Peter Schrager
NFL Insider and NFL Reporter
Each week, FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager opens his pocket book and offers his tackle three of the league’s greatest storylines. Here are his takes forward of Week 14, together with how the 2024 Bills examine to latest iterations (and people from the early ’90s), Saquon Barkley’s historic run, and a shock candidate to keep watch over within the search of the Bears coach.
2024 Bills: Best Buffalo staff ever?
The finest Buffalo Bills staff ever was in all probability the 1990 staff. The Marv Levy-led staff completed 13-3, went undefeated at dwelling, completely dominated the AFC East and defeated the Raiders 51-3 within the AFC Championship Game. Parcells, Belichick and the ’90s Giants prevailed within the Super Bowl, and you know the way the subsequent three years went. If that 90s staff was the very best Bills staff of that period, we may have our personal staff from this one.
I feel the 2024 Bills aren’t solely the very best Buffalo staff of the Sean McDermott/Josh Allen period, however they may problem any of these early 90s groups. I do know it is nonetheless early, however what they’re doing proper now could be historic. With their 35-10 loss to the 49ers, the Bills have gained seven straight video games, and in that streak, they’re beating groups by a mean of 13.6 factors. Plus, they gained their fifth straight division title, and so they did it in really historic style. Get this: The Bills gained the division earlier than even dealing with the Patriots this season. It’s solely the third time in NFL historical past {that a} staff has clinched a division earlier than dealing with all three division opponents.
Since Buffalo would not play New England till Week 16, this yr’s numbers are the first staff in NFL historical past conquer his division at the least two weeks earlier than dealing with one in all his division rivals for the primary time.
The Bills’ two losses got here months in the past, and each video games — losses to the Ravens and Texans — got here amid a rash of accidents and questions on chemistry. They have since improved, together with the return of All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano, and traded for Pro Bowl wideout Amari Cooper. The great thing about this staff, although, is that nobody outdoors of Buffalo anticipated it. The Bills let Stephon Diggs and Gabe Davis stroll out the door. Team leaders Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have been not on the staff. In latest years, the Bills have misplaced six captains to completely different groups.
At the 2024 draft, there have been eye rolls after they traded with the Chiefs (of all groups) and “allowed” Kansas City to get Xavier Worthy. The preliminary thought was that Kansas City acquired Buffalo’s man: a large receiver, a place of want. But sources advised me (then and now) that Keon Coleman, the Bills’ second-round decide, was a extremely sought-after first-round prospect. They axis.
Watching Buffalo dismantle San Francisco – with smiles, with laterals, with post-game snow angels – it nearly looks as if the Bills wanted everybody to get off their bandwagon so they may play really free. And what is going to Josh Allen say after the victory? “We are chasing the 1 seed.”
The Rams, who’ve misplaced their final two dwelling video games, shall be subsequent. Sunday in Los Angeles I sincerely suppose this Bills staff has a particular feeling. They are the franchise’s finest staff on this period, and relying on how issues go in December and January (and possibly February?), they’ll find yourself being the very best ever.
Saquon, the Closest
The Eagles’ win over the Ravens on Sunday felt like an old-school boxing match. Two nice, proud franchises, battling it out for 4 quarters. And with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton lining up on the opposite aspect, the Eagles have been the final ones standing. After falling behind 9-0 on the highway, the Eagles rallied after Justin Tucker missed an additional level, and did not look again after Dallas Goedert’s landing within the second quarter.
Philly hasn’t misplaced since Week 5 and the one widespread thread by way of all of these video games has been Saquon Barkley’s means to place video games away within the second half. It’s been as shut because it will get and appears to be getting higher every week because the climate will get colder. In this boxing analogy, he is the one supplying you with physique pictures and sporting you down till you’ll be able to’t punch anymore.
Consider this: Saquon leads all gamers in second-half scrimmage yards (1,125), dashing yards (982) and yards per carry (7.6). Over the previous 30 years, Saquon is at the moment averaging extra second-half dashing yards (81.8) than anybody else. Finally, should you simply took Saquon’s second-half dashing whole this season (982), that quantity would rank fourth total within the NFL for 2024.
Saquon is not going wherever, and neither are the Eagles.
Marcus Freeman al Bears?
When I say one thing about FOX NFL Kickoffs out of the field because the Bears whiff on Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, take it to the financial institution. I do not throw issues on the wall and barely present a “report” until I’ve some data of the state of affairs. Keep a watch on Freeman. The search is being led by Bears staff president Kevin Warren, a former Big Ten commissioner who is aware of the faculty sport and its coaches inside and outside. The Bears are additionally reportedly searching for a “chief of males” kind coach.
I all the time chuckle at that line: as a result of what individual begins teaching at this degree and may’t lead? But I feel what they’re saying is that they do not simply desire a scorching coordinator or a well-known title. They desire a true CEO kind, a person the gamers universally respect and who can run the room and oversee all three points of the sport with authority. Freeman, after all, was an Ohio State participant, having a cup of espresso with the Bears. The son of an Air Force man, Freeman performed for 3 completely different NFL organizations in a single season, after which climbed the ladder as a school coach at Ohio State, Kent State, Purdue and Notre Dame. He has served as each a participant and coach and has been the face of one in all school’s biggest applications for 4 years now.
Notre Dame’s success this yr is, after all, noteworthy. Despite a heavy loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame is 11-1 and headed to the College Football Playoff. Freeman is an out-of-the-box title, however he is value watching.
Stat of the week
The Bengals are averaging 30.3 factors per sport towards groups which might be .500 or higher this season. They are 0-7 in these video games.
Peter Schrager is an NFL Insider for FOX Sports and host of “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network. You can observe him on Twitter at @PSchrags.
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