https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17897834/the-starting-11-patriots-tom-brady-bill-belichick
By Robert Mays
The Rams and Chiefs have emerged as the strongest teams in their respective conferences.
Three weeks into the season, both of these clubs have rolled through opponents with terrifying ease. Kansas City put up 35 points in the
first half Sunday on its way to a 38-27 win over the 49ers. Rams QB Jared Goff cooked the Chargers defense and finished with 354 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 35-23 win.
I’m not sure how much is left to say about what Patrick Mahomes II has accomplished so far this year. The Chiefs offense is a
weekly spectacle, and he’s running the show about as well as any quarterback could. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Harris late in the second quarter against the Niners featured some advanced QB tactics:
After looking off the free safety by focusing on the two receivers to his right, Mahomes came back to the other side of the field, where a wide-open Harris was sprinting up the seam. The team’s combination of explosive athletes, brilliant route designs, and high-level QB play has turned this group into an unstoppable force.
In the NFC, the Rams offer a fascinating point of contrast. While Kansas City deploys an endless array of staggeringly athletic talent, the Rams receivers survive on route-running savvy and a scheme that creates room for them to operate. Brandin Cooks is a burner who can threaten any defense over the top, but Robert Woods ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash before the 2013 draft and Cooper Kupp’s 40 time at the combine puts him in the
13th percentile among receivers.
Both guys thrive in head coach Sean McVay’s offense because of how well they understand spacing and angles and their ability to alter their speed at the right moments. Woods finished Sunday’s game with 10 catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and the Rams proved yet again that they can beat you with a different pass catcher any given week.
Goff has also shown significant progress in the past year under McVay’s tutelage. Some of the hole throws he made Sunday weren’t available to him last season. With 1:40 left in the second quarter, he placed a ball to Woods on the right sideline—just over cornerback Casey Hayward in the flat and just in front of the closing safety—that was about as picturesque a throw as an NFL quarterback can make.
Goff is still only 23 years old. As he continues to improve, this offense should become even better than the unit that led the NFL in scoring last season.