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In the summer, when the training camps started, I was chatting with a Chicago Bears player and asking him what the team looked like. "Awesome!" he said. "This year's Jaguars!"
I laughed a little, and I think he did it too, that's why I will not tell you who he was. I reminded him of this conversation on Monday, and he did not remember it, but hey … he might have been right.
Last week in this space, we introduced the three most disappointing teams in the league so far this year. But I do not like being so negative all the time. This week, we're going to review three of the most enjoyable surprises in the league, starting with the aforementioned Monsters of the Midway.
Chicago Bears
"Statement" is kind of an overused term, and the Bears would tell you that it does not apply to what they did to the Vikings Sunday night because they were not trying to make a statement; they were trying to consolidate their division leader.
But you can do both, and the Bears have done it. With Khalil Mack's ankle returning to near force, the defensive star Bears is fully operational. The visiting Vikings, one of the Super Bowl favorites before the preparatory season, were unfortunately misplaced.
Alex Smith is absent for the season and the head of the NFC East in Washington may soon disappear. These are the biggest injuries that have changed the landscape of the NFL.
Is Colts QB a legitimate MVP candidate? Did Joe Flacco take his last picture of the Ravens? We address the most important issues of week 11.
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Chicago won the impressive victory it needed to silence its detractors, stop the Vikings and aim for a division crown.
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The Bears' defense already believed before the exchange for Mack that it would be one of the best in the league, but the impact of the arrival of Mack has raised confidence to unexpected levels. When I covered Chicago's win over Week 4 against Tampa Bay – the match in which quarterback Mitchell Trubisky made six touchdown passes – the Bears' defender, Prince Amukamara, mr. talked about Mack: "When you see such greatness, it makes everyone want to be great than much more."
What they did not know in August was a dynamic offense. They were hoping, but these things take time to meet. And Trubisky entered this season as a quantity still unknown. What we see when we look at the Bears is an offense that is always work in progress but has dynamic elements and is designed to make life as enjoyable as possible for Trubisky. First-year coach Matt Nagy is not afraid to mix his receivers, the two tight ends, who have different skills, that Nagy can adapt to situations and his opponents. Trubisky's natural talents correspond to a very open 2018 NFL in which mistakes are more creative and take more risks. You can see that the thing is growing and you can see where it will continue to grow. But in the meantime, the Bears are a real contender, and their victory in Sunday's division is proof of that.
The Bears had the impression of letting a player slip in the first week when Aaron Rodgers had them do a magic trick in the second period, but they obviously recovered. Only the Saints, Rams and Chiefs have more wins and a better points differential than the Bears. After the limitation of the Vikings Sunday, they hold a lead and a half in the North of the NFC. They do not dazzle television ratings like the Saints and the Rams, but if they arrive in the playoffs with a Mack in full health and a confidence in their recovery, there is something about it. believe that they will be dangerous.
If you knew that Andrew Luck was going to come back healthy with his shoulder at full strength, you would have surely predicted an improvement for the Colts compared to the 4 to 12 win last year. But (A) nobody really knew it in September, and (B) you'd always admit that Colts' alignment around Luck needed a lot more work before he could be a competitor.
If you were talking to Colts officials during the off season, you knew that they thought the defense would be a work in progress because it was undergoing a system change under the new coordinator Matt Eberflus, and the offensive line was a subject of concern because of its weakness. for so long. And it does not even mention the fact that the Colts started their offseason with Josh McDaniels bailing out weeks after taking a contract to be their head coach, letting them hire Eagles Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich to the last minute.
They seem to have been lucky (no pun intended) on this last point because it's hard to imagine that anyone doing a better job than Reich did it to guide luck. throughout the off season and to build an offense that would affect him while he was back in game form. Luck is now buzzing. He has scored at least three touchdown passes in each of his last seven games – the third-longest series of this type in the history of the NFL, behind Tom Brady's 10 in 2007 and Peyton Manning's eight. in 2004.
One of the reasons is that the offensive line was set up so as to exceed all the reasonable expectations that it could have for it. The Colts earned three second-round picks from the Jets to win three places in the first round and may have found the best draft player in the Notre Dame guard. Quenton Nelson, who could be the offensive rookie of the year if an offensive lineman can win such a prize. Obviously, the line is a five-man unit, but a Colts official I've talked to over the last few weeks said you could "absolutely" credit Nelson's addition to the resurgence of the line. The team thinks he's playing with a level of tenacity and nastiness that erases his teammates and has achieved a level of performance comparable to that of his entourage who may not have presented without him. Rookie Braden Smith, taken with one of the Colts' second-rounders against the Jets, started as a starting pitcher.
On the other hand, this defense and Eberflus, one of the coaches who signed a contract when the Colts thought McDaniels was coming, were stuck even after McDaniels escaped. General Manager Chris Ballard was a big fan of Eberflus and was delighted to have it even without McDaniels. The performance of his defense so far may lead to coaching interviews with Eberflus in January. The second player, Darius Leonard, played as the defensive rookie of the year for the linebacker, and although the defense still has some way to go, it ranks 10th in yards per game and 4th highest score allowed per match. the last five weeks – during which the Colts are 4-0. This four-game winning streak allowed Luck & Co. to return to .500 and be in contention for a playoff spot – at least a year ahead of schedule.
The team that the Colts are pursuing in AFC South has won Seven consecutive games after Sunday's victory in Washington, making this team the most popular of New Orleans. Now it has not been easy. His last two wins required missed (though long) opportunities from his opponents, and the first two wins in his series came when the Colts finished fourth on home territory in overtime and the Cowboys. do not have go in overtime a week later.
But seven wins in a row, that's seven wins in a row, and the 7-3 Texans are in first place in the division and are thinking of the possibility of a goodbye playoff.
"Clearly, having tight games and combat trials is great for us as a team," said Texan defenseman Kareem Jackson. "Because when the matches get closer, we're not tight, playing in those tough games has brought us together as a team, now we're paying attention to the details in a way that's not happening." maybe not earlier in the season. "
The story of Jackson is neat. He changes positions from week to week, from safety to cornerback to the opposing player and the injuries of the Texans. Sometimes coaches do not tell him which position he plays Sunday until they arrive at the training on Thursday or Friday. Jackson said he and Tyrann Mathieu were guys who could change positions, play in different positions, and that it energized him.
"It's a bit unique to have guys able to move, who talk about me and Tyrann," Jackson said. "I have to play this mix game, it's all about mentality, I'm proud to be able to play a lot of times."
With respect to the offense, the Texans coaches worked with the second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson on the safety of the ball, and that pays off. After seven interceptions and seven fumbles in the first six games of the season, Watson played three consecutive games without either of them before falling back into his old Sunday habits with two choices and a fumble.
"I just think that he's more aware, when he's in the pocket, to keep both hands on the ball at all times and then keep the ball in his body instead of holding it in one hand. while he runs "Sean Ryan, the coach of the Texans' quarterbacks. "You walk well with a guy like that, because one of his greatest strengths and strengths is his instinct for the big game. But I think he's realizing:" C & # 39; 39 is the moment to take a shot, and that's the time not to do it. "
You could say that the Texans are not described as surprise because some people have chosen them to win the division before the start of the season. But having lost their first three games of the year, it was not possible that this would be possible. The emergence of rookie Keke Coutee and the timely acquisition of Demaryius Thomas following Will Fuller's season-ending injury show that Texans are impatient and capable of building a win-win attack around Watson as it develops.
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