Category: News

Chiefs snap counts, Week 10: Return of the MVP

What can we learn from the Chiefs’ Week 10 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs were unable to beat the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

The team went with some unique roster choices to start the game. Damien Williams saw the start at running back. Jordan Lucas saw some early snaps at safety. The best news is that Patrick Mahomes returned to action and didn’t miss a single snap.

Here’s how the snaps came down in Week 10:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

  • QB Patrick Mahomes returned from injury in Week 10 and didn’t miss a single snap. He had an impressive day throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns while completing over 70% of his passes.
  • RT Mitchell Schwartz saw his snap streak come to an end at 2,895 consecutive snaps. He only missed three plays before coming back into the game and finishing it. A testament to just how much of an ironman he is.
  • LG Martinas Rankin made it just over 50% of the way through the offensive snaps before suffering a right knee injury. He was carted off the field.
  • Stefen Wisniewski saw his most action as a member of the Chiefs. He got exactly 50% of the offensive snaps and played at left guard in place of Rankin.
  • After playing every snap just a week ago, Tyreek Hill was unable to do the same in Week 10. He landed hard on a play and it looked like the worst-case scenario for him. Luckily, he was able to avoid injury and come back into the game.
  • TE Blake Bell was questionable to return with an injury early in the game. He eventually did make his return with a heavily taped ankle.
  • With no LeSean McCoy, Damien Williams saw the start and received all but five of the Chiefs’ carries. Even after fumbling the ball he remained the lead back for most of the game.
  • Mecole Hardman has seen a steady increase in snaps over the past three weeks with 18 against the Titans. He had yet another explosive play after connecting with Patrick Mahomes on a 63-yard touchdown.
  • Jordan Lucas saw some early snaps at safety in the Chiefs’ nickel package. He was quickly relieved after a few misfires on his part.
  • Reggie Ragland saw just 17 snaps on the day. He’s been part of the reason for the Chiefs’ defensive resurgence, but he didn’t help on Sunday. It seems that the Titans forced the Chiefs into sub-packages more often than other teams had in recent weeks, which led to the lower snap total.
  • Khalen Saunders also saw a low snap total of 13. He’s been integral to the run defense finding success over the past several weeks.
  • Emmanuel Ogbah only played 23 snaps before going down with a torn pec. Those could be the last snaps we see from him as a member of the Chiefs as he’s scheduled to become a free agent following the season.
  • Morris Claiborne played in just seven snaps against the Titans. I think it’s safe to say the Chiefs won’t be replacing any of their starters with Claiborne any time soon.
  • Dorian O’Daniel, Darron Lee and Armani Watts were the only three players that played only special teams snaps during the game.
  • Anthony Sherman led all players in special teams snaps against the Titans with 24.

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Suns’ Cameron Johnson scored a career-high 15 points in win vs. Nets

Cameron Johnson topped his previous season-high of 12 set on Oct. 30 against the Warriors with 10 of his points coming in the second half.

Phoenix Suns first-round pick Cameron Johnson recorded a career-high 15 points Sunday night in a 138-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets to improve to 6-3 this season.

Johnson topped his previous season-high of 12 set on Oct. 30 against the Golden State Warriors with 10 of his points coming in the second half. The 11th overall pick finished by shooting 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Johnson helped give the Suns a solid offensive boost off of the bench with his ability to shoot. He often spotted up in the corner, giving the Suns’ guards a good kick out option after converting on 2-of-3 of his corner 3-pointers. He also added six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

The Nets never seriously threatened in the game after the Suns led 37-30 after the first quarter, converting on 46.2% (6-of-13) of their 3-point looks in the opening frame. They battered the Nets in the pick-and-roll and used a number of back screens to get easy buckets throughout the night.

The Suns have been one of the feel-good stories in the NBA so far this season. They have picked up a number of impressive wins and have many curious to see if they can continue their strong start under head coach Monty Williams. If the Suns can keep it up, Johnson could find himself playing meaningful minutes for a playoff contender in his rookie year.

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WATCH: Bears return to Club Dub following Week 10 win over Lions

The Chicago Bears returned to their winning ways with a 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions, which meant a return to Club Dub.

After a prolonged absence from Club Dub, the Chicago Bears returned to their winning ways Sunday notching a 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions.

The win snapped Chicago’s four-game losing streak and kept them out of last place in the NFC North, with a 4-5 record.

While it certainly an ugly win, any win is a welcome win. Especially when it you get to return to Club Dub.

For all of those that are criticizing Matt Nagy for holding Club Dub with the Bears below .500 and nabbing their first win in over a month, he doesn’t care. This is how they do things. This is how they celebrate victories, even ones that are far from pretty.

“That’s who we are,” Nagy said, via the Chicago Tribune. “The guys, you’d be surprised, one of the neat things that I think we have going on right now, even in this four-game slide that we just came through, is every Saturday morning we have our own (dance-off), and it just keeps the energy going. We did it last year and why not keep doing it? So we do it. (Saturday morning) is like the appetizer and then this they come to dinner.

“I just sat back and just to be able to watch the guys, seeing them in there, they ended up doing some one-on-one dancing, which is pretty neat. It’s exciting. We enjoy it. It brings you together, you know, and then you’re able to coach off of wins a lot easier. There’s still a lot of things that we need to get better at. We understand that. But you step back in those moments and you say, this is why we do what we do.”

The Bears will be looking to make it two straight trips to Club Dub when they travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 11.

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Rafael dos Anjos wants to welcome back Conor McGregor: ‘Give him a real contender’

Rafael dos Anjos wants to welcome Conor McGregor back to the UFC.

[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] never got his opportunity to fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], but would love to welcome him back.

The two were scheduled to fight more than three years ago at UFC 196 for the lightweight title. But then-champ dos Anjos (29-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) was forced to pull out just a couple of weeks before the fight due to a broken foot.

McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who was the featherweight champ at the time, was attempting to move up in weight to hold two titles simultaneously, but that was put on hold when dos Anjos suffered an injury. Nate Diaz stepped in and flipped the MMA world upside down by handing McGregor his first UFC loss.

But dos Anjos lost his title to Eddie Alvarez, and after McGregor handled his business with Diaz in a rematch, he met Alvarez for the 155-pound title and put on a masterclass to win a second UFC belt. So the fight between dos Anjos and McGregor never came to fruition, and dos Anjos thinks it’s time to make that fight happen.

He took to Instagram to call out McGregor, who hasn’t competed since his fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 more than a year ago. McGregor is rumored to face Donald Cerrone on Jan. 18, but dos Anjos is asking the UFC to not give McGregor a “tune-up fight,” and instead give him a “real contender” like himself.

“Don’t give this guy a tune up fight, give him real contender at 170 , 165 or 155. I’m in all the way @danawhite @seanshelby”

Both dos Anjos and McGregor have competed at welterweight before. Dos Anjos recently moved up to the division, and McGregor fought Diaz twice at 170-pounds.

But dos Anjos seems happy to move back down to 155 to face McGregor since he thinks they have unfinished business.

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UT News: November 11, 2019

UT News: November 11, 2019

The Tennessee Volunteers escaped Lexington this past weekend with a huge comeback victory against the Kentucky Wildcats. The game was a must-win match against their SEC archrivals for a Vols team vying for a bowl game after a rough start to the season. In other news, the Lady Vols basketball team travels to South Bend to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight, and the volleyball team swept Alabama this weekend. But first, take a look at some notes from the football game on Saturday.

Volunteers football notes

  • Nothing much went right for Tennessee in the first half of its crucial Southeastern Conference showdown at Kentucky Saturday night as the Volunteers trailed the Wildcats, 13-3, at halftime. Kentucky scored on its initial drive as UK quarterback Lynn Bowden gashed the Vols defense with his feet.
  • A late goal-line stand and a gutsy run from a wounded quarterback gave Tennessee a huge comeback victory Saturday night at Kentucky. Redshirt junior Jarrett Guarantano rushed for a big first down to seal a 17-13 Volunteers’ victory over Kentucky on a chilly night at Kroger Field.
  • Tennessee defeated Kentucky, 17-13, in the tenth game of the 2019 season. Following the conclusion of the Tennessee-Kentucky contest, Vols Wire provided game balls for the top UT players on offense, defense and special teams.

NEXT: Lady Vols face Notre Dame tonight

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Despite ankle scare, Danuel House Jr. appears set to play Monday

Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. appears unlikely to miss any games after turning his left ankle late in Saturday’s win at Chicago.

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Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. appears unlikely to miss any games after turning his left ankle in Saturday’s win at Chicago.

Though House limped off the court in the fourth quarter, Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen says the 26-year-old was not limping after the game Saturday or during Sunday’s travel day.

The Rockets (6-3) return to game action Monday night in New Orleans, where House’s length and athleticism could be critical in guarding 22-year-old Brandon Ingram.

Acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade this offseason, the athletic 6-foot-7 forward has had a breakout season with the Pelicans (2-7) by averaging 25.9 points per game. Ingram’s total ranks just outside the NBA’s top 10 in scoring.

House was not listed on Monday’s injury report issued by the Rockets, so native Houstonian appears set to play in New Orleans.

House has been a revelation for the Rockets this year, scoring 12.9 points per game on 48.7% shooting and a blistering 47.2% clip from three-point range. The 6-foot-6 forward has also averaged 5.3 rebounds in his 31.2 minutes, and his net defensive rating of 103.7 is the best of any player in Houston’s current rotation.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni announced before Saturday’s game that he was sticking with House as his starter at small forward, even after the return of Eric Gordon from an injury absence.

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Bellator 233’s Kyle Crutchmer happy to be compared to teammates Cormier, Khabib – if he has bank account to match

“If my bank account says what ‘D.C.’ and Khabib’s say, you can compare me to whoever you want to compare me to.”

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – With his strong wrestling background, [autotag]Kyle Crutchmer[/autotag] is happy to draw comparisons to his teammates – but not necessarily to their fighting styles.

Crutchmer (5-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, has a strong grappling background like former two-division UFC champion [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] and UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], his teammates at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.

Crutchmer improved to 5-0 Friday at Bellator 233 in his promotional debut with a unanimous decision win over Robert Gidron. He used his superior wrestling to control the fight and showed off some of his striking, too.

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But with inevitable comparisons to his accomplished wrestling teammates at AKA, Crutchmer is more concerned with making similar paydays down the line.

“I don’t know how many people knock dudes down with spinning back fists, but I threw that (expletive) today – it landed, it knocked him down, so I’ve got a little bit different style from (them),” Crutchmer told MMA Junkie. “But listen, man, at the end of the day, if my bank account says what ‘D.C.’ and Khabib’s say – man, you can compare me to whoever you want to compare me to.”

His opponent, Gidron, stepped in on short notice for the fight. But the natural middleweight missed weight for the 170-pound bout by nearly five pounds. While Crutchmer is accustomed to being the smaller opponent, he says Gidron had an apparent size difference, a challenge he was able to overcome.

“My wrestling kind of speaks for itself,” Crutchmer said. “I think I would be dumb to not at least attempt it in the first, to see how hard or how easy it would be. Man, that guy was big. People don’t realize – he missed weight by five pounds. He’s never fought at (1)70, I don’t think, so he had some height on me, too. So some of those things, I was trying to get to. It took a lot more than people could see.”

And there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to accept the fight regardless, as he looks to begin his ascent in the Bellator 170-pound rankings.

“I’m in this to prove I’m the baddest mother(expletive) in the world, and if I’m turning down fights or I’m saying no to somebody, then why am I doing this?” Crutchmer said. “I knew it was going to be hard. You could see it, how big he was, and that does play a factor in fights. I had no hesitation. I told our coaches, ‘I’ll get paid a little bit more and we’ll roll with it.'”

Al Horford says chemistry with Joel Embiid is progressing for Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers big man Al Horford says the chemistry with Joel Embiid is progressing.

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For the Philadelphia 76ers to truly reach their full potential, they will need Al Horford and Joel Embiid to form some real, unbreakable chemistry. They need them to be able to play off each other and become the formidable duo the Sixers envisioned when they brought in Horford in free agency.

On Sunday night in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, Embiid had 18 points and nine rebounds while Horford added 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. It has been tough for the two to actually get some court time in the early going as Embiid has missed three of the team’s first nine games of the season, but Horford does see some progress in their on-court relationship.

Yeah, I do believe that it is progressing. For me, it’s continuing to understand what we’re trying to do on the offenisve end and just kind of being in the right place and right time for him and for our group and not necessarily thinking like ‘oh what’s this play?’ so it’s coming along. I think everything takes time to be perfect, but it is coming along.

The Sixers are going against the current NBA trend with two traditional big men start in Horford and Embiid so it can be a bit clunky and disorganized a bit in the early going. The only thing that can continue to help them is time and continuing to play together. They just need to continue to trend in the right direction. [lawrence-related id=19038,19027,19013]

New Bears center Cody Whitehair promises to ‘get better as we go’

As the Bears switched Cody Whitehair back to center against the Lions, he had some ups and downs in his return to center.

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The Chicago Bears made some adjustments on offense prior to Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Whether that was benching tight end Adam Shaheen or a switch on the offensive line, Matt Nagy was determined to shake things up.

After switching Cody Whitehair to left guard and James Daniels to center during the offseason, the team decided to switch them back after Daniels struggled at his new position over the first eight games this season.

When Whitehair snapped for the first time Sunday against the Lions, it was his first snap to quarterback Mitchell Trubisky since the pair played in the Pro Bowl back in January.

Whitehair struggled with his snaps, including one that could’ve been a disaster as a fumble that Trubisky managed to turn into a 3-yard gain. There were a few others that were high or wide that Trubisky had to adjust to.

“It went OK for me, but I wish I could have a couple [plays] back …” Whitehair said, via the Sun-Times. “It’ll get better as we go.”

Neither Whitehair or Daniels had played their former positions prior to switching during practice last week.

“It’s not easy switching positions within seven days,” Daniels said, “but [offensive line] coach Harry [Hiestand] believed in me.”

The switch comes after some struggles on the offensive line, where Nagy wouldn’t blame Daniels, just like he wouldn’t focus on Whitehair’s snapping issues.

“I think sometimes when, whatever sport it is — if it’s golf and a golfer has the yips or you get into people, pitchers or whatever — the less you talk about it, the better it gets,” he said.

We’ll see if that’s the case when the Bears travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday Night Football, where defensive star Aaron Donald awaits.

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ONE Championship 102 highlights: Geje Eustaquio’s sick liver kick, Joshua Pacio’s slick title defense

ONE Championship 102 is in the books, and you can check out the highlights right here on MMA Junkie.

ONE Championship 102 is in the books, and you can check out the highlights right here on MMA Junkie.

ONE Championship 101 took place Friday at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, and streamed on B/R Live.

In the main event, Joshua Pacio defended his strawweight title with a second-round arm-triangle choke against Rene Catalan. But ahead of that, there were some brilliant stoppages – including Geje Eustaquio’s one-kick shot to the liver to stop Toni Tauro

You can watch the highlights in the video above.