Week ten in the books, so it’s time for HOT TAKES courtesy of
Jeremy Lambert!
1. Manning Benched
On the day where he broke the all-time passing mark, Peyton Manning was benched in the third quarter of the Broncos loss to the Chiefs. If that sounds embarrassing, it’s because it is. Manning is an all-time great quarterback on a team that had one loss coming into the weekend. So something had to go drastically wrong for Manning to get benched. Truth is, something has gone drastically wrong for Manning all year. He leads the league in interceptions with 17, adding another four on Sunday (Manning completed nine passes on Sunday. Five to his team, four to the Chiefs.), and hasn’t looked comfortable in Gary Kubiak’s system all season.
He’s reportedly been dealing with foot issues all season and now it’s come out that he has a partially torn plantar fascia along with a rib injury. Whether it’s injuries, old age, or a new system; Manning is clearly a shell of what he used to be. Last year, a shell of his former self was still a good quarterback. This year, a shell of his former self is no better than Geno Smith.
The Broncos have no running game and their defense is regressing by the week. If Manning continues to play this poorly, or if they have to start Brock Oswieler, this team is in some serious trouble. They’ll win the division, but they won’t get that first round bye in the playoffs and they’ll have to play at home, which should be a good thing, except that Manning is notoriously terrible in cold weather. And let me tell you, it’s pretty cold in January in Denver.
2. Packers Struggling
Losing to the then undefeated Broncos in Denver? No big deal. Losing to the undefeated Panthers in Carolina? Well, the Panthers are supposedly frauds, but that’s still understandable. Losing to the Lions in Green Bay? Now there’s a problem.
The Packers offense has struggled for 11 of the last 12 quarters. They’re getting nothing out of their run game and Rodgers is facing a ton of pressure every time he drops back.
Their biggest issue is Mike McCarthy, who I’ve always felt was overrated as a coach. I know he has a great record and has won a Super Bowl, but great quarterback play can mask mediocre coaching. And McCarthy is a mediocre coach. He constantly mismanages the clock and game situations, but is often times bailed out by Rodgers or coaches even dumber than him.
The Packers are still the favorites in the NFC because they have Rodgers, but they’re picking a bad time to slump. The Panthers NFC lead grows with every win and now the Vikings are a game ahead of them in the NFC North. The two teams play this weekend in Minnesota and what was already a big game became even bigger for the Packers. A loss this week and they’re looking at a wild card spot instead of a bye in the playoffs.
3. And Still…
Three teams went into the weekend undefeated and three teams walked out undefeated.
The Panthers had a relatively easy time with an overmatched Tennessee Titans team while the Patriots beat the Giants on a last second field goal.
Any questions about Cam Newton’s accuracy after the Packers game went out the window this week as he was 21/26 on the day with a touchdown. However, for the first time all season, the Panthers line played like everyone predicted they would play to start the year. They gave up five sacks and the run game didn’t really get going until the fourth quarter. Part of the reason the run game struggled was Newton’s poor decisions on the read option as he often made the wrong decision when it came to keeping it or handing it off. Still, Cam played well and the defense shutout the Titans in the second half. A win is a win.
The Patriots had a tougher time with the Giants. I thought the Patriots would win comfortably as I felt the Giants were being overrated considering that everyone was comparing them to the Super Bowl team that ended the Patriots last undefeated season. But Eli Manning and company gave them everything they could handle until they blew another lead with two minutes remaining. Like week one against the Cowboys, Tom Coughlin’s goal line play calling has to be questioned as he decided to throw the ball instead of run it. I understand throwing it once because you can’t go ultra conservative, especially when you have a terrible run game, but you still have to eat some clock in that situation and force New England to burn timeouts. Of course, it would’ve helped if the Giants receivers could catch the ball. Instead, they left the Patriots with too much time and Tom Brady did things that Lords do, which is lead his team to victory despite a mediocre day by his standards.
4. Ryan Downs Jets
Did you hear that Rex Ryan returned to New York this week and that he made IK Enemkpali a captain?
Oh yeah, there was a football game as well. Not a particularly good one either. The Jets turned the ball over four times but still had a chance to win because the Bills have Tyrod Taylor and a rather pedestrian offense. In the end, the Bills defense held up and gave Rex a victory he so desperately wanted.
Bigger picture, this was a win that the Bills needed in order to keep their wild card hopes alive. The Patriots are going to win the division, but the Bills and Jets are currently battling the Steelers and a bunch of 4-5 teams for one of two wild card spots. This win put the Bills in the driver’s seat. Their quarterback play isn’t good enough for them to make any real noise in the playoffs, but I never doubt a Rex Ryan led defense.
5. Bengals Fall
The Bengals entered the weekend as one of three unbeaten teams. And woke up on Tuesday with their first loss, dropping a 10-6 game to the Houston Texans.
Look, it’s one loss. They’re still 8-1 and the second best team in the AFC. They lost to a Texans team whose defense finally played up to their potential. How they react is what I’m more interested in. They travel to Arizona to play a Cardinals team that is looking to hold on to the second seed in the NFC. Not only that, but you know Carson Palmer will be looking to light them up. The trade that sent him out of Cincinnati and to Oakland was years ago, but Palmer lost his only game against the Bengals (when he was still in Oakland) and is no doubt looking for revenge now that he doesn’t play on a team that doesn’t suck.
The Bengals need to put this loss behind them and focus on a tough Cardinals team.
Quick Takes
*When did the league become so sensitive? On Sunday it was Cam Newton’s Dab Dance that irked the Titans and on Monday, Andy Dalton got upset about J.J. Watt calling him a Red Ryder B.B. Gun. As a Panthers fan, I get how people could hate Cam Newton. He does celebrate a lot when he gets a first down or a touchdown. I’m just happy that he’s enjoying football. Remember a few years ago when he would sulk and every criticized him for that? The guy can’t win sometimes (except on the field). As for Dalton, what Watt said was harmless. Dalton’s reaction was actually worse, bringing up “be a good role model” and “think of the children.” Really? If Dalton thinks Watt ruined some kids life because he called him a B.B. gun instead of a rifle then I’d love to know his thoughts on the commissioner and Jerry Jones.
*The Bears beat the Rams and the Rams decided to bench Nick Foles after the loss. They need to bring back The Truth Austin Davis. Even though Foles hasn’t played well this year, is it his fault for giving up 37 points to the Bears?
*Speaking of QB changes, the Browns are finally going with Johnny Manziel, something they should’ve done weeks ago. I didn’t watch much of Browns vs. Steelers game, but I did see Manziel escape a sure sack and then get jobbed out of a touchdown because the NFL doesn’t have pylon cams yet even though it’s 2015.
*The Saints fired Rob Ryan. I’m just wondering how Rob Ryan keeps getting jobs. He’s terrible.
