JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 8
Hi there, I hope everyone had a good week. On paper, Week 7 didn’t feature many marquee games. It was a week that featured at least six blowouts, including the Titans dominant win over the Chiefs. It did feature another record for Tom Brady though. Enough of that, it is time for my thoughts on the week that was in the NFL.
1 – Thursday night – Week 7 in the NFL kicked off Thursday night in Cleveland as the injury riddled Browns hosted the Denver Broncos. The so-called ‘Factory of Sadness’ was a in great mood afterwards as a number of back-up players stepped up and led the Browns in an important victory. Back-up quarterback Case Keenum had a solid game. However, the star of the night was the former fisherman, D’Ernest Johnson. The Browns third string running back worked on a fishing boat after going undrafted out of the University of South Florida. Making the most of his opportunity, Johnson shredded the Broncos defence for 146 yards and a touchdown. Thanks to the back-ups and some great coaching by Kevin Stefanski (and some great work by the offensive line), the Browns picked up a crucial win.
2 – The Packers – The most relaxed guy in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to their sixth win of the year. Rodgers threw three touchdowns wearing those sweet throw-back uniforms and at (6-1), the Packers are the team to beat in the NFC North. The Packers defence did their job, sacking Taylor Heinicke four times, forced him to fumble twice and they intercepted one of his passes. If Matt LaFleur can get more performances like that from his defence, the Packers will be very tough to beat.
3 – Who Dey? – Joe Burrow and the Bengals should be proud of how well they played in their win over the Bengals. Burrow threw for a career high 416 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bengals defence did an excellent job of containing LaMar Jackson. The way he’s playing, I don’t see how Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase doesn’t win the Rookie-of-the-year. Chase shredded the Ravens defence with 8 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown. Bengals coach Zac Taylor deserves a ton of credit for the way the Bengals are playing. A member of the 2007 Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Taylor has the Bengals believing they can hang with any team in the AFC. How good are the Bengals? They have a plus 61 in the point differential, the same as the LA Rams. ‘Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?’!
4 – The Titans – Ryan Tannehill and the Titans didn’t just beat the Chiefs, they hammered them. The Titans jumped out to an early lead, and they were never in any danger of losing the game as they overwhelmed Patrick Mahomes and the slumping Chiefs. I wasn’t surprised to see the Titans score 27 points. However, I was surprised to see Denico Autry, and David Long Jr. hold the vaunted Chiefs offence to only 3 points. I am big believer that a team is an extension of their head coach. That is certainly the case with Mike Vrabel and the Titans. The Titans will come right at you, playing their tough and physical brand of football. You either stand in there and trade punches with the Titans, or you will get beat. And it doesn’t hurt when you have Derrick Henry in the backfield!
5 – Bubble teams – As we approach the mid-way point of the season, there is a crowded field of teams that are the verge of grabbing one of the three Wild Card spots in each Conference or missing the playoff altogether. At the head of that list, is the struggling Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes has already thrown 9 interceptions the Chiefs defence is in a shambles. On the flip side of that coin are the Colts and the Falcons. Playing through some rainy conditions in the Sunday night game, the Colts won for the third time in their past four games. The Falcons have also won for the third time in their past four games and next week they host the slumping Panthers. I would include the Vikings, Browns, Steelers, Patriots, Bears and Panthers in that ‘Bubble’ category. Nine wins will likely get you in as a Wild Card, so every victory, no matter how you do it, is crucial. Interesting to note that the Patriots end the season against the Jaguars and the Dolphins.
6 – The Bucs – It is good thing that Tom Brady is having the kind of year that he is. Because the battle for the top seed in the NFC is going to be intense. The way the season is unfolding, the Bucs, Packers, Cowboys, Rams, and the Cardinals will be battling it out until the 17th and final game of the regular season to see who will grab that coveted number one seed in the NFC. Brady is now the only player in the history of the NHL to throw 600 touchdown passes. It is scary to think how good the Bucs could be once their secondary finally gets healthy.
7 – The Undefeated – It wasn’t easy, (winning in the NFL never is), but Kyler Murray battled through some tough hits and keep grinding as the Cardinals beat the Texans to stay undefeated this year. Once Murray and the Cardinals offence start rolling, there was no stopping them. And the addition of veteran tight end Zach Ertz paid immediate dividends for the Cardinals as he ended up three catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. Murray, J.J Watt and the rest of the Cardinals will get a much stiffer test Thursday night when host Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the Thursday night game.
8 – The Jets – The last team in the NFL that wants to see an extra regular season game this year is the New York Jets. If the NFL had the same rules as English soccer leagues, the Jets would be relegated to the XFL after this season. Monday, beleaguered Jets coach Robert Saleh announced that his starting quarterback Zach Wilson has a PCL sprain and is out at least the next two weeks, probably longer. Desperate to do something, the Jets traded for veteran back-up quarterback Joe Flacco from the Eagles. I will say this though, as bad as the Jets are, the Chiefs defence has allowed 28 more points this season. Positive thoughts! After the Flacco trade, the Eagles now have two first round picks, two second round picks, a third-round pick, a fourth-round pick and five picks in the 5th and sixth round in the 2022 NFL draft.
9 – Raider Nation – This Las Vegas Raiders team is begging for its own reality show. After the dismissal of head coach Jon Gruden, the Raiders have reeled off two straight wins under their interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. In the past two weeks, the Raiders have scored a combined 67 points and with a 5-2 record, the Raiders are now in first place in the AFC West. Derek Carr is having a solid season and defensive end Maxx Crosby is one of the best kept secrets in the NFL. I think it is great to see the Raiders winning for lifer like Bisaccia. The 61-year-old Bisaccia began his coaching career way back in 1983 and up until now, he had never been a head coach in either the college or the pro ranks. The Raiders versus the Chiefs in week 10 is going to be huge for both teams.
10 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 7 in the NFL wrapped up Monday night in Seattle as the Seahawks hosted the New Orleans Saints. In a low scoring game (I hope you took the Under!), Alvin Kamara and the Saints beat the Seahawks. The Saints are on the way to being a Wild Card team in the NFC. The Seahawks look lost without Russell Wilson in the lineup.
That is all for now, Week 8 will kick off Thursday night in Arizona as the Cardinals host Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in a playoff preview game between two of the best teams and two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And both teams are led by young head coaches in Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur (41) and Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury (42). Monday afternoon it was announced that the Packers Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams was placed on the Covid-19 reserve list. It should be an outstanding game.
I will talk to you next week.
(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)
