FSU Football: Noles in the Pros

New Orleans Saints: Jameis Winston, QB

The New Orleans Saints took the road to face the depleted Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. While the game lacked much of any offensive prowess the Saints delivered at home with a 13-10 win after kicker Brian Johnson sealed the deal in his NFL debut.

Sean Payton’s goal to keep Winston from throwing too many deep balls and carrying the game within a short distance has definitely worked as we’ve seen an altered mindset from the seventh year quarterback. While Winstons pass attempts have risen throughout the season, his average attempt is 6.4 yards and his adjusted yards stand at 6.91. He ultimately lead the Saints to a much needed victory with one touchdown, 40 rushing yards and 222 passing yards.

Los Angeles Rams: Jalen Ramsey, CB

The Rams hosted the winless Detroit Lions in Jared Goff’s return back to L.A. where they advanced to 6-1 with a 28-19 victory. Their offense absolutely feasted with 334 receiving yards and 9 third down conversions, while their defense recorded two picks and 73 total tackles.

They’ve shown week after week that they’re one of, if not the best team in the NFL and with the pieces on both ends of the ball there’s a legitimate chance at a Super Bowl title. One of the main factors of their top tier defense is former All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey persistently showing that he should not be targeted. Ramsey had yet another outstanding performance with one QB hit, one tackle for loss, one pass defended, six combined tackles and one interception on 25 yards. The only team the Rams have been chasing all season are the Arizona Cardinals as they sit in second place of the NFC West.

Carolina Panthers: Brian Burns, DE

The Carolina Panthers suffer their fourth straight loss of the season after a crushing 25-3 defeat against the New York Giants. Their offense has completely deteriorated from their early season success with just 2.8 yards per play and 2 third down completions leading to another long outing for the defense.

Brian Burns led the Panthers defense with his best game of the season and possibly one of the best of his career with one sack, two QB hits, three tackles for loss, and four total tackles on 75% of defensive snaps. The Panthers have shown that they have some very talented young players but they’re almost never in sync with each other or with the coordinators game plan.

Philadelphia Eagles: Josh Sweat, DE

The Eagles struggles have continued with just 74 rush yards between the backs and zero sacks with limited QB pressure. They now fall to 2-5 on the season with very little hopes of catching up to Dallas in the NFC East.

Philadelphia’s defense has had their highs and lows this season with some streaky play from the secondary and linebackers. Their D-line garners the most responsibility to apply the pressure and make it easier for everyone else and they couldn’t make that happen against an underwhelming Raiders O-line. Sweat concluded the game with one QB hit, one pass defended and just one tackle on the evening. Philly needs to find their identity soon if they want to compete for a playoff spot.

Baltimore Ravens: Devonta Freeman, RB

In Week 7’s AFC North matchup the Baltimore Ravens hosted the Cincinnati Bengals where the winner would claim the first seed in the division. After a back and forth first half the Bengals pulled away with a 28 point second half to defeat the Ravens 41-17.

The Ravens have dealt with nagging injuries to their backfield since the first day of training camp with players like JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards suffering season ending injuries. They’ve been searching for an answer at the running back position and for the past two weeks it’s been veteran Devonta Freeman. He found the end-zone for the second straight ball game, finishing the matchup with 14 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards and a touchdown. With Latavius Murray on the sideline and Le’Veon Bell plummeting toward the end of his career, Freeman will continue to see snaps as the starter.