Another week of the NFL season is behind us, and there are a couple critical takeaways to analyze.
Here are my four biggest observations from week eight of the NFL season.
1) The Patriots are very confident with Tom Brady for the next few years.
I wrote last night that the trading of backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers was a sign the Patriots are comfortable with Brady for awhile. There’s zero chance that trade happens if the organization feels their Super Bowl winning quarterback would retire soon.
2) The Cowboys might not survive the Ezekiel Elliott suspension.
Elliott’s suspension is back on, and that’s bad news for the Cowboys. He’s played incredible so far this year, and it has very much appeared the team can’t win without him. Don’t expect much out of Dallas if he misses the next six games.
3) I badly overestimated the Detroit Lions.
I thought the Lions looked like the real deal during their 3-1 start. Stafford was balling, the defense was on fire and Detroit looked like they’d finally arrived. Well, I might have jumped the gun. Stafford and company have lost three in a row, and it doesn’t appear to be getting better anytime soon. If they can’t find away to protect Stafford, there’s no chance they make the playoffs.
4) JuJu Schuster-Smith is the real deal.
The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver sensation is a lot of fun to watch. How did so many teams miss on this guy? He is pure lightning on the field. He went near the end of the second round, but plays like a top 10 pick. The Steelers got a major steal with him.