By: Nick LaPorte, 9/18/2019
After a long and fruitful marriage that saw Eli Manning quarterback the Giants to 2 Super Bowls, it’s finally time to say goodbye to the old gunslinger. The Giants took Duke QB Daniel Jones 6th overall in this year’s draft, and its time for the Jones era to begin after just two weeks. Eli has been teetering on the edge of unplayable for years now, but I find it hard to blame him for everything. Year after year the Giants neglected to invest in their offensive line, and Eli took a beating. Yes, he has turnover problems, but I imagine it’s hard to craft a good passing attack when your best options are always hurt, or traded away in their prime.
Jones faces a tough situation, but Giants fans may be in store for a surprise. Besides a brief benching of Eli a few seasons ago, he’s been their guy since 2005. But Manning’s last great moment came in 2011, when he beat Tom Brady’s Patriots for the 2nd time in 4 years. Jones gives the Giants something they haven’t had in a long time: something new at QB. It’ll take time for Jones to settle in, and he doesn’t exactly have a lot of help in the passing game. But if the Giants lean on superstar RB Saquon Barkley, and use Evan Engram over the middle of the field, Jones May be able to prove himself. He was a 1st rounder for a reason, after all.
Gardner the Folk Hero
The Jaguars signed Nick Foles this year to be their franchise QB, but he went down on the first drive of the year. While Foles is on IR, the Jaguars have turned to Gardner Minshew II, a 6th round pick. Minshew has already developed a cult following, and it’s hard not to like what he brings to the table. For example, his father named him Gardner the second when there was no previous Gardner Minshew, and by the way his grandfather preferred he be named Beowulf. Minshew rocks a mustache that even Tom Selleck would be jealous of. He’s half man, half myth, and half meme. And he’s also not half bad, if you look at his numbers.
Minshew entered the week one game against the Chiefs and tossed 2 TDs, completing 22/25 passes for 275 yards. The Jaguars lost 40-26 but Minshew looked like an NFL-caliber QB. Jaguars fans were excited to move on from Blake Bortles to Foles, but now Minshew is the one in the spotlight. Minshew carried over his success into week two, completing 23/33 passes for 213 yards and a TD, and added 56 yards on the ground against a good Texans defense. Minshew led the Jaguars down in the final moments to cut the lead to 1 point, but after the coach drew up a vanilla 2-point conversion attempt, Minshew was unable to complete the comeback. His next test comes tonight, when the Titans head to Jacksonville.
After a brutal fantasy football loss this week I took a breather after writing the Brees piece, see here. (In fact I took that loss so hard I had 9 goddamn whiskey sours… okay not really). But I’m back on the metaphorical wagon and ready for Week 3, and here I’ll give out my three “locks” of the week, or “guarantees” or whatever.
1. Cowboys (-21.5) over DOLPHINS
I’m sorry, man, I really am. But the Dolphins looked like absolute garbage for 2 weeks. At least the 2017 Browns that went 0-16 kept games competitive; the Dolphins look like they’re a minor league team that got called up to play the 1927 Yankees. In other words, they suck. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are 2-0 and their offense looks better than ever. QB Dak Prescott is in search of a contract extension and with the lowly Dolphins on his radar, he may set some passing records this Sunday. 8 TD passes isn’t out of the question, the only thing stopping him is the unwritten mercy-rule that’s taken effect in 2 straight Dolphins games. Don’t expect the Cowboys to take this one lightly; lay the heavy favorite and cash that ticket.
2. Cardinals (+2.5) OVER PANTHERS
I can’t believe the Panthers are still favored after news broke that Cam Newton will not be playing. This feels like a pick ’em game, but the Panthers still carry the -2.5 line. Do you really think the Panthers will win by a field goal or more? No way that happens, I’m sorry but they’ve looked lifeless for 2 straight weeks. Meanwhile the Cardinals have played both the Lions and Ravens competitive, getting a tie against the Lions and losing by 1 score to the Ravens. Rookie QB Kyler Murray has that “it factor” in the fourth quarter, and I think if coach Kliff Kingsbury gets more creative in the red zone this is a surefire win. At the very least, this will come down to the wire. Take the points and don’t be shocked if the Cardinals win outright.
3. Rams (-3) OVER BROWNS
Vegas seems to think the Rams are about 6 points better than the Browns but I think it’s more than that. The Browns offense is a mess, and Baker Mayfield is having trouble in his second year. That long TD pass to Odell Beckham, which lost me the week in fantasy, isn’t going to happen against the Rams. Take that away and you have a 16-3 game where the Browns struggled to beat a Jets team on their 3rd-string QB. Compare that to the Rams, who survived week one and dominated the Saints last week, and I think this is an easy win for LA. Sean McVay is a genius, and Freddie Kitchens is… well, he’s only there because Baker likes him.
In a game like this, the Rams can’t afford to lose and the Browns need to win. The Rams are better in every single aspect, from coaching to QB, skill positions, defense, and special teams. -3 feels like an insult, and it’s a result of the media continuing to overhype the Browns. Nick Chubb looks average this year at RB, and besides Beckham the WRs can’t get on the same page as Mayfield. Not to mention TE David Njouku might be done for the year. The Rams will win this one handily, by a TD or more. Lay the 3 points and be happy Vegas wasn’t wise enough to push it to 4.5 or worse.
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