After the first eight weeks of this NFL season, things good and bad are beginning to be put to light, and there is no longer a need for a microscope to see the potential downfalls and uprises for teams. The way things are looking right now, this season will behold the tightest playoff race ever seen in NFL history. So many contenders have only been improving, and so many teams under the radar before the season are busting through the surface.
The Best Team in the NFL plays in Detroit
The Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated for another, but their strategic winning style, causing them to barely dodge defeats to inferior opponents, may not work for so long. They are scheduled to play other serious playoff contenders like the Bills, Texans, and Steelers during the second half of the season. Also, they have yet to play the rapidly improving Broncos. While they have been winning tight-knit games, the Detroit Lions have been running their opposition off the turf and having fun doing so.
The Lions just racked another obliterating win over the Titans 52-14. Their third forty-plus-point game is the most in the NFL. The highest-scoring offense in the NFL has been the most well-balanced team in the NFL, and they exemplified that by dominating in all phases. Two long punt returns going for a touchdown by Khalif Raymond and a dominant rushing attack that totaled 164 yards headed by Jamyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Jared Goff only threw the football 15 times and 85 passing yards with 2 touchdowns.
Despite losing pass rush extraordinaire Aidan Hutchinson, the defense put pressure on quarterback Mason Rudolph by hitting him five times and sacked him once. For the third straight game, the secondary had multiple interceptions, with two this game. Aaron Glenn's defense has performed as one of the most improved units in the league from the previous season. Not too long ago, the Lions were used to being on the losing side of a blowout score. Now, they're the ones who are blowing teams out of stadiums and are one legitimate edge rusher away from becoming a much better team than they already are.
The NFC West Champion Won't be the 49ers
The defending NFC champions have been struggling to get back into a groove they had all last season. Last Sunday night against the Cowboys nearly looked like another blown lead to be when the defense broke down and allowed two late scores from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb to cut the score from 27-10 to 30-24 in the fourth quarter. Despite having Deebo Samuel back, the offense couldn't score a touchdown until the third quarter, and they scored their only six-pointers that whole quarter. They lost the power to finish off their opponents, and these long staining injuries to key players aren't helping so much.
While adjustments are badly needed in San Francisco, a resurgence in Arizona has been quietly ongoing. The Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr. connection has been the main source of the Cardinals' turnaround this season. Last Sunday against the Dolphins, the duo connected for 11 yards through the air on 6 completions and a score. Third-year tight end Trey McBride had his career-best game at Hard Rock Stadium with a team high nine catches for 124 receiving yards. He is currently tenth in the NFL in catches with 48. Running back James Connor, one of the Cardinals' most productive playmakers, contributed to the comeback over the Dolphins with a touchdown of his own. The 28-27 win was concluded by kicker Chad Ryland's second straight game-winning field goal.
Three comeback wins and a near-upset win in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills tell me that the Cardinals are a good team. Even if almost nobody can see it, One of the youngest teams in the NFL has been quietly improving and displays the resilience to endure the challenges of an NFL season. One of the oldest quarterbacks in the NFL, Matthew Stafford, is coming off a 4-TD passing performance last Thursday over the Vikings, who came in as the NFL's number two passing defense. The Rams are on a winning streak with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in the starting lineup and still have mastermind Sean McVay as their head coach.
The "New" Josh Allen
Josh Allen threw his first interception of the season against the Seahawks. He would've been on a streak of not throwing an interception since week 18 of last season if it wasn't for Amari Cooper slipping on his route, which was a slant. This new offense installed by Joe Brady has Josh Allen and the Bills playing at a level of execution they haven't been to before. The kind of execution that is simple and well-rounded. Allen completed passes to 6 different receivers, including three completions to running back James Cook for 22 yards against the Seahawks in Seattle. Cook also rushed for 111 yards on 17 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Backup running back Ray Davis rushed for 29 yards on just 6 carries.
It's an offense that showed off a lot of pre-snap motions, short to medium route patterns, and running backs lining up wide for these first eight weeks of the season. Because of this simple philosophy, Josh Allen no longer feels like he has to play hero ball and feels like five big plays are needed from him for a Bills win. He is supported by a rock-solid run game, a blossoming rookie wideout in Keon Coleman, newcomer Amari Cooper, and the evolving talents of Khalil Shakir, Dawson Knox, and Dalton Kincaid. Josh Allen, a turnover machine in the past, has a 0.4% interception rate this season. That is the best in the NFL and the best of his career. As Josh Allen and this offense improve, so will the Bills.
The Bears and Commanders are Contenders
Besides the bizarre outcome, the entire game and these two teams symbolize the level of competition among the rest of the league this season so far. The viewers witnessed two upstart squads that could be destined to dominate the NFC for many years. The NFL schedule managers ought to have these two meet every year from here on out, as there could be a sense of new rivalry in the NFL.
Two stingy defenses supported by smashmouth offenses that can also get zesty with the way they move the football down the field. Coach Dan Quinn and the rest of this refined coaching staff have created a monster in this Washington team. I can say the Bears came out as the better team
that day. Seeing them lose such a highly anticipated game in this fashion reminds you of that sad ending to your favorite sports movie. The protagonist team loses the game despite a winning effort.
Chicago's defense kept the league's third-highest scoring offense out of the endzone for the entire four quarters, minus the Hail Mary pass at the end. The Bears' offense rushed for an impressive 196 yards and two touchdowns from D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, with Calen Williams doing some tucking and running when needed. But it was the touchdown that they could have gotten at the 6:20 mark in the fourth quarter when trailing 12-7 with the ball placed at Washington's goal line. A fullback handoff to backup offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. turned into a fumbled handoff recovered by the Commanders. A forced three-and-out from the Bears' defense eventually led to a 10-play scoring drive capped off by Roschon Johnson's one-yard touchdown run, giving Chicago the lead with just 25 seconds to go and know the rest.
The stat line for Caleb Williams may not show much, but his coolness under pressure became apparent during the ladder stretch of the game after being down 12-0 for the first three quarters with great throws made at crucial points and managing possession with precaution. Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams have given their franchises the confidence to compete and win the tough games, along with Bo Nix in Denver, Drake Maye in New England, Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta, and J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. They are giving off vibrations of this quarterback draft class, matching the likes of two other QB draft classes, 1983 and 2004.
The Baltimore Ravens Won't Get Far if Defensive Woes Persist
The Ravens left Cleveland, forgetting a win that they left behind when the defense couldn't stave off the comeback from Jameis Winston and the Browns. Many claim this may be the turning point for the Browns' season, but the little things become big in a loss like this. Besides the dropped interception by Kyle Hamilton on the last Browns' drive that could have clinched the game for Baltimore. There were about three other dropped interceptions from the Ravens' defense that could have built momentum for the team.
The defense has allowed 300-plus total yards of offense to opponents for the fourth straight game and for the sixth time this year to an offense that hasn't scored 20 points in a game prior to last Sunday. Also, in the fourth straight game, they allowed a quarterback to pass for multiple touchdowns by permitting Jameis Winston to throw three this past Sunday. At the same time, the offense is ranked number one in every statistical category to be proud except total passing yards (4th in the NFL) and passing yards per game (5th in the NFL). The defense has been one of the bottom ten yards allowed, and points allowed this season. They are ranked the number one rushing defense but the worst passing defense in the league by allowing nearly 300 passing yards per game. When teams have figured that you can't defend the pass, why run the ball when you can just throw the ball against a defense this bad at defending the pass?
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry won't be enough to drive the Ravens far in the postseason. Maybe not enough to win the AFC North, as the Bengals and Browns are trying to play catch-up, and the Steelers are shifting into a brand-new gear. A bad Ravens' defense is something that the NFL doesn't hear of and witness very often. This franchise without a defense is like a shark without teeth—harmless.
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