Week eight action of the NFL has wrapped up and some teams are looking at different destinies, some involving the playoffs come January and some involving the draft come April.
The Giants are one of those teams looking toward retooling after a horrendous start to the season. The Giants’ season looked a bit troubling when Odell Beckham went down with a knee injury late in the preseason. The G-Men started out with a loss against America’s Team and it has been all downhill from there. Newly signed Brandon Marshall has not lived up to any hype being a complement to OBJ. Now, both receivers are out for the rest of the season with ankle injuries and Eli Manning is just trying to salvage the season. This might be a sign at addressing the offensive line and running game for the New York Giants.
Staying in the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys are at 4-3 trailing the Eagles in the division but they have their own trouble ahead of them. The Dallas Cowboys won at FedEx Field on Sunday, Oct. 29 moving to 4-3 and into second place into the NFC East. However, Jerry Jones and Co. lost a key part to that offense with Ezekiel Elliot’s six-game suspension of violation of personal conduct being reinstated and in effect until Dec. 17 against the Raiders. This is a big blow to a team trying to catch the 7-1 Eagles, who just acquired Jay Ajayi from the Dolphins. With the defense being inconsistent all season long, the former Buckeye was their key to controlling the game. Now, it will be up to Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden to carry their teammates.
The New England Patriots are once again atop the AFC East but made a shocking move by sending Jimmy Garoppolo to the Bay Side, joining the 49ers. The Patriots are getting stronger as the season goes on, just as they have done in previous seasons. Tom Brady is still consistent and strong as ever. So strong that the Patriots have traded away Garoppolo for a second round draft pick. Head Coach Bill Belichick either believes the former Michigan QB can go for another five years or thinks there is someone to draft behind Brady this April.
The Green Bay Packers are dealing without their elite quarterback Aaron Rodgers breaking his collarbone a couple weeks back. He is a costly loss to that team trying to win the NFC North. Rodgers will not be there for the Cheeseheads to mask all the flaws in Green Bay. Brett Hundley is in at the helm now but no one can replace the California native’s influence on the team. With Rodgers, the Packers have a great chance at a postseason berth but now without him, their season is in deep jeopardy.
With these teams all headed in different directions, there is still a lot to be decided in the remaining weeks. The Cowboys will be tested if they can withstand the suspension of Elliot. Hundley will try to claim a postseason berth while Brady will try to claim a sixth ring this year. For the Giants, all Jerry Reese, Giants general manager, can do is look toward the NFL Draft and address their offensive line and running game to help out Eli or even look for the replacement for the 36-year-old veteran quarterback.
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