NFL – 2024 WEEK 13 – STATS THAT STICK OUT

PASSING – JAMEIS WINSTON (QB, BROWNS) CLE 32 at DEN 41

Throughout his 10-year career, Browns QB Jameis Winston has looked brilliant enough to be a franchise QB.  Also throughout his career, Winston has proved he can be a turnover machine that no team would want as a starter.  Such is the conundrum that makes up the 30-year-old former first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.  In 2019 when he was with Tampa Bay for example, Winston became just the eighth player in NFL history and first Buccaneers QB to pass the 5,000-yards passing mark in a season.  He also threw a league-high 33 TDs that year but tossed another 30 interceptions which made him the first (and only) QB in league history to find himself a member of the dubiously referred to “30-30 club”.  Since then, Winston has played primarily as a backup, first with the Saints (for 4 years) and most recently, with Cleveland where since Week 8 he’s taken over for an injured Deshaun Watson.  And while there were stretches in his time with New Orleans when Winston straightened out his inexplicable propensity to turn the football over, his struggles with interceptions continue this season as a Cleveland Brown.  Case in point was Week 13 when in 58 attempts (the second-most by a Brown in a game), Winston completed 34 passes for a career best (and Browns franchise record) 497 passing yards and 4 passing TDs.  But he also had 3 interceptions including two pick-sixes, one in the final 2 minutes of the game that sealed the win for Denver.  This performance became the fourteenth time in Winston’s career when he had 3+ interceptions in a game.  He also became the first player ever with 4 passing TDs, 400+ passing yards and 2 pick-sixes in a game.  And his combined single-game total of passing yards (497) and INT return yards (171) became the most (668) by a QB in NFL history… Winston obviously understands with all the good play he has put forth, has come the bad and he wants to be better.  He said after the game, “I know, I’m just praying for the lord to deliver me from pick-sixes. That’s not me. A phenomenal game from the offense and do some great things but I messed it up.”  However divine intervention affects Winston’s turnover margin in the future, his performances so far this season with the Browns still proves that Winston is a much better option than Deshaun Watson ever was.  The question remains: after the end of this season when he becomes a free agent, will Cleveland want Winston back and, in what capacity?  

RUSHING – BUCKY IRVING (RB, BUCCANEERS) TB 26 at CAR 23 (OT) 

In Week 6, I discussed how much of a difference the increased rushing attack has meant to Tampa Bay this season under new coordinator Liam Coen which has helped the team become more balanced on offense and successful, as a result.  That was also the week when Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker was honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his outstanding performance against the Saints.  And now it’s fellow Tampa Bay RB Bucky Irving’s turn for the accolade when in Week 13 he carried the football 25 times for 152 yards (6.1 AVG) and 1 TD, plus he caught 3 passes for another 33 yards receiving.  The Buccaneers are now 6-6, tied for first in the NFC South division and have two different running backs who have won a Player of the Week award in the same season, a first for the team… For Irving, Week 13 was the rookie’s breakout career performance which he piggybacked on Week 11 & 12’s outstanding games.  All told, in the last 3 he has a trio of rushing TDs and 424 yards from scrimmage.  Deservingly, Irving’s name is now floating to the top of the Offensive Rookie of the Year debate.  But what stands out the most about him is the fact that he holds the highest rate of missed tackles in the league (59.7%) so far this season, the highest since the stat was tracked, per NFL Next Gen Stats.  It just goes to show how much depth Tampa Bay currently has in their young RB room.  Between Rachaad White, Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving, it’s no wonder the Buccaneers have one of the best rushing attacks in the biz.  And it’s only going to get better as they gain more confidence and experience with one another.  According to Irving after Week 13’s game. “In our room, all our success is one. If I’m having success, everybody in the room is having success. Seeing your brother going out there, knowing he has your back, knowing that I couldn’t be out there at the time, I have faith in Rachaad… [He] is a great guy. Rachaad is a guy that can make explosive plays and we all in the room are capable of doing that.”

RECEIVING – JERRY JEUDY (WR, BROWNS) CLE 32 at DEN 41

In the off-season, the Broncos traded WR Jerry Jeudy to the Browns in exchange for a pair of third round draft picks.  It had been a long time coming, as Jeudy had been asking for a trade since 2022.  Jeudy recently explained to ESPN the reason why, “It just wasn’t working over there… I felt like I was a way better player than they used me as. I wanted to go somewhere that would use me, see my full potential and take advantage of it.”  So, it must have felt good when Jeudy returned to Denver for the first time in Week 13 and lit the place up.  In front of an unfriendly Denver crowd who booed him after every catch, the former Bronco had a career-high 9 receptions for 235 receiving yards (26.1 AVG) and a 70-yard TD catch and 2-point conversion. The performance also marked the most receiving yards a player has ever had against their former team in league history.  It was good timing for Jeudy who since QB Jameis Winston took over the reins from the injured Deshaun Watson in Week 8, has flourished.  The 25-year-old now has 880 receiving yards, which is tied for fifth in the league with Cowboys’ WR CeeDee Lamb.  However, Jeudy said after Week 13’s game when the Browns lost to the Broncos and fell to 3-9 (and all but eliminated any playoff hopes for CLE) that he’d rather have had the win.   “Hell yeah, I would… They can have that. I need that W. That was one step closer to get to the playoffs. We need that.”  Ironic, considering with the win against Cleveland, Denver now has a 76% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN. 

DEFENSE – LEONARD WILLIAMS (DT, SEAHAWKS) SEA 26 at NYJ 21

Seahawks DT Leonard Williams has been in the league for 10 years and he finally scored his first TD in Week 13 when he intercepted Jets QB Aaron Rodgers in the 2Q and then took it 92 yards to the house.  According to ESPN research, it was the longest pick-six by a defensive lineman in league history and at a top speed of 17.8mph, it was the fastest by a DL on any play since Week 18 of 2022.  Standing at 6 foot 5 and weighing in around 300 pounds, that speed is surprisingly fast.  But, then again, nothing should surprise us about anything the 2015 first round draft pick does lately.  He’s simply been outstanding and more than worthy of receiving the NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor.  Williams thought he should have won the accolade in Week 12 when the award went to fellow Seahawk S Coby Bryant.  It was the second straight week Williams had 2+ sacks, 4+ tackles, 3+ tackles for a loss and 2+ QB hits in addition to a blocked extra point in Week 13.  But he alone earned the recognition in Week 13 and his performance has only added to the first-rate work Seattle’s defense has been doing, especially in the latter half of the season.  Since Week 9, the Seahawks have limited their opponents to an average of 17.5 points per game and held each of those adversaries to 84 rushing yards on average and less than 300 total yards on average, in regulation.  Seattle’s late surge in defensive dominance is due to a combination of health, roster changes and just better play at certain positions…  Looking ahead to the remaining 4 games on the schedule, it certainly seems that the Hawks are poised to take control of the NFC West division and move into the playoffs, an unlikely scenario before the season started when most (including myself) thought the 49ers would resume the same excellence they saw in 2024.

SPECIAL TEAMS – BRADEN MANN (P, EAGLES) PHI 24 at BAL 19

It’s about time we showcased another punter with this weekly blog.  This time it’s Braden Mann who some say was the “secret weapon” the Eagles had when they beat the Ravens in Week 13’s blockbuster matchup between the two teams.  Mann averaged 51.2 yards per punt on 6 attempts with an average net of 48.5 yards for Philadelphia.  The former Aggie also booted 5 of his 6 punts inside the Ravens’ 20-yard line, with 2 of them inside the 5-yard line and no touchbacks.  These placements of the football for the Eagles were instrumental in helping them win the tight game as they obviously could pin back the explosive weapons that Baltimore has deep and control the field throughout the contest.  The Eagles defense from there kicked in hard, allowing them to win the “field-position” game within the game.  For this performance, Mann was awarded the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor, the second of his career but first as an Eagle.  Last season (his first with Philadelphia) Mann set the franchise record for most yards per punt (49.8) and most net yards per punt (43.9) in a single season.  He now stacks up second in the NFL with a 50.9 gross punting average and third in the conference (43.8 net average).  Philadelphia’s Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay gushed about his punter after the game and acknowledged his importance to the overall success of the team, “[He’s] been doing an amazing job for us when it comes to putting the ball in a place where we can cover, putting the ball where we can down the ball, and help the team in any way we can… In one of those games that turned into a field position game, it kind of sparked a little bit with that defense with the three-and-out right there. Then the punt, then the offense scored on a short field. It was fantastic out of Braden to kind of give a little spark off the special teams.”

OPINION – HOUSTON’S REACTION TO AL-SHAAIR’S WEEK 13 SUSPENSION FOR THE HIT ON TREVOR LAWRENCE SEEMED OFF

This past week the NFL suspended Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair for his hit to the head of Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence in Q2 of Houston’s Week 13 win over Jacksonville.  

Lawrence had escaped the pocket, ran for a few yards then initiated a slide down on his rear-end when Al-Shaair launched himself aggressively at Lawrence and used his elbow to make a tackle causing the QB’s head to slam to the ground.  Lawrence was left lying on his back with his arms/hands up in the “fencing” position, a good marker that he was concussed.  Meanwhile, a melee broke out between the two teams over the hit.  Al-Shaair was at the center of the fighting and continued to have words with the opposing team while being escorted to the Texans side of the field by his teammates.  

Ultimately, Al-Shaair was ejected from the game and suspended 3 games by the league.  He submitted an appeal, but the suspension was upheld.  Lawrence was carted off the field and later diagnosed with a concussion. Due to that diagnosis and a prior shoulder injury requiring surgery, Lawrence’s season has ended abruptly.

On Tuesday, in response to Al-Shaair’s suspension, both the Texans HC DeMeco Ryans and GM Nick Caserio addressed the media.  They each defiantly spoke at length about how they felt their player was inappropriately portrayed in the disciplinary letter.  They also felt the suspension was egregious for varying reasons.  

This reaction by the Texans’ brass surprised me.  It wasn’t what I was expecting.   

When I say Ryans and Caserio were “defiant”, that is exactly how they came across to me.  Among other comments, Caserio took the opportunity to rip the league, calling the suspension and how the league dealt with his player “unfair” and “bullshit”.  He also seemed focused on how other players had gotten lesser punishments for more infractions than Al-Shaair and even named their names.  He cried out for consistency from the league in punishments and picked apart the language about how his player was portrayed in the disciplinary statement made by the NFL.

Then we have Ryans who seemed to blame Lawrence for the hit, “A lot of onus is on the defender. Whether it’s on the sideline or it’s on the quarterback, you don’t know what a guy is thinking. You don’t know if a guy’s staying up and he’s continuing to run. You don’t know. And you get a late slide and you hit the guy… Unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. We hope Trevor’s OK. But also, if we’re sliding, you have to get down.”

Worse still is Ryans who seemed to indicate that Al-Shaair’s behavior after the hit could have been caused by Jacksonville who “overreacted” to the hit.    He said, “The entire thing is Azeez hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts and it turns into a melee… It wasn’t our guys. Their team overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline, so that’s uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sideline.”

This, coming from a team whose player blatantly took a dirty shot on another who was giving himself up?  

I understand how the Texans wanted to defend their player but this outward show of contempt for the league seemed out of place and should have been confined to private channels.  It just didn’t ring as the right reaction.  Basically, the Texans portrayed themselves as overly defensive parents of a child who committed an obvious injury to another, and yet they defended him as if he was being unjustly accused.  Last I looked Al-Shaair does have a history of receiving fines for at least 4 prior infractions.  It’s not like he’s never been punished by the NFL for any other prior incidents.

As a fan of the NFL, what rings most true throughout all the chaos of this incident is that we had a QB lying on the ground having clearly just taken a bad hit.  To then have a team vigorously defend the person who CLEARLY hurt him- it doesn’t feel right and it makes the whole of the sport look bad.   

That being said, Caserio did make a couple of salient points in his presser that point towards the NFL mishandling this situation in the first place and which elicited the team’s very public overreaction.

One of issues is the wording in the discipline letter. It did seem personal and should have been kept private.  The league wants to show it cares to the public, but it felt like they went too far.  Why not just list the discipline, their reasons for it briefly and leave it at that? By not doing this, it just angered the Texans more.

Additionally, there should have been more communication by the NFL with the player and team about this incident.  Caserio alleged that the NFL never spoke to Al-Shaair and did not respond to any calls from the team. There should have been at least some discussion. Why wasn’t there?

As for consistency in penalties, that is a topic for the NFL and Players Union to straighten out.  But Caserio does make a good point that if we have one player with 5 infractions to receive only 1 fine and 1 ejection, then why is another player with 0 prior ejections getting 3 games after 1 bad hit?  

I think we can all agree that the league has more work to do to in these areas: A) Continue to work on avenues that avoid players from getting hit in the head and receiving concussions without stripping the game of all intensity;  B) Be more consistent with player punishments; C) Have a clear line of communication with the teams when players receive punishments to avoid embarrassing reactions like the Texans had with this whole episode.  

To watch the Caserio and Ryans pressers, click on the link to the Texans YouTube page here.

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