Tag: NFL Week 2

Lions vs. Seahawks: How to watch, listen and stream the Week 4 matchup

Lions vs. Buccaneers: How to watch, listen and stream the Week 2 matchup

The new-look Detroit Lions debut their blue helmets and black jerseys for a Monday Night Football date with the unbeaten Seattle Seahawks.

Detroit Lions (2-1) vs. Seattle Seahawks (3-0)

Monday, Sept. 30th, 8:15 p.m. ET

Ford Field, Detroit

Watch

The game is one of two Monday Night Football broadcasts from ESPN. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will have the call, with Lisa Salters on the sidelines. The game will not be shown over-the-air on local networks.

Listen

The Lions radio broadcast team of Dan Miller, Lomas Brown and T.J. Lang returns for another year. Their call of the game can be heard on the 45 affiliates of the Detroit Lions Radio Network across Michigan, including the flagship station, 97.1 the Ticket in Detroit.

Outside of Michigan, the game will be broadcast on the syndicated Westwood One Network. Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner will be on the call. Check your local listings. The Lions call will be broadcast on Sirius XM Radio channel 225, and the game will be the national game on channel 88.

Stream

ESPN will stream the game on its own app. Payment may be required.

FUBO Sports will stream the game as well. They’re offering a free trial available for this game.

The NFL+ app will also stream the game for out-of-market fans on mobile devices.

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FEMA accidentally sends release on Saints’ big win over Cowboys

FEMA officials accidentally sent out a “major disaster” declaration in Texas after the Saints overwhelmed the Cowboys last week:


The New Orleans Saints’ 44-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys may have been a disaster for fans in Texas, but it was seen as a “major disaster” for the entire state, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On Thursday morning following the game, FEMA sent out a release with the bewildering headline: “President Daniel Largues Declares Major Disaster After Saints Beat Cowboys in Dallas.”

The original release stated the following:

“FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Texas to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 15, 2024.”

FEMA officials then followed that email up quickly with a response regarding why it was sent out in the first place, explaining that it had been meant exclusively for training and was only been released to the public by accident:

“Today, the FEMA Press Office inadvertently sent an email to be used for training purposes only. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please direct any questions to the FEMA Press Office.”

Not only is the release itself pretty funny, but the fact that they use fake emergency copy behind the scenes as training is also pretty hilarious. Knowing that someone in their offices — either a disappointed Cowboys fan or an enthusiastic Saints supporter — typed that up as a method of training for the actual FEMA response system is no doubt one of the best things to come out of this Week 2 victory. Hopefully they can keep it in the drafts though next time the Cowboys lose.

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Detroit Lions Podcast: Worry-o-meter after Week 2

Detroit Lions Podcast goes over the team’s Worry-o-meter after Week 2

Week 2 didn’t go as hoped for the Detroit Lions. The 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Ford Field has shaken the early hope of some Lions fans.

This latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast is all about the level of worry about the team after the relatively uninspiring 1-1 start. How worried are we about different components of the Lions, from Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson through Jared Goff and Terrion Arnold?

Its a different way to look at the Lions as they head to Arizona. We also preview the matchup with the Cardinals, as well as discussing the news that Campbell was forced to sell his home by overzealous fans threatening his security.

The audio-only version of the show is available from your favorite podcast provider.

Joe Mixon calls out NFL over same issue Ja’Marr Chase just encountered

Joe Mixon stands with Ja’Marr Chase on this topic.

In the Cincinnati Bengals Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was tackled in the fourth quarter and seemed to have an issue with the way he was brought down.

He screamed at the referee who he thought should have made the call for a hip-drop tackle – a rule that was put into place over this past offseason – and received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that made it tougher for the Bengals to secure a first down late.

Former Bengal and now Houston Texan Joe Mixon had a similar thing happen to him over the weekend with no flag thrown a play that he was injured on, and he let his feelings on it be known on Twitter after the game.

“The NFL and NFLPA made it a rule and an emphasis for a reason,” Mixon wrote on Twitter. “Time to put your money where your mouth is.”

Mixon did return to the game, but only had one carry on seven snaps for the rest of the game.

He was told by the referees that the play did not violate the ban when he asked why there was no flag. There will still be fines for Week 2 announced over the weekend and T.J. Edwards, Mixon’s tackler, could still be fined for the tackle, so the NFL could still change its tune on the call. The same could happen for Chase’s, a play which luckily didn’t injure him.

https://twitter.com/Joe_MainMixon/status/1835546553462792333

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NFL power rankings roundup: Saints make a huge jump going into Week 3

The New Orleans Saints have seen a meteoric rise in the NFL power rankings from major media outlets after their high-flying victory over the Dallas Cowboys:

The New Orleans Saints are cooking with grease now.

With another major victory in the books, taking down the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 44-19, the Saints have seen a huge jump in the NFL power rankings from many of the major media outlets. Playing at a high level for one game did not convince many people, especially against the miserable Carolina Panthers, but doing so for two consecutive weeks and putting up a whopping 91 points in that time frame has turned many heads. Taking down a much-hyped Cowboys team has its perks.

The Saints got as high as 3rd on the rankings this week with The Athletic viewing them as a top team in the NFL, where the absolute bottom is 12th from Pro Football Focus and Yahoo Sports, which is nearly higher than last week’s highest rating (11th from The Ringer). Here is the full list:

ESPN:  9th (last week: 23rd)

Pro Football Focus: 12th (last week: 14th)

NFL.com: 8th (last week: 24th)

CBS Sports: 6th (last week: 25th)

Bleacher Report: 4th (last week: 18th)

ProFootballTalk: 10th (last week: 23rd)

Yahoo Sports: 12th (last week: 22nd)

The Athletic: 3rd (last week: 11th)

FOX Sports: 9th (last week: 21st)

The Ringer: 11th (last week: 25th)

High: 3rd – Low: 12th – Average: 8.4

Many outlets now see the Saints as we fans and Saints media do, as a competitive team that may be something to watch for come playoff time if they keep up this type of momentum. This would really be the case if they look good in their next few matchups, taking on the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Kansas City Chiefs during that span. Going 2-1 or even 3-0 during those games would launch the Saints even further up, and really solidify their standing for weeks to come.

First up is the Eagles though, and despite their 1-1 record, they have proven to be a competent opponent in the past with the Saints, and a team with a difficult to stop rushing attack for New Orleans in prior matchups. We will see if they are able to get to 3-0 and make their mark quickly on the landscape.

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Dennis Allen credits the run game for quieting Cowboys’ pass rush

Limiting Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was pivotal. The Saints did it by running the football and avoiding must-pass situations:

Stopping Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was a key to victory for the New Orleans Saints against the Dallas Cowboys. Their ability to rush the passer is the defense’s greatest strength, yet Derek Carr didn’t see much pressure on Sunday.

Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning did a good job winning that matchup in the pass and run game. Part of stopping the Cowboys unit was running the football. Dennis Allen looked at the diminished impact of Lawrence and Parsons and felt “part of it was we were able to run the football.”

Alvin Kamara caught a touchdown, but his 115 rushing yards were equally as effective in slowing down the pass rush.

“When you’re able to run the ball and you’re able to put yourself in manageable situations, you’re not having to get into a dropback passing mode where they can unleash their pass rush,”  Allen explained.

That’s exactly what they did. The Saints only faced third down on eight occasions in this game. Just four of them were longer than 4 yards. One was a kneel-down and another was when the Saints were running out the clock and keeping the ball on the ground.

This means New Orleans only faced two third downs of more than 4 yards. The Saints were rarely in must-pass situations, and it kept the Cowboys’ best assets from getting active.

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Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick make the PFF team of the week

Erick McCoy and Lucas Patrick were the highest graded Saints at Pro Football Focus. This earned them each a spot on the PFF team of the week:

New Orleans Saints offensive linemen Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick each earned a spot on the Pro Football Focus team of the week after the Saints’ dominant victory against the Dallas Cowboys.

But one name missing from the list was Alvin Kamara. James Cook got the nod over Kamara after running 78 yards and two touchdowns while catching a 17-yard touchdown pass for the Buffalo Bills. Both had monster games, but Kamara was snubbed on this list.

Kamara simply had the better game. Cook finished with 95 total yards. Kamara had 115 rushing yards alone and added 65 yards through the air, for a total of 180. That’s nearly double the yardage. Kamara also had four touchdowns compared to Cook’s three.

That being said, it’s a PFF team of the week, and the criteria is obviously heavily based on their grades. Cook received an 87.3 grade while Kamara ended with a grade of 67.4.

McCoy and Patrick were the Saints’ two highest-graded players in Week 2. New Orleans dominated the trenches, and it was most evident on the interior. On occasions when there was pressure from the defensive ends, Derek Carr could always step up in the pocket.

More than just this week, McCoy and Patrick are the highest graded linemen in the NFL through two weeks. This speaks volumes for how well the Saints offensive line has performed. Carr has remained clean through two weeks, and he may owe McCoy and Patrick a couple steak dinners.

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Paulson Adebo had one of Week 2’s longest plays, per NFL Next Gen Stats

NFL Next Gen Stats tracking found Paulson Adebo traveled over 90 yards on his interception return against the Dallas Cowboys:

New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo delivered a major swing of momentum right before halftime when he intercepted Dak Prescott. What ensued was one of the longest plays of Week 2.

Adebo hit the ground after catching the interception, but wasn’t touched down. Instinctually, Adebo jumped up and returned the interception into Dallas Cowboys territory.

Officially, Adebo gained 47 yards. But those 47 yards didn’t come in a straight line. The beginning of the return looked disjointed and uncertain as he navigated traffic to keep the play alive. After getting up, Adebo ran forward and towards the sidelines. A couple of Cowboys players appeared in his sight. He made a loop moving backwards, and nearly went as far back as the catch point before he turned it back around.

In total, Adebo traveled 95.1 yards according to NFL Next Gen Stats. With all of the running around, Adebo ran double the amount of yards he’s credited for. That was good for the fifth-longest play in the NFL this week.

The Saints cornerback didn’t grow up far from A&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play. He went to school at nearby Mansfield High, so this play was probably very special to him.

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Dennis Allen on the decision to not play Marshon Lattimore vs. Cowboys

Dennis Allen explains why Marshon Lattimore sat out Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, even though the New Orleans Saints corner pushed to play:

New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was a game-time decision against the Dallas Cowboys, and they ultimately didn’t play him — which didn’t keep the Saints from steamrolling the Cowboys in a 44-19 blowout.

The cornerback pulled up with a hamstring injury during the season opener with the Carolina Panthers, which caused him to miss the entirety of practice last week. It was reported Lattimore was pushing to play Sunday morning, and Dennis Allen confirmed this after the game. But Lattimore was held out via coach’s decision to prevent further injury. Allen admitted Lattimore was probably “a little pissed at him.”

What it ultimately came down to is the Saints don’t believe the hamstring issue to be long-lasting, and they want to keep it that way. Allen said he “Didn’t want to risk what we think might be potentially a one-week deal and all of a sudden we turn one week into four weeks.”

By Allen’s remarks and Lattimore’s heavy push to play, it feel as if the cornerback has a good chance to return to action against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3. We’ll look out for him on this week’s injury report.

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Dennis Allen shares update on Taysom Hill’s chest injury

Dennis Allen shared an update on Taysom Hill’s chest injury during Monday’s press conference, but was short on details about what’s ailing him:

The New Orleans Saints have had some injury concerns the past few weeks with key players like Marshon Lattimore and Taliese Fuaga missing time at  practice, but they’ve fought their way to a 2-0 record in spite of it. However, the Saints did pick up another concerning injury in Week 2’s win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Taysom Hill had to visit a Dallas hospital for further evaluation after leaving the Cowboys game with a chest injury. Thankfully, he made the trip back to New Orleans with the team and initially, it seems to not be a major concern. Saints head coach Dennis Allen spoke on the injury in Monday’s press conference after Week 2.

“Taysom’s doing good, he feels good, and I don’t know if we’ve gotten all the results back on (the testing) he went and had some more imaging today,” Allen said. “I think we avoided anything real serious.”

When pressed by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell on whether Hill would have a more detailed listing on this week’s injury report, Allen declined to specify.

“We’re just gonna go with chest,” Allen responded. “That’s what it’s going to say on the injury report. He has a chest injury, it’s nothing that’s serious, and so he’ll be in the rehab process just like everybody else is and we’ll kind of go from there. Look I think sometimes there’s things that are precautionary, you want to make sure everything is okay, and so we went about whatever that normal medical procedure is and Taysom flew back with us on the plane, and he’s back with us today so we’re just monitoring throughout the week, see what he can do, see what he can’t do, and go from there.”

So things are trending in the right direction for Hill, though it’s too soon to say whether he’ll be available for Week 3’s home game with the Philadelphia Eagles. This is a positive sign that Hill stuck with the team and reported to the facility with them on Monday, and that Allen believes it is at this time an issue that could be viewed more as precautionary. We’ll just have to see how this situation develops during the week ahead.

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