The NFL season is already a month old, and it has been full of surprises. Here are some talking points from the first four weeks of American football.
1. The Chargers are a disaster in Los Angeles
While the failure to secure a stadium deal in San Diego was blamed for owner Alex Spanos moving the side to Los Angeles this summer, the move could hardly have been more underwhelming or embarrassing for the NFL. Not only are the Chargers stinking it up, sitting at 0-4 after having blown a number of close games, but they also find themselves playing in a 27,000 seat football stadium in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for the NFL and the Chargers, Los Angeles has given the Chargers a wide berth, and the side has not only been unable to sell out the StubHub Centre, by far the smallest ground in the NFL, but fans of the visiting sides like the Dolphins, Chiefs and Eagles have taken over the stadium.
On Sunday, the Chargers cancelled a pre-game introduction of individual players as it was evident that at least 70% of the crowd were supporting the Philadelphia Eagles. While winning a few games would surely help the situation, the Chargers are probably not even in the top ten most followed teams in LA.
They had a passionate fan base in their 62-year home of San Diego, and it will be interesting to see if the NFL intervenes if LA continues to shun the team.
2. The Patriots’ defence is awful
Heading into the season, the general consensus was that New England was the prohibitive favourite to win the Super Bowl. However, the defending champions have been anything but great, sitting at 2-2 and shipping an alarming 32 points per game through the month.
Not only are the Patriots surprisingly sitting behind the Bills in the NFC East, but they have lost two of their opening three home games at their fortress Gillette Stadium. What were expected to be routine victories over the Chiefs, Texans and Panthers at home turned into wild shootouts, with the Patriots going down shockingly to the Chiefs and Panthers.
They barely scrambled over the line 33-30 against the Texans, only surviving courtesy of a late Tom Brady drive.
While the Patriots have rarely had great defences, they have seldom looked this bad consistently. Five-time championship coach Bill Belichick often finds a way, but it will take all his coaching genius to get this defence looking capable of supporting another championship.
3. Contenders Cowboys and Raiders looking shaky
The Patriots have not been the only heavyweight to look fragile through the first quarter of the NFL season. Last year’s storied, historic franchises, the Cowboys and Raiders, stamped themselves as contenders by winning 13 games and 12 games, respectively, in the regular season. While they were both one and done in the playoffs, both these sides had their sights set on the Super Bowl this season.
Number one seed in the NFC in 2016, the Dallas Cowboys, are 2-2 and sitting behind both the Eagles and Redskins in the NFC North. The Cowboys went 13-3 just a year ago behind rookie sensation Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott but have suffered a loss at Denver and a shock loss to the Rams 35-30 at home on Sunday.
The Raiders are also 2-2, despite having gone 12-4 a year ago and having one of the most explosive offences in the league. They have now dropped two games straight, putting in anaemic offensive displays at Washington and Denver.
The highest paid offensive line in football has been pushed around in the past couple of weeks, with Derek Carr looking shaky in the pocket, as the Raiders managed just ten points in each of their last two losses.
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
4. Shock as Rams, Bills lead NFC
Two teams that much-maligned heading into 2017 in the Rams and Bills find themselves sitting pretty at 3-1 atop their divisions. These two teams have suffered through more than a decade of futility each, with the Rams failing to make the playoffs since 2004, and the Bills playoff drought is the longest in the league, having not made the postseason since 1999.
The Rams 3-1 start has largely been due to a surprisingly potent offence with second-year quarterback Jared Goff looking like a much more assured player under new head coach Sean McVay, while running back Todd Gurley has rediscovered his all-conquering form from 2015, proving a dynamic running back and receiving option.
While the Rams’ offence has propelled them to three victories, the Bills have forged their success largely on defence, giving up just a combined 54 points through four games, at an average of under 14 per game. The Bills scored their most impressive victory of the season on Sunday, knocking off NFC champion Atlanta 23-17 in their own stadium.
Whether these teams can keep it going remains a question; however, they have given their fans cause for optimism under new coaches this season.
5. Predictably, Jay Cutler looks like a disaster in Miami
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Dolphins desperate move to sign retired quarterback Jay Cutler a few weeks before the kickoff already looks like a disaster. The Dolphins have stumbled and bumbled their way to a 1-2 start, including two particularly ugly losses to the Jets and Saints.
The Dolphins couldn’t muster a single touchdown in their 20-6 loss to the Jets, or their 20-0 loss in London to New Orleans.
Concerning for Dolphins’ fans, the Jets were widely considered the worst team in football heading into 2017, while the Saints have had the league’s worst defence over the past few years.
Cutler hasn’t been terrible; however, he has hardly provided a spark. Cutler has been much maligned over his career for his poor body language and average record as a starting quarterback.
He looked happy in retirement a couple of months ago, and the Dolphins’ decision to bring him in from what would have been a promising new career for Cutler in the broadcasting booth could prove a disaster for both Miami and Cutler himself.
If the Dolphins don’t improve, they are unlikely to keep Cutler beyond the season, with starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill back from injury, and that lucrative broadcasting role may no longer be there for the veteran.
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