Jags vs. Patrick Mahomes Giants offensive rut Eagles calm

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Jags vs. Patrick Mahomes; Giants' offensive rut; Eagles' calm Published: Oct 05, 2018 at 04:23 AM JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- linebacker , a defensive captain, walked to the podium for his weekly Wednesday pre s conference with the kind of grin on his face you only see from a man who might know something that you don't. "Why are you smiling so much?" a reporter asked, as Smith continued laughing and smiling several minutes into his pre s conference. "Listen. Listen. Ask me that after the game," Smith said, laughing throughout his Erik Haula Jersey response. "Ask me, 'Why were you smiling? What was so funny?'" You could tell by the way Smith talked about quarterback that the defense in Jacksonville is well aware of the hype. Mahomes was named AFC Offensive Player for the month of September -- his first month as a starter in the NFL. "He's showtime," Smith said of Mahomes. "I'm telling you guys, he's amazing, man. Did you see the left-hand (throw against the on Monday)? The guy is amazing. He's the hottest quarterback out right now. You know what I mean? It's insane. This guy is a baller." Earlier in the day, during his pre-practice pre s conference, head coach Doug Marrone raved about Mahomes, to the point where he sounded like a proud father gushing about his prized pro-football-playing son to a stranger at an airport bar. "Right now, he is playing better than any quarterback has ever played," Marrone said. "He is an MVP quarterback. The question is, what he can't do. I don't know. I don't think words can really put in perspective how great he is playing. That is really all there is to it. "You are talking about someone that is a combination of a lot of the greatest players that ever played that position with the way he is playing." Have you ever heard a head coach compliment an opposing starting quarterback like that before -- especially a first-year starter? I haven't. Did Marrone praise him like that because Mahomes is really this good? Or could this all just be a mind game leading into ? The members of Jacksonville's defense don't lack confidence, and they don't hide it. We're all well aware of All-Pro cornerback 's openne s when it comes to . So maybe it is a mind game. Maybe it's a small-market team that feels like, despite starting 3-1 behind the most dominant defense on the planet and coming within a win of its first appearance last season, it isn't getting the attention it deserves. Maybe it's a team trying to get in the head of an inexperienced starting quarterback who is flying high and is the talk of the league through four games. Maybe it's for show. Maybe ... it's nothing. What we do know is this: On Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, the No. 1 offense in the league will face off against the NFL's No. 1 defense. Kansas City is averaging 4.5 offensive touchdowns per game this season -- tops in the NFL. Jacksonville has allowed just four offensive touchdowns through four games -- also tops in the NFL. So will Mahomes' dominance continue against the toughest defense he's ever faced in his life? , Mahomes notched the first come-from-behind win of his career. He showed the poise of a veteran despite being down 10 in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. "There's nothing he can't do, man," running back told me on the field Monday night. "He can throw on the run. He can run. Man, I don't know; he can throw with his left hand. What else are you going to ask for?" Mahomes scrambled so often and extended plays to the point All-Pro cornerback Jr. needed not one but IVs during the game as a result of exhaustion after being stuck in coverage for so long, play after play. While evading the rush and getting outside the pocket, Mahomes totaled 197 pa sing yards while on the run Monday night -- more than any other quarterback in over two years -- according to Next Gen Stats. The Jags plan to avoid a repeat of that scenario. defensive tackle , who won a with the in 2015, had a few opinions about not only how to stop Mahomes, but also where his former team came up short. "I think we tackle better than Denver," he told me in the locker room after their Wednesday practice. (He may not be wrong. The allow Hunt to rack up 93 rushing yards after contact.) Jackson also bluntly talked about how the weren't able to stop the first-year starter from getting outside the pocket. "You have to keep contain. It's the simplest expletive ever, but it's hard as expletive . He's a beast," Jackson said of Mahomes. "He likes to leave the pocket. It's hard, but it's what we have to do to win. "As a defensive lineman, once you watch ' offensive line , that quarterback is running for his life a lot. On Monday, he should have got sacked at least six times. As a defensive lineman, I'm like licking chops." On the reverse side, you could also praise Mahomes' ability to consistently get rid of the ball before getting hit or sacked. There isn't a quarterback who has started all four games this season and been sacked le s than Mahomes (five). "It's pretty rare for a guy that young," right tackle told me after Monday night's game, in which he held in check. "I think it's a combination of just natural ability and game feel, that you can only coach so much of. There's the element of preparation, (former quarterback) Alex (Smith) last year showing him stuff. And also Pat understands and sees it coming, and he can drift away from it; he knows where his hots are, and he can get the ball out." Will Mahomes be able to escape the grasp of a Jacksonville pa s rush that finished one sack short of the league lead last season? What complicates the i sue is Mahomes' arm strength. He has the ability to throw the ball anywhere on the field while scrambling to his right or left. "I was about to say ," cornerback said to me in the locker room when I asked about a quarterback who has that same ability to throw acro s his body while on the move. " is the best at extending time and still looking downfield. I remember that from the first time I played him. You see some of the same things from Mahomes." Sunday is shaping up to be the perfect storm. Mahomes has 14 touchdown pa ses and has yet to throw an interception this year. Jacksonville finished one interception behind the for the league lead last season. The have perhaps the most talented secondary in football -- but its members have yet to intercept a pa s this season. The end of one streak or the other is long overdue. Christian Folin Jersey Bouye told me the coaching staff pointed out to them this week that teams have not attacked Bouye and Ramsey this season, in turn limiting their ability to make game-changing plays. The feeling in the secondary is that they should stop pre sing and wait for someone to test them. Then the picks will come in bunches. If the take down the only undefeated team in the AFC, I'll track down after the game, and my first question will be, "So tell me, what was so funny?" If Jacksonville loses, it might be Mahomes who has the last laugh. NOTES FROM AROUND THE REST OF THE LEAGUE NFL: Scoring and throwing like never before. With a quarter of the season over, the NFL is enjoying a scoring and pa sing boomlet, something that league officials watch closely because of the feeling that high-scoring games and high-performing quarterbacks attract fans. Consider the barriers that were broken in the first four weeks: -- 3,030 points scored is the most to this point in NFL history. -- 344 touchdowns is the most to this point in NFL history. -- 228 touchdown pa ses are the most to this point in NFL history, an increase of almost 12 percent over the previous high -- 205 -- set in 2013. ( leads the league with 14 touchdown pa ses, and six other quarterbacks also already have at least 10.) Teams are averaging 24 points per game, which is particularly noteworthy because scoring dropped last season below an average of 22 points for the first time since 2009. And quarterbacks are averaging 7.5 yards per attempt, which, if it stands up for the rest of the season, would be the highest since 1965 -- or before the 1970 merger. ***** BALTIMORE RAVENS: Hurst eager to get to work. and the ' offense have gotten off to an impre sive start, despite losing their top draft pick to foot surgery in training camp. Rookie tight end told me on Thursday it's been "a long five weeks in the training room" since he underwent surgery in August to repair a stre s fracture in one of his feet. But he kept his upper body going during rehab, has gotten his legs back under him in practice this week and said, "I'm ready to just play," . When I asked how quickly the chemistry he was developing in camp with Flacco has come back, Hurst pointed out where the ball has been going in his absence: 12 catches for tight end , 10 for tight end and nine for tight end . "He's got a love for the tight ends and he finds you if you're open," said Hurst, a 25-year-old former pro baseball player who caught 92 pa ses over his last two seasons at South Carolina. "I'm just trying to get open for him." cornerback also returns this week after serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy -- a boost for a defense that still hasn't allowed a second-half touchdown this season. ***** GREEN BAY PACKERS: Defense gets boost of confidence after pitching shutout. The entered the 2018 season with many changes. On the defensive side of the ball, the first change being leadership at the top in first-year GM Brian Gutekunst and new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. And though the group is young and developing, it got an extra boost of confidence in Week 4, pitching against the . The ' defense is coming off it's best showing yet. The goose egg was in fact the ' fewest yards allowed (145) in a game since Week 16 of 2014 -- just their third shutout since 2008, when quarterback took over as the teams full-time starter. How much confidence did the group derive from the performance as it gets ready to face divisional-foe Detroit and on Sunday? "You draw as much as you can," cornerback told me this week. "We know that a shutout is rare in this league, so anytime you get that, you know you're playing good football. We knew that we wanted to play one of our better games because we hadn't played our best game -- and yeah, it was against a rookie quarterback (Josh Allen), but he was looking good against a really good defense (versus Minnesota in Week 3) -- so I think we got a lot of confidence from that." As for how the Pack's defense is continuing to evolve under Pettine, Williams told me they're improving acro s the board: "I'd say we've got strength in the front-end and back-end. ... We've got a good front seven that can get pre sure on the quarterback." As for the back-end, the 13-year veteran continued, "We're young, yes, but a lot of young guys have come in and taken the right approach to being a profe sional. These guys are listening, they're in the playbook, and I think we've gelled well together. "It's not how talented you are at all times, but if you can gel well with a group. It can change things, and I think we've got a little bit of that going on in the back-end." Green Bay's sixth-ranked defense, a unit that also ranks tied for 10th-best in shutting down big plays with just 23 allowed (runs of 10-plus yards and pa ses of 20-plus yards), will look to slow down Stafford and an offense that has ama sed 28 big plays through four weeks, tied for ninth-best in the NFL. ***** KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: A surge in production coming for Hunt? The realize the more star quarterback thrives, the more opposing defenses will try to take him away. That means more opportunities for running back , who produced 175 total yards in over Denver after ama sing only 173 combined yards in his first three games. coaches believe more efforts like that lie ahead for the man who led the NFL in rushing last season. "I know the numbers haven't shown, but he hasn't changed," said offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. "I know I am about to say a bad word, but he has been running his a s off. He has been working his a s off. Good things come to those who prepare and work as he does. Was I surprised? No. Was I happy? Yes. He showed he can play up to the level everyone is expecting him to. We have to make sure we continue the trend." ***** NEW YORK GIANTS: How can they get the offense going? It is inconceivable that the -- with Jr., and -- have scored a measly seven offensive touchdowns in four games and average 18.3 points a game (29th in the league). "We've got to be more explosive, more efficient, and we've got to score more points," coach Pat Shurmur said. "That's the reality of it. Whether you throw the ball 60 yards or you work the ball down the field, we need to score touchdowns." It likely won't be by the 60-yard rainbow. The downfield game for the has all but disappeared. 's air-yards-per-attempt figure of 6.3 ranks toward the bottom of the league, as the quarterback has favored checkdowns over risk-taking. When I asked Shurmur at his pre s conference Monday if Manning needs to "be a little bit more of a gunslinger," he said: "It's important to take shots; you need to be aggre sive and not reckle s. I think that's fair." He didn't say no. Collins playing hard in crucial season. , on the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, is making $1.26 million and is, apparently, playing it out. The safety had his best game of the season in Week 4, when he covered a lot of ground and finished with 14 tackles . Collins also shares an agency, Athletes First, with safety , and he knows whenever he takes the field. "It's always in the back of your head," said Collins, a finalist for the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. "You don't want to get hurt, definitely in contract season. You want to be secure. I play football and I love this game, and I'm going to play hard." Especially in the New York market, it's amazing how little attention the Collins contract situation has generated. That's largely because of how Collins has handled it -- without much comment at all. ***** NEW YORK JETS: Darnold determined to get back on track. On a conference call with media, called rookie quarterback "the best offensive player in the draft" and said he's been "playing really well." Yes, Miller and the at MetLife Stadium. Darnold's reply: "That's high praise from a really talented player, probably one of the best players in the league. ... (I'm) looking forward to going against him." In his last three games, Darnold has thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 54 percent of his pa ses. "As a team, I feel like we are really close, and for me personally, I feel like I'm just on the edge" of a breakthrough, Darnold said. Darnold worked out for the before the draft. Though he wouldn't divulge specifics, Darnold said he enjoying meeting GM John Elway and hearing "his perspective on football and life, what he dealt with as a rookie and all of that stuff." Darnold was asked if he followed Elway's playing career. No, he said, that was "a little too early." Another reminder that Darnold is only 21. ***** OAKLAND RAIDERS: Rookie renai sance flowering on the O-line. The decision to place veteran tackle after he sustained a groin injury in Oakland's victory over the on Sunday has a significant impact on multiple fronts for the club -- and for Penn. The will go with rookie at right tackle, who was drafted in the third round out of North Carolina A&T to eventually be the starter at right tackle. Parker held his own against the and was especially effective in the ground game, which was his specialty in college, where he once blocked for standout running back . Of course, the ' left tackle, , is a rookie. Miller, a first-round pick, has started at left tackle since training camp, occupying the spot that once belonged to Penn. Miller has been getting progre sively better, and if Parker follows a similar curve, Oakland may have nailed the draft and found a pair of bookend tackles to grow together for years. So where does that leave Penn, 35, who mi sed most of training camp while recovering from foot surgery and now is hurt again? Although Penn could return before the end of the season, if Parker plays well, it would be hard to see him supplanting the rookie. That's tough for a former Pro Bowler, but don't forget, the pretty much told him to take a pay cut or get cut during training camp. Penn adjusted his contract. Before getting injured, Penn told me that he plans to play at least one more season, depending on how his body Thomas Vanek Jersey feels. As I mentioned, that was before he got hurt. The switch to right tackle after spending years at left tackle was still a work in progre s, according to Penn, and the fact that he now has to rehab instead of continuing to grow into the role is a setback. The 14th-year pro is one of the most well-liked guys in the NFL, but this injury could make it tough for him to ever regain the status he once held. ***** PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Pederson calls for calm. A vocal segment of fans seems to have moved on quickly from the franchise's first victory. Judging by the tenor of sports talk radio in and around the City of Brotherly Love, the ' mediocre start is cause for considerable concern. Which means the coaches and players are answering for it. "The sky is not falling. The sun came up today," coach Doug Pederson said after his team . "We're 2-2. We're still in good position, we control our own destiny, a lot of football ahead of us, and there's no panic. So, as coaches, we prepare our players, and we prepare them extremely well. We have confidence in all our guys moving forward, and so with that, we just continue to coach and get our guys ready for Sunday." Quarterback Carson Wentz: "Just to tack on what Doug said, the sky is not falling." Perhaps a rematch of the NFC Championship Game will make Philly fans feel better. . This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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