in Rams-49ers draft, plus your 2026 predictions, Jahmir Gibbs potential and The Seahawks win. Let’s start with Seattle.
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Seahawks-Patriots: Long season ahead?
It wasn’t pretty. Sam Darnold lost his neck, and never came back. What did AJ Brown do with it? High ankle sprains have been reported. Both can last for several weeks.
And they both missed last night.
Seattle backup Drew Lock was serviceable.completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. But Seattle’s offense couldn’t sustain drives, converting just two of 11 third downs and not scoring until late in the third quarter. Drake May’s unit was worse, averaging 4.1 yards per play. (For context, last year, the Browns averaged a league-low 4.3.)
As surprising as it was, Seattle’s 13-10 win at home taught us a lot about the upcoming season.
- They still don’t want to face Seattle’s defense. Any serious questions about the battered sophomore were answered with a resounding “no.” Although many are out of the game, the absence of Nickelback Nick Emmanuel And A practice-squad safety in the lineup, the Seahawks caught Maye more times last night (three) than in the Super Bowl (two)?! Amazing.
- The natives are fish. New England couldn’t run the ball, with rookie Rhamondre Stevenson averaging 2.8 yards per carry. And with Brown leaving early, Mack Hollins was once again the team’s leading receiver and Romeo Dobbs. He threw a wide open pass The play before Maye’s second interception. So far, the Patriots haven’t been able to prove that last year’s AFC title run is on schedule. As Chad Graff writes, it is. It is difficult to know what the most serious part is.
Meanwhile, the 1-0 Seahawks are keeping clear on Darnold. Lock performanceWith potentially winnable games against the Cardinals and Chiefs, the defending champs’ starting QB doesn’t need to rush back. October 4 could be a good target for the Chargers.
Unlike last year, the Patriots won’t get any relief in the schedule, with their next three games against the Steelers, Jaguars and Bills. As for tonight’s game…
McVay-Shanahan chess match
I heard someone recently say that Kyle Shanahan “has Sean McVay’s number,” as if the 49ers coach knows how to beat the Rams. That’s not entirely true, but there is some logic behind it.
Shanahan and McVeigh, of the league Two best player callersSince 2017, they have been in opposite directions for 19 times. Shanahan leads the series 11-8. (However He’s not Nick Siriani.(Mann’s Eagles are 4-0 against McVay’s Rams.) Arguably better against the Rams than against the rest of the league, though only slightly.
Tonight, the Rams presented one of the toughest challenges of his career. The Super Bowl favorites are also 3.5-point favorites in this divisional contest, in Melbourne, Australia, at 8:35 pm ET.
Given how narrow the margins are, These groups have very different travel plans issue. McVeigh’s team arrived as late as possible, minimizing the hours spent in different time zones. Shanahan has It was a week ago:
“It took me a while to adjust here,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “I woke up at one o’clock in the morning – every day until today. And I was really tired before this morning, which (when I got up) finally settled down, which I think was day five.”
They are George Kittle and Nick Bosa. It is expected that they will play tonight. Aaron Donald no way. For what it’s worth, the 49ers need this more.
A critical year for Buffalo
Yesterday’s reader survey revealed how the annual doubleheader is for Josh Allen. Win the first Super Bowl in Bills history or break a heart.
If a quarterback is that much, that’s always it. Duh, but this is the first time I’ve seen your survey responses The same team chose to win the AFC And Be very pessimistic.
Is first-year head coach Joe Brady the answer? Can an offensive-minded coach have the same impact as Jon Gruden when he led the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl in his first season?
Brady Week 1 For the first time in Texas It could be a sign of things to come. Allen was sacked eight times in Buffalo’s most recent loss to Houston (23-19), one of the longest losing records against the two teams. (Another Syriani Eagles again; 3-0 on the scoresheet.)
Also, your responses mean we have college teammates lined up for both Rookie of the Year awards: Notre Dame on offense and Ohio State on defense.
For more season predictions, “The Athletics Football Show.” They shared theirs here.. Let’s turn one on.
🎙️ TAFS: Big numbers are available for Leo stars
Jahmir Gibbs did not receive a single first-place vote for Offensive Player of the Year last season. fair enough. But the 24-year-old running back is the early favorite this season. Dave Helman explains. Why Gibbs has a shot:
💬 “He’s seventh in the league in rushing. He’s third in yards per carry. He’s third in rushing touchdowns. And that’s all while sharing with another talented back (David Montgomery, now in Houston).
“If he’s relatively healthy, I expect the numbers to be close to Bijan’s and I think the Lions will have a better record than the Falcons. The dirty truth is you’re not going to win an award like this going 7-10.”
Robert Mays named Detroit receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (25-1 odds) as another OPOY option. It helps that this team has the easiest schedule in the league.
It’s the whole class. It is filled with predictions for 2026.
More points
🎯 The Rams’ fatal flaw? Special teams issues have plagued the Rams and Packers for years. Our own Mike Sando gave a presentation (!) to McVeigh and Matt Lafleur on the issue. It is an amazing sight. Winning in NFL margins.
🎤 DK Metcalf solo. In case you missed it, the story of Steelers star Jonathan Jones was an open book. They cover the triple A’s: Anger Management, Antarctica and Aaron Rodgers. It is a. See how Metcalf thinks often.
🧠 The mind of Kyler Murray. The Vikings’ one-year rental made the quarterback a reality in a conversation with Alec Lewis. Forget the narrative of video-games; It’s Murray. More competitive than many realize.
▶️ Multi-click: one Bold predictions for all 32 teams. Maye’s MVP bid is off to a rocky start.
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