Back-ups and Bold Moves
Welcome back, everyone. I hope you survived your NFL Week Two experience, as we had carnage all over the field that started, you could argue, in being avoid Thursday night, as Cam didn’t sneak for a half yard, and ended this morning with the news that Eli Manning would be the starter no more.
Seriously, starting QBs at preseason who are no more as of now: Luck, Foles, Brees, Big Ben, Eli, Darnold, Siemian. And we almost lost Wentz again.
So, the Daniel Jones era has officially begun. As has the Mason Rudolph. And the Teddy Bridgewater? And the Luke Falk?
And to think, we were all like, who is Gardner Minshew after Week One. Now he’s a serviceable vet compared to some of these cats on the field.
We joked before the season that with the rise of Patty Mahomes, it felt like this could be the changing of the guard season. So look out Patriots fans. You know who Tom Brady’s back-up is? Jarrett Stidham. And if Brady goes down, it’ll probably just be shades of Bledsoe anyway. Damn you, Belichick!
On the other side of the ball, we saw some teams try to escape the basement of 0-2 with some bold moves…that ultimately backfired. But still, it was nice to see coaches not play for a tie. Maybe another sign of a constantly, though slowly, evolving football league.
The Horrible Fantasy Team That Beat Your Team
For those of you unaware, this is a weekly team composed of players generally owned by less than 50% of people in leagues. This is not a suggestion for sleepers to go grab, though there may be a few here.
QB — Josh Allen — 253 yards passing, 1 TD, 21 rushing, 1 TD — 41% owned
WR — Demarcus Robinson — 6 receptions for 172 and 2 TDs — 6% owned
WR — Nelson Agholor — 8 receptions for 107 and a TD — 15% owned
RB — Raheem Mostert — 13 carries for 83 yards, 3 rec. for 68 and a TD — 16% owned
RB — Frank Gore — 19 carries for 68 and a TD, 2 rec. for 15 — 8% owned
TE — Will Dissly — 5 receptions for 50 and 2 TDs — 3% owned
Flex — Deebo Samuel — 5 receptions for 87 yards and a TD — 14% owned
K — Joey Slye — 4/4 FG — 12% owned
Def — Green Bay — 1 sack, 2 INTs, 2 Fumble recoveries — 16% owned
Let me know if you’ve got a squad that took down my team of rejects!
Recaps
Tampa Bay @ Carolina
At some point it stops being funny…
Look, I like laughing at Cam as much as the next person. He’s been mired in controversy ever since he came out of a pay-to-play scandal at Auburn. And then he wowed us, then took the Panthers to a Super Bowl berth in the 2015 season, but since that loss to Denver, nothing has seemed right. Go back and look, he wasn’t always trying to set the next fashion trend, nor was he always hurt. And 2014 Cam would have taken it 4th & 1 right up the middle, even when he had a hammer like Johnathan Stewart behind him.
Maybe Norv Turner really does have McCaffrey on his fantasy team, and that’s why the Panthers got stuffed on the game deciding play. Or maybe we should have taken Cam seriously when he talked about taking the year off.
Hey, but the Bucs won! How about that…and they get the Giants at home next week, so they may ever surprise us and be 2-1. But yeah, Famous Jameis looked timid throwing the ball, taking a number of hits on his dropbacks while getting sacked 3 times. But he found Chris Godwin 8 times for 121 and a TD, and Peyton Barber may indeed have fantasy value. But what about Mike Evans? He got his targets, Jameis just couldn’t hit him. But everyone should go off next week against the Giants.
San Francisco @ Cincinnati
A Quiet 2-0 and 0-2
Be honest, unless you’re a fan, live in the area, have the Red Zone channel or Sunday Ticket, you didn’t watch this game. Even if you had fantasy players on these teams, you didn’t watch this game. There was nothing sexy and glitzy about it, but quietly, both of these teams are making the right kind of noise.
Yes, that’s right, even going 0-2, Cincy is moving in the right direction under Zac Taylor. Even if it didn’t seem that way from the start with penalties and fumbles plaguing the team, which is the flipside of this that we’ll get to in a second, the key here is that the receiving duo of Tyler Boyd and John Ross III are looking like a future for the team, and that’s what this is really about. Any of you holding out hope that the Red Pellet Gun is going to get them to a Super Bowl or even the playoffs are mental. He has become the placeholder, and you can see the future in Bengaltown, and it’s brighter than you think.
And they ran into a team that’s smoldering hot right now in Kyle Shanahan’s 3rd year at the helm. He has a healthy Jimmy G as his starting QB, and he’s doing all the things Tom Brady feared he’d do if he stayed in New England any longer. After losing his running game and QB last season, Shanahan’s continued to develop weapons, most notably Raheem Mostert, who before this season had only touched the ball 47 times in a 7 year career. He’s got more than half, 26, in two games this season.
While Cincy will likely go 0-3 next week against the Bills, they’ll continue to improve. And the 9ers likely get to 3-0 against a Big Ben-less Steelers team, and they’ll still be overlooked.
Los Angeles Bolts @ Detroit
Philip Rivers can’t catch a break
But apparently Matthew Stafford can. In a game that apparently both teams were trying their best to lose, the Lions came out on top and Lionzed another team in the process, perhaps the only team more feckless than the Lions, but even more disappointing because they carry a more massive bluster every year. No one ever picks the Lions to be a Super Bowl team. You’ve always got someone feeding your ear about how this is the Chargers year.
And maybe it would be, but last week they got lucky against a Colts team still finding identity. And this week, the woes of the kicker reared its head again, and Ty Long missed two second half field goes to tie the game, and you could just see Rivers frustration. You gotta imagine he’s looking at Big Ben and Eli basically bowing out of the league this week and wondering, how they hell do those guys have two titles a piece and I can’t win anything.
Regardless, somehow the Lions are undefeated after Week Two and have an interesting match-up against an Eagles team uncertain of what they are under Wentz. The Chargers get the Texans at home to try to get the taste of this loss out of their mouths, but the Texans…tell me you aren’t scared of a healthy Deshaun Watson all season.
Minnesota @ Green Bay
Big Win for the Pack
The initial takeaway from this game is that along with the Lions (ha!), the Pack is now firmly in the driver’s seat of the NFC North with wins over the Bears and now the Vikes. At the same time, the Lions look like their main competition, as Mitch Trubisky still looks like he needs some training wheel over there in Chicago, and Kirk Cousins has to have people feeling even more buyers remorse in Minnesota. He went 14/32 for 230 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. And you could argue most of that was in 2nd half garbage time, and while the game ended 21-16, the outcome never felt in question. The Pack went up 21-0 at the start of the 2nd quarter and then just put it on cruise control.
(Photo by: Jose Juarez)
By the way Aaron Jones lovers, that’s why your boy’s numbers were so high. He got fed a lot after being up 21-0.
There’s not much more to say. Dalvin Cook is a beast though, and I hope he stays healthy and continues to run roughshod over defenses in losing efforts. Him and Saquan man, even when you know they’re stacking the box. And the Vikes gets an interesting match-up against Oakland at home next week. As for the Pack, they head home to face the feisty Broncos, who will be looking to avoid 0-3.
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Too damn cocky…
Maybe I’m not giving the Colts enough credit. They did win the game. Despite Tennessee holding Marlin Mack to only 51 yards on 20 carries, while Derrick Henry went 81 and a TD on 15 carries. Neither quarterback played particularly well. The defenses made some big plays. This is a divisional rivalry game. Indy is a team that has had the Titans’ goat since the days of Peyton. If it weren’t for Manning and Luck, the Titans would have ruled this division in the way that the Patriots have dominated the AFC East…well, the AFC in general.
And yet, Vrabel, in his cool New England mindset, didn’t feel the need to challenge some questionable calls or get into any sort of hurry. And Mr. Keep-it-cool Mariota downed a ball with time running out on 3rd and 2 instead of calling a play, leaving the Titans’ chances of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory that much more likely.
And then 4th and 2, and the Titans and Colts are both now 1-1, and all that good karma from the Cleveland win is already gone in Nashville, as hope springs eternal again in Indy. Could Brissett, another Belichick/Brady disciple, lead another franchise to the promised land? We’ll see. Next up for the Colts is a trip to take on the surging Falcons. As for Tennessee, they travel to face another divisional opponent in the Jags.
New England @ Miami
Just another blowout in South Beach…
Newsflash. The Patriots are good at football. That’s it. Nothing really to take away from this except that perhaps Sony Michel is a full lead back for the Pats who tend to love a committee. And AB. After the SI article that just dropped, and as more and more information comes to light, could those be the last 4 catches we see from him in the NFL? Is so, it won’t affect the Pats much at all. If not, egads they’re gonna be hard to beat.
As for Miami, they’ve already moved Minkah Fitzpatrick, presumably because Ryan didn’t want any confusions on who the real Fitz-magic was. They keep trying to equally kill Fitz-magic and Rosen. I don’t know. They’re getting all the draft picks they can. I guess now they’re just praying Tua stays healthy at Alabama and then isn’t a bust in the NFL.
New England gets division rival the Jets at home next week, which should be a cakewalk if that Jet D don’t kill Brady, while the Dolphins look to help the Cowboys get to 3-0.
Buffalo @ New York Blue
The New King of New (Jersey) York
No, I’m not talking about Daniel Jones. I’m talking about freaking Josh Allen, who in back to back weeks has walked into the Meadowlands and handed both of these New York teams a big L to leave on their stadium walls. His evolution in his 2nd season at the helm continues to impress and I would argue his evolution is going the most unnoticed. Everyone was already high on Baker Mayfield, and you obviously can’t ignore what Lamar Jackson is doing in his 2nd year, while guys like Darnold who’s now out and Rosen who can’t get a start are being questioned, Allen is just there, growing more and more dangerous every week.
And he’s back up by the ageless Frank Gore and the new kid Devin Singletary, who are a fantastic complimentary backfield. Cole Beasley gives that receiving corp stability where it didn’t have it, and that D…that Bills’ D is pretty brutal right now.
What’s there to say for the Giants? I guess I have more hope for Daniel Jones than most. If you wanted a Manning type quarterback, you aren’t going to find one with more of the pedigree outside of the same gene pool. So, can Eli 2.0 and Saquan save the G-men? Probably not this season, but there may be hope for the future.
The Bills get the Bengals next week in what should be a good measuring stick before a Week Four match-up in New England. The Giants head to Tampa Bay in a game no one will be watching next week.
Seattle @ Pittsburgh
Resilient, but not resilient enough
I’ll be honest, I think this win is actually a little indicting on the Seahawks. They had the Steelers without Big Ben for most of the game, and pretty demoralized. Mason Rudolph looked somewhat competent, but the number of passes off target for JuJu and the rest was hard to watch. James Conner was largely ineffective against the Seahawks front four. But a lot of this is expected when your franchise player goes down. *Fantasy note* Vance McDonald saw most of his targets and his two TDs from Mason Rudolph, because you know a back-ups favorite target is the tight-end.
The Seahawks though still look a little too inconsistent. They couldn’t get anything going again this week with Chris Carson and the rushing game, and Rashaad Penny actually finished with more yards on fewer carries. Russell Wilson was consistent, but Seattle need every one of his 300 yards passing to get the win.
If Big Ben played 4 quarters, I’d have called his a tough road win for the Seahawks, but instead this felt like a game they could have put away early and didn’t, and then almost lost at the end. Not the finish I was expecting from a team that looks to be on its way back up.
Seattle faces another back-up QB when they host the Saints next week and look to move to 3-0, while the Steelers host the 9ers and try to avoid dropping three in a row to start the season.
Dallas @ Washington
American’s Team Once Again?
There was a time when there was no question that the lone star in Dallas symbolized America’s team. Then came the dark years, the times of Jerry Jones’s untamed ego, where he destroyed everything he’d helped create, thinking he created it on his own, and gone was Jimmy Johnson because, sure, Barry Switzer could do the job just as well. And yeah, they got one more, in way that Gruden got a Super Bowl with Tony Dungy’s players. But after that. Years and years of doldrums. After Aikman, there were the Quincy Carter years, Vinny Testaverde, and even Drew Bledsoe before they finally found something in undrafted free agent Tony Romo. But even that could be argued as part of Jones’s hubris, as it was his love for Romo that gave him a chance.
Fast-forward to today, and the younger Jones is more in charge, and much like his father nearly 30 years ago, he’s willing to let the checkbook talk more than his ego, and for the first time since ’94, the Cowboys look like a lock for the Super Bowl.
Sure, they beat up the Racial Slurs who had nothing but the desire to get Adrian Peterson past Jim Brown on the all-time touchdown list. Otherwise, Terry McLaurin looks like a solid rookie receiver. That’s it. Washington isn’t relevant at all this season except as a place for your team to get a win.
They host the Bears on Sunday and will continue to help Trubisky look better, whereas the Cowboys head to Miami, where baring an act of God, they’ll be 3-0.
Arizona @ Baltimore
I believe the children are our future…
Lamar Jackson keeps putting all his doubters to bed. After a fire Week One, everyone expected a drop off in Week Two, and sure, he didn’t throw for 5 TDs this week, but he showed he still had wheels as well as an arm as he rushed for 120 yards. And the rest of the pieces are fitting perfectly together, as John Harbaugh, who was nearly done just a little over a season ago, has reconstructed a team that accentuates Jackson’s playing style perfectly while building a new look stout defense looking to rival the Ray Lewis years.
Nothing to be ashamed of here for the Cards though, as they continue to grow with Kyler Murray. We again saw some 4th quarter flashes of brilliance, and he had both Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk over the 100 yard mark. You could even argue that if David Johnson doesn’t miss more than half the game with a wrist injury that the Cards might have pulled this one out. Regardless, DJ’s wrist is something to keep an eye on going forward.
The Cardinals look to get their first win of the year when they face a beat-up Carolina team at home. The Ravens get another shootout against another red-hot young QB when they had to KC to take on the Patty Mahomeses.
Jacksonville @ Houston
Have Brass Balls, will travel
First off, the Texans won the game, but I’ve got all sort of rave reviews for the Jags, who look like a team willing to put it all on the line to get a win. Doug Marrone isn’t scared, and he’s hungry for a winner, and after Nick Foles went down last week, there might even be a little desperation. This is Marrone’s 3rd season at the helm, and still not a starting QB does he have…or does he? Gardner Minshew II is looking like perhaps a rare gem, and the way he brought his team back in the 4th quarter was admirable.
Ballsy or dumb to go for 2 at the end of regulation for the win rather than just kick for the tie? I’m for it. Jacksonville needs something to get their motor running, and plays like that might be it. Though Jalen Ramsey doesn’t seem to be on board.
For Houston, don’t judge too much on this game. They got the win in a tough divisional match-up after having their wills trampled in the 4th quarter last week against New Orleans. This was a hard bounce back game, and they almost gave it up again in the 4th, but they held on and look stronger for it.
They’ll need to continue staying the course as they get the ever quixotic Chargers on the road next week, while the Jags play host to a very angry Titans team Thursday night.
Kansas City @ Oakland
I’m still in awe
He’s on my Horrible Fantasy Team this week, and I bet not a single one of you had heard of 4th year wideout Demarcus Robinson before this week, but he’s proof that Mahomes is the real deal. What about rookie Mecole Hardman? Maybe if you’re a Chiefs fan. But these guys were not coming off your fantasy boards preseason, and I’m sure are sitting on your waiver wires this week. It doesn’t matter who it is, Mahomes seems to be that transcendent QB like Manning, Brady, and Brees, in that he just makes everyone better.
As for Derek Carr and the Raiders…they just ran into a better team this week. They’ll continue to improve and may even compete for a wild card spot at the end of the season, but it’s clear that the Chiefs are far and away the best team in the AFC West, and nothing short of catastrophic injury is going to change that. But, you still have to like what Gruden is finally building before the move to Vegas.
They should have a more even match-up when they travel next week to take on Cousins and the Vikings, in a battle to see which QB of the future is actually a QB of the future. In a real game of QBs of the future, the Chiefs host Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in what may be one of the highest scoring games of the year.
Chicago @ Denver
When the Bold Move backfires…
All the midday games this week just felt gross in one way or another, but this one felt extra slimy. For 3 and a half quarters we watched as two teams played some of the most inept football this side of Miami. There was no real highlight except that no one was getting injured. Maybe David Montgomery, the rookie back for the Bears. I really like that guy on an offense that should be world’s better than what it is.
Denver. I don’t know. Flacco threw the ball 50 times. I don’t know. Phillip Lindsay is looking like defenses are going to murder him this year. I don’t know.
The one thing I do know? Trust in Emmanuel Sanders.
The Broncos tried though, and scored late to get within one, and then went for two to take the lead. But it wasn’t enough. Maybe they should have played for overtime and not left Chicago 31 seconds and a timeout. Didn’t they see what Brees and the Saints did last week. But alas, it was too much time, and the Bears whose off-season was filled with *doink’d* kick jokes, got a 53 yarder from Eddy Pineiro to seal the victory.
Next week they’ll look to continue their winning ways against the Racial Slurs while Denver heads up to the frozen tundra to offer up a 3-0 record to the Pack.
New Orleans @ Los Angeles Horns
The Death of a Dream
There’s so much for Saints fans to be upset about. You can start with the freak injury to Brees, which I have thoughts about no one wants to hear. You’ll have to beg to get them out of my head. Chef Chad almost launched himself off the front porch last night when he heard my theories.
And then there’s the screwed up call, again, that may or may not changed the course of what was at the time, a 3-3 game with a starting QB out. Momentum, people. Sometimes it’s more important than you think.
Bridgewater looked overwhelmed in relief, and you can only hope that comes from being on the road against one of the best defenses in the league. But he also hasn’t played in a meaningful game in over 3 years, and who knows where his true competitive edge lies after injury and riding the pine. He turned down the starting job in Miami in the off-season, and many applauded that as a smart move to stay with a winner like the Saints, but what if it was just his fear of being the man again. If so, the sooner we get to Taysom Hill, the better. If not, a little Taysom Hill sprinkled in won’t hurt anything. But until it’s fixed, Alvin Kamara owners are gonna lament taking him in the top 3.
Not that the Rams looked great. They put up 27, but at no point did they feel like a team that just went to a Super Bowl. The upside is there, and that receiving corp will be dangerous. Really, it’s going to come down to Goff and his decision-making abilities, which means I bet Rams’ fans wished that he got paid after the season and not before, because we’re already seeing what it looks like when someone doesn’t have to work for their dinner.
The Saints try to bounce back next week in a tough road match-up with the Seahawks, while the Rams travel to Cleveland to try to keep in check the upstart Browns.
Philadelphia @ Atlanta
Not Dead Yet…
I saw something at the end of last week’s Falcon’s game, like a light switch clicked, and they scored two 4th quarter touchdowns against the Vikes. You could call it garbage time, but Matty Ice kept that momentum going at home as both Julio and Calvin Ridley crossed the century mark in receiving. Albeit, Matty Ice still three 3 INTs, but we’re used to that by now. The distressing thing is that, without Tevin Coleman this year, there seems to be little to no running game behind Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith. For the Falcons to be real contenders in the AFC South, and with Brees out 6+ weeks the door is wide open, they’re going to have to get a ground game.
The Eagles are overrated. There, I said it. I don’t believe in Carson Wentz, at least not on the messiah level that Eagles’ fans have him at. They dismiss that Nick Foles did the heavy lifting in both of the last two seasons. Wentz is still the man, and he’d have done just as well as Foles, they all tell me. But they’re as bad off as the Falcons, with no running game, and Sunday night their major receiving threats were out. It seemed at times that it was Zach Ertz versus the world, and it probably was. And Wentz even went out for a series, causing all of Philadelphia to lose its ever-loving mind for half an hour.
Next week the Eagles play host to the Lions, and you know someone is getting Lionzed in that game, and both teams are primed for it. The Falcons head up to Indy where they could make a day of it against a still struggling Colts, or they could find a Colts team that’s got it close to together.
Cleveland @ New York Green
OBJ all the way
There’s not much to talk about here. The Browns needed the win after getting manhandled by the Titans last week. OBJ showed out. Nick Chubb continued to gain traction on the ground game, and Njoku left with a concussion.
For the Jets, with Darnold down with the sickness, they brought in Trevor Siemian to take the injury meant for him before trotting out 2nd year man Luke Falk, who actually looked halfway decent under center. Still, it wasn’t enough, and there certainly isn’t enough offense in New York to make anyone scared. At least Le’Veon Bell showed he doesn’t need to be on an offensive juggernaut to still pound people.
Look, this is what happens when this is your Monday Night match-up. I don’t care how much you love Baker.
Next week Baker and the Browns look to take out Goff and the Rams, while the Jets head to their yearly sacrifice in New England.