Tag: football

NFL Week 15 Winners and Losers

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After many weeks of waiting, teams are finally clinching playoff berths. Some teams secured their divisions and have chances at the number one playoff seed. Even more exciting are the teams that had chances to clinch and couldn’t, setting up more anticipation for the holidays. It’s time to see who or what else stood out most for week 15.

Winners: Jake Browning

Cincinnati’s backup quarterback hasn’t just won the games he’s started the past three weeks, he’s been the better passer. Jake Browning is undefeated in his three starts for the Bengals, changing the AFC playoff picture.

Many assumed after franchise star Joe Burrow was put on injured reserve with a torn ligament in his throwing wrist that Cincinnati would finish last in their division. It couldn’t be more opposite with Browning under center. He’s elevated head coach Zac Taylor’s offense, averaging 32 points per game in three needed wins against playoff hopefuls Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Minnesota.

Many AFC teams are struggling with multiple backup quarterbacks, poor offensive play-calling and holding leads in the second half of divisional games. The Bengals have dodged all three of these issues with a confident Jake Browning leading the offense. While two of their remaining three games are against divisional opponents with similar postseason hopes, Cincinnati is in a better position to lock up one of the three wild-card spots.

Jacoby Brissett’s chance to be a starter again

Washington’s loss in Los Angeles might have sealed head coach Ron Rivera’s fate, but it didn’t seal backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s. The eight year veteran played less than a quarter and almost stole a win against the Rams.

Brissett came in with seven minutes remaining and the Commanders down 28-7. He finished both drives completing eight of ten passes for 124 yards, two touchdowns and an almost perfect passer rating. Los Angeles squeaked out a 28-20 win.

Jacoby Brissett has been an unfortunate journeyman passer the last five years. When given the chance, he can lead teams and give them hope for a postseason run. The high number of injured quarterbacks this season will make Brissett a popular target for general managers once the offseason begins.

James Cook

It was appropriate for Bills quarterback Josh Allen to tell the press after a dominant home win against Dallas that, “the win for me was like getting an ‘A’ on a group project when you did nothing.” On offense, James Cook put most of the work in for that ‘A’.

Cook diced Dallas’ defense all four quarters Sunday. He ran 25 times for 179 yards and a touchdown. He also had two catches for 42 yards and caught Allen’s only passing touchdown. His seven yards per run took so much time off the clock, Buffalo posted the fastest final of the late afternoon games.

The Bills have needed a runningback to take pressure off Allen from constantly making big plays. James Cook is quietly less than 200 yards away from a 1,000 yard rushing season. Buffalo might have found their young, franchise runningback that can attack defenses in a dimension the team hadn’t been able to do in prior years.

Baltimore Ravens (and yes, John Harbaugh’s coaching)

The first team in the AFC to clinch a playoff spot Sunday was Baltimore. After constant criticism against head coach John Harbaugh, he’s led the Ravens to a conference best eleven wins.

Baltimore took advantage of every Jacksonville blunder Sunday night. While the Jaguars wasted four scoring opportunities, Ravens quarterback and leading MVP candidate Lamar Jackson dazzled audiences with his performance. The team has dealt with injured play-makers on both sides of the ball this season but the difference is coach Harbaugh making all the right decisions that eluded him in 2022.

The Ravens have a top five scoring offense and total defense. The offense is also top ten in time of possession and total yards per game. Both upper management and the coaches took last year’s failures seriously and made necessary upgrades to make sure there wasn’t a repeat of last year’s monthly embarrassments. Baltimore is a true, Super Bowl favorite before Christmas.

Losers: Mike Tomlin

Consistency in sports journalism is something audiences look for and hold in high regard. Just as there was harsh criticism towards John Harbaugh, so there should be for head coach Mike Tomlin.

Saturday’s loss in Indianapolis when the Steelers had a 13 point lead might be the lowest point of Pittsburgh’s season. While the offense, led by backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky started off with two easy touchdowns, nothing after went right. Despite firing unpopular coordinator Matt Canada last month, Pittsburgh’s gotten worse in almost every offensive category. Part of that is because starting quarterback Kenny Pickett’s missing time with an ankle injury. It’s believable if the Steelers’ problems were just on offense. However, star players on defense have also gone out with injuries. The defense is missing three impactful players and mostly plays better than an offense that won’t average more than 16 points a game.

A new issue creeping in is lack of discipline. The ejection of safety Damontae Kazee due to his vicious tackling of Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. adds to the growing concern of Tomlin’s management the past two months. Previously it was receiver George Pickens making media headlines with his angry tirades of not being involved in the offense. Now players on defense are getting ejected (and suspended by the league) for making dangerous plays.

Audiences who have watched the Steelers play the last few seasons will admit they’re one of the worst teams to watch almost every weekend. The organization has to consider serious changes on every level, including a head coach who’s helped re-build a roster that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016.

Tennessee Titans

For anyone who watches a team lead by double digit points and wonder, “What’s the worst that could happen?”, Tennessee’s home loss to rival Houston (while wearing throwback jerseys of Houston’s original football team) will become a definition of what possibly could go wrong for many years.

After the Titans took a 13 point lead to start the second quarter, things went downhill. First, the Texans tied their rival late by scoring their only touchdown of the afternoon. Tennessee had led most of the game until Noah Brown caught the three yard score from Case Keenum. Rookie and possible franchise quarterback Will Levis struggled to evade defensive linemen and almost left with a serious injury. The Titans couldn’t move the ball past 19 yards on any of their second half possessions.

Things have gotten worse as not only the loss officially eliminated Tennessee from the postseason but star runningback Derrick Henry tweeted cryptic messages indicating he could move on if the organization doesn’t make necessary changes before January. Merry Christmas Titans fans.

Green Bay Packers

Heading into last Monday night, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur hadn’t lost in the month of December since his hiring in 2019. In one week, LaFleur’s lost two games against teams Green Bay was nationally favored to beat.

The Packers are in the thick of the playoff race and recently won two important games in Kansas City and Detroit. The confidence and good feelings Green Bay had after those wins are gone after being dominated against Tommy DeVito and Baker Mayfield-led offenses.

It’s easy to forget at times the Packers have one of the NFL’s youngest rosters. Audiences will wonder from a competitive viewpoint where would the team be if they focused on and won games against inferior opponents in one week. The losses sting more when looking at the close NFC North divisional standings and knowing the Packers own some tie-breakers.

Whoever decides to watch Christmas Eve’s Sunday night game

Christmas Eve is a wonderful time of year. Family, christmas carols, It’s a Wonderful Life and wrapping presents are what most people in the United States focus on before having a lovely holiday.

Any sane or rational minded person would also decide not to watch New England play Denver on Sunday night. The Patriots are trying their best to set NFL offensive standards back at least 50 years while Sean Payton either verbally grills his quarterback or whatever poor referees call penalties against his team.

The league decided not to flex New England’s win against Pittsburgh on Amazon two weeks ago and paid for it with low ratings. Perhaps we can all write to Roger Goodell (and Santa Claus! Think of the children!) to encourage more flexing of primetime games, no matter what network airs them. Two years of bad American football on Christmas is enough for one’s lifetime.

Notes: The writer, editor and publisher is officially on break with the publishing of this article. This is the last Winners and Losers for the NFL season. Wild-card weekend playoff picks will be up before January 13th.

Happy Holidays to you all. Many thanks to those who have read, liked, commented on and shared jdsportscorner.com articles this year. The first post of 2024 will contain updates of my growing writing career in the sports journalism field. May you all enjoy the rest of 2023.

Mike Holmgren on Jamal Adams: ‘Sometimes you just have to eat the money’

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Seahawks strong safety Jamal Adams is rapidly approaching Clay Bennett levels of infamy on the Seattle sports scene. Adams came to the Seahawks in an ill-conceived trade in July of 2020, a deal which included sending two first-round draft picks to the Jets. Later, Adams signed what was at the time the richest contract for a safety in NFL history. Then, the injuries began taking their toll. Next, Adams got even worse in coverage. Finally, Adams started taking out his frustrations on beat reporters’ wives on Twitter.

Needless to say, fans have had about enough of No. 33 and are desperate to get rid of him this coming offseason, no matter the cost. It would be a considerable one, though. No team will take on Adams’ contract so the only way out is to cut him. However, that move would come with over $20 million in dead money over the next two years.

It’s a steep price to pay to get rid of a three-time Pro Bowl defender who’s still highly-effective around the box. Some folks think it’s worth it, though. That includes former Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren. Speaking on 93.3 KJR radio yesterday, Holmgren said he had to release good players that were hurting the team and sometimes you have to eat the money.

Coach Holmgren on what the #Seahawks could or should do re: Jamal Adams:

“I’ve been in position where I’ve had to release good players that were hurting the team. And sometimes you just have to eat the money.”

On Pete and John re: Jamal:

“I trust them, they both have each…

— 93.3 KJR (@933KJR) December 13, 2023

Cutting Adams should probably be high on the team’s list of priorities once the offseason begins – but it can’t end there. Writing off Adams should be part of a larger shedding process of getting rid of burdensome contracts for veterans on the back end of Seattle’s defense. While Quandre Diggs is an excellent safety, he’s had a bad year. Soon to be 31 years old, cutting Diggs would also carry a brutal dead money penalty, but it would save $11 million in cap space for the 2024 season.

The Seahawks also have to consider a total reset at linebacker, where both Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks are about to become free agents. Wagner will always be our favorite defender in franchise history, but he’s become a liability in coverage too often and re-signing him is probably not worth the investment considering his age and the team’s situation. Brooks is much younger and may be worth re-signing after his huge step forward this year – but there’s also a case for letting him walk and starting over with a couple of linebackers on rookie contracts.

Once the dead weight at linebacker and safety has been shed, the Seahawks need to shift whatever resources they have saved towards their offensive and defensive lines – which is the biggest obstacle between them and the contenders they’ve been losing to lately. Radically upgrading both sides of the line of scrimmage is a non-negotiable prerequisite for catching up with heavyweights like the 49ers, Cowboys, Ravens and Eagles.

Then again, we feel this team’s greatest problems are not on the field but rather in the booth and on the sidelines. We have a tremendous amount of respect for what Pete Caroll has accomplished and he’s still better than average at his job. That said, he’s out of his league against two much younger head coaches within his own division and the odds of returning to the Super Bowl after a 10-year layover are extremely slim. The Seahawks likely won’t get back to the top of the mountain unless they have somebody else leading them.

Seahawks-Cowboys Thursday night game sets record for Prime Video and NFL streaming

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Associated Press

Mon, December 4, 2023 at 3:25 PM CST·1 min read

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks (3) catches a pass for a first down as Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams (33) defends in the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys’ 41-35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night set a record as the most-streamed game in NFL history as well as setting a new mark as the most-watched game on Amazon Prime Video.

The previous standard for both was the Sept. 14 game between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.

According to Nielsen and Amazon, the game averaged 15.26 million on Prime Video and on local broadcast stations in Seattle and Dallas. That surpassed the 15.1 million that watched Vikings-Eagles.

The streaming-only number was 11.1 million on Prime Video, Twitch and NFL+. The old mark was 10.4 million.

Through 11 weeks, “Thursday Night Football” is averaging 12.58 million, a 29% increase over last season.

NFL Week 13 Winners and Losers

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The first weekend of December eliminated teams from playoff contention and solidified division leaders. The postseason is near and most teams are getting ready for either the offseason or for home-field advantage. Time to break down who’s closer to wildcard weekend and who’s ready for a top five position in the draft.

Winners: De’Von Achane’s return for Miami

While the Dolphins cruised to an easy win in Washington D.C. with historical performances by receiver Tyreek Hill and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, viewers should pay attention to rookie runningback De’Von Achane’s solid performance.

Achane picked up where he left off almost two months ago, running 17 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns. He had the highest yards per rush for any Miami runner. While his two scores came in the second half of a blowout win, Achane looked comfortable easing back into a key role.

The main criticism towards the Dolphins before week one was who the main runningback threat would be when Tagovailoa wasn’t throwing deep passes to receivers. De’Von Achane appeared to be the answer before his knee injury, and most believe this will continue with five games remaining in the regular season. His health could determine how far Miami advances in the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis was one of three NFL teams to win every game played in November. Sunday was a litmus test for rookie coach Shane Stechen against a division rival the Colts hadn’t swept since 2018.

It was an ugly start as the Titans led by ten at one point in the first half. Then Tennessee botched back-to-back punts leading to Indianapolis grabbing a lead. Yet the Colts allowed their rivals to stick around long enough to force overtime. Kicker Nick Folk got the lead back for the Titans but Gardner Minshew II had the last laugh, throwing a four yard touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr.

Indianapolis is tied for second in the AFC South and is one of a half dozen teams fighting for a wild-card spot. The defense is top ten in both sacks and interceptions while the offense is eighth in points per game. Refreshing ideas and schemes from a new head coach working on player development is paying off for a franchise many believed was one of the worst when the season began.

Mike Evans

There are only two receivers in NFL history who have recorded ten straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. They are Jerry Rice and Mike Evans. The latter is the only one to accomplish this in his first ten seasons.

Tampa’s franchise leader in career catches, receiving yards, touchdown receptions, overall touchdowns and 100-yard receiving games had another breakout game against the division rival Panthers on Sunday. His seven catches for 162 yards and a touchdown gave the Buccaneers their second lead of the day late in the third quarter. The 75 yard score dented Carolina’s hope of winning their second game of the year.

Evans’ career has been quiet despite the decade long production and how the league has eased defensive rules, giving receivers more attention and media spotlight. It’s unlikely Tampa’s all-time best receiver retires anytime soon. Mike Evans has a great chance to threaten some records of all-time great Jerry Rice and is likely to be viewed as a top three wide receiver whenever he retires.

Losers: Whoever thought the Denver Broncos were back in the playoff discussion

The Broncos had won their last five games after an awful loss in Kansas City. Many believed there was a return to relevance for Denver after their Monday night win in Buffalo a few weeks ago. Sunday was a test for head coach Sean Payton’s team to see how they’d fare against a playoff-caliber team featuring a solid defense and a great quarterback. It didn’t go well.

Quarterback Russell Wilson came up short on several possessions despite a close score. His 186 yards, three interceptions and three sacks held Denver back from closing the first place gap with Kansas City. While the Broncos defense forced Houston to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns, the offense didn’t score their first points until the last minute of the first half. The one time Denver came close to threatening a lead change was the last possession of the game. Wilson then threw his third interception to seal Houston’s seventh win.

A good number of viewers will say it’s an off-week especially when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud IV has been one of the most exciting players this season. The rookie played hurt a good part of the game and still outplayed Wilson when it mattered most. The Broncos offense is still bottom five in the league in passing yards. The defense is last against the rush and third to last in total yards given up. It’s not like their last five wins came against healthy teams with no issues. Denver has improved but they won’t go on a postseason run.

Anyone who thought the AFC east would have more than one team in the postseason

A fun yet frustrating part of covering the NFL is how objective, pre-season predictions can be derailed around Thanksgiving. The AFC east divisional race is a perfect example of how bold or conservative predictions can get shredded by the start of December.

The Dolphins are a lock to make the playoffs unless there are season ending injuries to star players. Outside of Miami, there won’t be another team sniffing the playoffs. New England has given up an average of eight points their last three games while scoring an average of four. Predictably, those resulted in losses and the Patriots are the worst team in the conference.

New York isn’t much better. They had to make another change at quarterback after Tim Boyle floundered in a home loss to Atlanta. Like New England, the defense keeps the Jets in close games, but inept quarterback play (with Aaron Rodgers officially ruled out for the season) dooms any chance of a playoff spot.

Then there’s the .500 Bills, who have four of their remaining five games against heavy playoff favorites with better defenses. Quarterback Josh Allen is regressing and the running game is non-existent. The injuries to star defensive players like Mike Milano show Buffalo will fizzle out by Christmas.

Many fans and analysts had at least two teams from the AFC east making the postseason. It’s bizarre the division isn’t close to competitive as Miami inches closer to clinching the division. At least it makes the sport more fun and unpredictable.

Jalen Hurts

For most of the season, Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts has played well. Hurts hasn’t replicated his 2022 numbers but he’s led Philadelphia to the league’s best record. Sunday’s nationally televised home thumping by San Francisco was a reality check.

Statistically, Jalen Hurts had a solid game completing 26 of 45 passes, 298 yards and one touchdown. He also ran seven times for 20 yards and an additional score. The problem was Hurts couldn’t lead the Eagles downfield consistently against a defense he had an easier time with in last year’s NFC championship game. While he was concussed late in the third quarter, Hurts looked overwhelmed and had no answers before that hit.

The performance puts a dent in his MVP chances but more importantly questions what’s been different in his style of play since the Super Bowl loss. It appears opposing defenses have caught onto his reads faster and interrupt certain routes when he least expects it. We’ll find out more next Sunday night if this remains a problem against a similar defense.