Standings & Stuff: 9/22/21

Raiders and Chargers coming soon… (Photo Courtesy of Duane Barker & Mid Valley Sports)

By Joe Torosian

Stuff:
Rams: Have not played a complete game yet. To beat Tampa they need to. Oh, and wrap up defensively.
Cardinals: Heed the words of The Wolf. “Well, let’s not…just yet.” I have doubts, and so should you. Possible trap game in Jacksonville.
49ers: Not overwhelming, a steady stream of injuries, but this is a physical team that Green Bay’s not going to like.
Seahawks: Bad loss at home. Defense? Defense? Terrible.

Stuff:
Packers: This team doesn’t scare me at all. Cruising for a bruising against the 49ers.
Bears: Justin Fields didn’t exactly light it up against Cincy. Hope the Second City is as patient with his play as they were impatient to see him play.
Vikings: HC Zimmer is about to be HC Ziggy.…meaning he will be canned if he doesn’t close the deal on these close games.
Lions: They had me believing for about two quarters & five minutes. And then Goffality set in.
“Goffality”—meaning Jared Goff is always going to be Jared Goff.

Stuff:
Eagles: Better than a year ago, maybe enough to win the NFC Least, but Jalen Hurts needs to produce against the good teams as well as the chumps.
Cowboys: Should have lost on Sunday. Jerry Jones must be sick that he’s paying Zeke Elliott $15-million a year to be the team’s second best running back. All’s not lost, they can buy Elliott out at the end of next year for $50-million.  (How marvelous…)
Washington: Should get handled by Buffalo, but it will be close for a while.
Giants: If they cannot beat the Falcons, the coaching staff should be fired and the team demoted to the new USFL.

Stuff:
Buccaneers: The Rams beat them a year ago. Tampa’s secondary is vulnerable. But then there’s Brady.
Panthers: I don’t know how it’s going to end or even play out, but it’s clear; “Sam Darnold Has Risen From The Grave!”
Saints: Everybody and their brother was on the COVID list. Bad loss on Tobacco Road, and going to New England in Week 3 is not exactly what the doctor ordered.
Falcons: This team is bad. They’re not going to win now or next year, and the starting QB is 36. Matt Ryan has a bad contract—but if some cap/contract magic can be made—he should be a candidate to be moved to a contender. Could he salvage Miami if Tua goes down, again? Could he salvage Indy when Wentz goes down for the count? Washington? Not a prediction—just something to think about.

Stuff:
Raiders: I was wrong about them beating the Steelers. And they did it without Atkinson and Tatum. Need to beat Miami in Vegas to secure position as a contender. But the Autumn Wind is blowing.
Broncos: Playing better than anyone’s noticed. But before we do anything rash—dig this: Denver is 2-0 playing the Jags and the G-Men…Falling in love is such an easy thing to do.
Chiefs: Loss to Baltimore is good in the long run. They might be the best, but it’s still the NFL and no one’s going to rollover and die for you just because you’re Patrick Mahomes.
Chargers: New coach, new hope, new outlook, and same result. It was painful as a football fan to see them lose to Dallas. And it was excruciating to see them depend on Jared Cook.

Stuff:
Steelers: People are jumping off of the “Ben Roethlisberger is in The Best Shape of His Career” bandwagon. You can draft Najee Harris—or Eric Dickerson—but if you’ve got the same offensive line? Can the defense play offense?
Bengals: Never ever, ever, buy Cincy stock. Win over the Vikes was fool’s gold.
Browns: Everyone is hot for Baltimore right now, but this team is more complete. As long as Baker Mayfield doesn’t try to make a tackle.
Ravens: All hail Lamar Jackson…While you can, because the more he plays, the more he runs, the more likely he is to get popped onto IR. #JustAMatterOfTime

Stuff:
Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa needs to play, and he needs to play well…But I don’t think that’s going to happen Week 3 in Las Vegas. The ‘Fins are missing something.
Patriots: MacMania doesn’t require stats, only wins. Pats get their second against NOLA this week. Don’t face Buffalo until December, but get Tom and Tampa in two weeks.
Bills: A stumble against Washington won’t look good. So don’t expect it.
Jets: First-Year’s, like Harry Potter, are never asked to save the world. And First-Year’s, like Zach Wilson shouldn’t be expected to either. Note to Robert Saleh: Run the ball! Go gently with the rookie QB.

Stuff:
Texans: The Davis Mills Era has begun. This will likely be the Season of The Four QBs in Houston. Like the year of The Four Emperors in Rome. Definitely not the worst team in the NFL.
Titans: Who are these guys? I like King Henry…but this team disturbs me.
Colts: Didn’t run the the ball enough against the Rams. Jonathan Taylor carried just 15 times ( only 32 times this season). Not enough.
Jaguars: Is there a little voice whispering in anyone’s ear that…maybe…the Jags might ambush a Cardinals’ team thinking about the Rams in Week 4?

Joe T.’s Record

Stuff: I did better this week…but there are plenty of reasons—again—why I don’t bet…

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Joe T. is the author of “Tangent Dreams: A High School Football Novel” … “Temple City & The Company of The Ages” … “The Dead Bug Tales” … “The Dark Norm” & “FaithViews for Storm Riders”…all five available through Amazon.com.

www.JoeTorosian.com
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
Follow Joe on Twitter @joet13b
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Be sure to read:
College Hoops Breakdown—by Riley Saxon
The Urena Express—by Steven Urena (MLB)
From The RamCave—by Joe T. (Every Friday)