Another week has come and gone in the NFL and we are starting to really understand who is good and who is… you get the picture.
Pretty soon the clocks will fall back and that is when some teams may wind up being eliminated from playoff contention (Jets). This whole marathon is still in its first half, but some teams are already taking water breaks while others are cruising along to their playlist.
What happened in Week 6 that we all need to discuss together? Our job here at The Skinny Post is to figure that out for you.
Who is most to blame for the Jets’… situation?
I am always amazed when coaches take on franchises that have histories of being toxic. Making it to the NFL means that you have at least some confidence – maybe even arrogance, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this context – and these coaches all believe that they are the one who can fix what is wrong.
Aaron Glenn might be re-thinking things a bit. Heck, the Jets might be re-thinking things a bit.
Right now the Jets look lost and like they need a new head coach. Garrett Wilson deserves more and Justin Fields is beyond help. If I have to blame someone right now, I suppose it is Aaron Glenn, but this is a power that stretches beyond what exists in the universe at large.
I think there’s probably plenty of blame to go around, but it’s hard not to let the buck stop with Aaron Glenn. The thing about these defensive coaches is that their ability to put together a strong unit usually does transition to their new team. However, it really does seem like the offenses never quite get up to par with the other side of the ball.
DeMeco Ryans nailed it by hiring the right coaches to bring along CJ Stroud early in his career while still maintaining one of the league’s best defenses. Glenn has not done that. Instead of shooting for a young quarterback to build around, he and the general manager chose to roll the dice on Justin Fields. That is obviously not panning out and could be the main reason he doesn’t see the end of his first year with New York.
The Titans just fired Brian Callahan at 1-5. Glenn is now 0-6. I don’t see how this could turn around with any sort of haste. Will the Jets allow themselves to be patient?
Knowing how most (bad) NFL teams operate, I only foresee this whole thing ending poorly.
I hate to say it but yes, I do believe the Chiefs are somewhat “back.”
Patrick Mahomes has always been at his best with speed. Even when that speed isn’t all that talented in general, he and Andy Reid know how to get the best out of who they have, whether it’s Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, etc. Now that Xavier Worthy has been back for the last four games, the Chiefs look much more like we’d expect from a Patrick Mahomes-led offense.
Good for them, but bad for the rest of the league that hoped to see a changing of the tides amongst the NFL’s elite.
Sunday night was certainly impressive. The Chiefs stifled arguably the best offense in the NFL and put up more than enough points themselves.
I understand why we have been quick to jump on the “Kansas City is really bad now” position as we all have Chiefs fatigue. But this is why we had to be careful. This is a team that knows how to weather a storm and survive and here they are well in the mix of things as the fall weather begins to arrive.
They deserve all benefit of the doubt. Even still.
What gigantic leap are you willing to take now that you have seen six weeks of action?
I am fully ready to buy in on the Colts. I buy that they are a Super Bowl contender, in the way that all top teams are, and do not think we are making enough of Shane Steichen’s decision to go with Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson back in training camp.
It feels obvious that Richardson (who hopefully is alright after getting hurt in warm-ups with a resistance band situation) had not played well to that point in his career. But Steichen was on pretty thin ice and he decided to bet on Daniel Jones (!!!) over AR. The only comparison I can come up with is Pete Carroll going with rookie Russell Wilson over Matt Flynn, who the Seahawks had signed in free agency of that year.
One leap I’m willing to make is that the Eagles are going to continue their downward spiral after dropping their last two games. The Giants were able to sneak a win out of the Chargers because of their pass rush against a nonexistent offensive line. However, the Eagles are not hurting up front and the Giants still gave them fits.
Look at their next four games, they play almost the entire NFC North with dates against the Vikings, Packers, and Lions, as well as another game against the Giants. If the Eagles don’t start clicking ASAP, there’s a chance they slide and slide and slide.
Which team are you buying that it feels like hasn’t reached BUYING level?
The Seahawks have quietly looked very good thus far with new starting quarterback Sam Darnold, who is truly showing that his lone year in Minnesota was not a fluke. Seattle is 4-2 on the year and has shown stretches of dominant play on both sides of the ball.
A season ago, the Seahawks were the only 10-win team to not make the postseason. That had to sting something fierce, but now it looks like head coach Mike Macdonald is using that as the ultimate motivational piece to keep his team moving in the right direction.
The Patriots were the talk of the town after their Sunday night win over the Buffalo Bills last week and while they “only” beat the Saints on Sunday… I think I am ready to fully commit.
Suggesting that New England could win the AFC East still feels a bit premature to me, but I definitely buy them as a playoff team. Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye feel like a perfect combination for each other and vibes seem to be quite high in the Boston area at this point.
