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Alex Smith broke his leg.

 

NFCE is now open for the taking. My money is on the Cowboys

 

I really don't know if it was bad for the Redskins as Smith had sucked prior to the injury. The team rallied and won.

 

I guess you can't take (none of the above). I need to self-medicate.

 

Im self medicating and medicated, because im by my self with medication.

 

Stick a fork in Atlanta. Yes, they're still mathematically in the wild card chase. But when your chances start with "mathematically", forget it.

Personally, I think the coaching staff went horribly wrong in their approach to preseason and doomed the team from the outset. The starters barely played the exhibition games, and the second unit didn't get as many reps as they should either.

A key aspect of those preseason games is to ramp up everyone's stamina so they will be in full game conditioning for the opener. Atlanta didn't have it. Much of the team looked utterly gassed in that Week 1 debacle. Playing fatigued invites injury - and injury accepted. They lost both of their Pro Bowl defensive players (safety Keanu Neal and middle linebacker Deion Jones) to IR in that opener and had several other key players banged up and out for weeks at a time.

There have been some good building blocks for next season - second year safety Damontae Kazee has been a revelation, rookie linebacker Foye Oluokun is likely to be the third starter next year, former undrafted prospect Sharrod Neasman is back in the nest and has been a solid backup, rookie nose tackle Deadrin Senat is getting valuable experience, and even much-maligned linebacker prospect Duke Riley is showing promise that he might develop into an actual NFL linebacker.

But every team that thought they were contenders hates being relegated to using the final month of the season as a developmental opportunity. This team had serious Superbowl aspirations. Rightly so, with Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley on offense and a young, improving defense.

Instead, they have consistently had the most talented injured reserve and inactive list in the league. I hope the coaching staff makes significant changes to the preseason routine for next year.

 

Sunday Night wrap-up: Khalil Mack and the Bears roll the Vikings...

The Bears defense was probably going to be good anyway.

Their preseason trade for Khalil Mack turned the pressure up a notch, and their performance has followed.

Mack was dominant Sunday night in their 25-20 win over the Vikings, collecting a sack, batting down a pass and forcing and recovering a fumble.

That moved him to 8.0 sacks on the season, well above his pace the past two years with the Raiders (11.0 in 2016 and 10.5 in 2017). Mack had nine forced fumbles in 64 games with the Raiders. In 10 games with the Bears, he already has five.

His game was the most visible part of a defense that throttled a Vikings offense which has shown signs of competence this year.

The Vikings gained just 268 yards, however, and turned the ball over three times (and those yardage numbers were padded heavily late in the game). It was the kind of defense Chicago fans have seen in the past, and are beginning to grow accustomed to again. The fact the Bears finished this one (unlike the opener against the Packers) is only going to raise the expectations again.

(in part from; PFT)

 

After allowing touchdown, Malcolm Jenkins flipped off Sean Payton...

The Eagles were losing badly to Malcolm Jenkins‘ former team, so after he was beaten for a 37-yard touchdown by Alvin Kamara on fourth-and-seven, the safety gave Saints coach Sean Payton the finger.

And not the index finger, indicating the Saints are the best team in football, something the Eagles said after last season.

NBC Sports Philadelphia caught Jenkins’ gesture on camera.

“I’m a competitor,” Jenkins told John Clark. “I love Sean to death, and I know what type of guy and what type of coach he is. And so that was more so personal between me and him.”

Jenkins said he talked to Payton after the game.

“It’s all good,” Jenkins said. “I know Sean. They’re going to go for it. I was more so upset that it was on me. I’ve got a lot of respect for what they’re doing, especially Sean.”

Jenkins spent the first five seasons of his career in New Orleans before the Saints let him leave in free agency in 2014. The Saints signed Jairus Byrd, while Jenkins signed with the Eagles.

Unsolicited, Payton brought up Jenkins in his postgame press conference.

“Malcolm, I think the world of him,” Payton said, via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune. “He’s a tremendous player, and I hate that he got out of here. That was probably as big a mistake as we’ve made here in 13 years. He’s made up of all the right things, and he’s a tremendous competitor.” (PFT)

 

Lions’ Kerryon Johnson week to week with knee sprain...

The Lions’ top running back is going to be out for a while — but not as long a while as some feared.

After medical tests today, Kerryon Johnson is considered week to week with a knee sprain, a league source tells PFT.

Considering that the Lions play on Thanksgiving, we can safely say he won’t play in that game, and maybe won’t play a few more weeks beyond Thursday. But any time a running back limps off the field with a knee injury there are fears that it could be something more serious, and those fears have been assuaged.

Still, any game without Johnson is a game in which the Lions’ running attack may be nonexistent. Johnson has single-handedly given the Lions a running attack this season: Johnson has averaged 5.4 yards a carry, while the Lions’ other running back, LeGarrette Blount, has averaged 2.3 yards a carry.

So the Lions are going to have a tough time running the ball on Thursday against the Bears. But at least they’re not worried about the long-term health of their promising rookie runner. (PFT)

 

Sammy Watkins will play tonight...

Chiefs receiver Sammy Watkins will play tonight against the Rams.

Watkins was questionable with a foot injury. He missed practice Friday and Saturday after being a limited participant Thursday.


The Chiefs won’t have safety Eric Berry, who was doubtful with a heel injury.

The team’s other inactives are center Mitch Morse (concussion), receiver Gehrig Dieter, running back Darrel Williams, offensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie, defensive lineman Justin Hamilton and tight end Deon Yelder.

The Rams enter the game healthy.

Their inactives are receiver Nick Williams, defensive back Darious Williams, running back John Kelly, outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, tight end Johnny Mundt and outside linebacker Matt Longacre. (PFT)

 

Michael Thomas is having a season like no other wide receiver ever...

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is justifiably getting plenty of recognition as an MVP candidate this season. But Brees shouldn’t overshadow a teammate who’s having a historically great season.

That teammate is Michael Thomas, who is having a season like no other wide receiver has ever had.

So far this season, Thomas has been targeted on 91 passes and caught 82 of them, for 1,042 yards. That 82-of-91 stat equates to a completion rate of just over 90 percent on passes thrown to Thomas, which is absolutely unprecedented for a 1,000-yard wide receiver, as far back as target stats exist.

FootballOutsiders.com has target stats dating back to 1986, and the highest catch rate for any 1,000-yard wide receiver in the NFL since 1986 came when John Taylor of the 49ers caught 80 percent of his passes in 1989, when he caught 60 passes for 1,077 yards.

So Thomas is on track to catch 90 percent of his targets in a 1,000-yard season, when the previous high water mark was 80 percent. If Thomas continues playing at his current pace for the rest of the season, he’ll finish the year with 131 catches on 146 targets, for 1,723 yards. That’s an unprecedented season in NFL history. (PFT)

 

Tonight's MNF game could be called the 'game of the year' so far. Super Bowl preview? The Saints might have something to say about that tho.

 

Chiefs don’t have that look. I think they peaked too early.