The NFL season is already in full swing, so here are a bunch of my thoughts on Thursday Night Football last night, my quarterback and team power ratings and more.
GAME REVIEW FROM LAST NIGHT
Brandon Staley might lose his stature with the analytics community after punting last night with 3:55 left in the game and his team down one score. Staley was ultra-aggressive last year, almost showing contempt for any punt — and it cost his team a playoff berth. This season because he feels more confident in his defense, he is still going to be aggressive (just not reckless), and for that I applaud him.
Thursday Night Football was a fascinating game on many fronts. Justin Herbert making a rare mistake and Andy Reid taking three points after failing to move the ball an inch facing first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Reid collected the points, made everyone surprised and in the end, those points were the difference. Reid knew his team was not moving the ball effectively against the Chargers defense. His offensive line was getting pushed around and Mahomes was taking too many hits — which must concern Reid moving forward. Mahomes made great throws, also got away with several dropped interceptions and as the year moves along and the Chiefs’ style of play becomes more apparent, their margin of error on offense against a good defense will be small.