The NFL in the Moment – Sunday – 12 am EDT – Week Four 2017

NFC September Report Cards

With September drawing to a close, we may not yet know who the good teams are going to be in December, but we are able to start determining which offseason hype was without substance. This, in turn, can give us an indication of which teams are maybe not so good.

NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1), First Place (Tie)

The Eagles are our selection to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. So far, so good, but Eagles Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich, formerly a Quarterback, needs to stick to the run EVERY game.  Fletcher Cox’s injured calf could become a problem. As it is, if Cox’s return is timely the Eagles could win every game between now and the end of the month. Wait and see.

Washington Redskins (2-1), First Place (Tie)  

Bruce Allen’s manipulation of owner Dan Snidley’s impatience to wrest control from Scot McCloughan succeeded in the offseason, with the result being a Redskins team built to win “right now”. Allen filled in all the holes with Free Agents and the Redskins are definitely for real. None of this will keep Kirk Cousins in Washington after this season, but at the moment the Redskins are one of the top teams in the NFC. We wonder if their game with Philadelphia is what ends up separating the two teams at the end of next month?

Dallas Cowboys (2-1), First Place (Tie)  

Last we heard, the Cowboys had regressed to the “Pistol” Offence, so we are no longer making a joke when we write about Dallas’s “College Offence” Their Defence is lousy too. At this point, we can’t see them winning another game before the end of October, but the NFL’s pro-Cowboy bias means you never know what you are going to get. As enticing as it might be to bet against them, JUST SAY NO.

New York Giants (0-3), Last Place

Odell Beckham is a cancer, and until the Giants realize that, they have zero chance of success. They should trade him while he still has trade value and move on. How much does it matter if they are 2-5 instead of 1-6 after October?

NFC North

Green Bay Packers (3-1), First Place

Green Bay should have won the Falcons game, hence should be 4-0 and the top-dog in the NFC. The Packers have big problems however, with injuries to both Offensive Tackles, their Nose Tackle and Running Back. Their Defence is a concern. Their schedule remains reasonably challenging until December, It will be interesting to see if they can stay ahead of a very good Vikings squad.

Minnesota Vikings (2-1), Second Place (Tie) 

The Vikings have a championship caliber Defence to compliment a competent Offence, with little to choose at Quarterback between starter Sam Bradford and backup Case Keenum. Both are NFL caliber Quarterbacks. It was kind of shocking to see that Keenum had not been practising with the “ones” leading up to the Steelers game. Pittsburgh still is not sharp and the Vikings could have stolen that game had they been ready. Minnesota has three Divisional games (including Detroit at home today) before the end of next month that will go a long way in determining who wins the NFC North.

Detroit Lions (2-1), Second Place (Tie)  

The Lions Defence is suspect and we have never been a big believer in Stafford. We expect Detroit to be a more reasonable 3-4 at the end of October.

Chicago Bears (1-3), Last Place

The Bears went off their script in Green Bay when down 14-0 early on a turnover. Bears Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains has to do a better job of sticking to the run, and the Bears cannot afford to keep losing Divisional games if they are going to make the playoffs this season. We have them finishing the first half of the season at 3-5, which is not going to do anything for anybody. The Bears are not a passing team, so whether Glennon or Trubisky is in is of no consequence. Curiously, not hanging on to Kicker Robbie Gould could prove costly.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons (3-0), First Place

The Officials essentially gave the Falcons undeserved victories over Chicago and Detroit. The nonsense at the end of the first half in the Green Bay game with the “pick” call and non-call caused a 14 point shift in a game that the Packers only lost by 11 points. We wonder if the league is trying to justify another absurd MVP? Ryan won one less and lost six more games than Brady last year. We belive Dan Quinn is out of his depth as a Head Coach and that the Falcons Defence is much overrated.

Carolina Panthers (2-1), Second Place

The Panthers Offence is practically non-existent. Quarterback Cam Newton is a liability. Completely unreliable. The Panther Defence is overrated. We don’t see Carolina winning any games before the end of next month.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1), Third Place

The game against Minnesota gave us a good read on where Tampa Bay is at. The Vikings have a championship caliber Defence to compliment a competent Offence. It is hard to imagine this team progressing enough to be competitive for the NFC Championship. We reckon them to be 3-4 next month.

New Orleans Saints (1-2), Last Place

The Saints “All New” Defence is staring to play better. If it continues to improve, we expect New Orleans to have a winning record by the end of October. Depending on what happens to Atlanta, the NFC South might have a very interesting December in which it will be decided. Decided by Divisional games.

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (2-1), First Place

We have always thought that Jeff Fisher was out-of-his-depth as a Head Coach, but the Rams Offence looks like a completely different team under McVay, making Fisher out to be even worse than we thought. We are not sure why they didn’t keep Greg Williams Coordinating the Defence. Wade Phillips was never any good, and is a dotard these days. The Defence will be a problem. Hats of to Stan Kroenke for standing his ground with Aaron Donald. We never had a doubt about it!

Arizona Cardinals (1-2), Second Place (Tie)

Carson Palmer never was that good and is now past it. We have them pegged at 3-4 at the end of October. Let us see.

Seattle Seahawks (1-2), Second Place (Tie)

The Seahawks Defence is getting old, their Offensive Line is terrible and Russell Wilson never has been that great. Trading Baldwin for Shelly was a better deal for the Jets than many imagine. We expect them to remain tied with Arizona next month as well..

San Francisco 49ers (0-3), Last Place

The 49ers got robbed of what would have potentially been their first win over the Rams. They are definitely improving and might have a couple of wins before October ends.