Vikings RB Dalvin Cook becomes 2nd RB to hit 1,000 yards in 2019

He only had 26 rushing yards against Denver, but it was enough for him to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook didn’t have his best game on Sunday against the Broncos.

Cook only had 26 rushing yards against Denver, but it was enough for him to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.

He went into the game needing just nine yards to hit 1,000 yards. With that, he became the second running back in the league to hit the 1,000 yard mark on the season. Browns running back Nick Chubb hit 1,000 yards on Thursday night against the Steelers.

Through 11 games, Cook has 1,017 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns to go with 45 catches for 459 yards. That puts him on pace for 1,479 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns and 65 catches for 667 receiving yards.

We’ve seen just how dangerous a healthy Dalvin Cook can be in 2019. Not only is he a Pro Bowl and All-Pro candidate, he should be in the MVP conversation if the 8-3 Vikings keep winning.

Cook is the eighth player in team history to hit the 1,000-yard mark. The others are Adrian Peterson (x7), Robert Smith (x3), Michael Bennett, Chester Taylor, Chuck Foreman (x3), Terry Allen (x2) and Ted Brown.

Cook and the Vikings have Week 12 off before traveling to Seattle to play the Seahawks in Week 13. The Seahawks (8-2) rank 12th in the league, allowing 101 rushing yards per game.

Nick Chubb is the first NFL RB to reach 1,000 yards in 2019

Georgia football great Nick Chubb, of the Cleveland Browns, is the first NFL running back of 2019 to reach the 1,000 yard stat.

Georgia football great Nick Chubb went over the 1,000 yard marker on Thursday night as the Cleveland Browns took down the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Chubb toted the rock 27 times and racked up 92 yards, putting him at 1,011 yards on the season and making him the first NFL running back of 2019 to reach that milestone.

Currently, he leads Minnesota Vikings back Dalvin Cook – the older brother of Georgia’s James Cook – by 20 yards and is tied for fifth in yards per carry with an average of 5.0 (Lamar Jackson is first with an average of 6.6 YPC).

Last year, Chubb finished his rookie season with 996 yards on 192 carries. He briefly was sitting on the other side of 1,000 before his final few carries saw him lose yards, bringing him back down 996.

Through ten games this season, Chubb has already amassed his total carries from last season and is currently sitting at 201, the second highest in the NFL behind Cook’s 203.

Nick Chubb is the NFL’s first 1,000-yard rusher of 2019

Nick Chubb is the NFL’s first 1,000-yard rusher of 2019

Browns running back Nick Chubb ran for 92 yards on 27 carries in the team’s 21-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. The production carried Chubb over the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the team’s 10th game.

With that, Chubb became the first running back to break the 1,000-yard rushing barrier in the NFL in 2019. Chubb finished the night with 1,011 yards. Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook sits at 991 after already playing 10 games.

It’s a sweet situation for Chubb, who briefly crossed the 1,000-yard threshold as a rookie in 2018 before losing yards on his final carries to take him back down to just 996.

Georgia football has the most NFL players nominated for sportsmanship award

The NFL recognized four former UGA football players on Thursday, the most of any other program.

Recently, the NFL announced the nominees for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, and four former Georgia football players made the cut.

Among the finalists were former Dawgs Nick Chubb (Browns), Matthew Stafford (Lions), Thomas Davis (Chargers), and Ben Jones (Titans). The award considers a players sportsmanship to opponents on the field as well as things like community service and impact.

The Dawgs had far and away the most candidates of any single college. In fact, the only other school that had multiple finalists was Alabama, as former players Julio Jones and Dalvin Tomlinson were finalists.

This recognition further proves the unparalleled level of activism and community reach that has been and continues to be preached in the Georgia program. Congrats to these Dawgs!

Week 11 Fantasy Preview: Browns vs Steelers

Week 11 Fantasy Preview: Browns vs Steelers

How should fantasy football players handle the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers? Is Kareem Hunt worth starting? What about Baker Mayfield or Mason Rudolph?

The Matchup

Since the acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick, safety, the Steelers defense has been why the Steelers have won games. The defensive unit been opportunistic and applies pressure on opposing defenses from all levels of the field. Additionally, the defense has not allowed the sins of their offense to penalize the team on their four-game winning streak. Especially when the offense has gone three consecutive weeks turning the ball over on their opening drive.

While the defense has been great, I will ask this question of everyone reading this: “who have the Steelers played!?”

In Week 10 the Steelers played the broken down L.A. Rams coming to the east coach. Week 9 saw the Steelers knock Jacoby Brissett out early and go against Brian Hoyer for the majority of the game. The Week 8 Miami Dolphins put up a fight for the first half and then completely lost offensive momentum to sustain a lead. Finally, the Week 6 Chargers were led by Phillip Rivers’ strong two-interception game and Melvin Gordon trying to knock off the rust from a lengthy holdout.

What about the opposing weapons? They have to be better against this new age “Steel Curtain”, right? The media is clamoring about how great the Steelers defense is. They must have shut down amazing levels of talent on the opposing side of the field. In Week 10 the Steelers did a great job shutting down Cooper Kupp for the first time all season. The Rams also didn’t have Brandin Cooks and have dealt with significant injuries to their offensive line recently.

The Colts have been putting a band-aid on their pass-catchers with TY Hilton out. Their keynote wide receiver has been Zach Pascal. The Miami Dolphins were running out the dynamic combination of Preston Williams and DeVante Parker. I bet this defensive secondary would do great against the wide receivers in the Washington Redskins or the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This should not be a shock to anyone after reading the above information. The Browns may be the best offense the Steelers have faced since their Week 5 opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.

Baker Mayfield

The Steelers have on average allowed 216 passing yards and 1.7 passing touchdowns over their last three games, which includes a zero touchdown game from Jared Goff. While this is a small sample size, I think Jared Goff’s meltdown can really make their defense look better than it really is. Baker Mayfield should be considered a top-15 quarterback in a decent matchup at home.

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt

I am lumping these two together because there are still a lot of questions about total opportunity splits between these two. Week 10 saw Kareem Hunt earn 13 opportunities to touch the ball (9 targets and 4 rushes) and Nick Chubb saw 24 opportunities (20 rushes and 4 targets). It is still too early to say if those numbers will shift dependent on game script or hot hand. I would be willing to consider both FIRMLY in the top-24 conversation and Hunt would also be a great FLEX play.

Odell Beckham Jr.

In Week 10 Beckham earned his highest number of targets of the season and his first double-digit target game since Week 6 against the Seahawks. Additionally, the voluminous target share came in a negative matchup against one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. In Week 11, OBJ draws former Browns cornerback Joe Hayden. This may be the softest cornerback matchup OBJ has seen since Week 6 against the Seahawks when he erupted for his first 100-yard game of the season. This Week 11 matchup has the makings of a breakout game for Odell Beckham Jr. He should be considered a top-5 option on the week.

Jarvis Landry

There is no doubt Jarvis Landry is the best wide receiver on the Cleveland Browns right now. He is a leader with his game play and how he works on the sideline. For fantasy teams, Jarvis Landry is a steady WR2. He will get you exactly what you were hoping for from the position and show up every week. I would have no worries about getting him into your lineup.

Biggest question

I don’t know if Antonio Callaway is out of the doghouse or if Rashard Higgins will be given his opportunity to play more. I would love to see Higgins on the field because of his undeniable connection with Baker Mayfield and his route running ability. I would not trust either one in my lineup.

Update: Callaway has been cut. 

Nick Chubb is the Browns’ nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Chubb was selected by the Browns to represent the team as the nominee

Nick Chubb represents the Cleveland Browns as the team’s nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The team selected Chubb for the nomination, joining one player from all 32 NFL franchises.

From the NFL’s press release,

The winner of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award is determined by a vote of current NFL players. From the eight finalists, each team’s players will submit a consensus vote of their choice for the winner. As in Pro Bowl voting, a team cannot vote for its own player.

The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

The players will vote for the winner in December as part of the Pro Bowl balloting process.

Congrats to Chubb for setting such a strong example in just his second NFL season!

 

5 big plays from the Browns’ Week 10 win vs. Buffalo

Not everything was positive but there were some great highlights too

What moments stood out from the Browns’ big 19-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 10?

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt usage

Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were used on over 50% of the Cleveland Browns offensive snaps in Week 10 against the Bills. In this play, not only are both runners on the field, but Kareem Hunt delivers a block to help establish Nick Chubb’s cut back lane for a great run.

Jarvis Landry great catch for a touchdown

Landry has been the best and most reliable wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. On this play, Landry makes a great hands catch extending his arms away from his body. After the play, Landry was called for a taunting penalty and Austin Seibert ultimately missed the field goal. This was a great play and also a reminder to not let yourself get caught up in the heat of the moment.

Rashard Higgins game-winning touchdown

Browns fans have been rooting for Higgins to get more playing time and he did. Higgins finished Week 10 with 47% of the offensive snaps. While this was a great catch and I enjoyed seeing Higgins on the field, I also wonder if he would have been on the field if Antonio Callaway wouldn’t have been benched (click here for the full story). I will be watching closely to see if Higgins’ usage continues to trend up or if Callaway returns to the field and supplants Higgins.

Baker Mayfield safety

One of my biggest concerns with Baker Mayfield is his ability to get the ball out on time and this play perfectly outlines why. While the play design is horrible and there should have been a runner in the backfield with pass protection duties, it is also on the quarterback to deliver the ball when his back foot hits on the three-step drop. Mayfield double clutches and tries to scan the field for another option. If the ball was thrown on time, it could have been thrown away. Instead, Mayfield tries to make “the big play” and takes a safety.

Incredible Jarvis Landry catch to set up the game-winning score

As mentioned earlier, Landry has been the best wide receiver for the Browns in 2019. This play shows not only great concentration, but also his ability to adjust to the ball in the air. While we shouldn’t dwell on Odell Beckham uncovering himself in the deep middle or Kareem Hunt being wide open on the right side of the field, the catch was great and set up the game-winning touchdown to Rashard Higgins.

Nick Chubb is a finalist for FedEx Ground Player of the Week

Nick Chubb is a finalist for FedEx Ground Player of the Week and you can vote to help the Browns RB win the award

Browns RB Nick Chubb is once again a finalist for the weekly FedEx Ground Player of the Week award for Week 10. And you can help vote to win him the honor.

Chubb ran over, around and through the Buffalo Bills defense for 116 yards on 20 carries in Cleveland’s 19-16 win over the visitors from Buffalo.

From the press release, including a link where you can cast your vote for Chubb,

Each Tuesday morning of the regular season, through Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, fans can visit http://NFL.com/FedEx or the NFL Twitter page to vote for their favorite performances of the week, with FedEx awarding a $2,000 donation in the winning players’ names to The USO.

Georgia football’s top plays of NFL week 10

Georgia Bulldogs made some great plays in the NFL once again this week. With several NFL teams having bye weeks, there were fewer chances for Dawgs to make plays. Matthew Stafford was out for the first time in years, so one of the biggest …

Georgia Bulldogs made some great plays in the NFL once again this week. With several NFL teams having bye weeks, there were fewer chances for Dawgs to make plays. Matthew Stafford was out for the first time in years, so one of the biggest play-makers from UGA didn’t suit up. Still, Jordan Jenkins, Nick Chubb, and Mecole Hardman had game-changing plays for their teams.

The New York Jets won against the Giants in a battle of New York teams. Former UGA linebacker Jordan Jenkins was a standout with two sacks:

Georgia’s Nick Chubb played excellent for the Browns. Many were concerned about the return of Kareem Hunt impacting Chubb’s role in the Cleveland offense, but Chubb managed to power his way to over one hundred yards rushing. Chubb carried Buffalo Bills defenders with him on his best run of the afternoon:

The best play of the week has to go to Mecole Hardman. Although it was in losing effort for the Chiefs, Hardman showed off his 4.3 speed on this insane touchdown:

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What we learned from Bills’ Week 10 loss to Browns

What we learned, Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns, NFL Week 10

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Coming into week 10, the Bills had survived several games this season where they did not play well, but found a way to win. Their luck finally ran out in another ugly game Sunday along the banks of Lake Erie.

The Bills faltered on both their final defensive and offensive possessions of the game after coming from behind to take a lead in the fourth quarter. Cleveland went on a 10-play, 82-yard drive to take the lead on a Baker Mayfield to Rashard Higgins seven-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 to go. Josh Allen and the Bills got the ball back with a chance to either drive for a game-winning touchdown or game-tying field goal. Buffalo got to the Cleveland 35, but faltered from there as Allen threw incomplete on a back-shoulder toss on third down. Stephen Hauschka trotted onto the field to attempt a 53-yard field goal that would tie the game, but was both wide and short as Cleveland held on to win, 19-16.

There was a lot to be concerned about following this game for Buffalo, including questions on offense, defense, and with the coaching staff. The Bills offense again failed to deliver enough production to win the game, while the defense again had trouble stopping the run. Sean McDermott and the Bills’ coaching staff also had a rough day as there were game management decisions to question in the final two minutes.

The Bills are now 6-3 and suddenly find themselves falling back toward a gaining pack in the AFC wild card race as Buffalo has now lost two of its last three.

Here are four things we learned from the Bills’ loss Sunday in Cleveland: