What happened to parity in the National Football League?
In recent seasons, the NFL has bragged about how balanced their league has become. The promotion of close game after close game is a selling point in a league that for many fans what matters most is when the final score is factored into the point spread to produce a wager win or loss.
So, where is all that parity now?
Last week, every game but one was decided by double digits. Seven by 20 points or more. The Buffalo Bills won 40-9, the Los Angeles Chargers 37-10, and the Indianapolis Colts 38-14. The scores last week looked like this, 37-10, 26-15,30-16,34-10, 40-9, 38-20, 32-13, 23-3, 38-14, 44-24, 35-25 and 28-7 in victories by the Chargers, Texans, Ravens, Dolphins, Bills, Eagles, Patriots, Buccaneers, Colts, Broncos, Packers and Chiefs respectively.
The only game not lopsided on the final score was the New York Jets initial win of the season, gained over the defenseless Cincinnati Bengals, 39-38.
So what gives?
Well, the NFL did this to themselves. I have always contended that the league orchestrates a regular season schedule designed to put the best teams in tough situations early in a campaign in hopes that the powerhouses lose a game or two in September. That way, division races can stay competitive longer and add intrigue to the product.
It worked like a charm this year.
The Bills and Ravens opened against each other, nearly assuring that one of the best teams in the league was going to get pinned with a loss after one game. The Bills won that contest and it started an unexpected spiral down for the Ravens. Baltimore lost five of their first six games before hitting a winning stride that is still likely to land them as winners of their division.
The team with the best record in the regular season last year, the Detroit Lions, opened their season in the tough confines of Lambeau Field. Their first week loss to the Green Bay Packers was coupled with another defeat in the toughest of all spots for visitors, Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs beat Dan Campbell’s squad three weeks ago. The pair of losses for the Lions has them trailing the Packers in the NFC North Division standings and puts them in a solid motivational spot to run off a series of wins.
They cashed their first win after their defeat in Kansas City two weeks ago over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-9. Then the Lions enjoyed their bye week before hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The Vikings come to town with the highest paid quarterback in history in regard to how much he is paid for games played. Second year quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed all of his rookie season with an injury while collecting on a nearly 22 million dollar fully guaranteed rookie contract that included a signing bonus of just under 13 million dollars. For all that money, in his first season and a half with the Vikings, McCarthy has played in two games. His stats show that he has completed less than 60% of his attempts and thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, three to two.
This week in Detroit, McCarthy will get his third start of the season after recovering from his latest injury, a high ankle sprain. Even if he was to lead the struggling Vikings to double-digit points, it is unlikely his offensive output could match the numbers Lions star signal caller, Jared Golf, is likely to put up.
If the Lions were running away with the division and the Vikings needed this game to stay in the race, then the NFL might get a dose of its parity. But because the Lions are a loss behind the Packers in the NFC North Division standings, they can’t take this one lightly. Simply put, this is not the Vikings year, and it is the Lions who notch one more in the blowout column.
Qoxhi Picks: Detroit Lions (-8½) over Minnesota Vikings