That week felt...pretty normal. There were some blowouts, a few phonies exposed, but nothing ground breaking overall. Through 23.5% of the season, we've really began to get a feel for who's who in this 2023 NFL.
We'll see how long this trend holds up...week four!
Lions 34- Packers 20
-Jordan Love was absolutely terrible in the first half, throwing one of his two picks as the offense accumulated 32 total yards on seven drives. The three points they scored came directly from a Jared Goff interception
-I hyped up AJ Dillon earlier in the year and have been so far off, that dude's been awful
-Romeo Doubs, on the other hand, is a very good receiver, impressively salvaging a 9/95 line in spite of horrendous quarterback play. Really nice value from a fourth round pick
-Amon Ra St. Brown seems to get open whenever he wants. Don't let the fact that he only had five catches fool you, if this game was close he'd have carried Detroit to the promise land
-Jahmyr Gibb's usage is confusing to me. Nothing wrong with riding a hot hand, and David Montgomery was hot, but given his draft pedigree, many expected him to be more of a focal point
-1.5 more sacks for Aidan Hutchinson, just wreaking havoc on opposing QBs
Jaguars 23- Falcons 7
-That Toy Story-cast was a little weird, but there were some good ideas within it. For what it's worth, I only watched the first fifteen minutes or so, and it allegedly got less awkward. Keep up the effort NFL
-Called that Calvin Ridley revenge touchdown, a feat I surely was not alone in. Quiet day for the former Falcon outside of that 30 yard score
-Christian Kirk seems to have regained his spot as the WR1 for Jacksonville, totaling 248 yards in the three games since his week one dud (1 catch, 3 yards)
-Josh Allen is starting to emerge as the pass rushing beast he was expected to be coming out of Kentucky, sacking Desmond Ridder three times to raise his total on the season to six
-Speaking of Ridder...he's horrible. The pick six was atrocious, then he followed it up with another interception on the next pass. Taylor Heinicke has to be receiving consideration
-Unfortunate that Bijan Robinson has to be dealing with that. Some of the plays he makes...the one handed catches, the cuts in open space...he's a human cheat code
-Atlanta's defense is also pretty good. Jeff Okudah and Jessie Bates have meshed seamlessly with AJ Terrell to form a respectable secondary
Bills 48- Dolphins 20
-Back to Earth Dolphins. The numbers suggested this was going to be the case, but my goodness. They were stifled offensively from early in the second quarter on
-Tua wasn't bad, but certainly looked mortal. I need to see more out of him when opposing defenses take away the big play. Very similar story to New England
-Devon Achane is really, really fast, taking eight carries for 101 yards and a score for another impressive day on the ground
-The Bills' Josh Allen is incredible too. Five total touchdowns, making a loud statement that they're not fucking around in the AFC East
-James Cook has been a great contributor in the run game, adding a balance we haven't seen in Orchard Park for a long time
-Losing Tre'Davious White to an Achilles' tear is miserable news. There's enough talent on this defense to survive, but you hate seeing a young star lose time due to a major injury; especially one that's already lost most of a recent season with an ACL tear
Broncos 31- Bears 28
-This'll go down as the Sean Payton sleeve game. He had his long sleeve shirt cut down while trailing 28-7, right before the Broncos proceeded to run off 24 unanswered points. Some will call it a coincidence
-Russell Wilson was fantastic, completing 75% of his passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns
-Javonte Williams went down with a hip injury and it was Jaleel McLaughlin's time to shine. The shifty rookie popped, taking seven carries for 72 yards-- making six defenders miss on those limited totes--while also adding three catches for 32 and a score
-Denver's defense is still horrendous. Giving up 28 points to this Chicago team, and letting Justin Fields look great in doing so, is a terrible look. Vance Joseph has to go
-Speaking of having to go...Matt Eberflus is 3-18 as the Bears head coach now. Instead of going for three to take the lead, he elected to go for it on fourth and 1 on the Broncos 18 with less than three minutes to go, while tied at 28...with a shotgun snap handoff. It was promptly snuffed, resulting in the game winning field goal drive for Denver
-The Bears have lost 14 straight games, giving up 25 or more points in all of them
-As mentioned above, Fields was as good as we've seen him in his brief career, throwing for 335 yards and four scores. He threw an interception though, and allowed a crippling fumble six that tied things up. Hard to put any stock into him as the face of the franchise moving forward
-Khalil Herbert and DJ Moore balled out, respectively rushing and receiving for over 100 yards. Each added touchdown receptions too
Ravens 28- Browns 3
-With rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center, there was no way the Browns were hanging in this one, getting predictably dominated
-Let's give the 5th rounder from UCLA his credit though, he played fearlessly. Unfortunately for him, that also translated to three interceptions. This ain't the preseason anymore
-The Deshaun Watson trade's been an objective and complete failure thus far, compounded with the fact that Baker Mayfield's actually doing a nice job down in Tampa
-Myles Garrett is super human. He only formally recorded one sack, but it sure felt like he was impacting every single play
-Lamar Jackson's really elevating this offense, going 15/19 for 186 and two touchdowns + two more that he added with his legs against the #1 defense in the league. He's looking more and more comfortable in this Todd Monken system. Id' like less fumbles though, if we're being picky
-Justice Hill looked pretty explosive, particularly in the screen game
-That Mark Andrews touchdown was a thing of beauty. A 10/10, perfectly placed ball by Lamar, high pointed by the stud tight end for the Ravens for the game's final score
-No offense to Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, but Kyle Hamilton looks like the best player on this defense right now
Titans 27- Bengals 3
-Sound the panic alarm in Cincinnati, because it's bad. Joe Burrow's clearly still injured and the offense is useless as a result. They didn't rest him early in the season to prevent the team from starting slow...now sitting at 1-3, they need him more then ever. He's simply physically incapable of that right now
-In another blow to Bengals fans, Tee Higgins hurt his ribs in this game. He said he's working toward playing this upcoming week, but there's no doubt he'll be less than 100%. Given the training staff's willingness to clear their players, don't be shocked if he manages a full workload
-Ryan Tannehill looked pretty okay, going 18/25 for 240, a touchdown and a pick. Didn't fill my with confidence but better than recent performances. D-Hop and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine were his primary targets
-Derrick Henry plowed through Cincy's front seven all afternoon, taking 22 carries for 122 and finding paydirt
-The Titans defense only recorded three sacks, but they had nine QB hits and were constantly blowing up the pocket. When that pass rush can ramp up, it's an elite unite
Rams 29- Colts 23 (OT)
-A tale of two halves! The Rams lead 20-0 at the break, before going up 23-0 halfway through the third. Anthony Richardson went nuclear from there, leading three scoring drives in the final twenty minutes and change
-Zack Moss paced the Colts ground game once again, toting the rock 18 times for 70 yards
-Tight end Drew Ogletree was Indy's leading pass catcher, reeling in 3 for 48 yards while finding the end zone for the first time in his career. Their receivers combined for just five receptions, including a 1-15 day my Michael Pittman Jr.
-Kyren Williams is so much better than Cam Akers, what took Sean McVay so long to give him this job?
-Offensive Rookie of the Year could have some outstanding candidates, including this guy Puka Nacua. Nine catches, 163 yards and the walk off tuddy in OT...just phenomenal. At his current pace, he'd catch over 160 balls and clear 2,000 receiving. Not super likely he'll be able to do that, especially when Cooper Kupp returns, but Nacua's made quite an impression on the league
-Matthew Stafford's now dealing with a bruised hip. At age 35, that can't feel great. He says it won't sideline him at practice, but how will it effect his performance? Big game against Philly ahead
Buccaneers 26- Saints 9
-Dennis Allen starting Derek Carr in this game was malpractice, no other way to describe it. The banged up QB averaged an impeccable 3.4 YPA on 23-37 passing. Giving him the nod initially, sure I can see the mindset. But then continuing to allow it to happen?? Horrendous
-Alvin Kamara had 13 catches for 33 yards. You'll never see a box score like that again
-Chris Olave was completely neutralized, catching one pass for four yards
-Another quality game out of Baker Mayfield, against a tough defense on the road when his WR1 went down halfway through
-That aforementioned injury belonged to Mike Evans, who'll likely miss a few weeks with a hammy. Expect a lot of Chris Godwin until Halloween-- as evidenced by 8/114 line Sunday
Eagles 34- Commanders 31 (OT)
-I vote to retract the nickname "Riverboat" from Ron Rivera. How the hell do you not go for two at the end there?
-Sam Howell completely redeemed himself from the Denver game, dicing this Philly defense up. His connection with Terry McLaurin is really shining, while Curtis Samuel has remained healthy, fulfilling his role as a shifty Swiss army knife for this offense
-Jalen Hurts was magnificent, going 25-37 for 319 and two, turnoverless scores. Best game of his this season top to bottom
-AJ Brown and Devonta Smith might not get enough credit for how good of a receiver tandem they are. The two combined for 253 receiving yards, with Brown finding the end zone twice. When Hurts is on, these guys are open and ready
-Linebacker Nicholas Morrow had a busy day, sacking Howell three times as a part of his eleven tackles. Just another Eagle that can get after the passer...
Vikings 21- Panthers 13
-Kirk Cousins getting absolutely demolished trying to prevent a score on his pick six was one of the funniest things the NFL has produced in years. Looked like Forrest Gump running out there
-Alexander Mattison was good again on the ground, posting 5.6 yards per on 17 totes. Cam Akers took 5 carries of his own for 40 yards
-Justin Jefferson's the best receiver in football. Davante Adams may have a case, but miss me on Ja'Marr Chase or anyone else. Jettas is a different level
-The Panthers probably win this game with Andy Dalton. Bryce Young led two drives for field goals and was shut out in the second half
-Adam Thielen revenge game was sharp, catching 7 for 76
-This Carolina team is really bad, without a ton of impending optimism
Texans 30- Steelers 6
-Houston's defense hadn't been outstanding, but Kenny Pickett made them look world class. 114 yards on 23 pass attempts and a pick. Now he's set to miss some time with a knee injury. It sure feels like a ship sailing in Steel City
-Najee Harris surprisingly had a good game, possibly due to the element of surprise. I wouldn't expect my opponent to be carrying the ball 14 times while down double digits the whole game
-CJ Stroud is a straight up baller. Unless Puka continues this pace and sets some ridiculous receiving records, lock Stroud in for the OROY. I want him starting the Pro Bowl too, and not as some sad consolation invite
-Dameon Pierce had his best game of the year, to the happiness of fantasy owners like me everywhere
-One bad game for Nico Collins and he's back to form, torching the Pittsburgh D for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He's going to make himself a lot of money this offseason
Chargers 24- Raiders 17
-Aidan O'Connell actually looked pretty good, putting Vegas in a spot to tie late twice. The Chargers shockingly didn't Charger things away though. The Purdue product went 24-39 for 238 with a pick and two fumbles, but had the offense looking pretty competent overall. Needs to clean up the turnovers though if he's going to capture the job
-Very productive outing by Josh Jacobs, racking up 58 yards and a score on the ground to go with 81 on 8 receptions through the air. Rookie quarterback's best friend
-Davante Adams is a man's man. He caught 8 of 13 targets for 75 yards, powering through what looked like it could've been a bad injury. Wonder if Vegas would consider parting ways with him if they continue their freefall?
-Very weird day for Justin Herbert, barely completing half of his passes against a bad secondary and taking twelve carries. Not what you paid him the big bucks for
-Keenan Allen had a touchdown, Joshua Palmer had a clinching 51 yard catch late, but not much else exciting with this LA offense
-Khalil Mack however, on the other side of the ball, six (6) sacks. Fourth player ever to do so. Special day for the man, made even more impressive by the fact that Joey Bosa did not play
Cowboys 38- Patriots 3
-While I certainly will never feel sorry for Patriots fans, it's got to really suck going from Tom Brady to Mac Jones. The former Alabama QB spotted Dallas 14 points in the second quarter alone off of turnovers, before getting benched midway through the third. To call the performance dismal would be a compliment
-To make matters worse for New England, Matthew Judon tore his biceps and rookie Christian Gonzalez separated his shoulder on Sunday, severely weakening their one competent unit
-Dak Prescott was played average, with Jake Ferguson being his most targeted pass catcher. He didn't need to be anymore than that though with the way their defense played
-Tony Pollard was quiet too, only taking eleven carries before being pulled in the blowout. Deuce Vaughn was incredibly inefficient in an expanded role, taking eight carries for just nine yards
-This defense only managed two QB hits, each coming on a sack. Mac wasn't even getting hit like that and he still played that poorly
49ers 35- Cardinals 16
-Brock Purdy went 20/21 passing for 283 and a touchdown. The greatest stroke of luck to fall into him within the same draft as Trey Lance
-Christian McCaffery is a legitimate non-QB MVP candidate, taking 27 touches for 177 total yards and finding pay dirt four times
-Brandon Aiyuk's connection with Purdy is so apparent. Six more catches for 148 yards for the Niners receiver
-This was as much of a moral victory as you can accept in the NFL for the Cardinals. Going on the road against the best team top-to-bottom in the league is tough for any team. Factor in truly how untalented this roster is, and the fact that they lingered as long as they did is really impressive
-Josh Dobbs shouldn't be a starter, but he's certainly shown that he should be able stick around as a competent QB for as long as he wants
-Rookie fourth rounder Michael Wilson had his coming out party, racking up seven receptions for 76 yards and two scores. He and Hollywood looked like a semi-viable duo at wideout
Chiefs 23- Jets 20
-Zach Wilson outplayed Patrick Mahomes. That isn't a misprint either. Outside of a shaky start and dropped snap, the former #2 pick played well Sunday night, putting the Jets in a shocking position to nearly pull off the upset. For better or worse, the performance bought him a little extra time as the team's starter too
-Breece Hall looks so much better than Dalvin Cook, I'm not sure why there's any bit of a timeshare, let alone one Cook is controlling
-Allen Lazard made a nice adjustment on a 39-yard reception downfield as part of his most productive day as a member of Gang Green. Garrett Wilson contributed nine catches for 60 yards of his own
-The Jets defense can look unbeatable at times, like this game and against the Bills week one. Then there's other times where they seemingly quit in live action. Need to find some middle ground there
-Isiah Pacheco was a difference maker on the ground for KC, racking up 115 yards and a tuddy on 20 totes
-I had a giant Anytime Touchdown bet riding on Travis Kelce scoring...you can only imagine my disappointment seeing Noah fucking Gray gallop a 34-yard reception into the end zone...$800 bucks of of the ol' pocket
Seahawks 24- Giants 3
-We posted a similar stat to this last week, it'll probably keep running until the G-Men do something to change it. But if you subtract the second half against the Cardinals, this team's been outscored 114-15 on the season. Averaging just over a point per quarter, being outscored by nearly triple digits. Pathetic
-Daniel Jones should be on trial for robbery, because he hasn't earned a single dime of his new contract thus far
-This offense is useless without Saquon Barkley, and barely serviceable with him. The Darren Waller acquisition had so much hope behind it. That too has fallen flat
-Love Geno's chippiness after taking a hit on the sideline from the Isaiah Simmons. He had both legs roll up underneath of him on that nasty MetLife turf, ultimately needing to get examined in the locker room. He came back to play though, finishing the job like a champ
-It was funny to watch Drew Lock play briefly toward the end of the first half. He looks so squirrely in the pocket
-Kenneth Walker and DK Metcalf each found the end zone. The running back really ground out the clock during the second half
-Devon Witherspoon was as advertised, racking up six tackles and a sack before halftime. He came out of the intermission with a back breaking, 97-yard pick six
------
@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
Comments
Post a Comment