nfl week 1: four things to keep an eye on
By Tayyib Abu
Winter is here! The clocks go back today, and while it sadly signals the arrival of cold weather and long nights, it also means that NFL UK fans get an extra hour of football. Week 8 is gut-check time for many teams in the league.
Some attempt to press home advantages, others are trying to revive their campaigns, and some are just searching for one win. The Packers sent out a statement as they inflicted a first defeat on Arizona this past Thursday. Everyone else will aim to respond with their emphatic retort as the NFL season hots up.
Here are four things to watch in Week 8 of the new season…
The Titans Are Ascending the AFC
It seems facetious to suggest a team can win the division in Week 8. And while the Titans can’t mathematically clinch anything this Sunday, a game against the Colts offers Tennessee a chance to put significant daylight between themselves and the AFC South. Mike Vrabel’s team is already 3-0 in the division, and they could complete the season sweep over Indianapolis. Furthermore, the Titans own two big inter-conference victories over the Chiefs and Bills.
Tennessee ransacked Indianapolis in Week 3. However, the Colts are starting to claw their way back from the AFC South basement. Carson Wentz is beginning to emerge as the old Carson Wentz, and the Colts will be a tough out in their home stadium.
However, the Titans won’t fear the Colts. The last time they met in Indiana, the Titans crushed Indianapolis in what proved to be a decisive game in last year’s divisional race. The team from Nashville will stick to their violent recipe for success. Derrick Henry rushed for over 100 yards in the first meeting this season. The Colts are one of the better run-stopping teams in the NFL. ESPN ranks them 11th in run-stop success, and Football Outsiders have them 12th in adjusted-line yards.
The Titans won’t complicate the formula. They’ll try to smash the Colts into submission, and a win here could be a flag-in-the-ground moment for the Titans in the AFC.
Have the New York Jets Gotten Worse?
The New York Jets returned from the sanctuary of a Week 6 bye only to surrender 54 points in an abysmal display as Robert Saleh’s team waved an ignominious white flag. This season, the Jets are the only team to have not registered a single point in the first quarter of a game. Since divisional realignment, the only other team that joins the Jets in that club are the 0-16 Detroit Lions.
The winless 2008 Lions were arguably the worst-coached team in NFL history. They started slowly on defense and offense in every game. When one considers that all NFL teams script plays for the majority of the opening quarter, it is clear that the Jets coaches can’t even install scripted plays in practice and execute them in the game.
More bad news lies in wait this week. The Jets have a date with a bouncing Cincinnati Bengals side. Ohio native and Cincinnati savior Joe Burrow is enjoying an outstanding sophomore season. Part of the reason behind Burrow’s extraordinary play is the arrival of Ja’Marr Chase. The former LSU standout is still in sync with his quarterback. The duo is the best wide receiver/quarterback combination in the NFL. Chase will smash the 1000 yards receiving barrier at any point.
Defensively, the Jets are without the influential CJ Mosley. Furthermore, rookie quarterback Zach Wilson is injured. Stuntman and the lesser spotted Mike White will make his NFL debut in relief of the second-overall pick. The Bengals are a top-three run defense, and Trey Hendrickson is quickly demonstrating why he got big money in free agency.
Key players are missing. The coaching staff looks overwhelmed, and the players are bereft of confidence. It could be another dismal, depressing day for Jets fans.
Is Kyle Shanahan Feeling The Heat?
The San Francisco 49ers’ season is on the verge of collapse. The Niners arrived into the 2021 season as one of the heavy favorites in the NFC. Indeed, injuries derailed their 2020 season, and in 2019 they dominated the NFC to get to the Superbowl.
Sadly, things aren’t working out for the storied franchise. At 2-4, San Francisco is in big trouble. As the Cardinals and Rams look set to battle for the divisional title, the 49ers are merely attempting to survive. Now, fans are starting to question Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan’s career record in San Francisco is not good. He sits under .500 with a 31-39 win-loss record. A magical run in 2019 built on a ferocious pass-rush, and an efficient offense guided the Niners to an NFC title.
The 49ers are an average team. They rank 14th in total DVOA. Offensively, they are 16th and defensively 13th. Nick Bosa hasn’t dominated on defense, and Jimmy Garoppolo seems to be regressing. Shanahan was anointed as a QB whisperer, and offensive guru has not developed Garoppolo. Pair that with questionable in-game coaching decisions and a hideously tough division, and the Niners are sinking into the Alcatraz Bay.
The Red and Gold take on an erratic Chicago Bears side who are lost without any identity. Matt Nagy is also lost this week due to contracting Covid. The Bears are a bizarre team to predict as their pendulum of performance swings wildly from abject to average. Rookie Justin Fields is still learning the game, but he has shown brief glimpses of elite talent. However, Niners Nation will expect a win. A defeat here and the California heat really will get turned up on Shanahan.
The Chiefs Needed a Wake Up Call. Will They Respond?
The reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs came into the 2021 season as the hot favourite to go back to the Superbowl. However, the football gods have decided to change the script. The Chiefs are 3-4, and the Titans humbled them at home in Week 7.
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads the league in interceptions, and he looks hurried and unsettled in the pocket. The famous Mahomes ability to ad-lib successfully has also disappeared. He is looking nervous in the pocket because the re-tooled offensive line GM Brett Veach designed is struggling. Ronnie Stanley is toiling as he transitions from right tackle to left tackle in particular.
Combine that with a defense that doesn’t know whether they are a zone, bend-but-don’t break defense, or an aggressive man coverage defense. Ryan Tannehill lit up the Kansas City secondary last week, and the offense wilted in the face of physicality.
Moreover, the Chiefs are quickly becoming a circus. Jackson Mahomes caused an uproar against Washington. Meanwhile, Mahomes’ wife and other family members continue to tweet incessantly. Andy Reid’s son is battling legal and personal issues, and Tyrann Mathieu hit out at the fanbase.
The Chiefs got carried away with their taste of success, and they’ve developed bad habits on and off the field. Against a rigid but limited Giants side, the Chiefs must display tenacity and toughness to defeat Big Blue. Monday night’s game won’t just be about the most talented team. The Chiefs are still outrageously gifted. However, their attitude stinks. A gritty victory could turn their season around. Although, they will need to dig very deep.
TAYYIB ABU
CFB/NFL ANALYST
Tayyib is an avid NFL fan and, as a follower of the detroit lions, is a permanent resident in the honolulu blue heartbreak hotel. writing football articles since 2019, tayyib loves everything about the sport except that wins are not a qb stat. follow him on twitter @TayyibABU1