Sports Each and every week, FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager opens his notebook and opines on three of the glorious storylines at some stage within the league. Listed below are his takes heading into Week 9, along side a four-team division battle that can provide quite loads of intrigue down the stretch.
The Wild, Huge-Inaugurate NFC West
The NFC North is basically among the finest division in soccer this twelve months. The NFC West is basically the most keen. It is as if the season begins appropriate now, and in a bustle to the salvage, every team has a explicit course to a division title and a explicit storyline to that opening-round home playoff game.
I witness at the Arizona Cardinals, winners of two stroll-off games in a span of six days, and they’re currently on high of the NFC West standings at 4-4 and a pair of-0 within the division. In Sunday’s dramatic salvage over the Miami Dolphins, Kyler Murray regarded admire an elite NFL quarterback and any individual remarkable of the No. 1 overall decide way that he bestows. And but, the account has been the Cardinals’ offensive line. Unheralded, unknown, and comparatively beneath the radar, Arizona’s O-Line has been a brick wall. They haven’t given up a sack for the ideal 3 games. It is essentially among the finest we have considered from their line for the reason that 1975 season when the team performed in St. Louis and Jim Hart change into as soon as handing the rock off to Jim Otis and tossing to Terry Metcalf. Arizona is undefeated within the division, boasts one amongst the youngest rosters within the game and has a home game in opposition to the Chicago Bears this weekend.
Within the period in-between, the Los Angeles Rams are this surging locomotive that is all accurate now re-energized after being build aside down for pointless a few weeks attend. Los Angeles has a new vibe, their stars don’t appear to be being shipped anywhere, and having talked to head coach Sean McVay this weekend (whereas he change into as soon as celebrating his son’s 1st birthday at his residence on Saturday), there could be a belief that this team can plod on a escape. The intellectual situation for L.A.? Novices Jared Verse and Jaylen “Tank” McCullough like both been excellent. Verse had a national coming-out event in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings ideal Thursday, along side a Mic’d up segment posted by the team that made the rounds all weekend. McCullough is an undrafted megastar at security out of Tennessee. When the NFL Network build aside together their binder of 412 draftable avid gamers in April, he change into as soon as not incorporated. It is the combination of veterans who’ve been there (Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford), rookie and second-twelve months standouts, and arguably essentially among the finest teaching workers within the league, all engaged on the “No one Believes in Us” fuel.
And then there are the San Francisco 49ers, who will likely score Christian McCaffrey attend following their bye, and the Seattle Seahawks, who are as up and down a team within the NFL as there comes. Yet both are currently tied with the Cardinals for first disclose within the division.
There are 10 weeks ideal within the standard season, the division is huge originate, and essentially among the finest is but to come attend.
Can Kyler Murray and the Cardinals escape away with the NFC West title? (Picture by Ezra Shaw/Getty Photos)
The Eagles’ Defense is Flying Again
Humorous thing, isn’t very always in point of fact it? All that ink spilled and voices lost on Philly sports actions radio in September over this team’s shortcomings — and witness now, the Eagles are rather rattling lawful, no? The offense cannot get in essentially the most well-known quarter — an odd oddity — however they appear to love figured things out at some stage within the final three weeks. We knew they’d score it appropriate. However the protection is what’s value highlighting. There’s been so fundamental frustration at some stage within the final two seasons with the Philly D. The Eagles were 10-1 and fired their defensive coordinator ideal season. No one blinked. Objectively, attempting attend on it, it change into as soon as a wild decision. However that is how high the expectations were a twelve months ago and after Sean Desai, it most piquant bought worse beneath Matt Patricia.
So, insert Vic Fangio, who consulted for them and labored with Jonathan Gannon for his or her Trim Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, flirted with the Philly defensive coordinator job earlier than taking the identical gig in Miami, and then, bolted from the Dolphins to enroll within the Philadelphia workers ideal January. The early returns weren’t extensive, however then came the bye week. And all accurate now, Philly’s protection — with all these younger Georgia younger of us playing exhausting, with their first two draft picks starring within the defensive backfield, and with key stops in mountainous moments — is attend on the plan. It change into as soon as 17-17 on Sunday in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals, and also that you just can maybe almost definitely hear the WIP-FM phone traces already lighting fixtures up. However, then, on three of the closing four drives, the D stepped up and build aside the game away. On the road, in opposition to Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Toddle, and the D made two well-known stops and compelled two turnovers.
The rookie tandem of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean has been a revelation over the outdated couple of weeks. With so many eyes on the Eagles draft, they took not one, however two avid gamers at their greatest situation of need of cornerback. And both avid gamers…had been lawful. DeJean change into as soon as excellent on Sunday vs. the Bengals. In his third NFL launch, the slot nook change into as soon as a demon within the originate field with key tackles, along side the crucial fourth down stuff of Toddle within the fourth quarter. DeJean has moreover been an efficient punt returner. Mitchell change into as soon as essentially among the finest participant on the field not named Saquon Barkley in opposition to the New York Giants two weeks ago. One after the other, you battle by the names, and whether or not or not it is Carter, Dean, or Josh Sweat — they’re all starting up to come attend together. Though there are tranquil some moments of stress — that is natural — this protection is way improved. And quietly, the younger guys are main the style.
The Eagles’ protection has been a intellectual situation at some stage within the final few weeks. (Picture by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire by project of Getty Photos)
Ken Dorsey’s Huge Day
Coaches score their moments, too. Ken Dorsey change into as soon as persona non grata after being fired by the Buffalo Bills mid-season in 2023. The veteran College of Miami critical person quarterback change into as soon as rolling with Josh Allen till the offense hit a rut ideal twelve months. Dorsey change into as soon as canned, and then Joe Brady’s unit bought hot and rolled the general way to a division title. Dorsey took the second half of the season off, watched from afar, and hit the path to search out a new gig. Kevin Stefanski tapped him to lend a hand the Browns offense, and he change into as soon as attend and employed by an NFL team. However ideal week, Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year who has prolonged called plays in Cleveland, grew to change into to Dorsey and gave him the keys to play-calling and the offensive gameplan for Week 8. With Jameis Winston beneath center, the Browns’ offense came alive. The numbers are staggering. In Week 1-7, the Browns averaged 15.6 capabilities per game. In Week 8, the Browns build aside up 29 in a aesthetic salvage over the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns had higher than 400 yards of offense for essentially the most well-known time all season and committed no turnovers. It change into as soon as an emotional salvage for the franchise — with Winston starting up, and in essentially the most well-known game for the reason that passing of prolonged-time radio announcer Jim Donovan — however Dorsey coming in mid-season to way up the gameplan labored wonders. It could maybe most likely maybe be too tiny too late for Cleveland in a loaded AFC, however Sunday change into as soon as a testament to sticking with a dream and believing in a single’s self. Jameis, finally. However Ken Dorsey, too.
Ken Dorsey had the Browns’ offense rolling in an upset of the Ravens in Week 8. (Picture by Cut Cammett/Diamond Photos by project of Getty Photos)
Stat of the Week
Two avid gamers like had 2+ passing TDs and a speeding TDs in a pair of games this season: Josh Allen…and Bo Nix.
Peter Schrager is an NFL Insider for FOX Sports and a host of “Right Morning Soccer” on NFL Network. That you just would be capable to maybe almost definitely notice him on Twitter at @PSchrags.
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