\u201cWe have so many new weapons,\u201d Taylor told me. \u201cFrom Daniel Jones to Michael Pittman to Josh Downs to Alec Peirce, Tyler Warren. It\u2019s so tough to defend us. You kind of have to pick your poison on every single play. Are you gonna defend the pass? Are you gonna run? What are you going to do? When you have great players across the board, like we have, it makes it easy for us to make explosive plays. Now we\u2019re just matched up one-on-one.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not too many people deep, where there are people in each zone, or too many people stacked in the box. It\u2019s usually just a one-on-one we have to win. It\u2019s made it really tough to defend us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results of that are pretty staggering, too. Jones has thrown for 2,062 yards, 13 touchdowns, three picks and a 109.5 passer rating through eight starts. Taylor\u2019s at 1,056 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns, and is averaging nearly six yards per carry to get to 850 of those yards on the ground. Pittman (43 catches, 446 yards, 6 TDs) and Warren (37 catches, 492 yards, 3 TDs) are hovering around pace for 1,000-yard seasons. Downs isn\u2019t far off from that, and Pierce wouldn\u2019t be either, had injury not cost him a couple of games.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the line has gotten younger, and you might argue better after losing Will Fries and Ryan Kelly to the Vikings in free agency.<\/p>\n
The bottom line is, this is a really good group. And bringing it all together is how, as Taylor explains it, the whole becomes even greater than the parts. Taylor thinks how they all play for each other shows up in the chunk plays the Colts seem to be ripping off with regularity these days. Within the Colts\u2019 first four snaps, there was a 12-yard Taylor run, and 19- and 18-yard throws from Jones to Pierce and Downs, respectively. On the team\u2019s next possession, Taylor had runs of 15 and 18 yards, and Warren had a 15-yard catch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have athletes that we have and you can get your guys in space, and give them that one-on-one matchup, it\u2019s really tough for a defender to actually make that play,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cAnd of course for us it\u2019s, How can we be efficient? How can we be sure we can win that one-on-one matchup? Studying throughout the week who we\u2019ll be up against, and wanting to start fast, getting those chunk plays and letting the other team know\u2014This is gonna be a long day.\u201d<\/p>\n
It most certainly was for the Titans. Those two possessions put the Titans down 10\u20130 at the end of the first quarter. It was 17\u20137 at the half.<\/p>\n
And then, on Indy\u2019s first offensive snap of the second half, Taylor went 80 yards.<\/p>\n
What most of us saw on that one was one of the best backs of his era beating safeties Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods down the sideline. But what he saw was Pierce, Downs and Pittman blocking on the backside of the play, preventing a DB or two from running him down, and the line blocking it up to the point where he got to the sideline untouched, at which point he could turn it into a footrace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose plays right there that people love, it\u2019s usually the wideouts, it\u2019s the tight ends, it\u2019s the backside receiver getting a block,\u201d Taylor said. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve been able to be so explosive\u2014because everyone is fighting and digging for one another. For the running backs, Can you sell a really great fake, to pull one or two people in the opposite direction? We\u2019re all playing for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which brings us to the quarterback.<\/p>\n
Most of these guys were around last year. So, really, a lot of the elements that have sparked this Colts revival were in place. That makes Jones not the team\u2019s offensive starting point, but more so the guy who wound up bringing the whole thing together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he first got here, it seemed like he had the playbook for six months already.\u201d Taylor said. \u201cSo during OTAs, during the summer, we were able to, not blow past any parts of the playbook, but we had a lot of time to work on intricate checks and things that were going along with our scheme. I think now when defenses throw stuff at us, we are able to recall those reps that we got in the offseason and be able to execute at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s zero question the Colts have done that\u2014and it\u2019s happened on defense, too, with new coordinator Lou Anarumo shuffling the deck.<\/p>\n
So you can look at this as some sort of Daniel Jones story if you want.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d tell you there\u2019s a lot more to it than that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jordan Love was a winner in his highly anticipated first matchup against Aaron Rodgers. \/ Barry Reeger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
I bet, in a weird way, it was cool for Aaron Rodgers to watch what Jordan Love has become as his successor in Green Bay. I\u2019m not saying Rodgers didn\u2019t want to win Sunday night in Pittsburgh<\/a>\u2014obviously, the Steelers\u2019 quarterback did. And Love\u2019s play, and ability to pilot the Packers\u2019 offense at the level he can now, sure got in the way of that.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m not sure enough people know how strong the bond between Rodgers and Love is, even with all the drama that unfolded around Rodgers\u2019s exit from Lambeau in early 2023.<\/p>\n Even though Rodgers was far from pleased with the team\u2019s communication with him around the selection of Love in the 2020 draft, he made a point not to let things get icy between him and Love in the way things did early on between him and Brett Favre some 15 years earlier. So the two grew close. And even after Rodgers left for the Jets, clearing the way for Love to become the Packers\u2019 starter, the old man continued to be a sounding board for the young quarterback as he settled into the No. 1 role.<\/p>\n So when Love came alive in the second half of Sunday\u2019s 35\u201325 Packers win, and wound up throwing for 360 yards, three touchdowns and a 134.2 rating, do I think that Rodgers, in his gut, felt a little pride in how the kid played? I bet he did. And after talking to Love after the game, I can tell you for a fact that whatever emotion Rodgers felt about the whole thing \u2026 those were absolutely mutual.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely,\u201d Love told me. \u201cI knew what this week meant, and coming into it what it was going to be. So, definitely, playing well going against A-Rod, and coming out with the win feels great. Just like you said, the time we spent together, everything I learned, it definitely is special for me to go out and be able to play well with him watching. That\u2019s one of those things, I know he\u2019s been watching, I know he\u2019s studied some of the games we\u2019ve played.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s texted me that before\u2014he\u2019s seen some really good things from me, some great growth, and he\u2019s happy for me. We\u2019ve got a pretty special relationship, and anytime I\u2019m able to hear from him, get some good feedback and come out here and play well with him on the other side, it definitely felt good.\u201d<\/p>\n And even better was how Green Bay came from behind.<\/p>\n Love and his offensive teammates gathered at the half, after a first half that the quarterback said \u201cwasn\u2019t up to our standard\u201d left the visitors down 16\u20137. The main message? Guys weren\u2019t holding the rope, and doing their \u201cone-eleventh,\u201d in Packer parlance. And after the break, the message was clearly received\u2014with the defense starting the second half with a three-and-out, and the offense driving 90 yards in nine plays to cut the Pittsburgh edge to two points.<\/p>\n That, really, was all the Packers needed. Love wound up an incredible 16-of-19 for 214 yards and two touchdowns after the half, and Green Bay won going away.<\/p>\n It meant plenty in the standings<\/a>, of course, as the Packers stay in first in the NFC North.<\/p>\n But now that the game is over, Love can concede the obvious, and that\u2019s that this one did have more meaning\u2014because of how much Rodgers meant to his career.<\/p>\n \u201cOh man\u2014so much, so much,\u201d Love said. \u201cI definitely wouldn\u2019t be the player I am today without being able to watch him and learn from him, and just see a quarterback go out there and play at a super high level.\u201d<\/p>\n Which is to say, yes, it felt good for Love to put on a show.<\/p>\n Sign Up. SI NFL Newsletter. Get MMQB’s Free Newsletter. dark<\/p>\n The Texans are still lingering as that team with a chance. And not just a chance to catch the red-hot Colts in the AFC South. Houston has a chance to become\u2014after flashing potential in the playoffs the past couple of years\u2014a threat to the Chiefs and Bills in the conference.<\/p>\n This is about the talent on hand.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to see on defense. \u201cThey\u2019re lights out,\u201d veteran tight end Dalton Schultz told me, over the phone from the locker room after the Texans\u2019 impressive 26\u201315 win over the 49ers on Sunday. It\u2019s been tougher to find on offense, where the team has a boatload of promise, but a rookie left tackle, two rookie receivers playing increasingly significant roles and, most poignantly, a rookie offensive coordinator (Nick Caley) who was brought in to leverage C.J. Stroud\u2019s football IQ.<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s late-night loss in Seattle was a microcosm of where penalties, losses and sacks short-circuited promising drives to the point where the team\u2019s first offensive touchdown didn\u2019t come until there was 2:04 left in the game.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s losing ball, right there,\u201d Schultz said. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s making sure everyone does exactly what they\u2019re supposed to do. It\u2019s super simple, it\u2019s so clich\u00e9, but we got guys going to the wrong spots\u2014it\u2019s super simple clean-up stuff. Frustrating as it is, it\u2019s super correctable. We\u2019ve been so close on so much s— since Week 1.\u201d<\/p>\n The good news, like Schultz said, is it\u2019s explainable. The Texans are young in key spots, and in a new offense that\u2019s melding the West Coast pass game they had the past couple of years with elements of the New England run game and protection scheme, all wrapped in a new language everyone\u2019s had to learn.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an identity shift from what we were doing,\u201d Schultz said. \u201cBut at this point, it\u2019s almost halfway through the season. It\u2019s go time. You\u2019re gonna get left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n And the Texans looked to be playing with that urgency against the Niners. Stroud was at his best, going for 318 yards, two scores and a 106.6 rating, while getting three teammates five catches, and another two four catches\u2014with the aforementioned rookie receivers, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, in that group. He also did it without No. 1 target Nico Collins.<\/p>\n \u201cYou give him a clean pocket and a space to throw,\u201d Schultz said, \u201ckid\u2019s gonna light it up.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Houston grinded out 157 yards rushing and ran up 41 minutes of possession.<\/p>\n The defense did its thing, holding the Niners to 223 yards and 15 points, all of which opened a window into where the team can go. For the rest of us, anyway\u2014Schultz knows where that sort of navel gazing can lead a team that\u2019s fighting through it.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone\u2019s getting better week to week. If you aren\u2019t getting better, someone else is,\u201d Schultz said. \u201cYou can\u2019t step back and look at the entire picture, you\u2019ll lose focus on what you are trying to do. So I think for us it\u2019s been the biggest thing. Clean your own locker, make sure your s— is right. Because if you are on it, and whoever is next to you is on their s—, we will be rolling.\u201d<\/p>\n And maybe, coming off this game, the Texans will finally show they already are.<\/p>\n The Bills needed that one. In case you missed it, Sean McDermott\u2019s crew came into Carolina on Sunday, playing the organization he and GM Brandon Beane were once plucked from, and promptly stole the red-hot Panthers\u2019 lunch money. And there was no better example of how it happened than through the 64-yard touchdown run from James Cook that broke the game open in the second quarter.<\/p>\n On the play, center Connor McGovern worked to the second level and walled off linebacker Christian Rozeboom, while receiver Tyrell Shavers got downfield and cut off safety Nick Scott, creating an alley that Cook came through like he was shot out of a cannon.<\/p>\n The play was so well-blocked, Cook started jogging at the Panthers\u2019 25, cruising from there.<\/p>\n In the smaller picture, it gave the Bills a 12\u20133 lead in what would become a 40\u20139 laugher, snapping a two-game losing streak that Buffalo rode into its bye. In the bigger picture, it brought to life exactly what the coaches and players were trying to accomplish after a sloppy Sunday-night loss to the Patriots was followed by a stagnant effort in a Monday-night loss to the Falcons, which left a lot of people questioning Josh Allen & Co.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just went back to the fundamentals and just stayed true to us,\u201d Cook told me, after exploding for 216 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Charlotte. \u201cIt showed today. We had a long, hard week of practice, a great week of practice, probably the best week of practice since I\u2019ve been here. We just gotta keep grinding and keep working hard, and see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n Fair to say, on this Sunday, it went well for the AFC\u2019s preseason favorite.<\/p>\n As for exactly what went into the best week of practice of Cook\u2019s NFL career, he said it was: \u201cUrgency. The attention to detail in how we were working. Just getting back on track was our main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Specifically, on offense, that meant finishing blocks and runs in both the run and pass games, something that was perhaps best illustrated by the aforementioned downfield blocking, both from linemen hustling past the line of scrimmage and skill players staying on their blocks. On defense, it was guys along the front doing a better job than they did earlier in the month of focusing on their gaps.<\/p>\n The two-to-one disparity in run-game success (the Bills rushed for 245 yards, the Panthers went for 114) showed the progress.<\/p>\n Then again, this was a beatdown in every way imaginable. The Bills had 410 yards from scrimmage, the Panthers just 244, with even that low number padded in the fourth quarter by a 67-yard Carolina touchdown drive with the score at 40\u20133. Buffalo also had seven sacks to the Panthers\u2019 two, three takeaways without allowing Carolina one, and a seven-minute advantage in time of possession.<\/p>\n And for the first time since the first half of Week 3\u2019s Thursday-night game against the Dolphins, the Bills looked like one of the best teams in the league.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the impact of this one in the grand scheme of things? Cook wouldn\u2019t bite on that one, giving me the stock answer that he\u2019s \u201cjust taking every game one game at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n But, the Bills know they could have bigger things ahead, and this was a good step in pursuing those.<\/p>\n Aaron Glenn got his first win as a coach on an emotional day for the Jets. \/ Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know if Aaron Glenn is going to be the Jets\u2019 coach for the next decade, but I do know discussion of pulling the plug this early is asinine. It\u2019s also, quite frankly, how bad franchises stay bad\u2014and that\u2019s where the Jets are, and have been, as the organization with the NFL\u2019s longest active playoff drought.<\/p>\n Maybe some of that foolishness will die down now that Glenn has his first win, one that came in wild fashion, as his team fought back from deficits of 17\u20133, 24\u201310, 31\u201316 and 38\u201324 to beat the resurgent Bengals by a final of 39\u201338. Rightfully, this particular victory has been explained in the context of the tragedy the club went through<\/a> Sunday morning, with news spreading of franchise icon Nick Mangold\u2019s death. But there was more than intangible value to this one.<\/p>\n And the story of how it relates to the larger plan Glenn is trying to execute<\/a> takes us to the team hotel on Saturday night, less than 24 hours before the Jets would take on the Bengals. Glenn summoned veteran DT Harrison Phillips to the front of the meeting room to address his teammates, and Phillips, who was drafted by the Bills in McDermott\u2019s second year there and was in Minnesota for Kevin O\u2019Connell\u2019s first three years, didn\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n \u201cI really emphasized a lot of the things AG has been talking about with grit,\u201d Phillips told me, recounting the speech. \u201cThe definition he\u2019s put up there often has been patience and perseverance towards a long-term goal, and sustaining that long-term goal, so I talked about playing the long game. I talked about depth perception, and how sometimes if you think something is far away, you\u2019ll keep it there. If you think getting to the playoffs is a long-term, far-off thing, you perpetuate that and you\u2019ll never go get it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think about how close it really is, you go change one play from a couple of the games we had, we\u2019re a 5\u20132 football team, or a 6\u20131 football team, if you could go back and change it. So I try to let the guys know, you might have beat me yesterday, you might beat me today, you might beat me again, but you will not beat me in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bengals didn\u2019t beat the Jets in the end and, again, that ability to roll with the punches showed up again and again and again. The best example of it? How the defense put its foot in the ground in the game\u2019s final seven minutes. Over the first 53 minutes, that group had yielded 398 yards, 7.8 yards per play and 38 points to the Bengals. Then, somehow, the Jets summoned the strength to force a three-and-out and a game-ending turnover on downs, while allowing Cincinnati just one first down in those two possessions.<\/p>\n That opened the door that Justin Fields, who may have been benched were it not for Tyrod Taylor\u2019s injury, to lead touchdown drives of 60 and 58 yards and win the game, days after owner Woody Johnson publicly questioned his ability<\/a> to be the guy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s tough when you haven\u2019t seen the result you wanted but all the time the belief team is there,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cTo have an 0\u20137 team have that belief is incredible. And that\u2019s the culture AG\u2019s trying to build here.\u201d<\/p>\n So now, the Jets are 1\u20137, which only means they\u2019ve still got a long, long way to go.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s a start, and both Glenn and Phillips know how those go. The coach was in Detroit for the start of Dan Campbell\u2019s tenure as Lions coach, so he remembers 0\u20138 and 0-10-1 starts in 2021, and a 1\u20136 start in 2022, all of which became a preamble to the success that franchise is having now. Likewise, Phillips saw such retoolings in Buffalo and Minnesota, so he knows how these go.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in AG,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cI\u2019ve been around Sean when he was young; I was around KO when he was young in his career. He possesses those same traits. And there hasn\u2019t been success here for a long time. It takes a while to do that. That\u2019s why when we are creating this culture, it\u2019s about getting the right people, it\u2019s about developing the right people and you want a culture that elevates your talent, not a culture that hinders your talent.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re creating.\u201d<\/p>\n And that doesn\u2019t happen overnight.<\/p>\n Nick Mangold was beloved by teammates at Ohio State and with the Jets. \/ Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/p>\n While we\u2019re on the Jets, we need to recognize the shocking Sunday morning news of Mangold\u2019s depth. I knew Mangold a little bit, but not much. I was a graduating senior at Ohio State the summer the future All-Pro center was coming in, then crossed paths with him a bunch covering the Jets over the years. So I could tell you what I know about the funny, caring, tough and loyal Mangold.<\/p>\n But I figured it\u2019d be better to have our mutual friend Bobby Carpenter do it for me. Carpenter, like Mangold, was a member of Ohio State\u2019s star-studded 2002 recruiting class, and the two played four years together in Columbus, were All-Americans together, were first-round picks and NFL players together, and maintained their close bond through the years since.<\/p>\n Thanks to Bobby for taking the time to write this tribute at what\u2019s obviously a difficult time \u2026<\/p>\n Long wild hair, an untamable Viking beard, and standing 6’4″, weighing 320 lbs \u2026 Nick Mangold was a mountain of a man. Yet he was really the everyman, and it\u2019s no surprise he was beloved by Buckeye nation and the J-E-T-S faithful alike.<\/p>\n He was a seven-time Pro Bowler with the Jets and an All-American with Ohio State, but that\u2019s not what we will remember about Nick. From the first moment that anyone met Nick, they were immediately captivated by his personality. He was the \u201cBig Guy.\u201d Reminiscent of Vince Vaughn from his early-2000s run, he was the teddy bear. His quick-witted humor and ability to engage an entire room was lost on no one. While poor college students, Nick somehow talked our way into the booth scene in Vegas with some MLBers\u2014and had them pouring us drinks after 15 minutes.<\/p>\n He was a hugger. He had an opinion about everything and would engage with anyone that wanted to chat. Any bad day was instantly made better when Nick asked you to bring it in for the real thing. Despite his demonstrative stature, Nick had an approachability and connectability that endeared him to every person. It\u2019s why he was such a fan favorite, but more importantly a connector in the locker room. You always felt better after a conversation with Nick. He was the eternal optimist \u2026 and that was the biggest driver of his athletic success.<\/p>\n Nick never knew a stranger. And it\u2019s why his teammates adored him. He embodied everything Billy Joel sang about: \u201cHe was quick with a joke, or to light up your smoke.\u201d But the place he\u2019d rather be was always with his friends and family. His unrelenting loyalty was his finest trait. No matter the time or distance, when you saw Nick it was like hopping on a moving train. Your friendship and connection never waned. It\u2019s why we all loved him.<\/p>\n The Jets lost a legend.<\/p>\n Buckeye nation lost an All-American.<\/p>\n But his teammates and friends lost the best of us.<\/p>\n The Dolphins haven\u2019t rolled over yet\u2014and a lot of people figured they would as Mike McDaniel\u2019s job security seemed to evaporate<\/a> in recent weeks. I\u2019ll be the first person to raise a hand and say I didn\u2019t expect to see Miami routing the Falcons 34\u201310, or outgaining the Falcons 338 to 213, dominating time of possession, the line of scrimmage and just about every other facet of Sunday\u2019s showdown at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.<\/p>\n Indeed, what was supposed to be a burial became at least a temporary rebirth. And some Dolphins players will point to that result if you ask them whether they still have McDaniel\u2019s back.<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014today we showed that,\u201d linebacker and team captain Jordyn Brooks told me. \u201cUs, as leaders, we drive that point, to have his back. Whether we agree or disagree, we gotta have his back. As leaders, we can\u2019t be pulling away from that and contradict what Mike\u2019s message is, because now you\u2019re leading the team in confusion. Whatever Mike is being criticized for, we\u2019re there to enforce it as leaders and everyone will follow suit.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely we have Mike\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n There is, of course, a lot of water under this bridge. There\u2019s the residue from a star-friendly culture that created friction with the team\u2019s rank and file in 2023 and \u201924. There was the resulting firing of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio after \u201923, and revamping of the roster after \u201924. There was friction stemming from the changes, and the perception, at least, that McDaniel wasn\u2019t taking the bull by the horns when things started off on the wrong foot this year.<\/p>\n And then you have a Sunday like this one, where it all comes together.<\/p>\n I asked Brooks about the team meetings (plural) that Tua Tagovailoa referenced last week, and he politely declined to dive into that. But he did say there was room for tough conversation, and real reflection, after last week\u2019s rock-bottom loss in Cleveland that forced everyone to take personal responsibility for a 1\u20136 start that was getting worse by the week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe allowed ourselves to feel it and not hide from it,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cYou have to be real with yourself and real with others. I thought we had some things we addressed toward each other, as a team, being real with each other as players, coaches, etc. And watching the film and seeing how we had to get better, we made an emphasis on how we had to stop this upcoming team, the Falcons.<\/p>\n \u201cThe secret was coming back to work, emphasizing what we need to emphasize and keep pressing forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether it lasts remains to be seen. The Dolphins will play the Ravens on Thursday, and those stand-alone games sometimes take on outsized importance from a storyline perspective. Miami has the Bills after that. So the wheels could come off again.<\/p>\n So what did Sunday really prove, then? That this group is fully capable of putting those wheels back on.<\/p>\n Joe Alt is one of the best players in football. It sounds a little outlandish to say that about a second-year offensive tackle just 22 starts (21 regular season, one playoff) into his NFL career. But if Thursday night\u2019s 37\u201310 obliteration of the Vikings showed us two things about Jim Harbaugh\u2019s Chargers team, they are these \u2026<\/p>\n 1) The personality of the team runs through its offensive line.<\/p>\n 2) Alt is central to that personality, and became even more so after Rashawn Slater was lost for the season during the summer.<\/p>\n Simply put, absent Alt and Slater, the Chargers were stripped of their identity. The No. 5 pick in the 2024 draft went down in the first quarter of the team\u2019s Week 4 game against the Giants. Los Angeles lost that game, and then two of its next three with Alt on the shelf and working his way back from a high ankle sprain.<\/p>\n With Alt\u2019s return, it looked like L.A. flipped a switch, and the Vikings stood no chance Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cCredit goes to a lot of those other guys,\u201d general manager Joe Hortiz was sure to remind me Friday night. \u201cAnd Joe [Alt] would tell you if you got him on the phone, Hey man, I just did my job. But he does it well, and it is like, Hey, we got Joe back, man. It gives you a boost.\u201d<\/p>\n No one felt that more than Justin Herbert, who was right back at an All-Pro level with his blindside bodyguard back in the lineup. Herbert\u2019s numbers bear the difference out.<\/p>\n \u2022 With Alt: 94-of-138 (68.15%), 1,110 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs, 108.06 rating. Maybe most stark in there, too, was the difference in yards per attempt, a good metric to measure a quarterback\u2019s efficiency. Herbert is averaging 8.04 with Alt and 4.62 with him.<\/p>\n And that brings us to the second piece of this. That\u2019s the value of having a great left tackle in general\u2014and it just so happens the Chargers have two. There\u2019s been a lot of chatter in recent years on whether the position is as vital it once was. The truth, to me, really lies not in what happens when you have one, but what happens when you don\u2019t. A lot of so-so lines have been propped up by a great one. Conversely, not having a competent one is trouble.<\/p>\n The Chargers\u2019 first eight games are a microcosm of that.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, maybe it\u2019s not as important as it used to be,\u201d Hortiz said. \u201cMaybe not, because teams attack where weaknesses are, and everyone recognizes how important the offensive line in general is. Yeah, other positions have become appreciated more. The left tackle, that was your best blocker back 20 years ago. But when you don\u2019t have one? You ask any right-handed quarterback \u2026 a lot of them will tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n Herbert included.<\/p>\n Lamar Jackson was on the sideline Sunday, but it was not a quiet weekend around him. \/ Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know that the NBA gambling scandal<\/a> will mean much to the NFL, but the Ravens\u2019 injury reporting situation certainly shines a light on how thorny this all is. To be clear, I don\u2019t think Baltimore\u2019s slipup in listing Lamar Jackson as a full participant in Friday\u2019s practice, rather than as a limited participant, has anything to do with gambling. My guess is the next time John Harbaugh knows the over\/under on a Ravens game will be the first time.<\/p>\n That said, it certainly affected betting lines. Baltimore went from being a 6.5-point favorite to, at one point, a 1.5-point pick. So people in the know, as others have pointed out, would have a gaming edge, being able to take the Bears and the points at the higher number before what was inside information became public (that hypothetical gambler with the info could even then hedge his bet with a bet on the Ravens at the lower number).\u00a0<\/p>\n And in an era during which\u2014just a decade after the league was declaring sports betting an existential threat to the game\u2014the league is clearing every nickel it can make from gambling companies off the table, these sorts of irregularities are going to be scrutinized. (That the Ravens won by 14 and cleared even the original spreads are irrelevant.)<\/p>\n That\u2019s the bed the NFL has made for itself, and the league now has to lie in it\u2014 which it will do willingly because of all the money there is to be made.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u2022 Without Alt: 107-of-158 (67.7%), 730 yards, 7 TDs, 5 INTs, 97.35 rating.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n