Curious calls by Sean Payton, Jon Gruden highlight Week 16
Let’s start with:PAYTON’S PLANOn Christmas night, Saints running back Alvin Kamara tied a 91-year-old NFL record by rushing for six touchdowns in a 52-33 wipeout of the Minnesota Vikings. “I was thinking about our best play there,” Payton explained afterward. Payton wasn’t talking about Nevers’ record six TD runs. “A lot of these players — I’d say most of these players — have no idea how good Gale Sayers was,” said Payton. “It was a great moment.”Brees said Payton mentioned Sayers’ mark before the Saints’ last touchdown drive.
Dolphins stun Raiders 26-25 to move step closer to playoffs
during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. Fitzpatrick's desperation heave to Mack Hollins set up Jason Sanders’ 44-yard field goal as the Dolphins drove the field in the final 19 seconds to move one step closer to a playoff berth with an improbable 26-25 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night. The move to play for the field goal backfired as the Raiders lost on a kick instead. My head was getting ripped off.”The penalty moved the ball down to the Las Vegas 26, setting up Sanders’ winning kick. Las Vegas then ran out most of the clock but not enough.
Raiders fire defensive coordinator Paul Guenther
The Las Vegas Raiders fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther after he failed to make any significant improvement for the unit in nearly three full seasons on the job. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will take over on an interim basis for the rest of the season. Marinelli has previously served as a head coach in Detroit and defensive coordinator in Chicago and Dallas. He has long ties to Gruden, having served as his defensive line coach for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 and then rejoining Gruden this season on the Raiders. We got a chance to win all three and see what happens at the end,” defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins said before the announcement.
Derek Carr adds running threat for Raiders this season
In Gruden’s first stint with the team, Rich Gannon had great success as a scrambler, ranking fourth among all quarterbacks from 1999-2001 with 1,058 yards rushing. He also lowered his shoulder and took a big hit fighting for extra yards on another run. “I feel like as a football fan, whenever the quarterback does that kind of stuff, it pumps the whole sideline up,” Carr said. And Carr has made the most of his runs, turning them into nine first downs — including eight in his past four games. He believes that threat will open up more opportunities for big plays throwing off scrambles if defenses start playing him to run.
Vikings RB Cook up vs. Packers, who keep LT Bakhtiari out
(AP Photo/John Froschauer)Dalvin Cook is back for the Minnesota Vikings from a one-game absence, his injured groin cleared to play in Green Bay. Packers: QB Jordan Love, CB Kevin King, S Raven Greene, RB Aaron Jones, LB Randy Ramsey, OT David Bakhtiari, DL Billy Winn. ___LOS ANGELES RAMS AT MIAMIRams: RB Raymond Calais, OL Brian Allen, WR Trishton Jackson, TE Brycen Hopkins, DL A’Shawn Robinson. Dolphins: RB/WR Lynn Bowden Jr., RB Salvon Ahmed, FB Chandler Cox, CB Jamal Perry, RB Jordan Howard, DE Jason Strowbridge. Bengals: K Austin Seibert, WR John Ross III, RB Joe Mixon, OG Michael Jordan, C Trey Hopkins, OT Bobby Hart, OT Jonah Williams.