Seahawks@Rams is the game I’ve been waiting to see. The game could reveal that one team is for real, while the other is not; or that both teams are for legitimate contenders.

Power rankings:

1st tier: Chiefs and Rams

2nd tier: Seahawks, Eagles, Lions, Colts, Bills, Packers

I would put the Seahawks in the first tier, but I need to see them against better teams–like the Rams and Colts. (Actually, they should probably be lower as I don’t trust Darnold’s ball security. I’m just hoping he can change that.) I’m sticking with the Eagles for now just because I think their roster is strong, although maybe it’s not as strong as I think. (Their lackluster run-game is worrisome.) I’m keeping the Lions here for now. I’m not entirely confident about Daniel Jones, but the Colts have a run game that can keep them in almost any game. I would think their defense should get better with Sauce Gardner as well. I didn’t see the Bills game, but I’m keeping the Bills in here for now. Packers OL/DL don’t look as good, but I’ll keep them in here.

3rd tier: Buccaneers, Broncos, Chargers

The Bucs need to get healthy; I don’t really like the Broncos offense; the Chargers have a strong defense, but I’m skeptical they have enough on offense.

There were some big trades. The Cowboys got Quinnen Williams (1st and next year’s 2nd?) from the Jets. The Raiders traded Jakobi Meyers (who was asking to be traded) to the Jags (can’t remember the picks). The Hawks got Rashid Shaheed, whom I really like, for a 4th and a 5th. The Jets also traded to Sauce Gardner (for two 1sts) to the Colts.

Raiders play the Jaguars and the Hawks play the Commanders.

Seahawks and Raiders have a bye, so it’ll be a dull week for me.

Current power rankings

1st tier
Chiefs, Rams,

2nd tier

Lions, Eagles, Buccaneers, Colts, Broncos, Packers, Bills, Commanders, Seahawks

3rd tier
49ers, Chargers

The Chiefs and Rams are basically slightly ahead of those other teams, but right now I like them as the two teams going to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have Mahomes, Andy Reid, and a good defense. They’re battle tested and battle-hardened to, which I think gives them advantage. The Rams seem like a contender that is good in almost every phase, but not necessarily great in one. I think McVay is great, too,

The Lions and Eagles could be in the 1st tier–their rosters are strong (although players have left and they have injuries). I do think both QBs depend a lot on their supporting cast. Buccaneers remind of Detroit in that they have an all-around good roster, but maybe not quite as good. But if Mayfield can continue to play at the level he has been, I’d give him the edge over Goff and Hurts. I like the Colts, especially their OL, run game, and Warren. I’m not sure if their defense is good enough, and in all these ways they remind me a little of the Lions. The Broncos have a defense that can make them competitive against any team, I think, although I was expecting them to be a little more dominant. Sean Payton gives them an advantage against most coaches. The Packers seem like they have a strong, all-around roster. I have doubts about Love, though, so maybe they’re too high. For the Bills, I just want to say that I’m feeling it’s time to move on from Sean McDermott. I think they need better coaching. I’m not sure what to make of the Commanders, so I’m leaving in there. The Hawks secondary is banged up, but when those players return, they could be one of the best defenses. Kubiak and Darnold are doing well, but that OL scares me, especially against really good defenses.

Seahawks@Jaguars. The Hawks are banged up. Titans@Raiders. If the Raiders lose this one, they may not recover.

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.

Seahawks face off with the Cardinals on Thursday. I hope the OL’s run-blocking can improve, and they can maintain decent pass-protection, in general and during play-action plays. In the last game, Darnold didn’t have any turnover prone throws or plays, and I hope he can continue that.

I’ve heard Pete Carroll talk about certain moments in a seasons where the team can fall a part or turn the corner. If they don’t win or at least play well against the Bears, the Raiders may be facing that. I have a hard time watching the offense. The OL isn’t playing well, but even if it did, I just don’t care for what I’ve seen from Kelly’s offense. The OL does need to improve, though. One thing that I really didn’t like was Pete hiring his son to be the OL coach. I heard Mike Holmgren say that the OL coach was the most important assistant coach. I’m sure not every head coach agrees, but I personally think that coach among the top three coaches, if not #1, in terms of importance. And I’m skeptical that Pete’s son is really good.

Dolphins@Bills

I thought the Dolphins struggled to stop the Bills run game, but at some point, for whatever reason, the Bills got away from running the ball. I thought they should have ran more, sprinkling in pass plays. (A similar thing happened in the Falcons-Vikings games, with the Vikings struggling to stop the Falcon run game.) It just seems like the vast majority of OCs just want to pass the ball, or they’re just unwilling to run in over and over again, even if the defense struggles to stop it. Personally, I want an OC who has no qualms running it over and over again, even if this means really low pass attempts. I believe Jimmy Garrapolo had a playoff game where he threw the ball 8 times–attempts, not completions–and the Niners won. If the run game is really successful, if the defense can’t stop it, why wouldn’t you keep running it?

When I was younger, when people talked about an intelligent basketball player, I assumed the player was smart in an academic sense as well. People also speak this way now–for example, “He came from the Ivy League, so you know he’s an intelligent player.” But does being smart in the classroom mean someone will be smart on the field of play? I have my doubts about this, and I tend to think intelligence expresses itself in a specific way within the sports context.

Off the top of my head, here some aspects of the nature of intelligence within a sports context:

Continue reading “What Does Intelligence Look Like Within the Context of Sports?”