Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 14 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 14 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
QUARTERBACKS
KYLE ALLEN- $5700 DRAFTKINGS, $7100 FANDUEL
I believe this is the week to pay down at the quarterback position and save cash because you’re going to need it. Kyle Allen can get you there, at near minimum salary for the quarterback position on both sites. He is coming off consecutive 20+ point games and I think it continues in Week 14. The Falcons rank 22nd against opposing quarterbacks and are allowing 259 yards passing per game. The rookie will have something to prove after Ron Rivera was fired and his future is going to become even more of a question moving forward. I think Allen steps up and exceeds value with another 20 point performance this week.
RYAN FITZPATRICK- $6000 DRAFTKINGS, $7400 FANDUEL
The value train continues and who better to highlight that than a man who has gotten a ton of value out of his career. Ryan Fitzpatrick or “Fitzmagic” as they call him, keeps getting it done and puts up points each week no matter what team he plays for. He is coming off two back to back monster games. Fitzpatrick had a 25 point outing versus the Browns and backed it up with a 30 point performance versus the Eagles. He now faces off against the New York Jets and their suspect secondary. Fitzpatrick will be finding his way into my tournament lineups and I will stay away from him in cash games.
RUNNING BACKS
CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY- $10300 DRAFTKINGS, $11000 FANDUEL
Christian McCaffrey is having one of the best seasons I have seen while playing fantasy football. The man is a lock and is averaging a whopping 31 points per game and hopefully carrying me to my season-long championship. He gets points in good and bad matchups, he scores when his team is winning or trailing in games. As long as he is healthy he is on the field accumulating fantasy points. McCaffrey will gash the Atlanta Falcons on the ground and the air. If you have followed this column all season I have written him up in almost every week and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. I don’t mind pairing him with Kyle Allen and hope this game shoots out.
DERRICK HENRY- $8200 DRAFTKINGS, $9100 FANDUEL
If you like to follow game logs you will like to see 24, 36, 32, and 27 as Derrick Henry’s last 4 games. He has 1140 rushing yards on the season, along with 13 touchdowns and has seen a bump in production ever since Ryan Tannehill took over as quarterback. He gets a dream matchup against Oakland who has allowed the 18th most points to opposing running backs and should be in for another big game. I love the combo of McCaffrey and Henry locking up a solid base of 50 points for both your cash games and tournaments in Week 14.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DEANDRE HOPKINS- $7400 DRAFTKINGS, $8300 FANDUEL
DeAndre Hopkins is an elite wide receiver who is coming off a tough matchup versus the Patriots and Stephon Gilmore. I hope that drives down ownership on Hopkins this week. DeAndre has been consistently good all year and I’m expecting a breakout game at home in the dome. If the Broncos can keep this game close we can see fireworks out of Hopkins here at home.
DEVANTE PARKER- $6900 DRAFTKINGS, $7200 FANDUEL
DeVante Parker was one of the main reasons I will be heading to the FanDuel World Fantasy Football Championship in Puerto Rico next weekend, so I will be sure to play him in a nice matchup versus the New York Jets. Parker is coming off 37 point game and gets to face the Jets who rank 22nd against opposing wide receivers. I love the stack with Fitzpatrick in tournaments.
TIGHT ENDS
JACK DOYLE- $4600 DRAFTKINGS, $6300 FANDUEL
Jack Doyle has seen an uptick in targets and receptions with Eric Ebron put on injured reserve. I want to pay down at tight end and Doyle is one of the best value tight ends of the slate. Doyle should be heavily targeted again this week and the Buccaneers struggle to cover the tight end. They rank 31st against opposing tight ends and allow 281 yards passing per game. I see Doyle with at least 5 receptions for 55 yards and I believe he finds his way into the endzone again this week. Lock Doyle in for the best value tight end of the slate.
VANCE MCDONALD- $4300 DRAFTKINGS, $5800 FANDUEL
We can keep this one short. Play the tight end every week against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s a written rule that you can pair with locking Christian McCaffrey in your lineups. The Arizona Cardinals haven’t been able to cover the tight end for years and the trend continues this week. If you need proof go look at the last 20 games of tight end matchups against the Cardinals and you will be shocked by what’s been done. McDonald should be a safe value play for both cash games and tournaments.
DEFENSES
GREEN BAY PACKERS- $4000 DRAFTKINGS, $5000 FANDUEL
Let’s keep it short and sweet with our defenses. We will be targeting two home teams facing off against weak offenses. The Packers get to face off at home in harsh temperatures versus a rookie quarterback and a lackluster offense. This should be a statement game for this Packer team and hopefully the defense steps up and makes some big plays.
HOUSTON TEXANS- $3300 DRAFTKINGS, $4600 FANDUEL
It’s the same strategy here. Let’s lock in the home team versus a rookie quarterback. This Texan defense has looked better and is coming off an impressive win verse Brady and the Patriots. I think the Texans make for a strong play on DraftKings at $3300 and I will sprinkle in shares of this defense in both cash games and tournaments.
Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.
Peterson said McCaffrey is on a whole other level. McCaffrey replied back, calling AP a legend.
Sunday’s game between the Panthers and Redskins featured two of the best running backs of our time. Christian McCaffrey is the best in the NFL right now. Adrian Peterson has previously held that title at the peak of his career, though. After the game, the two backs showed a lot of respect for each other and exchanged jerseys. Today, they traded compliments on Twitter.
Peterson said McCaffrey is on a whole other level. McCaffrey replied back, calling AP a legend.
McCaffrey’s future looks brighter, especially now that Peterson is near the tail end of his career. This week it was Peterson’s team that shined on the ground, though.
Washington totaled 248 rushing yards in Sunday’s win over Carolina – a season high. Peterson accounted for 99 of them, averaging 7.6 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown. Derrius Guice did even more damage. He posted 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries.
Meanwhile, McCaffrey had an uncharacteristically quiet game. He was ineffective as a rusher, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry on 14 attempts. Even more surprising, he struggled as a receiver. McCaffrey only caught seven of 13 targets from Kyle Allen and he dropped a few of them.
McCaffrey will bounce back. Whether the Panthers can find a way to stop the likes of Peterson and Guice is another story.
The Redskins have now won two-straight victories, and this time they did it with their defense and a solid rushing attack.
That one got way too close for comfort.
The scoreboard will read 29-21, but this game was not as close as that would make it seem. Until the Carolina Panthers secured a late touchdown to make it a one-score game, followed by a successful onside kick and a nice attempt to tie the game, the Washington Redskins were blowing the doors off of them, doing whatever they wanted on offense, and stopping everything the Panthers threw at them on defense.
After a tough start to the game, they had an uphill road to travel, but rookie QB Dwayne Haskins and second-year RB running back Derrius Guice forged ahead and were able to put some point on the board. Of course, none of that would be possible without the Washington defense, who held the Panthers scoreless until garbage time after giving up touchdowns on the first two drives of the game. In the end, there will be another celebration in Washington. Here are our biggest takeaways from the game.
Dwayne Haskins is Growing In Front of Our Eyes
Dec 1, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) looks to pass as Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Shaq Thompson (54) defends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Bit by bit, step by step, game by game. It’s unfair to measure a rookie quarterback on a limited body of work, but after four career starts, Dwayne Haskins has started to show some real improvement. His poise in the pocket is palpable, and his accuracy downfield is starting to be dialed in. After a wrist injury caused him to be routinely off the mark in last week’s victory over the Detroit Lions, the QB bounced back on Sunday and went 13-for-5 for 147 yards in his second career victory over the Carolina Panthers. There were no touchdowns, but no turnovers as well.
The progression hasn’t been perfect, and there have still been a number of missteps for Haskins over the past couple of games, but at long last, they are being overshadowed by the good things that he’s done. We don’t want to anoint him as the next great franchise quarterback in Washington, but fans can at least feel confident that they have something to work with under center.
Washington’s Defense was Extremely Impressive
Dec 1, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Washington Redskins cornerback Fabian Moreau (31) reacts after an interception in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Redskins defense was hindered from the very beginning after it was announced earlier in the week that All-Pro linebacker Ryan Kerrigan would be held out with a concussion. Later in the game, they also saw Montez Sweat suffer an injury, and Ryan Anderson was disqualified for a helmet-to-helmet hit on TE Greg Olsen.
Regardless of all that, the Washington defense stepped up in a major way against the Panthers, and they managed to bottle up RB Christian McCaffrey, who is a walking highlight-reel at this point in his career.
After coming into this game as the No. 1 overall player in fantasy football, the Redskins held the back to just 102 total yards and 0 touchdowns in the game. They also were able to bottle up the entire Carolina offense after giving up scores on the first two drives of the game. Here is the Panthers’ drive chart for the game:
Touchdown
Touchdown
Punt
Punt
Punt
Interception
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Touchdown
Fumble
After giving up 14 early points, the defense buckled down and stopped everything that the Panthers tried to do until garbage time. Even without their top-three linebackers — Ryan Kerrigan, Montez Sweat, and Ryan Anderson — the defense flew around and looked like a dominant unit.
Derrius Guice is a Star in the Making
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 01: Derrius Guice #29 of the Washington Redskins reacts after running for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Guice was well-hyped going into his rookie year, and he was well-hyped coming into his second season as well. Both times, unfortunate injuries kept him off the field, but now that we’ve been able to see him lay down a body of work in the NFL, we feel comfortable making the following statement:
Derrius Guice is a very good player, and he has a bright future.
Guice had by far the best game of his career on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, finishing with 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 carries. The Panthers have one of the lesser run-defenses in the NFL, but Washington was able to take advantage of that and get Guice out into space. He routinely made defenders miss on the outside, and he even proved his ability to turn his nose downhill get his shoulder pads cracked up the middle.
There is obviously still the looming veteran in Adrian Peterson that is available in the backfield, but over the past couple of weeks, Guice has proved that he is absolutely the lead back in Washington, and they should treat him as such.
Another Draft Opportunity is Missed
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 01: Fabian Moreau #31 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with teammates after making an interception against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
What’s the cost of victory for the Washington Redskins? It may end up being a highly-valuable draft pick that falls down from near the top spot, and had the Redskins lost again on Sunday against the Panthers, they would have seen their pick rise in the order.
It was another crazy day at the bottom of the barrel in the NFL. The 0-11 Cincinnati Bengals got the first win of their season, and the 2-9 Miami Dolphins found a way to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Had the Redskins lost on Sunday, they would be in a good spot to regain the second overall pick behind the Bengals, but instead, they picked up their second straight victory.
In the end, you could argue that these two weeks of happiness are worth anything that a future draft pick could bring. Then again, you have to consider that Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen can point towards this stretch as a reason to avoid a managerial shakeup this offseason as well…
Here are five takeaways from a disturbing Week 13 loss.
The Panthers blew a 14-point lead at home today against the worst team in the NFC. After falling behind early, the Redskins dominated from the second quarter on and went on to win by a score of 29-21.
Here are five takeaways from a disturbing Week 13 loss.
Christian McCaffrey got lost in the shuffle
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
After a string of outstanding performances, McCaffrey was probably due for a quiet game. McCaffrey had a strong first drive to begin this one. After that, he got lost in the shuffle. Washington’s defensive front seven did a solid job of shutting him down. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner gave up too early on McCaffrey, though. No. 22 finished the afternoon with just 44 rushing yards on 14 carries and was held out of the end zone. He also dropped a couple of passes.
Here are three keys to avoiding what would be an embarrassing upset.
The Panthers are considered big favorites heading into today’s home game against the Redskins. As bad as Washington looks this year, every NFL team is a threat if you don’t take them seriously.
Here are three keys to avoiding what would be an embarrassing upset.
1. Contain Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice
Peterson is now long past his prime when he was the most dynamic running back in the entire NFL and the last to win the MVP award. That doesn’t mean he can’t hurt you, though. The Panthers found that out the hard way in last year’s loss when Peterson ran for 97 yards on just 17 carries. This season, teams have been able to contain him to just 4.1 yards per rush and only one touchdown. Coach Ron Rivera shouldn’t hesitate to load up the box against Peterson and Derris Guice on early downs and force their rookie QB Dwayne Haskins (who has a pitiful 13.7 QBR) to beat them.
2. Avoid turnovers
Underdogs and long shots like the ‘Skins need to win the turnover battle to have any chance when they’re this over-matched. There is no clear favorite in this particular area of the game. Both teams come into Week 13 with an even takeaway/giveaway ratio. Kyle Allen took care of the ball last week (no picks or fumbles). He’ll need to keep that going and especially avoid throwing picks in the red zone as he has a few too many times this year.
3. Feed No. 22
The Panthers have to be mindful of Christian McCaffrey’s workload, especially now that the playoffs are out of reach. However, until they establish a significant lead, the offense should run through him. Washington ranks No. 21 in rushing defense DVOA and has allowed 137.6 rushing yards per game this year – only four teams have given up more on the ground.
The Redskins have a huge challenge on their hands as they look to slow down Christian McCaffrey on Sunday and get their third win.
For a Washington Redskins defense that has actually found some success in the past few weeks, Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers looms large. It stands as quite possibly the toughest test they’ve faced in a while, and it’s all due to one player.
Christian McCaffrey, a powerful and shift running back who is running away with the fantasy football MVP award.
So far this season, McCaffrey has amassed 1,123 rushing yards and 586 receiving yards, making for a league-leading 1,709 total yards at an average of 155 yards from scrimmage per game. Week in and week out, he has gone up against defenses that are scheming to nullify is production, and the rest of the league is still waiting on a blueprint to stopping him.
So how will Washington attempt to slow him down? The same way they did in last year’s 20-17 victory over the Panthers — by stacking the box and blitzing the back.
In an impressive late-season victory a year ago, the Redskins were able to hold McCaffrey to 20 yards on eight rushes and 46 yards on seven receptions. They were able to be so successful because edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan was stout against the run, and Daron Payne muddled up rushing lanes in the middle. According to Mark Bullock at The Athletic, Washington also brought an extra man into the box to offer some run support and spy McCaffrey out of the backfield, a role that will likely be played by Landon Collins on Sunday.
Washington also routinely sent a blitzer on passing plays, causing McCaffrey to stay and help pick it up before releasing on his routes and putting a linebacker in a tough position to cover him out of the backfield.
Blitzing the back was successful for the Redskins against McCaffrey last year, limiting the number of times he was able to work out into a route or at the very least, delaying his release. Expect them to try some different blitzes with the same intent on Sunday.
Will it be just as effective this time around? Maybe, maybe not. McCaffrey is another year older and his level of play has gone up significantly since last season, but it’s worth a shot.
If the Redskins can slow down McCaffrey, then they have a chance to slow down the Panthers and pick up their third win of the season. If not…it could be an ugly afternoon.
Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 13 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 13 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
QUARTERBACKS
PATRICK MAHOMES- $7400 DRAFTKINGS, $8600 FANDUEL
Patrick Mahomes is a stud and if you can find the way to pay up for him I think you should. He has the highest upside of the slate and is consistently averaging 24 points per game this season. Now he’s presented with a home matchup versus the Raiders who rank 25th against opposing quarterbacks. Couple that with the fact Vegas has this game projected to be a shootout with an over/under of 51.5 points and Mahomes is safe for both cash games and tournaments.
NICK FOLES- $5700 DRAFTKINGS, $7500 FANDUEL
Nick Foles is coming off 2 solid games that were against stingy defenses. Now he gets a dream matchup versus the Buccaneers who rank 31st against opposing quarterbacks. His price is discounted due to the fact he has been out for most of the season with the injury so I advise you to take advantage of the low price tag. Foles is a strong value versus terrible pass defense and will exceed value in Week 13.
RUNNING BACKS
CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY- $10500 DRAFTKINGS, $1100 FANDUEL
Christian McCaffrey is having one of the best seasons I have seen while playing fantasy football. The man is a lock and is averaging a whopping 32 points per game. He gets points in good and bad matchups, he scores when his team is winning or trailing in games. As long as he is healthy he is on the field accumulating fantasy points. McCaffrey will torch them on the ground and the air. If you have followed this column all season I have written him up in 80% of them and the trend will continue. Play if safe and pay up for McCaffrey and get different in other spots of your lineup.
JOSH JACOBS- $6900 DRAFTKINGS, $7700 FANDUEL
Josh Jacobs is in the highest projected scoring game by Vegas in Week 13. Jacobs is averaging 16 points per game and is the focal point of this Raiders offense. He is the featured running back and he is involved in the passing game as well. The Chiefs rank 32nd against the run and Jacobs should find the endzone at least once in this matchup. Jacobs has high upside and provides a nice floor at a nice price to provide some value.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DJ CHARK JR- $6600 DRAFTKINGS, $86900 FANDUEL
DJ Chark Jr. has been somewhat of a boom or bust play each week. I think Chark brings the boom versus the Buccaneers in Week 13. He is averaging 18 points per game and he has two 30 point games this season. I think the third 30 point game could come in Week 13. The Buccaneers rank 32nd against opposing wide receivers and have allowed 289 passing yards per game. It’s the best matchup on the board and I will be pairing Foles with Chark in both tournaments and cash games this week.
DJ MOORE- $6800 DRAFTKINGS, $6800 FANDUEL
DJ Moore is quietly having one of the best seasons at the wide receiver position. He should eclipse the 1000 yard marker this week and is averaging 17 points per game. He is coming off four consecutive big games and I see a fifth one coming. The Redskins defense is suspect and Moore should put up points. Take the value he provides and lock in a consistent player with the upside for tournaments.
TIGHT ENDS
TRAVIS KELCE- $7200 DRAFTKINGS, $7100 FANDUEL
Travis Kelce should be in line for a big week against the Raiders. In Week 2 Kelce hauled in 7 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown on the road in Oakland. Now he gets a matchup at home with a hobbled receiving core around him. I think Kelce is as safe as it gets at the tight end position with Kittle and Andrews in tough matchups this week. Kelce is averaging 15 points per game and has eclipsed 20 points in the last 2 games. I will take a repeat performance from Kelce and he will be mixed into my cash games and tournament lineups.
JACK DOYLE- $3300 DRAFTKINGS, $5000 FANDUEL
Jack Doyle should see an uptick in targets and receptions with Eric Ebron put on injured reserve. I like Kelce, Ertz, and Waller at higher price tags but if you need to pay down Doyle is one of the best value tight ends of the slate. Doyle should be the number two target on this offense this week and the Titans struggle to cover the tight end. They rank 15th against opposing tight ends and allow 255 yards passing per game. I see Doyle with at least 5 receptions for 55 yards and if he can find his way into the endzone we should be looking pretty. Lock Doyle in for the best value tight end of the slate.
DEFENSES
NEW YORK JETS- $3700 DRAFTKINGS, $4900 FANDUEL
The Jets have been better defensively the last couple of weeks and now gets a matchup versus the banged up Cincinnati Bengals. They have sacked the quarterback 17 times in the past 4 games and creating turnovers. A matchup versus the Bengals should continue the trend and the Jets come in with one of the safest floors in Week 13.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES- $3600 DRAFTKINGS, $5000 FANDUEL
There are a lot of interesting defenses this week with good to great matchups. I like the Browns, Eagles, and Panthers but the Ravens present the best value at the price. The Ravens are looking like true Super Bowl contenders with the way Lamar Jackson is playing. They are controlling the clock and playing with the lead in most of their games. Their defense is much improved after the trade acquisitions they made and have been dominating teams as of late. A matchup versus the 49ers could go either way but I think their defense makes sense at the value price they present.
Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.
The Panthers got another sensational performance from Christian McCaffrey on Sunday. McCaffrey’s play this season has made him the unquestionable best running back in the NFL. Watch the best of No. 22 from this week’s matchup with the Saints.
For the year, McCaffrey has totaled 1,123 yards and 12 touchdowns on 221 carries. He leads the league averaging 102.1 rushing yards per game. As a receiver, he’s posted another 586 yards and four more scores.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame these moments have been few and far between in odd-numbered years, when the Irish finish their regular season on the west-coast.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series against Stanford 19-13 (2012 being vacated) but hasn’t won at Stanford since the forgettable 2007 campaign that came to forgiving end with a rather forgettable 21-14 win at Stanford.
We’ve got all week still to get set for a regular season conclusion at Stanford, who has been incredibly disappointing this season, but let’s take a quick moment to look back on the five-straight Notre Dame has lost at Stanford, a trend they hope to finally end in the Brian Kelly era this Saturday.
Allen was confident and effective once again in an extraordinarily difficult venue to win in.
In sacrificing better judgment for the sake of a juicy storyline, much of the football world has done its darnedest over the past 10 weeks to prop up Kyle Allen as the future of the Carolina Panthers. Well, he’s not. Allen, for the most part, will keep you in games – not put you over the top as do many of the league’s premier players at the position.
He’s someone you can feel relatively comfortable with in a pinch, given his aptitude to allow his offense’s best play-makers to make plays and not utterly self-implode. But his handful of flaws—most notably his feel for the pocket, his frantic processing, lack of downfield arm strength and a recent absence of ball security—won’t get you too far.
Today, however, was the day we finally saw that propped up Kyle Allen—that gritty, poised, moxie-filled Kyle Allen those overly excited folks have been so eager to die on a hill for.
Coming off his worst career outing, an afternoon where he threw four interceptions at home against a largely lost Atlanta Falcons defense, Allen shined under difficult circumstances in New Orleans. Allen was confident and effective once again in an extraordinarily difficult venue to win in.
Unfortunately for the Panthers and their playoff hopes, it just wasn’t enough.
Down 14-0 midway through the first quarter, Carolina got a boost from their quarterback. Allen shook off those downfield cobwebs and connected with wide receiver DJ Moore on a beauty of a 51-yard touchdown pass to keep the Panthers afloat in what was otherwise quickly turning into a thorough beat-down.
He’d do the same late in the third, leading the offense to a seven-play, 71-yard scoring trek to cut off the New Orleans Saints, who nearly broke away on a touchdown the possession prior, and cut into their 31-18 lead. Running back Christian McCaffrey (133 total yards, two touchdowns) put the 4-yard cherry on top of the drive to chop the deficit to seven.
After tying the game on a two-yard strike to Moore (six receptions, 126 yards), who also had his most impressive performance of 2019, Allen again pushed the Panthers into range, this time leaving a potential go-ahead, 28-yard field goal try for kicker Joey Slye with 2:00 left.
But, like he did on the pair of extra point tries on the two aforementioned scoring drives, Slye missed. And Wil Lutz, who was set up for a 33-yard game-winner by the Saints offense, did not.
Save for an interception by Tre Boston, the unit’s first takeaway since Week 9, and a fourth-down stop by safety Eric Reid (15 tackles), the Panthers struggled to take advantage of a Saints offense that wasn’t up to its usual standards. One sack through the game’s first 58 minutes and forcing just nine incompletions for quarterback Drew Brees won’t get much done in that particular dome.
While the Panthers’ postseason outlook was already fading even before the loss, this one stings a tad more for Allen (23-of-36, 256 yards, three touchdowns) and that valiant comeback. It may sting even harder for head coach Ron Rivera, who has his team at 5-6 and could be coaching out the rest of the season for his job in 2020 and beyond.
