Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images The Rams could overcome all of their injuries except for the losses of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp Despite it feeling like the Rams have suffered more injuries this year than a Bruce Lee movie, there’s probably only one that significantly impacts the team compared to what L.A. was supposed to be at the start of the season: Puka Nacua. And the Rams could have still even survived that if not for Cooper Kupp being the next receiver to go down with an injury. Yes, the receivers room has reached a Patriots-level depletion of talent, but if you looked at the rest of L.A.’s roster, it’s not that much different or worse than the Rams most people predicted to be a playoff team a couple of weeks ago. So is the difference between the Rams as “a playoff team” and “a team in need of a rebuild” really only as shallow as one second-year wide receiver? The Rams are 0-2, but they’re an “overtime loss to a good team on the road” 0-2. This is mostly the Rams you expected. Admittedly, going from Puka and Kupp to Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson does change things. These starters are still starting QB Matthew Stafford, RB Kyren Williams, TE Colby Parkinson (Tyler Higbee replacement admittedly), RT Rob Havenstein, RG Kevin Dotson, LT A.J. Jackson, WR3 Demarcus Robinson. As far as others being replaced, it’s too early to say if Beaux Limmer and Logan Bruss are significantly worse than Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila. Sean McVay has coached around offensive line injuries before. LA Rams Roster Moves:• Signed to Active Roster OL Justin Dedich• Practice Squad Exception DB Quindell Johnson• Reserve/Injured OL Jonah Jackson, S John Johnson III pic.twitter.com/achexOFizd — Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 18, 2024 Defensively, the Rams have some talent limitations, but it is still the defense that the front office chose months ago, for the most part. These are all the defensive starters who remain starters going into Week 3: DE Braden Fiske, DT Bobby Brown III, DT Kobie Turner, LB Christian Rozeboom, LB Troy Reeder, OLB Byron Young, OLB Jared Verse, CB Tre White, CB Quentin Lake, S Kamren Curl. The only changes would be replacing Darious Williams with Cobie Durant, which happened over a month ago, and replacing John Johnson with Kam Kinchens, which essentially is just reverting back to the safeties that L.A. was hoping would start prior to signing Johnson. So when you really boil it down, the Rams have nine of 11 starters on defense and seven of 11 starters on offense who they always expected to start. Of those six starters needing to be replaced, I would think it safe to assume that none of the backups would be significantly noticeable other than having to go from Puka Nacua to Demarcus Robinson as the team’s number one receiver. Well, is there anything that the Rams can do to fix that aside from internal adjustments? No team is going to give up after an 0-2 start, most of them won’t give up after an 0-4 start, so it would have to be a unique situation for any GM to trade a good starting wide receiver this week or next week and that’s really when the Rams need a receiver the most. Imagine if the Broncos lost this week and threw in the towel, would the Rams feel desperate enough to try and trade a sixth round pick for Courtland Sutton? He costs nothing financially and Denver’s not going to get a good draft pick for him in any deal, so he could be an example of a veteran receiver who begs the front office to trade him because he’s turning 30 next year and knows he won’t get to 1,000 yards with Bo Nix. Aside from trying to convince other teams to give up starters in September, the Rams will need to rely on players who have never been number one or number two receivers in the NFL before. Maybe Kupp will come back in three weeks, maybe Puka will come back in six weeks, but those are the two injuries that will be felt the most until they return to full health.
There’s really only one Rams injury that matters
WATCH: Micah Parsons hints at being the Cowboys spy for Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
WATCH: Micah Parsons hints at being the Cowboys spy for Ravens QB Lamar Jackson glenn erby Micah Parsons, the pass rusher, is way more impactful as a pass rusher than he is as an off-the-ball linebacker, and with Dallas needing a win against Baltimore on Sunday, the All-Pro could play multiple roles. During his weekly podcast on Bleacher Report, the Cowboys star hinted at potentially being the defensive spy on Ravens All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson. Parsons had 36 solo tackles, 28 assists, 14.0 sacks, and one fumble recovery in 17 games in 2023, earning his third Pro Bowl nomination and being named an All-Pro. Parsons has five tackles, one sack, and 14 QB pressures through two games. Although his gamesmanship can be appreciated, he’ll be used primarily as a pass rusher after Dallas coaches watched Maxx Crosby dominate the Baltimore offensive line.
Week 2 Colts Offensive Rankings and Analysis:
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images Each week during the season, I will be walking through the data from the previous Colts game and analyzing the numbers to form a sort of “what happened” narrative, as well as comparing the Colts against all other teams in the league. For a glossary of the stats listed, reference Season Stats. Thanks to Pro Football Reference, NFL.com, Football Outsiders, and the nflFastR project for being awesome sources of weekly data. In week 2, it took 6 drives for the Colts offense to finally get on the scoreboard with a Matt Gay field goal and then they waited until the 2nd to last drive to score their only TD. I’t’s a bold strategy Cotton. The Colts simply couldn’t move the chains (22nd DSR) and on the occasions when they did, they couldn’t avoid drive killing mistakes. TEAM TOTALS (Use the right-left arrows to toggle between stats for the week and the season). Mouseover for definitions: Adj PPD, Team PPG, Off PPG, Yds, P/R%, DSR, yds/srs, Strt Fld, xOPPD, yds/ply, EPA/ply, adj TSR, 1st/ply, Pen 1st/ Yds, 3DC, 3rd ytg, Expl Plys, TO, TOP% Indy could only muster 1.0 Points per Drive, placing them as the 28th ranked offense of the week, which is in line with their DSR (22nd). However, that is quite at odds with their 6th highest yards per play and the 4th highest 1st downs per play. Those contradictory stats are because of the style of play that is becoming a pattern for the team. They have had success getting the high value explosive plays that earn lots of yards and first downs, but then outside of those plays, they fall flat. This illustrated in week 2 by having the 6th most explosive plays (tied), but only the 24th ranked 3rd down conversion rate. Until they can learn to be more consistent, they will keep stalling out drives. They need to learn to grind their way down the field with smaller, higher probability successful plays. PASS TOTALS (Use the right-left arrows to toggle between stats for the week and the season). Mouseover definitions: EPA/db, PSR, Cmp, Att, Yds, TD, Int, Sk, Sk Y, 1st/db, ny/d, cmp %, aDOT, cpoe, YBC, YAC, 20+ #/Yd Passing was a nightmare. The 26th ranked EPA per dropback and 25th ranked Passing Success Rate pretty much describe the effort. Ignoring the game ending hail-mary interception, Anthony Richardson threw 2 picks and while that’s not ideal, it certainly is not the end of the world. The real issue is that Richardson is just plain inaccurate. Yes, there were dropped passes, but every QB has dropped passes and they still manage higher than a 50% completion rate. I don’t know if that is fixable or not, but if he can just start completing passes between 5 and 15 yards, it will fix a LOT of problems with the offense. RUSH TOTALS (Use the right-left arrows to toggle between stats for the week and the season). Mouseover definitions: adj RSR, Yds, Car, TD, 1st, Fum Lost, RSR, 1st/c, YPC, 10+ #/Yd, 3rd, 3DC, epa/c, The run game was again very efficient. The team had the highest yards per carry (ypc) and the highest first down rate (1st/c). Factoring in situation, the run game was the 9th best of the week (arsr). Unfortunately, being down 2 scores the whole game limited the team’s ability to run more. CONCLUSION & LOOK AHEAD Apologies for Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara who destroyed the scale for this next graph. About the only positive thing I can say about the week 2 offense is that they are in a good company of teams that had similar successful rushing and poor passing, sitting alongside the Chiefs and Lions . . . and the Titans Week 3 brings the Bears to Lucas Oil Stadium. Chicago’s defense has had a good start to 2024. They have yielded the 4th fewest points per drive and the 4th lowest Drive Success Rate. They are strong against the pass, giving up the 5th lowest EPA per dropback to opposing QBs (Stroud, Levis). They are pretty stingy on deep passing, allowing the 11th fewest 20+ yard completions. So this is kind of a nightmare match-up for Richardson. They are pretty good against the run too, allowing the 12th lowest adj Rush Success Rate to opponents. However, they have given up a lot of big runs (7th most 10+ yards), so this could be a good opporutnity for Jonathan Taylor to do his thing.
Raiders’ rushing attack needs philosophical change
Zamir White | Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images Las Vegas’ running game has been putrid so far, but a change in play calling could give the team a spark It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders’ rushing attack has been awful through the first two games of the 2024 season. Despite head coach Antonio Pierce preaching all offseason that he wants to establish the run and have an offense that’s centered around the ground game, the Raiders rank dead last with 98 rushing yards as a team after two weeks. Also, Las Vegas is the only team that hasn’t reached triple digits yet. Even the Los Angeles Rams have 136 rushing yards (ranks 31st in the NFL) with their beat-up offensive line. And this isn’t just a volume issue for the Silver and Black, ranking 32nd in the league with a team average of 2.5 yards per carry, 0.7 ypc behind the Rams. While it would be easy to point to running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison as the problems, the Raiders’ biggest issue isn’t with them. White and Mattison have combined for 90 rushing yards and 67 or about 75 percent have come after first contact, according to Pro Football Focus. The offensive line has been the most significant issue as PFF has the Silver and Black graded as the second-worst run-blocking team (44.1) in the league, and Pierce said as much while talking to reporters after the team’s Week 2 win against the Baltimore Ravens. “It’s got to start up front,” the head coach explained. “I’m going to be honest and [use] a coaching cliché here, but it starts with me. It starts with our coaches, our offensive line coach, our coordinator. That’s poor, that’s piss-poor, and it’s not good enough. And our players are going to hear about it here in a second. “We just can’t do that. I mean, under two yards a carry [against Baltimore], getting knocked back, third-and-short and not getting it. I mean, there has to be an intent and a play style that we talked about, that we practice, that we’ve been preaching since day one, and it’s not showing up on game day. “So, obviously, if it’s changes that need to be made, or scheme, everything’s on the table.” Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty ImagesCody Whitehair While personnel changes are likely coming and should provide a boost to the unit, most notably rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson stepping in for Cody Whitehair at left guard since Whitehair has posted an ugly 46.9 run-blocking grade from PFF. Pierce also mentions a change in scheme from offensive coordinator Luke Getsy which should help get the ground game off the ground as well. Per PFF’s charting, Getsy has called 20 zone runs to just 12 gap runs in the first two weeks of the season. However, the Raiders’ offensive line is performing better in the latter. A grade of 60.0 is considered the baseline for PFF and Dylan Parham is one of two linemen who have earned a mark as a run-blocker above that. Parham has posted a 70.3 grade on zone runs, but his 75.9 grade on gap runs is still superior. Kolton Miller has been the other above-average run-blocker and his grades follow a similar trend; 71.9 on gap and 69.6 on zone. Even Andre James, who has typically been viewed as a more athletic lineman rather than a bruiser, has been better on gap than zone runs with grades of 58.9 and 46.2. The same goes for Whitehair; 52.8 mark with gap runs and 38.3 with zone runs. And if Powers-Johnson cracks the starting lineup, his physical nature suits the power running game as well. Granted, the rookie has to get healthy first. The only Raiders offensive lineman who bucks this trend so far is Thayer Munford Jr. with a 41.7 mark as a gap-blocker. However, his 45.5 grade on zone runs is still awful and shouldn’t be a deterrent for Getsy to change up the playcalling. Also, White has always been known as more of a power/downhill type of runner who is best in a gap scheme. Two of his biggest issues coming out of Georgia were vision and lateral agility which are necessities for a running back in a zone-based system. Yes, the offensive still has to play or execute better as several of their gap-run-blocking grades are still below the baseline and Getsy changing up the philosophy likely won’t be a magic wand that gives Las Vegas a top-tier rushing attack. But the team needs to mix things up to get the ground game to a respectable level and a philosophical change might be a good start. At this point, the rushing attack can’t get any worse.
8 new BreakingT shirts celebrating heroes from NFL Week 2 including Derek Carr and Justin Jefferson
8 new BreakingT shirts celebrating heroes from NFL Week 2 including Derek Carr and Justin Jefferson Nick Wojton There were superstar efforts across the NFL’s Week 2 landscape which means it’s time to add to the All-Pro lineup in your closet. BreakingT has customized shirts available right now for star players that have stepped up across the NFL and all your favorite sports. Many such players captivated fans across the country this past weekend. From Justin Jefferson’s big-ability, Maxx Crosby’s game-breaking talents and even rookies standing out like Jayden Daniels. Which one should be the next addition to your collection? Or which two or three? Check out some of the best and latest roundup of BreakingT shirts on sale right now: Minnesota Vikings | WR Justin Jefferson Shop Justin Jefferson Down There Somewhere Shirt Tampa Bay Buccaneers | QB Baker Mayfield Shop Baker Mayfield: Let Him Bake Shirt Washington Commanders | QB Jayden Daniels Shop Jayden Daniels: Hope Shirt Las Vegas Raiders | DE Maxx Crosby Shop Maxx Crosby: Shhh Celebration Shirt New Orleans Saints | QB Derek Carr Shop Derek Carr: Superstar Pose Shirt Buffalo Bills | QB Josh Allen Shop All-Cook ’24 Shirt Kansas City Chiefs | DT Chris Jones Shop Chris Jones: Swag Head Shirt Pittsburgh Steelers | K Chris Boswell Shop Chris Boswell: Wizard of Boz Shirt We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Vikings Place Nick Muse on Injured Reserve, Sign Myles Gaskin to 53-Man Roster
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images A move to start the week The Minnesota Vikings made a roster move on Wednesday that solves what could have been a problem going forward, at least temporarily. The team has announced that tight end Nick Muse has been placed on injured reserve with a broken hand. To fill his spot, the team has signed running back Myles Gaskin to the 53-man roster. Muse has played just three snaps on offense this season and a little less than half of the Vikings’ special teams snaps, but he did recover the onside kick that sealed the victory for the Vikings over San Francisco on Sunday. No definitive word on when he broke the hand, whether it was on the kick recovery or prior to that. Muse’s injury leaves just two tight ends on the active roster in Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver, though the team does have veteran Robert Tonyan and undrafted rookie free agent Trey Knox on the practice squad. The position has been a bit unsettled with T.J. Hockenson set to miss at least two more weeks while on the Physically Unable to Perform List. Gaskin being signed to the 53-man roster at least delays the Vikings needing to make a decision. He has been elevated from the practice squad for both of the team’s first two games, meaning that he could only be elevated once more before the Vikings would have to make a decision about signing him to the main roster. This swap allows the Vikings to have Gaskin on the roster while Muse heals up and give them a chance to decide what they want to do with either or both of them after Muse is ready to come back. Not the most earth-shattering of moves, but one that we needed to mention in any case.
Phinsider Question Of The Day: Predictions For Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images This coming Sunday, our Miami Dolphins will travel cross-country to Seattle, Washington, to take on the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle is coming off back-to-back victories this season, including their week one win at home over the Denver Broncos, 26 to 20, and last week’s victory over the New England Patriots in Foxborough, 23 to 20. Coming off their ugly loss last weekend to the Buffalo Bills, which also saw the team lose starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for at least the next four games, the Dolphins are 4.5-point underdogs in their away game. One of the storylines for this week’s game is that Miami will face off against their former linebacker Jerome Baker if he plays. Baker has been nursing a hamstring injury. So this evening’s Phinsider Questions Of The Day are: A) What will be the final score in this week’s Miami Dolphins game against the Seattle Seahawks?
Former Dolphins Richmond Webb, Ricky Williams nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
More than 160 modern-era players were nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Two Miami Dolphins legends are among 167 modern-era NFL players vying for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Four-time All-Pro left tackle Richmond Webb and 2002 NFL rushing yards leader Ricky Williams headline the team’s nominees. The roster of Hall of Fame hopefuls, announced Thursday, includes 94 offensive players, 56 defensive players, and 17 special teams players. A screening committee will first narrow the list to 50 nominees, followed by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee’s announcement of 25 semifinalists. The final 15 nominees will be voted on and discussed ahead of Super Bowl LIX, with between three and five modern-era players ultimately being inducted into the Class of 2025. Richmond Webb Drafted ninth overall in the 1990 NFL Draft, Richmond Webb anchored the Dolphins’ offensive line for a decade, earning two First-Team All-Pro honors and seven Pro Bowl selections during his time in Miami. A member of the 1990s All-Decade team, he started 118 consecutive games. Despite never reaching the semifinalist stage, Webb remains the only tackle from the 1990s All-Decade team not enshrined in the Hall of Fame. In 14 matchups against Bruce Smith, the NFL’s all-time sack leader, Webb held him to just 3.5 sacks. Ricky Williams Traded to the Dolphins for four draft picks — including two first-rounders — Ricky Williams immediately made an impact in Miami. The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner rushed for at least 100 yards in 10 games during the 2002 season, finishing with a league-leading 1,853 rushing yards. Over his 11-season career, Williams averaged 4.1 yards per carry and accumulated 10,009 rushing yards across stints with the Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens. He eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards five times and also caught 342 of 466 targets for 2,606 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Daniel Jones on Giants’ 0-2 start: ‘We’ve got a good football team’
Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images Quarterback is confident that the Giants can turn it around The New York Giants got back to work on Wednesday in advance of their Week 3 game against the Cleveland Browns. Not only is the team entering a tough stretch on their schedule, but they need to pick themselves up after falling to 0-2 to start the season. The record is bad enough, but a bad loss to the Minnesota Vikings and a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Commanders makes it that much worse. That was the backdrop when Daniel Jones spoke to the media. “I think everyone realizes our record. I think everybody understands that, but no one’s discouraged or no one’s letting that affect our preparation and how hard we work going into the game,” Jones said. “There’s a great energy and feel in the building still, and I think that that’s important. Important to our preparation, important to our process, and making sure we’re practicing well and preparing to play well. We know the record, but it’s a long season, and we’ve got a good football team. “We have a high standard for ourselves and what we can be, what this team can be. We’re confident in getting things going and we’re working hard to do that. Nobody’s happy with where we are, from a record standpoint, but we understand what we need to do to turn it around and catch some momentum. No one’s freaking out. I think we understand that in order to get where we need to go, we need to focus on what we’re doing from a preparation standpoint and then it’s about going out and playing well on Sunday.” If the Giants are going to play well against the Browns, they’ll need rookie receiver Malik Nabers to lead the way. On Malik Nabers Few players in the NFL have become bigger parts of their respective offense’s than Nabers is for the Giants. “He’s done a really good job,” Jones said of his receiver. “Come in and played well. I think in matchup situations where he’s one-on-one with a guy, he’s won and made explosive plays for us time and time again. He’s done a good job and been a big help to us so far.” Part of the reason the Giants wanted to draft Nabers is to make life easier for the rest of the receivers. Jones noticed how Washington was forced to change their coverage to account for the rookie. “I think there were points in the game in Washington, certainly not the whole game, but certain times where you could tell the coverage changed based off of him and how he was playing and some of the looks he was getting,” Jones said. Having a player who impacts the defense like that is a great thing to have, but the Giants need to take advantage of those coverage changes. “We have to be ready for that and understand that when you have a player like that,” he added, “and you feature him like that defenses are going to adjust.” “Guys can get doubled in different ways. In zone coverage, in man coverage and how you scheme or how you respond to that depends on that. But we’re confident he can beat double coverage.” But there’s still the way that Washington game ended. Nabers was clearly upset on the sideline, but he’ll need to put that behind him in short order. Nabers is one of just four receivers to account for more than half of his team’s air yards, and he accounts for the second-highest percentage of his team’s air yards of any receiver. The Giants will need Nabers to have his head in the game against the Browns’ defense. “He’s a competitor and holds himself to a high standard,” Jones said. “I think you realize that pretty quickly spending any time with him. He expects to make every play. It was a tough one for him, but I know he’ll bounce back. He’s a confident guy, and I think it was pretty clear we wouldn’t have been in that situation without his performance and all he had done throughout the game. He’ll be back, and he’ll continue to be a huge part of what we do.” On the Browns “They’ve got a good defense, got good players at all three levels really, and a lot of speed,” he said. “We’ll have a game plan. I think obviously the pass rush is something we’ve got to take into account and plan for and we’ll do that. But it’s always about us. It’s always about focusing on yourself and making sure you’re ready to go.” Jones himself is right to be concerned with Myles Garrett, the reigning defensive player of the year. While players like cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah are excellent players, Garrett will be the one coming after Jones with bad intentions. “He’s a good player, for sure. He’s a good player and has the ability to affect the game from a pass rush standpoint and the run game also,” Jones said. “You’ve got to have a plan, a protection plan. Luckily, we’ve got (tackle) AT (Andrew Thomas). AT is an incredible player, and we’re very confident in that matchup.”
Eagles issue estimated injury report ahead of Saints game
Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images The latest news on Philadelphia and New Orleans. The Philadelphia Eagles issued their first official injury report on Wednesday in advance of their Week 3 road game against the New Orleans Saints. Note that this report is an estimation because the team held a walkthrough in lieu of a normal practice after last playing on Monday night. The Eagles listed two players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: A.J. Brown and Johnny Wilson. Brown suffered a hamstring injury during practice last week. He missed the Eagles’ matchup against the Atlanta Falcons and he told ESPN that he could miss at least one more game, if not more. Just not ideal for the Eagles to be without arguably their best and most important player. Wilson was questionable to play on Monday night due to also suffering a hamstring injury in practice last week. He ended up suiting up but it seems like he may have aggravated the issue? Or perhaps the Eagles are just being cautious with him? We’ll see if he’s able to practice or not over the next two days. If the Eagles are without both Brown and Wilson on Sunday, they’ll have just three healthy receivers on the roster: DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, and Britain Covey. They’ll also likely temporarily elevate Parris Campbell from the practice squad again. And maybe another receiver as well? PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (WEDNESDAY) DID NOT PARTICIPATE WR A.J. Brown (hamstring)WR Johnny Wilson (hamstring) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS INJURY REPORT (WEDNESDAY) The Saints’ injury report is longer than the Eagles’ list. Four Saints players did not practice: tight end/quarterback/gadget player Taysom Hill, rotational defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, backup linebacker D’Marco Jackson, and backup tackle Landon Young. Hill is expected to be upgraded to limited on Thursday. So, he might be able to suit up. Four Saints players were limited: staring cornerback Marshon Lattimore, starting left tackle Taliese Fuaga, starting safety Tyrann Mathieu, and depth wide receiver Cedrick Wilson. Lattimore missed last week’s game after being unable to practice. Seems like the four-time Pro Bowler might be able to play against the Eagles. Fuaga was able to play through a back injury last week. He could do it again this Sunday. Mathieu got banged up in the Saints’ demolition of the Dallas Cowboys. He still might be able to play. DID NOT PARTICIPATE LB D’Marco Jackson (calf)DT Khalen Saunders (calf)TE Taysom Hill (chest)OT Landon Young (foot) LIMITED PARTICIPATION CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring)OT Taliese Fuaga (back)S Tyrann Mathieu (heel)WR Cedrick Wilson (abdomen) FULL PARTICIPATION WR Rashid Shaheed (hip)LB Jaylan Ford (hamstring)

