4th and Short: It's Paxton Lynch time in Denver
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
Where do the Denver Broncos go from here?
The Broncos have to go to Paxton Lynch as soon as the young quarterback is healthy. They just have to. Lynch didn't look particularly strong in his first two starts, but we can’t forget no one believed him to be close to “NFL Ready” as a draft prospect. We all thought this young man was going to need a lot of time before he is ready.
Well, Lynch has now had time, and Denver absolutely has to find out what it hsas in the former first-round pick. It's safe to say Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler are not the answers. These two are NFL backups. Denver might also be wise to feature Devontae Booker as its lead running back.
This might sound harsh, but after watching the Broncos give up 51 points in Philadelphia, it is time to think about tomorrow. The crime here would be if Denver enters this upcoming offseason and knows no more about Lynch than it does now. Lynch has to play and the Broncos need to structure their offense around him now to the best of their coaching abilities.
Which second-year QB is the best of the bunch?
Oh, it's Carson Wentz.
I am very biased on this one because I have been smitten with Wentz since day one. In fact, on many occasions (even before the 2017 season began), I said that if I got my choice of one player - age is important here - to start an NFL franchise with, I would pick Wentz.
That isn’t the slightest knock whatsoever on Jared Goff or Dak Prescott. Both Wentz and Goff’s supporting cast has been greatly improved since last year, but Goff’s more so than Wentz’s. The Eagles, Rams, and Cowboys have all done a great job of building around their young quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses. Goff doesn’t even resemble the player he was in his rookie season and is playing great and efficient football.
Prescott was the best of the three in his rookie season, but also had the most optimal conditions around him. While it hasn’t been publicized as much, Prescott too has taken a huge step forward in his second season. In fact, while Prescott used to be a complementary piece of Dallas’ offense, he is now in complete control and the Cowboys offense goes through him.
Wentz, Goff, and Prescott are all extremely impressive and are playing some of the best football of all of the league’s quarterbacks, but Wentz is playing the best. He has really shined on third downs and with his deep passing. Wentz’s skill set is superb, but his best asset just might be his mind.
Are the Atlanta Falcons in trouble?
In terms of making the playoffs, Atlanta is in huge trouble.
If the Falcons were in the AFC, this wouldn’t be as big of a deal, but in terms of pecking order in the NFC, they are not only third in their division, but are also behind either the Rams or Seahawks in the West, as well as Dallas in the East for a wild-card spot. Washington, Detroit, and Arizona are all on the Falcons' level.
The change of offensive coordinators has been targeted as the Falcons' main problem - and there is some merit to that. There are fewer big plays on offense and Matt Ryan has struggled to find the rhythm he was in last season. But other aspects of this team are also to blame. The young defense isn’t moving forward as quickly as Atlanta would like, and more than any team in the league, the Falcons are starting drives with terrible field position.
The NFC is too difficult for the Falcons to coast into the playoffs, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if the second half of the season was more favorable than the first eight games for this club either. But yes, they are in trouble.
Are the L.A. Rams the best team in the NFC West?
Yes. Seattle is still a team to be reckoned with and it certainly has a lot of winning experience. It is not going away any time soon. However, the Seahawks defense doesn’t have quite the flair and explosiveness that they once had. And Seattle has bigger problems than that.
First off, after missing three crucial kicks on Sunday, the Seahawks' kicker situation is really worrisome. As usual, that is also the case with the offensive line. Russell Wilson is under constant pressure and is running for his life far too often.
But it is the running game, or lack thereof, that is paralyzing this team. Defenses rightfully don’t fear Seattle’s ground game and far too much is asked of Wilson.
Meanwhile, the Rams are improving on defense and have one of the league’s best offenses. We shall see how this plays out down the stretch, but right now, Los Angeles is the top team in the NFC West.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)