Their Defense Spoke Volumes

With all of the inconsistencies on offense and the talk of turmoil with WR AJ Brown, the Philadelphia Eagles have humming along to an 8-2 record and well on their way to defending their Super Bowl title. This is thanks in large part to their defense who once again was responsible for the victory on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions. Lions QB Jared Goff only completed 14 of his 37 pass attempts, threw an interception and was sacked twice. Goff was under duress seemingly the entire game and the Eagles only blemish was allowing a 40-yard touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter. If this trend continues on the defensive side I don’t see many teams in the NFC that could counter them unless the Eagles continue to make boneheaded decisions on offense like the one they did towards the end of this game. Don’t go for it on 4th down when your defense is playing this way. Punt it away and let them win it for you.

Denver’s Defense Is Why They’re Winning

If you’re wondering why the Denver Broncos are leading the AFC West with a 9-2 record, it is strictly because they have an elite defense. Yes, the offense is outscoring their opponents, but they have been far too inconsistent aside from the late game heroics they have been accomplishing this season. Currently the Broncos have sacked the opposing quarterback 49 times. The next best team has 34 sacks. They are on pace for well over 70 sacks this season. Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers all had career years last season and are going to surpass that this season. And to top it off, Denver hasn’t had CB Patrick Surtain II for a large portion of this season, but he will return in time for the playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs knew what to expect when they played the Broncos this past week, but they still didn’t have an answer. Denver’s defense is in the top 3 for points allowed, yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and is 5th against the pass this season. Good luck to anyone else that has to go against this elite unit.

Making A Comeback

Their schedule has been incredibly favorable. The Baltimore Ravens are getting healthy and that starts with QB Lamar Jackson. Their defense is playing to its potential, but what this franchise should be thankful for are the schedule makers at the NFL. Since their bye week they have beaten in succession the Bears, Dolphins, Vikings and Browns. Their next two opponents are the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals before they matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time this season. That one will be a home game and if they win these next three games it will be one of the most ridiculous turnarounds in recent memory. All of this doesn’t immediately put them back in the conversation of contender status, but crazier things have happened. The window is closing quickly on this current roster configuration and if they falter again, mainly Lamar Jackson it will be a stain on his career going forward. With all of the ups and downs and insane moments so far this season, it was never far fetched to see the Ravens get back into this position. Let’s see what they make of it.