Every week the NFL becomes more and more unpredictable.

I want to cover a few stories I have talked about in my recent Deep Dives. 

A few weeks ago I talked about Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis. My main thought was if Malik didn’t play well enough then the Packers season could be in serious jeopardy. 

Since becoming the starter Malik is 2-0 and has been nothing but efficient. He’s looked great in his short time on the field, and now with Love expected to return soon, Green Bay stays right on track for the playoffs.

The Titans didn’t see the potential that other teams saw in Willis. All he needed was the right system and people around him to succeed. A perfect example of one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Coaching and situation matters.

Last week, I discussed the benching of former first-overall pick Bryce Young. His backup Andy Dalton started this week’s game and led the Panthers to their first win of the season. 

Dalton made the Panthers look respectable, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns; only worsening the situation for Bryce.

After the game Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced that Dalton would remain the starter for the foreseeable future. 

Barring any injury, it could be a long time before NFL fans see Bryce Young on the field again.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are off to a 3-0 start to the season. Their defense is again one of the best in the league and their offense is miles ahead of where it was just a year ago. 

Since taking over as head coach in 2007, Mike Tomlinson has not once had a losing record and it looks like that streak will continue this year. 

This offseason the Steelers made moves to acquire two quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. 

Russell was the veteran and the presumed starter to begin the season. During training camp, he suffered a calf injury paving the way for Fields to become the starter in Pittsburgh.

Justin looks like a new player with the Steelers compared to where he was with the Bears. He is playing efficiently, making better decisions, and turning the ball over much less. He is a major contributor to the Steelers success.

I believe he will be the starter for the remainder of the season. If Pittsburgh continues to see success with Fields I doubt we will ever see the debut of Russell Wilson in a Steelers uniform.

My loser of the week is the Los Angeles Chargers. Not only did they lose the game to Pittsburgh but they also lost many key players to injury. 

Quarterback Justin Herbert, tackle Rashan Slater, and first-round pick Joe Alt were all injured in Sunday’s loss. It was also announced this week that Chargers star safety Derwin James will be suspended for one game due to “repeat violations of the NFL’s safety rules”. 

The cherry on top of it all is that Los Angeles is playing the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. 

Having to play the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions without key starters sounds like a recipe for disaster for the Chargers. 

Los Angeles has a bye in week 5. This is a great opportunity for the team to rest and get healthy for the rest of the season. 

Next, I want to dive into what in my opinion was the game of the week between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. 

Both teams came into the game completely devastated by injuries on the offensive side. The Rams were still considered underdogs due to their 0-2 start to the season. 

The 49ers were in control for most of the game. They carried a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter but Los Angeles just wouldn’t go away. 

Led by 36-year-old quarterback Matt Stafford, the Rams rallied back to kick a game-winning field goal with no time remaining. 

This is a huge win for Los Angeles as they hope to keep pace in a very strong division and conference.

San Francisco on the other hand falls to 1-2. I’m not too concerned with San Francisco as they have proved before they can dig themselves out of early-season holes.

In the 2022 season, the 49ers also started 1-2 and still managed to make the NFC championship game.

This year does feel slightly different for San Francisco. There is a sense of urgency after losing 2 of their first 3 games to open the year.

If San Francisco continues to lose games early in the season it will make it that much harder to recover once the team is fully healthy. There could be trouble brewing in the bay if they don’t start winning soon. 

They play the Patriots this week, so this should be a perfect get-right game for the 49ers. 

(Sorry Patriots fans)

Lastly, let’s get into the most exciting game of this upcoming week. 

Last week I had the Vikings vs Texans as one of my games of the week. I picked the Texans to end the early-game win streak for Minnesota and I was dead wrong. 

The Vikings continue to look awesome on the field and they could potentially have the best defense in the league. 

They get a red-hot Green Bay team with their starting quarterback Jordan Love expected to return. The books currently have the Packers as two-and-a-half-point favorites to win the game.

I don’t want to make the same mistake twice and bet against Minnesota again. I’ll take the Vikings in this one but don’t be surprised if this game ends in their first loss of the season. 

I don’t get paid to make decisions or have opinions but it’s always fun to take a deeper dive into the best stories of the week.