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There is a very real chance that three teams in the NFC South and NFC East have new coaches next season. The deeper we get into this season, the clearer it becomes that the only teams in those divisions who won’t be at least mulling staff changes are the ones who hired a new head coach just a few months ago (Giants and Falcons). And those teams have guys who have Coach of the Year-type resumés. These teams are going to be struggling the rest of the way.
Bad ball all around.
Even when teams like the Cowboys win, man, it’s ugly and filled with drama and it’s generally against the dregs of the NFL (like surviving the Colts Sunday). The Eagles and Commanders can’t put consecutive wins together. The Saints beg a lot of questions. Bottom line, the bar is set pretty low in the two worst divisions in the NFL and a bunch of teams are going to fall short of it. And heads are going to roll. With the trade deadline almost behind us, the worst of the worst will start positioning themselves for the future and getting ready for trying to get an audience with Mike Tomlin and Sean McDermott, for starters.
This was not a masterclass, and allowing three passing touchdowns is not going to sit well with Sean Payton. Denver definitely could make a splash by the deadline and they sense how wide open things are. The offense probably isn’t going to take a jump, and for all the hype about Trey McBride, watch for them to add a piece on defense. They need that unit to be top-notch and getting to the QB like it used to.
Another front office that is being looked at very closely ahead of the deadline. They need defensive backs and Budda Baker would really make a lot of sense. Josh Allen has done a lot of great things in the playoffs, but it’s never quite enough because the D lets him down. Major point of emphasis for them.
The trade for Jeffery Simmons transforms the defense and we bet they aren’t done yet. Caleb Williams is mastering the offense — interception-laden Sunday night performance aside. We believe in them, bigly, in the end, and went big on their Super Bowl and NFC title game futures in the summer. If this defense is even close to league-average, they can win it all.
This is the best team in football no one talks about. Incredibly balanced. Trevor Lawrence has the second-best passer rating in the NFL and, with no games in Jacksonville next year and with their coaching staff about to get raided, the time is now. Top scoring defense, but too many big plays allowed. Bet they add a defensive lineman or two.
This was an exhibition on Sunday. But one in which Patrick Mahomes took some massive hits. Are they really sure about their tackle spots? Will they be able to land an impact receiver? They tend to finish strong and we are still bullish on them but also projected them making power moves as part of our preseason projections.
The offense is officially a concern. Sam Darnold perhaps has never been that healthy all season. He certainly hasn’t been able to string good weeks together. Everything on offense is a struggle. Still not totally buying explosion in the run game even after the Quenton Nelson trade. The defense will clamp down as the playoffs approach.
So maybe they get the Brandon Aiyuk saga behind them this week, and maybe this is the year Kyle Shanahan gets over the hump. In a perfect world, they build up a cushion and can really watch the snap counts of guys like Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and George Kittle down the stretch.
They can’t run the ball a lick when they have to. That’s just a fact. And I do worry about the ability to defend perimeter runs and the outside zone. But Joe Burrow is looking like the MVP and Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase look better than ever. And the defense has enough bite.
Jordan Love is the NFL’s most prolific passer in the second half of the season over the last two years. He is comfortable chucking it deep to anyone. He is getting protection now. The run game is not great. But Micah Parsons is coming back at some point, right? This downfield passing game is special.
Could they pull off a trade for Kirk Cousins? Far crazier things have happened. Daniel Jones would kinda make sense too. Heck even Anthony Richardson. Kyler Murray ain’t it. Carson Wentz even might be a better fit. Wonder where they would be if they kept Sam Darniold, with that defense?
Would be very surprised if they don’t add a receiver at the deadline. Very surprised. Aaron Rodgers knows how to manage games and they don’t turn the ball over. They are going to keep beating lesser teams and there are a good number of them left on their schedule.
Well, the defense continues to make strides. Level of competition is not great, but they have stabilized after a brutal start, and at 5-2 they can make power moves in the second half. Will an ownership group that refuses to make power moves in season finally add a big ticket item at the deadline?
Man, this is all fits and starts, but they needed that win on Sunday and they are getting healthier. The defense has a chance to lead them for a while. Matthew Stafford didn’t look great throwing to anyone except Puka Nacua.
They are who we told you they were all along. Beat up on the kind of teams they would have beaten last year and lose to teams that are going somewhere. They were outclassed in a major way by Green Bay, including getting gutted on defense. Drake Maye is trying to do too much.
We think they are going to be the last team standing in the NFC South. It’s really as simple as that at this point. They have the pedigree beyond anyone else in that division.
Another gutsy win. Doesn’t matter how many times they have to shuffle QBs. Dennard Wilson is the best defensive coordinator no one talks about and his Maryland Terrapins are fools if they don’t try to hire him as head coach. They might run away with the division. And they want a feature back at the deadline.
Too little, too late after such a terrible start. They are a good football team when they aren’t in self-destruct mode. Watch them play spoiler a bunch down the stretch. DeMeco Ryans should have taken back the reins of the defense sooner.
They cannot bring it on the road and especially not somewhere like Denver. Offense has turned the corner in a lot of ways, but the defense will be why they don’t return to the playoffs. Going to be an interesting negotiation with Bryce Young this winter.
They lost to the Saints, why are they higher? Well, the Browns were playing a backup quarterback after having to make a late decision there and they were on the road. Yet they still could have won in overtime on a two-point conversion or played for the tie. Todd Monken is going a helluva job.
Another game in which they didn’t really show up in the first half. Couldn’t get critical stops late when they needed them. Weird personnel decisions being made. I don’t fancy them in the second half of the season.
I don’t buy anything about this team, but they have enough firepower to beat the absolute worst teams in the NFL, even if they only show up for part of the game. And under Brian Schotttenheimer, they only show up for part of the game most of the time.
I feel like every week I watch them play football and know even less about them. Don’t know what to make of them. Not sure why no one there for years has been able to get more out of Bijan Robinson. I do know he better keep showing up big-time in the pass game.
It’s unfair that a team that was this bad a year ago ends up with a schedule that is this unforgiving. It’s nuts. But being in the AFC West and having to face the NFC West will do that to you. The defense is bad, again. Will Maxx Crosby still be there come Wednesday?
Remember when people were peddling Lamar Jackson only missing a week or less with a high-ankle sprain? Those same people are now breathlessly “reporting” on Jackson playing again this season in late December. Wanna bet on that? I do. This team is toast and too prideful and vain to sell at the deadline like the rest of the league knows they should.
They are showing a pulse and have stepped up on defense. Gave the Rams all they could handle. But man, what happened to Jayden Daniels? How many jobs is that situation going to cost? The offense is a tough watch.
So yeah, that in-game Garnder Minshew bump against one of the worst defenses in the NFL wasn’t going to hold with the Seahawks having a week to prepare for him. Carson Beck should be starting there. Like, now.
How many veterans are dealt by Tuesday? We’ve heard Landon Dickerson for weeks. Some GMs think one of the defensive tackles is getting dealt. I’d like to see rookie QB Cole Payton get a shot. Evaluators I am close with believe the Eagles may have grabbed a steal with the North Dakota State product.
They put up a fight every week. I like this head coach. I like this GM. They have a chance to finally turn things around and everything I hear about what’s going on down there has me far less skeptical than normal about the Dolphins
They should be dealing at least three more veteran players by the deadline — running back Tony Pollard and kicker Joey Slye among them. But they never get much right, so who knows what Tennessee is planning for their deadline moves.
I don’t think Aaron Glenn lasts the season. Woody Johnson wants to make a splash and having the job already vacant makes it easier for highly respected coaches to listen to him, like a guy who used to coach the Steelers.
If someone wants to take Daniel Jones off their hands, they don’t leap; they are clueless. Beware of what’s being peddled in the media about that stuff. They are looking to clear salary beyond just Jonathan Taylor.
It’s a joke they haven’t moved veterans yet. Utterly noncompetitive operation. Justin Herbert won’t be there in 2027, nor will Mike McDaniel and I am starting to seriously wonder about Jim Harbaugh, too. It's all bad for the Bolts.
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