Michael Lombardi – Can the Eagles fix their problems?:

One of the main requirements of any head coach is to understand the team’s strengths and weaknesses, then plan to win based those findings. Heading into NFL Week 3, a team develops a specific pattern after two weeks of the regular season. 

For example, last night, we witnessed the Patriots fall behind, unable to run the ball. That resulted in getting blown out and never having a chance against the Jets. After watching two games of the Patriots offense, the Jets learned the Patriots’ severe offensive limitations, particularly having no offensive line or the ability to throw the ball effectively. They went out of character, blitzed more on early downs, and never let the Pats get their run game going. Then they feasted off a bad pass-protecting line. 

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What we knew about the Pats all summer and were shocked in Week 1 was their pathway toward winning wasn’t going to be easy. Everything would have to go right for them. More importantly, the opposing team would have to lose more than the Pats would win. The Pats have to play a certain style, which includes running the ball, playing a slower game, and playing from in front. When those three things are not aligned perfectly, the Pats are in competition with the Panthers for the first pick in the draft.    

The Jets saw a wounded duck in the Patriots and attacked. They were aggressive on both sides of the ball, making sure their script got them the lead. Their offense was in sync with the Patriots’ help, missing a ton of tackles. Once the game became 14-0, all Patriots bettors were doomed. 

NFL Week 3 is declaration week. Teams can no longer hide their weaknesses, and their opponents understand how to attack. If you’re Mike McCarthy in Dallas, why run the ball on Baltimore, as they can play the run effectively? The Ravens struggle to cover and cannot play the pass. For the Cowboys to win on Sunday, they must effectively protect and throw the ball. At Week 3 of the season, the handicaps become clearer, not easier. Teams that understand how to follow the script have a chance to win. 

We have talked at length about Philadelphia’s decision-making on the goal line last week against Atlanta. Those blunders hide the huge problem facing the Birds—they cannot play defense. They have played 26 minutes of defense in two games, allowing 799 yards in those games. They have one sack from their defensive line and look nothing on the field like many thought they would look on paper this spring. The Eagles lack speed on defense, and against good teams like the Saints, they will struggle unless they rapidly fix the problem. The onus is on Nick Sirianni to fix the problem and configure his team to offer the best solution. Can he? We shall see. 

The pressure is on him to find the answers. With two new coordinators and a team that many believe had Super Bowl talent, Sirianni must find solutions in two key areas—his defensive line and his quarterback not staying in the pocket and wanting to move to his right. Jalen Hurts is the number one quarterback in terms of time to throw. Yet, he averages only 7.2 per attempt.  When he’s in the pocket, he acts like someone needing a bathroom, all jittery and impatient.  The offense is starting slow, the defense cannot stop the run or the pass, and Sirianni knows the expectations are Super Bowl or bust. That places the responsibility of fixing the problem squarely on his shoulders. 

The question then becomes, are they fixable? Are the Eagles’ issues talent or scheme-related? Or are they both? Which then forces Sirianni to find different ways to win games.  And the first realization he needs to understand is the Eagles might not be able to close out games with their defense or create the turnovers needed to help them play from in front. Nothing is terminal in terms of problems at this point of the season. They only become terminal if Sirianni doesn’t address and fix them. 

QB Ratings

None of the rookie quarterbacks will appear in the top or the bottom as none of them are ready to play.  They play on tape is bad, and their numbers are equally as a bad. 

TOP FIVE
1. Derek Carr – When Carr has time, he can throw the ball with the best of them. More importantly, when Carr believes he has time, he can make every throw. So far this season, he has been great. 
2. Josh Allen – Will need to carry the Bills on offense all year
3. Brock Purdy – Turned the ball over and missed some throws, but he is still playing better than most.
4. Baker Mayfield- Has Tampa at 2-0 and doing it without a run game.  Mayfield has been excellent making plays with his feet and throwing the long ball. 
5. Sam Darnold – You cannot deny his talent, never could.  Now his talent has matched his decision-making. 

BOTTOM FIVE

28. Daniel Jones – Still not able to work the ball down the field. 
29. Sklyar Thompson – If he can make a few connections to Tyreek Hill, he will help the Fins. He doesn’t need to be perfect, just effective
30. Jacoby Brissett – No one would look good behind the Patriots’ offensive line or with their skill players. But it’s still not time for Drake Maye
31. Deshaun Watson – Not looking down the field, playing timid, with no accuracy or big-play talent.
32.  Will Levis – The clock is ticking on his benching. 

NFL Week 3 Power Ratings

I feel this is the last week we will have a disoriented power ranking.  With the execution getting better, expect some of these teams to improve. 

1. Buffalo
2. Kansas City
3. San Francisco
4. Baltimore
5. Houston
6. Philadelphia
7. Detroit
8. Green Bay
9. Cincinnati
10. New Orleans
11. LA Chargers
12. Dallas
13. Pittsburgh
14. NY Jets
15. Miami
16. Chicago
17. Minnesota
18. Tampa Bay
19. Arizona
20. Cleveland
21. Jacksonville
22. Atlanta
23. Indianapolis
24. Seattle
25. LA Rams
26. Las Vegas
27. Tennessee
28. New England
29. Washington
30. Denver
31. NY Giants
32. Carolina

Hall and Oates Play: I Can’t Go For That

Will Jordon Love play? If he does, will he be able to move and avoid the rush? No one knows for sure. What we do know is Tennessee won’t be fooled by the Packers’ run game like the Colts were. Matt LaFleur was excellent last week with his game planning and design, attacking the Indy defense with single-wing runs. Now, those plays are on tape, making it easier for the Titans to defend. So, play the Titans if you think Love won’t play– right?  Wrong. I have placed Will Levis on permanent Hall and Oates play. The guy will find a way to lose the game, causing me to NEVER trust him. I took this game off my board, even though sharp bettors love the Titans.

NFL Week 3 – Line of the Week

By all metrics, the Eagles should have won last week, making the Falcons 0-2. But they didn’t. And now the line has moved 4.5 down to 3 even, though the Chiefs won. The love for the Falcons is hard for me to understand. The lack of love for the Chiefs, I do. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t played well in two games, having the lowest QB rating of his career. He is worried about his protection, doesn’t trust his left tackle, and with Travis Kelce not looking like the player of old, he lost his security blanket. My sense of this line moving has more to do with the lack of confidence in the Chiefs than the enthusiasm about the Falcons. 

Enjoy the games.

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