Turnovers are a pretty luck-dependent stat. It doesn’t matter how great your cornerbacks can cover opposing receivers or how hard your middle linebackers can hit. Most of the time, turnovers are nothing more than being in the right place at the right time or having a series of fortunate events fall into your lap. In 2021, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense benefitted massively from the number of turnovers they forced. The Cowboys led the league in both interceptions (26) and total turnovers (34). They were also tied for the NFL lead in turnover differential (+14). That’s great! Most of the time, teams near the top of the turnover differential leaderboards tend to see continued success from season to season. Whether it be because of a quarterback with an uncanny ability to take care of the football, or because of a suffocating defense with great ball awareness, teams that are high up the leaderboards tend to do well the following season. In 2020, the Titans led in that category. They were the AFC’s No. 1 seed last year. In 2019, it was the Patriots. They’re an exception, because, y’know, they lost someone kind of important the following season. In 2018, it was the Seahawks who were great in 2019, one of the best teams in the league, but unfortunately were in the same division as the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. You get the idea. This Cowboys team is different though, and I’m not saying this because of the loss of Amari Cooper and the injury to Michael Gallup. Those are minuscule losses in terms of turnover differential. The issue is that, unlike all those other teams, the Cowboys’ success came from turnovers. In 2021, Dallas led the league in EPA from turnovers at an astonishing -166.9908. That’s the ninth-most in the past 10 years, and it’s unsustainable. Over the past eight years, only six teams to rank in the top-3 for yearly EPA off turnovers wound up beating their total EPA/play the following year, and only four already had a negative defensive EPA/play to begin with. Of the 18 that got worse, only eight regressed by fewer than 0.05 points per play. Maybe the Cowboys could break that mold, but I wouldn’t bet against those odds. Basically, the Cowboys would have to rely on getting all those interceptions again in order to be as solid a defensive team as they were last year. Given the volatility of their cornerbacks, which has been well-documented, it’s hard to imagine a similar defensive EPA at all if their turnovers are halved, which is somewhat likely. Since 2017, there hasn’t been a single player to lead the NFL in interceptions and record more than half of their total the following year. The Chargers’ Casey Hayward was the last person to do so when he recorded seven interceptions in 2016 and then four in 2017, but none since, and that was still three INTs fewer than the previous year. Of course, the holes in the secondary could be patched up with an improved pass rush. While the Cowboys already have an effective pass rush, finishing fourth in pressure rate and seventh in hurry rate in 2021, they didn’t do much to improve in that department this offseason. Sure, they used a second-round pick on Mississippi edge Sam Williams, but he’s still behind Dorance Armstrong on the Cowboys’ depth chart, and I don’t see that changing in the near future. Basically, the Cowboys are bringing practically the same defensive unit to the field this year, and after a year of film on the team, it’s only natural to expect regression in the pass rush department now that Micah Parsons can be broken down in film rooms. That’s not me saying Parsons won’t be elite next year. That would be ridiculous, but we shouldn’t expect the same incredible numbers he put up in his rookie season. Not to mention, Randy Gregory is gone, and he posted an 84.4 pass rush grade from PFF last year. I know I’m not making a bold take by predicting that the Cowboys won’t be as good this year, so I’ll take it a step further. The Cowboys will not be anywhere as good as the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, and the Eagles will have the division wrapped up by Week 14. That’s my prediction, and I’m sticking to it. Relatedfootball linesnfl betscollege football betsnba sportsbooksmlb betting sitesbest nhl betting siteslatest ufc linesbetting soccer onlinebetting copa america
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Arsenal are interested in signing Callum Hudson-Odoi from London and Premier League rivals Chelsea in the summer of 2023, according to . The report has claimed that the Gunners are monitoring Hudson-Odoi, who is on loan at German club Bayer Levekusen at the moment.
Hudson-Odoi moved on loan to Bundesliga outfit Bayer from former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea in the summer of 2022. The 22-year-old winger is scheduled to return to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
So far this season, Hudson-Odoi has made six starts and five substitute appearances in the Bundesliga, providing one assist in the process. The winger has scored one goal in six UEFA Champions League games so far this campaign.
Bayer are ninth in the Bundesliga table …
Under the command of a newly appointed Premier League-winning manager in Claudio Ranieri, Watford hosted Liverpool at the Vicarage on Saturday lunchtime, and suffered a battering that was probably hard to endure for the onlookers on the stands.
Sadio Mane latched onto a beautiful pass from Mohamed Salah in the ninth minute and opened the scoring. Assisted by James Milner, Roberto Fimino found himself in the right time and place to add the second goal in the 37th, and made use of a lucky rebound in the 52nd for the third. Salah produced another piece of magic just two minutes later, and Firmino completed his hat-trick to set the final score at 0-5 in injury time.
Rampant Liverpool
Liverpool have obviously taken the challenge of proving their doubters wrong very seriousl…
Vinicius Junior has revealed Barcelona were interested in signing him but he opted to join bitter foes Real Madrid after being given just two days to make a decision.
The Brazil international officially arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in July 2018, a year after Madrid agreed a reported £38.7million deal with Flamengo.
He has yet to hit double figures for the club in terms of goals but was on target in March s huge 2-0 win over LaLiga title rivals Barcelona.
However, things could have been a lot different for Vinicius as the winger was offered the chance to join Barca in 2017.
I had proposals from Barca and Madrid and only had two days to choose, he said in Real Madrid TV documentary Campo de Estrellas .
Si, Es hoy! De lejos y de cerca ¡HALAMAD…
Manchester United ended a run of four straight defeats in all competitions as they drew 0-0 with Chelsea on Monday, alleviating a small amount of pressure on Louis van Gaal.
The United boss had urged his team to be brave for the visit of the champions and they began firmly on the front foot, with both Juan Mata and Anthony Martial striking the woodwork in the first half.
David de Gea made fine saves from John Terry and Pedro but the home side were in control for the majority of the opening hour against a Chelsea team lacking any real punch in attack without the suspended Diego Costa or the injured Loic Remy.
The game was more balanced in the second half, with Nemanja Matic wasting a glorious chance for Chelsea shortly after Ander Herrera almost broke the deadlock…
Sergio Aguero has provided a glowing endorsement for Argentina compatriot Julian Alvarez after his move to Manchester City.
That is the message from former City and England defender Joleon Lescott, who expects Alvarez to become a key figure for Pep Guardiola s side in the Premier League in the coming years.
Alvarez signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League champions from River Plate in a deal worth a reported £14million ($18.8m) back in January, before being loaned back to his former side.
The 22-year-old initially caught City s eye after 20 goals and 12 assists in 35 games in the Argentine Primera Division last year, with those 32 direct goal involvements at least six more than any other player in 2021.
He added another 11 goal…
According to Fabrizio Romano, Paris Saint-Germain and Georginio Wijnaldum have agreed to part ways this summer, with the club willing to sanction a loan for the 31-year-old midfielder. Both parties are now working on identifying potential destinations.
AS Roma are said to be strongly interested with head coach Jose Mourinho obviously familiar with Wijnaldum from their time in the Premier League, even though they ve never actually worked together.
The 86-cap Dutch international joined PSG in 2021 after five years at Liverpool, where he was one of the main pieces of Jurgen Klopp s revolution. In all competitions, he made a total of 237 appearances for the Merseysiders as Klopp reinvented him in a deeper role than the one he previously played at PSV Eindhoven and Newcastle…
Matias Suarez intends to leave Anderlecht at the end of the season in the wake of Tuesday s terrorist attacks in Brussels.
More than 30 people are thought to have died in three blasts in the Belgian capital, with the city s Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station targeted.
And Argentinian Suarez, who joined Anderlecht in July 2008, has decided he wants a move away from Stade Constant Vanden Stock.
I wasn t at home, I was on my way to training and heard about the attacks on the radio in the car. It was very scary, Suarez told Spanish television show El Chiringuito.
I tried to call my daughter to make sure she was okay and see if I had to go and look for her. Training was called off. It s frightening, particularly for my family.
After what …
Ajax have signed Calvin Bassey from Rangers for a fee of €23million (£19.6m) that could rise to €26.5m (£22.6m) with add-ons.
The 22-year-old defender is likely to be the replacement for Lisandro Martinez, who is close to sealing a move to Manchester United to be reunited with former boss Erik ten Hag.
Bassey has signed a five-year-deal at the Johan Cruyff Arena, and the Eredivisie champions confirmed he has already joined his new team-mates in Austria at their pre-season training camp.
Though born in Italy, Bassey is a Nigeria international, and became a regular at Rangers last season as he starred in their run to the Europa League final, dispatching the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Braga and RB Leipzig along the way.
From Glasgow to Amsterdam.
Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is refusing to offer any guarantees over the future of Franck Ribery.
The 35-year-old winger s contract expires at the end of the season and it is unclear whether he will be offered an extension.
Ribery has enjoyed huge success since joining the club from Marseille in 2007, most notably inspiring them to a treble of Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League wins in 2012-13, but injury problems have restricted his impact in recent seasons.
Rummenigge plans to hold talks with the player but admits he is unsure what the outcome will be.
We ve had some amazing years thanks to him. I have huge respect for Franck, he told Eurosport.
You have to be open and honest. At some point, we ll have a conversation with h…
Finishing off the job on Wednesday night across the capital, Chelsea booked their spot in the final of this year s Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory away at Tottenham.
Making the trip to north London sat in pole position after their 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge last week, Thomas Tuchel s side will have to wait to see who they will meet at Wembley as Liverpool and Arsenal meet for their rearranged first-leg on Thursday.
Dominating Spurs in both meetings and wrapping up a 3-0 aggregate victory over their local rivals, we have taken a look at the main talking points as Chelsea reached their third final under Tuchel since he arrived 12 months ago.
A Carabao Cup repeat for the Blues
Breezing their way to a 2-0 first-leg meeting against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge last w…