NFL Team Tiers: Rebuilds, Cap Cleanup, and Contention Outlooks

Key Quotes

"The Steelers physically overwhelmed the team. I think when you sort of look at what the Steelers want to be, it's the second half version of Pittsburgh with aaron rodgers, sort of just again, sort of dinking and dunking, and not in a derogatory way in some cases, but you have the yards after the catch from DK Metcalf, you have Kenneth Gainwell running hard, even though there's a lot of Kenneth Gainwell in this game, but that is the peak of what the Steelers want to be: physicality, yards after the catch, and then overwhelm you on that side of the ball physically and allow the defense to go and win with the pass rush."

JP Acosta explains that the Steelers' victory was characterized by their physical dominance, which he identifies as the team's ideal performance. Acosta highlights specific plays and player contributions that exemplify this peak performance, emphasizing how their physicality and pass rush overwhelmed the Dolphins.

"I mean, the pick that Tua threw in that game, which was just, I mean, an absolute quail of a pass into, you know, a rolled a flat corner who's just fallen right underneath the route, a gross throw to Asante Samuel Jr. to extend his or to extend his league-leading interception total to 15. But there was, it was just, it was a hilarious sequence because from midway in the second quarter, Tua has, I believe it was 7:46 left, Tua hits DeVante Adams on like a scramble out to his left. It was zero zero at this point in time, 24-yard gain. They get into scoring range. I believe they went three straight runs from there to kick a field goal. He had four drop backs after his next four drop backs, the score was 28 to 3. And those four drop backs were a check down, a sack, a dropped interception, and then a sack. I mean, it was classic Tua when it matters most in a cold weather game not showing up."

JP Acosta criticizes Tua Tagovailoa's performance in the game, pointing to a specific interception and a series of unproductive offensive plays as evidence of his struggles. Acosta contrasts Tua's performance with an earlier successful play, illustrating a significant drop-off in effectiveness when the game situation became critical, particularly in cold weather.

"I think when you look at all of the, like, five elite quarterbacks in the NFL, you could argue Justin Herbert has had the highest degree of difficulty out of all five of them for the entire, for their entire careers. You don't have the receiver core that Joe Burrow has, you don't have the play calling that Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes has had for most of their careers, you don't have the offensive line that, well, this season, you don't have the offensive line that a lot of Josh Allen has."

Mike Renner argues that Justin Herbert faces the most challenging circumstances among elite NFL quarterbacks due to a lack of consistent support. Renner contrasts Herbert's situation with those of other top quarterbacks, citing deficiencies in receiving talent, play-calling, and offensive line stability as factors contributing to his increased degree of difficulty.

"I think the N.F.L. needs one because growth isn't linear. You don't go from, like, you don't go from, you know, the sometimes the constant trend of keep being like, you go from rookie to pretty good to really good to great. Sometimes you take that big jump, and I think there's a lot of guys that should be considered for most improved player."

JP Acosta advocates for the creation of a "Most Improved Player" award in the NFL, explaining that player development is not always a steady progression. Acosta believes such an award would recognize significant leaps in performance that current awards do not capture, highlighting that many players make substantial improvements that warrant recognition.

"I think the N.F.L. needs one because growth isn't linear. You don't go from, like, you don't go from, you know, the sometimes the constant trend of keep being like, you go from rookie to pretty good to really good to great. Sometimes you take that big jump, and I think there's a lot of guys that should be considered for most improved player."

JP Acosta advocates for the creation of a "Most Improved Player" award in the NFL, explaining that player development is not always a steady progression. Acosta believes such an award would recognize significant leaps in performance that current awards do not capture, highlighting that many players make substantial improvements that warrant recognition.

"I think the N.F.L. needs one because growth isn't linear. You don't go from, like, you don't go from, you know, the sometimes the constant trend of keep being like, you go from rookie to pretty good to really good to great. Sometimes you take that big jump, and I think there's a lot of guys that should be considered for most improved player."

JP Acosta advocates for the creation of a "Most Improved Player" award in the NFL, explaining that player development is not always a steady progression. Acosta believes such an award would recognize significant leaps in performance that current awards do not capture, highlighting that many players make substantial improvements that warrant recognition.