NFL
STOCK UP/STOCK DOWN/STOCK CRASHED
SEPT. 27th, 2023
*Thru WEEK 3 GAMES
By Gary Greene
STOCK UP TEAMS
1). HOUSTON TEXANS
The Texans made my favorite hire of any new HC hired this offseason. I love HC Ryans and never really only look at W/L record as he has a very young team and new young QB. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will this team or any team with a new young QB. But this team is no gimme win any Sunday as Ryans has done a remarkable job so far and wow his young QB Stroud has been magnificent so far right out the gate. He’s 5th in Yards Passing and most important he has ZERO….this isn’t a type….ZERO Interceptions. He has had OL injuries and the Run game has been brutal with Pierce avg. (2.5) yards per carry. But he already found his new young WR target in WR Tank Dell (15 catches/251 pass yards) and really this Receiving group is very solid. Good young/old mix too. Dell with Metchie, Collins, R. Wood and TE Shultz all give this young kid formidable weapons and a chance to be great. Of course the Defense has some ways to go…but this team is no free gimme win this season.
2). KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – DEFENSE
You didn’t read that wrong folks….it’s the Defense so far that has been the better of it’s own Offense or Defense this year. And the best part is this is a young Defense and very inexperienced yet I love how they fly around the field. This Defense has improved greatly in speed department and will only improve with each new game experience. They are #6 Defense in NFL and allow only 178 Pass yards per game and just peg over 100 rush yards per game. They have allowed only 13.3 points per game and they have faced Goff’s Lions and Lawrence’s Jags – so these stats to me very impressive so far.
3). CLEVELAND BROWNS – DEFENSE
Look it’s only 3 games but right now this is ’85 Bears Defense kinda stuff. If you only look at stats without going “inside those stats” you would see the Browns are allowing (10.7) points per game as a team. That is crazy good. But truth is it’s really only 6 points per game allowed by the Defense. In Loss to Steelers QB Watson threw a Pick-6 and fumbled for a TD. This Browns D is allowing only 163 yards per game. You can’t run or pass on this Defense right now. If Watson can get his “past years” self back this is a team you do Not want to play. I’m still not sold on Watson but I am all in sold on this Defense.
STOCK DOWN
1). LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
I didn’t go into this season like many of my hometown fans of this team thinking somehow they were a Playoff team as I had them pegged for last place. I absolutely hate HC McDaniels and I am not a QB Jimmy G guy either. This team has basically 4-5 stars and rest of roster is below average at best. It’s a bad situation that is only going to get worse and worse going forward. Star RB Jacobs held out and he simply is a shell of his superstar self. The OL is just awful but he also just looks different. I always say “Game tape” never lies and Jacobs just doesn’t seem to be playing at top speed after his contract talks never transpired. If this D doesn’t force turnovers and keeps allowing 26 points per game….I can’t see this Offense (now at 15 points per game) scoring 27 points per game enough to be a Winning team. if this owner/GM were smart they would unload D. Adams (Chargers should be on Line 1) and Jacobs right now and start rebuilding for future now. I mean their Home games here in Vegas have 70% of opposing teams fans in house so it’s not like attendance will drop.
2). JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
This is not how this season was supposed to start (1-2) and they have faced two teams expected to possibly be in Bottom 3 this year. The Offense is out of sync and QB Lawrence looks like he did first half last season. Very shaky and OL isn’t really helping. Lawrence has been sacked 6x but more than that this team isn’t scaring any opposing D with the long pass. They have completed one pass over 29 yards in 3 games (longest was 45 only). Lawrence is averaging only (6.5) yards per pass so far and so opponents are loading box more and just allowing Man to Man coverage against them. DE Josh Allen has been a beast but we all know this team’s hopes ride with QB Lawrence. Maybe a bonding trip to London this week will help but another loss will really start to disrupt all the good mojo they had finishing last season on a strong note.
STOCK CRASHED (ALREADY…OUCH)
1). CHICAGO BEARS
Look this is worse than even just (0-3) as both sides of ball are terrible. This team has lost 1000 straight games now and Dick Butkus is not walking thru the door. The Head Coach is completely in over his head and when you are “ALL IN” with QB who can’t read opposing Defenses and now has compounded that with being super tentative to pass the ball….you are in serious trouble. Having OL injuries also means this ship is sinking and I see nothing to think it will anytime soon.
2). TENNESSEE TITANS OFFENSE
I know anytime this team loses the blame almost all falls on QB Tanneyhill and some blame should go his way. But this OL is not good…they suck at run blocking as they have a bulldozer in RB D. Henry and thru 3 games he is only averaging (3.2) yards per carry and now first round pick Skoronski is out due to appendix issues. What’s more alarming is Henry is averaging only (2.7) yards after contact….ouch. Last week the Offense gained 94 total yards. It’s close to one of worst Offensive outputs I’ve ever graded after a game in my career. Worse is the Defense was on field 39 minutes last week and the Pass D is now 5th worst in the NFL allowing 275 passing yards per game.
3). JETS OFFENSE
In a NY minute the fate of this Jets team went down in flames on Opening Night. They were ill prepared to lose Rodgers and sadly backup Wilson is as scared as any QB I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t help that HC Salah is struggling again to put a game plan in order to help ease the burden on Wilson. The OL is not good and even with two studs at RB they can’t find any real traction. Now with only 3 games in tact the finger pointing and pouting has started. This is a lost Offense with lots of babies and no leaders. Not a recipe for success. Now even worse they face the Chiefs, who in my mind, have the Defense playing better than the potent Offense of Mahomes and Company.
NICE SURPRISES
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Forget stats and no team is playing harder than this bunch nobody expected to even compete. QB Dobbs came in a few days before season started and has played fantastic. The Defense lacks superstar talents but they fly to the ball…they hit hard and it’s clear this team loves the new HC and is running thru the wall for him. I wish I saw this effort from my team (Redskins).
DETROIT LIONS DEFENSE
This is my most Improved Defense from last year and the Run Defense is looking fantastic thus far (only 72 Rush yards per game). Add to that the tackling is night and day better than tape I used to watch last year and cringe. They have faced two Potent Offenses too in KC and Seattle. If they keep playing this good this team is going to the Playoffs.
TEAMS THAT WORRY ME
BALTIMORE RAVENS
I have never been a Lamar Jackson fan, but all I heard was how great the Offense was going to be this year with new Play caller and all these new weapons. Well (190) pass yards per game doesn’t ring my bells at all. This team doesn’t seem to play with any urgency on Offense and the play calling has left me scratching my head. They’ve played the two youngest teams in the league so far and they caught the Bengals with Burrow having calf issues. Now they get the best Defense in the league at the Dawg Pound where the Browns Run Defense is league best allowing (52) yards per game. That means it’s going to be up to Jackson to pass this team to a win on the Road. I think we will get the “real READ” on this Ravens team this weekend.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Here is where simply looking at won/lost record (2-1) can be really deceiving. The Offense and Defense both have showed me nothing really. What’s most alarming though is the Rush Offense is terrible. No yards after contact. (only 67 yards rushing per game). They have just one rush in 3 games over 11 yards. One. This ain’t Steelers football. Plus QB Pickett sacked 8x in 3 games and hit hard so many other times he’s gonna be hurt here soon.
I’LL PASS THESE TEAMS AT ANY NUMBER
DENVER BRONCOS
Most are blaming QB Russ Wilson but really he’s been so so …not God awful. The Defense is brutal but to me this team has zero Chemistry. They have no juice. Play calling has really sucked. It’s not like they barely lost games and bad luck or bad bounces are cause for (0-3) start.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
They have worst HC in league, behind only the Commodores with Ron Rivera and they have holes across the board. They basically have two star players and not even a third in RB Jacobs who simply is a shell of his old self. I couldn’t even fathom betting this team right now at any number posted.
NY GIANTS
This team has played 12 quarters and in 10 they scored 6 total points. Not one TD in 10 quarters. This may be one of worst year to year differences we see from last season to this season. The play calling too has been so suspect. This team is playing “scared” this year where last year they were one of loosest teams in the league. I wouldn’t touch this team right now with a ten foot pole.