Unfamiliar Territory

By: Mike Rifkin

For the first time since 2015 the Kansas City Chiefs are in last place in the AFC West. On Sunday the Chiefs lost to the Chargers 30-24. 

 Kansas City turned the ball over four times as Patrick Mahomes threw two interceptions, Tyreek Hill and Clyde Edwards-Helaire lost fumbles. It was the second consecutive game Edwards-Helaire has lost a fumble. It was also the second year running back best game of the season rushing for 100 yards and having a receiving touchdown. For the second consecutive week Tight End Travis Kelce went for over 100 yards receiving. 

 But the uncharacteristic turnovers have cost the Chiefs the last two games. With 1:42 remaining Mahomes threw his second interception of the day. Then on 4th and 9 with less than a minute left, first year head coach Brandon Staley put the ball in the hands of his second year quarterback Justin Herbert. That gamble paid off as they were able to get a pass interference call against the Chiefs, and then with 32 seconds left Herbert hit Mike Williams for his second touchdown of the game. On this day Herbert outdueled Mahomes throwing for 281 and 4 touchdowns. Mahomes 260 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Chiefs defense was without starting corner Charvarius Ward and Rashad Fenton was evaluated for a concussion at halftime. That left Deandre Baker who got called for that pass interference on fourth down. And Mike Hughes who struggled in coverage most of the game. 

There is a bigger situation that came with this loss as well. Head Coach Andy Reid was feeling ill and was taken to a hospital after the game. The team said Sunday night that Reid was feeling well and is in stable condition. 

The Chiefs will look to rebound as they play the Eagles in Philadelphia next week. Then a 3 game stretch of the Bills, Washington Football Team, and Titans.

Not So Optimistic Jets Pregame

By Eric Ford

If you remember, in my early posts, I said I would be optimistic until at least week 1. Well, I was optimistic until last week. Then Zach Wilson threw 4 interceptions. That is when hope left my body. We still have a long season ahead, so you never know. I do not think we will go 0-17. But I am not optimistic about this game.

The Denver Broncos are 2-0. That defense is challenging, and their offense can win games. On defense, you have Bradly Chubb and Von Miller, still threats. On offense you have a good run game in Teddy Bridgewater, Courtland Sutton and Melvin Gordan. All are playing well. Grant it they did have an easy schedule as of late. Their first game was the Giants and then the Jaguars. Now they have their first home opener against the Jets.

The New York Jets are 0-2.  In the first game, we gave the Panthers a run for their money but, Penalties and play-calling prevented the win. Last week against the Patriots was strictly turnovers. If there was a game for the Jets to show up, it is this game. It will only get tougher because nobody wants to lose to a 0-3 team.

Keys to victory, last week the Jets were looking good. The offense gave Wilson time, and the defense kept the Jets in the game. The thing that killed them was the turnovers and penalties. The Jets need to play more disciplined football. The Offensive line has a tough job ahead of them this week. The Broncos defensive line is no joke. They will look to get to Zach Wilson early. The Jets need to establish the run; the Jets running backs are good at gaining yards, run early, and run often. The defense needs to continue to show up like they have been doing. If they do all of this, we have a shot at winning and showing other teams that they are truly a threat.

The Jets are 0-2, but they are way better than their record shows. They need to show up plain and simple.

Titans Home Week 3 Against the Colts

By Bill Murphy

Nashville- After nail-biting overtime against the Seattle Seahawks last week, the Titans are back home as they face their division rival, the Indianapolis Colts. After the Texans lost to the Panthers on Thursday night, a win would put the Titans in possession of 1st place in the AFC South.

Derrick Henry exploded last week after an abysmal performance in week one, rushing for 35 carries, 182 yards, and three touchdowns. The Key for Henry this week would be to get released early and take advantage. Henry has a record of 5 straight 100 yards or more games against teams in the AFC South.
Not only Henry, but the rest of the offense has to take advantage of a weak Colts defense. This week, Ryan Tannehill’s big target should be AJ Brown and Julio Jones, who got six receptions on 128 yards. During week 1, the Colts gave up 654 yards to the Seattle Seahawks and 657 yards to the Rams. Even though the Colt’s defense has been anemic over the past two weeks, they still have some folks to look out for on defense, such as defensive linemen DeForest Buckner and Al-Quadin Muhammad and edge rusher and new pick up from this year’s draft Kwitty Paye.

A thing to look out for is the defense. The problem with the defense is inconsistent. Last week during the game in Seattle, the defense let Russell Wilson and company run through them by scoring 24 points. While in the second half of the game, the defense held its own while holding the seahawks to only one touchdown. On Sunday, they will have to be more consistent while fending off the Colt’s offense. However, this week they should have it much easier than they had the last two weeks.

The big talk is that the Colts will be down a quarterback after Carson Wentz sprained both of his ankles in last week’s game against the Rams. He did, however, report to practice this week, holding out hope that he might play on Sunday. So, in place of Carson Wentz, the Colts will be starting second-year quarterback Jacob Eason, who threw two completions out of five attempts, 25 yards, and one interception, So the defense would have to do so cover him and pressure him early. Last week, they will also have to cover Michael Pittman, their lead receiver, having 123 yards on eight receptions. This should be an easy win for the Titans if the defense stays strong, Tannehill stays sharp, and Henry has a hell of a game.

Jacksonville Jaguars Week 3 Pre-Game

By: Noah Trombley

The Jaguars will look to bounce back this week as they host the Arizona Cardinals in week 3. The last time these two teams played was in 2017 and the Cardinals took home the victory 27-24, however this time do not expect a close score. 

Between their first two games the Jaguars have averaged a total of 17 points, the cardinals have averaged 36, these offenses are not built the same. Kyler Murray is putting together, so far, an MVP Caliber season. He currently sports a 73.5 completion percentage, 689 yards, 7 touchdowns, and only 3 interceptions. Lawrence on the other hand has a 50 completion percentage, 450 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Lawrence has struggled all year in this current system, receivers can’t get open, and the run game can’t get any momentum. Urban Meyer needs to really come up with some inventive play calling in order to get this offense going and able to score some points cause the Cardinals behind Kyler Murray, Deandre Hopkins, and the rookie sensation Rondale Moore, will put up points in bunches against the flat Jaguars defense who so far this season has not caused a single turnover and they are losing the turnover ratio by -5. 

The only couple positives to take away from the Jaguars defense is that they do get pressures on the QB. Linebacker Josh Allen has a sack a game so far (2 total), safety Andrew Wingard has one, and DE Adam Gotsis has one as well. The Jags will need to focus on these three players to try and get some turnovers on defense whether that be some forced fumbles on the QB or forcing some bad throws and causing some interceptions. 

The big key to this game for the Jaguars will be to contain Kyler Murray. They are not gonna bring the QB down many times as his elusiveness will get him out of many situations, however the Jaguars will need to keep getting pressure on Kyler the entire game in hopes that he gets hurried and makes some mental errors. On the offensive side James Robinson, Carlos Hyde, and Duke Johnson need to get the run game going in order to take some pressure off of Trevor Lawrence to make plays constantly and allow him to find his targets and throw the ball away when need be. 

Giants Falcons Week Three Pre-Game

By Jeff Knapp

This Sunday at 1 PM, the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons travel to Metlife Stadium to take on the 0-2 New York Giants. The Giants are not only coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Football Team, but now they are facing the league’s 32nd ranked defense and the team that has given up the most points so far in this early season and 3rd lowest-scoring offense in the league.

The Giants are rightfully favored to win this week and hopefully not drop to 0-3, which in most divisions would mean they are playing spoiler and getting ready for next season, but they are in the NFC East, so anything is possible.

The Falcons still have Matty Ice, but he isn’t the same player he once was, but he does have weapons around him like Calvin Ridley, Rookie TE Kyle Pitts, and RB Cordarrlle Patterson, who is off to a pretty decent start with what he’s working with (136 total yards and 2TDs)

This week, the Giants come in with the idea that they can score some point, with last week’s outing against the WFT. Sterling Shepard has been the team’s MVP through 2 games with 207 receiving yards, and I know I’m jinxing myself, but he hasn’t thrown an interception this season and only one but costly fumble. He has thrown for 516 yards, 2TDs, and has run for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

The keys to a win this week and the rest of the season are getting Kenny Golladay more involved than his seven receptions and getting Saquon Barkley going. He needs bigger holes to run, but he needs to create something from nothing he has done in the past. If he can give the Giants a 2nd and three instead of a 2nd and 9, that would be amazing and open up all options.

DC Patrick Graham could have some faith in Adoree Jackson and Xavier McKinney in blitz situations and put Jabrill Pepper on the field for more snaps. I wanted him out of Michigan; we traded for him; let’s use him. Upfront Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams need to step up on pressuring the QB, especially this week against an immobile QB like Matt Ryan. They have combined for only four tackles, zero sacks, and only pressured the QB 20% of the time on dropbacks, which is 24th in the league.
Jason Garrett needs to open things up for Daniel Jones. Utilize his arm. When throwing for 15+ yards, Daniel Jones is 14 of 18 through 2 games.

Good Luck to the Giants, and our thoughts are with Nick Gates, who may have suffered a career-ending leg injury.

Bills Look To Keep Rolling against Washington

By Lawrence Lang

Buffalo will look to go back to back in the win column tomorrow when they host the Washington Football team in a Sunday 1 PM game. The Bills come in after they routed the Miami Dolphins 35-0 in what was a great bounce back from week 1, where they blew their lead against the Pittsburgh Steelers and ended up losing the game.

Week 2 also saw key players on the Bills step up as well Josh Allen had two touchdown passes, Zach Moss had two Rushing touchdowns, Devin Singletary had a touchdown. Bills Defence should take the week one loss and leave in the rearview mirror as they came up big time with getting six sacks and forcing three fumbles, two of which they recovered. Most importantly, minus the shutout victory when the Dolphins went for it on fourth down, the Bills defense went three for three in stopping them. This was a significant improvement from week one, where the Bills struggled both on the offensive and the defense against the Steelers. Against the Dolphins, the Bills look like they were back in midseason form already. When you can stop an opponent from scoring and forcing fumbles and stopping them on fourth down when they go for it, you become a significant threat on defense.

On the offense, when Allen, Singletary, and wide receivers such as Cole Beasley, Stefon Diggs, and Emmanuel Sanders are one point; the Bills offense becomes one of the best in the league are up there with offenses such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers, and that has two do with head coach Sean McDermott and offense coordinator Brain Daboll.

Looking at Washington, they are 1-1 and defeated the New York Giants 30-29 in week 2. The game had a controversial ending when Dexter Lawrence was called offsides at the first attempt field goal. Washington attempted to win the game and move the chains up 5 yards, which would be enough on the second attempt as Dustin Hopkins to kick the game-winner. Quarterback Taylor Heincke started struggling early but was able to rebound and help lead the comeback. Heincke went 34/46 336 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. It was a great game regardless of the outcome. Even if Washington lost the game, Heincke still looks excellent in his first start of the season.

Sunday’s game is one of those under-the-radar games that can turn out to be a game of the week. I like both quarterbacks, and if both can get going early, we could have a high-scoring affair.
Don’t be surprised if a low-scoring affair happens and both defenses are reasonable, and if they both show up and play as they know, how we can have an awesome low-scoring defensive game.

Rams Look To Go 3-0 Against Tampa Bay Buccaneers

By Zakary Haines

LOS ANGELES- After a close call against the Indianapolis Colts, the Los Angeles Rams are looking to stay undefeated in the 2021 season. This next match-up will not be easy. Their opponent are none other than the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game will be a significant test for this Rams squad, as they hope to prove they belong in the Super Bowl conversation. It will be a clash of two of the best teams in the NFC and possibly of the entire league.

The Rams defense has one goal, distribute the offense. Tom Brady has had an outstanding season so far: nine touchdowns, 655 passing yards, and a 113.3 quarterback rating. Brady is on a roll the league has not seen since his first MVP season in 2007. If the Rams want any chance of slowing down the Buccaneers’ offense, they will need to go after Brady early and often. Expect plays to get Aaron Donald involved, and blitz plays to get hits on Brady. As for the secondary, they will need to lock down Rob Gronkowski. He has been outstanding on the offensive side. Gronkowski currently has four touchdowns, 129 receiving yards out of 12 receptions. Brady has relied on Gronkowski to be his bail-out option during passing plays. If the Rams can stop Gronkowski, it will be much easier to slow down Brady.

As for the Rams offense, the most significant factor will be how well Matthew Stafford plays. Stafford has had a tremendous start with five passing touchdowns, 599 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 127.0. Stafford will have to play close to perfect against Tampa Bay’s defense. The Bucs’ defense is nothing to laugh at. Players like Vita Vea, Devin White, and Mike Edwards have been performing at a similar level to last season. However, the one weakness seen is the secondary. Tampa Bay has allowed 3rd most passing yards in the league. If Stafford can find lapses in the coverage, he will have no issues getting the ball to his targets.

As for the run game, it may not matter too much unless it is third down and short. The running back duties come down to Sony Michel and Jake Funk as Darrell Henderson Jr is dealing with a rib injury. Henderson is currently listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision. Do not expect a lot from the running game early on, but later in the second half. If the Rams can establish a balanced offense, Tampa Bay will have their hands full.

Finally, Sean McVay has proven to be a headache to coach against. McVay is known for causing mismatches and creating opportunities through confusing the opposing defense. So far, this has been the case against the Bears and Colts. McVay will give Kupp, and Woods plays where they can cause confusion and get wide open. Regardless, McVay will be up against Bruce Arians, who, in his own right, is a coaching mastermind as well. This will be one of the best games to watch in week three as FOX has this game as their “game of the week.” Kickoff is set for 4:25 pm est on FOX.

Lions vs Ravens Pre-Game 0-2 Record

By Mark Halpern

Last week the Lions faced off against their divisional rival, the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers was completing passes through the defense, making them look like a slice of Swiss cheese. The Offense came out hot by scoring two touchdowns and a field goal before the half showing the NFL that they are contenders in this league. Then came the second half, and the Offense disappeared. The defense allowed Aaron Jones to run wild and catch passes in the flat. It was the 2 Aaron’s show this past weekend, and the Packers won 35-17.

This week is not a more manageable challenge for the Lions as they face the Baltimore Ravens. This Ravens team took down one of the most potent teams in the NFL, and that was the Chiefs. Lamar Jackson is a beast, plain and simple. I have said he would do better as a running back/wide receiver and not a QB. I was proven wrong as he not only rushed for 100+ he also threw for 239 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. This Raven team is showing the AFC that they are the top contenders.

How can the Lions beat the Ravens? Well, everyone will tell you that you must stop Lamar Jackson. That’s like telling Willi E Coyote he was going to catch the Road Runner on Sunday. The first is that the Lions need Deandre Swift and Jamaal Williams to have big days. The Lions must control the clock by gaining first downs a lot more than they have been. The Lions have always been a team known for going three and out on an average day.
Jared Goff must come out and play as he has been. Over his first two games with the Lions, he has thrown for 584 yards and five touchdowns to go along with two interceptions.

Goff must keep this going; however, the Baltimore defense is no slouch either. T.J. Hockenson has been Goff’s favorite target so far. Hockenson is in his second season and has found a grove with Goff at the helm. Goff also likes to throw the screen pass, and Swift and Williams are good pass-catching running backs.The Baltimore defense knows how to fly around the zone and pick off passes. They have an excellent defensive line and a good linebacking core. So don’t expect the Lions to put up huge numbers in this game. The Lion’s defense must come out and stop one of the best players in the league. You control Lamar Jackson; you control this game. So, the key to controlling Jackson is by getting constant pressure and forcing him into throws that he does not want to make, but if Jackson gets away from the blitz and gets a lane to run, you are in trouble.

The Lions can run and gun and score points, but they have been playing from behind in this season’s first two games, and I don’t see a change happening soon. I see the Ravens going into Detroit and again keeping the roar a meow yet again. Ravens win 31-17

Browns Bounce Back Beat Texans Host Bears on Sunday

By Lawrence Lang

The Cleveland Browns bounced back from their week one loss as they defeated the Houston Texans 31-21 in the Browns home opener.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield let the team victory, going 19/21 213 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one rushing touchdown. The Browns running game was also on point. Nick Chubb had 11 carries, and 95 rushing yards, a touchdown, and even Fullback Andy Janovich joined the party by getting his first rushing touchdown of the season. This was a minor step up from week one as the defense got one sack, interception, forced two fumbles, and recovered one.

The big question coming out of Sunday’s victory was Mayfield’s shoulder condition after he attempted to make a tackle granted. After the missed tackle, the injury didn’t stop Mayfield from playing the rest of the game but still raised the question: was the injury severe or not? As of Wednesday, Mayfield did participate in full practice. The injury was his non-throwing arm, but Mayfield could still be a game-time decision depending on what transpires over the next 24 hours. If Mayfield is unable to play, Case Keenum will get the start.

Another big question for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears is Odell Beckem Jr ready to go? All signs lead to yes Beckem Jr being ready to make his season debut after suffering a season-ending ACL injury in week 7 of the 2020 season. Before the injury accord, Becke, Jr was having a decent 2020 season with a 50% target completion 23 of 43 319 total yards and three touchdowns and one rushing Touchdown. With Beckem Jr back, it would help the Browns out in the wide receiver end with Jarvis Landry out with an MCL sprain.

Bears come into week three 1-1 and are coming off a close win in week two against the Cincinnati Bengals. With Andy Dalton out with a knee injury, Rookie Justin Fields will get his first career start, and the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft will look to impress the Bears front office and Head coach Matt Naggy. If Fields can impress in their first career start, it could be a sign of change for the Bears as that their quarterback is ready to take charge in his first year in the league and not a later date in time.

Surprisingly enough, this is an excellent Quarterback matchup in Fields and Mayfield as they are the new generation of quarterbacks taking over in the league. Mayfield has been in the league for a few years now, but for Fields, this is a great first start matchup for him, and if he impresses and becomes the starter for a while, we can see Fields vs. Aaron Rodgers in Week 6. The Matchup would probably be his biggest test as a starter, going against the three-time MVP.

Kickoff for the Bears and Browns is slated for 1 PM with the weather being in the low 70’s and partly cloudy, which should make for a great Sunday fall game.

Back In Looking Like Significant Contenders

By Lawrence Lang

The Bills bounced back after week one as they routed the Miami Dolphins in the Dolphins home opener, winning 35-0 in what was a much-needed win for Bills after they lost last week.

The Bills got on the board early after forcing the Dolphins to punt. Quarterback Josh Allen would throw an incomplete pass, then on 2nd and 10, He would hand the ball off to Running Back Devin Singlerterry, and he would take it to the house for 46 yards to put the Bills up 7-0 after the extra point. Singletary would finish the day with 13 carries and 82 yards rushing, and one touchdown.

Allen would get it going again; It would only take seven plays for a touchdown pass to Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs (a five-yard pass) to make the Bills go up 14-0. Allen would finish the day 17/33 179 yards passing two touchdowns and one interception. Running Back Zack Moss added to the route, having eight carries for 26 yards and two touchdowns. In what was a significant improvement from week one, The Bills offense played like they should, and it proved when the offense is clicking, they are able to show they can be one of the top offenses in the league.

they also stepped up from week one, on the defense side , getting six sacks, two on Tua Tagovailoa, and four on Jacoby Brissett. Sacks came from Matt Milano (1), Taron Johnson (1), Justin Zimmer (1), Micha Hyde (1), and Greg Rousseau (2). Bills Defence also forced three fumbles, two of which they recovered. Ultimately The Bills Defence would force six punts, and when the Dolphins went for it on fourth down, they went four for four in stopping them. Thedefence proves just like the offense when this defense is on they are hard to score points on.

The bigger question to come out of this game is the status of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He would take a brutal hit that would knock him out of the game with a rib injury, and as of yesterday, September 22nd, he has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raider, and Jacoby Brissett will get the start. Hopefully, Tagovailoa will be ready for the Dolphin’s week four against the Indianapolis Colts. We know a rib injury is brutal to come back from cause you are basically day-to-day every day and if team doctors feel you’re not medically cleared to play, you don’t play.

As for the Bills, they will head home to take on the 1-1 Washington Football Team in a 1 PM Sunday Game. Washington comes off a Thursday night win over the New York Giants 30-29 where Quarterback Taylor Heinicke Step up big time going 34/36 336 passing yards two touchdowns and one interception. So you are able to catch this game and watch it cause it could be a surprising game of the week.