With the regular season now more than halfway over, we’re quickly approaching a new high in complete and utter incompetence. And with that, let's get to what went wrong this week.
Ken Whisenhunt: Two head coaches have already been fired this season.Whisenhunt was relieved of his coaching duties by the Titans this week following a 3-20 loss at home.Whisenhunt, like Joe Philbin before him, was a middling head coach at best, and to most of us the question was not if but when he would get fired. Whisenhunt has had a long career in this game and will likely find an offensive coordinator job next season. He’s been uninspiring all year, and with young playmaker Marcus Mariota at quarterback, uninspiring simply will not cut it.
Injuries: Sunday was one of the most brutal days of the NFL season. There’s a day like this every year, but this year's was especially tough to watch. Veterans and young players alike were stricken by injury at a terrifying rate, and it's still unclear as to how many will even play football again. Among these players is Steve Smith, the 36-year-old receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. Smith will no doubt be remembered as the Panthers’ greatest player of all time; but for right now, he has to evaluate whether or not he’d like to play football again after he tore his achilles. Other big names hurt Sunday include Reggie Bush, Jadeveon Clowney and Le’Veon Bell.
The Packers: Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning squaring off on national television is a guaranteed shootout right? Wrong! Instead of giving football fans the game they deserved, the Packers offense fell apart and allowed Peyton Manning to get out to an early lead and then comfortably run out the clock. The Broncos defense absolutely manhandled the Packers and made the team look foolish for even trying to pass the ball.
The Lions: There is no better time than the present to reiterate how terrible the Lions are. At 1-7 there’s no way the Lions will backdoor their way into a wild-card playoff spot, and that means that everyone who plays football in Detroit has declared this season a loss. It's like they've decided there’s no reason to even pretend to play sensibly or decently. I’ve been a Matthew Stafford apologist for a long time, but after the season he’s had this year, I think it’s unlikely he'll be the Lions’ starter at the beginning of next season. That, paired with Calvin Johnson’s massive salary cap figure, means the Lions are likely in for a major restructuring. Unless MegaTron is willing to take a big pay cut to stay in Detroit, the future hall-of-famer will probably be in search of a new team.
With all of that said, the NFL season has surpassed its halfway point, and with that comes exciting stories of underdog teams possibly making a playoff run. For Rams fans like myself, this part of the season is the time to get very hopeful, only to have your dreams crushed like always.
