In Week 6, Packers QB Jordan Love achieved a rare milestone by averaging exactly 10 yards per pass attempt in a game against the Bengals, marking his first time reaching this in a home game and highlighting a strong offensive performance with a balanced mix of running and explosive passing plays. This performance boosts his league ranking and indicates positive offensive trends.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged that while the team has been effective in protecting the football and creating turnovers, they need to improve their explosive plays, especially deep throws, and praised Jalen Hurts as one of the best deep ball throwers in the NFL. He emphasized the team's resilience, focus on winning in various ways, and the importance of continuous improvement throughout the season.
Wisconsin Badgers won their season opener 42-10 against Middle Tennessee, overcoming a slow start and offensive line changes, with key explosive plays and improved offensive performance in the second half.
Nebraska football is focused on creating more explosive plays in the passing game, with redshirt freshman receiver Demitrius Bell's stock continuing to rise. The team's offense is said to have "some juice on the edges," and discussions from the latest press conference feature OC Marcus Satterfield, QB coach Glenn Thomas, and QBs Dylan Raiola, Heinrich Haarberg, and Daniel Kaelin. Inside Nebraska provides in-depth analysis and exclusive content on their YouTube channel and other platforms.
The Green Bay Packers' rookies on offense, including Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Tucker Kraft, continued to make explosive plays in their 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Jordan Love targeted rookies 15 times, completing 15 of 21 passes for 213 yards. Reed had a 32-yard touchdown run, Wicks made key catches on touchdown drives, and Kraft had a 27-yard catch. Second-year receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson also contributed, with Doubs catching a touchdown pass and Watson making crucial receptions. Running back A.J. Dillon also had a 20-yard catch.
NC State pulls off a 24-17 upset win against Clemson by capitalizing on explosive plays and taking advantage of Clemson's mistakes, including interceptions. Despite being out-gained in yardage, NC State held a three-score lead heading into the fourth quarter. Clemson's lack of playmakers and costly errors contributed to their downfall, leaving them in a state of meltdown.
Former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt expressed his concern over the lack of explosive plays in the Chicago Bears' offense, stating that relying solely on short gains is not enough to score points in the NFL. Despite an effective running game, the Bears only managed two plays of 20 or more yards in their loss to the Vikings, limiting their scoring opportunities. Wannstedt emphasized the need for big pass plays to generate quick scores, highlighting the absence of such plays as a recurring issue for the team in recent years.
Penn State's lack of explosive plays on offense is a cause for concern as explosive plays are a strong predictor of victory in college football. While their defense has been solid, allowing only 12 plays of 20-plus yards, their upcoming game against Ohio State, a team with a highly explosive offense and the best explosive play rate allowed on defense, will require more than just time-consuming drives. The offensive coordinator needs to find answers to generate big plays, especially with tougher competition ahead. Additionally, the article discusses the significance of the Oregon-Washington rivalry, predicts the number of zero or one-loss Power 5 teams by Selection Sunday, shares the writer's timeline for writing the column, speculates on Jimbo Fisher's future at Texas A&M, evaluates LSU's Jayden Daniels as a Heisman candidate, and compares UNC and USC's football teams.
The upcoming game between the Louisville Cardinals and Boston College Eagles will be a test of explosive plays on offense versus a struggling defense. Boston College's quarterback, Thomas Castellanos, has been successful in creating big plays through deep passes and scrambles, but it remains to be seen if this consistency can be maintained. On the other hand, Louisville's defense has struggled to prevent explosive plays, which has led to their defensive vulnerabilities. If Boston College can capitalize on these weaknesses, they have a good chance of winning the game.
The Arizona Cardinals' lack of technique led to a sloppy 38-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, with the Cardinals committing eight penalties for 82 yards, including three for offensive holding. Head coach Jonathan Gannon attributed the penalties to bad technique and emphasized the need to play within the rules. The Cardinals also allowed eight explosive plays of 20 yards or more, which Gannon expressed displeasure about. Punter Nolan Cooney had a strong performance, averaging 54.3 yards per punt. Several Cardinals starters, including James Conner and Budda Baker, saw action in the game. The Cardinals also had a few players exit the game due to injury, including linebacker Dennis Gardeck and cornerbacks Marco Wilson and Kris Boyd.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive approach for the 2023 NFL season is to dominate on first down and set up potential explosiveness from the offense based on advantageous down-and-distance situations. The team's goal is to win big on first down and hit big when the opposing defense has to guess on second-and-2. The Steelers' approach is not to spread the field and air it out, but to beat up opposing defenses on first-and-10. The team's players have emphasized the importance of first down and the need to be more efficient on first downs to set up big plays on second and third downs.
