NFL - NEWS & NOTES

FOX reported in game...

The Cowboys have ruled out running back Tony Pollard from returning today.

Pollard was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, FOX reported on the broadcast.
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Must have been my doctor, lol. Pollard leg was actually broken.

 

He still will. The timing will be interesting... teams that make those designated post June 1 cap moves don't actually get the cap space until June 2, pretty much when he'll be done with the recuperations and will have had a month to get himself back into playing shape.

 

Yeah broken fibula shouldn’t hurt his market much if at all, not like he popped an ACL or an Achilles…

 

I'm not saying it's outdated but technically it isn't best. Then again if you want a win it's arguably better than e5 because of the play it invites.

As long as Philly doesn't open 1. f3 e6 2. g4.

 

I was tempted to say that given his history, Shanahan would still flub it and lose.

But no, he wouldn't mess up that one because (1) he's not Bobby Petrino, (2) it's not the Superbowl yet, and (3) Shanahan chokes on slam-dunk endgames, not the openings.

 

Just an opinion, but next weeks Conference Championships are really cool in the fact that the cream of the crop rose to the top. All 4 teams are great football teams that had a fantastic season and they all 4 have excellent records. Its different because, in the past some .500 teams that just made the Wild Card went to the SB... this year its the best, in my opinion.

 

Now that the frauds are out of the way.

 

Even heading into this week, the 6 clear top teams were in. Sorry Will but we knew the Vikings were on the right side of lucky during the season to be elite with their 1-score games and negative point differential. And the Chargers were never considered elite all year. Just possibly pretty good. Giants and Jags just found their way as arguably the next best teams after clearing the pretend contenders. Giants were shown the gap in the NFC, while the Jags looked a gift horse in the mouth instead of pressuring him.

 

You forgot about the Bills being pretenders too.

 

They beat the Chiefs and until they got hurt they looked the class of the conference. They weren't pretenders but they got screwed by injuries on defense and the coaching acted like their D was going to keep them in games and refused to be more aggressive or scramble with Allen. I think it's fair to call the Cowboys pretenders though they were probably the clear 3rd best team in the conference.

 

I totally agree about the Vikings... It was a weird thing to behold, but I never really got to excited come playoff time, especially after the Giants game.

 

Definitely agree on pretenders. Makes me happy to say that as a Cowboys hater. After all has been said and done and with hindsight, the NFC really only had two top notch teams and they are in the NFC Championship.

 

Hard to disagree this Vikings fan has nothing to say but I agree

 

NFL.com writer, Nick Shook did a piece today on the 'Unsung Heroes' from each of the teams in the NFC. Here is a few that caught my eye... the ones with significance to posters on this site.

Allgeier broke 1,000 rushing yards while also remaining relatively anonymous on a Falcons team that won seven games and generally struggled to move the football. Atlanta actively de-emphasized the passing game and put the majority of the offensive responsibility on its rushing attack, and Allgeier emerged as the best back. The fifth-round pick out of BYU became the bell cow, finishing with 1,035 yards and three touchdowns on 210 runs. It's quite an achievement to average 4.9 yards per carry as a rookie while operating in an offense that opponents know will be primarily running the ball. With Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson and 2021 UDFA Caleb Huntley in the backfield mix, the Falcons found a way to remain competitive.

I love what the Bears have in their secondary. Brisker and nickelback Kyler Gordon (Gordon was selected 39th overall and Brisker was drafted 48th, both in the second round) are talented defensive backs who beefed up Chicago's back end and are primed to make plays for years to come. Brisker only finished with one interception to Gordon's three, but anyone who watched the Bears on a weekly basis is well aware of the safety's exciting potential. The team's own site even named him Chicago's Rookie of the Year. I agree with that designation, and I can't wait to see how he develops.

Justin Jefferson rightfully attracts much of the attention in the Vikings' offense, but after two nearly identical seasons, Osborn deserves some love, too. The third-year receiver followed up a 50-catch, 655-yard, seven-touchdown campaign in 2021 with 60 catches for 650 yards and five touchdowns in 2022, serving as a quality third pass-catcher in a corps headlined by Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Osborn has proven to be a consistent secondary option who often finds himself open because defenses are dedicating resources to stopping Jefferson, Thielen and in-season addition T.J. Hockenson.

This one is a tough call between a dark-horse Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate in Olave and an unexpected contributor in fellow receiver Rashid Shaheed, but I'm going with Olave. How was he "unsung" as a first-round pick who eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving? Well, it felt like he was overshadowed in this rookie class by his former Ohio State teammate, Garrett Wilson, in New York, as well as Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, among others. Olave had a fantastic year while playing with three quarterbacks, and it's fair to wonder if he'd be regarded more favorably had he played with a more celebrated passer (sorry, Andy Dalton). I will say this: Olave won't land in this spot again, because he'll be too notable.

Reddick made my list last season while with the Panthers, and the Eagles were apparently paying attention to his 2021 performance, signing him to a three-year, $45 million deal in the offseason. Reddick has done nothing but continue to produce for the Philadelphia, a team with plenty of stars on both sides of the ball. On defense, we often think of guys like Fletcher Cox or Darius Slay, but we should really pay more attention to Reddick, who led the Eagles with a career-high 16 sacks. This spot could go to Josh Sweat, who also had a great season, but I want folks to focus on Reddick. It feels like the football world's collective lamentation of Reddick's untapped potential in Arizona was ages ago.

(Shook will do the AFC Wednesday)

 

Niners DE Charles Omenihu arrested on charge of misdemeanor domestic violence

 

We are to get close to a foot of snow today... yippee.

Mother nature is a bitch!

 

San Francisco 49ers vs Philadelphia Eagles NFL Playoffs NFC Championship Prediction Game Preview



Why San Francisco 49ers Will Win the NFC Championship

The system is working.

For everyone waiting for Brock Purdy to become, well, Brock Purdy, that’s not happening.

He has been brilliant, but it’s also because there’s a perfect storm of things happening with the San Francisco style of play.

1) Don’t screw up by throwing 2) very safe, short-to-midrange passes to 3) elite playmakers like Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle who can crank up yards after the catch. 4) Rely on a solid running game to take the pressure off, and 5) when in doubt, eat it, live to fight another day, and count on the No. 1 defense in the NFL to take care of the rest.

That’s where the “Mr. Irrelevant” aspect to Purdy’s narrative helps. It means all of the other parts have to work, and it takes a quarterback without the ego that needs to be fed a slew of downfield shots.

It also helps that Purdy doesn’t need a ton of time in this style of offense. The Dallas pass rush certainly got to him enough to matter, but that wasn’t always the worst thing. He was able to avoid making the mistakes because he never had to force anything.

San Francisco is just fine playing the long game.

Dallas helped feed right into the San Francisco style with just 16 carries between Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. The Eagles have to show the patience to keep running even when it’s not working, and that’s not going to be easy as long as San Francisco’s methodical offense is able to control the tempo.

7-of-14 on third down conversions. Almost 33 minutes of possession. Yes, San Francisco couldn’t put the game away and had to settle for way too many field goals, but it put Dallas in a position to have to panic a bit even though it was down just one score throughout the second half.

Yeah, the Eagles beat the Giants three times in the last six games, but ofter than that, Week 6 was the last win over a team that made the playoffs.

Why Philadelphia Eagles Will Win the NFC Championship

Get off to a decent starts and the Eagles might be able to put this away fast.

That’s been the thing about the tremendous run under Brock Purdy – the 49ers have never had to panic or press too much. Even in the overtime win over the Raiders and the team got down, he was okay, the running game took over – Christian McCaffrey was terrific – and the downfield shots were relatively safe.

There’s a difference between getting behind against Las Vegas and getting down to this Eagle team.

San Francisco’s problem in this is that Philadelphia has the ability to out-49er the 49ers.

Yeah, Purdy is fantastic at getting the ball in the hands of his weapons and playmakers. Philadelphia has better wide receivers, a strong tight end in Dallas Goedert, and enough depth at running back to do a variety of things. No, the Eagles don’t have a Christian McCaffrey, but the 49ers don’t have a running weapon like Jalen Hurts.

And all of it what feeds into what the Eagles like to do.

They lead the NFL in yards allowed per pass attempt. You want to dink and dunk on quick timing plays, Brock Purdy? Great. The Eagles don’t allow big things to happen when players get the ball in their hands.

You want to run and keep running, Niners? That’s fine, but again, Philadelphia has the ability to do this just as well or better. San Francisco is 2-4 when allowing 99 rushing yards or more.

Philadelphia has been held under 100 yards just five times and is 12-0 when hitting the mark.

What’s Going To Happen, Who’s Going to Win San Francisco 49ers vs Philadelphia Eagles NFC Championship

Don’t be stunned if these two open it up a wee bit.

The weather in Philadelphia is expected to be perfect for late January, and maybe even a little bit warm.

It’s not going to be a high-octane firefight, but both offenses should be able to work well enough to make this a back-and-forth battle. Sort of like the San Francisco win over Dallas, field goals will matter, but there’s going to be one big difference.

Field goals won’t win this. The Eagles won’t buckle in the red zone like Dallas did.

For all of the great things San Francisco does, it’s not all that great on either side of the ball inside the 20. It’s going to have to take a few more chances when there’s a scoring opportunity, and that’s just not its style.

It’ll be tight throughout, both defenses will have their moments, and the chances will be there to take over. Again, though, Philadelphia will be a wee bit better at coming away with seven when it gets the shot.

SI

 

Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs NFL Playoffs AFC Championship Prediction Game Preview



Why Cincinnati Bengals Will Win the AFC Championship

Really, how hurt is Patrick Mahomes?

He’s Patrick Mahomes and this is the AFC Championship, so he’s going to play, but there’s a difference between gutting it out on a high ankle sprain and being able to adequately move.

You know that football cliché – are you injured or hurt? Mahomes is injured.

Of course he can still throw, and the offense should be able to tweak and adapt around what he’ll be able to do, but when it comes to his magical improvisational ability that makes him so special, that’s going to be limited.

That, and even if he’s at 100%, Cincinnati is a problem.

The Bengals won the regular season meeting in Week 13 – without Joe Mixon – because it controlled the clock. Joe Burrow was brilliant on third downs, the ground game was good enough with Samaje Perine, and the defense came up with the one big takeaway it had to have in the 27-24 victory.

But that was when Mahomes was at full-go.

Kansas City’s offense is obviously great, but it doesn’t have Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengal receivers. Travis Kelce is amazing, and the running game works, but 15 is the brilliant conductor who orchestrates it all. Chad Henne can step in, but …

Again, Cincinnati is a tough out no matter what.

The defense dialed it up a few notches in the stunningly dominant win over Buffalo. Nothing is rattling Burrow, the offensive line that’s so banged up blasted away for the running game, and yeah, there was one massive chip on this team’s shoulder.

Why Kansas City Chiefs Will Win the AFC Championship

The injuries on the Cincinnati offensive line will matter at some point.

Buffalo played a weird game in the 27-10 loss. Josh Allen was tentative, the defensive front seemed surprised every time the Bengals tried to run, and there weren’t any answers for the receives who always seemed to be a step ahead. And why? There wasn’t any consistent pressure in the Cincinnati backfield.

Kansas City doesn’t go all out to get to the quarterback, but it should be able to at least breathe on Burrow more than Buffalo did. The run defense hasn’t had any real issues this year, and the secondary doesn’t give up a ton of deep shots.

And yeah, there’s something to the idea that everyone else – especially the defense – has to up their game with the main man hurting. Triple that for the offensive front.

To do this, Kansas City has to reverse what the Bengals dealt with last week. Buffalo ran just 19 times for 63 yards. Cincinnati ran 34 times for 172 yards – the Chiefs have to flip that script. Kansas City has to be the team that controls the clock and goes on long, grinding marches, just like it did against Jacksonville.

Patrick Mahomes got hurt, the gameplan changed, and the Chiefs quickly adjusted. They ended up holding the ball for ten minutes more than the Jaguars, and now they have to repeat the plan.

Yeah, they’re at their best when they go at warp speed and Mahomes gets into an unshakeable groove, but that’s asking a lot with his ankle issues. Ground, pound, and make that offensive line earn its paycheck.

Cincinnati was 2-2 when allowing 155 rushing yards or more, and one of those wins was to Baltimore in the Wild Card round when it was one inch away from probably losing.

Kansas City is 13-1 when running for 70 yards or more. However, that one loss came to …

What’s Going To Happen, Who’s Going to Win Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs AFC Championship

We were all hoping for Buffalo vs Cincinnati to be a wild shootout with lots of fireworks, big plays, and momentum swings. The snow – and let’s just go there, a Buffalo gag of a performance – kept that from happening.

We were all hoping for Jacksonville vs Kansas City to be a wild shootout with lots of fireworks, big plays, and momentum swings. The Patrick Mahomes ankle injury kept that from happening.

Even if this isn’t the 34-31 offensive show the world might want, it’s going to be a gripping game. Unfortunately, it’s all going to come down to whether or not Mahomes can be anywhere near his normal self.

This should be a focused, smart, tough effort from the Chiefs, but it won’t be quite enough.

Cincinnati – starting with Joe Burrow – is about the most unflappable team in the NFL. There’s no panic in this bunch, it’s very calm, cool, and surprisingly steady for a group that’s so explosive on both sides of the ball.

It’ll have to deal with a quick early Kansas City surge. The first two Chief drives will be terrific. The running game will be good, Mahomes will connect on the scripted throws, and it’ll look like all is right with the Chief world.

The Bengals will be methodical. They’ll grind their way back in it, the Kansas City offense will stall a bit too much, and the last five minutes will be about 9 on the other side hitting two clutch third down throws to put this away.

SI

 

A look at the AFC, Unsung Heroes. By Nick Shook...

I could easily fill this spot with Devin Duvernay, an overlooked receiver who also did a solid job in the return game when called upon, but I'm going with a personal favorite whom I've long seen as a player poised to produce with more targets. Robinson spent the first six years of his career filling the WR3/4 role in Kansas City, never seeing more than 59 targets in a season while consistently producing between 250 and 475 receiving yards each year. I figured he'd get more looks in Baltimore, where the Ravens have lacked weapons outside and traded Marquise Brown to Arizona last offseason. Instead of fully breaking out, Robinson finished with another solid season: 48 receptions, 458 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He's my unsung hero, though, because he did this while again playing a secondary role with a team that ended up trotting out three different quarterbacks in 2022. No matter the passer, you can count on Robinson as a quality supporting cast member. That deserves some praise.

This one is easy. Brissett joined the Browns and quickly learned he wouldn't just be taking backup reps with his new team. Instead of leaning on a built-in excuse of being QB2, Brissett embraced the job, digesting Kevin Stefanski's offense and executing as well as he possibly could. In 11 starts, Brissett completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, establishing a productive connection with fellow new arrival Amari Cooper and keeping the Browns afloat in a situation that would doom plenty of other teams. He also brought with him a mastery of the QB sneak, tying for the second-most successful sneaks with 32 since the start of the 2020 season, per The Athletic's Kalyn Kahler. Brissett became a beloved figure in Cleveland because of his selflessness, willingness to physically sacrifice to keep the chains moving, and his ability to keep the Browns competitive while their franchise quarterback served his suspension. You won't find a more heroic teammate than Brissett.

The Chargers spent much of the 2022 season playing without Keenan Allen and/or Mike Williams, forcing Justin Herbert to rely on lesser-known targets. One of those targets was Palmer, a wideout who played a marginal role in his first NFL season before more than doubling his yardage output out of necessity in Year 2. Palmer finished with 72 catches for 769 yards and three touchdowns, filling in and capitalizing on the opportunity. Los Angeles was clearly a better team with Williams and Allen both available, but Palmer deserves commendation for doing a solid job of replacing them when required.

New England's second season with Mac Jones under center didn't go as planned, and their final record stands as proof of the disappointment (which extended well beyond quarterback). One player who didn't underwhelm was Meyers, who led the team in receiving with a healthy 804 yards despite clear issues existing within the Patriots' offense throughout 2022, so much so that the Pats are apparently bringing Bill O'Brien back to man his old offensive coordinator post. After finally reaching the end zone for the first time in his career in 2021, Meyers did so plenty in 2022, recording six receiving touchdowns while playing in the NFL's 20th-ranked passing offense. He outperformed lauded offseason addition DeVante Parker and still found a way to make a difference even while the Patriots struggled to get out of their own way.

T.J. Watt's Week 1 pectoral injury dealt a significant blow to a Steelers defense that was expected to be the team's strength in 2022. What folks didn't realize was that former Charlotte standout Highsmith was about to break out. A favorite of mine since watching his workout at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Highsmith blossomed in 2022, adding the strength he needed entering the league and blending it with his athleticism to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Without Watt, Highsmith recorded 22 tackles (five for loss), 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Once Watt returned, Highsmith truly took off, finishing with 14.5 sacks, a QB pressure rate of 13.8 percent (a product of the NFL's fifth-most total pressures) and tying for the league lead in forced fumbles with five. Pittsburgh's decision to let Bud Dupree walk two offseasons ago and replace him with Highsmith has paid off.

It's rare to consider a punter as any kind of hero, but Stonehouse isn't just any punter. The undrafted rookie from Colorado State stepped into the starting role in Tennessee and showed off his gigantic leg, finishing 2022 with a record-breaking gross punt average of 53.1 yards, shattering the mark set by the legendary, multi-talented Sammy Baugh set way back in 1940. That was good enough to earn him a selection to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. Stonehouse gets the nod here because of how he so often flipped the field for a Titans team that came apart offensively.
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That pretty much covers the teams represented by users here on L4SN... just some reading material. There are many players on each team that get no glory or recognition, but show up to work every day and make the best effort they can, every pice to the puzzle is important.

 

His article was a good read but he like so many has missed one of the biggest impacts Mckinnon has made with the Chiefs and that is his pass protection.