Five Wide: 2022 Week Ten

By Thomas Willoughby

I had a lovely weekend off from the NFL this week. With the Falcons having played on Thursday night, I was free to watch Super Sunday right through to the end, and simply ignore the sport entirely, making the most of the mini-bye. I didn’t, obviously, but it was nice to have the option. Redzone is an addiction all of its own.

We’re right into the meat of the season, now. Teams that are behind will start to become desperate, and there’s nothing they can do to better themselves. Well, aside from an attempt to lure OBJ over, of course. Not sure you’re going to see the Atlanta Falcons do that, mind.

Anyway! Onto this week’s Five Wide!

The Philadelphia Beatgles

And then there were none. Seven weeks after bringing the prospect of an “Unbeaten Bowl” to the table, the final team has fallen. The Philadelphia Eagles managed to get to 8-0, and looked to have a soft enough schedule remaining to dare to dream of a season unbeaten. In their way? The Washington Commanders. A team in disarray. They were more than a match for them.

How did they do it? The Eagles’ offense was utterly stifled. Their vaunted wide receiver duo of De’Vonta Smith and AJ Brown was hindered early as Brown suffered a rolled ankle (an injury, I can tell you from personal experience, isn’t great). The fact that their top receiver was Quez Watkins kind of says it all. The Commanders’ defense came to play, as did Terry McLaurin, who’s making me look ridiculous on a weekly basis in one fantasy league where I drafted him, and released him before the season for some reason.

Where does this leave us? The Eagles are still electric, and should still waltz into the playoffs. The NFC East has been saved from sharing a group with an unbeatable wrecking machine. But, sadly, the real winners are a bunch of old guys in Miami that will, once again, toast a collection of young men seeing their dreams take a hit. For shame, ‘72 Dolphins. For shame.

One Afternoon In Munich

Well, that was something, wasn’t it? Years of demands, months of expectation, and a build-up for a game I’m not sure I’ve seen outside of the Super Bowl; it all led to this. A regular season NFL game in Munich. How’d it go down? Pretty well, in fairness. Over three million people (citation needed please, Mr Brady), applied for just 60000 tickets, and German fans were treated to…well, it was a game.

I’ll be honest and say I found it difficult to keep the focus on this one. Mainly because I had it on my tablet while cooking. The Buccaneers weren’t overly convincing, but the Seahawks struggled mightily to get a foothold in the game. And on the pitch. I was instantly transported to 2007, watching an atrocious England side fall on their faces as they fail to qualify for Euro 2008. Not a great surface, lads.

Listen, it’s game one of at least 4 between now and 2025. Next season, Frankfurt will step up and take a swing at becoming the home of American Football in Germany. It feels like the team that’ll stake a claim for Frankfurt’s affections will be the Kansas City Chiefs. Time for the endless prediction pieces to begin! (Chiefs vs Lions book it).

Josh McDONEiels (deary me)

Without question, the most embarrassing defeat of the season, possibly the decade, took place this weekend. Bar none. The Indianapolis Circus rolled into Las Vegas, and the Raiders threw their doors open to enjoy the show. They absolutely did not enjoy the show. The Raiders, a playoff team last season, lest we forget, were defeated by a team coached by a pundit. They’re 2-7, absolutely not going to the playoffs, and staring down the barrel of another lost season. Good job all involved.

I just want to say that the Colts did a really good job, here. The offensive line decided that it was going to show up, and only gave up one sack, which is pretty good going! Most interestingly, Jeff Saturday opted to reinstate Matt Ryan as their starting quarterback (just as I predicted). Ryan looked good! He had time to throw, he was running about, and he looked like the sort of player you’d be happy to spend a 3rd round pick on in pursuit of playoff football. All it took, I guess, was someone with absolutely no coaching experience with adults/young adults.

What does this say for Josh McDaniels? If you’re to believe Mark Davis, he’s doing a “fantastic job”, even though he clearly is not. They’ve added one of the best receivers in the league to a playoff-caliber side, and are basically done before Thanksgiving. Josh McDaniels failed badly in Denver over a decade ago, and he’s seeing the same results with, I feel, more talent at his disposal. Surely there’s no coming back from this. Surely.

Jefferson Is Really Good

The eyes of the football-watching world were transfixed on Munich this Sunday, but it’s collective imaginations were captured by the unholy talents of Justin Jefferson. That man is absolutely incredible, and it’s stunning that he slipped as far as he did in the 2020 draft. One pick before, the Eagles took Jalen Reagor. Not their best move.

But enough about the past failings of Philadelphia, and back to the current successes of Justin Jefferson. On Sunday, against a very good Buffalo Bills side, Jefferson took over. 10 catches, 193 yards, a touchdown, and one of the greatest catches of all time. Seriously, check this out. It’s absurd.

JUSTIN JEFFERSON CATCH OF THE CENTURY. pic.twitter.com/Cos6v0yPIC
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 13, 2022

The Vikings are 8-1, and, as we discussed last week, feel like they’re a little under the radar, almost. Wins like this (and in the manner in which they won), against teams like this, will go a long way to having people pay attention. Justin Jefferson will be imperative to their success. He’s electric.

Tank SZN

I guess we’re now firmly at the stage of the season where certain teams will start to look to the future, and begin to pay more attention to mock drafts. Playoffs will be unachievable for a lot of teams at this stage, so preparing for their immediate future will be a good way to stage engaged with the league, despite getting slapped every week. The first overall spot is exactly what these sides covet, and boy we’ve got ourselves a race on our hands.

Leading the charge is the Houston Texans, who sit at 1-7-1. They’ve been building for this draft since last season, when Deshaun Watson was suspended by the team. They’ve got the (lack of) talent to make 1st overall their own. If they somehow put together enough wins to fall out of the top 5, expect them to put some of their vast draft capital to use in a move up. It feels like their time.

Currently behind them is the Las Vegas Raiders, who we’ve already mentioned, It’d be interesting to see where they go in this spot, given Derek Carr is quite good, and on a wedge. Looking to the defense, and pairing Maxx Crosby with Will Anderson Jr could be a lot of fun. A smarter move might be to talk to the Texans, or this next team, if they find themselves top of the board.

Carolina are doing everything they can to make a surge for the top of the table. They’ve fired everyone, they’ve traded their best offensive player, yet they’ve managed to win two of their last 4 games in that time. They’re a team playing hard, with some genuinely really good players on defense, but their lack of offense options should be enough to keep them firmly in this race, rather than the race for the NFC South (which they’re only 2 games back in).

Features Image Credit: Sebastian Widmann-Getty Images

THOMAS IS A WRITER, AND REGULAR GUEST ON THE TOUCHDOWN REVIEW SHOW PODCAST, FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN FIND HIM @WILLO290592 ON TWITTER

 5/5