Well, we didn’t quit. That’s a good sign at least.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. That was ugly, and I’m a bit deflated. You can take a headfirst dive into the pool of denial and blame the travel and its related fatigue; that’s fine. Not me. We have some serious issues on our hands.
Optimism about this season is still visible, but it’s becoming adept at blending in with its surroundings.
Snap Judgments:
KOC’s play calling has been…questionable. This is based solely on the initial game viewing, with no deeper data available, but the love of longer-developing routes is inexplicable. I don’t get it. With a decimated offensive line, you’d think our passing game would look more like Rodgers and company than Joe Gibbs/Air Coryell. I’m giving it time, of course, as he’s earned the benefit of the doubt. Duh. But something has to give – and quick.
Things don’t seem to be coming as easily as they did in the previous three years. Corners and safeties appear to be on everything, even on receptions. The well-schemed, wide-open gainers that we’ve been accustomed to are few and far between. Everything is a slog. Have tendencies been uncovered? Ineffective adjustments? I don’t know.
Injuries are officially catastrophic. It’s starting to look like our planned starting five on the offensive line may not play a single snap together this season. Ryan Kelly’s 2025 campaign (if not career) may sadly be in jeopardy at this point. You cannot mess with concussions. He needs to do what’s best for his long-term health. I’m hoping for the absolute best for him.
Elsewhere, I have a bad feeling about the Brian O’Neill knee issue. I’d be shocked he’s not on the shelf for weeks (or worse). Initial reports indicate an MCL, with an MRI to follow. Vibes are not good.
With that, KAM will surely be working the phones. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a starter on the offensive line post-bye that isn’t currently on the roster. The only silver lining is that the implosion occurred before the trade deadline. Like the Cam Robinson deal last year, it’s only a matter of what draft capital we give up.
Not exactly breaking news, but it’s impossible to overstate how important Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel are to this defense. Dallas Turner appears to have taken some critical steps in development, but Van Ginkel’s anticipation and ability to execute the coverage wrinkles that Brian Flores loves are undeniable.
Eric Wilson is solid, but no one is going to argue that he’s superior to Cashman, given his savvy as the director of Flores’s scheme. The three-game stretch he missed with turf toe last year saw the Vikings give up two of the three highest point totals of the season. Granted, they were against the Lions and Rams, but still.
Parity is real. You can’t lose this many starters and not suffer the consequences.
I’m officially done with Chris Kuper. For the vast majority of his three-plus years here, Kuper’s been in quicksand.
Injuries have nothing to do with defenders running free at the quarterback. I’ve lost count of how many times J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz never stood a chance. It’s now happened twice in four weeks. Not even getting bodies on defenders is a failure of basic protection responsibilities. It’s coaching. The injuries will likely save him, but they shouldn’t.
It should also be noted that, heading into Week 4, Ed Ingram is sitting at a 75.6 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade so far this year with the Texans, which is apparently good for 3rd out of 95 qualifying guards. Ezra Cleveland sits at a solid 66.5 overall (26th out of 95) for the Jaguars. And while his overall PFF grade isn’t excellent (56.2) for the Patriots, Garrett Bradbury is sitting at 3rd in overall pass-blocking grade (75.5) for centers. That was, of course, his primary issue as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
There is no quarterback controversy. I never thought there was one, but it’s been floated out there and discussed. J.J. McCarthy is the QB of this team. There’s an argument you don’t want to risk David Carr’ing him behind a second-rate, United Football League line, but it’s not because he shouldn’t have the job.
Err on the side of caution. Even if he’s healthy, you cannot put McCarthy out there with a turnstile offensive line against that vaunted Cleveland Browns defense. Josh Allen would get brutalized. You can’t do that to the highest drafted QB in team history. KOC is fond of saying that organizations fail young quarterbacks far more than they fail the organization. Well, he should take that advice. Wait until after the bye, when Donovan Jackson returns, along with a possible reinforcement via a trade.
I applaud Carson Wentz. He showed incredible guts to take that beating and hang in there. He officially took six sacks but got pummeled far more than the numbers indicated. However, his official numbers – 30/46 for 350 yards, 2TDS, 2INTS – look better on paper than they appeared in reality. Interceptions aside, when he wasn’t running for his life, it did seem like he was locking onto his primary receiver a bit too long and not making the timely progressions we saw last week. Again, though, I don’t think KOC was doing him any favors, either. It’s all just a mess.
The defense will have to save the season. It’s becoming clear that we’re going to need a Herculean effort from Flores and company if we want to see the postseason. Today was another shaky performance, overshadowed by an even worse offensive effort. Not quite as bad as the Falcons game, but close. Issues stopping the run persist (131 yards/4.5 per rush), and it was frustrating watching Aaron Rodgers do exactly what everyone knew he was going to do in the first half with those tedious, one-step quick hitters.
That being said, given everything, if my concern level for the offense is a 7, it sits somewhere between 0 and 1 for the defense. Flores is arguably the best defensive coordinator in the league, with only Steve Spagnuolo, Vance Joseph, and Vic Fangio in the conversation. He’ll right the ship. Cashman is returning, and Van Ginkel should be ready for next week.
You need to find optimism somewhere, because it’s a lot harder to do on offense. I’m a huge fan of McCarthy, but you can’t stick your head in the sand either. There were always going to be growing pains, regardless of whether we stayed healthy. However, the offensive line catastrophe has thrown a massive spanner in the works. I think that’s the term they use in Ireland, so it fits.
The magic formula was always going to be a steadily improving McCarthy and a lights-out, Top 5 (or better) defensive unit over the course of the season. This is technically still possible. Then again, it’s technically possible to win the Powerball, too.
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