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Throwback Thursday: Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco dominates Bengals

Throwback to this fantastic run by #Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco, which was among Kansas City’s best plays in its last matchup against the #Bengals.

The Kansas City Chiefs pulled out a win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 of the 2023 regular season due in no small part to the efforts of running back Isiah Pacheco.

Pacheco, who has been a dominant force in Kansas City’s offense since joining the Chiefs as a seventh-round pick in 2022, rushed for 130 yards on 18 carries and scored a receiving touchdown in the New Year’s Eve matchup.

Check out this video of Pacheco’s most impressive run from the game, where he rumbled down the field for a 60-yard gain to help lift Kansas City to victory in front of a home crowd that braved frigid temperatures at Arrowhead Stadium.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1741588542562906582

Pacheco’s exceptional speed, balance, and toughness make him one of the NFL’s most dynamic running backs, and if he can put together another performance like the one he had against the Bengals last season, Kansas City should cruise to a victory over Cincinnati on Sunday.

Broncos squandered opportunities against Seahawks

The Broncos settled for field goals after an interception and a fumble recovery set them up in the red zone. “Not enough came of it.”

The Denver Broncos ended up losing a close game to the Seattle Seahawks 26-20 on Sunday. Had they been more opportunistic, the Broncos could have left Lumen Field with a victory.

On the first series of the game, linebacker Alex Singleton intercepted a Geno Smith pass and returned it to Seattle’s 20-yard line, setting the Broncos up with great field position. Denver’s offense squandered that opportunity and settled for a field goal, a sign of things to come.

Later in the game, safety JL Skinner recovered a muffed punt at the Seahawks’ nine-yard line. Once again, the Broncos settled for a field goal.

Denver also got the ball back twice after safeties and the offense failed to score on either of those possessions. That’s essentially four turnovers that led to a grand total of six points.

“Yeah, not enough came of it,” Payton said of failing to score touchdowns after those takeaways. “Now, the safeties are the safeties and the interesting thing with the safeties are that I don’t know — we were able to catch the ball, obviously, and plus eight, you give yourself a chance of possibly returning it.

“I would say it’s not as penalizing maybe as in the past because you have hang time and all of that but it is what it is. But, yeah, the muffed punt, the interception, we’ve got to be better and I got to be better. The thing that was frustrating is the down and distance efficiency for us offensively on first or second down. There were too many third down and eight or more.”

Yes, that’s right, Payton needs to improve as well.

“Just, any time we have a plan like that and we don’t execute or we don’t run the ball as well, I have to look at why,” Payton said when asked why he needs to be better. “That’s why.”

The Broncos might not get opportunities to start drives in the red zone every week, so when they do, touchdowns are paramount. Denver’s not going to win games by settling for field goals. The offense needs to be more opportunistic going forward, starting with this week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Broncos need more from their ground game to support Bo Nix

“It’s going to be hard to [play] quarterback period if that’s the best we can do running the ball,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton came to the defense of Bo Nix after the rookie struggled in his NFL debut, with the coach noting that the team’s rushing attack did little to help the young quarterback.

“[W]e’re going to look at the tape and we’re going to say this and that, but we’ve got to evaluate, us as coaches, we’ve got to evaluate the run plan and why it wasn’t as effective as we would like,” Payton said after a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. “It’s going to be hard to [play] quarterback period if that’s the best we can do running the ball.”

Jaeel McLaughlin led the team with 10 carries, but they only went for 27 yards, an ugly 2.7 yards per carry average. Javonte Williams turned eight rushes into 23 yards (2.9 YPC) and Audric Estime had a small sample size of two carries for 14 yards (and one lost fumble). That’s not going to cut it.

“[F]or any quarterback playing, we’ve got to be more effective running the football,” Payton said. “If [you] take away his scrambling yards, I think we’re like somewhere [around] 60 yards rushing to their 140, so not nearly good enough.”

Nix ended up being the team’s leading rushing in yards with 35 on five carries. He also rushed for a touchdown late in the game.

“[T]here’s a couple of runs that we’ve got to see better vison-wise from the running back position,” Payton said Monday. “Audric has one, where I don’t know that his eyes are in the right spot, but he’s got a chance for a much bigger play. Javonte has one, so overall we’ve got to improve in that area.”

If the offense is going to have more success going forward, Nix will need more support from his backfield.

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If We’re Being Honest: Cowboys offense was actually awful for half of Week 1 win

From @ToddBrock24f7: It was all smiles after Dallas’ 33-17 win, but a closer look at the stats shows that the offense has a lot to clean up before Week 2.

There’s always something to clean up in football, always some aspect of the game that can be improved upon, no matter how good the performance.

And despite a 33-17 drubbing of the Cleveland Browns which didn’t seem even that close for most of the opening-day afternoon, that has indeed been a common thread among Cowboys coaches and players since their Week 1 meeting went final.

Most experts were split before the game on who would emerge victorious. The close contest that had been so anticipated that it earned “Game of the Week” status, however, became a laugher long before halftime.

The Dallas offense and their two newly-signed superstars had blown the doors off the vaunted Browns defense, while the revamped Cowboys D under Mike Zimmer had embarrassed a pathetic Cleveland offense. That was the story in the aftermath of Sunday’s win.

Cowboys Nation may rightfully be celebrating a decisive win over a playoff-caliber opponent and already preparing to see a jump in the power rankings for Week 2, but a closer look inside the numbers show that it may be a bit early to christen this 2024 Cowboys squad as a bona fide powerhouse.

The inconvenient truth, perhaps lost in the happy haze of a Week 1 win, is that the Cowboys offense was just as bad in the second half of the game as the Browns offense had been in the first half. In several categories, they were even worse.

“We were totally out of balance in the second half of the game,” McCarthy told reporters in his Monday press conference. “You’d like the [whole] game to go the way the first half went; I’m just talking about play distribution, ball distribution, all those types of things.”

Sure, the Cowboys were well ahead coming out of the tunnel after intermission. But the game certainly wasn’t decided at that point, and there’s a big difference between easing off the gas a little and parking the car and walking away with the engine sputtering.

A statistical breakdown by half shows that Dak Prescott & Co. did next to nothing for the final 30 minutes of play.

	1st Half	2nd Half
Off. plays	40	20
1st Downs	13	2
3rd Down Eff.	4-9	0-5
Rushing Plays	16	9
Rushing Net Yds	76	26
Passing Atts	21	11
Passing Net Yds	140	23
Total Net Yds	216	49
Possession	19:56	9:10

It’s worth noting that KaVontae Turpin’s electrifying punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter, while furthering the Cowboys’ lead, automatically reduced the offense’s second-half opportunities in every one of these categories.

Even still, it’s awfully hard to scan that second column of stats and be crowing too loudly about the offense responsible, no matter what the scoreboard said at the end.

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Of particular concern for McCarthy is the unit going 0-for-5 on third down conversions in the second half; he called that “probably our biggest negative on offense.”

McCarthy often speaks candidly about “September football,” and it was on display on both the shores of Lake Erie and around the league. Silly penalties. Sloppy tackling. Inaccurate passing. Mental mistakes. Missed assignments. Guys cramping and getting winded late in games. There is a legitimate amount of rust to be knocked off for nearly everyone this time of year.

Some of the shortcomings noted above will work themselves out with time and conditioning and reps. No one in Dallas is panicking, and after all, a win is a win. (And a 16-point win over a team expected to be an AFC playoff contender is a fantastic way to start the season.)

And after a frustrating and tension-filled offseason, Cowboys fans understandably aren’t especially eager to focus on the negative after such a satisfyingly cathartic win to kick off the season.

But pretending there’s not a problem won’t help it go away. McCarthy knows there’s a problem to be fixed; he and the offense have six days to tinker with it before trying again versus New Orleans.

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Klint Kubiak calling plays vs. Panthers from the sideline, not the booth

Klint Kubiak has ultimately chosen to call plays from the sideline as opposed to the booth after trying out both options in preseason:

Klint Kubiak, the new offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, has ultimately chosen to call plays from the sideline for Week 1 as opposed to the booth, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. This comes after Kubiak split between the two options throughout the preseason to see which would work best for the team.

Earlier this week Kubiak refused to comment on which of the two approaches he would be taking for this first game. However, he has chosen the traditional route of sideline coaching, which allows for more communication with players throughout the game.

Considering he is new to the team and is building the scheme around the players who were already here, it does make sense that he went in this direction, as he can receive input live from players rather than having to infer it from play results.

Look at the veteran presence the Saints have on offense as well. Getting input is extremely valuable for a new coach to the team, as hearing back from players like Alvin Kamara, Derek Carr, and Taysom Hill may help him make adjustments to improve the offense.

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Drew Brees excited to see what Derek Carr can do in Klint Kubiak’s offense

Drew Brees is excited to see what Derek Carr can do in Klint Kubiak’s offense: ‘I think they’re poised to have a really good season’

https://twitter.com/jimrome/status/1831445885143724321

This may not be the biggest bombshell in the news you’ll read today, but Drew Brees has a lot of thoughts on the New Orleans Saints. The 13-time Pro Bowler and legendary Saints quarterback sat down with Jim Rome this week to take stock on his old team and share his take on what’s ahead of them.

With kickoff against the Carolina Panthers closing in, it’s worth checking in with No. 9 to see what he’s expecting from Derek Carr in the revamped Saints offense.

“You know, I’m excited for him,” Brees grinned. “I think there’s definitely growth, you know, just when it comes to the chemistry with those guys who are in the locker room with him and on the field with him. But it also starts the Klint Kubiak era in New Orleans. I love that San Francisco offense and obviously Klint came from San Francisco. I think it provides the opportunity for all of our playmakers to really be in some dynamic situations. I had a chance to go watch them in training camp and see it this offseason as well. I know Derek is really excited to be with Klint in that offense, being in that offense, and getting another crack at it here. I think they’re poised to have a really good season.”

Brees pointed to instability around the division as reason for confidence that, yes, the Saints could go on a run. Kirk Cousins joining the Atlanta Falcons will be challenging. But the Panthers have a lot to prove with the league’s weakest roster and Bryce Young coming off a rough rookie year. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were soundly beaten by the Saints late last season only to go on a playoff run of their own anyway.

We’ll find out soon whether Brees’ excitement and confidence is warranted. The Saints haven’t returned to the glory days he ushered in, but they can still find success with him watching from home like many other fans.

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Derek Carr on Klint Kubiak’s offense: ‘It’s very clear to me’

Derek Carr reflected on a conversation with Klint Kubiak that perfectly showcases Kubiak’s leadership within the New Orleans Saints offense:

https://twitter.com/SeanFazendeFOX8/status/1831471756596617620

An offensive coordinator’s job is to make things easier for his players. That could be getting Chris Olave and the receiving corps the ball in space for run after the catch. For Derek Carr, that means making the game simple.

“One thing about this system it’s very clear to me,” Carr said. He understands when to make certain decisions as he goes through his progressions.

He reflected on a conversation he had Kubiak in practice that day. Carr had a question about timing within the offense. Kubiak told him, “I will tell you. Don’t even worry about it. You just play.”

Carr called the conversation freeing. It’s a great example of how Kubiak leads the offense. This hasn’t been the feeling within the offense over the past two seasons. It could be because it’s new, but players seem to trust Kubiak’s instruction more than in years’ past.

Conversations like that develop trust between coordinator and player while building comfort in the player. Those two attributes go hand in hand. By Carr’s tone, it’s safe to assume he believes Kubiak is putting him in the correct positions and will follow as such.

There shouldn’t be much second guessing himself or the decisions of the play caller. All of these factors will result in Carr and the offense operating faster. Now it’s about execution. Playing fast is irrelevant if you’re making wrong decisions quickly. The first test comes Sunday in Week 1’s game with the Carolina Panthers.

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One statistic Wisconsin must change entering Week 2 matchup vs. South Dakota

OC Phil Longo’s offense has one major thing to change entering Week 2:

One word to describe Wisconsin’s pedestrian performance in its Week 1 win over Western Michigan: inexplosive.

Wisconsin tallied 388 yards of total offense (192 passing, 196 rushing), gained 27 first downs, was an impressive 11/17 on third and fourth down and traveled into the Western Michigan red zone a total of six times. It moved the ball at will.

But with 10 minutes left in the game, the Badgers somehow trailed 14-13.

One easy ‘one stat that must change’ is the team’s red zone efficiency. It reached the red zone in each of its first four drives, though scored only 13 points. The drives went: Missed field goal, touchdown, field goal, field goal. Scoring touchdowns on all of those trips would be a great place to start.

But Wisconsin’s biggest problem on offense was separate from its red zone struggles. The problem was a lack of explosiveness. The unit did not register a play longer than 17 yards.

That gets to the central problem facing the team, or at least the reason it failed to score 40+ against a poor MAC opponent. What is Phil Longo’s air raid offense if not explosive? That is a rhetorical question. The answer is not that good.

Longo’s attack works when it can hit big strikes, whether on the ground or through the air. Luke Fickell said on Monday that Western Michigan presented some unique looks, taking the Badgers out of their original plan. But whichever looks the offense saw, it should be able to hit on plays longer than 17 yards.

That failure to create explosive plays led the team to run far too many plays to drive the field. As seen in some of its first-half drives, too many plays often leads to trouble — missed field goals, turnovers, timely penalties, etc.

Wisconsin’s first four drives were 16 plays, 16 plays, 14 plays and 14 plays. That works to wear down a defense, but it also gives the opponent far too many opportunities to stall the drive’s progress.

The Badgers’ drives were of that length because the team went 11/17 on third and fourth down, an unsustainable rate of success. A team facing 16 third downs in a game typically means it is punting 7-8 times, at least. So the key to offensive success, especially in Longo’s scheme, is avoiding those situations. To do that, a team must create explosive, field-flipping plays.

The Badgers supposedly have the playmakers to stretch opposing defenses in the pass-happy offensive scheme. Week 2 vs. South Dakota will be about connecting on those plays and flashing the explosive potential of the offense. Otherwise, things won’t look good entering Week 3 vs. Alabama.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Broncos have run game and defense in place to support Bo Nix

A strong run game and good defense are a QB’s best friend. “Not just for a rookie, that’s for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady,” Sean Payton said.

The Denver Broncos are setting Bo Nix up for success in his first season.

The Broncos turned down trade offers for No. 1 wide receiver Courtland Sutton, and they gave a massive contract extension to star guard Quinn Meinerz. Denver running back Javonte Williams is now fully healthy, Jaleel McLaughlin is back and the team added rookie Audric Estime to the mix.

On defense, the Broncos beefed up their front three by bringing in John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach this spring.

The pieces are in place for Nix to be supported by a punishing rushing attack and strong defense, two best friends of a young quarterback — or any QB.

“That’s the case — that’s not just for a rookie, that’s for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or any of our great quarterbacks,” coach Sean Payton said ahead of the team’s preseason finale last week. “They themselves would say, ‘Man, if we’re struggling on defense, and we’re having trouble running the ball, it becomes harder to play that position the way you want to play it.’

“That’s what we’re in the midst of doing right now. We’re still trying to get the consistency we want in the run game. We have another weekend relative to a preseason game and practices to work on that, the same way defensively. I think we’ve played the run pretty well, but it’s a work in progress.”

Denver ranked near the middle of the NFL with 106.5 rushing yards per game in 2023. After a slow start, the defense finished well last season. Following the additions made this offseason, the Broncos believe they have a good supporting cast in place for Nix.

It’s still a work in progress, as Payton noted, but the run game and defense seem to be trending in the right direction.

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Chris Olave embracing run blocking: ‘Trying to add more to what I can do’

Run blocking is new to Chris Olave, but it’s something he was looking to add to his game. It’s all about being a good teammate:

Going into the offseason, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave wanted to become a better blocker. When the Saints hired Klint Kubiak to spearhead an offensive change, Olave’s interest fit into an important part of the Saints’ new philosophy on offense.

Look at Kubiak’s most recent home, the San Francisco 49ers. From Brandon Aiyuk to Jauan Jennings, receivers block.

Emphasizing run blocking is new to Olave, but he says “It’s been good. I’m not used blocking. I’m used to catching the ball, running the ball, scoring touchdowns, but that ain’t really been working for us in the winning column.” For the wide receiver, it all comes down to being a good teammate and “Trying to add more to what I can do.”

Olave is on the mission to add more to his skillset to impact the game in multiple ways. That includes when the ball is in the runner’s hands. This would inherently would keep him on the field in nearly every situation.

He spent the time in the weight room for this exact reason, installing a home gym and picking up a new weightlifting regimen to help improve his play strength. Olave emphasized this is something he wanted to do after last season. That’s good to hear because that desire will lead to willingness as a blocker opposed to him simply going through the motions. They say willingness is half the battle, and he’s already won that.

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