Seven things Solak thinks entering NFL Week 8: WR trade for Chiefs? Goff for MVP?
ESPN's Tuesday column lays out seven open NFL Week 8 questions, led by whether Kansas City's loss to Seattle forces a receiver trade and whether Jared Goff deserves MVP buzz.
Why this column is trending
Seven things Solak thinks entering NFL Week 8 is making the rounds because it puts the Chiefs' receiver problem and Jared Goff's MVP case right at the top. ESPN published the column Tuesday morning, working through seven storylines the writer calls uncertain, not predictions, just questions that will take a few more games to answer.
The one drawing the most attention is Kansas City. The Chiefs lost to the Seahawks on Sunday night and scored three points, only the second time in Patrick Mahomes' career his team has been held to three points or fewer. Solak's read is that the embarrassment of that game is what finally pushes the Chiefs into the receiver trade they need to make.
The game behind the trade talk
The numbers from that Seahawks game are rough. The Chiefs' 11 first downs were their fewest in 153 Mahomes starts, and it was only his fourth start without a single explosive pass. The offense averaged 4.3 yards per play, 148th out of 153 teams, posted minus-0.13 EPA per play, also 148th, and had a 34% success rate, 152nd.
Context matters. Seattle was coming off a two-game losing streak and hosting an unbeaten Chiefs team at home, and the Seahawks defense was amped up for four quarters. Kansas City was down both starting tackles, Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore, along with two of three starting receivers, Tyquan Thornton and Rashee Rice. Even the Chiefs' interior offensive line, usually the strength of the running game, lost the trenches to Seattle's defensive tackle duo of Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II.
Simmons has missed the entire season with back issues, and ESPN reported Sunday that Andy Reid and Mahomes had to remove him from a meeting last Wednesday after frustrations boiled over.
The other six things Solak is chewing on
The rest of the column spreads across the league. There is a Coach of the Year case for a coach named Stefanski, a sleeper MVP argument for Jared Goff, and a bet that a fourth-round rookie named Coleman can save the Broncos' offense.
There is also a question about whether the Ravens' defense disqualifies them from real contention, whether a quarterback named Leonard takes over as the Colts' starter by Week 10, and a last entry the writer calls a complicated study of a player named Young.
What happens next
Solak calls Week 8 the first loaded slate of the season, with Ravens at Bills, Vikings at Lions, Browns at Steelers, Chiefs at Broncos, Bears at Seahawks, Falcons at Buccaneers and Colts at Jaguars all mattering for the standings. Whether Kansas City actually makes a receiver trade before any of that kicks off is the question the column leaves sitting there.
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.