Tag: NFL

Posted on by — Leave a comment

5 things to look out for in Week 4

Embed from Getty Images

Tom Brady vs Patrick Mahomes, and the start of the 2022 NFL International Series are highlights in a packed NFL Sunday

Vikings, Saints meet in first London game of 2022

Plenty of offensive talent is on show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints touch down in London.

New Orleans, who act as the home team, look set to start Andy Dalton at quarterback, as Jameis Winston is sidelined with a back injury, as is star WR Michael Thomas with a leg issue.

Minnesota possess one of the best offenses we’ve seen brace the UK recently, both Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook are among the best at their position, this should be an exciting London game.

Two MVP Candidates face off in Baltimore

Embed from Getty Images

Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills grace the same field in Sunday’s early window, this matchup being the game of Week 4.

The Ravens are struggling on defense right now, will Josh Allen, who many perceive to be the best quarterback in football, feast?

Buffalo have lost star safety Micah Hyde for the season, and the team may again be without his partner back there, Jordan Poyer, which Lamar Jackson will try and take advantage of.

Huge game in race for the AFC South

Embed from Getty Images

Tennessee travels to Indianapolis on Sunday for a crucial matchup in the race for the AFC South, which Jacksonville have taken an early lead of.

Both teams are fresh off their first wins of the season, having come out of the first two games without a win.

Neither Derrick Henry, nor Jonathan Taylor have set the world alight through three weeks, whoever has the best day on the ground will likely determine this matchup.

Raiders looking to turn season around with visit of rival Broncos

Embed from Getty Images

A doubt many people expected Las Vegas to go 0-3 to start the year, they’ve looked bad, really bad, which is a huge surprise with what we saw last year.

If they’re unable to beat Denver on Sunday this could be it for a team with the likes of Davantae Adams, and Darren Waller.

As for Denver, they’ve not been what we’ve expected either but have managed to grind out two wins, going 3-1 whilst they’re growing as a team will be massive. 

Brady and Mahomes duel in Tampa despite Hurricane Ian

Embed from Getty Images

Two teams with elite quarterbacks, who look set to be playing playoff football deep into January face off on SNF in Tampa Bay, despite the recent hurricane in the area.

Initially the venue of the game was due to be moved to Minneapolis, but luckily for local Buccaneers fans, the stadium is safe to host the game, giving those who have gone through so much this week a place to take their minds somewhere else for a few hours.

Tom Brady will be pleased to have Mike Evans back from suspension this week, the Bucs offense struggled without him, Julio Jones, and Chris Godwin in Green Bay last time out, the latter two are questionable. 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Analysing Three Key Matchups To Watch For Vikings ‘@’ Saints

The New Orleans Saints need to find a way to win on Sunday. No matter how win ugly if you have to. There are three key matchups the Saints need to be on the right side of to win on Sunday in London.

Embed from Getty Images

Saints Offense Vs Themselves

The Saints lead the league in turnovers with nine in total. Now, before everyone shouts, well you have Jameis Winston at QB what do you expect? He’s not the reason the Saints lead the league in this category. 

Of Winston’s five interceptions only two are bad throws. Even one of those was more a good coverage scheme than an interception that Winston has become known for. The bigger problems have been fumbles. 

Mark Ingram has lost two fumbles, both coming at crucial times in weeks one and two. Alvin Kamara lost one last week that was returned for a touchdown, the Saints ended up losing by eight against Carolina. 

They have 9 offensive penalties so far through three games. Many killing the few good drives the Saints offense has produced. four of those nine penalties have been preventable (false starts, offensive offsides etc). 

Recognising, defending and attacking the blitz has been a consistent drive killer. The offense has struggled against the blitz in all three games so far. Winston has been sacked six times against the blitz and pressured a further 12 times. 

This has clearly been a problem and has cost the Saints big time in games. For example HIGHLIGHT: Jeremy Chinn hits Jameis Winston for big sack (panthers.com) the lost yardage on this sack caused a missed field goal for New Orleans. This needs to be cleaned up, some of the blame falls on the o-line, some on coaching and some on the QB. 

If this was a lot of other QBs in the league (maybe even Andy Dalton who may end up starting on Sunday), they’d have changed the play at the line to a quicker developing pass play, allowing the offense to punish the Panthers for sending that many players. Right now, that awareness isn’t there. Meaning teams can tee up blitzes, at will with no fear of a counter.

If these issues were isolated and occasional then it does come down to the players doing a better job of executing. When these issues are so widespread and consistent then an equal portion of the blame must land on the coaches. The offensive staff led by OC Pete Carmichael Jr. have to do a better job of ironing out these areas of weakness and putting the players in better positions to succeed. 

Run Defense Vs Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is one of the most dynamic RBs in the NFL and he is the focal point of the Vikings’ offense. The Vikings want to be able to establish the run to allow for play-action to at its most effective.

In three previous meetings with the Saints, Cook has played rather well. Across those three games, he averages 21.6 (22) rushes for 96 yards, at 4.2 yards per carry. This is compares favourably to other RBs against the Saints over this time. Since 2017 New Orleans has only allowed 94 yards rushing per game in that span. The stat considers every rushing yard in a game, a random QB scramble, a blown assignment allowing a random long run etc… so for Cook to average above that on his own is impressive. 

Play action has been effective so far for the Vikings. Kirk Cousins has the third-best passing grade in the league on play-action throws. His stats on play-action passes:

  • 34 attempts, 25 completions for 267 yards. Four TDs to zero Interceptions. 135.5 passer rating

Compare that to his stats on none play-actions throws:

  • 85 attempts, 49 completions for 491 yards. One TD to three interceptions. 63.4 passer rating.

It’s clear that so far this season the Vikings success in the passing game comes from establishing the run. So, the Saints priority must be to stop the running game if they want a chance to win on Sunday.

Marson Lattimore vs Justin Jefferson 

Marson Lattimore has been lights out. In three games he’s only been thrown at Seven times, he’s allowed three receptions for 23 yards and a passer rating against of 51.5. All the while he’s lined up against: 

  • Drake London
  • Kyle Pitts
  • Mike Evans 
  • Russel Gage 
  • D.J. Moore 

I’d say that’s pretty good. This weekend it’s not clear if he will shadow Justin Jefferson or not and I’m interested to see if the Saints elect to have Lattimore travel with Jefferson or if they choose to play sides.

They chose the latter last week @ Carolina and they don’t always choose to have Lattimore travel. Sometimes they prefer to play sides and double-team a player with a LB or Safety. 

The way Lattimore is playing I think putting Lattimore on Jefferson and letting them battle it out would be wise. The last time the two faced off the Saints CB came out on top:

  • Eight targets, 4 receptions for 55 yards and 2 PBUs.

Jefferson started the season hot in week one Vs Green Bay (who many called the best secondary in the league) he went off. Catching nine of his ten targets for 184 yards and 2 TDs. Since then he’s been kept in check.

The Eagles chose for the most part to match him with Darius Slay. That went incredibly well. Whilst in coverage against Slay, Jefferson on six targets only managed one reception for seven yards. Slay also intercepted 2 of the passes. 

This is in the plan I think the Saints should copy. Lattimore has been elite and traditionally plays better against a team’s number one WR, as Lattimore knows he has to be at his best. Against lesser competition, he has been known to get complacent and play down their level.

Conclusion 

So, stop fumbling, stop getting offensive penalties, and start identifying and attacking the blitz better. Stop the run and finally put Marshon Lattimore on Justin Jefferson. Sounds easy right?

Probably not but I feel these are all a must if the Saints are going to win on Sunday. Regardless of who starts at QB (looks like it will be Andy Dalton).

For more Saints articles New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards 

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

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Week 3: Rookie Standouts

Embed from Getty Images

Another week in the books, and there were plenty of candidates for this article as the NFL’s strange season continues with surprising victories, comebacks, and streaks being broken. Let’s take a look at three rookies who stood out amongst the pack: 

Embed from Getty Images

Chris Olave, Wide Receiver – New Orleans Saints

Saints fans would probably struggle to find any positives in their team’s performance against the Carolina Panthers, but if you had to pick something, it would have been their rookie Wide Receiver’s performance.

Olave hauled in nine receptions off thirteen targets, a number that shows how quickly he’s established a rapport with Jamies Winton. He has now taken his total for the season to 17 receptions for 268 yards, which is enough to lead all rookie wide receivers. Though it is unlikely that he continues at this pace for the entire season, the Saints will be delighted that he has transferred his skills to the professional game so quickly.

Embed from Getty Images

Jalen Pitre, Safety – Houston Texans

Fourth-rounder Jalen Pitre missed interception in the Texans’ season opener against the Indianapolis Colts may have lit a fire inside the former Baylor standout that cannot be extinguished, and without his play in the loss against the Chicago Bears this past week, the scoreline could have been a lot uglier.

Pitre had a breakout game with key plays throughout this game. His first interception came in the first quarter as he was heading towards the ground. His second stopped a key drive for the Bears in the fourth quarter, and finally he added a sack to his stat line on the Bears’ next drive. Though his effort was ultimately unrewarded, the positive signs are there for the future.

Embed from Getty Images

Devin Lloyd, Linebacker – Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have not shied away from putting their young team at the forefront of their plans, and one player that is thriving in Florida is Linebacker Devin Lloyd. Having displayed the sideline to sideline abilities that were highly touted in the lead up to the draft, Lloyd has taken to NFL life like a duck to water.

If you add his stats against the Los Angeles Chargers of 5 solo tackles, 3 passes defended, and an interception to Lloyd’s stat sheet, it is ludicrous. 24 tackles, a league-high six passes defended, two interceptions and a targeted passer rating of 28.2. Sheesh

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Five Things: Week 3 – Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

Embed from Getty Images

After a surprising 2-0 start to the season, the New York Giants were brought back down to earth with an uninspiring defeat to NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys. Here are five talking points from the game: 

First Half Inadequacies 

For the third straight week, the Giants’ failed to get into the endzone in the first half. After last week’s inability to score a touchdown after two fumbles gave them great field position, this week saw one field goal blocked by the stout Dallas defence before Graham Gano converted from 42-yards in the 2nd quarter. 

The slow start has been addressed by the coaching staff in recent weeks, but they still can’t seem to get any kind of flow or momentum on their side until the second half. So far in this new season, the Giants have been outscored 25-9 in the first half, forcing the coaching staff to have to rally the troops at half time. 

Admittedly, in all three games, the Giants’ offence has been better after the half thanks to adjustments made by the coaching staff, but this week it wasn’t enough as the Cowboys sealed the win, 23-16. 

Daniel Jones Under Pressure 

In what is quite possibly the most important season in Daniel Jones’s relatively short career so far, he will have hoped that this season he would be able to operate under a more robust offensive line than he has had in recent years. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case so far and the Cowboys’ defence smelt blood and unsurprisingly targeted rookie Tackle Evan Neal, who gave up three sacks to Demarcus Lawrence. 

Incredibly, Jones was under pressure constantly on his 24 dropbacks last night. He was sacked five times, hit 12 times, and was never afforded a second to try and stay calm. That dropback rate ended up being 40.5% of the total offensive plays, which is the highest number a Quarterback has faced this season, the 2nd most in the last two seasons and the most of Jones’s career so far. 

Embed from Getty Images

The End for Sterling Shepard? 

With 1:11 left in the game, Daniel Jones was intercepted after a David Sills slip that ended up sealing the game for the Cowboys, but instantly the Giants’ attention shifted to Stirling Shepard, who had suffered a non-contact injury and had stayed on the ground. The cart was called, and for the second straight season, he left a game on the cart. 

Shepard, who fought back from the Achilles tear he suffered last December, has battled with injuries his whole career, and it is likely that this will be the fourth straight season that Shepard misses at least four games after the Giants confirmed that they feared this was a serious knee injury. 

With Shepard leading the team in snaps, receptions, and yards, the Giants will almost certainly need to look for replacements for their underwhelming wide receiver group, which has been plagued by inconsistency and injuries since the start of the season. 

Unsteady D-Line 

There were mixed emotions regarding the defence in the lead up to the game. The excitement for the return of Azeez Ojulari and the debut of Kayvon Thibodeaux was quickly quelled when the news broke that standout Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams would miss his first ever game with a knee injury. 

Williams had appeared in 114 games since his debut in 2015 and was sorely missed as the Giants gave up 178 rushing yards at a rate of 6.4 yards per carry. Unfortunately, it looks unlikely that Williams will return until after the Giants’ trip to London, but you can’t rule it out as he battled through a triceps injury last year and has proven his ability to tough it out if needed. 

Ojulari and Thibodeaux both had quiet games as they combined for two tackles and a pass batted down, but ultimately, the Giants failed to register a single sack of Cowboys backup Quarterback Cooper Rush. 

Rushing Game Joy 

Finishing on a plus, there is one saving grace for the Giants, and it seems to be their ability to run the ball. They are averaging 169.3 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry, both of which are in the top 5 in the league.

The rushing stats are predominantly due to the re-emergence of Saquon Barkley, who had another solid game, finishing with 81 yards on 14 carries, including a 36-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Barkley currently has 53 carries for 317 yards, which is the 2nd most in the NFL (he is 24 yards behind leader Nick Chubb). 

Interestingly, the Giants’ 2nd leading rusher is Quarterback Daniel Jones, who has 25 carries for 125 yards (4 times the player in 3rd Matt Breida). Jones’s ability to scramble for yards seems to be a predominant offensive focus, and he gained an impressive 79 yards on nine carries in last night’s game. 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

F10Y Fantasy Recap – Week 3

Embed from Getty Images

Welcome to the fantasy recap and week 3 was an odd one. We had unusual names at the top end of position rankings on the week, some big names faltering and only 8 players topping 25pts. We’re here to guide you through the hits and misses and waiver wire options you can take a punt on rather than taking a punt to the rear like Trent Sherfield. I just hope the picks are a solid as his buns were!

NB: Scores based on PPR leagues

Fantasy Stars:

Embed from Getty Images

Lamar Jackson (BAL) – 18cmp/218yds/4td + 11rsh/107yds/1td 39pts

For the second week in a row Lamar Jackson proves to be a cut above the rest when it comes to fantasy scoring. Jalen Hurts was the next best scorer on 28 which goes to show how good Lamar was this week. He also supported a 33pt week for Mark Andrews who had 8rec for 89yds and 2tds.

Khalil Herbert (CHI) – 20rsh/157yds/2td + 2rec/12yds 31pts

David Montgomery was ruled out through injury very early into the game and without a 1a/1b system the shackles were off for Herbert and he capitalised on that opportunity. He’s on a bunch of waiver wires but after this week is done he will be closer to 70% owned I reckon.

Devonta Smith (PHI) – 8rec/169yds/1td 31pts

AJ Brown had been “the man” in Philly up to this point but this week the Eagles showed they had more tricks up their sleeve and reminded everyone that they already had a quality receiver in Devonta Smith. A dominant first half display left the Commanders whimpering and after a goose egg in week 1, he’s proven now that it was simply a blip.

Surprise Packages:

Embed from Getty Images

Mack Hollins (LVR) – 8rec/158yds/2td + 1cmp/4yds 30pts

With Hunter Renfrow out, Hollins stepped up to be the compliment to Davante Adams and Darren Waller and ended up outperforming the pair of them. This could be a one off while Renfrow is injured, or it could muddy the water as there will be 4 mouths to feed. For this week though, he was sensational.

David Njoku (CLE) – 9rec/89yds/1td 28pts

Njoku had been a relative non-factor in the opening 2 games for the Browns but against the Steelers he was a focal point and got a td grab to cement a monster score. He’s going to be frustratingly inconsistent for fantasy but if you catch him on weeks like this he can be a difference maker.

Trevor Lawrence (JAX) – 28cmp/262yds/3td + 3rsh/7yds 25pts

After week 1 I was worried for the Jags, now after week 3 I’m excited. The defence seems solid and Lawrence has been allowed to play well. No interceptions for the 2nd week in a row and while his completion percentage dipped a bit, his game management and passing ability seem to be remarkably improved. Meanwhile the LA Chargers DST scored -4 in some leagues… ouch.

Disappointments:

Embed from Getty Images

Justin Fields (CHI) – 8cmp/106yds/2int + 8rsh/47yds 3pts

The Bears passing offence hasn’t had the greatest of starts and yet the team are sat at 2-1 with arguable the worst QB stats and receiving stats of the 32 teams. The coaching staff doesn’t seem to be interested in passing the ball and even the running plays are mostly being left to the backs with not many designed QB runs. He could be a decent QB for all we know, but he’s being stifled and until that changes he can’t even be started in Superflex leagues, other positions are more valuable.

Darrel Henderson (LAR) – 4rsh/17yds 2pts

After being the featured starter in week 1, to a time share in week 2, to the backup in week 3, Henderson has a worrying trend that suggests he’s going to be volatile all year. Cam Akers had triple the number of attempts for 4x the yards and got the td. Cooper Kupp had one rush which was further than Hendersons efforts combined so until the Rams offence settles a bit, it’s hard to trust any RB there.

DJ Moore – 1rec/2yds + 2rsh/13yds 3pts Are the Panthers rubbish or does DJ Moore just not have it? After starting with 2 weeks of 3rec for 43yds (only 1 week with a td grab) he managed to drop himself below his floor and into the basement. When your QB only completes 12 passes for 170yds it’s not going to help matter and when most of those yards were chunk plays for Laviska Shenault then it just looks worse. If the Panthers can’t find a way to utilise Moore, they’re going to be looking quickly towards the draft.

Waiver Wire pickups:

Embed from Getty Images

QB – Jared Goff (DET) – Goff has been remarkably solid this season and so far is a top 12 QB. With consistent weapons like Amon-Ra St Brown he has a solid floor but with question marks over DeAndre Swift this week the impetus will go more on Goff connecting with St Brown, Hockensen, Jamaal Williams and co.

Other QB Options – Matt Ryan vsTEN, Mitch Trubisky vsNYJ, Marcus Mariota vsCLE.

RB – Khalil Herbert (CHI) – I mentioned him ealerier but he’s such a must own that I’m putting him down again. Alternatively, Alexander Mattison, Jamaal Williams and Samaje Perine would each see significant roles for the short term with the leaders of their backfields potentially missing time through injury and lasts weeks choice in JD McKissic had a 10pt week so if he’s still there, he’s an option.

WR – Romeo Doubs (GBP) – Doubs saw a lot of hype pre-season when Aaron Rodgers talked him up and Christian Watson got injured, but this week Doubs finally saw the usage that suggests the hype was genuine. Green Bay need weapons and he’s becoming a trusted on for Aaron Rodgers so grab him while you can. Other potential options are DJ Chark seeing more usage if the Lions are missing a key player, Nico Collins making a move for Houston and Josh Palmer making the most of Allens absence for the Chargers.

TE – Tyler Conklin (NYJ) – Good luck if you need a TE as it’s been slim pickings at the best of times but if you don’t want to play the roulette with Njoku, a solid performer week on week has been Tyler Conklin for the Jets. 12, 12 and 20pts with Joe Flacco at QB. Zach Wilson may be back but I don’t think they will move away from using him now.

DST Options – Packers @NE, Jets @PIT, Colts vsTEN, Giants vsCHI.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Week Three Saints @ Panthers Recap

Embed from Getty Images

The Panthers are not a good football team, sadly this version of the New Orleans Saints is not either. Penalties, fumbles and generally sloppy play all led to the Saints losing 22-14 in Charlotte yesterday. Quarter by quarter lets see where it all went so badly wrong.

First Quarter

The Panthers started with the ball and the first play foreshadowed what was to come on some of the Panthers biggest plays on offense. A missed tackle. McCaffrey should have been bottled up for a minimal gain, instead rumbled for 14 yards. (PFF credited the Saints defense with 11 missed tackles on the day).

That was it really for this drive, Demario Davis sacked a scrambling Mayfield setting up a third and long, which the Panthers could not convert. After Mayfield and Anderson weren’t on the same page, this was also Paulson Adebo’s first snap of the season and applied solid coverage on the play.

The Saints offense took over at their own 11- yard line. Some more foreshadowing took place on the first play of this drive. The snap went wrong, it went down as a Winston fumble, he did pick it up and run for six-yards but this was just the start of the offense’s sloppy execution.

Sadly, this was one of the offenses better drives, the next play Kamara scampered for 27 yards. Winston completed two nice timing throws to Michael Thomas and the offense looked like there could be some life.

Then some of that sloppiness came back, a false start by Adam Trautman and a weak Chop Block penalty on Mark Ingram took the Saints from second and two on the Panthers 33 to third and 20 on the Saints 49. The chop block penalty was even worse because it wiped out and excellent catch by Michael Thomas that would have given the Saints a fresh set of downs in the RedZone.

Instead the Saints had to punt.

The Panthers went three and out quickly giving the Saints decent field position on their own 30. Helped even more by an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving them a fresh set of downs near midfield. Then the sadness began, Alvin Kamara was stripped, and the Panthers returned it for a TD. This was Kamara’s first fumble since 2020.

The next three Saints offensive possessions amassed a grand total of 9 plays for 8 yards. Led on one drive by two offensive dead ball fouls in a row and Winston not reading the field well.

Second Quarter

The Panthers grinded out a ten-play 40-yard drive which was completed early in the second quarter. Putting them up 10-0. This was a fairly solid drive by the Panthers. Pete Werner, who again looked like the best player maybe outside of Marshon Lattimore on the Saints defense was everywhere this game and was really good on this drive. Justin Evans also made two good stops in four plays. One for a loss on a screen and one for no gain in the running game.

The Panthers added another field goal later in the quarter generally because of the running game. Watching it live it looked like the Saints had this bottle up for the most part, upon review that wasn’t really the case.

The misery and false hope for Saints fans continued. Jameis Winston finally hit on a deep bomb to Chris Olave, who made a great play at the catch point to reel it in. The 49-yard gain had the Saints in business on the Carolina 18. Another nice quick pass to Olave got them to nearly inside the 10. A drop by Kamara on second down and a poor pass from Winston on third. He had Kamara wide open in front of him, instead choosing to throw an incompletion to Landry that was nowhere near him. This left the Saints with a short field goal try to get on the board. Which in true Saints style was blocked.

So, the best drive of the game came up empty for the Saints, who were shut out again in the first half.  Down 13-0 which at this stage felt like 30-0.

Third Quarter

The second half started with the Saints receiving the kick-off. Again, the Saints were penalised, this time a hold during the return. The Saints had to start at their own 16. With the way the offense was playing starting from there felt like 84 miles, rather than 84 yards.

The offense did put together a nice drive though. Started by two nice runs to Kamara, Jameis completed passes to Landry, Thomas, Olave and Tre’Quan on this drive. The pass to Landry wasn’t a great throw by Winston, Landry had to go low and twist to make the catch because the pass was behind him. This caused him to injure his foot/ankle and be out the rest of the game.

Unfortunately, the drive stalled once getting to the RedZone. The Saints struggles with the Blitz continued. On second down the blitz nearly got home, which made Winston throw the ball quicker than he wanted and he looked like he had Kamara on a wheel if he had a smidge longer to let the play develop.

On Third down the Panthers had Jeremy Chinn lined up at the line of scrimmage, no disguise and he just ran untouched to Winston for a huge sack which pushed the Saints all the way back to the 30 meaning it was now a 48-yard attempt. This blitz wasn’t exotic it wasn’t disguised. Winston needed to change the play to something where he could have got the ball out quickly, not a play that was 5/7 step drop. By the time he got to the end of his drop he was sacked.

That sack was huge, the extra distance meant Will Lutz missed it, pushed it wide right. The kick would have been good from closer. Now both times the Saints offense did something it ended in a special team’s error meaning no points. Those six points lost were huge later on.

On the other side of the ball the Saints defense was keeping them afloat, turning the Panthers over on downs, with a nice pass breakup by Demario Davis on fourth down.

Third/Fourth Quarter

Two punts followed, before the Saints offense finally put together a complete drive, two catches each for Chris Olave and Tre’Quan Smith, the Saints marched down the field, 10 plays- 89 yards, capped by a 5-yard TD run by Mark Ingram. This cut the Panthers lead to six points with 12:31 left in fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter

The next two series were the dagger for New Orleans, first up the Panthers offense. Two plays 67-yards touchdown. The Saints defense finally caved under the pressure the offense had put on them. Two bad missed tackles, first by P.J. Williams, the second by Tyrann Mathieu. Laviska Shenault JR. went 67 yards for a TD on a play he should have been stopped for a minimal gain by two different Saints defenders.

Next series, Winston interception from a tipped pass. Great catch by the big man Derrick Brown though! Always have a soft spot for big guy interceptions. The interception gave the Panthers a short field which allowed them to tack on another field goal.

At this stage the 15 points score difference was too big overcome. The Saints did manage another touchdown, after two great plays on deep balls by Chris Olave and Tre’Quan Smith. Finished off by an amazing catch in the endzone by Marquez Callaway, Callaway did bail Winston out though, he should have never thrown the pass.

Marquez Callaway One-Handed TD Catch – YouTube

The Panthers managed to run out enough of the clock leaving the Saints just 17 seconds to try and score, that was made impossible after Johnny Hekker produced an excellent punt, meaning the Saints would have had to have gone 99 yards in 17 seconds with no timeouts. Winston heaved one downfield which was intercepted.

Thus, ending a very painful watch for all Saints fans and for the Saints organisation who then had to take the long flight to London ready for their game this weekend against the Vikings @ Spurs stadium.

Conclusion

Defense did more than enough to win this game, the offense and special teams just kept shooting themselves in the foot. The offense can’t sustain drives and when it does something seems to go wrong to mean no points.

What’s more frustrating about this offense, is they have the talent, all the WR’s today looked excellent the execution of the offense right now is just simply poor. Penalties, fumbles, uninspiring play caller (at times) and Winston not seeing the field well.

It can’t continue otherwise this is going to be a long and wasted season. Ending in the Eagles having a juicy high first round draft pick (YIKES).

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Saints @ Panthers Week Three Preview; Key Matchups And More

Neither team had the result they wanted in week two. The Saints fell to Tom Brady’s refs…… I mean Bucs and Carolina lost to an average New York Giants squad (Despite what their record says).

That leaves two teams with a lot to prove heading into to week three and a matchup that both teams need to win.

I’m going to highlight 3 key matchups. who’s playing and who’s not? and of course a score prediction for the game.

Embed from Getty Images

Overview

After two games both teams could easily have different records. New Orleans sit at 1-1. If not for a miraculous fourth quarter comeback in week one they’d be 0-2.  If not for a fourth quarter meltdown in week two they very well could be 2-0. 1-1 feels right so far for a team that have struggled to string together more than one consistent quarter of football, where all three sides of the ball play well and complement each other.

The Panthers have lost two games by a total of five points. They nearly produced a Saints like fourth quarter comeback week one against the Browns if not for a late field goal. Then fell to the Giants after being tied for most of the game.

Both Teams need to find an identity, this not unusual early in the season but this is especially true of the Saints. Are they are run first team, that want to hit the play action bombs off of that kind of team? Are they the quick rhythm, short throws and get the ball in your playmaker’s hands kind of team? It doesn’t seem like they know, but they need work it out quickly.

The Saints lead this series three games to one since Matt Rhule has been the Panthers HC. Those games were all of course under the watch of former Saints HC Sean Payton. Can new HC Dennis Allen keep that good form going? Here’s some of the matchups the Saints need to be on the right side off.

Key Matchups

Panther LB Blitz Vs Saints Pass Protection

The first Panthers matchup last season was a shambles for the Saints. Carolina blitzed them over and over, the Saints couldn’t handle it.  So much so former NFL o-lineman and Twitter legend Brian Baldinger was mystified at how the Panthers ran the same blitz three plays in a row because the Saints couldn’t block it.

Brian Baldinger criticizes Saints’ offensive line miscues vs. Panthers (usatoday.com)

Now, why am I bringing up a meaningless game from last season? Well, the Saints have struggled with the Blitz again this year. In both games so far, we’ve seen Winston sacked by blitzing LBs who were not picked up by the Saints o-line. Two examples here:

Atlanta Falcons week 1 SACK compilation | Highlights | Saints vs. Falcons – YouTube (54 seconds in)

Jayden on Twitter: “First sack of the day comes on a perfectly executed coffeehouse stunt by Lavonte David. Ram bites on the fake – sack https://t.co/tN56rOx8iS” / Twitter

Panthers DC Phil Snow has shown he’s willing to attack your weaknesses and keep attacking them until you prove you can stop them. The Saints did improve in this area week two, but it was still a problem and id expect the Panthers to try and exploit it.

This can’t be a consistent problem for the Saints on Sunday; these plays kill drives and kill your QB. Jameis Winston has four fractures in his back and can’t keep taking shots from free rushers running full speed.

McCaffrey Vs Saints LBs

The Saints secondary should match up well against the Panthers WRs and TE’s. Christian McCaffrey is the x factor.

He’s had an unusually quiet start to the season in the passing game through two games he has only eight catches for 50 yards. Compare that to the first two games of last season his usage in this area is way down. At this stage last season, he had over three times the yards (154) and nearly twice the number of catches (15).

In those games last season, the Panthers were 2-0. This year with McCaffrey’s reduced role in the passing game they are 0-2.

You have to think this usage is something they want to rectify as it’s a proven winning formular.

The matchup they want for McCaffrey is against a LB. The Saints do have the LBs that could hold up in this matchup. Per PFF Pete Werner has a 82.4 coverage grade good for 7th in the league among LBs. Demario Davis ranks 13th with a 76.2 grade.

These Saints LB’s will need to continue this good form on Sunday for the Saints to come out on top.

Davenport Vs ‘ICKY’

Will this finally be the week that Davenport takes over a game? I feel like it has to be. He will primarily be lining up against rookie LT Ikem Ekwonu, who, to put it bluntly has not played well so far.

Ewonu is rated as PFF’s 64th LT out of 65 and has given up 3 sacks and 7 total pressures in the 2 games so far. This should be a matchup Davenport can win and win well.

Davenport and the rest of the Saints rush should have enough time to get to the QB this week. Baker Mayfield’s average time to throw per PFF is 2.89 seconds that’s 0.6 seconds slower than Tom Brady last week and ranks him as the 11th slowest thrower in the league.  9th slowest if you only include starters. It may not sound a lot but that is difference between a pressure and a sack.

If Brady didn’t get the ball out so quickly last week, then I think Davenport would have impacted the game a lot more the stats sheet. He had one QB hit and one QB hurry, which isn’t bad considering how quickly Brady got the ball out.

This Is the week for Davenport to announce himself and show he’s a rising star in the league.

State of the Rosters

It looks like both teams will be close to full strength this week. Despite a lot of Saints players being listed as ‘Limited’ this week, there doesn’t seem to be much concern about them not playing on Sunday.

Saints hope to have training camp MVP Paulson Adebo suit up for first time this season. Allowing Bradley Roby to move into the slot, this was the role the Saints wanted for him after trading C.J. Gardner Johnson. This could be even more important if Marcus Maye can’t play, with Roby in the slot that would free up Justin Evans to cover some of the Maye’s snaps at safety along with P.J. Williams.

Sadly after sustaining a Knee injury in Thursday’s practice rookie Alontae Taylor isn’t going to be able to build on this strong performance last week against Tampa. He is out for Sundays game.

There was a scare earlier in the week for Carolina when McCaffery was added to the report with an Ankle injury. He will play on Sunday per multiple reports and is carrying no injury designation for the game. Donte Jackson was also a concern for Carolina and is questionable but practised full on Friday which is usually a sign he will play.

Score Prediction

This is a big game for both teams, the Panthers must win if they want to have any chance at making the playoffs. The Saints really need a boost before heading off to London for week 4 and really don’t need another division loss on their record.

It should be a get right game for two of New Orleans struggling units. The offensive passing game and the pash rush.

I think we see a better offensive showing this week, but still not perfect. With Winston having a much more consistent game passing with more rhythm. Maybe not consistent for all four quarters as he’s still working his way through his back injury.

The Saints continue where they left off last week and dominate the running game with Alvin Kamara back and leading the charge.

Then the pass rush finally shows some life and registers 3+ sacks on the day.

Score- 26-16 Saints win

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

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

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

5 things to look out for in Week 3

Embed from Getty Images

Bills @ Dolphins, Packers @ Buccaneers headline a stacked third NFL Sunday of 2022

1. Will Miami finally beat Buffalo?

After the Dolphins’ outstanding comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, they now face perhaps their toughest test all season on Sunday.

Buffalo walked over the Tennessee Titans on MNF, but are depleted with injuries in the secondary.

The Bills have won their last seven straight over the Fins, but with a better team down in South Beach, on top of those missing players, could this be the end of the streak?

2. Raiders and Titans looking for their first win.

Embed from Getty Images


Both of these sides are looking for a lifeline, having both been expected to be a part of the AFC playoff picture late in the year.

Neither quarterback has looked great these past two games, Carr especially having a particularly poor game two weeks ago in Los Angeles.

Who would’ve thought Josh Jacobs, whom many saw as a trade candidate would have more rushing yards than Derrick Henry, who’s only averaging 3.1 ypc.

3. A huge game at home for the Colts against the Chiefs

Embed from Getty Images

Kansas City has looked better than many expected this season, whilst the Indianapolis Colts are very much trending in the other direction, sitting winless after two games.

The Colts have hardly had a difficult schedule either, failing to win against division rivals Houston and Jacksonville, they’ll need to massively up their game to beat one of the best teams in the league in the Chiefs.

Matt Ryan hasn’t been his usual reliable veteran self, throwing three interceptions away to the Jaguars last week, not even Jonathan Taylor has been able to save a heavily fancied team at the start of the year.

4. Brady vs Rodgers for the last time?

Embed from Getty Images

Sunday’s late window sees Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers face off for what could be the last time, certainly in the regular season, FOX did well to get this one!

Brady’s Buccaneers offense could go into the game without Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Julio Jones, after Evans’ one-week suspension for the fight with Marshon Lattimore.

With similar offensive weaponry on both sides of the ball, this one will be interesting.

5. Will Jimmy and the Niners take care of a struggling Broncos team?

Embed from Getty Images

Who would’ve thought that Jimmy Garoppolo would be starting in Week 3! Trey Lance’s unfortunate injury may be a blessing in disguise for San Francisco, they moved the ball a lot better in the rain on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett era in Denver has not started well at all, with the new HC already looking out of depth in his new role.

Any clock mistakes on SNF may escalate the situation even more, they need to sort it out before facing a nationwide audience on primetime.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Week 2: Rookie Standouts

Embed from Getty Images

Week 2 is now in the books and what a week it was. With last second heroics, head scratching coaching decisions and comebacks galore, it’s time once again to look at three rookies that made big contributions to their teams’ results this week. Let’s get into it. 

Embed from Getty Images

Aidan Hutchinson, Edge – Detroit Lions  

Hutchinson was held to a solitary tackle in his NFL debut against the Philadelphia Eagles but commented afterwards that he had learnt a lot. He’s obviously a quick learner because he exploded against the Washington Commanders. In the first half, he became the first Lion rookie ever to record three sacks in a game and the fourth youngest ever to do so. 

The 2nd overall pick has now shown the rest of the NFL that he’s the real deal, and though he may not get three every week, the sacks will likely continue to come as he gains more experience. 

Embed from Getty Images

Jaylen Watson, Cornerback – Kansas City Chiefs 

It’s not often a seventh-round pick gets a spotlight as a rookie, but when you now own the record for the longest go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown by a rookie, I think it is well deserved. 

Jaylen Watson was thrust into Thursday night’s game after an injury to first-rounder Trent McDuffie and knew he was likely going to have a busy evening as the Los Angeles Chargers would more than likely target his side of the field. That much was true, but Watson would only allow 5 completions from 12 targets before his game-sealing pick 6, and as the dust settled on the Chiefs’ 27-24 win, Watson deservedly won AFC Defensive Player of the Week. 

Embed from Getty Images

Garrett Wilson, Wide Receiver – New York Jets  

As the Browns scored to extend their lead to 30-17 with 1:55 left in the game, Garrett Wilson felt responsible as he had dropped a pass from Joe Flacco that would have been enough for a first down and extended the drive. Had the game petered out after the Browns touchdown, it would have been a bittersweet day for Wilson with his touchdown and 75 yards, but there was more drama to come. 

The last two minutes of this game turned into insanity, and after the onside kick was recovered, Wilson had a chance to make amends. He gladly took the opportunity, catching a 15-yard pass to score his second touchdown of the game and complete the unlikely comeback. 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

F10Y Fantasy Recap – Week 2

By James Fotheringham (@NFLHypeTrain)

Embed from Getty Images

Welcome to the fantasy recap and what a week, week 2 was. This is a little late coming out as I’m still getting my breath back. We had monster scores, horrendous disappointments and crushing injury blows. A number of dynasty leagues will have seen their single week high score record beaten, were you one of them? Let us know who you had (for or against you). Maybe it was a few of these stars.

NB: Scores based on PPR leagues

Embed from Getty Images

Fantasy Stars:

Lamar Jackson (BAL) – 21cmp/318yds/3td + 9rsh/119yds/1td 42pts

Lamar Jackson will have done his contract credentials no harm with this performance. A stellar day both on the ground and in the air… and yet they still managed to lose the game. Astounding.

Amon-Ra St Brown (DET) – 9rec/116yds/2td + 2rsh/68yds 39pts

St Brown broke the record for the most consecutive games with at least 8 receptions. To add to his dominant air display he had 2 big rush plays and hit paydirt twice. Imagine Deebo Samuel but on a team where injuries are less frequent.

Nick Chubb (CLE) – 17rsh/87yds/3td + 3rec/26yds 32pts

Chubb became the first RB with 3tds in a day this season and again he had a dominant performance but ended up on the losing team, but that doesn’t matter for fantasy.

Embed from Getty Images

Surprise Packages:

The Dolphins (MIA) – See below

Tua Tagovailoa – 36cmp/469yds/6td + 1rsh/1yds 39pts

Tyreek Hill – 11rec/190yds/2td 42pts

Jaylen Waddle – 11rec/171yds/2td 40pts

Not only was the comeback victory the stuff of legend, but the fantasy scores were off the charts. If you need proof that you can support 2 superstar fantasy WRs on the same team, this was it.

Garret Wilson (NYJ) – 8rec/102yds/2td + 1rsh/-2yds 30pts

Wilson played a big part in the late game heroics for the Jets and had a monster day despite missing snaps due to being assessed for an injury before being cleared to return. Joe Flacco also deserves a mention here but I can’t be making a habit of claiming whole teams were surprises.

Jaguars DST (JAX) – 1ff/3int/5sck/41tkl 22pts (scoring may vary)

Every league has different scoring on defence but whatever league you are in, if you have DST the Jags are likely to have been a top 3 team as they demolished a previously fancied but already struggling Colts team. This shutout was the biggest shock of the week for me.

Embed from Getty Images

Disappointments:

Matt Ryan (IND) – 16cmp/195yds/3int 1pt

You would expect any game against the Jags to be a guarantee for fantasy points but the Colts clearly were lost without Michael Pittman and with other receivers also unavailable the wheels just fell off.

Rashaad Penny (SEA) – 6rsh/15yds 2pts

With the injury to Ken Walker people expected Penny to dominate the early weeks in Seattle. With Walker back for week 2 that was definitely not the case. A Penny for his thoughts?

Davante Adams – 2rec/12yds/1td 9pts

It’s odd to put a TD scorer in as a failure but Adams was up against a terrible Cardinals defence in a decent scoring game and yet only caught 2 of 7 passes. The narrative was there but the output wasn’t.

Embed from Getty Images

Waiver Wire pickups:

QB – Jimmy Garoppolo (SF) – With the horrible news of Trey Lance being out for the season, the 49ers thank their stars that they re-structured Jimmy Garoppolos contract and can use his experience and familiarity to keep their season on track. We know he can work with this offence and while he’s not as dynamic as Lance, he’s a more secure option in 2QB leagues.

Other QB Options – Jared Goff @MIN, Carson Wentz vsPHI, Daniel Jones vsDAL.

RB – J.D. McKissic (WAS) – Another impressive offence in these early weeks of the season has been the Washington Commanders and while they lost to the Lions they have a lot of fantasy relevant pieces. In a week where RB options are somewhat limited, McKissic may be a solid stand-in if required. Logan Thomas at TE could also be a good pickup.

WR – Sterling Shepard (NYG) – Kadarious Toney seems to be massively out of favour in New York and despite a late return from injury, Shepard has had  strong start along with another surprise package Richie James. Both may be interesting pickups in deeper leagues.

DST Options – Saints @CAR, Browns vsPIT, Bears vsHOU, Texans vsCHI.