Jason Bell gives us the inside take on the latest news across the National Football League, with NFL betting and predictions for the biggest matchups this week...
Top-Heavy Dallas Need To Find Balance
The Dallas Cowboys are in a tough spot right now. They were playing a team even more desperate than them last week in the Ravens, which made the loss even worse.
I just don’t think they’re a very talented team. There are a lot of expectations simply because they are the Dallas Cowboys, but we’re seeing all their flaws at the moment.
It’s hard to be successful in the NFL if you can’t stop the run or run the ball.
They’re very top-heavy in talent with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott both getting paid, and Micah Parsons is going to get paid too. After that, you look at the rest of their roster and wonder who else they really have.
As fancy as football can look at times, with clever plays and long throws flying through the air, if you can’t run the ball then teams will continue to pick you off.
You have to be balanced and they’re not big enough in the middle in defense, that’s also getting exposed.
Jaguars’ Coaching Staff Are On Survival Mode
There is a lot going on at the Jacksonville Jaguars right now and the pressure is mounting on Trevor Lawrence.
However, I think the coaching staff are playing for survival right now. If they’re going to make it through the year, we need to start seeing some improvement.
It can be easy to pin it on the players, but my focus is on the coaching staff.
Other teams lose players, adjust, and find ways to win games, but Jacksonville aren’t doing that. For me, the pressure is on the coaching staff more than Trevor Lawrence.
Obviously people are going to be talking about him because he’s the quarterback and he got paid. The focus needs to be on getting him back on track after eight consecutive losses as a starter.
With the way contracts are put together, the effects of his extension are not going to hit the team for another couple of years, so he needs to get better this year and improve into next year to compensate for the lack of resources they’ll have because of his contract.
No matter who is the coach, they’ll either get credit or criticism based on how Trevor Lawrence plays.
Time For Sirianni To Start Taking The Three?
Nick Sirianni is always in the firing line because he does something that the media and fans always question; he’s a head coach who doesn’t call plays. That means his main assets should be game management and decision making.
His decision to go for it instead of taking the three on the fourth down on multiple occasions against the Saints have put him under the microscope, and that’s no surprise.
Points have been at a premium because teams don’t seem to be scoring as much this year, so turning down multiple chances for three points is going to raise eyebrows.
If he gets another fourth down decision wrong, but they go on to lose the game by three, that’s when it’ll get really tough for him. I also don’t think it helps that for some reason he just looks like he’s not in control!
At the moment he just has to make what he feels is the best decision, but he has made some mistakes and I totally understand why people are critiquing him.
Lions Can Clip Seahawks’ Wings
My main game to watch this week features my pre-season Super Bowl pick, the Detroit Lions. They face off against a Seattle Seahawks team who have a perfect 3-0 record, so this one isn’t going to be easy!
However, I think this game could bring Seattle’s first loss as it’s the first time this season that they’ll be coming up against a really good quarterback and a tough offense.
The defense has been playing well but this Detroit offensive line presents a whole new challenge.
That being said, this is Seattle’s stand up game. If they can pull off a win here then they’ll start being taken very seriously. That’s why I think this is the focal game of the week.
I do just think the Detroit Lions will have too much for them on this occasion, though, so they’re my pick here.
Prediction: Detroit Lions to win
Dallas To Make Pressure Pay Against Giants
The second game to watch this week will be a whole different spectacle, between two teams who really need a win to stop the rot.
The Dallas Cowboys simply have to beat the New York Giants. If they lose this game, the house could come crashing down. The pressure in that building right now is probably out of control.
The New York Giants’ pass defense can’t be described as anything other than horrendous, and I think that’s where Dallas will get the better of them.
They’re going to throw the ball to victory. The Giants are going to get Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’d on!
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys to win
