2020 Super Bowl Matchup and Winner Betting Odds and
2020 Super Bowl Matchup and Winner Betting Odds and
Current Super Bowl Odds 2021: Vegas Sportsbook NFL Odds
Who will win Super Bowl 2020? Pick, prediction, odds for
Super Bowl Odds 2020: Final Predictions for 49ers vs
2020 Super Bowl 54 Las Vegas Odds | Las Vegas Sports Betting
2020-21 NFL Futures Betting Odds and Super Bowl LV 55 Odds
NFL Super Bowl odds 2020: Predictions, expert picks, best
super bowl 2020 winner odds
super bowl 2020 winner odds - win
Game Matchups Preview Playoffs Round #2: Bills vs. Ravens
Before every Bills’ game I spend some time, probably too much time, digging into how the Bills roster stacks up against their opponent’s. While doing this I specifically look at 5 matchups; Bills’ Pass Offense vs. Opponent’s Pass Defense, Bills’ Rush Offense vs. Opponent’s Rush Defense, Bills’ Pass Defense vs. Opponent’s Pass Offense, Bills’ Rush Defense vs. Opponent’s Rush Offense, Bills’ Special Teams vs. Opponent’s Special Teams. After doing all of this I try to come up with reasons “Why We Will Lose” and “Why We Will Win” ultimately leading to a prediction. Below I present 2020’s 18th iteration of this analysis for the Bills upcoming home game against the Ravens. Included is a scale to rank the advantage in each matchup from 👏👏👏👏👏 (Massive Advantage) to 👏 (Minimal Advantage). NOTE: If you have followed this series all season long be prepared, these playoff posts are very long and highly detailed. If this is your first time reading, I hope you enjoy and can find the time to finish the whole thing. Bills’ Passing Offense vs. Ravens’ Passing Defense After yet another great performance throwing the ball the Buffalo Bills are proving that they can beat anyone and everyone through the air. In their past 4 games the Bills have played the #11 (DEN), #18 (NWE), #6 (MIA), and #8 (IND) pass defenses, according to Football Outsiders Pass Defense DVOA, and have gone 108/153 (70.6%) for 1415 yards and a 12:2 TD:INT Ratio (Josh Allen’s stats here). Making the Bills recent run of success more impressive is that they have been successful against starkly different schemes, with tangible evidence the past two weeks. The Dolphins, who predominately run man coverage, were shredded for 388 passing yards, 124 of which came while targeting First Team All-Pro CB Xavien Howard. The Bills followed up this performance with Josh Allen picking apart the Colt’s Zone First Scheme for a Playoff leading passer rating of 121.6 (His regular season Passer Rating was 107.2). All of this leads to the following conclusion, with the way the Bills are playing right now there does not seem to be any specific scheme, team, or player that is capable of stopping the Bills’ passing attack. Against the Ravens the Bills will need to find a way to beat Press Man Coverage. With one of the most physically gifted set of DBs in the NFL, headlined by Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey, the Ravens are particularly adept at this scheme. Their top two corners have both earned All-Pro honors at least once in their career primarily due to their physicality, but it is their ball skills which put them over the top. In 164 combined games Peters and Humphrey have 42 INTs, 20 FF, 11 FR, and 9 Defensive TDs. With the growing expectation that the Bills will primarily run 10 personnel (1RB, 4WR) the Ravens will likely spend the majority of Saturday in their Nickel package meaning that Jimmy Smith will join the previously mentioned CBs on the field. This sets up likely man matchups of Peters on Diggs, Smith on Brown, Humphrey in the Slot covering Beasley, and one of the two safeties (Chuck Clark, DeShon Elliott) on Gabe Davis. In this alignment the Ravens would be forced to choose between blitzing the safety not covering Davis or having that player shade deep over the top to Diggs side of the field. At the end of the day this will be a game of 1-on-1 matchups with the winner determined by which side can consistently beat the other. The Ravens’ Press Man is able to excel because of their skill in the secondary but where it becomes one of the most dangerous schemes in the NFL is their proficiency and consistency in rushing the passer. For the 3rd straight season the Ravens lead the NFL in Blitz %, this year blitzing 44.1% of the time (Dolphins are 2nd at 40.6%). This facilitated an environment where the Ravens were able to pressure opposing QBs on 24.0% of their drop backs (NFL-11) and sack those QBs 39 times (NFL-14). The Press Man and Pass Rush work in concert by reducing the ability for offenses to complete quick short passes which then allows the pass rush more time to disrupt the QB. The Ravens will send anywhere from 5-8 players at the QB with the players primarily running up field being Patrick Queen (MLB) and Matt Judon (OLB) but when forced into Nickel concepts the Ravens will not hesitate to send either safety. All of this allowed the 2019 Ravens to put constant pressure on Josh Allen during their game last season ultimately resulting in 5 sacks for a loss (6 total) with 4 of them occurring with 5+ blitzers (#1, #2, #3, #4). It is however important to note that the Buffalo Bills offense from 2019 looks absolutely nothing like they do in 2020, in fact it is remarkable how drastically different they truly look. This matchup comes down to the Bills receivers being able to beat whichever DB is lined up in front of them. If the Bills can accomplish this, then it will allow Allen to get rid of the ball before the Ravens pass rush is able to get to him. If the reverse were to occur it will create an environment where multiple blindside forced fumbles and/or interceptions may occur which would be incredibly difficult for the Bills to recover from. While on paper this matchup may be extremely close the reality is that the Bills simply have to many weapons that excel at beating man coverage for the Ravens to consistently stop. Stefon Diggs is widely regarded as one of the best receivers against man coverage in the entire NFL while the quickness of Cole Beasley provides for the ability to continuously beat man coverage in the intermediate range. Couple this with the Ravens struggles in covering TEs and RBs while still considering that the Ravens will need to find a way to contend with Gabe Davis and John Brown and the Bills, surprisingly, have a massive advantage here. EDGE: Bills 👏 👏 👏 👏 Bills’ Rushing Offense vs. Ravens’ Rushing Defense With Zack Moss going down with a season ending injury Wildcard weekend most Bills’ fans have spent this week wondering who RB2 will be behind Devin Singletary. Up until Thursday afternoon it was very clearly a three-horse race between T.J. Yeldon, Antonio Williams, and Devonta Freeman but via a statement from Sean McDermott we now know the winner of that race. T.J. Yeldon will suit up on Saturday night and be the RB2 behind Devin Singletary. McDermott also did make it very clear that this did not preclude the Bills from activating Antonio Williams for the Ravens game. Regardless of if it is one or two backs behind Singletary we can say with a fair degree of certainty that he will be the Bellcow back moving forward for Buffalo, meaning you can expect him to see north of 75% of the offensive snaps. One concern with that is in games where Singletary has exceeded 60% of offensive snaps (6) in 2020 he has a Y/A of 3.6 and in all other games he has a Y/A of 5.1. Let me make this abundantly clear, and see all of my previous posts for proof, I believe that the majority of the issues running the ball in 2020 are due to the blocking up front and not the RBs carrying the ball however, this stark contrast in Y/A should be a concern moving forward for a Bills’ team who at times will need to show they can move the ball on the ground if they want to continue winning football games. This section now lends itself to a breakdown of the backups to Singletary on Saturday, one we know, and one is a maybe. With that in mind we start with T.J. Yeldon who has demonstrated the ability to be a competent runner of the football throughout his career with an acceptable 4.1 Y/A. Yeldon possesses exceptional agility for a player that is 6’1” 225lb and at times in his career has been one of the more dangerous receiving options in the NFL coming out of the backfield. The main knock Bills’ fans have on Yeldon is his fumbling where he has lost the ball 7 times on 677 career touches (1 per 97), for context Singletary has 5 on 374 (1 per 75). Next to discuss is the new darling of Bills Mafia, undrafted rookie Antonio Williams. One of the bigger unknowns on the Bills’ roster, Williams busted onto the scene against Miami with 83 all-purpose yards on 13 touches for 2 TDs in just one half. Out of UNC the 5’11” 215lb RB, who looks and plays much bigger, possesses exceptional lateral quickness and does not shy away from contact making him a dangerous player once he gets to the second level. Also, while it is highly improbable, we see him Saturday, I would be remised to not mention the signing of 2-time Pro Bowler Devonta Freeman who just a few years back was considered one of the best RBs in the game. Freeman suffered a groin injury in 2018 which required surgery which has since deprived him of some of the quickness that made him one of the biggest home run threats in the league. Still, Freeman provides a veteran presence with gas left in the tank, at just 28, he could be an integral part of the Bills’ Playoff push. All these players may play a factor if the Bills continue to advance in the playoffs, but Bills Mafia should fully expect T.J. Yeldon to do so on Saturday night. If and when the Bills do run the ball, they will be doing so against a team which ranks 26th in the NFL (The Bills rank 24th) in Y/A against at 4.6. The Ravens also rank 27th in both 20+ A (1 per 32) and 40+ A (1 per 127) which is indicative of their blitz dependent defense. When the Ravens defense aligns with the proper gap they typically bring the ball carrier down in the backfield as the team has combined for 71 TFLs but when they miss ball carriers tend to pick up chunk yardage leaving their secondary to clean up free runners. This of course assumes the ball carrier can bypass the Ravens’ 3-4 alignment which is championed by one of the deeper DLs in all of football. On the right side is, long time Broncos DE, Derek Wolfe who typically lines up somewhere from the B to C gap and is one of the better run stuffers at the position. In the middle is the behemoth known as Brandon Williams who specializes as a NT, a dying position in the NFL that Williams still excels at. Lastly left of Williams is Calais Campbell who while listed as a DE plays more like a DT because of the blitz packages which the Ravens use. Campbell may be 34 and towards the end of his career but this exceptionally physical and athletic lineman will threaten Bills LG Ike Boettger all night. The last group of players to cover for the Ravens is one of the most athletically gifted groups in the entire NFL, the Ravens LBs. Strength, Speed, Quickness, you name it, the 6 primary LBs on this team have it all. They are headlined by 21-year-old MLB Patrick Queen who ran a blazing 4.5 at the rookie combine in 2020. About as promising as they come Queen lead the Ravens in Tackles and TFLs and will challenge Josh Allen on any QB Draws the Bills may attempt. Next to him is either Pass Rush specialist Matt Judon or Pass Coverage specialist Tyus Bowser. Judon earned his second straight Pro Bowl selection because of his propensity to pressure the QB with his 4th straight season of 6+ sacks from the OLB position. Bowser, not nearly the pass rusher Judon is, instead has 3 INTs this season and an astounding 42.2 passer rating against (On just 15 targets). There are other players of note like ILB L.J. Fort, long time vet Pernell McPhee, or even the highly sought after Yannick Ngakoue but all you really need to know is that regardless of pass or run this unit has the ability to get into the backfield or chase down players that get outside of it. EDGE: Ravens 👏 👏 Bills’ Passing Defense vs. Ravens’ Passing Offense Against the Colts the Bills’ struggled at times against the pass with the most damage coming from the Colts’ TEs and the 6’4” rookie WR Michael Pittman. In isolation Phillip Rivers 300+ pass yard day implies that the secondary struggled covering their responsibilities, in reality the issue lay elsewhere. Rivers finished the 2020 season with a Time-to-Throw of just 2.52s (NFL-6) which he continued into the playoffs making it difficult for the Bills to get any pressure on the Indy QB. In fact, it was so difficult that the Bills had only 1 QB hit the entire game. This is the same team that in their last 6 games, post their Bye Week, was averaging 5.5 QB Hits per game. With the Bills running the Palms Scheme they are highly dependent on either pressure or extended Time-to-Throw in order to get into their secondary transitions, neither of those happened on Saturday which is why the Colts were so successful through the air. Against the Ravens the Bills should be able to get more players in the vicinity of Lamar Jackson than they did Rivers. Of the 41 players with more than 128 pass attempts in 2020 Lamar ranked 38th in Time-To-Throw holding onto the ball for an average of 2.98 seconds. This was a primary reason that Lamar was sacked 29 times (NFL-13) and fumbled the ball 10 times. Obviously, the challenge here is that while teams can occasionally get pressure on Lamar, and even bring him down, the counter of his rushing ability poses a bigger threat (More on that in the rushing section). Credit is still due to Lamar and his OL who lost 2019 All-Pro LT Ronnie Stanley to an ankle injury just 6 games into the season and had to flip their RT, Orlando Brown Jr., over to LT and plug and play from there. While the main threat of Lamar is undoubtedly his legs, he did finish 2020 with 2757 passing yards, 26 Passing TDs, and just 9 INTs by utilizing his receiving weapons to the best of their abilities. At receiver the Ravens don’t have one imposing weapon, but they do have a slew of good options. First and foremost of these options is 2019 1st round draft pick Marquise “Hollywood” Brown who some tried to drop the “Bust” tag on in the middle of the season after he had a 4-game stretch where he caught just 6 balls for 55 yards and 1 TD. In opposition to that ideal try taking those 4 games out of the season and then pacing it to 16 games, when doing that Browns’ season would be 65 catches for 892 yards and 9 TDs, a solid season for any NFL player. He also answered the bell Wildcard weekend raking in 7 catches for 109 yards against a stout Tennessee secondary. Outside of him the only other receivers of note are Willie Snead, a vet who built his name in New Orleans and is a solid option at WR, Devin Duvernay, a lightning quick 2020 3rd round draft pick, and Miles Boykin, their big bodied WR who has a knack for bodying opposing defenders. But by far their most dangerous weapon in the passing game is not a WR but instead their TE, one of the best in the league, Mark Andrews. Andrews is a walking Tonka Truck that is built the same way as Dawson Knox with better hands and a more complete set of receiving skills. This is Lamar’s check down option which is a primary reason he shared the team lead in receptions (58) and finished second in receiving yards (701) meaning he should be the Bills’ biggest concern in the air on Saturday night. For the Bills to dominate this battle they will need to get pressure on Lamar while simultaneously maintaining contain to avoid him escaping the pocket. Assuming they can accomplish this, which is a tall order, they will need to avoid letting all 3 of the Ravens primary receivers beat them deep and put a big body, say Tremaine Edmunds, on Mark Andrews. RBs have yet to prove a consistent threat for the Ravens through the air in 2020 accounting for just 15.8% of targets and 18.3% of catches but are something to monitor Saturday night as the Bills try to contain Lamar while putting a spy in the middle to avoid a big run. Buffalo must win this matchup, and should, if they have any chance of winning this game. A takeaway or two through the air wouldn’t hurt either. EDGE: Bills 👏 👏 👏 Bills’ Rushing Defense vs. Ravens’ Rushing Offense The Bills had no answers against the Colts run game Wildcard weekend giving up the most rushing yards they have since the Cardinals game on November 15, 2020. Most of Buffalo’s success came when the Colts most powerful back, Jonathan Taylor, was running the ball holding him to just 3.7 Y/A but they had issues with the quicker players. Nyheim Hines only rushed the ball 6 times but accounted for 75 yards on carries of 4, 1, 29, 3, 33, and 5. This stat line should worry a Bills’ fan base that is hoping the Bills can beat a team stacked with shifty players and advance to their first AFC Championship Game since 1993. The Ravens offense is built off an option scheme the likes of which the NFL has never seen. This offense can execute everything and anything on the ground and it all starts with QB Lamar Jackson. On option plays the QB will generally key off one defender and read which “option” said player chooses to defend. An example, a designed handoff to the right side of the line except all linemen wash down to the left and leave the defensive end unblocked. When this occurs it forces the defensive end to choose between scraping down to the RB taking the supposed handoff or to maintain contain on the QB (See example here). Lamar Jackson is an expert at reading such defenders and even in the rare event where he keeps the ball when he should hand it off, he has the athleticism to beat the defender to the edge. When handing the ball off he primarily will be handing it to Gus Edwards or J.K. Dobbins. Gus the Bus is bigger than Melvin Gordon but plays with the speed of Alvin Kamara which has allowed him to maintain a Y/A of 5.0+ in each of his first 3 seasons. J.K. Dobbins is the smaller, faster, and quicker of the two which makes for a good change of pace from Edwards. This three headed monster has created for the Ravens one of the best rushing attacks in NFL history which continues to defy the mantra that the NFL is just a passing league. The second part of the Ravens that make them so deadly running the football is their offensive line. At the two guard spots are Bradley Bozeman (LG) and Ben Powers (RG) who each possess incredible strength which allows them control defenders at the time of the snap. Neither is exceptionally gifted at pulling or blocking in the open field but their strength couples nicely with the athleticism of the Ravens backfield. Between them is Center Patrick Mekari who took the starting Job from Matt Skura midway through the season after snapping issues forced him to the bench. Mekari is a big bruiser like his guards Bozeman and Powers which gives the Ravens just south of half a ton of Man in the middle of their line. At RT is veteran D.J. Fluker who was chosen 11th overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2013. Fluker now on his 4th team in 8 seasons is a competent RT crushing the scales at nearly 350lb but is dealing with a nagging knee injury which is something to monitor. Last is LT Orlando Brown who was laughed at for only putting up 14 on the bench press at his combine three years ago and has quieted the doubters by being named to his 2nd straight Pro Bowl. In all this is an above average OL built perfectly for a Lamar Jackson lead offense. Buffalo will need to slow down the Ravens run game if they have any chance of winning on Saturday and this may be an odd thing to read, but the Bills defense actually lends itself to do just that. There has been discussion all week on Reddit, Twitter, and everywhere else of who will play the spy for the Bills against the Ravens and while they assuredly will occasionally spy, with Edmunds, Milano, or Poyer, the Bills’ Palms Scheme is actually proficient at slowing down mobile QBs. In this scheme the Bills will have multiple defenders zoned in the middle of the field, effectively playing a coverage spy on Lamar while also holding an advantage on the outside via their tradeoff concepts. In the event Lamar does break outside the pocket the Bills defense allows the boundary guarding CB to step forward to Lamar while the safety over the top takes the receiver. This is how the Bills defense is built and while an incredibly difficult scheme to run it is one the Bills have mastered. Don’t take this description of the Bills’ defense to say they will nullify Lamar Jackson but realize that the Bills have the tools to somewhat contain him, that is assuming they play a perfect game. EDGE: Ravens 👏 👏 👏 👏 Bills’ Special Teams vs. Ravens’ Special Teams Throughout 2020 the Bills’ average starting field position was their own 30.7-yard line (NFL-6). Against the Colts their average starting field position was their own 15.4-yard line. The Bills would obviously go on to win this game, but field position has proved to be an indicator of success in 2020 as each team finishing within the Top-8 made the playoffs. This leads to a defense of one of the Bills most polarizing players, Andre Roberts, who has been integral to the Bills’ success in this measure and the insinuation that he was a major contributing factor in the Bills’ field position issues Wildcard weekend is not backed up by any tangible evidence. In the first half of the Colts’ game the Bills’ average starting field position was the 7.8-yard line primarily because of an exceptional Colts’ ST unit and the bend, don’t break, style of the Bills’ defense. How did each of the Colts’ first 6 drives end? Punt downed at the Bills’ 3, Magical kickoff dies on the Bills’ 15, Punt fair catch at the Bills’ 11, Kickoff returned by Roberts’ to the 12 with a 6 yard penalty bringing it back to the Bills’ 6, Colt’s Turnover on Downs at the Bills’ 4, Colts kneel before halftime. For the Bills’ this game was an aberration, and one I have confidence they will clean up against the Ravens, mainly because I have confidence in Andre Roberts. Outside of the return game the Special Teams group for Buffalo continues to be one of the best in the NFL. Corey Bojorquez rightfully received a vote to the All-Pro team, and it could be argued he deserved more. Bojo punted 4 times Wildcard Weekend averaging 47.0 Y/P with a Net Y/P of 43.5. These numbers would have been significantly higher had he not purposely drilled in I20 punt which only required a 29-yard kick. At kicker is another player who arguably deserved some All-Pro consideration, rookie Tyler Bass. This kid has been on complete fire the past 10 weeks going 42/43 on XPs and 18/19 on FGs with his only miss coming from 61 yards out. I was personally skeptical on Bass coming into the season, but my goodness, this kid is a stud. There is one more player on the Bills’ Special Teams that got an All-Pro vote, Tyler Matakevich. A guru at the position the man nicknamed “Dirty Red” is around the ball carrier on every kick and tossing people around on every return. Bills’ fans know more than most that Special Teams players can have a huge impact on a team and the Bills’ have a ton of great ones. The Ravens also have one of the better Special Teams units in the NFL. For most of the season Devin Duvernay handled KR while James Proche took care of PR however, in recent weeks Duvernay has taken control of both. Averaging 11.5 Y/PR and 27.5 Y/KR, with a 93-yard return for a TD, Duvernay is a dynamic rookie with open field speed that few can match. Just like the Colts game this will likely effect the Bills’ short kick strategy meaning a lot of touchbacks when the Bills kick off. Punting for the Ravens is the 38-year old veteran Sam Koch who the Ravens have under contract until he is 40. Koch had his lowest Y/P (44.5) in a decade but finished 8th in the NFL with a Net Y/P of 42.8, a difference of just 1.7. Koch rarely allows players to return the ball and when they do, they are averaging just 4.8 Y/R. Last is the best to ever do it, Kicker Justin Tucker. Tucker has a 90.7 FG% in the regular season throughout his career with a career long of 61. As automatic as they come if you see Tucker on the field there is basically no tradition Bills’ fans can do that would make him miss. EDGE: Bills 👏 Why We Will Lose The Ravens have steadily improved the entire season and are peaking at the perfect time. Improving their odds of advancing is that the Ravens’ strengths matchup well against the Bills’ weaknesses. On defense the Ravens excel against the pass and have been able to put pressure on every QB they have played in 2020. That pressure should be extra concerning for a Bills’ team that has seen their star QB struggle at holding onto the football, now realize that the Ravens had a combined 25 forced fumbles in the regular season and start panicking. In reality the Ravens only weakness on defense is against the run which is something that they shouldn’t particularly care about when playing a Bills team who has struggled running the ball and should find a more difficult go of things after losing their RB2. On offense the Ravens continue to be one of the best running teams in history. Whether it be Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, or Lamar Jackson doesn’t matter because whoever has the ball will be able to effectively move it on the ground. This means consistent yardage with the occasional big run sprinkled in. That continuous success ultimately will keep the ball out of the hands of Buffalo’s offense while putting up points for Baltimore which is a typical strategy against a Bills team that has struggled against the run in 2020. Making matters worse is the Bills’ can’t just bail out to stop the run because if they did attempt this Lamar Jackson, the 2019 MVP, has shown the ability to make big plays through the air and will do so against this Bills’ team. The Ravens offense is built to beat a team like Buffalo, as is their defense, which is a recipe for a Baltimore victory. Why We Will Win The 2019 Bills lost to the Ravens 24-17. The 2020 Bills are a significantly improved version of that team with an MVP caliber QB. The Bills offense had no answer for the Ravens pressure last season which is a primary reason they went out and got a receiver that could specifically help with handling that scheme. That receiver is your first team All-Pro WR, Stefon Diggs, who has dominated every single player that has tried to guard him this season. You factor him in with Buffalo’s other 3 options at the position and the Bills suddenly have the ability to put up points against a Ravens’ defense that is one of the best in the NFL. On defense the Bills may not have had the same success in 2020 that they did in 2019 but they have continually improved all season long. This game comes down to the Bills’ ability to contain Lamar Jackson and a healthy Matt Milano makes that slightly easier. Dark horse candidate to have big game is A.J. Epenesa who the Bills coaching staff has surely coached up to not do to much and instead do his 1/11th. And that is just what every single Bills’ player must do, their 1/11th, do that and you won’t stop Lamar Jackson, but you can reduce the damage he inflicts. If Buffalo accomplishes that your Bills will be heading to their first AFC Championship game in nearly 30 years. Prediction:Bills 27 – Ravens 24 This is going to be a close game whichever way you slice it. On paper the Ravens seem to have the matchups but in reality, the Bills seem to have the ability to win them. Because this will be so close this game likely comes down to which team makes fewer mistakes, inclusive of turnovers. With the way the Bills are playing right now you must trust Josh Allen more than Lamar Jackson to hold onto the ball. At the end of the night though this will be a battle of heavyweights with the last one standing being one game away from Super Bowl Sunday.
Leading up to the Super Bowl, we often hear the same storylines repeated. The past two years I decided to put my sports research into high gear and dig up some of the unusual patterns of Super Bowls past and see how they may correlate to the upcoming Super Bowl. (The links to those posts are below.) LIV Post LIII Post LII Post This year I have not been able to dig up quite as many patterns and strange storylines outside of the mainstream, but I am here to share what I have been able to find. I may make reference to some of the more commonly discussed storylines, but I strive to keep things different and new. I hope you enjoy!
Time & Place
Tampa Bay
Super Bowl LV is the 5th Super Bowl held in Tampa, FL (4th most in any city) and the 17th in Florida (most Super Bowls in any state). This is the third time the Super Bowl will be held in Raymond James Stadium.
AFC/AFL teams are 3-1 in Tampa
The first Super Bowl in Tampa (XVIII) was designated as an AFC home game. Since, all have been designated home for NFC teams (including LV)
Designated Home teams are 2-2
The first 2 Tampa Super Bowls saw the AFC teams win the coin toss, while the NFC teams have won the last 2
The first Super Bowl in Tampa (XVIII) has the coin toss winner win the game. Since, all coin toss winners have lost the game
The first 3 coin toss winners elected to receive the opening kickoff, the most recent (Cardinals in XLIII) elected to defer
Official weather has been listed as either partly cloudy or mostly cloudy for every Tampa Super Bowl
Teams in white jerseys (all away teams before this year) are 2-2, teams in red jerseys are 0-1
February 7th
The two prior Super Bowls on February 7th were:
Super Bowl XLIV (2010) in Miami Saints defeat Colts 31-17
Super Bowl 50 (2016) in Santa Clara Broncos defeat Panthers 24-10
February 7 seems to favor the NFC East (and maybe slightly factor the AFC West). 2 of the last 3 NFC South Super Bowl appearances were on February 7th. 1 of the last 2 AFC West appearances. All have been aired by CBS.
Eastern Time Zone
In the previous 23 Super Bowls played in the Eastern Time Zone, the NFL/NFC teams have won 10, and the AFL/AFC teams have won 13. The Chiefs are 1-0 in Super Bowls in the Eastern Time Zone (Last year vs SF in Miami) The Buccaneers have not played a Super Bowl in the Eastern Time Zone (Tom Brady is 2-1 in ET Super Bowls)
Designated Home Team
This year is unlike any other in history, with a team hosting the Super Bowl at its home stadium. The NFL has told the team it cannot use its cannons to celebrate touchdowns as the team normally does at home games, but this feat is still noteworthy. Super Bowl XIV in 1980 was held at the Rose Bowl and the Los Angeles Rams lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the nearby Rose Bowl was not the home stadium for the Rams. Similarly, Super Bowl XIX in 1985 was held at Stanford Stadium and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins, but Candlestick Park was the home stadium for the 49ers. It is also worth noting that Super Bowl LV was initially scheduled to be played in the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, while Raymond James Stadium was scheduled for Super Bowl LVI. This makes the home-field advantage a little bit weirder, as the first home Super Bowl wasn't even supposed to happen this year. The designated home team in Super Bowls alternates between AFC and NFC. In odd numbered Super Bowls (like LV [55]), the NFC is designated home. The designated home teams have an all-time record of 22-32. In the last 9 Super Bowls, the designated away teams are 7-2. In the last 14, designated away teams are 11-3. (Green Bay, Denver, and Kansas City being the only teams to win as designated home) Kansas City was the designated away team in the first Super Bowl. They lost to Green Bay. In Super Bowls IV and LIV, the Chiefs won as the designated home team. In Super Bowl LV, they return to being the away team. Tampa Bay was the designated home team in Super Bowl XXXVII when then defeated the Oakland Raiders. Based on home designation, both teams' histories signify a favorable outcome for the Buccaneers
Patterns & History
This is the first ever Super Bowl to feature the two quarterbacks who won the previous two Super Bowls
Teams in Super Bowls
The Chiefs are 2-1 in Super Bowl history (SBs I, IV & LIV) In both of Kansas City's previous Super Bowls, the following are true:
NFC team won the opening coin toss
Designated home team won the game
KC wore white pants & red helmet [they won both when wearing a red jersey]
Team wearing white jersey has lost
The Buccaneers are 1-0 in Super Bowl history (SB XXXVII) Relevant notes from Tampa Bay's previous Super Bowl:
Both designated home
Played in the third longest Super Bowl (3hrs, 50mins)
Tampa won the coin toss and elected to receive
Tampa Bay is one of four franchises with an undefeated Super Bowl record, and is seeking to become only the second to be undefeated with more than one win:
Baltimore Ravens -- 2-0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- 1-0
New York Jets -- 1-0
New Orleans Saints 1-0
Uniform Success
As designated Home team, the Buccaneers elected to wear their white jerseys with pewter pants (and their pewter helmets). In their only previous Super Bowl (which they won), the Buccaneers wore red jerseys with pewter pants and helmet. Super Bowl teams wearing these colors have the following results:
Pewter Helmet: 1-0 (TB 1-0)
White Jersey: 34-20
Pewter Pants: 1-0 (TB 1-0)
The Chiefs will wear their home red jerseys and white pants as they did last year. The Chiefs lost in the first Super Bowl wearing white jerseys, but won in Super Bowls IV and LIV wearing red jerseys (All with white pants and red helmets). This season, the Chiefs were 9-2 in red jerseys (8-2 in red with white pants), while going 7-0 in white jerseys. Super Bowl teams wearing these colors have the following results:
Red Helmet: 2-5 (KC 2-1) [Bills have other 4 losses]
Red Jersey: 6-4 (KC 2-0) [SF has 3 wins, TB has 1 win; NE, SF, ARI, ATL have 1 loss each]
White Pants: 15-28 (KC 2-1)
The Chiefs have the following records in Super Bowls wearing these uniform combinations:
White Jersey, White Pants: 0-1
Red Jersey, White Pants: 2-0
So why did the Buccaneers elect to wear white jerseys? Some might argue it is because they lost to the Chiefs (in Tampa) in week 12 and didn't want to repeat that. Others will cite their 2020 record by uniform -- 9-2 in white jerseys [including 5-0 in white with pewter pants], 3-2 in red jerseys, 2-1 in pewter jerseys. You could look at the history of Super Bowls and teams 34-20 record in white jerseys including 13-3 in the last 16 Super Bowls (Packers Green, Eagles Green, Chiefs Red). How uncommon is it for the designated home team to elect to wear white jerseys in the Super Bowl? Well, there are 6 previous occurrences, with a 4-2 record:
SB
Home Team in White
Result
Reason (not confirmed)
XIII
Cowboys
Lost 35-31 to Steelers
Cowboys White Jersey Tradition
XVII
Redskins
Won 27-17 over Dolphins
Unknown, but rumors of red jersey struggles
XXVII
Cowboys
Won 52-17 over Bills
Cowboys White Jersey Tradition
XL
Steelers
Won 21-10 over Seahawks
White throughout playoffs, kept trend
50
Broncos
Won 24-10 over Panthers
Curse of Orange in Super Bowl
LII
Patriots
Lost 41-33 to Eagles
12-1 record in prior 13 Super Bowls
Patches
In every Super Bowl since XXXII (1997), the teams participating in the Super Bowl have worn a patch of the Super Bowl logo on their jerseys. Additionally, Super Bowls XXIX and XXV saw the same type of patches. In all of these cases, the tradition has been for the patches to be placed on the upper left chest (heart area) of the jerseys. This means that Super Bowl LV will be the 26th Super Bowl with game logo patches on the teams' jerseys. The Chiefs will be wearing the patch on the right of the jersey this year as they traditionally have the Lamar Hunt AFL patch on the left. Teams that go against the tradition are 4-2. The most recent occasions were the 2011-12 Ravens who beat the 49ers and last year's Chiefs defeating the 49ers. The following are the teams that have worn the SB logo patches on the right side of the jersey due to another patch already on the left:
Super Bowl
Team
Patch on Left
Result
LV
Kansas City Chiefs
AFL/Lamar Hunt Team Uniform Tradition
TBD
LIV
Kansas City Chiefs
AFL/Lamar Hunt Team Uniform Tradition
Win
XLVII
Baltimore Ravens
"Art" honoring Art Modell
Win
XLVI
New England Patriots
"MHK" honoring Myra H. Kraft
Loss
XLV
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers logo Uniform Tradition
Loss
XLIII
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers logo Uniform Tradition
Win
XL
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers logo Uniform Tradition
Win
It may be worth noting that in SB X, the Steelers and Cowboys wore Bicentennial patches, but Dallas had them on their shoulders. Additionally the Giants wore memorial patches to honor a fallen teammate in SB XXI.
Matchup History
The Chiefs and Buccaneers have played head-to-head 13 times before, all in the regular season. The Chiefs won the first matchup in 1976, the Buccaneers followed up with two wins, then 4-straight for Kansas City, then Tampa Bay won 5 in a row, and finally this year's week 12 meeting went to the Chiefs.
Tampa Bay is 7-6
Tampa Bay leads in points 267-260
Tampa Bay is 4-0 when both teams wear the uniform combos for Super Bowl LV ('04,'08,'12,'16) including twice at Raymond James Stadium
Kansas City is 1-3 at Raymond James Stadium
Home teams are 7-6 in the series
Tampa Bay is 5-1 wearing Pewter helmets, 2-5 in white helmets from the creamsicle era
One Overtime game in the series
Lowest scoring game: 3-0 Tampa Bay (12/16/79); Highest scoring game: 34-31 Tampa Bay (11/07/04)
Broadcast
Since 2000, the 7 Super Bowls on CBS have had the following characteristics:
NFC won 6 of 7 coin tosses, first 4 receive, last 3 defer
First 2 teams defended north, 2 defended south, 2 defended east, 1 defended west (Raymond James is N/S)
All February 7 Super Bowls have been on CBS
AFC has won 6, NFC has won 1 (Saints)
3 NFC South teams have played, 1 AFC West team has played
Coin Toss
For those that are familiar with my work, I am a coin toss guru. I love looking for random patterns in coin tosses. Here are some notes about Super Bowl coin tosses and these two teams: In Super Bowls:
AFC teams have kicked the opening kickoff 32 times
Teams that kick the opening kickoff in previous Super Bowls are 25-29
Teams that win the coin toss are 24-30
Teams that win the coin toss and defer are 3-8
Teams that win the toss and elect to receive are 21-22
In Super Bowls I-XLII & XLIV, every team that won the toss elected to receive. In SBs XLIII & XLV-present, every team to win the toss has elected to defer. But recent history has been strange... Recent Super Bowls:
In the last 6 Super Bowls, the team that won the toss lost the game (all deferred)
The NFC team has won 6 of the last 7 coin tosses
In the last 17 Super Bowls, only 6 teams have called heads, yet only 7 heads have actually occurred
8 teams have made a correct coin toss call in the past 17 Super Bowls (30 all-time)
Officials
Position
Number
Official
Super Bowl Experience
Referee
51
Carl Cheffers
LI (R)
Umpire
11
Fred Bryan
LIII (U)
Down Judge
53
Sarah Thomas
-
Line Judge
59
Rusty Baynes
50 (LJ)
Field Judge
95
James Coleman
-
Side Judge
103
Eugene Hall
LIII (FJ)
Back Judge
105
Dino Paganelli
XLVII (BJ)
Replay Official
-
Mike Wimmer
XXXVII (Video Op) XLIX (Replay Official)
Replay Assistant
-
Sean McKee
-
Alt R
14
Shawn Smith
-
Alt U
128
Ramon George
-
Alt DJ
6
Jerod Phillips
-
Alt LJ
84
Mark Steinkerchner
XXXIX (LJ) & XXXVII (LJ)
Alt FJ
97
Tom Hill
XL (SJ), XLIX (SJ) & LII (FJ)
Alt SJ
26
Jabir Walker
-
Alt BJ
88
Brad Freeman
-
Alt Replay
-
Mark Butterworth
-
Mark Steinkerchner and Mike Wimmer were involved in the Buccaneers previous Super Bowl. Cheffers, Bryan, and Hall have all officiated Tom Brady Super Bowls (As have alternates Steinkerchner and Hill). Sarah Thomas officiated the Week 12 game between these two teams (with Tom Hill and Ramon George)
Divisions
The NFC South is 1-2 vs the AFC West in Super Bowls All-Time (TB responsible for the win) The Buccaneers are 1-0 in Super Bowl appearances:
1-0 vs. AFC West ( Raiders)
The Chiefs are 2-1 in Super Bowl appearances:
1-1 vs. NFC North (Win vs. Vikings, Loss vs. Packers)
1-0 vs NFC West ( 49ers)
Rule of 11s
Looking back at Super Bowls XI, XXII, XXXIII, XLIV to find weird trends:
Teams in white jerseys won all Super Bowls
The Colts are the only AFC representative not in the AFC West, Vikings and Redskins the only NFC representative not in the NFC South
First two in California, the rest in Florida
Home teams lost all Super Bowls
The most recent 3 all had a team call heads, and the NFC team won the toss, and the AFC teams have defended East
All teams have elected to receive, 3 of 4 got the coin toss call correct
My 2021 NFL Mock Draft after the Divisional Round - 1/17/21
The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs are now over, and there's a lot to really think about. In this mock draft, I have a few trades, including a block buster to help find the successor for a QB headed for Canton, as well as a blockbuster deal in which a team that is currently at dumpster fire status get's their lost draft capita back. Here's the mock draft. 1 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Nothing to say here. They didn't call this season 'Tank for Trevor' for nothing, now did they? 2 - New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU TRADE - Dolphins send 3rd overall pick to the New Orleans Saints, in exchange for 28th overall pick in 2020, Saints' 2nd round pick in 2020, Saints' 3rd round pick in 2020, Saints' 1st round pick in 2021, Saints 3rd round pick in 2021, and Saints 4th round pick in 2021, and maybe more... 3 - New Orleans Saints - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State The Drew Brees era has ended in New Orleans after a long, and impressive run. At 42 years of age, Brees walks away from the game as 13x pro bowler, a two time OPOTY winner, a super bowl champion (2009), and many other accolades and accomplishments under his belt. With the greatest QB in Saint's history now gone, it's time for New Orleans to fill in the big shoes left by the legend. The Saints are in no position to blow up their roster and tank in the wake of Brees' apparent retirement. They've got a 20+ million dollar WR in Michael Thomas, one of the highest paid RBs in Alvin Kamara, a star-studded OL, a great defense featuring Cameron Jordan, the breakout Trey Hendrickson, Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore, and Malcolm Jenkins. This team really can't afford to tank for a top QB in 2022 like Sam Howell, or Spencer Rattler. What they can afford, is to give up a lot to receive a lot in Justin Fields. While his 2020 season wasn't anything to ride home about, Justin Fields is still more than likely going to have a great career in the NFL, and frankly what better place for him to go than the Big Easy, which will have a fantastic team around him unlike many other high end QBs in the draft. New Orleans will most certainly be giving up their first round picks for this year, and next year in order to land the coveted college football superstar, and set up their franchise for possibly another 12-15 years. 4 - Atlanta Falcons - Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama QB is at the top of Atlanta's wishlist, but if they are unable to land neither Wilson, nor Fields, then Atlanta could target one of the biggest receiving talents in CFB history, in Devonta Smith to create the best WR core in the entire NFL. Reportedly, Julio Jones has been the center of trade discussions with the Falcons, as they enter a new era after firing coach Dan Quinn. If Julio goes, then Smith, who is wickedly talented at route running, & separation, could provide the Falcon's receiving department with more than enough insurance if Jones departs. If Jones doesn't leave, then you've still got a ridiculous WR trio for at least the next two years, until Calvin Ridley hits free agency. 5 - Cincinnati Bengals - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Sewell is a generational talent at OT, and if the former Outland Trophy winner were to fall to the Bengals at #5, then it's a no-brainer to get him to protect Burrow. Sewell is just 20 years old, he has plenty of room to improve, and with his youth, he could have a 15+ year career barring any injury. 6 - Philadelphia Eagles - Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU Jalen Hurts has some promise in Philly, but he needs some targets. Neither Desean Jackson, nor Alshon Jeffrey can stay healthy, and all you have left is Greg Ward, who is becoming a free agent, and Travis Fulgham who fell off hard after a pretty impressive four game stretch earlier this year. It's time for Philadelphia to get a new WR1, and LSU's Ja'Marr Chase has all of the makings to be the next big thing in Philly. Chase's ridiculous 2019 campaign was so good, that he didn't even need to play in 2020 in order to cement his status as a top 10 pick. It's universally agreed that he is a top 10 level prospect, and his rookie year in Philly should be special. 7 - Detroit Lions - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama The three top receivers for Detroit will become free agents. While the Lions will likely retain at least one of them (probably going to be Golliday), they will need to reload in this department in order to keep their offense up. Jaylen Waddle was on pace for a ridiculous 2020 season, up until he broke his ankle last October, but in the games we did see him, he was arguably just as unguardable as Devonta Smith. While Smitty was the precise tactician in that stacked Bama receiving corps, Waddle was the dynamite playmaker, who was one of the top downfield threats in the country. Waddle will most certainly make Detroit explosive upon arrival. 8 - Carolina Panthers - Micah Parson, LB, Penn State I originally had Carolina taking Isaiah Simmons last season, but they passed on him for Derrick Brown instead. Ever since the departure of Luke Kuechly, the team has been in dire need of a leader at LB, and Penn State's Micah Parsons is the one to do it. Parsons can play the Panthers system, and his quickness, and instincts are incredible for the position. TRADE - Denver Broncos send 9th overall pick + more to the Houston Texans in exchange for QB Deshaun Watson, + a late draft pick. 9 - Houston Texans - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida The second big shocker of the night. In this scenario, Denver wins the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, and in return Houston gets its lost draft capita from the O'Brien era. Houston could use this pick to get a lineman like Slater, or a DB like Surtain or Farley, but Kyle Pitts at this point is the best overall player on the board, and he's one of the best TE prospects to come out in a good while. Pitts will likely be the top receiver for Houston, even as a rookie, Deshaun Watson gets an acceptable trade for his sake, and Denver FINALLY gets its QB of the future. This was my favorite move on this mock draft. 10 - Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama Completely unrelated, but I just wanted check in and see if y'all were still them boys...nah I'm just kidding. But in all honesty, the Cowboys need some help in their secondary, since they just lost Byron Jones a year ago, and Chidobe Awuzie, plus a few others enter free agency, leaving just 2nd year man Trevon Diggs by himself. Reunite him with his former college teammate, Patrick Surtain II, the son of Patrick Sr, who was a 3x pro bowler as a DB during his time in the league. Surtain is a smooth operating corner, whose efforts with the Tide in 2020 earned him SEC DPOTY honors. 11 - New York Giants - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame I think that the G-Men will get some pass rushing help in free agency, by way of someone like Haason Reddick or Matt Judon. If they do that, which they probably will, then they can go after the stud LB prospect of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who had a huge 2020 season, winning the Butkus award, and helping Notre Dame make it to the College Football Playoff. JOK has some fantastic instincts, and some frightening closing speed to attack the backfield, and make plays. Not to mention, he is small enough to where he can drop back into coverage, but big enough not to get pushed around. 12 - San Francisco 49ers - Mac Jones, QB, Alabama It's become evident that Jimmy G just isn't the guy to hold the reins for the 49er offense in the coming years. He's pretty average as an NFL QB in general, and he's well below average for a QB that has a nine figure contract, and on top of that, he has played only one full season as the starter with San Fran, missing 13 games in 2018, and 10 games in 2020. While I expect Jimmy G to start next year, I think it's time for San Fran to get the next guy for the job. Mac Jones, a Heisman finalist this past season had just about as perfect of a season you could have for a college QB. Jones has pinpoint accuracy, and terrific decision making. I think that Jones will stew behind Garoppolo, and get coached up in his rookie season, then he will eventually get turned lose, in the 49ers offense. 13 - Los Angeles Chargers - Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern Slater has risen up draft boards from 2nd round status, to early 1st round status without even playing game during 2020. Many scouts highlight his brilliant performance against Ohio State in 2019, in which he stifled current NFL star edge rusher Chase Young in their showdown. Slater is versatile enough to play at OG as well, which is really where the Chargers could use some help at right now. 14 - Minnesota Vikings - Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech Minnesota's ability to protect Kirk Cousins was not too good in 2020. Cousins was sacked 39 times last season. Christian Darrisaw is one of the best offensive tackles in the class with good size for the position, and a ton of praise from scouts around the country. 15 - New England Patriots - Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama The Patriots could use some help up front for their DL. They allowed the 7th most rushing yards in the entire league across all of last regular season, allowing around 131 yards per game. When you compete in a conference that has runners like Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, the entire Ravens backfield, Josh Allen when he feels dangerous, and even Kansas City who isn't really bad at the run themselves, then you need to do what you can to slow that down. Meet Christian Barmore, the massive Alabama defensive lineman who gained a ton of positive attention thanks to his dominant performance against Ohio State in the national championship game. Barmore, in my opinion has ascended to the top of the IDL big board, thanks to his disruptiveness, his shocking quickness, and his ability to rush the passer, as well as a disrupt the running game make him a great get for the New England Patriots at 15th overall. 16 - Arizona Cardinals - Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson Now while I did say that Najee Harris was the best RB in this class, I just feel that Travis Etienne fits the Cardinal's system more than Najee. Etienne reminds me a lot of Kenyan Drake, who hits free agency this spring. He's a long built, yet quick runner with a keen ability to catch the football. Etienne could make Arizona's defense a legit threat in the coming years. 17 - Las Vegas Raiders - Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami When it comes to drafting in the first round, the Raiders do their own thing. They've always been one to reach with their first round selection, showing this with picks like Kolton Miller, Karl Joseph, Damon Arnette, and most infamous as of recent, Clelin Ferrell, who they picked over Josh Allen, which I am still frustrated about to this day. I don't see the Raiders leaving this odd, and borderline comedic trend behind in Oakland, and as a matter of fact, I can see history repeating itself year after year. Jaelan Phillips, who used to play for UCLA, and was a 5 star prospect in high school, finally seemed to hit his stride after dealing with many injuries, and transferring across the country to Miami. Phillips athletic ability, and natural pass rushing tools were on display in the latter half of Miami's 2020 season, and while Phillips currently has a 2nd round grade, I don't see this stopping the Raiders from passing on him over other players projected to go in round 1 (however I think there is a lot more upside to Phillips than past 1st round picks by the Raiders). 18 - Miami Dolphins - Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa I've become extremely impressed with Nagurski Award winner, Zaven Collins, a defender that combines a staggering amount of size (6'4", 260 lbs), and a surprising amount of speed, and mobility in coverage that makes Collins such a difficult player to face. Collins can be an excellent addition to the Dolphins defense. 19 - Washington Football Team - Trey Lance, QB, ND State Washington is one QB away from being a legitimate contender in the NFC; not a 7-9 division leader, not fringe wild card team, a legit contender. Do I think this happens within a year? No. If Washington ends up with Trey Lance, they must use him right. He needs to be brought up in the shadows of a veteran QB for at least a season, before getting on the field, similar to what Kansas City did with Patrick Mahomes. The starter for that KC team with rookie Mahomes was Alex Smith. The potential starter for this team with a rookie Trey Lance: Alex Smith. Of course with the depletion of Smith's career because of that brutal leg injury in 2018, Smith may not be playing for Washington despite an inspiring comeback season, potentially the greatest comeback season ever for any NFL player. 20 - Chicago Bears - Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama The Outland Trophy winner for Alabama has moved around the entire line like many linemen do under coach Nick Saban. The Bears need some help up front, and Leatherwood is an extremely versatile option who is as good of a run blocker as they come. 21 - Indianapolis Colts - Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State T.Y. Hilton, who has really fallen off recently, as well as Zach Pascal, are both free agents for Indy. The only guy they've got is Michael Pittman, who they drafted just last year. While I expect big things from the former USC standout in his sophomore season, this WR group needs a ton of assistance due to it's lack of diversity. Ohio State's Chris Olave was one of Justin Fields' favorite targets across the QB's two year career with the Buckeyes. Olave is sound route runner, with good hands, and solid ability in getting separation. 22 - Tennessee Titans - Azeez Ojulari, LB, Georgia My team, the Tennessee Titans is probably the most desperate team for a franchise pass rusher. Seeing this pass rush week in, and week out was painful. They recorded the 3rd least sacks, and opposing QBs averaged a 97.5 passer rating (9th highest), when facing Tennessee. The weak pass rush gave QBs more time to make throws downfield, thus tiring the secondary, and making the defense slower. Azeez Ojulari is one of the better LB prospects in this draft class, showing the ability to play standup, but also along the edge, which is where he did really well at in his last season with the Bulldogs. Check out his games against Tennessee, and Alabama, and you will see how he was able to outclass many offensive linemen in those two games. TRADE - New York Jets send 23rd overall pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the 26th overall pick, as well as a mid round pick in either 2021 or 2022. 23 - Cleveland Browns - Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan The Browns could be looking for a complementary edge rusher for Myles Garrett with Olivier Vernon departing in free agency. Vernon surged late in 2020, but a very unfortunate achilles injury derailed his hopes to make some more noise in the post season. Kwity Paye, who was projected to go 2nd-3rd round after 2019, exploded thanks to a chaotic performance against Minnesota, in which he had 3 sacks in a row on a 4th qtr drive. While Paye may have small stature, he has enough upside that should make Cleveland want to roll the dice on him. 24 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Pittsburgh has struggled to run the football. They were dead last in total rushing yards as a team, with the 5th least total rushing attempts, and the least YPC (3.6). James Conner and Benny Snell just don't seem to have the answers. But my solution is for Pittsburgh to dip into the pool known as RBU, aka Alabama. Najee Harris was the Doak Walker winner for a reason, becoming a wrecking ball bruiser, that just so happens to be able to catch the ball really well, and jump over defenders that are standing straight up. Najee can help make Big Ben, or the next Steeler QB's job easier with his versatile skillset for the position. 25 - Jacksonville Jaguars* - Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame The Fighting Irish have provided some of the best linemen in the NFL, like Ronnie Stanley, Zack Martin, and Quenton Nelson to name a few. Liam Eichenberg made the first team all ACC, and was a consensus All-American in 2020. He has overall very sound fundamentals, and I actually think he has the potential to be a legitimate lineman in the NFL. 26 - New York Jets* - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota As previously mentioned, the Jets will be selecting Zach Wilson with the 2nd overall pick. With Breshad Perriman entering free agency, the Jets need a receiving facelift in order to provide Wilson with the much needed tools for success. Bateman appears to have the potential to be a WR1, and help give the Jet's atrocious offense something to be excited about. 27 - Baltimore Ravens - Terrace Marshall Jr, WR, LSU The latest product of LSU, Marshall has been regularly playing since last year, getting reps alongside Ja'Marr Chase, and current pro bowl WR Justin Jefferson. The Ravens offense will get jolt of energy from Marshall, who is impressively built for the position, and who has a keen ability to run routes well. 28 - Miami Dolphins* - Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas The Dolphins use their second 1st round pick of the draft to help protect Tua. Samuel Cosmi has the positional versatility of a Bama lineman, with the build of the ideal OT. His large stature towers at 6'7", over 300 lbs. He'll add some legit experience points. 29 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Joseph Ossai, LB, Texas Thanks to the Buccaneers, I was right about TB (both the team and the player) pulling the upset in NOLA. Regardless, at the end of this season, the Bucs need to fill some much anticipated holes this offseason, and many players are likely gone. If Shaquil Barrett is one of those, then Tampa needs an edge rusher, and they need one pronto. 30 - Kansas City Chiefs - Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC The Chiefs are about as perfect as you can get on offense, but some help up front won't hurt at all. Vera-Tucker from USC showed that he has the skill to play at IOL, and OT. While he is built for OG. 31 - Buffalo Bills - Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri A draft pick like this could be a steal for Buffalo, with Nick Bolton providing several bolts of energy, and momentum into these nights. Bolton is a quick, powerful linebacker, and one of the SEC's finest. 32 - Green Bay Packers - Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue If your name is either Green Bay, Buffalo, or Kansas City then you can really get under the skin of defensive coordinators by taking this guy. Rondale Moore when healthy, is a juggernaut, who is one of the best receivers after the catch. If the Packers decide to finally take a WR in round1, then the earth could shatter. THANK YOU FOR READING, COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK, GOOD NIGHT
Game Preview Week 15 Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-6)
Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1) vs Arizona Cardinals (7-6)
The Jalen Hurts era started in Philly with a bang as the Eagles knocked off the number 1 seed Saints being a strong rushing attack led by Hurts and Miles Sanders. The defense was the real winner in this game as they completely shut down the Saints offense for most of the game. But the win came at a cost, Rodney McLeod tore his MCL and will be out for the season and a number of other defenders left the game and will be questionable going into the game this week. The Eagles also lost starting RT Jack Driscoll for the remainder of the season to a MCL sprain.The Eagles with their rookie QB at the helm will travel to Arizona this week to take on the Arizona Cardinals who need a win to stay close in the playoff hunt. The loss of McLeod will be felt as the Cardinals come in with an impressive passing attack led by Kylar Murray and WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. Jim Schwartz will need to come up with a game plan to shutdown the Cardinals big time WRs with a banged up secondary. At the same time they will need to slow down the Cardinals running game where Murray is also dangerous, but Kenyon Drake is the real threat. The Eagles will also unfortunately still be fighting for a playoff spot by winning the NFCE shitpile, but will be eliminated this week with a Washington win and an Eagles loss. Here is to an injury free game.
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.
Location
Station
Frequency
Philadelphia, PA
WIP-FM
94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA
WCTO-FM
96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey
WENJ-FM
97.3 FM
Levittown, PA
WBCB-AM
1490 AM
Northumberland, PA
WEGH-FM
107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA
WPPA-AM
1360 AM
Reading, PA
WEEU-AM
830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WAFL-FM
97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA
WEJL-FM
96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WAFL-FM
97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WEJL-AM
630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WBAX-AM
1240 AM
Williamsport, PA
WBZD-FM
93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE
WDEL-FM/AM
101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA
WSOX-FM
96.1 FM
Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.
Location
Station
Frequency
Philadelphia, PA
LA MEGA
105.7 FM
Allentown, PA
WSAN
1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ
WIBG
1020 AM; 101.3 FM
Cardinals Radio
Arizona Sports (98.7 FM) is the flagship station of the Cardinals Radio Network.Dave Pasch handles the play-by-play duties, Cardinals FB Ron Wolfley provides color commentary for the Cardinals.
November 10, 1935 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL. Chicago Cardinals 12 - Philadelphia Eagles 3
Points Leader
The Philadelphia Eagles lead the Arizona/St.Louis/Chicago Cardinals (719-680)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 1-0 vs. the Cardinals
Kliff Kingsbury: 0-0 vs. the Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Pederson vs Kingsbury: First Meeting of the coaches.
Quarterback Record
Jalen Hurts: Against Cardinals 0-0
Kylar Murrayl: Against Eagles: 0-0
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Jalen Hurts vs Kylar Murray: This will be the first matchup between the QBs in the NFL
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Eagles lead: 3-2
Record @ State Farm Stadium: Cardinals leads series: 3-0
Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 23 - Cardinals No. 14
2020 Record
Eagles: 4-8-1
Cardinals 7-6
Last Meeting
Sunday, October 8th, 2017
Eagles 34 - Cardinals 7
The Eagles scored early and often in this game, for their first blowout win of the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Carson Wentz found tight ends Trey Burton and Zach Ertz for early touchdowns, and later connected with wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 59-yard touchdown to finish the first quarter. Following Smith's touchdown, the Eagles unveiled their baseball home run celebration for the first time all season. The closest the Cardinals came was in the second quarter when they trailed 21–7 following a John Brown 13-yard touchdown. In the mid third quarter, on 3rd and 19, Wentz found wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 72-yard touchdown pass, on which Agholor juked rookie safety Budda Baker and finished the play with the Nestea Plunge. The final score was 34–7, and Wentz threw for four touchdowns, including three first quarter touchdown passes.
Cardinals MLB Jordan Hicks was drafted in the 3rd round in 2015 NFL Draft and played 4 seasons with the Eagles.
Cardinals LB Hassan Reddick is from Camden NJ, and attended college at Temple in Philadelphia.
Cardinals RB James Saxon played one season for the Eagles in 1995.
Cardinals LB Coach Billy Davis served as defensive coordinator of the Eagles from 2013-2015.
Eagles S Rudy Ford played two seasons with the Cardinals from 2017-2018.
2020 Pro Bowlers
Eagles
Cardinals
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)
WR DeAndre Hopkins(Starter)
OG Brandon Brooks (Starter)
OLB Chandler Jones (Starter)
TE Zach Ertz
FS Budda Baker (Starter)
C Jason Kelce (Starter)
LS Rick Lavato (Starter)
General
Referee: Craig Wrolstad
Jalen Hurts started his first career game in Week 14 vs. New Or-leans, leading the Eagles to a 24-21 victory over the 10-2 Saints. Hurts, the Eagles’ youngest starting QB since Jack Concannon in 1964, became the second QB in NFL history to beat a team on a 9+ game winning streak in their starting debut, joining Ron Jawor-ski (12/20/75 vs. Pittsburgh with L.A. Rams - snapped Steelers’ 11-game streak). He also became the first NFL QB since 1950 to throw a TD pass and rush for 100+ yards in their first start.
Miles Sanders (746 rushing yards, 5 TDs), ranks 2nd among NFL RBs in rushing average (5.7), behind Nick Chubb (5.9) (min. 125 attempts). In Week 14 vs. New Orleans, Sanders recorded an 82-yard rushing TD, marking the 4th-longest rushing play in Eagles history. He is the first NFL RB with 3 rushes of 70+ yards in the same season since 2012, when Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson each accomplished the feat.
Philadelphia’s defense ranks 2nd in the NFL with 43.0 sacks, trail-ing only Pittsburgh (45.0). Since Week 10, Fletcher Cox ranks 1st among NFL DTs with 4.0 sacks, while Javon Hargrave is tied for 2nd with Aaron Donald and Leonard Williams with 3.5 sacks.
Dallas Goedert is one of three NFL TEs with 250+ receiving yards (261) and 2+ TDs (2) since Week 11, joining Travis Kelce (481 yards, 3 TDs) and Darren Waller (386 yards, 3 TDs).
Draft Picks
Eagles
Cardinals
WR Jalen Raegor
OLB Isiah Simmons
QB Jalen Hurts
OT Josh Jones
LB Davion Taylor
DT Leki Fotu
S K’Von Wallace
LB Kamal Martin
OT Jack Driscoll
DT Rashard Lawrence
WR John Hightower
LB Evan Weaver
LB Shaun Bradley
RB Eno Benjamin
WR Quez Watkins
OT Prince Tega Wanogho
LB/DE Casey Toohill
Notable Off-season Additions
Eagles
Cardinals
DT Javon Hargrave
WR DeAndre Hopkins
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
DT Jordan Phillips
CB Darius Slay
LB Devon Kennard
LB De’Vondre Campbell
DT Trevon Coley
Notable Off-season Departures
Eagles
Cardinals
S Malcom Jenkins
RB David Johnson
CB Ronald Darby
DE Rodney Gunter
RB Jordan Howard
DT Cassius Marsh
WR Nelson Agholor
DT Zach Kerr
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai
DT Cararun Reid
LB Kamu Grugler-Hill
CB Bradon Williams
RB Darren Sproles
WR Pharoh Cooper
DT Timmy Jernigan
WR Damiere Byrd
LB Nigel Bradham
LB Joe Walker
OT William Sweat
Milestones
Eagles DE Vinny Curry (29) needs 1 sacks to move up to 18th on the Eagles all-time sack list passing DT Jerome Brown
Eagles TE Zach Ertz needs 40 yards for 6000 career receiving yards.
Food for Thought
The 1948 Philadelphia Eagles-Chicago Cardinals Championship Bout
Eagles fans recall Super Bowl LII with wonder and relish in it. These days, that date seems so very long ago, but there was another magical Championship game I’d like to remind you of, as the Eagles and Cardinals face off (and the Northeast just got a snow dump), the Eagles’ first championship. Sure, this team the Eagles will face is not the Chicago Cardinals or the St. Louis Cardinals or the Phoenix Cardinals, but it’s the same franchise of course. As far as snowy games, fans typically recall the Eagles’ fun snow game of 2013 against the Lions in which players made snow angels in the endzone, but there was an even more memorable one, one which Eagles RB Steve Van Buren didn’t even think was going to take place. With a blizzard harrowing Philadelphia: “I was sure they wouldn’t be able to play and went back to bed,” Van Buren told [Joe Jonas]. “Then, ‘Greasy’ (coach Earle Neale) called and told me the game was on and to get a move on. I had to take a trolley, then the El, and then a second trolley. When that trolley bogged down in the snow, I had to walk down Lehigh Avenue through the drifts about two miles to the park. I got there just a couple of minutes before the kickoff.” source. Van Buren and the Eagles proceeded to run amok all over the Cardinals that fateful day. Where the Cardinals managed 34 rushes for 96 yards, Van Buren led the Eagles to a 57 for 225 line day (let’s disregard Eagles QB Tommy Thompson stumbling toward a 0.0 passer rating: 2/12 for 7 yards and 2 INTs). Despite the Eagles controlling the game--in fact, the Eagles scored on the 1st play of the game, but it was called back for Offsides--it wasn’t until a minute left in the 4th that either team scored, a 5 yard rush by Van Buren. In victory, the Eagles exacted revenge on the Cardinals for losing the championship matchup the year prior 28-21.
Matchups to Watch
Arizona rushing attack vs the Eagles front seven
The Eagles have repeatedly struggled this season with teams who have mobile quarterbacks, who are able to escape the pocket. They did well last week against Taysom Hill, however this week they will take on Kylar Murray who is a lot closer to Lamar Jackson than Taysom Hill. The Eagles gave up 100 yards and a TD when they faced Jackson this season.again Like Jackson, Kylar Murray has the ability to break off big runs, as he is second to Jackson in rushing yards by a QB this season. Murray has over 700 rushing yards and a league leading 10 rushing TDs by a QB this season. Pair that with the impressive running attack of Kenyon Drake and the Eagles front seven will have their hands full on Sunday. With a talented receiving corp of the Cardinals the Eagles will not be able to stack the box and it will be on the front seven to keep contain and stay in the lanes to keep Murray and Drake in check. If they don’t and allow the Cardinals to establish the run look for the Cardinals to pound the run and look for a big play off play-action to one of their talented WRs.
Eagles banged up secondary vs the talented receiving corp of the Cardinals
In their win over the Saints, the Eagles lost their two best players in the secondary in safety Rodney McLeod and CB Darius Slay. McLeod unfortunately tore his MCL and will miss the remainder of the season and Slay suffered a concussion and while he has progressed through the protocol he has not been cleared as of the time of this writing. If Slay misses the game the Eagles will most likely lean on Avonte Maddox to cover All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins which is not good news for the Eagles. Last time the Maddox was asked to cover an All-Pro he was absolutely torched by Davante Adams. Hopkins is also questionable for the game, but is trending towards playing.Eagles DC Jim Schwartz will need to get creative with his coverages and hope his front four can continue to wreak havoc like they did last week where Hill was under constant pressure. If given time, Murray will cut up this secondary and have some big plays against the Eagles backups.
Jalen Hurts and Doug Pederson vs Vance Joseph
Cardinals’ defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have the job of stopping the Eagles rookie QB who ran all over the Saints number one ranked defense last week. Doug Pederson said earlier this week that the Eagles simply shot themselves in the foot in the second half against the Saints, but rewatching the game it looks like the Saints made some adjustments at halftime that were effective in slowing down and confusing the rookie QB. Unlike the Saints, Joseph will have a full game tape to review and prepare for Hurts. Of course, Pederson and Eagles know what they put out on film too and will have to adjust to how they played in the second half against the Saints. It’ll be up to them to have a counterpunch ready to go depending on how the Cardinals play the rookie quarterback. Hurts was far more effective with his legs than his arm against the Saints, so I would not be surprised to see Joseph put a spy on Hurts to limit his ability to run. If the Cardinals do spy him, it will most likely go to former Eagles Jordan Hicks who is extremely athletic for an LB and should be able to match Hurts speed and athleticism. With the spy that’s one less player in coverage, which should open some up some things in the passing game if Hurts can take advantage of it. The Eagles have a lot of offensive coaches on the staff and it is their job to put him in the best position to be successful, but that is something they have failed to do with a number of guys on the offense this year, so it remains to see if they can do it with Hurts when the other team is gameplanning for him. If they can and that is a big IF Hurts will still need to execute and continue to show the same poise he did last weekend.
Special thanks to abenyishay for their help in creating this Game Preview.
[Game Preview] Week 14 - Philadelphia Eagles(3-8-1) vs New Orleans Saints (10-2)
Philadelphia Eagles (3-8-1) vs New Orleans Saints (10-2)
After another abysmal performance by the offense the Eagles are making a change at QB throwing rookie Jalen Hurts into the fire against the New Orleans Saints who have the number 1 defense in the league. While a change at QB may limit the turnovers from Wentz trying to play hero ball, it won’t fix the fundamental problems in the offense which are related to scheme and play calling. Some of those issues may be resolved if Doug does what was stated in his press conference which is something he has failed to do this entire season which is establish the run early to help his quarterback. If playcalling improves Hurts may have a chance, but if it does not he will be put in the same difficult position Wentz was in all season with the only advantage is that Hurts legs may buy him some time and get him out of the pocket to avoid sacks. If the Saints play their game they will most likely win their 3rd straight win against the Eagles dropping Pederson to 0-3 against them. Here’s to another Sunday filled with beers and sorrow. Go Birds!
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.
Location
Station
Frequency
Philadelphia, PA
WIP-FM
94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA
WCTO-FM
96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey
WENJ-FM
97.3 FM
Levittown, PA
WBCB-AM
1490 AM
Northumberland, PA
WEGH-FM
107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA
WPPA-AM
1360 AM
Reading, PA
WEEU-AM
830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WAFL-FM
97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA
WEJL-FM
96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WAFL-FM
97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WEJL-AM
630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD
WBAX-AM
1240 AM
Williamsport, PA
WBZD-FM
93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE
WDEL-FM/AM
101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA
WSOX-FM
96.1 FM
Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.
Location
Station
Frequency
Philadelphia, PA
LA MEGA
105.7 FM
Allentown, PA
WSAN
1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ
WIBG
1020 AM; 101.3 FM
Saints Radio
WWL (870AM/105.3FM) is the flagship station of the Saints Radio Network. Former Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief handles the play-by-play duties, former Saints running back Deuce McAllister provides color commentary and Steve Geller is on the New Orleans sideline for all the contests.
National Radio
Compass Radio will carry the game nationally with Chris Carrino (play-by-play) and Brian Baldinger(analyst).
November 6, 1967 at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA. New Orleans Saints 31 - Philadelphia Eagles 24
Points Leader
The Philadelphia Eagles lead the New Orleans Saints (719-680)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 0-2 vs. the Saints
Sean Payton: 7-2 vs. the Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Pederon vs Payton: Payton leads 2-0.
Quarterback Record
Jalen Hurts: Against Saints 0-0
Taysom Hill: Against Eagles: 0-0
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Jalen Hurts vs Taysom Hill: This will be the first matchup between the QBs
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Saints lead: 3-2
Record @ Mercedes Benz SuperDome: Saints leads series: 9-5
Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 27 - Saints No. 3
2020 Record
Eagles: 3-9-1
Saints 10-2
Last Meeting
Sunday, January 13th, 2019
Saints 20 - Eagles 14
The Eagles traveled to New Orleans to face the Saints in a rematch of the Week 11 game which ended in a 48–7 rout in the Saints' favor. Despite jumping out to an early 14–0 first-quarter lead over the top-seeded Saints on touchdowns by Jordan Matthews and Nick Foles, the Eagles could not keep up the pace. New Orleans responded with 20 unanswered points over the final three quarters, including the eventual game-winning third-quarter touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Michael Thomas, to defeat the Eagles 20–14 and end Philadelphia's reign as Super Bowl Champions. The loss was just the second career postseason loss for Foles, the other being a 26–24 loss in the 2013 season, also to the Saints. New Orleans' victory over Philadelphia meant that, for the 14th straight season, a new Super Bowl champion would be crowned.
Saints HC Sean Payton worked as the QB Coach for the Eagles from 1997-1998 seasons.
Saints starting safety Malcom Jenkins played 6 seasons for the Eagles from 2014-2019 and won a Super Bowl with them in 2017.
Saints CB Patrick Robonsin played one season with the Eagles in 2017 and was a member of the Super Bowl Team.
Saints Senior Defensive Assistant Peter Giunta worked as the Eagles DB coach from 1991-1994.
Saints Assistant Special Teams coach Phil Gailano is originally from Philadelphia, PA and went to Norristown HS.
Eagles Personnel Consultant Darren Sproles played 3 seasons for the Saints from 2011-2013.
Eagles LB Coach Ken Fajole worked as the Saints DB coach in 2012.
2020 Pro Bowlers
Eagles
Saints
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)
QB Drew Brees
OG Brandon Brooks (Starter)
RB Alvin Kamara (1st Alt)
TE Zach Ertz
Wr Michael Thomas(Starter)
C Jason Kelce (Starter)
Te Jared Cook(1st Alt)
LS Rick Lavato (Starter)
OT Terron Armstead
G Andrus Peat (2nd Alt)
G Larry Warford (3rd Alt)
DE Cameron Jordan (Starter)
CB Marshon Lattimore (Starter)
K Will Lutz (Starter)
RS Deonte Harris (Starter)
General
Referee: Jerome Boger
Brandon Graham will appear in his 156th career regular-season game, surpassing Trent Cole (155, 2005-14) for the most games played by a defensive lineman in franchise history. Graham leads the Eagles in both sacks (7.0) and TFLs (12) this season.
Miles Sanders ranks 2nd among NFL RBs in rushing average (5.4), behind Nick Chubb (6.0) (min. 100 attempts).
Dallas Goedert is one of only three NFL TEs with 200+ receiving yards (218) and 2+ TDs (2) since Week 11, joining Travis Kelce (345 yards, 2 TDs) and Darren Waller (311 yards, 3 TDs).
Fletcher Cox (53.5) is 1.0 sack shy of tying Hugh Douglas (54.5, 1998-2002, ‘04) for the 5th-most sacks in team history.
Javon Hargrave has recorded 15 tackles, 8 combined QB pres-sures and hits, 2 TFLs and 1.5 sacks dating back to Week 10.
In Week 13 at Green Bay, Jalen Reagor returned a punt 73 yards for a TD, marking the 3rd-longest punt return TD by an Eagles rookie, behind Damaris Johnson (98 yards, 12/2/12 at Dallas) and Ernie Steele (80 yards, lateral, 10/25/42 at Chicago).
Draft Picks
Eagles
Saints
WR Jalen Raegor
QB Jordan Love
QB Jalen Hurts
RB AJ Dillion
LB Davion Taylor
TE Josiah Deguara
S K’Von Wallace
LB Kamal Martin
OT Jack Driscoll
G Jon Runyan Jr.
WR John Hightower
C Jake Hanson
LB Shaun Bradley
G Simon Stepanick
WR Quez Watkins
FS Vernon Scott
OT Prince Tega Wanogho
DE Jonathan Garvin
LB/DE Casey Toohill
Notable Off-season Additions
Eagles
Saints
DT Javon Hargrave
S Malcom Jenkins
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
WR Emmanuel Sanders
CB Darius Slay
FB Michael Burton
DB Deatrick Nichols
QB Jameis Winston
RB Ty Montgomery
T James Hurst
Notable Off-season Departures
Eagles
Saints
S Malcom Jenkins
LB Kiko Alonso
CB Ronald Darby
FB Zach Line
RB Jordan Howard
CB Eli Apple
WR Nelson Agholor
ILB Stephone Anthony
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai
CB Vonn Bell
LB Kamu Grugler-Hill
QB Teddy Bridgewater
RB Darren Sproles
WR Tedd Ginn Jr.
DT Timmy Jernigan
LB AJ Klein
LB Nigel Bradham
LB Manti Te’o
Milestones
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (53.5) needs 1 sacks to move up to 5th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DE Hugh Douglas
Eagles DE Vinny Curry (29) needs 1 sacks to move up to 18th on the Eagles all-time sack list passing DT Jerome Brown
Food for Thought
The Torment of Prometheus
The culturally and historically vibrant cities of Philadelphia have more in common than first appearances might suggest. Yes, one has proud French roots, while the other is known as the “Birthplace of American Democracy” while sprouts of British colonialism can be seen in Greater Philadelphian towns like Lower Gwynedd, Narberth, and North Wales. The two cities have more in common than quintessential sandwiches, in the Po’ Boy and the Cheesesteak. Many might not realize it, but a famous Greek Myth links the two; that which represents the torment Eagles fans are now enduring. For those unaware or needing a refresher of the myth, the Titan Prometheus stole and gifted fire to Humans, a symbol of intellectualism and civilization. As punishment, Zeus ordered him bound and sentenced him to an eternity of having his liver pecked by an eagle. Eventually, Zeus had Hercules kill the Eagle and free Prometheus so that he could aid Hercules in his quest to complete his own penance, the 12 Labors. There’s much more to it than that, but for our purposes that’s the extent to which we’ll be discussing the myth itself. Just know that a famous painting depicting this, Prometheus Bound, has been sitting in the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1950. Cut to: We Eagles fans are Prometheus, enduring relentless torment as some sort of divine penance. Could it be for our passion, our fire? Could it be to take our hubris, as it pertains to our stellar collective Football intelligence, down a peg? *Note from the author: you should periodically remind yourself that the 97.5 and 94.1 callers are NOT representative and are largely folks that cry themselves to sleep in the bathtub every gameweek, scraping for any and every ounce of hope and reason and in doing so only emphasize their trauma psychosis. Could we have collectively used up all our karma to get that SBLII title? We may never know. Here’s looking to Lurie, the man ultimately responsible for forcing us into this torment, to bring in some new blood to rescue us from this nightmare. Oh Lurie, god of thunder, end our misery and rescue us. Have we not been punished enough? In 1814, the USS Prometheus was commissioned by the United States Navy, mostly serving to transport diplomats and survey land over its short lifespan. 4 years later, the ship was considered unseaworthy and got decommissioned, and made its funeral procession down to New Orleans. There, it was auctioned off to the highest bidder. Here we are, the Saints doing us a courtesy in at least saving us the trip down I-59 to be sold for parts. Allez Saints!
Matchups to Watch
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles Passing Attack vs. Saints Pass Defense
Talk about being thrown into the fire. Jalen Hurts will make his first start Sunday after Pederson benched Wentz against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Per Football Outsiders, the Saints defense is second in the NFL by DVOA. They are an impressive, well-coached unit that is deep at all levels and multiple. This would be a difficult test for an average QB, let alone a rookie QB in their first start on a bad team. Wentz earned his benching weeks ago so this is a formality at this point. Regression doesn’t do enough to describe the utter collapse in this play this season. Hurts is a more athletic QB that is more capable of making plays with his legs that adds a dimension to this offense and they will need it. The Eagles still possess one of the worst receiving rooms in the NFL. The Saints have a deep defense. Janoris Jenkins has found new life in the NOLA and is playing at a high level. Marshon Lattimore is also another great corner. The Saints also have one of the best deep safeties in the NFL in Marcus Williams. Malcolm Jenkins (lol RIP) is a great compliment in their secondary as he is allowed to occupy the same role he had in Philly and is playing pretty well. At the trade deadline, the Saints acquired Kwon Alexander from the 49ers. Alexander has had issues staying healthy in the past but he is no longer expected to be an every down contributor – that’s how deep this Saints defense is. Last but not least, Demario Davis is a god. That’s all that needs to be said. Due to the talent at all 3 levels, the Eagles will need to be smart with their coaching and scheme to help a mediocre receiver room get open and make plays for Hurts. Hurts will do enough on his own to extend plays but they need to be able to hit passes through the air and get open quickly, especially first reads. Due to the nature of the Saints coverage scheme, there will be moments where Hurts can attack down the field. He’ll need to hit those opportunities when they present themselves with regularity.
Eagles Offensive Line vs Saints Pass Rush
The Eagles Offensive Line is bad and the Saints Pass Rush is not. Evergreen statement: the Saints pass rush is deep. This is a team that brings pressure in all kinds of ways but is also able to be disruptive with 4 pass rushers. The Eagles offensive line hasn’t been the hot trash that it likely should be given all of the injuries, but it is still really bad. The biggest problem area has been the guards, especially RG, which makes sense without Brandon Brooks and Isaac Seumalo’s injury earlier this season. Cameron Jordan is still an elite EDGE Rusher, Marcus Davenport is now a very good EDGE3, and Trey Hendrickson has developed into a great EDGE2. Sheldon Rankins, Malcom Brown, and David Onyemata make up a formidable Interior Defensive Front. I would expect this defensive front to bring all kinds of pain on Sunday against the run and really make Hurts run for his life through the air. The Eagles pass protection has to find a way to slow this pass rush down through a lot of disguised plays, play action, and moving the pocket for Hurts to be able to get passes off. Hurts can throw a pretty deep pass but he doesn’t have a live arm, which could make him susceptible to INTs. Confusing him in coverage with disguising rushers in the middle of the defense can also lead to picks as he often just doesn’t see the underneath pass defenders. But when they do rush the passer, the Eagles offensive line has to be able to execute more than they have the last two weeks. Lastly, and this is a point that isn’t talked about enough this season, the RBs need to be passable in pass protection. Notice how I said passable; I say that because they’ve been straight trash in that area this year.
Eagles Defensive Back 7 vs Saints Weapons
The most important indicator of success for the Eagles defense each Sunday is the effectiveness of their defensive line as it is the only unit on the defense capable of consistently making stops. I won’t discuss that here, even though that is still true. Sean Payton has long been one of the best Head Coaches and offensive minds in the league since being hired in New Orleans. They are 10-2 without Drew Brees and Michael Thomas for most of the season. The biggest reason for that? Sean Payton. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have great talent to work with, but he excels at maximizing his players' skill sets. Thomas has returned from injury his place among the elite at the WR position. The Saints signed Emmanuel Sanders in the offseason and unsurprisingly it has worked. Alvin Kamara is still a God. Jared Cook is pretty good. And Taysom Hill looks good in shorts. Sean Payton puts his players in positions to win and they use their talents to make opposing offenses pay. The Eagles defense is good on paper boasting a league-average DVOA but that is misleading given the numerous flaws discussed here ad infinitum. The linebackers are bad and can’t cover. McLeod is decent, but no one else can play in the run or pass game. Darius Slay had been good until the last two weeks (less bad against GB) but is the only capable guy that can cover in the CB room anyway. The backend of this defense is largely slow and can’t cover. They are made to get bent by the Saints offense. Furthermore, they traditionally struggle with mobile QBs. Taysom Hill says hi! For the Eagles to have a chance, the defense needs to play at a level it can’t and the coaching staff needs to play to the limited strengths of its players – which It also struggles to do.
It won't be easy to pick a Super Bowl winner in 2020 with the early odds only slightly favoring the Chiefs over the 49ers. Here is Sporting News' expert prediction for Super Bowl 54. Our recommended sportsbook for NFL betting during the 2020-21 season. How to Read Super Bowl and Futures Odds Above. If you placed a $100 bet on Baltimore Ravens to win Super Bowl 55 at (+700) odds, you would win $700 if they won. $1 wager would return $7. $10 would net you $70 and so on. Odds are automatically updated once a day. Best Super Bowl 2021 US Sports Betting Bonuses & Offers. FanDuel Sportsbook – Sign up here to claim the FanDuel Bet $5 to win $275 + Offers below!. Bet $5 to Win $275 Welcome Bonus: Sign up at FanDuel Sportsbook and make a minimum $10 deposit to win $275 on your $5 Super Bowl bet. Odds to win the 2020 Super Bowl 54 according to Bovada Sportsbook Schedule for February 2nd, 2020 Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. January 8, 2020. NFL Futures Super Bowl 54 Winner SUPER BOWL 54 (2020) - Odds to Win Baltimore Ravens +185 San Francisco 49ers +300 Kansas City Chiefs +325 Green Bay Packers +700 There are many different bets available to predict the Super Bowl participants but as you can imagine, this isn’t professional bettor territory but could be quite the bonus for us early on in 2020. It’s clear after looking at the betting lines we did today as well as these name the finalist odds that the sportsbooks are heavily favoring a Niner/Raven Super Bowl. Check out the 2020 Super Bowl odds below, then visit SportsLine to see all of R.J. White's 2020 Super Bowl best bets, all from the expert who has generated more than $4,000 in profit for his... Super Bowl Super Bowl Odds 2020: Final Predictions for 49ers vs. Chiefs Winner, Score Jake Rill Senior Analyst II February 2, 2020 Comments
PREDICTING the Next 5 Super Bowl MATCHUPS and WINNERS ...
Peter King shares his Super Bowl LIV predictions with Mike Florio and Chris Simms on PFT Live ahead of the 49ers-Chiefs game in Miami. #NBCSports #ProFootbal... 2020 NFL Playoff Prediction - FULL BRACKET PREDICTION and SUPER BOWL LIV PREDICTION!BE SURE TO GIVE THIS VIDEO A "LIKE" (thumbs up) IF YOU ENJOYED IT! #SuperBowl #NFL #Predicting Everyone loves the Super Bowl its one of the greatest and most watched sporting events Back on April 2017, we here at TPS project... 2020 NFL Playoff & Super Bowl PredictionsSUBSCRIBE To Our 2nd Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXDH-3siJ1Z914v-nslT4JQPodcast Apple: https://podc... Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless make their predictions for Super Bowl 2020. Hear why Shannon thinks the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will battl... Direct from the WagerTalk TV Studios in Las Vegas, our panel of professional sports bettors give their early Super Bowl 2020 predictions, plus tips and strat... Early Super Bowl 54 predictions, picks, and updated odds direct from the WagerTalk TV Studios in Vegas with Marco D'Angelo, Teddy Covers and Drew Martin. The... The stage is set for Super Bowl 54. The San Francisco 49ers will collide with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jade & I present the final predictions episode for the ... NFL Game Pass is free through May! Click here for more full games! - nfl.com/gamepassSubscribe to NFL: http://j.mp/1L0bVBu00:00 - Start23:03 - Pat Mahomes Ru...
