Tag: Pete Prisco

Who are the experts taking in Chargers vs. Raiders?

Find out who national pundits are favoring in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders.

The Los Angeles Chargers are 2.5-point underdogs to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13 of the 2022 regular season. The over/under is 49.5 points, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 49.5 points.

My score prediction for the game is a 30-27 win for the Chargers, with a total of 57 points. So if I were putting money behind my prediction, I’d bet the over.

As for game picks, analysts are split between the two teams.

Expert Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today) Chargers
Jarrett Bell (USA Today) Chargers
Mike Clay (ESPN) Raiders
Matt Bowen (ESPN) Chargers
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Raiders
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Raiders
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Media) Raiders
Bleacher Report Chargers

Sunday’s game will begin at 1:25 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

Who are the experts taking in Chargers vs. Cardinals?

Find out who national pundits are favoring in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.

The Los Angeles Chargers are 3-point favorites over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12 of the 2022 regular season. The over/under is 49 points, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 49 points.

My score prediction for the game is a 27-17 win for the Chargers, with a total of 44 points. So if I were putting money behind my prediction, I’d bet the under.

As for game picks, analysts favor the Bolts.

Expert Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today) Chargers
Jarrett Bell (USA Today) Chargers
Mike Clay (ESPN) Chargers
Matt Bowen (ESPN) Chargers
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Chargers
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Chargers
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Media) Chargers
Bleacher Report Chargers

Sunday’s game will begin at 1:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

Four former Tigers make this list of NFL’s top 100 players

A national writer recently published his list of the top 100 NFL players of 2022. CBS Sports Senior Writer Pete Prisco’s list of the NFL’s top 100 players features a quartet of former Clemson standouts. Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell is the …

A national writer recently published his list of the top 100 NFL players of 2022.

CBS Sports Senior Writer Pete Prisco’s list of the NFL’s top 100 players features a quartet of former Clemson standouts.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell is the highest-ranked former Tiger on Prisco’s list, coming in at No. 68.

Terrell is coming off a breakout 2021 season that saw him earn second-team All-Pro honors after tallying 81 total tackles (52 solo), a sack, a forced fumble, 16 passes defended and three interceptions in 16 games (16 starts).

A two-time All-ACC selection at Clemson, Terrell didn’t allow more than 32 yards in coverage in a game last season, allowed fewer than 20 yards in 13 games last season and also recorded the lowest passer rating allowed (47.5) and the lowest completion percentage allowed (43.9), according to PFF. Additionally, per PFF, the Atlanta native and 2020 first-round draft pick yielded only 200 yards over the course of the entire season.

“He quietly had an impressive season in his second year in the league,” Prisco wrote. “He is a long corner who can cover outside and is a willing tackler in the run game. He looks like a future star.”

Prisco has former Clemson and current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins ranked three spots behind Terrell at No. 71.

Hopkins played only 10 games last season due to a hamstring injury and then a season-ending MCL injury that he suffered in Week 14 in December, and he will have to sit out the first six games of this season as he serves a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

However, the five-time Pro Bowler had missed a total of just two games in the first eight years of his NFL career prior to last season. Hopkins finished the 2021 season with career lows in catches (42) and receiving yards (572), but still led the Cardinals with a team-high eight receiving touchdowns.

“Injuries limited him to 10 games last season and he had a career-low 42 catches,” Prisco wrote. “He did have eight touchdown catches. Now in his ninth season, he has to stay healthy, especially since he’s already been suspended for the first six games.”

Grady Jarrett is also ranked in the 70s on Prisco’s list, with the former Tiger and current Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle checking in at No. 77.

During his NFL career so far, Jarrett has seen action in 110 games with 95 starts while totaling 359 tackles (198 solo), 26.5 sacks, 54 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 89 quarterback hits. He helped the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2016 season.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Jarrett signed a three-year contract extension with the Falcons this offseason and is entering his eighth season with the Falcons in 2022.

“On a bad team, he remains a bright spot,” Prisco wrote. “His ability to push the pocket and play the run make him one of the better inside players in the game.”

Deshaun Watson also made Prisco’s list at No. 83.

The former Clemson quarterback, of course, was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March from the Houston Texans, who received three first-round draft picks in return. The three-time Pro Bowler then got a new fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million, setting a new record for the highest guarantee given to an NFL player.

The NFL recently reached a deal on a disciplinary settlement with Watson, agreeing to an 11-game suspension and $5 million fine for violations of the personal conduct policy.

Two other former Tigers — defensive tackle D.J. Reader of the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow of the Las Vegas Raiders — were named among Prisco’s honorable mentions.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

Eagles have 4 players make Pete Prisco’s Top 100 NFL Players list for 2022

Philadelphia Eagles have 4 players make Pete Prisco’s Top 100 NFL Players list for 2022

With NFL training camps set to start in a little over a month, player rankings and top 100 lists are starting to be released and Philadelphia should be well represented.

With the addition of A.J. Brown and Haason Reddick, star power was added to a roster that already includes Jalen Hurts, Miles Sanders, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and the NFL’s top offensive line.

CBS Sports Pete Prisco just released his annual top 100 players list, and the Eagles had four players land on the list, with their talented and ascending left tackle getting the highest ranking.

DK Metcalf is only Seahawk to make Pete Prisco’s top 100 players list

Wide receiver DK Metcalf is the only member of the Seattle Seahawks to land on CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s top 100 players list for 2022.

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Ouch.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf is the only member of the Seattle Seahawks to land on CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s top 100 players list heading into the 2022 NFL season.

“He is physically one of the most impressive receivers in the league,” Prisco writes. “He had 75 catches last season with 12 touchdowns. Imagine if he played in a pass-first offense?”

Two former Seahawks did make Prisco’s list, however – Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, who makes his debut in orange at No. 42, and Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner way down near the bottom at No. 93.

Seattle safety Quandre Diggs and wide receiver Tyler Locket earned honorable mentions.

Ouch.

Click here to read Prisco’s full list.

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Seahawks start near bottom in early NFL power rankings

The Seattle Seahawks start near the bottom of CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s early NFL power rankings ahead of the 2022 regular season.

The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI and with that, lead the NFL power rankings heading into the 2022 regular season.

“Stars win games in this league, and the Rams are exhibit A,” writes CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco. “But is it just easy to trade away picks to go for it? No, It takes shrewd drafting in the later rounds to do that, which Rams general manager Les Snead has done.”

As for the Rams’ divisional rivals, Prisco has the 49ers in the top 10 at No. 7 overall and the Cardinals just shy of that at No. 11. The Seahawks, however, can be found much further down on his list . . . at No. 25.

“They’ve made changes to their coaching staff, which means Pete Carroll could be getting desperate,” Prisco asserts. “Whether Russell Wilson returns is the big issue facing this team.”

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Jaguars move up to 26th in CBS Sports’ post-draft power rankings

After the draft, Jacksonville has moved up six spots to No. 26 in Pete Prisco’s NFL power rankings.

The 2021 NFL draft is in the books, and the Jacksonville Jaguars officially invested the first overall pick in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. With a franchise quarterback in tow, Jacksonville is expected to improve from their 1-15 finish that landed it pick No. 1 in the first place.

It makes sense that the Jags are on the rise in the post-draft NFL power rankings from CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco. The team previously ranked at the very bottom of Prisco’s rankings, but following the draft, it moved up six spots to No. 26. The Jaguars’ divisional rival Houston replaced them in the 32nd spot.

Here’s Prisco’s justification for the rise.

They have their franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, which means they won’t be this low for too long. Urban Meyer will have this team moving up quickly.

Understandably, Prisco thinks this is a team on the rise. With offseason additions like free-agent receiver Marvin Jones Jr. and running back Travis Etienne, Lawrence’s college teammate and selection at pick No. 25, the Jags could have an above-average offense in 2021.

The unit wasn’t terrible in 2020 despite a revolving door at the quarterback position, and a pair of rookies in Laviska Shenault Jr. and James Robinson had standout seasons. With Lawrence under center now and coach Urban Meyer calling the shots, there should be a lot more stability.

Though some of Jacksonville’s picks after the first round may have been made with the future in mind rather than immediate impact (such as Stanford tackle Walker Little), they also landed players later in the draft like Syracuse safety Andre Cisco and USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele who could see significant reps in Year 1. Ohio State tight end Luke Farrell, the team’s fifth-round pick, will likely play a lot, as well, though that’s mostly due to necessity.

Though 2021 may be a bit of a bridge year, things are certainly looking up in Duval. Now that the franchise finally has its centerpiece, the horizon is brighter than it’s ever been before.

Pete Prisco says Jags will be one of the best AFC teams “for the next decade”

The CBS Sports analyst said that with Lawrence, he expects the Jaguars to be one of the AFC’s best teams for the next decade.

Given Jacksonville’s recent history, it isn’t surprising that the national media is skeptical of the Urban Meyer experiment, even with the team set to select Trevor Lawrence next month in the draft. However, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco is not one of those people.

He said on Monday that with Lawrence coming in, the Jaguars should be one of the top teams in their conference for years to come.

“This team, because of that quarterback, will be one of the best teams in the AFC for the next decade. It’s simple. It’s really simple. Look at the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes, you get the quarterback, you’re going to be one of the best teams for the next decade.”

It’s hard to argue with Prisco’s logic. Though the Chiefs had achieved much more relative success than Jacksonville before Mahomes became their starting quarterback, he flipped the switch that turned Kansas City from a playoff team to a real Super Bowl contender.

If Lawrence can have a similar effect on the team, it’s not unreasonable to think that the Jaguars could improve tremendously in the next couple of seasons. And though dynasty ambitions are probably premature for a team that hasn’t even made it official with Lawrence yet, Jacksonville fans will hope Prisco’s analysis (and belief in Lawrence) holds true.

Only 1 Panther makes CBS Sports’ Top 100 NFL Players list

The Panthers have plenty of youth and athleticism on their roster right now. Starpower is one thing they’re pretty short on, though.

The Panthers have plenty of youth and athleticism on their roster right now. Starpower is one thing they’re pretty short on, though.

Last year, there were about a dozen high-profile players on the team, including a No. 1 overall pick and former MVP, an All-Pro, future hall of fame linebacker and a loaded, veteran-heavy defensive line. Five months later, this franchise has undergone a dramatic makeover and most of the big names have moved on in one way or another.

The challenges ahead in 2020 are often illustrated by the relatively few number of current Carolina players we see in league-wide rankings.

For example, Pete Prisco recently released his annual ranking of the top 100 players in the NFL. Running back Christian McCaffrey came in at No. 5 on his list but he was the only Panther on it. Here’s Prisco on No. 22:

“It’s tough for me to put a back up this high, but his ability to catch the football better than all the others makes him a dual-threat player, going over 1,000 in both rushing and receiving yards.”

While we have some issues with Prisco’s list, the top of it seems pretty appropriate.

Patrick Mahomes took the No. 1 spot as he should, followed by Aaron Donald, Russell Wilson and Michael Thomas.

It is a bit ambitious placing any running back so high (especially ahead of Lamar Jackson) but McCaffrey is a bit of a unicorn. There have been other great pass-catching backs before, but nobody has quite thrived at it the way he has. McCaffrey’s route running and abilities after the catch make him a unique threat for his position. We are very interested to see what offensive coordinator Joe Brady has planned for him.

For what it’s worth, wide receiver D.J. Moore was on Prisco’s rather extensive just-missed list. We’re expecting big things from him and Brian Burns this year.

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Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner land on Pete Prisco’s Top 100 list of 2020

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (No 3) and linebacker Bobby Wagner (No. 38) have both landed on Pete Prisco’s Top 100 Players of 2020.

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco recently released his Top 100 list of who he believes are the best players in the league heading into the 2020 NFL season.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has landed in the No. 3 spot, making a huge leap from No. 28th last year, now behind only Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Donald.

“He was outstanding last season and was in the MVP conversation,” Prisco writes of Wilson. “If only the Seahawks let him throw a little more than he does, which is what they should do.”

Next up on the list is Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who can’t be found until all the way down at No. 38 – a drop from last year’s position of No. 9.

“His play declined last season as the Seattle defense wasn’t as dominant,” Prisco notes of Wagner. “He still remains one of the better inside/middle linebackers, but he was off last season.”

Wilson and Wagner are the only Seahawks to earn Prisco’s honors this year, but hopefully there is plenty of football yet to be played in 2020.

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