We are 31 percent through the 2015 NFL season, and a few things are becoming clear. At this time there are some teams and players who are performing expertly, while other current NFL standings and player situations leaving us scratching our heads.
With that said, here are some observations regarding the trends of the season that are worth noting.
The Seattle Seahawks defense isn’t scaring anyone
During the height of the Seahawks’ reign of terror, in the years from 2012 through 2014, opposing quarterbacks were completing an average of 60.1 percent of their passes against Seattle. This percentage has increased in 2015 to 67.9, which ranks 27th in this category.
Furthermore, Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” has only managed one interception, which came in Week 5. Even more interestingly is that the Seahawks failed to pick off the most intercepted quarterback in the NFL, Matthew Stafford whom they played against in Week 4.
The Seahawks currently sport a 5:1 touchdown to interception ratio against them, which is rather lopsided from their 2012-2014 ratio of 48:59. This year, the Seahawks have surrendered wins to the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers and the hot and cold Nick Foles-led St. Louis Rams.
At the rate Seattle’s defense is allowing yards and big fourth quarter passing drives, they’ll soon earn the nickname “Legion of Gloom.”
The Broncos should consider benching Peyton Manning
Father Time is catching up with Peyton Manning in a big way.
The Denver Broncos are 5-0 largely due to the saving grace of their stout defense that has only allowed an average of 278 total yards and 15.8 points per game to opposing teams.
And, while the defense is taking care of all the major details, quarterback Peyton Manning is not looking too snazzy out there with his seven interceptions versus six touchdowns. He’s also been sacked 12 times. He currently sits at 25th in overall quarterback ranking, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
At the pace Manning is passing and scoring touchdowns, he is on course to total 3,948 yards and 19 touchdowns by the end of the season. This pales horribly in comparison to his mind blowing 2013 season when he passed for 5,477 yards and a record-breaking 55 touchdowns.
Perhaps it is time to bench Manning and take the training wheels off of backup Brock Osweiler. Let him give it a whirl. The Broncos offense overall ranks a putrid second to last subtracting the bye week teams. So, why not let Manning’s eventual predecessor get some true time practice under his belt while the defense keeps the team afloat?
It’s just a thought. However, head coach Gary Kubiak isn’t ready to go that route just yet.
How are the Carolina Panthers 4-0?
The Carolina Panthers remain one of the six undefeated teams in the NFL. They are currently cramping the style of their NFC south division rival and unbeaten Atlanta Falcons.
So how has a team without Luke Kuechly, an elite wide receiver and an oft-injured starting running back maintaining a perfect record? The team’s unbeaten success stems heavily from mobile quarterback Cam Newton. He is doing all the right things with his feet and through the air, with 30-year old Tedd Ginn Jr. leading the team with three touchdowns while averaging a healthy 17.2 yards per catch.
Tight end Greg Olsen has been reliable thus far, as well, tallying 243 yards and two touchdowns. Jonathan Stewart is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, but as a unit, Carolina’s rushing offense has averaged 132 yards per game with Newton scoring the only two ground scores thus far.
Much of Carolina’s success also comes from its secondary that has managed 11 takeaways through four games. This solid unit has also been handy at allowing only 5.7 yards per passing attempt, which is tied for the league low in this stat (low is best).
Despite the absence of Kuechly and Kelvin Benjamin, who was Newton’s go-to guy last season, the Panthers have looked quite sharp. However, to be fair, the teams Carolina has defeated thus far were the Jaguars, Texans, Saints, and Buccaneers. We’ll leave that there as food for thought.
The Panthers will face their toughest test of the season in Week 6 when they travel to Seattle to face the angry Seahawks, who will be looking to vent their frustrations after losing game No. 3.
Nobody is benefiting from the Jimmy Graham trade
The Seattle Seahawks are not doing much with Jimmy Graham, and the New Orleans are pathetic without him.
Additionally, the Seahawks offensive line is atrocious, and center Max Unger’s absence is clearly missed based on the 22 sacks we have witnessed Russell Wilson endure. And, why the Seahawks are not getting Graham more involved in the game plan is incredibly baffling. Graham has only 21 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns in five weeks.
As for the Saints, they are in incredibly poor shape with a terrible 1-4 record. How has trading away Graham, who was Drew Brees’ best offensive weapon, a smart move? We have to believe the Saints would have more than one lousy win if Graham was still in town.
Nothing at all makes sense in what was the most shocking, and now seemingly the most botched trade of the free-agency period.
The Lions really are on course for a 0-16 season
The last time the Detroit Lions started out a season at 0-5 was in 2008 when the team ended the year with a winless 0-16 record. Another coincidental and potential fate-sealing detail is that backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky saw his first action in Week 5 that losing season, just like he did on Sunday.
Matthew Stafford’s Week 5 performance was so devastatingly bad it forced the Lions to swap him out for Orlovsky when there was no shot of turning the 35-7 game around in the third quarter. Head coach Jim Caldwell brushed the incident under the rug and compared to Stafford to a pitcher who was simply having a bad game.
Things just aren’t adding up here, though, which spells doom.
As for the Lions offense and their big playmakers, we’re not seeing much from Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and the myriad of running backs attempting to assemble any form of rushing game. The Lions possess the worst rushing offense in the league, managing just 49 yards per game at a rate of 2.8 yards per attempt.
The 16.6 total points per game the Lions are averaging reflects on how terribly the team is performing.
The bottom line is the Lions are letting every excuse in the world — injuries, lack of leadership, rookie struggles and bad play calls — dictate their course of play. Until this changes, the Lions will remain winless.
Perhaps at this point in time, it’s best for the Lions to go for broke and target that overall first draft pick in 2016.
The New York Giants are favorites to win NFC East thanks to Tony Romo’s injury
The NFC East is one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL. It brings high ratings and much drama every season, but this year is shaping up to be a one-team race.
Thanks to the injuries to Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, the Cowboys are pathetic on offense right now, and this isn’t going to change likely for weeks to come. This gives the Giants, who are playing rather well, all the more time to distance the current one-game gap.
We’re not discounting the fact that the 2-3 Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles are still part of the division. Both teams will post their fair share of wins along the way, but neither team’s quarterback — Kirk Cousins or Sam Bradford — has been performing as consistently as Manning has. Erratic play call by both Cousins and Bradford has caused their teams to lose, and this could be a lasting trend.
The true test for the Giants to prove they are the real deal is to squash their divisional rivals in Weeks 6 and 7 when they face the Eagles and then the Cowboys for the second time. If they can accomplish this mission, the Giants will be tough to catch up with.