It’s another week done in the NFL and this past weekend was one to forget for a lot of fan bases. Some losses don’t hurt as bad as others but being at basically the halfway point of the season, each loss feels more and more significant. If you’re a fringe playoff team, a loss now could be the difference between you and keeping your season alive, whereas a loss for a clearly bad team can hurt in the moment, but give you a false sense of hope as you already look past this year and onto the 2024 NFL Draft. Like always we start with last Thursday and work our way back to the Monday Night game. With that said, let’s tush push our way through it.
I understand without context that can sound weird but It’s a football play just roll with it.
Thursday:
- The Bills aren’t a perfect team, and neither is Josh Allen. But man is he not the most fun QB you can watch in football when he’s on his “A” game? Josh was incredible with 3 total TDs putting the Bills in a two score lead for most of the game. The Bills’s biggest issue, outside of Josh’s random turnovers, is the coaching. There were multiple chances to put Tampa away and yet the Bills just let them hang around until they almost got bit in the end. Tampa Bay is frisky, and while they can feel limited at times with Baker Mayfield at times, He plays to the last whistle, which you gotta respect. He is clearly the captain of that team and if WR Chris Godwin turns around a second faster we could have a totally different outcome.
Sunday:
- The Patriots look like they’re still in the early 2000’s. Mac Jones gives you a flash of serviceable only to immediately turn the ball over and put the game out of reach. The Dolphins continue to beat the snot out of bad teams with exciting highlight plays and Tyreek Hill is impossible to keep up with. Dolphins get a chance to be removed from the “Fraudumeter” this weekend as they take on defending champs Kansas City in Frankfurt, Germany.
- Jacksonville keeps their 5 game win streak going as they went into a rainy, muggy Pittsburgh and gave the Steelers the business. Was it a pretty game? No. Not at all frankly. But When your opponent is basically playing every week without a QB, it is only a matter of time before they cave in. The Steelers are in a tough spot. Kenny Pickett clearly isn’t the answer and with him now being injured, they must now rely on an even worse Mitch Trubisky. They may be 4-3, but that could change for the worse VERY FAST.
- The age of Tannehill is over for the Tennessee Titans as the Rise of Levis is now. An impressive first start for the rookie as he lit up the Falcons secondary with not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 TDs in his debut. Derrick Henry had an average 101 yards rushing (average for him) and to everyone who thought Deandre Hopkins wasn’t still good, can I interest you in a 128 yard game with 3 TDs. Desmond Ridder was finally benched and it feels like he may not get his job back as back QB Taylor Heinicke looked lightyears ahead of him. You don’t wish for young QBs to struggle as badly as Ridder has, but the Falcons have real talent and feel they are a QB away from being a genuine playoff team in the NFC.
- A letdown by the Texans as they failed to take care of the formerly winless Carolina Panthers. CJ Stroud has been solid for most of this season but was lackluster Sunday. The Texans as a whole were just lackluster as they had no spark on offense. The Panthers, on the other hand, played their hearts out. This game might have been the most skipped (maybe second only to the next game I cover) on Redzone, but give the Panthers their flowers. Bryce Young outplayed Stroud and when he isn’t running for his life, looks poised and ready for the NFL.
- The Jets and Giants game can be summed up with this:
- 23 punts in this game and they both had the gall to not make this dumpster fire go to overtime, but also have an entertaining finish. The Jets continue to outplay their means while the Giants feel they found a new low.
- Arguably one of the most entertaining games of the weekend was easily Philly vs Washington. I’ve been singing the praises of Commander’s QB Sam Howell all year and I will continue to do so. The dude just slings it. An absolute gamer through and through and if he wasn’t LITERALLY THE MOST SACKED QB IN THE LEAGUE the Commanders are second in their division. I stand by this wholeheartedly. As for the Eagles, it was the first time I think any of us have ever seen this. The infamous “Tush Push” finally failed. Not only did it fail, but it led to a fumble that they lost. Thankfully for the Eagles, they still have a dominant defensive line, Jalen Hurts is awesome, and AJ Brown cannot be stopped.
- Say what you will about the Saints, but you can’t deny their ability to infuriate fans and fantasy football owners of Alvin Kamara. I know he scored twice in this game, but he had to drag 3 players on one and made a play on the other. I’m convinced they can’t stand the guy, it’s the only reason that makes sense when you see first and goal with Taysom Hill for a direct snap. Derek Carr looked like Fresno State Carr airing the ball out downfield. These were the Saints that were promised in preseason. If the offense starts to click like they did this past weekend, the NFC South could be in for a rude awakening. As for the Colts, they may suck, but you can’t deny they’re entertaining. Great running backs, talented wide receivers, all that’s missing honestly is a consistent QB.
- Talk about an absolute clowning. This game was close, until it wasn’t. Then it got interesting, and finally just kinda sad. Cowboys fans have to be excited for the growth of the relationship between Dak and Ceedee Lamb. When the Cowboys are at home they’re a tough out. It’s just if the Cowboys can be consistent on the road or better yet, beat a playoff team. The Rams season is just about over. Matthew Stafford getting hurt in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL basically has them looking toward the future. Luckily for them, they have a ton of young potential on offense and if Cooper Kupp can stay healthy head coach Sean McVay could turn this team around this time next year.
- Vikings Packers: Talk about a lose-lose for both teams. For Vikings fans, you won, but at what cost? Confirmed today that Kirk Cousins has a torn Achilles. No Cousins, Justin Jefferson still on IR and you finally managed to get to .500. There is hope on the horizon, as reports are out that all time goober QB Jameis Winston and the Vikings may be in talks with one another. I despise the Vikings, but damn will it be hard not to want to watch Jameis air it out on Sundays again. As for the Packers… I’m just gonna use a meme for the pathetic team. Poorly coached, a regressing young QB, THE MOST PENALIZED TEAM IN THE LEAGUE, a defense that is constantly burned in the secondary, an offensive line that is in shambles, and a fan base that has seen enough. For a fifth week in a row, the Packers have scored three points AT MOST. Wide receivers that have worse drops than my college GPA, and a head coach who refuses to use his best player constantly. This team is a dumpster fire what’s scarier for Packer fans is this could only be the beginning of a long decade of suck. With that being said the Packers did just extend Rashad Gary to a 4 -year, $105 million dollar deal. Is he worth that much? Hard to say seeing as he’s coming off a torn ACL, but a great teammate and beloved by the community so at least it goes to a deserving guy. Oh right, I promised a meme:
- You gotta feel for Browns fans and the players not named Desean Watson. A very talented team in every aspect except QB with the giant shadow of all of Desean’s off the field issues only being magnified with his apparent shoulder injury. PJ Walker is a good story, but just not talented enough to get make the Browns a real contender, regardless of how insane the defense and Miles Garrett are. Don’t look now, but the Seahawks not only took the lead in the NFC West, but also just made a move before the trade deadline to bolster their defensive line. They acquired Leonard Williams from the Giants for 2024 second-round, 2025 fifth-round picks. A great comeback win over a tough defense, a new stud on defense, the Seahawks are flying high this week. Last little thing, the 90’s throwback jerseys: SICK. Top 3 retro jersey so far this season.
- The Ravens have flown under the radar, no pun intended. Lamar Jackson is having an awesome season and with the arrival of the Gus Bus, this team can be an absolute nightmare to play in the postseason. Granted, they did play the frisky Cardinals, who still covered the spread because they have pride and self-respect.
- Fun fact, did you know the last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs, President Obama was still in office. The last Broncos QB to beat the Chiefs: Peyton Manning. This also snaps Patrick Mahomes’s perfect record against AFC West teams when he plays them on the road. Yes you read that right, when he goes to a divisional rival’s stadium, he was undefeated. 16-0 before this weekend, and 12-0 against the Broncos until Sunday. Just unreal dominance. With all that being said, the Chiefs are a flawed team. Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes have to basically be perfect for the offense to look fluid. The young receivers haven’t panned out as of yet which adds more pressure to Mahomes. Now they’ll most likely still win their division, and be either the 1 seed or 2 seed. That doesn’t mean the defending champs aren’t unstoppable. Broncos fans rejoice, a two game win streak felt like a dream about a month ago. Now you’re climbing your way out of the void of despair and are actually looking forward to Sundays again.
- I think it’s safe to say Joe Burrow is back and that’s a problem for everyone else. The Bengals looked horrible in the first part of the season, but after putting up a few wins in back to back weeks, they dominated an impressive 49ers team that had a lot to prove this week. The Bengals felt like they were in a must win situation as they have the toughest schedule left in the NFL. Just goes to show that if Joe Burrow is healthy, the league is on notice. For the 49ers, though it makes my heart happy knowing they’re on a 3 game losing streak, I still don’t feel they have much to worry about for the time being. The defense has had some hiccups but is still very capable, Christian McCaffery has scored a TD in 17 straight weeks, and Kyle Shanahan is still an excellent coach. That said, the spotlight has never been brighter on Brock Purdy as he has been abysmal in the past 3 weeks. An egregious amount of turnovers have plagued his game. It doesn’t help that when Kyle Shanahan teams trail by 7 points or more in the 4th quarter, his teams are an alarming 0-27. Meaning if Brock finds himself in a 4th quarter deficit, he and the 49ers could be all but finished.
- Who let this game go to Sunday night? Seriously who saw the Bears on the Sunday night card and said “yup this game is gonna be a hit.” Without Justin Fields the Bears are, well they’re the Bears. The Chargers on the other hand actually looked really good on Sunday night. Too bad we can’t take them serious because they played a backup quarterback led Bears team. Just know this: Justin Herbert is good, Austin Ekeler when healthy is a stud, and the Chargers can never be trusted against a real football team.
Monday:
- The Lions get back on track Monday night putting a whooping on the comically bad Raiders. Jared Goff was slinging the rock and outside a bad pick six, he looks like he found the perfect fit in Detroit. The Lions have incredible talent with their wide receivers and a nasty running game. With an easy schedule ahead of them, they could do something no one ever thought they’d see in their entire lives: The Lions capturing the 1 seed in the NFC. I’m convinced that Mark Davis and Josh McDaniels secretly hate the Raiders. The owner Mark Davis has done nothing to help this franchise outside of moving a beloved team in the bay to Las Vegas. And what does he have to show for it? One of the most pathetic offenses in football. The NFL should honestly step in and evacuate Devante Adams from Vegas. A top 3 wide receiver all but 2 years ago is now getting 1 catch games from a quarterback who can’t throw anything other than a check down. I wouldn’t be surprised if Devante just retired rather than playing with Jimmy Garoppolo. I would rather watch paint dry while walking through a thorn bush all while walking on Legos than watch Jimmy G play quarterback. How Raiders fans do this every weekend is nothing short of modern day torture. Pray for a Raider fan, no one deserves this kind of weekly punishment.
And with that comes the end of week 8. Some teams hit highest highs, some teams (Packers, Bears, Vikings, Patriots, Cardinals, Chiefs, 49ers, Steelers, Giants, Raiders) hit some low and I mean LOOOOOWW lows. As we embark on the second half of the season, which of these teams will bounce back? Will the Chiefs bounce back in Germany as the first NFL game in Germany goes down this weekend? Will the 49ers bounce back from their 3 game skid? What will the Vikings do now that Kirk Cousins is officially out for the season with a torn Achilles? Will the Packers score a touchdown in the first half ever again this season?
Yeah, probably not on that last one.
