{"id":127282,"date":"2024-11-18T13:55:17","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T06:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=127282"},"modified":"2024-11-18T13:55:17","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T06:55:17","slug":"steelers-winning-on-the-razor-thin-margins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=127282","title":{"rendered":"Steelers Winning on the Razor-Thin Margins"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"style_hfl21i-o_O-style_uhlm2\"\/>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_6qd2t7qxj\"><a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"http:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/scoreboard\"><u><em>Week 11<\/em><\/u><\/a><em> is rolling with some great games on this third Sunday in November. As we\u2019ve been doing all season, we\u2019ll publish the takeaways Sunday and update them live through Monday morning. So come back again if not all 10 are here yet \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_jdciw6f3t\"><a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/week-10-nfl-takeaways-steelers-mike-tomlin-standards\"><u><em><strong>I said it last week<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/a><em><strong> and I\u2019ll say it again\u2014this Pittsburgh Steelers team has a knack. <\/strong><\/em>For the second consecutive week, Mike Tomlin\u2019s crew was in a street fight. For the second consecutive week, when it mattered most and gloves were dropped, it was Pittsburgh swinging just a little harder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ym7l1ck0z\">Last week, it was Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee stoning Zach Ertz inches short of the sticks on fourth down to close out the Washington Commanders. This week, it was a crew of players along the Pittsburgh front winning their one-on-ones, and having a pretty good idea of what might be coming, in <a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"http:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/mike-tomlin-whole-toolbox-steelers-rolling\"><u>stopping a late two-point conversion attempt<\/u><\/a> by the Baltimore Ravens that would have tied it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_rl65oy4tt\">There were razor-thin margins in both games. The Steelers took them, as they see it, mostly because they have a bunch of guys fighting for them with a boatload of experience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_l14wnpgkc\">\u201cWe were just calm throughout, with the rollercoaster,\u201d 14-year vet Cam Heyward told me. \u201cYou just learn to stay even keel. No matter if it was good or bad, you got to weather the storm, rally around each other\u2014and understand we can still make a play. Going into that drive, we knew they were going to have to go for a two-point conversion. They scored a little quicker than we would have liked. But we felt confident in our group getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_6bq4kk6oi\">And, as Heyward said, that confidence wasn\u2019t shaken, even after the presumptive favorite for NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson, led the Ravens on a nine-play, 69-yard drive that ended in a 16-yard touchdown strike to Zay Flowers at the 1:06 mark of the fourth quarter. There was, indeed, another down to play, and the Steelers were ready for it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_zp9ukoj22\">Or, at least, they were after getting a first look at what Baltimore had coming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_8tolcqlm1\">\u201cWe were in a nickel, and I think they were a little confused up front with what they wanted to do\u2014they had gone to a tackle over formation,\u201d Heyward says. \u201cWe called a timeout. They got out of it. We went to our \u2019Okie\u2019 front, which is our base front. We could see they had a tight end on the ball, two receivers [alongside him]. We felt like there was going to be some type of rollout, some type of way. Just because it was a condensed formation [to our left].<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_r1kpi6svb\">\u201cYou start playing into that. We felt like it was going to be guided out that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_3nqvk0wbk\">So at the snap, outside linebacker Nick Herbig burst inside receiver Nelson Agholor, and as Agholor flailed to block him, Herbig got in the way of two pulling linemen, who couldn\u2019t get out to the edge fast enough to lead block for Jackson as a result. That left Jackson on the perimeter all alone with corner Joey Porter Jr., who held outside contain and rode Jackson to the sideline, forcing Jackson to throw the ball back to the field in desperation, hoping someone could do something with it. At that point, no one could, and that ended it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_kr6e10mrv\">\u201cNick did a pretty good job of holding it up. Joey Porter Jr falling over the top was great, and we stopped it,\u201d Heyward says. \u201cWe were able to force them into a pretty dire situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_63aj2mvzb\">That, really, was a microcosm of how the game was played. In a rivalry game featuring two physical teams, one offense-heavy (Ravens) and the other defense-heavy (Steelers), it was defense that won the day. And from the very start.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_aroags0qn\">On the second play from scrimmage, Herbig chased down Derrick Henry from behind and forced a fumble that gave the Steelers their first possession on the fringe of field goal range. The Steelers got two three-and-outs right after that, only allowing the Ravens their initial first down on the second-to-last play of the first quarter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_61bsj8awi\">Of course, the plan was more complex than <em>stop them<\/em>. The key, as Pittsburgh saw it, was creating turnovers\u2014the Steelers thought there\u2019d be opportunities for those, and they came with Herbig\u2019s punch out and rookie linebacker Payton Wilson\u2019s spectacular, pivotal fourth-quarter interception\u2014and keeping Jackson from creating with his legs, in both the run game and the pass game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ocu0g966d\">\u201cI know we let some runs out, where he got [away],\u201d Heyward says. \u201cI thought we did a good job of having multiple guys, whether it was Minkah, Patrick Queen, get to the ball. There were moments where it was bend, don\u2019t break, where we might surrender some yards, and having to deal with that monster in Derrick Henry was a big reason. But the thing that really stuck out more than anything was the turnovers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_rhekp0hzm\">\u201cThe turnovers were the key to the game and allowed us to control the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fz24ekpk1\">And they gave the Steelers the margin for error they needed to win the game when it mattered most, on the two-pointer and then the following possession, where Justin Fields came into the game to help chew up what was left of the clock in relief of Russell Wilson, who is now 4\u20130 as starter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_v9zukznzc\">After the fourth of those wins, Heyward called Pittsburgh\u2019s quarterback room \u201cone of the top quarterback rooms\u201d in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ufv3vw96v\">Is that true? Maybe. Maybe not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_25n4arlor\">But it\u2019s been good enough to get this team that really seems to know what it wants to be to 8\u20132, and good enough to vanquish a loaded rival in mid-November. Which means it\u2019s fair to think it might just be good enough to accomplish a whole lot more for a franchise with the highest of standards, one that hasn\u2019t won so much as a single playoff game in eight years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fo3ob3797\">\u201cWe\u2019re very experienced. We\u2019ve seen the highs. We\u2019ve seen the lows. Everybody is better because of those,\u201d Heyward says. \u201cWhen we get into those tight situations, using Mike T\u2019s words, we don\u2019t blink. One thing that\u2019s been working in our advantage, we have an offense that can sustain drives. I know they didn\u2019t get touchdowns, but they moved the ball with success. Having a good defense that gets off the field, offense that stays on the field, when we create that, it allows us to stay fresh. It allows us to perform in the fourth.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_k58hhg7iv\">No coincidence, then, that doing just that has become the Steelers\u2019 specialty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fj3aa01h\"><em><strong>The Green Bay Packers\u2013Chicago Bears game, in some ways, came down to coaching. <\/strong><\/em>And on that, we can start at the end of the Packers\u2019 nail-biting 20\u201319 win over their archrivals in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_jijt6fn89\">The situation: Bears\u2019 ball, three seconds left, ball spotted at the Packers\u2019 28, Chicago kicker Cairo Santos on for the game-winner, with Green Bay holding on to the aforementioned one-point lead. As zero-sum a spot as you\u2019ll get on an NFL Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fc9mrtfqo\">But the reality was, to paraphrase the great Sun Tzu, the battle on that snap was won before it was ever fought, and won by Packers special teams coach Rich Bisaccia in particular. The veteran kicking-game guru had his field goal team armed with information. The first piece was that Santos\u2019s trajectory on longer kicks could be low. The second was that the Chicago field goal team was susceptible to getting caved in on the interior. The latter was confirmed on Santos\u2019s previous two field goal attempts, good from 27 and 53 yards, and an extra point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_cs1l095cm\">\u201cWe saw something where we could get a great push in the middle, and we saw other teams being able to do the same,\u201d says safety Xavier McKinney\u2014a new Packer, who\u2019s playing at an All-Pro level on defense and is an edge rusher on the block team\u2014when we spoke after the game. \u201c[They] never really corrected it or got it fixed. And I think it was a great play call by Rich. Everybody did their job. The big guys were strong in the middle, they got a great push and got their hands up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mbmlf1dgc\">Play it back, and you\u2019ll see five defensive lineman pinching inside on the two guards and the center. Karl Brooks was the one who got a hand on Santos\u2019s kick and, rightfully, was credited with the block. But Devonte Wyatt and T.J. Slaton were bursting through, too, combining with Brooks to make up over 900 pounds of force exploiting that hole Bisaccia found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_pi3h3gozn\">And so it goes for a Packers team that\u2019s 7\u20133, still in the thick of a hyper-competitive NFC North race, and has shown itself to be thoroughly resourceful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qze8typ40\">We\u2019ve been over the Matt LaFleur piece of this. The work he\u2019s done over the last half-decade\u2014from managing Aaron Rodgers to developing Jordan Love to adapting his offense to whoever\u2019s in there\u2014doesn\u2019t get nearly the notice it should. And it\u2019s shown up again this year in how that side of the ball performed when Love was hurt, running the ball incredibly well even when everyone knew it was coming, with Malik Willis at quarterback.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_jx86wb1im\">All the same, LaFleur looks like he nailed his defensive coordinator hire, too, in luring Jeff Hafley from the head coaching job at Boston College. That also showed up Sunday in how the Packers adapted on the fly to a new play-caller, in Bears interim OC Thomas Brown, without much track record to go on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qz17wc8xe\">\u201cThey did some things where they were a little different,\u201d McKinney says. \u201cThey did some quarterback reads that we weren\u2019t really expecting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9emduzuy9\">Which, in the end, led to the defense doing just enough on the Bears\u2019 two fourth-quarter possessions to stem the momentum Caleb Williams was starting to build in the third quarter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fssuqrztm\">\u201cIt was just trusting our technique, trusting our DC and him putting us in the right situation to go out there and make plays, him trusting us [with] whatever we see,\u201d McKinney says. \u201cGoing out there and playing freely, it\u2019s been the biggest key for all of us. And we just play as a unit and we show togetherness, and no matter the situation, we\u2019re always able to overcome anything really. All that adversity, that\u2019s on the others, not us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_98qya0btl\">So where Sunday wasn\u2019t exactly a teach-tape type of game for the Packers, they had just enough, both on the field and in the coaching box, to get past a desperate rival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ai3zzpqhq\">Of course, it\u2019s definitely not the first time you could say that for a LaFleur-led team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_hyho32d89\">Nor will it be the last.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ip37s4gcm\"><em><strong>I don\u2019t think you can undersell what the Seattle Seahawks did Sunday. <\/strong><\/em>Seattle hadn\u2019t beaten the San Francisco 49ers in three years. Geno Smith was 0-fer against them since becoming the Seahawks\u2019 starter in 2022. Starting linebacker Tyrel Dodson was cut before the team started its practice week. Starting center Connor Williams retired after the team\u2019s first practice day of the week. The Seahawks hadn\u2019t won a game in nearly a month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mn0fa6m1c\">But Smith swore to me Sunday night the one thing the Seahawks weren\u2019t was shaken.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_0bjgar8c0\">\u201cWe got the type of team and the type of guys on this team where no one doubts anything,\u201d Smith told me. \u201cNo one is second-guessing anything or looking around trying to figure out what\u2019s going on. The leadership on this team, we know what direction we\u2019re going in. We don\u2019t always get the perfect results. Sometimes it\u2019s like that in this league. But no one here bats an eye.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_i2z0rspja\">So Seattle\u2019s 20\u201317 win at Levi\u2019s Stadium, over the defending NFC champions, didn\u2019t just pull the Seahawks into a three-way tie for second in the West, a game back of the Arizona Cardinals. It didn\u2019t just get the Niner monkey of the team\u2019s back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fx5xlnz4t\">It proved a point. And not really to any of us on the outside, but to those on the inside, who\u2019ve bought into new coach Mike Macdonald\u2019s program and got a week full of validation that it\u2019s leading them, as a group, in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_anr83ckz5\">That point may have been proved most emphatically, in fact, by what happened with the guys on the way out. Smith says he told Williams before the game that he respected his decision, and he loved him. Afterward, he texted Williams, <em>This one\u2019s for you<\/em>. Meanwhile, by then, Smith had already communicated to Dodson how much he appreciated his work\u2014and given him a big hug as he left the team facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xuxoidxes\">And from there, it was about trying to position center Olu Oluwatimi and linebacker Tyrice Knight to have success in those guys\u2019 spots, which happened Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_63x4djm26\">\u201cIt\u2019s a reflection of the leadership on this team,\u201d Smith says. \u201cEveryone completely bought in, buying into one another. It really shows when tough times happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_i6gi40iaq\">It showed up, for sure, at the end of Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_j6m6x4zxl\">The Niners stymied Seattle on third-and-1, then fourth-and-1, in the game\u2019s 55th minute, scoring a turnover on downs with 3:56 left and a 17\u201313 lead. Seattle needed a stop, and with enough time to come all the way back. The Niners, to make it tougher, gained two first downs, one by penalty, that ended up sapping two Seattle timeouts. By the time Smith and the offense got the ball back, it was on their own 20 with 2:38 left. Still \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_e26r6x8f4\">\u201cI knew we were going to win,\u201d Smith says. \u201cI think our entire sideline knew we were going to win. That\u2019s what we do. Ball in our hands, end of the game, since I\u2019ve been here, that\u2019s what we do. We always find ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qkskn2hte\">The first way, for Smith, was through third-year slot Jaxon Smith-Njigba. \u201cYou talk about a true pro and an All-Pro receiver, I think that\u2019s what he\u2019s becoming,\u201d Smith says. And the quarterback manifested all that by going to him twice on third down on Seattle\u2019s final drive, then again in an even more important spot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_y8nr1qwef\">Seattle burned its last timeout with 39 seconds showing. On the next play, from the Niners\u2019 21, Smith saw the Niners showing a zero blitz, which prompted a check and throw underneath to Smith-Njigba, who picked up eight yards, hit the deck and got the ball to the official. The second call, in for that circumstance if the Seahawks had to go hurry-up, sent four of five eligible receivers into the end zone. Smith snapped it with 18 seconds left.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_rihiqcnl0\">\u201cI can\u2019t hit my checkdown [because of the clock], so it turned into scramble mode and see who\u2019s open in the end zone,\u201d Smith says. \u201cI saw the DB with his back turned. I actually thought I was running faster than I was. I watched the video\u2014it looked like I was running pretty slow. It felt like I was running fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_lcnm3hct1\">The reality is he was going fast enough to win the game on a 13-yard rushing touchdown. When he saw the DB in man, with his back to the ball, Smith saw the pylon and figured he could make it, and eschew playing it safe and going out of bounds. He\u2019d figured right, and Seattle is 5\u20135 as a result.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_1m4n1jldn\">So the team that Smith said never had any doubt sure played like it in the biggest moments Sunday. And in doing so, Seattle wrapped up a weird week with a chance to move forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_x012vap7r\">\u201cThe way that Mike prepares us, the way he coaches us throughout the week, the way he talks to us in the meeting room, he\u2019s so forward,\u201d Smith says. \u201cWe never want those things to happen with Tyrel and Connor, but you can only control what you can control. Mike\u2019s message was perfect with that. We got the right type of guys and leadership on this team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_yh87yduc5\">That much was plainly evident when it counted on Sunday.<\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_hm3r1m0m8\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_hm3r1m0m8\" class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"\/><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source\/><source\/><source\/><img class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\" alt=\"anthony-richardson-celebrates-touchdown\" title=\"anthony-richardson-celebrates-touchdown\"\/><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"base_1emrqjj\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4378,h_2462,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01jcyr74hfp4gfzr81wg.jpg\" alt=\"anthony-richardson-celebrates-touchdown\" title=\"anthony-richardson-celebrates-touchdown\"\/><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">Richardson got a win in his return to the lineup for the Colts \/ Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_26b6c9wxj\"><em><strong>I have two quarterbacking takeaways from a wild one at the Meadowlands, and it was a slugfest spinning into a shootout with revivals from both signal-callers factoring in. <\/strong><\/em>We can start with the obvious. Anthony Richardson played his best football, and maybe the best football of his short NFL career when it was needed most in Sunday\u2019s 28\u201327 Indianapolis Colts win over the New York Jets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_o2imbkcyn\">He got the ball back with 13:03 left after Aaron Rodgers and the Jets had marched 59 yards in six plays to take a 24\u201316 lead. The Colts had been outscored 24\u20133 since the waning moments of the first half. Things were bleak. And their embattled QB responded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_sse7t5jbn\">First, it was Richardson directing an eight-play, 80-yard drive with Shane Steichen leaning hard on the 22-year-old. The quarterback finished the drive 5-of-7 for 69 yards, completed chunk throws to Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, and capped it with a dart over the middle to slot receiver Josh Downs coming out of the backfield\u2014on the kind of easy-money underneath throw that the staff has been working him to look for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ie81db7t5\">Then, it was responding again after the Jets used up 7:30 of the clock, drove 53 yards, and extended the lead to 27\u201322 with a 35-yard field goal. On the second play of Indy\u2019s next possession, Richardson pump-faked to Downs, getting the corner to bite, and dropped a dime down the sideline to Pierce for 39 yards. The play set up his next throw, which he ripped down the seam to Downs for another 17. That got the Colts to the Jets\u2019 10, and two plays later, Indy went student-body left and Richardson barreled in for the game-winning score.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ui1lrdonf\">Now, of course, the past few weeks were tough on Richardson. The key, though, was his reaction. As I heard it, the normally mild-mannered Floridian was <em>pissed<\/em> about the Colts\u2019 decision. It lit a fire under him. He worked his tail off to be ready for whenever his next chance might come\u2014knowing that Steichen\u2019s decision was simply about playing the best player. And when Joe Flacco stumbled badly last week with three interceptions in a 30\u201320 loss to the Buffalo Bills, that created another opportunity, and Richardson was prepared to put together the kind of day he had in Jersey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qwuysfa5s\">Bottom line: The Colts made the decision to bench him three weeks ago, needing to give the rest of the team the best chance to win, and hoping that Richardson would use the circumstance the right way. He did, and maybe, just maybe, it was a turning point in his young career (though they play the Detroit Lions next week, which might make that harder to see for the rest of us in the short-term).<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ok5icjz3q\">As for the Jets, so much of their collapse has been pinned on Aaron Rodgers, and I definitely understand that. But there\u2019s a whole lot more to it than just that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_1nw2kbned\">To me, it goes back to the decision to fire Robert Saleh in the first place. The prevailing reaction to that from the locker room was, simply, <em>How in the world does this help us now? <\/em>Six weeks later, it looks like all those players were on to something\u2014thinking the defense was the team\u2019s strength, and doubting that axing the architect while spreading a really good coordinator thin would help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_c0x0e89r3\">That the defense couldn\u2019t stop Richardson shouldn\u2019t surprise anyone. Over the team\u2019s first five games, under Saleh, the Jets were allowing 17 points and 255 yards per game. Those numbers, in the six games since Jeff Ulbrich became interim coach, have grown to 26.2 and 346, respectively, proof that this is about way more than Rodgers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_cys8ihvv2\">And the Jets being as bad as a franchise can be is, of course, part of what created the golden opportunity Richardson had Sunday. Again, good for him seizing it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_n98ngdksd\"><em><strong>Somehow the New Orleans Saints are still alive, and they have a quarterback with experience doing this kind of thing. <\/strong><\/em>Yes, Derek Carr has been here before, a few times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_6csmp25vt\">He doesn\u2019t want to relive 2014 or \u201923. And the \u201921 Las Vegas Raiders weren\u2019t exactly the same. They were 3\u20132 when Jon Gruden was fired for nonfootball reasons. This year\u2019s Saints were 2\u20137 when Dennis Allen was shown the door. But as was the case with Rich Bisaccia back then, the Saints have promoted a beloved special-teams coach, and gotten a very obvious injection of energy. As was the case with Bisaccia, the Saints\u2019 entire roster is rallying behind interim head coach Darren Rizzi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mr8b4igu6\">Last week, <a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/saints-darren-rizzi-credits-dennis-allen-for-win\"><u>it gave New Orleans enough to edge out the Atlanta Falcons<\/u><\/a>. This week, that added up to a 35\u201314 rout of a struggling Cleveland Browns team to pull New Orleans to within two games of first place in the NFC South, behind 6\u20135 Atlanta and the 5\u20135 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_o4scrg2k1\">\u201cI\u2019ve been through this a couple times,\u201d Carr told me Sunday. \u201cWhen it goes well, the guy who comes in, no matter what was happening before, you just have to do something different. There has to be a different feeling. The building has to feel different. You have to put your spin on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xvltxg77b\">Rizzi\u2019s spin? He rearranged lockers so position groups were clustered together. He switched up the schedule. He took the players out of pads that first week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_38sy71k93\">He gave everyone a fresh start.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_jv2awuwgc\">\u201cHe really reminds me of that year I had with Rich,\u201d Carr says. \u201cEverything was going great before that one with Gru and all that. He came in, put his spin on it and made it feel different so guys could feel something different. That\u2019s what Riz has done. He\u2019s done a really good job of just grabbing the attention of everybody. Real player\u2019s coach. Has our back on everything, the schedule. He listens to us. It\u2019s been really impressive watching him work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_r0u73gzus\">In turn, a veteran Saints team that never lost its confidence has turned it around.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_4paiybpd9\">And Sunday showed, again, that Rizzi\u2019s way is by any means necessary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_h1uh86c1t\">The Saints got 138 yards rushing on seven carries\u2014and three (!) touchdowns\u2014from Taysom Hill, plus he added another 50 yards on eight catches. They got a 71-yard touchdown from Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who signed less than a month ago, and is suddenly an important piece with Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave down. They survived what looked like a costly pick and a costly fumble, and won by three touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_q9l5daq0g\">Mostly, though, they\u2019re just doing what they thought they would going into the season, what they <a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/derek-carr-benefiting-most-from-reimagined-saints-offense\"><u>were doing the first two weeks of the season<\/u><\/a>, and what they thought they should be doing over the unsightly seven-game losing streak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_8k64gksax\">\u201cHonestly, we have felt the whole time like we are a really good football team,\u201d Carr says. \u201cThe feeling in the building never changed no matter what the week was. You never make excuses. The fact is we had a lot of injuries, a lot of guys out, a lot of guys playing new roles, a lot of stuff happening. We talked about it, D.A. talked about it. You have to weather the storm. We never lost sight that we felt like we were a good football team. We always believed that we were. We\u2019re coming together now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_n0sz47nkn\">\u201cD.A. even said this\u2014with all the young guys that had to play for us early on, it\u2019ll bode well for us down the stretch. A lot of guys have had experience, a lot of guys are playing well for us in certain spots. I wish I had a moment or something for you, but we really felt like we were a good team the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xoqjs4733\">And, remarkably, down just two games now in the division, they still have a shot to prove it, just like those Raiders teams Carr once led.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_srn920d6s\"><em><strong>The Jacksonville Jaguars need a clean sweep. <\/strong><\/em>Yes, Sunday felt like a final straw sort of game day. The Lions didn\u2019t just beat Jacksonville. They took their manhood. The final score was 52\u20136. The Jags were outgained 645 to 170, and had 10 first downs to Detroit\u2019s 38. The 475-yard disparity in total offense was the most in an NFL game since 1979 (h\/t to <em>Pro Football Talk<\/em>\u2019s Michael David Smith for that stat). The Lions averaged 8.5 yards for each time they snapped the ball.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_w0wj7cjfz\">Jacksonville\u2019s hitting its bye week at 2\u20139. Doug Pederson\u2019s in his third year, and after starting his run as Jags coach at 2\u20136, then winning 15 of 20 (and 16 of 22 if you include the playoffs), he\u2019s somehow pivoted right back into the hole he dug out of, with 14 losses in his past 17 games.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_h37f4r134\">Clearly, it\u2019s time for a change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_pfvzm7kev\">But that can\u2019t just be Pederson. There were rumblings leading up to Sunday that GM Trent Baalke\u2014who\u2019s proven to be a survivor now with two teams\u2014might not necessarily be resigned to the safe fate as the coach he helped hire in 2022. And if that\u2019s the case, then much bigger questions should be asked of the folks who run that team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_tuojwv3w3\">Things may not be as toxic as they were under Urban Meyer in 2021, but they aren\u2019t in a good place right now. As last year\u2019s team finished 1\u20135 after an 8\u20133 start, rumors flew that Baalke wanted Pederson to make major staff changes, and that Pederson\u2019s right-hand man, Press Taylor, was in the GM\u2019s crosshairs. It\u2019s been pretty well known since then that things aren\u2019t, and haven\u2019t been, great between the organization\u2019s top two football officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qj6akt7i8\">If this were an isolated incident, that\u2019d be one thing. But Baalke clashed with Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco, and pushed Harbaugh and many of his coaches out after a wildly successful four-year run, to install Jim Tomsula as his replacement. Seven years later, he re-emerged in Jacksonville, was promoted to GM after Doug Marrone and David Caldwell were fired, then kept on after the disastrous Meyer experiment blew up in everyone\u2019s face.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ggryauuxq\">So given that, and the existing discord between him and Pederson, it\u2019d make no sense to go through another half measure of keeping on a GM and letting a coach go.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_b9h00de5c\">Now, to be fair, Jacksonville\u2019s roster isn\u2019t a total disaster. There are building blocks. Trevor Lawrence is one, even if he\u2019s not blameless in his team\u2019s listlessness. Josh Hines-Allen is another. But there are more guys on the roster, such as Tyson Campbell and Christian Kirk (and Cam Robinson before he was traded), that qualify as good players making great money, a dynamic that\u2019s made the team wonky in its construction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_nsnybkujq\">Which is just another reason why it\u2019s time to bring in someone new, who can reset everything.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_oud9s4uf9\">I think Bill Belichick will listen, given his relationship with Shad Khan\u2019s son, Tony, as long as he can set it up the way he wants. I think some bright, young offensive coaches, like Lions OC Ben Johnson, could be lured by the chance to do for Lawrence what Sean McVay did for Matthew Stafford after Stafford was the victim of such mismanagement in Detroit. I think the Jags legitimately have a solid job to sell here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_btvfdd18g\">But that\u2019s only so if they reset in the front office, the same way they will on the coaching staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_t34a1b9yp\">Because if you\u2019re really looking for something new, then you wouldn\u2019t risk having the same Baalke story told again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_scu55cadn\"><em><strong>Nick Sirianni deserves a hat tip. <\/strong><\/em>The Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 coach got beat up for yelling at the fans earlier in the year, the same way he got knocked around for his introductory press conference in 2021. He was shoved on the hot seat before the season, after three consecutive playoff appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl\u2014which would be rare just about anywhere else, even with last year\u2019s late-season collapse factored in. He had two franchise icons retire (Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox). He has two new coordinators this year (Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio).<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qd1rjcfgy\">The Eagles are now 8\u20132, and Sirianni is 42\u201319 as their coach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_es3eedfz0\">Maybe it\u2019s time to get off his back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_i1sqoy2zh\">Now, I get the climate in Philly. The roster is leveraged financially to win now. The team came excruciating close two years ago\u2014completely controlling Super Bowl LVII in the early going\u2014before falling short. The current core is stocked with stars in their primes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_7zpzxoae4\">On the flip side, being in that environment isn\u2019t for everyone, especially with a team like the one Sirianni has now. And he\u2019s hardly melted in the Delco pressure cooker.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_p9remrymz\">In fact, when that pressure was most justified, and turned up to 100 outside the building, <a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/nick-sirianni-eagles-being-himself\"><u>Sirianni was at his best<\/u><\/a>. The Eagles stumbled from the gate, with their first two wins coming over the Packers on an ice rink of a field in Brazil and a New Orleans Saints team that wasn\u2019t as good as it looked at the time. Going into their Week 5 bye, they were coming off getting beaten down in Tampa, and had injuries all over the place. The new systems hadn\u2019t taken. Jalen Hurts wasn\u2019t playing great. The light at the end of the tunnel was dim.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_al5upfdac\">So Sirianni challenged his players to reflect on the first month, both with their units and their position groups. He didn\u2019t jam on the panic button, knowing that the Eagles didn\u2019t play guys as much in preseason, per their normal plan of attack as an established, veteran team. He trusted Moore\u2019s and Fangio\u2019s well-worn schemes would take.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_hsjfllz6t\">And the players followed him, no one more than Hurts. Hurts and Moore, I\u2019m told, talked every day through the bye week. They went over more than two years of Hurts\u2019s tape and bounced ideas off each other. They talked about leaning into the play-action game, given how Saquon Barkley was playing, and the receiver injuries they were dealing with.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_2vw6agesu\">All of it has worked. So have a lot of other things. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have come back. Jordan Mailata\u2019s healthy, too. Guys such as Cam Jurgens, Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis have grown into roles to help replace Kelce and Cox on the field. And leadership, through that adversity, showed up to make up for what was lost off the field. Fangio\u2019s defense is humming, with rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean killing it in the secondary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_gr5f2c8zy\">I don\u2019t know whether the Eagles can beat the Lions in the NFC playoffs. But I wouldn\u2019t rule it out and, at the very least, they should get their chance to do it. Which is more than a lot of people expected six weeks ago, before 2\u20132 turned into 8\u20132.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_rflkxedhj\">And while no Eagles coach is ever truly safe from the guillotine that lurks on the airwaves in that city, people there could afford to give Sirianni a little credit for all of this.<\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_szrusxexy\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_szrusxexy\" class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"\/><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source\/><source\/><source\/><img class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\" alt=\"shedeur-sanders-colarado-with-fans\" title=\"shedeur-sanders-colarado-with-fans\"\/><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"base_1emrqjj\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4685,h_2635,x_0,y_299\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01jcyr4stffs1jy9b5tg.jpg\" alt=\"shedeur-sanders-colarado-with-fans\" title=\"shedeur-sanders-colarado-with-fans\"\/><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">Sanders is trending toward being the first quarterback off the board \/ Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mt0e4oqfy\"><em><strong>Since the college season is winding down, I took a closer look this week into what kind of year this will be to have a high pick <\/strong><\/em><a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/2025-nfl-mock-draft-first-round-predictions-for-every-team\"><u><em><strong>in the draft<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/a><em><strong>.<\/strong><\/em><strong> <\/strong>I knew already that it wouldn\u2019t be a good one to need a quarterback in the draft. What I ended up finding out is that there are a lot of positions trending that way, with the all-star games now just two months away and the combine a month after that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_0wi4w2kmh\">Here\u2019s some more detail after my digging \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_zchwbi4d5\">\u2022 It\u2019s simple at quarterback: Most of the guys who needed to play well this season haven\u2019t. Georgia\u2019s Carson Beck and Texas\u2019s Quinn Ewers have flattened out. Ditto for Notre Dame\u2019s Riley Leonard, who transferred from Duke. Colorado\u2019s Shedeur Sanders is trending toward being the first one taken, but there are questions about his ceiling. Similar questions face Ole Miss\u2019s Jaxson Dart. Miami\u2019s Cam Ward has had a great year, but was barely seen as draftable before the season. Alabama\u2019s Jalen Milroe is a monster athlete\u2014but is he a good enough passer? So maybe someone will emerge, but the picture is murky now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_3ciwk3xat\">\u2022 There are big names at tackle, but the scouts\u2019 assessments of them haven\u2019t quite matched public perception. LSU\u2019s Will Campbell has been accepted, outside of the league, as a slam-dunk first-round tackle, and I think the first part of that is fair. He will go in the first round. Whether the second part\u2014that he\u2019s a tackle\u2014is correct is a matter of opinion. Some scouts believe he belongs at guard, because of his lack of length. Meanwhile, Texas\u2019s Kelvin Banks Jr. had a really rough go against Georgia and has been up-and-down all year, and Ohio State\u2019s Josh Simmons showed a <em>ton <\/em>of promise, but tore his patellar tendon and won\u2019t be ready until the summer. So I don\u2019t know that there\u2019s a truly elite left tackle prospect in the class.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_bw24g6yg1\">\u2022 The top defensive guys all have questions. Georgia edge Mykel Williams might have the best NFL-translatable traits of any player in the draft, but he\u2019s been banged up. LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., like Simmons, lost his season to a serious knee injury. Another Georgia defender, Jalon Walker, has flashed Micah Parson\u2013type versatility to play on and off the ball, and is wildly athletic. Penn State edge Abdul Carter has that sort of skill set, too, having played off the ball the past two years, before moving to DE full-time this year. But for both, there are questions on how they\u2019ll fit certain defenses in the pros.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_95aycsd9c\">\u2022 Maybe the cleanest prospect to look at will be Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan, who\u2019s been a monster. He had 90 catches, 1,400 yards and 10 TDs as a sophomore, and he\u2019ll wind up in that neighborhood again this year. He\u2019s big, athletic and consistent. His ability to separate at the next level is one question he\u2019ll have to combat. If you take position value out of the equation, Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty may be as safe a take as McMillan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_h2efz0ou6\">\u2022 Then, there\u2019s two-way player Travis Hunter, who\u2019ll be the draft\u2019s most interesting player. No one denies how remarkable it is what he\u2019s doing. The question is what he\u2019ll be in the NFL\u2014it\u2019s hard to imagine he\u2019ll be able to carry close to the workload he\u2019s had at Colorado. So then the question becomes whether he\u2019ll be a corner or receiver, and whether he\u2019s good enough at either, in a vacuum, to be a top-five pick. Obviously, Hunter\u2019s going to go high. How high will likely ride on how teams answer those questions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_puhl8f0qi\">\u2022 I haven\u2019t asked around enough on him yet, but I <em>love <\/em>Penn State TE Tyler Warren.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_01a8n090v\">So that\u2019s where we are, in a nutshell, if you\u2019re in the process of giving up on your team\u2019s season. Sorry I couldn\u2019t paint a prettier picture of it, for you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_na6ji1hs5\"><em><strong>We\u2019ve got quick hitters coming at you, with plenty to get to as Week 11 winds down. <\/strong><\/em>And we\u2019ll start with the biggest game of the weekend \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_5fi6v3en9\">\u2022 I couldn\u2019t be more impressed with the totality of where the Bills are, at 9\u20132 heading into their bye. They could clinch the AFC East on Dec. 1 if a few things fall right. That\u2019s remarkable, given how much leadership infrastructure they lost this offseason. We\u2019ll have a lot more about them on the site Monday morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_14erdeje9\">\u2022 It\u2019s probably too late for the Miami Dolphins, but it\u2019s abundantly clear watching them how tailor-made the offense they have is for Tua Tagovailoa, with so much based on the quarterback\u2019s timing and accuracy. The offense looked broken with the other guys in there. It hums with Tagovailoa at the wheel, and that\u2019s a credit to Mike McDaniel for building something that works for him and is specific to him. (Now can you find a backup who\u2019s a little more <em>like <\/em>him?)<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_6rhujdpxn\">\u2022 Brock Bowers\u2019s rookie season is flying under the radar because he plays for a Raiders team playing a bunch of games out of the national consciousness. But he\u2019s been <em>incredible<\/em>. Through 10 games, he\u2019s got 70 catches for 706 yards and three touchdowns. With seven games left, he\u2019s just 370 yards shy of Mike Ditka\u2019s yardage record for a rookie tight end, and 16 receptions short of Sam LaPorta\u2019s catches record for a rookie tight end. He had 13 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown on Sunday alone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qmf2nmg77\">\u2022 Puka Nacua is a monster, and was a massive difference maker for the Los Angeles Rams in their 28\u201322 win over the New England Patriots\u2014which went well beyond his seven catches, his 123 yards and his touchdown catch. He brings a physical presence to the perimeter that wears on a defense, and can have an effect on the whole game. You never see the guy go down on first contact. He looks a lot like Anquan Boldin used to, in that way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_03keivu2l\">\u2022 The Patriots have a real one in Drake Maye. He showed it again Sunday on one particular rep, where a safety came free on a pressure and Maye stepped up, almost into him, and twisted himself around to throw across his body to DeMario \u201cPop\u201d Douglas for a first down. I know the Rams were impressed with that, and a lot of other things, they saw from Maye on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_5ayrnq97b\">\u2022 Jameis Winston threw for another casual 395 yards, and it\u2019s gotten harder and harder not to see these things and wonder why Deshaun Watson hasn\u2019t been able to get out of his own way running that Browns offense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_luqryd1d9\">\u2022 I apologize for not doing more on Bo Nix and promise we\u2019ll do something in the Tuesday notes. He\u2019s been outstanding, and was again on Sunday in completing 28-of-33 throws for 307 yards and four touchdowns in the Denver Broncos\u2019 38\u20136 win over the Falcons. He looks very much in control right now, and not in the least bit out of place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_5f3i3jd44\">\u2022 I love the Andrew Van Ginkel signing by the Minnesota Vikings\u2014he had another two sacks Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. And maybe this only interests me, but I heard last week prepping for the TNF game that Philly liked him and Zack Baun in free agency, and Van Ginkel wound up being a touch too expensive. Baun\u2019s been excellent for the Eagles, Van Ginkel\u2019s reunion with Brian Flores is going great and Philly\u2019s pro scouting department looks pretty good.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_us8bm32gf\">\u2022 How much of a difference did new Bears OC Thomas Brown make? Well, his voice was certainly different during the week\u2014that his contrasted with ex-OC Shane Waldron\u2019s so starkly is one reason why Waldron brought Brown with him to Chicago in the first place. And there\u2019s no question the ball was coming out of Caleb Williams\u2019s hand faster this week, which was a goal. Whether it\u2019s sustainable remains to be seen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_yyakvyjfd\">\u2022 Geno Smith was pretty straightforward with me when I asked whether Nick Bosa\u2019s absence had an impact on how Seattle played offense. \u201cWithout a doubt,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a great player, he always causes disruption.\u201d In other words, not having to deal with that down the stretch certainly helped the Seahawks, and the tests that Bosa gets this week will be big ones, both for him and his team\u2019s 2024 fortunes (and my Super Bowl pick).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/week-11-nfl-takeaways-steelers-winning-razor-thin-margins\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Week 11 is rolling with some great games on this third Sunday in November. As we\u2019ve been doing all season, we\u2019ll publish the takeaways Sunday and update them live through &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=127282\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=127282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=127282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=127282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=127282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}