Ups
Detroit’s offense (defense TBD)
“The major question mark hangs over the Detroit Lions and whether their middling defense can handle losing its capstone, Aidan Hutchinson,” I said back in the dogeared annals of two weeks ago. As the hobbled defense makes the best of what it has, the offense has shown it matters little on the Lions’ inexorable march to the postseason.
At 6-1 the Lions should be aiming for the NFC’s No 1 seed. Ben Johnson’s offense operates with such aggressive efficiency – the Lions’ six touchdown drives against the Titans on Sunday lasted a whiplash-inducing average of a little under 90 seconds – that the ‘85 Bears could turn up in their prime and Jared Goff and Co would still find a way past them.
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Back in reality the Detroit defense relied on dramatic playmaking against the Titans to get the job done. The Lions scored three touchdowns on short fields from two interceptions and a fumble, giving the offense a gorgeous view of the Titans’ end zone from an average starting field position at the 50-yard line. The pass rush without Hutchinson however was non-existent. Tennessee’s beige backup QB Mason Rudolph threw for 220 yards in the first half on 23 throws in which he was hit four times. Meanwhile Goff was hit four times on eight first-half throws. One sack was generated from 38 Rudolph passing attempts.
These numbers will raise hopes for Green Bay in a huge NFC North showdown this week, signifying that Jordan Love may well be able to make the most of a comfy pocket. They also raise hopes for a pulsating shootout unless the Lions can find a way to generate pressure. A trade for pass rushing phenomenon Maxx Crosby wouldn’t hurt their chances.
Battle for the NFC West
The cream is rising to the top across the league as frontrunners start to emerge. Everywhere except the NFC West, that is. After last week’s shakedown of the Vikings, the LA Rams sit last on 3-4 while their divisional rivals are all at 4-4. So after eight weeks we are essentially back to square one.
The Seattle Seahawks may be the weakest link in the division. After a hot start Mike McDonald’s defense has melted away. In Sunday’s tough loss to the Bills, Buffalo ran for 14 first downs, double the league average this season. Seattle’s next opponent: the Rams. Sean McVay’s team burst into life with the return of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Beating the mighty Vikings could be a huge turning point with McVay now able to count on the significant threat of his receiving tandem to not only make crucial plays but also create room for running back Kyren Williams. Their return could not have been timed better to capitalise on Seattle’s weakness. The pressure both teams will be under to win could be the defining factor with teams likely to need a winning record in a stacked NFC to grab a wildcard spot.
Meanwhile, spirits in Arizona will be high after the Cardinals came out of another nerve-shredding encounter to upset Tua Tagovailoa’s return for Miami. Of Arizona’s four wins this season, two have been by a single point and another by just two. Kicker Chad Ryland has been a revelation with late game-winning field goals in all three nail-biting triumphs. The ability to keep finding the path to victory while holding an important 2-0 divisional record is a huge boost. The head coach is certainly confident. “See you motherfuckers Wednesday,” said Jonathan Gannon to his team after beating the Dolphins. The extra rest for a job well done will keep smiles on faces before a tough but very winnable home tussle with the Chicago Bears.
The favourites for the division are San Francisco and rightly so after Kyle Shanahan rediscovered his mojo with a 21-point third-quarter thrashing of Dallas. At full strength this would be expected, though Shanahan bamboozling the Cowboys with seven different runners not named Christian McCaffrey showed there is life in the Bay Area yet. The 49ers will be overjoyed to be in the thick of it as they hit a perfectly timed bye-week to get healthy for the season’s second stanza. McCaffrey may be back in Week 10 for the 49ers’ game with Tampa Bay. Good luck, Bucs.
Downs
Tom Brady
Spare a thought for Tom Brady. On his insipid Let’s Go! podcast the Fox analyst with a $375m dollar deal lamented a lack of interesting games to dissect. “I’ve done seven games now. I’ve had six blowouts and the home team has only won one,” he said before taking to the mic later in the week for … checks notes … Buffalo’s blowout win in Seattle. “I can’t wait until I get a home team in a close game and there’s a lot of juice in the stadium.” The soul searching continued as Brady, possibly unsatisfied with another dud, let a slur slip. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen “sometimes played like a spaz, like a grade-schooler on a sugar high” during his younger days in the league, according to Brady.
Bills mafia rushed to defend the comment citing the differences between the British definition of the word and America’s broader version that includes clumsiness. While that attempts to explain the why, it remains a pathetic excuse. Brady has to be aware of the NFL’s popularity in Britain, a country of which he must have some knowledge of as he owns part of Birmingham City football club, and considering his ridiculous salary he should be held to the highest of standards. He simply should know better. Besides, plenty of people in the US find the term offensive too.
It is early days but the laziness of both the use of the term and the dismal cliched analogy reek of someone either not taking their job seriously or, if he can’t make better choices, someone unsuited for the role. Or maybe a precious one-score game can sharpen his analysis.
Baltimore Ravens
The No 1 seed in the AFC may already have slipped by the Ravens after they were shredded by Jameis Winston and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Kansas City are streets ahead at 7-0 compared to Baltimore’s 5-3 while also holding the advantage of having beaten them in the season opener. The calm and collected Chiefs now need to completely dissolve for the Ravens to claw back the deficit and avoid dreaded road games in January.
The problem is Zach Orr’s defense dragging the side down. The first-year coordinator’s unit allowed Winston to scorch them for 334 yards, while across the season they have given up a league-worst 291 yards per game in the air. Last season the Ravens had the NFL’s second-best EPA per pass at -0.2; they sit 29th now at 0.16. Dropped interceptions, blown coverages and poor communication are all adding fuel to a secondary being routinely set on fire. Lamar Jackson may have too much to overcome in the postseason unless Orr can extinguish the blaze.
