BY ADAM GREENE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no reason for much preamble this week. We\u2019ve got some issues to discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE NFL HAS NOT DEFEATED COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n First off, you have to give it up for the NFL for being completely honest and open (seemingly) about their COVID-19 protocols. Of course, that\u2019s easy to do when you\u2019ve been killing it for the last two months with no outbreaks. It\u2019s quite different when you\u2019re hit with what the Tennessee Titans were Tuesday as three players and five team personnel all tested positive for the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NFL acted quick, locked down the Titans and the Minnesota Vikings (the team they defeated 31-30 Sunday) and announced the positive tests to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you compare this to what\u2019s going on in college football right now, and surely what is being hidden, it\u2019s refreshing, really. The NFL doesn\u2019t have the best track record when it comes to prioritizing player health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First off, it\u2019s time to place a little blame here and it rests a lot with the State of Tennessee. The southeastern states, to put it lightly, don\u2019t have the best political leadership as the country faces down the most dangerous health crisis in a century. I live in Tennessee and, let me tell you, it\u2019s a dumpster fire here and the only reason we aren\u2019t the worst COVID-19 state in the country is because Georgia and Florida exist. It is awful and this state, it\u2019s governor, state representatives, state senators and local leadership are a disgrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So it doesn\u2019t surprise me at all that the Titans showed up as disease vectors this weekend because they live here, as I do, among the world\u2019s deadliest plague rats. It\u2019s kind of a nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The league has acted fast. The Titans are locked out of their facility until Saturday. The Vikings are waiting to see if they have any positive tests. If they\u2019ve escaped their brush with Tennessee, they\u2019ll be cleared to return. As of this writing, both their games are still happening. The 3-0 Titans are slated to host the 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers in Nashville and the 0-3 Vikings are traveling to Houston to do battle with the 0-3 Texans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NFL does have some options here, thanks to byes on the schedule. The Titans and Steelers could take a bye this week, then play Week 7, with the league moving Pittsburgh\u2019s regular Week 7 game against the Baltimore Ravens to Week 8. There\u2019s also a chance the NFL moves the game to Monday night to give the team an extra day of testing. Barring some team-wide outbreak, that might be the most likely scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Vikings and Texans aren\u2019t as easy to maneuver and a worst case scenario is for both teams to be stuck without a game (though they could push the playoffs a week \u2013 which I think no one would mind, and make it up in a \u201cWeek 18\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was bound to happen, especially with a team playing in Tennessee, in Georgia and three in Florida, so if the Titans are able to play in Week Four with no more hitches, it\u2019ll show that the protocols the NFL has put in place work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LAMAR JACKSON\u2019S BIG GAME TROUBLES CONTINUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hey, you don\u2019t have to like to read it. You can like Lamar Jackson and be excited that he\u2019s in the league and the Ravens\u2019 QB, but here\u2019s how he shuts up this critique of his big game performance; win one. Win a playoff game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only did Jackson not show up Monday night, he was never a factor in the game. Of Baltimore\u2019s 20 points, seven came on a kickoff return. The other touchdown came after the Kansas City Chiefs turned the ball over on downs at midfield. Jackson finished 15 of 28 passing for 97 yards and a TD and rushed for 83. His most prolific receiver on the night was rookie running back J.K. Dobbins, who caught four passes for 38 yards out of the backfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After going 16-0 straight up last week in my NFL picks, I fell back to earth this weekend. But in spite of that, going into Monday night, I had no doubt that Kansas City would win the game. And it\u2019s because Jackson can be schemed against and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo lives for that. He\u2019s won two Super Bowls doing it. And with Andy Reid\u2019s help diagnosing how Baltimore\u2019s offense works? Please.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s the thing; this is a decent Chiefs defense. They are not an elite unit. Jackson was slowed by scheme, by preparation and coaching. It\u2019s what\u2019s knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs in consecutive years and it\u2019s the kind of defense they\u2019ll continue to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baltimore has a cakewalk schedule over the next three weeks, outright gifts from the NFL with which to work on what\u2019s obviously broken with their team. Now, what they can do is just continue unleash what works against scrub teams, dominate them and come into their Oct. 25 game against the Steelers 5-1, only to get shut down again by a competent defensive scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or they can do a deep dive, put more on Jackson\u2019s plate on reading defenses. Greg Roman is a master at covering an athletic quarterback\u2019s deficiencies, but the NFL catches up quick. The book on Jackson is out. Roman and the Ravens have to rewrite it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because after that cakewalk, they\u2019ve got the aforementioned Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots, the Steelers again and then the Dallas Cowboys, who you obviously have to score 40 points to beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they can adapt and overcome, get through that gauntlet, they go right back to easy street to finish the season against teams that will probably all be under .500 in that final month of the season with the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals wrapping up December and setting up a potential playoff run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which the Ravens and Jackson will blow again if they don\u2019t fix this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow our BetOnline Twitter accoun<\/a>t for the latest sports news and betting odds, and stay tuned on the Instagram feed<\/a> for more good information too.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BY ADAM GREENE There\u2019s no reason for much preamble this week. We\u2019ve got some issues to discuss. 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