Next Day Thread: Denver

[KDawg]

I don't have enough energy to come up with a creative title this week. So it's simply, "Denver".

 

Anyways... Wow.

 

First off... Knock it down.

 

Second off, a 59-yard field goal with Joey Slye and Cheeseman is a bold strategy.

 

This team showed absolutely no quit in large part thanks to Kareem Jackson's cheap shot hit on Logan Thomas, who miraculously managed to hold on to the pass from Howell to give Washington some life. Jackson launched directly at Thomas' head and should be suspended. That was extremely dirty and has no place in the game. But I appreciate the momentum. 

 

Momentum isn't a concept that actually exists scientifically. I touched on this in the game thread. But it is absolutely a concept that exists psychologically. When it's on your side everything just feels easier. Your keys are easier to read. Your muscle memory is clear. You feel strong and invincible. When it's not on your side everything is harder. You second guess you muscle memory. Your keys look murkier because you feel like you have to do more for your team (when the truth is you just have to do your part for your team).

 

Kareem Jackson handed us momentum on a silver platter and we never gave it back (despite an effort to do just that with 0:00 on the clock).

 

Offense

Sam Howell is real. I will no longer accept any Howell slander here. Yes, he absolutely needs to improve how long he holds the ball at times. Yes, he absolutely needs to work on his internal clock. However, he has played lights out thus far this year and has been a major contributing force to this team being in the positions to win that it has been.

 

Part of the issue with Howell has been offensive playcalling. Before everyone jumps on me, let me finish. Bienemy has been brilliant schematically. Receivers are getting open, play calls are timed well, the players know their assignments. That is so clean and so much better than it was last season. But our pass protection from our offensive line is well below the median line in my opinion. At times in the first half we were calling what appeared to be longer developing plays. With our OL not being great in pass pro, the OL was getting pushed back and the LoS was re-established 3 yards deeper than it should have been. That meant Howell had OL in his lap and because he's not the tallest guy in the world it eliminated sight lines and escape lanes. To compound that, at halftime we had thrown 30 passes and ran just seven times.

 

I am a fan of balance, but not a 1:1 balance. I like balance in the sense that teams need to remain honest because you will throw or run on any given down. That keeps defenses off balance and doesn't allow them to tee off on one thing or the other. In the first half we didn't have any balance whatsoever. The Commanders put the ball on Howell's back and said carry us... and it got too heavy for the (essentially) rookie. 

 

But then the second half happened. And Bienemy switched focus. We threw just nine times in the second half. We ran it 16 times. Again, I'm not looking for 1:1 balance. I'm personally looking for a balance that keeps opposing teams guessing. By upping the run totals and decreasing the pass totals we controlled the clock.

 

I also think that our offensive line is much better in the running game than the passing game. So allowing us to gain some confidence and a stride in the running game helps them find a groove, too. Which will always assist in pass protection. 

 

Overall I am very, very happy with our offense.

 

I didn't love the plan to go for two when we did. But, it wound up working and we won, so that is what it is. Credit for having the guts to make that decision. 

 

Defense

Chase Young is back. And it was a bit of a mixed bag. Some trouble holding the edge. Some bad penalties. But then he added 1.5 sacks and a TFL along with 2 QB hits. If he cleans up the penalties and some of the contain issues as he moves forward this DL may actually live up to the hype.

 

Montez Sweat was at it again today. 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 QB hits. He also lost contain a few times. But it's hard to argue with the edge's impact. Sweat, though, avoided the costly penalties. 

 

Daron Payne forced an entire three and out. By himself. Sack, TFL, PD. In one series. 5 tackles, 3 QB hits, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 PD for the game. Absolutely monstrous game.

 

Jon Allen was held in check for the most part by Denver, but they seemed to be giving him a little extra attention. 

 

Forbes gained his first INT and almost had another crazy one. 2 PDs for him. 

 

Darrick Forrest had one in his grasp but didn't bring it in. 

 

Kam Curl's tackle on Wilson to keep him in bounds is a very short yet extremely accurate summary of who he is and why he is so important to this franchise. He's not flashy. He doesn't make the big plays on the ball. But he makes all the quiet plays that set us up for success.

 

Our defense needs to improve on setting an edge and most importantly knocking down Hail Mary attempts. But all things considered our D played pretty well in the second half after the game started off like they may allow 80 points today. 

 

Specs

Tress Way was great. Again. Shocking.

 

Cheese...man... Almost cost us a game today. Not good.

 

Slye: One of the field goals was on the snapper. The other was a poor strategic decision (in my opinion) that should have been a punt.

 

Studs and Duds:

*** - Daron Payne

*** - Sam Howell

** - Montez Sweat

** - Brian Robinson

** - Terry McLaurin

** - Emmanuel Forbes

* - Chase Young

* - Kam Curl

* - Logan Thomas (just for holding onto that ball... he needs some kind of credit)

   - Cheeseman

 

When you fight back like that it's hard to push a negative vibe. So only one. Despite my inner most thoughts telling me to hand some out. 

 

 

Season Studs/Duds

5x* - Daron Payne

5x*- Montez Sweat

4x* - Kam Curl

3x* - Sam Howell

2x* - Brian Robinson

2x* - Terry McLaurin

2x* - Jon Allen

2x* - Emmanuel Forbes

1x*  - Darrick Forrest

1x* - Chase Young

1x* - Logan Thomas

1x  - Saadhiq Charles 

2x  - Andrew Wylie

3x  - Ron Rivera 

3x  - Cheeseman

[KillBill26]

We have so many likeable players on this team, and the way we came together today in response to Logan's hit was awesome to watch.  The switch flipped instantly.  Guys were legit pissed that their brother was cheap shotted.  They kept the intensity up throughout.  This was a very fun game to watch.

 

The first quarter was ugly, but it was amazing to see people blaming Howell.  Yes, he missed a throw or two.  But we couldn't do anything right.  Every QB throws inaccurate passes at times, even the elite, so he was the least of our concern.  I'm glad everyone bounced back, as gaining confidence is so key for a young QB, it's good he kept the crazies at bay (for now).  The dark cloud over DC has been lingering for so long, yet today was another step in the right direction where you start to feel it truly is a new day and maybe we shouldn't be afraid of having hope for bigger and better things to come in the near future.  

[88Comrade2000]

I think this game will prove valuable. Plenty to learn from the positive and negative things that happened.

 

If Sam is have a nice career, then this game could be the one where the legend of Sam's Club was born.

 

The next 2 weeks are going to very hard because the Bills and Eagles, aren't the Cards or Broncos. 

If we fall behind, we can learn from this game and not give up and keep plugging away until things go our way.

Now, the thing we don't is not to fall behind because falling behind bad teams is one thing but fall behind good teams is another.

Also, if do have a nice lead; we don't want to let the opponent back into the game. Buffalo and Philly are better equipped to come back and take away victory from us.

 

I think this game helps us in the short term and long term; even if there are changes next year.

 

 

Sam still has a ways to go but he earned his 1st 4th quarter come from behind win and as has been pointed out, he's 3-0.

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by 88Comrade2000

[GhostofSparta]

Additional Dud: all the people in the Gameday thread who apparently all suffered brain injuries recently and were trying to claim the victory because we were up 11 with 7+ minutes left in the game. I'm convinced they're part of the reason why instead of the Hail Mary being batted down it bounced around 3 times before being caught for a potential game-tying TD at the buzzer.

[KDawg]

3 minutes ago, GhostofSparta said:

Additional Dud: all the people in the Gameday thread who apparently all suffered brain injuries recently and were trying to claim the victory because we were up 11 with 7+ minutes left in the game. I'm convinced they're part of the reason why instead of the Hail Mary being batted down it bounced around 3 times before being caught for a potential game-tying TD at the buzzer.

Yeah. I was very upset with them on the Hail Mary. I actually said out loud… in my living room… by myself, “I hope all you jerks in the G D T are happy…”

 

Exact verbiage.

[Stone Cold]

This week at home against a playoff/Super Bowl caliber squad will be an interesting barometer for us.  Hope we don’t have a hangover from this weeks tough game.  We can beat buffalo.  Id love to see us do it!  Let’s gooooo!!!

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

Sam mother****ing Howell. 

[Warhead36]

We can win with Howell. I'm not saying he's a future All Pro or anything, but the guy has the arm to make every throw but more importantly has toughness and competitive fire. I said before he reminds me of Baker Mayfield and I think its an apt comparison(people hate on Baker but now that he's healthy again he looks real good, and they forget he led the freaking Browns to their first playoff win IN Pittsburgh). If we get healthy Baker Mayfield level play on a 5th round rookie contract, we can do some real damage. What I want from Howell now is to take off and run more often instead of holding it for as long as he does to wait for a big play downfield, but at least its nice for once to have a QB that can and will threaten teams downfield while also being able to move. Haven't really had that since 2012 RG3(not saying Howell is 2012 RG3, but no other QB we've had since then has had that combo).

 

Unfortunately, the OL really scares me. The Broncos stink up front and they got pressure almost at will. We did seem to adjust a bit in the 2nd half but there are still too many breakdowns. We just can't rely on them with any real consistency. They'll either give up instant pressure or commit a penalty or something. Like, there isn't one guy you can count on to lock it down. It will be a big time concern moving forward because we played probably the two weakest pass rushes we've played all year and they got abused. 

 

On the flip side, the DL is legitimately dominant when they're on. This is the 2nd week in a row where they've basically won us the game in the 2nd half. It was great to see Chase Young return. I called that he would have a big game in his return to Denver(where he got his first initial injury). Will be good to see the Young haters shut up for a week. Payne continued to beast out and Sweat had some big plays as well. And while he's not a DL, it was good to see Jamin Davis make his first BIG play of his career(albeit got away with a facemask).

 

Secondary had too many gaffes in big spots. Hail mary defense was awful. KNOCK IT DOWN! Why are you trying to pick it off? Forbes had a nice pick but then almost fumbled it away. Stay on your feet, keep the ball, and that's a near pick 6. He also got roasted on a downfield pass. I like St. Juste's aggressiveness but man he could have easily been called for DPI on the 2 pt conversion defense. They did overall tighten up in the 2nd half though.

 

Not a great day for Special Teams either(besides Way who should be an All Pro this year). I won't kill Slye too much, 1st FG miss was because of a bad snap and a 59 yarder isn't something we should be attempting. Punt there and play field position. Our two missed FGs led to 10 points for the Broncos. 16 point swing when you think about it.

 

Bienemy effect is real though. He actually adjusts his playcalling to the opponent and game situation. What a godsend after three years of trash Scott Turner. And two weeks in a row we've managed to put up points at the end of a half. Feels good to have a real aggressive playcaller who is in tune with 2023 NFL offensive football.

 

All in all I'm...not sure where we are. I mean we don't suck. We have a unit that can dominate games. But we have another unit that can completely derail the season too. We'll probably be in it until the end and be a Wild Card contender but Howell's upside gives me hope for the future.

[Darth Tater]

15 minutes ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

I think this game will prove valuable. Plenty to learn from the positive and negative things that happened.

 

If Sam is have a nice career, then this game could be the one where the legend of Sam's Club was born.

 

The next 2 weeks are going to very hard because the Bills and Eagles, aren't the Cards or Broncos. 

If we fall behind, we can learn from this game and not give up and keep plugging away until things go our way.

Now, the thing we don't is not to fall behind because falling behind bad teams is one thing but fall behind good teams is another.

Also, if do have a nice lead; we don't want to let the opponent back into the game. Buffalo and Philly are better equipped to come back and take away victory from us.

 

I think this game helps us in the short term and long term; even if there are changes next year.

 

 

Sam still has a ways to go but he earned his 1st 4th quarter come from behind win and as has been pointed out, he's 3-0.

 

I think technically, it is his second,

My greatest thrill was all the screens and swings that actually worked for big yards.  I really believe that getting those going in EB's offense, especially when you don't have elite oline play, is key to getting some big downfield plays.

[Warhead36]

6 minutes ago, Darth Tater said:

I think technically, it is his second,

My greatest thrill was all the screens and swings that actually worked for big yards.  I really believe that getting those going in EB's offense, especially when you don't have elite oline play, is key to getting some big downfield plays.

Yeah we're actually...good at screens now? That one to Robinson with so much wide open space...I mean wow. It feels great to have a REAL OC. Just wish he had a real OL.

[Voice_of_Reason]

37 minutes ago, KDawg said:

Second off, a 59-yard field goal with Joey Slye and Cheeseman is a bold strategy.

[NoVaSkins21]

First things first:  2-0 is great.  Howell has proven he can make the plays to win a game.  He's our Franchise QB.  Jamin fumble recovery was the turning point in the game.  The DL took over minus the Hail Mary. Speaking of the Hail Mary, that cannot happen at all.  They were were very LUCKY with the 2 point conversion.  Thank God for the win though.  With all that said, this team can't start slow and be down 21-3.  A better team probably puts their throat on this team's neck and finishes this team off at halftime. This team needs to start better and they will be considered among the upper echelon teams

Edited September 18, 2023 by NoVaSkins21

[Voice_of_Reason]

30 minutes ago, GhostofSparta said:

Additional Dud: all the people in the Gameday thread who apparently all suffered brain injuries recently and were trying to claim the victory because we were up 11 with 7+ minutes left in the game. I'm convinced they're part of the reason why instead of the Hail Mary being batted down it bounced around 3 times before being caught for a potential game-tying TD at the buzzer.

DO NOT TEMPT FATE!!!!!

 

The football gods were unimpressed and almost struck us down with great vengeance and furious anger. 
 

I’l going to make a list and publicly shame them.  

[Forehead]

Happy we're 2-0.  Looking at the schedule, there's definitely some rough games ahead but the team feels like they'll fight and give us something to root for.  Along with the subtraction of Dan Snyder, that's all I can ask for this season.

[CobraCommander]

So when do we move in from cheese? Do we need to wait for the by week to give the guy off the street a chance?

[Voice_of_Reason]

Just now, Forehead said:

Happy we're 2-0.  Looking at the schedule, there's definitely some rough games ahead but the team feels like they'll fight and give us something to root for.  Along with the subtraction of Dan Snyder, that's all I can ask for this season.

Play the schedule game at your peril.  

 

We have either the same or better record than any remaining team on our schedule. 
 

 

1 minute ago, CobraCommander said:

So when do we move in from cheese? Do we need to wait for the by week to give the guy off the street a chance?

So, are you saying we need to cut the cheese?

 

 

(I’ll see myself out)

[CapsSkins]

Let's not forget we beat the undefeated Steelers in 2020 with a one-legged Alex Smith and the undefeated Eagles last year with Heinicke.

 

We are good enough to beat any team in the league on any given Sunday. Obviously Buffalo and Philly will be challenging games that we very well might lose, but there's no reason to act like they're guaranteed losses.

 

And btw, having some tough opponents on the schedule makes it all the more important to take care of business against lesser teams like Arizona and Denver. Banking these W's could end up being the difference in a potential Wild Card race in December/January.

[Darth Tater]

This game shows how tight the NFL margins are.  We were just 2 plays away from losing but also just two plays away from nearly blowing Denver out.

 

Denver makes the 2 point and then wins in OT or we get stopped on our final TD (a 3-8 early in that drive was only converted because they held). They win 35-41.

 

We left 6 points on the field (and arguably up to 18) and that might have meant Denver has to go for it on 4th down on that FG drive near the end and a HM is meaningless so they don't try. We win 41-24.

 

 

 

 

[Renegade7]

35 minutes ago, Stone Cold said:

This week at home against a playoff/Super Bowl caliber squad will be an interesting barometer for us.  Hope we don’t have a hangover from this weeks tough game.  We can beat buffalo.  Id love to see us do it!  Let’s gooooo!!!

 

Almost squandering it should dent any over confidence we built from making this comeback.

 

We will play them straight up and win or lose now where we are this deep into the Rivera Era.

 

A blowout would be unacceptable, I don't care how good Buffalo is.  Plenty of time for Ron to remake this roster and make this game at home at least respectable.

[NoCalMike]

I am exhausted because I was up early, plus the ending of that game aged me.....so here goes a few quick thoughts.

 

Give Howell time to throw and he delivers dimes.  I think he only really had one "bad pass" today on his own volition and it is was the miss to Terry early in the game.  

 

The Defense is back to that weird act they do where they start the game looking not ready, slow, ineffective pass rush, and at some point it's like a light bulb just turns on and they remember they have a dominant D-line and they just take over.  Through two games, the defense has played very good (maybe even great) for 2.5 quarters and you can see the huge difference it makes when they are doing what they are supposed to do.

Forbes got an INT today, could have had 3.....I won't count that one on the hail mary since he should be getting an earful for not just looking to bat it down.  The kid is balling.  He did get burned early in the game, but that was also when the D-line was applying zero pressure to Wilson.

 

This defense has the potential to be a turnover-generating machine if they are just able to hold onto the footballs thrown right into their hands. So far it hasn't cost them a game, but the next two weeks you can't let those opportunities go to waste.

 

The tight end room had a hell of a game.

The running backs......I have no idea why they were so mediocre in the 1st half and then something clicked in the 2nd half.......

 

Charles Leno is an enigma....it's not that he always gets beat, it's the fact that when he does get beat, it's like he completely forgot how to block all together.

 

TERRY IS THAT DUDE!  Dime piece to Terry and Terry did what Terry does.

 

EB's 2nd half game calling was very good.

 

Ok that is all for now.

 

 

[TradeTheBeal!]

 

[FootballZombie]

I'd dang near burn the film from the 1st half.

 

but focusing on the good stuff:

 

Howell found success despite a gameplan that had no business existing. That was an absolute DISGUSTING lift by him. I don't care about the sacks, tips or any other issues when your QB delivers to that extent when relied on that heavily. I don't think its a healthy way for us to operate, but that kind of role for a QB is a far cry from what I am used to seeing around here. Maximum props for him, that was a great game.

 

For us to be successful our D-line has to be our best unit. It took em a half, but that 3rd n 4th qtr was nasty. Payne shut down a drive by himself. Young and Sweat had actual impact plays. When is the last time they both did that in the same game?! They also continued to have their handful of QB pressures. More of that please.

 

Forbes had his ups and downs, but I love that he is always looking for the ball. Even on plays where he got beat, he was looking for the ball. He had issues with this in PS, but that has evaporated. Dude's ballhawk is showing and I won't ask him to put it away. lol

 

 

Yes this is a choke job by Den, and there is a lot to say about racking up O in what became a blowout, but I'll let that sit for now.

 

Oh, and I'm running my DBs thru slap drills.

Edited September 18, 2023 by FootballZombie

[CobraCommander]

Who got the game ball?

[Dark Acre]

Daron Payne looked absolutely giddy after batting down that pass.

[Ball Security]

Just now, Dark Acre said:

Daron Payne looked absolutely giddy after batting down that pass.

I knew we were going to win after that drive. Typically, they’d give up an eight minute scoring drive to change the momentum.