Tag: victory

5 keys to Packers beating Patriots in Week 4

Five big keys to the Packers scoring a win over the Patriots in Week 4 of 2022.

The Green Bay Packers have a real chance to get to 3-1 after four games when the New England Patriots – without starting quarterback Mac Jones – arrive at Lambeau Field for a late afternoon showdown in Week 4.

The Patriots are still coached by Bill Belichick, but Tom Brady is in Tampa Bay and Jones will be watching from the sideline, leaving veteran Brian Hoyer to start Sunday.

Can Belichick mastermind the recipe of a major upset, or will the Packers keep rolling after consecutive wins against the Bears and Bucs?

Here are five keys to the Packers beating the Patriots on Sunday:

Seattle getting its mojo back? Pete Carroll: ‘We’ve lost enough games’

After beating the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks have newfound confidence heading into Week 14 against the Houston Texans.

The Seattle Seahawks head into their Week 14 contest against the Houston Texans with newfound confidence after beating the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday to finally snap a losing streak.

“Yeah, there’s no doubt,” coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday. “We’ve lost enough games, we figure that thing out. We need to keep building on the wins because it’s such a different feeling, it is from the locker room getting off the field and coming off of the sidelines when the game is over, things shift.”

Seattle still has a losing record and remains at the bottom of the division, but Carroll is hoping Sunday was the start of a winning second half of the season for his Seahawks.

“We are working to build on that and capture the fun, the playmaking, and the continuity that we felt to finish the game and carry that over,” Carroll said. “That whole thing is the art of building on it, so that you can create momentum moving forward. We are going to try to do that.”

The Seahawks travel to Houston to face off against the Texans on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PT.

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By the numbers: Examining the Lions Week 3 victory over the Cardinals

Examining the Detroit Lions 26-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals by identifying the numbers that helped them secure the win.

Examining the Detroit Lions 26-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals by identifying the numbers that helped them secure the win.

0 — receiving yards for Larry Fitzgerald. This was only the second time in 253 games he was held without a yard (per the Athletic’s Chris Burke)

3 — Lions’ interceptions, after not having a single turnover through the first two weeks of the season. This was also the first time under coach Matt Patricia that the Lions managed more than one interception in a game.

4.78 — average hang time on Jack Fox’s punts, best in the NFL.

11 — team-leading tackles by Tracy Walker. He also led the team in tackles in Week 1.

14 — YAC above expectations for Marvin Jones Jr.’s on his reception that set up Matt Prater’s game-winning field goal. Jones’ catch was only expected to go six yards, but his extra effort allowed him to gain 20 on the play.

15th — Game-winning field goal in Prater’s career.

20.33 — miles per hour Okudah ran on his first career interception (per NFL’s Next Gen Stats).

23 – percent of defensive snaps played for Jarrad Davis, a career-low.

29th — Matthew Stafford 4th quarter comeback. This was also his 35th game-winning drive.

32:50 — Lions time of possession, compared to the Cardinals 27:10.

43 — total rushes on the season for Adrian Peterson. Kerryon Johnson has 18, while D’Andre Swift has just eight.

44.4 — percent of the time the Lions used zone coverage in Week 3. This was considerably higher than what the Lions did over the first two weeks — and really Patricia’s entire tenure — using zone 17.9- and 18.2-percent respectively (per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein).

49 – snaps for Kenny Golladay (73-percent) in his first game back after his hamstring injury.

51.1 — Net punting average for Jack Fox, best in the NFL.

53.1 — Average yards per punt by Fox, also best in the NFL.

63 — Total plays by the Cardinals, 12.5 below their average. The Lions game plan of winning the time of possession and limiting the Cardinals opportunities with the ball worked.

83 — Jesse James jersey number. You may not have recognized it because he hadn’t been targeted through the first two weeks, but in this game, he secured three of his four targets for 28 yards and a touchdown.

88.2 — Kerryon Johnson’s PFF pass-blocking grade, No. 1 among running backs. D’Andre Swift’s 83.3 is PFF’s No. 11 among running backs. Jamal Agnew is PFF’s No. 1 run-blocking running back, while Jason Cabinda is No. 4 on PFF’s run-blocking list.

92.8 — Jack Fox’s PFF score. He is so far ahead of the rest of the NFL that the distance separating Fox’s grade from the next best punter (Bradley Pinion 73.0) is larger than the distance separating Pinnon from punter #32 (Dustin Colquitt 57.0).

100 — percent of snaps for Tracy Walker, Will Harris saw just 29-percent after out snapping Walker in Week 2.

270 — passing yards and two touchdowns by both Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray. Stafford did it on 31 attempts, Murray on 35, but the difference was Stafford threw zero interceptions, while Murray had three.

Seahawks winning performance was statement of offseason work

Coach Pete Carroll believes the Seattle Seahawks’ winning performance Week 1 was a statement of the offseason work the players put in.

The Seattle Seahawks were in firm control of the majority of the game Sunday in Atlanta, handing the Falcons their first loss of the season. Quarterback Russell Wilson was up on his game, getting his chance to “cook” and putting up impressive numbers in the passing game.

Wilson nailed 31 of 35 passes attempted for an 88.6% completion percentage and threw for four touchdowns and 332 yards.

“Russ has been extraordinary all camp,” coach Pete Carroll said after the win. “He had a great summer throwing the ball to everybody and he had perhaps his best throwing day, numbers-wise, just about as you could have. He was in great command of the game.”

Seattle’s offense was able to rally together and put up big numbers on the board. Wilson found three different receivers for touchdowns and Carlos Hyde was able to score the Seahawks’ sole rushing TD. The defense held its own, holding Atlanta to just 12 points through three quarters of play. Carroll believes it’s a testament to how hard everyone worked this summer.

“This whole Zoom season, our guys did a marvelous job,” Carroll explained. “Russ was extremely involved, integrally involved with all of that, and it just showed. It showed. We were together and tight and functioning well. I don’t know what we did on third down, I don’t know if it was any good, but we just were able to move the ball, even when we were backed up with penalty situations or sacks, we came back and converted. That’s confidence and belief. These guys, first game, they have earned their way right here.

“They have earned their way to play like that by the way they practiced.”

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Dwayne Haskins gave halftime speech in Washington that ignited comeback

Trailing by 10 at the half with little going right, Dwayne Haskins gave a speech at halftime that sparked the massive comeback in Washington.

With the Washington Football Team down 17-7 at the half, and not many things going in their direction, quarterback Dwayne Haskins stepped up in front of his teammates in the locker room and reportedly gave an impassioned speech that sparked some emotions and got the team ready to get back on the field.

It apparently worked, as Washington came out of the half and completed their 17-point comeback, scoring 27-unanswered to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, their division rivals.

One of the biggest questions about Haskins so far in his career is about his leadership ability, and that’s something that he has been working hard on this offseason, trying to take control of the team and lead them to success. If Week 1 is any indication of how that went, Washington is now in good hands with both Haskins and Ron Rivera.

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Watch: Matt Patricia was mic’d up during the 2020 Senior Bowl

The Detroit Lions media department has released a behind-the-scenes video featuring coach Matt Patricia mic’d up during the Senior Bowl game.

Occasionally during the 2020 Senior Bowl, NFL Network would cut to clips of Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia being mic’d up on the sidelines and they even landed a very entertaining interview with Tom Pelissero.

Earlier this week, the Lions’ media department released a behind-the-scenes video of Lions’ coaches mic’d up during Senior Bowl practices and now they have released another extended behind-the-scenes video, this time featuring Patricia during the Senior Bowl game itself.

The video opens with quick clips of Patricia interacting with players and giving a pre-game speech in the locker room.

The first play highlighted was a memorable one. Michigan’s Josh Uche destroyed the South’s right tackle with a pass-rushing speed move and had a clean shot at the quarterback, but instead of making the sack, Uche simply touched him as he ran by. It’s worth noting that all week in practice it is stressed that you don’t hit the quarterback, but instead run by him as not to injure him — Uche just had a lapse in judgment, forgetting they were indeed in game-mode now.

When Uche got to the sidelines, Patricia calmly asked him if he was alright, to which Uche said, “I’ve gotta tackle him”. That got a chuckle out of Patricia, who simply said, “Yeah bro, we’re playing a game”, followed by another light chuckle.

Patricia tucked Uche’s shoulder pads back into his jersey and gave him more advice on how to approach the rest of the game, “That was a huge sack. The ball’s coming out on that deal. Listen to me, you’re a defensive player, let them worry about protecting the quarterback, you go get the quarterback.”

Cut to the next sequence and you can see Patricia in his element, talking to the defensive players about strategy and how to read their cues.

What fascinating about the interaction Patricia has with the sideline judge is not what they were actually talking about, but that mid-sentence, Patricia recognized where the play was heading and yelled to him to “watch out” on the sidelines. This all happened before the ball was even thrown, as Patricia knew the play, saw the breakdown in coverage, predicted that’s where the ball was going — and it did, for an 80-yard Darius Anderson (RB, TCU) touchdown.

Lots more interactions with players and more predictive play calls followed, eventually leading up to the Pelissero interview.

The video concludes with Patricia setting up a long field goal opportunity for kicker Tyler Bass, allowing him to give scouts who didn’t see him kick at Georgia Southern a chance to get a better look at him in live-action. This is an excellent example of Patricia doing right by his players and giving them a chance to shine on the big stage — and it’s also likely why he got the Gatorade bath at the end of the game.

You can watch the entire video (over 10-minutes in length) below:

WATCH: Zach Shackelford leads post Alamo Bowl ‘Texas Fight’

Under Tom Herman, it is tradition to sing the fight song together in the locker room after a win. Watch the team sing after the Alamo Bowl.

Under Head Coach Tom Herman, after every victory, it is a tradition for the entire team to sing the school fight song together in the locker room. After Tuesday’s win over Utah, it was no different for the Longhorns, gathering to belt the words out.

Led by senior captain Zach Shackelford, it was the final time he and other seniors would have the opportunity to sign the fight song. After another emotional bowl win for the Longhorns, it was a loud and proud version of ‘Texas Fight’.

You can watch it here:

It was the final time seniors like Shackelford, Devin Duvernay, and Collin Johnson would ever play with the Longhorns logo on their helmet. It was important to send them on their way out with a win and that is exactly what Texas was able to do.

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NFC West roundup: 49ers beat Seahawks, Rams down Cards Week 17

In Week 17 of the 2019 season, the San Francisco 49ers downed the Seattle Seahawks, while the Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals.

Week 17 concluded with the San Francisco 49ers (13-3) emerging victorious over the Seattle Seahawks (11-5), claiming the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Seattle finishes the season as the No. 5 seed and will likely have to win three road games to get to the Super Bowl.

Outside of postseason implications, The Los Angeles Rams (9-7) clinched their third consecutive winning season under head coach Sean McVay over the hapless Arizona Cardinals (5-10-1).

Here are summaries of the two games between the four NFC West teams.

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Seahawks will wear Action Green jerseys and navy blue pants Monday

The Seattle Seahawks will wear their Action Green jerseys with navy blue pants against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

The Seattle Seahawks will wear their Action Green uniforms for the second time this season when they square off Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football.”

However, the team announced they will be wearing their navy blue pants with their jerseys as opposed to the typical matching Action Green bottoms.

Seattle enters one of the most crucial games of its season, as the Vikings are also fighting for a division title and have won six of their last seven games. All but one of the Seahawks’ nine wins so far this year have been by one possession, so they must claim victory if they hope to steal the NFC West title from the 49ers, who face the  Ravens on Sunday.

The Seahawks are 4-0 when wearing their Action Green uniforms and look to keep the undefeated streak alive on Monday night.

Here’s everything you need to know to catch the Week 13 action between Seattle and Minnesota in primetime.

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5 Bold predictions for the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving

Four bold predictions for the Detroit Lions as they host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day.

The Detroit Lions are preparing for their second bout with the Chicago Bears this season, hoping for a much better outcome than last time.

Detroit has had quite the season so far, holding a lead in each of their 11 games but sitting at the bottom of their division at 3-7-1. With an injury-plagued roster and some recent struggles on defense, can the Lions turn it around in their prime time matchup?

Here are my bold predictions for this week’s game:

Quarterback change-up changes nothing

With rookie David Blough getting his first career start while both Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel deal with their injuries, don’t think that we’ll see anything new on offense.

Driskel’s tenure as the Lions’ starting quarterback wasn’t exactly noteworthy, with four touchdowns and just as many interceptions in three games. While he and Blough are very different passers, don’t think that this will change things up on offense.

Blough is an undrafted rookie who’s first regular-season action comes in a major prime time game. Though he has been with the team since the beginning of the season, don’t think his play will be any better than what we’ve seen in recent weeks.

While we’ll see a much different style of play from Blough than the other two Lions quarterbacks, don’t expect anything new.

Amani Oruwariye will make another interception

In his first game as a starter, filling in for the injured Rashaan Melvin, Oruwariye proved to be more capable than many expected. In the loss to Washington, the rookie pulled off an impressive interception on a pass from Dwayne Haskins.

Bears’ quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has thrown six interceptions so far this season and will be down three offensive weapons on Thanksgiving Day. I think the rookie will be able to keep the momentum going from last week and capitalize on this opportunity.

There will be a dearth of yellow flags

There were 20 flags thrown the last time these two teams faced each other, but that may not be the case this time around.

Jerome Boger and his crew will be officiating this game. This is a crew that hasn’t called more than 12 penalties in a game in 2019, so this could bode well for the Lions. Detroit only committed six penalties last week, so it appears that some of their discipline issues have been resolved.

Hockenson will re-emerge in the offense

After a fairly quiet season, Hockenson may be able to rediscover his place in the passing game. He had three receptions for 47 yards against Chicago earlier this year.

Can he put on a similar performance this week? I hope so.

The Detroit Lions will come out with a win

Usually, predicting a victory isn’t considered a bold prediction, but that’s not the case for this team.

Detroit is itching for a win amidst a four-game losing streak. The Bears aren’t in a much better situation at the moment, so this game could be an interesting one.

The Lions defense has shown some improvement since their last game against Chicago. Their run game has been revived with the emergence of Bo Scarborough. The only liability is the quarterback situation. If the defense and the offensive line can hold up, the Lions will be able to overcome and snap their losing streak.