Tag Archives: nfl

The New York Jets have now won back-to-back games for the first time since the beginning of the 2024 season in their 27-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Coming into this game, both teams have had a rough start to the 2025 season, where the Jets sat at 1-7 with the Browns no better at 2-6. 

This was one of the craziest wins I’ve seen from the Jets over the years, as the Browns outplayed them in almost every single category, but thanks to the Jets special teams unit, they made the impossible happen.  

New York found themselves down early after a fantastic 95-yard touchdown drive from Browns quarterback Dillion Gabriel, where they took the 7-0 lead with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. Following the touchdown, The Jets responded with their own after returner Kene Nwangwu took it 99 yards to the house, tying the game at 7-7.

But the Jets special teams unit wasn’t done there. After New York forced a quick three and out, punt returner Isaiah Williams scored on a 74-yard punt return touchdown putting the Jets up 14-7. New York put up 14 points without having the offense step on the field in back-to-back possessions. Something you rarely see.

As the game went on, both teams remained competitive. Cleveland tied up the game at 14 following an interception from Jets quarterback Justin Fields in the second quarter. Up to this point, it was a brutal day for Fields who had under 15 yards passing at this point and that didn’t change until after halftime.

On the following possession, Jets kicker Nick Folk hit a 26-yard field goal to take the 17-14 lead and Cleveland responded at the end of the second quarter with a field goal of their own to tie the game at 17-17 going into halftime. 

The third quarter was a punt-fest and no one was able to put up points, so we remained tied heading into the fourth quarter. New York wasted no time as running back Breece Hall took a screen pass 42 yards to the endzone to go up 24-17 with 14 minutes remaining. The Jets were getting close to winning their second game of the year.

The Browns marched down the field and found themselves in Jets territory where they were inching closer to tying this game up. That was until they decided to go for it on fourth down and Jets edge rusher Will McDonald would sack Dillon Gabriel to end the possession. It was McDonald’s fourth sack of the game, a new career high as he was impossible to contain.

The Jets went on to win the game 27-20 despite a rough performance from Justin Fields, where he finished his day 6-for-11 with 54 yards, one touchdown and one interception. New York will need more from Fields if they want to make a miracle playoff push. 

The Jets have now improved to 2-7 on the season with a difficult matchup coming up this week on Thursday Night Football against the 8-2 New England Patriots. The Browns have now fallen to 2-7 and also have a tough matchup this week as they take on Lamar Jackson and the 4-5 Baltimore Ravens. 

Coming into this game, many people across the NFL world viewed this as an easy win for the Denver Broncos. Considering they have the best defense in the NFL and were going up against a struggling Geno Smith-led Raiders offense at home, however, it ended up being one of the sloppiest prime time games I can remember.

The Raiders actually began the game well, opening the night by forcing a quick three-and-out from the Denver offense. Following the punt, the Raiders capitalized by marching down the field for a quick touchdown score on a 4-yard rushing touchdown by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty — his fourth rushing touchdown on the year.

It seemed as if this could be a great night for the Raiders offense, but it only went downhill from there. The first quarter touchdown drive would be their only points for the entire game after countless mistakes. Such as a crucial missed field goal by kicker Daniel Carlson, bad pass protection and the Broncos defense looking like the 85’ Bears.

As bad as the Las Vegas offense looked, Bo Nix and the Broncos offense looked just as bad, if not worse. They were shut out in the first quarter, managing only two offensive possessions that both resulted in quick three-and-outs. Maxx Crosby and the Raiders defensive line played exceptionally well, constantly pressuring Nix and keeping him uncomfortable in the pocket. 

The second quarter was not much better for Denver as they started off with back-to-back possessions leading to punts. The home crowd grew restless, and loud boos echoed throughout the stadium. It looked like Bo Nix was lost out there and that the Broncos might drop a huge game to the underdogs. Then they decided to step it up a bit.

The following possession the Raiders would end up going for it on fourth down in Denver territory but would be stopped after a sack by Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga, who came in unblocked off the edge with a safety blitz. A fantastic play call by head coach Sean Payton.

This gave Denver some momentum as they proceeded to march down the field for a five-play, 53-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a Nix touchdown pass to rookie receiver Troy Franklin. However, on the following possession, Nix tried to target Franklin again but the ball would end up being intercepted after it went right through his hands. The Raiders could not capitalize on this opportunity and the teams went to half tied 7-7.

Up to this point, Bo Nix and Geno Smith couldn’t get anything going and that trend continued for the remainder of the game. Denver had an opportunity to take a three-point lead when they decided to let Will Lutz go out there to attempt a 59-yard field goal. This was a head scratching decision considering the windy conditions. Instead of going for it on 4th-and-6, Lutz lined up to kick the field goal; it had the accuracy but not the distance, falling just short of the uprights to keep the score tied at 7–7. 

The Broncos would get the ball right back when Geno Smith threw his 12th interception on the year, the most in the NFL. But once again, it would be another three-and-out for Denver.  The biggest play of the game came with 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, when the Broncos special teams unit blocked a punt, setting themselves up for a 32-yard field goal to take the 10-7 lead. 

In the fourth quarter, Geno Smith was banged up while scrambling for a first down. He came in and out of the game, playing through pain, which would not help the Raiders offensive struggles.

Just when it seemed like it might be over, Bo Nix would throw his second interception of the night on a questionable deep ball thrown into double coverage to Troy Franklin once again with seven minutes remaining. This set up Geno Smith for a potential game-winning drive. The Raiders would get into Denver territory where they had a chance to tie the game, but Daniel Carlson would go on to miss a 48-yard field goal attempt which essentially put the game to rest.

Bo Nix finished his night going 16-for-28 with 150 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Geno Smith went 16-for-26 with 143 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. The Denver Broncos have now won their seventh straight game to improve to 8-2 on the year, but this is not a win to celebrate, as it was their worst offensive game of the year. The Raiders now fall to 2-7, with their playoff hopes over by week 10.       

The Las Vegas Raiders have traded veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2026 fourth-round and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.

This move comes as no surprise considering Meyers was looking for a contract extension last offseason, which Las Vegas was reluctant to give him. Instead, the Raiders signed quarterback Geno Smith to a two-year, $75 million contract and it has not gone according to plan.

Las Vegas has a 2-6 record and Geno Smith is currently leading the NFL with 11 interceptions and has one of the lowest quarterback ratings in the league. With poor quarterback play, Jakobi Meyers has had very little opportunity to make an impact and is having statistically the worst season of his career.

Through seven games, Meyers has 352 receiving yards on 33 receptions and has yet to score a touchdown this season. Due to Geno Smith struggling to get the ball in Jakobi’s hands, he only has a combined 124 yards over his last four games and has yet to break 100 receiving yards in a single game this year, but expect this to change after the trade.

Meyers now gets to play alongside young star wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr in Jacksonville, with the former number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence throwing him the ball, a huge upgrade. This trade is notable considering the Raiders and Jaguars faced off in a week 9 matchup just a few days prior. Jacksonville won the game in a nail-biter to improve to 5-3 on the season and has now acquired Las Vegas’s best receiver.

Keep an eye on the Jaguars going forward as they are currently in the AFC playoff race and have added another weapon to the roster. As for the Raiders, I like the trade; stock up on draft picks and shift focus towards the 2026 season, where you can continue to add young talent as they already have with rookie running back Ashton Jeanty and second-year superstar tight end Brock Bowers.

The New York Jets shocked the NFL world by parting ways with two-time All Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts at the trade deadline on Tuesday. 

The deal sends Sauce Gardner to the Colts in exchange for two first-round draft picks and second year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. The Jets now own the Colts first-round picks for the next two years and have set themselves up for a full rebuild. Meanwhile this move signals that Indianapolis is in a win-now mode, sacrificing future draft capital for a Super Bowl run. 

Despite Sauce Gardner being loved by the organization and signing a record breaking contract extension this offseason, when any team is presented with an offer of that nature it is hard to pass it up, especially considering the Jets have struggled yet again with a 1-7 record by the deadline. 

Other notable players who have been traded for two first-round picks include Micah Parsons, Khalil Mack, and Jalen Ramsey. This is a special list of talent and Sauce Gardner will make an immediate impact for the 7-2 Colts. 

An underrated aspect of this trade was the fact that Adonai Mitchell was a throw in. Drafted just one year ago at pick 52 in the second round, Mitchell was an incredible talent coming out of the University of Texas who put up 845 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final year before entering the draft. Mitchell is known for his 4.3 speed and crisp route running, but it just hasn’t worked out in his favor playing for the Colts.

With the Colts having the best offense in the NFL this year, Mitchell has not had much opportunity with so many mouths to feed and his talent has been overlooked. Now, he’ll have the chance to shine in a depleted wide receiver room for the New York Jets and will get to play along one of the best receivers in the league, Garrett Wilson. 

Overall, this is a trade that benefits both teams, but I’d give the edge to the New York Jets. This one will be fun to look back on a few years from now to see who really won the trade.

On Sunday Night Football we saw a clash between the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders. What many thought would be a competitive game turned out to be a lopsided blowout for the Sam Darnold-led Seahawks who handled business on the road.

Quarterback Sam Darnold immediately made his presence known with a perfect 1st half where he would go 16 -for-16 with 282 yards and 4 passing touchdowns. The Commanders found themselves down 31-7 heading into halftime, leaving them with a near impossible task ahead. The Seahawks offense continued to put their foot on the gas and scored again in the 3rd quarter to put them up 38-7. With Seattle building up a 31 point lead going into the 4th quarter, it seemed like an inevitable loss for the Commanders, but this is where disaster struck that has many fans questioning Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn’s decision making.

Coach Quinn decided to leave his star quarterback Jayden Daniels in the game who was just returning from a knee injury that forced him to miss 3 matchups this year. With 7 minutes remaining in the game, Washington marched down the field to get in the red zone seeking some late garbage time points. 

On 2nd and Goal, Daniels ran a read option play and escaped pressure, he beat the first man and attempted to get past the second and couldn’t. On his way down to the ground Jayden Daniels stuck out his arm to brace his fall and suffered a gruesome dislocated elbow. 

Luckily for Daniels the injury was on his non-throwing arm so his future remains safe, however, this injury is likely to sideline him for the remainder of the season which drastically impacts Washington’s playoff hopes. Ultimately injuries are unpredictable so it’s tough playing the blame game. The biggest priority now is diagnosing the severity and making sure we get the young star fully healthy before rushing him back out onto the field. Washington will now start veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota going forward. 

The Commanders have now fallen to 3-6 on the season with a difficult matchup ahead next week against the 5-3 Detroit Lions who look to get a bounce back win after losing at home to the Minnesota Vikings.