Tag: Week 4

Twitter reacts to insane Chiefs touchdown reversed by controversial penalty on Kadarius Toney

Twitter was buzzing after this penalty by #Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney reversed an insane touchdown orchestrated by Travis Kelce.

The Kansas City Chiefs nearly pulled off one of the most insane comebacks of the 2023 season before a penalty reversed a touchdown by wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

The improbable play occurred late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit tight end Travis Kelce deep downfield on a crucial drive with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Kelce darted upfield and lateraled the ball to Toney, who was completely uncovered near the left boundary.

The wide receiver caught the pitch and scampered into the end zone, but an offensive offside infraction by Toney at the line of scrimmage caused the score to be reversed.

Kansas City was unable to recover from the five-yard penalty and eventually turned the ball over on downs to seal the victory for Buffalo.

Fans around the NFL took to Twitter to express their displeasure with the referee’s decision to enforce the rarely-called penalty in such a consequential situation.

Check out some of their top reactions to the controversial call below:

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes praises RB Isiah Pacheco’s consistency

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes praised Isiah Pacheco’s consistency during comments to the media earlier this week.

Patrick Mahomes has relied on his teammates more than ever before through four weeks of the regular season, and the Kansas City Chiefs are still waiting on the reigning MVP to get back into form ahead of their next matchup against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

Though Mahomes’ recent hiccups have frustrated fans, the accomplished signal-caller has used his shortcomings as an opportunity to praise the less-heralded members of Kansas City’s roster. In comments to the media on Wednesday, Mahomes went out of his way to laud running back Isiah Pacheco for his efforts last week in the Chiefs’ win against the New York Jets.

“If I’ve ever seen a young guy be consistent, it’s that [RB Isiah Pacheco] guy,” Mahomes continued. “I mean you have to calm him down because he wants to go as hard as he can every single play, and that’s what the great ones do. I don’t know if y’all saw but he scored a touchdown.

“I don’t know if his feet ever landed in the endzone, he like jumped all the way. That’s his energy every single day. Just as much in the locker room, the meeting room, and on the practice field and game days, so I don’t think we have to worry about him being consistent.”

Although Sunday night’s three-point win was something of a letdown for the defending Super Bowl champions, the team can rest easy knowing that they can rely on multiple facets of its roster instead of exclusively looking to Mahomes to win them games.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes grateful teammates stepped up vs. Jets

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes told reporters that he is grateful for the exceptional performance of his teammates against the #Jets on Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes’ performance in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets was underwhelming, to say the least.

The 28-year-old quarterback threw two uncharacteristic interceptions in a game in which the Chiefs were mostly outplayed. Despite his struggles against a great Jets defense, Mahomes’ teammates came up big in crucial moments.

“That’s what makes this team so great, and it’s a great job by Brett Veach and Coach Reid of bringing in great players,” Mahomes explained. “Even when I’m not playing my best, we have guys like Isiah [Pacheco] who can dominate the run game. We have offensive linemen that can block the run game, [the] defense that can play great defense throughout the first four games of the year, and so it’s not all on my shoulders to go out there and win the football game.

“I can rely on my teammates to do stuff and throughout last game, Isiah was working, and even though we might’ve had some of those RPO advantage throws or whatever you want to call them, it’s like ‘Man just give this man the football and let him go.’ He accepted the challenge, and that’s what makes this team great. It’s not just me, it’s everybody. I think we are finally seeing that as the season goes on.”

Mahomes will need to step up his game if he intends to win his second-straight MVP award in 2023. His reliance on teammates won’t be viable as a long-term strategy, so fans should expect Mahomes to play with a chip on his shoulder moving forward as he looks to quarterback the Chiefs to another Super Bowl.

Broncos Wire podcast: What’s next after win over Bears?

On this week’s Broncos Wire podcast, Ryan O’Leary and Jon Heath react to the win in Chicago & preview Nathaniel Hackett’s return to Denver.

Following a 31-28 comeback win over the Chicago Bears, the Denver Broncos are now 1-3 going into this week’s showdown with the 1-3 New York Jets.

On the latest Broncos Wire podcast, I joined host Ryan O’Leary to react to the win in Chicago and look ahead to what’s on deck next.

You can listen to episode 87 below:

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Note: This week’s podcast was recorded before news of Randy Gregory’s release surfaced on Wednesday.

Our unedited notes for this week’s pod can be seen below. 

Sunday was a rollercoaster of emotions for Broncos fans

  • Losing 28-7 in Q3: OK, at least we can get the No. 1 overall pick and draft Caleb Williams. Huge silver lining.
  • After winning 31-28 comeback: Wow, that was fun! But it was only against the lowly Bears … are we still going to be a bad team, just not get Caleb Williams now?
Russell Wilson is officially not washed  
  • Wilson is not the cause of Denver’s problems. It took him 12 games to throw 9 TD passes under Nathaniel Hackett last year. He has matched that total in 4 games under Sean Payton this season.
  • Seems like the Broncos aren’t going to get Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick, but at least Wilson seems to be back to his old self under Payton.
Help is on the way for the Broncos this week 
  • CB K’Waun Williams, S P.J. Locke and OLB Baron Browning are all eligible to return from injured reserve/PUP lists this week. Williams might need a few more weeks, but Locke and Browning could give big boosts to the defense.
  • After missing the last two games, Justin Simmons might be able to return this week. He has been missed.
  • Javonte Williams left Sunday’s game with a hip injury early and did not return, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter says he is “not expected to miss much if any time.” That’s a relief, but rookie Jaleel McLaughlin is also playing very well.
Broncos vs. Jets: Nathaniel Hackett’s return to Denver 
  • Denver is 2.5-point favorite at home vs. Jets in Week 5.
  • Nathaniel Hackett. Enough said.
  • Sean Payton blasted Hackett this offseason without mentioning him by name and just about every Jets player and coach quickly came to Hackett’s defense. Now they’ll get a chance to prove Payton wrong on Sunday.
  • Jets averaging 15.5 points per game. Denver averaging 25.0 points per game.

Ryan and I will return each week during the season to react to every game.

If you enjoy this podcast, you can check out previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or on your podcast service of choice. Please consider giving the podcast a positive rating and review!

You can listen to every past episode below or at this link.

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Chiefs DE George Karlaftis tied for fifth-place in QB pressures through Week 4

#Chiefs DE George Karlaftis has the fifth-most quarterback pressures in the NFL through Week 4.

George Karlaftis has been among the Kansas City Chiefs’ most productive pass rushers in 2023 and ranks in fifth place among all defenders in quarterback pressures through Week 4.

His 20 pressures have helped Kansas City achieve a 3-1 start to their Super Bowl defense campaign and secure three straight wins after losing to the Detroit Lions in heartbreaking fashion back in Week 1.

Karlaftis is in great company on this list and has earned his spot as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers with the production he has shown to this point in the season.

With another standout performance against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, Karlaftis could rise a few positions on this list, though he is unlikely to gain enough ground to move to the top spot in just one game.

Watch for the second-year defensive end to continue pestering quarterbacks consistently as he looks to cement his place as one of the league’s top sackmasters.

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The worst offensive players in Tampa Bay’s win over New Orleans, per PFF

These five offensive players weren’t looked upon fondly by PFF’s Week 4 grades:

It was perhaps the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ most dominant performance of the year against the New Orleans Saints on both sides of the ball in Week 4.

The Bucs offense dropped three touchdowns on the Saints en route to a 26-9 win over their division rivals, taking first place in the NFC South heading into the bye week. There were quite a few stars of the game in Week 4, and we took a look at some of them in our list of best performers as graded by Pro Football Focus. But despite that win, PFF didn’t have a favorable look on every offensive player.

Here are the five worst Bucs offensive players as graded by PFF in Week 4:

The worst defensive players in Tampa Bay’s win over New Orleans, per PFF

It was a dominant defense performance for the Bucs, but Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with these defensive players in Tampa Bay’s win:

The defense was nothing short of dominant in Tampa Bay’s 26-9 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 4.

The team didn’t allow a touchdown and made multiple red zone stops, holding the Saints to under 200 yards the entire contest. And while there were plenty of great players in the win, some may not have performed as well as others — we took a look at the best defensive players in the victory as per Pro Football Focus grades, and now, we’re taking a look at the worst ones.

Here were the five worst-graded Bucs defensive players in Week 4, per PFF:

Patrick Mahomes earns fourth-best PFF QB grade through Week 4

Patrick Mahomes ranks as PFF’s fourth-highest graded quarterback through Week 4.

Patrick Mahomes has had a rocky start to the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2023 campaign through four weeks but has still managed to grade out as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

In a ranking posted to Twitter on Tuesday, PFF revealed that Mahomes has a composite 82.0 grade through Week 4, which trailed behind Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence, and Jared Goff.

The reigning MVP’s disappointing performance against the New York Jets on Sunday is sure to have affected his overall grade. Mahomes has some work to do if he intends to raise his grade through the middle part of Kansas City’s schedule, and with another shaky performance against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, he could slide out of the top five.

Watch for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense to play like they have something to prove this weekend as they look to earn their fourth win of the 2023 season.

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Patriots’ top 10 offensive players in Week 4, per PFF grades

Who were the Patriots’ top-10 offensive players in their ugly Week 4 loss?

An offensive implosion for the ages wrecked any hope the New England Patriots ever had of upsetting an angry Dallas Cowboys team at home in Week 4.

Quarterback Mac Jones was at the center of it all with two interceptions and one lost fumble on a strip sack. The Patriots gifted the Cowboys 14 points with two of the turnovers being returned for touchdowns, while the third flipped field position and set Dallas up near the 50-yard line.

The offensive line was undisciplined and unreliable, while the rushing attack completely stalled after showing some life in Week 3 against the New York Jets.

What followed was the worse loss in NFL history by a Bill Belichick-coached team. It was a nightmare performance by the Patriots offense, and their Pro Football Focus grades reflect it.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 offensive players, per their PFF grades in Week 4.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. makes PFF Team of the Week for Week 4

Winfield Jr. has been one of the NFL’s best safeties in the first four weeks of the NFL season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety [autotag]Antoine Winfield Jr.[/autotag] is currently in a contract year, and boy, does he want to get paid in 2024.

Winfield Jr. has played excellent football in the first few games of 2023, and he had another fantastic game in Week 4 against the Saints. Winfield Jr. forced a fumble that resulted in a turnover and also singlehandedly prevented a Saints touchdown by perfectly playing a deep ball intended for Chris Olave in the end zone. Pro Football Focus recognized him for his efforts, and he made their Week 4 Team of the Week as a result. He shares a safety spot with the Las Vegas Raiders’ Tre’Von Moehrig.

Winfield Jr. has an overall grade of 80.7 on the year, the 10th best among safeties in PFF’s grading system. He has the highest pass rush graded and the third highest run defense grade, but PFF hasn’t been impressed with his coverage skills in 2023, giving him a 61.7 overall.

He’s set to be a free agent in 2024, but if he keeps playing like this, it will be hard to deny Winfield Jr. his due in the offseason.

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