There were some big upsets this past weekend in the NFL, and it brought some light to how I feel about certain teams.
Below is what I learned from this past week in the NFL.
The Steelers are very overrated
The Steelers are 11-1, and still in possession of 1st place in the NFL. That being said, they are not close to the best team in football. I’d rank the Steelers 5th in my Power Rankings. Pittsburgh has a dominant defense, but they continue to lose key pieces on that side of the ball. They’ve lost Devin Bush and Bud Dupree to season ending injuries, and Robert Spillane will miss a couple weeks. On the offensive side of the ball, the Steelers are a mess. They only had 21 yards rushing against Washington, and Ben was forced to throw the ball 53 times. Pair that with the Steelers wide receivers dropping passes and the Steelers offense is in shambles. Steelers must find a way to run the ball more effectively, and take some of the pressure off of Ben if they want to win games going forward.
The Giants are a quarterback away
The Giants had an impressive 17-12 victory over Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday. The Giants defense is the real deal. They sacked Wilson 5 times, while also picking him off once. They have a top five cornerback this season in James Bradberry IV. Leonard Williams is playing the best football of his career, and they’re getting production on defense from players such as Tae Crowder, Niko Lalos and Darnay Holmes. The Giants also have some weapons on offense in Slayton, Shepard, Tate and Gallman. I would put Engram in that group but his drop issue is too big of a problem as of right now. If he can fix that, the sky is the limit for Evan Engram.
Now The Giants would be Super Bowl contenders if they had a half way decent quarterback. Daniel Jones is holding this team back, and the sooner they realize it, the sooner they will become Super Bowl contenders. Daniel Jones has 8 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions and 7 fumbles. He is a good athlete and I am impressed with the rushing touchdown and the 400 yards rushing. With all those stats listed, he has 7 more turnovers than he does touchdowns. He has been the reason for the Giants failures this year, and anyone besides a Giant fan will tell you that. Giants fan are still in love with Jones, and I don’t know why. He hasn’t shown anything that would make anyone think he’s a franchise quarterback.
The Bills are the biggest threat to the Chiefs in the AFC
The Buffalo Bills dominated the 49ers on Monday night, beating them 34-24. It was the best game Josh Allen has played as a pro, throwing for 375 yards on 80% completion percentage with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Allen looked poised in the pocket, he knew when to roll out to extend a play, and he didn’t make any boneheaded plays that Bills fans are used to. The Bills offense did most of their damage through the air. Cole Beasley had the best game of his career with 9 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown while Stefon Diggs added 10 catches for 92 yards.
This Bills offense is legit. They dismantled the 49ers and did it all without their number two receiver in John Brown. Once Brown comes back, I don’t know how defenses are going to try and slow down this offense. The Bills are the only team in the AFC that has a chance to beat the Chiefs. In order to beat the Chiefs you must be able to score with them. The Bills are the only team in the AFC that would be able to. I don’t know how the matchups will ultimately lineup in the AFC, but I hope there is a way we get to see a Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship game, and I hope everyone bets the over on that game.
The Browns are good not great
The Browns beat the Titans by a score of 41-35, and this game was over by halftime. The Browns led 38-7 at the half, with Baker Mayfield having 4 touchdown passes already. It was an impressive performance by both the Browns offense and defense, until the second half. The Browns only scored three points in the second half, and for a second I thought they were actually going to lose the game.
The Browns offense is built for running the ball, and they do it well. Nick Chubb is a beast and Kareem Hunt is as good of a number two running back as there is. The question with the Browns is Baker Mayfield. In the playoffs, will he be able to make the throws in clutch time when they need him? He hasn’t shown that consistently enough this year, and he’ll need to be great for the Browns to make noise in the playoffs.
The Rams are going to win the NFC West
The NFC West is going to come down to the Rams or the Seahawks, and based on what I’ve seen recently, I give the edge to the Rams because of their defense. The Rams defense is elite, and they have just enough offense to be a dangerous team in the playoffs. The Seahawks on the other hand have Russell Wilson, a couple great weapons and not much else. The Seahawks downfall is their offensive line. Russell Wilson doesn’t stand a chance back there, and without time to throw the ball, the Seahawks offense isn’t as dominant.
Both these teams sit at 8-4, but the Rams already won the first matchup between the two. They play each other again in Week 16, and it will most likely decide the winner of the NFC West. I expect the Rams to win that game as well, and for the Rams to win the division while the Seahawks get a Wild Card.
Cam's Corner 