Two games were won through dramatic, long-range field goals.
Two went in to overtime.
The Kansas City Chiefs and LA Rams are still undefeated.
Drew Brees has surpassed Peyton Manning‘s all-time passing record, he now has 72,103 career passing yards.
Tom Brady joins the elite 500 TD pass club and broke the record for the number of different targets found.
Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots
24-38
On the day that Tom Brady became only the third player in NFL history to accumulate 500 touchdown passes, his offense dominated the Colts’ defense in the first half. The home team lead by 24-3 at the half, which included a 1 yard rushing touchdown from the man himself.
The Colts came out a stronger team in the second half, holding New England’s offense back until there was only just over nine minutes of the game left. Andrew Luck threw to Eric Ebron for 14 yards, before finding Erik Swoope for 13 yards and another touchdown.
After New England’s defense struggled again giving up 14 points, it was time for the offense to fight back. Brady broke an NFL record when he found Josh Gordon for a 34 yard pass, Gordon was the quarterback’s 71st different career touchdown target and it was his 500th touchdown pass.
Two and bit minutes later they extended their lead to 38-17 when Sony Michel ran in to the end zone for a 34 yard touchdown.
Luck and his offense didn’t go down without a fight. With 1:11 left on the clock the sixth-year quarterback found Ebron again for the last score of the game.
New England (3-2) host the strongest offense in the league when the Chiefs (5-0) visit on Sunday, if they’re to stand any chance their defense needs to step up their game, especially against the likes of Patrick Mahomes and all 6ft 6″ of Travis Kelce.
Up Next:
Colts v Jets – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Chiefs v Patriots – Sunday October 14th (8:20pm)
Tennessee Titans v Buffalo Bills
12-13
Stephen Hauschka won the Bills the game after nailing a 46 yard field goal with just three seconds left on the clock.
The Titans who are now 3-2 came out flat from the very beginning and never seemed to come to life. Taiwan Taylor lost a fumble on Tennessee’s first possession before Marcus Mariota‘s pass landed in the arms of the Bills’ Aaron Johnson before the break. Their woes continued into the second half with Dion Lewis‘ killer fumble. After Buffalo’s defense held Mariota just 129 yards at an average of 5 per throw, fans were rightfully wondering where the aggressive offense was that beat Philly in week 4.
Josh Allen impressed on the ground game, opening the scoring with a tantalizing, 14-yard scoring scramble through Tennessee’s top-ranked red-zone defense. The most impressive thing from the Bills’ offense was when LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory made a handful of big, time consuming runs down the field.
With their victory, the home side sent out a friendly reminder to the rest of the league that they won’t make it easy for anyone to defeat them on home soil.
Up Next:
Ravens v Titans – Sunday October 14th (4:25pm)
Bills v Texans – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
NY Giants v Carolina Panthers
31-33
This match up concluded in the most dramatic manner we’ve seen all season. The Giants scored what looked to be the game-winning touchdown with a little over a minute left on the clock, but, with a second left, Carolina got in to field goal range. Graham Gano stepped up and cooly won the game with a 63 yarder, tying with former New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey for the longest game-winning field goal in NFL history, and also tied for the second-longest conversion in league history.
That wasn’t Gano‘s only long-range field goal of the game, two of his kicks came from 49 yards out.
Both teams produced numerous mistakes, but it was the Panthers who stood tall when the dust settled, converting two of the Giants’ miscues into touchdowns.
With a first down at Carolina’s 25-yard line, quarterback Eli Manning threw an interception. A controversial personal foul kept the Panthers’ drive going, and then a defensive communication issue meant safety Janoris Jenkins left running back Christian McCaffrey wide open out of the backfield, and Cam Newton found him for an easy 18-yard touchdown.
Curtis Samuels scored his first touchdown for the Panthers. After receiving the ball from Newton he ran for 25 yards, tussling with the Giants defense, yet somehow staying on his feet, twisting, turning and leaping in to the end zone.
Odell Beckham Jr had a good game for the Giants, who looked his way early and often, and the approach resulted in OBJ totaling eight catches for 131 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets. He also threw a stunning 57 yard touchdown pass to Saquon Barkley on a trick play. As with every player he had some moments he’d like to forget, especially his dropped pass early in the game when the Giants had the opportunity to gain a first down. OBJ also made an error on special teams which led to a Panthers’ touchdown. Lining up as a punt returner he went to block D.J. Moore, but the ball hit the back of his foot leading to Panthers defensive back Colin Jones recovering the football in the end zone for a touchdown.
Beckham has something for odd-numbered weeks. In Weeks 1, 3 and 5 he produced 100+ receiving yards, whereas in weeks 2 and 4 he only produced 51 and 60 yards, respectivley.
Up Next:
Eagles v Giants – Thursday October 11th (8:20pm)
Panthers v Redskins – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Miami Dolphins v Cincinnati Bengals
17-27
Cincy’s Andy Dalton saw a shot in the red zone tipped and picked by Kiko Alonso in the first half. His team then suffered a blocked field goal from 37 yards out. Next it was the special teams who were caught sleeping, Dolphins wide receiver Jakeem Grant scored a 70 yard punt return that handed the Bengals a 14-0 half time deficit.
Cincy improved later on and capped an exciting eight-play, 71 yard drive in the final quarter with a Dalton 18 yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon, who played a huge role down the stretch.
The Bengals defense was a major concern coming in to the game after thrashings from the Panthers and Falcons, but Sunday marked their best showing all season. The Bengals stifled Miami’s ground game in the second half and limited Ryan Tannehill to 169 total yards at 5.3 yards per throw.
The number one question on Miami fans’ minds was ‘do the Dolphins know how to close?’ Tannehill had a great first half that included a 22 yarder to Kenyan Drake for a touchdown. The Dolphins day went downhill after the QB, under intense pressure, could only watch as an errant pass left his hands and fell into the arms of Michael Johnson, who then ran for a 22 yard game-tying interception return touchdown. The ordeal was not over, disaster struck again when Carlos Dunlap‘s strip-sack of Tannehill with just over two minutes left in the game led to a 19 yard score for Cincy’s Sam Hubbard.
Up Next:
Bears v Dolphins – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Steelers v Bengals – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns
9-12 (0T)
Both teams’ defensive units were excellent, producing a game traditionalist likely loved. Until the final two minutes of the game, Cleveland led 9-6. Neither team broke 400 yards of total offense until overtime. Baltimore didn’t convert a third-down attempt until its seventh of the game.
Denzel Ward played a huge part in the Browns’ defensive success, recording another interception and blocking a Justin Tucker field goal attempt that proved to be valuable. He also blanketed receivers.
The Ravens D-line did an excellent job at making Baker Mayfield uncomfortable, especially after he ripped through them on a two-minute drill that produced a 19-yard touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins just before halftime. They learnt from that mistake and squeezed the outsides of the pockets down on Mayfield, limiting his ability to scramble in the second half.
Baltimore’s Michael Crabtree finished with six catches for 66 yards, but will want to forget this game, struggling with drops, including one in the end zone that would have resulted in a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth.
Ravens’ quarterback, Joe Flacco completed just over 50% of his attempts for 298 yards and an interception. Neither team was good on third down, but Baltimore, who threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns in their win over the Steelers in Week 4, just didn’t produce.
The Browns just can’t seem to shake overtime, four of their five games this season have gone to the extra period, with Cleveland 1-2-1. Cleveland’s defense stood firm forcing a punt with only 25 yards or so of space. The offense then entered field goal range for Greg Joseph, who barley converted the kick for the game winner. Maybe Sunday’s win is just what they need to rise out of the shadows of last season’s 0-16 slum.
Up Next:
Ravens v Titans – Sunday October 14th (4:25pm)
Chargers v Browns – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Green Bay Packers v Detroit Lions
23-31
The Packers left it a little too late for their comeback attempt after a lackluster first half performance led to a 24-0 deficit going in at the break.
In the first two quarters alone, Mason Crosby missed a trio of field goals, Aaron Rodgers lost a pair of fumbles, Marquez Valdes-Scandling made some rookie mistakes whilst filling in at wide receiver, a holding penalty canceled Ty Montgomery‘s long kickoff return and a punt, which was ruled to have bounced off Kevin King‘s back deep in Packers territory, gifted Lions’ LeGarette Blount an easy touchdown.
The Lions enjoyed a decisive edge in the receiving corps and on the secondary. Green Bay’s defensive rookies had trouble separating from Detroit’s sticky coverage. The Packers defensive backs had their hands full with Kenny Golladay, who finished with 98 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. The promising second-year receiver also had a stunning 45 yard touchdown catch nullified by Frank Ragnow‘s illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty. Playing on a team with veterans as established as Marvin Jones and Golden Tate, Golladay is emerging as a top threat.
Up Next:
49ers v Packers – Monday October 15th (8:15pm)
Detroit lions – bye week
Jacksonville Jaguars v Kansas City Chiefs
14-30
Jags safety Tashau Gipson became the first player to pick off Patrick Mahomes this season, but, just when things were looking good for the Jags, quarterback Blake Bortles experienced a nightmare, he lost a fumble, had a pick-six on a screen pass and another interception bounced off the back of his own players’ helmet and into Chiefs’ Steven Nelson‘s hands in the end zone. The nightmare continued, under pressure from Dee Ford, the QB rolled a third interception at the goal line and then added yet another in the end zone in the final minutes. The five turnovers contributed to Bortles NFL-high of 71 interceptions and 13 pick-sixes since he entered in the league in 2014.
On defense Jags’ Myles Jack was unable to contain Travis Kelce or Patrick Mahomes‘ arm talent. Kelce had five catches for 100 yards by the start of the fourth quarter. The Chiefs are so creative and deploy so many different weapons this season that defenses struggle on working out on who and where to focus.
Although it may look like it, Kansas City’s overly generous defense was far from a shutdown unit, surrendering a career-high 430 passing yards to Bortles. It also didn’t help that their three most important defensive players failed to finish the game. Chris Jones was ejected for throwing a cheap shot, Ford was given the boot for a pair of personal fouls and Justin Houston was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Prior to his exit, Ford tallied three QB hits, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
Up Next:
Jaguars v Cowboys – Sunday October 14th (4:25pm)
Chiefs v Patriots – Sunday October 14th (8:20pm)
Denver Broncos v NY Jets
16-34
The Jets rookie quarterback, Sam Darnold desperately need a good performance to stop anxious fans questioning whether the third overall pick was their saving grace. He showed flashes of top-tier talent even if it was against a lackluster Broncos’ secondary. Darnold threw a stunning 35 yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson. That play handed the Jets a 21-10 lead going in to half time. That wasn’t even his best throw of the game, he found Anderson for a 76 yard TD earlier in the game. The 21 year old sealed victory with a 20 yard TD pass to Terrelle Pryor. Although he threw an interception his production is enough to be a confidence booster for a Jets team that are now 2-3 and get them back on track after a three-game losing streak.
New York’s running back Isaiah Crowel had a career day, rushing for a franchise record 219 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, contributing massivley in getting the Jets’ team record 323 yards on the ground. A large chunk of yardage came on a 77-yard touchdown run, the biggest for the Jets since 1996.
Denver struggled heavily on both sides of the ball. Their offense was mediocre, Case Keenum couldn’t generate any consistency in passing and rookie running backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman were virtually dormant. Aside from a TD in the final minutes, the QBs only other touchdown came in the first quarter after Adam Gotsis recovered a fumble in the red zone to set up an 8-yard pass to Courtland Sutton. Keenum completed 35 of 51 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns, but struggled to piece together drives.
The Broncos surrendered more than 500 yards to a Jets offense that ranked 29th in the NFL coming into the game.
Up Next:
Rams v Broncos – Sunday October 14th (4:05pm)
Colts v Jets – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Atlanta Falcons v Pittsburgh Steelers
17-41
Running back James Conner was the light for a struggling Ben Roethlisberger, touching the ball on seven of the first eight snaps of the game. In their first opening possession touchdown of the season he had six carries for 43 yards, a catch for 29 yards and the score. He powered through arm-tackle attempts and generated three 25+ yard plays in the first half. Connor proved on Sunday that until Big Ben and Antonio Brown (who caught just two of eight targets for 15 yards in the first half) find their feet again he’ll be their engine. Brown did however find his late on as he exploded to finish with six catches for 101 yards and two TDs.
Matt Ryan seemed to miss the comforts of home. The Falcons QB was off-target all day, unable to take advantage of a struggling Steelers secondary. Pittsburgh’s defense did swarm him with an array of blitzes and pressures though, sacking the quarterback six times (including four in the first half). The pressure forced quick decisions from Ryan, and the quarterback seemed discombobulated. The ever reliable Julio Jones didn’t record his first catch until there was only 13:36 left in the game when the Falcons trailed by 17 points, due to Ryan‘s overthrows.
The key play of the game was a blocked Roosevelt Nix punt late in the third quarter. The play lead to an easy touchdown run by Conner. It’s the type of game-changing play we haven’t seen from Pittsburgh’s special teams or defense of late.
Up Next:
Buccaneers v Falcons – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Steelers v Bengals – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Oakland Raiders v LA Chargers
10-26
Derek Carr and his Oakland Raiders add another loss to their dismal record this season, now 1-4. The quarterback completed 24 of 33 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown. Whilst a 72.7% completion is solid he produce more mistakes, throwing a costly third quarter inceptions in the end zone when they were threatening to score at the Chargers’ 1 yard line. He now has eight interceptions this season against just seven touchdowns and has tossed a pick in three consecutive games. Oakland’s Week 7 bye can not come soon enough.
Chargers’ QB Philip Rivers had a highly efficient Sunday, completing 22 of 27 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns for a 143.4 passer rating. He connected with seven different receivers including Keenan Allen who had eight catches for 90 yards on nine targets. Melvin Gordon garnered 120 total yards from scrimmage (66 through the air on four catches), while Austin Ekeler made the most of his one reception by turning it into a 44-yard touchdown, it’s the second consecutive week Ekeler has found the end zone as a receiver. Led by Rivers the offense seized control early had went in at the break with a 17-3 lead.
Up Next:
Seahawks v Raiders – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Chargers v Browns – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Minnesota Vikings v Philadelphia Eagles
23-21
Kirk Cousins and his ruthless front seven had a brilliant afternoon helping the Vikings avoid falling behind in a very competitive NFC North. The quarterback completed 81% of his passes for 301 yards and a score. He did this without the reliable Dalvin Cook and with the sluggish running of Latavius Murray and Roc Thomas. The QB made history by becoming the first player ever in the NFL to record 30+ completions in four consecutive games. Adam Thielen broke the century mark in receiving yards (116) yet again, for the fifth consecutive game.
Minnesota’s defensive front was quick on the pass rush and sacked Carson Wentz three times and forced him into uncomfortable moments in the pocket and throws early on. The turning point of the game came in the second quarter when Stephen Weatherly sprinted past Lane Johnson to strip sack Wentz and Linvel Joseph took the fumble 63 yards for a touchdown that gave Minnesota a lead it would not relinquish.
Wentz and the Eagles’ offense failed to overcome an uninspiring start until it was too late. They held the ball for less than 11 minutes in the first half and didn’t record a single third-down conversion. Without Corey Clement and Darren Sproles, Philly struggled to develop a ground game. Jay Ajayi was the go-to threat out of the half, but fumbled on the goal line to wreck Philly’s best scoring opportunity. They adjusted well but squandered too many chances in the red zone and committed too many unforced errors to complete the comeback.
They’re now 2-3.
Up Next:
Cardinals v Vikings – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Eagles v Giants – Thursday October 11th (8:20pm)
Arizona Cardinals v San Fransisco 49ers
28-18
The Cardinals may have their first win of the year but for the majority of the afternoon they were not the best team. With just over 11 minutes left in the fourth, with a lead of 14-6 they only had eight first downs, compared to the Niners’ 23. Arizona just had the best responses. They gave up a touchdown pass on fourth down and after the offense went three-and-out the defense stepped up. Haasin Reddick stripped C.J. Beathard and Josh Bynes returned the loose ball for a score. Bene Benwikere followed up by intercepting Beathard on the ensuing possession.
Whilst their defense cleared the way for the win, the offense weren’t much help to QB Josh Rosen, according to Next Gen Stats, he was pressured on 34.6% of his 25 dropbacks in Sunday’s win. On the season, he’s been pressured on 43.5% of dropbacks, the highest in the league, his offense really need to improve. Additionally, his receivers didn’t do him any favors, dropping multiple balls, including some in open space. Rosen‘s highlight of the day was a 75 yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk.
Whilst San Fransisco largely outplayed Arizona, possessing the ball for 40:11 of a possible 60 minutes, doubling the Cardinals’ total yardage (447 to 220) and more than tripling Arizona’s first down total (33 to 10), their loss was a result of mistakes, turning the ball over five times.
It’s hard to say with certainty if things would have been different if Jimmy G was healthy, but the Niners definitely missed his qualities and ability.
Up Next:
Cardinals v Vikings – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
49ers v Packers – Monday October 15th (8:15pm)
LA Rams v Seattle Seahawks
33-31
The Rams almost saw their first defeat of this season but a 4th quarter field goal helped them secure a two point victory.
It was a back-and-forth offensive affair. Seattle put up points on five of its first seven drives. The Rams scored on six of nine, including three consecutively to open the second half. We watched five lead changes, 834 total yards, and 49 first downs.
The Rams were facing fourth-and-1 on their own 42-yard line with 1:39 remaining, Sean McVay opted for the win, sending Jared Goff back onto the field. The conversion allowed the Rams to slink away with the victory, not allowing Russell Wilson a chance for another miraculous comeback. It was a gutsy decision by McCoy that not all coaches would have made, that aggressive style is why the Rams remain undefeated.
Goff lost two of his top targets for the second half, Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp, to concussions. That didn’t slow him down though, he found target after target running open through the Seattle secondary, and put the ball in perfect spots. Goff completed 23 of 32 passes for 321 yards, a TD and two interceptions (one on a tipped ball and another on a hail Mary). Robert Woods stepped up darting through open space, Josh Reynolds contributed with back-to-back-to-back first down plays to open the second half and KhaDarel Hodge played an important part too.
Seattle took advantage of the Rams weak defense, driving forward with running backs Chris Carson and Mike Davis repeatedly picking up big gains between the tackles. Carson led the way with 116 yards on 19 attempts, pushing through arm-tackles. Davis got 68 yards on 12 carries in the first half. The success of the ground game opened the play action for Wilson. Two long touchdown throws came off play action shots, in which Seattle burned corner Marcus Peters. With the emergence of David Moore as a legitimate target, the Seahawks’ offense should continue to improve.
Up Next:
Rams v Broncos – Sunday October 14th (4:05pm)
Seahawks v Raiders – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Dallas Cowboys v Houston Texans
16-19 (OT)
In the battle of Texas we saw our second overtime of the day.
It was not just a Texas Tussle, it was also a clash of the quarterbacks, all eyes were on Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Houston’s Deshaun Watson. Both teams have a young QB, both of which are two of the game’s most promising. Sadly for the Cowboys it was Watson who came out on top, making a vital throw that Prescott couldn’t to a dependable receiver that the Cowboys just don’t have.
Watson impressed even more when it was revealed he was battling a rib issue, it required multiple trips to the medical tent and he still managed to complete 75% of his passes and get his fourth consecutive 300 yard passing game.
Dallas’ front line is developing in to a top unit. Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and some of the other younger players have been taking advantage of veteran Sean Lee‘s absence. Smith was a sideline-to-sideline monster against Houston, he recorded 11 tackles, three TFLs and two hits on Watson, he also thwarted a Watson goal-line rush.
Vander Esch provided 10 tackles.
Sophomore defensive tackle Daniel Ross accumulated a game-high five QB hits on Watson in just 16 snaps.
Dallas’ defensive front will get a huge boost when Maliek Collins is healthy again and David Irving returns from suspension next week, so much so that they could keep their team in the playoff conversation into November.
Things could have been a lot worse for Dallas in regular time with Houston making it inside the 5 on five occasions, thankfully for the Cowboys though they came away with just 16 points – a TD, three field goals and a turnover on downs. The Texans unraveled on the goal line due to a mix of poor play-calling from Bill O’Brien and risking decision-making from Watson.
In overtime Dallas received first. They picked up two first downs, but when faced with a fourth-and-one from Houston’s 42, Jason Garrett opted to punt instead of attempt a short conversion, fans did not like this decision, with many seeing it as a lack of trust in his offense. Owner, Jerry Jones stands by Garrett’s decision.
After the Cowboys punted, Watson completed on a 49-yard catch-and-run by DeAndre Hopkins (who finished the game with 151 yards) that got them into field-goal range. Ka’imi Fairbairn won the game with his fourth field goal of the night.
Up Next:
Jaguars v Cowboys – Sunday October 14th (4:25pm)
Bills v Texans – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Washington Redskins v New Orleans Saints
19-43
There’s a new all-time passing record holder. Saints quarterback Drew Brees has surpassed Peyton Manning‘s record of 71,940 yards. Going in to the game he only needed 201 yards to overtake Manning, he set the mark on a 62 yard touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome went into hysterics. The game was then stopped for about five minutes, as Brees celebrated with his family and delivered the touchdown ball to Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker, clad in white gloves. The veteran QB closed the night with 72,103 career passing yards and is now just one touchdown pass away from 500, when he gets that he will join the elite club that Tom Brady joined this week, and will become only the fourth player to do so.
The Saints were elated to see the return of Mark Ingram from suspension, upon his return he touched the ball on 60% of the Saints’ plays in the first quarter. The threat of Ingram (73 total yards, 2 TDs) and Alvin Kamara opened up opportunities for the Saints offense who were missing Ted Ginn and who have been scrutinized for their supposed lack of depth. Smith (111 yards, 2 TDs) and Cameron Meredith (71 yards) proved otherwise, complementing the dominant Michael Thomas (74 yards). The Saints were so unstoppable offensively that they didn’t attempt a single punt in their nine drives, just the fourth time that has happened in the Brees era.
The Redskins were out of their depth. Their defense entered Monday as league leaders in total defense (278) and passing defense (187.3), but Brees and his offense eclipsed those totals in the first half, intertwining and discombobulating Washington’s secondary with everything they did. The Redskins’ defense helped extend early Saints drives with avoidable third-down penalties.
Quarterback Alex Smith was indecisive on throws all evening and the ones he eventually unfurled often landed off target. Adrian Peterson followed his first 100-yard game of the season with an absolute clunker. Nothing went well for Washington, who were practically shown the door by halftime.
Taysom Hill impressed, playing at least 13 offensive snaps for the second consecutive week and nearly outshone Kamara in rushing with 23 yards of his own. He scored the first touchdown of his career, on a third quarter direct-snap sweep. Hill has enthralling versatility as a passing, rushing and returning threat.
The Saints survived another rocky start to the season. They now have a bye week in which they can celebrate Brees‘ immaculate on-going career and train to be even more outstanding and keep that new found form in check. When they return, they have a busy schedule, playing the Ravens, Vikings, Rams and Bengals, who have a combined record of 14-5-1, over four weeks, with three of those games coming on the road.
Up Next:
Panthers v Redskins – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Saints – Bye Week
Bye Week for Chicago Bears & Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Up Next:
Bears v Dolphins – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
Buccaneers v Falcons – Sunday October 14th (1pm)
ALL TIMES EASTERN U.S.
Artistry of Sport 
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