For
the first time in what seems like forever, the AFC West had a great week. Week
16 of the NFL slate provided (almost) only positive moments for the teams in
the division.
And since it’s Christmas, there’s no reason to bring any
negativity to the table anyway.
Here are the AFC West superlatives:
Defensive Player
of the week
Will Compton was outstanding for the Raiders
on Sunday. Gruden elicited much praise for his middle linebacker on Monday. “I
think he had 12 or 13 tackles. He’s got the green dot. So he’s the one
communicating with [Paul Guenther]. He’s checking us out of blitzes into coverage,
or vice-versa.”
Apparently, it was also Compton who chided Gruden for
not smiling when the head coach came onto the field to check on one of the many
injured Raiders players.
Officially, Compton had 10 solo tackles
and was credited with two assists. That’s a lot of tackles for a linebacker
playing against an offense which mostly threw the football.
He played every snap,
helping an otherwise inexperienced defense with a bevy of moving parts,
solidify itself against the savvy veteran Philip
Rivers.
His addition has been a
big reason the Raiders’ defense has shown improvement over the course of the
season. Hence, why the team is mathematically still in playoff contention
headed into Week 17.
What a decade this was in New England sports! As we move into
the 2020s, join NESN.com in looking back at the best of the best with the
Patriots All-Decade Team! (And check out the rest of our “Best of the Decade”
content here.) Another incredible decade has come and gone for the New England
Patriots. The Patriots won three more Super Bowl titles in the 2010s, and
New England could add another one if it gets the job done this February. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though, let’s go
through the NESN.com Patriots All-Decade Team for the 2010s. One of the staples
of the Patriots’ dynasty has been the franchise’s continuity, so you’ll find
plenty of players still on the current roster in the list below. OFFENSE
Quarterback: Tom Brady (2000-present) We thought long and hard about throwing Tim Tebow on here, but we didn’t
want to count his college accomplishments. Just kidding. Of course, the choice
is Brady. Brady won two NFL MVPs, two Super Bowl MVPs, was named to three
All-Pro teams, made nine Pro Bowls and took home an NFL Offensive Player of the
Year award this decade. Not too shabby. Running back: James White (2014-present)
This is kind of cheating since White is a third-down back, not a bell cow. But
he’s proven over the last two years that he can handle early-down
responsibilities when necessary. His most famous performance came in Super
Bowl LI when he had six carries for 29 yards and two touchdowns, 14 catches for
110 yards with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. He scored the tying and
go-ahead touchdowns in the game. Fullback: James Develin (2012-present)
The Patriots miss their fullback, who’s on injured reserve with a neck injury,
this season. They also missed him in 2015, when he hit IR with a broken leg. It’s amazing how long Develin has been on the Patriots’ roster.
We didn’t need to include a fullback on this all-decade team, but we thought he
was more deserving than an extra running back, wide receiver or tight end. Wide receivers: Julian Edelman (2009-present), Wes Welker
(2007-2012)
It’s a vertically-challenged wide receiver corps. Edelman is the obvious choice. He’s had an incredible decade
with three 1,000-yard seasons and a Super Bowl MVP. He’s also second all-time
in postseason catches and receiving yards. Welker had three uber-productive years for the Patriots this
decade, catching 326 passes for 3,771 yards with 22 touchdowns. No receiver
other than Edelman touches those numbers in this 10-year span. The other
choices were guys like Danny Amendola, Deion Branch, Chris Hogan, Brandon
LaFell and Brandin Cooks. We wanted to include Amendola. We just couldn’t justify an
offense with essentially three slot receivers. But we’ll get to him later. Tight end: Rob Gronkowski (2010-2018)
Gronkowski fit his entire career in this decade, and it was among the
best nine seasons by any tight end in NFL history. That’s why he made the NFL
100 All-Time team, and that’s why he’s on this list. Gronkowski won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and had one
of the most memorable plays of Super Bowl LIII when he caught a 29-yard
pass to set up the game’s only offensive touchdown. Offensive line: Nate Solder (2011-2017), Logan Mankins
(2005-2013), David Andrews (2015-present), Shaq Mason (2015-present), Sebastian
Vollmer (2009-2016)
The Patriots won two Super Bowls with Solder protecting Brady’s blindside. He
never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, but he was solid throughout his tenure. Mankins somehow missed a Super Bowl title despite having one of
the most decorated careers of any player in the Patriots’ dynasty. He made four
Pro Bowls and was named to one All-Pro team this decade. The Patriots have won two Super Bowls with Andrews at center.
They’re missing him this season as he recovers from blood clots in his
lungs. Mason also has won two Super Bowl titles in New England. He’s
regarded as one of the top guards in the NFL. Vollmer just made the list over Marcus Cannon. Vollmer didn’t
play as many seasons as Cannon this decade, but he did play at a higher level
on a more consistent basis. Vollmer over Cannon was one of the more difficult
choices on this list. DEFENSE
Defensive line:
Vince Wilfork (2004-2014), Trey
Flowers (2015-2018) We’re running a hybrid defense here with really only one big body in
Wilfork. And who else would we choose? He won one Super Bowl with the Patriots
this decade and made three Pro Bowl rosters and three All-Pro teams. Flowers over Chandler
Jones? Yup. Jones was good with the Patriots, but he wasn’t as good of a fit in
New England’s defense as Flowers, who was more of a complete player.
Jones won one Super Bowl in New England and has flourished with the Arizona
Cardinals. Flowers won two
Super Bowls with the Patriots and delivered a key sack in the
Patriots’ Super Bowl LI comeback win. Edge defenders: Rob Ninkovich (2009-2016), Kyle Van Noy
(2016-present)
Ninkovich was this decade’s version of Mike Vrabel. He swapped back and forth
between linebacker and defensive end. He had a sack in Super Bowl XLIX and won
two titles with the Patriots before retiring. The Patriots snagged Van Noy away from the Detroit Lions in 2016
for a late-round swap of draft picks. He’s gone on to become one of the team’s
most valuable defenders, helping the team win two titles. Linebackers: Dont’a Hightower (2012-present), Jerod Mayo
(2008-2015)
Hightower is an obvious pick. He’s made massive plays in all three Super Bowl
titles this decade, stuffing Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at
the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX, sacking Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan
in Super Bowl LI and registering two sacks in Super Bowl LIII against the Los
Angeles Rams. Beyond Brady and Edelman, no player has had a bigger impact in
all three Super Bowl wins this decade than Hightower. Mayo was a tougher selection over Jamie Collins. Mayo was a
two-time Pro Bowl selection and 2010 First-Team All-Pro. He was the best player
on some bad defenses to start the decade. Cornerbacks: Stephon Gilmore (2017-present), Darrelle Revis
(2014)
It doesn’t get much better than that. We would have thrown in Malcolm Butler, but we didn’t want to
cheat and include three outside cornerbacks. So we went with a big nickel
defense with three safeties. Gilmore is the front-runner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year
this season. He’s made two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team (should soon be two)
since joining the Patriots. Revis earned a Pro Bowl nod, First-Team All-Pro honors and won a
Super Bowl in his only season with the Patriots. Safeties: Devin McCourty (2010-present), Patrick Chung
(2009-2012, 2014-present), Duron Harmon (2013-present)
Yup, we’re including Harmon over guys like Butler, Logan Ryan and Kyle
Arrington. This safety group has been the backbone of the Patriots’ second
dynasty. McCourty is eighth in team history with 26 interceptions, and Harmon,
“The Closer,” is pretty close behind at 16th with 17 picks. Chung is a do-everything defender who has played safety,
linebacker and slot cornerback. He’s one of the best players in franchise
history to never make a Pro Bowl or earn an All-Pro nod. McCourty has been the face of the secondary all decade and made
two Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams in the process. Harmon is the perfect nickel defender for the unit as a rangy
free safety who allows McCourty to play all over the defense. Kicker: Stephen Gostkowski (2006-present)
Who were you expecting, Shayne Graham, Mike Nugent, Nick Folk or Kai Forbath? Gostkowski might be the most underrated player of the Patriots’
two-decade dynasty. He gets too much crap for being one of the best kickers in
the history of the game. Punter: Jake Bailey (2019)
Bailey over Ryan Allen was a tough choice. Allen was great for six seasons.
Bailey has been better in one. Long snapper: Joe Cardona (2015-present)
There’s a reason why Cardona has stuck around so long. He’s as solid as they
come as a snapper. Special teams: Matthew Slater (2008-present)
He has a chance to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his special-teams
contributions. He’s made eight Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams this decade. Returners: Cordarrelle Patterson (2018), Danny Amendola
(2013-2017)
Patterson was electric in his one year as a kick returner in New England with
23 returns for 663 yards with a touchdown. Edelman probably should get the nod here, but we wanted Amendola
to make the list. He was solid as a returner, but he’ll be most remembered for
his clutch contributions as a receiver in the 2017 postseason.
The Oakland Raiders kept their postseason hopes alive with a win
over the division-rival Chargers Sunday; here are the game notes, presented by
Microsoft Surface.
Raiders 24, Chargers 17
oThe Raiders
defeated the Chargers by a score of 24-17, moving to 7-8 overall and improving
their record to 3-2 against AFC West opponents this season.
oOakland completes
the season series sweep against the Chargers, winning 26-24 in Week 10, and
doing so for the first time since 2016 when the club was located in San Diego.
oThe win marked the
Raiders first victory at ROKiT Field at Dignity Health Sports Park in the
series history (Prev.: 0-2 since 2017).
oHead Coach Jon
Gruden improves his overall record against the Chargers to
9-5.
oThe Silver and
Black now own a 10-game lead in the all-time regular season series, 64-54-2,
and improve to 32-27-1 against the Chargers on the road.
DE Clelin Ferrell
DT Johnathan Hankins
DT P.J. Hall
DE Maxx Crosby
SLB Tahir Whitehead MLB Will Compton
CB Lamarcus Joyner
CB Nevin Lawson
CB Trayvon Mullen
FS Erik Harris
SS Daryl Worley
Raiders Themes
oQB Derek Carr became first
player in franchise history with five seasons of 20-plus touchdown passes, and
surpassed Rich Gannon for the most 3,500-yard passing seasons (four) in Raiders
history.
oCarr’s 32 games
with a passer rating over 100.0 tie Ken Stabler for most such games in
franchise history.
oWR Hunter Renfrow recorded his
first career 100-yard receiving game, becoming the first Raiders rookie WR
since Amari Cooper to record 100 receiving yards in a contest (last: 120; Dec.
20, 2015 vs. GB).
oTE Darren Waller surpassed
Todd Christensen for the third-most receptions (84) and third-most receiving
yards (1,038) in franchise history by a tight end in single season.
oThe rookie
class continues to lead the NFL in total TDs (16), scoring at least
one TD for the ninth time in the last 12 games.
oOakland’s offense ranks
second in NFL with 54 points on opening drive this season and lead the NFL with
155 points on drives of at least 10 plays.
oOakland’s defense limited
the Chargers to 19 rush yards in the contest, the fewest rushing yards allowed
in a single game in the all-time season series (prev.: 21; Dec. 5, 2010). The
defense also started the game by forcing three straight three-and-outs for
first time since Sept. 16, 2018 at Denver, and for the first time in QB Phillip
Rivers’ career.
Additional Notes
oK Daniel Carlson connected on
a 48-yard FG attempt and was 3-of-3 on PATs.
oP A.J. Cole punted five
times for 259 yards (51.8 avg.) with a long of 74 yards, placing three punts
inside the 20-yard line.
oCole’s 74-yard
punt was the third-longest in the NFL this season and longest for Raiders
players since Shane Lechler’s 76-yarder at KC on Dec. 24, 2011.
oLB Will Compton led the team for consecutive weeks, recording a
season-high 12 tackles after recording a then season-high nine tackles in Week
15 against the Jaguars.
oDE Clelin Ferrell recorded the
Raiders’ only sack of the game, taking down QB Phillip Rivers for a loss of 14
yards midway through the fourth quarter.
oFerrell has
recorded 3.5 sacks in two contests against the Chargers this season.
oFerrell and Maxx
Crosby are the only two rookies in the NFL to have recorded at least four sacks
and three passes defensed this season.
oLB Tahir Whitehead finished
with five tackles (four solo), marking his fourth-straight 100-plus tackle
season (103).
oWR Tyrell Williams finished
with 82 yards on four receptions (20.5 avg.) with a 43-yard long.
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