Let's clear some things up: the Brady-Bellichick 'era' is not over. There is no 'quarterback controversy' brewing. Jimmy Garoppolo will not start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
As bad as the Monday Night Football loss to Kansas City was, it doesn't change anything in New England. It does, however, confirm the Patriots' status as a team in trouble. Through four weeks the Pats have lost a divisional game against the Miami Dolphins, scraped past the lowly Oakland Raiders and been dismantled 41-14 by the Kansas City Chiefs. That they beat the Minnesota Vikings by a sizeable scoreline does not disguise the fact that they are suffering from an atypically anaemic offence.
Only a few weeks ago, Tom Brady said: "when I suck, I'll retire". I don't see him retiring any time soon, but Brady, for the first time in his career, sucks right now. Brady has looked like a shell of his 2002-2013 self, and the offensive line, now without Logan Mankins, have not helped him out. The Patriots are 23rd in rushing offense, and a mind-boggling 30th in passing.
Brady has talent around him, but he does not have the time to work his magic and bring them into the game. Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins are talented, but redundant because Brady is jumpy about getting rid of the ball before getting laid out.
The defence, too, were horrible against Kansas City, but they will still be able to keep the Pats competitive this season. Unfortunately, I don't think that will be enough to make the playoffs. Of course, they looked bad through four games in 2013 and still ended up in the AFC Championship game, so there's still hope for Pats fans.
The Cowboys are not a guaranteed playoff team...
It was hard not to be impressed by the Cowboy's dominant win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Their offensive line looked unstoppable as DeMarco Murray ran riot over the Saints' struggling defence, and Tony Romo went 22-of-29 for 262 yards and three touchdowns.
No one is taking that win off them, but, as should always be the case with the Dallas Cowboys (but rarely is), expectations must be tempered. They beat a Saints team that had allowed Matt Ryan to break the Falcons' single-game passing record and then lost to the Cleveland Browns the week after. The Cowboys laid an egg against the San Francisco 49ers and followed that up with unimpressive performances against St. Louis and the Tennessee Titans. The win does not magically erase the Cowboys' inability to get into the postseason over the past few years, and - although they played exceptionally well against New Orleans - it doesn't hide the fact that their defence is still porous. They are allowing nearly 380 yards per game, and in a division that features high-powered offenses courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants, that could be disastrous.
Four games is too early to anoint them NFC East champions, but it is also too early to completely rule them out. Get back to me in week eight and, if the Cowboys have strung together some performances of the calibre of that Saints win, then we can start seriously discussing them as contenders.
But the Cincinnati Bengals are...
In much the same way that it is too early to rule out the Dallas Cowboys from making the playoffs, it is also too early to really lock anyone in for a playoff berth. However, if you had to bet on one team playing football in January, the Bengals would have to be it.
As so many pundits, journalists and analysts are so fond of saying, the Cincinnati Bengals are "the most complete team in football". They currently sit - after a bye week - seventh in total offense and 11th in total defence, with convincing wins against division rivals the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans under their belt.
Andy Dalton is hardly setting the league on fire, but he is playing smart, mistake-free football in a scheme that allows him to maximise the considerable talents of players like A.J. Green, Giovanni Bernard and Mohamed Sanu. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals boast a deep and stingy defence that leads the league in one of - if not the - most important statistical categories: scoring defence. Through three games, the Bengals are officially the best at keeping opposing offenses out of scoring positions, and have a league-leading +15.7 point margin that should only increase when they face the floundering Patriots offence this Sunday.
In much the same way that it is too early to rule out the Dallas Cowboys from making the playoffs, it is also too early to really lock anyone in for a playoff berth. However, if you had to bet on one team playing football in January, the Bengals would have to be it.
As so many pundits, journalists and analysts are so fond of saying, the Cincinnati Bengals are "the most complete team in football". They currently sit - after a bye week - seventh in total offense and 11th in total defence, with convincing wins against division rivals the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans under their belt.
Andy Dalton is hardly setting the league on fire, but he is playing smart, mistake-free football in a scheme that allows him to maximise the considerable talents of players like A.J. Green, Giovanni Bernard and Mohamed Sanu. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals boast a deep and stingy defence that leads the league in one of - if not the - most important statistical categories: scoring defence. Through three games, the Bengals are officially the best at keeping opposing offenses out of scoring positions, and have a league-leading +15.7 point margin that should only increase when they face the floundering Patriots offence this Sunday.
J.J. Watt is the NFL MVP
I am one of those people who, almost every season, hopes and prays for a defensive MVP. The last overall MVP to ply his trade as a defensive player was Lawrence Taylor in 1986. Taylor is widely - and rightfully - hailed as the greatest defensive player of all time and revolutionised the concept of pass-rushing outside linebackers, who had previously played the game in a reactionary capacity. 'LT' dominated opponents during his revolutionary career with the New York Giants, and his uncanny speed and strength meant offences had to game plan around this one man. Defences often did - and still do - this for offensive players, but rarely the other way round.
Fast-forward to 2014 and J.J. Watt is dominating opposing offensive lines in a manner reminiscent of Taylor. When Jadaveon Clowney was drafted by the Texans with the first pick in the 2014 NFL draft, many expected Watt to benefit from the extra attention his new team-mate would bring; Clowney has been inactive for the better part of four weeks due to injury, and in that time Watt has been nothing short of dominant. He currently has 16 quarterback hits, more than 15 teams have, and in week four alone Watt had more hits (nine) than any other team had. His total means that the Texans have a league-leading 34 hits, and his 31 pressures would have seen him finish inside the top 20 at his position for the entirety of last season.
Oh, and he also caught a touchdown while lined up at tight end against the Oakland Raiders, and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.
Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers are great at passing for touchdowns and yardage through the air, but they are simply doing what they are being paid to do well, and currently Watt is doing his job better than they are doing theirs. J.J. Watt lives in a world all of his own, and he breathes the rarefied air reserved for the Best Player in the League. Should his play remain at this level for the rest of the year, you are looking at your league MVP.
Fast-forward to 2014 and J.J. Watt is dominating opposing offensive lines in a manner reminiscent of Taylor. When Jadaveon Clowney was drafted by the Texans with the first pick in the 2014 NFL draft, many expected Watt to benefit from the extra attention his new team-mate would bring; Clowney has been inactive for the better part of four weeks due to injury, and in that time Watt has been nothing short of dominant. He currently has 16 quarterback hits, more than 15 teams have, and in week four alone Watt had more hits (nine) than any other team had. His total means that the Texans have a league-leading 34 hits, and his 31 pressures would have seen him finish inside the top 20 at his position for the entirety of last season.
Oh, and he also caught a touchdown while lined up at tight end against the Oakland Raiders, and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.
Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers are great at passing for touchdowns and yardage through the air, but they are simply doing what they are being paid to do well, and currently Watt is doing his job better than they are doing theirs. J.J. Watt lives in a world all of his own, and he breathes the rarefied air reserved for the Best Player in the League. Should his play remain at this level for the rest of the year, you are looking at your league MVP.
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