Cold Open
The NFL approaches Week 4 with their first semblance of a COVID-19 outbreak. The panic on social media has ensued, and at this stage in the pandemic, I can’t help but laugh. This has been a scary year, and this situation four months ago may have felt differently with the Titans. However, on the same day the Major League Baseball postseason begins, the irony of people panicked that the NFL is in jeopardy should not be lost.
MLB lost several games from several teams and has a sport built on playing every day forcing them to cram double headers. That is a far more difficult schedule to rebuild on the fly than the NFL. If you can’t play on a Sunday but can get guys on the field to play Monday or Tuesday due to rapid testing, that will work. A worst-case scenario? Pushing Wild Card weekend back a week and having a Week 18 with make up games.
The bottom line is this: the playing once-a-week schedule for the NFL makes it so much easier to deal with an outbreak. The Falcons just took the field Sunday after having a positive text two days earlier. The Texans just took the field Sunday after false positives. Those two stories were so underreported compared to the Titans positive tests because that is how big a machine the NFL is. They play on, they carry on, they have learned to live with the virus around us. Panic this week is ridiculous, the Titans will be fine, the Vikings will be fine, the NFL will be fine. On to Week 4 we go.
Ten Yard Gain
1-The Seahawks’ pass rush continues to be a net negative for them. For as great as Russell Wilson is, unlike the Chiefs, Packers, Ravens, or any other Super Bowl contender, the Seahawks defense will do them in if they cannot figure this out. It is the same problem as they had last year when they had Jadeveon Clowney.
2-Drew Brees can say all he wants about his age and skill level; the facts in front of our face again on Sunday night told us that without Michael Thomas, he will not go downfield. Whether by design or because of talent should not matter. The Saints’ offense is broken, and running Alvin Kamara into the ground in September and October won’t help the tread they will need on his tires as Brees and the passing game gets harder to get going in December and January.
3-Sam Darnold is still younger than Joe Burrow. Let that marinate in your mind for a moment. The Jets are atrocious and have almost felt like they purposely have not surrounded him with the pieces on offense to succeed. If the first overall pick does happen for them, they must take Trevor Lawrence, but Sam Darnold could have the opportunity to be the next Drew Brees in terms of a rare available quarterback that becomes elite at his next stop.
4-What happened to the guts of Doug Pederson? Yes, we all can agree ties in the NFL are so stupid. What is even worse is playing for one. Jake Elliot has kicked incredibly long field goals for the Eagles before, and kicking is different now more than ever. Would they have made a 63-yard field goal? Odds say no, but if that is your ONLY chance at a win, how do you not even attempt one?
5-Dwayne Haskins’ mental toughness is already being tested. Having an inspirational story like Alex Smith behind him was hard enough, but having Ron Rivera admit to the media that he will have a breaking point if the struggles of Haskins continue is a disservice to the young man. That isn’t an easy organization, and it was an even harder offseason in Washington to get your career going. Putting that pressure on him after three weeks is asking him to crumble.
6-Monday Night should be the last time Patrick Mahomes is ever an underdog in a game in the next three years, at minimum. Watching experts trip all over themselves picking the Ravens to win Sunday was hysterical. Patrick Mahomes is a cheat code, and ever giving him points at a sports book is ridiculous. Vegas handed you a gift, hopefully you took advantage.
7-Nobody is going to, or even think about, feeling bad for the Rams on Sunday. Their comeback down 28-3 was epic, and the Bills felt very much like the Falcons in that moment. There absolutely was a phantom pass interference that altered the outcome, but are we forgetting the Rams as the franchise who got the greatest benefit of all time on a blown pass interference call? Saints fans watched that Sunday and laughed.
8-The Kyler Murray MVP hype train can wait at the station for a while. MVP’s don’t lose to Matt Patricia and the Lions at home. DeAndre Hopkins remains the biggest threat on the field for Murray, a game-changer. However, Kyler’s decision making on Sunday was questionable at best. He may get to the top-five QB pedestal – heck, as a No. 1 overall pick, he should get there – but he is not there yet.
9-The leash for Mitchell Trubisky was that short? The Bears were 2-0, a flimsy 2-0, but still had that record. They were not out of Sunday’s game with the Falcons by any means. Nick Foles came in, Nick Foles prevailed, and Nick Foles is now the starter in Chicago. If a 2-0 record wasn’t enough to keep Trubisky in at quarterback, why didn’t Matt Nagy name Foles the starter from training camp?
10-Daniel Jones’ turnovers, at least most of them throughout his early career, were excusable. Sunday felt different. The Giants had actual hope Sunday. They are one of, if not, the youngest team in football. Mistakes with a new coaching staff will happen. The turnovers from their franchise quarterback, though, are setting the entire team back. The 49ers rolled out a JV squad, and Daniel Jones looked like an 8th grader who was elevated to varsity.
Five Games to Chew On
My Picks
A 2-1 week gets us to 7-2 on the season. For this week:
Football Food of the Week
Take a box of Cheez-its, and smash them down to pieces. The idea here is to get them ground up as if they are a cheesy bread crumb. Roll the cooled mac and cheese into golf ball-sized pieces, dip them in egg wash, and then roll in the Cheez-it breading you have created. Once that is finished, stick them on a tray in the fridge for an hour to firm up. Once you remove it, fry in oil or an air fryer until browned.
The macaroni and cheese will explode in your mouth with a crispy, cheesy coating on the outside. This takes fried macaroni and cheese to an even gooey-er level.
Take that for data!
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