26CornerBlitz

With many accolades starting to come his way, I hope he stays humble and hungry. FOSTER SHINES That said, rookie Robert Foster has come on of late and Sunday finished the game with four receptions for 108 yards. Foster has very good size and excellent speed but he is very raw. He still is a work in progress. I have seen his route running improve, but he still has a long ways to go. Don’t forget, Foster was an undrafted free agent coming out of college and there was a reason for that. Coming out of high school, Foster was a 5-star recruit but was never able to become a full time player while at Alabama. He finished his career with only 31 receptions. His scouting report was that he was a better athlete than a player. Don’t forget, reality is Alabama’s receiver corps was better than the Bills is right now. Had Foster gone to a different school he would have gotten much more playtime and been further developed. Because of his great athleticism he could have a bright future but the onus is on him to do the work required during this coming off-season.

It's not the Pro Bowl, but a nice acknowledgement of his excellent play nonetheless. EDGE DEFENDER Shaq Lawson, Buffalo Bills – 89.5 overall grade The Bills’ third-year pass-rusher delivered his highest graded performance of the season, registering two hits and two hurries from just 16 pass-rushing snaps. He also produced a solid performance against the run, as his lone solo tackle resulted in a defensive stop.

3. Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Buffalo Bills The Skinny: Edmunds is clearly talented and athletic, with flashes of nice play this season. Inconsistency mars his game however, and he has struggled to get runners on the ground 1v1. Missed tackles are a big concern moving forward, as is his ability to stack-and-shed blocks cleanly. Eventually, the team should get more in coverage from a guy with his traits. Outlook: Edmunds has gotten better as the season has gone on, and it’s important to remember he isn’t even 21 yet. Physically and mentally he has a lot of maturing to do, while he’s already ahead of the curve in his work ethic and personal conduct around the organization. I had an early second round grade on Edmunds and wasn’t quite as high on him as some others, but I do think the arrow is pointing up for his career in the NFL.

As the season progresses and the Bills’ young receiving corps gets more reps, they keep getting better. Josh Allen has developed an affinity for receivers Robert Foster and Isaiah McKenzie, and the staff has done a good job of scheming plays to their skills. In the first half against the Lions, the Bills got the ball to McKenzie early and often. The former Georgia Bulldog has done most of his damage from the slot, having lined up there 73.5% of the time, per Pro Football Focus, and has been targeted 24% of those snaps. All six of McKenzie’s receptions against the Lions came when he was in the slot, and we are going to examine five of them. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll schemed up some easy pitch-and-catches for the offense. The Bills align in an empty set and key linebacker Jarrad Davis. This was a theme in the first half, and it was executed cleanly. McKenzie and Allen are on the same page on the play and are able to steal some easy yardage underneath.

View from Above: The Real Problem, Is Us The root of the problem is within…getting too picky at the wrong time…and JR says too much can still happen with two weeks left… New England, we have a problem. The 2018 Patriots may yet have great things lie ahead of them, but one thing has become exhaustingly certain – they cannot, or will not, follow in the footsteps of their predecessors. This team is not last years’ team, or the year before, or the year before that. Even though our expectations are as high as they’ve ever been, because success is all we (and they) ultimately know, this Patriots’ team is a victim of that success. We expect more. The Patriots themselves undoubtedly expect more. But the problems persist. And the biggest issue is – many of the problems appear to be correctible mistakes. Penalties. Red Zone failures. Stopping the run. Mere tweaks and twists, with a little extra attention paid to the nitty-gritty details, right? Apparently not.

12-18: Phil Housley with Howard and Jeremy on WGR (14:18) #Sabres head coach Phil Housley joins Howard and Jeremy next for his weekly visit on WGR! Tune in: Housley - Eichel has been playing very well right now. He's got a lot of confidence, and he's working extremely hard and getting rewarded for his work. #Sabres Housley - Every game he's tried to make a difference. Once he accepted the captaincy, he's done a terrific job of leading by example. The work he puts into practice has transitioned into his game play. He's been very consistent. #Sabres Housley - He's a true competitor, he wants to win, he's very coachable and he listens to his teammates. It says a lot about his maturity and how he has evolved as a player and a leader. #Sabres Housley - I think Eichel has a unique chemistry with Skinner, and Reinhart for that matter, with where they are on the ice. I can put them out there at any point of the game, and it says a lot about how they're playing in both ends of the ice. #Sabres Housley on Reinhart - Him and Jack have a unique relationship. They grew up together in Buffalo and spend a lot of time together off the ice. He's completing the line of Eichel and Skinner by making some great plays in traffic areas. (1/2) #Sabres Housley - He's also the one getting to the net and paying that price to make a play. (2/2) #Sabres Housley - We have to get more guys contributing offensively, need to get more scoring behind our top line. #Sabres Housley on Mittelstadt - We're playing some very good teams lately, and he's getting great experience playing against some top line guys and trying to find his way through that. (1/2) #Sabres Housley - l I like where his development is right now. Moving forward, we'll try to keep things fresh and keep the speed and pace up. (2/2) #Sabres Housley - There's nothing more that I know with the Patrik Berglund situation. #Sabres Housley - Scott Wilson and Jake McCabe will be joining us for the pre-game skate this morning. It's good to get these guys back on the ice. #Sabres Housley did specify though that neither player will play this evening against Florida. #Sabres As per Phil Housley: Lawrence Pilut IR is retroactive to last Friday so he would be eligibe to play this Friday at Washington Housley - There's time where we need to tighten things up defensively. We can't rely on our goaltender too much. I'm just happy that both guys are playing as well as they have. We have to focus on getting better defensively in order to shut teams down. #Sabres

Bills Today: NBC Analyst Thinks Josh Allen Has 'Elite Traits'

The Cardinals pulled quarterback Josh Rosen in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 40-14 loss to the Falcons after he threw two interceptions, took six sacks and got hit many more times, but they won’t be taking him out of the starting lineup. That was the message from head coach Steve Wilks on Monday when he was asked about the possibility of playing out the string with Mike Glennon rather than the team’s first-round draft pick. Wilks said he believes Rosen will continue to benefit from playing despite the shoddy state of the team’s offensive line and, via Darren Urban of the team’s website, that making a change would play into a “mindset of giving up and quitting.” Given the importance of Rosen to future plans in Arizona, it’s not surprising that the Cardinals would opt to go this direction. Should the Rams and/or Seahawks subject Rosen to the same kind of pressure that the Falcons provided on Sunday, the team can opt to shut him down but if there’s anything left to gain this season it is from getting Rosen experience he can use to improve. Rosen completed 13 of 22 passes for 132 yards and two interceptions during Sunday's 40-14 loss to Atlanta. He added eight yards and a lost fumble on two carries. Sunday started off well enough. Following an opening punt by Atlanta, Rosen completed three of four passes for 63 yards to set up a David Johnson touchdown run. The luck ran out there. On the next Arizona drive, Rosen's pass was tipped, intercepted, and returned by Deion Jones for a touchdown. Following two more turnovers and back-to-back fourth-quarter drives in which the Cardinals lost yardage, the rookie was benched as veteran Mike Glennon finished out the game. Head coach Steve Wilks said that Rosen will be back under center next Sunday against a Rams defense that has been so-so this season. With reports of some house-cleaning coming to Arizona, it'd be a surprise if Rosen is able to turn it around this season.

All dubs look the same in the standings. They'll take it run back to NO.

McCoy and Ivory will both likely be back.

They won, but by the skin of their teeth.

The end zone is different from every other area on the field. Play on.

Then don't fumble. Been that way since forever. Play on.

Get Jacked!

Chris Hogan 12/17: 'Everyone is chomping at the bit to get back to work' (2:31) Chris Hogan addresses the media at Gillette Stadium on Monday, December 17, 2018