Cardinals
Cardinals rookie OLB Myjai Sanders is starting to gain confidence after making a pair of key plays against the Rams.
“Once I made those two plays, I was talking in my head, ‘It’s that time,‘” Sanders said, via the team’s website. “I finally get a chance to show that I can play on Sundays.”
Sanders has had to step up into the rotation after the team lost OLB Chandler Jones in free agency. The team is young at the position and Sanders is beginning to establish himself.
“It’s a learned technique,” DC Vance Joseph said. “Most guys come in, they are mostly speed rushers. This league, there aren’t many dominate speed rushers because tackles are so long and big and they just push you past. Pass rushing in this league, it’s a dirty job, it starts with speed to power. Young guys have a hard time understanding that. Pass rushing is a dark job, it’s a nasty job and it’s a learned technique. It starts by going through a man. And that’s tough.”
Sanders admitted that the game is starting to slow down for him and he’s staying in the film room taking as many mental reps as possible.
“I feel like I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like I’m getting way better at it,” Sanders said. “Watching film and the more I watch film the more the game slows down and when the game slows down, a lot of good things for me start to happen.”
Cardinals OLB Markus Golden knows the expectations that follow after posting high sack totals.
“My second year I ran off (12½), and then people expect it,” Golden said. “It’s a gift and a curse. You do it, people expect it, when you don’t do it, people are like, ‘He’s bad, he’s having a horrible season.’ That’s just how it is.”
Rams
- Rams HC Sean McVay said QB Matthew Stafford will meet with their team’s doctors on Friday as a potential “final step” to clear the league’s concussion protocol. (Sarah Barshop)
- McVay said G David Edwards (concussion) has been ruled out from Week 11 after suffering a setback. (Sarah Barshop)
Packers
Packers first-round WR Christian Watson admitted that his confidence took a hit “here and there” after committing some drops early on in the season but his teammates helped encourage him.
“I’d say here and there, but it’s a quick bounce back,” Watson said, via NFL.com. “Obviously, got a lot of guys rallying around me, a lot of guys building that confidence back up in me. It just comes down to a lot of self-talk, too, just leaning back on my preparation, leaning back on my work and just know that drops are going to happen, bad plays are going to happen. You’ve just got to make the most of the next opportunity.”
Watson wants to continue his ascent after recording three touchdowns in Week 10.
“Keep on chopping,” Watson said. “Obviously, got to stay on that incline, stay on that rise, just keep on building week to week.”
Packers HC Matt LaFleur said that Watson’s speed was apparent in Week 10’s win over the Cowboys.
“I think the one thing that you definitely saw, you could feel his speed out there,” LaFleur said. “And I think anytime that you have that element, it does change how maybe you’re viewed or how teams will play you. To get those big explosive plays was absolutely critical for us. We talk about it every week: You want to score points, get explosive plays, and he provided a huge spark for us.”
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