Tag: NFL Week 5

Saints vs Lions: 5 most important storylines in Week 13 game

There will be heavy scrutiny on Derek Carr this week as the Saints look to end a two-game losing streak. These are the 5 biggest storylines to watch:

The New Orleans Saints enter their Week 13 game versus the Detroit Lions looking to pull off the upset. It would also be the first time this year New Orleans beat a team with a winning record. Last time the Saints beat a team that didn’t have a losing record was Week 1.

This is a tough game to try to snap a 2 game losing streak, but a win would be highly beneficial to the Saints in the playoff hunt. That and the attention on Derek Carr are two of the most prominent storyline heading into Week 13 for the New Orleans Saints.

Texans ready for Saints thanks to Week 5 versus Falcons

The Houston Texans got a little bit of a Saints preview when they faced the Falcons in Week 5.

HOUSTON — With their upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at NRG Stadium, the Houston Texans defense will feel like they are in some time warp and stuck in Atlanta playing the Falcons all over again.

The Saints and Falcons, who compete against each other in the NFC South, are similar regarding personnel, especially the linebacker position that Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and offensive coordinator Dave Ragone constantly picked on.

“A lot of play-action pass game, which is what they’ve shown, what we’ve practiced,” said Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans about Atlanta’s offense. “Like I said, when you are in that position, you just have to make a play. Credit to Atlanta, they made the plays in those situations, and we didn’t. If you want to win games in this league, you’ve got to step up and make plays happen. I’m proud of the defense for taking the ball two times and giving us the opportunity, but there were too many plays where we didn’t come down with it.”

Houston’s linebacker group was responsible for not allowing Falcons superstar rookie running back Bijan Robinson to take over the game, and they did an excellent job of containing him by allowing only 58 yards total yards from scrimmage and one touchdown.

They must deploy some of the same game-planning for Saints two-way running back Alvin Kamara, who can do as much damage in passing routes as he does out of the backfield.

“It’s a demanding position,” said Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke about learning the new defensive scheme. “We’ve talked in here a lot about the communication. So, even just starting with that part and putting a lot on those guys’ plates of making calls, making checks, and then within the coverage and the schemes, just in general, those guys, linebackers in the league these days, because they are run players and pass players and you’re communicators and you’re blitzers and you’re tacklers – all those things.”

“And now, again with the way the league has evolved with tight ends and running backs that you have to match up with. It’s a multi-dimensional position now. There’s just a lot on those guys’ plates. I wouldn’t say that’s specific to this scheme or this front, or this whatever. I think just in general that world has expanded – the world of linebacker play has expanded over the last five to ten years – and so it’s just a demanding position, for sure.”

If the Texans are to win on Sunday at NRG Stadium, they will have to get a big game from rookie linebacker Henry To’o To’o. He led the team in tackles (12) last week but suffered in pass coverage, which he found himself in a lot in the second half.

“They came up with a great game plan,” To’o To’o said after the game. “They did a great job of finding us in a certain coverage and then picked their spots on where they wanted to throw the ball, and they did a really good job at that.”

Houston will be playing against a Saints offense with many dynamic weapons, but everything starts and stops with Kamara. He is playing in only his third game of the season after being suspended for the first three for conduct detrimental to the team.

“I think it is the same approach,” said To’o To’o about playing against Kamara, who has a similar skillset to Robinson. “Tracking and finishing physically and getting 11 hats [Players] to the ball. That is the biggest thing for our defense, no matter who we play.”

Patriots’ 53-man roster by jersey number ahead of Week 6

Here’s the Patriots’ full roster heading into Week 6 against the Raiders

The roster is set for the New England Patriots ahead of Sunday’s road clash with the Las Vegas Raiders.

On Saturday, it was reported that the Patriots not only promoted backup quarterback Malik Cunningham to the main roster, but they also signed him to a three-year deal. That news has fans buzzing regarding his potential role with the team in Week 6.

Will he be working in as a receiver, or is the team actually considering him as a possible option at quarterback? Or, will his NFL debut be predominantly on special teams?

There are no shortage of possibilities for a Patriots team desperately searching for answers after a 1-4 start to the season.

Along with promoting Cunningham, the Patriots placed linebacker Matthew Judon and offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. on injured reserve, while also elevating wide receiver Jalen Reagor and defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms Jr. from the practice squad.

Here is the full roster heading into Week 6:

Bengals are ‘absolutely, positively, unequivocally’ back according to CBS Sports

The Bengals are back?

The Cincinnati Bengals picked up their second win of the season against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 by a score of 34-20. It might have been win No. 2 of the year, but it was the first game which they looked like the Bengals that were promised at the beginning of the year.

The offense showed up, and Adam Schein of CBS Sports thinks the Bengals are fully back.

“The answer is absolutely, positively, unequivocally yes,” he said. “Joe Burrow is healthy. And I don’t want to hear, ‘Oh that was just Arizona.’… I know the Bengals are back, because all that matters for Cincinnati: Is Joe Burrow healthy?”

Burrow was able to throw the deep ball like he hadn’t been doing in the first four weeks of the season, and he was even scrambling to take extra yards with his legs when he had the opportunity.

It was a different Bengals team on the field in Week 5 than it was the first few weeks. The team that beat the Cardinals looked more like the team that went to back-to-back AFC Championships. They dug themselves a hole, starting the year 1-3, but if they play like they’re capable of, that hole isn’t too deep to climb out of with the talent they have.

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Jalen Mills tweets on only playing 10 snaps in Week 5 loss to Saints

Jalen Mills’ usage rate in Week 5 is shocking

Jalen Mills is one of the most versatile defensive players on the New England Patriots’ roster. He made the switch back to safety this season, but he has spent most of his NFL career playing at cornerback.

Surprisingly, he didn’t do much of either in the Patriots’ Week 5 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss posted a breakdown of the defensive snap count from last Sunday’s game, and Mills was listed as the player with the least snaps that wasn’t a special teams player.

It’s pretty shocking considering all of the injuries at cornerback and potential opportunities to slot him back in at safety. Mills is clearly still a talented player that has shown up on tape on more than just a few occasions.

But why is he barely seeing on-field time? When posting on social media, he seemed just as surprised as everyone else.

The offense is obviously at the heart of the problem for the Patriots, but the defense also struggled to defend against New Orleans’ receiving weapons. Even for a team struggling as badly as the Raiders, they are still loaded with potential game-breakers on the offensive side of the ball.

The Patriots should have their hands full enough where Mills could see more than just 10 reps in Week 6. With the team on the brink of destruction with a 1-4 record, no opportunity should be off the table.

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Lions vs. Panthers: What I learned from film study of Detroit’s Week 5 win

Breaking down notes and observations from the Detroit Lions game film in the Week 5 win over the Panthers

Some Detroit Lions film reviews are more fun than others. That’s certainly the case for the Week 5 review of Detroit’s 42-24 demolishing of visiting Carolina.

Watching the broadcast feed for a second time as well as poring over the coach’s tape of the Lions win was incredibly encouraging. The Lions dominated the Panthers despite playing without three important starters, sweet retribution for the debacle Detroit experienced when last the two teams met on Christmas Eve.

Here are some notes and observations from the film review of the Week 5 tape.

 

4 Lions earn spots on PFF’s Team of the Week for Week 5

The Lions play in the trenches earned a lot of acclaim from PFF in Week 5

The Detroit Lions exhibited a dominant physical presence in the trenches in the 42-24 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The fantastic play by the lines on both sides of the ball earned some nice recognition from Pro Football Focus.

Four different Lions earned a place on PFF’s “Team of the Week” for Week 5. All four play along the lines, with two from offense and two on defense.

Right guard Graham Glasgow

Right tackle Penei Sewell

Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill

Both Hutchinson and McNeill earned overall game grades over 90 on defense, which also earned Hutchinson the defensive player of the week honors. Detroit’s offensive line captured the weekly OL honor too,

The Lions’ offensive line had another nice outing in their win over the Panthers, with their starting five linemen combining to allow six pressures. Center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell each surrendered zero pressures. Detroit had a strong day running the ball, with 3.2 of the offense’s 5.3 yards-per-carry average coming before contact.

The impressive play in the trenches helped the Lions roll the Panthers right out of Ford Field and keep the visitors winless on the season.

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Bengals WR Kwamie Lassiter has special moment in Arizona homecoming

A special moment for a Bengals WR.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II was elevated off the practice squad for the Week 5 game in Arizona, where he’s from. He had his first career catch in the game, taking home a game ball given to him by head coach Zac Taylor.

Son of the late former Cardinal Kwamie Lassiter, who once had four interceptions in a game, Lassiter was named a captain before the game by Taylor for his homecoming.

“It was special. I appreciate what Zac and the staff did,” Lassiter said per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It was an RPO. If the ball was going to come to me, I was going to be ready for it.”

The catch was for two yards and was Burrow’s last completion of the day late in the game. Lassiter replaced Tee Higgins on the roster for the game since he’s out with a rib injury.

Lassiter went undrafted out of Kansas in 2022 and has been on the Bengals practice squad since then. Taylor spoke highly of what he has brought to the team even in that role.

“Kwamie has been everything that we want to be around, he’s done a great job on our practice squad and did a great job when his number was called last year when he came in against Tennessee when we elevated him,” he said. “He’s a guy that’s very dependable, we have a lot of trust in him.”

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Patriots’ top 10 offensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Here are the top-10 Patriots offensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Not even the hallowed halls of Gillette Stadium could breathe life into the New England Patriots offense in Sunday’s 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The theme heading into Week 6 has been about change, but there might not be enough change possible to save the Patriots this season. They lack explosiveness at the skilled positions, and the offensive line gets beaten like a drum weekly in the trenches.

Fans are even desperately calling for rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham to be given the reins as the new starting signal-caller. By the end of the season, this might end up being the worst offensive team in the Bill Belichick coaching era.

The Patriots currently sit dead last in the NFL in scoring with an average of 11 points per game.

There’s a mountain to climb, but even with all of the offensive struggles, the Patriots won’t go down without a fight. They’ll go kicking and screaming if they have to.

Here’s the top-10 offensive players, per Pro Football Focus grades:

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

These were the Patriots’ top-10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Defense is about the only hope the New England Patriots have left this season, and that couldn’t have been more evident than Sunday’s 34-0 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints.

It was another afternoon of horrific turnovers for the offense with one being a pick-six after a poor throwing decision from quarterback Mac Jones. The Saints dominated the battle of field position and time of possession by a 39:34-20:26 margin.

The defense didn’t really have much of a chance in the game.

Keep in mind, it’s also a defense that lost two of its best players, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon, to injuries in the previous week. The good news is the unit continued to fight valiantly, even when clearly facing an uphill battle.

There was still tremendous effort on display for a team that currently looks like one of the worst in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Patriots, defensive effort alone doesn’t win football games. At some point, the offense has to find ways to execute and put points on the board.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players from Sunday’s game, per Pro Football Focus grades.