Media Turns on Bill Belichick – Other NFL Thoughts

By Nick Ferraro Posted On October 19, 2023

Wow, what a week it’s been in the NFL, right? From the Jets delivering a stunner against the Eagles to undefeated giants falling, the league is as unpredictable as ever. Whether it’s the media turning on Bill Belichick or Cincinnati showing signs of life, we’ve got it all covered. So, let’s dive into this whirlwind NFL week’s biggest stories, stats, and surprises!

– It’s been a while since the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets won a game against as impressive an opponent as the Eagles. This could be a season-changing win for a team that now has three games in a row against teams that are .500 or worse.

– One of the most impressive stats from Sunday’s win is the Jets held Philadelphia to just 80 yards rushing. The Eagles were winning on the ground, and they are still second in the league at 150 yards per game rushing.

– The Jets won Sunday with only 244 yards of total offense. It’s yet another testament to how important turnovers are to winning. The Jets didn’t turn it over, and they took the ball away four times.

– It didn’t come into play Sunday, but Robert Saleh needs to be better at end-of-half and end-of-game situations. After the interception to set up the winning score, the Jets should have forced Philadelphia to take their timeouts and drain the clock as much as possible. The Jets did neither. Philadelphia let Breece Hall walk untouched into the end-zone. It was the right play for the Eagles, who then had plenty of time and timeouts with a chance to win the game.

– Injuries are still the biggest story of the season thus far. Both undefeated teams fell this week after suffering key injuries. The Niners dropped their first game of the season after losing Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Trent Williams. The Eagle offense is not the same without offensive tackle Lane Johnson, who left after being rolled up from behind in the Eagles’ loss to the Jets.

– You know things are bad when the media turns on media darling Bill Belichick. Belichick is on the hot seat if you listen to the major outlets. I have a hard time believing Billy Boy is going to be shown the door. I do think the warmth emanating under offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s bottom is quite a few degrees hotter than his boss’s. The Patriots are 27th in total offense, and only the Giants score fewer points per game than New England, who put up just 12 points per contest.

– The games in London have been a success for the NFL. Tickets were sold out shortly after going on sale, and there is talk of London being a contender for a future Super Bowl. I’m not sure I like that idea any more than the average Londoner would like it if the championship game of the Premier League was played here in the States.

– The Bengals may have overcome their early season issues. They have won each game where they have held their opponent to 20 points or less. They lost each game where their opponent scored more than 20 points. The schedule will let us know exactly how far the Bengals have come from their 0-2 start. Cincinnati travels to San Francisco this week; then the Bengals host Buffalo on national television.

– CJ Stroud appears ready to break the recent string of Ohio State quarterback busts. Stroud is 3rd in passing yards and 9th in passer rating.

– Most fans would assume that the Miami Dolphins are winning with big plays in the passing game, but Miami is running it for over 185 yards per contest. With the Bills’ uneven play and their rash of injuries, Miami has become the clear frontrunner in the AFC East.

– After only five games, two teams (Detroit and Philadelphia) already have two-game leads in their division. The league will start to spread out earlier this year than most as the good and healthy start pushing ahead from the many bad and injured teams.

– Sean Payton is in the “finding out” part of the equation today.