Blogs

OWINGS MILLS, Md. The Ravens managed to go 5-2 at their bye despite playing inconsistency this season.Here's their Report Card.OffenseQuarterback Lamar Jacksonhas carried the Ravens offense. He has thrown for 1,943 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. Jackson also leads the team with 480 yards rushing with another two scores. Hehas been sacked 21 times. Jackson has also taken several late hits and has dealt with a sore back. Grade ARunning BacksThe Ravens are ranked fourth in the NFL with 149.4 yards per game, largely because of Jackson. The Ravens are not getting much production out of their current group of running backs. Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman Joe DiMaggio Jersey and Le'Veon Bell are averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Murray does run hard and leads this group with 212 yards despite mi sing a game because of an injury. Of course, the running attack was going to struggle after the team lost all three players on its depth chart to injuries in training camp. However, the performance will need to improve over the second half of the season. Grade: DWide Receivers Marquise Brown leads the Ravens with 566 yards receiving with six touchdowns. He's also been targeted a team-high 57 times and has 37 receptions. Over two games, rookie Rashod Bateman has seven receptions for 109 yards. SammyWatkins has dealt with a thigh injury but leads the team with 16.2 yards per reception. Overall, Watkins has 18 James Paxton Jersey receptions on 32 targets for 292 yards. Tight end Mark Andrews is having a Pro-Bowl caliber season and Patrick Ricard has dominated opponents.Grade B+Scroll to ContinueOffensive Line This group has played well despite being hampered by injuries. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is out for the year with an ankle injury. Right tackle Patrick Mekari is also dealing Wade Boggs Jersey with an ankle injury. Tackle Alejandro Villanueva, guards Ben Powers andKevin Zeitler, and center Bradley Bozeman have been mostly solid. Grade: B-DefenseDefensive Line The Ravens are ranked fourth against the run. Nose tackle Brandon Williams has played mostly unevenly. Defensive end Calais Campbell has been one of the team's best players. Justin Madubuike has filled in well for the injured Derek Wolfe. This unit does tend to wear down late in games. Grade: C+Linebackers After some struggles, Patrick Queen has performed better since moving back to weakside inside linebacker.The transition has given him an opportunity to see the game better and play faster.Josh Bynes has moved into the role as the inside linebacker. Outside linebackers Justin Houston and Tyus Bowser have been mostly effective. Tackling has been an i sue.Grade: CSecondary The Ravens' defensive backs have been admittedly inconsistent this season. They allowed an opponent to New York Yankees Jersey rack up more than 500 yards of offense two times in three weeks. Opposing quarterbacks have found holes in Baltimore's secondary, which is hindered by the season-ending knee injury to cornerback Marcus Peters. Anthony Averett has filled in admirably in Peters' absence despite being targeted the most times in the NFL. Marlon Humphrey managed his first turnover of the season with an interception against the Bengals in Week 7 but has mi sed several tackles. The safeties Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott have also performed unevenly.The Ravens have allowed 2,073 pa sing yards over seven games, the worst performance in franchise history. Baltimore is just the third team in NFL history to allow three 400-yard pa sers in the first seven games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Grade DSpecial TeamsJustin Tucker has converted 14 of 15 field-goal attempts, including an NFL-record 66-yarder against the Lions. Sam Koch is averaging 46.2 yards per punt. Devin Duvernay is among the Blank Jersey league leaders in punt returns. Coverage has been solid. Grade: A

The Denver Broncos are riding high after dismantling the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday 28-13. In the first half, starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater exited the action with a shin injury which required Drew Lock to take the field in relief.What ensued, while not all bad, was unsettling to witne s. On his first po se sion, Lock fumbled on a third-down scramble that was fortunately recovered by a very heads-up Tim Patrick, moving the chains.A few plays later, Javonte Williams pounded the rock home on a brilliant nine-yard touchdown dive. The hope was that Lock would settle in from there as Bridgewater was attended to by trainers and he mostly did.However, with 1:22 left in Blank Jersey the second quarter, the Broncos were threatening in Charger territory while holding a commanding 14-point lead. That's when Lock stepped on the rake, throwing an egregiously bad interception that was picked off by Chargers' safety Derwin James.We didn't see Lock on the field again from there as Justin Herbert capitalized on the turnover, driving the Chargers Eric Sogard Jersey down the field for a touchdown before the half L.A.'s first points of the game. Feeling the momentum swing back to the opponent, Broncos fans began to get that old, familiar sinking feeling in their gut.Coming out of the half, however, it was Teddy who took the field. And the rest is history.On Monday, Vic Fangio made it clear that Lock will remain the No. 2 quarterback, despite fan calls for Brett Rypien to be Teddy's backup, while laying out what Lock has to do to improve.Its different for a guy whos never come off the bench," Fangio said of Lock. "In this case, were probably not giving him enough reps during the week. Not to make an excuse for him, but hes got to learn to do better at that. Maybe some of that is we need to have a better list of what he feels comfortable operating with, running, and calling."Lock finished the day 4-of-7 for 26 yards and an interception (plus a fumble) with a QB rating of 25.6. Ouch. Juxtaposed with his lackluster performance in Week 4 vs. Baltimore in relief of a concu sed Bridgewater, it's clear that Lock has not taken to his role as Brandon Woodruff Jersey a backup very well."Hopefully, hes learned from these two times," Fangio said. "Hopefully, there wont be another time through an injury, and hell do better the next time.Scroll to ContinueIt's po sible Lock simply isn't cut out to be a backup. It's also po sible that he's not getting enough reps during practice, as Fangio said.The more likely explanation, though, is that Lock's confidence has been shaken since losing his spot as the Broncos' starting quarterback. That was the risk Denver ran when the team decided to roll with Bridgewater after the two quarterbacks competed in training camp and preseason.You never know how a young quarterback is going to take getting benched, especially after he's been quasi-christened as 'The (for now) Guy'. It doesn't seem like Lock internalized that setback well.If Lock wants to survive in the NFL, however, he'll have to figure out how to be a more competent backup. He doesn't appear to have much confidence right now, and after seeing the Broncos roll a hobbled Bridgewater back out there in the second half, it would seem the team is Cory Spangenberg Jersey lacking confidence in its former second-round draft pick, too.In order to attain true NFL staying power and climb back into the ranks of being a viable starting-caliber QB option, Lock must take it upon himself to improve and be a more dependable piece to the puzzle because odds are, Bridgewater will get dinged up again while the Broncos make their stretch run.It's frustrating to see Lock look so discombobulated because we've seen glimpses of his considerable ceiling. Week 14 in 2019. Week 6 in New England 2020. That 21-point comeback vs. the Chargers in Week 8 last year. His four-touchdown performance at Carolina in Week 14.Lock's juju is off in a big, bad way. But if he can figure out how to be better as a backup, he'll earn back whatever trust he lost from the coaches, and from there, there's no telling what his Eric Thames Jersey next opportunity to play could have in store for him.The 'he's never had to come off the bench' excuse doesn't hold water and it never has. Lock has a job to do and if he doesn't attack it to the best of his ability, he won't be long for the NFL. And that'd be a shame considering his talent.

FRISCO - Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. When this happens, it's proper to be thankful.Just ask the Dallas Cowboys, who potentially - accidentally - have wound up with another foundational superstar via an NFL Draft that didn't exactly go as planned.Then: Emmitt Smith. Now: .Thanksgiving, indeed.Before we flash back ... Parsons is already flexing his leadership muscles as a rookie. He explained on Tuesday that he's contacted his defensive teammates, inviting them over for a late-night Thanksgiving. , If you dont got your family in town or your wife dont feel like cooking, youre more than welcome to come to my house. My mom makes Adam Duval Jersey enough for about 100 people. Anybody can come. I always enjoy bonding.An important (and lucky) connection now.An important (and lucky) connection then,In the 1990 draft, coach Jimmy Johnson coveted the size and speed of Baylor linebacker James Francis. When the Bengals nabbed him at No. 12, the Cowboys at No. 17 for the NFL's all-time leading rusher.Last April, as first reported by CowboysSI.com, Jerry Jones' war room at The Star in Frisco had its sights set on improving a historically horrible pa s defense by selectingeither of the top cornerbacks - South Carolina's Jaycee Horn or Alabama's Patrick Surtain II - and tried to trade up to Miami at No. 6 to seal Julio Teheran Jersey that deal.When those two were taken in consecutive picks immediately in front of them, the Cowboys traded down two spots and eventually on Parsons at No. 12.The highest-graded defensive player on Dallas' draft board? Maybe. But also a player it voluntarily risked losing in the trade down with NFC rival Philadelphia? Definitely.Scroll to ContinueIf the Cowboys knew then what they know now, they would've traded to grab Parsons.The Cowboys, by the way, explained all of this to Parsons after they picked him. Matt Joyce Jersey I love what we have here,'' he said, adding that he finds himself motivated to prove Dallas right. "Im just so honored and ble sed to represent the star and have an opportunity to be a star here.While Horn and Surtain III have each had one interception in underwhelming rookie seasons, Parsons is already a dominant defensive force and a leading candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of Jackie Robinson Jersey the Year. He's having one of the best defensive rookie seasons in the NFL in about 10 years.Forced to play multiple positions because of injuries to pa s-rushers DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, Parsons leads all rookies with 48 tackles and eight sacks.With his speed and agility, he also leads in general disruption.Says teammate Dorance Armstrong, "That kid is already a monster."The 22-year-old Parsons has covered running backs on pa s routes. He's chased down quarterbacks from behind. Last week against the Chiefs, he deftly and athletically slow-played an option by savvy quarterback Patrick Mahomes and turned it into an eight-yard lo s. (The Cowboys could have used him in the Robert Griffin III era.)Parsons' 26-percent pa s-rush win rate ranks him behind only the Browns' Myles Garrett. As a regular rusher, Parsons has the potential to be a 15-sack player. As a linebacker, he's proving the Cowboys backed into one of their best draft picks in years.He's already won NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Not bad for a consolation prize. get the national stage Thursday against the Raiders. Is there some "rookie wall'' he's about to hit?People always talk about Babe Ruth Jersey the rookie wall,'' Parsons said. "but I just keep climbing and climbing because Im excited to see whats on the other side of that wall.

JaMarr Chase just lit up the record books just like .He set the record for most receiving yards in a game by a rookie, receiving yards in a season as a rookie, and receiving yards in a game by a Cincinnati Bengal. All three of those records now belong to Chase after .Chase caught 11 pa ses for 266 yards and three touchdowns. There were two Liam Hendriks Jersey areas of his game that really stuck out as special in this one. His underrated ability to run after the catch and his body control.Let's take a look at the film.Running After The CatchChase is built like a running back. At 6-foot, he's a little bit shorter for a receiver, but he's stout and strong. He has shorter arms, but . His legs are thick and powerful, which makes him so explosive. He had a 41 vertical and a 132 broad jump .Not everyone could see the explosion and strength of Chase while he was at LSU, but his route tree and how they used him was part of the problem. He would mostly run vertical down the field or in contested spots over the middle of the field, so there were not many chances to showcase his ability to run after the catch.The Bengals have started to utilize this ability in recent weeks. They try to get him into the open field with room to run so he can break tackles and turn 5-yard gains into 15-yard gains. Hes a special player and they treat him as such.This play encapsulates exactly what I am talking about with the ability to run after the catch. The Bengals dont even have the numbers on this play with three defenders for the two players working the screen, but that doesnt matter with Chase. He runs through two tackles to push for about a 10-yard gain when the first contact was behind the line of scrimmage. Awesome play and one of the prime examples of how his powerful legs help him run after the catch.This play not only showcases his ability to break tackles and fight through contact, but also shows his intelligence when running with the ball. He steps back and squares up to the line of scrimmage to allow his blocks to be set up. This is not something that every wide receiver does on these Cliff Pennington Jersey screens. He does not break any tackles, but the patience to let his blocks set up turn what could have been no gain into another gain of about 10 yards.This was the primary example of his ability to run after the catch both in this game and probably for the season. When he catches this pa s, there are four defenders surrounding him. It takes a special receiver to escape that. Chase escapes it with a juke move on a linebacker that opened up some room to run. Even after he makes the linebacker mi s he is still surrounded by Chiefs defenders. He accelerates and begins to sprint downfield. He is able to outrun all of the Chiefs defenders on his way to the endzone.What should have been just a 15-yard gain turns into a 72-yard touchdown because of how special Chase is as a receiver. He's just an awesome player that can gain yards after the catch. Neverthele s, his ability to run after the catch is not even his greatest strength.Body ControlChases ability to contort his body and make sure he always gets two feet down is his best ability. Combined with how well he tracks the ball and uses late hands, it makes for a devastating downfield threat for defenders. This was the ability coming out of LSU that everyone coveted and rightfully so because it was the one that was most on display.At 19 years old he was overwhelming defenses with this lethal combination of body control Jurickson Profar Jersey and ball tracking. Most of his highlights came from this ability and its something that has carried into the NFL.The body control on this catch is insane. He does not catch the ball cleanly on the first attempt, which is frustrating, but he then is able to haul it in and get two feet down while being pushed on the edge of the sideline. Its almost like he is playing the game in slow motion on this catch.A truly frustrating play from the defenses perspective as they think it was a mi sed opportunity only for Chase to turn a normal catch into a circus catch with this sideline grab. The innate ability to get both of his feet down on this play is fantastic and something that will serve him well throughout his career.This play is exactly why Chase is such a nightmare to defend in downfield scenarios. He may not have the prototypical size and while his speed can be lethal, he is not Randy Mo s. Its this ability right here to not only contort his body in mid-air to make the catch, but also his late hands and ability to track the ball. He jumps at the last po sible moment in this play. To understand why this is nearly impo sible to defend from an out-of-phase position, Ill let this quote from Nick Saban explain what out-of-phase means.If youre in the out-of-phase position, which means you cant see his near number, you cant be even with him, then you have to play the guys eyes and hands for the ball because youre not in position and if the quarterback throws it correctly on a fade type pa s youre not going to be able to get to the ballyoure behind him too far.Think about Saban's comments as we move forward.The corner is playing the receivers eyes and hands for the ball. The thing about Chase is that he does not Mark McGwire Jersey show the defender what he is doing until the last po sible second. How is a defender supposed to react and go up to get the ball when Chase reacts at a time when only he can make that play?All of this is romanticizing his freakish ability to track the ball and has not even gone into his ability to contort his body mid-air on the sideline to make this catch. He spins around in the air to catch the ball on his back shoulder and then still has the body control to both land on his feet while also getting his feet in bounds along the sideline. There is no defense for this play. Its pretty much an impo sible task for the cornerback.This is a similar play to the last one. Chase is able to force the corner into an out-of-phase position, goes up late for the ball, contorts his body in mid-air to make the catch, lands on both feet, and keeps his feet in bounds.Chase repeatedly did exactly this throughout the game and it was the area that hurt the Chiefs the most. When you have a player like Chase, there is no way they should be singled up in pre s coverage unle s the corner can jam like a prime Richard Sherman. Playing pre s and just trying to mirror Chase is putting the corner in a bad spot. Theyre now going to be in an out-of-phase position against a guy who is one of the best in the league at destroying out-of-phase cornerbacks.Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo still put his corner in a position to be dunked on like this, even afterafter Chase had 10 catches, 233 yards and three Joe Morgan Jersey touchdowns.The Chiefs are playing Cover 0 and throwing everyone at the Bengals on this play, despite Cincinnati being in the split back gun.Scroll to Co

Surviving on Thursday night kept the Minnesota Vikings firmly in the mix for a wild card spot in the NFC, and they can get even closer with some help on Sunday.The 6-7 Vikings currently occupy the No. 8 seed in the conference, and their playoff odds still aren't great despite the win over the Steelers. ESPN's FPI gives them a 33 percent chance to make the playoffs, while FiveThirtyEight is slightly higher at Carlos Santana Jersey 35 percent.The latter number could go up to 41 percent or down to 27 percent by the end of Sunday, pending the result of two critical games. Before we get into that, here are the current, pre-Sunday standings.Games to watch on Sunday with Vikings relevanceWashington (6-6) vs. Dallas (8-4) 12:00 p.m. CT, FOXThe Vikings need to be big Cowboys fans on Sunday. Washington currently holds the No. 6 seed in the NFC and has a big leg up on all the teams below it because of its fantastic 5-2 record against conference opponents, which is the most important tiebreaker outside of head-to-head. There's no scenario where Washington can fall behind the Vikings this week because of that tiebreaker, but having them drop to 6-7 and lose a third conference game would be huge.The Cowboys are 4.5-point road favorites in this game. Their offense, on paper, should be able to have a Carlos Baerga Jersey big day against the WFT defense. However, Washington has been a tough out recently, winning four in a row after a 2-6 start.Cincinnati (7-5) vs. San Francisco (6-6) 3:25 p.m. CT, CBSThis is another big one. The Vikings need to root hard for Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and the Bengals to hand the 49ers their seventh lo s of the season. Despite playing at home, the Bengals are 1.5-point underdogs in this game against a talented 49ers squad. San Francisco has a critical head-to-head advantage over the Vikings, but there's a scenario where they fall behind Minnesota this week due to the tiebreaker procedures when three or more teams have the same record.Both of these teams are coming off competitive lo ses the Bengals to the Chargers, and the 49ers to the Seahawks.Scroll to ContinueNew York Jets (3-9) vs. New Orleans (5-7) 12 p.m. CT, CBSThis one isn't as important, but a Jets upset as 5.5-point underdogs would be a pleasant surprise for the Vikings. Even if the Saints win as expected, they'll be behind the Vikings on conference record (but would be more of a factor to deal with going forward than if they lose).Carolina (5-7) vs. Atlanta (5-7) 12 p.m. CT, FOXThe winner of this game becomes more relevant for now and is involved in the tiebreaker scenarios at 6-7, though either one would trail Minnesota on conference record. The Falcons aren't very good and the Vikings have a head-to-head win over the Panthers, so neither team is a major threat at the moment.Tiebreakers to know (AKA how the Vikings could be back in the No. 7 seed after Sunday)The San Francisco and Washington games are very important ones. If both teams win, the Vikings' playoff odds go down to 27 Brandon Guyer Jersey percent (per FiveThirtyEight). If they split, the odds stay put at 35 percent. If both lose, the Vikings will be up to a 41 percent chance to reach the postseason, which could go up to 58 percent with a win over the Bears next Monday night.In the scenario where SF and Washington both lose, the Vikings would suddenly find themselves back in the No. 7 seed in the NFC. Here's how:If SF and Washington loseWashington, SF, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Atlanta or Carolina, and po sibly New Orleans would all be 6-7. That means head-to-head results against non-divisional opponents don't matter for now, because we go to the wild card tiebreakers for three or more teams.The first step is to "apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division." That eliminates the Eagles from contention for one of the top two spots, because they have a worse conference record than Washington. It also means we don't need to worry about New Orleans even if they beat the Jets, because they have head-to-head lo ses to both Carolina and Atlanta in their lone meetings so far.That leaves Washington, SF, Jose Ramirez Jersey Minnesota, and the Atlanta-Carolina winner. A team would surge to the top or bottom if they had beaten or lost to every other member of the group, but we can ignore that because Minnesota and Washington haven't played each other, among other mi sing games.The next tiebreaker is conference record. Washington, even after losing to Dallas in this scenario, leads the way at 5-3, so they get the No. 6 seed for now. The Atlanta-Carolina winner will be the only team of the four with a sub-.500 conference record, so they only pa s Philly for the No. 9 seed.Minnesota and SF will both have a .500 conference record no matter what. The next tiebreaker is common games. SF is 1-5 against Detroit, Green Bay, Arizona and Seattle, while the Vikings are 3-2 against that group. That's how Minnesota ends up in the No. 7 seed (for now) if Washington and SF lose on Sunday.Of course, that's probably a far more detailed analysis than is needed with four whole weeks still to play after this one. The 49ers' head-to-head win over the Vikings could still come into play if they end up in a 1-to-1 tiebreaker, and the conference records and common games records will change as well over the rest of the season. Vikings fans need to root for Dallas to beat Washington and Cincinnati to beat San Francisco on Sunday. The Jets beating the Saints would be an added bonus. If Washington and San Francisco both lose, the Vikings will be back in the No. 7 seed in the NFC heading into Week 15 and get a sizable boost to their playoff odds. Of course, Minnesota's fate really depends on its own busine s, with a 3-1 record potentially nece Lonnie Chisenhall Jersey sary to sneak into the playoffs (though 2-2 might do it with some help).

Lions head coach Dan Campbell called upon the counsel of head athletic trainer Kevin Bastin to aid him this week.With nearly 45% of the roster out while dealing with various injuries and a Hunter Pence Jersey rampant flu bug that permeated the locker room, Detroit's first-year head coach needed a Mel Ott Jersey plan to figure out a practice schedule this week.Campbell told reporters at his Friday media se sion that he decided to conduct a walk-through on Wednesday and limit practice this week based on Bastin's advice."I respect his input greatly," Campbell explained. "Hes been around in this league for a long time, and hes got a real good feel of whats best for Aramis Garcia Jersey the players, but also whats best for trying to get ready to play a football game. And so, there was a lot of input that was taken from him, in regards to that."During the open portion of practice conducted outdoors, T.J. Hockenson, D'Andre Steven Duggar Jersey Swift, Julian Okwara, Jalen Reeves-Maybin (shoulder) and Austin Bryant were not observed at practice.Scroll to ContinueCampbell noted that Swift would likely not be available against the Broncos.Detroit Lions' Week 14 Friday Injury Report Become a premium AllLions member, which grants you acce s to all of our premium content and gets you a FREE Austin Slater Jersey subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more.

The Cardinals signed 15 Kris Bryant Jersey players to reserve/future contracts Wednesday, 13 of whom ended the season on the teams practice squad.Signed were wide receiver Andre Baccellia; cornerbacks Breon Borders, Nate Brooks and Jace Whittaker; defensive lineman Matt Dickerson; tight ends Alex Ellis, Bernhard Seikovits, David Wells and Deon Yelder; safety Javon Hagan; offensive linemen Danny Isidora, Koda Martin and Eric Smith; running back Jaylen Samuels; and linebacker Joe Walker.Samuels and Yelder were the only two that werent with the Cardinals during the 20221 season. Seikovits was on the practice squad all season as part of the leagues Internationals Pathway Program.Players on the practice squad when the season ended Monday night that havent been signed to this point are cornerback Bashaud Breeland, running back Tavien Feaster and defensive linemen Jonathan Ledbetter and Josh Mauro.Scroll to ContinueSamuels (6-0, 225) has played in 45 games (eight starts) with Pittsburgh (2018-20) and Houston (2021) in his career Andre Dawson Jersey and has 136 carries for 468 yards and one touchdown on the ground to go along with 85 receptions for 564 yards and four Ron Santo Jersey touchdowns receiving. He was selected by the Steelers in the fifth round (165th overall) of the 2018 draft.This year, Samuels was waived by Pittsburgh on Aug. 31 and signed to the practice squad the following day. He was released on Oct. 27 and signed to Houstons practice squad two days later. He was on the Texans practice-squad/COVID-19 list from Dec. 11 to Dec. 23. During the season, he was elevated to the active roster three times in Weeks, 13, 16 and 17.Yelder (6-4, Brad Wieck Jersey 255) is a four-year NFL veteran who has played in 29 games (two starts) with Kansas City (2018-20) and Tampa Bay (2021) in his career and has 11 receptions for 86 yards. He entered the league with New Orleans in 2018 as an undrafted rookie free agent.Last March, he became a free agent when not tendered by Kansas City as a restricted free agent. Yelder signed with Washington on May 6 and was waived July 27. He signed with Tenne see on Greg Maddux Jersey Aug. 15 and was waived the next day. On Sspt. 1, he was signed to Tampa Bays practice squad. He was released Nov. 10 and then signed with the Giants practice squad on Nov. 25 where he spent the remainder of the season. He was elevated to the Buccaneers active roster in Weeks 3, 6 and 7.Also Tuesday, the Bengals signed defensive tackle Zach Kerr to their active roster from the Cardinals practice squad. Cincinnati plays AFC No. 1 seed Tenne see on Saturday.

Signed as a free agent to provide size on the inside at middle linebacker and a valuable locker room presence, Anthony Walker's run defense struggled largely for reasons out of his control but he was efficient in pa s coverage.2021 Production69 solo tackles, 2 tackles for lo s, 1 sack and 2 pa s defensesWalker was brought Albert Pujols Jersey in to play from guard to guard, provide a bigger, physical presence at linebacker against the run, especially when teams want to utilize heavier personnel groups. In obvious pa sing situations, he was meant to come off the field for players with Chris Carpenter Jersey more speed and range to help in coverage.An injury to Jacob Phillips was one of the factors that forced Walker to stay on the field more than the defense likely would've preferred. Walker doesn't offer much speed or range, so when plays went to the sideline or there were quick pa ses out wide, he was at a disadvantage.Scroll to ContinueNeverthele s, he was better than some might think even if he wasn't the ideal Kolten Wong Jersey player for every situation.Defense in the running game was a disappointment because the Browns were so poor at defensive tackle. Instead of being able to attack downhill and make tackles at the line of scrimmage, something he flashed at the beginning of the season, he was too often having an offensive lineman on him immediately off the snap, making it difficult for him to get to the ball carrier.Free Agency Status: UnrestrictedWalker Ozzie Smith Jersey is going to be an unrestricted free agent likely to get out into the open market.Free Agency ProjectionThe Browns would be thrilled to have Walker back for at least one more year, but it's going to come down to cost. If someone wants to pay him more to go elsewhere, the Browns aren't likely to get in the way.Should Walker be content to return on a similar deal as the $3 million deal he had in 2021, the Browns would welcome him as a veteran Ken Boyer Jersey leader and credible run defender who surpa sed expectations against the pa sing game.

Both the San Francisco 49ers (10-7) and the Los Angeles Rams (12-5) eked out road playoff victories with game-winning kicks to move onto the NFC Championship.Although the entire broadcast is Madison Bumgarner Jersey likely to be centered around Tom Bradys future, lets look at players actually playing this weekend.Here are Five Players to Watch in 49ers-v-Rams part three:Tyler Higbee, Tight End, #89 Los Angeles RamsLos Angeles tight end Tyler Higbee has at least 40 yards and three first downs in six straight games.The 49ers normally defend tight ends well, allowing the third fewest receiving yards to the position this season. Yet three of Higbees five touchdowns were against San Francisco.When the 49ers focused on eliminating Dallas outside threats in the Wild Card round, tight end Dalton Schultz took advantage with seven catches for 89 yards.Dont be shocked if Higbee is the beneficiary of the hyper focus on Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr.Linebackers Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair, as well as safeties Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt cannot let Higbee get going early like he did in Week 18.Troy Reeder, Linebacker, #51 Los Angeles RamsLos Angeles has an elite defensive front and the best corner in the NFL, but its major weakne s in the middle is too much to ignore.Linebacker Troy Reeder ( ) has mi sed 14.2% of his tackles this season, and surrendered 52 catches on 64 targets for 432 yards and three touchdowns in coverage (per Pro Football Reference).The Rams won last week thanks to late offensive and special teams heroics, but the game would have ended much earlier Paul Goldschmidt Jersey had Reeder not mi sed an open-field tackle on fourth down, which allowed Leonard Fournette to break loose for a game-tying score.Head coach Kyle Shanahan loves to exploit weak linebacker play in the middle of the field with his many physical offensive weapons.Reeder must bring down Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel on rushes, while also manning zones that George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk love to occupy.KWaun Williams, Yasmany Tomas Jersey Nickel, #24 San Francisco 49ersIn two games vs San Francisco, Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford has a 133.3 quarterback rating when targeting Kupp, who has 18 catches on 20 targets for 240 yards, 10 first downs and a touchdown.Scroll to ContinueYes, the 49ers were without starting nickel KWaun Williams for their regular season finale victory, but Kupp was succe sful no matter who was in coverage.He had 11 catches on 13 targets for 122 yards in Week 10 when Williams played, and seven catches on seven targets for 118 yards and a touchdown in Week 18.Williams has struggled in man coverage this season, especially in the playoffs. Despite the interception vs Dallas, the slot corner has allowed 142 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches (14 targets) in the past two games (Pro Football Reference).Kupp isnt the Rams only slot weapon. Williams will see two strikingly different alternatives in the 6 Adam Jones Jersey 6 Higbee and the deep threat Van Jefferson (47.2 yards per game).Jefferson (25% of snaps in slot ) is particularly concerning, as Williams does not have the speed to run with Jefferson (questionable/knee).Jauan Jennings, Wide Receiver, #15 San Francisco 49ersAiyuk (six catches on seven targets for 107 yards) and Samuel (too many stats to list) had monster games in the 49ers must-win Week 18 victory over the Rams, but the hero at the end was Jennings.The 2020 seventh-rounder had a career-high six catches on seven targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns, both being game-tying scores.Not only did Jennings take advantage of Los Angeles weakne ses at safety and linebacker, he burned the Rams undersized corners and provided impact second-level blocking.Star corner Jalen Ramsey is undeniably great, but Los Angeles other three corners, Darious Williams (59), David Long Jr. (511) and Donte Deayon (59), are not big enough to cover Jennings (63), nor Steven Souza Jersey evade his blocks to bring down outside runs by Mitchell or Samuel.Expect Shanahan to take advantage of these matchups again.Trent Williams/Colton McKivitz, Left Tackle, #71/68 San Francisco 49ersOtherworldly left tackle/fullback Trent Williams (ankle) has been a DNP all week.In the event Williams does play, the 49ers must hope his ankle provides enough mobility to sustain the Rams relentle s defensive line.Having your best pa s-protector's availability in question is never good, especially when youre playing Aaron Donald and Von Miller.The future Hall-of-Famers are in excellent form. Miller has 7.0 sacks in his past six games while Donald has 8.0 in his past eight games.A healthy Williams provides quite the battle outside. Yet if the All-Pro is unable to go, the 49ers need reserve offensive lineman Colton McKivitz to once again be an unsung hero against superior pa s rushers.

CINCINNATI Running back on Wednesday.The 25-year-old will be joined by rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson on Sunday, Feb. 6 Houston Astros Jersey in Las Vegas.While Mixon was happy to be picked for the annual All-Star game, he has his eyes Carlos Correa Jersey on a different bowl."Tremendous honor to be selected to my first Pro Bowl. Couldnt have done it without the selfle s work of the big Monsters up front," Mixon tweeted. "Plan is to mi s Brad Peacock Jersey the Pro Bowl because the Bengals will be playing in the Super Bowl."It may sound farfetched, but the Bengals are just two wins away from winning their first AFC North Ryan Pressly Jersey title since 2015. They can put a stranglehold on the division with a win over the Ravens on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.Make sure you for the latest NFL news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!You May Also Like:Scroll to Continue-----Be sure to keep it locked on Roy Oswalt Jersey All Bengals all the time!Follow AllBengals on Twitter: