Welcome back everyone!
It’s your resident NFL expert with another edition of Girl’s Guide to the 24-25 NFL season! Three weeks have flown by since I updated the girls on the NFL happenings, so we have a lot to cover today. Stay tuned for a recap of the major games from weeks 3-5 of the NFL season and my personal favorite storylines. But first, let’s dive into our second NFL Lesson of the Day!
NFL Lesson of the day
In our second NFL Lesson of the Day, we will be covering defensive positions in football!!! The defense definitely doesn’t get nearly the amount of attention and highlight reels that the offense does, but they have the power to swing the momentum of a game. There are four main parts to the defense: defensive line, linebacker, cornerback, and safety.
Defensive Line: The defensive line sets up right across from the offensive line as the first line of defense. Depending on a defense’s formation there could either be three of four defensive linemen. While an offensive lineman’s job is to block the quarterback, the defensive line’s job is to win the fight against the offensive line and pressure or take down the quarterback. If there are four linemen, the middle two are called defensive tackles with the outside two being the defensive ends. If there are three linemen, the middle one is called a nose tackle, and the outside two are called defensive ends.
Linebacker: Like the name suggests, these players line up behind the defensive linemen. Think of them like the middle level of defense. Because they are further back, they have to defend against players running the ball and players looking to catch a pass – meaning that these players have to be incredibly agile. Depending on the type of coverage that a defense is running, there could be three or four linebackers on the field. Of the linebackers, the middle linebacker has one of the most important jobs. Usually receiving the call from the sideline, they help organize the defense to counter how the offense sets up for a play.
Cornerback: The cornerback is one of two main positions in the “secondary.” This is just a group of defenders who defend the deeper part of the field. More specifically, cornerbacks play on the outer edge of the defense are responsible for guarding wide receivers. There are typically always two cornerbacks on the field. With wide receivers being some of the fastest players on the field, cornerbacks have to be speedy and agile to keep up with the players they are covering.
Safety: The safety is the other main position in the “secondary.” Compared to cornerbacks, safeties line up further back from the line of scrimmage and typically in the center of the field as opposed to near the sideline. There are typically two safeties on the field and their job is to defend against deep pass plays to avoid giving the offense huge gains in yardage.
Defenses in the NFL are evolving every day, at a rate even I cannot comprehend, so it is always fascinating to watch ingenious defensive formations each year in the NFL.
Now, let’s get into some game day action.
nfl weEK 3
Carolina Panthers vs. Las Vegas Raiders:
You may be thinking — Vinisha, I have never heard of the Carolina Panthers. I have got to be honest, they have been a struggling organization since they last made the Super Bowl in 2015 on the back of MVP Quarterback Cam Newton.
This past season, they made headlines for struggling to fill their stadiums and having ticket prices stooping to all-time lows, which is a nightmare for any sports franchise. This year, the Panthers drafted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, hoping he would be the holy grail for the franchise. But, his first two game did not show much hope. So, for week 3, the Panthers started veteran backup quarterback (and former TCU QB!!!) Andy Dalton.
Andy Dalton showed out against the Raiders!!! With three touchdowns and 319 yards of offense, Dalton’s performance has left many wondering if Bryce Young needs more time developing behind a veteran before he takes back the starting position. How the Panthers move forward at the QB position will be an interesting story to see.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams:
In a divisional matchup that the 49ers were expected to win, the Rams executed an upset against the struggling 49ers. After being down 14 points in the second half, QB Matthew Stafford connected with Kyren Williams for a TD and brought the Rams into field goal range to secure the win. Both teams played without key players including San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel along with Rams’ Puka Nacua and Tyler Higbee. Despite teammates out on both sides, the Rams found a way to hold off the 49ers.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons:
The Atlanta Falcons coming off of a huge win the week prior against the Eagles in Philadelphia looked to continue the winning momentum on their home turf. Unfortunately, the Chiefs held on against a very close Falcons team and took a win on the road. With the Falcons being unable to convert touchdowns their last two drives while in the red zone, the Chiefs defense ultimately won their team the game. With star running back Isaiah Pacheco, the Chiefs rush has become a huge weakness in their offense. How they cope with the lack of depth at their running back position will ultimately determine how they perform in the next few weeks.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys:
The Ravens upset the Cowboys in a huge win on the road for Baltimore. The Cowboys, who rarely made mistakes when they played at home last season, did not perform as a cohesive unit.
After being down 28-6 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cowboy suffered too large a deficit to make a comeback for victory. Despite scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter and giving the Ravens a scare, the combined effort of QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry sealed the victory for Baltimore. This is the first time that Dallas has lost consecutive home games in the regular season since 2020. Head coach Mike McCarthy is going to have to make some huge adjustments if Dallas is going to be successful for the rest of the season.
Vikings vs. Texans:
In a battle between two undefeated teams, the Vikings took a convincing win on home turf. QB Sam Darnold continues to impress and threw for four touchdowns connecting with his wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones. The Vikings defense also came to play sacking Texans QB C.J. Stroud four times and intercepting the ball twice. In a tough away environment, the Stroud did not effectively connect with Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins putting the team at a large deficit. The Texans still look promising this year despite the loss, and they’re bounce back will show who they are as a team.
NFL WEEK 4
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants:
In a Thursday night divisional matchup, the Cowboys played the Giants in New York (or I should technically say New Jersey). Giants GQ Daniel Jones has been struggling this season and his performance was rather lackluster again. He’s creating growing frustrations within the organization. With a divisional win, the Cowboys secure themselves in the middle of the NFC East division tied with the Philadelphia Eagles at a record of 2-2. However, a huge concern for the Cowboys is a leg injury to their star defender Micah Parsons.
New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons
I’d like to call this the battle of the two underdogs. With Kirk Cousins joining the Falcons this year and Derek Carr in his second season with the Saints, it’s safe to say that both of these organizations have had fresh starts and exciting changes. With the Saints upsetting the Cowboys and Falcons upsetting the Eagles, both teams have great room for upward trajectory and playoff contention. The Falcons took the win with a game-winning field goal by kicker Younghoe Koo. Koo played an integral part in the team’s win as the Falcons won this game without scoring a single offensive touchdown. Despite the efforts by Saints offensive players Chris Olave, Taysom Hill, and Alvin Kamara, the Falcons barely slid by with a victory.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Buccaneers put on a SHOW against the Eagles Tampa Bay. With the Buccaneers eliminating the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Eagles hoped that this would be a redeeming match. It turned out not to be. With start WRs AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith out, the offense could not find their stride. At one point in the first half, the Eagles had zero yards of offense while the Bucs had 250 yards — a wild statistic to show just how disappointing this game was for the Eagles.
But for Tampa, this was all good news. The Bucs QB Baker Mayfield could not have had a better day throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns connecting with Mike Evans and Trey Palmer. The Bucs defense tallied six QB sacs giving the Eagles little room to score. It took till the second half to get Eagles RB Saquon Barkley going, but by then it was too late.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers
This divisional matchup that took place at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles ended in a Chiefs win. In the week leading up to the game, there was a lot of talk surrounding Travis Kelce and how he had not put up many numbers since the beginning of the season. Is he getting too old? Is not dedicated to football anymore? Well, whatever the doubters said were silenced as he had 80 receiving yards. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes did not have a great game throwing two interceptions. In an unfortunate turn of events, he also ran into his WR Rashee Rice causing him to leave the game with a knee injury. While the Chiefs remain undefeated, the injuries to their offense are starting to pile up. While Carson Steele and Kareem Hunt carried the run for this game, the team continues to struggle without Isaiah Pacheco out and Clyde Edwards Helaire whose timetable for return remains uncertain.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills
The Ravens, who are coming off of a huge win against the Cowboys, look like serious Super Bowl contenders after their week 4 win against the Bill, taking them down 35-10. Running back Derrick Henry continued to show that he is a huge acquisition to the team as he ran for 199 yards including an 87 yard run that resulted in a touchdown. While the Bills looked strong against the Jacksonville Jaguars the previous week, the Ravens were a whole new test.
Unfortunately, a series of injuries to the Bills’ defense left them with a lack of depth needed to handle the Ravens high powered and dynamic offense. The connection between Bills QB Josh Allen and WR Khalil Shakir still remains strong and is a strong point to the offense that they will look to build upon in future games.
NFL WEEK 5
Minnesota Vikings vs New York Jets
In the second international game of the season, the Minnesota Vikings beat the New York Jets in London moving to 5-0 on the season. The Vikings defense looked fired up, forcing Jets QB Aaron Rodgers to throw three interceptions. Despite Sam Darnold only throwing for one touchdown, the defense’s efforts made up for it. My personal favorite was the “parent trap handshake” celebration by Camryn Bynum and Andrew Van Ginkel after securing an interception.
I love when players get to show off their personalities on the field. Despite Aaron Rodgers not playing great today, this game marked a momentous milestone for his career. He officially became the ninth NFL player in the league’s history to throw for 60,000 yards. This achievement not only shows the longevity of his career but the magnitude of impact that his play has had on the game.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals
In a thriller between the Ravens led by Lamar Jackson and the Bengals led by Joe Burrow, the Ravens take the win on the road in Cincinnati. Both teams remained neck and neck with the Ravens sneaking a win in overtime. After the Cowboys, Bills, and now the Bengals, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry continue to prove that their run game is a huge threat. In addition, they got their tight ends involved with Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar for three combined touchdowns. The Bengals had the chance to win the game on a field goal in overtime and kicker Evan McPherson kicked the ball too far left leaving it in the hands of the Ravens. Justin Tucker kicked a field goal for the Raven shortly after securing them the victory. So now, the Bengals are left with a record of 1-4 losing most of their game by less than a score. What it will take for them to finish out games successfully will determine if they have a chance to make playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In another overtime thriller, the Falcons prevail over the Bucs at home. The Bucs held the lead at halftime with QB Baker Mayfield connecting with Mike Evans for a pair of TD. However, that lead was slowly relinquished. Falcons QB Kirk Cousins had a career performance and threw for a whopping 509 yards and four touchdowns. Falcons Drake London and Darnell Mooney combined for catching three TDs holding off the high powered Bucs offense. With the Falcons winning the coin toss in overtime, Cousins threw for a TD ensuring that the Bucs did not even get a chance to score.
Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans
This matchup marks the first time that star WR Stefon Diggs played against his former team the Buffalo Bills. The Texans dominated early as CJ Stroud connected with Cam Akers, Nico Collins, and Stefon Diggs on huge plays. However, with Collins leaving the game in the second quarter due the injury, the momentum of the Texans offense slowed down. In the fourth quarter, Josh Allen took a scary hit to the head on the turf looking as though he had suffered a concussion. He went to the injury tent to be examined and returned to the game a few plays later. While one may applaud his grit, I believe it was very irresponsible for him to be let back out on the field. The concussion signs were clear as day and it has called into question how seriously the NFL is taking concussion protocols. Clearly Josh Allen could not find his footing as the Texans defense forced a turnover ultimately allowing them to score a field goal and win the game.
Week 5 was filled with storylines. With the Arizona Cardinals upsetting the 49ers in a divisional thriller, the 49ers fall further down in their division. The Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots and secured a win for the first time since their QB Tua Tagovailoa got injured.
As the season starts to approach the halfway point, teams are starting to wear down and injuries are mounting. In the next few weeks, we shall see what teams stand the test of time. In the next edition of A Girl’s guide to the NFL 24-25 Season, we shall look at the playoff picture and what teams stand a chance to play in the post season.
Till next time!
Vinisha