Film Review: Week 9 from the Film Room

As I make my way through the All-22 of the NFL week, I thought it would be fun to start jotting down some things I like and don’t like in a form I can publish! Have plenty of thoughts as I watch and miss the days of being in a film room with a group to discuss the tape with… so I figure I’ll open up my film room this way! Every week will be different; let’s see what we get into!

(Note: By necessity, this post will be, at best, 5% of the things I would like to talk about, so don’t take anything as a snub! If I comment on everything that gets me amped up, I’ll wind up way behind on film!)

What I Like: The Big Dudes Up Front

During the Chiefs-Jets tape, I had a particular eye on Kansas City guard Kingsley Suamataia due to reports, amidst the trade rumors, that Suamataia had been getting benched (rather than leaving games due to injury, as I assumed) and that the Chiefs might be looking for help. (Whether or not the rumor is accurate, that doesn’t make sense to me; Suamataia might not be the league’s best climbing to defenders in space in the run game, but there are examples of him doing it, he has the size and strength to move linemen off the ball, and his pass protection hasn’t stood out as a notable problem (he did give up a pressure to Jowon Briggs on a play action look to start a drive near the end of the 3rd quarter, but it’s not exactly an egregious loss). The Chiefs are studying him in more detail than me, but it was a surprise to hear based on the year to date, and “zooming in” on Kingsley this week, I think the Chiefs have far bigger problems than the left guard spot.

All that said, one of my favorite bits of zooming in on Kansas City’s interior offensive line was having an eye on Creed Humphrey next to Suamataia; I don’t often focus on Humphrey given how established he is and how well he fits in the overall operation, but it is always a blast to see Creed getting after defensive linemen; from where I’m sitting, that interior three of Suamataia, Humphrey, and Trey Smith have been a plus in freeing up Kenneth Walker in both the run game and the screen game. If Kansas City wants help up front, the tackle position would seem to be a far greater need; Khalil Benson can get after it in the run game (see below) but he and Jaylon Moore have both struggled in pass protection.

What I Don’t Like: The Jets in One Snap

This bubble to Xavier Worthy pops, not because Kansas City made some great call or because the Jets were in poor initial position, but because safety Malachi Moore runs into teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick - who is engaged on a blocker - rather than into Xavier Worthy, who has the ball and actually plays for the other team.

It’s this Jets season in a nutshell; even if some parts work, they don’t work together. The Jets have a quality offensive line, two high-end running backs, and five legit receiving threats (Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor)… but while Geno Smith is playing well enough for any of those 5 to pop off for 100+ in a given week, the offense rarely activates more than two players at one time and never seems to seize control. Likewise, the defense doesn’t work particularly well together - this game has plenty of good from David Bailey, but moments like this one are a big reason the Jets have such miserable results despite a reasonably talented roster.

What I Like: Going Bombs Away

I don’t know what to say about Jordan Love’s recent performance anymore; every one of his most recent three games featured more big-time throws than I could fit into this article, and frankly, it’s a big part of the reason I wanted to start writing this.

Even within the Patriots game, I had to limit myself; I filtered this throw chart to “big-time” throws (1, 2, or 3 in my grade chart), and Love had a whopping NINE such throws against New England.

This shot to Matthew Golden came early, with pressure in his face; Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez had his struggles in last week’s game, but his coverage is pretty good here. It simply doesn’t matter, because Love carves the ball around to a spot only Golden can catch it.

As good as the connection with Golden was, some of Love’s more audacious throws came to Christian Watson, whether it was another HUGE bomb to Watson over Carlton Davis…

Or this fadeaway shot where Love flicks his wrist and puts the ball over Gonzalez for a big gain.

Again, I could go on - but there are other quarterbacks who deserve some shine in this section. Even on a bad day, Drake Maye can make some big-time throws under pressure…

And what can you say about CJ Stroud, who is firing lasers left and right; this week’s shots to Xavier Hutchinson…

and Tank Dell…

were out of this world.

Defense Lowering the Boom

Also, before we get out of here - and I get to CIN ATL film - what a hit by Evan Williams, who pairs with Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney to form the NFL’s best safety tandem. For as good as that duo’s interceptions were - and McKinney’s second was particularly awesome among the three the duo collected against New England - there’s nothing quite like a hit like this, especially in the modern NFL!

That’s it for Week 9; can’t wait for some Week 10 film! Thank you, NFL, for another great week of football!