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The Top 10: Week 13

Matt Waldman's Top 10 examines the fantasy implications of Week 12 performances including Cam Akers, a trio of sneak playoff adds, and a trio of superstars with something in common. 

By Matt Waldman
November 30, 2020
The Top 10: Week 13
Photo: Evan Habeeb, USA Today Sports

Mission

The mission of this column—and a lot of my work—is to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality of football analysis. Football analysis—fantasy and reality—is often dramatized because there's a core belief that it's more important to entertain than to educate.

I don't live by the idea that it's better to be lucky than good. While I want to give you actionable recommendations that will help you get results, I prefer to get the process right. There will be a lot of people talking about how they were right to draft or start specific players. Many of them got the right result but with an unsustainable process.

A good example is the recent James Conner-Benny Snell analysis. The pervading thought after last Monday night was that Snell outplayed James Conner. While Snell earned more playing time, played well, and out-produced Conner, the film didn't support the conclusion that Conner played poorly as much as his offensive line got off to a slow start and he suffered a minor ankle injury that concerned the team.

Snell may earn another opportunity to take the job from Conner as the season progresses but against the Broncos and Texans defenses, Conner did enough to keep his role as the feature back and the non-film narratives did not come to fruition. Based on the process of studying what makes a running back productive, Conner did nothing to lose his role to Snell.

The Top 10 will cover topics that attempt to get the process right (reality) while understanding that fantasy owners may not have time to wait for the necessary data to determine the best course of action (fantasy). Still, this work may help you make wiser decisions that will help your team in the long run.

As always, I recommend Sigmund Bloom's Waiver Wire piece which you'll find available on this page, Monday night. Bloom and I are not always going to agree on players—he errs more often towards players who flash elite athletic ability and I err more towards players who are more technically skilled and assignment-sound.

STRAIGHT, NO CHASER: WEEK 12'S CLIFF'S NOTES

The article below will provide expanded thoughts and supporting visuals for the following points.

  1. Tyreek Hill delivered the 15th-best single-game receiving yardage performance in the history of the NFL. What does he have in common with most of the 14 ahead of him and why it makes him the elite fantasy option that he is.
  2. Despite the volume given to Kareem Hunt and an MCL Nick Chubb has been an elite fantasy runner on a per-game basis who will continue to thrive down the stretch as a top-10, if not a top-5, running back value.
  3. A.J. Brown also has something in common with Hill and Chubb that fantasy GMs should celebrate now and remember in 2021.
  4. Cam Akers' 61-yard run against the 49ers gave some in the fantasy community hope for his future. Until he figures out how to read defenses and manipulate key defenders with his stride and footwork, he'll remain mired in a committee, at best.
  5. Deebo Samuel made an impressive return to the field against the Rams, but he's essentially a running back playing wide receiver, and while Kyle Shanahan exploits this behavior, Shanahan wants more, and Samuel will have to figure out how to become a complete receiver during the next 1-2 offseasons, or his first contract will be the length of his peak fantasy value.
  6. Chances that the Tennessee Titans earn a playoff bye are slim, but if they cannot change their postseason destiny with the outcome of Week 16's game, D'Onta Foreman and Jeremy McNichols are players to grab for your re-draft squads--especially Foreman, who looks like the early-career Achilles' tear is mostly behind him.
  7. Trey Burton is on a small tear and the Colts staff informed the media this was their aim a few weeks ago. The film matches the optimism.
  8. Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen are linked by draft class and they're doing enough to help their teams contend. However, both still display behaviors that may be providing fans false hope.
  9. I think Atlanta should keep Raheem Morris as the head coach in 2021 because of what he has done to improve a woeful defense during the past six weeks.
  10. Fresh Fish: The Raiders' offense imploded against Atlanta and it could be the case for Weeks 14-16.

For those of you who wish to learn the why's, the details are below.

1. Tyreek Hill's Career-Day to Date

Hill's 269-yard, 3-touchdown smack-down of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday was the 15th-best single-game yardage day in the history of the league:

RankPlayerYdsTmBoxscore
1 Flipper Anderson 336 RAM Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints November 26, 1989
2 Calvin Johnson 329 DET Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys October 27, 2013
3 Stephone Paige 309 KAN Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers December 22, 1985
4 Jim Benton 303 RAM Cleveland Rams vs. Detroit Lions November 22, 1945
Jim Benton* 303 RAM Cleveland Rams vs. Detroit Lions November 22, 1945
6 Cloyce Box 302 DET Detroit Lions vs. Baltimore Colts December 3, 1950
7 Julio Jones 300 ATL Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers October 2, 2016
8 Jimmy Smith 291 JAX Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Baltimore Ravens September 10, 2000
9 Jerry Rice 289 SFO San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings December 18, 1995
10 John Taylor 286 SFO San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams December 11, 1989
11 Antonio Brown 284 PIT Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders November 8, 2015
12 Terrell Owens 283 SFO San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears December 17, 2000
13 Andre Johnson 273 HOU Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars November 18, 2012
14 Charley Hennigan 272 HOU Houston Oilers vs. Boston Patriots October 13, 1961
15 Tyreek Hill 269 KAN Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers November 29, 2020
Del Shofner 269 NYG New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins October 28, 1962
17 Lee Evans 265 BUF Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans November 19, 2006
18 Steve Largent 261 SEA Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions October 18, 1987
Josh Gordon 261 CLE Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars December 1, 2013
20 Wes Chandler 260 SDG San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals December 20, 1982
Chad Johnson 260 CIN Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Diego Chargers November 12, 2006
22 Julio Jones 259 ATL Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay Packers December 8, 2014
23 Qadry Ismail 258 BAL Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers December 12, 1999
24 Billy Howton 257 GNB Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Rams October 21, 1956
25 Sonny Randle 256 STL St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Giants November 4, 1962

*I'm not sure why Jim Benton is listed twice at No.4 and didn't have the opportunity to view a source other than Pro Football Reference.

It's interesting that of the top-15 performances, only 5 of them have come within the past 10 years. Most of the receivers on this list were deep threats with contested-catch skills and posed a great threat to defenses as yards-after-catch producers.

Hill is one of the shortest and most sudden on the list. Watching him over the middle against Devin White, one of the quickest linebackers in football, was a treat.

Pairing Hill with Patrick Mahomes II is a dream, especially when Mahomes can deliver the ball 60-70 yards with enough accuracy and velocity that trailing defensive backs can't catch up to the streaking Hill.

Whether it's a high-volume outing like Hill has had for each of the past three weeks—averaging 15.67 targets during this span—or his normal volume of 6-8 per game, Hill delivers WR1 production like an amplifier that has settings for "loud" and "louder."

With or without Mahomes, Hill is an elite producer. As someone with Mahomes, Hill, and Travis Kelce on one dynasty squad, it makes for fun weekends when they account for a large chunk of your team's points on their own*.

This was from last night, but with Brandon Graham facing the Seahawks tonight, 114.48 of my team's 330.13 fantasy points (34.67 percent) came from this trio of Chiefs.

*No Footballguys staffers were maimed during this season of IDP Dynasty League production.

2. Buy Nick Chubb's Efficiency

Chubb is the No.3 fantasy back in all formats for the past three weeks, despite the presence of Kareem Hunt and the mediocrity of Baker Mayfield. Despite missing four games, Chubb leads the league in big-play runs.

This validates my points from this summer: a) Chubb was a fantasy RB1 regardless of the presence of Hunt and b) if Hunt weren't around, Chubb would have a real shot at 2,000 yards rushing.

Chubb has 719 yards rushing in 6.5 games. An extrapolation of Chubb's production to a full season, if he stayed healthy, would be 1,770 rushing yards with Hunt still a significant part of the offense.

Are you going to make a serious argument that Chubb wouldn't have earned another 230 yards (14.4 yards per game) if Hunt wasn't a Brown or on the active roster? Considering that Chubb leads the league with big-play runs despite missing 4.5 games, it's more likely that Chubb would have earned enough carries and gained enough yardage to threaten Eric Dickerson's mark of 2,105 yards.

What makes Chubb so good? Although frequently described as an efficient, one-cut runner with great power and straight-line speed, he's far more agile and creative with movement than credited because the average fan doesn't appreciate agility, balance, and great footwork when it's not in the form of exaggerated movements like jump cuts, hurdles, and multiple fakes strung together.

This cutback is a great example of Chubb's efficient movement style that is far harder to execute than the exaggerated moves of raw athletes.

It's far more difficult to be succinct than verbose on the page and on the field. Chubb's style is succinct but remains elegant.

Hunt's presence may rob Chubb's fantasy GMs of his incredible upside, but when you take a closer look, you're complaining because he's not delivering putting Derrick Henry's totals in the rearview mirror on a per-game basis as he and the Browns' offensive line are capable. On this per-game basis, Chubb's average of 17 is 9th among running backs this year and 6th among backs with more than 6 games played.

3. Buy A.J. Brown's Efficiency

Through 11 games, the top 12 receivers based on fantasy points per game have played at least 10 games with the exception of Brown and Davante Adams who have played 9. Brown is 12th on the list in points-per-game average but has managed this production with 65 targets. The 11 receivers ahead of him on this list have averaged 94.5 targets this year.

Yahoo! fantasy analyst Scott Pianowski drives this point further home:

Brown isn't a target machine because the Titans have a ground game that's good enough to steamroll opponents for the better part of entire scoring drives. On Sunday's opening 10-play scoring drive against the Colts, Henry touched the ball 7 times.

And credit goes to the likes of Brown and teammate Corey Davis for opening creases, which never shows up in fantasy leagues but adds further value to their offense.

Despite Brown's lack of volume relative to his fantasy production, there are few young receivers I'd rather have in dynasty formats. D.K. Metcalf is bigger and faster, but he's not as versatile and Brown's frame seems more suited to handle his muscle than Metcalf, long-term.

Terry McClaurin is getting the job done without the same caliber of surrounding talent in the passing game as Brown and he's earning a lot more targets. Still, Brown is nearly as productive with less. And imagine what Brown's upside will be if the Titans have to abandon the ground game or achieve more run-pass balance when Henry is no longer playing like the King of fantasy backs?

Other than these two options, Brown is the answer as the top young receiver in the NFL despite a wealth of young talent that has made its way into the league over the past 3-5 years. He's physically dominant and his technique as a route runner the jam, tight man coverage, and zone looks is impressive.

This long touchdown from Sunday is a clinic-worthy play:

Cleveland's defense has been strong but with the possibility of Denzel Ward, Myles Garrett, and a pair of banged-up starting safeties slowing this unit down, Brown's schedule of the Browns, Jaguars, Lions, and Packers is a great slate for his stretch run.

4. The Cam Akers Bandwagon Could Reach Its Destination, But It Needs Better Fuel

The Cam Akers Bandwagon is filled with fantasy analysts ready to predict a 2021 breakout based on the past three weeks of box scores that have earned Akers the 25th spot among fantasy backs in PPR formats. They're celebrating his 7.1 yards-per-carry average and 2 scores during the past two weeks of games.

Other than the fact that the Yards-Per-Carry stat is among the worst in sports and tells a lot less about the skill of the runner than it appears, even if you were to give it a little more value than it deserves, you should be wondering why teams that have backs like Josh Jacobs (3.8 ypc) and Ezekiel Elliott (3.9 ypc) aren't looking to replace them?

Yards Per Carry doesn't capture the play-to-play efficiency of a runner, and it doesn't account for the ease or difficulty of the situations they face. If you watch Cam Akers and understand some of the nuances of the position, you'll understand that Cam Akers is a physical talent whose game lacks refined tools to maximize his potential.

This 61-yard run is not a special play. Unless the back lacks the top-end speed of the average NFL running back in the league—starter, reserve, or taxi squad—most runners with this big of a crease should earn at least the first 40 of the 61 yards Akers gained on this play below.

Darrell Henderson is starting and Malcolm Brown is a significant contributor because they understand the blocking schemes they are running behind and know how to set up blockers and defenders with their footwork. Akers doesn't.

Akers' behavior on this pair of plays has been the same since he took the field in the NFL. He needs an offseason of tutelage and practice to develop a nuanced understanding of zone blocking and the vocabulary of corresponding footwork to generate space that can be there for him if he knew what to do.

Right now, he's at his best in a gap-heavy scheme. He'd be a top-20 fantasy back for Washington or San Francisco who still left too much on the field. How much Akers can master within the next 8 months will determine his opportunity to extricate himself from a three-headed committee.

If you have Akers, I wouldn't trade him. But if you don't have Akers, I wouldn't trade for him, either.

Why? Because Akers' improvement won't come from more carries.

He needs a daily dose of film study and workouts with a coach/consultant to learn the various blocking schemes and defensive alignments used to stop these plays. While he's learning about this on tape, he must be developing footwork patterns that help him navigate these schemes and set up his blocks as well as manipulate opponents.

He needs to be practicing these scenarios regularly. This is what pro running backs do. Akers runs like a guy who was a physical phenom by college standards but hasn't learned the position in these ways.

Can he learn now? Yes, if he hires a trainer and does daily work. Will he? That's the big question and one that will determine the trajectory of his career.

5. Deebo Samuel Is Peaking And That Could Be Bad News

When this offense is healthy, the 49ers have 8-10 running backs on its roster and use 5-7 of them on the field during any given play:

Half of them may be listed in media guides as wide receivers, fullbacks, and tight ends, but in Kyle Shanahan's offense, those are sub-roles. Truth be told, they are all running backs—especially this wide receiver corps that generates a lot of its production on fly sweeps that technically count as passes but the play is a gloried end-around that should be counted as a run.

Samuel and Aiyuk earn a lot of passing-game stats from targets behind the line of scrimmage or so close to it that they are much like outlet passes to backs.

The most complete receiver on the roster is the tight end, Kittle. Richie James might be second. Samuel and Aiyuk? They're satellite backs who can win deep when not pressed, but they are not remotely on par with a route running like Emmanuel Sanders.

As powerful as Samuel is, he's not a refined player against press coverage. It surprised me that in such a crucial situation at this point of the Rams game that L.A. did not press Samuel on this short slant.

After all, Samuel had difficulty beating press coverage in college, especially at Senior Bowl practice drills where he faced a lot of cornerbacks who aren't even starting in the league right now.

Kyle Shanahan praised Samuel for his play this weekend but prefaced it by saying that the second-year receiver has "a lot to work on." This is a notable statement because this offense makes the most of its receiver's athletic ability but with the unintended consequence of minimizing the need for versatile route-running common with most receiving corps.

It's this dynamic that should be a concern for fantasy GMs for the rest of this year and beyond. Washington, Buffalo, and Arizona have physical coverage players capable of testing Samuel. All three have safeties who can generate great angles to the ball carrier on runs to the perimeter as well.

If you're celebrating Samuel's return, I'd take heed of this warning and concentrate on acquiring receivers from the waiver wire with strong matchups during the fantasy playoffs. You may not need them, but you find that Buffalo limits Samuel next week, that may be the first of a bad trend for Samuel's fantasy stretch run.

And if Samuel struggles against the majority of these teams or only produces on targets caught within five yards of the line of scrimmage, Samuel might be a sell-high option, especially if the 49ers don't re-sign him when his rookie deal ends.

6. D'Onta Foreman: Fantasy Playoff Hero?

The 8-3 Titans are behind the Chiefs and Steelers when it comes to earning a bye-week during the playoffs. Even so, there's a good chance that the Titans won't be able to change their payoff destiny by Week 16's matchup against the Packers and even a possibility (although remote) that Week 15's contest with the Lions won't be a factor.

There's also the risk of Henry getting hurt or testing positive for COVID-19 between now and season's end. These are reasons why you should be considering D'Onta Foreman and to a lesser extent, Jeremy McNichols for your rosters during the playoffs.

As shown above, the Titans are an excellent run-blocking offense that gets a lot from its physical receiving corps to spring runs into the second and third levels of opposing defenses. If Henry doesn't play at some point, expect no worse than an even split between Foreman and McNichols.

McNichols is a quicker scatback who stared at Boise State but had difficulty adjusting to Dirk Koetter's offense in Tampa and bounced around the league. Based on McNichols's work in Tennessee, which has been pretty good in a limited amount of time, he probably didn't approach his first NFL opportunity with the professional maturity required of young players.

He's a solid receiver who also has enough burst and finishing power to deliver between the tackles. However, it's Foreman who most resembles the best of what Henry offers this Titans offense. A 6-0, 233-pound, collegiate star who earned 2,000 yards and the Doak Walker award during his final year at Texas, Foreman seemed poised to take over the Houston backfield when the Texans picked him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

An Achilles' injury derailed Foreman's career trajectory and the Texans eventually cut him. He played one NFL game in 2018 and hasn't been on an active roster until this year.

He appears healthy enough to leverage the gifts that made him a starting-caliber prospect: vision, footwork, burst, power, and receiving skills.

Players from the Titans, Steelers, and Chiefs like Foreman, Benny Snell, James Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Kalif Raymond, Cameron Batson, Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson are options worth considering for your rosters as the NFL playoff picture becomes clearer and generates the potential for starting lineups to get murkier in fantasy.

7. Is Trey Burton Poised for a Fantasy Playoff Run?

The Colts told the media a few weeks ago that they intended to feature Burton more in the offense. Burton has consecutive weeks with touchdowns, and he's doing the work with the flair of an athletic move-tight end who offers more physically and technically than celebrated free agents like Hayden Hurst or Austin Hooper but injuries have lowered his stock.

Burton had two big plays against the Titans, including a leaping catch of a corner route against linebacker David Long Jr and this score against a defensive back play single coverage.

The Colts face the Texans twice during the next three weeks with the Raiders in between. While neither team is among the most generous to tight ends on a points-per-week level, they've been neutral matchups relative to the rest of the league over the past five weeks.

The Raiders in particular have been 21 percent more generous than the league average during this period. particularly generous to move tight ends in offenses that have compelling outside weapons. And if you're worried about a Steelers' matchup for Burton in Week 16, Pittsburgh has only faced one tight end of starting quality all year, Mark Andrews.

If you don't have an established starter at the position, Burton is worth your consideration.

8. Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen: Linked by More Than Draft Class

Mayfield and Allen are at the helm of playoff contenders in the AFC. Allen has turned the corner statistically as a passer and has earned MVP consideration from the media. Mayfield is in the bottom third of NFL starters, but he has also has thrown one-third of the interceptions he gave up in 2019 and returned his completion percentage to the 60-percent range that makes coaches and media more comfortable about the future of a starting quarterback.

Both appear to be in promising situations as we enter December. Allen is clearly a fantasy commodity, Mayfield isn't. Based on the film, neither are great bets to advance their teams forward in the postseason without their surrounding talent exceeding expectations.

The common link between the two quarterbacks: Both can make impressive throws, but both have decision-making flaws that can submarine their teams when facing top competition.

Mayfield hasn't been bad this month and that's a small positive that he and the Browns can build on. The fact Cleveland is 8-3 despite losing Nick Chubb for 4.5 weeks and it lacks a franchise-caliber starting quarterback is a testament to the skill in the trenches on both sides of the football.

Mayfield has managed the game better in recent weeks against the middling-to-poor competition on its schedule: Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Houston, Philadelphia, and Jacksonville. Three of these games were played in weather that grounded passing games and emphasized the road-grading strength of the Browns' offense.

In other words, Mayfield hasn't been significantly tested for the past five weeks and that last time he was, he faced a superior divisional opponent. Cleveland has a strong shot of going 10-6 if they can beat the two New York clubs on its remaining schedule, upset Tennessee, or surprise in rematches with Baltimore or Pittsburgh.

For this to happen Mayfield must be better in the red zone. Most NFL quarterbacks from Russell Wilson to Mike Glennon can hit crossing routes between the 20s. The quarterbacks who are difference makers see the field fast and execute on-time, especially in the red zone.

Mayfield hasn't done this against man-to-man coverage or routes in tight traffic. Not at Texas A&M. Not at Oklahoma. And definitely not in Cleveland. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski also broached this specific problem with last week's broadcast crew, telling them that Mayfield had to get better in this area.

I don't think it's ever going to happen. In the first play below Mayfield botches because he doesn't trust his eyes and by the time he wants to act, the passing lane shuts. This cost the Browns a touchdown. The second play is successful, but it's a zone play thrown to a wide-open spot, which requires a much easier skill/mindset than the first play.

Grading quarterbacks isn't about adding up all the positive plays in one column and the negative plays in the other. Certain situations carry more weight than others. Lots of quarterbacks who make excellent throws outside the red zone wind up benched because they consistently lose in situations where opponents have the talent and scheme to force these passers into confronting their flaws.

Eventually, if the player can't overcome these flaws, coaches determine that they can only beat the middling to lesser opponents with these starters. Mayfield has the Titans, Ravens, and Steelers between now and Week 17—and likely the playoffs—to prove that he is more than a limited prospect.

I want to see it happen as a Browns fan, but I don't believe it will. I also fear the fact that he'll be a part of a team that made the playoffs will give him more time as the starter that will push back the team's overall development trajectory and narrow the window of contention it can have with another good draft and the return of injured talents like Odell Beckham Jr and Grant Delpit.

This is the point where Allen might be in Buffalo. Granted, he has shown a lot of improvement, statistically. And because he has better receivers and a scheme conducive to his strengths, Allen is getting rid of the ball faster and decreasing the scenarios where the hero factor comes into play.

He's even showing some advanced traits in the red zone that are becoming ingrained habits. This touchdown throw to Dawson Knox didn't require the manipulation that Allen used, but Allen did it anyway.

However, there are still 1-3 plays per game where Allen makes an immature decision that either keeps mediocre-to-bad opponents in games or gives good teams a shot to take the lead.

These mistakes will be harder to overcome against quality playoff teams, and they remain a notable component of Allen's game. As long as he continues delivering regular-season production as he has this year, the Bills could wind up in a longer state of denial about Allen being the one holding them back.

Hopefully, both overcome these flaws, but I'm skeptical.

9. Art Blank: Let Raheem Morris Rise Up

Interim head coach Raheem Morris has guided Atlanta to a 4-2 record since the organization fired Dan Quinn. The biggest source of improvement has been the Falcons defense.

Atlanta's team defense is 15th overall in fantasy leagues. Since Week 7, it's 7th overall. From Weeks 1-6, Atlanta was 20th.

In addition to the excellent Grady Jarrett, Deion Jones, A.J. Terrell, Keanu Neal, Foye Oluokun, Darqueze Dennard, and Mykal Walker are excellent athletes who can earn good angles and play physical football. Terrell and Neal have been notably good during this stretch, stopping perimeter plays in the run game and the short passing game.

The defense is playing better team football, and despite a wounded receiving corps and mediocre ground game, Atlanta has played competitive and winning football against middle-of-the-road teams. If they can split its matchups against the Buccaneers and beat the Chargers, it might be enough for Arthur Blank to consider Morris for the job on a long-term basis.

Morris was a talented head coach in Tampa Bay but lacked maturity and leadership. According to a player I know and trust who played for Morris as well as four other teams in the league, Morris grew too confident during the Buccaneer's 2010 success and began partying with the team. The player told me that despite Tampa's record, he couldn't wait to get out of there and described to me the differences between Tampa's environment and the culture and processes of winning teams with experienced and successful head coaches.

A decade has passed, Morris hopefully has learned from the experience, and thus far, he looks like a good fit for this team that has a lot of talent that was underachieving.

10. Fresh Fish: Week 12

Fantasy football is a cruel place. We're always searching for the weakest link. While we don't want anyone facing the wrath of Hadley, we'd loving nothing more than our players to face an opponent whose game has come unglued on the field.

In the spirit of "The Shawshank Redemption," I provide my weekly shortlist of players and/or units that could have you chanting "fresh fish" when your roster draws the match-up.

This week's featured fish is the Las Vegas Raiders. I'm not part of the fantasy media contingent that hates Jon Gruden. He has the Raiders heading in a good direction despite significant injuries to the offensive line.

On Sunday, that offensive line and the receivers in the running were too slow for the Atlanta Falcons defense. They couldn't stretch the field horizontally as they hoped early on and this made it easier for the Falcons to pressure Derek Carr, who fumbled the ball twice and threw an interception.

The ground game offered little and Darren Waller couldn't earn separation against the Falcons secondary. Quick passes were stopped in the flats immediately because blocks weren't getting set up.

With the Raiders facing the Colts and Dolphins in Weeks 14 and 16, there's some reason for concern that these team's pressure packages and speed in the secondary could lead to a late-season slump for the Raiders offense.

Thanks again for all of your feedback on this column. Good luck next week and may your bold call come true.

Tags:Analysis

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