The Third Act.

[Soapy]

Week 4 NFL Results
DEN 21 - NYJ 20 | PIT 41 - MIA 7 | SEA 47 - NO 43 | IND 38 - TB 24
CLE 38 - HOU 13 | CAR 38 - JAX 24 | CIN 24 - BUF 21 | KC 38 - NE 33
MIN 28 - NYG 24 | LAC 25 - LV 25 | PHI 21 - DET 9 | DAL 35 - WAS 28
GB 31 - ATL 20 | BAL 20 - CHI 14 | SF 28 - TEN 24 | LAR 42 - ARI 17
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Players of the Week
QB Patrick Mahomes (KC): 31 of 35, 357 yards, 5 touchdowns.
DE Myles Garrett (CLE): 7 tackles, 5 sacks.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. (LAR): 6 receptions, 220 yards, 3 touchdowns.
LB Foyesade Oluokun (ATL): 12 tackles, sack.
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Notable Injuries
HB James Conner (ARI): Season (knee)
HB Chuba Hubbard (CAR): Season (Achilles)
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Notable Transactions
Chicago Bears trade 2024 5th round pick to Philadelphia Eagles for LB Kenny Young
Tennessee Titans re-sign QB Ryan Tannehill (1yr/$30.3m)
New York Giants re-sign CB Adoree' Jackson (3yr/$33.4m)
Philadelphia Eagles re-sign QB Jalen Hurts (4yr/$70.2m)
Dallas Cowboys re-sign CB Trevon Diggs (4yr/$37.1m)
Indianapolis Colts re-sign WR Michael Pittman Jr. (4yr/$47.9m)
Los Angeles Chargers re-sign HB Austin Ekeler (4yr/$25.9m)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-sign S Antoine Winfield Jr. (5yr/$51.2m)

[Soapy]

How badly the Jets about the get beat next week? Defense ain't off to the best start but not like you haven't played some solid Madden QBs. Gotta get back to .500 before the bye week

The good thing is the Dolphins are the only .500 team in the AFC East right now.

Our next slate of QBs are: Zach Wilson, Justin Herbert and Baker Mayfield so no slouches coming either.

[Soapy]

Behind the Numbers: New England's defense is performing better than perceived
New England's top cat hits in 2023 are cornerback Jaire Alexander ($20.7m) and edge rusher Matthew Judon ($16.5m) with six more defensive players making the top sixteen in terms of cap hit while Alexander, Judon, Quinnen Williams, and J.C. Jackson are in the top eight of most guaranteed dollars.

New England is spending plenty to have a defense that's ranked dead last in passing defense and 26th in scoring defense. The advanced numbers, however, are more favorable to New England with the defense having an average PPF grade of 77.5 which is above average.

The team has been aided by the return of Quinnen Williams, whose averaged a PFF grade of 90.6 in his two starts this season and has helped raise the game of Christian Barmore. In the two games with Williams, Barmore's grade has finished above 88 which is considered elite and among the best in the league.

Where can New England get better to turn those counting numbers around? Judon and Josh Uche have an average PPF grade of 71 and 69.1 respectively and the only EDGE player with an above average grade is DeAngelo Malone with 82.6 but he's primarily used as an edge setter in the running game and not on the field on obvious passing downs.

Judon's struggles are particularly notorious given his high cap number and the fact that at 31 years old, he's shown obvious signs of slowing down. He's yet to record a sack this season and with Uche also up for an extension at the end of this season, New England could be looking to redecorate the edge room if their struggles continue.

Team Leaders
Passing: Mac Jones (53.3% completion, 1241 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT, 80.6 QB rating)
Rushing: Damien Harris (223 yards, 5.0 ypc, 4 TD)
Blocking: Shaq Mason (297 snaps played, 0 sacks allowed, 86.2 PFF grade)
Receiving: Charleston Rambo (21 receptions, 363 yards, TD)
Defense: Quinnen Williams (7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 90.6 PFF grade) | Dont'a Hightower (23 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks, 82.9 PFF grade) | J.C. Jackson (15 tackles, INT, PBU, 87.8 PFF grade)

Team Rankings
Points Per Game: 23rd -- 22 PPG
Passing Offense: 7th -- 287 YPG
Rushing Offense: 5th -- 150.2 YPG
Scoring Defense: 26th -- 30 PAPG
Passing Defense: 32nd -- 302.2 YPG
Rushing Defense: 6th -- 90.7 YPG
3rd Down %: 22nd -- 46%
Red Zone%: 21st -- 71%

Injury Report
LT Isaiah Wynn (hip -- out)
EDGE Josh Uche (hip -- out)
C Robert Hainsey (IR)

[Soapy]

Week 5 Preview: vs. New York Jets
Record: 1-3, T-2nd AFC East

Team Leaders
Passing: Zach Wilson (Editor's Notes: I didn't realize that Baker Mayfield had signed with the Jets. It didn't make sense so I shipped him off to the Texans)
Rushing: Marlon Mack (191 yards, 3.1 ypc, TD)
Receiving: Rob Gronkowski (25 receptions, 242 yards, TD)
Defense: C.J. Mosley (25 tackles, TFL, 1.0 sack)

Team Rankings
Scoring Offense: 19 PPG | 28th
Total Offense: 313.2 YPG | 28th
Passing Offense: 237.7 YPG | 22nd
Rushing Offense: 75.5 YPG | 30th
Scoring Defense: 26 PAPG | 18th
Total Defense: 375.5 YAPG | 21st
Passing Defense: 239 YAPG | 11th
Rushing Defense: 136.5 YAPG | 25th

Injuries
NYJ DE Carl Lawson (elbow)
NYJ HB Michael Carter (knee)
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NE LT Isaiah Wynn (hip)
NE EDGE Josh Uche (shoulder)

New York Jets Projected Starters
QB #2 Zach Wilson | 6'2", 214lbs | 76 ovr, 83 spd, 88 acc, 95 thp, 85 sac, 79 mac, 83 dac
HB #13 Marlon Mack | 6'0", 210lbs | 81 ovr, 89 spd, 93 acc, 92 car, 81 btk, 82 spm
WR #14 Chris Godwin | 6'1", 205lbs | 91 ovr, 93 spd, 93 acc, 95 cth
WR #84 Corey Davis | 6'3", 209lbs | 80 ovr, 90 spd, 91 acc, 84 cth
WR #82 Jamison Crowder | 5'9", 177lbs | 78 ovr, 89 spd, 91 acc, 86 cth
TE #87 Rob Gronkowski | 6'6", 268lbs | 80 ovr, 79 spd, 83 acc, 83 cth, 67 rbk
LT #77 Mekhi Becton | 6'7", 364lbs | 87 ovr, 96 str, 79 pbk, 88 rbk
LG #65 Alijah Vera-Tucker | 6'5", 308lbs | 80 ovr, 92 str, 72 pbk, 80 rbk
C #60 Connor McGovern | 6'4", 306lbs | 73 ovr, 86 str, 73 pbk, 76 rbk
RG #72 Laurent Duvernay-Tardif | 6'5", 321lbs | 77 ovr, 89 str, 79 pb, 77 rbk
RT #74 Paris Johnson Jr. | 6'7", 315lbs | 76 ovr, 91 str, 77 pbk, 76 rbk
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DE #91 John Franklyn-Myers | 6'4", 292lbs | 84 ovr, 79 spd, 84 acc, 90 str, 77 pmv, 87 fmv, 79 bsh
DE #17 Nik Bonitto | 6'3", 238lbs | 73 ovr, 81 spd, 81 acc, 77 str, 84 pmv, 69 fmv, 74 bsh
DT #93 Fletcher Cox | 6'4", 310lbs | 86 ovr, 85 acc, 92 str, 85 pmv, 69 fmv, 79 bsh
DT #94 Folorunso Fatukasi | 6'4", 315lbs | 77 ovr, 81 acc, 91 str, 74 pmv, 53 fmv, 81 bsh
LB #51 Krys Barnes | 6'2", 229lbs | 77 ovr, 85 spd, 87 acc, 81 awr, 90 tkl, 72 bsh
LB #57 C.J. Mosley | 6'2", 231lbs | 76 ovr, 82 spd, 88 acc, 78 awr, 83 tkl, 69 bsh
CB #37 Bryce Hall | 6'1", 202lbs | 77 ovr, 89 spd, 91 acc, 79 awr, 74 mcv, 80 zcv
CB #5 Ahmad Gardner | 6'2", 188lbs | 76 ovr, 92 spd, 91 acc, 71 awr, 76 mcv, 69 zcv
NB/S #21 Ashtyn Davis | 6'1", 202lbs | 75 ovr, 92 spd, 91 acc, 75 awr, 68 mcv, 80 zcv, 64 press, 70 tkl
S #39 Kyle Hamilton | 6'4", 218lbs | 83 ovr, 89 spd, 89 acc, 69 awr, 72 mcv, 75 zcv, 84 tkl
S #20 Marcus Maye | 6'0", 207lbs | 84 ovr, 89 spd, 90 acc, 86 awr, 77 mcv, 82 zcv, 75 tkl
K #27 Andre Szmyt | 6'1", 210lbs | 72 ovr, 95 kpw, 82 kac
P #1 A.J. Cole III | 6'4", 220lbs | 84 ovr, 96 kpw, 88 kac

[Soapy]

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NYJ (1-4) | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 || 20
NE (2-2) | 3 | 3 | 7 | 9 || 22
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Defense steps up big late as Jets falls short against Patriots
Few coaches still have the need and the desire to carry a traditional nose tackle on their roster in today's NFL. Bill Belichick is one of those few and on Sunday night, it paid off.

With the game on the line, Davon Godchaux made the play of the night, stopping fullback Zander Horvarth short of the 47-yard line on 4th and one to seal New England's 22-20 win over the New York Jets.

New England had just taken the lead following a one-yard touchdown run by Rhamondre Stevenson on 4th and goal, escaping the diving arm of Fletcher Cox. Quinn Nordin's extra point went wide right, keeping it a two-point game and giving the Jets a chance to win it all with just a field goal.

Those prospects got off to a good start with gains of eight and ten yards on the first two plays, both passes from Zach Wilson to Corey Davis and Marlon Mack respectively. After back to back carries that went nowhere, Mack was able to catch a ten-yard pass that made it 4th down.

Instead of giving it to Mack, the Jets tried to sneak it in with their fullback but Godchaux was able to split the double team and wrap Horvarth in the backfield, well short of the first down marker.
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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[NYJ] A. Szmyt, 21 Yd FG (6:59)
[NE] Q. Nordin, 20 Yd FG (0:08)

Quarter 2
[NYJ] A. Szmyt, 38 Yd FG (5:43)
[NYJ] K. Barnes, returned interception 35 Yds (4:08)
[NE] Q. Nordin, 37 Yd FG (0:01)

Quarter 3
[NE] D. Harris, 17 Yd run (9:01)

Quarter 4
[NE] Q. Nordin, 19 Yd FG (13:31)
[NYJ] M. Mack, 5 Yd run (8:44)
[NE] R. Stevenson, 2 Yd run (2:09)
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New York Jets
QB Zach Wilson: 23 of 30, 225 yards, sacked once.
HB Marlon Mack: 24 carries, 78 yards, touchdown, 7 receptions, 36 yards.
TE Hayden Hurst: 8 receptions, 98 yards.
WR Corey Davis: 6 receptions, 54 yards.
WR Chris Godwin: 2 receptions, 37 yards.
LB Khrys Barnes: 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception, touchdown.
S Marcus Maye: 10 tackles, tackle for loss.
LB C.J. Mosley: 9 tackles, tackle for loss.
DT Folorunso Fatukasi: 8 tackles, tackle for loss.

New England Patriots
QB Mac Jones: 26 of 40, 289 yards, interception.
HB Rhamondre Stevenson: 14 carries, 42 yards, touchdown.
HB Damien Harris: 13 carries, 62 yards, touchdown.
HB Kenny McIntosh: 7 carries, 39 yards.
WR Charleston Rambo: 7 receptions, 103 yards.
HB James White: 5 receptions, 24 yards.
TE Jonnu Smith: 4 receptions, 51 yards.
TE Hunter Henry: 4 receptions, 46 yards.
LT Brown: 76.2 PFF grade | LG Ford: 39.8 PFF grade | C Jones: 64.3 PFF grade | RG Mason: 71.0 PFF grade | RT Onwenu: 65.7 PFF grade
LB Trez Marshall: 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (83.9 PFF grade)
CB J.C. Jackson: 8 tackles, tackle for loss (59.9 PFF grade)
S Kyle Dugger: 8 tackles (87.9 PFF grade)
LB Ja'Whaun Bentley: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (94.1 PFF grade)
S Jordan Poyer: 6 tackles (81.8 PFF grade)
S Malachi Moore: 5 tackles (81.9 PFF grade)
S Adrian Phillips: 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack (87.0 PFF grade)

[Soapy]

Week 5 NFL Results
BAL 31 - CLE 28 | HOU 35 - PIT 14 | CIN 28 - SEA 27 | BUF 21 - ATL 17
TEN 23 - JAX 20 | KC 31 - DAL 12 | LV 38 - CHI 22 | PHI 31 - NYG 15
ARI 31 - SF 28 | MIA 28 - DEN 21 | DET 24 - LAR 14 | MIN 49 - LAC 17
WAS 24 - CAR 21 | NE 22 - NYJ 20 | TB 24 - GB 21 | NO 35 - IND 20
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Draft Buzz
- The anticipated meeting between two QB prospects ended with Keenan Huffman and Alabama getting the best of Pittsburgh's Derrick Samuel
- Todd McShay's first mock draft has five QBs going in the top ten. Year of the QB?
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Players of the Week
QB Lamar Jackson (BAL): 18 of 28, 315 yards, 3 touchdowns, 10 carries, 21 yards, touchdown.
LB Khris Barnes (NYJ): 11 tackles, interception, touchdown.
QB Bryce Young (MIN): 27 of 33, 407 yards, 6 touchdowns.
DT Jonathan Allen (WAS): 7 tackles, 3 sacks.
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Notable Injuries
HB James Conner (ARI): Season (knee)
HB Chuba Hubbard (CAR): Season (Achilles)
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Notable Transactions
Chicago Bears release LB Kenny Young
Cincinnati Bengals re-sign WR Tyler Boyd (4yr/$45.6m)
Green Bay Packers re-sign QB Jordan Love (4yr/$38m)
Los Angeles Chargers re-sign LB Kenneth Murray Jr. (5yr/$55.5m)

[Soapy]

Hainsey removed from IR, Wynn off injury report just in time as Jones suffers injury
New England Patriots starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn has been removed from the team's injury report during their practice on Wednesday where Robert Hainsey, fresh off the injured reserved list, took snaps as the team's starting center.

This was the case as rookie Matt Jones, the team's starting center following the trade of David Andrews, is set to miss the next few games with a knee injury.

Hainsey hasn't played since the preseason but started several games last season and should be a capable replacement of Jones. Jones has an average PFF grade of 64.7 while Hainsey finished last season with an average PFF grade of 71.4, on par with Andrews' regular season grade.

Wynn's return likely kicks Michael Onwenu back inside at left guard after playing right tackle during his absence. This brings Trent Brown back to the right side after playing left tackle the past few weeks. Nick Ford struggled at left guard in his second season after having a promising rookie season where he showed flashes of being a starter level player at both right tackle and either guard spots.

With both Onwenu and Shaq Mason on their final year, it was the perfect opportunity for Ford to make his claim as a viable, cheaper option at either guard spots but his performance likely closed the door on that.

[Soapy]

Week 6 Preview: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Record: 3-2, 2nd AFC West

Team Leaders
Passing: Justin Herbert (62% completion, 1223 yards, 9 TD, 6 INT, 87.4 rating)
Rushing: Austin Ekeler (518 yards, 5.0 ypc, 5 TD)
Receiving: Keenan Allen (25 receptions, 303 yards, 2 TD)
Defense: Kenneth Murray Jr. (32 tackles, TFL, 0.5 sack, 2 INT, 4 PBU)

Team Rankings
Scoring Offense: 29 PPG | 5th
Total Offense: 472 YPG | 10th
Passing Offense: 245 YPG | 18th
Rushing Offense: 138 YPG | 8th
Scoring Defense: 29 PAPG | 28th
Total Defense: 384 YAPG | 22nd
Passing Defense: 281 YAPG | 29th
Rushing Defense: 103 YAPG | 12th

Injuries
NE C Matt Jones (knee)
NE C Sidney Wells (back)
NE EDGE Josh Uche (shoulder)

Los Angeles Chargers Projected Starters
QB #10 Justin Herbert | 6'6", 236lbs | 89 ovr, 84 spd, 87 acc, 89 awr, 96 thp, 93 sac, 87 mac, 89 dac
HB #30 Austin Ekeler | 5'10", 200lbs | 88 ovr, 92 spd, 92 acc, 89 car, 87 btk, 86 spm
WR #13 Keenan Allen | 6'2", 211lbs | 94 ovr, 88 spd, 92 acc, 96 cth
WR #81 Mike Williams | 6'4", 220lbs | 89 ovr, 89 spd, 88 acc, 91 cth
WR #8 Demarcus Robinson | 6'1", 203lbs | 77 ovr, 89 spd, 94 acc, 86 cth
TE #84 Juwan Johnson | 6'4", 230lbs | 74 ovr, 86 spd, 88 acc, 83 cth, 60 rbk
LT #72 Terron Armstead | 6'5", 304lbs | 90 ovr, 89 str, 92 pbk, 88 rbk
LG #71 Matt Feiler | 6'6", 330lbs | 75 ovr, 89 str, 73 pbk, 78 rbk
C #63 Corey Linsley | 6'3", 301lbs | 88 ovr, 91 str, 88 pbk, 87 rbk
RG #51 Will Hernandez | 6'2", 323lbs | 77 ovr, 96 str, 74 pbk, 76 rbk
RT #70 Rashawn Slater | 6'4", 304lbs | 86 ovr, 90 str, 84 pbk, 77 rbk
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DE #59 Charles Omenihu | 6'5", 280lbs | 74 ovr, 75 spd, 83 acc, 80 str, 82 pmv, 69 fmv, 72 bsh
DE #99 Jerry Tillery | 6'6", 295lbs | 77 ovr, 75 spd, 84 acc, 85 str, 81 pmv, 66 fmv, 73 bsh
NT #98 Matthew Ioannidis | 6'3", 310lbs | 82 ovr, 80 acc, 96 str, 84 pmv, 79 fmv, 72 bsh
OLB #97 Joey Bosa | 6'5", 280lbs | 96 ovr, 81 spd, 89 acc, 87 str, 84 bsh, 88 pmv, 98 fmv
ILB #9 Kenneth Murray Jr | 6'2", 241lbs | 86 ovr, 89 spd, 90 acc, 88 awr, 93 tkl, 80 bsh
ILB #44 Kyzir White | 6'2", 218bs | 78 ovr, 85 spd, 91 acc, 79 awr, 86 tkl, 63 bsh
OLB #42 Uchenna Nwosu | 6'2", 251lbs | 80 ovr, 84 spd, 88 acc, 72 str, 70 bsh, 66 pmv, 82 fmv
CB #26 Asante Samuel Jr. | 5'10", 181lbs | 81 ovr, 92 spd, 93 acc, 81 awr, 84 mcv, 74 zcv, 71 press
CB #11 Avonte Maddox | 5'9", 184lbs | 81 ovr, 93 spd, 94 acc, 74 awr, 80 mcv, 77 zcv, 78 press
NB #36 Blessuan Austin | 6'1", 195lbs | 74 ovr, 90 spd, 90 acc, 78 awr, 78 mcv, 75 zcv, 79 press, 60 tkl
S #24 Nasir Adderley | 6'0", 206lbs | 80 ovr, 88 spd, 90 acc, 81 awr, 68 mcv, 82 zcv, 68 tkl
S #33 Derwin James Jr. | 6'2", 215lbs | 98 ovr, 90 spd, 92 acc, 89 awr, 88 mcv, 89 zcv, 87 tkl
K #17 Eddy Pineiro | 5'11", 185lbs | 72 ovr, 93 kpw, 77 kac
P #22 Max Duffy | 6'1", 210lbs | 70 ovr, 88 kpw, 76 kac

[Soapy]

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LAC (3-2) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 || 27
NE (3-2) | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7 || 34
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Mac outduels Herbert with three touchdown passes in Pats win against Chargers
No matter what the Los Angeles Chargers threw out there, New England had an answer.

The Patriots converted 52 percent of their third down attempts and had eighteen first downs in the game as they were able to dominate the time of possession and by extension the game in their 34-27 win over the Chargers on Sunday afternoon.

Justin Herbert made it interesting late with a six-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 left in the game after a New England interception got called back but it was too little, too late for the Chargers.

Charleston Rambo's back to back touchdowns in the first half gave New England the lead and they never looked back, extending it with Darnell Washington's first touchdown. He'd find the endzone once more in the fourth quarter to extend New England's lead.

Rambo had just eight yards on his three catches but had a 43-yard touchdown on a bubble screen from Mac Jones that was counted as a lateral. Jones threw three touchdowns, completing 72 percent of his passes for 219 yards.
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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[LAC] A. Ekeler, 38 Yd run (8:38)
[NE] C. Rambo, 43 Yd FG (4:10)

Quarter 2
[NE] C. Rambo 3 Yd pass from M. Jones (9:57)
[LAC] E. Pineiro, 48 Yd FG (1:03)

Quarter 3
[NE] D. Washington 6 Yd pass from M. Jones (8:37)
[NE] Q. Nordin, 34 Yd FG (5:38)
[LAC] M. Williams 7 Yd pass from J. Herbert (4:42)
[NE] Q. Nordin, 52 Yd FG (1:56)

Quarter 4
[LAC] E. Pineiro, 31 Yd FG (11:24)
[NE] D. Washington 6 Yd pass from M. Jones (2:55)
[LAC] J. McMillan 6 Yd pass from J. Herbert (1:17)
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Los Angeles Chargers
QB Justin Herbert: 19 of 34, 319 yards, 2 touchdowns, interception, sacked once.
HB Austin Ekeler: 16 carries, 90 yards, touchdown.
WR Mike Williams: 7 receptions, 168 yards, touchdown.
TE Juwan Johnson: 6 receptions, 83 yards.
WR Keenan Allen: 2 receptions, 56 yards.
LB Kenneth Murray Jr: 13 tackles, tackle for loss.
LB Kyzir White: 12 tackles.
CB Avonte Maddox: 10 tackles.
EDGE Joey Bosa: 6 tackles, tackle for loss, sack.

New England Patriots
QB Mac Jones: 26 of 36, 219 yards, 3 touchdowns, sacked once.
HB Rhamondre Stevenson: 18 carries, 55 yards.
HB Damien Harris: 16 carries, 60 yards.
HB Kenny McIntosh: 5 carries, 19 yards, 4 receptions, 35 yards.
WR Charleston Rambo: 3 receptions, 8 yards, touchdown, 1 carry, 43 yards, touchdown.
TE Darnell Washington: 4 receptions, 15 yards, 2 touchdowns.
TE Jonnu Smith: 3 receptions, 56 yards.
LT Wynn: 98.5 PFF grade | LG Onwenu: 58.8 PFF grade | C Hainsey: 73.7 PFF grade | RG Mason: 83.7 PFF grade | RT Brown: 85.0 PFF grade
S Kyle Dugger: 6 tackles (83.6 PFF grade)
S Malachi Moore: 6 tackles, tackle for loss (67.1 PFF grade)
LB Ja'Whaun Bentley: 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack (91.2 PFF grade)
CB Jaire Alexander: 4 tackles, interception (52.6 PFF grade)
CB Roger McCreary: 3 tackles (47.0 PFF grade)
CB J.C. Jackson: 1 tackle (95.3 PFF grade)

[Agent]

Mac Jones went off in that one. Mike Williams tho