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The NFL landscape is never predictable. That’s why it’s so surprising to see so many up in arms about the absolutely tumultuous start to the NFL seasons. The Giants and Steelers are stuck at 0-3 while teams like the Dolphins and the Chiefs are suddenly contenders at 3-0. With so many teams surprising us in both good and bad ways, is there anything we can be sure of heading forward?
Yes, there is – at least I think there is.
Despite the ups and downs, there are a few truths in the NFL that haven’t been touched by this season’s anomalies. The Denver Broncos, with Peyton Manning at the helm, are still one of the best teams in the league. Tom Brady can still lead the Patriots. The Buccaneers and Jaguars still can’t win football games, and Russell Wilson is still the best young quarterback in the league.
Now, that being said, there are a handful of current situations I expect to be resolved in a few weeks. Here’s a few predictions for the next three weeks:
The Steelers will get back to 3-3.
Yes, I know that the Steelers’ bye week is actually in the next three weeks, meaning this prediction actually concludes in four weeks, but I don’t care. The Steelers have a relatively soft stretch of schedule that should allow them to get back on track.
Against the Bears, Pittsburgh finally hit its stride – a little bit. After getting the game within a score, the Steelers once again made mistakes that cost them the game. The bright side? They came back against a solid defense and a good offensive team. The Steelers aren’t back yet, but there’s hope.
The Eagles will effectively be out of the playoff race.
After a fast start to their season, the Philadelphia Eagles have now dropped two games in a row, and frankly, I’m not seeing clear skies and sunny days in their future.
The Eagles’ offense is simply a gimmick. There’s no sound substance behind it. Their problem stems from a reliance on a quarterback that’s never busted through in crunch time, and even though they have the offensive weapons to run a powerful, traditional offense, they’re running a college system that doesn’t work against the speed of NFL defenses. In other words, this experiment may be a one-year deal.
The Chiefs will push their record to 6-0.
With gams against the Giants, Titans and Raiders coming up, there’s absolutely no reason the Kansas City Chiefs will drop a game in the near future.
The Chiefs, for the first time in recent memory, have great leadership both on the field and off. Andy Reid brings experience seldom seen in Kansas City, and Alex Smith is the same efficient quarterback he was in San Francisco, except now he also has a chip on his shoulder. In other words, this is one of the better teams in the league.
