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The battle for the No. 1 pick
The battle for the first overall pick in the upcoming draft continues after some changes in Week 9. The Adam Gase-led New York Jets to continue their downward spiral as they put up their third consecutive loss against the Miami Dolphins. The concerns surrounding the team only got worse this past week following the trade deadline when the team took calls on multiple players.
Someone should tell the Miami Dolphins that they are tanking wrong. It’s widely known that the team had thrown in the white towel prior to the season to tear everything down and rebuild from the ground up. With the front office getting rid of just about any talent left on the Dolphins roster, it’s been extremely difficult for the coaching staff and players to put together a win.
Fluctuating between quarterbacks, Ryan Fitzpatrick was named the starter once again and put on a classic “Fitzmagic” performance against the divisional opponent on Sunday. Throwing for 24 of 36 for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns, the offense was on fire in the first half of the game against the Jets. It was enough to hold off for a win as the offense sputtered in the second half.
Jets quarterback Sam Darnold was 27 of 39 for 260 yards, a touchdown and one interception on the day. New York had some luck with help from a poor attempt by Miami to go for a QB sneak on their one-yard line. Since the return of Darnold, the Jets have given up 10 turnovers and 12 sacks. Miami advances to third in the division following the win resulting in the Jets moving to last in the AFC East. It would be surprising if Gase keeps his job through the rest of the 2019 season, let alone for another year.
Another contender for the top pick is the Cincinnati Bengals. While on a bye week, the Bengals made headlines with the benching of quarterback Andy Dalton this past week. Probably the worst part of the move was that it happened on Dalton’s birthday. Cincinnati decided they would stand pat at the NFL’s trade deadline despite teams inquiring about numerous aging players whose contracts were expiring.
Coming out of the bye week, 2019 fourth-round draft pick Ryan Finley will make his first start of his rookie season against division rival Baltimore Ravens. The young rookie will be operating behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL in an offense that has struggled to get just about anything going as they are 0-8 on the season. Cincinnati has to find out what they have in Finley and make the decision whether or not to pursue a quarterback with one of the first picks in the upcoming draft.
As things stand right now, the Bengals would have the first overall selection.