And just like that we are already a quarter into the 2017 NFL season and it has provided us with juicy storylines each and every week so far. Here are 10 things I came to a conclusion on based on quarter 1 of this year:
Embed from Getty Images1) Turmoil in the Steel City
In hindsight, the signs have been there so it should honestly be no surprise of the offensive struggles of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I mean when your franchise QB throws the word "retirement" out there it should raise a red flag. Coming into the year the Steelers were considered to have the best "trips" in the league, but so far that hasn't come to fruition. Yes after the 1st 4 weeks they lead the AFC North but its pretty obvious that there is some tension in that locker room. Not only did you have Big Bens retirement comments but you have him calling out his star receiver Antonio Brown after a sideline blow up. Star RB Leveon Bell is looking like a man who missed all of the teams OTAs. Then of course you have the division amongst the team on how they handled the "anthem protest" collectively. Again they lead the AFC North but how long can this team keep its internal issues bottled before it explodes. Stay tuned:2) Patriot Problems
Coming into the year their was no bigger favorite to win the Super Bowl than the defending champion New England Patriots. But through 4 weeks the invincible Patriots have looked less than mortal. Tom Brady seems to still be Tom Brady even at 40. Although he has taken a lot more hits than ever before in his career this early in a season, he and the offense have really been the lone bright spot for the team. The defense is another story, they have been bad and I mean historically bad. I know its never a good idea to write off a Brady/Belichick team (i.e 2014) but there was at no time I ever believed that the Patriots and New York Jets would have identical records at any point this year but alas here we are. Again I'm not counting out New England but after these for weeks they've shown that they are right along the rest of the pack in the AFCEmbed from Getty Images3) Red Hot Chiefs
The Kansas City quickly proved that their opening night win in Foxboro was no fluke, and through 1 quarter of the year remain the NFLs lone unbeaten team. Now I'm not starting the undefeated hype train for them because they have only played on AFC West game and that was to one of the winless Chargers, so their schedule will get harder as we move on. But they have show that they have the best offensive and defensive balance in the NFL. QB Alex Smith has looked liked the frontrunner for league MVP so far. They have found a gem in rookie RB Kareem Hunt and HC Andy Reid has found a numerous amount of ways to get the ball to his weapons on offense. Its very early but there's no question that right now the Chiefs are the class of the National Football League.4) Alex Smith for MVP??
As I said just said above, Alex Smith is probably the front runner for league MVP through 4 weeks. No raise your hand if you had that going into the season? Right not many, but he has very much looked the part. So far he has been putting up some of the best numbers of his career. If you asked most pundits, and I would agree, the Chiefs drafting of rookie QB Patrick Mahomes has seemed to have lit a fire under the 13 yr signal caller. Now like I have stated throughout this article its very early so by the time I right my 4th quarter piece Smith could be out the MVP conversation but for now he leads the pack and been very impressive while doing so.5) Best in the West
I started the year saying that the AFC West would be the best division in the NFL and after Week 4 nothing I've seen has made me change my mind on that. I have already praised the Kansas City Chiefs but I have been just as impressed with the Broncos. Denver has looked almost as good as they did in 2015 in route to their Super Bowl 50 win. Now the Broncos have a competent offense to go along with that stingy defense.The Raiders have cooled after an 2-0 start and although QB Derek Carr will miss a few games they will get back on track once he returns. The Chargers well are still the Chargers just in a new city. They have once again been in every game just cant seem to close the deal in crunch time. Once theses teams play more division games they will continue to prove why its the best in the league.
6) Who's the King of the South?
I said the best Division would be the AFC West, I also said the AFC South would be the leagues worst. I'm not sure if that's the right term, this division might be the NFLs most confusing. Right now the Jacksonville Jaguars lead it by way of tie breaker against the Houston Texans at 2-2. The Jags have had a head scratching first 4 weeks. They have dominate wins over the Texans and Baltimore Ravens but have had ugly losses to the Titans and the Jets. Houston is 2-2 as well but I'm my opinion once they settled on rookie Deshaun Watson at QB they may have righted the ship. The Tennessee Titans have show flashes of progression but been inconsistent so far. The Indianapolis Colts may be the only team that hasn't been a surprise as they have struggled without QB Andrew Luck still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Through the first quarter of the season if you asked me whos the class of this division, my answer could change 3 x in 30 minutes. We will have to wait and see who takes control of this one.
Embed from Getty Images7) Coaching makes all the difference
I wanted to highlight my surprise teams so far this year, which are the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and LA Rams but I decided to focus on one of them in the Rams. I have to admit that after his rookie year I believed that Jared Goff was headed towards bust status and the Rams would be set back as a franchise because of it. But as you know the organization gave long time HC Jeff Fisher the boot and hired the young offensive minded coach in Sean McVay and all I can say is wow what a difference it has made. As we enter the 2nd quarter of the season the Rams who were god awful on the offense last season are now the highest scoring team in the league lead by Goff and stud RB Tod Gurley and sit atop the NFC West. I think there is no question that McVay is the early front runner for Coach of the Year because he has this LA team looking like challengers to the Seattle Seahawks. But I think the best thing he has done as coach isn't even with the offense. I believe him hiring former Broncos Defensive Coordinator as his DC and giving him complete control of the defense has been a stroke of brilliance on his part. I thought coming in that the NFC West was Seattle's to lose, but Goff and McVay have me believing they have a great chance to take it from the Seahawks.
8) The rash of Injuries
I know that injuries are apart of football and its never been if they happen its always when they will happen. But I've noticed not only to start this year but in the past few years they have come more frequently and sooner. And I'm not talking about the occasional nicks and bruises but season ending injuries or "significant time missed" injuries. Kansas City's star DB Eric Berry was lost for the year on opening night. The Carolina Panthers lost star TE Greg Olsen (whos never missed a game due to injury) for almost 2 months. The Minnesota Vikings have been hit with sort of a double whammy as their QB Sam Bradford seems to be dealing with a lingering knee injury and stud rookie RB Dalvin Cook was lost for the season in Week 4.
Again their is no way to predict an injury but its alarming how players are suffering lengthy injuries and I fear that its only the beginning as we get further into the year.
9) The Little Giants
Plain and simple the New York Giants are a mess. Nothing has gone right for them so far this year which has lead to their 0-4 start. I think it must be said that the Giants really didn't address their most pressing needs this offseason (offensive line) and it has shown through the first 4 weeks. That has had a ripple effect, now Eli looks old and cant get the ball to his playmakers. The head scratching thing is the New York defense who returned 10 of 11 starters from a year ago and has looked nothing like the unit from last year. I hate to say its time to bring it down and start all over after 4 weeks, but I don't have a feeling things will get better. Of course the Giants get a chance to try and salvage the year but I have no faith they will and by the time the season is done I think my feelings of starting from scratch will be justified.Embed from Getty Images10) America vs the NFL
I hate to mix sports and politics but when they intersect you really no choice. The games have for the most part so far this season been secondary to the national anthem protests. It all started a few season ago when former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the singing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality towards minority in America. Since then his message has seem to be lost in translation as some fans of the NFL has seen it as disrespect for the flag and what it represents. The issue has become so big the President of the United States has weighed in and caused even more outrage and division. The NFL for about a decade plus has been virtually Teflon but this seems to be an issue that has split not only fans but organizations as well. If the topic starts to effect the leagues bottom line then things will get very interesting moving forward.
