Some illusions could have developed Sunday matches.
The 49ers are no longer undefeated after losing 29-20 to the Falcons. Was this just a trap play, or is this the start of trouble for the injury-ravaged 49ers? It might be difficult to trust this team as a Super Bowl contender.
The Steelers are on a three-game winning streak after beating the Saints, 16-10, in Paris, but it might be wise not to say this will be the year they go far in the playoffs. Should Pittsburgh get credit for beating three two-win teams?
Then there are the Rams, who beat the Raiders, 35-21. It was an impressive performance, but was it a good match or just an anomaly of a week in Las Vegas?
Let’s break down some of these potential fallacies from the Week 7 schedule.
It’s still not time to believe in the Steelers
I’ve been burned by the Steelers’ vortex of mediocrity multiple times. It’s a cycle that can seem appealing at times, but has ended the same way for nearly a decade.
Don’t be fooled by Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak, including Sunday’s win over New Orleans. That shouldn’t be enough to believe this will be the year the Steelers (5-2) end their seven-game playoff losing streak.
Yes, there’s a lot to like about Pittsburgh’s positive streak. The defense has been exceptional over the last two weeks, and this unit was enough to overcome the ups and downs of Aaron Rodgers and his offense in the win against the Saints. (The Steelers generated just one touchdown and averaged 5.4 yards per gain.) Rodgers was better in wins against the Colts and Buccaneers, but that’s three wins against a trio of teams that each have two wins.
It’s still hard to see the Steelers having enough firepower to compete with the AFC’s best in January. Pittsburgh prefers to slow down games because it has to with a 42-year-old Rodgers who sometimes has trouble getting the ball to DK Metcalf (only two catches for 56 yards on Sunday). But this is a well-balanced operation with underrated running back Jaylen Warren (18 carries, 101 yards). Additionally, the defense has turned a corner since back-to-back tough performances against division foes Cincinnati and Cleveland. The Steelers won a 30-27 shootout against the Bengals in Week 3, then lost 27-24 to the Browns.
If the game scenario plays out as expected, the Steelers will be tough against most teams. However, the storyline didn’t go as planned when it mattered most, as evidenced by six unique playoff appearances.
Pittsburgh once again has Cleveland and Cincinnati for its next two games. Maybe I’ll start falling in love with the Steelers again if Rodgers outplays Joe Burrow a second time and the defense shuts down the pesky Browns after the Week 4 loss. Thursday Night Football.
But for now, the Steelers’ three-game winning streak is deceptive because they’ve faced three losing teams. Don’t trust them yet.
49ers injury crisis continues to dampen strong first half
It’s hard to be excited about what the 49ers have done in the first half of the season.
On the one hand, they are 6-1 with a sizable lead in the NFC West standings. On the other hand, the injuries did not stop and they finally lost a game, losing to the Falcons on Sunday.
It’s probably best to look at the full sample size here so as not to let one bad game in Atlanta diminish everything San Francisco has done for nearly two months. They’re the best team in football, but they’re also a team that can’t be trusted due to waves of injuries.
Here’s a scenario we could be headed towards: The top-seeded 49ers are considered underdogs in a home playoff game due to several injuries to key players.
As the Falcons game approached, concerns arose that the 49ers might not have enough healthy players to fill all 48 spots on the game-day roster. They were without Mike Evans, Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel Sr., and that doesn’t include the many injured players. On Sunday, San Francisco played through a period without Christian McCaffrey out with a thigh injury.
I already have I went back and forth on my initial assessment that the 49ers maybe not real Super Bowl contenders because of all the injuries. Maybe this season has a ceilinglike last year, when this injury-ravaged team ran wild against the Seahawks in the divisional round.
For now, I hope the 49ers get healthy at the right time, but that’s not a given with all the rash of injuries in recent seasons. San Francisco could afford to miss a few key players, but they need Evans and McCaffrey to be real contenders in January.
Rams’ simplistic formula leads to bounce-back win in Las Vegas
Injuries forcing the Rams to simplify their operation could be a turning point in their season.
Coach Sean McVay called several running plays and ran the passing attack through Puka Nacua in a well-deserved win over the Raiders. The Rams did not use flashy three-tight end formations or force plays to keep players involved.
The Rams (3-4) were physical and kept things simple, running the ball 38 times for a season-high 199 rushing yards against the Raiders. It was the first time since Week 1 that Matthew Stafford (23 of 29, 195 yards, 3 TDs, INT) didn’t record at least 30 passes, and the season opener doesn’t really count because Stafford didn’t finish in the blowout loss to the 49ers. Stafford has already thrown over 50 passes in three games this season.
The pass-heavy attack is part of the reason Los Angeles has only two wins after six games. The Rams have dug themselves a significant hole in the standings without an on-field identity or real voice to guide them through adversity, despite having an impressive 11 captains. It felt like McVay didn’t want to hurt anyone and prioritized getting everyone involved.
But wide receiver Davante Adams, edge rusher Myles Garrett, tight end Terrance Ferguson and defensive tackles Poona Ford and Kobie Turner were unavailable for Sunday’s game in Las Vegas. The Rams also almost didn’t have Nacua after he injured his calf in practice earlier this week.
The Rams have plenty of talent, but they are tough to beat with Nacua as the focal point of a well-balanced attack. McVay might also have finally found the formula to get the most out of his two running backs, Kyren Williams (16 carries, 99 yards, TD) and Blake Corum (17 carries, 93 yards, TD), the duo who totaled 192 rushing yards in Las Vegas.
If McVay continues to engage in the race, Williams and Corum will likely produce more of these types of performances. This team could be on the verge of finally forming an identity.
Lions defense finally shows improvement
It’s no surprise that the Lions beat the Packers 20-17. But few expected Detroit’s defense to stifle an offense that was a few weeks in the making and recently picked up running back Josh Jacobs.
It was the kind of performance defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has needed for a long time. It would have been difficult for coach Dan Campbell to continue to defend him since his coordinator had Jordan Love lighting up this suspect secondary. But Love (27 of 45, 274 yards, two TDs, INT) struggled to connect with new sophomore wideout Matthew Golden (12 targets, six catches, 39 yards) and probably should have been picked off two or three times if the Lions defenders hadn’t dropped balls.
Detroit (4-2) limited Green Bay (4-3) to 324 yards and just 17 first downs. Maybe Sheppard figured out what was wrong with his defense over the bye week, because the unit looked different on Sunday. It also certainly helped the team that the team got back versatile safety Brian Branch, who recorded an interception in his season debut.
Having a reliable defense would go a long way toward bolstering the Lions’ hopes of winning a competitive NFC North. Minnesota leads the division at 6-0, while Chicago sits in second place at 5-2.
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