High hopes for CMC
Look, I’m very excited Christian McCaffrey is back. And while I can’t tell if a bold prediction for him is to play well, or not, I’m going to go with him not being there quite yet.
“You never know for a setback or anything, but these two days have been great, and expect to see him out there,” San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on KNBR.
Which means — cool your jets, people. He’s been out the entire season with an Achilles injury and those aren’t easy to come back from. Plus, since it’s CMC, the bar is high after coming off the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award in 2023.
With that said, the running back is greatly missed, so turn on the TV when he puts that uniform on.
Da Bears… don’t, well, suck
The offensive struggles for the Chicago Bears have been apparent. In Week 9, they fell to the Arizona Cardinals without scoring a touchdown.
Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams spoke to the media about the week’s performance and said his expectations are always going to be high, and perhaps moving on quickly from the previous week needs to actually be implemented this time around.
The Bears face the New England Patriots in Week 10 which will be a battle of rookie quarterbacks. Williams was selected by the Bears with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, while Maye was selected by New England with the third overall pick.
What the Bears hope to do is take advantage of the Patriots’ offensive line with a pass rush led by defensive end Montez Sweat to pressure Maye, who’s set to make his fifth NFL start. And on offense, the Bears need their own banged-up offensive line to hold up well enough to give Williams time in the pocket after he faced relentless pressure in Week 9.
Maye will have to be mindful of Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who leads the NFL in passer rating allowed in man coverage this season.
Lowest passer rating allowed in single coverage this season (min. 10 targets):
Jaylon Johnson – 14.6 🔒 pic.twitter.com/YvpRX5atZY
— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) November 6, 2024
Joe Flacco train… hop on
I will remain a Joe Flacco truther and the conductor of the elite train until Flacco can no longer hold a football.
After it was decided he would take over for quarterback Anthony Richardson, there are still some offensive situations the Indianapolis Colts need to sort out.
His opponent in the Buffalo Bills has allowed the fifth-highest open target percentage (64.8%) over the last four games, according to Pro Football Focus.
Daniel Jones comeback
Who doesn’t love a comeback story? For now, Daniel Jones remains the starting quarterback for the New York Giants, but we don’t know how long that’ll last. Especially if they lose to the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.
… but they won’t. (As I said, BOLD predictions)
Jones does have a leg up against the Panthers in one category. The team has one of the lowest pressure ratings against quarterbacks in the league. With the team now 2-7, Jones has to prove it to himself, and those in the front office, he can handle these situations.
