After taking a short bye week to get myself fresh again, I learned that the NFL does not stop moving. In the past week contenders have been exposed, teams have arose, and certain players have emerged as stars. I will try and summarize my takeaways from the last two weeks of action in five takeaways.
The Chargers are not Good at Football
A 2-4 start for the team I had picked to win the AFC West over the Chiefs, is not a good look. They have had the worst luck with injuries this season, having 17 players that missed their week six match-up with Pittsburgh, and more specifically eight players on IR. This team needs to get their stars and role players back and soon because if this team doesn’t make the playoffs it will be one of the biggest season flops in recent memory.
The Jets Needed Sam Darnold
Look at the difference in this Jets offense.The Jets had two offensive touchdowns all season prior to his return and one was a touchdown pass by Sam Darnold in week one. In this game against a team that has been and remains a top ten defense he threw for 2 and put Le’veon Bell in a position to score. Topping their entire offensive production in one game just shows how important Darnold is to this Jets team that finally puts a win on their record after a 0-4 start.
McCaffery is the Current MVP Frontrunner
In week three I made the mistake of crowning Mahomes MVP without watching and waiting what else was going on. I thought he would simply run away with it but now we have Russell Wilson and Christian McCaffery keeping pace and, in my opinion, putting a better case out there. McCaffery leads the league with 618 yards rushing and ranks 3rd among all running backs with 305 receiving yards. Run CMC is on pace to break 1,500 yards rushing, 24 total TDs and 800 yards receiving. Those stats are ridiculous and not to mention the Panthers are 4-2 with McCaffery carrying more than a majority of the offensive load. He deserves MVP consideration and, if he keeps pace, should hoist the award come February.
The Lions are a Real Football Team
You may be asking how I can say this after a loss that puts them two and a half games out of first, but I am totally comfortable with it. They had a bad tie against the Cardinals but since they’ve really had a hard schedule and done brilliant against it. Hanging with the then undefeated Chiefs, beating the hyped up Eagles, nearly winning against the referee-led packers, and handling their business against the Chargers. I think the Lions are very good, and think they’ll be in the discussion for a playoff spot as their schedule gets slightly softer in the coming weeks.
The Titans are Going to Draft a Quarterback
Benching your ‘franchise’ quarterback in favor of Ryan Tannehill will never be a good look. I for some reason have always associated Justin Herbert with the Tennessee Titans and I feel like that would just be a perfect fit for all parties. He is an NFL ready quarterback that could mesh well with this above average Titans team. As for Mariota I don’t think the league should give up on him. I think you can use him as a stop gap; a Case Keenum type if you will.
MVP Race
This years MVP race began as something that seemed like a runaway for Patrick Mahomes. As the weeks progress however, it really seems like anything but. Here’s my top five MVP candidates as of Week 6 of the NFL season.
1 – Christian McCaffery, Carolina Panthers (4-2)
127 Attempts, 618 Rushing Yards, 4.9 YPC, 305 Recieving Yards, 9 Total Touchdowns, 35 Receptions
2 – Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (5-1)
1,704 Passing Yards, 72.5% Completion Percentage, 17 Total Touchdowns, 3 Game Winning Drives, 124.7 Passer Rating
3 – Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)
2,104 Passing Yards, 63.9% Completion Percentage, 14 Passing Touchdowns, 1 Game Winning Drive, 111.9 Passer Rating
4 – Jamie Collins Sr., New England Patriots (6-0)
30 Combined Tackles, 23 Solo Tackles, 3 Interceptions, 1 Return TD, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery
5 – Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (4-2)
1,644 Passing Yards, 69.7% Completion Percentage, 17 Total Touchdowns, 1 Game Winning Drive, 107.9 Passer Rating
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