Best Game So Far

If you wanted a game that showcased one team that was considered a Super Bowl favorite against another who you could say was rather lucky to start the season. This was the matchup for you. In actuality though it was what I considered to be the best game of the young NFL season so far. The Chiefs didn’t play their best game and while both teams had a weird stretch of constantly turning over the ball, it remained close. With the Chiefs pulling away in the end they should realize that not every team is going to be intimidated by their vaunted offense. Their defense played well at times, but they need to improve if they want to be serious contenders in December.

Slow Down Buffalo

Yes, the hit on Josh Allen by Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones was brutal and should have warranted an ejection. He was flagged for it, but Buffalo committed a holding penalty and the down was reset. That was the performance of the Bills in a nutshell. They would make some serious gains on defense in stopping Tom Brady at crucial moments in the game. However, Josh Allen didn’t have his best game and was easily contained. When he went out with a concussion, his backup, Matt Barkley, didn’t fair any better. Because of their defense and the way they can control the tempo with their running game is where their strengths are. That’s not to say that Josh Allen can’t be a prolific passer. The way the offense is running they’ll have to pick their battles wisely.

Exposing A Major Flaw

Why was Marcus Peters left all by himself to cover Mike Evans? He isn’t what he used to be and yet the Rams left him on an island with Evans. On the other side Chris Godwin was torching the Rams defense for a monster game of 12 catches, 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. All of this and Jared Goff becoming a turnover prone quarterback had the Rams surrender 55 points at home to Tampa Bay. The Rams defense isn’t what it was last year, but the talent is there to be a top-10 defense. Tampa Bay’s offense is talented at the receiving corps, but if you let Jameis Winston connect with his top wideouts on a consistent basis you are gonna have trouble. If they don’t learn from this it could be a bumpy ride towards the playoffs.