Oct 31, 202312 min read

Gridiron Talk: contentious

Weeks seven and eight on the gridiron have caused contentious vibes. Chiefs and 49ers record tough losses to have me raise a hand on their eliteness. Cowboys blow out the Rams to prove their inconsistency around that same tier of elite and we have the Broncos; Jets; and Vikings not sure what tier they want to belong in. There is banter for all 32. Arguments that reach high on the decibels. Let's catch up on the noise and tackle some of those banters.

Wassup Brock Purdy? San Francisco has dropped three games in a row to the Browns; Vikings; and now Bengals in week eight. Just as everyone started to rave Purdy as the next great coming, he shows his flaws in disappointing performances in consecutive losses. Sorry to cut things bluntly but, having Trent Williams injured is not a good enough excuse to void Brock Purdy's play now that he had to step up in close games.

San Francisco went 5-0 to start the campaign behind perfect offensive structure; solid game-management; and a stout defense that caused turnovers. They averaged 33.4 points in those five games. That all has gone out the window on the three game losing skid. They have only mustered 17 points a game; the defense has been tested and at times exploited; and Brock Purdy is no longer Robot Purdy. Brock has five interceptions and two fumbles to go with just three touchdowns in the three losses. His game against the Browns was brutal as he threw for just 125 yards on 12/27 with one tuddy; an interception; and a fumble. Purdy had a beautiful 37.6 QBR in that Browns L. Purdy is no longer in his hermit shell, and has yet to step up and grow on the outside.

The losing streak isn't all on him but, this is how it goes when a) your QB1 & b) when people over hype someone before warranty. Purdy needs to show that he is as good as his QB regular season record shows. As I told you, that record doesn't always hold weight. It's time to get over that hump- 49ers travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars, who are the hottest squad in football right now. That's a huge game. San Fran can't afford to drop 4 in a row before facing the Seahawks twice, the Eagles, and the Buccaneers. Speakin' of those Bucs: they have been fallin' down the slope by the 'Niners side.

Tampa is also ridin' a losing skid, droppin' three in a row and four of the last five after starting the campaign 2-0. It all started with their home loss to the Lions in week six. Lions spanked them at Raymond James, takin' the Bucs confidence and heatwave. I don't have the same level of smoke for Baker Mayfield as I did for Purdy- mostly smoke to the defense and Todd Bowles' staff. Mayfield was awful against the Lions, however. He should have been able to elevate the squad past the Falcons in that 13-16 loss too. Mayfield has shown inconsistency but, the offense in whole has to a higher degree. Tampa has ZERO run game, and the run packages themselves are abysmal. They are last in the league in total rushing yards with only 545 yards (22nd in attempts- 170). Baker and the passing game will never be successful if the coaching staff can't create balance in the run-pass games. Baker has only been sacked 11 times, a league low among qualifiers- pass protection isn't an issue. The run protection; run packages; and play-call in a whole is the reason for the losing streak.

Can the Buccaneers and 49ers turn things around in quick notice? They are going to have to if they hope to win their divisions nearing the halfway point of the season. Both squads have dropped to second place in their respected divisions in the NFC. Time to turn the knob. Brock Purdy, show you belong with the big cats at QB in the NFL! Tampa Bay, learn how to run the damn ball and find some balance to help Baker get the groove back that was seen in the early shade. It's now or never.

San Francisco and Tampa Bay need to use the same recipe that the Bengals are using. Seems like the Bengals have found that groove, eh? Not just that, seems like Joe Burrow found his groove. Cincy is ridin' a three game win streak since starting 1-3 with two nasty losses to the Titans and Browns. Joey B is finally showin' some of that new contract worth.

What a dub it was for the Bengals in week eight as they ripped their claws through the 49ers at home behind marvelous performances from Joe Burrow; Logan Wilson; and Sam Hubbard. The defense was sharp as they contained Christian McCaffrey and kept George Kittle from hurting them inside the redzone. Logan Wilson continues to ball out at linebacker, being massively productive in each of the Bengals' wins. DJ Reader has also been a big factor for the Bengals' defensive resurgence of late. Reader won't shine your eyes in the box scores but, the cat is eating up holes and being a brick-wall in the middle at the line of scrimmage. Bengals defense is finally showing drive and consistency.

Joey B was lights out good against a dangerous defense of the 49ers. The most mobility shown this season doing so with intent and acceleration versus a hard-nosed defensive front. Burrow made some huge first downs with his feet, and his motives within moving in the pocket were elite. He broke a slew of sacks and showed his poise and confidence again, on the run slingin' the laces. The touch? Burrow had the touch all day, making a slew of perfect precision throws. Check out Joey sly his way around tacklers while making touch passes with ease in three of his best plays against San Fran:

video via Cincinnati Bengals//X

All day he was makin' plays, and finally at that! Burrow seems to start most his campaigns slow, before turning it up. That's fine I guess- as long as he turns things up to this degree. Burrow was weak in the win versus the Seahawks in week seven- he changed that narrative again. Can he be consistent, though? That's the big question in Camp Cincy in the coming weeks as the Bengals look at the schedj and sees the Bills this week and then within a few weeks sees the travel plans to both Baltimore and Jacksonville. Burrow can't be mid one week and elite the other. If he plays like he did against the Niners: the Bengals are back in the position of being the most dangerous atop the AFC.

Not including the win against Seattle, Burrow has 6 tuddys and just one interception collectively in the San Fran and Arizona victories on the win streak. Both those games are the only games this season that Burrow had a passer rating above 100.0. He had a 134.8 QBR versus the 'Niners. Just two of his seven games this campaign have been better than "mid". Burrow needs consistency in the great sector before we consider him contract value, and the Bengals a dangerous contender. The groove they are starting is a good sign. Lets see if they can build off the monster win over San Francisco as they prepare for war with the squads atop the AFC.

I try and blend us into each topic- can't talk changing the narrative or AFC powerhouses without talking the Jaguars. What a heatwave they are on as they are ridin' the best streak in the NFL with five dubs in a row to place them atop the AFC South and atop the conference with the Chiefs; Ravens; and Dolphins.

Jags are ballin' right now and are unbeaten on the road. Considering the travel to London, the Jaguars are 6-0 on the road this season, coming off two consecutive road dubs in New Orleans and Pittsburgh. The run defense has been superb and Josh Allen is proving to be a top 3 defender in the AFC behind TJ Watt and Myles Garrett. The Jags are winnin' by winnin' the turnover game; making the small things happen; and game management.

Jacksonville is 8th in time of possession and lead the league in total turnovers; interceptions; and are tied for second in fumbles recovered. They aren't turning the ball over on offense either, having the 4th best differential between takeaways and giveaways. That's how you win games even if you are middle of the pack on offense and lead the league in most passing yards given up. Most their opponents left on the schedule are teams who can unravel when losing the turnover game. Including the big one when they come back from the bye week against the 49ers.

Jaguars look damn good going into their bye week, this week. Fans outta be excited as they sit atop the division and are tied for the number one seed halfway through. I always fear that a streakin' team going into a bye week is a recipe for disaster. Hopefully that's not the case with this club, and that they can continue their hot play streakin' to the playoffs.

Jacksonville sure isn't the only squad that is streakin' with flames. The Jets and Vikings are somehow finding ways to win and are turning their seasons around despite being faced challenge after challenge, and injury after injury.

We all are aware on the Jets' shortcomings thus far in the campaign. They lost Aaron Rodgers on the opening drive of their season and have had an injury bug wipe through the locker-room affecting the likes of Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed. Yet despite all the bad occurrences they find themselves on a three game winning streak, above .500, and right in the Wild-Card picture once that image gets real resolution. With Zach Wilson at QB.

Wilson is playing well since the heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs that sparked the win streak. He has limited the turnovers (outside of Giants game) and is being precise on his decision making. Robotic in a tone but, with the kind of defense the Jets have, it will win games. See Brock Purdy. Hackett has to figure out the run game. Needs to see what he did well in Jacksonville and reiterate it: 58 yards on 22 carries when you have Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook is not acceptable. The defense, though!? I mean man oh man- talk about elite.

Bryce Huff and Jermaine Johnson II have transformed into one of the most dangerous defensive line duos in the league. Jets are tied for 4th in total turnovers on defense and rank top three in pass defense. The rush defense is a bit shaky as they have given up the second most rushing yards per game (144.9) and are in the bottom five in total rushing defense. They want to work on that against the Chargers and Raiders prior to playin' the Dolphins twice and the Falcons. As a unit, you can't not respect what they have done so far through week 8. Most would have predicted them to be 2-5 after the Rodgers injury, not 4-3. A big win streak for the Jets as they watch Aaron Rodgers grind to a possible return (playoffs). The Jets see that drive, and want to give the team a chance at that playoff date with Rodgers.

The Vikings also have been hit hard this season with a variety of bad drifts. They had to put Justin Jefferson on IR (4 week min.) for a hamstring injury, and they started 0-3 after losing close games to start the season. It got worse on Sunday, as Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season. A monster blow for a club who has fought those drifts to create a three game winning streak of their own. They may not have as good a chance to save their season the way New York does. Losing Cousins is killer. They have just traded for Joshua Dobbs, who can still do well in that offense but, lets be real. The Vikings aren't the same team with Dobbs that they were with Cousins. Could be a catastrophic drift.

Vikings only trail the Dolphins in total passing offense and passing yards per game. Cousins was on a roll and rookie wideout Jordan Addison has blossomed into a gamebreaker, doing so even with Justin Jefferson not on the other side. With how Skol started the season, and considering they are at .500 with a middle of the pack defense is quite impressive. I do think losing Cousins will stop this heatwave. Especially with Dobbs needing to learn the playbook and offense. Having a bottom five rushing attack mixed with a new QB in the C tier is just not enough to be a suitable contender. Unfortunate for a team that has turned things around and added pressure inside the NFC North.

Saquon Barkley is truly being given the best opportunity in a prove it year as he is the ONLY weapon for the Giants' offense. New York has the worse passing game in the league, ranking 31st in total passing and dead last in passing yards per game. Passing the ball isn't Brian Daboll and co's forte.

It's been a tough year in New York on offense. The Giants have only scored more than 20 points once. They lead the league in negative point differential, and the last three weeks have been abysmal on offense throwing the ball. Giants had -9 passing yards in the loss to the Jets in week eight. NEGATIVE NINE. Could you imagine if this team didn't have Barkley?

Giants need to figure something out to restore the offense. Losing Daniel Jones doesn't have the same impact of the Vikings losing Kirk Cousins. The passing offense has been abysmal from the start, and that falls on Daboll and OC Mike Kafka. Not sure on how Kafka is still around but, switching play-callers back and fourth isn't doing anyone favors. That all falls on the head coach. Brian Daboll looks like he lost his ability to coach after winning coach of the year last season. Tirades on the sideline or frustrated facial impressions won't be enough to save you or this club. Figure this out, and find a way to create a balanced offense. That Jets-Giants game was embarrassing to watch.

Hopefully we don't see no nonsense in week nine like we saw in that battle of New York at the Meadowlands. As I look at the slate of games- I think we see straight noise. The stove is hot as we have a battle of AFC powerhouses in Germany; a battle of the birds; and the first installment of one of the most personal rivalries in sports. Turn the noise up!

The NFL travels to Germany for consecutive seasons after massive success in last year's international series. This time the gridiron will get active in Frankfurt, rather than Munich and will be between two AFC powerhouses. Chiefs. Dolphins. Oh yeah, baby. The Dolphins have another shot to end the narrative of them only being able to beat low-tier teams as they challenge the defending champion Chiefs. Kansas City will look to forget about their bad loss versus the Broncos as they want to make it known they are to be feared. What will give?

This game should be utter fireworks, and you can literally wake up; get some coffee; shower; and then turn the game on. What else is there to ask for? We got football ALL day long, cha heard. Cheetah looks to burn his former squad-mates; Mahomes wants to let off some steam; and both squads look to sit atop the AFC alone. Straight money of a matchup.

Back in the states, we have some good ones. Battle of the birds will go down in Baltimore between the 5-2 Seahawks and 6-2 Ravens. Lamar Jackson takes on a strong-winged Seahawks secondary, with a rookie battle between CB Devon Witherspoon and WR Zay Flowers ready to electrify the gridiron. Battle of top ten defense dukin' it out? Noisy.

Those two are light in noise in comparison to the Eagles versus Cowboys rivalry game going down in Philly in America's Game of the Week on FOX (4:25PM ET). The 7-1 Eagles versus the 5-2 Cowboys is straight NOISE. A middle of the season slobber-knocker. The squads split the season series last year, with the Eagles winning a close war on Christmas Eve last December. Now the rivalry starts another installment in 2023. This is a huge game for both, well obviously, but considering standings it's even more grand.

The importance for the Eagles is massive. They have a chance to get a leg up on Dallas in the NFC East as we turn the month to November. More importantly, a win is huge in gaining momentum going into a BRUTAL stretch of comp: Cowboys-Chiefs-Bills-49ers-Cowboys-Seahawks. You look at that schedule for Philly and immediately think:

That is such a difficult stretch of games. A monumental win against the Cowboys would go along way in prepping the confidence bar to get through that stretch with dubs. For the Cowboys, they have a massive opportunity to flip the NFC East and start to pave their road to the playoffs and a division title. Going into the Linc and winning will give them loads of confidence and could hurt the confidence of the Eagles as they start their run in the gauntlet. This game has major stakes on the line, crazy to say for a November matchup, but it's facts. Bloody rivalry with early season stakes? Yes, please! AFC showdown between the elite? Uh, yeah! I am pumped. Lets run this slate. Week nine is going to add some big time fuel to the flame.

The trade-deadline brought noise as the Commanders shipped Montez Sweat to Chicago and Chase Young to San Francisco (!). Now we get ready to witness a loud week nine of football on the gridiron. Halfway point is upon us and the flames are HIGH. What will happen next? It's gonna get rowdy.

The recent drop of the power rankings saw some twist and changes. I have a new top three and sent down the Chiefs and 49ers after their rough losses. With how packed together things are outside of the top ten- expect some more changes in the coming weeks as we begin to see the playoff picture form. Here is the latest PR as of today:

Gridiron Talk: contentious

Players of the Week (Week-8):

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