According to Pro Football Focus, #Chiefs DB L’Jarius Sneed has been supremely stingy in coverage since Week 15
The Kansas City Chiefs have relied on exceptional play from their defensive backs to keep opposing offenses in check this season, and L’Jarius Sneed has been a key part of the team’s game plans against star wide receivers.
His dominance this season is well documented, but the experts at Pro Football Focus shined a spotlight on Sneed’s recent tear of superb performances ahead of Kansas City’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills this weekend.
According to PFF, Sneed has allowed just 10 receptions and 87 yards since Week 15 and still hasn’t allowed a touchdown this season.
While the veteran defensive back wasn’t part of the Associated Press All-Pro roster or a Pro Bowl selection, Sneed’s tenacity has helped keep the Chiefs afloat in a season where Kansas City needed its defensive stars to step up as its offense plateaued.
Expect Sneed’s matchups against Bill receiver Stefon Diggs to steal the spotlight in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs this weekend.
Look: Bryan Edwards’ best catches from Derek Carr with the Raiders, now together with the Saints
The New Orleans Saints excited some fans early this week with the pickup of wide receiver Bryan Edwards, who made some of his best catches on passes from Derek Carr when they were both playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Saints could use more help at receiver given the thin depth on their roster, so signing Edwards makes a lot of sense.
Now they’re together again in black and gold, and hoping to reestablish the connection that saw Edwards eclipse 500 receiving yards just two years ago. Here’s a quick look at some of their best completions in silver and black, giving us an idea of what they might be able to accomplish in New Orleans:
Which Saints wide receivers dropped the most passes last year? Some of their newest additions, like Jarvis Landry and Dai’Jean Dixon, boast the best hands:
Jameis Winston is back under center for the New Orleans Saints, but a lot has changed around him. Pete Carmichael will be calling plays to his headset, for one. For another, the New Orleans Saints have added a number of new wide receivers to the mix through free agency, the 2022 NFL draft, and the scrum for undrafted rookie signings after the event. But which of them have the best hands? To find out, here are the targets, receptions, and drops for each Saints wideout from the 2021 season.
It’s important to note that drops are a really badly overrated stat, in the sense that they impact such a small fraction of plays. When a receiver is being thrown at 100-plus times in a single season, they tend to catch the ball much more frequently than they drop it. And a player’s drop rate can change dramatically from one year to the next – a great example is Chris Olave, who was only dinged with one drop in the 2020 season before he dropped five passes in 2021. A great receiver can be undercut by a subpar quarterback, too.
So don’t read too deeply into it. At the same time, the player only gets into that position by reliably catching the ball when it’s thrown their way so often in practice. Too many drops in low-stakes situations reduces their opportunities when the bright lights are on, and it can spell their end with the team altogether.
Let’s get to it. Here’s how it broke down for each of the wide receivers on the 90-man roster ahead of training camp, except for Michael Thomas and Kawaan Baker, who were not targeted in 2021. Thomas missed the year with an injury, while Baker was on the practice squad. The list is ordered by their respective drop rates:
The Seattle Seahawks notched four spots on the NFL’s list of the 100 greatest catches of the 2020 season, three by Lockett and one by Moore.
The NFL recently released their list of the 100 greatest catches of the 2020 season, and the Seattle Seahawks had four plays that notched spots on it.
Wide receiver Tyler Lockett had three of the four, while fellow WR David Moore got the other.
Lockett’s touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11 clocked in at No. 90, and two of his 15 receptions in Week 7 against the same team got in the upper half; his one-handed catch over Patrick Peterson came in at No. 49, and his toe-dragging touchdown to make the score 34-24 got No. 43.
However, the biggest of all was Moore’s 38-yard touchdown catch in Week 2 against the New England Patriots to give the Seahawks a 21-17 lead, a reception that had a particularly notable stat attached to it.
Russell Wilson & David Moore's 38-yard TD had just a 6.3% Completion Probability, the 2nd-most improbable completion since 2018.
Looking at prop bets centered around San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel’s receptions and receiving yards in the 2020 Super Bowl.
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There is no juicier sporting event to bet on than the 2020 Super Bowl. Aside from picking the San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs to win, a sharp can win money via player prop betting. Let’s analyze, and pick, BetMGM‘s Super Bowl prop betting odds and lines for 49ers WR Deebo Samuel’s receptions and receiving yards projections.
Don’t sleep on the Chiefs pass defense. They have given up the fewest catches and receiving yards to wide receivers this season. Kansas City has allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards and, according to Football Outsiders, the Chiefs have the sixth-best pass defense by their DVOA metric.
The biggest thing keeping Samuel away from going Over on his receptions props could be the 49ers themselves. Positive game script for San Francisco is them bludgeoning the Chiefs defense with the run. Plus, the 49ers’ most dynamic pass-catcher is TE George Kittle. Acquiring WR Emmanuel Sanders at the trade deadline before Week 8 added yet another option for QB Jimmy Garoppolo. In the 15 games in which Samuel has played this season, he has caught five or more balls in only five games. His 68.9% catch rate ranks 68th in the NFL but Samuel’s 5.29 targets per game ranks 85th.
BetMGM has factored in these things before making their line, hence the Under 4.5 catches is juiced to -143. The math says this prop goes Under so swallow the vig and BET DEEBO SAMUEL UNDER 4.5 CATCHES (-143).
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Deebo Samuel’s Super Bowl LIV receiving yards: 56.5
(Photo credit: Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports)
It’s almost guaranteed head coaches Kyle Shanahan and Andy Reid will dial-up exquisite shot plays. They’ve been doing it all year. Both have the play design and personnel to throw the kitchen sink at each other.
The Chiefs’ secondary has played well all season long but their best player is All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu, and it makes sense if his main assignments are Kittle and the 49ers’ vaunted ground game. San Francisco is tied with the New England Patriots for the fourth-most pass plays of 20-plus yards, and Samuel had 18 of those in his 15 regular season and postseason games played. So, between the 49ers’ powerful rushing attack and the explosive Kittle, expect Garoppolo to take some shots downfield against one-on-one coverage to his wideouts. BET DEEBO SAMUEL OVER 56.5 RECEIVING YARDS (+100).
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Amari Cooper’s career was revitalized after being traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round draft pick. Cooper’s production has also helped the Dallas team a large amount as they finally have a receiving threat to …
Amari Cooper’s career was revitalized after being traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round draft pick.
Cooper’s production has also helped the Dallas team a large amount as they finally have a receiving threat to complement their dangerous ground game, headlined by Ezekiel Elliott.
In the Cowboys’ most recent matchup against the New England Patriots, Cooper was held without a catch for all four quarters… and twitter didn’t let him forget about it.
Here are some examples of what NFL fans had to say about it:
They held Amari cooper in solitary confinement , that boy had 0 yards today 0 catches LMAOOOOOOO
New Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon only registered two catches in the team’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, but both were crucial.
Josh Gordon made crucial contributions in his first game as a Seattle Seahawk on Monday night, despite his stat line showing only two catches for 27 yards. Both of those catches were vital plays in the game against the San Francisco 49ers and offered a glimpse of what the Seahawks and their fans can expect from him moving forward.
Russell Wilson credited Gordon for making the most of his opportunities and helping the team achieve their most important victory of the season.
“Josh Gordon has been a great addition to our team,” Wilson told reporters after the win. “We have a lot of great receivers and a lot of guys who can catch the football and make plays. He made some huge, huge catches today on third downs. He had the one slant to the right and I think another on the left. Just some of the plays he was making with confidence on big third downs to continue drives. He was great. He had a great week. It’s great to have him on our football team.”
Gordon had a reception for 13 yards on third-and-6 that preceded Jason Myers’ 46-yard field goal that gave Seattle a 24-21 lead. His other catch was for 14 yards and a first down in overtime.
While Gordon did not receive many opportunities, he has already displayed a propensity for coming through in the clutch. This could be just what Seattle needs at wide receiver with Tyler Lockett’s status up in the air for Week 12 against the Eagles when the team comes off their bye week.
Sitting at 8-2 with a tough schedule ahead of them, the Seahawks could use more contributions from Gordon down the stretch.
