Tag: Week 3

Cowboys Wire Podcast: Seahawks, Wilson provide unique challenges

The latest episode of the Cowboys Wire podcast discusses the beautiful ugly of the Week 2 win and what’s ahead in Seattle for Week 3.

Hopefully the Dallas Cowboys players and coaches haven’t been riding the wave of euphoria the same way the fans have following the improbable 40-39 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. The second-consecutive bird opponent, this time on the road in the Pacific Northwest offer a more daunting set of challenges than the ones Mike McCarthy’s troops have escaped from.

Looking back on what went right out of the matchup with Atlanta, and what they’ll be facing in Seattle, the contrast is stark. Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson both have the ability to air things out and air it out they shall.

Tune in to get the goods from myself and Ryan O’Leary (@RyanOLearySMG).

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Detroit Lions Thursday Week 3 injury report: Desmond Trufant returns to practice

Updating the Detroit Lions injury report after Thursday’s practice.

The Detroit Lions prepare to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 they took another step toward a healthier roster today, returning another starter to limited practices.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Injured reserve/PUP list

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Hunter Bryant Hamstring Limited Practice No Practice

Patricia made a point of mentioning that Bryant wouldn’t be doing much at practice today, and that fell true, meaning he was downgraded today. The undrafted rookie could be headed for another week on the inactive list.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice Limited Practice
Nick Williams Shoulder Limited Practice Limited Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice Limited Practice
C.J. Moore Calf Not Listed Limited Practice

Trufant wasn’t supposed to do much today per coach Matt Patricia’s morning press conference but Dave Birkett of the Free Press is reporting that Trufant “was out there during individual doing backpedal and turn and PBU drills, working at a decent pace”. Getting in individual drills is a terrific step in the right direction for Trufant, and he will still have another opportunity to practice more on Friday, giving him an outside chance of being ready by Sunday.

Golladay continues to practice and all signs are pointing towards him making his 2020 debut. The Lions need him in order to open up their offense.

Like Golladay, Vaitai has been steadily been getting closer to return, and getting in another practice is a very encouraging step towards the Lions offense getting back another starter.

Williams is sporting a brace on his upper left arm/bicep, per Birkett, and his status for the weekend seems very much up in the air at this time.

Moore was added to the injury report today after not being listed on it yesterday which is never a good sign. It’s worth noting that this is also a different injury than he was dealing with through the first two weeks (that was a hamstring), indicating he likely injured it today.

No injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Full Practice

No players listed in this section at this time.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes planning for fast start against Ravens in Week 3

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes doesn’t want a repeat of what happened last week against the Chargers.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was adamant after the Week 2 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers that he didn’t play well early on.

“Early in the game, especially in the first quarter, I think I just wasn’t playing up to par,” Mahomes said following the game. “There was stuff there, we had throws there, and I just wasn’t making the right read or I was making bad throws.”

At halftime in Week 2, the Chiefs were down by eight. Mahomes took the brunt of the blame for that. His execution might have been off early on in that game, but he kept battling. Eventually, he settled down and helped to mount a comeback win for Kansas City.

As Mahomes prepares to face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, he’s working toward having a faster start. History suggests that it’s possible too. In his two matchups against Baltimore since 2018, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense have scored a combined 40 points during the first half of play. You simply don’t want to find yourself down against a Ravens team that boasts one of the best running games in the NFL.

For now, Mahomes is focusing on ways that he can better execute the offense against Baltimore defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s defense during “Monday Night Football.”

“It’s going to be all about execution,” Mahomes told reporters on Thursday. “When you play a defense like this that does a lot of different things, very multiple, do a lot of different blitzes, a lot of different coverages, you have to make sure that you’re ready to go and have answers for everything. I’ll just do whatever I can to make sure I’m prepared for everything they can show us. And whenever they give us an unscouted look, try to have a positive play and then get to the sideline and figure out the best way to go about it for the rest of the game.”

Mahomes is placing an emphasis on pregame preparation and film study, but he also wants to do a better job of adjusting on the fly to unscouted looks. He’s been preaching this offseason about taking what defenses give to him. We saw him take advantage of that against the Chargers with his fourth-quarter scrambles on third down. Look for Mahomes to exploit whatever the Ravens defense is willing to give up in Week 3.

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How Seahawks QB Russell Wilson could set record Week 3 vs. Cowboys

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson can tie Patrick Mahones for the most touchdown passes in first three games of a season if he logs four on Sunday.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been cooking over the first two games of the season, notching two wins and throwing for nine touchdowns so far on the year.

Wilson has also completed 52 of 63 passes attempted for 610 yards and a completion percentage of 82.54% and a passer rating of 140. He’s thrown one interception.

Hitting a number of milestones already this year, Wilson can tie or set a new NFL record on Sunday. If Wilson is able to log four touchdown passes against the Cowboys, he’ll tie Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes for the most TD passes in the first three games of a season in NFL history.

Mahomes threw for 13 scores over his first three games in 2018. Wilson can beat his record with five touchdown passes in Week 3.

Wilson and the Seahawks are set to kick off against the Cowboys Sunday afternoon at 1:25 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field. Here’s everything you need to know to catch the action.

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Seahawks sign wide receiver Lance Lenoir back to practice squad

The Seattle Seahawks have signed wide receiver Lance Lenoir back to practice squad ahead of the Week-3 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Seattle Seahawks have now filled one of their two empty spots on the team’s practice squad, signing wide receiver Lance Lenoir back to the unit.

Lenoir was with Seattle during training camp but was cut during the initial trim-down and added to the original practice squad roster the next day. He was released last week when Demarcus Christmas was signed to the squad.

Adding another wide receiver to the group makes sense now that wideout Phillip Dorsett II has been placed on the injured reserve.

Lenoir spent time with the Cowboys, who Seattle will face on Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field.

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How to watch, stream and listen to Seahawks vs. Cowboys Week 3

Everything you need to know to watch, stream and listen to the Seattle Seahawks as they square off against the Dallas Cowboys Week 3.

The Seattle Seahawks (2-) are set to square off against the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) Week 3 at CenturyLink Field. Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst) and Erin Andrews (sidelines) have the call of the game.

With a victory on Sunday, the Seahawks will have beaten the Cowboys during their last four meetings and will have started their season 3-0 for just the seventh time in team history.

Here’s everything you need to know to catch the action this weekend.

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WHAT: Seattle Seahawks host Dallas Cowboys Week 3

WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1:25 p.m. PT

WHERE: CenturyLink Field, Seattle

TV: Fox channel 13 in the Seattle area

RADIO: 710 ESPN Seattle and 97.3 KIRO FM

STREAM: fuboTV (try it here for free!)

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Falcons special teams coach talks onside-kick recovery

We are just three days away from the Falcons taking the field against the Bears and putting last Sunday’s nightmarish collapse in the rear-view mirror.

We are just three days away from the Falcons taking the field against the Bears and putting last Sunday’s nightmarish collapse in the rear-view mirror.

For now, though, Atlanta’s coaching staff is still trying to get their stories straight to the media. After head coach Dan Quinn said the players on the field during the Cowboys’ onside-kick recovery knew the rules, team owner Arthur Blank expressed his doubts about that on SiriusXM NFL radio.

Falcons special teams coach Ben Kotwica talked to the media before Thursday’s practice and gave his take on the situation.

“Our players knew that they could go into the restraining area and recover the ball,” Kotwica said. “But they also knew that if they went into the restraining area to recover the spinning football, that there’s a risk that if they don’t recover it cleanly, that gives the kicking team the opportunity to recover the ball.”

“We should have aggressively gotten on the football, ” Kotwica clarified at the end of his statement — which you can see below in the tweet shared by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure.

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Despite 2-0 start, Bears still ranked in bottom-half of league

The Chicago Bears are one of 11 undefeated teams in the NFL, but their standing in NFL power rankings remains low.

It seems logical to assume that most, if not all, of the 11 remaining undefeated teams in the NFL would rank at or near the top of league power rankings, but that isn’t the case for the Chicago Bears, who check-in at No. 17 in The Athletic’s most recent NFL rundown.

17. Chicago Bears

What we learned: Their defensive stars have to carry them. It was a choppy performance that could have ended in disaster, but the Bears escaped with a win over the Giants to improve to 2-0. Robert Quinn had a sack/fumble in the first. Akiem Hicks had a big third-down sack in the second half. And Eddie Jackson’s pass breakup ended the Giants’ final rally. Again, it was far from a perfect performance, but this defense has a chance to be really good. The Bears will need more from Khalil Mack to keep Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ offense in check in Week 3.

It isn’t totally unfair that the Bears are ranked at the top of the bottom half of the league. Chicago began the season with few if any expectations, largely because of the still unanswered questions thrust at former second-overall pick, Mitch Trubisky.

There’s also the fact that neither of the Bears’ two wins is impressive, by pundits’ standards.

The Detroit Lions were a D’Andre Swift reception away from defeating Chicago in Week 1 and the New York Giants came close to stealing the Bears’ Week 2 victory with an inexplicable final drive of the fourth quarter last Sunday at Soldier Field.

Still, execution matters, and the Bears are executing on enough plays through two games to win.

Here’s the biggest takeaway from Chicago’s early-season success: Mitch Trubisky is playing sound football. And if this continues, the Bears will rise in the power rankings as the weeks march on.

Trubisky enters Week 3’s game against the Falcons with 432 passing yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions through two games. He’s completing just 59.2% of his passes but has been victimized by several costly drops to begin the year.

This Trubisky, with a star-studded defense led by Khalil Mack and Eddie Jackson, is one of the 10-best teams in the NFL.

It’ll just take a few more wins before the rest of the league realizes it.

Lions Wire Fantasy Football Weekly: 2020 Week 3 Preview

Derek Okrie delivers his latest installment of Lions Wire Fantasy Football Weekly of 2020, previewing the next week of the regular season.

The unpredictability of fantasy football is just amazing from week to week. In just seven short days you never really know who is going to do well, how injuries will impact players, how coaches are doing to delegate rushing attempts or receiving targets, and just how your fantasy team will do as a whole from one week to another.

In Week 2, did anyone see Dak Prescott (QB Cowboys) throwing for 450 passing yards, yet rushing for 3 touchdowns? Did anyone have Julian Edelman (WR Patriots) at the top of the receiving charts with 179 yards in Week 2? Did anyone anticipate Mike Gesicki (TE Dolphins) to have 130 yards and a touchdown in a close game against the Buffalo Bills? Coaches often say it is a week to week league. You just never know what might happen in the NFL and the same goes for fantasy football.

Here is the Fantasy Football Weekly where we give you an overview of Week 3 in both fantasy football and the National Football League.

Lions at Cardinals fantasy focus

The Lions defense is giving up a ton of passing yards and touchdowns once again. Aaron Jones had a field day running the ball against them last week, so start Keyan Drake (RB Cardinals), DeAndre Hopkins (WR Cardinals), Christian Kirk (WR Cardinals), and Dan Arnold (TE Cardinals) this week against the Lions.

In addition to trying to find a way to stop the Cardinals offense, the Lions offense also needs to have a great day offensively in Arizona if they want to have a chance in this game. Kenny Golladay is expected to be back in uniform for the Lions and Matthew Stafford is due for a big game, so this Sunday would be the perfect time to play out of his mind. Put all the Lions skill players in your lineup this week, expect more from D’Andre Swift each week– in the passing game especially — and this looks like a game where seventy-plus points could go up on the scoreboard.

Start/Sit

Start
Gardner Minshew (QB Jaguars)
Austin Ekeler (RB Chargers)
Curtis Samuel (WR Panthers)
Jonnu Smith (TE Titans)

Sit
Sam Darnold (QB Jets)
David Johnson (RB Texans)
Mike Williams (WR Chargers)
Chris Herndon (TE Jets)

Top-3 projected players by position

Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Kyler Murray, Cardinals
Russell Wilson, Seahawks

Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys
Miles Sanders, Eagles
Dalvin Cook, Vikings

Wide Receivers
DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals
Julio Jones, Falcons
Davante Adams, Packers

Tight Ends
Travis Kelce, Chiefs
Mark Andrews, Ravens
Darren Waller, Raiders

Team Defenses
Steelers
Buccaneers
Browns

Kickers
Justin Tucker, Ravens
Harrison Butker, Chiefs
Will Lutz, Saints

Waiver wire options

Derek Carr (QB Raiders)
Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB Dolphins)
Jerick McKinnon (RB 49ers)
Mike Davis (RB Panthers)
DeSean Jackson (WR Eagles)
Curtis Samuel (WR Panthers)
Dan Arnold (TE Cardinals)
Jordan Akins (TE Texans)

Intriguing games and players in Week 3

LA Rams at Buffalo, Sunday 1:00 PM, EST

LAR: Cam Akers (RB), Cooper Kupp (WR)
BUF: Stefon Diggs (WR), Zach Moss (RB)

Las Vegas at New England, Sunday 1:00 PM, EST

LVR: Henry Ruggs (WR), Derek Carr (WR)
NE: Sony Michel (RB), K’Neal Harry (WR)

Cincinnati at Philadelphia, Sunday 1:00 PM, EST

CIN: Joe Mixon (RB), Joe Burrow (QB)
PHI: DeSean Jackson (WR), Miles Sanders (RB)

Houston at Pittsburgh, Sunday 1:00 PM, EST

HOU: Will Fuller (WR), Randall Cobb (WR)
PIT: Juju Smith-Schuster (WR), James Connor (RB)

Detroit at Arizona, Sunday 4:25 PM, EST

DET: D’Andre Swift (RB), Adrian Peterson (RB)
AZ: Kenyan Drake (RB), DeAndre Hopkins (WR)

Dallas at Seattle, Sunday 4:25 PM, EST

DAL: CeeDee Lamb (WR), Amari Cooper (WR)
SEA: Chris Carson (RB), D.K. Metcalf (WR)

Green Bay at New Orleans, Sunday 8:20 PM, EST

GB: Aaron Rodgers (QB), Allen Lazard (WR)
NO: Drew Brees (QB), Alvin Kamara (RB)

Kansas City at Baltimore, Monday 8:15 PM, EST

KC: Patrick Mahomes (QB), Mecole Hardman (WR)
BAL: Lamar Jackson (QB), Marquise Brown (WR)

Bottom Line

Being unpredictable is the name of the game when it comes to fantasy football. Last week the NFL saw more injuries than most weeks and some star players were significantly hurt. Check those injury reports, and make sure you have a healthy lineup in before the Thursday game this week.

We will see if the Detroit Lions can rebound, hopefully, if your fantasy team lost last week they will rebound too. The game of football can be a very unpredicatable, competitive, and inconsistent one at times, and that parallels fantasy football as well. These are also the same factors that make it so fun to watch and why we love it so much.

Dolphins must find answers to play action to beat Jaguars

Dolphins must find answers to play action to beat Jaguars

The Miami Dolphins defense is hoping to finally get some solid results after a long offseason of overhauling the personnel. The Dolphins targeted a whole bunch of defensive veterans through free agency — with the objective of the team’s identity falling into place sooner rather than later on that side of the football. That hasn’t been reality, however. The Dolphins gave up a monumental number of rushing yards in Week 1 versus the Patriots and a terrifying amount of passing yards in Week 2 against the Bills. Miami’s defense has been balanced — but in all the wrong kinds of ways.

And in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dolphins will face a tough task in rebounding from one of their biggest flaws of Week 2 — play action passing. The Bills found a lot of success spreading the field and calling upon play action and the Jaguars can be expected to do a lot of the same.

According to NFL Network’s numbers, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew has completed 13 of 17 pass attempts in play action through two games for 168 yards and three scores. So the Dolphins’ woes against play action had better be ironed out sooner rather than later, because another team is going to look to exploit those weaknesses early and often during tonight’s game.

For the Dolphins, the answer might be a bit more versatility on the back end. The Dolphins have a lot of new pieces — so a lack of depth to what is available to call and run while the team continues to learn the calls is understandable. But every team across the league is working with the same dynamics and the Dolphins can’t afford to be so “vanilla” with some of their calls, as they were in Week 2 despite Buffalo’s insistence on continuing to attack the same areas of the field.

We’ll see how big of a shift the Dolphins make defensively on a short week, but look for play action passing to be a critical factor in tonight’s contest.