Author: Vito Stellino

A look back at Week 9 of the 2017 NFL season:

1. The Chiefs appear to be fading and suffered a 28-17 loss to the Cowboys, their third in four games after a 5-0 start. The Cowboys held Kareem Hunt to 37 yards on nine carries and ended Alex Smith’s NFL record streak of 237 passes without an interception. Meanwhile, the 6-3 Cowboys are 3-0 since losing to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers but aren’t likely to catch Philadelphia in the NFC East and are probably fighting for a wild-card spot. And the loss of Ezekiel Elliott for six games will make it more difficult for them to make the playoffs.

Continue reading “Taking a look back: NFL Week 9”

Gus Bradley insists he doesn’t have any extra motivation about his first visit to Everbank Field Sunday since he was fired as Jacksonville Jaguars coach with two games left last year.

“No,’’ said Bradley, now the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, in an interview with Chargers.com. “I’m more focused on us and what we have to do.’’

That is typical of Bradley, who always takes the high road and says he’s happy for the Jaguars’ success this year.

“To me, you’re happy for them,’’ he said. “You can’t not care for players that you were with for so many years. To see them do well and play at a high level and some of them get rewarded because of it. I think that’s cool. I’m all for that. … I think in the NFL there’s a lot of really good people. (That’s) what I’ve learned from the years I’ve been in it. Just really good people, and people that all want the same thing – at least where I’ve been – and Jacksonville was just another place that has a lot of really good people.’’

According to Chargers.com, “Those within the Jaguars organization, as well as those outside, give Bradley a ton of credit for building a strong foundation they believe will last for years to come.’’

Continue reading “Return is bittersweet for Bradley, but not for Jaguars fans”

A look ahead to Week 9 of the 2017 NFL season:

1. The NFL lawyers suffered a setback last week when they lost their bid to sideline Ezekiel Elliott Sunday, but it is good news for NFL TV types. It means Elliott will play against the Kansas City defense in the CBS doubleheader game that will be shown all over the country. Chiefs have given up 459 yards on the  ground the last three games so Elliott may have a big game. Cowboys are also in prime time three of next six weeks. Sidelining Elliott is not a good idea for a league dealing with declining TV ratings, but Roger Goodell is determined to do it.

Continue reading “Taking a look ahead: NFL Week 9”

The public perception of the Jacksonville Jaguars has taken a dramatic change in the last two months.

When the season started, the Jaguars were expected to remain one of the league’s bottom feeders. They’ve won just one playoff game since 1999.

The over-under on the Jaguars was 6.5 wins.

After a surprising 4-3 start, the Jaguars suddenly have a bandwagon as they prepare for Sunday’s pivotal game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

According to walterfootball.com, the Jaguars have become a popular public team with 62 percent of NFL bettors putting their money on them. That’s boosted the line from 2.5 points to five or six.

Continue reading “Sunday will go a long way to showing if the Jaguars are for real”

Five observations on the eighth weekend of the 2017 NFL season:

1. The Philadelphia Eagles continued to look like the best team in the league as they beat the winless San Francisco 49ers, 33-10, to boost their record to 7-1 at the midway point.

If the Eagles match that in the second half, they’ll be 14-2 and have the top seed in the NFC.

2. After three consecutive losses, the Atlanta Falcons’ season could have spun out of control if they had lost a fourth consecutive game to the New York Jets. But they escaped with a 25-20 victory to get to 4-3 and keep them in the playoff hunt.

Still, the odds remain against them returning to the Super Bowl.

Continue reading “Taking a look back at the NFL’s Week 8”