Two Things Were Revealed Here
For one the Baltimore Ravens sure do need QB Lamar Jackson back. The offense doesn’t function the same way without him and RB Derrick Henry hasn’t been his usual self this season. The offensive line has been average at best which would account for the lackluster running game lately. The other thing is that the Cincinnati Bengals have an attacking mindset on offense that resulted in them scoring 35 unanswered points in the second half while allowing no points to the Ravens. QB Joe Burrow is perhaps the biggest difference-maker for any team in the NFL. If he goes down to an injury the Bengals are done. Their defense is a lot better than it was last year, but they won’t be the reason why they’ll win games. It will be because of Burrow and the offense.
No Quarterback, No Problem
The Minnesota Vikings are still undefeated. Yes, you read that right. The team with Kyler Murray as their starting quarterback. Even Carson Wentz started for them at one point this season. The Vikings are near the bottom of the league in passing yards per game and first downs converted through the air. This is a team with WRs Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TE TJ Hockenson. The main reason they are undefeated is because of their defense. They got wins against Green Bay and Chicago to start the season which were two of the better offensive teams they’ve played so far. The rest of their schedule has been very easy and the defense has been feasting on those inept offenses. I don’t see this lasting much longer as they have Detroit, Buffalo, Green Bay and San Francisco in their next four contests. If they get through that with more wins than losses, then I might reconsider this as more legitimate than originally thought.
A Major Flaw Has Been Shown
If RB Kenneth Walker is not gaining over 100 yards from scrimmage for the Kansas City Chiefs, they will not win many games. That was proven true in a primetime matchup between them and the Seattle Seahawks. Walker made his return to Seattle and that defense knows him well and took him out of the contest early. That put the focus on QB Patrick Mahomes who doesn’t have adequate pass protection from the tackle positions and he has been missing a few of his big-play receivers due to injury. Mahomes was under duress for most of the game and the results were predictable as Seattle easily won. Kansas City knew what they had when they signed Walker in the offseason. A game-changer from the backfield that will open up a plethora of possibilities on offense. Yet, if injuries and inconsistency at wide receiver and the offensive line continue to plague them, the Chiefs will be looking up at the Denver Broncos for control of the AFC West. Those two play each other next week and it will be one matchup to watch.
