This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's been a bit of, shall we say, questionable decision-making in the NFL recently. Dez Bryant skipping out on treatment, skipping out on a scheduled MRI, and skipping out on two days of team meetings because he was upset about a knee injury would certainly qualify.
And while it's good that Josh Gordon is addressing his issues by checking himself into rehab, the fact that he waited until he was a week away from being eligible to return (after being suspended all of last season and the first four weeks of this one) illustrates a certain lack of logic.
It's not just the players, though. Think what you will about Roger Goodell's various punishments of Ray Rice and Tom Brady — perhaps his biggest head-scratching moment was accepting the Jaguars' offer to make 83 appearances in London. While I recognize that playing in England is a pain most teams and players don't want, I fail to grasp how constantly trotting out a team so wretched it draws better in London than it does at home before an international audience helps to grow interest in the game overseas, as you so desperately desire. "Bloody brilliant," as the Brits might say.
Speaking of the Jags, let's get to Week 4 of NFL-on-TV-in-SLC.
Colts vs. Jaguars, at London, 7:30 a.m., Ch. 2 • Did Jacksonville really put up 51 points on Indy last December? Can't be. I'm filing that one under "collective mass hallucination." It'll be right next to "Colts' O-line sufficiently protects Andrew Luck." Then again, considering the Jags' feeble pass rush, Luck may never be safer again in the NFL than he will be in this game.
Seahawks at Jets, 11 a.m., Ch. 13 • However banged-up Russell Wilson's knee may be, it's probably still in better shape than Ryan Fitzpatrick's psyche after last week's six-pick abomination. And while he's unlikely to duplicate that level of awfulness, Seattle does presently boast the league's No. 1 defense, which means his immolation of Buffalo will soon seem as removed from reality as Jacksonville scoring 51.
Broncos at Buccaneers, 2 p.m., Ch. 2 • Jameis Winston threw 52 times against the Cardinals and 58 against the Rams. He leads the NFL with eight TD passes and the NFC with six picks. If only Denver had some half-decent pass-rushers to capitalize on Tampa's offense becoming so one-dimensional.
Cowboys at 49ers, 2 p.m., Ch. 13 • San Francisco has allowed a combined 83 points and 947 yards the past two weeks. Surely a team run by an offensive wizard such as Chip Kelly can keep pace, though. Let's see, how is his QB of choice, Blaine Gabbert, doing? His 5.5 yards per attempt are worst in the NFL, his completion percentage (55.2) is second-worst, and his passer rating (68.6) is third-worst. Hmmm … I guess, then, I won't mention that Dallas' Dak Prescott (who has a 93.3 rating) was taken two picks after San Fran's fourth-round selection, 'cause that would just be mean.
Chiefs at Steelers, 6:20 p.m., Ch. 5 • Running backs Jamaal Charles (torn ACL) and Le'Veon Bell (torn MCL; drug suspension) are both expected to make their season debut, which is exciting. Of course, they'll probably total 13 carries between them, which is slightly less so.
Twitter: @esotericwalden