Things are starting to really get juicy around these parts. We've got some shakeup in the NFC, with a couple more likely coming. Meanwhile, the AFC powerhouses have been busy staking their claims for the best in the league. Tons of great football ahead and we can't wait.
Let's look back at week seven:
Not Sure How Dennis Allen's Employed
Dude was 8-28 with the Raiders and has fallen to 18-23 in New Orleans. Their defense, allegedly Allen's strong suit, gave up 33 points to Bo Nix, despite his WR1 not receiving a target. They've lost five straight in generally spectacular fashion. Hard to think the Saints were the toast of the league just barely a month ago.
Sean Payton Revenge
Probably more of a media headline than reality, but it surely felt good going into the Superdome and waxing your old organization like that.
Trust in Drake
The Patriots aren't a good football team. They got embarrassed by Jacksonville over in London, particularly their run defense that got gashed by Tank Bigsby. But that #3 pick Drake Maye can sling it, especially when considering that his top two receivers were barely out there. New England should be gaining some confidence in their young QB.
Fired off a Win?
Doug Pederson may have helped lead the Jaguars to victory, but it feels like the writing's on the wall. They're now 3-10 over their last 13, failing to even look inspiring when things are going right. Was unable to find any other NFL coaches fired midseason after a win, though it happened to David Blatt in the NBA. Could the LeBron effect hit Duval?
Dial Me Up Geno!
Smith only finished with 207 passing, but he made some massive throws early on to separate from the Falcons. His strike to DK Metcalf in the end zone during the final seconds of the first half was an absolute dart. The formerly undefeated Seahawks look dangerous again now that they're getting healthy.
Wonky Birds
The Falcons are pretty hard to trust right now. Outside of his 509 yard explosion, Kirk Cousins has been inconsistent, too often failing to come up with big plays when the team needs him. Takeaway their wins over Tampa and New Orleans, neither of which they had any business stealing, and they'd be sitting at 2-5 right now. Not nearly as intimidating a matchup in reality as they are on paper.
Keon Coleman: Part Time Receivers Coach
Pretty funny watching Keon Coleman demonstrating Amari Cooper's route to him before first TD in Buffalo. Can't expect the new guy to jump right in and know 100% of what he's doing! The rookie from FSU had himself a nice day alongside Cooper, finished with 125 yards on 4 of his own catches. Suddenly, the Bills may have a passing attack to speak of?
Where Are You Nuk?
A week after Calvin Ridley's goose egg, Deandre Hopkins arguably surpassed his sad performance, totaling 1 catch on 1 target for -2 yards. You think he's got the trade deadline circled on his calendar?
EDIT: He's now a Chief...
Deshaun Watson
From his exorbitant price tag, to his piss poor performances and now a year long recovery from an Achilles tear-- it's hard to find sympathy or endearing words for the guy. Not wishing injuries on anybody.
First Time Doing This Sort of Thing
Joe Burrow had never won in Cleveland, providing yet another reason to misunderstand his hype train. He came out really flat too, failing to get going until the second half Sunday. Between that and his 1-9 against Lamar Jackson, it's a miracle they've made it out of the division in past years.
Concerns About CJ Stroud?
That Houston offensive line was bad up in Green Bay, but their quarterback's play matched it. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year went 10/21 for 86 yards, taking 7 hits while generally being flushed out of the pocket. While this was just one game, but Stroud hasn't looked the same since losing Nico Collins.
NFC North Reigns Supreme
Imagine being 5-2 and with mere percentage points keeping you out of the basement of a division. That's the Packers for you right now. Crazy what those four squads are doing up there.
Horrendous Quarterback Play
Miami quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle combined to go 15/26 for 149 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers. Far from exciting, but palatable for a third and fourth string performance. At 2-4, there doesn't appear to be a ton of sense in Tua rushing back, but word on the street is we'll see him next week.
On the other hand, former #4 overall pick Anthony Richardson was far shakier, passing for just 129 on less than 50% completion percentage while losing fumble. He's completing 48.9% of his passes on the year, with a 3:6 TD:INT ratio-- not good. The Colts are clearly a more effective offense with Joe Flacco calling the shots. When do they throw in the towel on that experiment and play for this season?
Grit.
The Detroit Lions have it. What a team, what a win, and now your rightful #1 seed in the NFC.
Vikings are Legit
This team's always going to feel like they need to prove themselves, which they probably wouldn't want any other way. They showed the world they can hang with the juggernauts of the league, going toe to toe with Detroit until the clock stopped. Unbelievable game that they can hold their heads high after. Now imagine this roster with Matthew Stafford at the helm...
Homecoming
You think the Giants have any regrets about letting Saquon Barkley walk? The man went in against his former team, racking up 176 rushing yards on 17 carries-- good for 10.4 a pop. He surprisingly only found pay dirt once as he outgained New York on the day. You know he was pumped about that performance.
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| Photo: Vincent Carchietta/ Imagn Images |
More Sacks than a Bukkake
Daniel Jones got sacked seven times in three quarters. To say he was under duress would be an injustice, the man had absolutely no time in the pocket. Of all the bad outings they could've chose to sit him on, this one wasn't his fault. The G-Men really miss left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Touchdown Machine
Rams' running back Kyren Williams punched in two scores on an otherwise pedestrian day. It was his 9th straight game with a touchdown, the longest active streak in the NFL. Pretty impressive considering how banged up LA's been at times over that stretch.
Game Management
Not sure of Antonio Pierce's mindset when he kicked field goal from the Rams' 9 while down 20-12 with just over 3 minutes remaining. Their offense isn't explosive and their defense isn't great, giving no guarantee they'd get the ball back that close. They didn't.
Also, Brock Bowers is very, very good. Nice little piece to build around on offense.
Pathetic.
The Carolina Panthers. In a game primarily featuring Marcus Mariota at quarterback, they lost 40-7, against one of the worst defenses in the league no less. Andy Dalton sucks, Bryce Young sucks, their defense is hurt but really sucks and Dave Canales probably sucks too. David Tepper's surely increased the dose of his blood pressure medication recently.
Hoping for the Best
Jayden Daniels was electric for the little bit of game action we saw, but a rib injury had him going into the locker room for imaging early on. The electric rookie hasn't announced any timeline for the ailment yet, but it's seemingly going to shelf him for at least week 8. Hate to see it.
San Fraudcisco
Doesn't look like Christian McCaffery's coming back anytime soon. Deebo Samuel was sick in the hospital and Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL. The defense is no longer elite and the 49ers are sitting at 3-4, with much of the luster they've been known for seeming to wear away. Not sure there's a quick fix in sight either, as the franchise trudges through one of the more challenging seasons in recent memory. Time to see what Kyle Shanahan's got
Steve Spagnuolo
The Chiefs defense is really, really good. Steve Spagnuolo is the orchestrator of that, seemingly making the correct call nearly every time. There's some studs in that bunch, a la Chris Jones or Trent McDuffie, but make no mistake that Spags is quite possibly the* key cog.
Okay Russ!
Did NOT see this coming. After a shaky first quarter that saw some boo birds come out of the woodworks, Russell Wilson cooked the allegedly elite Jets secondary. 19/26, 264 yards, 2 touchdowns throwing and one with his legs. George Pickens did him some favors, but it was a different looking offense than when Justin Fields was in charge. Let's see if he can run it back.
Jets are Dead and We're Here For It
2-5. All the hype in the world, fueled by that New York media. And the Jets are 2-5. Mortgaging their future for a wide receiver that their 40-year-old diva QB demanded. Yet he can't even stand in the pocket for 3 seconds to throw him the ball. If they keep losing like this, don't be surprised if some really ugly stories start to unfold in the Big Apple.
MV3
Lamar Jackson. Undeniably the frontrunner right now for MVP, which would be his third. Dude is absolutely locked in right now, coming off his fifth career 5 touchdown- 0 interception game. The performance has him in rarified company as one of just six quarterbacks to have five or more such outings. Crazy thing is, Lamar did it in 147 less games than the second fastest on the list. Not bad for a running back.
Receivers Down
Definitely some questions for Todd Bowles regarding his receiver usage. Mike Evans playing at noticeably less than 100% was acceptable, being that this was a big game for the Bucs. But Chris Godwin had no business being on the field with 43 seconds left and down by 10. The woefully unnecessary act of aggression cost them their slot aficionado for the foreseeable future with a dislocated ankle. Get well soon Godwin!
Absolutely 0 Explosiveness
Ladd McConkey is a nice slot guy. Joshua Palmer's okay. Jalen Reagor's actually getting playing time. We'll forever be wondering what the Chargers offense would look like with Justin Herbert throwing the ball to Malik Nabers. But hey, Joe Alt.
Generational Wideout?
3 catches for 21 yards for Marvin Harrison Jr. on Monday night. Sure, Kyler Murray really isn't throwing the ball around much, but this was a guy that was supposed to the next big thing. The #4 pick's averaging 2.9 catches and 42.8 yards in his seven career games thus far-- not quite the return on investment Arizona was hoping for.
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@Choppinglines
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