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Good morning. Remember a month ago, when the Saints had one of the best starts ever? They’re now 2-5, getting blown out at home last night — by their former coach. Denver’s on an opposite trajectory, now 4-3 and getting to host the Panthers next. After starting with two multi-INT games, rookie Bo Nix has thrown just one pick in his last 147 passes.
Now, before we dig further into the Amari Cooper trade, let’s talk about the two best units in football.
No. 1 Contenders: 2024’s best offense and defense
In 2023, the offensive and defensive leaders in DVOA — the 49ers and Ravens, respectively — were the top contenders who didn’t win the Super Bowl. In 2022, the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs led the NFL in offensive DVOA, while the nearly NFC-champion 49ers led among defenses. It’s a similar story every year.
Yes, DVOA — the classic team-efficiency metric created by Aaron Schatz — tends to identify strong playoff teams. Why? Because “Defense-adjusted Value Over Average” takes everything into consideration, comparing success on each play to the league average based on a number of variables: down and distance, location on field, current score gap, quarter and opponent quality.
This year’s DVOA leaders, and neither race is currently close:
- Best offense: Ravens
- Best defense: Vikings
Those are also the top two teams in The Athletic’s Power Rankings, after undefeated Kansas City slid to fourth. Let’s quickly explore how they are doing it:
Yes, the Vikings are winning despite Sam Darnold and their offense, which ranks 18th in DVOA. Beat reporter Alec Lewis shared the story behind their defense, which included these insights:
💬 “Beyond a need to re-emphasize turnover margin and play more physically, Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores recognized that the team’s creative defensive approach — alternating between max pressure and max coverage — could not survive another season on its own.
“Frankly, the evolution called for better defensive personnel. Better cornerbacks and a stronger pass rush, and skilled players who were both smart enough to understand complex concepts and motivated enough to be pushed.
“The facility hummed with an unmistakably different energy. … Stephon Gilmore was signed, adding a valued presence to the cornerback room. Today, he’s one reason the Vikings are playing Quarters coverage (four deep defenders with man coverage principles) at the highest rate in the NFL. But as typical for Brian Flores, it’s accompanied by a complicated twist.”
Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson looks better than he did as MVP last year. Derrick Henry leads the league in rushing by almost a hundred yards. Their offense has been the league’s best.
It’s all positive (on offense). Even their new-look line has improved during their four-game win streak. I asked Ravens beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec about that. His answer was terrific:
💬 “Part of it is just the offensive line actually playing together and gaining some chemistry as a unit. They had competition at three different OL spots this summer, so the team was trying to hone in on the best five. Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum also missed most of training camp/preseason with a neck injury.
“However, they’ve now had an opportunity to play together a bit. The younger guys (like rookie RT Roger Rosengarten and converted RG Daniel Faalele) are starting to get their legs underneath him. Veteran Patrick Mekari, who can play all five OL spots, has also been a stabilizing factor since he moved to LG in Week 3. And they’ve cleaned up some of the penalties.
“After the team moved on from veterans Kevin Zeitler and Morgan Moses this offseason, it was with the understanding that there would probably be some challenges early, but the inexperienced guys would improve. And to be honest, that group has probably made quicker strides than most people could have expected.”
What Dianna’s Hearing: What Amari brings the Bills
On the latest episode of the “Scoop City” podcast, co-host Chase Daniel and I were joined by our newest colleague at The Athletic, all-everything NFL journalist Mike Silver. We discussed, among other things, just what Amari Cooper’s arrival means for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Dianna: When Josh Allen joined “Scoop City,” he seemed pretty confident that this receiver group could be OK, but he knew there was going to be some learning curve here. (GM) Brandon Beane had been working the phones the last few weeks — he was in on Davante Adams; they just couldn’t afford him — so the contract for Amari Cooper makes all the sense in the world. It just depends on the type of Amari Cooper we’re going to get, because we’ve seen some highs and lows.
Chase: I don’t think it’s that bad on tape. I think it was the lack of effort. You’re going to see a new and improved Amari Cooper. Looking at it on film: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, they were getting pressed up and being played man-to-man coverage versus the Texans and the Jets, and they failed miserably against it. Then you go out there and you get a guy who beats man coverage in Amari Cooper — he’s averaging 2.7 yards of separation per route in 2024, his most since 2018. That’s a lot of separation. This is what they needed to move on and compete with the Ravens and the Chiefs.
Mike: And we already saw Josh Allen without a true No. 1 receiver. It was before they traded for Stefon Diggs, and it wasn’t as good. So if Cooper can do for them what Diggs did when he got there, that’s a huge, huge game-changer.
Listen to the full episode here.
Behind the Scenes: Life as an NFL offensive lineman
“He didn’t get stepped on, which is an annoying workplace hazard that comes with the gig,” explained Patriots beat reporter Chad Graff. But when Patriots lineman Mike Onwenu gets out of bed, the soreness hits.
Onwenu — tasked with protecting Drake Maye on Sunday — shared his schedule in Chad’s look at a week in the life of an offensive lineman. It offers fascinating insight into their schedules, which for Onwenu included:
- Sunday: Play 63 snaps against the Dolphins before rewatching the game after dinner.
- Monday: Despite what Onwenu describes as “mostly an aching feeling all over,” he lifts weights and runs sprints before rewatching film with coaches.
- Tuesday: His day off includes acupuncture or IV fluids, mixed with a few episodes of “Prison Break.”
- Wednesday: Back to the practice facility around 7 a.m. for meetings, hot and cold tubs and more acupuncture before a fully padded practice.
- Thursday: Studying pressure looks and blitzes with the Patriots quarterbacks before another practice. More IV fluids. He’s done around 5 p.m.
By Friday, it’s been five days since the Dolphins game. This afternoon, he explains that “you feel better. And Saturday you’re like, ‘Oh, this is how it’s supposed to feel.’ And then after Sunday, you start the cycle again for 18 weeks.” Get the full picture here.
Around the NFL
Saints WR Rashid Shaheed (knee) is expected to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing meniscus surgery.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) was not seen at yesterday’s practice. It looks unlikely he plays against the Dolphins, making Trey Sermon a potential start for your fantasy teams.
Browns RB Nick Chubb’s Week 7 workload against the Bengals is “still a work in progress,” said his OC Ken Dorsey.
Speaking of the Browns, they plan to build a new domed stadium in suburban Brook Park, as Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb confirmed Thursday. He called the decision “frustrating and profoundly disheartening.”
Steelers QB Justin Fields shared his honest assessment of his season so far, amid talk of Russell Wilson possibly taking over: “I don’t think I played good enough, if I’m being real with you,” Fields said. “If I’m being real with myself, if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of (question) who should be playing, who should not.” (Read more.)
Yesterday’s most-clicked: The incredible story of the ManningCast.
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(Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
