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| Thursday, October 6, 2022 |
| Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! |
| Usually, this is the part where I hype you up for tonight's game, but I'm not sure any amount of hype is going to get you excited to watch the Broncos play the Colts. Actually, I take that back, this game could be exciting, because there's a 70% chance it ends in a 0-0 tie and we don't get to see those very often these days. These two teams have single-handedly set offensive football back 95 years and if we've learned one thing through four weeks, it's that they both have trouble scoring. |
| We'll be breaking down those troubles as we preview the game in today's newsletter, plus we'll also be taking a look at the unfortunate 15-year streak that will be ending in London on Sunday. |
| As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. Alright, let's get to the rundown. |
| 1. Today's show: Brady Quinn breaks down the latest NFL news |
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| If you're going to listen to just one episode of the Pick Six podcast every week, then you should definitely make sure that you're listening every Thursday, because that's when Brady Quinn joins the show. For today's episode, the former first-round pick chatted with Will Brinson about a multitude of topics, which included a conversation about who the best 2-2 team is in the NFL. |
| Nearly half the teams in the league are 2-2 right now (15 of the 32 teams) so there are a lot of candidates to choose from. One 2-2 team that Brady currently likes is the ARIZONA CARDINALS. Although some people have left the Cards for dead, Brady is definitely not in that camp. |
| "I'm buying them right now because they're finding ways to win games they probably shouldn't and they don't have arguably their best player out there in DeAndre Hopkins," Brady said. "You're a quarter into the season and you're 2-2 and you have to feel like the Rams don't look like they're running away with [the NFC West], Seattle looks more competitive than we thought, but I'm buying the Cardinals. I'm excited to see what they will be when Hopkins gets in there." |
| Another 2-2 team that Brady talked about was the Jets. Brady was down on the Jets all offseason and because of that, the fan base came to loathe him. To fix things, Brady made a crazy offer during today's show: He's going to donate $1,000 to charity for EVERY game the Jets win for the rest of the season (You can hear Brady talk about this by clicking here). |
| If you want to hear everything else Brady had to say on today's podcast, then be sure to click here. If you want to see his handsome face, then you can also watch today's episode on YouTube by clicking here. |
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| 2. Thursday night preview: Prepping you for Colts at Broncos |
| The Colts and Broncos have a lot in common this year: During the offseason both teams made a major trade for a quarterback and so far, both trades have been spectacular failures. Their offenses haven't just been bad, they've been worse than bad. |
| The Colts have scored the fewest points in the NFL this year (14.3 point per game) while the Broncos have scored the third-fewest (16.5). If you hate high-scoring games, then you're going to love this game, because there shouldn't be a lot of points scored. |
| My good pal Cody Benjamin put together CBSSports.com's deep-dive preview for this game. Here's how he sees the game playing out: |
| Why the Colts can win: The Colts aren't going to have Jonathan Taylor (ankle) for this game, which means they're actually going to need Matt Ryan to play like the Matt Ryan they thought they were getting when they traded for him in March. Ryan was supposed to be an upgrade over Carson Wentz, but he hasn't been that yet. Through four weeks, Ryan has turned the ball over EIGHT times, which is the most in the NFL. He's also thrown at least one pick in three of Indy's four games and not surprisingly, the Colts are winless in those three games. If Ryan can play mistake-free football, that should be enough to at least keep the Colts in the game. Why the Broncos can win: The Broncos offense might not be much to look at, but they've made it to 2-2 because they have one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Broncos rank in the top five in both fewest yards allowed and fewest points allowed and they should have a field day against the Colts offense. If the Broncos can get pressure on Matt Ryan, the Colts offense is going to have a tough time moving the ball and if that happens, the Broncos should be in prime position to win a low-scoring slugfest. |
| You can get a full preview of the game from Cody by clicking here. |
| If you're thinking about betting on the game, Tyler Sullivan put together a full gambling preview (odds via Caesars Sportsbook). You can check out Sullivan's full gambling preview by clicking here, but if you don't feel like clicking over, here's one prop from both of us for tonight's game (My prop has hit in three straight prime-time games, so let's see if we can keep this roll going). |
| ONE PROP TYLER LIKES: Russell Wilson UNDER 229.5 passing yards (+100): "Wilson is dealing with a shoulder injury and that has me leaning on the under for this prop. Over the last three weeks, he's gone under this total twice while averaging just 213.3 passing yards per game in his past three games. Factor in the injury and it's hard to see his passing stats see any sort of drastic uptick, even with the Javonte Williams injury possibly forcing him to pass more often." ONE PROP I LIKE: Brandon McManus OVER 1.5 field goals (-123): The Broncos have the worst red zone offense in the NFL this year, which is bad for the Broncos, but that's good for McManus, who already has 10 field goal attempts on the season. If the Broncos are scoring points, it usually involves McManus, who is averaging two field goals per game this season and two is all you need for this over to hit. |
| Finally, if you're wondering who we're picking, here's who we have tonight: |
Cody's pick: Broncos 22-17 over Colts
Sullivan's pick: Colts 23-21 over Broncos
My pick: Broncos 20-17 over Colts |
| Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, six of our seven experts are taking the Broncos to win. |
| 3. Packers and Giants to end unfortunate 15-year streak for London games |
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| The NFL has been playing games in London since 2007 and over that time, there hasn't been a SINGLE GAME that pitted two teams that BOTH had a winning record. The NFL has sent so many bad games over to London that I was 91% sure England was going to declare war on us at some point, but that didn't happen and their patience has now paid off with the Giants and Packers getting set to play on Sunday. |
| Here are a few nuggets from the game in London along with the two streaks that will be ending: |
| NFL finally sending a good matchup to London. Fans in London haven't gotten to see very many good teams over the years. In the 31 games that have been played since 2007, there have been nine teams that were winless when they played in London, but only one team that went into its international game undefeated (the Ravens in 2017). The Giants (3-1) game against the Packers (3-1) will mark the first time ever that both teams have entered a London game with a winning record. Packers headed overseas for the first time. Since 2007, the NFL has sent 31 of its 32 teams overseas, but the Packers had somehow avoided playing in London until this year. When they take the field on Sunday, every NFL team will have played at least one game in England. This game will mark the first time that the fans in London have gotten to see Aaron Rodgers play in-person. Why it took so long for Packers to be sent to England. It took 15 years for the Packers to get sent to London because they didn't want to give up a home game at Lambeau and opposing teams were hesitant to give up a home game when the Packers were the visiting team because Green Bay draws well on the road. With a ninth home game added to the schedule this year, that opened the door for the Packers' debut in London to happen. London game could be a good omen for the Giants. The Giants have made the playoffs in every season where they've been sent to London (2007, 2016), and based on how they've played this year, they might be able to keep the streak alive. Also, the Giants are the only team in the NFL that has gotten to the Super Bowl in the same season where they also played in London. That came in 2007 when they beat the Dolphins in London before shocking the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. |
| The Packers and Giants will be kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday in a game that will be airing on NFL Network. |
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| 4. Rookie rankings heading into Week 5: Seahawks' third-round pick jumps into top-five |
| If you read this newsletter regularly, then you know we love to rank things here. And if you don't read it regularly, I have some news for you: We love to rank things here, and today, we have rookie rankings. |
| CBSSports.com's Josh Edwards ranks the NFL's top rookies every week, and here's how things stand as we get ready to kick off Week 5 tonight. |
| Top rookies heading into Week 5: |
| 1. Falcons WR Drake London. "Cleveland challenged London at the catch point and forced a few incompletions in a game where he caught just two passes for 17 yards."2. Jets WR Garrett Wilson. "Wilson has such a good feel for when to make that cut and is open on almost every play. The rookie went for 41 yards against the Steelers in Week 4."3. Seahawks OL Abraham Lucas. "Lucas has been sensational this season. He struggled at times with Nick Bosa in Week 2, but he has more than held his own against all other challengers."4. Jets CB Sauce Gardner. "Pittsburgh's quarterbacks were not exactly a good barometer for how well Gardner was playing this week. He has really good awareness to peel off his assignment in situations where he needs to aid a teammate when the ball is in the air."5. Lions OLB Malcolm Rodriguez. "Rodriguez plays with great balance and awareness. He is quicker than some may expect, which allows him to provide occasional pressure in the backfield. His biggest contributions are fitting run gaps and dropping into coverage." |
| Edwards actually ranked a total of 15 rookies, and if you want to check out his entire list, be sure to click here. |
| 5. One thing we learned about each team in Week 4 |
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| With Week 5 kicking off tonight, we decided that we're going to take one more look back at Week 4. Jeff Kerr decided to wade through the aftermath to figure out one thing we learned about each team. |
| Here's a look at the one thing we learned about five different teams: |
| Falcons: This team can run on anyone. "In Week 3, Cordarrelle Patterson gashed through the Seahawks defense for 141 yards and a touchdown to pace Atlanta's running attack. In Week 4, the Falcons got 140 rushing yards and a touchdown from Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley combined (Huntley was called up form the practice squad one day before the game). Give credit to the offensive line for Atlanta being able to run the ball, a unit that has significantly overachieved through four games."Panthers: Baker Mayfield isn't the answer for this offense. "Whether it's play-calling or execution, the Panthers offense just isn't NFL level. Mayfield has his worst game of the season in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, going 22 of 36 for 197 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions (61.9 rating)."Lions: Ben Johnson is a good offensive coordinator. "This team has averaged 35 points and 436.8 yards per game through four weeks, which are both No. 1 in the NFL. The defense has let Detroit down, but this offense will win them games sooner rather than later. Just wait until Jameson Williams joins the fray." Raiders: Josh McDaniels might have realized that the Raiders actually need to run the ball once in a while. "The Raiders needed a win in the worst way, and McDaniels may have found a healthy balance for his offense to score points. Josh Jacobs deserved more touches, and he received 33 of them for a total of 175 yards (144 rushing, 31 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns. Vegas has to run the ball more. Maybe McDaniels is seeing the light."Chargers: L.A. might have found a surprisingly good replacement at left tackle. "Replacing Rashawn Slater isn't an easy task, but Jamaree Salyer made it look easy in Week 4. The 2022 sixth-round pick was excellent in his first start at left tackle (a position he hasn't played since the Senior Bowl), not allowing a sack, pressure, or hurry in 40 pass-blocking snaps." |
| If you want to see the one thing we learned about all 32 teams, you can check out Kerr's entire story by clicking here. |
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| 6. Rapid-fire roundup: Tom Brady misses practice, Giants hoping Daniel Jones can play in London |
| It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. |
Giants still have no idea who their QB will be on Sunday. The Giants are hoping that Daniel Jones will be able to make the start on Sunday, but right now, that's no guarantee. The good news for New York is that Jones, who's dealing with an ankle injury, was able to practice on a limited basis Wednesday. If Jones can't go, the usual backup is Tyrod Taylor, but he's in concussion protocol, so the start would likely go to third-stringer Davis Webb. Giants sign three-time Pro Bowler. The Giants are bringing a familiar face back to New York. CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported today that the team has signed Landon Collins. The safety spent the first four seasons of his career with the Giants and made the Pro Bowl a total of three times in that span (2016-18).
Tom Brady dealing with some nagging injuries. Brady missed practice on Wednesday, which isn't a huge surprise because he has rarely been practicing on Wednesdays this year, but he did show up on the injury report. Brady is dealing with minor injuries to his right shoulder and one of his right fingers. Although the injuries are minor, let's be honest, no injury feels minor when you're 45. Phillip Lindsay set to make debut for Colts. According to NFL.com , the running back has been elevated from the practice squad, which likely means we'll be seeing him make his debut with the Colts tonight. If that happens, it will basically be a revenge game for Lindsay, who spent the first three seasons of his career in Denver (2018-20). Bailey Zappe could make his first start. With Mac Jones still dealing with an ankle injury and Brian Hoyer in concussion protocol, the Patriots rookie might be forced to start on Sunday against the Lions. Although he didn't start in Week 4, Zappe saw extensive action against the Packers and went 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Ravens sign Andy Isabella. Less than 48 hours after being released by the Cardinals, the receiver already has a new home. Isabella has agreed to terms on a deal with the Ravens. The Cardinals cut Isabella just three years after making him the 62nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Protester files police report against Bobby Wagner. The protester who ran on the field during Monday's game between the 49ers and Rams has filed a police report against Wagner , who absolutely destroyed the man after he ran on the field. Considering the protester shouldn't have been on the field in the first place, it's hard to imagine Wagner facing any punishment here. Le'Veon Bell schedules another boxing match. After defeating Adrian Peterson in July, Bell is already planning to get back in the ring. This time around, Bell will be facing former UFC fighter Uriah Hall in a match that will take place on Oct. 29 in Arizona . The match is one of the undercard fights on a night where Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva will be the main event. |
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