NFL Insider reveals cheat code Lions should exploit vs. Eagles
The Detroit Lions have a key Sunday night game against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and the game will go a long way towards determining postseason positioning in the NFC. The Eagles have a 7-2 record and are one game ahead of the Lions, but if Detroit can win this challenging road game, the Lions will have the tiebreaker if the two teams finish with the same record in the standings and both are division champions.
Beating the Eagles on their home turf is a difficult assignment, but ESPN insider Mina Kimes pointed out that the Lions would be in a solid position to pull off the victory if they employed three-WR setups with some degree of frequency.
That suggestion appears to be an insightful one because the defensive backfield does not appear to be the Eagles’ area of greatest strength.
If the Lions are employing three wide receivers — including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond — the Eagles are expected to counter with three cornerbacks. They include Quinyon Mitchell, Adoree Jackson and Kelee Ringo. Those three cover men may be vulnerable against the Lions. St. Brown is the dominant receiver of the trio, while Williams can be explosive when he is on the receiving end of Jared Goff’s passes.
Lions have explosive offense with Goff and St. Brown
Goff is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he is having a sensational season. He has completed 202 of 273 passes for 2,235 yards with an impressive 20-3 TD to interception ratio. As long as the Lions offensive line can give Goff adequate time to survey his receivers, he is a remarkably accurate passer.
St. Brown is one of the best route runners in the league. He has been targeted 82 times this season and he has caught 64 passes for 693 yards with 8 of his receptions resulting in touchdowns. St. Brown should have a physical advantage over any of the Philadelphia cornerbacks.
Andy Reid Drops Final Isiah Pacheco Update Before Chiefs vs. Broncos
The war of attrition is a natural part of the NFL, and the Kansas City Chiefs have learned that the hard way as of late. Despite coming off a Week 10 bye, the reigning AFC champs still have some injuries to tend to.
With Sunday’s Week 11 bout against the Denver Broncos approaching, several players popped up on the club’s injury report. Running back Isiah Pacheco topped the list, with plenty of doubt surrounding his status for the weekend.
Speaking to the media on Friday afternoon, head coach Andy Reid added some fuel to that fire.
Andy Reid Makes Last Update on RB Isiah Pacheco for Week 11 vs. Broncos
Reid didn’t confirm that his starting halfback would miss Sunday’s game, but he also did nothing to instill more confidence. If historical Reid trends hold, Pacheco could miss the Chiefs’ Week 11 AFC West showdown in Denver with an MCL sprain.
“Alright, so the only person who didn’t practice today was Pacheco,” Reid said. “Everybody else went.
Earlier this week, Reid made it clear that he’d “have to see” how Pacheco progressed before making a determination on his status. With the former seventh-round pick missing each practice this week, expectations for his ultimate decision became clearer.
UPDATE: Kansas City officially ruled Pacheco out later on Friday afternoon.
Pacheco, now in his fourth season with the Chiefs, has logged 78 carries for 329 yards and a touchdown this year. In the games he’s played, he was on the field for 56.4% of available offensive snaps (307 reps). In his last healthy outing, a 28-7 win over the Washington Commanders, he set a season-high mark with 58 rushing yards. Unfortunately, the Rutgers product sustained the knee injury in the fourth quarter.
With Pacheco out in Week 9’s 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City went with Kareem Hunt as its lead halfback. He led the team in carries (11) and yards (49), also recording a rushing touchdown. Rookie Brashard Smith (3 carries for 7 yards) and 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire (2 carries for 5 yards) supported Hunt.
With a shorthanded running back rotation once again, it’s reasonable to expect Hunt to be leaned on to produce.
Other Chiefs Injury Odds & Ends Ahead of Sunday’s Game
Pacheco, while the most pressing, wasn’t the only injured Chief who needed to be accounted for. Two players, wide receiver Xavier Worthy and defensive end George Karlaftis, were limited at practice in various points of the week.
Worthy’s inclusion in the Thursday injury report caught many by surprise. After all, he wasn’t on Week 9’s pre-bye list, leaving most to assume he was past his ankle injury. On the contrary, Reid says the speedy wideout aggravated the issue a bit this week. He was a full participant in Friday’s work, however, according to Reid.
“Xavier, I know, was on that list,” Reid began. “He’s had an ankle. He just tweaked it a little bit, but he was good, good to go. He did everything today, no problem.”
Karlaftis, the Chiefs’ leader in sacks (5) and tackles for loss (7), was limited on both Wednesday and Thursday. Despite his thumb injury, Reid didn’t seem worried about the fourth-year man’s availability for the weekend.
“George did a nice job today, I thought,” Reid said. “Good.”
Kansas City won’t be at 100% health against their division rivals, but things could certainly be worse for them as they look to climb back into the conference playoff picture.
