The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About Week 5 of the 2018 NFL Season 2018-10-09T14:47:30-04:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/177001572018-10-09T14:47:30-04:002018-10-09T14:47:30-04:00Lombardi’s Week 5 Reactions
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<p>Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier talk Drew Brees on ‘Monday Night Football’ and standouts from Week 5</p> <p id="Jb0iqQ"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show/episodes/04232c73-19f0-4095-9f72-cd53ae6215b3">Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier discuss</a> a memorable night for Drew Brees and the Saints on <em>Monday Night Football</em> and standouts from Week 5 before giving out their weekly awards.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2018/10/9/17956880/lombardi-week-5-reactions-drew-breesMichael LombardiTate Frazier2018-10-08T20:32:15-04:002018-10-08T20:32:15-04:00The Passing Boom and Week 6 Waiver Watch
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<figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Dannys share Week 5 waiver picks and discuss the recent passing boom</p> <div id="tIUi6Q"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/0iOgxjmlmZlDbeEqk52xR7" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="UL5EOu"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show/episodes/6d3e5cc6-a95a-4489-8216-9152f61d41a4"><em>The Ringer</em>’s Danny Heifetz and Danny Kelly</a> offer their initial advice after Week 5 (1:00), list the top guys to grab off waivers heading into Week 6 (13:00), and make sense of the passing boom of 2018 and how it will affect the players on your fantasy team (22:30).</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2018/10/8/17953702/the-passing-boom-and-week-6-waiver-watchDanny KellyDanny Heifetz2018-10-08T17:30:24-04:002018-10-08T17:30:24-04:00The Starting 11: The Chiefs Look Unstoppable. Blake Bortles Does Not.
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<p>As Kansas City continued its meteoric rise, Jacksonville played like it’s 2016 all over again. Plus, the Eagles, Titans, and Ravens showed that they’re far from flawless.</p> <aside id="5fhPLX"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 5 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/4/17936116/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-5-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="IqbIzv"><em>Welcome to the Starting 11. This NFL season, we’ll be collecting the biggest story lines, highlighting the standout players, and featuring the most jaw-dropping feats of the week. Let’s dive in:</em></p>
<p id="osOB4u">Week 5 was rough for a host of teams that, to this point, had looked like legitimate playoff contenders. While the top team in each conference kept rolling, some squads that had been early-season surprises fell back to earth. So for this week’s Starting 11, let’s take a look at some of the weekend’s notable outcomes and discern what they mean moving forward: </p>
<p id="qNYscg"><strong>1. In hanging 30 points on the Jaguars, the Chiefs proved they can move the ball against anyone. </strong>Kansas City’s point total was inflated a bit thanks to defensive lineman Chris Jones’s pick-six on a … let’s say “ill-advised” throw by Blake Bortles, but even with only 23 points from the team’s high-powered offense, Patrick Mahomes II and Co. looked impressive in their 30-14 win over the league’s best pass defense. Kansas City’s opening drive—which ended in a touchdown—was frighteningly easy, and the connection between Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce (five catches for 100 yards) only seems to be getting stronger. If Andy Reid’s offense can look like <em>that </em>against the Jags, other defenses don’t stand much of a chance. </p>
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<p id="nvhJXh">The Chiefs offense is so powerful that every drive from the opposing offense that doesn’t end with points feels back-breaking. Kansas City only needs its defense to make a few scattered plays and cause a turnover or two for this team to have breathing room every week. And on Sunday, with pass rusher Dee Ford consistently getting pressure on Bortles during an awful day for the Jags quarterback (33-for-61 passing with four interceptions), the Chiefs’ winning formula was on full display. </p>
<p id="uG5Pdr"><strong>2. Performances like the one Bortles had on Sunday were the Jaguars’ worst nightmare heading into this season. </strong>Jacksonville’s decision to give Bortles a contract extension this offseason was understandable—Bortles likely wouldn’t have passed a physical in mid-March, and because fifth-year options are fully guaranteed in cases of injury, Jacksonville would’ve owed him $19 million—but it didn’t come without risk. To avoid having such a huge cap hit for a middling quarterback, Jacksonville gave Bortles an extension that dropped his 2018 cap figure to $10 million. Theoretically, this was supposed to help the Jags by giving them more wiggle room this season, which they could use to supplement other areas of the roster and keep their title window propped open a bit longer. </p>
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<p id="Z1JbAU">The issue, though, is that Jacksonville spent that extra money poorly. The Jags made Andrew Norwell the highest-paid guard in football with a five-year, $66.5 million deal. Adding Norwell was supposed to give the offensive line a jolt of physicality and boost the team’s run-heavy approach. Instead, former fourth overall pick Leonard Fournette has spent the majority of the season sidelined with a hamstring injury, and the more the Jaguars offense strays from the conservative tendencies it has with Fournette on the field, the better it looks. One of Jacksonville’s other free-agent splurges was a one-year, $9.6 million deal for wide receiver Donte Moncrief. In four years with the Colts, Moncrief never topped 733 yards in a season. Through five games in Jacksonville, he has 18 catches for 249 yards, which puts him on pace for about 797 yards over 16 games. Hey, at least that’s more than 733! </p>
<p id="qG0kqb">It’s fitting that Moncrief’s cap hit this season almost equals the amount of money Jacksonville saved by extending Bortles. Financial flexibility is important in the NFL, but it’s more important to use that flexibility in a prudent way. Lowering Bortles’s cap figure for 2018 also meant committing to him for 2019. If the Jags cut Bortles before next season, the move will cost them $16.5 million in dead money. Because $6.5 million of that comes with offsets, the dead money number would be lower if another team were to sign him, but at the very least, Jacksonville would be looking at a cap charge of $10 million if it was to move on. That’s a hefty hit for a team that’s <em>already </em>projected to be over the cap in 2019. Instead of signing Moncrief for $9.6 million (when the team already had Marqise Lee, Keelan Cole, and Dede Westbrook in the fold), maybe the Jags could have taken a run at Teddy Bridgewater. Or at least picked up the phone when it became clear that Bridgewater was available via trade in August. Instead, Jacksonville added no competition to its QB room and decided to roll with Bortles yet again. We’ll have to see whether that ruins their title chances yet again, but Sunday’s showing was a reminder of just <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/7/17949004/blake-bortles-jacksonville-jaguars-kansas-city-chiefs">how crippling Bad Blake can be</a>. </p>
<p id="giyTkW"><strong>3. Following their 23-21 loss to the Vikings, the Eagles are 2-3, and it looks like Carson Wentz may need some time to find his old form. </strong>Wentz threw for more than 300 yards on the day, but a huge chunk of that production came late in the game with Philadelphia trailing. In the first half, the Eagles gained a total of 81 yards on six drives and failed to sustain much offense. Wentz still looked a bit off in his third game back after returning from a brutal knee injury, and even though the Eagles receivers had a couple of critical drops on Sunday, that wasn’t an epidemic like it was against Tennessee last week. The slow start on offense even led running back Jay Ajayi to <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24930618/jay-ajayi-questions-eagles-lack-running-game-loss">openly question</a> head coach Doug Pederson’s first-half play-calling after the game. My, how quickly things can change. </p>
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<p id="8kBhPM">On the other side of the ball, the Eagles showed how quickly their defense can get into trouble when the front four doesn’t control the game. Even with Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox collapsing pockets and getting after Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, Minnesota’s receivers (combined with another excellent outing from Cousins) were enough to produce consistent offense. Philadelphia’s cornerbacks continue to struggle, and the gap between them and the Vikings’ pair of star receivers was apparent on Sunday. It’s possible that with more time, Wentz turns into the player he was during his MVP-caliber campaign in 2017, but that may not happen this season.</p>
<p id="YBhYJY"><strong>4. Every time I try to get excited about the Titans, they give me another reason to doubt them. </strong>One week after Tennessee’s offense had a breakout performance in the team’s 26-23 OT win over the Eagles, the Titans laid an egg in a 13-12 loss to the Bills. A fourth-quarter drop by wide receiver Nick Williams was devastating to the Titans, but Marcus Mariota and the offense did not look crisp for much of the game. Tennessee lost a pair of fumbles and Mariota was intercepted on a throw over the middle of the field in the second quarter, but the team’s turnovers weren’t just a result of poor ball security. On a third-and-3 from the Bills 7-yard line late in the first quarter, Mariota chucked a ball up for grabs near the right sideline and was nearly picked off. That throw was just one of many moments in which Tennessee’s third-down offense looked horrendous in Buffalo territory. Mariota took two third-down sacks on the edge of field goal range, forcing kicker Ryan Succop to drill 54- and 50-yard field goals to keep the game close. So while the drop from Williams may have ultimately swung the result, this game actually could have gone much worse for Tennessee.</p>
<p id="pxsCdG"><strong>5. The Ravens offense had been a pleasant surprise for the first four weeks of the season, but it fell flat in a 12-9 loss to the Browns on Sunday. </strong>A couple of costly turnovers ended up sabotaging the Ravens’ chances, but even when they weren’t turning the ball over, Joe Flacco and the offense looked out of sync. Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward was <em>everywhere</em>—he jarred the ball loose from Michael Crabtree on third-and-7 to end Baltimore’s first drive, recorded multiple pass breakups, and picked off Flacco near the goal line to prevent a touchdown in the second quarter. Baltimore’s defense played well enough to win, but uneven play on offense could limit this team’s ceiling.</p>
<p id="tKW4na"><strong>6. Both the Bengals and the Steelers turned in strong outings on Sunday, and with the frisky Browns in the mix, the AFC North looks like it might be the best division in football.</strong> Cincinnati’s offense continues to impress in big moments, as it did in Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Dolphins. Andy Dalton’s final stat line might not be eye-popping (20-of-30 passing, 248 yards, a touchdown, and an interception), but he made a number of impressive throws under duress. His 18-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon came with a defensive lineman draped all over him, and he made a few accurate third-down throws to A.J. Green while avoiding pressure. The Dalton-Green connection has never looked better than it does this year. Green is currently on pace for 1,309 yards and 16 touchdown receptions, and the strength of that pairing has fueled a unit that currently ranks fifth in offensive DVOA. Even after a slow start, the Bengals’ late-game flurry of points, combined with a huge performance from their defensive front, was enough to topple the Dolphins. Watching Geno Atkins and Carl Lawson rush the passer is a treat for anyone who loves the nuances of defensive line play. </p>
<p id="4JbbN8">Pittsburgh’s 41-17 win over Atlanta, meanwhile, showed how potent this team can be despite its deficiencies. The Steelers’ pass rush tormented Matt Ryan on Sunday. T.J. Watt led the way with three sacks, but everyone was getting in on the action. Ryan was hit 11 times in all, and the constant barrage kept the Falcons from finding any rhythm on offense. The opposite was true for Atlanta’s pass rush going up against the Steelers offensive line. Pittsburgh stonewalled a lagging Falcons front four, and it allowed the offense to go to work on the ground and through the air. Running back James Conner had a huge day (21 carries for 110 yards and two scores) and Antonio Brown reminded everyone just how ridiculous he really is. When Ben Roethlisberger is given time in the pocket, this offense simply has too much talent to be contained. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Got to line up 20 yards off AB if you want to stop a fade <a href="https://twitter.com/AB84?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AB84</a> <a href="https://t.co/9XecXP1Ptu">pic.twitter.com/9XecXP1Ptu</a></p>— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) <a href="https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1049021971076472832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="OPOJxp"><strong>7. After losing to the Steelers, the Falcons are now 1-4, and it’s time to start thinking about Atlanta’s offseason plan. </strong>The Falcons defense didn’t stand much of a chance this year after linebacker Deion Jones and starting safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen all went down with long-term or season-ending injuries. The burden that the Falcons scheme puts on Jones makes him as valuable as any inside linebacker in the league, and this group has looked like a mess without him in the middle. All three should return healthy next season, but even that won’t be enough to fix Atlanta’s defensive woes. The secondary should be set with 2018 second-round pick Isaiah Oliver getting into the mix with entrenched starters Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford, but this team needs to address its issues up front. Through five games, edge rusher Vic Beasley has one sack and two quarterback hits ... <em>total</em> (according to Pro Football Focus). Second-year pass rusher Takkarist McKinley has been more effective in getting to the quarterback (five sacks), but Atlanta has to be upset about its lack of dominance up front, considering how many high-end assets the team has used to kick-start the pass rush. Despite having two first-round picks at defensive end, the Falcons currently rank 27th in adjusted sack rate. </p>
<p id="N7jvtA">Atlanta picked up Beasley’s fifth-year option this spring, so he’ll likely be around in 2019 at the unfortunate price of $12.8 million, but I wouldn’t be surprised if next year were his last in Atlanta. Despite the talent level the Falcons have on offense, their defense is porous enough to give them a chance at a top-5 pick in next year’s draft. If Atlanta can land a game-changing defensive talent that way, the team could be back in contention as early as next season. The offense continues to move the ball effectively (despite the line’s off day against Pittsburgh), and nearly every major piece of that unit is under team control for years to come. Running back Tevin Coleman may walk in free agency (you can’t keep <em>everybody</em>), but with the right offseason, there’s still enough time for Atlanta to take advantage of its young, cheap defense. Next season is the final year of Jones’s rookie contract, and the Falcons better make it count. </p>
<p id="lSYsko"><strong>8. I’m just going to start reserving a weekly spot here for Kenny Golladay. I mean … holy shit. </strong></p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">My word <a href="https://t.co/yxdPnrc5Sf">pic.twitter.com/yxdPnrc5Sf</a></p>— Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArifHasanNFL/status/1048991477324378112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="scDlja"><strong>9. This week in </strong><em><strong>tales of the tape</strong></em><strong>:</strong><em><strong> </strong></em><strong>I yelped when I saw this Travis Kelce catch live.</strong> Telvin Smith is one of the best linebackers in football. Kelce <em>roasts </em>him on this route. Watch how the Chiefs couple a pair of vertical routes out of an empty formation on either side of him so Kelce can work underneath. Andy Reid does a fantastic job of scheming Kelce into space, and when he’s able to attack a linebacker with that much room, it doesn’t matter who that linebacker is. </p>
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<p id="8g6jJ9"><strong>10. This week’s </strong><em><strong>line-play moment that made me hit rewind</strong></em><strong>: T.J. Watt had himself a day against the Falcons on Sunday.</strong> Watt tends to rely on his explosiveness and change-of-direction ability to clean up sacks late in plays, but his final sack of the day—one that led to a defensive touchdown—required a nice inside-out move that Watt finished off with a great rip move to bend the corner. </p>
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<p id="AajnXX"><strong>11. This week in </strong><em><strong>NFL players, they’re absolutely nothing like us</strong></em><strong>: Saquon Barkley cannot be from this planet. </strong></p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/saquon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SAQUON</a>! He's IN for the TD and the <a href="https://twitter.com/Giants?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@giants</a> take the lead in Carolina.<br><br> : FOX <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GiantsPride?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GiantsPride</a> <a href="https://t.co/syYxkP8SdG">pic.twitter.com/syYxkP8SdG</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1049031306925862912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/8/17952808/the-starting-11-week-5-contenders-pretenders-chiefs-jaguars-eaglesRobert Mays2018-10-08T11:59:08-04:002018-10-08T11:59:08-04:00The Packers Can’t Let Mike McCarthy Keep Wasting Aaron Rodgers
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<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
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<p>R-E-L-A-X? Fat chance. Green Bay has long allowed its transcendent QB to mask its deficiencies elsewhere. But this year even Rodgers may not be enough to save his head coach’s job.</p> <aside id="wyPcab"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 5 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/4/17936116/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-5-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p class="p--has-dropcap" id="w3g26j">“Aaron Rodgers has played in only one Super Bowl.” It’s a common refrain about the Packers quarterback, and it means different things to different people. To some, it’s proof that, while talented, Rodgers doesn’t belong in the conversation with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as the best passers of this generation. To others, though, Green Bay’s recent lack of championship success is an indictment of the front office and head coach Mike McCarthy, who’s been in place for Rodgers’s 11-year tenure as the team’s starter. </p>
<p id="vWdR7A">Rodgers is 34 years old, and in August the Packers signed him to the richest contract in NFL history, a four-year, $134 million deal that will presumably be his last in Green Bay. The expectation with a deal of that magnitude is that Rodgers would just continue to lift the Packers to the postseason by virtue of little more than his own singular greatness. But following Sunday’s ugly 31-23 loss to the Lions, Rodgers and the Pack are now 2-2-1, and their once-dominant offense looks dormant. As Rodgers and McCarthy continue their slog through another potentially underwhelming season, it’s become impossible to ignore the crime against football that’s been perpetrated in Wisconsin over the past half-decade: The Packers have squandered the prime of the most gifted quarterback of the past 25 years. </p>
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<cite>Gregory Shamus/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="ljZiiB">Rodgers has done his best to explain away recent comments that could be construed as shots against McCarthy and his staff, but it’s obvious that he’s frustrated with the state of the offense. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/aaron-rodgers-frustrated-with-state-of-packers-offense-tensions-with-staff-mounting/">reported Sunday night</a> that tensions have started to mount in Green Bay. Rodgers apparently didn’t appreciate his position coach and confidant Alex Van Pelt becoming a scapegoat for the offense’s struggles last season (Van Pelt, along with several other offensive assistants, was let go in January), and he didn’t enjoy seeing his friend Jordy Nelson get unceremoniously shown the door this past spring. Allowing a QB to dictate a franchise’s decisions is dicey territory, but there are plenty of areas where Rodgers’s dissatisfaction is more than warranted.</p>
<p id="o0Qot1">McCarthy made a big show this offseason of saying the offensive scheme would see sweeping changes in 2018. “Everything was open for discussion: every definition, every formation,” McCarthy <a href="https://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/dougherty/2018/04/07/dougherty-mike-mccarthy-taking-packers-playbook-back-page-1/494229002/">said</a> at the NFL owners meeting this spring. “So we’ve taken a scrub-brush approach to the whole system, whether we’re talking about formation, defensive identification, at the line putting the ball in play, all those different areas that you tend to gloss over year to year, particularly when you’re in the same offense for so long.” And then, while crowing about how the team was turning over a new leaf on that side of the ball, McCarthy reclaimed play-caller duties and brought back Joe Philbin, who was with the team from 2003 to 2011, as the offensive coordinator—decisions that certainly didn’t indicate the dawn of a new era. </p>
<p id="zOLGi5">And nothing has changed. The offense has stagnated through five games this season, averaging just 23 points per game and showing little schematic creativity in the process, and Rodgers has more than enough reasons to be miffed. Late last month, Rodgers openly lobbied for running back Aaron Jones to get more carries (Jones is currently averaging 6.1 yards per carry). A couple of weeks later, Jones was out-snapped by Jamaal Williams <em>and </em>Ty Montgomery. Some of that had to do with a pass-happy game script, but save the argument that Williams is such a great pass protector that it’s impossible to keep him off the field. Playing Williams over Jones because he’s superior in pass protection is akin to going to a Michelin-star restaurant because you like the mints in the bathroom. Even if it’s not intentional, it sure feels like McCarthy is antagonizing one of the best quarterbacks ever for no reason—and to his own detriment. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="qLNcnZ"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Winners and Losers From NFL Week 5","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/8/17950200/the-winners-and-losers-from-nfl-week-5"},{"title":"The Seven Plays That Explain NFL Week 5","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/8/17950494/game-changing-players-week-5-kansas-city-chiefs-sam-darnold-kirk-cousins"},{"title":"NFL Quarter-Season Power Rankings: The Rams Are Still the Best Team in Football","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/5/17941058/nfl-quarter-season-power-rankings"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="2Zkeb0">How the Packers devolved into <em>this </em>is a complicated and multifaceted story. Ted Thompson, the former Packers GM who was transitioned out of the role in January, and his staff refused to supplement the roster with free agents, even as teams like the Seahawks and Broncos showed that that strategy could lead to Super Bowl victories in the modern NFL. The leaguewide desire to stockpile cheap rookie contracts created a pool of valuable middle class players, which the Packers decided to completely ignore. They’ve loosened the purse strings slightly in recent years, especially this past offseason, but on the rare occasions that they have splurged on outside talent, the results have been underwhelming. As Rodgers watches tight end Jimmy Graham—and his $11 million guaranteed—plod around the field, he’s probably wondering, “Why couldn’t we keep Jordy, again?” </p>
<p id="PVWf4q">Still, the combination of Rodgers and excellent drafting had been enough to keep Green Bay’s offense near the top of the league—even though the defense hasn’t held up its end of the bargain. Recently, though, Rodgers’s unit has taken a drastic fall from the scoreboard-exploding groups the Packers have fielded in years past. While creativity and ingenuity have started driving the best offenses in the NFL, neither of those can be found in Green Bay’s approach. A scheme that demands its receivers rely solely on their own ability to get open can work when the receivers are overly talented, but aside from Davante Adams, this group isn’t. And as Sean McVay and Andy Reid scheme wide-open throws into existence for Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes II, respectively, Rodgers is forced to conjure his own miracles. Reid is six years McCarthy’s senior. He’s been a head coach in the NFL for seven more seasons. This isn’t a matter of age or a veteran coach getting left behind in the advent of new systems. Reid has made tireless efforts to stave off extinction and remain on the cutting edge of play design in the NFL. McCarthy has not. </p>
<p id="mGufjP">The Packers’ static approach has become even more frustrating as innovative coaches around the league turn over every rock in the football world, trying to find new ways to make the game easier on their players. Many of Reid’s more forward-thinking concepts are pulled straight from college football, and if the Packers truly want to get as far from McCarthy philosophically as they can, college might be the place to look. The thought of Rodgers playing in an offense devised by Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is genuinely terrifying. </p>
<div class="c-float-left"><div id="35odYb"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/4C57pYFPXcpE4UJ4cs2fhs" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="MIjKMU">At this point the concern is whether McCarthy and Rodgers can “coexist” in Green Bay, but it’s not entirely clear why they have to. As Rodgers barrels toward his late 30s, every lost season—hell, every lost <em>game</em>—is that much more distressing, and McCarthy has gotten his fair share of chances to right the ship. Firing a head coach means that plenty of others lose their jobs and get uprooted. It’s never an easy choice, but in the Packers’ case, it might be the only way out of this swoon. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="hyr4SE">Rebuilding your front office, staff, and playbook doesn’t matter when the guiding force and overarching philosophy don’t change, too. With McCarthy at the helm this season, the Packers offense looks just as stale and broken as it has over the past few years. In seasons past, that hasn’t mattered: Rodgers rose from the ashes, strapped the Packers offense to his back, and soared into the postseason. But it just shouldn’t have to be that hard. Sure, if Mason Crosby makes a couple of field goals Sunday, the Packers likely beat the Lions, and the systemic issues get downplayed for another week. But watching an offense led by Rodgers shouldn’t be a chore. Proclamations about <a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/226627/aaron-rodgers-and-his-run-the-table-guarantee-could-join-nfl-lore">“running the table”</a> and decrees to <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/11576354/aaron-rodgers-tells-panicking-green-bay-packers-fans-relax">“relax”</a> shouldn’t be necessary in the first place. Every time Rodgers carries Green Bay to another winning season, the rotting foundation of the Packers offense is forgotten. But that doesn’t mean it’s stopped deteriorating. And maybe this is the year when the situation becomes just dire enough to inspire real change. </p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/8/17951344/green-bay-packers-mike-mccarthy-aaron-rodgersRobert Mays2018-10-08T09:53:11-04:002018-10-08T09:53:11-04:00The Seven Plays That Explain NFL Week 5
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<p>The Chiefs defense didn’t get carved up for once, Sam Darnold dropped some dimes, and Kenny Golladay looks like a discount Megatron</p> <aside id="1KUcLm"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 5 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/4/17936116/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-5-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p class="p--has-dropcap" id="Y3HExM">Another wild NFL Sunday is in the books. Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes to lead the Steelers to a blowout win over the Falcons. The Chiefs defense <em>finally</em> stood up in a victory over the Jaguars. The Bengals came back to beat the Dolphins, the Browns edged the Ravens in overtime, and Graham Gano <a href="https://twitter.com/DarenStoltzfus/status/1049065062588198918">nailed a ridiculous 63-yard field goal as time expired</a> to give the Panthers a narrow win over the Giants. The Vikings beat the Eagles and the Lions held off the Packers, further muddling the NFC North standings, and the Rams remained perfect, outlasting a plucky Seahawks team 33-31. </p>
<p id="Lgzopq">The Week 5 Sunday slate featured nonstop action, but a few moments stand out as more pivotal or illuminating than the rest. Here’s a handful of the biggest game-changing plays, along with what they can tell us about both the teams involved and the season at large.</p>
<h3 id="iKLP4c">Dee Ford Strip-Sacks Blake Bortles</h3>
<p id="i4gGBO">The Chiefs offense has carried most of the weight this year, propping up a defense that came into this week surrendering 28.5 points per game (24th), 328.5 pass yards per game (30th), a passer rating of 100.1 (21st), and an <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/drivestatsdef">offensive drive success rate of 80.1</a> (dead last); the unit had also notched just three takeaways (tied for 25th). Still, despite those struggles, Kansas City’s defense has done one thing well, getting after opposing quarterbacks with the <a href="https://buffalonews.com/2018/10/03/bills-struggle-pressuring-rodgers-still-in-top-10-in-defensive-pressure-rate/">fourth-highest pressure rate</a> through the first month of the season. That group’s led by Ford (23 pressures, second among edge players for weeks 1 to 4, according to Pro Football Focus), Justin Houston (14 pressures, tied for 18th), and Chris Jones (15 pressures, tied for eighth among interior defenders). Fueled by that trio, the Chiefs racked up five sacks and 11 quarterback hits Sunday, including this strip-sack of Bortles late in the second quarter. </p>
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<p id="PIWtcu">That play rendered moot Patrick Mahomes II’s first interception of the season, which had happened on the previous snap, and set up the Chiefs around midfield. They converted a field goal on the ensuing possession to up their lead to 13-0, <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6990">pushing their win probability to 83.8 percent</a>. Then, on the next defensive snap, this happened:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bortles throws a screen pass directly to Chris Jones. Pick 6 <a href="https://t.co/TawdZqxOYl">pic.twitter.com/TawdZqxOYl</a></p>— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1049003018581155841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="EC8r1E">That all but sealed it. K.C. built a 20-0 first-half lead with the help of those two crucial takeaways before coasting to a 30-14 win. The Chiefs pressured Bortles <a href="https://twitter.com/barleyhop/status/1049115498028441601">on 48 percent of his dropbacks in the first half</a>, giving the Jags a taste of their own medicine while providing a major boost to the offense for the first time this season. Kansas City’s already proved it’s the class of the AFC, but if the defense―which is talent-strapped basically everywhere but on the defensive line―can continue to pressure opposing passers and force more of these types of turnovers, it’ll make the Chiefs all but unbeatable. </p>
<h3 id="ScqlMP">Kirk Cousins Throws a Touchdown to Adam Thielen</h3>
<p id="8NqQWY">It’s going to get harder and harder for NFL coaches and executives to get Cousins’s name wrong. A few days <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyKempski/status/1047507882747551744">after Eagles head coach Doug Pederson mistakenly called Cousins “Kurt”</a> (the second time that’s happened, the first coming from Cousins’s former team president in Washington), the Vikings’ new $84 million man sliced up the Philly defense, completing 30 of 37 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown. That score came on this ultra-fluffy touch pass to Thielen in the back of the end zone, which gave Minnesota a 17-3 lead and <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6996">an 82.3 percent win probability</a> going into the half: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Excellent throw, excellent route <a href="https://t.co/9MwLWil6Nz">pic.twitter.com/9MwLWil6Nz</a></p>— Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArifHasanNFL/status/1049053063556677632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="G0pJmc">The Eagles would keep Cousins out of the end zone the rest of the day, but the veteran passer <a href="https://twitter.com/ArifHasanNFL/status/1049074283299786752">consistently made plays</a> when he needed to. That’s what he’s done all season too.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Real talk-<a href="https://twitter.com/KirkCousins8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KirkCousins8</a> has dropped more dimes then anyone in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> this year. <a href="https://twitter.com/Vikings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Vikings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vikings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vikings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/skol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#skol</a></p>— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) <a href="https://twitter.com/danorlovsky7/status/1049052321710329857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="d0In4g">With his efficient performance Sunday, Cousins became the first player in league history to <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL345/status/1049080094520696843">complete 30 or more passes in four straight games</a>. And for all the hype around the Rams’ and Chiefs’ pass offenses this season, Cousins trails only Jared Goff in passing yards (1,688), on pace for 5,401—just off Peyton Manning’s record. Minnesota’s defense has been up and down and the run game has been quiet, but Cousins has given the Vikings a remarkably consistent foundation. He’s getting plenty of help from the NFL’s top receiver duo in Thielen and Stefon Diggs, but the 30-year-old passer has been one of the most dynamic in the league this season. </p>
<h3 id="xGW3DU">Sam Darnold Throws a Dime to Robby Anderson</h3>
<p id="s45FzM">Darnold flashed his potential at times over the first month of the season, but for the most part looked a lot like a 21-year-old rookie quarterback who was still catching up to the speed of the pro game. Coming into this week’s matchup with the Broncos, the third overall pick had thrown four touchdowns and five picks and averaged a paltry 6.8 yards per attempt, and the deep game was conspicuously absent from his repertoire. Darnold had gone deep plenty, throwing 20-plus yards downfield on 13.4 percent of his passes (11th in the NFL, <a href="https://premium.profootballfocus.com/nfl/positions/passing/deep?position=QB&season=2018&week=1%2C2%2C3%2C4%2C5%2C6%2C7%2C8%2C9%2C10%2C11%2C12%2C13%2C14%2C15%2C16%2C17&customMinimum=0&minimum=20%25">according to PFF</a>)—but had completed just three of 17 attempts while registering a 43.3 rating, 31st out of 34 qualifying passers. Those struggles left the speedy Anderson, who led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns last year, as an all-but-forgotten piece of the Jets offense. Until Sunday, that is. </p>
<p id="dC8bHx">Early in the second quarter, Darnold found Anderson—who’d gotten free up the numbers with a nice double-move—for a 76-yard touchdown strike, giving the Jets a 14-7 lead. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Darnold feels no pressure and delivers a career long of 76 yds to Anderson! <a href="https://t.co/D9Ei5G8YnC">pic.twitter.com/D9Ei5G8YnC</a></p>— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) <a href="https://twitter.com/uSTADIUM/status/1048996576121606144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="bYDYRN">It was this throw, though, that broke the game wide open for New York. On a first-and-10 from the Denver 35-yard line with 1:13 to go in the first half, Darnold looked off the deep safety to the right, turned to his left, and dropped this pass into the proverbial bucket in the back corner of the end zone. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Darnold throws a LASER to Robby Anderson <a href="https://t.co/yqBZ6KdOGr">pic.twitter.com/yqBZ6KdOGr</a></p>— RotoQL (@rotoqlapp) <a href="https://twitter.com/rotoqlapp/status/1049004138049273858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="jXp7ia">That toss gave the Jets a 21-10 lead, pushing their win probability to <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6989">77.6 percent</a>. From there, New York never looked back, <a href="https://twitter.com/NickiJhabvala/status/1049024455073259520">racking up explosive play after explosive play</a>. Darnold added a 20-yard touchdown toss to Terrelle Pryor in the fourth quarter, and the offense notched runs of 77, 54, 38, and 36 yards. It’s a chicken-or-the-egg scenario, but <a href="https://twitter.com/NickiJhabvala/status/1049098949016145920">the more the Jets picked up chunk plays on the ground</a>, the more it opened things up for the deep passing attack, and the more Darnold attacked deep, the more it unlocked the run game. That balance offered a glimpse of the upside this Jets offense has with the rookie under center, and if Darnold can build on that deep connection he showed with Anderson on Sunday, it could completely change the complexion of New York’s offense. </p>
<h3 id="oUTRb5">Michael Johnson Picks Off Ryan Tannehill, Rumbles for a TD</h3>
<p id="G7lpDu">The Bengals weren’t <em>quite</em> as unbalanced as the Chiefs through the first month of the season, but Cincy did cruise to its 3-1 start largely on the strength of an explosive, efficient offense that came into this week’s matchup with the Dolphins <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teameff">ranked fifth in offensive DVOA</a>. Sunday, that offense stumbled, particularly in the first half, when Miami jumped out to a 14-0 lead. The Bengals made it 17-10 with an impressive <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1049015768468393985">touchdown grab</a> by Joe Mixon on the first play of the fourth quarter, but Cincy’s odds for victory at that point were still <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6987">just 22.1 percent</a>. On the ensuing Dolphins drive, though, this unlikely pick-six—an errant throw by Tannehill that bounced off of two different players before ricocheting into Johnson’s hands—tied up the game and made it a virtual 50-50 proposition. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TOUCHDOWN! Michael Johnson tied it 17-17 with a 21-yard pick-six. Holy amazenalls. <a href="https://t.co/Uj1IESoznp">pic.twitter.com/Uj1IESoznp</a></p>— Josh Kirkendall (@Josh_Kirkendall) <a href="https://twitter.com/Josh_Kirkendall/status/1049016996136988680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="QpKNIm">From there, the Bengals defense stiffened up, forcing a punt on Miami’s next possession. Then, with 1:42 left and Cincy leading 20-17, this happened:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another crazy play for the Bengals that results in a touchdown. Tannehill gets stripped as he's winding back for the throw and Sam Hubbard has the ball go right to him <a href="https://t.co/DWnuGj736h">pic.twitter.com/DWnuGj736h</a></p>— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1049024404825526272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="iuNPCG">One of the main reasons <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5hbPYR9olo&index=11&list=PLiI3wRw9PbSbFIgSg6VV2h8LsO-rZD67a&t=0s">I thought the Bengals looked like a dark horse to win the AFC North</a> was that the team’s talented pass rush group, led by Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap and buttressed by Carl Lawson, Jordan Willis, Johnson, and Hubbard, looked capable of taking over games. Sunday, we finally saw that group come together and do just that: Cincy’s defensive front racked up three sacks and eight quarterback hits, and it created two of the most pivotal plays of the game to lift up a struggling offense. </p>
<h3 id="vxiLhn">Denzel Ward Picks Off Joe Flacco at the Goal Line</h3>
<p id="hdY1OF">The Browns have quietly transformed into the league’s most opportunistic defense after finishing dead last in the takeaways category last season. Cleveland’s young unit, under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, has already racked up <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLResearch/status/1048997288876494853">a league-high 14 forced turnovers on the year</a>―one more than the NFL-worst 13 they finished with last season―and the biggest one yet might’ve been Ward’s savvy interception early in the second quarter against the Ravens. Keeping an eye on Flacco the entire play, Ward lurked in the flats and jumped the quarterback’s ill-advised throw, robbing Baltimore of a chance to score and preserving the Browns’ narrow 3-0 lead. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another Denzel Ward interception. He is an incredible magnet to the ball <a href="https://t.co/xdpSfQI4Qm">pic.twitter.com/xdpSfQI4Qm</a></p>— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1048996024608538624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="jFLJaB">Ward’s quickly made his mark in Cleveland. Many questioned the Browns’ decision to select the cornerback out of Ohio State over pass rusher Bradley Chubb (who went to the Broncos with the next pick), but the early returns have more than validated that choice―particularly Sunday, when the Browns likely would have lost if not for the playmaking rookie, who, combining that goal-line pick with a <a href="https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1049003763996942337">blocked field goal</a> late in the half, almost single-handedly erased 10 Baltimore points. That sure mattered in the Browns’ 12-9 overtime win. Five games is a small sample size, but Ward―who’s racked up three interceptions, six pass deflections, and a forced fumble on the year―looks like a franchise cornerstone for the Browns. </p>
<h3 id="fMfWF2">Kenny Golladay Goes up High to Pluck a Deep Pass</h3>
<p id="qhHTDM">It’d probably be way too obvious to insert an <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/a-star-is-born/photos"><em>A Star is Born</em> meme</a> here ... so I won’t. But Golladay’s play Sunday further cemented what we’ve seen during the first month of the season: The Lions’ second-year pro is a superstar in the making. </p>
<p id="EIcNQ2">Coming into the season, it looked like Golladay would function as Detroit’s no. 3 option behind Golden Tate and Marvin Jones II, but through five weeks, he’s starting to look like the de facto no. 1 in that offense, doing his best to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=babytron&src=typed_query">earn his Babytron nickname</a>. It might be a <em>little</em> much at this point to compare Golladay to Calvin Johnson, but he does offer a Megatron-esque combination of size, speed, and a seemingly limitless catch radius. This week, Golladay caught four passes for 98 yards and a score, including this impressive catch-and-run late in the first quarter. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kenny Golladay about turned Ha Ha Clinton-Dix into Chris Conte. <a href="https://t.co/4My9ejJ2y8">pic.twitter.com/4My9ejJ2y8</a></p>— Field Yates (@FieldYates) <a href="https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1048991854191161347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="AKb4Kg">Leading 7-0 with the ball at the Lions’ 35-yard line, quarterback Matt Stafford heaved what looked to be a prayer in the direction of his big pass catcher. Green Bay corner Josh Jackson was in decent position on the play, but Golladay was just too big, reaching up to reel in the pass over Jackson and run down the sideline for 60 yards—aided by a beastly stiff-arm on Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. That catch led to a LeGarrette Blount touchdown run two plays later, which pushed Detroit’s lead to 14-0 and <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6991">its win probability to 82.2 percent</a>. When the Packers tried to make it a game, cutting the lead to 10 late in the third quarter, <a href="https://twitter.com/Lions/status/1049022636129320960">it was Golladay again who sealed the deal</a>, catching a 5-yard touchdown pass from Stafford at the 13:00 mark of the fourth. </p>
<p id="FleHhQ">That was Golladay’s third touchdown catch in four weeks, and he had another 45-yard score erased by an illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty on center Frank Ragnow. Golladay’s emergence has helped make Detroit’s receiver corps one of the most unstoppable in the NFL. The Lions are hardly a complete team; the defense has mostly been bad, the run game is still a work in progress, and their special teams unit came into Week 5 ranked <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teameff">30th in DVOA</a>—but in a wide-open NFC field right now, their explosive passing game gives them a chance to compete with anyone. </p>
<h3 id="nJJHkc">Jared Goff With the QB Sneak FTW</h3>
<p id="vl65Vd">I love watching the Rams offense. It’s designed to attack the entire field, stretching teams both horizontally and vertically while keeping the pedal to the metal from start to finish. <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/4/17936990/sean-mcvay-offensive-mind-los-angeles-rams">Head coach and play-caller Sean McVay</a> doesn’t believe in traditional ideas like <em>staying on schedule</em> or playing the field position game. He wants to keep the pressure on the defense almost every snap, rarely hesitating to throw deep on second down or look to convert on third-and-long rather than conceding a punt. That aggressive nature showed up again Sunday when the Rams, facing a fourth-and-1 from their own 42-yard line with 1:39 to go, eschewed convention and decided to go for it to seal the win against the Seahawks. Goff picked up 2 yards on a QB sneak. </p>
<p id="7YVILn">That conversion was the final nail in Seattle’s coffin. L.A. held a strong <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6998">75.2 win probability</a> prior to the sneak, but its lead was no sure thing. Had the Rams punted—as many coaches would have—they would have given the ball back to a Seahawks offense that moved well and just needed to get into Sebastian Janikowski’s above-average field goal range for the chance to win. Instead, L.A. went with <a href="http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41037228-4">the option situational analytics indicated would give</a> it the best odds for victory. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="WCbFHP">Asked after the game about the decision to take his punting unit off the field during the Seahawks’ timeout and send Goff and the offense back out there, McVay <a href="https://twitter.com/vcsjoecurley/status/1049086636053561344">offered a simple response</a>: “If you have to get six inches to win the football game, what better opportunity is there going to be?” You have to love the aggressive philosophy there, and it’s even more encouraging that his type of against-the-grain decision-making on fourth down is becoming much less rare.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/8/17950494/game-changing-players-week-5-kansas-city-chiefs-sam-darnold-kirk-cousinsDanny Kelly2018-10-08T08:36:19-04:002018-10-08T08:36:19-04:00The First-Coach-Fired Bowl and Guess the Lines With Cousin Sal, Week 6
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<p>Bill and Sal also discuss playoff implications from the Week 5 games</p> <p id="3ccx33"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-bill-simmons-podcast/episodes/aa604693-79f6-4026-bb35-ccc3a3a36d84">Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss</a> the dismal coaching matchup between the Cowboys and the Texans, a top 18 NFL power ranking, and playoff implications (3:00), before they guess the NFL lines for Week 6 (38:55).</p>
<div id="puR5t9"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/2qoL8p3q7IrHLhERPTsnR0" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="xEO9Lu"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-bill-simmons-podcast%2Fid1043699613%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-bill-simmons-podcast">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/the-bill-simmons-podcast">Stitcher</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thebillsimmonspodcast">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2018/10/8/17950566/first-coach-fired-bowl-and-guess-the-lines-with-cousin-sal-week-6Bill Simmons2018-10-08T08:24:57-04:002018-10-08T08:24:57-04:00Contenders and Pretenders After Week 5
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<p>Robert Mays and Kevin Clark talk the surprising Bengals, a bizarre game in Buffalo, and more</p> <p id="0Uk4uD"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show/episodes/b38fc766-93ef-4109-9638-99b45a2fb324">Robert Mays and Kevin Clark link up to discuss</a> which conference favorites are for real and which are fooling us after Week 5 (1:45) before analyzing the unexpected competence in Cincinnati, the masterful front office in Detroit, and the bizarre Titans-Bills game (25:00). Then the guys throw challenge flags on Eli Manning’s presence holding the Giants hostage and Jacksonville’s commitment to Blake Bortles before predicting tomorrow’s headlines (43:15).</p>
<div id="Ph6u7g"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/4C57pYFPXcpE4UJ4cs2fhs" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
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https://www.theringer.com/2018/10/8/17949570/contenders-and-pretenders-after-week-5Robert MaysKevin Clark2018-10-08T02:15:24-04:002018-10-08T02:15:24-04:00The Winners and Losers From NFL Week 5
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<p>The Browns aren’t close to being the best team, but they’ve got the recipe for excitement. Plus: Linval Joseph lives out every big guy’s dream and Eli Manning may have some competition at QB.</p> <aside id="omIpT9"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 5 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/4/17936116/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-5-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="WjrhS4"><em>Every week this NFL season, we will celebrate the electric plays, investigate the colossal blunders, and explain the inexplicable moments of the most recent slate. Welcome to Winners and Losers. Which one are you?</em></p>
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<h3 id="YZ8XhR">Winner: The Cleveland Browns</h3>
<p id="cOlrL7">I have watched all five Cleveland Browns games this season, and I’m not even a Browns fan. It’s just that the Browns have discovered the recipe to being the most exciting team in the NFL week after week. No, not the best team in the NFL—far from it. Just the one that figures out how to make everything it does interesting.</p>
<p id="yoRzlZ">For example, I’m going to tell you <em>right now </em>that the Browns kicked a game-winning field goal to beat the Ravens. Spoiler alert, right? But even telling you that the Browns kicked a game-winning field goal can’t prepare you for what this game-winning field goal looked like. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">IT'S GOOD! <a href="https://t.co/u9bRKoIoTD">pic.twitter.com/u9bRKoIoTD</a></p>— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) <a href="https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1049037223293665280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="xNohFz">This is what I mean about the Browns. They can take a seemingly mundane thing like a made 37-yard field goal and turn it into an odyssey. The Browns started the year with a kicker named Zane Gonzalez, who in two games missed game-winning and game-tying field goals to give Cleveland an 0-1-1 start. Then they signed Greg Joseph, who apparently specializes in knuckleball field goals (<a href="https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/video/greg-joseph-kicks-curveball-field-goal-to-end-the-first-half">Exhibit A</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/DpwnWqTGG8U?t=445">Exhibit B</a>). Sunday’s was his physics-defying masterpiece. I thought it got deflected at the line of scrimmage or hit a pigeon in midair. Nope: It was just a weird kick that never got higher than 15 feet in the air but stayed above the 10-foot crossbar and gave the Browns a win. </p>
<p id="F319Kn">Even in victory, the Browns left me scratching my baffled head. The Browns probably could have won in regulation, but Jarvis Landry decided to fight for an extra few yards inbounds rather than ducking out of bounds with under 30 seconds to go, forcing Cleveland into a 50-plus yard game-winning attempt. (It missed because it’s hard to throw a knuckleball 50 yards.) Even after the Browns had hit their sudden-death game-winner, <a href="https://twitter.com/EricStangel/status/1049037090326040578">coach Hue Jackson seemed to believe there was still time on the clock.</a> </p>
<p id="eYT49U">In 2016 and 2017, the Browns earned a reputation as the team who lost every time they played. Well, they won <em>one </em>game, but 1-31 is pretty close to losing every game. This year, it’s impossible to have any idea what the Browns will do regardless of opponent. In five games, they have one regulation win, one overtime win, one overtime tie, one overtime loss, and one regulation loss. That’s the full set of potential outcomes. They have pulled off two 14-point comebacks; they have blown a 14-point lead. They’re 2-2-1, but they could easily be 5-0 or 0-5, or even 1-0-4. (I can’t figure out how their <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/21/17887048/baker-mayfield-browns-jets-hue-jackson">Week 3 game against the Jets</a> would have resulted in a tie, or else I’d say they could be 0-0-5.)</p>
<p id="EzZN8N">No, I’m not a Browns fan. Only Clevelanders get to bear that mark of masochism, having stood by their team through years and years and years of losses. But I’m certainly a fan of watching the Browns. We all should be. The Cleveland Browns should be America’s team. </p>
<h3 id="mRHCt9">Loser: Eli Manning</h3>
<p id="QoDViP">Sunday began with Odell Beckham Jr. appearing on ESPN’s pregame show to talk about why the Giants are bad. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z3P33xwU90">Lil Wayne was there,</a> playing roughly the same role DJ Khaled plays on Lil Wayne songs (saying three or fewer words, generally leaving everybody confused about why he was there). Beckham didn’t exactly say what the problem was with New York’s offense … except he kinda did.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Odell Beckham Jr.: “I don’t know” if El Manning is the reason for the Giants’ struggling offense.<a href="https://t.co/lpU0vmD8Q7">https://t.co/lpU0vmD8Q7</a></p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1048971233696649224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="2fYCwV">In the NFL, saying “I don’t know” if the quarterback is the problem is basically saying “I have never hated anybody as completely as I hate our quarterback.” You can know your quarterback sucks and still put on a straight face and say, “Mike Glennon is our guy.” We’ve all known that Manning has been a problem for the Giants for a few years now, but now the highest-paid wide receiver in the history of the sport is willing to furrow his brow and publicly say “hm” in Manning’s direction.</p>
<p id="xaiEvK">The actual football on Sunday hurt Manning, too. He threw some brutal interceptions:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Eli Manning INT<a href="https://t.co/i8A2Y5UQAC">pic.twitter.com/i8A2Y5UQAC</a></p>— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1049023014300504064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="5W3wQB">That pick was on a pass intended for Sterling Shepard, who earlier in the game beat up a bench:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Odell Beckham Jr trying to calm down an irate Sterling Shepard <a href="https://t.co/GoZZaLg6Wy">pic.twitter.com/GoZZaLg6Wy</a></p>— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) <a href="https://twitter.com/r0bato/status/1049019434935996416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="yG4utO">Beckham, <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/09/odell-beckham-jr-tantrum-eli-manning-giants-redskins-nfl">who famously had run-ins with a kicking net,</a> was the one trying to calm Shepard down. What’s worse: that Manning has inspired two wide receivers to start fights with inanimate sideline equipment, or that one of those two receivers was needed to calm down the other one here?</p>
<p id="dQSU57">But worst of all for Manning: The Giants ran a trick play that called for Beckham to throw a deep ball to Saquon Barkley … and Beckham nailed the pass:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/obj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@obj</a>. 57 YARD. TOUCHDOWN PASS.<br><br> : FOX <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYGvsCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYGvsCAR</a><a href="https://t.co/Wn53BcCJ4n">pic.twitter.com/Wn53BcCJ4n</a></p>— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1049001386447458304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="frmJMy">When Manning is quarterback, the Giants throw a million slants to Beckham and hope he breaks loose. Beckham, apparently, is the player who has an arm good enough to throw the deep ball. At the time, it was <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1049000745784303618">the deepest touchdown pass in terms of air yardage the Giants had thrown since Week 5 of last year</a>. (Manning later threw a 33-yard touchdown to Beckham that traveled farther.)</p>
<p id="sIl5FF">Beckham’s bomb demonstrates the team’s current situation pretty well: On the day the team’s star wide receiver smirkingly hinted at the QB being a problem, the QB threw a couple of wobbly picks while that star wide receiver threw a deep dime. As important as Manning has been to the past 15 years of Giants football, Beckham means more to the team’s future, as Manning’s contract expires after next year while Beckham’s runs through 2023. Maybe Beckham should start at QB next week. </p>
<h3 id="lzzQTc">Winner: Offense</h3>
<p id="PEyhGO">Defense wins championships, they say. But it seems hard to believe in 2018, when <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/3/17930962/offensive-explosion-no-one-reason">every possible record for offensive efficiency is being broken</a> and the teams in the last Super Bowl combined for over 1,100 yards. </p>
<p id="ctANAA">Sunday was a good opportunity for a referendum on the offense-vs.-defense debate. The Chiefs, who have torn every team they’ve played limb from limb <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/3/17931780/patrick-mahomes-mania-kansas-city-chiefs-fans">with gunslinger Patrick Mahomes II</a>—“gunslinger” is a football cliché, but when I watch Mahomes play I’m convinced he’s actually throwing various advanced weaponry around the field—played the Jaguars, whose defensive line and secondary are both poop-inducingly frightening. Kansas City led the league in scoring with 36.3 points per game; Jacksonville had allowed opponents just 14 points per game, fewest in the league. </p>
<p id="JOnLTw">So who won this offense-vs.-defense battle? Easy: Offense, comfortably. </p>
<div id="NLLkcG">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickMahomes5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PatrickMahomes5</a> will do it himself!<br><br>Touchdown <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CHIEFS</a>!<br><br> : CBS <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChiefsKingdom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChiefsKingdom</a> <a href="https://t.co/MEDALPbimx">pic.twitter.com/MEDALPbimx</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1048987045907972096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="WRsVKp">Kansas City won, 30-14. Mahomes had his worst game of the year, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns after throwing 14 touchdowns and no interceptions through the first four games of the year. But KC still put up 30 points, and it was easier for the team with the good offense to simulate a defense than it was for the team with a good defense to simulate an offense, as Blake Bortles threw four interceptions. </p>
<p id="zvbvDb">It was <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesPalmerTV/status/1048955860368674816">the sixth time in the past seven meetings</a> between the no. 1 offense and no. 1 defense that the offense won. That’s past the point of this being a trend. The two best offenses in the league are also the last two undefeated teams, and that’s not a coincidence. Offense beats defense. Offense wins championships. </p>
<h3 id="sPieTY">Loser: Offensive Lineman Helmets</h3>
<p id="jiAO4W">Sunday afternoon, Blake Bortles threw a critical red zone interception that bounced off of the helmet of right guard A.J. Cann:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> defense celebrates a Bortles interception with a tip ball drill <a href="https://t.co/GWbEcDPlZu">pic.twitter.com/GWbEcDPlZu</a></p>— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/DefPenSports/status/1049005974172983296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="PlydyK">The Chiefs defense celebrated by simulating that gag the Harlem Globetrotters do where they form a line and repeatedly pass the ball off the backboard until the final one dunks it. Truly a monumental moment for the Globetrotters—for years, we have celebrated their flashy dribbling and scoring ability. This might be the first time they’re being mentioned in conjunction with a great defensive performance.</p>
<p id="eWS25A">However, Bortles was not the only quarterback to help the opponent by aiming at his teammate’s head. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill gave the Bengals a pick-six courtesy of the face of tight end Durham Smythe:</p>
<div id="cXseR4">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Blake Bortles threw the worst interception you will ever see."<br><br>Tannehill: Hold my beer<a href="https://t.co/CoCgHJwGf9">pic.twitter.com/CoCgHJwGf9</a></p>— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLRT/status/1049017771600896000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="iSJcvj">These plays might seem like flukes, but for both of them to happen in the same day—to teams from the same state, no less—proves it’s a trend. For years, quarterbacks’ biggest fear was fumbling after slamming their face into a teammate’s ass. Now we know the real biggest problem is quarterbacks doinking the ball off of their own teammates’ heads. </p>
<p id="jDjZEL">NFL teams need to think smarter to avoid these catastrophes. Start measuring offensive linemen’s heads at the combine, and only draft the guys with tiny ones. If your quarterback is standing behind a bunch of dudes with pumpkins for skulls, he’s obviously going to throw the ball into their heads. Alternately, linemen could ostrich their heads in the sand instead of blocking, giving their QB clean lanes to throw in. It’s the only way to stop the scourge of skull-assisted interceptions. </p>
<h3 id="eSZNNY">Winner: Linval Joseph</h3>
<p id="OrrWZs">The Big Guy Touchdown is well known to football fans as one of life’s greatest joys. We all cackle when the beefy boys who play this sport get moving, whether it’s the offense giving a defensive player a goal-line carry, or a fumble flopping to a lineman. But not all Big Guy Touchdowns are created the same, and Sunday, we got a true epic in the category from Linval Joseph. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Linval Joseph has to be the fastest 330-pound man in the galaxy <a href="https://t.co/6nboP0hmZm">pic.twitter.com/6nboP0hmZm</a></p>— Drew Mahowald (@DrewMahowald) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewMahowald/status/1049048054454738946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="aHrhNg">Joseph isn’t just big: He’s a nose tackle, the biggest position on the football field, bigger than offensive tackles, bigger than even other defensive tackles. He weighs in at 329 pounds. </p>
<p id="CfOXAy">And this wasn’t just a touchdown: He went <em>64 yards</em>. Chase Stuart of Football Perspective<em> </em>rightfully nominated this run for the Fat Guy Long Touchdown Hall of Fame, as Joseph is the biggest guy to score from over 50 yards in over a decade.</p>
<div id="miOCfs">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Linval Joseph joins the Fat Guy Long TD Hall of Fame <a href="https://t.co/Vu6oZ72SHy">pic.twitter.com/Vu6oZ72SHy</a></p>— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) <a href="https://twitter.com/fbgchase/status/1049048570085695493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="JnLcD6">Joseph’s run was beautiful. His teammates blocked out the running backs and tight ends giving chase, but Joseph actually created separation from the various offensive linemen trying to catch up to him. I think he actually accelerates about 30 yards into his run. After transporting his hundreds of pounds and a puny football into the end zone, he sat down, put his sunglasses on, and strapped on an oxygen tank:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Sunglasses and Advil (and oxygen), that touchdown was mad real." -Linval Joseph probably <a href="https://t.co/rNt65RhHAw">pic.twitter.com/rNt65RhHAw</a></p>— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffEisenband/status/1049050671453011968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="8T0GuP">Never, ever, ever think the big dudes on the football field are out of shape. If anything, their tremendous size makes the things they can do more amazing. Linval Joseph probably weighs as much as two of you, and he could probably beat you in a sprint. </p>
<h3 id="rp5HxL">Loser: Mason Crosby</h3>
<p id="k5B6Hx">Football is a team game, and you can rarely pin losses on one player. But I think we can safely say that Packers kicker Mason Crosby lost Green Bay the game on Sunday. He missed four field goals and an extra point; the Packers lost by eight. </p>
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<p id="VBztUi">Crosby was the first kicker to miss four field goals and an extra point in a game since 1980. He changed cleats after the third miss; it didn’t work. He <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24924994/mason-crosby-calls-4-missed-fg-1-missed-pat-anomaly-life">called the outing “an anomaly in life,</a>” and he’s right: He’d never missed more than two field goals in a game. He’s been Green Bay’s kicker since 2007 and an excellent one, too—he won them a playoff game two seasons ago by booming back-to-back 50-yard field goals against the Cowboys. But things aren’t going well for Crosby, who <a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000962834/Mason-Crosby-gets-iced-misses-second-field-goal-attempt">also missed a game-winner against the Vikings Week 2.</a> </p>
<p id="ESGyQd">It was easy for the Browns to cut Gonzalez and easy for the Vikings to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/09/16/the-vikings-and-browns-suddenly-may-be-in-the-market-for-kickers/?noredirect=on">cut their rookie kicker who missed multiple huge kicks</a>. We’ll see whether the Packers drop the greatest kicker in team history or believe him about this being an anomaly. </p>
<h3 id="cNGt6O">Winner: Graham Gano</h3>
<p id="mwO80F">Hey, do you guys want more kicker talk? Too bad. All I talk about all day is kickers. </p>
<p id="PY6NGs">Remember that Browns game-winning kick? The one that made you think, “Hey, maybe I could do that?” Allow me to present Graham Gano’s game-winner for the Panthers, evidence that you absolutely could not be an NFL kicker. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">We love you <a href="https://twitter.com/GrahamGano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GrahamGano</a>!!! <a href="https://t.co/vWUWMsXqy0">pic.twitter.com/vWUWMsXqy0</a></p>— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Panthers/status/1049034810444808192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="QliL1C">Gano drilled a 63-yard field goal to win the game for Carolina, tied for the second-longest field goal in the history of the league. (The longest is 64 yards.) Sixty-three yards. That’s a city block. Imagine standing on a street corner and kicking something to the end of the street on the fly—not just on the fly, but on the fly and over 10 feet in the air and accurately, too.</p>
<p id="hnrJlP">Since 1994, <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/play_finder.cgi?request=1&match=summary_all&year_min=1994&year_max=2018&game_type=R&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&quarter%5B%5D=1&quarter%5B%5D=2&quarter%5B%5D=3&quarter%5B%5D=4&quarter%5B%5D=5&tr_gtlt=lt&minutes=15&seconds=0&down%5B%5D=0&down%5B%5D=1&down%5B%5D=2&down%5B%5D=3&down%5B%5D=4&field_pos_min_field=opp&field_pos_min=43&field_pos_max_field=opp&field_pos_max=49&end_field_pos_min_field=team&end_field_pos_max_field=team&type%5B%5D=FG&no_play=N&turnover_type%5B%5D=interception&turnover_type%5B%5D=fumble&score_type%5B%5D=touchdown&score_type%5B%5D=field_goal&score_type%5B%5D=safety&rush_direction%5B%5D=LE&rush_direction%5B%5D=LT&rush_direction%5B%5D=LG&rush_direction%5B%5D=M&rush_direction%5B%5D=RG&rush_direction%5B%5D=RT&rush_direction%5B%5D=RE&pass_location%5B%5D=SL&pass_location%5B%5D=SM&pass_location%5B%5D=SR&pass_location%5B%5D=DL&pass_location%5B%5D=DM&pass_location%5B%5D=DR&order_by=yards">there have been 59 attempts of more than 60 yards.</a> Fifty of those came in the final 10 seconds of halves, because if the kicker misses, the opponent gets the ball near midfield. And they’re going to miss: Kickers are just 11-for-59 on those kicks, 19 percent, in a league where the average on field goals is over 80 percent. </p>
<p id="AMj5oE">But maybe the Panthers should let Gano test that leg of his a little more. This didn’t just go in from 63 yards—it was a majestic boomer that went in with room to spare. Compare it with the Browns’ 37-yard game-winner. I’m not even sure the Browns kicker plays the same sport as Gano.</p>
<h3 id="jWSDSG">Loser: Trent Dilfer</h3>
<p id="S2J37m">Sean McVay made a smart call on Sunday. The Rams were up by two points with under two minutes left and were facing fourth-and-inches. Conventional logic calls for punting, because going for it on fourth down is risky. But as it turns out, it’s not that risky. You’ve got a really good chance of picking up fourth-and-inches, and if you pick up fourth-and-inches with under two minutes left and the lead, you win. Quarterback sneaks <a href="https://twitter.com/FO_ScottKacsmar/status/1049100710321766400">pick up fourth-and-inches over 80 percent of the time</a>. McVay called a QB sneak, Jared Goff picked it up, and the Rams won. </p>
<p id="dmEBcV">One person really liked the call: Super Bowl–winning quarterback Trent Dilfer. He chose to express his admiration in an interesting way:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">more like dilfersdicks <a href="https://t.co/XjwEsNRAAL">pic.twitter.com/XjwEsNRAAL</a></p>— betz (@alltwentytwo) <a href="https://twitter.com/alltwentytwo/status/1049085371701637121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="tjLPY3">I have heard people call other people bold by talking about their genitals. “He’s got brass balls!” “The cojones on that guy!” So I get that. I think that’s what Dilfer was going for. I think he’s trying to say (a) McVay’s balls are so big they frequently get injured, or (b) McVay is so willing to take risks that he’s damaged his penis in a variety of ways that resulted in scabs. I think he’s comparing the fourth-down decision to sticking your penis in a wood chipper. </p>
<p id="k2NNbD">However, Dilfer defended his metaphor, and in doing so, got into two separate arguments. In the first, he tried to argue that it is normal to say somebody has “scabs on their private parts,” an expression that I have never heard.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">You’re an obvious idiot and didn’t understand the metophor, but I corrected it to satisfy your other stupid friends on Twitter. Again though, please come up to me in public and try to punch my fing face off. Will be fun to humiliate you in public.</p>— Trent Dilfer (@DilfersDimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/DilfersDimes/status/1049086287293157376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a>
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<p id="cwliPd">Eventually, Dilfer <a href="https://twitter.com/DilfersDimes/status/1049085675935596546">blamed “the PC police”</a> for the response to his tweet, as if people were weirded out at it because he was politically incorrect. I mean, the main reason everybody was weirded out was because none of us have ever heard anybody talk about dick scabs as a positive before. Or, to be honest, ever. </p>
<p id="dyqGs8">But the second Dilfer e-beef is the really impressive one. In this argument, Dilfer tried to make the case that McVay’s decision to call a QB sneak was, in fact, <em>not</em> the smart call, telling several ESPN statisticians that their data was flawed. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I doubt that is true. Please give me 20 more examples of similar situation in “real football” examples. Taking %’s of 4th/1 conversions is not enough to make it realistic.</p>— Trent Dilfer (@DilfersDimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/DilfersDimes/status/1049092125630128128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a>
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<p class="c-end-para" id="ETlCT1">His point, I think, was that going on fourth-and-inches isn’t good because it is analytically sound and gives a team the best chance to win. In fact, he thinks it <em>wasn’t</em> the right call, statistically speaking. But he’s still praising the move, because it was ballsy. And the balls are weird and deformed. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/8/17950200/the-winners-and-losers-from-nfl-week-5Rodger Sherman