Another Abbreviated Lukas Review
Inside: NFL Week 13 Recap, Next Week's Schedule, and Best Articles of the Week
Happy Monday, everyone.
Another week without a deep dive. I do have some exciting news: next week’s Lukas Review will include an interview with a special guest. That is all I will say for now but look out for next week’s edition. I appreciate you all for sharing the newsletter:
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Table of Contents:
What I Watched Last Week
What I Am Watching This Week
What I am Reading
What I Watched Last Week
Some notes on quarterback performances from week 13:
Patrick Mahomes’ down season continues
Kyler Murray played admirably after returning from his ankle injury
Gardner Minshew II tore apart the Jets defense and opened the door for a genuine QB controversy
Taylor Heinicke is playing himself into the starting job for 2022 and beyond
Above, find the top-32 quarterbacks ranked by EPA per Play. I was most surprised about Teddy Bridgewater’s status amongst the top three quarterbacks in the league. Also, it is time for Russel Wilson and the Seahawks to part ways.
I have written in the past about the openness of this NFL season. The betting markets have summarized this situation well:
According to MGM’s odds, the Buccaneers are a +500 (5-to-1) favorite to win the Super Bowl; exactly a year ago, the Chiefs were a +275 (2.75-to-1) favorite. The top three teams’ average odds of +633 to lift the Lombardi Trophy are far higher than in previous seasons. Conversely, this season has opened the door for lower-seeded contenders.
The absence of a heavily favorite should lead to compelling Wild Card and Divisional round playoff matchups.
I wanted to write about the Carolina Panthers to wrap up the NFL section. They fired Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady over their bye week. While his termination was surprising, he is not solely responsible for the team’s ranking of 29th in Offensive DVOA.1 The Panthers’ offseason upgrade from Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold deserves more casualties than Joe Brady.
As a side note, the graphic illustrates how indispensable Christian McCaffrey is to their offense.
What I’m Watching This Week
Monday
Patriots vs Bills at 8:15 PM on ESPN
Tuesday
RB Leipzig vs Man City at 12:45 PM on Paramount +
PSG vs Club Brugge at 12:45 PM on Paramount +
FC Porto vs Atletico Madrid at 3:00 PM on Paramount +
Milan vs Liverpool at 3:00 PM on Paramount +
Real Madrid vs Inter at 3:00 PM on Paramount +
Nets vs Mavericks at 7:30 PM on TNT
Celtics vs Lakers at 10:00 PM on TNT
Wednesday
Bayern Munich vs Barcelona at 3:00 PM on Paramount +
Man United vs Young Boys at 3:00 PM on Paramount +
Atalanta vs Villareal at 3:00 PM on Paramount +
Bucks vs Heats at 7:30 PM on ESPN
Thursday
Napoli vs Leicester City at 12:45 PM on Paramount +
Jazz vs 76ers at 7:30 PM on NBA TV
Steelers vs Vikings at 8:20 PM on FOX
Friday
Nets vs Hawks at 7:30 PM on ESPN
Celtics vs Suns at 10:00 PM on ESPN
Saturday
Man City vs Wolves at 7:30 AM on Peacock
Liverpool vs Aston Villa at 10:00 AM on Peacock
Chelsea vs Leeds at 10:00 AM on NBCSN
Norwich vs Man United at 12:30 PM on NBCSN
NYCFC vs Portland Timbers at 3:00 PM on FS1
Army vs Navy at 3:00 PM on CBS
Sunday
Cowboys vs Football Team at 1:00 PM on FOX **
Falcons vs Panthers at 1:00 PM on FOX **
Raiders vs Chiefs at 1:00 PM on CBS **
Ravens vs Browns at 1:00 PM on CBS **
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid at 3:00 PM on ESPN+
49ers vs Bengals at 4:25 PM on CBS **
Bills vs Buccaneers at 4:25 PM on CBS **
Bears vs Packers at 8:20 PM on NBC
** = Check Local Listings
All times EST
What I’m Reading
Sports
Kayvon Thibodeaux or Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1? Dane Brugler’s 2022 NFL mock draft, version 1.0 **
How the Buccaneers protect duo, their bread-and-butter run play **
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers agree to 10-year, $325 million deal: The Athletic’s MLB writers weigh in *
Messi wins Ballon d’Or but data doesn’t forget – Lewandowski was robbed ***
Rangnick’s Manchester United: Who could be the winners and losers? *
Of Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray and Marcus Stroman, which free-agent starter is the best long-term bet? **
Max Scherzer and Corey Seager are gone. Now what for the Dodgers? *
Mbappe, Dybala, Pogba: Why are so many stars out of contract next summer? *
Sports on TV: Michigan-Ohio State shatters 2021 viewership mark, nearly tops NFL **
Does Major League Baseball need an offseason transaction deadline? *
Analysed: Man United and Fred vs Palace, Chelsea’s underlying numbers and Silva’s impact for City *
Person: Panthers fire Joe Brady, but the next guy to go will be Matt Rhule *
What might a long-term Juan Soto extension with the Nationals look like? *
What on Earth is up with Arsenal? **
Business
Twitter Has a New CEO; What About a New Business Model? ***
Macau casinos gamble on relations with Beijing **
China to Close Loophole Used by Tech Firms for Foreign IPOs *
The Numbers Behind A Billion-Dollar Event Ticketing Business *
The Amazon Empire Strikes Back **
What is Waystar Royco’s true valuation? *
*** Must Read
** Very Good
* Recommended
https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/nfl/team-offense/2021