AFC West Roundup

[MileHigh64]

I've been watching a couple of the Bucs games today. Plan on watching the other one here in just a bit. I'll have to give my break down of what I see. Definitely not an easy win on the road but there are weaknesses to take advantage of.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the Bucs, cd. I haven't watched them play this year. The only thing I do know is that I have traditionally hated the Broncos playing in Florida. It has been a house of horrors for them at times over the years.

 

[iknowftbll]

Arrowhead Addict "analyst" Matt Verderame is acting like a spurned prom date after the Chiefs drop in the ESPN power rankings.

Chiefs drop in ESPN power rankings after 21-point win

Now if you're not familiar with Matt V. then you may think this is just a benign and slightly petty observation. If you've read a lot of his stuff then this is just the latest in a series of "The Chiefs never get any respect" themed articles. And of course if you're familiar with my posting history you know how much I love to rag on Matt V!

 

[Clayton]

I've been watching a couple of the Bucs games today. Plan on watching the other one here in just a bit. I'll have to give my break down of what I see. Definitely not an easy win on the road but there are weaknesses to take advantage of.

Worst kicker in the nfl, oline can get beaten by edge speed, les miles style 2 minute offense, worst team in the nfl at covering the deep middle. The Bucs are talented but they look another year off.

 

[cdumler7]

Worst kicker in the nfl, oline can get beaten by edge speed, les miles style 2 minute offense, worst team in the nfl at covering the deep middle. The Bucs are talented but they look another year off.

How was that kicker a 2nd round pick? I mean every kick I have watched of this kid even if it goes in doesn't look pretty and he doesn't have the strongest leg in the world either. Has to put his whole body into a kick just to get it to the end zone.

And yeah I would agree another year off. That defense is missing at least a few pieces right now. They don't have great pass rushers which means an already weak secondary is getting exposed all the more. And while Winston has glimpses of greatness he surrounds those moments with just terrible QB play. Honestly in some ways reminds me of Andrew Luck early on in his career where he would go crazy but you could always count on him for at least a couple of terrible plays a game where he throws it right to the defender.

 

[cdumler7]

Also @Clayton always seems like there are about 5 teams that say they are another year away. The problem is hoping to get the pieces that are missing but that is never a guarantee. Plus the culture of the team has been that of losing so until that begins to change (and that might be the hardest thing to change for an NFL team) you can get all the talent in the world and still stink. I mean that Jaguars fall into that same boat. And I"ll be honest I thought they would be better than they have been so far. I don't think they have the right coach though and are struggling to actually play together. The talent is definitely there. Jalen Ramsey looks like the real deal that they added this year and offensively they can be an explosive unit. Still they will continue to lose until they find people who step up and say "we won't stand for this anymore." I mean look at the best teams in the league. They won't even settle for mediocrity. John Fox has a now famous saying around Denver of "we won the division isn't that enough?" Elway made it clear that no that is not near the type of attitude he wants his coach to have.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

How was that kicker a 2nd round pick? I mean every kick I have watched of this kid even if it goes in doesn't look pretty and he doesn't have the strongest leg in the world either. Has to put his whole body into a kick just to get it to the end zone.

And yeah I would agree another year off. That defense is missing at least a few pieces right now. They don't have great pass rushers which means an already weak secondary is getting exposed all the more. And while Winston has glimpses of greatness he surrounds those moments with just terrible QB play. Honestly in some ways reminds me of Andrew Luck early on in his career where he would go crazy but you could always count on him for at least a couple of terrible plays a game where he throws it right to the defender.

With Jameis I wouldn't give him that much credit by comparing him to Luck. Luck certainly has brainfarts, and perhaps forcing the issue to a fault, but his INT% has never been exceptionally high outside of last year. Jameis sees a lot of things I wouldn't notice first glance from broadcast or film which is probably why his football IQ is praised so much pre-draft, but it's rather apparent he still has a lot of nuance to learn. Who knows, maybe he follows the Peyton career arc and nips the INT's in the bud fairly quickly but right now Jameis is the definition of a boom/bust QB.

 

[cdumler7]

With Jameis I wouldn't give him that much credit by comparing him to Luck. Luck certainly has brainfarts, and perhaps forcing the issue to a fault, but his INT% has never been exceptionally high outside of last year. Jameis sees a lot of things I wouldn't notice first glance from broadcast or film which is probably why his football IQ is praised so much pre-draft, but it's rather apparent he still has a lot of nuance to learn. Who knows, maybe he follows the Peyton career arc and nips the INT's in the bud fairly quickly but right now Jameis is the definition of a boom/bust QB.

I should have specified that he is a poor man's Andrew Luck because you are right Luck doesn't do it to the level of Jameis. I just meant more that you will see this greatness happen and think maybe they finally have it figured out and then all of a sudden that one or two bad passes that you just question what were they seeing/thinking. Winston does it at a higher level than that of Luck. So you can definitely get him into some bad situations.

Winston also has the tendency to just heave the ball up and trust that his big WR's will come down with the ball. He does a lot of 50/50 type plays and well that is living dangerously in my opinion. It will win you some games that maybe people don't expect with a play happening that shouldn't have but he will also cost you plenty of games along the way. I actually just was an EMT at a game recently that this very scenario played out. This team had one big WR so they would just send him deep and throw it up. The guy scored 4 touchdowns just because he could out muscle/jump the guys that were double covering him. It was the only play that worked for this team as they couldn't score a touchdown any other way but hey as long as you have that working I guess might as well just keep going back to it.

 

[Clayton]

Also @Clayton always seems like there are about 5 teams that say they are another year away. The problem is hoping to get the pieces that are missing but that is never a guarantee. Plus the culture of the team has been that of losing so until that begins to change (and that might be the hardest thing to change for an NFL team) you can get all the talent in the world and still stink. I mean that Jaguars fall into that same boat. And I"ll be honest I thought they would be better than they have been so far. I don't think they have the right coach though and are struggling to actually play together. The talent is definitely there. Jalen Ramsey looks like the real deal that they added this year and offensively they can be an explosive unit. Still they will continue to lose until they find people who step up and say "we won't stand for this anymore." I mean look at the best teams in the league. They won't even settle for mediocrity. John Fox has a now famous saying around Denver of "we won the division isn't that enough?" Elway made it clear that no that is not near the type of attitude he wants his coach to have.

I think very specifically with the Bucs I'm talking about Winston. Winston lost that game last week. Lots of football IQ issues imo but thats to be expected from most young QBs.

Luck's comeback stats are much better than Winston and Mariota. Luck just runs into issues where he thinks he can will his way through great defenses which is a very Peyton thing. He is also propping up a sub par (arguably bad) Colts team which is something Peyton did not have to do in his prime.

Winston's career arc is resembling Matthew Stafford so far.

 

[randymon]

I would compare Winston more to Cam. Given time they can eat you up but get in their face and they are pretty inaccurate with their throws and make bad decisions. Imo of course.

 

[cdumler7]

I would compare Winston more to Cam. Given time they can eat you up but get in their face and they are pretty inaccurate with their throws and make bad decisions. Imo of course.

Cam though has incredible ability to be a runner just as much as a passer though. I would say Winston tries to be Rodgers (move around in the pocket and wait for something to get open) but just can't move around quite as well and like Clayton said throws more like Stafford. Throws a high volume of passes so his stats get inflated but those stats don't really equal wins. And when he is hot he is tough to beat but he is just so wildly inconsistent from week to week and even series to series that until he cleans that up he will just be a great guy to have on your fantasy team.

 

[iknowftbll]

My picks for Sunday:

Broncos @ Buccaneers: The Bucs are passing on 2/3 of their offensive snaps, but the Broncos are giving up 127 yards on the ground. Part of that may be the Broncos schedule is front-loaded with some offensive savvy teams, but I think it is a little concerning the Bengals were able to get it going on the ground after being shut down in the first two weeks. Then again, in an effort to avoid the NFZ, we may see teams go all in on the run to give themselves a fighting chance. Will the Bucs do so? Will it matter? Broncos 26, Buccaneers 16.

Raiders @ Ravens: I won't rag on the Ravens for their 3-0 record against teams with a combined 1-8 record. 3-0 is 3-0. The Raiders are easily their biggest challenge though. The Ravens defense is going to have its hands full with that offense (though the mid-tier Titans did okay against them) but Joe Flacco and Co shouldn't have any issues against that Raiders defense. Factor in this is the second consecutive trip east for the Raiders and I'll give the Ravens the benefit of the doubt. Ravens 27, Raiders 24.

Chiefs @ Steelers: Unless the Chiefs just have a breakout game I just don't see them being able to keep up with the Steelers offense. The Steelers are not going to be as flat as they were against the Eagles for this one. The Chiefs defense had a banner day against the Jets but a repeat performance like that is highly unlikely and their offense has been flat, even bad, for 10 of 12 quarters played so far. Oh, and Andy Reid still hasn't figured out how to manage a clock. Steelers 31, Chiefs 20.

Saints @ Chargers: The Chargers struggle to close, but they have shown the ability to play some defense, unlike the Saints. I think they are able to slow the Saints just enough to allow Rivers and the Chargers offense to keep up. With that said, it won't surprise me if the Chargers lose the wind in their sails, especially if any more players go down. Chargers 34, Saints 30.

The standings after week 4:

Broncos: 4-0

All others: 2-2

 

[MileHigh64]

Broncos: 4-0

All others: 2-2

This predicted outcome would absolutely make my weekend perfect. Good breakdowns as usual IKF!

 

[cdumler7]

Broncos: 4-0

All others: 2-2

This predicted outcome would absolutely make my weekend perfect. Good breakdowns as usual IKF!

I was thinking the same thing! 2 game lead this early in the year with us having already beat our AFC North team we have to face would be huge.

Also I had forgotten that this was the 2nd straight trip to the East Coast for the Raiders. Just as we have struggled some with going to Florida that definitely is no easy task for the Raiders.

 

[Mingo]

I have just enough beer in me to say - since the Broncos have owned the conference and division lately - this thread title should be the "The AFC West Round Down." On account of that is where every other team is in relation to the Denver Broncos.

 

[Wamu]

I have just enough beer in me to say - since the Broncos have owned the conference and division lately - this thread title should be the "The AFC West Round Down." On account of that is where every other team is in relation to the Denver Broncos.

 

[iknowftbll]

The Raiders went on the road and gave the Ravens their first loss of the season. Not too shabby. That defense is still leaving a lot to be desired but they have made big plays the past 2 games to protect the lead. And their offense is pretty good.

Meanwhile the Steelers are taking the Chiefs to school. It's 22-0 in the first quarter. Nice.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Chiefs are still getting drilled.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Wow...... Chiefs mounted an 80 yard drive to the Pittsburgh 3, and turned it over on downs

 

[iknowftbll]

Chiefs are still getting drilled.

Yeah they are. 36-0 going into the 4th.

 

[CEH]

Raiders figuring out ways to win when it looks like they should be losing. 3 road wins is not too shabby.