Tag: NFL

Raiders throttled by Jets in New Jersey 34-3

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photo from sfgate.com: New York Jets’ Brian Poole (34) breaks a tackle by Oakland Raiders’ Hunter Renfrow (13) to score a touchdown after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J

By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that Derek Carr does not like to play in the cold weather, and it was cold in the Meadowlands on this day.

The temperature was 43 degrees, but that did not hurt Sam Darnold, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for one and the New York Jets simply destroyed the Oakland Raiders 34-3 at MetLife Stadium.

With the loss, Carr is now 2-9 in games where the temperature is 50 degrees or below and he was pulled from the game by head coach Jon Gruden late in the third quarter.

Carr ended up going 15-for-27 for 127 yards passing and also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. It was the first interception that Carr threw in four games against the Jets since joining the NFL in 2014.

Darnold went 20-for-29 for 315 yards, as he topped the 300-yard plateau for the fourth time in his career. He also threw touchdowns to Robby Anderson and Ryan Griffin, as the Jets scored 34 unanswered points after falling behind 3-0 on a Daniel Carlson field goal.

The Jets went into the locker room with a 10-point lead and put the game away on their first series of the third quarter, as Darnold found Braxton Berrios, who got all the way down to the Raiders one-yard line after a 69-yard pass play. Darnold then found a wide-open Griffin on the next play.

You knew that things were not going well, as the Jets number one ranked defense stopped Alec Ingold on fourth-and-1 for no gain and gave the ball back to the Jets inside the Raiders 40-yard line.

Jets head coach Adam Gase slipped into his bag of tricks on the ensuing series, as Darnold handed the ball off to Bilal Powell, who flipped it over to Jamison Crowder, who then tossed it back to Darnold, who a great pass that Anderson caught for a 30-yard completion. Three plays later, Darnold found Anderson for a one-yard touchdown pass to give the Jets a 24-point leads.

The Jets closed out the scoring on the Raiders next series, as Neville Hewitt deflected a pass that went into the hands of Brian Poole, who returned the interception 15 yards for the touchdown.

Josh Jacobs was held to 34 yards on 10 carries, as he entered the game ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing.

Carlson hit a 48-yard field goal their only points of the afternoon, and then the Jets were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Sam Ficken.

It looked like the Jets tied up the game, as Demaryius Thomas caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Darnold; however, Daniel Brown was called for offensive pass interference after the Raiders challenged the call.

UP NEXT: Once again, the Raiders will stay on the road, as they will travel to Arrowhead Stadium, where they will face the Kansas City Chiefs on December 1.

49ers Preview: Can They Overcome Injuries?

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Photo credit: ninersnation.com

By: Joe Lami

The toughest stretch of the season is here for the San Francisco 49ers and will give some clarity as to how elite the NFC leaders are. Over the next three weeks, their opponents’ combined records are 24-6 as all three appear like playoff locks. They start this critical stretch, hosting the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.

With the game now flexed into the primetime slot, the entire country will get to find out how real the Niners are. Injuries continue to be the biggest concern heading into the weekend for the red and gold against their toughest opponent thus far.

Joe Staley will miss a minimum of two weeks with a broken finger, but rookie Justin Skule has been an incredible surprise protecting Garoppolo’s blind side so far.

Matt Breida’s nagging ankle injury has held him off the practice field once again this week. It appears Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, and Jeff Wilson Jr. will fueling San Francisco’s running attack come Sunday.

Robbie Gould is expected to miss his third-straight game, but Chase McLaughlin has connected on 4-of-5 as a Niner and will be depended on again, come Sunday. His lone miss was the overtime shank against the Seahawks.

Dee Ford’s absence will leave the most significant question mark for San Francisco. His quad injury will leave him out and will re-structure how the D-line is set-up. Arik Armstead has had an outstanding year thus far, leading the team with eight sacks, but how will he perform lining up on the edge?

Both Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders are questionable, giving hope that Garoppolo will have weapons at wide-out.

More importantly, Kittle got back onto the practice field in a non-contact jersey on Thursday and Friday. His status will be a game-time decision, according to Shanahan, but leaves optimism that he’s making his return. Kittle’s absence has been missed most, surprisingly on the run game, as the Niners’ rushing attack has dipped from 4.9 yards per rush to 3.5 without him on the field.

Aside from injuries, the match-up favors the Niners on paper. Their biggest challenge will be finding a way to slow down Aaron Rodgers, which easier said than done. Rodgers enters Sunday’s contest with a 17 TD to 2 INT ratio, third in the NFL, and hasn’t thrown a pick in 138 attempts, but San Francisco owns the #1 pass defense in the league and has forced the fourth-most picks in the league.

The 49ers have the most elite pass rush in the league. If they’re able to get to Rodgers, that’ll be their best chance to forcing him into mistakes.

Green Bay brings in the #2 red-zone offense against the #1 red-zone defense. Will San Francisco’s defense continues to show the bend, don’t break attitude they’ve had all year or will the dam finally burst?

Expect a massive run attack from the 49ers. Green Bay brings in the 25th defense in the league. San Francisco is set-up for a field day; they’ve been averaging 225.8 yards per game against bottom ten rush defenses.

Kittle returning to the line up brings more firepower to it. When Kittle’s been in the lineup, San Francisco is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, but without him, they’ve only been averaging 3.5 yards per carry.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes: Raiders forcing turnovers and getting a good pass rush going

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Photo credit: justblogbaby.com

On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:

#1 The Raiders are getting help on their pass rush. They have 25 sacks this season. They got 12 in their last three games.

#2 The Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says the pass rush had also forced turnovers in those last three games.

#3 In the game last Sunday, the Raiders pressured Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley. The Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby knocked the ball out of Finley’s hand.

#4 In another play, Crosby chased Finley, who threw the ball to his right that got intercepted by cornerback Trayvon Miller.

#5 The Raiders face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium Sunday. Joe sets this game up.

Joe Hawkes is a Raiders beat writer and does the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Will 49ers’ injuries play a big part in game against Green Bay Sunday?

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 San Francisco 49ers Mike LaFleur, who is the running game coordinator, and the Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LeFleur are brothers who will face each other on Sunday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium proving coaching runs in the family.

#2 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo might have to throw to receiver with less than 19 catches through the first ten games of the season due to injuries, which will be a tall task against Green Bay on Sunday.

#3 The receivers that most likely may or may not play Sunday are tight end George Kittle (ankle), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder), and Emmanuel Sanders wide receiver (ribs).

#4 The 49ers are also missing running back Matt Breida (ankle), kicker Robbie Gould (quadriceps), defensive end Dee Ford (hamstring). All are out this Sunday how much will the 49ers miss them in the line up.

#5 Lastly, Joe tells us how the 49ers and Packers shape up on Sunday Night Football.

Joe Lami is a 49ers beat writer and does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

After three straight wins at home, the Raiders head east to take on the Jets

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Photo credit: sports.yahoo.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — Having completed a successful three-game home stand undefeated, the Raiders will hit the road for a two-game road trip beginning Sunday as they they will face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in Week 12 action.

Oakland is 5-1 at home this season, but are 1-3 from the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Kickoff is set for 10:00 a.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS with Greg Gumbel and Trent Green on the call.

The Raiders currently hold a two-game winning streak over the Jets, most recently defeating New York by a score of 45-20 at home in Week 2 of the 2017 season to push the all-time series to 23-17-2 in favor of Oakland.

In Week 11, the Raiders defeated the visiting Cincinnati Bengals 17-10 to pull their record to 6-4 and giving them their first three-game winning streak since 2016.

Running back Josh Jacobs recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season, after rushing for 112 yards on 23 carries and broke Marcus Allen’s team-record for most 100-yard rushing games in a season by a rookie in the process.

Allen set the franchise rookie record with three games of rushing for over 100 yards in 1982

Jacobs is fourth in the NFL in rushing with 923 yards (4.8 average per rush) to go along with seven touchdowns on 191 carries. Oakland could have a tough day rushing against a Jets defense that ranks tops against the run, allowing just 79.1 yards per game on the ground this season.

In fact, the NFL’s 13th ranked defense allowed just one 100-yard rusher in 2019, surrendering 105 rushing yards to Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott in New York’s 24-22 victory over Dallas in Week 6.

Quarterback Derek Carr recorded just his second career rushing touchdown, while also tossing a touchdown to rookie tight end Foster Moreau. Carr threw for 292 yards on 25-of-29 passing in the contest.

As for Moreau, his touchdown was the 14th score by a rookie this season for the Silver and Black, tying the franchise mark set in 1982. Not only have this year’s rookies been big contributors on offense for the Raiders, the defense has seen a big boost from rookies as well this season.

First-year defensive end Maxx Crosby has a career day against the Bengals recording four sacks, including three in the fourth quarter. “Mad Maxx” set a rookie franchise record with his performance, and was just the third player to record four sacks in a game in 2019.

Crosby also had a forced fumble in the first quarter for good measure.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Crosby became just the fourth rookie in NFL history to register a four-sack game since the stat became official in 1982.

Rookie cornerback Trayvon Mullen’s interception on the Bengals’ final offensive drive of the game sealed the win for Oakland with just a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, keeping Cincinnati (0-10) winless. It was the third-straight game that Oakland’s defense would seal the win.

The Jets defeated Washington 34-17 on the road in Week 11 to improve to 3-7 on the year behind four touchdown passes from Sam Darnold. The second-year quarterback threw for 293 yards on 19-of-30 passing for New York, who jumped out to a 34-3 lead that held up midway through the fourth quarter before Washington scored their first touchdown of the game.

Jets tight end Ryan Griffin hauled in 109 yards and a touchdown. Griffin’s five catches were tied with wide receiver Jamison Crowder for most in the game. Crowder finished second on the team with 76 yards and a touchdown.

Dynamic safety Jamal Adams recorded three of the Jets’ six sacks on Washington’s rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in what will be a huge matchup in the AFC West in Week 13. The Chiefs are currently 7-4, but have the Raiders breathing down its neck with Oakland trailing Kansas by half-a-game in the division.

The Jets will face the Bengals in Cincinnati next Sunday.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Will Kaepernick ever throw another pass?

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foxsnews.com: Free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick arrives at a workout for NFL football scouts and media, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Riverdale, Ga

By: Amaury Pi-González

In the media world we live today, where 24-hour news cycles are furious and non-stop, it seems like a decade ago since the last time Colin Kaepernick threw for a touchdown pass. Did we forget that his college career was a great success? He is the only player in NCAA history to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in college. He is the greatest player in the history of the University of Nevada football.Then, as a professional, he led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in his second season.

Recently, Kaepernick was getting another chance. A workout for 26 teams. It has been more than three seasons he has not played in the NFL. His biggest enemy is his ego. Let us don’t forget the fact he was a backup when the 49ers decided to let him go. When you are a backup in the NFL,you are not as big as you might think you are, in this case, Kaepernick. He has also made over $40 million from the NFL,not to shabby for a guy that today is not remembered as a very good football player but the man “that took a knee and became world famous.”

At the time, Kaepernick took the knee and started a conversation in the country,which depends on your opinion, I defended his rights to free speech as an American citizen, and I said in an interview with Telemundo (Channel 48) that although I did not agree with his action, he had all the right in world to do what he did, as unpopular as it was. You might call me “old fashioned.” but I believe sports is truly a escape from the real world, and politics should not be mixed with sports. It is as simple as that. He could have called a press conference, at any time and place to give his opinion.

Kaepernick should understand that the NFL is a business and businesses stay in business only when they make a profit. The NFL is not a non-profit organization. It is capitalism. This recent workout was a debacle because his inability to understand he is just a guy that played in a popular league, that at the end respected but not agreed with his actions on the field. He is not bigger than the sport. When he played, he was an employee, not an owner.

In the end, how the league organized a workout for the quarterback was a fiasco. He still very much toxic to the NFL.

He is 32 years old in a sports league where the average career is between three to four years. His time might have passed or might have not.

The question remains: Will Colin Kaepernick ever throw another pass?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each week and podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: After playing two close games, do 49ers have a chance against Green Bay?

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sfgate.com photo: Jeff Wilson Jr. dances in the end zone after making the game-winning catch in Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. (Nov. 17, 2019)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 David, tell us how close this one on Sunday was against the Arizona Cardinals really was. Did the 49ers 9-1 have to get desperate in the closing minutes of this game?

#2 After watching the 49ers in their last two games, both close ones. Is there a concern about the 49ers and their next game against Green Bay 8-2?

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Garoppolo’s Career Day Powers Comeback for Niners

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Photo credit: cbssports.com

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers continue to find ways to win football games and improve to 9-1. On Sunday, they came firing back from a 16-point deficit despite not having a run game to beat Arizona 36-26. It also marks the first time since 2013 San Francisco has swept Arizona in the season series. Coincidently, 2013 was also the 49ers’ last winning season.

Jimmy Garoppolo joined rarified air in Niners’ history, joining Joe Montana and Steve Young as the only players to throw 400+ yards and four touchdowns in a single game. Garoppolo shattered his previous career-high of 371 yards, passing for 424, yet wasn’t perfect throwing two interceptions in the process.

Jimmy was forced to be excellent, with no support from a run game that finished with 34 yards on 19 carries and leading the comeback. His 424 yards were the 10th most in San Francisco history. Garoppolo did so without George Kittle and with Emmanuel Sanders limited. Instead, he used the entire roster to his advantage, completing receptions to ten different receivers.

Ross Dwelley was the star on Sunday, standing in for the injured Kittle, catching four balls for 14 yards and two touchdowns and is proving himself to be the swiss-army knife the red and gold need. They marked his first two career touchdowns of his NFL career.

The Cardinals jumped on the Niners’ early, especially targeting Richard Sherman, who was tacked with three pass interference penalties in the opening half. The first came on Arizona’s opening possession and pinned San Francisco inside their own five-yard line on a third down. Fortunately, the Niners defense bent but didn’t break, forcing Zane Gonzalez to kick a 26-yard field goal.

Later in the first quarter, Kyler Murray found Larry Fitzgerald in the end zone for the hall-of-famer’s 118th TD reception of his career. Zane Gonzalez kept the score at 9-0 after a missed PAT.

Arizona took the 16-point advantage in the second quarter when Kyler Murray found Pharoh Cooper for his second touchdown of the day. Murray was electric, and one can see why the Cardinals spent their first-overall pick on him. His 150 passing yards, 67 rushing yards, and three touchdowns don’t do him enough justice. The Niners’ defense adjusted, clamped down, and made his life difficult for the majority of the day.

The Niners looked dead to rights in the second quarter until they ran a screen pass to the left side to Richie James Jr. James showcased his incredible speed, darting down the sideline for 57 yards and sparking the 49ers’ offense and setting up Dwelley’s first score.

The Niners cut the deficit to six, as Chase McLaughlin nailed a 43-yard field goal to end the half.

San Francisco made it 17-unanswered points, scoring on the second half’s opening drive with Dwelley’s second TD of the day to take a 17-16 lead. After another Gonzlez field goal, San Francisco would re-take the lead again early in the fourth with Kendrick Bourne’s third touchdown of the season, making it 23-19 after a missed two-point conversion.

Shanahan mentioned his chart and being “the right thing to do” when explaining the two-point attempt.

Murray ran in his only rushing touchdown of the game from 22-yards out to retake the lead at 26-23 with 6:30 to go. The ball and game would fall onto the lap of Jimmy G once again.

In his first attempt, a deflected ball targeting Dwelley was intercepted with 4:41 to play. Luckily, the defense had his back, buckled down, and ensured he would get a second chance at the comeback.

Jimmy G drove down the field, bringing the ball inside the 30-yard line. With under a minute to go, a short pass to Dwelley on third-and-three triggered a lengthy review on whether or not the Tight End picked up the first down. Following the review and with a first down, Shanahan drew up the perfect play, targeting Jeff Wilson Jr. in his first snap of the game. Wilson found himself wide open and scampered into the end-zone for the last-minute touchdown.

“Kyle’s a mastermind. I give [all the credit] to him, I can’t give any credit to me. He called the right play for me. I just did what I had to do to make a play,” explained Wilson Jr. He became the 12th different receiver to haul in a touchdown from Garoppolo on the year.

The Niners put a feather in the cap on a crazy defensive score to finish the game. DJ Reed was credited with the score after an errant Fitzgerald lateral as time expired, making it 36-26.

The Niner’s ability to find various ways of winning continues to be their greatest strength. They’ll need to rely on these early experiences and the success they’ve seen as the schedule continues to get tougher. In the next three weeks, we’ll fully comprehend what the red and gold are made of, with Green Bay in town next weekend before back-to-back road games against the Ravens and Saints.

Raiders hold off Bengals, 17-10

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — In a game where the Silver and Black entered the contest an almost two-touchdown favorite, the Raiders narrowly escaped with a 17-10 victory over the winless Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 292 yards and a touchdown, while adding rushing for another score as the Raiders (6-4) completed a three-game sweep at home to move into a first-place tie with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Kansas City (6-4) will play the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City on Monday Night Football.

Carr completed 25-of-29 passes and an interception in the contest.

With Oakland trailing Cincinnati 7-0 in the second quarter after running back Joe Mixon scored the Bengals’ first rushing touchdown of the season by a running back, Carr engineered an 11-play, 91-yard drive in 7:07 that was punctuated by a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight Foster Moreau that tied the game at 7-7.

After forcing the Bengals to punt on the following drive, Carr led Oakland on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ate up 3:39 that resulted in a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Carr who went airborne at the goal line before crashing into the end zone that gave the Silver and Black a 14-7 lead.

Rookie running back Josh Jacobs continues to be a bellcow for Oakland, rushing for 112 yards on 23 carries. It was the fourth time in the last six weeks that Jacobs, a heavy favorite for AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushed for over 100 yards.

Jacobs’ first fumble of the season would set up Cincinnati’s on touchdown in the game.

Oakland’s defense dominated Cincinnati’s offense, registering five sacks, forcing and recovering one fumble, and an interception. The defense was relentless against Bengals rookie quarterback Ryan Finley.

Fellow rookie, defensive end Maxx Crosby recorded a team rookie-record four sacks and finished with five tackles (4 solo) and three tackles for a loss. It was by far Crosby’s best game as a pro. He had a sack and forced fumble to end Cincinnati’s first drive, dropped Finley again in the third quarter and then sacked him twice in the fourth.

Finley completed 13-of-31 passes for 115 yards.

The Bengals are continuing to spiral down the drain as the only winless team in the NFL. Its the second time in Cincinnati’s history that the team has started a season 0-10, matching the 1993 team for the worst start in franchise history.

Coincidentally, it was the Raiders in 1993 that allowed the Bengals to earn their first win of the season but didn’t allow lighting to strike twice today.

With Cincinnati trailing 17-10 in the final minutes of the game, rookie cornerback Trayvon Mullen’s interception sealed the win for the Silver and Black. It was the third-straight game that Oakland’s defense closed out the game with a big stop.

The Raiders look to extend their winning streak to four games, as they will travel east in Week 12 to take on the New York Jets next Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ to begin a two-game road trip.

The Jets (3-7) demolished Washington (1-9), 34-17, at FedEx Field Sunday behind 293 yards and four touchdown passes from second-year quarterback Sam Darnold.

Injuries Could Cripple 49ers Against Cardinals

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Photo credit: si.com

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA–The Niners are no longer undefeated, and with only a one-game advantage on the Seattle Seahawks, they need to get back down to business this weekend with the Arizona Cardinals in town. Arizona’s season is beginning to slip away, thanks to a quick three-game skid that finds them at the bottom of the NFC West.

The 3-6-1 team is better than their record indicates as we saw two weeks ago in Thursday night’s 28-25 Halloween scare. San Francisco can’t afford to take Arizona lightly, a team that they haven’t beaten at home since 2014, Levi’s inaugural season.

This time of year, injuries will always be the key storyline. San Francisco struggled on offense against the Seahawks without George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders. A slight dip to their third-down conversion seemed to be the difference between a win and a loss, and the 49ers could be without their top two targets again this weekend.

Sanders, who sustained a rib injury in Monday’s loss, has yet to practice this week and appears to be out on Sunday. He’s shown quick chemistry with Garoppolo and owned Arizona in their opening meeting, catching seven balls for 112 yards. The sure-handed receiver will be greatly missed, especially after Monday’s nine-drop debacle.

Meanwhile, Kittle practiced for the first time on Thursday since sustaining his knee injury against the Cardinals. He was limited, but it was a good sign to see him back on the practice field in Santa Clara. His status for Monday is still questionable.

On top of possibly being without their top two targets come Sunday, Matt Breida’s ankle injury will keep him out the next couple of weeks, as he reaggravated it on Monday. The 49ers’ offensive attack could look greatly diminished against the Cardinals, which should scare those that realize it took everyone to win the first time around.

San Francisco finished with 411 total yards in their win against the Cardinals, and if you take out Kittle, Sanders, and Breida, they’re left with 142 yards. Taking away 62% of their total offense is going to be challenging to overcome. They’ll need to find more production out of Tevin Coleman and Deebo Samuel to battle for a win. Samuel is coming off his breakout game, catching eight balls for 112 yards.

On top of the critical skill position injuries, the Niners will go back to being without Joe Staley, who broke a couple of fingers in Monday’s loss. Insert Justin Skule, who’s been a great surprise sliding in for Staley’s absence earlier in the year. The sixth-round rookie did a fabulous job defending Garoppolo’s blindside.

If Kyle Shanahan can game plan once again around all these injuries, San Francisco should be okay. They’ve shown different ways to win all season, and this Sunday could be his biggest test yet. With zero wiggle room atop the NFC West, now is not the time for a monumental slip-up.