Archives 2025

Time: 7:15 PM EST; Monday, Dec 21

Spread: PIT -15

Total: 40

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 11-2 and in first place in the AFC North, leading the Cleveland Browns by two full games going into Sunday night’s Browns showdown against the Giants–and the Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals as 15-point favorites in Monday night football.

The over-under is set at 40 total points according to the latest odds at popular NFL oddsmakers 5dimes.

PIT

Pittsburgh won its first 11 games before dropping its last two to the Washington team two weeks ago and last week at a 15-26 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers will try to get back on track this week, but it is relying on better rushing. The Bengals give up 131.9 rushing yards per game, but Pittsburgh is the NFL’s fourth-worst rushing team at a mere 89.1 yards per game. The Steelers do manage a No. 16 ranked pass offense, and somehow the team ranks No. 12 in scoring at 26.8 points per game. That is more than enough considering it possesses the third-stingiest defense, allowing teams to put up just 18.2 per game this season. Overall, the result is a +8.6 point differential for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh relies almost too heavily on the talents of James Conner. Conner is the lead rusher at 155 attempts for 663 yards and five touchdowns, and he is also heavily used as a receiver, though he ranks just No. 6 in receiving yards with his 25 catches for 145 yards. Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all have better than 650 yards this season, and tight end Eric Ebron has been used heavily with 51 catches for 511 yards, four touchdowns, and 26 first downs.

The Steelers have averaged 9.5 yards per catch on 3,301 yards with 169 first downs. Comparatively, Pittsburgh manages just 3.7 yards-per-rush and has just 67 first downs via the rush this season. The attack is not that balanced, but to push out a No. 12 ranked scoring offense from that shows the execution has been good. The Steelers’ defense has been better.

It has not been the last two weeks, but NFL oddsmakers are still projecting a big win from Pittsburgh with the odds over two touchdowns in its favor.

CIN

The Cincinnati Bengals have lost five straight games to fall to 2-10-1 on the season, and it is in the last place in the AFC North. The Bengals began the season 0-2 before tying the Philadelphia Eagles, but little has gone well since that point. Cincinnati ranks No. 23 in passing yardage, No. 29 in rushing yardage, No. 29 in scoring and it has a defense that allows 26 points per game, leaving it with a -7.2 point differential. The Bengals starting quarterback is Joe Burrow, a player with the immense promise that has done fairly well in spite of the team’s struggles.

Burrow is completing 65.3 percent of his looks and has 13 touchdowns with five interceptions. More problematic are his 32 sacks for 231 lost yards, and the fact that he manages just 6.7 yards-per-completion. Burrow has rushed fairly well with a 3.8 yards-per-carry average and two touchdowns, and Joe Mixon has been consistent though mediocre. Mixon averages only 3.6 yards-per-carry and has appeared in just six games, but leads the team in yardage with 428 and leads it with 20 first downs.

Tyler Boyd has been a big-time as a receiver in the NFL, with 106 targetted passes for 78 receptions, 840 yards, four touchdowns, and 43 first downs. Tee Higgins trails him with 58 catches for 778 yards with five touchdowns and a tea-best 44 first downs. Bernard has come out of the backfield for 39 catches, 275 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bengals have the makings of a relatively decent offensive team, but the defense has been too bad for it to result in many victories. With some offseason tweaking and the addition of some defensive playmakers, this team could make a leap next season.

Time: 3:30 PM EST

Spread: NO -6.5

Total: N/A

Odds c/o 5dimes

The New Orleans Saints host the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day at 3:30 PM (EST) on FOX. The Saints s enter having lost its last two, and it is 6.5-point favorites on its home field. The over-under is not yet set according to the latest odds released by bookmaker 5dimes.

NO

The New Orleans Saints are 10-4 and in first place in the NFC South, but it must get back on track after losing back to back matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The Saints surrendered 32 points last week while managing just 29 itself, but ordinarily, its defense is a strength. The Saints are limiting teams to just 21.2 points per game this season, which ranks among the top-10 most stingy defenses. The offense ranks top-10 in scoring at 28.2 points per game, with a rush attack that ranks No. 7 in yardage at 131.8 yards per game.

The Saints have a bottom-third pass offense even with Drew Bree’s still being relatively consistent and great. Brees has 2,430 yards on 70.5 percent passing with 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has barely been sacked once per game (11 sacks in 10 games played) and his passer rating is an outstanding 107.4. Alvin Kamara is the key to the offense, though. The running back leads the team in rushing yardage at 777 yards this season with 10 touchdowns, and he also leads the team in receiving yards with 80 catches for 739 yards and five receiving touchdowns (which ranks No. 2 on the team behind Tight end Jared Cook).

Kamara leads the team in receiving first downs with 34 and he leads in rushing first downs with 49. Latavious Murray ranks No. 2 in carries (134), yardage (584), and No. 3 in touchdowns with four. Backup quarterback Taysom Hill has functioned mostly as a No.3 backfield option and is just shy of 400 yards with his six touchdowns and No.3 ranking 27 first downs. Hill has also caught six passes for 74 yards.

MIN

The Minnesota Vikings are just 6-8 and trail the Green Bay Packers by five games for the NFC first place spot. The Vikings trail No. 2 Chicago by just one game though, and Minnesota has lost its last two outings with Ls coming to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.

The Vikings possess the eighth-worst defense, which allows 27.7 points per game, while it has a middle of the pack offense generating 25.7 points, good for a differential of -2.0. The Vikings rank No. 5 in rushing yardage at 147.7 per game, but its pass attack lingers at No. 18 generating just 239.4 yards per contest.

Of course, it is largely by design that the team is this imbalanced between the rush and pass. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been successful throwing the ball, and he has completed 67.6 percent of his passes, but Cousins also tallies 5.7 yards-per-carry on his 27 rushing attempts, and both the lead running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison has experienced success with good consistency. Cook averages five yards-per-carry with 15 touchdowns and a team-best 87 first downs.

Mattison has a 4.5 yard-per-carry average and 339 yards on 75 carries. Ameer Abdullah has not seen a lot of touches but fared well in the mere seven he got. This backfield has the depth to continue to improve into the type that can remain a top rushing unit for many seasons to come.

Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are the top-2 receivers with 1,182 and 771 yards, respectively. Running back Dalvin Cook ranks No. 3 in yardage and tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr rank No.4 and No.5, respectively, as pass options for Cousins. With three non-wide receiver options in the top-5 pass targets on this team, it is at least a more unconventional pass attack when the Vikings are not making their bread and butter with the run.

Time: NOON EST, CBS

Spread: EVEN

Total: 43

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Miami Dolphins are 10-5 and in second place in the AFC East. It trails its opponent Buffalo by two games in the standings, and it visits the Bills at Noon (EST) Sunday in a game with EVEN odds. The total is set at 43 points according to NFL oddsmakers at 5dimes.

MIA

The Miami Dolphins enter as winners of its last two games, having defeated the New England Patriots 22-12 two weeks ago and knocking off the Las Vegas Raiders 26-25 last week. It needed a 44-yard field goal from Jason Sanders to take the lead and win with just a second on the clock. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 9 of 13 for 181 yards, while Tua Tagovailoa came in to complete 17 of 22 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Tagovailoa was sacked three times for 23 yards lost, and he had a Quarterback rating of just 63.5. The Dolphins got 87 rushing yards from Myles Gaskin, and he led the team in receiving yards as well with 82 on five catches, along with two receiving touchdowns.

Miami ranks No. 15 in scoring at 25.2 points per game despite possessing the No. 25 ranked pass offense and the No. 22 rush attack. The Dolphins largely are efficient, take care of the football, and have the league’s premier defense, limiting opponents to just 18.8 points per game.

Gaskin has become the team’s most versatile offensive weapon. He caught more passes last week than the previous entire season (5 vs. 4) and he has 564 rushing yards at a 4.2 yard-per-carry average. Fitzpatrick leads the team in yards-per-attempts at 5.0. The Dolphins have a 4.0 yards-per-carry team average and 13 touchdowns via the rush. DaVante Parker leads the team receptions (56), yardage (677), and ranks No. 2 in touchdowns with four (Mike Gesicki has six).

BUF

The Buffalo Bills are 6-1 at home where it faces the Dolphins this week. The Bills have won five straight games with victories over the Chargers, 49ers, Steelers, Broncos, and Patriots. Buffalo ranks No. 6 in scoring at 29.7 points per game, with its passing attack ranked No. 2 at 282.9 yards per game. Credit much of that improvement to the great season by Josh Allen.

Allen has completed 4,320 yards at a 69 percent clip with 34 touchdowns to just nine picks. His passer rating is an outstanding 106.4. Allen has also been a rush threat. He has carried the ball 100 times for 418 yards and a team-best eight touchdowns. Devin Singletary leads in rush attempts (153), yardage (680) but ranks No. 3 in TD rushes with just two. Zack Moss has four touchdown carries and the team’s best yard-per-carry average at 4.3.

Allen’s premier targets have been Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and Gabriel Davis. Diggs leads the team in receptions (120), yardage (1459), and touchdowns (8). The Bills have 36 receiving touchdowns on the season and have seven players possessing two or more TD passes. Dawson Knox and Tyler Kroft each have three touchdowns and have combined for 46 catches from the tight end position.

ATS Trends:

Time: NOON EST, CBS

Spread: BAL 14.5

Total: 44

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Baltimore Ravens are 10-5 and in second place in the AFC North. It trails the Pittsburgh Steelers by two games. The Ravens travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals as 14.5-point favorites at noon on CBS. The over-under is set at 44 points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.

BAL

The Baltimore Ravens possess the NFL’s No. 1 ranked rush offense, generating 177.8 yards per game via the rush. It ranks near the bottom in passing yardage at just 174.5, but the Ravens overall possess the 8th most potent offense, generating 28.7 points per game while holding opponents to just 20.0 per. The Ravens have a +8.7 point differential.

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has been transcendent. He has 2,644 passing yards, but he has really wrecked havoc rushing the ball. Jackson averages over six yards-per-carry with 908 yards on a team-high 148 carries with seven touchdowns. Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins both average better than five per, and that tandem has contributed 13 rushing touchdowns. Even Robert Griffin III has seen great rushing usage with 5.8 yards per carry on his lone 12 attempts.

The top passing targets have been wide receiver Marquise Brown and tight end Mark Andrews. Brown leads in yardage (728) and targeted passes (92) but Andrew has more receptions (54) and leads the team in touchdowns with seven, while Brown has six. Willie Snead IV functions as the third receiver with 33 catches for 432 yards and three touchdowns.

Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker has hit 25 of 28 field goals, and two of his three misses have come from beyond midfield.

Trends:

Ravens are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.

CIN

The Cincinnati Bengals have won its last two to improve to 4-10-1, and it is in the last place in the AFC North. The Bengals began the season 0-2 before tying the Philadelphia Eagles, but little has gone well since that point. Cincinnati ranks No. 23 in passing yardage, No. 25 in rushing yardage, No. 26 in scoring and it has a defense that allows nearly 26 points per game, leaving it with a -5.2 point differential. The Bengals starting quarterback is Joe Burrow, a player with the immense promise that has done fairly well in spite of the team’s struggles.

Burrow is completing 65.3 percent of his looks and has 13 touchdowns with five interceptions. More problematic are his 32 sacks for 231 lost yards, and the fact that he manages just 6.7 yards-per-completion. Burrow has rushed fairly well with a 3.8 yards-per-carry average and two touchdowns, and Joe Mixon has been consistent though mediocre. Mixon averages only 3.6 yards-per-carry and has appeared in just six games, but leads the team in yardage with 428 and leads it with 20 first downs.

Tyler Boyd has been a big-time as a receiver in the NFL, with 106 targetted passes for 78 receptions, 840 yards, four touchdowns, and 43 first downs. Tee Higgins trails him with 58 catches for 778 yards with five touchdowns and a tea-best 44 first downs. Bernard has come out of the backfield for 39 catches, 275 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bengals have the makings of a relatively decent offensive team, but the defense has been too bad for it to result in many victories. With some offseason tweaking and the addition of some defensive playmakers, this team could make a leap next season.

Trends

Time: NOON EST, CBS

Spread: CLE -10.5

Total: 43.5

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Cleveland Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers as 10.5-point favorites in NFL action noon Sunday on CBS. The betting total is set at 43.5 total points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.

CLE

Cleveland had won four straight leading into last week’s 42-47 loss to the Baltimore Ravens three weeks ago. It had held three opponents of its last four under 25 points leading to surrendering 35 two weeks ago in a 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans, but the 47 points to Baltimore did prove unsurmountable for Cleveland. Lamar Jackson had a brilliant game in the loss, throwing 11 of 17 for 163 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing just nine times but gaining 124 yards and two rushing touchdowns, as well as a long rush of 44-yards. JK Dobbins rushed 13 times for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Gus Edwards added 49 yards on just seven carries. Mark Andrews had a big receiving game with 78 yards on his five catches, while Marquise Brown added a 44-yard catch and another with a touchdown on his six targeted passes.

The Ravens’ defense surrendered 355 passing yards and 138 on the ground, as the Baltimore Ravens were outgunned by a count of 385 to 493. The Browns were pleased with Baker Mayfield’s 28 of 47 passing and he had two touchdowns with one pick.

Mayfield dodged all sacks, and he rushed five times for 23 yards including a rushing touchdown. Nick Chubb had two rushing touchdowns and Kareem Hunt had another on his six carries for 33 yards. Hunt caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Rashard Higgins added the other touchdown on his six catches for 68 yards. Cleveland fell to 5-2 at home in the loss.

The Browns are still five games above .500, and Mayfield has been mostly a huge positive with 232.9 yards per game on 62.7 percent passing, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He has been sacked 22 times in 13 games and his passer rating is an outstanding 95.9. He has suffered five sacks in the last two games.

Chubb has been great in the backfield and is averaging an exceptional 5.4 yards-per-carry on his 176 attempts with nine touchdowns and 52 first downs. Hunt has rushed for 4.3 per-carry on 188 attempts, a team-high, to go with six touchdowns and 44 first downs. Mayfield has done fairly decent, but he manages just 2.5 yards-per-carry on 48 attempts with one rushing touchdown. He can definitely work on extending his yardage as an area of focus for the remainder of this season.

Jarvis Landry has thrived in Cleveland, leading the team with 67 receptions for 789 yards and 3 touchdowns, along with a team-best 43 first downs. Rashard Higgins has 544 yards, while Odell Beckham Jr. has played just seven games this season and ranks No. 3 in yardage. Tight end Austin Hooper has contributed 42 catches for 398 yards, three touchdowns, and 23 first downs.

PIT

Pittsburgh won its first 11 games before dropping its last two to the Washington team two weeks ago and last week at a 15-26 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers will try to get back on track this week, but it is relying on better rushing. The Bengals give up 131.9 rushing yards per game, but Pittsburgh is the NFL’s fourth-worst rushing team at a mere 89.1 yards per game. The Steelers do manage a No. 16 ranked pass offense, and somehow the team ranks No. 12 in scoring at 26.3 points per game. That is more than enough considering it possesses the third-stingiest defense, allowing teams to put up just 19.2 per game this season. Overall, the result is a +7.1 point differential for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh relies almost too heavily on the talents of James Conner. Conner is the lead rusher at 160 attempts for 684 yards and six touchdowns, and he is also heavily used as a receiver, though he ranks just No. 6 in receiving yards with his 30 catches for 190 yards. Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all have better than 750 yards this season, and tight end Eric Ebron has been used heavily with 57 catches for 772 yards, eight touchdowns, and 36 first downs.

The Steelers have averaged 9.5 yards per catch on 3,812 yards with 193 first downs. Comparatively, Pittsburgh manages just 3.6 yards-per-rush and has just 76 first downs via the rush this season. The attack is not that balanced, but to push out a No. 12 ranked scoring offense from that shows the execution has been good. The Steelers’ defense has been better.

It has not been the last two weeks, but NFL oddsmakers are still projecting a big win from the Cleveland Browns in this matchup.

Time: NOON EST, FOX

Spread: MIN -4

Total: 54

Odds c/o 5dimes

MIN News & Notes:

The Minnesota Vikings are just 6-9 and trail the Green Bay Packers by six games for the NFC first place spot. The Vikings trail No. 2 Chicago by just 2 games though, and Minnesota has lost its last two outings with Ls coming to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.

The Vikings possess the fifth-worst defense, which allows 29.3 points per game, while it has a middle of the pack offense generating 26.2 points, good for a differential of -3.1 The Vikings rank No. 6 in rushing yardage at 143.9 per game, but its pass attack lingers at No. 18 generating just 241.7 yards per contest.

Of course, it is largely by design that the team is this imbalanced between the rush and pass. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been successful throwing the ball, and he has completed 67.6 percent of his passes, but Cousins also tallies 5.7 yards-per-carry on his 27 rushing attempts, and both the lead running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison has experienced success with good consistency. Cook averages five yards-per-carry with 16 touchdowns and a team-best 91 first downs.

Mattison has a 4.5 yard-per-carry average and 339 yards on 76 carries. Ameer Abdullah has not seen a lot of touches but fared well in the mere seven he got. This backfield has the depth to continue to improve into the type that can remain a top rushing unit for many seasons to come.

Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are the top-2 receivers with 1,267 and 868 yards, respectively. Running back Dalvin Cook ranks No. 3 in yardage and tight end Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr rank No.4 and No.5, respectively, as pass options for Cousins. With three non-wide receiver options in the top-5 pass targets on this team, it is at least a more unconventional pass attack when the Vikings are not making their bread and butter with the run.

DET News & Notes:

Well, one certain thing about this matchup between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, is that one of them will end a losing streak. The Lions have lost its last two games and four of its last five, overall. What perhaps is more disconcerting, is that the Lions have not been close in any of those losses. The lone victory was over Washington. Things are hardly rosy, and that all comes after a respectable enough 3-3 start.

The Lions rank No. 11 in passing yards with 254.4 per game, but its rush lingers as one of the worst, ranking No. 30 and managing just 91.3 yards per contest. Overall, it does not stack up well either: The Lions score just 22.8 per game, while its defense surrenders over 32. It all adds up to a -8.3 point differential, which is befitting of its 5-10 record, anyway.

Matthew Stafford has continued to be a good quarterback, but his lack of success certainly caps him from being “Great.” Stafford has 3,791 yards at a 64 percent clip, but he has eight interceptions and 37 sacks (2.5 per game) for a total loss of 249 yards. His passer rating of 95.2 is decent. Overall, it is just not enough, not with the backfield producing so little.

Veteran running back Adrian Peterson seems to have hit the wall of his career, managing just 3.6 yards-per-carry on his team-high 149 attempts. No. 2 back D’Andre Swift has been more productive, but he has just 102 carries to Peterson’s massive load. Swift tallies 4.6 yards-per-carry and he has a team-best seven touchdowns. Stafford has been decent, with a 3.8 yard-per-carry average; but he has no touchdowns. There are certainly some bright spots in Detroit, but they are the same bright spots that have dotted this team’s continued mediocrity.

Time: NOON EST, CBS

Spread: NE -3

Total: 40

Odds c/o 5dimes

The New England Patriots are three games under .500 but find themselves 3-point favorites in Week 17 against the New York Jets. The over-under is set at 40 total points according to NFL oddsmakers at 5dimes. The game will air on CBS and CBS affiliates at Noon (EST) Sunday.

NYJ

The New York Jets are 2-13 and have won its last two games. Obviously, little has gone well for it in this 2020 season, and it ranks near the bottom in all major statistical categories. The Jets are No. 32 in passing yardage, No. 23 in rushing, and have the No. 32 ranked offense generating just 15.3 points per game. It gives up nearly twice as many, with the third-worst defense, surrendering 28.6 points per game and possessing a differential of -13.3 points.

The Jets do not really have many silver linings. Sam Darnold has struggled mightily, evidenced by his 67.2 passer rating. He has thrown just 58 percent for completion, averages under six -yards-per-completion, and has thrown nine picks to just five touchdowns. Beyond that, he has been sacked over three times per game, and he has lost 164 yards on those plays. Darnold somehow averages 7.5 yards-per-attempt rushing, but he has attempted just 23 carries this season.

Last week against the Browns, Darnold completed 16 of 32 for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Frank Gore led the rush attack with 48 yards on 14 attempts while Darnold picked up 20 yards on his seven attempts. Jamison Crowder led receivers with seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. The Jets managed three receiving touchdowns in the 23-16 victory.

Lead running back Frank Gore is under four yards-per-carry, as are all other major options except Ty Johnson whose 5.5 yards-per-carry trail only Darnold. Four receivers tally 256 yards or more, and the top three all average 12 yards-per-catch or better, but the Jets really have a lot of work to do on both ends of the football and are about to fall to 0-13 it seems with Seattle being favored by 2-plus touchdowns. While there is certainly some talent on the roster, it does not fit together that well and the offensive line has been weak the entire season.

It is a recipe for “poor football,” and the Jets really need to add a lot of talent and playmakers to both ends of the football. Overall, it is facing a contending team and indisputably the worst team in football, so combining those two factors makes this game quite unlikely to be close, but the Jets are just 3-point dogs so oddsmakers have faith the Jets can continue to play to its recent level of improvement.

NE news:

The Patriots enter at just 6-9. New England has lost three straight, falling to the LA Rams, Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. The Pats surrendered 84 points while managing to score just 24 itself over that span.

The pass offense has suffered due partly to injury.  Even so, the Patriots are the third-worst pass offense even healthy. It manages just 176 yards from passing, which is fairly unlike New England. Meanwhile, the Patriots are a dangerous team on the ground, at least, ranking No. 5 in the NFL, but it just is not enough to produce a healthy offense, as the Patriots average just 19.9 Points per game (While Surrendering 2.7 more per game).

Newton, thus far, has been something of a mixed bag. Then again, he was just that in Carolina before coming to fill Tom Brady’s shoes, and Patriots fans cannot help but mourn the loss of Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because the writing is very much on the wall that the Patriots dynasty has at long last come to its end.

Newton has thrown 65l4 percent for completion, but that is where the good stats end. Over list last three starts, he has thrown under 20 passes in two of them. The big problem for Newton has been his picks. He has thrown 10 already while it is also astounding the Patriots have just five passing touchdowns. To say Newton has done little else would be quite wrong. He is No. 2 on the Pats in rushing yards with 513 and has nine rushing touchdowns to his credit, as well as 50 first downs. Both those marks lead the team.

Newton threw just 5 of 10 for completion last week with 34 yards. The Patriots lost 9-38 to the Bills, as Jared Stidham threw 4 of 11 for 44 yards. The Patriots allowed three sacks for 22 lost yards. Newton rushed four times for 24 yards and a touchdown.

There has been a major shakeup in the receiver hierarchy this season, too. Damiere Byrd and Jakobi Meyers emerged as the top-2 weapons, while Damien Harris and Sony Mitchel have missed time due to injury and been non-factors this season. Between them, they have missed half the appearances this season, with Mitchel also being a missed rushing threat having seen just 26 attempts but also leading the team in yards-per-carry (6.7).

The Patriots have a 4.6 yard-per-carry average as a team this season, and rushing the ball has been the motor behind the offense. It just cannot be the sole ticket. Without Edleman available, the Patriots turned to its backfield likely to pick up the missing plays.

Two of the top three receivers (after Edleman) are running backs, in N’Keal Harry and James White. Damiere Byrd is the top remaining receiver left, but he has barely mattered. Change happens, it seems, after all.