Overreaction Monday: 5 NFL teams better off blowing it all up after three weeks
It's Week 3 of the NFL season. Is it too early to hit the panic button? Of course not.
The Miami Dolphins put up 70 points on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers had the comeback of the year, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Ugly Bowl on primetime television. There was plenty to write home about with this week's NFL slate, much of it good.
Of course, it can't all be positive. Several teams disappointed in Week 3 — some to such an egregious extent that we can't help but recommend a full teardown. It's mighty soon to get existential about the future of your team, but if you cheer for one of these five organizations... you're probably on the right track.
No. 5 NFL team who should blow up: Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders hired Josh McDaniels last January. The team went 6-11 in his first year on the sidelines, wasting a Pro Bowl campaign from Derek Carr and the explosive playmaking talent of Davante Adams. The former Patriots offensive guru was billed as Bill Belichick's hard-to-get disciple, but he looks strikingly like the mediocre head coach who only lasted two years with the Denver Broncos in his first go-around as the man in charge back in 2009.
Well, hopefully, fans didn't talk themselves into a better outlook in 2023. The front office downgraded the QB position from Carr to the perennially middling Jimmy Garoppolo, no doubt hoping his years of experience playing for McDaniels in New England would translate to winning football in Sin City.
The Raiders are 1-2 after an embarrassing Sunday night loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Vegas had a chance to tie the game on fourth down late in the final quarter, but with his team down eight, McDaniels opted to kick the field goal instead — placing inordinate and unearned trust in his defense to get the stop. His defense did get the stop, but with 12 seconds on the game clock, barely enough time for Jimmy G to throw the worst pass you will ever see.
Las Vegas' problems extend beyond McDaniels, but he is the foundation upon which the Raiders' crumbling empire is built. Tom Brady is set to take over minority ownership soon, so there's a good chance McDaniels has too many higher-up advocates to get the boot. That doesn't mean the Raiders should not seriously consider canning him and embracing a youth movement.
What is the honest-to-god point of spending the entire season with Garoppolo as your starting QB? Fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell looked good in training camp...