Another kick in the balls is what this game felt like.
To be clear, nobody expected the offense to be this incompetent, considering all the offensive talent assembled.
Taylor Heinicke is obviously not the answer to our offensive problems, but to be fair, he is not the main issue.
Logan Thomas, Washington’s star tight end, is on IR. New wide receiving weapons, Dwyami Brown and Curtis Samuel, have not been available to make a difference. Antonio Gibson, playing hurt and not effective. Brandon Scherff has been injured and in and out of games. Ryan Fitzpatrick was expected to be making positive things happen on offense, but who knows when he will be healthy enough to return. Even Adam Humphries has been underutilized; I think he would be more productive on the slot with Kyle Allen as QB.
There were some positives on offense; Jaret Patterson was more involved in the running game, pairing nicely with McKissic — we need more of them. Also, Deandre Carter is benefiting from all the extra attention Terry McLaurin gets by opposing defenses.
Clearly, the defense is playing better from week to week, but at this time, they cannot carry the offense on their own. I don’t like seeing Chase Young dropping back on coverage when instead, he should be unleashed on QBs more consistently.
There are rumors about Washington’s interest in Buffalo’s backup QB Mitch Trubisky — And that they are shopping Landon Collins around before the trade deadline.
Trubisky is an awful idea; I would rather see Cam Newton in Washington for a season instead of Trubisky.
And Landon Collins seems to be getting more comfortable with his new role as a hybrid LB slash Safety. So, no, Washington should keep Collins for the rest of the season.
I’ve seen people on Twitter turning on Ron Rivera, which is nuts. First of all, there are zero elite head coaches with NFL experience rushing to coach Washington under Daniel Snyder’s current ownership. So, let’s chill and allow this man to work.
It is mid-season, and not everything is lost. Week 9 is our bye week, and adjustments need to be made. On week 10, we will host Tom Brady. Nobody gives Washington a chance, but this game could turn things around for us.
WFT 10 — DENVER 17
NY GIANTS — CHIEFS
Kansas City won but won ugly. The Chiefs should start addressing some defensive and OL issues ASAP — They have got to get aggressive and trade for some help, especially on defense. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t looked comfortable for a few weeks now; maybe teams are scheming better against him than in previous seasons. Next week, Kansas City has a big test hosting Green Bay. Advantage, Green Bay Packers.
The NY Giants showed signs of life, but they keep finding ways to lose close games. Joe Judge and GM Gettleman will probably not survive this season. Next week, NY Giants hosts an inspired and rested Las Vegas Raiders team. Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders.
EAGLES 44 — LIONS 6
Nobody should overreact here; Philly beat a pretty bad Detroit team. Next week, Philadelphia hosts a hungry-for-a-win LA Chargers team. Advantage, LA Chargers.
Detroit is slowly watching their season waste away at 0-5, and the risk of another winless season is now a real possibility. Next week, Detroit has their bye week.
COWBOYS 20 — VIKINGS 16
Cooper Rush replaced an injured Dak Prescott, and Dallas, shockingly, looked better than I expected with a backup QB. However, I’m not convinced that this Cowboys team is a contender — I think their competition has made things easier for them. Next week, Dallas will host 4-4 Denver. Advantage, Denver Broncos.
The Vikings gave away this game to Dallas; They let multiple red-zone scoring chances slip away and allowed Dallas and their inexperienced QB to beat them in the 4th quarter. Next week, Minnesota visits Baltimore. Advantage, Baltimore Ravens.
SAINTS 36 — BUCCANEERS 27
Trevor Siemian had to step in during the 2nd quarter for an injured Jameis Winston— and surprisingly, Siemian beat the defending super bowl champs by running an efficient offense. Winston might be out for the season. Next week, New Orleans hosts Atlanta, a dangerous division rival. Advantage, New Orleans Saints.
It seems like the Buccaneers cannot beat New Orleans during the regular season (Tampa bay lost twice during the regular season last year). No reason to panic…yet. Next week, Tampa Bay has their bye week.
LA RAMS 38 — TEXANS 22
The Rams led 38-0 by the 4th quarter and looked like a formidable Super Bowl contender, albeit against a hopeless Houston team. The Rams just traded for Von Miller, adding to their top defense and improving their Super Bowl chances. Next up, LA hosts Tennessee without Derrick Henry. Advantage, LA Rams.
The Texans are a complete disaster and looking to trade away a few of their top players before the trade deadline and start to build some draft capital for next year’s draft. Next up, Houston visits Miami, another 1-7 team. Advantage, Miami Dolphins.
PACKERS 24 — CARDINALS 21
Aaron Rodgers went toe to toe with Kyler Murray and showed that he can still hang with the young guns of the NFL. However, Green Bay’s defense and recently signed Rasul Douglas was the real hero here with a game-ending interception in the last few seconds of the 4th quarter. Next week, Green Bay visits Kansas City and their suspect defense. Advantage, Green bay packers.
The Cardinals lost their first game of the season, and on top of that, Kyler Murray got injured in the final play of the game. His status is now questionable for next week’s game at San Francisco. Advantage, Arizona Cardinals.
NY JETS 34 — BENGALS 31
The Jets shocked the NFL world on week 8 — Mike White had a wild game, throwing for over 400 yards with 3 TDs and 2 picks. The NY Jets might actually be okay without Zach Wilson with Mike White and Joe Flacco for a while. Next week, the NY Jets visit Indianapolis. Advantage, Indianapolis Colts.
The Bengals took the NY Jets and their inexperienced backup QB lightly and paid dearly for it. There is no reason to panic. Next week, Cincinnati hosts the struggling Cleveland Browns. Advantage, Cincinnati Bengals.
STEELERS 15 — BROWNS 10
The Steelers have won three-straight games and are starting to make some noise in their AFC North division. Next week, Pittsburgh hosts the Chicago Bears. Advantage, Pittsburgh Steelers.
Baker Mayfield and his group of offensive weapons are simply not getting it done. I think it is just about time for Cleveland to start panicking and maybe even dump or trade some of their big-name players. Next week, Cleveland has a crucial divisional game against Cincinnati. Advantage, Cincinnati Bengals.
TITANS 34 — COLTS 31
The Titans winning this game came at the high cost of losing Derrick Henry for the season to a foot injury. Tennessee is scrambling for serviceable running backs, and they just signed Adrian Peterson. We will see how much the absence of Henry changes the outlook for the Titans. Next week, Tennessee visits the LA Rams. Advantage, LA Rams.
The Colts had multiple chances to run away with this game, but Carson Wentz continues to make costly mistakes which made the difference here. Next week Indianapolis hosts the 2-5 NY Jets. Advantage, Indianapolis Colts.
49ERS 33 — BEARS 22
Rookie running back Elijah Mitchell rushed for 137 yards and 1 TD to help lift San Francisco to 3-4 and give them some signs of life. Next up, San Francisco hosts Arizona with questions about the health of Kyler Murray. Advantage, Arizona Cardinals.
Justin Fields had some fantastic moments in this game, showing flashes of potential greatness. But, Chicago has got to invest and build around him. Next up, the Chicago Bears visits Pittsburgh on Monday Night. Advantage, Pittsburgh Steelers.
BUFFALO 26 — DOLPHINS 11
The Bills struggled for the first three-quarters of this game until they finally managed to pull away. Buffalo now has the top spot in the AFC EAST and will most likely win the division. Next week, Buffalo visits 1-6 Jacksonville. Advantage, Buffalo Bills.
The Dolphins are one of the most disappointing teams of the 2021 season, and on top of it all, they have to deal with the constant trade talk for Deshaun Watson — which means that Miami might be done with Tua as their starting QB. Next week, Miami host Houston, another 1-7 team. Advantage, Miami Dolphins.
PATRIOTS 27 — CHARGERS 24
New England found their groove on defense and made some crucial picks and defensive plays to make the difference in this game. Next week, New England visits Carolina. Advantage, New England Patriots.
The LA Chargers have now lost two games in a row, and their chances to win their division are starting to look unfavorably. Next week, LA visits Philadelphia. Advantage, LA Chargers.
SEAHAWKS 31 — JAGUARS 7
The Seahawks needed this win badly, albeit against a bad team; nevertheless, a win is a win in the NFL, and those do not come easy. Next up, Seattle has a much-needed bye week.
Jacksonville will probably not win another game until next season, but at least Trevor Lawrence is getting some solid NFL experience. Next up, Jacksonville host Buffalo. Advantage, Buffalo Bills.
PANTHERS 19 — FALCONS 13
Sam Darnold had a bounce-back game here after getting benched on week 7. His stats weren’t very impressive, but he was effective and did not cost this team the game. Next week, Carolina hosts New England. Advantage, New England Patriots.
Atlanta could not duplicate their offensive success from weeks 6 and 7. Disappointingly, Kyle Pitts was kept to only 2 catches for 13 yards in the whole game. Next Week, Atlanta has a tough divisional game against New Orleans. Advantage, New Orleans Saints.
Rod Rioja 