Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
It is Election Day and let me just say that I can't believe I elected to watch the entire Ravens-Saints game last night. The game was never close and I blame that on Andy Dalton, who might be the worst prime-time quarterback of all time.
Anyway, if you'll be voting today, there's a good chance you'll be stuck in line at some point, and if that's the case, I highly suggest just reading this newsletter to pass the time. That's what I'm going to do and I'm also going to tell everyone in line around me to sign up. To get the people around you to sign up, all you have to do isclick here and then share this linkwith them. If they think you're weird, just tell them I personally asked you to do it.
Alright, let's get to the rundown, where we'll be ranking all 32 teams, plus giving out our early Week 10 picks.
1. Today's show: Recapping the Ravens' beatdown of the Saints
If you turned this game off after the second quarter, you didn't miss anything. The Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead at halftime and never looked back on their way to a 27-13 win.
Are the Ravens that good or was this just a byproduct of the fact that they got to face Andy Dalton in prime time? We discussed those issues and more on our postgame podcast. Here are three key things from the game that we covered during the pod:
- Ravens defense dominates the Saints.The Ravens offense gets all the headlines, but you might want to start paying attention to the defense. In its first game with Roquan Smith, the Ravens defense absolutely smothered the Saints. Justin Houston racked up 2.5 sacks while leading a Ravens pass rush that tallied four on the night. The Ravens (6-3) were especially good in the red zone (the Saints managed two field goals on as many trips, and on third down, with the Saints only converting 3 of 11 attempts in the game.) As for Smith, he registered five tackles, tied for the third-highest total on the team, and he also helped keep Alvin Kamara in check (The Saints running back only caught three passes).
- Lamar Jackson does Lamar Jackson things. The Ravens offense wasn't flashy, but it did more than enough to win the game. With Lamar Jackson missing his favorite target in Mark Andrews, the Ravens passing game struggled, but that didn't matter, because they ran the ball so well on a night where Kenyan Drake (93 yards, two touchdowns) and Jackson (82 yards) both topped 80 yards rushing. Although Jackson didn't have a great night throwing the ball (12 fo 22 for 133 yards and 1 TD), he did throw a perfect 24-yard strike to Isaiah Likely for Baltimore's first touchdown (You can check out the clip by clicking here). The TD pass was the 100th of Jackson's career.
- Andy Dalton might be the worst prime-time quarterback ever.Andy Dalton has a reputation for playing poorly in prime time, and he definitely lived up to that reputation Monday night. Not only did Dalton struggle with his accuracy, but he had several balls batted down, including one that turned into a fourth-quarter interception for the Ravens. Dalton is now 6-20 in his career in prime-time games, which is the worst record in NFL history for any QB with at least 25 starts. Dalton wasn't the only reason the Saints offense struggled, though: Alvin Kamara couldn't get anything going on the ground, and the offensive line struggled to protect (Dalton was sacked four times). The Saints defense kept Lamar Jackson in check for awhile, but eventually Baltimore's speedy offense just wore New Orleans down. The only upside for the Saints (3-6) in all of this is that they're still just one game out of first place in the NFC South despite the loss.
- Ravens pull off rare feat. The Ravens have now led by double digits in each of their first nine games, marking the first time since 2011 that a team has pulled off that feat. The last team to accomplish that was the Green Bay Packers, who went 15-1 in 2011. However, the Ravens will probably be hoping their season ends on a higher note than that Packers team, which ended up losing in the wild card round.
We talked about those three things, plus everything else you could possibly want to know about Monday's game. If you want to listen to the rest of our recap, be sure to click here. You can also watch today's episode on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Prisco's Power Rankings heading into Week 10
Ladies and gentlemen, we have some big news with the power rankings this week: It appears that Pete Prisco's love affair with the Packers is finally over. Prisco picked them to go to the playoffs this year, but after watching them lose five straight games, he has finally given up on them.
The Packers took a big fall this week, which we'll be discussing in a second, but first, let's take a look at Prisco's top five for this week.
- Eagles
- Chiefs (Up from No. 3 last week)
- Vikings (Up from No. 4 last week)
- Bills (Down from No. 2 last week)
- Cowboys
I'm not going to spoil the rest of the power rankings here, but I am going to give you a few nuggets. Here's what has changed since last week.
- The biggest jump this week went to the Detroit Lions. After biting the kneecaps off of the Packers in a 15-9 win, Prisco rewarded the Lions by moving them up four spots, from 31st to 27th.
- For the first time all year, there wasn't very much movement in the Prisco Power Rankings. Every team that was ranked between 9th and 18th stayed put this week. It's very possible that Prisco just fell asleep while doing his rankings, but I can't say that for sure.
- The biggest drop this week went to the Packers. Following their loss to the Lions, Prisco dropped them NINE spots from 18th down to 27th. The Packers are on a five-game losing streak and they're getting dangerously close to the bottom of the rankings. Things have fallen apart quickly in Green Bay.
- As for the bottom of the rankings, if the Packers are going to get there, they're going to have to beat out Houston. The Texans are in the cellar this week and they don't seem like they're going to be giving up that spot anytime soon.
If you want to know where your favorite team ended up in Prisco's Week 10 Power Rankings, be sure to click here. If you want to argue with Prisco over his rankings, youcan do that on Twitter by clicking here. I argue with him all the time about everything.
3. Breech's Week 10 picks: Seahawks knock off Bucs in Germany
If it's Tuesday, that can only mean one thing: It's time for my weekly picks.
If this is your first season with us, here's how the formula works around here: I stay up until an insane hour every Monday night so that I can give you my picks every Tuesday morning. This newsletter will feature three of my picks, and then if you feel like reading the rest of them, you can do that below.
Last week, I said the Buccaneers would beat the Rams by three thanks to Tom Brady coming up in the clutch and that's exactly what happened so I'm guessing this means we can just assume I'll be getting all of my picks right this week.
Here are three of my picks for Week 10:
- Seahawks (+2.5) vs. Buccaneers in Germany (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network):The Buccaneers have struggled to move the ball this season, and now, they're going up against a Seahawks defense that has been one of the best in the NFL over the past four weeks. That doesn't seem like a good thing. I'm taking the Seahawks.PICK:Seahawks 24-17 over Buccaneers.
- Vikings (+6.5) at Bills (1 p.m. ET, Fox):If Josh Allen plays, I'm taking the Bills. If he doesn't play, I'm taking the Vikings, and right now, it looks like he's going to play.PICK:Bills 27-24 over Vikings.
- Colts (+6) at Raiders (+3) (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox):The Colts just fired their head coach, they don't have an offensive coordinator, they're starting a backup QB and the guy in charge this week (Jeff Saturday) was coaching high school football last week. If the Raiders don't win this game, they might not win another one for the rest of the season.PICK:Raiders 19-16 over Colts.
To check out the rest of my picks for Week 10, be sure to click here.
4. Colts hold a bizarre press conference
The award for most bizarre introductory press conference of the year definitely goes to the Colts for last night's press conference with Jeff Saturday. The press conference was supposed to start at 6 p.m. ET, but then it got delayed until 7:30 p.m. ET before being delayed again until 8 p.m. ET, but that's not even when it started. It was nearly 8:30 p.m. ET before things finally kicked off. It was almost like Colts owner Jim Irsay wanted to hold the press conference during "Monday Night Football" so that fewer eyes would be on him.
Anyway, here are a few key takeaways from the press conference:
- Irsay hired someone with no coaching experience and he thinks that's a good thing. Although Saturday spent 14 years in the NFL, he's never coached in the league and Irsay thinks that lack of experience is a good thing. "I'm glad (Saturday) doesn't have NFL experience," Irsay said. "I'm glad he hasn't learned the fear that's in this league. ... (Coaches) are afraid, they go to analytics, and it gets difficult. He doesn't have that fear. (And) he has tons of experience. He knows this game inside and out."
- Saturday understands why fans might be surprised. The Colts new interim coach gave an honest answer when asked about fan reaction to his hiring, "I'd be shocked as well," Saturday said. "I'll be frank, I asked Mr. Irsay, 'Tell me why I am a candidate you would consider in any role.' ... (But) I felt very prepared."
- Irsay explains why Colts fans should trust him to make this decision. "I don't know how to make sausage," Irsay said. "I don't know what goes into sausage. But I do know how to build a football team. Because I've been around for 52 years. ... I understand that (Saturday) is fully capable of doing this, and more than capable." I'm not sure I'd be mentioning sausage if I was trying to calm down my fan base.
- Irsay has no plans to fire Chris Ballard. With Frank Reich out, Irsay was asked if Ballard would be returning in 2023, "There's no question," Irsay said, via PFT. "You guys can try to diminish him all you want, but that's just your words. They have no substance to them. The guy's a winner and he's been immensely successful. ... No one's perfect. We all miss a lot. You know how many shots Michael Jordan's missed?"
The difference between Michael Jordan and Chris Ballard is that Jordan has six titles to go along with his failures while Ballard has zero. The good news for the Colts is that Saturday was the best part of this press conference. Although Irsay came across like that uncle we all know at Thanksgiving, Saturday was calm and cool while giving perfectly reasonable answers to every question he was asked.
One of Saturday's first big responsibilities will be to pick a play-caller. Marcus Brady called the plays through the first eight weeks, but then got fired on Nov. 1. After that, Reich took over, but obviously, he's no longer around, so Saturday is now going to have to find someone on staff who can do the job.
For a full look at the press conference, be sure to click here.
5. NFL Week 9 overreactions and reality checks
Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that's especially true when we're talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened around the NFL in Week 9 to decide if we're all overreacting.
Situation:The Rams are going to miss the playoffs.
Overreaction or reality:Reality."Los Angeles isn't dead in the water, it still has two games with the Seahawks, and face the Kansas City Chiefs and Chargers on the schedule. Going 2-2 against those teams might not be enough, though. The Rams are going to need some teams ahead of them to collapse at this rate."
Situation:The Dolphins will win the AFC East.
Overreaction or reality:Overreaction."Miami is third in the AFC East with a 6-3 record, having a head-to-head tiebreaker over Buffalo and a head-to-head loss to New York. Both teams are a half game behind Buffalo for first place. The Dolphins don't appear to be slowing down any time soon, but Miami will have to beat Buffalo in Orchard Park in December to win the division. Miami is a playoff team, but the Dolphins have a way to go to win the division."
Situation:The Patriots are a playoff team.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction."The Patriots (5-4) sit a half game behind the Chargers for the final playoff spot heading into their bye week, so why can't they make the playoffs? They have three straight games coming up against teams with winning records and six of their last eight games are against teams with winning records. They play the Bills twice and the Dolphins -- a team they struggle beating -- one more time. The schedule just isn't looking friendly."
There are plenty more overreactions from Week 9 and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here.
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Josh Allen's injury is still a mystery
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, especially with the Arizona Cardinals, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Josh Allen may be dealing with UCL injury. The Bills QB is being evaluated for an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament, but it's still not clear how serious the injury might be, according to ESPN.com. Bills coach Sean McDermott offered no updates on Monday and said he would hope to know more by Wednesday. Allen has actually dealt with a UCL injury before: During his rookie year in 2018, he was forced to miss four games due to a UCL injury in his right elbow, which is where his injury also is this year.
- Bengals-Steelers flexed out of Sunday night. For the first time this year, the NFL has decided to utilize flex scheduling. The Bengals game against the Steelers has been moved OUT of Sunday night in Week 11 and will be replaced by Chiefs at Chargers. The new kickoff time for Bengals-Steelers will be 4:25 p.m. ET.
- P.J. Walker to start for Panthers on Thursday. Walker got benched at halftime of Carolina's 42-21 loss to the Bengals, but he'll be getting his job back this week. Coach Steve Wilks announced that Walker will be the starter for Thursday's game against the Falcons. Baker Mayfield threw two TD passes against the Bengals, which led to some speculation that he might get the start, but he's going to be on the bench for at least another week.
- JuJu picks up a cool $500,000 bonus.JuJu Smith-Schuster's next pay check is going to have a nice bonus in it. The Chiefs receiver was set to earn a $250,000 bonus if he hit 40 receptions or 500 receiving yards for the season and he reached BOTH of those marks in Week 9 with an impressive performance against the Titans. (10 catches for 88 yards). That means he'll be picking up an extra $500,000 in bonus money this week.
- Cardinals lose two starters. The Cardinals are already dealing with multiple injuries and now you can add two more to the list: Budda Baker and Will Hernandez. Baker, the starting safety, is expected to miss multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain. As for Hernandez, the team's starting right guard, he'll likely be out this week due to a pectoral injury.
- Chargers lose defensive starter for the season.The injury bug has already taken a huge bite out of the Chargers this season and it just took another one: Starting defensive tackle Austin Johnson is going to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. The Chargers are already missing Joey Bosa, cornerback J.C. Jackson and left tackle Rashawn Slater, who are all on injured reserve. Not to mention, Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Mike Williams (ankle) are also both dealing with injuries. It's been a rough year of injuries for the Chargers.
