Well, that was a week of football. We had a few fun ones, a blowout in what could've been game of the year, and a couple of absolute, rotten-to-the-core stinkers. Given the ever eroding state of the quarterback position in the league, not much reason to expect different in the coming weeks either.
Embrace the fun ones, and feel free to read about the bad ones here! Thursday night was worth watching at least...
Dallas 41- Seahawks 35
-Felt like a desperation effort by the Seahawks, pulling out all the stops in a game they couldn't really afford to lose. So close, just not enough
-Geno Smith balled out, throwing for 334 yards on the evening. Hopefully you didn't listen to my fantasy section of the week 13 preview and bench his favorite target...
-DK Metcalf. 6 catches, 136 yards and 3 (1-2-3) touchdowns. The man left it all out there, hitting the highest speed in the NFL this season on his first score, hitting 22.6 MPH. That's a big dude moving that fast
-Decent outing by Zach Charbonnet too, pacing the offense with 19 carries for 60 yards-- also finding pay dirt in the second quarter
-Feels like Dak Prescott is the MVP. 29/41 for 299 and 3 turnover-less scores...have a day. He's currently second in the league in QBR while boasting a 26:6 TD:INT ratio. Not many resumes rounding out quite like Dak's
-Tony Pollard found his way into the end zone on one of his 23 total touches. He wasn't super efficient with them, averaging just 3.6 yards per touch
-Every good quarterback needs a go to guy, and CeeDee Lamb is that man on Dallas. 12 more catches for 116 and a touchdown-- just doing whatever he wanted to a secondary that hadn't been bad. He's scored in 4 straight while topping the century mark in 5 of his last 7 games. WR1
-Brandin Cooks' emergence has helped with that too, helping Lamb get a little extra space. He's averaged 67.8 yards per game this month, finding the end zone 3 times in the process
Colts 31- Titans 28 (OT)
-This was an incredible game. Blocked punts on consecutive drives, a 2-point conversion that went the other direction, a field goal in overtime prior to the game winning touchdown throw to Michael Pittman Jr. and so much more chaos. A lot of fun
-Speaking of MPJ, 11 catches for 105, plus the walk off. Pretty impressive, especially considering he didn't have a reception until the second quarter
-Gardner Minshew lost a really bad fumble in the red zone, but was outstanding outside of that. He connected on deep passes all afternoon, finding Alec Pierce a couple of times to set up his first career 100 yards receiving day. The Colts suddenly have won 4 straight and are firmly in the AFC wild card race
-Liked the fieriness from Will Levis, calling out Deandre Hopkins for some sort of miscommunication early in the game. Not every rookie quarterback would be so quick to call out their generational receivers like that
-The two obviously figured out whatever was wrong, with Nuk catching 5 passes for 75 and a touchdown
-Derrick Henry had himself a day, rumbling 21 times for 102 and 2 scores. Unfortunately, a concussion ended his day early, sparking a solid relief effort from Ty'Jae Spears. The rookie posted 75 rushing and 13 receiving yards on 20 total touches
Chargers 6- Patriots 0
-Well, the Chargers won. The weather was really bad, so that didn't help things. But yeah
-Justin Herbert was conservative, not taking any chances that could've put his team in harm's way. Uninspiring football
-Austin Ekeler was even worse, rushing 14 times for a sad 18 yards. The running back also "contributed" 2 catches for 9 yards. Disappointing day for many a fantasy owner
-In case you weren't sure, Bailey Zappe is pretty bad at football. Getting shut out at home by a bottom five defense is pretty inexcusable
-Rhamondre Stevenson left the game with an ankle injury that could sideline him for a bit. Ezekiel Elliott would step into the RB1 spot in the event that this happens, as he did in this one. Zeke handled 17 carries for a meager 52 yards, but added 40 in the pass game
Lions 33- Saints 28
-Credit to the Saints' resolve. They were in a 21-0 hole before the first quarter was halfway over. This game could've been a disaster, that instead was just another difficult loss for an underperforming team
-Derek Carr starting the game with an interception and back to back 3-and-outs helped facilitate the early explosion. He was really bad Sunday, ultimately getting replaced by Jameis Winston due to concussion concerns
-Two scores for Alvin Kamara, who was busy in the run and pass game. Unfortunately, his comments last week about not having an offensive identity seem to be coming to fruition
-The fact that Chris Olave is producing the way he is with such iffy QB play is a testament to his skill. The second year player caught 5 of 8 targets for 119 yards
-That's the Jared Goff we've been looking for over the last two weeks. 64% completion, no turnovers and two touchdowns; just a clean performance to steal a big road win
-Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are awesome. The latter is the bell cow, while the former is a dash of lightning out of the backfield. I was surprised Gibbs wasn't involved a little more, getting out touched 19-9
-Have a day Sam LaPorta! The rookie delivered a 9/140/1 line against a defense that really struggles against the tight end. Kid was Goff's safety blanket all afternoon
Falcons 13- Jets 8
-Well, this game was slightly more entertaining than the Chargers-Patriots game
-Zach Wilson's probably better than Tim Boyle, for whatever that's worth
-Trevor Siemian clearly wasn't the answer either, taking 3 sacks while fumbling 3 times in extremely limited action. He only lost one, but that doesn't raise my impression of his ball security
-Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall combined for 69 rushing yards on 31 carries, good for 2.2 a pop. Generational backs just being wasted in these pathetic offenses
Cardinals 24- Steelers 10
-Two weather delays dragged this one out well into the 4 PM block. The extra football wasn't particularly entertaining or necessary
-George Pickens started pretty strong but was unable to sustain it, finishing with just 4 catches. but for 86 yards
-Kenny Pickett's ankle injury didn't help the second year wideout, with the QB being forced to exit due to an ankle injury. Pickett underwent surgery on Monday, ending his 2023 season
-Najee Harris: 16 carries at 3.9 yards per. Jaylen Warren: 9 at 6.6 a pop, without any crazy long outlier runs. Ride the hot hand
-Speaking of hot hand, Trey McBride has been the Batman to Kyler Murray's Robin. 8 catches for 89 yards and a score, continuing his torrid play since the former #1 pick has returned
-I wonder what James Conner enjoyed more, finding the end zone twice against his former team or battering their front seven on 25 carries?
-Maybe the Cardinals aren't that bad?
Dolphins 45- Commanders 15
-If you follow the podcast or X (Twitter?), you knew we were riding Tyreek Hill in this one. 2 touchdowns and 150+ yards-- a lofty goal, but seemingly in his wheelhouse. Knocked it out before halftime, the man is on a historic pace at receiver
-Not farfetched to say this offense could almost literally consist of Hill, Tua and a run game. Jaylen Waddle is a great receiver, so not talking him down, but the Tua-Tyreek connection is just silly
-Raheem Mostert is the team's lead dog in the backfield, but with Devon Achane appearing to be fully healthy, I'm not positive how long that dynamic will last
-The Sam Howell experience is waning. He hasn't even been putting up crazy yardages in recent weeks. Maybe the film's out
-Brian Robinson Jr. suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the second half. Tough break to a guy having a modest breakout season
Texans 22- Broncos 17
-Massive win for Houston's playoff aspirations, gaining a tiebreaker on a fellow competitor in Denver
-Russell Wilson looked bad for the first time in a long time, tossing three interceptions while managing just 16 first downs. The offense really failed to sustain drives all day
-Javonte Williams being contained definitely played a part in that, being held to just 46 yards on 13 attempts
-Courtland Sutton's diving touchdown catch was sick, dude loves scoring
-CJ Stroud was good, Nico Collins was great. The breakout receiver posted an eye popping 9/191/1 day, torching a secondary that lost top corner Patrick Surtain II early
-Wishing for a speedy recovery for Tank Dell. The rookie got carted off with a leg injury after Dameon Pierce scored an early rushing touchdown and is set to miss the rest of his inaugural campaign
-Two more interceptions for Derek Stingley Jr., giving him 4 on the year. All have come in the last three weeks after returning from IR. He flashed elite potential as a rookie, but perhaps it's all coming to fruition with him now fully healthy
Buccaneers 21- Panthers 18
-New head coach, same subpar play from Bryce Young. Completed less than half of his throws at 5.7 YPA, against a pretty shaky secondary at that
-Chuba Hubbard scored twice in what was a relative offensive explosion for Carolina. 18 was the most points they've scored since October 15th
-Rookie receiver Jonathan Mingo has been putting up some respectable stats over the last few weeks, to at least provide some optimism from this 2023 class
-Rachaad White has become a full on work horse, handling 20 carries for 84 yards and a score. It's rarely pretty, but this offense runs better when he's involved
-Baker Mayfield went 7/12 for 162 and a score when targeting Mike Evans. Anyone else? 7/17 for 40 yards and a pick. Not knocking him for utilizing his best weapon, but that's quite a drop off
-Speaking of Evans, he's reached 1,000 receiving yards for a 10th straight season. For the record, this is his tenth year in the league. He's as under the radar as you'll get for a surefire Hall of Famer, making it work with yet another subpar QB
Rams 36- Browns 19
-Was not expecting this many points. They didn't come off of fluky turnovers or short fields either, with six scoring drives traveling for 65+ yards
-Matthew Stafford demolished the Browns cornerbacks, who sorely missed Denzel Ward. The veteran signal caller went 22/37 for 279 and 3 touchdowns
-The Rams are definitely a more dynamic offense with Kyren Williams back in the mix. The back racked up 112 total yards on 24 touches
-Puka Nacua would be a top play for OROY any other season, but not the way CJ Stroud's leading Houston. Regardless, the 5th rounder posted a 4/105/1 line, eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark in his first professional stint. And he's still got 5 games to add to it
-All considered, Joe Flacco looked pretty damn okay. Expectations were admittedly pretty low, but he more than exceeded them. Small sample size, but I think he gives Cleveland the best chance to win
-Amari Cooper leaving early with a concussion didn't help his trajectory, nor did Kareem Hunt and Jerome Ford mustering just 3.2 YPC. Busy days for Elijah Moore and Harrison Bryant
49ers 42- Eagles 19
-The Niners have been waiting for this game for about 11 months now, and man, did they unleash. They trailed 6-0 after the first before scoring 14 points each quarter the rest of way, steamrolling the defending NFC Champs
-Brock Purdy's all the way back in the MVP discussion, going 19/27 for 314 and 4 scores like his name's Lincoln. He demolished an inferior secondary
-Another touchdown for Christian McCaffery, as he averaged just under 5.5 yards a pop against what had been a top run defense
-Deebo Samuel talked a lot of shit this offseason regarding the Eagles, but man did he back it up. 4 catches for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 22 and another trip to the end zone on the ground. Big Brothered the City of Brotherly Love
-I forget who did it, but whichever 49er defender cracked D'Andre Swift...sheesh. Maybe the hardest, legal hit you'll ever see
-Jalen Hurts wasn't bad, but he was completely unable to regain momentum for Philly once San Francisco snatched it. Their inability (or lack of desire) to get anything going in the ground game definitely didn't help
-AJ Brown and Devonta Smith got theirs at least, for hopeful fantasy managers, combining for 17 receptions and 210 yards. Huge numbers to not even come close to competing
Packers 27- Chiefs 19
-Really bad refereeing in this one, could've screwed both teams really. Has unfortunately been a growing trend
-Has Jordan Love arrived? After his third straight high quality performance, the question is more than fair to ask. Green Bay finds themselves in the seventh seed after the Sunday night victory
-Team effort across the board in terms of yard output, with five players having 3 or more receptions. Christian Watson lead the way with 7 receptions, while Romeo Doubs posted a team leading 72 yards, one more than his counterpart
-Rashee Rice is a really solid rookie, but this offense is struggling with him being the top option besides Travis Kelce. Seems like a major flaw that they aren't going to be able to fix until the offseason. My confidence in them being able to overcome the issue this season is declining too
-18 carries for 110 yards and a score, nice stat line for Isiah Pacheco. Shame he got himself ejected late in the game for throwing a punch, hurt his team and probably didn't feel great
Bengals 34- Jaguars 31
-Can we give Jake Browning his flowers? The man was lights out Monday night, the driving force behind this massive upset as 10 point road dogs. 32/37 passing for 354 yards and 1 score...not a single person saw that coming
-Joe Mixon and Chase Brown suddenly look like a potent tandem at tailback, with the former handling 19 touches and finding the end zone twice-- while the latter ripped off big runs all evening, to the tune of 6.8 yards per carry. They gashed what had been a formidable run defense
-Ja'Marr Chase is still really good, especially if you can get him the ball in any kind of open space. He caught 11 balls for 149 and a touchdown, with his only missed connection coming on an extremely uncharacteristic drop in the red zone. Impressive performance
-Jacksonville faithful are hoping Trevor Lawrence's high ankle sprain doesn't sideline him too long. This loss puts their division lead into a little jeopardy
-CJ Beathard played well in relief of Lawrence and likely would be in line to start next week if their QB1 is unable to go
-Christian Kirk also got banged up on play #1 from scrimmage, suffering a core injury after a 26 yard catch. Word on the street is surgery may be imminent for him
-The offense ran through Evan Engram today. The Bengals have been bad against tight ends and lived up to the billing once again, allowing Engram to catch all 9 of his targets for 82 yards and a score
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@Choppinglines
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