eagles – Exxedera

Stellar Defenses Headline The Patriots Super Bowl 53 Victory

Super Bowl LIII was supposed to be one of the most high scoring affairs ever. After last season’s high flying Super Bowl that featured the Philadelphia Eagles instead of the Los Angeles Rams there was no reason to believe this one wouldn’t be more potent offensively. Wrong. The Rams and New England Patriots combined for just a measly 16 points in the Patriots 13-3 victory.

The first half of this year’s Super Bowl only featured three points between the Rams and New England Patriots. Neither team took a snap in the other team’s red zone while the Pats committed the only turnover on Tom Brady’s first pass attempt of the game. The Rams were only able to muster 52 total yards and two first downs in the half and Todd Gurley was again shunned as he only received three touches (He only had four all of last week). Both team played worse than usual and it led to the 3-0 stalemate that fans were left with at halftime.

New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman finished Super Bowl LIII with 10 receptions for 143 yards.

The second half began almost no different than the first half as both teams continued to struggle offensively. The Rams added on to a streak they began in the first half as they wound up punting on eight straight possessions through midway of the third quarter. The Patriots ended up with a few first downs in the third quarter but after the quarter the score was just 3-3 as Greg Zuerlein connected on a 53 yard attempt near the end of the third.

It all came down to the fourth quarter in this Super Bowl of defenses as neither team was able to create separation through three quarters. The Patriots were able to finally break through offensively with a one-yard Sony Michel touchdown to make the score 10-3. They coupled that with a Stephon Gilmore interception on the following Rams possession with under five minutes to play in regulation. That interception proved to be the biggest play of the game as Tom Brady and the rest of the offense ran the time down to under two minutes before Stephen Gostkowski put the game away at 13-3.

Super Bowl LIII was Tom Brady’s sixth NFL championship and it was also the Patriots’ 11th appearance in the big game (Third in a row). Their defense held the Rams usually superb offense to just 3 points, 12 first downs and 205 total yards in addition to the 4 sacks they got on Rams QB Jared Goff.

In a season where the Patriots were doubted repeatedly they persevered and showed everyone around the league why they are still the gold standard around the league.

Aaron Donald Is The NFL’s Most Dominant Player

One word: Dominant.

That’s the only way to describe Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald. The multi talented DE is on his way to winning the NFL’s defensive player of the year award for the second year in a row while playing for a Rams team that is now 10-1 on the season. It is to be noted that the Rams were just a 4-12 team a few years ago with the lone bright spot being Donald.

In 2018 Donald has racked up a league high 14.5 sacks through the first 11 games of the season while also adding 38 tackles, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery on his current-year resume. What the numbers don’t show is the amount of double teams that he faces on play-to-play basis or the amount of plays that he helps create for his teammates. It’s amazing the amount of ability that a DE of Donald’s smaller stature has especially the amount of strength that he has for a player his size going up against NFL offensive linemen on every play. It just seems sort of unfair for a player to be quicker than Khalil Mack and just as strong if not stronger than J.J. Watt.

The Los Angeles Rams are loaded with talented players with Todd Gurley, Jared Goff, Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh, Brandin Cooks and many others making plays on a consistent basis. However the teams most valuable player is arguably Donald because without him their defense would probably have prevented them from winning some of the shootouts that the team has been in this year (Vikings, Chiefs). The timelines of his plays alone are noteworthy and if he continues his dominant streak look for him to end up in some people’s MVP voting talks. It’s not as farfetched as it seems either as he’s on pace for 20+ sacks in a season where his team could possibly end up with the #1 seed after being NFC West Doormats for over 10 seasons with their prized DE being a consistent bright.

So again, one word: Dominant.

What will happen to Jameis Winston next?

The biggest question going around the NFL right now is what will happen to Jameis Winston next? First, we need to take you back to why this is even a question.

Sometime in March 2016, a female Uber driver responded to a request by Jameis Winston in Scottdale, Arizona. At the time Jameis Winston was said to be intoxicated and called the driver to make sure he made it home safely. Winston sat in the front seat with the Uber Driver as she took him on his route. During the trip, Winston and the driver stopped by a fast food restaurant. While both Winston and the driver were sitting in the drive-thru, Winston allegedly touched the female driver between her legs.

The female Uber driver then reported to Uber soon after the alleged situation happened. Uber quickly went into action by suspending Jameis Winston’s Uber account. However, Arizona Police claim that the female driver did not report the situation to them at the time that it happened.

The NFL sent a letter to the Uber driver in November of 2017, stating that they would begin to investigate the situation. The NFL also claims that since the Uber Driver reported the situation the night of, that it was credible and was enough to suspend Jameis Winston.

Fast forward to now, Jameis Winston has not touched a snap for the 2018 season. However a Quarterback has stepped up to fill-in the role as the starting quarterback. RYAN FITZPATRICK.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has started off the season with back to back 300+ yard games, as well as leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 2-0 record. Under the play of Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in 1st place in the NFC South division.

With Ryan Fitzpatrick coming into the season with the hot hand and teammates like Desean Jackson making remarks like “He’s been playing on fire right now. With the way the team is rallying behind him and just playing lights-out football, you have to kind of honor it. You know what I’m saying? You can’t take the hot man out. You got the hot fire right now. It’s like ‘NBA Jam’ – whoever’s got that hot fire shot, you got to keep shooting, man”, this makes it very hard for a suspended Winston to come back in as a starter.

With Desean Jackson having already the same amount of touchdowns as last season as well as having already 1/3 the amount of his total receiving yards last year, in only two games thus far. The Fitz-Magic and Jackson combination seems to be working very well.

So with Fitzpatrick hot and Jameis Winston suspended, what will the future hold for Winston?

Winston is in his last year of his contract, Tampa Bay however has place a $20,922,000 fifth year contract option on Jameis Winston for the 2019 season. From the looks of things however, it can be believed that Winston may not be returning in which he will become a free agent by 2020.

Ryan Fitzpatrick highlights Vs Philadelphia Eagles (9/16/18)

https://youtu.be/z8mBuMIl_bI

NFL Midseason Awards (MVP, OPOY, Etc.)

The 2017 NFL season is halfway through and like any other season this season is full of commonalities and surprises. As for commonalities, the Cleveland Browns are still the worst team in the league and they’ve already started multiple players at quarterback. In other news, the Patriots and Steelers are still very dominant and an Andy Reid coached team (The Chiefs) looks great throughout the first half of the season. As for surprises, Deshaun Watson looked like he easily could’ve won MVP, Rookie of the Year and even Offensive Player of the Year, but an unfortunate ACL tear will sideline the rookie sensation for the rest of the season. Tom Coughlin has Jacksonville looking like a contender minus Blake Bortles, while the Colts are amongst the NFL’s worst teams as Andrew Luck has been sidelined all season.

All in all, let’s take a look at what we believe the NFL awards would be if they were given out today.

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Carson Wentz

With his team sitting atop the NFL at 7-1, Carson Wentz has his team in prime position to lock up one of the top two spots in the NFC playoff race behind his stellar play and a defense that is playing as well as any unit in the league. Through 8 games Wentz has 19 touchdowns (Best in the league) to go along with 2,063 yards (3rd in the league) which has his looking like the early MVP front runner. The huge question will be can he carry this momentum into the playoffs?

Runner-Up: Alex Smith

Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY): Kareem Hunt

Before Spencer Ware’s injury, many thought that Kareem Hunt would be either RB2 or RB3 in Kansas City. With Ware sidelined for the year, Kareem Hunt got his opportunity to shine and has clearly made the most of it in every showing. After fumbling his first NFL carry, Hunt exploded for 246 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns on opening night against the defending NFL champions, the New England Patriots. Hunt has gone on to lead all running back’s in rushing this season with 763 yards while maintaining an impressive 5.2 yards per carry. Look for him to continue to trend upward each week as his aggressive yet patient rushing style fit Andy Reid’s west coast offense perfectly.

Runner-Up: Tom Brady

Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY): Demarcus Lawrence

Demarcus Lawrence was basically an afterthought coming into the 2017 season. Last season, he posted 1 sacks in 9 games. So far this season he already has an NFL high 10.5 sacks, 3 fumble forced and 2 fumble recoveries.

Runner-Up: Ryan Shazier

Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY): Kareem Hunt

Offensive player of the year and offensive rookie of the year for Kareem Hunt? Yeah it’s a stretch, but the way he’s been playing it certainly isn’t impossible. Also if the Chiefs keep winning that would help his case.

Runner-Up: Leonard Fournette

Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY): T.J. Watt

Many wondered how T.J. Watt would handle being the younger brother of a three time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He’s faired pretty well in his first 7 NFL games as he has four sacks and an interception while constantly wreaking havoc in opposing offenses backfields. He is actually on pace to have a better rookie season than his older brother had. However, J.J. has been a dominant force ever since. Can T.J. do the same thing?

Runner-Up: Marshon Lattimore

Comeback Player of the Year: Rob Gronkowski

Guess who has the most touchdown receptions in the NFL since 2010? Rob Gronkowski. That’s amazing considering how much time he misses due to injury. In 2016, he missed basically the entire season (He only played 6 games) while his team went on to win the Super Bowl without him. In 2017 he’s already posted 34 receptions for 509 yards to go along with 5 touchdowns while the Patriots are a quiet 6-2. While there are concerns about the defensive effort this season, there’s no concern over Gronk’s health and his connection with Tom Brady.

Runner-Up: DeAndre Hopkins

Coach of the Year: Sean McVay

First time head coach Sean McVay has the Rams looking like actual contenders for the first time since Marshall Faulk last wore Navy and Gold. McVay’s best work has been the development of second year QB Jared Goff, who has limited turnovers which hurt his rookie campaign. Behind Goff, a re-renergized Todd Gurley and an underrated defense, McVay has the Rams at 5-2 and looking good in the playoff race.

Tag: eagles