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Pittsburgh Steelers
“It was a battle. I didn’t really feel anybody blink or any guys working away from the problem,” mentioned Mike Tomlin with a happy snarl after the Steelers dispatched the LA Chargers on Sunday.
Tomlin has solid a workforce anticipated to battle into the leaders of the AFC North. He can also have discovered a franchise quarterback in Justin Fields, who’s rising in confidence. His athleticism can also be serving to increase offensive manufacturing, so the workforce’s scales aren’t tipped so violently towards TJ Watt and the Steelers protection. The Steelers outgained the Chargers on the bottom – a key victory that noticed LA’s JK Dobbins shut down from a powerful 10 yards per carry heading into the sport to solely three in Pittsburgh – with Fields contributing a speeding landing. Nevertheless it was within the passing sport the place Fields’s quickness and pace of thought lifted Pittsburgh. In opposition to LA’s blitz, Fields went 8 for 9 for 119 yards and a landing with no turnover-worthy performs.
Up subsequent are a juicy succession of 1-2 groups: the Colts, Cowboys and Raiders. Beginning with Indianapolis, the Steelers must be assured of roaring to 4-0 because the matchup appears to be like very fairly from Pittsburgh’s perspective. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has the working energy in Najee Harris and Fields to punish a Colts protection conceding 179 yards per sport on the bottom. Watt may also be assured he can harass Indy’s quarterback Anthony Richardson into persevering with a stoop filled with errors and missed throws.
Inexperienced Bay Packers
The arrow is pointing up for sturdy protection giving groups an edge in 2024. The remaining unbeaten groups – Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Kansas Metropolis, Buffalo and Seattle – present that overwhelming pressure, left-field innovation and/or taking part in two excessive safeties could be pivotal.
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One other workforce snapping at that group’s heels are the surging Packers. Reward is due for Matt LaFleur’s reinvention of Malik Willis right into a purposeful quarterback. However much more credit score must be heaped on the numbers Jeff Hafley’s protection is placing up.
Inexperienced Bay are the premier defensive playmakers within the NFL, main complete turnovers (9) and turnover differential (+7). The takeaways have come at a good clip too, with three in every sport, and the Packers have already matched their interception depend from final season with seven.
Xavier McKinney has three of these. The protection was picked up from the Giants as a Swiss Military knife for Hafley to maneuver round at will to be able to always change what an offense is seeing. Up to now this aggressive strategy is working. McKinney has lined up at sturdy security, put up security, linebacker and even on the line of defense. Inexperienced Bay’s go rush is working too. In opposition to the Packers, Jalen Hurts was pressured persistently, Anthony Richardson was pushed to distraction and Will Levis took a whopping eight sacks. An enormous consider Sunday’s victory over the Titans was Inexperienced Bay’s enchancment in stopping the run, after conceding greater than 100 yards on the bottom in weeks one and two. Much less speeding (simply 11 makes an attempt and 33 yards) meant extra passing from Levis and much more possibilities for the league’s most opportunistic backfield to money in. It’s trickle-down economics that ought to pay dividends for a run on the postseason.
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The famous person quarterback
Week three was a lower than stellar weekend in a lower than stellar season for an uncomfortable variety of the highest-profile quarterbacks within the NFL. We should always begin with the elephant within the room. The Dallas Cowboys are paying Dak Prescott $231m in assured cash over the following 4 years and are sitting at 1-2 after shoddy output in successive residence losses. Does that really feel like good worth? His earth-shattering contract might signify a high-water mark for overpaying. After which there’s Cleveland’s $230m in ensures for Deshaun Watson that represents a dismal failure of team-building – and character – for the 1-2 Browns.
Elsewhere, No 1 general picks are damaging model Massive QB too. Of the 9 lively within the NFL, 5 have been defeated (Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield) and two are backups (Bryce Younger and Jameis Winston), leaving solely two to gather a win (Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford). This present crop’s lustre seems to be fading quick as “generational” quarterbacks similar to Lawrence and Burrow (each additionally within the mega-money stakes at $200m and $218m assured respectively) are winless with their playoff possibilities already reeling.
Lawrence’s credentials took the extra important battering on Monday evening. Burrow, not less than, has performed in a Tremendous Bowl and has thrown 5 touchdowns to zero interceptions this season. Sure, Lawrence performs on a flawed Jacksonville workforce. However so does Stafford, who beat the San Francisco 49ers with out elite receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and 6 offensive linemen out on injured reserve.
Questions must be raised over how closely the crown is weighing on Lawrence. The Jags’ choice to briefly rename their stadium “TrEverBank” continues to carry his shortcomings into larger aid. Forcing Lawrence to be a famous person when, except for his imposing stature, he comes throughout as a modest, reserved determine looks like a plan hatched to pump up the comparatively low market worth of the Jaguars, quite than to assist their prized asset obtain his potential.
The image grows darker nonetheless with Younger in Carolina. Solely 18 begins into his profession, he already appears to be like unlikely to have a lot of a future with the Panthers. Does he simply not have it or did enduring 14 defeats final season shatter his confidence? The Bears ought to think about how they deal with their star in gentle of Younger’s struggles. Williams appeared a lot better throwing the ball in opposition to the Colts, and he smashed the Bears’ single sport complete for passing yards by a rookie. The three turnovers nevertheless, one in all which was a horrible choice on a late throw, have been a lot much less encouraging. Rookie errors are anticipated. However repeated rookie errors throughout an entire season compelled by taking part in behind the Bears’ shoddy offensive line might trigger lasting harm. Chicago have been by no means going to the Tremendous Bowl this yr, so why not have Williams sit behind a veteran he can be taught from (this may, after all, require signing somebody apart from Tyson Bagent)? It labored for Patrick Mahomes.
