We’re now officially a third of the way through the 2022 NFL season and it’s been…a strange one. League-wide scoring is down as defensive coordinators are now starting to exact revenge on offenses after a few years of hardship. It’s fun to see and a refreshing change of pace. And as always, it gives us an opportunity to learn something new. Let’s take a trip around the league.
Who needs Christian McCaffrey, right?
The shock result of the weekend saw the coachless, down-on-their-luck Carolina Panthers handily dispatch Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-3. Truthfully, once the Panthers got on the board it was never a contest as the defense stifled a sputtering Buccaneers offense that just can’t get out of its own way right now. The offensive line is patchwork and failing to hold up in protection and the ground game is virtually nonexistent, ranking dead last in rush EPA per play through the first seven weeks, per RBSDM.
However, this isn’t a eulogy for the Buccaneers. It’s a chance to recognize a solid performance from the Panthers. One they deserve a lot of credit for. In the wake of trading away Christian McCaffrey, there was little reason to be excited about a Panthers offense that scored just 17.7 points per game and was effectively the worst offense in the league by EPA and DVOA standards.
What made the performance even better was a dominant ground game, just a few days after trading away Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. D’Onta Foreman and Chubba Hubbard combined for 181 yards at 7.5 yards per attempt while Hubbard added a touchdown to the proceedings. It was a nice change of pace for a team that has really struggled to generate any offense this season. Ultimately, it might not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but good for the Panthers.
The Patriots bench Mac Jones against the Bears
Firstly, when the Chicago Bears hang 33 points on your head, there has to be some sort of repercussion. It’s just the second time in the Bears’ Justin Fields era that the team has scored more than 30 points – but that isn’t the real talking point of the 33-14 win and that’s a shame.
The real talking point was the benching of Mac Jones in the first quarter after three ineffective drives and one interception. It was Jones’ first start since Week 3 when he suffered a high ankle sprain against the Baltimore Ravens and it didn’t last long. Fans were even chanting for Bailey Zappe after Jones’ interception and felt somewhat vindicated after he led back-to-back touchdown drives before throwing two interceptions.
After the game, Bill Belichick said that using both Zappe and Jones was always part of the plan and that Jones’ health was a factor in that decision. Which begs the question: if Jones’ health was enough of a factor for him to play in only three series in a regular season game, then why play him at all? A strange decision all around.
Dak Prescott is back for the Cowboys
Now for a quarterback comeback that went a lot smoother. Dak Prescott hadn’t seen the field since Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after suffering a broken thumb. In his absence, the Cowboys’ defense carried the load while Cooper Rush helped stabilize the offense.
Prescott returned in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions and, though he started slow and forced the ball into danger a few times, he settled down, made some great throws, and reminded people why he’s a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. He completed 19 of his 25 pass attempts for 207 yards, adding a late touchdown pass to Payton Hendershot – his first touchdown pass of the season – and ranked third in EPA+CPOE, per RBSDM.
Having Prescott back is huge for the Cowboys. Especially since there are so few good teams in the NFL right now. Without Prescott, the Cowboys were already one of the better teams in the NFL – thanks mostly to an elite defense – but getting their franchise quarterback back puts them on an even better trajectory. They’re legitimate Super Bowl contenders and one of the four best teams in the NFL.
Injuries rear their ugly head
Boo you, injuries. An unfortunate inevitably of the NFL is players are going to get injured. It’s a violent contact sport and you would have to have your head in the sand to think otherwise. Regardless, it’s still sad to watch any player get injured, but it hurts a little bit more when it’s a rising star in the league.
The big casualty on Sunday was the New York Jets rookie running back, Breece Hall, who is now out for the season with a torn ACL. The second-round pick had been lighting up defenses for the past few weeks and was the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year up until Sunday. Even against the Broncos, he had already rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on four carries and was averaging 5.8 yards per carry on the season.
Hall is an exceptional talent and hopefully he recovers and steps back into the role as the Jets starter next season. Injuries suck.
The Packers continue to disappoint
Gosh. The Packers are a surprising 3-4 through seven games after losing to the Washington Commanders 23-20 on Sunday. It’s their worst start to a season since 2018 when they finished 6-9-1 and questions about Rodgers’ long-term impact started surfacing. Now, nothing is really going right for the Packers.
The offense can’t generate big plays down the field or effectively run the ball and the defense is distinctly below-average. We’ve spoken about the Packers a few times this season, and it has always felt like, as long as they have Rodgers, then there’s a clear path to getting better. But, right now, it doesn’t feel like it. They’ve just lost to the Commanders, Jets, and Giants in consecutive weeks and now have to go on the road to face the rampant 5-1 Buffalo Bills. Yikes.
To pour even more salt into the wound, Rodgers has been having his say on matters regarding players who should and shouldn’t be playing. That’s not exactly great leadership from an all-time great and, while he doesn’t name names, there’s no reason to throw your guys under the bus when you’re also underperforming. He’s 24th out of 36 quarterbacks in EPA+CPOE.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: Jeffhoffman2001. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.