I’m busy at work and mad at fantasy football so all I have to say is go Sox and enjoy the fantasy takes.
Mattes
Having the second-least amount of points in the league and the most points scored against is just not a good combo. Got an almost 40-berger out of Mitchell Trubisky as a streamer and still lost by almost 80 to the league’s top scorer. At least I have an extra second-rounder next year, and it’s looking like Kerryon Johnson is going to be a stud sixth-round keeper (179 yards of total offense this week). I’m just trying not to finish last at this point.
Had a great week in my other league, but – you guessed it! – I ran into the week’s high-scorer. Got 70 points out of my receivers alone, though, and now that Arizona has someone competent running the offense I’m hoping David Johnson has a little second-half resurgence. Also, it looks like I’m not going to lose Sony Michel for the year after all, and I was somehow able to snag Tarik Cohen last week, who has three-straight 20-plus point games. I’m 4-3 and feeling good about things to come.
Papa G
In a shocking turn of events, I continued my hot streak to go 3-0 again this week. Beat Red by a solid 3 points thanks to Julio Jones. A special thanks to the New York Giants for being a dumpster fire and making this all possible. In one of my other leagues I won by .14 points so luck was on my side this week. Fully expect to nose dive soon enough though.
Red
I would like to thank Ezekiel Elliott for murdering any chances I had this week in both of my leagues with a whopping 5 points. How bout them Cowboys indeed. Also, shoutout to Papa Giorgio for beating me by 3 points on garbage time stats in the 4th quarter of Monday Night Football.
Big Z
Picked up a 98-81 win in Week 7 to improve to 4-3 and move into a tie for third place in my league. James White and the New England D/ST came up big for me. Of course it didn’t hurt that my opponent wasn’t up for the London game in time to bench Melvin Gordon who was out.
My only gripe comes from the TE position. I’ve got Eric Ebron and George Kittle. They both seem to be boom or bust, and I’ve yet to figure how to play the right guy any given week. At least it didn’t cost me a win in Week 7, and gets me a little bit closer to the Bench Points Championship
Joey B
My team is just awful and I lost by 20 to fall to 3-4. Whatever.
Allow me to iterate on what the hell I am talking about.
Patrick Peterson, the ridiculously talented but oft-injured CB for the Arizona Cardinals, wants to be traded. The Cards suck and are a mess and Peterson wants to win and not be part of a mess. Makes sense. He has always given 100% and isn’t a huge issue in the locker room, from what little I know of a team that plays in the middle of the fucking desert.
Peterson stated, through his cousin Bryant McFadden, now an analyst, that he wanted to play for the Eagles, Pats, or Saints, who play in the same state as his beloved alma mater LSU. Well, as you can see from the above, you can probably cross the Saints off that list/ This leaves the opponents from last years Super Bowl on the table. Not a bad situation to be in for PP if 1.) you assume both teams are interested in your services and 2.) either/or can make a good enough pitch to the Cardinals to acquire you. And that’s where this sucks.
I cannot talk myself out of the fact that if it comes down to Rob Gronkowski for Patrick Peterson straight up (or possibly with an array of superfluous picks and/or cash to make it work/digestable for one side or the other), who says no? The Pats would get rid of a depreciating asset, which they LOVE TO DO. Just ask Seymour, or Mankins, or Vinateri, or Moss. They would do this for a physically talented corner, which they need, in his prime. Sure Peterson has been hurt too, but Gronk’s body has been destroyed. I’m sure Belichick also wouldn’t mind getting rid of Gronk’s antics, as harmless as they are, and it doesn’t help that we just beat a top tier D without him. The Cards get a security blanket and the best tight end ever for their young franchise QB. An ancillary benefit is that they would be bringing Gronk back to Arizona, where he played his college ball and would surely love the pool-side atmosphere. He’d fit in great.
It all just makes too much sense, and that makes me so sad. Gronk has been the Patriot of our generation aside from Brady. A truly transcendent and complete talent at his position. I guess if Brady is like David Ortiz, Gronk, if he leaves, would be a bit like Nomar, although we’d be switching up timelines; he means everything to our franchise but in the end, maybe it wouldn’t make sense to keep him, for the right deal.
CBS – Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert is becoming a consensus top-overall pick candidate in the 2019 draft, but multiple league sources indicated it is far more likely that the junior actually remains in school for another year.
Teams have begun falling in love with the strapping prospect – a 6-foot-6, athletic, former multi-sport star who is evolving into a pure passer – and his prospects continue to rise by the game, but numerous sources said that there is a very strong sentiment from the Oregon program that Herbert will remain in school for 2019. Several scouts from NFL teams who have held informal discussions with friends and contacts on the Oregon staff said they would be very surprised if the quarterback opted to turn pro this spring.
Furthermore, there are strong signals throughout the agent community that Herbert is going to stay in school. Several of the top agencies generally in line to represent such talents are becoming pessimistic about him entering the draft.
I love this if for no other reason than it will punish the New York Giants for being morons and taking a RB at No. 2 overall this year when they desperately needed a QB. Well it looked like they were going to fall ass backwards into another stud QB prospect with the No. 1 overall pick this year, thus causing them to learn nothing. Now, according to reports Justin Herbert is likely to stay for his senior season and the Giants are back to being hosed under center.
Now if Herbert does stay at Oregon, it’s for a number of reasons. I won’t bore you with all the details so here are reasons No. 1 and No. 2.
Herbert is a native of Eugene, Oregon, who absolutely loves the school, badly wants to win there and is very eager to play with his younger brother. Patrick Herbert is a four-star tight end prospect who is committed to going to Oregon in 2019.
Herbert is legitimately born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. How a kid from Eugene turns into one of the best quarterbacks in the entire country and winds up playing at Oregon is incredible. Usually those guys go to Florida and Georgia and Oklahoma. The last great QB the Ducks had was a guy named Marcus Mariota and they had to pluck him from the ends of the Earth aka Hawaii.
Reason No. 2 – apparently his brother is a stud Tight End prospect who has committed to play at Oregon next season. Imagine going out on top leading the school you bled for since you were a kid to its first ever national championship while throwing to your kid brother? Yea this guy ain’t going anywhere.
Maybe the Giants can take another RB this year and build the greatest 4-12 team this league has ever seen.
I don’t know if I’ve blogged about how a guy from Boston became an Oregon Ducks fan, but allow me to elaborate. Aside from 2007 when Matt Ryan was tearing up the NCAA or in the 80s when Doug Flutie was at Chestnut Hill, Boston College has never been a legitimate college football team. And they never will be. The best seasons they’ve had were when they dipped into the post-grad pool to pluck former SEC guys like Tyler Murphy. Wouldn’t you know having actual talent at positions other than OL and MLB lead to an upset win over a national powerhouse like USC in 2014?
So I came to grips with despite the fact that I live a mile from the BC football stadium, they ain’t ever gonna compete for anything bigger than a Meineke Car Care Bowl trophy. Enter Chip Kelly in 2009 who was running his team like I ran my Madden franchise in college. 90+ plays a game, HB screens all day, 5 wide receiver bubble screens, mobile QB, speed, speed, speed. And. The. Jerseys.
For a free agent college football fan I was sold, which explains the bright yellow Mariota jersey hanging in my closet.
The Pats pulled out the 38-31 victory in Chicago yesterday, but that was only after the Bears put up a great fight and almost came through with a miracle play at the very last possible moment.
The game ended up being a lot more high-scoring than I anticipated, but it was almost just as close. While they were able to contain most of the Bears’ weapons throughout much of the day, Mitchell Trubisky did post over 400 yards of total offense by himself – looking like Michael freakin’ Vick in his prime at times – and the defense allowed a lot of yards over the middle of the field.
Overall, though, it was a good performance against a still very underrated team. Here are a few postgame tidbits for you to wash down with your Wheaties on this fine Monday morning.
Say It Ain’t So, Sony!
After a string of very impressive performances for the rookie, I cautioned everyone to temper expectations heading into Sunday’s contest against the Bears’ top-10-rated run defense. Michel made me look foolish by ripping off 18 yards on his first carry of the day (although he did only have four yards on three carries after that) before going down with what looked like a gruesome leg injury early in the second quarter. As of early Monday morning, we still don’t know the severity of the injury, but it definitely did not look good, especially for a guy with his injury history. More to come on this story, which should be expected after he undergoes an MRI at some point today.
(MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: So we still don’t officially know the final ruling on the injury, but we did get this from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday:
Sources: #Patriots RB Sony Michel’s knee injury is not considered serious following his MRI. His timetable isn’t clear, but this is pretty good news for their impressive rookie runner. He still could miss time, but if he does, it may not be much.
There’s speculation it could be an MCL sprain, but thankfully NOT a tear. We probably won’t know much more until the Pats are forced to release injury updates later on in the week. For now, Pats Nation will hold its collective breath.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Schefty coming in hot with a bit more details later on in the afternoon:
MRI on Patriots’ RB Sony Michel revealed no structural damage, per source. Michel will be considered week to week, per source. Best-case scenario for Michel and Patriots.
The Pats offensive line has been phenomenal all season long, and they continued their excellent performance in the Windy City on Sunday. Although Khalil Mack was playing at less than 100 percent, they still only allowed just one sack on the day (which, by the way, Pro Football Focus blamed on a broken screen play as opposed to any particular lineman’s error [h/t NESN.com]). Shaq Mason, especially, has been playing at an elite level, and he’s certainly proving that he’s worthy of that $50 million extension he signed this offseason. If the line can play this well against one of the league’s premier defensive units, that bodes well for the durability of our elder statesman at quarterback. Big round of applause to the entire offensive line. Just a helluva job all around.
The big fella’s been one of the game’s elite so far in 2018.
Pass-Rush Continues to Improve
OK. OK. So maybe my article from a few weeks ago was a tiny bit Chicken Little-ish. While I’m certainly not going to go so far as to say the Pats have a “great” pass-rush, by any means, it’s definitely not “bad.” The team finished with two sacks in total, but were also credited with 13 hurries and three other QB hits. Adrian Clayborn finally got in on the action with his first takedown of the year, and Kyle Van Noy – while perhaps a bit lacking in terms of coverage yesterday – was able to pin his ears and get in Trubisky’s face with five pressures on the day. The team probably could have had more sacks were it not for Trubisky’s surprising elusiveness (he ran for 81 yards on the day, including this absolutely ridiculous touchdown run). Overall, I’m happy with what I’ve seen from the defensive front past two weeks.
Deatrich Wise continued his strong season yesterday with yet another QB takedown.
Other quick hits:
Josh Gordon continues to prove his worth, playing on 95 percent of the snaps and hauling in four big catches for 100 yards on the day. A few of the catches came at key, momentum-changing moments of the game, and there’s no doubt that he’s become one of Brady’s favorite weapons that he’s had in quite some time. As Julian Edelman said this weekend: “THANK YOU, CLEVELAND!!!”
Cordarrelle Patterson may not be making as much of an impact in the receiving game as many hoped he would, but his impressive 95-yard kickoff return for a score yesterday showed just how impactful he can be in other areas of the game. That vicious jump cut he made just before breaking loose literally made me go “WOOOO,” and he then continued to look like a barreling freight train the rest of the way to pay dirt. That play was the sixth kickoff return TD of his career, tied for third all time and just two behind all-time leaders Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington.
Preseason standout J.C. Jackson saw by far his most action of the season so far, playing on 38 percent of the team’s snaps. He rewarded the team for their confidence in him with a diving interception, and we could soon be seeing a lot more of out of the rookie cornerback from Maryland. Kudos, kid!
Next up is what should be an absolute cupcake of a matchup against the Buffalo Bills (sorry, Papa Giorgio) next Monday night in Foxborough. Be sure to check in on Thursday for the game preview!
ESPN – Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth, who in 2001 was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder of his pregnant girlfriend, was released just after 8 a.m. ET on Monday from the Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina.
I saw this just now and felt both chilled to the core and very, very old. Rae Carruth, former 1st Round pick of the Carolina Panthers, was arrested, and eventually imprisoned, for his crimes when I was ten. I remember it quite clearly. Why? Because it was my introduction to the fact that pro athletes, the superheroes I looked up to because they made a living playing the same games I did at recess, could be just as profoundly evil and shitty as the next guy. Oklahoma City had happened five years earlier and I remember thinking “makes sense this guy is a lunatic.” But an NFL player? A jubilant, touchdown celebrating, deer-fast adonis of a fan? It just wasn’t supposed to happen.
The details are gory and grim but important. For those who don’t know, Carruth’s career, in its third season in 1999, was not going so well. He had knocked up a hard working recent (two or three years?) college graduate named Cherica Adams and was terrified of running out of money if the end of his career was near. So he paid some friend to take her out. One car pulled up in front of her, making her stop, one pulled up alongside her and shot her, four times. She was eight months pregnant and died a month later. The kid, a son named Chancellor, somehow survived and is now 18 years old, having been raised by Adams’ mother. He has Cerebral Palsy among a list of other maladies from the trauma he experienced.
Now Rae Carruth, a little under 20 years later, is free, walking the streets. I’m sure he is on parole and has constraints and conditions but he’s free, and alive. It just doesn’t seem fair. I’m usually someone who believes everyone deserves a second chance but this just doesn’t seem right. If you think about it how would Carruth have to do, what kind of penance would he have to deliver in order for him to make up for this? He’s only 44, still a young man by most standards, but does he even have enough time to make up for this?
Three-straight wins have fans throughout Pats Nation flying high right now. Especially after beating the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, many might believe that this week’s opponent, the Chicago Bears, should be an absolute cake walk.
However, hubris can often taint reality, and the 3-2 Monsters of the Midway certainly ain’t no slouches. (And truthfully, they should be 4-1 after blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead on Sunday, ultimately losing in overtime to BROCK FREAKIN’ OSWEILER and the Miami Dolphins.)
As always, here’s a quick look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:
As I said, the Bears are no longer a pushover after four-straight years which saw them win no more than six games in a season – including a really rough 3-13 performance in 2016. In fact, many people, including myself, had them as one of the top sleeper teams for 2018.
Even before acquiring super human/mutant freak talent Khalil Mack from the Oakland Raiders just days before the season began, the Bears were already pretty solid on the defensive side of the ball. Though they finished with a 5-11 record last year, Chicago still had the league’s 10th-ranked defense and posted 42 sacks, which tied for seventh in the league. Adding Mack to the unit has vaulted them up to third in the league through five games in 2018 (they had a bye in Week 5), and their 18 sacks are good for fifth in the league. They’re also tied for second in the league in interceptions. So let’s just say Brady and the boys may not have as easy of a time moving the ball in the Windy City this weekend as they have the past couple of weeks.
Mack is one of those guy’s truly deserving of being called a “generational” talent. The man is an absolute freak of nature.
(Side note: Mack injured his ankle early on in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins. He finished the contest but wasn’t quite as effective as the game wore on. Per the team’s website, he’s considered day-to-day and is expected to play, but perhaps he won’t be as much of a force as he typically is.)
The Bears are very talented on offense as well, and the entire unit has been opened up this year with first-year head coach Matt Nagy, an offensive whiz who helped Andy Reid run the show in Kansas City for the past two seasons. Not only has he helped fuel quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s development tremendously, but his scheme allows for multiple guys to be involved each week, so it’s not like Belichick can simply hone in on taking away the opponent’s top weapon like he usually does.
Allen Robinson – just three year’s removed from a 1,400-yard season in Jacksonville – leads the way for the receiving corps. Speedster Taylor Gabriel has really come on lately as well, posting two-straight 100-yard performances and proving that he’s not simply just the gadget, change-of-pace player he was before coming to Chicago this season. His 27 receptions in 2018 are just nine short of his career high, which is a mark he should easily surpass within the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.
Speed has hurt the Pats this year, and Gabriel has PLENTY of it.
Also, tight end Trey Burton is an athletic piece who came over from Philly this offseason. While his 15 catches at this point are perhaps a little less than some anticipated, he’s still averaging over 13 yards per grab and can hurt you if you’re not careful. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen form a nice thunder-and-lighting combo out of the backfield as well, with the former being more of a grinder and Cohen being the electric, do-it-all wildcard who’s totaled 295 yards (!) of offense over the last two games.
(FIRE FLAMESALERT 🔥🔥🔥: Cohen is going to go bananas in this game. Again, not only has the guy compiled almost 300 yards of offense on just 32 touches the past two games – averaging out to 9.2 yards per touch – but only four teams have given up more receiving yards to opposing running backs this season than the Pats (349). Everyone thought Howard was going to be the No. 1 guy in the offense for the Bears this year – much to the chagrin of his fantasy owners, which includes yours truly – but Cohen is looking like he might take the job from him outright.)
He might be little (5’6″, 179 pounds), but don’t let his size fool you; the kid is a baller.
Back to Trubisky. After a pretty lackluster showing through 12 games as a rookie last year – a year in which he completed just 59 percent of his passes for 2,193 yards with seven scores and seven picks – he’s made quite the leap so far in 2018. Not only is he completing a very healthy 70 percent of his tosses, but his 11-to-4 TD-to-INT ratio is also pretty solid. He also threw SIX touchdowns in Week 4 against Tampa Bay. (To be fair, I think I could probably get at least one or two against the Bucs this season, as their defense is simply atrocious. But what Trubisky did is still impressive nonetheless.) And he’s averaged over 32 yards a game on the ground this season, with 100 rushing yards over the past two games alone, so he can get it done with his legs as well.
Mitchy’s looking like he might be worth that high draft price after all.
This team is extremely balanced, and they’ve got enough on both sides of the ball to keep up with the Pats in this one.
Storylines
(Continue to Keep Brady Clean): The Pats have done a very nice job of protecting Brady so far this year, surrendering just eight sacks in total so far. Considering they’ve faced the likes of Houston, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis – all teams with 15-plus sacks already – that is extremely impressive. Add in the fact that Tommy Boy is no spring chicken and may not be quite as nimble as he once was, and it’s definitely a stat the O-lineman can hang their hats on. As mentioned above, the Bears are tied for fifth in the league with 18 QB takedowns this year, and Mack is an absolute demon to be reckoned with (although his ankle could slow him down a bit this week). Trent Brown and the rest of the boys up front should have their hands full again in this one.
(Michel and White to Face First Real Test): The Bears are the first top-10 run defense that Pats rookie Sony Michel will face this year, as he didn’t play in the team’s season-opener against the Texans, and they’ll be just the second for James White. Michel’s tough running style should allow him to at least grind out the clock if the Pats have the lead and maybe get a goal line score, but don’t expect much from White on Sunday. Not only do I expect White’s ball-carrying opportunities to be scaled back this week, but the Bears also only allow 25.6 receiving yards out of the backfield per game. The Bears also haven’t allowed even one rushing touchdown so far this season. Brady’s going to need to get it done through the air this week.
Love ya, James, but I don’t think this is gonna be your week, bud.
Prediction
Both teams get off to a slow start, with each of them only scoring around 10 points by halftime. Due to the physical, old-school nature of the game, the defense wears down a bit on each side in the second half. This will allow for a couple nice drives from the Pats and one or two big plays from the Bears (see: Gabriel, Taylor and Cohen, Tarik) later in the game. In the end, this one will be close, with the Pats eeking out a 24-20 victory.
Earlier this morning, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham tweeted out that ever since both the Rams and Chargers moved to Los Angeles before the 2016 season, the latter just hasn’t been received quite as well as the former:
A major discussion topic among NFL owners/executives at this week’s league meetings is the Chargers’ viability in LA. PSL sales have been a struggle and team is expected to revise its Inglewood revenue goals sharply to a more realistic number: $400m to around $150m, per sources
This should not come as a shock to anyone. The Chargers already had a hard enough time filling the seats when they were in San Diego, but the NFL thought it was a brilliant idea to have them move to another city only to have them compete directly with another NFL franchise for the love and adoration of the local-area fans. OH, and let’s not forget about the fact that neither team even had their own stadium to play in once they arrived.
But the cocky NFL owners went ahead with the move anyway, hoping that the nation’s second-biggest sports market would be able to support two brand-new teams at the very same time.
And again, all of this makes me so happy.
There is no bigger group of ignorant, selfish, overpaid jamokes on the planet than the collective NFL ownership horde. (Actually no, sorry, I think Congress takes the cake on that one. So maybe the NFL owners are second then.) They don’t care two licks about what the fans or players want, and they will not even blink twice before pulling the rug right out from under them, in any situation, if it means beefing up the bottom line. So, to see what looks like such an epic fail – one which is causing them to actually LOSE money – I can’t help feeling overcome with immense joy.
As far as the team goes, it’s really a shame, because they’re actually pretty good, currently sitting second in the AFC West with a 4-2 record. In fact, they were my pick to take the division this year…then Patrick Mahomes came along. Even still, the season’s not over and they’re only one game behind the Chiefs. Worst comes to worst, they should at least win one of the AFC’s wild-card spots.
Unfortunately for them, the other team that plays in town is just too good. The Rams are the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL this season, and it seems as though they’ve already captured La La Land’s heart. While guys like Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon are killing it right now for the Chargers, Rams running back Todd Gurley seems to be the new face of the league along with his talented supporting cast in the league’s No. 1-ranked offense.
What happens next is anyone’s guess. There’s some speculation the Chargers could go back to San Diego like an ex-girlfriend who begs for forgiveness after leaving you for some douchebag that didn’t work out. Maybe they’ll be the guinea pig for the NFL’s pipe dream of having a team over in London. Or maybe they can give Vegas a go with the Raiders!
Regardless of what happens, there’s nothing better than seeing a bunch of NFL owners sitting there with egg all over their face due to their own selfish endeavors.
That, my friends, is what you call “just deserts.”
Welcome back. Let’s first address today’s dedication.
I liked Nathan Peterman coming out of school. Prototypically sized, decent-armed QB from a blue collar school like Pitt. Thought he could be a good spot starter in the NFL, maybe even mold himself into a late blooming starting QB. So far I have been drastically wrong. Not in my evaluation of his talents, no. Take a look at the TD he threw Sunday. Absolute seed. No, the problem with Peterman is he cannot get out of his own way to save his life. If he just “regular sucked”, for lack of better terminology, I think analysts and fans alike would say he has potential. Instead, he throws a stupefying number of pick 6’s. It’s almost a constant at this point. He could go 10-21/200/1 and people would say, “you know what, kid might have something.” But noooope, not Nate, he prefers the 10/21/200/2/4 pick 6’s. Like what the fuck man. JUST STOP IT.
Any way here’s the round up.
Big Z
A play in three acts.
Me with 106 points Sunday at 4.
Me with 111 points and a 17 point lead after Sunday night.
Me after the two-minute warning of the Monday night game when Aaron Rodgers and my undefeated opponent pulled ahead of me for the win.
No bad beats or bad plays this week that will have the league office questioning my competence to run a fantasy football franchise. Just a tough loss to a great team. We’re on to Week 7.
Papa Giorgi
3-0 for the first time since week 1! I’ve never felt more alive. Yeah, my real life QB Josh Allen is dead and the never ending Nathan Peterman experiment rolls on, but at least i’m on my way to making some money. Aaron Rodgers played like an angel last night and I was able to steal the W thanks to a last minute game winning kick by Mason Crosby.
Joey B
Everyone from LA to Boston said Matt Breida wasn’t going to play, so I, much like Mattes and the rest of the “Why The Fuck Did I Pick Jordan Howard” Club, tried to get cute. I took a flier on Alfred Morris for the week. Welp, Breida and some absolute NO NAME played and Morris did not get A. Single. Carry. I got beat. 3-3. I’m not having fun anymore.
Red
So after ripping on Eli Manning all week long for never really being an elite quarterback outside of two hot streaks in years that shant be named, I went against all of my better judgement and started him in fantasy anyways. I was in a bind as my QB was on a bye so it was either Eli, Bortles or Danold. Welp, Eli promptly shit the bed, didn’t throw a touchdown and finished with 11 points. And I STILL WON, mainly because the other guy started the other bum on the waiver wire in Bortles.
Mattes
So, I started Amari Cooper again… I’m now 1-5. I also invested a lot in guys like Jordan Howard, Carlos Hyde, and Keelan Cole. It’s just not working out this year, but at least I traded Antonio Brown for an extra second-round pick next year. This year’s squad is absolute hot garbage, though.
Fortunately, I’m 4-2 in my other league after my opponent started TWO guys who were announced as inactives just before game time. That’s why you always gotta pay attention right up to kickoff, folks. I’ll take the gift, though, and I got both Ingram and Thomas coming back from a bye this week. (Also, how about Sony Michel??!! Kid’s a beasttttt.)
The Patriots remain in a first-place tie with the Miami Dolphins atop the AFC East after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in an intense battle on Sunday night. What a helluva a game it was, too. It truly was a blast from start to finish.
While I may have been off by 10 points on each side, I still pretty much nailed the game script in my preview last week – I said the Pats would win 33-30 on a late field goal; the Pats won 43-40 on a last-second field goal – and nobody should’ve been shocked by the sheer show of offensive force by either side last night.
As Belichick always says, the game wasn’t perfect and there are still some things to work on, but overall I think Pats Nation can feel pretty good about the team’s Week 6 victory. Here are a few other quick takeaways from the game to check out before you get your week started.
Josh Gordon Officially Unleashed
Looking purely at his stat line – five receptions for 42 yards and no scores – you might think using the term “unleashed” is a bit over the top. But when you consider the fact that he led the team with nine targets and played on 81 percent of the team’s snaps, I think it’s safe to say the training wheels have definitely been removed. (As relayed by Fantasy Pros, he also led the team in routes run [35], target share [26%], and air yards share [29%]. The guy could actually be on the verge of EXPLODING.) For someone who many assumed to be a bit volatile between the ears, there should be no doubt about his football I.Q., as he has learned the playbook very quickly and has been receiving quite the praise from teammates and coaches alike. While he’ll continue to have a lot of competition for targets all season long, he’s obviously going to be a big part of this offense moving forward and has pacified any and all fears of him “not fitting in.” This move could turn out to be an absolute steal by the Pats. #FlashGordon
Sony Michel Continues to Impress
The rookie kept on rolling last night, rushing for over 100 yards for the second time in the past three games – in the other game he finished just short of the century mark, with 98 yards – and he is now averaging a healthy 4.4 yards per carry on the season. He was also able to punch the ball in twice on the goal line and picked up some very tough ground in other short-yardage situations, including a big conversion on 3rd-and-1 with just under two minutes to go in the game. In fact, both Brady and Belichick mentioned Michel’s short-yardage prowess in their post-game pressers, with both also alluding to the fact that the team’s previous struggles in this area were a big reason why they lost to Kansas City in last year’s season-opener. Michel, while not nearly as big, is the team’s best power back since LeGarrette Blount, and he runs with a beautiful combination of violence and agility. As long as those balky knees hold up, we might have a freakin’ stud in this kid.
I See You, Pass-Rush
A week ago, I wrote a piece sounding the alarm on the Patriots pass-rush, basically saying there wasn’t one and that we should maybe start worrying about the boys up front on D. However, even though the team finished with no sacks and just three QB hits on Sunday night, much of that had to do with Patrick Mahomes’s mobility and elusiveness, and it was hard not to notice the improved pressure the team was creating. Adrian Clayborn particularly looked great, bull-rushing his way into the backfield on what seemed like every play, especially early on. Trey Flowers had a solid game as well, finishing with a QB hit and seven total tackles, including one for a loss. Besides a few big plays – and I mean BIG plays in which the Chiefs gained a lot of yards – I thought the defense was actually a positive overall last night (yes, even after allowing 40 points).
So, again, there’s certainly a lot to be happy about from Sunday night, and the Pats proved that they’re at least still one of the AFC’s top contenders, if not the entire NFL. Next up is a matchup with the 3-2 Chicago Bears next Sunday at Soldier Field, and as always be sure to check back in with The 300s on Thursday for the game preview.
When I was in Buffalo last week I half kidding, but half seriously complained to the surrounding Bills fans about how many night games the Patriots are forced to play only to be met by mocking groans.
Yes, only the best of the best consistently play primetime games, but I am also completely and utterly washed so staying up until midnight on a Sunday night is a feat of strength in itself.
If not for pure and unadulterated content like this I never would have made it:
The Red Sox won Game 2 of the ALCS and David Price did not completely implode last night, which was moderately encouraging to see. He did not however pitch all that well and left the game in the 4th inning so he technically was not eligible for his first postseason win. Leaving the game after 4 2/3 IP having given up 4 runs with 2 men on, Price was greeted to a standing ovation by the Fenway faithful. I’m sorry, but the people have gone soft. After Price gave up a 2-run HR moonshot to Marwin Gonzalez in the 3rd inning I honestly just felt bad for the guy. He wasn’t pitching well, he keeps stumbling in the playoffs, and just looks like he wants to go home. So it is with no malice in my heart when I say this, but a standing ovation for 4.2 IP and 4 earned runs? Ridiculous.
Now the real shame of last night was while the Red Sox were slugging it out for American League supremacy, the Patriots were playing one of the most hyped games of the season against the electric Kansas City Chiefs and I was physically unable to watch both. I was far too lazy to drag out a second TV and reorganize all the cable boxes for 3 hours of entertainment. That would have meant having to rearrange everything afterwards. Pass.
So I was just flipping back and forth and was able to watch the last 3 minutes of the Pats game as they showed why they are the modern day dynasty with a crazy last second comeback. However, I woke up this morning with an excruciating pang of FOMO. Patriots 43 Chiefs 40 with a game winning field goal as time expired. And I watched about 10 minutes of the entire thing. Now I have to try and track down one of those 2 hour reruns of the game on NFL Network or something so I can feel whole again.
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The 300s 