Buccaneers@Seahawks looks to be a potentially good game. It’ll definitely be a test for the Seahawks. They play well and win and they’ll look like contenders; if they don’t, pretenders. Raiders@Colts will be a tough challenge for the Raiders. Can the Pete and the coaches get the defense and OL to replicate their performance against the Bears? If they do, that will be a notable accomplishment. Not to state the obvious, but Geno’s gotta protect the football.
49ers@Rams If I had to choose one head coach as the best, I’d probably choose McVay. I’d probably choose him as the best play caller, too, but in this game, Kyle Shanahan’s play calling was really on point, too. Good game, but you could tell the 49ers missed Bosa, especially at the end of the game.
One last thing. I liked McVay’s decision to go for it at the end, even though it didn’t work out.
Raiders@Colts
The blocked punt and the first INT (off a tipped pass) basically killed the Raiders. The second INT, a horrible throw/decision by Geno, probably put the nail in the coffin. I thought the OL did fairly well, and I’ve been critical of Chip Kelly, but the plays and play calling seemed fine.
The defense and the DL was no match for the Colts OL and offense.
Buccaneers@Seahawks
Obviously Darnold’s last INT was huge, but the Hawks also fumbled on a bad pitch by Milroe. (There was also almost another INT, one that bounced off the hands of Kupp, but there was a penalty on the Bucs.) The offense overall performed well.
The defense on the other hand, looked pretty bad. Granted they were missing their two best DBs in Love and WItherspoon, but the DL couldn’t generate any pressure. The Hawks defense also seemed terrible on 3rd down. Painful loss.
Dillon Gabriel:
He’s not there yet. He looked a lot like Tua in his debut. He threw a lot to his TEs, RBs, and just a lot of underneath stuff in general. That being said, he has a nice ball and good feet. His arm motion reminds me a lot of Drew Brees. The release is awkwardly high. Gabriel had a few passes that was way off, and I will just attribute that to miscommunications with his receivers, because if not he is not going to be a starter for long.
Did you get up early to watch it live?
Is it meaningful or just coincidence that two of the three starting QBs from Hawaii this season are lefties?
No, I DVR’ed it and watched it about 7ish?
I was going to compare him to Tua as well. But this is mostly a bad thing, because I feel like he really lacks a lot of power, especially to the perimeter. The ball seems to “huff-and-puff” to get there, if you know what I mean. And I don’t know how far he can throw the ball. He’s also short of stature, so there’s that as well.
As for him starting, I think he has to have more power, or the offense has to really change to accommodate him (which the Dolphins do for Tua). I’m rooting for him, but I’m a little skeptical at how good he’ll be.
(By the way, did you guys hear about Shadeur Sander’s “silent” interview? I thought it was childish, and not something he can do.)
I was entered in a writing challenge this weekend, so this was the first week so far this season when I didn’t watch any games. We have YouTube TV now, so I can see any game broadcast later. I’m interested in a few of the games, especially Detroit-Cleveland and Buffalo-New England.
Not the Raider-Colts game? Have you watched any of the Raider games yet?
Jaguars@Chiefs
I was a bit torn on this. I wanted to Chiefs defense to do well (because they’re on my fantasy team), but I wanted the Chiefs to lose, too. This seemed like a good game, by both teams. The Jags are a solid team, no longer any easy win. I don’t think they’re as good as the Colts, but I like them over the Texans, at least in terms of the overall team.
Cowboys-Jets
If they Cowboys defense can improve they could be a good overall team. Their offense is solid. Prescott is playing really well in my view. I’m not a big fan of Schottenheimer, but the Cowboys offense is the best version of his offense I’ve seen. And while I like the zone-blocking system, I also like power football, and Schotty may be one of the better ones at installing a really physical style. (Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman are the other two that come to mind. I’m probably missing some other coaches.)
I skipped through some of this game, as the Jets looked pitiful.
Don, did you not watch the game?
Commanders-Chargers
Chargers have been devastated by injuries, and I think those injuries may preclude them from going far this year. (Maybe Mack, Alt, and Hampton will be back soon. They have a chance if those guys return, and they don’t lose any other key players.)
They started strong in this game, but gradually the Commanders took over and never lost control. The Commanders looked good, especially their run game.
Kingsbury is going to get another HC job. For an Air Raid, his offense is really balanced. They can and do run the ball. (I wish Chip Kelly could be paired with a running QB, and that he could do something similar.)
Yeah, I didn’t watch the Dallas game. I saw the long highlights on Youtube and that fumble by Hall on the drive to tie the game before the end of the first half was a killer for the Jets. Then Dallas scores twice in less than two minutes. Pretty much game over at that point. Although, after the Jets scored to make the score 30 to 14, being two scores down with 8 minutes to play, they had a slim chance. But Dallas moves down the field for another TD.
Schotty’s offense has been great so far this year and Dak may be the biggest beneficiary of that change. The offense hasn’t improved a whole lot at any position this year as compared to last, with the exception of Pickens, but Pickens has just been okay so far. At least to me, it’s the addition of Schotty and the subtraction of McCarthy, that has been the biggest difference. I know fans will point out Javonte as well, but I don’t see him being a huge leap over Rico. It’s been the running plays more than the RB.
Who do you guys have as the best team or teams? I don’t think any team is exceptional, but I like the Lions, Bills, and Rams. After those teams on the next tier, I would have Eagles, Bucs, and Packers. I don’t think the Niners, Steelers, and Jags are as good as their records, and I never really saw a lot of the Colts.
Maybe Schotty’s offense is better because the run game is more of a factor? It certainly was in the Packer game. I also Pickens is making a bigger impact than you think. It may not come out in the stat sheet but he is a legitimate deep threat. So he may not be making a lot of catches, but the one’s he’s making are impactful. Also, I would be surprised if his presence isn’t helping the other targets. Ultimately, I think Prescott is playing at a high level, not just making tough throws, but his ball security has looked really good.
As for the best NFL teams, off the top of my head here’s what I’d have:
1st tier
Lions, Eagles, Bills, Packers, Chiefs, Commanders, Buccaneers, Rams, Colts, Broncos
2nd
Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars, Chargers
Maybe all those teams don’t belong in the first tier. I just think it’s really close. Maybe the Lions would be by themselves in the first tier. I’m not sure if the Broncos or Colts belong, but they’re close.
The Colts are the real deal, I think. I feel like the OL leads that team. They might be a notch below the Lions OL.
I would think the Ravens would be in the mix, once Lamar returns. The Steelers may be in tier 2, but their defense better get their act together. They have been disappointing to me. Also, they’re OL is shaky.
Yeah, that’s the point I was trying to make. Dallas’ run game is better because of Schotty’s plays versus better personnel. It’s pretty much the same personnel, but their run game is miles better. And I agree their run game is making everything else harder to defend.
Pickens is super important, and he has 5 TDs in as many games. But I don’t think he has been dominate and in fact he has some bad drops. But I agree more with you in that the run game is the biggest difference between this year’s offense and last year, especially since we didn’t really get to see Ceedee and George on the field a lot this year so far.
Man, your tier 1 is huge. At this point in time, I cannot see the Chiefs and Commanders in the same tier with those other teams. I won’t be surprised if either don’t make the playoffs.
From what I saw last year at Pittsburgh, that’s basically the type of player he is. He’s not a guy catching a lot of balls. In a way, he reminds me of DK Metcalf. Both may not catch a lot or gain a ton of yards, but they can make high-value plays, and the draw attention away from the other WRs/TEs. You just have to hope he can maintain a good attitude.