After five days of competition in the NFL, clear disparities are beginning to be observed. There are teams that are doing things really well and others that are starting to be in trouble, not to mention that they have dug a hole from which it will be really difficult to get out. This is clearly reflected in the notes of the week. We analyze everything in The Touchdown:
OUTSTANDING
San Francisco 49ers. The Californian team is in a different league right now, although its perfect record of 5-0 is shared by the Philadelphia Eagles. There’s not a facet of the game that the Niners don’t master, whether it’s on offense, defense, or special teams. Except for a tight first half in Los Angeles in Week 2, they have practically two touchdowns all season at least over their opponent. The demolition of Dallas, one of their biggest rivals in the conference, stunned everyone. San Francisco is so far that in a super passer league, it is after five days the team with the fewest attempted shots in the entire NFL. Kyle Shanahan smiles.
NOTABLE
Jacksonville Jaguars. Or rather the London Jaguars. No doubt the two-week stay in English territory has suited Doug Pederson’s team very well. He first dispatched the Atlanta Falcons and then dominated what was considered the fittest team in the American Conference, the Buffalo Bills. Along the way, they also found their star runner, Travis Etienne, who had barely come into play at the start of the campaign.
APPROVED
D.J. Moore. The Bears were in a state of alarm when they visited Washington in the game that opened the day last Thursday. Eight receptions, 230 yards and three touchdowns after D.J. Moore shut down the reactor meltdown.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
New England Patriots. When you’ve conceded a 72-3 run in your last two games, it’s an understatement to say you need to improve. Bill Belichick faces one of the biggest challenges of his career, a career that is close to fifty consecutive years in the NFL. The Patriots are a bad apple on offense, scoring just six touchdowns on 62 drives. What’s worse is that they’ve conceded almost the same touchdowns, four, via turnover. The last time New England looked so bad Bill Belichick wasn’t their coach. That was the last century.
SUSPENSE
Sean Payton. In his first year as head coach at New Orleans, Sean Payton brought joy back to the post-Katrina city and led the team to the conference finals. His first season in Denver looks like an absolute disaster, with four losses in five clashes and the feeling that from above he is going to start to release ballast. Randy Gregory was the first to leave this week and it looks like others will follow. As if that were not enough, Payton accused his predecessor in office, Nathaniel Hackett, of performing the worst “coaching” in the history of the league. Hackett was on the opposite side Sunday, was named eventual captain of the team (something reserved for players) and watched his boys defeat Payton’s team 31-21.
