NFL trend watch: Baker Mayfield swashbuckles as Mayo’s Pats stumble | NFL

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Baker Mayfield

The MVP race is heating up with Jared Goff and Jordan Love coming into the body whereas Lamar Jackson continues his tear to a 3rd award after throwing 5 touchdowns got here in opposition to the Buccaneers on Monday Night time Soccer. Tampa Bay’s quarterback could not have been on Jackson’s stratospheric stage on Monday, although Baker Mayfield did put in one other dashing outing that featured 370 yards via the air together with two early interceptions and three successive landing drives late within the sport. Mayfield was at his truculent greatest as he flexed his credentials as Tampa’s chief, overcoming adversity of his personal doing, in addition to shedding receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to harm throughout the sport.

The 29-year-old was richly rewarded for a profession yr in 2023 with a $100m contract extension this offseason, and is maintaining his finish of the discount with a follow-up that’s even higher. Mayfield leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with 18, whereas he sits third in completion price at 70.5% (up six proportion factors from final season). Effectivity and accuracy points have improved from his time in Cleveland – he completed twenty first in success price and completions in yr one with the Bucs after coming twenty eighth within the accuracy stakes with the Browns in 2020. For Mayfield to be so excessive up the charts now represents a massively promising upswing.

The highway to get right here has been tough, being thrown on the scrapheap by the Browns of all groups would set off impostor syndrome in probably the most ironclad of minds, however Mayfield has fought on. It is going to be fascinating to see how this atypical underdog retains preventing with out Evans and Godwin within the fray.

Rookie defenders

It’s simple to overlook in regards to the defensive skills beginning life within the NFL, such is the load of expectation on the quarterbacks and receivers drafted within the first spherical.

Seattle took Byron Murphy II with the sixteenth total decide this yr, and he has been quietly exceeding expectations – when he has been on the sphere. With the defensive deal with wholesome they’ve gone 4-0 whereas shedding the three contests Murphy missed with a hamstring harm. Seattle’s run stopping is the place he has had the best impact: they’ve given up 126 yards per sport – serving to restrict opposition to solely 14.3 factors per sport – with him and 172 yards/34.7 factors per sport with out. He has been a steadying hand, making few splashy performs of his personal whereas drawing consideration away from his teammates to allow them to go to work. Seattle defensive finish Dre’Mont Jones was free to torment Kirk Cousins with 4 quarterback hits, a sack, and a go deflection on Sunday whereas Atlanta had been caught within the mud preventing off Murphy.

Over on the Seattle’s NFC West rivals, this yr’s nineteenth total decide, Jared Verse, is making a reputation for himself with the Rams. The sting rusher is producing strain with a 27% success price, the fourth-highest within the NFL. The Raiders actually felt Verse’s presence as two of his tilts on the quarterback created important turnovers. The knock on him is that he solely has one sack thus far. If Los Angeles can put some steering on their missile they might have an elite playmaker.

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New York Giants

“The Giants factor I don’t actually perceive. [Barkley] was their greatest participant,” stated Invoice Belichick on the Pat McAfee present. “For a pair million {dollars} extra they might have saved him. As an alternative, they bought a guard or any person, I don’t know. The offensive line doesn’t look excellent.” The Giants’ former defensive coordinator didn’t maintain again in his evaluation of the poor resolution making that led to a thrashing from former hero Saquon Barkley and the Eagles on the way in which to a 2-5 begin.

It was inevitable Barkley would remind the Giants of his price although as Belichick identified the worst difficulty for the staff is how uncovered quarterback Daniel Jones has been behind a poor offensive line shattered by the lack of left deal with Andrew Thomas for the season.

Thomas’s substitute Joshua Ezeudu, a guard, allowed two sacks and three pressures whereas the previous seventh-overall decide and, extra importantly, deal with Evan Neal watched the horror present unfold from the sideline. Greater than probably Neal will slot in in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers to see how efficient he will be however the omens aren’t good for whoever performs quarterback if a first-rounder isn’t seen as being able to step in instantly when their rock was injured.

Perhaps Neal’s inventory continues to be tanked after permitting Jones to be sacked 11 occasions in a single sport final season. It will actually assist clarify why the G-men are kicking the tires on veteran free agent DJ Humphries in an try to tighten issues up.

Jerod Mayo

There have been no expectations that New England’s head coach was going to show the staff round immediately in his first season with the Patriots, not with a roster that earned a top-three decide on this yr’s draft. However the indicators are bleak that something is probably going to enhance, even when rookie QB Drake Maye has performed effectively sufficient in his two begins. The Patriots have misplaced six in succession with an offense that produces 14.1 factors per sport and a protection that allowed the 2-5 Jaguars to attain 22 factors in a single quarter.

Worse, Mayo referred to as his staff mushy after the beating in London whereas preaching all through his profession that his fashion is “demanding with out demeaning”. He’s proper that the staff have been folding in video games – prior to now 5 outings New England have given up 167.4 yards per sport on the bottom – although absolutely a greater choice for Mayo would have been to regulate his teaching practices in personal. His gamers could agree they haven’t been adequate. They may be barely confused and irritated going right into a winnable sport in opposition to the New York Jets. The efficiency in opposition to their rivals could communicate volumes as to how Mayo’s gamers really feel about their head coach.