2014 Week 3 NFL Reactions

With the exception of the Sunday and Monday prime time affairs, week 3 of the 2014 NFL season has come to an end, and it did not disappoint.

Plenty of exciting games were on the table, and on top of that, it was a good week in the prediction world for most. I am currently at 9-5 on the week and that puts me at 26-20 (56.52%) on the season. Considering that a lot of other analysts did good too, I am not completely satisified with the how the week played out, but as I get a better grasp on the strengths and weaknesses of teams, that percentage will go up.

Right now, however, we must recap week 3. Here are some of my instant reactions:

• The Buccaneers look awful. Losses to Derek Anderson and the Panthers, Austin Davis and the Rams, and a complete blowout loss to the Falcons have me laughing at how I called them a surprise team in the preseason.

• Despite the two-point loss to the Ravens, Brian Hoyer and the Browns are playing some good football right now. Keep an eye on this team. Playoffs are not out of the question. (Did I just say that?)

• Could the Packers not be the elite team they once were? A big loss to the Seahawks, a squeaker win over the Jets, and a loss to the Lions have me a bit worried.

• Tony Romo and the Cowboys overcame a 21-0 lead to win today. Granted, it was against the Rams, but it’s still pretty impressive.

• With Drew Stanton under center, the Cardinals beat the 49ers today. I’m still having trouble letting that sink in. Now the question: Is Arizona that good or are the 49ers showing some weakness?

• Both the Broncos and Seahawks are still Super Bowl contending teams. What a great game these two teams put on today. The Denver offense and the Seattle defense both just play at an incredible level.

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2014 NFL Division Preview: NFC West

Despite the lack of real football making time crawl slower, Jacob’s Sports Talk has already covered six of the eight NFL divisions and has only two left. The last month or so has flown by, and we are getting closer to Kickoff 2014 with each passing second.

Before we know it, the season will have begun, your favorite team will be in action, and this site will be there every step of the way to cover it all.

Plenty of preseason coverage is still to come, but right now, let’s do our second-to-last division preview. Here’s a look at the competitive NFC West:

Note: The records next to each team are how they finished last season, and are not forecasts on how they will do this year. My official season predictions will be released later.

Seattle Seahawks (13-3, won Super Bowl)- 

Last year, the only thing that prevented me from calling this team a true Super Bowl contender was quarterback Russell Wilson’s lack of NFL experience.

So what does Wilson do? He leads his team to the best record in the NFL, playoff victories over the Saints and 49ers, and an absolute demolishment over the Broncos in the Super Bowl.

It was an incredible season all the way around, but in all fairness, Wilson is not the true leader of the offense.

While Russell is a talented young man that can lead his team downfield in critical times, this is still a run-first team and the reason for that is talented running back Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch consistently ranks among the best running backs, last season finishing sixth in yards and second in touchdowns among all at his position. There is some talk about a possible decline in production, but for me, I will believe it when I see it and expect Lynch to have another successful year.

The other big factor for this team’s winnings is their incredible defense. With guys like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril leading the way, Seattle easily has the best defense in the league. Look for that to continue in 2014.

Additionally, while their receiving core isn’t exactly elite, if #1 option Percy Harvin can manage to stay healthy, he will be a viable target for Wilson in the passing attack. If he can’t, it’s not a huge deal. Guys like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse remain, and as mentioned, this is not a pass-happy team.

A letdown year is certainly possible for this team, but with so much talent and probably the most powerful home-field advantage in the NFL, they should at least be looked at as a Super Bowl threat.

San Francisco 49ers (12-4, lost to Seahawks in NFC Championship)- 

Unlike the Seahawks, the 49ers offense are definitely led by their quarterback- star Colin Kaepernick.

This guy is not only a play-maker, and while he did not put up incredible statistics last season, he can make things happen in critical games or when the game is on the line.

San Francisco also has some nice receiving weapons. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree is a huge asset, tight end Vernon Davis is among the best at his position, and we should not forget about Anquan Boldin and newly-acquired wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who both add to already strong receiving-core.

To add, the 49ers still have running back Frank Gore.

Yes, he’s old. Yes, he’s nearing the end of his career.

But quite frankly, Gore has still played at a decent level, and I think it’s unfair to say that he will have a bad season

Last year, he finished ninth among in yards and eleventh in touchdowns among all running backs.

Finally, the 49ers still have a rock-solid defense, and a good head coach with Jim Harbaugh.

Expect them to definitely contend with the Seahawks for the NFC West, and once again put up a strong fight in the road to a Super Bowl title.

Arizona Cardinals (10-6)- 

To be honest, I think the Cardinals a little bit overrated.

While they finished last season 10-6, their wins came against the following teams: the Lions, Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, Texans, Jaguars, Colts, Rams, Titans, and Seahawks.

The only playoff teams from that list are the Colts, Panthers, and Seahawks. The Colts were inconsistent, the Panthers started the season 1-3 (the Cardinals game accounted for their third loss), and while beating the Seahawks on the road is an incredible feat, it is not enough for me to debunk a relatively easy schedule.

Quarterback Carson Palmer is definitely an experienced veteran who can make some decent throws (he finished 8th in passing yards last season), but I am not sure that this guy has what it takes to lead his team into the playoffs.

He has two pretty solid weapons in wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and the emerging Michael Floyd, but again, Palmer’s overall talent is the concern.

One thing to keep an eye on with Arizona is the running game. Andre Ellington is set to be the featured back this year, and a lot of signs are pointing towards a potential breakout season.

I am not sure if this potential will translate into reality, but it is something to watch as the year progresses.

All in all, a lot of people are calling the Cardinals a playoff contender. I expect them to be more of a .500 team.

St. Louis Rams (7-9)- 

A lot of people are saying that the Rams could be a surprise team, but I just do not see it.

I have waited a long time for Sam Bradford to develop, and I thought last year was a do-or-die kind of season. While he did tear his ACL and stayed out the last few weeks, during his time on the field, he was not particularly impressive.

Truth is, I am losing confidence that Bradford will ever become a quality quarterback, and I am hoping he proves me wrong this season.

Another problem for the Rams passing attack is their lack of receiver weapons. While #1 Tavon Austin is a talented young-man, he was a bust last season finishing with only 418 yards, 122th among all receivers.

Tight end Jared Cook also was not very productive, and this team simply does not have a lot of proven player-makers that can assist Bradford.

One of the lone bright spots in 2013 was running back Zac Stacy. Going into the season, St. Louis had a mess at the rushing attack, but the rookie Stacy emerged and he’s looking to do even more in his sophomore season. While I am a tad concerned about the sophomore slump (it ruined the seasons of guys like Trent Richardson and Doug Martin), Stacy has undeniable talent and should be the best player on offense for the Rams.

Overall, I think this team does not have enough to compete. The fact that they play in the NFC West does not help matters either.

Look for another disappointing season in St. Louis.

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2013 Division Preview: NFC West

NFL football is back. At least it will be tonight when the Dolphins play the Cowboys in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Yes, it’s only preseason. But considering the fact that we haven’t had a professional football contest in over six months, I’ll take it. Meanwhile here at Jacob’s Sports Commentary our preseason coverage continues. We’ve already made it through six division previews, covering 24 teams. Now it’s time to make it 28. Let’s take a look at the NFC West.

Please note: The records next to each team is their regular season record from last year, and NOT my prediction on how I think they will do. My season predictions will be released after the division previews are complete.

San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)- When head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to bench quarterback  Alex Smith and bring in Collin Kaepernick to be the starter after his week 11 performance, I didn’t like it. Sure, Kaepernick had an impressive showing in that Monday night game against the Bears while Smith was on the sidelines nursing a concussion, but with the way Smith was playing before, I didn’t think it was a smart move to bring in a second-year player to lead your team. Well, I was wrong.

Kaepernick led his club past Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the divisional round, past Matt Ryan and the Falcons in the NFC Championship, and came very close to beating the Ravens and leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl title. However, it didn’t happen in 2012 and now Kaepernick has to step up in his second year as a starter. I think this guy is a very talented athlete who can not only make the big throw, but can also make the big run through the Wildcat formation.

The bad news is that the 49ers have lost their biggest receiver in Michael Crabtree. He’s a solid guy but a torn achilles tendon may keep him out for the entire season. This puts more pressure on new wide receiver Anquan Boldin and hopefully he can develop a good chemistry with Kaepernick. Tight end Vernon Davis could also be a critical factor in receiving for the 49ers this year.

San Francisco also has a pretty good running game with Frank Gore. He is aging but he had some really good games last year and I’m expecting him to be fairly productive in 2013.

Mix this in with one of the best defenses in the NFL and you’ve got yourself a very good football team. The biggest question mark for me is whether or not the receiving can step up. If they’re at least adequate, look for the 49ers to be right in the Super Bowl mix again.

Seattle Seahawks (11-5)- Whoa. Where the heck did this team come out of? It seemed that just yesterday I was calling the Seahawks mediocre-at-best and getting angry that Russell Wilson was starting ahead of Matt Flynn. Well, I have to again admit, I was wrong.

Wilson just came out of nowhere in his rookie year and led the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and a playoff victory over RGIII and the Redskins. He might have impressed me more than any other player last year and it is incredible what he accomplished.

If I did this preview two weeks earlier, I would have went on to say how Wilson should be even better this year because he now has veteran Percy Harvin as a wide receiver. Well, Harvin is recovering from surgery and whether or not he will play this season remains to be seen. This puts more light on receivers Sidney Rice and Golden Tate who hopefully can step up in Harvin’s absence.

The good news is that even though the Seahawks receiving crew isn’t particularly a strength, they are a run-first offense. Seattle has an elite running back to help things on the ground with Marshawn Lynch. He is consistently productive and look for Beast Mode to continue in 2013.

Throw in what could quite possibly be the best defense in the NFL and you can see why many analysts are predicting the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl. If things click and Harvin returns, I would not be one bit surprised if the Vince Lombardi Trophy made its’ way to Seattle.

St. Louis Rams (7-8-1)- It seems that every year we wait for this team to become playoff contenders and they turn out to just be mediocre. But could 2013 truly be a breakout year for the Rams?

That question depends a lot on quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford is entering his fourth year as a pro and we’re still waiting for him to have that breakout season. So far he’s been decent, although not great.

Perhaps the addition of rookie wide receiver Tavon Austin could help out the offense. I like Austin and I think that when he has some time to develop, he could turn out to be something special. Tight end Jared Cook is a fairly productive receiver as well.

The Rams running game reminds me of the Panthers’. With Steven Jackson gone, there’s a lot of question marks. The starting job is between Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead, and rookie Zac Stacy. I think that Stacy has a lot of potential as a first year player and I would start him if the decision was mine.

Overall, the Rams just don’t stick out at me this year. I do see some potential, but as frustrating as it sounds, I think they need another year or two to truly develop. Hang in there, St. Louis.

Arizona Cardinals (5-11)- Want to know why the Cardinals had such a bad season last year? They didn’t have a quarterback. Half the time I did my weekly picks on them, I had to google who would start at QB that given week.

However, now the Cards have found some stability at the quarterback position with Carson Palmer. I understand that Palmer is no Brady, Brees, or Rodgers, but he is a veteran and at least I’ve heard his name before.

The other good news for the Cardinals is their receiving core. There’s no point in having receivers if you don’t have a quarterback, and Larry Fitzgerald did not have a good season last year. With Palmer under center, look for Fitzgerald to have a comeback year in 2013. I think that second year wide receiver Michael Floyd could turn out to be a factor this year as well.

Arizona also has a new running game with Rashard Mendenhall. He’s not exactly elite but he is an upgrade from last year so this portion of the offense looks improved as well.

Overall, I actually think that the Cardinals could surprise many this year. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that they’ll make the playoffs but they have some talent that certainly can produce.