Bye Week Musings About the NFL at Large

[whatdrought]

5 weeks, just over a quarter of the way through the season, is a decent time to start really seeing how the NFL is shaping up in 2019. What are your non-bills thoughts through 5 so far? Whose your pretenders and contenders, who do you see winning MVP? Whose been the biggest surprise (positive or negative)? What's a counter-narrative thought you had before the season that so far seems true or false (i.e.: the Browns being overhyped).

 

I got to thinking about this as a result of watching the highlights of last nights game and being left wondering if the 9ers might be a legit contender this year...?

[row_33]

probably more tanking/rancid teams this year than usual

 

not a 1980 season when it was totally wide open for the SB,

 

more like the year when the Rams/Titans emerged from nowhere to the SB because there wasn't a clear-cut top team that dominated.

 

 

[Big Turk]

Cleveland has to be this years biggest disappointment...

 

Kitchens is in over his head and the leadership from the owner on down is non-existent.  They will finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

[row_33]

11 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Cleveland has to be this years biggest disappointment...

 

Kitchens is in over his head and the leadership from the owner on down is non-existent.  They will finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

 

what the heck was there this insistence that the Browns would dominate?

 

don't they have to show at least a season of mid-level mediocrity first?

 

keep on dreaming

[Seasons1992]

Don't sleep on the Colts.

[Augie]

On to the bye week! Please, nobody be a knucklehead with a little freedom. I think this team has less chance of that than most previous teams. 

 

I watched the recording of the Titans game last night. A lot of calls and bounces went our way. That was much closer to a different outcome than I realized live. Part of that is a young team learning to win, which I obviously love. And part is just plain luck. 

[BillsDude]

No to Mayfield, Rosen, Jackson and Rudolph. 

Edited October 8, 2019 by BillsDude

[plenzmd1]

2 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Cleveland has to be this years biggest disappointment...

 

Kitchens is in over his head and the leadership from the owner on down is non-existent.  They will finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

Cleveland not dead yet, their schedule really easy after the Bills game 

Just now, Seasons1992 said:

Don't sleep on the Colts.

been winning with them a tn this year on the moneyline...( nat last week though)..I am also surprised at how ell the Raiders are doing..

 

Big surprise also for me is the Dolphins have competition for the #1 pick

[Jumpsuit Jim]

The kicking game is so bad this year across the board. 
 

The Browns are worse than I expected. The Chargers are worse than I expected. The Colts are doing better in a Luck free existence than I expected. 

[Captain Hindsight]

5 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Cleveland has to be this years biggest disappointment...

 

Kitchens is in over his head and the leadership from the owner on down is non-existent.  They will finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

Browns were a sexy pick but anyone who looked at their o line knew they were going to struggle. That coaching staff is weak and they fell for names over substance. 

 

If they want to win, they need to do what the Bills did this year and load up on any offensive lineman that has started a game and work it out in camp

[MiltonWaddams]

The Chargers are my biggest surprise as an overwhelming disappointment. They have the soldiers, but when the battle starts, they cower in the trenches 

[row_33]

12 minutes ago, MiltonWaddams said:

The Chargers are my biggest surprise as an overwhelming disappointment. They have the soldiers, but when the battle starts, they cower in the trenches 

 

The least to show historically for the talent that has gone through that franchise.... 

 

 

[elijah]

Every year around this time I find that people begin to think the picture is shaping up, when in reality it’s not shaping up at all. 

 

In my opinion, it’s around Thanksgiving (week 12-13) time that things start to clear up and you can see the playing field directly affected by week to week results.  Think of the time of year when 6-6 teams are upsetting 8-4 teams, and teams that started off well above .500 are hitting their third loss in a row while teams that started well below .500 are hitting their 4th win in a row. 

 

 

As for now, the only thing that’s for certain is that someone with a hot start (Bills, 49ers, Raiders, Ravens) are going to fall flat, while someone with a slow start (Chargers, Giants, Buccaneers, Browns, Steelers, Falcons) are really going to turn up the heat. 

 

Same goes for players, some MVP candidate is going to really slow down (CMac, Russell Wilson?) while someone is going to really come out of nowhere (Josh Allen, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers?). 

[Captain Hindsight]

Mahomes looks human

 

The Lions, Colts and 49ers are all much better than expected 

 

Teddy Bridgewater is one of the best stories in the NFL today

 

The top ten of the draft will be full of teams who could have the number 1 overall pick most other years.

 

Jets are throwing away Darnold's cheap years on Adam Gase. He is a horrible coach and a terrible leader and continues to prove it 

[whatdrought]

3 minutes ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Teddy Bridgewater is one of the best stories in the NFL today

 

Is he a franchise QB? If so, is he the future in a post Brees Nawlins?

[H2o]

For all of the Lamar for MVP talk after the first couple of weeks he has fallen back to earth. Gase and the Jets are the biggest dumpster fire on the block, more so than Cleveland imo. The Jets were supposed to challenge for the division. Riiiiiiight. As another poster already noted, Kitchens surely looks like he is in over his head and not cut out to be a HC. The Lions have surprised me. I expected them to be a 5-11 or 6-10 team, but they are playing better than that as of right now. The biggest surprise is the Raiders. With all of the turmoil through TC and the preseason, the injuries, I thought they would be one of the worst teams in the NFL. To be 3-2 at this point is shocking to me.  

Edited October 9, 2019 by H2o

[Alphadawg7]

37 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

5 weeks, just over a quarter of the way through the season, is a decent time to start really seeing how the NFL is shaping up in 2019. What are your non-bills thoughts through 5 so far? Whose your pretenders and contenders, who do you see winning MVP? Whose been the biggest surprise (positive or negative)? What's a counter-narrative thought you had before the season that so far seems true or false (i.e.: the Browns being overhyped).

 

I got to thinking about this as a result of watching the highlights of last nights game and being left wondering if the 9ers might be a legit contender this year...?

 

Niners I think have to be seen as a legit contender, they really have done a nice job rebuilding that defense.  I still think here are some questions about the pass offense come playoff time if they have to face one of those NFC stout defenses.  That being said, they have still looked great so far and we will find out just how strong they are when they play the Rams this week and also face the Saints, Packers, Seahawks and Rams again too later this season.

 

 

[BillsFanSD]

It seems like there are way more godawful teams than usual.  Dolphins, Broncos, Bengals, Cards, Giants, Skins all look putrid.  I'm not including the Jets in there because they'll get Darnold back and I'm assuming the Steelers and Falcons will get things sorted out, but there's a really large pool of bottom-feeders this year.

[MiltonWaddams]

1 minute ago, BillsFanSD said:

It seems like there are way more godawful teams than usual.  Dolphins, Broncos, Bengals, Cards, Giants, Skins all look putrid.  I'm not including the Jets in there because they'll get Darnold back and I'm assuming the Steelers and Falcons will get things sorted out, but there's a really large pool of bottom-feeders this year.

I don’t think the Falcons get things figured out. Their D is horrible. Really horrible. The Steelers looked pretty mediocre with Mason Rudolph under center. I don’t see them looking better as he goes through, what should be, a lengthy concussion protocol.

[BuffaloBaumer]

14 minutes ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Mahomes looks human

 

The Lions, Colts and 49ers are all much better than expected 

 

Teddy Bridgewater is one of the best stories in the NFL today

 

The top ten of the draft will be full of teams who could have the number 1 overall pick most other years.

 

Jets are throwing away Darnold's cheap years on Adam Gase. He is a horrible coach and a terrible leader and continues to prove it 

 

Mahomes is not human. His line is decimated and they are missing some serious firepower. I would take him over any QB in the league and 2nd choice isn't even close.

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, MiltonWaddams said:

I don’t think the Falcons get things figured out. Their D is horrible. Really horrible. The Steelers looked pretty mediocre with Mason Rudolph under center. I don’t see them looking better as he goes through, what should be, a lengthy concussion protocol.

Good point, especially about the Steelers.  I forgot that they're down to their third QB.

[Royale with Cheese]

Cleveland is probably the biggest disappointment since the 2011 Eagles.

 

New England and KC look good but not unbeatable.  

 

There isn't a team right now that you definitely say "They're the best".  

 

Teddy Bridgewater will be a starting QB somewhere next year.  I think Brees has probably 2 years left and I think the Saints try to find their franchise QB in this coming draft.

Probably get a 3rd for Bridgewater.

 

 

[dpberr]

If I was a high school or college freshman kicker with any potential, I'd be practicing NFL extra points like basketball players practice jump shots.  You might see kickers that can consistently hit those kicks going higher in the draft in coming years.  I see NFL teams paying a lot more attention to the kicking game and lower tier colleges carving out a niche as Kicker U.

 

The Broncos won't sell because John Elway's ego will forbid it.  

 

The inconvenient truth for Philadelphia is that Carson Wentz does not distribute the ball as effectively as Nick Foles did during their playoff runs.  The Eagles offense lives and dies on whether Zach Ertz is open or not.  If a team removes Ertz from the Eagles gameplan like the Lions did, that offense grinds to a near standstill. They will not go to the Super Bowl with Wentz at QB.  

 

Bruce Arians will be one and done in Tampa.  Not because of performance but because he's just not into coaching anymore.  

 

The Falcons should put Dan Quinn out of his misery.  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

[Captain Hindsight]

5 minutes ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

 

Mahomes is not human. His line is decimated and they are missing some serious firepower. I would take him over any QB in the league and 2nd choice isn't even close.

Oh I would too. Sorry that probably wasnt worded well. More so, he can be contained

[row_33]

40 minutes ago, elijah said:

Every year around this time I find that people begin to think the picture is shaping up, when in reality it’s not shaping up at all. 

 

In my opinion, it’s around Thanksgiving (week 12-13) time that things start to clear up and you can see the playing field directly affected by week to week results.  Think of the time of year when 6-6 teams are upsetting 8-4 teams, and teams that started off well above .500 are hitting their third loss in a row while teams that started well below .500 are hitting their 4th win in a row. 

 

 

As for now, the only thing that’s for certain is that someone with a hot start (Bills, 49ers, Raiders, Ravens) are going to fall flat, while someone with a slow start (Chargers, Giants, Buccaneers, Browns, Steelers, Falcons) are really going to turn up the heat. 

 

Same goes for players, some MVP candidate is going to really slow down (CMac, Russell Wilson?) while someone is going to really come out of nowhere (Josh Allen, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers?). 

 

 

for many of the last 50 years one or two proven teams have clearly been dominant and the obvious favourites from week 1

 

the defending champ Pats have been conserving all their energy to win as painlessly as possible for a few years, so until it matters you can't judge what's in New England's storehouse

 

and there's the usual set of good to very good teams so far

 

 

[IgotBILLStopay]

Biggest positive surprises - 1. 49ers, 2. Lions, 3. Colts, 4. Raiders, 5. Jaguars (with Minshew), 6. Panthers

Biggest negative surprises - 1. Browns, 2. Jets, 3. Chargers, 4. Steelers (even without Big Ben), 5. Falcons

 

Emerging QBs: Jones, Minshew, K. Allen, maybe Rudolph

Emerging RBs: Austin Ekeler, Matt Breida, Rasheem Mostert, Devin Singletary

Emerging WRs: Courtland Sutton, Terry McLaurin, hopefully Duke Williams

 

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by IgotBILLStopay

[Logic]

My observation is this: I'm super glad the Bills are in the AFC rather than the NFC this year. 

The NFC, to me, has most of the best teams in the league.

Sure, the AFC has the Chiefs and the Patriots. Other than that? A bunch of also-rans.

But the NFC? To me, the 49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Packers, Lions, Cowboys, Eagles, Panthers, and Saints all look legit. Throw in the Vikings and Bears as pretty darn good teams, too.

The 49ers, I think, are very very good. I REALLY like their offensive scheme and the playcalling of Kyle Shanahan.

And one more thing: The Patriots are living on borrowed time. Their defense is lights out, of course, but Father Time is finally starting to tap Tom Brady on the shoulder. Their offensive line isn't great, either, nor their running game. Those factors will speed up his demise. Just watch.

[dollars 2 donuts]

1 hour ago, whatdrought said:

5 weeks, just over a quarter of the way through the season, is a decent time to start really seeing how the NFL is shaping up in 2019. What are your non-bills thoughts through 5 so far? Whose your pretenders and contenders, who do you see winning MVP? Whose been the biggest surprise (positive or negative)? What's a counter-narrative thought you had before the season that so far seems true or false (i.e.: the Browns being overhyped).

 

I got to thinking about this as a result of watching the highlights of last nights game and being left wondering if the 9ers might be a legit contender this year...?

 

 

The Atlanta Falcons

 

Proof that with even a great QB and a great WR, you can still stink.

 

Don't worry, though, because of those two things those around and who follow this league will ALWAYS think you can turn it around, because...you know...POTENTIAL FANTASY POINTS MATTER!

[whatdrought]

I think the Packers are going to be the Superbowl team in the NFC. They're playing really balanced football right now, the Defense is more than capable, and Aaron Rodgers has yet to really have to do anything.

[BuffaloBaumer]

I just noticed that Philly is on the road for the next THREE weeks. They go to Minnesota, then have a HUGE game vs Dallas (which you know will be a war), and then have to come to Buffalo. Things keep looking up for the way this schedule is unfolding. I am starting to think more and more that the Patriots game in December might actually mean something fir the division....wow

[mannc]

1 hour ago, Jumpsuit Jim said:

The kicking game is so bad this year across the board. 
 

 

We are seeing once again why having a really good kicker is a near necessity if you want to be a playoff team.  A great kicker can win you a couple games a year, and a bad one can cost you that many.  The Pats' loss of Gostkowski for the year is a really underrated development and will probably cost them at some point.  Throughout their entire dynasty, they've had Hall of Fame quality place kickers, and now suddenly, they don't. 

Edited October 8, 2019 by mannc

[mannc]

58 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

It seems like there are way more godawful teams than usual.  Dolphins, Broncos, Bengals, Cards, Giants, Skins all look putrid.  I'm not including the Jets in there because they'll get Darnold back and I'm assuming the Steelers and Falcons will get things sorted out, but there's a really large pool of bottom-feeders this year.

It's not going to matter.  They're done.  Darnold is better than Falk, but he's not a difference-maker and this team is already running for the bus.

[row_33]

1 hour ago, BillsFanSD said:

It seems like there are way more godawful teams than usual.  Dolphins, Broncos, Bengals, Cards, Giants, Skins all look putrid.  I'm not including the Jets in there because they'll get Darnold back and I'm assuming the Steelers and Falcons will get things sorted out, but there's a really large pool of bottom-feeders this year.

 

seems way more bottom feeders than a bad year in the NFL gives us

 

 

[yungmack]

2 hours ago, Augie said:

On to the bye week! Please, nobody be a knucklehead with a little freedom. I think this team has less chance of that than most previous teams. 

 

I watched the recording of the Titans game last night. A lot of calls and bounces went our way. That was much closer to a different outcome than I realized live. Part of that is a young team learning to win, which I obviously love. And part is just plain luck. 

That's been true of all 5 games. Could easily be 0-5. Or 5-0. I'm nervous that if this O doesn't get it together quickly that these close, go-either-way games will continue, and you can't count on the football gods to keep smiling on the Bills.

[row_33]

12 minutes ago, yungmack said:

That's been true of all 5 games. Could easily be 0-5. Or 5-0. I'm nervous that if this O doesn't get it together quickly that these close, go-either-way games will continue, and you can't count on the football gods to keep smiling on the Bills.

 

Bills clearly owned the Giants, and they weren't beating the Pats.

 

the other games were up for grabs

[BuffaloBillies]

I'll give the NFL a little credit on how they've handled the new PI challenges. They are extremely reluctant to overturn a call (either way). The rule was in place for the egregious ones (Rams/Saints), not for coaches to try to get away with some BS finger touching a shoulder. I do like how they are (not) allowing coaches to abuse the rule.

[NewEra]

Mccaffery looks like the best RB I’ve ever seen

[Olliemets]

2 hours ago, whatdrought said:

I think the Packers are going to be the Superbowl team in the NFC. They're playing really balanced football right now, the Defense is more than capable, and Aaron Rodgers has yet to really have to do anything.

I went to Dallas this past weekend for the Packers-Cowboy game. Went with my daughter who has been a Cowboy fan her entire life. She always comes with me for our Annual Buffalo Game.

Packers ran at will on Cowboys, and toss in an Aaron Rogers A game and it was no contest. They look very good. Think they made some bad calls on D allowing Cowboys back in game (Got burned Man to Man coverage on 2 long Passing TDs). But it wasn't really close. I came away very impressed with Pack. 

 

One more thing...It was F***ing HOT there. We'll be up for Dolphins game in 2 weeks when it will likely be 40 degrees  

[RevWarRifleman]

Some of the biggest things for me, no particular order:

Eli getting benched. I like both Mannings and I don't like seeing Eli on the bench at this time in his career.

This one is kind of a dual surprise 4 me: the number of tipped passes by our defense, and how really good our defense it. I knew going in that they were going to be

stout. But man, they're playing lights out!

Frank has his Colts playing well. I think they're going to be dangerous going down the stretch of the season.

Cleveland: During the preseason, it seemed that's all they had on at NFL Network & ESPN. Been a big nothing burger so far.

[auburnbillsbacker]

3 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Cleveland has to be this years biggest disappointment...

 

Kitchens is in over his head and the leadership from the owner on down is non-existent.  They will finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

They should have hired Greg Williams.  He changed the Brown's culture and was the more experienced option.