Kupp unstoppable as Rams win 27-24

By Zakary Haines

INDIANAPOLIS–The Los Angeles Rams were in a close battle with the Indianapolis Colts but ended up with the win. First, the Rams lost the lead in the third quarter, and then they regained the lead with two minutes and 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter. This is when Jalen Ramsey came up big for the Rams. Jacob Eason, who was filling in for injured quarterback Carson Wentz, threw an interception. Ramsey was able to read Eason and pick him off before going out of bounds with the ball. This play killed any momentum the Colts had as the Rams moved onto 2-0.

The offense came storming out of the gates. Matthew Stafford and company were able to build a 17 to 6 lead. Then consistency issues began to rise. The offense would punt the next two drives away, and on the third one, the Rams punt unit would fumble the snap, giving the Colts a touchdown. The second half of this game saw a Rams offense that had trouble moving the ball. This is when we saw more of Sony Michel. Darrell Henderson Jr had 53 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown, but Michel gave the Rams new life in the run game. Michel ended up with 46 yards rushing in the game.

The real star player of today was Cooper Kupp. The Colts’ defense had no answers as Kupp had nine receptions, 163 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns including this wide-open catch. Kupp was just simply outstanding. As for the rest of the receiving core, Robert Woods had 64 receiving yards and five receptions, while Darrel Henderson Jr had 29 receiving yards. Stafford threw for 278 passing yards, two touchdowns but one interception. 

As for the defense, they held back the Colts’ offense for a while, forcing them to take field goals. Then in the second half, Carson Wentz found pay dirt when he threw it to Zach Pascal, cutting the lead to three. However, the Colts could not complete the comeback as Jalen Ramsey helped seal the deal with a late-game interception. For the defense as a whole, a lot of weaknesses were shown. One of them was when the Colts’ offensive line had to double team, Aaron Donald. It seemed to work until late in the fourth when Donald tackled Wentz, leading him to leave early. The biggest issue for the Rams defense going forward is slowing down a hot offense but possibly doing so when Donald faces double teams.

Overall, this was a tight game in the second half that could have gone either way. It came down to which team was going to make the right play. This time it was the Rams making the right moves late to win. In his post-game press conference, Sean McVay talked about making the right plays and getting the win. When it came to the performance, McVay said, “To get to 2-0 is something we don’t take for granted. We’ll look at this, learn from this, and move forward.” Up next for the Rams is a home game against the reigning Superbowl champs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Bengals vs Bears Post Game

By Liam Scull

The Cincinnati Bengals lost a close one in Chicago. 

Joe Burrow had completed 19 of 30 of his passes, an average of 63 percent.  He had 207 yards on 19 completions, an average of 6.9 yards per completion. 

Joe Mixon had a terrible performance with 69 yards on 20 carries. 

Tyler Boyd had 73 yards on 7 receptions, an average of 10.4 yards per reception. 

Logan Wilson, the second-year Linebacker out of Wyoming, had 9 tackles. 

Justin Fields had completed 6 of 13 passes, with a total of 60 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per completion. 

Andy Dalton, the former Bengal, had completed 9 of 11 passes, with 56 yards and an average of 5.1 yards per completion. 

David Montgomery, the third-year player out of Iowa State, had 61 yards on 20 carries, an average of 3.1 yards per carry. 

Darnell Mooney had 66 yards on 6 receptions, an average of 11 yards per reception. 

Roquan Smith had eight tackles. 

Next week the Bengals will head to Pittsburgh to take on their division rival Steelers (1-1) at 1PM on CBS. 

The Bears will face an AFC opponent for the second time in a row when they visit the Cleveland Browns (1-1) next Sunday at 1PM on FOX. 

Jets vs Patriots Post Game

WHAT WAS THAT?

By Eric Ford

First off, a good game for the Patriots. They came out and performed. Mac Jones went 22/30 for 186 yards. Damien Harris had 16 carries for 62 yards, and James White had 6 receptions for 45 yards. They came, and they played good football the way the game should be played. 

As for the Jets, Come on, we are still a laughing stock. When we make improvements from last week, we do something stupid. Our biggest problem was rookie quarterback Zack Wilson. 4 interceptions; grant it, one of them was not even his fault, but that is still a lot. 2 of those interceptions were right to the defenders. There were hardly any Jets players around the defenders. Zack, what was that? A lot of the plays were forced. As for the rest of the team, we did pretty well. The defense kept the Patriots on their edge for most of the game. The offensive line allowed for a good run game and gave our quarterback plenty of time in the pocket. If we did not have any turnovers, the game would be a completely different story. As we advance, I can only hope this motivates Zack and does not break him. 15 games left and plenty of football left to play. The offense and defense need to click together sooner rather than later. 

Rams head to Indianapolis for show down with the Colts

By Zakary Haines

LOS ANGELES–The Rams are taking their show on the road this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams could not have had a better game to kick off the season. They accumulated 312 passing yards, 74 rushing yards, and the defense held the Chicago Bears to just 14 points. This team is firing on all cylinders in week one; however, the Colts did have some big moments against the Seattle Seahawks. It’ll be another week where the Rams can not underestimate their opponent if they want to stay undefeated.

Despite the loss, the Colts’ offense had signs of promise. Carson Wentz went off for 223 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and had 23 yards rushing. Against a tough Seattle defense, that’s pretty good. However, the Seahawks’ defense is not the Rams’ defense. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Kenndy Young will look to continue their dominant performance and shut down the passing game. Wentz will face a tough challenge ahead.

As for Matthew Stafford and company, week one was a breath of fresh air for the offense. The Rams had a total of 386 total offensive yards, putting them fifth in the league. The Colts’ defense allowed 254 passing yards, 140 rushing yards, and four passing touchdowns. The Rams need to stick to their game plan; let Stafford find the open target. With plenty of guys to choose from, expect another big week for Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Tyler Higbee, who all had tremendous performances against the Bears. The Colts’ defense will be without their starting cornerback, Xavier Rhodes, so making throws might be easier. Sean McVay has a lot of confidence in the passing game, but the run game needs some work. 

This should be another good opportunity to give more reps to the running backs, especially for Jake Funk and Sony Michel. Darrell Henderson Jr had 70 rushing yards against the Bears’ defense, but he has not been the top guy the coaching staff expected him to be. This is part of the reason why they traded for Sony Michel in the preseason. With some more competition, it would not be surprising to see Funk or Michel get more reps against the Colts. Be ready for McVay to call more run plays if the offense and the right running back find some traction.

Overall, the Rams are in sync on all fronts: the offense, the defense, and special teams. There aren’t a lot of red flags for the Rams besides the run game. Most questions have been answered so far as to the legitimacy of this squad. So far, they look like a team that can contend, but the season is still young. If the offense can perform like they did last week, there’s no reason that they won’t come away with the win. The Rams are the favorites to win but with a -4 spread, smaller than last week’s spread. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. EDT in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

Buccaneers v. Falcons Week 2

By Robert Mills

ORLANDO–This week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against fellow NFC south rivals Atlanta Falcons. Tampa’s coming off a very entertaining Thursday night win back on September 9th, so they have had plenty of time to rest, address the secondary issues, and be ready for this important matchup. The Falcons face the Bucs after losing by 26 points to the Eagles last Sunday. Does this make me feel good about the Buccaneers’ odds to win? Safe to say yes, but these are the type of trap games that can toss up even the best teams when they least expect it (Miami beating New England pretty much every year rings a bell).

Defensive woes for Tampa will be in full effect, and the expectation is to see it exposed in this game. While the D line is still fully intact, that does not change the fact that Sean Murphy-Bunting is out with a serious injury. There is good news on that front; however, as of September 17th Bruce Arians has come out to say that he will not need surgery for his dislocated elbow. It is great news for the defense, as he could return to full activity before the end of the season and potentially just in time for the playoffs. Regardless, that doesn’t change the present, and Tampas depth isn’t the best at CB right now. Andrew Adams will come in to replace the depth at Murphy’s position. Adams has been with the Buccaneers for four seasons now, so he is no beginner when it comes to taking reps. The other big key for the defense in this game is to read the play-action that Falcons and Matt Ryan love to run. With the big guys up front, Tampa has one of the best run game defenses in the NFL. Will it cause the Falcons to change how they play, or will we see a full-on shut down of their run game. We will see more passing and less running, but it could be interesting if they can get the running game going. 

On offense, the Buccaneers should have a relatively easy time. The Falcons defense gave up over 400 yards of offense to the Eagles in week 1, and that’s with their second-year man Jalen Hurts, who has been questionable at that position since he took over the reins. Just a few short years ago, Atlanta had the 29th worst defense in the league. Yikes, that’s a terrible stat line to have to go into a game against arguably the best offense in the NFL right now. However, Bruce Arians is not sleeping on it with the Falcons signing new defensive coordinator Dean Pees. In his words, “He has every trick in the book” and “We’re going to have to be ready for them.” Not to worry much, with Gronk playing like his 2011 self, Brady not aging, and Mike Evans ready to snap off a big game after his underperforming week 1, it will likely be a shootout. 

Overall, this should be a week 2 win for the Buccaneer, and it will not be a close one. Cowboys did surprise us all in week 1, however, so anything is possible. I’ll take the over on the 51.5 point spread currently predicted, with the Buccaneers winning by 21 with a final score of 38 to 17. This week the defense will be interesting to watch as the Murphy-Bunting injury might affect how they play. Check back in after this week for a breakdown of this matchup and all its glory.

Jets vs Patriots

The Battle of the Rookies

By Mark Halpern

 Last week the Jets faced off against the Panthers, and in the first half was kind of like the old Jets we know. In the second half, I saw a young team come together and put up some good numbers. Rookies Zach Wilson had a decent game throwing for 258 yards 2 tds and 1 interception. Wilson moved the ball around, he scrambled well, and it seemed like the team was starting to find its rhythm. This week they take on the New England Patriots, one of the best battles in the division. However, this year’s first matchup is unique as it will be Zach Wilson vs. Mac Jones. Jones had himself a decent week one throwing for 281 yards and a touchdown. Jones was pretty on target with taking the starting position from Cam Newton. He seemed confident and in tune with his team.

      This weekend, the Jets offense has a huge challenge going up against a defense that has been tops in the NFL for the last decade. One area that needs to be worked on is the Jets running very nonexistent game. Tevin Cole, who drew the start for the Jets, managed just 24 yards, and rookie Ty Johnson ran for 15 yards. This forced the Jets hands to switch to the pass in the send half, and Wilson met the challenge. Corey Davis led the team with 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. Corey Davis is a very experienced receiver, and I think he will be a leader to the likes of Mims and Berrios. However, if you can’t run the ball efficiently, then you can’t control the clock.

    How do the Jets win this all-important matchup against a stout New England defense is to move the ball. Everyone likes to see the deep ball and the long runs, but you have to move the chains more to free up these plays. The New England defense is going to put pressure on Wilson all day. If Wilson is on his back, then winning this game will not happen. The offensive line must give Wilson more than 3 seconds to throw the ball. I think it would be advantageous to play out of the shotgun more this week, giving Wilson a little more time to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers. On The defensive side, the Jets need to pressure Jones first, next they have to contain rookie running back Damien Harris, who had a 100-yard game last week and helped move the chains a lot even though the Pats dropped their first game to the Dolphins last week. I see this game being a close one but, in the end, I foresee the Patriots winning this one 24-21.  

Lions vs Packers

No Better time to ROAR

Current record 0-1

By Mark A Halpern

Last week the lions were sleeping in the den most of the game but something awoke them, and they started playing football for real. Goff didn’t show up till late in the game, but the gridiron better watch out when he is awake. He is a true gunslinger and what I believe is the right Captain for this team. Even though the 49ers out played the Lions, they proved that this is a scary football team and a force to be reckoned with. 

     This week Lion’s take on their eternal rivals in the Green Bay Packers. This matchup is as good as Dallas vs. Giants, Jets vs. Miami, or let’s call it what it is, one of the longest-lasting feuds in the NFL. These two teams have met 183 times {2 in the playoffs} with the Packers winning 104 and the Lions 72 to go along with 7 ties. This matchup is always a good battle, from the kickoff to the final gun.

     This test will be a good one for both teams as they came off losses last week. The Packers were embarrassed by the New Orleans Saints 38-3. For the first time, we saw Aaron Rodgers be benched in favor of Jordan Love. It was a huge shock but not a complete surprise as Rodgers had a tiff with the Organization. He came out and acted like a rookie, and they treated him as one. Rodgers will start and is looking for blood for this gridiron battle on Monday night football.

    The Lions have the goods to challenge this team with Goff running. Deandre Swift will look for a better day than he produced last week. Swift managed only 39 yards on 11 carries. Swift is a second-year veteran who needs to prove he is the number one running back here, especially with Jamaal Williams receiving 9 carries for 54 yards but, more importantly, one score. If Swift wants to be number one, he needs to act like it, and what better way to show it against your main division rival. Swift was very active in the passing game {8 receptions 63 yards 1 score} but needed to better running the ball. T.J. Hockenson came out with catches for 97 yards and a score, and even Jamaal Williams had 8 receptions. The most significant lack of contribution came from the wide receiver spot. This isn’t the mean machine where you pass the ball to your running back the whole game. The ball needs to be gotten to the outside receivers, and besides Tyrell Williams, there isn’t much confidence. Golladay {to the Giants} and Jones jr {to the Jags} took their games elsewhere, so now that number 1 spot is up for grabs but, someone needs to get it. 

    I expect a much better showing from the Lion’s offense early on, so they are not fighting from behind. If the defense accomplished what it did in the second half last week again but, for the whole game, then the Green Bay Packers will be sitting 0-2. If the Lions come out and the defense hands points away as they did during the 49ers, it will be another long day.

Cowboys’ vs Chargers week 2

current record 0-1

By Mark A Halpern

Last week we saw the Cowboys take on the defending Champs and lose not by a landslide but by 2 points. The Cowboy’s offense played very well together, even though the running game was nonexistent. The offense moved the ball well and only committed one turnover, which was on a tipped pass. The defense is another story altogether. They looked like the same defense from last year, giving up tons of passing yards. The bright sides were that they were able to control the run and forced three turnovers. Now, this week’s challenge comes in the form of the Chargers, which anyone will tell you won’t be an easy win unless their defense shows up.

    Going into this week, the Cowboys have lost three main starters for this week’s game. La’el Collins, who is a strong point on the offensive line, will miss the next 5 games due to failing the abusive substance law with the NFL. While it was never said that he was using the product, he is being punished for missing the testing process.  Michael Gallup, one of the fastest Wide Receivers on the team, will miss the next three weeks with a calf strain. The Cowboys put him on the 3-week IR for now. The offense needs him but, Cedric Wilson and Noah Brown will fill in for him and are capable receivers. For now, look for Cee Dee Lamb and Blake Jarwin’s targets to go up over the next few weeks. Demarcus “Tank” Lawrence broke his foot this past Wednesday, and is his timetable is unclear now. This is a massive loss to a defensive line that is trying to rebuild itself. Mailk Hooker on the other hand is ready to make his Cowboy’s debut and is set to be a real “Ball Hawk.”

      Like every team in the NFL, covid testing is a priority. Randy Gregory had tested positive but is awaiting his second test result to see if it was a false positive so he can join the Cowboys to play against the Chargers. This is just a big blow to the offense and defense with the various injuries. The Chargers are an explosive passing team and have competent runners. I can see the Chargers exploiting this weakness and run the ball more, unlike they did against Washington, and even if you stop the run, they have dynamic receivers.

     For the Cowboys to win this week, one thing has to emerge from the smoldering ashes from last week: the running game. Zeke rushed the ball 11 times for 33 yards last week. He must have at least 15-20 carries and Pollard to have at least nine for this offense to work. Play-action is an essential part of this offense, and if they don’t get the run game going, the Chargers will not fall for it. Dak Prescott must be the same quarterback as he was last week and spread the ball around. Cooper and Lamb will be the featured receivers, and it is possible for both to have 100-yard games and at least 1 touchdown each. I expect Zeke to have 80-120 yards on the ground, a few receptions, and a total of 2 touchdowns. 

     This Cowboys offense can outperform anyone they face, but the defense will have to stop one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league, Justin Herbert. Herbert showed off his talents against a stingy Washington defense, and if the secondary plays like it did last week, the game will be a hard fight and might force Dak into throwing 50 passes again. The Cowboys also signed a placekicker to the practice squad, putting Greg Zuerlein on notice that he will be benched if he keeps missing kicks. I see him having a much better game this week.

      I look for a more balanced attack this week, and controlling the ball and the time of the game will be much better. The prediction of the week is the Cowboys 24 to 17 over the chargers.

Jacksonville Jaguars Week 2 Pre-Game

By: Noah Trombley

The Jacksonville Jaguars will look to bounce back this week as they take on the Denver Broncos in Jacksonville. This matchup is a very huge test for this young Jacksonville team as they are not only playing their first home game this year but are also coming off that atrocious week 1 performance against the Houston Texans. 

The main thing to look at in this matchup is the play calling and schemes from head coach Urban Meyer. After last week with all the illegal shifts and illegal formation penalties the team is going to have to clean that up and either simplify the playbook or understand it better to not make these mistakes happen. The dropped passes also need to be cleaned up by coaching, there were over 5 dropped passes last week by good receivers and that can’t happen against an offense that showed last week that they can put points on the board. The Jaguars need to also focus on getting the run game going in order to take some of the pressure off of Trevor Lawrence to make plays and force the ball into coverages. The Jaguars only had 76 yards of rushing last week between Carlos Hyde and James Robinson, 44 and 25 yards respectively. The Jaguars cannot afford to become a one dimensional team and need to open up the run game in order to start running some play action and some other schemes in order to really let this offense go. 

Looking back on this brief history of this series the Jaguars actually have the edge so far in head to head matchups, 6 wins to 5 losses. As far as key matchups during the game to look at will be when the Jaguars offense faces a relentless pass rush from the Denver Broncos. This offensive line is gonna have to deal with the pass rushing abilities of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb who have shown they can get to the quarterback whenever they please so the offensive line needs to protect their future in Trevor Lawrence and make sure he has time to throw. 

Giants vs Washington Thursday Night Recap

By Jeff Knapp

Thursday night, the New York Giants (0-1) traveled to Landover, Maryland, to take on the Washington Football Team (0-1). There were many questions going into this game. How was Saguon Barkley going to perform? How many touches was he going to get? How would the offensive line hold up against two premier defensive linemen in Montez Sweat and Chase Young? Was the Giants’ defensive front going to get pressure on Taylor Heinicke? All of those burning questions were no bigger than this one: How was Daniel Jones going to perform?

The game started out like a ball of fire for the Giants. They got Washington to punt the ball on their first two possessions and were able to go 79 yards on 11 plays on their first drive topped off by a Daniel Jones 6-yard TD run.

During this amazing back and forth game, the Giants were up by six with just over four minutes left. New York gave up the lead when Washington scored a touchdown in 17 seconds with about four minutes to go. With Big Blue down by one and just over two minutes left, James Bradberry came up with a fantastic interception at the Washington 25. Even with WFT using two of their timeouts, the Giants only chewed up 16 seconds on the clock and walked away with a field goal.

Washington was down by two with nine seconds left and went for a 48-yard field goal. The field goal was missed…WIDE RIGHT! Not so fast, Dexter Lawrence, who had just one tackle the entire game, was called for offsides. Now Washington tries for a 43-yard attempt, and the kick is successful. WFT won the game by one point, and that was truly heartbreaking for the G-Men.

New York had every opportunity to win the game. A holding penalty cost Daniel Jones a second rushing touchdown, and Darius Slayton dropped another beautiful pass in the end zone late in the game. Not saying it was easy, but that’s a catch an NFL receiver needs to make in that situation.

Good Notes from Thursday’s Matchup:

1) This was the best game Daniel Jones has played. 22/32 for 249 yards, one passing, and a rushing touchdown. He also ran for 95 yards. 

2) Sterling Shepard was brilliant once again, catching 9 of his 10 targets and 95 yards.

3) Although the offensive line gave up four sacks, this was the best I’ve seen them play of late. 

4) Graham Gano is Mr. Automatic

5) NO FUMBLES!

6) On defense, Blake Martinez is a tackling machine, and given the pressure they brought early in the game, this is very satisfying. 

Bad Notes from Thursday’s Matchup:

1) Saquon Barkley, outside of his 41-yard run, only had another 16 yards in him and was only targeted three times out of the backfield. Hopefully, this doesn’t last, and he’s warming up to be what he can be. Troy Aikman pointed out during the broadcast that players coming off major surgery don’t feel back until the following season.

2) The defense had early pressure and then lost all of it after the first quarter. It seemed like Heinicke threw the ball to Terry McLaurin 175 times, although he caught 11 or his 14 targets for 107 yards and one touchdown. They also gave up big crucial plays throughout the night to Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. Who combined for 162 total yards and a touchdown.

3) Penalties killed the Giants. Big Blue had a total of 11 penalties for 81 yards. There was a holding penalty that cost them an incredible touchdown run, two back-to-back false starts that possibly cost a chance at a 7-point lead, and the killer offsides call that allowed Dustin Hopkins to retry a game-winning field goal that he just missed.

New York needs to clean up its act and build on Daniel Jones’ confidence before next week’s home game against the Atlanta Falcons.