STEELERS & RAVENS - AFC NORTH BRAWL

 

History has shown us that whenever the Baltimore Ravens play the Pittsburgh Steelers this matchup is always classified as a brutal, battering, defensive beatdown for both teams.  Over the years a lot may’ve changed in terms of player personnel, coordinators, some staff members, even maybe the name of the stadium (Acrisure Stadium, formerly Heinz Field) at least that’s the case for the Steelers.  At the same time, a lot has remained unchanged.  Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh’s head coach is still going strong in this his 18^th season and still holds a top NFL defense with regularity.  Baltimore still employs John Harbaugh as the man in charge of the Ravens who is now in his 17^th year, possess one of the best teams in the league and often has throughout his tenure with the club.  One of the main differences would be that the Steelers indubitably have a much better offensive unit behind very good quarterback play for the first time since “Big” Ben Roethlisberger decided to hang up his cleats in 2022.  Russell Wilson will be competing against last year’s NFL MVP Lamar Jackson as divisional nemeses for the first time in his career.

After Wilsons copious tenancy in Seattle enduring playoff success over his decade long run there, we all remember the apparent downfall during his two seasons in Denver.  That reason alone people have gone on a constant rant saying that Wilsons career was cooked with nothing left in said 35-year-olds arm.  When you claim to be an NFL fan, but don’t watch game footage, solely listen to the media, these are the results you conclude with.  Reality shows you that his first season in Denver, Russell was playing in a brand-new system for his fourth consecutive season (3 different OC’s last 3 years in Seattle) which would be hard for even the Peyton Mannings or Tom Brady’s of the world.  On top of that he was also getting acquainted with an entire new team, offensive line and skilled positions.  That is tough on any quarterback, especially a 33-year-old who was also coming off an injury.  Denver’s O-line play certainly didn’t make it any easier on him as he was sacked more than any other QB in the league during his tenure in Mile High.  Year two things started to improve and by seasons end Wilson found himself with near identical passer statistics as the forementioned 2023 MVP, Lamar Jackson.

I have been on record speaking highly of the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson ever since he was drafted 32^nd overall of the 2018 NFL Draft.  Jackson showed the nation how extremely gifted he was early on, winning the Heisman Trophy during his Sophomore season at Louisville where he had 51 total touchdowns while recording over 5,000 all-purpose yards.  That notched him into the college history books and he hasn’t looked back since.  Lamar already owns two regular season NFL MVPs and looks to be a clear-cut top three favorite to earn his third this season.  Baltimore’s QB is on pace to surpass 5,200 total yards this season as he has already thrown for more than 2,600 yards (2,669yds-2^nd) plus an additional 500+ yards on the ground (538 yds), presently 21^st of all players in rushing, while obviously leading all quarterbacks.  The Ravens as a whole, currently pace the league as the top rushing attack with a combined 1,826 yards registered by the likes of Jackson, Derrick Henry (1,120 yards-2^nd) plus a sprinkle of Justice Hill.  They are closely followed by an exceptional Philadelphia Eagles team (1,813 rush yds) that boasts their very own QB, running back one-two punch on the ground with Barkley (1,137 yds-1^st) and Hurts.  It is expected that Baltimore will probably start with the ground game against a very stingy Steelers defense.  Though it may be harder for them to continue their success here against a Teryl Austin led defense (Steelers DC) having the fourth best run defense all season while only allowing 87.1 rushing yards on average (ranks 4^th).  With that said, the best way to attack Pittsburgh is to throw the ball early and often knowing that they are 19^th against the pass (215.6 yds pg). 

Ravens also have a defensive weakness that the Steelers will look to exploit.  Ironically enough it is the same weakness the Steelers have shown, though for Baltimore it has been far worse.  The Ravens are ranked 1^st in the NFL in rush defense only ceding 73 yards per game, however, possess the absolute worst pass defense which has already allowed 2,949 yards this season with an average just shy of 300 a week (294.9 ypg).  Russell Wilson has honestly been working with middling talent on the outside with receivers such as Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, tight end Pat Freiermuth, and their number one wideout George Pickens.  Nothing against any of those men but they aren’t exactly a top tier arsenal leaguewide.  Pittsburgh did slightly upgrade their receiver room upon the addition of ex-Chargers and most recently New York Jets wideout Mike Williams after his stay there that didn’t exactly work out for Rodgers and company.  Williams could quickly gain a strong rapport with Wilson, which will also help Pickens’ growth over the rest of the season, and we could possibly see something special happen in the playoffs if my projections prove to be right.  This AFC rivalry game could wind up as one of the best games of the week, if not the season.  I’m surprised that the NFL hasn’t chosen to flex this matchup into the Sunday Night game slot, rather than having us sit through a less attractive Bengals and Chargers game.

Much like the last article I wrote, this game also has a ton of meaning in terms of playoff implications.  Baltimore presently ranks as the top Wild Card team (5^th in AFC) in the playoff picture with a 7-3 record and sits a half game behind (Bal has week 14 bye) the Steelers in the AFC North.  Baltimore hopes they can find a way to climb to second place in the conference with a win, plus a Bills loss to the Chiefs which would automatically propel them there due to the week 4 blowout win Ravens had over Buffalo (35-10).  They only have one blemish in divisional contests (2-1) thus far with their loss to Cleveland (24-29).  That loss says more about the Ravens not being able to seal the deal late in games than it does about a bad Browns team. (Ravens have lost 8 games with two minutes or less since 2022.) Steelers oddly enough have yet to play any of their adversaries.  Pittsburgh has quite an abnormal schedule, playing all six divisional games over the final 8 game stretch of the season (4 straight beginning this Sunday).  One would assume that the Steelers aren’t exactly viewing this game in the same light as the Ravens, not being as much of a meaningful game with them atop the North and having to play 5 more AFC North contests over the final 7 weeks.  The current spread for this Pittsburgh home game favors Baltimore (-3) in what is generally a very close game.

MAHOMES .VS. ALLEN - CLASH OF THE TITANS

        Here we are again another pivotal game between two of the top quarterbacks of this generation.  Buffalo Bills Josh Allen and the three-time Super Bowl winning, Kansas City Chiefs Partick Mahomes.  We are gearing up for Sunday’s game between these two behemoths, which will be their seventh meeting overall, fifth time in the regular season.  Patrick Mahomes has had the edge in their seven games, winning four, though Josh Allen has been the winner three out of four times in their head-to-head regular season duels.  Mahomes was drafted 10^th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, while Allen was taken by the Bills as the 7^th pick of the first round in 2018.  Mahomes only played one game in his rookie year, mainly backing up a good veteran Alex Smith, but Allen started right off the bat for Buffalo as they found themselves transitioning away from Tyrod Taylor.

        Fast forward to today and now we are talking about two men that have a total of 8 Pro Bowls, 4 All Pro nods, 2 MVPs, 3 Championships, & 3 Super Bowl MVPs.  Today’s version of the prolific Manning .vs. Brady rivalry?  Maybe, though the Lamar Jackson & Mahomes games have also had the same hue to them.  We don’t just build these games up for nothing, it seems like every time we get to see one of these matchups between these three men it is truly something special.  In recent memory the most notable game that we all point to of the Bills, Chiefs chapter is that incredible Divisional Round playoff game where Mahomes and Allen went up and down the field scoring touchdown after touchdown.  The game went back and forth as if they were on a basketball court instead of on grass.  That was the game that had the NFL change the O.T rules so that each team got possession, that way if the first team with the ball scores a field goal, the second team also gets a chance to either tie or win when they control the ball.

        This season the Chiefs have honestly looked like the worst offensive team to have ever started a season with a 9-0 record, but are just as good on defense, if not better than they were last year.  The Chiefs have lost a lot of talent to start this year on offense.  Their top two options on the outside both went down to injuries plus running back Isiah Pacheco.  Though all this had certainly taken a toll on them, the Chiefs found new and old faces to relieve them upon bringing in Juju Smith-Schuster, DeAndre Hopkins and Kareem Hunt (Hunt & Smith-Schuster on second stint with KC).  Kansas City holds the 11th best scoring offense, putting up an average of 24 points a week (24.3 ppg).  The run game has been more of a struggle (21^st-115.1 yds pg) than their passing offense (9^th- 231.6 yds pg), while they’re currently ranked 10^th in total yardage (346.7 yds pg).  Ever since the Chiefs obtained receiver DeAndre Hopkins prior to the trade deadline he has been a massive hit for Mahomes, especially on third downs as well as in the red zone.  Kareem Hunt coming back to the team that drafted him has also had a huge impact on their ability to churn more on the ground while providing a high level of toughness.  The champs will have Juju returning this week which will undoubtedly help with the rookie Xavier Worthy struggling to find his way in Andy Reid’s offense.

        Buffalo is sitting in second place in the AFC just two games behind the Chiefs and hopes to cut that to a one game lead after Sunday.  Josh Allen has been doing his best to get this team back into contention of an AFC Championship appearance for the second time in four years.  Kansas City has been a part of Championship weekend for five consecutive seasons, winning four of the last five.  If the Bills want to put an end to that trend, they must come out swinging with everything they’ve got at home in a game that has them favored (-2.5).  Buffalo is also a bit banged up themselves as they will be without two of Josh Allens favorite targets, tight end Dalton Kincaid and rookie wideout Keon Coleman.  Much like the Chiefs went out to get a top tier weapon for their quarterback, the Bills did the same, trading for ex-Cleveland Browns number one pass catcher Amari Cooper.  However, Cooper is currently listed as questionable for the game with a wrist injury.  Sean McDermott did say he is optimistic about Cooper and Amari said he envisions himself playing.  The Chiefs have been one of the weakest teams against tight ends this season, allowing more production to that position than any others so the Bills should get backup Dawson Knox involved early and often to turn KCs weakness into their own offensive strength.  Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady has this offense middling in most categories as they’re presently ranked 12^th in pass offense (222.5 ypg), 15^th in rushing (120.7 ypg) and 14^th in overall yards (343.2 ypg).  Brady’s real ingeniousness is behind his quarterbacks play that has the Bills scoring at a premium this season, listed as the 3^rd best offense (29 ppg) in the NFL.

        I’d be lying if I told you that I don’t think this one will be a closely contested game.  The last four times they’ve met, the margin of victory has been by six points or less, the Bills have won two of the last three, two in a row in the regular season.  In fact, Josh Allen has won the last three regular season duels against Mahomes, but KC has also never lost to Buffalo when it matters most, eliminating them from the playoffs three of the last four years.  The Chiefs have barley made it out of their last two games unscathed, allowing the banged-up Buccaneers to take them into overtime at Arrowhead in a Monday Night game.  They wound up winning the coin toss and never looked back (30-24) while their win last week provided a little luck in the form of a blocked kick as time ran out to keep Denver from beating them for a second consecutive time, dating back to last season (16-14).  They are 9-0 thus far, along with a 15-0 record including last year’s postseason and haven’t lost a single game since week 16 last year to the Las Vegas Raiders.  Buffalo on the other hand, has also been running hot themselves, winners of their last five straight.  They have won three of those by at least ten points while also beating two division opponents by three points (30-27 over Miami, 23-20 over NYJ).  To reiterate my previously aforementioned sentiments, I cannot stress enough what the importance is of this game for McDermott’s team.  They will more than likely need to retain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they want to take down the champs.  Even then they may not be safe as the Chiefs have seemingly turned into somewhat of a dynasty of the 2020’s.                      

THURSDAY NIGHT THROWDOWN - BATTLE FOR TOP OF THE NFC EAST

 

    Tonight, we approach the eleventh week of the NFL season and as we kickoff this week we have a huge game for Thursday Night Football.  This is a game like no other.  This one is a game between two teams with one thing on their minds.  Both teams know that this could wind up being the difference of who ends up winning their division and gets the opportunity to host a playoff game, while the other will have to play a road game in the Wild Card Round and navigate on the road for any postseason games they would play going forward, granted they are able to win their first round matchup.  In week eleven this just feels different, it is now gradually growing colder, and the hits will be harder, with much more intensity and impact on the outcomes of each team’s destinies.  On one side we have the newcomer, the rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but on the other side we have a hungry Philadelphia Eagles team led by their veteran QB Jalen Hurts.  It was assumed the Eagles would be in the pole position or at least in a closely contested division with the Cowboys at this point in the year.  The Commanders weren’t supposed to be here, not yet.  Anyone that watched Washington’s QB at LSU knew he had the chance to become something special, but the tear he’s been on has been amazing to say the least.

       Philadelphia needs this win more than any other team that’s currently in the playoff race.  The reason being, they have one of the toughest, if not the most difficult schedules remaining in all of football.  Over the next six games, including tonight, the Eagles have the displeasure of playing five of six crucial contests that could wildly affect where they are placed in the playoff picture.  After tonight they will fly to Los Angeles to meet the Rams, who just dropped one at home to the Dolphins yet still find themselves completely able to win the NFC West.  Then it is off to Baltimore to play the number one offensive attack with two of the MVP frontrunners in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.  Two weeks later they host another top AFC opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers who have seemed to figure out their offense with a healthy Russell Wilson, a rejuvenated Najee Harris, plus the addition of wideout Mike Williams to add to Wilsons surplus of options.  They may end the season with three straight division rivalry games, but none more meaningful then their second meeting with the Commanders in Washington in week 16.  Although for that game to propel them to first place in the East and quite possibly keep them second in the conference they better be prepared for a brutal game with one of the best rookie QBs the NFL has ever seen tonight in Philly.

       Washington Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn is very familiar with his rival, the Eagles.  This is not his first rodeo playing a hard-nosed Philadelphia team as he spent several years within the NFC East as the Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator.  You must assume that he has his troops ready for this one.  Their defense has been the weakest part of their team thus far, but maybe tonight Quinn and his defensive coach Joe Whitt Jr. will have their unit tuned up and ready to go.  Another piece to this puzzle is the Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who Quinn is also used to seeing multiple times a year coming over from another divisional foe, the New York Giants.  If the Commanders are going to stand a chance, they need to be much better than they’ve been with their run defense.  Washington has been allowing 142.1 yards on the ground a game (28^th), while Philly has been rushing for 176.1 yards a game (2^nd).  The only team that is better than the Eagles in rushing is the Baltimore Ravens and Barkley is 2^nd in rushing yards this season (991 yds). 

       Now I don’t want to belittle the importance of this game for Washington or the Commanders fans, however their remaining schedule is far from the grueling slate that the Eagles will have to face after this evening.  In fact, it could possibly be one of the easiest strengths of schedules left of any NFL team.  They will have to face the Cowboys twice (weeks 12 & 18), they play the Tennessee Titans, then have their bye week.  Coming out of the bye they will head to New Orleans, then another game with the Eagles on their own turf, plus a home stay against the NFC South leading Atlanta Falcons.  I mean come on, if they lose three or more of those games, I think the entire NFL would go into shock after the way the Commanders have looked all year.  Jayden Daniels has handled himself like an elite, mature NFL vet and has broken several records while winning 7 of 10 games during this season.  They are currently tied for 3^rd in points per game (29.0), ranked 4^th in rushing (153.5 ypg), 4^th in total yards (377.0 ypg), while also placing in 5^th in third down conversions (5.5 pg).  Eagles are not too shabby themselves scoring 25.9 points a game (8^th), totaling 373.9 yards per contest (6^th), converting on 5.2 third downs (t-9^th), while also boasting the 10^th best red zone scoring offense in touchdowns scored (60%).   

        Lastly, just keep in mind that although Washington’s offense has looked great in many ways this year, they are playing an entirely different Eagles defense than weeks prior had shown us. Vic Fangio, the Eagles Defensive Coordinator didn’t get off to a very impressive start earlier this season, but the Philly fans are finally realizing that they just needed to trust the process.  They dealt with injuries, shifted some people around, and implemented a few rookies into starting roles and it has looked better by the week for this defense.  This game is heightening to become must watch T.V in quite possibly one of the very best Primetime games of the Season.  Look for both Hurts and Daniels to mix in some runs as these QBs can take off out of the pocket at any given time.  Daniels is 2^nd in the league with 464 rushing yards form the quarterback position, while Hurts rank just behind him with 378 of his own.  Jalen is always a threat for a rushing TD even if it’s in their brotherly shove formation at the goal line and has 10 rushing TDs this year.  At the same time don’t underestimate either quarterbacks’ ability to throw some darts downfield as both are also top 10 in Completion percentage, Hurts 69.8% (3^rd), Daniels 68.7% (t-7^th).  The only thing left to say is, are you ready for some football?

DETROIT LIONS-MORTOR CITY MACHINES

 

Detroit just came away with yet another win to add to their most impressive season in their franchise’s history.  It wasn’t pretty at all by any stretch of the imagination, but the only thing that matters is that they came away with the win.  Jared Goff went into Sunday Night’s game against the Houston Texans with an unbelievable completion rate of 83% throughout the first nine weeks.  Goff had gone his last five games with only throwing 10 incomplete passes combined, then on Sunday night he racked up 10 incompletions in the first half alone.  The Lions quarterback ended up throwing 5 total interceptions against Houston which is the most he’s ever thrown in a game.  It was a wild game that had both defenses grab a combined 7 interceptions.  The Lions are now 8-1 and are off to the best start they’ve had since the 1956 NFL season. 

Although the Lions seemingly have looked like they may be the most dominant team in the league this year, they still only have one game lead in the Conference.  In fact, they only have a one game lead in their own division (Minnesota 7-2).   The Lions are hungry and very much need to stay that way if they want to achieve their goal.  This isn’t just their goal for this season, but the goal that this organization has had ever since they came into the NFL.  Detroit is the 5^th oldest franchise in the NFL and was established in 1930.  They are currently one of only four NFL teams to never appear in a Super Bowl (Cle, Jac, & Hou).  Since the Lions have been around, they have only won a total of 9 divisional titles and the NFC North is far from locked up for the Lions.  They still have both the Vikings (7-2) along with the Packers (6-3) lurking behind them and have a zero margin for error.

One question that people have been asking is what will happen to the Lions defense now after their best pass rusher is out for the season after going down to injury.  Well, for one, the Lions just got better after coming out of the trade deadline with another premier edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and he will play his first game as a Lion next Sunday when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at home.  Another player that helped answer the question of many was their cornerback Carlton Davis III, as he had the first 2 interception game of his career.  Those two turnovers caused by Davis came within a six-minute window which was also a testament to their pass rush that created 4 sacks (tied 2^nd most in a game this season).  With the addition of Smith coming over from the Cleveland Browns they should be just fine, especially if they can continue to create turnovers.  The fact that they were still able to come away with a win when they had by far their worst game in probably the past two seasons, it just proves how strong this team is and how relentless they truly are.  The last time a team trailed by 15 or more points while throwing five interceptions and came back to win was when the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears in 1970.

Detroit is still ranked top 10 in a bunch of statistics leaguewide.  Offensively, the Lions are scoring on average 31.6 points (2^nd), rushing for 147.3 yards per game (7^th), and are totaling 366.9 yards a contest (7^th).  On the other side of the ball Detroit is allowing just 19 points a game (8^th), giving up only 100.8 yards on the ground (6^th), and are tied for 2^nd in total interceptions (13).  Though Goff is coming off arguably the worst game of his career he has still been one of the best quarterbacks this season on top of being probably the most accurate this year.  Any team that plays the Lions will find it incredibly difficult in attempting to make them one dimensional as they have a two-headed monster rushing attack as well as a plethora of targets in the passing game for Goff to create big plays downfield.  I still have the Lions seeded as the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl and believe that Head Coach Dan Campbell should be named the Coach of the Year.

MIDSEASON MVP RACE

 

        The NFL has just surpassed the midpoint of the 2024 season and though there are a whole lot of highly skillful and talented players leaguewide, there are always going to be a few players that separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the MVP race.  This is where we now find ourselves in the NFL as we close in on week 10 of the season.  In this article I will be advocating for every individual player’s case for why they should be this year’s MVP, but also why they may not end up winning the award.  Where we stand as of now the media has spoken of the obvious choices such as Washington’s rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and of course last years MVP Lamar Jackson.  I know that this is the top five odds on favorites to win said award, however there is one more person that I think we should strongly take into consideration.  That person would be the only non-quarterback in the MVP race, thus making it the most difficult to come away with the award.        

       

Derrick Henry- 

        I think we can all agree on one thing when it comes to the Baltimore Ravens running back.  I believe we can all agree on the fact that if anyone deserves to be in the MVP discussion among those top tier players and outside of the QB position it should most certainly be this man, Derrick Henry.  What Derrick Henry has been able to do this season is insane.  I have known for a bunch of years now, much like others that he is more than your average running back.  He does have that traditional style of play in terms of being an uphill runner plus he doesn’t really get too involved in passing downs.  That’s perfectly fine with me though, we don’t need to see him do anything else other than continue to be a complete beast of a runner.  Henry will bulldoze his way right through any defender with his 6’3”, 247lb frame.  Its almost as though you are a linebacker waiting for a handoff to the runner to come up the gut and all the sudden you see a mack truck of a man coming at you while running at full speed.  Someone his size should be on the defense playing as an edge rusher or linebacker. 

Now let me talk about statistics for a moment.  “King” Henry has already amassed 1,100 total rushing yards on the season, is averaging over 6 yards, (6.1 ypc) along with leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns (12 tds).  Oh, I forgot to mention the fact that he is also averaging 112.0 yards a game (2^nd to Barkley) plus leads the league in 49 first down runs.  This 30-year-old runner has not lost a step at all from what I can see.  People were slightly concerned if he would fit into the Ravens offensive scheme and to that I laugh.  Come on, was that a legitimate concern?  It’s a 6’3” man running the ball, just hand it to him and watch him work.  Jerry Jones, Owner of the Dallas Cowboys, recently told his local radio station that he doesn’t believe Henry would be having the breakout season that he is, had Jerry signed Henry to the Cowboys in the offseason.  That’s also laughable, come on, I know that their offense is ran differently and the Cowboys offensive line is really bad this season, but do you really need top tier blocking for a man that size?  He basically becomes his own blocker while he’s running 4 men over on each carry.

Derrick Henry is currently on pace to beat not only his own personal best yardage mark (2,027 yds) but also the all-time single season rushing record of 2,105 yards.  However, when you take a closer look at his competition, it is unusual for a player outside of the quarterback position to win this award.  How unusual do you ask? Well, I did some research and noticed that the MVP has mostly been won by QBs over any other position in the history of the sport.  In fact, the last time a non-quarterback won it, you’d have to go back to the 2012 season, though in a surprising twist it was a running back (Adrian Peterson).  Facts are facts, over the last quarter of a century the QB has dominated the MVP award, winning 22 times, while only 4 running backs have come away with it.  The running backs that have won this prestigious honor in that span of time are Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Adrian Peterson.  With that being said, the odds are certainly stacked against Henry.  I wouldn’t say it is completely out of the question, but I think if he is going to climb into the top 3 favorites to win, he most definitely will need to beat Eric Dickerson’s rushing record.

 

Jayden Daniels-

        This LSU alumni is the real deal, the things that he has done so far in this, his rookie season, are second to none.  Last year we saw a rookie quarterback do things that you just aren’t used to seeing a rookie be able to do in the Texans QB, C.J. Stroud.  We all told ourselves that this just wouldn’t be able to happen again.  Long behold, we are now back-to-back years of seeing the most amazing rookie quarterback play the NFL has ever seen.  In a way it is to the same tune as what Stroud was able to do last season given the fact that Houston hadn’t made a playoff appearance in a handful of years (2019) prior to C.J being drafted to Houston.  Washington is currently in first place in the NFC east and is seeking their first playoff appearance since the 2020 season, which is the same amount of time (4 seasons) Houston had gone without a postseason game.  Another good comparison would be the fact that Stroud was somewhat overlooked in the 2023 NFL draft in that many believed that Bryce Young would be the better QB coming out of college, which is why he was the first overall pick of that draft class.  Stroud ended up being the second overall pick just like Jayden Daniels was in this past NFL draft.  A lot of people believed the number one pick of the 2024 class Caleb Willams would be the best quarterback coming out.  Caleb has been doing well for the Bears, but what Daniels is doing is simply astounding. 

        Jayden looked very impressive in his LSU days as a Tiger, no doubt about it.  If you asked me if he would be accumulating these groundbreaking rookie records or any records in general, I would’ve probably told you to slow down.  Washington’s rookie quarterback looks to possibly break the all-time completion percentage record for a single season.  He already has a few records under his belt, one of which belonged to Tom Brady prior to week four when Daniels set a record for the highest completion percentage through the first four games of a season with a minimum of 75 pass attempts (82.1%).  You may be thinking wow it only took four games for him to break a record, that is crazy.  Well, it only took the Commanders new QB three games to set a record, when the rookie managed to finish a game with a completion percentage rate of 91.3% (21-for-23).  That’s an NFL single game rookie record.  Another impressive feat for Jayden was becoming the only player in NFL history to pass for at least 1,000 yards while also rushing for a minimum of 250 yards in his first five career games.

        This rookie has certainly out played the “rookie” title and already become an elite passer at the NFL level at only 23 years old.  A lot of this can probably be chalked up to the fact that he did play over 50 career games (53 games) at the collegiate level, something we don’t see as a normality.  The Commanders have completely turned things around with this offense and the trajectory of this team starting with this season.  They seem to be a true playoff contender and may surprise some teams in this upcoming postseason.  Washington is currently ranked 11^th in passing, 3^rd in rushing, and 3^rd in overall offense.  This quarterback also has the Commanders 3^rd in the league in points per game (29.2) with only Detroit and Baltimore being better.  Daniels has thrown for 1,945 yards (13^th), 9 touchdowns (Tied-19^th), while only throwing 2 interceptions.  His accuracy along with completion percentage has been the story thus far and through the first 9 weeks of the season he has posted a completion percentage of 71.5% (3^rd), has a QBR of 75.7 (2^nd), along with a passer rating of 106.7 (5^th).

        Enough has been said to plead the case for this immensely talented rookie should widely be considered in the MVP discussions.  Just place a football in his hands and you’re likely to come away with 10-12 wins, maybe even more.  The poise, smarts, and skills he plays with is second to none as a rookie and he will only continue to grow over the next handful of years.  Washington won the competition of the best team in the NFC East in the long run.  The only thing that I can say to shoot down his possible MVP dreams is that I don’t know if it would be possible for them to reward him with both Rookie of the Year and the MVP awards in the same season.  To my knowledge this has never been done before and for this reason I think he will likely only receive the ROTY title this year.  There are already at least five others that also have quite compelling arguments to be named MVP so having a rookie in there as well would make it a little too crowded in my opinion.

 

Jared Goff-

        Where do I start with Goff?  Ever since the Detroit Lions brought Jared Goff in via the famous trade that swapped him with ex-Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Lions have been progressively ascending each year with him at the helm.  Nothing against Stafford, in fact the Rams have only gotten better as well.  The Rams were instantly better off as they won the Super Bowl their first season with Stafford, while the Lions have slowly been gaining steam continuously ever since they got Goff.  Detroit took more of a methodical approach to not only get to the top, but to make sure they can consistently stay atop the division as well as the National Conference by building around Goff using draft picks and carefully scouting.  The Rams on the other hand choose to use trades along with free agency signings to attempt the same.  The Lions offense is one of the most potent in the entire league and is pretty much at the top of every statistical category this season.  If not for Jared Goff I’m not sure that they would be as much of a powerhouse as they have been.

        The Lions signal caller currently has them first in the NFC North division.  This may be the toughest division in football as they must compete with both the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers.  Plus, the Lions are number one in their entire conference and are only one game from the Kansas City Chiefs in being the best team in all of football.  Their 7-1 record is the best that the Detroit Lions franchise has ever seen in their respective history.  The last time the Lions finished a season with two or fewer losses dated back to 1957.

        Detroit is on pace to break a bunch of records this season.  The Lions just beat the Green Bay Packers last week and in doing so they accomplished a feat that hasn’t been done since 1986.  They beat the Packers three straight times in Green Bay which hadn’t happened since 1986-1988.  Jared Goff himself has also done some impressive things this season like when he completed 100% of his passes in a primetime game back in week four against Seattle, completing 18 of 18 passes, threw for 292 yards along with 2 touchdowns and caught a touchdown.  Two weeks ago, the Lions rolled all over a bad Tennessee Titans team and in the process, Goff made NFL history even though he only threw for 85 yards in the contest.  During this game he completed 12 of 15 passes and threw 3 touchdowns without a turnover, this made him the only quarterback to throw at least 2 touchdowns in five consecutive games while completing a minimum of 72% of his passes with a QB rating over 110.0.  Another cool thing for the Lions in this game was that this was only the fourth time in their history that they scored 50 or more points in a regular season game.

        The presence of Goff is shown by how elite this team is and that they are basically unstoppable.  Sure, they have the best one-two punch in the running game, well maybe second best to Lamar and Henry, but in terms of running backs they have the best.  Aside from their running game, Jared’s fingerprints are on everything else they have going for them.  The offense is putting up 369.6 yards a game (7^th), they rank 1^st overall in points per game (32.3), Goff is top ten in touchdown passes (14 tds), 2^nd in passer rating (115.0) and is currently 1^st in completion percentage.  What has been the most impressive part of this team is really the accuracy of Jared Goff.  As I said he is currently leading the NFL in completion percentage at an amazing rate of 74.9% and if he somehow manages to continue this, he will wind up setting an all-time season record for completion percentage.  In NFL history there have only been 21 quarterbacks that ended an NFL season with a 70% or above completion percentage for their average.  I think that the only thing that may hold him back from possibly winning the MVP this year is that he hasn’t really had flashy numbers this season.  Yes, his completion percentage and accuracy are supremely off the charts, but his yardage and touchdown totals may wind up holding him back when compared to say players like Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen.

 

Patrick Mahomes-

        No need to really spend a lot of time on this guy.  He is the only guy that can be proclaimed as a sure-fire hall of famer while still under 30 years old (29).  Kansas City’s offense has seemed to have taken a step back over the past two seasons now, while still managing to win super bowls in the process of dealing with these offensive issues.  I guess when you have the trio of Mahomes, Kelce, with the mind of Andy Reid as your Head Coach that will automatically solve all issues in the long run.  It worked last year so who’s to say it can’t again this year.  Anyhow Mahomes is winning games.  He isn’t exactly top of the charts in numbers this year, but they continue to extend their winning streak without chalking an L in the loss column.

        Chiefs QB may be the best we’ve ever seen play at that position while also possibly the most entertaining in league history.  Many may refer to him as a living legend or G.O.A.T and you cannot take that away from him.  What you can take away from him is top level options to throw to like his old teammate Tyreek Hill, who has obviously moved on to the Miami Dolphins.  You can also take away his top two wideouts going into this season, Marquise Brown who went down to a shoulder injury, and Rashee Rice who was incidentally injured by Mahomes himself in a freak accident in week two.  All of this is my way of showing why he hasn’t necessarily excelled in statistics this season while, yet they are continuing to win games in any way that they can find.

        Mahomes best statistic this season is that he has led his Kansas City Chiefs to a perfect 8-0 record.  He is also ranked 5^th among all quarterbacks in completion percentage boasting 69.9%, that’s pretty dang good if you ask me.  He’s been throwing passes to the likes of a rookie receiver, a couple of unknown tight ends, a running back or two, and Travis Kelce.  The Chiefs did bring in superstar wideout DeAndre Hopkins prior to the trade deadline plus they resigned Juju Smith-Schuster before he got hurt a few weeks ago.  This should undoubtedly help boost Mahomes’ numbers over the second half of the season, thus upping his chances of maybe winning the MVP.  He is currently 6^th in quarter back rating (69.2). 

        What may hold Mahomes back from his chances of an MVP season could be that his numbers don’t look as impressive as Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson’s by the end of the year.  As of now they are mediocre at best with 11 passing touchdowns and 9 interceptions.  Though the Mahomes led Chiefs are currently unbeaten, they also haven’t played any elite teams other than their week one Matchup against the Ravens.  On top of that they really haven’t had any decisive type of wins while winning against the bad and middling teams that they have played this season.  Lastly, in my opinion although Mahomes is a great player it has been proven that their defense has once again been the story of their team for their second consecutive season.

 

Josh Allen-

        One of the most talented QBs that the NFL has ever seen is the Buffalo Bills signal caller.  Josh Allen has God given abilities mixed with a frame that can take the punishment of a linebacker.  He is a great dual threat quarterback that can evade the rush while under pressure in the pocket and when he chooses to take off, he can run people over and at times have even been known to hurdle defenders.  Frankly, it is a bit of a surprise that Allen has yet to win an MVP award. Allen has constantly been one of the best quarterbacks in the league while consistently being brought up in the MVP discussions for each of the last three seasons now.  He hasn’t yet won this prized award partly because his MVP nominations have had him running up against two of the last three MVPs in Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.  That is an unbelievably difficult task for anyone to achieve against such greatness.

        Josh Allen has enough talent such as many great quarterbacks do to make up for the lack of talent the roster around him may not possess at times.  That was the case for this Buffalo Bills team early this season.  I am not saying that they don’t have talent, but they certainly didn’t have any superstars, all pro elite kind of players coming into this year.  They decided to trade the one player that you could place into that classification of talent last offseason.  In any matter, Allen has got the Bills off to a great start this season leading them to a 7-2 record while they are sitting in first place in the AFC East.  Buffalo made a huge move to help Allen in the pass game by deciding to make a move before the deadline in the form of trading for one of the best receivers in the league by picking up Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns.

        Buffalo’s QB may not be a top 5 passer in yards as of right now (10^th) but he has thrown 17 touchdowns at the midpoint of the season which has him tied for 4^th in pass tds.  He has looked much better this year, compared to his last couple seasons and is currently in 6^th in passer rating (105.8) plus Allen has notched a quarterback rating of 73.2 (4^th).  Though their total offensive yardage and passing yardage totals are not that of a top five team they do rank 4^th in points (28.9 ppg).  At the end of the day scoring points should be the number one statistic, right?  The more points you score the more wins your team should accrue.   Though, If I am going to point to any one thing about Josh Allen or his team to advocate his MVP case for this season it would honestly have to be one thing.  The one crucial thing I can speak of for Allen has been the maturity and growth in his decision making.  If you look at any other season he has played, he has always turned the ball over at a high rate.  So far this year he has only thrown 2 interceptions and is tied with Lamar Jackson, and the rookie Jayden Daniels as the only other starting quarterbacks that have played every game this year (Flacco has 2 ints in 5 games).  If the Bills continue to win their games and Josh Allen continues to play at the high level, he’s been playing at I only see maybe Lamar Jackson as his only roadblock to his very first regular season MVP. 

 

Lamar Jackson-

        Lamar Jackson is a very special player, the way he plays football puts people in awe.  He can run faster, and juke better than some running backs can.  Not only does he have a powerful arm to throw deep bombs downfield but is also very accurate.  His accuracy is often underestimated, in fact, a lot of people still underrate Lamar in general.  I don’t understand how you can’t recognize greatness when you see it, but that is neither here nor there, because the man is currently the odds-on favorite to win his 3^rd MVP in the last five years.  Baltimore’s quarterback is also the reigning MVP of last season.  If you are a betting man or woman Jackson shares betting odds with Josh Allen for +300 odds as the favored choice for MVP.

        The Ravens QB Lamar Jackson leads the charge for this incredibly high-powered offensive unit and the only team that has a comparable offense so far this season would be the Detroit Lions.  Baltimore already possessed a big-time threat to the rest of the league in their ability to provide the best rushing offense in the NFL.  Then they went out and sent massive shockwaves leaguewide when they signed the King of the run game, Derrick Henry.  Did anyone think that they wouldn’t be the best rushing offense for the second consecutive season after pulling that off?  If you answered that question with a yes, I guess you must not know much about football.  Baltimore is obviously ranked 1^st in the ground game with an average of 182.6 yards a contest.  Henry alone rushes for 112 yards a game, plus you must factor in Lamar’s 52.8 yards.  Henry is 1^st in the league in rushing yards by about 200 yards more than 2^nd place, while Lamar is also inside the top 20 in rushing (16^th).  The Ravens lead all teams in total yardage as well with 440.2 yards per game.

        You can say what you want about these Baltimore Ravens and their pass defense struggles this season.  However, whatever you do don’t say that this offense along with Lamar aren’t great and don’t forget to mention this man when you’re talking about the MVP race this season or you’ll look quite foolish.  Jackson leads all quarterbacks in passing touchdowns this season with 24 (tied with Burrow), he’s 2^nd in total passing yards (2,669 yds), throws on average 266.9 yards a game (4^th) and has this passing attack somehow in only 2^nd place (257.6 ypg) to the Seattle Seahawks.  In terms of quarterback rating (77.6) and passer rating (123.2) he leads all QBs in both those statistics as well.  His worst statistic would be his completion percentage (69.1%) in which he currently ranks 9^th among all quarterbacks.  I forgot to mention one thing about Lamar, he also leads the league in turnovers, only throwing 2 interceptions (tied with Allen & Daniels) throughout the first half of the season.  (I didn’t count Flacco, Fields, Herbert or Wilson in the interceptions category because none have played every game this season)

        When it comes to the possible reasons that the Ravens QB may not win this year’s MVP, I can only say that maybe the NFL may not want to give the award to the same player for the second straight season.  When taking a deep dive into the NFLs history of MVP winners, I found that only four players have won the honor of back-to-back MVPs.  It was four players, though it happened five times: Jim Brown (57-58), Joe Montana (89-90), Peyton Manning (03-04) & (08-09), and Aaron Rodgers (20-21).  Another trend I found while analyzing the past MVPs is that it has been 12 years since a non-quarterback has won it.  Lastly, something else that may play in the favor of the Raven’s signal caller is the fact that there have only been three players to win the award over the last 6 years now: Lamar, Mahomes, and Rodgers.  They may want to find a reason to force it onto someone else that has had a very good or great season, though Lamar may end the season with the best numbers.   

ON THE BUBBLE; PLAYOFF PUSH POSSIBILITIES

 

IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THINGS FAIR HERE I WILL BE SPEAKING ON THREE TEAMS IN BOTH THE AFC AS WELL AS THE NFC FOR THE TEAMS THAT I BELIEVE STILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF MAKING A PLAYOFF PUSH BY THE SEASON’S END.  FIRST, I WILL LIST FOUR TEAMS THAT WILL NOT BE MENTIONED IN THIS PARTICULAR ARTICLE, HOWEVER, COULD ALSO TURN THINGS AROUND TO GET INTO A FUTURE ON THE BUBBLE ARTICLE IN THE NEXT HANDFUL OF WEEKS AHEAD.

 

CHICAGO BEARS

 MIAMI DOLPHINS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

DALLAS COWBOYS

 

6) NEW YORK JETS-

        THE NEW YORK JETS ARE MY NUMBER 6 TEAM OF A GROUP OF TEAMS THAT I BELIEVE ARE ON THE BUBBLE OF A POTENTIAL PLAYOFF PUSH.  AS WE ARE APPROACHING WEEK 10 OF THE NFL SEASON, I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS TEAM IS THE LEAST LIKLEY OF MY 6 PICKS.  FOR ONE, THE JETS ALREADY HAVE 6 LOSSES ON THE SEASON, THEY DID JUST BEAT THE HOUSTON TEXANS, AFC SOUTH CURRENT LEADERS.  THE THING IS, THE JETS ALREADY LOST TO BOTH THE DENVER BRONCOS IN HEARTBREAKING FASHION BACK IN WEEK 4.  IN THIS GAME RODGERS AND HIS OFFENSIVE WERE NOT ABLE TO DO ANYTHING AND WERE ESSENTIALLY STALEMATED.  I WILL GIVE THEM THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT, SEEING AS TO HOW THEY DID NOT YET TRADE FOR RECEIVER DAVANTE ADAMS.  THE FACT THAT THEY DID LOSE THIS GAME STILL HURTS THEM IN THE RANKINGS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY WIND UP TIED WITH DENVER AFTER WEEK 18 ENDS WITH THE TIE BREAKER GOING TO DENVER BRONCOS.

        ANOTHER MARK THAT COULD ALSO WIND UP HURTING THEM IS THE LOSS TO THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS IN WEEK 7.  AT THE MOMENT THE STEELERS ARE 6-2 AND IN FIRST IN THE AFC NORTH.  IT IS ASSUMED THAT THIS MAY NOT BE SUSTAINABLE AND THAT THEY WILL EVENTUALLY SLIDE DOWN TO THE SECOND PLACE TEAM IN THAT DIDVISION.  IN ANY MATTER THEY DO CURRENTLY HAVE 3 MORE WINS ALONG WITH 4 LESS LOSSES THAN NEW YORK.  IF SOMEWAY SOMEHOW THIS JETS TEAM PULLS A RABBIT OUT OF THEIR HATS AND RUNS THE TABLE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR THIS LOSS COULD STILL BE PERTINENT TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY MAKE IT TO THE POSTSEASON.

        LASTLY, I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH THESE THOUGHTS THAT ARE PRETTY IMPORTANT TO THE JETS SUCCESS GOING FORWARD.  UP NEXT FOR THE JETS IS THE ARIZONA CARDINALS.  RODGERS PROBABALY IS LOOKING PAST THIS KYLER MURRAY LED TEAM, BUT THIS WILD CARD TYPE TEAM COULD POTENTIALLY BE THE DOWNFALL OF THE JETS SEASON.  ARIZONA HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HOTTEST TEAMS IN THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS NOW, WINNING THEIR LAST FOUR OUT OF FIVE GAMES, WHILE PLAYING BETTER DEFENSE AND HOLDING TWO OF THEIR LAST THREE OPPONENTS TO 15 OR LESS POINTS (CHARGERS & BEARS).  FURTHERMORE, THEY STILL HAVE MATCHUPS WITH THE COLTS ON SUNDAY NIGHT IN WEEK 11, THE SEEMINGLY SPIRALLING SEAHAWKS, DIVISIONAL RIVAL DOLPHINS TWICE, THE ASCENDING RAMS, PLUS THE BUFFALO BILLS ONCE AGAIN.  THEY ARE NOT HANGING IT UP YET, BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE, THEY HAVE THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGE TO MAKE IT BACK ONTO THE PLAYOFF PYRAMID THIS SEASON.

 

5) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS-

        TO BE CLEAR, MUCH LIKE THE NEW YORK JETS POSSIBLE CHANCES OF MAKING A PLAYOFF RUN, I ALSO AM NOT TOO KEEN ON THE COLTS ABILITIES TO BECOME A PLAYOFF TEAM THIS SEASON.  I RANKED THEM AS THE NUMBER 5 TEAM ON MY LIST FOR THE REASON THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY A 4-5 TEAM THAT IS SITTING IN 8^TH PLACE IN THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE WITH ONLY THE DENVER BRONCOS IN THEIR WAY TOWARDS A POTENTIAL PATH TO POST SEASON PLAY.  UPON WRITING THIS DETAILED LIST OF TEAMS THAT ARE ON THE BUBBLE, THE FOOTBALL GODS STRUCK LIGHTENING LAST NIGHT SEVERAL TIMES ON THE COLTS OFFENSE, PARALYZING JOE FLACCO AND COMPANY, CAUSING THEM TO LOOK QUITE INEPT.  IN A GAME THAT CAME A WEEK AFTER THE COLTS FORMER FIRST ROUND PICK FROM THE 2023 NFL DRAFT (QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON) WAS BENCHED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON IN FAVOR OF, STILL TALENTED, VETERAN QUARTERBACK JOE FLACCO.  LAST NIGHT THE COLT’S OFFENSE WAS BASICALLY DORMANT.  INDY POSSESSED THE BALL FOR OVER 23 MINUTES, WERE PENALIZED 7 TIMES FOR 50 YARDS AND ACCUMULATED A TOTAL OF 227 YARDS ON OFFENSE WHILE SCORING JUST 13 POINTS.

        THE COLTS ARE 3-3 ON THE SEASON IN THE AFC, NOT GREAT.  THEY HOLD A RECORD OF 1-3 IN THEIR OWN DIVISION, ALSO NOT GREAT, CERTAINLY WHEN TWO OF THE WORST TEAMS LEAGUEWIDE ARE IN THE SAME DIVISION AS YOU IN THE JAGUARS AND THE TITANS.  OF THEIR FOUR WINS TO DATE, THE ONLY TWO THAT ARE SLIGHTLY IMPRESSIVE COME AGAINST THE STEELERS IN A CLOSE THREE POINT VICTORY AS WELL AS A FIVE POINT WIN OVER A VERY GOOD DEFFENSIVE CHICAGO BEARS TEAM.  THE GOOD NEWS IS I COULD SEE A WAY THAT THEY POSSIBLY WRAP THE SEASON UP WITH VICTORIES IN 5 WINNABLE MATCHUPS DOWN THE STRETCH.  THEY WILL MORE THAN LIKLEY LOSE TO THE BILLS, LIONS, AND QUITE POSSIBLY THE DENVER BRONCOS WITH THE WAY THEIR DEFENSE PLAYS BALL.  THE WINNABLE GAMES AHEAD COULD BE WHEN THEY PLAY BOTH THE JAGS AND TITANS AGAIN, THE GIANTS, THE PATRIOTS, MAYBE EVEN A WIN AT NEW YORK IN WEEK 11 WHEN THE PLAY THE JETS ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.

        WHO KNOWS HOW THINGS WILL UNRAVEL OVER THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON AND WHO KNOWS IF FLACCO COMPLETELY TURNS THE FORTUNES OF THESE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AROUND.  EVEN THOUGH THE TEAM HAS DECIDED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH JOE FLACCO AND BENCH THE YOUNG, TALENTED ANTHONY RICHARDSON, I DON’T THINK THAT IT IS 100% OUT OF THE QUESTION TO MAYBE REVISIT THAT MOVE AT SOME POINT LATER THIS SEASON.  FOR NOW, I HAVE THE COLTS HERE IN KIND OF THE GRAY AREA OF A POTENTIAL PLAYOFF TEAM, BUT BOY IS THE ROAD AHEAD A BUMPY ONE FOR COLTS AND HEAD COACH SHANE STEICHEN.  I WISH THE HORSESHOE A WHOLE LOT OF LUCK, BECAUSE WITHOUT ANDREW LUCK IT HASN’T BEEN PRETTY FOR INDY, LEAVING MANY FANS HOPE THAT THEY CAN GARNER SOME TO GET BACK TO MID JANUARY GAMEPLAY.

          

 

4) TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS-

        TAMPA BAY STARTED THE 2024 SEASON ON FIRE. LET ME REMIND YOU THAT THEY NOT ONLY BEAT THE WASHINGTON COMMMANDERS, THOUGH IT DIDN’T SEEM LIKE A BIG WIN AT THE TIME, I MEAN IT WAS WASHINGTON.  HERE’S THE THING, SINCE WEEK ONE’S LOSS TO TAMPA, THE COMMANDERS HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE BEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE AND ARE NOW 7-2, SITTING IN SECOND PLACE IN THE NFC WITH ONLY THE LIONS ABOVE THEM IN THE RANKINGS.  WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT POINT.  THE BUCCANEERS ALSO BEAT THE DETROIT LIONS IN WEEK TWO AND IT IS STILL THE ONLY BLEMISH ON THE LIONS RECORD TO DATE.  THEY DID HOWEVER FALL VICTIM TO THE DENVER BRONCOS DEFENSE AND LOST TO ATLANTA TWICE.  IN BETWEEN THOSE LOSSES TO ATLANTA, THEY ALSO BEAT TO THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES.

           TAMPA IS MY NUMBER 4 TEAM ON THIS LIST SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE CURRENTLY 4-4 (PRIOR TO MONDAY NIGHTS MATCHUP WITH KC) AND RIGHT NOW SIT IN 8^TH PLACE IN THE NFC, AHEAD OF THE LOS ANGELES RAMS, CHICAGO BEARS, AND SAN FRAN 49ERS.  THEY ONLY HAVE ONE MORE LOSS THAN THE GREEN BAY PACKERS AND ARE ONLY TWO LOSSES BEHIND THE EAGLES.  THIS BODES WELL FOR THE BUCCS IF IT WERE TO COME DOWN TO A SCENARIO IN WEEK 18 WHERE THEY END UP BEING TIED WITH PHILADELPHIA.  IN WHICH CASE THEY WOULD PROCEED INTO THE PLAYOFF PICTURE, OF COURSE OWNING A TIE BREAKER OVER THE EAGLES.  AT THE SAME TIME IF THEY WERE TO LOSE TO KC TONIGHT IT WILL DROP THEM DOWN TO 11^TH PLACE IN THE CONFERENCE AND THEY WILL HAVE A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO TO GET BACK INTO THE THICK OF THINGS.

        HERE’S THE BIGGEST REASON WHY THE FANS OF TAMPA SHOULDN’T JUST THROW AWAY THEIR BUCCANEERS GEAR AND CALL IT QUITS JUST YET.  THEY DO HAVE TO PLAY THE CHIEFS TONIGHT AS WELL AS HOST THE 49ERS NEXT WEEK, (RUNNING BACK CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY EXPECTED TO BE BACK) AFTER THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY BE SMOOTH SAILING FROM THAT POINT ON.  THE REST OF TAMPA’S SCHEDULE SEEMS LIKE ONE OF THE EASIEST IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE, HAVING TO PLAY THEIR DIVISION RIVAL PANTHERS TWICE, NEW YORK GIANTS, THE ROUGH RAIDERS, NEW ORLEANS, THE CHARGERS, AND THE INCOMPETENT COWBOYS.  NOW DON’T GET ME WRONG THE COWBOYS AND THE CHARGERS COULD BOTH WIND UP BEING TOUGHER ADVERSARIES THAN I ACCREDIT THEM TO BE; I JUST THINK THAT TAMPA (EVEN WITHOUT THEIR TOP TWO WEAPONS) SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT BOTH OF THOSE TEAMS.  DALLAS HAS LOOKED WORSE AND WORSE EACH AND EVERY WEEK STILL HAVING A BUNCH OF PLAYERS HURT ON THEIR DEFENSE ALONG WITH AN O-LINE THAT HAS JUST NOT BEEN GOOD.  ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CHARGERS ONLY HAVE THREE LOSSES NOW BUT ARE REALLY JUST BEATING THE TEAMS THAT YOU’D EXPECT THEM TO BEAT AND HAVE’NT REALLY SHOWN THAT THEY’D BE ABLE TO HANDLE ANY OF THE TOP TEAMS AS OF YET.

 

3) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-

        SAN FRAN MAY HAVE A PROBLEM, A BIG PROBLEM.  THE KNOWN ABOUT THEM IS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PLAGUED WITH INJURIES ALL YEAR LONG ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL.  APPARENTLY, THEY WILL BE GETTING SUPERSTAR RUNNING BACK CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY BACK FOR NEXT WEEKS GAME AGAINST THE BUCCANEERS.  I GUESS THAT IS THE GOOD NEWS FOR THIS TEAM, HOWEVER WILL THAT REALLY CHANGE THEIR DESTINIES FOR THE REST OF THIS SEASON?  TO BE DETERMINED.  ONE THING IS FOR SURE, THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE HECK OF AN UPHILL BATTLE FOR THE NINERS.  SAN FRAN HAS ALREADY LOST 2 DIVISION GAMES AT THE HANDS OF BOTH THE RAMS AND CARDINALS.  BOTH OF THESE TEAMS HAVE LOOKED BETTER THAN THE NINERS SO FAR THIS SEASON AND SAN FRAN IS CURRENTLY THIRD IN THE NFC WEST.

        THE NINERS HAVE ALSO LOST 3 GAMES IN THE CONFERENCE ALONG WITH GOING 1-2 IN THEIR DIVISION.  IT COULD BE GETTING WORSE AS THEY FACE SOME TOUGH SLEDDING AHEAD.  THEY HAVE THREE DIVISIONAL GAMES REMANING, ONE WITH EACH OF THEIR RIVALS IN THE NFC WEST.  WHILE ALL THREE OF THOSE GAMES WILL PROVIDE TOUGH CHALLENGES FOR THIS KYLE SHANAHAN COACHED TEAM, THEY ALSO HAVE DIFFICULT TOP TIER OPPONENTS IN BOTH CONFERENCES LEFT TO PLAY.  I ALREADY ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT THEY WILL PLAY TAMPA BAY NEXT WEEK WHEN THEY GET BACK FROM THEIR BYE WEEK.  OTHER TOUGH MATCHUPS WILL COME WHEN THEY PLAY THE PACKERS, BUFFALO, CHICAGO, DETROIT, AND THE RAMS.  THEY WILL ALSO BE HEADING TO MIAMI IN WEEK 16, THOUGH I DON’T BELIEVE THIS TO BE THEIR TOUGHEST CONTEST, BUT IN THE NFL IT’S A WEEK-BY-WEEK LEAGUE AND ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ANY GIVEN SUNDAY. 

        SOMETHING THAT SHOULD ALSO BE SAID IS THE FACT THAT THIS 49ERS TEAM HAS HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS AS OF THE LAST SEVERAL SEASONS NOW.  I’M POINTING THAT OUT FOR THE FACT THAT IT IS VERY UNUSAL TO HAVE A TEAM MAKE IT TO THE SUPERBOWL OR CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, GOING UNSCAVED FOR SO MANY YEARS.  EVENTUALLY THE WEAR AND TEAR WILL INEVITABLY CATCH UP TO YOU NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR HOW GOOD YOU MAY BE.  THIS HAS ALREADY STARTED TO TAKE A TOLL FOR THE NINERS THROUGHOUT THIS SEASON, AS THEY HAVE HAD A PLETHORTA OF INJURIES.  IT IS NOT OVER UNTIL IT IS OVER BUT KEEPING THAT IN MIND, THIS TEAM HAS NOW MADE IT TO AT LEAST THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOUR TIMES WITHIN THE PAST FIVE SEASONS, INCLUDING THE LAST THREE CONSECUTIVELY.  WHEN YOU PLAY 21-22 WEEKS OF FOOTBALL THAT MANY TIMES IN THAT SHORT TIMESPAN, AS I SAID ABOVE IT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY CATCH UP WITH YOU SOON ENOUGH.  THIS IS DEFINITELY A RELENTLESS TEAM AND I SEE NO QUIT IN THEM, THOUGH I THINK THAT THESE NINERS WILL RUN OUT OF STEAM WITH THIS GRUELING SLATE OF GAMES THAT THEY STILL HAVE REMANING FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.

 

2) CINCINNATI BENGALS-

        WHO DEY GONNA BEAT THEM BENGALS, WHO DEY?  THUS FAR CINCINNATI HAS BEEN THE ANSWER TO THEIR OWN BIGGEST QUESTION.  SURE, WHEN YOU DISECT THEIR SCHEDULE YOU SEE THEY LOST TO KANSAS CITY, I MEAN IT IS THE CHIEFS.  THIS GAME ALSO HAD A CONTROVERSIAL CALL THAT PRETTY MUCH SOWED UP THE WIN FOR KC.  THAT BEING SAID, THE BENGALS SHOULD’VE WON THIS MATCHUP, IT WAS A ONE-POINT LOSS AND THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR IT.  EVEN WORSE WAS THEIR OPENING GAME WHEN THEY LOST TO THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT HOME.  REALLY? UGHH, IT HAPPENED SO LET’S JUST MOVE ON, HOWEVER IT COULD END UP KEEPING THEM OUT OF THE POSTSEASON.  THAT MATCHUP IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN EASY WIN TO START THE SEASON OFF AND A TALLY IN THE WIN COLOUMN IN AFC CONFERENCE PLAY.

        CINCINNATI HAS STARTED THE SEASON 2-3 IN AFC CONFERENCE GAMES AND STILL HAVE SEVEN MORE REMAINING.  THEY STILL HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BEAT THE RAVENS IN PRIMETIME THIS UPCOMING THURSDAY NIGHT.  I CAN’T EXPRESS ENOUGH HOW CRUCIAL THIS GAME IS FOR THE BENGALS.  THIS COULD WIND UP BEING THE GAME THAT POSSIBLY CHANGES THEIR SEASON WHETHER FOR GOOD OR BAD, WE WILL SEE IN JUST A FEW DAYS.  AS OF NOW THEY ARE 1-1 IN THE AFC NORTH DIVISION GAMES, BEATING THE BROWNS WHILE JUST BARELY LOSING THEIR FIRST GAME WITH THE RAVENS.  AFTER THEY PLAY THURSDAY NIGHTS AFC NORTH BATTLE THE BENGALS STILL HAVE THREE MORE DIVISION GAMES, TWO WITH THE STEELERS AND ONE MORE AGAINST CLEVELAND.  THEY ALSO HAVE TWO OPPONENTS TO FACE FROM THE AFC WEST.  THE CURRENT 6 & 7 SEEDED TEAMS IN THE PLAYOFF PICTURE, THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS ON THE ROAD.  PLUS, A HOME GAME THAT COULD ALSO BE A POTENTIAL PATH OR ROADBLOCK TO A PLAYOFF BERTH AGAINST THE DENVER BRONCOS.  S0 IN MY PERSONAL OPINION THEY HAVE 5 TOUGHER GAMES REMAINING WHILE THREE OTHERS IN THE COWBOYS, TITANS, AND BROWNS SHOULD PROVE TO BE EASIER ONES.

        THEIR DESTINY FOR THIS SEASON WILL BE WHAT THEY MAKE OF IT.  THEY HAVE TO GET BETTER ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL, ESPECIALLY DEFENSIVELY.  THE DEFENSE HAS HURT THEM NUMEROUS TIMES THIS YEAR AND HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THREE OUT OF THEIR FIVE LOSSES.  THE OFFENSE HAS CERTAINLY PLAYED BETTER THAN THE DEFENSE, THOUGH IT DID COST THEM ON OPENING WEEKEND, ONLY SCORING 10 POINTS TO A PRETTY BAD NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS TEAM.  I AM ALSO SURPRISED THAT THE BENGALS AND BURROW WERE SOMEHOW HELD TO JUST 17 POINTS IN EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY IN A MONDAY NIGHT MATCHUP WITH THE NEW YORK GIANTS.  NONETHELESS, I HAVE THEM RANKED NUMBER 2 ON MY LIST BECAUSE THEY ARE ONLY TWO SPOTS BACK FROM THE SEVEN SEED AND HAVE ONLY ONE MORE LOSS, PLACING THEM IN DECENT POSITION OF POSSIBLY SQUEAKING INTO THE POSTSEASON.

1)  1) LOS ANGELES RAMS-

AS YOU CAN SEE MY NUMBER ONE RANKED TEAM IS THE LOS ANGELES RAMS.  COMING INTO THIS SEASON I HONESTLY THOUGHT THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY SEE THE RAMS BEING A PLAYOFF TEAM.  THEY STILL HAVE ONE OF THE SMARTEST OFFENSIVE MINDED COACHES IN HEAD COACH SEAN MCVAY, THEY STILL HAVE ONE OF THE BEST QUARTERBACKS IN ALL OF FOOTBALL IN MATTHEW STAFFORD, PLUS THEIR SKILLED POSITIONS CONSIST OF SOME OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE ENTIRE NFL.  THE PLAYMAKERS ON THIS OFFENSE ARE TRULY INCREDIBLE.  FROM SUPERSTAR WIDEOUT COOPER KUPP, TO SECOND YEAR RECEIVER PUKA NACUA, THEY COULD QUITE POSSIBLY POSSESS THE BEST WIDE RECEIVER TANDEM LEAGUEWIDE.  I CAN’T FORGET TO MENTION THE VERSATILE RUNNING BACK, KYREN WILLIAMS.  IT IS NO STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION TO CALL HIM A TOP TEN, MAYBE EVEN TOP FIVE RUNNER IN THE LEAGUE THIS YEAR.  HE CAN PRODUCE AT A HIGH LEVEL AS BOTH A RUSHER AND PASS CATCHER AND RUNS THROUGH DEFENDERS.

THE REASON WHY THEY ARE CURRENTLY ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN IS, FOR ONE, MUCH LIKE THE 49ERS, THEY HAVE ALSO DEALT WITH A TON OF INJURIES.  IN WEEK ONE THEY LOST ONE WIDEOUT, PUKA NUCUA TO A KNEE INJURY.  HE WAS OUT FOR SEVERAL WEEK ON THEIR INJURED RESERVE LIST.  WEEK TWO THEY ENDED UP LOSING THEIR OTHER TOP OPTION IN COOPER KUPP WHO ALSO LANDED ON THE IR LIST.  PLUS, AS IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, THEY ALSO HAD THREE OF THEIR OFFENSIVE LINEMEN THAT WENT DOWN DUE TO INJURIES.  WEEK ONE, UPON THEM LOSING NACUA, THEY LOST A VERY CLOSE GAME TO THE DETROIT LIONS IN OVERTIME.  THAT IS HUGE, IT TOOK FIVE QUARTERS FOR THE NFC’S CURRENT NUMBER ONE TEAM TO TAKE DOWN THE RAMS. 

THEIR SECOND GAME WENT COMPLETLEY DIFFERENT, GETTING BLOWNOUT TO THE ARIZONA CARDINALS 41-10.  THE RAMS ARE 3-4 IN THE NFC SO FAR BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THEY ARE 2-1 IN THE NFC WEST.  THE GAMES THAT THEY LOST ARE COMPLETLEY UNDERSTANDABLE.  THEY’VE LOST TO THEIR RIVAL CARDINALS, A TEAM THAT IS FIRST IN THEIR DIVISON, THE CHICAGO BEARS WHO POSSESS A VERY STOUT DEFENSE, AND AN EXTREMELY GOOD GREEN BAY PACKERS TEAM, PLUS AS I FOREMENTIONED, THE DETROIT LIONS.  THE LIONS, IN MY BELIEF ARE THE BEST TEAM IN THE NFL SO FAR THIS SEASON.  NOTHING AGAINST THE CHIEFS, BUT THEY HAVE ONLY PLAYED ONE ELITE TEAM THIS SEASON.

HERE'S THE FUN PART WHERE I RUNDOWN THE REST OF THEIR SCHEDULE AND POINT OUT THAT THE RAMS HAVE ONE OF THE MOST FAVORABLE SCHEDULES GOING FORWARD.  OK, SO THE RAMS PLAY THE WHOLE AFC EAST, WHERE I BELIEVE, THEY MAY ONLY LOSE TO ONE OF THOSE TEAMS (BUFFALO).  THEY ALSO HAVE TO PLAY THREE MORE DIVISIONAL GAMES, ONE AGAINST ALL THREE OF THEIR COMPETITORS.  AT MOST, I THINK THEY COULD POTENTIALLY DROP ONE OR TWO GAMES THERE.  OTHER THAN THAT, THEY ONLY HAVE TWO OTHER GAMES WITH THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (EASY WIN) AND THE OTHER COULD GIVE THEM A CHALLENGE, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE NFC NORTH SEEMS LIKE THEY COULD PRODUCE THREE PLAYOFF TEAMS THIS SEASON.  THE GAME THAT COULD WIND UP BEING THEIR MOST MEANINGFUL MATCHUP (OUTSIDE OF THEIR DIVISION GAMES) IS WHEN THEY HOST THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IN WEEK 12.  YES, THEY WILL STILL HAVE THEIR THREE NFC WEST RIVALARY GAMES AFTER THAT, BUT THEY CANNOT OVERLOOK WHAT A WIN OR LOSS IN THAT GAME COULD MEAN TO THEIR POSTSEASON HOPES COME SEASONS END.  I HONESTLY LIKE THE RAMS ODDS OF RUNNING THE TABLE AND MAKING A VERY STRONG PUSH FOR THE 7^TH SEED.  WHETHER THAT MEANS THEY WIND UP PUSHING THE VIKINGS, PACKERS, OR EAGLES, OUT OF THE PLAYOFF PICTURE, REMAINS TO BE SEEN BUT I LIKE THEIR CHANCES.