This was not a memorable weekend for the NFL.
The much-hyped Kansas City-Baltimore matchup turned out to be a dud as the Ravens were no match for the Chiefs. And the Titans had the league’s first Covid 19 outbreak so their game against the Steelers will be postponed until later in the season.
The only obstacles the Chiefs have to worry about in their quest for a repeat are probably injuries and/or a Covid 19 outbreak. After their takedown of the Ravens, they are big favorites to go become first team since 2003-04 Patriots to repeat.
–The Titans’ Covid 19 outbreak shows teams can’t let their guard down as they attempt to contain the virus. It is uncertain what caused the Titans’ outbreak but it was a stark reminder the virus can strike no matter how many protocols the teams follow.
–Nick Foles did his thing again for the Bears against the Falcons, coming off the bench after Mitch Trubisky was yanked to lead them to a come-from-behind victory over the Falcons, who have a reputation for blowing leads. They’re the first team to lose 15 point fourth quarter leads twice in the same season in 20 years. And, of course, they will never live down 28-3.
–The good showing Foles turned in coming off the bench earned him the starting job for the Bears against the Colts this weekend. Foles had a nightmarish season last year after signing a deal with the Jaguars. He was injured in the opener, struggled when he returned, lost the job to Gardner Minshew and was traded. He will now try to resurrect his career.
–Philadelphia at 0-2-1 and the Cowboys at 1-2 are two of the most disappointing teams in the league, but one of them is likely to make the playoffs because they are both in the NFC East with the 1-2 Redskins and 0-3 Giants.
–Going into the one quarter week of the season, seven teams, including the Chiefs, are 3-0. The other six are the Bills, Seahawks, Packers, Bears, Steelers and Titans. Two of them –Steelers and Titans – likely play this weekend although the date hasn’t been set because of the Titans’ virus outbreak.
–There are six 0-3 teams. They include both New York teams, the Jets and Giants, plus Denver and three disappointing teams – Houston, Minnesota and Atlanta. There are two games involving 0-3 teams, Jets-Broncos and Texans-Vikings.