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 against the Arizona Cardinals White Mike Hughes Jersey , the Minnesota Vikings won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, giving the visiting team the football first. Dan Bailey’s kickoff was fielded at the goal line by Brandon Williams, and he could only return it to the 16 to set up the Cardinals’ first drive.The Cardinals couldn’t generate anything offensively, with Rosen’s pass for Larry Fitzgerald on third down falling incomplete for a three-and-out. Andy Lee came on to punt it away for Arizona, and the returning Marcus Sherels took the punt to the Minnesota 31.Kirk Cousins led the Vikings’ offense out onto the field, and immediately hit Laquon Treadwell on a pair of passes to get the ball to midfield. A short pass to Kyle Rudolph and a run by Latavius Murray set up the Vikings’ first third down situation of the afternoon, and Cousins’ pass was knocked down by Benson Mayowa, and the Vikings elected to go on 4th-and-2 from the Arizona 42. Cousins’ pass was once again deflected, this time by Corey Peters, and it went right back into his hands. Cousins tried to get the first down, but was stopped short, resulting in a turnover on downs.Arizona picked up a first down on a short screen from Rosen to fellow rookie Christian Kirk to move themselves into Minnesota territory at the 46. Rosen and Kirk then connected again, as the pair connected on a pass that Kirk took down to the Minnesota 11-yard line, a 35-yard gain. The Vikings’ defense stiffened and got a stop, forcing the Cardinals to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Phil Dawson. Dawson connected, and the visitors took an early 3-0 lead.The kickoff from Dawson went through the end zone for a touchback, giving the purple a start at their own 25-yard line on their second possession. Cousins immediately went back to work, hitting Adam Thielen for the first time on the day for a 15-yard gain and a first down. Latavius Murray then broke off the Vikings’ best run play of the year, rambling for 26 yards into Cardinals’ territory at the 34. Kyle Rudolph was then flagged for a false start, but Cousins went back to Thielen for nine more yards. The Vikings got a little tricky, as Stefon Diggs took a handoff to the 21-yard line for a first down.Cousins then had another pass knocked down, so they turned back to Murray, and he finished the drive. He took a handoff from Cousins and blasted through the line, rambling 21 yards for the Vikings’ first rushing touchdown of the season. Dan Bailey added the extra point, and the home team found themselves up 7-3.Bailey’s kickoff went through the end zone, putting the Cardinals on their own 25 to start their third possession of the afternoon. On the Cardinals’ first play of the drive, David Johnson got a nice run, but was stripped by Anthony Barr! Sebastian Thunderbucket, Tom Johnson fell on the loose ball, and the Vikings were in business at the Arizona 31.Murray got the call on first down for a short gain White Laquon Treadwell Jersey , and then Tom Compton was flagged for a false start. Cousins got the yardage back, connecting with Diggs down to the Arizona 17 for a first down. Cousins was then sacked by Corey Peters to set the offense back a bit, and then Roc Thomas was taken down for a loss by Chandler Jones to make it third-and-long. Cousins completed one to Treadwell, but didn’t get anywhere close to the first down, and the Vikings called on Bailey again. His 37-yard attempt got just inside the right upright, and the home team extended their lead to 10-3.Bailey’s kickoff went through the end zone for a touchback once again. Two short runs by David Johnson set the Cardinals up with 3rd-and-6, and Rosen was taken down on a blitz by a combination of Mackensie Alexander and Anthony Harris for a three-and-out! Andy Lee came on to punt again, and Sherels was ruled down at the 31-yard line.As we move to the second quarter of play, the Vikings are looking at 2nd-and-1 from their own 40-yard line.After one quarter of play, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 10-3, and they’re looking for more. Come on in and join us for the second quarter of action!Vikings’ NFC North Rivals: News and Notes from Camp The 2018 NFL Preseason is rolling right along, and when it comes to news and notes from around the NFC North Division, the Daily Norseman has you covered!Week 2 (3 in Chicago) has drawn to a close, and the division had a mixed bag of successes and failures.On Thursday, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers - who started third string quarterback Mason Rudolph - 51-34.On Friday, the Detroit Lions dropped a game to the Eli Manning/Saquon Barkley-less New York Giants 30-17.And on Saturday, the Chicago Bears continued the NFCN dominance against the Denver Broncos, winning by a score of 24-23.With that, let’s walk around the division, with this week’s recap, shall we?Chicago BearsChicago played a game of “Good Mitch”/”Bad Mitch” for most of the first half against Denver.The Bears’ offense on their first drive of the game consisted of Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Tight End Trey Burton, and not much else.“Good Mitch” hit Burton three times on the drive for 38 yards, while all other offensive players (not counting penalties) totalled just 8 yards and the possession ended with Cody Parkey missing a 51 yard field goal.Their second drive netted negative 5 yards before “Bad Mitch” took his eyes off a shotgun snap from Cody Whitehair and was sacked in the end zone by Bradley Chubb for a safety. On the Bears’ next possession, “Good Mitch” hit Trey Burton again, this time for a seven yard touchdown, rekindling Bears’ fans faith in the young signal caller.Finally, “Bad Mitch” once again reared his ugly head, and tossed an interception to end his evening.“Good Mitch’s” final stats were 4/4 for 45 yards and a TD to Trey Burton for a 153.3 passer rating (GOOD!), and “Bad Mitch” was 5/9 for 45 yards and an INT to everyone else http://www.authenticsminnesotavikings.com/cheap-xavier-rhodes-jersey , for a passer rating of 29.63 (BAD!)The team escaped the game with only a couple of injuries, as Tight End Adam Shaheen went down with an ankle injury which was described as a low ankle sprain, and is expected to miss a couple of weeks.On the defensive side of the ball, pass rusher Leonard Floyd broke fingers and had surgery, but isn’t expected to miss any time.The Bears host the Kansas City Chiefs this Saturday.Detroit Lions“Bad Matthew” Stafford wasn’t about to let “Bad Mitch” have all the fun, though. After handing the ball off to Ameer Abdullah to start the game, “Bad Matt” then fumbled the ball (check the box score Lions fans鈥?it was credited to “Bad Matt”, not Abdullah), which was recovered by Chanhassen, MN’s own Frank Ragnow, who the Lions selected 20th overall in the 2018 draft.“Bad Matt” wasn’t done, however, as on the very next play, he was sacked for a ten yard loss, forcing a punt.On the Lions’ next possession, Theo Riddick took a “Good Matt” pass 42 yards to extend a drive which ended in a Matt Prater field goal.Finally, on “Bad Matt’s” final drive of the game, he took a seven yard loss on second-and-9, pinning the Lions back at their own 5 yard line.“Good Matt’s” final stats were 1/1 for 42 yards to Theo Riddick.“Bad Matt” went 1-4 passing with two sacks for a net of negative 8 yards. ***Note - I don’t believe Stafford is Bad at all.In fact, I’m only calling him “Bad Matt” to make myself feel better about Kirk Cousins’ not-so-good day against Jacksonville. I am, however, a firm believer that Mitch Trubisky is, in fact, bad.The Lions backfield situation keeps churning.Ameer Abdullah got the start over rookie Kerryon Johnson, but that may have been due to the fact that Johnson took the opening kickoff.None of the backs looked particularly effective, averaging less than three yards per carry (the exception was Theo Riddick, who rushed once for six yards).LeGarrette Blount had a seven yard run, but managed only 25 yards on his other ten carries.If I had to wager right now, I think the backfield will consist of Johnson, Riddick and Blount.Maybe they keep Zach Zenner as a RB/FB hybrid for depth.Abdullah has had plenty of chances to show what he can do http://www.authenticsminnesotavikings.com/cheap-matt-wile-jersey , and really hasn’t shown much.The Lions travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers this Friday.Green BayThis week’s game featured “Always Awful Aaron” versus Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-stringer Mason Rudolph, who - on his team’s first offensive play, coughed up a 25 yard pick-six to Tramon Williams.Thirteen seconds in and “Bad Mason” already had his team trailing by seven.“Always Awful Aaron” finally came in to the game, and proceeded to DO what “Always Awful Aaron” always DO.He marched his team down the field, got them inside the red zone, forced a penalty for too many men on the field, then immediately threw a touchdown.5 plays, 40 yards, 1:33 off the clock.14-0 Packers.But when “Bad Mason” came back to the sidelines, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin replaced him with “Don’t Do Anything Except Hand The Ball Off To James Conner” Mason.He did just that, as Conner rushed the ball three times in the three play drive for 58 yards (and drew a 15 yard facemask penalty) and a touchdown to bring the Steelers to within seven.DDAEHTBOTJC Mason returned to the sidelines and was replaced by “OK, Go Ahead And Try That Passing Thing Again Mason”, who took just TWO plays this time to get his team into the end zone, hitting “I’ve Already Got Plenty Of Names And This Bit Is Beginning To Get Old JuJu” Smith-Schuster with a beautiful pass in the back of the end zone to tie the game up.Green Bay would score twice more and add a field goal before halftime, but it was Rodgers’ return from a horrible collarbone injury last season that sent the Lambeau faithful into fits of uncontrollable gyrations, rarely seen outside of the deep south. “To be back at Lambeau was a thrill and the ovation touched me,” Rodgers said. “I have to kind of wipe away some tears in my eyes.”Yes.He said that.“Always Awful Aaron” was his typical dominant self - in his own patented Awful way - albeit in very limited action.He ended his night 2-4 for 35 and a TD.During the game, Packers Running Back Jamaal Williams was tackled from behind by the Steelers’ Vince Williams.Vince Williams, according to some accounts, seemed to have held on a little longer than necessary and twisted Jamaal Williams’ ankle.Was the play dirty?You be the judge.My own @completely unbiased opinion@ is that maybe Jamaal Williams’ quarterback is rubbing off on him, just a bit.Hard to tell from that angle, I guess.Jamaal Williams called out the Steelers linebacker in the locker room after the game, saying that “He could’ve stopped and let go of my leg a long time before.”Williams said that in the future, if the it happens, he’ll just kick the defensive player.“If the ref asks why I’m kicking, I’ll be like, `Hey, he’s twisting ankles.’ I’m just going to do what I’ve got to do to survive honestly.”The Packers did get some good news on the injury front this week.Outside Linebacker Nick Perry has returned from the PUP list, with the goal being a week one return against the Chicago Bears.The Packers travel to Oakland to match up with the Raiders Friday night.

Fourth Quarter Open Thread After pretty much not showing up for the first half of their Week 3 contest against the Buffalo Bills Youth Harrison Smith Jersey , the Minnesota Vikings received the opening kickoff of the second half, staring at a 27-0 deficit. Mike Hughes got the ball to the Minnesota 21-yard line to set the Vikings up for their first drive of the third quarter. It looked like the Vikings would once again go three-and-out, but the Bills were called for a penalty when Tre’Davious White was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Adam Thielen to keep the drive going. As the Vikings approached midfield, however, Kirk Cousins was sacked for the fourth time on the day to end the drive. Matt Wile punted it away, and the Bills took over at their own 20-yard line.Buffalo went three-and-out on their next possession, highlighted by a sack of Josh Allen by Stephen Weatherly. Mike Hughes almost fumbled away the punt return opportunity, but the Vikings recovered at midfield, and a penalty on the Bills gave Minnesota possession in Buffalo territory for the first time on the day at the 42-yard line.Minnesota went for it right away Youth Stefon Diggs Jersey , but a pass from Cousins to Stefon Diggs that could have been a touchdown fell incomplete. On the next play, Cousins tried to hit Latavius Murray, who got smashed by a Buffalo defender and had the ball bounce up into the air. It landed in the hands of Matt Milano. . .who, unfortunately, plays for the Bills, making it a turnover for the Vikings to end their best opportunity thus far.Minnesota did force a punt, and took over inside their own 5-yard line. After one first down, the Vikings’ offense stalled once again, as Jerry Hughes blew past Riley Reiff on back-to-back plays to force bad throws.The Vikings defense forced a three-and-out at the end of the quarter White Eric Kendricks Jersey , and as we move to the fourth quarter of play the Vikings are looking at first-and-10 from their own 32-yard line.I’m out of words, ladies and gentlemen. The Minnesota Vikings are getting positively annihilated by the Buffalo Bills at home, 27-0, going into the fourth quarter of play. Stay tuned for the post-game recap and what might be the easiest Stock Market Report in SMR history. In the 2016 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings made Dalvin Cook the centerpiece of that year’s class, taking him in the second round with the 41st overall selection. In the 28 games that the Vikings have played since then (counting postseason contests), Cook has been available for just seven of those games, owing to a knee injury that cost him much of his rookie season and a hamstring injury that has hampered him this year. However, that might be set to change on Sunday when the Vikings host the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.According to numerous sources on social media Kirk Cousins Jersey , Cook might be making his return to the field this week. If he does so, he will be playing a limited number of snaps.Of course, that was originally the plan for Cook leading up to the Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals as well. Cook actually had some full participation practice in the week leading up to the Cardinals game, but after going through pregame warmups, he was scratched once again. Unless I missed some reports, there wasn’t any consideration give to making him active in Week 7 or Week 8, either.Cook suffered his hamstring injury in overtime of the Week 2 tie against the Packers, and has not actually been on the field since the first half of the Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He was on a set snap count for that game, too Authentic Mike Hughes Jersey , and did not play in the second half.In Cook’s absence, Latavius Murray has done a respectable job helping the Vikings establish a running game, but it would be nice to see Cook back out on the field and making an impact again.We’ll have to see how this shakes out. Personally, I’m not going to believe he’s playing until he’s actually out there standing next to Kirk Cousins in the Vikings’ backfield.

 away from each other as fresh-faced college players at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York in late 2005 and never imaged this would happen.Twelve NFL seasons later for Smith and 11 for Peterson and they're now in the same backfield together with the Washington Redskins.The 34-year-old quarterback acquired by trade in February and 33-year-old running back signed off the street during the preseason have each been around the block a few times and now bear the expectations of trying to get Washington back to the playoffs."I think the sky's the limit Authentic Danielle Hunter Jersey ," Peterson said. "I feel like we can really be an explosive offense."For a team that has embraced continuity, including coach Jay Gruden going into his fifth season, the turnover from Kirk Cousins and a running game by committee to Smith and Peterson represents a huge shift.The Redskins believe Smith will better be able to command the offense that includes Peterson, now-healthy tight end Jordan Reed, receivers Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder and Paul Richardson and third down back Chris Thompson.From the first day of training camp, Smith has looked the part as the long-term answer at quarterback the way Cousins never did because of his predecessor's series of one-year deals. It helped that the Redskins signed Smith to a $94 million, four-year extension to make him their man.Likewise, Peterson took only a couple of days of practice to look as if he passed Samaje Perine and Rob Kelley as the top running back after second-round pick Derrius Guice tore the ACL in his left knee and changed the franchise's course for this season.Smith is coming off the best season of his career when he threw for 4,042 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions with Kansas City. He doesn't want to label this his so-called "prime," but Smith appears to be in the midst of it."I still feel like my best football is ahead of me certainly," Smith said. "I still feel like I have been ascending. I still feel like I haven't reached my potential which pushes me, challenges me to continue to strive to get better. I still feel like I am a young 34-year old and I do have a lot of ball ahead of me."Peterson has a lot of tread on the tires as the 12th-leading rusher in NFL history and had his past two seasons cut short by injuries. One workout was enough for Gruden to believe Peterson still had something left, and 11 carries for 56 yards in his preseason debut showed everyone else a glimpse of the 2012 league MVP who ran roughshod in purple for so many years with Minnesota."Having him on the team, it's a joy," said left tackle Trent Williams, a longtime friend of Peterson's dating to their time together at Oklahoma. "It's a dream come true. I'm happy to see him, and I know we'll open up some lanes for him. So I know he's going to shine."Peterson will occasionally catch younger running backs staring at him in disbelief and is proud he inspired some of them with his career. Smith similarly has the resume to earn immediate respect from teammates http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-eric-kendricks-jersey , who are ready to line up with him and Peterson to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season."They both are very respected veterans in this league for a reason, for their work ethic and playing abilities," Reed said. "We've got two great players on our team, and they're perfect fits for what we need."Some things to watch with the Redskins this season:ROLL TIDEThe run defense and pass rush should be much-improved with second-year lineman Jonathan Allen healthy and the addition of Alabama teammate Daron Payne, the 13th overall pick in the draft. Allen had his rookie season cut short by a foot injury, and Payne didn't miss a step after injuring his left ankle early in camp."He's a big-time player," linebacker Mason Foster said of Payne. "Really athletic, has a great grasp with the defense already. Just a physical freak so, playing behind him is going to be great."DIFFERENCE-MAKING NORMANJosh Norman is going into the third year of a $75 million contract with just three interceptions for the Redskins and none last season. His abilities as a cover cornerback are unquestioned and mean he gets fewer opportunities, but Norman also dropped a handful of potential interceptions in 2017 and is being counted on — and paid — to make that kind of a difference in a young secondary."It's just that six inches from making a play to not making a play," Norman said. "Touching (your) hands, DB rules you got to have it."THOMPSON THREATWith a combined 804 yards and six touchdowns rushing and receiving, Thompson was Washington's secret option last season before breaking his fibula in November. Thompson is still trying to overcome the mental hurdle about making cuts on his right leg, but just being on the field is a plus."Chris Thompson is a key asset to our offense," linebacker Preston Smith said. "He's a great (running) back, he brings a lot of different tools to the offense."SLOW STARTERSThe Redskins are 0-4 in season openers under Gruden, who was also criticized for their performance in a potential win-and-get-in game against the New York Giants who had nothing to play for in Week 17 in 2016. Gruden played it safe in the preseason by resting players coming off injuries to avoid a similar problem to a year ago, but with a difficult schedule on paper, Washington needs a strong start at Arizona and against Indianapolis to contend for the playoffs.Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at ://SWhyno .Zimmer: Pat Elflein won’t practice this week Youth Harrison Smith Jersey , “likely” won’t start on PUP List Yesterday, we spoke briefly about how we were getting down to crunch time on the status of Minnesota Vikings’ center Pat Elflein. Elflein, who has not yet practiced this offseason while recovering from multiple surgeries, is still on the team’s Physically Unable to Perform List, and if he’s on that list next Saturday when the Vikings set their 53-man roster, he would be forced to miss the first six weeks of the regular season (while not counting against the 53-man roster).On Sunday morning, Vikings’ head coach Mike Zimmer gave an update on Elflein’s status, and it’s a little bit strange, to say the least.Zimmer stated that Elflein would not practice this week in the lead up to Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Elflein likely wouldn’t have played in the game anyway, but the fact that he’s not going to be practicing is still a concern.However. . .Zimmer also said that he didn’t think that Elflein would start the season on the PUP List, and therefore would not have to miss the first six weeks of the season.If Elflein doesn’t practice all offseason, it’s hard to tell just how ready he would be for the regular season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on 9 September. This could lead to a situation where the team thinks that Elflein isn’t ready to play, but isn’t six weeks away from being ready to play, either. In that case, they could move him to the active roster and simply deactivate him each week until he’s ready to go again. In that case, he would count against the team’s 53-man roster.The situation with Pat Elflein is one that we’re definitely going to be keeping an eye on. By this time next week, good or bad, we’ll have a definitive answer to the whole thing.

when Tom Brady completed his first NFL pass in 2000.Now Mahomes New Orleans Saints T-Shirt , whose undefeated Kansas City Chiefs play at New England on Sunday night, is the talk of the NFL in just his second season."That's the future of the league, so it's always great to see young players come in and learn from the guys in the past," the 41-year-old Brady said Friday. "Just like I did when I was young. I had a lot of guys that I looked up to, got to play against Brett Favre and some other really great players."Mahomes has thrown 14 touchdown passes and just two interceptions to go with a quarterback rating of 112.7. His team is second in the league with 35 points a game.Speaking on a conference call this week, Mahomes said he watched Brady a lot in college at Texas Tech."My coach in college was Kliff Kingsbury, and he actually was a backup for Brady at one point New Orleans Saints Hats ," he said. "And so he showed me things that he liked with Tom and his pocket movements and stuff he did within the pocket that I've tried to put in my game a little bit."He's someone that's had a ton of success in this league and is someone that you do take stuff from."Brady has seen all this before from other young quarterbacks — Mahomes being the latest after Deshaun Watson last season."I think quarterbacks always pay attention to other quarterbacks," Brady said. "You're just watching the way they're moving the ball. There's a lot of different ways to lead your team and move the ball down the field and score points."So if you can learn things from other players you're always trying to and if your offense is hot, you're scoring a lot of points, I think everyone is trying to learn from what they're doing. They're just executing really well and I think that's what we need to take from them."Brady understands that his defense clearly has more reason to take greater interest in Mahomes than he does."I look at it as a team that's 5-0," he said. "They're very talented and they've been playing very well all season and that's how I see it."He added: "This one's going to go down to the wire. They're good in all three phases, they score a lot of points, they rush it well New Orleans Saints Hoodie , they've got a lot of skill players, they've got a lot of playmakers on defense. So we're going to be tested in all areas."Brady is hitting 69 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and an uncharacteristic six interceptions — the last two off the hands of his receivers — for a 96.1 rating. He said he reached out to Drew Brees after the New Orleans quarterback overtook Peyton Manning on the all-time passing yardage list.Brady, who goes for his record 200th regular-season win Sunday night, and Brees are both chasing league passing records. Asked if he and Brees are competitive over the numbers, he said, "Not really . mildly competitive guys."We played against each other in college. We beat him — my senior year (Brady at Michigan, Brees at Purdue) Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys , which was good. He's had a great career. I think so highly of him and everything he's accomplished. He's a great player, a great leader, played on two different teams, been so productive," he said."It's great when you see that happen. It's a very competitive league, and to be around competing is really a privilege to still be able to do it. I feel that way myself. I'm sure he does, too." It’s a pretty common occurrence for fans and analysts to make bold predictions about a game or season. If the prediction doesn’t come true www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com , then that’s OK - you said it was bold! If it DOES come true, though... now you look like a genius!So in that spirit, some of the Canal Street Chronicles writers were asked to share with me a bold prediction or two for the Week 4 of the regular season for the New Orleans Saints: on the road against Eli Manning and the New York football Giants. This is their chance to look brilliant!Here are a few of the bold predictions provided by some of the contributors at Canal Street Chronicles:The Daily Advertiser-USA TODAY NSophomore Bounce Back - Marcus Williams gets a pick-six. (Tee)CThe Other Cam - Cameron Meredith has 125+ receiving yards and 2 TDs. (Brian)Big Day for the Defense - Saints defense recovers two fumbles. (Ellias)Defensive Line too - Saints defense sacks Eli 6 times. (Alex) Change of Strategy - Marshon Lattimore shadows Sterling Shepard all game. (Chad)Can’t Guard Mike - Michael Thomas scores 3 TDs. (Butler)Here are my three bold predictions for the game:Chuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsSaquon Barkely finishes with twice as many rushing yards as the entire Saints team in a Giants loss.Taysom Hill returns a kickoff for a touchdown.Drew Brees passes for less than 250 yards.So there are some of our bold predictions for the game. What are yours?

WHICH SAINTS WR WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST BOOST IN PRODUCTION WITH TED GINN ON INJURED RERSERVE?The Saints have been high on Tre'Quan Smith since the preseason. He had 16 receptions (three for 20 yards or more) this summer Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys , and with Ginn sidelined in Week 5 he caught three passes for 111 yards and added two TDs. His two scores went for 62 and 35 yards, showing he's a big play receiver. Although he was second on the team in routes run, in Week 5 he only received three targets.Cameron Meredith should play most of his snaps from the slot. He might receive more targets and catch more passes than Smith, but Smith has the bigger upside. Saints receivers have a tough matchup against a good Ravens defense this week, so don't become alarmed if neither player puts up big numbers. Both receivers should see an uptick in production but Smith has better potential for the rest of the season.WHICH UNDER-THE-RADAR WR HAS THE BEST CHANCE FOR A BIG GAME IN WEEK 7?Bears WR Allen Robinson has been dealing with a groin injury this week. He may not play and if he does, he might be limited. Robinson's injury could make Taylor Gabriel Chicago's most targeted receiver this week. Gabriel hasn't dropped a pass since Week 3 and has two straight games with 100 receiving yards or more. The Patriots defense has given up the third most TDs to wide receivers with nine this season. Gabriel leads Bears WRs with four targets within the 10-yard line, so should have a good opportunity to score a TD in Week7.Jets WR Jermaine Kearse could be in line for another double-digit target week vs. the Vikings. With Quincy Enunwa out www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com , Kearse should play a significant portion of his snaps from the slot, a weakness for the Vikings defense.WHICH UNDER-THE-RADAR RB HAS THE BEST CHANCE FOR A BIG GAME THIS WEEK?Peyton Barber may eventually lose his starting job to rookie RB Ronald Jones but it's not likely to happen right now. Barber's coming off his best performance of the season, having rushed the ball 13 times for 82 yards (that's 6.31 yards per carry). He also added four receptions for 24 yards and a TD. He has the potential to build upon that with a choice matchup against the Browns. They've given up 4.67 yards per carry and the second-most rushing TDs to the position this season.Kerryon Johnson could also have a larger role out of the Lions backfield this week if Theo Riddick is forced to miss time due to his knee injury. Johnson has averaged 5.98 yards per carry in his last four games and could be featured in the Lions passing game if Riddick is out.WHICH UNDER-THE-RADAR TE COULD BREAK OUT?Fantasy football players have been waiting a long time for Austin Hooper to emerge as a reliable fantasy TE. Well, it looks like it's finally happening. Hooper has caught nine passes in each of the last two weeks and has over 70 receiving yards in each of the past two outings as well. With Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley battling injuries and questionable to play on Monday night, Hooper should see double-digit targets for a third straight game.CAN YOU RECOMMEND A GOOD BUY LOW TARGET AMONG WRS?Browns WR Jarvis Landry averaged just under seven catches per game through Week 3. He's maintained an average of 11 targets per game, but since Week 3 his has just over four catches per game.Now he gets a very favorable schedule over the next four weeks, facing the Buccaneers New Orleans Saints T-Shirt , Steelers, Chiefs and Falcons. All four of those teams are top 6 in most yards per game yielded to slot receivers. If you own Landry, use him with confidence starting this week. If you don't, his two catch for 11-yard Week 6 performance might allow you to trade for him at a discount.IF DALVIN COOK IS ACTIVE FOR WEEK 7 SHOULD HE BE IN STARTING LINEUPS?Cook's status (hamstring) needs to be closely monitored as game time approaches but even if he's active, if you have an alternate option, you should use it. Leading up to Week 6, Cook's practice status was as both a limited and full participant New Orleans Saints Hats , he was also questionable, then likely to play and finally inactive. With the constant uncertainty surrounding his availability and the number of snaps he'll play if active, try to minimize your risk and slip another RB into your lineup if possible.IS IT TOO LATE TO TRY TO TRADE STEELERS RB JAMES CONNER?No. It never hurts to put a player with Conner's skill set on the trading block and allow offers to come your way. The potential impending arrival of Le'Veon Bell could drive down Conner's fantasy trade appeal, but if and when Bell reports, he's probably not going to be able to take on a full workload for a couple of weeks.If Bell reports and is activated for Week 8 he'd probably suit up, but it might take until Week 10 before he can possibly work as a bell cow back again. It could even still be a time share. Don't be too surprised if Conner retains a significant role in the Steelers offense.Gauge his value if you have another feasible option at RB that you can slide into your weekly lineup. If you don't, continue to use Conner until he's no longer a surefire starter. The corresponding move needed to make room for new receiver Dez Bryant has been announced New Orleans Saints Hoodie , and receiver Cameron Meredith is headed to injured reserve. According to Head Coach Sean Payton, he’ll undergo a knee scope as he’s been dealing with swelling in the knee that was injured in August.While Payton did note that they expect him to recover fully it’s unlikely that he’ll return this year. Austin Carr had begun to receive more snaps than Meredith on gamedays and was used in more run blocking opportunities as well. He’s been held without a catch since playing against the Washington Redskins where he had 5 catches for 71 yards.Meredith’s final 2018 stateline will read as 9 receptions for 114 yards and 1 touchdown, but he did catch 90% of the passes thrown his way.In the brief glimpses the team saw of him healthy he was able to produce efficiently. Now, the team will have to wait until next year to see if he can be a long term positive impact player.

Football matchup between the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints. Here’s how it looks for Sean Payton’s squad.WR Ted Ginn Jr. (knee)DE Trey Hendrickson (illness)LB Manti Te’o (knee)OL Cameron Tom (knee)OL Will ClappDL Mitchell LoewenDB Demetri GoodsonGinn Jr. was previously ruled out of action on Saturday with a knee injury Color Rush Sheldon Rankins Jersey , and Te’o (knee), Tom (knee), and Trey Hendrickson (illness) all entered as questionable. With Ginn Jr. officially sidelined, the Saints should look at getting Cameron Meredith, Austin Carr, and Tre’Quan Smith more involved.We should see more of Alex Anzalone and Craig Robertson with Te’o missing his third straight game of the season. He was spotted among the players jogging and warming up during pregame festivities, so perhaps it’s a good sign for him to return after the bye week.Kickoff is not far away. Where will you be watching? Nick Kwiatkoski and DeAndre Houston-Carson combined for a big play for the Chicago Bears on a kickoff in the first quarter against the New England Patriots on Sunday.Chicago's (not very) special teams got progressively worse from there.The Bears managed very little resistance on Cordarrelle Patterson's 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Kyle Van Noy scored off a blocked punt in the second half of the Patriots' 38-31 victory."Special teams errors just in general are inexcusable," said a sullen Ben Braunecker Youth Mark Ingram II Jersey , a backup tight end who was unable to stop Dont'a Hightower on the blocked punt. "But those especially, against that competition."Chicago (3-3) had played pretty well on special teams before this weekend, but the breakdowns against New England (5-2) were too much to overcome, even with the Patriots lacking star tight end Rob Gronkowski because of back and ankle injuries.It was the first time New England scored two touchdowns on special teams since Oct. 4, 2010, at Miami, when Brandon Tate returned a kickoff 103 yards against the Dolphins and Kyle Arrington scored off a blocked field goal."Obviously we take a lot pride in what we do, so we've got to watch the film, correct it and get ready to make some plays coming up the next game Youth Alvin Kamara Jersey ," Houston-Carson said.The Bears made it a one-score game on Mitchell Trubisky's 11-yard touchdown pass to Trey Burton with 4:13 left, but Patterson returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Patriots' 41.New England punted the ball into the end zone in the final minute and Chicago was turned away on its last chance when Kevin White was stopped at the 1 on a 54-yard reception as time expired.The dramatic finish made the Bears' trouble on special teams all the more painful."Anytime you give you give up two touchdowns, and oh, by the way, it's the Patriots with Tom Brady, your chances are slim," coach Matt Nagy said.It wasn't all bad. Kwiatkoski forced a fumble on Patterson's first return of the day and Houston-Carson recovered, setting Chicago up deep in New England territory. Trubisky's 8-yard run made it 10-7 Bears with 59 seconds left in the first quarter.Jordan Howard scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter, but Patterson took the ensuing kickoff http://www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com/cheap-ken-crawley-jersey , cut inside past rookie defensive back Kevin Toliver II and ran away from kicker Cody Parkey on his way to his sixth kick return TD since his debut with Minnesota in 2013, tops in the NFL in that span."I just missed a tackle. That was it," Toliver said. "Just something I just can't do."The game was tied at 24 in the third quarter when Hightower bowled over Braunecker and got to Pat O'Donnell in plenty of time for his first career blocked punt. Van Noy picked up the ball and ran 29 yards for his first career touchdown .It was the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown by New England since Tedy Bruschi accomplished the feat at Baltimore in 1996. It was the first time it happened against Chicago since Tom Flynn recovered a punt blocked by Eric Howard in the end zone for the New York Giants on Sept. 14, 1987.Braunecker wasn't exactly sure what happened right after the loss, but called the play "really unacceptable" and said he was embarrassed."My legs just got taken out from under me and before I knew it I was flat on my back," he said. "It's just, can't imagine a worse feeling on the football field knowing that you're responsible for something like that."Jay Cohen can be reached at s://jcohenap

 and despite going against one of the NFL’s best scoring defenses http://www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com/authentic-phillip-dorsett-jersey , the New England Patriots offense was able to break the 38-point barrier. There was a lot to like about the team’s offensive performance during its 38-31 win over the Chicago Bears – from Josh Gordon’s 100-yard output to the offensive line slowing down a ferocious pass rush. However, one play puts a damper on the entire victory.Coming out of the timeout between quarters one and two, the Patriots called a run with workhorse back Sony Michel as the ball carrier. The play ended at the line of scrimmage and with the first-round draft pick losing the football. The Bears recovered the fumble and ultimately turned it into a touchdown nine plays later. The turnover, however, was secondary at that point: Michel remained on the ground due to an apparent injury.As the Patriots later announced, the 23-year old hurt his knee while going to the ground. And while an MRI later today will give more clarity on the severity of the injury by the sheer looks of it, it could be a serious one. Considering that Michel is New England’s number one running back and a productive presence in the backfield, losing the rookie for an extended period of time would be a huge blow to the team.“It’s tough to see a guy like that go down,” fellow running back James White said in his press conference immediately after the game. The veteran, who finished the day with 97 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, played a big role in helping the team adjust after Michel was lost yesterday. He also knows that Michel had fought his way back after another knee injury limited him for most of the Patriots’ training camp.“He’s been battling some injuries and been working hard and playing well,” White added. Michel indeed played very well recently and especially over the three games leading up to yesterday’s contest in Chicago lived up to his first-round label: serving as New England’s early down bell-cow and goal line back, the 31st selection of this year’s draft registered 67 carries for a combined 316 yards and four touchdowns.Equally important as the stats is his presence as a threat from the backfield – which, in turn, helps open things up elsewhere. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick explained the impact of an improved running game last week: “When the running game is effective, that helps the play-action passes a lot.” Without Michel in the lineup Youth Lawrence Guy Jersey , this aspect of New England’s offensive attack would likely also suffer as a consequence.“We all hope he’s okay,” added quarterback Tom Brady – one of the primary beneficiaries of an improved running game. “He’s doing a great job for us.” Whether Michel gets a chance to continue this job in 2018 remains to be seen. Whatever today’s MRI will ultimately reveal, though, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the rookie will at least miss some time – practice or in-game – due to the injury suffered against the Bears.“Just hope for a speedy recovery for him,” said James White. As things stand right now, this is the best Michel’s teammates can do.From Aqib Talib to Corey Coleman: Bill Belichick’s pursuit of top draft picks The New England Patriots addition of former Cleveland Browns 15th overall pick and wide receiver Corey Coleman shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans of the team because the transaction follows a familiar pattern.An early draft pick burns out with a different team while still on their rookie deal. Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio thought highly of the player coming out of the draft and thinks the player might be more successful in a different situation. The Patriots add the former top draft pick with varying levels of success.There are plenty of previous examples of these trades, but the Patriots seemed to really commit to this style of talent acquisition in 2012 when they acquired cornerback Aqib Talib from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the final year of Talib’s contract.New England is rarely able to add elite talent in the draft because the team is so successful year after year and have late picks. One workaround for the team is to take major risks on players with injury histories, like Rob Gronkowski and Dominique Easley. These blue chip players would have gone much earlier in the draft had they remained healthy. Instead, the Patriots took a risk and drafted them later.The other way to add the top talent is by acquiring players still on rookie deals from other teams (or through free agency). The Patriots acquired former 39th overall pick Akeem Ayers from the Tennessee Titans for peanuts in 2014 and former 50th overall pick Jonathan Bostic from the Chicago Bears in 2015.Then they hit hyperdrive in 2016, trading for former 6th overall pick Barkevious Mingo from the Browns, former 7th overall pick Jonathan Cooper from the Arizona Cardinals, former 40th overall pick Kyle Van Noy from the Detroit Lions, and former 47th overall pick Eric Rowe from the Philadelphia Eagles en route to winning Super Bowl LI.The Patriots went back to that well in 2017, trading for former 20th overall pick Brandin Cooks from the New Orleans Saints, former 29th overall pick Phillip Dorsett from the Indianapolis Colts, and former 60th overall pick Kony Ealy from the Carolina Panthers.Some of these trades http://www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com/authentic-trey-flowers-jersey , like for Talib, Ayers, Van Noy, and Cooks were rousing successes. Other were complete busts, like for Cooper and Ealy. But the Patriots were generally giving up late round picks for these players, so the success rate has been pretty stellar given the cost.The Patriots are hoping for a similar success rate this year with the acquisition of former 12th overall pick Danny Shelton from the Browns and we could easily put former 29th overall pick Cordarrelle Patterson and his relatively cheap $3.25 million contract in a similar category, along with the newly signed Coleman.Even if just one of these players pans out as a top contributor, the Patriots gave up what should be a late 2019 3rd round pick for Shelton, Patterson, Coleman (for free!), and the 210th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft (Braxton Berrios). That’s incredible value, especially given the relatively average success rate of a late third round pick.So Coleman could be cut later this week. Maybe he’ll stick around once Julian Edelman returns. Maybe he’ll get a couple hundred yards over the course of the whole season. Maybe the Patriots will extend him beyond this year if he fits in with the system and team culture.Who knows. The Patriots team-building strategy is set up so the team won’t have to mortgage away their future in order to find out.Update: The Patriots cut Coleman after six days to make space for another former top draft pick, wide receiver Josh Gordon. On and on we go.

 It was not a perfect 60-minute performance. But Youth James White Jersey , to paraphrase Gertrude Stein: a win is a win is a win. The New England Patriots were able to get their sixth of the season on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills and now sit at 6-2 and comfortably ahead in the AFC East. They are also making themselves comfortable near the top of league-wide power rankings.GO PATS!Around the AFC East:(6-2) New England Patriots vs. (3-3-1) Green Bay Packers(4-4) Miami Dolphins vs. (3-5) New York Jets(2-6) Buffalo Bills vs. (4-3) Chicago BearsAFC Matchups:(7-1) Kansas City Chiefs at (2-5-1) Cleveland Browns(5-3) Houston Texans at (3-5) Denver Broncos(4-2-1) Pittsburgh Steelers at (4-4) Baltimore Ravens(5-2) Los Angeles Chargers at (4-3) Seattle Seahawks(3-4) Tennessee Titans at (3-4) Dallas Cowboys(1-6) Oakland Raiders at (1-7) San Francisco 49ersBye Weeks: (5-3) Cincinnati Bengals, (3-4) Tennessee Titans, (3-5) Indianapolis Colts, (3-5) Jacksonville Jaguars************************************************2nd - Elliot Harrison (NFL.com): No movement for the Patriots, although Saints fans think their team should have leapfrogged New England. Funny how 25-6 division wins -- on the road, no less -- are not enough anymore. The Patriots’ defense gave up 46 yards on the ground and forced two turnovers to take the pressure off Tom Brady, a la the Dolphins game a month ago. Offensively, James White caught his usual 150 passes (10 for 79), while his touchdown plunge capped off the key drive of the game, pushing a close six-point affair to 18-6 in the fourth quarter. Side note: Cordarrelle Patterson ... Cordarrelle Patterson ... got 10 carries. He has more rushing attempts than receptions this season.2nd - Expert Consensus (Bleacher Report): For much of Monday night’s game in Buffalo, the New England Patriots looked little like the machine that entered Week 8 riding a four-game winning streak with at least 38 points in all four games.The offense just wasn’t the same without rookie tailback Sony Michel, settling repeatedly for field goals. The defense was OK. The Bills have a tendency to make every defense look at least OK. But with linebacker Dont’a Hightower also sidelined, it was off a beat as well.However, this was a game featuring one of the NFL’s best teams against one of the worst. That became reality in the fourth quarter, when a James White touchdown run and a Devin McCourty pick-six blew things open.It’s likely not an effort that Bill Belichick will be pleased with ahead of another prime-time matchup this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.But the Patriots, as they usually do, took care of business—and in doing so locked in a stranglehold on the AFC East.What a surprise.2nd - Rebecca Toback (SB Nation): The NFL’s top contenders seem pretty clear at the halfway point of the season. The Rams www.newenglandpatriotsteamonline.com , Patriots, Chiefs, and Saints have imposed their will on their opposition and are paving their paths toward the playoffs. The Patriots are ... the Patriots. An annual contender and always-dangerous team. 2nd - Staff (AP Pro32). 3rd - Nate Davis (USA Today): Trick — RB position decimated? All good. They’ll give bulk of carries to Cordarrelle Patterson and Julian Edelman while TB12 paces them in ypc (8.0) amid #TB1K pursuit.3rd - Mark Maske (Washington Post): The Patriots struggled for three quarters Monday night in Buffalo but broke things open in the fourth quarter, aided by a TD by their defense. They have a short week to prepare for Sunday’s game at home against the Packers, only the second career meeting between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as starters (Rodgers also faced the Patriots and Brady once in relief of an injured Brett Favre).3rd - Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): It was sluggish, it was sloppy, it was uninspiring. And they still beat the Bills by 19 points.3rd - Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): It wasn’t pretty against the Bills, but they found a way. They have to be better against Green Bay.3rd - Russell Baxter (Fansided): Next Week: The Pats face their third NFC North opponent this season as they return to NBC’s Sunday Night Football and host the Green Bay Packers. Of course, it’s the much-anticipated clash between star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. New England host this interconference series for the first time since 2010.4th - Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): The Patriots got what ended up being an easy win against an overmatched Bills team. But can we at least talk about the fact that Rob Gronkowski really doesn’t look right, and hasn’t most of this season?4th - MMQB Staff (SI): It took the Pats a little longer than you’d expect to pull away from the Bills. Now they have to get ready for the Packers on a short week.4th - Bryan Fischer (Athlon Sports): Didn’t learn a ton from that outing in Buffalo other than the fact that finishing drives was a bit of an issue on the road. The Josh Gordon situation that popped up before the game is worth monitoring however.4th - Joe Giglio (NJ.com): Another year, another playoff bye on the way for New England.4th - Experts (ESPN): The Patriots entered their Monday night game against Buffalo having not played a game without a turnover on offense. For a team that traditionally is among the league leaders in turnover differential, it is an area of concern that has been noted weekly by coach Bill Belichick.4th - Joshua Schrock (NESN): The Patriots were predictably vanilla and uncharacteristically sloppy in their 25-6 win over the Bills. Will New England make a deal for a marquee wide receiver by Tuesday’s trade deadline?.Week 8 Average Rank: 3.1 (-0.2)**[Editor note from Marima: Called it last week, the Pats were going to win their way down in the rankings.]*******************************************************************SB NATION SAMPLING:2nd - Brandon Lee Gowton (BleedingGreenNation): The Pats have won five in a row. They’re back in comfortable control over the AFC East.2nd - David Fucillo (NinersNation). Hey Bill, if we’re getting the band back together, maybe text Chicago about Akiem Hicks while you’re at it?With the Patriots defense nursing a hangover-grade 27th-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed, the wins lately may have been a welcome distraction from a defense that’s pretty clearly either still getting their sea legs or...(gulp)...just might not be that good. Any kind of firepower in the front-seven that helps the Patriots get back to the Belichick defenses of old that’d rip the ball out of your hands and then run around the sidelines going THEY AIN’T GOT IT would surely be appreciated.Still, though New England Patriots T-Shirt , this is weird: NBC Sports Boston is reporting that the Patriots have had “internal discussions” (as opposed to what...external discussions?) about reacquiring a dude who was at one point viewed as a key building block for the rest of the 2010s – linebacker Jamie Collins. Er, sorry, Jamie Collins SR now.Much like a Stephen King movie, this is weird on many levels. One, Collins obviously got shipped out of town a couple years ago for a third-rounder and about 30 seconds after that, reports came out that the coaching staff was pissed that he kept improvising and not sticking to the play call. Second, Jamie got knocked out for the season last year due to a knee injury, which, given the injury records of the Pats linebacker corps as is, is not great. Third, he hasn’t exactly been tearing it up on the field either - Pro Football Focus graded Jamie’s 2017 season as his worst ever. They graded him out at a 42.1 for last year, which, when your PFF grade is approximately the same as the temperature outside, that’s never good.Finally, there’s that whole cap hit thing after Cleveland extended Jamie for $50,000,000 over 4 years New England Patriots Hats , which seems way too rich for the Patriots to take on right now, given that they only have *checks @patscap* $5,262,629 in space at the moment, and that’s after re-structuring Gilmore. So I did what anyone would do and hit up the Pulpit’s resident salary cap wunderkind Brian Phillips for some deets.(This is what happens when you ask for a “rough” estimate):If this trade goes down, the Pats would take on a $6,088,235 as a cap hit, with $5,863,235 of that being salary. That’d mean there’s some work to be done if the trade goes down, but it’s certainly not impossible if Bill thinks getting Collins back in blue and white is worth it.What do you guys think? Should New England try to snag Collins, or leave it alone?

Save your concern [url=http://www.newenglandpatriotsteamonline.com/shaq-mason-jersey]Authentic Shaq Mason Jersey[/url] , Don’t get it twisted now, Jacksonville deserves a lot of credit. The Jaguars made a very clear statement yesterday afternoon: we are here and we are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. We knew the Jaguars had a star-studded defense filled with dogs on every level. And we knew they had the personalities that talk that talk and walk that walk. They are the new Seattle Seahawks with their own version of the Legion of Boom and they played like it against the reigning AFC champs. Their secondary showed why they are regarded as one of the best in the NFL and their elite front seven put enough pressure on quarterback Tom Brady to make him uncomfortable all night.But Jacksonville’s Super Bowl conversation begins and ends with quarterback Blake Bortles. The fifth-year quarterback picked up from where he left off last year in the playoffs and is beginning to show real signs of progression. Gone are the days where you can simply stack the line of scrimmage, hoping to stop the run and force him to beat you.Bortles did a great job of picking apart New England’s questionable secondary as he was accurate with the ball, navigated the pocket well, and made the Patriots pay for their predictable defense. Jacksonville’s wide receivers beat New England’s secondary all night, especially Keelan Cole. The second-year receiver had himself a career game in which he reeled in 7 catches for 116 yards, 1 touchdown, and this jaw-dropping catch:But what we saw yesterday is nowhere close to what we’ll see from this Patriots team come December and January. Brady and company got off to a slow start as Jacksonville’s front seven was able to control the line of scrimmage and frustrate New England for the better part of the first half. Even when they were able to get that ferocious front seven under control, the wide receivers struggled to create separation from Jacksonville’s secondary. Red zone mishaps further hampered the team as a Stephen Gostkowski missed field goal, a Dante Fowler strip sack on Brady, and a third down athletic blunder from Cordarrelle Patterson thwarted the Patriots’ chances at a comeback. We all forget how to be athletes sometimes.But I’ll say it again: I ain’t worried about this team. We have seen all of this before. Brady has had worse receivers and Julian Edelman is still waiting to return from his four-game suspension. Just last year we saw Stephon Gilmore and the rest of the secondary struggle at the beginning of the season but turn it around come playoff time. And Coach Belichick will make the required adjustments on defense if they meet this team again as we can no longer sell out to stop Jacksonville’s run game. As long as we have this coaching staff, this quarterback, and this offensive line, who has proven that they can compete with the best of them, I ain’t worried. Yesterday was simply about two teams at two different stages. One of those teams is hungry and firing on all cylinders. The other is in the midst of finding their tools to success while trying to mesh some new and returning pieces.Come January [url=http://www.newenglandpatriotsteamonline.com/julian-edelman-jersey]Womens Julian Edelman Jersey[/url] , this team will be in a completely different position from today, the same position we have come to expect them to be in every winter: Super Bowl contention. I ain’t worried about this team.Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski hasn’t scored a touchdown in four straight games New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski only has one touchdown in 2018 and it came all the way back in the season opener. He is on pace for 74 receptions, 986 yards, and a mere three touchdowns this year.For the record, this is still a great year for a tight end, especially with Gronkowski still blocking at an extremely high level. Over the past decade, Jason Witten (5 times), Jimmy Graham (4 times), Greg Olsen (3 times), Tony Gonzalez (2 times), Vernon Davis (2 times), and Travis Kelce (2 times) are the only tight ends to exceed 900 receiving yards multiple times.The four other First or Second Team All Pro awards:Dallas Clark, 2009 First TeamAntonio Gates, 2009 Second Team, 2010 Second TeamMarcedes Lewis [url=http://www.newenglandpatriotsteamonline.com/ja_whaun-bentley-jersey]Authentic Ja'Whaun Bentley Jersey[/url] , 2010 Second Team (there was a tie for second)These tight ends make up all but four of the past First or Second Team All Pro distinctions over the past decade. Gronkowski has exceed 900 receiving yards four times and each time he was named First Team All Pro. But we also have a different set of standards for Gronk and 3 touchdowns would tie his 8-game 2016 season for the least in his entire career.There are reasons for the “lack” of production, too. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when Gronk had a mere 15 yards on 2 catches, free safety Tashaun Gipson covered the tight end “man on man” for “much of the game.” Gipson said that “the key was getting his hands on Gronkowski early in routes and being physical.” Gipson did a great job, but he also had some help underneath from coverage linebackers Telvin Smith and Myles Jack, who helped out with the high-low bracket coverage. Against the Detroit Lions, Gronkowski had 51 yards on 4 catches and Lions head coach Matt Patricia went heavy with the bracket coverage, too. He had safeties on the inside and outside of Gronkowski and made sure to hit the tight end at the line of scrimmage as often as possible to prevent him from building into his routes.Both the Jaguars and Lions were able to dedicate their defensive resources to stopping Gronkowski because they didn’t believe anyone else could carry the Patriots offense. Telvin Smith mentioned that there were only two players that Brady could rely on in the offense: Gronkowski and running back James White. White had 84 yards against the Jaguars, but no other Patriots player was able to step up and deliver.The introduction of Josh Gordon, the return of Julian Edelman, and the continued development of Sony Michel should help Gronkowski face softer coverages. But these three factors coincided with Gronkowski suffering an ankle injury ahead of the week 4 match-up against the Miami Dolphins that has lingered through week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts.So whether it’s a combination of great defensive play or Gronk battling an injury, the end result is a measly 46.3 yards per game over the past four weeks and Gronkowski hasn’t scored a touchdown. This is only the second time in Gronkowski’s entire career that he’s gone four straight games without at touchdown.The other time? Gronkowski’s historic 2011 season, when he failed to record a touchdown in games 4-7.He finished that season with 1,329 yards and 18 touchdowns. Maybe Gronkowski will go on a tear and start scoring more. I would be thrilled to see that happen. More realistically, I think Gronkowski’s days of averaging a touchdown per game are a thing of the past. When looking at Gronkowski’s 16-game moving total over the course of his career (ie: looking at how many touchdowns he’s scored over the previous 16 games) [url=http://www.newenglandpatriotsteamonline.com/trey-flowers-jersey]Authentic Trey Flowers Jersey[/url] , Gronkowski peaked in 2011 after the divisional round blowout against the Denver Broncos, with 20 touchdowns in the previous 16 games.Gronkowski has scored 10 or fewer touchdowns over the previous 16 games in just 33 of his 105 weeks that qualify (ie: everything after the 16th game of his rookie season). Three of those weeks came at the end of his rookie year when he had 10 touchdowns, and into the first week of 2011. A fourth time came after his previous 4-game scoreless streak in 2011.Gronk then averaged 11 or more touchdowns in his 16-game rolling total in 64 of his next 65 weeks (the one exception: week 7 of 2014, which includes his hobbled 2013 season).But since the start of the 2016 season, Gronkowski has averaged 10 or fewer touchdowns in 28 of a possible 30 weeks. He’s entering his third consecutive season of reduced scoring where we have to legitimately ask ourselves if the injuries have caught up to Gronkowski.The tight end started the 2016 season with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for two games and then he suffered a back injury that required his third career back surgery. He missed Julian Edelman in 2017, but Gronkowski still had his least-productive All Pro season (cue the eye rolls). Whatever’s happened to Gronkowski, he’s still the best tight end in the NFL. It should be noted that Gronkowski’s decline in touchdowns hasn’t really impacted his yardage total as he’s ranged between 1,100-1,300 yards for most of his career. He’s the best run blocking tight end and he remains one of the top receiving targets. I expect Gronkowski to start scoring more touchdowns, even if he never comes close to his 18-touchdown season in 2011. But the distance between Gronkowski as a receiver and the rest of the tight ends in the league has shrunk.And, if we’re lucky, Gronk will score three touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs and will end up spiking this entire article into the dirt.

 Power Rankings In ESPN’s latest NFL preseason rankings www.chargersfootballauthentics.com , the Los Angeles Chargers broke into the top-10, moving up two spots from 12th. In the newest rendition of the rankings, the writers also named a player to watch for each team throughout the next few weeks of the preseason. Here is what Chargers Beat Writer Eric Williams had to say about the Bolts:“RB Detrez Newsome. An undrafted rookie out of Western Carolina, Newsome came to life in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals, scoring on a 6-yard run and doing a backflip for his touchdown celebration. He also finished with four receptions for 34 receiving yards. Newsome, who also had a 37-yard run for a score called back due to a clipping penalty, has a chance to earn a roster spot as the No. 3 running back.”I have to say I agree with Eric. Newsome took full advantage of Justin Jackson’s absence from Saturday’s game and showed he has what it takes to play in this league. In the same vein of Austin Ekeler and his journey to the final 53 last year Los Angeles Chargers T-Shirt , Newsome is showing the propensity for big plays and the uncanny ability to make something out of nothing. If Jackson’s injury lingers for another week, I fully expect a larger dose of carries for Newsome against the Seahawks this week.Philip Rivers Wants an Antonio Gates Reunion It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Philip Rivers wants Antonio Gates back with the Chargers.According to Jack Wang of the O.C. Register, Rivers would be all for bringing back Gates.With Hunter Henry done for the season after suffering a torn ACL on the first day of OTAs, Gates has been one of the more popular options among Chargers fans. The future Hall of Famer will bring familiarity into the Los Angeles locker room, and a much needed receiving threat. Last season Gates proved there was still something in the tank as he found the end zone three times and caught 30 passes for 316 yards.Plus, the other tight ends on the roster have little to know experience as a receiver. Virgil Green was signed to help block and has 807 receiving yards in his entire career. While Sean Culkin Los Angeles Chargers Hats , Braedon Bowman, Cole Hunt, and Ben Johnson have a combined zero catches in their career. Gates may not solve all of the problems the Chargers will have after losing Henry, but it would make Rivers quite happy. The Rivers-Gates connection has been the best in NFL history. The duo has connected on 87 touchdown passes, a record for quarterback-tight end tandems. Could they have one last run in them before Gates (or Rivers) hangs them up?Gates may not be the player he once was, but Rivers doesn’t trust anyone as much as he trusts 85. The Chargers are now in desperate need for a reliable red zone threat and even though he’ll be 38 in a few weeks he can still get open for six.