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What separates Ja’Marr Chase from Trevor Lawrence?

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When it comes to the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year race, things change fast. A month ago, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the NFL betting favorite at +350, according to Sports Betting Dime, while Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase was a distant seventh at 20-to-1.

Three revealing weeks later, Chase is second on the board — and rising. The emerging star is up to +440, behind only New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (+425). Lawrence, meanwhile, has slipped into a tie for fourth and +950 — falling even behind a guy (Trey Lance) who has been on the field for all of seven professional snaps.

Chase rising in Offensive Rookie of the Year race

Lawrence — who ranks in the bottom four among qualifying quarterbacks in completion percentage (54.2), yards per attempt (5.7), passer rating (60.3), and QBR (23.1) — will try to right the ship on national TV Thursday night when his Jaguars visit Chase and the Bengals.

But Chase doesn’t make a habit of letting others catch him from behind. And our sense is he’ll only broaden his lead over the field in the weeks to come.

After a rocky preseason, Chase has been every bit the player the Bengals thought they selected with the NFL Draft’s fifth overall pick. He has 53 more receiving yards than fellow rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle (the draft’s sixth pick) on half the catches. He has twice as many touchdown receptions as Waddle, Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, and Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith combined.

And that might not change much because he also has the best quarterback of that foursome.

Growing pains for Waddle, Pitts, Smith

Waddle has become a glorified running back in Miami, averaging just 3.8 air yards per target — third-lowest among qualifying receivers and an embarrassing figure for a guy with sub-4.4 speed. Expect more of the same with checkdown specialist Jacoby Brissett starting in place of Tua Tagovailoa for at least the next two games.

Pitts in Atlanta is suffering from Matt Ryan’s decline. Ryan is completing 70.9% of his passes, but that is predominantly a function of his depth of targets. His 3.2 completed air yards average is the worst in the league.

Jalen Hurts has been OK in his first year as Philadelphia’s starter, but empty stats inflated his numbers in a blowout loss to the Cowboys. Our guess is the Eagles are closely looking to add a first-round quarterback in 2022 to pair with their first-round wide receiver.

Chase, meanwhile, has benefitted from an ascending and familiar quarterback (Joe Burrow) and an aggressive route tree. He has 11 catches for 220 and 4 touchdowns on just 16 targets. Just think how much bigger those numbers will be when the Bengals really start throwing the ball. Burrow — also Chase’s quarterback at LSU — threw the ball just 18 times in Cincinnati’s Week 3 win over Pittsburgh.

“The relationship between quarterback and receiver has a lot to do with experience and accumulated reps and we’ve got hundreds if not thousands of accumulated reps together over three years, so I know exactly how he’s going to run routes and the speed with which he’s going to come out of his breaks and the speed with which he’s going to run by people,” Burrow said.

Will Chase outshine Lawrence on Thursday night?

Chase has managed to put up huge numbers with his size, not his speed. His average separation (2.1 yards per target) is middle of the pack. And yet he’s sixth in average depth of target (16.4 yards) — a sign Burrow is confident throwing to the rookie even when covered.

Expect to see plenty of that on Thursday Night Football against Jacksonville’s underwhelming secondary. The Jaguars have forced just a single turnover and have allowed opposing passers to complete 74.3% of their attempts.

National games carry the most weight when it comes to end-of-season awards. They provide voters a chance to see teams they otherwise wouldn’t. A big night for Chase Thursday night wouldn’t clinch OROY — there’s way too much football left to play — but it could move him atop the power rankings as the calendar turns to October.

“He’s a really strong runner, so when he gets contacted by corners at the top of his route, he really doesn’t lose any speed,” Burrow said. “When a lot of guys would get pushed to the sideline or knocked off their route, he just runs by him through the contact. That’s really what makes him special.”



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Taylor Swift Is Shown Chugging a Beer on the Jumbotron at Super Bowl 58

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Global superstar Taylor Swift made it to the big game to support her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce. In the second quarter, it was evident that she was having a good time at the Super Bowl after taking a 12-hour flight from Tokyo the night prior.

Taylor Swift Seen Chugging Beer at Super Bowl

Swift’s attendance has been highly anticipated, as many fans questioned whether she would be able to make it to the big game since she had been in Japan until Saturday for her Eras Tour.

Sure enough, she made it to the Super Bowl and was seen making a grand entrance alongside Blake Lively and Ice Spice.

Swift made it back to the States with plenty of time to make it to Allegiant Stadium to support Kelce. After a leg of her Eras Tour, where she performed several nights in Japan, the singer appeared to let loose.

In a box full of friends, Swift was shown chugging a beer with Ashley Avignone. She was shown on the jumbotron and slammed her cup down after she finished her beer.

There was a mix of cheers and boos as Swift was shown on the big screen, and a long pass to Mecole Hardman was the only highlight of the first half for Swift and her friends. The 49ers led the Chiefs, 10-0, late in the second quarter.

On social media, Swift garnered plenty of support from NFL fans.

If you’re hating on her you can kick rocks man she’s the best,” one user posted on X

“The one thing I learned this season is that she is actually fun,” another said. 

“Booing Taylor Swift chugging a beer is so soft. She’s just one of us now and I respect it ,” another posted. 

At the time of the beer chugging, Kelce, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, has had one catch for a single yard. It came on the first possession, which ended up being a three-and-out. The Kansas City Chiefs hadn’t done much otherwise.

They did have a deep pass play to Hardman, which put them in the red zone, but Isiah Pacheco fumbled on the very next play — one that Kelce was surprisingly on the sideline for.

Swift and Kelce have garnered much media attention as their romance has taken off throughout this NFL season.

Swift was able to support her boyfriend at many of his games throughout the final stretch of the season, as her Eras Tour was on a break. But starting on Feb. 7, she went back on the road.

MORE: NFL World Reacts to Unbelievable Super Bowl Trick Play

Despite performing in Tokyo the night before the Super Bowl, she was able to make it in time to support her boyfriend due to the time difference and is having a good time doing so.

As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Fantasy Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.  Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Fantasy Podcast on our Fantasy YouTube channel.





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What Happened to the 49ers Linebacker?

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The San Francisco 49ers sustained a massive blow during the second quarter of Super Bowl 58, as linebacker Dre Greenlaw left the game on a medical cart.

CBS Sports confirmed that the veteran Greenlaw suffered an Achilles tear, ruling him out for the rest of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

What Happened to Dre Greenlaw?

The outside linebacker, who had already been battling past injuries to his hamstrings and calves, left with what appeared to be a leg injury.

And somehow, his left leg looked like it buckled as he tried to trot onto the field with the Niners’ defense.

Greenlaw clutched his left leg in agony before being helped off the field.

CBS Sports sideline reporter Evan Washburn reported that the outside linebacker left with what was ruled as a lower leg injury. He was later determined to sustain an Achilles injury.

Greenlaw was declared out for the rest of the game.

Greenlaw Carted Off in Passenger Seat

Even more noticeable was where Greenlaw sat on the cart.

He ended up leaving not in the back of the medical vehicle but ended up riding shotgun with his leg injury.

One would think that with an injury like an Achilles ailment, medical officials would try to make the player as comfortable as possible before they leave. It wasn’t the case here.

MORE: San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart

Regardless, Greenlaw was replaced by Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles for the rest of the first half. Greenlaw became the most significant injury of the game.

As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Fantasy Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.  Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Fantasy Podcast on our Fantasy YouTube channel.





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NFL World Reacts to Epic Super Bowl Intro From CBS

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Super Bowl 58 is here and it’s going to be exciting. The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are facing off in the final game of 2023.

CBS is broadcasting the game and the opening was nothing short of amazing. How is the NFL world reacting to the electric Super Bowl-opening video?

Epic CBS Super Bowl Intro Garners Reaction From NFL World

The video, which spanned four minutes and 19 seconds, featured players from both teams talking about the big game and what it means to them. It also featured their families talking about their journeys to this point.

“Amazing intro! Reminds me of my dad! Bravo on the intro!,” one NFL fan said on X (formerly known as Twitter)

Additionally, Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” played in the background, giving it a near-movie feel. “This was incredible.,” another person said on X. “And so, the @49ers and @Chiefs face that final curtain,” CBS Sports said.

The 49ers finished the regular season as the top seed in the NFC with a 12-5 record. After their first-round bye, they defeated both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to earn their trip to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. Both of their victories came in comeback fashion, including an NFC Championship-record 17-point comeback.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, had a more uphill battle. Entering the playoffs as the AFC’s third seed, they finished the regular season with an 11-6 record. In the playoffs, they defeated the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens to punch their ticket.

Super Bowl 58 is a re-match of Super Bowl 54 when the Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-24. The win was the first in Patrick Mahomes career, as he also won Super Bowl MVP. Four years later, the Chiefs have made three more and won another. For the 49ers, this is their first trip back to the big game since.

The game kicked off at 6:30 p.m. ET with the 49ers receiving the opening kick. In addition to being broadcast on CBS, the game is also being streamed on Paramount+.

As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Fantasy Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.  Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Fantasy Podcast on our Fantasy YouTube channel.





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