Bell Tolls: Falcons sack man Vic Beasley flying high
A quick preview as Week 16 rolls on in the NFL:
Who’s hot: Vic Beasley. Look who leads the NFL in sacks? With 14½, the Atlanta Falcons linebacker/rush end has exemplified the jump that is expected from star players in their second seasons. During a recent chat with Paste BN Sports, Beasley, who also has a franchise-record-tying six forced fumbles, maintained that a better comfort level with the pro game that comes with more reps and experience has made a difference. But he also pointed to the boost he’s had from soaking up knowledge offered by 15th-year veteran Dwight Freeney, who joined the Falcons as a free agent during the offseason with a wealth of insight to share. This is all even more significant in the bigger picture when considering that the Falcons headed into the season hard-pressed to generate a pass rush after ranking dead-last in the NFL in sacks over the previous three seasons. Beasley’s production validates the Falcons investing the eighth pick overall in him in 2015. He’s one of several youngsters — including rookie safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones, and second-year defensive tackle Grady Jarrett — that GM Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn have hit on in efforts to build a defense that complements a high-powered offense. The Falcons head to Carolina on Saturday having set a franchise record for scoring, averaging an NFL-high 33.5 points per game. Yet when that prolific offense is complemented by the rise of the defense, with its emerging star in Beasley, the Falcons are positioning themselves to be a much tougher out in January than in recent playoff experiences.
Pressure’s on: Rex Ryan. As rumblings persist that the Buffalo Bills coach has worn out his welcome, how will his 7-7 team respond? Maybe there’s a chance to save his job. Maybe not. Ryan, the first coaching hire under the Terry and Kim Pegula ownership reign, has failed to deliver on his blustery promise of building a contender. At the very least, he still has a chance to inflict damage to the Miami Dolphins’ playoff hopes. With sizzling Matt Moore filling in for injured quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Miami might actually carry more pressure Saturday as it looks to avoid another December slide and claim the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2008. Buffalo, meanwhile, is extending the NFL’s longest non-playoff drought, dating to 1999, despite what Ryan told the world he’d do upon his arrival before the 2015 season.
Key matchup: Ben Roethlisberger vs. Ravens defense. With the AFC North title up for grabs on Christmas, this won’t be the same Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback whom Baltimore saw a few weeks ago. In early November, a gimpy Roethlisberger had just returned from arthroscopic knee surgery, and the Ravens forced his hand by stuffing Le’Veon Bell’s running lanes (14 carries, season-low 32 yards). That will still be an objective, but Big Ben, who had a season-worst 67.3 passer rating in the Week 9 game, will be better equipped to exploit the soft spot in Baltimore’s fifth-ranked defense: the absence of star cornerback Jimmy Smith. Without Smith, who's still battling an ankle injury, the chances are ripe for Antonio Brown to clinch his fourth straight 100-catch season with a big game while Roethlisberger carries the day with his arm. Then again, there’s no better time for Terrell Suggs to bring his A-game to lead the rush on Roethlisberger, who has won just twice in his past eight starts against the Ravens.
Next man up: Tom Savage. Seeing how their $72 million quarterback (Brock Osweiler) hasn’t quite set the world on fire, the Houston Texans are rolling with their $600,000 arm. After sparking a comeback win last weekend, Savage makes his first NFL start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night. An essential pattern needing to carry over from his relief job against the Jacksonville Jaguars: find DeAndre Hopkins, the immensely talented receiver who seemed lost amid Osweiler’s struggles. On Sunday, Hopkins was targeted on Osweiler’s last throw (a pick) and on 15 of Savage’s 36 attempts (eight catches, 87 yards), creating for something to build on. For Bill O’Brien to pull the plug on his quarterback while his team sits in first place seems so odd … until you consider that Savage will be the eighth quarterback to start for the Texans since O’Brien became coach in 2014. That’s the most in the NFL during that span, breaking the tie with the Cleveland Browns for the dubious distinction.
Rookie watch: Tyreek Hill. The Denver Broncos can surely vouch for the versatile impact that the fifth-round pick has supplied the Kansas City Chiefs as arguably the fastest player in the league. Hill has scored 10 TDs and is the only player in the NFL this season to score four different ways — by reception, by rush, by punt return and by kickoff return. In Kansas City’s overtime victory at Denver in Week 12, he burned the Broncos with an 86-yard scoring jaunt on a return of a free kick following a safety, then again with short, slashing TDs off a jet sweep and a quick hitch. That was the night Hill left an imprint by accomplishing something (scoring by run, catch and return) that hadn’t been done in the NFL since Gale Sayers did it in 1965. So Denver has been duly warned as it heads into Arrowhead Stadium for the rematch on Christmas night. Sure, the Broncos must try to prevent Justin Houston from wrecking their offensive game plan. But Hill might be an even bigger threat because of his ability to flip the field with his prowess on offense and special teams.
If the playoffs were today … The final slot in the NFC would belong to the Green Bay Packers (8-6), who were 4-6 a month ago but enter Saturday's home game against the Minnesota Vikings on a roll. A lot can happen in two weeks, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) very much in play for the second wild-card slot behind the New York Giants. Then again, with the prospects of a de facto NFC North title game looming for Week 17, the sixth playoff seed might also wind up as the consolation prize.
Stomach for an upset? Washington at Chicago. Coach Jay Gruden’s squad won’t be confused for anybody’s favorite with the NFL schedule makers. For the second time in a month, Washington must play on the road during a short week after playing a prime-time game. This time, Washington (7-6-1) is trying to regroup — and save its fading playoff hopes — after falling on its collective face with a thoroughly uninspiring Monday night loss to the Carolina Panthers. As tempting as it may seem to consider a 3-11 opponent as the ideal tonic, it would be prudent to be wary. All three of the Bears’ victories have come at Soldier Field, and they have moved the football since Matt Barkley stepped into the quarterback chair to complement impressive rookie runner Jordan Howard.
Did you notice? Squandered beneath the rubble of the Arizona Cardinals’ plunge from chic Super Bowl contender to 5-8-1 has been the phenomenal season of David Johnson. The multi-talented running back, who leads the NFL with 1,938 yards from scrimmage, heads into Saturday’s game at Seattle with a chance to match Barry Sanders’ mark of 15 consecutive games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage. Sanders set his mark during a 1997 MVP season. Johnson’s campaign, unfortunately, will be remembered (if not forgotten) for the potential impact it might have had.
Stat’s the fact: Like his 0-14 team, Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III heads into Saturday’s game against the San Diego Chargers with an 0-for-2016 streak. Griffin, with a paltry 58.5 passer rating and meager 50% completion rate, has attempted 82 passes this season but has yet to throw for a touchdown. Of course, he was 0-for-2015, too, in that department. RG3 is approaching the two-year anniversary of his last TD pass, which came Dec. 28, 2014.
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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell
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