After the Arizona Cardinals put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the sword in Week 6 behind the experienced legs of Adrian Peterson, coach Bruce Arians expressed his enjoyment in coaching “old guys.”
Just a week later, and Arians may be pining for some more of the exuberance of youth on his roster after the Cardinals’ season was effectively left in tatters courtesy of a crushing 33-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, led by the youngest head coach in NFL history in 31-year-old Sean McVay, at Twickenham.
In the midst of one of his best performances of the season, Flacco was hit high by Alonso while sliding at the end of an impromptu run. Flacco’s helmet flew off his head, and the 10-year quarterback appeared wobbly as he struggled to his feet.
Alonso was flagged for unnecessary roughness, providing Baltimore with a first down that ultimately turned into a touchdown.
Flacco was initially placed in concussion protocol, and by halftime was ruled out.
Impact: The respect earned during nine stellar seasons in Philadelphia was reflected by the “Jason Peters” chants echoing throughout Lincoln Financial Field as he was carted away following the injury. The Eagles appear likely to give Halapoulivaati Vaitai a shot at left tackle with the luxury of knowing Lane Johnson could switch from right tackle if needed.
Which brings us to the Saints, who have won four in a row — their longest winning streak since they started the 2013 season 5-0 — in an NFC South in which every other team has lost at least two in a row. The Falcons and Bucs are reeling (more on them in a minute), and the Panthers are in a mini-slump. The Saints, who have finished 7-9 three seasons in a row and seemed as if they were done being a factor in playoff races for the remainder of Drew Brees’ and Sean Payton’s time there, are flexing a kind of defensive muscle we don’t usually associate with them.