Game of the week
Tennessee at Indianapolis
First place in the AFC South on the line between two 7-3 clubs, although the Colts hold the head-to-head tiebreaker (Week 10 win in Nashville). Both teams are coming off huge wins (Tennessee at Baltimore, Indianapolis vs. Green Bay). The Titans, a three-point underdog, take control of the division.
Titans 19, Colts 15
Lock of the week
Chicago at Green Bay
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers needs 165 yards passing to become the 11th player to reach 50,000 career yards. Green Bay (an 8 1/2-point favorite) has a two-game lead in the NFC North, but that’s not saying much considering it is the only team over .500. The Bears can barely make a first down.
Packers 30, Bears 13
Upset of the week
Arizona at New England
The Patriots are a 2 1/2-point home underdog after last week’s loss at lowly Houston. A critical game for Arizona, which is 6-4 and holds the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC, but is third in its division. New England stays within striking range in the AFC East as Cam Newton outduels Kyler Murray.
Patriots 24, Cardinals 21
_______________________________________
Around the AFC
Steelers in rare company. It’s unclear when Pittsburgh will play next because of Baltimore’s coronavirus issues. But the Steelers are already the 16th team since the 1970 merger to start 10-0. Only 11 teams have started 11-0 and nine of those teams reached the Super Bowl (five won the title). The Broncos started 11-0 in 1998, finished 14-2 and won the Super Bowl. Carolina started 11-0 in 2015, finished 15-1 and lost to the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
Herbert-Allen magic. If the Chargers can get things figured out this offseason, they will be a big problem for the Broncos and the AFC West because of quarterback Justin Herbert and receiver Keenan Allen. At Buffalo on Sunday, Herbert can tie Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck in 2012 for the most 300-yard passing games as a rookie (six). Allen leads the league with 81 catches. The Chargers’ defense has been a season-long letdown — they rank 11th in yards, but 26th in points allowed.
Allen gets shot. Hat tip to former Broncos quarterback Brandon Allen, who went 1-2 last year bridging Joe Flacco’s departure and Drew Lock’s arrival. Allen was elevated from the Cincinnati practice squad to replace Joe Burrow, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in last week’s loss at Washington. The Broncos claimed Allen off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams in September 2019, but elected not to re-sign him in favor of Jeff Driskel. That hasn’t worked out.
Jaguars’ bright spot. The Jaguars haven’t won since Week 1 (nine consecutive losses) and turn to Mike Glennon as their third starting quarterback of the year. But undrafted rookie running back James Robinson is a bright spot. Entering Week 12, Robinson ranked third in the NFL with 762 rushing yards, yet another example of how quality rushers can be found late in the draft or afterward (like the Broncos’ Phillip Lindsay).
________________________________________
Around the NFC
Staley’s stock rising. At least one veteran Broncos player said last January the defense would feel the impact of losing outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley to the Los Angeles Rams as defensive coordinator. That’s how respected Staley was behind the scenes. With the Rams, his profile seemingly rises every week. The Rams (7-3) are tied for the NFC West lead with Seattle and rank first in fewest yards allowed per game and per play, are fifth against the run, second against the pass and second in fewest points allowed. Staley is a great future head coach who is learning under Sean McVay.
Hendrickson leads Saints. The list of players leading the NFL in sacks are mostly familiar — Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (9 1/2), Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt (nine) and the Rams’ Aaron Donald (nine). But New Orleans’ Trey Hendrickson is tied with Garrett. A third round pick in 2017, Hendrickson has five sacks in the last three games. He had only 6 1/2 sacks in his first three seasons combined.
Pederson on hot seat. So how are things going with the 3-6-1 Eagles? “Is Doug Pederson trying to get fired?” was the Philadelphia Inquirer headline Wednesday. “Pederson has become an irritable, petulant bully, prone to sarcasm, increasingly bitter and petty,” Marcus Hayes wrote of the Eagles’ coach. First, that’s a great sentence. Second, it represents just how bad the Eagles are because of quarterback Carson Wentz’s regression and the offensive line’s inconsistency (40 sacks allowed).
Buccaneers reeling. Watching Tampa Bay’s offensive play-calling and execution recently has been painful. Why not use things like pre-snap shifts/motions to get a read on the defense? Why not prioritize tight end Rob Gronkowski (31 catches)? Why have Tom Brady on a speed roll-out on fourth down (failed play)? Kansas City will send the Buccaneers to 7-5 by late Sunday afternoon.
feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/FBey2PfQgGI/Follow Tyler Tivis Tysdal Here
Check out the latest articles from Tyler T. Tysdal.Follow Tyler Tysdal on Twitter.com
Check out the resume for Tyler Tysdal Crunchbase.com to see the companies he has managed.
Contact Tyler Tivis Tysdal on Linkedin.com
No comments:
Post a Comment