On this Quick Slant from The Matchup, Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders react to the biggest results of NFL Week 7.
They break down the Atlanta Falcons' home upset of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks holding Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to three points, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba's red-zone touchdown against a rookie corner. They also cover Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins taking over in the Cincinnati Bengals' comeback against the Baltimore Ravens, Dexter Lawrence's impact on the Bengals' defensive line, Zay Flowers, how an opponent can change the mood of an NFL locker room, and the officiating controversy in Lions vs. Packers.
Topics covered
0:00 Intro: Week 8 of The Matchup
0:43 Falcons upset the 49ers
2:26 Seahawks hold Mahomes and the Chiefs to 3 points
4:28 JSN's touchdown and why the Chiefs play press coverage
5:41 Bengals take over the second half against the Ravens
9:01 Zay Flowers and the Ravens' defense
10:27 Missing Lamar Jackson and how an opponent changes the locker room
12:26 Lions vs. Packers and the officiating controversy
14:51 Keeping football a physical sport
17:14 Wrap-up
Intro: Week 8 of The Matchup (0:00 to 0:43)
The episode opens with a quick preview of the topics before Emmanuel Sanders welcomes viewers to Week 8 of The Matchup, brought to you by bet365, and says the hosts will be dropping content all week, starting with the Quick Slant.
Falcons upset the 49ers (0:43 to 2:26)
Chris Harris Jr. said Atlanta brought energy at home, with belief in head coach Kevin Stefanski and Michael Penix Jr. getting the offense rolling. He singled out safety Jessie Bates for forcing turnovers and called him the player of the game.
"Sometimes you just get slapped in your face on the road, and that's just what happened to them," Chris said.
Emmanuel said he might still keep the 49ers at No. 1 in his power rankings because he's picking the team he thinks will win the Super Bowl, but noted how banged up San Francisco's receiving corps is right now. He also said he's enjoying the Falcons, from Penix to Bijan Robinson, and called the NFC South "wide open" every year.
"Hey, I'm keeping my eye on Atlanta," Emmanuel said.
Seahawks hold Mahomes and the Chiefs to 3 points (2:26 to 4:28)
Chris credited Seattle's defense for having a great game plan for Kenneth Walker III. He said the Seahawks knew Walker wanted to bounce runs outside, kept the edges contained and stopped the run with just four defensive linemen.
"Anytime you can give Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes only three points, you did a hell of a job," Chris said. "That's hard to do, man. That's hard to do."
Emmanuel said Kansas City looks like it's missing a receiver with Rashee Rice out, joking that if he were the Chiefs, he'd have Tyreek Hill on the phone. He said that once Walker was shut down, Mahomes was back to scrambling and making throws in the second half, but "he ain't have the weapons to really do it."
JSN's touchdown and why the Chiefs play press coverage (4:28 to 5:41)
Emmanuel said Jaxon Smith-Njigba is staying at No. 1 on his wide receiver list after another big night.
"This dude's been doing this all season long. Why can't nobody stop it? They can't stop it, man," Emmanuel said.
Chris had rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane in his top 10, but said he has to drop him after Delane gave up a touchdown to Smith-Njigba in the back left corner of the end zone. Chris said a rookie pressing JSN in a high red-zone situation is exactly what a receiver wants, but he also praised the Chiefs for playing man coverage without fear.
"They're not going to play scared. They're going to force these corners," Chris said, pointing to Trent McDuffie as an example of a corner who became comfortable in press because of how Kansas City plays.
Bengals take over the second half against the Ravens (5:41 to 9:01)
Emmanuel said Baltimore looks like it's missing Lamar Jackson. The Ravens looked in control early before Joe Burrow led five straight touchdown drives in the second half, with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combining for 11 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns on 14 targets.
Emmanuel said that if Cincinnati can keep running concepts that are this hard to stop, as he and Demaryius Thomas did in Peyton Manning's system, the Bengals can be a Super Bowl team. "Don't sleep on Cincinnati," he said.
Chris pointed to Dexter Lawrence as a difference maker on defense. He said Lawrence "changed the whole swag of the defense" and gives the Bengals the kind of anchor at nose tackle they haven't had since Geno Atkins, and said Cincinnati belongs in the top five of the power rankings.
Chris also broke down Chase's red-zone route against young Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins, explaining how a defender should use outside leverage and squeeze inside routes. He said Chase "killed him at the line and killed him at the top," and that Marlon Humphrey gave up too many explosive plays to stay in his top 10.
Zay Flowers and the Ravens' defense (9:01 to 10:27)
Chris called Zay Flowers underrated, and Emmanuel agreed. Emmanuel has Flowers at No. 10 in his rankings but said he's moving up fast, comparing his explosiveness to Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill.
"Every big play that the Baltimore Ravens need, it goes through him," Emmanuel said.
Chris was harder on Baltimore's defense. He said that for a team with a defensive-minded head coach in Jesse Minter, the Ravens let a lead slip as Cincinnati "steamrolled" them in the second half, and that it's hard to put Baltimore in his top 10 after that game.
Missing Lamar Jackson and how an opponent changes the locker room (10:27 to 12:26)
Emmanuel said the Ravens are missing their leader. He recalled his time in San Francisco and said he never saw Kyle Shanahan more worried about a quarterback than Lamar Jackson.
"You say we playing against Lamar Jackson. Hey, no, you tightening up now," Emmanuel said. He expects Jackson back this week and Baltimore to start looking like itself again.
Chris said fans don't realize how much the opponent changes the mood in the building, joking about how everyone tightened up, from players to equipment managers, when the Patriots were on the schedule. Emmanuel said the 49ers might have overlooked Penix and Atlanta, and "they got slapped in the face up there." Chris added that Penix's confidence goes back to college, when he was freestyling on the sideline at Washington before a game-winning drive.
Lions vs. Packers and the officiating controversy (12:26 to 14:51)
Emmanuel brought up the play where Amon-Ra St. Brown wasn't down, got up to run, and a defender's tackle sent the referee to the ground, who then threw a flag from his back.
Chris said it's the third time this season he's seen something like it and that the defender did nothing wrong. "It's legal for the D-lineman, right? We got a live player. We got to get him down on the ground," he said. Chris added that the game had several tough roughing the passer calls and called it a bad officiating performance overall.
"Come on refs. Y'all got to pick it up, man. Y'all looking bad right now," Chris said.
Emmanuel said he's not usually one to blame the referees, noting that Josh Jacobs still had a chance to win it late, but questioned the intentional grounding call and two roughing the passer penalties against Green Bay.
Keeping football a physical sport (14:51 to 17:14)
Emmanuel said the game has gone too soft, recalling his rookie season in 2010, when receivers running slants had to watch out for hits from James Harrison and Ryan Clark.
"You got to know what you signed up for," Emmanuel said. "This is a physical sport."
He said he understands protecting players, but the standard should be whether a player is intentionally trying to hurt someone. Otherwise, he said, penalties for effort plays can get in a defender's head and make him hold back on the next pass rush.
Chris said the overall standard of play, from quarterback play to some disorganized defenses, needs to improve across the league, and that the officiating has been out of control before the season even reaches the midway point. He wants games decided by the players, not the refs.
Wrap-up (17:14 to 17:35)
The hosts remind viewers to like, follow and subscribe, with more content from The Matchup, brought to you by bet365, dropping all week.
NFL Week 7 key takeaways from Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders
The Seahawks held the Chiefs to three points by game-planning for Kenneth Walker III and stopping the run with four defensive linemen.
The Falcons upset the 49ers at home behind Michael Penix Jr. and a turnover-forcing game from Jessie Bates, while San Francisco played without several receivers.
The Bengals scored five straight second-half touchdowns against the Ravens, with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combining for 11 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns.
Chris Harris Jr. dropped rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane from his top 10 defensive backs after he gave up a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who stays No. 1 on Emmanuel Sanders' receiver list.
Both hosts criticized the officiating in Lions vs. Packers, including a flag thrown by a referee who had been knocked to the ground.
How did the Seahawks hold the Chiefs to 3 points in Week 7?
Chris Harris Jr. said Seattle had a great game plan for Kenneth Walker III, kept the edges contained and stopped the run with four defensive linemen, leaving Patrick Mahomes without enough weapons to carry the offense.
Why did the Falcons beat the 49ers?
Chris Harris Jr. said Atlanta came out with energy at home behind Michael Penix Jr., while Jessie Bates forced turnovers. Emmanuel Sanders added that the 49ers were banged up at receiver.
What did Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders say about the refs in Lions vs. Packers?
Both said the officiating was bad overall. Chris said the defender who knocked the referee down did nothing illegal, and Emmanuel questioned an intentional grounding call and two roughing the passer penalties against Green Bay.
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