Cowboys make a big trade for Joey Porter Jr. Do you like the move, Don?
So far it seems like Kubiak has turned the Raiders around. It’s not just being 3-0, but the way the team has played, especially on offense. They’re executing, playing clean, and have reduced boneheaded mistakes. They look way better on ST as well. The defense has looked OK, but I feel like they will be exposed, especially against the run.
Having said that, if they can contain the Chiefs run game, I think they have a legitimate shot to beat the Chiefs. The Chiefs aren’t and haven’t been a team that will dominate a lot of opponents. On the contrary, I think a lot of teams can play the Chiefs close. The Raiders could be one of those teams tomorrow.
The Chargers have looked awful, but their defense did generate 5 turnovers against the Bills offense. If the defensive improvement is real, this might be more of a game than I first assumed. The Chargers really have to turn things around on offense, though, and while that’s possible, it would be kind of surprising. (I think they should lean heavily on the run game, instead of leaning on Herbert.)
I’m okay with the Porter deal because the Cowboys didn’t really give up a lot of draft capital. They gave up a 6th round draft pick for next year, and a 2nd round for 2028. That being said, I’m going to guess they will have a hard time signing him after this year.
I completely agree on the Chiefs. They are winning, but they don’t look great. They look just okay to good on both sides of the ball. I’m actually more surprised on how they been playing defensively. I thought last year the Chiefs were getting worse defensively as compared to their Super Bowl teams and then they lost McDuffie. I really thought they would take a few steps back, but they have been playing pretty well.
I think Mansoor Delane has really helped the defense, although they still don’t look as good as they used to a few years ago.
If you watched the Raiders game, did you feel like they should have Mahomes under center more and emphasize the run game more? I think they would be better off. Incorporate play action and their speedy WRs should be a threat.
Chargers@Seahawks
The Hawks won, but this was a horrid game for them. The Chargers are truly a hapless team at this point, especially on offense. They lost McConkey and Alt at some point during the game as well. But they allowed the Chargers to make a come back in the 4th quarter, largely because of penalties I would say.
I got the sense that they knew the Chargers were pitiful and they thought they didn’t have to give maximum effort and focus to win the game.
On a side note, Darnold looked jittery, and their 3rd downs don’t look good. I have some doubts about Fleury. I love that he’s committed to the run, but I have questions about his ability with the passing game. Relatedly, you have to be able to run spread concepts, and I don’t think have ever gone to that mode (e.g., empty sets spreading out the defense).
Finally, the Seahawks ST has declined significantly this year. They’re not blocking as well on returns, and their coverage is also not as good. (They do have a guy who is injured who could really help with coverage.)
Chiefs@Raiders
The Raiders lost, but they played well, at least on offense. Kubiak seems like a guy who can elevate the offense with his coaching. The defense is much better, but I also think they benefited by the Chiefs (and Saints) operating out of shotgun a lot. I’m more concerned about them facing teams committed to the run game, especially those that will operate from UC.
ST has improved, but they had to big miscues yesterday. They tried to get a bit too cute by moving the second level players back to block on a return–and that allowed the Chiefs punter to run for a first down. And then Dareke Young fumbled a return near the end of the game, which lead to a Chiefs TD and basically sealed their victory.
Rams@Eagles
Man, this was a frustrating game. I hate the Rams, and the Eagles defense had control of this game. Their DL really seemed to give the Rams OL trouble, and that’s not something I see very often.
They started cracking at the end, but I put more of the blame on the Eagles offense, which is often anemic or very lackluster. I feel like a lot of the blame goes to Hurts, too. He did not look good, although maybe the blame goes to the OC and the pass catchers.
Cowboys@Texans
I don’t have a good sense of the Texans offense, but even if the Texans offense isn’t that great, the Cowboys defensive improvement seems real.
The one thing that has stood out is that the Texans defense isn’t as dominant as I thought they’d be. To be fair, they played three really good offenses–the Bills, Bengals, and Cowboys. Still, I thought they would look a little better against those teams than they did.
Broncos@49ers
The Broncos offense reminds me of the Eagles offense. Same with the QB. Hurts and Nix don’t look very good. I think someone asked Sean Payton if it was time for him to call plays. I’m skeptical that would make a huge difference. (I think Webb helped them beat the Rams.) To me, they don’t look that much different from last year.
The 49er defense looks like they can be beat, but the Broncos offense just isn’t all that great. (I’m surprised that the Broncos were content to go with J.K. Dobbins as their RB1. Maybe they thought the rookie would eventually become very good?)
Jaguars@Bengals
The Jaguars looked good, on both sides of the ball. The Bengals are a good team as well
Cowboys, Texans
I just watched the game. I thought both teams played well in general. The only exception is the penalties which gave Dallas a touchdown and both teams was just meh running the ball. Dallas’ run defense has looked decent since they got ran over by the Giants. I thought Stroud played well and Nico Collins consistently made great contested catches. I didn’t think the Cowboys pass defense played all that poorly.
Dak was just okay sans two drives. But in those two drives, the long one in the third quarter to take the lead and the final drive, Dak was unbelievable. I didn’t think Houston’s defense was playing all that badly. But Dak carved them up in those drives.
I don’t think Houston’s defense played badly, but they’re not as good as I expected them to be.
On a related note, which defenses do you think are the best in the league? And would Houston be vying for the top spot? (Before the season, I would have expected them to be competing for that spot.) I wouldn’t put them there now, even accounting for the good offenses they’ve faced.