Ravens report card: How we graded Baltimore in Week 1 loss to the Chiefs glenn erby The Ravens fought and overcame some early adversity but couldn’t make the big plays when needed most. Isaiah Likely was one toe length away from potentially giving Lamar Jackson a chance to win the season opener on a two-point conversion attempt. Jackson is now 1-5 against Patrick Mahomes after a thrilling 27-20 loss at Arrowhead Stadium. Baltimore’s MVP quarterback dominated on the night but missed two much-needed throws late in regulation. Derrick Henry scored a touchdown in his Ravens debut but saw Justice Hill play more snaps on offense. With preparation for the Raiders set to begin, we’re handing out Week 1 grades. QB –B- Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws a pass during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Jackson threw for 273 yards and a touchdown while adding 122 yards on the ground, but he missed several big throws, including a late pass to Zay Flowers that didn’t connect. RB –B Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) celebrates after scoring against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Henry had 13 carries for 46 yards and a rushing touchdown in his debut. Justice Hill had one carry for 3 yards and six catches for 52 yards on the night. WR –C Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) runs the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Flowers had six catches for 37 yards, while Bateman and Jackson again struggled to get on the same page. TE –A+ KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 05: Isaiah Likely #80 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates making a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 05, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Baltimore featured the two tight sets all night, with Andrews and Likely playing nearly identical snaps. It was likely who had the impressive night receiving, posting a 100-yard game. OL –B Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images The Ravens’ offensive line struggled at times, with the team continuing to rotate at the right tackle spot. Even with tremendous pressure up front, Lamar Jackson was only sacked once on the night. DL –B Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens linebacker David Ojabo (90) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Ravens’ defense sacked Patrick Mahomes twice the night. Michael Pierce led the group with four tackles and one quarterback hit, while David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh were stout. LB –B Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) intercepts a pass against Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Roquan Smith had seven tackles, 1 QB hit, one pass defended, and one interception. Trenton Simpson had five tackles, half a sack, one QB hit, and one pass defended. Kyle Van Noy suffered a fractured orbital bone. DB –C Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) scores a touchdown against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Rashee Rice had seven catches for 103 yards, while Xavier Worthy scored twice on the night. Williams had six tackles and one tackle for loss on the night. Stephens had four tackles, and the Ravens played most of their snaps with the critical four of Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton, and Marcus Williams. Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins saw 17 snaps on the night.
Ravens report card: How we graded Baltimore in Week 1 loss to the Chiefs
5 things we learned from the Bengals’ hideous loss to the Patriots
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images Unfortunately, poor starts are tradition around here. Slow starts aside, no one expected that kind of disaster in Week 1 against a huge underdog at home. The Cincinnati Bengals looked terrible, probably the worst they have with Joe Burrow at QB since his rookie year. There wasn’t a lot to love about the game, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take some things away. So here are five things we learned from Cincinnati’s 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots. Joe Burrow’s wrist is fine (for now, at least) The offense was bad, and Burrow didn’t throw very far downfield often. But the problem isn’t his wrist. He had the same zip as always. There just wasn’t anything there. Blame the schemes, the absence of Tee Higgins, the matchup, or just Zac Taylor and staff being outcoached, but don’t blame the freakish injury from last season. Burrow, as always, will catch fire at some point in the season. The lack of offseason preparation is undeniable at this point This was supposed to be one of easiest games on the schedule for the Bengals. But instead of cruising to victory, they looked flat, a bit overwhelmed, and uncharacteristically sloppy. Three fumbles (two costly lost ones), only four third down conversions, and no real response for the Patriots’ gameplan were, in a word, embarrassing. And Zac Taylor didn’t really have an explanation other than poor tackling and turnovers, both of which seem related to coaching to some degree. At this point, there’s no denying that his teams do not start hot (the Bengals are 1-10 in the first two games of the season under Taylor). The issue might stem from reduced intensity in the offseason to prevent injuries. Or it could just be that it takes Taylor and his staff a bit of time to figure out how to win with the guys they have each season. Either way, it’s getting a little old. Joe Mixon wasn’t the issue with the running game Remember when fans complained of Joe Mixon not hitting holes fast enough and not being a good fit schematically? Well, the Patriots were able to take away the Bengals’ deep game and force Cincinnati to throw short because the running game still isn’t able to provide much relief. Not to blame the running backs, but Zach Moss and Chase Brown carried the ball six times in the first half for only thirteen yards. And the Bengals finished with just 70 total rushing yards on a day when the passing offense needed help badly. Mixon, meanwhile, carried the ball for a career-high 30 times in his debut for the Houston Texans, notching 159 yards on the ground, only making it clearer that it is the Bengals who have an issue with scheming and blocking for ball carriers. The Bengals finally have a punter Sadly, the most positive thing from the game was the emergence of Ryan Rehkow from the punter battle. The rookie from BYU booted four balls for a whopping 258 yards including an 80 yarder that almost pinned New England within the one yard line. There are no easy fixes when it comes to replacing top talent The Bengals were a bad run defense with DJ Reader. Somehow we convinced ourselves that quantity over quality might do the trick; Cincinnati added some talented defensive tackles in Sheldon Rankins and Kris Jenkins. And they, along with the veterans on the team, were expected to somehow hold down the fort without Reader. But then Rankins, Zach Carter, BJ Hill, and the rest (Jenkins was out with a thumb injury) got absolutely gashed by Rhamondre Stevenson running behind what was supposed to be a shoddy offensive line. The offseason was the time to find a real solution for perhaps the biggest weakness on the team (rushing defense). Now it’s too late, so it’ll be on the offense to find a way to outscore and out-gain opponents for this team to win.
Vikes Views: Sunday King
John Jones-Imagn Images The Minnesota Vikings defeated the New York Giants 28 – 6 on Sunday. It was the first easy win in a long time. I’m nominating these 5 for Sunday King. Sam Darnold – Sam’s 1st half was nearly perfect. After the first drive fumble, Sam was able to lead the team on two consecutive long TD drives of 65 and 99 yards. The alst drive was ended when he passed just shy of the first down to Johnny Mundt on 3rd down. Sam wasn’t asked to do much in the 2nd half. The offense stalled a bit late, but the Giants were no threat. Andrew Van Ginkel – That interception is going to make the year end highlight reel. It was a great play and an important one. The Vikings had just gone 3 and out and momentum could start to swing. AVG shut the door in spectacular fashion. He also ended the Giants’ drive after the Ham fumble with a run stop on 2nd down and the sack on 3rd and goal. .@AndrewVanGinkel ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?! : @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/XFx58RvTIt — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 8, 2024 Kevin O’Connel – The Vikings look like a well coached team. There weren’t many stupid mistakes or boneheaded decisions. They didn’t try to get too cute. They just came out an executed. That says a lot about KOC. He had Sam Darnold out there looking like he’s been running this offense for 4 years. Kevin O’Connell gave out five game balls on Sunday. Four of them were to players the #Vikings acquired this offseason: Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones, Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkelpic.twitter.com/rkW6AK24DA — Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) September 8, 2024 Aaron Jones – Jones didn’t get a ton of carries on Sunday, but he was extremely efficient. 14 carries for 94 yards is an impressive 6.7 YPC. He also scored the first TD of the season. After seeing Mattison fail to get a rushing TD last year, it was nice to get this season’s first out of the way early. Jones is a massive step up in class and he was a big reason the win was so easy to put away. Top 5 RB’s in Rush Yards Over Expected per Carry1) J.K. Dobbins2) Aaron Jones3) Josh Jacobs4) Tank Bigsby5) Rhamondre Stevenson — Nick Zylak (@NickZylakFFA) September 9, 2024 Harrison Smith – Speaking of putting away a win! Hitman came through with a clutch INT to seal the competitive portion of the game. 28-6 early in the 4th is a huge lead. 28-14 if they score there feels a little different. The offense had 76 yards after the first drive of the 2nd half. The defense kept the foot on the pedal so the offense could cruise to the finish line. Smith put the game out of any reasonable doubt with his 35th career interception. Harrison Smith: Still got it pic.twitter.com/wQUvcmTy9E — Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) September 8, 2024 When you play this well, there are a lot who could be nominated. Let me know who I left off in the comments.
The Good, Bad & Ugly from the Miami Dolphins Week 1 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars
Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images Dolphins complete the comeback against Trevor Lawrence and Jaguars. The Miami Dolphins hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida for week one of the NFL regular season, and they treated fans to a near heart-stopping victory courtesy of a 52-yard field goal off of the right foot of kicker Jason Sanders as time expired! It wasn’t quite the offensive explosion that some fans expected heading into this one — at least in the first half — but ugly wins count the same in the standings as 70-point offensive outputs, and the Dolphins got themselves a victory to keep pace with the New England Patriots, who defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Buffalo Bills, who defeated the Arizona Cardinals, in the AFC East. The start of the season means the return of my longstanding column on The Phinsider — Good, Bad and Ugly — so let’s sit back, relax, and reminisce about an exciting opening day victory! GOOD Miami’s defense tightens its bootstraps during second half; blanking Jaguars offense The Miami Dolphins acquired a new defensive coordinator this offseason after parting ways with Vic Fangio and hiring former Baltimore Ravens defensive assistant Anthony Weaver. During the first half of Miami’s week one win, things weren’t going so well for the Dolphins new-look unit. The Jaguars put up 17 first half points, while clearly having their way with Weaver’s group. Well, halftime adjustments were obviously made, as the Dolphins allowed zero, zip, zilch, nada, diddly-squat (that one is my favorite) on the scoreboard during the entire second half against Jacksonville. Fixed it; Trevor Lawrence first half: 9-of-14 for 125 yards (8.9 YPA) and a touchdown. 116.7 rating. Trevor Lawrence second half: 3-of-7 for 37 yards (5.3 YPA) and a 59.8 rating. — John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) September 8, 2024 At one point in the third quarter, it looked like the Jaguars were about to go up by 17 points with a near touchdown run by Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, however Dolphins safety Jevon Holland, displaying heroic effort, punched the ball loose before the runner crossed the goalline and cornerback Kader Kohou recovered the fumbled ball in the endzone, giving Miami’s offense possession. An 80-yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Tyreek Hill narrowed the gap to three points just one play later. BAD Dolphins starting guards leave more to be desired despite victory For what feels like an eternity, Dolphins fans have been concerned — or downright terrified — by the team’s offensive line, specifically, the starting guards. During their week one victory, Miami started Robert Jones at left guard and Liam Eichenberg at right guard. For most of the game, there were muddy pockets for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and zero running lanes inside for running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. In fact, Tagovailoa was sacked three times while Mostert tallied just nine yards on six carries (1.5 yards per carry) and Achane only mustered 24 yards on 10 carries (2.4 yards per carry). Late in the contest, Jeff Wilson Jr. came into the game and the team did find some push on the ground as Wilson carried the ball five times for 26 yards (5.2 yards per carry). If the Dolphins want to replicate their rushing success from last year as the season progresses, they’ll need far better performances from Jones and Eichenberg at the starting guard spots. UGLY Three years into Mike McDaniel’s tenure, team still burning timeouts due to late playcalls When you’re a rookie head coach and first-time play caller, you’re given some grace when it comes to operational things like playcalls taking too long to get to the offensive huddle. When you’re a second-year head coach and second-year play caller, fans expect better, but still understand when things aren’t perfect. Well, when it’s your third year in both roles, patience runs thin when those operational things aren’t corrected. On Sunday against the Jaguars, the Dolphins were still finding themselves with less than five seconds on the clock after breaking the huddle and getting to the line of scrimmage. As a result, Miami burned not one, not two, but three timeouts during the course of the ballgame due to late playcalls. Those wasted timeouts didn’t come back to haunt the Dolphins in week one, but we’d be foolish to think that they won’t have a negative effect on the club as the 2024 season rolls along. Hopefully, somehow, Mike McDaniel can address this issue for good sometime soon. ___ The Dolphins got their first victory of the 2024 season on Sunday with a 20-17 defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars. What do you think the team needs to work on the most during the short week ahead of their tilt against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday? Do you think they can clean some things up and play a complete game against the reigning AFC East champs? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @MBrave13. Fins up!
Test your Eagles knowledge on Sept. 9 with BGN’s new daily trivia game
Think you can figure out which Eagles player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Welcome back for another day of the Bleeding Green Nation in-5 daily trivia game. Just a reminder that this remains a beta that we’re testing out this week. Today’s game is down below and you can play previous day’s games as well: September 8th gameSeptember 7th gameSeptember 6th gameSeptember 5th gameSeptember 4th gameSeptember 3rd game What we need from you Play the game (reminder that the answer could be EITHER and active or retired player) Share your result in the comments and on social media Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below) See SB Nation in-5 game instructions below the game. Bleeding Green Nation in-5 The goal of the game is to guess the correct Eagles player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS this week. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game appears in slot #3 of the BGN layout each day this week, with a new article each day for the game. Additionally, there is a more general version of this at SBNation.com, which features a variety of random players that do not necessarily have Eagles history. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.
Daily Dawg Chow 9/9: Cleveland Browns get rolled by Dallas Cowboys, DeShaun Watson plays poorly
Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK More of the latest Browns news and notes from around the web in today’s dose of the Daily Dawg Chow. The latest Cleveland Browns coverage from Dawgs By Nature: Deshaun Watson plays like one of the worst QBs in football, as Browns lose 33-17 in opener to Cowboys (Recap) (Chris Pokorny) The Browns’ home opener sees an egg laid by the offense. Browns lay an egg versus Cowboys: Blame goes to many, credit to Dallas (Jared Mueller) Uncertain what is next for Cleveland but blame is deserved for many Brownies & Frownies: Cowboys dominate Browns 33-17 so a lot of negatives, a few positives (Barry Shuck) Opening week of a brutal schedule NFL Week 1: Grading the Browns vs Cowboys (Damon Wolfe) The Browns failed the test on all three phases on Sunday. More Cleveland Browns news: Cleveland Browns New Offense Unidentifiable In Blowout Loss To Cowboys (Sports Illustrated) “The Browns offense looks uninspiring, sputters in 33-17 loss to Dallas in 2024 season opener.” Browns offense struggles in season opener loss | 3 Big Takeaways (clevelandbrowns.com) “The Browns dropped their season opener 33-17 to the Cowboys in a disappointing fashion, one filled with penalties and struggles to create a flow on offense.” NFL highlights: Cowboys trounce Browns 33-17 in Brady’s broadcast debut (FOX Sports) “Quarterback Dak Prescott, fresh off signing a record-setting contract extension, threw for 179 yards and a touchdown while Dallas’ defense put up a dominant performance, picking off Deshaun Watson twice.” NFL Week 1 Recap: Dallas Cowboys 33, Cleveland Browns 17 (Pro Football Focus) “Prescott’s new deal, which makes him the first player to average $60 million per year, ends months of speculation about his future with Dallas, a team he’s led to three straight 12-win seasons.” Browns offense was just awful and it’s everyone’s fault (Youtube) Quincy Carrier analyzes the week one thud against Dallas
Rams vs Cardinals: LA slim favorites over NFC West rival
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images Will LA be able to maintain its dominance of Arizona under Sean McVay? After a brutal road loss in primetime to kick off the 2024 season, the Los Angeles Rams will look to bounce back in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Rams as an early 1.5-point favorite over their NFC West rivals. The Rams failed to get revenge for their Wild Card Round loss to the Lions at Ford Field as they lost 26-20 in overtime on SNF. LA fell behind 17-3 early in the third quarter before Matthew Stafford willed his team back into the game. Stafford briefly got the Rams ahead 20-17 until the Lions tied the game at 20-all. The Rams’ comeback was in vain as Detroit running back David Montgomery ended the night with a walk-off score: David Montgomery runs it in for the @Lions win! pic.twitter.com/iKUEHAvgMK — NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2024 The Cardinals lost an absolute heartbreaker to the Bills in Week 1. After going up 17-3 in the first half (a cursed score apparently), Buffalo stormed back thanks to Josh Allen’s four total touchdowns to finish off a 34-28 home victory. Kyler Murray did everything he possibly could to lead a stunning upset, except forge a connection with highly touted rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr., who finished the game with one reception for 4 yards. Despite the tough loss, the Cards managed to get the league’s first dynamic kickoff return with DeeJay Dallas making a 96-yard house call in the fourth quarter. THE FIRST DYNAMIC KICKOFF RETURN TOUCHDOWN. DEEJAY DALLAS. 96 YARDS. : #AZvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+ : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/COYfonnYxR — NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024 LA has thoroughly dominated the series since 2017, going 13-2 against the Redbirds under Sean McVay, including the postseason. Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon will have his team ready to play as the Rams should not expect an easy win in the desert. I predict that McVay’s squad will sneak out a close one over the Cardinals in a must-win game with the 49ers looming in their home opener. What are your thoughts on this week’s betting odds? Go ahead and drop them in the comments!
Joe Burrow and Bengals offense need quicker starts
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images The offense stumbled out the gate, and that likely cost them in Week 1. The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the New England Patriots in Week 1 to the tune of a 16-10 defeat, where the offense struggled to get rolling most of the game. You can hardly pin this loss on anyone or anything solely, but you instantly have to look at the offense that has some of the highest players on the team. Them putting up 10 points is a very rough look, and the head of that is quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow finished the game completing 21 of his 29 passes, but he only had 164 passing yards on the day. We didn’t see Burrow really air it out until late in the first half, and even then, most of his passes were within five yards of the line of scrimmage. You have to acknowledge that the Patriots’ entire defensive game plan was to prevent big plays, but that has been every team’s defensive game plan facing Cincinnati since the 2021 season. It still seems like this team sometimes has difficulty working around that issue. You can also note that wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase didn’t practice up until this week with the team on the field because of his hold-in and Tee Higgins was inactive with a hamstring issue. The offense is also now under Dan Pitcher and Zac Taylor’s control after Brian Callahan became the head coach with the Tennessee Titans. You can try and make all the excuses in the world, but this kind of outing is unacceptable for a player of Burrow’s caliber, even if he has to go out there without Chase and Higgins. These are all guys who have been here the last two seasons and should know how this offense needs to function. Still, they seem to come out each season like they have to figure out what this team is again. Three 3-and-outs to start the season is inexcusable for a guy like Burrow and this offense. Burrow at least technically threw two passes worthy of touchdowns on the day. One was dropped by tight end Mike Gesicki in the end zone, and on the next play, Tanner Hudson fumbled it as he was also headed into the touchdown. That won’t show up in the box score for Burrow, but that was just a single drive. On a Sunday where we also saw quarterbacks like Josh Allen lead his team back from a slow start, you have to come out and say that guys like Burrow need to play better. Now, that doesn’t mean we should doubt Burrow can turn this around. We have seen him do that exact thing so many times in his career. Getting more practice reps with Chase will surely help their connection. And the more comfortable Pitcher and Taylor get without Callahan, the more things open up. We also saw a brief glimpse of the running game that was abandoned early and had signs of life with Zach Moss and this offensive line. Hopefully, this will be just a speed bump in the 2024 season, and this offense and Burrow will show us more of who we know they are. Joe Burrow speaks to the media following week 1 vs. New England https://t.co/eZxIIjbH4b — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 8, 2024 Be sure to go follow our Twitter page and ‘like’ our Facebook page for more Cincinnati Bengals news, views and other fun stuff. Who Dey!
What They’re Saying: Offensive line struggles, Minshew underperforms, Antonio Pierce’s questionable decisions in Raiders loss to Chargers
Gardner Minshew | Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Twitter/X reacts to Las Vegas dropping the season opener 22-10 to Los Angeles While the Las Vegas Raiders began a new season on Sunday, the Raiders Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers felt a lot like last season. Las Vegas’ defense had a strong performance, keeping the Chargers out of the endzone and to just nine points before the fourth quarter. Granted, Los Angeles did breakthrough toward the end of the game as JK Dobbins’ ripped off a couple of long runs, and a 12-yard touchdown to begin the final frame and give the Chargers a two-possession lead, the Raiders’ offense was the bigger problem. The Silver and Black’s offensive line gave up four sacks and six quarterback hits while the team averaged just 3.2 yards on the ground. Also, the unit lost in the trenches on several short-yardage attempts that killed drives. Meanwhile, quarterback Gardner Minshew wasn’t the biggest problem, but he didn’t help matters with a fumble on a backward pass and an interception to put the final nail in the Raiders’ coffin. Additionally, head coach Antonio Pierce made a few questionable fourth-down decisions, highlighted by a conservative move to punt on fourth and one in the opponent’s territory down six in the fourth quarter. All of that makes for some interesting reactions on X/Twitter as seen below. As one would expect, the analytics community doesn’t agree with Pierce’s decision. —> LV (10) @ LAC (16) <—LV has 4th & 1 at the LAC 43, Q4 07:15 Recommendation (VERY STRONG): Go for it (+8.5 WP)Actual play: A.Cole punts 35 yards to LAC 8, Center-J.Bobenmoyer, fair catch by D.Davis. pic.twitter.com/ZkRIl6cpvG — 4th down decision bot (@ben_bot_baldwin) September 8, 2024 ESPN Analytics strongly disagreed with Antonio Pierce decision to punt on 4th-and-1 in Chargers territoryWP Go: 24.8% ( +5.7% )WP Punt: 19.1% The #Raiders are the 1st team to punt in opposing territory when trailing by 1 score in the 4th quarter on 4th-and-1 since 2016 (Bills) — Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 8, 2024 The head coach explained himself, sort of… #Raiders HC Antonio Pierce said they got what they wanted after punting on 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter. They just couldn’t get a stop. — Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 8, 2024 Antonio Pierce on decision to punt on 4th & 1 down 6 in Chargers territory in 4th quarter#Raiders pic.twitter.com/tirJfzahgq — Logan Reever (@loganreever) September 8, 2024 Granted, Pierce’s hesitation was somewhat understandable due to the offensive line’s performance, but it still feels like you have to roll the dice there. A lot of folks will be going after Minshew (He did miss some open WRs) BUT the #Raiders offensive line was pretty bad today…pass blocking was poor and they couldn’t get the run game going with any consistency AP clearly didn’t have any confidence in his guys up front today — Jesse Merrick (@JesseNews3LV) September 8, 2024 #Raiders punt on 4th and 1 from Chargers 43 down 6 in 4th quarter. It’s the first 4th and 1 punt in plus territory when down a score in 4th quarter since Rex Ryan’s Bills did it vs Ravens in 2016 opener per @sportradar — Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) September 8, 2024 As painful as it is to agree with a Chargers’ fan account, Khalil Mack had an impressive game with 1.5 sacks, a TFL, and a batted pass that led to a pick. Old man Khalil Mack against the Raiders O-Line pic.twitter.com/afjc8RPPr3 — ًBoltUpYo (@BoltUpYo) September 8, 2024 An example of Minshew just not making enough plays when the team needed it. Minshew has to hit Tucker on this speed out on 4th-and-7 against zero blitz No reason to hang on to the ball pic.twitter.com/FOIGG4gvKx — Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) September 8, 2024 Also, this was just embarrassing… Lmao Minshew pic.twitter.com/d7IRVKwCFP — Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 8, 2024 Minshew talks to the press. “Once it clicks, it’s gonna click.” Gardner Minshew isn’t losing any faith in the #Raiders offense after today’s performance pic.twitter.com/FALO8AoL55 — Logan Reever (@loganreever) September 8, 2024 Raiders and Chargers also go into it after the Chargers’ last touchdown. WOW, WE HAVE A MAJOR FIGHT A BIG FIGHT BROKE OUT BETWEEN THE #RAIDERS & #CHARGERS PLAYERS IN THE REDZONE. YOU DO NOT SEE THIS OFTEN… pic.twitter.com/exQj6UBQGP — MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 8, 2024 Alexander Mattison did make a nice play for the Raiders’ lone touchdown. Helluva highlight for the first TD of the season #LVvsLAC | Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/wkObbmIzdK — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 8, 2024 Maxx Crosby’s sack, he finished with three quarterback hits. Maxx Crosby. Beast. : #LVvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+ : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ahARo9Vu8K — NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024 Tony Romo’s thoughts on Pierce and the Raiders moving forward. “I wouldn’t worry about the Raiders…Antonio Pierce is for real.” – Tony Romo pic.twitter.com/4jlTRUgpDw — NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) September 8, 2024
Report card: Bills recover from slow start to defeat Cardinals
#Bills report card: The Buffalo Bills struggled out of the gate in their 2024 regular-season opening game against the Arizona Cardinals. A horrendous personal foul call gave the Cardinals additional life on their first drive, one that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to Michael Wilson from Kyler Murray. However, the next mistake was a self-inflicted wound by the Bills. Roy Lopez sacked and stripped the ball from Josh Allen. Arizona tacked on three more points. By the middle of the second quarter, the Cardinals held a two-touchdown lead over the Bills. Buffalo kept their composure, methodically chipping away at the lead. By the middle of the third quarter, the Bills took their first lead of the season. Buffalo’s offense and defense seemed to have things under control in the second half. However, the Bills special teams unit decided to make things interesting by allowing a 96-yard kickoff return to DeeJay Dallas. The Bills defense did enough on the final drive to hold the lead and prevent another “Hail Murray.” Here is how Bills Wire grades the position groups for Buffalo’s performance on Sunday: Quarterback: A- Bills quarterback Josh Allen keeps the ball and runs for several yards during first half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 8, 2024. The first half was a bit rugged for Allen, as there was a bit of overzealous hero ball occurring. He did not protect the ball while extending a play and lost a fumble on the first drive. As the game progressed, the hero ball became more measured and less reckless. In the end, this would not have been a Buffalo victory without Allen. Allen went 18-of-23 throwing for 232 passing yards and two touchdowns. He added 39 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Allen is a beast. Sometimes, when the hero ball becomes a bit more focused and purposeful, it leads a player to MVP status. Running backs: A- Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs against Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images James Cook gets a lot of love in this game even though the stat line is not overwhelming. He rushed 19 times for 71 yards. He added three receptions in the mix for 32 yards. Cook made several defenders miss throughout the game. His shiftiness made something out of nothing several times. Rookie Ray Davis looked good in limited touches. He rushed three times for 13 yards. Davis also had a catch for 14 yards. It was a good glimpse into how Davis will be a solid No. 2 behind Cook. Receivers: B+ Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) reacts after a play against the Arizona Cardinals in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images The receiving corps had a solid afternoon for the Bills. However, it started slowly, as it seemed that the group was struggling to find separation. Maybe it was a little of Allen’s anxiousness, some of the receivers not finding space, or the line not giving enough time, but it seemed that Allen was not able to settle in with passing plays early in the game. That changed a bit as the offense found their footing. In the end, seven different wideouts and tight ends registered a catch. The passing game was punctuated by two standout plays: Khalil Skakir’s run-after-catch for a touchdown and Keon Coleman’s contested-catch on the sidelines. Offensive line: B- Bills Khalil Shakir is congratulated by teammates Keon Coleman, Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown on his touchdown catch during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 8, 2024. The offensive line looked all right at times. However, there still seem to be too many moments where blitzes and overloads overwhelm them. Allen seemed to bail out of several passes early in the game, electing to break the pocket. Still, there’s enough to like about the group. For their first game together, the unit did well. James Cook has several runs with solid gaps to attack. The penalties were a bit discouraging, as Dion Dawkins, O’Cyrus Torrence, and Spencer Brown all earned flags on Sunday. Defensive line: B+ Arizona’s James Conner carries the ball before getting taken down by Bills Greg Rousseau during first half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 8, 2024. Coming up to help out Rousseau is teammate DaQuan Jones. Like the rest of the team, the defensive line took a little bit of time to settle in. James Conner moved the ball methodically against the unit. Over time, though, the group did a much better job at containing Kyler Murray and putting pressure on him. Greg Rousseau notched three sacks today. Von Miller broke his sackless streak with a fortunate sack today. The line seems so much more complete with a healthy DaQuan Jones in the interior. The big concern is that Ed Oliver had a very quiet day. Linebackers: B+ Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard (43) tackles Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams had a solid game. Bernard led all players with 11 total tackles. Williams added eight total tackles to the ledger. They held things together nicely in the middle portion of the field. The duo did well against the run and in coverage as well. Arizona tight end Trey McBride only averaged six yards per catch. Secondary: A- Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) slides to avoid a hit by Buffalo Bills cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram (46) in the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images For all of the talk and worries about the shifting landscape of the Buffalo secondary, it was
