NFL: Week 8 knee-jerk reactions
October, 30, 2012
10/30/12
1:30
PM ET
By ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com
You’ve heard the chatter by the sports pundits and on the talk shows. Heck, you may have even heard it here. So are the knee-jerk reactions about your team based in reality? Our NFL bloggers weigh in.
NFC Knee-jerk Reactions | AFC Knee-jerk Reactions
WEEK 8
| Team | Knee-jerk reaction | Reality or not? |
|---|---|---|
| NFC EAST by Dan Graziano | ||
 | That's it! I've had it with Tony Romo. Too inconsistent, too many mistakes. How many four-interception games before the Cowboys start to look for other options? | Romo played a lousy game Sunday, and he was the main reason the Cowboys lost. But he has more good games than bad, and who can they get who's better? |
 | Always good to win, especially in Dallas, but why can't the offense score touchdowns instead of field goals? | The Giants are third in the league in points per game, so it's not as though they've had trouble scoring. They're averaging 31.3 ppg against everyone but Dallas, and they don't play the Cowboys again. |
 | Well, this is it, right? Only nine more games and then we're rid of Andy Reid forever. Right? Right??? | Probably, yeah. The vibe around the Eagles is as despondent and negative as it's ever been during Reid's time there. Makes you think it's time for a change. |
 | RG3 can't do it all himself! Every week, the defense lets him down, and this week it was the receivers. Ten dropped passes? Inexcusable! | It is inexcusable, but this is what they have. They will continue to build a team around Robert Griffin III, but it's not all the way built yet. And he'll have bad games, too, by the way. |
| NFC WEST by Mike Sando | ||
 | From 4-0 to 4-4, with road trips to Green Bay and Atlanta looming. This could become one of the greatest collapses in NFL history. | Yeah, the Cardinals are in deep trouble. Injuries provide cover, though. Sticking together will be tough with such a rough road ahead. |
 | The 49ers' offense is unstoppable now that Alex Smith, Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss are rolling. | One game at a time, bub. There will be down days for the offense, too. Best to keep an even keel, as Alex Smith has demonstrated. |
 | Allowing the Lions to go 12-for-16 on third down shows the Seahawks do not have an "elite" defense. | The third-down concerns are legit. No need to panic, though. The 49ers gave up 513 and 472 yards in games last season. They were still elite. |
 | The defensive line and secondary were supposed to be strengths, but they've been exposed over the past two weeks. The Rams could be headed for another death spiral. | Fair points. The Rams have a bye before visiting San Francisco. But the team is on pace for five or six victories, and that's about what we expected before the season. |
| NFC NORTH by Kevin Seifert | ||
 | Jay Cutler has already been sacked more times (25) than all but two NFL quarterbacks -- and he has already had his bye! He'll never make it through the entire season this way. | If there is anyone used to taking a beating during an NFL season, unfortunately it's Cutler. Don't forget he was sacked 52 times in 2010. |
 | The Lions seemed to turn a corner by scoring 14 points in the first half after a season's full of slow starts on offense. | Detroit still trailed the Seattle Seahawks at halftime (17-14) and midway through the fourth quarter (24-21), requiring its third fourth-quarter comeback of the season. |
 | The Packers' long list of injuries is piling up. They had to fight to avoid an upset at home to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. | There is some truth there. The loss of receiver Jordy Nelson (hamstring) hampered the Packers' offense. Injuries to tailback Cedric Benson (foot) and cornerback/safety Charles Woodson (collarbone) were also felt against the Jaguars. |
 | The beginning of the end is here for the Vikings, who have a brutal schedule in the second half of the season. | Hard to argue at this point. The Vikings are 5-3 and have games left at Seattle and Houston, along with two games apiece against the Bears and Packers. |
| NFC SOUTH by Pat Yaskinskas | ||
 | The Falcons finally put together a complete game in Philadelphia. They'll play that way the rest of the season. | The way the Falcons played Sunday was a very good sign that Atlanta is coming together at the right time of year. That said, almost no team is perfect and you still have to expect some ups and downs. |
 | At 1-6, the season is over and everyone from the coaching staff to the 53rd man on the roster is truly on the hot seat. | That's completely true. Coach Ron Rivera may not be able to save his job. Whoever is running this team next season is going to watch closely to see which players continued playing hard all season. |
 | The defense is putting up historically bad numbers and is responsible for the 2-5 record. | The defense is ridiculously bad, but the offense isn't doing its part, either. The Saints haven't had a great defense in the Sean Payton era. They've won because of offense, and they're not getting as much as they need right now. |
 | Rookie running back Doug Martin is the second coming of Ray Rice. | He just might be. His performance against Minnesota was spectacular. But Martin needs quarterback Josh Freeman and the passing game to produce consistently to keep defensive attention off him. |
NFC NORTH SCOREBOARD
Sunday, 9/8
1:00 PM ET Cincinnati Chicago 1:00 PM ET Minnesota Detroit 4:25 PM ET Green Bay San Francisco
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Kevin Seifert
Seifert joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Minnesota Vikings for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for eight years. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and children.
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