The panel look at the league's front-runners as Philadelphia falter
Wednesday 3 October 2018 23:37, UK
On the latest Inside the Huddle podcast, Neil Reynolds battles 'the sniffles' but, with the help of Jeff Reinebold, Rob Ryan and Brian Baldinger, talks through the Philadelphia Eagles' stuttering start to their Super Bowl defence, Le'Veon Bell's continued contract holdout and looks at the league's current front-runners.
The panel also look at the continuing overtime trend in the NFL, with another three games taken to OT in Week Four, and, sticking with that subject, they discuss the good, bad and ugly coaching calls from those games and elsewhere in the league.
We also get Baldinger and Ryan's thoughts on the continuing trends towards the passing game in the NFL, with 14 quarterbacks throwing for 300+ yards in Week Four, and five - Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan - topping 400 yards!
Ryan suggests defenses "must attack more and dictate terms", while Baldinger stresses there is still a place in the league for a 'balanced offense', pointing out Cousins, Luck and Ryan all came out on the losing side despite their lofty passing stats.
We also take a closer look at the Cleveland Browns, with Baldinger saying they "have to stop beating themselves" and that, in terms of pure talent, "there is no one on their schedule they can't beat" if they can find that winning habit.
As for the Eagles, head coach Doug Pederson says his team "need to play with a greater sense of urgency" after their 2-2 start to the season. Ryan recalls just how tough it is to follow up a Super Bowl win and retain that same motivation, remembering his time with the New England Patriots following on from their first Vince Lombardi trophy.
As well as all of that, we hear the guys' take on Bell's continued holdout, and Earl Thomas' season-ending injury following his protracted contract dispute with the Seattle Seahawks.
AND, the panel look at the league's front-runners and whether surprise packages the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears can keep pace, while they also pick their 'lock' and 'shock' results for the weekend ahead.
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