Tampa Bay is way too low Chris Godwin Jersey , even if it is ‘way-too-early’"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmBucs Disrespected in ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early’ Power RankingsNew,39commentsTampa Bay is way too low, even if it is ‘way-too-early’ESTShareTweetShareShareBucs Disrespected in ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early’ Power RankingsKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the 2018 season as the league’s 28th ranked team, or fifth-worst. However, an off-season already filled with a lot of significant changes, and more to come, have this team on the verge of becoming everyone’s pre-season sleeper.Everyone, that is, except for ESPN apparently.In releasing their self-proclaimed ‘way-too-early’ power rankings of NFL teams ahead of the 2019 league year, the network showed their hand and told every franchise exactly what they think of them.For the Bucs, this means being labeled as 24th out of a possible 32 franchises. But, wait a minute, isn’t that higher than they finished in 2018? Yes. Yes it is. And it’s still too low.Here’s why. It’s well documented that the Buccaneers had the most potent passing attack in the NFL between the goal lines. Getting the ball across the goal line was another matter. Bringing in new head coach and quarterback whisperer Bruce Arians will help fix that issue. This fact alone should bump the team up about five spots in the power rankings.Add to it the addition of Todd Bowles as defensive coordinator and the promise of a coaching staff who is more interested in making things work for their players rather than making their players work for them, and this is a team who should be Top-20.It might just be me, but the teams currently ranked behind the Buccaneers are...25. Washington Redskins26. Jacksonville Jaguars27. Detroit Lions28. Cincinnati Bengals29. Buffalo Bills30. New York Jets31. Oakland Raiders32. Arizona Cardinals...and they all belong behind the Bucs. No arguments there. Not from me, anyway.However, there are some teams ranked ahead of the Bucs which I don’t feel belong there.Such as the Miami Dolphins, who not only fired their head coach but have no idea what they’re doing at the quarterback position.I don’t know if anyone has ever muttered the words that quarterback questions are the key to successful NFL teams, but if they have I’ve never heard them. Add to it a questionable hire at the head coaching position, and the franchise is definitely trending downward as far as league comparisons are concerned.The New York Giants are also ranked ahead of the Buccaneers, and again, what is happening at the quarterback position combined with an underperforming defense. Not good.I may be looking at this from a holistic stand-point while the ESPN writers who combined on this look at it from a final finish point of view. The Atlanta Falcons rank 18th on the back of credit given due to returning players from injury in 2019. Tampa Bay had plenty of those as well.We could go on and on about this Mike Edwards Jersey , and maybe we will on the Locked on Bucs podcast sometime next week. But in the meantime, check out the rankings for yourself and let us know where you think the 2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers should sit in this ‘way-too-early’ power rankings. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defending their home stadium by defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-17 in Week 13 of the 2018 NFL Regular Season.Here are the five key factors which led the team to victory, and it should come as no surprise the majority of them came from the defensive side of the ball.Here we go!THE PLAY: SEMINOLE INCEPTIONPhoto by Will Vragovic/Getty ImagesWith the Buccaneers leading 10-7, the game had bogged down a bit after three of the game’s first four drives ended in points.Five straight drives ended with punts or turnovers, but the Carolina Panthers were threatening at the Tampa Bay 25-yard line after moving the ball 50-yards on just six plays.With 1:16 remaining in the first half, rookie wide receiver D.J. Moore was targeted on the pass by quarterback Cam Newton who - it would appear - read man coverage trying to hit Moore on a slant.Newton might go to bed thinking Elliott was living in his head as the cornerback drifted out of his slot alignment and right into the path of the ball.By the time running back Christian McCaffrey chased down the Florida State product, Elliott had returned the interception all the way back to the Carolina 32-yard line, instantly eating almost every yard his defense had surrendered on the drive.Five plays later, the Bucs broke the scoreless run in the game themselves, but we’ll get to that in just a moment. For an offense which thrives on rhythm and pace, this play was the second interception on the day for the Buccaneers defense and went a long way to preventing the Panthers from ever looking fully comfortable in the contest.THE PLAY: WHO DOES NO. 2 WORK FOR?Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsTwo weeks ago, effort from the second receiver position was questioned and in some cases hotly debated.This weekend, Chris Godwin got his opportunity to play second-chair behind Mike Evans, and any questions of his own efforts wouldn’t be questioned after this pair of plays by the second-year receiver.The first play will go down in the game book as a simple incompletion, but it was much more than that.Jameis Winston has been playing better since being re-inserted into the starting lineup, but this pass had the potential to bring all of the angst and negativity swarming back upon the gunslinger as he threw a pass right into the breadbasket of Carolina safety Eric Reid.While Reid was likely envisioning his own attempt to run the interception back, Godwin had other plans.But if anyone thought his efforts on the play wouldn’t be replicated again, they were wrong, and it paid off for his team in a much more measurable way one play later. With his quarterback scrambling and the first half winding down, Godwin found space in the back of the end zone and gave Winston a shot at completing a critical scoring pass.The 13-yard touchdown was his first since October 14th against the Atlanta Falcons, and after the Cairo Santos extra point it gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 17-7 lead heading into halftime.THE PLAY: NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S DPIKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsAfter the Carolina Panthers opened the second-half with afield goal, it was imperative the Buccaneers’ offense find a way to respond.And respond they did Mike Edwards Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , but they had a little help along the way.Following a second holding penalty called against the Bucs on the drive, the offense had the ball and a 1st-and-20 from their own 47-yard line eight plays after they began the drive from their own 25-yard line.Now, conventional wisdom says the Bucs should have gone with a fairly conservative play call to try and get some or all of the penalty yards back and then work from second and manageable from there.Well, this team is anything but conventional, and on the first down play Winston took a nearly 70-yard shot into the end zone targeting wide receiver Bobo Wilson. Because. Well, why not?The pass fell incomplete and following some incidental contact from Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson, Tampa Bay became the benefactor of a 52-yard defensive pass interference penalty which put the ball on their opponent’s 1-yard line, and gave them a first-and-goal.Peyton Barber punched the ball into the end zone on the very next play, and the Buccaneers successfully answered Carolina’s second-half opening salvo with a big one of their own.THE PLAY: GMAC GETS THE ASSISTPhoto by Will Vragovic/Getty ImagesGerald McCoy finished the game with one tackle. Not for a loss either. Just a run-of-the-mill tackle. No sacks. One tackle.However, it’s his unmeasured contributions which add him to the list this week.On both of Newton’s second-half turnovers - both coming on the Tampa Bay side of the field with the Panthers down just one score - McCoy applied the pressure and quarterback hit which caused the passes to come out lame, and directly led to both critical takeaways for the defense.They may not get notched on official stat sheets, and you might have to go to third-party sites to find the stats at all, but his pressure on the opposing quarterback in key fourth quarter moments directly led to the team’s victory.THE PLAY: WHO?Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsAndrew Adams. That’s who.The 26-year old from Georgia played his collegiate ball at Connecticut and had one career interception coming into Week 13 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His lone interception prior to this weekend came in 2016 when he appeared in fourteen games for the New York Giants.So, unless you’re Jason Pierre-Paul, you probably didn’t have a good grasp of who Adams is as a player.Well, everyone knows who he is now. After three interceptions against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, Adams will surely be in the running for some Player of the Week honors, and his name will be on the lips of Bucs fans everywhere.If his ball awareness and interceptions weren’t enough, Adams also gave full credit to the defensive line and his coaches for setting the defense up for success by getting consistent pressure on Newton all afternoon. Classy move, young man.And that is how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers in Week 13.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said his tweet to Antonio Brown from New Year’s Eve was at the prodding of a fellow member of the 49ers offense.Via KNBR Mitch Wishnowsky San Francisco 49ers Jersey , Kittle said on Wednesday that his “Sup?” tweet directed at Brown was a dare from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.鈥淛immy totally dared me to do it,鈥?Kittle said. 鈥淎nd I am not going to say no. (I) threw it out there, and I thought it was going to be completely meaningless, and I got a response in about 10 minutes. I was like, 鈥極h Womens Mitch Wishnowsky Jersey , that鈥檚 exciting.鈥?It was fun.鈥漈he tweet was posted just two hours shy of the start of 2019 and it didn’t take Brown long to respond back with a starry-eyed emoji that ultimately posed a question of if the 49ers would have any interest in Brown. If they did, they didn’t seem to act upon it all that seriously as Brown ended up heading to the team across the Bay instead.Garoppolo didn’t confirm Kittle’s account of the back-and-forth, but also didn’t say he didn’t do it either.鈥淚t depends who you ask,鈥?Garoppolo said. 鈥淗e said it was (me)? I鈥檇 take it with a grain of salt then.鈥 You can make an argument, provided the team stays healthy"Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football predicted that the San Francisco 49ers will have the most exciting offense in 2019.If you weren’t drinking the Kool-Aid before reading that Mitch Wishnowsky San Francisco 49ers Jersey , you surely would be now. On paper, the Niners offense is dynamic, but explosive as well. We’ve seen Marquise Goodwin--who wasn’t mentioned-- be a big-play threat with Garoppolo. The offense has plenty of speed, but there’s equally as much skill.It will come down to health and execution. The depth is a concern on the interior offensive line. If Pettis goes down, the team is better equipped to deal with that. You can say the same at running back. Not many organizations can handle an injury to the QB. I think what’s being understated is that Garoppolo will prop up the skill players. We saw that towards the end of 2017. I don’t know if the 49ers will be the most entertaining offense in the NFL Fred Warner Jersey , but a healthy version of this team will be fun.

Forget letter grades. How much will the first four picks contribute in 2019?"If you’re coming here for draft grades Aaron Rodgers Jersey , you’re in the wrong place. There are thousands of “instant reaction” draft grade articles all over the internet. The truth is it’s impossible to properly grade a team’s draft class for at least two seasons, let alone one that is still in progress or just days old.Instead what we hope to accomplish here is to look at each of the Green Bay Packers’ picks from the first three rounds, where immediate starters are most commonly found, and ask the simple question “Are the Packers better with this player on the roster or not?”Obviously general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers’ front office think they are otherwise they wouldn’t have selected the players.That’s not the intention here. The intention here is to see if the Packers are immediately better or if these rookies will be more projects that could be more beneficial to the team in the long haul instead of the short term.Let’s start by looking at Green Bay’s two first-round selections.LB Rashan Gary, Michigan (First Round, 12th overall)The Packers had their choice of a few top pass rushers and instead went with a dark horse, if Gary could even be considered that. Upgrading the pass rush was clearly priority one for Gutekunst this offseason as he signed two pass rushers via free agency in Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith and then used the team’s first pick to add yet another linebacker.On paper, Gray is a specimen of an athlete (sub-4.60 40-yard dash weighing 277 pounds) which is a theme you’ll notice in players Gutekunst seems to treasure in both the draft and free agency. However his production in college (3.5 sacks in 2018, down from 5.5 in 2017) didn’t reflect his physical traits and this last season had a lot to do with a nagging labrum injury.Both the Packers and Gary insist no surgery will be needed, but you can’t blame fans for being wary of Green Bay potentially having yet another injury-riddles linebacker after the team just parted ways with Nick Perry and Clay Matthews.The selection of Gary seems to be a ceiling pick, meaning the Packers are banking on defensive coordinator Mike Pettine to develop his technique and harness those freak athletic skills. This is well and fine for a prospect, but not usually one taken in the top 15 overall.Does he make the Packers better in 2019? Neutral. He may not contribute much immediately, but Gary could be a potential late-season riser.S Darnell Savage, Maryland (First round, 21st overall)Like the pass rush, the safety position was another area of need Gutekunst had to address and he started to do that in free agency by signing Adrian Amos away from the rival Chicago Bears. However safety play was so bad for the Packers last season that they traded up from 30th to 21st overall to draft another one.Green Bay got their hard hitting safety in Amos, and in Savage they hope they get a player similar to Amos’ former teammate and fellow safety Eddie Jackson.Ironically, the team used the pick they received from Washington in exchange for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the trade deadline last season to move up to pick Savage. Keeping with the Jackson comparison Clay Matthews Jersey , Savage is slightly shorter at 5’11” versus Jackson’s 6’0” and weighs in at 198 pounds versus 202 for the Bears’ safety. Savage would be playing the center fielder role in Green Bay’s defense and given the struggles of Josh Jones and the overall lack of depth at the position, the rookie will have the opportunity to start right away.He has the speed (4.36 40-yard dash time) to close in coverage and also can be a ball hawk when needed (four interceptions and two pass breakups). Does he make the Packers better in 2019? Yes. This is almost a given considering the condition of the safety depth chart aside from Amos, but Savage provides enough athletic skill and football intelligence that he immediately improves the position before he even takes a snap. G Elgton Jenkins, Mississippi State (Second round, 44th overall)With defense addressed on the first day of the draft, the Packers’ attention turned to the offensive side of the ball on Friday. Green Bay of course has a ton of money invested in quarterback Aaron Rodgers and keeping him upright (and therefore healthy) is a top priority. That meant finding an additional guard despite the signing of Billy Turner in free agency or selecting a tackle as the heir apparent to Bryan Bulaga.Gutekunst chose the former and chose Jenkins, who was versatile at Mississippi State. He spent his time at center during his final two seasons but played all five positions at one point or another during his college career. The Packers obviously don’t need a center with the reliable Corey Linsley still on board, but with head coach Matt LaFleur installing a more true zone blocking scheme on offense the Packers will need swing players like Jenkins. He’s not the most exciting selection, but he’s good enough at everything that he could push Turner immediately for a starting job at guard.Does he make the Packers better in 2019? Yes. While fans will be wary of any second round offensive lineman thanks to the disappointment of Jason Spriggs, this selection not only gives Green Bay immediate depth but also could give them a guard of the future should Turner not work out or if he ends up being the long-term right tackle instead.TE Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M (third round, 75th overall)With their final selection on the draft’s second day, the Packers gave Rodgers a receiving tight end who could be the long term replacement for Jimmy Graham.Sternberger isn’t a blocking tight end, at least for now. That is something he will likely have to learn in LaFleur’s offense, but he is an efficient route runner and can reliably catch the ball, which would be an improvement over the third-round pick of the Packers’ who was a field-stretching tight end.While he isn’t the size of Rob Gronkowski (he’s a couple inches shorter and just under 20 pounds lighter), there are similarities in their playing style and getting Rodgers his own version of Gronk late in his career would be beneficial to an offense looking to forge a new identity under LaFleur. Does he make the Packers better in 2019? Yes. Graham will start the season as the primary move tight end and Marcedes Lewis will get work as a blocker, but if Sternberger does well in camp and the preseason you could see two tight end sets during the regular season with one in line and the other out wide. Add Davante Adams and a speedster like Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the formation and you could have a very potent attack.So Mike Daniels Jersey , did the Packers get better in 2019 after the the first three rounds of the draft? Absolutely. The selection of Gary remains a bit of head scratcher, as that seems awfully high for a ceiling pick. However, the Packers seemed satisfied about the condition his labrum so fans will just have to trust the team, which has one of the more cautious medical staffs in the league, (no matter what a disgruntled former tight end will tell you).Day three of the draft has been spent acquiring depth and long-term projects.Diamonds in the rough can be found here, however, and it will be up to the coaching staff to develop those hidden gems once they are on the roster.The draft has been called the “ultimate crapshoot” and the best teams minimize the risk. That’s why draft grades in the immediate aftermath are useless. You have to see the players not only play at NFL speed but also give them a chance to grow. Judging by the first four picks of the Packers’ draft, there is immediate talent there but also room for growth. Gutekunst got some quality ingredients early. Now it’s time for LaFleur and the coaching staff to cook a gourmet meal.Week 12’s Packers-Vikings game could decide who gets a first-round bye A look around the NFC after two weeks of the 2018 NFL season (Monday Night Football notwithstanding) bears out what most analysts and fans thought to be true: that the NFC North is one of the tougher divisions in football, and that the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers are the class of said division. Furthermore, what we’ve seen so far indicates that those two teams look like two of the three best teams in the conference. Our Peter Bukowski broke this down on Monday morning. In the NFC East, the Eagles’ defense is a mess and the rest of the teams in that division are significantly flawed on one or both sides of the ball. The NFC South is full of inconsistent teams, and that even goes for the 2-0 Buccaneers; Ryan Fitzpatrick’s success is unsustainable, and their defense allowed 400 yards in each of the two games so far. Only the Rams in the NFC West look like they are clearly as good or better than Green Bay and Minnesota, something that will be tested as they host both North leaders later this season.If you subscribe to these assessments of the rest of the conference, the tie at Lambeau Field on Sunday sets up the Packers-Vikings rematch in Minneapolis on Thanksgiving weekend as one of the most impactful games in playoff seeding of the entire year. The winner of that game will hold the only head-to-head tiebreaker necessary between the two teams, putting the loser in a deeply uncomfortable position with five games to go in the season. Furthermore, if, as Sunday’s game suggests Brett Favre Jersey , the Packers and Vikings are on pretty equal footing, their schedules set up comparably as well.Each team not only shares the same opponents for eight of their ten non-divisional games on their 2018 schedule; they even ended up drawing the same home/road split against those eight teams. Here’s a look at when each of those games come up:Packers-Vikings SchedulesDivisionOpponentHome/RoadPackersVikingsDivisionOpponentHome/RoadPackersVikingsThat leaves the final two games against conference opponents who finished in the same place as these teams in 2017; for the Vikings, that results in a road game against the defending champion Eagles in week five and a home date three weeks later inside U.S. Bank Stadium against the Saints. For those keeping track at home, those are rematches of the Vikings’ two playoff games from a year ago — one of which they won on a miracle touchdown and the other that saw them get trounced 38-7.Meanwhile, the Packers face a pair of third-place teams: Washington, where the Packers will travel to this week, and the Falcons, who snuck into the playoffs as a Wild Card a year ago. Given the Falcons’ mounting injury issues and the fact that the game is played at Lambeau Field in December, that seems like an entirely winnable game; meanwhile Washington only scored nine points at home against a blah Colts defense that gave up 34 to Andy Dalton and the Bengals in week one.With otherwise evenly-matched schedules, the two teams could very feasibly end up with the same record against common opponents. If so, as long as they are separated by one game or less in the two non-shared games, the winner of that week 12 game would earn the victor the division title. In all likelihood, the North winner will earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs and, depending on their success against those common opponents (particularly the Rams), perhaps home-field advantage as well.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jeff Driskel’s debut as the Bengals‘ starting quarterback went poorly all around. At least he’s got experience on his side the second time around.Driskel threw for a touchdown Drew Sample Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , but had an interception , four sacks and a fumble as Cincinnati lost to Denver 24-10 at Paul Brown Stadium. Driskel will make his second start Sunday in Los Angeles against the Chargers (9-3), who have won eight of their past nine games.He expects things to be smoother this week as he gets ready for his second start.“Definitely in some ways it’s easier, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy,” Driskel said Wednesday. “That’s something I’ve done in the past in college, but everything is totally new at this level.”After four straight losses, the Bengals (5-7) are looking for any positive they can find.The offense has slid a little more each week as its most important players got hurt. Receiver A.J Green injured a toe on his right foot during the Bengals’ previous win, 37-34 over the Buccaneers on Oct. 28. He missed the next three games and returned last Sunday, but aggravated the injury and is out for the rest of the season.The Bengals put Green on injured reserve Wednesday. Coach Marvin Lewis said the receiver is getting medical opinions about whether he needs surgery, but he’s expected back for the start of offseason workouts.Quarterback Andy Dalton tore a ligament in his passing thumb two weeks ago and had surgery. Left tackle Cordy Glenn has missed the past two games with a bad back, prompting a line shuffle.The offense hasn’t done much of anything when it mattered in the past four games, scoring seven points or fewer in the first half. Three of them turned into blowouts.Penalties were the biggest problem against the Broncos. The Bengals were flagged twice for holding Drew Sample Jersey 2019 , twice for false starts, and also for an illegal block and an illegal shift, contributing to long-yardage situations they couldn’t convert.Nine times, they faced third-and-11 or worse, including a third-and-25, third-and-29, and third-and-35. Cincinnati was only 5 of 13 on third downs.“You look at the list of third downs in that first half, it’s incredible — 24, 25, 39, 24, whatever Youth Drew Sample Jersey ,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said.Lazor said there were some problems adjusting to a different quarterback that are being addressed in practice this week.“There were a couple things in the huddle or at the line that weren’t great, but I’m not sure that it was him,” Lazor said. “There were a couple miscommunications. I think there were two runs where half the line maybe went the wrong way. Hard to say why that would happen.”DON’T GO SHOPPINGRookie center Billy Price has felt fans’ discontent when he’s out in public. He said Wednesday that shoppers mention the offensive line’s struggles while he’s shopping for groceries.“Yeah, I go to Kroger’s and people have issues, so it’s fun,” Price said. “You laugh, but I’m serious.”HARRIS BACKThe Bengals filled Green’s roster spot by activating cornerback Davontae Harris from the injured reserve list. Harris suffered a knee injury in the preseason.PRACTICE UPDATEGlenn, linebacker Vontaze Burfict (concussion) and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (ankle) were among those who didn’t practice on Wednesday. Running back Joe Mixon (foot), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (hip) and defensive end Michael Johnson (chest) were among those limited. BEREA, Ohio (AP) — While the Browns relaxed during the bye week, their fired former coach went back to work.Hue Jackson's got a new gig.And this strange season in Cleveland will take another odd turn Sunday when the Browns face the Bengals and Jackson, who somehow survived an 0-16 season and was only briefly unemployed before being hired last week as a special assistant to Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis. "It is Hue White Drew Sample Jersey ," defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said.But even though Jackson has changed back into Bengals stripes, the Browns aren't worried that their ex-coach on the sideline gives Cincinnati an added advantage."It's a divisional game!" cried Browns safety Damarious Randall. "We knew what they were doing before he went over there and they know exactly what we're going to do. At the end of the day, we're just going to go out and punch them in the mouth — straight up. That's exactly what you have to do on the road rivalry games. You have to go punch them in the mouth."If that's what we do, it doesn't matter what they have over there."Jackson's same-season reunion against the Browns seems to be unprecedented. The NFL doesn't keep record of coaches facing their former teams."It is surprising," Browns guard Kevin Zeitler said.The Browns (3-6-1) returned from their week off healthier than they've been all season, and there was even chatter inside the locker room about making a playoff run over the next six weeks.First, though, comes a somewhat awkward reunion with Jackson, who was fired on Oct. 29, a day after the Browns lost in Pittsburgh. Jackson's dismissal wasn't unexpected, given his struggles in Cleveland.But his return to Cincinnati, where Jackson worked as offensive coordinator with the Bengals (5-5) under Lewis before he was hired by the Browns in 2016 Drew Sample Jersey Mens , has created two matchups in which the spotlight will be focused on him — whether he likes it or not.Jackson had a good rapport with his players in Cleveland and several on Monday said they were thrilled he landed on his feet so quickly."It will feel a little awkward, but I'm very happy for coach Jackson," cornerback T.J. Carrie said. "He is a great coach and a great person. It was not going to be a long time before he wasn't without a job, so it is really good just to be able to see him in a position where he is being able to control a lot of the things over there."Jackson's intimate knowledge of Cleveland's personnel, schemes and playbook would seem to give the Bengals an almost unfair benefit.But like Randall, Carrie said AFC North games are decided by which team executes better and not by any insider knowledge.Carrie doesn't think Jackson jumping teams makes any difference."These divisional games, we play year in and year out twice a year," he said. "We know what they are going to do. They know what we are going to do. There is not really more scheme-wise that they can really dive into that we can surprise them with. It is all going to be about going out there and playing smash-mouth football."Interim Browns coach Gregg Williams said he was "happy" for Jackson and called him a "very smart coach." However, he said the Browns won't change any of their play call or audibles and Jackson's familiarity with the Browns won't make much difference once the game starts."There is nothing private in our world anymore," Williams said. "Every single clip of film is out there for everybody to watch. It is about execution. We have to go and execute. Even in practices, our guys know what the guys on the other side of the ball are going to be doing, but they get out-executed at times."Randall said Jackson's impact will be minimal.It's not him vs. the Browns Billy Price Jersey , it's the Bengals vs. the Browns."The game is on 11-on-11 up on the field and I don't feel like them having him over there is going to give them no type of edge," he said."It is what it is. They see what we do up on film. Whatever they need to know, they can watch film and see it. We don't got nothing to hide over here, we're here to play football and that's exactly what we're going to do."NOTES: Williams said he intends to interview for Cleveland's full-time job once the season ends. Last week, general manager John Dorsey said Williams had earned an interview with the job he's done since stepping in. … The starting left tackle job remains an open competition between rookie Desmond Harrison and Greg Robinson, who started the past two games before the bye.

It’s funny how just a few hours can mold such a large perception of things. Going into last Sunday Drew Sample Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , there was cautious optimism that the Bengals would finally get the better of their bitter rivals after six consecutive losses. And, for 58-and-a-half minutes, it looked like Cincinnati’s version of David took down Pittsburgh’s Goliath. Little did we know that the spirit of Lucy Van Pelt was waiting in the Paul Brown Stadium tunnels to yank it away at the last second. Thanks a lot, Charlie Brown. Now, for the second straight week, Cincinnati gets set to face one of the best teams in the AFC Conference in the Kansas City Chiefs. They do so with a battered roster. Through it all, quarterback Andy Dalton has played some of the best football of his career in 2018. He’s on pace to break his own franchise record for touchdown passes in a single season from 2013, as well as the single-season passing yardage mark, which he also currently holds from that same season. Even in a loss last week, Dalton moved past Boomer Esiason to become the second-most prolific passer in team history. He should surpass the other great No. 14 at the top of the category in this team’s annals, Ken Anderson, sometime in 2019. Speaking of quarterbacks, do the Chiefs ever have one of those. After riding Alex Smith to four playoff appearances in five seasons, Andy Reid made the risky move to Patrick Mahomes to lead his team after moving up and drafting him 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mahomes has been nothing short of outstanding, throwing 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions through six games. In his first six professional football games, Mahomes never even felt the sting of a loss at the NFL level. But Drew Sample Jersey 2019 , oh, those New England Patriots. Mahomes nearly pulled off another huge victory over Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on their home field, but they weren’t ready to pass that torch of AFC dominance just yet. The fireworks display at Gillette Stadium did point out the electricity that is No. 15 for Kansas City.In the contest, Mahomes threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns. He also had two interceptions, but the second-year quarterback continues to prove that he is quickly rising to the league’s elite at the position. It also helps that he has an insanely talented trio of skill position players around him. Running back Kareem Hunt had an outstanding rookie campaign in 2017 and is following that up in a similar way in 2018. He’s averaging over 100 yards from scrimmage this year as a dual-threat player. As receiving outlets, the Chiefs employ two of the more productive players in the past few seasons at their respective positions. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill is one of the only men in the NFL with John Ross-like speed, while Travis Kelce gouges defenses on a regular basis. To say that Teryl Austin’s beleaguered defensive unit will have its hands full this Sunday is an understatement. It’s been a feast-or-famine year for the group and Cincinnati needs the former to arrive at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday evening. Unfortunately for both Austin and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, the groups they will field on Sunday may be playing with one arm tied behind their backs, so to speak. Giovani Bernard, Tyler Kroft, Billy Price, Darqueze Dennard and Nick Vigil haven’t practiced this week, while Vincent Rey, C.J. Uzomah and Shawn Williams all had limited participation in practice late this week. We can sit here and harp on the individual matchups and the nightmares that both Hill and Kelce provide the Bengals’ defense. We can also talk about the seemingly-inevitable shootout that will occur on NBC and the litany of stars the Bengals also employ throughout their roster. However, this one is about a number of other ancillary factors when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals. In terms of venue and atmosphere, it’s going to be a tough one. Arrowhead Stadium holds the Guinness World Record for the single largest sporting venue in the United States. It’s also supposedly going to be a bit frigid (probably in the 40s) Youth Drew Sample Jersey , perhaps putting a pause on the impending quarterback duel. Also...should we even go there? Yeah, we will. Primetime, folks. Cincinnati put up the blinders to those bright lights in Week 2, as they more or less clobbered a pretty solid Baltimore Ravens team. But, with their collapse in yet another high-profile game last Sunday, questions on the viability of the team and in Marvin Lewis’ ability to win a playoff game, should they even get there again this year, continue to linger. Ironically, in Lewis’ first year as Bengals head coach, which coincided way back in the George W. Bush administration, his team was starving for validation as a 9-0 Chiefs came into Cincinnati in 2003. The Bengals were a scrappy 4-5, but were still in the living in the shadows of “The Lost Decade” that was the 90s. What ensued was the type of thing that made “Who Dey?!” chants return to Cincinnati and give annual hope to Bengals fans about a Lombardi Trophy over the past 16 years. Heroes named Peter Warrick and Jon Kitna rose to the occasion, as Lewis’ Bengals beat Kansas City, 24-19. If their announcement in the win itself wasn’t enough of a message, the subsequent birth of Chad Johnson’s (who guaranteed the victory beforehand) outspoken ways would be loud enough for all to hear. There are certain coaches who have been kryptonite for Lewis over the years. Anyone wearing black and yellow, Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy White Drew Sample Jersey , to name a few. However, Lewis has had some success versus Andy Reid over the years. But...So, take from these, what you will. Even with the above-mentioned story from 2003, Lewis’ Bengals haven’t always been the most resounding squad when the chips are down and they aren’t expected to win. Maybe that’s because beating high-quality teams just hasn’t been something the 16-year Bengals head coach can put down on the resume with a straight face. These are the games that build confidence and, sometimes, championship seasons with a win. This isn’t a “must-win” for the Bengals and their playoff lives, per se, but will go a long way in the AFC picture about halfway through the year and in giving legitimacy to this supposedly-transformed Cincinnati team from those of 2016-2017. If the Bengals can somehow get a win among factors including the weather, the venue, injuries they’re facing and the talented opposition under bright lights, it will be a signature moment for Lewis and his team. As you can see from the information above, they’ll need to buck almost every major primetime trend to come out successful Sunday night. There is one disclaimer about the 2018 Bengals as we head into this one, though. This team has shown a unique resolve and ability to comeback from a number of situations so far this year, so don’t give up on them if things look bleak in the second or third quarter.But, if they can’t find a way to a victory Drew Sample Jersey Mens , then fans will again be talking about how they are simply on another ride in the Lewis/Mike Brown purgatory carousel. Bengals 26, Chiefs 31AC — Not coin-operated. Not great, Bob."The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed Bobby Hart to a three-year contract worth a reported $21 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hart joined the Bengals on a one-year deal after being waived by the Giants. He went on to start every game at right tackle for one of the worst offensive lines in footballlast year, and he was easily one of the worst starting tackles in the league. I’m honestly at a loss for words. I actually thought Adam Schefter may have gotten hacked to report this kind of ridiculous deal. This is by far one of the worst free agent contracts the Bengals have given out in my lifetime. It’s not like wasting $7 million a year can cripple a franchise, but there has rarely, if ever been a player more undeserving of a contract like this than Hart. But these are the Bengals, who basically will pay any in-house player that’s been here and played a lot of snaps. That’s apparently all it takes to get a good deal from them, no matter how bad the player may be with said snaps. Oh, and Hart will make more than Clint Boling, who is set to make around $5 million this year.

Whether it was mismanaging personnel Montravius Adams Jersey , failing to evolve and adapt, or simply coming up short in big games, Dom Capers cost the Packers a chance at more sustained success. The blame should be squarely on Capers, and by extension Mike McCarthy, for wasting Rodgers’ prime."Around 2011, one could be forgiven for believing Aaron Rodgers was capable of controlling space and time. Rodgers manipulated defenses with alacrity, pulverizing them to meet his will. What he never could master was manipulating his own defense toward those same ends. That task fell on Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers, and too often, his unit wasn’t up to the task. That, above all else, before the lack of aggression from Ted Thompson or schematic stagnation from Mike McCarthy, will come to define the underachieving near decade with Rodgers at the peak of his powers. No Packers fan doubts the case for the defense costing Green Bay the chance at a wider window with Rodgers. The team’s failures in big games as it relates to the team’s future Hall of Fame quarterback have been stated and restated ad nauseum. This case presents a slightly different, though related argument. Had the Packers had the foresight to move on from Dom Capers when it became clear such a move was necessary Aaron Ripkowski Jersey White , much of that heartache could have been avoided. The signs started in 2008, Rodgers’ first season under center as the franchise quarterback, a time before we even knew that’s what he was. It was also a season before Capers arrived. Green Bay’s defense blew six games that season in which Rodgers and the offense had either tied the game or taken the lead in the fourth quarter, including a late-season stretch with four blown games in a row. Capers replaced Bob Sanders specifically to avoid these precise issues. In 2009, Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews combined to provide a lethal combination and the defense finished second in total defense adjusted for schedule, according to Football Outsiders.Problem solved right? That unit, complete with the Defensive Player of the Year, gave up 45 points on the road to spoil perhaps the most auspicious playoff debut by a quarterback in league history at the time.No doubt, a Super Bowl quelled concerns of Capers and 2010 produced an excellent defense to be sure. However, the following season brought chaos, particularly following Nick Collins tragic and untimely neck injury, cutting a sparkling career short. Green Bay finished with one of the worst defenses in modern history, setting a record for yards allowed. Eli Manning (!) hung 37 on that defense in the worst loss of the McCarthy/Rodgers era and what will likely go down as the ugliest blemish on Rodgers’ otherwise spectacular resume. Another top-10 defense by DVOA in 2012 gave Green Bay hope. Clay Matthews looked to be on a Hall of Fame trajectory Womens Jermaine Whitehead Jersey , Charles Woodson was still making plays and they finished 8th in total defense. But with the chance to secure a first-round bye in Minnesota against Christian Ponder, Capers’ defense gave up 37 points including the game-winning drive with under three minutes to go. In the immortal words of N’SYNC: bye bye bye. Sure, Green Bay walloped Joe Webb’s version of the Vikings the next week, but Colin Kaepernick put together his own historic performance, tuning up that top-10 defense for nearly half a hundo. In two straight seasons, and now three out of four, the Packers defense cost them their season. The death blow should have come following the 2013 season. Regardless of the collarbone injury that cost Rodgers have a season, the Packers finished 29th in DVOA and actually got worse as the season went on. When yet another season ends with the defense on the field, this time at home to Kaepernick and the 49ers, McCarthy needed to intervene. This should have been the end of the Capers administration. And while the team numbers remained solid in 2014 and 2015, Capers made essential personnel mistakes that held the team back. Casey Hayward’s playmaking never flourished under Capers, who insisted on asking him to do things to which he wasn’t ideally suited. He failed to realize the best free safety they could have was already on the team (Micah Hyde) and a first-round pick on a player who wouldn’t earn a second contract at that position could have gone elsewhere. Imagine how different the fortunes of the Packers may have been had Capers been replaced by a defensive coordinator who moved Hyde to free safety, pairing him with Morgan Burnett who ultimately became more of a box player eventually even without such a switch. That theoretical defensive coordinator may have also realized that in the right scheme Casey Hayward was an All-Pro cornerback. There wasn’t enough talent on this defense to insist he had to play a certain type of way. Sam Shields could have handled whatever was asked of him and Tramon Williams wasn’t long for the Packers world Womens Brett Favre Jersey , so why insist on playing Hayward out of schematic position? There’s no doubt the timeline alters if those moves are made at that time. Certainly, we can’t guarantee a new DC would have seen what we now know in hindsight, but given the contracts Hyde and Hayward signed in free agency and their immediate success on new defenses, there’s pretty good evidence it shouldn’t have taken a rocket scientist. Ted Thompson often receives the lion’s share of blame for not re-signing Hyde or Hayward, but he made the best decision he could with the available information at the time, information that included Capers’ mismanagement of his personnel. It’s easy to forget now, but the Packers veterans had serious problems with Capers even when they were good, dating back to Woodson’s insistence they needed to play more aggressive and be allowed to play more man coverage. Capers never allowed Damarious Randall to play his more natural safety position, as borne out by his recent success there in Cleveland. That makes twice he overlooked better potential safety options to play Ha ha Clinton-Dix, a mistake he never should have been given the opportunity to make. Ultimately that blame falls at the feet of Mike McCarthy. Imagine how different the questions around MM might have been if they’d hired Wade Phillips following the 2013 season when he was fired by the Texans. Phillips isn’t the ideal fit tomaximize a player like Hayward, but he is smart enough to understand how to play the strengths of his players. It was his call to hold onto Capers, and ultimately McCarthy’s reluctance to move on when he should have, cost McCarthy his job as well.The Packers likely don’t fire McCarthy if not for second-half collapses in the 2014 NFC Championship Game Davon House Jersey White , the ‘15 playoffs, or the annihilation by Matt Ryan in the ‘16 NFC Championship Game. What happened after that falls squarely on the shoulders of McCarthy, who failed to evolve his offense, couldn’t develop a reasonable backup to Rodgers, and eventually lost the locker room. Part of the reason players lost faith in the head coach stems from his faith in Capers when the players lost faith in him years ago. It’s harder to blame Ted Thompson for not surrounding Aaron Rodgers with defensive talent when that defensive talent goes on to thrive elsewhere. That’s a coaching problem. Had McCarthy had the fortitude to move on from Capers when it was clear such a move was necessary, he may still be the head coach and the Packers might have more hardware in their trophy case. Now, the burden falls on Matt LaFleur and Mike Pettine to make up for lost time. They may still find a way to restore the Packers place among Super Bowl contenders and bring the Lombardi trophy back to Lombardi avenue, but it won’t replace the time wasted in the interim. A battle for the lead in the AFC West takes place this evening on Monday Night Football, as the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs travel West to face the Denver Broncos. Denver’s long-heralded defense — with a secondary previously nicknamed the “No-Fly Zone” — has slipped back this year, ranking just 16th in overall DVOA and 19th in pass DVOA after three weeks.However, Denver has jumped out to a 2-1 record early, with wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders. Both games came at home, but the winning margin of those contests were three points and one Kyler Fackrell Jersey White , respectively. Still, they get the Chiefs in Denver tonight and must be hoping that the thin Colorado air will give them some advantage over Patrick Mahomes, who has set the league afire to start the season.Mahomes has completed two-thirds of his passes so far this season for just under 300 yards per game, but the most impressive number is his 13:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His passer rating is an absurd 137.4, and he is throwing a touchdown one out of every seven pass attempts.Can Denver’s defense get to Mahomes with its pass rush or slow him down with a secondary that isn’t living up to its nickname? Tune in to find out.Tune in for tonight’s game and join us to discuss in the comments.WHO?Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) vs. Denver Broncos (2-1)KC in week 3: W @ SF 38-27DEN in week 3: L @ BAL 27-14WHERE?Mile High StadiumDenver, ColoradoWHEN?Monday, October 1, 20186:15 PM Mountain Time (8:15 Eastern)HOW?TV Broadcast: ESPNOnline Streaming: ESPN.com or ESPN appRadio Broadcast: Westwood One SportsANYTHING ELSE? OddsChiefs favored by 4 pointsOver/under total: 54All-Time Head-to-Head RecordRegular season: Chiefs lead 61-54-0Playoffs: Broncos lead 1-0Last MeetingsWeek 17 2017: @Chiefs 27, Broncos 24Week 8 2017: Chiefs 29, @Broncos 19

HOUSTON (AP) — Last year at this time Greg Mancz Jersey , Houston’s J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson were rehabbing after serious injuries cut both of their seasons short and contributed to the Texans‘ terrible 4-12 season.Healthy and thriving this season, the stars lead the AFC South champion Texans into Saturday’s wild-card game against Indianapolis.“We talked about times like this when we were in the training room, what we wanted to accomplish and what we were working toward,” Watt said.“So, for it to be where we are now and to have everything in front of us, it feels really good. I think that we can both look back at all the work and all the tough times that we had and be happy and proud of where we’re at now.”On Sunday, moments after Houston clinched its third division title in four years with a win over the Jaguars, the quarterback and defensive end found each other amid scores of players celebrating on the field and shared a big hug.After neither of them was able to play a full season last year it was a moment to appreciate their journeys and the accomplishment of not only playing all 16 games, but helping the Texans to their fifth playoff appearance.Watson said they often meet up on the field or in the locker room after games, but admitted that this time it was different.“There was a little bit more because we clinched the division, AFC South champs,” Watson said. “We finished a full season together, so it was a special moment.”Coach Bill O’Brien said when he was at the stadium during the offseason he’d often find the two players together working in the training room.“They were together a lot,” he said. “They were side-by-side. Different injuries, but kind of going through the same schedule of things … (and) it looks like there was a bond created there … and I think that was good for both guys.”Watson returned this season after playing just seven games as a rookie after tearing a knee ligament in practice. The 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft threw for 4,165 yards and 26 touchdowns this season to become the second player in team history and first since Matt Schaub in 2012 to throw for 4,000 yards. He added 551 yards rushing and five touchdowns to become the first player to have at least 4 Jon Weeks Jersey ,000 yards passing and 25 touchdowns and 500 yards rushing and five scores in a season in NFL history.Watson hasn’t thrown an interception in 207 straight attempts, a franchise record and the longest active streak in the NFL. His emergence is a revelation for a team that has had a revolving door at quarterback since Schaub was traded before the 2014 season.Watt’s comeback comes after the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year played just eight games over the previous two seasons because of back surgeries and a broken leg. He was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl and first since 2015 in a season where he had 61 tackles, led the AFC with 16 sacks, had 25 quarterback hits, 18 tackles for losses and forced a career-high seven fumbles, which tied for the most in the NFL. It’s his fourth season with at least 15 sacks, which ranks second in NFL history behind Hall of Famer Reggie White, who had five.Watt feels as if their time working together to get back on the field helped build their relationship.And after seeing 11 different quarterbacks start a game for Houston since he was drafted in 2011, he loves the continuity Watson has provided at the position.“We have a great relationship. He’s an incredible talent,” Watt said. “He’s a great guy and I’ve been through a lot of quarterbacks here throughout my career. So, to have a guy back there who’s special and can do a lot of different things, it’s great.”Watson agreed that their time spent together when they were injured helped forge a closer friendship and he even went so far as to say that he now sees Watt like a brother.While the pair is grinding to return to pre-injury form, they had many conversations about the future and the 29-year-old Watt had plenty of advice for the 23-year-old Watson.“Just being able to be on the same page,” Watson said. “Like he told me back then, he’s going to be that leader on that defense, and lead that whole troop, that whole squad and I’m going to do the same for the offense and we’re going to bring this whole team up. We knew the work we had to put in to be able to come back and play a full season and try to get the team to this position Alfred Blue Jersey , to have a chance.”And on Saturday they’ll try and continue their strong rebound seasons and get Houston a win to put the Texans in the divisional round for the fourth time and first since the 2016 season. Texans Offensive Coach Mike Devlin:That was one heck of a good practice, I’ll tell you.Those guys are improving every day.Wait...what’s this?(looks at computer)Devlin:Saaaaaay...I haven’t seen this since my days at the Tony Mandarich School of Offensive Line Coaching and Frozen Treats Academy.Should I...ah, one game ain’t gonna hurt anybody.Devlin:Why won’t this start?I said “yes!”Oh, wait.Needs a number.Devlin:I remember now.Okay, off we go.Devlin:Eh, if I start at the Bills 25, it’ll be too easy.I like a challenge.So let’s go with one.Devlin:Yikes.That’s a heck of a hit to take.Oh well, I still got this.Devlin:Guess I should put in the left tackle’s name, he’s kind of the leader of the offensive line, isn’t he? (looks around furtively to make sure nobody heard him)Devlin:Now to fill in the rest of the crew.Devlin:Now I need to build my team.Hmmm, this was always difficult in between shifts making ice cream cones.But this arrangement has done pretty well for me in the past, it’s working for my offensive line now, and it’ll work in this game again.And I’ve been in the league for years now, I’ll definitely win this time!First, let me set up how I want to build my offensive line.Devlin:Awesomesauce.Now let’s win a game.Devlin:That’s the kind of conditioning I like to see in my linemen.Let’s hit the trail!Devlin:Ooof, bad start.But at least my linemen are holding up.I’m sure this isn’t a sign of things to come.Devlin:Hot dog, I’m cookin’ now!Lemme see.Do I want to stop and look around?Nah Ryan Griffin Jersey , act like you’ve been there before, Mike.Let’s keep going!Devlin:Aw man, typhoid?!We’ve barely started!Well he’s still in one piece at least.And the rest of the team is fine.This is fine.Everything is fine.Devlin:Guh, I forgot how hard this game was.Well...it’s not like any of them got really hurt though, and their swagger is still strong, they can tough it out here.The next stretch will definitely be easier.Devlin:That’s more like it!See, all you need for a good offensive line is lots and lots of swagger.Swagger is the key to victory.Let’s keep going!Devlin:That’s what I’m talking about!At this rate, we’ll get that touchdown in no time.I think this time I will take a look around (hits spacebar)Devlin:Aaaaah, magnificent!Those old graphics really take me back.Okay, back to the grind.Devlin:Well, isn’t that helpful?I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the assist from the friendly referee, but I’ll definitely take him up on his offer (clicks Y)Devlin:Oh, I’ve got this!Four downs to get a touchdown?I’m gonna win.I’m finally gonna win The Offensive Line Trail!Maybe I’ll even win it on the next down!Devlin:Well shoot.No problem, I’ll surely get it on the next one.Devlin:Oh come on!The line’s holding up...mostly...so why can’t I punch it in?!No more screwing around, I’m getting it on this next one.Devlin:Dammit, Kendall, we’ve talked about this and talked about this.O’Brien:Who you talking to in here Kahale Warring Houston Texans Jersey , Mike?Devlin:Oh, it’s this game.I’m running into a bit of a wall here.O’Brien:Offensive Line Trail?I haven’t played that since Georgia Tech.You ever win it?Devlin:Not once.You?(O’Brien shakes head)O’Brien:What down is it?Devlin:Third and goal at the eight.Lamm just got a false start and died of cholera.O’Brien:I would’ve thought him more of a dysentery guy.Devlin:Nah, that was Julien.O’Brien:Also makes sense.Well, let’s keep going.Devlin:Right!(hits space bar)Devlin:Grrrrrrr, this is bull[kitten]!O’Brien:Fourth down and goal.Tough decision there, Mike.Devlin (thinking):Hmmmm, if I throw the ball, maybe use an option, I might trick the defense.But...I don’t know if Deshaun Watson and company can do that because I’ve forgotten everything about last year.O’Brien:What’s your decision, Brian—I mean, Mike?Devlin:This! (presses button)Devlin:I did it!I won!I won!I whu—NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!(Devlin shoves computer onto floor, smashes keyboard on desk)O’Brien:I’ll just...give you a minute.If it makes you feel any better, I would’ve made the exact same decision.Devlin:Thanks, Bill.Good to know that an actual NFL head coach would’ve made the same conservative decision I did.

The Detroit Lions are 2-3 at the bye week Luke Willson Jersey , and while that is probably not where they want to be right now, they’re still in the thick of things. There’s only one team in the division with more wins than them, and only four in the entire conference. Considering this team started with two ugly losses, that’s at least some kind of minor accomplishment.The interesting thing about the Lions’ two wins is that they won in different ways. No drastic Matthew Stafford comebacks were needed. No Calvin Johnson-esque performance was needed. Both victories over the Packers and Patriots were true team wins, making it hard to point to a single player or two responsible for the victories. So today’s question is a tricky one. Who has been the Lions’ MVP through five games?My answer: Every week we do a Game Ball poll to decide the best three players each week. The top vote getter gets three points, second place gets two and third place gets one. Here’s a look at the standings through five games. Kenny Golladay - 9.5Da’Shawn Hand - 3Devon Kennard - 3Kerryon Johnson - 3Golden Tate - 3Matthew Stafford - 2Frank Ragnow - 2Quandre Diggs - 2Darius Slay - 1.5Romeo Okwara - 1 Kenny Golladay doesn’t even lead the Lions in receptions or yards, but he’s absolutely running away with the Game Ball so far Sylvester Williams Jersey , and it’s hard for me to disagree. The man is making big plays in big moments. Last year it was Marvin Jones Jr. who was making highlight reel catches on weekly basis. He has passed that torch to Golladay this year. And the thing is, Golladay has made several plays that were nullified by penalties, too. His impressive 428 yards and three touchdowns should be even higher than that.It’s hard to point to a single player that has been consistently good for all five games so far, but Golladay is the closest this team has. He has at least four catches and 50 yards in all five games this year, and has a catch of 20+ yards in four of five contests. It may not be official on the stat sheet or the snap counts, but Golladay is this team’s No. 1 receiver right now, and he’s been the MVP through five weeks.Your turn. The Detroit Lions are going to be headed to Chicago down two of their best players. The team released their final injury report for Week 10 on Friday and both cornerback Darius Slay and starting right guard T.J. Lang are listed as OUT this week for the Bears game. Both players were not able to make it out on the practice field all week.Missing both players could be extremely harmful for the Lions Eli Harold Jersey , as their absences will play right into the Bears’ strengths. Kenny Wiggins is expected to replace Lang on the offensive line, and he’ll have to deal with the likes of Akiem Hicks and potentially Eddie Goldman, one of the best run-stopping duos you’ll see among NFL interior defensive linemen. Wiggins has played quite a bit in relief for Lang, but he has consistently struggled.The Lions’ secondary has also had a ton of issues this year, and without their best player, the outlook seems grim for the Lions this week. With Slay out, Nevin Lawson becomes the team’s No. 1 cornerback Ricky Wagner Jersey , with either Teez Tabor or DeShawn Shead picking up the slack at the other outside cornerback position. Tabor is the only cornerback in the NFL that has allowed a perfect passer rating this season, while Shead has been on and off the roster this year.Meanwhile, the Bears are expected to have receiving threats Allen Robinson II and potentially tight end Adam Shaheen back this week. That’s a rough combination of injury luck for a Lions pass defense that is already allowing the third-highest passer rating and ranks 30th in DVOA.Here is the full injury report for Week 10:Lions injury reportG T.J. Lang (neck) - OUTCB Darius Slay (knee) - OUTLB Eli Harold (shoulder) - DoubtfulDE Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder) - Questionable LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck) - QuestionableRB Kerryon Johnson (ankle) - Questionable TE Luke Willson (shoulder) - Questionable Bears injury reportTE Dion Sims (concussion) - OUTDL Bilal Nichols (knee) - Limited

49ers snap count reflect all the injuries The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with a host of injuries Dante Pettis Jersey , and in their Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that resulted in a host of lineup changes. We’ve got the full snap count below, and you can view the gamebook PDF as well.The offensive line dealt with a whole host of injuries. Left tackle Joe Staley injured his knee 24 snaps into the game, and was replaced by Garry Gilliam. Mike McGlinchey suffered a knee injury of his own late in the second quarter and was replaced by Erik Magnuson. Staley did not return, while McGlinchey was able to get back early in the third quarter. Add in Weston Richburg suffering an injury but not missing any snaps, and it was a rough day for the line.The wide receiver position took some hits as well. Dante Pettis injured his knee on a punt return and did not get in any offensive snaps. He has been ruled out for this week, and is week-to-week after that. Marquise Goodwin missed some snaps with thigh and hamstring issues, and is questionable this week.Matt Breida emerged as the primary running back in Week 4, playing 38 snaps to Alfred Morris’ 14 snaps. Both players entered the game as questionable with knee injuries, but early reports on Sunday said Breida was further ahead than Morris. I am guessing that is why Breida ended up with more work, but I’m curious to see if the rotation is in fact changing to Breida’s advantage.The most interesting somewhat injury related angle is at free safety. Adrian Colbert was cleared to play on Sunday after a Week 3 hip injury, but he ended up playing exclusively on special teams. D.J. Reed started in his place at free safety, with head coach Kyle Shanahan later saying it was because Colbert wasn’t able to get in enough defensive reps in practice. Colbert will be one to watch this week when the practice participation reports arrive after getting in two limited sessions last week.An interesting non-injury angle was with fullback Kyle Juszczyk. He played 37 snaps, which accounted for 62 percent of total offensive snaps. In Week 1 Fred Warner Jersey , Juszczyk played on 39 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. In Week 2, he played in 62 percent of their snaps and in Week 3, he played in 78 percent of the offensive snaps. If Jerick McKinnon was healthy, I suspect we would not see such high totals, but it seems to have provided a big opportunity for the 49ers “offensive weapon,” particularly as a passing down back.49ers snap count vs. Chargers, Week 4PlayerOffenseDefenseSTPlayerOffenseDefenseST SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Terrell Owens came back to his roots to get his Hall of Fame ring.Owens was presented with the ring during a halftime ceremony during Thursday night’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders.Owens spent the first eight seasons with the 49ers, establishing himself as one of the best players in the game during his tenure in San Francisco.“This is awesome,” Owens said before the game, while wearing his gold Hall of Fame jacket. “This is an opportunity to give something to the fans. Ever since I left in 2003 and went on and did some great things, but this is where it started my first eight years of my career.”Owens was voted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year but skipped the induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio Solomon Thomas Jersey , to hold his own celebration at his college in Chattanooga, Tennessee.Owens said he was upset at the voters who made him wait three years for the honor, saying he believed they brought in off-field issues into their deliberations instead of focusing solely on what Owens did as a player.“No regrets at all,” Owens said about his decision to skip the ceremony. “If anybody knows who Terrell Owens is outside the media portrayal of me throughout the course of my career. They know what I did. I stand by what I did. … When they tried to bring other things outside my body of work and my accomplishments, that was an issue for me. My stats spoke loudly. They spoke for themselves.”Owens had a mostly sensational 15-year career playing for San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, Buffalo and Cincinnati. He played eight years with the 49ers before bouncing around the league as he frequently wore out his welcome at all of his stops along the way.But he always produced, ranking second all-time to Jerry Rice in yards receiving (15,934) and third to Rice and Randy Moss with 153 touchdown catches. He was a five-time All-Pro, a six-time Pro Bowl pick and one of the most entertaining players of his generation.“I can’t look back and say I would have done anything differently,” he said. “I wanted to be a 49er for the rest of my career if that could happen, But not many people start and finish where they started. Look at Jerry (Rice) Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey , look at Joe Montana.”Owens was part of eight playoff teams but only reached the Super Bowl once after joining the Eagles in 2004. He gave a heroic performance in Philadelphia’s 24-21 loss to New England, catching nine passes for 122 yards after defying doctor’s orders and returning to play on his surgically repaired ankle 6½ weeks after an operation.Owens had many memorable moments in his career, but the one that stands out most for him from his time with the 49ers came in a playoff game Jan. 3, 1999, against Green Bay.After dropping several passes early in the game, Owens caught the game-winning 25-yard touchdown in the final seconds in a play dubbed “The Catch 2,” as the sequel to Dwight Clark’s game-winner in the 1981 NFC title game against Dallas.Owens then was selected an All-Pro for the first time the following season.“That was a big catalyst for my career,” he said. “For me to come up with a big play at that particular time was monumental, very key for the development of me. It helped my confidence.”

That was horrific. No excuses Ryan Smith Jersey White , no justifications. Absolutely, unequivocally pathetic. The NFL’s number one offense was completely shut down while the 31st ranked defense made Mitchell Trubisky have the best game of his career - past or future. No way Trubisky ever plays this well again. Ever.After starting 2-0 the Bucs have lost their last two by a combined score of 78-37. At the end of the day, it’s inexcusable. It’s indefensible. It’s sickening.Let’s pick six.Six Topics Suitable For Conversation1.) Mike Smith Has To Go - Some may view this as an overreaction, but look at the track record. One of the NFL’s worst defenses under Smith in 2017 and so far through 2018, there is no justification in keeping Smith around. Even if promoting Brentson Buckner in an interim role proves that he isn’t the guy, the defense can’t possibly get any worse under his leadership. This defense has far too much talent on it to play this poorly - and when you allow Trubisky to throw six touchdown passes in one game after he had nine in his career thus far, it’s time to go. Koetter has to know this, but may be protecting his bestie by deflecting blame away with his oh so clever postgame quote; “We should fire every person that was on that field today, starting with me. That was horrific.” I understand the Buccaneers are missing Vernon Hargreaves, Chris Conte, Jordan Whitehead, they lost Carlton Davis during the game. The secondary is young Jason Pierre-Paul Jersey , yes. But that performance was bush league. The last time the Bucs fired a coordinator in season was 2009 when OC Jeff Jagodzinski was fired following the preseason leading to Greg Olson’s promotion and DC Jim Bates was fired in November, allowing then head coach Raheem Morris to take over play calling. Time for it to happen again. Absolutely indefensible.2.) Jason Pierre-Paul Is So Good - No one seemed to be talking about it, but for a brief moment JPP was tied with Khalil Mack for the NFL lead in sacks. He has been an absolute force on the defensive line and in the locker room. He said he took this loss personally and we saw him getting on the rest of the defense’s butts on the sidelines. Just have to hope he doesn’t lose that fire. The Bucs need it.3.) Encouraging Signs From Ronald Jones - RoJo got a lot of second half work and the signs are positive. It looked like there were some opportunities where he was just a fraction of a second away from breaking off a big play. He finished with ten carries for 29 yards, but only took one hit for a loss where Ali Marpet was beat badly off the snap. It had to be a confidence building afternoon for Jones and his future role with the team. Gotta work on that pass catching, though...4.) Winston Looked Rusty, But Solid - Some of the timing was off and he looked indecisive at times, but overall Jameis Winston looked pretty good given the circumstances. He did throw two interceptions, but on the first one his arm was hit by Mack, leaving the pass fluttering and easy pickings. On the second, he appeared to just leave it short on a poor pass. Winston had a lot more time in the pocket than Fitzpatrick did, but the Bears were dropping seven into coverage leaving little to no open passing windows. It was the right move to get Winston some live game reps as he will need that under his belt before taking the snaps in Atlanta following the bye.5.) Bye Week Comes At Perfect Time - A lot of people hate the early bye, but for the Bucs this is the perfect time. Start off on fire just to crumble the last two weeks http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-kendell-beckwith-jersey , the Bucs need this week to regroup before taking on division rival Atlanta. Whatever that regrouping consists of - defensive changes/adjustments, practice for Winston to get that timing down again, whatever. This could spiral out of control as we’ve seen in years past if they don’t reevaluate and make the necessary changes.6.) Get Healthy - Missing Beau Allen and Jordan Whitehead hurt. Losing O.J. Howard and Carlton Davis in the game didn’t help. Bucs need to get healthy so they can get back to form. The defensive line and secondary injury bug is making things far more difficult for this team to compete. Can’t keep losing key pieces and expect to win games.Six Numbers To Consider19 - Number of times the Bucs have given up 400+ yards under Mike Smith; 4-15 in those games12 - Teams since the merger to give up 139+ points in the first four games. None of the other eleven made the postseason40 - Percentage of Mitchell Trubisky’s career touchdowns thrown on Sunday vs. Bucs69 - Years since a Bears’ QB had six touchdown passes in a game80 - Winston’s completion percentage3 - Weeks until the Bucs play at homeSix Ways To Get Through The Bye Week1.) Enjoy a family outing on Sunday without the stresses of watching Mike Smith’s defense2.) MLB PLAYOFFS!!3.) Enjoy the start of the NHL season4.) Read the thank you letter from your liver that you aren’t subjecting yourself to something that made you want/need to drink. Heavily.5.) Take a deep breath and realize that the first two weeks of the season is far more indicative of this team’s talent than the last two weeks. It’s gonna be okay.6.) Cheer like crazy for the Steelers, Redskins, and GiantsSix Song Monday PlaylistHere are the six songs to fully encapsulate the 48-10 loss1.) “Sunday Bloody Sunday” - U2 (Pretty self explanatory)2.) “Return Of The Mack” - Mark Morrison (Marking the return of Jameis Winston)3.) “Party Up” - DMX (Ya’ll gon’ make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here...)4.) “Numb” - Linkin Park (How most Bucs fans feel about Mike Smith’s defense...)5.) “Three Little Birds” - Bob Marley (‘Cuz every little things gonna be alright)6.) “Good Times, Bad Times” - Led Zepplin (No matter how I try I find my way to do the same old jam, Good times, bad times you know I had my share)Six Super Bowl Bets**Results from Sunday Night Football not complete at time of writing**1.) Los Angeles Rams - Going undefeated. Change my mind.2.) Kansas City Chiefs - Offense overcomes any and all defensive shortcomings3.) Jacksonville Jaguars - Dominant defenses win championships4.) New England Patriots - That lull wasn’t going to last forever. Sony Michel is the truth5.) New Orleans Saints - Week one loss, since then have found a way to get it done16.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Have to get the defensive side of the ball figured out. NOW.Six Final WordsLightning Hockey Starts In Five Days It wasn’t always pretty, but the end result is for the Cowboys.Dallas cliched the NFC East with a 27-20 victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday.The Cowboys gained only 232 yards Vernon Hargreaves III Jersey , struggling for the second consecutive week. They gained only 292 yards in a 23-0 shutout at Indianapolis in Week 15.But the Cowboys offense got a big assist from its defense Sunday, with a Jameis Winston fumble returned for a 69-yard touchdown by Jaylon Smith and a fumble return by Randy Gregory to the Tampa Bay 4. Dallas scored two plays after Gregory’s recovery of a fumbled snap by Winston, with Michael Gallup catching a 4-yard pass from Dak Prescott.The Cowboys also had a 5-yard field-goal drive with Brett Maher‘s 59-yard field goal set up by a 13-yard Cole Beasley punt return.Gregory had the best game of his career with two tackles, a sack, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.The Cowboys also had a fourth-quarter goal-line stand, stopping Winston on a fourth-and-goal scramble from the Dallas 7.Prescott completed 20 of 25 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Michael Gallup caught three passes for 53 yards and at touchdown, while Amari Cooper had only four catches for 20 yards.Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 85 yards on 18 carries.Winston, who had the two lost fumbles, completed 34 of 48 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown to Mike Evans.