By Brandon Simmons
Devante Adams Traded
Devante Adams has finally been traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets. The All Pro wide receiver will be reunited with Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, who was his teammate as a Green Bay Packer.
This is a trade that can work for both teams in this moment. The Raiders have finally sent Adams away and can focus on rebuilding this team as opposed to guessing whether or not Adams will stay. Adams will be on a team where his play will positively affect the success and it won’t all have to fall on him. In addition to Rodgers, Adams will play alongside Jets wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard. The downside to this, is the Jets don’t look like that much better of a situation than he left from. They fired the coach last week and changed offensive coordinators, so there will already be an adjustment to be made from the entire team. However, the roster is a lot better than the Raiders right now and the division is a little more winnable than the AFC West. Adams has a shot to really put his talent to use and do some actual competing once again.
What does it Mean for the NFC North to All Have Winning Records?
As of Sunday all the teams in the NFC North have at least 4 wins. It is the first time since the merger that an entire division has at least 4 wins after Week 6. And each team showed out this past weekend too. The Green Bay Packers beat up on the Arizona Cardinals 34-13; the Chicago Bears tore up the Jacksonville Jaguars; the Detroit Lions demolished the Dallas Cowboys; the Minnesota Vikings had a bye week but have already have put uptheir own impressive blowouts in their5-0 recordthis year.
So what does this all really mean for either of these teams? It’s Week 6 but it ‘s hard to really designate this whole division as something to be feared this early. One thing for sure is Minnesota and Detroit look legit – especially the latter as a true Super Bowl contender – but Green Bay and Chicago are honestly having a hot streak. The same could be said for the Vikings and Lions but their wins look a little more stout, especially with the Lions, who also have a stronger team on paper. Last season, fans flirted with the idea that a whole division could be in the playoffs and if the NFC North continues their winning ways, that idea could be a reality this time around. But that is a long way off from that possibility being entertained.
Which Coach Gets Fired First?
After the New York Jets fired Robert Saleh last week, the coaching hot seats have been turning up a lot. Any team that appears to be struggling at this moment has been brought up as a candidate for the unemployment line. Right now, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson have been brought up in these conversations. McCarthy and the Cowboys were recently on the wrong end of a 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. Pederson and the Jaguars were handed a 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in their first of back-to-back London games.
Neither one of these teams are playing good football right now, which could send both coaches packing. McCarthy might have some job security in the fact that the Cowboys are 3-3 and dealing with injuries all over the place. Not to mention a couple of roster issues that can be argued for as well. However, despite their 3-3 record, the Cowboys’ loses are big losses. Even the game against the Baltimore Ravens they were down 28-6 early on. That is not so much the case with the Jaguars. The team is 1-4 with seemingly better talent. When Pederson took the job, he inherited QB Trevor Lawrence, who Jacksonville’s number one overall pick from the previous year. Pederson even took this team to the playoffs his first year, which included a come from behind playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers. But things have not been as progressive as the Jaguars would like. Last season they missed the postseason and have jumped to a 1-4 start this year.
If there was a bet to be made on who would be canned first, my money would be put on Pederson. It seems that the main issue sems from play calling, in which Pederson took a stand that he would not change. Anytime a coach makes those kinds of statements, it never appears to work out for them in the long. Either they end up making the change they didn’t want to or they become the change being made, through termination. In fact, Pederson made a comment that might be damning to his fate. He said in a press conference that the Jaguars needed a culture change. That is crazy considering he was supposed to be that “culture change” following the failed stint of Urban Meyer as Jacksonville’s head coach, which was its own disaster. Pederson was supposed to represent progress for the franchise’ young QB as well as the rest of its talented roster. Instead, they look like they have regressed in dramatic fashion and on the verge of losing their season and current head coach.
Did Drake Maye Justify Starting Even in Defeat?
The New England Patriots started rookie QB Drake Maye this past Sunday in a loss to the Houston Texans, but did he get the win in retaining the starting spot? The Patriots lost the game 41-21, but the Texans didn’t pull away until late in the game. The closest the game got was at the end of the first half when Maye threw a touchdown to make the game 14-7 in favor of Houston. He finished the day with 243 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 picks.
Maye looked like a rookie quarterback early on but played through the adversity. The key to any success he had was the playcalling, in being able to find plays he was comfortable with that wouldn’t have him do too much. That really built his confidence up and allowed him to get into a rhythm. For a rookie debut, it wasn’t bad at all, outside of getting the win of course. He is going to have to work on the interceptions, but the 3 touchdown passes are definitely a bright sign for a start. The best thing for the Patriots is to start Maye against some of the lower tier teams coming up, which will be the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, just so he could have a shot at getting a win under his belt. This stetch will definitely determine how many games he should be starting for the rest of the year after that.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to the NFC North for becoming the first division since the merger to have all the teams over 4 wins after the firs 6 weeks of the season. As mentioned earlier, it is too early to designate them as being feared but this group is certainly one to be dealt with at the moment.
Shut out to injuries…again. Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered a left leg injury that will keep him out for the season. Washington Commanders defensive tackle suffered a pectoral injury which will also sideline him for the rest of the year. Sad to see this happen to two dynamic players so hopefully they have efficient recoveries and come back out stronger.
Assuming all the coaches remain in their jobs, it should be a great Week 7 ahead. The San Francisco 49ers host the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. Niners have had a rough start with injuries but this should be a game that they bring their best for. We finally get a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. The undefeated Vikings will host their division rival, which will be a game between 2 of the league’s top teams. Vikings finally get their biggest test of the year and both teams hope a win will give them the edge in the division race. But until then…I’ll holla.
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