Kenny Pickett, Steelers youth provide hope

5 Things that I care about

Young Steelers pieces are in fashion

Steelers have a long shot of reaching the postseason. FiveThirtyEight projects a 15% chance that they will make it to the postseason. I don’t see them as a serious contender this year, they’re just merely alive and in the conversation.

It doesn’t really matter to me, however. What is the point? Is a big deal, in my view, is those young players on the Steelers offense feel like they’re trending in the right direction.

Kenny Pickett To secure late wins, he has put together back to back games that featured signature moments in comeback mode. That’s excellent resume boosting.

Pickett hasn’t been flawless as a rookie. No first-year passer ever is but he’s moving right along and is without question adding value to a drab scheme. Pickett’s mobility is a big difference-maker. Pickett appears more at ease as the weeks progress, and he is able to slide into creation mode. He made many plays on the move, including his game-winning touchdown in Week 17.

Najee Harris That play was his receiver. He was outstanding against Baltimore. Harris seemed like he would be remembered as one of the worst fantasy football players. He couldn’t get any momentum on the ground and looked set to fall for the category of the worst picks. Harris spoke out after the game to NBC and credited the offensive lines for turning around the season. He’s right but I also think He It just looks better. His preseason foot injury should not have been overlooked. Harris is a first-rounder right now.

Steelers also have a great backfield sidekick Jaylen Warren. The rookie brings his own style to the backfield. His presence helps keep Harris in the backfield, which is good for Harris’s short-term and long-term outlook.

The passing game can still be a little tricky. I don’t like the overall design of routes or how they are deployed. Diontae Johnson George Pickens. I’ve said it all year but Matt Canada’s offense is the worst-designed unit in the game. I’d like to see these promising young men next season in a completely different offense.

As we depart 2022, I feel optimistic about what the future holds for the Steelers’ offense. That’s all you can ask for in this reboot season and quite frankly, I didn’t think we’d get there a few months ago.

Mike Evans’ eruption game

Finally.

Mike Evans hadn’t scored since Week 4. He hadn’t cleared 100 yards since Week 8. Evans achieved both feats, and more, in Week 17, a win-and–in game against the Panthers.

The topic has received a lot of attention. Tom BradyThis year’s Mike Evans connection. Brady’s inexplicable desire to dispose of the ball is a major problem. as I wrote about this week. That’s made it difficult to let downfield routes develop.

Brady’s 2.36-second-time-to-throw on Sunday was only just a bit higher than his season average but he hung in there longer than normal on some of Evans’ big plays. All three of Evans’ scores came on go routes. Brady was able to throw the first ball in just 2.6 seconds, and then the second ball in a record-breaking 3.4 seconds.

These plays make Tampa Bay an extremely dangerous offense. We need more of them if we want the Bucs to make any kind of run in the playoffs.

There’s nothing wrong with Evans as a player right now. That was confirmed by Week 17.

Cam Akers’ strong finish

Cam Akers ran for 123 yards in just 19 carries against Chargers to extend his impressive run to the end. From Week 13, Akers has run for 408 yards with six scores, averaging 4.9 yards per carrying. He’s been on fire ever since the calendar turned to December.

Akers has run through some soft defensive fronts of late but regardless, this is still such a welcome development in what’s been an utterly lost season for LA. It’s especially impressive when you consider that Akers was at one time ready to be moved by the Rams.

There are many questions the Rams will have to answer this offseason. In an effort to rebound from the disappointing season, they have major roster gaps to fill. A team already struggling with its roster is fortunate to not have to replace Akers.

Jets need a qualified quarterback

You already knew this, but with the Jets now officially eliminated from the playoff race, it’s never been more relevant. New York must push all the chips and focus on finding a solution.

Mike White He has had his moments. Although he looks like a solid long-term backup to the Jets, he is now exhausted.

White ranked 25th in EPA per droppedback among quarterbacks on Sunday. The Seahawks put White into a blender and took all the air out. White averaged just 5.9 yards per attempt.

Zach Wilson Needs a change in scenery. If it’s ever going to happen for him (I am not optimistic) it won’t be in New York. He is too toxic and has little room for error. If he’s salvageable, the locker room and fanbase won’t give him the time to get there. He hasn’t really earned those chances, either.

The Jets must make every effort to solve their problem. This offseason could see a boom in the veteran quarterback market. You will find attractive free agents as well as tradeable guys. You’d imagine that’s the way they’ll go, as this team is simply far too good to try and break in another young quarterback. This team can be an 11-win operation because of the quality of its defense and skill position players. The Jets can’t let another year of those guys go to waste.

Jarrett Stidham plays great

Jarrett Stidham With a 15.9 yard per completion average, he was ranked second among quarterbacks. I didn’t see that one coming.

Still think Derek Carr got a bit of a raw deal with his Raiders career ending on such a sour, “We don’t want to risk paying your guaranteed money” type of note but there’s no doubt he left some meat on the bone this year. I thought we wouldn’t see another passer shine a light on that reality until next year — but Stidham brought it out right away.

The Raiders’ offense boasts big-time talent. Davante Adams He is still one the best receivers in the NFL. Darren Waller This is a mismatch issue. Stidham kept pushing them to the ball despite all the best defenses that the league has to offer.

For their post-Carr quarterback solution, the Raiders will continue to look outside the building. Stidham’s performance in Week 17 was a reminder of the desirable ecosystem that has a lot of players.

5 Things I don’t care about

Lamar Jackson was not a part the Ravens’ pass offense

It was pretty predictable that this was going to be the “don’t care” section of the Sunday Night Football recap.

Baltimore’s offense just doesn’t have close to enough in the passing game even when Lamar Jackson plays. When he’s Not out there, this just isn’t anything that resembles a playoff-caliber unit.

For the first time in almost two years, the running game feels like it’s on track. J.K. Dobbins has been running really well, even if he claims he’s not 100% right. Another strong night saw him run 90 yards without any problems. Gus Edwards didn’t have a big impact in this game but he has given this team good reps over the last month-plus.

The running back rotation is quite a contrast to the team of declining veterans who struggled for most of 2021. It’s just not enough.

Mark Andrews Had a dominating night. He caught nine passes of 100 yards. He accounted for 77% Tyler Huntley’s total passing yards. Nobody else had more than 12 yards. Two passes were caught by wide receivers. This is not a serious NFL operation.

Is there anyone who didn’t believe Huntley was going to drive the field as far as he wanted? Justin Tucker in position for a field goal that would tie the game in the final minute of play? Did you have any of those biases? Think it?

Jackson might not be enough for this team to save itself. They just don’t look like a real contender with this offensive setup and receiver personnel. One thing is certain You can be certain, though: If he’s not a part of this team they are going absolutely nowhere.

The Packers’ early miscues

Green Bay’s Week 18 victory felt like a far-fetched dream at times this year. And yet, that’s exactly the reality we’re walking into next week.

The Packers have overcome most of the problems they had earlier in the season.

Rookies are now the best passers Christian Watson Romeo Doubs They play key roles down the stretch. They play many different roles, which is even more important. Aaron Jones A.J. Dillon are seemingly alternating big weeks at this point and forming the backfield duo we thought we’d get all year.

Perhaps most important, defense has finally come to life.

The Packers defense is a once-cupcake unit. They rank ninth in EPA per played allowed and eighth in defensive success rates since Week 13.

I don’t care anymore about the Packers’ struggles early in the season. They are no longer useful. This team has changed and evolved. As long as they make it into the playoff dance, they’ll be a formidable team capable of playing in adverse conditions or putting up points in a dome.

Justin Jefferson again covers the story

Justin is different Jefferson’s Week 1 eruption, the Packers didn’t let the star receiver run scott-free through their secondary. Jaire Alexander Alexander chirped a lot coming into the game and he supported it. Alexander shadowed Jefferson more often than usual, and got safety help in high leverage situations. Alexander played a great defensive game.

Jefferson was going to have to work hard to defeat the Packers. Unfortunately, Kirk Cousins He was willing to help.

I don’t care what the coverage looks like — you cannot leave a critical division game and target your elite wideout on just 15% of his routes run. Give him a screen. Alexander is out of coverage, so target him on a slant. Just throw it up to him even when the coverage look isn’t ideal; do we need to revisit the fourth down catch against the Bills?

I mean, just do … something.

Cousins had to trust one of the greatest receivers in the game and take more risks. Period. No. 18. They’ve now lost control of the second seed in the NFC by getting too far away from him.

Daniel Jones’ past

I’ll admit to being a huge Daniel Jones skeptic this year. I rolled my eyes at every “Look at what Brian Daboll did with Josh Allen” comparison when it came to Jones. It was laughable that I thought so. Tyrod Taylor Might start some games for the Giants team.

I don’t think Jones is about to become the next Allen or jump to that level of player but he’s absolutely taken a leap nonetheless.

Jones is 11th in EPA per Dropback this year, despite being surrounded by a rotating cast receivers that are often populated by guys at the bottom of the roster. His legs have made a significant difference. He’s added 429 yards and a 5.8% touchdown rate on scrambles.

The Giants are in the playoffs, a result just about no one would have expected out of this team in Daboll’s first season.

I don’t feel like Jones has been dragged along for the ride, either. He’s a big part of the reason they’re in this position.

Jones is a man I know is wrong. He’s a changed player with Daboll in town. New York has every incentive in the world to ensure he’s a part of this team in 2023. They’ll work to find a solution that works for all parties as his contract is set to expire in March.

Eagles offensive stats

The box score doesn’t look too bad for the Eagles offense. DeVonta Smith Another monster game! A.J. Brown Scored a touchdown and ran for 97 yards Miles Sanders averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

This paints a false image that the unit is identical without. Jalen Hurts. It hasn’t been great; it’s just been fine.

Gardner Minshew Also, Just fine. The fantasy fantasy team has been very good to the receivers. But the Eagles have lost two games and it’s clear the offense lacks teeth without Hurts. Minshew makes a lot more mistakes than Hurts. He doesn’t have the big-play ability or athleticism to make up for it.

Hurts may be returning to the Eagles next week. It’s unclear how much he’d play, if at all. However, it’s so plain to see how much they need him.