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I have to start my roundup of the last week in the NFL with the crazy game that the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders gave us.
Many of us looked forward to this meeting to see how the Chiefs responded, as the Raiders handed them their only loss of the season. Moreover, Jon Gruden’s troop had not benefited from a stroke of luck to beat the last Super Bowl champions. They had had a strong match and had fully deserved this victory.
It was therefore necessary to await the response of the Chiefs for this division game, they who tried to avoid a sweep of the Raiders. This match lived up to our expectations.
We saw the Chiefs take what the opponent gave them and they were able to triumph that way. The Kansas City offense recorded 36 first games in the game, a team record. So the game plan was clear to the Raiders’ defense, as they removed long explosive plays in the deep areas to force Patrick Mahomes to be patient in the short areas. To his credit, that’s what he did until the end of the game.
The quarterback opted for small passes and when the situation called for it late in the game he was able to gain significant chunks of the field. If in the eyes of some Derek Carr seemed to play better in the first half, I would say it was due to the fact that Mahomes took what was given to him, when the Raiders’ defensive unit was superior to that of the Chiefs. .
Even though he had to face a lot of pressure and was forced to move, he faced the music.
Mahomes was also able to count on better production in the ground game, with Le’Veon Bell’s first touchdown for the Chiefs. Again, the offense also went through Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce who each amassed over 100 yards and scored a touchdown.
Despite this loss, I believe that the days when Carr was said to be a flat quarterback are over. While he was often seen turning to his convenience store when the game seemed to be going nowhere, he is able to attack deep areas in a number of ways. It is possible this year thanks to the arrival of Nelson Agholor, which would have seemed impossible to say after his passage in Philadelphia, and the presence also of Henry Ruggs III. Their speed ensures that the defenses are stretched vertically and Carr can take advantage of that.
He completed 23 of his 31 passes for a 74.2% success rate and when they didn’t find a taker it was because center-back Alec Ingold was dropping them, or he was getting rid of the ball, because the game was not there. It is true that he is responsible for the interception at the end of the game, but I tell myself that he had no choice but to force the game with 28 seconds to go. It’s almost a flawless game for Carr, but the problem is, the Raiders gave the last Super Bowl MVP too much time with 1min 43sec to go up the field.
Mahomes only needed a minute to register the touchdown that led to the victory.
This match made for quite a spectacle between obviously the Chiefs who are fighting at the top of the American and the Raiders who won’t give up by the end and the way he’s playing there isn’t much. of teams that want to be on their way.
A winning signed Sean Payton
Another meeting that drew attention was that between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons due to the departure offered to Taysom Hill at quarterback.
You might think the challenge wasn’t that high against the Falcons, but let’s not forget that they had signed wins in three of their last four games. If it weren’t for the late-game collapse against the Lions, this team would have been perfect since Dan Quinn left.
Before I look into Hill’s performance, I must salute the work of the Saints’ defensive squad who left nothing or so little to the Falcons. She completely limited the rushing offense with 52 yards on 14 carries, the longest of which was just seven yards.
We annoyed Matt Ryan who occasionally appeared confused in his cover. He didn’t seem to realize where the pressure was coming from. He therefore conceded eight quarterback sacks and suffered two interceptions. The defense of the Saints is starting to look like what we were entitled to expect at the start of the campaign. It’s encouraging when you know that Drew Brees will miss a few weeks of activities.
In this situation, it was Hill who got the vote of confidence from his coach Sean Payton and he put together an ideal game plan for his quarterback. The Saints ran 36 times with the ball against 23 assists and without needing to fully bet on Alvin Kamara. I expected the running back to be used more often than his turn, but he only touched the ball 13 times in the game. He still scored a touchdown.
However, we will have seen Hill doing a good job with his legs and Latavius Murray was also illustrated with the ground game. Hill is not the purest passer, but he still completed 18 passes for a very good percentage of success.
It is a victory that goes to Sean Payton for the game book that he knew how to set up and the team knew how to execute. His approach was as follows, as he said he was confident he could replace Brees in the course of a match with Jameis Winston, because the latter has the experience of going through such a situation and his style is more suited to an established game plan. for Brees.
However, if Payton ever had a week to prepare, he wanted to turn to Hill so he could concoct a game plan that would match his style. We have to prove him right and Payton is a big reason the Saints are 7-0 since 2019 in Brees’ absence.
Raven attack flops
The Tennessee Titans’ game plan will be remembered to end the 2019 campaign, when they wanted to dominate their opponents with ground play. They ended the Baltimore Ravens’ playoffs with this method and suddenly it comes back to haunt them again as they are in the race for the playoffs.
The Titans want to hit harder, to impose themselves physically and in a way, to intimidate the opponent with “good old football”. This is the formula of the Titans and when followed they can benefit from it.
They hammered the Ravens’ defensive front which was deprived of Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams, so depth was put to the test. She will have finally broken at the end.
Derrick Henry wasn’t having a big game, but the Titans remained patient and didn’t put their ground game aside. They were trailing at one point 21-10 in the third quarter, but they didn’t turn their backs on who they were, and it paid off. Henry finished his match with 28 runs, so we felt the defensive front more tired which led to the running back to put an end to this confrontation.
This defeat once again illustrates some shortcomings in the Ravens. I don’t want to point the finger at the defense who did a great job of limiting Henry until the fateful moment.
However, the attack had the chance to put this game out of the reach of the Titans. Instead of registering a touchdown to put his team in a good position, the Ravens were content with a placement late in the game.
Lamar Jackson and the offense got the ball in overtime, but they gave it to the Titans after three games and a clearance.
This is what we blame the Ravens, while Baltimore is not able to go and sign these big wins. It is true that there have been injuries and retirements on the attacking line, the receiving group is obviously not the most talented, but Jackson has also not become the hoped-for passer. It lacks anticipation and precision. If I put aside his chemistry with Mark Andrews, it’s tough for the MVP last season.
After going 13-3 in the previous campaign, I think the Ravens are in danger when it comes to their playoff appearance.
Disappointing end for Burrow
I have no choice but to look to another young quarterback for whom his season has ended in a disappointing way. Joe Burrow saw his campaign end prematurely due to injury. It’s disappointing, because despite the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2-7-1 record, the quarterback was doing very well in his rookie season. He gave his team a chance to fight in every game.
We saw the chemistry set in with Tee Higgins and we realized that he is already the real leader of this team.
Burrow must therefore turn to a long rehabilitation and the injury illustrates that it is not by drafting a single player that everything will change within an organization.
This is the work that awaits the leadership of the team, as the challenge now is to surround Burrow for the next few years. There are already decisions made in this regard in the draft and free agents, but they will have to invest even more to protect their franchise player.
A step back for Wentz
While the Bengals have to think about their future, the Philadelphia Eagles have to think about their present and I believe it’s time to bench Carson Wentz.
Although they remain at the top of their division with a poor 3-6-1 record, this team is struggling because of its quarterback. We do not understand how Wentz was able to lose his resources so much in recent years.
It’s time for him to take a step back in order to regain his confidence, he who now has 14 interceptions.
The Eagles would benefit from having a new lease of life on offense. I don’t know if everything would get sunnier with a more mobile quarterback in Jalen Hurts and a new game plan, but this attack needs an electro-shock.
Wentz needs to find himself, as he is no longer the shadow of the quarterback who has once been in the talks as the NFL MVP.
I understand that there are many injuries in key positions, but I disagree with head coach Doug Pederson who mentions not wanting to change shifts for fear of sending the wrong message to the organization. When a player is in trouble at another position, we don’t hesitate to replace him. Looks like we have to protect them, but I don’t understand why we have to do it.
Wentz is going to get the message and the plan is to revive this squad which is battling for the playoffs with a schedule that looks tough in the coming weeks.
Interview by Maxime Tousignant
