Tag: Week 3

What you need to know: Detroit Lions vs New Orleans Saints in Week 4

Everything you need to know for the Detroit Lions vs New Orleans Saints matchup in Week 4.

The Detroit Lions (1-2) are hosting the New Orleans Saints (1-2) in Week 4 of the 2020 season, with both teams hoping to even their record. The Lions have a bye in Week 5, and that extended break would be much easier on them — and their fans — if they held a 2-2 record.

If you missed any of the drama from the last night’s false-positive COVID-19 test result, it was quite the roller coaster, and in the end, the game will be played at its original time.

Here’s everything you need to know for how to watch or listen to this week’s game.

How To Watch

When: Sunday, October 4th at 1:00 p.m. EST

Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Referee: Shawn Smith

Vegas Watch via BetMGM:

TV: FOX

Broadcast crew:

  • Play-by-play: Kenny Albert
  • Color commentary: Jonathan Vilma
  • Sideline reporter: Shannon Spake

Broadcast map courtesy of 506 Sports, the Detroit Lions versus the New Orleans Saints viewing audience is highlighted in Yellow.

How to listen

Detroit area radio: WJR 760 AM radio

  • Announcers: Dan Miller and Lomas Brown

SIRIUS: 121 (Lions), 99 (Saints)

XM: 231 (Lions), 389 (Saints)

Lions Wire game prep podcast

Injury Updates

Roster updates

Lions Wire game prep articles

Fantasy Football

Chiefs HC Andy Reid reveals play name for LT Eric Fisher’s Week 3 touchdown

Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy couldn’t remember the play name on Thursday, but Andy Reid told the name to reporters on Friday.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have always seemed to have some unique play names to go along with their unique and most successful play calls. They unveiled a pair of those plays during Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens, including a play called “Smoked Sausage” to FB Anthony Sherman. Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy revealed the name of Sherman’s play call on Thursday, but he couldn’t remember the name of the play for Eric Fisher’s two-yard touchdown grab.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid revealed to reporters on Friday that the play was called “Catch and Release.”

“Yeah, ‘Catch and Release,'” Reid said. “You know, ‘Fish’ [Eric Fisher’s nickname]. And actually, that was EB’s [Eric Bieniemy] play. He’d been bugging me about it since we were on the plane coming back from the Chargers. That would be a good one, so yeah. You know, ‘Catch and Release.'”

Really, this is just a perfect play name all-around. Consider the fact that everyone calls Eric Fisher by his nickname ‘Big Fish’ or simply ‘Fish.’ Then when you consider the context of the play, it’s an even more perfect play name. Fisher acted as if he was blocking the defender and then released to run a little fade and catch a touchdown pass. Very clever stuff from the Chiefs’ coaching staff on that one from the play design all the way down to the name.

Where do you think this play name ranks among some of the greats from Andy Reid and his coaching staff, Chiefs Kingdom? Remember play names like, “Hungry Pig Right” and “Bloated Tebow Pass.” Be sure to let us know your thought on Facebook and Twitter.

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Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy reveals play name for Anthony Sherman’s Week 3 touchdown

Another play name from the Kansas City Chiefs to go along with greats like “Hungry Pig Right” and “Bloated Tebow Pass.”

The Kansas City Chiefs have a history of having some unique play names under HC Andy Reid. When you have a playbook as thick as Reid does, you need to come up with some unique names to keep things fresh and fun.

We first learned about some of these unique names back in 2016, when former Chiefs DT Dontari Poe was still on the team. He was the beneficiary of plays such as “Hungry Pig Right” against the Raiders in 2016 and “Bloated Tebow Pass” against the Broncos in 2017. Last year there were a few good play names to come out of Super Bowl LIV, such as “Shift to Rose Bowl Right Parade.”

A pair of touchdown passes thrown during “Monday Night Football” in Week 3 appear to be the next in this line of unique play names for Kansas City. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wasn’t able to recall the name of the most memorable play of the night, LT Eric Fisher’s two-yard touchdown grab.

“What did we call it? It was Fish— that’s a damn shame I can’t even think of the name of it,” Bieniemy told reporters. “But it was a hell of a play. I’m not even going to tell you the formation which we called it, but it was one of our throwbacks. Fish (Eric Fisher), I mean we’ve been working this play for a while and it’s a shame that I can’t think of the name of the damn play, but he did a great job of executing. He did a great job of setting that guy up and then displacing him and putting himself in position to have success and catch it.”

The play name that Bieniemy was able to recall was Anthony Sherman’s five-yard touchdown catch on a shovel pass. It’s an instant classic up there with the likes of “Hungry Pig Right” and “Bloated Tebow Pass.”

“Everybody talked about the screen, as well, that Sherm (Anthony Sherman) caught,” Bienemy said. “And that play was named ‘Smoked Sausage’ because we call Sherm ‘The Sausage.’ . . . One thing I will say, we have a very very creative group of people in this building that can come up with a variety of names and we keep it fun. And you know what? The guys embrace it, they make it fun as well. Because when you give them those particular plays they take ownership in it and they want it to work.”

The creative minds don’t just come up with the names, but the variety of one-of-a-kind trick plays used. The play design is at the pinnacle of offensive creativity in the NFL. And if you’re worried that the Chiefs might have exhausted their arsenal of named trick plays before the first quarter of the season, you need not fear. According to Bieniemy, there’s plenty more where these two came from.

“We keep plenty available,” Bieniemy said, whilst chuckling. “We keep plenty.”

Shaquem Griffin capitalized on his chances against the Cowboys

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin capitalized on the few opportunities given to him against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3.

After Shaquem Griffin was released and signed to the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad, he found the determination to prove himself if he ever got the chance again.

And prove himself he did. In Week 3 against the Cowboys, Griffin was pressed into action late in the game following numerous injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Holding onto a 38-31 lead with under two minutes left, the Seahawks needed to pressure Dak Prescott on the Cowboys’ final offensive drive and Griffin brought it consistently. This turn of events eventually led to Ryan Neal’s game-winning interception of Prescott.

Griffin believes that since he already knew the playbook and the general workings of the organization, he just had to wait for his time to come and capitalize when it did.

“For me it was just all the mindset,” Griffin said. “Once you go to something like that, you have a choice to make, and for me, I didn’t want to make the choice to sell myself short. I knew the plays, I know what’s going on, I know the scheme, so the whole thing was just make sure I stay abreast on it and make sure that I stay ready just in case something was to happen. I didn’t know the exact role was going to happen coming into the game, but I just wanted to be ready for everything. I was studying each and every position that I was involved in to make sure I knew what was going. I knew what plays was happening, so once I got opportunities, it was like, ‘I shouldn’t second guess myself, just go out there, run fast and make plays.'”

Despite his initial release from the Seahawks, Griffin expressed the comfort of being with his brother, Shaquill, and his drive to improve himself so similar situations will not occur in the future.

“Being here, worse comes to worse, I’ve always got my brother,” he said “At the end of the day, when I’ve got him, everything’s always good, no matter if I’m playing ball or not. So I was like, man, I’m not going to just leave, run away because I feel like the situation got hard and the situation is not going my way. If I want the situation to go my way, what can I change, what can I adjust, what do I need to do to better myself?”

If Week 4 proceeds as planned following the Titans’ coronavirus outbreak, the Seahawks will play the Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium at 10:00 a.m. PT.

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Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett named Snickers ‘Hungriest Player’ for Week 3

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett has been named SNICKERS “Hungriest Player” for his Week-4 performance against the Cowboys.

Aaron Jones, last week’s SNICKERS “Hungriest Player,” is passing the SNICKERS Chain to the next player who has shown hunger for more on the field. Following this weekend’s games, Tyler Lockett has been named SNICKERS Hungriest Player for Week 3 after totaling 100 yards on nine catches and three touchdowns, in a 31-38 win over the Cowboys.

Lockett is also the first player to receive the SNICKERS chain twice, having been named Hungriest Player last season for his week 9 performance.

This year’s chain is bigger and better, including more than 31 carats of 2,374 brilliant-cut diamonds, blue sapphires and red rubies. Throughout the season, SNICKERS and NFL players will be passing the SNICKERS chain – an iced-out chain that highlights the word “HUNGRY” and the iconic “S” from the SNICKERS brand logo, created by famed jeweler Ben Baller – from one player to the next. Past weeks’ chain recipients include:

Fans can win exclusive rewards by following @SNICKERS and #SNICKERSchain on social. Towards the end of the regular season, SNICKERS fans will weigh in on selecting the league’s ‘Hungriest Player of the Year,” and proceeds from the sale of the chain will be donated to benefit heroes on the frontlines fighting COVID-19.

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Chiefs LT Eric Fisher had the best reaction to his touchdown grab vs. Ravens

Fisher had the best reaction to his Week 3 touchdown grab against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Kansas City Chiefs LT Eric Fisher caught his first career touchdown pass in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens. He revealed it was the first time he’d been in the endzone since back in high school.

“Last time I was in endzone, so we ran the veer in high school,” Fisher told reporters on Wednesday. “I was an outside linebacker for my sophomore, junior year, but we had a tight end package on the goal line, just kind of like throw it up to me in the corner of the endzone. So junior year was probably the last before that freshman year when I played quarterback, got a couple of touchdowns. But yeah, I haven’t been in the endzone so much.”

It was a memorable moment for the Chiefs’ offensive lineman, but he might not actually be able to remember too much of it, at least per his reaction on the sideline. The NFL’s latest episode of Mic’d up caught Fisher’s reaction after he caught the touchdown that would ice the game in Baltimore. It was a pretty classic moment from Fisher.

“My life just flashed before my eyes,” Fisher said, catching his breath, sitting on the bench after the play. “Dude, I blacked out, totally blacked out. Jesus took the wheel on that one.”

Thankfully, someone took the wheel and the Chiefs were able to score. Fisher elaborated a bit on the moment during the Chiefs’ postgame show.

“I blacked out a little bit and I just did what I did and the rest is history,” Fisher told Mitch Holthus. “But for Big Red [Andy Reid] to dial my number in that situation and trust me to kind of seal the game, it’s a memory I’ll have forever. There’s a lot of ups and downs in this game and that was pretty sure one on the ups.”

On Wednesday, Fisher had a chance to speak to the media about the much-practiced play. He didn’t expect his number to get called in this situation, but everything went about as smoothly as you could ask for once the play was called.

“Oh yeah, we had to go heavy personnel on that,” Fisher said. “And once (Andrew) Wylie was down I didn’t think there’s a chance we were calling it so kind of surprised me which might have been a good thing that way I wasn’t thinking about the whole game. But when I came in, I went and reported eligible and luckily kind of tricked the defense on the field there, wide open over there in the endzone and Pat made me work for that one a little bit, but it’s alright. We practice those kind of things, and it was a memory I’ll have for life.”

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Russell Wilson earns NFC Offensive Player of Week for 2nd time this year

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has earned the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time this season.

For the second time this season, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. Wilson threw for five touchdowns Week 3 against the Cowboys, leading the team to a 38-31 victory at CenturyLink Field.

On the day, Wilson completed 27 of 40 passes attempted for 315 yards. He also set a number of records in the process, becoming the first player to log at least four pass touchdowns in all three of his first games of the season. Wilson also topped Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes old record of 13 when he managed his 14th passing TD of the year over his first three games.

Wilson has earned the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award 11 times over his career.

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All-22 film review from Dolphins’ defensive performance in Week 3 win

All-22 film review from Dolphins’ defensive performance in Week 3 win

The 2020 Miami Dolphins are sporting a vastly overhauled defensive unit — one that features just a handful of returning starters from last year’s team. And although you might not have guessed it based on the first three weeks of the season, these Dolphins are actually ranking well on the defensive front in several categories, none more impressive than the team’s 21.7 points allowed per game, which ranks 10th in the NFL through three weeks.

Having a top-10 scoring defense at the end of the year will be a much more impressive feat after Miami squares off against the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes — but even now, after giving up 211 rushing yards to New England in Week 1 and over 400 passing yards to Buffalo in Week 2, the Dolphins have found a way to bend but not break.

Week 3 against Jacksonville was the team’s most impressive performance yet. Who were the big standouts and how did Miami have so much success in their 31-13 win over Jacksonville?

Sep 24, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy (53) reacts during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

LB Kyle Van Noy

Van Noy will regularly see criticism after signing a monster contract this offseason — it comes as an unfortunate byproduct of the high profile that comes with such a deal. But if Van Noy delivers each week the way he did against Jacksonville, Miami will be plenty happy with their return on investment. Not only did Van Noy log a strip sack and fumble recovery in this game on an inside stunt, he was an absolute terror for the Jacksonville backs and tight ends when looking to block him.

Check out these two reps of Van Noy dominating the skill positions on his assignments.

Keeping Van Noy off offensive tackles and working him as frequently as possible on inside stunts as a rusher will keep him most in line with where his skills are suited to win. The Jacksonville game plan allowed for that to happen — now Miami must work to find those same looks with different presentation in the weeks to come.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes receives AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors

Mahomes earns his fourth career AFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has earned the Week 3 nod for AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

This comes after a stellar performance on “Monday Night Football” against the Baltimore Ravens, where Mahomes dismantled what was at the time considered the top defense in the NFL. Mahomes completed 31-of-42 passes for 385 yards and four passing touchdowns, en route to becoming the fastest player in NFL history to 10,000 career passing yards. He also rushed for another touchdown on the ground, bringing his total to five.

USA TODAY SMG – Coley Cleary

This is Mahomes’ fourth career AFC Offensive Player of the Week in his career. He earned back-to-back recognition in Week 1 and Week 2 of his first season as a starter back in 2018. He only earned the award once last season after facing the Oakland Raiders in Week 2.

I have a feeling that Mahomes is happy to get the win and isn’t worrying too much about the weekly awards. This stuff could matter if he’s to make a case to become league MVP later this season. Look across to the NFC conference and one of the early MVP front-runners, Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, was also recognized as the Offensive Player of the Week for his conference.

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Detroit Lions Matt Prater named NFC Special Teams Player of Week 3

After his game-winning field goal in Week 3, Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater was successful on all four of his field-goal attempts in Week 3, connecting from 37, 24, 35, and 39-yards. He scored the last six points of the game from either team, tieing the game up with just over six minutes remaining and then connecting on the game-winning field goal as time expired.

For his clutch efforts, Prater has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

This is the 11th time in Prater’s career that he has been named the Special Teams Player of the Week — including his sixth time since rejoining the Lions.

Additionally, Prater earned our top post-game award as Lions Wire’s No. 1 Star of the Game and was also recognized in our By The Numbers evaluation of last weekend’s game, as this is the 15th time Prater has kicked a game-winning field goal.

Prater wasn’t the Lions only special teams player who deserves recognition, as punter/holder Jack Fox has been dynamic every time he steps on the field.

Currently, Fox leads the NFL in Average Punting Yards per Attempt (53.1-yards), Net Punting yards (51.1-yards), hang time (4.78 seconds), and has PFF’s highest score for a punter with an elite 92.8 grade.