Tag: NFL Week 4

QB C.J. Stroud wants Texans fans to feel good about their team

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud desires for the fans to start feeling good about the direction of their team.

HOUSTON — It would have been easy to mistake NRG Stadium for Acrisure Stadium Sunday afternoon for the number of “Terrible Towels” flying.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans had invaded, and one Houston Texans player who took notice during the thunderous standing ovations for the other  side was rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

“Those Steelers fans came and showed out today in our stadium, and we sent them home,” Stroud said after 30-6 win. “I think our fans felt the energy, ‘Man, we aren’t playing today from the get-go.’”

Houston’s offense set the tone early 7-0 with receiver Nico Collins’ 2-yard touchdown catch punctuating a seven-play, 69-yard drive. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik had the perfect run-pass mix that kept Pittsburgh’s powerful outside linebacker, T.J. Watt, guessing where the plays were going. What was more impressive was that the Texans held the ball for 6:05 to start the game. Houston would never relinquish the lead on their way to victory, improving their record 2-2.

“For me and Bobby, we have a pretty good idea of what we both like, the offense we want to run, and he is calling it,” Stroud responded when asked about the play-calling on Sunday. “He is doing a great job. It’s been a blessing to work with somebody like Bobby, who we all can trust.”

Stroud’s confidence grows each game, as evident by his hot start in the first four weeks of his rookie campaign. The former Ohio State product extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to start a career with 151, and notched 306 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The No. 2 overall pick’s 1,212 passing yards surpassed Justin Herbert (1,195), Andrew Luck (1,208), Patrick Mahomes (1,180) and Marc Bulger (1,149) for the second-most passing yards in NFL history by a quarterback through their first four games. Stroud joins Gardner Minshew (2019) as the only quarterbacks ever with no interceptions in their first four career starts (min. 30 attempts). He is the first rookie since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger with 250 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions in three straight games.

The personal records and accolades mean nothing to Stroud, whose focus is to improve his teammates and keep the franchise on a positive upswing, which would help bury the horrible stench surrounding the team over the last two seasons.

Sunday’s victory over the Steelers was the first home win by the Texans since they vanquished the Los Angeles Chargers 41-29 on Dec. 26, 2021. Combined with the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, it was also the first time since Dec. 2021 that the team had won consecutive games and scored over 30-plus points in those outings.

Stroud was somewhat disappointed when he found out those stats and vowed to fans that he would change the culture in Houston.

“Y’all deserve to feel special,” said Stroud when asked what about the fans and the belief they have in him. “Y’all deserve to root the Texans on. Not winning since 2021, I think it was around Christmas, that is not flying for anybody in this building. I want them to know we’re fighting our tails off every day to make sure y’all walk around with Texans gear pride; y’all walk around with that swag that we walk around with when we get a W. For me, I take that real personal because I don’t like being bagged on my teams. When my Lakers lose, I be pissed. I take that stuff real serious, man.”

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Texans DE Will Anderson says J.J. Watt ‘has been a good mentor’

Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson says Ring of Honor member J.J. Watt has been beneficial to his early development.

While Will Anderson may come from a storied college football program in Alabama that has its own vast alumni network, the defensive end chooses to acknowledge the Houston Texans’ history.

The most dominant defensive end since 2011 was J.J. Watt, garnering three NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in his 128 career games with the Texans through the 2020 campaign. It didn’t take long for Anderson to make the connection that the former face of the franchise needed to be among his counsel.

“J.J. has been a good mentor for me so far,” Anderson told reporters following Houston’s 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Oct. 1. “I’m going to start sending him some more clips so I can get some more help. ”

Anderson finished with two combined tackles as the Texans limited the Steelers to 225 yards total offense and 12 first downs.

Nevertheless as the pursuit for greatness continues, so should constant communication with a possible first ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Said Anderson: “He’s been good. Honestly, it’s a privilege and a blessing to have someone like J.J. to communicate with and help out. What he has done in the league, what he has done for the Houston Texans is unbelievable.”

When Watt addressed the Texans ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Steelers, Anderson identified with one particular aspect of the message.

“‘Don’t take anything for granted. You’re here in the NFL,'” Anderson recalled. “Not a lot of people can say that, and I think that resonated with a lot of the guys.”

Anderson has collected 15 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, a tackle for loss, five quarterback hits, and a blocked field goal in his four games with Houston.

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Zac Taylor: Bengals performance during loss to Titans ‘unacceptable’

Zac Taylor has a message after the loss to the Titans.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost in very disappointing fashion to the Tennessee Titans 27-3 on Sunday. Head coach Zac Taylor was extremely displeased with the way the entire team played.

“This was unacceptable today,” he said. “I have all the confidence that we got everything in this locker room to get right, to get back on track next week. But, disappointing. This is not the expectation we had going into this game. Tennessee controlled the game really from start to finish. They executed and beat us in every situation. Hats off to them, they out played us today. More discipline, more physical.”

Looking at the stats on offense and defense, Taylor is right. The Bengals were beat in every single aspect of the game on both sides of the ball. Joe Burrow completed 67 percent of his passes, but it was only good for 165 yards with no touchdowns. Cincinnati’s offense was outgained by a total yardage of 211 to 400 by the Titans.

With a 1-3 record, things aren’t looking promising right now, especially since many of the positive signs seen in the past few games were absent from the Bengals’ play today. Taylor believes not converting on third down was one of their biggest issues. They were two for nine on third downs.

“It extends the drive, gets more touches, gets your O-line more rhythm, and we just didn’t do that. Two of nine, you are not extending any drives. So, everything has got to be perfect on first or second down and that’s hard right now.”

Next week the Bengals head to Arizona to face off against a Cardinals team that despite a 1-3 record has been overperforming expectations, beating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3.

“Again, I’ve got so much confidence in this team that we’re going to respond to this the right way,” Taylor said. “I said this in here many years before, It’s a long season. We have to continue to improve.”

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The Bills’ Super Bowl-caliber defense didn’t even need Von Miller to suffocate the Dolphins

The sky’s the limit for the Bills and their defense when Von Miller returns.

Mike McDaniel knew precisely what he was doing when he whispered respect into Sean McDermott’s ear Sunday. He’s been around the game long enough to understand when a team and coach are brewing something special. As perhaps the NFL’s premier offensive mind, McDaniel is also keenly aware of when he’s just been stumped by a better unit and better team. (Note: If an opposing team’s receiver is smashing beer cans mid-game, take a hint.)

After their 48-20 dismantling of McDaniel’s Miami Dolphins, that is precisely what the Buffalo Bills and their defense are — a dominant unit on another Super Bowl-caliber squad.

Entering Sunday’s AFC East battle, the Dolphins were the talk of the NFL. They just finished dropping a remarkable 70 points on the Denver Broncos, with Tua Tagovailoa playing like an MVP candidate. Miami possessed pro football’s top offense by every traditional and advanced metric. No one seemed to have an answer for McDaniel’s uniquely electric scheme. No one knew how to attack an offense that was seemingly always playing at least three steps ahead, if not more.

That is except for the Bills, of course.

Setting aside an early back-and-forth of touchdown swaps, the Bills were very ready for the Dolphins offense. They showed that, contrary to popular belief, Tagovailoa, McDaniel, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle are all quite fallible. They are not impossible to stop. Who would’ve thunk?

The Bills, that’s who.

After Miami scored a touchdown on its first two possessions, here’s how it fared the rest of the game against McDermott’s rowdy Buffalo defense. A 393-yard performance in total (empty) yards oversells what the Dolphins “accomplished”:

  • Punt (three-and-out)
  • Punt (three-and-out)
  • Fumble (three plays, seven yards)
  • Punt (three-and-out)
  • Touchdown (11 plays, 75 yards)
  • Interception
  • Turnover on downs
  • Turnover on downs
  • Turnover on downs

How did this happen? The answer is elementary, dearest reader. Front four pressure.

Up until Sunday, Tagovailoa had been one of the league’s cleanest passers, rarely seeing his white Dolphins jersey receive so much as a scratch, let alone any grass stains. He was sacked just once and hit a total of five times through three games.

The Bills would not give him this luxury, notching nine quarterback hits (!) and four sacks with an impeccably deep defensive front led by Matt Milano and Greg Rousseau. Then when Tagovailoa and Co. were forced to press, that’s when an opportunistic defense began to pounce and finish the job.

Hmm, all of that seems pretty good and well, but I’m not quite sure yet. What about this handy expected points added (EPA) chart where Buffalo is in the top five in both rushing and passing EPA allowed? (Hint: The Bills’ cumulative defensive EPA per play of -0.192 is fourth in the NFL after playing the league’s most productive offense.)

Credit: rbsdm.com

Let’s be honest. Most early October NFL games are largely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Not everyone is playing a game that matters this time of year. What happened on Sunday in Western New York did not feel inconsequential. This Bills-Dolphins was billed (no pun intended) as an early-season litmus test of AFC contenders, a Round 1 of a season-long heavyweight fight between two of the league’s marquee teams.

It was anything but. The Bills’ defense turned it into a riotous fest of haymakers and vicious southpaws, never letting the Dolphins catch their breath while laying on the ropes. It was as emphatic of a statement as we might see from any singular team all year.

There were questions about whether Buffalo’s defense had been beating up on inferior competition in the Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders. Those feel so silly to ask after they humbled the Dolphins without breaking a sweat. Lest I forget, they’ve been accomplishing this dominance without Von Miller — perhaps the most effective pass rusher of the 21st century and a bona fide future First-Ballot Hall of Famer.

When he returns to full capacity from an ACL injury, all bets are off. There should be no cap to the baseline of success that this Bills defense could afford Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and the rest of the Buffalo offense. Even with the loss of star cornerback Tre’Davious White to injury, it is thoroughly Super Bowl-caliber. It is the ultimate cushion.

The Dolphins’ offense under McDaniel might be revolutionary and cutting-edge, but there’s nothing groundbreaking about the way Buffalo shut it down. As such, the Bills look destined for a fourth consecutive AFC East title and perhaps much more this winter.

They can and should thank Allen and their shutdown defense.

Studs and duds in Patriots’ historically bad loss to Cowboys

Who were the studs and duds from Sunday’s game?

The New England Patriots made history for all of the wrong reasons in their shocking 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

In coach Bill Belichick’s 29 years as a head coach, he has never lost a game by 35 points—until Sunday. The Patriots got beat like a drum on the road by the Cowboys on both sides of the ball.

On offense, it was another sluggish effort with Mac Jones turning the ball over and struggling to move the ball downfield. On defense, it was all about injuries with Christian Gonzalez, Matthew Judon and Jabrill Peppers all going down.

The wheels finally fell off a Patriots defense that had been resilient up to this point, and the offense looked like it stepped into a time machine to the dreadful 2022 season.

Here are the studs and duds from the Patriots’ third regular season loss:

3 big takeaways from Patriots’ 38-3 demolition in Dallas

Here are 3 big takeaways from the Patriots’ 38-3 loss to the Cowboys

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

A week after a hard-fought victory – their first of the season – against the New York Jets, the New England Patriots took on the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas on Sunday.

All who were looking for a close match with two high-powered offenses going toe-to-toe were sorely disappointed, as the Patriots’ offense seemed to regress back to 1992 – the year before the team drafted future franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe No. 1 overall.

And, overall, nothing about the 38-3 loss gave any positive emotions to any of New England’s fans out there.

Here are three big takeaways from the matchup.

NFC North watch for Week 4: Everyone’s looking up at the Lions

Keeping up with the Lions foes in the NFC North and how they fared in Week 4

For the first time since 2017, the Detroit Lions are the sole owners of first place in the NFC North. At 3-1, the Lions snatched the top spot with a commanding 34-20 win in Green Bay over the Packers.

Here’s how the rest of the division fared in Week 4.

Twitter had strong reactions to Patriots’ blowout loss to Cowboys

Patriots fans are furious after Sunday’s blowout loss

The New England Patriots lost to the Dallas Cowboys by a 38-3 margin and dropped to 1-3 on the season.

The game wasn’t even close at any point, as the Cowboys managed to put on an offensive clinic against a banged-up and tired Patriots offense. It didn’t help matters that Patriots quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over three times.

That led to coach Bill Belichick benching the third-year starter for backup quarterback Bailey Zappe. It all begs the question: Who will start under center for the Patriots next week? Jones or Zappe?

Regardless, it was an absolute thrashing by the Cowboys that has left the Patriots reeling and searching for answers. Here’s how Twitter reacted the loss on Sunday.

Instant analysis: Patriots get embarrassed by Cowboys in 38-3 blowout loss

This one is going to sting for a bit…

After defeating the New York Jets on the road last week, there was hope that the New England Patriots could upset the Dallas Cowboys for their biggest victory of the season. It took only a quarter of play before those dreams were quickly revealed as a nightmare.

The Patriots got pummeled in historic fashion by a Cowboys team looking to make a statement after an embarrassing loss of their own in Week 3 to the Arizona Cardinals.

Mac Jones turned the ball over three times, and the defense continued getting decimated with injuries. Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who earned honors for Rookie Defensive Player of the Month in September, left the field with a shoulder injury and never returned.

Linebacker Matthew Judon and safety Jabrill Peppers were also injured in the game.

Meanwhile, Jones was benched in the third quarter after a historically bad half in the Bill Belichick era. But even with Bailey Zappe under center, the Patriots still couldn’t move the ball on offense. The team imploded in the spotlight as they have typically done over the last three years.

The injuries make the situation even more daunting for the Patriots. For the first three games, they had a defense that could stand with the best in the NFL. Now, they might have more backups than starters taking the field in next week’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

A historically bad game could turn into a historically bad season for Belichick and company.

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NFL Week 4 Awards: Mike Tomlin has no answers for his disappointing Steelers

Mike Tomlin’s team is treading water and he doesn’t know what to do.

We’re used to watching the Pittsburgh Steelers with gold and yellow glasses.

They are, traditionally, a marquee NFL franchise, marketed like a heavyweight team every year. And for the most part, under Mike Tomlin, they’ve almost always been respectable. They’ve literally never had a losing season under him. Call it a hunch, but that remarkable streak seems like it’s in jeopardy this season.

On Sunday, the Houston Texans — with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, mind you — humiliated the Steelers in a 30-6 win. Pittsburgh had no answers for an inexperienced quarterback, and its offense could never get off the ground against a young Houston team that is supposed to be rebuilding. When Tomlin was asked about making “changes” to prevent another outcome like this from happening, he professed something would shift.

But I’m not quite sure what strings he can pull to make these Steelers look respectable. (Warning: NSFW language in the tweet and video below.)

Kenny Pickett might be out for a while with a knee injury. Is Mitchell Trubisky really going to be that much of an upgrade for Matt Canada’s uninspirational offense? Is a defense that lets everyone cut it up over the top really going to be that much better with rookie Joey Porter Jr. in the fold?

The fact of the matter is that Tomlin’s Steelers don’t seem like they’re good enough to contend with the AFC’s big boys anymore. Deep down, I feel like he probably knows it. Deep down, another season straddling around .500 should probably be considered a massive accomplishment for Pittsburgh this year. This is a flawed roster with a flawed process that really needs to take a good look in the mirror and realign its expectations.

And who’s to say Tomlin even has a good answer for the Steelers’ issues outside of anything obvious? He hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has missed the postseason as many times (3) as it’s qualified over the last six years.

The 2-2 Steelers are without a paddle, and I’m not sure Tomlin can rescue them this time.