Lamar Runs Wild

By: Mike Rifkin

For the first time in 2021 the Kansas City Chiefs were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens 36-35. For the first time in his career Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson defeated Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Jackson had been 0-3 vs Kansas City in his career prior to Sunday night. Jackson had himself a night throwing for 239 yards and a touchdown, and added 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. With a little over a minute left in the fourth quarter on fourth down Ravens coach John Harbaugh asked Jackson if he wanted to go for it and ice the game, they did and the gutsy call paid off as Jackson used his legs like he had all night to secure the win for the Ravens. Baltimore got the ball late in the fourth quarter when Kansas City running back Clyde Edwards Helaire for the first time fumbled in the NFL. 

For Patrick Mahomes it was his first loss against Lamar Jackson, but it was also his first loss in the month of September in his entire career. Sunday night Mahomes went 24-31 for 343 yards three touchdowns and an interception. Tight End Travis Kelce had 109 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson had the other two touchdown catches. Receiver Tyreek Hill who had almost 200 yards in week 1 vs Cleveland was taken away by the Ravens defense as he had 29 yards on four touches. 

The Chiefs run defense in this game was awful. They gave up 251 yards rushing to the Ravens. 18 of Baltimore’s 31 first downs came from their rushing attack. The Chiefs knew it was coming and still were not able to contain it. One situation the Ravens took advantage of was that the Chiefs were moving defensive tackle Chris Jones to the edge to get more pressure on quarterbacks, which begs the question why? Jones is the second best interior defensive lineman in the NFL and in this game there were times he was confused as to how to defend the zone read. The Chiefs defense did get back safety Tyrann Mathieu who had two interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown. The Chiefs will look to rebound on Sunday as they prepare for their first AFC West contest as they welcome the Chargers to Arrowhead.

Cowboys vs Chargers Post Game

Cowboys running game shows up

By Mark Halpern

So last week, the Cowboys run game was, as I said, was nonexistent; however, that wasn’t the case today. We saw an equally balanced offensive game plan established from the start of the game.

     Ezekiel Elliott returned to form today with the help of a tremendous offensive line. Zeke looked like he did in his first year in 2016; he burst through holes and showed off some speed that last year was an issue. He looked focused and ready to take every chance and turn it into a positive performance. Zeke took 16 carries and turned them into 71 yards and a score. He also chipped in the passing game with 2 receptions for 26 yards. He also did well in the blocking for Dak Prescott, picking up several vital blitzes and gave more time for Dak to throw.

    Now Zeke wasn’t the only one running the ball. Tony Pollard also had a significant day on both the running game and the passing game. Pollard has been Zeke’s back/change of pace runner; however, he showed why he deserves to be in the game more today. Tony took 13 carries and turned it into 109 yards and a score of his own. Pollard also had 3 receptions for 31 yards, and the duo was of Zeke, and Pollard was unreal as the two of them put up a total of 180 yards on the ground. This is the formula you need to win a football game.

    As for the Passing game, it wasn’t Dak’s best outing. Dak threw for 237 yards and one interception and no touchdowns. His passes were good except for the one that sailed on him and was intercepted. Cee Dee Lamb was his favorite target with 8 receptions for 81 yards. Lamb took a pass at the end of the first half and made a great move and turned the ball up field, Zeke was running right alongside him, and right before the Chargers caught up with him, he pitched the ball back to Elliot, who almost made it in the endzone and got pushed out at the 2. So, the passing game was not at its best but, they moved the chains well, and besides the one interception Dak looked good.

    The defense, on the other hand, had a mixed day. They missed some key players, moved around linebackers to play at the line, had an extra defensive back in at times, and stopped the run, which they accomplished last week. The defense also got 2 sacks and forced two interceptions. They failed again in the passing game, letting Justin Herbert throw for the tune of 338 yards and 1 touchdown, and the two interceptions. This has been a Cowboys weak spot for years now, and Mike Williams made Anthony Brown look worse than a rookie. Williams had 7 for 91 yards and a score, Keenan Allen had 4 receptions that went for 108 yards that was good enough to lead the team, and Austin Ekeler also had 9 receptions for 91 yards. The secondary got rocked again but, when passes were to the endzone, the “no-fly zone” showed up and took care of business.  

    This was an excellent win for the Cowboys and a much needed one because starting 0-2 is almost a death sentence in most cases. The Cowboys are home to take on division rival the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle that should be great as both teams are 1-1 and hungry for wins. The Cowboys are two different teams, and when the good and bad come together and start playing at the level I know they can be, it will be a very dangerous football team.

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.