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.

Can Bills Rebound and Make Tua Fish

By Lawrence Lang

Week one for the Buffalo Bills saw them jump out to a 10-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers to end up losing control of the game and end up losing 23-16. Pressing forward to week 2, the Bills look to rebound and forget week one as they travel down Miami to face division rival the Miami Dolphins. The last time these two teams faced each other, it ended in a route for the Bills as they beat the Dolphins 56-26 at home.

Now looking at week 2 for the Bills is can they stop Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa again as they did in week 17 last year, where they could intercept Tagovailoa three times. This Bills Defence can do it again if they can learn from their week one mistake against the Steelers. If they can bring pressure in the pocket, they can stop Tagovailoa in what he does best: escape and try and either get the pass play going or getting his feet going and running with the ball. Also, on the flip side of the offense, if quarterback Josh Allen can bring in the deep ball game along with his short passing game, he can get through this Dolphins defense. One key factor for the Bills in Sunday’s game will be Devin Singletary. The game will be a homecoming for Singletary. He was born in Fort Lauderdale and went to college at Florida Atlantic, so bittersweet monument for Singletary as he returns home. He had 72 yards rushing last week in the season opener.

The Dolphins come into week two as the only team to win in the AFC East. They beat and spoiled the Debut of Mac Jones as they beat the New England Patriots 17-16 in a game that came down to the end. Tagovailoa was impressive, going 16/27 202 yards going one and one with a touchdown and Interception. Jaylen Waddle got his first career touchdown caught a three-yard pass to help the Dolphins extend their lead over the Pats. He would finish the game with 61 receiving yards. The key to victory for the Dolphins was their defense, causing fumbles and recovering two of them. If they can repeat this, the Bills could have a tough time running the ball and throwing it.

Will Allen has a few tricks up his leave. Only time will tell to see what 258 million dollar man has in store. This is a game to watch and could be one of the games of the week, especially with Allen and Tagovailoa going at it. This is the future; we are watching two young quarterbacks trying to bring some life back to their teams and bring them to the promised land. So far, they are taking the proper steps in doing that.

The Bills will look to get their sixth straight win against the Dolphins on Sunday kickoff is slated for 1 PM with weather up in the high 80’s to low 90’s.

Is it time to take the backup tag off of Heinicke?

By Dan Ryans

WASHINGTON–The Washington Football Team needed to win on Thursday night, and they got it. But what they needed the most was peace of mind at quarterback. Yes, this player has some flaws and needs to clean up some issues early in the game. However, from the two starts, we have seen from Taylor Heinicke in a Washington uniform, it is clear that the backup QB tag must be removed from him. 

On Thursday, Heinicke completed 34 of 46 passes (73.91% on completions) for 336 yards and two touchdowns. With this performance, there were two statement drives, both occurring in the fourth quarter. The first statement drive started with under five minutes left in the game. Washington was down by six, and the drive’s first play was a beautiful strike from Heinicke to J.D. McKissic, who took it downfield for a huge 56-yard gain. Washington finished the drive on the next play, which was a nice throw to Ricky Seals-Jones at the corner of the end zone. The second statement drive came with about a minute left in the game. New York had retaken the lead, and WFT needed a field goal to win the game. In a series aided by Giants penalties on defense, short passes to Logan Thomas, Adam Humphries, and Terry McLaurin got Washington into field goal range. WFT successfully completed the drive with a game-winning 43-yard field goal by kicker Dustin Hopkins. Those two big scoring drives clearly showed a bounce-back performance for Heinicke after a tough start to the season.

Here are some of the Washington players speaking highly of the quarterback after the game:

Chase Young: “He came in last year and showed he can sling it. You just give him camp with the whole team and all these practices…we have all trust in 4, and we’re on his side.”

J.D. McKissic: “You’re looking at a team who has 100 percent confidence in their quarterback, we’re 100 percent behind him, we truly believe we could win with him, and I think he’s shown that time and time again.”

Terry McLaurin: “He’s always ready for his moment, and I love guys who are always ready for their moment, always prepared. He doesn’t complain about the reps that he gets in practice; even when he wasn’t the starter, he just makes the most of his opportunities. That’s all you can ask for…”

It’s over! Taylor Heinicke is QB1 moving forward, and nothing except a terrible injury (knock on wood) should take that away from him. The team and the fans love his style of play and trust him to lead Washington to victory.

Desert Duel

By: Mike Rifkin

On Sunday the Arizona Cardinals will have their home opener as they prepare to face the Minnesota Vikings. The Cardinals are coming off one of the most impressive week 1 victories in the NFL as they defeated the Titans 38-13. Quarterback Kyler Murray had 289 yards passing and four touchdowns, while adding 20 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Receivers Deandre Hopkins and Christain Kirk each had 2 touchdowns receiving. Defensively Chandler Jones returned to the lineup with authority after missing most of 2020 with a Biceps injury, the star pass rusher had five sacks of Ryan Tannehill. One of the major issues the Vikings have had over the years is protecting quarterback Kirk Cousins, so watch for Jones, JJ Watt and Zaven Collins, this year’s first round pick to have an impact on this game. But the defense as a whole had a great day containing running back Derrick Henry to 58 yards and receivers AJ Brown and Julio Jones to a combined 78 yards and a touchdown on 7 catches. Defense also forced three turnovers. 

Minnesota is coming off an overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24. In that game quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns, but was sacked three times. For the second straight week the Cardinals defense will be tasked with stopping an elite group of skilled position players. Running back Dalvin Cook who had a big fumble last week also had 61 yards and a touchdown. In 2020 Cook ran for 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns. Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson are one of the best receiving duos in the league last week Thielen had 92 yards and two touchdowns, Jefferson had 71 yards. In his rookie season Jefferson had 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. We will have to see if Vance Joseph’s defense can stop an elite offense. This game will also feature the return of Patrick Peterson to Arizona. The Cardinals drafted Peterson fifth overall in 2011 and he did not disappoint in his 9 seasons in Arizona racking up 499 tackles, 28 interceptions and four punt return touchdowns. 

I know it’s week two but this is a big game for the Cardinals for a few reasons. The Cardinals have the opportunity to put the Vikings at 0-2 and in case they both are chasing a wild card spot gives the Cardinals a head to head advantage. Another reason is to keep the momentum going from the Titans game, last season the Cardinals started 2-0 but lost a home game to Detroit. This will be the first time the Cardinals and Vikings have played each other since 2018 a 27-17 Minnesota victory. Will the Cards fly high in their home opener or will the Vikings spoil it.

Lamar Vs Mahomes Round 4

By: Mike Rifkin

Sunday Night Football will feature a heavyweight fight in the AFC as the two time reigning conference champion Kansas City Chiefs travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens. It will be the fourth time in their careers that quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson were going head to head with Mahomes and the Chiefs winning all three previous meetings. 

The Chiefs are coming off a week 1 victory over the Cleveland Browns 33-29. In that game Mahomes threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added one on the ground. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce combined for all three touchdowns through the air including a 75 yard touchdown from Mahomes to Hill. On the flip side the Ravens are coming off a 33-27 loss to the Raiders on Monday night. Lamar Jackson threw for 235 yards and a touchdown, but had two costly fumbles as the Ravens lost in overtime. The Ravens will be without cornerback  Chris Westry with a torn meniscus, he played 33 snaps against the Raiders on Monday night. Baltimore’s secondary will also be without former Chief Marcus Peters who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Another injury concern for the Ravens offense is left tackle Ronnie Stanley is battling an ankle injury, so be very curious if he can go on Sunday. The Ravens traded his backup Orlando Brown to the Chiefs in the offseason so Baltimore’s line is in a bit of shambles. Baltimore will have a former Chief on offense receiver Sammy Watkins who had four catches for 96 yards in his Baltimore debut. In three seasons with the Chiefs Watkins had 129 catches for 1,613 yards and eight touchdowns. 

In the three prior meetings Lamar Jackson has completed 52.6% of his passes for 511 yards and three touchdowns, he also has been sacked three times. Lamar has added 196 yards and a touchdown vs the Chief defense. Mahomes against Baltimore has completed 70.5% of his passes for 1,136 yards, nine touchdowns and an interception. 

Entering Sunday Mahomes is undefeated as the Chiefs quarterback in September and against Baltimore. This will be a difficult task as Baltimore doesn’t want to start 0-2, so this anticipated heavyweight fight should be a dandy on Sunday night.