Mark Eckel’s Thursday NFL notes: Hurts thriving, Jones fading
The new kickoff system has not been the boom the NFL wanted
By Mark Eckel
One of the most controversial rule changes since the NFL adopted the two-point conversion in 1994 was the new kickoff alignment.
So how has it gone through the first half of the season. Let’s just say the “Dynamic Kickoff’’ has not lived up to its name.
There have been 172 total kickoffs, not counting three onside kicks, entering this week.
Of those 172, 120 have been touchbacks giving the receiving team the ball at the 30-yard line. There have been 50 kickoffs returned and the average on those returns have been 29.1 yards. Two kickoffs have gone out of bounds.
There have been three kickoffs returned for a touchdown by Arizona’s DeeJay Dallas, Seattle’s Laviska Shenault and Cincinnati’s Charlie Jones. Last year there were only four returns for a touchdown all season.
A or B: Which quarterback would you prefer?
Quarterback A: 59.9 completion percentage, 6.0 yards per attempt, 5 interceptions, 3 fourth-quarter comebacks, 4-4 record.
Quarterback B: 61.6 completion percentage, 6.7 yards per attempt, 7 interceptions, 0 comebacks, 2-6 record.
A is Zach Wilson with the Jets in 2023.
B is Aaron Rodgers with the Jets in 2024.
Hurts so Good
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t get off to the best start this season and neither did his team. Through the first four games of the season, Hurts had four touchdown passes, four interceptions and a quarterback rating of 85.7. The team was 2-2.
Over the past three games Hurts has four more touchdown passes, no interceptions and a quarterback rating of 123.4. The Eagles are now 5-2.
Check the Schedule
While we’re on the Eagles, they host Jacksonville, Sunday, looking for their fourth straight win that would get them to 6-2. They are prohibitive 7 1/2-point favorites. That four-win game win streak would include wins over Cleveland, the Giants, Cincinnati and Jacksonville. Those four are a combined 9-23.
The Eagles next four games are at Dallas, home on Thursday night against Washington, at the Rams and at Baltimore. That’s not only three road games in four weeks it’s four games against teams with a combined record of 17-13.
Double the D
When the Vikings got off to a 5-0 start a lot of it was because of their defense. Through those first five games Minnesota allowed an average of 15.2 points per game. In their last two losses the defense has allowed an average of 30.5 points per game.
Guess we’ll find out if Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores can adjust and fix whatever went wrong the past two weeks. Or off the Vikings have silly been exposed.
24 and 21
The difference between the Packers and the Bears? The two old rivals are on different paths through the first half of the season. Green Bay has scored 24 points, or more, in seven of its eight games — the only team to have seven games of 24 points or more. Chicago is the only team in the league to have not scored more than 21 points in a game this year. The two meet for the first time, Nov. 10. Don’t be surprised if the final score is 24-21.
Not Ready for Prime Time
The New York Giants played their third, and thank God, last prime time game last Monday night in Pittsburgh. Of course they lost.
The Giants went 0-3 in prime time this season and are 3-21 in prime time since 2018. Quarterback Daniel Jones is 1-15 in prime time games and 0-8 on Monday nights.
Looking Way Ahead
This would be the top 10 draft order as of this week: 1. Carolina, 2. Tennessee, 3. New England, 4. Cleveland, 5. New York Jets, 6. Jacksonville, 7. Las Vegas, 8. New York Giants, 9. New Orleans, 10. Miami.
