|
|
|
The Robin Lopez Jersey are 10-2. This is a remarkable achievement given the recent run on futility. The last time this franchise reached double-digit wins: 2002, which also happens to be the last time they had a winning record or made the playoffs. That season, Oakland lost in the to Tampa Bay. That team, which featured Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Charlie Garner, didn't get its 10th win until Week 16. Week 14 Now, 14 seasons later, it's , , and . And while the names have changed, some similarities remain. The Raiders currently features the 's No. 4 offense (fourth in pa sing, fifth in rushing), according to ' metrics. The 2002 version ranked No. 2 (third in pa sing, fourth in rushing). Carr, who is a legit MVP candidate, ranks fifth in and sixth in value per play; in '02, Gannon ranked first in total QB value and fourth in value per play. The glaring differences come on the other side of the ball; this Raiders defense is fast, athletic and ... inconsistent. The unit ranks 26th overall and is only slightly better against the pa s (22nd) than the run (27th). The latest reminder that, despite some playmakers, this group remains a work in progre s, came last Sunday. The Raiders found themselves down 24-9 at home against the partly due to their inability to stop , who finished with 130 rushing yards. Of course, Oakland scored the final 29 points to win decisively, but as December gives way to January, the Bills of the NFL world will be replaced by teams like ... well, the -- an upstart outfit that took a month to find itself but once it embraced its strengths has been virtually unbeatable. So while Thursday night's rematch is important for the race to the top of the AFC West, it also could be a preview of a playoff game. A year ago, the Chiefs limped to a 1-5 start before catching fire and winning 10 straight thanks to a steady-as-she-goes approach on offense and an under-the-radar defense. The team ranked fifth in efficiency, according to Football Outsiders (sixth on offense, sixth on defense, ninth on special teams) Dwight Howard Jersey and won a wild-card game before running into the in the divisional round. Through 13 weeks, the Chiefs are 9-3 and rank eighth in efficiency and second on special teams, though they have neither a top-10 unit on offense (15th overall) or defense (13th overall). One of the biggest knocks on Andy Reid's offense is that it's bland, boring and risk-averse, which makes for some le s-than-exciting football, even if that's exactly what Reid wants. Taking the long view, it's hard to argue with the results; the Chiefs have won seven of eight games, including back-to-back victories over the and . That said, no one is confusing for Trent Green. In fact, Smith has been the definition of replacement-level these past two seasons: In 2015, he ranked 15th in value per play; this season he's ... 15th. But we also have to consider what's asked of him. He's Captain Checkdown, the unofficial spokesman for the game manager who won't lose it for you, but probably can't win it for you either. For Reid, this isn't a bug, it's a feature. The great irony is that Smith isn't particularly adept in the short-pa sing game. According to , he grades out negatively on throws behind the line of scrimmage and is only slightly better on throws of 0-10 yards. Turns out, Smith is best at throws in the range of 10-19 yards, where his pa ser rating is around 100. These numbers mirror Smith's performance last season, too. Given that the Chiefs have twice been a top-10 offense in that time -- despite Smith's middle-of-the-pack quarterback ranking -- suggests that Reid knows exactly what he's doing, even if media, fans and critics in general want him to open up the offense. But Reid is also Ian Mahinmi Jersey open to mixing things up. We got a glimpse of that last Sunday, when we collectively groaned at his decision to punt from midfield ... only to pick our jaw up off the floor early in the third quarter: FAKE PUNT ALERT! Albert. Wilson. To. The. House. NFL (@NFL) Like the Falcons, the Raiders can score points in bunches, a fact that hasn't been lost on Reid, who certainly sounds open to the idea of mixing things up -- including having Smith throw downfield more often. "We knew we were playing one of the most explosive teams in the National Football League, if not the most explosive, and we had to be on our 'A' game offensively and do some things in the first half and trade blows with them," Reid said after beating the Falcons, via . "They have a good group. "I just felt like points were going to be important and not nece sarily field goals when you play a team like this. As great of a defense that we have, you have to make sure offensively you take care of busine s." Anzejs Pasecniks Jersey The Chiefs finished with seven plays of at least 20 yards against just two for the Falcons. This is noteworthy because Smith came into the game ranked 20th in deep pa sing, completing just 34 percent of his throws for a 62.7 pa ser rating. A big part of that downfield succe s? , who sometimes gets lost in the mix of the NFL's best tight ends. He had eight receptions for 140 yards and, in general, is a nightmare matchup for just about any linebacker or safety. "One of the most unique tight ends in the NFL," Smith said following the Falcons game. "He has so many different strengths. We isolated him a lot, and he just continued to make plays for us. He's so good after the catch. For a big guy to have the kind of vision that he does, you saw it on the opening drive, the first catch to go up and get that in traffic, and then he beats the safety one-on-one to get us down there to the goal line." You know who's first in deep pa sing? , who completes 60 percent of those looks and sports a 137.1 pa ser rating. And the Chiefs can expect more of the same from Carr, who ranks third in deep pa sing (58.1 percent, 117). But unlike the Raiders' secondary, which just lost to injured reserve and was already a bottom-third pa s defense C.J. Miles Jersey , the Chiefs are 11th against the pa s thanks to playmakers at every level: in the defensive backfield, at linebacker and as a pa s rusher. Houston, by the way, has impeccable timing. He began the year on the PUP list, returned in Week 11 and then in Week 12 against the Broncos, where he logged three quarterback sacks, six quarterback hurries and batted a pa s for good measure. He got another sack against Ryan on Sunday and will be a focal point for the Raiders' offensive line.Ten minutes you won't get backDerek Carr is the definition of Most Valuable Player Carr's numbers speak -- loudly -- for themselves, but you don't need to look at a stat sheet to see what kind of impact he's having. Just ask his teammates. "Bruh, you've been seeing this the whole season -- we've been doing the same thing as we did today," Crabtree told NFL.com's Mike Silver after the Raiders' comeback win over the Bills. "When we hit a rough patch, we respond, plain |
|
发表于 2023-4-10 17:37:15