Blog

I’m BAAAAAAAAAAACK. Anyways, what an NFL season it has been. I’ve been caught up with a lot of school work so I’ve been slacking not gonna lie. But, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. 8 Weeks done, 8 weeks left. Let’s get into it.

Super Bowl (Predicted) Champions: New England Patriots

So far, this run by the Patriots is not because of their defense. It is because of the stellar play by the Patriots defense. When you’ve scored more defensive touchdowns (4) then touchdowns allowed (3), it’s absolutely ridiculous. They are first in points allowed per game (7.6), second in yards allowed per game (234), and first in turnovers (25). They have three players in the top 5 in the league for interceptions. Devin McCourty leads the league with 5, while Jamie Collins and Stephon Gilmore are tied for third with 3. Absolutely unreal. With “The Bogeymen” holding down the fort, the Patriots are primed for another Super Bowl run. However, the Patriots are now facing a tough stretch of games to end their season. Sunday Night Football at Baltimore, at Philadelphia, at home against Dallas, Sunday Night Football again at Houston, and at home against the Chiefs. Brady has been playing good but not great. He’s fifth in the league for passing yards (2,251), thrown for 13 TDs, and You can just see it in the game, he’s missing some throws, and the O-Line is playing inconsistent. However, with OL Isiah Wynn eligible to return against Dallas and WR N’Keal Harry and eligible to return this week, the Patriots will get some help from their promising first round picks.

Biggest Frauds: Buffalo Bills

Now let me just say this. The Buffalo Bills are 5-2, the most misleading record I’ve ever seen. They’ve beating the Jets, Giants, Dolphins, Titans, and Dolphins. The teams they’ve beaten have a combined record of 7-31. And their remaining schedule is an absolute joke. They play the Redskins this week, the Dolphins and Jets again, the Joe Flacco-less Broncos, and the inconsistent Steelers. They’ll most likely stumble into the wild-card and get smoked by the Ravens or any other competent team. Josh Allen has thrown 9 TDs but has also thrown 7 INTs, bringing light to his flaws as a quarterback. Many regard Lamar Jackson as the NFL’s running quarterback, but Josh Allen has mostly relied on his running game to test opposing defenses. However, when a defense gamelans to take that away he makes poor decisions with the ball that ultimately will lead to his demise in the NFL.

Most Disappointing Team: Atlanta Falcons

Last year, the Falcons poor play was somewhat okay due to their team getting arguably the worst injury bug ever. This year it just shows that a lack of any defensive presence is causing this 2017 Super Bowl runner-up to crumble to a 1-7 record. The Falcons defense has allowed at least 20 points in every single game this season, giving up almost 380 yds/gm, and have only forced 4 turnovers through eight games. Even though Matt Ryan is playing relatively good, the defense is just letting the team down. Through 8 games Ryan has thrown 15 TDs and 8 INTs with a QBR of 98.7. With five straight divisional games coming up, and Matt Ryan nursing an ankle injury, the upcoming road ahead looks even tougher for the Falcons. If Dan Quinn somehow makes it through the whole year, I don’t think there’s any possibility that he will return as coach next year. Lastly, Free Julio Jones.

Most Surprising Team: San Fransisco 49ers

I don’t know who expected this, but congrats for you man because I definitely didn’t. I predicted the 49ers to finish last in the NFC West. What a freezing cold take. This 49ers defense and their ability to run the ball are big reasons to why they are sitting at 7-0 right now. With big time players on defense such as rookie Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, and Arik Armstead the Niners defense is slowly on the rise. Through the last four weeks, they’ve only allowed 26 points against the Browns, Rams, Redskins, and Panthers. Their running backs have also been playing very well. The deep backfield of Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, Raheem Moster, and Jeff Wilson Jr, are making running the football look good again. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is running the ball on average 40 times a game compared to passing the ball just 20 times a game. The Niners lead the league in rushing touchdowns with 13 and trail only the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens in rushing yards. My only concern down the stretch for the 49ers is with Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo has done okay, but not great. He has similar stats to Bills quarterback Josh Allen, as Garoppolo has also thrown for 9 TDs and 7 INTs. The Niners however did just trade for WR Emmanuel Sanders recently, so maybe that will help Jimmy’s passing game.

MVP: Russell Wilson (QB) Seattle Seahawks

Before I start this paragraph, I’d like to say that Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey is a very close second in my opinion. The Seahawks are currently sitting at a 6-2 record in a very talented NFC West. I predicted the Seahawks to win the division and I have a strong feeling that whoever wins the week 17 matchup between them and the 49ers at CenturyLink Field will decides who wins the NFC West. Russell Wilson has had an incredible year so far throwing 17 TDs and only 1 INT while leading the league in passing TDs and passer rating (115.5) . In his last 25 games, Wilson has thrown 53 TDs and only 8 INTs. Absolutely incredible for a quarterbacks in today’s pass heavy NFL. Now, I know that McCaffrey has been nothing short of Godly this year, but this will always be a quarterback’s league. And I can definitely see the MVP going to Russell Wilson this year.

OPOY: Christian McCaffrey (RB) Carolina Panthers

Now if they don’t give the MVP to McCaffrey, they have to give him Offensive Player Of The Year. The former Stanford running back is carrying the bulk of the Panther’s offense with 10 total touchdowns and 735 rushing yards, which is 4th in the league. I’d argue to say that McCaffrey is the second best running back in the league, just behind a healthy Saquon Barkley (I’ll do a position ranking article soon). Even though I predicted Wilson to win MVP, I see McCaffrey taking this award due to the amount of touches he’s getting a game. Since the absence of Cam Newton due to injury, McCaffrey has 180 touches (141 run attempts and 39 receptions) and has not fumbled once this year. Once Cam went down after week two, McCaffrey’s touches a game have reached over 25 4 out of the 5 games. Even during the awful 51-13 ass whooping the Panthers took from the 49ers, McCaffrey still ran for 117 yards on only 14 carries. If Newton gets healthy before the end of the year, the Panthers could be a dark horse in the NFC.

DPOY: Stephon Gilmore (CB) New England Patriots

I think it’s pretty clear now that Stephon Gilmore is the best cornerback in the NFL. After getting the game-winning interception during last years Super Bowl, Gilmore has been on a consistent tear of the NFL. Opposing quarterbacks have a 36.0 passer rating when targeting him. Through 8 games, Gilmore has 3 interceptions, 10 passes defended, and 21 solo tackles. A key centerpiece of this historic Patriots defense, Gilmore has yet to allow a touchdown this year.

OROY: Josh Jacobs (RB) Oakland Raiders

I was having a hard time choosing between Jacobs, Gardner Minshew II, and Terry McLaurin. However, Jacobs seems like the most ideal pick to me. He is 6th in the league in rushing yards with 620 yards, 1st in the league with 3.84 yards per rush after contact, 5th in the league with 88.6 yards per game, and is on pace to go for over 1,400 yards. Jacobs has yet to fumble this year and even has 11 catches for 102 yards, proving that he’s a solid dual-threat running back. The Raiders are currently sitting at an average 3-4, but with impressive wins over the Colts and Bears give hope to this relatively young Raiders team.

DROY: Nick Bosa (DE) San Fransisco 49ers

Nick Bosa is a very big part of why the 49ers are first in the league for yards allowed per game (224.4). After being selected with the #2 pick in last years draft Bosa came in to the league with very high expectations, and he has yet to disappoint. On a loaded defense, Bosa has 7 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception, showing that he was definitely worth the 2nd pick in the draft. Expect him to stick around in the NFL for a while.

Comeback POTY: Cooper Kupp (WR) Los Angeles Rams

Ever since he was drafted out of Eastern Washington, Cooper Kupp has been an integral part of the Rams offense. He scored 5 TDs as a rookie, 6 TDs before getting hurt, and so far through 8 games this year he has 5 TDs. Kupp is coming off an ACL tear last year and hasn’t lost a single step. He is second in the league in receiving yards with 792, only behind Saints WR Michael Thomas. Kupp is also third in receptions only behind Thomas and Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins. Kupp leads the Rams in receptions and receiving touchdowns. QB Jared Goff and Kupp are one of the NFL’s best QB-WR duos. To come back from an ACL tear and still be this explosive, I think you gotta give him the award.

Coach Of The Year: Bill Belichick

A God amongst men. The mastermind. Arguably the greatest coach of all time. No explanation needed.