Broncos vs Browns: This is how things can change quickly in today’s NFL. After Week 3 everyone was hailing the Broncos as a playoff contender and potential division winner. Ever since that game against Baltimore it has been downhill for them. I know they have injuries yes but what happened to Teddy Bridgewater. Once he got confused by Odafe Oweh he hasn’t been the same QB. Even more fascinating is that Denver with much more talent got beat by the Browns backups, AND BACKUPS OF BACKUPS! Cleveland now gains false hope of leapfrogging Baltimore with this game. Once Baker, Chubb, and Hunt come back, I as well as the rest of the Marylanders and Yinzers do not want to hear what nonsense this fanbase has to say about the 2 Longtime Powers of the AFC North. (Media: Browns and Bengals ruling the North is the New Frontier. Marylander: NOT IN BALTIMORE IT ISN’T!)
Chiefs vs Titans: I said it after the Super Bowl this year and I’m saying it again. The Chiefs are falling into the same traps as the Greatest Show on Turf did 2 decades ago. Rarely do you see a one dimensional offense with no running game succeed at the NFL level. It happened in Pittsburgh last year and it may happen to Buffalo but who knows. Do you see this team making it back to another Super Bowl with the amount of flaws they have on defense and special teams. To be honest, why is Steve Spagnuolo still on the staff? I know he is loyal to Andy Reid but just let him go for once. The reason why? Their lack of effort against Derrick Henry or anything that the Titans threw at them. I have no faith in Kansas City until they fix this mess, and I don’t think they are going to. Why? They are going to have issues at the trade deadline since they have invested 65% of their Cap into 5 players. This is the price of paying up in the NFL, sometimes things don’t always go your way. (The Chiefs organization and fans act like perfectionists, and that will never change as long as Mahomes and Reid are there)
Bengals vs Ravens: I knew this was coming. (I said this moments after the Penn State game) Sometimes there needs to be a setback when you talk about the history of the Ravens and their great teams over the years. I won’t go too hard on them in the CCB doc because Cincinnati really should be 7-0 instead of 5-2. Hopefully the postgame nonsense from Bengals players and fans lights a fire in this organization over the Bye Week. It’s just like the game against Houston in 2012 all over again. (The seat on Wink is only getting hotter by the week if this keeps up)
Hogs vs Packers: Ah the Packers dawning their Throwback Color Rush. It’s always a sight to behold when you see new uniforms. And it usually helps improve a team’s win totals. (Just ask the 2 teams from Ohio) In this game Green Bay won this game not because of Aaron Rodgers and bold playcalls that worked out. It was because of epic defensive stands with some help from good old REFBALL. Yes the Heinicke play was questionable but even if it was called a TD Washington was losing this game anyways. When you fail 2 other times inside the redzone you don’t deserve a chance to win. Fortunately for PackerNation they have now won 6 straight since the Opening Day loss. This does come at a price. COUGH! Their receivers including Davante Adams and Allen Lazard have COVID. Their game in Arizona next week is going to be all about the running game isn’t it. Well at least Rodgers is still around I guess.
Jets vs Patriots: I said this in Week 2 and I’m saying it again. The tradition of New York teams being no match for the superiority of Boston is never ending. If you watched this game you thought it was 2016. The Jets made Mac Jones look like Tom Brady all day long. 54 points against the ButtFumble. It wasn’t just Jones, Damien Harris had another solid game on the ground. This wasn’t even a game, New York was beat in every phase of the game. Even worse for Jets fans. CRACK! Zach Wilson got injured and will be out for close to a month. Enter the return of Checkdown Flacco! Total Nestalgia if I had a saying in it. Somebody free Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas from this trash heap of an organization. They keep making the same mistakes and haven’t learned anything from them. Anyways the Patriots are back in the playoff hunt with a blowout win. How will they do going forward?
Falcons vs Dolphins: Miami knows that if they lose that they most likely are ruled out of the Deshawn Watson sweepstakes. (Even if they do lose many people think he is still coming there) Playing against a Falcons team that was fresh off a Bye the Dolphins jumped out to an early lead and looked primed for a statement win. However it wasn’t meant to be for 3 Quarters. The issues that Miami has on offense is not Tua, it’s the lack of an elite runner, and No O-Line. That’s what cost them towards the end of the season last year. Even ahead by 13 with 9 minutes left the Falcons can’t make it easy on themselves. The Dolphins came storming back and put up 14 straight points and now have the lead. Really Atlanta, you’re going to lose another game with a sizable lead in the 4th? Just go away. I would hold that thought for one second, HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY! Now we understand why Kyle Pitts was thought of as perhaps the best TE prospect since Tony Gonzalez. It’s because of clutch catches just like this. With this clutch drive the Falcons kick a field goal as time expires to get their record back to 500. Good work Arthur Smith, I thought you were done after an 0-3 start. Now you could sneak up on some people. The last thing we need is for all of Atlanta’s teams to be contenders. (How good would this team be if they still had Julio?)
Panthers vs Giants: Carolina has officially gone from dark horse playoff team, to mediocrity in a span of 4 weeks. I know everyone is blaming Sam Darnold for this demise but there is one thing that really hurts them. Once Christian McCaffery and Jaycee Horn got hurt in Week 3 they have not been the same team. They lack swagger, intensity, and leadership in every sense of the word. Look at them now, they got exposed by the Giants, THE GIANTS! A team that has been stuck in the parking garage of NFL HQ since 2016 just made Matt Rhule look like a High School coach. It’s gotten so bad that Panthers fans are calling for Cam Newton to save them. Guys, Supercam isn’t coming back and you know it. It might be panic time soon.
Lions vs Rams: The Grudgematch! Jared Goff vs Matthew Stafford. Both QB’s are out for blood against their former squads. So far the Lions are out to prove that they can win their 1st game of the season against a legit contender. Jumping to a 13-3 lead thanks to trick plays, gadgets, and fake field goals and punts. Goff has played the best game of his tenure in Detroit. There is no way that Lions can mess this up? BOOM! We do have to realize that there is another QB that wants revenge on his former team. Matt Stafford went to work quickly as LA stormed back and took a 6 point lead deep into the 4th Quarter. But here is the thing, Goff and the Lions are marching towards a potential game winning touchdown and their 1st win of the year. What do the Football Gods have in store for them? “Goff on 2nd Down, he throws towards Hockenson and it’s PICKED OFF! It’s picked by Jalen Ramsey in the endzone!” So the Rams don’t have to pull off a repeat of last year when they lost to the Jets in Week 15. They are now 6-1 and still trailing the Cardinals by one game in the NFC West. Lions you’ll get your 1st win eventually. Don’t worry about this loss, you played well.
Eagles vs Raiders: Is it me or do the Raiders look like a much better team since Gruden left? In a showdown against a struggling Eagles team, Vegas proved why they should be taken seriously as an AFC Contender. Derek Carr might have just saved his chances at winning MVP. He is playing just as well as he did in the 1st 3 weeks. Even more crazy is that the defense is also a wrecking machine. I get that Philadelphia has a 1 dimensional offense with little direction but do you see many teams in the AFC having a chance against this Front 7. You know what I find fascinating. The Ravens 2 losses this year have come to the 2 best teams record wise in the AFC after 7 weeks. This is what happens when you expect different things in the NFL, because you never know what this league will do to you. Anyways the Eagles are becoming more of a mess by the day. It looks like Howie Roseman could be fired at the end of the year if things continue. To be honest I don’t think he is the problem. You know who the real animal is in the front office. JEFFERY LORIE! GUARANTEED!
Bears vs Buccaneers: Bears do you now understand why you shouldn’t rush a Rookie in the NFL. Because of games like this. Justin Fields was stomped all over the field by Tampa Bay’s front 7 as Chicago only put up 3 points and most of their yardage came in garbage time. You want to know something, I don’t think Fields is a bad QB. The issue that has been lingering for the Bears since the 1980s is that they usually have one of the worst offensive lines in football. That’s why they haven’t had a superstar QB in a long time. Did anything else happen? Oh right Tom Brady has become the 1st QB to throw for 600 touchdowns, and the Bucs improve to 6-1. This team is only getting stronger as the year goes on. Now that’s impressive.
Texans vs Cardinals: There is only 1 phrase that everyone in the NFL is saying after a game like this since JJ Watt and DeAndre Hopkins got their revenge. BILL O’BRIEN IS A HACK! Even if O’Brien is gone the Texans still are a dumpster fire that will probably never end until they make proper moves. The game itself was a blowout which was no surprise to anyone. Watt and Hopkins have a massive impact on the Cardinals franchise. Their leadership has taken this team to another level and now Arizona is 7-0 and atop the NFC. The question is how are they going to fare against Green Bay? I don’t know but I’m very interested to watch that game to see what happens. Houston, are you going to trade Watson yet?
Colts vs 49ers: Ah yes there is nothing like a monsoon in the NFL. It brings flashbacks to the 1979 Buccaneers vs Chiefs game in Week 17. (And in Ravens words, 2017 vs the Colts) Even if the 49ers were able to get Jimmy G back from injury this week they had their problems all night long. San Fran jumped out to a 10-0 lead only for the offense to struggle in the brutal conditions. Carson Wentz despite his issues in the red zone had a good game nonetheless. The thing I have been impressed with from Indianapolis over the past few games is their defense. They look like a rock solid unit up and down the roster like they were last year. To be honest they are much better than a 3-4 team. (They should be 5-2 if they didn’t lose heartbreakers to the Rams and Ravens) And it showed this week. Um, Niners, you have now lost 4 straight games following a 2-0 start. I know you guys will be calling for Trey Lance to come back but I don’t think he is ready. At least Dolphins fans can have hope if San Francisco continues to struggle since they have the 49ers 1st Round pick. Don’t worry Kyle Shanahan, you aren’t the most pathetic team in your division.
Saints vs Seahawks: That honor belongs to the Seattle Seahawks! Ever since Russell Wison got his hand beat up by Aaron Donald it has been a downward spiral for them ever since. Even with an early touchdown by DK Metcalf thanks to a no call PI, Seattle can’t make it easy. Geno Smith is nowhere near the level of production of Wilson. I know he had a decent game against Pittsburgh last week but what happened. It’s probably because the Saints shut down Alex Collins. Both teams’ offenses were taken away all night long. I know people are going to say both teams have good defenses but what is wrong with both OC’s. Plus there was REFBALL for both sides, what a shocker. Even as the Saints take the lead at the end of the game, Geno Smith can’t bail out the Hawks the same way Russell Wilson Jr III did. The Jets gain precious draft capital now that Seattle is 2-5. I don’t know what to think of the Saints. Yes they are 4-2 but are they really that good or is the NFL weak especially in the Wild Card race. Who knows.
FOOTBALL FOLLIES: Cue up The Nutcracker theme because it’s time for FOOTBALL FOLLIES! This week’s winners are the Penn State Nittany Lions. Coming off their Bye Week following a devastating loss against Iowa it looked as if PSU would get a solid win now with Sean Clifford back right? However things would change dramatically. The Nittany Lions gave up 357 yard rushing. The most rushing yards allowed in the James Franklin era. They were out gained by Illinois by almost 200 yards overall yet the game still went to OT. PSU should have won the game going away but couldn’t solve the rubix cube the Illini defense thanks to a banged up Clifford and O-Line. It took them 8OTs to score. Then in the 9th OT, Illinois scored on their 2 point attempt following a failed try by PSU and pulled off the upset. 1st of all how do you lose at home to a 2-5 team when you are favored by 28 points, and 2nd of all considering their upcoming schedule they could possibly either lose out or go 1-4. This Penn State team is built for Saquan Barkley, but doesn’t have Saquan Barkley. And that’s the fate they have to suffer. The PSU doc will explain the rest. (The most painful regular season loss I have ever suffered in person, College or the Pros)
Bragging Rights Sports 