With three weeks of football in the books there is more than enough to talk about. The NFL has so much going on from the bad (Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson) to the great (Sunday’s Broncos-Seahawks rematch). Here is a look at the five biggest storylines to keep an eye on as we head into Week 4 of the 2014 NFL campaign.
1. Will Goodell survive the season?
It is increasingly likely that the top story for this entire season will be whether or not Roger Goodell still deserves his job as NFL commissioner. With how clumsily he’s handled every one of the scandals facing the league, I can’t imagine a good argument for him staying. The way he handled the Ray Rice domestic violence case was proof he’s not fit to hold his position. Other than Anthony Weiner I don’t think anyone in history has had one scandal blow up in his face on three separate occasions.
Given how poorly Goodell has handled the concussion and domestic violence issues, his completely inept press conference from Friday, his defense of Dan Snyder and the fact that there was a lockout on his watch, I think it’s time for Goodell to go. The owners feel differently right now, but if public calls for his ouster continue, he will eventually lose support.
At this point I have more confidence in a Malaysia Airlines flight landing at its intended destination than I do in Goodell as the NFL’s commissioner. Hopefully the owners come around to that view soon.
2. Will the Jaguars win a game?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are terrible. I’m not talking Florida Georgia Line terrible, more like “Transcendence” terrible. Both are awful, but one is on another level because you actually expected something from it.
After three games the Jaguars have a minus-75 point differential, and their three opponents (Philadelphia, Washington and Indianapolis) have a combined record of 2-4 against teams other than the Jaguars. Jacksonville also has the distinction of having the NFL’s worst defense (466.0 yards per game) and second-worst offense (266.0 ypg). The Jags also have the league’s worst run defense (160 ypg) and worst pass defense (306 ypg).
There’s literally nothing good about this team.
Jacksonville wanted to bring rookie quarterback Blake Bortles along slowly and let him learn behind Chad Henne, but there’s nothing Bortles can learn from Henne other than how to be mediocre at best and atrocious at worst. It’s time to throw Bortles to the wolves and at least get him experience.
With a horrid defense and what might be the NFL’s worst offense, there is a very real chance the Jaguars go winless this season.
3. Something is rotten in San Francisco
Whether it’s the litany of off-field distractions (here, here and here) or the fact that head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t exactly beloved among his own players, the San Francisco 49ers are in trouble. Harbaugh is a no-nonsense kind of guy, but his personality has grated on people since his days at the University of San Diego. He tends to wear out his welcome quickly and that could be happening again. The 49ers don’t even seem interested in extending his contract.
Things on the field aren’t much better. The 49ers are 1-2, with their only win coming against a hapless Cowboys team in Week 1. In come-from-ahead losses to the Chicago Bears (28-20) and Arizona Cardinals (23-14), San Francisco looked utterly lost on both sides of the football when it mattered. The 49ers have been outscored 52-3 in the second half of their first three games this year. That’s absolutely horrendous. In fact, San Francisco’s fans have shown more fight than the actual team.
Things don’t get easier for the 49ers any time soon as they welcome the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs to Levi’s Stadium, then face road trips to St. Louis and Denver before finally getting to the bye week. Harbaugh needs to figure out a way to turn things around, and fast.
4. Young quarterbacks under fire early
In the past, when a young, “franchise” quarterback was handed the reins of his team, he usually got a few years to develop before being pulled. This year fans are already clamoring for some of the league’s young signal-callers to be bumped to the bench. Guys like Ryan Tannehill, Robert Griffin III, EJ Manuel, Jake Locker and Geno Smith are all under fire after woeful early season showings.
Tannehill might lose his job to Matt Moore despite the fact that the Miami Dolphins have a lot invested in him. He has completed just 56.5 percent of his passes through three weeks and boasts a quarterback rating of just 74.1. Tannehill is averaging an NFL-worst 5.03 yards per attempt, but does have four touchdown passes against just two interceptions. But that may not be good enough.
Tennessee Titans former first-round pick Locker has the same problem as Tannehill. He has only completed 56.4 percent of his passes and has thrown just three touchdowns against four interceptions. His passer rating of 70.8 ranks 30th out of the 32 quarterbacks who qualify. While Locker’s status for Week 4 is unknown because of a wrist injury, Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt is sticking with him…for now.
Thanks to yet another injury to Robert Griffin III, Washington has put its fate in the hands of Kirk Cousins, and he has shined. Cousins’ quarterback rating of 105.8 ranks fourth in the NFL, he is completing 64.2 percent of his passes and has five touchdowns and just one interception in two games under center. No one would be surprised if RG3 never got his job back.
EJ Manuel has been under fire since the Buffalo Bills took him in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft and he has been wildly inconsistent again this season. Manuel is little more than a game-manager at this point in his career but he has shown slight improvement. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. So far this year he has completed 63.2 percent of his passes, but only has three touchdowns against one interception. While his passer rating of 90.8 looks decent, it ranks 18th in the NFL, and his Total QBR rating of 31.1 ranks 32nd out of the 35 quarterbacks who qualify. The Bills are apparently not going to give Manuel a long leash this season.
Geno Smith is the ultimate enigma for talent evaluators. He has the physical tools necessary to succeed and occasionally makes great throws. But the second-year quarterback of the New York Jets also make some really terrible decisions with the football. Through three games, Smith has completed 63.1 percent of his passes, but is averaging just 6.92 yards per attempt and has three touchdowns against four interceptions. His quarterback rating of 77.0 ranks him at 27th league-wide and his Total QBR of 33.2 slots him at 31st. The guy needs to get better or the Jets could turn to backup Michael Vick.
So will the struggles of those young quarterbacks force their teams to make changes because if the win-now culture in the NFL? Will will probably find out soon.
5. The Packers are the season’s biggest disappointment so far
Pretty much the entire NFL is wondering just what the heck is going on in the land of cheese and regrettable purchases. Aaron Rodgers has looked decidedly un-Aaron Rodgers-like, the supposedly revamped defense has been shaky and Eddie Lacy has looked like a helmeted dump truck with a flat tire. What gives?
The Packers, yes, the Green Bay Packers rank 21st in the NFL in passing offense (210.7 yards per game), 27th in rushing offense (78.7 ypg) and 27th in scoring offense (18 points per game). The team’s offense usually runs like clockwork, but now it’s running like ’77 Datsun.
Defensively the Packers are giving up a ridiculous 156 rushing yards per game, which ranks 30th in the league. Green Bay’s defense was never going to be stout, but it could at least use a little help from the team’s offense. That hasn’t happened.
Rodgers is healthy and isn’t throwing interceptions, but he has already been sacked nine times and Lacy is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. That means the offensive line just isn’t getting the job done.
The Packers have needed a makeover on the offensive line for years, so maybe this season will finally be what forces general manager Ted Thompson to revamp it. It’s long past time for him to get Rodgers some protection.
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