The first NFL Sunday of October was a great Sunday, with multiple exciting games. Now, there were a few blowouts, but for the most part, each game was pretty exciting to watch. That being said, am I the only one who doesn’t really like the 8 AM London games? I find those extremely untrue to American spirit, therefore, they shouldn’t be happening. That’s my take.
Dak Prescott Should Be the MVP favorite
It cannot be overstated just how well Dak Prescott is playing for the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, I think it is a general consensus that Dak is playing some of the best football of his career this year. And while I do not see the Cowboys contending for the NFC East, I do see them possibly making the wildcard. And if Dak keeps it up, he’ll easily be right up there with the other MVP contenders. Against the Jets, Dak threw for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns. Even without CeeDee Lamb, Dak made it work and used Ryan Flournoy and Jake Ferguson to get down the field. He made incredible throws, one after another, and led an offense that scored 37 points. That is now three games that the Cowboys have scored 37 or more points in just five games. And they haven’t been bad teams, or at least defenses. The Cowboys scored 40 against the Giants, a team many people had as a top 10 defense. They scored 40 against the Packers, who were already solid before adding Micah Parsons to their defensive line. And the Jets, who have had a great defense for years now. Dak is right there winning games for his team, and hopefully that helps him in the MVP race.
The Eagles’ Offense Needs Work
Now, the Eagles on the other hand, need to figure out their offense. Philadelphia put up a measly 17 points at home against the Broncos. Now, the Eagles offense has been solid up until halftime of their game against the Buccaneers. Since halftime of the Buccaneers, the Eagles have scored a total of 24 points six quarters, and 8 three and outs. They’ve been relying too heavily on their defense to bail them out of trouble. While their defense is one they can rely on, they certainly need to figure out their offense so they can put less pressure on defense to shut down the opposing offenses. Specifically in the Denver Broncos game, the Eagles failure to score in the fourth quarter in turn helped the Broncos score 18 unanswered points in one quarter. The Eagles have succeeded in getting DeVonta Smith involved, but I’m still waiting for them to involve AJ Brown in the same way they used to. As for now, they’ve got plenty of questions they shouldn’t leave unanswered.
Dallas Cowboys, Watch out for Rico Dowdle
I cannot stress just how nervous I am for the Cowboys against the Panthers. All because of one man, Rico Dowdle. Rico Dowdle, a former Cowboys running back who had his first 1,000-yard season for them last year, left the Cowboys in free agency to sign with the Panthers. After a relatively slow start to the year, Dowdle exploded for 206 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins, the most any running back has ever scored against Miami. I could easily see him destroying the Cowboys defense just like Breece Hall did last Sunday. If Dallas struggles to stop the run and get the offense the ball back, that takes away everything that the Cowboys look to do. I guess we will see how it goes Sunday at 12. I think the Cowboys are the better team, but if Rico Dowdle, and Bryce Young as well, can find their defensive weaknesses, we could be in for a long game as Cowboy fans.
The Buccaneers’ Defense is Holding Them Back
The Buccaneers’ offense was absolutely phenomenal against the Seattle Seahawks. However, their defense left much to be desired with their performance. Rather than match their quarterback’s stellar play, they instead gave up 28 points in just the second half. They were unable to sack quarterback Sam Darnold a single time. They allowed Kenneth Walker III to rush for 8.6 yards a carry. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba torched their secondary for 132 yards and a touchdown. Sam Darnold threw for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns. While they did force the eventual game-winning interception, they did not show up how they needed to on Sunday. The defense is what is keeping the Buccaneers from being the best in the NFC, and possibly Super Bowl favorites. Baker Mayfield is an MVP candidate, and I believe the Buccaneers can support him by improving their defense, I need to see it before I have them as Super Bowl candidates.
Liam Coen Should Be the Coach of the Year
I don’t know why, but I think that over the course of the week, I’ve been intentionally ignoring the Jaguars and what they have done to start the year. After beating the Chiefs on Monday Night, I feel that I can’t ignore them any longer. The Jags are now 4-1, with their only loss being against the Bengals in week two. They had an impressive victory over the San Francisco 49ers, and now after their game against the Chiefs, I have to commend them for their efforts. Personally, I choose to believe that the Jaguars’ improvement is due to their new head coach, Liam Coen. Liam Coen has taken a bottom-feeding Jaguars team to 4-1, something I don’t think any Jacksonville fan thought would happen. Most of the time when a bad team gets a new coach and becomes good, the coach wins Coach of the Year. For example, Brian Daboll in 2022-23 and Kevin Stefanski in 2020-21. I imagine if the Jaguars continue to play at the level they are playing at, Liam Coen will remain the favorite to win the Coach of the Year award at the end of the season.
Final Thoughts
In total, this week was exciting for Cowboys fans, and I myself look forward to watching the Panthers and the Cowboys clash this Sunday, as nervous as I am. Furthermore, I also cannot wait until the NBA season starts up and the combination of basketball and football starts the true sports season of the year. And, as always, it was exciting to see that the Eagles lost. Go Cowboys!