Week 4 of the 2018 NFL season featured several shootouts and late-game heroics by some of the league’s biggest stars. Here is a look at the highs (including the Los Angeles Rams staying undefeated) and lows (Earl Thomas breaking his leg in the Seattle Seahawks' win) of the weekend:
Highs
3. Los Angeles Rams stake their claim
The Los Angeles Rams continued their destruction of NFL defenses with a 38-31 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in what many experts believed be a preview of the 2018 NFC Playoffs. Quarterback Jared Goff completed 26 of 33 passes for 465 yards and five touchdowns. Three Rams’ receivers compiled over 100 yards, and running back Todd Gurley recorded 156 total yards. This offense looks unstoppable, much like the legendary “Greatest Show on Turf” once did.
The problem for Los Angeles is the defense. Several important players are either out long-term or still not ready to take the field. One of the team’s key defenders, Dominique Easley, suffered another injury and appears on his way to injured reserve alongside fellow key defenders like Morgan Fox and Aqib Talib. Overall, the Ram’ have suffered more injuries this season through four games than they did all of last year.
Nonetheless, the team’s depth has managed to overcome these injuries thus far, and the Vikings’ game is a great example of that.
2. Kansas City Chiefs remain unbeaten
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are on fire. Their 27-23 victory over the improved Denver Broncos showed they could win on the road against a rival on national television. Mahomes proved that he could overcome a rough start and lead his team late in games. This is a team to be reckoned with in a rather weak AFC.
Right now, the only thing holding back the Chiefs is their defense. If Kansas City can fix some of their problems on defense, they could be the team to beat in the AFC. Their matchup with the Rams in Mexico City might just be a Super Bowl preview.
1. Watch out for Chicago
The Chicago Bears destroyed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-10 this past weekend to claim first place in the NFC North. Six months ago, I would have laughed at you for naming the Bears as contenders. Now it’s clear that the Bears aren’t just a contenders for this season, but they are built for long-term success.
This franchise has lived and died by its defense for nearly 30 years. Suddenly, second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky has found his way, and his receivers have emerged as true playmakers. The Bears are for real. Look for them to compete for the NFC North title this season and for years to come.
Lows
3. Earl Thomas suffers broken leg
Almost every diehard NFL fan out there watched the Earl Thomas – Seattle Seahawks saga during the offseason. Thomas wanted a new contract or to move on elsewhere, and the Seahawks said no. He eventually returned to the team without a new contract. Now he will enter free agency next season coming off a major injury.
Thomas showed the Seahawks how he felt about the situation when he flashed the bird towards the team’s sideline after suffering his broken leg. I can understand how he feels. Unfortunately, the situation isn’t as cut and dry as the players would have us think. The truth is that Thomas already signed his big money contract. He’s in the last season of a 4-year, $40 million contract that guaranteed him $25.725 million. That was top-end money four years ago.
To criticize the Seahawks for not wanting to re-sign him misses the point. Thomas was already paid for this year. The team wasn’t obligated to extend him. Maybe the Seahawks only planned to keep him one more season while preparing to replace him. Maybe they were working a trade for him. Or maybe they wanted to gauge his performance this season before investing more money in him. Regardless, Thomas was under contract this season.
Still, it’s impossible not to feel for him. Thomas always plays hard. He leaves everything on the field, and one can hope that he will resume his career with a team that values him long-term and pays him what he’s worth.
2. Something stinks in Pittsburgh
One of the narratives that I saw on Twitter this past weekend was that the Pittsburgh Steelers could really use Le’Veon Bell after the team’s horrid 26-14 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens. However, the reality is that the Steelers never really gave their running game a chance against Baltimore. The game went into halftime tied at 14-14, yet the Steelers ran the ball only 11 times in the game. That’s not Steelers football. It never has been.
Backup running back James Conner stands at 6-foot-1, 233 pounds. He’s not going to be successful with less than 15 carries per game. Conner and the Steelers need to wear down defenses. That’s how this season has panned out. Pittsburgh is 1-0-1 this year in games when Conner registers 15 or more carries. The Steelers are 0-2 when he carries the ball less than 15 times. The Steelers succeed with balance. Bell would certainly help that, but Pittsburgh was more than capable of winning the Ravens and Chiefs games without him.
1. A tie is better than a loss
I don’t want to be too hard on Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich for his decision to go for it on 4th down against the Houston Texans late in overtime. However, giving the ball to the Texans inside Colts territory with less than a minute to go is almost an unforgivable risk. Houston quarterback DeShaun Watson stayed true to form and quickly got his team into field goal position. The Texans won 37-34.
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