Hot Take #1
Colts End the Chiefs’ Season
The Indianapolis Colts are a very good team this year, but the question remains… Will they be a playoff team this season? Welp… In my eyes, this is it for the Colts. If they can be competitive this week and take the Chiefs to the brink. They are for real.Â
The Kansas City Chiefs have been in disarray this season, having their worst season of the Patrick Mahomes era. The funny thing is, their offensive numbers are great this season, and their defensive numbers are nothing to sneeze at, too. So what is the issue? Well… the offensive line has not been great, but it definitely has been worse in the past. The coined phrase ‘Mahomes Magic’ is not being used quite as much this year.Â
The Chiefs have played tight games until the end of each game for most of the past two and a half seasons. The last two years, they have pulled out so many of those games on the back of Mahomes and the defense, but this year, we have seen less and less of it. Now, that’s not to say it is gone, but more to show that this may not be their year. The Chiefs are having a late-career Stephon Curry’s Golden State Warriors type of year.Â
The Colts are subconsciously frauds in everyone’s mind, and the Chiefs are still the Chiefs in most people’s minds. So this matchup is going to show us reality from fiction. Can Daniel Jones end the Chiefs’ season? If the Colts pull this out, it will effectively end the year for the Chiefs.Â
Hot Take #2
Ashton Jeanty is No Longer A Top Fantasy Asset
I have been hot and cold with Ashton Jeanty all season. The Boise State product and top-10 draft pick will have better days ahead of him, as his rookie season has been less than stellar. Troy Aikman pointed out on Monday Night’s broadcast that Jeanty has not had a run for over 18 yards. His explosive ability has been limited for almost the entire season. This is most likely not going to change the deeper we get into this year.Â
Jeanty had one of the weirder Monday Night performances that you will see this year, in part because of the limitations being placed on him and that offense. Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly decided that he was going to throw the ball 28 times in the first half and only run it four times. Two of those times were Jeanty carrying the ball.
Jeanty totaled 7 yards on only 6 carries Monday night. Through the air, he had 8 targets and 6 receptions for 27 yards. This is an obscure stat line. Of course, the Las Vegas Raiders struggled on Monday Night, but it was only just 17-9 with 2 minutes left in the second half. This did not warrant two rushes in the half.Â
Do I think Jeanty will have no fantasy value down the stretch this season? No, but I do think it is a real possibility that he finishes from week twelve on as a back-end RB2 or High-end RB3 rest of season. This could absolutely make a difference within your fantasy lineups.
Hot Take #3
Bengals Knock off Pats
The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the worst teams in the National Football League. In large part due to Joe Burrow being out for the year. They tempted fate by potentially bringing him back, but that just angered the football gods, and they haven’t won a game since.Â
Joe Flacco has done a good job holding down the fort while Burrow has been out, but there is no rush for Burrow to come back. With 7 weeks to go, there is no reason for their Franchise quarterback to try and make the playoffs when their chances are slim to none. Why say they beat the team tied for the best record in football?
I believe that the Bengals could beat the New England Patriots this weekend. The main reason for this is that the Patriots have to be exhausted. They seem without their bye week and are one of the hottest teams in the sport. They are a young squad that has not really been in this position before. This is a classic let-down spot for the Patriots. I do believe that this team is very good, but this is the National Football League, and anything can happen. Smokin’ Joe Flacco absolutely can carve up that Patriots secondary. The challenge will be the run game for the Bengals.
Now this is an unlikely feat for the Bengals because of the competency that the New England Patriots now possess once again. The letdown game is only something that will elude a dynasty, and I do not see a dynasty brewing once again in Massachusetts.
