Head Coaching Spotlight: A Look at Gruden, Harbaugh, Payton, and McCarthy

By Jacob Sanders

*Little blurb here. I am sorry to those who do follow and read my stuff. I had to take a 3 month long break in order to focus on school, taking care of my students, and working another part-time job. Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll be writing more consistently again. Thanks again to everyone who reads what I have to say. I love doing this as my hobby and I love the feedback I get from those who do read what I put out. Enjoy!!*

Let’s be honest. Winning consistently in professional sports is hard. Doing it every season, is even harder. Even the best coaches have streaks of doing poorly but they usually manage to bounceback. Sometimes though, those coaches never get the chance and usually for good reason. The perfect example, would be this year’s victim of circumstance, Mike McCarthy. The opposite of this case, is John Harbaugh and even Sean Payton just two years ago. But a big question would be just one word: Why? Why did Harbaugh/Payton get to stay and not McCarthy? All three have a Super Bowl to their name. All three have had regular season and postseason success. Yet McCarthy was fired earlier this season, Payton got an extension in the midst of a few down years, and Harbaugh is receiving an extension in the near future. So why Harbaugh and Payton but not McCarthy? Well, we’ll get into that. But first, let’s examine what’s going on with another Super Bowl winning coach, Jon Gruden….

Get Grudened

If you pay attention to anything going on in the bay area, you would know that the Raiders look nothing like the team did six months ago both on and off the field. Welcome to the Jon Gruden era. When it was announced that Jon Gruden was going to be the Raiders head coach for the next 10 years, the NFL community and Raiders fans alike were gearing up for years of playoff contention and, possibly, Super Bowl contention. Then, the Raiders were torn to the ground bit by bit starting with the release of Marquette King. Pro Bowlers Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper were traded away just a few months later. For the final bit of the 2018 season, GM Reggie McKenzie was fired. At the time of Gruden’s hiring, it appeared that the Raiders were in “lock and reload” mode coming off a dreadful 6-10 season in 2017 when they were just 12-4 in 2016. Well, hindsight is 20/20 and it’s very clear that Gruden was given a 10 year contract because he knew he needed time to rebuild the team in his vision. It’s also now loud and clear that Gruden now gets the final say in the team’s roster, no matter who the next general manager of the Raiders is. That’s probably why former Giants 2x Super Bowl winning GM Jerry Reese declined an interview with the Raiders. He knows fully well that he would not have the normal duties a GM typically has because Jon Gruden is there. In a sense, Jon Gruden has become the Bill Belichick of the west. Not in the winning culture kind of way but in the “my way or the highway” kind of way. Whether that’s good or not remains to be seen.

At times, Jon Gruden’s squad has looked awful and other times it has had flashes. As of right now though, the Raiders have the 22nd best offense in the League averaging 344 YPG and 18.6 PPG. Both of those stats are mediocre at best, especially in a passing league. But when you’ve gutted a roster, you can’t expect to have many wins or points to be scored. While it’s a shame that Gruden elected to waste a year of Derek Carr’s prime, it’s too soon to call Gruden’s second tenure with the Raiders a failure. It’s going to take a couple years and Gruden’s goal will probably be to have this squad contending for the playoffs around the same time they show up to Las Vegas. But first, Jon Gruden and the Raiders have to nail the 2019 draft. The combination of giving away 2 NFL stars and whiffing on 3 first round picks will be a quick formula to getting fired and losing a fanbase. After all “Las Vegas is a feast or famine kind of city.”

Harbaugh and Payton’s comeback tours

Both John Harbaugh and Sean Payton have seen it all. They’ve had some losing seasons, mediocre seasons, many winning seasons, and both own a Super Bowl title to their coaching resumes. Despite their successes though, both head coaches in recent years have received backlash from the NFL community and fans. Sean Payton went 7-9 for three seasons in a row from 2014-2016 and, going into 2017, was being called to be fired by many analysts and football fans. Yet, in 2017 the Saints had a resurgent year making it to the NFC Divisional Playoffs before being defeated by the “Minnesota Miracle.” Now? Sean Payton and Co. are 13-2 heading into the 2018 playoffs with the No. 1 seed, home field advantage and are the NFC favorites to make the Super Bowl.

John Harbaugh’s story has been similar missing the playoffs in three of his last four years with analysts suspecting that 2018 would be his “playoffs or bust” season and many Baltimore fans (not me) wishing he had already been fired. Now in the 2018 season, sitting at 9-6, Harbaugh has Baltimore on the cusp of winning the AFC North for the first time since 2012, the last year they won the Super Bowl, and is being handed an extension by the Ravens organization despite not officially clinching a playoff berth.

So why didn’t the Ravens or the Saints let go of their coaches when things looked grim? The matter of the fact is, that Harbaugh and Payton are two of the best coaches in the business. Before Sean Payton came, the Saints were averaging 14.6 PPG. Ever since Payton has become the leading man of the Saints, their offense has never done worse than average 23.6 PPG which was good for 12th best in the League of the 2007 season. Outside of that 2007 season, when Payton is coaching, the Saints have always had a top 10 offense. Part of that is Drew Brees being the quarterback, but don’t let that discredit how much of an offensive genius Sean Payton is when it comes to his scheming and in-game playcalling. As for John Harbaugh, before he came to Baltimore, the Ravens combined special teams units (punting, kickoff, and field goal units) barely sniffed being overall top 10 units. Once he came in 2008, the Ravens have always fielded a top-5 special teams unit and there have been times when his special teams units have been the reason that Baltimore even had a chance of winning their games. No better example of this comes to mind than the 2012 BAL vs DEN AFC Divisional game in Denver that went into double OT and Justin Tucker nailed a 47 yard field goal to send Baltimore to the AFC Championship and, eventually, to Harbaugh’s lone Super Bowl win. You know what? A better example does come to mind. The start of the second half of the Super Bowl when Jacoby Jones ran for a 109 yard touchdown to set an NFL record for longest kick return in Super Bowl history. See what we’re getting at here? Both Sean Payton and John Harbaugh provide boosts to their specialty areas on the teams that they coach. Sure, it helps that Harbaugh has one of the greatest kickers of all time and that Payton has one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. But do you really think either Justin Tucker or Drew Brees would have been as successful without their respective head coaches? Guess we’ll never truly know. Bottom line: Sean Payton and John Harbaugh are really REALLY good coaches who make their teams well prepared whether they win or lose. Those kind of coaches are hard to find and both the Saints and Ravens organizations were smart for recognizing that and keeping them even when everyone else was calling for their jobs.

But….Mike McCarthy?

Okay so many could argue that Mike McCarthy is in the same mold as John Harbaugh and Sean Payton, no? All 3 of them have had incredible regular season success. All 3 of them have Super Bowl titles to their name. And all 3 of them have consistently made playoff squads. So why is McCarthy out of a job while Harbaugh and Payton are busy trying to make runs at another Super Bowl? Simply put, McCarthy “grew old” and wore out his welcome in Green Bay. When I say that McCarthy grew old, I don’t mean literally. When you examine coaches who have been around for a long time like John Harbaugh, Bill Bellichick, Sean Payton, Andy Reid, or Pete Carroll, you start to recognize that they don’t do the same things every year. Bellichick is probably the best example of constant change in his systems. His specialty (defense) remains the same, but his approach every year to the game of football is always different and is one of the reasons the Patriots are always Super Bowl contenders. The same can be said for the other coaches mentioned above. They don’t “grow old.” They change their systems, they adapt to their players strengths and change their playbooks year in and year out. Mike McCarthy doesn’t do this. We’ve seen him use the same offense for 10 years now. When Rodgers was in his prime, it didn’t matter that McCarthy’s offensive system was stale. His play calling genius and Rodgers’s magical quarterback play brought some of the best offenses in the NFL. But over the years, defensive coordinators and players all around the NFL have adapted. Yes, defenses are still dumb-founded by Aaron Rodgers and his “Wow!” plays. And yes, Aaron Rodgers and the offense can still score a lot of points and make some miraculous comebacks. But that isn’t because of Mike McCarthy. It’s because of Aaron Rodgers. When you have the most talented quarterback we’ve ever seen in NFL history, you should have more than one Super Bowl title to your name. When you have a quarterback who could probably do EVERY. SINGLE. play imaginable, you don’t stick with the same stuff you’ve been doing for years. But Mike McCarthy did and the proof is in the pudding. During the magical years of the Packers offense (2009-2014), the Packers put on a show with fielding a top 5 offense every year that Aaron Rodgers was the starting QB (he didn’t start all of 2013 due to a collarbone injury) except for the 2010-2011 season where their offense was the No. 10 offense. And yes, despite it being their “worst” offense they had in the glory days, that 2010-2011 season was the year they won the Super Bowl. Crazy, right? But in the last four years, their offenses have ranked 15th, 4th, 21st, and this year, 16th. At a time when it’s so easy to score and offensive-minded coaches are coming up with some crazy schemes, McCarthy has stayed steady with his same old game plans that defenses have figured out and it has shown both in the stat sheets and on the field. Don’t get me wrong here. I do believe Mike McCarthy will get another head coaching job and I do believe he’ll be extremely successful wherever he goes. But the matter of the fact is, when you stay in one place for a long time, you can’t be stale, you can’t do the same things, and you can’t “grow old.” Otherwise the players will get tired of the same message and the same gameplans, and you’ll eventually wear out your welcome. Thus, if you really did wonder why McCarthy was fired, you now know why. Don’t worry, though. He’ll be a great coach again someday where his message/gameplans will be refreshing for a new team and a new batch of players to hear. It just won’t be in Green Bay.

Week 5 NFL Predictions

By Jacob Sanders

It’s Week 5. Let me tell you something. Outside of the LA Rams, we know absolutely nothing. Week 4 was absolutely insane. Yes, even with more top teams like KC and Baltimore having statement games, that doesn’t matter. KC isn’t a team built for sustained success and Baltimore has never been a team to dominate all the time. Hell, even New Orleans, Tennesee, and Sacksonville have their problems as well. The Bears look great but do you trust Trubisky to play well all the time? Count me out on that. It’s amazing watching the League transform week to week and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Sanders went 9-6 last putting him to 31-30-2.

Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots

Patriots beat the Colts 38-24. Not surprising. What’s also not surprising? Tom Brady made history to be the 3rd quarterback to reach 500 TDs in his career. Wow. Just wow.

New York Giants vs Carolina Panthers

The bigger questions aren’t necessarily about the Giants but more about the Panthers. This Panthers offense might be really good. But everytime it ever seems like the Panthers are going to be great, they tend to lose (outside of their 15-1 season). It doesn’t mean I’m going to pick against them. Newton and McCaffrey have been dynamite for this offense and have been rolling together. For the Giants to beat them, they have to get ahead early and lean on Saquon Barkley to salt away the game. Not impossible. Also not probable. When you have a quarterback who can still play and a running back that is special, it’s a wasted season with their offensive line.

Giants 17 Panthers 24

Miami Dolphins vs Cincinnati Bengals

So. The Dolphins laid an egg last week. Reminds me of those teams that start 2-0 or 3-0, then they truly reveal who they are and are not as good as you think. The Dolphins have a valid winning formula. They’re also valid to losing games they should at least be competitive in. With Cincy at home, the Bengals have the ability to spoil the Dolphins just like the Pats did last week. Also, have you seen how gritty this Bengals team is? Just go back to last week’s Cincy vs ATL game. Great matchup. Great game. Dolphins don’t have that kind of fireworks.

Dolphins 17 Bengals 28

Baltimore Ravens vs Cleveland Browns

Trust me when I say this was nearly my upset of the week. The Browns, even at 1-2-1, are not a joke. They’ve played like a tough team for 4 weeks now and, with Baker Mayfield, are pretty legitimate. But the Browns have some holes that can be exploited by the Ravens. Also, the Ravens are a team that is extremely balanced and built for tough road wins. Look no further than the win last Sunday night. Flacco is looking to have a career year and no one individual is outshining the other on offense outside of John Brown. It’s quite possible this game could be a shootout based upon how the Cleveland offense has looked with Baker Mayfield and Antonio Callaway. The Baltimore secondary determines this one in a tight game.

Ravens 23 Browns 17

Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions

It’s been nice to see Matt Stafford bounceback in the last 2 weeks from an awful start to the season. That being said, Stafford hasn’t really been Stafford-esque persay. It definitely seemed like Stafford would continue looking like the best player on the offense but hasn’t necessarily been that this year so far. Also. WHERE. IN. THE. **** is Kerryon Johnson. You have one of your best RBs in the last 7 years of your franchise and you’re not playing him on more than an average of 38% of your snaps? That’s called getting in your own way. Speaking of which, the Packers defense didn’t get any bad penalty calls last week! Woot. The Packers put up a shutout against the Bills, a team that is clearly a couple years from a winning record. That’s great and all, but I don’t have the heaviest confidence in Green Bay right now. I do like the defensive effort anyway. It’s hard to put up a shutout in today’s NFL. Another defensive effort like that will be needed if Green Bay wants to beat Detroit.

Packers 20 Lions 16

UPSET OF THE WEEK!!!!

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Kansas City Chiefs

Alright, I had to give a spicy one for the upset of the week. The Chiefs pulled out a gritty win on Monday Night. However, I do believe Denver gave away the winning formula to the rest of the league. Slow. Down. The. Chiefs. Offense. That’s what this team is. Offense. Their defense gives up way too much for the Chiefs to not have to average over 30 points a game to win. The defense for the Jags? Yeah. They give up nothing. They are No. 1 in every single category. Something has to give this weekend and I do believe it’s the Jags defense that will hold strong.

Jaguars 21 Chiefs 20

Denver Broncos vs New York Jets

Well. At some point, the Jets HAVE to win another game, right? Well, as the internet meme goes, this ain’t it. While I’ve seen a few pundits say this is the perfect game for the Jets to steal a win because the Broncos look awful on the road, I’m gonna say no. The Broncos, even sitting at 2-2, look much better than their product has been so far. Maybe it’s just a little blind faith, but without some Patrick Mahomes magic, this team is 3-1. The Jets are 1-3 and have a static offense that doesn’t create many sparks. Darnold must improve at some point if the Jets want to churn out anymore wins this season. The Monday Night Detroit game feels like it was months ago.

Broncos 17 Jets 10

Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers

You have no idea how long I’ve been sitting on this one. When you look at the offensive production from both teams, it’s almost impossible to believe they each only have 1 win a piece. Then you look at their defense, and see truly why each team only has 1 win a piece. So. What does that mean exactly? A classic Western shootout is in store for us. At least that what I think. So who wins the shootout? Well, if I had to guess, I would say Atlanta. I feel that the Falcons have more weapons at their disposal than the Steelers. Jones, Sanu, and Ridley just create a dangerous receiving trio that the Steelers secondary will struggle with mightily.

Falcons 35 Pittsburgh 31

Oakland Raiders vs Los Angeles Chargers

Ever liked watching a Chargers defense when Bosa isn’t playing? Yeah me neither. It’s not fun to watch. More to the point, I feel that this season, more so than any other, puts a magnifying glass on Rivers career. Rivers has been having a great season so far. AND YET! The defense and special teams are doing poorly. Yet again, Rivers is held back by his own team to make the Chargers relevant in the playoff picture. Against the Raiders though, he can lift the Chargers to a winning record heading into Week 6. The Raiders have been a tough team to beat this season leading the score at the end of every first half. In a rather classic fashion though, they’ve been blowing their leads. Maybe I’ve been milking it too much, but I’m going to continue saying it anyway as long as the Raiders keep losing: If only they had a defense or even a star playmaker, who could close out the game for them…...remember kiddos “It’s tough to find a good pass rusher.”- Jon Gruden just weeks after trading away one of this generation’s best pass rusher.

Raiders 17 Chargers 21

Minnesota Vikings vs Philadelphia Eagles

Both of these teams are from last year’s NFC championship game. Neither has a winning record. Wow. I may have some bias towards the Vikings at this team just has talent up, down, and across the kitchen cabinets. But...what are they doing with it? In fact,  WHAT IS MIKE ZIMMER’S DEFENSE DOING?!?!?! I could go on and on about why this Vikings team should be 3-1 and not 1-2-1. Enough about them. What about those defending SB champions? They aren’t as hot either. Just lost to a tough Titans team in overtime. Not sure what that says, but what I can tell you is that the return of Carson Wentz has certainly helped the Eagles. Has he been on MVP level? Not at all. But no one expected that after him missing so much time. The Eagles offense will only get better as the season goes in. As for the Vikings, it seems like Cousins needs to play out of his mind everygame for them to win. Does that happen this week? Not guaranteed.

Vikings 21 Eagles 28

Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers

The Cardinals, at 0-4, have a lot of hope. Your own writer right here got to witness Josh Rosen’s first start at StateFarm Stadium (awful name btw) and was thoroughly impressed by Josh Rosen. What was I not impressed by? The rest of the Cardinals offense outside of David Johnson. That includes coaching. Poor coaching threw away Josh Rosen’s first potential win. Yikes. Don’t let his stats fool you, Rosen threw a few dimes that were dropped. He’s good enough to beat a 49ers roster that looked rather scrappy against the Chargers last week. In fact, the 49ers didn’t look that bad without Jimmy G in general. However, count me out on trusting Beathard to consistently move the ball. Cardinals score their first win.

Cardinals 17 49ers 14

Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks

Okay. Until the Rams ACTUALLY lose, I’m not picking against them. That and Seattle struggled to beat an 0-4 team. You think they’re going to beat a 4-0 team? Nah. And that’s what I got for you. It’s not even solid analysis but it doesn’t have to be when the Rams are firing on all cylinders and Seattle just lost their best defensive player (probably permanently) to a broken leg in last Sunday’s game. By the way, Earl Thomas’s message to the Seahawks sideline last week was totally understandable. No one should be mad at that.

Rams 31 Seahawks 17

Dallas Cowboys vs Houston Texans

Turns out, the Dallas offense doesn’t look that bad when you give Elliot the ball 20+ times. No one is surprised by that. What’s really surprising is how Dak Prescott has not developed as much as he should have by now. The 3rd year quarterback appears lost sometimes on the field and it doesn’t help that his wide receivers aren’t getting the separation they need to. As for the Texans, Watson is progressing along very well and steadily improving every game even if quietly doing so. Speaking of quietly, you know who the best defensive player has been so far in the NFL? Sure you could argue Mack. But, you could also argue it’s been J.J. Watt. Don’t believe? Look at their numbers, they’re neck and neck. The difference is the Bears are winning and the Texans have not been.

Cowboys 20 Texans 23

Washington Redskins vs New Orleans Saints

As has been per usual outside of last year, I expect another Saints gamet o be high scoring. On a Monday night, I expect Drew Brees to play lights out and dare Alex Smith to go toe-to-toe with him. While it’s not improbable, it’s hard to imagine either defense doing much to stop the offenses of Alex Smith and Drew Brees. So who do you pick? The better quarterback and better offense. Fun fact, if Drew Brees throws for 4 TDs on Monday, he’ll be the 4th quarter back in NFL history to reach 500 TDs thrown. Brady just did it on Thursday against the Colts.

Redskins 24 Saints 35

Week 4 NFL Predictions

By Jacob Sanders

Well. Coming into this week, it's only been 3 games, but we really know nothing outside of the Rams looking like one of the best teams. They actually took  care of business this last Thursday Night which ruined by upset pick of the Vikings. Thus, no Upset of the Week! pick because that was my upset of the week pick. Didn't workout.....Onward to the picks!

Sanders went 6-10 last week putting him to 22-24-2

As I said above, I lost my Upset of the Week prediction of Vikings over the Rams
Rams won 38-31


Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots

Okay. I refuse to believe the Patriots lose 3 games in a row. This has nothing to do with the fact i don't believe in the Dolphins. In fact, if the Dolphins won this game here, I would firmly believe they are one of the sneakiest teams in the NFL. They play mistake free offense with a defense that keeps opposing offenses off the field. That's winning football. It's not flashy. It's not pretty. It's also not messy and we've seen plenty of teams win this way. Back to the Patriots though, they have an incredible track record in Foxborough and the Dolphins....well....don't. Keeping history in mind, the Patriots are my pick here.

Dolphins 17 Patriots 20


Philadelphia Eagles vs Tennessee Titans

This will be a tougher out than some may think. As much as it seems like the Eagles will just run through the Titans here, the Titans have a solid defense that can keep them in this game. The question to ask for this game is which offense will be able to score more. Now, that sounds trivial. But in this case, where both defenses don't like to give up points, it's a point that needs to be made. I'll take Carson Wentz's offense over whatever kind of circus show is happening in Tennessee right now.

Eagles 20 Titans 16


Cincinnati Bengals vs Atlanta Falcons

I still love this Bengals team. Andy Dalton throwing multiple picks in a game? That I don't love. In fact, during the second half of the Baltimore game and all of last week against the Panthers, this Bengals offense struggled without Mixon. Sounds like a problem to me. They'll continue against a young Atlanta defense without Mixon. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll trust Ryan and Julio in a shoot out over Dalton and AJ.

Bengals 19 Falcons 24


Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears

Well. I really want to pick the Bucs here. They made Monday Night very interesting against the Steelers in the second half of the game. However, what made Fitzmagic(tragic?) struggle for much of the first half of the game was that the pass rush was in his face. Enter Khalil Mack, a man who is making the Raiders look more and more foolish every game for trading him away. He'll be in Fitzpatrick's face all game. This leads me to think we'll see more Fitztragic than Fitzmagic. However, Trubisky isn't something to be scared of either. The better defense will win this game. I'm picking the defense with Khalil Mack on it.

Bucs 16 Bears 17


Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys

Look. This Cowboys offense is awful. Just awful. I can't say anything more about it. Moving on. The Detroit Lions offense? Not awful. In fact, a little birdie told me Kerryon Johnson looks pretty good. He should continue morphing into a start for the Lions this weekend. When the opponents offense can never stay on the field, it's easy to just feed your RB the ball to eat the game away. Lions will do just that.

Lions 21 Cowboys 10


Buffalo Bills vs Green Bay Packers

Is it possible for the Bills to win two games in a row? Of course it is. Is it probable? Not at all. Count me as one of the guys who thinks that the Vikings getting decimated was an anomaly. The Packers though, aren't necessarily shining stars themselves. The roughing the passer woes are rather ironic I must say. However, one or two of those penalties shouldn't make a team with playoff aspirations only have one win after 3 weeks. Yet here we are. There's more to Rodgers injury than we probably know as well. For now though, if I had to pick between Josh Allen and Rodgers? Well....I don't even need to justify who I'm picking.

Bills 13 Packers 24


Houston Texans vs Indianapolis Colts

My god. The Texans are 0-3. Something I didn't even think would happen. It kind of blows my mind with the talent that the Texans have, that they have an 0-3 record. Yet here we are. The Colts, on the other hand, are inferior in talent, and are 1-2 with a defense that has, surprisingly, kept them in games. At home, I expect the same, especially against a winless Texans team. The biggest question is how is Andrew Luck's arm doing. It's concerning that Brissett came out for the Hail Mary and not Andrew Luck.

Texans 14 Colts 17


New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jets are in trouble and in danger of starting 1-3. Sam Darnold has not looked all that bad. However, he hasn't necessarily shined either with the Jets one win coming from a dominant defensive effort. Speaking of dominant defense effort, they play the Jaguars this weekend. Yikes. This is another game of inept offenses playing each other and you have to ask yourself "Well which defense is going to win?" Ummm. The Super Bowl contending defense.

Jets 10 Jaguars 14


Seattle Seahawks vs Arizona Cardinals

Josh Rosen time! About.....2 weeks late but better late than never I guess. We'll get a taste of seeing what the rookie can do with a full week's worth of practice reps on the team. However, it's going to come against a division rival. A division rival who's got a top 5 quarterback. Really though, it feels like that's all Seattle has. Just Russel Wilson. The Legion of Whom had a great game last week but can they keep it up all season? Well, this is a week-by-week League. And they should be able to take advantage of a rookie QB.
Fun fact: I'll be at this game. My first NFL game ever. I'm cheering for the home team even if I don't think they'll win.

Seahawks 24 Cardinals 14


Cleveland Browns vs Oakland Raiders

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. BAKER MAYFIIIIIIEEEEEEELLLLDDD. Well. That dude's gonna be under center. And he's got a great advantage in getting into a rhythm after a comeback win against the Jets. He gets to face the Raiders, a team who has downright looked really dumb for getting rid of their key players. It's only 3 weeks in, but it's very clear the Raiders are in rebuilding mode which is sad for the city of Oakland who wanted to see a championship before the team left for Vegas. But, this is what happens when you trade away a generational player for a POTENTIAL future. Notice how I haven't spoken anything about the Raiders. It's because I have no idea what to think right now. As far as I'm concerned, the Jon Gruden projects needs 3 years before we see it rolling. And it's year 1.....

Browns 23 Raiders 14


San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Chargers

Keeping this one short. The 49ers lost their franchise QB. CJ Beathard is the backup. The Chargers have Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Melvin Ingram, etc. That's literally enough to convince you the 49ers aren't winning this game.

49ers 10 Chargers 28


New Orleans Saints vs New York Giants

If there was ever a time for the Saints to get into a defensive groove, this is the game. The Giants offensive line is awful and one that NEEDS to be taken advantage of. If not though, you're looking at picking who wins the higher scoring affair. The Drew Brees led Saints or the Eli Manning led Giants. While the Giants can certainly close out the game with Saquon, it's hard to imagine Brees just letting the opposing offense keep a lead. Giving the edge to the Saints.

Saints 31 Giants 20


Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers

This game is huge. Immensely. The Baltimore Ravens can make the NFL take notice that these aren't the same Ravens and are here to make some noise with a 3-1 one start. The flipside is that the Steelers need to win this game to show everyone they're still a serious team. Nevermind this is one of the greatest rivalries in the NFL or that it's a Sunday Night Divisional game. This is a statement game to be made by both teams. It's the test of Baltimore's second half shutout defense vs Steelers big play ability offense. History says Antonio Brown will burn the Baltimore secondary. I believe that will happen again. But, it's gonna be close, as usual.

Ravens 30 Steelers 31


Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos

The Chiefs are an unstoppable getaway freight train. Unbelievable what this offense has done so far. The Broncos, on the other hand, have been getting by with great defensive play. However, Denver has been winning with a mistake prone Keenum under center. If Keenum can just eliminate his mistakes, and the Broncos lean on Lindley, this can become a very interesting game. But if the Chiefs ever get ahead, I don't see them putting on any sort of brakes.

Chiefs 35 Broncos 20

Week 3 NFL Predictions

Week 3 NFL Predictions

By Jacob Sanders

Boy, oh boy. Long time no see folks. It’s been a long time since I’ve last posted on this column here. But hey, I’m back! I would like to apologize to those who asked me if I would continue writing this segment this year and were looking forward to it since Week 1. Truth is, I meant to start by Week 1 but had many other priorities. Since I write all of this for free, I had other things I had to take care of. But now, there is a small window in my schedule each week where I can do what I love and that’s to write about football! Anyway, enough of this. Let’s get right to it!

I would like to say, I’ve kept track of predictions even if I didn’t write them down. So here’s my score after 2 weeks:

Sanders went 9-6-1 last week and 7-8-1 in Week 1 putting him to 16-14-2 on the season.

New York Jets @ Cleveland Browns

This could have been a very intriguing matchup if the Browns had Mayfield as their starter. A look into the possible future of Darnold vs Mayfield would be almost priceless but that isn’t what we are getting. Despite the Browns being winless so far, a lot of that has added up to, what shall we say, bad kicking luck? The Browns have outplayed both the Steelers and Saints and yet neither game ended in the W column. Meanwhile the Jets are sitting at a decent 1-1. However, the Jets are on a short week during an away game with a rookie quarterback. I’m not too sure Darnold, despite being effective will help make up the difference. And, that defensive stomp against the Lions Week 1 seemed to state more of how bad the Lions are than how good this Jets team is. With all that said, the Browns will win their first game in almost 2 years!

Jets 14 Browns 17

New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons

Not gonna lie. If not for some bad coaching decisions by the Browns and a little luck, the Saints would be 0-2. That’s not irregular for this Saints team but it’s also concerning for a team that was supposed to have Super Bowl aspirations. The sputtering of the Falcons offense ever since Shanahan left has continued but they pulled out a gritty win against the Panthers. Conventional wisdom says this is the time when the Saints start picking up. But, it’s in Atlanta and the Falcons are just as desperate for a win. I know it’s only Week 3, but this is a game that could decide the division come Week 16 or 17. It’s that important.

Saints 23 Falcons 26

Denver Broncos vs Baltimore Ravens

The Broncos are 2-0 and the Ravens are 1-1 but who has looked like the better team? In the most non-bias way (remember, I’m a Baltimore fan) I would say Baltimore has shown to be the better team. They obliterated the Bills and almost made a comeback win against the Bengals in a game that Baltimore had no business almost making a comeback in the first place. But Sanders, the Broncnos made a comeback last week. Yes. They sure did…...against the Raiders which is another team seemingly plagued by bad coaching decisions. Look, I picked the Broncos to be 2-0 and I picked them to win their division. But they are the shakiest 2-0 team right now and I have expected more from them. And frankly, the Ravens D at home is going to punish Keenum’s shaky play. I’m not sure the Broncos can overcome that barring Keenum rewinding the clock to last year.

Broncos 17 Ravens 21


Cincinnati Bengals vs Carolina Panthers

Yeah. So. I’ll say it. I’m buying this Bengals team. Their defense has been a swarming unit giving both Andrew Luck and Andy Dalton so much and the offense led by Dalton looks far difference now that there are some playmakers again. Is this team over-achieving? Well. Maybe. But they look far better than everyone was going to give them credit for. Yes, including your hack writer right here. The Panthers? Playing about what we thought. Inconsistent and not quite living up to their potential. Sounds like every year. This could be a statement game for the Panthers if they can beat a rising team at home.If not, well, that’s trouble.

Bengals 24 Panthers 16


New York Giants vs Houston Texans

SPOILER ALERT! THE TEAM WHO LOSES THIS ISN’T MAKING THE PLAYOFFS!!!! That’s not a joke. Both of these teams are 0-2 and starting 0-3 is almost a death sentence that no one wants. Let’s keep this simple. The Giants are a leaky defense and the Giants offensive line prevents the Giants from being able to move the ball even with Barkley and Beckham on the field. The Texans? Well, they looked way better Week 2. They remind me of one those teams that starts to pull a couple wins together to go 2-2, and by then, know what they need to do to win. Watson should lead the team this game at home.

Giants 10 Texans 28

Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars

So everybody may talk about how the JAX defense shutdown Brady and Gronk. But let me ask you. Have you ever heard this guy named Blake Bortles? Man, this guy from a meme of a quarterback to straight dealing. He had an incredible showing last week. And you know what? That’s not an anomoly.  A lot of reports said Bortles had improved in training camp over the offseason and looks way better. He’s put it on the field two games in a row now. What’s important is he did it without his star RB in one of those weeks. This Jaguars team may be the best team in the AFC right now, and it’s not even close. Oh wait….but there’s a second team in this game. That’s right. The Titans. Sorry Tennesee. Your team isn’t very good. And frankly, as sad as this is to say, their defense doesn’t match Jacksonville’s and certainly won’t be able to contain Blake Bortles….what a weird thing to type…..

Titans 13 Jaguars 31



San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs

Like what I’m seeing from this 49ers team. A much better win against the Lions and Jimmy G looked much better as well. Matt Breida. Man, what a start to his NFL career he is having. You know who else is having a great start to their carrer? PATRICK. MAHOMES. This kid can ******* play. My excitement can’t be contained. The hype was real and it’s paid off so far. Mahomes makes the Chiefs must-watch tv even if their defense is terrible right now. And that’s just the team KC might be a right now. A team that wins games through their offense hoping their D doesn’t break down often. Feels like Jimmy G and Co won’t be able to keep up with Mahomes and the Crew.

49ers 20 Chiefs 35



Oakland Raiders vs Miami Dolphins

Okay. So. The Raiders just aren’t very good. And they’re visiting a team that quietly started 2-0. You know why the Dolphins are 2-0? They’ve gone back to what gave this franchise hope 2 seasons ago. A bend but don’t break defense and a quarterback who isn’t making mistakes to lose the game. That’s a solid gameplan, eh? Meanwhile, the Raiders are asking telling themselves that it’s hard to find a good pass rusher. Maybe they should ring up the Bears for Khalil Mack. Heard that guy is pretty good.

Raiders 14 Dolphins 20



Buffalo Bills vs Minnesota Vikings

It’s quite possible the Bills stamp themselves as the worst team in the NFL right here. Why? Well. They’re playing the Vikings. Cousins is legit. If you didn’t watch last weeks Packers vs Vikings games. Go watch the highlights. You’re missing out if you don’t. Cousins threw some of the most beautiful balls you will see all season. Overall the talent level is far superior for Minnesota than the Bills and that’s the edge. Also, the Vikigns won’t be having any players retire halfway through the game. There’s that too.

Bills 3 Vikings 27


UPSET OF THE WEEK!
Indianapolis Colts vs Philadelphia Eagles

Carson Wentz is back baby. That’s big news for the Eagles and a big question mark is if the Eagles will instantly look better. Maybe not. The guy hasn’t been on the field for a while. It could take some time. But it’s coming against an unknown Colts team. At first, they looked pretty mediocre against the Bengals but then dropped the Redskins into the pit from the movie 300. I like what i see from Andrew Luck as well. Frankly, I’m not sure what to think about either of these teams going in. And I have to have an upset of the week pick. This looks like the game to go with.

Colts 24 Eagles 20


Green Bay Packers vs Washington Redskins

Let’s get this straight. The Packers are just a better team than the Redskins. They should take care of business on the road. I was hyped for the Redskins after they beat the Cardinals. Then we realized how bad Arizona is and the Redskins got throttled by the Colts. You think the Packers and Co are gonna let the Redskins do much against them? Doubt it.

Packers 28 Redskins 14


Los Angeles Chargers vs Los Angeles Rams

Well. A technical home game for both teams. So no advantage there really. But, I almost wanted to pick the Chargers in an upset. Then I remembered Joey Bosa is winning and realized they need him if they wanna stop Gurley or pressure the Goff. On the flipside, the Rams have all the tools to keep Rivers and Co under duress ALLLLLLLLLLLLL day. So. I’m picking the better defense to make a stop in 4th quarter. Don’t worry, this game should be exciting and a close one.

Chargers 21 Rams 27



Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals

Shortest one of today. Here’s why. Till the Cardinals can MOVE. THE. BALL. with LARRY FITZGERALD AND DAVID JOHNSON on the team, I have nothing to say for this team. The Bears? Holy molllly. Don’t even get me started. I could go on for days about this Bears defense. They’re gonna take advantage of some bad offenses this seasons *shifts eyes to Arizona*. But….Trubisky needs work. There’s a chance he makes the mistake throwing to Peterson and gives Arizona some help. It probably will happen….but….that Bears D…...MAN!

Bears 13 Cardinals 10



Dallas Cowboys vs Seattle Seahawks

Poor Russel Wilson. He IS the Seattle Seahawks. And frankly, even his best efforts couldn’t beat the Bears. That may be the story all season for them. Not good. The Cowboys on the other hand have been a tale of two games. One where they looked awful and couldn’t move the ball. The other where they swarmed Eli Manning and Prescott moved the Ball efficiently enough to win on Sunday night. Which one shows up? Who knows man. Who knows.

Cowboys 17 Seahawks 14


New England Patriots vs Detriot Lions

Ayy. Matt Patricia will be seeing his former team again. And they’ll beat him. Look, the Lions just haven’t looked very good. The Lions are a near mess right now and the Patriots are going to take care of business in Detroit and then move on. That’s what they always do after a loss, right?

Patriots 24 Lions 13



Pittsburgh Steelers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s so foolish for me to buy into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but I’m going to. This is what the offense was supposed to look like last year. Maybe a change in QB was the answer. Either way, I’m not gonna deny the Bucs O until they screw up. The Steelers remain winless. Drama surrounds them. Bell still isn’t their and Antonio Brown isn’t performing like normal. What does this all mean? The rollercoaster derailing in Steel City. Yep. They’re gonna be winless post Week 3. Yikes.

Steelers 23 Bucs 30

Sanders's Championship Weekend Predictions

By Jacob Sanders

Sanders went 1-3 again last week putting him to 2-6 in the post-season and 149-103 on the season.

Jacksonville Jaguars VS New England Patriots

A case for the Jaguars:

This Jacksonville defense has been incredible all season. Whether it’s been shutting down opposing receivers or sacking the opponent many times (thus the city being dubbed Sacksonville), this team has opened some eyes this year simply due to their physical approach to the game and keeping it simple. They win the battles upfront and maintain control of the game through a physical running game. This wasn’t exactly the case last week against Pittsburgh but that just goes to show this Jaguars team can win more than one way. If the Jaguars manage to keep up their physicality in this game, they have a much beefier and tougher team than the Patriots do. Speaking of those Patriots…

A case for the Patriots:

This year’s Patriots team hasn’t been about physicality as much as it has mind games. Per the usual, Bellichick and his staff love to treat football like a game of chess. They come in with a gameplan to counteract your strengths and if their gameplan isn’t working, they don’t hesitate to go to Plans B-Z until they find a winning strategy. Often enough, their queen of the chess board, Tom Brady, is smart enough at finding weaknesses during a game on his own and excels at consistently targeting that weakness. The one here? Gronkowski VS Jacksonville linebackers. There isn’t a linebacker on the defense that tells me Jacksonville can handle Gronkowski. Even with Ramsey’s big words about him handling Gronkowski, Gronk is too big of an athlete for Ramsey to consistently stop him. Thus, if the Patriots O-line can protect Brady for at least 3 seconds on most snaps, it shouldn’t be too hard for the Patriots to channel their passing game through Gronkowski and the dynamic running back duo of Dion Lewis and James White.

Final Verdict:

I normally can appreciate the NFL’s best organization ever and the greatest dynasty ever. The genius of the Patriots and the strategies they employ are no secrets to anyone. However, the theme of the NFL this year has been about physical teams. Even teams that didn’t make the playoffs such as the Chargers, Seahawks, and the Ravens come to mind when thinking about how physical NFL teams are this year. This includes 3 of the final 4 teams in the dance. Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Jacksonville. All 3 of these teams have won with “inferior” QBs because the overall teams are balanced and play a tough, punishing physical game. Over the last 7 AFC championships, the 4 games that the Patriots have lost, have been to physical defenses that take command of the game and disrupt Brady’s rhythm. Count me as one who thinks this Jacksonville defense can join those defenses who are good enough to beat Brady at what has been arguably his biggest weakness in the post-season. Big, physical defenses.

Jaguars 23 Patriots 17

Minnesota Vikings VS Philadelphia Eagles

A case for the Vikings:

Alright alright. Enough with the whole “Case Keenum isn’t a great QB”. If you ask me, he is the best of the 3 QBs that aren’t HoF caliber in the final four. Keenum has played smart, situational football all while protecting the football as well. He avoids turnovers and can find his men downfield when needed. The one-two punch of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen has helped with his development but not all credit can be taken by those two receivers. In addition, the Vikings defense has smothered opponents this year and has plenty of playmakers that can control a game even if the Vikings offense stumbles for a little bit. The Vikings have been one of the few teams this year that have employed the same strategies since Week 1 and they’re still winning. This is a real team folks. They have been since Day 1.

A case for the Eagles:
So I’m going to straight up apologize. I gave zero chance for the Eagles to win last week. I thought with Nick Foles and what they showed in last few weeks of the season, that they were doomed. Not so. They man-handled the Falcons with a tough defense and Nick Foles finally getting it together in the second half. If Foles can play the same way he did in the second half last week for an entire four quarters, the Eagles can win this game easily. They have plenty of offensive playmakers and a nasty defensive line upfront to force Keenum to challenge them downfield. Fletcher Cox is a key here. If he can disrupt the Vikings O-line time after time, the Vikings offense will become one-dimensional and predictable. Considering the circumstances though, this game will be much harder for both teams to employ their game plans than one might think.

Final Verdict:

Alright. I’m a believer. I’ve been a believer since Thanksgiving Weekend when the Vikings beat the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. I thought the Vikings two toughest opponents to the Super Bowl would be the Eagles (when Wentz was still in the picture) and the New Orleans Saints. I did pick the Saints last week but that was due more to circumstance than it was in my actual faith in either team. For my money, I told friends at the beginning of the playoffs that the Super Bowl was going to be represent by the Saints or the Vikings in the NFC. I’m maintaining that position and taking the Vikings to be the first team to ever have a home-field Super Bowl. The Eagles have a great defense but the Vikings defense is better and should be able to handle Foles more easily than some are thinking. The Vikings defense is too much fun to watch while the Case Keenum story continues to amaze everyone each week. You’re lying to yourself if you don’t think this is one of the best football stories ever. Just assume the Vikings win this game for a second. The Vikings. A football team with one of the worst post-season histories in the NFL, would be the first team ever to host a Super Bowl in their own stadium and will be starting their 3^rd string QB while doing it. Folks. That’s incredible. That’s what makes sports special and why this Vikings team is special. It’s also why their heading to Super Bowl 52. #SKOL