If you noticed, I changed the title. At this point in the season, we can start drawing major conclusions about this NFL season. Bad NFL teams are starting to show, and top contenders are asserting dominance at the expense of opposing franchises’ entire souls as well as their will to watch football. So now, what I say may have some bearing on how the season goes, but not completely.
The Panthers are the worst team in the league
The Panthers didn’t look horrible on paper to begin the season. They made some decent signings such as Vonn Bell, Miles Sanders, and Adam Thielen. And while Thielen has looked pretty good, Miles Sanders hasn’t. Coming off a career year with the Eagles in 2022, Miles was frustrated with his usage in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. And like any rational human being would, he decided to counter that by signing with a franchise that probably won’t play in the Super Bowl for a decade. Problem solved, right? Wrong! It’s pretty tough to produce when you were accustomed to the best offensive line in the league for your whole career. Now Miles is with a mid-tier O-line, and his struggles continue. But how about the whole team? Well, Bryce Young hasn’t looked amazing, but keep in mind he is a rookie quarterback, so we’ll give him a break there. Other than that, injuries to Jaycee Horn and just overall mid-coaching efforts, and Carolina might have the Number 1 overall pick this year. Oh wait… No they won’t (they traded their 2024 1st round pick for the No.1 overall pick in 2023).
The Bills struggles will continue
Yeah, I know. The Bills got the dub. However, it was an ugly game, against the Giants. You heard it right. The Bills almost lost to the Giants. Now, credit to Tyrod Taylor, for almost getting the win over his former team, but this is my point. Earlier this season, I said that the Bills performance is dependent on Josh Allen’s performance. When Josh Allen plays well, the Bills win. When Josh Allen doesn’t play well, the Bills struggle and sometimes lose. Take the Jets game for instance. Josh Allen threw 3 picks. Now they kept the game close, but in the end, they lost in overtime to the Jets. Josh Allen needs to figure something out because if they play like they did that game, against any other team, they are getting demolished. Now, Josh completed 19 of his 30 passes for 169 yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also wasn’t very effective on the ground, rushing for 11 yards on 2 carries. Now, note for the Giants. This game ended in a controversial fashion, like many other games. It ended on a pass play on an untimed down at the 1-yard line. The throw fell incomplete, but arguably, it was pass interference (it certainly would have been if the refs were the ones at the Cowboy’s game). However, a flag was not thrown, and the Bills won a tight one. So moral of the story, RUN THE BALL WHEN YOU HAVE AN EFFECTIVE RUSHER IN YOUR BACKFIELD IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS AT YOUR OPPONENTS 1 YARD LINE! The Seahawks didn’t do it, neither did the Giants, and it cost them both.
CJ Stroud is the best rookie QB
CJ Stroud is on the field breaking records. He now has the record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception to start a career. He has looked like a star. He has 1,660 yards thrown, 9 touchdowns and 1 interception. He has also brought the Texans to a 3-3 record when honestly, without him, they would be 1-5. He has shown the most promise as a rookie. Now, Anthony Richardson also looked phenomenal, but he got injured and is probably out for the year. CJ Stroud has a great chance at winning OROY, and becoming a Top 10 QB. As of right now, I would have him at 12, but he could rise very quickly. But here’s the question. Did the Panthers make a mistake drafting Bryce Young over CJ Stroud? In short, not necessarily. Bryce hasn’t looked great, like I said earlier. However, not every rookie QB is going to look like a pro automatically. It will take time. Luckily for the Panthers, they have plenty of time.
The Cowboys still stand a chance
The Cowboys got a good win over the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cowboy’s former OC Kellen Moore. And while both offenses looked stale, like they couldn’t get much going. Now, I would say the Chargers offense looked like that because they were facing a great defense. The Cowboys offense looked like that because Mike McCarthy was not doing a good job at play calling. After the playoff loss to the 49ers, Mike McCarthy had Kellen Moore fired and took up the role of play-caller. That has backfired. McCarthy insists on having a rushing attack, however, that is not what his team is set up to be. His “Texas Coast Offense” is not working and he needs to realize that in order for the Cowboys to contend. However, this week really could not have gone better for the Cowboys. The Eagles and the 49ers lost, shrinking the gap between them and the Cowboys. This showed that the Eagles and 49ers can be beat. If the Cowboys take advantage of the Eagles’ weaknesses, they could win the NFC East. That is, if.
Everyone can celebrate that football is here, except Eagles fans (sorry Eagles fans). So there you have it. Four takeaways from the sixth week of the NFL season. How will these hold up during the season? I have no clue. But I guess we’ll find out. And yes, this conclusion is copied and pasted from my NFL Week 1 Overreactions: Being Way Too Conclusive article.
Part of this article series
NFL Week 1 Overreactions: Being Way Too Conclusive
NFL Week 2 Overreactions: Being Way Too Conclusive
NFL Week 3 Overreactions: Being Way Too Conclusive
