Week four is almost over. We have two games on tonight, and my picks are a respectable 9-5 so far this week and 38-24 over the season. We won’t discuss how my fantasy team is doing. That might be a season long miss.
But before we get into the rest of the hits and misses, I need to have a talk with a few of you. I know it’s going to be hard to hear it from me, a Raider fan, but I think it’s time for a heart to heart Chiefs fans.
So come close, let’s not drag this out too long.
Chiefs fans, old and new. Mahomes fans, Taylor Swift fans, people who just like the color red. Whatever your reason for following the Chiefs, it’s time to face a couple of hard truths. Yes, you are still undefeated. And yes, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are probably the best combo coach/quarterback in the league. And yes, there’s a really good chance you are still going to be at the top of everyone’s power rankings later this week. But the reality is, your season is in trouble.
Injuries are wrecking your season. Hollywood Brown wasn’t critical because you had Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice. But now Rice looks like he’s going to miss time. Last year you had bad receivers and still won? Yeah, but you had a better running game last year. And Pacheco is gone for the season. Kelce doesn’t seem to be able to run from here to there without needing a water break. You are winning, yes, but the offense is struggling. The defense is holding up its side, but another injury could make things dicey. It’s time to worry Chiefs fans. The threepeat hasn’t happened before for a reason. This team doesn’t look like its going to make it either.
On to the hits and misses!
Hit
The New Orleans offense is not the high powered machine we saw the first two weeks of the season. They are competent, they can hit the big play, and they have talent at the skill positions. But they aren’t a juggernaut of scoring.
Miss
I might just create a permanent spot on this column for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Baker looked fantastic early on against the Eagles. I just cannot figure out this team.
Hit
The Colts. I picked the Steelers to win, but on the Gridiron Voice podcast I talked about this as a trap game. Indy plays much better at home. They got off to a fast start against the Steeler defense and even when Richardson had to leave the game, Flacco continued to score points. This might be a thing for this Colts team, play great at home, awful on the road.
Miss
Jacksonville being done. The talent is still there, it just seemed like the effort was missing the last couple of weeks. Effort wasn’t an issue this week against Houston. They played well enough to win, but Houston has Nico Collins and that was the difference.
Hit
Dallas got the win in New York, but the Giants looked like the better team. There were just a couple of quirky plays that kept the Giants from getting that last score they needed to overtake the Cowboys. Lots of injuries came out of this game. The Cowboys won, but it cost them their pass rush.
Miss
Washington’s offense. Jayden Daniels is developing right before our eyes. For the first time, I really saw him going through his progressions before taking off and running. But more impressive was how easy it seemed for them to make plays and gain yards. It looked like everyone was open, every running lane was wide. It’s time to start enjoying this ride for as long as it lasts.
Hit/Miss
I can’t wait to get a deep look at the Minnesota/Green Bay game. I’m calling this a hit/miss because there were two separate games. There was the 28-7 Vikings win in the first half, and the 22-3 Green Bay win in the second half. Which of these games is the represents how these two teams are going to play going forward?
Ok that’s it for the hits and misses of week four. Time to get ready for some Monday Night Football x2!