26CornerBlitz

Suck or not, I want Allen to get as many game reps as possible for the rest of this season.

Welcomed news for sure!

Tips for Week 9 NFL picks: Seattle's 12-0 trend, why Bills could cover, teaser of the week and more Bears (-10) at Bills Home-field advantage: 2 points Power rating line: Bears -9 Lookahead line: n/a CHI BUF Record vs. spread 4-3 3-5 Yards per play differential 0.4 -1.1 Points per drive offense rank 11 32 Points per drive defense rank 4 21 Total DVOA 19.6 -40.3 Pass offense DVOA rank 14 32 Pass defense DVOA rank 5 4 Run offense DVOA rank 5 29 Run defense DVOA rank 3 12 The value might be on the Bills here, especially when you consider the double-digit home 'dog trend we talked about at the top, but good luck getting anyone to bet them with Nathan Peterman under center. The Bills' 32nd rank in points per drive and passing DVOA undersells the state of their offense; the Bills are nearly twice as bad as the 31st-ranked passing DVOA, and they're averaging a mere 0.91 points per offensive drive. That includes a stretch where they've scored just 37 points in a five-week span; three teams reached that point total in Week 8 alone. The Bears haven't exactly been road warriors this year, letting a one-legged Aaron Rodgers rally to beat them in Week 1, eeking out a win over the woeful Cardinals offense in Week 3 and losing in overtime to Brock Osweiler coming out of their bye in Week 6. But again, this is the Bills we're talking about. The total is a disgustingly-low 37.5 points, and I want to play the Under anyway. At the very least, taking Under 13.5 or 14 on the Bills team total seems like a sure thing.

Opposing View: Payton Says Saints Must Limit ‘Explosives’ in Unpredictable Showdown against L.A. Saints head coach Sean Payton is preparing to face the Rams for the third time in three seasons in Week 9. In 2016, Payton’s Saints defeated the Rams 49-21 in quarterback Jared Goff’s second-career start. Last season, Goff and the Rams got revenge back home at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum — beating the Saints 26-20. Goff threw for 354 yards in that game, one yard shy of his then-career high, which remained until Week 4 of this season, when Goff threw for 465 yards against the Vikings.

Tips for Week 9 NFL picks: Seattle's 12-0 trend, why Bills could cover, teaser of the week and more Rams at Saints (-1.5) Home-field advantage: 3 points Power rating line: Saints -1 Lookahead line: Rams -1.5 LAR NO Record vs. spread 4-4 5-2 Yards per play differential 0.9 0 Points per drive offense rank 3 2 Points per drive defense rank 11 28 Total DVOA 33.3 12.8 Pass offense DVOA rank 3 4 Pass defense DVOA rank 6 29 Run offense DVOA rank 3 6 Run defense DVOA rank 25 2 Here's an interesting matchup of two elite, well-rounded offenses facing two defenses that play well against one part of the game but struggle immensely against the other. DVOA has less of a problem with the Rams' run defense as passing is an inherently more valuable aspect of offense in this era, but the Saints defense has been playing better as of late. Yards per play sees the Rams with the clear edge, and before Week 8, the look ahead line did too. For me, I can't get past the fact that we can get points, even if it's not many, taking a team that's undefeated halfway through the season. And this line feels more likely to go up than down, with people just assuming this is the week the Rams lose their first game. But teams don't follow a logical script when it comes to that kind of thing; it's not like they're a lock to beat the Seahawks at home the following week either.

What strength? He's far too easy to game plan against given his limitations. Did Brian Brohm, Jeff Tuel, and so many other failed Bills' QBs have too small of a sample size?

Pete Prisco's Week 9 Picks: Backs the Saints at Home Against Unbeaten Rams Rams at Saints (-1.5) This game will go a long way in deciding home-field advantage in the playoffs in the NFC. The Rams are the last undefeated team and they are winning with their offense. But this is a real challenge on the road in a tough environment. I think Sean Payton and Drew Brees will get the best of Sean McVay and Jared Goff. The Saints will win it. Pick: Saints 34, Rams 30

Game Preview: Bears at Bills (7:22) Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer take a closer look at the Bears' Week 9 matchup with Lorenzo Alexander and the Buffalo Bills. Game Preview: Bears vs Bills (1:31) John Murphy previews the Bills week 9 matchup against the Chicago Bears at New Era Field.

Terrelle Pryor Eager to Provide a Boost to Bills Passing Attack “I can ball bro. I can ball.” There was some moxie coming out of the Bills locker room this week, and the source was one of the newest signings to the roster. Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor is a player the Bills are hoping can be a shot in the arm to Buffalo’s 32nd ranked passing game. But Pryor wasn’t doing any hoping following his first practice on Wednesday. He is expecting to be a difference maker. “I’m not being cocky. I just know how I study and how I work and how I practice,” said Pryor. “I compete at a high level and I expect high things from myself. I expect high things from the offense. Just because we had a couple of bad games and we didn’t score that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is this week coming out and competing and holding ourselves to a high standard. And just because we lost some games doesn’t mean we can’t win or put things together.” Pryor’s energy was a welcome addition on the practice field. Though he was impressed by the tempo and intensity of his first Bills practice, his ability to step right in and perform in Buffalo’s offense was well received.

Terrelle Pryor Eager to Provide a Boost to Bills Passing Attack “I can ball bro. I can ball.” There was some moxie coming out of the Bills locker room this week, and the source was one of the newest signings to the roster. Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor is a player the Bills are hoping can be a shot in the arm to Buffalo’s 32nd ranked passing game. But Pryor wasn’t doing any hoping following his first practice on Wednesday. He is expecting to be a difference maker. “I’m not being cocky. I just know how I study and how I work and how I practice,” said Pryor. “I compete at a high level and I expect high things from myself. I expect high things from the offense. Just because we had a couple of bad games and we didn’t score that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is this week coming out and competing and holding ourselves to a high standard. And just because we lost some games doesn’t mean we can’t win or put things together.” Pryor’s energy was a welcome addition on the practice field. Though he was impressed by the tempo and intensity of his first Bills practice, his ability to step right in and perform in Buffalo’s offense was well received. Terrelle Pryor: "I Can Ball" (6:52) WR Terrelle Pryor talks about signing with the Bills, his first day of practice and his confidence in his ability to perform when given the chance.

Ticket prices for the three December home games are going to be sky high.

Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints - November 4th, 2018 - Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Pro-Football-Reference.com Last 5 Matchups Date Result Nov 26, 2017 NOR 20, @LAR 26 Nov 27, 2016 @NOR 49, LAR 21 Dec 15, 2013 NOR 16, @STL 27 Oct 30, 2011 NOR 21, @STL 31 Dec 12, 2010 @NOR 31, STL 13 Los Angeles Rams lead all-time series 41-33 View all matchups »

We don’t have all the stories straight at the season’s halfway mark, though certain things are starting to become apparent. The Rams and Chiefs look to be on a collision course to the Super Bowl, and the Browns are once again an unintentionally hilarious disaster. The Giants and Raiders are collapsing, while the Patriots once again show that they are the league’s object lesson when it comes to franchise consistency. All kinds of things can and will happen in the second half of the 2018 season to surprise and disappoint, but here are our awards for the first half of the 2018 NFL season.

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