I guess I’ll be watching NFL games for at least another week.
8 thoughts on “2023-2024 NFL week 3”
Some random comments about some of the teams and players, based on the previous two weeks.
Two dark horse teams: the Rams and the Patriots. The Rams lost to the 49ers, but they looked good. As long as Stafford is healthy, they could surprise people. In terms of elevating his team with coaching/scheme, to me, McVay is up there with Reid and Belichick.
Speaking of the latter, the Pats are 0-2, but they played well against two good teams. They remind me of the Patriot teams of the 2000s–teams that aren’t really impressive, especially on paper, but then go deep into the playoffs, if not win the Super Bowl. One of the biggest issues for them, if not the biggest problem, are turnovers. I have a hard time imagining a Belichick team is not going to fix this.
I forgot to mention an impression I had of Micah Parsons. In these two games, the player that came to mind when watching him: LT and also Derrick Thomas. I’m saying he’s there yet, but those players came to mind. I would also choose Parsons ahead of Nick Bosa, TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, and any other pass rusher.
Some QBs that look bad so far: Ridder, Fields, Pickett. Jordan Love doesn’t look awful, but I don’t get the sense that he’s the real deal. I think I’m close to giving up on Daniel Jones as well. Derek Carr looked bad the other night, but that’s not surprising.
Some QBs that look good: Lamar Jackson. I’ve been a doubter, but he looked good. I have Mike Lombardi, but he frequently mentions that the offense should be built around Jackson throwing in the middle of the field–because that’s what he’s good it. It showed this last game. The Ravens offense looked good as well–really balanced. The passing game looks as strong as the running game.
Some QBs that fall somewhere in between: Russell Wilson. My sense was that the defense was to blame for the loss, but his two turnovers are worrisome. If his ball security doesn’t improve, he’ll be in the bad category. Justin Herbert comes to mind as well. Not bad–but something seems missing. He can’t help his team comeback to win. Actually, as usual, something seems lacking in the entire team. It’s pretty strange.
I’m guessing you mentioned Derrick Thomas in comparing Micah because he was also a LB. In two years and two games, the only “LB” that I would even put in comparison with Micah is LT. But at this point, Micah is strictly an edge. Aside from LT, Micah should be compared to guys like Von Miller, Jason Taylor, D-Ware, and Charles Haley off the top of my head. They are all smaller edges that can rush the passer. The two things about Micah and those other edges is he is significantly faster than all of them, and Dan Quinn (DQ) has been putting him all over the line. Micah lines up so far outside, he is standing where the slot receiver is standing, and he even plays over the center at times. By my untrained eye, Micah is the most disruptive player since JJ Watt. Yes, guys like Aaron Donald and Miles Garrett have unbelievable numbers, but when you watch them play, you don’t notice them all the time. Micah and JJ Watt always seemed to be near the QB or the ball.
On the QBs, I thought Jordan Love looked like a legitimate starting QB. I only watched a little more than a half of his game. He has a good arm and good feet too. My biggest concern was his accuracy on some of his throws, and I didn’t see any real long throws to the outside. But Watson wasn’t playing, so that’s maybe why. The only other guy I can comment on is Ridder. He’s looked below average of the little I saw him.
How has the Patriots skilled positions look? Parker, the TEs, Juju, and Rhamondre? They look like they can carry that team with Mac at the helm? That would be my biggest concern if I was a Pat’s fan.
I’m guessing you mentioned Derrick Thomas in comparing Micah because he was also a LB.
Right. I know he’s mostly on the LOS, in an ostensible 4-3, but he seems essentially like an 3-4 OLB moving to a 4-3 DE–although as you say DQ is moving him in the inside, including over the C, which seems unreal that he could be effective there.
I also thought of Watt and Donald, too, but they’re different positions. (Watt on the edge, but more of a 3-4 DE. Watt might be the best 3-4 DE I’ve seen. Can you think of anyone better? Mean Joe Green and Belichick said that Lee Roy Selmon is the best 3-4 DE of all time, but I can’t remember how he looked when he played.)
On the QBs, I thought Jordan Love looked like a legitimate starting QB. I only watched a little more than a half of his game. He has a good arm and good feet too.
Right now, he doesn’t look like a QB that can win a Super Bowl. He seems athletic, and moves well, but throws off-balance at times
How has the Patriots skilled positions look? Parker, the TEs, Juju, and Rhamondre? They look like they can carry that team with Mac at the helm?
So far Rhamondre isn’t as productive as last year. The pass-catchers don’t look like anything special. But remember prior to Gronk, Edelmen, Moss, when the Pats had no name pass catchers and still seemed to do well? That’s sort of my feeling, now. To me the big things is the mistakes. They could have easily won those games without the turnovers. I think the defense was a big reason for this. They kept the Pats in the game against probably two good-to-great offenses (although I didn’t watch the Eagles-Vikings game).
In the previous games, the 49er offense looked like they’re moving to a more pass-first offense, utilizing more shotgun formations. But in this game, I thought the offense was more balanced. Indeed, if someone asked about what constitutes balance, the Niner offense in this game would be good to watch.
Defensively, the 49ers are good, but they don’t seem to be really dominant, great. Of the two games, the Cowboys defense is a contender for that. (They had potential for maybe all-time great status.)
Oddly, the Giants defense didn’t look so bad, even though the 49ers offense basically dominated–especially in terms of combining ball control and scoring. I guess I would say the Giants played well, but the 49ers offense just played a lot better. My sense is that the Giants defense will play well against most offenses.
Both teams had a ton of injuries before and during the game. It’s really disappointing.
The Seahawks might have one of the worst defenses in the league. I say that because even though the Panthers may have one of the worst offenses in the league–especially without their two starting guards–they had a chance to win for most of the game. The Seahawk defense can’t be counted on to protected a lead. (To be fair, they were missing a starting CB, SCB, and the backup CB got knocked out the game.)
On a positive note, Waldron’s play calling was a lot more balanced. I liked that he tried to run it a lot near the goal line (at least on one of the possessions).
Cowboys@Cardinals
There’s a saying: you have to earn the right to rush the passer–and you do that by playing good run defense. I kinda feel like the Cowboys run defense wasn’t taking the Cardinals seriously–overall and their run game specifically.
On offense, I feel like they passed too much. The run-game looked good, especially the OL. At times they really seemed to be pushing the Cardinal DL.
I ripped Shane Waldron’s playcalling for the first two games. I would direct the same sentiments to Zac Taylor’s playcalling for the Bengals. In a way, it seems like the type of game June Jones would call. The Bengals only seem to have a few run plays as well. Man, I hated the offense. To me, it’s the worst way to play the Rams defense.
The Rams lost, but I think McVay is doing a great coaching job. (Interestingly, the Rams seem to be using way more shotgun formations, although maybe it’s not much more since they’ve acquired Stafford.)
Eagles@Buccaneers
Eagles won the LOS, especially on the offensive side of ball. I really liked the balance on offense as well.
I like what I’ve seen from Dave Canales, the Bucs OC. (I would have preferred Pete Carroll promoting him as OC instead of Waldron.)
Bucs would have had a chance if they didn’t turn over the ball twice.
Only saw the second half of the Cowboys, Cards game. Cowboys’ defense played well in the second half, but I’m guessing not so much in the first half. Cards didn’t punt once in the first half. Dallas’ inability to score TDs is what really cost them the game. I’m not saying they would have won for sure, but it would have been interesting if Dallas could put the ball in the end zone.
Here’s some questions:
What are your thoughts of Jalen Hurts? I was pretty down on him last year, and wasn’t super impressed with him in the Super Bowl as well despite all the hype. I thought in the Super Bowl he made some fantastic plays, but was “meh” on many others. But this year so far, he has looked better. He’s definitely more willing to stay in the pocket and not just “take off” as quickly as in the past.
What are your thoughts of Brock Purdy? I feel like for most of last year and going into this year, the talk was “anybody can win with that team” and “Shanahan can make any QB look good”. I’ve been praising him from last year. He is poised and has good feet. He doesn’t seem to have a lot of arm talent, but he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Yes, I’m sure I should give Shanahan a lot of credit, but I didn’t think Jimmy G looked as good as Purdy has.
Is Miami the best team in the NFL? The two games they couldn’t be stopped, Miami has looked like a college team, just moving up and down the field with ease. It’s a relatively small sample size, although they did this to start the year last year as well, but man this could be the best offenses we’ve seen in terms of explosiveness. The only other NFL teams I can think of that was like this was the “Greatest Show on Turf” and the Randy Moss Patriots, and maybe June Jones’ team with Warren Moon? Tua is a great ball handler. His fakes are flawless. He’s also accurate with the crossing routes by hitting guys on stride as well as throwing the ball at the right times.
Dallas’ inability to score TDs is what really cost them the game.
I heard that the Cards had gained 400 yards, and they built a 23 point lead. I think I’d point to the defense more than the offense. And I’d say this because while the Cardinals may be better than people thought, I don’t think they’re so good to be able to do this to the Cowboy defense (even without Diggs.) (In fairness, there is little game tape on the Cardinals offense and QB, so preparing for them may have been more challenging.)
What are your thoughts of Jalen Hurts?
Honestly, I haven’t seen him enough recently to comment. He looked good against the Bucs. I will say this: I think it’s hard to fully evaluate him because he’s in an ideal situation. He has a really good supporting cast. In an way, it’s like Prescott’s first year with the Cowboys. Many good QBs can perform well in these circumstances. To me, if a QB is really good, they can perform in much more difficult situations.
What are your thoughts of Brock Purdy?
I haven’t seen enough to really comment. Based on the few games I’ve seen, Montana is not someone I thought of, though. Actually when comparing him to Jimmy G, so far, he seems more resilient to pressure–that is, I haven’t seen him make big mistakes due to a heavy pass rush.
That’s the biggest difference I’ve seen between him and Jimmy–and it’s a big one. Other than that, they seem similar. But again, I haven’t watch him play a lot. (He, too, is in a very ideal situation.)
Is Miami the best team in the NFL? The two games they couldn’t be stopped,
The Patriots held them to 23 or 24 points. If they didn’t turn over the ball, they could have won. I’m not saying this to refute the claim, but I think it’s important to point out. Their offense does look terrific, and I also thought of the “greatest show on turf” offense. They’re in that category–at least so far. And I’d put them in the first tier right now.
Some random comments about some of the teams and players, based on the previous two weeks.
Two dark horse teams: the Rams and the Patriots. The Rams lost to the 49ers, but they looked good. As long as Stafford is healthy, they could surprise people. In terms of elevating his team with coaching/scheme, to me, McVay is up there with Reid and Belichick.
Speaking of the latter, the Pats are 0-2, but they played well against two good teams. They remind me of the Patriot teams of the 2000s–teams that aren’t really impressive, especially on paper, but then go deep into the playoffs, if not win the Super Bowl. One of the biggest issues for them, if not the biggest problem, are turnovers. I have a hard time imagining a Belichick team is not going to fix this.
I forgot to mention an impression I had of Micah Parsons. In these two games, the player that came to mind when watching him: LT and also Derrick Thomas. I’m saying he’s there yet, but those players came to mind. I would also choose Parsons ahead of Nick Bosa, TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, and any other pass rusher.
Some QBs that look bad so far: Ridder, Fields, Pickett. Jordan Love doesn’t look awful, but I don’t get the sense that he’s the real deal. I think I’m close to giving up on Daniel Jones as well. Derek Carr looked bad the other night, but that’s not surprising.
Some QBs that look good: Lamar Jackson. I’ve been a doubter, but he looked good. I have Mike Lombardi, but he frequently mentions that the offense should be built around Jackson throwing in the middle of the field–because that’s what he’s good it. It showed this last game. The Ravens offense looked good as well–really balanced. The passing game looks as strong as the running game.
Some QBs that fall somewhere in between: Russell Wilson. My sense was that the defense was to blame for the loss, but his two turnovers are worrisome. If his ball security doesn’t improve, he’ll be in the bad category. Justin Herbert comes to mind as well. Not bad–but something seems missing. He can’t help his team comeback to win. Actually, as usual, something seems lacking in the entire team. It’s pretty strange.
I’m guessing you mentioned Derrick Thomas in comparing Micah because he was also a LB. In two years and two games, the only “LB” that I would even put in comparison with Micah is LT. But at this point, Micah is strictly an edge. Aside from LT, Micah should be compared to guys like Von Miller, Jason Taylor, D-Ware, and Charles Haley off the top of my head. They are all smaller edges that can rush the passer. The two things about Micah and those other edges is he is significantly faster than all of them, and Dan Quinn (DQ) has been putting him all over the line. Micah lines up so far outside, he is standing where the slot receiver is standing, and he even plays over the center at times. By my untrained eye, Micah is the most disruptive player since JJ Watt. Yes, guys like Aaron Donald and Miles Garrett have unbelievable numbers, but when you watch them play, you don’t notice them all the time. Micah and JJ Watt always seemed to be near the QB or the ball.
On the QBs, I thought Jordan Love looked like a legitimate starting QB. I only watched a little more than a half of his game. He has a good arm and good feet too. My biggest concern was his accuracy on some of his throws, and I didn’t see any real long throws to the outside. But Watson wasn’t playing, so that’s maybe why. The only other guy I can comment on is Ridder. He’s looked below average of the little I saw him.
How has the Patriots skilled positions look? Parker, the TEs, Juju, and Rhamondre? They look like they can carry that team with Mac at the helm? That would be my biggest concern if I was a Pat’s fan.
Right. I know he’s mostly on the LOS, in an ostensible 4-3, but he seems essentially like an 3-4 OLB moving to a 4-3 DE–although as you say DQ is moving him in the inside, including over the C, which seems unreal that he could be effective there.
I also thought of Watt and Donald, too, but they’re different positions. (Watt on the edge, but more of a 3-4 DE. Watt might be the best 3-4 DE I’ve seen. Can you think of anyone better? Mean Joe Green and Belichick said that Lee Roy Selmon is the best 3-4 DE of all time, but I can’t remember how he looked when he played.)
Right now, he doesn’t look like a QB that can win a Super Bowl. He seems athletic, and moves well, but throws off-balance at times
So far Rhamondre isn’t as productive as last year. The pass-catchers don’t look like anything special. But remember prior to Gronk, Edelmen, Moss, when the Pats had no name pass catchers and still seemed to do well? That’s sort of my feeling, now. To me the big things is the mistakes. They could have easily won those games without the turnovers. I think the defense was a big reason for this. They kept the Pats in the game against probably two good-to-great offenses (although I didn’t watch the Eagles-Vikings game).
Giants@49ers
In the previous games, the 49er offense looked like they’re moving to a more pass-first offense, utilizing more shotgun formations. But in this game, I thought the offense was more balanced. Indeed, if someone asked about what constitutes balance, the Niner offense in this game would be good to watch.
Defensively, the 49ers are good, but they don’t seem to be really dominant, great. Of the two games, the Cowboys defense is a contender for that. (They had potential for maybe all-time great status.)
Oddly, the Giants defense didn’t look so bad, even though the 49ers offense basically dominated–especially in terms of combining ball control and scoring. I guess I would say the Giants played well, but the 49ers offense just played a lot better. My sense is that the Giants defense will play well against most offenses.
Panthers@Seahawks
Both teams had a ton of injuries before and during the game. It’s really disappointing.
The Seahawks might have one of the worst defenses in the league. I say that because even though the Panthers may have one of the worst offenses in the league–especially without their two starting guards–they had a chance to win for most of the game. The Seahawk defense can’t be counted on to protected a lead. (To be fair, they were missing a starting CB, SCB, and the backup CB got knocked out the game.)
On a positive note, Waldron’s play calling was a lot more balanced. I liked that he tried to run it a lot near the goal line (at least on one of the possessions).
Cowboys@Cardinals
There’s a saying: you have to earn the right to rush the passer–and you do that by playing good run defense. I kinda feel like the Cowboys run defense wasn’t taking the Cardinals seriously–overall and their run game specifically.
On offense, I feel like they passed too much. The run-game looked good, especially the OL. At times they really seemed to be pushing the Cardinal DL.
Rams@Bengals
I ripped Shane Waldron’s playcalling for the first two games. I would direct the same sentiments to Zac Taylor’s playcalling for the Bengals. In a way, it seems like the type of game June Jones would call. The Bengals only seem to have a few run plays as well. Man, I hated the offense. To me, it’s the worst way to play the Rams defense.
The Rams lost, but I think McVay is doing a great coaching job. (Interestingly, the Rams seem to be using way more shotgun formations, although maybe it’s not much more since they’ve acquired Stafford.)
Eagles@Buccaneers
Eagles won the LOS, especially on the offensive side of ball. I really liked the balance on offense as well.
I like what I’ve seen from Dave Canales, the Bucs OC. (I would have preferred Pete Carroll promoting him as OC instead of Waldron.)
Bucs would have had a chance if they didn’t turn over the ball twice.
Only saw the second half of the Cowboys, Cards game. Cowboys’ defense played well in the second half, but I’m guessing not so much in the first half. Cards didn’t punt once in the first half. Dallas’ inability to score TDs is what really cost them the game. I’m not saying they would have won for sure, but it would have been interesting if Dallas could put the ball in the end zone.
Here’s some questions:
What are your thoughts of Jalen Hurts? I was pretty down on him last year, and wasn’t super impressed with him in the Super Bowl as well despite all the hype. I thought in the Super Bowl he made some fantastic plays, but was “meh” on many others. But this year so far, he has looked better. He’s definitely more willing to stay in the pocket and not just “take off” as quickly as in the past.
What are your thoughts of Brock Purdy? I feel like for most of last year and going into this year, the talk was “anybody can win with that team” and “Shanahan can make any QB look good”. I’ve been praising him from last year. He is poised and has good feet. He doesn’t seem to have a lot of arm talent, but he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Yes, I’m sure I should give Shanahan a lot of credit, but I didn’t think Jimmy G looked as good as Purdy has.
Is Miami the best team in the NFL? The two games they couldn’t be stopped, Miami has looked like a college team, just moving up and down the field with ease. It’s a relatively small sample size, although they did this to start the year last year as well, but man this could be the best offenses we’ve seen in terms of explosiveness. The only other NFL teams I can think of that was like this was the “Greatest Show on Turf” and the Randy Moss Patriots, and maybe June Jones’ team with Warren Moon? Tua is a great ball handler. His fakes are flawless. He’s also accurate with the crossing routes by hitting guys on stride as well as throwing the ball at the right times.
I heard that the Cards had gained 400 yards, and they built a 23 point lead. I think I’d point to the defense more than the offense. And I’d say this because while the Cardinals may be better than people thought, I don’t think they’re so good to be able to do this to the Cowboy defense (even without Diggs.) (In fairness, there is little game tape on the Cardinals offense and QB, so preparing for them may have been more challenging.)
Honestly, I haven’t seen him enough recently to comment. He looked good against the Bucs. I will say this: I think it’s hard to fully evaluate him because he’s in an ideal situation. He has a really good supporting cast. In an way, it’s like Prescott’s first year with the Cowboys. Many good QBs can perform well in these circumstances. To me, if a QB is really good, they can perform in much more difficult situations.
I haven’t seen enough to really comment. Based on the few games I’ve seen, Montana is not someone I thought of, though. Actually when comparing him to Jimmy G, so far, he seems more resilient to pressure–that is, I haven’t seen him make big mistakes due to a heavy pass rush.
That’s the biggest difference I’ve seen between him and Jimmy–and it’s a big one. Other than that, they seem similar. But again, I haven’t watch him play a lot. (He, too, is in a very ideal situation.)
The Patriots held them to 23 or 24 points. If they didn’t turn over the ball, they could have won. I’m not saying this to refute the claim, but I think it’s important to point out. Their offense does look terrific, and I also thought of the “greatest show on turf” offense. They’re in that category–at least so far. And I’d put them in the first tier right now.