended up being interceptions.

First Rounders

There was a noticeable buzz from the Giants fanbase before the game, and the majority of that was aimed at the chance to see both Evan Neal and Kayvon Thibodeaux in their first semi-competitive game.

Neal was in from the start and ended up playing 19 offensive snaps and it was an up and down showing from the rookie. In the passing game, he looked unsure but showed much more promise in the running game. It’s no secret that his offensive line teammate Andrew Thomas struggled in his first season but has blossomed into a key piece, so I think we can allow Neal some time to learn.

Thibodeaux also started on the defensive side and played 14 snaps before being removed. Although he wasn’t on the field for long and the stat line doesn’t show much, he had a dominant showing. Kayvon finished the game with an assisted tackle and was responsible for a Patriots offensive false start but is raring to go for the next game. “I thought I was gonna be a little more nervous or a little more uptight,” Thibodeaux said, “but it was really natural, and it was good … this was definitely just a warm-up.”

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The Thin Offensive Line

With an offensive line group that is mostly made up of new additions from either the draft or free agency, the Giants needed the line to stay healthy and gel. Unfortunately, on the injury front, that hasn’t been the case. Center Nick Gates and Tackle Matt Peart both remain on the PUP list after starting the preseason there. Matt Gono’s reoccurrence of a career-threatening neck injury has led to his contract being terminated and rookie Marcus McKethan saw his season finish before it started due to an ACL injury.

This trend continued during the game as Guard Shane Lemieux began limping during the opening moments of the first offensive series and, after the drive finished, he headed to the locker room. He was later ruled out with a toe injury and was seen on the sidelines in a walking boot. Backup Jamil Douglas then deepened the crisis as he suffered an ankle injury and didn’t return.

Fighting like Beavers

In a game where most fans will have been keeping a close eye on how the rookies took to NFL action, there was a surprising name that stood out. Enter sixth-round pick from the Cincinnati Bearcats Darrian Beavers.

The Linebacker started in place of Blake Martinez, whose game time is being managed as he returns from his torn ACL and was seen all over the field finishing with three tackles and one tackle for a loss. He was even communicating the plays from Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale as he was given the headset for the second-team defense. High praise indeed from Wink, who coached the position for the Baltimore Ravens from 2012 to 2017.

The Third Running Back

Barring any issues, come game week 1, Saquon Barkley will be the Giants’ starting Running Back and will be backed up by Matt Breida. This means there is likely one more spot behind these two, and by the end of the Patriots game, four of the five Running Backs below them on the depth chart had a chance to show what they could do.

Antonio Williams led the way with nine carries for 61 yards (more than the entire Patriots team), one reception that lost a yard, and a touchdown. Gary Brightwell had seven carries for 40 yards as well as two receptions for 19 yards. Undrafted rookie free agent Jashaun Corbin showed a good burst with six carries for 23 yards as well as five receptions for 28 yards. Finally, the Giants’ international pathway player Sandro Platzgummer, who has been with the team since 2020, had three carries for 21 yards at the end of the game, which contributed to the game-winning field goal.


Our 2022 NFL Season Guide is now available to pre-order. With over 160 pages packed with previews, reviews and opinions from fans across the league and the UK, this is the comprehensive NFL UK fan guide written by NFL UK fans. Log on to www.full10yards.co.uk/guides/ and enter code FULL10 for 10% off your copy today.