Was a thing of beauty. It was amazing that he could get his right hip over the tacker, and then get is right foot back down in a way that he could still get to the endzone. Well done Mr. Brown!

Not sure why but we always start really slow on defense. Their coverage, tackling, pass rush.. it all is slow and almost lazy it seems like. We seem to come alive about half way in the second quarter and then really get after it in the second half.

Our offense has stayed almost even keel through all of our games. So far for the season our offense has scored 155 points in the first half and 147 in the second half. With a few exceptions that scoring has been fairly spread out through all 4 quarters. Add in a Gurley touchdown that he didn't take and it's dead even by 1 point.

Defense with quite the difference. In the first half, the defense is giving up 118 points this season where in the second half it's giving up 85. Yeah the Saints first half explosion skews that a bit but I think the eye test shows us all that it's been two different defenses between halves. I appreciate the adjustments the coaches are making but they have to do something to limit their exposure the first two quarters.

Fourth quarter, we are giving up only 33 points. And 20 of those come from Saints and the Broncos late surge during garbage time really.

Every game I'm saying "just got to ride the storm until half time". Getting some players back and pass rush outside of Donald will help a ton. We need consistent pass rush and not just waiting until the opposing line gets tired after blocking Donald for three quarters.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...ers-panthers-are-legit-super-bowl-contenders/

1
Saints They earned this spot by beating three good teams in successive weeks, including the Rams last week. They are the team to beat in the NFC right now.

2
Patriots Ho-hum, it's November and the Patriots are getting better. Haven't we seen this script before?

3
Rams The defense has suddenly become a major issue. It's time to they tighten up on that side of the ball.
----------------
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...er-rankings-new-orleans-saints-scramble-top-3

1. New Orleans Saints (7-1)
Preseason rank: 3 | Week 9: 3

Expectations were obviously high for the Saints to start with. But they have exceeded them so far by proving they can win with different styles during a brutal three-game stretch (come-from-behind slugfests at Baltimore and at Minnesota, then a 45-35 track meet at home against the Rams). It helps that Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas are putting together one of the best "triplets" seasons in NFL history.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1)
Preseason rank: 11 | Week 9: 2

Patrick Mahomes has been better than expected. The Chiefs were confident he would eventually play this well, but not right out of the chute. Through nine games, Mahomes has 29 touchdown passes, one away from the team record.

3. Los Angeles Rams (8-1)
Preseason rank: 6 | Week 9: 1

The Rams were expected to have a big season after they added three All-Pros in Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Ndamukong Suh on defense, and the offense added speedy receiver Brandin Cooks. At 8-1, it's safe to say the Rams have exceeded expectations, especially on offense. Todd Gurley II is making a strong case for MVP, as he leads the league in rushing yards and touchdowns, and the addition of Cooks has provided a consistent deep-ball threat for Jared Goff.
----------------------
https://www.sbnation.com/2018/11/6/...k-10-2018-saints-rams-patriots-chiefs-changes

1 New Orleans Saints
2 Los Angeles Rams
-------------------
View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2804529-nfl-power-rankings-week-10-predicting-post-monday-night-football-standings

It's time to panic in Los Angeles. The Rams have lost a game, the undefeated season is over and that means their season is about to go down the drain.

That's a panic reaction, and it has nothing to do with reality. They lost a tough road game to an excellent New Orleans Saints team, and the only thing it means is that they won't be joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only undefeated Super Bowl champions in NFL history.

The Rams are still the top team in our power rankings despite the loss, and they did some good things after falling behind in the first half. They were down 35-14 before a late field goal in the second quarter, and then mounted a huge comeback when all the momentum was against them.

They couldn't finish the job, but they did something positive when most teams would not have been able to stem the tide.

1. Los Angeles Rams (8-1)
--------------------
https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/nfl-power-rankings-week-10#slide-39

1. Los Angeles Rams (LW: 1)
Yeah they lost, but they were playing with house money in New Orleans this weekend. Give us that again in January!
-----------------
http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/...rs-redskins-week-10/3kxfmlzyuf2o1pqdulkm0dxxi

1. New Orleans Saints 7-1 (last week: 1)

The Saints backed up our precognition that they would use the Rams game to prove themselves as the . Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas are the best QB-RB-WR trio in the league.

2. New England Patriots 7-2 (last week: 3)

The Patriots made the Tom Brady-Aaron Rodgers showdown more about their running game and defense, and that’s exactly why they remain the best team in the AFC.

3. Kansas City Chiefs 8-1 (last week: 4)

The Chiefs did their usual big-play thing with Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt in Cleveland. The Week 12 bye is the only thing that will slow down their offense.

4. Los Angeles Rams 8-1 (last week: 2)

The Rams lit up the scoreboard in New Orleans, but their defensive issues away from Aaron Donald showed up again. That will be their biggest hurdle going forward.
---------------------
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-theres-new-no-1-team-rams-loss-045112433.html

It’s time to take a look at who deserves the No. 1 slot, and we’re only accepting nominations for the Chiefs, Saints and Rams. The Patriots are a fine team too, but two losses to the mediocre Jaguars and Lions factor in, even though they’ve improved since, as was expected.

Rams: One easy question to ask yourself: If you had to pick a Super Bowl winner today, would it be the Rams? Probably, if you’re being honest. BetOnline.ag still has the Rams as the favorite to win the championship, according to OddsShark. That’s not a surprise. The Rams’ offense is great, they have a very good coach and the defense is good, though maybe not as good as advertised.

Cornerback play is becoming an issue, if Marcus Peters doesn’t turn things around. But still, it’s a team with a good resume — though their best road win is either Seattle or Denver, and neither of them are great — and still probably the highest upside of the trio. One loss at New Orleans doesn’t change that.

Saints: Early in the season, it seemed like New Orleans would be nowhere near the top of the rankings. They looked bad against the Buccaneers in a home loss, then probably should have lost to the Browns at home in Week 2. They needed a last-minute score on a great Drew Brees run and overtime to beat Atlanta, then struggled for a half against the Giants.

They were fortunate to come out of that stretch 3-1. Since then? They’ve been dominant. They blew out the NFC East-leading Redskins, won at Baltimore and Minnesota and beat the Rams. That’s a quality stretch. They have a great, balanced offense and a defense that might not be great but has generally improved since early in the season.

Chiefs: The Chiefs lead the NFL in point differential at plus-101, a testament to a great offense. The defense is suspect, but this is 2018. You can win in this NFL with a great offense and little else. And the Chiefs’ offense is undeniably great; Kansas City leads the NFL in points scored. Road wins against the Steelers and Chargers have aged very well, and blasting the Bengals by 35 at home was impressive. Five of their eight wins are by double digits.

The lone loss is by three points at New England on the final play of the game. They had the fifth-toughest schedule in the NFL coming into Week 9 of the season according to Football Outsiders, the toughest schedule of any of these three teams (Rams were No. 21, Saints were No. 32). You can criticize the defense but it hasn’t bothered them yet. The Chiefs have proven they’re worthy of their 8-1 record.

Each team has a great argument to be No. 1. So who gets the top spot?

3. Los Angeles Rams (8-1, LW: 1)

It’s tough to put the Rams at No. 3. I wouldn’t fault anyone for putting them at No. 1. But I am very impressed with the Saints since Week 5, and although they let the Rams back in Sunday’s game, they still did lead Los Angeles by 21 in the first half and won by 10. That has to factor in.

2. New Orleans Saints (7-1, LW: 3)

Over the last four games, I think the Saints are the best team in football. It might not be all that close. But the first four games weren’t that long ago. It’s tough to put them ahead of the Chiefs, who have been a force since the opener. Kansas City’s only loss was a tight one at New England. Fluky or not, the Saints did lose at home to Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buccaneers.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1, LW: 2)

I thought the Saints’ win over the Rams would vault New Orleans to the top spot, but when you review the totality of the resumes, the Chiefs earned this ranking. I hate to dock them too much for the defense giving up a lot of yards, because it hasn’t been a problem yet. The Chiefs are No. 1 for now, though the margin is razor-thin among the top three teams.
---------------------
https://www.profootballweekly.com/lists/2018/11/06/e75023764725465fa340a7328aa75d2d/index.xml?page=1

1. Chiefs (8-1) — One loss so far vs. a good schedule, which vaults them here

2. Saints (7-1) — Hottest team in football, which puts them nipping at Chiefs’ heels

3. Rams (8-1) — We’re not knocking them down far at all, trust us
----------------
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/06/nfl-power-rankings-2018

1. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (7-1)
Last Week’s rank: 2
Points in poll: 224
Highest-place vote: 1 (7)
Lowest-place vote: 1 (7)
Last week: Win 45-35 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Next week: at Cincinnati

You beat the best, you become the best. The Saints were sitting at No. 2 in our rankings before spoiling the Rams’ perfect season, so naturally we have a new team atop the list.

2. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-2)
Last Week’s rank: 4
Points in poll: 215
Highest-place vote: 2 (5)
Lowest-place vote: 3 (2)
Last week: Win 31-17 vs. Green Bay
Next week: at Tennessee

Remember when the Patriots were outside of our Top 10? One of these years we’ll learn not to write them off after a slow start. The Patriots not only jumped the Rams this week, but also the Chiefs.

BREER: Who Answered the Call? Week 9 in the NFL

3. LOS ANGELES RAMS (8-1)
Last Week’s rank: 1
Points in poll: 208
Highest-place vote: 2 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 4 (3)
Last week: Loss 45-35 at New Orleans
Next week: vs. Seattle

The Rams’ five-week run at the top is over. They still might be the best team in football, despite losing a shootout in New Orleans, but of course they have to take a hit here.
---------------------
http://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

4. Los Angeles Rams (8-1) - Previously: 3.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Rams are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

It is funny, if you would have told me that we would be 8-1 at this point in the season, I would have been extremely happy, which I am. What I wouldn't have expected is such negativity in the fan base. Honestly, if you didn't know what our record was, and read through this board, you would think we were 3-6. It is crazy. I understand that expectations are constantly in flux, and as you do better your expectations go up, but man, everybody needs to calm down a bit. We are 8-1 and have a legit shot at having not only a first round bye, but Home Field Advantage throughout the playoffs. We are in fantastic shape and in a great position.

Sometimes you have to back up and look at the big picture. The chances of going undefeated through the Super Bowl are so slim, that it should never be an expectation.

2 years ago, after 9 weeks, we had Jeff Fisher as a coach, we were 3-5, we had scored 20 points in only 2 games, and we had lost to the Giants, Bills, 49ers, Lions, and Panthers.

That season we would win 4 games, score 20+ Points 4 times, and score 10 of fewer points 9 Times.

Now I am not saying that we can't criticize different aspects of this team, but it should be kept within the broader context.

Go Rams.

2018 NFC Playofff projections (yep, I am bored)

Eagles take the bad Eastern conference because
The Redskins will lose twice to them

WC round
Eagles vs Panthers (going with Wentz)
Vikings vs whomoever (Falcons/Bears/Redskins/Seattle)

DIV Round
Rams vs Eagles
Saints vs Vikings (Vikings will shut down Brees the 2nd go around)

NFCC
Rams vs Vikings (Vikings will hold Rams to 24, can Rams D hold the fort)

Ram Playoff notes:

DIV: Would not be surprised if the Rams can’t beat Eagles—if the Rams
Defense doesn’t get better at corners. Wentz still knows how to win, but
The Eagles defense probably can’t stop Rams on road, too.

NFCC: Vikings D is coming around. I think they hold us to 24;
Can we pressure Cousines with Obo and Fowler? If we can’t we are in
Trouble. We should win, but not surprised if we don't.

With Talib and Peters playing well, we go to the superbowl, no matter who we play.

Some different observations:

Yepparoo, I am convinced the Rams were and are the better team. When/if they
meet again this year, I expect the Rams to win because the Saints don’t
Have enough weapons to scare the Rams defense; Wade will play it
totally different—and so will Peters and Talib, lol. If the we play in the dome, Goff looks more than capable of Winning on the road in New Orleans. Goff has been playing as well as any Ram QB ever has played (in 4-5 of his best games this year). Yep, after he wins the bowl, we will all say this: he is better than _______.

*The personal foul penalties by Donald and Saffold in the first half represented the laziness and stupidity of a mentally burned-out team. Rams didn’t have it together mentally or emotionally in the 1st half. Those are 2 Veterans ---who are smart guys. The bad tackling was another sign of this laziness, too. And of course , Peters topped it off with his 9 seconds of looking around for signals while the Saints were at the LOS—before the long TD that sealed it. Reee-dik-you-lus. DOn't forget Saffold dissing Goff....and Goff kept after him--great leader!!!!

*Not kicking the FG at 14-14 in the 1st quarter/early 2nd….stupid; another sign of a team that had a head coach who needs a break---overthinking. IT was a critical mistake in our loss.

*Otherwise: there was a lot to like in the game---not counting those first 5 Saints drives and Goff’s pick at 1:06 left in the half.

*The O line looked great in pass pro. Cam Jordan has dominated all year, and I didn’t see him do much. Cooks, Woods and Kupp did their thing. Everett flashed a few times. The O line was good. Goff is at 9.6 yds a pass---that is amazing—even in this era!

*Goff deserves some extra praise for his play. Goff made a few mistakes, but no surprise, he is in his 3rd year. What 3rd year QB makes so few mistakes? Goff is an artist through and through with his choices and execution on his throws---and he is already near to better than Warner away in my opine. Yep, I know era to era comparisons are hard. Goff is taking almost no risks in his throrws, while averaging 9.6 per throw, while Warner Had no constraints, making it much easier for Warner; and thus he threw a lot of Interceptions (22 in 2001)….while Goff is not as tough and savvy yet, he shows some things that Warner never could. Oh, wait, I forgot, Warner was perfect, lol.

*Fowler had some flash plays; he looks like a closer from the film I have seen. He has some moves, and a great first step, and a very good motor. He will makes some huge plays for us, in big games, against the Seahags, Eagles and hopefully against the Chiefs.

*Considering the Saints mostly made Gurley disappear,the offense was great.
Whilet watching the game, it looked like the Rams were the better team in the 2nd Half, My only disappointment, outside of Wade and Peters is that the offense totally failed on the last 2 drives. Goff could have waited for Woods in 1 on 1 coverage on that one series (on 4th down I think), but threw it up for Cooks. Bad call.

Some Defense talk:

*Rams were an all time bad ‘top 10’ defense through 8 games---all the good QBs on our schedule so far have made our defense look bottom 10 at best; I am not sure how so many fans Ignored that during our 8-0 run---but not many study the game. Can you study with a beer in the hand(?)—yes, I think so! (IDK what the D is ranked now).

*The defense doesn’t look physically tough. Littelton (who I love) and both safeties, who I like, don’t look tough; Barron is tough but very small. So, I don't think we scare anybody if you knwo what i mean. And Peters looks like a tackling wimp; Peters is the worst tackler in the NFL. The effort doesn’t look very good; Samson and Longacre and Fowler look tough, but the former 2 have not really made any big rushes/plays. Fowler will help a lot!!!!!!! More on him later.

*Overall the defense has more than enough talent, even with Peters poor play, to allow the Rams to beat any team, except the Chiefs. And, if Peters and Talib ‘return to form’, then we can beat the Chiefs, too.

*The Rams D may be embarrassed vs the Chiefs unless each Ram plays his career game. The Chiefs speed will make us look silly. The Rams chance to win is if the offense can control the ball by running 40 times, and Goff can have another great game, and so we can, maybe, control the game to get a win….if the ball tumbles the right way. We may need Bud Carson back to help Wade, though.

*When A Donald goes against very good guards we can expect a pretty quiet game. The 1984 Rams shut out the Bears in the sack department (the year they had 72 sacks). Pro Bowl guards Kent HIll and Harrah along with 5 step passing game did that to the Bears---like Brees did to us. Most pro bowl level guards will hold the fort against Donald for 2.5 seconds. The Saints have one pro bowl level guard, while the others is pretty ok. Donald still made plays, though….he just wasn’t awesome because of the competition was so much better.

*Suh is pretty good against the run. Is that worth 14 million? No. But, he is smart, makes some nice rushers at LDE, and so he may be a 'cog' for us this year. No way he is back for more than 10 mill next year....how can any team justify that??

*Peters will be back next year, I think, lol. BUt, I think the Rams go corner in te first round. OBo might pan out, and then resign Fowler at 8-10 million...that is a plan, I think. We should have gotten Snacks Harrison while we could have...stash him away, and play in 2019 with him in place of Suh.

Still think 70% Rams go to the bowl this year. Saints won't. I would take Carolina over them. Brees won't last...til the end, this year.

.

can someone please explain how to multi quote different posts. can't seem to work it out.

thanks.

.

I buried my Mom today. She was the most loving, caring person I have ever known. She was a genuine, transparent person, and if you knew her you knew that she was about treating all people with the respect that they deserved. Honest, trustworthy, and dedicated to her family and friends. She was smart as a whip, but never intimidating about it. We didn't have a lot of money while I was growing up, but we never knew it. We had everything we needed and wanted not. I love her dearly and I know she loved me as well. What I would give just to see her one more time and tell her that.

It's not just me. The community thinks so as well. So I wanted to share it with this community. I know you guys don't know me, but I come here often. Please hug the ones you love, and if you can't, give them a call. You truly never know when the last time will be.

We are all here for a short time, but I will never touch the amount of lives in such a way that she did. She was that special.

I'm in the mood for repeated word of mouth fallacies at the moment - I hear this everywhere. Oh offenses this year are at a all time high because of "rules changes"

Can someone tell me a rule that was changed this year? Because I can't think of one. The weight on the QB thing earlier this year maybe, but that has died off. Targeting? I mean I still see dudes get lit the eff up, and even if so is that really stopping or allowing people to throw deep ins. They threw deep ins in the 70's when you could murder people, never stopped anyone.

When I watch football games I see the same amount of grabbing on receivers that I've seen in the past 20 years. I mean are the rules different than the 70's... well yeah.

I just here this rule changes stuff over and over - yet I can think of none. It's bizarre.

Assuming some of you Cali boys might be USC fans...

But I just felt like this dude was getting praised as the next best QB in the league earlier this year and it was baffling me. He was throwing more INT's than TD's and it's only gotten worse.

Not that he can't develop, but again it appeared to me yet another word of mouth syndrome- people starting repeating shit and all the sudden it's a fact.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Fowler has been here less than a week and is already getting some significant playing time.

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-activate-okoronkwo-to-active-roster

Rams Activate Okoronkwo to Active Roster
Los Angeles has activated rookie outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo from the physically unable to perform list to the active 53-man roster.

Okoronkwo suffered a foot injury that required surgery during Phase II of the Rams’ offseason program back in May. He was sidelined by the injury for the rest of the offseason program and all through training camp, beginning the regular season on the PUP list.

Because he was on PUP for Week 1, by rule Okoronkwo had to miss the first six weeks of the year. He was able to practice with a 21-day window that began a couple weeks ago, and has apparently done enough to earn his way onto the active roster.

A fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma, Okoronkwo recorded 20.0 sacks and 33.0 tackles for loss in four seasons with the Sooners. In his senior year alone, Okoronkwo had 17.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks.

Should he be on the 46-man gameday roster, Okoronkwo could provide some help as an edge rusher. Los Angeles also acquired outside linebacker Dante Fowler from Jacksonville last week to rush off the edge.

As a corresponding roster move, L.A. has waived rookie outside linebacker Trevon Young.

Head coach Sean McVay is scheduled to meet with the media at 5 p.m. on Monday, and is likely to address the roster move then.

https://www.cantonrep.com/sports/20...hing-job-he-would-consider-touts-chuck-pagano

Bruce Arians says Browns only coaching job he would consider, touts Chuck Pagano
By Steve Doerschuk



Two-time NFL Coach of the Year Bruce Arians says Cleveland is the only place that could lure him out of retirement. Arians also touts Chuck Pagano, with whom he worked when the Browns led Pittsburgh in the only playoff game of the expansion era.

CLEVELAND: Back in the days when Bruce Arians was offensive coordinator of a Browns team that forged a 17-point lead in a playoff game at Pittsburgh, he would joke about growing old.

“It has been a long time since I was the ‘boy wonder’ head coach at Temple,” he would say. He was 30 when the Owls hired him in 1983.

When Arians visited Cleveland on Sunday as a TV analyst, it had been a long time since he was fired after the Browns’ 2003 season, only to resurface in Pittsburgh and eventually coordinate the offense in the Steelers’ run to Super Bowls capping the 2008 and 2010 seasons.

Then, after Pittsburgh’s 2011 season, in a haunting reminder of Cleveland, in a move first presented (to his dismay) as a retirement, the Steelers fired him.

The “retiree” was on his way to being one of the more colorful head coaching personalities in recent NFL history. While that cycle ran its course in Indianapolis and Arizona, Cleveland remains a serious topic to him.

During a break from the CBS booth Sunday, in a conversation in the press box, we asked Arians if he would consider becoming a head coach again.

“Cleveland is the only job I would consider,” he said, and it was no surprise if you know his background.

Arians has made it clear Cleveland is the one head coaching job he really wanted. He has been around, seeing with his own eyes how it was when the old Browns were winners. His first NFL boss was Marty Schottenheimer, who told him stories.

Current Browns general manager John Dorsey has vowed to awaken this “sleeping giant.”

In 2002, Arians helped splash water on the giant’s face. The Browns reached the playoffs. They had a big lead at Pittsburgh. It got away. Years later, the giant snores.

Arians has told us his view of why the lone playoff game of the expansion era got away. Namely: Defensive coordinator Foge Fazio wanted to go for the jugular, attacking Pittsburgh, seizing the day. Davis wanted to play a prevent, and, being the head coach, prevent it was.

Davis relieved Fazio of his command during the second half.

Internal discord is not new. Fazio was fired immediately after Davis’ prevent didn’t work (the Browns lost 36-33). The 2003 season sagged. The day after it ended, Arians was fired and replaced by wideouts coach Terry Robiskie, who a year later became interim head coach after Davis quit late in the season.

Now, the Browns’ head coaching job again is in interim status. Gregg Williams is 0-1 after a 37-21 loss to Kansas City.

What does Arians imagine the Browns will do if they opt not to stay with Williams? Arians opined that the pool of candidates with a chance to succeed is “thin.”

Amid a clamor to hire a boy wonder, Arians says Cleveland instead needs an experienced NFL coach who would embrace Cleveland’s unique challenges.

Arians smiled when asked his age.

“Sixty-six,” he said.

Hire experience. We mentioned to Arians that a Mike Mularkey type might appeal to Dorsey. Mularkey has had three NFL head coaching jobs, most recently with a Titans team that beat the Chiefs in a playoff game in January.

“My guy would be Chuck Pagano,” Arians said.

Pagano, 58, was hired in Cleveland the same year as Arians, 2001. He lasted through the 2004 season, eventually became defensive coordinator in Baltimore, then was hired as head coach of the Colts. Pagano hired the “retired” Arians as offensive coordinator for rookie No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck (Arians had been Colts “OC” in 1998, when Peyton Manning was a rookie No. 1 overall pick).

After Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. Arians became interim head coach in Week 5, and the Colts had a 9-3 record on his watch.

Pagano healed and was Indy’s head coach through 2017, fired with a record of 56-46, including 3-3 in the playoffs.

The 2012 Colts were the talk of the league. The Pagano-Arians tag team took over a team that had gone 2-14 and, under great duress, went 11-5.

Cleveland had an opening in 2013. Arians wanted in. After the new Browns owners appointed Rob Chudzinski, Arians took his first full-time NFL head coaching job with the Cardinals, who had posted one 10-win season in the previous 25 years.

Arians put up records of 10-6, 11-5, 13-3, 7-8-1 and 8-8. After the 2017 season, he actually did retire.

As he mentioned, there is one job for which he would consider coming out of retirement.

What about Pagano? His background is on defense, in a league that has been taken over by offense.

Hiring Pagano might be a means of securing a certain former boy wonder as offensive coordinator.

I sure am.

Suh. I previously thought Suh might be 50-50 to be extended. No more. Might have lost his edge or his hunger, but I’m not seeing $14 million worth of effort or domination. Heck, I’m not seeing domination at all.

Joyner. Well, few previously thought he would be extended, anyway. But now he seems even less likely.

Peters. I previously thought he was a lock for extension. But now? I hardly recognize his play. I mean, Payton/Brees admitted to deliberately targeting him! Count me in the camp that thinks he would rather play to be a “hero” rather than playing within Wade’s scheme. Part of the blame is on Wade for that, don’t you think?

Fowler. He seems well on his way to being a priority extension target after this game. Some good news on that front, for sure. We’ll see. Fingers crossed.

Littleton. A no brainer, huh?

Saffold. I would think that he’s a very high priority for extension. Pro Bowl level OG’s don’t grow on trees, and he really helps both Goff and Gurley. Need I say more?


My revised draft priority needs have changed although BPA will be the ultimate decider:

CB has moved up as a high need given Peters’ recent play. Maybe even the highest need.

DT if Suh departs as I now expect. Reportedly a loaded DT draft class with quality into the 3rd round expected.

OLB is a biggie, too. Two holes there unless Fowler is extended. Both Ebu and Longacre are looking like fool’s gold to me. Would be useless in the playoffs.

ILB need is high. Would enable a Barron trade/release with the accompanying salary savings. Current backups are considered liabilities in coverage so an upgrade would be helpful against these elite QB’s that the Rams will be facing in future playoff games.

OL is gonna get more attention in future drafts. We currently have only 7 on our 53 and who knows how Whit is gonna hold up?

Okay, backup QB could be a high priority, too. Isn’t Mannion a goner next season?

Here’s hoping that Snead can continue finding the players and Demoff can continue finding the cap space. Lol.

Only Rams/Saints comments are posted. To read the rest of the article click the link below. Btw Peter King is on cloud 9 because his beloved Patriots and his mancrush Tom Brady are doing well. So be forewarned.
***************************************************************************************
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...packers-tom-brady-fmia-nfl-week-9-peter-king/

By Peter King

Saints-Rams

Now you know why the Saints want to be home in January

It’s not just Seattle that’s a decibel graveyard for visitors in very big games. If you heard the crowd in the Superdome on Sunday for the visit of the previously undefeated Rams, you know why home-field advantage in the NFC is so important.

“You could feel it be a factor,” said tight end Benjamin Watson from New Orleans an hour after the Saints’ rollicking 45-35 win over the Rams. “We certainly got energy from it.”

Nine years ago, the Saints discovered what home-field in the NFC meant. The Superdome gave them a jolt in a divisional playoff rout of Arizona, and blew away some Vikings in the stunning NFC Championship win a week later. There are three prime contenders for top seed in the NFC—the 8-1 Rams, 7-1 Saints and 6-2 Panthers—but none would have a home-field edge like the Saints would.

I think the NFC home-field team will have no more than three losses.

• The Rams have the toughest single game left—in Mexico two weeks from tonight against the 8-1 Chiefs. But there’s only one other team with a current winning record, Chicago (5-3). Finishing with the Cards and Niners helps tremendously.

• The Saints, obviously, will have the tiebreaker edge against Los Angeles by virtue of Sunday’s head-to-head win. But they have a game against Atlanta and finish with a tough trio (at Carolina, Pittsburgh at home, Carolina at home).

• The Panthers have a short-week Thursday-nighter at Pittsburgh, winners of four straight, this week. And they finish thusly: Saints, Falcons, at Saints. And Carolina has to catch up and pass two one-loss teams.

“The Rams did a great job of coming back from 18 points down today,” Watson said. “They’re a really good team. We have a lot of weapons too. The one thing I like when I watch our team practice is how hard the young guys work. They know what it takes to be great. Every play in practice, Michael Thomas runs full-speed with the ball, just like it’s a game.”

Watching a good bit of that Saints’ win here before Pack-Pats, it’s hard not to wish for a January rematch. Imagine title games of New England at Kansas City, and New Orleans at Los Angeles. There were 83 points in the first game between those AFC foes Oct. 14. There were 80 points scored Sunday in Rams-Saints.

That doubleheader would be a referendum on whether the league needs to put defense back in pro football. My guess: The NFL would sign up (and root for) 43-40 and 45-35 conference title games. Right now.
-------------------------
Offensive Players of the Week

Michael Thomas, wide receiver, New Orleans. His dumb touchdown celebration aside—he’s lucky it didn’t hurt the Saints more than it did—Thomas had one of the greatest games a New Orleans receiver has ever had. His 211 yards (on 12 catches) set a franchise record and his 72-yard catch-and-run touchdown sealed the first loss for the Rams this season. What a day for New Orleans, which loud and clearly announced itself as a favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta.
-------------------
Los Angeles football: 14-3. New York football: 4-13.
-------------------
MVP Watch

3. Todd Gurley, RB, L.A. Rams. Last week: 2. His first mortal game of the year—79 scrimmage yards and one touchdown. But he’s been so good for so long he drops only spot.
-----------------
Well, Marcus Peters sure got Breesed on that last touchdown pass to Michael Thomas.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1059296496896532480

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1059275613880619008

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1059271539621851136

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1059266236373057536

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1059262285674434560

This is figured by using Goff's averages over 9 games, if spread over 16 games:

Yards: 5,006 yards passing
TD's: 36
Ints: 11
QB Rating: 112.9

Should be fairly accurate because the loss ensured the Rams would have to use starters to get the #1 seed, throughout the regular season.

Hopefully his averages re even better in the playoffs, and results in a Super bowl win.

No X’s and O’s here, that’s not my thing and I’ll leave that for others. Rather, some general impressions.

So, here goes...

Our D has been overrated and the Saints really exposed them. BIG TIME.

Can’t give a quality team like the Saints a 35-14 lead in their house and still hope to win. Duh!

Still trying to wrap my mind around allowing 45 points to ANY NFL team. C’mon.

Aikman was right when he said that the Saints were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted against the Ram D. Hate to even type those words, but...

Our O was magnificent but our D placed them in the impossible position of having to score a TD on every possession.

We definitely got screwed on that Hekker run placement, but that wasn’t the reason we lost this game.

Gonna get a little philosophical here. Earlier in the year I read where some suggested that merely adding studs to the D might not necessarily result in cohesion. I scoffed at the time, but now I see their point. Suh and Peters are disappointing examples of players not even close to reaching expectations, much less exceeding them. Talib has been out hurt, so I’m not including him in this discussion.

Wade has got his work cut out, that’s for sure. His D quickly fell behind to the Packers 10-0 and was buried by the Saints early on. WTF? Another thing. What’s with the soft zone against Brees when not getting pressure? Like Aikman said, that seems suicidal.

Can y’all imagine what the Chiefs are gonna do unless this D gets “fixed”? Hang 60 on us? Geez...


There were some bright spots for the Rams. Not the least of which was coming back from a 21 point deficit. That was impressive.

And no Ram injuries that I’m aware of.

Fowler made a nice Ram debut. It’s early, but that looks like a good signing.

Nice to see Everett making plays. Sign of the future?

Ram O put up 35 freaking points, and that’s while missing a FG and feeling forced to attempt a failed fake punt. All in approx 25 minutes of possession.

Don’t have to look far to find the reason for this loss. Hint: It wasn’t the O or the ST. Lol.

Anybody else just champing at the bit to wipe that smug smile off of Asshole Face’s face? Like in a beat down kinda way come playoff time?

Hope Wade takes this humiliation of his D seriously and makes adjustments accordingly. ‘Cause, trust me, every opponent remaining on our schedule will be studying this Saints game tape.

Marcus Peters is an enigma to me. How does a healthy former All Pro CB turn into the weakest link in half a season? The player that Payton/Brees specifically chose to attack? Blows my mind, honestly.

Sigh.....

Well, no time now to wallow in pity. We lost to a helluva team in their house after tying them in the 4th quarter. Now it’s time to focus on the always dangerous (and sometimes late hitting) Seahawks.

On a positive note after a loss..........holy crap did he crush that one!

He got ALL of that ball. It hit the net about a third of the way up, it would have been good from 12 yards longer. What a kick. When it went through the uprights it looked like it was probably even with the tops or really close.

I don't know if I've seen him kick it that far before. So we know he's back to 100%!!!

As I look at the schedule I still see a very real possibility of 13-3. Maybe better. The 13-3 is slowing some slip ups. If we could get this defense to start scoring some points, we would be unstoppable. Hopefully the saints will drop a few more and we will still have the home field advantage come playoff time.

2018 NFC Predictions:

Wild Card Round:

(3) Bears 20 (6) Vikings 17
(5) Panthers 33 (4) Redskins 7

Divisional Round:

(1) Rams 35 (5) Panthers 20
(2) Saints 45 (3) Bears 7

Championship Round

(1) Rams 31 (2) Saints 17



(1) RAMS 14-2

REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Seahawks (4-4), vs. Chiefs (8-1), at Lions (3-5), at Bears (5-3), vs. Eagles (4-4), at Cardinals (2-6), vs. 49ers (2-7)

REMAINING LOSSES: vs Chiefs



(2) SAINTS 13-3

REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Bengals (5-3), vs. Eagles (4-4), vs. Falcons (4-4), at Cowboys (3-4), at Buccaneers (3-5), at Panthers (6-2), vs. Steelers (5-2-1), vs. Panthers (6-2)

REMAINING LOSSES: at Cowboys, at Panthers



(3) BEARS 11-5

REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Lions (3-5), vs. Vikings (5-3-1), at Lions (3-5), at Giants (1-7), vs. Rams (8-1), vs. Packers (3-4-1), at 49ers (2-7), at Vikings (5-3-1)

REMAINING LOSSES: vs Rams, at Vikings



(4) Redskins 10-6

REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Buccaneers (3-5), vs. Texans (6-3), at Cowboys (3-4), at Eagles (4-4), vs. Giants (1-7), at Jaguars (3-5), at Titans (3-4), vs. Eagles (4-4)

REMAINING LOSSES: vs Texans, at Cowboys, at Eagles



(5) Panthers 12-4

REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Steelers (5-2-1), at Lions (3-5), vs. Seahawks (4-4), at Buccaneers (3-5), at Browns (2-6-1), vs. Saints (7-1), vs. Falcons (4-4), at Saints (7-1)

REMAINING LOSSES: at Steelers, at Saints



(6) Vikings 10-5-1

at Bears (5-3), vs. Packers (3-4-1), at Patriots (7-2), at Seahawks (4-4), vs. Dolphins (5-4), at Lions (3-5), vs. Bears (5-3)


REMAINING LOSSES: at Bears, at Patriots


Barely Missing playoffs (Falcons 9-7, Seattle 9-7, Packers 8-7-1, Eagles 8-8, Cowboys 8-8)

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/monday...itans-vs-dallas-cowboys-prediction-picks-2018

Monday Night Football: Tennessee Titans vs. Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys will host the Tennessee Titans for this week’s "Monday Night Football" matchup. Both teams sit at a disappointing 3-4 on the season, but there could be newfound hope coming off the bye week.

The Cowboys have been rock solid at home in 2018. They’re a perfect 3-0 in AT&T Stadium while all four of their losses have been on the road.

The Titans haven’t seen the same sort of home-away splits, but it’s been a tale of two mini-runs to start the year. After an opening week loss to the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee went on a three-game winning streak to get to 3-1. Since then, they’ve balanced things out by dropping three straight.

It should be interesting to see how rested each team looks, and what adjustments were made as they approach the second half of the season.

Tennessee at Dallas

Kickoff: Monday, Nov. 5 at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Cowboys -4

Three Things to Watch

1. How will Amari Cooper fare in his Cowboys debut?

The Cowboys were in desperate need of a No. 1 receiver for Dak Prescott. After letting Dez Bryant walk in the offseason, the team had struggled to find an adequate replacement despite bringing in Allen Hurns in free agency and selecting Michael Gallup in the third round of this year's draft.

Dallas' brain trust decided that former Raider and 2015 first-round pick Amari Cooper would be the perfect solution to this problem. The Cowboys even went as far as to send their 2019 first-round pick to get the deal done.

Considering guys like Golden Tate (third-round pick), Demaryius Thomas (fourth) and Josh Gordon (fifth) went for far less, there hasn’t been a shortage of critics of the deal. Monday night will be the perfect opportunity for Cooper to begin proving he was worth that sort of investment.

2. Can Marcus Mariota bounce back?

Yet again, it’s been a rough start to the season for Titans’ quarterback. After dealing with an elbow injury suffered in Week 1, the former No. 2 overall pick hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since his return.

He’s averaging less than 200 passing yards per game (171.7) while throwing five interceptions to only three touchdowns. The hope is that the bye week allowed him – and the rest of the offense – some time to get healed up and on the same page.

Whether that happened will go a long way in determining how the rest of the team’s season goes.

3. Lingering effects from the failed two-point conversion?

It was a brutal loss for the Titans a couple of weeks ago in London. Being down 17-6 in the third quarter, things started to look up as Tennessee pulled to within one with 31 seconds left on the clock.

Unfortunately, a failed two-point conversion attempt ended any chance at a potential victory. Some criticized the decision to not kick the extra point to send it to overtime, but head coach Mike Vrabel stood by the decision.

It’ll be interesting to see if any lingering effects of that decision carry over to Monday night’s matchup against the Cowboys. In some cases, these sorts of events can begin to snowball, and the Titans have to do everything in their power to keep that from happening.

Final Analysis

We have to go with what we know about both teams. First, Tennessee hasn’t been very good. As tough as that may be to hear for Titans fans, it’s simply the truth.

The other thing is how impressive Dallas has looked at home this season. During their last home game, the Cowboys dismantled a pretty good Jaguars team 40-7 while starting to show signs of life. That didn’t translate to success on the road the next week against Washington, but that won't matter for this game.

This is expected to be a low scoring game (over/under is 40 points), so don’t look for any sort of fireworks. The Cowboys will be able to cover the spread while getting back to .500.

Prediction: Cowboys 23, Titans 14

I just can't get over this one. In actual speed, it looked pretty clear that he got it. With the challenge, there was 100% clear evidence on the replay that he got it. As a fan, I'm not sure how to accept this nonsense - it's a serious issue to the fan that tunes in each week. Mind-boggling.