Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images The Miami Dolphins beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive. How are you feeling about the Dolphins and will they make the playoffs? Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Miami Dolphins fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. The Miami Dolphins have won their last two games, moving them from a contender for the top choice in the 2025 NFL Draft to a team with a legitimate standing in the 2024 AFC playoff picture. Could the Dolphins come back from a 2-6 start to the year to fight their way into the postseason? How are fans feeling about the direction of the team? Our SB Nation Reacts poll returns today to get the answers to both of those questions. How confident are you in Miami’s direction? Will they make it to the playoffs for the third straight season? Vote in the poll below and head to the comments to discuss both questions. We will be back later this week with a look at the results. Please take our survey
Miami Dolphins fan confidence poll: Will they make the playoffs?
Lions News: Several Detroit players earn weekly accolades
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images A handful of Detroit Lions earned weekly honors after the team’s obliteration of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s no surprise that the Detroit Lions earned several awards and honors after their 52-6 dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was near perfection from the offense and another strong day at the office from the defense. Let’s run through the honors in Wednesday’s edition of Lions Notes—knowing that more could be coming soon (Jared Goff: NFC Offensive Player of the Week?) Let’s start with PFF’s Team of the Week for Week 11. The Lions had four representatives on the team: QB Jared Goff (93.5 PFF grade), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (92.4), C Frank Ragnow (83.5), and S Kerby Joseph (89.9). Beyond that, Goff also earned PFF’s Offensive Player of the Week honors. “Goff was outstanding as the Lions took down the Jacksonville Jaguars in emphatic fashion,” PFF”s Gordon McGuinness wrote. “He finished the game with a 91.8 PFF passing grade and a 92.6% adjusted completion percentage.” Beyond that, two Lions players are up for the NFL’s FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week: Goff and St. Brown. Goff led the pack with 412 passing yards, four touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Meanwhile, St. Brown hauled in 11 passes for a career-high 161 receiving yards and two touchdowns. You can vote for Goff and St. Brown here. Over at FTN Fantasy, Aaron Schatz listed the best performances of the week by his DYAR metric. Here’s where Lions players ranked: Goff: First (+239 DYAR) David Montgomery: First (+55) Jahmyr Gibbs: Third (+48) Amon-Ra St. Brown: First (+77) And, finally, Pro Football Network also named Goff their Offensive Player of the Week. The PFN Offensive Player of the Week is Lions QB Jared Goff Goff’s passer rating was perfect (158.3), and his QB+ (97.2) nearly was too. It was the league’s third-best quarterback performance dating back to 2019, per our proprietary metric. pic.twitter.com/duN8j4gfOI — Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 20, 2024 As if you didn’t know Dan Campbell was a great guy already, this clip of him talking to World War II veterans prior to Sunday’s game shows how classy he is: Coach Campbell met with our WWII veteran guests, all Michigan natives, before our #SalutetoService game Sunday. pic.twitter.com/tDfHQOqHCa — Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 20, 2024 While Campbell is extremely classy and kind off the field, he’s not going to apologize for the team being ruthless on the field: Dan Campbell just now on @971theticketxyt: “If you’re asking me to pull somebody out in the third quarter, or you’re asking me to pull somebody out right before the second quarter (ends), before Anzalone gets hurt, I’m never going to do that, ever.” — Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) November 19, 2024 David Montgomery described the Lions as “the land of misfit toys.” Good stuff about Montgomery’s rise over at 97.1 The Ticket. Golden Tate went on “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday and basically just dropped an entire Detroit Lions promo. “I love Dan Campbell”@ShowtimeTate | @gmfb pic.twitter.com/4ezprutlXM — Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 19, 2024 “He is born to do this”@ShowtimeTate gives his flowers to @amonra_stbrown @Lions pic.twitter.com/uchdhTvVXH — Good Morning Football (@gmfb) November 19, 2024 Fun note from Sunday’s game: After Amon-Ra St. Brown’s second touchdown, he jumped into the crowd with Jameson Williams. Sitting in between them? Former Detroit Red Wing Justin Abdelkader: That’s former Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader in between Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s touchdown leap! Front page of the Detroit News coverage pic.twitter.com/QevRSNwSdR — Brad Galli (@BradGalli) November 18, 2024 Just former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long talking about how ruthless and good the Lions are:
Lions mailbag: Which NFL team is best equipped to beat Detroit?
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images Mailbag! Which NFL team is best equipped to beat the Detroit Lions, if any? The Detroit Lions are atop the NFL mountain. They’re tied for the best record in the NFL at 9-1, they’ve got a historically-high DVOA through 10 games, and they’re essentially the unanimous best team in the NFL according to Week 12 power rankings across the web. But there is no such thing as an unbeatable team. The 2007 undefeated New England Patriots lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs, for all of their greatness over the past few years, have lost an average of 4.3 games per regular season in their three recent Super Bowl years. So while the Lions seem invincible right now, they’re not. They’re likely to lose a game or two down the stretch, and it’s possible they don’t make the Super Bowl run that everyone is expecting them to. On this week’s Midweek Mailbag show, Erik Schlitt and I discuss the teams that are best equipped to beat the Lions and why. The most obvious answer are the titans (not Titans) of the AFC: the Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills. Those have been established powerhouses for a few years now, and they possess the one thing that can tip the scales in their direction no matter how the rest of the game goes: playmaking, elite quarterbacks. “They all have mobile quarterbacks who can get loose and cause problems,” Schlitt said. “They can live beyond the skill level of their skill (position) players. Those are the teams. It would be the teams that have a quarterback that can overcome the odds, because if you faced any of those three teams against the Lions, the Lions would be favored, in my opinion.” I think one NFC team can be added to the list, too. Not only are the Philadelphia Eagles on a six-game winning streak, but they possess a lot of the qualities that have given the Lions problems this year. “Strong defenses that can get to the quarterback rushing four is a problem for this offense—it’s a problem for any offense, let’s be clear,” I noted. “Obviously against the Texans, you didn’t have Taylor Decker, but the Texans lived in the backfield. The Eagles have a very, very good set of defensive line. They basically just have the Georgia defense from the past three years on the defensive front.” The Eagles can also match the Lions in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball, and have a few receiving threats that could give the Lions’ outside cornerbacks some issues in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. But Schlitt thinks the Lions have one clear advantage of the Eagles that Philly wouldn’t be able to overcome. “The coaching staff of the Eagles can’t hold a candle to the Lions,” he said. You can listen to that entire discussion around the 37:15 mark of this week’s episode. Other topics this week: 3:40 — How many more activations from IR do the Lions have? Will they have enough for Aidan Hutchinson, John Cominsky, etc. 10:00 — What will new Lions linebacker David Long provide the team with in the short term, long term? 19:00 — Did Detroit’s anti-positional value stance help them build depth at non-value positions like linebacker? 25:15 — Will Ifeatu Melifonwu and/or Derrick Barnes re-sign with the Lions in 2025? 33:10 — How confident are you that the Lions win the NFC North? 37;15 — Who will challenge the Lions? 45:55 — Will the Lions be able to handle mobile QBs in each of the next three weeks? 51:10 — Outside of Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson, could the Lions lose any other coaches in the offseason? 57:10 — How rare was the Lions’ patience with Glenn? 1:03:00 — How confident are you that Jake Bates is the Lions’ franchise kicker for years to come? You can listen to the entire show below or on any podcasting platform. But if you want the full experience, be sure to check out the show live next time on Twitch or YouTube. Replays are also available now.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73735947/2183906268.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "New York Giants-Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 12: Everything you need to know")
New York Giants-Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 12: Everything you need to know
New York Giants-Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 12: Everything you need to know Giants set to begin life after Daniel Jones Contributors: Welcome to Week 1 ADJ (after Daniel Jones) for the New York Giants. The 2-8 Giants will host the 4-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at MetLife Stadium ( 1 p.m. ET, CBS) with Tommy DeVito starting at quarterback. The Giants, 0-5 at home this season, will be 5.5-point underdogs, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Giants have lost five straight games and are last in the league in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game. The Buccaneers have lost four straight games and five of their last six. Tampa Bay does, though, average 27.9 points per game, fifth in the NFL. Former Giant wide receiver Sterling Shepard and guard Ben Bredeson are now with the Buccaneers. Shepard has 16 receptions this season and Bredeson is a starting guard. Stay with this StoryStream for coverage of Giants-Buccaneers all week. Follow us on social media BBV on X: Follow @BigBlueViewBBV on Facebook: Click here to like the Big Blue View Facebook pageBBV on YouTube: Subscribe to the Big Blue View YouTube channelBBV on Instagram: Click here to follow our Instagram page
How Giants respond to Daniel Jones-Tommy DeVito switch critical for Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll need this to work The New York Giants have a game on Sunday, hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium. That, though, isn’t really the big story of the week. The real thing to keep an eye on this week is the mood of the players and what they say after the announcement that former third-string undrafted free agent Tommy DeVito will replace Daniel Jones as the team’s starting quarterback. This is a dangerous time for GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll as they try to navigate a 2-8 season, an inevitable quarterback transition, and keep their jobs beyond the end of this season. Dexter Lawrence, who roomed with Jones during training camp when both were rookies, was diplomatic on Tuesday when I asked him about the move. Lawrence admitted the move was “shocking,” but tried to extend the benefit of the doubt to Daboll and Schoen “they feel like Tommy will give us the best chance is what was said to win and you got to respect that.” In further remarks to Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, Lawrence made clear Jones was “QB1” in his mind. He admitted to Carroll that there was “a little bit of confusion” among the players regarding the decision. “Because you don’t know their full thoughts behind it,” Lawrence said. “I think we trust the coaches and where they’re going and where they think we can go. That’s what you have to do. You have to be naïve. You start thinking about the wrong s—, then you start playing like s—, you know what I’m saying? You got to be naïve and trust the process.” “(Brian Daboll) just said it was a hard decision,” Lawrence added. “I’m sure it’s hard. He’s the QB1. To me, the best quarterback on the team. But they see things differently. I guess that’s all that matters.” Another player said this to FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz: “We’re not idiots. They did it because of money. So be it. But Daniel has been all class, never complained, and is now being completely disregarded. The TEAM record is bad. You can point fingers everywhere. To try to blame him is trash, and making him third string is weak as fu**.” DeVito and Jones will both likely speak to media on Wednesday. DeVito will be excited, but diplomatic. Jones, if he sticks to his usual script, will say he is not happy with the decision but won’t make waves and will be supportive of DeVito. What will be more telling is what filters out from the rest of the players in the locker room. Players aren’t stupid. They fully understand that they are 2-8 and the offense has been the league’s worst, meaning performance is a big part of the Jones benching. They also know there is a financial aspect to the move with the Giants now trying to avoid being on the hook for $23 million in injury guarantees. There is also a ton of respect for Jones in the room. There are many, like Lawrence, who believe he is their best quarterback. DeVito needs to make Schoen and Daboll right. The Giants need to win a few games and the offense needs to look better over the next several weeks. If this goes disastrously, there is serious potential for the Giants’ current braintrust to lose the trust of the locker room. If that happens, it would be the one thing that could cause co-owner John Mara to forego his desire for patience and continuity, and start over. Will Kayvon be back? Edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux (fractured wrist) is eligible to come off injured reserve. We will probably find out if he will do so when coach Brian Daboll speaks to media later on Wednesday. Azee Ojulari has done well rushing the passer in the five games Thibodeaux has missed, but the Giants do miss Thibodeaux’s physicality as a run defender and his playmaking ability. Hello, old friend After eight seasons with the Giants, it was thought that Sterling Shepard would retire following the 2023 season. Instead, Shepard joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to play with Baker Mayfield, his collegiate quarterback at Oklahoma. The 31-year-old has been productive for the Bucs. He has 16 receptions, eight of those in Tampa Bay’s last three games. You can bet Shepard will want to have a good day against the Giants on Sunday.
2024 NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 12
The Detroit Lions remain at No. 1 and the Philadelphia Eagles soar to No. 3 in PFF’s offensive line rankings ahead of Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season. Premium Content Sign Up 2024 NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 12 2YKJREC Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) gets set in front of quarterback Jared Goff (16) on offense against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski) By Zoltán Buday Posted Nov 20, 2024 8:15 am EST • Lions hold onto No. 1 for the sixth straight week: Detroit easily handled Jacksonville in Week 11, and the offensive line continued to excel. • Eagles soar back into top three: Philadelphia’s offensive line was back at its best in Week 11 against Washington. The unit did not allow a single sack or quarterback hit and surrendered just three hurries in a win over the Commanders. • Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now! Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes Few things are more important to an NFL team’s success than the quality of its offensive line. Disastrous lines, or even disastrous weak-link mismatches, can determine the outcomes of games, while strong units provide an incredible advantage to an offense. We will be monitoring NFL offensive line play all season long while highlighting the biggest weak-link players for each group. With Week 11 of the 2024 NFL regular season in the books, here are the weekly rankings and each unit’s best player. Key: Red text = weakest link 1. Detroit Lions (No change) Projected Week 12 starters: LT Taylor Decker LG Graham Glasgow C Frank Ragnow RG Kevin Zeitler RT Penei Sewell Left tackle Taylor Decker was back in the lineup after missing Detroit’s Week 10 game against the Jaguars. However, he allowed three pressures — the most on the Lions’ offensive line — and earned a 61.7 PFF pass-blocking grade. Veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler continued his impressive season in Week 11 against the Jaguars. Zeitler earned a 90.6 PFF overall grade in Detroit’s win, which ranked third among guards this week. In addition, Zeitler has earned an 87.8 PFF overall grade this season, which also ranks third at the position. Best player: Frank Ragnow Ragnow’s 92.3 PFF run-blocking grade leads all centers this season.
Tee Higgins vents frustration after loss to Chargers: “Finish the f*****g game!”
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Higgins’ final season with the Bengals has been mostly heartbreak. Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals offense did about everything they could do in the second half of Sunday night’s Week 11 game against the Chargers. Burrow threw three second-half touchdowns, two to Ja’Marr Chase and one to Tee Higgins, to tie the game at 27, only for it to be undone by another Evan McPherson missed field goal and subsequent defensive collapse. Was the offense perfect? No, but the defense is so bad, the only way the offense can beat a good team, and the Chargers are a good team, is by being perfect, and that’s just not realistic. Tee Higgins played his first game in three weeks, having to sit out thanks to a quad injury. After the game he voiced his understandable frustration in the team’s inability to close out games. “I don’t think we need to change nothing,” Higgins said during postgame interviews via Mike Petraglia. “We’re playing hella good football. If you look at the stats, both sides of the ball, like today, we played hella good football. I don’t know what it is, man. We just got to finish. That’s the word. That is the word for the week: Finish the f*****g game. “So as long as we do that, we’ll be alright. I’m gonna look past this one. Obviously, it’s a tough loss. Hats off to those guys over there. Ain’t gonna discredit them. They played a hell of a game. We just got to go back, figure it out, and come back next week, two weeks, and finish.” Higgins is right. The Bengals do need to finish. He’s not right about both sides playing good football, though. Higgins doesn’t seem to be the type of player to throw his teammates under the bus, but the defense is not playing good football. They did put about a quarter and two-thirds of a quarter together of good football in the second half, but the reality is the Chargers’ offense was just mediocre coming into Week 11. Herbert passed for more yards against the Bengals’ secondary than he has any team the Chargers have played this season. On top of that, he ran for 65 yards, averaging 13 yards per carry. That’s not good defense. By allowing defensive talent to leave Cincinnati and replacing them with lesser talent, the Bengals’ front office has created a situation where their quarterback can lead the league in nearly every statistical category, yet his team is hanging on to the last thread of their playoff hopes with a 4-7 record. In doing so, Burrow, who is having an MVP-caliber season, Chase, who leads all receivers in nearly every category, and Higgins, who has looked impressive when he’s been healthy, are all being wasted. Burrow’s abilities don’t come from an endless well. One day, he will hit a wall, and if the Bengals don’t do everything they possibly can to win a Super Bowl before that day comes, then…. well, we’ve seen that play out before. It would be a miracle if the Bengals were able to salvage something from this train wreck of a season, but the defense isn’t going to magically change overnight if the coaching staff and the front office don’t make changes. Expect more of the same. It’s very unfortunate that Higgins’ final season in Cincinnati was this one.
Five Things I Think I Think About the Miami Dolphins – Week 11
Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images eupeptic (adj) – having or showing a good mood or disposition Last week I said we should hang out and discuss Miami’s next wins each time they happen and, lo and behold: one down. I’m certain our involvement as unpaid writers and even less paid readers was the tipping point for the team. The Dolphins defeated the Las Vegas (read: Oakland) Raiders 34-19 in the first of many ‘must wins’ if the Fins want to make it into the postseason. I assume they do. But I guess we’ll find out how badly. Sustaining after a strong start is key For three weeks in a row now, Miami’s offense has started hot. Where in previous weeks that momentum died off right after the first (likely scripted) drive, this time they kept the pressure on throughout the day. With the exception of a very poorly executed sequence to end the first half (with only 45 seconds available to work with, in their mild defense), the Fins had drives of 16, 14, 14, and 10 plays, all resulting in scores (3 TDs and 1 FG), plus another two drives of 4 plays for points (another TD and one last FG). That’s good. That’s good offense. It appears that the Dolphins have figured out, for at least one full game, how to sustain the strong start(s) that they’ve begun making a consistent part of their play. The significance of doing so against a 2-8 team might be slightly diminished, but it’s indicative of positive progress in an area that was continually only right on the cusp. Much like last week, Tua showed a little steppin’ in the pocket. Also like last week, some of his dance moves worked out great, while others ended up less than great, such as yet another fumble (though it was thankfully recovered by his friends). While he’ll never be a Houdini between the tackles, seeing him start to extend plays more effectively (even with the looming risk of catastrophe) is encouraging to me. It’s been one of the weakest aspects of his skillset and two weeks in a row he’s made it happen. The run game didn’t quite get off the ground to the same level as the passing game, but it should get a boost when Alec Ingold returns. The Fins’ offense wasn’t The Greatest Show on Surf, with a distinct lack of big plays. And you know what? It didn’t matter. Mike McDaniel and his QB did the smart thing and nickel-and-dimed (yours and mine: did you cash in all your dreams?) their way down the field as the Raiders draped two safeties across the back end to reign in the downfield passing threat. Boring? Maybe. Effective? 34 points worth. Zach Sieler has become the defense’s anchor Defensive tackle Zach Sieler was a 7th round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2018 out of collegiate powerhouse Ferris State. He famously lived borderline like Chris Farley as Matt Foley for a number of years, even after signing a big contract. His Wikipedia picture looks like a guy whose blood is more Monster Energy than hemoglobin and whose body hasn’t missed a dirt track race since ‘89. And he, like O’Doyle, rules. Despite his longshot path to the NFL, he has become the heart of the Dolphins’ defense. Even on weeks when his stats don’t jump off the page (though against LV they did, with 4 tks, 1 sack, 1 TFL, and 2 QB hits), he manages to bring an energy and focus to the defense that is glaringly absent when he’s absent. I hope he gets to play out his career as a Fin and maybe even win something substantial along the way. In ‘dudes who came in with a much higher pedigree’ news: Jalen Ramsey is earning his paycheck. In my view, he’s right behind Sieler in terms of value to the defense, in both production and attitude. He doesn’t seem to take plays off, is moved around to take the hardest assignments (unless Brock Bowers is playing and then the defense will do nothing because he’s like the Ark of the Covenant and looking directly at him will melt your face, I guess), and leads the other guys by example. He may be wildly expensive, but I’m glad he’s with Miami. The rest of the defense? Eh. Kader Kohou gave a Kader Klinic [TM] in how not to tackle on a late game play that will surely be the highlight of his least favorite film session of all time. Anthony Weaver’s scheme was a throwback to classic Dolphins:they know the opponent has one weapon to neutralize and, just like Bill Belichick’s vaunted defenses of yore, they pretend that player isn’t there, put no one on him, and then act shocked when he sets records. Even the announcers were ragging on it and that’s when you know you done goofed. Also, I can’t wait for Patrick McMorris to get healthy and, Cthulhu willing, replace Jordan Poyer at safety because he is still the worst Free Agent signing of this year. Anywho. Giving up 19 to the anemic Raiders offense doesn’t provide the rosiest outlook for the remaining games, but I trust Sieler and Ramsey (and Calais ‘Big Poppa Pump’ Campbell) to do everything in their power to get the defense to their potential as the final games play out. The Raiders are kind of built to beat the Dolphins Even though the Raiders aren’t a very good team, they’re constructed in a way that often gives Miami trouble. They have an aggressive defense with a premiere pass rusher. They have not one, but two high caliber tight ends. They have a losing record when playing Miami in a game that the Dolphins must win to stay in the playoff conversation. Historically, that’s enough to pencil in a Dolphins’ loss. Like in that same history, today’s Dolphins have subpar linebackers and no one with the responsibility of covering the opposing tight end.
Around SB Nation: Giants benching Daniel Jones
Photo by Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images After being drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft, Daniel Jones has not lived up to expectations. The Daniel Jones era appears to be over for the New York Giants as it was announced they would be benching the quarterback after a 2-8 start to the season. Jones has struggled and will be replaced by Tommy DeVito, who was a little exciting when he got some time last season. Even if Jones manages to get back on the field for the Giants, this likely signals his time is up and the Giants will be looking for a new starting option this offseason. Check out what the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and other NFL teams are talking about in our roundup. AFC EAST: New England Patriots (via Pats Pulpit) 10 things we learned from the Patriots’ loss to the Rams – Pats PulpitNotes and thoughts on New England’s 28-22 loss in NFL Week 11. New York Jets (via Gang Green Nation) NY Jets – Report: There is no guarantee Aaron Rodgers is a Jet in 2025 – Gang Green NationThank goodness for small favors Buffalo Bills (via Buffalo Rumblings) Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills end Kansas City Chiefs’ pursuit of perfection – Buffalo RumblingsBuffalo put Kansas City’s 15-game win streak to bed in Week 11 AFC NORTH: Baltimore Ravens (via Baltimore Beatdown) Justin Tucker’s confidence remains unwavering after costly misses in Pittsburgh – Baltimore BeatdownThe future Hall of Fame specialist still believes he can “nail every single kick.” Pittsburgh Steelers (via Behind the Steel Curtain) Pittsburgh Steelers should make Justin Fields red zone quarterback – Behind the Steel CurtainThe Steelers have an obvious advantage with Fields in the red zone Cincinnati Bengals (via Cincy Jungle) 3 things we learned from the Bengals’ painful loss to the Chargers – Cincy JungleSo close yet again. Cleveland Browns (via Dawgs By Nature) Browns vs Saints Recap: Winners & Losers from an interesting loss for Cleveland – Dawgs By NatureThe Browns lost another game after catastrophic mistakes were made on defense and special teams AFC SOUTH: Houston Texans (via Battle Red Blog) Texans vs. Cowboys: Score, results, highlights, injuries, and news – Battle Red BlogIt feels good to be a fan of the only NFL team in Texas. Tennessee Titans (via Music City Miracles) Titans OT JC Latham showcases leadership traits by refusing to blame referees – Music City MiraclesTennessee Titans rookie OT JC Latham took a different approach to the controversial reffing calls made in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings Jacksonville Jaguars (via Big Cat Country) Most damning stats from the Jaguars’ blowout loss to the Lions – Big Cat CountryIt was the worst loss in Jaguars history, and perhaps of the millennium. Indianapolis Colts (via Stampede Blue) Anthony Richardson scores first career game-winning TD – Stampede Blue“It was an automatic QB run there and I just told myself, I’m getting in this end zone regardless of what happens,” Richardson told reporters after Sunday’s win. AFC WEST: Denver Broncos (via Mile High Report) Bo Nix has emerged as a legitimate Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate – Mile High ReportBo Nix’s career might have started off slow, but his progress and play over the past few weeks have made him a legitimate Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Los Angeles Chargers (via Bolts from the Blue) Chargers-Bengals final score, highlights, and recap – Bolts From The BlueJustin Herbert led a game-winning drive in the final minute of regulation to help put away the Bengals 34-27 on Sunday Night Football. Las Vegas Raiders (via Silver and Black Pride) Reviewing the Las Vegas Raiders lopsided 34-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins – Silver And Black PrideLackadaisical Las Vegas leveled in 34-19 loss Kansas City Chiefs (via Arrowhead Pride) Chiefs News: Patrick Mahomes believes loss to Bills will ‘spark’ team – Arrowhead PrideThe Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid discussed the team’s mentality after Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. NFC EAST: New York Giants (via Big Blue View) Daniel Jones era is over — New York Giants are benching the quarterback – Big Blue ViewThe Giants appear to be moving on from Jones Philadelphia Eagles (via Bleeding Green Nation) Eagles fans chant “Thank you, Giants” after Saquon Barkley’s big game against the Commanders – Bleeding Green NationOn Thursday night, in a Week 11 divisional game, Eagles RB Saquon Barkley reached 1,000 yards rushing. It’s not the first time he’s ever reached the feat in his career, but it is the fastest he’s… Dallas Cowboys (via Blogging the Boys) Dallas Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy doesn’t help in loss to Houston Texans – Blogging The BoysThe Dallas Cowboys’ coaching didn’t do them any favors against the Houston Texans. Washington Commanders (via Hogs Haven) Commanders Vs. Eagles (Game One) – Studs and Duds – Hogs HavenWashington traveled to Philly to take on the Eagles Thursday night in primetime, and the results were not pretty. Kingsbury’s offense could not generate any consistency on the evening, and what… NFC NORTH: Green Bay Packers (via Acme Packing Company) Packers Week 11 Winners and Losers vs. the Bears – Acme Packing CompanyTake a look at the best and worst from the 209th meeting between the NFL’s biggest rivals, the Packers and the Bears. Detroit Lions (via Pride of Detroit) Who can challenge these Detroit Lions in the NFC? – Pride Of DetroitOn our latest Detroit Lions podcast, we challenge whether there’s anyone that can touch Detroit right now. Chicago Bears (via Windy City Gridiron) Chicago Bears Week 11 Notes: We Have a Flus Problem – Windy City GridironMatt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears once again find new, creative ways to lose in the final moments of a hard-fought game. Minnesota Vikings (via Daily Norseman) Vikes Views: Sunday King Vikings at Titans – Daily NorsemanThe Minnesota Vikings easily defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-13 on Sunday. It’s the Vikings 8th win of the season and helps them keep pace
Film Breakdown: How Lions DE Za’Darius Smith looked in his debut
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images Breaking down the All-22 of how new Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith looked in his debut with the team. For weeks leading up to the NFL trade deadline, fans of the Detroit Lions clamored for general manager Brad Holmes to make a move. And not just any move, something that was going to move the needle for a team with legitimate championship aspirations. Despite it still being prior to the halfway point of the season at the time, Detroit’s defensive front had been decimated by injuries, headlined by the loss of star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. As the hour approached, the rumblings got louder and just like that—defensive end Za’Darius Smith was traded to Detroit from the Cleveland Browns. Since it would have been Smith’s bye week had he not been traded from Cleveland, Lions coach Dan Campbell elected not to dress Campbell during their Week 10 win over the Houston Texans. Having a few days off also afforded Smith the chance to return back to Florida to assess the damage caused to his home from this year’s hurricane season—a classy move no matter what some little guy from New Jersey might tell you. The 10-year veteran made his debut during the Lions’ 52-6 thumping of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, and he certainly did not disappoint. Let’s check out some of the All-22 and see how Smith’s first appearance in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s defense shook out. Varying alignments on passing downs Third-and-8 on Detroit 45. 10:22 left in first quarter One thing I liked that Glenn did with Smith was how he varied where he lined up pre-snap. Here we have an obvious passing down for the Jaguars, and we get Smith standing up over the center, with defensive tackle Alim McNeill at the three-technique, and edge rushers James Houston and Josh Paschal on the outside. Almost like you see in the NBA, coaching staffs are looking to expose mismatches now more than ever in the NFL. And the majority of the time, Smith against any interior offensive lineman is going to be a challenge for the blocker. Below is another instance where he is standing up in a passing situation with the Jaguars in their hurry-up offense. That is Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff that Smith made quick work of by beating his hands, and hurrying Jacksonville quarterback Mac Jones. Next up, we just have an instance of Glenn just being mean. Look at the front he rolls out against Jacksonville as they go for it on fourth-down late in the game. Smith is able to easily work around Jacksonville center Mitch Morse, and Jones has zero chance to do anything before the defense gets to him. Also, watch what Jack Campbell does to the poor guard while he is trying to clear things up to get McNeill free. Sheesh. Lastly, we have Smith standing in a wide alignment next to McNeill. Jones is able to get the ball out on time, but watch as as the two defenders run a “TE stunt” which essentially means that McNeill (the tackle in this instance) goes first, with Smith looping around working off his teammate’s hip to rush the quarterback. Using two dynamic players like McNeill and Smith in games and stunts are a great way to cause issues for an opposing offensive line, and the two should only get better at executing these kinds of concepts as they get more experience playing with each other. Setting the edge against the run Third-and-1 on Jacksonville 39. 3:41 left in first quarter One aspect that has been known about Smith’s game since he entered the league is that he is an eager run defender. Simply put, if you need an edge set against an opposing running game—he is your guy. At this point, the wheels had not fallen off yet for Jacksonville, with the Lions only leading 7-3 with under four minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Jaguars really needed to pick this up to get a fresh set of downs and keep their defense off the field. Instead, the Lions fit things up perfectly and there is nowhere for running back Travis Etienne to go. Great job all around. From Smith setting the edge, to linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez squeezing down towards the tackle—just beautiful team defense. Next, we have another example of Smith setting the edge with the Jaguars running a zone concept towards his side on a first down snap. Watch him extend that left arm against left tackle Walker Little and give up no ground. When the Dan Campbell talked about Smith fitting right in with how they like to play defense, I imagine this was the kind of stuff he was talking about. Smith logged 37 snaps in his debut with the Lions, and to nobody’s surprise, was a very productive player when he was on the field. Along with linebacker Jack Campbell, he was credited for half a sack, along with two other quarterback hurries. With more time spent in the system and in the room with defensive line coach Terrell Williams, we should expect plenty of impact from Smith over the course of the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. His talent, experience, and mentality are all welcome additions to a defensive unit that is, for good reasons, really feeling themselves.
