Week 4 was a moment of hope for Marcus Mariota. The fourth-year starter passed for the third-most yards of his career (344) as the Titans rallied to stun the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles at home. Mariota walked the game in overtime off with a 10-yard score to Corey Davis, a fellow first-rounder he has struggled to get on the same page with. It felt like a corner had been turned, both on Mariota’s down 2017 and his injury-wrecked September.
It had, just not the direction anyone was hoping. Now Mariota is at a crossroads. Where does he go from here? Mariota took 11 sacks — just the 12th player in NFL history to do so — as he completed 10 passes in the Titans’ shutout loss to the Ravens. He threw for 117 yards, an abysmal total that was somehow his third best of the season. Mariota’s blocking was obviously an issue, but he seemed to exacerbate it with poor pre-snap reads. The Ravens, correctly, decided they could bring the heat with impunity.
Mariota is at the rock bottom of a slump that started in 2017. He has 15 passing touchdowns compared to 19 interceptions over his past 20 games. He’s exceeded 300 yards just three times since the start of last season. He’s exceeded 200 yards once in 2018. Things could get worse before they get better. Mariota has desperately missed security blanket Delanie Walker while should-be No. 2 receiver Rishard Matthews is a free agent. The running game and offensive line are both struggling, surely in part because opposing defenses do not fear the quarterback.
Consistency has never been Mariota’s NFL calling card, but we know he has the talent to get better. We’ve seen it as recently as Week 4. What we’ve seen in Mariota’s other four appearances is zero touchdowns in 75 attempts, a quarterback playing without confidence or big-play ability. A player who is not going to get a contract extension unless he rediscovers his 2015-16 form.
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Five Week 6 Storylines
Derek Carr stunningly awful in overseas loss to Seahawks. If not for Mariota, it would be Carr dominating the “what in the fresh hell was that?” Week 6 headlines. Carr generated 142 yards on 31 attempts (4.58), throwing for zero scores as the Raiders lost 27-3 in London. He was spotted literally in tears after taking his fifth sack. Carr has now thrown for one or zero touchdowns in 5-of-6 games, turning the ball over more often than it finds the end zone. Like Mariota, Carr’s slump dates back before 2018. Carr has not been the same since his gruesome 2016 leg injury, with last year’s back fracture making matters worse. Carr’s 3.9 touchdown percentage since the start of last season is third worst amongst quarterbacks to make at least 21 starts (the number Carr has made). Although it’s hardly the envy of the league, Carr has the weapons to get back on track. For all his faults, calling the offense hasn’t been a problem for Jon Gruden so far. The Raiders’ bye could not be coming at a better time. If we don’t see a new Carr against the Colts in Week 8, Gruden’s patience will be running on fumes.
Amari Cooper knocked unconscious, suffers concussion. This certainly did not help Carr in London. Cooper took a gruesome helmet-to-helmet shot from Seahawks S Bradley McDougald and was out cold. It was the sort of sickening scene the NFL is trying to legislate out of the game. The concussion is Cooper’s second in many years, though it comes as the Raiders are headed on bye. That means Cooper could return without missing any time. If Cooper does play in Week 8 against the Colts’ leaky and undermanned defense, it will be with one catch for 10 yards over his past two games. With Derek Carr off the rails, Cooper’s Raiders season might be beyond saving. Fantasy owners’ best bet might be FOX’s Jay Glazer’s report of a potential trade coming true.
Cooper Kupp comes back to life after knee scare. Kupp’s season appeared to be through following Darian Stewart’s horse-collar tackle. A crumpled Kupp was examined on the sideline before being carted to the locker room, where initial reports had him unable to walk. So it was quite a surprise when Kupp emerged from the locker room with his helmet for the second half. He was in the game for the Rams’ first drive of the third quarter. He was not spotted thereafter, but it confirmed the worst had been avoided. Monday testing could still reveal a multi-week issue, but it is more likely that Kupp is cleared to play for Week 7 against the 49ers. Perhaps the Rams will decide Kupp should rest for what is unlikely to be a competitive affair.
Dak Prescott and Cole Beasley stunningly trample Jaguars. If Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr were laying eggs, Prescott was shocking the world. Prescott chose his toughest matchup of the season for his best performance, posting his first three-touchdown game of 2018 while rushing for a career-high 82 yards. His numbers could have been better, but the Cowboys called the dogs off in the second half. Prescott attempted just nine passes after the break. An ugly clunker against the Texans was mixed in, but Prescott has now been excellent against quality opponents in two of his past three starts. He’s back on the QB2 radar for Week 7 against the Redskins.
Seahawks’ David Moore torments Raiders. The 2017 seventh-rounder scored for the third time in two games. Moore has posted at least one 28-yard reception in three-straight contests, suddenly giving the Seahawks the outside threat they had sorely been lacking. Although Moore is playing just half the Seahawks’ snaps, he is making Brandon Marshall expendable. The 6-foot-0 sophomore is worth a look in Dynasty leagues, and could even come on the re-draft radar if he gets his snap and target counts up.
Don’t forget, for the latest on everything NFL, check out Rotoworld’s Player News, or follow @Rotoworld_FB or @RotoPat on Twitter.
Five More Week 6 Storylines
Tarik Cohen has second-straight 120-yard afternoon. Whenever Cohen had a big game under John Fox, the fossilized coach made sure his scatback could never get a hot streak going the following week. Matt Nagy had different plans coming off the Bears’ bye, feeding Cohen his second-most touches of the season. Cohen responded by leading the Bears in yards from scrimmage for the second-consecutive outing. He scored a touchdown and could have had another if not for an offensive pass interference penalty. Cohen has now out-gained Jordan Howard 295-94 over the Bears’ past two games, a span that included seven days of free for Nagy to think about how he wants to run his offense. It would appear that he decided featuring Cohen is a good idea. The battle has not been won for all time. There are still going to be “Howard games” for the Bears’ versatile scheme. Just don’t count on Week 7 being one of them. Nagy will likely surmise Cohen needs to be featured against a slow, unathletic Patriots Defense that did not come close to containing Tyreek Hill on Sunday Night Football. Cohen has finally achieved every-week FLEX status.
Todd Gurley begins to seriously flirt with NFL history. Gurley gutted the Broncos’ collapsed run defense for a career-high 208 yards rushing, scoring twice and carrying the Rams’ offense on an afternoon where Jared Goff never got into rhythm. With his yards per carry now up to 4.82 after a slow start in the efficiency department, Gurley is suddenly on pace for 29 touchdowns, which would be the second-highest total in NFL history. That’s a projection you would typically expect to fade, but anything is in play for a running back in this attack, especially one who found the end zone 19 times a season ago. With the 49ers headed to Los Angeles on a short week for Week 7, Gurley’s foot isn’t about to come off the gas.
Sam Darnold and the Jets’ offense keeps cooking. Darnold completed 80 percent of his passes against the Colts, throwing for his second-most yards of the season (280) while totaling two scores for the second-straight game. Darnold also averaged more than nine yards per attempt for the second time in as many weeks. He made plays both from the pocket and on the move. Darnold has taken advantage of good matchups in the Broncos and Colts, but that is one of the first things you are supposed to do as an NFL quarterback. He will be tested in Week 7 against the Vikings, who are trying to get on track after a rough start defensively. Despite the promising outings, Darnold has not yet shown enough for QB1 streamer consideration.
Quincy Enunwa gets injured again. Darnold could be without his No. 1 receiver against the Vikings. Previously battling hand and hip issues, Enunwa now has an ankle ailment. He struggled to put weight on his foot as he was helped off the field in the first half against the Colts. If Enunwa misses time, it will provide renewed opportunity for Robby Anderson to up his target total and get his fantasy season on track. It was Jermaine Kearse who compiled in Enunwa’s absence on Sunday. Terrelle Pryor and Andre Roberts would round out an Enunwa-less Jets receiver rotation.
Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu both go down for Falcons. The Falcons’ injury plague is spreading to offense. Ridley could not make it to the second half against the Bucs while Sanu’s troublesome hip flared up after the break. If there’s good news, it’s that Ridley was spotted trying to get loose on the sideline before being ruled out. That would suggest he has avoided a high-ankle sprain. Sanu’s status is less certain. It’s possible the Falcons were just being cautious. It’s also possible Sanu overestimated his ability to play hurt and made things worse. If either were to miss time, fourth-year slot man Justin Hardy would be the next wideout up.
Questions
1. This one is evergreen, but: What exactly would it take Nathan Peterman to convince Sean McDermott he can’t play NFL football?
2. Why does Vance Joseph think it’s good to have his No. 3 running back on the field for the game’s most important moments?
3. Are we sure this isn’t an art experiment from Julio Jones?
Early Waiver Look (Players owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Baker Mayfield (@TB), Mitchell Trubisky (vs. NE), Joe Flacco (vs. NO) Sam Darnold (vs. MIN), C.J. Beathard (vs. LAR)
RB: Latavius Murray, Frank Gore, Marlon Mack, Peyton Barber, Jalen Richard, D’Onta Foreman
WR: Christian Kirk, Chris Godwin, Chester Rogers, David Moore, Geronimo Allison, D.J. Moore, Albert Wilson
TE: C.J. Uzomah, Ben Watson, Ricky Seals-Jones
DEF: Colts (vs. BUF), Lions (@MIA), Cardinals (vs. DEN)
Stats of the Week
Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway turned 19 combined targets into 20 yards. Remember when the Browns had too many weapons?
Adam Thielen has posted 100 yards in six-straight games to begin the season. No one else had even done five since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970.
Via NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal: At age 25, Mike Evans is now the Bucs’ all-time leading receiver.
Julio Jones pace tracker: He is on pace to pass … Julio Jones for the second-most yards in a single season at 1,885. He is also on pace for zero touchdowns.
Per ESPN’s Field Yates: The Broncos became the first team in NFL history to allow an individual 200-yard rusher in back-to-back games.
11.4 percent of Nathan Peterman’s 79 career passes have been intercepted. Seems bad.
Awards Section
Week 6 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Jameis Winston, RB Todd Gurley, RB Melvin Gordon, WR Tyreek Hill, WR Albert Wilson, WR Cole Beasley, TE Austin Hooper
Blinking Guy Meme Award: Kelvin Benjamin declining to work on his routes with Josh Allen before the Bills’ latest loss.
Tweet of the Week, From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: The Texans look like they all just met today.
Tweet of the Week II, From College Football Writer Matt Hinton: Mahomes is the MVP strictly for turning every NFL game he’s in into a Big 12 game.
Quote of the Week, From Bruce Irvin on the Raiders’ Latest Loss: “We lost, but I’ve got a beautiful wife I get to go home to, boy. I’m going to try to make some babies, man.”
