NFL Week 9 Reaction

New England Patriots (2-7) @ Tennessee Titans (2-6)

Another game the Pats could have won that they let slip away.

Maye had such an up and down game. Starting with the bad, he had 2 really bad interceptions, a third pass that should have been picked off, and a costly. fumble. He also is still not doing a good job sliding, risking further injury.

On the good side, he once again was great at moving in the pocket and scrambling (96 yards rushing). He was accurate and led the Pats on a great end of game drive to tie the game. That play at the end of regulation showed off his skills- he scrambled around in the pocket and made a great throw under pressure.

The offensive line and rush game continued to struggle and we had too many penalties.

Our defense once again did not play very well and gave up almost 400 yards to one of the worst offenses in the league. One silver lining is they toughened up in the red zone.

Marcus Jones continues to be the best punt returner in the league. The Pats should unleash him on offense like Belichick used to.

Detroit Lions (7-1) @ Green Bay Packers (6-3)

The Lions are dynamic all over. Dan Campbell’s aggression just works so well with the roster he has. This team continues to roll and look great doing it.

Jordan Love’s injury hampered him a lot. That plus his gunslinger mentality led to some bad plays including that last second pick 6 at the end of the first half. The bad weather also seemed to hurt the Packers more than the Lions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)

This turned into an entertaining, high-scoring game. The Bucs put up a ton of fight and almost upset the Chiefs. In typical Chief’s fashion, they found a way to win like they always do.

It’s reassuring for the Chiefs to see a high octane offense return and have Kelce, Hopkins, Mahomes, and Hunt all play well. One area if conern is how serious Mahomes’ knee injury is.

The Bucs fall to 4-5, but are much better than their record says.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 2-1 (21-12 This Season) (59-28 All-Time)

Spread: 2-0-1 (20-11-2) (59-25-3)

O/U: 1-2 (16-17) (45-41-1)

Tom Brady vs Patriot’s QBs TDs since 2020

Of all the sad stats the Pats have put up the past 5 seasons, this may be the saddest.

Tom Brady played 50 regular season games for the Buccaneers from 2020-2022. In those 50 games, he threw for 108 passing TDs.

Since TB12 left, the Pats have played 76 regular season games. In those games, Pats QBs have combined to throw for 92 TD passes.

So in 26 more games, Patriots QBs have thrown 16 fewer TDs. How long will it take Pats QBs to catch up to Brady’s production? They are currently on pace to do it 14 games from now (Week 6 of next season).

This will continue to be updated throughout the season.

Anthony Richardson Situation

The Anthony Richardson situation is interesting. Their benching of him means they have either given up on him or are committing to develop him. If they are giving up on him, that is way too early. He has only started 10 games in the NFL and started 13 games in college. We all knew he was a project QB who had tons of talent but needed to be developed. Giving up on him so soon would be a terrible front office decision. If they want to develop him, that makes sense, but right now we don’t know what’s happening

Richardson and Bryce Young’s situations show teams seem more willing to give up on young QBs early. I think owners know there is so much money to be made and you need a great QB to be a great team. With so many good QBs coming into the NFL each year, teams are not going to be patient. 8 Pro Bowl Qbs have been drafted since the 2020 NFL draft. And 4 of the rookie QBs drafted this year already look better than Richardson and Young. I think this is scaring the Colts and Panthers into potentially giving up too soon.

I think teams should give QBs 3 years to develop. Year 1 is about getting experience, whether playing or sitting behind someone else. You only give up after 1 year if their personality is so bad, everyone in the building dislikes them. By the end of Year 2, they need to show flashes of being great. If not, you can move on. By the end of Year 3, they should prove they are your franchise QB and you should know if you want to pay them or not.

I think young college QBs will now stay in college longer. Great college QBs can make millions of dollars a year and take out insurance polices that pay tens of millions of dollars if a player is injured. This takes away a lot of the injury risk.

Unless you are a bonafide stud who is ready to play right away, why force the issue? Teams don’t give up on you earlier just because you played more in college. Bo Nix is a great example. He could have gone to the NFL after his junior year when he already had 34 starts. Instead he transferred, stayed 2 more years and developed into a Heisman finalist and first round pick. Halfway through his rookie year, he’s looking pretty good.

15 Minute Blitz Episode 5

Episode 5 of the pod, including our betting picks this weekend

https://open.spotify.com/show/7FRSwrllknwemMVvghqlRQ

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-15-minute-blitz-230527724/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-minute-blitz/id1775746291

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/23d6848d-e967-470e-b1f1-8996bd205feb/15-minute-blitz

NFL Week 9 Predictions

New England Patriots (2-6) @ Tennessee Titans (1-6)

Both teams are dealing with injuries all over the place, notably to their two young QBs. I think the Patriots will win, cover (+3), and the under (39) hits.

Detroit Lions (6-1) @ Green Bay Packers (6-2)

The best game of the week by far. I think the Lions win, cover (-2.5), and the over (48) hits.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)

The Buccaneers receiving corps was the strength of their team as of two weeks ago, but is now decimated. The Chiefs are tank engine that just keeps rolling. I think the Chiefs win, the Bucs cover (+9), and the under (46) hits.

15 Minute Blitz Episode 4

Episode 4 of the pod, including our betting picks this weekend

https://open.spotify.com/show/7FRSwrllknwemMVvghqlRQ

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-15-minute-blitz-230527724/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-minute-blitz/id1775746291

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/23d6848d-e967-470e-b1f1-8996bd205feb/15-minute-blitz

NFL Power Rankings

1. Detroit Lions (6-1)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)

3. Baltimore Ravens (5-3)

4. Buffalo Bills (6-2)

5. Houston Texans (6-2)

6. Green Bay Packers (6-2)

7. Washington Commanders (6-2)

8. Minnesota Vikings (5-2)

9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

10. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)

NFL Week 8 Reaction

Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)

The Eagles absolutely balled out and quieted a lot of outside noise. Jalen Hurts looked like his vintage self and we saw how good this team is when they are healthy.

The Bengals are in dire straits right now and will have to scratch and claw just to make the playoffs.

New York Jets (2-6) @ New England Patriots (2-6)

The Patriots needed a win as bad as any team in the league and they delivered. However, it wasn’t without disappointment as Drake Maye went down with a concussion on a cheap helmet to helmet hit as he was sliding. Hopefully, he’s okay as the last thing we want is an injury to hurt his progression.

It is crazy that whenever Maye plays, the defense is inept, but whenever Brissett comes in, the defense balls out. Even yesterday, the D did not look good while Maye was in, but right as Brissett came in, they seemed to turn it up a notch.

For the Jets, their season looks to be about over. Their kicking game is terrible and their team has little to no chemistry. I think their play will improve, but it won’t be enough to make the playoffs.

Wild stat of the day: The Jets had 0 turnovers and held the Pats to under 250 total yards. Teams who had done that had won 220 games in a row before this game.

Buffalo Bills (6-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (4-4)

The Bills keep marching on. Even a road game with terrible weather wasn’t enough to slow them down. Josh Allen should now be the front runner for MVP.

Dallas Cowboys (3-4) @ San Francisco 49ers (4-4)

The 49ers hold off the Cowboys to get back to even. The Cowboys nightmare season continues with not much hope in sight. The 49ers still have a tough road to the playoffs ahead of them, but their division is pretty weak, so they could still get a home playoff game.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 1-3 (19-11 This Season) (57-27 All-Time)

Spread: 1-3 (18-11-1) (57-25-2)

O/U: 2-2 (15-15) (44-39-1)

15 Minute Blitz Episode 3

Episode 3 of the pod, including our betting picks this weekend

https://open.spotify.com/show/7FRSwrllknwemMVvghqlRQ

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-15-minute-blitz-230527724/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-minute-blitz/id1775746291

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/23d6848d-e967-470e-b1f1-8996bd205feb/15-minute-blitz