With four weeks of actual football in the books for the 2023 NFL season, it’s time for Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, and Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, to come to the table with their own unique brand of analysis in “4-Down Territory.”
This week, the guys discuss these four downs:
- What was the worst thing you saw in the NFL this week?
- How did the Bills stop the Dolphins’ high-flying offense?
- Do the Bears need an interpreter, or a shaman, or what?
- Did Sunday mark Zach Wilson’s professional redemption?
You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:
You can also listen and subscribe to the “4-Down Territory” podcast on Spotify…
…and on Apple Podcasts.
1. What was the worst thing you saw this week?
As we have a new “Worst of the Week” piece every week over at Touchdown Wire, let’s get into the worst thing that happened in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season.
Doug: I have to go with Carolina Panthers head coach and offensive play-caller Frank Reich having to call a time out in Carolina’s 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings because Reich had a concept he wanted to call, but it involved receiver Adam Thielen, and Reich didn’t know that Thielen was off the field for that play. I give Reich full marks for coming right out and saying it, but this reminds me of when I go to a big box store to buy one thing, I forget the one thing, and I buy 20 things I don’t actually need. We’ve all been there in one way or another, but it’s not a great look for a coach whose team is now 0-4.
Nah man, this is kind of atrocious.
I don’t blame #Panthers fans if there are some serious call to action proceedings this week. pic.twitter.com/39DsW70a7c
— Ricky Raines (@rickyboboddy) October 1, 2023
Kyle: What are the Bengals doing and why are they doing it? It’s so clear that Joe Burrow is compromised to the point that it’s detrimental to their offense. This group is so good at attacking defenses vertically and playing off that big-play threat. Burrow lacks mobility right now, it’s destroying their run game, and his inability to consistently push the ball more than 10 yards down the field is leading them to do things like get waxed by the Titans 27-3. Cincinnati needs to regroup to perhaps try to save its season, but to at least save its QB from himself.
2. How did the Bills stop the Dolphins' offense in its tracks?
How were the Bills able to stop the Dolphins’ offense in Buffalo’s decisive 48-20 win?
Doug: They did everything you’re supposed to do against a high-flying offense like this, but few defenses are able to do consistently. The Bills needed to get pressure on Tua Tagovailoa without bringing too much pressure, and they did that. They needed their safeties to present Tagovailoa with different pre- and post-snap looks, and even with Jordan Poyer out with a knee injury, they did that. They needed their linebackers to cover the short and intermediate areas of the field to take away those quick passes Tua loves to throw because he knows his receivers are YAC monsters. Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard, Buffalo’s linebackers, did just that.
And the Bills also did the one other other thing you need to do against an offense like this that most teams can’t do – match them blow for blow. Josh Allen took advantage of Miami’s vulnerable defense and some really bad matchups on that side of the ball – especially cornerback Kader Kohou on Stefon Diggs – to become the second player in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards, four touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown and a 158.3 passer rating – the highest attainable mark – in a game, joining Aaron Rodgers, who did it in 2019.
When you put that kind of pressure on the opposing offense, there’s no margin for error, and Miami’s defense had far too many errors for that math to work out. Put simply, the Dolphins were out-coached in all phases. Bills head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey deserve all the kudos they’re going to get this week.
In the end, Buffalo’s offense was their best defense. The Bills ran two-deep coverage just four times in the first quarter. They upped that to 10 times in the second quarter, and 18 times in the second half when the game was out of hand. Most teams will not be able to do this, which is good news for the Dolphins. What is bad news for the Bills’ opponents is how well they did it in this game.
Kyle: It turns out pressuring a QB without bringing extra pass rushers is a good way to slow down a high-octane offense! Who knew?! It’s even more impressive though considering how banged up Buffalo is in the secondary. Sean McDermott is a heck of a coach and had a really good defensive game plan for Miami (Bill Belichick did too back in Week 2 so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if McDermott and the Bills went to school specifically on that tape).
Another huge key though is not turning the ball over. Denver turned it over three times against the Dolphins, including two that gave Miami the ball inside the Denver 10. Buffalo didn’t commit a turnover and forced the Dolphins to play defense – something they’ve not been awesome at so far this season. I’m still a big believer in Miami, but it’s hard for any team to win when they’re losing the turnover battle and allowing pressure with four pass rushers. They’re better than a 48-20 loss in Buffalo. The Bills just had a heck of a plan and are playing outstanding football right now.
3. Do the Bears need an interpreter to get their stories straight?
On September 20, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was asked why his offense wasn’t working, and he pointed very specifically to coaching as the primary factor. After that press conference, Fields held another press conference in which he said that what he had very clearly said before was misinterpreted. Last week, receiver Chase Claypool insisted that he was also not being utilized correctly in Luke Getsy’s offense, which led to Claypool being a healthy scratch for Chicago’s Sunday loss to the Broncos. When asked about it after the game, head coach Matt Eberflus didn’t seem to know (or didn’t want to say) whether Claypool didn’t attend the game at all of his own volition, or whether he was asked to stay away.
Are we to the point with the Bears where they’re so dysfunctional, they should worry about getting a public relations fixer for their player comments and public statements before they even think about replacing their coaches?
Doug: The Bears might need a shaman at this point. I don’t know what else to say. But yes, maybe a White House comms director from the past or some other PR fixer might help. It’s clear in all seriousness that this has gotten away from head coach Matt Eberflus. What is also clear is that the Bears have never fired a head coach in-season, and this franchise has been around in some form or fashion since 1920. So, there’s that. But hey, at least they would have the first two picks in the 2024 draft if the season ended today, which it already has for this team.
Kyle: Chicago needs a new coach who’s going to be a leader and not allow things like this to get miscommunicated. The fact they’re continually needing to play cleanup organizationally is a direct reflection of the team’s leadership, and that starts with the coach. Take this from someone who watched the disastrous 49ers 2015 and 2016 seasons – a new head coach can make a world of difference. They’re not going to move forward with Eberflus anyway, so just cut ties now before this gets out of hand beyond repair (if it’s not there already).
4. Was this Zach Wilson's redemption game?
What was Zach Wilson’s cheat code against the Chiefs? Wilson came into this game leading an offense ranked dead last in DVOA, while the Chiefs’ defense was ranked ninth in Defensive DVOA. But it was Wilson, and not Patrick Mahomes, who looked like the comfortable quarterback out there. The Jets lost, 23-20, but per OptaStats, Wilson became the only opposing quarterback to have more completions, more passing yards, more touchdown passes and fewer interceptions than Patrick Mahomes in a Mahomes start, college or pro (out of 127 total starts, including the postseason). So, what happened for a guy who had been considered a historical bust?
Doug: Wilson has always been better with play-action than without it, and in this game, he had a lot of success with it. Why? Because over and over, the Chiefs’ linebackers bit on those play fakes. Why? Because you’re playing Zach Wilson, and he’s not going to hit those deep shots off play-action – at least from a historical perspective. But offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett did a brilliant job of designing plays in which Wilson had a comfortable first read open, and that’s the key for any young quarterback – especially any young quarterback who has struggled with confidence and competence through the years. Wilson took what was given, he got confident enough to make a few nice hold-shot throws, and that was enough to make it interesting. Hackett also got things going with pre-snap motion, and Wilson had three explosive completions in this game – all were tight-window throws. He looked like a completely different quarterback out there and he did it against a very good defense.
Kyle: CHICAGO BEARS TAKE NOTES. Running an Aaron Rodgers offense (or even a dumbed down version of it) was never going to work for Wilson. Doing all the stuff with play-action and designed layup throws that Doug laid out is where the Jets’ offensive bread and butter will need to be for now. Wilson still had lots of development to undergo and a game like last night is a really positive step in the right direction. Is it sustainable all year? Probably not. But the Jets’ defense is good enough that the bar for QB play has been lowered some. If Wilson can ride these game plans to build confidence over the next few weeks though, perhaps he develops enough to be a more dynamic playmaker for them and keep them in the playoff race.
