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NFC South stock up, down: QB soaring, but this Falcons receiver hits bottom
A quarter of the way through the 2024 NFL season, we're assessing who's trending up and down in each division.
Here's the NFC South's stock report from Weeks 1-4:
Stock up: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield
Mayfield is having an even better Year 2 in Tampa Bay than in 2023, when he received his first Pro Bowl honor and finished third in the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year voting.
He quickly put the Bucs' ugly 26-7 loss at home to the Broncos in Week 3 behind them, throwing for a season-high 347 yards in an easy 33-16 win over the Eagles on Sunday.
Mayfield is completing 70.5 percent of his pass attempts, 6.2 percentage points higher than last season, when he had a career-high completion percentage. His production has been key to Tampa's 3-1 start and one-game division lead. If he maintains his current pace, the Bucs should win their fourth consecutive NFC South title and Mayfield will be in MVP conversations.
Stock down: Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick's start looks even uglier after two weeks of watching Andy Dalton make Carolina's offense appear functional.
Young followed a disastrous rookie season with an even worse start to 2024. His completion percentage, yards per game, interception rate, passer rating and QBR were worse in his two starts this season than in 2023.
Carolina averaged 6.5 points and 176 yards (102 passing) per game during its 0-2 start with Young at quarterback.
In Dalton's two starts in Weeks 3-4, Carolina averaged 30 points and 406 yards per game, including 263 passing.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales made the right call by benching Young, whose trade market has evaporated. Carolina wouldn't get much in a Young trade, but even a Day 3 2025 NFL Draft pick would be more valuable at this point.
Stock up: New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor
The third-year corner's outstanding start to the season is drawing rave reviews.
Retired former Steelers safety and current ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark fondly described him as a "menace" during the Saints' 26-24 loss to the Falcons in Week 4.
The Saints Alontae Taylor is a menace man! Kid is all over.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 29, 2024
Nola.com Saints reporter Jeff Duncan named Taylor one of "the three best players on the Saints roster right now" after replaying Sunday's game.
After watching the Saints-Falcons replay, I think it's safe to say the three best players on the Saints roster right now are Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Alontae Taylor.
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) September 30, 2024
ESPN's Benjamin Solak also took notice, praising Taylor — and starting outside corners Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo — under Saints head coach Dennis Allen.
Watching Saints/Falcons: don't think you can say enough about the CB room in New Orleans.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 1, 2024
Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Alontae Taylor were tight to every route and disruptive at the catch point. Crazy how consistently quality the Saints CB play has been under Allen.
According to Pro Football Focus, Taylor has played 81 percent of his defensive snaps as the slot corner and allowed 19 receptions for 164 yards (8.6 yards per reception). He also has four passes defended, one forced fumble and 3.5 sacks, more than All-Pro edge rushers T.J. Watt, Von Miller and Micah Parsons.
Against the Falcons, Taylor limited Falcons wide receiver Drake London to two receptions for 18 yards on four targets. Wideout Ray-Ray McCloud III gained 10 yards on two receptions, and running back Bijan Robinson mustered one yard on his lone target with Taylor in coverage. (h/t PFF)
Stock down: Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts
In his fourth season, Pitts is as much of a non-factor as he's been since he became only the second tight end in league history to reach 1,000 yards as a rookie.
Through four games, Pitts is averaging two receptions for 26.5 yards per game. He ranks fifth on the Falcons in targets (14) and has struggled as a blocker. He also has Atlanta's worst run-blocking grade via PFF.
Selected directly ahead of Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase at fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Pitts is a huge bust. Instead of waiting for him to live up to his potential, the Falcons should acknowledge the past two-plus seasons aren't an aberration.
He isn't a dependable target in the passing game and isn't a good blocker. It's time for the Falcons to jettison Pitts.
More must-reads:
- Former Buccaneers CB addresses Baker Mayfield, Tom Brady comments
- Bill Belichick addresses Baker Mayfield, Tom Brady comments
- The 'Active four passing touchdowns game leaders' quiz
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Jets QB Justin Fields had 'alarming' practice against Giants
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields found out he has a long way to go following his performance at Tuesday's joint practice with the New York Giants. Per Connor Hughes of SNY TV, Fields started hot at the practice before struggling during the move-the-ball period. "Very interesting practice for #Jets QB Justin Fields," Hughes posted on X. "He finished 7 of 12 with a TD. 5 of 5 to start practice. Then 0 for 4. Finished 2 of 3 with the really impressive TD to Jeremy Ruckert in red zone (starter 18 yard line). "The offensive performance was a bit alarming in move-the-ball period of practice. Fields Co. had three attempts to get down field. They didn’t gain a first down. Only gained yards twice (two short Breece Hall runs). Three sacks. That needs to be fixed. #Giants defense toyed with NYJ during that period." Some Jets fans online thought Hughes was using hyperbole to characterize the practice, but he doubled down on his judgment of the offense. Fields looked strong on his first and only drive in the Jets' 30-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. He went 3-of-4 passing for 42 yards and rushed two times for 14 yards and a touchdown. However, the Giants defense at the joint practice is a much better unit than the short-handed one the Packers trotted out for the first preseason game. Fields' issues seen with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, with holding the ball too long and not being able to pass consistently downfield, were a factor against the Giants. Following Saturday's game, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Fields was getting better but had a lot to improve on. Tuesday's practice was a humbling reminder that Fields needs to become a consistent passer if the Jets are going to move the ball on good defenses in the regular season.
Milwaukee Brewers Force Paul Skenes Into Unfiltered Admission About Brew Crew After 14-0 Beatdown
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes was no match for the Milwaukee Brewers – again. The former LSU Tigers star pitcher got lit up on the mound by the red-hot Brew Crew on Tuesday night, as he allowed four earned runs on six hits (including two home runs) while issuing two free passes and striking out four Milwaukee hitters across four innings of work. The Brewers eked out a 14-0 victory to win the series and move just a win away this Wednesday to sweep the Pirates and extend their win streak to 12 games. Skenes’ start tied his shortest thus far in the 2025 MLB regular season. The last time he pitched for only four innings was against the Brewers as well on June 25, when he surrendered four earned runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a 4-2 loss, also at American Family Field. Skenes is now 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts this season versus the Brewers. Skenes speaks up on Milwaukee Brewers after 14-0 loss The reigning National League Rookie of the Year opened up about his thoughts on the Brewers and his performance against the streaking Milwaukee side. “They’re obviously hot right now,” Skenes said of the Brewers, per Rich Rovito of MLB.com. “I got in positions that weren’t very advantageous to me to where I had to be perfect, and I didn’t have my best stuff. I couldn’t really count on any singular pitch to be executed and get guys out. “I had some 3-2 pitches that caught too much of the plate and didn’t execute two-strike pitches as well as I should have. They did a good job capitalizing on it.” The Brewers improved to 75-44 with their win over the Pirates, while Pittsburgh dropped to 51-70.
Green Bay Packers: Josh Jacobs Gets Honest About Malik Willis’ Future
In 2024, Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis was suddenly given the keys to the offense under center after Jordan Love suffered an injury in Week 1’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. Despite limited time with the Packers in the offseason, Willis managed to be a steady presence on the field, with Green Bay tailoring the offense for him. With Love reportedly undergoing a procedure on his left thumb, Willis filled in as the Packers’ QB1 during Thursday’s joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Willis appeared to make a good account of himself on the field, with Packers running back Josh Jacobs taking notice of the quarterback’s performance. “We know what Malik is and what we have in Malik,” Jacobs said, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers’ website. Jacobs also shared his confidence in Willis’ NFL outlook. “He made a few throws today that was kinda like, ‘Wow.’ Just him being more comfortable and him being the leader, I think he’s naturally a guy that he puts in the work, so I think he’s going to succeed.” Will Jordan Love be ready for the Green Bay Packers’ 2025 NFL season opener? The Packers are less than a month away from kicking off their 2025 campaign, with a date with the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field scheduled for September 7. Green Bay, however, doesn’t seem all that worried about Love’s availability for that contest. “We’ll get him back in plenty of time,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said (h/t Rob Demovsky of ESPN). “I don’t foresee this affecting him long term at all.” As for the upcoming preseason clash with the Colts and the one after that versus the Seattle Seahawks, Love can be expected to sit out both contests, with Willis possibly getting some snaps.
Dan Campbell questions whether he set Lions up for failure
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell thinks he set his team up for failure last season with the messages he sent. The Lions won the NFC North and the top overall seed in the NFC Playoffs by going 15-2, but lost in their first playoff game to the Washington Commanders. In a new interview with WXYZ in Detroit, Campbell confessed that he thinks his messaging led the Lions to get too complacent after achieving the goal of securing the No. 1 seed. “There was a little part of me last year, I’m like, Man, did I put such an emphasis on the one-seed, playing at home, all these things that it was almost like — the set of circumstances, we had a bunch of injuries — that it was like, [sigh]. We took a deep breath,” Campbell said. “And then it was like, ‘Oh man, we reached one of those goals,’ but the ultimate goal is the Super Bowl.” “So I just, in my own head, did I set us up for failure by the way that I spoke about it? I think about little things like that. Whereas, you know what? We didn’t lose on the road last year. What if we had gone on the road?” Campbell is quick to take responsibility when his team loses, but last year’s playoff exit was particularly shocking. The Minnesota Vikings pushed them all the way to Week 18, giving them no real opportunity to exhale. Their playoff bye may have given them an opportunity to do that when they shouldn’t have. Of course, Campbell was plenty confident in his team heading into the playoffs. Still, the messaging will clearly be different in Detroit this season.
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