Hobson's Choice: On To K.C.
Wide receivers Tyler Boyd and Cody Core had the third-down drops and A.J. Green dropped two other balls. That won’t help Core in his bid to get more snaps. What’s wrong with the WRs? I think big-picture wise they’re playing pretty well. Even with that drop (and profootballfocus.com says it wasn’t a drop), Boyd trails only two Pro Bowlers, DeAndre Hopkins and Antonio Brown, for the most third-down catches in the AFC. PFF has Boyd for no drops. Yeah, Green dropped two, but I don’t think there’s anything “wrong,” with him. They must be doing something right. They are sixth in the scoring.
Game Preview: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
The Bengals go into the contest looking to bounce back from a disappointing 28-21 home loss last week to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the setback, Cincinnati still owns a share of first place in the AFC North Division, standing tied with Baltimore. The Bengals, however, currently hold an edge for the top spot by virtue of a win over the Ravens in Game 2.
Bengals PFF dive: Kirkpatrick shutting it down, Joe Mixon's elusiveness
Tyler Boyd. He’s tied with Andy Dalton as the highest graded Bengals offensive player this year. But more than that, his efficiency pops off the charts beyond Cincinnati. Boyd is second in the NFL in passer rating when thrown to this year behind only Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill, out of the top 28 qualifying receivers. He’s second among that group in catch percentage, snagging 78 percent of his targets. He’s also one of four of the group without a drop. He’s one of the most efficient and effective receivers in the NFL this year by nearly every metric.
NFL Minute: Bengals suffer deja vu in latest home loss to Steelers
It was another case of deja vu for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Despite coming in with a better record and taking on a Steelers team that had been far from dominant in early weeks of the season, Pittsburgh came away with a 28-21 victory at Paul Brown Stadium.
Bengals game might be the most important of Chiefs' season
"I feel like if we had the ball last like they did, we would have gone down and scored and won, too," running back Kareem Hunt said. "We can take this loss. I mean, you never want to lose. We're going to learn from this, go study and make sure it [doesn't] happen again."
Random Bytes
Report: Falcons' Devonta Freeman to Be Placed on IR; Will Undergo Groin Surgery
Freeman has developed into a productive leader of the Falcons backfield after inheriting the starting job from Steven Jackson after the 2014 campaign. He posted back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015 and 2016. He added 865 yards and seven scores last year.
NFL Power Rankings: B/R's Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 7
That win by the Patriots may have been the biggest happening of Week 6, but it certainly wasn't the only one. There were last-second heroics in Cincinnati. A Texas-sized beatdown in Dallas. Absolute defensive dominance in Nashville. And action galore from coast to coast—and even overseas.
Should the Oakland Raiders Give Up on Derek Carr?
Before the new league year began in March, the Raiders released veteran defensive backs David Amerson and Sean Smith. Two more key defenders, Denico Autry and T.J. Carrie, were allowed to walk early in free agency, and starting wide receiver Michael Crabtree was cut at around the same time. Soon after that, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was traded and punter Marquette King was jettisoned under strange circumstances.
XFL Jerseys Will Use Players' Last Names Instead of Nicknames
The original XFL, which debuted to high ratings and promised a more violent, "fun" game to the NFL, folded after one season in 2001. The league's rise and precipitous fall was detailed in an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary.