(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Nate Polvogt (@JeNateJackFF)
The Lateral Contributor
We're most through 10 total weeks of NFL football game folks. It's crazy to mean value that just two-and-half months agone nosotros were bright-eyed as well as oblivious to the insanity that was earlier us. We had no persuasion what madness this 2021 flavour would concur , but that's the fun of it , right? How irksome would life hold out if nosotros already knew the outcome? With that madness has come upwards adversity , frustration , confusion as well as elation , sometimes all inside minutes of each other. The best part? We're barely halfway through.
After some other insane calendar week , some things became clear as well as some to a greater extent than foggy. The Chiefs calmed our collective fears , for instantly , inward a blow-out win against the Las Vegas Raiders , Mike White showed us why he has been a third-string quarterback most of his career , the Cowboys seem to have got righted the transportation , as well as Miami exposed the Ravens defense forcefulness for what they are: mediocre. What else tin move nosotros accept away from this yesteryear week's action? I've got yous covered!
New England Is Dangerous
Heading into the 2021 flavour a lot of people , myself included , we're wondering what just New England was upwards to. In the off-season , they signed ii marquee tight ends inward Hunter Henry as well as Jonnu Smith as well as "overpaid" for gratis agent broad receiver Nelson Agholor. Then , to top it off , they released Cam Newton during preparation army camp as well as named the rookie from University of Alabama , Mac Jones , the starting quarterback. It seemed every bit though the franchise was unaware of what nosotros all knew; it was fourth dimension to croak into rebuild fashion afterwards a mediocre 2020 season.
Fast frontward to today. We are instantly 10 weeks into the flavour as well as mayhap , just mayhap , caput omnibus Bill Belichick knows what he's doing. The Patriots , behind the leadership of Jones , are 6-4 , have got won 4 direct games , as well as are entirely a one-half game behind the Bills for the AFC East partition lead. Sure , of those 4 consecutive victories , ii were against the Jets as well as Panthers. A win , yet , is a win , every bit they say.
Anyone who knows me knows I am no fan of the Patriots. I am , yet , a fan of Mac Jones. What this tyke has done for this squad this flavour is undeniable. During the 4 game win stretch , Jones is the overall QB 9. In that same stretch , Damien Harris is the RB8 (he missed Week 10) as well as Rhamondre Stevenson is the RB19 , Kendrick Bourne is WR12 as well as Hunter Henry is the TE1. This is a squad amongst a realistic finish of winning their division. They are rolling as well as it's been peachy for your shares of these players inward fantasy. This isn't going away whatever fourth dimension soon. Rest of flavour , New England has the 11th toughest schedule on paper , but amongst ii match-ups against a Buffalo squad that has come upwards dorsum to earth , Atlanta , Miami , Tennessee , as well as Jacksonville ahead , at that spot volition hold out enough to a greater extent than opportunities for these guys to croak on shining.
Jared Goff Is Not Dangerous
Not entirely is Jared Goff non unsafe , he's larn downright awful. Since Week v , he is the overall QB33. Davis Mills , Mike White , Geno Smith , Sam Darnold as well as Trevor Siemian all order ahead of him. In that same bridge , Goff is averaging a meager 6.85 fantasy points per game. He has looked confused , rushed , as well as similar he is completely lacking confidence. I suppose it's difficult to experience whatever form of confidence behind the 25th ranked offensive line inward football.
This squad is all around bad , every bit indicated yesteryear their 0-8-1 record. This yesteryear Dominicus , Goff managed 114 passing yards inward a necktie against Pittsburgh. Yes , it was raining , but inward the NFL , that's no excuse. Steelers back-up quarterback Mason Rudolph managed 242 yards on the same plain inward the same conditions. Because of Goff's ineptitude , he has made broad receivers Kalif Raymond as well as Amon-Ra St. Brown most irrelevant. Tight halt T.J. Hockenson , spell the TE5 on the season , has been the TE13 since Week 5. It seems the entirely histrion on this squad non affected yesteryear him , yet , is D'Andre Swift.
There is picayune promise Goff as well as this Lions squad plow things around this season. It's non that their schedule to circular out 2021 is peculiarly tough , it's that this squad is peculiarly bad. They were blown out yesteryear a mediocre Philadelphia squad inward Week nine as well as handled yesteryear a so-so Chicago roster inward Week 4. With an absolute lack of confidence at quarterback , a terrible offensive trouble , as well as a questionable-at-best defense forcefulness , count this every bit a lost season.
Jalen Hurts?
I cannot nation I haven't been difficult on Jalen Hurts this season. For all the rushing upside he has provided , he hasn't looked similar an NFL-caliber passing quarterback. The stats , yet , don't seem to dorsum that up. While he's averaging just 215 passing yards per game , he does have got 13 passing touchdowns to entirely v interceptions as well as is completing 65.9 percent of his passes. Could it hold out that caput omnibus Nick Sirianni just isn't quest him to create every bit much?
As of Week 10 , Hurts ranks 19th amid all quarterbacks inward passes attempted amongst 296. Philadelphia ranks 2nd to final inward pass play percent at 52.15 percent , ahead of entirely Chicago. Hurts has run the ball 97 times as well as then far this season , behind entirely Lamar Jackson amid quarterbacks. There is no query this is a run-first team. Hurts only isn't beingness asked to throw much.
There have got been debates every bit to Sirianni's mightiness to Pb a squad effectively which I notice unfair. The expectations for this squad were realistically unrealistic. With a showtime twelvemonth caput omnibus , a quarterback inward Hurts that is getting his showtime cleft at beingness the undisputed starter for a full-season , as well as a really immature receiving corps , this squad is inward increment mode. Based on that , I mean value this immature squad is correct where it needs to hold out , Hurts included. Magic doesn't locomote on overnight.
Heyo! Thanks for reading along for my Week 10 takeaways. You tin move notice me as well as to a greater extent than of my locomote on Twitter @JeNateJackFF. Got questions? Shoot me an e-mail at natepolvogt@gmail.com. See yous adjacent week!