Sunday, October 16, 2022​

THE LATE GAMES

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Cardinals
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

THE EARLY GAMES

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets at Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins
San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints
New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

SNF

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Monday, October 17, 2022​

MNF

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers

---

Thursday, October 13, 2022​

TNF

Washington Commodes at Chicago Bears

Sunday, October 16, 2022​

THE EARLY GAMES

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets at Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins
San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints
New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

THE LATE GAMES

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Cardinals
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

SNF

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Monday, October 17, 2022​

MNF

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers

---

Thursday, October 13, 2022​

TNF

Washington Commodes at Chicago Bears

Although all three are expected to play, they will be battling injuries which probably means they will be on snap counts. What this does is amplify the need for the OL to play well, not just good enough. It also amplifies Morris needing to quit conceding FGs and start playing like he understands he can't allow the Panthers to walk up and down the field chewing up his uber soft zones. He needs to understand that all points will be precious as the offense is going to be struggling to score points.

Defensively I see Morris playing Gaines a lot more at 3T with A'Shawn moving into 1T when he does. I think AD will be played situationally. I think the same will be said about Kupp and Higbee. The Rams will have no chance if Morris plays his soft zone and the Panthers can limit the number of offensive possessions for the Rams. That will be the main focus for the Panthers so Morris will be playing exactly the way they hope he does.

Long should be back so he can sit Kendrick who has to play 10 yards off the LOS. With Rochell and Long Morris doesn't have any excuses playing a soft secondary. It he starts Kendrick it will be playing his homies again. With AD out more than usual, the secondary must lock the receivers down and give the pass rush time to get there. That IMO would also mean playing McKinley on passing downs because Lewis lacks the speed to get quick pressure on the QB.

In other words Morris must use his personnel in ways he has yet to use them. He could see that the offense was struggling but he continued to play his FG conceding soft zones and thereby limiting offensive possessions. That is the definition of a shit DC.

A running game this inept in all my years as fan…dating back to 1966. Even in our bad years we had the Bus, Sjax, etc. Yes I know the OL is crap, but there are other ways to get an RB some space instead of off tackle on a poorly timed handoff. The run game has become wasaaay too predictable. Sometimes I think Sean closes down creativity because his favorite players are not available. How about a few easy leak out passes to the Rb’s a reverse every once in a while. We have had very crappy lines in the past and still had a better run game. If Sean has lost faith in Akers the management better find someone he will have faith in. Stafford absolutely has to have a running game, even if it at least allows someone else to be tackled other than him. Time to show a little creativity in the run game. I know I’m beating a dead horse but wow, the run game is grade school.

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Oh please lord let this be true and possibly to the Rams!!!!!

You know the rules, or you should by now ...
Guess the correct score & win $10,000 ROD dollars or be the closest to the exact score & win $5,000 Rod Dollars. All entries must be posted before the game begins. Good Luck !

Rams - 27

Carolina Mousers - 10

Loved him in the Bond movies.

How much has Josh Allen closed the gap on Patrick Mahomes? Or is he better?​

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, the preeminent quarterbacks in today's NFL. They're in the top two in essentially every statistical category at their position entering Week 6, which just so happens to be when the Bills battle the Chiefs inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The first few Mahomes and Allen contests hardly met the intensifying hype. Then the divisional round game happened in late January 2022, probably the best playoff game in the history of the NFL. You know, just a 42-36 thriller that featured six lead changes, four of which occurred in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime.

What's more, it instantly set a new standard for elite quarterback play in the modern NFL. In fact, that legendary Bills-Chiefs postseason clash was only the second time, since the merger, that each quarterback had a passer rating of 120 or higher in the same playoff game.

The other was the off-the-rails Packers-Cardinals contest in the wild card round in January 2010. In that game, Aaron Rodgers was 27 and Kurt Warner was 38 years old, playing what would be the final season of his NFL career.

Allen and Mahomes accomplished their tandem feat at 25 and 26 years old, respectively, providing hope to all that we very well may witness similarly spectacular quarterbacking performances many times over when this duo takes the same field over the next decade.

Since erupting with 50 passing touchdowns and running away with the MVP in his first full year as the starter, Mahomes has triumphantly stood at the top of NFL's quarterback mountain, especially when projecting into the future. Yes, Rodgers owns back-to-back MVP awards yet they were won at the tail end of his career. Lamar Jackson appeared on Mahomes' radar in 2019, when the Ravens passer unanimously won MVP, but we've since realized he's not quite on Mahomes' level.

Allen is Mahomes' new challenger, the most daunting yet. He's younger, can match -- if not better -- Mahomes' previously thought to be unprecedented arm strength and is the more ferocious, dynamic runner.

But just how close is Allen to Mahomes right now? Or is he better?

With Mahomes-Allen 5 upon us, let's find out.

Remember, Mahomes arrived at the top. And the Chiefs were fresh off four straight winning seasons. Allen had a much rockier ride to get to where he is today, and while the Bills did make the playoffs the season before Allen arrived in Western New York, it was the first playoff appearance for the club since January 2000.

Therefore, that data for this study begins in 2020, when Allen and the Bills began to ascend into the Mahomesian and Chiefs stratosphere, and really, started to make this debate a serious one. Also, starting in 2020 provides a 53-game sample size for Allen, which is safely out of flash-in-the-pan territory. Plus, these more recent figures serve as better indicators than 2018 or 2019 when attempting to determine how Allen plays now.

(All statistics listed in this article are including the playoffs)



This is about as close as it gets with elite quarterbacks. Mahomes has been a touch more accurate while throwing it, on average, shorter. Allen's fired more big-time throws all over the field, and Mahomes has been a bit more careful with the football. The two have incredibly low (and nearly identical) pressure-to-sack rates, which tells the story of how frequently a quarterback being pressured leads to a sack for the opposing defense.

Everyone's takeaway from the above table could be different, and those differences are probably based on what you value most at the quarterback position. To me, it feels like a push.

But, in today's NFL, running with the football has become increasingly part of the job description at quarterback. particularly for Allen and Mahomes, who are third and eighth in quarterback rushing attempts since the start of 2020.

Here's how they compare as rushers, since 2020:



These two boasting the exact same yards-per-carry average over the past two-plus seasons seems like it's straight out of a conspiracy-theory video circulating on your dad's Facebook. But it's true.

However, when digging further, into the individual aspects of carrying the football, Allen has clearly been the more impactful runner, which is expected based simply on watching these quarterbacks each weekend.

If by chance the difference in yards after contact per rush seems small, I'll provide this context. The 1.53-yard difference between the two in that category represents nearly the exact same disparity between Nick Chubb (fourth place) and Jamaal Williams (41st place) among running backs this season. And the carries per missed tackle forced rates are light years apart.

So there you have it -- Allen has become every bit the passer Mahomes is, and he's the more dynamic running threat.

Of course, Mahomes has the more impressive NFL resume to date -- MVP, Super Bowl MVP, more total wins, better completion rate, the list goes on. And the Chiefs, they've been more successful than the Bills, regardless of the starting point selected during the Mahomes and Allen eras.

Those are different distinctions than the task at hand here, all of which patently favor Mahomes.

But now you know there's a quantifiable case that Allen is a better quarterback than Mahomes right now.

Let’s talk our Panthers matchup, week 6.

Opposing View: Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks on challenges presented by Rams offense and defense​

Asked by a Charlotte reporter what he tells his team about the Rams as they prepare for them, Panthers head coach Steve Wilks starts with reminding them that they're the Super Bowl champs.

They also still have plenty of talent, too.

"Well, number one, you're talking about the Super Bowl champs," Wilks told Charlotte reporters Wednesday. "(Head coach Sean) McVay does a tremendous job in his preparation in getting his guys ready to play. These guys are talented across the board."

At the top of mind offensively is wide receiver Cooper Kupp, tight end Tyler Higbee and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Kupp leads the NFL in receptions (49) and is second in receiving yards (527), while Higbee is the Rams' second-leading receiver with 33 catches for 290 yards.

"Kupp is one of the best dynamic receivers in the league, Higbee is still a very efficient tight end that can get open and beat the one-on-ones," Wilks said. "Their quarterback, to me, is still playing at a high level."

And, as is usually the case for opposing head coaches, offensive gameplanning starts with Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald and defensive back Jalen Ramsey.

"When you go on the defensive side of the ball, you're talking about a future hall-of-famer in Donald," Wilks said. "We gotta do a great job of being able to neutralize him if we can, because he's just so dominant. And you talk about one of the top corners in the league as well with Ramsey."

That being said, Wilks is confident in his team.

"They got a lot of talent, and I told our guys we got a lot of talent too," Wilks said.

What matchups are you looking forward too?

Sunday, October 16, 2022​

THE EARLY GAMES

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets at Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins
San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints
New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

THE LATE GAMES

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Cardinals
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

SNF

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Monday, October 17, 2022​

MNF

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers

---

Thursday, October 13, 2022​

TNF

Washington Commodes at Chicago Bears

Washington Commodes vs. Chicago Bears​

Both the Washington Commodes and Chicago Bears are going through the growing pains of rebuilding. Entering this week's "Thursday Night Football" matchup with a combined record of 3-7, it's been difficult for either team to establish a rhythm playing against some of the heavyweights in the NFL.

Half of the Commodes' four losses have come to the Cowboys and Eagles, two teams with a combined record of 9-1. The Bears' opponents are even stronger; four of them have winning records and two, the 49ers and Vikings, are currently leading their respective divisions. The Bears' upset over those 49ers, in sloppy conditions during the season opener, easily qualifies as their best win in recent memory; since then, they've lost three of four.

While both teams are coming off tough stretches, the Commodes are in real need of a momentum boost. Their point differential (-38) is the worst in the NFC, they're winless on the road (0-2), and rumors put head coach Ron Rivera on the hot seat after losing eight of his last 10 going back to last season. At least there's the benefit of history on his side: Chicago hasn't won at Soldier Field against Washington in almost 20 years (2003).

Can Rivera straighten out the Commodes' offensive woes and finally put a win on the board? Or will Chicago's young team continue their development and find a way back to .500?

Thursday Night Football: Washington (1-4) at Chicago (2-3)

Kickoff: Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8:15 p.m. ET
Outlet: Prime Video
Live Stream: fuboTV (only available in Washington and Chicago markets)
Spread: Pick 'Em

Three Things To Watch

1. How will Carson Wentz play after Ron Rivera's comments this week?

Rivera's Commodes play in the NFC East, one of the season's pleasant surprises. The other three teams in this division have jumped out to a combined 13-2 record, including the New York Giants, who already have as many wins (four) as they had in the entire 2021 season.

Rivera seemed to put Wentz in hot water when asked why his divisional rivals are a step ahead.

His answer? Just one word.

"Quarterback."

Rivera later walked back his comments, publicly apologizing, while Wentz made clear it was also addressed in a private team meeting. But the circus-like drama wasn't what this franchise needed in a year in which this offense was already struggling.

On paper, Wentz has been somewhat respectable. His 1,390 pass yards and 10 touchdowns rank second in the NFC. One of those touchdowns went for 75 yards; only Jared Goff and Josh Allen have longer completions this year.

But Wentz has also been sacked 20 times, one off the league lead. His six interceptions rank third in the NFL and have come at some of the worst possible times. Last week, one was gifted at the Titans' 1-yard line in the final minute to seal a devastating 21-17 loss.

It's been hard enough already for Wentz to shake a reputation damaged by losing to the NFL's worst team last season (Jacksonville) in the 2021 season finale, dropping his former team (Indianapolis) out of the playoffs. And a shaky list of offensive weapons will likely be without wide receiver Jahan Dotson Thursday night; he's battling a hamstring injury. It's hard to see a sudden turnaround here, especially with the Bears' ninth-ranked passing defense.

2. How will the Bears' offense keep developing?

While Wentz has had his share of problems, those 1,390 yards in the air are more than the entire Chicago offense combined. Their 1,370 yards overall rank 31st in the NFL, ahead of only the Carolina Panthers, as the team works through the development of second-year signal caller Justin Fields.

Fields has averaged just 135.8 yards passing per game, dead last in the NFL. He's been sacked a total of 18 times, thrown more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three), and completed just 55.7 percent of his passes.

That said, this dual-threat quarterback (194 rushing yards this season) is coming off of his best effort of the still-young season against the Vikings. His season-high 208 passing yards came paired with a season-low two sacks, proof the offense did a better job overall against the pressure.

"When I first got here," Fields said after the game, "You see big guys flying around, D-lineman going fast, you just think you have to speed everything up. I'm just starting to figure out you got to play within your rhythm, the way you know how to play and just stay calm in the pocket."

Can Fields continue to step up against a Commodes defense whose 14 sacks rank seventh in the NFL? One weapon he needs to further utilize is running back Khalil Herbert. His 328 yards on the ground have been highly effective, but he's been held to just five catches for 37 yards thus far. Especially during a game like last week (where Herbert was held to just 11 yards on four carries), the Bears need to add a few check-down throws that give their star back a chance to move the football.

3. Can Washington's defense cause turnovers?

The Commodes have been middling on defense so far this season, tied for 17th overall in total yards allowed. Where they've struggled is creating takeaways, causing just one measly interception to rank dead last in the NFL.

If they're doing their jobs, that changes Thursday night; Fields has six fumbles this season all by himself. Without those momentum-changing plays, it forces the Commodes to lean heavier on an offense that's failed to produce for them in crunch time. The last two games have led to zero fourth-quarter points for the Commodes; can the defense be the ones to score?

Final Analysis

The Bears have proved frisky, with first-year coach Matt Eberflus stressing 110 percent effort throughout all four quarters. They've kept it close in a few games and seem to have enough offensive firepower to push past a Commodes team that's struggled on the road.

The wild card here: it feels like a make-or-break week for Rivera and Wentz. A player and a coach fighting for their jobs always adds an extra layer; it's likely why the game is a pick 'em. But no amount of desperation can change the level of talent on the Commodes' roster.

In a second straight Thursday night snoozer (can anyone supply Al Michaels a little alcohol?), I think the Bears will pull this one out.

Prediction: Bears 21, Commodes 17

NFL Announces No Changes Will Be Made To Roughing The Passer Penalty​

The NFL is not shying away from controversy stemming from several Week 5 penalties that sparked debate across the league.

In a tweet sent out Wednesday afternoon, Adam Schefter announced that the NFL is not changing any rules that relate to the protection of players' health and safety.

"A league source said today that 'there is no backing down on enforcing rules that are in place to protect the health and safety of players, including quarterbacks, who by rule are considered defenseless players when they are in a passing posture'," Schefter reported.

Schefter noted in a follow-up tweet that roughing the passer penalties are actually down this season as compared to last, by nearly 45%.

Despite this, some fans were hoping that the league might relax or alter rules relating to the enforcement of these types of penalties in light of two controversial calls this weekend.

Chiefs' Chris Jones and Falcons' Grady Jarrett were both called for roughing the passer penalties in Week 5, with the latter essentially ending any chance for an Atlanta comeback attempt.

With several highly anticipated games in Week 6 including Chiefs vs. Bills, any further borderline penalties will surely bring more attention to the subject.

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Interesting .

Robinson looks spent. He doesn’t look like the same guy I remember watching highlights of when he played for Chicago. For example, his goal line slant against the Cowboys looked like it was Josh Renyolds out there.

Van Jefferson is out, but should be back after the bye as far as I know.

Sko has come on and established himself as a mainstay of the short passing game (he can’t track a deep ball). His role versatility allows McVay to mix up the scheme while maintaining his beloved 11 personnel.

Tutu is starting to carve out a role as DJax-lite, based on his 9 plays and 2 targets against Dallas.

So, after the bye, it’s bye-bye Robinson as a full-time starter. At that point he'll just be on the team to give guys a blow (a rest, not the sexual thing non of us get enough of).

The only way this does not happen is if he has a breakout game against Carolina. And I don't see that happening.

Okay boys, tell me where my logic is flawed?


P.S. This is NOT a hindsight is 20-fucking-20 post. There is another post for that, so please mods and posters, allow the conversation to move forward.

Tom Brady's lit tle black dress
Shields him from D line dur ess

SOUND OFF

And the hits keep on coming.
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Sports fans, as a species, are prone to hindsight analysis and critiques. Its what we do.

In the case of the Rams' current OL troubles, however, I think this way of thinking has produced some unfair criticism of Snead/McVay's plan for the OL in 2022. Simply stated, the results don't necessarily determine the soundness of the plan.

Let's look at each position:

Left Tackle: With Andrew Whitworth riding off into the sunset, the Rams elevated Joe Noteboom, and gave him an extension (3 years, $40M, $25M guaranteed). That was a rational choice. Noteboom played well in spot duty last year, including his performance in the divisional round of the playoffs against Tampa Bay. He knows the system, and his price was reasonable. Thus far, his performance has been a bit up and down, but I don't think he's the weak link of the OL by any means. In my mind, he's more likely to be part of the solution than part of the problem in the long run.

Left Guard: David Edwards, who started every game in a championship season, and is still on a rookie contract, was pegged to return. Nobody knew he'd suffer back-to-back concussions. Apart from the injuries, his play has been poor. Perhaps he needs a veteran guy like Whitworth next to him. Edwards is in the final year of his contract, so I don't think he'll be part of the long-term solution.

Center: Brian Allen was re-signed (3 years, $18M, $8M guaranteed) after starting every game in 2021. Nobody knew he'd suffer an injury. Is he the best option going forward at center? I think its fair to at least consider whether Coleman Shelton might ultimately win the job, but clearly Allen is capable of being part of a successful OL. Nobody knew that both Allen and Shelton would be injured, leaving us with a plug in of Jeremiah Kolone. He's clearly not the long-term answer.

Right Guard: The Rams decided not to pay Austin Corbett, who received a 3 year, $29.25M contract from the Panthers. Was that a mistake? While it looks like one today, at the time, it seemed like a reasonable place to save some cap $. The Rams drafted Logan Bruss with their highest draft pick and hoped he'd beat out Coleman Shelton. He was injured, and didn't look like he was ready to take the job before he was hurt, so is that a failure of scouting, or just misfortune? Since the season started, this position has been a revolving door. Shelton moved to center (and then was injured). Then Tremayne Anchrum was injured. This misfortune, however, led to the elevation of Alaric Jackson, who has been a relative bright spot.

Right Tackle: Rob Havenstein, who's started 104 games for the Rams, plus 10 playoff games and 2 Super Bowls, returned. You can certainly question his play this year (particularly this past week), but he is a proven player at his position.

So where was the big error in the plan? I don't see it (cue: Creed Humphrey comments here).

This seems to me to be more of a case of the best laid plans of mice and men going horribly astray.

First of all I would like to say that I am NOT a Football Coach (And, NEVER have Been!) BUT I DO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS/SOLUTIONS to Help Improve the Rams current Season! OK, I DON’T have ANY ANSWERS OR SOLUTIONS for the Rams (Just a Life Long Rams Fan!) but I am curious on what other Rams Fans think needs to be done to get this season back on the right track!

I do think the Rams have several issues they need to address/improve but the two I keep thinking about is getting Healthy (Not much they can do about this one/Just Bad Luck!) and upgrading their Offensive Line (Injuries have played a role in this as well as has Whitworth’s retirement). I really feel for the Stafford and the Rams RB’s working with the Rams current Offensive Line!! My suggestion for this is to hope some of the Rams OL get Healthy SOON and to bring in about a 1000 FA OL to see if there are any out there that can help the Rams!

I know I was not any help but that is why I am hoping to get some opinions from other Rams Fans that are a LOT smarter than me!!

When I get real frustrated with this season I do try time remember what it was like being a Rams fan before McVay became the Rams Head Coach!!!
McVay has definitely spoiled me and greatly raised my expectations for the Rams each season (Not to mention making being a Rams fan so much more enjoyable!!!)!

I know we've heard some criticism, maybe rightfully so, about using draft capital to get "other" players, while neglecting positions of importance such as O Line. That might be true, but it can be fixed. But horns up brothers, we won't super bowl 56 and ran over the hated whiners to get there. Nothing could have been sweeter than that in my book. Yes, we have some issues now, but it will be addressed. I think the Rams suffered the super bowl curse where injuries are plentiful and we just have to deal with it.

The bright side is that our defense is playing well enough to keep us in games. Had we scored 20 points in each game, we would be 3-2 0r 4-1 (if we didn't give the whiners a defensive TD).

McVay might have to go a bit conservative if our O line struggles but we can still win if we don't turn the ball over and just take what the defense gives up, even if that means less than the big splash plays.

But overall, I don't disagree with giving up a #1 pick to get a proven player. Draft picks are (at times a gamble) whereas a good player who is proven could be worth a #1 pick, except that they usually cost more.

Anyone watch that? His shaking foot. Yikes. Looked bad.

Tutu leads the NFL in two receiving categories:

Percentage of catches for a first down, he is tied with several others at 100%.

Yards per reception, he is alone at the top at 52 YPC.

Woohoo!!

C'mon now, if someone had told you five weeks ago that Tutu would be leading the NFL in 2 receiving categories, you would've taken that deal, right?!? I mean... technically that's true...

Grumpy sarcasm aside--In all seriousness-- Tutu looked good creating separation, and his ball tracking skill looked top notch. (I thought he got some separation and tracked the ball well on the incompletion, too). Wonder how he'd do if he got more opportunities. He still seems like a bust, but that bomb can give us a glimmer of hope...?