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Suggs on Big Ben taking blame: I’m onto his tricks

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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One of the more surprising questions emerging from the first quarter of the season originates in Pittsburgh, and revolves around quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Where’s that explosive, high-flying Steelers‘ offense we all expected?

Roethlisberger, like the veteran star he is, has shouldered much of the blame, saying “we lost the game because of me, because I didn’t play well enough.” Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs isn’t buying it. Continue reading →

NFL VP of officiating: Golden Tate ruling was correct

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Golden Tate‘s near-touchdown and Detroit’s resulting loss were correctly called.

That’s the word from Alberto Riveron, NFL senior VP of officiating, who appeared on NFL Total Accesson Tuesday to review specific calls from Week 3. Riveron broke down the way the play unfolded: first, the catch, possession, contact that would rule him down and the eventual knee, with the ball short of the goal line. Riveron also reiterated the 10-second runoff rule, and why, by rule, the game was over. Continue reading →

Dak Prescott shines in Cowboys’ victory over Cardinals

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Dallas Cowboys‘ high-flying offense hit its stride in the second half of a 28-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. Here’s what we learned from the game:

1. Dak Prescott had one of his best games throwing on the run of his young career. The second-year passer connected twice with Brice Butler, first for a touchdown and later for a massive gain on a drive that ended in a touchdown run from Ezekiel Elliott that crushed Arizona’s comeback hopes. Prescott also rushed for a touchdown, front-flipping over a defender and the goal line in one of his most complete games of the season. He did get some help on a gutsy, 15-yard TD catch by Dez Bryant in the third quarter (coach Jason Garrett said after the game the catch showed how Dez is “all about scratch, claw, battle”). While other components of Dallas’ offense (and defense) still work on putting things together, Prescott is showing his rookie season was no fluke.

2. Dallas found unusual success with base rushes against Arizona’s offensive line, which struggled mightily on the edges and forced Palmer to constantly step up to avoid being sacked. Demarcus Lawrence was a terror off the edge, recording three sacks and getting to Palmer many more times than that. With 6.5 sacks in three games, Lawrence is in the middle of the race for the sack crown as we near the quarter pole. Maliek Collins was right behind Lawrence on Monday night with two sacks of his own. Continue reading →

Five things to watch in Ravens-Jaguars in London

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The NFL returns to London on Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars make their fifth trip overseas to meet the Baltimore Ravens at Wembley Stadium. We’re as excited for an incredibly early kickoff as you are. We’re also here to break down what to watch for as you sip coffee and wipe the sleep from your eyes. Wake up! Football is on!

Viewers can catch all of the action via Yahoo’s live stream. For more information on how to live stream the game, click here.

1. Who wins the race out of the gate? Baltimore has allowed just five points per game in its two contests, and if two games of tape hold true, it won’t be much easier for the Jaguars, even with the trip overseas. This presents a rather large issue for Jacksonville, which has shown in its two games that it needs an early lead to have a good shot at a win. That comes by the Jaguars forcing turnovers to position Blake Bortles in advantageous situations, where chance of success is high and damage inflicted by mistakes is minimal. Sunday isn’t setting up like that, at least on paper. Continue reading →

Giants’ season could depend on whether they fix O-line issues

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The New York Giants were a favorite pick of many to win the NFC, but after two weeks, the offense is more clogged than Manhattan’s streets.

Odell Beckham wasn’t available to play in Week 1, turning the Giants‘ contest against the Dallas Cowboys into an immediate uphill battle. But even with Beckham in Week 2, New York couldn’t muster more than 10 points in a Monday Night Football loss to Detroit. Continue reading →

Eddie Lacy on healthy scratch: ‘Control what you can’

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Eddie Lacy‘s start in Seattle hasn’t exactly been amazing.

Five carries. Three yards. One healthy scratch.

Three days after Lacy was left off the active roster for Seattle’s 12-9 win over San Francisco, the running back kept things positive, despite watching teammate Chris Carson rush for 93 yards on 20 attempts in the low-scoring affair. Continue reading →

Tom Brady’s quick strikes power Patriots to road win

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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As you can see from the headline, Week 2 brings us a rather familiar face. Don’t click away, though. This week’s Brady performance is worth your time. Plus, we have two other very worthy nominees, including a new face of the Titans‘ backfield. Another reason for you to hang around: Road redemption for a kicker! Yep, that’s right — it only took two weeks for us to give a nod to a good boot.

Week 2 felt like a rough one for the road squads, but after tallying the records, a 6-9 finish isn’t so bad. One of those wins for the squads away from home was Arizona’s uninspiring victory, but another — Washington’s comeback dub over the Rams — was quite thrilling. Plus, the Dolphins moved to 1-0 in the Jay Cutler era. Perhaps they stayed at a Southern California Courtyard by Marriott. Continue reading →