Blog Brav's Neutral Zone Distraction Blog - NFL stuff

As many of you know, October 31 was the NFL trade deadline and of course several major transactions occurred. Some of them were not surprising and some were. Let's get to it. In addition, the Game of the Week will be posted later today.

• The Buffalo Bills upgraded their offense in an unexpected trade with the Carolina Panthers in wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Carolina will receive a 3rd round pick and a 7th in the upcoming NFL draft. Benjamin is yet another powerful offensive weapon for a growing Bills offense.
  
• Adding onto the Buffalo Bills; they sent defensive lineman Marcell Dareus to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville's defense has quietly been taking the league by storm thus far. Jaguars pay a 6th round pick.
• The Seattle Seahawks made an adjustment to their woeful offensive line by adding tackle Duane Brown from the Houston Texans. Brown helps to give some stability despite aging. Houston will receive a 3rd round pick, 5th round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. They also obtained Seattle's 2nd round pick in the 2019 NFL draft.
• New York Jets now have another cornerback added to their corps in Rashard Robinson in a deal with the San Francisco 49ers; who will receive a 5th round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Robinson adds some depth into the Jets' needy secondary.
• In a surprise move; the Miami Dolphins deal out star running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles. Ajayi joins power running back LeGarrette Blount in one of the strongest running back groups in the NFL. The Dolphins received a 4th round pick for the upcoming NFL draft.
• Another surprising move; New England Patriots sent backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Garoppolo is a potential long-term answer for a team that is desperate for a franchise quarterback and remains winless this season.

 

Quarterback down!

Houston Texans rookie quarterback DeShaun Watson has suffered a torn ACL in practice, ending his season. Watson took the league by storm posting 1699 passing yards, 19 TDs and 8 INTs.

Houston has quarterback Tom Savage and they are set to sign ex-Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin who previously played for Texans head coach Bill O’Brien during his tenure at Penn State University.

Houston will host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday @ 1:00pm EST

 

The second half of the season is underway with blowouts, upsets and a bunch of scuffles! Here's the scoreboard and we'll be back with Game of the Week either Tuesday or Wednesday!

• Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets - Final score 21-34 Thursday Night Football
  • The Bills' playoff hopefuls have been setback by Jets quarterback Josh McCown and Matt Forte who passed for 140 yards, a touchdown and rushed for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns respectively.
• Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers - Final score 17-20
  • The Carolina Panthers trump the Falcons on the ground in a key NFC South game, rushing for more than 200 yards despite Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's 313 yard passing game.
• Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans - Final score 20-14
  • Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton snags a pair of touchdowns and 175 yards to snap a 3 game losing streak over divisional rival Houston who has to run the remainder of the season without their starting quarterback DeShaun Watson.
• Cincinnati Bengals @ Jacksonville Jaguars - Final score 7-23 Game of the Week
  • In the midst of the nasty fight between Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green and Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the AFC South team reigned supreme and delivered a devastating blow to Cincinnati's playoff hopes. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles fanned the ball for 259 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Marqise Lee.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints - Final score 10-30
  • Tempers flared in this divisional rivalry as the red hot Saints handily defeated the struggling Buccaneers, who are without starting quarterback Jameis Winston.
• Los Angeles Rams @ New York Giants - Final score 51-17
  • Rams quarterback Jared Goff set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns with 311 and 4 respectively. Running back Todd Gurley sprinted another two for LA to defeat the weakened Giants' defense.
• Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles - Final score 23-51
  • Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz also threw for 4 touchdowns similar to the draftee before him, instead going for a shorter 199 yards in their own rout of the struggling Broncos.
• Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys - Final score 17-28
  • In another surprising reprieve, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott returns to delay his six-game suspension to defeat the penalty-prone Chiefs.
• Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers - Final score 20-10
  • All Day Adrian Peterson carried the Cardinals to victory over the 49ers with a career high 37 rushes for 159 yards. San Francisco is one of two teams to remain winless.
• Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans - Final score 20-23
  • The Titans come out strong after their bye week to post a solid victory over the Ravens and extending their ongoing winning streak to 3 games.
• Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks - Final score 17-14
  • Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins sneaks in a touchdown, marching 70 yards in less than 40 seconds in a late rally. Washington's defense rallies on the final play to hold off the Seahawks in a thriller.
• Oakland Raiders @ Miami Dolphins - Final score 27-24 Sunday Night Football
  • Raiders quarterback Derek Carr throws for 300 yards as the Raiders continued to overcome multiple adversities and mistakes to defeat the Miami Dolphins.
• Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers - Final score 17-30 Monday Night Football
  • The Lions storm into Green Bay to snap a 3 game losing streak against their NFC North rival as well as build on a 2 game winning streak in Lambeau Field.

 

We've got a handful of very exciting games this week so it was a little difficult for @Sugar and I to pick one, but we think this will be one to watch.

Minnesota Vikings @ Washington Redskins Sunday 11/12 (1:00 EST)

The History & Preview:
Our next game of the week takes us into Landover, Maryland where two teams fighting to remain alive for the playoff race. These two teams have met quite freqently despite placing in different divisions. The Redskins lead the all-time series 13-12-0 including the postseason 3-2-0. One of the most memorable moments between these two teams was the 1987 NFC Championship game where Minnesota's constant playoff upsets were continued in a defensive heavy battle, losing 10-17. Their struggles continued with Vikings quarterback Wade Wilson, who was sacked by 8 different Redskins. Washington would go on that season to defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII 42-10.

This year, the Vikings are firmly in control of the NFC North with a 6-2 record, being 2 games in front of rivals Green Bay and Detroit. They have a much larger cushion than the Redskins, who are third in their division 4-4 and 3.5 games behind their Eagles rival. Washington is coming off of a close game, holding off the dangerous Seattle on the final play to secure an unorthodox rally to victory...possibly keeping their season alive for the time being. Minnesota will meanwhile be returning from their bye week, refreshed and ready to go. Will the Redskins continue to believe that they can make the coming playoffs? Or will the Vikings march into Landover to spoil their hopes?

The Keys to Victory and Final Score:
Much of Washington's offensive prowess is going to come onto the shoulders of quarterback Kirk Cousins. There is a wide array of weapons on "Captain Kirk"'s starship from running back Rob Kelley, wide receiver Josh Doctson and tight end Vernon Davis. Starting tight end Jordan Reed has seen very limited playing time and him suiting up may be in question, however the seasoned Davis has done more than his share in filling the niche. Minnesota's defense is one of the better groups in the league and teams have struggled to move the ball against them both in the air and on the ground. Vikings defensive linemen Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen will be eager to stop the run and the secondary led by cornerback Xavier Rhodes and safety Harrison Smith will be matched up against the less-experienced Josh Doctson. The success of Washington's offense will come down to their offensive line. Seeing a multitude of injuries, they'll have to do everything possible in order to keep Cousins protected from Minnesota's nasty pass rush.

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been called back into the Vikings' active roster after a 15 month hiatus, although head coach Mike Zimmer has stated that quarterback Case Keenum will remain the starter. Minnesota's previous quarterback Sam Bradford has been moved to IR. In his stead, Keenum has found some steady rhythm to keep the team atop their competitive division. However Washington's defense has clamped their jaws down on costly errors in the past and they'll be looking for every opportunity for Keenum and company to make a mistake.
The Vikings will have a handful of experienced pass catchers in Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs and tight end Kyle Rudolph up against Redskins cornerback Josh Norman and safety DJ Swearinger. Both teams have Pro Bowl tight ends and part of the passing battle can boil down to who exploits the safeties better. Look for this to be a defensive battle and low scoring game.

FINAL SCORE: 13-17 Redskins OR 26-10 Vikings​

 

Week 10 has concluded! Here are the scores! We had some close games and some blowouts as well as the usual unexpected. (Totally a paradox right there)

And talk about how wrong was I to predict the scoring analysis for Game of the Week!

• Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals - Final score 22-16 Thursday Night Football
  • Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson worked his magic on the Cardinals in casting out two touchdown passes to tight end Jimmy Graham to keep their playoff hopes alive in the NFC West division.
• New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills - Final score 47-10
  • The Saints are currently one of the hottest teams in the NFL, posting their seventh straight win. Saints running back Mark Ingram scores a career high 3 touchdowns in their rout of the Buffalo Bills.
• Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears - Final score 23-16
  • Despite the lack of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Brett Hundley manned the helm at Soldier Field and took control for the win throwing 212 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver DaVante Adams.
• Cleveland Browns @ Detroit Lions - Final score 24-38
  • Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford broke the tie early in the fourth quarter by a pass to tight end Eric Ebron, followed by a second strike to wide receiver Golden Tate, securing a victory over the winless Browns.
• Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts - Final score 20-17
  • Indianapolis capitalized on several crucial mistakes early in the game, however quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers would later rally back to tie and kick the winning field goal on the game's final play.
• Los Angeles Chargers @ Jacksonville Jaguars - Final score 17-20
  • The Jags dipped back into their bag of trick plays against the Chargers, coming out with an incredible fake punt with a win in overtime.
• New York Jets @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Final score 10-15
  • The Buccaneers ended their five game losing streak as their defense limited the Jets to a mere 200 total yards.
• Minnesota Vikings @ Washington Redskins - Final score 38-30 Game of the Week
  • The Vikings continue to dominate, adding on a 5 game winning streak in a shootout. Quarterback Case Keenum threw touchdown passes to four different Vikings to beat the Redskins despite the turnovers committed late in the game.
• New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers - Final score 21-31
  • The 49ers notch their first win of the season. Quarterback CJ Beathard threw for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns and ran in for a third in their win over the G-Men.
• Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Rams - Final score 7-33
  • The Texans continue to regress without rookie quarterback DeShaun Watson while the Rams cruised their way to victory through the multiple Texans turnovers and hopes of returning to the playoffs.
• Dallas Cowboys @ Atlanta Falcons - Final score 7-27
  • Falcons defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn sacked Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott 6 times, coming one shy of Derrick Thomas' record of sacks in a single game. With star running back Ezekiel Elliott suspended again, Dallas was no match for Atlanta's furious offense.
• New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos - Final score 41-16 Sunday Night football
  • The Broncos earned their fifth straight loss thanks to the Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady tossed for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns as New England took control early in the game to hold the lead through its entirety.
• Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers - Final score 21-45 Monday Night football
  • Panthers quarterback Cam Newton threw for a stellar 254 yards and 4 touchdowns as rookie running back Christian McCaffrey scored twice on a run and pass in their overwhelming victory against the Dolphins.

 

We're totally making Raiders @ Chiefs the Game of the Week when it happens. I'm sure the race for the division will be even more intense!

I picked up the Lions D in fantasy since they were playing Cleveland and my Eagles were on bye. They netted me 14 points, so I'd consider that a win

As a longtime 49ers fan, I screamed and ran around my house when the game ended. I guess that means we're getting 2nd overall again!

And as a Chiefs fan...and @Sugar and her Raiders...normally I'd have a bit of sympathy for a team that seems that it doesn't want to fight anymore...but we don't

After the Broncos had Manning destroying us for like five seasons, this is totally payback time.

 

I'm too busy enjoying USUM

Anyway, why don't I just get the second GoTW out of the way already?

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys (8: 30 PM EST) Sunday Night

The Preview and History

The second part of our GoTW doubleheader goes to the massive AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas in one of the most intense inter-divisonal rivalries in the entire League between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Overall, Dallas leads the series 65-51.
The Eagles are currently the NFL's hottest team, suffering only one loss thus far in the season and look to have a firm hold on clinching the NFC East title while the Cowboys seemed to have regressed from their sensational playoff run last season that ended in a heartbreaking loss to the Green Bay Packers. They will have to come out big in this must-win game if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive for the Wild Card.
Will the Eagles manage to exact vengeance on the Blue Star who handed them a devastating loss in overtime last season and continue their hot streak? Or will the Cowboys manage to stave off elimination from the postseason for one more week? The Keys to Victory and Final Score will give us our answer.

The Keys to Victory and Final Score:

The spotlight on Sunday night will be right on the two men under center. Quarterback Carson Wentz of the Eagles and Dak Prescott of the Cowboys. Both in their sophomore seasons and widely contrasting their rookie years. Wentz has had one of the best arms all season, posting 23 touchdowns to five interceptions. He's aided in the ground game by the running back duo of LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, two notorious power runners and in the passing game by his top target; tight end Zach Ertz, who is having the best season of his career thus far with 6 touchdowns. The Cowboys' defense has shown promise in their pass rush, however their secondary has struggled against pass heavy teams. They'll be hard pressed to counter the threats of Ertz, tight end Brent Celek and wide receivers Torrey Smith and Nelson Agholor.
The Cowboys offense will have the tough task of going up against a vicious Eagles defense. Their previously impenetrable offensive line has been shown to have a few cheeks and it'll be up to the Eagles' front seven led by defensive linemen Vinny Curry, Fletcher Cox and linebacker Brandon Graham to keep Dak Prescott on his toes with plenty of pressure.
The 'Boys are continuing on without star running back Ezekiel Elliott, so expect their running game to be suppressed early and mercilessly. If they are capable of shutting down the Cowboys again and again on both sides of the ball, they'll be able to fly back to Philly victorious and posses a stranglehold on the division title.

Final Score: Eagles 33 - Cowboys 16 OR Eagles 22 - Cowboys 28​