NFL overreactions, Week 10: Jon Gruden’s most effective season yet?

NFL Media researcher Brandon Mendoza identifies several of the finest overreactions from each and each week’s situation of video games. The storylines beneath are sure to play out attributable to, in spite of all the pieces, numbers never lie. Appropriate?

Murray and Hopkins = the NFL’s most stress-free duo

Per Subsequent Gen Stats, Kyler Murray scrambled for 30.2 yards earlier than the walk, then threw a ball that covered 51.7 yards of air distance to Hopkins, who changed into blanketed by three defenders. It changed into the third-most unbelievable completion of Murray’s occupation at 16.9 p.c. No longer surprisingly, No. 1 on that list is the 45-yard dime he linked with Hopkins on in Week 5 this season in opposition to the Jets, which had a completion chance of 10.6 p.c.

Murray’s flare for the dramatic made him the principle participant in NFL historical previous to glean on the least two rushing TDs in a game wherein he also threw the a success TD walk within the closing five seconds of the fourth quarter. Murray earned his fifth occupation game-a success drive after marching the Cardinals 75 yards in an primary 32 seconds.

And Hopkins has contributed scheme more than true one spectacular take this season; his five video games of 100 or more receiving yards are essentially the most within the NFL.

The assorted Hopkins excessive to seize into epic is his 7.4 receptions per game, which could well presumably now no longer handiest be a occupation impress but additionally situation a Cardinals single-season account.

The Steelers can take with out working AT ALL

The Steelers improved to 9-0 Sunday — and the racy component about their 26-level drubbing of the Bengals is that they also rushed for a mere 44 yards, which, although it changed into their season low, changed into now no longer an outlier for them in 2020. Teams normally flee the ball a lot in a success scenarios, main to inflated rushing-yard totals in their victories. On the opposite hand, Pittsburgh has rushed for fewer than 50 yards in three straight video games, all wins. Resolve into epic that varied NFL groups are 3-14-1 this season when rushing for much less than 50 yards in a game. The Steelers, within the intervening time, are the handiest group since 1940 to take three video games in a row whereas rushing for much less than 50 yards in each and each game.

No matter undergoing offseason elbow surgical treatment, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is slinging it, registering season highs in passing yards (333) and passing TDs (4) within the lend a hand of 46 walk attempts in Sunday’s take … which, I remind you all all over again, changed into a blowout.

And here is the riddle that no Steelers opponent has been in a position to solve yet: Who enact you cowl? In Week 10, the group changed into led by varied gamers in three key receiving classes: JuJu Smith-Schuster led in receptions with 9, Diontae Johnson led in receiving yards with 116 and Plod Claypool led in receiving TDs with two.

The scariest idea is that essentially one of the top of the bunch could well very well be the rookie Claypool, whose 9 total TDs are already tied with Willie Asbury (1966) for the third-most by a Steelers rookie in a fat season. With seven video games to walk, Claypool sits within the lend a hand of handiest Franco Harris (11, 1972) and Louis Lipps (11, 1984).

Sever Chubb is main Brown — duration

Working lend a hand Sever Chubb returned to the Browns for the principle time since suffering a knee effort in Week 4 and hung 126 rushing yards and a TD on the Texans in Sunday’s take. Certain, the Texans dangle the worst rushing defense within the NFL (167.4 yards allowed per game), but you would possibly want to well presumably now no longer argue with these numbers:

For these counting at home, Cleveland is rushing for 114.3 yards more per game with Chubb!

Now, walk rusher Myles Garrett will dangle something to command after reading this headline, since he is, in spite of all the pieces, main the NFL with 9.5 sacks by 10 weeks. On the opposite hand, Chubb’s presence has elevated now no longer true the offense however the group as a complete.

Resolve into epic these figures with and with out Chubb:

The 2020 rookie QB class is basically one of the top since 1983

The principle spherical of the 1983 NFL Draft featured three QBs who went on to the Professional Football Hall of Reputation: John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. So they situation the bar for QB classes incredibly excessive. But, the numbers list that the principle-spherical QBs from the 2020 NFL Draft class stack up well in opposition to any individual — even the all-time greats.

This yr’s group, led by the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, boasts a 65.8 p.c completion price, 266.9 passing yards per game, 36 TDs in opposition to 11 INTs and a 96.5 passer ranking. Each a form of metrics is basically one of the top amongst first-spherical rookie QB draft classes that also integrated a starter within the primary-draft generation (since 1967).

Burrow, who changed into drafted first overall, has essentially the most 300-yard passing video games (five) by a rookie QB in his first 9 starts since 1950. Tagovailoa, the fifth overall seize, is undefeated at 3-0, with five TD passes and nil interceptions. He joins Carson Wentz as the handiest rookie QBs to take their first three starts and throw zero interceptions within the Orderly Bowl generation. Meanwhile, Herbert, the sixth overall seize, is the principle rookie QB in NFL historical previous with on the least two landing passes in six consecutive video games.

I could well pronounce the longer term is incandescent.

Jon Gruden is doing essentially one of the top job of his occupation

Jon Gruden obtained Orderly Bowl XXXVII and made five playoff appearances in his 13 old seasons as a head coach. The 2020 Raiders are now no longer even main the AFC West — so how can this be essentially one of the top job of his occupation?

Let’s starting up with maximizing ability. That is the seventh season wherein Gruden has on the least six wins by 9 video games, but each and each group prior featured on the least one first-group All Professional, one future Hall of Famer or a couple of Professional Bowlers. Since Gruden took over the Raiders in 2018, true three of his prices dangle made a Professional Bowl: Trent Brown, Rodney Hudson and Jared Cook dinner (who is now playing for the Saints).

This yr, Gruden is coaxing quarterback Derek Carr into producing essentially the most productive season of his occupation, within the lend a hand of a non-public most effective 107.4 passer ranking and a 16:2 TD-to-INT ratio. Working lend a hand Josh Jacobs, within the intervening time, notched his seventh occupation 100-yard rushing game on Sunday (he had 112 rushing yards and a pair of TDs in opposition to the Broncos), essentially the most by any Raiders participant in his first two seasons. Help in suggestions that is a franchise that has also featured Hall of Famer Marcus Allen and a younger Bo Jackson.

The defense is starting up to figure things out; Las Vegas has allowed true 14.7 aspects per game since Week 8, third-fewest within the NFL. Mix that with five takeaways within the victory over Denver, and also you pause up with true the second three-game a success glide of Gruden’s recent tenure with the Raiders.

Indirectly, it all comes down to wins and losses. And at 6-3, the Raiders are one take timid of tying their entire total from the 2019 season (7-9). Extra importantly, the Silver and Black is undefeated in opposition to their division (3-0) and the handiest group within the NFL to defeat the reigning Orderly Bowl-champion Chiefs this season.