The NFL is kicking off Week 8, which means there’s been more than enough time to notice patterns taking place with particular players and teams.
In some situations, however. Here are eight things we are still waiting to witness sometime during the the remainder of the NFL season.
The breakout of Odell Beckham Jr.
Could we be witnessing the sophomore slump of OBJ? The New York Giants stud receiver from 2014 is currently averaging just 74.9 yards per game and has scored only four touchdowns.
If Beckham continues at this pace, he’ll finish the season with about 1,200 yards and nine scores. This would completely pale in comparison to the 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns OBJ racked up in his 12 games last year.
Only twice this season has Beckham surpassed 100-plus yards and scored a touchdown in the same game. Fans are getting anxious to watch Beckham go big. But, perhaps his Week 2 performance when he totaled 146 yards and scored was it.
For those still waiting, Beckham recently claimed the whole team is on the verge of breaking out, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
“This team is so explosive and so dynamic it’s only going to last so long until we break out and start making plays.”
There we have it. We’ll see if we can mark Beckham’s words when Giants travel to New Orleans to face the Saints in Week 8.
Peyton Manning and Broncos offense contribute to a win
The Denver Broncos are shockingly one of undefeated teams in the NFL, but it’s primarily because the defense ranks No. 1 in the league.
This is quite the accomplishment because Denver’s offense ranks 30th overall in the NFL. Peyton Manning is tied for the league lead in interceptions, while C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman are averaging only 85 combined yards per game. It’s like the team has been swapped out for impostors.
Manning and Co. need to get it in gear if during Week 8 they want any shot are remaining undefeated after facing the Green Bay Packers, who will be the best team the Broncos have had to face this season. Denver’s cruddy offense must step up, start putting points on the board and stop relying on the defense to win every game.
Andy Dalton to cave under pressure
Dalton has been tremendous so far this year helping the Cincinnati Bengals to an unheard of undefeated status (6-0).
Each time we watch Dalton in action this year, it’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop in anticipation for a mistake. But, it hasn’t happened, and he’s been performing beautifully under pressure. Entering Week 8 last season, the Bengals had a 3-2-1 record, and Dalton had 1,375 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
The rejuvenated Dalton of 2015 has tallied 1,761 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions in this same stretch of time. We’re not sure what the difference is other than possibly his new hairstyle which Dalton’s wife attributes to the Bengals fabulous start.
Is Andy Dalton's hair style the key to the #Bengals 6-0 start? His wife thinks so!
Presented by @Chrysler.https://t.co/89WNSsDS78
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) October 27, 2015
When it comes to Dalton caving this season, perhaps it’s just not going to happen.
Richard Sherman to assume best cornerback in the NFL status
How many times in the past did we have to hear Sherman claim he was the best cornerback in the league?
“I’m the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like [Michael] Crabtree, that is the result you are going to get. Don’t you ever talk about me,” Sherman yelled, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
Sherman made this proclamation after a successful 2013 campaign when he totaled 10 interceptions along with a touchdown. Since then, Sherman’s production have quieted down some since he 2014 season with just four picks and no scores.
In 2015, Sherman ranks 75th overall among his fellow cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Additionally, he has failed to pick off any quarterbacks in seven games. This even includes turnover-prone quarterbacks such as Nick Foles, Matthew Stafford and Colin Kaepernick.
At this point, Sherman is far removed from his No. 1 corner status.
Chip Kelly to realize the Sam Bradford experiment has gone bad
The Eagles are 3-4 with Bradford under center, and he’s also thrown 10 interceptions.
Sam Bradford's passer rating on intermediate throws (10-19 yds) is 48.0. NFL avg. among 30 QBs is 100.2. Only Andrew Luck (28.2) is worse.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 27, 2015
Sometimes Bradford’s throws are so errant that the referees are grabbing the passes. He lacks of chemistry with his receivers—who are also having a hard time hanging on the balls—Bradford currently ranks 33rd in quarterback rating and is managing only 6.4 yards per attempt, which is third-lowest in the NFL.
Sadly, Bradford’s offense ties for the second-most giveaways at 15 which completely negates the proud league-high 19 takeaways the Eagles defense has registered. We must wonder if Chip Kelly really believes a Super Bowl is in the team’s future with Bradford’s rocky start with the team.
Randall Cobb to become relevant in fantasy football
How many of you chose Cobb in early draft rounds, assuming he would rack up fantasy points with no Jordy Nelson around? Hand raised here.
Other than one spectacular week when he totaled 91 yards and three touchdowns, Cobb hasn’t done much. Instead, it has been James Jones—who nobody originally drafted—stealing most of the touchdowns. Cobb’s production has declined so much that over his past three games he’s totaled only 10 catches for 105 yards and zero touchdowns. His fantasy points are so scant that people are trying to trade him.
And, now coming off of a bye week, Cobb gets to play the fierce Denver Broncos secondary. And in Week 9, Cobb will square off against the Carolina Panthers and their stud corner Josh Norman. Yipee!
Cobb’s relevance to fantasy football is taking too long to arrive.
The Colts to dominate the AFC south
After seven games, the Indianapolis Colts should be dominating their AFC South competition in the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.
Yet, the Colts have only three wins—two of which came with 40-year-old backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck under center. Much of the Colts woes this season lie on the shoulders of Andrew Luck, who has turned the ball over a total of 10 times in five games.
This is a horrendously bad stat for Luck. While we can throw some blame at him, the Colts also sport the worst-ranked defense in the league and have allowed a ghastly average of 408.6 yards and 24.9 points so far this season. It’s tough to win when the team is giving up the farm.
The Colts are going to have to start plugging some major holes and stop turning the ball over if they want keep ahead of their divisional competition.
Detroit to find its running game
The 6-1 Lions are performing terribly this year and have established no semblance of a run game. All the hype about rookie Ameer Abdullah running like the next Barry Sanders in the preseason is far out the window.
Detroit is currently averaging only 68 total rushing yards per game and has scored on the ground only twice. And Abdullah’s contribution thus far has only been 222 rushing yards at 3.6 yards per attempt. As a whole, the team has managed 476 yards on the ground, which seven NFL running backs have surpassed on their own.
The Lions obviously are lagging in many areas, but it’s their inability to gain any headway on the ground that is painfully obvious in their struggles to win games.
