Notre Dame Football Will Be a Week-to-Week Team for the Rest of 2024

The Irish football team must give full focus to the game right in front of it the rest of the way.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, center, flies through the air while being tackled during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame's first five games have been a wild ride

Notre Dame enters the off-week with a 4-1 record.

There has been plenty to like about the first handful of games and plenty of concerns at the same time. The Irish have played fairly inconsistent football so far this season.

Some weeks the team plays crisp and well-prepared football, other weeks their performance is hit or miss.

This inconsistency appeared even before the recent intensified injury concerns emerged which will be a major part of the Irish storyline the rest of the season.

Now, with injury and depth concerns added to the inconsistency, Notre Dame is in for a challenging second half of the year. If ever there was a perfect time to use the next-man-up mantra, this situation would be it.

The Irish are banged up.

Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jordan Botelho (12) is carted off the field with an apparent injury during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Notre Dame can only afford to focus on the task directly in front of it

Notre Dame is so banged up with injuries and inconsistent offensively for a multitude of reasons, the second half of games after the break are going to test this program. Notre Dame can only afford to focus on one game at a time.

Fans can ponder the "bigger picture" of what this season may ultimately end up being, but the team cannot. All effort must be placed on winning one game a week.

For now, Notre Dame is still in playoff position, but I don't think it can afford to lose a second game and still make the field with one of the losses being to Northern Illinois which has lost every game it has played since pulling off the upset in South Bend.

Notre Dame is going to be in week-to-week battles while undermanned. Can they navigate this challenge successfully? We will soon enough find out.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.