Post by spiderfan on Dec 15, 2020 21:39:02 GMT -8
SCtoC, it is I, Spiderfan, the official NFL Analyst of this great website and it is time for the Week 14 Edition of Web of Football. Let us begin!
Carson Wentz is officially, no doubt, a bust
Those will be some fighting words in some circles, but those circles are worse than those fake crop circles that people make to get attention from local news. I said a while back in Other Thoughts that "Carson Wentz is a bust" and that opinion wasn't premature. However, there was arguments about whether or not Eagles QB Carson Wentz poor play was a result of him being a bust or because of a bad roster. Considering, the Eagles beat the #1 seeded New Orleans Saints in convincing fashion I think the answer is clear, so I shall repeat it again. Carson Wentz is officially, no doubt, a bust.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts had complete control of the game, his passes were excellent and his run ability gave the Eagles offense an extra dynamic that they have not had with Wentz. Hurts also didn't commit stupid turnovers or hold on to the ball too long. Heck, the Eagles defense even played better which considering they believe in their offense now, shouldn't be a surprise. Jalen Hurts has now done what Nick Foles did before him. Make the Eagles a better team.
The question now becomes what the Eagles do with Wentz, because his contract is rather large. Due to what now looks like a flash in the pan run in 2017 (I had him as OPOY that year) he got a morbidly obese contract which will create an Eagles salary cap that has more dead space than the Thriller music video. Despite that, I see Wentz getting traded. Where to? The Indianapolis Colts.
See, the architect of that 2017 flash in the pan run by Wentz was current Colts HC Frank Reich who was previously the Eagles OC. Not only that, but current Colts QB Phil Rivers is old and trying to make some money before coaching HS ball in Alabama. Even if Rivers decides not to retire, he is a free agent next year, thus leaving the door open for the Colts to replace him. Colts GM Chris Ballard has also shown a willingness to trade draft picks to get players (DeForest Buckner anyone?), so at this point I would be shocked if Wentz is not a member of the Colts next year. Now, will the joke be on the Colts for trading for someone that is considered a bust? Probably, but they won't realize that until later due to the never ending belief amongst offensive minded coaches that they can fix mediocre to bad QBs.
Steelers Collapse?
Remember when the Steelers were undefeated? It was only 2 weeks ago and yet it feels like longer because instead of being the #1 seed, Super Bowl frontrunner, and looking to upend the '72 Dolphins, they are now fighting to win their division, the AFC North. While, the loss to the Football Team was close the Steelers loss to the Bills wasn't close. Even though the first half was ugly for both teams, in the 2nd half the Bills took over offensively and defensively and made the Steelers look bad.
I said a while back in ROAD TO 16-0 that the Steelers would be facing tougher opponents down the stretch and their performance against said opponents would show the quality of the team. Well, considering their only easy game in the final 3 games is against the AAF quality Bengals and after that they play the Colts and Browns, I'm not too high on the Steelers right now. Their offense has been exposed for the lack of a true #1 receiver and their defense has been exposed for being dominant against mediocre to bad competition. I don't know who the Steelers will play in the playoffs and I don't usually pick games, but whoever the Steelers play in the playoffs will beat them. They are going to go into the postseason likely having lost most of their games since being 11-0 and will play another quality opponent, either on the road against a team that has people in the stands or a home game with no fans to help them at all.
Ravens Rise?
The Ravens played a heck of a game on Monday Night Football winning 45-42 against the Browns. The Browns played their hearts out and lost, which pretty much describes Believeland sports as a thing. However, what was also on display was that the Ravens come playoff time are going to be a dangerous team. Lamar is back to form and as previously discussed I think Dez Bryant will turn out be a great signing for them. The other thing that the Ravens have going for them is they are going to have momentum. Their next 3 opponents are the Jags, Tinys, and XFL quality Bengals. I don't see the Ravens losing any of those games which would put them at 11-5 and a 5 game winning streak going into the playoffs. If I'm the Bills, Titans, Steelers, or even Colts, I'm not looking forward to playing against the Ravens on Wild Card Weekend.
Other thoughts:
-The road back to championship level football for the Patriots is going to be a long one.
-Tom Brady still has it.
-The Chiefs are so good, that when the GORN (Greatest of Right Now) Patrick Mahomes has arguably the worst game of his entire career, they still beat the Dolphins easily.
-Every time I give the NFC NY team credit, they immediately shrink afterwards. This week? It was because Tinys HC Joe Judge made the brilliant decision to play an injured Daniel Jones instead of a healthy Colt McCoy. The Tinys playoffs hopes summed up:
-The Chargers won a close game!
-The Week 16 game between the Eagles and Football Team is going to be must see TV.
-Aaron Rodgers is really really really really good.
-The Raiders are not very good.
ROAD TO 0-16
1 team is currently 0-13. I will keep doing this segment until that team has a win or a tie. The team that is currently without a win or tie is:
New York Jets
I will use an old meme to describe the Jets 40-3 loss to the Seahawks:
At this point I'd be surprised if the Jets don't go 0-16.
Who Wants the #1 Seed?
Right now the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers are the #1 seeds in the AFC and NFC respectively. The Pittsburgh Steelers and and New Orleans Saints are right behind them respectively. Right now I would expect the Chiefs and Packers standing to hold, but we'll see what happens in the next 3 weeks.
The final few weeks are going to be wild folks and I hope to see ya through them! As always I hope ya enjoyed and this is Spiderfan out.
Graphic courtesy of David.