After another NFL week with plenty of interesting results and the trade deadline having passed by, things have changed in the NFL hierarchy.
The NFL is halfway through the regular season, and the trade deadline has passed, with plenty of teams making moves to try and boost their chances of winning the Super Bowl or tanking and gaining draft capital. Jacksonville seems to be going all-in behind Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence. The Lions made a move that bolstered depth in the secondary, but the move may have added more concerns for Kerby Joseph’s return. The Jets stood firm and held on to the good players, like Aaron Glenn said. Kirk Cousins is a Viking again, and Justin Jefferson will finally get his targets back. Many questionable moves or teams not making moves lead to plenty of things to react to this week from the trade deadline.
The Jaguars Will Not Make It Past the Wild Card Round
Look, the Jaguars are going all-in, that is for certain. They traded for safety Jessie Bates III from Atlanta, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New Orleans Saints, and then the big one was giving up a first round pick this year and a second round pick in 2029 for Jordan Davis from the Philadelphia Eagles to bolster the run defense. All of these moves improve Jacksonville’s defense, and they already have a good offense with Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen running the show. So, the take is going to be that they are the Super Bowl favorites, right? They are going to win the Super Bowl, right?
Well, I am not completely sold on Jacksonville’s moves; it can actually be said that they gave up too much for Davis, as he will not provide the same impact that Jeffery Simmons will for Chicago, and the Bears only gave up a little more compared to Jacksonville. The Bengals deal for Dexter Lawrence, only giving up the 10th pick in the draft, seems like a steal now.
The Jaguars currently sit at the four seed in the NFL playoff picture and would either be slated to play Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs or Joe Burrow and the red hot Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville would have to get to the two seed at least to avoid two tough opponents in the five and six spot in the AFC.
Davis had graded 39th overall as a run stuffing defensive tackle with a 64.9 rating. Jeffery Simmons, who was just traded for similar capital, was ranked ninth in his position with a 78.3 rating.
The Jaguars also play an easy schedule and do not really face any tough opponents, with their toughest game remaining at Chicago. It is possible that Jacksonville is not tested enough by the time they arrive at the playoffs in January. Even after all these moves, I think it blows up in Jacksonville’s face, and they do not even sniff the Conference title game.
The Pittsburgh/Cincinnati Winner on SNF Will Be in the AFC Championship Game
The AFC North has been the second best division in football this season behind the NFC North, and the two teams at the top are playing some good football. The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers will meet on Sunday Night Football, with the winner being in the driver’s seat of the division.
Well, I’ll take it one step further and say that the winner of this highly anticipated Sunday Night matchup will not only win the division but will make the AFC Championship game.
On one hand, the Bengals are an obvious candidate, with Joe Burrow playing like an MVP frontrunner. Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins have been fantastic, the offensive line has held up for Burrow this year, and the defense has greatly improved with the additions of Dexter Lawrence and Boye Mafe. They have a clear path to the AFC title game, with a win on Sunday night putting them in front of the division.
The Steelers, on the other hand, might not have as clear a path, but Aaron Rodgers has been really good this season, the offensive line is better than last year, their defense is still top notch, and they are getting an offensive player of the year caliber season from Jaylen Warren. Darnell Washington is also a great red zone threat, as he can dribble any defender that comes his way.
Both of these teams have good to great offenses and defenses this year, and if they win the AFC North, they would already have an advantage by getting through the toughest division in the conference. The winner of this game will continue their hot streak, and as long as they remain healthy, the winner will make the AFC title game.
Kevin O’Connell Saved His Job
Things were looking bleak for the Minnesota Vikings after they trotted out Carson Wentz on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills and had arguably the worst quarterback performance of the entire season. Not even arguably, it was awful to watch. Justin Jefferson looked over it, and the Bills made Wentz look like he was a high schooler playing professionals out there.
The Vikings only put up six points, and Minnesota’s defense could not hold up once again, as the offense was anemic for the entirety of the game. Even at 6-2, Kevin O’Connell had questions about his job security due to the fact that he is a quarterback whisperer and an offensive guru.
The reason Minnesota has six wins is because Brian Flores is so good at his job, and O’Connell’s offense has been terrible. The seat has been heating up under O’Connell’s seat, as Brian Flores has become the most valuable coach in that organization.
In comes Kirk Cousins at the buzzer of the trade deadline to improve Minnesota’s offense right away, as he has played in the system and has been playing good football for the Raiders this season. The Vikings welcome back Cousins, and so does Justin Jefferson, who has been having a downer of a season with Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.
Now, barring an injury, the Vikings should be just fine with Kirk Cousins and steady the ship to win enough games to make the playoffs. Kirk will carry Minnesota’s offense to win just enough games to make the playoffs and keep Kevin O’Connell as the head coach of the Vikings.