Three Biggest Storylines and One Bold Prediction for Week 8 of NFL Season
With the NFL regular season almost halfway through, there has been no shortage of storylines and events to help keep the midnight oil burning in the media sphere. Let’s take a brief look at the three biggest storylines in the NFL going into Week 8 and then to wrap things up I’ll provide one bold prediction for what I believe will occur within the week.
The struggling play of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers
This one is a no-brainer. Heading into Week 8, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have both struggled profusely according to their standard. Brady on the season has 8 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a QBR of 53.2 (14th). While Rodgers has 11 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a QBR of 40.5 (26th). Though the issue lies deeper beyond the numbers. Neither quarterback has shown the ability to impact the game with their talent as we’ve seen in years previous. Whether that is attributed to age, team injuries, personal issues, or a combination of all three, one must begin to question whether this will be the new norm when it comes to these Hall of Fame quarterbacks. To add one caveat however, Brady and the Bucs are currently 3-4 sitting atop the NFC South while Rodgers and the Packers are 3-4 sitting at second in the NFC North. So maybe, just maybe, everyone should listen to the old advice of Aaron Rodgers and R-E-L-A-X. Either way however you view, don’t expect this storyline to go away anytime soon.
2. Colts benching Quarterback Matt Ryan
The Colts have stated that they’re not conceding and waving the white flag. But how else are you supposed to interpret it when an organization benches their starting quarterback whom they just traded a third round pick for and now sit at 3-3-1 eight weeks into the season? Now the Colts are still only a game and half out of the top spot in the AFC South and have a decent shot at still winning the division. But with the Colts technically ruling Ryan out with a Grade 2 sprain in his right shoulder and all reports coming out of Indianapolis being that Ryan’s shoulder is completely shot and can not generate enough power to be a starting NFL quarterback, it appears all to likely that the Colts are conceding and accepting the fact they've missed the mark on trades for what they thought were elite-level NFL quarterbacks for the past two offseasons. Perhaps they’ll have luck tanking and finding their next Andrew Luck in the draft?
3. The Rich get Richer
If you weren’t ready to declare the Philadelphia Eagles as the best team in the NFC, perhaps this update will. The Eagles this week sent a 4th round pick over to the Chicago Bears in exchange for veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn. Now Quinn may be having a sup-bar year (1 sack so far this season) compared to the season he had last year where he tallied 18.5 sacks, but his presence alone will foster the already stout defensive line that is in Philadelphia. If the Eagles don’t win the NFC this year then Meek Mill has to do a collab album with Cassidy.
-One Bold Prediction
Lets ride! It's no question that Denver has underperformed so far this season and the play of Russel Wilson has played a factor in that. Now in my opinion, it is still far too early to start thinking of any shifts in head coaching or at the quarterback position. But according to reports, the new ownership in Denver is not happy at all with the play of the team and are looking win now and turn things around quickly. The fact that Russel Wilson has already begun to alienate himself amongst his Denver teammates (perhaps everyone should have listened to Richard Sherman from the beginning) is only exacerbating the situation. Which is why if the Denver Broncos lose this weekend to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, either Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett will be fired or Russel Wilson will be benched for the remainder of the season or quite possibly both. Now let me be clear I will never use my platform to call for another man to lose his job and means of income, I am simply stating what I believe will happen.
