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VIDEO: Dan Campbell’s new Applebee’s commercial is even better than the first
Anonymous NFL exec ranks Detroit Lions in bottom half of NFC
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images One current NFL executive thinks the Detroit Lions rank in the bottom half of the NFC. No, for real. With all the positive predictions surrounding the Detroit Lions this offseason—including a non-insignificant amount of Super Bowl picks—I figured it’s worth pointing out one of the few detractors out there. The latest actually comes from a current NFL executive in a survey from The Athletic’s Mike Sando. Sando polled five different, unnamed executives to rank every single team in the NFC. Two has the Lions second, one had the Lions atop the conference, one had the Lions fifth. And then there was the other NFL executive, who wildly had the Lions NINTH in the conference. Team they had ranked above the Lions include the Packers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bears, Falcons, and Seahawks. Per Sando, one of the NFL executive’s biggest argument for this bold prediction was that Detroit’s offense was one of the most largely studied this offseason, and he believes teams will catch up. “They treat third down like second down, and that was something that became very public as they went deeper,” this exec said. “Teams are going to pick up on that, and they play a tougher schedule, and there’s more (pressure) on them and we’ll see what it looks like.” While this person is certainly welcomed to their own opinion, the biggest flaw in this argument is assuming that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and coach Dan Campbell will move forward unchanged. In fact, quarterback Jared Goff said this week how good at evolving Johnson has been since becoming Detroit’s play caller. “I think that’s where Ben’s done a great job every year now, is innovating, being creative, doing things maybe that haven’t necessarily been done before or we haven’t seen on film,” Goff said Tuesday. “But trying it just for sake of trying it and for the sake of he thinks it’s a good idea. Sometimes it works at practice. Sometimes it doesn’t, we shelf it, and try it again later, but that creativity and that innovation is so important to stay on the cutting edge.” And the notion that he Lions may buckle under the pressure is a silly one. Detroit had plenty of attention and pressure last year to win the division and they went out and did it decisively—then took it a step further by nearly making it to the Super Bowl. Obviously, no one knows the future, and it’s certainly possible Detroit fails to meet their extremely high expectations in 2024. However, the argument laid out by this executive is pretty unconvincing and reeks of sour grapes.
NFL Week 1 betting advice: Eagles-Packers pick and props
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Weighing the odds. Steve Maltepes, known as “The Philly Godfather,” will impart his gambling wisdom on the Eagles and where the smart money is going on various pro football games each weekend this season. Maltepes is one of the nation’s hottest sports betting experts who appears weekly on national radio and has his own website, www.thephillygodfather.com [thephillygodfather.com]. Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Arena Corinthians, in São Paulo, Brazil, 8:15 p.m. Friday The Line: Eagles minus-3/Total: 48.5 What is the line telling you: First off, we are very bullish on the Eagles this year. We took them to win the NFC East at plus-115, but the first game of the season will be difficult for them. The line opened with the Eagles originally being a 1.5-point favorite. It fluctuated and dropped to a pick’em, and it has since shot back up to Eagles minus-three. Packers’ coach Matt LaFleur’s game plans have usually been great. He has done a great job anytime his team has been an underdog. He has covered the spread 22 of 32 times and overall is 53-37 against the spread. Forget about what you saw the beginning of last season. This Packers team is very talented with a host of wide receivers for Jordan Love to connect with. Defensively, the Eagles could have some problems early on. The Eagles defense will get better through time under Vic Fangio. Offensively, even though the Eagles are stacked with so much talent, the Packers will cover the three-point spread. Bottom line: We like the Packers. The reason being if you look throughout Jalen Hurts’ career, at home, he is 17-9 against the spread. That is No. 3 among active quarterbacks since 2020. On the road, or at a neutral site, he is just 10-18-1 against the Vegas number. That is the worst among 104 quarterbacks since 2020. We also like the over. Both teams offensively are stacked. Eagles game props Josh Jacobs anytime touchdown +115 Saquon Barkley anytime touchdown +100 Christian Watson anytime touchdown +175 AROUND THE NFL Teaser Seven-point NFL New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals/Bengals minus-8 line, 1 p.m. Sunday New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers/49ers minus-4.5 line, 8:20 p.m. Monday The Line: Take Bengals minus-1/take Jets plus 11.5 Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. Saturday The Line: Dolphins minus-3.5/Total: 48.5 What is the line telling you: Jacksonville’s defense will keep them in the game. They look much better on paper this season. They have a new defensive coordinator, Ryan Nielsen, from the Falcons, where the defense finished the regular season tied for the second-most forced fumbles in the NFL (18) and ranked ninth in total tackles across the league (1,076). He will have a lot more talent to work with in Jacksonville. Bottom line: We like the Jags here plus-3.5, unless Trevor Lawrence losses the turnover battle. We also like the under. (Betting lines are subject to change.)
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Giants-Vikings: What to expect when the Giants have the football
The 2024 NFL season is about to commence, as the New York Giants are set to host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Plenty of aspects on both sidelines are different from the previous season. Saquon Barkley crossed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and Daniel Jones is ready for live-action after he tore his ACL last November. The Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Falcons. First-round pick J.J. McCarthy tore his right meniscus and will miss the rest of his rookie season. Sam Darnold — whom the Vikings gave a one-year, $10-million contract to in free agency — will return to MetLife Stadium to face the Giants. FanDuel has the Vikings favored by 1.5 points with an over/under of 41.5; the Giants start the season as home dogs against a backup quarterback. Vikings defensive key additions: Edge Andrew Van Ginkel, edge Jonathan Greenard, LB Blake Cashman, CB Shaq Griffin, edge Jihad Ward, edge Dallas Turner (first-round draft pick). Vikings defensive key losses: Edge Danielle Hunter, edge Marcus Davenport, edge D.J. Wonnum, LB Jordan Hicks. Brian Flores Defensive coordinator Brian Flores enters his second season with the Minnesota Vikings. Last season, Flores led the league by a wide margin in blitz percentage, blitzing on 51.5% of his defensive snaps. Wink Martindale and the Giants blitzed second most in the NFL, at 45.4%. Blitzing is the core identity of Flores’ defense. In 2021, as head coach of the Dolphins, he blitzed at a 39.6% rate. In 2020, the Dolphins blitzed at a 40.8% rate. He spent the 2022 season as the linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to Pro Football Reference, although the Vikings blitzed the most in 2023, they only got pressure on 21.9% of their snaps, which ranked 15th in the NFL (the highest number was 28.2% by the Detroit Lions). The Flores hire starkly contrasted with the Vikings’ defensive philosophy in 2022. Ed Donatell’s defense blitzed on just 18.9% of plays, and the defense became synonymous with blown coverages on the backend — something the Giants exploited in the Wildcard Round. Head coach Kevin O’Connell opted for another approach ahead of the 2023 season. Although based on blitzing, Flores’ system deviated slightly from his days in Miami. The high percentage of devised pressure was coupled with a complete 180 of only sending three on the pass-rush a high percentage of the time. Minnesota ranked first in the NFL in both blitzing and three-man rushes: Flores uses variance to his advantage. It’s difficult for a quarterback to discern if the blitz is coming — which it frequently does — or if the defense drops eight into zone coverage with two wasted offensive linemen. In the plays above, Flores creates several one-on-one matchups for his pass-rushers, with only three rushers allocated to pressure. Flores loves to crowd the line of scrimmage, sugar those A-Gaps, and either send or bail with six or seven defenders pressed on the line of scrimmage. Flores also frequently uses his safeties on blitzes; safeties Josh Metellus and Harrison Smith blitzed on more than 200 snaps last season. For reference, Giants safeties Xavier McKinney and Jason Pinnock rushed the passer on 89 collective snaps last year. Last season, Flores deviated from his man-coverage blitz philosophy to a more zone-oriented approach. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Vikings played zone on about 69% of snaps. The defensive philosophy resembles Pat Narduzzi’s pressure/coverage at the University of Pitt. According to ESPN’s Ellis Williams, Flores spent time with Pitt assistant coach Tiquan Underwood — the former 2009 seventh-round pick wide receiver out of Rutgers. Flores was a defensive assistant for the Patriots when Underwood was a second-year player for the team. It seems Flores adopted some of Narduzzi’s strategies and successfully employed them last season. Here’s an excerpt from Williams’ ESPN article: “Flores said he frequently visited with Pitt assistant coach Tiquan Underwood. The pair watched film together, and Flores said he “kind of got enamored” with a portion of Narduzzi’s defense that had been in use since Narduzzi took over as the defensive coordinator at Miami (Ohio) in 2003. It began as a way to stop the run with six-man run pressures, and then to overwhelm quarterbacks if they threw against it. The front turns into a blitz in those situations, with coverages — known as “three under, two deep” or “two under, three deep” — that college quarterbacks couldn’t often beat. In an interview with ESPN, Narduzzi called it a “changeup” that “has been kind of our equalizer” over the years.” The Giants must be crisp with their protection packages for Daniel Jones and the offense. Rushing lanes might be tight against a crowded line of scrimmage. If the protection can hold up, there should be more space outside the hash marks for the receivers to maneuver and succeed. Also, crowding the line of scrimmage could lead to more one-on-one opportunities deep outside the numbers — something the Giants placed a heavy emphasis on attacking through training camp. Vikings’ personnel Minnesota added competent run-defending football players to their defensive front in the offseason. Greenard will help fortify a unit with Jonathan Bullard, Harrison Phillips, and Jerry Tillery on the defensive line. Ward figures to be a rotational player. Losing Danielle Hunter is tough to overcome, though, for Hunter played more than 1,000 snaps with 80 pressures and 16.5 sacks. There wasn’t a Viking who had half of Hunter’s pass-rushing production. D.J. Wonnum had 38 pressures and eight sacks last season, and he’s now a member of the Carolina Panthers. The Vikings’ leading pass rushers from last season are no longer there. Davenport, who only played in four games last year, is no longer a Viking. Edge Pat Jones II played 634 defensive snaps last year and had 32 pressures with just one sack. The next leading pressure accumulator was safety Metellus, who had 29. Phillips had 21 pressures, then undersized LB Ivan Pace Jr. had 15, and current Cleveland Brown Jordan Hicks had 15. It’s
New York Giants unofficial depth chart for Week 1
Could Tommy DeVito be QB2 this week? | Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images What can we learn from the first depth chart of the regular season? With Week of the 2024 NFL season let’s take a look at the New York Giants depth chart. What you see in the tables below is what was released by the team, and is considered unofficial. We will go through it, but there are some differences from what we might actually see Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. There are a few interesting things about the Week 1 offensive depth chart. If a backup quarterback is needed, I wonder if it will be Tommy DeVito. Drew Lock (abdomen) still does not seem to be 100%, and has worked very little since being injured in the first preseason game against the Detroit Lions. Is Eric Gray really RB2? I suspect not. I think the majority of the work will go to rookie Tyrone Tracy when starter Devin Singletary comes off the field. Rookie Theo Johnson is listed as TE2. I am curious to see how the Giants divide tight end snaps between Johnson, Daniel Bellinger, and Chris Manhertz. Evan Neal is listed as the backup right tackle. If something were to happen to Jermaine Eluemunor, I think it is possible (maybe even likely) that the Giants would play Joshua Ezeudu in that spot. At guard, undrafted rookie free agent Jake Kubas is listed as the backup left guard. If something happens to Jon Runyan Jr., I think Aaron Stinnie is the first guard off the bench. If Micah McFadden (groin) can’t play I wonder if the Giants would actually start rookie Darius Muasau, or if they would go in another direction. They don’t have a lot of options there. Adoree’ Jackson is listed as a third-team cornerback. We know that’s not the case. It will be surprising if Jackson does not play more snaps than Cor’Dale Flott and Nick McCloud, both listed ahead of him. Dane Belton is listed as a starting safety. Between Belton’s back injury and what we saw the last couple of weeks of training camp, I believe rookie Tyler Nubin is going to get the bulk of the playing time at that spot. It is noteworthy to see Isaiah Simmons listed as a cornerback. That is where he practices. I will be surprised if we see Wan’Dale Robinson or Darius Slayton used on punt or kickoff returns. Jackson is not listed among the punt returners, but if Gunner Olszewski (groin) can’t play, best guess is Jackson gets that role for Week 1. As for kickoff returners, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial was cagey this week about who would do that, saying it would be “game-plan specific.” I think Tracy is part of that group. I also wonder if the Giants elevate rookie Dante Miller to be a kickoff returner.
Rams have chance to show they are a true contender in re-match against Lions
David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports A win against Lions would go long way for Rams to show they are a true contender Prior to the Los Angeles Rams playing the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card game in January, I wrote that a playoff win for that version of the team didn’t matter. The overall thought was that the Rams were ahead of schedule. Heading into 2023, it was a re-building year. That was a reason why the Rams cleared as much cap space as they did. That was all done for this moment. As I wrote then, “The Rams are at the table, but how many chips do they really have in the middle?…The Rams said themselves that they were “remodeling”. They tore out the kitchen sink and master bathroom and replaced them with things that they could get by with in the short-term so that they could build it back even better when their resources were replenished.” Of course a playoff win would have been huge and the Rams almost did it. They were within one point and one holding call away from potentially stealing a win on the road against a very hot Lions team. However, much of what I said at the time still holds true. A win in the overall context of things didn’t matter. It didn’t affect the long-term goal. This isn’t to say that the Rams were just happy to be there, but they were playing with house money. That’s not necessarily the case anymore. Everything that was done last year was for this moment. General manager Les Snead cleared the salary cap so that the Rams could invest and make a final push with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp in 2024 and 2025. Last year, the Rams ranked 32nd in cash spending at $185M. While they only rank 30th heading into this season, that number is much higher at $219M. There’s a case to be made that the Rams are still quietly re-tooling or actively rebuilding. However, much of the lack of cash spending is due to the amount of youth on the roster. Instead of paying marquee veterans such as Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd, the Rams have players on rookie contracts such as Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, and others. However, the window to win is now. The Rams spent in the offseason, bringing in players like Jonah Jackson and Kam Curl. They re-signed Kevin Dotson as well as added experience to their secondary with the signings of Tre White and Darious Williams. Last year, the Rams didn’t bring in their first free agent until June. This year, with an abundance of cap space, they were active. That alone should tell you how this Rams team views itself. That doesn’t mention that for the first time in the McVay era, the Rams drafted in the first round. With that selection, the Rams took a well-polished prospect in edge rusher Jared Verse who could come in and make an immediate impact. While they may be taking it year by year when it comes to Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, this is a team that views itself as a contender. The window is still at least the 2024 and 2025 season. That’s a reason why the Rams structured contracts in the way that they did this offseason. These are two or three year deals with an out after year one or two. Entering the 2023 season, the Rams were seen as a team that was tanking. That was never going to be the case with Sean McVay as the head coach. It may have been a remodeling year, but it was never going to be a team that wasn’t trying to win. The Rams have an opportunity on Sunday Night Football against the Detroit Lions. It can be argued that this is the most important home opener for the Lions in the past 30 years. This is a team coming off of a trip to the NFC Championship game that arguably should have made the Super Bowl. It’s a team with Super Bowl aspirations. That’s what makes Sunday’s game such a big opportunity for the Rams. It’s not just the chance to play spoiler or even about the trade between the two teams after 2020. This is a chance for the Rams to build on what they put together last year. Last year and this past offseason was about building the foundation for the next two seasons. Sunday’s game against the Lions is about proving that this Rams team is ready to take the next step and be seen as a serious contender in the NFC. Said McVay on Monday, “I know this is a different sense of urgency, in a good way. You want it to be uplifting and elevating, but it’s real now. That’s what you do this for. That’s what we’re excited about. I love this. These challenges and the opportunity that we have to go against a great football team on Sunday Night Football.” Despite making the postseason in a year in which nobody expected them to be there, this year feels different. While the Rams are getting some credit by the media, they still seem to be getting overlooked to an extent. Unlike last year, a win against the Lions this time around would go a long way. It may only be the first game of the season, but this game does matter. With a young team, winning early would build confidence and might be what they need to hit the ground running. The Rams have only ever lost one Week 1 opener with Sean McVay as the head coach. Last year, they came out with a statement win, defeating the Seattle Seahawks on the road 30-13. On Sunday night, the Rams will have the chance to put a dampener on the beginning of the Lions season and show that they are a team to be messed with in 2024.
Marlon Humphrey frames the Ravens-Chiefs season opener as a battle of podcasts
Marlon Humphrey frames the Ravens-Chiefs season opener as a battle of podcasts paulbanks Trash-talking a man over his $100 million podcast deal takes creativity. Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is indeed a very creative man. Ahead of Thursday night’s season-opening AFC championship rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, Humphrey says it’s a battle of his pod versus Travis Kelce’s. On the latest episode of his podcast, “Punch Line,” Humphrey called attention to “New Heights,” the podcast hosted by Travis Kelce and his brother Jason. In a tongue-in-cheek, somewhat sarcastic manner, Humphrey called attention to the nine-figure deal that the Kelce brothers struck with Amazon. “I pray for this, to go against him because he has tried to take everything from me,” Humphrey said during the show on Monday. “He tried to take it all from me. He has got to pay. He has got to pay for what he has done to the podcast space. How he has tried to eliminate us. “And, honestly, I don’t care who he’s dating,” Humphrey said, in a direct reference to Kelce’s girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift. “Did they get engaged?… Sept. 6 [the Ravens-Chiefs AFC championship rematch] it’ll be pod versus pod and we’ll see what heights is higher.” These days, it’s impossible to talk about Kelce and not reference Swift, at least in some way, and Humphrey’s co-host, Jack Settleman, was there to make the subtle reference to the ultra-popular songstress overt. “Would you trash talk him and be like, ‘Oh, Taylor’s music is kinda trash?’” Settleman asked. Humphrey said that when he talks trash to Kelce on the field, the topic is strictly football. He then went on to say that if he were to speak trash about Swift on the field, the two of them might start laughing. “Because we’ve kinda been out, but I’m gonna say it anyway. If he started laughing, I’ll just laugh back. If he laughed, I’d laugh back,” Humphrey added. He then invited Kelce and, of course, Taylor Swift to be future guests on his podcast. Humphrey and Settleman hope that America’s beloved power couple will someday accept the offer. That would no doubt “move the needle” for the Punchline podcast. They would most likely set new personal records for listenership.
Week 1 coverage map: Will Bengals vs. Patriots be on your TV?
Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images The Bengals look to start this season fast. The Cincinnati Bengals kick off the 2024 season at home against a New England Patriots team in transition. Bill Belichick won’t be the head coach of New England for the first time since January of 2000. And veteran Jacoby Brissett will get the start at QB. Meanwhile, the Bengals might not have Ja’Marr Chase but should still have enough firepower on offense with a healthy Joe Burrow back. The Patriots and Bengals kick things off this Sunday at 1 PM EST on CBS. The announcers for the game will be Ian Eagles and Charles Davis. Will you be able to watch the game on TV? Check the map (taken from 506sports) below to see. 506sports If you don’t see your area covered in the darker blue shade, you will end with one of the following: The Jacksonville Jaguars at the Miami Dolphins (in the southeast) The Houston Texans at the Indianapolis Colts (in the areas around Indianapolis and Texas) The Arizona Cardinals at the Buffalo Bills (in much of Phoenix, New York state, and Oklahoma, and a little bit of southern California) The Las Vegas Raiders at the Los Angeles Chargers (most of California, about half of Nevada, much of Minnesota, and the areas surrounding Chicago, Nashville, and New York City) The Denver Broncos at the Seattle Seahawks (a large portion of the west outside the aforementioned areas) We previewed the Patriots-Bengals game in our most recent show. You can also listen on iTunes or using the player below. Meanwhile, Fox will feature the following matchups in its early game: The Pittsburgh Steelers at the Atlanta Falcons (a good portion of the U.S.) The Minnesota Vikings at the New York Giants (all of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, plus some portions of the other states bordering Minnesota) The Tennessee Titans at the Chicago Bears (Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, much of Wisconsin, some of Indiana, and more) The Carolina Panthers at the New Orleans Saints (Louisiana and some of the surrounding states, much of South Carolina and North Carolina, and a little of Georgia) 506sports Fox’s late game will feature matchups between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Commanders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. See which you get below: 506sports And here is the info for the national broadcasts: Thursday Night Football on NBA, the Baltimore Ravens at the Kansas City Chiefs Friday Night on Peacock, the Green Bay Packers against the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo Sunday Night Football on NBA, the Los Angeles Rams at the Detroit Lions Monday Night Football on ESPN and ABC, the New York Jets at the San Francisco 49ers
Vikings at Giants Game Preview – Let’s Go!
Filed under: Vikings at Giants Game Preview – Let’s Go! Dive into The Real Forno Show’s in-depth preview of the Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants NFL Week 1 showdown. Explore Sam Darnold’s debut, Aaron Jones’ impact, offensive line strategy, Brian Flores’ defensive masterplan, and more. Get expert analysis on the Vikings’ 2024 season opener! #SKOL! By Sep 5, 2024, 9:07am CDT
NFL Week 1 2024 picks and predictions: Ravens vs. Chiefs season kickoff winners picks
Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images The 2024 NFL season kicks off tonight with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens. We start our season-long picks pool with our predictions for the game. The 2024 NFL season kickoff game is tonight, featuring the Baltimore Ravens visiting the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Will Baltimore pull off the upset or will the Chiefs celebrate their second-straight championship with a win on opening night? Every year here on The Phinsider, our contributors pick the straight-up winners for each game. We continue that tradition today with the first set of picks for the 2024 year. Our picks are primarily focused on the straight-up winners, we also have the ability to make picks against the spread and for the point total over/under. You can find all of our picks below. Our 2023 season came down to the Super Bowl, with just a game separating first and second place. James McKinney was crowned champion, finishing with a 186-99 record. Summeet Jena was just behind him at 185-100. Kevin Nogle finished third at 179-106, followed by Marek Brave at 167-118. George Forder ended the year 167-117,l Josh Houtz was 164-120, Nick Sabatino was 146-102, and Jake Mendel was 128-82 for the year. Who will win this year’s contributors’ pool? Everything begins tonight. And, as always, thanks to Tallysight for allowing us to use of their widget for publishing our picks.
