The game came down to the following in my opinion: The Eagles were more balanced than the Packers. This is the best running I’ve seen from the Eagles. They actually didn’t run a lot in the first half–or at least I thought they should have ran more. The Packers, on the other hand, had no run game, and they were very one-dimensional. (By the way, the way the Eagles ran the ball made me wonder if the Packers sold out to stop the pass.)
Having said that, this almost didn’t matter as Davante Adams was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half. By the end of the first half and the entire second half, they made seemed to make adjustments. (Or did Adams get hurt? I saw him limping on the sidelines, and I’m not sure if he even finished the whole game).
The last INT by the Packers made me think of something Pete Carroll said after the Bengals game where Dalton threw for 400 yards. He mentioned how a lot of passes, even if the offense gets a lot of yards, can lead to the ball “getting knocked around”–i.e., good opportunities for the defense taking the ball away.
One last thought. It seems like Jeffery’s made a big difference to the Eagles offense.
Raiders had a fast start. The Raiders had some nice, physical runs, by the OL and RBs. I almost want to say it was some of the most physical blocking I’ve seen so far this season. The Colts DL got pounded at times. It was cool to see. Even though the Raiders won, I’m cooling real fast to Carr, and his prospects for the future. The guy makes bone-headed plays, and bad errant throws.
Chiefs-Lions
This was a pretty good game. I like the Lions offense. (I hope Hockenson is OK.) There was some sloppy play, though. (Too bad Bevell wasn’t the OC when Jim Caldwell was the head coach.)
By the way, when you think of the best #1 WRs, Kenny Gollyday probably won’t come up. He may not be in the first tier, but he’s really good.
Ravens-Browns
The Ravens offense can move the ball. The Ravens defense, on the other hand, doesn’t look so hot. Too many mistakes for explosive plays (which seems typical of crazy blitzing teams).
Vikings-Bears
Bears defense totally dominated the Vikings offense–shutting down the run, and basically the passing game as well.
The Bears offense controlled the ball. I thought their OL did a good job especially in pass pro in the first half. (Trubisky went down, and Chase Daniels did a solid job.)
Titans-Falcons
Falcons offense looked overwhelmed.
Buccaneers-Rams
Rams made too many turnovers, especially in the beginning, which got them in a hole. Having said that, Jameis Winston almost lost this game, throwing a pick 6 in the 4th. (I would have been so pissed if the Bucs lost this.)
I like Arians/Leftwich play calling. I feel like they outcoached (“outcalled”) Wade Phillips.
Cowboys-Saints
I don’t know how many offensives snaps and TOP the Saints consumed, but they seemed to do very well in terms of ball control. That’s one of the things that stood out for me in this game, and I feel like it was a key reason they won.
The other thing that stood out is Cowboys pass rush versus the Saints OL. I thought the former did well, in terms of putting pressure on Bridgewater. (Bridgewater’s sack at the end almost proved disastrous.)
Bills, Pats:
The Bills’ D doesn’t play as dominate as the Bears’ D, but they are a solid bunch. If they had a Mack-like player on the d-line, they would be the Bears. On the other side the Pats’ D is solid especially the DBs, but they aren’t historically good as their stats may show. The Bills have a real passing QB, and they probably win this game. Although, Allen had three INTs, I liked that he didn’t shy away from throwing it down the field. I think that gave the Bills’ their best chance of winning this game.
Chiefs, Lions:
Mahommes was off in the first half (which is the part of the game I saw). Maybe the Lions did a good job taking away the underneath, but guys were getting open deep, but Mahommes missed them. The Lions just made way too many mistakes to win.
Cowboys, Saints:
The Saints defensive front four was outstanding. They were close to dominating the Cowboy o-line. That was the story of the game. The Saints on offense wasn’t great too, but it’s because Bridgewater will not throw the ball long. Yet Payton was able to design enough plays (ie: screens) to move the ball just enough to win. The Saints with a healthy Brees, may be a solid team – at least better than I thought they would be. I will say Robert Quinn was a beast in this game. Yeah, not sure how the Cowboys was able to grab this guy.
I didn’t watch the whole game. I saw some really errant passes by Allen, and then after the blocked punt, I fast-fowarded to the 4th. I didn’t like what I saw there, either. The Bills offense, and Allen, in this short snippet created a really negative impression.
I have a similar impression of the Bills defense–solid, maybe very good, but not great. So, do you think the Patriots offense is good, but not great? Based on last year, I think that was my impression as well. They either need to have a great run game, or they need at least one more play-making pass catcher. (It makes sense that Brady and BB wanted AB, and were reluctant to jettison him from the team.)
Cowboys-Saints
The Saints defensive front four was outstanding. They were close to dominating the Cowboy o-line. That was the story of the game.
Hmm, that wouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind. Are you saying the Saints DL dominated in terms of defending the run and pass? I think they contained the run well, but the run game doesn’t seem to be a point of emphasis for them.
I think the Saints defense overall played really well, but I feel like a big part of that was the Saints ability to control the ball. I want to go back and look at their drives, but my impression is that they had a bunch of long drives with a lot of snaps and time off the clock. (I think this was also a key for the Bears victory.) Saints ST seemed to have some good plays, but I’m less certain there.
Yeah, Quinn looked very active and effective. This is the best pass rush I’ve seen from the Cowboys so far (although I didn’t watch all of the Dolphins game).
–I’m not sure but I think the Patriots have lost their starting center and their starting (left?) tackle (Wynn). Their OL still seems solid. Scarnecchia should be the highest paid assistant.
–Speaking of OLs, there’s a bunch of OLs, on fairly good teams, that are just OK. They can perform competently, but at certain points they can look really shaky, especially against better opponents. Off the top of my head, the Vikings, Lions, Falcons, and Seahawks are some of the teams that come to mind. When the OLs perform, these offenses can look really good, but because they’re shaky, their overall offenses can be shaky as well. If any of these teams had a really good OL, they’re probably have one of the better offenses in the league. (Maybe Houston could be added to the list. I get the same sense from Carolina as well.)
–Speaking of the Falcons, this may be premature, but I get the slight feeling that Dan Quinn could be losing his team; or in jeopardy of being fired. Something is not quite right–on both sides of the ball. I feel like they’re underperforming. Looking at the Lions offense, I think Quinn would have been better off hiring Darrell Bevell.
–Speaking of OCs that weren’t hired, I may have said this before, but I think Vic Fangio made a huge mistake not allowing Gary Kubiak to choose his staff. My understanding is that Kubiak would have been the OC, but Fangio wanted more say in who coached the offense. If that’s true, I think that’s a crucial mistake. Fangio focusing on the defense, and allowing Kubiak to run the offense could have been a Super Bowl tandem. Adding Flacco to this mix makes a ton of sense. It does not make a ton of sense to build the offense around Flacco, especially in shotgun formations. Finally, Fangio could be a great coordinator who is not a good head coach.
–Prediction: Kyler Murray and Kingsbury can have a lot of regular season success if they get a way better OL.
–QBs I’m down on: Carr, Mariota. It gives me no pleasure to say this. Mariota struggles to make throws (out routes, and deep passes). Carr’s errant passes are weird. The ball security of both aren’t what I’d expect from the very best QBs. My sense is that a lot of the throwing issues comes down to footwork. To me, they have some of the worst footwork of starting QBs out there. It’s painful to watch. (I also want to mention Jameis Winston, who has some of the clunkiest footwork I’ve seen from anyway. If Joe Montana had the best, and most graceful footwork ever, Winston is the opposite of that.)
I think the odds that either of them will develop into top tier QBs is on the lower side. (My guess is that they will have to play for someone who is great at developing QBs. On a related note, in terms of footwork, I feel like McCarthy was one of the best.)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I really like Baker Mayfield’s pocket play, the way he moves in the pocket. I like his accuracy as well.
Eagles-Packers
The game came down to the following in my opinion: The Eagles were more balanced than the Packers. This is the best running I’ve seen from the Eagles. They actually didn’t run a lot in the first half–or at least I thought they should have ran more. The Packers, on the other hand, had no run game, and they were very one-dimensional. (By the way, the way the Eagles ran the ball made me wonder if the Packers sold out to stop the pass.)
Having said that, this almost didn’t matter as Davante Adams was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half. By the end of the first half and the entire second half, they made seemed to make adjustments. (Or did Adams get hurt? I saw him limping on the sidelines, and I’m not sure if he even finished the whole game).
The last INT by the Packers made me think of something Pete Carroll said after the Bengals game where Dalton threw for 400 yards. He mentioned how a lot of passes, even if the offense gets a lot of yards, can lead to the ball “getting knocked around”–i.e., good opportunities for the defense taking the ball away.
One last thought. It seems like Jeffery’s made a big difference to the Eagles offense.
Raiders-Colts
Raiders had a fast start. The Raiders had some nice, physical runs, by the OL and RBs. I almost want to say it was some of the most physical blocking I’ve seen so far this season. The Colts DL got pounded at times. It was cool to see. Even though the Raiders won, I’m cooling real fast to Carr, and his prospects for the future. The guy makes bone-headed plays, and bad errant throws.
Chiefs-Lions
This was a pretty good game. I like the Lions offense. (I hope Hockenson is OK.) There was some sloppy play, though. (Too bad Bevell wasn’t the OC when Jim Caldwell was the head coach.)
By the way, when you think of the best #1 WRs, Kenny Gollyday probably won’t come up. He may not be in the first tier, but he’s really good.
Ravens-Browns
The Ravens offense can move the ball. The Ravens defense, on the other hand, doesn’t look so hot. Too many mistakes for explosive plays (which seems typical of crazy blitzing teams).
Vikings-Bears
Bears defense totally dominated the Vikings offense–shutting down the run, and basically the passing game as well.
The Bears offense controlled the ball. I thought their OL did a good job especially in pass pro in the first half. (Trubisky went down, and Chase Daniels did a solid job.)
Titans-Falcons
Falcons offense looked overwhelmed.
Buccaneers-Rams
Rams made too many turnovers, especially in the beginning, which got them in a hole. Having said that, Jameis Winston almost lost this game, throwing a pick 6 in the 4th. (I would have been so pissed if the Bucs lost this.)
I like Arians/Leftwich play calling. I feel like they outcoached (“outcalled”) Wade Phillips.
Cowboys-Saints
I don’t know how many offensives snaps and TOP the Saints consumed, but they seemed to do very well in terms of ball control. That’s one of the things that stood out for me in this game, and I feel like it was a key reason they won.
The other thing that stood out is Cowboys pass rush versus the Saints OL. I thought the former did well, in terms of putting pressure on Bridgewater. (Bridgewater’s sack at the end almost proved disastrous.)
Bills, Pats:
The Bills’ D doesn’t play as dominate as the Bears’ D, but they are a solid bunch. If they had a Mack-like player on the d-line, they would be the Bears. On the other side the Pats’ D is solid especially the DBs, but they aren’t historically good as their stats may show. The Bills have a real passing QB, and they probably win this game. Although, Allen had three INTs, I liked that he didn’t shy away from throwing it down the field. I think that gave the Bills’ their best chance of winning this game.
Chiefs, Lions:
Mahommes was off in the first half (which is the part of the game I saw). Maybe the Lions did a good job taking away the underneath, but guys were getting open deep, but Mahommes missed them. The Lions just made way too many mistakes to win.
Cowboys, Saints:
The Saints defensive front four was outstanding. They were close to dominating the Cowboy o-line. That was the story of the game. The Saints on offense wasn’t great too, but it’s because Bridgewater will not throw the ball long. Yet Payton was able to design enough plays (ie: screens) to move the ball just enough to win. The Saints with a healthy Brees, may be a solid team – at least better than I thought they would be. I will say Robert Quinn was a beast in this game. Yeah, not sure how the Cowboys was able to grab this guy.
Bills-Pats
I didn’t watch the whole game. I saw some really errant passes by Allen, and then after the blocked punt, I fast-fowarded to the 4th. I didn’t like what I saw there, either. The Bills offense, and Allen, in this short snippet created a really negative impression.
I have a similar impression of the Bills defense–solid, maybe very good, but not great. So, do you think the Patriots offense is good, but not great? Based on last year, I think that was my impression as well. They either need to have a great run game, or they need at least one more play-making pass catcher. (It makes sense that Brady and BB wanted AB, and were reluctant to jettison him from the team.)
Cowboys-Saints
Hmm, that wouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind. Are you saying the Saints DL dominated in terms of defending the run and pass? I think they contained the run well, but the run game doesn’t seem to be a point of emphasis for them.
I think the Saints defense overall played really well, but I feel like a big part of that was the Saints ability to control the ball. I want to go back and look at their drives, but my impression is that they had a bunch of long drives with a lot of snaps and time off the clock. (I think this was also a key for the Bears victory.) Saints ST seemed to have some good plays, but I’m less certain there.
Yeah, Quinn looked very active and effective. This is the best pass rush I’ve seen from the Cowboys so far (although I didn’t watch all of the Dolphins game).
Some random thoughts about the season so far:
–I’m not sure but I think the Patriots have lost their starting center and their starting (left?) tackle (Wynn). Their OL still seems solid. Scarnecchia should be the highest paid assistant.
–Speaking of OLs, there’s a bunch of OLs, on fairly good teams, that are just OK. They can perform competently, but at certain points they can look really shaky, especially against better opponents. Off the top of my head, the Vikings, Lions, Falcons, and Seahawks are some of the teams that come to mind. When the OLs perform, these offenses can look really good, but because they’re shaky, their overall offenses can be shaky as well. If any of these teams had a really good OL, they’re probably have one of the better offenses in the league. (Maybe Houston could be added to the list. I get the same sense from Carolina as well.)
–Speaking of the Falcons, this may be premature, but I get the slight feeling that Dan Quinn could be losing his team; or in jeopardy of being fired. Something is not quite right–on both sides of the ball. I feel like they’re underperforming. Looking at the Lions offense, I think Quinn would have been better off hiring Darrell Bevell.
–Speaking of OCs that weren’t hired, I may have said this before, but I think Vic Fangio made a huge mistake not allowing Gary Kubiak to choose his staff. My understanding is that Kubiak would have been the OC, but Fangio wanted more say in who coached the offense. If that’s true, I think that’s a crucial mistake. Fangio focusing on the defense, and allowing Kubiak to run the offense could have been a Super Bowl tandem. Adding Flacco to this mix makes a ton of sense. It does not make a ton of sense to build the offense around Flacco, especially in shotgun formations. Finally, Fangio could be a great coordinator who is not a good head coach.
–Prediction: Kyler Murray and Kingsbury can have a lot of regular season success if they get a way better OL.
–QBs I’m down on: Carr, Mariota. It gives me no pleasure to say this. Mariota struggles to make throws (out routes, and deep passes). Carr’s errant passes are weird. The ball security of both aren’t what I’d expect from the very best QBs. My sense is that a lot of the throwing issues comes down to footwork. To me, they have some of the worst footwork of starting QBs out there. It’s painful to watch. (I also want to mention Jameis Winston, who has some of the clunkiest footwork I’ve seen from anyway. If Joe Montana had the best, and most graceful footwork ever, Winston is the opposite of that.)
I think the odds that either of them will develop into top tier QBs is on the lower side. (My guess is that they will have to play for someone who is great at developing QBs. On a related note, in terms of footwork, I feel like McCarthy was one of the best.)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I really like Baker Mayfield’s pocket play, the way he moves in the pocket. I like his accuracy as well.
I felt this way before the hit. (My understanding is that the league has suspended him for the rest of the season.)