Monday morning looked like a bunch of blowouts at once point with only the Bengals and Falcons putting on a close encounter – then things changed, as they normally do in the NFL.
GOOD;
Ezekiel Explodes – Elliott – like his Dallas team mates – have been going along without much fanfare and without much success. This week, Elliott vowed to dominate and dominate he did. He ran all over Detroit for 152 rushing yards and importantly, 88 receiving yards. He also found the end zone. A remarkable over-the-shoulder grab set-up the game-winning FG.
Tenacious Titans – They’ve threatened to be good for a while but new coach Mike Vrabel looks to have this squad up and rolling. Marcus Mariota is back from injury and made some big throws against Philly.
Corey Davis scored his first ever TD, which just happened to be a game-ending grab whilst things are looking decent on defence thanks to Kevin Byard, Jurrell Casey and Malcolm Butler making plays. The only missing ingredient to this point is Derrick Henry.
JJ ups wattage – After a couple of seasons ravaged by injury, Watt is beginning to look like the game-wrecker of old. Against Tennessee he had 2 sacks, 2 TFL and 3 QB hits. He looked menacing and caused Andrew Luck to miss some other throws. The Texans defence is capable of more and with JJW’s improvement, they should follow suit.
Order restored in AFC East – New England entered their week 4 match-up at risk of dropping three games behind Miami. The Dolphins were 3-0 entering but hardly looked like a threat as New England jumped to a 31-0 lead and never looked back.
Miami have been impressive but everything does – and always has – run through Foxborough.
GREAT:
Goff and the Rams – Todd Gurley came out and said his Rams were unbeatable at this point. A bold statement, but one that is damn near accurate. Jared Goff is shredding opposing defences utilising Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks on deep shots whilst Gurley is a one-man force of nature.
The defence is deadly and they possess the best punter and – when healthy – one of the premier kickers. Plus, young Sean McVay goes good.
Trubisky the Truth – Mitch Trubisky was incredibly limited in 2017 with his passing. Today, he dropped six TD’s on Tampa Bay – in the first half.
He completed 19/26 passes for 354 yards and added 53 yards on the ground.
Browns v Raiders – The quarterbacks combined for nearly 750 yards and six scores whilst running backs totalled a shade under 340 rushing yards and three TD’s.
Defensively, not much happened in a positive sense but in the end, Cleveland lost and Oakland won but it was a brilliant offensive football game.
Kamara by name and by nature – Alvin Kamara is a sensation. He’d be among the toughest to tackle in the NFL and today, he tore up MetLife Stadium.
134 yards on the deck, 47 through the air and three scores – decent days work you’d think.
UGLY:
Eifert’s injury – When Tyler Eifert is healthy the Bengals look like a force on offence. He is a nightmare cover on third down and in the red zone. Problem is, Eifert cannot stay healthy. Back and arm injuries have suffocated his career and now he faces a sustained stint on the sidelines after what seemed like a nasty ankle dislocation.
Buccaneers at boiling point – Strangely, reports emerged about coach Dirk Koetter telling his team starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was on a short leash.
Those words seemingly negatively affected Tampa as the Bears walloped them 48-10. Jameis Winston entered the game but did little to prove he’s a better option.
Leonard’s lingering leg issues – Jacksonville are a definite Super Bowl threat, possessing a nasty defence capable of carrying them all the way. Blake Bortles’ performance has improved markedly but the real workhorse of the offence cannot overcome hamstring issues. Leonard Fournette suffered another hammy in today’s clash with New York. His health is critical to the Jags’ hopes.
Angry Earl – Earl Thomas wants to be paid – or traded. He got neither wish this off-season so eventually turned up to training camp.
Today, he fractured his leg and publicly displayed his anger as he flipped the middle finger toward the Seahawks sideline. This looks like an ugly situation looming.
Pittsburgh precariously placed – In the win-loss column, things are already dicy in Pittsburgh but more importantly, the team looks out of sync. The running game was abandoned today (hello, Lev) and Ben Roethlisberger made some bonehead plays.
Defensively, Baltimore converted almost every big play they needed to. This team misses Ryan Shazier almost as much as it missed Bell.
Josh Jenkins Sports 