Senses NFL pattern.
This is an interesting take. For those who think Tom Brady and fellow NFL graybeard Aaron Rodgers are showing their age by struggling through the first three games, what then is the excuse for Pat Mahomes and Josh Allen, two young gunslingers who also hit a rut.
In his must-read weekly column, “Football Morning in America,” elf-rattled, green-lawns-frowning, soggy-socks-wearing, Daylight-Savings-Time-scared, crossword-puzzle-puzzled, Elon-Musk-peeved , Barstool-Sports-triggered, almond-milk-sipping, hot-dog-eating-contest-protestingmock-draft-scowling, LL-Bean-wearing, tennis fans’ advocate, Second Amendment abolitionist, Mike-Florio-arguing, parrot-insensitive, chewing-with-his-mouth-open, soup-gulping, California-train- romancing, anti-football proliferation, outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal-picture-taking, video-game-playing, Taylor-Swift-listeningpickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eatingoatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, craft-beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training, Budweiser-tolerant, baseball-scorecard-keeping, pasta-feasting, vomit-dodging scrooge, Kay-Adams- following, Coors-Light-souring, pineapple-upside-down-cake-eating social activist and NFL insider of NBC Sports fame, Peter King, isn’t sure because we are only three weeks into the season. But King is starting to feel that this season will be all about defenses, not quarterbacks.
The NFL has been a pass-happy league for the past decade or two. King senses defenses may be catching up with the Star Wars passing attacks.
Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen played on Sunday. They quarterbacked their teams to 12, 14, 17, and 19 points, respectively. Now, this could be a coincidence, and of course, it’s only three weeks of games (not including the last games of the month, Cowboys-Giants tonight and Dolphins-Bengals on Thursday). The seasons are just 17 percent complete.
But the two big national games with offensive geniuses galore that closed out Sunday football ended with scores of 14-12 and 11-10. To see Rodgers and Brady struggle as they have, to see Russell Wilson throw two touchdown passes in three games with a stellar receiving corps… something just might be up.
I do think part of what we’re seeing is a reflection of how defenses are playing, with the consistent two-deep-safety look that’s a part of the game’s current trendy D, the scheme that forces offenses to win underneath with long drives. Perfect example Sunday in Tampa: Midway through the third quarter, the Bucs had two safeties lined up 18 yards deep against Aaron Rodgers, showing nothing before the snap or very early in the snap. Tampa safety Logan Ryan waited, waited, waited and then, when Rodgers threw, Ryan jumped the route of the receiver and picked it off.
Brady’s numbers are down a bit but his numbers against the Packers were not awful. He also pushed his streak to six regular season games without throwing a pick against Green Bay.
As King noted, it might be wise to wait a few weeks to make any broad-brush strokes claiming this is the year of the defense. King, however, could be onto something here.
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