Tag: nfl week 2 2020

Justin Herbert gets his first NFL start for the Los Angeles Chargers

Tyrod Taylor suffered a chest injury sometime before the game, leading to Justin Herbert making his first NFL start for the Chargers.

In a bit of a late-afternoon surprise, the Los Angeles Chargers opened their Week 2 outing against the Kansas City Chiefs with a new quarterback under center. Tyrod Taylor was out with a chest injury, and when the Chargers’ offense took the field it was rookie Justin Herbert in at quarterback.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Taylor suffered a chest injury “after pregame warmups and before the kickoff:”

You might think this would create a tough opportunity for a rookie quarterback, but Herbert responded to the moment. Pressed into action he led the Chargers on a touchdown drive on their first possession, capping it off with a touchdown run of his own:

Obviously there is a long way to go, but getting a win in his first start – under these circumstances – would be quite the impressive debut from the rookie quarterback.

Watch: Ben Roethlisberger looks back on this touchdown throw

Ben Roethlisberger missed most of last season with an elbow injury to his throwing arm. That arm looked healed on his second TD pass.

Ben Roethlisberger missed almost all of last season with an elbow injury to his throwing arm. But if you were harboring concerns about his ability to make impressive throws this season, those were likely erased on this touchdown strike against the Denver Broncos:

This throw is almost vintage Roethlisberger. He breaks out of the pocket but keeps himself in throwing position, with his eyes downfield and the football in position to throw. He finds Diontae Johnson in the end zone with a strike and the Steelers push their lead back to six.

The throw was Roethlisberger’s second touchdown pass of the day, the first coming on a deep shot to rookie Chase Claypool for 84-yards and a score. But it is this throw, with the quarterback dialing back the clock, that likely has Pittsburgh Steelers fans excited about the weeks to come.

Watch: Daniel Jones continues his turnover struggles

Daniel Jones led the league in fumbles last season. His turnover issues are continuing here into Week 2 of 2020.

Last season New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones played better than expected. Part of that might have had to do with the expectations for him coming into the league, as many thought that he was not the kind of quarterback worthy of an early draft pick. But Jones flashed the ability to attack downfield and make some throws under pressure, perhaps easing fears about his NFL future.

Yet there was one number that had people concerned: 18.

Jones led the league in fumbles last year, and of those 18, 11 of them were recovered by the opposition. All but one of those 11 lost fumbles led to points for the opposition.

Jones did not fumble in his 2020 debut, but he did throw a pair of interceptions. Unfortunately, his fumble issues popped up early in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears:

Jones does have a tendency to be slow with his rehttps://twitter.com/AlexWilsonESM/status/1307737799051878406?s=20ads and decisions, which contributed to those fumble woes in 2019. It seems those issues are back in part here in Week 2.

Oh, and he did not avoid the interception bug early in Week 2 either:

Again, this ball comes out late. Jones opens to the left, and the three-receiver side of the formation. He has the underneath pivot route, which is open, but instead he comes late to the other side of the formation to throw this underneath route. Once more a slow decision leads to a turnover.

The Giants can still find a way to come back in this game – perhaps without running back Saquon Barkley who was injured on back-to-back plays – but they will need Jones to get faster with his mind. Both to win this game, and to win in the future.

Watch: Tom Brady and Mike Evans get on the same page

Tom Brady and Mike Evans seem to be getting on the same page early in Week 2.

Last week in his debut for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady threw a pair of interceptions, causing some to speculate that his time in Tampa Bay might not be as impressive as hoped for. On one of those interceptions, wide receiver Mike Evans stopped on a post route against a two-safety defense, and when Brady threw the route downfield, the New Orleans Saints were there for the interception:

As you can see on the end zone replay, Evans sits down while Brady throws the post. This makes the interception easy for the defense.

Early Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, the Buccaneers ran a similar play against a similar coverage, and this time Evans took downfield for the post route and Brady hit him in stride:

Here’s the replay angle, highlighting the route from Evans:

Brady and his receiver would then connect to finish the drive on a back-shoulder throw for a touchdown:

Perhaps Brady and his receivers are finally getting on the same page.

Watch: Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis brings the lumber on this stop

The Lions linebacker brought the wood on this tackle for a loss against the Green Bay Packers.

Detroit Lions fans have been waiting a long time for linebacker Jarrad Davis to grow into a quality NFL linebacker.

If this stop against the Green Bay Packers is any indication, their dreams might finally be coming to fruition:

These are the kinds of plays you want to see from a linebacker in the modern NFL. Davis reads his keys on this play, seeing the blocking in front of him and the hole being created. He fills the hole perfectly, exploding downhill to stop this play before it gets going.

 

 

Joe Burrow’s impressive learning curve

Playing quarterback is all about learning and development. Especially as a rookie. Which is why Bengals fans should be hopeful.

Playing quarterback at any level is a constant process of learning and development. Making mistakes and using the information gained from those in future situations is how QBs get better. Seeing it happen over the course of a few plays is impressive from the most seasoned of veterans.

It’s almost unheard of when it happens with a rookie.

But that was the case on Thursday night with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Within the span of just a few plays against the Cleveland Browns, Burrow first misses an opportunity for a big completion downfield against a particular coverage, then comes right back for his first NFL touchdown pass against that same look:

Sure the Bengals are 0-2. But with a learning curve like this from their rookie quarterback, the wins are sure to follow.

What Andy Janovich adds to the Cleveland offense

Fullback Andy Janovich might serve a critical role in the Cleveland Browns’ offense going forward.

When the Cleveland Browns hired Kevin Stefanski as their new had coach, and then acquired tight end Austin Hooper at the start of free agency, every NFL writer immediately thought of one number:

12.

12 as in 12 offensive personnel, the two tight end package that the Minnesota Vikings – and Stefanski – ran almost exclusively in 2019. Last year Minnesota used that personnel grouping on 34% of their offensive snaps, second only to the Philadelphia Eagles. Scheme writers and fantasy analysts alike had visions of Hooper and either David Njoku or Harrison Bryant being used on the boot-action and play-action designs that Stefanski used with Kirk Cousins, only now with Baker Mayfield pulling the trigger.

But another acquisition from the Browns flew a bit under the radar, yet it might end up being hugely consequential for the Cleveland offense: The trade for fullback Andy Janovich. Sure, fullbacks seem to be going the way of the dodo, as teams emphasize athleticism, spread formations and speed in today’s NFL. But the other personnel package the Vikings used heavily in 2019 under Stefanski? 21 offensive personnel, or two running backs. Only the San Francisco 49ers used it more than Minnesota, who implemented that on 21% of their plays.

What does a fullback bring to an offense? Blocking angles, the ability to quickly create four-man surfaces up front, and the ability to get the opposition to play with their base personnel, so you can then throw against them.

All things we saw from Janovich and the Browns against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night:

Joe Burrow and the deep ball

Joe Burrow has gotten off to an interesting start in the NFL. He has given Bengals fans hope, but there are deep ball concerns. Warrented?

Through just two NFL starts, rookie quarterback Joe Burrow has given Cincinnati Bengals fans something that have hungered for over the past few seasons.

Hope.

However, sometimes hope is a bit of a mirage. That glimmer on the horizon that turns out to be one more let down. A few years ago Marcus Mariota debuted with four touchdown passes in his first NFL game, and that never brought the Tennessee Titans to a Super Bowl.

Working in Burrow’s favor is how he has performed over those two contests. After leading the Bengals on a last-minute drive – working without timeouts – to put them in position to win in Week 1, he came back on a short week in the Battle of Ohio and truly battled in the pocket. Battered by the Cleveland Browns’ pass rush all night long, Burrow completed 37 of 61 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns, without an interception, before falling to the Browns by a final of 35-30.

The performance, while admirable, was not perfect. Detractors point to the fact that Burrow needed 37 completions to eclipse 300 yards passing, as well as his Yards per Attempt (Y/A) of just 5.18, as well as his Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A) of 6.16, and wonder if Burrow can be as effective as necessary to win games in the NFL. Then there are the deep ball questions. According to charting data from Pro Football Focus, Burrow has attempted 12 passes this year of 20 yards or more.

His stats on those 12 attempts? 1 of 12 for 23 yards and a touchdown. A deep completion percentage of 12.4%, an Adjusted Completion Percentage (ACP) of just 8.3%, and an NFL passer rating of just 67.4.

Below is Burrow’s spray chart from Week 1. You can see the effectiveness working underneath, but the incompletions mount as the throws work downfield:

Here is a cutup of Burrow’s deep passing attempts against the Chargers in Week 1:

Two of those attempts really stand out: The incompletion to John Ross along the end line from the third quarter, and the throw a few plays later to Green that fell incomplete. On the Ross throw, Burrow has a clean pocket and is able to step into the pass, and drops this in just before the end line. Ross gets to it, but this would have been a tough catch for the receiver to both pull in, and get his feet down. As you watch that replay, you can see how Ross’s left foot just stays in bound, and it might have been unlikely for him to get the right foot down before running out of bounds.

On the Green throw, this is a bit tougher of a miss. The receiver is running wide open, but Burrow cannot put the throw on him. To be fair to the QB, the pocket is starting to collapse around him, and he does have some “trash at his feet” which prevents him from taking a lead step with his right foot. All the power on this is generated in his hips and upper body, and that might have contributed to the poor placement on this play.

Before turning to Thursday night, it is important to shine a light on what you want to see in the deep passing game. Unlike throws underneath, where precision placement is critical, general accuracy is the goal on deep throws. If a quarterback puts the ball on the “wrong shoulder” on a curl route five yards downfield, that could be a problem. When you’re talking about routes thirty yards downfield, you just want the ball in a catchable spot.

Now let’s turn to Week 2. First, the spray chart:

Burrow was, as you can see, just 1 of 8 on those deep attempts. But looking at them, you will see again just how close he and the Bengals were on some potentially big plays. From the start the Bengals took some shots downfield, such as this throw towards Green:

Then there was this failed connection, again between Burrow and Green:

Burrow underthrows this just a bit, and while Green tries to get back to the football, the defender is able to bat it away and prevent the touchdown.

But Burrow did hit on one of these deep throws, for his first passing touchdown as a professional:

This is great recognition and execution from the quarterback, and also a great use of personnel from head coach Zach Taylor. On this 1st and 10 play the Bengals come out with 13 offensive personnel, putting three tight ends into the game. Seeing that, the Browns respond with their base defensive personnel and play a Cover 2 look in the secondary.

They’re expecting the run.

But Taylor puts the ball in Burrow’s hands, and they run a deep passing concept on the left, sending both tight ends on that side on vertical routes. Burrow identifies the coverage and attacks the Turkey Hole, that soft spot of Cover 2 behind the cornerback and along the sideline. He puts this throw on tight end C.J. Uzomah before the safety can rotate over, enabling his TE to snare this for the score.

So while Burrow’s deep passing stats are a work in progress, as the film indicates he and the Bengals are really close to hitting on some of these throws. As Goodberry notes in his discussion of Burrow’s debut, if they complete just one of those throws we are talking about a different Week 1 result. And while Nick Chubb and Baker Mayfield might have been too much to overcome on Thursday night, again Burrow and the Bengals’ deep passing game were close to hitting on some big plays.

Football is a game of inches. Sooner than you expect, Burrow and the Bengals are going to find those inches they need to be a more potent passing game.

Watch: Nick Chubb will not be denied on Thursday night

Running back Nick Chubb fought his way into the end zone to give the Cleveland Browns their first points on Thursday night.

The Battle of Ohio has kicked off in Cleveland, as the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns square off on Thursday Night Football. The Bengals opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal from kicker Randy Bullock, he of the injured calf from last week, but the Browns answered with a touchdown. Nick Chubb showed that the would not be denied on his 11-yard scoring run:

This touchdown run on a power design has three factors at work. First is Chubb himself, who bullies his way into the end zone despite getting stood up around the five-yard line. But do not ignore the work from left guard Joel Bitonio and fullback Andy Janovich. Bitonio pulls in front of Chubb, and the guard coupled with the lead block from the fullback help pave the way for the ball-carrier.

Many thought that Kevin Stefanski’s offensive concepts and philosophy would be a huge boost for quarterback Baker Mayfield, with lots of play-action designs and rollout concepts using two tight ends on the play. But an underrated aspect of what Stefanski did last season with the Minnesota Vikings was the use of a fullback. Last year the Vikings used 21 offensive personnel (two running backs) on 230 offensive plays, accounting for 21% of their snaps. Only the San Francisco 49ers used that package more.

Which meant that when Cleveland acquired Janovich in a trade with the Denver Broncos, sending a seventh-round pick in the deal, it was to fill a need.

A need that helped pave the way for Cleveland’s first points in the Battle of Ohio.

Anatomy of a Play: Derek Carr connects with Nelson Agholor for six

Derek Carr is often criticized for conservative play. But when he knows exactly where to go with the ball, he can be dangerous downfield.

Entering the 2020 NFL season questions lingered regarding Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Sure, the veteran quarterback turned in a quietly efficient season last year, posting an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of 7.25 (ninth-best in the league) while completing 70.4% of his passes (second-best in the league), but that did little to silence the critics. The Raiders signed Marcus Mariota in the offseason, a pre-draft favorite of both general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden, adding to the chorus of doubters.

Perhaps an opening-week victory will quiet the critics.

Carr was efficient again on Sunday, completing 22 of 30 passes (a completion percentage of 73.3%) for 239 yards and a touchdown, without an interception. But that touchdown might go the longest way towards tamping down the criticism. One of the critiques of Carr has been his conservative nature. Sure, he completes a high percentage of passes, but when you look at either his average depth of target, or his intended air yards, Carr is one of the more conservative quarterbacks in the league. According to Next Gen Stats, Carr had an average Intended Air Yards (IAY) of just 6.3 last year, second-lowest in the league. 2018 was more of the same, when Carr’s average of 6.7 was third-lowest in the league, besting only Cody Kessler and Nick Foles.

On Sunday, Carr posted an average IAY of 5.5. Now that is again low, but that is a small sample size, and his number was higher than six other quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson. So hardly a definitive answer to this question, but perhaps a step in the right direction.

That average IAY was bouyed by his one touchdown throw of the game, a deep connection with Nelson Agholor.

Facing a 3rd and 2 with two minutes remaining in the first half, the Raiders put Carr in the shotgun using 11 offensive personnel. The Panthers respond with a 4-1-6 sub package, expecting the pass. Las Vegas has three receivers to the right, and a single receiver to the left:

Bring your eyes to the top of the screen, or the right of the offensive formation. The player flexed out towards the boundary for the Raiders is tight end Darren Waller. Now, as I mentioned the Panthers have six defensive backs in the game. But one of them is safety Juston Burris.

That is who is across from Waller.

So at this point, Carr can be pretty confident that the Panthers are in some kind of man coverage, as he sees a safety, and not a cornerback flexed out towards the boundary.

That is confirmed for Carr when this happens:

Carr sees the safety trail Waller as the tight end shifts into a bunch formation on the right. At this point, Carr can be supremely confident that the Panthers are in a Cover 1 scheme. Other than the deep free safety, the reset of the defenders are down near the box. He saw a safety first start outside with Waller, and then trail him when the tight end shifted. Even the alignments of the various defenders scream man coverage.

Here is what the Raiders run on the play:

This is a route concept that you often see on Saturday afternoons, more than Sundays. The Raiders run Mesh, an Air Raid staple with the pair of crossing routes working underneath from Bryan Edwards on the left and Hunter Renfrow coming from the right. Waller bends to the outside off the snap, then works the middle of the field over the top of the mesh. Finally there is Agholor, who runs the wheel route, working vertically after bending first to the outside.

With the Panthers in Cover 1 here, the only thing Carr needs to worry about is that safety lurking in the middle of the field. Waller’s route will help hold Tre Boston in place, but Carr can use his eyes to keep him there.

Which he does:

Carr keeps his eyes trained on the safety, before hitting his drop depth and immediately flipping his field of vision and his feet to the outside to throw to Agholor. As he drops he never looks at his target, because due to the information given to him presnap he knows the coverage. There is no reason to confirm that Agholor is going to be open because Carr has all the information necessary to make this throw. So he can spend his drop keeping Boston in the middle of the field, preventing him from breaking early on the vertical route.

Here’s how that looks from the end zone angle:

Eyes trained on the safety, until the last possible second. If you’re Boston, you can’t bail the middle of the field, given how the QB is staring right through you.

But Carr knows exactly where he is going with this ball. Decisive quarterbacking leads to good results for an offense.

And perhaps some big plays downfield to silence those critics.