NFL - Random Opinions

Chargers 10 - Lions 13

Los Angeles had a chance to get a win on the road but came up short after failing to put more than 10 points on a Detroit defense that will be hot and cold in 2019. I'm concerned a bit over Austin Ekeler's usage over the first couple of weeks. The offense is basically running through Austin and they are going to have to find ways to keep him fresh later in the season. Getting Justin Jackson some more touches in the ground game will be the best bet for the Chargers to keep a balanced attack all season long. Jackson has looked solid with the reps he's been given so far.

Kenny Golladay has potential to be a weekly monster but Matt Stafford is going to limit his potential to a degree. If the Lions could get Kerryon Johnson rolling in the ground game and start to develop a rhythm in play action for Stafford, the biggest beneficiaries would be Golladay and rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson.

 

Colts 19 - Titans 17

Are the Colts poised to make a serious run with Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback? I believe they are as the offense has been balanced and operating with a steady type of procedure that, although it may not be surgical, has been precise in stretches. As long as the offensive line continues to create lanes and keep this ground attack effective, it's not hard to envision Brissett with 30 TDs and under 15 INTs on the season. That kind of production would definitely be good enough to have the Colts battling for the AFC South crown.

Derrick Henry cannot carry the Titans offense every week, and on those weeks that Marcus Mariota has to shoulder the load there will be ink added to the loss column, more often than not. Corey Davis has still not developed into the weapon Tennessee was hoping for but how much of that is a direct correlation to suspect quarterback play won't be known until the Titans make a change or Davis lands on another roster. If Tennessee is going to compete for the division the defense is going to have to play lights out every week in 2019.

 

Cowboys 31 - Redskins 21

Terry McLaurin is going to be a weekly threat to any defense and his long term potential for the Redskins, especially once Dwayne Washington ascends to the starting position. Unfortunately, that won't be enough for the Redskins to steal many wins this season. The defense for Washington will not be able to stand it's ground against the powers in their division and the schedule doesn't offer many favors for them.

The Cowboys are setting themselves up to ring up 4 wins to start the season and with the way they are playing right now I can see them going into the bye undefeated at 7-0. There's a lot to like about how Dallas is coming together on both sides of the ball, and they can still grow as a whole. The loss of Michael Gallup for a couple weeks will sting, but it's a good part of the schedule for it to happen in.

 

Seahawks 28 - Steelers 26

The Steelers were a failed two point conversion away from having this game tied, but the defense let Seattle crush the clock to close it out while the offense had to watch from the sidelines. Ben Roethlisberger is out for the season with an elbow injury so second year quarterback Mason Rudolph will step in as the starter. The Steelers are traveling to San Francisco in week 3 to face a solid 49ers defense so the pressure will immediately be on for Rudolph. Mason was my top rated quarterback in 2018 so I'm extremely interested to see how he plays after a week of preparing, knowing he will start.

The Seahawks are going to be a tough out every week and with the new found ability to stretch both sides of the field the table is set to run the ball and play solid defense. Sound familiar? It's a similar recipe to what Seattle used to fuel to Super bowl runs. This version of the Seahawks defense needs to improve before they can make another deep playoff bid but things are starting to come together for Seattle. They will be in the mix for the NFC championship this season.

 

Vikings 16 - Packers 21

The Vikings offense is going to be an interesting problem to watch unfold this season. The line is playing out of it's mind in the rushing attack, and it doesn't matter whether it's Dalvin Cook or Alexander Mattison running the ball because they remain effective either way. However, Kirk Cousins is going to hinder the potential of the entire group. On Sundays were the Vikings defense gives up 20 or more points the odds on a Minnesota win are going to shade away from 50/50.

Green Bay's defense is going to be the engine that carries this team to a potential playoff bid. The offense is going to play good in spurts, but there is some concern over just how quickly they are going to come together within the new system. Aaron Jones racking up the yardage on the ground is a solid indicator that balance will be readily available, but Aaron Rodgers still seems a bit off. The question now is whether or not it's the scheme or Aaron possibly showing the signs of a downward trend.

 

Bills 28 - Giants 14

It's good to see Buffalo taking advantage of their early schedule and that trend will probably continue next week against the Bengals. How long can they sustain this momentum? Week 4 has the Patriots so that's likely their first loss, and coming out of the bye is a stretch on the schedule that is an absolute meat grinder. It's a good deal to see the Bills playing well and raising expectations but there won't be a miracle playoff bid in 2019.

The Giants are just a bad football team that is being poorly coached. There are a lot of losses coming in this schedule regardless of who starts at quarterback. There are some pieces in place to build off of but they are going to be picking in the top 5 in the 2020 draft.

 

That game was squarely on Cousins. I hate to heap it all on him, but he deserves 99% of the blame, lol.

Just from memory, I believe the Vikings had over 400 yds of total offense and more than GB, but just too many missed passes by Cousins cost them big time. The Diggs OPI didn't help, but you have to overcome zebra plays throughout a game.

It was an egg laid by Cousins and he fessed up after the game and said it was on him. I like him, but he has to be smarter/better and what makes me wonder is, is he capable of turning things around... bottom-line, I think so. Im looking for him to play much better at home vs Oakland and to progress.

Hats off to the GB Packers defense, they played a big role in making Cousins look bad outside of the missed balls to Diggs and a wide open Rudolph. Speaking of defense, I was pleased with the changes/adjustments the Vikings D made... they owned the second half.

Anyway, its over, its 1 game and the Vikings are 1-1... ive moved on and looking forward with my same ol' purple sun-glasses on, lol.

 

Even with weapons on hand, I honestly think we've seen Cousin's ceiling. His free-agency buzz was OVER-HYPE. If any other top starter was up for FA at the time he was, he would've been second fiddle. I like Minnesota and their offensive weapons, but I was never a fan of Cousins in DC. Talent-wise, he's a notch over Trent Dilfer and notch under Rich Gannon in my book. The Vikings have talent all around and he still can't get that team over the hump and I doubt he ever will.

 

Probably your most accurate assessment ever, Frank.

 

The thought of Cousins being average, over-hyped, over-paid, has crossed my mind many times. I guess im hoping he can learn and get better, but as you say, he may be at his ceiling and already peaked right now and that is terrible to think about.

I cling as a fan to a string of hope that even an average QB can some how take them to the promised land. Minimize his play and run-baby-run, maybe they can pull a rabbit out of their hat.

 

As a fan, you gotta believe.

"I believe... I believe... everyday is a good day when you paint." - Bob Ross

 

Kirk Cousins' record against teams with a winning record: 4-27.

 

- The Bills had the #2 D in the NFL in 2018, and they are improved from last season.
- The O-line has gone from a team weakness to a work-in-progress*, but the unit has tremendous depth. It could be a strength by mid-season, (* I call all o-lines a work-in-progress until they have at least six games together).
- The QB is making good choices, for the most part - he is the team-leader on merit rather than position. He has weapons he could only dream about last year.

When the Bills make the playoffs this year it should not surprise anyone. It certainly will not be miraculous.

 

Cousins always plays like shit until his teams playoff hopes are dead and then he looks like an all-pro and gets everyone’s hopes up for the next season.

 

It's all about the schedule.

They likely go into the bye week at 3-2, possibly 4-1.

Week 13 begins a murderer's row, thanks to the locations they travel to:
@DAL
BAL
@PIT
@NE

That's 4 games straight they could easily drop, which means they would need to roll into that stretch at 8-3 to have a real shot at still making the playoffs as an above .500 team. If they are 3-2 coming out of the bye they would likely need to win every game before that patch of match-ups in order to play the Jets at home for a chance at a 9-7 record.

The Bills are headed in the right direction but they are still a year away, IMO.

 

I appreciate your response. When one is projecting a team to make the playoffs - but as a wildcard - that automatically puts the call in question, especially when it's this early in the season.

I am, however, astounded by the narrative running around the talking-heads who for the most part do not seem to know, or care, that the Bills are a solid team. It's like this: focus on the four turnovers in G1 1H and then proclaim: "you're not going to win many games turning the ball over four times". Go ahead, completely overlook the fact that high turnover games like that are very rare, and the Bills have already exceeded their season's quota. (Do not make prognostications based on events that are statistically very unlikely to repeat themselves.) In the process, completely ignore the D that kept the team in the game making their comeback possible.

I do like the Bills a lot this year. (Well, I always like the Bills a lot, but that's because I'm an idiot.) This year the team has a bunch of reasons to, objectively, expect good things. I stand by my preseason projection of 11-5; with 9-7 being almost a worst-case scenario. If I'm right, the Bills should be in the postseason.

 

And the QB is going to make 75% of the people in here eat their words.

 

I hope you're right, Dan. And I also hope Buffalo's fortune is at the expense of the New England ShitRiots.

 

Jaguars 12 - Texans 13

Houston gets a much needed win after safety Justin Reid comes up big and makes the stop on Leonard Fournette on the two point conversion. Reid has been an absolute monster so far this season and the Texans are going to need that defense to be a force if they are going to win the AFC South. DeShaun Watson still takes way too much pressure throughout the game so having a defense that affords the offense the ability to run the ball and kill clock even when it starts out slow could be the difference in a lot of ball games.

The Jaguars seemed to be capable on offense with rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew making his first start but this coaching staff is going to find ways to lose winnable games. The talent is there for Jacksonville to play spoiler this year and to become a playoff team next season, but until Marrone is shit canned it will be nearly impossible for the Jags to be all that they can be.

 

Not expecting a Christmas card from Doug this year, eh?