Lamar Jackson; Judge & Pujols near History; Tomlin’s Tough Decision
Tomlin’s House
639 win percentage and Super Bowl win, Mike Tomlin is certainly one of the best coaches of his generation. A lot of the media has been underselling the man, and it’s a little unfair, to say the least. 16 NFL seasons of consistency, not a single losing season, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Win; that’s all you need to say.
He’s been in the league since he was 35, and could be the head coach for another 20 years.Most likely he’ll stay with Pittsburgh until he decides to hang up his headset. That is just the way the Steelers operate. They like stability and consistency, and Tomlin is pretty much the definition of it in the NFL. He still has the passion he had as a younger guy, but he’s a little more reserved in front of the camera these days.
The critics are always out there, and it’s all about “what have you done for me lately?”, but at the end of the day, you can’t argue with results!
Thursday Night Football - Steelers/Browns
Cleveland takes the W in a fairly average game against a pretty average Steelers team. Brissett is just guiding the ship without making any major mistakes. The run game in Cleveland is sold, the scheme is great and Chubb is eating up yards with no problem. It’s clear, the issue in Cleveland was Mayfield, not Stefanski.
Amari Cooper got 11 targets, but he had a few drops. It’s good to see him getting targets after some injury woes and being thrown to by Baker, which could be worse than an injury.If the Browns figure it out he may be a valid fantasy receiver. Njoku had himself a day, too.
George Pickens is a bonafide stud, it’s sad that he has Trubisky throwing to him. He’s just awful. Kenny Pickett time has to be on the horizon, but Tomlin isn’t an impulsive head coach. Tom would’ve just left Trubisky in Cleveland; two 3-and-outs in the 4th with your team down by 2pts? Enough is enough.
Ravens/Patriots Preview
A bounceback week is a must after the collapse against the Dolphins last week. Marcus Peters was on a snap count, we probably won’t see that again, but he won’t see that speed again either - unless they see the Dolphins again in the playoffs.
That being said, it’s still a concern on the backend of the defense. This was a lot of miscommunication and blow coverage, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was bad. The Pass Rush needs to step up to give the DBs a break.Dobbins practiced, but is listed as questionable and Stanley is still up in the air.
The Ravens are favorites, but not by much. The running game is anemic at this point because it is heaping pressure on the defense, as was seen this past weekend against the Dolphins. The long, sustained drives that the Lamar Jackson Ravens have put up since he came into the league, this is a drastic change. The O-Line is not getting a big push and the running back room isn’t exactly elite. The Ravens are still playing well, and Lamar is playing MVP caliber already, but these are serious concerns.
The Patriots aren’t a powerhouse, but an argument could be made that they are in the Top 15 in Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. They have a decent running game, something the Ravens are struggling with on defense a bit so that’s something to keep an eye on. The Ravens should handle this task fairly easily, but the Ravens have some concerns, and Lamar ain’t one.
Week #3 Preview
Bears vs. Texans - The Bears are favored, which is weird. The Texans aren’t good, but neither are the Bears. Bears fans are idiots, but we all knew that. The guy playing is affected way more by a loss than the fans…full stop. We’re both taking the Texans here though. Why are the Bears favored again?
Bills at Miami - A big matchup here in the AFC East. The Dolphins are shocking some people in the first 2 weeks, and the Bills as we know are SB favorites. The Bills have a lot of injuries adding up on defense. Hill & Waddle could have a huge day. We’re split here, Tom is taking Miami and Chris is taking Buffalo
Raiders at Tennessee - Vegas is favored here, but it’s basically a push. They both stink, but the Raiders have more weapons/upside. Just throw a dart at the wall and go with whatever you hit here.
Chiefs vs. Colts - Mahomes has a great record against Gus Bradley, and guess who the Colts have at D-Coordinator. Pittman and Pierce come back for Indy, but it won’t matter. We’re both taking Kansas City. Taylor is honesty really the only fantasy play here
Bengals at Jets - Tom is taking the Jets to cover, that’s the story here. Mixon & Chase for Fantasy here from Cincy. If you’re playing a Jet, we’re sorry; and we hope it’s Flacco.
Lions at Vikings - A pretty interesting game in an NFC North matchup. Both offenses have a little swagger this season. The Lions Defense and Run Game are surprisingly good. There should be a lot of points here with Cousins, Goff, Swift, and St. Brown. Tom is taking Detroit to cover, and Chris is taking Minnesota.
Panthers vs. Saints - The Panthers are terrible, Baker is terrible, Bradford won’t be better. We agree the Saints should take this one. McCaffery is starting to be a little bit of a concern because his usage is weird so far this season.
Commanders vs Eagles - **Hour #2 12:45-13:45** Wentz/Hurts is the media tagline. Wentz played well last week in Detroit, but the Eagles are an absolute matchup nightmare for almost anyone right now. This could be a long day for Washington. We’re taking Philly here. There are points in this one though so stack up some players from both sides.
Chargers vs. Jags - The Herbert rib injury is a major concern and listed as questionable. It’s a pick’em at the moment, and Chargers fans should be worried. Lawrence will be tested by this Charger’s D, but if the Jags run the ball this could be an “upset”. Robinson, Lawrence, Kirk, all fantasy starts, in our opinion. Tom is taking LA, but Chris is riding with Jacksonville.
Rams vs Cardinals - The Cardinals stink, and Kyler is carrying them until DeAndre Hopkins gets back. This could be a bounce back for the Rams though to put up some numbers.It’s tough to know who to take from either team from a fantasy POV. We’re both taking the Rams.
Falcons vs Seahawks - Drake London, that’s pretty much it for the fantasy news from this one. Kyle Pitts should be on the list, but he apparently just blocks now. This is pretty much a push, Atlanta is better though. We’re both picking Atlanta for their first win.
Bucs vs. Packers - Two old guys going at it, this should be fun! There are a ton of injuries on both sides, but the Bucs seem to have an edge. There aren’t many weapons in GB, and the ones that are there are hurt. This could be a low scoring one. We’re both taking the Bucs
49ers at Broncos - The Broncos need to figure out the run game in the red zone, because they’re moving the ball. The 49ers are back to Jimmy G, and he looked alright. Wilson and Sutton are plays for fantasy, Kittle is back for San Fran. We’re split here, Tom is taking the Broncos and Chris is taking the 49ers.
Cowboys vs Giants - Daniel Jones vs. Cooper Rush, just riveting stuff. People will watch this, but it’s going to stink. That said, Chris is taking the Giants, so let’s just let that marinate…
Judge & Pujols Knocking on the Door
Aaron Judge is knocking on the door of Maris’ record at this point and chasing down a Triple Crown (.315/60HRs/128RBIs); we’re talking video game numbers. This performance is historic and has been fun to watch. The Yankees would almost certainly be out of the playoff picture without him. The haters will keep Ohtani in the picture,but realistically he’s done. This is Judge’s award, hands down.
Pujols is knocking on the door of the 700 club which is absolutely bonkers. He’s had leg and foot injuries for a decade now that slowed him down, but he could legitimately be the best right-handed hitter to ever play the game. His accolades are all well-deserved, and his career has been a joy for any baseball fan to witness.
Lastly, the O’s are NOT dead yet. Seattle is losing a little form and things are getting interesting!!