NFL LIVE | Jason McCourthy makes his pick NFL Week 9: Broncos vs Texans; Falcons vs Patriots

NFL LIVE | Jason McCourthy makes his pick NFL Week 9: Broncos vs Texans; Falcons vs Patriots

the NFL. We’re going to start in New England. That’s of course the game that Penn will be playing in. It’s been rough sledding for running backs against Mike Vrabel’s defense this season. The Patriots have allowed only one 50-yard rusher all season that was a quarterback Josh Allen. Bejian Robinson enters the frey Sunday coming off a season low nine rushes versus the Dolphins. Dan, does that trend continue? Yeah, I I think so. This defense is the second best run defense at least number wise in the NFL. They give up like 77 or 78 yards a game. And if you know anything about Mike Vrabel from his time under Bill Bich and certainly his time in Tennessee, it’s they’re going to take away your best thing. The best thing the Falcons do and they do it well is run their outside zone game. The challenge is the Falcons don’t necessarily have a counter punch that they major in to that outside zone game. So Mike Brael’s going to tell his defense, we’re going to shut their outside zone down. We’re going to make the cut back happen. We’re going to fly to the football cuz we’re not worried about the bootleg and we’re going to play man cover on the back end. This is a good matchup for that New England defense. Let’s go to Houston now where head coach Mo Ryan has his Texans defense in full force. Not only are they allowing the fewest points per game in the NFL, but it’s their fewest through eight games in franchise history. Taking on a Broncos team that ranks top 10 this season in points per game. Jac, does this trend continue for the Texans defense? I believe it does. I love a good defense and this Houston Texans. They’re top five in points per game, yards per game, and takeaways. They fly around the football field. And I think that’s what makes them special. They have two quarterbacks on the outside that can cover anybody in the league and interior. The way that they get off blocks up front, Will Anderson, Denil Hunter on the outside, and those linebackers, wherever that ball is, you’re just going to see hats flying and getting hits on the ball. They swarm like no other defense. They’re fast, physical, and relentless. Yeah, when we had them for Monday night a couple weeks ago, I remember asking Demo Ryan like, “Hey, your defense is so physical and violent.” And he had this smile on his face and he said, “Yeah, we tell our guys like this is the way we’re going to play and if you can’t play that way, that’s okay. You’re just going to have to play at a different team.” Uh, but they’re not like I got a question for you. They’re not overly creative. No. Right. So, from a defensive perspective, because you guys know the weakness of coverages and schemes, what’s the best way to attack that defense? I feel like you you got to find some misdirection with them. The way they run to the football, you look at Denver coming in. Denver’s a team that loves to throw the ball behind the line of scrimmage. For a Dominique Lions team on defense, when you get that ball out there, you’re going to have guys flying all over the field. So, you got to have some a reverse, a trick play early on in the game and then something to back them up. What I liked what the Broncos did this past week was they took some shots on first and second downs. Yes. And even this past game, the 49ers, they took one down the field on first down. They just dropped the ball. So, I think those are opportunities that you back this defense up and you make them take a breath and they’re not just flying forward and attacking the whole game. Yeah. I think a big thing is Marvin Mims. Like, he’s the speed guy for the Broncos. So, he’s got to be a person that early in this game, Jac send him deep. certainly throw to him if he’s there, but at least try to lift that coverage cuz if you don’t lift that coverage, they play in such a 18 yard box and everything is downhill. Yeah, Bo Knicks has the second most completion since last season on deep ball throws in the middle of the field. So, place all right, we got more for all the latest. Adam, what’s going on with Bryce Young? Full practice again today and Andy Dalton’s got a broken thumb, so he’s not going to be able to play on Sunday. Bryce Young is back at practice. They sign Mike White to the active roster as well to back up Bryce Young, but it’ll be Bryce Young in Green Bay on Sunday against that opportunistic Packers defense this week. Meanwhile, for the Minnesota Vikings, JJ McCarthy is expected to start Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Today, for the second straight day, JJ McCarthy was listed as a full participant in practice. two straight days of full practices after missing multiple weeks due to that high ankle sprain and Carson Wentz undergoing season ending shoulder surgery but McCarthy on track to start Sunday against the Lions and Michael Penn listed as limited in practice again today. His status still is up in the air. Though the Falcons head coach, Raheem Morris, said earlier in the week that he felt good about the fact that Penn would be able to play Sunday against his fellow rookie quarterback draft classmate Drake May. We’ll see if he can make it back, but for now, Penn and Drake London, both limited at practice today. Yeah, PennX Jr. has been off target on 22% of his throws this season. That’s good for second highest rate in the NFL. Time to check out what’s on trend thanks to Adam around the going there in Miami. Look at Ryan Fitzpatrick with him. Of course, Ryan part of the pregame show and Fitz Magic we know all too well to us ready to see if he can continue that great performance that we saw last week. Fits tucked his shirt in sloppy get him get himself all tucked in a little bit later. Or maybe he won’t actually. It’s better. More than likely that comes off. I was going to say Dan, we have the same joke. I was going to say more than likely that thing’s not going to be on. Adam, back with us. Lamar Jackson makes his return to the field tonight after missing the last three with a hamstring injury. Adam takes a shirt off. I don’t know what’s going on. What more can you tell us about Lamar Jackson? How he’s feeling, Adam, heading into tonight. Well, he feels like he’s been ramping up for this game tonight back in his home state in a home area where essentially if he had played Sunday, it would have been two games in five days for a player coming off a hamstring injury. It would have been a little bit much and so he was more comfortable waiting for tonight and he will be back out there full speed ahead 100%. He feels like the Ravens should be operating on all cylinders and that’s good news for the Baltimore Ravens as they get back Lamar Jackson for the second half stretch run. Meanwhile, Bradley Chub arrived tonight. There’s been a lot of speculation about the Dolphins pass rushers, whether one of them could be playing his final game for the Miami Dolphins tonight. Bradley Chub has attracted some attention around the league, as has Jaylen Phillips, their other pass rusher. Baltimore typically is active around the trade deadline as well. And after tonight, both teams have essentially four days to sit by the phones and figure out what they want to do, what offers are coming in, what players might be going out. Wouldn’t be surprised to see both these teams busy before Tuesday’s 400 p. p.m. Eastern NFL trade deadline. Just fascinating. By the way, we have a trade deadline special on Tuesday that Adam will be a big part of at 3 p.m. Eastern. Don’t miss it. Then NFL Live will be, of course, right after that at 4. All right, let’s talk a little bit more about the Ravens. They have made a tweak to their defense since trading for Alohai Gilman a few weeks ago, and it’s working. More dedicated to the Blitz, and you’re seeing opposing quarterbacks off target more, and the percentage of pass touchdowns is down to 1% over the last two games. Jac, how has the Gilman trade helped transform this Raymond’s defense? Kyle Hamilton, since Gilman has gotten there, it’s changed what Hamilton’s role is within this defense. And we’ve seen him play all over. We’ve seen moments last year where they had to put him in the deep part of the field because that’s where the liability was. What Gilman has enabled them to do is now you get a guy like Kyle Hamilton and he’s able to play in the slot. That last one he was manto man covering DJ Moore, the best wide receiver. Now this one he’s aligned in the box and now he’s blitzing. He’s going to do a big stunt for another guy and then comes off and forces the intentional grounding on the quarterback. So, when I look at Kyle Hamilton, he is so much fun to watch on film because of so many things that he can do. 6’3, a safety, but can line up and play like a quarterback and cover any wide receiver in the league, but then can go play in the deep part of the field. Like, he is a guy as a former DB. I’m like, damn, I wish I could have been able to play like that. You weren’t? You could have game. Yeah. See, I’m not like Marcus. I can’t make fun of people like that. Um, I wanted to ask you about him. Does he remind you of a guy that you kind of played with era wise or whatnot? because I know there’s that crazy versatility, there’s off the charts athleticism, there’s smarts, their ability to tackle. Like, was there a guy, at least in our era, that you were remind I mean, I’m not saying Ed Reed and it’s not Troy. No, because in our era, like guys didn’t didn’t play free safety, but then go line up and cover a wide receiver. Like, you had either you were a thumper and you were a Cam Chancellor or you were an Earl Thomas and a Ed Reed. You didn’t have all of it at once. Yes. He’s like Earl Thomas and Cam together. I mean, that says it right there, right? I mean, he transforms their defense because of everything that he can do. It’s also he’s an eraser. Like, even if things go ary, he can make up for the bad stuff because of his athleticism. I always have thought get near the football. It’s Dwin James. Get him near the football. Yeah, Peter, there was a telling moment in last week’s win from John Harbaugh. What was that? Fourth quarter, Laura. It’s a one-sore game. The Ravens have their offense on the field. The crowd wants them to go for it. It’s fourth and five and the Ravens actually end up saying, “You know what? Let’s take a delay of game here.” They take a delay of game, then they punt the ball. And the crowd is mumbling like, “What are we doing? We’re up three. Run the ball.” Well, they down it here. Great punt. And then why? What happens? Well, two plays later, Nate Wiggins makes what might end up being the biggest play in the AFC North this season. This interception that sets up the game-winning touchdown, the game ceiling touchdown. It was a shift in philosophy. The first five weeks of the season, you wouldn’t dare see John Harbaugh say, “Let’s trust our defense.” But they have been playing so well since the second half of the Rams game and the first half of that game against the Bears that Harbaugh actually showed his team, “We trust our defense. Take the Delia game. We’re in our own territory. Who cares? Punt it. They can’t move the ball on us.” I think that goes a long way internally. Maybe we’re seeing shades of a Ravens defense returning. At least their coach has some trust and some faith that they can get the job done when it mattered most. Yeah, I think it helps that they were much better against the run, not only at the line of scrimmage, but creating some TFLs. Rocoan Smith was big. Rocoan looked like Roan. Roan hasn’t looked like himself in a while now. And then the young guy Mike Green getting after a quarterback. So, I think like I do believe to Peter’s point, it helped that some of their playmakers are necessarily like stars. We’re playing like stars. That’s a start and that helps a ton. And even towards the end of that game, I looked at it and John Harbaugh scored a touchdown with uh Derrick Henry late in that game and the defense went back on the field. Those are the moments though with coaching where you’re like, you could have taken a knee and got out of that game without those plays. Look at Harbaugh arriving there in South Florida. Listen, coaches have to go through security, too. I like that. All right, we’re going to pick the game and and it’s as easy as just popping the game picks all up here and sounding the gong. We’re all on the Ravens. But our producer, Mark Eisen, can attest that I did text him earlier today and I said, you know, this feels like one of those weird ones that like the Dolphins might win. I didn’t feel strongly enough about it to change my pick, but it’s a playoff game for both teams. Your season stays alive if you win. If not, it’s over. Yeah. All right. It speaks to the magnitude of the game. And of course, week nine gets started tonight. That’s crazy. We’re almost in November. We’ll see you tomorrow.

NFL LIVE | Jason McCourthy makes his pick NFL Week 9: Broncos vs Texans; Falcons vs Patriots