Month: October 2021

Ravens OL coach Joe D’Alessandris says he’s glad Baltimore has OT Ja’Wuan James

Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris says he’s glad that Baltimore has offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James

The Baltimore Ravens have shuffled their offensive line quite a bit over the course of the 2021 season due to multiple injuries. The team already has multiple players on their line who are on injured reserve or have at least spend multiple weeks on the list.

One of those lineman is offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, who has yet to play a game with Baltimore after signing with Baltimore in June. He tore his achilles while working out as a member of the Denver Broncos during the 2021 offseason, but the injury occurred away from the facility. Thus, his salary became unguaranteed and Denver decided to recoup their money and let James go.

When offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris was asked about James and his recovery, he gave a peak into what James does with the team and said he’s glad to have him with the Ravens.

“Ja’Wuan [James] does a lot of rehab with the medical staff and sits in our meetings. [He] does a good job of gathering information and then applying it. So, right now, I’m glad we have him. He’s a fine, young man. I had a chance to work him out prior to the [2014 NFL] Draft when he was at Tennessee, so I got to know him back then. I liked him back then coming out in the Draft, and I love him now because he’s here with us at the Ravens.”

Vikings’ game vs. the Cowboys: Everything we know

Vikings fans have every right to be spooked about the rest of 2021 after that performance.

Last season, the Vikings’ game against the Cowboys had playoff implications. Dallas upset Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium without the help of Dak Prescott. Red-headed Cowboys QB Andy Dalton made enough plays to move the chains against a revamped Vikings defense.

This year was different: The red-headed quarterback’s name was Cooper Rush. Other than that, though, the Vikings played a very similar game — all the way down to the team’s disappointing, final offensive drive. Minnesota’s offense stalled out. The Vikings defense didn’t do enough against a Cowboys offense that was not at full strength.

Minnesota (3-4) was not good enough to get lucky against an elite team. Dallas (6-1), dealing with bad injury luck, overcame its faults. These are two franchises that, for now, have different 2021 trajectories.

Vikings fans have every right to be spooked about the rest of 2021 after that performance.

Cooper Rush to Amari Cooper and Cowboys win 6th straight

It was a super Cooper combo that led the Dallas Cowboys to victory over the Minnesota Vikings

Talk about stepping in and stepping up for the Dallas Cowboys.

Cooper Rush replaced Dak Prescott (calf) as the Cowboys’ quarterback Sunday against the Vikings and the career backup made the most of his first start, leading Dallas to a 20-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

In front of his wife and parents, Rush threw for 325 yards and led Dallas on a 75-yard game-winning drive that concluded with a pass to Amari Cooper with 51 seconds left for the winning score.

Yes, it was Cooper to Cooper for the winning score.

Earlier on the drive, Amari Cooper made an incredible catch.

Then, needing a first down on third-and-11, Ezekiel Elliott took a short pass and split Minnesota defenders for a first down at the 5.

That set up the Cooper-to-Cooper connection for the winning score.

Prescott loved what his backup did.

Cooper Rush was 24-of-40 with 2 TD passes and 1 pick.

WATCH: Cooper to Cooper connection gives Cowboys late lead

With their backs against the wall, Cooper Rush and Amari Cooper combined on the late drive for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Cowboys’ defense saw the yellow laundry on three personal fouls late in the fourth quarter, two being on defensive end Randy Gregory and the other on defensive end Tarell Basham. The questionable penalties helped the Vikings make it within the Dallas 5-yard line but the defense got stingy, forcing them to make a field goal for a 16-13 lead with under three minutes left.

On the second play of the ensuing Cowboys drive, wide receiver Amari Cooper juggled a pass off of Minnesota defenders for a 33-yard catch before ripping off an 18-yard gain on the next play to get Dallas into opposing territory.

The Cowboys’ biggest drive of the game was frozen at the Vikings 20-yard line for a long third down. That was before running back Ezekiel Elliott barreled through defenders for a first down. The next play?

Quarterback Cooper Rush’s best throw of the night was also the biggest one, giving Dallas a 20-13 lead with 51 seconds remaining.

Fans react on Twitter to Washington vs. Broncos in Week 8

Here are the top Twitter reactions from Washington’s Week 8 loss to the Broncos.

The Washington Football Team fell to 2-6 on the season after a 17-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 8.

It was the latest ugly loss in a season full of ugly losses. For the second straight week, Washington outgained its opponent, yet came up short in the red zone.

Defensively, Washington slowly continues to improve, especially with Landon Collins now at linebacker. Collins made several big plays on Sunday, including a sack of Teddy Bridgewater. And, with cornerback William Jackson III out, the secondary hasn’t been nearly as bad.

As with any other Sunday afternoon during the NFL season, Twitter was a wild place to be during and after Washington’s loss to the Broncos. Here are some of the top Twitter reactions from the WFT’s latest loss.

 

Jags Week 8 Player of Game vs. Seahawks: DE/LB Josh Allen

Josh Allen has been a machine when it comes to rushing the passer coming into this week, and he continued that trend Sunday by garnering two sacks.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars defense has largely failed to stifle opposing defenses, allowing the second-most yards per game of any time, one player has stood out from the rest in the last few weeks. That player is Jags defensive end, Josh Allen.

Many looked to Allen to lead this defense in 2021. Early on, he struggled to find his footing coming off of a disappointing 2020 season that ended in a knee injury. In the last three games, though, Allen looks better than ever. While he might not be earning awards statistically, his presence has no doubt been felt.

According to Next Gen Stats, Allen was third in pass rush win rate among all edge rushers in Weeks 5 and 6. If I had to guess, he might be either first or second after his game against the Seahawks.

Allen got off to a fast start against Seattle and kept the heat on high, breathing down the neck of quarterback Geno Smith the entire game. Heading into the game, Seattle’s tackles had allowed 18 pressures over their last three games, and Allen came prepared to take advantage.

Allen finished the game with six total tackles, four of which were tackles for loss. He also had his first multi-sack game of the year, notching two in the game, bringing his season total to 4.5. As a result, he’s earned the nod for player of the game Week 8.

Allen has been the defense’s sole bright spot, while the secondary and interior pass rush is struggling mightily to slow down offenses. Coach Urban Meyer noted this earlier this week, pointing out Allen’s and Dawuane Smoot’s high level of play.

If this team wants to have any shot to win, the rest of the defense will have to raise their level of play to match that of their star pass rusher. Allen is showing up and showing out week after week, but will the rest of the team step up?

Five NFL trades that won’t happen in 2021… but should

With the NFL’s trade deadline right around the corner, here are five deals that won’t happen… but probably should.

For every trade that happens, there are 10 that don’t. Enterprising general managers are on the phone with other enterprising general managers all the time, and they will propose the most preposterous deals just to see where teams are with even their best players. Most of these out of the park ideas have no chance of happening, but even the weirdest deals have potential for both teams involved if the conditions are right.

So, with the NFL’s 2021 trade deadline coming in at 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 2, here are five deals that could work well for all involved, as ridiculous as they may seem on the surface.

(All graphics by Coley Cleary; photos courtesy of USA Today Network and AP Images)

Cowboys rookie LB Jabril Cox exits game with knee injury

Rookie linebacker Jabril Cox is out for the rest of the game after injuring his right knee on a Vikings punt in the third quarter. | From @CDBurnett7

The Dallas Cowboys are slugging it out with the Vikings and linebacker Jabril Cox injured his ankle during a Minnesota punt. The rookie from LSU has been a special teams piece in his young career, a unit that has been much improved from the 2020 blunders.

Since the release of Jaylon Smith, Cox has seen a jump in snaps. The rookie made his presence felt with a huge hit on Daniel Jones at the goal line in Week 5 and has trended upward for Dallas.

Cox’s status is another blow for a Cowboys’ defense that has seen its fair share of injuries in 2021.

Brooklyn Nets report card: Player grades for a dominant Halloween win

Kevin Durant’s 23-point outing and James Harden’s triple-double headline the Nets’ second straight victory.

The Brooklyn Nets dominated the Pistons on Halloween and won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Kevin Durant was his usual self, scoring 19 points before the half and notching 23 points by the end of the third period. He put up those numbers on an efficient 10-of-13 shooting night. Durant led the way for the Nets going into the half as they were already dominating by 15 points.

The forward’s night did end early though for elbowing Kelly Olynyk in the third quarter. For his team, it didn’t matter because James Harden (18 PTS, 12 ASTS, 10 REBS) secured a triple-double anyway and three other Nets cracked double-digits in scoring: LaMarcus Aldridge (16 PTS), DeAndre’ Bembry (15 PTS) and Joe Harris (12 PTS).

Detroit did not have a chance at all with Brooklyn shooting the ball so well all night at 65%. The Pistons did not even manage to capture a lead larger than one throughout the entire 48 minutes.

Here are the player grades from Sunday’s win: