Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. With Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover!
This week, Doug and Luke get into the following key topics:
- Is it time for the Las Vegas Raiders to cut their losses with head coach Josh McDaniels?
- Who’s the NFL’s best quarterback… right now?
- If you could pick Justin Jefferson or Stefon Diggs to be the anchor of your passing game, how would you play it?
- Why has Josh Allen become a disaster in the red zone, when he used to be the league’s most formidable weapon near the goal line?
You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:
Is it time for Josh McDaniels to go?
On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders dropped to 2-7 on the season, losing a humiliating game to the Indianapolis Colts in which Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels effectively found himself outcoached by Colts head coach Jeff Saturday, who had never coached at any level of college or professional football before. We remember McDaniels’ disastrous tenure in Denver in 2009 and 2010, and that he was fired before the 2010 season ended. Given what you’ve seen, is it time for Raiders owner Mark Davis (who has expressed short-term confidence in his head coach) to make McDaniels a short-timer for the second time in his career?
Doug: I would argue that McDaniels has done less with more than Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who’s been everybody’s justifiable punching bag. Remember that the Raiders actually made the playoffs last season after Jon Gruden was fired for his email history. They traded for Davante Adams in the offseason, and hired a gifted defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham. Now, you have an offense in which Adams has struggled to fit in, and I think you have to go out of your way to make that happen. Derek Carr breaking down and crying in the postgame presser was the last straw for me. I know that McDaniels has curbed the impulsive tendencies that made his time with the Broncos historically bad, but there is absolutely no excuse for this performance. Whatever the skills required of a head coach at the NFL level, McDaniels just doesn’t have them, and that was never more evident than it was on Sunday.
Luke: Every week, I say to myself, “How can the Raiders be THIS bad?” This felt like a team last year that was definitely a Davante Adams away from being a legit contender, and instead, they’re one of the worst teams in the league. When the personnel obviously doesn’t make sense when compared with the result, you obviously have to look to the headsets, and that starts with McDaniels. I mean, has he learned anything since Denver? Some people can do the job, and some people can’t. We should have known when McDaniels left the Colts at the altar a few years ago which bucket he fell into.
Who's the NFL's best quarterback... right now?
Based on in-season performance, who is the NFL’s best quarterback right now?
Doug: Right now, I think it’s Tua Tagovailoa. Yes, he has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to throw to, but in Miami’s 39-17 win over the Browns on Sunday, Tua threw touchdown passes to three different receivers – Hill, receiver Trent Sherfield, and fullback Alec Ingold. As we discussed with Geno Smith last week, Tua is making all the hard stuff look easy. Whether it’s throwing under pressure, hitting shot plays against two-deep coverage, throwing to all levels of the field – he has justhen about everything you want in a top-tier quarterback.
On Sunday, Tua became the second player in NFL history with at least 275 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 135-or-higher in three consecutive games. The other guy to do it was Kurt Warner in 1999. Yes, I’d love for Tua to have about 10% more juice on his deep throws, but as far as running an offense, I haven’t seen his equal this season, and he’s starting to remind me of Drew Brees in how he does it. That’s pretty good.
Luke: Last week, I was singing Geno Smith’s praises, and while I’m still absolutely in on him, I’ve got to go with Tua after what we’ve seen these last few weeks (and the fact that the Bucs had Geno frustrated for most of Sunday’s game in Munich). Injuries have always been the biggest question mark with Tua, but at full strength, he’s always been a dynamic passer with limitless potential. Now that he’s healthy, with a great scheme that fits his strengths, and the two most explosive pass-catchers in the NFL, we’re seeing just how good he can be. Considering what the conversation was earlier this season regarding Tua, this is just so good to see.
Justin Jefferson or Stefon Diggs?
We may have seen the Game of the Year in the Vikings’ 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. In that game, both Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and Bills receiver Stefon Diggs stood out. If you had the opportunity to build your offense around one of these two receivers, who were basically traded for each other before the 2020 season, which one would you choose?
Doug: I think it depends on how good your hypothetical team is right away. Jefferson has more explosive potential than Diggs, but Diggs isn’t far behind, and Diggs has a better understanding of the nuances of the position. Not a surprise as Diggs has been in the league since 2015 and Jefferson is in his third NFL season. But I go back to Kirk Cousins’ end zone interception against the Eagles in Week 2. Jefferson ran a fade route, but cornerback Darius Slay ran Jefferson’s route better than he did, and that was that. I don’t think Diggs contributes to that mistake at this point in his career. Diggs is also still capable of making ridiculous acrobatic catches just like Jefferson, as he showed in that Vikings game. So, I’d give the slight edge to Diggs right now if my team was ready to contend. And I’d just hope I don’t regret it if I’m up against your team, and Jefferson just nukes my poor cornerbacks. Which he will most likely do.
Luke: I’ll take Jefferson, if only because he’s five years younger. They’re both elite when it comes to creating separation, running smooth routes with great technique and no wasted movement. Jefferson has more size, as well, but Diggs’ stature has never prevented him from being a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. They’re both incredible players, but Jefferson still hasn’t hit his peak, which is a terrifying thought for the rest of the league.
What's up with Josh Allen in the red zone?
Speaking of the Bills, they currently stand at 6-3, behind the Dolphins and the Jets in the AFC East, and with the Patriots right on their heels. A primary reason for Buffalo’s frustrating season is Josh Allen’s issues in the red zone. Allen had 35 touchdowns to two interceptions in the red zone last season – this season, he had just 11 red zone touchdowns, and he already has four picks, including the two he threw to Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson on Sunday. What’s the problem here?
Doug: I wrote about this after the Vikings game. If you include the interception he threw to former teammate Levi Wallace against the Steelers from the Pittsburgh 21-yard line, he’s already got five picks in the red zone and the near-red zone. He also leads the NFL in interceptions with 10 – he had 15 all last season. Allen is a quarterback who needs to be managed and closely monitored, because he has every possible physical attribute, and a rogue gene that will have him believing he can make any and every throw – including and especially the ones he shouldn’t. Former Bills offensive coordinator and current Giants head coach Brian Daboll had Allen from his rookie season, so he was able to build Allen up into the best version of himself. Ken Dorsey, who replaced Daboll this season, was Allen’s quarterback coach before, but I don’t see the same discipline I saw before. It’s been going on long enough for me to think that there’s a problem in the translation from coaching to execution.
Luke: I’ll defer to your Xs and Os on this one, because that piece you wrote is fantastic, no surprise there. I completely agree with everything you’re saying here. He just looks like a guy trying to play hero ball on every snap, and that didn’t even work well for him at Wyoming, so you know NFL defenses are going to feast on it. I’m confident he’ll turn things around, like you said, it’s gonna take discipline, and that starts during the week with the coaching and the practice.
