Quick Hits: Week 9

-         What’s the current formula to win games? Build a strong offensive line. To back up this point, look no further than the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders. The two teams have combined for a 14-3 record and are in sole possession of first place in their respective divisions. If the season ended today, they would also receive a first-round bye in the playoffs. They have done this by creating the two best offensive lines in the NFL, which has allowed to teams to have dynamic offenses that seem almost unstoppable. The Oakland Raiders are third and fourth in passing yards and rushing yards respectively while the Cowboys are second in rushing yards, and that has everything to do with their offensive lines. The two teams have also surrendered just 11 sacks each. Overall, these teams could easy represent their respective conferences in Super Bowl LI. That would definitely be my dream Super Bowl… (stats by www.espn.com)

-         While everyone may be surprised by how well the Lions are playing this year, I would like to gloat for a second and mention that I thought this team would surprise everyone. In my article covering the NFC North, I mentioned that this team’s offense would win them a lot of close games, as well as lose close games. The result has been this: All of their games have been decided by one possession. The Lions are also very quietly 5-4 and a half game back in their division. I projected the Lions to finish 7-9, but they could easily be a 9-7 or 10-6 team with the potential to earn a playoff spot. It all rests in the hands of Matthew Stafford, and with how well he has played thus far, the sky is the limit for the Lions.

-         The Ravens have officially taken first place of the AFC North. That would be impressive in any other year, but the team sits at 4-4 on the year thanks to a dominant defense and a below-average offense. Similar to the Lions, all of their games have been decided by a single possession. The team is coming off a very impressive win against the Pittsburgh Steelers high flying offense. The Ravens held the Steelers to just two first downs through the first three quarters and held Le’Veon Bell, arguably the most dynamic running back in the NFL, to just 32 rushing yards on 14 carries. The defense is legit, if the offense can get literally ANYTHING POSITIVE going forward, they can be a legit threat in the AFC.

-         Staying in the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals are a very disappointing 3-4-1 on the year. The team entered the year, once again, with playoff expectations. Some thought the team would start to take steps back and that their window would start to close and that is definitely beginning to become true. I personally think the team still has a chance to rebound, especially with the break-out season A.J. Green is having, but they need to kick it into second-gear fast.

-         It has been recently reported that the Rams will not start Jared Goff until they are out of playoff contention . This makes absolutely no sense to me. Why would they continue to roll with Case Keenum, who is second in the NFL in interceptions with 11? Do they honestly believe that he gives them a better chance to win than the number one overall pick? Goff is this team’s future, for better or for worse. It is past time for them to roll out with Goff and see what he can do for them now.

-         Let’s talk about Monday Night Football. An unbelievably super controversial non-call was made when Seahawks’ Richard Sherman ran straight into Bills’ kicker Dan Carpenter and did not receive a roughing the kicker penalty. This was despite the fact that Sherman collided with Carpenter and sent him straight into the ground. But thank you, NFL, for making sure you called offsides on Sherman. Go, you! The next play, Carpenter had to be removed due to NFL rules. The Bills elected to spike the ball with three seconds left so carpenter could come back out and attempt the field goal. The Bills would then commit a false start penalty and ultimately miss the field goal. That is beyond ridiculous. It’s completely absurd. To make things better, the Bills would lose the game by three points. Three points the Bills should’ve had had the refs called the game properly.

-         On another note, and I say this constantly (unfortunately), how can the NFL preach player safety and then allow Dan Carpenter to get lit up the way he did? It makes zero sense to me, as well as tons and tons of other viewers. The NFL is far more concerned with Tom Brady DEFLATING FOOTBALLS than they are their employees taking cheap shots.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Who You Got?! Week 9

Last Week: 6-6-1

Overall: 69-49-2

Thursday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are both playing at an elite level this season for the Falcons. The Bucs have Jameis Winston and Mike Evans who are playing at Pro Bowl levels to make this game a shootout. The difference here will be the defenses, as the Falcons will have the edge. Vic Beasley will make lots of noise and the Falcons win this game by seven and take a commanding lead over the NFC South.

Sunday Morning Football (11:00 am AZ time):

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins

The Jets are bad this year. The Dolphins are surprisingly competitive and could make this game a blowout. I don’t think the Dolphins are talented enough to blow any team out, but they will certainly give this Jets offense fits. Jay Ajayi has been a one-man wrecking ball the last couple of weeks, including back-to-back 200 yard performances in weeks six and seven. He won’t get even close to that number against a stout Jets run defense, but don’t be shocked to see him get 70+ yards and a touchdown in a Dolphins win. Give me the home team by 10 or fewer.

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants

The Giants will give the Eagles a ton of problems, and having a rookie quarterback could force the Eagles into some trouble. However, the Giants surprising lack of pass rush (just nine sacks as a team), despite major offseason money spent on the pass rush, could lead to Carson Wentz having time to limit mistakes and win a close road game. Look for Eli and Odell to make big plays, but ultimately watch the Eagles win the time of possession battle and get a big division win and go to 5-3 on the year.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Kansas City Chiefs

The Jaguars have to be the most disappointing team in the league. Coming in with big expectations due to a young defense and improving Blake Bortles, the team was expected to challenge for a playoff spot at a minimum. Instead, they are 2-5 on the year and looking at another top five draft selection. Gus Bradley will more than likely lose his job this offseason, and a blowout loss on the road to the Chiefs won’t help his case. Bortles is prone to turnovers, so expect Marcus Peters and company to get in on the action and force Bortles into some bad decisions.

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings

Have the injuries finally caught up with the Vikings? We will get a definitive answer this week, facing a must win game at home against the Lions. Matthew Stafford is playing MVP caliber football and is winning them games practically by himself. Let’s put it this way, if Jay Cutler can have success against one of the league’s premier defenses, Matthew Stafford can have a field day. That being said, keep your expectations low on Stafford’s upside. Last week was the exception, not the rule. Lions get a HUGE win on the road and begin to send the Vikings into a downhill spiral.

Dallas Cowboys @ Cleveland Browns

Chalk up another losing record for the Browns. This game won’t be close. Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott will terrorize this Browns squad. Thankfully, the Browns will likely get first rounder Corey Coleman back this week to join Terrelle Pryor in an improving pass attack, but that won’t even be close enough to compete with the best team in the NFC.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens

This game is a is going to be a coin flip. I am simply going to pick the home team here. Throw out the records for this game, this is going to be classic smash mouth football. Joe Flacco will air it out against the Steelers secondary and the Ravens defense will clamp up a Steelers offense that won’t be at 100% even if Ben Roethlisberger returns to action. Home team by six or fewer.

Sunday Afternoon Football (2:05 and 2:25 pm AZ time):

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers

Drew Brees is the king of gunslingers and will be facing one of the league’s worst defenses. Even on the road, the Saints will pile up the yards and keep the game to high scoring for a bad 49ers’ offense to compete with.

Carolina Panthers @ Los Angeles Rams

The Panthers are coming off a HUGE, potentially season saving win against the Cardinals. Facing another NFC West opponent on the road, don’t expect the Rams to just roll over and let the Panthers get another crucial win. That being said, the Panthers have Cam Newton and company to light up this Rams defense and the Rams offense simply doesn’t have enough to keep up. I expect Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin to both have really nice fantasy days, but their lack of scoring will ultimately doom the Rams.

Tennessee Titans @ San Diego Chargers

The Titans are riding hot right now behind Marcus Mariota’s dynamic play. The Chargers have been surprisingly competitive behind a solid defense and a gunslinger mentality in Philip Rivers. I completely expect this game to come down to the wire, but ultimately will pick the hotter team to win a crucial game. If the Titans win this game, they will be 5-4 on the year. Raise your hand if you saw that coming… now put your hands down, you liars. The Titans are in the mix for a playoff spot. Expect them to make this game a major statement win.

Indianapolis Colts @ Green Bay Packers

As much as I want to take the Colts as an upset team here, their defense is too terrible to overlook. Aaron Rodgers will take full advantage of this god-awful defense and turn in an A+ effort game. Thankfully for the Colts, the Packers secondary hasn’t been as good as it was supposed to be, and Andrew Luck will light them up and keep this game close. With no run game, the Packers will have to lean entirely on Rodgers to win them this game. Lucky for them, Rodgers will rise to the occasion and get a crucial win in a tight NFC North playoff race.

Sunday Night Football (6:30 pm AZ time):

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

The home team and unstoppable Raiders offense will get a big win against the division rival Denver Broncos. Derek Carr has turned in an MVP caliber performance thus far this season and against a Broncos’ shutdown secondary, he will struggle but do just enough to win this game. The Broncos offense will do enough to keep them in the game for three quarters, but ultimately blow it in the fourth quarter and watch the Raiders emerge to a 7-2 record and first place in the AFC West.

Monday Night Football (6:30 pm AZ time):

Buffalo Bills @ Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks home-field advantage is as good as it gets. This game will be a lot closer than people will think, but the Bills are slumping and will fall victim to a Seahawks defense that will limit everything the Bills try and do on offense. Russell Wilson really needs to get going, but won’t have the dominant performance he needs against a very good Bills defense. This is a tight, low scoring affair that the Seahawks get at home.

Quick Hits: Week 8

We've reached the halfway point of the season and it's time once again to dive into our analysis of what happened in week eight of the season. Let's dive on in, shall we?

-       -  Cam Newton recently spoke out against the lack of calls and protection he is getting from the league. Newton stated that he “doesn’t feel safe” and the hits are “taking the fun out of the game” per the the Charlotte Observer. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the NFL preaches player safety, yet somehow let’s one the biggest faces of the league get punished. I am not saying that Newton doesn’t put himself into some situations because he does with his style of play. But there are certainly times where a low tackle or cheap shot to the head should have been flagged and it wasn’t. I don’t know if it’s a race thing, if it’s the fact that he is a “mobile quarterback” (another term that gets thrown on African-American quarterbacks) or something completely different, but it needs to change and in a hurry.

-       -  On the top of the term “mobile quarterback”, I want to address the stereotype that gets attached to that term. So often we want to call quarterbacks with dark-skin “mobile” because they like to run or are athletic. Last I checked, you need to be athletic to play in the NFL. What frustrates me the most about this is there are quarterbacks with light-skin who run around just as much as the former. Take Blaine Gabbert as an example of this. Here’s a fun stat: who has more rushing attempts: Gabbert or Russell Wilson? You would assume it is Wilson because he is a “mobile quarterback” but you’d be wrong. They have 39 to 25 respectively. The biggest difference is Wilson is looking to pass far more often than Gabbert is. Not to mention Gabbert had those 39 attempts in just five games! Two fewer than Wilson. How come we don’t refer to Gabbert as a “mobile quarterback”? it’s become a frustrating stereotype. Especially when I hear people call guys such as Teddy Bridgewater or Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon “mobile quarterbacks”. I don’t mind the term at all and even understand it to a certain degree. But it is also become a stereotype for African-American quarterbacks and other ethnicities. So, I want to stress I am not asking us to stop using the term, but don’t be afraid to call guys like Gabbert, or Blake Bortles, or Carson Wentz, or other Caucasian quarterbacks “mobile” as well as guys like Cam Newton or Russell Wilson.

-       -  Okay, rant over! Moving on, it’s time to recognize the Dallas Cowboys as the best team in the NFC. They are 6-1 and only lost week one against the Giants because Terrance Williams has no idea where the sideline is. Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott have done unreal things as rookies and the defense is playing much better than the talent on paper would represent. The offensive line is the best in football and it’s really not even close. Not to mention a healthy Dez Bryant will help the team to not remain so one-dimensional (even though it hasn’t slowed them down). The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC and while there are definitely other teams who can and will challenge them this season, I will be picking the Cowboys on a regular basis to win the rest of their games and maybe even make it to a Super Bowl.

-       -  Chiefs’ running back Jamaal Charles has landed on injured reserve after being active for just three games. Complications with his knee have left many wondering before the season even started if he would ever be the same and now we are seeing what is more than likely the end of Charles great career. While I wouldn’t say he is Hall of Fame worthy, we certainly have to acknowledge Charles as one of the best running backs of the 2010s.

-       -  The NFL trade deadline was yesterday and there was almost no activity, let alone blockbuster trades, to be made. It was a very boring day, despite big names such as Sheldon Richardson, Cameron Wake, Joe Thomas, Joe Staley, and Joe Haden as well as others on the trade block. There was one big trade, however…

-       -  The Patriots dealt linebacker Jamie Collins to the CLEVELAND BROWNS for a compensatory third round pick in 2017, per nfl.com. I have quite a bit to say on this so let’s break it down for each team:

-       -  I would say the clear winners of this trade are the New England Patriots. The Patriots entered a contract-year with Collins and were able to ship him away from a high third round pick. That beats the hell out of losing him to free agency and not getting anything in return until the 2018 draft. Collins was reportedly asking for Von Miller money, although he denied that today per cleveland.com. Regardless, Collins is one of the best young linebackers in the game and it would’ve been extremely difficult to sign him long-term without damaging their cap space tremendously. It is also a practice we often see with the Patriots, as they dealt Chandler Jones to the Cardinals just before the 2016 draft for a second round pick. Overall, it makes sense for the Patriots side. On the contrary…

-       -  Why did the Browns trade a valuable third round pick for a linebacker who clearly is more about himself than the team, let alone the fact that he is entering free agency when the 2016 season concludes? I understand the Browns are devoid of talent by why trade a high pick away for someone who can’t make your team win now? Collins is a stud, don’t get me wrong. And if the Browns can resign Collins for the right price, he will be a great building piece for this defense. I have to convince myself that he is the future leader for this defense. If they let him walk in free agency, was it really worth it, Cleveland?

-       -  Another week, another tie. I am not going to say much on this because I already covered it in last week’s Quick Hits, but I still hate ties. Hopefully after back-to-back weeks of games ending in ties, the NFL will take a serious look at perhaps changing overtime rules and preventing this from happening.

-       -  This little piece came out today while I was writing this week’s Quick Hits ad found it to be the perfect note to end on. NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger has been suspended for six months without pay for making obscene comments about how the Eagles should’ve attempted to injure Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott, per Bleacher Report. This is beyond awful, and I’m not just talking about Baldinger’s comments. How can the NFL Network, a television channel that represents the NFL in its title, suspend someone who went as far as to say, “This is the guy that we’ve got to hurt” and, “In fact, we may even put a little bounty on Ezekiel Elliott”?! That’s about as unprofessional as it gets. The man shouldn’t be suspended, his ass should be on the curb. There is absolutely no way this man should continue to have a job working for the NFL *BLEEPING* NETWORK. This shouldn’t even be something we are talking about, but it now needs to be. Join me in asking for this man to resign or be fired for these comments. It is beyond absurd he will be rejoining the network when his suspension ends.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.