What a week here at Sports Thoughts! Yours truly picked a phenomenal 12-1, and but for the Buccaneers, I’m right on track with my preseason picks for the playoffs as well. But times…they are a-changin’. So let’s take a look at how I did so well, and what it means going forward.
Ravens embarrass Dolphins 40-0
Just when you thought Matt Moore was going to be the new replacement for Ryan Tannehill, he compiles a horrifying 12.8 QBR. So, once Jay Cutler is healthy, he will take back the reins of his new team and try to get a win back on Sunday Night Football this week. However, by trading Jay Ajayi to the Eagles for a 4th round pick, you can’t help but think that the Dolphins are throwing in the towel despite their 4-3 record.
Meanwhile the Ravens absolutely exploded despite Joe Flacco leaving the game early on with a concussion. The defense’s shutout was extraordinary, but two long pick-6’s certainly helped the cause. Like the early season version of the Broncos, the Ravens’ defense keeps the team in contention, but their stagnant offense will ultimately lead to missing the playoffs if John Harbaugh doesn’t figure it out soon.
Vikings vault Browns 33-16 (in Twickenham)
DeShone Kizer was able to hang in there for the whole game this time around, but he wasn’t any better across the pond. Cleveland was able to stick around for most of the first half, but Minnesota was too much after the break. While Kizer did throw 18 completions to 9 different receivers, they only gathered 179 yards without a touchdown. At 0-8, the Browns have a bye week before traveling to Detroit in search of their first victory.
Meanwhile, Case Keenum led the Vikings to an impressive 6-2 record and they now sit in the driver’s seat to the NFC North title. While it didn’t take anything spectacular to overcome the Browns, there were no glaring flaws in their performance. Minnesota enters their bye week 1.5 games ahead of the division and are on a 4-game win streak as they try to heal up for the second half of the season.
Bills best Raiders 34-14
I finally predicted a Bills game correctly! I thought Oakland was going to come out a little stronger after their emotional win against the Chiefs last week, but nonetheless they were shut down by a suffocating Bills defense and a legitimate home field advantage for Buffalo. LeSean McCoy has finally made his presence felt with 295 yards and 3 touchdowns in his last two games. His contributions mean the world to the Bills and give them a chance at a Wild Card spot in the playoffs for the first time since 1995.
The Raiders struggled without the threat of Marshawn Lynch. By only rushing 14 times, their schemes become very predictable and the Bills’ corners did a great job of limiting Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper for relatively minimal impact. For the rest of the season, it becomes incredibly important to stay disciplined and healthy if the Raiders want to try to make their penultimate season in Oakland a good one.
Bengals edge Colts 24-23
The Bengals got the win, but it was hardly convincing against an inferior opponent. At 3-4, the Bengals aren’t dead, but their team is not in a good spot. They embark on a 3-game road trip on which they will probably need to take at least 2 games to keep their season alive.
The Colts are officially in do or die mode, and this game didn’t answer that many questions. For Indianapolis, it’s probably best to hit the reset button. At 2-6, it’s quite a climb to the top. So it might be best to give some young guys some playing time and try out different game plans. While it’s unfortunate, the Colts clearly don’t have anything going their way right now. Furthermore, Chuck Pagano’s days in Indy are numbered, so maybe the Colts can start the coaching search a little early and be ready to go in 2018.
Patriots scared by Chargers 21-13
This was far from the convincing win I expected the Patriots to have. I might have underestimated the Chargers and their sudden winning streak, but New England was unquestionably the better team. Melvin Gordon is still playing really well and added 132 yards and a touchdown to his resume, but L.A. still struggled to win the close game.
The big story coming out of Foxborough is the trade of backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers. I’m shocked that the Patriots only got a 2nd round pick, as now their only quarterback is approaching 41 years old. While Tom Brady might be the greatest of all time, all of the energy put into teaching Garoppolo the system over the past few years has been thrown away as they search for Brady’s successor. Overall, this was just an unnecessary risk by the Pats.
Saints control Bears 20-12
The Saints have quietly won 5 straight after a pretty scary start. It may have only been an 8-point victory, but after New Orleans’ 81-yard opening drive touchdown, the result was never in doubt. Drew Brees was 1-yard shy of 300 yards, but didn’t need to throw a touchdown thanks to a pair of scores by the Saints’ running back duo.
The Bears have a lot of pieces, but they’re still missing the quarterback. Mitch Trubisky is still proving he’s not ready for the NFL, especially by only throwing for 164 yards against a weak Saints defense. Jordan Howard has been awesome in the backfield, but with a depleted receiving core getting worse with the tragic loss of Zach Miller, the Bears will struggle down the stretch in close games like this one.
Falcons fly by Jets 25-20
Normally, I wouldn’t pick a bird to beat an airplane, but in this case it was the sensible thing to do. The Jets have a pretty tough defense, but the high powered Falcons proved to be too much. The Jets did a great job by forcing 4 short field goals, but failed to make the most of their own opportunities on offense. Now New York fans see why the Cardinals cut Chandler Catanzaro.
So the Jets continue their skid as they gear up to for a physical battle with the Bills this weekend, while the Falcons go to Carolina for a crucial divisional game of their own. It’s the make or break point in the season, as we see what teams are contenders and pretenders.
Eagles excavate 49ers 33-10
As expected, the best team in the NFL was all over the worst team. Carson Wentz is the midseason MVP for many as he leads the league in touchdowns. While he’s not a primary fantasy numbers QB, it’s more than enough for Philadelphia to roll into the second half of the season with a commanding lead in the NFC East.
The 49ers have turned a corner from narrow losses to blowouts. I’m extremely interested and excited to see the San Francisco debut of Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers hit a jackpot by landing the best backup in the NFL and probably an above-average starter. While the 49ers are still missing more than a few pieces, they have their franchise quarterback and can focus on other things for the remainder of 2017 as they gear up for a high draft pick in April.
Panthers panic Buccaneers 17-3
That’s right, my only blemish this week was a last ditch effort to give the Bucs some hope, but it’s panic time. Despite one of the best group of receivers in the country and a talented young quarterback in Jameis Winston, the Bucs can’t get their wins. Mainly, it’s due to a porous defense that is prone to explosive plays as well as an inability to hold zone coverage. With a loss to the Saints next week, the season is over for Tampa Bay.
But the Panthers welcome their rival Falcons to decide who is the best in the NFC South. Cam Newton’s off-the-field distractions are leaking into his game as he only threw for 154 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Again, this is a weak Bucs defense and Newton failed to capitalize. That said, the Bucs’ capable offense only got 3 points. Ugly.
Seahawks slip past Texans 41-38
This was undoubtedly the game of the week. It was a back and forth slugfest by two of the league’s best quarterbacks on Sunday. Future ROY Deshaun Watson was outstanding with 402 yards and 4 more touchdowns, but he was bested by Russell Wilson’s 452 yards and 4 touchdowns. If not for a game-winner to Jimmy Graham with only 21 seconds remaining, the Texans might have escaped a very, very tough environment with a win.
That said, there were 79 points in this game. Seattle and Houston have been known for their defense this year, and both were swiss cheese on Sunday. There were a ton of long plays, even with the 4 turnovers. Neither team should be ashamed of the way they played, but look for both defenses to go back to their hard-nosed tendencies moving forward.
Cowboys run past Redskins 33-19
Ezekiel Elliott continues to churn out yards as he picked up another 150 on the ground and 2 more touchdowns. You may have heard that his suspension was reinstated, but who knows if this is truly the last chapter in this saga. Despite the distraction, the Cowboys offense continues to roll, and I expect it to continue with Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden. The key to Dallas’ success is the offensive line, and I believe any running back can be successful behind them.
The Redskins are 3-4, but they’re in a pretty good spot. As mentioned in the broadcast, Washington finishes the toughest part of their schedule with a respectable record and a fairly easy 9 games to the finish. The most crucial games for the Redskins moving forward are those rematches against the Eagles and the Cowboys in which they lost the first two bouts.
Steelers fight off Lions 20-15
In my opinion, after the balanced display of domination by the Steelers on Sunday night, they are the Super Bowl favorites. Their offense keeps coming up with huge plays, including a 97-yard strike to Juju Smith-Schuster. With playmakers emerging every week, Pittsburgh looks extremely dangerous heading into their bye week at 6-2 with 5 home games remaining.
The Lions still hold the NFL’s best 4th quarter comeback ratio over the past few years, but they were just short on Sunday. The Steelers came up big on not one, not two, but three goal-line stands to stave off the Lions’ comeback attempt. Luckily, the Lions can get back to .500 against the Browns next week.
Chiefs beat Broncos 29-19
Two teams on the decline met where someone had to win, and KC came out way stronger than Denver did. Trevor Siemian is continuing his slide as he didn’t eclipse 200 yards passing and threw 3 interceptions of the Broncos’ 5 turnover showing. It’s hard to criticize too much because the Chiefs do have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but the Broncos aren’t playing like they’re going to win again anytime soon.
The Chiefs didn’t win this game with their offense. Besides a poor decision to attempt a trick play in the end zone that resulted in an interception, Kansas City played virtually mistake-free football. The stats aren’t outstanding, but it was enough against a floundering Broncos team as they move back up to 6-2.
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