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Giants-Browns: When New York has the ball
The 0-2 New York Giants travel to Cleveland this weekend for their second consecutive road game, where they will play the 1-1 Browns. Cleveland is favored by 6.5 points per FanDuel Sportsbook, and the Over/Under is 38.5. Cleveland lost its home opener in Week 1 to the Dallas Cowboys, 33-17, but it picked up an 18-13 victory in Jacksonville. There’s familiarity with these two coaching staffs. Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was the quarterback’s coach and passing game coordinator under Brian Daboll in Buffalo. Dorsey inherited the role after Daboll’s departure but was fired midway through the 2023 season. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was a senior defensive assistant with the Tennessee Titans during the 2021 and 2022 seasons when Shane Bowen was Mike Vrabel’s defensive coordinator. Bowen seemingly adopted Schwartz’s Wide-9 approach on passing downs, something Schwartz successfully employed on his path to helping the Eagles win a Super Bowl. Although Bowen is somewhat of a protege to Schwartz, their defensive structures were slightly different through the two games. The Browns also have an elite defensive unit with blue-chip players at every level. The Giants’ offense will have its work cut out for it on the road. Statistics Here’s a breakdown of the Browns team defensive statistics through two games (first being best in the NFL): Points per game: 22nd; 23 PPG Yards per game: 12th in NFL (294 YPG) Passing yards allowed: 13th (179.5 YPG) Passing yards per attempt: 8th (5.8) – SEA 3.7 best; Rams 9.3 worst Rushing yards allowed: 14th (114.5 YPG) Yards per rush: 26th; 5 yards per carry 15th in blitz percentage – 25.4% 8th in pressure percentage – 25.4% 6th in sacks – 7 sacks on the season (Myles Garrett has 2) 12th in YAC – 175 YAC in two games Giants game plan Jim Schwartz isn’t scared to blitz, but he certainly does not need to bring the pressure. He has a stud defensive tandem on the edge with Myles Garrett and Z’Darius Smith. Garrett leads the team with two sacks and six pressures. It’s noteworthy that Dallas took an early lead in Week 1 due to offensive struggles, rendering the Browns’ pass rush almost irrelevant. The defense uses a wide front, similar to the Giants. However, they’ve played more man coverage and Cover-3 Match than New York; expect many middle-of-the-field closed looks and quick penetrating players from the second level. The Browns’ defense has been hit hard by injuries: There didn’t appear to be a dip in play in Week 2, as the Jaguars struggled to do anything offensively until the second half. However, Jacksonville lost starting tight end Evan Engram in pre-game warmups, the weather was a problem, and, as quarterback Trevor Lawrence stated, “we suck right now.” Unfortunately for the Giants, well…you can put two and two together. The threat of this defense’s speed and quickness should frighten the Giants. The combination of safety Grant Delpit and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah dominated the Jacksonville matchup: In Week 2, 48% of Jacksonville’s play either went for no gain or a loss of yardage. Teams typically play the Giants’ offense with this same attacking approach. Brian Flores employed something similar to great success in Week 1. Both Owusu-Koramoah and Delpit are sensational young athletes who are hard-hitting physical players who fly to the football; this will certainly stress the Giants’ offensive line when they run DUO, but it will put the onus on the offensive line to quickly come off their double-teams to locate the dangerous threat. New York needs their linemen to stay square, have quick eyes, and create firm contact at the point of attack on their initial block. New York should stick to the DUO success they experienced in Week 2 against Washington. Cleveland’s front is conducive to this approach, but the aggressive nature of those second-level defenders will be the challenge. This does create possible play-action opportunities, albeit five-step drops versus Myles Garrett are scary if he’s in a one-on-one matchup outside. The first player Brian Daboll will circle is the aforementioned Garrett, who should see a lot of this from Devin Singletary, Tyrone Tracy Jr., or a tight end: Garrett aligned primarily on the defensive right side against Dallas and mainly on the left side versus Jacksonville. He is one of the few edge defenders who can take over a game entirely. Smith is a competent starter opposite of Garrett; he and linebacker Jordan Hicks each have three pressures and a sack through two games. Alex Wright is the third edge defender in the rotation. Jacksonville kept multiple hands-on Garrett throughout the game, allowing them to attempt deep shots. Cleveland’s defense currently allows the second most DADOT (average depth of target on all passes thrown against a team). The Giants will likely pick and choose their moments to target deep, but I’d bet the deep post vs. quarters with the safeties biting on underneath routes from the No. 2 receivers will be on the call sheet. They’ve attempted this in each game. The Jaguars connected with fellow LSU rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on a deep post against Cover-3 after the center-field third was cleared out by a crosser: The Giants may see a weakened secondary, depending on the health of star cornerback Denzel Ward, who played just 11 plays vs. Jacksonville. He was on a pitch count entering the game. Cleveland worked out former Giants’ cornerback Christian Holmes on Monday, which caused speculation about the potential availability of Ward. We’ll wait for the injury report. Nevertheless, the combination of Gregory Newsome II and Martin Emerson Jr. is a respectable corner duo. The former only has two career interceptions in four years, but he’s constantly around the football with 26 passes defended. He’s a harassing, aggressive man-coverage cornerback. Emerson Jr. took a big step forward in his second season last year. He picked off four passes and knocked down nine. The corners are solid, but Malik Nabers could damage the Browns’ secondary even with a healthy
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Fantasy Football ‘24: Week 3 Fantasy preview—start/sit, and more
Welcome to Week 3! One of the big stories from Week 2 is a rash of injuries, unfortunately. How bad is it out there? Well, were only two games in and the Los Angeles Rams already have lost their top two receivers for what looks like multiple weeks, plus several pieces of their starting offensive line. Good luck, Matt Stafford. The Rams aren’t the only ones hurting. The injury bug is widespread and fantasy managers across the globe are scrambling to field decent lineups—without Bye weeks further interfering (they start in Week 5). If you’re still looking for help from the Waiver Wire, check out my Week 3 Waivers column here: Big injuries aren’t the only major story from Week 2. The offensive funk that we saw in Week 1 continued. Offense was down in 2023 and that trend appears to be worsening, and especially as it relates to passing. Through two weeks of the season, only five (out of a possible 64) QBs have thrown for more than 300 yards in a game, and none have topped 340. Through those 32 games, NFL quarterbacks have thrown just 69 TD passes—barely more than one per team, per game. In each season from 2019 through 2022, the league-wide number of TD passes after Week 2 was more than 100. On the flip side, NFL teams have kicked a truly absurd 141 field goals through two weeks, which is more than four per team — and that’s with teams continuing to go for it on lots of fourth-and-shorts. Six of this week’s 16 games have a Vegas total of 38.5 or lower. What in the name of George Blanda is going on? No, a DeLorean with a Flux Capacitor™ didn’t take us all back to 1955, but defense clearly has the upper hand so far this season. We’ll see if it continues. Stats of the Week: All of what I just said apparently only applies to 31 teams. The Saints have 91 points through two games, the fourth-highest total in NFL history. They’re averaging 32.5 points per first half. Other than the Saints, the Cardinals are the only team averaging more than 32.5 points per game (they’re at 34.5). Marvin Harrison, Jr. (the first wide receiver taken in the 2024 NFL draft) has played eight quarters of NFL football. In the first quarter on Sunday, he had four catches for 130 yards and two TDs. In his other seven quarters combined, he has one catch for four yards and zero TDs. Malik Nabers (the second WR taken in the 2024 NFL draft) was targeted on 18 of 27 pass attempts from Daniel Jones, a 67% target share. No player has had a target share that high in a game (minimum 15 team pass attempts) in at least a decade. NFL kickers are 35 for 39 on FGs of 50+ yards this season. Two of those misses belong to Justin Tucker, who is 1 for 7 from that distance since the start of last season. Tucker is the most accurate field goal kicker of all time. Bryce Young completed 18 passes on Sunday, for 84 yards (4.67 yards per completion). That’s the new NFL record for most completions in a game by a QB who didn’t throw for at least 100 yards. In case you didn’t hear, Young has been benched for Andy Dalton. Guffaw of the Week: The Giants became the first team in NFL history to score three or more TDs, allow zero TDs, and lose. OK, Week 3, here we go! Bye Weeks: None Injury Watch: There are so many players either already OUT, likely OUT, or iffy, that I’ll leave it up to you to track your own players ahead of their kickoffs. Watch the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday practice reports, and always check the inactives when they’re released 90 minutes before kickoff. Week 3 Rides, Fades and Sleepers For those who are familiar with this column, you know the drill. For everyone else: The Rides, Fades, and Sleepers is an analysis of players that I think are primed for an especially strong or poor performance, in many cases, as compared to consensus expectations. This isn’t a straight-up Start/Sit exercise, and as a general rule, always start your studs. I’ll rarely list the most obvious names at a position as “Rides” because those players are matchup-proof and are almost always expected to have strong performances, plus you don’t need me or anyone else telling you to start Josh Allen, Breece Hall, or CeeDee Lamb. While this analysis is intended for season-long play, it works for DFS formats, too. Half PPR scoring and Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) are used for the column. Each week, I’m picking a Ride of the Week, a Fade of the Week, and a Sleeper of the Week. The rules are simple. The Ride of the Week can’t be a truly elite option, the Fade of the Week can’t be someone who almost nobody is starting anyway, and the Sleeper of the Week must be an actual sleeper, from down in the rankings. After killing it in Week 1, I came back to earth in Week 2. The good outweighed the bad, but not by much. I’ll try to bounce back this week. You can check my work here: Week 2 fantasy preview. Burrow should shine against the CommandersJay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Ride of the Week: Joe Burrow (vs. WAS). I chose Baker Mayfield as my Sleeper of the Week in Week 1, largely because he was facing the Commanders. He put up 29.7 fantasy points which made him the QB2 for the week, behind only Josh Allen. As the late, great John Candy said in Splash, when something works for me, I stick with it. Fade of the Week: Jaylen Waddle (@SEA). As a Miami fan this pains me, but Waddle’s numbers in Skylar Thompson’s three career starts have been pretty bad. I wouldn’t bench Tyreek Hill under any circumstances, but you can think about
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Eagles Film Analysis: Offense takeaways from the loss to the Falcons
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Well, the defensive version of this article was very negative. I thought the offense was pretty good, though. Considering this is a new system, and there was no A.J. Brown, there are a lot of positives. Let’s go. Offense The running game was excellent throughout the game. I am really enjoying the combination of Mekhi Becton at right guard and Cam Jurgens at center. Becton, in particular, is just a moving lineman with ease in the run game, and it’s creating some huge lanes for Saquon Barkley, who is looking as explosive as ever. This is an excellent example of Kellen Moore using motion in the run game to create a lighter box. Sometimes, the sequencing of plays can be really hard to spot. This is about as easy as it gets, though! In the play above, the Falcons follow the motion with a linebacker, which creates a light bo. The next play, the Falcons bring a safety down and leave the linebacker in the box so the Eagles throw it. Although this play had a positive outcome, I would have liked the call even if it hadn’t. Sometimes, you do something to set something else up later, which gives Kellen Moore the idea that he can use this motion to create single-high coverage later in the game. I’ve seen a lot of comments about this being Jahan Dotson’s only coverage, and while I agree it is a bit weird, I would assume he is still getting up to speed with the offense and earning Jalen Hurts’ trust. I hope he has a few more opportunities this week. The Eagles ran some beautiful gap scheme runs in this game. This was one of my favorites, and I might break it down as my ‘Concept of the Week’ at the end of the week! It’s GH Counter, but they motion the H-back across the formation, which gives him a running start. I do think it’s interesting that they are using Grant Calcaterra to run this and not Dallas Goedert. Just watch how good the offensive line looks on this one. Becton creates a huge lane again by shoving the lineman out of the way. Then Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson combine for a pancake. The run game should be outstanding this year, and I expect them to add more elements as the year progresses. This is a busted play because Saquon Barkley falls, which ruins the spacing. It’s a minor point, but I have always thought the Eagles do not do a good enough job creating explosive pass plays out-of-structure. You can coach this; I wish we worked on it a little more. When Hurts runs around, it feels like the receivers don’t really have a plan, and I would prefer a more structured, out-of-structure pass game at times (I know that sounds weird). I haven’t discussed him, but I thought Jalen Hurts had a good game. He looked comfortable in the pocket all game, made good decisions, and was accurate. I understand it’s easy to assign some blame to him for the final interception that cost the Eagles the game, but I do not think Hurts was a factor in the Eagles losing this one. This is a beauty. I love how he navigates the pocket while keeping his eyes down the field, which he would not have been able to do as a rookie. This type of play highlights the progression Hurts has made as a quarterback. Hurts also extended plays very effectively with his legs and had some massive runs. This on 4th and 3 was a big play in the game. There wasn’t an obvious target to throw to, but rather than bail out the pocket to his right-hand side, Hurts stepped up. There was a lot of talk about Hurts’ mobility last year, but he looks very good to me here. This is as fast as I’ve seen him in a while. This is my favorite throw of his. Hurts has been rightly criticized for not throwing over the middle of the field, but he looked confident in doing so in this one. This is a tough throw, and he does a great job looking off the weakside safety just enough to squeeze this one on. It’s a tough throw and catch. It isn’t easy to throw touchdowns from this position in the red zone, and you need to be more decisive and accurate than in other areas of the field. When you look at this from the end zone view, I think Hurts throws this in the perfect location where only DeVonta Smith can go and get it. This is a dime. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as accurate here as he was above. This should have been a touchdown. I was glad to see the Eagles have another answer for the blitz, and Hurts knows precisely where to go with the ball. The Eagles’ offense through two weeks has not struggled with the blitz at all. Sadly, Hurts slightly underthrows this, which gives the defensive back, Jessie Bates, a chance to make a play on the ball. DeVonta Smith should still catch this ball, but sometimes you have to give credit to the other side. This is a hell of a play by Jessie Bates. If you have followed my stuff for a while, you know I love the run game. You will also know that QB Counter Bash is my favorite run play. If you didn’t have to worry about the quarterback getting hit, I would call QB Counter Bash about 10 times a game. I love it. It’s so tough to stop, and the Eagles always seem to run it well. Once again, Jalen Hurts looks extremely quick. I also love the motion from Kellen Moore to get the linebacker out of the box. This is beautiful. Speaking of beauty, check out the offensive line in this play. This is so good. I can’t quite believe how dominant
Browns, Giants Wednesday injury report: Long one for Cleveland
Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images 5 DNPs including Myles Garrett, David Njoku The Cleveland Browns enter Week 3 as a big favorite versus the New York Giants. If we are just judging based on injury reports, that would not be true but that is not how betting lines are set. We have a little bit of clarity, or at least hopes, when it comes to the Browns offensive line for this week while worries about DE Myles Garrett will linger. HC Kevin Stefanski also provided updates on TE David Njoku and CB Denzel Ward prior to practice on Wednesday. After practice, we received the first injury reports of the week with a long list coming out of Cleveland: Browns Injury Report OT Jack Conklin – Knee – Full CB Martin Emerson – Ankle, Shoulder – Full DE Myles Garrett – Foot – DNP LS Charley Hughlett – Foot – Limited OT Dawand Jones – Knee – DNP WR Jerry Jeudy – Knee – Full TE David Njoku – Ankle – DNP DE Ogbo Okoronkwo – Concussion eval – Full LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – Hand – Full DE Za’Darius Smith – Back – Limited RB Pierre Strong – Hamstring – DNP WR Jamari Thrash – Illness – DNP CB Denzel Ward – Shoulder – Limited OT Jedrick Wills – Knee – Limited DE Alex Wright – Triceps/Elbow – Limited Giants Injury Report CB Nick McCloud – Knee – DNP LB Darius Muasau – Knee – Limited S Isaiah Simmons – Not injury related – Limited LB Kayvon Thibodeaux – Shoulder – Limited What seems like a normal occurrence with Cleveland, a stark contrast on the injury report compared to their opponent. When do you start to get concerned with injury reports, the first one or not until Friday? Join the injury conversation in the comment section below
Game-changing plays in Bengals’ 26-25 loss at Kansas City Chiefs
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas (80) catches a pass for a touchdown in the second quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The Bengals led 16-10 at halftime. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images With five lead changes in the second half, the Bengals and Chiefs staged another classic on Sunday. Every game has about three to four plays that determine the outcome. In every Bengals-Chiefs game, that’s especially true. Sunday’s game was the highest-rated NFL on CBS game in September since 1998. That shows you that this is clearly the best rivalry in the NFL. Two superstar quarterbacks, two elite teams, and a classic game await every time the Bengals vs. Chiefs shows up on the schedule. Not to mention, these are two teams from the Midwest that make up the NFL’s best rivalry. They’re not from New York, Los Angeles or any major city. They’re from the Midwest. Man, the NFL is great. Here are the four biggest game-changing plays from the Bengals-Chiefs game this past Sunday. 1. Akeem Davis-Gaither’s interception – :28, 1st Quarter Davis-Gaither is in his fifth season with the Bengals, and he’s still a very important player on this team. With depth wearing thin on the defensive line, you never know when the linebacker position could be affected by injuries. Towards the end of the first quarter on Sunday, Davis-Gaither picked off Patrick Mahomes in Chiefs territory. It was the first turnover of the game, and it gave the Bengals the ball at the Chiefs 31-yard line. For as high a level as these teams play at in this rivalry, both teams are prone to turning the ball over. In this case, this was the first of three Chiefs turnovers on Sunday. In a rivalry game, turnovers are absolutely game-changing plays. 2. Cam Taylor-Britt’s interception – Last play of the 3rd Quarter I still don’t know how in the world Taylor-Britt picked off this pass. As I’m watching the game, I’m literally telling myself that Taylor-Britt should just knock it down. But he literally grabbed the nose of the football and hauled it in for the interception. When you see a play like that, you have to ask yourself if you really did see what you just saw. Jack Buck is smiling somewhere right now. I truly thought the Bengals were going to break the game open after this play. It was such a great play because Taylor-Britt backed up what he said in the week leading up to the game. And just as a side note, the touchdown to Rashee Rice was a great throw by Mahomes. Taylor-Britt had solid coverage on that play. He played great on Sunday, and he is emerging as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. But as we saw, Taylor-Britt’s incredible interception was the first of many momentum swings to come in the fourth quarter. 3. Joe Burrow’s fumble that the Chiefs returned for a touchdown – 14:40, 4th Quarter This is what makes Bengals-Chiefs the best rivalry in the NFL. Three plays after Taylor-Britt’s interception, the Chiefs come right back with an even bigger play. Joe Burrow tried to step up and escape a sack on 3rd&10, and he lost the ball. Kansas City defensive back Chamarri Conner picked up the ball and returned it 38 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. You can say that, of course, this happens to the Bengals. I say it’s a great play by the Chiefs. In a rivalry game, that response was a haymaker. Arrowhead Stadium roared back to life that quickly. That’s what makes this rivalry so great. It’s the Carolina-Duke of the NFL. Every game is close and has big plays like Conner’s fumble return for a touchdown. Bengals-Chiefs games can turn on a dime, and that play exemplifies that. 4. Incomplete Pass to Andrei Iosivas – 3:30, 4th Quarter Actually, Iosivas should have caught this pass. If he had caught the ball, it would have been another Bengals first down and the clock would have been running inside of three minutes. The Bengals already had two first downs on the drive and taken about 3:30 off the clock. If Ioisvas had caught this pass, the momentum would have continued. Was the pass behind Iosivas? Yes, slightly. But still, he has to make that catch. Even going back to grab it and going to the ground would have been good. Iosivas played a great game on Sunday, but this missed catch halted the momentum the Bengals had on that drive and may have cost them a chance to run out the clock.
Josh Downs is the missing piece to Colts puzzling offense
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images The second-year WR is expected to make his season debut this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. “In my opinion, I’m playing this week” Downs said to the local media. With as much excitement as there’s been for an Anthony Richardson-led Colts offense, there’s been an equal amount of uncertainty surrounding what has been a Josh Downs-less offense. That’s not to say Shane Steichen’s offense cannot operate without one player, but Downs’ absence has been wildly overlooked through two weeks. It’s been established that Anthony Richardson and Josh Downs have unquestioned chemistry that was developed early on during their rookie seasons. Two weeks into the 2024 season however has revealed just how important Downs is to Indy’s offense. A lack of drive-sustaining plays has been the main issue with the #Colts offense. Too many deep 3s & not enough layups. Anthony Richardson and fans alike should be ecstatic for 1’s return. Josh Downs is a mismatch in the slot & will remind us all that layup lines are important. pic.twitter.com/T8imAjTFfP — Noah Compton (@nerlens_) September 18, 2024 It’s now as evident as ever that Anthony Richardson, or any QB for that matter, needs someone of Josh Downs’ skillset and caliber to do the dirty work underneath. Explosive plays have by no means been scarce through 2 games thus far for Indy’s offense, but rather the quick hitters that keep the offense on schedule. Tight end Mo Alie-Cox has always done a solid job in the passing game, but he doesn’t quite move the needle like Downs does. The types of routes that Downs is responsible for ultimately make the quarterback’s life easier as he serves as a security blanket underneath. Josh Downs is so pivotal to this offense due to his expertise as a route-runner, specifically, in that of option routes and RPOs. Since preseason play began, Richardson has struggled to build a connection with any pass catcher other than Alec Pierce. Granted, Pierce is a bonafide deep threat so he wouldn’t be the main focus on either of those routes anyway, but Downs fitting back into that glove can only be a positive development. Indianapolis currently ranks 2nd in the NFL in RPO reps, only to Green Bay, which adds to how significant Downs’ return will be given how inefficient and off-page the passing game has been in this area. Meanwhile, the Colts rushing attack has remained as efficient as ever despite the shortcomings that have opened their season. Their league-leading 6.1 yards per carry coupled with its high-flying passing game may seem unfathomable for why they’ve struggled thus far. It’s only when you recognize that Indy’s time of possession has yet to eclipse 20 total minutes that you begin to realize that they’re being forced into its aforementioned deep passing game. With the addition of Downs, the offense doesn’t have to rely on the run game versus heavy boxes for 1st and 2nd down anymore. His services will inevitably open the field up which should prove fruitful for the offense as a whole. So much weight will be lifted off the offense’s shoulders, especially the passing game, once Downs is back in the lineup. Again, this isn’t meant to suggest that receiving options Michael Pittman Jr. and Adonai Mitchell are off the hook for their poor performances thus far, but more so that Josh Downs should breathe life into Anthony Richardson’s confidence in the short passing game while the receiving options not named Alec Pierce should feel comfortable moving forward.
10 Bills greats nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
10 Bills greats nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 10 Bills greats nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Kam Towle The nominations for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 were announced on social media Wednesday by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Of the 167 players nominated for the HOF, 10 Buffalo Bills players made the list: Larry Centers, Marshawn Lynch, Ruben Brown, Pat Williams, Cornelius Bennett, London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Troy Vincent, Gary Anderson, and Brian Moorman. Some of the names most notably played for other franchises, but all made an impact for the Bills in some way. And, most of them have been nominated for many years without ever reaching football immortality. Seeing a lot of them get into the HOF would be great, but a few names stand out as some that are more deserving. Lynch, although he will most likely enter the HOF as a Seattle Seahawks running back, has a real shot to be a first-ballot selection. Fletcher was selected as a semifinalist for the HOF in 2024, meaning he made it to the top-25 of finalists. The linebacker has not gotten the nod yet. His numbers in his career can be stacked up with just about anyone. Moorman should get more love from the HOF committee. The punter was one of the best special teams players in the 2000s decade, making the All-Decade team while being a weapon for the Bills at punter. He was also a 1st Team All-Pro. A couple of fun ones would be Cornelius Bennett and Larry Centers. Bennett was an integral part of the Bills’ defense in the early 90s which went to four consecutive Super Bowls. Centers, although he only played two years in Buffalo, would shine some light on the forgotten fullback position in the NFL. Centers led the Bills in receptions in 2001 with 80. Here is the full list of the 167 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Read all the best Bills coverage at the Democrat and Chronicle and Bills Wire.
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Giants at Browns Week 3: What to expect when Cleveland has the ball
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images The New York Giants will stay on the road for Week 3, as they travel to take on the Cleveland Browns. The sentiment prior to the start of the season was that the Giants had a good chance to start 2-0 before heading into a tough 6-game stretch. It was widely believed that the Giants needed to come into this game at least 1-1, as wins could be hard to find from week three to week nine. Instead, the Giants are coming in 0-2 following a bad loss to the Minnesota Vikings and a last-second heart-breaker to the Washington Commanders. The Giants are looking to stop the skid and prevent their season form spiraling out of control. To do so, they might need to depend on a defense that has been shaky-at-best so far this year. So what can we expect when the Browns have the ball? Stats that matter Make Deshaun Watson throw deep This first suggestion after watching the Browns’ tape is a bit counter-intuitive, and also runs counter to the theory behind Shane Bowen’s coverage schemes. However, it could make sense in the context of the Browns offense and the defense’s performance against the Washington Commanders. The Browns are almost certainly planning to use a ball control offense after seeing the Giants’ inability to get off the field last week. It also happens to play into how they want to run their offense, at least to an extent. So far this year Cleveland hasn’t run the ball that often or that well — they’re 21st in attempts and 17th in yards per attempt — but on the flip side, they’ve been very pass-happy. The Browns have the second-most pass attempts in the NFL through two games, and are the third-most likely team to throw on early downs (first or second) when the game is close: They also throw at the fourth-highest rate on second-and-long when the game is close. That would make it seem like playing the type of coverage shells used by Bowen a good idea. If the Browns are going to throw it, play coverage. Right? Not exactly. DeShaun Watson was never known as a strong-armed quarterback, dating back to his time at Clemson. He’s also had an extensive injury history that’s further degraded his arm strength. Watson has torn both his left and right ACLs, and last year suffered a torn rotator cuff and fractured scapula in his throwing shoulder. So while he’s throwing often, they are almost exclusively short passes. Watson has attempted longer passes, but he’s completed just 7 of 21 passes beyond 10 yards down field and his average completion travels just 3.7 yards in the air (per NextGenStats). Cleveland has also been dealing with some significant issues on their offensive line. Both left tackle Jedrick Wills and right tackle Jack Conklin have been dealing with injuries through the first two weeks of the season. It was reported Wednesday that the two would practice, but their status for the game is currently unknown. Backup right tackle Dawand Jones is also injured and was held out of practice on Wednesday. Playing a more aggressive brand of coverage might have a couple benefits for the Giants in this game. First, it plays to Deonte Banks’ strengths. He was drafted to be a press-man corner in an aggressive blitzing defense. The Giants will likely having him shadowing Jerry Jeudy (more on that in a bit), and allowing their young corner to use his size and physicality should help in that match-up. Likewise, the Browns are going to be looking for short completions and catch-and-run opportunities. Jamming at the line of scrimmage when possible will help to disrupt the timing of those plays and keep the ball in Watson’s hand longer. Keeping the ball in Watson’s hand would expose the Browns’ offensive line to the Giants’ pass rush. And while the duo of Burns and Thibodeaux haven’t produced up to expectations yet, they have gotten into opponents’ backfields. Browns’ center Ethan Poccic has been “okay” in pass protection, but he was put on skates a few times by the Jaguars’ interior pass rush last week. That could bode well for Dexter Lawrence, as long as the Giants are able to keep the ball in Watson’s hands. Finally, the Giants could invite deeper passes by moving a safety down into the intermediate area of the field. It’s a risk given the ability of Jeudy and Amari Cooper, but Watson’s diminished arm strength isn’t well suited to attacking deep. That could lead to some poorly-placed or floating passes that could be ripe for interception. Bringing an eighth defender closer to the line of scrimmage could also help the Giants’ shoddy run defense. The Browns will be without Nick Chubb after he started the season on the PUP list and neither Jerome Ford nor D’Onta Foreman are as hard to tackle as Aaron Jones or Brian Robinson. In fact, Robinson has nearly twice as many yards after contact (95) as Ford and Foreman have combined (58). Bringing an eighth defender close to the line of scrimmage — at least on occasion — will help reinforce the run defense, as well as dissuade the Browns from running. Much of run defense comes down to defensive personnel and alignment and a simple box count is often the decider between running or throwing the ball. For a team that already wants to throw, seeing an extra defender makes that decision easy. That doesn’t mean the defender has to stay in the box, and a coverage drop could help muddy Watson’s reads, slow his process, and take away those short passes. Double duty on Jerry Jeudy At first blush, the Browns’ starting trio of Jeudy and Amari Cooper on the outside, and Elijah Moore in the slot, is potentially formidable. Cooper has been one of the best receivers in the NFL since he was drafted fourth overall back in 2015. However, Cooper has gotten off to
Why Lions’ red zone offense could rebound against the Cardinals
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Detroit Lions’ red zone issues could—and should—rebound this week against the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s why: After a sloppy loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, the Detroit Lions move on to the Arizona Cardinals in their first road test of the season. Surprisingly, the Lions offense has been a struggle for the team, as the defense has been holding opponents to 20 points per game so far, and special teams have done their job when asked. The offense’s biggest issue right now is how effective they are in the red zone. After having a few problems against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, scoring on 50 percent of their red zone attempts, they struggled mightily against Tampa Bay, scoring on just one attempt out of the seven they had, a measly 14 percent. The red zone issues were a focal point in the loss to the Bucs, and the team must work on it to improve overall and win games that they should win. If Detroit scored a touchdown on at least one of those six other attempts, the game could have turned into a Lions victory. Everything would be different if the Lions scored an extra touchdown, but you get my point. Leaving the red zone without anything, even a field goal, put the team in that position to walk away with just 16 points, with only one touchdown and three field goals. If you couldn’t tell, this week’s x-factor for the Lions will be the red zone offense. Last week, I predicted the offensive line, and while they did have an impact, they weren’t the most significant difference maker in the loss. This week, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and coach Dan Campbell must correct the Lions’ red zone issues, or the Lions could get into trouble. Last season, the Lions’ red zone offense was the second-best in the NFL, scoring touchdowns 66.6 percent of the time. It’s the complete opposite this year, with a 27.3 percent success rate. This is only after two games compared to 17, so the Lions will have plenty of time to clean things up, and I believe they will. It’s still early in the season, and Johnson and Campbell will have time to figure out a more effective way to finish drives in the end zone, rather than field goals or failing on fourth down conversions. Against Tampa Bay, the Lions’ red zone trips were mainly barely inside, as the offense would collapse once they sniffed the red zone. Things could have ended differently if the Lions had moved further and started a red zone trip inside the 10-yard line. If the Lions stalled out starting at the 21, then the red zone issues wouldn’t be what we would be discussing, so the context does matter for it. Not making excuses here, but providing what I think is important context. Not every red zone trip is equal. Here’s where Detroit took their first red zone snap in all 7 opportunities last week: 20 yard line18 YL20 YL20 YL18 YL18 YL13 YL — Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) September 17, 2024 Good opponent to work on One way to improve your team on a specific aspect is a little confidence, and the Lions might be able to get that going up against the Cardinals’ red zone defense. So far this season, the Cardinals’ red zone defense is at a 55.6 percent success rate, meaning it’s more likely that their opponent will score in the red zone than not. With this matchup, Detroit can redeem themselves against a team that has struggled with stopping teams when they get inside the 20-yard line. If the Lions can improve upon it, it can boost their confidence when playing against teams that do a better job at it. The red zone offense can improve by including tight end Sam LaPorta. LaPorta has had a quiet start to the season, with just six catches for 58 yards. The Cardinals are a tough matchup for him, as they have held tight ends to 46 yards and three catches this season. With the team’s red zone struggles against Tampa Bay, the Lions will work hard to correct those mistakes and make the most of their chances when in the red zone, and part of that is getting LaPorta involved. If the red zone defense for Arizona were better, I don’t think LaPorta could be a good weapon for this, but with the Cardinals having issues in stopping teams from scoring, LaPorta could be a top option to use in this case. Another thing the team could do more of is run the ball in the short field. In the 21 plays the team had inside the red zone last week, the Lions passed the ball 15 times and only ran it six. When you have the best offensive line in the NFL, you need to use that to your advantage more and run the ball. We saw the Lions do it against the Rams in overtime, and for them to abandon it when they were that close to scoring is odd. The Cardinals’ rush defense averages 3.4 yards per carry but they have already allowed three rushing touchdowns this season and were among the worst statistical run defenses last year. Overall, the Lions have plenty of ways to correct their red zone issues, and if they can fix those mistakes, this team can win this game, possibly with ease.
