The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season2019-11-12T18:38:47-05:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/207189842019-11-12T18:38:47-05:002019-11-12T18:38:47-05:00Jadeveon Clowney Has the Potential to Restore the Seahawks’ Defensive Identity
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<p>Seattle’s Legion of Boom may be gone, but against the 49ers, the Pro Bowl edge rusher who the franchise traded for this offseason looked every bit like the defensive force the team has been missing</p> <aside id="rn2KJf"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/8/20954943/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-10-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="FqGmkl">There was a lot to unpack from the Seahawks’ absurd, back-and-forth overtime win over the 49ers on <em>Monday Night Football</em>.<em> </em>Featuring game-swinging turnovers, multiple highlight-reel-worthy plays, dropped would-be interceptions, blown calls by the officials―and even <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/11/seahawks-geno-smith-coin-toss-heads-tails-audio">a controversial coin toss</a>―the rivalry-renewing NFC West showdown was <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/12/20960899/san-francisco-49ers-seattle-seahawks-jadeveon-clowney-russell-wilson-jimmy-garoppolo-week-10">as ridiculous as it was fun to watch</a>. But while story lines like the emergence of the 49ers’ Nick Bosa–led defensive front, Richard Sherman’s revenge, or Russell Wilson’s burgeoning MVP campaign were supposed to define the game, it was the Seahawks’ previously <em>bad</em> defense that stole the spotlight in prime time. That unit played its best game of the season, with a beastly performance by defensive end Jadeveon Clowney acting as the catalyst.</p>
<p id="mlfioB">The Legion of Boom is long gone, but Clowney’s out-of-this-world outing helped the Seahawks defense regain, at least for one night, their once-signature swagger. Seattle entered the game looking like a team that would go only as far as Wilson’s arm could carry it, but the Seahawks came out of it with some much-needed bite on the other side of the ball. That defensive transformation―if it does stick―could make the Seahawks one of the most dangerous teams down the stretch.</p>
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<p id="DDXG48">Clowney, who was acquired just before the season for a 2020 third-round pick and a couple of reserve linebackers, looked like the best player on the field, bursting into the San Francisco backfield on just about every snap. The 26-year-old edge rusher finished with five tackles, five quarterback hits, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown. As Seahawks head coach <a href="https://twitter.com/A_Jude/status/1194307986748891136">Pete Carroll said after the game</a>, “Jadeveon had the best game for us from a guy I’ve seen in a long time.”</p>
<p id="l3IeWF">The disruption that Clowney created wasn’t completely new; the veteran has played well for the Seahawks this season, and <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ClowJa00.htm#63-71-sum:stats">in his first nine games</a> he registered five tackles for a loss, seven QB hits, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and two sacks. But against the 49ers―who got starting offensive tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey back from injury for this game, by the way―something just seemed to click: “He’s been active since we started,” Carroll <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7cxq7LzTxA">said in the postgame presser</a>, but “I think he knows where to take advantage of the scheme more so now … he knows better how to use that and make the most of it.”</p>
<p id="WJ7RL7">Clowney was basically unblockable on Monday night, repeatedly wrecking San Francisco’s plays by slicing through the line or forcing 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo off his spot. This tweet from during the game does a pretty good job of capturing the game-wrecking impact he made defending both the run game and passing attack. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This game is going to end with Jadeveon Clowney emerging from a pile with a limb</p>— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) <a href="https://twitter.com/RotoPat/status/1194109329659613190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a>
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<p id="3yAlWO">Even when Garoppolo managed to get throws away, he never really looked comfortable in the pocket, and finished <a href="https://twitter.com/nwagoner/status/1194132602585792512">just 1-of-7 passing when</a> Clowney applied pressure.</p>
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<p id="YuE25j">The former Houston Texans star got his new team out of an early-game hole when he beat Staley to the edge on this second-quarter play. Clowney got himself in position to grab the Jarran Reed–forced fumble, scooped it up, and returned it for a score. That put a big dent in what at the time felt like a commanding 10-0 San Francisco lead, and got Seattle back into the game.</p>
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<p id="xVeMSx">In the third quarter, Clowney was at the center of another game-swinging play. Rushing from the defensive left, Clowney bull-rushed McGlinchey back into the pocket before reaching in and knocking the ball out of Garoppolo’s hands. Seahawks defensive tackle Poona Ford jumped on it, giving Seattle the ball back deep in San Francisco territory. Four plays later, the offense punched the ball into the end zone, giving Seattle a 21-10 lead. </p>
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<p id="slst9G">Even when Clowney wasn’t picking up or creating fumbles, he was helping his teammates make plays. There were two Seahawks sacks for which Clowney didn’t get credit on Monday, but he was the reason they happened: On an early third-quarter play, he beat Staley to the edge, forcing Garoppolo to step up and right into Ford and Reed; then, midway through the fourth quarter, he beat McGlinchey off the snap and got his hands up into Garoppolo’s passing lane, forcing the 49ers quarterback to eat the throw and take the Al Woods sack. </p>
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<p id="w2d7e3">Clowney seemed to get stronger as the game progressed. He nearly created what would’ve been a game-winning pick late in the fourth quarter, forcing Garoppolo to rush his throw into tight coverage by Bobby Wagner. (Unfortunately for Seattle, Wagner dropped that pass and the Niners were able to march downfield, kick a field goal, and send the game to overtime.) </p>
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<p id="c3Qoi4">Clowney came up big again in the extra frame, helping the Seahawks survive Russell Wilson’s untimely interception on the team’s opening possession. After returning that pick to the Seattle 49-yard line, San Francisco quickly moved deep into Seattle territory. With a second-and-2 on the Seahawks’ 30-yard line, the 49ers seemed to be in control, on track to move farther downfield and, eventually, kick an easy chip-shot field goal for the win. But the Seahawks had other plans: On that second down, Clowney blasted through guard Michael Person’s pulling block attempt on the offensive left, tackling Raheem Mostert at the line of scrimmage. On third down, Clowney lined up on the offensive right, blowing McGlinchey back into the backfield at the snap, pushing the 49ers offensive lineman into the planned run lane, and forcing Mostert back to the middle of the field. He was swallowed up by the rest of the Seahawks line, pushing San Francisco to fourth down. </p>
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<p id="6LV0T1">Instead of pushing deeper down the field to give him an easy chip-shot field goal, Seattle’s defensive stand forced kicker Chase McLaughlin to try a 47-yarder. He missed. </p>
<p id="dMcO7p">It took the Seahawks another couple of possessions to finally deal the knockout blow, and we don’t have to go punch for punch on how that all played out, but the biggest takeaway from this wacky game was that Clowney put the Seahawks on his back and carried them to a massive road win, <a href="https://twitter.com/bburkeESPN/status/1194127298896760834">boosting the team’s playoff odds by a massive 26 percentage points</a> in the process. The question now, of course, is whether Clowney and the rest of the newly swagtastic Seahawks defense can re-create the magic. </p>
<p id="hGkIJD">It wouldn’t be terribly surprising if the Seahawks’ defensive performance ends up looking like an extreme outlier this season. Entering the game, Seattle ranked <a href="https://twitter.com/A_Jude/status/1191768297890385920">31st in defensive pressure rate (15.5 percent)</a> and was the owner of the <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2019/week-9-dvoa-ratings">27th-ranked defense by DVOA</a>. Putting it charitably, before Monday night’s showdown, Seattle hadn’t really been able to stop anyone. </p>
<p id="wSdiwm">At the same time, there are a few reasons to believe that the Seahawks defense turned a legitimate corner in the 27-24 win. As Carroll noted, Clowney—who’s building his case for a big payday in free agency after the season—has spent the first half of the season figuring out how best to fit into Seattle’s 4-3 scheme. If this game is a sign of things to come, Seattle’s defense could galvanize around its fully activated pass-rushing menace: Clowney’s dominance seemed to boost the team’s playmaking defensive tackles Poona Ford, Jarran Reed, and Al Woods, and Seattle’s once-tepid defensive line suddenly looked as potent as any in the league. The Seahawks held a San Francisco ground attack that had been averaging 171 rushing yards per game to just 87 yards on 27 carries, and pressured Garoppolo on 35.3 percent of his dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus―a far higher clip than his 26.2 percent pressure rate during the first nine weeks. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="Jd4br8">That dominance up front paid dividends for the Seahawks coverage unit, which got a lift from recently acquired safety Quandre Diggs. The combination of Seattle’s fearsome pass rush and its surprisingly stingy pass-coverage unit limited Garoppolo to <a href="https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1194123124956024833">just 3-of-18 passing for 59 yards and an interception</a> on attempts past 10 yards downfield. The typically poised 49ers signal-caller seemed to panic at times, forcing throws into coverage or tossing them up off his back foot. And for the first time in what feels like forever, Seattle had an<em> edge</em> on defense, making life hell for the Niners offensive line up front while flying around in the secondary, delivering big hits, and dislodging the football from opposing receivers. By helping unlock Ford, Reed, Wagner, Diggs, and ascending cornerback Shaquill Griffin, Clowney made the Seahawks defense look like their old selves for the first time all year. Now that unit has to prove Monday night’s performance was no fluke.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/12/20962080/jadeveon-clowney-seattle-seahawks-san-francisco-49ersDanny Kelly2019-11-11T20:03:28-05:002019-11-11T20:03:28-05:00The Starting 11: The AFC’s Middle Class Is More Confusing Than Ever
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<p>With the Patrick Mahomes—led Chiefs falling to the Titans this week, and the Raiders, Steelers, and Ravens securing big wins, there’s almost nothing certain about the AFC playoff race right now. Plus: Lamar Jackson’s MVP candidacy is gaining steam. </p> <aside id="DK1MV4"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/8/20954943/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-10-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="6F2TUy"><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>
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<p id="39uCDj"><strong>1. The AFC’s middle class looks more muddled than anyone could have predicted, and that confusion starts with the Kansas City Chiefs. </strong>The return of Patrick Mahomes was supposed to help propel this team back into the race for a first-round bye. Instead, the Chiefs lost a stunning 35-32 game to the Titans, and at 6-4, Mahomes and Co. will have an uphill battle to catch Baltimore and Houston (which owns the tiebreaker over Kansas City) in the hunt for the no. 2 seed.</p>
<p id="bHKx3s">Head coach Andy Reid’s offense still had its share of highlight-reel moments against Tennessee. The jump pass that Mahomes completed to rookie receiver Mecole Hardman for a 63-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter is just the latest preposterous throw from the reigning MVP. In his first game back since sustaining a knee injury in the Chiefs’ Week 7 win over the Broncos, Mahomes threw for 446 yards and three scores. Kansas City’s offense played well enough to win on Sunday, but the same issues that have plagued this team all season continue to be a problem.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Patrick Mahomes with a JUMP PASS to Mecole Hardman and he did the rest. 63-yard score. Today has been wild. <br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chiefs</a>)<a href="https://t.co/JUevhtSRzj">pic.twitter.com/JUevhtSRzj</a></p>— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1193628249299001344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="uNhxmT">Kansas City’s pass protection was better against the Titans than it’s been for most of 2019, but a two-play stretch in the second quarter illuminated some concerns that have crept up this year. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz tweaked his knee in the second quarter and had to leave the game—ending a league-high streak of nearly 8,000 consecutive snaps played. (In a cruel twist, that injury came on the same play where backup left tackle Cam Erving was roasted for a sack.) On the very next play, Schwartz’s replacement, Martinas Rankin, had to be carted off after suffering a knee injury of his own. Already without starting left tackle Eric Fisher (who’s been out since Week 2 recovering from core-muscle surgery) and right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury), the Chiefs have been shuffling bodies around and playing with patchwork lines all season. Schwartz returned in the second half, but if his knee worsens this week and if an already ailing line is forced to play without its best pass protector, this offense will suffer.</p>
<p id="0FxAGy">Even in a diminished state, though, the Chiefs offense has enough talent to sustain success. The same can’t be said about this defense. Titans running back Derrick Henry ripped off huge runs in the second half on Sunday—including three rushes of at least 12 yards in the fourth quarter, when the game was hanging in the balance. Henry finished with 188 yards on just 23 carries; 68 of those yards came on a long touchdown run in the third quarter, but if you remove that carry from the total, he still would have finished with 120 yards on 22 carries—good for an average of 5.5 yards per rush. Along with the Chiefs’ run-defense woes, the pass defense was also exposed. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill finished with 181 yards on only 19 attempts and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score, which came on an inexplicably easy 23-yard completion to wide receiver Adam Humphries with 23 seconds left in the game. The defense has improved this season under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, but Sunday’s nightmarish outing was reminiscent of the leaky unit Kansas City fielded in 2018.</p>
<p id="PQo8BJ">With four games against AFC West opponents remaining on their schedule, the Chiefs are still the clear favorites to win their division. But that was never supposed to be the goal in 2019. This preseason, Kansas City was being mentioned alongside the Patriots as the most dangerous teams in the league. The Chiefs were projected to fight for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. Instead, they’re just trying to make it into the tournament. It’s been seven years since a team without a first-round bye has gone to the Super Bowl, and at this rate it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs playing their way into the no. 2 seed. With Reid and Mahomes, this group has a shot against any team on any day, but the road to a title will be tougher than the Chiefs would have hoped.</p>
<p id="ElKavW"><strong>2. After their last-minute win over the Chiefs, the baffling Titans are now 5-5 and back in the AFC wild-card picture—and their recent run with Ryan Tannehill could affect the team’s quarterback outlook. </strong>Tennessee’s multiyear run as the most confounding team in the NFL has continued in full force this season, but at least this time there’s a plausible explanation for the ups and downs. The Titans’ trade for quarterback Ryan Tannehill in March was largely an afterthought as teams shelled out big money in free agency. Tennessee sent two third-day 2019 draft picks and a 2020 fourth-rounder to Miami in exchange for the veteran QB, and Tannehill agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal ($5 million of which was paid in the form of a signing bonus from the Dolphins). It was a low-risk move for a team that needed an insurance policy for oft-injured starting quarterback and pending free agent Marcus Mariota, but one that wasn’t expected to matter much. After some promising moments during the first month of the season, though, Mariota was benched at halftime of the team’s Week 6 game against the Broncos, and Tannehill has been the starter ever since.</p>
<p id="WtRB3Q">While most teams lack a viable second option to replace a struggling starter, the Titans had a legitimate alternative. And turning to the 31-year-old Tannehill has helped to salvage their season. Since coming on in the second half against Denver, Tannehill has completed 71.3 percent of his passes and averaged 8.5 yards per attempt. This offense has found new life with Tannehill under center, and his play has been a boon for Tennessee’s receivers.</p>
<p id="HX9Qlu">With Sunday’s win, Tennessee has a path to the playoffs—but it’s treacherous. The Titans sit a half-game back of teams like Pittsburgh, Oakland, and the Colts for the second AFC wild-card spot, and they have only one game left on the schedule that’s against a sub-.500 team. They could pick up a game on either the Colts or Raiders with a head-to-head win, but there will be no easy victories for the rest of the season.</p>
<p id="KgrOmf">It’s not <em>impossible</em> to see Tennessee sneaking into the postseason, even if it’s unlikely. But regardless of how the standings shake out, what the Titans have accomplished with Tannehill is a testament to the franchise’s own self-awareness. Too many teams are content to ride with their starters through any storm, leaving themselves without a contingency plan when the situation goes awry. By trading for Tannehill, the Titans gave themselves an emergency lever, and in the process may have solved their short-term quarterback problem. Tannehill likely isn’t the long-term answer in Tennessee—or anywhere else—but after seeing him in their offense for about half the season, the Titans now have the option of bringing him back as a stopgap for 2020.</p>
<p id="r9pxXw"><strong>3. After knocking off the Chargers on Thursday night, the Raiders are 5-4 and seem to have the easiest path to a wild-card berth in the AFC. </strong>Oakland’s 26-24 win last week wasn’t the team’s most impressive performance of the season, but it was enough to put Jon Gruden’s squad in prime position to make the playoffs. The Raiders are currently a game behind the Bills in the wild-card hunt and have the same record as both the Steelers and Colts (along with the head-to-head tiebreaker against Indy), but their remaining schedule is by far the easiest of any of the AFC’s playoff hopefuls. Oakland’s next two opponents are the Bengals and Jets, who have two wins combined. The Raiders also have a rematch against the 4-6 Chargers in December before closing out the regular season on the road against the 3-6 Broncos. The Chiefs are the only team left on Oakland’s schedule with a winning record.</p>
<p id="lk7sOa">There’s been nothing cheap about the Raiders’ 5-4 start. This offense has been one of the most efficient units in the league, with an impressive air attack that’s been successful despite a lack of pass-catching talent, and a dominant running game powered by rookie Josh Jacobs and one of the league’s most complete offensive lines. Even without a cupcake back half of the schedule, the Raiders would likely still belong in the playoff field as one of the six best teams in the AFC. This defense is still a concern, especially after safety Karl Joseph suffered a season-ending knee injury on his game-sealing interception against the Chargers. Oakland signed journeyman safety D.J. Swearinger as insurance this week and also brought in former no. 3 overall pick Dion Jordan to bolster the pass rush. Jordan was suspended for the first 10 games of the season after violating the league’s performance-enhancing-drug policy by testing positive for Adderall, but he had several promising moments with the Seahawks during the past couple seasons. At this point, though, Oakland’s best chance to get into the playoffs—and make some noise when it gets there—is the offense. </p>
<p id="iQZjRl"><strong>4. The Steelers, meanwhile, hope to beat out the Raiders in the wild-card race on the strength of their top-five defense. </strong>After a terrible start to the season, during which the Steelers defense gave up 61 points to the Patriots and Seahawks and allowed 436 yards of offense against the 49ers in Week 3, this unit has been one of the best in the NFL. Pittsburgh dismantled the Rams on Sunday, allowing just 4.4 yards per play and surrendering only three points to L.A.’s offense (nine of the Rams’ 12 points came on a defensive touchdown and a safety). Pittsburgh’s front four controlled the game and terrorized Jared Goff: The pass rush notched four sacks and nine quarterback hits and consistently crumbled the pocket. Cornerback Joe Haden also had his best game of the season. Early in the third quarter, Goff tried to find tight end Tyler Higbee deep down the right sideline on a tricky play-action design, but Haden read it beautifully and came up with a leaping interception. Haden finished the game with <em>five </em>passes defensed and seemed to be everywhere on the field. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> for the taking.<a href="https://twitter.com/joehaden23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joehaden23</a> <a href="https://t.co/stilFWKljP">pic.twitter.com/stilFWKljP</a></p>— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) <a href="https://twitter.com/steelers/status/1193672817230962688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="JUZHPA">Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick also had a monster game, which seems to be a weekly occurrence now. The second-year defensive back returned a Goff fumble 43 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter, and he caught one of Haden’s deflections to snag the game-winning interception. In seven games since he was traded to Pittsburgh from the Dolphins, Fitzpatrick has five interceptions, one forced fumble, and two defensive touchdowns. When the Steelers gave up a first-round pick for Fitzpatrick two games into the season, it seemed like a massive risk for a team that had already lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the year. But Fitzpatrick has looked like an absolute superstar. The move to a full-time safety role has helped him blossom into the player that many thought he could be when he was drafted in the first round out of Alabama in 2018. A first-round pick is a high price to pay for any player, but with only his base salaries on the books for the next two seasons, Fitzpatrick’s <em>combined </em>cap hit for 2020 and 2021 is $4.8 million. And the Steelers can still keep him cost-controlled on a fifth-year option in 2022. With every game that Fitzpatrick helps this team win, the pick that Pittsburgh sent to Miami gets a little bit worse—and gets this team closer to an unlikely playoff berth. I was critical of the deal when it happened, but it looks like a resounding win for the Steelers. </p>
<p id="HbliAJ"><strong>5. The Bills’ 19-16 loss to Cleveland is particularly devastating when you look at their upcoming schedule. </strong>Buffalo is still 6-3 and atop the wild-card standings in the AFC, but Sean McDermott’s team has the most difficult stretch of opponents remaining. The Bills get the Dolphins next week before facing the Broncos in Week 12, but after that, things get <em>rough</em>. Buffalo’s schedule features games against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots. The Cowboys have had a bizarre season (which I’ll get to in a bit), and the Steelers’ struggling offense could sabotage a game at any time. But the soft stretch of Buffalo’s schedule is decidedly over, and the Bills haven’t shown enough improvement this season to inspire much faith in them knocking off a team like Baltimore or New England. </p>
<p id="KhNkmB">Josh Allen had another up-and-down game on Sunday in what’s been a season full of them, and Buffalo’s defense needed multiple goal-line stands to keep the game close. Missing the playoffs would be devastating for a team that started 5-1, but the Bills’ talent never really lived up to that lofty record. Buffalo’s team-building plan around Allen always centered on 2020 being the year this group might be ready to compete, and the results this season make that timeline seem correct. The Bills may have the inside track now, but their hold on the wild-card race is slowly slipping away. </p>
<p id="8qowmO"><strong>6. The Colts’ 16-12 loss to the Dolphins is a crushing blow to their playoff aspirations, but the more relevant consequence of this game may be how it affects the battle for the no. 1 pick. </strong>The downgrade from Jacoby Brissett—who missed Sunday’s game with a left knee injury—to “backup” quarterback Brian Hoyer proved to be the Colts’ undoing. Hoyer threw three interceptions and failed to produce much of anything against a terrible Dolphins defense. The Colts’ ability to stay afloat in the aftermath of Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement is one of the most impressive developments of the season, but no matter how great a job head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard have done so far, the mounting injuries threaten to ruin Indy’s year. If Brissett can return next week, the Colts have a chance to right the ship and find their way into the dance. But this group has a defined ceiling. </p>
<p id="IKpbd3">In a way, the stakes for the Dolphins might have been <em>higher </em>entering this contest. In the first seven games of the season, Miami orchestrated one of the greatest tanking masterpieces in recent memory. The Dolphins stripped their roster to the studs, amassed several high-end picks in the process, and proceeded to lose in spectacular fashion on their way to an 0-7 start. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. And then the past two weeks happened. The Dolphins have won two consecutive games, and if they beat the Bills next weekend, they’ll even have a “winning streak” going. As the great Lou Brown once <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnVrSZHnvYY">noted</a>, it <em>has </em>happened before. </p>
<p id="dIyj5j">By beating the Colts on Sunday, the Dolphins are now two games above the winless Bengals in the standings. That may not seem like an insurmountable lead for the no. 1 pick, but when we’re talking about these teams, two games is massive. The Bengals play the Jets in Week 13 before traveling to Miami for a suddenly crucial Week 16 tilt, so hope is not yet gone for the Dolphins. But Cincinnati rookie quarterback Ryan Finley looked lost against the Ravens in his first career start on Sunday, so relying on the Bengals to win two more games seems like a tall order. </p>
<p id="yFsCOR">Miami’s surprising win wasn’t the only unproductive victory this weekend. The Jets also beat the Giants, and the one-win Falcons somehow upset the Saints. The only competition more muddled than the race for the AFC wild card is the fight for the no. 1 pick. At this point, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see five teams with one or two wins heading into the final few weeks of the season with the right to draft Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, or Chase Young hanging in the balance. </p>
<p id="y039pc"><strong>7. Lamar Jackson was incredible again on Sunday, and his MVP case is starting to gain steam. </strong>The Ravens quarterback played a perfect game in Baltimore’s 49-13 win over the Bengals. Jackson completed 15 of his 17 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns while adding 65 yards and another score on the ground. I’m not sure what’s left to say about Jackson’s play this season. His magnificent 47-yard touchdown run in the third quarter is the sort of play only a handful of pros could pull off, <em>and</em> he finished the game with a perfect passer rating. Few quarterbacks in NFL history have been able to make defenders look so hapless in the open field and complete pinpoint throws like Jackson’s dart to Hayden Hurst early in the second quarter. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">wow<br><br>Wow<br><br>WOW<br><br>WOOOOOW<a href="https://twitter.com/Lj_era8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Lj_era8</a> is a MAGICIAN! <a href="https://t.co/JppdXs4uej">pic.twitter.com/JppdXs4uej</a></p>— NFL UK (@NFLUK) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLUK/status/1193619033494568962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="bvNooq">Russell Wilson is still the rightful MVP favorite, given his virtually flawless performance so far this season, but Jackson’s play over the past few weeks has put him in the conversation. The MVP race tends to change dramatically in the second half of the season, and Jackson will make a serious push if he continues playing like this.</p>
<p id="9NJ6Eo"><strong>8. Marcus Peters was the perfect addition to the Ravens roster. </strong>Baltimore sent linebacker Kenny Young and a fifth-round pick to the Rams last month in exchange for Peters, and considering what the veteran cornerback has done for this team, I’d say it was well worth it. Peters picked off Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley in the second quarter of Sunday’s game and returned the interception 89 yards for a touchdown.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">MP JUICE MAN TO THE HOUSE <a href="https://twitter.com/marcuspeters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@marcuspeters</a> for 6 <a href="https://t.co/biyQrma93u">pic.twitter.com/biyQrma93u</a></p>— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/1193603728076681221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="Nswxm3">Recognizing that the tight alignment of the Bengals’ receivers likely meant he was matched up one-on-one, Peters correctly guessed the route, jumped the pass, and took it to the house. It was his second pick-six in three games since the trade (and his third total on the season) and just another example of why Peters is a great fit for this team. The Ravens defense hasn’t been as dominant this year as in seasons past, but with Lamar Jackson leading the league’s highest-scoring offense, it doesn’t have to be. Combining an opportunistic unit that can survive on turnovers with this offense could be a championship recipe for the Ravens.</p>
<p id="4mtigm"><strong>9. Dak Prescott was brilliant in Sunday’s 28-24 loss to Minnesota, but the Cowboys’ commitment to running the ball on early downs is a huge problem. </strong>The Dallas quarterback finished Sunday’s game with 397 yards passing and three touchdowns, adding another notch to what’s been the best season of his career. Yet despite Prescott’s excellence, the Cowboys continue to insist on using running back Ezekiel Elliott in first-and-10 situations. Dallas ran the ball 16 times for 39 yards on first down against the Vikings (a 2.44-yard average) while Prescott averaged 8.3 yards per passing attempt. Head coach Jason Garrett has one of the best quarterbacks in football at his disposal, but the Cowboys seem hell-bent on justifying the six-year, $90 million deal they gave Elliott this offseason. With first-year coordinator Kellen Moore designing the offense and the wide receiver duo of Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup on the outside, Prescott finally has an offensive infrastructure that gives him the best chance to succeed. But Dallas still refuses to make him the focal point of the offense. It’s baffling. </p>
<p id="5nwkql"><strong>10. This week’s</strong><em><strong> line-play moment that made he hit rewind</strong></em><strong>: T.J. Watt is playing some amazing football right now. </strong>Watt has improved significantly in each of his three seasons in the NFL, and this year he’s emerged as one of the league’s best pass rushers. Watt tallied two more sacks in Sunday’s win, and his textbook dip move on this play late in the second quarter showed off a flexibility that few rushers possess. Watt ranks fifthfourth in the NFL with 9.5 sacks, and that’s not an empty stat. He also ranks seventh in disrupted dropbacks (47) and fifth in QB hits (11). He’s getting after the quarterback as consistently as any player in football right now. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Look at T.J. Watt win here on the sack <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Steelers</a> <a href="https://t.co/Srb22DDiaQ">pic.twitter.com/Srb22DDiaQ</a></p>— Steel-Videos (@sdextrasmedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdextrasmedia/status/1193662984049975296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="toKpz1"><strong>11. This week in </strong><em><strong>NFL players, they’re absolutely nothing like us: </strong></em><strong>Lamar Jackson is capable of </strong><em><strong>actual </strong></em><strong>magic. </strong></p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"He is Houdini!" <a href="https://twitter.com/Lj_era8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Lj_era8</a> <a href="https://t.co/Kk2Zx59QTS">pic.twitter.com/Kk2Zx59QTS</a></p>— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/1194013682423889920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/11/20960372/the-starting-11-afc-middle-class-confusion-chiefs-titans-steelers-ravensRobert Mays2019-11-11T16:14:46-05:002019-11-11T16:14:46-05:00Week 10 Recap With Chris Long
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<p>Russillo and Chris discuss Alabama-LSU, Cowboys-Vikings and Lamar Jackson</p> <p id="OmYp18"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ryen-russillo-podcast/episodes/910cc393-0d40-4716-b3ff-e9844ad9e1c6">Russillo is joined by</a> two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long to discuss NFL Week 10. The two talk headlines, best/worst plane rides, Cowboys-Vikings, Alabama-LSU, Lamar Jackson torching the Bengals, and the Browns’ first home win. They also introduce a new segment called Confessionals, give a quick history lesson on Big Bill Rockefeller, and more.</p>
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<p id="myaCLi"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ryen-russillo-podcast/id1433966613">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ryen-russillo-podcast">Art19</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/DualThreatWithRyenRussillo">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2019/11/11/20960085/week-10-recap-with-chris-longRyen Russillo2019-11-11T12:55:54-05:002019-11-11T12:55:54-05:00The Rams’ Offensive Magic Is Gone. Their Playoff Hopes Could Disappear Soon Too.
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<p>L.A.’s loss to the Steelers continued a troubling offensive trend. So why does the Sean McVay–Jared Goff duo look so vulnerable?</p> <aside id="r8r93n"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/8/20954943/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-10-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="3lToU3">It’s been less than a year since the Rams were heralded as one of the driving forces behind the NFL’s offensive revolution. In Week 11 last season, head coach Sean McVay’s squad squared off against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in one of the most thrilling regular-season games ever played. Los Angeles emerged with a 54-51 victory that felt like it signaled the start of a new era. The <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/11/20/18104348/kansas-city-chiefs-los-angeles-rams-sean-mcvay-andy-reid-roster-construction-schemes">future of football had arrived</a>. But as the league prepares for Week 11 this<em> </em>season, that dominant Rams offense is nowhere to be found. </p>
<p id="EgIKS2">After losing 17-12 to the Steelers on Sunday in a game in which the offense managed just three measly points, the Rams are now 5-4, in serious danger of missing the playoffs, and desperately searching for answers. The looming question about this team entering the 2019 campaign was whether McVay and quarterback Jared Goff could shake off an embarrassing performance against the Patriots in the Super Bowl and update a scheme that opposing defenses seemed to solve during the second half of last season. Through nine games, the minor adjustments the Rams offense made haven’t done enough to shake defensive coordinators. Combine that with downgrades to crucial areas of L.A.’s roster, and McVay’s team has gone from leaguewide phenomenon to middle-of-the-road group scraping to get by. </p>
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<p id="TKU7kd">Early in the fall, McVay deployed a few new wrinkles to attack the 6-1 defensive front that teams like the Pats, Bears, and Lions had used to slow the Rams in the back half of last season. L.A. dialed up more toss plays to get the ball to the edge quicker, ran more plays out of <a href="http://insidethepylon.com/football-101/glossary-football-101/2015/12/18/itp-glossary-10-offensive-personnel/">10</a> and <a href="http://insidethepylon.com/football-101/glossary-football-101/2015/09/22/itp-glossary-12-offensive-personnel/">12 personnel</a>, and leaned on more receiver and tight end screens as the offense neared the red zone. McVay clearly understood that the Rams needed to do <em>something </em>different, but for the most part the changes have been fairly minor. Against the Steelers on Sunday, the offense’s structure looked similar to the basic scheme this unit has featured for the past few seasons. Wideouts Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds, and Cooper Kupp all played at least 92 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. Early-down play calls consisted mostly of zone runs and play-action throws off those runs, with plenty of jet and orb motion built into the designs. </p>
<p id="A5QeeT">The guts of that offense are strong, which is why it gave defenses fits in 2017 and 2018. On Todd Gurley’s 22-yard carry in Sunday’s third quarter, an orb motion from Kupp just before the snap held edge rusher T.J. Watt in place, allowing the right side of the Rams’ line to wash down the Pittsburgh front and create a massive seam. The sheer amount of misdirection in this offense still makes defenses pay for being undisciplined, but well-coached units now have plans in place to stop most of McVay’s old tricks.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="fK7vE7"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Winners and Losers of NFL Week 10","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/11/20958908/winners-losers-week-10-lamar-jackson-christian-mccaffrey-jamal-adams"},{"title":"Which Fantasy Football Underperformers Are Due for a Breakout?","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/11/20958864/fantasy-playbook-positive-regression-breakout-candidates"},{"title":"The Minkah Fitzpatrick Trade Officially Saved the Steelers’ Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/10/20958753/pittsburgh-steelers-los-angeles-rams-minkah-fitzpatrick-tj-watt"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="dxcRso">On a first-and-10 midway through the second quarter, the Rams ran a leak concept to Kupp that involved his slipping across the field from the slot on a play-action design. In the past, a variation of this has produced monster gains, like Kupp’s 70-yard touchdown against the Vikings in Week 4 last season. But in this case, safety Terrell Edmunds was in Kupp’s hip pocket all the way up the left sideline. (Edmunds was called for pass interference, but it was clear that he recognized the play from the start.) Linebacker Mark Barron also snuffed out multiple screens to Gurley—another staple of this offense—and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick played as if he knew what was coming before the ball was snapped. He was driving on the crossing route to Kupp on a key third-and-8 in the red zone from the moment the play began. The Steelers looked prepared for anything the Rams threw their way. </p>
<p id="Rvhc9G">A lack of innovation has hindered this offense, but it’s not fair to put all the blame on the coaching staff. Last season the Rams boasted one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. Goff was pressured on just 32 percent of his dropbacks, which ranked 26th out of 39 qualified QBs, according to Pro Football Focus. The Rams were no. 1 in Football Outsiders’<em> </em>rushing DVOA by a wide margin, and while certain aspects of McVay’s scheme were responsible for that, so was one of the more solid front lines in football. This year, that group has cratered. The succession plan at center and right guard—where second-year players Brian Allen and Joe Noteboom took over this season, respectively—has not gone smoothly. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth has regressed as he approaches his 38th birthday, and right tackle Rob Havenstein has struggled all fall. Coming into Sunday’s game, Goff had been pressured on 39.2 percent of his dropbacks, the fifth-highest rate in the league. And he was forced to deal with crumbling pockets all afternoon against the Steelers. </p>
<p id="BJ5eXY">Health has also been a concern for this offense in a way that it wasn’t during the Rams’ peak. L.A.’s five starters along the line didn’t miss a game last season. This year, their luck hasn’t been as good. Allen went down with a knee injury in the second quarter in Pittsburgh, forcing right guard Austin Blythe to shift to center and recently acquired Austin Corbett to come off the bench to play guard. Noteboom was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL and MCL in mid-October, thrusting rookie fifth-round pick David Edwards into action. </p>
<p id="NYRP2E">There’s also the ongoing Gurley enigma. Coming in to this season, the Rams insisted that their star running back was fully healthy, in spite of his limited usage down the stretch last year. Yet while Gurley has played in eight of the Rams’ nine 2019 games, he’s logged just 104 carries over that stretch. He was the most reliable piece of the offense on Sunday, but rushed only 12 times (six in the first half and six in the second half) despite averaging 6.1 yards per carry. In a one-score game, he didn’t touch the ball in the fourth quarter. When McVay was <a href="https://theathletic.com/1367056/2019/11/10/as-big-hopes-dwindle-rams-need-quick-answers-to-multiple-problems/">asked by reporters</a> why he didn’t turn to the league’s second-highest-paid running back in crunch time, he said that the snap distribution was “just part of the rotation.” It’s easy to understand why the Rams would be cautious with Gurley, given his reportedly arthritic knee condition and the $45 million guaranteed the franchise invested in him. Even if the company line is that Gurley is at full strength, though, his usage seems to be at least somewhat dictated by health concerns.</p>
<p id="g7ngao">As the component parts of the Rams offense have taken a collective step back, Goff’s play has also suffered. After averaging 8.4 yards per attempt last season, Goff is at 7.4 YPA this season, with 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Only the injured Cam Newton and the benched Josh Rosen have a worse gap between their <a href="https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/glossary">expected completion percentage</a> and actual completion percentage than Goff’s negative-6.8 percent. On Sunday, Goff completed just 53.7 percent of his throws with an expected completion percentage of 70.4 percent—by far the largest discrepancy of the week. </p>
<p id="t0WKNf">Goff’s issues illuminate just how important every factor of an offense can be to a QB’s success. As his support system has eroded, his shortcomings have been laid bare for all to see. Even if Goff is essentially the same player as he was during his first two seasons under McVay, many of the elements that inspired the Rams to hand him a record-setting contract with $110 million guaranteed have disappeared. When the organization gave Goff a deal worth $33.5 million annually—with a $36 million cap hit in 2020—the thought was that it was paying the version of Goff who thrives in McVay’s inventive offense. The Goff half of that relationship may not have changed since, but the stability of the offense has. The Rams are paying top dollar for the QB-coach partnership that took the league by storm in 2018, but the strength of that duo has come into question. </p>
<p id="RRsF5i">And that’s where the Rams’ trajectory becomes truly troubling, in regard to both Goff’s deal and several of the other aggressive moves the franchise has made in recent years. As L.A. was throttling teams last season and McVay was cementing his reputation as the NFL’s boy genius, it was hard to fault general manager Les Snead for betting big on the immediate future. Snead swung high-impact trades for wide receiver Brandin Cooks and pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr.; the organization also handed out top-of-market deals to Gurley, Cooks, and Aaron Donald. With Goff still on a rookie contract and the Rams firmly in championship contention, all-in moves like this made sense. A year later, the Rams have an expensive quarterback, four guys set to make at least $16.8 million next season, and holes all across their roster. And <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2019-nfl-predictions/">according to <em>FiveThirtyEight</em>’s Elo model</a>, they have only a 25 percent chance to make the playoffs.</p>
<p id="YUouv6">Cornerback Jalen Ramsey will likely become the fifth member of that $16 million club when he’s given a contract extension this offseason. The Rams dealt two first-round picks to the Jaguars to acquire Ramsey last month, in the type of trade that’s designed to push a Super Bowl–caliber roster over the top. But the Rams are no longer that—at least not this season, anyway. Four of L.A.’s next six games are against the Ravens, Seahawks, Cowboys, and 49ers. The road to the postseason will be brutal, and it’ll require a much better team than the one we’ve seen over the first nine games. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="Xs06qw">The Rams are a flawed team that lacks the draft capital or financial flexibility to address those flaws. Within the span of a few months, they’ve gone from the forefront of the league to no-man’s-land. When they knocked off the Chiefs last November, we knew exactly who this team was and where it was going. A year later, both its present and future are a mystery.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/11/20959598/rams-offense-problems-sean-mcvay-jared-goffRobert Mays2019-11-11T06:30:00-05:002019-11-11T06:30:00-05:00Which Fantasy Football Underperformers Are Due for a Breakout?
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<p>From Leonard Fournette to Saquon Barkley to even, yes, Odell Beckham Jr., some underperforming fantasy football playmakers could soon explode for patient players. Who is worth betting on?</p> <aside id="J571nm"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/8/20954943/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-10-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="WDxaaP">The word <em>regression</em> typically comes with a negative connotation, evoking the image of a player who’s taken a massive step back. But regression goes both ways, and that can be crucial in fantasy football. Take Cardinals wideout Christian Kirk, who came in to this week as one of the league’s best <em>positive</em> regression candidates, particularly in the touchdown column: Prior to Sunday, Kirk had seen the <a href="https://twitter.com/Ihartitz/status/1191941768675237888">second-most targets (53)</a> among all players who had failed to find the end zone, and had been the Cardinals’ top receiver in just about every meaningful fantasy metric, including target share (23 percent), air-yards share (29 percent), and <a href="http://airyards.com/tables.html">Josh Hermsmeyer’s weighted opportunity rating</a> (0.55). As all of Kirk’s numbers seemed to portend, the second-year pro ended that drought in Arizona’s wild 30-27 loss to the Buccaneers, erupting for 138 yards and three touchdowns and posting an NFL-high 37.8 PPR points (pending <em>Monday Night Football</em>).</p>
<p id="8t17sp">Kirk rewarded patient fantasy managers who kept him in lineups on Sunday despite his 3.6-point outing last week—and his performance served as a reminder that volume and opportunity are two of the most powerful indicators for future fantasy production. With Kirk’s predictable breakout in mind, let’s look forward to a few other players who are due for the same type of positive regression down the homestretch. </p>
<p id="1j6Pcr">The Jets’ surprisingly fun 34-27 win against the Giants provided a couple of high-profile examples. All-world running back Saquon Barkley was puzzlingly invisible in the high-scoring affair, and carried the ball 13 times for <em>one</em> yard on the day while adding five catches for 30 yards to notch a disappointing 8.1 PPR points. It was just Barkley’s second single-digit output this season (he notched 7.7 points in Week 3 against the Buccaneers), and won’t help the consensus top preseason pick move up the scoring leaderboard. Barkley, who came in to the week as the per-game RB8 with an 18.2 PPR-point average, seems to be moving in the wrong direction—but he remains a prime positive regression candidate. The versatile back’s underlying usage is strong: He came in to this week second only to Christian McCaffrey in PFF’s <a href="https://www.pff.com/news/fantasy-football-expected-fantasy-points-week-10-2019">expected fantasy points per game metric</a> (19.5), meaning he’s getting the types of high-value touches that typically lead to big fantasy points. Much of his relative fantasy struggles this season fall to a lack of touchdown luck: After scoring 15 times in 2018, Barkley has just three touchdowns in seven games this season. According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/fantasy/football/insider/story/_/id/27587059/fantasy-football-nfl-opportunity-adjusted-touchdown-otd-rankings-2019">ESPN’s opportunity-adjusted touchdowns metric</a>, he came in to the week with 1.7 fewer touchdowns than expected from a statistically average running back. Barkley is decidedly not an average player; as the unquestioned leader in the New York offense, his fantasy-relevant volume should remain strong (assuming <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28054190/giants-running-back-saquon-barkley-banged-career-worst-game">he’s not too “banged up” to miss time next week</a>)—so don’t be surprised when the scores start to come in bunches. </p>
<p id="a1dZpS">As for Barkley’s counterpart in that matchup, Jets star Le’Veon Bell was nearly as ineffective, carrying the ball 18 times for just 34 yards—1.9 yards per carry—but did manage to find pay dirt and punched a 1-yard run into the end zone in the fourth quarter. Along with four catches for 34 yards, Bell finished with a solid 16.8 PPR points, putting him on track for a RB1 finish this week. Bell has had an up-and-down season for the, uh, mercurial Jets, and like Barkley, he has underperformed with just three touchdowns on 187 touches (0.9 fewer touchdowns than expected coming into the game). That lack of touchdown luck makes him a positive regression candidate for the rest of the season—but more than that, Bell’s second-half outlook is particularly rosy because of the cupcake slate of defenses the Jets face down the stretch. Bell has a chance to feast against Washington, Oakland, Cincinnati, and Miami in the next four weeks. </p>
<p id="neq5Gw">The Jaguars were off this week, but we can’t talk about positive regression candidates without pointing to running back Leonard Fournette, who might take the cake when it comes to a lack of touchdown luck this season. The third-year pro came in to this week as the overall RB5 thanks to a league-high 214 touches, but has scored just one total touchdown on the year. That’s an incredible <a href="https://www.espn.com/fantasy/football/insider/story/_/id/27587059/fantasy-football-nfl-opportunity-adjusted-touchdown-otd-rankings-2019">4.3 fewer scores than expected</a>, and, for reference, 13 fewer touchdowns than that of Aaron Jones, who’s touched the ball a total of 170 times. Fournette has elite usage as the unquestioned lead back in the Jacksonville offense—and he’s due to start scoring in droves, especially if Nick Foles’s return to the field provides a spark for the Jaguars offense. </p>
<p id="1b06pr">Packers pass catcher Davante Adams ranks at or near the top of the positive regression candidate list, too. After scoring 35 touchdowns in the last three seasons, Adams has been held scoreless this season. It doesn’t help, of course, that he missed four games to a toe injury, but after coming in to Sunday with <a href="https://www.espn.com/fantasy/football/insider/story/_/id/27587059/fantasy-football-nfl-opportunity-adjusted-touchdown-otd-rankings-2019">2.0 fewer touchdowns than expected</a>, he racked up another 10 scoreless targets against the Panthers to match the Chargers’ Mike Williams as the league’s most-targeted receiver (57) without a touchdown. With <a href="http://airyards.com/tables.html">a 65 percent weighted opportunity rating on the year</a>—sixth highest among all players—the underlying passing game volume is certainly there for a massive stretch run. It’s hard to imagine Adams’s touchdown drought lasting much longer. </p>
<p id="IQn20k">Finally, let’s not forget about Odell Beckham Jr. The Browns’ underwhelming offseason addition had another disappointing outing on Sunday, reeling in just five of 12 targets for 57 yards in the team’s 19-16 win against the Bills. And yeah, Beckham <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLResearch/status/1193650477096767488">drew blanket coverage from elite cornerback TreDavious White</a>, but it was the latest in a series of subpar performances for the superstar pass catcher—and didn’t exactly paint the picture of an impending breakout. It’s not that difficult to imagine Beckham’s struggles continuing for the rest of the year in the Browns’ mostly dysfunctional offense under Freddie Kitchens. But it’s worth noting that Beckham’s volume metrics remain promising: He’s tied for the team lead in target share (25 percent), leads Cleveland in air yards share (37 percent), and has posted a weighted opportunity rating of 0.64, which is tied for seventh among all players. I’m less confident in Beckham’s chances for a massive stretch run than I am for most of the players on this list, but it’s impossible to ignore the consistent opportunity for fantasy points he’s getting in the Browns offense. </p>
<p id="ESW5CK">OK, on to the rest of the happenings around the league. </p>
<h3 id="rpsEEc">Risers and Sliders</h3>
<h4 id="d1mRsD">Riser: WR Darius Slayton, Giants</h4>
<p id="7GQyAP">Slayton showed out on Sunday, grabbing 10 of 14 targets for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The explosive rookie is quickly becoming one of quarterback Daniel Jones’s most trusted targets—on Sunday, he joined a short list of first-year wideouts this decade to record <a href="https://twitter.com/LopsidedTrades/status/1193605708765372417">multiple two-touchdown games</a>—and with Sterling Shepard’s status uncertain (concussion), the fifth-rounder out of Auburn has the chance to solidify his role on the outside for New York. Slayton has been a boom-or-bust option in the past month (he’s scored 34.1 points, 1.6 points, 19 points, and 4.8 points in his last four games, respectively), but with potential for an extended role down the stretch, he’s an attractive waiver wire add this week as the Giants head into their bye. </p>
<h4 id="Es26s2">Slider: QB Jared Goff, Rams</h4>
<p id="d1Zx5P">The unstoppable Rams offense from last year seems like nothing more than a vague, distant memory at this point. Quarterback Jared Goff’s struggles continued in the team’s 17-12 loss to the Steelers, with the $134-million man completing just 22 of 41 passes (his fifth straight game with a sub-60 percent completion rate) for 243 yards and two interceptions to net just 3.7 fantasy points. Goff’s struggles trickled down to his receiving corps, of course, too: The normally reliable Cooper Kupp, who came into the weekend as the overall WR5, was held catchless on four targets. And Todd Gurley—once one of the most dangerous pass-catching backs in the game—was again a nonfactor in the team’s air attack, catching zero of four targets while finishing with 12 rushes for 73 yards (for 7.3 PPR points). </p>
<h4 id="UwNRZA">Riser: WR Jarvis Landry, Browns</h4>
<p id="wGJJ2r">Beckham may have struggled in this game, but Landry reeled in nine of 10 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown (good for 24.7 PPR points) in Cleveland’s come-from-behind victory over the Bills. The veteran has been the most reliable option in the Browns passing game, picking up some of the slack from Beckham’s sluggish start. Landry caught a touchdown in his second straight game and has now notched double-digit PPR points in five of his last six outings. </p>
<h4 id="8aOABE">Slider: The Entire Colts Offense</h4>
<p id="mbAJzp">Hoyer was a disaster in relief of injured Jacoby Brissett, completing just 18-of-39 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. That ineptitude against the typically dreadful Dolphins defense didn’t exactly boost the fantasy output for the guys around him: Wideout Zach Pascal, a popular waiver wire add this week, mustered just two catches for 26 yards on seven targets; Eric Ebron turned 12 targets into just five catches for 56 yards; and Marlon Mack was held under double-digit points (9.2) despite carrying the ball 19 times. Jack Doyle caught the Colts’ lone touchdown, leading the way with 13.4 PPR points. Until Brissett returns, avoid Colts skill players if you can. </p>
<h4 id="vHzkt1">Riser: TE O.J. Howard, Buccaneers</h4>
<p id="oNsvCj">Howard has been one of the most disappointing fantasy tight ends this season and came into the Week as the overall TE41. But in the Buccaneers’ 30-27 win over the Cardinals, the super-athletic pass catcher finally showed up, reeling in four of seven targets for 47 yards and a touchdown—his first trip to the end zone since November 4, 2018. The Cardinals have hemorrhaged points to opposing tight ends all year, so it’s tough to read too much into this relative explosion for Howard, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the third-year pro. </p>
<h4 id="cvyiqc">Slider: RB Latavius Murray, Saints</h4>
<p id="51Zfu0">Murray made the most of his opportunity to lead the Saints backfield with Alvin Kamara on the sideline during Weeks 7 and 8, notching 30-plus PPR points in both outings. But with Kamara back in action, the veteran back posted an absolute dud on Sunday, totaling just 19 yards on seven touches to net 3.9 PPR points. The Saints offense was, overall, uncharacteristically awful against a terrible Falcons defense, so Murray has a chance to bounce back next week against the Buccaneers. But with Kamara back to hogging the passing game target-share (10 targets to Murray’s two), Murray’s ceiling is capped. </p>
<h4 id="E9wjWh">Riser: QB Mitchell Trubisky, Bears</h4>
<p id="Suk5dr">Trubisky got a much-needed confidence boost in the Bears’ 20-13 win over the Lions, tossing three touchdowns to net 19.7 fantasy points. That performance cements the embattled signal-caller a spot as a QB1 this week (he’s the overall QB8 coming out of Sunday), with just his second top-12 week this season after finishing 2018 as the QB11 in fantasy points per game. Trubisky remains an extremely low-volume passer and surprisingly limited runner, making his fantasy value dicey at best. But at the very least, this game should hold calls for backup Chase Daniel at bay for at least a week. </p>
<h4 id="3Dpt6M">Slider: WR Robby Anderson, Jets</h4>
<p id="fiS5b8">Anderson couldn’t take advantage of a juicy matchup against the porous Giants secondary, registering just one catch for 11 yards on three targets (2.1 PPR points). Anderson’s set for another advantageous opponent next week as the Jets face off against the Redskins, but with Jamison Crowder sucking up all the oxygen in the team’s passing game, the big-play threat is nothing more than a desperation flex option at this point after failing to score double-digit PPR points in four straight games. </p>
<h3 id="F37PIC">Cutting Up the Pie</h3>
<h4 id="ctJPjn">LeSean McCoy gets sent to the Chiefs’ bench</h4>
<p id="dmukJ3">McCoy was a surprise healthy scratch prior to Kansas City’s 35-32 loss to the Titans on Sunday—<a href="https://twitter.com/JamesPalmerTV/status/1193572100029796354">reportedly a load management</a> strategy meant to keep him fresh down the stretch—which paved the way for Damien Williams to dominate backfield touches for the second straight week. Williams, who logged 19 carries for 77 yards and added five catches on five targets for 32 yards (13.9 PPR points), appears to have the edge on the lead back role in Kansas City, making McCoy—who got just three carries last week—a risky play going forward, fresh legs or not. </p>
<h4 id="OW1GSt">The Browns split roles in Kareem Hunt’s return</h4>
<p id="2SSEAY">Nick Chubb retained his lead-back role for the Browns on Sunday, carrying the ball 20 times for 116 yards while playing <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottBarrettDFB/status/1193662530280923141">83 percent</a> of the offensive snaps. But in his first game back from an eight-game suspension, Hunt had a fantasy-relevant role as the team’s passing-down back in Cleveland’s win over the Bills, seeing nine targets and finishing with seven catches for 44 yards. Hunt is looking like a viable flex option down the stretch. </p>
<h4 id="IAv1Ps">David Johnson returns to Arizona’s backfield</h4>
<p id="RxCeWZ">Johnson returned to the field after missing most of the last three games to an ankle injury. He was not effective in Arizona’s 30-27 loss, carrying the ball five times for just 2 yards while adding one catch for 8 yards and losing a fumble. That performance doesn’t bode well for Johnson’s outlook the rest of the year, and it also ate into the bottom line for the explosive Kenyan Drake, who led the team with 10 carries for 35 yards (while adding six catches for 6 yards). The Buccaneers have been stingy against opposing running backs this season, so we’ll have to wait until next week to see how Arizona divvies up backfield snaps, but if the pass-happy Cardinals end up going with a running back timeshare—which could also include Chase Edmonds, who is currently out with a hamstring injury—it could be tough to trust any Cardinals back. </p>
<h3 id="hCMYxC">The Injury Report</h3>
<p id="aQLYbL">Here are a few injuries to monitor for this week. </p>
<p id="zKVhfk"><strong>RB Saquon Barkley, Giants:</strong> Barkley got “<a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28054190/giants-running-back-saquon-barkley-banged-career-worst-game">banged up</a>” in the Giants’ loss to the Jets on Sunday, according to head coach Pat Shurmur, but the team—and Barkley—were mum on the details. The extraordinarily tough runner would have to have a pretty serious injury to miss time, but keep an eye on the injury report this week. </p>
<p id="c4O4wX"><strong>RB Devonta Freeman, Falcons: </strong>Freeman sustained a foot injury in the team’s impressive win over the Saints and did not return. With Ito Smith on injured reserve, the team turned to Brian Hill, who carried the ball 20 times for 61 yards. If Freeman misses time, Hill would get the start in the team’s matchup against Carolina next week. </p>
<p id="YSGHbu"><strong>TE Austin Hooper, Falcons:</strong> Hooper suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Falcons win and did not return. If the overall fantasy TE1 is forced to miss time, the Falcons may have to turn to veteran Luke Stocker. </p>
<p id="i7z2KA"><strong>RB Ty Johnson, Lions: </strong>Johnson left the Lions’ loss to the Bears in the first half with a concussion and did not return. J.D. McKissic (10 rushes, 36 yards; six catches, 19 yards) and Paul Perkins (seven rushes, 9 yards; one catch, 9 yards) took over in the backfield, but neither was especially effective. </p>
<h3 id="nxOrbH">Smash the Add Button</h3>
<p id="ejX5MT">Here are a few must-add players to target on this week’s waiver wire.</p>
<p id="A1auRZ"><strong>WR Darius Slayton, Giants (rostered in 10 percent of Yahoo leagues): </strong>Slayton’s rapport with fellow rookie Daniel Jones is impossible to ignore. With Sterling Shepard’s status for the rest of the season up in the air, Slayton is poised to see his role grow down the stretch. The Giants are on a bye in Week 11, but grab Slayton before the rush. </p>
<p id="Pehazm"><strong>RB Brian Hill, Falcons (2 percent): </strong>With Freeman’s future availability uncertain, Hill has the opportunity to slide into a starting role for the Falcons in their matchup next week with the Panthers. Hill is a 6-foot-1, 219-pound banger who could see plenty of action in Atlanta’s backfield even if Freeman returns. </p>
<p id="hYJnZa"><strong>RB J.D. McKissic, Lions (21 percent): </strong>McKissic is not a between-the-tackles type of runner, but he’s effective in the passing game and could see his snap rate go up if Ty Johnson misses time. The veteran back has seen 11 targets in the past two games, and caught a touchdown pass in Detroit’s loss to the Raiders last week. </p>
<p id="kIVgoM"><strong>QB Nick Foles, Jaguars (20 percent): </strong>Minshew Mania is, for now, officially over, and the Jaguars have turned back to Foles to lead the offense through the stretch run of the season. For QB-needy teams or those looking for bye-week fill-ins, Foles is a good option. The Jaguars will face off against a reeling Colts squad next week—and if you’re the type to look a little further forward, Jacksonville will draw a bad Buccaneers defense in Week 13, then the Raiders and Falcons in the heart of the fantasy playoffs in Weeks 15 and 16, respectively. </p>
<p id="ez9dNB"><strong>WR Andy Isabella, Cardinals (1 percent):</strong> Isabella just keeps making things happen when given the opportunity. The explosive rookie grabbed three catches for 78 yards <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottBarrettDFB/status/1193661194252492802">on just 26 snaps against the Buccaneers</a> and has now caught six of six targets for 174 yards and a touchdown on the season. The Cardinals may have no choice but to ramp up his usage from here on out. Stash him now if you want to get ahead of his real breakout. </p>
<h3 id="i67MZy">The Watch List</h3>
<p id="z0MvYz">Here’s a pair of players to add to your waiver wire watch list. Be ready to pounce.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="5FxuyX"><strong>RBs Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin (both zero percent), Dolphins: </strong>Kalen Ballage was incredibly inefficient starting in place of the suspended Mark Walton, carrying the ball 20 times for just 43 yards. Neither Laird (who got a pair of carries) nor Gaskin (one target) have a big role in the team’s offense right now, but that could change if Ballage continues to struggle. The Dolphins backfield isn’t producing much for fantasy, but any shaky running back rotation is worth keeping an eye on.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/11/20958864/fantasy-playbook-positive-regression-breakout-candidatesDanny Kelly2019-11-11T01:53:21-05:002019-11-11T01:53:21-05:00The Cowboys Just Need to Trust Dak Prescott
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<img alt="Minnesota Vikings v&nbsp;Dallas Cowboys" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xIKQzaSAKb1xqkK3DhGbZE0T80o=/296x0:4297x3001/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65674822/1186837637.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Dallas’s quarterback is playing as well as can be asked—but the team took the ball out of his hands late and consistently put itself in a position to lose against the Vikings. Now the Cowboys’ position at the top of the NFC East is in peril. </p> <aside id="Y8Aats"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/8/20954943/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-10-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="e1Vh7c">Two things were true about <em>Sunday Night Football</em>:<em> </em>Dak Prescott was the best player on the field, and the Cowboys lost. How Dallas squares those two realities will define the team’s season, especially since the Vikings didn’t beat the Cowboys as much as the Cowboys beat themselves. A combination of coaching, bad execution in the run game, and confusing special teams decisions (why didn’t Tavon Austin return it!) decided a 28-24 game.</p>
<p id="FtVhfP">“I thought Dak played as well as any quarterback I’ve seen this year,” Kirk Cousins told NBC’s Michele Tafoya after the game. It’s barely hyperbole. Prescott completed 28 of 46 passes for 397 yards and three touchdowns with an interception on a Hail Mary as time expired. Prescott and Amari Cooper may have had their best night together as teammates, and that’s saying something for one of the best quarterback-receiver combos of the past 12 months. Cooper caught 11 of 14 targets for 147 yards and a touchdown, and three of those catches came so precariously along the sideline that it looked like he had a wire team <a href="https://youtu.be/iSyZ5VOr45Y?t=89">ready off screen</a>. The most stunning catch of them all was when Prescott found Cooper in the end zone to take a 21-20 lead midway through the third quarter.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Amari coming for that toe tap crown <a href="https://twitter.com/AmariCooper9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmariCooper9</a> <a href="https://t.co/6UyjhGR0tr">pic.twitter.com/6UyjhGR0tr</a></p>— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) <a href="https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1193731032471572480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a>
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<p id="YHWKnP">The catch was so preposterous that even Cooper waited for the call, watched the referee’s arms go skyward, and then shrugged.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">AMARI. TOE TAP. AGAIN.<br><br>This man is unreal! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DallasCowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DallasCowboys</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AmariCooper9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmariCooper9</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MINvsDAL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MINvsDAL</a> on NBC<br> : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app<br>Watch free on mobile: <a href="https://t.co/RXk10jUojC">https://t.co/RXk10jUojC</a> <a href="https://t.co/Dc38glhm3T">pic.twitter.com/Dc38glhm3T</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1193730548604129282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a>
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<p id="v9ZwVV">“You can’t defend that,” NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said after watching the replay. Indeed, the Cowboys couldn’t cover anyone Prescott was targeting. Dak found Randall Cobb for a crucial first down late in the game backed up in their own territory<em>.</em> The play capped Cobb’s best game as a Cowboy (six catches for 106 yards). On one of those catches midway through the second quarter, Dak channeled his inner Aaron Rodgers and parlayed a Vikings offside penalty into a free play touchdown that he dropped into a bucket:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dak Prescott hits Randall Cobb for the TD!!! <br><br>Great throw and a great catch to tie the game<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DallasCowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DallasCowboys</a> <a href="https://t.co/Q2h1ELhUEF">pic.twitter.com/Q2h1ELhUEF</a></p>— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatGoingDowney/status/1193719661025734658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a>
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<p id="LNhDFj">Dak <a href="https://twitter.com/dallascowboys/status/1193736980753981440">was on fire</a>, and his second-to-last drive struck fear into Vikings fans’ hearts (if they say otherwise, they are lying or fell asleep for the end of the game). Minnesota, up 28-24, pinned the Cowboys at their own 6-yard line with less than five minutes to play. Eight plays, seven passes, and six completions later, the Cowboys had driven 83 yards for a second-and-2 at the Minnesota 11-yard line. Then everything went haywire in slow motion. Running back Ezekiel Elliott was stuffed for no gain. The Cowboys went back to Elliott again on third-and-2, and this time he <em>lost</em> yardage. Prescott couldn’t convert the subsequent fourth-and-5, and suddenly, Dallas’s drive was dead. </p>
<p id="jVjHAv">It might seem like an anomaly that Elliott was stuffed on two consecutive short-yardage gains, but it was indicative of the entire night. Elliott finished with 20 carries for 47 yards and just two catches for 16 yards as the Vikings defensive line, led by Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter, consistently controlled the line of scrimmage on run plays. </p>
<p id="GA3ZQA">“You want to attack different ways,” head coach Jason Garrett said in his <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsHQ/status/1193756398363922433">postgame press conference</a>. “It’s important for us to continue to try and run the ball. In normal circumstances you would think if we could give it to Zeke a couple times, second [down] and inside of two yards, that we’re gonna make that first down. Unfortunately it didn’t happen.”</p>
<p id="eRnG2N">Not only is Zeke getting stuffed in short yardage representative of the game, but it is representative of his career. Despite the contract he signed this offseason paying him $50 million in the next four seasons and his rushing titles and all of the soup ladeling, Elliott has been a mediocre short-yardage back, according to a study by Josh Hermsmeyer at <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ezekiel-elliott-is-not-worth-the-money-he-wants/"><em>FiveThirtyEight</em></a><em>. </em>Even the Cowboys fans who don’t want to <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1184140634208329728">look at graphs while talking ball</a> will remember that Dallas lost to the Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs in a starkly similar situation: Elliott lost 4 yards on a late third-quarter first-and-10 at the Rams 44 and then was stuffed on fourth-and-1 a few plays later, giving L.A.’s offense the chance to take a commanding 15-point lead in the fourth. It’s up for debate (and some soul-searching) on whether the failure to convert with Elliott in short yardage is on him not finding holes, the offensive line not creating them, or the coaching staff not designing them when defenses are more scrunched up in the red zone. Whatever the answer, it’s an unacceptable pattern of outcomes for a team that spends more on its offensive line than any other franchise.</p>
<p id="gJ86lf">Unlike the divisional round of the playoffs, the Cowboys got the ball back on Sunday night, but that only sparked the next controversy. Tavon Austin fair-caught a punt when he appeared to have plenty of space for a meaty return. It’s possible Austin was told to fair-catch the ball to save time without his coaches anticipating how much space he’d have to work with, but it only added to the fire on Garrett who, like Elliott, keeps coming up short despite all the talent in the world to cushion him.</p>
<p id="2BuXnC">Dallas’s defense is not blameless. The Vikings shut Elliott down, but the Cowboys had few answers for Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook, who had 33 touches for 183 yards and a score (5.5 yards per touch). Cook has 1,415 yards from scrimmage this season, the most through 10 games in franchise history, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/CourtneyRCronin/status/1193773660898832385?s=20">ESPN’s Courtney Cronin</a> and the most in the NFL since Dallas’s DeMarco Murray had 1,514 in 2014. Even without receiver Adam Thielen, the Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead on their first two drives, added a field goal on each side of halftime, and found tight end Kyle Rudolph in the end zone for two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. But Dallas’s questionable decision-making was not on the defensive side of the ball on Sunday.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="0b5KBf">The loss drops Dallas to 5-4—the same record as the Eagles. The Cowboys may need to hold onto their division lead to secure a playoff spot, because with so many losses to contending NFC teams—including the Saints, Packers, and Vikings—securing a wild card will be an uphill climb if head-to-head tiebreakers come into play. The Cowboys already beat Philadelphia once, but a win Sunday night would have given them a cushion. Now it’s gone. Their next three games are against the Lions, Patriots, and Bills. None of those are gimmes. The Cowboys made Sunday night harder for themselves than it had to be, and now their entire season is harder than it has to be. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/11/20958905/dak-prescott-dallas-cowboys-minnesota-vikingsDanny Heifetz2019-11-10T22:42:33-05:002019-11-10T22:42:33-05:00The Minkah Fitzpatrick Trade Officially Saved the Steelers’ Season
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<img alt="Los Angeles Rams v Pittsburgh Steelers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BcI8QXD1w7DxrhB3XsDGqpOwNuc=/0x0:2933x2200/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65674345/1181474393.jpg.0.jpg" />
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<p>Pittsburgh held off the Rams to win its fourth consecutive game. That’s largely thanks to a trade that seemed inexplicable when it happened.</p> <aside id="F9H7rb"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/8/20954943/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-10-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="Lvubay">On September 16, Pittsburgh announced that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would be placed on injured reserve with an elbow injury. What seemed like the end of the Steelers’ season was in fact the beginning. The same day, general manager Kevin Colbert sent a first-round pick to Miami for defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, an Alabama safety the Dolphins drafted no. 11 in 2018. The move was out of character. The trade left Pittsburgh without a first-rounder for the first time since 1968. It also looked desperate. The Steelers had fallen to 0-2, including one of the most embarrassing games in recent memory in a <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/9/9/20856428/pittsburgh-steelers-antonio-brown-new-england-patriots-week-1">33-3 beatdown by the Patriots</a> in Week 1. Roethlisberger was out for the season, and the team had just traded one of its backup quarterbacks, Joshua Dobbs, to the Jaguars. Pittsburgh lost again in Week 3 to the 49ers, beat the winless Bengals in Week 4, and then lost again to the Ravens in Week 5 to fall to 1-4 through five weeks. The Steelers were looking poised for the first losing season of Mike Tomlin’s head coaching career. The pick the Steelers sent to Miami looked like it could end up in the top 10.</p>
<p id="dusLAp">Less than two months after the deal, it’s clear the Fitzpatrick trade has saved Pittsburgh’s season. Pittsburgh has won four consecutive games, and now the team has more than a 50 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2019-nfl-predictions/?ex_cid=rrpromo"><em>FiveThirtyEight</em></a>’s projections. That shocking turnaround is due almost entirely to Fitzpatrick and the Steelers’ resilient defense propping up an inept offense. Sunday’s 17-12 grinding victory against the Rams was just the latest showcase for Pittsburgh’s newest star. </p>
<p id="DldP6I">With the game tied at 7-7 with less than two minutes to go before halftime, nose tackle Javon Hargrave sacked Goff while he was winding up to throw, and Goff launched the fumble forward like a bloop single. Fitzpatrick fielded the errant fumble like a shortstop and returned it 43 yards to give the Steelers a 14-7 lead at halftime. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Minkah Fitzpatrick returns the fumble for the <a href="https://twitter.com/steelers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Steelers</a> TD <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereWeGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HereWeGo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/minkfitz_21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MinkFitz_21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LARvsPIT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LARvsPIT</a><br><br> : FOX<br> : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app<br>Watch free on mobile: <a href="https://t.co/414bcK9I5b">https://t.co/414bcK9I5b</a> <a href="https://t.co/Dv1sLcl1Q8">pic.twitter.com/Dv1sLcl1Q8</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1193664510021652481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="1reuGq">Fitzpatrick added another exclamation point at the end of the game.</p>
<p id="YToHnU">With the Rams down five points with under 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter on their own 42-yard line, Goff threw a pass for receiver Robert Woods that was deflected by cornerback Joe Haden and into the arms of Fitzpatrick to seal the win.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">MINKAH FITZPATRICK.<br><br>Another INT for <a href="https://twitter.com/minkfitz_21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MinkFitz_21</a> seals the W for the <a href="https://twitter.com/steelers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Steelers</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LARvsPIT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LARvsPIT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereWeGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HereWeGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/A1YhiBScjK">pic.twitter.com/A1YhiBScjK</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1193694265152401409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a>
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<p id="b9JYvv">Fitzpatrick has been in the right place at the right time ever since showing up in Pittsburgh. It’s the third week in a row Fitzpatrick has made a game-changing play at a pivotal moment. Last week against Indianapolis, the Steelers were trailing 10-3 just before the end of the first half. The Colts had the ball on the Steelers 20-yard line and were threatening to make it 17-3 at halftime. Colts backup quarterback Brian Hoyer tossed a pass to tight end Jack Doyle at the goal line for a touchdown, but Fitzpatrick jumped the route, intercepted the ball, and sprinted down the sideline for a 96-yard touchdown to tie the game at 10.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">MINKAH FITZPATRICK: 96-YARD PICK 6!<br><br>3 INTs in the last 6 days <a href="https://twitter.com/minkfitz_21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@minkfitz_21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsPIT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsPIT</a><br><br> : CBS<br> : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app<br>Watch free on mobile: <a href="https://t.co/GjhTr4sGG6">https://t.co/GjhTr4sGG6</a> <a href="https://t.co/aEfxFO842N">pic.twitter.com/aEfxFO842N</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1191067609631903744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Steelers</a> safety Minkah Fitzpatrick — Playing the post in Cover 3. Depth from LB Devin Bush (forces the QB to put more air under the ball ) + Fitzpatrick reading eyes & driving on the seam route. Pick-six... <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLMatchup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLMatchup</a> <a href="https://t.co/coJvnDpwYV">pic.twitter.com/coJvnDpwYV</a></p>— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBowen41/status/1192189742332416000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2019</a>
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<p id="zjKg95">The Steelers won that game 26-24 and likely would have lost if not for Fitzpatrick’s pick (and <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/3/20947003/adam-vinatieri-indianapolis-colts-pittsburgh-steelers-missed-field-goals-extra-points">Adam Vinatieri’s missed game-winner</a>). But that wasn’t even his best game of the season. That came the week before against his former team on <em>Monday Night Football</em>. Fitzpatrick intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick (a Fitzpatrick-on-Fitzpatrick crime) on the Dolphins’ final full drive of the first half and again on their first drive of the second half. Each turnover led to a Steelers touchdown drive, turning a 14-3 deficit into a 17-14 Pittsburgh lead. Pittsburgh escaped with a 27-14 win that spared them a loss to the then-winless Dolphins that would have been rock bottom for the Mike Tomlin–era.</p>
<p id="7jX4Nf">Since the trade, the Steelers are 5-2 and Fitzpatrick leads the league in interceptions. Pittsburgh’s defense has gone from allowing 30.5 points and 445 yards per game before acquiring him to letting up 17.1 points and 300 yards per game. He has been the most visible part of a defense that has dragged Pittsburgh’s offense back to a 5-4 record. But he is just one part of a defense that is quietly among the league’s best. They entered the week as the fifth-most efficient defense <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef/2019">per Football Outsiders</a>. Many of the turnovers he’s accrued have been because of the Steelers’ pass rush. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt had two sacks on Sunday, and got his first just before halftime by going around and then dipping under Rams tackle Rob Havenstein.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TJ Watt recorded 6.5 sacks his past 5 games and now added another one.<a href="https://t.co/BeWoxpQVSe">pic.twitter.com/BeWoxpQVSe</a></p>— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1193662858455851009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="5DY4Ym">On the Rams’ final drive, Watt strip-sacked Goff just three plays before Fitzpatrick’s game-sealing pick, but the Rams recovered.</p>
<p id="g5uLx5">Watt leads the league in quarterback hits (22), just ahead of his brother J.J., who had 20 before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season. Fellow pass rusher Bud Dupree has already tied his career high in sacks (six). Entering the week, the Steelers pressured quarterbacks on 30 percent of dropbacks, the second-highest rate after San Francisco, and Pittsburgh had the fifth-most sacks in the league. From <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/tgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&year_min=2019&year_max=2019&game_type=R&game_num_min=3&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&temperature_gtlt=lt&c5val=1.0&order_by=pass_sacked_opp">Week 3 to Week 9</a>, the Steelers tied with the Panthers for the second-most interceptions with 11 (the Patriots are no. 1 with 14), tied with New England for the third-most sacks (24), and had the third-lowest opposing passer rating (74.6). Pittsburgh’s pass rush has not gotten the same press as San Francisco’s, but it has been almost as good. That’s not new. The Steelers have the most sacks since the beginning of 2017. What is new is an elite playmaking ballhawk who can take advantage of the errant throws their pass rush creates.</p>
<p id="UFI739">Pittsburgh has needed its defense to be as good as they’ve been because its offense is immobile. In Pittsburgh’s games without Roethlisberger leading into this week, the Steelers were 30th in first downs, ahead of only Washington and the Jets, 31st in offensive plays (ahead of only the Jets), and 28th in total yardage (ahead of Washington, Miami, the Jets, and the Bears). What separates Pittsburgh’s offense from that group is eliminating mistakes. In that same span from Week 3 to Week 9, the Steelers have taken the fewest sacks (six) and committed a league-average amount of turnovers (nine, the same number as New England). Some credit for that goes to Tomlin, who has decided to slow Pittsburgh’s games to a crawl to accommodate his young quarterbacks (or perhaps minimize how often they can screw up). Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges have been as efficient as Sam Darnold and Luke Falk, but they’ve limited their mistakes like Tom Brady.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="z3sJ0k">Winning with that kind of offense seems unsustainable, but the Steelers could get away with it. Their final seven games are Cleveland, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Arizona, Buffalo, New York Jets, and Baltimore. Considering their losses this season, that’s not so bad. After getting blown out by New England in Week 1, they lost to the Seahawks, 49ers, and Ravens—three of the league’s best teams—by a combined nine points. Meanwhile, the 7-2 Ravens still have to play the 49ers and Texans, so Pittsburgh could head into their Week 17 matchup with Baltimore with the chance to secure a wild-card spot and an outside chance to win the AFC North. That would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago. The Steelers made a gamble on this season, but they don’t need luck when they’ve got magic on their side.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/10/20958753/pittsburgh-steelers-los-angeles-rams-minkah-fitzpatrick-tj-wattDanny Heifetz2019-11-10T18:08:44-05:002019-11-10T18:08:44-05:00Patrick Mahomes Looks Ready to Conquer Worlds Again, but the Chiefs D Doesn’t
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<img alt="NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jQDNsIHf2bqLFyMGVYujAOgm0ZA=/450x0:3035x1939/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65673292/usa_today_13650699.0.jpg" />
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<p>The reigning MVP is back and playing the way we’ve grown accustomed to, but his defense couldn’t hold off Ryan Tannehill and the Titans</p> <aside id="H3CB0y"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 10 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/8/20954943/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-10-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="XgqUTi">The good news is that Patrick Mahomes is back. The bad news is the Chiefs are not.</p>
<p id="U2F1nK">In his much-anticipated return to the field after suffering a dislocated knee in Week 7, Mahomes looked fully healthy in Week 10 against the Titans and showed his usual level of physics-defying playmaking talent. But unlike usual, it wasn’t enough: The Chiefs lost to the Titans, 35-32, in a game that may help illuminate the team’s prospects for the rest of the season.</p>
<p id="cRok9k">Despite a handful of turnover-worthy hiccups on the opening drive, the reigning MVP put up an overall sterling stat line: 36-of-50 for 446 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Mahomes did all of his usual Mahomes stuff. In the first quarter, he lofted a perfectly placed touchdown throw to Tyreek Hill while backpedaling away from pressure:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> to for 6️⃣ <a href="https://t.co/cGKFIfxHif">pic.twitter.com/cGKFIfxHif</a></p>— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1193620156557250570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="TpPlIY">In the fourth, he completed a jump pass to Mecole Hardman, who sped by every Titans defender for a 63-yard touchdown:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jump pass to the JET <a href="https://t.co/VxfhXc1wHn">pic.twitter.com/VxfhXc1wHn</a></p>— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1193628075428331521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="Gh1XKB">Travis Kelce had a touchdown on a shovel pass and nearly scored another that was called back due to a penalty. Even Damien Williams, who started at running back with LeSean McCoy a healthy scratch, had a decent 77 rushing yards on 19 carries and another 32 receiving yards on five catches. It was a worthy reminder that the Chiefs have an offensive playmaking group as good as any in football, and Mahomes is the engine that makes the machine run.</p>
<p id="W43i4e">The Chiefs’ 32 points were the most the team has scored since Week 4, when Kansas City put up 34 on the Lions. That was before Mahomes’s ankle injury and knee dislocation, and this game marks the first time since Mahomes’s injuries that this offense hit the fifth gear it is known for. But little else went right for the Chiefs. A <a href="https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1193606577988587520">fumble-return touchdown for the Titans</a> flipped the lead in the second quarter, the Kansas City defense couldn’t consistently get Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry off the field, and the team’s potential game-tying field goal was blocked:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"UNBELIEVABLE! THIS PLACE IS EXPLODING!" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KCvsTEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KCvsTEN</a> <a href="https://t.co/lHW4gKOfoU">pic.twitter.com/lHW4gKOfoU</a></p>— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) <a href="https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1193644328565886976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="tb6Ua7">The Chiefs defense did recover a fumble and sack Tannehill four times, but overall the Titans offense was able to get everything it needed. That included this 68-yard Derrick Henry touchdown run:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Feed that man. <a href="https://twitter.com/KingHenry_2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KingHenry_2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KCvsTEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KCvsTEN</a> <a href="https://t.co/lSP2l9Dnwx">pic.twitter.com/lSP2l9Dnwx</a></p>— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) <a href="https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1193621536730599424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="4KoNJd">Henry had 188 rushing yards on 23 carries. Even removing that 68-yard score, Henry averaged nearly 5.5 yards per carry, <a href="https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1193611982055755777">regularly barreling his way into the Chiefs defense and rumbling forward</a>, eating yards and clock with ease. On the Titans’ go-ahead touchdown play, Tannehill had all day to find a wide-open Adam Humphries:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KCvsTEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KCvsTEN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ryantannehill1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ryantannehill1</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/adamhumphries13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adamhumphries13</a> <a href="https://t.co/zgMhN2efCr">pic.twitter.com/zgMhN2efCr</a></p>— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) <a href="https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1193636785277956096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2019</a>
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<p id="HzUEwZ">The Titans averaged 7.6 yards per play, and Tannehill threw just 19 times—but completed 13 of those passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. It was a worrisome regression for a Chiefs defense that looked like it had turned a corner this season.</p>
<p id="98okKs">Kansas City came into the game with the 11th-best defense <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef/2019">by DVOA</a>, a marked improvement from last year when the team ranked 26th in that metric. That jump on defense presented Chiefs fans with the enticing possibility that once Mahomes was back to full health, this team would be virtually unstoppable. Before this week, all of the Chiefs’ losses this year came when Mahomes was either clearly not at full health or was out. </p>
<p id="5t0gJ0">The Chiefs are now 6-4, which puts them well on the outside looking in when it comes to the race for a first-round playoff bye. The Patriots (8-1), Ravens (7-2), Bills (6-3), and Texans (6-3) all have an edge on Kansas City, and the Colts (5-3) could move ahead of them as well by the time Sunday ends. Even the Chiefs’ lead in the division is now tenuous, with the Raiders (5-4) right behind them. <em>The Raiders</em>. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="jRXA2k">Let’s not overreact: The pieces of an elite team are still here. If the Chiefs can get their defense back to fringe top-10 status and Mahomes can continue playing like an MVP, Kansas City will be as dangerous as any team. But those elements have yet to come together at the same time for the Chiefs this season. This team won’t be truly elite until they do. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/11/10/20958330/patrick-mahomes-return-kansas-chiefs-tennessee-titansRiley McAtee