The Bills beat the Steelers by a 31-17 final in their wild-card matchup.
Dawson Knox played a part but some Bills fans paid the price.
Knox scored the game’s opening touchdown. As he often does, he celebrated by jumping into the front row of Highmark Stadium.
On this occasion, he was mic’d up with the NFL Films crew. After his score and celebration, Knox came back to the sideline and commented about the jump. He noted how his butt was wet from landing on a few beers.
“You know my math is bad! You know my math is bad!”
The Detroit Lions are one of the NFL’s hottest teams. Dating back to the 2022 season, this formerly moribund franchise has won 12 of its last 15 games. It’s clear the Lions are no longer an NFC North doormat — they are the division’s obvious favorite and resemble a sleeper (dominant?) championship contender.
The Lions might be so good, in fact, their offensive linemen can’t even track how many points they score amidst a ton of butt-kickings in a 4-1 start.
Go figure. Take former Pro Bowl guard Jonah Jackson, for example.
A new mic’d-up video from Inside the NFL features Jackson and Detroit tackle Taylor Decker trying (emphasis on trying) to count the Lions’ late winning margin over the Carolina Panthers last Sunday. After kicker Riley Patterson nailed a late field goal to make it 42-17, Jackson’s math was just a bit … off:
In fairness to Jackson — who has been with the Lions since 2020 –he’s probably not used to Detroit consistently scoring so much after the start of his career. But the Lions have now scored at least 30 points in that same red-hot 15-game stretch that began in 2022. This is what they do now. They just overwhelm, well, everyone.
No one will fault Jackson for his terrible math as long as he continues doing his job blocking well. But he should probably prepared for more fireworks in the future.
Geno Smith still believes in Jaxon Smith-Njigba despite a bit of a slow start to the season. #GoBucks
We’re all waiting for what we think is inevitable, the breakout of former Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the Seattle Seahawks. However, so far, that hasn’t quite happened for the first round draft pick through the first few games of his rookie season.
To date, through three games, Smith-Njigba has just nine receptions for 57 yards (6.3 avg.) with no touchdowns. It’s a stark contrast to the buzz he was receiving in some plays and route-running he made during preseason camp.
But there’s one guy that still believes Smith-Njigba is going to make a big impression this year, and that’s quarterback Geno Smith. In the latest episode of the Inside the NFL on the CW Network, Smith spoke highly of Smith-Njigba and gave him a vote of confidence.
“One of those things where I just noticed on the sideline he was kinda down about it (his lack of production so far),” Smith told host Ryan Clark. “And obviously we got a bunch of talent on this team and there’s only one football. And I want to get Jaxon the ball as much as possible. But it just hasn’t turned out that way so far. I just wanted him to keep his head in the game. I know how hard he works. I know how prepared he is to go out there and make plays. The ball has just not found him yet.
Smith went on to explain how sometimes things just don’t quite align but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t going to hit at some point. He just wants Smith-Njigba to keep plugging away while Smith continues to look for him.
“But that’s my job. I didn’t want him to worry about any of that. Just doing his job, running great routes,” Smith continued. “And trusting that I’ll get him the football. We got young guys that are so talented and they got such high expectations. Sometimes that can weigh on you. I know what that is like. I have been through it. I just wanted to talk to him and let him know that I trust him, I believe in him and there will come a time where he’s going to have to make a big play for us.
You can catch this clip for free and catch the comments, audio and video at cwtv.com, and catch replays every Friday at 9 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
For now, we have little doubt that Smith-Njigba will get things cranked up as the season moves along.
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It’s still early in the 2023 season, but the Baltimore Ravens are already flying high. From a 2-0 start to a revitalized Lamar Jackson playing like a superstar quarterback, Baltimore is rolling and resembles a legitimate AFC power again.
So when the Ravens overcame the rival Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh was in an understandably elated mood. Harbaugh was so happy with his team, in fact, that when an air horn blared during his speech in the Ravens’ post-game locker room, he was completely unbothered by the sound.
As captured by Inside the NFL, an annoying (but ultimately inconsequential) sound isn’t going to ruin the Ravens’ wonderful vibes thus far:
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that sort of unbothered glow from Harbaugh. I guess that’s what happens when your team looks Super Bowl-capable again. You block out the noise in every sense of the phrase.
Reports have surfaced that Pouncey plans to retire, which would make this conversation all the more memorable.
While the Cleveland Browns were celebrating a playoff win in their locker room, the Pittsburgh Steelers were quietly lamenting their loss on the sideline.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey, who have spent the last 11 seasons together, shared an emotional postgame moment on an otherwise empty bench.
But it wasn’t a private one. NFL Films was there to capture every word for Inside the NFL.
âIâm sorry, brother,” Roethlisberger told Pouncey. “Youâre the only reason I wanted to do this, man… Oh, I feel worse for you than me. I hate it, man.â
Monday brought speculation about whether Pouncey had played the final game of his career. Though nothing is official yet, Steelers beat reporter Dale Lolley indicates Pouncey plans to retire.
Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh press after the game, “I love that guy. He is one of the best competitors and teammates I’ve ever had. It’s been so much fun to share a football field with him. I hate that it ended the way it did. I just wanted to apologize to him that I wanted to win it for him.”
Jets legend Joe Namath questioned Adam Gase’s leadership abilities and believes that New York has to do something about it.
Never one to shy away from sharing his opinion, Joe Namath voiced his concerns about Adam Gase this week.
Appearing on Showtimes’s “Inside the NFL,” Namath was quick to blame New York’s 1-13 record on the team’s coaching staff. A former player himself, Namath stopped short at blaming those within the locker room, but rather those who are supposed to be leading it.
âYouâve gotta question the daily leadership,â Namath said, per NJ.com. âThe leadership, the coaching staff in its entirety has to be looked at. Because I believe the players try hard every play. Theyâre getting evaluated, and in the locker room, teammates can look around that locker room and know who is focused in the meetings, in practice and in games. They can recognize the guys that really want it ⊠Itâs the leadership, they have to do something about that.â
To Namath’s point, the Jets’ effort was on full display in the team’s upset win over the Rams in Week 15. Namath added that he didn’t think Gang Green would win at all this season.
Namath didn’t single Gase out by name, but it’s obvious who he was referring to when he talks about leadership and the coaching staff. As the head coach brushed off questions regarding his future with the organization on Wednesday, it’s evident that Namath believes a change should be on the horizon.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the talk of the NFL world and has some even joking about returning to the field.
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The Baltimore Ravens seemingly have something special going for them this season. With dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson leading a unique offense that has been on fire, they sit at 7-2 with a hefty lead in the AFC North standings and a hold on the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff race. It has legendary former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis joking about suiting up again.
On Showtime’s “Inside The NFL,” Lewis jokingly said he told owner Steve Bisciotti he still has “two quarters left” in him and he could come back to play with Jackson this season.
Lewis especially praised Jackson and Baltimore’s offense for being able to stretch out drives when needed. Against the New England Patriots in Week 9, Jackson led back-to-back touchdown drives late in the game that took just under 18 minutes off the clock in a 37-20 victory. While Lewis had a Hall of Fame career with Baltimore, he never played on a team with an offense as capable as what the Ravens have right now.
“If you all are holding the ball for seven minutes on a drive, and then nine minutes on a drive, I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve never had that in my career,'” Lewis continued.
The Ravens lead the league in time of possession, holding the ball for 34:07 per game, and points per game (33.3), so Lewis has a solid point here. The offense being able to sustain drives has helped keep an inconsistent Baltimore defense stay fresh late in games. In previous years, we’ve seen the defense falter in the second half and give up leads. But by putting up enough points early and keeping the ball out of the hands of the opposing offense, Baltimore has coasted to huge victories in recent weeks.
While Lewis is joking about a return to the sport after retiring seven years ago, it highlights just how quickly Jackson has earned respect in the league. With his leadership and playmaking ability, Jackson has clearly won over not only his own teammates but has seen plenty of opposing players give him high praise. As chants continue to grow for Jackson to win the NFL’s MVP award this season, the Ravens will continue to see people jump on his bandwagon.
Jackson’s energy and the respect he’s earned could cause priority free agents to choose the Ravens over more money from lesser teams. That could pay dividends as general manager Eric DeCosta continues to build up a young but talented roster.
