Inside The Hashes Football Q & A with Kris Thomas

Welcome Back! For the second straight week. Let’s dive right in!

Is Minnesota a Legitimate contender to defeat Ohio State & find a place to the CFP?

With their convincing win over #4 Penn State on their field, Minnesota has made their presence known. Tanner Morgan played the best game of his collegiate career against a very good Penn State defense. Going 18/20 for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns and the trio of Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Chris Autman-Bell accounted for all but one yard and 3 touchdowns was a major factor in their win. Antoine Winfield Jr. had a big day racking up 11 tackles and 2 interceptions. 

Ohio State is a juggernaut offense and a shutdown defense. Even if the four-game suspension of Chase Young holds up he would be eligible to return to the Big Ten title game. Minnesota’s offensive line is massive. It will be the biggest test for Chase Young, Malik Harrison, and company. They only allowed one sack against Penn State and their jumbo package with #70 Sam Schlueter as an eligible 6th blocker they have the personnel to wear down and control the tempo. 

Minnesota hasn’t beaten a top 5 team at home in nearly 42 years and this is the best start for this team in 115 years. Minnesota is playing with house money. With Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin left on their schedule before their pending Big Ten title game matchup against Ohio State, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Minnesota is well-coached, have a quarterback playing well and a massive offensive line to combat in the trenches. They match up well against Ohio State this time around but Justin Fields and J.K Dobbins could have a day on the ground considering Minnesota allowed over 100 yards rushing in the 1st quarter to Penn State before they clamped down. PJ Fleck has made me a believer. Last year they lost to Ohio State in Columbus 30-14 however this year’s team is very much improved but at a neutral site could still be very much out of their depth with the team not used to the pressure of playing in high stakes game.

Is Ryan Tannehill he future for the Tennessee Titans?

Don’t do this. The Titans should very much make finding a young quarterback for Vrabel to build around a priority this offseason. Although the Titans franchise didn’t do Marcus Mariota any favors with the constant carousel of head coaches and offensive coordinators, his health and play haven’t been redeeming enough for me to continue to hold out for him. 

Tannehill isn’t a bad quarterback. I said this throughout his tenure in Miami and like Mariota his downslide was due to injuries. At this point at age 31 and will be 32 next summer he’s a good backup and a competent bridge quarterback. Tennessee has decent weapons on offense but they need a good young signal-caller with room to grow going forward not a vanity project in Tannehill. In a division with Deshaun Watson and Frank Reich coaching up a Colts team without Andrew Luck, now is not the time to play the Tannehill game.

Does Alabama’s loss to LSU signal the end of Alabama’s Dynasty?

In short no. LSU has been on fire all year long and Joe Burrows is the leading man for receiving the Heisman award. Although Saban’s crew haven’t racked up a ranked win all season they still are 8-1. Also the last time the Crimson Tide didn’t win the SEC title they still found themselves in the playoffs and winning it all in the end. Tua’s health has been a concern but he still has a 10/1 TD/INT ratio and against LSU after going to a 20 point hole Tua almost brought them back throwing for over 400 yards and 4 TDs.

Georgia has been a top tier team but can never seal the deal. Florida is good, not great. Same with Auburn. LSU has finally gotten the better of Alabama for the 1st time in 8 years. Saban has the wins, the SEC titles and the national champions to back up his credibility and kill the end of the era talk until further notice. If Oregon doesn’t go undefeated, Alabama could easily find themselves as a 4th seed for the CFB and in a potential rematch against LSU and still a threat to win it all.

Which 5-4 teams still have a shot of making it to the playoffs in the NFC?

Only Dallas and Philadelphia. Both teams are the NFC East in which one team has to win it and will be rewarded a playoff spot. The Rams offense has been rough to watch all year between Gurley’s not being able to cut on his knee, Goff underperforming and bad offensive line are things that even Jalen Ramsey couldn’t fix. The Panthers have a tough schedule still having to take on the Saints twice the Colts on the road and the Seahawks and I’m not confident in their run defense or Kyle Allen to fare well during this brutal stretch.

Dallas has gotten their answers with Dak Prescott. When he has a #1 option and the playbook is open for him he can go out and win your games. However all season long we’ve seen the Cowboys continuing to lose to the upper-tier teams in the league which is keeping them from getting legitimate distance from the Eagles. Playcalling in late games has cost them at least 3 more wins and their run defense has been spotty all year. The Eagles, on the other hand, are somewhat trending upwards. After an embarrassing loss to the Cowboys in Arlington, the Eagles bounce back with wins against Buffalo and Chicago. The Eagles have a reliable running game with Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders, a good offensive line, and a defensive line that’s getting better as the season continues. The major weakness is no outside threat for Carson Wentz to go to. It’s gotten to the point where Jordan Matthews is back for his 3rd stint with the team. Both teams meet up again in December which could decide the division but it’s looking like the 1st to 10 wins will win the NFC East.

Where should Cam Newton go?

Chicago. They already have a Superbowl caliber defense and next season they get Akiem Hicks back fully healthy. They have enough playmakers on the outside in Robinson Gabriel and Miller and a good running back duo in David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen to relieve running duties for Cam. Newton needs to go to a situation but they will protect him. I was never sold on Mitch Trubisky and this season all I’ve seen is Matt Nagy trying to make him into something he’s not. With Cam and if Matt Nagy can go back to the creative play-calling he did his rookie year it should be a fun team to watch. With no 1st round picks and Mack’s deal beginning to get bigger every year, Ryan Pace needs to make a move to make them a threat to compete with a new look Packers team and a Vikings team heading back on track. Cam isn’t the greatest QB, but he just needs to be better than Trubisky. Which isn’t that hard to.

-By: Kris Thomas

Writer/Interviewer

A Look at the Surprising Results from Week 10 of the NFL

November is an important month in the National Football League. As the season moves towards the later weeks, teams begin to gain some separation. While the top dogs are establishing themselves, the middle of the pack begins to see some competitive games. 

Week 10 provided the league with compelling matchups and some very important games for the fringe teams. Entering Thursday night’s game there were five teams sharing a 4-4 record and three teams with a 4-5 record. Many divisions are incredibly close with teams separated by only a few games. Dallas entered the week with a record of 5-3, just a half-game ahead of the 5-4 Eagles. While the AFC South and West divisions should have their juggernauts with the Chiefs and Texans, the divisions have remained very competitive down the stretch of the season. Meanwhile, the NFC North and West divisions look to potentially send four teams to the playoffs as Green Bay, Minnesota, San Francisco and Seattle have all looked like solid playoff teams amidst a messy and constantly shuffling NFC field. 

Week 10 blessed viewers and cursed certain fan bases with a few surprising results, adding to the confusion around the landscape of the league this season.

Let’s take a look at the four biggest surprises of Week 10.

Atlanta upsets the revived Saints

Perhaps the most surprising result on Sunday was the Saints losing to the Falcons at home. 

The Saints offense has been hobbled by injuries all season. Drew Brees made just his second start since suffering a thumb injury in the second game of the season. Alvin Kamara has been out since Week 6 with a variety of knee and ankle issues. Tight end Jared Cook had missed the Saints previous two games with an ankle injury of his own. Wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith also returned this week after suffering a high ankle sprain earlier in the season. 

The timing of the injury recoveries resulted in New Orleans being able to field their healthiest and most dangerous offense since Week 2 against the Rams. The weapons returned just in time to face a 23rd ranked Atlanta Falcons defense which was missing its top cornerback, Desmond Trufant, to an injury of his own. 

The result was not what anyone would have expected as Drew Brees and company failed to find the end zone once all game. Kicker Wil Lutz accounted for all of the team’s offense with 28, 29, and 47-yard field goals. 

The Saints offense struggled to find its rhythm thanks in large part to a stellar Atlanta pass rush, which would become the story of the game. Atlanta has been struggling to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season. At one point the team had a streak of 19 consecutive quarters without a sack. New Orleans, meanwhile, has allowed a relatively-low twelve sacks all year entering the contest. Yet, the Falcons dragged Brees down behind the line an astonishing six times on Sunday, including two big sacks in the fourth quarter. Grady Jarrett finished the game with two and a half sacks in what was a dominant showing for the fifth-year player.

New Orleans’ best opportunity to score came on their first offensive possession. On a third and goal play from the two-yard line, Brees dropped back and had a wide-open Alvin Kamara in the flat for a likely touchdown. Kamara stumbled before his quarterback could unload the ball to him, and Brees instead ended up taking a sack. The play foreshadowed the offensive struggles ahead for a Saints team that just couldn’t seem to find the end zone. Michael Thomas continued to look as solid as ever, racking up 152 yards on 13 receptions, but Kamara appeared to still be regaining his rhythm as he returns from nagging injuries.

Matt Ryan, despite ankle issues of his own, finished with a decent stat line, completing 20 of his 35 attempts for 182 yards. He completed touchdown passes to Hooper and running back Brian Hill. He even scrambled for a few first downs, perhaps proving his ankle is not of much concern.

The Falcons ended up taking the road game by a score of 26-9. While the Atlanta defense was the true highlight in the surprising result, their recently acquired kicker, Younghoe Koo, made all four field goals in his debut, including a 48-yard blast in the fourth quarter.

The Saints still sit comfortably atop the NFC South with a record of 7-1, while the Falcons postseason hopes are long gone as they inch to a 1-7 record with their first win.

Tennessee takes down Kansas City in a wild finish

The craziest game on Sunday took place in Tennessee as the Titans hosted Kansas City in Patrick Mahomes’ first start since injuring his knee cap against the Broncos.

The 6-3 Chiefs entered the game as the obvious favorites against a 4-5 Tennessee team coming off a loss in Carolina. The game got off to a predictable start with Mahomes completing a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce. On the ensuing Tennessee possession, Chris Jones strip-sacked Ryan Tannehill and the Chiefs recovered. Harrison Butker would go on to kick a 30-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a quick 10-0 lead.

From there the game would see a lead change after lead change, missed opportunities, and other madness. 

Near the six-minute mark in the second quarter Chiefs tailback, Damien Williams, fumbled a first-down carry. Tennessee’s Rahsaan Evans recovered and returned it for the score. Titans kicker Ryan Succop would miss the PAT leaving Tennessee with a 13-10 lead. After getting the ball back, Kansas City tied the game up with a Harrison Butker 41-yard field goal. Just before halftime, Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens dropped an interception that could have led to six points to close out the half. Instead, the teams entered the half tied.

The third quarter saw touchdowns for each team. Butker missed his PAT, while Succop converted his attempt following a ridiculous touchdown run by Derrick Henry. Just before the 4th quarter, Butker redeemed himself with a 43-yard attempt to put the Chiefs up 22-20. 

The fourth quarter was as exciting of a final period we’ve seen since the Saints and the Texans wild finish in Week 1. Kansas City struck first on a Mecole Hardman 63-yard catch and run, where Hardman took off so tenaciously you might have thought he was Tyreek Hill upon first glance. Derrick Henry would later punch in a one-yard touchdown run to bring Tennessee within two points again. 

With 3:16 remaining in regulation Harrison Butker converted yet another field goal to put the Chiefs up 32-27. After stopping the Titans on fourth down, Mahomes and his offense took the field at the Titans’ 32-yard line with a chance to put their team up eight points in the dying moments of the contest. Instead, the Chiefs would fail to convert a first down and settled for a 47-yard field goal attempt. Holder Dustin Colquitt bobbled the snap and attempted to throw the ball away, which resulted in an intentional grounding penalty. The Titans would take over possession at their 39-yard line with no timeouts and 1:16 left in regulation. Tannehill commanded an effective drive capped off by a 23-yard touchdown to Adam Humphries. A successful two-point conversion gave Tennessee a 35-32 lead with 23 seconds left to play. 

Mahomes displayed his poise and accuracy by getting Butker in field goal range in just 17 seconds. However, the Titans would block the last-second 52-yard field goal attempt to win the game.

It was a game that featured five lead changes, three of which coming in the second half. The Titans came away with the victory despite running just 49 plays to the Chiefs 78. Derrick Henry had a monster game on the ground as he finished with 189 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. 

The Browns’ new backfield gets it done against Buffalo

The underwhelming Browns entered Sunday’s contest in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Recent conversations in Cleveland have been centered on the lack of Odell Beckham Jr.’s impact, but in the build-up to the Week 10 contest Browns fans could get excited for the addition of yet another offensive weapon, Kareem Hunt. Hunt was serving an eight-game suspension he was dealt in March of this year. 

It was indeed the Cleveland run game that made a sizable impact on Sunday’s game, however, it was the bonafide star Nick Chubb who lead the way. Chubb rumbled to 116 yards on 20 carries, while Hunt racked up 30 yards on four carries. The addition of Hunt gives Cleveland one of the stronger backfields in the league, and they utilized a two-back set for nearly half of their offensive plays. Hunt proved to be an imposing lead blocker for Chubb, and he also managed to catch seven passes for 44 yards.

Cleveland found success in the passing game as well, with Baker Mayfield and receiver Jarvis Landry linking up nine times for 97 yards and a pretty touchdown on the Browns’ first offensive possession. Mayfield would later complete the game-winning touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. Mayfield finished the day completing 26 of his 38 attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns. It was a solid outing against a Buffalo defense that ranks in the top five against the pass.

For Buffalo, it was a story of missed opportunities. Their defense kept the game close and put the squad in a position to win. Cornerback Tre’Davious White made a nice defensive play to break up what would have been a touchdown pass to Odell Beckham in the first quarter. Later that same series the Bills would make a big fourth-down stop at the goal line, stuffing Nick Chubb in the backfield for a loss of yards. At the end of the second quarter, they would make another goal-line stop forcing a field goal. At the beginning of the third quarter, Tremaine Edmunds dragged down Mayfield in his own endzone for a safety to tie the game up at 9-9. 

Josh Allen had a few impressive connections to receivers John Brown and Cole Beasley, and he found the endzone on the ground twice. 

But it is Buffalo kicker Stephen Hauschka who is going to take much of the blame for Buffalo’s loss. Hauschka missed a 34-yard attempt at the end of the first half, and in the fourth quarter, after the Buffalo offense’s two-minute drill moved the ball down the field, Hauschka missed a 53-yard attempt to send the game to overtime. To pin all the blame for the loss on Hauschka is unfair, but that doesn’t stop him from being the obvious scapegoat.

Miami wins two in a row

The Dolphins entered Sunday’s game coming off of the momentum of a win for the first time all season. The Colts, meanwhile, started backup quarterback Brian Hoyer for the first time this season following a knee injury suffered by Jacoby Brissett in last week’s loss to the Steelers. While Brissett was originally listed as questionable, he was officially ruled out for the contest on Saturday. 

The decision to sit Brissett might have been influenced by the quality of Indianapolis’ opponent, or lack thereof, but the game turned out to be a nightmare for the Colts passing game. 

Miami has been one of the worst defenses in the league this season, but they proved to be a major problem for Brian Hoyer, who was intercepted three times, including an endzone pick by Steven Parker, and completed less than half of his attempts. 

Neither offense looked very imposing in what was a sloppy grudge match. Fins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 21 of his 33 attempts but only racked up 169 yards and threw an interception himself. That pick came courtesy of Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, who also tallied a season-high 13 tackles. 

The 16-12 Dolphins win comes as a surprise for a few reasons. Veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a PAT and was outperformed by Miami’s Jason Sanders, who made all three of his field-goal attempts including the go-ahead 48-yarder in the fourth quarter. The Colts had an embarrassingly bad outing against a weak Miami defense, and the need for Jacoby Brissett to be back and healthy was made apparent. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have now won two games in a row and currently have the longest win streak in the AFC East. 

-By: Jonny Hart

Writer/ Interviewer