Tag: Byron Young

Former Vols combine for four tackles in Rams’ playoff loss to Eagles

Two former Vols compete for the Rams in playoff loss at Philadelphia.

Philadelphia defeated Los Angeles, 28-22, Sunday in the AFC divisional round. The NFL playoff game was contested at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Two former Vols competed for the Rams against Philadelphia.

Los Angeles safety Jaylen McCollough totaled two tackles, one tackle for a loss, one sack and one quarterback hit. Linebacker Byron Young recorded  two tackles for the Rams.

McCollough played at Tennessee from 2019-23 under head coaches Jeremy Pruitt and Josh Heupel. He appeared in 60 games and made a school-record 51 starts.

Young played for the Vols from 2021-22 under Heupel after transferring from Georgia Military College. The former Vol was an All-SEC standout in 2022.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles to host Commanders in NFC Championship game after 28-22 win over Rams

Eagles to host Commanders in NFC Championship game after 28-22 win over Rams in the NFC Divisional Round

The Eagles are headed to the NFC title game and host their division rival, the Washington Commanders. After holding on for a 28-22 win over the Rams in the NFC divisional round, the Eagles will play the Washington Commanders.

In what can only be described as a barn burner, Philadelphia looked like they put the game away after going up 28-15, but the Rams scored a late fourth-quarter touchdown to pull within seven. After the Eagles could not maximize their final offensive drive, the Rams had one final shot on a ten-play, 60-yard drive that fell short with an incomplete pass to Puka Nucau at the Philadelphia 22-yard line.

The No. 2 seed Eagles will host the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders (12-5), who defeated the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (15-2) 45-31 at Ford Field on Saturday night.

Washington’s 45 points were the most in a playoff game in franchise history.

Detroit quarterback Jared Goff threw three interceptions and was uneven all night. He went 23-40 passing for 313 yards (7.8 avg), one touchdown, and a 59.7 quarterback rating. The Lions’ running game was dynamic but underused, as Jahmyr Gibbs had 14 carries for 105 yards (7.5 avg) and two rushing touchdowns.

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For Washington, Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite and Pro Bowler, Jayden Daniels was 22-31 passing for 299 yards (9.6 avg), two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 122.9 quarterback rating.

In an offensive shootout, the two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense and 57 first downs.

Philadelphia and Washington split the season series, with the Commanders pulling off a 36-33 home win in Week 16 after Jalen Hurts was ruled out with a concussion.

Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles holds a 13-10 lead over Rams in divisional round

Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles holds a 13-10 lead over Rams in divisional round

The weather came as expected, but there were plenty of big plays in the first half as the Eagles hold a 13-10 lead over the Rams at home in the divisional round game on Sunday. A Philadelphia win and Nick Sirianni would host the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game next week. The Eagles lost rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the first half with a shoulder injury, and Isaiah Rodgers matched up with Rams wide receivers on the outside, which will be something to watch. With the second half quickly approaching, here sights and sounds from the first 30 minutes. ***

Eagles vs. Rams: Pregame sights and sounds from NFC Divisional Round game

We’re looking at pregame sights and sounds from the Philadelphia Eagles matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round

We’re now minutes away from the Eagles, and Rams kicking off their divisional-round matchup at Lincoln Financial Field.

Philadelphia is look to reach 7-0 in the Divisional Round at home in their franchise history and advance to another NFC Championship Game. With kickoff moments away, here are the pregame sights and sounds from a gigantic matchup.

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Former Vols combine for 10 tackles in Rams’ playoff win against Vikings

Two former Vols combine for 10 tackles in Los Angeles’ NFL playoff win against the Vikings.

Los Angeles (11-7) defeated Minnesota (14-4), 27-9, in a NFL playoff wild card game on Monday. The game was contested at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Two former Vols competed for the Rams against Minnesota.

Los Angeles linebacker Byron Young totaled four tackles, two tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits. Safety Jaylen McCollough recorded six tackles in the Rams’ win.

Young played at Tennessee from 2021-22 under head coach Josh Heupel after transferring from Georgia Military College. The former Vol was an All-SEC standout in 2022.

McCollough played for the Vols from 2019-23 for Heupel and Jeremy Pruitt. He appeared in 60 games and made a school-record 51 starts.

PHOTOS: Byron Young through the years

Byron Young (0). Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images

Byron Young is in a class of his own with this impressive NFL-leading stat

No player in the NFL has forced more turnovers via pressure than Rams edge rusher Byron Young

Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner get a ton of attention and praise along the Rams’ defensive line, and for good reason. They’re crucial pieces up front, but Byron Young is a player who should not be forgotten.

Since coming in as a third-round rookie in 2023, all he’s done is make plays for the Rams. He has 84 total pressures in the last two years, according to Pro Football Focus, and before Sunday’s win over the Saints, he went nine straight games with at least three pressures.

Beyond just sacking the quarterback, he finds ways to create turnovers by generating pressure off the edge. In fact, he’s better at it than any other player in the NFL.

According to Next Gen Stats, Young is the only player in the league who has forced at least five turnovers via pressure this season. T.J. Watt and Danielle Hunter are tied for second with four, and five other players (including Verse) have three.

It was Verse’s pressure against the Packers that led to a pick-six by Jaylen McCollough. He also forced a fumble against the 49ers that Braden Fiske recovered, creating a takeaway in the Rams’ win over their rivals.

He had three other pressures that led to interceptions, as well, giving him five turnovers created by pressure on the year.

Young’s 34 total pressures rank fourth on the team and his six sacks are tied for the most of any Rams player this year – after tying for second on the team with eight sacks a year ago.

Young may not get the attention that Verse and Fiske do, but his impact on the Rams defense shouldn’t be ignored. He’s been a big reason for their success this season, as evidenced by the five turnovers he’s created.

Saquon Barkley runs the Rams out of SoFi Stadium, carrying the Eagles to their 7th straight win

A sea of Eagles fans took over SoFi Stadium, carrying Philadelphia to its 7th straight win on Sunday night as Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night

The Eagles are 9-2 and have won seven straight games after Saquon Barkley exploded in the running game, and A.J. Brown was dominant in the passing game. Philadelphia put the league on notice with a 37-20 win at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

If not for a late Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp, Philadelphia would have exited Los Angeles with a 37-14 road win just seven days before a monster matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13.

Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night and had 302 total yards of offense in a game that saw A.J. Brown log 109 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven targets.

Rams’ relentless pass rush will be tested vs. Eagles’ elite tackles Sunday

There isn’t a better pair of tackles than the Eagles’, which presents the Rams’ young edge rushers with their biggest test yet

The Los Angeles Rams’ young pass rush has silenced any and all doubters about how they would fare without Aaron Donald, ranking among the NFL’s best units through 11 weeks this season. Jared Verse and Byron Young have already established themselves as an outstanding tandem on the edges, but that duo will be tested in a big way on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The pairing of Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson might just be the best offensive tackle tandem in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Mailata has the second-best pass-blocking grade (92.1) of any tackle in football this year, and Johnson is close behind at No. 4 with a grade of 87.3.

Combined, they’ve allowed just 12 total pressures on 487 pass-blocking snaps, which is an incredibly low rate. They’re equally good in the run game, too, ranking fourth and sixth, respectively, in run-blocking grades this season.

The chart below truly shows how good they’ve each been in 2024. They have two of the highest island rates of any tackle, which means they’re rarely getting help from a guard, running back or tight end in pass protection. They also have the two highest grades over expectation when left on an island.

This isn’t to say Verse and Young can’t have success against Mailata and Johnson, but it’ll be much more difficult for them to generate pressure than usual. Johnson has only allowed at least one pressure in three games this season and Mailata has allowed zero pressures in three of his six starts this year.

What will help is the presence of Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske on the interior. That’s where Los Angeles could have more success pressuring Jalen Hurts, ideally flushing him from the pocket with internal pressure and allowing Verse and Young to contain him on the edge.

Disrupting Hurts is one of the best ways to beat the Eagles and break the rhythm of their offense, so it’s essential for either the defensive tackles to win their matchups or for Verse and Young to put together a fantastic performance on the outside.

Rams’ Byron Young fined for controversial no-call against Vikings in Week 8

The latest salt in the wound for Vikings fans came in the form of Rams defensive lineman Byron Young being fined by the NFL.

Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season will stick in the minds of Vikings fans through the rest of the year and beyond. For a franchise that has seen so many bad turns of luck of the years, it was just another reminder of what it means to be a Vikings fan.

The latest salt in the wound for Vikings fans came in the form of Rams defensive lineman Byron Young being fined by the NFL.

The play that resulted in Young getting the fine was the controversial no-call by the officiating crew on a critical drive for the team. The play involved a sack that had a clear facemask penalty involved, but the no-call meant the Vikings suffered a safety rather than a 15-yard penalty.

The Vikings would drop to 5-2 on the year and are now focused on snapping their skid. They will make that attempt on Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts in front of a national audience.

Eagles place DT Byron Young on Injured Reserve

Philadelphia Eagles place Byron Young on Injured Reserve

The Eagles are placing defensive tackle Byron Young on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Young missed the entire week of practice, and will now miss the next four games minimum.

Young is the second player placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, joining star left tackle, Jordan Mailata.

Young has been inactive for all six games, since the Eagles claimed the former third round pick off waivers from the Raiders.

The Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle was the No. 70 overall pick in 2023 after a collegiate career that included a College Football Playoff National Championship and a second-team All-SEC nod in 2022.

Young began last summer on the physically unable to perform list but was activated for the preseason. Young played in six games during his rookie season, logging no more than 31% of the defensive snaps, as he was on the field for 99 defensive snaps and 13 special-teams plays.

Young recorded four tackles in 2023, but gets a fresh start on a team with over a dozen former SEC stars.