Takeaways from the Falcons' win, a look at the Jaguars' struggles and the rookies, perspectives

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Last night the topic was “Bounce Backs”. Kirk Cousins ​​threw for a career-high 509 yards, Kyle Pitts had 7 catches for 88 yards, and Thursday Night Football gave us a rare, high-scoring and entertaining game. We'll start there, without any major update on Davante Adams' trading boom (listen to the latest here):

TNF Takeaways: The Falcons defeated the Bucs in OT 36-30

It was all smiles in Atlanta after WR KhaDarel Hodge scored his final touchdown from 45 yards for the game-winning touchdown in overtime, just minutes after the Buccaneers had a 93 percent chance of winning.

Hodge – only on the field because starter Drake London was injured after making 12 catches for 154 yards – can't say much about his touchdown because he doesn't remember it: “I passed out. I came back and the next thing I know I’m down,” Hodge said.

What You should remember the game:

It was the Falcons' most important win of the year at 3-2as this gave them the lead in the tiebreaker over the Buccaneers, who were previously 3-2 in the NFC South. Atlanta's wins have all come by points in the final minute of regulation or overtime, a trend they hope ends positively next Sunday against the 1-3 Panthers.

Baker Mayfield continued to shine by completing 19 of 24 for 180 yards and three touchdowns, but could not keep up with Cousins ​​as Todd Bowles' defense allowed 550 yards of total offense – his worst performance since becoming head coach.

Full takeaways here. Now to Jacksonville…

Will Trevor Lawrence cost Doug Pederson his job?

Doug Pederson's arrival in Jacksonville seemed to mark a turning point. The Jaguars had just completed their fourth straight losing season at 3-14 and there was no hope left. (For additional context, read The Sportyis an insight into the failed Urban-Meyer experiment).

But then Pederson — and a $300 million offseason spending spree — brought immediate results; Jacksonville won a playoff game the first year and finished 9-8 the second year. Not bad for a franchise that hasn't had consecutive winning seasons since uploading its first YouTube video in 2005.

All this progress? Quickly forgotten for good reason: Pederson's Jaguars are 1-10 in their last 11 games. He's on the hot seat, as is his highly paid quarterback, who missed that only win in particular due to injury.

The athlete's Mike Sando examined whether the Jaguars overvalued Lawrence before giving him a $275 million contract extension. His findings don't bode well for Jacksonville:

“In 54 starts, Sam Darnold and Lawrence had identical win-loss records (20-34), the same yards per pass attempt (6.7) and nearly the same average air yards per attempt.

“Looking at the chart below, we would never conclude that one of these quarterbacks deserved a game-changing extension while the other was a dismal failure.”

And while many point to OC Press Taylor, Lawrence's problems are largely his fault, especially after he badly missed two long touchdown passes in the Jaguars' recent 24-20 loss at Houston. Pederson said afterward: “As coaches, we can’t go out and make the plays. It’s a one-way street.” 👀

Their defense hasn't helped much either: 30th in EPA per play while allowing the third-most yards per game.

It's a two-way street that could soon be without Pederson. For a detailed look at what went wrong, I recommend Sando's Extra Point column, which often features newbies like…

Standout rookie stars early in the season

When we looked at the league leaders in key statistical categories yesterday, two rookies – Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers – stood out for their dominance early in their careers.

But they aren't the only impressive members of the class of 2024. The athletes draft expert Dane Brugler shared his early All-Rookie team. Two you may have missed:

• Holy OT Taliese Fuaga. “Fuaga was a hit as a run blocker at Oregon State, and that has continued in the NFL. In Klint Kubiak's wide zone scheme, Fuaga is able to create movement downfield or show off his range to pick off a defender on the move. Fuaga hasn’t given up a sack yet either.”
• Rams DT Braden Fiskefor which they traded a second-rounder in 2025 to move up. “After four games, the investment paid off. His 13 pressures rank second among all rookies, and he recorded his first sack of the season on Sunday – a strip sack of Caleb Williams.”

As for next year's course, we have a mock below for early 2025. But first, a quick note from Dianna.

What Dianna Hears: Which podcast host is on Maxx Crosby's wall?

On Friday's episode of the “Scoop City” podcast. I have revealed some of the results of The athletePlayer poll with my co-host Chase Daniel.

We were discussing the “most annoying player” vote (Eagles DB CJ Gardner-Johnson) and I mentioned that Maxx Crosby was among the top vote-getters – he was third – and that's when I learned about the star pass rushers home decorating.

Chase: Did you know I was his first sack? I did an interview with him, maybe like last year, and he has a poster of his first sack and I'm upstairs in his living room. Swear to God.

Diana: This is so – embarrassing.

Chase: I know. For me, not for him. It was like, “Man, I’m someone’s trophy.”

The early 2025 mock draft: “A strange class”

As The athleteNick Baumgardner explains in his 2025 Mock Draft: Don't expect the typical consensus in April. A quick look at what could happen:

No. 1: Patriots Draft Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter. Hunter is a two-way player who reminds Nick of “a modern-day Charles Woodson with more offensive polish.” He has the third-most receptions in all of college football and is one of the best defensive backs in the country. This has never happened before. While a corner has never been No. 1 — and a receiver hasn't been since 1996 — if anyone can do it, it's Hunter.

No. 6: Titans add Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan. Last year, the Nico Collins-sized receiver (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) joined Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze as the only three FBS players with at least 90 catches, 1,400 receiving yards and 10 touchdown grabs.

No. 8: The Raiders make Colorado's Shedeur Sanders the first QB drafted. Nick explains: “That’s too high for a QB in this class. However, considering how willing QB-needy teams have been to grab unfinished products in recent years, it's certainly not a stretch to assume that a quarterback in the top 10 will be off the board come April.”

Watch Guide for Week 5

Be ready with your fantasy football lineups early Sunday morning when the Jets and Vikings play in London at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.

Peter Carline wrote a great article about the impact of the London games on teams, noting that of the 72 teams that played in England, only one – the 2007 Giants – reached a Super Bowl.

Sunday at 1pm ET:

• Ravens at Bengals (CBS)
• Browns on Commanders (FOX)
• Panthers at Bears (FOX)
• Bills at Texans (CBS)
• Colts at Jaguars (CBS)
• Dolphins at Patriots (FOX)

Sunday at 4:05 p.m./4:25 p.m. ET:

• Raiders at Broncos (FOX)
• Cardinals at 49ers (FOX)
• Packers at Rams (CBS)
• Giants at Seahawks (CBS)

Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET:

• Cowboys at Steelers (NBC)

Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET:

Do you need tickets? Go here. For streaming information on Fubo, click here Here. Enjoy another great weekend of NFL football!

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