Week 10 CareDont Care The Raiders new identity has a

Week 10 Care/Don’t Care: The Raiders’ new identity has a name – Josh Jacobs – Yahoo Sports

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Five things that are important to me

The Raiders immediately changed their identity

Aimless wanderings, a directionless map, a ship without a plan; All of these sentences could have accurately described the 2022 and 2023 Las Vegas Raiders.

Not everything is perfect in Raiders land, but they are 2-0 since banishing any remnants of Josh McDaniels’ head coaching disaster from the shadows. The best part is that interim coach Antonio Pierce has made a drastic turnaround to change the team’s identity.

The 2023 Raiders under McDaniels tried to be a pass-first team that distributed the ball to all areas of the field. It didn’t work and it certainly didn’t threaten the opposition. Opponents knew he would give them the game if only they had the current version of Jimmy Garoppolo running an old-school dropback offense. He obeyed so often, even when he looked good. Because of the lack of intimidation, the defensive fronts pushed the Raiders back and forth in the run game and offense in general.

Pierce made it clear that his version of the team would run the ball with authority and make Josh Jacobs the heartbeat of the offense. The mission on this front has been accomplished.

Against a strong Jets front, Jacobs managed over 100 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. He lost a late fumble but was otherwise perfect as a driving force on offense. He carried the ball a whopping 53 times in the last two games. There is no reason to believe that will change.

While some are quick to roll their eyes or accuse Pierce of being a “meathead” or “football guy” because he goes all out “run the damn ball,” his plan is brilliant. And it comes from a confidence that McDaniels never possessed.

This Raiders defense is a solid unit. Typically a sideline, this one has some standout moments on its resume. Las Vegas ranked 18th in EPA rankings per games allowed in Week 10; demonstrably solid. The Raiders are getting a Defensive Player of the Year style season from Maxx Crosby, one of the best players in the world, along with surprising seasons from Robert Spillane, Nate Hobbs and Marcus Peters.

Focusing on the ground game as part of this offense allows the Raiders to be at their best. Pierce has talked about shortening plays, limiting possessions and keeping plays close enough for Wolverines like Crosby to make a game-winning play. It works well together.

Pierce’s change in this team’s identity has brought Jacobs closer to the fantasy RB1 he was drafted as, and garnered full approval from players:

It couldn’t all be a deep contrast to the team we knew would start this season. It’s great for the Raiders, Jacobs’ fantasy managers and anyone who wants to rightly praise Crosby for the season he’s having. His special campaign now comes for a team that matters, not one that is withering under McDaniels.

The Raiders will face tougher challenges playing a non-New York team, but the process they have taken to get to 2-0 under Pierce has been productive.

CJ Stroud is a talent promoter

You can post all sorts of other qualifiers. You can put any feature you want on the table. For me, the easiest way to recognize the quality of a quarterback who really makes a difference behind the center is when the player promotes his talent. This passer can do it without his primary weapon and consistently provide productive pass catchers, even if his receiver resume is poor.

Without a shadow of a doubt, CJ Stroud has proven that he is one of those inner circle quarterbacks.

On a day without his best wide receiver – make no mistake, X-receiver Nico Collins is the best and most important player in the room – Stroud defeated Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, ending the Bengals’ four-game winning streak. Stroud’s leading receiver was Noah Brown, a player who was slated to be the fourth wideout at the start of the season. He didn’t always connect with electric rookie Tank Dell, who left some plays on the field, but found him highly influential in key moments. He puts the ball right to Dalton Schultz, who is moving over the middle.

Some of these throws to secondary players on the depth chart are examples of quarterbacking at the highest level:

Stroud has put the Texans within striking distance in the division. He’s not the only reason, but he is the main cause of the tide turning so abruptly in Houston. This massive leap has caused members of the media across the industry to move Stroud past the Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion and straight into MVP contention.

Scott Pianowski wasn’t the only one to make the suggestion on Sunday. Yahoo’s Frank Schwab made the case. Stroud was in the MVP discussion last week and delivered the best rookie quarterback season we’ve ever seen.

When Frank gets there early, you know it’s a good idea.

That Stroud elevates the talent around him to new heights is the perfect justification for why so many intelligent football observers place him in these exalted circles. He earned it because he does what all great passers in this league do.

If an NFL-ready pass catcher runs the full range of offense in CJ Stroud’s offense, he will show up on the fantasy football radar. How many other quarterbacks can you say that about with a straight face? It’s not a big group. This is a select package of special players. Stroud has only been in this class for a little over half of his rookie season.

The Steelers running game

Not many people will go out of their way to get you excited about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially when it comes to their offense. But don’t look now: something is cooking on the floor.

I said it on the Yahoo Fantasy Football Show – even though I could only muster a whisper to get it out – that Najee Harris looked good against the Titans last week. He scored one touchdown and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. His backfield mate Jaylen Warren also showed big runs, totaling 88 yards on the ground against a strong Titans run defense. It would be easy to call it a coincidence, but Pittsburgh wiped that word off the map when it offered an encore in Week 10.

Warren rushed for 101 yards and a score against the Packers, and Harris wasn’t too far behind with 82 yards and a TD on 16 carries. The duo combined for 6.2 average yards per carry. You now have big weeks ahead of you.

Despite the gap in their draft position, the Steelers were better when splitting touches between Warren and Harris. It took some time to get here, but ultimately Pittsburgh found its way to what good organizations do; a performance-oriented rotation. Warren has juice and orders more work. Harris was more efficient when he wasn’t overloaded with grinder carries. They don’t execute the same running concepts. The offense needs and is better when both are active.

The Steelers have a strong defense but longed for an identity on offense. Despite the talent in the wide receiver room, there was nothing this season to suggest that would result from the passing game. A running game between these two capable defenders would go a long way in helping this playoff hopeful reach his desired goal.

The Jameis Effect in New Orleans

The Saints were one of my least favorite offenses in the film and in discussion this season. So while the play behind center isn’t the only problem on the entire unit, it’s only natural to be interested in an alternative at quarterback, especially when the guy for this particular team is deeply flawed but a proven standout .

We got the full Jameis Winston experience when Derek Carr left the game with a shoulder injury.

Winston averaged a whopping 15.4 air yards per attempt, which was of course the highest performance of any quarterback in Week 10. Carr has frustrated receivers all season by taking checkdowns too early in the game instead of allowing downfield routes to develop. This couldn’t be further from Winston’s MO. There was an immediate boost for the wide receivers, especially their best player, Chris Olave.

Winston even threw a touchdown to intriguing rookie X-receiver AT Perry, who was in the game for the injured Michael Thomas. It was perhaps the most Jameis-filled piece of all time:

Perry is a fascinating prospect. This team is full of intrigue and possibility. That’s what has made some of the mistakes made by Carr, Olave and several other players this season so frustrating. Winston isn’t perfect, but he performs and can get the best out of his pass catchers.

The Winston experience will be short-lived. Not only will Carr reportedly be back after the bye week, but the coaches won’t want to work with Winston forever. In the comeback attempt, he threw two “it didn’t have to be this way” arm punt interceptions.

As much fun as it is for us and the pass catchers, coaches don’t want to operate in this “live by the sword, die by the sword” world.

Jacksonville is being blown up

My tone in Jacksonville was optimistic because they were 6-2 going into the bye and obviously weren’t playing their best football.

I have to admit that after week 10 my confidence is shaken.

“Outclassed” doesn’t even describe what happened to the Jaguars against the 49ers. They gained 437 total yards to 221. They were held to 4.4 yards per pass attempt and allowed 9.8 yards to San Francisco. It never felt like it was a game between these two teams. Jacksonville’s offensive drive results in the first half were as follows: three plays to punt, three plays to punt, six plays to punt, four plays to fumble and 14 plays to field goal.

To make matters worse, this was the effort they made after a bye week and at home. Nothing could be more discouraging.

I’m trying not to overreact here. The 49ers are a really good opponent that came into the game fresh and healthy even after the bye and added a new pass rusher (more on that later). It’s hard not to be very concerned about such a catastrophic failure.

In the end, I still believe Jacksonville will be fine. But that’s the key word: good.

When we look back at the numbers at the end of the season, most players will look good. Trevor Lawrence will be fine. Calvin Ridley will be fine. Travis Etienne and the running game will be fine. But this team should be more than that. There should be a jump to something closer to the elite made here. That’s where my faith weakens the quickest.

The Jaguars are still fine without that jump, but where does that put you in the AFC? Is it still enough to run away with the AFC South while CJ Stroud has the Texans on the rise? Can there still be multiple fantasy decision-makers on a fine offense? I’m not sure about that, and I didn’t think I would be thinking about these questions after Jacksonville’s departure.

Five things I don’t care about

The Jets’ offense

NFL Network’s Dan Hanzus, a huge Jets fan, summed up the Jets’ offense perfectly. They are more than lost at sea – they have sunk. And it happened a long time ago:

By the way, the currency number is up to 36 ball possessions without a touchdown. This is so unfortunate that it’s hard to describe, even with a backup quarterback and a bad offensive line. So many other parts of this Jets offense are intact — and that’s the problem.

Having Allen Lazard as the WR2 to jump on immediately is a nice thing to get away with when Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback. Now? It is deeply disingenuous. Not a credible slot player on offense, as Rodgers’ buddy Randall Cobb was ineligible for 31 other teams. Terrible. Rodgers can put you right on the offensive line when the performance is substandard because he is a future Hall of Famer. With Zach Wilson, all of his worst tendencies will come to light.

Don’t even get me started on Nathaniel Hackett, the architect of this nightmare.

Wilson is obviously a big part of the problem. I would blame him more than 50% for the current offense’s problems. While no one wanted to imagine a world in which this fever dream of a Jets offense was run by anyone other than Rodgers, this doomsday plan should have been taken into account. The failure to ask the simple “What if?” left this team in disrepair.

Head coach Robert Saleh won’t provide any answers in his next downbeat press briefings. I’m not sure what he can even say. Benching Wilson should be an option. Even if it’s not the only problem, at least a change is in order just to try things out. We know what this reality looks like. The results will not change. Removing Wilson isn’t the solution to their problems, but at least it’s not nothing the Jets’ leadership has been doing every week.

If the Jets can’t accept this fairy tale and reverse course on this offense, they’ll be stuck at the bottom of the ocean. In this scenario, it doesn’t matter whether Rodgers’ next dream of returning in mid-December is even possible.

No more whining about the Lions RBs

Detroit head coach Dan Campbell referenced the Saints’ 2017 backfield last week during discussions about how the Lions would split the work between Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. He’s not the first or only Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara mentioned in connection with his back, but his vision was on full display in Week 10.

The Lions’ backs scored three total touchdowns and ran chunk plays throughout the day against the Chargers. Gibbs averaged 5.5 yards per carry and Montgomery annihilated the Chargers with a 75-yard dash. Even if you do the “taking away his best game” nonsense, he still had a strong day on the floor and moved the chains. Gibbs also turned heads in the passing game, averaging 11.7 yards per catch.

Gibbs’ breakthrough while Montgomery was injured was indeed a “don’t put the genie back in the bottle” moment. He really came into his own and developed into a decisive player. The ideal version of the player Detroit wanted when they took him high in the draft was fully expressed. That doesn’t mean Montgomery is going away. His tough approach and chain-moving grinder runs are so important to this team’s identity.

The Lions led the league by a sizable margin of 0.44 EPA per rush in Week 10. The Steelers were second with 0.17. The Lions were the No. 1 offense in terms of success rate. With that ground game and the impact they can both have in the passing game, the Lions have a foundation to build on.

Austin Ekeler’s eyebrows may be in trouble:

Given the way the Lions operate and lean on their best players, I see no reason why this level of performance out of the backfield shouldn’t continue. This is one of the most dynamic running back duos currently in existence.

For fantasy managers, there’s no more whining about needing more touches. Certainly they won’t match the level of touches Montgomery achieved when Gibbs was green or the rookie’s workload when the veteran was injured.

Oh well. Because of the risk of injury, most running backs don’t perform at this level. Working together allows both to be healthy, explosive and efficient. That makes them both fantasy must-starts the rest of the way.

The 49ers’ 0-3 record before the bye

Things happen (you know what I really want to say). That’s all there is to say in response to the false concerns surrounding the 49ers’ three-game exit heading into the bye week. The 49ers emphatically dispelled any concerns as they destroyed a Jaguars team that has played good football this season.

Great organizations don’t rest on their laurels and just hope that everything turns out well. They actively find ways and turn over every stone to become better.

Despite the public’s excessive focus on the offense and quarterback, the 49ers’ defense was the most difficult unit during the 0-3 run. The 49ers hit this team hard in their bye. They traded a third-round draft pick for Chase Young and reunited him with his college teammate Nick Bosa. Make no mistake, this last part is important for a man who has had Young’s career; It’s not just a nice story. Young’s impact was immediate:

Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ move from the locker room to the sidelines was met with typical cynicism in some media circles. I think it’s important. This is a 49ers defense that has benefited from the energy of previous coordinators Robert Saleh and especially DeMeco Ryans. Wilks has been a high-energy guy in previous outings and San Francisco’s defense was flying around on Sunday.

The 49ers’ best days are still ahead of them as long as the defense plays like it did in Week 10. This allows the offense to play in positive flows and keep the quarterback on schedule.

The Seahawks throw against Washington

Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks hit the layup. Smith threw all he had at the Commanders’ undermanned secondary and was sacked only once by their depleted pass rush. It was one of the friendliest matchups for quarterbacks all season, and Smith delivered a turnover-free day with 369 yards and two scores.

That’s great, but it wasn’t a direct domination of a cake walk duel. That’s the kind of performance that would have relieved me of some concerns about this passing game. We didn’t get that out of Seattle as the Seahawks didn’t get going until late in the affair.

Even in this game, Smith and Co. couldn’t really push the ball down the field. According to Next Gen Stats, Smith’s average completion traveled just 3.7 yards in the air. This is a group that has made a splash in the vertical passing game in 2022. Smith pushed the ball electrifyingly forward on big routes to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. I still can’t get some of these tight postal routes for 2022 out of my head.

The 2023 Seahawks looked their best when they worked underneath and set up receivers for YAC opportunities. Lockett and Metcalf have done well in space. Even Jaxon Smith-Njigba has worked zone coverages well below. Smith’s biggest competition was a dump catch-and-run over Kenneth Walker:

So yeah, the Seahawks hit that layup. If they hadn’t, we would have been in justifiable panic. We can avoid that for now. But despite some of the big numbers that have emerged, I still avoid returning to full optimism – and that was the reason I started the season. We’ll learn a lot more about this unit’s ceiling during the three-game stretch, where they play San Francisco twice and the Cowboys are in between.

Christian Watson’s yards per route run mark from his rookie year

The Packers had a chance to win in Pittsburgh late in the game. Instead, they went home with a loss and more frustrations with their young offense.

Second-year receiver Christian Watson is emblematic of the team’s offensive woes, as he was anything but able to make the jump as a sophomore. Both of Love’s fourth-quarter interceptions came on throws to Watson. The first was the more disturbing violation:

I’m not suggesting that the blame for Watson’s unproductive season lies entirely with the receiver. Love and the entire offense struggled to find consistency. However, I assume that Watson was a fundamentally misunderstood player at the start of the season.

Watson’s rookie yards per route run were a historically significant indicator of future success. This led to a lot of rounds in the offseason – the problem is that Watson is the outlier on this list due to his individual play. It was a false flag:

Watson is the only receiver who does not achieve a 70% success rate in reception perception compared to man coverage. The other six players had an average success rate of 75.6% against man coverage as rookies. Watson reported 64.4%, which is a 33rd percentile. All of these other guys looked like crazy No. 1 wide receivers in their first few years. Watson made big plays but profiled more as a volatile No. 2 receiver who benefited from playing with an aggressive, future Hall of Fame passer.

This difference is huge for the 2023 Packers.

If the Packers had a true No. 1 wideout, they could surround that player and their inexperienced starting quarterback with another second-year receiver, two more rookie wideouts and a rookie tight end for the rest of the offense. The type of player that AJ Brown, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, etc. have become can give you a lot of margin for error, allowing you to live with the inexperience of the other players.

So far, we’ve seen plenty of evidence that the Packers don’t have a true No. 1 wideout on the roster. This is one of the main reasons their offense is in the mud.