Week 14 Recap

Mike the Ace and D.K. review two games in week 14 of the NFL season as we are nearing the final weeks.

New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles (24-21 Eagles)
Mike The Ace @TheAceWriter

With the offense struggling, and the playoffs looking like a long shot, the Eagles handed the offense over to rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Eagles were expected to be much better than they’ve been this season, and it’s hard not to look at this year as a failure for this organization.

Carson Wentz signed a 4-year, $128 million dollar deal extension with the team in the summer of 2019. Despite making such a massive investment into Carson Wentz, Philly still went on to draft Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft. That decision was a bad move without a doubt, but oddly enough, it may save the jobs of Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Howie Roseman.

Hurts played well in the second half against the Packers last week, and he impressed even more against the Saints. New Orleans has one of the best defenses in the league, and the rookie QB was able to put pressure on them all game. Jalen Hurts would finish the game going 17/30 for 167 yards, and a touchdown, with no interceptions. He also added another 114 yards rushing on 18 carries.

The passing numbers weren’t outstanding, but it’s good for a rookie QB – in his first start – against one of the league’s best defenses. I was mostly impressed with Hurts’s poise throughout the game, and his command of the offense. His pocket presence was refreshing to see, after watching Wentz struggle with pocket presence for most of the season.

Prior to this matchup, the Saints had not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 55 straight games. Both Miles Sanders and Jalen Hurts ran for 100-yards in this outing, and it was the Saints’ downfall Sunday afternoon. Saints’ Quarterback Taysom Hill ended up going 28/38 for 291 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He was stuffed running the football, rushing for only 33 yards. Hill was also sacked 5 times.

The Eagles’ defense wanted Taysom Hill to have to win this game with his arm, and they dared him to do so. Hill was inconsistent with his accuracy in this game, and it hurt the Saints’ offense in clutch situations. Hill accounted for 300+ yards of offense, but the team had just 14 points with 2:00 left in the game. There was a final rally from Hill after a Jalen Hurts fumble inside of two minutes, but the Saints could not recover the onside kick following the touchdown.

The Eagles will have to finish the season out with Jalen Hurts at QB. In my opinion, there should be a battle at the QB position between Wentz & Hurts. Wentz’s contract makes it difficult to trade him this upcoming offseason, so the smartest decision would be to let this play out into training camp of next year. The Eagles have an aging roster that needs help. Wentz could be moved for draft picks – sooner rather than later – if Hurts continues to ball out.

(Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos (32-27 Broncos)
DK @ayeyoo_biggs

At the beginning of the football season I picked Drew Lock to be one of my breakout players of the year. So far, there have been some extreme ups and downs with Lock in his 2nd year. Injury, COVID-19 concerns, and overall play have caused some hiccups for the QB. When I watched his college film, and film from last year, this outing was the type of game I predicted him having more often.

Drew Lock went 21-27 with 280 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was under pressure a lot from the Panthers’ gritty defense, but he seems to thrive on rolling out and off scripted plays. The Broncos started off the game right with a punt return touchdown by Diontae Spencer. Denver was able to get the run game / screen game going to relieve some of the blitzing pressure on Lock. Running backs Phillip Lindsey and Melvin Gordon combined for 92 yards running and 30 yards receiving. Another interesting observation was the fact that most of the passes from Lock were chunk plays. KJ Hamler, the leading receiver, had 2 catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Jerry Juedy also added 2 catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Even though the Panthers did lose, the defense played great. They were in the backfield with Drew Lock all game. They were only able to get one sack, but they did get the sack and 5 QB hits along with tons of pressures. The Panthers’ issues seemed to be in the secondary, referring back to Lock having so many chunk plays. The defensive line applied pressure, but if they were not able to get there, Lock was just letting it fly to wide open receivers and tight ends.

Teddy Bridgewater went 30-40 with 281 yards. Mike Davis was the touchdown getter for the day, going 11 rushes for 51 yards and 2 Touchdowns. The Panthers made a furious comeback, with the Broncos defense letting up a little bit in the second half. They ended up running out of time in the end.

This is the progress I like to see from Drew Lock. He has continued to learn in the system and has all the weapons he needs to succeed, he just needs to play better more consistently. The Panthers are now out of the playoff picture with the loss. They have had a lot of moving parts on the offense because of injury, but have still made strides under first year head coach Matt Rhuel. The Panthers have pieces, but the rebuild will take time after the regime change.

Week 10 Recap

Mike the Ace and D.K. review two matchups within week 10.

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants (27-17 Giants)
Mike The Ace @TheAceWriter

The NFC East has been an absolute dumpster fire this season. It seems like every other team in the league has taken the opportunity to beat up on one of the four teams from this division. It’s hard to believe that one of the teams from the NFC Least will actually be hosting a home playoff game this year.

Heading into this game, the Philadelphia Eagles had a division leading record of 3-4-1. Looking at the rest of their schedule, this game was definitely one that you could define as a “must win”. If they were going to take control of this strange opportunity, it was going to start against the Giants this week.

On the other hand, New York is a young team that came into the game feeling optimistic. They held a 2-7 record, but played tight games against a lot of good teams. Head coach Joe Judge seems to be connecting well with his players, and it seems the culture reset in the Giants’ locker room has been successful.

From the opening snap, the Giants played like the hungrier team. They marched right down the field and scored on an 8-play, 85 yard drive. A key moment on that drive was a 3rd & 8 from the Eagles’ 43-yard line. Instead of forcing the Giants to convert a 3rd & long, the Eagles committed a defensive offside penalty. The penalty changed the situation to 3rd & 3 from the 38-yard line, a much easier conversation for the offense. The Giants would go on to convert the 3rd down with a nice play call, and then score on the following play. That defensive series was not a playoff worthy effort from Philadelphia.

Offensively, Carson Wentz continued to struggle for the Eagles. He finished the game 21 of 37 for 208 yards. Surprisingly, Wentz did not turn the ball over at all, but he also did not throw or run for any touchdowns. Wentz was also sacked 3 times in this game.

Another key development is that the Giants were able to take away the Eagles’ breakout wide receiver, Travis Fulgham. Fulgham had been one of the most productive players in the league since he started getting playing time in week 5 of this year. In this game, Fulgham had just 1 catch for 8 yards.

The quiet performance for Fulgham, as well as the other poor offensive performances, is an indictment on head coach Doug Pederson. The Giants often had safety help to bracket Fulgham in coverage, and there was simply no creativity to scheme him open. The same can be said for the entire offense, as the Eagles leading pass catcher in this game was third-string tight end, Richard Rodgers. Rodgers had 4 catches for 60 yards.

It is officially panic time in Philly. The remaining Eagles schedule consists of the Browns, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, and Cardinals. I’ve watched all of those teams this season, and they are all head and shoulders better than the Eagles. The playoffs don’t look likely for the city of brotherly love, in 2020.

Buffalo Bills @ Arizona Cardinals (32-30 Cardinals)
DK @ayeyoo_biggs

In what was one of if not the best games of the year, the Cardinals took care of the Bills. It took last second heave to Deandre Hopkins for the game winner. The two MVP hopefuls at quarterback squared off in an offensive and defensive showcase.

Josh Allen made a valiant effort to play his best, and it just was not good enough. Allen went 32-49 for 284 yards, with 2 TDs, and 2 interceptions. He didn’t get much help in the run game, with Zach Moss and Devin Singletary going for 20 and 15 yards respectively. I don’t really think the Bills want Josh Allen throwing the ball almost 50 times in a game. The main goal for this offense should be getting the run game going, then use the play action to get the ball to the speedsters like Brown, Beasley, and Diggs. The Bills’ defense was also not as good as they normally are. Outside of allowing the Hail “Murray”, they were giving up way too many yards in the run game. They gave up over 200 yards rushing. After looking at the film, I saw most of the Cardinals’ runners not getting touched until they got to the linebackers and safeties. This will need to get addressed immediately if they want to make a real chance at making the playoffs. A key element to playoff football is the weather. The colder it gets, the harder it is to throw the ball. If you can stop the run, you will have to depend on Josh Allen’s arm to bring you back in games. That isn’t a bad bet at this point in Allen’s career.

Kyler Murray had a great game on the other side as well. Murray went 22-32 for 245 yards with a TD and interception. He also added 11 carries for 61 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Kyler was able to use his mobility to his advantage, yet again, with the Run Pass Option. Kenyan Drake added 16 carries for 100 yards. He and Murray on the RPOs are getting insanely good. I really love these plays, because it allows Drake to step into the main role. It’s almost surprising when Murray pulls the ball, and has a clear lane running past the crashing defensive end. Deandre Hopkins also had an excellent game, having 7 catches for 127 yards and a TD. He made the catch of the year on the last play of the game, for the win. Kylee Murray was flushed and was forced to throw a 43 yard Hail “Murray” into triple coverage, and Hopkins came down with the catch.

The Bills and Cardinals are among the two best dark horse teams amongst their respective conferences. Allen still needs to work on cutting down mistakes in the pass game, while the offense needs to support him in the run game. The Cards’ still look like the real deal, and need to make a playoff push. They are currently third in their division at the moment, behind the LA Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Even though the Cardinals won the game, both teams showed they have the offenses to keep up with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Week 1 Recap

Mike the Ace and D.K. roll out our 2020-2021 NFL Season Weekly recap with their reviews of two games in the opening week of the season.

The 2020-2021 NFL Season finally kicked off after an offseason filled with uncertainty due to the current worldwide pandemic. While having football return brought back a sense of normality, things weren’t exactly back to normal as many teams played without fans in the stadium. The noise was authentic, but it was not live as it was prerecorded fans from previous games. Nonetheless, the NFL is back and the TFINS team is here to bring you a quick recap of a couple games in Week 1 of the 2020-2021 NFL Season.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Football Team (17-27)

Mike the Ace @TheAceWriter

I know you all want to get my take on this game, so here you go. The Eagles played a good offensive game for almost two full quarters. One good half of football usually won’t cut it in the NFL, and it didn’t on Sunday against Washington.

Carson Wentz got off to an incredible start, completing 14 of 17 passes, for 182 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Right before halftime, Wentz and the Eagles’ offense completely unraveled. The Eagles QB would finish the rest of the game going 10 of 25, for 88 yards, with 2 interceptions.

Wentz and Pederson had one of their worst halves together on Sunday. With a series of injuries along the offensive line, Pederson continued to call deep shot plays, looking for big yardage down the field. These types of plays genuinely take a long time to develop, and that worked perfectly for Washington’s defense.

Washington’s defense dominated the Eagles beat up offense, sacking Wentz 8 times on Sunday. Chase Young and Washington’s defensive line will be one of the league’s best units, if they can stay healthy. The secondary was also a pleasant surprise for DC, as both interceptions were great plays by their defensive backs.

Pederson will have to slow down with the deep shots until the Eagles get better play out of their offensive line. It was surprising to see him so hell-bent on launching it deep, especially when the Eagles rarely took deep shots last year. This offense will welcome the return of runningback Miles Sanders and offensive tackle Lane Johnson, if they are able to play next week.

Tennessee Titans @ Denver Broncos (16-14)
DK @Ayeyoo_biggs

The score is not indicative of what happened on Monday night. The Tennessee Titans played like the superior team but special teams and new Kicker Stephon Gostkowski left 10 points on the field by going 1 for 4 in field goals and missing an extra point. This was an issue for Tennessee last year, who had the worst kicking core in the league going 44% as a team using four kickers. This needs to be addressed in the next few weeks, or we can’t take the Titans seriously as a contender.

Drew Lock went 22/33 with 216 yards and a touchdown. I really like how they used play action and rollouts to get him moving. It seems like it allowed him to get into a better flow in this game. The two headed monster of Phillip Lindsey and Melvin Gordon got off to a good start until Lindsey sustained an injury in the first half. This led to Gordon taking over in the second half and having a decent showing having 78 yards but also had a costly fumble early in the game (which led to a Derrick Henry touchdown).

Ryan Tannehill also has a good game going 29/43 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He made plays when they needed to happen at the end of the game to seal the victory. Derrick Henry added 131 all purpose yards and assisted with clock management in the game winning drive. He and Tannehill have and will continue to use the play action/ running game to file the Titans offense this season.

Another interesting storyline in the game was Denver head coach Vic Fangio not using any of the team’s timesouts as the Titans ran the ball, and ran the clock on the final drive. The Titans, down two, had 3:05 left on the clock. The Titans proceeded to go on a 12 play 83 yard drive and Fangio did nothing to stop the clock, so just in case the opposing offense scored (which they did), you’d give your team a chance to move the ball down the field. After the made field goal by Gostkowski, Drew Lock and the offense only had 00:17 left on the clock to move the ball into field goal range.

Denver young core looks like a very fun team to watch going forward. Drew lock will have to continue learning and developing his game and reading coverages, he left a few plays on the field that could have helped them increase the lead at the end of the game and halt the comeback. The Titans look like they are building on what they did last year: run Derrick Henry and allow Tannehill to work off of the play action. With these two, along with a stout looking defense with Jadeveon Clowney being added into the mix, they are looking to make another deep run this year.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Week 17

Michael Lipscomb

My weekly review of the games around the league. Recognizing greatness and talking a little trash! Got a problem with it? Hit me up on Twitter: @TheAceWriter or tweet at the website’s page @TFINS_

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Check out the Underrated Performance of the Week at the bottom of the page too!

The Good – Philly clinches 4th seed in NFC. Will host Seattle during wildcard weekend.
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants. Eagles win 34-17.

The Eagles were able to control their own destiny to earn their playoff spot. After conquering the Dallas Cowboys in week 16, Philly had to win their final game against the New York Giants to clinch the 4th seed in the NFC.

This game wasn’t a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination. The Eagles didn’t take command of this game until late in the 3rd quarter. The Giants were down 20-17, and had possession of the ball.

Quarterback Daniel Jones was unable to handle a low snap, and the Eagles recovered the ball on the Giants 2-yard line. Philly would punch the ball into the end zone on the following play. The lead would balloon to 34-17 by the end of the game.

The Eagles have been one of the most up and down teams this season. It was good to see them step up and dominate the most crucial quarter of their season.

Carson Wentz completed his first full season this year. He reached 4,000 passing yards, and broke the single season Eagles passing yards record. Wentz is also the first player to record 4,000 career passing yards without having 500 yards to a single wide receiver.

Wentz and coach Doug Pederson have battled injuries and adversity all season. This offense has struggled for sure, but this tandem was able to get the job done over the month of December.

I believe Philly will be able to win their matchup with Seattle over wildcard weekend.

The Bad – Seattle Seahawks lose division title game, drop to 5th seed in NFC.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks. Niners win 26-21.

<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/4gD6FVED_oFSBPxkOkgKyqtP3zOjQIF7gwIOrjwTQLZxTGbs8ARTYGiwFDEUJDZpmoa_MmEH9ahRuMl2ijybDKKtqA1e1uWXGeBKi9SFJRtUas_41nEkWdajunE9N0C3tcG774FC" alt="<p>Seattle Seahawks' John Ursua, left, makes a catch at the one-yard line to give the team a first down with less than a minute left as San Francisco 49ers' K'Waun Williams tackles during the second half of an NFL

Stephen Brashear, AP

The NFC West has been a war zone the entire season. The third best team in this division is the 9-7 Los Angeles Rams. The Rams won’t be making the playoffs this year, after losing in the Super Bowl just last season

The two big dawgs in this division are the Niners and the Seahawks. Both teams have had outstanding performances from their respective players and coaching staffs this season.

The Niners were able to travel to Seattle and claim the division title. They played a well-rounded game, and Jimmy Garrapolo made plays in the passing game to get them out to an early lead.

The Seahawks offense took forever to get going. They were down 13-0 until Tyler Lockett found the end zone late in the third quarter. As usual, Russell Wilson still found a way to rally his guys late.

Wilson and the Seahawks were able to scrap back into this game, and give themselves a chance to win on the last drive. With 2:18 left in regulation, the Seahawks worked their way down the field, but were ultimately stopped in the red zone.

The drive would end up covering 72 yards over 15 plays, but the Seahawks were denied on the 1-yard line.

In the red zone, the Seahawks made life difficult for themselves by having a delay of game on 2nd & 1, from the 1-yard line. After two incomplete passes, the Seahawks were faced with 4th & 5.

Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister was able to make the catch, but was stopped short of the end zone on 4th down. The ball was turned back over to the Niners with just 9 seconds left, and the game was over.

The Seahawks had the chance to host a home playoff game and win their division. As a 5th seed, they will be traveling to Philadelphia during wildcard weekend.

The Ugly – Patriots lose home game against Miami. Finishes with the 3rd seed in conference, missing chance for wildcard bye.
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots. Dolphins win 27-24.

The Patriots will be hosting a home wild card game for the first time since 2009. New England has been to 11 straight playoff appearances, and they are a team that usually has the first round playoff bye.

Going into week 17, New England was scheduled to earn the 2nd seed in the AFC if they could beat the 4-11 Miami Dolphins. The Patriots were treating this game as a must-win situation and played all of their healthy starting players.

The Dolphins were able to take care of the defending champions on the road. The Patriots offense started out flat, and the defense kept them in the game. As the New England offense got itself together, their defense began to unravel.

Tom Brady and the Pats offense gave the team a 24-20 lead with 4 minutes left in the game. The Dolphins had nothing to play for in this game, but were determined to get this win.

The Dolphins maneuvered their way back down the field. Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick found tight end Mike Geisecki in the back of the end zone to retake the lead with 24 seconds remaining in the game.

Geisecki did a good job of winning his route against a safety in man coverage, on the 5-yard touchdown catch. The skinny post route from the 6’6” tight end would seal the deal on the regular season, for these two teams.

As the 3rd seed, New England is scheduled to face the Tennessee Titans in the wildcard round. The Titans are a surging team that has found their offensive stride since making Ryan Tannehil the starting quarterback. The Titans defense is also elite, and they threaten to knock New England out in the first round.

The Patriots could have avoided this wild card matchup by beating the worst team in their division. Instead, they have to try and stop the strong running game that the Titans present. I predict the Titans win this game in Foxborough.

No Underrated Performance of the Week this week. Instead here are my wildcard weekend predictions!

Bills over Texans
Titans over Patriots
Saints over Vikings
Eagles over Seahawks

This will be a GREAT weekend of football.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Week 16

Michael Lipscomb

The Good – Packers’ defense stands up on Monday Night Football. Green Bay solidifies themselves as elite team of NFC North.
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings. Packers win 23-10.

The Green Bay Packers are the least respected 12-3 team in the NFL. It’s not difficult to understand why. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has shown signs of regression. They have a lack of explosive offense weapons on offense, and their defense has struggled to stop the run at times this season.

With all of that being said, this team is still 12-3, and will clinch a first round bye in the playoffs if they can win in Week 17.

Green Bay held strong against the 10-5 Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. This win secured the divisional crown, and put them in a prime position to make a deep playoff run.

The Packers defensive line overwhelmed the Vikings offense. Vikings’ Quarterback Kirk Cousins was sacked five (5) times in this game, and the Vikings offense totaled a measly 132 yards for the game.

The Vikings were without star running back Dalvin Cook, but they did have their two star receivers available to them in this game. Adam Thielen was targeted four (4) times and did not make a single catch, while Stefon Diggs only had three (3) catches for 57 yards.

The Packers defense has continued to play at a high level late in the season. They have not allowed more than 15 points in any game, during the month of December. If this team can keep that momentum on defense, they will be a dangerous opponent to play against, come playoff time.

The Bad – Wounded Seahawks can’t get going against Cardinals. Hawks fall to 5th spot in NFC playoff seeding.
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks. Cardinals win 27-13.

The NFC playoff picture will be a toss up until the last week of the regular season is played. The Seahawks are in the middle of a heated race with the 49ers for the divisional crown. After week 16, the Saints, Packers, and 49ers all have a record of 12-3.

The Seahawks missed their chance at getting to 12-3, after losing at home to the Arizona Cardinals. This loss drops them to a wildcard spot in the NFC playoff bracket, which means they would be looking at an away game against the winner of the NFC East as the 5th seed.

The Seahawks still have a chance to win their division, but this loss probably cost them their chance to grab the top seed in the conference. With the amount of injuries they currently have, they would have benefited from having a first round bye in the playoffs.

The Cardinals pass rush gave Russell Wilson problems all game, as he was sacked five (5) times. The pass rush, along with good coverage from the Arizona secondary, limited the Seattle passing attack. Wilson completed just over 50% of his passes and gained just 169 yards through the air. He ended the game averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt.

Running the ball wasn’t an option either for the Seahawks. During the second quarter, running back Chris Carson suffered a hip injury. Later in the same quarter, backup running back C.J. Prosise exited the game with a broken arm. After the game, Pete Carroll announced that both players were done for the season.

The Seahawks run defense was also exposed on Sunday. The Cardinals ran for a total of 253 yards on 40 attempts in this game. The Seahawks will have to stop the run, no matter which team they face in the playoffs.

Seattle has a chance to bounce back after a subpar effort against Arizona. They have signed running back Marshawn Lynch in hopes of replacing the injured members of the backfield. They face the 49ers next week, and the winner takes the division title. The Hawks need to win this game and save themselves from a road trip, on wild card weekend.

The Ugly – Cowboys come out flat in battle for NFC East. Prescott and the offense gets grounded in Philadelphia.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles win 17-9.

Cowboys fans set themselves up for heartbreak if they had hope in this football team. The team suffered its 8th loss of the season at the hands of their bitter division rivals in Philly.

The Cowboys continued their trend of not showing up in big games. The team looked unmotivated, uninspired, and most importantly, unprepared.

Compared to Philadelphia, Dallas was relatively healthy in this football game. Their quarterback, Dak Prescott, was injured last week during their win to the rams and was clearly affected in this game. Outside of Prescott playing injured and an injury to linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas had most of their star players available.

I predicted that Dallas would win this game, and I wasn’t confident that it would be a close game, either. The Cowboys had just come off of a strong performance against the Los Angeles Rams, and racked up 44 points in the blowout.

They must’ve left their offense in Dallas, because they were unable to find the end zone against the Eagles. This same Eagles defense had trouble stopping Redskins’ rookie QB Dwayne Haskins, the week prior.

The Eagles played with a different level of intensity than the Cowboys in this game. Credit Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson, for having his guys ready to play. The winner of this game was most likely making the playoffs, and the better coached team came away with the win.

How many more seasons will Cowboys’ fans have to endure the Jason Garrett era?

Underrated Performance of the Week – Daniel Jones, Quarterback, New York Giants

From a national standpoint, I’m sure no one was paying attention to this lousy game.

The two basement dwellers of the NFC East faced off on Sunday afternoon, but the Giants rookie quarterback was able to catch fire.

Daniel Jones finished the game completing 28 of 42 pass attempts, for 352 yards and five (5) touchdowns. The biggest takeaway was the lack of turnovers! No fumbles, no picks thrown.

Watch all five of his scores, here!

Daniel Jones 28/42 352 yards
5 TD 0 INT

All 5 TD’s including a walkoff win for Daniel Jones! pic.twitter.com/guXBIsD7Rd
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) December 22, 2019