How will Zach Wilson and the Jets answer for their embarrassing Week 11 loss to the Patriots? Photo Courtesy of AP
Unfortunately, I am unable to do a podcast this week to review week 11, but I was able to give a brief write-up of my thoughts from the week.
Cowboys Dominate Vikings
Starting with the Cowboys offense, they got Ezekiel Elliot back this week, which allowed them to go back to their lighting and thunder running back tandem with him and Tony Pollard. The Cowboys love to run their offense through their rushing attack, as they should, and it helped them put up 40 points, control the clock, and it helped open up the passing game. The defense completely shut down the Vikings offense and everything they tried to do. The front four was phenomenal, and Micah Parson was able to pass rush from the edge, which is where he excels, and pitched into the effort with 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Coming off a game against the Packers in which the defense struggled, it was a good sign for Cowboys fans to see them bounce back. As for the Vikings, they were slightly exposed. Not to say that there are not good aspects of their team, but they are definitely not as good as their record says they are. In many of their games this season, they did not convince me that they were a great team, as they struggled with many opponents who are lesser teams and had many close wins. They were able to come back against the Bills, but a great deal of that was the Bills collapsing by their own wrongdoings. The Vikings offense is good, but the offensive line is not good and struggled mightily with the Cowboys pass rush. Kirk Cousins could not handle the pressure and the passing attack was very poor. The Vikings should still make the playoffs and be good at times down the stretch, but this was a sneak peek of what they may have to deal with in the playoffs when they have to face a very good team (Remember they were also dominated by the Eagles in Week 2).
Dysfunction With the Jets
The Jets offense was atrocious against the Patriots in all aspects. Many people are jumping on Zach Wilson for all of it, and yes, a lot of blame is on him, but the run game could not get anything going, and the play calling also was not good. As for Wilson, he was also inaccurate and not making great decisions, and the fact that he did not take accountability for letting the team down with his performance was a very bad look, and he must be better in that instance. But, many players coming out and sharing their dissatisfaction with Wilson and the team’s performance on social media and in post game interviews (Garrett Wilson, John Franklin-Myers, Ahmad Gardner, Elijah Moore) is not the way to go about it either. Robert Saleh has to do a better job of keeping his players committed to the end goal and keeping any issues in-house and not in the media. Why do you think we see sustained success from Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, and Mike Tomlin (Not this year for Tomlin, but his entire career to this point)? It is because they know how to keep their players focused and solve their team’s issues in-house. Bringing problems outside the building will not help anything. One of the Jets leaders, Quinnen Williams, came out in defense of Zach Wilson. Everybody wants to jump on Zach Wilson right now because the timing is optimal, but they should not bench him. He has talent, but obviously needs to work on many aspects of his game, and it is only his 2nd season. He played a tough Patriots defense, but has the ability to turn it around this week against a poor Bears defense, which his coaches should give him the opportunity to do.
Giants Can’t Keep Up
The Giants are 7-3, but they are not as good as their record claims. They have overachieved for much of the season due to great coaching, mixed with some weak opponents. They do have a few quality wins, but their formula to winning can be broken, as it was against the Lions. The Giants struggle to put a ton of points on the board, so they have to get up early and grind teams out with their rushing attack and defense. The Lions got out ahead and took a commanding lead, and the Giants could not fight their way back into the game. They lack weapons on the offense besides Saquon Barkley, and Wan’Dale Robinson is now out for the season, to make matters worse in that department. Outside of Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams on defense, there are not too many standout players. Brian Daboll has done a great job, especially with what he was given, but their success is not sustainable against teams that are better than them. They head to Dallas on Thanksgiving, which is a game they could keep close for a little, but in the end, the Cowboys should be able to pull away.
Herbert Needs Help
If you are somebody who is blaming Justin Herbert for his team losing or thinks that he is not an elite quarterback, you must reevaluate. Justin Herbert is a great quarterback with elite traits, which he shows constantly, but he needs help. Mike Williams and Keenan Allen are good receivers, but neither are speed threats. Austin Ekeler is a good running back, but he could use a more consistent running game. They also do not have great options at tight end. Herbert needs more speedy weapons so that the Chargers can get the full potential out of Herbert and his rocket arm. As for the defense, they have some great players, but they also consistently struggle with injuries. Derwin James and Khalil Mack are healthy right now and both playing great, but Joey Bosa is injured, although he could be back, and JC Jackson is out for the season. To add to this, Brandon Staley has not convinced many, including me, that he is a great coach, one of the main reasons being that his decision making is shaky. Overall, the Chargers have some very talented players, and could still very well make the playoffs this season, but they need more weapons on offense and more depth on the defense. And stop blaming Justin Herbert for every loss in his career, look at the situation around him.
49ers Prove Full Potential
When everything clicks for the 49ers, they are able to dominate teams, just like they did to the Cardinals. The defense is one of the best, if not the best, unit in the league. They get a great pass rush from the front four, defend the run well, and have a good secondary to go along with it. Offensively, their arsenal of weapons is impressive, and Christian McCaffery was more involved in the passing attack, which could be a sign of things to come. Also, it seems they are not giving him too many carries right now because they want him to be healthy down the stretch and in the playoffs. Also, give a ton of credit to Brandon Aiyuk, who has stepped up big time this season and is showing how good of a receiver he can be, and I believe who could get even better. This team is almost at full health, and when Arik Armstead, Samson Ebukam, and Javon Kinlaw return, it will just add to the lethalness that the defense has. This is definitely a top 3 team in the NFC, along with the Eagles and Cowboys, and could very well be the best one.