Category: Game Analysis

Taking a quick rundown of the Sunday NFL games with a fantasy perspective. A few great games and far too many that forgot how to score.

Sunday Snippets

TB 35, ATL 22
Bit of an upset since the Falcons looked like their Week 1 to 9 version instead of the recent defensive juggernaut. Jameis Winston threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns with his two obligatory interceptions. Chris Godwin took his turn this week with seven catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns while Mike Evans was held to only four catches for 50 yards. No other receiver had more than 44 yards so it was just all-Godwin, all-day. Ronald Jones ran for 51 yards and one score but this game was all about the pass.

The Falcons faced a weak secondary and yet Matt Ryan only passed for 271 yards and no touchdowns. Calvin Ridley (6-85, TD) was the top receiver while Julio Jones settled for just 68 yards on five catches. The rookie Qadree Ollison ran in a touchdown but only gained 20 yards on eight carries. The passing effort should have been more successful since literally every other opponent of the Falcons did better passing against them. A 3-8 team cannot have a “trap game” but the Falcons played far worse than they had in recent weeks, and their defense went soft again.

DEN 3, BUF 20
The Broncos were never in this. Brandon Allen hit a new low passing for just 82 yards and one interception while completely only ten of 25 passes. Drew Lock will be making an appearance soon. All combined, the Broncos totaled just 167 yards of offense and just 134 yards if you deduct their four sacks.

As usual, the Bills had Devin Singletary ran for 106 yards on 21 carries while Frank Gore still took 15 rushes to gain 65 yards. Josh Allen also ran for 56 yards and passed for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Cole Beasley (6-76, TD) and John Brown (2-39, TD) were the top receivers. This was just a defensive matchup with a dash of offense for the Bills. The stats are what a bad weather game looks like… only the weather was fine.

NYG 14, CHI 19
One of the many low-scoring games on the day. Saquon Barkley only gained 59 yards on 17 carries and added two receptions for a net of one yard. Daniel Jones only threw for 150 yards while Darius Slayton (4-67) and Golden Tate (3-33, TD) were the best two receivers. The worst part of this game was that Barkley is stringing together multiple “bad” games and isn’t being used as a receiver as much.

The Bears won thanks to Mitchell Trubisky throwing for 278 yards and a score to Allen Robinson (6-131, TD) who finally had shown up with high production though no other receivers offered much. David Montgomery (13-22) and Tarik Cohen (6-25) struggled with poor blocking and neither had enough work to get into any rhythm. Cohen added seven receptions but only gained 29 yards. It was yet another down offensive performance by the Bears but at least their defense had a better performance than usual.

PIT 16, CIN 10
Yep, winter is here. Mason Rudolph was benched after only completing 8-of-16 passes for 85 yards and one interception. Devlin Hodges took over and threw for 118 yards and one score to James Washington (3-98, TD) who finally came to life only without his college quarterback. No other receiver had over 35 yards. Benny Snell gained 98 yards on 21 carries and Kerrith Whyte Jr. made everyone consult their game program when he ran for 43 yards on six carries. Jaylen Samuels only ran twice for six yards and added just three catches for 26 yards in this game that offense forgot. The Steelers were without JuJu Smith-Schuster but Diontae Johnson (3-29) was able to play.

Ryan Finley was held to 192 passing yards but threw a score to Tyler Boyd (5-101, TD) who was the only remotely productive receiver. Joe Mixon ran for 79 yards on 18 rushes but was never thrown a pass.  Finley only completed 12-of-26 passes and their offense did the impossible in making the Steelers look good by comparison.

MIA 24, CLE 41
This is exactly what we want to happen when two bad teams meet. The Dolphins trailed 21-0 in the second quarter but made it into a game before the Browns peeled off 13 points in the fourth quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 214 yards and two scored between Allen Hurns (4-42, TD) and Mike Gesicki (3-28, TD). DeVante Parker (6-91) was still the top receivers.  The rushing effort was as anemic as usual since Fitzpatrick (5-45, TD) was the leading rusher.

Baker Mayfield looked exactly like he was expected during the first ten games. He passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns between Jarvis Landry (10-149, 2 TD) and Odell Beckham (6-84, TD). Nick Chubb ran for 106 yards and one touchdown plus caught three passes for 58 yards. Kareem Hunt gained 37 yards on eight rushes for 37 yards and a touchdown but only caught two passes for nine yards. All of the normal fantasy starts for the Browns turned in good to great performances.

OAK 3, NYJ 34
The Raiders opted to use their Week 12 matchup for their annual trash game since they were never remotely in this game. Derek Carr only passed for 127 yards and one interception. No receiver gained more than 47 yards and Carr threw at least one pass to 11 different receivers. Josh Jacobs only ran for 34 yards on ten carries and caught one pass for two yards. The Raiders fell flat from the start.

The Jets never looked better. Le’Veon Bell was held to only 49 rushing yards but added five catches for 59 yards. Sam Darnold not only passed for 315 yards and two scores, but he also ran in a touchdown as well. Robby Anderson (4-86, TD) ended his funk for at least this week while Ryan Griffin (3-13, TD) is still making the tight end matter for the Jets. The Jets tacked on an interception returned for a touchdown as their final score of the day but both teams were already packing their equipment boxes by the fourth quarter.

SEA 17, PHI 9
And down goes the scoring. Russell Wilson passed for only 200 yards and one score to Malik Turner on his only catch in the game. Tyler Lockett was the lead receiver because his only catch gained 38 yards. Chris Carson was held to only 26 rushing yards and four catches for 31 yards but Rashaad Penney turned in 129 yards and one score on 14 carries as the surprise “hot hand” who had runs of 21, 26, and 58 yards for most of his production. The Seahawks didn’t do much and they didn’t need to with the Eagles unable to get their offense kickstarted.

Miles Sanders ran for 63 yards on 12 carries and added three catches for 23 yards but the Eagles also relied on Jay Ajayi who gained only 16 yards on his six rushes. Carson Wentz passed for 256 yards and one score to Zach Ertz (12-91, TD) but the Eagles were without all of their starting wideouts anyway. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (2-43) was as good as it got. The Eagles couldn’t compensate for the loss of their starting wideouts and Jordan Howard was also out.  Both teams sputtered on offense but the Seahawks broke several long runs that helped make the difference.

DET 16, WAS 19
Under, under, under. So many games, so few points. The Redskins broke their four-game losing streak despite never actually scoring an offensive touchdown. They returned a kickoff for a 91-yard score but otherwise, it was just Dustin Hopkins kicking four field goals. Dwayne Haskins only passed for 156 yards and one interception while missing two touchdowns to Terry McLaurin (5-72) because of bad throws. Facing the worst defense versus running backs, Derrius Guice only ran for 32 yards on ten rushes and caught just one pass for six yards. Adrian Peterson was even worse with 27 yards on his ten carries but at least he gained 21 yards on his only catch.

The Lions only passed for 207 yards and a score with Jeff Driskel also running for 63 yards. Kenny Golladay (4-61) and Marvin Jones (5-46) were the best receivers. Bo Scarbrough bought himself a continued start with 98 yards on 18 runs. The Lions haven’t featured a running quarterback in many years. Now we know why.

JAC 20, TEN 42
The Titans won their last two and insist that they are playoff-worthy. The Jaguars likely agree. Leonard Fournette had one of his best games with 87 rushing yards and two scores plus nine catches for 62 yards. But Nick Foles only threw for 272 yards and no touchdowns. Dede Westbrook (8-69) and D.J. Chark (5-38) were the top receivers Chark failed to deliver. Worse yet, the Jaguars’ defense is getting worse as the season progresses.

The Titans produced well whether they ran or passed. Ryan Tannehill threw for 259 yards and two scores that mostly benefited A.J. Brown (4-135, TD) while no other receiver gained more than 29 yards. They didn’t have to because Derrick Henry ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns and even Tannehill gained 40 yards and two scores on his seven rushes. The Titans led 35-3 in the third quarter before they let up and allowed the Jaguars to make it look like it was a competitive game. Which it was not.

DAL 9, NE 13

Unfortunately, this game didn’t really dispell any of the concerns with either team. the Cowboys still cannot beat a team with a winning record although playing at the Patriots is about as tough as it gets. Dak Prescott passed for only 212 yards and one interception, Randall Cobb, amazingly, was the best receiver with 86 yards on four catches but Amari Cooper never had a catch that wasn’t called back on a penalty. Ezekiel Elliott ran 21 times for 86 yards and added four receptions for 40 yards as the Cowboys best, and yet not good enough, weapon.

The Pats offense didn’t do much either. Their touchdown was a product of a blocked punt recovered near the Cowboys endzone. Tom Brady only passed for 190 yards and one score to N’Keal Harry on his only catch in the game. Julian Edelman (8-93) and Jakobi Meyers (4-74) were the only receivers with more than 14 yards. Sony Michel ran for 85 yards on 20 carries as the only back with more than two rushes. It was a very wet and windy game and well suited to the Pats defense. The score says all you need to know about this game.

 GB 8, SF 37

There is just no getting around the fact that the 49ers’ defense has been outstanding. And their offense can get the job done, at least at home versus an average defense. The Packers never found their second gear. Aaron Rodgers passed for only 104 yards and one touchdown. Davante Adams (7-43, TD) was the only receiver of any note and that was because of the touchdown (and two-point play). Aaron Jones settled for only 38 yards on 13 carries and never caught a pass. Jamaal Williams fared slightly better with 45 yards on 11 runs plus seven receptions for 35 yards. But the 49ers shut the Packers down. And while playing at home helped, that’s probably what’s going to be happening in the playoffs as well.

Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 253 yards and two scores. George Kittle was limited in practices and a game-time decision because of his foot that kept him out the previous week. No matter – he led the team with six catches for 129 yards and one touchdown. Deebo Samuel ended with just two catches but gained 50 yards and scored. The rushing effort was nothing special with Raheem Mostert (6-45, TD) and Tevin Coleman (11-39, TD) both offered moderate fantasy results. Other than Kittle, this was a total beat down and yet only he had a big game.

The Game-o-the-Week

CAR 31, NO 34
What a heart-breaker. The Saints led 31-18 in the third quarter, but the Panthers made up the difference to tie the game with nine minutes left to play.  They had first down at the Saints 3-yard line with 2:21 left to play but then lost a yard on a run, threw an incompletion and then had Allen sacked for six yards. With two minutes left, they shanked the 28-yard field goal attempt wide right. The Saints then marched down to the Panthers 15-yard line where they kicked the winning field goal as time expired.

Kyle Allen passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns that went to DJ Moore (6-126, 2 TD) and Christian McCaffery (9-69, TD) but no other receivers posted any fantasy-relevant stats. McCaffrey also rushed for 64 yards on 22 runs with a second score. For once the offense wasn’t all McCaffrey. It was almost all McCaffrey with a bit of Moore.

Drew Brees passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns.  Michael Thomas (10-101, TD) and Jared Cook (6-99, TD) were the best receivers though Tre’quan Smith caught a 13-yard touchdown for his first meaningful catch of the year. Latavius Murray ran for 64 yards and a score on just seven carries while Alvin Kamara ended up with 54 yards on 11 runs and caught nine passes for 48 yards. The Panthers made this into a far better game than expected and could have won.

The kicker Joey Slye missed two extra points and then the final field goal. He’s probably scared to check his phone.

Taking a quick rundown of the Sunday NFL games with a fantasy perspective.

HOU 7, BAL 41
This was never a game. The Ravens led 34-0 before the Texans finally scored in the fourth quarter. Carlos Hyde ran for 65 yards and a score on nine carries but that was thanks to the 41-yard touchdown run when no one cared anymore and the Texans had no business running anyway. DeShaun Watson was held to only 169 yards and no scores. DeAndre Hopkins led the team with 80 yards on seven catches but no other receiver gained more than 27 yards. This was a beatdown that never improved. The loss now ties the Texans with the Colts for the AFC South.

The Ravens are peaking. Mark Ingram ran for 48 yards on 18 carries and then caught three passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Gus Edwards turned in 112 yards and a score on just eight runs. Lamar Jackson ran for 86 yards and added 222 yards and four scores as a passer. Mark Andrews led the pack with four catches for 75 yards but no other receiver had more than 27 yards.  The Ravens are dominating and won their last six games. They feature a different sort of offense but defenses seem to be getting worse against it.

ATL 29, CAR 3
The Falcons drubbed the Panthers – at their stadium –  in one of the bigger surprises of the weekend. No Falcon’s rusher gained more than 30 yards by Brian Hill that required 15 carries. The rookie Qadree Ollison scored once on his four runs for 11 yards. Matt Ryan passed for 311 yards and one score but had no turnovers. That was key. Calvin Ridley (8-143, TD) and Julio Jones (6-91) were the top receivers and no others had more than two receptions for 32 yards. The Falcons returned a punt for a touchdown and otherwise just stood by while the Panthers imploded.

Christian McCaffrey ran for 70 yards on 14 carries and added 11 receptions for 121 yards as the lead receiver. DJ Moore added eight catches for 95 yards as the only other notable receiver. Kyle Allen passed for 325 yards and four interceptions. That was the most important stat in this game. Aside from McCaffrey and Moore, the Panthers did little. The loss drops them to 5-5 and realistically out of playoff contention.

DAL 35, DET 27
This game was far closer than expected considering that Jeff Driskel took the start and the Lions haven’t had a rushing offense all year. Driskel passed for 209 yards and two scores which both ended up with Marvin Jones (4-43, 2 TD). No receiver gained more than 47 yards and Kenny Golladay was held to a single catch for 34 yards. Bo Scarbrough was the surprise running back called up from the practice squad on Saturday and his first-ever NFL action resulted in 14 carries for 55 yards and one score against the team that originally drafted him and then gave up.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for just 45 yards on 16 carries but scored and added a second touchdown on his two catches for 28 yards. Dak Prescott threw for 444 yards and three touchdowns which favored Michael Gallup (9-148, TD) and Randall Cobb (4-115, TD) but not Amari Cooper (3-38) since he almost always disappears in road games. The Lions put up a great fight and the Cowboys won because they had the minimum wage quarterback, not the highest-paid running back in the league.

JAC 13, IND 33
The Jaguars never had any success rushing and Leonard Fournette was held to only 23 yards on eight rushes. He added seven catches for 34 yards to help his fantasy value but the Colts defense was stout in this one. Nick Foles returned as the starter and passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns but that only benefited DJ Chark (8-104, 2 TD) since no one gained more than 58 yards or scored for the Jaguars. The loss drops the Jags to only 4-6 and the lack of rushing production was particularly disappointing.

Jacoby Brissett only threw for 148 yards and one touchdown to Marcus Johnson (4-38, TD) but the Colts won with their rushing. Marlon Mack gained 109 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries but left after halftime with a fractured hand. Since Jordan Wilkins was out, Jonathan Williams turned in 16 carries for 116 yards.  Both Brissett and Nyheim Hines ran in short touchdowns from their couple of rushes. Mack looks to be out for a while, so Williams and Jordan Wilkins will both be coveted free agents this week.

BUF 37, MIA 20

This was never really that close. The Bills had Devin Singletary run for 75 yards on 15 carries but still gave Frank Gore 11 rushes to gain just 27 yards. Josh Allen ran for 56 yards and a touchdown and passed for 256 yards and three more scores. John Brown had a big day with nine catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns while no other receiver topped 38 yards.  Dawson Knox (2-32) caught the other passing score. There was a bit more passing than expected, but the game was never in doubt.

None of the Miami running backs could best Kalen Ballage’s nine yards on nine carries though he did run in a score as well. Ryan Fitzpatrick ended with 323 yards and no touchdowns but DeVante Parker (7-135) provided the only fantasy relevant performance. The Fins scored on a punt return as well. The two-game winning streak was fun but it is definitely over. There is a decent chance that Fitzpatrick will throw 45 times in every game and just as good that he doesn’t score again.

DEN 23, MIN 27

Whoa. This was almost a trap game. The Broncos jumped out to a 20-0 lead by halftime before getting steamrolled in the second half. Still – the Fins ended the game with Brandon Allen taking three shots from the MIN-4 yard line to end the game and never scoring. Allen passed for 240 yards and one touchdown and Courtland Sutton shined with 113 yards on five receptions. By now there are no safe fantasy plays for the Denver receivers besides Sutton but he is holding onto his value very well. Phillip Lindsay (16-67) led the rushing but only ended with 75 total yards.

Dalvin Cook somehow ended with only 26 yards on 11 carries but scored once and caught five passes for 31 yards. Kirk Cousins threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns that mostly went to Stefon Diggs (5-121, TD) and Kyle Rudolph (5-67, TD). The Vikings were asleep in the first half but managed to mount the 27 point comeback to win. They remain just one game behind the Packers in the NFC North and still missing Adam Thielen.

NO 34, TB 17

This was an expected win and one of the few games that offered no surprises, at least for the Saints. Alvin Kamara ran for 75 yards on 13 carries and added ten catches for 47 yards. Drew Brees passed for 228 yards and three touchdowns but only Michael Thomas (8-114, TD) generate many fantasy points. Jared Cook also scored but only gained 33 yards on two catches. It may not have been quite as prolific with yardage as other meetings with the Bucs, but four touchdowns in total meant the fantasy starters all performed well.

The Buccaneers had nearly no rushing offense with Ronald Jones gaining just 13 yards on four runs and Peyton Barber never having a carry. Jameis Winston ended with 313 yards and two scores but his four interceptions were a killer. Though the Saints were without CB Marshon Lattimore, Mike Evans was held to only four catches for 69 yards and Chris Godwin settled for three receptions for 47 yards and one touchdown. Cameron Brate was the top receiver with a career-high ten catches for 73 yards. The Bucs disappointed since the matchup looked primed for Evans and Godwin to post major fantasy points.

NYJ 34, WAS 17
The Jets needed this win. Le’Veon Bell ran for 59 yards and score on 18 carries and added 33 yards on two receptions for one of his best showings as a Jet. Sam Darnold ended with 293 yards and four touchdowns as a testament to how bad the Redskins have become. Ryan Griffin led the team with 109 yards on five catches and a touchdown while Jamison Crowder turned in 76 yards and a score as well. Darnold produced a 121.2 QB rating in a road game. Granted, Robbie Anderson was held to only one catch but it was for a six-yard touchdown.

Adrian Peterson (9-25) was still the primary runner but Derrius Guice (7-24) had nearly as much work and added a 45-yard touchdown catch to make next week’s backfield just a bit tougher to call. Dwayne Haskins passed for 214 yards and two scores but Terry McLaurin (3-69) was as good as it got for receivers. The defense is bad and the offense is getting worse. But at least Guice offers something new to watch during the future losses.

CIN 10, OAK 17

Brutal game. 27 total points. Joe Mixon ran for 86 yards and a score plus caught a 17-yard pass for one of his best efforts of the year. But Ryan Finley only passed for 115 yards and completed only 13 of 31 attempts. Auden Tate (4-56) led the team but then appeared to have a severe injury to his neck and head. Mixon scored in the first quarter and the Bengals only managed one field goal in the rest of the game.

Josh Jacobs ran for 112 yards on 23 carries but only gained 12 yards on three catches. Derek Carr finished with 292 yards and one score to Foster Moreau (2-8, TD). Tyrell Williams (4-82) and Darren Waller (5-78) led the receivers but failed to score. This was a mail-in game and the Raiders got away with it. Lots of fantasy points were left on the field from what it should have been.

NE 17, PHI 10

Another snoozer.  The Eagles led 10-0 at the start of the second quarter and never scored again. Carson Wentz ended with 214 yards and one score to Dallas Goedert (3-36) and Zach Ertz (9-94) was the only notable Eagle in fantasy terms. Miles Sanders totaled just 47 yards and the Eagles could generate almost no offense in the game.

The Patriots were not much better despite facing a below-average defense in most categories. Sony Michel ran for 33 yards on ten carries and added just 11yards on two catches. Tom Brady passed for only 216 yards and no score on his 26 short completions. Julian Edelman threw a touchdown on a trick play to Phillip Dorsett (3-33. TD) but Edelman’s 53 yards on five receptions were tops for the Pats. The Patriots defense won this game with surprisingly little help from Brady.

CHI 7, LAR 17
Late season games tend to include several low-scoring matchups. It appears to be starting early this year. The Bears only ran for 70 yards on 23 rushes with nearly even carries for David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen. Like past games, the commitment to the run wasn’t there and Cohen would add five catches for 35 yards and the single touchdown. Taylor Gabriel (7-57) and Anthony Miller (6-54) led the team but Mitchell Trubisky only passed for 190 yards and the one score and was replaced on the final series by Chase Daniel ostensibly from a hip injury. The Bears offense was never better than mediocre and started the game out by missing two field-goal attempts.

The Rams were no better other than Todd Gurley running for 97 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushes and added 36 yards on three catches. Jared Goff only passed 18 times and completed 11 for 173 yards. Cooper Kupp (3-53) caught a 50-yard pass and was tackled at the one-yard line so Gurley could steal the score. The one catch was about a third of all passing yards. This was just another brutally slow, unproductive game.

The Game-o-the-Week

ARI 26, SF 36
This was far closer than expected not unlike their first meeting. The 49ers made the score look better when they recovered a fumble for a score on the final play of lateral-lateral-fumble. The Cardinals may rank No. 25 versus running backs but all combined the 49ers only ran for 27 yards on 18 carries. Deebo Samuel (8-134) had a second straight big performance but no other receivers topped 63 yards. Ross Dwelley replaced George Kittle and scored twice on his four catches for 14 yards. Emmanuel Sanders (3-33) ended up playing but then re-injured his ribs.

Kyler Murray only passed for 150 yards and two scores but ran for 67 yards and a touchdown. The passing stats were meager and Christian Kirk (6-41) led the team. Larry Fitzgerald (5-37, TD) had a rare score in this one. The biggest surprise was that David Johnson was active but never touched the ball. Kenyan Drake ran for 67 yards on 16 carries and added six receptions for 13 yards. The Cardinals led this 16-0 before the 49ers woke up in the second half.