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Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Brandon Aubrey picked up top NFC Special Teams honors after a huge game against Tampa Bay.
It was the kind of game in which Dallas had to play complementary football all the way until the final whistle. Early on the offense took advantage of just about every opportunity and scored on almost every possession they had in the first half. As the game wore on the defense took over and ultimately came away with the turnover that won the game. Throughout all of that though one thing remained constant and that was special teams.
With all due respect to the entire special teams group, it was Brandon Aubrey who was the steady beat of the metronome. Aubrey nailed four field goals throughout the game, three of which were beyond 50 yards out. The fourth was 49, so just out of that particular range.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Aubrey was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week as a result of his efforts.
Big Blue View
Giants-Colts Week 17 preview: 5 storylines to watch
0-9 at home?
The Giants, as we have mentioned many times, can become the first team in NFL history to finish a season 0-9 at home should they lose to the Colts on Sunday. It is a bit misleading to say “NFL history” because playing nine games at home only became possible when the league expanded to a 17-game season in 2021.
Regardless, it is a mark Giants players and coaches would rather not set.
Is winning even a good idea?
As of today, the Giants own the No. 1 overall pick in draft. There are only two quarterbacks worthy of selection at the top of the draft, three if you include Jalen Milroe. Currently, the Giants have their pick of the litter. A win on Sunday and all three might be out of reach, just like Daniels and Drake Maye were out of reach a year ago.
Bleeding Green Nation
Don’t get too riled up about Sunday’s loss to the Commanders
Sunday’s 36-33 loss to the Commanders in the nation’s capitol was annoying and frustrating. After building up a 14-0 and 21-7 first quarter lead, it’s hard to believe the NFL’s No. 1 defense allowed 22 fourth-quarter points and become the first team since 2010 to score 30+ and create 5+ turnovers and still lose, but lose they did.
Just like against the Falcons on Monday Night Football in Week 2, they couldn’t secure a gimme catch to salt the game away and couldn’t stop an opponent from driving the length of the field to score a go-ahead touchdown with seconds remaining.
It was an exceedingly frustrating afternoon. [T]he Eagles likely have played their way out of the NFC’s one first-round bye with their loss to the Commanders. That’s a big deal….
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles-Commanders Film Review: Analyzing the weirdest defensive performance
Analyzing Philadelphia’s defensive performance from their Week 16 loss to Washington.
This was the weirdest defensive performance I have ever tried to analyze. What defense gives up five passing touchdowns and has five turnovers? It’s unheard of. I’ll do my best to analyze this one, but it was a weird game.
Here is the final play. Firstly, Washington’s concept is fantastic. Washington knows that the Eagles are going to be 3 over 2 and they run a great concept to test the Eagles match zone rules. Ideally, Baun should have anything inside, Blankenship should take anything Vertical, and Cooper DeJean should take anything outside. Washington switches the receivers at the line of scrimmage, which gets a receiver on Baun. Washington runs a vertical route combined with a deep in which is a great call. DeJean has outside leverage, so he will struggle to cover the deep in. Therefore, both Blankenship and Baun get distracted and try to help out on the deep in. Daniels reads this perfectly, recognizes that no one is covering the vertical, and throws a dart. I don’t know how the Eagles coach this, but I would like Baun to take the vertical route and Blankenship to drive down on the deep in.
Credit Washington for a fantastic play call. If teams will challenge Fangio’s match zone coverage rules as frequently as Washington did this week, I wonder if Fangio will start running some more man coverage in these situations to be less predictable. I would have liked some more cover-1 man with a robber to give Washington something new to prepare for.
14) Let’s end here. I’ll save the details for my BGN post but it’s a fantastic concept that stresses the Eagles 3v2 matchup. When DeJean is beaten inside, Baun and Blankenship both try to help him out by undercutting the route. But someone (I think Baun) has to stay with the… pic.twitter.com/h1i0ch2xGU
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 23, 2024
Well, what a disappointing Sunday. Luckily, I don’t think this one matters too much, as the Eagles were likely to end up the #2 seed regardless. But I can’t lie; I was very annoyed watching this one live. This one hurt.
Pro Football Focus
Why your NFL team won, lost in Week 16
Why the Giants lost: If your quarterback throws two pick-sixes, chances are you’re probably not going to win the game. The Giants turned the ball over three times against the Falcons, with Drew Lock throwing two pick-sixes and losing a fumble. Lock earned a 38.6 PFF overall grade in the loss, completing just 56.4% of his pass attempts, and his three turnovers set the Falcons on their way.
Why the Commanders won: The Commanders turned the ball over five times but still snuck away with a big win over the Eagles. That was down to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels tossing five touchdown passes. Daniels earned a 74.8 PFF overall grade after throwing for 258 yards and rushing for 81 yards. He was at his best after the turnovers, and the Commanders leaned on him to create yards in the passing and rushing game.
Why the Eagles lost: Kenny Pickett stepped in for Jalen Hurts after the latter suffered a concussion, and Pickett struggled when pressured by the Commanders’ pass rush. He was pressured on 43.3% of his dropbacks, completing just 33.3% of his pass attempts for 26 yards, averaging 2.9 yards per attempt and earning a 60.4 PFF overall grade. He was also sacked three times. [Note: Pickett helped the Eagles offense score 33 points; his play was not the reason the Eagles lost. Philly’s #1 ranked defense gave up 22 points in the 4th quarter].
Why the Cowboys won: The Cowboys’ offensive line built a wall in front of Cooper Rush and did well to protect the Cowboys’ backup quarterback for most of the game. The offensive line allowed just two sacks and six pressures in the game, with Rush being pressured on 19.4% of his dropbacks. Four of the Cowboys’ starting linemen earned PFF pass-blocking grades of 70.0 or higher, too, with Tyler Smith earning an 83.5 mark and allowing zero pressures.
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Pro Football Focus
Ranking the best NFL rookies after Week 16
After 16 weeks of NFL action, the league’s rookies are making their mark with standout performances. Among the top-graded first-year players are a mix of highly touted first-round picks and impressive Day 3 selections, showcasing talent from across the draft spectrum.
Here are the highest-graded first-year players after 16 weeks of action.
1. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
PFF Grade: 88.8
Daniels delivered three big-time throws in the Commanders’ come-from-behind win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and is starting to build a reputation for his performances in clutch moments. The rookie quarterback has been remarkably consistent this season, as he’s finished with a single-game grade below 65.0 just three times.
2. RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PFF Grade: 87.8
Irving is just 80 yards shy of a 1,000-yard rushing season as a rookie, having forced 47 missed tackles on 168 carries. He’s also been a dangerous weapon in the passing game, earning an impressive 90.4 PFF receiving grade through 16 weeks.
3. EDGE Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
PFF Grade: 86.2
Verse remains the highest-graded rookie defender this season and is just two pressures away from hitting 70 on the season. Of his 68 total pressures, 20 have been sacks or quarterback hits. However, a missed tackle rate of 27.0% has been a significant blemish on his otherwise stellar rookie campaign and a key factor keeping him from the top spot on this list.
4. TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
PFF Grade: 85.8
Bowers returned to form in dominant fashion after a pair of quieter outings in Weeks 14 and 15. Against the Jaguars, he averaged an impressive 2.54 yards per route run and has maintained a stellar 2.9% drop rate on catchable passes this season.