During their win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, the Dallas Cowboys appeared to have a breakout star on their hands. DeMarvion Overshown was making his NFL debut after spending his rookie season on the IR and making plays all over the field.
After that performance, we were all ready to see more in Week 2. Unfortunately, the coaching staff didn’t want to utilize Overshown too much against New Orleans.
For reasons only they know, Overshown had just 17 snaps, which was fourth among linebackers.
Eric Kendricks with 53 snaps makes sense, and he was the only linebacker who might have been better than Overshwon in Week 1. From there, it’s impossible to defend the approach.
Marist Liufau and Damone Clark each have traits to get excited about but neither were as explosive as No. 13. With the Saints offense having its way with the Dallas defense, it’s even more confusing that Mike Zimmer never turned to Overshown — who can help against both the pass and the run.
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NFL
NFL Week 2 losers: Coaching, quarterback blunders stand out
With most of the Week 2 NFL schedule in the books, it’s time to take a look at some of the biggest losers from around the league on Sunday. Brian Daboll, head coach, New York Giants He knew his kicker was not 100% going into the game. He did not elevate another kicker to his roster for the game. Then he had to watch as his already injured kicker left the game on the opening kickoff unable to return. In a game that his team lost by three points, that is an unforced error for a team that can not afford any errors. Trevor Lawrence, quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars Lawrence is clearly a top-half-of-the-league quarterback, but he is not a difference-maker consistently enough for the money the Jaguars are paying him. That was true again on Sunday in an 18-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns where he struggled to move the ball and did not make enough plays. He has now lost seven consecutive starts going back to the 2023 season. Indianapolis Colts run defense With the Green Bay Packers missing quarterback Jordan Love from the lineup, the Indianapolis Colts had to know they were going come out with a run-heavy offense with limited threat to pass the ball. That is exactly what they did.
The Colts still could not stop them, allowing 261 yards on the ground in a 16-10 loss. When you know what the other team is going to do and still can not stop it? That is a bad performance. Jared Goff, quarterback, Detroit Lions Goff has been a perfect fit for the Lions and has done an incredible job getting his career back on track. He did not have a great day on Sunday, averaging just 5.6 yards per pass attempt and being intercepted two times. The second of those interceptions came late in the game, deep in Tampa Bay territory as the Lions attempted to take the lead. Dallas Cowboys defense Speaking of bad defense, the Cowboys could not stop the run or the pass on Sunday in a staggering 44-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints. For as good as the Cowboys looked in their Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, they looked every bit as bad on Sunday. Will Levis, quarterback, Tennessee Titans For the second week in a row, Levis made an absolutely baffling decision with the football that ended up costing his team points.
This time it was an inexcusable backward, desperation toss with his team in the red zone that resulted in a Jets fumble recovery and robbing the Titans of points. This cannot happen. Bryce Young, quarterback, Carolina Panthers It might not be all his fault. In fact, it is almost certainly not all his fault. Young was drafted into one of the most difficult situations in the NFL in Carolina where the organization has terrible ownership, bad roster management and bad coaching. Still, you would like to see some progress from him.
The Panthers are not seeing it as he had an historically bad passing day with only 84 yards on 26 attempts as the Panthers opened the second with a second straight lopsided defeat. Sean Payton, head coach, Denver Broncos Payton made some bizarre decisions in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. With the team trailing by 13 points and deep into Steelers territory, he elected to kick a field goal instead of going for a fourth-and-six. The kick was good, but it kept what had been a two-score game as a two-score game. Then, after the Broncos kicked another field goal with under two minutes to play in regulation, and while only having one timeout at his disposal, he elected to kick off deep instead of going for an onside kick. The Broncos got the ball back more than 70 yards from their end zone with no timeouts and only 18 seconds to play. Given how much the Broncos paid to hire Payton (in terms of draft picks and money) those are not the type of decisions they probably want to see.
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Wrestling
WWE Drops Romance Angle For Adam Pearce Due To Injury
You might have missed it, but WWE was forced to drop a romance angle they had for RAW General Manager Adam Pearce due to injury. While summer just ended and many are still adjusting back to normal life, WWE has been busy. They made a ton of deals and produced several shows around the world. Also, during that time, they held their draft. Several wrestlers found new homes, including names from NXT who were sent to RAW or SmackDown. During the first evening of the draft, Kiana James was sent to the RAW roster. She wrestled like one match in early June by defeating Natalya. Outside of that, she was spotted in some backstage segments with Adam Pearce. In The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it noted how James and Pearce were to have a roman angle. Fans did not see much of James, hence they probably did not even notice. Kiana James Injury Stops Romance Angle We learned James was removed from TV because of serious leg injury. No return date was disclosed, but when WWE moves you off the active roster page, it means a lengthy absence.
Since she did not have big presence on the main roster, WWE nixing the angle was not too difficult. After a short stint on the Indy scene, James signed with WWE in 2022. She was part of the Breakout Tournament, but lost in the opening round to Roxanne Perez. Basically, James was presented with a businesswoman gimmick. She briefly held the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship with Fallon Henley as part of a larger angle. At 27 years old, we still have lots of questions about James. So, are you glad a romance angle between Kiana James and Adam Pearce was dropped?
Rams get devastating injury update on Cooper Kupp
NFL
NFL Week 2 winners: Matt LaFleur works his magic, Sam Darnold stays red-hot
With most of the Week 2 NFL schedule complete, let us look at some of the biggest winners. Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings | When rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy went down with a season-ending injury in the offseason, many had written off the Vikings.
Though Darnold had 56 games of starting experience under his belt, the Vikings were still picked to finish last in the NFC North. But two games into the season, Darnold has been the best QB in his division. His performance in Sunday’s 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers was particularly impressive as he threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Darnold is 2-0, and he might be in the perfect situation to help him revive his career much like Jared Goff did in Detroit and Geno Smith did in Seattle. Matt LaFleur, head coach, Green Bay Packers | No Jordan Love, no problem. The Packers started third-year QB Malik Willis against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a game many expected them to not be competitive in, and they came out with a 16-10 win. It may have been one of LaFleur’s better coaching performances of his career. Green Bay ran the ball right down Indy’s throat and it limited Willis’ passing situations to play to his strengths. The Liberty alum was more than efficient, completing 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown while adding 41 yards rushing, and he wasn’t sacked once. LaFleur coached a near-perfect game. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills | It sounds strange to say that a running back who finished fourth in the NFL in rushing a season ago has been flying under the radar, but that’s exactly what Cook has done.
The 24-year-old is starting to turn some heads and establish himself as one of the premier RBs in the league, and his breakout game against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday did nothing but help his case. Cook rushed for 78 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns, and he added another score through the air on a 17-yard touchdown strike. The Bills are starting to adapt to his versatility, and they’re getting more creative in getting the ball in his hands. Cook could be in the conversation of being a top-five RB by the end of the season. Dennis Allen, head coach, New Orleans Saints | Many were calling for Allen’s job after the Saints finished 9-8 last season and missed the playoffs. This year, they’re 2-0 and have arguably the best offense in the NFL so far. Quarterback Derek Carr has looked like the Pro Bowler he was in 2015-2017, and the Saints offense scored points on 15 of its first 21 drives of the year. Allen is pushing all the right buttons, and at least temporarily, he appears to have cooled the temperature on his seat which was fairly hot just a few weeks ago. Gardner Minshew, QB, Las Vegas Raiders | It’s safe to assume that nobody expected the Raiders led by Minshew, a journeyman QB, to go in and upset the Baltimore Ravens, who are one of the Super Bowl favorites in the AFC.
But that’s exactly what happened on Sunday, as Minshew rallied the troops from a 16-6 deficit to come back and score two touchdowns and two field goals in the second half after the offense was shut down in the first two quarters. Despite taking five sacks and throwing an interception, Minshew finished with 276 yards and a touchdown, and he got Davante Adams (nine receptions, 110 yards, one touchdown) and Brock Bowers (nine catches, 98 yards) more involved as the game went on.
Nobody is putting Minshew in the elite tier of QBs, but he’s proving head coach Antonio Pierce right in naming him the team’s QB1. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers | Herbert has never had a 1,000-yard rusher in any of his first four seasons in the NFL (the closest he came was Austin Ekeler’s 915 yards in 2022), which is likely why he averaged 278 yards passing per game through his first 62 career games. But now under head coach Jim Harbaugh, things are different. J.K. Dobbins has rushed for over 130 yards in back-to-back weeks, and Herbert’s job has become much easier when he doesn’t have to do everything himself. The 26-year-old QB has thrown for 144 yards and 130 yards, respectively, in L.A.’s first two games, and yet the Chargers are 2-0 and have outscored their opponents 48-13. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals | Many were concerned for Harrison Jr. after he had just one reception on three targets for four yards in his NFL debut last week. But he quieted those worries after a brilliant first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams.
The star rookie had four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns (23 yards and 60 yards), and he showed the flashes of brilliance that made him the No. 4 overall pick in April. Justin Fields, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers | Yes, the numbers for Fields in Sunday’s 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos weren’t overly impressive — 117 yards passing, 42 yards rushing, one touchdown — but a win is a win, and the Steelers are 2-0 with Fields as their QB1. With Russell Wilson battling an injury that’s kept him out of the first two games of the season, as long as Fields keeps winning, it’ll be difficult for head coach Mike Tomlin to take him out of the lineup.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has brutal quote about state of team
College Football
Could Penn State Football Lose James Franklin to the Florida Gators?
James Franklin to Florida? Clickbait? Not exactly. Head coach James Franklin has consistently outperformed expectations at Penn State, and the Florida Gators would be lucky to have him. As reports begin to swirl that Florida could be primed to move on from embattled head coach Billy Napier amid a dreadful 1-2 start, expect the Franklin rumor mill to begin churning anew.
Why James Franklin Remains a Top Candidate for Top Jobs Since 2014, Franklin’s recruiting classes have averaged 15th nationally, yet Penn State’s average national ranking has been 9.5. Franklin’s ability to rank higher than his recruiting classes suggests he’s a top-10 coach. He also ranks 3rd among active coaches for the most 10-win seasons over the last decade. While Franklin has struggled in big games, it’s worth noting he was never favored. Still, he’s built a clean, winning program, ranking top five in NFL draft picks over his tenure. Would Franklin leave? Probably not. With new additions like Allen and Kotelnicki, it feels like things are finally coming together for Penn State. If Franklin makes the playoffs, he’ll be highly sought after, but for now, he’s staying in Happy Valley while the Gators navigate troubled waters.
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