Home grown kid makes good and maybe could become next head coach at The Ohio State University?

Just curious when the first rumors hit? I can't imagine he would do that unless leaving the hectic LA lifestyhe might be something he wanted.

Probably too early in his run in the NFL to make such a move, but I could see that down the road that might be the only type job that could pull him away, although his NFL roots are so deep that college may not even be on his radar.

to pick up that fumble and return it for a TD? I was pulling for the big fella to scoop and score. Would have been a little like the Marcus Peters INT in the Chiefs game.

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https://athlonsports.com/nfl/monday-night-football-washington-redskins-vs-philadelphia-eagles-prediction-picks-2018

Monday Night Football: Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles

No one may have been shouting at the television more during "Thursday Night Football" than the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. They were supposed to be sitting there eating popcorn while their rival for the division, the Dallas Cowboys, received a national thumping at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. After all, just two weeks back, the Saints slaughtered the Eagles 48-7. Surely, Drew Brees would feast on the Cowboys too? A 6-6 record would leave them in a perfect position to capitalize, right?

Not exactly. An emergent Cowboys “D” kept the Saints on their heels, producing a shocking 13-10 upset that changed the course of the NFC East. Suddenly, a 3-5 Dallas slump is a 7-5 turnaround that’s left them a half-game atop the division. A schedule that features the Bucs and the Giants should give them at least nine wins.

That makes Redskins-Eagles a virtual division elimination game. If the Redskins fall, they’re 6-6 and the equivalent of two games behind the Cowboys (they lose the tiebreaker). If the Eagles lose? The reigning Super Bowl champs are 5-7, down three games to the Cowboys and would need to win out in order to have a chance. Did I mention their schedule includes the Rams on the road, the Texans at home and a date with those red hot Cowboys next week?

What a wild, wacky turn in the NFL’s most unpredictable division this year. But the one thing we now know for sure is these two teams, riddled by injuries, have officially run out of mulligans. Can the Redskins deal the Eagles a knockout blow in what’s been an ugly Super Bowl hangover?

Washington at Philadelphia

Kickoff: Monday, Dec. 3 at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Eagles -6.5

Three Things To Watch

1. Which Eagles defense will show up?

The Eagles were a tale of two halves last week in their win against the Giants. In the first half, the defense was atrocious, giving up 346 yards of total offense against a 3-7 team; it was the Giants' best total for a half since 1985. Rookie Saquon Barkley was running roughshod over the defensive line, posting 94 yards on just nine carries, a whopping 10.4 yards per carry. Eli Manning threw for 236 yards and was lights out until an interception on the final drive of the half.

But that Malcolm Jenkins pick seemed to invigorate an Eagles secondary that has been devastated by injuries. Somehow, as the second half wore on, the ragtag bunch of De’Vaunte Bausby, Chandon Sullivan and Cre’Von Leblanc superglued themselves together. With a little assistance from one semi-healthy corner (Rasul Douglas) they held Manning to just 61 passing yards the rest of the game.

Can they overcome the injuries again Monday night? To be fair, the group got an assist from Giants head coach Pat Shurmur who inexplicably pivoted away from what worked early on as the game went on. But Redskins backup quarterback Colt McCoy is arguably a step below Manning. Adrian Peterson, battling through injuries, is a step below Barkley despite a strong comeback year. There is no Odell Beckham Jr. on this Redskins team let alone a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver. Bottom line, there’s a chance for this group to build on their momentum. And they’ll likely be getting additional help; talented 2017 second-round pick Sidney Jones looks on track to return from his hamstring problems.

2. Two struggling run games look to find their footing

Peterson started this season as the potential Comeback Player of the Year. What the 33-year-old Peterson has been able to do after being discarded (758 rushing yards in 11 games) has been exceptional. For a time, he and quarterback Alex Smith were on a mission as old guys with a chip on their shoulder.

But Father Time, it turns out, had the speed to catch up. Smith is out for the year, maybe his career after a gruesome leg injury two weeks ago and Peterson has been running hurt. The last four weeks, he’s gained no more than 68 yards in any game, averaging a paltry 3.0 yards per carry. A nagging shoulder injury, which he re-aggravated against the Cowboys, also kept him from practicing this week. That’s a bad sign facing a defense ranked 11th against the run, a number that would be much better if not for getting bamboozled by Barkley twice.

The Eagles’ run game, meanwhile is still finding its way. At least they have a candidate of the future: undrafted free agent Josh Adams is working hard to replace the load of injured Jay Ajayi. Adams had a career-high 84 yards last week on 22 carries, leaping over Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement on the depth chart. But it’s hard to trust a guy who wasn’t even in the Eagles’ long-term plans back in August. The team remains without a single 100-yard rusher all season, putting more pressure than necessary on Wentz to make the offense tick.

Picking up 100 yards on the ground may be out of the question Monday night. But Adams needs to outrun Peterson (more possible than it looks on paper) in order for this game to tilt the Eagles’ way.

3. Minimizing mistakes

Wentz had a nice recovery from his shellacking against the Saints last week. A career-worst three-interception game was followed up with a turnover-free performance. Most importantly, Wentz reconnected with his favorite target Zach Ertz; they combined for 91 yards together after just two catches and 15 yards in the Superdome.

McCoy, meanwhile, had a rough transition in his first full game starting for the Redskins. At times against the Cowboys defense, he looked brilliant; a 53-yard strike to Vernon Davis kept his team in the game early. But three interceptions of his own meant the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott vastly outplayed him; two touchdown strikes from Prescott to Amari Cooper showed the different levels of the team’s two offenses.

McCoy did use Jordan Reed better than perhaps Smith has over the course of the season, pushing him over 70 yards receiving a second straight week. The problem is there’s a limited amount of weapons to choose from otherwise. That’s trouble if a hobbled Peterson forces the passing game to win it for the Redskins. Can Josh Doctson truly be depended on? Jamison Crowder is questionable for the game and hasn’t been on the field since early October. Davis is an underrated target but he’s also 34 years old and hadn’t caught a ball the two games prior to Thanksgiving. Who’s left?

McCoy at least gets a soft secondary to throw to. But there need to be receivers open on short routes in order to keep him from resisting the temptation to throw deep. Chances are that won’t be the case, increasing the risk of costly turnovers.

Final Analysis

The Eagles finally took a step last week they accomplished with regularity in 2017. With their season on the line, Carson Wentz produced a late fourth-quarter drive that produced a game-winning field goal. Other than arguably his Week 3 return against the Colts it was the first time this offense stood up under pressure.

That bodes well against a Redskins team that doesn’t have time for Colt McCoy to learn on the job. His three interceptions last week won’t repeat themselves against this depleted secondary. But one or two mistakes should be enough for an Eagles team reduced to fighting for its playoff life.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Redskins 14

I have seen some posts of posters here and other places where they are bent out of shape on Goffs performance.There is no need to worry and here is why. It was the layoff,the offense was rusty because of that. One of the announcers even mentioned it that was why he thought Goff was off target and did not have his usual pinpoint accuracy was because of the layoff.

This is how we know it was the layoff that affected him in the offense.Did anybody watch the Chiefs/Raiders game as well? I did since it will be the last game in oakland between these two teams.Next year they are headed for santa clara. Well Mahomes ALSO struggled.He was off target in the first half as well.Their offensive line performed badly as well. I dont think that is just a coincidence.

Both offensive teams struggled against really bad teams and the irony is they were both only ahead by a field goal as late as the middle of the 4th quarter. I also wont be surprised if our offense struggles against the Bears the fact they are playing in the cold.As denver exposed,our offense doesnt play as well in the cold. If they dont,not to worry.a couple weeks ago this game would have concerned me but after the Bears lost to the lowly pathetic Giants,while it might be a close game,you just know the Bears will screw this one up somehow as well. If you cant beat the Giants,thats pretty bad.:rolllaugh:

Now that being said,before anybody wants to think our defensive problems have been fixed because of the return of Talib and because we finally did not give up a touchdown on almost every possession as seemed to be the case the last month,before thinking that consider WHO the opponent was.The Lowly Lions are hardly a measuring stick to see if your defense has improved.:rolllaugh: The rest of their games are all against offenses that dont scare anybody either so really we will never know how improved they REALLY are until the playoffs start.

Had this been against just one of the teams we played this past month,THEN we would know how much our defense has improved since they were all quality opponents.That wont be the case the rest of the year though. again,we wont know nothing on if our defense has been fixed with Talib playing or not till the playoffs start.

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/6508/joe-barksdale

Joe Barksdale battled early-season knee problems and was inactive for Sunday night's win over Pittsburgh for personal reasons. The Chargers will move forward with 2017 sixth-round pick Sam Tevi as their starting right tackle. If 29-year-old Barksdale still wants to play, he shouldn't struggle to find work. Dec 3 - 3:56 PM


Ex Ram Joe Barksdale waived by the Chargers
https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/2018/12/3/18124443/breaking-joe-barksdale-waived-by-the-chargers

Joe Barksdale appears to be leaving the team
By Matthew Stanley

It appears that Joe Barksdale’s time with the Los Angeles Chargers has come to an end.

I just want to take a moment to say thank you to the Chargers organization and all of the true die hard Charger Fans. Since 2015 this team has been my home and my teammates my family. I will truly miss everyone, but look forward to what the future has in store for me.

— Joseph Barksdale (@jbdale72) December 3, 2018
It’s hard to tell if he’s getting IR’d and expecting to be released after, or if he is getting released now, or simply retiring.
#Chargers are waiving veteran OT Joe Barksdale, source said. Barksdale (@jbdale72 tweeted his goodbye). He’s been inactive as of late, but is healthy.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 3, 2018
Well there we have it, the Chargers have waived Joe Barksdale. He has been a little banged up but is apparently healthy. Barksdale had not been playing up to expectations. He has been a decent pass protector however he has been a poor run blocker for a while now. 6th round pick Sam Tevi has been splitting time with Barksdale for most of the season and has now completely taken over.

I also wonder if maybe he asked for this move to take some time for himself. As almost everyone should know, Joe has been battling with some mental problems for a while now and getting banged up again and losing his starting job certainly can’t be helping.

That ankle roll that took him out of the game looked awful. It would really suck to finally get Talib back only to lose Peters for 3 or 4 weeks. I know he hasn't been playing that well as of late but he had a decent start to the year with Talib on the otherside. Anyway Ive looked all over and haven't seen one thing on it.

I was watching the Cheatriots and Vikings game and that term GOAT came up. I told a buddy of mine that it's BS. I want to see Brady play when DBs could mug the receivers and D linemen could body slam the QB when sacking them. If he could be that successful under those conditions, I might agree. Instead we have rules made to protect guys like him and rule added in (after the Rams got robbed of SB 36) that you can't grab receivers after 5 years past the line of scrimmage.

We also have double standards where some QBs get hammered and nothing but someone breathes on Brady and the field is littered with yellow flags. He is a great QB but he's not GOAT in my book.

I was wondering if the Ravens would try to trade Flacco this coming offseason, or if anyone would take him with his contract.

I don’t think he is worth the money. But, there are some QB starved teams out there with cap space.

Would Tampa Bay want him? What’s he worth in a trade?

http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/showthread.php/100314-Why-no-one-think-we-can-beat-the-Rams

Why no one thinks we can beat the Rams?

We are at home. They didn't exactly light up the Lions in the dome. Now they have to play outdoors in the mid 20s and we will have the crowd on our side.

We are light years better with Trubisky than Daniel. He will play and we will move the ball on their D. We are going to be fired up!
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I have been saying for over 6 weeks we are gonna shock everyone and beat the Rams...
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I am excited just to see the game and how we stack up
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The Bears just lost to the the 3-8 Giants lol lol. This is a real thing!
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Couldn’t beat the giants. Playing like a junior high team! Fk!!
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We're coming back to earth after beating a slew of 3 win teams. We still get to "compete" against the sorry ass 49ers.
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I was at the game. Giants are a terrible football team. The Bears lost to a very very bad team that played very bad. The Rams will rape the Bears.
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On the road in the rain in OT with your terrible backup QB. They win that game with a healthy Trubisky. I don't even know why I have to try and convince you this. It's obvious from my TV that the Bears were far and away the better team and there was 1 position holding them back today.
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It would shock people to lose to the Giants and beat the Rams.
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Only thing the bears have going for them is the weather in this game if you analyze the matchup. Gurley is going to gash them all night. Their defense with talib back is a whole different animal. I never look forward to playing dirty Suh.

That said, any given Sunday!
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Their offense is great, best we have faced this season. The defense while it hasn't played great this year is loaded with playmakers. Not a chance Bears will be the favorites but they could pull off an upset, but don't expect it.
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Also Trubisky hasn’t played in two weeks. May come out rusty.
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Rams deserve to be favored of course, but I'm not automatically counting this game as a loss. They'll have to play a clean game for at least 3 quarters to have a chance, but I believe they can pull it off. The Bears were a QB away from winning today. Trubs playing plus a tough Defense always means there's a chance. They've led in every game this year.
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Anything is possible.

We couldn’t stop SB. How are we going to stop Gurley?
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Bears lose by 3 tds
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Yes Mitch starts we can beat the Rams.
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NO,,,, Not w/ this kind of "exposed" defense,they literally couldn't stop any offense!!!!!!!!!! Fangio doesn't have the killer instinks to put us over the top.
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I don’t think it’s impossible, just unlikely. The Rams are just a much better team than the Bears.
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Bears defense is flawed. It’s going to be exposed again next week. 3 guys blocking Mack, that leaves 2 online guys to block 3 rushers and no pressure on Manning. Decent offensive coordinator beats Fangio any day of the week

As for offense. Online is a joke. Was man handled by a poor defense. Receivers can’t create separation, Naggy has to gimmick everything, can’t play straight up.

8-8 is what this team is.
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I think the Bears win Sunday as long as the Chase Daniel experience is over.
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I am not sure why everyone assumes Trubs is back next week. Has anyone said that? Watch the narrative be, let's give him an extra week because we aren't beating the Rams anyway.
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The Rams are doing this for the Fire and shooting victims. I don't think Chicago has a chance..unless Deiter Brock comes back
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Bottom line is the Bears don't have an elite offense, I think they can put up some points, but not at the level we are gonna need.
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I'd give the Bears about a 20% chance of winning. They'd have to play their best offensive game of the year and go without any major defensive or special teams fuckups.
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Our elite defense just struggled in crunch time to stop the worst OL I the NFL and what is left of Eli Manning.

We cannot score with the Rams, so our defense just being okay is not good enough.
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If the Rams are on they will score a ton. They would have to make mistakes for the Bears to get that W... possible of course but would need some bounces.
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Rams are very beatable. Drama here is ridiculous.
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The best team in the NFC is very beatable? You've got to be kidding. I'm not saying the Bears will lose for sure but they will be lucky if they manage to win.
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We can and will beat the rams. I don’t think you guys understand how important Mitch is. In the 2 weeks before his injury we sliced up the lions and then beat the Vikings. After he was injured, we struggled against the same team we sliced up a week ago and then lost to the giants bc our “QB” threw a pick 6 and fumbled 3 times on one drive in over time. We are fine and the sky is not falling. Not to mention it’s gonna be cold and loud as hell.
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I think the Bears play their most inspired football of the season and lose a close game next week. The Rams are on a completely different level from anything we have played this year.
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It should be a good game. The Bears are similar to the Saints and usually show up on defense. Rams are similar to the Chiefs, good offense but don't always show up on defense.
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We better build a big lead prior to the 4th, if we are gonna get a W. Win the turnover and penalty game in an early shock and awe...and then pray that we can hold on.
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Rams defense isn't good. you can't call your defense good when it allows over 50 points. fairly certain they're ranked in the bottom 1/4 of the league. Seahawks and Broncos (???) played them pretty close, though even when they were shitty they had the Seahawks number. outside the Chargers, who they wrecked, they played a lot of dogshit teams, just my opinion.

they're mortal.

Trubisky will be the difference maker if it's winnable or not for the Bears.
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Trubisky's going to have a field day against the Rams defense. Granted, I believe Goff/Gurley will do the same to the Bears defense.. Not too impressed with Fangio's consistency. Shurmer made him look like a fool 2nd half and McVay will torch him.
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I just hope Trubisky's healthy and can go on tears gashing them on long drives. that's about the only way they'll have a chance to win cause the defense has been tired all season.
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I'm going to go out on a limb and say we beat them too. Will be hilarious to watch the narrative do a 180.
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http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/showthread.php/100342-List-the-reasons-we-will-beat-the-Rams

List the reasons we will beat the Rams

1. The Return of Mitchell Trubisky
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LA's plane crashed, killing their entire team and we faced a bunch of scrubs.
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LA's run defense is garbage. Trubisky will have a field day running against them. Bears need to control the clock and keep Gurley/Goff on the sideline.
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We lose a few to teams we should not and win a few against teams we should not. Bears are good enough to beat any team and we are at home.
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You can run and throw on the Rams.
They will be on their second road game in a row traveling east.
The Bears have a better defense.
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LA already clinched their division. Give them a little bit less motivation I suppose.
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It’s in Chicago, their defense sucks, our defense plays best at home, it’s in the cold, and they have nothing left to play for, and we will have Mitch back.
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The Rams have everything to play for, home field through out the playoffs being the biggest.

The fact that the Rams have clinched is not good for the Bears as they can play very loose, where as the Bears will be under pressure to win to keep pace on a playoff spot.

The Bears defense has been below average in the second half of just about every game this year, which tells me that a good offensive coordinator is making adjustments at halftime while good ole boy Vic stands pat. This is also the 3rd game this year that receives are running wide open in the secondary.

"IF" Mitchel does return, he will be rusty, make no mistake about that.

To me the Bears would have to have a horse shoe up each players ass in order to win this game.
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The only way we win is if the refs follow the script and all the calls go against LA.
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I did the Monday morning review of stats. The Bears are 5th in Scoring offense, 5th in Scoring defense, still lead in takeaways, are extremely good on a number of defensive measures (yards given up, sacks, PD, third down PCT).

The Rams supersede the Bears in offensive stats, but not in defensive stats, but they have people that can get pressure. We're 3/4ths of the way into the season and both teams have shown by statistical measures that they are good, which their records indicate. So I'm going by the analytics and not my homer goggles.

The game will be competitive. The key stat for the game against the Rams, the month of December, as well as any Playoff run is taking care of the ball (i.e. giveaways). Although the Bears have the highest differential between takeaways and giveaways, they rank 22nd in giveaways. If they can take care of the ball, that differential stat rises, and this team becomes a serious contender.

Second, solid special teams, including the kicking game. Third, the defense can't have a bunch of breakdowns where they give up big plays. They can recover from 1 breakdown, but otherwise, they need to make the Rams work for every yard so they must contain Gurley.

The homer hopes the home field advantage and weather does help. I was at a 2013 MNF game against Dallas that was freezing and Dallas really was having none of it. So it can and does happen to warm weather teams, but I definitely don't bank on it.
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Donald has 16 sacks... the Bear O-line is a bigger concern than the Bear D.
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The defense needs to dominate, not play well, but dominate for 4 quarters.

They need to find a way to block or kill Aaron Donald.

Only Rams related comments posted here. To read the entire article click the link below.
************************************************************************************
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/03/mike-mccarthy-packers-nfl-week-13-fmia-peter-king/

By Peter King
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The Playoff Puzzle

NFC

Division Winners: L.A. Rams (11-1), New Orleans (10-2), Chicago (8-4), Dallas (7-5).
Wild Cards: Seattle (7-5), Washington (6-5, with a game tonight).
In The Hunt: Minnesota (6-5-1), Carolina (6-6), Philadelphia (5-6).

• Bears had a bad loss in New Jersey on Sunday, because it kept the Vikings alive for the division. Bears have the Rams Sunday night at Soldier Field. The Vikings have a tough one at Seattle.

• Seattle has the Niners and Cards left to play, and it’s hard to fathom a nine-win Seattle team not making it …

• Carolina, on a four-game bender, has the Saints in Week 15 and 17. Not the Panthers’ year …

• Rams look like the one seed, if only by looking at the near future; after the Bears Sunday night, L.A. has three sub-.500 teams left.

• Dallas, with a decisive win Thursday night, has four .500-or-below teams left. Looks like the Cowboys have saved their season—and Jason Garrett’s job.
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Defensive Players of the Week

Aaron Donald, defensive tackle, L.A. Rams. Two more sacks in Detroit, giving him a league-high 16.5 for the season, and very nearly clinching a second straight Defensive Player of the Year. His quickness and strength are right now unmatched by any front seven player in the NFL.

“He’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

—Rams quarterback Jared Goff, on his defensive teammate Aaron Donald, who has 16.5 sacks in 12 games.
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At 23, Brandin Cooks recorded a 1,173-yard receiving season for New Orleans in 2016. He was traded to New England the following spring for a first-round pick.

At 24, Brandin Cooks recorded a 1,082-yard receiving season for New England in 2017. He was traded to the Rams the following spring in a package for a first-round pick.

At 25, with four games left, Cooks has recorded a 1,026-yard receiving season for the Rams in 2018.

I predict he will not be traded in the spring of 2019—having signed a five-year, $80-million extension with the Rams in July. But it’s pretty weird that a young, consistently productive wide receiver got thrown overboard by good teams in successive years. (Even though the Saints have a very good right tackle, Ryan Ramczyk, to show for it. The Patriots used the pick on tackle Isaiah Wynn, who tore his Achilles in August and won’t play till next summer.)
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MVP Watch

3. Todd Gurley, RB, L.A. Rams. I continue to vacillate between Gurley and Jared Goff and maybe eventually Aaron Donald. But another huge day for Gurley—26 touches, 165 yards, two more touchdowns—puts him back in the running.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/12/03/p...nning-streak-kareem-hunt-fallout-week-13-mmqb

I'll throw in something from MMQB with Albert Breer

One more for the magic of Sean McVay—Sunday’s win meant the Rams have posted 11 wins in back-to-back years for the first time in their history, which dates to 1937. And the cool thing about the win over the Lions is that it came in totally different fashion from the shootout victory over Kansas City. The 30-16 win in Detroit was a rock fight from the start, and so the Rams rode Todd Gurley (23 carries, 132 yards, two TDs) as much as they could.
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And from the Ringer's Danny Kelly and Rodger Sherman

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/...ame-changing-plays-lamar-jackson-aaron-donald


Getty Images/AP Images

Aaron Donald Forces a Fourth-Quarter Fumble
The Rams’ explosive, high-flying offense under wunderkind play-caller Sean McVay has stolen the show in L.A. this year, heavily overshadowing the team’s talent-packed but inconsistent defensive unit. Even superstar pass rusher Aaron Donald has seemed to fly under the radar at times despite posting numbers that make him the favorite for his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award. That’s just how electric Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, and the rest of the team’s offensive group has been.

Over the past two games, though, Donald has reminded the world that in a season dominated by offense, defense can still make or break a game: His two forced fumbles two weeks ago proved crucial in the team’s stunning 54-51 win over the Chiefs—both led to Rams touchdowns—and the powerful defensive tackle made another pivotal play on Sunday, offering up a late-game strip sack of quarterback Matthew Stafford that propelled the Rams to victory.

Thanks to an uncharacteristically lackluster performance from the team’s offense, L.A. was left clinging to a slim 16-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter. And Detroit, facing a first-and-10 from its own 42-yard line with 8:26 to go, was driving down the field—threatening to take a late lead. That’s when Donald did this:

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Donald split a double-team, forced Stafford to retreat, then, after quickly closing the gap, swiped down on the quarterback’s arms, knocking the ball loose. The Rams recovered at the Lions’ 24-yard line; three plays later, Gurley rumbled to pay dirt for the decisive score, pushing L.A.’s lead to 23-13. That timely strip sack proved to be the turning point in a sloppy division-clinching win for the Rams:

Prior to that play, the Lions looked primed for an upset. A few snaps later, Gurley waltzed into the end zone untouched to kill any semblance of Detroit momentum. Donald’s turnover pushed L.A.’s win probability to better than 87 percent. The Rams coasted from there.

Donald pushed his league-leading sack total to 16.5, further cementing his status as the best defensive player in the world. He also showed that even when the Rams’ typically unstoppable offense stumbles, the team has a very valuable insurance policy. Donald is the prototype for what a defensive player must be in the new, offense-driven NFL:

He can disrupt the quarterback on any given snap, and more important, create turnovers when his team needs them the most. Donald showed he’ll give L.A. a powerful edge this postseason when the team goes head-to-head with some of the league’s other juggernaut offenses.
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/...-aaron-rodgers-jalen-ramsey-chargers-steelers

Loser: Fantasy Troll Todd Gurley
Earlier this season, Todd Gurley swung fantasy matchups and betting fortunesby intentionally stopping short of the end zone on a play where he could’ve scored a touchdown, instead opting to allow the Rams to win a game by kneeling out the clock.

Some swooned at the superstar’s ultimate display of unselfishness, passing up the chance to score to give his team a better shot at winning. (As we all know, winners never pay attention to their personal stats. Oh, by the way, please ignore that entire section about how the universally-acknowledged greatest quarterback of all time has spent years fantasizing about an obscure rushing milestone.)

Sunday, Gurley one-upped himself.

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Once again, Gurley stopped short of the end zone, passing up a touchdown and driving fantasy owners into despair. (After all, this week was the final week of the fantasy football regular season.)

One problem though: Gurley probably shoulda just scored. His non-score came with over two minutes remaining in a one-score game. His Rams couldn’t run out the clock—they had to score again to seal the game. Because of Gurley’s short stop, the Rams had to run two more offensive plays, running the risk of a botched snap or fumble that could’ve given the Lions life.

Everything worked out OK: Gurley punched in a touchdown two plays later. The Rams won, and Gurley put up 28.5 fantasy points, probably getting all his fantasy owners into the playoffs. But I’m worried Gurley is going a little bit too far in his attempts to appear unselfish. I appreciate the critical thinking that has led him to stop short, but most of the time scoring a touchdown is the best thing to do.

Good article regarding AD.

There are a lot of ways to describe Aaron Donald. Many people call him “unstoppable.” Others say he’s the best player in the NFL right now. One thing’s for sure, though: There’s no denying that he’s the top defender in football and has been for the past two-plus years.

Analysts, players and fans have been enamored by his play this season, headlined by his 16.5 sacks – which lead the NFL and are 5.5 more than he had last season – but even officials are impressed by the way he’s dominated offensive linemen.


After Sunday’s win over the Lions, Jared Goff was asked about Donald’s play. He first paid Aaron a compliment, then said how he talks to referees about how Donald is playing.

They often tell Goff that Donald is the best they’ve ever seen.

“He’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Goff said. “I try to get a gauge – I’ll ask the head judge [when] he’s having a week like that, ‘How’s 99 look?’ And they’ll be like, ‘He’s the best I’ve ever seen.’ So you hear that pretty often. I’m just happy he’s on our side and I don’t have to face him. But yeah, he’s incredible and he deserves everything coming his way.”

Donald was a force again on Sunday against the Lions, recording two sacks, four quarterback hits, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He also got the attention of the officials a few times, drawing three holding penalties on the Lions.

Few people get to see Donald work more than Goff in practice and the officials each and every Sunday, and clearly they think very highly of him.


https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/12/03/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-jared-goff-officials/

Through three quarters the Rams are 11-1. Which games do you think would’ve been lost without AD? I have them at 7-5. What say you?

Not many times do you have a shit game from your elite QB plus odd play calling by the HC and still win by 14 points on the road.

Typically these games are 50/50 because of how critical QB play is to a team like the Rams. You can lose these as easily as you can win them when your #1 weapon is misfiring. This is one of those games were we are used to saying about the Patriots "man, they always manage to somehow win those types of games".

We've been grouchy about the defense for much of the season and yesterday they flat out delivered. Not only did they deliver Donald gave the O excellent field position to increase the lead after the Lions had closed the gap 16-13. Then the ST's mistake gave the Rams good field position again and the OL stepped up and paved the way for Gurley to score.

They also held the Lions to 2-12 on third down. That's 16% if my math is correct. Wow.

When the Lions were threatening in between those two drives the Rams run defense, a source of aggravation this year, stuffed the Lions in the red zone and forced a FG. Big difference there because 23-20 makes you a lot more nervous. And that may have played a big role in them deciding to try an onsides kick.

So where is all this rambling going? I'll wrap it up.

Teams without talent all over the roster don't often win, let alone win by two touchdowns, when the QB lays an egg and turns it over two times. There are play makers all around this roster and even role players do a good job.

This could have been a game where the talking heads were saying "the Lions just gave us the blueprint to stop the Rams" like the narrative we heard when the Cowboys beat the Saints and Brees looked pretty bad. Instead the new narrative is "the Rams are so good they can put up 30 points and win games like this".

@Bears
Eagles
@Cardinals
Niners

I know it’s more fun to look ahead to playoff matchups but there is regular season work to be done.

The Bears should be salty - and probably getting Mitch back. He is slippery back there and they have an offense that can move the ball and a defense that can really bring it. It will be cold as hell In Chicago Sunday night.

The Eagles are that firework that seems like a dud. It seems harmless enough but someone is going to get their hand blown off going to grab it.

The Cardinals just beat the Packers in Green Bay. They believe in Rosen and are playing for their coach right now.

The Niners have the number one pick in their hands right now. Who knows what week 17 will bring.

The Rams need all 4 of these games. We don’t want to travel this post season.

I for one was not happy at all with many things about today,s game.
But we won simply because we have more talent (and AD!!)
The Lions, give them credit had something for McVay's offense. DBs sat on the short, outside stuff and screens.
But where was McVay's answer ? Where was all the 'deep-ins" ? He called a timeout down near the Lions 10. Then ran up the middle for no gain.
First series had a 3rd and short and tried to throw one over the top to a TE ? Then punted. Its like they did not take them seriously, thought it would be much easier than it was.
And I HATE fade type plays on the goal line. Too much has to go right. Low percentage plays. Much rather would like to see a short pass right in front of the goal line and the receiver fall into the end zone.
Goff should have had 3 picks and tried to give them the game near the end. VERY lucky one of those back to back "almost s" was not a pick 6.
This game easily could have been lost and put us behind the Saints for home field.
Had plenty of luck and more talent prevailed.
Hope the kid learns from this and moves on.
But, teams that have great seasons usually have a game or two where it just works out in your favor.
Now, take the Bears much more seriously.
My rant is done. I fell better now.

Hope he won't miss … and I think this is the last time we should go into a game with only 2 active RBs... unless they have some packages for Pharoh or Jojo in the backfield...having only 2 guys suited forces gives Gurley no rest opportunities in the game...


I'd like to see Kelly active.....

What do you think accounts for the improved run defense today? I’m sure there are many factors, but I will cite one aspect that I believe helped immensely...Fowler Jr. I thought he did a good job of setting the edge on his side. What say you?

Too many things for me... but here are just a few of my greatest hits! (err misses)

Tye Hill as the next shutdown corner.

Jason Smith and Greg Robinson... "Left Tackle is no longer a concern."
"For real this time, Left Tackle is set!"

"A RB in the top 10 is a luxury we cant afford!"

"Steve Spagnuolo just needs more time" lol...

"Jeff Fisher just needs more time"

Damn.. this could go on forever...

I just visited ESPN.com NFL home page. Nothing on the home page about the Rams.

4 games left. 16.5 sacks.
We have the Bears, Eagles, Cardinals, and 9ers.
He could Donald his way to 4 sacks just between the cardinals and 9ers.
22+ sacks for a DT. Best season by a defensive player.

so it sure seems that the Bears were overlooking the Giants. Love it.

I hope Goff finds his accuracy before next Sunday.