NFL Week 10 Winners and Losers: The Jared Goff experience begins

Before we look ahead to next week, let’s pause and reflect on some things from Week 9 as we take a gander outside the box score.

Loser:  Mike Zimmer

Zimmer is now a two-time member of the losers club, and that’s really unfortunate. The Vikings should be a good team and their not losing because he’s a bad coach, just one that is a little over his skis at the moment. That defense is one of the best in football but it’s a unit gassed from having to constantly pick up after the offense.

That falls on Zimmer. He’s the one that needs to find the right guy to run his offense, no matter how many bad hands he’s been dealt with injuries to  key positions. He’s not out there missing kicks and he’s not the one missing tackles and blowing coverage. But that does fall on him to correct those problems, something he’s failed to do during this now four-game losing streak.

Winner: Titans and Dolphins

This week was one for the ages, at least when compared to how the rest of the season has been going. The games were interesting, tight and kept us engaged through most of al four-quarters. But in all the chaos we might have overlooked how great of a week it was for the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.

Miami and Tennessee are now both either at or above .500 on the season. Miami is the first team out in the AFC Wild Card picture, resting at 5-4 following a win over the Chargers. Tennessee has managed to fly under the radar to a 5-5 record, which is just two games behind the Houston Texans. Both teams play winnable games next week which means the Dolphins could be 6-4 while the Titans — with help from the Raiders — could be just a game out of first place with very winnable games against the Bears looming next.

Loser: Jared Goff

It’s official, Jared Goff is going to be starting for the Los Angeles Rams. This is one of the decisions that splits Twitter down the middle, and forces us to all be hypocrites to a certain degree. Most have been asking why Goff isn’t playing and getting experience when the Rams are playing for absolutely nothing this season. But that cry has been countered with one saying Goff shouldn’t play in a scenario where he’s set up to fail — a situation he now seems to be in.

There is nothing wrong with wanting your quarterback to learn the ropes on the fly. That’s a business decision, but it’s not a wise one. Historically, quarterbacks who are rushed into starting situations when they’re not ready don’t last long. Whether they’re Brandon Weeden or Robert Griffin III, starting before you’re ready never ends well. Maybe Goff is ready and we just don’t know it. We’re going to find out one way or another on Sunday, but optimism isn’t very high.

Week 11 NFL Head Coach Hot Seat

The coaching hot seat is starting to get more than a little warm for these underachievers:

1. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers

This is a drum I’ve been beating for a while now but it has to happen. McCarthy has lost this tea, as evident by their blowout loss to the Titans. This team is done and it’s time to find someone who can get them back on course int he prime of Aaron Rodgers career.

2. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers

While the Chargers aren’t terrible, it’s been their MO over the last decade to be just good enough not to totally stink but bad enough to never be good. McCoy is a lame-duck head coach and he’s almost the epitome of a dead man walking in the NFL.

3. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike McCoy is almost the epitome of a dead man walking in the NFL because that’s actually Gus Bradley. The borrowed time he’s somehow been living on has expired and there’s no way he comes back in 2017. He’s the safest bet to be fired this offseason, and if he’s not then the Jaguars deserve the bad things that happen to them on Sundays.

Way Too Early Playoff Simulation

It’s only the start of Week 11 in the NFL, but it’s never too early to pump out some playoff simulations.

Wild Card: Broncos over Texans, Raiders over Ravens; Lions over Giants, Falcons over Redskins

Divisional Round: Patriots over Broncos, Chiefs over Raiders; Cowboys over Falcons, Seahawks over Lions

Championship: Seahawks over Cowboys, Chiefs over Patriots

Super Bowl: Seahawks over Chiefs

Future NFL Head Coaches

There are going to be some vacancies this offseason but who is going to fill them and who are the hottest targets?

1. Matt Patricia to Green Bay Packers

2. Darrell Bevell to New York Jets

3. Ken Whisenhunt to San Diego Chargers

Things That Will Definitely Happen in Week 11

Let’s close out with a look ahead at some things that will definitely happen next week in the NFL. First, let’s look at Week 10 predictions:

• The Redskins are going to hand the Vikings their fourth-straight loss Nailed it. 
• Dak and the Cowboys will beat Pittsburgh, solidifying them as the second-best team in the NFL. Well, they’re the best team now but I’ll take the credit. 
• Jacksonville will pull it off and get a win against the Texans, thus continuing the parity in the awful AFC South. I have a problem and it involves always assuming the Jaguars will figure it out. 

Alright, as for things that will happen in Week 10:

• Minnesota will finally snap their losing streak, thus ending the Cardinals hopes of making the playoffs this year.
• We will all have to take the Titans much more seriously once they beat the Colts and improve to 6-5 on the season.
• The Eagles will lose to the Seahawks but play them close enough on the road that they retain their under-the-radar contender status.
• Tampa Bay and Kansas City will somehow be the most interesting game of the week, with  the Chiefs just sneaking out a win.

We’ll have to see how right or wrong these are when Week 11 of NFL action kicks off on Thursday.

Stay safe out there, America.