Tag: Starters

Projecting Chiefs’ starting lineup for 2020 after first week of free agency

What does the starting lineup in Kansas City look like after the first wave of free agency? Not much has changed for the Super Bowl champs.

The first wave of free agency is complete.

Teams across the league are beginning to take shape. Many teams will change with the 2020 NFL draft, including the Chiefs. The free agency period gives us an idea of the holes that Kansas City will seek to fill in the draft. All things considered, if the Chiefs had to trot a starting lineup out today, their starters from Super Bowl LIV remain mostly intact.

Here’s a look at the current projected starting lineup for Kansas City in 2020:

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

QB: Patrick Mahomes

I mean, really? Who else did you expect to be the starter? Mahomes has gone on a historic run since taking over for Alex Smith in 2018. He became the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP in back-to-back seasons. His awe-inspiring play should leave no doubt that he’ll be the starter in Kansas City for many years to come.

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Alex Anzalone shares status update from 2019 shoulder injury

New Orleans Saints linebacker Alex Anzalone said that he’s “Good to go,” on Twitter following a season-ending 2019 shoulder injury.

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Finally, just what the New Orleans Saints offseason needed: vague tweets. That’s what we got from linebacker Alex Anzalone, a projected starter who missed the entire 2019 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Anzalone tweeted out an ambiguous, “Good to go,” message last week, which Nola.com’s Luke Johnson was helpful enough to clarify as confirmation that Anzalone has fully recovered from last year’s procedure and has received the green light to participate in offseason activities.

Anzalone returning is a big win for the Saints defense, at least if he can stay healthy. While there’s no questioning who the best player on the unit is (that’s Demario Davis, the first-team All-Pro considered by some analysts as the best three-down linebacker in football), Anzalone does have a case as the team’s strongest coverage linebacker. He’s a good athlete, but has better instincts and ball skills for the position than many of his peers.

Of course, the big factor here is whether Anzalone can remain on the field. He’s lost two of his first three years in the NFL to injuries after a college career that saw him spend far too much time incapacitated with the Florida Gators. 2020 marks the final year of his rookie contract, and it will be a major litmus test as to whether his body has what it takes to hold up against the punishment that comes with playing professional football.

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Snap counts and playtime percentages from Seahawks win over Eagles

Both the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles were lacking starters due to injuries – here are the wild-card snap counts for both teams.

The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles entered the wild-card round of the playoffs with more than a few starters watching from the sidelines with injuries. The Eagles even lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a head injury early in the game.

Both teams rallied and made the necessary adjustments, however, it was Seattle who emerged victorious on Sunday.

“This was a really good accomplishment for our guys,” coach Pete Carroll said after the win. “We’ve come off a season of playing really well on the road and having played well here too. To get back and get to do it again. I know there’s a lot of talk of how you do that stuff again, but we did. As a matter of fact, the score was even the same I think. It’s a really big accomplishment.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages for the Seahawks and Eagles during their wild-card matchup.

Seattle next heads to Green Bay to face the Packers in the divisional round on Sunday.

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Week 16 snap counts and playtime percentages: Cardinals at Seahawks

A look at who got the most time on the field in the Week 16 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals.

The Seattle Seahawks dropped their Week 16 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals and suffered a number of new injuries in the game. With health already a concern, the reserves were called up to back up the inactive starters.

Regardless, Seattle wasn’t able to find a way to get it done and inked its fourth loss of the regular season.

“We had a really difficult day, obviously,” coach Pete Carroll said postgame. “Boy, nothing worked out the way we wanted it to, other than the first couple of drives. After that, we just weren’t able to do enough to have a chance to win the game. It didn’t matter, kind of, what phase we were in. We just weren’t good enough today.”

The Seahawks had made a number of adjustments prior to the contest but fell short in nearly every facet of the game. Carroll believes it wasn’t a lack of preparedness.

“We were ready to play, and jacked up and all that, and it turns out like that,” Carroll continued. “It’s just really a surprise. We could talk about this, and you guys are going to ask your questions and stuff, but really, our focus is gone on that game, because it wasn’t going to be on this game after we got in this locker room anyway with the game coming up next week.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seahawks Week 16 loss to the Cardinals.

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Week 12 snap counts and playtime percentages: Seahawks at Eagles

Snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seattle Seahawks Week-12 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to advance to 9-2 on the season and a perfect 6-0 road record.

The game certainly wasn’t a blowout by any means, with both teams struggling offensively to put big numbers on the board. Seattle was able to win the turnover battle, and eventually the matchup.

“We don’t care what kind of game it is and if it’s a close game we’re fine about that,” coach Pete Carroll said in his postgame press conference. “If it goes all the way down to the nub, we don’t care. It doesn’t bother us a bit. But going down 3-0 right off the bat didn’t phase anybody. We were fine about it the whole way through. And so I do think, I do think we understand what it takes to win in those situations and now we just got to keep proving it.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seahawks’ Week-12 victory over the Eagles.

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