# 2022-3 NFL Pro Football (Pls, no other sports - thx!)



## Lethe200

Full schedule for regular season games 2022-3, alphabetical by division and then team:

NFL 2022-3 Schedule


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## Lethe200

*NFL 2022 schedule: the 10 must-watch games of the upcoming season*
The schedule for the 2022 season was unveiled on Thursday night and there’s no shortage of delicious matchups on offer
London Guardian U.S. 13May2022

The NFL released its full 2022 schedule on Thursday night to add to what’s been a rollicking and unpredictable offseason. Here’s a lookahead to what should be some of the most entertaining matchups of the upcoming season.

*Week 1
Buffalo Bills at LA Rams (Thursday, 8.20pm ET)*
The defending Super Bowl champions open against quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills to christen the 2022 season in Los Angeles. After helping the Rams win it all in 2021, linebacker Von Miller signed a six-year, $120m contract with Buffalo. Los Angeles will welcome wide receiver Allen Robinson, who inked a three-year, $46.5m deal to join quarterback Matthew Stafford’s arsenal.

*Week 1
Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers (Sunday, 1pm ET)*
After missing the entire 2021 season, quarterback Deshaun Watson will debut for the Browns after the team signed him to a five-year, $230m contract. Cleveland inked Watson to the splashy deal, which includes $80m guaranteed, after he was cleared of criminal ****** assault charges. Twenty-two women have filed civil complaints against Watson for various forms of ****** coercion during massage appointments.

*Week 1
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks (Monday, 8.15pm ET)*
In his first game as the Broncos quarterback, Russell Wilson returns to Seattle to battle the franchise he led to eight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl victory. It will also be the ESPN debut of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who left Fox in the offseason to sign five-year deals with to become the new leads of Monday Night Football.

*Week 2
LA Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (Thursday, 8.15pm ET)*
The AFC West showdown will be the first Thursday Night Football game streamed exclusively by Amazon Prime, which signed a 10-year deal to gain exclusive rights in March 2021. The Chargers will send star linebacker Khalil Mack, who they acquired from Chicago in an offseason trade, after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

*Week 4
Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 8.20pm ET)*
The most successful quarterback in NFL history meets his potential successor for the fifth time. Tom Brady and Mahomes have split their first four matchups and will meet for the first time since the Buccaneers routed the Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV.

*Week 6
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 4.25pm ET)*
After providing the most thrilling game of the 2021 season in the AFC divisional playoffs, the Bills return to Kansas City in mid-October for a rematch of one of the best games of the decade. This late-afternoon blockbuster is arguably the biggest game of the season and a potential conference title game preview.

*Week 7
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (Sunday, 1pm ET)*
After entering the playoffs as the AFC’s top seed last season, the Titans were upset by the Bengals in the AFC divisional round. Tennessee added wide receiver Robert Woods from the Rams before stunning most experts by trading star wide receiver AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles on the first day of the 2022 NFL draft. After missing the playoffs last season, the Colts traded for longtime Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan to try and lead them to the top of the AFC South.

*Week 10
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (Monday, 8.15pm ET)*
Carson Wentz, tabbed by the Eagles with the No 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, was once Philadelphia’s franchise centerpiece. Now he’s on his third team in two years since getting traded by the Colts in March. Philly’s notoriously surly fans will no doubt be giving him an earful.

*Week 13
Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 4.25pm ET)*
If Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wants to avenge his loss in last season’s AFC championship game, he will have to do it on the road in Cincinnati. It’s one of 10 playoff rematches on the schedule this year, including the instances where teams will face each other multiple times as division rivals.

*Week 16
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, 8.20pm ET)*
The best of three Christmas Day matchups will be a battle between the 45-year-old Brady and a star quarterback 20 years his junior in Kyler Murray. After starting the 2021 season with a 10-2 record, the Cardinals dropped four of their final five games before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams at home.


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## JustBonee

One site's  take on the upcoming season  schedule.


https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/2022-nfl-strength-of-schedule/

Ranked easiest (#1) to hardest (#32) schedule for the 2022 season, plus projected win totals and current betting odds for every NFL team:

RANKTEAMPROJECTED WIN TOTALCURRENT LINE1New York Giants7.17.5 +1302Philadelphia Eagles8.878.5 -1503Indianapolis Colts9.89.5 -1404Chicago Bears6.86.5 -1405Detroit Lions6.256.5 +1156Washington Commanders7.657.5 -1257Tampa Bay Buccaneers11.511.5 -1108Cleveland Browns10.010 -1109New Orleans Saints8.28.5 +12010Dallas Cowboys10.510.5 -11011Baltimore Ravens9.659.5 -12512Jacksonville Jaguars6.356.5 +10513San Francisco 49ers9.89.5 -14014Carolina Panthers5.65.5 -12015Green Bay Packers10.8510.5 -14516Minnesota Vikings8.78.5 -13017Denver Broncos10.110.5 +13018Buffalo Bills11.6511.5 -12519Miami Dolphins8.78.5 -13020Los Angeles Chargers10.210.5 +12021Tennessee Titans9.49.5 +10022Seattle Seahawks5.85.5 -14023Atlanta Falcons4.454.5 -10524Arizona Cardinals9.059.5 +13525New England Patriots8.68.5 -12026Cincinnati Bengals9.69.5 -12027New York Jets5.855.5 -14528Houston Texans4.454.5 -10529Pittsburgh Steelers7.67.5 -12030Las Vegas Raiders8.58.5 -11031Los Angeles Rams10.410.5 +10032Kansas City Chiefs10.5510.5 -115
​


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## Lethe200

*Browns Have Signed Another Quarterback*
MSN News Sports 15May2022

The Cleveland Browns have an obvious issue at quarterback right now. They have a lot of money invested in the position between Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield. But the Browns must believe that they need even more competition for the backup job this summer. They just added a fifth player to their quarterbacks room.

According to NFL insider Ari Meirov, the Browns have signed Felix Harper as an undrafted free agent. Harper played for Alcorn State and had 1,792 passing yards and 14 touchdowns for the Braves last season. Harper attended the Browns' rookie minicamp as a trialist and got a contract. Also notable is that Harper is left-handed, 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. He's a unique signing to be sure.

But NFL fans are having a riot with this signing. Some are saying he's way too small for the NFL while others are laughing at how far Baker Mayfield has fallen down the Browns' depth chart.

With Felix Harper now in the fold, the Cleveland Browns have Harper, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs under contract for the 2022 season. It's still widely believed that Baker will be taken off the Browns roster - one way or another - in the near future. But whether that's before training camp, after training camp, or sometime during the season is still a total mystery.

One thing is for sure: The Browns won't be lacking hungry challengers for the starting job this summer.


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## jerry old

Lethe 200
ccording to NFL insider Ari Meirov, the Browns have signed Felix Harper as an undrafted free agent. Harper played for Alcorn State and had 1,792 passing yards and 14 touchdowns for the Braves last season. Harper attended the Browns' rookie minicamp as a trialist and got a contract. Also notable is that Harper is left-handed, 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. He's a unique signing to be sure.

Russell  wilson was supposed to be to small, Seahawks didn't think so, nor Denver


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## Lethe200

Jerry, this is for you!

*3 reasons to be optimistic about the Cowboys 2022 season*
Things to look forward to for the Cowboys. .
SB Nation Mile High Rpt by Connor Livesay May 19, 2022

It’s been a rough offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. They traded away Amari Cooper for peanuts, they outright released La’el Collins, and a long-term extension with EDGE Randy Gregory failed even though the money they supposedly saved from DeMarcus Lawrence’s new contract was supposed to go there.

This all came prior to doing not much at all in outside free agency while we saw playoffs teams improve their rosters by signing or trading for veteran players at positions of need. While it’s easy to be pessimistic about the upcoming season, there are also reasons that should give Cowboys fans optimism.

*Dak Prescott is still the far-and-away best quarterback in the NFC East*
While the end of the 2021 NFL season was a disappointing one for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense, too much of the blame was pointed at Prescott, and not the Cowboys offense struggling to block, run the football effectively, and not commit penalties that stalled drives before they could even get started.

While it’s easy to place blame on the guy who touches the football on every play, it’s also easy to evaluate why things didn’t go so well. The Cowboys passing game caused terror for defenses after a terrific first half of the season. With Dak Prescott near the top of the list of MVP candidates at the midway point of the season, defenses adjusted, and in doing so begged the Cowboys to run the football in order to find success on offense. The Cowboys failed to do so with any sort of consistency and that resulted in a numbers game, that did not favor Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson, Michael Gallup, and Dalton Schultz for most of the second half of the season.

Secondly, Dak dealt with his fair share of mental and physical hurdles in 2021. Working back from a nasty ankle injury that ended his 2020 season before it could get going, Dak spent most of his offseason rehabbing, attempting to get himself ready for camp, only to suffer a shoulder strain before that ball could get rolling. Nonetheless, Prescott came out firing on all cylinders when the regular season kicked off, before a calf injury in a week six win against the Patriots slowed him down again. The mental hurdle of working back from a 2021 injury was one thing, but then to have two other minor injuries slow down the progression was a lot to overcome for a guy that was being asked to handle a lot of the responsibilities for making the Cowboys offense work.

In 2022, expect a healthier, sharper, and more consistent Rayne Dakota Prescott, and that’s one of the biggest reasons Cowboys fans should still be excited for the upcoming season.

*Dan Quinn and the defense in year two*
While Dan Quinn’s defense in year one as defensive coordinator was one of the biggest improvements we’ve seen from a side of the ball in what feels like forever, year two could be just as special. Let me preface this by saying, defensive results are one of the hardest things to sustain in the NFL, so we could also see some regression from Quinn’s unit based on recent metrics.

With that being said, the Cowboys defense didn’t lose many contributors from 2021 to 2022, minus Randy Gregory. Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee are no longer with the team, but neither player changed the aspect of the defense for Quinn and the Cowboys. By re-signing Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, Dorance Armstrong, Leighton Vander Esch, and Carlos Watkins, and with the additions of Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, and John Ridgeway, this group has the potential to take a step forward if there are jumps from Micah Parsons, Osa Odighizuwa, and healthy seasons from DeMarcus Lawrence, Neville Gallimore, and Trevon Diggs.

They’d have to be somewhat of an outlier to produce an even better 2022 season than they did in 2021, but it’s hard to bet against Quinn after what he showed in year one, and with Micah Parsons emerging as one of the best defenders in the NFL, there’s plenty to be excited about for the projected 2022 Cowboys defensive results.

*Toughness over talent*
While it’s a topic we may debate for the next 100 years, there’s no denying that the Cowboys valued toughness in the 2022 offseason over talent. With every draft pick, the Cowboys seemed to put an emphasis on tough minded individuals that play with some nastiness to their game.

At times, this front office and coaching staff have openly criticized players on the roster for maybe not playing up to the mental and physical toughness level they wanted out of their team. They’ve mentioned multiple times recently about not being tough enough in the 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the 2021 playoffs. While it’s concerning they lost some of their more talented players this offseason, it’s easy to see that they maybe valued the toughness, nastiness, and grind that some of these new additions will bring over the talent guys like Amari Cooper and La’el Collins may have had.

We’ll see how it plays out at the end of the season, but I do appreciate them going away from more of the finesse mentality that’s shadowed this team from quite some time.


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## Lethe200

Kudos to the entire Bills organization!

*Entire Buffalo Bills roster honors victims at memorial near site of mass shooting*
_Every member of the Bills roster and coaching staff arrived at the scene on Wednesday to volunteer._
SB Nation/Buffalo Rumblings May 18, 2022

Every member of the Buffalo Bills roster and coaching staff loaded onto a bus Wednesday morning to head from Orchard Park to the East Side of Buffalo. It was a day originally reserved for voluntary Organized Team Activities, but in light of the massacre at a local grocery store over the weekend, the team instead paid their respects to the victims and volunteered to help the surrounding community they left behind.

Wearing black shirts with a Bills logo and the words “Choose Love” emblazoned across the front, the Bills players laid flowers at the temporary memorial across the street before lining up to prepare and serve food to the local residents impacted by the loss of the only grocery store in the area. (Shout out to the World Central Kitchen for stepping up and coming to Buffalo, as well. They supervised the food, the Bills provided the manpower.)

Before they did that, assistant head coach Leslie Frazier led a moment of silence and prayer for the victims. “It’s the least we could do,” said head coach Sean McDermott to WGRZ. “When the community has been affected the way it’s been affected, we need to step up and fill the gap with love and unity.”

“We’re really just trying to be a shining light for the community down here right now during this tough time,” long snapper Reid Ferguson told WGRZ TV in Buffalo. “We wanted to be as quick as we could.”

Ferguson mentioned that the team captains were instrumental in organizing the event, and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown singled out special teams captain Taiwan Jones. Captain Stefon Diggs flew in specifically for the event.

The Bills players were joined by members of the Buffalo Sabres (NHL) and Buffalo Bandits (NLL). All three teams are owned by Kim and Terry Pegula. “It’s hard to wrap your mind around how there’s such evil in the world; today we’re just here to spread some love,” said tight end Dawson Knox, via Justin Murphy of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Murphy confirmed it was every single player and coach.

Bills’ superstar quarterback Josh Allen didn’t want to talk about what the Bills were doing, though. He went straight to the heart of why the team was there in the first place.

“What happened here is disgusting,” said Allen to a pool of reporters.

*To donate to causes helping the survivors of this weekend’s shooting or the community at large as they try to move on from the fallout, there are multiple verified options at this link.* You can also give to the *Thurman Thomas Family Foundation here.*


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## jerry old

WOW!
If Lethe 200 says tHe Cowboy are going to be good, take it to the bank.
The Cowboy's-49 's wars were  some of the best games of the 80's and 90's...

the Cowboys are good, the 49's are peaking...
Let us hope they meet in championship game in 2022
, 
Cowboy's depend on their 'talent' rather than grit, if they can play 'tough' for 60 minutes they will win the Superbowl.


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## Lethe200

Now, Jerry - don't get your hopes up too high! I didn't say the Cowboys were going to win it all. These are the SBNation columnists. Since it's the off-season and not much is happening, I'll be adding posts on individual teams as the articles show up. Can't promise I'll get all the teams covered, but I'll try to find the most interesting stories for everybody.

This is an AFC West report. With the Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos and Chargers in it, it looks on paper to be the most competitive of all the divisions in 2022-3.

*PFF gives Broncos’ offseason a high grade*
George Paton followed up a very good first year with a home run of a second as general manager of the Denver Broncos.
SB Nation Mile High Rpt by Tim Lynch May 17, 2022

In two short years, general manager George Paton has completely transformed the Denver Broncos. He skipped addressing the quarterback position in last year’s draft and elected, instead, to draft cornerback Patrick Surtain. That predictably led to another failed season, but in hindsight that move will make this team a much better one now that the quarterback situation is resolved.

The trade for former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was Paton’s master stroke in his two year remake of the Broncos. They added some depth in the 2022 NFL Draft, but they already had an incredible young offensive core for Wilson to work with.

Sam Monson, over at Pro Football Focus graded each team’s offseason on Monday and of the four ‘A’ grades or higher given, Denver received one of them.

*Denver Broncos*
Offseason Grade: A
Free Agency Grade: Above Average
Draft Grade: B+

Few teams made a bigger move in the offseason than the Broncos, who finally found a franchise quarterback in Russell Wilson via trade. Last offseason, this roster was an elite quarterback away from contending, and while it isn’t quite the same roster, they will be hoping that enough of the important pieces remain so that the same thing is true.

Critically, the Wilson trade didn’t cost them any key components of the offense other than tight end Noah Fant, and they have a replacement already in house in Albert Okwuegbunam. Adding Randy Gregory in free agency also gives them a legitimate pass-rusher after trading away Von Miller last year.

In the draft, Denver added another pass-rush specialist in Nik Bonitto, who owns the best pass-rush win rate of any pass rusher in the draft class over the last two years. Greg Dulcich adds depth to that tight end room again, and now Denver has to hope that it has the system in place to maximize Wilson.


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## Lethe200

*Ranking the Browns offseason moves*
The uncertainty surrounding quarterback Deshaun Watson clouds everything, but how well did Cleveland do this offseason?
SB Nation Dawgs By Nature by Thomas Moore May 17, 2022

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry had a busy offseason as he worked to rebuild a roster that finished a disappointing 8-9 last season. The biggest additions came on offense via trade as the Browns acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans and wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys.

Free agency was more about filling some roster holes with serviceable players as opposed to making a “big splash,” with the most noteworthy signing probably being return specialist Jakeem Grant Sr.

The NFL Draft was a bit muted without a first-round selection, but Berry still was able to find two players that should see considerable playing time this fall in wide receiver David Bell and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., took a shot at fixing the kicking game with Cade York, and added a pair of intriguing prospects in defensive end Alex Wright and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey.

All is not perfect, of course, as the uncertainty about Watson’s availability will hang over the team until there is a resolution to the civil lawsuits filed by 22 women who have accused him of inappropriate behavior and ****** assault. And Berry has not fully fixed the defensive end position opposite Myles Garrett, although an eventual return by Jadeveon Clowney would check that box.

It is those last two issues - primarily the one with Watson - that appear to have influenced how the NFL media has viewed the work the Berry has done, with the grades and/or rankings pushing the Browns down a bit further than one might expect. With that in mind, let’s take a quick run through a few prominent sites and see what they think about the Browns.

*Pro Football Focus: Offseason Grade: B+*
Free Agency Grade: Above Average
Draft Grade: B
_Obviously, the biggest move Cleveland made was acquiring Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Leaving the moral discussion on that subject for another article on another day, if Watson plays all season this year, he is a big enough upgrade over even a healthy Baker Mayfield to immediately propel this team back among the contenders.

In addition to that, they also addressed the biggest weakness on the team by trading for receiver Amari Cooper. The draft was solid if unspectacular, as UAB’s Alex Wright was the most intriguing selection. Wright recorded a 91.1 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2021, 51 pressures and three batted passes, and he has the kind of athletic profile to replace Jadeveon Clowney opposite Myles Garrett.

Cleveland already had a contender’s roster, but Mayfield’s injury last season meant they failed to capitalize. Now they have Watson, and the only big question remaining is whether they can trade away Mayfield or if they have to cut him, as they would rather do that than live through the awkward situation of keeping him as a backup all season_

*ESPN: Ranked No. 17*
_The Browns entered the draft without a first-round pick, then traded out of the second round despite a need at wide receiver. Cleveland finally added one near the end of the third round, selecting David Bell from Purdue. Bell, who was ultra-productive in college, could play a big role in the Browns’ offense. But he will likely be operating out of the slot and in underneath coverage. That should allow Peoples-Jones to remain a starter opposite Amari Cooper. And though the Browns could still add another receiver, they will be counting on DPJ to play significant snaps next season._

*Sporting News: Ranked No. 17*
_The Browns are here assuming Deshaun Watson will be playing every game for them in 2022 as their new major upgrade at franchise QB. He gives them a much higher running and passing ceiling offensively than Baker Mayfield and the Myles Garrett-led defense is built to be a great complementary force playing with more leads. Cleveland joins Baltimore in having a good chance to displace AFC runner-up Cincinnati in the North._

*NFL.com: Ranked No. 14*
_The Browns remain an impossible team to rank in this exercise given what we don’t know about Deshaun Watson. The quarterback remains in limbo on account of the 22 civil lawsuits alleging ****** assault and misconduct, as well as the ongoing league investigation. Will he even play in the 2022 season? And if he doesn’t, how much can we realistically expect from a team — 8-9 a year ago — being led by Jacoby Brissett? Well, they do have Baker Mayfield, but the team will throw an anniversary halftime celebration for the 2000 Super Bowl champion Ravens before the former No. 1 overall pick plays another snap in Cleveland. The Browns have the chance to be an AFC superpower in the years to come, but they remain a messy proposition in the here and now._

Rankings and grades are a mostly harmless process, but with the uncertainty surrounding Watson, it is hard to get a good grasp on how good the Browns can be this fall. Even with everything going on in 2021, the team still finished just two games off the pace in the AFC North, so with the improvements made this offseason, plus the continued growth of the offense and defense, it is not that difficult to see an additional three wins and a return to the playoffs, as long as Watson is available all season.


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## Lethe200

_(Note: subtitles in Bolded/Blue are direct links to articles on a variety of websites, for more detailed reporting)_

*Friday Cheese Curds: Packers ready to begin Year 1 AD (After Davante)*
The absence of Adams will be felt as Green Bay begins organized team activities
SB Nation by Kris Burke May 20, 2022

The Green Bay Packers are about to embark on a bold new era. It’s hard to envision a team that is returning a vast majority of their starters from a year ago actually experiencing such a dramatic change, but when you lose a talent like Davante Adams the aftershocks are felt throughout the entire organization.

How exactly can the Packers replace Adams in just one year? Well, the draft picks of Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are the big swings while the team continues to search for other options as they currently have 10 wide receivers on the roster with more coming in for tryouts.

The Packers are also counting on some development by 2021 third round pick Amari Rodgers who had an abysmal rookie season marred by multiple gaffes on special teams and not being able to crack the lineup on offense very often.

With the addition of this year’s rookie class along with the signing of veteran Sammy Watkins, all eyes are on Rodgers in the wide receiver room. Yes, he should be given the chance to develop but he was so bad as a rookie the tolerance with him not showing strong growth should be limited. Meanwhile, Watkins brings another veteran presence alongside Randall Cobb and should be a reliable target for Aaron Rodgers.

It’s a brave new world for the Packers and they take their first steps into it starting next week.

*Packers Adapting to Life Without Adams—Packer Central*
The message from receivers coach Jason Vrable is simple: who is going to catch passes from the future hall of fame quarterback? All those targets have to go somewhere, so it’s now a matter of who wants them the most.

*Packers feel confidence growing for WR Amari Rodgers entering Year 2–Packers Wire*
Coaches aren’t exactly going to light up a player in front of the media in May but if their belief in Amari Rodgers is genuine it’s now up to the player to reward that faith. There’s really nowhere to go but up for the former Clemson star.

*Sammy Watkins is ‘in a good place right now–Packers.com*
Vrable coached Watkins in Buffalo and that familiarity is likely a big reason Green Bay went after him. If he can avoid injury, not a lock given his career so far, Watkins could be a sneaky good spring signing by the Packers.

*Jaire Alexander contract extension with Green Bay Packers includes salary cap-friendly 2022–PackersNews.com*
Jaire Alexander’s extension freed up around $6 million in cap space which gives the Packers some room to add yet another veteran wide receiver should they so choose.


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## Lethe200

*KC Chiefs chose future flexibility over Tyreek Hill*
The prevailing thought about this year’s offseason in KC continues to become clearer.
SB Nation Arrowhead Pride by Pete Sweeney May 19, 2022

KC Chiefs general manager Brett Veach joined a number of national media outlets over the past week. The sixth-year GM told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen that the organization had two goals entering the offseason: help the defense and find a way to keep WR Tyreek Hill.

The Chiefs achieved one of those goals, and the other — well, things changed as the offseason went along. We have addressed that on these pages before, but Veach provided further details during his call with Eisen.

_“We had Orlando (Brown) on the (franchise) tag, and we wanted to take care of Tyreek and then kind of address the defense,” started Veach. “Then, the way the market shifted with the receivers and the way the market shifted with the veteran defensive linemen, we kind of altered our course of action and decide to go through the draft almost entirely.”_

Seven of 10 members of the Chiefs’ 2022 draft class play defense.

_“Again, I think we’re happy with the way it turned out — but there’s going to be a lot of young guys you see on the defensive side, but I think we’re very hopeful that these guys are going to be who we think they are.”_

On the books, the Brown tag cost the Chiefs roughly $16.6 million. Edge rushers like Chandler Jones, Von Miller and Randy Gregory priced themselves out of KC, agreeing to lucrative deals with other teams. As Veach suggested, the No. 1 receiver market reached heights it never had before, making things more complicated when it came to retaining Hill.

_“When teams go to the Combine, they certainly go to evaluate the college prospects, but they also are there to discuss contracts with their players and the agents that are there,” he said. “We had a chance to talk to [Hill’s agent] Drew Rosenhaus at the Combine on multiple occasions, and I think we laid an initial framework for a contract, and we felt things were kind of trending in the right direction. All big contracts take a few weeks and some take a few months.

“But we left there and we felt like we were in a pretty good place. And then, as you know, the WR market exploded and went in a crazy different direction. So we were looking at a situation where, if we wanted to acquire, let’s say, a veteran defensive end — and where that market went — we would do so, but then it would be very difficult to do Tyreek. And how could we sign a veteran defensive end to a contract like that and not address the Tyreek situation? That would have been a problem, and it wouldn’t have been something that we would have done given our relationship with Tyreek and all that he has done for the organization over the years.

“On the flip side, when the market went to where it went, if we did that, in addition to carrying an Orlando Brown tag, in addition to the contracts that we have, then there would be no way to address the defense — to do anything on the defensive side. So it was either an all-or-nothing scenario.

“We just took a step back, and this is the great thing about how we operate here. We certainly go through all the scenarios, and one of the scenarios was that if we couldn’t get something done, this [trade] possibility. And so it made sense that, if you really wanted to add some weapons and to invest in multiple players and multiple positions, that this may be the best scenario for us... after taking a step back and talking things through with Andy (Reid) and with Clark (Hunt), it just made sense for us to entertain this trade.”_

Veach explained that the package the Miami Dolphins were willing to send the Chiefs (which wound up being five draft picks over the next two years) would allow them — in 2022 — to take as many defensive players as they did, all the while opening up the salary cap for years to come. The general manager added that he expects the Chiefs to be more prominent players in next offseason’s free agency period. Veach specifically mentioned the Jacksonville Jaguars’ contract for WR Christian Kirk and the Las Vegas Raiders’ contract for WR Davante Adams as the pivot point of the offseason.

_“I felt like if we do [a contract for Tyreek Hill] here, we might be out of free agency the next two to three years,” explained Veach. “This game — gosh, it’s so hard to be good year in and year out. More than anything, you have to have a roster that can handle the physicality of this game and the injuries. Year in and year out, teams are just holding on to get to the bye week so they can take a breath. It’s hard, and so, like I said, when we thought about this opportunity long and hard and [considered] not just the pick but the cap space over the next few years, it made a lot of sense to us.

“I think it worked out for both parties. I know that’s kind of a cliché there, and it sounds good. Everybody says it, but I really do. I think Miami has a chance to some things with Tyreek, and he lives there, and his family’s there. It was important for him to be there, and that was a place where he wanted to be, so he deserved that. And he has certainly helped us reach heights that many thought were impossible over the years. So I think he was deserving of that contract, and I was happy for him.”_

And on the other side, Veach remains optimistic about the future in KC.

_“I was happy we were able to get resources to help continue to build this thing for the next five, 10 years. And I think that we’ve taken the right step, and that won’t be easy, and we’re going to have a lot of young guys play football for us this fall. There’s going to be a transition period, but after the draft ended and from the time [the young players] have been here through the rookie minicamp, we’ve been certainly impressed with them and their attitude, so we’re excited about getting this thing rolling.”_

As details on the Chiefs’ offseason thought process continue to trickle out, the prevailing notion is this: trading Hill was much less a decision than it was a solution.


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## Lethe200

*Ranking Las Vegas Raiders’ 2022 trades*
New GM Dave Ziegler has been busy
SB Nation Raider Nation by Bill Williamson May 19, 2022

New Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler has developed a knack for swinging trades in his first offseason in charge of the team. Ziegler has pulled off eight trades so far. Four included veteran players and the other four were draft-pick deals while on the clock. Let’s rank them based on initial perceived value that came to the Raiders in the trade:

*Davante Adams trade:*
The Raiders’ St. Patrick’s Day trade for the All-Pro wide receiver was one of the very best trades in an NFL offseason full of blockbusters. Las Vegas sent the Packers their first and second-round picks (No. 22 and No. 53). Yes, it was a steep price, but the Raiders got a centerpiece of the offense for the next three years and now their Super Bowl window is wide open.

*Rock Ya-Sin trade:*
A day before the Adams’ deal, Ziegler swung his first trade by sending standout pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. The key to the trade was moments earlier, the Raiders signed pass-rusher Chandler Jones. He has played for this brass in New England and he is a better fit for the new Raiders’ defense than Ngakoue. Ya-Sin has a chance to start and be a top-of-the-rotation cornerback. Like Ngakoue, he is entering the final season on his contract. But, again, this trade is as much about making room for Jones as anything.

*Dylan Parham trade:*
This was Ziegler’s first draft trade. The Raiders went down from No. 86 to No. 90 and they also get No. 169, which they traded later. They got Parham, a guard-center who many scouts think can start for the long haul. Tennessee, though, is excited about the trade because it took quarterback Malik Willis with the pick after he fell so this could be a win-win draft deal.

*Butler, Munford trade:*
The Raiders sent No. 164 to the Rams for No. 175 and No. 238. They took Tennessee defensive tackle Matthew Butler in the fifth round and tackle Thayer Munford of Ohio State in the seventh round. That’s two decent late-round prospects for one late-round pick.

*First Vikings trade:*
The Raiders received No. 122 and No. 250 in a deal for No. 126 and No. 227. They jumped up to take Georgia running back Zamir White in the fourth round. The Raiders think White can be their top running back in 2023. The traded up to move ahead of their AFC West rival, the Los Angeles Chargers. They took Isaiah Spiller of Texas A&M at No. 123.

*Jarrett Stidham trade:*
The Raiders acquired backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham from the New England Patriots and seventh-round draft pick for a sixth-round pick in 2023. Stidham was with Ziegler and new Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels in New England and he has the inside track to be the backup for starter Derek Carr.

*Second Vikings trade:*
This was a prime example of Ziegler’s aggression toward trades. The Raiders got No. 126 back and took LSU defensive tackle Neil Farrell. Minnesota got No. 165 and No. 169. Ziegler worked the board to get the players he wanted at the spots he valued them.

*Bryan Edwards trade:*
The Raiders traded 2020 third-round pick, receiver Bryan Edwards to Atlanta and a conditional seventh-round pick for a 2023 fifth-round pick. The Raiders are loaded up at receiver and thought they were better fits than Edwards. He will get a chance to reestablish his career in Atlanta.


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## Lethe200

Fun, altho a little confusing in layout. Discusses how each SB Champion team faltered the next year, and also gives the SB loser's story.

*The last 17 attempts to repeat as Super Bowl champions: What went wrong?*
The Rams are trying to run it back, something that hasn’t happened in almost 20 years
SB Nation by Kenneth Arthur May 16, 2022 Pt 1 of 2

The LA Rams want to “run it back” as Super Bowl champions, obviously, but the real goal here is not to repeat. The goal for the Rams is the same as it was in 2021: To be that season’s Super Bowl champions. If LA is able to win the Super Bowl next season — DraftKings Sportsbook currently gives the Rams the third-best odds to do so — then “repeating” will merely be a technicality.

The journey is different with each new season and it would be a waste of time and energy for Sean McVay and the Rams to worry about the fact that they are the reigning champions. Once Week 1 kicks off against the Buffalo Bills, the new season is officially underway and LA’s only concern should be the opponents on this schedule, the players on this roster, and the pressure of this season. Let time take care of the pressure of becoming a dynasty. Time is one thing that you can’t rush.

Not since the 2004 NE Patriots has a team won two Super Bowls in a row. What are the reasons for this? None is more important than the fact that it is difficult to be the last team standing out of 32 once, let alone twice in two seasons. It’s not like being a dominant boxer in the middle of his prime, laying out opponent after opponent; in the NFL, not only is there usually at least a half-dozen dominant boxers, but their strengths and weaknesses are constantly in flux because a team is a living organism.

That organism changes dramatically year over year, as do the other organisms that are directly working to combat what worked for that “dominant boxer” in the past. It’s a constant game of cat and mouse, with a significant factor of LUCK, as well. What happened to the last 17 Super Bowl champions in the following season?

*2005 NE Patriots*
Record: 10-6
Final game: 27-13 loss to Broncos, divisional round
The ‘04 Patriots had a 14-2 record and steamrolled the AFC before beating the Eagles 24-21 in a Super Bowl that wasn’t even as close as the final score. After winning three of four Super Bowls, the Patriots lost OC Charlie Weis to Notre Dame and DC Romeo Crennel to the Cleveland Browns.

The defense lost safety Rodney Harrison early in the season, Willie McGinest may not have been quite as dominant at age 34, and NE went from second in scoring defense to 17th. Only one team allowed more passing yds in 2005 than the Patriots and after waving away the Jaguars in the wild card round 28-3, Tom Brady fell to Peyton Manning’s Broncos in the divisional round.

*2005 Super Bowl loser story:* The Eagles had made four straight NFC Championship games from 2001 to 2004, but Donovan McNabb’s wheels fell off in 2005 and Philadelphia went 6-10.

*2006 Pittsburgh Steelers*
Record: 8-8
Final game: 23-17 OT win over Bengals in Week 17
The Steelers were a wild card Super Bowl champion team in 2005, beating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Detroit. Pittsburgh started the season 7-5 before winning the next eight games in a row behind second-year QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Despite bringing back pretty much everyone who they would have wanted for a repeat, including head coach Bill Cowher, both coordinators, and the majority of their star players, the Steelers scored fewer points, allowed more points, and started 4-7 in 2006 before rebounding to win four of the last five.

Pittsburgh was shut out not once, but twice during their quest to repeat, including by the Jaguars in Week 2. Roethlisberger finished with 18 TDs and 23 interceptions, signaling that he may have been a significant part of the problem.

*2006 Super Bowl loser story:* The Seahawks had their most dominant season in franchise history at that point in 2005, but Mike Holmgren never recovered from that Super Bowl loss. Seattle lost three games in a row late in the 2006 season, squeaking into the playoffs at 9-7, then needing a Tony Romo botched FG hold in order to get past the Cowboys in the wild card. The next week, the Seahwks were dispatched by Rex Grossman and the Bears in OT.

*2007 Indianapolis Colts*
Record: 13-3
Final game: 28-24 loss to Chargers, divisional round
The Colts had everything they wanted going into 2007 and they may have been an even better team than the previous season. You can watch the whole game on YouTube, but it’s the final three minutes of the Colts-Chargers divisional round matchup during the 2007 playoffs that shut the door on the Colts.

Peyton Manning had a first-and-Goal from the Chargers 9, as Indianapolis trails 28-24 with 2:56 on the clock. SD’s defense shut his passing game down to hold the line. Manning would get another drive after that, but SD’s defense came to play that day and that’s how the Colts’ quest to repeat ended.

*2007 Super Bowl loser story:* The Bears were the number two scoring team with the #three scoring defense in 2006. They were maniacs in forcing turnovers that season. Chicago couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract with DC Ron Rivera, so he left for a job with the Chargers, leading to their defeating the Colts from repeating. The turnover luck ran out and the Bears went 7-9 in 2007, ranking 16th in points allowed.

*2008 NY Giants*
Record: 12-4
Final game: 23-11 loss to Eagles, divisional round
Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin shocked the world with their Super Bowl victory against the previously-undefeated Patriots in 2007. NY rode that wave into being a much better team in 2008, clinching the top seed in the NFC and a first round bye. But the Eagles were a good team too and they twice beat the Giants in their home stadium in 2008.

*2008 Super Bowl loser story:* Tom Brady tore his ACL in Week 1 and Matt Cassel helped lead the Patriots to an 11-5 record, but no playoffs.

2009 Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: 9-7
Final game: 30-24 win over Dolphins in Week 17
The Steelers won a Super Bowl under Mike Tomlin and brought back most of the key ingredients. Once again, they flopped in the following regular season, including five-straight losses in the second half of the schedule. The ‘09 Steelers lost two games in OT, plus three other games by three points. They didn’t lose any game by more than a TD. The margin between getting into the playoffs and missing them was razor thin and Pittsburgh could have been a huge threat if they had won one or two more games that season.

*2009 Super Bowl loser story:* The Cardinals nearly became another shocking Super Bowl winner in 2008, but fell just shy. They went 10-6 with Kurt Warner in 2009 and beat the Packers 51-45 in a legendary wild card win. But then AZ lost 45-14 to the eventual champion Saints in the next round.

*2010 New Orleans Saints*
Record: 11-5
Final game: 41-36 loss to Seahawks, wild card
Like the ‘99 Rams, few teams have had more of an influence on the NFL than the 2009 Saints. The way that Drew Brees and that offense motored through the league for years has helped transform passing into what we see today. Despite that, OC Pete Carmichael has never had a strong desire to be a head coach. He still remains with the Saints and on Sunday, Drew Brees even hinted at a return to NO for next season.

The Saints went from 32 points per game in 2009 to 24 points per game in 2010. They were still a good team, but not as good and Brees’ 22 interceptions that year did not help. New Orleans fell to a 7-9 Seattle team in the wild card round after a TD run by Marshawn Lynch created an actual earthquake in the city.

*2010 Super Bowl loser story*: The Colts went from 14-2 in 2009 to 10-6 in 2010. This would be Manning’s final season as a player for Indianapolis, as he missed all of 2011 and left in free agency in 2012. Indy lost to the Jets in the wild card round.


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## Lethe200

Pt 2 of 2: Super Bowl winners/losers, the year afterwards

*2011 GBay Packers*
Record: 15-1
Final game: 37-20 loss to Giants, wild card
What else is there to say other than, you can be the NFL’s most dominant team by a mile and all it takes is one bad day to ruin your journey. It’s hard to believe, but Aaron Rodgers’ most recent Super Bowl appearance was now 12 years ago. He’s never had a more dominant team around him than this one and yet GBay didn’t even get close to repeating.

*2011 Super Bowl loser story*: The Steelers went 12-4 in both 2010 and 2011, but their efforts to get back to the Super Bowl were thwarted by Tim Tebow for his one moment of glory, in the wild card round.

*2012 NY Giants*
Record: 9-7
Final game: 42-7 win over Eagles, Week 17
Another surprising Super Bowl win over Tom Brady. Another repeat effort that fell short. The great find of 2011 was receiver Victor Cruz, an undrafted free agent who had 1,536 yds in his first season as a starter, but then he wasn’t quite as dominant in year two. Injuries soon robbed Cruz of the rest of his career, unfortunately. Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora were also far less effective as pass rushers for that one season, after dominating the line of scrimmage in 2011.

*2012 Super Bowl loser story*_: _Just like Weis once upon a time, the Patriots lost an OC to college as Bill O’Brien took a job with Penn State in 2012. He was replaced by Josh McDaniels after his failed trip with the Broncos. NE went 12-4 that season but lost 28-13 to the Ravens in the AFC Championship. Nobody knows how to approach each season better than Bill Belichick and whether NE wins the Super Bowl, loses the Super Bowl, or fails to reach the Super Bowl, they always seem to come back.

*2013 Baltimore Ravens*
Record: 8-8
Final game: 34-17 loss to Bengals, Week 17
Nobody expected Joe Flacco to do what he did, including the Ravens, who held off giving him a contract extension until they saw if he could get them to the finish line in 2012. He got them there and the Ravens won their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history. The down side to that is that Baltimore then decided to make Flacco the highest-paid player in the game when what they should have done is tag and traded him.

In 2013, Flacco threw 19 TDs and 22 interceptions as the Ravens went .500 and failed to make the playoffs. Ray Rice also struggled immensely and the team was in its first year without Ray Lewis.

*2013 Super Bowl loser story:* The other Harbaugh had the 49ers at 12-4 and back in the NFC Championship game once again in 2013. There, SF fell to the eventual champion Seahawks after a tipped interception by Richard Sherman and Malcolm Smith in the final seconds. This would be one of the final career NFL games for Jim Harbaugh, and the last playoff game for Colin Kaepernick.

*2014 Seattle Seahawks*
Record: 12-4
Final game: 28-24 loss to Patriots, Super Bowl
The first team since the ‘04 Patriots to make the Super Bowl again after winning it, Seattle eventually fell to Belichick in their quest to repeat. The Seahawks held a 10-point Q4 lead but Brady led NE back to take a lead and ultimately Russell Wilson’s Super Bowl legacy will always end in “that interception” to Malcolm Butler.

Seattle wasn’t as dominant in 2014 as they were in 2013, the Legion of Boom slowly but surely fell apart, and now Wilson is playing for the only team he ever beat in a Super Bowl. This ending alone may have indeed torn apart the Seahawks’ hopes of becoming a dynasty.

*2014 Super Bowl loser story*_: _Manning helped guide the Broncos to the NFL’s top scoring offense in 2013 and they were ranked second in 2014. Denver went 12-4 but lost to his former team, the Colts, in the divisional round. It wouldn’t take him long to get his revenge though.

*2015 NE Patriots*
Record: 12-4
Final game: 20-18 loss to Broncos, AFC Championship
What can one say about the Patriots? They keep showing up on the list. They’re consistently “in it” and they either come close to getting back to the Super Bowl or they fall a round or two shy. Belichick and Brady always had the Patriots in contention. If Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford can do that for even the next three years, it’ll be special.

*2015 Super Bowl loser story*_: _The Seahawks were 4-5 midseason, but then Wilson had arguably the most dominant stretch of his career as a passer and Seattle won six of their final seven games. Then after another extremely lucky wild card win (Blair Walsh missed a chip shot FG that would have given the Vikings a win), the Seahawks fell behind 31-0 in the divisional round to the Panthers and a comeback bid fell just shy.

*2016 Denver Broncos*
Record: 9-7
Final game: 24-6 win over Raiders, Week 17
Other than maybe the Flacco situation, this is the only time on the list that the team that won the Super Bowl knew for sure that the window was about to close. Manning was finished but gutted through the playoffs and Von Miller’s defense is what guided the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory.

Denver next turned to Trevor Siemian and first round pick Paxton Lynch in 2016, and while a winning record is admirable with those players under center, the Broncos weren’t nearly good enough. Head coach Gary Kubiak temporarily retired after the 2016 season, returning in 2019 as an assistant with the Vikings.

*2016 Super Bowl loser story*: The Panthers were simply not as good as their 15-1 record from 2015. They had the easiest schedule in the NFL, Cam Newton’s MVP season was not repeatable, turnover luck ran out, and Carolina went 6-10.

*2017 NE Patriots*
Record: 13-3
Final game: 41-33 loss to Eagles, Super Bowl
As said before, they are consistent.

*2017 Super Bowl loser story*: The Falcons led the NFL with 34 points per game in 2016 but their meltdown to the Patriots is something that they never recovered from. Sound familiar, Seahawks? Atlanta scored 22 points per game in 2017, after Kyle Shanahan left for the 49ers, and the Falcons lost 15-10 in the divisional round to the eventual champion Eagles.

*2018 Philadelphia Eagles*
Record: 9-7
Final game: 20-14 loss to Saints, divisional round
Carson Wentz had been a frontrunner for MVP in 2017, then a devastating injury wiped out the rest of his season and arguably his career. There was much debate if the Eagles should keep Nick Foles (Super Bowl MVP) and start him over Wentz, if they should trade Foles, or if they should keep Foles around as insurance. Philadelphia chose option three, wisely, and nearly made it back to the NFC Championship game despite being much worse overall. The team went from third in scoring offense to 18th and from fourth in scoring defense to 12th. The Eagles also lost OC Frank Reich to the Colts in 2018.

*2018 Super Bowl loser story:* The Patriots came back the next season and won the Super Bowl.

*2019 NE Patriots*
Record: 12-4
Final game: 20-13 loss to Titans, wild card
It’s hard to be memorable when you win the Super Bowl 13-3, but that’s how Brady and Belichick got their final Lombardi Trophy together, as you all know. At least in the three seasons since this, the Rams have been the better team.

There was certainly talk of this being near the end of Tom Brady’s career, as NE struggled immensely in the playoff loss to the Titans, scoring zero points in the second half and Brady finishing with 209 yds on 37 passes with one interception.

*2019 Super Bowl loser story:* You know it well. The Rams extended Jared Goff and prayed for the health of Todd Gurley. Neither of those things worked out but ultimately McVay found a way back.

*2020 KC Chiefs*
Record: 14-2
Final game: 31-9 loss to Bucs, Super Bowl
Everybody fell in love with the Chiefs as soon as Patrick Mahomes became this dominant force of a passer in 2018. Their first bid to win a Super Bowl with him ended in a close AFC Championship loss to the Patriots in 2018. Then Mahomes led comebacks against the Texans, Titans, and 49ers to win the Super Bowl in 2019. KC then came back in 2020 and was their best version yet, except that by the Super Bowl, the OL was decimated to such a degree that Mahomes’ value was somewhat neutralized by the Bucs’ dominant pass rush.

*2020 Super Bowl loser story*: After going 13-3 in 2019, the 49ers fell from second in scoring offense to 21st, and dropped to 6-10. It’s a familiar yo-yo season by Shanahan.

*2021 TBay Buccaneers*
Record: 13-4
Final game: 30-27 loss to Rams, divisional round
Brady wasn’t done, winning a Super Bowl in his first season away from Belichick. The Bucs had an even better record in 2021, and won the division, then beat the Eagles 31-15 in the wild card. Brady attempted another amazing comeback effort in last season’s divisional round game to the Rams, tying the score after a 27-3 deficit, but Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Matt Gay gave L.A. a 30-27 win in the final seconds. Brady retired after the loss, but announced a return shortly thereafter.

*2021 Super Bowl loser story:* The Chiefs went 12-5 and lost 27-24 in the AFC Championship game to the Bengals. KC should be right back in contention again in 2022.

Super Bowl teams: 17
Got back to the Super Bowl: 3
Got back to the Conference Championship (no Super Bowl): 1
Got to the divisional round (no conference champ): 5
Missed the playoffs: 5
Will the Rams post a better record in 2022 than they did in 2021? All we can do is watch and find out!


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## Lethe200

I'm really happy Kendrick Bourne is doing well for the Pats. He had such potential with San Francisco but could not break into the regular WR rotation behind Deebo Samuels, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings, despite a great 2018 for the Niners. He signed a 3-yr contract in 2021 with the Pats and was a break-out star for them.

*Patriots’ 2022 offense will feature two of the top big-play threats in the NFL*
SB Nation Pats Pulpit by Bernd Buchmasser May 19, 2022

The New England Patriots’ offense had an inconsistent 2021 season under first-year starting quarterback Mac Jones, but there were plenty of encouraging moments as well. Jones, after all, was not the only new addition to leave his mark on the unit and help it bounce back after what was a disappointing 2020 campaign.

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and running back Rhamondre Stevenson deserve praise for their contributions. In fact, the two were among the most explosive players in all of football last year: both Bourne and Stevenson rank near the top of the list in big plays created at their respective position groups for the 2021 season.

A new analysis published by USA Today’s Marcus Mosher shows that Bourne ranked fifth among all wideouts with a big-play rate of 19.5 percent. Bourne had a combined 16 plays qualifying for big play status: he had 10 receptions of more than 20 yards as well as six runs gaining more than 10. That means that almost one fifth of his 82 total opportunities — i.e. passing targets plus rushing attempts — during the regular season went for big plays.

For comparison, fellow Patriots receivers Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers had a big play rate of “only” 13.4 (33rd) and 9.4 percent (72nd). New England offseason trade acquisition DeVante Parker registered a big play on 9.6 percent of his looks (69th).

Bourne, 26, joined the team on a three-year, $15 million free agency contract last offseason. He was one of the most productive players on the Patriots’ offense and built a quick rapport with Mac Jones. Heading into his second year in the system, the expectation is that he will continue to play a sizable role within New England’s attack both as a receiver and part-time ball-carrier.

Stevenson, meanwhile, ranked even higher compared to his position group. A fourth-round draft pick by the Patriots last year, Stevenson posted an impressive big play rate of 15 percent: he had 20 runs that gained more than 10 yards and also caught a pair of passes exceeding 20 — all while touching the football 147 times. He was a bit hit-or-miss at times during his rookie campaign, but all in all the Oklahoma product had a strong first season with the Patriots.

Like Bourne, his development in Year 2 will be fascinating to watch. While he is again expected to share early-down touches with Damien Harris, he should be able to see regular opportunities and play prominent role within New England’s offensive attack.

As for Harris, he looked good himself as far as generating big plays is concerned: he ranked 18th in the NFL in that category, having 24 qualifying plays on 220 touches for a rate of 10.9 percent.

New England did add more weapons to Mac Jones’ arsenal this offseason, but those who were already under contract in 2021 should not be forgotten about either. The numbers make this quite obvious.


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## Lethe200

*Arizona Cardinals will be featured team on ‘Hard Knocks In Season’*
HBO’s docuseries will follow the Cardinals during the 2022 season
SB Nation May 23, 2022

The Arizona Cardinals have been selected by HBO to be featured on “Hard Knocks In Season.”

From HBO:
_Television’s most acclaimed sports reality franchise HARD KNOCKS, which expanded its programming platform last fall with the introduction of a multi-episode, in-season edition, will debut a second presentation when HBO Sports and NFL FILMS team up for HARD KNOCKS IN SEASON: THE ARIZONA CARDINALS this fall for an all-access primetime docuseries on the NFC West contender.

The 18-time Emmy®-winning weekly series will deliver its signature all access coverage to document an NFL franchise in-season and in real time, following the Cardinals as they navigate the challenges of an NFL season and battle to return to the post-season. The series will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max during the 2022 NFL season beginning in November.

HARD KNOCKS IN SEASON debuted last fall with the engaging and eventful drama of the Indianapolis Colts’ 2021 regular season journey.

“Last season Hard Knocks made an unprecedented leap, documenting an NFL regular season in real time for the first time ever with the Indianapolis Colts,” said Keith Cossrow, NFL Films Vice President and Senior Coordinating Producer. “It was a vivid and illuminating look at the life of an NFL team. This season, we are eager to build on that success and go even further with one of the most exciting teams in the NFL. We can’t wait to get to work in Arizona, and we thank Michael Bidwill, Steve Keim, Coach Kingsbury and the entire Cardinals organization for this opportunity.”_

If the Arizona Cardinals have another late season collapse, it will be interesting to see what was going on, as much as we can. If they correct things, well it will just be enjoyable to see the Arizona Cardinals even more intimately.


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## Lethe200

Football fans will want to click on that #3 link and read those Power Rankings. He covers all 32 NFL teams and includes factors such as divisional strength, schedule difficulty, and FA/draft picks. That said, the dreaded Random Injury Bug still has yet to pick its 2022-3 victims yet, LOL.

*3 more national analysts join the Detroit Lions hype train*
Three national analysts have joined the growing Detroit Lions hype train and have legitimate reasons for hope. (Note: It is not the three people in this photo)
SB Nation by Jeremy Reisman May 23, 2022

Last week, our own Mike Payton pointed out that it certainly seems like the world is falling in love with the Detroit Lions. This was off the heels of Dan Campbell being a betting favorite for Coach of the Year honors and ESPN’s Mina Kimes drinking the Honolulu Blue Kool Aid on NFL Live last Monday. Well, over the past few days, several other national analysts have professed that they’ve been sipping a little Kool Aid of their own.

It started with former NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger, who tweeted out “Lions are going to be fun to watch in 2022” while providing a two-minute clip of him breaking down how impressive Detroit’s offensive line was last year.

“I think the Lions are going to put this all together,” Baldinger narrates on the video. “This is how you know they’re well-coached. Watch this moving amoeba right here against the Steelers. That’s a picket fence,” he said, admiring a screenshot of a wall created by Lions offensive linemen.
Baldys Breakdown

He concludes the tweet with a statement that will cause goosebumps. “IF they can put it all together they are going to be playing important games in December for the first time in a long time. Year of the Lion?”

Next in line in the Lions hype train is statistical analyst Warren Sharp. Over the past week or so, Sharp has been running advanced statistics on the 2022 schedule, like the amount of rest each team is getting compared to their opponents, as we referenced in this post. Last week, he joined the Bill Simmons podcast and referenced the Lions as a potential sleeper to win their division, thanks, in part, to a favorable schedule.

“One team that is interesting, although this would be a major longshot, and basically you’re needing something to fall apart with the Packers’ early schedule here, and that could potentially be the Detroit Lions coming out of nowhere,” Sharpe said. “We know that I really like their rest advantage, they also have the fifth-easiest schedule based upon who they play this season.”
TheRinger

Later he turns to some football reasons to support the Lions, starting with, of all people, Jared Goff. “With reasonable enough coaching and level play, his stats are fine,” Sharp added. “They added a lot of pieces around him, and one of the most important things for a quarterback, especially one that we don’t love, is a good offensive line, good protection, and that’s one of the things that they really have there.”

Finally, there is NBC Sports’ Peter King, who dropped his initial 2022 power rankings on Monday. King, who recently visited Detroit for a story not yet released, ranked the Lions 20th overall—far above where most analysts have them at this point. “I did some reporting on the Lions in Detroit this month, and I’m higher on them than most,” King explained. “Consider how hard they played in a disastrous rookie year of coach Dan Campbell, and how, despite winning only three games, they were 11-6 against the spread, indicative of a team outperforming expectations.”
P.King's 2022 Power Rankings

One important thing to note about all three of these national analysts is that they all hedged their support of Detroit to varying degrees. Baldinger put “IF” in all-caps for a reason when saying “IF they can put it together...” Sharp admits the Lions are a “major longshot” to win the division and only will if something collapses with the Packers. Even King notes “it’s Goff who has to be more productive for the Lions to play meaningful December football.”

Still, the attention to what Detroit is building is nice. Every year there always seems to be a rogue analyst or two who picks the Lions as a longshot to improve, but it hasn’t felt this widespread in quite some time. I’ll leave King with the last word: “This is one of the most interesting teams in football—and, their starved fans hope, for the right reasons.”


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## Lethe200

*George Kittle explains why Travis Kelce, all top tight ends deserve higher salaries*
Does the Chiefs tight end deserve more money? Almost definitely. But there’s more to it than that.
SB Nation Arrowhead Pride by Pete Sweeney May 24, 2022

The NFL’s best tight ends over the past few seasons — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle — are making the media rounds as they promote the second annual “Tight End University.” The three-day event is set to take place following the conclusion of the Chiefs’ organized team activities (OTAs) — in mid-June (more here: Travis Kelce's TE University returns).

During a recent media stop with ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, Kittle made some noteworthy comments regarding Kelce’s salary. “I mean Travis Kelce, six seasons in a row, 1,000 yards,” said Kittle. “I’m pretty sure he has the most receiving yards over any wide receiver, skill position in the last six years.”

As it turns out, Kittle had done his research, with Kelce accumulating more yards over that span than the likes of wide receivers Davante Adams, Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins.

_“[Kelce] gets paid half of what a wide receiver makes, which just boggles my mind. I mean, to me, Travis Kelce, he’s been doing it for so long and at such a high level. And he doesn’t have an off game. I think he has one bad game a year, and it’s just because he’s getting triple-teamed.

“He’s a player I look at like, when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a monster.... More tight ends and more tight ends are starting to get the ball more, starting to be more part of the offense, be more explosive.  love watching Darren Waller.  love watching Mark Andrews. [Zach] Ertz is really fun now down in Arizona. That’s just fun to see him just kind of dominate, getting a lot of touchdowns. [T.J.] Hockenson , [Robert] Tonyan . There’s all these tight ends that are explosive and fun to watch, but Kelce — when you have six 1,000 [yard seasons] in a row, you’re hell of a football player.”

Kittle’s words make for no surprise, coming as a result of what transpired in the wide receiver market this past offseason. General manager Brett Veach recently explained that when the wide receiver market “exploded,” the Chiefs had to completely shift their offseason plans — eventually opting to trade Tyreek Hill instead of signing him to a new contract.

Where this could become something to watch is with tight ends who produce as top receivers — such as Kelce, Kittle and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller (when healthy) and Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews. They collectively have a very good case: if they are going to be among the league’s top producers in receiving yardage, they deserve to be paid as such.

Kittle has a slight advantage over Kelce in this type of discussion, as the 28-year-old is four years younger than the 32-year-old Kelce. There is more uncertainty as to whether Kelce could maintain his 1,000-yards-per-year level of production — even if, to be fair, he has shown absolutely no sign of slowing down. I would also have a question about Kelce’s desire to leave quarterback Patrick Mahomes. My answer would be simple: no.

“Every NFL team that’s won a Super Bowl or been to the Super Bowl for like the last five years has had an All-Pro tight end a part of the team,” continued Kittle. “I feel a tight end’s not just like a cog in the wheel, it’s an important position that can really add to your offense or diminish it.”

Maybe there is a future answer somewhere in the middle. With the decision to trade Hill, let safety Tyrann Mathieu walk (and so on), the Chiefs have made it clear that no one player (other than Mahomes, obviously) is more important than maintaining cap flexibility so they can have quality players at every position.

It is doubtful they would be willing to pay a 32-year-old Kelce in the range of $30 million per year as a top receiver — especially considering his average salary currently stands at $14,312,500 for a contract that does not expire until 2026. But there could conceivably be a “good-will” adjustment — or correction — in the cards. CBS Sports cap analyst Joel Corry has always been stunned by the sheer team-friendliness of Kelce’s current deal.

At a certain point, the tight ends who serve as elite receivers will want to be part of the “explosion,” as Veach called it. And you really can’t blame Kittle for getting the ball rolling._


----------



## Lethe200

*CBS Sports ranks Bucs as least vulnerable of division winners heading into 2022*
Tampa Bay labeled as “sturdy” for this upcoming season
SB Nation by Gil Arcia May 25, 2022

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got an early Christmas gift a couple months back when quarterback Tom Brady decided to not retire and return to football. That immediately put the Bucs back in the conversation of who will contend for the Lombardi trophy this upcoming season.

But it doesn’t end there. CBS Sports ranked last season’s division winners in order from the least vulnerable team to the most sturdiest for 2022 and Tampa Bay earned their highest marks.

Look no further than the man under center. Ever since Tom Brady returned from “retirement,” they became the story of the NFC, if not the NFL. The transition from Bruce Arians to Todd Bowles on the sidelines is an underrated X-factor, but Brady’s still in his prime at 44, and his weaponry remains elite. Meanwhile, the Saints are acting like they’re still in contention but have questions at QB and coach, the Panthers are in the same boat, and the Falcons may have the league’s worst roster.

This season will certainly have questions for the Bucs because of a new head coach and several roster changes. In fact, the skeptics are very much still out there. What won’t be questioned — nor should it be — is Brady’s ability to lift his team, and that gives the Buccaneers every chance to be among the league’s best.


----------



## Lethe200

*Why Ali Marpet was happy to walk away from $20M and the NFL at 28*
The Pro Bowl guard protected Tom Brady on the way to Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV victory. But he was always different from the typical football player
London Guardian U.S. 18 May 2022 (_note: edited for length)_

Back in February, a key member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense sent shockwaves through the NFL when he announced his retirement after a storied career.

Unlike Tom Brady, guard Ali Marpet would not unretire 40 days later. And unlike Brady, Marpet opted to end his NFL career just as it had started to soar. A year removed from earning a Super Bowl ring, fresh off his first Pro Bowl, Marpet was done. At the age of 28.

“The biggest reason for me was the physical toll: I didn’t want any more of that. There were some things I wanted to accomplish in my career that I had done,” Marpet tells the Guardian. “I loved playing football. But one of my strongest values is health and if I’m really going to live out what’s important to me it doesn’t make sense to keep playing. There are also the unknowns of the head trauma of the NFL and how that plays out. Plus, your joints, the aches and pains that come with surgeries and all that stuff.”

Still, despite all the risks, NFL players rarely retire voluntarily at such a tender age. Marpet had already earned over $37m in career salary and roster bonuses but he was due to earn another $20m in the final two years of his contract with the Bucs. Plus, Brady was coming back, an instant boost to the team’s Super Bowl chances. Most players would at least be tempted to continue. But Marpet is far from the typical NFL player.

Marpet hails from Hastings-on-Hudson in New York’s Westchester county: a town of artists rather than athletes. His father, Bill, is a renowned Emmy-winning director of photography and fashion producer, who still found time to coach his kids in Little League and wake up at 4.30am every day to work out.

Marpet’s mother, Joy Rose, is a musician and a leading advocate for increasing the value of motherhood in society. She holds a master’s degree in mothers’ studies and helped establish the Museum of Motherhood in New York City in 2011. “She is supporting what motherhood looks like now, changing our values associated with it, and education about the history of motherhood,” he says.

Marpet is another oxymoron: a Jewish NFL player. He calls his connection to Judaism “laid back” and like many non-Orthodox Jews, his family were more focused on the cultural aspects of the religion. They celebrated holidays and the Marpet kids were given the option to have Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.

But perhaps the most atypical part of Marpet’s path to the NFL is that he didn’t start playing football regularly until he was a junior in high school. “Football wasn’t a strong passion of mine. It wasn’t like I had this burning desire to get a scholarship and play [Division I college football] and in the NFL. That was never really on the table,” he says.

It’s a small miracle that Hastings High even had a football team while Marpet was a student: New York state has one of the lowest youth football participation rates per capita in the United States. While states like Florida and Texas will keep the pipeline strong in the immediate future, the socio-economic split in youth football participation is more pronounced every year. Put bluntly, people with other options are sometimes less inclined to plunge into what can be a dangerous career.

Aside from the lack of accessibility of football in his town, Marpet thrived as a multi-sport athlete, playing soccer, baseball and basketball. Like Roger Federer, Marpet believes playing multiple sports helped his career.

Marpet started getting bigger and stronger, partly thanks to cross-training, and used his football skills to gain acceptance into Hobart, a tiny liberal arts college in Geneva, New York with barely 2,000 undergraduate students. Hobart’s football team, the Statesmen, plays in Division III, far from the huge stadiums and multimillion-dollar budgets of the elite Power Five conferences. An NFL career did not seem realistic: when Marpet was at college, the last time a Division III player had been picked in the top 100 of the draft was 1990. “[A professional football career] wasn’t even a consideration,” he says.

Instead, the most intriguing part of Hobart was the college’s record of helping their alumni get jobs after graduation. As an economics major, Marpet thought he’d go into finance in New York, but as time wore on it felt a little less exciting and more of a default. At the same time, he started to blossom on the field during his sophomore year.

By Marpet’s junior year, when others were doing their financial internships, making a living from football became a possibility. He still wasn’t thinking about the NFL but there are a lot of DIII players who join teams overseas as player-coaches. “That was all on the table for me. Maybe I would coach and be a gym teacher,” he says.

But by the winter of his junior season, he began to be scouted. That scrutiny led to an invitation to the Senior Bowl and NFL combine, where top college prospects can showcase their skills to scouts and coaches. He was gradually creeping up teams’ draft boards. Marpet’s 2015 draft night was another pleasant surprise, thinking he might get drafted in the third round. Instead, he was selected in the second round as the Buccaneers’ 61st overall pick. At the time, he was the highest-drafted DIII player in NFL history.

Marpet takes immense pride in his rise from Hobart: a Jewish, small school guy from New York. He loved meshing his own story with the varied backgrounds of his teammates. “I relished a good locker room environment that was full of trust,” he says. By the end of Marpet’s rookie season, he was a full-time starter.

The Bucs gave few reasons to be excited on the field, but off the field the league and its image were in a tumultuous time. The locker room was abuzz: it was 2016 and Colin Kaepernick was protesting police brutality and societal inequity. Donald Trump came onto the scene and waved his wand of threats at the NFL and any dissenters.

Looking back, Marpet believes the period united players like never before, not just in the Bucs’ locker room but leaguewide. “It’s tough because I felt it wasn’t always a place for me to speak my truth because I didn’t always see the value in that,” he says. “But when other guys did it, it was pretty special. What Kap did was truly special. Whether we realize it or not we’re seeing huge social justice pushes and real dollars behind it, real resources.”

As other NFL players followed suit and began to protest in their own way, Bucs ownership met with players to hear about their experiences of racism. A player-led social justice committee followed, which Marpet took part in. He sees the direct connection between Kaepernick’s kneeling and the $250,000 each club pledged to donate to player-led social justice initiatives.

The Bucs locker room coalesced even further in March of 2020 when the most decorated quarterback in the history of the NFL walked in. As an interior lineman, Marpet would go on to protect QB Tom Brady, serving as a pivotal factor in the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV win. This offseason as Brady starting plotting how to win an eighth Super Bowl, Marpet – 16 years his junior – decided he was content with one and started planning the rest of his life.

After making the Pro Bowl last season, an honor Marpet considers a validation of “all of his grinding”, he was happy to leave the NFL and start his second act. Almost immediately after his retirement, he proposed to his girlfriend Meaghan on a sunset cruise off the small Hawaiian island of Lanai.

He is now keen to address issues that are important to him. In Marpet’s final years with the Bucs he became an advocate for mental health awareness. “If there’s one takeaway from Covid for me, it’s that people are willing to share their own stories and mental health is starting to see its day a little bit,” he says. “That feels really good and mental health is definitely something we should prioritize.”

Marpet aims to get his Master’s degree in mental health counseling or marriage and family therapy. While he awaits admissions decisions for his Master’s, he is volunteering at Metropolitan Ministries, a non-profit in Tampa that serves the homeless population. He’s working with teens and elementary school children under the supervision of the counseling center.

The NFL prides itself on uniformity. Its players are rewarded with riches but not much is guaranteed, including future earnings or good health. Not all players have the wherewithal or drive to have complete control over their lives, pre-and-post NFL. But Marpet has certainly provided a blueprint.


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## jerry old

Very interesting:
Most of us can't fathom walking away from 20M, neither can we fathom the 37M he has already earned.
Obviously, this kid has his head on straight-as         an economics major we do not have to worry about him ever being poverty stricken.

His interest in others, his willingness to help others is refreshing.
Good post!


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## Lethe200

*Kris Boyd starts GoFundMe for victims of Uvalde shooting*
The Texas native is helping out
SB Nation by Christopher Gates May 26, 2022

A member of the Minnesota Vikings and a native of the state of Texas is taking to the internet in an effort to help those that have been affected by Thursday’s shooting in Uvalde. Defensive back Kris Boyd has started a GoFundMe in an effort to raise $150,000 for those that have been affected by the tragedy and their families.

Boyd is a native of Gilmer, Texas, and played his college ball at the University of Texas before the Vikings selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. So far, the fundraiser has raised just shy of $20,000, but it’s only been up for about 24 hours.

I didn’t want this to pass without letting people know about what Boyd is doing and giving everyone the heads-up on how to donate. If you want to add your contribution to the fund, you can do so right here: GoFundMe for Uvalde victims' families


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## Lethe200

*‘They could’ve kept Wilson and fired Carroll’ - ESPN ranks Seahawks offseason as NFL’s worst*
SB Nation by Mookie Alexander May 26, 2022

There’s no doubt that this offseason has been unlike any other for the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos, Bobby Wagner was released, and many assistant coaches were let go as part of yet another makeover of the staff. This chapter of Seahawks football has come to a close, and the greater public believes Seattle will be one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2022.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell doesn’t have a lot of kind things to say about this team. In fact he’s ranked Seattle’s offseason as the rock-bottom worst of the worst. Now this is behind the ESPN+ paywall so I won’t lift the whole thing, but Barnwell had praise for the re-signing of Quandre Diggs, as well as staying put at No. 9 and selecting left tackle Charles Cross — he said nothing of the pass rushers and corners they added in the draft. As for the bad? Well there’s a lot of bad and there’s a “what-if?” as it pertained to the Wilson trade.

*“ What went wrong:*_ You’ve probably heard about the Russell Wilson trade by now. One week after Pete Carroll publicly said that the Seahawks had “no intention” of trading Wilson, the Seahawks sent their franchise quarterback to the Broncos for Drew Lock, Shelby Harris, Noah Fant and five draft picks, including two first-rounders. I wrote at length about this deal at the time, and I don’t like it for Seattle.

The Seahawks simply didn’t get enough for a superstar in the prime of his career, and while I held out some hope that they would then go after a viable replacement under center, they’re about to head into 2022 with Lock and Geno Smith as their two quarterbacks. They went from having a true superstar under center to having two replacement-level veterans and no clear path toward their next franchise passer. That’s a disaster.

Beyond the Wilson deal, the Seahawks further committed toward their philosophy of a 1970s offense. Amid concerns about running back Chris Carson’s future because of a neck injury, Seattle re-signed Rashaad Penny to a one-year, $5.8 million deal then used a second-round pick on Ken Walker III. As The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin pointed out, the Seahawks should know how easy it is to find running backs with late-round picks, having traded one for Marshawn Lynch while using the 249th selection in 2017 to draft Carson. This team has too many needs elsewhere to continue investing meaningful cash and draft capital on tailbacks, even if those backs do end up succeeding.

Fant will replace the departed Gerald Everett in the lineup, but I was shocked to see Seattle sign fellow tight end Will Dissly to a three-year, $24 million deal. As it plays out, Dissly’s deal is more like a one-year pact for $10.8 million, but that’s TE1 money for a player who hasn’t topped 262 receiving yards in a single season as a pro. Dissly is a solid blocker, but the Seahawks need him to be a Rob Gronkowski-level blocker to justify that sort of contract.

[...]

What they could have done differently: Well, they could have kept Wilson and fired Carroll. If the relationship between quarterback and head coach had deteriorated to the point where one had to go, Seattle made the wrong choice. Carroll has been a very good NFL coach, but he is 70 years old. The defense he helped mold into the league’s best is gone, as the Seahawks fell to 21st in defensive DVOA a year ago. Carroll’s choices for coordinators haven’t worked out, and the unit has struggled to draft effectively for the better part of the past decade. It’s tough to imagine that we’ll look back in five years and feel like the Seahawks made the right choice between their head coach and quarterback. ”_

Other notable offseason moves for the Seahawks included bringing in Uchenna Nwosu from the Los Angeles Chargers, bringing back Quinton Jefferson to beef up the interior d-line, and signing center Austin Blythe while (presumably) letting both Duane Brown and Brandon Shell walk.

The way Barnwell sees it, the Seahawks have no obvious long-term plan or path to a new franchise quarterback, a head coach who’s past it, and a roster filled with bad contracts and resources wrongly allocated to positions that aren’t of need. I don’t think Seattle has had an offseason as poor as say, Chicago or Atlanta, and much of that is because of their draft process. That said, the draft is really the one thing that’s providing any sort of genuine optimism for the franchise moving forward after the monumental Wilson trade back in March. The people excited about Drew Lock or Geno Smith for a full season... are entitled to their excitement! But they’ll be in the minority on that front.


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## jerry old

When the NCAA was about to lower the boom on USC, Carroll, who had ample warning, got out of town like a spotted ass ape.


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## Lethe200

*Former Texans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Retires After 17 Seasons*
SB Nation Jun 2, 2022

After 17 years in the NFL, journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has retired, according to his former teammate Fred Jackson.

Fitzpatrick played for nine teams during his 17-year NFL career. He played for the St. Louis Rams (2005-06), Cincinnati Bengals (2007-08), Buffalo Bills (2009-12), Tennessee Titans (2013), Houston Texans (2014), New York Jets (2015-16), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017-18), Miami Dolphins (2019-20) and the Washington Football Team (2021).

Fitzpatrick spent the 2014 season with the Texans, the first season of the Bill O’Brien era in Houston. In 12 games for the Texans, Fitzpatrick threw for 2,438 yards and 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He also ran for 184 yards and two scores.

Fitzpatrick also still holds the franchise record for touchdowns thrown in a single game with six. He accomplished the feat in Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans after being benched for two weeks in favor of Ryan Mallett.


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## Lethe200

*Silver Minings: Derek Carr, Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby named Raiders best players*
PFF weighs in on Las Vegas’ roster
SB Nation SilverAndBlackPride by Matt Holder May 28, 2022

It’s always been difficult to determine who the Las Vegas Raiders’ three best players are, but for different reasons. For the majority of the 2000s and 2010s, it was hard to find a trio that was truly worth that distinction. However, there’s been a lot more competition at the top in more recent years, and the list has been more respectable. And the top three heading into this season are the best they’ve been in a long time.

Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey recently named each team’s three best players and for the Silver and Black, listed starting quarterback Derek Carr, recently acquired wide receiver Davante Adams and Pro Bowl edge defender Maxx Crosby.

Adams will once again be catching passes from Carr, who will attempt to recreate the same magic that Aaron Rodgers and Adams had over the last few seasons. This offense desperately needed a player who could win consistently on the outside. Carr ranked first in PFF passing grade on throws between the numbers in 2021 compared to 22nd on throws outside the numbers.

Crosby had his full-fledged breakout in 2021. Following two consecutive seasons with sub-70.0 PFF pass-rushing to begin his career, Crosby earned a 91.9 pass-rushing grade in 2021 to go along with a league-high 101 pressures.

Also considered were LT Kolton Miller, TE Darren Waller and Edge Chandler Jones.

It’s hard to argue too much with Linsey’s Top 3, though some may want to swap out Carr or Crosby for Waller. However, excluding Hunter Renfrow from the “also considered” and conceivably the Raiders’ Top 6 could raise some eyebrows. Many would likely put the slot receiver ahead of Jones or Miller, though it certainly could be up for debate.

That being said, it’s pretty cool to see Miller get some recognition. He often gets left out of a lot of the “best of” conversations, despite finishing 2022 as PFF’s fifth-highest graded tackle (85.0 overall).

Regardless, having too many top-tier players is a pretty good problem to have.


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## Lethe200

*Barnwell: Giants had one of NFL’s best offseasons*
After multiple questionable seasons under the fomer GM, Joe Schoen looks like he has the team headed in the right direction.
SB Nation by MichaelParra Jun 3, 2022

New GM Joe Schoen had his work cut out for him during the offseason to get the New York Giants steered into a new direction. Schoen inherited a situation where the team was pressed up against the cap and starved for upgrades all over the roster. According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, Schoen had an excellent first offseason. Barnwell placed the Giants No. 6 in his ranking of the NFL’s best offseasons.

Barnwell applauded the route Schoen took to address critical areas of the team during free agency. Bringing in Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano, and Max Garcia to help rebuild an offensive line that had severe depth issues a season ago. There was also positive reception for bringing in Tyrod Taylor to back up oft-injured Daniel Jones.

As for the draft, Barnwell applauded the team for finally focusing on positional value. After years of former GM Dave Gettleman’s ignoring value and spending premium draft capital on less important positions, Schoen nailed the value chart. Coming away with pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 5 and offensive tackle Evan Neal at No. 7. Then trading down twice in the second round and utilizing another pick on another premium position to select wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.

Barnwell pointed out that while the Giants had a good offseason there was still room for improvement. Getting nothing in return for cornerback James Bradberry is something Barnwell was particularly critical of. Barnwell was also critical of the player the Giants ended up coming away with in the second round. “Robinson plays a critical position, but it was curious to see them add a player who was regarded as a mid-round selection and referred to as more of a gadget weapon when they already have one of those on the roster in Kadarius Toney. There were rumors they might be interested in trading Toney or Saquon Barkley, which would make life harder for Jones in a make-or-break season.”

Schoen said when they drafted Robinson that the Giants had a “clear vision” for how they wanted to use him. Throughout OTAs you can see the Giants developing a quick, short passing game in which Robinson should be moved around the formation and play a big role.

Barnwell makes an argument that the Giants could have moved in a different direction in regards to the draft. “Neal was profiled as a franchise left tackle prospect, but after Andrew Thomas took a step forward in his second season, Neal could end up playing right tackle instead. Teams need two great tackles in the modern NFL, but I wonder if the Giants could have drafted their pick of the class’ wideouts and then used the Robinson selection to address the offensive line.”

It’s hard, though to fault the Giants for taking a player at No. 7 who filled a position of need and was getting No. 1 overall consideration, then acquiring more assets and getting the guy they wanted in the second round.

What’s next? Barnwell says: “Without much cap space, the Giants are going to sign their draft class and try to make it to training camp without any serious injuries. There’s a chance they could trade someone such as Barkley or Leonard Williams, but those moves are more likely to happen during the season.”

Overall, Schoen and the Giants achieved a lot given the limited resources available. Being able to come away with foundational pieces on each side of the trenches while making inroads toward long-term cap health is a step in the right direction.


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## jerry old

NO GIANTS ARE IN SAME CONFERENCE WITH COWBOYS-DON'T WANT THEM IMPROVED.


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## jerry old

Lethe200 said:


> *Silver Minings: Derek Carr, Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby named Raiders best players*


DENVER, . CHARGERS, CHIEFS, RAIDERS-NOT THIS YEAR, BUT NEXT YEAR CONFERENCE CHAMPSHIP SHOULD BE A DOGFIGHT,


----------



## Lethe200

*Rams make Aaron Donald highest paid non-QB in NFL history*
LA will give Aaron Donald $65M in guaranteed money over the next two seasons
SB Nation Jun 6, 2022

The Los Angeles Rams have re-worked Aaron Donald’s contract, making him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Donald will reportedly receive $65M in guaranteed money over the next two seasons, securing his return to the team after he contemplated retirement. The re-negotiated contract will allow Donald to retire in 2024 - and if he returns to the team he will earn a guaranteed $30M.

The star defensive tackle recently said via the “I am Athlete” podcast that he would be “at peace” if he and the Rams could not come to an agreement on a new contract, likely resulting in his retirement. Donald also noted during the podcast that the lure of winning another championship with Los Angeles was the biggest draw in him returning to the team:

_But winning a Super Bowl, you get kind of a little addicted to it. I want to feel that again. I ain’t going to lie - that experience is like none other. If I was to play, it’s just to win another Super Bowl. But at the end of the day, it’s still a business and it (has) to make sense for me and my family.”_

Winning the Super Bowl during the Super Bowl during the 2021 season was the last box Donald had to check on what is shaping up to be a historic career: 3-time AP Defensive Player of the Year, AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, 7-time First-team All Pro, 8-time Pro Bowl selection, NFL sacks leader (2018), Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade team (2010’s).

The reunited Donald and Rams will now attempt to accomplish a feat not met since 2005 - winning back-to-back world championships.

*Aaron Donald since getting drafted in 2014:*
—8x Pro Bowler
—7x All-Pro
—3x DPOY
—2014 DROY
—Super Bowl Champion
—Only 2 missed games in his career
—98 career sacks


----------



## Lethe200

*The Walton-Penner group have entered into a purchase and sale agreement to acquire the Denver Broncos*
SB Nation Jun 7, 2022

According to the Denver Broncos, they have entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the Walton-Penner group to acquire the Denver Broncos franchise.

According to 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, the sale price for the Denver Broncos came in at a whopping $4.65 billion. This is a record-setting sale that was previously held by the Carolina Panthers who were sold for $2.2 billion back in 2018. Now, four years later, the Denver Broncos were sold for $2+ billion more.

The Walton-Penner group outbid the three other bidding groups that were led by Josh Harris, Jose E. Felciano, and Mat Ishbia. The Walton-Penner group showed how much they wanted the Broncos by upping their bid to $4.65 billion. The original projection for the team was closer to $4 or $4.5 billion.

Rob Walton is the eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton and the heir to the Walmart fortune. He served as the Chairman until 2015 when his son-in-law Greg Penner, who partnered with Walton in this sale, took over that role. Now both men will be the owners of the Denver Broncos, pending the NFL owners signing off on this sale, which is expected.


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## JustBonee

Lethe200 said:


> *Ranking the Browns offseason moves
> The uncertainty surrounding quarterback Deshaun Watson clouds everything, but how well did Cleveland do this offseason?
> SB Nation Dawgs By Nature by Thomas Moore May 17, 2022*
> 
> Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry had a busy offseason as he worked to rebuild a roster that finished a disappointing 8-9 last season. The biggest additions came on offense via trade as the Browns acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans and wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys.
> 
> Free agency was more about filling some roster holes with serviceable players as opposed to making a “big splash,” with the most noteworthy signing probably being return specialist Jakeem Grant Sr.
> 
> The NFL Draft was a bit muted without a first-round selection, but Berry still was able to find two players that should see considerable playing time this fall in wide receiver David Bell and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., took a shot at fixing the kicking game with Cade York, and added a pair of intriguing prospects in defensive end Alex Wright and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey.
> 
> All is not perfect, of course, as the uncertainty about Watson’s availability will hang over the team until there is a resolution to the civil lawsuits filed by 22 women who have accused him of inappropriate behavior and ****** assault. And Berry has not fully fixed the defensive end position opposite Myles Garrett, although an eventual return by Jadeveon Clowney would check that box.
> 
> It is those last two issues - primarily the one with Watson - that appear to have influenced how the NFL media has viewed the work the Berry has done, with the grades and/or rankings pushing the Browns down a bit further than one might expect. With that in mind, let’s take a quick run through a few prominent sites and see what they think about the Browns.
> 
> *Pro Football Focus: Offseason Grade: B+*
> Free Agency Grade: Above Average
> Draft Grade: B
> _Obviously, the biggest move Cleveland made was acquiring Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Leaving the moral discussion on that subject for another article on another day, if Watson plays all season this year, he is a big enough upgrade over even a healthy Baker Mayfield to immediately propel this team back among the contenders.
> 
> In addition to that, they also addressed the biggest weakness on the team by trading for receiver Amari Cooper. The draft was solid if unspectacular, as UAB’s Alex Wright was the most intriguing selection. Wright recorded a 91.1 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2021, 51 pressures and three batted passes, and he has the kind of athletic profile to replace Jadeveon Clowney opposite Myles Garrett.
> 
> Cleveland already had a contender’s roster, but Mayfield’s injury last season meant they failed to capitalize. Now they have Watson, and the only big question remaining is whether they can trade away Mayfield or if they have to cut him, as they would rather do that than live through the awkward situation of keeping him as a backup all season_
> 
> *ESPN: Ranked No. 17*
> _The Browns entered the draft without a first-round pick, then traded out of the second round despite a need at wide receiver. Cleveland finally added one near the end of the third round, selecting David Bell from Purdue. Bell, who was ultra-productive in college, could play a big role in the Browns’ offense. But he will likely be operating out of the slot and in underneath coverage. That should allow Peoples-Jones to remain a starter opposite Amari Cooper. And though the Browns could still add another receiver, they will be counting on DPJ to play significant snaps next season._
> 
> *Sporting News: Ranked No. 17*
> _The Browns are here assuming Deshaun Watson will be playing every game for them in 2022 as their new major upgrade at franchise QB. He gives them a much higher running and passing ceiling offensively than Baker Mayfield and the Myles Garrett-led defense is built to be a great complementary force playing with more leads. Cleveland joins Baltimore in having a good chance to displace AFC runner-up Cincinnati in the North._
> 
> *NFL.com: Ranked No. 14*
> _The Browns remain an impossible team to rank in this exercise given what we don’t know about Deshaun Watson. The quarterback remains in limbo on account of the 22 civil lawsuits alleging ****** assault and misconduct, as well as the ongoing league investigation. Will he even play in the 2022 season? And if he doesn’t, how much can we realistically expect from a team — 8-9 a year ago — being led by Jacoby Brissett? Well, they do have Baker Mayfield, but the team will throw an anniversary halftime celebration for the 2000 Super Bowl champion Ravens before the former No. 1 overall pick plays another snap in Cleveland. The Browns have the chance to be an AFC superpower in the years to come, but they remain a messy proposition in the here and now._
> 
> Rankings and grades are a mostly harmless process, but with the uncertainty surrounding Watson, it is hard to get a good grasp on how good the Browns can be this fall. Even with everything going on in 2021, the team still finished just two games off the pace in the AFC North, so with the improvements made this offseason, plus the continued growth of the offense and defense, it is not that difficult to see an additional three wins and a return to the playoffs, as long as Watson is available all season.




For what it's worth  ..  Watson  is still making (bad)  news headlines weekly in Houston.   
There are still more women being added to his troubles every week it seems.


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## Lethe200

Bonnie said:


> For what it's worth  ..  Watson  is still making (bad)  news headlines weekly in Houston.
> There are still more women being added to his troubles every week it seems.


Yes, many are wondering why the Texans didn't think this one through. Not like Watson's legal troubles were going to vanish!


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## jerry old

Players making enough to buy politicians
Perverts welcome in the NFL-no punishment

Walmart to sell stock in NFL teams, welll at least in the Broncos


----------



## Lethe200

*Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor member Don Perkins dies at 84*
Perkins was arguably the first great running back in the history of the Cowboys franchise
SB Nation Jun 10, 2022

Legendary Dallas Cowboys running back Don Perkins died at age 84, according to a team announcement on Thursday night.

The mothership announced the news and highlighted Perkins’ accolades during his historic career in Dallas. Perkins joined the Cowboys in 1961, just a year after the team joined the NFL, and played seven tremendous seasons with them before moving on. He was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1976.

So many people love the Dallas Cowboys because of the greatness that surrounded the team from the very beginning. Perkins was a very big part of that and was arguably the first great running back in the history of a franchise that has boasted quite a few over 60 years now.

Tragically, the Cowboys have received far too much of this kind of news as of late. As the mothership noted, many franchise icons have passed away recently.

_“ Unfortunately, Perkins’ death is yet another blow to the Cowboys’ family. He’s the second Ring of Honor member to pass away recently, along with Rayfield Wright. Back in January, the Cowboys lost former players Dan Reeves and Ralph Neely. Marion Barber passed away last week and the Cowboys have lost former running backs coach Gary Brown, as well as former scouting director Larry Lacewell. Jerry Jones’ personal assistant Marylyn Love died this past spring. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with Perkins’ family and friends. “_


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## Lethe200

*Micah Parsons comes in fourth in NFL.com’s list of top 10 disrupters across the league*
Micah Parsons causes problems for opposing offenses.
SB Nation Jun 9, 2022

Micah Parsons is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. When it comes to what Parsons is good at, well, it can be difficult to properly quantify things. Parsons is the exception to the rule in that he can just about play every position on the defensive side at an elite level. If he is in your front seven then you are living life above the average line from a performance perspective.

Ultimately, Parsons’ job is to make life difficult for opposing offenses which is something he did with regularity across his rookie season. It turns out there are very few people in the NFL more capable of disrupting things than he is.

Micah Parsons comes in fourth in NFL.com’s list of top 10 disrupters across the league

It feels like only a matter of time until Parsons takes the mantle as the undisputed top defensive player in the NFL, but for now he is already hanging out among the very elite.

Recently NFL.com used Next Gen Stats to assess which defensive players “disrupted” things the most. Micah Parsons came in fourth in their list of 10:
QBP: 59
QBP rate: 21.1%
Hurries: 36
Sacks: 13
TO-QBP: 4

Parsons wasn’t an every-down rusher — he was primarily an off-ball linebacker — which sparks an interesting debate when it comes to this exercise. With less pass-rushing responsibility, Parsons might have benefitted from being assigned to get after the quarterback in more advantageous situations. But the flip side of that argument is the reality that he was rushing less, meaning he had fewer chances to make an impact in that facet of the game. And he certainly maximized those opportunities.

Parsons fell short of the gross totals posted by most of the players listed here when it came to quarterback pressures, but he led the league in quarterback pressure rate at 21.1 percent. He finished with 13 sacks, getting home on 4.7 percent of all pass rushes — good for third best in the NFL. Add in the four turnovers caused by pressure, and Parsons proved to be quite the disruptive defender in his rookie season.

It has been said many times that Parsons would in all likelihood be one of the best edge rushers in the NFL if he played the position snap in and snap out. His hybrid-ness is what makes him truly unique, though.

Only Maxx Crosby, T.J. Watt, and Trey Hendrickson ranked ahead of Parsons, which again speaks to just how incredible his production as a rookie (!) was considering where he lined up on defense. It is an interesting note to consider that perhaps he was sometimes in more advantageous situations than other players, but he was certainly at a disadvantage in other capacities as well.

Let’s see what his second season brings.


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## Lethe200

*Justin Herbert rated as 3rd-best AFC QB*
What does Herbert have to do in 2022 to break into the top two?
SB Nation Jun 9, 2022

The praise train for Justin Herbert just keeps coming. Recently, Justin Herbert was ranked as the top player in the NFL age 25 or younger. That’s high praise when it comes to a league where it seems like the young, up-and-coming talent around the NFL has never been higher.

But where does Herbert land when it comes to ranking the quarterbacks within his conference? According to CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, Herbie isn’t the lead dog, but he’s pretty dang close. Behind only Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, he lands at #3 in the AFC heading into the 2022 season.

“If Mahomes is the magician and Allen is the supersized dual threat, then Herbert is the prototypical pocket passer,” says Benjamin. “Any concerns about the Oregon product’s college competition or softer-spoken leadership have been silenced by a historic debut, with Herbert becoming the first player in NFL history to throw 30+ TDs in each of his first two seasons. Despite the Chargers still seeking their first playoff appearance with him under center, few teams probably feel as secure at the position, where the 6-foot-6 signal-caller possesses veteran poise and one of the most electric arms in the league.”

Among the top-three, Herbert ranks only behind Mahomes with 9,350 passing yards over the past two seasons by just 229. If Herbert had played the season opener in 2020, he’d like be the leader in that category. As far as passing touchdowns go, he’s behind both Mahomes (75) and Allen (73) with 69, which is still an NFL record through a quarterback’s first two professional seasons.

If you’re interested in the entire list, here it is from top to bottom:
Patrick Mahomes
Josh Allen
Justin Herbert
Russell Wilson
Joe Burrow
Lamar Jackson
Deshaun Watson
Derek Carr
Ryan Tannehill
Matt Ryan
Mac Jones
Trevor Lawrence
Tua Tagovailoa
Kenny Pickett
Zach Wilson
Davis Mills


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## Lethe200

*Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley out to prove he’s still an elite player*
Whatever the future holds for Barkley, proving he is still game-changing player is Step 1
SB Nation Jun 9, 2022

After his spectacular 2,028 total yards from scrimmage rookie season, he was SAQUON BARKLEY. He was the “touched by the hand of God” No. 2 overall pick who had won Offensive Rookie of the Year and was seemingly en route to a historic Hall of Fame NFL career. After that season, the New York Giants running back was the 16th-ranked player on the 2019 NFL.com top 100 players list, voted on by his peers. And he deserved it.

In 2018, he had become one of just three rookies to surpass 2,000 scrimmage yards.

He made the Pro Bowl.
He set the rookie record for receptions by a running back with 91.
He had an NFL rookie record 12 games with 100 or more yards from scrimmage.
He had five touchdowns of 50 or more yards, tying Randy Moss for the rookie record.
Barkley was, in short, phenomenal. He was a phenom. A force of nature. The new Barry Sanders.
Now?

Barkley is an afterthought when discussing the best NFL players. He is a “maybe he can be great again” guy. Barkley is nowhere to be found on those “best” lists. You won’t even find him anywhere the top of best running back lists, like this one or this one.

Injuries and incompetence around him have robbed him of the luster of the SAQUON BARKLEY days. Now, he is just Saquon Barkley. He still wears the “26” earring. He still has the massive quads. He still draws a crowd when he speaks to the media. He still largely carries the hopes of a Giants franchise begging for something to feel good about after an awful decade of football.

Barkley, though, also carries a lot of questions around on his broad shoulders. Can he be great again? Does the 2018 Barkley still exist? Playing 2022 on his fifth-year option, can he convince a Giants’ regime that did not draft him that he can be part of the team’s future? At a time when we are seeing big second contract for running backs often turn into Fool’s Gold, how much money is he worth?

There is only one place Barkley can answer those questions. On the football field, where he has to stay healthy and show that writing him off at the age of 25 is foolish. Since Game 3 of the 2019 season, when he suffered a high ankle sprain, we have only seen glimpses of a truly healthy Barkley. There was the devastating 2020 knee injury, and another ankle injury last season just when Barkley seemed to finding his footing.

Can that change in 2022? Injuries, of course, are impossible to predict. Asked on Wednesday how he feels, though, the twinkle in his eye and the Barkley smile spoke volumes. “I’ll tell you, I feel a lot better than I felt at this point last year. Like you said, I was rehabbing. My body feels good. My body feels strong. Feel like I got my strength back. Feel like I got my speed back. Feel like I can trust my knee again, trust myself to make plays and not think about it,” Barkley said. “My body feels really good.”

That might be the best news of the entire spring for the Giants. Whether Barkley has a long-term future with the team or not. There was plenty of pre-draft speculation that the cap-strapped, rebuilding Giants would use Barkley as a trade chip to help their cap situation and accumulate draft capital to replenish a needy roster.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, new GM Joe Schoen said he was “open to everything” and that he would “certainly listen” to offers for anyone on the roster. Obviously, the Giants ultimately decided that the best path forward was Barkley to at least begin 2022 with the team. Would Schoen be willing to pay Barkley big money if he shows something close to his 2018 form in 2022?

“We’ll see,” Schoen said this winter at the NFL Scouting Combine. “In free agency it’s not what the player was, it’s what’s he going to be this year. That’s what you’ve got to evaluate, and I think there’s some unknown. But I think everyone can say when the kid’s healthy he’s one of the best backs in the league.”

There is still a question of whether or not Schoen and the Giants will ever get to the point of having to make that financial decision. Perhaps, if Barkley gets off to a hot start in 2022 and rebuilds his value, the best move for the long term will be get as much in return for him as the Giants can at the trade deadline. That might, honestly, also be best for Barkley.

There is little doubt that the injuries, the losing, the questions, the weight of being the face of a floundering franchise, have had an impact on Barkley. “To be honest, I’m just tired of whatever is written about me, the BS that’s said about me or this team,” Barkley said earlier this offseason. “I want to go out there and prove to this organization that the player they drafted is still there, I can still do special things with the ball in my hands, and I can help this team.

“One thing I’ve learned is the story that’s going to be told is people are going to shape it the way they want it to be told. I feel like there’s a lot of things that are left out ... I’m just tired of BS. Just want to go out there, play the game I love, and have fun with my teammates.”

One thing we have seen throughout spring practices is that head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who come from successful, creative offenses, are having fun scheming up ways to use Barkley’s skillset. Barkley has often lined up and been targeted as a wide receiver, he’s been in the slot, he has been thrown the ball out of the backfield. The emphasis for the new Giants’ offense seems to be spreading the field and giving playmakers space to operate. Barkley is, obviously, central to that.

“I think Saquon is a unique guy. You move him in different spots,” Daboll said. “He’s got good hands, he’s a good route runner, a good runner. Try to use him the best way we can. I see a talented player. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

Barkley told reporters he hasn’t moved around the formation this much since his Penn 
State days and added that “I was OK in college. I’m very excited. I think this offense is going to put our playmakers in position to make plays, whether it’s post-snap, pre-snap, just giving us looks so we can good out there and let our talent go and work,” Barkley said. “I’m excited not only for myself but for all the playmakers on this team, for the offensive line, for the team in general. I feel like we have something special here.”

Whether the Giants have something special remains to be seen. As does what Barkley’s role in that future will be. Still, seeing how the Giants are using him and how well he appears to be moving around, and hearing how good he feels after a healthy offseason are all positive signs.


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## Lethe200

I'm going to break this article up into four posts as it's pretty long. It's interesting as it rates all 32 NFL teams. Of course it's subjective, this is just what PFF thinks - but still, I was pretty surprised at where some of the teams ended up after the FA signings, trades, and draft picks.

*2022 NFL receiving corps rankings: Cincinnati Bengals take No. 1 spot; Packers and Bears at the bottom*
NFL/PFF Jun 9, 2022 - Pt 1 of 4

The most challenging part of ranking NFL positional units is weighing elite talent against depth.

Players like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams are extremely valuable, as their trades and subsequent contract extensions this offseason would suggest. Their on-field impact goes beyond their individual production to include the opportunities they create for their teammates and the defensive attention they draw. But one elite wide receiver often isn’t enough for an offense. Having quality secondary and tertiary receiving options is also important, particularly as the season progresses into the postseason.

Here’s an attempt at balancing that high-end talent with depth — rankings and tiers for all 32 NFL wide receiver and tight end groups entering the 2022 season. Running backs weren’t included in the receiving corps for this exercise.

*TIER 1: ELITE

1. CINCINNATI BENGALS*
No team has a more impressive collection of young pass-game talent than the Bengals. Obviously, quarterback Joe Burrow is a big part of that, but the starting wide receiver trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd that came together last offseason contributed heavily to Burrow’s progression from his rookie season to 2021.

Chase established himself as one of the NFL’s best deep threats (league-high eight touchdowns on throws 20-plus yards downfield) and after-the-catch weapons (third among wide receivers in yards after the catch) at the position. Cincinnati’s decision to reunite him and Burrow also allowed Higgins and Boyd to profile as some of the better No. 2 and No. 3 options in the league, respectively.

*2. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS*
Tampa Bay’s receiving corps isn’t quite as talented as it was at full strength last season. Antonio Brown and O.J. Howard are no longer on the roster, and neither is Rob Gronkowski (for now). However, the Buccaneers still have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — a stellar one-two punch when healthy — and added Russell Gage from Atlanta via free agency and tight end Cade Otton in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Gage makes a lot of sense as a fit alongside Evans and Godwin. He profiles as a possession receiver who can work the middle of the field from slot or wide alignments. Gage steadily improved his receiving yards per route run from 1.18 in 2019 to 1.96 last season (19th among qualifying wide receivers).

*3. MIAMI DOLPHINS*
Via an offseason trade, Tyreek Hill joined forces with the player closest to his unique blend of speed and twitch in the open field — Jaylen Waddle. Opposing defenses are going to have to grapple with the best way to mitigate risk and limit the damage caused by that duo all season.

Hill and Waddle aren’t the only quality receiving options for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, either. Tight end Mike Gesicki has 32 contested catches over the past two seasons (tied for fourth in NFL), and free agent acquisition Cedrick Wilson steps in as the No. 3 wide receiver after a career year with the Cowboys in 2021 (71.6 PFF receiving grade).

*4. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES*
A.J. Brown, a legitimate No. 1 option who can win over the middle of the field, changes everything for Philadelphia’s receiving corps. The only wide receivers to average more receiving yards per route run than Brown — who the Eagles traded for on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft — since he entered the league in 2019 (2.61) are Davante Adams and Justin Jefferson.

Brown, DeVonta Smith and one of the more underrated tight ends in the league (Dallas Goedert) is a nice core with players like Quez Watkins and the thus-far disappointing Jalen Reagor adding some speed behind them on the depth chart.

*5. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS*
The Raiders, like the Eagles, made a splash for a wide receiver who can separate against any coverage and win at all levels of the field. Davante Adams has commanded a target on a league-high 30% of his routes over the past three seasons. He’ll likely be open enough to warrant a similar figure in Las Vegas, but he'll also be surrounded by more receiving talent.

Tight end Darren Waller‘s play slightly declined as he battled injury in 2021, but he ranked second among tight ends in PFF’s Wins Above Replacement metric across the 2019 and 2020 seasons. And Hunter Renfrow has developed into a reliable target over the middle of the field for quarterback Derek Carr, leading the Raiders in receiving conversions in 2021 (51).

*6. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS*
This No. 6 ranking is under the assumption that the offseason rumors surrounding Deebo Samuel end up being water under the bridge. Before Samuel took on his “wide back” role toward the tail end of the 2021 season, he was one of the most efficient wide receivers in the league. His 86.9 PFF receiving grade through Week 10 ranked third, behind only Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp.

George Kittle remains one of the league’s few truly elite tight ends, and Brandon Aiyuk emerged from Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse down the stretch to generate a 119.4 passer rating on his 83 targets. And with potential contributions from less established players like Jauan Jennings and rookie Danny Gray out of SMU, this becomes one of the more well-rounded groups in the league on paper.


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## Lethe200

*2022 NFL receiving corps rankings: all 32 NFL teams*
NFL/PFF Jun 9, 2022 – Pt 2 of 4

*TIER 2: STRONG OVERALL WITH A WEAK POINT OR TWO

7. LOS ANGELES RAMS*
A potential Odell Beckham Jr. return would bump the Rams into Tier 1, but they stick at the top of Tier 2 for now. How high they rise or how far they fall largely hinges on whether Allen Robinson’s 2021 season was a one-year hiatus from the wide receiver he’s been for much of his career or a sign of things to come. Robinson’s 67.0 PFF receiving grade in 2021 — following two seasons above 80.0 with the Bears — was the lowest of his career. Cooper Kupp still headlines the unit after ranking first among all wide receivers in PFF’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric last season.

*8. BUFFALO BILLS*
Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley are out in Buffalo, leaving Gabriel Davis and Jamison Crowder to step up and replace their production. Davis performed well all last season (81.5 PFF grade), saving the best for last with over 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns in Buffalo’s postseason loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He’ll step in as the No. 2 outside option opposite Stefon Diggs, while Crowder replaces Beasley in the slot. Crowder ranks eighth in the NFL in slot receiving yards since 2019 despite dealing with some of the worst quarterback situations in the league with the New York Jets.

*9. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS*
The one-two punch of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams is one of the better wide receiver duos in the league. Both are top-20 wideouts in PFF’s Wins Above Replacement Metric over the past two seasons with Justin Herbert at quarterback.

The only reason the Chargers don’t rank any higher is that their starting options at the third wide receiver spot and tight end aren’t quite as exciting. Josh Palmer, a second-year player out of Tennessee, is someone who could take a step forward after catching 33 of his 45 targets as a rookie.

*10. DENVER BRONCOS*
Broncos receivers have escaped quarterback purgatory following the blockbuster trade to bring Russell Wilson to Denver this offseason. Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick profile as the type of big, sure-handed targets who can thrive on the end of Wilson's deep throws. Sutton and Patrick combined for 27 receptions targeted 20-plus yards downfield in 2021 without a drop. Wilson’s downfield accuracy will also be a welcome addition for K.J. Hamler as he returns from injury.

The X-factor in this group is Jerry Jeudy, who has endured an underwhelming first two NFL seasons. It’s too early to give up on the talent, but it hasn’t translated to on-field success for Jeudy. Broncos quarterbacks have combined for just a 69.7 passer rating when targeting him since 2020, and that can’t be pinned solely on the signal-callers.

*11. PITTSBURGH STEELERS*
In many respects, the Steelers’ receiving corps is similar to the Broncos' group. They don’t have a bona fide elite wide receiver, but they do have one you can at least make the case for. That’s Diontae Johnson for Pittsburgh. While he has battled drops and poor quarterback play early in his career, his 1.83 receiving yards per route run over the past two seasons ranks 25th among 96 wide receivers with at least 500 routes. Chase Claypool is in the same vicinity at 1.84 yards per route run since 2020.

The additions of George Pickens and Calvin Austin III in the 2022 NFL Draft to pair with those two and tight end Pat Freiermuth creates an intriguing young collection of talent for either Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett at quarterback.

*12. DALLAS COWBOYS*
The losses of Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson hurt, and they’re the reason Dallas slides just outside of the top 10 on this list. But there’s still reason to be excited about this unit. CeeDee
Lamb could be in for a monstrous 2022 season after raising his PFF grade from 71.6 as a rookie to 84.1 last year. He’s joined by Michael Gallup at the top of the depth chart — an underrated X receiver returning from a torn ACL in 2022. Free agent acquisition James Washington and rookie Jalen Tolbert will compete for snaps as the No. 3 receiver and vertical threat in Dallas’ offense.

*13. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS*
D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will have a far tougher time in 2022 without Russell Wilson. No quarterback has graded higher on throws 20-plus yards downfield than Wilson over the past five seasons, which has played to Metcalf's and Lockett's strengths. However, that wide receiver duo still looks to be the strongest point on Seattle’s roster entering next season. Lockett and Metcalf rank 14th and 19th, respectively, in PFF receiving grade since 2019 out of 133 qualifiers at the position.

Seattle also added Noah Fant at tight end — a position that could become more involved in the team's offense with a new quarterback — as part of the trade with Denver.

*14. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS*
Offseason additions Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry take the Saints' receiving corps from one of the thinner groups across the NFL to one with promise, particularly if Michael Thomas returns at full strength.

New Orleans secured an excellent prospect-team fit by snagging Olave the first round, even if they paid a premium to move up and get him. He’s a polished route-runner who can separate downfield. That shows in his 12 touchdowns on throws 20-plus yards downfield across his final two seasons at Ohio State (fourth-most in the FBS). That profile is what New Orleans was missing at wide receiver in 2021.

*15. MINNESOTA VIKINGS*
Justin Jefferson has already comfortably established himself as one of the league’s best wide receivers. He leads all players at the position in PFF receiving grade against press coverage since 2020 and has proven he can win against any type of coverage from both the slot and outside.

However, the Vikings don’t have a particularly deep group beyond Jefferson. Adam Thielen is turning 32 years old in August and coming off his lowest PFF grade since 2015 in a season limited by an ankle injury. Beyond those two, Minnesota will be leaning on the likes of K.J. Osborn, Albert Wilson, Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Irv Smith Jr.

*16. ARIZONA CARDINALS*
The Cardinals' receiving corps for 2022 moves up or down depending on how much you want to factor in DeAndre Hopkins’ six-game suspension to start the season. Arizona’s offense ranked fourth in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play for the 10 weeks that Hopkins played, dropping to 18th in the weeks he missed. His presence in the lineup matters.

The addition of Marquise Brown via trade — Kyler Murray’s college teammate — should help, even if the trade looked like an overpay on the surface. Brown should fit in nicely to the vertical slot role occupied by Christian Kirk in 2021. The Cardinals have also put together three quality tight ends in Zach Ertz, Maxx Williams and Trey McBride who will allow them to mix and match personnel groupings.


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## Lethe200

*2022 NFL receiving corps rankings: all 32 NFL teams*
NFL/PFF Jun 9, 2022 – Pt 3 of 4

*TIER 3: COULD BE STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS

17. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS*
Washington’s receiving corps has been Terry McLaurin and not much else over the past several seasons. That has a chance to change in 2022 with a healthy Curtis Samuel and the first-rounder Jahan Dotson in the fold. Dotson is a sudden route-runner who plays bigger than his size with the way he attacks the football in the air. A 5.1% career drop rate doesn’t hurt, either.

The hope for Washington will be that Dotson and Samuel free things up even more for McLaurin, who has already averaged 1.9 receiving yards per route run for his career despite bottom-of-the-league quarterback play.

*18. NEW YORK JETS*
There’s some projection in this ranking, given the Jets' two young wide receivers have yet to fully establish themselves in the NFL. Elijah Moore earned a 73.8 PFF receiving grade as a rookie, but he could very well make a Year 2 leap alongside quarterback Zach Wilson. Like Moore, Garrett Wilson isn’t the biggest target. However, his ability to create separation before the catch and additional yardage after the catch with his shiftiness in the open field should have an immediate impact on this offense.

It’s a well-rounded unit, as well. Wide receiver Corey Davis and offseason acquisitions C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin at tight end add some veteran presence. This could end up being too low a ranking if everything clicks.

*19. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS*
The Chiefs had to give in somewhere on the roster after handing out a lot of big contracts over the past several offseasons, and they opted to do so at wide receiver. One doesn’t simply replace what Tyreek Hill provides to an offense, but Kansas City attacked the position with several different skill sets, acquiring Skyy Moore, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. It remains to be seen how those pieces, along with returners like Mecole Hardman, fit together. Travis Kelce remains the star of the unit, though. His 85.0 PFF grade ranked fourth at the position in 2021.

*20. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS*
The Patriots' receiving corps contains plenty of nice, complementary pieces, but it still lacks a true No. 1 wide receiver who quarterback Mac Jones can rely on to beat man coverage in key situations. DeVante Parker comes in from Miami to be one of New England's top options on the outside, but even he failed to top an 80.0 PFF grade or 2.0 yards per route run in his best season with the Miami Dolphins.

One storyline worth watching is whether the Patriots can get tight end Jonnu Smith more involved in their offense after giving him over $30 million guaranteed last offseason. Smith appeared in 16 games during the 2021 season but ran only 158 routes (52nd at tight end) and posted his fewest receiving yards (294) since the 2018 season.

*21. DETROIT LIONS*
This receiving corps is on the rise. The Lions have two solid pieces returning from last season in T.J. Hockenson and Amon-Ra St. Brown and also added a few more options in the draft and free agency, specifically players who could stretch the field.

D.J. Chark Jr. brings a unique combination of size (6-foot-4) and speed (4.34-second 40-yard dash), and Jameson Williams’ impact can be seen in his production against a seemingly infallible Georgia defense last year. That infusion of speed was necessary for a Lions offense that ranked dead last in average depth of target in 2021 (6.8 yards).

*22. NEW YORK GIANTS*
Expectations for this unit have lowered significantly compared to last offseason. Part of that is a disappointing 2021 season from Kenny Golladay, who battled injuries and wasn’t all that effective when on the field. His 49.9 passer rating when targeted ranked last among all wide receivers with at least 50 targets. Availability was the biggest roadblock for then-rookie Kadarius Toney. The Giants’ first-round selection ran fewer than 200 routes but still showed the kind of impact he could have with a 10-catch, 189-yard performance against the Cowboys in Week 5. The Giants need both to stay healthy and produce more consistently in 2022.

*23. CAROLINA PANTHERS*
D.J. Moore fits into a similar bucket as Terry McLaurin — a young receiver who has had a lot of success early in his career despite bottom-of-the-barrel quarterback play. Moore has cleared 1,100 receiving yards and a 75.0 PFF grade in each of the past three seasons. However, things get a little bit more uncertain beyond him on the depth chart.

Robby Anderson’s play has trailed off since his strong start to the 2020 season, and Terrace Marshall Jr. failed to make much of an impact (0.5 yards per route run) as a rookie last year. A tight end group led by Ian Thomas doesn’t move the needle much, either.

*24. CLEVELAND BROWNS*
Amari Cooper is comfortably the most established wide receiver on Cleveland’s depth chart, but he’s been no stranger to the injury report in recent seasons and is coming off his lowest PFF grade (73.0) since 2017.

The Austin Hooper departure opens up a larger role for the recently extended David Njoku at tight end, and the Browns will also be looking for more out of Donovan Peoples-Jones in his third season out of Michigan. Rookie David Bell is expected to step in for Jarvis Landry in the slot — a role that should suit him.

*25. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS*
Michael Pittman Jr. quietly had a very impressive second season out of USC for the Colts in 2021, improving his PFF receiving grade from 62.3 as a rookie to 79.9 last year. He’s an impressive route-runner, especially for his size, and excelled in contested-catch situations (18 of 28) last year. Matt Ryan’s effectiveness throwing between the numbers and targeting the intermediate range should only help Pittman next season.

The rest of Indianapolis’ receiving corps has a lot of question marks. Rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce should help stretch the field, and the Colts are hoping to finally get a healthy season out of Parris Campbell. It projects to be a physically imposing group, if nothing else.

*26. TENNESSEE TITANS*
The Titans moved on from A.J. Brown and Julio Jones this offseason and replaced them with Robert Woods and rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks. Jones is no longer the player who was perennially in the conversation for best in the NFL, but he’s still a strong starting option when healthy (76.8 PFF receiving grade in 2021). And Brown is one of the best, young receivers in the league.

Woods was a productive receiver for the Rams since joining the team in 2017, but there’s risk involved with relying on a 30-year-old coming off a midseason torn ACL as your new No. 1 option. Similar concerns can be voiced for Burks given his role at Arkansas and lack of experience outside and against press coverage. Those pieces could come together — hence the inclusion in the “could be a strength or weakness” tier — but it’s far from a sure thing.


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## Lethe200

*2022 NFL receiving corps rankings: all 32 NFL teams*
NFL/PFF Jun 9, 2022 – Pt 4 of 4

*TIER 4: LIKELY A WEAKNESS

27. ATLANTA FALCONS*
In the course of a couple of seasons, the Falcons lost Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage. That drained a lot of the talent from this group, but the team has done a good job of at least putting some building blocks in place with first-round picks spent at tight end (Kyle Pitts) and wide receiver (Drake London) over the past two drafts.

While touchdowns were hard to come by, Pitts had an extremely impressive rookie season. He ranked fourth among all receivers — regardless of position — in yards per route run against press coverage, showing he can produce out wide against NFL cornerbacks. Any big leap by Atlanta’s offense will stem from Pitts and London having big years, because the rest of the unit looks relatively thin.

*28. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS*
The Jaguars threw plenty of money at their receiving corps with the signings of Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram. That gives Jacksonville more depth, but the team still lacks the top-end options for Trevor Lawrence to throw to. Kirk is the closest thing to it, but even he has averaged just 1.52 receiving yards per route run over the [ast two seasons (66th among 127 qualifying wide receivers). The biggest improvement should come from the incoming coaching staff putting Lawrence and his receivers in a better position to succeed.

*29. BALTIMORE RAVENS*
The biggest thing keeping the Ravens from falling any lower is Mark Andrews — the second-most valuable tight end in 2021, per PFF WAR. The Marquise Brown trade puts a lot on the shoulders of unproven options, including Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace and James Proche, even if Baltimore uses heavy personnel often.

Rashod Bateman stands out as the clear No. 1 at wide receiver after recording a 64.9 PFF grade on just over 600 snaps as a rookie. He missed the early portion of his rookie season due to injury and didn’t have a healthy Lamar Jackson at quarterback for much of the season after he returned to the lineup. He’s a potential second-year breakout candidate, and the Ravens need him to make that happen.

*30. HOUSTON TEXANS*
Brandin Cooks, one of Houston's best players, belongs to this unit, but he alone is not enough to drag it out of the bottom five. There’s some potential for younger receivers such as Nico Collins and John Metchie III to elevate the unit, but that’s still a “wait-and-see” situation entering the 2022 season. Metchie is a crafty route-runner who earned an 80.0-plus PFF grade against man coverage last season, but he has some physical limitations and is coming off a torn ACL in the SEC Championship game.

*31. GREEN BAY PACKERS*
The Packers upped the difficulty level for Aaron Rodgers in his pursuit of a third consecutive MVP trophy by trading away his top target and one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, Davante Adams. In his place are veterans Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb and rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

Watson has the measurables of a No. 1 wide receiver, but there’s still some rawness to the North Dakota State product. As for the veterans, the only one to clear 750 receiving yards in a season over the past five years was Cobb with the Cowboys in 2019 (828 yards).

*32. CHICAGO BEARS*
It’s not difficult to see what new general manager Ryan Poles' strategy is. He wants to build the “right way,” and that means not overspending in free agency or reaching in the draft. The unfortunate side effect of that plan this offseason is that Justin Fields is in the midst of one of the worst offensive situations in the NFL entering a pivotal second season.

Darnell Mooney is the lone established option in the receiving corps after earning a 74.9 PFF receiving grade in his second season out of Tulane. He’s still better suited as a No. 2, which is a title currently held by free agent acquisition Byron Pringle. Leaning heavily on Pringle, Tajae Sharpe, Velus Jones Jr. and Equanimeous St. Brown isn’t where you want to be as an offense.


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## Lethe200

The writer may be over-reaching with such a title, but he does make a good case that Trubisky will have a better chance of success with the Steelers than he ever had with the Bears, whose offense remains stubbornly stuck somewhere around 1956.

*Mitchell Trubisky may have found Valhalla*
Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky may have located the NFL version of Valhalla.
SB Nation by Shannon White Jun 17, 2022

When it comes to NFL success for any NFL quarterback, timing is everything. Next on the list of important metrics would probably be location, location, location. However, none of the aforementioned metrics means anything without the most important metric of all: talent.

Recently signed free agent newcomer Mitchell Trubisky definitely has talent. The kind of athletic talent that warranted the second overall selection of the 2017 NFL Draft for the Chicago Bears. That selection reveals the importance of location.

The Chicago Bears are one of the oldest and most storied franchise in NFL history. Names like George Halas, Gale Sayers, Mike Ditka, and the legendary Walter Payton immediately come to mind. There are plenty of other Hall of Fame names worth mentioning, but there is one glaring position that lacks a distinguished namesake: quarterback.

Chicago is where quarterback careers go to die, making the Bears basically a quarterback graveyard. As if the Bears knew how to recognize and develop quarterback talent in the first place, an ability that they have yet to display in their history of ineptitude at the position.

The 1985 Super Bowl Shuffle squad was lead by the infamous wild child Jim McMahon, a player best remembered for his hairstyle and erratic behavior, more so than his passing prowess. That being said, McMahon is arguably the best quarterback in Bears history. Let's put it this way, there were many occasions during Walter Payton's illustrious career where the best quarterback on the roster was...Walter Payton. I am only half joking about that, as Payton was an accomplished passer, good enough to fill in as the signal caller in a pinch.

Trubisky had the distinguished opportunity, or the misfortune, depending on how you look at it, to be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears for the majority of his four years with the franchise. He helped lead the Bears to the playoffs in two of his four years with the team. Believe it or not; his 10,609 passing yards, 64 touchdown passes, and 1057 rushing yards, plus the aforementioned two playoff appearances, makes him one of the best quarterbacks in Bears history. This from a young man who many Bears fans consider a bust. Anybody else noticing a trend here? A common denominator if you will. Maybe Trubisky wasn't the problem.

Now Trubisky finds himself with the most stable franchise in the NFL. The franchise with the most overall wins in the modern NFL era, and tied for the most Super Bowl titles with six total. By the way, the most successful and consistent organization in the sport has had three Hall of Fame caliber head coaches during that same timeframe, total. Not only have the Steelers had two Hall of Fame caliber, face of the franchise quarterbacks in Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger, they actually drafted and developed both.

Trubisky must feel like he has escaped purgatory and gained access to the NFL version of Valhalla. Fresh off a 2021 season that saw him as the seldom used, primary backup for Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills, Trubisky signed a two year free agency contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After being the perceived best option on the free agent market at quarterback, he finds himself in an enviable position with the Steelers.

Although he currently is engaged in the early stages of what is presumably a three man, open quarterback competition with incumbent Mason Rudolph and 2021 first round selection Kenny Pickett, Trubisky's starting experience and first round pedigree likely gives him a leg up in the competition. He will enter training camp number one on the depth chart.

This is Trubisky's best chance for sustained NFL success. Whoever said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression definitely wasn't talking about Mitch Trubisky.

This opportunity with the Steelers could be viewed as his first real chance to show all he is capable of. He seems like a ideal fit for the Steelers new look offense that is currently being installed by offensive coordinator Matt Canada. I say new look because nobody in the league, and Steelers Nation for that matter, has yet to witness an accurate representation of what Canada's offense will look like. That should at least begin to change after the Steelers spent the entire offseason acquiring players with skill sets that appear to fit his system. Now it's put up or shut up time for Matt Canada in Pittsburgh.

Trubisky's athleticism should mess perfectly with the assortment of play-action and designed rollouts required in Canada's offense. His mobility will be a huge asset to the Steelers young and reconstructed offensive line, giving them much greater room for the inevitable error. Although he will still only be a 28 year old entering his sixth NFL season by the start of the 2022, he will be essentially a graybeard in the Steelers incredibly youthful offense. His experience in the heat of battle could bring valuable leadership qualities, and a calming presence in the huddle. He is well known as a respectable and affable young man.

Trubisky will easily be surrounded by the most talented group of skill position players he has ever had the privilege of leading as a starting quarterback. One could argue an even better group than the one he got to watch perform in Buffalo last season.

Although Trubisky really didn't get any meaningful minutes in his one year hiatus with the Super Bowl contending Buffalo Bills, he did get the invaluable opportunity to see what a well constructed and coached operation looks like, expertly lead by a young franchise QB.

Now he has to outperform the competition, and seize this golden opportunity to show whether or not he is capable of doing the same.


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## Lethe200

Only old, old timers will remember these names, but they were famous in their day in the early NFL!

*Hall of Famer Hugh McElhenny dies at 93*
SB Nation Jun 23, 2022


_San Francisco 49ers (L–R): Y.A. Tittle, Hugh McElhenny, and Frankie Albert: Photo, 1952_

Former 49ers running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Hugh McElhenny died last week due to natural causes at the age of 93.

The 49ers selected McElhenny with the ninth overall pick in the 1952 NFL Draft, and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact. In his first year in the league, McElhenny led the NFL with a stunning 7.0 yards per carry and gained 1,051 yards from scrimmage to earn a first-team All-Pro selection.

Known for his speed, elusiveness and field vision, McElhenny was called, “The King,” and formed the Million Dollar Backfield with quarterback Y. A. Tittle, halfback John Henry Johnson and fullback Joe Perry. Full disclosure, the nickname had more to do with the quality of the players than their combined salaries. Johnson himself once joked in 1987 that he was, “still looking for the million.” Still, it was accurate, as all four members would go on to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

McElhenny’s 49ers career came to an end after he was selected by the newly formed Minnesota Vikings in the 1961 expansion draft. He would also go on to play for the Giants and Lions before retiring following the 1964 season.

Up to that point, McElhenny had amassed the third most all-purpose yards of any player in NFL history. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

McElhenny went on to serve as a commentator on 49ers radio broadcasts from 1966 to 1972, and the team retired his number 39 jersey in 1971.


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## Lethe200

AND WE'RE OFF!
*2022-23 ESPN/NFL Full Schedule*, week-by-week, all 32 teams:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/schedule


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## Tempsontime65

Being from D.C. [Originally] I still pull for[the Commanders]of course they aren't gonna do much so I ain't expecting much...sigh!!!


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## Lethe200

*The world’s most valuable sports team hasn’t won a thing in decades. How?*
The Dallas Cowboys are valued at a staggering $7bn despite a losing culture and a penchant for off-field scandal. Is the world’s richest sports team really all hat and no cattle?
London Guardian US 18 Jul 2022

Before he was the title character of an Emmy-winning series, Ted Lasso was the star of a 2013 marketing campaign for NBC after the network was awarded the broadcasting rights for Premier League soccer in the United States. The ad followed the same fish-out-of-water premise as the show it later inspired: Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, was a red-blooded American football coach hired by Tottenham Hotspur struggling to grasp the basics of “soccer”.

In one scene, Lasso gets briefed by his assistant on England’s two most storied clubs. Manchester United, he is told, is “super rich” and “everyone either loves them, or hates them.”

“Dallas Cowboys,” Lasso replies, playing a round of cross-sport word association.

Liverpool “used to be great”, the assistant instructs, but “haven’t won a title in a really long time”.

“Also Dallas Cowboys,” Lasso says.

The set-up could use an update. Liverpool, of course, have since returned to the summit of both England and Europe. Manchester United are as polarizing as ever – and still spend gobs of money – but the club inspires more schadenfreude among its rivals than it did when the ad first aired.

The Cowboys, however, remain as they were: loved and hated in equal abundance, a generation removed from their glory years and, above all, “super rich”.

America’s Team will report to training camp next week in Oxnard, California, to begin preparations for the 2022 season, 27 years since their last Super Bowl-winning campaign. Dallas has posted a 4-11 playoff record since then and have not advanced beyond the second round of the postseason. Thirteen different franchises, including two of their hated division rivals, have won the title since the Cowboys’ last championship. Dallas was eclipsed this century by both the Pittsburgh Steelers and NE Patriots for most Super Bowl wins all-time. There have been off-field ignominies, too, most recently a $2.4m settlement stemming from allegations that a Cowboys executive filmed the team’s cheerleaders in the locker room.

But neither sub-par play nor scandal have slowed the Cowboys’ growth. The team’s star burns brighter than other supernovas of American sports, consuming the national consciousness to a degree that even the NY Yankees or LA Lakers can’t match. Dallas will play in five primetime games this season, the maximum number for a team to play in the marquee slot, and the team is a perennial A1 topic in sports media no matter their record. “They’re still ‘America’s Team,’” said Kurt Badenhausen, a reporter at the sports business website Sportico. “They’re still the most watched team. Every network wants as many Cowboys games as they can get. They have the largest fanbase in the country.”

In the financial column, the Cowboys are undefeated; even amid a Super Bowl drought, it still rains money in Dallas. The Cowboys have topped Forbes’ list of the most valuable sports franchises every year since 2016. And in an era when teams are being sold for ever-swelling sums, the Cowboys would likely command the heftiest price tag, should they ever be put on the market. Forbes pegged the Cowboys’ worth at $6.5bn, but that is almost certainly too low.

Jerry Jones, the team’s indomitable owner, said in May that he believes the Cowboys could fetch at least $10bn on the open market – a decent return on the $150m he paid to take over the franchise in 1989. Jones made it clear that he will “never sell the Cowboys”, but his sky-high valuation of the team is a testament to the financial might of America’s most popular sporting league.

“It really comes down to the economic structure of the NFL,” said Badenhausen, who helped start the annual ranking of the most valuable sports franchises at Forbes in 1998.

The NFL is the richest sports league in the world. It rakes in billions of dollars every year, most of which comes from its mammoth deals with broadcast and streaming partners, and the money is shared evenly among its 32 teams. Badenhausen said that the league generated roughly $18bn in revenue in 2021, putting it on track to reach its goal of $25bn by 2027. Last year, the NFL signed a $113bn media contract with CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and Amazon that runs through 2033, a deal that will bring each team about $300m annually.

The deal affirmed the NFL’s status not only as the biggest draw in American sports, but also the country’s top entertainment attraction. Seventy-five of the 100 most watched television programs in the United States last year were NFL games.

“The sport itself is so popular,” said Marc Ganis, a sports business consultant who has helped broker team sales and stadium developments throughout the NFL. “The games are competitive, the players keep getting better and it’s something that’s become a part of American culture. If it weren’t for that, the rest wouldn’t fall into place.”

The NFL imposes a salary cap that limits the amount of money each team can spend on players, a feature that has promoted parity on the field and brought greater profits to the owner’s box. Badenhausen said the combination of the league’s staggering riches, and how that money is spent, has resulted in higher valuations for NFL franchises than even teams with a larger global footprint. More than half of the top 50 teams in Forbes’ most recent rankings came from the NFL, including three in the top 10.

“These big European clubs are huge global brands, but the valuations don’t keep up with the size of the brand because of the economic structures of these clubs and what you have to spend to be competitive,” Badenhausen said. “You’ve got a handful of clubs in an arms race with no restrictions.”

The recent sales of the Denver Broncos and Chelsea FC were illustrative. Chelsea, one of England’s “big six” clubs and based in a major European capital, went for $3.2bn. The Broncos, ranked by Forbes as only the 10th most valuable team in the NFL and located outside a top US market, were sold for $4.65bn. “Chelsea is a much bigger brand globally than the Denver Broncos, but because of the economics, a second quartile NFL team ends up selling for more than Chelsea did,” Badenhausen said.

The economic structure that has enriched the Cowboys and the league’s other 31 teams is one that Jones played a leading role in constructing. In 1993, Jones orchestrated a backroom deal with Rupert Murdoch that resulted in Fox replacing CBS as one of the NFL’s television partners. CBS offered the league less than what it had previously paid for the broadcasting rights. Murdoch, with Jones in his corner, secured the rights for Fox in a deal worth $1.6bn over four years – 60% more than what CBS offered. “Jerry brought in Fox. Fox dramatically increased the rights fee. CBS lost the NFL,” Ganis said. “One story tells you both about the Cowboys and the NFL.”

Jones took the NFL to court in 1995 over the league’s rules that limited a team’s ability to strike its own endorsement deals. Looking to capitalize on the Cowboys’ iconic brand, Jones negotiated stadium sponsorships with Pepsi, Nike and American Express. The NFL sued Jones, contending that those deals ran afoul of the league-wide own sponsorship arrangements. Jones responded with his own antitrust lawsuit against the league, arguing that the NFL was effectively running a cartel that controlled the teams’ logos and trademarks.

The two sides settled, which allowed Jones – and every other league owner – to enter into their own sponsorship agreements. “He changed the economics of the league in terms of what teams could do,” Badenhausen said. “He went out and sold the Cowboys on the sponsorship market harder than anybody else. As a result of that, and because they have the brand to back it up, he’s been able to monetize.

Under Jones, the Cowboys have expanded their fiefdom in north Texas to create even more sponsorship deals and commercial opportunities. The team opened a sparkling new stadium in 2009 that boasts the capacity to seat more than 100,000, and a new 91-acre practice facility in 2016 that doubles as the team’s world headquarters.

The Cowboys have also been successful at growing their fanbase outside Texas. It has long been a source of amusement to many in the Lone Star State that the team has plenty of support in the Washington DC area, the home of their divisional rivals, the Commanders. Some put that down to the fact that the Cowboys were an integrated team from their birth, unlike Washington’s NFL team, and Dallas have a strong following among DC’s Black population.

Badenhausen said they were poised to be “the first team in North American sports to post $1bn in annual revenue.”

Ganis believes the biggest reason for that valuation is the man who raised the team into a cash cow. “The Cowboys are built on an extraordinary foundation,” Ganis said. “You add Jerry Jones to that alchemy, and it becomes something that is extraordinary on a global basis.”


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## Lethe200

Okay, the remark about the Browns (see: the Ravens write-up) made me LOL. They will NEVER live the Deshaun Watson trade down, at this rate.

*NFL turnaround rankings: which 2021 also-rans will make the playoffs this season?*
The 2021 playoffs had seven teams that had not reached the postseason the year before. Here are five candidates who may join the turnaround club this season
London Guardian U.S. by Oliver Connolly 21 Jul 2022

*Denver Broncos*
After years of treading water, the Broncos were finally able to engineer a move for one of the game’s top quarterbacks this offseason, landing Russell Wilson in a blockbuster trade in March.

Adding Wilson transforms the Broncos’ calculus. Denver already had a strong core prior to Wilson’s arrival, including a gifted offensive line and a stacked receiving unit. Wilson should finally be the post-Manning quarterback who can make it all sing in Colorado.

There is excitement on defense, too. When you add a superstar at quarterback, things just slot into place, don’t they? This Broncos defense is built to play with a lead, the kind they rarely mustered behind Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater. There are stars throughout the secondary, and by adding Randy Gregory they’ve been able to paper over the Von Miller-sized hole that appeared in their front in the middle of last season.

There’s only one real question mark looming over the Broncos’ playoff hopes: How will first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett handle his debut season? Wilson runs his own, specific kind of offense, one that doesn’t flow naturally with what Hackett, an offensive-minded coach, prefers to run. It’s a lot to ask of a first-year coach to navigate those waters while also running a franchise, and all while up against a pair of juggernauts in Los Angeles and Kansas City in the AFC West. The Broncos may be a year away from truly challenging.

_Turnaround chances:_ Would be better in a different division

*Baltimore Ravens*
Of all of this year’s turnaround candidates, the Ravens are the safest bet. There are no stylistic issues, no talent concerns. They are loaded on both sides of the ball.

Baltimore were one of the disappointments of 2021. Injuries drained the team of depth. Difference-makers missed crucial parts of the season. An injury to Lamar Jackson sapped the offense of its one-man firepower. The Football Gods worked overtime: the turnover luck that Jackson has experienced throughout his career swung back the other way. Jackson finished with 19 turnovers in 12 games.

It will be different this year. Jackson is healthy. The team is healthy – and has depth all over the field. They enter this season having added [deep inhale]: Marcus Williams (the best free safety in football), Kyle Hamilton (the best safety prospect in the draft), Tyler Linderbaum (the best center prospect in the draft), Morgan Moses, Kyle Fuller, Michael Pierce and David Ojabo.

There is some squawking about the lack of receiving options after the team dealt away Marquise Brown. But Brown has long been more of a flashy name than a genuine game-changer. The Ravens offense is all about the system. And that system revolves around Lamar Jackson. When he’s healthy, it works.

The AFC North is in flux. The Steelers are in the middle of an offensive overhaul. The Browns are committed to doing things that are offensive. A straight shootout between the Ravens and Bengals should be in the offing. If Jackson is healthy, he’s an MVP candidate. And if the Ravens have an MVP candidate at quarterback, they are the frontrunners in the division.

_Turnaround chances:_ Fans may want to research Phoenix-area package deals

*Los Angeles Chargers*
It’s hardly worth discussing the Chargers as ‘turnaround’ candidates. They featured one of the best offenses in football last season, thanks mostly to fielding the game’s top young quarterback – already a top-five (three?) player at the position coming into only his third year in the league. At some point soon, Justin Herbert will be the highest-paid player in the NFL. Right now, he is the league’s top market inefficiency.

Think about this: Herbert will count less towards the salary cap for the Chargers this year than Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance do for their respective teams.

Herbert will cost half as much as Matt Ryan, Baker Mayfield and SAM DARNOLD.

Herbert will cost roughly a quarter as much as Kirk Cousins, JIMMY GAROPPOLO, CARSON WENTZ and JARED GOFF!

Oh, and Herbert will be [passes out, recovers senses] five times cheaper against the cap than Ryan Tannehill.

The Chargers stacked strength-on-strength this offseason, adding valuable pieces to the Herbert-backed offense, while using their star’s relatively meagre salary to fund a spending spree on defense. The Chargers’ defense stunk in 2021: historically bad against the run and predictable against the pass. It should improve this year, if for no reason other than the additions of Khalil Mack, JC Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

It’s hard to find a more talented roster, top-to-bottom, in the entire NFL. Leaping from out-of-the-playoffs to a championship run is tough, but that should be the expectation for the Chargers.

_Turnaround chances:_ Anything less than a Super Bowl challenge will be a disappointment

*Indianapolis Colts*
Another year, another raft of changes for the Colts. Swapping out Carson Wentz for Matt Ryan at quarterback was one of the healthier upgrades of the offseason. Unlike other sides staring down the AFC’s quarterback standoff, the Colts need only worry about contending in their own division. Win 10 games, pip the Titans to the AFC South division title, and they will make the playoffs. With Ryan offering solid quarterback play and a defense laden with talent, 10 wins should be the floor.

Yet while Colts Pravda will point to this finally being the year that everything clicks together – Ryan is finally the right quarterback after a succession of wannabees and maybes – there are cracks.

Chief among the concerns is the defense. Former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus left in the offseason to be the head honcho in Chicago. It’s who the Colts replaced him with: Gus Bradley.

Eberflus ran a particular, conservative style, one that made it hard for opposing quarterbacks to throw deep down the field. That system put his best defenders in the best spots to succeed. With the talent on the Colts roster, it worked – and they added even more talent and depth in the offseason.

But Bradley’s defense is different. It’s aggressive, and a galaxy shift from Eberflus’ approach. As a coach, Bradley has shown an unwillingness to evolve away from a style that was outdated two seasons ago. Will Bradley adjust to his new team, keeping some of Eberflus’ principles, or force the Colts’ square pegs into his schematic round hole? Bringing Yannick Ngakoue with him from the Raiders in exchange for the reliable Rock Ya-Sin should set off alarm bells.

And there are questions elsewhere. Is the receiving corps good enough? Can the o-line, a notoriously unstable unit year-to-year, continue to crank out a dominant rushing attack?

_Turnaround chances:_ Depends on how the new regime settles in

*Detroit Lions*
Are you starting to believe in the Fighting Dan Campbells yet? Take away all the Lionsy-ness. Remove the idea of the Jared Goff of it all. Now, look at the rest of the roster.

Detroit will start the season with one of the league’s premier offensive lines – you can make an easy case that they have a Pro Bowl-caliber starter at four of the five spots. The offense as a whole is young and dynamic. Lions GM Brad Holmes has assembled an electric receiving group, headlined by DJ Chark and first-round pick Jameson Williams, the most explosive receiver in the 2022 draft. Besides that, you have Amon-Ra St Brown, who was a menace during the final stretch of 2021.

Not content with a fully stocked receiver group, the Lions tack on TJ Hockenson at tight end and D’Andre Swift at running back. The average age of all those weapons? 24. The only remaining question on offense: Can Goff deliver serviceable quarterback play?

The defense is more of a concern. The group was a sieve last year, partly due to injuries and partly due to the team chucking as many young players out on the field as possible to see who was worth investing in for the long-term. The Lions would hope to see growth this year, particularly with the addition of second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, and the return of cornerback Jeff Okudah after an injury-hit season.

Is there a world in which things get weird in Green Bay? In which Justin Fields struggles in Chicago without a viable supporting cast, sinking the Bears season? In which the Vikings are unable to scotch tape together a defense and Kevin O’Connell is unable to squeeze any extra percentage points out of the Minnesota offense in his first year as head coach? You bet. And the Lions will be waiting.

_Turnaround chances_: Not as far away as some think


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## Lethe200

*Who will be your NFL team’s MVP in 2022? The Athletic’s writers make 32 picks*
Who will be your NFL team’s MVP in 2022? The Athletic’s beat writers have some obvious — and not so obvious — picks for each team below.
The Athletic NFL Staff Jul 20, 2022, Pt 1 of 3

*Arizona Cardinals*
Surely the Cardinals would love for some of their young players, like linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins, to develop into team MVP-caliber players. The reality, thought, is that the Cardinals’ best and most important player remains QB Kyler Murray. For the Cardinals to be competitive in the NFC West, they’ll need Murray to be one of the best QBs in the league consistently across 17 games. This will require Murray staying healthy and getting off to a hot start, even without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six weeks of the season.

*Atlanta Falcons*
Until/unless the Falcons find their long-term answer at QB, the question of whether Atlanta should have taken a QB with the fourth pick in 2021 will loom. That should not, however, overshadow the player the Falcons did get with that pick — TE Kyle Pitts. As a rookie, Pitts led the team in receiving yds (1,026 on 68 catches), and he’s going to be the top target again in 2022. Granted, there isn’t much competition on the MVP ballot with this roster, but even if there were, it would be Pitts.

*Baltimore Ravens*
As long as Lamar Jackson stays reasonably healthy in 2022, there’s really no other answer. Given his contract status, Jackson will be arguably the most scrutinized player in the sport heading into Week 1. However, he seems to thrive off the questions and in proving people wrong. Jackson is said to have worked extremely hard this offseason on his fundamentals and those who know him best expect him to have a major bounce-back year. It certainly should help him that the Ravens solidified their OL this offseason and figure to be much healthier on the offensive side of the ball.

*Buffalo Bills*
Josh Allen has been a league MVP candidate for the last two years and should again if health permits. But this year, Allen can establish himself in an entirely different way. The only offensive coordinator he’s ever worked with, Brian Daboll, is now the Giants head coach. Allen turned from an up-and-comer to a full-fledged star that makes his teammates better, but the degree of difficulty without Daboll has increased because things changed in 2022. If Allen can also help first-year play-caller Ken Dorsey make the seamless transition, Allen will cement himself as one of the league’s best once again.

*Carolina Panthers*
A couple of seasons ago this would have been a no-brainer. But that was before the rash of injuries that cost All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey 23 of 33 games in 2020-21. So we’ll go with wideout DJ Moore, whose 3,525 receiving yds over the last three seasons rank fourth in the NFL — despite playing with six different QBs over that span. On a better team, Moore would be better known. He shows up every week (he’s missed two games in four seasons) and makes plays (his 10 catches of 50 yds or more are tied for the most since 2018).

*Chicago Bears*
The Bears would love it if come January, the answer to this is Justin Fields, but it’s hard to get there right now considering the brand-new offense and the lack of help around him. The likely MVP is the team’s most reliable player, Roquan Smith. He’s put up Pro Bowl-type numbers in back-to-back seasons, and should have more opportunities to make impact plays in Matt Eberflus’ defense. The Bears can count on Smith to be consistent and productive, a rarity for the 2022 team.

*Cincinnati Bengals*
If the Bengals’ MVP this year is anybody other than Joe Burrow something has gone terribly wrong. More specifically, that would mean injury hit the starting QB again. I suppose there’s a scenario where Burrow regresses and somebody overshadows him despite a fully healthy season, but it’s in another galaxy. Burrow will be the driving force in everything the Bengals do and one year after being in the MVP conversation and ranking as the top-graded QB in football by PFF, this team will be shaped and driven by his performance as long as he’s on the field taking snaps.

*Cleveland Browns*
Though it’s impossible to see the Browns as a playoff team without Deshaun Watson and hard to imagine they’d get to the postseason without a monster season from Myles Garrett, I’ll go with Nick Chubb as my projected season MVP. Regardless of who’s playing QB (and for how many games), the Browns have invested heavily in their OL and their run game and have a proven commodity in Chubb, who’s not only freakishly talented but has proven capable of carrying a heavy workload. The offense might need to reinvent itself more than once this season depending on Watson’s status, and the Browns certainly will need better from the pass game than they got last year. But there’s plenty of reason to believe Chubb can carry the Browns when necessary and is talented enough to help drive the offense through difficult and uncertain periods.

*Dallas Cowboys*
Micah Parsons. For the first time in over a decade the Cowboys have a chance to win because of their defense, and Parsons is the face of that group. He should again be in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year discussion. He’ll continue to get a lot of opportunities to rush the passer while also seeing significant time making plays all over the field as a traditional linebacker. While he showed during his rookie season that he can do just about anything asked of him, Parsons is expected to be even more effective in his second season working with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

*Denver Broncos*
Russell Wilson. The Broncos traded three players and five draft picks to make Russell Wilson their franchise QB, ending a post-Peyton Manning stretch of wandering at the position that lasted six seasons. If Wilson is not the team’s MVP in 2022, then Denver’s hope of halting its stretch of losing seasons at five is probably in jeopardy. The Broncos shouldn’t put everything on Wilson’s shoulders. They have talented skill players and an improved OL. But the 33-year-old QB needs to play at a Pro Bowl level if the Broncos have any hope of winning the AFC West. Want a darkhorse candidate for this designation? We’ll go with second-year CB Pat Surtain II.


----------



## Lethe200

*Who will be your NFL team’s MVP in 2022? The Athletic’s writers make 32 picks*
The Athletic NFL Staff Jul 20, 2022, Pt 2 of 3

*Detroit Lions*
D’Andre Swift. The Lions will gain national attention in training camp with the arrival of “Hard Knocks” — and that could be a springboard for the rest of the country to find out about Detroit’s best playmaker. It’d be foolish to suggest Swift’s talent is an unknown commodity in the league, but inconsistency (and durability) has plagued him a bit. Swift paired 617 rushing yds and five TDs with 62 catches for 452 yds and two more scores last year. After Swift’s up-and-down rookie season sprinkled with injuries, Detroit brought in Jamaal Williams ahead of 2021 and did a nice job of managing Swift’s workload early. He still wore down, though, playing in parts of 12 games — with just 16 combined snaps in his final three outings. Swift arrived for OTAs in the best shape of his life and is clearly looking to prove a point/make a case for a contract. If this OL stays healthy, Swift could do both those things in 2022.

*GBay Packers*
Call this a cop out, but I think it’s wise to think the Packers’ team MVP will be the guy who’s been the league MVP in each of the last two seasons. Aaron Rodgers can make an average receiving corps look great, and I think that’s what he’ll do this season. There have been no signs of his play declining, and I have a hunch he’ll want to prove he can still play at an elite level without his top two receivers from last season.

*Houston Texans*
After signing a contract extension this offseason that keeps him tied to the team through 2024, Brandin Cooks returns to once again be perhaps the Texans’ only above-average skill position player. Last season, he recorded his sixth 1,000-yard season with his fifth different QB, functioning as a safety blanket for then-rookie Davis Mills while averaging a career-worst 7.7 yds per target — a sign the Texans had little choice but to force-feed him. Though the team hopes to see improvement from second-year receiver Nico Collins and its last-ranked rushing attack, Cooks should occupy a similar role in 2022.

*Indianapolis Colts*
The strange thing about this Colts offseason is how little the conversation has been about Jonathan Taylor. All he did last year was lead the league in rushing by over 500 yds, and darn near carry the Colts to the playoffs by himself. But with big-name additions at QB, pass rusher and CB, Taylor’s been a bit of an afterthought. That won’t be the case when the Colts hit the field again. The third-year RB is primed to build off his record-setting 2021 season, and once again will be among the most formidable offensive weapons in the league. With Matt Ryan under center, defenses won’t be able to key in on Taylor as much as they did late last season. Look out. Twenty-eight’s back for more.

*Jacksonville Jaguars*
If you draft a QB No. 1 overall, you need him to be your best player and an obvious team MVP, and Trevor Lawrence should be that in his second NFL season. After only 12 TD passes his rookie year, he could double that easily in 2022, thanks to new receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and TE Evan Engram. If there’s a dark horse to trump him, it could be second-year back Travis Etienne, who missed last year with injury but could be heavily involved in the running and passing game. The safe bet is Lawrence, who had just two multi-TD games last year after totaling 28 at Clemson.

*KC Chiefs*
The Chiefs are in the midst of rebuilding their roster around Patrick Mahomes, who is entering the second phase of his career. Mahomes, though, is still the NFL’s most talented QB, an accurate gunslinger who can create magic from adverse situations. If Mahomes guides the Chiefs through another strong regular season — while being presented a brutal, historically difficult schedule — he will be the team’s expected MVP. And if Mahomes is excellent without Tyreek Hill and a new revamped group of receivers, he could be the league’s MVP once again.

*LVegas Raiders*
If it’s not Derek Carr, then something went really wrong. The Raiders traded for Davante Adams, Carr’s old college teammate and arguably the best receiver in the game, and gave a big extension to slot receiver Hunter Renfrow. They also still have Darren Waller, one of the top five TEs in the NFL, as well as a talented RB corps that now includes rookie Zamir White. The OL is a question mark but new coach Josh McDaniels isn’t terribly worried about it as Carr will be getting rid of the ball quickly. Carr was fourth in the league’s MVP voting in 2016 and this group is more talented than that one. Carr is better as well, as he started taking more shots downfield and can extend plays with his feet now.

*LA Chargers*
This one is obvious. The Chargers’ MVP — and possibly the league’s MVP, too — will be QB Justin Herbert. He was the team’s MVP last season, throwing for over 5,000 yds and 38 TDs while cementing himself as one of the best QBs in football. Herbert will be in the same offensive system this year, surrounded by largely the same coaches and personnel, and that continuity should lead to even more improvement from the superstar. Yes, Herbert is going to be even better in 2022. The next step for Herbert is leading the Chargers to the postseason.

*LA Rams*
It would be tempting to predict a huge year for QB Matthew Stafford, in his second season with head coach Sean McVay and an arsenal of receivers. But I have to go with reigning Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp here, after he won the historic triple crown in 2021. Kupp has stayed healthy into the offseason, unlike in previous years, and hopes to build off what he accomplished last season; plus, the Rams will play him all over the field as they did last season, which increases his impact.

*Miami Dolphins*
Tyreek Hill. If you’re a Dolphins fan, you’re rooting for Tua Tagovailoa to take such a step forward that he’s the obvious choice after a breakout third NFL season, but it’s more likely that he improves as a function of the upgraded talent around him. That starts with Hill, who drew a steep price to acquire from the Chiefs, but should give the Dolphins their first player with 10 TD catches in a season since Mike Wallace in 2014. Last time someone had more than 10? Chris Chambers, with 11 in 2005. The team record is probably safe — Mark Clayton had 18 in Dan Marino’s monster 1984 season.


----------



## Lethe200

*Who will be your NFL team’s MVP in 2022? The Athletic’s writers make 32 picks*
The Athletic NFL Staff Jul 20, 2022, Pt 3 of 3

*Minnesota Vikings*
If we ignore the obvious positional value of the QB, we can look at the other potential stars on the roster and take a stab at who might have the biggest impact: Justin Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Cook, Harrison Smith, Eric Kendricks and possibly Za’Darius Smith. Of those six, it very much seems like Jefferson could be the one who carries the team with his performances and stand out more at his position than the others in theirs, especially given his age and the new, pass-friendly offense.

*NE Patriots*
The Patriots will be asking a lot of Mac Jones, especially if the defense takes a step back as expected, but he’s put in the work to absorb that burden. Jones won’t have to do it all himself — the run game should remain strong — but the Patriots won’t get back to the playoffs unless Jones takes a major step forward. It might be an unfair request of a second-year QB with an overhauled offensive coaching staff, but the Patriots have universally admitted this is now Jones’ team. He looks ready for a jump. It’s just way too early to know if it’ll be enough with a younger defense and vastly improved AFC competition.

*New Orleans Saints*
QB Jameis Winston. Obviously Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas are candidates here considering their respective importance to the team, but there are availability questions about both. While Winston is still recovering from his ACL tear, he’s been determined to progress as quickly as possible. There won’t be any excuses this season since he’s entering the offseason as the No. 1 QB and has been in the system several years now. If injuries aren’t a concern, the Saints will go as far as Winston can take them.

*NY Giants*
In the Giants’ ideal world, this answer will be QB Daniel Jones. But I’m not convinced the sixth pick in the 2019 draft is suddenly going to morph into a franchise QB in his fourth season. So I’ll turn to the other side of the ball where third-year safety Xavier McKinney is knocking on the door of becoming a Pro Bowler. The Giants need McKinney to emerge as the leader of an unproven secondary, and the 2020 second-round pick has shown signs that he’s up to the task. This should be his breakout season.

*NY Jets*
It has to be Zach Wilson. The Jets have a problem if it’s not. Their defense can be good, but their offense has the playmakers and potential to be really, really good … assuming they get solid play out of the QB position. It’s difficult to put so much pressure on a second-year player, but the Jets desperately need Wilson to take a major step forward in 2022.

*Philadelphia Eagles*
Lane Johnson. This could have been newcomers A.J. Brown or Haason Reddick, who will upgrade the passing game and pass rush, respectively. But if Johnson is healthy and on the field, the OL plays at a different level and the offense is significantly better. The Eagles lost three of four games without Johnson last season; they were 8-5 with him, including the postseason loss. From 2016-2020, the Eagles were 38-21-1 when Johnson plays right tackle compared to 8-18 when he’s out of the lineup. Johnson is not the only reason for this, but the differences have been apparent when he’s absent. Plus, the Eagles have better depth at other positions than at right tackle, so they’re less equipped to withstand a Johnson injury (it might require them moving Jordan Mailata to the right side or starting Jack Driscoll at right tackle, when he might be superior at guard). The Eagles have important players throughout the roster, although there might not be anyone as valuable as Johnson.

*Pittsburgh Steelers*
T.J. Watt was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 with 22 1/2 sacks, so it’s easy to go that route again. Thinking differently, Najee Harris might be even more important to the success or failure of the 2022 Steelers. With a new QB under center for the first time since 2004, the Steelers not only want to establish the run but need to establish the run with Harris. The RB has gotten bigger and especially stronger after a rookie season that saw him play better down the stretch without much help from his OL. The Steelers upgraded their guys up front and wouldn’t be against another 381-touch season like he had a year ago. They have openly talked about limiting some of his snaps but no mention of scaling back his touches.

*SF 49ers*
Nick Bosa. He would have been the team’s MVP last year if not for Deebo Samuel’s supernova season. Bosa posted a career-high 15 1/2 sacks despite one of the highest double-team rates in the league. This year? The 49ers used their top draft pick on an edge rusher, Drake Jackson, who ought to make life a little easier for his bookend pass rusher. Having Arik Armstead at defensive tackle full time and Javon Kinlaw healthier than he’s been in two seasons also ought to relieve the pressure on Bosa.

*Seattle Seahawks*
Free safety Quandre Diggs. With Russell Wilson in Denver and Bobby Wagner in LA, the 29-year-old Diggs is the only current Seahawks player to make the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons (though Jamal Adams made it three straight years from 2018-20). Diggs is Seattle’s best defensive player and one of the best players at his position. Diggs, Adams and DK Metcalf would all be fine picks here but I’ll go with Diggs because he’s not only consistent, his individual success isn’t reliant on QB talent.

*TBay Buccaneers*
Tom Brady. As long as he’s healthy, it’s hard to imagine him not getting the nod here, especially at age 45, in his 23rd NFL season. There would have to be a pronounced shift to the run game for Leonard Fournette to rush enough and score enough to outperform Brady. Within the passing game, Mike Evans is a good bet for double-digit TDs, but he’d have to really make highlight-reel catches to be seen as the MVP over his QB. Defensively, Shaq Barrett is only three years removed from leading the NFL in sacks with a team-record 19 1/2, but it would take that or more for this to go to a defensive player, even with Todd Bowles now as the head coach.

*Tennessee Titans*
Jeffery Simmons. Derrick Henry is a strong runner-up who will again be asked to carry an offense and has again been putting together an offseason to make that possible, but the Titans’ questions on the OL and at receiver put a huge season for Henry in doubt. A huge season for Simmons is in very little doubt. He’s surrounded by pieces that make up one of the fiercest defensive fronts in the league, he’s entering his prime and he’s as disruptive an interior presence as you can find east of Aaron Donald.

*Washington Commanders*
Terry McLaurin. There’s some risk with this designation considering the receiver skipped most of Washington’s offseason program because of lagging contract extension talk (finally resolved in late June) and the uncertainty with new QB Carson Wentz, but McLaurin’s talent is undeniable. The fourth-year player also has the best supporting cast — QB and fellow receivers — since entering the league.


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## Lethe200

Wow, hard to believe Nobis, Ken Anderson, and Sterling Sharpe are not in Canton. Disgraceful, IMHO.

*Falcons legend Tommy Nobis is one step closer to Canton*
This is long past due.
SB Nation by Evan Birchfield Jul 28, 2022

One of the biggest snubs in the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is Atlanta Falcons linebacker Tommy Nobis. Nobis, appropriately nicknamed “Mr. Falcon,” was the first NFL Draft selection for the Falcons in franchise history. Year-after-year, Falcons fans hope to see Nobis get the recognition he deserves on a national level, and be honored with football immortality in Canton, Ohio. It’s taken quite some time, but it appears it could finally be happening.

On Wednesday evening, it was announced that Nobis has been named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame through the Seniors category. The full list of finalists includes Ken Anderson, Maxie Baughan, Randy Gradishar, Chuck Howley, Cecil Isbell, Joe Klecko, Bob Kuechenberg, Eddie Meador, Ken Riley, Sterling Sharpe, Everson Walls and of course — Tommy Nobis. The 12-person Seniors Committee will meet Aug. 16, and each committee member will discuss one Finalist in detail. The committee’s final vote will send three Seniors to the full 49-person Selection Committee for consideration at its annual meeting in early 2023; each of those three could be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that meeting.

Nobis certainly has the accolades to make it to Canton. He won NFL Rookie of the Year, played in five Pro Bowls, selected first-team All-Pro (1967) and is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s.

The late Claude Humphrey spoke with The Falcoholic in 2020, where he shared his thoughts on former teammate Tommy Nobis and his hope that he would one day join him in Canton.

“I think he was just as good as some of the guys who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame right now,” Humphrey told The Falcoholic. “I don’t know how, other than the fact that he played during the time of those guys like Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus, who played on better overall football teams than Tommy Nobis. But as far as comparing talent, I don’t see a whole lot of difference between his talent and the talent of some of those guys who are already in.”

It’s certainly not a guarantee that Nobis will make it this year. The Pro Football Hall of Fame often overlooks deserving Falcons’ players, as Mike Kenn, Jessie Tuggle, John Abraham and Jeff Van Note join Nobis in hoping to get in one day. Sadly, Nobis is no longer with us, as he passed away in 2017. Even though he wouldn’t be there in person, his legacy deserves to be enshrined with the rest of the NFL’s legends in Canton.


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## Lethe200

*The 10 most important people of the upcoming NFL season*
Training camp is upon us once again. Here’s a look at the 10 most important figures heading into the 2022 NFL season
London Guardian U.S. 02Aug2022

The pads are thudding. The sprinklers are sprinkling. Training camp is here. And with that, we look at the 10 most important figures for the 2022 NFL season, in no particular order.

*1) Trey Lance, QB, SF 49ers*
It’s Lance Time in SF. Everybody loves the idea of a young QB watching and learning the game from the sideline, taking his time, cultivating his craft away from the spotlight and pressure. But, at some point, it’s go time.

The Niners are embracing the uncertainty. Lance was drafted to solve a specific schematic riddle that Jimmy Garoppolo could not. Garoppolo was part of a team that came within a drive of the Super Bowl and returned to an NFC championship game. But his flaws were consistently exposed. Lance might not be as consistent as Garoppolo, but he raises the team’s ceiling.

No team in the league has as wide a range of outcomes as the Niners in 2022. Sit here at the start of August, you might convince yourself that they will win it all, thanks to the blend of Kyle Shanahan’s re-worked offense, a stacked defensive line, a re-shaped secondary and Lance. It’s just as conceivable that they win six games: That Lance isn’t ready; that the defensive line regresses to the mean. The most decisive factor between the two: the new starting QB.

*2) Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner*
Two crucial things weigh over Goodell heading into the season. He will serve as the appealer-in-Chief for Deshaun Watson’s impending appeal. Nestled in the fine print of the latest CBA is the ability for the commissioner, or his designee, to appeal any decision from the league’s newly-appointed disciplinary officer, who handed down a six-game suspension on Monday.

Then there’s the small matter of Daniel Snyder and the Washington Commanders. Snyder, the league’s most cartoonishly villainous owner, continues to drag the Washington franchise and the league into a swamp of his own making. Snyder finally answered questions under oath last Thursday to the House oversight committee. The congressional committee continues to probe the Washington franchise and accusations that Snyder presided over a toxic workplace culture.

Other owners are reported to be fed up with Snyder’s act, enough perhaps to force him out of the league. Snyder is notoriously litigious, which has worked as a shield for him and the franchise throughout his sleaze-riddled run. But as the accusations mount – including that he presented a set of phony books to his league partners – Goodell could be forced into taking action to try to remove the owner.

*3) Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC Chiefs*
A second-half meltdown in the AFC championship game cost the Chiefs a shot at a second title last season. Now there’s a new look in KC: Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu, stalwarts of the team’s recent success, are out. Hill was a once-in-a-lifetime field tilter that made life easier for his QB and the pass-catchers beside him. He imbued the whole offense with a sense that there was no deficit that was insurmountable.

Mahomes will have to strike up an instant connection with his new supporting cast to lead another postseason push. He has lived a blessed life early in his career – the ideal coach, franchise and supporting cast. The Chiefs’ roster remains one of the most talented in the league, but it’s now over Mahomes to raise the level of those around him.

*4) Sean McVay, head coach, LA Rams*
McVay is looking to become the first head coach to lead a team to back-to-back Super Bowl titles since Bill Belichick in 2003-04. He’s also set to become the highest paid coach in the league, with reports suggesting his new contract will eclipse Belichick’s.

Yet while the Rams are looking to tie McVay down for the long-term, whispers continue to persist that McVay would be happy to step away from the Rams – be it for another job or TV work – once the cap sins of the past few years start to catch up to the team.

*5) Dr Alex Steinforth, NFL Germany*
The NFL has entered a new phase of its international expansion. Whereas before there was a heavy focus on London (with nods to games in Canada and Mexico), the league is now going global. The NFL awarded Exclusive International Home Market Areas to 18 teams across 26 markets in eight countries. As the NFL takes its streaming rights under its own umbrella, they’re focusing on securing as many eyes on games as possible, irrespective of the location. Eyeballs are eyeballs; dollars are dollars.

The next key frontier: Germany. For the first time, the NFL is taking a regular season game to Munich. More than three million people entered the queue to secure tickets to the Bucs-Seahawks game in November. The demand for tickets to the inaugural game will inevitably lead to a second game in 2023 with the prospect of future games in different German markets – Frankfurt, Düsseldorf – in future years.

*6) Aaron Rodgers, QB, GBay Packers*
The Packers were finally able to put an end to the will-he-won’t-he Aaron Rodgers saga over the offseason. Rodgers signed an enormous three-year, $151m deal. Does that mean that Rodgers will play all three years? Who knows? Does it mean he’s happy? Pffft.

What we do know: Rodgers’ new deal made it tough for the Packers to improve over the offseason. The team was able to find enough cash behind the sofa to keep the bulk of its core intact. But the cap crunch meant that GBay had to say goodbye to valuable contributors. The biggest loss: Davante Adams, a one-man offense masquerading as a receiver.

The Packers are still one of the most talented teams in the NFL, but it’s hard to point to more than one area where they decidedly improved this offseason. Rodgers is still at the peak of his powers, gunning for a third straight MVP award, but it’s been proven that he cannot carry a team to a championship alone.

*7) Jerry Jones, owner, Dallas Cowboys*
Jones has already been talking about the warmth of the seat of his head coach. Mike McCarthy is not in any trouble, he says. But Jones does have options, he’d like to note. Jones will help determine whether or not the Cowboys can make a serious championship push – something that could mean making an in-season change from McCarthy to one of his ready-to-go coordinators.

As one of the power-centers of the league, Jones will also be heavily involved in any decision as it relates to Daniel Snyder’s ownership of the Commanders and approving the Walton family’s takeover of the Broncos.

*8) Josh McDaniels, head coach, LVegas Raiders*
Drop the Raiders into any other division in the NFL and they’d be a surefire contender. More often than not, they’d be the preseason favorite. Plop them in the AFC West, however, and you’re looking at a team that could conceivably finish first or last.

In his second go-round as a head coach, McDaniels has walked into a team with perhaps the finest skill position group anywhere in football. In Adams, he has the game’s top receiver. In Darren Waller, he has one of the upper-tier TEs. In Hunter Renfrow, the duo has an overqualified third banana. Locking in Derek Carr into a new contract gives the Raiders assurance at QB – and with a QB who continues to improve.

The Raiders should be good. The other AFC West teams look more complete. McDaniels and co. will likely be forced to play the role of spoilers: halting the Chargers’ momentum; making life uncomfortable for Mahomes and the Chiefs; knee-capping the start of the Walton-Wilson-Hackett era in Denver.

*9) Ken Dorsey, offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills*
The Bills have no obvious flaw. They have the deepest and most talented roster in the NFL. They have an elite QB. They have playmakers all over the field. They have a good OL. Their defensive front is loaded. Their secondary features the best safety tandem in the league. They are deep at corner. The only plausible cause for concern: Moving from Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator to Ken Dorsey. Daboll ran a specific system with Allen. And while Dorsey will likely look to replicate that success, it’s possible (though unlikely) that there could be some teething problems.

*10) Tom Brady, QB, TBay Buccaneers*
Brady’s retirement-unretirement was the dominant story of the offseason. One trip to Salford, and Brady decided he wasn’t quite ready to give up on this whole football thing after all. Whether or not this is his final season, before he takes up a lucrative job with FOX, remains to be seen. He is still at the apex of his powers, even at 44 years old. At this point, another MVP-caliber season is more of an expectation than a projection. And with reinforcements along the offense – on the line and at the skill positions – the Bucs enter the year as neck-a-neck favorites with the Rams to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.


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## Lethe200

Very sad news for us old-time football watchers: Len Dawson, Hall of Fame QB for the Chiefs in their first SB win, has died at age 87.

Free access link: Len Dawson dies at age of 87


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## Tempsontime65

Most folks think that it's Buffalo's time to win it all, but don't count out the Chiefs.. we'll see, let the games begin!!


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## Tempsontime65

As for the[NFC East] it may not be as cut a dried as some seem to think, I hate the[Dirty dallas cowboys] so if[Philly ]wins I'm cool and who knows, maybe my hometeam[ The Commanders] might get off the scrapheap and actually try to win too, why not...TEE IT UP!!


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## JustBonee

Watching some of the preseason games when I  catch them,   but really  not into any of it yet.   
No opinion on any standouts so far.


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## MarkinPhx

I don't have too many high hopes for the Cards. I'm still not convinced that Murray is the quality QB everyone seems to think he is and I sure don't think Kingsbury should be a head coach in the NFL. But they should be entertaining. If they were in a couple of other divisions then they might have a chance to sneak into the playoffs but with the Rams and 49's in the same division I think the Cards will be around 7-10 or so.


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## Paladin1950

Although I am a New Yorker (upstate, although I used to be a resident of NYC) I am a longtime Dallas Cowboys fan. Too many questions about this years team, so I'm not expecting the playoffs. But will be happy if they do make them.


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## SeniorBen

Russell Wilson is getting paid $245 million over five years. The Broncos are now primarily owned by the richest family in America: the Waltons (owners of Walmart). Bleh.

It's all about the money.


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## Paladin1950

SeniorBen said:


> Russell Wilson is getting paid $245 million over five years. The Broncos are now primarily owned by the richest family in America: the Waltons (owners of Walmart). Bleh.
> 
> It's all about the money.


The Waltons huh? I can imagine what it's like at bed time. 
"Goodnight John Boy!"
"Goodnight Mary Ellen."
"Goodnight Russell."
"Goodnight Grandma."
" Goodnight Grandpa."


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## Lethe200

Season starts this Thursday!

*NFL Division Winner predictions: The Athletic’s experts make their picks*
Aug 31, 2022 by The Athletic NFL Staff     Pt 1 of 2
The NFL season starts in less than 10 days, and teams have made their final cuts. Soon, we’ll be tuning into Rams vs. Bills on the night of Thursday Sept. 8.

The Athletic asked its group of NFL beat writers, editors and national reporters to make their predictions for this season. It’s a preseason look at the NFL and how things will play out this season. Today, we look at The Athletic’s experts’ picks for each division.

*AFC East*

It’s no surprise that all of our experts think the Bills will win the AFC East. The Patriots dominated the division for almost two decades with Tom Brady leading the way, and now it seems like it is Josh Allen’s turn. Since 2001, the only times the Patriots or Bills didn’t win the division were the Jets in 2002 and Dolphins in 2008. The Bills have won the last two years, and it is Super Bowl or bust for Buffalo after losing in heartbreaking fashion to the Chiefs last year in the playoffs.

The Athletic’s NFL model gives the Bills a 72.9% chance of winning the division.

*AFC North*

The defending AFC champions aren’t getting a whole lot of respect in their own division. Injuries ravaged the Ravens last season, and The Athletic’s experts think there will be a big bounce back from Lamar Jackson and crew this season. On the other hand, it seems surprising to see the Bengals not get that much love after their run to the Super Bowl that saw them upset the Titans and Chiefs.

Joe Burrow is entering his third season in Cincinnati, and the Bengals’ young core of players is only getting better, led by Ja’Marr Chase, who finished with 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns in his rookie season.

The Athletic’s NFL model gives the Ravens the best chance to win the division (38.6%) while the Bengals come in at 32.4%. The Browns are at 23.2%, and that is with Deshaun Watson being suspended for 11 of the 17 games this season.

*AFC South*

Our experts are big believers in Matt Ryan and Indianapolis’ ability to revive itself after losing to the Jaguars in the last game of the regular season and missing out on a playoff spot. The Colts were one of the most unlucky teams last year in the NFL. They had the seventh-best point differential but somehow only won nine games. That could be explained by losing five of their seven one-score games in 2021.

Tennessee went 6-2 in one-score games last year, and that’s after finishing 7-2 in one-score games in 2020. That’s an impressive record, but will it keep up? Teams usually regress to the mean in one-score games, and this might be the year the Titans’ luck runs out.

The Athletic’s NFL model gives the Colts a 64.1% chance to win the division while the Titans sit at 30.1. The Jaguars and Texans combine for less than a 6% chance.

*AFC West*

Welcome to the Wild, Wild West. Is there a more stacked division in all of the NFL? Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr make up the best collection of quarterbacks.

There’s no surprise that our experts favor the Chiefs to again win the AFC West. Since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50, the Chiefs have won six consecutive AFC West titles under Andy Reid. Not only has Kansas City won every title, but the Chiefs are 32-4 against the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos head-to-head since 2015, including a 5-1 record last season.

It’s a little surprising only two experts picked the Broncos to win the division. The Athletic’s NFL model gives Denver a 20.4% chance to win the division.

(_Sorry, I can only attach 5 jpgs - post continues with NFC teams, in Pt 2, below)_


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## Lethe200

*NFL Division Winner predictions: The Athletic’s experts make their picks*
Aug 31, 2022 by The Athletic NFL Staff Pt 2 of 2

*NFC East*

The NFC East comes down to the Cowboys and Eagles. It’s interesting to see our experts so divided on who wins the division. Our experts seem to think the Eagles had a great offseason and draft in addition to the arrivals of wide receiver A.J. Brown and pass rusher Haason Reddick. The Eagles weren’t very good in one-score games last season, going 2-4. Philadelphia also gets one of the easiest schedules this season.

Dallas forced the most turnovers last year in the NFL and had great injury luck, fumble recovery luck and won 63% of their one-score games. It seems our experts think the Cowboys are due for regression this season. The Athletic’s NFL model is more bullish on the Cowboys and gives them a 59.4% chance to win the NFC East while the Eagles only have a 23.3% chance.

*NFC North*

Green Bay continues to be elite on offense with Aaron Rodgers leading the way. The Packers have won three consecutive NFC North titles, and our experts expect them to make it four in a row. Rodgers continues to make Green Bay one of the best teams in the NFL in one-score games. Green Bay added defensive players at the top of the draft and hopes having an elite quarterback with a better defensive unit can lead to another Super Bowl run.

The Athletic’s NFL model gives the Packers a 70.3% chance to win the division. Our experts don’t expect the Lions to be able to win the division in their second year under Dan Campbell.

It’s interesting that some experts picked the Vikings to win the North. Minnesota played in 14 close games last year and lost eight of them. It makes sense because Minnesota is still loaded on offense with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook. New coach Kevin O’Connell comes from the Rams offense and should be able to make the most out of the talent on the offensive side of the ball.

*NFC South*

Tom Brady is back, and every expert thinks the Buccaneers will win the NFC South again after winning it in 2021. The Saints won four consecutive division titles before the Bucs took it last year. Tampa Bay lost guard Ali Marpet to retirement, and center Ryan Jensen is hurt. That could spell trouble for Brady with his offensive line.

The Athletic’s NFL model only gives the Bucs a 58.7% chance to win the NFC South. The Saints have the second-best chance at 31.3%.

*NFC West*

The NFC West can put up a good battle with the AFC West for best division in football. It’s not surprising to see the defending Super Bowl champion Rams get the majority of the votes here.

San Francisco is transitioning from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance at starting quarterback, and that will create some intrigue, especially after the news this week that Jimmy G is sticking around San Francisco for this season. The 49ers had some of the most injuries in the NFL last season and could be in for a strong 2022 if they stay healthy and Lance performs at quarterback.

The Athletic’s NFL model gives the Rams a 44.4% chance to win the division, the 49ers a 34.9% chance and the Cardinals a 19.1% chance.


----------



## Lethe200

And the season starts! Many have predicted it will be the Bills' year to win the SB, and they certainly looked it last night:

*Josh Allen leads Buffalo Bills to victory over LA Rams in NFL season opener*

Buffalo Bills 31-10 Los Angeles Rams
Bills quarterback throws three TDs and rushes for one
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was responsible for four touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams
Associated Press 08 Sep 2022

Josh Allen passed for 297 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, Von Miller had two of Buffalo’s seven sacks, and the Bills stamped themselves as a clear contender for the Rams’ Super Bowl crown with a 31-10 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie and Stefon Diggs caught touchdown passes as the two-time defending AFC East champion Bills opened the NFL’s 103rd season by overcoming four turnovers and running away with a blowout win in the same stadium where the Rams won the Super Bowl nearly seven months ago.

Allen went 26 for 31 despite two interceptions. He also rushed for 56 yards, scrambling for a four-yard TD when he stretched the ball over the line with 13:27 to play. The quarterback took his share of hits, but he also dished them out and showed off a mean stiff-arm while Buffalo’s offense under new coordinator Ken Dorsey largely dominated the champs.

Matthew Stafford passed for 240 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions on a bruising night for the Rams, who lost a season opener and fell below .500 for the first time in coach Sean McVay’s six seasons in charge.

The Bills’ seven sacks were the most allowed in McVay’s tenure with the Rams, who lost two starters from last year’s offensive line and attempted to replace them internally.

Diggs punctuated the domination with a 53-yard TD catch with 9:25 to play, talking trash to Rams All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey afterward.

Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp had 13 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, but the Rams’ night went quickly downhill after they unveiled their championship banner in a pregame ceremony. Los Angeles could not keep up with Allen’s creative playmaking or the Bills’ pass rush, and their only major offseason addition on offense — receiver Allen Robinson — had one catch on two targets. The Rams even got shut out in the second half, ending a streak of 89 consecutive halves with a point since November 2019.

Miller made an immediate impact in his debut for the Bills, who signed him away from the Rams after he won a ring in his half-season in LA. But he was just one part of a defense that yielded only 177 yards before Los Angeles’ final, meaningless drive.

Aaron Donald made his 99th career sack in the first half, but the seven-time All-Pro had just two tackles as the Rams became only the second defending champions in the last 10 years to lose the following season opener. Los Angeles trailed 17-10 after three quarters, but Buffalo ran away with two lengthy TD drives early in the fourth quarter.

With Dorsey taking over from Brian Daboll, the Bills went nine for 10 on third downs and racked up 413 total yards, but three first-half turnovers kept it close early. Allen set a career high to start a game by completing his first 10 passes, but linebacker Terrell Lewis’s interception stopped Buffalo’s second drive in Rams territory. Rookie James Cook fumbled away his first touch for Buffalo moments later, but Dane Jackson made an interception two snaps after that.

Los Angeles finally scored on their fourth drive when Kupp made an exceptional toe-tapping catch in the back of the end zone on a precise throw three minutes before halftime. The Rams got the ball back on Troy Hill‘s interception, and Matt Gay hit a 57-yard field goal to pull the Rams even at the halftime gun.


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## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 1 of the NFL Season     *(Pt 1 of 2)
The Steelers defense returned to form and A.J. Brown gave the Eagles the receiving target it has lacked as the NFL wobbled in the first week of the regular season.
NY Times Sept. 12, 2022

The first week of the NFL’s regular season never fails to make a mess. Upsets, mistakes, miracles and everything in between come pouring out as the season starts anew. Week 1’s false starts may have been a wake-up call to teams and their fans that the games count again - and that even a shaky start can offer firm takeaways.

*Mahomes-to-Kelce defines KC’s offense.*
The Cardinals, like most everyone else, figured that Patrick Mahomes might struggle to create big plays without Tyreek Hill, the three-time All-Pro receiver KC traded to Miami this off-season.

Throughout his career, Mahomes has been magical against blitzes, often beating them with his vision, quick trigger before defenders penetrate or using his athletic ability and creativity to break the pocket. Still, Arizona’s defensive coordinator Vance Joseph bet Hill’s departure would leave Mahomes in the lurch: He sent at least five rushers at Mahomes on over half the QB’s drop-backs on Sunday, an approach that seemed doomed to fail from the start. It did and Arizona lost, 44-21.

According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Mahomes had 137 yds on 15 of 21 passing and four TDs just against the blitz. Mahomes shined against standard defensive rushes, too. It helps that the QB’s go-to safety valve, TE Travis Kelce is still a stabilizing option. Coach Andy Reid made sure Kelce could get open for middle-distance throws that repeatedly burned the Cardinals and the TE caught 8 of 9 targets for 121 yds and one TD, leading all receivers.

On one third-quarter play, KC came out in a 13 personnel (three TEs) tight bunch formation with Kelce as the outside player in the bunch. He ran a deep over route, cutting just behind the middle player, who ran a deep corner route in front of him. Mahomes nailed him with a pass over the middle that zipped just over a linebacker’s outstretched arms for a first down.

Mahomes still has third-year receiver Mecole Hardman and KC added JuJu Smith-Schuster to the roster in the off-season to help plug the whole left by Hill’s departure. But the Mahomes-to-Kelce connection is still the most important one to the KC offense.

*The Steelers’ defense is back.*
Some things in the NFL feel inevitable. Pittsburgh featuring an elite defense is one of those givens, which is why their 2021 finish ranked 20th in the league in points allowed was such a shock.

On Sunday, however, the Steeler defense was a slot machine for explosive plays. Pull the lever on one play and you get safety Minkah Fitzpatrick jumping a corner route thrown too far inside for a pick-6. Pull the lever again and you get a blitz package that frees up linebacker Alex Highsmith to beat an offensive tackle one-on-one for a strip sack. Go back for a third pull and, would you look at that, T.J. Watt forces a tackle for loss and grabs an interception on back-to-back plays.

Sending pressure at Bengals QB Joe Burrow was key for most of the game. The Steelers bullied the rookie left guard Cordell Volson, who gave up a sack to Cameron Heyward on Cincinnati’s first offensive play, then targeted Volson’s side of the line for Highsmith’s first sack of the day. (He finished with three.)

Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin and the defensive coordinator Teryl Austin never took their feet off the gas, belittling Burrow for six sacks and four interceptions before the game went to OT (and recording one more sack in OT).

The Steelers offense is still an embarrassment beyond comprehension and couldn’t score more than 20 points in regulation despite being gifted an endless stream of possessions. Pittsburgh’s defense looked to be back but Watt, the reigning defensive player of the year, left the game in the Q4 with what is feared to be a torn pectoral muscle. (Update: It is, and he's probably out for the season)

*Justin Herbert is capable of perfection.*
The Raiders added an all-world receiver (Davante Adams) and a sack-monster (Chandler Jones) in the off-season. But their addition wasn’t enough to slow Justin Herbert or keep pace with the Chargers offense.

Herbert looked unflappable throwing three TDs through the first three quarters, with almost all of his best plays coming under pressure, outside the pocket, into a tight window, or some combination of all three.

Late in the second quarter, on second-and-2 from deep in Raiders’ territory, Herbert drilled a 23-yard TD pass down the left hash to DeAndre Carter that put the Chargers up, 17-3. The Raiders were in Tampa 2 coverage, which is Cover 2 with the middle linebacker running up the hashes to serve as a third “deep” player. Trying to throw underneath and inside the deep-half safety, yet away from and over the linebacker is no easy feat, yet Herbert made it look as routine as brushing his teeth or making the bed.

Midway through the third, Herbert extended the Chargers lead to 24-10 on a play where was forced outside of the pocket to his left, with his only receiving option pinned to that sideline in tight coverage. Herbert rifled the throw to Garrett Everett in the only spot where his defender did not have a shot at it. Everett pulled the pass in and stumbled four or five yds into the end zone for an 18-yard TD.

Even more promising: Herbert did not take any sacks in the 24-19 win, thanks in part to great work on the edge from left tackle Rashawn Slater, and did not throw an interception. The AFC West is on notice.

*A.J. Brown is exactly who the Eagles thought he was.*
Nobody has to declare one way or the other if QB Jalen Hurts is “the guy” for Philadelphia just yet. But it’s not the regular-season version of Hurts that the Eagles are worried about. The team knows it can get to double-digit wins and a playoff berth with him in the NFC East, where the Cowboys are a broken bone away from disaster, there’s an impending Carson Wentz meltdown ahead of the Commanders, and the Giants are working through the kinks of a first-year regime.

A.J. Brown just might make sure Hurts takes a step beyond reasonable expectations. The Eagles traded for the former Titans receiver in April and promptly signed him to a four-year, $100 million contract extension that paid off Sunday with dunks all over the Lions’ secondary.

The Eagles offense was a little slow off the block, getting out to a 7-point deficit in the first quarter, but Brown’s shoelace grab on an underthrown ball seemed to spark Philadelphia, which finally has what it has lacked among its receivers: a ball-getter. Late in the first half, Brown boxed out a Lions CB on a go ball, earning a 54-yard gain to set up a FG. Brown had over 100 yds in the first half.

Brown hasn’t solved anything as far as Hurts’s hesitancy to throw over the middle, a tendency that showed as Philadelphia eked out a 38-35 win over Detroit. But the Eagles offense has 17 more weeks to work that all out now that the team can count on the kind of ball-winner they needed on the outside.

*It’s Week 1 for everybody.*
NFL teams continue to build new stadiums to usher in the modern era. Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., and Allegiant Stadium for the LVegas Raiders all opened in the past five years and have set a new standard for the live NFL experience. Other teams and fan bases aren’t so fortunate.

The Chicago Bears are still holding onto Soldier Field for dear life, even at the potential cost of player safety. Rain fell all over Chicago’s poorly kept pitch for hours before the team hosted the 49ers, soaking the field beyond what should be acceptable for an NFL game. Puddles formed everywhere, and players struggled to find their footing pregame and early in the match. Even the painted sidelines started to lose their form in a way that made it seem like the ground crew was drunk when they put them on there.

Washington’s stadium didn’t fare any better. The overhang above a concourse at FedEx leaked as a result of a busted pipe, in what is becoming a ritual of building failures. Just last season, a failing guard rail caused fans to fall onto Eagles QB Jalen Hurts as he left the field. The Commanders’ stadium isn’t as ancient as 98-year-old Soldier Field, but having opened in 1997, it’s probably due for some proper renovations.


----------



## MarkinPhx

What I learned from week 1 is that it is going to be a long season for Arizona Cardinals fans. Actually, I kind of suspected it would be.


----------



## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 1 of the NFL Season *(Pt 2 of 2)
NY Times Sept. 12, 2022

*Around the NFL:

Buccaneers 19, Cowboys 3: *The Bucs’ offense picked up where it left off Sunday night. Tom Brady pushed the ball beyond 10 yds all night long while still getting the ball off in a hurry, a combination only he can pull off consistently. Dallas, on the other hand, looked nothing like the team that set the league ablaze early last season. Dak Prescott completed fewer than half his passes, threw an interception and couldn’t lead the offense to a single TD, thanks in part to the reserve Noah Brown and the rookie undrafted free agent Dennis Houston being forced into significant roles at WR. Prescott also left the game late in the Q4 with a hand injury. It’s unclear for now if he needs surgery - the team owner Jerry Jones said he would, but Coach Mike McCarthy said Prescott had yet to see a doctor - but he is likely to miss some time. If Prescott misses longer than even a week or two, Dallas’s season could start to spiral out of control.

*Chargers 24, Raiders 19: *Davante Adams caught 10 of his 17 targets for 141 yds and a score, but TE Darren Waller was the only other Raiders pass-catcher with more than three catches or 21 yds. The Chargers pulled ahead early in the game behind Justin Herbert’s three TD throws and LA got a look at their new edge pairing of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, who combined for 4.5 sacks.

*KC 44, Cardinals 21: *Playing without DeAndre Hopkins, the Cardinals trotted out multiple receivers who are 5-foot-9 or shorter, save for A.J. Green, and asked Kyler Murray to find them. It didn’t work. Patrick Mahomes finished with five passing TDs, the eighth time he has done so since 2018. No other QB has more than three such performances over that span.

*Giants 21, Titans 20: *Daniel Jones was under relentless pressure all day, taking five sacks, and turning the ball over via fumble and interception. But jones was exceptionally accurate (17 of 21 passing for 188 yds and two TDs) when not having to pick grass out of his face mask and Saquon Barkley looked as explosive as he has in years, finishing with 164 yds on 18 carries thanks in part to some creative gap scheme runs out from Coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. With about a minute to go, Daboll’s gutsy two-point conversion call was the difference.

*Vikings 23, Packers 7: *Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson connected on 9 of his 11 targets, for 184 yds. Jefferson kicked off the game’s scoring with a simple slide route across the formation on fourth-and-goal. In the second quarter, Jefferson split GBay’s safeties on a deep post for an explosive play, before ripping a crossing route for a 36-yard TD just before the end of the half. The Packers? Well, they’re going to need some time to figure things out.

*Saints 27, Falcons 26: *The Saints salvaged an otherwise brutal showing with a monster Q4. Through most of the game, QB Jameis Winston got beat up every which way while the Falcons offense found ways into the end zone thanks to Marcus Mariota’s athleticism, a strong debut from Drake London (five catches for 74 yds and 1 TD), and a surprising effort between the tackles from Cordarrelle Patterson. But, y’know, the Falcons are going to Falcon.

*Bears 19, 49ers 10: *The torrential downpour before the game dictated that this game would be a run-heavy brawl, which in theory should have benefited a Kyle Shanahan team. But the Bears persisted, coming alive in the second half after laying an egg early. QB Justin Fields finally got a few chances to rip it down the field, finding the end zone twice, and the Bears new-look defense completely shut out SF’s new starter, Trey Lance, when he needed to drop back and throw the 49ers back into the game.

*Steelers 23, Bengals 20 (OT): *This was a tale of two Steelers units. On defense, Pittsburgh looked as suffocating as it ever has in the Mike Tomlin era. On the other side of the ball, the offense completely ran out of steam after finding some success with screens, flea flickers, and other cheap nonsense despite being gifted the ball time and time again. Joe Burrow’s late-game magic fell short of 2021’s standard through no fault of his own as kicker Evan McPherson whiffed a potential game-winner in OT.

*Eagles 38, Lions 35: *It took the Lions a long time to make this a game. QB Jared Goff was 3-for-10 with 6 yds passing and a pick-6 early, but got a boost in the second half from D’Andre Swift, who ripped off a number of chunk gains to keep the offense ahead of the sticks. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Eagles rode A.J. Brown’s 155 receiving yds to a win.

*Dolphins 20, Patriots 7: *Both offenses came into this game with questions about their new schemes and young QBs. Only the Dolphins left it feeling optimistic about their makeover. Even with a useless Miami running game, Tua Tagovailoa rattled off 23-of-33 passing for 270 yds, a TD, and no picks, finding Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle for 163 of those yds. NE’s Mac Jones wasn’t so fortunate as he was constantly under siege, making it difficult to do anything but get the ball out quickly to the flat or throw up hope-and-a-prayer go balls.

*Ravens 24, Jets 9: *The Jets decided that making backup QB Joe Flacco throw 59 passes was the way to win a game. In the year two thousand twenty two. Against Lamar Jackson. The Ravens QB found his stride on vertical passes, connecting with Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay for TDs of more than 25 yds. Jackson’s contract campaign is off to an excellent start.

*Commanders 28, Jaguars 22: *Carson Wentz had an extremely Carson Wentz game, tossing four TDs (a couple of which required excellent touch) and appearing to try to throw the game away in the second half. His two interceptions led to 10 Jaguars points and jolted Trevor Lawrence back to life. In the end, Wentz led Washington on a 13-play TD drive to put this one away.

*Browns 26, Panthers 24: *Baker Mayfield led a valiant 17-point Q4, but the shock was how much the Carolina offense struggled to run against Cleveland’s unproven interior defensive line. Christian McCaffrey earned just 33 yds on 10 carries and watched as the Browns’ Nick Chubb trucked along through the Panthers front for 141 yds on 22 carries. With the team playing behind backup QB Jacoby Brissett, Chubb’s output gave the Browns’ offense just enough stability for a win.

*Colts 20, Texans 20 (OT): *It took the Colts’ defense three quarters to stop Davis Mills from putting up M.V.P. numbers. For a good portion of the game, Mills had over eight yds per attempt, regularly finding his TEs down the seams for explosive plays. Jonathan Taylor wore down the Texans defense, plowing through for 161 yds and a score on 31 carries, but Indianapolis still left with a tie thanks to a 42-yard missed FG attempt from Rodrigo Blankenship, with two minutes remaining in OT.

*Monday Night Football: begins 8:30p ET*
It's the Russell Wilson vs Pete Carroll grudge match, as the Broncos visit the Seahawks. The Hawks are a leading candidate for the chance to draft a future QB in the first round of next year's draft class, which is considered to have multiple good candidates. Being in the NFC West it will take a miracle for Seattle not to end up on the bottom.

OTOH, that miracle may happen after what happened on week 1 above. The SB Champs Rams sure didn't look like it against the Bills on Thursday Night Football, losing 31-10 in a nasty Josh Allen-led whupping. The SF Niners may also stumble around with a leaky OL and a rookie QB with only 29 total games _counting high school and college! _The assumption is even the aging AZ Cardinals, who are desperately missing the suspended DeAndre Hopkins to give erratic Kyler Murray a target to throw to, will still be better than the Hawks....maybe.

Nobody knows what to expect from the Broncos, either, as it's not only a new QB but a new HC/OC with a different system than before (but one Wilson is familiar with, at least). But the Broncs still have a good D, despite having lost future HoF'er Von Miller two years ago, who wrecked absolute havoc on the LA Rams last Thursday. Poor Joe Noteboom, who might ultimately be a fine replacement for Andrew Whitworth, was hapless against Miller’s combination of speed, bending and bull rushing moves. Miller had two sacks, two QB hits and three tackles for loss vs LAR.


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## Lethe200

And the injuries start: not just TJ Watt of the Steelers.

*Cowboys' Dak Prescott reportedly out 6-8 weeks, has surgery after suffering hand injury*
Yahoo Sports September 12, 2022
Dak Prescott will miss multiple weeks after suffering a hand injury that required surgery, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday night after his team suffered a 19-3 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ESPN's Todd Archer later reported Prescott will miss 6-8 weeks. He underwent surgery on Monday, according to multiple reports. Jones told reporters postgame that Prescott needed surgery on a joint above the thumb on his throwing hand. "Dak will be out for awhile," Jones said.
=======

There is also some gossip that LARams QB Stafford has some lingering elbow soreness. He threw _a lot more passes _last year for LAR than he ever had done with Detroit.

One sportswriter posited that was why the Niners did their last-minute deal with Jimmy Garoppolo. Supposedly Niner mgmt heard that LAR's HC Sean McVay was just waiting for the Niners to cut JG loose and they could swoop in to pick up a solid back-up. When with the Niners, JG *never *lost a game to LAR. He has a perfect 6-0 record vs McVay.

So the Niners swallowed their pride and cut a deal with JG to keep him from being grabbed by their historic, long-time, most-hated divisional opponent.

Might be true, might not be; but it makes a lot of sense the Rams would want a solid back-up if they want to repeat as SB champs.


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## SeniorBen

Russell Wilson has a $296 million, seven year deal with the Broncos.  

He had a pretty good game and it wasn't his fault they lost. It was due more to fumbles in the red zone and penalties.

But considering who the new owners of the Broncos are, I can't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude over their loss.


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## Been There

The Steelers-Bengals game played on Sunday may be one of the best games to be seen on TV this season.


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## JustBonee

MarkinPhx said:


> What I learned from week 1 is that it is going to be a long season for Arizona Cardinals fans. Actually, I kind of suspected it would be.



Didn't catch that game,  but have a question for you @MarkinPhx   ... is JJ Watt still playing for the Cardinals?
I was wondering if he has decided to  hang it up  yet?  ... he really should after all the continuous injuries.


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## MarkinPhx

Bonnie said:


> Didn't catch that game,  but have a question for you @MarkinPhx   ... is JJ Watt still playing for the Cardinals?
> I was wondering if he has decided to  hang it up  yet?  ... he really should after all the continuous injuries.


He is still in the roster but he did not play Sunday due to a calf injury. I agree.. he's great for morale but probably should retire due to do his injuries. His brother too !


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## JustBonee

These guys!!  
 They never seem to be able to give it up when it's time  .... ( like Brady too.)


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## Paco Dennis

Been There said:


> The Steelers-Bengals game played on Sunday may be one of the best games to be seen played this season.


Fantastic game. Bizarre ending!!


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## Lethe200

Good news for Cowboy fans:

*Cowboys get positive Dak Prescott news and how they plan to move forward with Cooper Rush*
The Athletic 13Sept2022

Dak Prescott had surgery on his right thumb Monday afternoon. The Cowboys quarterback was originally expected to miss at least a month and possibly two. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says that’s no longer the case. During his weekly Tuesday morning appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said Prescott is not going on injured reserve because the team now believes he will be able to return within the next four weeks. A move to the IR would prevent Prescott from playing in the next four games.

“We want him to be in consideration for playing within the next four games,” Jones said. “We feel very good after surgery, listening to the medical people that Dak has a real chance to be back out there, throwing the ball pretty quick. Nobody in medical knows those timelines good, but if we thought he wouldn’t be ready to go until after four games, we would put him on IR. We’re not doing that. We think he can come in and play, so we don’t want to not have him out there practicing, we want him getting prepared. We’ll see how he handles this thing, how it heals, mainly his strength, how he can grip the ball, what his status is.”

The early speculation was that Prescott might not return until the Cowboys traveled to Green Bay in Week 10. They now believe he could be back by Week 4 or 5. “That’s not being optimistic,” Jones said. “The proof is that we got a good surgery, got a good technique. We feel better about it than we did Sunday night.”

Either way, the immediate focus shifts to who will be replacing Prescott. Cooper Rush will be the starter this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. His backup will be Will Grier, who will be elevated from the practice squad.

The Cowboys were originally expected to move Prescott to the injured reserve and add a third quarterback to the mix. In the 24 hours following Prescott’s injury, names like free agent Cam Newton, the NFL’s 2015 MVP, and 49ers backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo were mentioned most by media members.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked Monday if Prescott’s injury opens up the possibility of trade talks with the Cowboys for Garoppolo. “Just like all players, we’ll listen to anybody on anything,” Shanahan said. “That never changes for any player or coach. We’ll always listen to anybody.”

But a move like that would cost the Cowboys significant draft picks, which was always a highly unlikely possibility for a team built around drafting and developing. “It’s unlikely that you’d have a veteran quarterback that could get in here and be ready to play as well as those guys can play,” Jones said Tuesday, referring to Rush and Grier, “even if you thought (that player) might have a talent advantage.”

Rush has been Prescott’s backup for the majority of the past five years. He has appeared in 11 games, completing 38-of-63 passes for 488 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 93.9 passer rating. His lone start came in last year’s 20-16 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8.


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## JustBonee

Wish Jerry was around  ....


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## Lethe200

Monday Night Football 9/12/2022: SEAHAWKS 17, BRONCOS 16

*In Russell Wilson’s Seattle Return, Seahawks Have the Last Word*
Wilson connected on big passing plays in his return to the city he led to a Super Bowl title, but a missed field-goal attempt in the final minute denied his Denver Broncos a victory.
NYT Sept. 13, 2022

SEATTLE — It didn’t take long for the Seattle Seahawks and their fans to move on from the Russell Wilson era. Never mind that he had led the team through a decade of winning. Never mind that he had helped secure the team’s only Super Bowl title.

The Seahawks traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos in the off-season after he grew disillusioned with his former team’s lack of protection for him, and its unwillingness to give him a voice in personnel decisions. Ultimately, the gap between Wilson and the club grew too wide to close.

That gap was a big reason Wilson, despite all his success during 10 seasons in Seattle, was showered with boos from the moment he took the field for warm-ups before the Broncos played the Seahawks in their season opener on Monday. The boos continued when the teams re-emerged for kickoff, and every time Wilson touched the ball or overthrew a receiver.

The boos only stopped, in fact, when they were replaced by Seattle cheers in the game’s final moments: Wilson’s final drive ended when Broncos Coach Nathaniel Hackett opted to send out kicker Brandon McManus for a 64-yard FG attempt with 20 seconds on the clock. With Wilson watching from the sideline, his night over, McManus missed the kick, allowing the Seahawks to escape with a 17-16 victory.

Wilson very nearly silenced his doubters, passing for 340 yds and a TD and repeatedly connecting with his new receivers, Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, for big gains. Playing from behind in the third quarter, Wilson led the Broncos on back-to-back drives into the red zone. But the Broncos came away with no points because his RBs, Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, fumbled on goal-line stands to help the Seahawks maintain a 17-13 lead. The heralded Denver defense also did Wilson few favors. Denver had 12 penalties overall, for 106 yds, but several by the defense allowed the Seahawks to extend drives.

But Wilson said he had no problem with Hackett’s decision to go to McManus to try to win the game. “I don’t think it was the wrong decision; I think he could make it,” Wilson said. “Obviously in hindsight, we didn’t make it, but if we were in that situation again, I wouldn’t doubt whatever he decided.”


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## JustBonee

Oh,  the drama of Tom Brady  .....  is he going to retire and start going to PTA meetings? ..  Or is there a divorce in the works?

Family meetings must be interesting now.


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## Lethe200

Bonnie said:


> Oh,  the drama of Tom Brady  .....  is he going to retire and start going to PTA meetings? ..  Or is there a divorce in the works? Family meetings must be interesting now.


I don't think one can blame Gisele; she has been worried for years about the concussions Tom Brady has taken and the possible effects of CTE. And really, what else does he have to prove? Your kids only grow up once - miss those occasions and you've lost them forever. He's already missed a lot of time with them.

Brady is a truly great QB, but I think he needs to move on in life.


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## Lethe200

*NFL Week 2 Predictions: Our Picks Against the Spread*  (also Thurs Nite Ftball results)
Tom Brady brings a grudge to New Orleans, the Bengals and Cowboys look to rebound, and the Eagles and Vikings cap a Monday night doubleheader.
NY Times Sept. 16, 2022

What a wild and unpredictable week of football it was: five upsets, 14 missed FGs, five games that came down to the final minute, both Super Bowl teams losing, a penalty for using a towel to dry the field and, strangest of all, a tie.

Thursday Nite Football saw two AFC West rivals, the Chargers and KC, go head-to-head, as well as a Monday night doubleheader. The Saints will try to keep their regular-season shutout streak against Tom Brady alive. Jaguars matchup provides some betting intrigue.

_All times Eastern._
*Sunday’s Best Games

TBay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints, 1p, Fox*
Pick: Buccaneers

Tom Brady has been shut out only three times in his career, the last time coming against the Saints last season in a 9-0 loss. In fact, the Saints have beaten the Buccaneers in their last seven regular season contests, a fact that might have figured into Brady’s reconsidering his retirement.

The Saints (1-0) are coming off a dramatic win in Atlanta, in which they gave up over 200 rushing yds to the Falcons and Jameis Winston was sacked four times. The Buccaneers, who were the NFL’s top passing team last season, showed they can run the ball, too, in Week 1, when Leonard Fournette got 127 yds on 21 carries. The Buccaneers (1-0) always attract a lot of public money, and this week is no different, with 68 percent of the bets so far on the visiting favorites.

*Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens, 1p, CBS*
Pick: Ravens

Lamar Jackson is undefeated in all three home-openers he has started. Jackson, the Ravens (1-0) QB, may be bolstering his case for an elite QB contract by proving to the team that he’s more than just a rushing QB: He ran for just 17 of Baltimore’s 63 rushing yds in Week 1, (the lowest team total of his career as a starter), and threw for three TDs in a 24-9 rout of the Jets last week.

The Dolphins (1-0) didn’t need to show the full extent of their passing offense last week to beat the Patriots, but they could look to get Tyreek Hill his first TD of the season against a Ravens secondary that may struggle without CB Kyle Fuller, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

*Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25p, CBS*
Pick: Bengals

Dak Prescott fractured his thumb in last week’s loss to the Buccaneers, forcing the Cowboys (0-1) to turn to the inexperienced backup Cooper Rush for a tough schedule stretch - unless Jerry Jones picks up Jimmy Garoppolo or Cam Newton to fill in. In Rush’s only other NFL start, in 2021, he led the Cowboys to a thrilling comeback win against Minnesota, with 325 passing yds and two TDs, including six completions to CeeDee Lamb for 112 yds.

He’ll need a similar game to beat the Bengals (0-1) this week as 8.5-point home underdogs. Joe Burrow is coming off a dreadful performance - four interceptions, seven sacks and a lost fumble - in an OT loss to the Steelers and will be looking to get Cincinnati back on track.

*Sunday’s Other Games

Carolina Panthers at Giants, 1p, Fox*
Pick: Giants

The Giants’ first-year head coach Brian Daboll’s gamble to go for 2 at the end of last week’s upset over the Titans paid off with a win and buy-in from players. The Giants (1-0) are favorites this week against the Panthers (0-1), who also come off a close game.

The teams’ Week 1 performances were mirror images: The Giants out-rushed the Titans but were beaten in the air; the Panthers out-passed the Browns but were beaten on the ground. We may see those same strengths and weaknesses play out in another tight finish.

*Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1p, CBS*
Pick: Colts

The Colts (0-0-1) were one of the biggest favorites last week and ended up playing the much-maligned Texans to a tie. Despite having lost seven straight games in Jacksonville, the Colts are the favorites.

*NE Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1p, CBS*
Pick: Patriots

Pittsburgh is a home underdog, though the line opened at some books as a pick ’em. The total is the lowest of the week, which all points to this game ending up a battle between defenses. The Steelers (1-0) defense looked stellar against the AFC champion Bengals in Week 1, but T.J. Watt tore his pectoral muscle in the Q4 of that win and will be out for this game and possibly the entire season.

*Jets at Cleveland Browns, 1p, CBS*
Pick: Browns

The Jets (0-1) were handled by the Ravens last week but still managed to put up nearly 400 yds of offense. The Browns (1-0) pulled off a win in Charlotte, thanks to a big rushing game and a 58-yard last-minute FG. Cleveland should win this one at home, but the Jets will put up a good fight. The market so far favors the Jets, with the line having moved a half point toward the Browns.

*Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions, 1p, Fox*
Pick: Lions

This game’s line opened with the Lions as betting favorites.

*Atlanta Falcons at LA Rams, 4:05p, Fox*
Pick: Rams

Both teams will look to get past embarrassing Week 1 miscues: The Rams (0-1) are hoping to avenge their home loss in the season opener, and the Falcons (0-1) are still smarting after blowing a big lead in the Q4 to the Saints. The Rams have all the advantages in this matchup, and should win, but 10.5 seems like a half point too many.

*Seattle Seahawks at SF 49ers, 4:05p, Fox*
Pick: 49ers

After the Seahawks (1-0) beat the Broncos on Monday night, Geno Smith said “they wrote me off; I ain’t write back, though.” He may have convinced Seattle fans that he could fill Russell Wilson’s shoes, but he didn’t convince the bookmakers, who made the Seahawks big underdogs against the 49ers.

Niners' sort-of-rookie-QB Trey Lance, with far fewer doubters, had a disappointing game against the Bears last week in a downpour.

*Arizona Cardinals at LVegas Raiders, 4:25p, CBS*
Pick: Raiders

The Cardinals looked terrible on last Sunday, but looks could be deceiving - they might have simply been outshined by an impressive KC team. Kyler Murray threw for 193 yds, two TDs and no interceptions. That’s a stat line that could have won against a lot of opponents. It might be enough to play within a TD of the Raiders.

*Houston Texans at Denver Broncos, 4:25p, CBS*
Pick: Broncos

Broncos Coach Nathaniel Hackett has been raked over the coals this week for his decision to try for a record-setting 64-yard FG rather than going for it on fourth down at the end of their loss to Seattle last week. But that was only the final mistake. The Broncos (0-1) went 0-4 in the red zone and fumbled on the 1-yard line TWICE. The Texans (0-0-1) fought valiantly to come away with a tie against the Colts in Week 1 and are now in first place in the AFC South.

*Chicago Bears at GBay Packers, 8:20p, NBC*
Pick: Packers

The Bears (1-0) are coming off a big win. The Packers (0-1) are coming off a big loss. The Packers looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL in their opener, with nothing going right. This week they should get back to form at home against a Bears team that was helped last week by some miserable weather at home that kept the score low and the game close.

*Monday’s Games

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills, 7:15p, ESPN*
Pick: Bills

The Bills (1-0) looked like a Super Bowl contender in their 31-10 drubbing of the reigning champions last week. Everyone knew the Bills had a powerful offense, but they showed off an improved defense, with the newcomer Von Miller getting two of the team’s seven sacks. The Titans lost a heartbreaker to the Giants after looking solid for three quarters. They should put up a better defensive effort against the Bills than the Rams did. It won’t be enough to win, but it might be enough to keep it interesting.

*Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:30p, ABC*
Pick: Eagles

Minnesota’s former coach, Mike Zimmer, had a style that was run-first, defensive-minded, smash-mouth football. Now, with Kevin O’Connell at the helm, we get to see what this team can do when they look to receiver Justin Jefferson as the offense’s first option. Last week, Kirk Cousins threw for 277 yds without an interception and connected with Jefferson nine times for 184 yds and two TDs.

The Eagles, on the other hand, barely survived against the Lions. Jalen Hurts doesn’t look bad, but can the Eagles (1-0) defense that allowed 35 points from Detroit handle this new Minnesota offense?

*Thursday’s Result: KC 27, LA Chargers 24*
We picked KC figuring that Patrick Mahomes’s offense would continue its steam-rolling pace from Week 1. Justin Herbert and the Chargers got out to a 10-point lead in the third quarter but, true to form, allowed KC to make enough plays to hang close before Jaylen Watson’s 99-yard pick-6 changed the game.

Mahomes collected 235 yds and two TD on 24 of 35 passing, mostly on short passes as LA’s secondary prevented big play outbursts. In a battle of star young QBs, Mahomes was the clear winner, with one TD pass that left viewers gasping in amazement as he avoided the rush, neatly escaped an almost certain outside tackle, and flipped the ball in a sidearm throw that was gathered in for a score.


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## Don M.

I noticed that Thursday Night Football will now only be available to those with an Amazon Prime membership.  What a Crock!  I just hope the viewership drops substantially in coming weeks, and forces the NFL to rethink that dumb move.


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## Lethe200

Don M. said:


> I noticed that Thursday Night Football will now only be available to those with an Amazon Prime membership.  What a Crock!  I just hope the viewership drops substantially in coming weeks, and forces the NFL to rethink that dumb move.


Well, in the long run it'll probably be a success - but in the short term I agree it will hurt them. I'm a Prime member, so I can access them. But we recently dropped cable and oddly, although I was able to add Amazon Video (where TNF resides) to our Roku menu on our TV, I had a terrible time FINDING the taped video at first!

I went thru Roku to add AVideo, which was a simple process. Then I accessed Amazon and told it to record the 9/15 game - being on the West Coast, it starts too early and I'm in the middle of making dinner by then. But I couldn't figure out where the video was stored - both Roku and Amazon have cloud storage, but even Googling didn't help me find a straight answer.

Frustrated, I gave up and went to Hulu to watch one of my other taped games....and there was my Amazon TNF video. To me this is just strange, because Hulu and Roku are entirely separate companies, and I can't watch Amazon Prime live through Hulu, only thru Roku. 

So why does the football video store itself on Hulu's cloud? I have absolutely NO idea, LOL.


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## Tempsontime65

The early part of the season is the[Twilight Zone]..the Giants[2-0] Miami[2-0] stay tuned!!


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## Paco Dennis

delete


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## SeniorBen

Don M. said:


> I noticed that Thursday Night Football will now only be available to those with an Amazon Prime membership.  What a Crock!  I just hope the viewership drops substantially in coming weeks, and forces the NFL to rethink that dumb move.


And you can't watch Monday Night Football without a subscription to ESPN, although last night, there were two games... one on ESPN and one on network TV. I'm a Bills fan and wasn't able to watch them play, but I did watch the highlights. Looked like a hell of a game!


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## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 2 of the NFL Season *Pt 1 of 2
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals had Sunday’s best comeback, Russell Wilson’s Broncos offense needs more time to cook, and the Giants are … working on some things.

NY Times Sept. 18, 2022
No more Week 1 rust, no more excuses. Fifteen teams entered Week 2 looking to avoid starting the season in an 0-2 hole. That desperation sparked collapses in Baltimore in Cleveland and LVegas or chest-thumping finishes for Miami, the Jets and Arizona.

*The Most Interesting Games:

Cardinals 29, Raiders 23*
Kyler Murray went into video game mode. The Cardinals had no business toppling the Raiders, after getting shut out in the first half. But Kyler Murray led two Q4 TD drives, finishing them both with successful 2-point conversions, to force an OT period that Arizona unbelievably pulled out.

With over 8 minutes remaining and an Arizona fourth-and-4 from the 25-yd line, Murray looked to newly added receiver (and former college teammate) Marquise Brown for a sideline shot right on the front left pylon.

Somehow, Murray pinned the ball between two defenders in tight coverage, giving Brown the chance to haul in a one-handed grab to put the Cardinals on the 1-yd line. Darrel Williams carried in the TD.

On the 2-point attempt, Murray scrambled for 20 seconds to keep the play alive as he searched for a target in the end zone. Finding none, he punched it in himself to narrow the score to 23-15.

The Cardinals’ next drive was slower and more methodical, but also required some magic. Another Murray scramble on a fourth-and-1 kept the possession alive, and a defensive holding call bailed Arizona out of an incompletion on another fourth down at the Raiders’ 7-yd line with just 16 seconds to go.

Murray eventually scampered for a 3-yd TD as time expired before nailing a throw to the back of the end zone to convert the 2-point attempt that pushed the game to OT.

The Cardinals fell flat in their one OT possession, but were saved when linebacker Isaiah Simmons forced a fumble by Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow just as LVegas entered FG range, giving way to a Byron Murphy scoop-and-score to close the game.

*Broncos 16, Seahawks 9*
Russell Wilson’s Broncos offense seems undercooked. If letting Wilson cook is Denver’s game plan, they are going to need more time in the kitchen. The Broncos’ offense was mostly fine in the opener on the road against Seattle - never mind all the late game mismanagement from head coach Nathaniel Hackett - but probably not as explosive as the team had hoped when they traded for Wilson.

A jittery and emotional opening night is one thing. A second, much worse performance should worry Denver.

Wilson and the Broncos eventually mustered the game’s first TD in the Q4, and held on to beat the Texans, but were discombobulated in the 45 minutes of clock before that. Wilson completed just six of his first 20 passes for 93 yds, missing a handful of throws by a country mile.

The only explosive play the offense had for a good while was a back shoulder ball to Courtland Sutton that was eerily reminiscent of when Wilson used to bail himself out of ruts in Seattle with deep sideline throws to DK Metcalf.

Wilson’s second-quarter interception came on a pass attempt in which he seemed to squeeze in a seam throw to Sutton with the Texans in Tampa 2 coverage, a staple for head coach Lovie Smith. The pass needed to be threaded past the linebacker Christian Kirksey, who was close enough to rip the ball away from Sutton and take it for himself.

Hackett earned blame for the offense’s sputtering in this game too, but has said throughout training camp and the preseason that this is Wilson’s offense so it’s impossible for either to shoulder all the responsibility for an unimpressive start. When they’ll look like the dynamo that was billed when Wilson arrived is anyone’s guess.

*Rams 31, Falcons 27*
A win doesn’t obscure the Rams’ troubles. In Week 1, LAR looked nothing like the team that won last season’s SB. Against the Buffalo Bills, Matthew Stafford’s passes seemed weaker, no receiver besides Cooper Kupp could get open, and every defensive player not named Aaron Donald seemed to be playing at 0.75x speed. Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons was expected to be a "get right" game, but the Rams’ win provided only a little relief.

Let’s quickly touch on the good: Coach Sean McVay was in his bag again. On a down-to-down basis, the Rams offense looked cohesive and the Darrell Henderson-Cam Akers rushing platoon was just good enough to free up the passing game. Stafford looked stronger with the Falcons pass rush unable to generate anything near the pressure the Bills did. Receiver Allen Robinson caught four of five targets for 53 yds.

The bad news is the Rams could not stop turning the ball over. Stafford threw his second pick in the game’s second half, the first of three turnovers over a four-drive stretch.

Two drives after that interception, Falcons rookie Troy Andersen blocked a punt that Atlanta returned for a TD. On the Rams’ next drive, Kupp caught a wide-open pass over the middle from Stafford, only to have the ball knocked out from behind and recovered by Atlanta.

LA avoided embarrassment on their home field thanks to Jalen Ramsey Moss-ing a Falcons receiver for an interception on the potential game-winning drive, but the Rams allowed Atlanta to make this one much closer than it should have been.

*Dolphins 42, Ravens 38*
Tua Tagovailoa took full advantage of the Ravens’ ravaged secondary. Heading into Q4, the Ravens had the Dolphins dead to rights. Up 35-14, Lamar Jackson was putting together an MVP-level performance, throwing for over 10 yds per pass while rushing for 119 yds and a score on just nine carries. The Dolphins’ offense could only get short bursts of yardage, mostly thanks to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle gaining ground after their catches.

Baltimore took a three score lead into the final period and surely thought it would be enough to win. But the Ravens’ secondary has been a monstrosity since 2021, when four CBs finished the season on injured reserve and the team allowed the most pass yds of any defense in the league.

With Marcus Peters playing his first game since tearing his ACL last season and Kyle Fuller out having sustained the same injury in Week 1, the Ravens’ secondary blew coverage after coverage, allowing both Hill and Waddle to get 10 yds behind them on multiple occasions. Tua Tagovailoa had no issue finding the Dolphins’ two track stars running wind sprints past the Ravens’ safeties. He threw three TDs within the first 10 minutes of the Q4 to tie the game, 35-35.

Baltimore responded with a 51-yd FG to go ahead, giving Miami the ball back with just over 2 minutes remaining. Last season, that would have been a safe bet. With aggressive first-year head coach Mike McDaniel and a newly stocked receiver corps, not so much.

Tagovailoa found Hill and Waddle with a string of quick throws to drive to the Ravens’ 7-yd line with 23 seconds left. After a first-down incompletion, Miami’s QB made his best play of the day, dancing out of a sack to his left to thread a pass just over Damarion Williams’s fingertips for Waddle in the middle of the end zone.

*Lions 36, Commanders 27*
The scrappy heart of the Lions is its OL. Lions HC Dan Campbell once told everyone that his team would bite kneecaps off, but instead they’re looking like the fun, scrappy charmer of the NFL. It’s a respite from the weekly heartbreak of the 2021 season, when Detroit would go for it on fourth downs to get an edge and still lose because the Lions just didn’t have the horses.

Detroit took on a solid Washington team on Sunday, getting a win at home. Through the first 30 minutes of the game the Lions (1-1) dominated, going up 22-0.

Jared Goff put up a better-than-solid performance, throwing for 256 yds and four TDs on 20 of 34 passing, but the heart of this effort was Detroit’s reserve OL. Down all three of their Week 1 starting interior OL men, the Lions’ bigs still ran through Washington’s front. With no Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow or Logan Stenberg in the lineup, the OL ground out consistent gains and cleared a few highway-sized rushing lanes for D’Andre Swift to rip off explosive runs. There are few tests of a coaching staff like being able to keep backup OLs ready, and Detroit’s line coach, Hank Fraley, has kept that unit at the top of the league through three seasons in the role.

Commanders (1-1) QB Carson Wentz (30 of 46, 337 yds, 3 TDs) dug deep into his bag of bizarre tricks, throwing TD passes on four of his first five possessions of the second half. But Lions DE John Cominsky came up with a huge sack on Wentz on fourth-and-4 at the Commanders’ 39-yd line to end their final drive.


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## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 2 of the NFL Season *Pt 2 of 2
NY Times Sept. 18, 2022

*Giants 19, Panthers 16*
The Giants offense is still looking for ways to stretch. After years of ineffective offense, the Giants’ first-year HC Brian Daboll crafted a game plan in Week 1 that both unleashed Saquon Barkley on pulling plays to the outside and gave Daniel Jones a healthy buffet of open targets. But in the first three quarters of Sunday’s game against the Panthers, the Giants turned the clock back to 2021.

The Giants (2-0) recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, getting the ball on the Panthers’ 22-yd line. Daboll opted for screens and quick passes on three plays from scrimmage instead of trying for the end zone, eventually accepting three points on a 36-yd FG.

The Panthers (0-2) fumbled again on the next drive, gifting the Giants another short field. Taking over on the Carolina 40-yd line, Daboll again dinked and dunked down to the 5-yd line before Jones took back-to-back sacks to force another FG. Carolina kept pace with FGs, sending the game to a 6-6 tie at halftime.

It wasn’t until the second half that Daboll got back to what worked in Week 1. The coach opened with a number of horizontal stretches in the passing game that gave Jones easy targets in the 10- to 20-yd range. Jones capped off a TD drive on the Giants’ second possession with a pass on a slide route into the flat area to rookie TE Daniel Bellinger off a play-action fake to bring back a tie at 13-13.

Carolina’s secondary tightened up again, but not enough to stave off a pair of field-goal drives. And the Giants left their home stadium with a two-game(!) win streak.

*Around the NFL

Packers 27, Bears 10:* After forcing the passing game in Week 1, GBay leaned on RB Aaron Jones, who rushed for 132 yds and a TD plus a receiving score. Aaron Rodgers had 234 yds on 19 of 25 passing and relied on veteran receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard on pivotal plays.

*Cowboys 20, Bengals 17:* The supposedly improved Bengals OL allowed the Cowboys to pressure and bring down Joe Burrow six times while Cowboys backup QB Cooper Rush (19 of 31 passing for 235 yds) did just enough to get the Cowboys the win. He got an unexpected lift from receiver Noah Brown, who caught all five of his targets for a game-high 91 yds and a TD.

*49ers 27, Seahawks 7:* Trey Lance was carted off after just three passes and underwent season-ending surgery for a broken ankle. Jimmy Garoppolo stepped in at QB and did what he usually does: played fast, efficient football with throws underneath and over the middle. The Niners' offensive line, considered shaky in pre-season, allowed just nine total pressures on 36 pass-blocking snaps and didn't give up a single sack to the Seahawks. The unit finished with a 78.8 pass-blocking grade.

Niners HC Kyle Shanahan has a bad habit of going conservative with a big lead (Niners led 20-0 at the half) but the SF D was ferocious even with Hawks QB Geno Smith's quick release.

Niners D dominated with seven total pressures - four hurries, two sacks and a quarterback hit - highlighted their edge-rushing phenom Nick Bosa, who finished with a 90.0 pass-rushing grade on 25 snaps.

*Jets 31, Browns 30:* Cleveland surrendered four TDs - two of which came in the game’s final 90 seconds - to a Joe Flacco-led team, which will prompt a new level of angst among Browns fans. First Flacco found Corey Davis down the right sideline for a 66-yd score on a broken coverage. The Jets then recovered the onside kick, and went on a 9-play march that ended with a 15-yd TD connection over the middle between Flacco and rookie Garrett Wilson.

*Patriots 17, Steelers 14:* It’s one thing to have a defensive battle; it’s another thing to have two offenses trade punts like a bottom-tier Big Ten game. NE’s offense clawed their way to 17 points, thanks in part to a muffed punt in Q3 that led to a quick TD run from Damien Harris. If the Steeler defense hadn’t dropped a couple of interceptions, things could have gone very differently.

*Buccaneers 20, Saints 10:* After a sloppy Week 1, Dennis Allen’s Saints defense came out swinging against the Bucs, a common occurrence since Tom Brady showed up in TBay. Tied 3-3 heading into the Q4, the game turned on a fight between Saints CB Marshon Lattimore and Bucs receiver Mike Evans that resulted in both being ejected. Brady found Breshad Perriman for a TD on the next drive and Jameis Winston threw three picks, including a Q4 pick-6.

*Jaguars 24, Colts 0:* Trevor Lawrence has a new coach in Doug Pederson and a few new teammates to throw to, and he used them both to dominate the Colts. A #1 overall pick in 2021, Lawrence was just as effective on intermediate and deep passes as he was taking the quick underneath options, showing crucial development in his second season. His stat line (25 of 30 passing, 235 yds, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) came close to perfection even though Jamal Agnew dropped a would-be TD on a deep crossing route late in Q2.

*Monday Night Football Doubleheader

Bills 41, Titans 7*
The Buffalo Bills put together a dominant performance against the overmatched Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium on Monday night, blowing out the visitors 41-7. The Bills dominated from pillar to post, as they led for most of the game, doubled Tennessee's total yards (414 to 187) and forced four turnovers.

Offensive spotlight: The Bills offense was the Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs show all evening, as the duo thoroughly dominated an overmatched Titans defense. Due to the blowout, Allen and Diggs sat out the fourth, but they still put up numbers that would be impressive even had they played the entire game. Allen finished 26-of-38 for 317 passing yards, four touchdowns, two big-time throws and an 84.4% adjusted completion rate while Diggs secured 12 of his 14 targets for 148 receiving yards, six first downs and three touchdowns. Diggs also forced three missed tackles and finished with a dominant 90.0-plus receiving grade on first review.

With two straight 30-plus-point performances to start the season, the Bills offense looks like a juggernaut that will be tough to stop all season long.

Bills pass rusher Von Miller continues to thrive with his new team, as he put together another excellent performance in his second game. He totaled four pressures, three pass-rush wins that didn't result in a pressure and a dominant 41.2% pass-rush win percentage. Like Allen and Diggs, Miller sat out Q4 due to the blowout.

Bills LB Matt Milano also had a notable performance in coverage, allowing only one of his three targets to be caught for 16 yards while securing an interception and dropping another. Milano also notched a coverage stop en route to a 90.0-plus coverage grade on first review.

Rookie spotlight: Titans rookie receiver Treylon Burks put together one of the team's only notable performances, catching four of his six targets for 47 yards, three first downs and an 80-plus receiving grade on first review.

Offensive line spotlight: The Titans' pass protection unit stood out for all the wrong ways, as the team allowed an abysmal 15 pressures across 28 pass-blocking snaps. Rookie tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was particularly bad, as he allowed six pressures and four pass-rush wins that didn't result in a pressure.

*Eagles 24, Vikings 7*
Hurts lit up the Vikings defense all evening, both on the ground and through the air. Hurts recorded an 88.0-plus passing grade on first review thanks to two big-time throws and 10.7 yards per pass attempt. On the ground, Hurts averaged five yards per carry and forced three missed tackles on first review, as the Vikings defense had no answers for the dynamic signal-caller.

Defensive spotlight: Eagles LB T.J. Edwards had an all-around productive evening against Minnesota, finishing with three pressures, a run stop and a forced incompletion en route to an 80-plus overall grade in addition to an 85.0-plus pass-rushing grade an a 70-plus coverage grade on first review. This was a stark improvement from Edwards' Week 1 performance when he failed to post a 65.0-plus grade in any facet.

Offensive line spotlight: The Eagles' pass protection unit fared well against the Vikings' pass rush, allowing just seven pressures and zero sacks across 38 pass-blocking snaps. Left guard Landon Dickerson was particularly impressive, allowing zero pressures en route to an excellent 85.0-plus pass-blocking grade on first review.


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## Lethe200

Week 3: Thursday Night Football
*4 Winners and 3 Losers from Steelers' Loss to Browns*
The Pittsburgh Steelers need more from their run defense if they want to win, particularly in tight games.
FanNation 23Sept2022

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped a disappointing divisional game to the Cleveland Browns, 29-17 to fall to 1-2. Nick Chubb didn't just control the clock, he manhandled it, running right at a Steelers defense that really didn't even have a hope of bringing him down.

The Steelers showed flashes of improvement on offense but their defense, which has already been burdened with carrying this flawed team, was simply not good enough to win. As a result, the offense earns some praise while the defense takes the bulk of the blame in this week's winners and losers.

*Winners

Matt Canada*
This may ring hollow in the face of a loss in which the offense scored just 14 points, but Canada called a good game. Maybe some of the criticism he's been hearing hit home or it's as simple as the Steelers evolving like he had promised (although that seems unlikely, especially given the short week, but there was a clear uptick in aggressiveness and creativity.

Canada opened up the game for Mitch Trubisky, who was impressive using his legs, letting the ball fly early and often, and getting many different weapons involved. They were undoubtedly shut down in the second half, but one good half of offense is better than none and the lack of offense came because they weren't completing aggressive plays, instead of getting stopped short on passive ones, which is an improvement, even if only a marginal one.

*Najee Harris*
Harris did not look particularly quick but was physical and nonetheless dynamic in the run game. He played like a bruiser and it resulted in his best rushing game of the season - 56 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts. If he can figure out how to turn some of those five and six-yard gains into 10 or more, he'll return to form as one of the best in the NFL at his position.

*Jaylen Warren*
Warren provided an excellent change of pace from Harris. He used his speed more than his strength against the Browns. He averaged 7.5 yards per carry as the backup to Harris and the undrafted rookie could be playing his way into a more vital role for the Steelers. The offense was at its best when it could be balanced and if Warren can provide some relief for Harris, that should help the steelers get there.

*James Daniels*
It's no coincidence that the entire offensive line was outstanding on the same night that the offense looked as sharp as they have all season. Daniels was particularly stout against an immensely talented Browns front seven. Sure, their opponents were without Jadaveon Clowny and lost multiple starting linebackers, but this is the third straight game that has caused you to look up and reconsider whether or not the line is truly a weak link in the offense.

*Losers

Pat Friermuth*
Freiermuth didn't get a target until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter after being one of Trubisky's favorite pass-catchers through Weeks 1 and 2. His pair of 20-yard catches, which came on the same drive, made one wish Trubisky had been able to find him more often in the second half, when the Steelers were struggling to even collect first downs.

*Ahkello Witherspoon*
Witherspoon faced a tough matchup but did not make the most of his chance to faceoff against the Browns' number one wideout. Amari Cooper burned Witherspoon over and over to the tune of six receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers were unable to send help over with Nick Chubb gashing them in the run game and Witherspoon paid the price before exiting early with a hamstring injury.

*Steelers Run Defense*
For the second straight game, the Steelers defense got worn down by a powerful, run-first opponent. Nick Chubb is perhaps the most difficult running back in the NFL to tackle this side of Derrick Henry, but it really doesn't matter when you are looking to win football games. Mike Tomlin said so himself. "If you can't slow down Chubb, you can't beat this group."

The reality is that this defense needs to be tougher against the run if this team hopes to win. They've allowed opponents to drain the clock with a lead late in consecutive close fourth quarters. Whether it's fair or not to ask for so much is irrelevant. No other part of this team is more important to overall success than the ability to play well against the run for four quarters.


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## Lethe200

I think I will be closing this thread down after this final post. Doesn't seem to be much interest in it any longer, unfortunately.

*NFL Week 3 Predictions: Our Picks Against the Spread*
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers go head-to-head, Tua Tagovailoa will get his stiffest challenge yet against the Bills, and the Cowboys will try to hand the Giants their first loss.
New York Times Sept. 22, 2022

Week 2 was a wild one. Underdogs went 10-4 against the spread, and seven won their games straight up, with some improbable second-half comebacks. This week there are no double-digit favorites, and no team is favored by more than a TD.

All times Eastern.

*Buffalo Bills (2-0) at Miami Dolphins (2-0), 1p, CBS*
Pick: Bills
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Dolphins were a popular pick among experts. This week, they get their biggest challenge against a Bills team that looks more and more impressive, and that is coming off a thumping of the Titans Monday night.

Miami should be confident after a dramatic comeback against the Ravens in which Tua Tagovailoa threw for an eye-popping 469 yds and six (yes, six) TDs. Two of those were passes to receiver Tyreek Hill, who appears to have arrived. This game will be a statement game for either undefeated AFC East team.

*Detroit Lions (1-1) at Minnesota Vikings (1-1), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Vikings
The Lions ranked 25th in the league in points scored last season but are its second-highest scoring team so far, with at least 35 points in each game. Detroit’s offense is good, as evidenced last week when Jared Goff averaged 7.5 yds per pass and threw four TDs to beat Washington, 36-27.

The defense? Not as good. QB Kirk Cousins and receiver Justin Jefferson should be able to bounce back in this game, after struggling against the Eagles Monday night.

*Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) at Washington Commanders (1-1), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Eagles
The Eagles played Monday night and have to travel to Washington on a short week. The QB the team shipped out after five seasons, Carson Wentz, has put up back-to-back games of 300 or more yds and three or more TDs in his first season in Washington and may be looking to prove something.

*Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) at LA Chargers (1-1), 4:05p, CBS*
Pick: Chargers
Betting odds are concerned with the rib cartilage fracture Chargers QB Justin Herbert sustained in last week’s narrow loss at KC. Herbert is expected to start for the Chargers on Sunday, however. This one, really, is a coin flip.

*LA Rams (1-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-1), 4:25p, Fox*
Pick: Rams
The Rams needed to take an intentional safety to lock up a scary-close win over the Falcons last week despite being 10.5-point favorites. The Cardinals won a thriller against the Raiders in OT after Kyler Murray took over the game.

*GBay Packers (1-1) at TBay Buccaneers (2-0), 4:25p, Fox*
Pick: Buccaneers
The Buccaneers were already dealing with injuries to their receivers, with Julio Jones (knee) and Chris Godwin (hamstring) both out in Week 2. Both are questionable for this game, in which another receiver, Mike Evans, will be out serving a suspension for fighting in last week’s win over the Saints.

Aaron Rodgers has also been auditioning receivers, with eight different Packers having recorded catches in Week 2.

*New Orleans Saints (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (0-2), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Saints
QB Jameis Winston has four fractured vertebrae, but the Saints plan to play him anyway, saying they aren’t as concerned with further injury as managing his pain. But Winston looked to suffer plenty, throwing interceptions on three straight possessions in the Q4 last week against the Buccaneers, including a pick-6 on the final one. The backup Andy Dalton and the do-everything Taysom Hill may see reps if things go awry again. Saints RB Alvin Kamara is also questionable to play because of a rib injury, which means this is as good a chance as any for the home-underdog Panthers to get their first win.

*Houston Texans (0-1-1) at Chicago Bears (1-1), 1p, CBS*
Pick: Bears
Both of these teams rank fairly low on the power rankings. Despite low expectations, the Bears ran the ball well against the Packers last week, getting 8.4 yds per carry from the RB duo of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. Chicago may lean on the run too much to overpower a Lovie Smith-coached defense: Bears QB Justin Fields has thrown for 121 and 70 yds in his two starts this season. Houston’s offense has also underperformed — the unit has scored only two TDs this season — so they’ll trust the defense to keep this one close.

*SF 49ers (1-1) at Denver Broncos (1-1) 8:20p, NBC*
Pick: 49ers
The betting odds think veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo is an upgrade for the 49ers over Trey Lance, who broke his right ankle last week and is out for the season. Or it might be a reaction to Denver’s coaching issues. Broncos fans have taken to not only booing the first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s play calls, but also have been counting down the play clock in an effort to help the team avoid delay of game penalties. Russell Wilson has played against SF many times in his career, having shared the NFC West during his Seattle tenure, and it's unknown what adjustments the 49ers may need with having Jimmy G. back under center.

*KC (2-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1-1), 1p, CBS*
Pick: KC
KC gutted out a win against the Chargers last week, but failed to cover by a half point. The Colts have struggled to find an effective unit to build around, having tied the Texans and gotten shut out by the lowly Jaguars despite being favored in both games.

To change course, Indianapolis will have to get Jonathan Taylor more involved. Last season’s league-leader in rushing yds (1,811), attempts (332) and TDs (18) had just nine carries in last week’s loss while Colts QB Matt Ryan threw three interceptions.

*Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at NE Patriots (1-1), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Ravens
Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson was getting M.V.P. chants last week after a showstopping first-half performance against Miami. In the second half, however, the battered Ravens secondary gave up 319 passing yds and five TDs, dropping Baltimore to the worst-ranked passing defense in the NFL for a second year. The Patriots, coming off a win, are throwing the ball better behind Mac Jones, who may get Coach Bill Belichick’s blessing to air it out against the Ravens.

*Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) at Jets (1-1), 1p, CBS*
Pick: Bengals
The Bengals are struggling against Cover 2 defenses and as a result the OL has given up a league-high 13 sacks for 73 lost yds (also a league high). Joe Burrow has been holding the ball to try to make those long completions that got Cincinnati to last season’s Super Bowl, and is now at the bottom of the league in passing yds. The Jets are coming off a thrilling upset win over Cleveland, but they’re still the Jets.

*LVegas Raiders (0-2) at Tennessee Titans (0-2), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Raiders
Betting has been active on both sides of this game. The Titans opened as slight favorites, but after a Monday night drubbing from the Bills, the money came in on the Raiders, moving them to 2.5-point favorites on the road.

*Atlanta Falcons (0-2) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1), 4:25p, Fox*
Pick: Seahawks
This year’s Falcons are looking like last year’s Lions at 0-2. The Seahawks had a disappointing 27-7 loss to the 49ers last week. These two teams are evenly matched – flip a coin to pick the winner.

*Monday’s Game
Dallas Cowboys (1-1) at Giants (2-0), 8:15p, ESPN/ABC*
Pick: Giants
Cooper Rush proved that he could be a capable fill-in at QB for the Cowboys last week and Dallas’s defense has looked especially impressive in the pass rush, recording eight sacks so far this season (third in the NFL). Saquon Barkley should get plenty of carries this week, as the Giants can’t yet rely on their passing attack and the Cowboys are a bit more vulnerable to the run.

*Thursday’s Game
Browns 29, Steelers 17 *(analysis in Post #89, above)


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## jerry old

Have been ill, missed this thread, hopefully, will be able to get back in grove...


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## Lethe200

Jerry, we missed you! Welcome back, sorry to hear you were sick. Hope you're feeling better and will be 100% soon.


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## Beezer

The greatest catch of all time wasn't in an NFL game...it was at a Wedding!


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## MarkinPhx

Cardinals are now somehow 2-2 despite only playing about two good quarters so far this season. Not sure how long Kingsbury will last if the offense doesn't show some signs of life soon. Overall I thought it was kind of a strange week in the NFL.


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## David777

Note, watch at youtube link.

TV announcer's *voice* on highlight video
Dave's paused play by play comments in ()

*quick throw*
(With 43 yard scrimmage line, Jimmy Gorropollo back at the Niner 36 passes left to 49er #19 Deebo Samuel [DS] that catches at 49ers 48 yard line as a ram tried to intercept by cutting in front but the ball was further left.)
*what a catch
DS stays upright*

(Ram defensive back Taylor Rapp [R24] grabbed at DS's right leg as he turned around just starting to run.  R24 speared diving at DS's lower legs and that landed a hand at DS's right kneecap.  As DS pulled back with a jump from his left leg, R24's hand never caught hold.  DS runs towards Grant Haley [R36] who guesses wrong left towards the sidelines as DS at the Ram 43 yard line veers right towards a mix of more players further downfield as he diagonals right behind them and at the Ram's 36 left hash mark veers more downfield towards the goal line as he see veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey [R5] heading diagonally left shutting off areas further right.)

*One on one with Ramsey
can't bring him down*

(Next  Ram's last defensive back R5 that DS needed to get through that had been running diagonally towards the middle of the field where he positioned himself about 7 yards in front of where DS was speeding towards him at right hash marks at the Ram 22.  When DS was about 4 yards away DS veered some to his right that made R5 commit towards spearing left with outstretched arms. R5 got his arms around DS's left leg but DS running powerfully at full speed just power stepped through his desperate grip leaving R5 spinning in a 360 degrees tumble as DS stumbles beyond before accelerating over the final 20 yards.  That DB failure to tackle when DS has accelerated up to speed with bull snorting momentum is what defines his fame.

(The last Ram linebacker Ernest Jone R53 was running towards the right corner touchdown line but wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk N11 running ahead to block, ran bumping him away.)
*Samuel highlight reel 
TOUCHDOWN !!!*


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## Lethe200

Glad to see some life back on this thread. Here's the Week 4 results summary:

*What We Learned From Week 4 in the NFL *Pt 1 of 2
NYTimes Oct. 3, 2022

*Thursday Night Football:*
Bengals 27, Dolphins 15
The Bengals badly needed this one, and they got it. This was billed as an offensive explosion. It really did look that way early, but both the Bengals and Dolphins offenses struggled off and on throughout the night. Part of that is these defenses doing a great job to step up on third down. Some of it was just timing issues and poor play calling. Still, knocking off an undefeated team to climb back to .500 is a huge statement to make on Thursday Night Football. Sadly, the game was overshadowed by Tua Tagovailoa getting viciously sacked and hitting his head off the turf. He was down for an extended period of time before he was taken off on a stretcher. He was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater, who did a decent job but couldn't overcome Joe Burrow's two TD passes.

*KC 41, Buccaneers 31:* The final score was a lot closer than the game ever felt. Patrick Mahomes ascended in the first half, ripping off three consecutive scoring drives to open the game. Mahomes capped off the third drive with an "only he can do this" flick from outside the pocket, adding to his ever-growing file of signature TDs*. Tom Brady fought back valiantly, but with a rushing offense that produced just 3 yds - yes, 3 - on six carries, he did not have enough support to match KC’s firepower.
* _You can see it in this free article: https://sports.yahoo.com/patrick-mahomes-spinning-stunning-td _

*Cardinals 26, Panthers 16:* The mid-timeout spat between Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury and QB Kyler Murray was the memorable part of this game. The Cardinals’ offense scraped together a fine performance, but the shortest receiving corps in the league again made things tough. In a tough division, Arizona needs DeAndre Hopkins back. His suspension ends for the Oct 17th game vs the Saints, but he will be limiting practices as he recovers from Dec 2021 MCL surgery.

Fortunately for Arizona, HC Matt Rhule and QB Baker Mayfield managed to be much, much worse on the other side. Timing and accuracy issues, as well as poor pass protection, plagued Mayfield again. Mayfield was a bottom-10 starter toward the end of his run with the Browns, but given all the drama and injury factors, the hope was that he could bounce back in Carolina. But Mayfield is somehow playing worse than he ever did in Cleveland. His accuracy has waned, his ability to create outside the pocket has all but vanished, and he has yet to build chemistry with a talented receiving corps.

*Raiders 32, Broncos 23: *By beating the Broncos, the Raiders saved whatever hope they have left for this season. The LVegas rushing offense looked awake for the first time all year as Josh Jacobs tore through a Denver run defense that had been impressive through the first three weeks. Broncos QB Russell Wilson found a handful of explosive plays, but between a poor rushing attack and inconsistent passing underneath, the Denver offense struggled to string together drives and match the Raiders blow for blow. It didn't help that Denver's OL was no match for Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who sacked Wilson twice and pressured him all day.

*Packers 27, Patriots 24 (OT):* Take a bow, Bailey Zappe. Though the Patriots lost this game, third-string QB Zappe deserves praise for coming off the bench and leading two TD drives to force OT on the road against GBay. Alas, Aaron Rodgers had an even bigger second half. After a slow start, Rodgers ripped off several throws down the seams to find explosive gains, including a TD to Robert Tonyan with 9:20 left in the third.

For GBay, trading away receiver Davante Adams to LVegas came with the understanding that its offense would not be as explosive. RBs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon have become the centerpieces. Split-back shotgun formations have become LaFleur’s weapon of choice for getting both backs on the field. The Packers regularly line up with Jones and Dillon flanking Rodgers, giving the Packers the flexibility to hand the ball off either way. They can also motion one of the backs out of the backfield, a tool the Packers often use to either clear defenders out of the box or throw quick-hitting passes to the perimeter. It’s not something they can do on every play, but it’s one of their favorite change-ups.

*Bills 23, Ravens 20*: No two teams ask more of their QBs, and it showed. The Ravens’ defense swarmed on all of the Bills’ underneath passing to start the game but wore down, eventually crumbling to Josh Allen’s superhero ways. Allen was up and down as a passer, but he was a force on the ground, making a number of third- and fourth-down plays to keep drives alive.

Buffalo’s defense, in turn, had zero issues swarming Baltimore’s passing offense. It was easier for the Bills to dedicate resources to the middle of the field and pounce on everything the Ravens were doing, ultimately leading to two interceptions on the way to a second-half shutout.

The Ravens’ offense has Lamar Jackson and not much else. Jackson, the 2019 MVP, has been as brilliant from the pocket as ever and is responsible for a majority of Baltimore’s rushing success. But he may not be able to hold this house of cards together much longer.

Lamar looked excellent in the first half. Then the Ravens lost leading wideout Rashod Bateman in the second half. The offense screeched to a halt. Bateman is the Ravens’ best receiver and the only one they have who can win on the outside consistently. He was the last piece the fragile offense could not afford to lose. When Bateman went out, the Ravens lost their ability to stress the Bills’ defense vertically and outside the numbers. The Ravens were already struggling to spread defenses out considering that they often play with heavier personnel sets; losing Bateman was a death knell.

The Ravens will not face defenses as good as the Bills’ unit every week, but they also don’t have a clear answer for Bateman’s absence - and they can’t count on Jackson saving them every week.

*Giants 20, Bears 12:* Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense collapsed again. Fields was sacked five times in the first half and once more in the second, again making it difficult for the Chicago offense to get in a rhythm. The coaches are receiving heat for extremely conservative playcalling during Year 1 of a rebuilding phase, using a run-heavy offense that doesn't allow Fields to gain useful experience.

The Giants are 3-1 for the first time in 11 seasons, an unexpected development in Brian Daboll's first season as head coach. How they got there in Sunday's victory over the Bears is wild - wild as in, Saquon Barkley took key snaps as Wildcat quarterback, handling direct snaps with injured QB Daniel Jones lined up at wide receiver and injured back-up QB Tyrod Taylor in the locker room being evaluated for a concussion. But Saquon showed up big for the Giants, carrying the ball 31 times for 146 yds.

*Falcons 23, Browns 20:* The Falcons’ offensive box score looked like that of a triple-option team. Marcus Mariota went 7 of 19 for 139 yds and a pick, while the rushing offense fought for 202 yds and two scores on 35 carries. Five different Falcons had a carry.

The defense has been a huge struggle for Cleveland through four weeks. Big plays have littered the boxscore as Browns defenders seem lost. After the Jets game, DC Joe Woods simplified play calling so defenders weren’t running two different coverages. The run defense was plagued by over-aggressive defenders.

*Eagles 29, Jaguars 21:* The wet, rainy conditions in Philadelphia were ideal for the home team. The Eagles had no issue running the ball, ending the day with 50 carries to just 25 passes. QB Jalen Hurts played a major role in the run game as the Eagles called a number of option runs. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence also helped them out a bit, losing four fumbles and throwing an interception despite otherwise being able to move the ball. The Eagles are now the sole undefeated NFL team.

*Jets 24, Steelers 20*: The Steelers finally made the switch to the rookie QB Kenny Pickett, casting Mitch Trubisky to the bench. Pickett was not much better overall, tossing two legitimate interceptions before throwing a third on a Hail Mary, but he was more aggressive than Trubisky. The Jets, on the other hand, were lucky to get by with a two-pick performance from their own young QB, Zach Wilson. This was Wilson’s first regular season game this year, but the pressure is on to start producing with a talented receiving corps sooner than later.


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## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 4 in the NFL *Pt 2 of 2
NYTimes Oct. 3, 2022

*Titans 24, Colts 17:* Week by week, the Titans’ offense looks more like what it’s supposed to look like. RB Derrick Henry erupted in the first half, allowing the Titans to dip into their play-action and screen game and setting up a number of chunk plays over the middle of the field. Their offense fell flat in the second half, thanks in part to penalties, but their first half was as promising as any that they have played this season.

Colts HC Frank Reich's reputation as an offensive mastermind is in jeopardy, and GM Chris Ballard's player picking hasn't helped. The Colts rank dead last in points per game. They score a TD on just 46% of their trips to the redzone, 6th worst in the NFL. They are second in giveaways with 9. They have the 6th worst YPC number. They rank 1st in sack yards lost. Fan and media rumblings are getting louder.

*Chargers 34, Texans 24:* Justin Herbert doesn’t need to be 100% healthy to obliterate a team like the Texans. Despite battling a rib injury, Herbert was clinical from the pocket and daring outside it, completing several throws to keep the chains moving. Perhaps more important, the Chargers’ rushing game looked competent for the first time all year, at least in the first half, with Austin Ekeler springing a couple of nice runs.

*Seahawks 48, Lions 45:* A 22-point Lions Q4 made this game look closer than it should have been. The Seahawks’ offense dominated for four quarters: Geno Smith was lethal to every level of the field, and Rashaad Penny rampaged around for 151 yds, his first time over the 100-yard mark this season. Detroit is still a fun, scrappy team, but its youth on defense makes it susceptible to games like this one.

Sunday was a ripe opportunity for HC Pete Carroll to highlight what the new offense can do now. Smith peppered the underneath areas of the field with exceptional timing and accuracy. The consistent, efficient gains made it easy for the Seahawks to stay on schedule and in favorable down-and-distance situations, keeping the entire playbook open. That kind of offensive stability hardly existed with previous QB Russell Wilson, even if the highs were much higher.

Smith’s ball placement has been impeccable all season. Per Next Gen Stats, Smith has now completed 10% more of his passes than expected through four weeks, the best mark in the league. Smith proved again that when he finds the right target, and he often does, he can deliver the ball with pinpoint accuracy all over the field. It would be optimistic to expect Smith to pilot the Seahawks to a deep playoff run, but the offense under his guidance is clearly better than many thought it would be.

*Cowboys 25, Commanders 10:* The Cowboys’ offense goes as CeeDee Lamb goes. When the offense was humming on Sunday, it was because OC Kellen Moore found creative ways to get Lamb into favorable positions. Enabling Lamb to be the engine for the offense seems critical for the Cowboys’ hopes of success this season, both now and when Dak Prescott returns.

Against Washington on Sunday, the Cowboys' secondary had one of its best games. Despite starting the season against Tom Brady and Joe Burrow, the defense has yet to allow 200 yards passing in a game. It wasn’t all good for the Cowboys defense as they surrendered 142 rushing yards. It was their third game this year where they’ve allowed 140+ yards on the ground, which is why they are currently ranked sixth-worst in rushing yards allowed.

*Vikings 28, Saints 25: *The engine for the Vikings on Sunday, as usual, was receiver Justin Jefferson. To cap off a day of excellent work beating Saints corner Marshon Lattimore one-on-one, Jefferson snagged a 39-yard deep ball down the left sideline to set up the Vikings’ FG that gave them a 3-point lead with less than 30 seconds to go. The Saints almost answered on the final drive, but for once, the Vikings ended up on the winning side of a game decided by a painful missed FG. Saints kicker Wil Lutz tried to tie the game up with a 61-yarder, but a double-doink off the left and bottom parts of the uprights in London sounded the third loss of the season for New Orleans.

*Monday Night Football
Niners 24, Rams 9:* One can argue QB Jimmy Garoppolo will never be a great – or even very good – first-string QB in the NFL. But you can't argue his record versus the LA Rams. He's a perfect 7-0 against them in regular games. The Niners may have lost the 2021 NFC Championship game, being riddled with injuries, but they have won seven of their last eight meetings with the Rams, and outscored LAR 55-19 in their previous two meetings at Levi's Stadium.

SF has the leading D in the NFL so far. Pass rusher Nick Bosa (Joey's little brother) leads the NFL in sacks with six. He is one of only three players to record at least one sack in each of the four games this season. Bosa recorded a whopping 14 pressures vs the Rams, giving Bosa 30 on the season, which leads the entire NFL. The next closest player is Dallas' Micah Parsons, with 22. The most terrifying statistic for opposing QBs? Parsons is only 23 yrs old, and Nick Bosa is all of 24 yrs.

The 49ers are a team specifically built to bully the Rams, and boy, do they do an outstanding job of it. LA’s usual quick and finesse offense is easily blown-up by the physicality of San Fran’s defensive front, and when it's not the offense getting manhandled, it is the defense getting bulldozed. The Niners have LA’s number, it is as simple as that.

The last time the Rams won a regular-season meeting against the 49ers was December 30th, 2018. One thousand three hundred seventy-four days have passed since then. The next time they play will be October 30 – and then, of course, there will be the playoffs.


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## Paco Dennis

Last night the Bronco's could have tied the score in overtime. On 4th and 1 from about their 15 yard line they went for the win, and lost the game. I think that was a coaching BLUNDER!


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## SeniorBen

Paco Dennis said:


> Last night the Bronco's could have tied the score in overtime. On 4th and 1 from about their 15 yard line they went for the win, and lost the game. I think that was a coaching BLUNDER!


I watched most of the first half and decided not to waste any more time watching two mediocre teams. Life is too short for that. Could it be that Russel Wilson was way over rated and isn't worth 1/10th of what he's being paid?


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## Lethe200

*Colts vs. Broncos final score, results: Indy wins FG-fest in OT after brutal red-zone failures by Denver*
Sporting News 07Oct2022

The Colts netted what might be the ugliest win of the 2022 NFL season to date, beating the Broncos 12-9 in overtime as Denver put on another clinic of what not to do on offense.

Myriad mistakes led to the loss for the Broncos (2-3). The biggest: passing the ball on third down in the red zone while leading late in the fourth quarter and getting intercepted; and going for it on fourth down while trailing in overtime after the offense was anemic all game.

Quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan combined for four interceptions and no touchdowns. Wilson went 21 of 39 for 274 yards while Ryan finished 26 of 41 for 251 yards.

This game had seven field goals, a blocked field goal attempts, 12 punts and a combined 0 for 6 on touchdowns in the red zone.

In fact, the story of the night was the Broncos' red-zone ineptitude. Wilson was 1 of 6 for 5 yards with an interception and a sack inside the Indy 20. Coach Nathan's Hackett confidence in his offense cost him and the team dearly.

The Colts, for their part, did enough to win and get back to .500 (2-2-1). Wide receiver Alec Pierce had a huge game (eight receptions, 81 yards) and cornerback Stephon Gilmore made two huge clutch plays: the end-zone interception of Wilson that kept the Colts alive and the game-winning pass breakup in the end zone on fourth down in OT.


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## Lethe200

*NFL Week 5 Predictions: Our Picks for Each Game*
NYTimes Oct. 6, 2022
Note: All times are Eastern.

*Thursday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts 12, Broncos 9

NY Giants (3-1) at GBay Packers (3-1)*
9:30 a.m., NFL Network
Pick: Packers
This is the first time in 31 games over 15 years that the NFL has sent two winning teams to play each other in London. It’s also the first time they have sent the Packers. They face the Giants and the league’s top RB, Saquon Barkley, who stepped up last week and took snaps late in the game when both Giants QBs went out with injuries. The Giants have said they are “optimistic” Daniel Jones will be ready to play in London. There is also hope that WRs Wan’Dale Robinson and Kadarius Toney will come off the injury list this week. If all of them play and are healthy, the Giants will be more than capable of a win. If none of them play, the Giants will need Barkley to do a lot more than take a few snaps.

*Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) at Baltimore Ravens (2-2)*
8:20p, NBC
Pick: Ravens
The Ravens have two close losses against good teams and trailed for a total of 14 seconds in those two games. Last week, they went for it on fourth and goal from the 2-yard line rather than kicking a FG, a decision that frustrated fans but was statistically the correct play, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Ravens Coach John Harbaugh is known for aggressive plays like this because he has confidence in his team. The Bengals are coming off a prime-time win against the Dolphins, a game that will most likely buoy their own confidence.

*Miami Dolphins (3-1) at NY Jets (2-2)*
1p, CBS
Pick: Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa’s ugly injury last week in Miami’s loss to the Bengals has sparked a lot of necessary discussion about concussions and the dangers that players in the NFL face. It’s unclear when he might play again. Miami’s backup QB, Teddy Bridgewater, is no rookie. He’s an eighth-year veteran with over 14,000 passing yds. The Jets are also getting used to a new QB. Zach Wilson got his first start of this season for the Jets last week in their win against the Steelers. In addition to throwing for 252 yds, he also managed to catch a TD pass. We know a lot about what Bridgewater can do. We don’t know quite as much about Wilson yet.

*Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) at Buffalo Bills (3-1)*
1p, CBS
Pick: Bills
Rookie QB Kenny Pickett took over for Mitch Trubisky last week during the Steelers’ loss to the Jets. Despite throwing three interceptions in his debut, Pickett gets the starting job this week. The market is not yet convinced that Pickett is much of an upgrade — the Bills are currently 14-point favorites. The Bills are coming off back-to-back closely fought games that may have taken a lot out of them. The Steelers are 0-7 without TJ Watt in the lineup.

*Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) at Arizona Cardinals (2-2)*
4:25p, Fox
Pick: Eagles
The Cardinals are coming off a win on the road against the Panthers. This week, they try to get their first win at home, but they face the undefeated Eagles. The Eagles continue to score most of their points in the second quarter, then hang on through the second half. They’ve been outscored 36-23 in the second half through four games. Arizona, on the other hand, has outscored its opponents 66-37 in the second half. The Cardinals are a team used to playing from behind. If the Eagles try to chew the clock in the second half with a nice lead, don’t be surprised if Kyler Murray takes the Cardinals down the field for a late backdoor cover.

*Dallas Cowboys (3-1) at LA Rams (2-2)*
4:25p, Fox
Pick: Rams
In Week 4 the 49ers went up one side of the Rams and down the other on Monday night. The Rams OL added a fourth member to the IR when Coleman Shelton suffered a high ankle sprain on the team’s first drive of the night. The depleted line allowed Matt Stafford to be sacked seven times.

The Rams have to face another tough defense this week with the Cowboys. Their one weakness, however, is defending the run. That’s still not good news for the Rams, who are one of the league’s worst teams on the ground so far this season. The Rams can show this week if the dread Super Bowl hangover is afflicting them.

*Detroit Lions (1-3) at NE Patriots (1-3)*
1p, Fox
Pick: Patriots
The Lions have been an exciting team so far this season. They continue to lead the league in points scored per game, but have managed only a single win. That’s largely the fault of the defense, which last week helped the Seahawks not only win a 48-45 nail-biter, but also notch its first puntless game in team history. The Lions’ propensity is to score at will and let the other team do the same. The Patriots still don’t know who will start at QB this week, but against this defense, it may not make a difference.

*Seattle Seahawks (2-2) at New Orleans Saints (1-3)*
1p, Fox
Pick: Saints
Seattle put up 48 points in a wild game last week against Detroit. The Saints' defense is significantly better than the Lions’ defense and should make it hard for Geno Smith to repeat his NFL-leading stat line from last week. But injuries for the Saints are a major concern. The team still hasn’t decided if Jameis Winston or Alvin Kamara will play. If either of them goes, it should give New Orleans a boost.

*Houston Texans (0-3-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)*
1p, CBS
Pick: Jaguars
The Jaguars turned the ball over five times in their loss to the Eagles last week, and four of those were Trevor Lawrence fumbles. One of those fumbles was during the Jaguars’ crucial final drive and sealed the game. The Texans lost to the Chargers, are now 0-3-1, and the fans are frustrated.

*Atlanta Falcons (2-2) at TBay Buccaneers (2-2)*
1p, Fox
Pick: Buccaneers
The Buccaneers’ box score from Sunday night is as strange as it gets: 31 points and only 3 rushing yds. Tom Brady handed off the ball only six times. The good news is, he threw for 373 yds and 3 TDs in the loss to KC. One thing the Buccaneers struggled with against KC was defending the run, giving up an average of 5.1 yds per carry and a total of 189 yds.

The Falcons are one of the top rushing teams in the league, getting an average of 168 yds per game. This week, the Falcons are without their lead rusher Cordarrelle Patterson, but last week the rest of the RB corps held its own against the Browns. The Falcons defense is the issue. They have already given up a lot of passing yds this season to teams who don’t have Tom Brady as their QB.

*Chicago Bears (2-2) at Minnesota Vikings (3-1)*
1p, Fox
Pick: Vikings
Justin Fields had only 11 completions and six sacks in the Bears’ loss to the Giants last week. They got to the red zone only three times and never scored a TD. Going into that game, the Bears were one of the NFL’s most efficient teams in the red zone. They’ll try to return to form against the Vikings, who have struggled in the red zone themselves and on both sides of the ball. The Vikings have one of the league’s worst red zone defenses.

*LA Chargers (2-2) at Cleveland Browns (2-2)*
1p, CBS
Pick: Chargers
Justin Herbert is still nursing a sore rib cage, but last week he did enough to get the ugly win against the Texans. He leads the NFL in passing yds and is on track to throw 5,300 yds this season. The Browns are keeping the ball on the ground, however. Browns RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are hard to stop. The second-best rushing team in the league is a home underdog this week.

*Tennessee Titans (2-2) at Washington Commanders (1-3)*
1p, CBS
Pick: Titans
The Titans have won two in a row after starting the season with two straight losses. They’re beginning to look like their old selves again, with Derrick Henry running for a season-high 114 yds and a TD last week. Ryan Tannehill threw for only 137 yds, but connected with six different receivers. The Commanders averaged only 3.6 yds per pass in their loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.

*SF 49ers (2-2) at Carolina Panthers (1-3)*
4:05p, CBS
Pick: 49ers
The 49ers looked resplendent in a dominating performance on Monday night against the Rams.5 points. On offense, they managed to turn short passes into long gains. On defense, they sacked Matt Stafford seven times, and Talanoa Hufanga got him with a pick 6 in the final quarter. The Panthers did not have their best game last week in their 26-16 loss to the Cardinals. The 49ers had a good game Monday, but can they do it again? All four teams in the NFC West are 2-2, so a win is important to the Niners.

*Monday Night’s Game

LVegas Raiders (1-3) at KC (3-1)*
8:15p, ESPN
Pick: KC
KC has won seven of the last eight meetings with the Raiders, and five of those games by double digits. Both teams are coming off a win. Josh Jacobs led the Raiders to a win over the Broncos by rushing for 144 yds and two TDs. KC caught one of the NFL’s top defenses on an off night in Tampa and put up 41 points. Raiders rusher Maxx Crosby is having his typical great year, but it may not be enough against KC's Mahomes and Kelce. QB Derek Carr is learning his sixth playbook in eight years, but he's starting to find the range with Davonte Adams, and that may create offensive fireworks at Arrowhead Stadium.


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## Lethe200

*Shocker in London – Giants-Packers final score: New York stuns Green Bay, 27-22*
Giants improve to 4-1 with massive comeback in Week 6
SB Nation Oct 9, 2022

The New York Giants improved to 4-1 with a stunning 27-20 upset of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The Giants stopped the Packers on fourth-and-1 at the 6-yard line when Xavier McKinney blitzed and batted down an Aaron Rodgers’ pass with 1:02 to play. The Giants also knocked down a Rodgers’ pass on third down. On the game’s final play, Oshane Ximines denied Rodgers a chance to throw a Hail Mary with a sack/forced fumble.

Coach Brian Daboll was fired up after the game. “I just appreciate all the support, the crowd support here,” Daboll said after the game. “It was obviously a lot of Packers fans, it felt like an away game. But at the end of the game, it felt like a home game.”

The Giants made that happen with the way they played. Trailing 17-3, the Giants scored on five straight possessions to pull off the upset. Daboll also offered unsolicited praise for quarterback Daniel Jones. “The quarterback had an excellent game. And he’s got a few of those,” Daboll said. “Maybe his stats don’t reflect it, but he’s led the team down to wins, played good in crunch time.”

The Giants tied the game at 20-20 with 10:08 to play, going 15 plays and 91 yards in 8:07 without Saquon Barkley, who left the game at the start of the drive with a shoulder injury. Gary Brightwell banged his way in for a game-tying 3-yard touchdown run. Jones went 7 of 8 for 55 yards and ran three times for 25 more yards.

Barkley returned when the Giants got the ball back with 8:07 to play. He caught a 40-yard pass from Daniel Jones and later ran 2 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:08 to play as the Giants took a 27-20 lead.

*Stats*

Daniel Jones completed 20 of 26 passes for 211 yards, his first 200-yard passing game of the season. Jones, playing a gutty game a week after an ankle injury, also ran six times for 37 yards.
Barkley had 68 yards rushing on 12 carries and three catches for 36 yards.
Darius Slayton had a huge game with six receptions for 79 yards.
*Injury news*

Star running back Saquon Barkley left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. He was injured when tackled after catching a short pass. He returned in the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson was questionable to return in the second half due to a knee injury. With starting cornerback Aaron Robinson already on injured reserve, that left the Giants with Fabian Moreau and Nick McCloud at cornerback.
The Giants’ defense took another hit when rookie defensive tackle D.J. Davidson was carted off in the third quarter.
*What’s next?*

The Giants return to East Rutherford, N.J. next Sunday to host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium. Game time is 1 p.m. ET. CBS has the broadcast.
The Packers visit the Washington Commanders at RFK Stadium, game time 1 p.m. ET. Fox has the broadcast.
_Nice Twitter video of one of Saquon's runs: https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1579118292073078786_


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## Lethe200

As of the end of Week 5, a rather surprising stat list. OTOH, it doesn't include QB pressures, which are as important as sacks, IMHO:


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## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 5 in the NFL* Pt 1 of 2
The Giants’ win revealed the depth of the Packers’ offensive troubles, Jacoby Brissett was more than just a placeholder for the Browns, and the Bills have two receivers defenses should respect.
NYT Oct. 9, 2022

After five games, teams are solidifying their identities, especially on offense. While early upsets and surprising records have pointed to a higher ceiling for some teams that had been expected to struggle (hi, Giants!), some projected contenders have bigger problems than first thought.

*The Rams can’t protect Matt Stafford.*
Pass protection and play under pressure are what separate the 2021 Rams from the 2022 Rams. Last year’s team scoffed at the idea of its QB being under pressure. Matthew Stafford never shied away from making a tough throw with bodies around him in the pocket, and he often beat blitzes before they arrived.

But two starters from that Super Bowl-winning OL are gone and the Rams’ receivers lack the speed to get downfield. No one feels the impact of those departures more acutely than Stafford, who was sacked five times and pressured on 20 of 47 drop backs in the Rams’ 22-10 loss to the Cowboys.

Besides one deep shot to Tutu Atwell and a Cooper Kupp catch-and-run TD, Stafford often threw under pressure or desperately hurried the ball out of his hands to a check-down option before pressure inevitably arrived. He finished 28 of 42 for 308 yds passing.

Stafford can still make heroic throws under pressure, but it’s not a reasonable way to run an offense. The Rams no longer have a second WR beyond Kupp for defenses to worry about, with Allen Robinson and Ben Skowronek, who is now effectively playing fullback, taking on Odell Beckham Jr.’s targets.

The rotten cherry on top of Sunday’s performance was that Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons was not even at full strength for parts of this game. Parsons suffered a minor groin injury toward the end of the first half, which limited his snaps and capacity. Parsons still led the team with nine pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, including a game-sealing strip sack.

*Charvarius Ward has made the 49ers’ defense elite.*
The first priority of the SF 49ers’ 2022 defense was getting better CB play. The 49ers had to get better at the position, and did when they signed Charvarius Ward from KC. Ward has been almost perfect for the 49ers: In Sunday’s 37-15 win over the Panthers, he allowed just one catch. According to Next Gen Stats, Ward has forced the highest tight window target rate (36.7 percent) since entering the NFL in 2018.

Though not quite among the Jalen Ramsey or Patrick Surtain II realm of elite corners, he’s a long presence at the line of scrimmage who never concedes ground without a fight, and who knows how to find the ball in the air when covering receivers on sideline routes.

Ward’s style can yield volatile returns in the wrong defense, but with the 49ers’ ability to generate pressure with just four pass rushers, he has been able to lock up opposing receivers. According to Next Gen Stats, Ward was targeted five other times and knocked away two of those passes with clear pass breakups, one in the end zone against Robbie Anderson. Moreover, Ward allowed an average of 1.0 yds of separation, giving Baker Mayfield very tight throwing windows to work with all game long.

Ward’s excellent coverage has pushed the 49ers’ defense from great to elite, even as the secondary’s injury woes struck again with Emmanuel Moseley (torn ACL; out for season) and Jimmie Ward (broken hand, surgery) out.

*The Packers still need a big-play receiver.*
The game footage and underlying data on the Packers looks conclusive. In shipping receiver Davante Adams to LVegas, GBay lost a crucial component of an offense that helped the Packers earn the NFL’s top seed last season.

Adams’s connection with QB Aaron Rodgers was such that the two could conjure explosive plays out of thin air, whether that was a route down the seam that targeted Adams in the slot, or a back-shoulder ball delivered toward the sideline. Those game-busting plays left with Adams' departure.

Now the Packers’ offense seems to move at a slow, methodical pace. Even with a patchwork line, the Packers use deception better than almost any other offense to open up jet sweeps, screens, run-pass options and other quick passes. When it works, it can be exhausting to defend. In the second quarter Sunday, for example, the Packers strung together a 13-play, 75-yard TD drive with various runs and quick throws to go up, 17-3.

But the Packers do not have another gear. The Giants responded with TDs on three of their next four possessions to take a 27-20 lead. As the Packers tried to keep pace, Rodgers desperately forced a number of unsuccessful downfield throws. GBay cobbled together a 69-yard drive with a minute remaining, but stalled at the Giants’ 6-yard line with no go-to receiver to breach the end zone. Rodgers’ final two passes were swatted down at the line of scrimmage along with belief that GBay’s offense still rates among the elite. With a win over Chicago, Minnesota has moved into first in the NFC North.

*Jacoby Brissett has been impressive in a tenuous role.*
During the Baker Mayfield era, Cleveland tried to maximize HC Kevin Stefanski’s offensive scheme without a QB who was willing to stand strong in the pocket and work the backside of a progression. It turns out all Stefanski needed to get his offense back on track was a passer who perform those skills at a baseline level. Five weeks into the season, Jacoby Brissett has done that and more. Brissett, who was thrust into the starting job as Deshaun Watson serves an 11-game suspension after he was accused of ****** misconduct, nearly led the Browns to an upset over the Chargers. The 30-28 loss was decided by a Cleveland missed FG.

Brissett’s booming arm strength is on display in an offense that relies heavily on play-action and downfield passing to accentuate what he does well. On the team’s second drive, Brissett, alongside receiver Amari Cooper, showed exactly why the passing offense is scarier now than it was with Mayfield. To open the drive, with 8 minutes 52 seconds left in the first quarter, Brissett found Cooper on a backside dig for 20 yds. That exact throw was one Mayfield often shied away from, even when Odell Beckham Jr. was the intended target. Brissett, by contrast, is more than willing to hang in the pocket and fire over the middle.

Brissett finished off the drive by hitting Cooper on a comeback route in the left side of the end zone. Brissett scanned the rest of the field at first, but returned his eyes to Cooper the moment he was ready to break and delivered him a strike past Chargers CB JC Jackson to go up 14-0. Brissett is far from perfect, as his Q4 interception during the comeback attempt may suggest, but he gives the Browns’ offense elements of QB play that it did not have under Mayfield.

*Stefon Diggs isn’t the only Bills receiver defenses have to worry about.*
Bills wideout Gabe Davis has been quiet since the team’s season-opening win against the LA Rams. He injured his ankle just ahead of Buffalo’s Week 2 matchup with the Titans and played at less than 100% in Weeks 3 and 4. Though Davis still caught a few passes (four of nine targets) in those games, it was clear on film he was slower and less explosive than usual.

Davis finally looked to be back in full health in a 38-3 win over the Steelers, giving the Bills a big-play receiver opposite Stefon Diggs. He lit up Pittsburgh’s defense, finishing with three catches for 171 yds and two scores.

Davis erupted on the opening drive, scoring on a 98-yard catch. He took off on a post route, clearing the safety’s aggressive leverage underneath, and won the foot race against the CB all the way to the end zone to put Buffalo up 7-0. In Q2, QB Josh Allen threw Davis another TD pass that made the score 17-3.

The cascading effects of having Davis at full strength does wonders for the Bills’ offense. More than giving a 6-foot-2, 210-pound deep threat, Davis’s elite ability down the field can force defenses to play conservative coverage across the board. As the Steelers found out on Sunday, focusing on stopping Diggs is not enough. Defenses have to put a roof over both of them, which opens up the Bills’ run game and devastating quick passing attack, and so goes the vicious cycle of trying to defend Allen and one of the most explosive receiver pairs in the league.


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## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 5 in the NFL* Pt 2 of 2

*Ravens 19, Bengals 17:* The Ravens nearly blew a double-digit lead for the third time this season. More upsetting, Baltimore Coach John Harbaugh made a bizarre fourth-down decision at the goal line with 9:42 left in the Q4 and the Ravens up, 13-10. After having fourth-and-short, and then fourth-and-5 after a delay-of-game penalty, Harbaugh opted to kick a FG and take a 6-point lead rather than try for a TD. The Bengals scored a TD on the following drive, forcing the Ravens to drive 50 yds with 1:58 left and set up a Justin Tucker game-winning FG.

*49ers 37, Panthers 15: *Jimmy Garoppolo did what Jimmy Garoppolo does: protected the ball, managed the clock and rode the 49er defense to a win (He was 18 of 30 for 253 yds passing, two TDs and no interceptions.). Matt Rhule and Baker Mayfield did what they do: confounded onlookers. Emmanuel Moseley returned an interception 41 yds for a TD in the second half but left the game with a knee injury.

The rout was real but so were the injuries for the Niners: with five first-stringers already out, this game felled four more starters, including the invaluable kicker Robbie Gould. For the fourth time in five years, they are leading the league in the undesirable WAR stat, which weights injuries and length of time with a player's team value. They are by far the NFL team with the most serious injuries to first- and second-string players.

*Cowboys 22, Rams 10:* Dropped passes killed a number of Dallas drives, keeping the score more respectable for LA. The Cowboys’ defense started the game with a scoop-and-score strip sack of Matthew Stafford and never let off the pressure. The Rams’ OL regularly let Dallas pass rushers loose and their skill players hardly did anything with the ball in their hands, save for one superstar play out of Cooper Kupp on a 75-yard TD catch in the second quarter. That’s a fourth straight victory for the Cowboys backup QB Cooper Rush.

*Eagles 20, Cardinals 17:* Arizona took away the middle of the field and forced Philadelphia to win with quick passing to the outside. The Eagles’ superior yds-after-catch threats eventually carried the team to its fifth win of the season, but it was an impressive effort from an otherwise floundering Cardinals defense.

*Giants 27, Packers 22*: The Giants (4-1) now have three wins by 5 points or less, so it’s hard to buy in on their success just yet, despite a compelling 27-22 win over the Packers on Sunday in London. The offense is being held together only by sticks and duct tape, but it turns out that HC Brian Daboll is one heck of a handyman. Down a number of receivers, Daboll turned to RB Saquon Barkley as the engine for the offense. On top of his typical rushing duties, Barkley took some wildcat snaps, including one that he bounced to the outside for a 41-yard gain. He was also regularly featured in the passing game.

The Packers’ offense did a fine job nickeling and diming for most of the game but, facing a 7-point deficit with a minute remaining, failed in a goal-to-go situation as Aaron Rodgers got both his third- and fourth-down passes swatted at the line of scrimmage.

*Bills 38, Steelers 3:* Josh Allen and the Bills’ receivers cooked the Steelers’ defense. Gabe Davis, who had been bugged by an ankle injury, burned Pittsburgh for a 98-yard score on the opening drive and found the end zone again on a 62-yard catch in the second quarter to put the Bills up, 17-3. The Bills were up 31-3 by halftime and coasted the rest of the way. In his much-anticipated debut as the Steelers’ starting QB, Kenny Pickett threw for 327 yds on 34 of 52 passing and was sacked three times.

*Patriots 29, Lions 0*: Leave it to Bill Belichick to put an end to the Lions’ brief run as the league’s highest-scoring team. Detroit’s run game and play-action passing had been effective for the first month of the season, but the Patriots’ defense held the Lions to 101 rushing yds while terrorizing Jared Goff with blitzes and funky coverage rotations. The Patriots’ third-string QB, Bailey Zappe, had 188 yds passing, a TD and an interception.

*Chargers 30, Browns 28*: The Browns’ offense stormed to a 14-0 lead, but no lead is safe against Justin Herbert. Herbert picked apart a Cleveland secondary that has been a mess all season. The Browns had a chance to win the game, but kicker Cade York pushed a 54-yarder to the right, his second miss on Sunday.

*Jets 40, Dolphins 17:* Miami turned to its third QB, Skylar Thompson, after Teddy Bridgewater entered concussion protocol following a tackle on the Dolphins’ first series. Unable to mount much offense, Miami surrendered prime field position to the Jets and Zach Wilson avoided mistakes. The Jets rookie RB Breece Hall averaged 5.4 yds per carry, and caught a wheel route down the left sideline for 79 yds with 52 seconds left in the first quarter, to set up a TD on the next play.

*Saints 39, Seahawks 32:* Both teams went shot for shot as the buzzer approached. Between 3:29 in the third quarter and 5:22 in the Q4, each team had two TD drives that took a combined 12 plays. All four TDs were scored from at least 20 yds out, and the last two were 69-yard and 60-yard runs from Seattle’s Kenneth Walker and New Orleans’ Taysom Hill. The Saints’ Hill and Alvin Kamara each rushed for more than 100 yds.

*Vikings 29, Bears 22:* For the first time all year, Justin Fields had to throw the Bears to victory and he almost did. Fields went 15 of 21 with 208 yds, one TD, and just two sacks while a typically dominant Bears rushing attack was ineffectual. Kirk Cousins opened the game with 17 consecutive completions, helping the Vikings put up 21 points by halftime. The Vikings’ offense slowed down in the second half, but their defense forced a fumble from Ihmir Smith-Marsette on the Bears’ final possession.

*Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15*: After being shut out for the first three quarters of the game, the Falcons closed to 21-15 with just over four minutes left to play. Atlanta’s defense sacked Tom Brady on a third-and-5 on the final possession, which should have given them the ball back, but an iffy roughing the passer call on Grady Jarrett allowed the Bucs to run out the clock.

*Titans 21, Commanders 17*: Carson Wentz had a quintessential Carson Wentz performance. The Commanders scored 17 points, but did not make it into the red zone until their final drive. Both of Washington’s TDs came on deep shots to Dyami Brown, vertical playmaking that the Commanders had hoped for in signing Wentz. However, he still took three sacks and threw a pick on the final play of the game. The Titans’ offense looked a bit disjointed, especially in pass protection, after a bounce-back performance last week, but even a halfway functional Titans team is enough to take down the Commanders.

*Texans 13, Jaguars 6:* Houston won the battle of ball control. The rookie RB Dameon Pierce finished the day a yard short of 100, flashing all the strength and balance that earned him predraft hype. The Jaguars ran the ball quite effectively themselves, but Trevor Lawrence had his worst game of the season, misfiring a number of times and throwing two interceptions, one of which was a forced pass in the red zone snagged by Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. The Texans finally found their first win of the year as the AFC South again cannibalized itself.

*KC 30, Raiders 29. *The Raiders came sooo close...but lost. That 30-29 loss joins losses of 5, 6 and 2 points this season. Computer rankings put the Raiders as high as the 12th-best team in the N.F.L. Their point differential of minus-5 makes them about average. They rank 10th in yards per play. Derek Carr has a solid 6.8 adjusted yards per pass, not far off from Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson, and ahead of Joe Burrow.

During the game, they led KC by 17 points, yet blew that lead and lost when a 2-point conversion failed. The Raiders, a playoff team a year ago, are now 1-4 and the season seems to be slipping away.

Patrick Mahomes settled in the second half, hitting favorite target TE Travis Kelce. Kelce ended the game with four TDs. The Raiders came back with one last TD, Carr to Davonte Adams, but RB Josh Jacobs was stuffed short of the goal line to nix the tie.


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## David777

Well here you are folks, on demand instant replay...enjoy. Mouse select link, Watch on YouTube

https://www.seniorforums.com/thread...no-other-sports-thx.71198/page-4#post-2252036


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## Lethe200

*NFL Week 6 Predictions: Our Picks for Each Game*
KC and Buffalo get a long-awaited rematch of last season’s best NFL game before the Eagles and Cowboys fight for the top of the NFC East.
NY Times Oct. 14, 2022 _(All times Eastern)_

*Sunday’s Best Games

Buffalo Bills (4-1) at KC (4-1), 4:25p, CBS*
Pick: Bills
The week’s marquee matchup is a rematch of last year’s AFC divisional playoff thriller, in which KC managed to force OT with a final drive with only 13 seconds on the clock and win in OT. The Bills are favored to win this week, making this Patrick Mahomes’s first career game as a home underdog.

Last week, Buffalo beat up on the Steelers in a lopsided game in which Josh Allen passed for 424 yds, while KC came back from a three score deficit to trump LVegas — two very different performances but both confidence builders. This game will have major consequences for home-field advantage in the playoffs and could very well be a preview of the AFC championship game.

*Dallas Cowboys (4-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-0), 8:20p, NBC*
Pick: Eagles
Cooper Rush didn’t need to do much — just 102 passing yds — to keep the Cowboys unbeaten since Week 1 and win against the Rams last week. Dallas’s formula for going 4-0 without Dak Prescott has relied on running the ball ably and leaning on their monstrous pass rush. As long as they stick to their strengths and protect the ball, there are fewer opportunities for Rush to make mistakes.

The Eagles, however, are not an easy team to play safe against. Last week, Jalen Hurts passed for 239 yds and picked up two rushing TDs. Right now, the NFC East is the best division in the NFL, and this could be another preview of a big playoff matchup. There has been speculation that Prescott could play on Sunday, but the bettors are assuming Rush will be at QB.

*Baltimore Ravens (3-2) at Giants (4-1), 1p, CBS*
Pick: Ravens
The Giants were without their top four receivers in a win over the Packers in London, yet still scored on five consecutive possessions, including 17 unanswered points in the second half. The second-best rushing team in the NFL saw QB Daniel Jones get in on the act, running for 37 yds on 10 carries. With some of those injured receivers potentially returning this week against the Ravens, Jones could finally throw for a big number against a Baltimore team that is perpetually dealing with injuries to its secondary.

However, the Ravens enter as favorites after beating the Bengals with a late FG and riding Lamar Jackson’s MVP and contract campaigns. There is still doubt that the Giants are for real. This game should reveal some truth.

*Sunday’s Other Games

SF 49ers (3-2) at Atlanta Falcons (2-3), 1p, CBS*
Pick: 49ers
This is the second East Coast road game in a row for SF. They arrive in Atlanta as 5-point road favorites. The SF defense has been the team’s strong suit, but a slew of defensive players are on the injured list this week. Most important among them are CB Emmanuel Moseley, who tore his ACL last week; and Nick Bosa, who is questionable with a groin injury.

The Falcons lost to the Buccaneers last week on a questionable roughing the passer call against Grady Jarrett late in the Q4. But even without two key defenders, the 49ers should break that streak, provided QB Jimmy Garoppolo continues to throw to the red jerseys.

*NE Patriots (2-3) at Cleveland Browns (2-3), 1p, CBS*
Pick: Browns
After losing both the starting QB (Mac Jones, out with an ankle injury) and his backup (Brian Hoyer, out with a concussion), last week the Patriots saw top RB Damien Harris leave Week 5’s shutout of the Lions. He’s questionable for Sunday, but NE called up Kevin Harris from the practice squad to pair with Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield, which has taken pressure off the rookie Bailey Zappe to run the offense.

Fortunately for NE, the Cleveland defense has struggled all year to stop the run. Last week, the Browns allowed the Chargers, who came into the game ranked last in the league in rushing, to hand the ball off to Austin Ekeler for a career high 173 yds. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney returned to the Browns’ lineup last week, but they may have needed a game to knock the rust off.

*Jets (3-2) at GBay Packers (3-2), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Packers
The Jets are perhaps the NFL’s biggest surprise this season, and the team’s confidence showed, putting up 40 points — their highest scoring effort since 2018 — last week against a hobbled Miami team. In London the Packers loss to the Giants was the season’s biggest upset so far, and they may be looking to reassert themselves before rival Minnesota runs away with the division.

*Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) at Indianapolis Colts (2-2-1), 1p, CBS*
Pick: Colts
When these two teams met in Week 2, Jacksonville’s defense handed Indianapolis a shutout. This week, they meet on the Colt’s turf, and the tables have turned. The Colts are 2.5-point favorites, coming off an ugly win in Denver, while Jacksonville handed the Texans their first win of the season. Despite the loss, the Jaguars put up 422 yds of offense, and their defense held the Texans to only 248. But the Jags never converted in the red zone in three trips, and a penalty at the end of the game by linebacker Travon Walker cost them a game they should have won. The Colts continue to have OL issues. Matt Ryan has been sacked 21 times, a tie for the most in the league.

*Minnesota Vikings (4-1) at Miami Dolphins (3-2), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Viking
The injuries keep piling up for the Dolphins, who have now lost two QBs to concussions. Tyreek Hill has an injured foot, one starting CB is out and the other is questionable.

The Vikings are sitting on a 4-1 record, but a few of those wins involved them struggling mightily against some pretty bad teams. But the Dolphins seem distracted by the Tua controversy, and might not be settled down yet.

*Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) at New Orleans Saints (2-3), 1p, CBS*
Pick: Bengals
Saints TE Taysom Hill ran for three TDs and threw for a fourth in a win over the Seahawks last week, and he joined Alvin Kamara with more than 100 rushing yds. But Kamara also led the team with 91 receiving yds on 6 catches, a big uptick from his slow start with Jameis Winston under center this season.

The Bengals’ defense is a far cry from the Seahawks’, however: No opponent has scored more than 23 points, and all three of Cincinnati’s losses have been by a FG or less.

*TBay Buccaneers (3-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4), 1p, Fox*
Pick: Bucs
After Pittsburgh was trounced by the Bills on Sunday, the betting spreads wavered considerably. Still, the Bucs offense seems stuck in low gear, and unless Brady can get it going, the Steelers could pull off a win.

*Carolina Panthers (1-4) at LA Rams (2-3), 4:05p, Fox*
Pick: Rams
Coach Matt Rhule was fired on Monday after the Panthers lost the tenth of their last 11 games. Steve Wilks stepped in as interim coach and immediately fired ST coach Ed Foley and DC Phil Snow, saying he wanted to get a “different approach moving forward.” Wilks will need one. Baker Mayfield is out for the near future with a high ankle sprain leaving PJ Walker to make his third ever NFL start.

Carolina’s one glimmer of hope lies with LA’s OL, which has been a revolving door all season. Their issues up front have been a major contributor to Matthew Stafford’s back-and-forth duel with Matt Ryan for the dubious honor of the most sacks and turnovers in the league.

*Arizona Cardinals (2-3) at Seattle Seahawks (2-3), 4:05p, Fox*
Pick: Cards
The Seahawks have one of the league’s worst defenses, giving up 30.8 points per game. The Cardinals are better than most of the teams that have rolled over Seattle, but they have yet to win a home game. Arizona enters the game as road favorites against one of the biggest home-field advantages in the NFL, a boost that could mean a lot.

*Monday Night’s Game

Denver Broncos (2-3) at LA Chargers (3-2), 8:15p, ESPN*
Pick: Chargers
Russell Wilson has a partially torn muscle affecting his throwing shoulder but plans to play after getting a plasma injection to relieve pain. But Denver lost at home last week to the Colts in one of the ugliest games of the season, a bad defeat that gives no indication the Broncos can challenge the Chargers, a top-10 scoring team.

Last week the run-heavy Browns gave the Chargers a battle, who give up more rushing yds per carry (5.8) than any other team in the league. This game may show if Denver rookie HC Paul Hackett can adjust his playbook to give Wilson some help.

*Thursday Night’s Game
Washington Commanders 12, Chicago Bears 7*
In a sloppy game with a missed FG attempt, several tipped passes and eight total sacks, Washington pulled out a win by recovering a muffed punt at Chicago’s 6-yard line, midway through Q4. Rookie RB Brian Robinson, playing in his second game since being shot in August by an attempted robber, punched in his first career TD run.

After the game Bears QB Justin Fields voiced his frustration. “We always get told that we’re almost there, we’re almost there,” Fields said. “Me personally, I’m tired of being almost there. I’m tired of being just this close.” Fields is a decent young QB, but the Bears FO hasn't surrounded him with an OL or receiving corps that can help. He may be doomed to a long period of angst.


----------



## SeniorBen

The Bills - Chiefs game should be a good one. That's the only one I'm watching on Sunday.


----------



## Lethe200

Yes, the Bills/Chiefs will be well worth watching. NFL.com on Hulu yesterday replayed the 2021 Playoff game between those two teams where all those fireworks happened in the last 10 min. It was as thrilling to watch the second time around as it was the first time - great game!


----------



## JustBonee

Another great one yesterday  ....  for them,   playing each other is like looking in the mirror.


----------



## Paco Dennis

JustBonee said:


> Another great one yesterday  ....  for them,   playing each other is like looking in the mirror.


  Loved the game!!! What surprise ending. That tackle at the goal line will go down in infamy!! 



youtu.be/jYij1gY7Qzg


----------



## squatting dog




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## SeniorBen

The Broncos looked as sucky as ever in Monday's game. Maybe the Waltons need to throw more money at the problem.


----------



## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 6 in the NFL*
NY Times Oct. 17, 2022    Part 1 of 2

*Josh Allen can handle a blitz.*
Whether his team is behind, tied, or ahead, Steve Spagnuolo, KC’s defensive coordinator, loves to blitz or play aggressive man coverage. Or both. The tendency is especially glaring when his defense needs a play, for better or worse. It was for worse against Josh Allen and the Bills on Sunday.

Disclaimer: Plenty of offenses, and QBs, are not equipped to handle blitzes and man coverage consistently. But Allen isn’t any QB and he has plenty of Pro Bowl-caliber skill-position players to target when he is under pressure. As a result, all three of the Bills’ TDs featured Allen finding someone on the sideline against press man coverage, sometimes against pressure.

The Bills’ first two TDs were terribly similar. In both cases, Buffalo isolated a receiver on the right sideline, first Gabe Davis and then Stefon Diggs. On the final TD of the game, with the Bills down by 20-17 and just over a minute to go, KC again ran press man. Diggs and TE Dawson Knox aligned to the same side with Knox running a corner route and Diggs running a short route to the flat. The safety to that side of the field flew to the flat as if he was in a bracket on Diggs, however, and Knox had all the room he needed to make himself available to Allen for a 14-yard TD catch.

*Even DeAndre Hopkins’s return might not fix the Cardinals’ offense.*
It’s never been more clear how much the Cardinals’ offense needs receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Without Hopkins, who is scheduled to return in Week 7 from a suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Arizona’s offense could muster only 3 points in the team’s 19-9 loss to the Seahawks, the second-worst scoring defense in the league.

The Cardinals’ only TD came when safety Chris Banjo recovered a fumble by the Seattle punter in the end zone.

Without Hopkins in the lineup, Coach Kliff Kingsbury’s shotgun-only Air Raid offense has devolved into a dink-and-dunk operation, one that relies solely on QB Kyler Murray. A majority of the team’s passing plays are screens, run-pass options, or basic concepts like Stick, a three-receiver set meant to stretch defenses horizontally and pick up 5 yds.

As a result, Murray entered Sunday with the fifth-lowest average intended air yds, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. The Cardinals’ offense is fit for an elite Texas high school, not an NFL team. Kingsbury’s schemes don’t place Murray under center for runs that would set up play-action — and potentially deep shots — and the team’s play-action menu from shotgun is not terribly convincing or effective. Murray instead has to hold the ball, scramble around, and pray Marquise Brown (and soon Hopkins) finds space somewhere. Brown left Sunday’s game with an injured foot on a play in which his target was picked off.

Even the burden of the rushing offense is on Murray, and Sunday’s game was a perfect example. The Cardinals earned 144 yds on 28 carries, which is a good day at the office, but Murray did most of that, with 10 carries for 100 yds. Some of those were scrambles, but Kingsbury often uses Murray as a designed runner and option threat, which is really the only tactic that consistently works for this rushing offense.

Maybe getting Hopkins into the lineup changes the offense. Hopkins is a legitimate X receiver on the outside, and Kingsbury’s offense always looks better with a capable target at that position. But in his fourth season as the Cardinals’ head coach, it’s glaring that the offense is still purely talent-driven.

*The Jets ransacked the Packers’ defense.*
The Packers’ run defense was supposed to be better this season. GBay drafted a DL, Devonte Wyatt, and a linebacker, Quay Walker, in the first round and signed the veteran DL Jarran Reed in the off-season. Well, Wyatt cannot see the field, Reed has not made an impact, and none of the Packers’ edge defenders or safeties have been useful at keeping teams from hitting the perimeter.

The Packers had given up the 13th-most rushing yds per game at 126.4 through the first five games, and the Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur (brother of Packers Coach Matt LaFleur) homed in on GBay’s issues defending the run by calling a couple of reverse plays that broke open the game. Will Parks’ big TD after recovering a blocked Packers punt came on the next drive, sending the Jets up by 17-3.

Mike LaFleur called a reverse to the opposite to open Q4, using different players. Half the Packers’ defense ran with the reverse and the other half overran their fits as they panicked at the sight of two pullers. As a result, Hall had all the room he needed to run up the middle for a 34-yard score, padding the Jets’ lead to 24-10.

The Packers’ run defense is bad, but Mike LaFleur and the Jets’ offense made them look more than bad. They made them look silly.

*Tom Brady and his OL have issues.*
All the inexperience along the Buccaneers’ interior OL is getting to Tom Brady. After spending his first two years in TBay with Ryan Jensen at center and Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa at the guard spots, the Bucs are now starting rookie Luke Goedeke at LG and the 2021 third-round pick Robert Hainsey at center. Not only are the two youngsters talent downgrades from their predecessors, but their inexperience and Brady’s lack of trust in them is evident.

From a broader perspective, Brady has been hesitant to hold the ball this season. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Brady’s 2.42 average time to throw was the lowest in the NFL heading into Week 6 and it is unlikely his performance against the Steelers on Sunday will alter that statistic much. Brady’s average intended air yds has also dropped from 8.0 in 2021 to 7.4 this year. Brady is getting the ball out quicker and throwing it shorter because he doesn’t want to get hit.

His distrust of the Buccaneers’ OL finally came to a boiling point Sunday as Brady went off on his teammates on the sideline right before halftime. With TBay trailing by 10-6, Steelers pass rusher Alex Highsmith strip-sacked Brady on first-and-10 at the Bucs’ 35-yard line with 1:41 to go in the first half. While the Bucs recovered the ball, it set TBay up for a second-and-19, all but ensuring the team would have to punt rather than try to squeeze in some points to close the quarter.

It would be foolish to count out the possibility of Brady and the guys up front sorting things out come December, but it looks uneasy right now.

*The Ravens’ rushes showed how offenses around the league are countering defenses.*
NFL rushing offense changes as defense changes. It’s a cardinal rule around the league. Whereas nearly every defense five years ago tried to mimic the Legion of Boom era Seahawks with an even-number front Cover 3, the proliferation of odd-number defensive fronts and two-high coverages has taken over the league the past two seasons.

The odd-front structure puts five players on the line of scrimmage with three down linemen and two outside linebackers, meaning those defenders can cover a ton of surface area against zone runs. The more gaps that are covered initially, the harder it is for the offense to find a natural crease. While that combination has been an effective formula for limiting explosive passing plays, rushing offenses have countered.

Now those rushing offenses create creases by force. Odd-front defenses tend to struggle against gap and pulling runs. Rushing offenses can often get a guaranteed double team on the play-side defensive linemen, and the units that move gaps around by pulling linemen make it harder for the defenses to fit the run because they have fewer bodies beyond the line of scrimmage to stuff those gaps.

The Ravens were able to run all over the Giants (211 yds to the Giants’ 83) for this exact reason. For example, on Kenyan Drake’s 30-yard TD run that put Baltimore up, 7-0, with 9:26 left in the second quarter, the Ravens powered into the Giants’ 5-1 odd-number front.

The guard and tackle buried the play-side defensive linemen, TE Mark Andrews climbed to cut off the inside linebacker, and fullback Patrick Ricard kicked out the outside linebacker on the edge.

On the very next drive, the Ravens again sprang Drake free for another 30-yard run with a counter play that featured a pulling center. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley buried the play-side defensive linemen, Ricard kicked out the end, and center Tyler Linderbaum led the way for Drake through the second level of defense.

A number of other things went wrong for the Ravens to lose, 24-20, but their performance as a rushing offense was a microcosm of what teams are doing against this new wave of defense.


----------



## Lethe200

*What We Learned From Week 6 in the NFL*
NY Times Oct. 17, 2022                                 Part 2 of 2

*Around the NFL

Eagles, 26, Cowboys 17: *The Cooper Rush Experience could last only so long. Rush tossed three interceptions, two of which in the first half, as the Eagles got out to a 20-0 lead. Rush’s third interception was a duck deep downfield in the fourth, dashing the Cowboys’ chance at a comeback. The Eagles saw their aerial attack continue to sputter a bit, but Jalen Hurts did enough in the quick-passing game to let A.J. Brown work his magic with yds after the catch.

*Rams 24, Panthers 10:* The Panthers’ spiral continued downward as Carolina played without starting QB Baker Mayfield (ankle) and the coaching staff kicked receiver Robbie Anderson out of the game in the second half after he and the staff went at it multiple times on the sideline. The bonus for LA was Allen Robinson finally came to life, earning a season-high 63 yds thanks in part to a fantastic back shoulder grab along the sideline.

*Seahawks 19, Cardinals 9: *The Seahawks got standout play from rookies, including RB Kenneth Walker III, who ripped off a 34-yard run and had an 11-yard TD early in the Q4. The rookie CB Tariq Woolen snagged two turnovers, a fumble recovery and an interception.

*Bills 24, KC 20:* Josh Allen turned around the snooze fest with the Bills’ last possession of the first half. He led Buffalo on a 96-yard TD drive that included a third-and-13 from the Bills’ 1-yard line. Both QBs showed their best traits in the second half — arm strength for Allen and masterful pocket management and creativity for Mahomes — until Mahomes got the ball back for one final drive at the end and immediately threw a pick at the nickel corner Taron Johnson.

*Vikings 24, Dolphins 16:* QB injuries keep on coming for the Dolphins. Skylar Thompson got the start for the Dolphins with Teddy Bridgewater having cleared concussion protocol on Saturday. Thompson injured his thumb midway through the contest, forcing the less-than-100-percent Bridgewater into the game, and the Dolphins’ offense just never found its footing. The Vikings won their fourth straight game behind another 100-yard-receiving game from Justin Jefferson.

*Falcons 28, 49ers 14:* It’s never fun for a team to be without its entire starting defensive line, as SF was – but it’s especially suboptimal against an offense concocted by Arthur Smith. The Falcons’ rushing offense has been a machine this season, blending traditional outside zone running schemes with QB runs and a handful of gap runs to keep defenses on their toes. It worked to perfection against a depleted 49ers front as the Falcons ran 40 times, providing efficient gains and opening up the play-action game to help Marcus Mariota go 13 for 14 for 129 yds and two scores.

*Patriots 38, Browns 15:* The Browns did not get gashed on the ground the way they normally do, but it did not matter. The Patriots rookie QB Bailey Zappe carved up a Browns secondary prone to coverage busts by rushing the ball out quickly to his playmakers and delivering a handful of clutch play-action passes. Additionally, the Patriots rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton finally saw game action, snagging a 2-yard TD over the middle of the end zone in the third quarter and running in a score in the fourth.

*Jets 27, Packers 10:* The Jets dominated the game up front on both ends. On offense, they relentlessly ran at the Packers’ feeble front, even hitting a couple of trick plays for TDs. Defensively, the Jets’ four-man pass rush ravaged the Packers’ OL. Simple stunts and twists regularly gave the Packers fits, forcing Aaron Rodgers to play while under siege all game.

*Colts 34, Jaguars 27:* It felt like a bad omen when the Colts shuffled their entire OL around. Tackle Matt Pryor started the game at right guard, Braden Smith moved back to tackle after playing guard last week, and left tackle Bernhard Raimann was pulled in the first quarter in favor of Dennis Kelly. None of that mattered as QB Matt Ryan delivered play after play, surgically dicing up the Jaguars’ secondary for nearly 400 yds and three TDs on 58 attempts. Ryan threw his third TD, the game’s decisive score, to the rookie Alec Pierce on a third-and-13 with 17 seconds left.

*Bengals 30, Saints 26:* Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase finally had one of Those Games, and what better place to do it than the stadium where they won a national championship together in college. The duo exploded in the second half. Burrow nailed Chase on a seam route in the red zone for their first TD and their second was classic Chase magic. He caught a simple curl route and broke multiple tackles on his way to a 60-yard TD with just under two minutes to go, giving the Bengals a 30-26 lead and, eventually, the win.

*Giants 24, Ravens 20:* The game ultimately came down to one mistake from Lamar Jackson with the Ravens leading, 20-17, with just over three minutes to go. Baltimore messed up its shotgun snap and Jackson scrambled around trying to pick up the ball and save the play. Instead of trying to kill the play, Jackson heaved a pass over the middle, gifting an interception to Julian Love. Saquon Barkley punched in the go-ahead TD a few plays later, one play after an interception scare that was negated by a defensive pass interference penalty.

*Steelers 20, Buccaneers 18:* Offensive-line woes continue to haunt the Buccaneers. Tom Brady was sacked only twice, but he regularly rushed the ball out too quickly to avoid being hit behind his inexperienced left guard and center. On the other end, the Steelers’ offense was forced to go back in time, and it somehow worked out for them. The rookie QB Kenny Pickett was knocked out of the game with a concussion, giving way to Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky went 9 of 12 for 144 yds and threw the game-winning TD to Chase Claypool, a performance that was far and away his best of the season.

*Monday Night Football

Chargers 19, Broncos 16 (OT)*
The Broncos stumbled into SoFi Stadium Monday night 2-11 in their past 13 division games dating back to the start of the 2020 season, 0-7 on the road. So, add another as rookie Montrell Washington muffed a punt at the Broncos' 28-yard line with 4:28 to play in OT to set up a 19-16 overtime loss to LAC.

The Broncos had a 10-0 lead after Q1 but then the offense essentially called it a night. In Q3 Denver mustered only 19 yards of offense. The Broncos OL is a mess and the D can't overcome the handicapped offense.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Hackett has spent plenty of time since he got the job talking about how important the run game is, and will be, in the team's offense. But when Denver has the ball, the run game seems ornamental at best. Granted, the season-ending injury Javonte Williams suffered in the loss to the Raiders will impact the Broncos' plan, but they ran the ball just seven times in the first half versus the Chargers, and one of those was a Wilson scramble.

This has led at times to short possessions in which the Broncos use up just over a minute on ill-timed three-and-outs before sending their defense back on the field. And the team's continued struggles on first down -- Denver faced second-and-18, second-and-12 and second-and-9 in the first half alone -- have pushed the Broncos away from a balanced offense.

Russell Wilson hit his first 10 pass attempts and looked far more comfortable overall. But without the benefit of much play-action and amid an ongoing disconnect with WR Jerry Jeudy that appears too often, Wilson completed only three of his next 11 passes.

He completed passes to nine different receivers, including the first touchdown for rookie TE Greg Dulcich. But the first-down woes won't be solved until the run game is used regularly.

_Upcoming: 10/20 - Saints vs Cardinals, Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime to start Week 7._


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## Tempsontime65

Well my home team[The Commanders]may have a ghost of a chance of beating[Green Bay]with the change at QB[Taylor Heineke] the game should be close at least!!


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## DaveA

I think someone just "pulled the chain" and flushed the Patriots down the drain,  They used 2 QB's last night and were crushd by the Bears, 33 - 14.  For longtime Pats fans it's kind of tough to watch.  They've not always been on top but usually they stay in striking distance.  Still a ways to go but I don't see a bright future this year.


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## Paco Dennis

I watched the highlights last night. I was surprised at how "bad" the Patriots were. I thought it would be a close game but the Bears are a better team, and walked right through them. The Patriots had their time in the sun.


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## Lethe200

Tempsontime65 said:


> Well my home team[The Commanders]may have a ghost of a chance of beating[Green Bay]with the change at QB[Taylor Heineke] the game should be close at least!!


And they did win! GBay looked terrible, didn't they?

Davante Adams (formerly Rogers' favorite receiver at GBay) is finally connecting well with his best friend QB Derek Carr of the Raiders, as they walloped the Texans 38-20 in Wk 7 with a big second half. Adams had 8 catches for 95 yds, many of which helped set up RB Josh Jacobs as he scampered for 3 TDs on the day. Safety Duron Harmon was a surprise start for LVR but proved his worth with a pick-6 late in Q4 that iced the win.

KC Chiefs stomped all over the SF Niners, who got some of their wounded D players back, but it was clear they weren't really 100%. Mahomes did his magical stuff, which is physically impossible for any other QB to do as consistently as he does. The Chiefs are a hollow shell of their Super Bowl-winning team, but as long as they have Mahomes and Kelce, one can't count them out of any game short of the apparently 2022 SB-bound Bills. The Niners offense sputtered and special teams were horrible (shades of 2021!), with the Niners putting up FGs as the Chiefs kept galloping into the end zone for TDs. Mercifully the game ended before the Chiefs put a three-figure total on their side of the scoreboard. Final score Chiefs 44, Niners 23.


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## Tempsontime65

I pick the bums to lose and they win..yipee on to the Superbowl... NOT!!!


----------



## SeniorBen

Ravens vs. the Buccaneers tomorrow. I'm not a fan of either team, but I may watch it for an excuse to order pizza.


----------



## Paco Dennis

Too little too late for the Brady bunch.


----------



## PamfromTx

Omg!  Tom Brady's divorce is finalized!


----------



## JustBonee

PamfromTx said:


> Omg!  Tom Brady's divorce is finalized!



Surprised at the speed of the divorce  ....   I wish them both the best in the future.


----------



## Wayne

Never was a pro sports fan here but when the kneeling started it will not be on our TV in my home, period. Have no use for those people here.


----------



## Lethe200

Wayne said:


> Never was a pro sports fan here but when the kneeling started it will not be on our TV in my home, period. Have no use for those people here.


The feeling is probably mutual, so why are you still here? How silly!


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## Tempsontime65

Well, Sunday is coming and another chance for my home team[The Commanders]to lose a game and they will...oh well!!!


----------



## Lethe200

Re the Commanders - but the Colts' record is only 3-3-1, so about even. Don't give up hope yet! I've always respected Ron Rivera; he's a good coach.


----------



## Lethe200

Tempsontime65 - wow, the Commanders won! 17-16 final. Congratulations!

Niners walloped the Rams, whom Jimmy G and the team own (but only in the regular season - now 8-0 against our LA rivals in the all-important divisional race. We have swept them 4 yrs in a row, although they squeaked a win in the 2021 NFC playoffs on the way to their Super Bowl trophy.

Raiders stunk up the stadium getting shut out by the Saints, 24-0. Ugh!


----------



## David777

For someone like this person with decades Photoshop and imaging working  experience, the 2022 Internet provides a way of posting that would have amazed most just recent years ago. Telecom display technology today offers so much more. I like how we in the global network can interact potentially greatly increasing the mass of interactors like these fans posting online comments, much sports fun to interact in with others, in the copied webpage showing fun enthusiasm.  When teams are loosing and what not, such sites may be caustic. 

But with winning, there is much enthusiastic fun talk like the freshly grabbed with the Windows Snipping Tool mouse selected then copied to Clipboard.  Opening up Photoshop, if the New (file) selection is made, the size opens as whatever the size of what was in the Clipboard if anything.  Thus executing a <CTRL>p pastes that contents into the displayed imaged as a new layer.  Actuating an <ALT>e merges those layers.


----------



## SeniorBen

I felt bad for Aaron Rogers yesterday. He's one of the greatest quarterbacks in the league but because of injuries, the Packers were forced to rely on their running game. Rogers didn't have time to do anything but hand the ball off.

I wonder if he regrets not going to the Broncos.


----------



## Michael Z

Green Bay Packer era is possibly over I think. It's back to the 80's I am afraid.


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## Paco Dennis

What happened to the Bengals? They got whooped!


----------



## Lethe200

Temps, sorry to hear this news - football great David Butz has died at age 72:
'Gentle Giant' Dave Butz, Washington Legend, Dead at 72

Paco, yeah, that was a shock. But maybe understandable since Ja’Marr Chase was injured. And the Bengals really have to do something about their OL, like too many other teams. No point in paying zillions to your QB only to have them spend half the game knocked flat on the ground, LOL.


----------



## JaniceM

jerry old said:


> Have been ill, missed this thread, hopefully, will be able to get back in grove...


Oh there you are!!  Great to see you back!!!  Hoping you will be feeling better soon.


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## Paco Dennis

I feels to me like the young black stars are showboating an awful lot. Almost every 1st down, it is some kind of ritual expression ( pointing to let everyone know it's a first down,  gyrations, both body and facial, touchdowns are spiked, danced, jumping in the crowds, and on and on and on ). It kinda feels like when Rap music started dominating the top 40. I saw that about 70% of the players are black now. I can understand how this happens...and it is changing the atmosphere of the game...for me. I don't mind, it is just different. Way different than what it was like in the 50's and 60's.


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## Lethe200

Players are now very aware that pro sports is _entertainment._ And relatively few of them manage to become multi-multi-millionaires. Most never break out as 'household names'. Their "brand", i.e., name recognition, is something they have to build up.

Marshawn Lynch, RB with Seahawks and Raiders, was always very concerned with what would happen when his life no longer revolved around football. It was why he trademarked the phrase "Beast Mode" that sportswriters hung on him, and used it to segue into the business world.

A lifelong resident of Oakland, CA, he is well aware of the many athletes who earned big money but then lost it once they left sports, because no one had ever taught them how to manage their finances for the long-term. Lynch is now a partner in a well-known sports agency firm that helps its clients with strategic planning, so they don't end up broke by the time they're 45 yrs old!

I believe the average career length for an NFL player is 3.3 years....not very long for all those years and hours of practice they've put in to finally get drafted. A sobering thought, indeed.


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## SeniorBen

The lowly Washington Commanders handed Philadelphia their first loss of the season this evening. How does a 5 - 5 team beat an undefeated team? I don't get ESPN and didn't get to watch the game, so I guess I'll have to watch the highlights on YouTube.


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## Tempsontime65

Lethe200 said:


> Temps, sorry to hear this news - football great David Butz has died at age 72:
> 'Gentle Giant' Dave Butz, Washington Legend, Dead at 72
> 
> Paco, yeah, that was a shock. But maybe understandable since Ja’Marr Chase was injured. And the Bengals really have to do something about their OL, like too many other teams. No point in paying zillions to your QB only to have them spend half the game knocked flat on the ground, LOL.


Dave Butz was a great one, George Allen got him from the old St Louis Cardinals and the rest is legendary.


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## Tempsontime65

Well, maybe the blind dog does find a bone, Commanders beat the Eagles[how bout dat??] didn't think they had it in em, nice win!


----------



## DaveA

Paco Dennis said:


> I feels to me like the young black stars are showboating an awful lot. Almost every 1st down, it is some kind of ritual expression ( pointing to let everyone know it's a first down,  gyrations, both body and facial, touchdowns are spiked, danced, jumping in the crowds, and on and on and on ). It kinda feels like when Rap music started dominating the top 40. I saw that about 70% of the players are black now. I can understand how this happens...and it is changing the atmosphere of the game...for me. I don't mind, it is just different. Way different than what it was like in the 50's and 60's.


I tend to agree with you - - -but - - -it takes away some of the "good sportsmanship" that I connected with sports in earlier days.  I still recall opposing players sticking out a hand for someone who's taken a hard hit.  Today they dance around the fallen opponent.  Not my type of sportsmanship.


----------



## Been There

Check out the snow scenes in Buffalo at Highmark Stadium.

Highmark Stadium


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## Lethe200

DaveA said:


> I tend to agree with you - - -but - - -it takes away some of the "good sportsmanship" that I connected with sports in earlier days.  I still recall opposing players sticking out a hand for someone who's taken a hard hit.  Today they dance around the fallen opponent.  Not my type of sportsmanship.


It's just the 'heat of the moment'. After the game you'll see players mingling to hug their friends on the opposing teams.


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## MarkinPhx

I don't know how everyone else feels but in my opinion this has been the craziest year that I can remember in the NFL. I am so happy I do not gamble as I would have lost a ton of money this season. Off the top of my head I can think of ten teams who I would not be surprised winning the Super Bowl this year.


----------



## Lethe200

MarkinPhx said:


> I don't know how everyone else feels but in my opinion this has been the craziest year that I can remember in the NFL. I am so happy I do not gamble as I would have lost a ton of money this season. Off the top of my head I can think of ten teams who I would not be surprised winning the Super Bowl this year.


Parity makes for uncertain outcomes, that's for sure. Browns vs Bucs, Ravens vs Jaguars - wild game endings make for exciting finishes!


----------



## Lethe200

*The Rams Bet It All for a Title. The Tab Is Coming Due.*
The ring-winning nucleus of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey remains intact but is loping through the 2022 season without solid support from the rest of the roster.
NYT 23Nov2022

The LA Rams built their 2021 roster to win the Super Bowl at all costs. They won the Super Bowl. Now they are paying all the costs.

The reigning-champion Rams have a 3-7 record. They have lost four straight games, the last two to the Arizona Cardinals, an NFC West rival, and the New Orleans Saints, teams with a combined 8-14 record. They are essentially eliminated from playoff contention; The NY Times’ NFL playoff calculator gives the Rams just a 3 percent chance of reaching the postseason.

LA faces KC on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in what once looked like a potential Super Bowl preview. Those expectations have been tempered by midseason reality: Early in the week, the Rams were 14.5-point underdogs.

The Rams’ front office made sure that the ring-winning nucleus of QB Matthew Stafford, receiver Cooper Kupp, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and CB Jalen Ramsey remained intact to start the season. But due to the franchise’s Live Fast/Spend Hard/Die Broke philosophy, however, that nucleus is no longer surrounded by championship-caliber cytoplasm or mitochondria. The overspending and under-drafting that got the franchise its second Super Bowl title is now rotting the Rams’ roster from the roots up.

The trade that brought Stafford to LA from the Detroit Lions before the 2021 season cost the Rams their 2022 and 2023 first-round picks, plus a 2021 third-round selection. Stafford signed a four-year, $160-million extension in March 2022.

Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro, arrived from the Jacksonville Jaguars midway through the 2019 season in exchange for the Rams’ 2020 and 2021 first-round picks, plus a 2021 fourth-round pick. Ramsey received a five-year, $105-million extension in 2020.

Donald, a three-time defensive player of the year, signed a three-year, $95 million extension in June, silencing speculation that he was mulling retirement. Kupp, the offensive player of the year in 2021, received a three-year, $80-million extension a few days later.

The Rams also traded a 2022 second-round pick to rent the services of the All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller for a few months last year. The team dealt its 2018 first-round pick for receiver Brandin Cooks, now long gone, and traded out of the first round in 2019 as part of a complicated tangle of deals to acquire more late-round picks.

The Rams have not selected within the first 50 picks in an NFL draft since 2017, leaving their roster nearly devoid of rising talent.

Meanwhile, the team’s middle class drifted away in the off-season. The stalwart left tackle Andrew Whitworth retired. Receiver Robert Woods was traded to the Tennessee Titans in a cost-cutting move. Miller left to pursue another championship with the Buffalo Bills.

Odell Beckham Jr. retreated to his Fortress of Solitude to rehab a torn anterior cruciate ligament and ponder his next move. Lesser-known starters, including defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day and guard Austin Corbett, signed with teams that had more money to spend on rank-and-file contributors.

The Rams did find salary cap space to sign receiver Allen Robinson and the six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. Still, the team entered the 2022 season with a handful of big names — a few of them past their primes — supported by dozens of late-round picks, undrafted rookies and castoffs from other teams’ practice squads.

The flaws in the Rams’ 1-percenters-and-minimum-wagers model have been obvious all season. Kupp averaged nine catches for 101.6 yds per game before Week 10, when he injured an ankle, but Robinson proved an inadequate replacement for Woods and Beckham, and no other playmaker has stepped up.

Donald has five sacks, but the Rams are tied for 17th in the NFL in that category with just 22. Ramsey has run hot and cold — the Saints rookie receiver Chris Olave glided past him for a long TD on Sunday — leaving the Rams with ordinary-at-best pass coverage. Two blocked punts and a sputtering kick return game underscore the talent void at the bottom of the roster.

Stafford, meanwhile, has been in and out of concussion protocol after taking 29 sacks behind an ever-changing cast of obscure OLmen. With Kupp on injured reserve and Stafford ailing, the backup QB Bryce Perkins finished the Rams’ Week 11 loss to the Saints running a makeshift Wildcat offense. It was about as far from Super Bowl glory as a team can fall after just nine months.

The situation has gotten so bad that Beckham, once expected to re-sign with the Rams once healthy, has reportedly crossed them off his short list of future employers. Beckham is reportedly more willing to return to the Giants than the Rams. Now that’s a reversal of fortune.

Post Super Bowl-letdowns are not unusual, as teams inevitably face tougher schedules and tighter budgets after winning a championship. No team in history, however, has ever mortgaged its future as extravagantly as the Rams.

According to overthecap.com, all but $6 million of the Rams’ estimated 2023 salary cap budget is already accounted for, with $99 million earmarked for Donald, Kupp, Ramsey and Stafford. With only 37 players under contract beyond this season, the Rams may be forced to cut veterans just to field a 53-man roster next year.

The Fab-but-Fading-Four is scheduled to cost the Rams more than $136 million in 2024. And the Rams’ first-round pick in 2023, which could have netted them a much-needed potential rebuilding block, belongs to the Lions.

The Rams aren’t just enduring a Super Bowl hangover. They have woken up next to a total stranger in a Nevada honeymoon suite with an empty wallet and no sign of their car keys. They’ll be paying the price for their 2021 binge for years.

Banners hang from stadium rafters forever, and a Pyrrhic Super Bowl victory counts just as much as any other kind. The Rams may have no regrets, but their current situation offers a cautionary tale for the copycat franchises tempted to risk their futures on a few splashy trades. Spending lavishly on a few stars and tossing first-round picks around like confetti will not guarantee a championship, but it will guarantee an eventual, prolonged period of dreary austerity.

Moderation remains best in all things, including NFL roster construction. The Rams’ lesson arrived too late to stop the Denver Broncos from trading for Russell Wilson, but perhaps it will help other teams in the future.


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## MarkinPhx

The Rams don't have the rabid  fanbase like the Seahawks and 49ers do so it is going to be interesting to see what happens to ticket sales in the next couple of years. When they hosted SF earlier in the season it seemed like the majority of those in the stadium were SF fans. Similar situation  here in Phoenix also. They will probably still sellout while they attempt to rebuild but I am not sure if they will have much of a home field advantage during that time. If the Chargers happen to get better in the next couple of years then I think they will be the flavor of the month for the LA fans, much like the Clippers and Lakers situation right now in the NBA.


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## Tempsontime65

One of the biggest games is the[Commander-Giants] coming up on Sunday, it's been awhile since these two were relevant at the same time with playoff positioning on the table, should be a good one!!


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## Feelslikefar

Titans travel to Philly, and I'm going over to my son's house to watch
that game.

Will be a interesting time, as his wife is a huge Eagles fan along with her friends. 
Son and I will be outnumbered, so I'm hoping the snacks will be plentiful.


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## DaveA

Feelslikefar said:


> Titans travel to Philly, and I'm going over to my son's house to watch
> that game.
> 
> Will be a interesting time, as his wife is a huge Eagles fan along with her friends.
> Son and I will be outnumbered, so I'm hoping the snacks will be plentiful.


Maybe you two should bring along "baggies" in case Titan fans are delivered a shut-out regarding the snacks.


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## SeniorBen

I'll be pulling for the Ravens tomorrow, just because I hate the Broncos. They're the Walmart of football teams (and owned by the owners of Walmart).


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## DaveA

I was watching the Bucs-Saints game but turned it off.  If there was ever a worse combination of commentators than the Manning brothers, I've never heard them and I've been watching football since it first came on TV in the early 50's.  Excellent QB's and pleasant enough whenever interviewed but as a duet providing game coverage they're terrible IMHO.


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## Paladin1950

Well my Dallas Cowboys are doing much better than I expected. Although I was very disappointed when they blew that 14 point lead against the Packers, but the following week they blew out the Vikings 40-3, and scored 33 points against the Colts in the 4th quarter, enroute to a  54-19 massacre.


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## Feelslikefar

My first year joining in a league for Fantasy Football.
Small, private league with some friends.

Always thought it was a waste of time, but now I'm really into it.
Following teams and players more than ever.

The thing that made things more interesting was when I discovered
'Red Zone' on the NFL channel at the beginning of the season.

Understand now why Fantasy is such a big deal.
A different twist to my NFL watching and you can talk alittle 'smack' with friends.

Just another way for this retired guy to enjoy his football time.


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## Tempsontime65

With their playoff fate in their hands, The Commanders need to win Sunday night.


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## Paco Dennis

DaveA said:


> I was watching the Bucs-Saints game but turned it off.  If there was ever a worse combination of commentators than the Manning brothers, I've never heard them and I've been watching football since it first came on TV in the early 50's.  Excellent QB's and pleasant enough whenever interviewed but as a duet providing game coverage they're terrible IMHO.


I always turn off the sound. I can't stand all the "Real football" talk!


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## DaveA

Feelslikefar said:


> My first year joining in a league for Fantasy Football.
> Small, private league with some friends.
> 
> Always thought it was a waste of time, but now I'm really into it.
> Following teams and players more than ever.
> 
> The thing that made things more interesting was when I discovered
> 'Red Zone' on the NFL channel at the beginning of the season.
> 
> Understand now why Fantasy is such a big deal.
> A different twist to my NFL watching and you can talk alittle 'smack' with friends.
> 
> Just another way for this retired guy to enjoy his football time.


Never got involved with it  (Fantasy Football) myself but our son and a couple of the inlaw" grandsons enjoy it.


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## Murrmurr

That was a hell of a game yesterday, wasn't it? Vikings take it in OT. You have to wonder if the half-time speech reminded Cook (and Cousins) that he's not their only receiver. Looked to me like the Vikings could have scored a lot earlier if Cook would have handed the ball off like a mate. I saw at least 2 really safe opportunities.

Anyway, awesome game.


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## Tempsontime65

Well, as usual my home team[Commanders] have backed themselves into a corner and now have to win starting with the rough[49er's]who have only the top defense in the league and a rookie QB who doesn't play like one, will we win??? I don't think so...49er's 35- Commanders 6...ouch!!


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## Murrmurr

Tempsontime65 said:


> Well, as usual my home team[Commanders] have backed themselves into a corner and now have to win starting with the rough[49er's]who have only the top defense in the league and a rookie QB who doesn't play like one, will we win??? I don't think so...49er's 35- Commanders 6...ouch!!


Commanders? I've never even heard of them. How long they been around?

I looked them up. They play for Washington, but starting when? (didn't read that far)
I don't follow football much, obviously. I played baseball but haven't even followed MLB since the 80s.
But as a Vikings fan from way back, I did watch the ~vs~Colts game last weekend.


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## Tempsontime65

Murrmurr said:


> Commanders? I've never even heard of them. How long they been around?
> 
> I looked them up. They play for Washington, but starting when? (didn't read that far)
> I don't follow football much, obviously. I played baseball but haven't even followed MLB since the 80s.
> But as a Vikings fan from way back, I did watch the ~vs~Colts game last weekend.


It's cool, they used to be called[Redskins] but had to change the name as it was offensive to Native Americans, the team has been around for[90yrs] since[1932] when the owner [George Preston Marshall] brought them to D.C.] in[1937] they have won five World titles[ 1937-1942-1982-1987-1992].


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## Murrmurr

Tempsontime65 said:


> It's cool, they used to be called[Redskins] but had to change the name as it was offensive to Native Americans, the team has been around for[90yrs] since[1932] when the owner [George Preston Marshall] brought them to D.C.] in[1937] they have won five World titles[ 1937-1942-1982-1987-1992].


Ah, yeah.... "Modern Audiences"
Got it.


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## Furryanimal

Disturbing scenes this evening in the Bills Bengals game.
All thoughts are with Damar Hamlin.Who received CPR for several minutes.

....
*The Official Statement from the NFL:*​Tonight's Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.
Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.
Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game....
...
Can't see how the players can be expected to resume the game at all but it is only ' postponed' as I write.
We have had similar scenes in British soccer...with good outcomes.
Hope it turns out the same here.


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## SeaBreeze

Furryanimal said:


> Disturbing scenes this evening in the Bills Bengals game.
> All thoughts are with Damar Hamlin.Who received CPR for several minutes.
> 
> ....
> *The Official Statement from the NFL:*​Tonight's Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.
> Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.
> Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
> The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game....
> ...
> Can't see how the players can be expected to resume the game at all but it is only ' postponed' as I write.
> We have had similar scenes in British soccer...with good outcomes.
> Hope it turns out the same here.


I hope he pulls through this, very concerning.


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## SeniorBen

It looked like he got hit in the center of his upper chest where his heart is. Something could have ruptured. Hopefully, he'll pull through. Scary stuff. He's only 24.


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## SeniorBen

Damar Hamlin apparently suffered from cardiac arrest after being hit in the chest. His heartbeat was restored on the field. No word yet as to whether or not he has regained consciousness or is able to breathe on his own.


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## rgp

Furryanimal said:


> Disturbing scenes this evening in the Bills Bengals game.
> All thoughts are with Damar Hamlin.Who received CPR for several minutes.
> 
> ....
> *The Official Statement from the NFL:*​Tonight's Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.
> Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.
> Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
> The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game....
> ...
> Can't see how the players can be expected to resume the game at all but it is only ' postponed' as I write.
> We have had similar scenes in British soccer...with good outcomes.
> Hope it turns out the same here.



 I do not normally watch football , but due to home town [Cincinnati] and the important game I tuned in to it last night. Just as i did , that play  had just happened. The player was on the ground , taken away by ambulance.

The announcers said ....... word from the league is, they are going to give the players five minutes to warm back up, and we will continue the game.

Now the lying sons-of-bitches [the league] says .... they never said that as it would have been insenceitive. 

Now why would those announcers say that if there was no directive to do so ?

I think the league knew they 'stepped in it' and now they are trying to back out of it ...... jmo


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## Lethe200

Murrmurr said:


> Ah, yeah.... "Modern Audiences"
> Got it.


Well....it is offensive. It's one thing to be called "Chief". Wouldn't we all like to have the annual paycheck of the Chief Executive Officer of IBM?

It's another thing altogether to be called "Redskin".

I'm Asian. So is my spouse. Would you call us "Yellowskins?" 

I don't think so. Your posts show far too much intelligence and thoughtfulness for that.

The English language is still around because it has a sociologic fluidity and absorbs not only words from other languages, but also recognizes that *meanings change.*

Change makes people uncomfortable sometimes. So be it. We should all want life to advance, not remain static or regress.


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## Murrmurr

Lethe200 said:


> Well....it is offensive. It's one thing to be called "Chief". Wouldn't we all like to have the annual paycheck of the Chief Executive Officer of IBM?
> 
> It's another thing altogether to be called "Redskin".
> 
> I'm Asian. So is my spouse. Would you call us "Yellowskins?"
> 
> I don't think so. Your posts show far too much intelligence and thoughtfulness for that.
> 
> The English language is still around because it has a sociologic fluidity and absorbs not only words from other languages, but also recognizes that *meanings change.*
> 
> Change makes people uncomfortable sometimes. So be it. We should all want life to advance, not remain static or regress.


When you think of Vikings, for example, you probably think plunder, aggressive, relentless, fearful, organized. That's why the Vikings chose the name. Today, some people don't like it because it implies that American football players are violent. And that's exactly why the name was chosen...because it gives you that mental image. It sounds kinda scary. It's a psych-out, like the Golden State Warriors, New York Giants, the Titans, Raiders, Panthers, etc.

When I was 8, my aunt and uncle adopted a 13yr-old boy. Him and my older brother became really close. Best cousins, best buds. His name is Tony Greybear. He's Hopi, and he was born on a multi-tribe reservation in Arizona. His mom died when he was 11 and no one could find his dad (located in Mexico yrs later). My aunt and uncle made him one of their own, but they let him be what he was, too; a Native American. And they helped him become very proud of it.

Tony calls himself a Redskin. For him, the word represents fortitude and resistance, and that totally makes sense to me. He knows it's a derogatory word, so when he calls himself a Redskin, he's also saying he's overcome people's prejudice. He's basically saying "Come at me, I dare you," like he's a profession football player or something.


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## Lethe200

Murrmurr said:


> When you think of Vikings, for example, you probably think plunder, aggressive, relentless, fearful, organized. That's why the Vikings chose the name. Today, some people don't like it because it implies that American football players are violent. And that's exactly why the name was chosen...because it gives you that mental image. It sounds kinda scary. It's a psych-out, like the Golden State Warriors, New York Giants, the Titans, Raiders, Panthers, etc.
> 
> When I was 8, my aunt and uncle adopted a 13yr-old boy. Him and my older brother became really close. Best cousins, best buds. His name is Tony Greybear. He's Hopi, and he was born on a multi-tribe reservation in Arizona. His mom died when he was 11 and no one could find his dad (located in Mexico yrs later). My aunt and uncle made him one of their own, but they let him be what he was, too; a Native American. And they helped him become very proud of it.
> 
> Tony calls himself a Redskin. For him, the word represents fortitude and resistance, and that totally makes sense to me. He knows it's a derogatory word, so when he calls himself a Redskin, he's also saying he's overcome people's prejudice. He's basically saying "Come at me, I dare you," like he's a profession football player or something.


LOL, that reminds me of when I was on another website forum, and I referred to myself and my family as AsAm. The number of Caucasians who got all upset at my using the term was astonishing!

I told them I get tired of typing "Asian American" - I tend to do long posts - and it was easier than writing out "my family of mostly Japanese-American but two Chinese-Americans but only one was born in the US and the other in HK, along with our half-Jewish relatives" _every single time I referred to them in my post. _

Still, some people insisted upon feeling offended...I guess on my behalf!

Your friend is using the word "Redskin" as an aggressor-meets-hostility stance. It's very common, African-Americans do a lot too.

There's a big cultural divide between the first & second generation Asian immigrants, and the third & successive generations. First generation Asian immigrants generally do not like to "make waves" by being noticed. It's considered vulgar in most Asian cultures, marked as lower class behavior. They would rather avoid conflict than take an aggressive stand.

Anyway, this is fun but I guess we're going way off base here. Thank you, Murrmurr, for a thoughtful and interesting discussion. My apologies to all, and back to football!


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## Lethe200

Quick update on the fallout from the Damar Hamlin injury:

It was the two HCs who got together and decided to send the players back to their locker rooms.

The NFL has announced the Bills-Bengal game will NOT be rescheduled/played.


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## SeniorBen

Lethe200 said:


> Quick update on the fallout from the Damar Hamlin injury:
> 
> It was the two HCs who got together and decided to send the players back to their locker rooms.
> 
> The NFL has announced the Bills-Bengal game will NOT be rescheduled/played.


That had the makings of a great game with two of the great young gunslingers playing each other. If they don't make up this game, I wonder how it will affect their teams' standings.


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## Lethe200

Latest news on Damar Hamlin is that he remains sedated, in critical condition. His heart stopped twice: once on the field and once in the hospital. They are concerned about lung damage.


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