Tag: Week 4

Arthur Smith on Justin Fields: ‘Almost took the game over’

Pittsburgh OC Arthur Smith spoke very highly of Justin Fields’ Week 4 performance, especially his second-half.

While some fans are debating who the true QB1 is in Pittsburgh, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith appears to be a massive fan of Justin Fields’ poise and playmaking ability.

Smith is definitely someone you want in your corner when you’re engaged in a quarterback competition—or possibly winning one like Fields is.  Well, almost everyone thinks he’s beating out Russell Wilson.

While fans wish for Fields to remain the starting quarterback, their pleas fall on deaf ears, as head coach Mike Tomlin feels the quarterback competition is yet to be decided.

However, Smith nor Fields were blind to his own statistical output in Week 4—throwing for over 300 yards, rushing for over 50, and adding three total touchdowns to cap off his elite performance.

Fields will need to end this QB controversy once and for all against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, and at least he’ll have his offensive coordinator supporting his every move.

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Chris Jones earns AFC Defensive Player of the Week award after two-sack performance vs. Chargers

#Chiefs DL Chris Jones was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two-sack performance against the #Chargers on Sunday.

Chris Jones earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his two-sack performance in the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Jones, who is among the NFL’s most dominant pass rushers, helped keep the Chiefs’ undefeated record intact and made his presence felt against the Chargers’ offensive line.

With Jones’ help, Kansas City’s defense shut out Los Angeles in the second half after giving up 10 points early in the game.

The veteran defensive lineman was the only Chiefs player to register a sack in Week 4, though Kansas City’s defensive effort against the Chargers was a well-rounded team effort.

Though awards like this serve to recognize outstanding individual performances, Jones won’t be able to take his foot off the gas if the Chiefs intend to remain undefeated after their Week 5 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Expect Kansas City’s resident sack-master to put on a show when Kansas City faces the Saints on “Monday Night Football” at Arrowhead Stadium.

Report: Chiefs GM Brett Veach was not happy about Skyy Moore’s drop vs. Chargers

According to a report from Harold Kuntz of FOX 4 in Kansas City, Chiefs GM Brett Veach was not happy about Skyy Moore’s latest drop.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without star wide receiver Rashee Rice after a knee injury forced him out of the defending Super Bowl champions’ Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

While Rice is sidelined, the Chiefs will have to rely on veterans Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, and rookie Xavier Worthy to pick up the slack in the passing game.

Though each of these receivers is expected to have a larger role in Kansas City’s offense with Rice out of action, Moore may have a hard time getting on the field after a poor performance this weekend.

According to a report from FOX 4 sports anchor Harold Kuntz, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was less than thrilled with Moore after he dropped a pass from Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City’s latest victory.

Check out Kuntz’s report below, which was posted to Twitter by Chiefs Wire legend Robert Rimpson:

Moore is in his third season in Kansas City and has failed to make an impact on the Chiefs’ 2024 campaign.

Through four games, Moore has yet to register a single catch.

Stars, studs and duds from Packers’ Week 4 loss to Vikings

The stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 4 loss to the Vikings.

The Green Bay Packers trailed 28-7 at halftime and were unable to complete the rally in the second half despite 22 fourth quarter points, losing 31-29 to the Minnesota Vikings in a key early season NFC North showdown at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The Packers’ two-game win streak is no more. In starting 2-2, the Packers have sandwiched two important wins against the AFC South with a pair of disappointing defeats against NFC contenders.

Here are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 4 loss to the Vikings:

Stars

WR Jayden Reed: His eight touches created 141 total yards and a touchdown. Reed got the Packers on the board with an impressive 15-yard score late in the first half, and he added three more explosive plays — a 24-yard catch, a 21-yard catch and a 42-yard catch. Five of his catches gained a first down or scored, and he also drew a pass interference penalty worth 20 yards. The Packers only gave him one rushing attempt, but his seven catches totaled 139 yards — a career-high. Reed is dynamic, tough and reliable.

Studs

RT Zach Tom: Another dominant performance. It’s been written in this space before, but Tom produces so many David Bakhtiari-like games now. He quietly wins his pass-blocking reps snap after snap, almost becoming a forgotten player during the course of a game. But he’s dominating, and it takes a PFF grade or a review of the tape to realize the quality of the performance. He allowed only two pressures on 58 pass-blocking snaps and was terrific getting people moved in the run game. His first four games have been All-Pro quality.

RG Sean Rhyan: In his second game as a full-time player at right guard, Rhyan looked more and more comfortable. He gave up only two pressures on 58 pass-blocking snaps, and his blocks in the run game helped spring a couple of big runs, including a 13-yarder on the first drive. Rhyan looks better moving laterally as a pass protector, and he’s been great as a pull blocker in the run game.

S Xavier McKinney: The former Giant picked off his fourth pass in as many games when he diagnosed a sail route to Aaron Jones and undercut Sam Darnold’s ill-advised throw in the red zone. It was a huge play and kept the Packers in it. McKinney also had a quarterback hurry on a blitz, didn’t miss a tackle attempt and wasn’t credited with giving up a completion in coverage.

P Daniel Whelan: His onside kick attempt wasn’t great, but Whelan did help the Packers get back into the game when his towering punt was misjudged and muffed, creating a turnover. Whelan also had a 46-yard punt put inside the 20-yard line, and a 60-yard punt from his own end zone. He averaged 60 yards per punt, with a long of 74. His hangtime average was over five seconds.

Duds

DE Rashan Gary: He rushed the passer 22 times and didn’t have a pressure. He also got fooled on Jordan Addison’s end around, which resulted in a touchdown. Gary did have three run stops, including a chase down of Sam Darnold and a pair of stops on Aaron Jones on a late fourth-quarter drive. But the Packers needed far more impact as a pass-rusher. His failures were reflective of the greater issues rushing the passer with four.

WR Romeo Doubs: He failed to secure a pair of contested catches, including one that would have been a 17-yard gain but was overturned on replay. While it wasn’t necessarily all his fault, Doubs did have an interception go off his hands in the first half. It was an unfortunate play, but Doubs’ release off the line messed with the spacing of the play, and then he failed to fix the mistake after Jordan Love’s pass went through Luke Musgrave’s hands. Just a tough rep. Late in the game, Doubs couldn’t hang onto another pass after getting hit.

K Brayden Narveson: Missing from 37 yards out is not acceptable for an NFL kicker. In fact, Narveson became the first and only NFL kicker to miss from under 40 yards on a field goal this season. He also missed from 49 yards out later in the first half, and Matt LaFleur eventually decided to go for it on 4th-and-10 from the 34-yard line with the score 28-0. One could argue Narveson’s kicking issues cost the Packers nine points.

CB Eric Stokes: He allowed five catches into his coverage, including a 31-yarder to Jalen Nailor and a 27-yarder to Justin Jefferson. He was also flagged for pass interference, extending a scoring drive.

CB Corey Ballentine: He got burned one-on-one on a double move from Jordan Addison, and his pursuit on Addison’s end around touchdown was questionable at best.

CB Keisean Nixon: His strip-sack was a pivotal play, but Nixon also gave up a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson, missed a tackle and got flagged for holding in the end zone. Sam Darnold was 5-of-6 passing for 70 yards when targeting him in coverage.

NFL power rankings: Are the Washington Commanders legit?

The Commanders are suddenly 3-1 and rising in NFL power rankings. Are they legit?

The Miami Dolphins (1-3) lost to the Tennessee Titans (1-3) 31-12 and the Detroit Lions (3-1) secured a big 42-29 victory over the Seattle Seahawks (3-1) in a Monday Night Football doubleheader tonight.

Elsewhere in the NFL this week, the Minnesota Vikings (4-0) stayed perfect with a 31-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers (2-2) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4) remained winless with a 24-20 loss to the Houston Texans (3-1).

Following a 26-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons (2-2), the New Orleans Saints (2-2) suddenly look a lot less intimidating than they did two weeks ago.

The Baltimore Ravens (2-2) made a statement with a 35-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills (3-1) and the Washington Commanders (3-1) look legit after a big 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals (1-3).

So, where does that leave us? Here are our latest NFL power rankings going into Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season.

NFL power rankings after Week 4

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)
  2. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
  3. Detroit Lions (3-1)
  4. Houston Texans (3-1)
  5. Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
  6. Buffalo Bills (3-1)
  7. Washington Commanders (3-1)
  8. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)
  9. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
  10. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
  11. Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
  12. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
  13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
  14. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
  15. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
  16. Denver Broncos (2-2)
  17. New York Jets (2-2)
  18. Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
  19. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)
  20. New Orleans Saints (2-2)
  21. Chicago Bears (2-2)
  22. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)
  23. Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
  24. Tennessee Titans (1-3)
  25. Los Angeles Rams (1-3)
  26. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
  27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-2)
  28. New England Patriots (1-3)
  29. Carolina Panthers (1-3)
  30. Cleveland Browns (1-3)
  31. New York Giants (1-3)
  32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4)

Week 5 will kick off on Thursday when the Falcons host the Bucs.

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Chargers QB Justin Herbert on Chiefs’ rabid pass rush: ‘I thought we were prepared’

#Chargers QB Justin Herbert told reporters about the challenge of facing the #Chiefs’ rabid pass rush after Los Angeles’ Week 4 loss to K.C.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense has been on fire to start the 2024 regular season, and it seems that the defending champions somehow caught the Los Angeles Chargers off guard in Week 4.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert addressed the media after Los Angeles’ loss to Kansas City and praised the Chiefs’ pass rush that was orchestrated by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

“It’s tough,” Herbert told reporters. “Like we said during the week, they do a good job of getting after the passer. We expected that. We knew that and I thought we were prepared for it. I’ve got do a better job of getting the ball out, quicker, with answers. I thought the offensive line did a great job stepping up and blocking and doing everything they needed to do. It’s definitely on us to be better at that.”

Herbert was sacked by star defensive lineman Chris Jones twice on Sunday and was held to just 179 passing yards.

PFF: Jaylen Watson earned Chiefs’ highest grade in win over Chargers

#Chiefs DB Jaylen Watson was Kansas City’s highest-graded player against the Chargers in Week 4, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Kansas City Chiefs earned their fourth win of the regular season on Sunday, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10 to advance their record to 4-0.

Behind the strength of Kareem Hunt, Andy Ried’s offense finally found some rhythm, but it was the Chiefs’ defense, that ultimately clinched the win for Kansas City.

Led by superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones, who was credited for two sacks in the game, the Chiefs didn’t allow a point in the second half of Sunday’s matchup against the Chargers.

While Jones has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL this year, the experts at Pro Football Focus gave third-year cornerback Jaylen Watson the top grade in Kansas City’s latest victory.

Check out the Chiefs’ five highest graded players below:

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will continue to lean on Watson when the Chiefs face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football in Week 5.

 

Week 4 preview and prediction: Seahawks @ Lions

Week 4 preview and prediction: Seahawks @ Lions

The Seattle Seahawks are seeking their third 4-0 start in franchise history, and their first since the 2020 season. Standing in their way is a quality Detroit Lions team, hungry to end their current six-game losing skid to the Seahawks.

Since defeating Seattle 28-24 in the 2012 season, the Lions have struggled mightily against the Seahawks, especially at home, where they have lost the last two-straight games in each of the last two seasons. In both instances, Seattle outlasted Detroit in wild 48-45 and 37-31 (OT) shootouts. Offensive fireworks have defined the recent series, but on Monday, injuries seem to be taking the center stage.

For the Lions, they will be without their All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, which is a considerable loss to their offensive line. Unfortunately, the Seahawks may not be as able to take advantage as they would have even a week ago. Seattle has already ruled out defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II, as well as pass rushers Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu. The Seahawks defense, particularly the pass rush, has been outright suffocating. Without some of the best players on their defensive front, Jared Goff and Co. may have more time than what quarterbacks this season who have played Seattle have enjoyed.

So the Lions offensive line is weakened, and the Seahawks defensive line is as well. It appears to be a battle between a movable object and a stoppable force. But in today’s NFL, take the side of a weaker offense vs. a weakened defense. Seattle has also shown vulnerabilities against the run, which has plagued this unit for years.

To win this game, the load is likely going to have to be shouldered by the offense. Fortunately for the Seahawks, this unit is getting Kenneth Walker III back into the fold after missing the two previous weeks. Having Walker be the primary ballcarrier, with Zach Charbonnet being able to come off the bench for a change of pace, will help give Seattle’s ground attack more teeth to threaten the Lions.

Geno Smith is also more than capable of performing against Detroit. In the last two games against the Lions, Smith has thrown for 648 yards and four touchdowns, as well as leading the game-winning drive in overtime last year. Smith’s statistics haven’t popped off the page in 2024, but he has been playing exceptionally well. Smith also has the most game-winning drives in the entire NFL since the 2022 season.

The Lions are healthier, more experienced, and more established with this current regime. They are coming off a year where they were two quarters of football away from reaching the Super Bowl. But I can’t help but lean towards the Seahawks in this one. Perhaps it is me leaning on recent history. Perhaps it is an intuition. Or perhaps it is the fact Monday night is Seattle’s night. The Seahawks own the best win percentage (.714) in NFL history on Monday nights, and have gone 3-0 in their last three outings on MNF… including a Week 4 road showdown last year.

Give me the Seahawks in another shootout, with more heroics from Smith late.

Prediction: Seahawks over Lions 38-35

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Broncos PFF grades: Best, worst players from win over Jets

PFF has released grades from the Broncos’ win over the Jets. These were Denver’s best (and worst) players in Week 4.

Following the Denver Broncos‘ ugly 10-9 win over the New York Jets in Week 4, Pro Football Focus has released grades for each player.

PFF grades players on a 0 (worst) to 100 (best) scale. Check out the best and worst of Week 3 below.

Best Offensive Players 

  • G Ben Powers: 83.3
  • OT Garett Bolles: 80.8
  • G Quinn Meinerz: 79.3
  • RB Jaleel McLaughlin: 72.3
  • WR Courtland Sutton: 67.7

Denver’s offensive line had a great day, with Alex Palczewski (67.4) tied as the sixth-best player on offense and Luke Wattenberg (65.7) one spot behind him. McLaughlin and Javonte Williams (67.4) had their best games of the season.

Best Defensive Players 

  • LB Kristian Welch: 86.1
  • DL Malcolm Roach: 86.1
  • DL John Franklin-Myers: 79.8
  • CB Levi Wallace: 78.8
  • CB Ja’Qauan McMillian: 76.8

Welch had a small sample size of just three snaps on defense, but he had a key tackle to keep Breece Hall out of the end zone at the one-yard line. Pat Surtain (76.5) received the sixth-best grade on defense, followed by Jonathon Copper (76.2), Brandon Jones (76.1) and Riley Moss (74.1). The secondary had a great game, and Justin Strnad (72.1) stepped up at linebacker.

Worst Offensive Players 

  • RB Tyler Badie (37.5)
  • OT Matt Peart (42.6)
  • TE Greg Dulcich (43.3)
  • QB Bo Nix (48.9)
  • WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey (49.2)

Badie suffered a scary back injury and left in the first quarter (he’s expected to be okay). Nix posted just 60 yards but he had no turnovers and did not take any sacks, so being graded as the third-worst player on offense seems a little harsh.

Worst Defensive Players 

  • OLB Nik Bonitto: 41.0
  • DB P.J. Locke: 54.3
  • ILB Cody Barton: 57.7
  • OLB Dondrea Tillman: 58.2
  • DL Jordan Jackson: 58.6

Locke had a key sack in the fourth quarter and Barton seemingly played well filling in for Alex Singleton. Both their grades feel extremely harsh.

Special Teams 

  • LS Mitchell Fraboni: 85.6
  • R Marvin Mims: 61.0
  • K Wil Lutz: 43.9 (FG) 60.0 (KO)
  • P Riley Dixon: 64.4

You can view grades for every player on the paid version of PFF’s website.

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Tyler Badie injury update: Broncos RB ‘doing better,’ still being evaluated

Broncos running back Tyler Badie (back) is doing better but still being evaluated, coach Sean Payton said Monday.

Denver Broncos running back Tyler Badie (back) is doing better but is still being evaluated following Sunday’s injury against the New York Jets, coach Sean Payton said during a conference call with reporters on Monday.

“He didn’t come back with the team, but he came back commercially later in the evening,” Payton said. “We’re still evaluating him now. He’s doing better. Everyone that’s reached out, we appreciate the concerns. Fortunately, he was able to come back before the day ended.”

The running back is a candidate for injured reserve, but he might be able to return later this season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Badie (5-8, 197 pounds) was hit from behind by Jets linebacker Quincy Williams in the first quarter and fumbled the ball. Badie was then able to make his way to the sideline, but he quickly went down on the ground and was later placed on a backboard and loaded onto a cart and taken into the locker room.

After the game, Broncos coach Sean Payton twice said he had “no update” on the running back’s status, but reports emerged later in the evening that Badie was expected to be OK.

Before exiting Sunday’s game in New Jersey, Badie had one carry for no yards and two receptions that lost four yards. He was in line to get more touches against the Jets after rushing for 70 yards in Week 3.

If Denver opts to hold Badie out of next week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, rookie Blake Watson would be the next man up behind Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.

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