Tag: Packers

Comparing two hypothetical trade pitches for Chase Young

Chase Young’s contract makes him an appealing trade target and The 33rd Team has crafted two trade packages for the Saints edge rusher:

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon. One of the New Orleans Saints players you’ll hear thrown around often is Chase Young. His one year contract makes him very appealing to a team looking to get over the hump this year but doesn’t want to be connected to him long term.

This was the team’s intention with Young when they signed him in free agency. The Saints didn’t trend the intended direction this year, but another team could view Young the same way.

The 33rd Team projected two potential suitors for Young, the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. Both of these teams are true NFC contenders. If both of these hypotheticals were on the table, the Saints should go with the Lions offer.

In this exercise, the Lions offered a fourth round pick while the Packers offered a fifth rounder. It’s an easy decision there. The Saints have a built-in relationship with the Lions and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them work together at the deadline. Matter of fact, Detroit has a need for the Saints biggest bargaining chips, Marshon Lattimore and Young. The trade deadline is 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Let’s see if the Saints cut a deal.

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All 32 NFL quarterbacks (including C.J. Stroud) ranked by Total QBR post Week 7

Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud remains one of the top passers in QBR rankings entering Week 8.

Houston Texans second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud needs a rebound this Sunday as the AFC South favorites return home.

While the Texans would love nothing more than to get back to their winning ways, Stroud just needs a moral boost. 

The former Offensive Rookie of the Year is coming off his worst performance since being drafted out of Ohio State in 2023. He completed 10-of-21 pass attempts for 86 yards and only picked up six first downs as the Texans fell to 5-2 in a 24-22 loss against the Green Bay Packers.

With that negative performance, Stroud dropped six spots from  No. 6 to No. 12 in ESPN’s Total QBR rankings this week. ESPN gave Stroud a 22.1 QBR rating against Green Bay, which marks the second-lowest score of his career.

Stroud’s traditional passer rating against New England was 58.8, which marked the second-lowest rating of his career. He posted a 54.8 rating in a 30-6 loss against the New York Jets after leaving early in the second quarter. 

The Total QBR differs from the traditional passer rating. According to ESPN, the QBR “incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties.”

The metric also considers scenarios that a traditional passer rating overlooks and  looks at “a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.”

Through six games, Stroud’s thrown four interceptions and been sacked 20 times. Two turnovers came in the 34-7 loss against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3.

Here’s a look at where Stroud stacks up against the NFL’s other starting quarterbacks entering Week 8 when it comes to QBR.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR before Week 8

  1. Josh Allen: 77.6
  2. Lamar Jackson: 74.3
  3. Jayden Daniels: 73.7
  4. Joe Burrow: 72.6
  5. Kyler Murray: 68.7
  6. Derek Carr: 68.7
  7. Trevor Lawrence: 63.1
  8. Jalen Hurts: 63.1
  9. Patrick Mahomes: 61.2
  10. Geno Smith: 61.1
  11. Brock Purdy: 60.9
  12. C.J. Stroud: 60.2
  13. Kirk Cousins: 59.4
  14. Jordan Love: 58.8
  15. Jared Goff: 57.3
  16. Baker Mayfield: 56.7
  17. Andy Dalton: 56.2
  18. Sam Darnold: 55.1
  19. Matthew Stafford: 54.4
  20. Justin Fields: 53.3
  21. Justin Herbert: 52.6
  22. Bo Nix: 49.2
  23. Dak Prescott: 48.9
  24. Aaron Rodgers: 48.9
  25. Daniel Jones: 47.0
  26. Caleb Williams: 46.4
  27. Anthony Richardson: 42.9
  28. Jacoby Brissett: 40.3
  29. Gardner Minshew: 33.6
  30. Will Levis: 27.5
  31. Deshaun Watson: 23.5

Stroud and the Texans will take on the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium at noon CT.

Packers 24, Texans 22: Game balls, play of the game

Here’s the Texans’ Player of the Game following Week 7’s loss on the road to the Green Bay Packers.

For the first time in 2024, the Houston Texans have been on the opposing side of a game-winning kick. 

Brandon McManus, who signed earlier this week with the Green Bay Packers, drilled a 45-yard field goal as time expired to secure a 24-22 victory at Lambeau Field. 

Houston’s offense barely had life. The defense created two turnovers and the special teams were special, especially M.J. Stewart’s fumble recovery inside Green Bay’s red zone.

Not all is terrible for the Texans as they fall to 5-2 entering Week 8’s matchup at home against the Indianapolis Colts. 

It’s time to hand out game balls and pick the play of the game:

Game balls

Offense: RB Joe Mixon — This is the only correct answer because Mixon was the only consistent player Sunday. He averaged 4.9 yards per attempt, capitalized on several third-and-short runs and pushed ahead for two touchdowns in the first half.

When Mixon is healthy, the Texans’ offense could be considered one of the league’s best. Sunday marked the third 100-yard rushing performance for the former Bengals’ star and the third game where he’s averaged over 22 carries and 4.5 yards per attempt. Last season, the Texans were one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL.

Entering Week 8, they rank 16th in yards per attempt, 15th in rushing yards per game and 11th in rushing touchdowns.  That’s mainly because of Mixon’s ability to win at the point of attack and explosive runs in space. 

Defense: LB Neville Hewitt — Thrust into a full-time role after Azeez Al-Shaair left last week’s win over New England, Hewitt has been a tackling machine. He also showed off his hands with an early interception after Jordan Love’s pass was broken up by Jalen Pitre to set up a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal in the first quarter. Hewitt finished with eight tackles, two pass breakups and an interception. He also helped force two thrid-down stops that led to a punt from Daniel Whelan. 

Special teams: DB M.J. Stewart — Situational awareness was essential in Sunday’s outing for Houston to put up points. Seventeen of the Texans’ 22 points came off turnovers, with perhaps the game-changer being on a muffed punt recovered by M.J. Stewart. The ball hit Corey Ballentine’s leg and became live. Perfectly, Stewart pounced on the ball to set up a 4-yard touchdown run from Mixon later in the drive. 

Play of the game

After starting off the final drive with a few conservative runs, the Texans were facing a 3rd-and-10 and just were pushed out of field goal range. Stroud barely had time to survey the field before a pair of Packers defenders were in his face. 

On the run, Stroud found an open Xavier Hutchinson near the sideline and delivered a strike. The ball was low, so Hutchinson dove to avoid contact with the defenders and secured the ball. 

A fresh of downs and three plays later, Houston led by two with just under two minutes remaining in the game. If the play-calling was a bit more aggressive, perhaps the Texans would be up by five, thus forcing Jordan Love and the Packers to go for the end zone. 


Still, it was a quality reception for Hutchinson as the de facto No. 3 target. 

Watch: Texans RB Joe Mixon dismantles Packers defense for second TD

Joe Mixon has been the definition of a stud for the Houston Texans’ offense through four games this season.

The Houston Texans are hard to stop when they have a ground game.

When Joe Mixon is in the huddle, Houston might be the most complete offense in the NFL.

Mixon capped off a promising second quarter with his second touchdown run of the game, this time from 4 yards out, to put the Texans back in front by six over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

So far, Mixon’s basically handled business and taken the Packers’ lunch money and made them beg for mercy.

Houston has trusted its defense to force turnovers and give the offense a second opportunity. Nevile Hewitt picked off Packers star Jordan Love on the opening drive to set up a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.

Just before Mixon’s 32-yard run to eventually set up the score, Calen Bullock recorded his third pick of the regular season. Surprisingly, takeaways were the subject of conversation, but more so for C.J. Stroud.

Green Bay entered Sunday with an NFL-leading 17 takeaways, including nine interceptions.

The Packers defense has created problems for Stroud and the passing game. While he’s 5-of-11 for 44 yards, the Texans continue to trust the ground game with Mixon.

He finished the first half with 81 yards rushing on 11 carries and two touchdowns. That’s an average over 7.6 yards per attempt.

With a win, the Texans would advance to 6-1, marking their best start since 2012.

Watch: Texans RB Joe Mixon continues dominance with TD run vs. Packers

Joe Mixon remains the bell cow for the Houston Texans’ offense entering halftime at Lambeau Field.

Joe Mixon is cashing in on being the Houston Texans top running back.

The Texans are cashing in on the Green Bay Packers‘ mistakes.

Following a muffed punt recovered by the defensive back M.J. Stewart, Mixon punched in a 2-yard touchdown to give Houston a 10-7 lead at Lambeau Field.

The only downside of the play? His Lambeau Leap was foiled thanks to the Packers’ faithful keeping him out of the stands.

Since returning from injury, Mixon has lived up to billing as being the top option for Houston’s ground game. He finished with 102 yards and a touchdown run in Week 6’s victory over the New England Patriots. Mixon also caught two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown reception in the second half.

As the Texans enter the second half, Mixon remains the head honcho on offense. He’s averaging 7.4 yards per run with three first-down conversions.

The Texans will start the second half on offense while looking to improve to 6-1.

Watch: Texans M.J. Stewart recover fumble on muffed Packers punt

Houston Texans safety M.J. Stewart was the one to fall on the loose ball, recording the second takeaway against the Green Bay Packers.

The Houston Texans needed to steal possessions to protect its depleted defense from the Green Bay Packers offense.

Special teams call for special plays.

Packers return man Keisean Nixon elected not to catch the ball in the air and it bounced off teammate Corey Ballentine. Multiple players from each team jumped on the live ball, but Texans M.J. Stewart was the one to record the fumble recovery.

Houston has now forced six takeaways in the last six quarters after totaling just three in the first five games.

Stewart’s fumble recovery is Houston’s first special teams takeaway of the season.

Stewart’s fumble recovery is his first since Week 1 of the 2023 season against the Baltimore Ravens.

Both takeaways against the Packers have set Houston’s offense up inside the Packers red zone.

The Texans will start the second half on offense.

Texans vs. Packers, Week 7 injury report: Wednesday

Here’s the injury report from Wednesday’s practice in preparation for the Houston Texans’ matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Here are the full injury reports for the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers ahead of their Week 7 matchup at Lambeau Field:

Houston Texans (4-1)

Did not practice

  • LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee)
  • WR Robert Woods (foot)
  • CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder)
  • LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion)
  • DB Jimmie Ward (groin)
  • DL Foley Fatukasi (shoulder)

Limited participation

  • RB Joe Mixon (ankle)
  • LB Del’Shawn Phillips (hip)
  • OT Laremy Tunsil (ankle)

Green Bay Packers (4-2)

Did not practice

  • DL Devonte Wyatt (ankle)
  • OL Elton Jenkins (knee)
  • DL Colby Wooden (knee)

Limited participation

  • CB Jaire Alexander (groin)
  • DL Kenny Clark (toe)
  • TE  Tucker Kraft (groin)
  • C Josh Myers (ankle)
  • WR Jayden Reed (ankle)
  • WR Dontayvion Wicks (shoulder)
  • WR Christian Watson (ankle)

Full participant

  • DL Jonathan Ford (calf)

Kickoff from Lambeau Field is scheduled for noon CT. The Packers open as a -2.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM.

Texans embracing challenge of facing Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love

The Houston Texans know that Sunday’s battle against Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love will be cinematic.

Through six games this season, the Houston Texans’ defense has been up to the task of making life hell for opposing quarterbacks.

Minnesota Vikings journeyman Sam Darnold is the only passer to present problems to the Texans en route to a 5-1 record. He threw four touchdown passes and completed over 70% of his throws in what became the worst loss of the DeMeco Ryans era.

Other than that, life’s been grand whenever facing a gunslinger on Sundays.

Chicago Bears starter and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams tossed two interceptions and was sacked seven times in a 19-13 victory back on Sunday Night Football

Buffalo Bills star and potential MVP favorite Josh Allen completed nine pass attempts and totaled a season-low 131 yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars starter Trevor Lawrence looked lost in a 24-20 loss back in Week 4 after completing 54.6% of his throws.

And Will Anderson Jr. made sure to give No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye his “welcome to the NFL” moment with three sacks in Sunday’s win. Maye also tossed two interceptions and coughed up a fumble on a Danielle Hunter stip-sack.

Yes, the Texans look to have one of the league’s toughest defenses. Now comes their toughest test at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon: Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

“Going against Jordan Love this week, he will be the best quarterback we’ve seen this year,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It will be a really, really tough matchup.”

Believing that Love is a better quarterback than Allen would be considered a bold take, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely wrong. The numbers would back it up.

After sitting for three seasons behind four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, Love has transformed into one of the league’s most dangerous men with a football. He completed 64.2% of his throws for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions while leading Green Bay back to the postseason in 2023.

When on the field, Love has lived up to the billing of his four-year, $220 million extension. He’s second in the league in touchdown passes (12) and yards per game (282.7), despite missing two games with a knee injury in Week 1’s against Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

If there is a caveat to slowing down Love, it’s his turnover ratio. Despite ranking second in passing touchdowns, he also ranks second in interceptions with six.

“Jordan Love is a talented, talented quarterback,” rookie safety Calen Bullock said Monday. “I think everybody knows that. He’s in a good area with Green Bay. He has a good receiver corps that he believes in.”

Much like C.J. Stroud, Love has options on offense. Five different receivers have at least 10 catches through six games. Three players, including recently reinstated Romeo Doubs, are averaging over 12.8 yards per catch and have at least two touchdown receptions.

“A lot of passing out of those guys, and we know we got to be up for that challenge,” Bullock said.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

49ers skyrocket into NFC playoff picture after Week 6

The NFC playoff picture once again features the 49ers.

Week 6 may mark a turning point in the 2024 season for the San Francisco 49ers.

After stumbling through the first five weeks, the 49ers righted the ship with a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. The win put San Francisco in first place in the NFC West by way of head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks.

With the Arizona Cardinals loss to the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers were guaranteed to end Week 6 with a share of first place in their division. They also skyrocketed up the NFC standings and firmly into the playoff picture.

The 49ers entered Week 6 at No. 14 out of 16 teams in the NFC thanks to a putrid 0-3 record in the conference that dropped them below other 2-3 teams because of tiebreakers.

After Week 6 the 49ers now find themselves in position to host a home playoff game. Here’s what the playoff picture looks like entering Week 7:

1. Vikings (5-0)
2. Falcons (4-2)
3. Commanders (4-2)
4. 49ers (3-3)
5. Lions (4-1)
6. Bears (4-2)
7. Buccaneers (4-2)

Step 1 for the 49ers was getting themselves back into the playoff picture after starting the year on the outside looking in. A third of the way through the year they’re in a better spot and their path ahead is clear.

San Francisco’s goal is obtaining the No. 1 seed. That still seems a ways off since they’re 2.5 games back of the Vikings for that spot and Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The more immediate focus should just be climbing the standings and trying to gain some separation from their NFC West rivals.

Moving ahead isn’t going to be easy for the 49ers. They host the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys before their bye week. Those games won’t be easy, but thanks to Week 6, San Francisco is in a position to perhaps get as high as No. 2 in the NFC before getting a much-needed week off where reinforcements could be coming off of IR.

Week 6 was big for the 49ers, but it only put them back on track. Every game moving forward will be even bigger if they’re going to re-assert their dominance in the NFC.

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How the 49ers got a win without playing Sunday of Week 6

The 49ers didn’t play Sunday, but they managed to find a win thanks to the Packers.

The San Francisco 49ers got to kick their feet up Sunday after playing Thursday night to kick off Week 6 of the regular season.

Despite not suiting up while most of the rest of the NFL was in action, the 49ers still managed to find a win via the Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay blew out the Arizona Cardinals 34-13 at Lambeau Field on Sunday morning West Coast time. That dropped the Cardinals to 2-4 and ensured the 49ers would enter Week 7 with the lead in the NFC West.

Had the Cardinals won, they would’ve been 3-3 and tied with the 49ers and Seahawks. By way of tiebreakers the 49ers would have been knocked out of the top of the division. Instead, the 49ers will be in first since they’re tied with the Seahawks and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to their Thursday night victory at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Here is what the division standings look like after Sunday’s action:

1. 49ers (3-3)
2. Seahawks (3-3)
3. Cardinals (2-4)
4. Rams (1-4)

The Rams were idle with a Week 6 bye, so they didn’t get a chance to keep up with the rest of the division.

Leading the division by tiebreaker isn’t where the 49ers want to be after six weeks. It’s certainly better than where they were entering the week — a third-place team in desperate need of a victory.

They still need to start stringing together wins, but they’ve now put themselves in position to play from ahead. They control their own destiny starting Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs at home.

Thanks to Week 6’s results, if the 49ers start playing better football, they’ll be able to separate themselves from the rest of the division and turn their sights toward the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

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