Is there anything that symbolizes the NFL’s parity more than the NFC East right now? There was room for much here to be one of the league’s most competitive, with a determined Eagles, a Cowboys team ready to prove they can be elite, a rejuvenated Giants and healthy captains. We have some of the saddest teams in the league in five weeks.
The giants are first, mostly by default. They’re playing decent football, sure – but nobody really believes this team has a chance until Jackson Dart and Brian Burns are out. The team is more or less floundering, with teams benefiting more from being worse than them, instead doing amazing things in their own way. Sunday was indicative of that, as facing the Chiefs is a Giants-style game. must be. Dominate to make anyone confident in their abilities.
And then there are the eagles who are somehow still in contention. After a three-game losing streak, plagued by injuries and the retirement of a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni stood on the podium each week and admitted that he did something crucial to the team’s loss. The Eagles became the first team in NFL history to come from behind to win 97% or more in the fourth quarter.. The most disappointing team in the NFL based on their preseason projections, Philly sits at 2-3 and is the frontrunner to fire their head coach.
Maybe the Cowboys could be the team to bring it all together? Just kidding, they found a way to lose to the 0-4 Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, raising questions about the team’s construction. Maybe they have the wrong head coach, maybe they have the QB to do the job, and they don’t have the cap space to get better. Meanwhile, the man they fired, head coach Mike McCarthy, will be dealing with a more troubled roster than the Steelers left behind as a 12-5 coach in Dallas.
There are also Washington commanders.
Overall, the NFC East is 8-10-2. It’s not the worst division on paper, but it has some of the most embarrassing losses in the NFL so far. Their combined schedule is only going to get tougher than this, and we could easily see three coaches cut from the East before the end of the season — unless there’s some noticeable improvement. This shouldn’t happen in the NFC East. Normally, it’s one of the league’s better conferences, home to some of the richest rivalries and more trash talk than most football leagues. Instead of talking trash to each other, these groups can just point out how trashy they are.
What a sad situation.
And now to the rest of the week’s winners and losers…
Winner: Patriotic Front
It was easy to fall victim to the first season of doubt when he came to New England, but now he’s roaring. The Pats’ heartbreaking loss to the Jaguars in Week 3 lit a fire under them, which continued with back-to-back weeks of wins over big-time bills and now the Raiders – who have been their most competitive team this season.
The connection is Drake Maye, who has been a different quarterback the past two weeks. He’s regained his confidence in the middle, though his guarding is still awful. There is only consistency and comfort level. with Changed pressure. Maye is standing tall in the pocket, taking balls and getting more confidence in his receivers to make plays — throwing himself instead of trying to force them.
That was evident against the Raiders, as he was under pressure for much of the afternoon, sacked once, hit six times and tackled 12 times in total – but he never felt like it. Maye drafted Las Vegas and finished with a perfect game with 357 yards and four touchdowns.
It’s hard to know what will happen next with the Patriots, but at least they’ve shown they can hang with the NFL’s best and win. That’s more order volumes than seen three weeks later.
This whole situation in Tennessee is not working. The main problem with Cam Ward as the No. 1 is that he needs time to adjust to the NFL game, but the Titans forced him to start immediately, and it blew up in their face. At no point on Sunday did it seem like Ward could be an NFL quarterback, and while playing a tough Texans defense, he just didn’t seem like he could succeed.
It’s pretty clear what needs to happen in Nashville: Cam Ward needs to be benched. he said. zero It’s embarrassing to be benched in your second year, just ask Bryce Young. Tennessee doesn’t expect anything good in the wings, and turning the ball over to Mitchell Trubisky is treading water — but Carolina was in the same position, putting Andy Dalton in so the youngster can learn his position, accept the fall and bounce back.
It’s pretty easy when we get to brass tacks, really. If Ward can sit down, learn, study and give back – then he might. If he can’t handle being benched, he’s never going to be the player the Titans need in the first place. The biggest concern in watching him is his complete lack of awareness when it comes to the pass rush, and when combined with less-than-stellar blocking, there are major issues.
I want Cam Ward to succeed. The only way is to bench him and see what happens next.
Winner: The 49ers…again
Is San Francisco the Super Bowl favorite this time? It’s a real feeling. No matter what is thrown at this team, they continue to find ways to win. Sunday was far from their best offensive performance of the year, clearly struggling against a diversely creative Seahawks defense — but this team is unstoppable.
No team in the NFL is better at adapting on the fly than the Niners. Kyle Shanahan has a knack for feeling the ebb and flow of the game and changing his plan to target what the game gives instead of what is planned during the week. At times this will come together, and the 49ers will look dominant, but it’s when they’re loaded up front that it’ll be interesting to see how Shani and company can get out of the situation.
There is just something special about this team.
Loser: LeSean McCoy celebrating early
This is one of the most brutal community notes imaginable.
