I usually start every week with a load of superlatives about just how good the NFL was the previous evening and today I am going to bang the same drum once again as the NFL served up a Sunday dinner and dessert full of sporting drama.
There is quite a lot to get through so sit back, put on your seat-belt and let me drive through the most important stories and a lot of thrilling finishes across the National Football League.
Ravens v Jaguars
Yesterday might go down as a seminal moment in the NFL career of one William Trevor Laurence.
The former Clemson quarterback won a National Championship in college and he came to the NFL with a well-earned reputation that saw him selected as the first overall pick of the 2021 draft.
For most of the season Laurence, like most of the quarterbacks in their sophomore season, has struggled at times for form and consistency but he looked every inch the superstar as he led an impressive winning drive against the Ravens.
I can’t think of a more notable moment in his professional career.
Let’s fast forward to when Jacksonville kicker Riley Patterson kicked the Jags into a one-point lead with four minutes remaining.
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson threw a deep ball to veteran 35 -year-old receiver Deshaun Jackson for a 62 yard completion.
With two minutes to go, the ball was put in Trevor Laurence’s court and to mix up my sporting metaphors, the QB stepped up to the plate.
With the game on the line, Laurence found Christian Kirk for 33 yards, threw for another 20 to Zay Jones and then finished off the 75-yard drive by throwing to Marvin Jones for a six-pointer.
Instead of kicking the game into overtime, Doug Peterson decided to risk it by going for the two-point play and Trevor threw a bullet this time to Zay Jones for a go-ahead score with 10 seconds remaining.
Cue pandemonium in the sunny Jacksonville November stadium, but the drama wasn’t over yet.
The 14 seconds left on the clock were enough for Lamar to set up a 67-yard field goal attempt for Justin Tucker, who holds the NFL record at 66 yards. His effort looked to be sailing straight between the uprights but dropped just short.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s face told a story as it is the fourth time this season his side have lost double digit fourth-quarter leads.
Bengals v Titans
It leaves the Ravens joint-top of the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals, who also left it late to overcome the Titans in Tennessee.
The Titans best score came after Treylon Burks followed up a great run by Derek Henry for a second quarter touchdown.
for fantasy purposes, in case you were wondering:
henry and tannehill get points up until henry’s fumble (no touchdown) and treylon burks gets six points for recovering the touchdown pic.twitter.com/Avr5lSe624
In the fourth Tennessee led 16-20 and Burrow, as has become his wont, led the Bengals down the field and threw for Tee Higgens to score a go-ahead touchdown.
Higgins has been stepping up in a major way since the injury to Ja’Marr Chase and when Chase returns to the lineup, possibly next weekend, this team will be very difficult to stop if Burrow is afforded too much time in the pocket.
Chargers v Cardinals
There was more last gasp drama as the San Diego, I mean the LA Chargers won another entertaining match-up at the death against the Cardinals.
This was a ding-dong battle throughout with Kyler Murray was back after injury and he found DeAndre Hopkins for the opening touchdown
Very late in the fourth quarter the Cards led 24-17 and Herbert found Austin Ekeler for a touchdown for the Chargers to trail 23-24.
Just like in Jacksonville, the Bolts decided to go for the win and their risk was also rewarded when Herbert threw to Ger Everett with 15 seconds left in the contest.
It secured a win that sees the LA franchise who are now 6-5 and in the play-off hunt after overcoming a poor start to the season.
Falcons v Commanders
Another team who had a poor record early in the season but also are back in the mix are the Commanders who at 7-5, to currently sit inside the play-off positions. Interestingly, if the season was to end today all four teams in the NFC East would be playing football in January.
This was another game that went to wire as Washington, leading by six points, managed to pick Marcus Mariota on second and goal with only a minute remaining. Deron Payne deflected the pass and Kendall Fuller got his hands on the ball for his second interception in two games.
Those who were expecting a low scoring encounter would have been majorly disappointed, as this turned out to be a wild affair.
After 15 mins and 6 seconds, five touchdowns had been scored as the game caught fire from the off.
On the opening drive Hurts who was outstanding all night picked up two third downs with his legs and brought the play down to first and goal for Kenneth Gainwell to punch it in and almost immediately the Eagles defence intercepted Aaron Rodgers.
This time it was Miles Sanders who took maximum advantage and the home side opened up a 0-13 lead inside the opening six minutes.
Miles Sanders runs it in from 15 yards for a 0-13 lead after six minutes to punish the Rodgers interception pic.twitter.com/TeXtzyJAH9
It looked by that stage that it could be a long night for Green Bay but when the lights are brightest Rodgers usually comes to play. On the next drive the Packers hit back immediately and a Rodgers led drive finished in the endzone when AJ Dillon powered over for a six pointer from 20 yards.
The Packers D then managed to turn the ball over on a short field by stopping Hurts on a QB sneak on both third and fourth down and Green Bay took a one point lead when Rodgers found Randell Cobb in the endzone
Before the first quarter was over Jalen Hurts had set off on another run to the two-yard line and would end the quarter with over a 100 rushing yards. On the first play of the second quarter they had their third TD of the night.
There were defensive turnovers from both sides which ended when Rodgers found running back Aaron Jones, who made an excellent scramble-drill adjustment and caught the ball at the back of the endzone to tie the game 20-20.
The first half scoring wasn’t finished and with 13 seconds left Hurts found Quez Watkins from 30 yards with his best throw of the night.
The game settled down after the break somewhat and AJ Brown got in on the scoring act to extend Philly’s lead to 14 points.
Aaron Rodgers then needed to leave the field with an injury and Jorden Love, remember the first round pick who has been riding the bench since he was drafted in the first round in the 2020 draft?
Love came on and almost immediately made a splash when he connected with Christian Watson on a crossing route and the rookie took off down the left sideline for a terrific touchdown to make it a one-score game.
Both sides added field goals as a wild night in Philly ended 33-40 as the Eagles go 11-1.
I wrote in my preview of this game that I expected the Eagles to go back to their winning formula and let their O-line lead them to another victory and that is exactly what they did. They ran the ball down the Packers’ throats all night and by the end Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders combined for 300 rushing yards with the rest of the team adding a further 64 yards.
Raiders v Seahawks
Another team, well one man who had a special rushing performance was Josh Jacobs who broke the Raiders franchise record with over 300 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns.
In contrast, rookie running back sensation Kenneth Walker led the Seahawks in rushing with only 26 yards but he did manage to punch in two touchdowns including this effort.
This was a very exciting game as the teams went toe to toe from start to finish. In the second quarter, Derek Carr found an unmarked Mack Hollins for a score with a flea-flicker set-play that caught Seattle off guard.
The game was a ding-dong battle and entering the fourth quarter the tie was evenly poised 27-27 a piece.
The Seahawks took a lead with five minutes remaining when Travis Homer found the end zone from 18 yards but Carr hit back. First Devante Adams managed to grab the ball despite Michael Jackson catching hold of his other hand.
Davante Adams' left hand was being held, and he still somehow came down with the ball with his other hand. What a catch.pic.twitter.com/NvBm6ulQ6p
A few plays later Carr found Foster Moreau in the endzone to tie the scores 34-34. Geno did have a late chance to lead a winning drive but Maxx Crosby sacked him on third down.
Maxx Crosby couldn't have picked a better time for this sack 😤 @CrosbyMaxx
In overtime Crosby came up trumps again with his 10.5 sack of the season. I know it’s already week 12 but I’m calling that Crosby will break the sack record this season. Watch this space!!!
Soon after, it was all over when Jacobs ripped off an 86-yard walk-off touchdown to win the game for the Raiders.
On the day Jacobs was sensational, rushing for 228 yards on 28 carries and caught 74 more. Afterwards, I think it’s fair to say that his coach Josh McDaniels was happy with his running-back’s performance.
The game went to overtime and running-back Nick Chubb burst in from close range for a walk-off win in Cleveland.
Mike White had a day to remember as he led the Jets to an impressive 10-31 win against the Bears, who were missing Justin Fields and had Trevor Siemien starting under centre.
White was in sensational form and will no doubt continue in this role for the medium-term future as he had a QB rating of 149.3 and threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns.
The most eye-catching was his throw to Garrett Wilson in the first half.
The 49ers won their fourth game in succession and very impressively in each of the last four games, they held their opposition to zero points in the second half.
Here they went one better and handed New Orleans their first duck egg on the scoreboard since 2001. DeMeco Ryan’s defence shut down their run game and Andy Dalton was the leading Saints rusher with 21 yards.
The 49ers have the ability to ratchet up the intensity and have play-makers all over their roster and they are getting healthier by the week. It is no surprise to me that they are regarded as genuine Super Bowl contenders.
The Chiefs were never in trouble against a Bryce Perkins led Rams. Of note Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce for his 12th touchdown of the season.
Tua made light work of the Texans and as the Dolphins took a 30-0 lead into half time. They even had the luxury of resting their starting QB at the break, and gave Skylar Thompson the second half.
Sam Darnold was back in the starting lineup and led the Panthers to a win against the disappointing Broncos to give Steve Wilks the fourth win of his interim coaching tenure.
And that’s it.
Phew.
What a night of action. My fingers are tired from tip-tapping away at the laptop but thank you for your time. All socials media help will be greatly appreciated.
Later we will post a preview for Monday Night Football, as the Steelers face the Colts.
This week we put our team to work by rating each starting quarterback from 1-32. We added up the results and below is our final tally from the scores. We also divided up the 32 starters and we gave our honest opinion on each.
We hope you enjoy!!!
1. Patrick Mahomes – No. 15 – Kansas City Chiefs – Age: 27 – Year 6
David’s take: The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is a generational talent that keeps improving his game which is always the sign of a top professional. He has become a master of his craft and I believe he is the best player in the NFL.
This season his understanding of the game has taken a step forward to match his incredible natural ability and ingenuity. Although he doesn’t have the ridiculous speed of Tyreek Hill at his disposal, he has become better at going through his progressions, understanding what defences are throwing at him and he has become even more unpredictable under centre. Currently he is leading the NFL with 21 passing touchdowns.
I love watching him play and he is one of less than a handful of players in the league who can put any game on his back and win regardless of the opposition. He makes the Chiefs perennial Super Bowl contenders and has built up an excellent connection with slot receiver Juju Smith Schuster in recent weeks.
Mahomes and his Chiefs are the team most likely to challenge the Buffalo Bills for the AFC honours and are realistic Superbowl contenders. Fingers crossed Mahomes meets Josh Allen in the postseason, as they never fail to disappoint.
David’s take: Josh Allen has been immense this season and week-to-week is showing why is on his way to being regarded as one of the best quarterbacks ever in the NFL. He is a dual threat quarterback and what sets him apart from most of the other similarly regarded players is his arm talent throwing the ball and his size and strength when he takes off on a run.
Let’s start with the former. He has the arm strength to put the ball anywhere and fast and has the level of ability to hit a home run pass on every play. His game has improved every season since he arrived in the league and this is a mark of a top professional who has dedicated himself to the game. He is better at reading defences and knowing how to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage. When he runs with the ball, as he often does, especially on third and fourth down, he is incredibly difficult to stop as he is fast and has the power to make it through force of strength and will.
He has plenty of weapons in the passing game and has a top three defence which should be even stronger with the return of captain TreDavious White at corner-back. The Bills have an easy enough schedule facing none of the top six teams in our recent Power Rankings. The loss to the Jets last Sunday now sees them in a three-way tie in their division. The loss came from two poor decisions by Allen that resulted in turnovers. This is something he needs to clean up from his game, if the Bills are to win the Superbowl.
Conor’s take: Lamar Jackson has still been a star this year doing damage to opposing defences in the air and on the ground. Lamar has 17 touchdowns on the year for six interceptions, but it’s the work he’s been doing on the ground that’s been most impressive. Before this week Jackson was fifth in the league for rushing yards, with 553 yards currently from the quarterback position! He’s also averaging 7.4 yards per carry, which is a career high. What Lamar does on the ground is something the NFL hasn’t seen since Micheal Vick and even at that point I believe he has eclipsed Vick.
With the physical traits Jackson poses it’s only fair, he relies on them more than the usual stereotypical quarterback, leading to emphasis on the running game. Compared to his MVP season, Jackson’s passing stats are down with him only throwing for over 220 yards twice this season, but his results have not differed too much. Overall there’s been a lot of talk about Lamar’s contract situation this year, but the former MVP is proving himself to still be one of the most dangerous players at his position.
Conor’s take: Joey Cool is going along nicely in his third season in the NFL. The former first overall pick had a record breaking senior year in college that earned him that right, so when he broke-out last season it was only fair to question whether he could keep this production up every year instead of just one. Well through nine weeks, it looks like the Joey nicknames will carry on after a league high 481 passing yards the other week against the Falcons.
Since Week 1, Burrow has only thrown one interception and continues to play elite football with the third most passing yards in the league and 22 touchdowns. The big question around Burrow’s game will come in the next month, with his star receiver Ja’Marr Chase missing some game time. Burrow and Chase are among one of the most deadliest duos in the league, with them going all the way back to their time in LSU. How Burrow will do without Chase lined up will be a first for him, as he turns to Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd to be his new man.
Tom’s take: The rise of Jalen Hurts has been one of my personal favourite stories from the first half of the 2022 NFL season. There were many skeptics entering Week 1 (including the person writing this), but Hurts has dazzled with poise and leadership far beyond his 24 years. Take a small bit of time out of your day and watch a post-game video of Hurts speaking to his teammates in the Philadelphia locker room. The confidence and belief in himself and the team around him is infectious and that confidence and belief is required to be the sole remaining undefeated team in the NFL.
We always knew Hurts to be a threat moving the ball with his legs but his impressive improvement throwing the pigskin has him winning plaudits. He is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, 68.2% completion percentage and a 63.1 QBR, all top ten in the league, back this up. But he leads in the stat that matters most in the league, wins. Eight in a row and not looking to slow down any time soon, Hurts and the Eagles will slowly begin to cast their eyes towards January and hope to bury the demons of last year’s underwhelming wildcard performance.
Tom’s take: Geno Smith ranks at number six! And it is fully warranted, it’s been an incredible season for the former West Virginia Mountaineer. Number one in completion percentage, fourth in QBR, top five in passing touchdowns and sixth in passing yards. All while leading the Seahawks to an unlikely lead in the NFC West division.
Honestly, what Geno is doing is unparalleled in the modern age of the NFL. 2014 was the last time Smith was an opening day starter for a team, eight years passed by and it seemed that Geno would be only really remembered as the guy who got sucker punched by his own teammate and the guy who ended Eli Manning’s starting streak (screw you Ben McAdoo).
But here we are, Geno Smith is playing like a man who waited eight years for this opportunity. Putting together an eight-game stretch like this is no fluke. Geno has been on fire the entire season and made the Seahawks decision to back Pete Carroll and not Russell Wilson this off-season look like a stroke of brilliance.
This season will be remembered for many things, the comeback of Geno Smith is absolutely one of them and maybe a Comeback Player of the Year award awaits him. With the NFC as void of talent as it is, maybe the Seahawks could be a sneakily smart team to put some money on to make the Super Bowl. Write Geno off if you want, just don’t expect him to write back.
David’s take: It is hard to know what is really going on at the San Diego Chargers. On paper they have incredible players all over the roster and it is true that they have been one of the unluckiest teams with injuries this season. But it still doesn’t fully explain what has happened to one of the best and most promising quarterbacks in the league.
One thing when you study the metrics from Joe Lombardi’s offence, Herbert is taking less deep shots than every quarterback, which sounds curious when you consider that he has one of the best arms in the National Football League.
Another part of his game that is being under-utilised in my opinion is his run-threat ability. He is a big man who can really move and anyone who saw him at the Oregon Ducks can attest to that. I believe he can become a type of Josh Allen dual-threat quarterback with his size and speed. Losing most of his O-line to injury certainly has been a hindrance but rookie guard Zion Johnson has impressed.
Herbert looked more like himself after resting up during the bye week and he led his team to a late victory over the Falcons. With a record of 5-3, if they can continue to get healthier there is no reason why they shouldn’t make the play-offs.
Even with the long injury list, if the San Diego coaching staff don’t start to get the best out of Herbert in the second half of the season, questions will be asked. And a franchise with a penchant for changing head coaches have done so for less.
David’s take: All the Tua detractors have been very quiet lately as he has the highest QB rating in the NFL with 115.9. The three games the Dolphins were without him they lost and the six games he started and finished they won.
For a more rounded perspective, let’s go back even further. Since the start of last season, which adds up to 20 starts, he has thrown for 4,633 yards, including 31 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.
What I’ve always liked about Tua coming out of college is that he is accurate and has good timing with his throws. He doesn’t just fling it in there with power, he has that natural feel for putting the ball where it needs to go on time and he has always had that deep ball threat at Alabama. There are times when he throws the ball without having his legs set and in my opinion this has led to his tendency of under-throwing the ball.
For someone that lacks size and athleticism, he moves well in the pocket and I’m glad to see him delivering on the talent he showed at Alabama and putting a few naysayers back in their box. No doubt having an offensive mastermind in Mike McDaniel has been significant and playing with the two fastest wide receivers in the league also certainly helps.
The addition of Bradley Chubb will make a competitive defence close to elite that should make a team with play-off ambitions a possible post-season contender. One thing for certain, the Dolphins are back in the big time after a generation away from postseason relevance.
David’s take: David’s take: So what the hell is going on with Tom Brady. I don’t want to be too harsh on a guy who is playing elite level sport at the age of 45 but he has certainly been inconsistent with his throwing this season. So why is this and what are the repercussions?
A lot of this has to do with the offensive line, in particular the middle trio of centre and guards are not performing at the levels that Brady needs them too. The two guards from the Super Bowl win in 2021, Ali Marpett was lost to retirement and Alex Kappa decided to get paid while protecting Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. More importantly, the prickly All-Pro centre Ryan Jensen got injured on the eve of the season
They have been replaced by an experienced veteran in Shaq Mason but also Robert Hainsey and Luke Goedeke, who were drafted in the last two years and are still learning their trade. Both starting tackles Tristan Wirfs and Donovan Smith have also been playing banged up for much of the season so the dam has been leaking water all season.
Brady was always good at moving within the pocket and this season he has shown less dexterity in this regard and he has taken more punishment than he has ever had before. You would expect a guy to be slowing up as he gets older but he never had much pace to begin with.
Surprisingly, he is getting the ball out of his hands quicker, with the effect that he is taking less time to go through his reads. The knock on effect is that his receivers are getting less time to get into the position to make the catches. So when you are looking at the Bucs this season you will notice that their collective timing has often looked off in every game and there have been many occasions where Brady should have been intercepted.
Even more worrying is that they can’t run the ball which is leaving them a lot of third and long, which is giving teams more opportunities to rush the passer. So what can be done?
I wouldn’t rule Jensen coming back this season. There was very little clarity when he was put on injured reserve and if you read between the lines, that sometimes means that teams are being coy in releasing pertinent information. Also they have had injuries to their receiving core early in the season but you would expect those to have been ironed out by now. Luckily they still have a realistic play-off chance due mainly to being in a poor performing division. This is a team that needs to get their act together and fast. Vita Vea has started to dominate recently, so if the defense can become shutdown that would be a big step in the right direction.
Tom’s take: When writing this, I pondered the question, which quarterback had improved the most over the past five weeks? The answer: Justin Fields. And to be honest, it wasn’t really that close. The more I watch Fields, the more I like him.
Chicago seemingly were doing everything in their powers to hinder the development of their young signal caller by essentially placing all their eggs into future seasons. No disrespect to Darnell Mooney, but he could sit comfortably at number three on the depth for the majority of teams and behind him, yeesh. The offensive line was and still is a big ol’ mess. The first four weeks were as bad as expected, it seemed Fields was all at sea, holding the ball too long and not pulling the trigger when he had the time. To be fair though the offensive scheme wasn’t extenuating his pros, just highlighting his weaknesses.
The last five weeks have seen a trend in the right direction, highlighted by a dazzling display against the Dolphins, where he ran for 178 yards and passed for 3 TDs. Bears fans were clamouring to let Fields use his legs in designed run plays and it seems that is coming to fruition. The result, a much more productive and confident looking young quarterback who looks like he could be in fact the future of the franchise for a team and fan base that has been under-nourished at the position for so long.
Fields is currently trailing only Lamar Jackson in rushing yards by a QB this season and if that trend keeps going in the same direction, he will overtake him by the end of the season. That isn’t something that should be overlooked. The addition of Chase Claypool through a trade before the deadline is also something for Chicago fans to get excited about. Fields throws a very good deep ball and I’m excited to see how quickly these two young players can build a rapport.
David’s take: Where do I start with Aaron Rodgers? Look, he is still a top five quarterback in the league in my book. Because of his prominence, he gets too much of the credit when the Packers win and too much of the blame when they lose. This comes after arguably the worst
performance of his career where he threw three interceptions against the Lions. The previous week he played some of his best stuff against the Bills.
The contrast in his demeanor in both games is telling. In prime time against the Buffalo, gone was the frustrated persona with the disappointed body language. He was more encouraging with the younger players and maybe he was making up for throwing a few of them under the bus with a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. But it seemed to work.
Last Sunday in Detroit, he had that ball of deflation look and he needs to lead his young team rather than be outwardly exasperated all the time. At this stage it is looking more performative than anything else and his teammates deserve better. It has been my forte to give Rodgers the benefit of the doubt as it’s hard to stop believing in a man, when you have seen him work miracles at the top for so long.
The truth is that the narrative of Green Bay’s season looks set and I think it’s time to count them out of any Superbowl conversations. With Rodgers about to turn 39 next month, Green Bay could likely be looking for a new QB in the next few months.
Away from the QB hype, where this team has been majorly disappointing is on defence. They have an excellent line-backing core and secondary but are not putting enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks to get them off the field. I hope they rally but that hope is based on what they have done in the past and not anything they have shown me this season.
Tom’s take: Dak was a little difficult to rank in this exercise, I mean three games are hardly enough to place him in comparison to some QB’s with half a season of tape on them. I feel that this is the reason he finds himself at number 11 and not closer to the top 5, but the fact he is still ranked this high with such little game time is credit to the player he is.
Cooper Rush was fun and kept Dallas afloat when the ship could have sank, but the Cowboys are so much more dynamic with Dak captaining the boat. He orchestrated brilliant drives, made precise throws and steered the Cowboys to an impressive 49 points against an all at sea (I don’t know why I’m adding so many nautical references to a paragraph about the “Cowboys” QB) Bears defence.
The next time we do these rankings, I fully expect Dak to be challenging the likes of Jackson, Burrow and Smith for best of the rest honours behind Mahomes and Allen.
Tom’s take: Kyler Murray is an enigma of sorts, both on and off the field. Let’s talk on the field though, we have a man who is arguably the most athletically gifted QB in the NFL not named Lamar Jackson. An intelligent runner of the ball, his escapability and penchant for the spectacular leave this particular writer in wonder how a man of his stature can perform such feats. He can break out a 100 yard rushing game as easily as some of the premier running backs can. He’s so adept at it. And yet, it feels so rare to see.
Murray has ran just 51 times in 8 games so far, comparing that to the 325 times he has attempted a pass in that span and it becomes almost lunacy. This isn’t to say that Kyler is a poor thrower, far from it, but with a Cardinals team flirting with falling into an abyss of no return in regards to playoff aspirations you would think Kliff Kingsbury and co would find a way to utilise their star quarterbacks unique abilities a little more often.
I genuinely believe that Murray is a bonafide superstar and MVP contender if he opened things up and let loose. But alas, the return of DeAndre Hopkins will probably scupper any hopes I have of seeing Kyler run more.
Tom’s take: Having a team with the second best record in all of the NFL would place most signal callers up a little higher than this spot, but name a Quarterback with seemingly as many bipolar traits to his game as Kirk Cousins.
Even crazier is that it isn’t even on a game-by-game basis, it’s quarter-by-quarter. Cousins goes from looking completely comfortable and at home whilst reeling off 10+ straight completions to open a game to refusing to release a pass that could go further than 10+ yards. Inconsistency has been a defining part of his career and 2022 is proving no different.
That being said, I think the Vikings and new head coach Kevin O’Connell must be feeling pretty content with the overall performance of their QB. Often an ostracized figure during the Mike Zimmer years, O’Connell has developed a much better relationship with Cousins and I think that has allowed for Kirk to feel more confident. He does have them at a 7-1 record, and based on the dire outputs from the rest of the NFC North this year, a division win appears a foregone conclusion at this point. People will doubt the threat of a postseason run from Minnesota and Cousins, and they would be right to do so. But perhaps Cousins can get hot in January and Minnesota’s wait for a Super Bowl will finally come to an end.
David’s take: Derek Carr is coming off two of the worst Raiders defeats of the season. They laid an egg on the scoreboard against the Saints in the Superdome which was followed up by losing a 17-point lead against the Jags last Sunday.
The Raiders are one of a number of teams that are under-performing with the talent they possess on their roster.
In recent weeks, Carr was starting to motor with Devante Adams and the Raiders have leaned heavily on Josh Jacobs for offensive production. The passing stats have come mainly off play-action and the Raiders have used play action on 33% of their drop-backs as Josh McDaniels is trying to insert the Patriot way of slowing making your way up the field to wear down the opposition defence. Is this the right approach when he has a cast that has the potential to blow teams away? I’m not so sure.
What is concerning to me is that Carr has not been finding his two favourite targets from last season. Hunter Renfrow has been severely under-utilised since his return from injury. Last season he had the highest third down completion percentage in the league and one of the best tight ends over the last few years, Darren Walller has become anonymous this season. There was significant interest in his services by Green Bay before the trade deadline closed last week.
To me, this seems to be a case of a coach trying to fit his players into his scheme rather than adjusting the scheme to fit his players. I am a fan of Carr and he has enough credit in the bank with me, if he is allowed, to take control of this offence and start winning games. With a current record of 2-6, their season is over. There needs to be serious questions asked of whether Josh McDaniels is the right man for this job.
David’s take: There is no hiding away from the fact that Russell Wilson has had a very poor season so far. He is on a team with an excellent defence and I was surprised they traded their best player in Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins last week. Wilson has a trio of quality receiving talent and he is developing an exciting partnership with rookie tight-end Greg Dulcich, who has become his favourite target.
No one has been as surprised at how poor the Broncos have been as the prime time schedulers and there have been some tough watches involving Denver this season. Still they are 3-5 and are coming off their best win and performance of the season by coming from behind to beat the Jags in London last time out.
Sometimes it is good to get away and clear the head and Wilson helped pull a game that was going the way of the Jaguars out of the fire in the second half. His best throw of the contest came when he found KJ Hamler along the right wing for a big chuck of yardage on the game-winning drive.
Looking at Wilson over the last few weeks, one thing I think is that he has become too bulked up and it is affecting his movement in the pocket. One of the big dangers when he was at the Seahawks was that if you didn’t account for him, with his quickness and speed he would gobble up any yardage that was offered to him.
This is something I have often seen with smaller-bodied players across many contact sports that they work themselves to become as strong as they can be in order to compete with bigger-bodied players. He needs to remember he is a QB and not a linebacker or running back.
Losing a half-step of pace significantly impacts his dual-threat ability and makes him more predictable and easier to play against. If he dropped some timber, perhaps a stone and a half or 20 pounds, his mobility would return and in my opinion he would find his best form quickly.
The question for now is will he be able to cook when an ultra-aggressive Tennessee Titans D-line turns up the heat in the kitchen next Sunday? He will need to as the Broncos struggled with Travis Eteinne in the run game against Jacksonville and are facing an in-form Derrick Henry, who rattled off 334 yards and four touchdowns in his last two matches.
I am convinced Russ is still a top 10 quarterback in the NFL but I think we will continue to see inconsistency in his game until he improves his competitive conditioning and spends more time on the track and less time in the gym.
Tom’s take: If the 2021 season was a Hollywood blockbuster for Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, the 2022 season so far has been an underwhelming sequel which has flopped in box-office sales. To be honest, not many sequels live up to their predecessors, so we shouldn’t be shocked I guess.
Stafford himself hasn’t looked comfortable all year, throwing for multiple touchdowns in just one game so far (week 2 vs. the Falcons) and is tied second in interceptions. The Rams lack the depth in skill positions it did a year ago. Stafford and off-season darling Allen Robinson have yet to develop a good rapport and if it were not for Cooper Kupp, this would be the worst receiving corps in the league.
Maybe there’s more to the off-season elbow surgery Stafford had and we will see a return to the play of 2021 in the second half of the season. If not, a lot of soul-searching and a massive re-work of offensive personnel will be needed in tinsel town.
Clearly the Rams like the roster they currently have, or are certain of bringing Odell Beckham Jr. back into the fold once his injury has healed, because they didn’t make any moves before the trade deadline passed on Tuesday? We should find out soon.
Conor’s take: Tannehill’s stats don’t exactly blow you out of this world but what he continues to do is be careful with the football and produce when his name is called upon. When your running back is ‘The King’ Derrick Henry, it’s handy handing the ball off to him and then just getting to throw the ball when defences are fed up trying to tackle Henry.
It’s a job Tannehill is great at and it’s been the difference to some of their games that had the Titans on a five game winning streak before losing the the Chiefs last time out. Being at the helm for four of those five games, Tannehill has only turned the ball over once to his four touchdowns. It’s earned him the right to a 69.2 PFF grade as his team continues to win after a shaky start.
Tannehill might not be the electric quarterback that teams think they need in order to compete for championships, but he goes about his work slowly and gets the job done when it’s time to finish up.
Tom’s take: At the risk of falling flat on my face with this “hot take”, I’m going to say it anyway, Jimmy G is playing his best football since his first season in San Francisco in 2017. I know, I’ll try to calm down now.
But honestly, this version of Jimmy G is better than the one who was under centre of the 2019 NFC Champion 49ers team. That being said, you need to surround Garoppolo with highly skilled play-makers to bring the best out of him. San Francisco have done just that,
adding RB Christian McCaffrey through a trade and it is already paying dividends during last week’s drubbing of the Rams. Garoppolo produced one of the most efficient and impressive performances of his career (20-25, 2 TDs and a 81.1 QBR).
If the 49ers are to reach the playoffs again this season, they will need games like this more often from Jimmy. Who knows if this will be enough for Kyle Shanahan to decide to ditch the Trey Lance experiment and stick with Garoppolo, but I do think it’s enough to ensure he’ll be starting somewhere in 2023?
Conor’s take: Lawrence got off to a hot start this season, but the last few weeks have shown his turnover self from his rookie year. Through the last five games, Lawrence has turned the ball over six times to three passing touchdowns. Now there is no problem being a gunslinger, some of the best QBs have been like that and the Super Bowl last year both had gun-slinging quarterbacks either side. But when you’re attempting the risky big time throws, you have to be completing the easy throws and he’s been missing simple passes too much.
Lawrence was regarded as a generational talent when he came out of college and that talent is still inside of him, it just feels he needs to walk before he runs. Throughout college and high-school Lawrence was always on the best team and when you’re in that position you can afford to play like how he is now. But the reality in the NFL is different and when playing for Jacksonville you have to play to your resources around you. Trevor should be allowed to play to how he’s comfortable, but he’s not at Clemson anymore, when if you turn the ball over your defence would get it straight back. There’s consequences to his turnovers now.
Tom’s take: It was all going so well for Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions, 11 touchdown passes after four games and the number one offence in the league. Well three games later and Goff has added just a sole touchdown pass and the Lions have dropped out of the top 10 on offence. Two straight games without a touchdown, including being shut out by the Patriots in week 5 will do that I guess.
Goff hasn’t really been the major issue in this slump, but yet again he seems unable to elevate his team. Goff is a tick below an average starting quarterback, the Lions are looking likely to be picking at the pointy end of the NFL Draft in April 2023 and it would be a mistake for them to not consider taking a QB with that selection, in spite of all their defensive inabilities.
Goff has eight games left to either prove that statement to be untrue or win just enough games to take the Lions out of contention for a Bryce Young or CJ Stroud. Time will tell I guess.
Conor’s take: When Brissett filled in for Deshaun Watson, nobody expected his outcome to be running the offence to 8th in offensive DVOA. But that’s exactly what Brissett has done and his performance so far and probably earned himself another shot at a starter job next season. His performance this Halloween on Monday Night Football was his best, when he teed off on an elite Bengals defence. With 278 passing yards on the night and a passing and rushing touchdown to show, Brisseett has been efficient with the ball in his hands.
The last three weeks, he’s thrown for over 250 yards in each game and he also had an average of 79.4% completing percentage the last two weeks with zero turnovers. It would be easy to see the performances of Nick Chubb and imagine he’s carrying the Browns to their great offensive performances, but the reality is Brissett is also heavily involved and deserves praise for how things are going in Cleveland.
David’s take: When Zach Wilson came back in Week 5, he was at the helm as the Jets rattled off four wins in a four. In hindsight, that record was mainly due to an outstanding defence and an offence that was heavily run-dependent and lent on the rushing magic of rookie Breece Hall.
One thing I love about Wilson is the way he throws the ball. He just has that natural ability to ping it with a perfect spiral and he is to me undoubtedly one of the most natural throwers of a football in the league.
Where it is coming undone is consistency and there are growing pains which are to be expected for a QB in their second season. He is not the only QB who is going through a sophomore slump and you could make similar comparisons about Trevor Laurence and Mac Jones. Only Justin Fields has shown significant improvement on his rookie season and that has only been evident in the second quarter of the season.
In the three wins leading up to the week 8 loss to the Patriots, Wilson threw for 210, 110 and 121 yards, which is hardly setting the world alight. If you look at the headlines of the loss to the Patriots, you will no doubt see that he threw two unforgivable interceptions. You won’t hear too many people saying this right now but in my opinion there is a lot to be positive about Wilson’s game. But further investigation into the loss to the Patriots, I believe sheds better light on his current situation.
His three interceptions came off one technical error and two mental mistakes. His first one came as he threw while pedaling backwards and leaning back, he overthrew his intended
receiver. The second turnover came after the breakdown of in play, he was throwing the ball away and left it short of the sideline only to be intercepted by Devin McCourty. The worst one came in the fourth quarter, when again after a play had broken down he flung the ball into traffic and McCourty picked him off again.
What I like about Wilson is that he has fight in him and he brought the Jets up the field to make it a five-point game with just under two minutes left. On the day he had 355 passing yards including 115 to rookie receiver Garrett Wilson. I can just see ‘Wilson to Wilson’ becoming a common refrain. All this down his starting running back and his two best offensive lineman, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Mekhi Becton, on injured reserve.
A lot of people are quite down on Wilson but I am not one of them and I see enough green shoots to believe that with more experience, this is a young player who could blossom into an NFL superstar. Often the best way to learn is to make mistakes and to learn from them. Wilson has something about him that reminds me of Aaron Rodgers and although in a minority right now, I think he could be something special if he continues to learn his trade.
Last weekend he led the Jets to a surprise win over the Buffalo Bills. Another example of his bouncing back after the previous week.
Tom’s take: It’s been a long three years but I think it’s finally okay to start using the ‘Danny Dimes’ moniker again for Daniel Jones. The Giants have been a remarkable feel good story so far this season, reeling off an impressive six wins (including four on the bounce). Jones and the Giants have been down in a lot of games but have seemingly developed a culture where they never feel truly out of any game.
Maybe a lot of that has to do with the return to superstardom of Saquon Barkley or the hire of Brian Daboll as head coach or Wink Martindale coaching up a fiery defence. But can we give some love to the Giants quarterback as well please? The guy is playing his heart out there and is a really impressive runner when he isn’t falling over.
He isn’t going to flash on the box score, nor should he, the Giants offence rolls through Barkley, but he is giving the front office in New York a reason to be questioning their decision to not take up his fifth-year rookie option. I think we’ll see the Giants playing football come January and how he performs then will be a definitive answer in the question of if he is the future at QB for G-Men.
David’s take: Outside of Geno Smith, the resurgence of Marcus Mariota from the NFL scrapheap has been wonderful to watch and one of the feel-good stories of the season. The Falcons have built their offence around his dual-threat skill set and surrounded him with players such as Kyle Pitts and Drake London, who at 6 ‘6 and 6 ‘3 respectively, are a match-up nightmare with their size and gigantic catch radius or radii or radiuses. I give up!!!
The Falcons are awesome to watch on a weekly basis and most of their games have gone down to the wire. They score a lot of points and concede a lot of points and being competitive most weeks has allowed the impressive Young-hue Koo to often kick them to victory.
They have surpassed all expectations and who could have predicted that they would sit joint-top of the NFC South with a record of 4-6. They have given themselves a chance of making the playoffs but more importantly of being relevant in December.
Mariota has been key and he has the athleticism to adhere to a dual-threat game plan. He still struggles with his accuracy and that is unlikely to change but on a brighter note he has started to build up a better connection with Pitts in recent weeks.
The loss of Calvin Ridley in a surprising trade to Jacksonville gives Atlanta more capital to draft one of the handful of dual-threat QBs coming out next year. It is a complex trade with the Jags but it could result in a second round pick should Ridley sign a contract extension for the Jags. The Falcons have a multitude of late round picks that could be used to move up the draft board, which I believe is at the heart of that surprising move. Watching Mariota has been fun but he is not the long term answer.
David’s take: Mac Jones is under pressure mainly from within the Patriots camp and nobody expected the emergence of Bailey Zappe as a potential threat to his starter position. So far this season Mac Jones is a quarterback going through a sophomore slump and like many in the same position is struggling for form and consistency.
What I like about Jones is he is smart and can confidently manage a game, which is what the Pats ask of him to do. He is not the most athletic but he can still pick up a first down if a defence gives him too much space. He is a good decision maker and is likely to keep improving as he gets more games under his belt.
I guessed that Belichick would go with Jones last weekend but with the home crowd in Foxboro enamored with the rookie Zappe, it is a tricky time for Jones especially if he is struggling or losing at home. At the last home game, the home supporters cheered wildly when he was replaced by his understudy.
I believe there is certainly an NFL starter in Jones and like the other young quarterbacks he needs to keep learning as his career progresses. I think he suits how New England wants their offence to play and having a strong running game takes a lot of pressure off him trying to outscore teams without a blue chip pass-catcher at any position. This is something the Pats will need to remedy in the off-season. Whether they do it in free agency or in the draft will be interesting. Because the last time they went either direction, they failed miserably.
What will be most intriguing is when Bill Belichick makes a decision between the pair and if Jones was to be put on the trading block, I could see the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Commanders being two of the teams interested in his services.
David’s take: Andy Dalton is a safe pair of hands, well a safer pair of hands than Jameis Winston and that is why he is under centre for the New Orleans Saints. He is an experienced QB playing in his 12th season in the league and is adept at reading coverages and moving his team up the field. One of the reasons for his success in New Orleans is having the Swiss-army-knife talent of Taysom Hill in their back pocket and he routinely gets them over the gain-line on third down and in the red zone.
The pair together make it tricky for defensive coordinators to visualize where and when they will be attacked and with Alvin Kamara motoring again, it will open the playbook for more play-action for Dalton and run-options for Hill. This is a team laden with talent and they have the ability to dominate teams especially in the Superdome.
Their QB combo will do for now but is not going to win them a Superbowl. Without a first rounder in next year’s draft, they will probably have to trade for another veteran to be their new QB in the off-season or take a punt on a young talent falling out of the first round.
Tom’s take: Not the most physically imposing or gifted quarterback, but few in this league play with as much heart and fury as Taylor Heinicke.
Entering the league in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion. Floating around back up roles, practice squads and free agency for most of his seven year career has formed Heinicke into a gritty journeyman who you know will leave everything he has on the field. You have to respect the hustle he shows.
And so far in 2022, Heinicke is 2-1, helping lead the Commanders back to a just below 500 record and still very much in NFC wildcard contention. He has a fantastic connection with Washington’s best player: Terry McLaurin and knows what to do when the game comes to crunch time.
If I was a Commanders fan, I would be quite comfortable riding the season out with Heinicke over a return to Carson Wentz once he is back from IR. And I wouldn’t doubt he fights and claws them into the postseason again this year.
Conor’s take: Kenny Pickett has looked interesting for sure in his first few starts in the NFL. Granted the stats don’t look great, with 10 turnovers through five games. But he’s shown to be a quick decision maker that trusts his wide receivers. Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season like this for a while, so maintaining Pickett’s confidence and making sure he’s the quarterback for the future is key for that franchise right now.
The story of Pickett’s season so far has been the turnovers I previously mentioned, with eight interceptions and two fumbles on the season. Now some of these have been misfortune with tipped passes going the wrong way, but these rookie mistakes are starting to count up with the Steelers losing two games by one possession, in which Pickett threw three interceptions. Pickett will have plenty of time before he’s shown the door and in a well-run franchise, Pittsburgh should put the pieces around him in the next few years to know if he’s the guy or not.
David’s take: Did the Carolina offence start kicking into gear with the arrival of Steve Wilks or was it when PJ Walker replaced Baker Mayfield? The truth lies somewhere in between. Walker was a huge improvement since he started and his teammates seem to be playing for him. That all came crashing down when the Bengals took a 0-35 lead into half-time last Sunday and Baker was brought back in.
Mayfield helped the Panthers score three touchdowns to add much needed credibility to the scoreline. I am not a fan of Baker and I think for a smaller quarterback he is slow to run and moves poorly in the pocket. If Baker is now back in favour I would not be surprised if he is out of favour again in a few weeks. I believe with a boatload of draft picks from the CMC trade in the 2023 draft, Carolina is likely to take a shot at one of the five college quarterbacks already circled to be drafted in the first round. I will be surprised if Baker is still starting for the Panthers next year and I don’t think he will have a starting job in the NFL.
Conor’s take: For a third-round pick quarterback, Mills exceeded expectations last season in his rookie season, but his development into this year has not been enough to warrant a starting role in 2023. Mills hasn’t put together games in which he looks awful, but his lack of good moments is enough to overlook that. His position isn’t exactly ideal with Houston having an unstable team around him, but it always felt Mills was a stopgap quarterback similar to how they have been treating their coaches. With a good QB class ahead for the draft it seems inevitable that Houston would spend a high pick on that position, leading to a potential challenge for Mills. Throwing for a reasonable 1656 yards on the season is good for 21st in the league, but his QBR of 31.6 ranks for 32nd, leaving a lot to be desired.
Conor’s take: In his NFL debut Sam Ehlinger looked quite good as he just fell short in a loss to Washington. Ehlinger was named the starter for the Colts last week, after an underwhelming start which saw former MVP Matt Ryan not live up to expectations. The sixth-round pick in last year’s draft is well known for his time in college with the University of Texas, but he made his presence known in the professional sense this weekend. Throwing for 201 yards, the Colts didn’t see the negative offensive trends they were seeing previously with Ryan.
Decades of history suggest that the 2021 sixth-round selection will not prove to be the Colts’ long-term solution, but Ehlinger looked like he belonged under centre against the Commanders. The same couldn’t be said for his second start after a blowout loss to the Patriots, where they completely shut him down. Ehlinger might have the rest of the season in the starting spot still, but if Indy continues to see play similar to his Week 9 performances then it won’t last any longer than that.
After finally holding on to a lead, the Baltimore Ravens are starting to hit their stride and have a chance to build upon their AFC North lead. They travel to New Orleans this week, who are looking to win their second consecutive game and get their season back on track.
The Saints feel like a team on the rise after their dismantling of the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Their offence has been surprisingly good with Andy Dalton taking over, averaging close to 25 points per game despite several injuries to key players throughout the year. The main culprit to that is Michael Thomas who looks set to miss the rest of the season with a toe injury.
Since setting the NFL record for catches in a single season with 149 in 2019, Thomas has played in just 10 games since. With three of those appearances coming this year, he caught 16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns.
The story of this game will be whether Dennis Allen can keep the defence playing to how they were last week. Through their first seven games of the season, the Saints defence had failed to hold any team to under 20 points. That changed when they went up against the No. 1 ranked rushing offence by DVOA last week and shut them out. Lucky for them Baltimore also runs a run-heavy offence but it is centred around quarterback Lamar Jackson. Are they up for the task for a second week?
The Ravens made a huge move before Tuesday’s trade deadline by adding linebacker Roquan Smith to their defence in a trade with the Chicago Bears. This season, the Ravens’ defence has been their main issue, as they have blown multiple double-digit leads late in games.
Smith is an impact player that should improve that unit, but they’re also getting more help in the outside linebacker department with Tyus Bowser and 2022 draft pick David Ojabo being activated this week.
Ojabo was pick 45 in this year’s draft. He was seen as a first rounder for the majority of the process until a torn Achilles at his Pro Day. Only seven months on from the surgery, he’s looking to show off the pure athleticism we saw in his junior year of college, where he helped Michigan to a playoff appearance.
Keep an eye on number 90 as he makes his debut and see whether or not he has that same burst off the edge straight away.
The Ravens are also entering a stretch of their schedule where they should be able to keep stacking wins. But with recent injuries to Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews, the offence will need new contributors to stand up and take their place. Another rookie to watch out for is tight-end Isaiah Likely.
Prediction
The Ravens enter this game as the -3 favourites, as they should do with their 5-2 record. They still look like their explosive selves on offence and have new faces in the defence, which can improve that side of the ball.
Despite all of this, I have a sneaky feeling we could see an upset from the Saints. You never want to base too much off of one game, but we finally saw this Saints defence looking better than they have done in years.
They are missing Marshon Lattimore again which is never good, but the Ravens ruled out their two best pass catchers as well. Their offence might only rank as 19 in DVOA, but they have been scoring points for fun as of late with Dalton throwing nine touchdowns in his five starts.
This should be a fun high scoring game where both teams look to move the ball down the field, but I’m going to lean towards the home team.
I worry about how much the Ravens offence will be able to do without Andrews, Bateman and Gus Edwards. Lamar Jackson is always capable of putting a team on his back for a game, but against a good Saints offence and a defence that just shut-out their last opponent, it might be a little too much for him.
The Baltimore Ravens came to Tampa Bay and rushed for over 200 second-half yards to beat the Buccaneers 27-22 on Thursday Night Football, as Tom Brady lost his third consecutive game for the first time since 2002.
The home side started with high energy in the contest and scored the first touchdown when Leonard Fournette finished off a 75 yard first quarter drive.
For most of the first half, the Bucs defence was putting constant pressure on the Baltimore attack, including a great sack on Lemar Jackson by the man-mountain that is Vita Vea, when he rushed past his Iowa Hawk-eye college teammate Tyler Linderbaum.
Tampa defensive-end Pat O’Connor managed to keep the score to 3-10 at halftime, when he blocked a late field goal. In hindsight, that was as good as it got for the Bucs.
Baltimore lost tight-end Mark Andrews to injury and then seemed to double down on their running game. It stopped the Bucs defence from rushing Lemar and Linderbaum was very effective in getting into the second phase and targeting Devin White, thus making him redundant on defence.
After establishing the run game. Lemar started to do his thing and ran proceeding from there out. There was a mix of quarterback runs, play-action and run and pass option plays (RPOs). After a five minute drive, Lamar threw to Kenyon Drake on a screen-pass and he ran into the endzone to tie the game.
On their next drive, Lemar then found replacement tight-end Isaiah Likely at the back of the endzone for the first touchdown of his rookie career. Throwing on the run with a quick release and accurate pass for a terrific touchdown is another example of how much Jackson’s passing game has grown this season.
A couple of Ryan Succop kicks and a very late touchdown by Julio Jones added respectability to the scoreline, as the Bucs have now lost five of their last six games and are no longer top of the NFC South.
This week’s matchup sees two great but very different quarterbacks going head-to-head, as Lamar Jackson and his Ravens visit Raymond James Stadium to face Tom Brady and his Buccaneers.
Brady is your pocket QB that can sniff out any defences and can make any throw in the book. On the other side we have the agile athlete that plays the game in the NFL like it’s a video game in Lamar Jackson. With the Bucs looking to snap a two-game losing streak, they are slight underdogs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
Power Rankings: 17th
DVOA Rankings: Offence – 19th, Defence – 5th, Special Teams – 24th, Overall – 8th
The Buccaneers offence has been one of the biggest disappointments in the league this season, and it has hit rock bottom the past two weeks, scoring just 21 total points in back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Carolina. Despite that, the Buccaneers are still tied for first place in the NFC South with a 3-4 record, but they remain a long way from where they expected to be or need to be to compete for an NFC Championship.
The problem of the Bucs offence has been told all season but what has been kept quiet is the rough month the defence has had as well.
Despite ranking fifth in defensive DVOA, three of the last four opponents have rushed for at least 150 yards against them. To put that into perspective, in the last three seasons that has only happened to them four times! To add to their problems, the Bucs now welcome in quarterback Lamar Jackson and a Ravens offence that has rushed for at least 150 yards in six straight games. That doesn’t bode well for the home side.
To make matters worse, Tampa will also be missing four of their top six defensive backs for the game. Making an inexperienced secondary and poor run defence a perfect recipe for disaster against a dynamic Ravens offence.
Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
Power Rankings – 6th
DVOA Rankings: Offence – 5th, Defence – 12th, Special Teams – 1st; Overall – 5th
Baltimore are looking to win consecutive games for the first time all season. They have been wildly inconsistent all season, while also letting several double-digit leads slip away in each of their three losses. That’s been the story of Baltimore’s season. They have been playing like a championship team until it gets to the fourth quarter. That final period where it all matters and the offence, defence and coaching staff have all made crucial mistakes in these moments. It has cost them games they should have ended long before.
Lamar Jackson has still been a star for this side doing damage to opposing defences in the air and on the ground. Lamar has 15 touchdowns on the year for six interceptions, but it’s the work he’s been doing on the ground that’s been most impressive. With 510 rushing yards on the season which is good for fifth in the league and from the quarterback position. He’s also averaging 7.7 yards per carry, which is a career high.
Baltimore has the pieces in place to be a contender. It’s just mental mistakes at the end of games that is holding them back. A win this week on the road against another Super Bowl contender, where they control a game towards the end should be a great stepping stone in the right direction.
Prediction
Both teams entered the season as Super Bowl contenders but have been struggling of late, with the Bucs seeing a big fall in performance on offence and defence from the start of the season. In a classic Tom Brady story, against all odds of prime time tv, it would not at all be surprising to see him flip a switch that would have Tampa looking amazing again. But the state of this defence is concerning especially against a running attack like Baltimore have.
The Ravens themselves have been averaging 20 points through the last four weeks. Lacking wide receiver personnel has always been an issue and it has led to them being one-dimensional and a bit predictable at times.
I can see Brady and the Buccaneer’s offence getting back to their best in this game, but the injuries in the secondary are too much of a concern for me to pass over. Missing three of their starting four members of the secondary is a tough loss and when you combine that with the form of the run defence, that’s a lot of holes for Baltimore to exploit.
It’s Week 6 and the match-up we’ve all been waiting for.
Patrick Mahomes versus Josh Allen.
Bills @ Chiefs
This game has been marked in the calendar since the season fixtures were released. The two best quarterbacks in the NFL, scratch that, the two best players in the NFL will go head-to-head on Sunday. So have your hot-dogs ready, because I can’t see how this game can disappoint.
When these two went toe-to-toe last January, we had a play-off game for the ages. With the match finished in a whirlwind tie, the toss of a coin gave Mahomes the ball first in overtime and that was all she wrote. Shots of a distraught Josh Allen not getting an opportunity to answer back resulted in a change of post-season rules.
There are differing opinions about which of the two is the best. I am on record for having Mahommes at the top of my list and I haven’t seen anything to change my mind so far this season. I’m sure Josh Allen reckons that if he can take down his opponent in front of a packed out Arrowhead Stadium, then figuratively the mantle will surely pass to him.
What makes this contest especially mouth-watering is the protagonists are both in a rich vein of form and have a record of 3-1. With both teams very likely to make the post-season, this is also an early battle for post-season home advantage later in the season.
Mahomes’ best performance of the season came two weeks ago when he dismantled a very talented and experienced Bucs defence in Tampa Bay. What most impressed me about his game that night was that he managed to share the ball between all his receiving options. He was at his lethal best both inside and outside the pocket and pulled out spectacular plays on the fly. He was figuratively on fire that night.
Last Monday, he led the Chiefs to victory after trailing the Las Vegas Raiders by 17 points. It turned into a shoot-out and four red-zone touchdowns passes to Travis Kelce made the difference. Kelce’s record-breaking Monday Night Football performance came with only 25 yards accounted for on the night, which shows that Mahommes is finding another way of getting his team down the field. Kansas don’t have a strong running attack but Clyde Edwards-Helaire is at his most dangerous when available for quick passes out the back field and running outside the hashes.
Kansas had their struggles against the Raiders, who were on top for most of the game and Las Vegas had success running the ball and particularly with deep balls over the top against the Chiefs defence, with Derek Carr finding Devante Adams for two touchdowns.
It is the latter than Buffalo will more likely try to exploit. Last Sunday Josh Allen had two bombs caught by Gabe Davis as he put the Pittsburgh Steelers to the sword. The first was a 98-yard play on his first drive of the game. I expect he will also try to put the Chiefs defensive-backs under pressure from the off.
The previous week against the Ravens saw Allen play in my opinion his best half of football of the season, when he took the game by the scruff of the neck and pulled his team from behind to a valiant win on the road. In that second half, he was majestic using his feet to get out of trouble and to pick up first downs. He also used his cannon of an arm to find his receivers outside the numbers in the second half.
The Bills don’t haven’t shown much in their running game so far but the rookie running-back James Cook did get his first TD of his career against the Steelers last week and we have seen enough of Devin Singletary to know what a good player he can be on his day. There are rumours that Buffalo are considering a trade with the Carolina Panthers for Christian McCaffery to push all their chips in the middle of the table to win the Superbowl this year. The more I think about that scenario, the more sense it makes for both teams and the player himself.
So who is going to win this game and why?
I can’t see either quarterback being stopped from moving the chains on a regular basis and I expect both teams to clock up a few touchdowns.
It may come down to the defence that can get the opposing quarterback off the field on even a couple of third downs that could make the difference. Right now, Buffalo has the better defence and with Tre’Davious White almost ready to return to the fold, he will be a great addition to the Buffalo secondary. I have been impressed with the form of Chris Jones on the Kansas D-line and also with the consistent performances of Nick Bolton at line-backer.
Ultimately, it will come down to two men and in my heart of hearts, I believe that Patrick Mahomes is the better quarterback and will win the day for the men in red.
Cowboys v Eagles
The late match on Sunday night is a contest between the Great Pretenders so far this season with an NFC East match-up that always has a bit of bite. The Eagles fans don’t really like anyone but they save their deepest bile for when the Cowboys come to town and it is safe to say the feeling is mutual.
At the moment, both of these teams are looking like serious contenders for the NFC.
I haven’t been overly surprised with how Philadelphia has fared this season. I was impressed with their rushing attack last season and even there, they managed to add more depth in the draft. For me, it is the best O-Line in football at this moment in time.
Their defence is the area of the team that has most improved since last year. The moves made by Howie Roseman in the off-season are paying dividends, especially with the signings of pass-rusher Hassan Reddick and corner-back James Bradbury. They also added first round pick Jordan Davis, who was one of my favourite players coming out this year from the National Champions Georgia Bulldog defence and they re-signed Fletcher Cox for another season.
The offence also improved two with the acquisition of AJ Brown to form a formidable double-team with Devonta Smith on the outside. All this has allowed Jalen Hurts to step up his game and I believe he has. He is a dual-threat quarterback, who is very dangerous outside the pocket with his legs and throwing on the run. He has been great to watch this year and has the gait of a man who he is comfortable with what he has been asked to do and in his position as leader. He does take more contact than you would like your quarterback to take, especially this early in the season.
All-in-all, it makes this Eagles team very balanced side that can beat you a number of ways. The only time they have struggled was containing Kyler Murray in the second half last week. I think it will take a good team to beat this side in Philly.
The surprise package for me so far this season are the Dallas Cowboys. They were a play-off team last January but I thought they lost key players in the off-season in Amari Cooper, Randy Gregory and Cedric Wilson and I expected some regression. If anything they look stronger.
Losing their starting QB, Dak Prescott, to injury in the first game of the season has been a blessing in disguise. They have had to find a way of winning and they have, as their defence has stepped up even more so than they did last season. Micah Parsons has been the best defensive player in the league and Dan Quinn has schemed-up ways of getting to every quarterback they have faced
With Dak missing, it has also forced them to run the ball more with Zeke and Tony Pollard forming an effective running-back committee, while Cooper Rush has managed games effectively and not turned over the ball. With Dak on the mend, he might start this game but the Cowboys will more likely stick with a winning formula for another week.
Whichever quarterback starts, I still believe the home team Eagles will get the job done late on Sunday night. I like how they are using Hurts in run option plays and using play action. They also have the run game to negate the Cowboys pass rush. For me they are the best team in the division and all their victories so far have looked routine. I expect the Eagles to win a roughly-fought contest.
Ravens @ Giants
The New York Giants have also been a surprise so far and they are getting a significant bounce from their new head coach Bran Daboll. Daniel Jones is coming off the best win of his career against the Packers in London and Sequon Barkley is in the prime of his career. However, I feel this fairy-tale can’t go on much longer as they are lacking the talent throughout their roster to win consistently in the NFL and I believe they will soon be found out.
Their offensive line is better but still not an elite unit and their receiving core has been awful so far despite their wins. I expect the wheels to come off this weekend when they host the Ravens. The Baltimore franchise has looked better than their 3-2 record suggests and they sit atop of a very competitive AFC North.
I was impressed once again with Lamar in last Sunday’s win against the Bengals and once again he delivered, finding Mark Andrews and Devin Duvernay when he most needed a first down. I think the less physical punishment Lamar takes in the regular season, the more likely he will be better conditioned to be at his most electric and dangerous best in the post-season. I expect a Ravens win here and the Giants to start heading towards the middle of the pack.
Another Sunday in the books and another footballing feast for the eyes with terrific action and close encounters right across the National Football League.
With the exception of the late, late contest between the Chiefs and the Bucs, the other 14 matches all were one-score games during the fourth quarter. There was even a point during the early kick-offs where all nine matches were one-score games in the fourth quarter at the same point in time.
Where in the world would you find this level of competition in professional sport?
The answer is, of course, is nowhere but in the NFL. It is the reason why supporters of gridiron tune in week in, week out as the action continues to deliver the goods.
Let’s start with one of the most anticipated match-ups, when Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson went head-to-head.
Bills @ Ravens
By the beginning of the fourth quarter the game was tied 20-20, as this thoroughly entertaining contest was played out on soft ground and in heavy rain.
Both protagonists were to the fore.
Lamar Jackson helped the Ravens into an early lead when on his first drive, he took advantage of the short field, after an interception by Marlon Humphrey, and shuffle-passed the ball to JK Dobbins for the opening touchdown. He then found Devin Duvernay with a heads-up play for another six-pointer.
At the end of the first half, Josh Allen kicked into action and led a drive which ended when he threw to Isiah McKenzie for a touchdown with 13 seconds left to make it 10-20 at the break.
Allen was immense after half time and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. He finished off the opening drive by taking off on a scramble to the left sideline and stepping inside the oncoming defenders for a touchdown to level the scores.
The game remained 20-20 as Lamar fired to Devin Duvernay, who brought the play up to the one-yard line. Three plays later and the Bills defence stood firm.
Then came a surprising call by Ravens coach, John Harbaugh, who turned down the chance to take a three-point lead with the field goal and went for it on fourth down. Buffalo continued their goal-line stand as Baltimore’s 14-play drive ended with no points. Jackson’s next drive also ended in disappointment when Jordan Poyer got his second interception of the game with four minutes remaining.
Allen once again took centre stage and led his team down the field with superb quarterback play.
By the time the Bills were on the three-yard line, they had worked the clock down to three seconds remaining when Tyler Bass kicked them to victory with a field goal.
This was a terrific contest decided by small margins with great performances across both teams. It will be remembered as the biggest comeback victory of Josh Allen’s career to date as the Bills came from 3-20 down to win 23-20.
It looked at the time to be the best quarterbacking performance of the weekend, but not to be undone, Patrick Mahommes reminded everyone what a superstar he is with a sensational performance in a packed Raymond James Stadium in the late kick off.
Unstoppable
In doing so he gained a margin of revenge for the loss in Superbowl 55 as he tore the Bucs defence to pieces.
He started the game with touchdowns on his first three drives. On the night, he was just electric with a performance littered with jaw-dropping plays. Throughout Mahommes displayed his natural ingenuity with ball-in-hand on a level that most players could only dream of.
In my opinion, Mahommes showed a growing maturity and progression with his game management by leaning on all of his receiving core, which made the Chiefs attack unpredictable throughout. Tom Brady did well to keep the score a respectable 41-31.
It also finally put to bed for me that Kansas might struggle without the Cheetah, Tyreek Hill. If they can do this to the Bucs defence, then every other defensive coordinator on their schedule better sit up and take notice.
It’s only Week 4 and already I’m finding it hard to contain myself with the prospect of these three quarterbacks, Allen, Jackson and Mahommes, duking it out for supremacy in the AFC when knockout football returns in January.
Young Guns Part 1
Kenny Pickett and Bailey Zappe enter the fray in Week 4
One of the most interesting happenings of Week 4 was the somewhat unexpected introduction to two rookie quarterbacks during two tightly-contested fixtures.
Jets @ Steelers
Pittsburgh trailed 10-6 at home to the New York Jets, after Braxton Barrios found his QB Zach Wilson with a ‘Philly-Special.’
It led Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to make a quarterback change at half time when he benched Mitch Trubisky for his first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett much to the delight of the home crowd. After three runs and a quarterback sneak to pick up the first down the crowd began chanting ‘Kenny!!!, Kenny!!!’
Pickett’s first pass down in the NFL resulted in an interception. However, the home crowd were not going to be deterred and a few plays later safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted back to bring the play down near the goal line.
From there Pickett ran it in and the “Kenny, Kenny” chants erupted once again. He followed this up with another rushing TD in the fourth quarter as the Steelers turned the game around with a 10-20 lead.
With less than eight minutes left, Jets QB Zach Wilson, in his first appearance of the year, showed what a young talent he is as he led a comeback effort. He fired to Corey Davies to make it 17-20. After a late drive, he fed another rookie, running-back Breece Hall, for the winning score with only 16 seconds left.
The action wasn’t over. With four points between the teams, Pickett had one last chance for a Hail Mary and as his delivery sailed into the endzone, safety Lamarcus Joyner grabbed an interception to finish the contest.
Young Guns Part 2
Patriots @ Packers
What was expected to be a defensive spectacle ended up being a very entertaining contest, which took on a new dimension in the first quarter after Patriots back-up QB Brian Hoyer got a head injury.
It resulted in an early introduction for the Pats third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick from Western Kentucky, to make a highly unexpected NFL debut.
It was another rookie Christian Watson who ran in his first NFL TD when he took a pop-pass from Aaron Rodgers in motion.
The Pats played physical smash-mouth football which kept Rodgers on the sideline and by the time he retook the field in the last minute of the second quarter, he had only thrown for 38 yards. Two plays later and Rodgers threw a pick-six, his second ever of his career at Lambeau Field. It left the Packers trailing 10-7 at the break.
In the second half, the teams went blow for blow. First Rodgers fired to his tight-end Robert Tonyan for a TD and the following run-heavy drive from New England ended with Zappe finding DeVante Parker on play-action for the first passing touchdown of his career.
The sides swapped scores again in the fourth quarter when a Damien Harris score was replied to when Rodgers found rookie Romeo Doubs for the 500th TD of his career. The game finished tied and in overtime Rodgers led his team down the field for Mason Crosby to kick the winner from 31 yards with four seconds left.
As unlikely as events unfolded to give Zappe his first starts, something more unlikely happened in the New York Giants victory over Chicago. Daniel Jones had to leave the field with an injury and then his replacement Tyrod Taylor also had to exit with an ankle injury.
With no other QB on the playing roster, it left star-of-the-show Saquon Barkley to go under centre as a wildcat QB and he led the Giants down the field in the fourth quarter for the insurance field goal in a 12-20 win over the Bears.
London Calling
The Minnesota Vikings won an excellent contest in the early kickoff in London against a New Orleans team that showed grit and determination to stay in the contest throughout and then took a lead late in the fourth quarter.
Justin Jefferson was the star of the contest with 147 receiving yards on the day and when he rushed in from three yards, London got to see his ‘Griddy’ touchdown celebration to help the Vikings regain the lead in fourth quarter.
Saints kicker Will Lutz in particular had an afternoon to remember when his 60-yard kick went between the posts to tie the game with two minutes remaining. Fast forward to the last play of the game and Lutz was in a similar position with another long-range attempt to bring the contest to overtime.,
However, this time his effort hit the post and then the crossbar for a ‘double-doink’ that secured victory for the Vikes.
If there is a more improved player in the NFL than Jalen Hurts, I haven’t seen him.
Trailing 0-14 on the road away to Jacksonville, he displayed courage and leadership to lead his team to a deserved win. The Eagles offence that is just rolling at the moment.
A coach that definitely doesn’t get the respect he is due in my opinion is Nick Siriani, who deserves credit for building the offence around Hurts in a similar way to how Baltimore has built around the talent of Lamar Jackson.
Helped by a superb offensive line they run opinion plays and play action to great effect and he schemes Hurts to where he is most dangerous: outside the pocket. It will be interesting if he meets a defence that can contain him, but so far he has hurdled all the obstacles put before him.
The Eagles are the only team to go 4-0 and with running-back Miles Sanders running impressively for 156 yards and two touchdowns on the day.
Slightly more impressively, Rashaad Penny ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns in what, so far, is the highest scoring game of the season as the Seahawks beat the Detroit Lions 48-45.
Seattle led for most of the contest but the Detroit Lions would not give up the ghost.
Tight-end TJ Hockenson had eight receptions for 179 yards and two TDs in a game where both quarterbacks Geno Smith and Jared Goff balled out for their respective sides. Jamaal Williams also continued to show that he can walk-the-walk as good as he can talk-the-talk, when he ran in for a 51-yard TD, his second score of the game.
Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo proved his worth once again as his late effort was the difference in a tightly-fought 20-23 contest with the Cleveland Browns.
Kyler Murray got his second win of the campaign when he took down the Carolina Panthers 26-16. Murray came alive in the second half and was the best player on show. He was run close in that regard by teammate Zach Allen, who on the day batted three Baker Mayfield throws and recorded a sack and his performance drew comparisons with swat-machine JJ Watt.
In the NFC East, Cooper Rush continued to win as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys as they beat their divisional opponents the Washington Commanders, wearing their new black uniforms for the first time.
Derek Henry looked back near his best as the Titans had a 24-17 road win against the Colts, while Austin Ekeler was to the fore scoring three touchdowns as the LA Chargers took the honours away to the Houston Texans.
Finally, Josh McDaniels got his first win as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in an entertaining 23-32 contest at home to the Denver Broncos. Running-back Josh Jacobs was key to the victory with 175 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns.
Phew!!!
Another few hours to catch my breath until the week rounds off with an NFC West match-up as the San Francisco 49ers take on their neighboring rival LA Rams.
Another Sunday in the books and another footballing feast for the eyes with terrific action and close encounters right across the National Football League.
With the exception of the late, late contest between the Chiefs and the Bucs, the other 14 matches all were one-score games during the fourth quarter. There was even a point during the early kick-offs where all nine matches were one-score games in the fourth quarter at the same point in time.
Where in the world would you find this level of competition in professional sport?
The answer is, of course, is nowhere but in the NFL. It is the reason why supporters of gridiron tune in week in, week out as the action continues to deliver the goods.
Let’s start with one of the most anticipated match-ups, when Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson went head-to-head.
Bills @ Ravens
By the beginning of the fourth quarter the game was tied 20-20, as this thoroughly entertaining contest was played out on soft ground and in heavy rain.
Both protagonists were to the fore.
Lamar Jackson helped the Ravens into an early lead when on his first drive, he took advantage of the short field, after an interception by Marlon Humphrey, and shuffle-passed the ball to JK Dobbins for the opening touchdown. He then found Devin Duvernay with a heads-up play for another six-pointer.
At the end of the first half, Josh Allen kicked into action and led a drive which ended when he threw to Isiah McKenzie for a touchdown with 13 seconds left to make it 10-20 at the break.
Allen was immense after half time and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. He finished off the opening drive by taking off on a scramble to the left sideline and stepping inside the oncoming defenders for a touchdown to level the scores.
The game remained 20-20 as Lamar fired to Devin Duvernay, who brought the play up to the one-yard line. Three plays later and the Bills defence stood firm.
Then came a surprising call by Ravens coach, John Harbaugh, who turned down the chance to take a three-point lead with the field goal and went for it on fourth down. Buffalo continued their goal-line stand as Baltimore’s 14-play drive ended with no points. Jackson’s next drive also ended in disappointment when Jordan Poyer got his second interception of the game with four minutes remaining.
Allen once again took centre stage and led his team down the field with superb quarterback play.
By the time the Bills were on the three-yard line, they had worked the clock down to three seconds remaining when Tyler Bass kicked them to victory with a field goal.
This was a terrific contest decided by small margins with great performances across both teams. It will be remembered as the biggest comeback victory of Josh Allen’s career to date as the Bills came from 3-20 down to win 23-20.
It looked at the time to be the best quarterbacking performance of the weekend, but not to be undone, Patrick Mahommes reminded everyone what a superstar he is with a sensational performance in a packed Raymond James Stadium in the late kick off.
In doing so he gained a margin of revenge for the loss in Superbowl 55 as he tore the Bucs defence to pieces.
He started the game with touchdowns on his first three drives. On the night, he was just electric with a performance littered with jaw-dropping plays. Throughout Mahommes displayed his natural ingenuity with ball-in-hand on a level that most players could only dream of.
In my opinion, Mahommes showed a growing maturity and progression with his game management by leaning on all of his receiving core, which made the Chiefs attack unpredictable throughout. Tom Brady did well to keep the score a respectable 41-31.
It also finally put to bed for me that Kansas might struggle without the Cheetah, Tyreek Hill. If they can do this to the Bucs defence, then every other defensive coordinator on their schedule better sit up and take notice.
It’s only Week 4 and already I’m finding it hard to contain myself with the prospect of these three quarterbacks, Allen, Jackson and Mahommes, duking it out for supremacy in the AFC when knockout football returns in January.
Young Guns Part 1
Kenny Pickett and Bailey Zappe enter the fray in Week 4
One of the most interesting happenings of Week 4 was the somewhat unexpected introduction to two rookie quarterbacks during two tightly-contested fixtures.
Jets @ Steelers
Pittsburgh trailed 10-6 at home to the New York Jets, after Braxton Barrios found his QB Zach Wilson with a ‘Philly-Special.’
It led Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to make a quarterback change at half time when he benched Mitch Trubisky for his first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett much to the delight of the home crowd. After three runs and a quarterback sneak to pick up the first down the crowd began chanting ‘Kenny!!!, Kenny!!!’
Pickett’s first pass down in the NFL resulted in an interception. However, the home crowd were not going to be deterred and a few plays later safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted back to bring the play down near the goal line.
From there Pickett ran it in and the “Kenny, Kenny” chants erupted once again. He followed this up with another rushing TD in the fourth quarter as the Steelers turned the game around with a 10-20 lead.
With less than eight minutes left, Jets QB Zach Wilson, in his first appearance of the year, showed what a young talent he is as he led a comeback effort. He fired to Corey Davies to make it 17-20. After a late drive, he fed another rookie, running-back Breece Hall, for the winning score with only 16 seconds left.
The action wasn’t over. With four points between the teams, Pickett had one last chance for a Hail Mary and as his delivery sailed into the endzone, safety Lamarcus Joyner grabbed an interception to finish the contest.
Young Guns Part 2
Patriots @ Packers
What was expected to be a defensive spectacle ended up being a very entertaining contest, which took on a new dimension in the first quarter after Patriots back-up QB Brian Hoyer got a head injury.
It resulted in an early introduction for the Pats third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick from Western Kentucky, to make a highly unexpected NFL debut.
It was another rookie Christian Watson who ran in his first NFL TD when he took a pop-pass from Aaron Rodgers in motion.
The Pats played physical smash-mouth football which kept Rodgers on the sideline and by the time he retook the field in the last minute of the second quarter, he had only thrown for 38 yards. Two plays later and Rodgers threw a pick-six, his second ever of his career at Lambeau Field. It left the Packers trailing 10-7 at the break.
In the second half, the teams went blow for blow. First Rodgers fired to his tight-end Robert Tonyan for a TD and the following run-heavy drive from New England ended with Zappe finding DeVante Parker on play-action for the first passing touchdown of his career.
The sides swapped scores again in the fourth quarter when a Damien Harris score was replied to when Rodgers found rookie Romeo Doubs for the 500th TD of his career. The game finished tied and in overtime Rodgers led his team down the field for Mason Crosby to kick the winner from 31 yards with four seconds left.
As unlikely as events unfolded to give Zappe his first starts, something more unlikely happened in the New York Giants victory over Chicago. Daniel Jones had to leave the field with an injury and then his replacement Tyrod Taylor also had to exit with an ankle injury.
With no other QB on the playing roster, it left star-of-the-show Saquon Barkley to go under centre as a wildcat QB and he led the Giants down the field in the fourth quarter for the insurance field goal in a 12-20 win over the Bears.
London Calling
The Minnesota Vikings won an excellent contest in the early kickoff in London against a New Orleans team that showed grit and determination to stay in the contest throughout and then took a lead late in the fourth quarter.
Justin Jefferson was the star of the contest with 147 receiving yards on the day and when he rushed in from three yards, London got to see his ‘Griddy’ touchdown celebration to help the Vikings regain the lead in fourth quarter.
Saints kicker Will Lutz in particular had an afternoon to remember when his 60-yard kick went between the posts to tie the game with two minutes remaining. Fast forward to the last play of the game and Lutz was in a similar position with another long-range attempt to bring the contest to overtime.,
However, this time his effort hit the post and then the crossbar for a ‘double-doink’ that secured victory for the Vikes.
If there is a more improved player in the NFL than Jalen Hurts, I haven’t seen him.
Trailing 0-14 on the road away to Jacksonville, he displayed courage and leadership to lead his team to a deserved win. The Eagles offence that is just rolling at the moment.
A coach that definitely doesn’t get the respect he is due in my opinion is Nick Siriani, who deserves credit for building the offence around Hurts in a similar way to how Baltimore has built around the talent of Lamar Jackson.
Helped by a superb offensive line they run opinion plays and play action to great effect and he schemes Hurts to where he is most dangerous: outside the pocket. It will be interesting if he meets a defence that can contain him, but so far he has hurdled all the obstacles put before him.
The Eagles are the only team to go 4-0 and with running-back Miles Sanders running impressively for 156 yards and two touchdowns on the day.
Slightly more impressively, Rashaad Penny ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns in what, so far, is the highest scoring game of the season as the Seahawks beat the Detroit Lions 48-45.
Seattle led for most of the contest but the Detroit Lions would not give up the ghost.
Tight-end TJ Hockenson had eight receptions for 179 yards and two TDs in a game where both quarterbacks Geno Smith and Jared Goff balled out for their respective sides. Jamaal Williams also continued to show that he can walk-the-walk as good as he can talk-the-talk, when he ran in for a 51-yard TD, his second score of the game.
Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo proved his worth once again as his late effort was the difference in a tightly-fought 20-23 contest with the Cleveland Browns.
Kyler Murray got his second win of the campaign when he took down the Carolina Panthers 26-16. Murray came alive in the second half and was the best player on show. He was run close in that regard by teammate Zach Allen, who on the day batted three Baker Mayfield throws and recorded a sack and his performance drew comparisons with swat-machine JJ Watt.
In the NFC East, Cooper Rush continued to win as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys as they beat their divisional opponents the Washington Commanders, wearing their new black uniforms for the first time.
Derek Henry looked back near his best as the Titans had a 24-17 road win against the Colts, while Austin Ekeler was to the fore scoring three touchdowns as the LA Chargers took the honours away to the Houston Texans.
Finally, Josh McDaniels got his first win as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in an entertaining 23-32 contest at home to the Denver Broncos. Running-back Josh Jacobs was key to the victory with 175 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns.
Phew!!!
Another few hours to catch my breath until the week rounds off with an NFC West match-up as the San Francisco 49ers take on their neighboring rival LA Rams.
Roll up, Roll up!!! What a show we have for you today.
If Week 2 of the National Football League was a film genre, yesterday was a thriller.
There were cliff-hanging twists to rival the most sensational Hollywood blockbusters, with more zero to hero story-lines that would make a Disney scriptwriter blush. Stories that you would barely believe could happen played out in front of our eyes.
The drama left some fans joyous with delight, while their rival opponents didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the tragic or comic turn of events. The rest of us were left scratching our heads barely believing what we had seen. The action could perhaps be best summed up with the mind-blown emoji.
Sundays like this one are what makes the NFL such a joy to watch and proves once again that there is no other professional sport in the world that provides such thrilling finishes consistently from week to week.
So ladies and gentlemen, take your seats, sit back and we will lift the curtain on how this action-packed Sunday matinee unfolded.
Miami Dolphins v Baltimore Ravens
There was a memorable opening scene when Ravens’ Devin Duvernay caught the opening kick-off and ran it back for a touchdown for an early indicator that we were to witness an engrossing encounter.
Miami mustered an initial response when QB Tua Tagovailoa first found wide-out Jaylen Waddle for a 62-yard reception and the former Alabama pair combined again later in the drive for a TD to tie the game.
Coming off an impressive victory Week 1 against the Jets, Baltimore’s leading man and former league-MVP, Lamar Jackson took centre-stage in this contest.
He first threw to wide-out Rashod Bateman, who took off for a 75-yard run to the endzone, before finding tight-end Mark Andrews and receiver Demarcus Robinson to give the Ravens a healthy 28-7 lead at halftime.
Lamar then reminded everyone why he is one of the NFL’s brightest stars when he ran for a 79-yard touchdown in the third quarter, breaking the NFL quarterback record by rushing for more than 100 yards for the 11th time in his career. The Baltimore money-men who couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract for Jackson in the off-season must now be worrying how much it is going to cost to keep the superstar at the club.
With Miami trailing by 21 points heading into the fourth quarter, the game looked all over bar the shouting, with Tua’s many critics getting ready to clear their throats. However, the fat lady hadn’t sung when Tua completed three passes for 72 yards and a TD to River Cracraft.
This season the Dolphins have the two fastest wide receivers in the league, after Jaylen Waddle was joined in the off-season the the man known throughout the NFL as the ‘Cheetah’: Tyreek Hill. Two deep balls by Tagovailoa found Hill over the top for successive touchdowns to level the scores 35-35 with five minutes to play.
Under pressure, the Ravens responded when Justin Tucker kicked Baltimore into a three-point lead with two minutes left to play. On his last drive, Tua found Waddle in the endzone for a late 41-38 win for the Dolphins.
By turning over a 21-point deficit, it was a day-of-days for the over-maligned Dolphins quarterback who dismantled a respected Ravens’ defence to finish with six touchdowns passes. He also threw to his pair of speedster receivers, Hill and Waddle, for 190 and 171 receiving yards respectively. After the game, Tyreek Hill had some choice words for those who have been critical of his quarterback.
After such a wild comeback, surely lightning couldn’t strike twice?
New York Jets v Cleveland Browns
Deep in the fourth quarter, running-back Nick Chubb ran in for a hat-trick of rushing touchdowns to give the hometown Browns what looked like an insurmountable 30-17 lead with two minutes left to play. A minute later Joe Flacco threw what looked like a consolation touchdown when he found Corey Davies on a busted coverage to leave six points between the sides.
All the Cleveland Browns needed to do was recover the on-side kick and the game was over.
However, the Jets defied the odds by recovering the kick after Browns receiver Amari Cooper inadvertently stopped the ball from going out of play while trying to get his hands on the ball. It led to a Jets recovery. With 22 seconds left on the clock, Joe Flacco found rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson to tie the game with his second touchdown of the contest.
The resulting PAT from kicker Greg ‘The Leg’ Zuerlein sealed an incredible come-from-behind 31-30 victory for the ‘Gang Green.’
This was a particularly sweet-tasting victory for Jets’ Head Coach Robert Salah, who in the run-up to the game said he was “taking receipts on all the people who continually mock and say that we’re not going to do anything. I’m going to be more than happy to share them with all of you when all is said and done.”
Arizona Cardinals v Las Vegas Raiders
Perhaps the most thrilling turnaround of fortunes came when the Las Vegas Raiders hosted the Arizona Cardinals.
The Raiders were on top from the start and took a commanding 20-0 lead into halftime with touchdown receptions from Derek Carr to Devante Adams and Darren Waller. At the time, it looked like the Cardinals, who conceded six touchdowns to the Chiefs in Week 1, were likely to be on the end of another battering.
But led by their quarterback Kyler Murray, whose professionalism was publicly questioned in the off-season, they fought back.
Trailing 7-23 in the fourth quarter, Arizona scored their second touchdown of the half when running back Darrel Williams made it into the endzone to leave 10 points between the sides. It meant that the Cardinals had to go for a two-point conversion to have any chance of staying in the contest. Then came undoubtedly the ‘Play of the Day’ when Murray weaved his magic feet to evade a number of tackles before running into the endzone.
In total he had the ball in his hands for 21 seconds and scrambled 84.8 yards from the two-yard line to leave eight points between the sides.
On their last drive of the contest, Murray looked in trouble when on fourth down he managed to throw the ball away but a flag was thrown for holding to extend the drive. It gave Arizona a fresh set of downs.
Once again the Raiders brought it to a fourth down with only five seconds remaining on the clock. On the last play of the game, Murray ran in for the touchdown, nonchalantly celebrating before he crossed the line. It left the score at 21-23 with another two-point conversion needed in order to force overtime.
Inconceivably, with the ball at the two-yard line the Cardinals were penalised for a delay of game which brought the ball back out the the seven-yard line. However, Murray wasn’t to be denied, throwing a dart down the middle into the hands of AJ Green at the back of the end zone to tie the match.
Arizona completed the comeback win in overtime when a tackle on Hunter Renfrow by Isaiah Simmons forced a fumble and corner-back Byron Murphy Jr scooped the ball up and ran back for a 62-yard walk-off win.
When the chips were down, the Cardinals scored 22 unanswered points for the third improbable high-profile comeback of the night.
Cincinnati Bengals v Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons v LA Rams.
A further two contests went down to the wire.
In Dallas, the Cowboys raced into a 17-3 half time lead after quarterback Cooper Rush found wide-receiver Noah Brown, before running-back Tony Pollard rushed for a TD score.
Late in the fourth quarter with eight points separating the sides, Bengals QB Joe Burrow found his favourite receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the endzone after a 15-play drive that took 8 minutes and 45 seconds. It was another punishing day for the Bengals QB as he took six sacks but he converted the two-point conversion attempt to Tyler Boyd to tie the game.
With 53 seconds and the game level, the Cowboys worked the ball up the field to set themselves up for a 50-yard field goal attempt. Kicker Brett Maher held his nerve for a 17-20 win with the last kick of the game.
The Superbowl champion Rams almost let a significant lead slip but saved their blushes when five-time pro bowler Jaylen Ramsey intercepted on the last drive as the Falcons went in search of the winning score.
There was major news in San Francisco after quarterback Trey Lance went down and was carted off the field in the first quarter. It has since been reported that he sustained a broken ankle that has ruled him out for the season.
Although a major blow for the player, luckily for the 49ers they managed to hold onto Jimmy Garoppolo in the off-season and he led them to an easy victory over the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks. The most notable play of the game came when the Seahawks coughed up possession in the red zone with the most bone-headed play of the night.
Amon-Ra St Brown is quickly becoming an NFL favourite and he shone in Detroit Lion’s high-scoring affair with Washington. The Commanders struggled all day against the wide-out who racked up 174 yards yards and two touchdowns on a day when first-round rookie defensive-end Aiden Hutchinson recorded three sacks on QB Carson Wentz.
A Russell Wilson pass to tight-end Eric Saubert was the only TD of the game when the Broncos overcame the Texans at Mile High stadium.
The Tampa Bay Bucs left it late to beat the Saints for their first win in the regular season since 2018. Jameis Winston threw two second-half interceptions while Tom Brady threw a TD pass to Breshad Perriman during a comfortable 21-10 victory. Tempers began to fray during the second half when Mike Evens knocked into Marshon Lattimore and the ensuing scuffle saw both players being disqualified from the game.
The New York Giants made it two wins from two when Graham Gano kicked the winner, while the Jacksonville Jaguars smashed the Colts 24-0 to give quarterback Trevor Laurence his first win of this campaign. The New England Patriots finished 17-6 after a poor day for offences in Pittsburgh. Nelson Aghehor and Damien Harris scored touchdowns for Bill Belichick’s first win of the season.
In the late-night contest, Aaron Rodgers maintained his personal dominance over Chicago. The Bears opened the game with a TD run by Justin Fields until the Packers took over the contest when rushing and receiving touchdown by Arron Jones were followed up when Rogers found Allen Lezard to bring the score to 7-24 by half time. It set up their ninth win-in-a-row in what has long become a one-sided rivalry.
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