Tag: NFL

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5 things to look out for as Rams visit Packers on Week 15’s MNF

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After a scintillating Saturday and a dramatic Sunday, Week 15 is brought to a close as the Los Angeles Rams travel to Lambeau Field to visit the Green Bay Packers

1. Will Baker make it two wins from two?

Baker Mayfield pulled off what seemed like the impossible last Thursday, leading his new Rams offence to a fourth-quarter comeback over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Mayfield asked for his release from the Carolina Panthers that Monday, and arrived in Los Angeles after they claimed him on waivers. The Rams were the only team to put in a claim for Mayfield.

With two days’ understanding of the offense, and little time with his receivers, the former number-one overall pick proved his point. Will he go to 2-0 as the Rams starter tonight?

2. Will the Rams win two in a row after losing six straight?

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Last week’s win for the Los Angeles Rams was huge, it was their first in six, and only their second since their Week 3 victory in Arizona to go 2-1 on the season.

The defense stepped up in Aaron Donald’s absence, only allowing 16 points against a Raiders offense that had scored 29.7 points on average in their previous three games.

Detroit Lions fans may want to think twice about rooting against their division rival Green Bay Packers tonight, as a Rams win will see the Lions pick fall to 9th in the draft order. 

3. A win for Green Bay will keep them in playoff contention

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Somehow the Green Bay Packers are still in contention for the playoffs. Albeit a small chance (6% according to FiveThirtyEight).

Back-to-back wins over the Rams and the Dolphins will but the Packers just under .500 with two home divisional games to close out the season.

Imagine a win-and-in scenario vs the Lions to close the year on Sunday Night Football. No matter how unlikely (very) it is, the thought of it is awesome.

4. Is Green Bay’s offense hitting a groove?

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Aaron Rodgers and company have had three of their best offensive performances in the last four games, averaging 27.25 points per game.

That’s a whole seven points higher than their season average of 20.2, which ranks 22nd in the league. The emergence of the impressive rookie, Christian Watson, is a big factor.

If the Packers are to win, they’ll have to do it without star offensive lineman David Bakhtiari. The offensive tackle hasn’t suited up since Week 12, due to him undergoing an appendectomy.

5. Sean McVay vs Matt La Fleur

Former colleagues Sean McVay and Matt LeFleur will meet tonight for only the third time as head coaches. Until this year, neither coach has had a losing season.

Le Fleur was on McVay’s staff in 2017, before moving to become Mike Vrabel’s offensive coordinator in Tennessee. A year later he was named HC of the Packers.

In their two previous meetings, the Packers have come out on top both times. The most notable win was in the divisional round of the 2020 season’s playoffs, where Green Bay put up 484 yards of offense.

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Fantasy Recap – Week 14

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Welcome to the fantasy recap. If it wasn’t already, it’s fantasy playoff time and the end of bye weeks so plenty to celebrate if you’re still in your leagues. There’s also a lot to be anxious about with line-up decisions and injuries likely to become a big topic this week. Apologies for this being late and a bit quick, as some of you may know, I play in 40+ leagues and things are getting critical.

NB: Scores based on PPR leagues

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Fantasy Stars:

QB: Trevor Lawrence (JAX) – 30cmp/368yds/3td/0int + 3rsh/7yds/1td = 33pts

I’d say Lawrence has officially arrived now.

Other star QBs: J.Hurts (30), J.Goff (26).

RB: Jerrick McKinnon (KC) – 6rsh/22yds + 7rec/112yds/2tds = 32pts

Maybe RBs should start being called “narrow receivers”.

Other star RBs: CMC/M.Sanders (29), A.Ekeler (24).

WR: Jerry Jeudy (DEN) – 8rec/73yds/3tds = 33pts

Remove Sutton from the equation and suddenly there’s clarity.

Other star WRs: J.Jefferson (33), J.Chase (29), T.Hill/M.Williams (24).

TE: Evan Engram (JAX) – 11rec/162yds/2td = 39pts

Erm… wow. Skipped surprise package and just gone straight here. Top score on the week.

Other Star TE’s: D.Njoku (19), D.Schultz (15).

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Surprise Packages:

Russell Wilson (DEN) – 23cmp/247yds/3td/0int + 4rsh/57yds = 27pts

For once, Russ cooked.

Other surprise QBs: B.Purdy (22).

Chuba Hubbard (CAR) – 14rsh/74yds/1td + 3rec/25yds = 19pts

How to make a backfield interesting and annoying in equal measure.

Other surprise RBs: P.Strong (17), M.Mack (16).

Chris Moore (HOU) – 10rec/124yds/0td = 22pts

When you’re the next man up, you’re the next man up, no matter how bad the team is.

Other surprise WRs: Z.Jones (22), D.Chark (21), M.Goodwin (20).  

Chigoziem Okonkwo (TEN) – 6rec/45yds/1td = 19pts

Repeats in this position after going beyond what happened last week.  

Other surprise TEs: A.Hooper (12).

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Disappointments:

Derek Carr (LV) – 11cmp/137yds/2int + 4rsh/11yds = 5pts

The Carr didn’t get going.

Other disappointing QB’s: M.Jones (7).

Travis Etienne (JAX) – 17rsh/32yds = 3pts

Plenty of work, but no output, which was the opposite of the rest of his team.

Other disappointing RB’s: J.Williams (4), D.Singletary (5).

Jaylen Waddle (MIA) – 2rec/31yds = 5pts

A weird off day for Miami and Waddle in particular.

Other disappointing WR’s: G.Davis (6), S.Diggs (7).

Noah Fant (SEA) – 0rec/0yds = 0pts

Knox was locked down against the Patriots but you could argue they didn’t need him.

Other disappointing TE’s: M.Gesicki/F.Moreau(0); M.Andrews(4).

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Injury Roundup:

I’ve added a new section to note who left games with injuries which may have affected their fantasy score and you will have to keep an eye on over the coming week or weeks.

Quarterbacks:

Kyler Murray (Likely ACL tear – Out for season)

Kenny Pickett (Concussion – Usually miss next week)

Russell Wilson (Concussion – Usually miss next week)

Brock Purdy (Oblique/Ribs – Questionable for TNF)

Tyler Huntley(Concussion – Usually miss next week) (NB: Lamar still out with knee injury).

Running Backs:

Jeff Wilson (Hip – Day to day)

Rhamondre Stevenson (Ankle – unknown)

Dameon Pierce (Ankle – Potentially out 1-2 games)

Josh Jacobs (Finger – Questionable as he is every week but usually plays)

CMC (Knee – Questionable for TNF but should play)

Wide Receivers:

Tyreek Hill (Ankle – Should be fine)

Deebo Samuel (Knee/Ankle – Will miss multiple weeks)

Amari Cooper (Hip – Day to day)

Tee Higgins (Hamstring – Day to day)

Tyler Boyd (Finger – Day to day)

DJ Moore (Knee – Day to day)

Devante Parker/Richie James (Concussion – Likely miss a game)

Tight Ends:

Daniel Bellinger (Ribs – Unknown)

Pat Freiermuth (Foot – Unknown)

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Waiver Wire Pickups:

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Lawrence – JAX vsDAL

Andy Dalton – NO vsATL

Mike White – NYJ vsDET

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Running Backs:

Rachaad White – TB vsCIN

Jerrick McKinnon – KC @HOU

Zonovan Knight – NYJ vsDET

JK Dobbins – BAL @CLE

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Wide Receivers:

Elijah Moore – NYJ vsDET

Treylon Burks – TEN @LAC

Zay Jones – JAX vsDAL

Donovan Peoples-Jones – CLE vsBAL

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Tight Ends:

Greg Dulcich – DEN vsARI

Dawson Knox – BUF vsMIA

Evan Engram – JAX vsDAL

Chigoziem Okonkwo – TEN @LAC

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Defence/Special Teams (Assume BUF/DAL/PHI/BAL/SF/NE is unavailable):

Broncos vsARI

Chiefs @HOU

Panthers vsPIT

Packers @LAR

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Five Things: Week 14 – Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

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If there is a way to forget this game and it’s subsequent 48-22 score, then I am more than happy to try it. It was brutal to watch, and I can’t imagine doing this is going to make me feel any better, but the “good, bad, and ugly” theme continues! Here are five things that stood out:

The Good

If I were being brutally honest, the answer would be that the game is over and the Eagles can’t humiliate us anymore. Yes, it’s a damning statement, but after watching almost all of the defeat (thanks Sky Sports for switching to the Dallas game), there really wasn’t a lot to write home about. However, if you look at the bigger picture, there are at least a couple of good trends we can focus on.

Isaiah Hodgins, who seems to have completely taken on the so-called “Kenny Golladay” role, had another solid game, snagging four of his six targets for 38 yards and a touchdown while also adding a two-point conversion in garbage time.

Kayvon Thibodeaux had a good but not spectacular showing (four pressures); however, his counterpart Azeez Ojulari continued his incredible return from injury as he recorded four tackles (two for a loss), two sacks, and two quarterback hits on 41 defensive snaps. There were also sacks from two of our UDFA class members, as Ryder Anderson recorded his first sack and cornerback Zyon Gilbert, who had a drastically reduced workload this week, was also able to get home.

The Bad

Other than some sparks on the pass rush, the defence was almost nonexistent during the game, and Jalen Hurts was able to go up and down the field using both his legs and arm with relative ease.

Hurts, who barely had to get out of first gear in the passing game, completed 21 of 31 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. His first was a fourth-and-seven conversion, which was easily avoidable had Julian Love decided to force the incompletion; however, he went all in on the interception, missing the ball completely and allowing Devonta Smith an easy walk-in. His second came only five minutes later after a shocking punt from Gillan (more on that later) gave the Eagles great field position, and Hurts took full advantage with a one-play, 33-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown.

If the passing defence was bad, then the rush was worse. Hurts, Myles Sanders, and Boston Scott combined for four touchdowns and 253 yards on 31 carries. All three had a long of over ten yards, and they all averaged above five yards per carry; in fact, the Eagles averaged a disgusting 8.2 yards per carry. Inexcusable

The Ugly

In what seems to be a running theme for the Giants, our special teams unit outside of the stellar Graham Gano stinks. Admittedly, Elerson Smith did block a punt to set up our first touchdown, but that was the lone good moment.

In the Eagles’ return game, the aforementioned Scott, who seems to always have a career day against the Giants, had 117 total return yards, including a 66-yard return late in the second quarter. On the opposite side, the Giants’ return game was nowhere near as impressive, with the Eagles testing Gary Brightwell’s ability with short kickoffs that amounted to minimal gains, if any.

The punting game, though, is the real reason for this ugly entry. Though three of Gillan’s punts landed inside the 20-yard line, he will be remembered for one complete lapse of concentration in which he not only fumbled the ball as he went to drop it to punt but then followed through to kick the ball after it had bounced, drawing a flag and a 10-yard penalty for illegal kicking that paved the way for the A.J. Brown touchdown.

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Ward of Wisdom

With the stench of defeat fresh in the air, the beat writers started doing their rounds in the locker room, and after veteran defensive end Jihad Ward was asked about the Giants’ recent struggles, the air soon turned blue with his expletive-ridden speech, and for their own sake, the rest of the locker room better take notice:

“It’s December football, man. It’s about who the (expletive) wants it more. You know what I’m saying? There’s more to it than just doing your job. There’s more to it than just knowing the playbook. You have to do more. How bad do you want it?

“Ain’t nobody going to sit here and give it to us. How bad do you really, really want it? “Now is the time where the veterans put (the young players) on that and let them know this (expletive) ain’t no game out here. It’s a bunch of grown (expletive) men. We’re not treating these rookies like young bulls. They’re grown (expletive) men.

“I don’t see no rookie no more in my mother (expletive) eyes. You gotta come with it or you’re going to fold. What are you going to do? You want to sit back and wait until next year? I want it now. That’s the kind of mindset I have and one I expect every single person in this organization to have.”

On To Next Week

I think even the most optimistic Giants fans would have predicted anything other than a loss this week, and the way it went will obviously sting, but in the grand scheme of things, not a lot really changed in the playoff picture, except maybe momentum.

Seattle, who had an opportunity to knock the Giants out of the playoff spots, fell to a shock defeat to the Carolina Panthers, and Washington overtook the Giants into the seventh seed thanks to their superior divisional record.

All in all, it comes down to Sunday Night Football this coming week as the Giants travel to FedExField in what is essentially a make-or-break game for the G-Men. Win, and the playoffs are still a possibility. Lose, and it’s almost game over.

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Week 13: Rookie Standouts

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Games going down to the wire, overtime ties, and the return of a controversial quarterback ensured that Week 13 had its surprises, but most games went the way of the betting favourites. Here are the rookies that stood out this week:

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Daron Bland, Cornerback – Dallas Cowboys

Despite the overwhelming 54-19 score line, the Colts had kept the game within a score against the Cowboys, but when Dallas scored early in the fourth quarter to make it 28-19, the Colts imploded in dramatic fashion. Indianapolis turned the ball over four times in the space of 13 minutes, and rookie Daron Bland had a hand (literally) in two of them.

Bland, who has filled in for injured corner Anthony Brown, has been steadily improving in recent weeks, with the exception of a poor performance against the Packers in Week 10, but his performance against Indianapolis was by far his best. After spending the majority of the game in tight coverage, Bland showed almost telepathic knowledge of where the ball was going on both interceptions, finishing with two interceptions and one pass break-up while allowing only two catches for nine yards on seven targets.

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Jalen Pitre, Safety – Houston Texans

A few weeks ago, the Texans made the decision to move Pitre to free safety, and they seem to be reaping the rewards as the rookie out of Baylor looks much more comfortable. During the game against the Cleveland Browns, he not only had one of his best games against the Browns but also broke a Houston Texans defensive record.

Pitre recorded a season-high 16 tackles against the Browns, breaking ex-Texan linebacker DeMeco Ryans record from 16 years ago of 15 tackles. Interestingly, in that game against the Raiders on the 3rd of December 2006, Ryans also had an interception, something Pitre also matched, as he picked off a pass intended for Amari Cooper by the returning Deshaun Watson, who incidentally was playing in his first game in 700 days due to injury and suspension.

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Christian Watson, Wide Receiver – Green Bay Packers

Christian Watson received his first nomination in my condensed Week 10 rankings after an impressive four receptions for 107 yards and three touchdowns. Against the Chicago Bears, Watson was able to continue this recent success as he showcased his ability as both a receiver and a rusher, scoring a pair of touchdowns.

His first, a 14-yard pass from Aaron Rogers on fourth down with only 17 seconds left in the first half, was likely the catalyst the Packers needed to mount their comeback, and his second was a simple jet sweep that completely fooled the defence, allowing him to turn on the afterburners for a 41-yard rush. Watson now has 8 touchdowns in the last four games, giving him the distinction of sharing the record for most touchdowns scored over a four-game span with Hall of Famer Randy Moss.

Honourable Mentions

Reed Blankenship (Philadelphia Eagles), Greg Dulcich (Denver Broncos), Garrett Wilson (New York Jets), Jack Sanborn (Chicago Bears), Brian Robinson Jr (Washington Commanders),

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There Is Only One Takeaway; The New Orleans Saints Season Is Over

There are plenty of things I could talk about from an analysis perspective from this game, about what went well and what clearly didn’t. How this team could be much better after their bye week as they will be getting more key players back. 

Honestly, none of it matters, the false hope of winning the putrid NFC South is now gone; the only thing left for this team is to try and win as many games as possible so the pick they gave to the Eagles is as far down the draft as possible.

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Overall Thoughts From Saints @ Bucs (and other ramblings)

In many ways, this was one of the Saints best games of the season. For 54 minutes of the game, the Saints looked in control and looked like they would win the game and go into the bye week with real hope of turning their season around.

Until an almighty collapse reminiscent of another NFC South rival. That’s right in a season that didn’t feel like it could get much worse, the Saints did what all us fans mock our division rival for doing, impossibly giving up a massive lead in the fourth quarter and losing a game that should have comfortably been a win. The collapse seemed almost impossible with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Until one crucial play, which switched a lot of jaded fans from hope to the realization despair was likely coming.

Mark Ingram had enough room to easily get the first down with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, all he needed to do was put the ball in his other hand and extend the ball past the marker. I would have been first and ten at the Tampa 43, instead Ingram, who had been injured a few minutes prior stepped one yard short of the first down because he re-aggravated the injury from a few minutes prior and couldn’t finish the play. This left third and one which the Saints couldn’t convert, sparking the Bucs comeback.

That play shouldn’t have cost the Saints the game. After the punt, the Bucs needed to go 91 yards to reduce the deficit to six points. As the defense had been dominating Brady and the Bucs again throughout the game to minimal gains, 91 yards should have taken the Bucs so long that a second scoring drive should have been out of the realms of possibility. Have you noticed I’m using the word should a lot here? That’s because the Saints defense crumbled at the worst time possible, aided by a massive DPI penalty on Paulson Adebo the Bucs went 91 yards in ten plays in only two minutes and 21 seconds.

From this point on the loss felt inevitable the Saints despite wanting to be a run-first offense have proven incapable of being able to sustain drives to ice a game and that’s exactly what happened, immediately going three and out, even this drive had a chance for the Saints to pull off a remarkable game-saving play, facing third and 17 Andy Dalton delivered one of the most perfect passes downfield to Taysom Hill you will see, Hill caught it but couldn’t hold on to it after a hard hit, this play perfectly sums up the Saints season, plenty of chances to win but ultimately shooting themselves in the foot.

The Saints punted, giving the Bucs plenty of time to go down the field and win. It feels harsh to blame the defense holding Tom Brady to three points until deep in the third quarter and forcing two turnovers should be more than good enough but this team has no margin for error, especially as the offense struggles to score many touchdowns.

So that surely means the offense was the issue? It was but not how many might expect. Usually, when an offense only scores 16 and can’t close out a game in the fourth quarter it’s the QBs fault, again similar to last week against the 49ers I truly don’t believe that to be the case here. 

This was arguably Andy Dalton’s best game as a Saint, he made some incredible throws in big moments but his receivers couldn’t make the plays. Dalton finished 20 of 28 with three of those incompletions being drops from his receivers, the Hill drop I mentioned earlier. Olave dropped one in the second quarter on third down which would have put the Saints near the Bucs RedZone. Conservatively this took three points off the board possibly more. Jarvis Landry dropped a pass in the RedZone that would have been a touchdown, granted it was a tough catch but it’s a catch a player of his calibre needs to make.

There were plays in this game that if they were made and they should have been and the Saints would have been home and dry. Unfrotunelty this has been the case in several games this year (Vikings, Bengals, 49ers) there’s a clear path despite the mountain of significant injuries this team has dealt with that they could easily be leading the division if everything went their way they would be sitting pretty at 8-5. 

Ultimately they are not and now they are left with many more questions than answers about the team’s future. No first-round pick, no future at QB, no salary cap space to work with, ageing stars, and the most pressingly massive questions at HC and OC.

There’s no question in many Saints fan’s minds that Dennis Allen should not be the HC next season, I’ve not been so quick to jump to that conclusion to justify some of the results and games this season with what I’ve spoken about above. But my hesitancy is long gone, as an HC during his tenure with the Raiders and now the Saints have the second worse winning percentage all time out of the 17 coaches to have coached between 48 and 50 games. At some point, excuses can’t come into it anymore and you need to look at the simple facts that Dennis Allen-led teams don’t win football games,  it’s that simple.

OC Pete Carmichael Jr. should not be far behind Allen, on his way out the door. Carmichael has proven to be a very good offensive game planner, but as a full-time OC without Drew Brees at QB he’s looked out of his depth on gamedays. Showing a lack of imagination through countless second and ten runs or in big moments calling plays to the wrong people. An easy example in this game is on the Saints penultimate offensive drive the Saints had second and ten, Carmichael called a pass play where his only WR on the field was Kirk Merritt, a practice squad WR that was playing his first regular-season NFL game. Where was Jarvis Landry or Chris Olave, where was Rashid Shaheed? The play ended in a seven yards sack.  Carmichael has served the Saints well for many years but his time as OC should not extend past this season.

Thankfully the Saints now go into their bye week, which means Saints fans can have a much-needed detox from this exhausting and infuriating season and the team can try to use the time to work out the future of this season and beyond. 

As for me, all that is left to care about in this season are two things:

Sweeping the Falcons and giving the Eagles as bad of a pick as possible.

Enjoy the bye week Saints fans! We need it.

For more Saints articles- https://www.full10yards.co.uk/saints/ 

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!

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion.

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Fantasy Recap – Week 13

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Welcome to the fantasy recap. Week 13 will have been unlucky for some, especially those with players who suffered game ending injuries early on. Week 14 marks the start of the fantasy playoffs in some leagues but with 6 teams on bye I hope for your sake that they start in week 15. You don’t want people knocked out of the playoffs due to their star being on bye. That being said, injuries are also going to be key, and some have major knock on effects for other assets so this may make tough reading for some. But there were some stars too so let’s start with the positives.

NB: Scores based on PPR leagues

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Fantasy Stars:

QB: Jalen Hurts (PHI) – 29cmp/380yds/3td/0int + 5rsh/12yds/1td/1fum = 33pts

Hurts was top of the tree in this week where many have put theirs up for Christmas.

Other star QBs: J.Burrow(30), G.Smith(23).

RB: Christian McCaffrey (SF) – 17rsh/66yds + 8rec/80yds/1td = 29pts

The 49ers lose their starting QB but their best asset stepped up to carry them through.

Other star RBs: T.Pollard (25), D.Swift (21), J.Jacobs (20).

WR: Davante Adams (LV) – 8rec/177yds/2tds = 38pts

Adams once again dominated albeit if you have Brown in your name you were probably good too.

Other star WRs: A.StBrown(35), AJ.Brown(32), T.Hill(30).

TE: Greg Dulcich (DEN) – 6rec/85yds = 15pts

This should be in surprises as a Denver player makes it into this section but it was a bad week for tight ends.

Other Star TE’s: C.Otton/E.Engram(14), T.Hill/C.Kmet/G.Everett(13).

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Surprise Packages:

J.Goff (DET) – 31cmp/340yds/2td/0int = 22pts

Goff and co. put up 40 points on the Jags as though they were playing Madden on rookie.

Other surprise QBs: M.White (19), T.Huntley (17), B.Purdy(15).

Cam Akers (LAR) – 17rsh/60yds/2tds + 1rec/0yds = 19pts

Cam Akers has returned from the wilderness. Not sure how long it will last but good for him.

Other surprise RBs: S.Perine (22), A.Dillon (18pts), Z.Knight/J.Cook (17).

Garrett Wilson (NYJ) – 8rec/162yds/0td = 24pts

A Jets player, not scoring a td but puts up 24pts. Maybe times are changing for this offence.

Other surprise WRs: A.Pierce(19), J.Dotson(16), I.Hodgins/T.Sherfield(15).  

Chigoziem Okonkwo (TEN) – 4rec/68yds = 11pts

Okonokwo went with the flow this week and the rookie has started to emerge.

Other surprise TEs: N.Fant(14), C.Heyward/B.Jordan(9).

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Disappointments:

DeShaun Watson (CLE) – 12cmp/131yds/1int + 7rsh/21yds/1fumlost = 6pts

Ignore fantasy, he’s a disappointment in general as a human so many will have taken delight in his terrible statline on his return.

Other disappointing QB’s: K.Cousins(12), A.Rodgers/T.Lawrence(14). Other low scorers were somewhat expected.

Jeff Wilson (MIA) – 1rsh/3yds = 0pts

Wilson was against his former team but here he was MIA, Missing in action.

Other disappointing RB’s: J.Hasty(0), G.Edwards(1), R.Mostert(3), A.Kamara/D.Henry/C.Patterson(6).

George Pickens (PIT) – 1rec/2yds = 1pt

The Steelers won but the Pickett to Pickens connection wasn’t picked by the coaching team.

Other disappointing WR’s: J.Waddle(2), M.Jones(3), Z.Jones/M.Pittman(4), A.Thielin(5).

Dawson Knox (BUF) – 0rec/0yds = 0pts

Knox was locked down against the Patriots but you could argue they didn’t need him.

Other disappointing TE’s: M.Alie-Cox(-1); M.Gesicki/T.Hill(0); G.Kittle(4).

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Injury Roundup:

I’ve added a new section to note who left games with injuries which may have affected their fantasy score and you will have to keep an eye on over the coming week or weeks.

Quarterbacks:

Lamar Jackson (Knee – Could miss time)

Jimmy Garoppolo (Foot – Out for season)

Running Backs:

Kenneth Walker (Ankle – Unknown)

Wide Receivers:

Jalen Waddle (Leg – Returned to game but unclear)

Jacobi Meyers (Head – Unknown)

Treylon Burks (Concussion – Unknown)

Tight Ends:

Hayden Hurst (Calf – Unknown)

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Waiver Wire Pickups:

The last week of byes but it is a big one so I hope that these don’t bias your playoffs.

BYE Weeks: ATL, CHI, GB, IND, NO, WAS

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Quarterbacks:

Derek Carr – LV @LAR

Geno Smith – SEA vsCAR

Tyler Huntley – BAL @PIT

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Running Backs:

Deejay Dallas – SEA vsCAR

Cam Akers – LAR vsLV

Zonovan Knight – NYJ @BUF

D’Onta Foreman – CAR @SEA

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Wide Receivers:

Garrett Wilson – NYJ @BUF

Josh Palmer – LAC vsMIA

Nico Collins – HOU @DAL

Donovan Peoples-Jones – CLE @CIN

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Tight Ends:

Greg Dulcich – DEN vsKC

Noah Fant – SEA vsCAR

Evan Engram – JAX @TEN

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Defence/Special Teams (Assume BUF/DAL/PHI/BAL/SF/NE is unavailable):

Seahawks vsCAR

Chiefs @DEN

Titans vsJAX

Raiders @LAR

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Five Things: Week 13 – Washington Commanders at New York Giants

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In a game that offered little in terms of playoff clarity for both teams, the New York Giants and Washington Commanders played out a drab 20-20 tie. I suppose a silver lining is that I can continue my “good, bad, and ugly” theme from last week. Here are five things that stood out:

The Good

In a game that is likely to be remembered for all the bad, there were still a few positives to take away for the Giants.

Isaiah Hodgins played in his fourth game since joining the team from the Buffalo Bills practice squad, ending the game with five receptions of six targets for 44 yards and a touchdown, his first in the NFL. Not only has Hodgins shown safe hands since joining (13 receptions of 14 targets), but as he showed on a third-and-10 catch in the first half, he’s got the determination to fight for the dirty yards.

We also finally had the emergence of a pass rush, as for the first time this season we were able to see Azeez Ojulari, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, and Leonard Williams all on the same field together. Although Williams had to leave the game in the second half with a neck injury, the Giants recorded five sacks in the game with Thibodeaux, Lawrence, and Ojulari, who also recorded a fumble and recovery, each grabbing one along with fellow linemen Jihad Ward and Justin Ellis.

The Bad

After a 10-day break following the Cowboys’ second-half thrashing, you’d think the Giants would be raring to go, but it was a lethargic start on both sides of the ball. Daniel Jones scrambled and then fumbled the ball on only the fourth play of the game; the defence then decided that missed tackles were the order of play (a total of eight on the day according to PFF), leading to the Commanders scoring 10 points in the first quarter.

The Giants did manage to clean up their play for the 2nd quarter and the start of the third scoring 20 unanswered points but after that, the offence descended back into their sluggish play and looked devoid of inspiration. With the game score at 13-20 in favour of the Giants with just over three minutes of the third quarter gone, the Giants had plenty of time to find anything that would have likely sealed the win, but their next eight drives (overtime included) went punt, punt, punt, punt, kneel, punt, punt, and finally, the missed field goal to end overtime.

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The Ugly

Other than the result, there were plenty of moments in the game that left many a Giant fan dumbfounded.

We’ll start with Jon Feliciano’s decision to run from his position on the field to the sideline to flex. Now admittedly, Feliciano has since said he was flexing in the direction of Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton, who had just converted a first down, but the wily veteran should know better than to test this season’s referees, who spotted the myriad of Washington players around him and put two and two together. The ensuing flag negated the yards gained, and instead of being able to capitalise on the momentum to increase their lead, the Giants ended up punting the ball away just four plays later.

Overtime itself was another story with a couple of facepalm moments, but none more than when the Giants lined up for a third-and-three just inside Washington’s half and, as the ball was snapped, Saquon Barkley and Richie James ran into each other, leaving Jones to give up a sack. The decision to get cute with the play calling ultimately ruined what was a promising drive that could have ended the game.

Worst Coached Game of the Year?

It’s safe to say that if you isolated the first half of the season, you could argue that the coaching staff would all be deserving of nominations for honors, but in the last few weeks, mistakes, poor clock management, cautious play calling, and not resolving the season’s Achilles heel of slow starts have brought Giants head coach Brian Daboll back down to earth.

The slow start is not something new, but for some reason, we’ve been unable to ascertain what the root cause is. Earlier in the season, it wasn’t too much of an issue due to our second-half comebacks, but with the Giants’ offence now wildly inconsistent, we need to play from the first play to the last.

Mike Kafka’s play-calling hasn’t been awful, but it also hasn’t set the world alight either, and there were multiple missteps this week. There was the decision to not take a shot into the endzone late in regulation on third and one and to call a run, either of which shows a distinct lack of trust in either Daniel Jones or the wide receivers, plus the aforementioned overtime play and punt, which gave most of us the impression that the staff were happy to not lose rather than win.

A Tie, Really?!

The scoreboard may read tie game, but in the hearts of the fans and the players, this was just as deflating as a loss. Coach Daboll may have downplayed it by saying, “It’s better than a loss; not as good as a win,” but in the grand scheme of things, this one had to sting, especially since it was against a divisional rival.

The strange thing is that due to the scheduling this season, the Commanders will now take their late bye week while the Giants will need to be vastly improved as they take on another divisional rival, the high-flying Philadelphia Eagles before we do it all again against the Commanders, this time at FedExField in a game that has now been flexed into the Sunday Night Football spot.

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5 things to look out for in Week 13

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A reunion in San Francisco and the 2022 AFC Championship Game rematch headline an entertaining Week 13 slate

1. Will Mike White keep the Jets flying?

Robert Saleh’s New York Jets made a successful QB change last week, beating Chicago after moving on from 2021 2nd overall pick Zach Wilson, in favour of Mike White.

White helped the Jets to their best offensive performance since Week 5, but it may be their defense that could give them the win against Minnesota on Sunday.

Kirk Cousins is having a sneaky good year and helped his team beat New England on Monday night, getting back to winning ways after the disappointing loss to Dallas.

2. Washington Commanders and New York Giants meet in first of two must-win division games

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Washington has won six of their last seven, and are looking like a completely different team since moving from Carson Wentz to Taylor Heinicke

The Commanders have gone from being in contention for the #1 overall pick to having a serious chance of making the postseason.

Up next are two crucial matchups against the New York Giants, either side of a bye week, whoever comes out of the series the best should be a playoff team.

3. Will the Titans hurt the Eagles?

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Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles put up an impressive offensive display against the Packers on Sunday night, bouncing back from two disappointing performances, after initially starting 8-0.

Now sat at 9-1, their toughest test may still be yet to come, as they welcome the Tennessee Titans to Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

The Titans are winning games like they always have under Mike Vrabel, by playing excellent defense and an unstoppable run game, that type of a threat can beat any team, especially late in the year. 

4. Mike McDaniel returns to San Francisco in the hunt for Dolphins first division title since 2008

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The most explosive offense in the league faces off against the best defense in what should be must-watch TV in Sunday’s late window.

Mike McDaniel has worked wonders for Tua Tagovailoa, restoring his confidence and coaching him from being a potential bust to a legitimate shot of winning MVP.

His Miami Dolphins offense has scored 30 or more points in four straight games, whilst San Francisco’s defense has only allowed over 30 once all season. 

5. Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs meet in AFC Championship rematch

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Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes meet again on Sunday, 10 months after the Bengals defeated the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Cincinnati may be without superstar wide receiver Jamarr Chase, and starting running back Joe Mixon for this one, a win without them would be a big statement.

Every game that Kansas City has scored over 20 points in this season, they’ve won, meaning that whilst their defense may be giving up yards, they’re great situationally. 

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Week 12: Rookie Standouts

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Thanksgiving week always brings us a feast of games, and this year was no different, with three exciting contests on Turkey Day itself. The weekend didn’t disappoint either, with multiple shock results and a couple of overtimes sprinkled in for good measure. Here are three rookies that stood out among the pack:

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Garrett Wilson, Wide Receiver – New York Jets

What a difference a week makes. After being frustrated by last week’s abysmal quarterback performance from Zach Wilson, there was a new man under centre this week, and Mike White was able to turn things around thanks in part to his main target, Garrett Wilson.

Wilson continued his stellar year by catching five passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown, a 51-yard catch and run, was somewhat fortuitous as the Bears’ Eddie Jackson, who was covering Wilson, suffered a foot injury on the play, which put him on the ground; however, it was still an outstanding midair catch, and as they say, they all count. Wilson’s second score wrestled the lead back from the Bears just before halftime, and the Jets took care of the rest, shutting the Bears out in the second half.

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Brian Robinson, Running Back – Washington Commanders

Another week and another stellar performance from the Washington running back, who, along with Taylor Heinicke, has been a major part of the Commanders’ recent resurgence, and both players’ fortunes could be a major factor in a late playoff push for yet another NFC East team.

Robinson finished the day with 105 yards on 18 carries, including a long of 21 yards. He also had two catches on three targets for 20 yards and a touchdown. In the last three games, all wins for the Commanders Robinson has now recorded 248 rushing yards on 59 carries at an average of 4.2 yards per carry. With two upcoming games against the Giants, who allow the second-most yards per carry, Robinson will be confident in his ability to maintain his ground dominance.

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Trent McDuffie, Cornerback – Kansas City Chiefs

It’s safe to say that it’s been a fractured season for first-rounder Trent McDuffie. Following a hamstring injury in Week 1, the cornerback was placed on injured reserve before being activated at the start of November. Though it is highly unlikely that McDuffie will get close to a defensive rookie of the year nomination, it could very well be a case of what might have been.

Since his return, McDuffie has stayed mostly under the radar while playing some of the best football of any of the rookie cornerbacks. This past week, he only allowed two catches for 13 yards on six targets and had a pass breakup. In his four games since his return from injury, he’s been targeted 19 times and only allowed 10 receptions.

Honourable Mentions

Kayvon Thibodeaux (New York Giants), Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers), Jake Ferguson (Dallas Cowboys), Malcolm Rodriguez (Detroit Lions), Skyy Moore (Kansas City Chiefs)

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Five Things: Week 12 – Thanksgiving: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

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In a game that most expected the Giants to be blown away, it wasn’t as one-sided as first feared but due to a 2nd half collapse, the Giants still lost 20-28 against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Here are five things we learned:

The Good

Let’s be honest, this was a game of two halves, and the first half was mostly very positive from the Giants’ perspective. Sure, it wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but on the whole, the Giants frustrated the Cowboys on both sides of the ball.

After the defense forced a turnover on downs on the Cowboys’ first drive, the unit seemed to galvanize itself and mostly kept the Cowboys’ offence at bay. On five drives, the Cowboys did score a touchdown; however, the Giants forced the aforementioned turnover on downs, two three-and-outs that were punted away, and two interceptions of Dak Prescott on the Giants’ side of the field (one by Rodarius Williams and one by Julian Love), which doubled their season tally.

The offence was a mixed bag, but it was able to put up 13 points on six drives, thanks to two Graham Gano field goals, one of which was a franchise record-tying 57 yards and a touchdown drive to counter Dallas’, which was highlighted by a phenomenal 44-yard catch by the rejuvenated Darius Slayton, who led the team in receiving yards once again.

The Bad

You would have thought that coming out of the locker room for the second half up 13-7 would spur the Giants to carry on their impressive first-half showing, but in reality, what happened was a complete capitulation on both sides of the ball, which Dallas took full advantage of.

The Cowboys again had five drives in a half, but unlike their poor first-half result, this time their drives went like this: touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, missed field goal, kneel down to end the game. Once again, the Giants seemed unable to contain the opposition’s tight end corps, which accounted for their three touchdowns. For the Giants, however, there will be one player under the spotlight this week, and that’s Darnay Holmes. Holmes lined up continuously against Cowboy receiver CeeDee Lamb, and Lamb, who finished the game with six catches for 109 yards, always seemed to have the advantage in the matchup. He was able to draw two DPI penalties against Holmes, one of which was potentially the most questionable call we’ve seen by the officials this season.

The Ugly

It’s fair to say that the defense struggled in the second half, but the offence was just downright uninspiring. The running game, which had struggled from the start, was unable to get going as the Giants’ makeshift offensive line yet again was ineffective in being able to open up running lanes, and the passing attack wasn’t much better due to a mixture of pressure and off-target throws.

The Giants’ success is almost entirely tied to the fortunes of Jones and Barkley, and when neither plays well, the offence comes apart at the seams, which makes for unpleasant viewing. This was highlighted by a brutally failed fourth down attempt, in which part of the blame could have been placed on either party. Interestingly, there are whispers amongst the fanbase that Barkley is suffering from a minor injury, as he was nearly rushed by third-stringer Gary Brightwell despite having double the touches behind the same offensive line.

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Thibodeaux’s Breakout is Coming

It’ll be tough for the Giants fanbase to find a plus coming out of this game, but there was one, and that’s the continued development of their fifth overall pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

So far this season, Thibodeaux has been a victim of box-score watchers who will look at his stats prior to the Cowboys game, see eight games played, nineteen pressures, three QB hits, and one sack, and label him a bust. However, to really appreciate what Thibodeaux brings to the table for the Giants, you need to look beyond that.

His impact on the Cowboys game was obvious, as he generated pressure on 38.1% of his 21 pass rush snaps (nine pressures, five QB hits), ranking third among all players this season. He now has a 14.0% win rate, which leads all rookies, and this is despite his season only starting in week 3 due to injury. He’s also not been able to line up with fellow edge rusher Azeez Ojulari yet this season, but with Ojulari returning from IR this coming week, some of the attention could be drawn away, which could lead to those near sacks showing up on that pedestalized stat sheet.

It’s In Our Hands

December is always regarded as a crucial month for teams because playoff-clinching scenarios typically begin around this time, but with the exception of practise squad member Landon Collins and current IR delegate Sterling Shepard, who were both part of the last team to do so in 2016, meaningful games for the Giants players as Christmas approaches are relatively unknown. However, on Monday morning, head coach Brian Daboll addressed the players with a simple message: “The season starts now.”

Following an extended Thanksgiving break, the Giants will prepare for four inter-divisional games against playoff rivals the Washington Commanders and NFC East leaders the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as games against the Minnesota Vikings and the Indianapolis Colts.

The key will be how they can get their stuttering roster back into the form that saw them pull off multiple upset wins. Whether this means solving the Barkley/offensive line issue, finding new reliable weapons for Daniel Jones (hello Odell Beckham Jr….), or relying on the imminently returning injured players such as Azeez Ojulari, Ben Brederson, and Daniel Bellinger, something needs to change, and time is of the essence.