Recap – Week 6

Philadelphia Eagles v NY Giants

34-13

After losing two games in a row, Philadelphia could have easily struggled against Giants who love to put on a strong performance at home, but Carson Wentz wouldn’t allow it, putting his team on the path to a comfortable victory. He finished the game with 26 of 36 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles converted on 14 of 15 third downs, helped along by Wentz extending plays by holding on to the ball before releasing huge throws. Whilst there are some drawbacks from Wentz’s aggressive style of play, against the Giants, the good outweighed the bad, he made it impossible for the Giants secondary to defend him for the majority of the game.

Heading in to Thursday’s game, Philly had the second lowest percentage of passing yards to wide receivers, with just 40.15%. That number increased dramatically after the game. Alshon Jeffery caught eight of his team-high 12 targets for 74 yards and two touchdowns, he may have only averaged 9.3 yards per reception but he was effective in key areas, moving the chains and scoring some much needed points. Nelso Agholor bounced back from a rough couple of weeks with three receptions for 91 yards. Wentz finally had help from wideouts and his reliable tight end Zach Ertz added to the offensive positivity, the 27 year old had 480 yards on 48 receptions, two touchdowns and got 24 first downs.

Eli Manning was under pressure all night from the Eagles defense who sacked him four times and hit him another 13, he finished the night on 24 of 43 for 281 yards. It wasn’t all bad for the Giants offense, Saquon Barkley scored on a 50 yard run and rushed for 130 yards. Aldrick Rosas had field goals of 33 and 21 yards. Other than those few moments of life it was another dismal display by New York, prompting boos to ring around the MetLife Stadium.

This was seen as a must-win game for both teams in the weak and wide-open NFC East, and the Eagles grabbed it with both hands and never let go.

Up Next:

Panthers v Eagles – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Giants v Falcons – Monday October 22nd (8:15pm)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Atlanta Falcons

29-34

Dirk Koetter opted to start Jameis Winston instead of Ryan Fitzpatrick. He did his best to lead a comeback, completing 30 of 41 passes to nine different targets for 395 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions. He received help in the running game from Peyton Baber, who gained 82 yards on 13 carriers, he also scored on a 5 yard catch. It was his turnovers that proved costly. One came in the first half on a deep pass intended for DeSean Jackson, while the other occurred in the third quarter on a pass to Chris Godwin in the end zone.

The Falcons’ offense showed determination in the second half without wide receivers Calvin Ridley (ankle) and Mohamed Sanu (hip), coming through when it mattered the most in the fourth quarter. With a slim 24-22 lead early in the final period, Atlanta put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive which was crowned by quarterback Matt Ryan‘s pass  to Tevin Coleman for the TD. The Buccs had plenty of momentum, having scored a touchdown to pull within two points, but the Falcons’ drive took 6:28 off the clock to push the lead to 31-22 to hold on for the win. The QB had an exceptional game, completing 31 of 41 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns. After Ridley and Sano left with their injuries, the ever faithful Julio Jones stepped up, totaling 10 catches for 143 yards, marking his 42nd career 100+ yard receiving game.

Up Next:

Buccaneers v Browns – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Giants v Falcons – Monday October 22nd (8:15pm)

Pittsburgh Steelers v Cincinnati Bengals

28-21

Whilst James Conner and the tight ends carried the black and gold’s offense for 59 minutes, it was wideouts Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster who turned the AFC North on its head with a thrilling touchdown drive to derail Cincinnati’s own comeback bid on Sunday. After Andy Dalton led his second two-minute touchdown drive of the afternoon to stake the Bengals to a 21-20 lead, Smith-Schuster made the play with catches of 8, 10 and 23 yards to move into a grappling Chris Boswell‘s field-goal range. Rather than settling for the kick, Brown got free with an assist from Justin Hunter‘s rub route and scuttled 31 yards for the game-winning score with 15 seconds remaining.

It’s worth noting that the Bengals were extremely fortunate to be in a position to win. The Steelers dominated time of possession and total offense by 10 minutes and 206 yards. If not for red-zone mishaps that included a Joe Haden interception drop, Artie Burns getting lost in coverage and James Conner being unfortunately ruled down inches shy of the goal line, the Steelers would have easily ran away with it.

Up Next:

Pittsburgh – Bye Week

Bengals v Chiefs – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

LA Chargers v Cleveland Browns

38-14

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers impressed once again, proving he still has it. The 36 year old twice exploited small openings in Cleveland’s secondary to complete major passes to Tyrell Williams, moving Los Angeles down the field quickly for an important early touchdown. He kept it going throughout the game as the Chargers built a nice lead and started to run away with the game. Rivers seems to be aging like fine wine and leading a Chargers offense that is more talented than they get credit for.
The continued success of Melvin Gordon, who had his best game of the year, is the ongoing positive story of the Chargers offense. Gordon racked up 132 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 attempts, slashing Cleveland’s defense and rarely going down on first contact. Gordon’s performance opened up chances for Los Angeles’ talented offensive corps, and they did not waste them. The result will give them a boost going into their overseas matchup against the Titans.

For yet another week, Cleveland’s defense played well enough to win but the offense did less than usual and didn’t take advantage of multiple early three-and-outs that produced excellent field position. The Chargers’ defense pressured rookie Baker Mayfield relentlessly and played tight coverage against Cleveland’s depleted offense. Even without Joey Bosa, LA squeezed the pocket and limited Mayfield‘s ability to extend plays with his feet and his shuffle. It didn’t help that Mayfield appeared to injure his leg after slipping on the first down marker mat. After that he appeared much less mobile and decisive in his pass attempts, significantly limiting the Browns’ potential on offense.
The Brown’s offensive woes got worse when they lost Rod Streater and were forced to play with just three active receivers. When a team is as young as that of the Browns, displays like this will pop up from time to time. They showed plenty of promise but suffered setbacks typical of a new and improved team trying to learn how to win consistently.

Up Next:

Titans v Chargers – Sunday October 21st (9:30am)

Browns v Buccaneers – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Buffalo Bills v Houston Texans

13-20

Sunday was not a battle of the quarterbacks, but of bad offensive lines. Deshaun Watson and Josh Allen were pressured relentlessly, and the results weren’t pretty: Watson threw two interceptions and fumbled three times (losing one), and Allen suffered an elbow injury that knocked him out for the rest of the game. On one possession that ended in Buffalo’s first points of the afternoon (courtesy of kicker Stephen Hauschka), Allen had to scramble them into field goal range. None of the runs were designed. All of the dismal protection led to a ghastly day for offenses, minus the occasional Watson or Allen improvisation that led to short completions. Not forgetting that magnificent touchdown grab by DeAndre Hopkins.

Buffalo’s day didn’t get off to a great start, even before the game. Kelvin Benjamin, who finished with two catches for 43 yards on six receptions, reportedly told rookie Allen during warmups that he didn’t want to work on routes with him. Maybe the tension between the two, or that lack of practice pre-game, played a major part in the loss.

On the positive side for the Bills, Zay Jones‘ touchdown catch was a nice example of a receiver winning a matchup with a well-run route. Allen continued on his slow climb toward looking more comfortable as a starting NFL quarterback. Buffalo’s defense was good, getting multiple key stops and holding Houston to a field goal when it had the ball at first-and-goal on the Buffalo 1.
The difference on the day came down to special teams. The Texans shone, taking advantage of a punt muffed by rookie Ray-Ray McCloud, recovering it and setting the themselves up for their first touchdown of the day. They were far from finished, the punt return team managed to block a Corey Bojorquez punt, which deflected toward the sideline before it was recovered by Houston. That ended up producing a field goal and a 10-0 halftime lead. It was the first time in franchise history that the Texans strung together those two accomplishments in a game. It also gave them the cushion they needed once Buffalo’s offense gained a heartbeat, and helped them to their third straight victory after starting 0-3.

Up Next:

Bills v Colts – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Texans v Jaguars – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Chicago Bears v Miami Dolphins 

28-31 (OT)

We have now had at least one game go into overtime every week so far. This time it was Jason Sanders who nailed a 47 yard field goal in overtime to settle the score, giving the Miami Dolphins a magical victory in a game fans probably felt they’d lost multiple times.

Miami gave up three straight touchdowns to open the second half, putting them down by double-digits in the blink of an eye. After battling back to tie the game, the Dolphins drove to the 1 yard line on the opening possession of OT. Running back Kenyan Drake then lost the ball diving into the end zone for a turnover. Chicago, however, missed the subsequent 53 yard field goal, setting up the Dolphins last-second win.

Miami got outplayed for long stretches, but fought back, forcing a goal-line fumble and a red zone interception. It wasn’t pretty, but they had to play with their backup quarterback, Brock Osweiler, with Ryan Tannehill unable to start due to a shoulder injury. Osweiler is now 3-0 versus the Bears in his career, finishing the game with 380 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Coach Gase will cherish a home win to move to 4-2 in the AFC East.

Whilst he helped his side get into overtime and eventually win, Osweiler saw only eight of his 44 pass attempts go for more than 10 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats. He cleverly avoided sacks, getting the ball out quickly, specifically targeting tight end Nick O’Leary and wider receiver Danny Amendola. The Dolphins took advantage of a tired Bears defense that tackled poorly. The star of the comeback was Albert Wilson, the receiver took two short tosses to the house. According to Next Gen Stats, Wilson’s two touchdowns had an expected yards after catch of nine and one, he took them for 43 and 75, respectively.

Matt Nagy’s decision to play for a 53-yard field goal instead of trying to get closer in OT will be a talking point this week. When coaches play for long field goals it too often comes back to haunt the team, as it did Chicago on Sunday.

Up Next:

Patriots v Bears – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Lions v Dolphins – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Arizona Cardinals v Minnesota Vikings

17-27

Arizona’s rookie quarterback, Josh Rosen, showed chemistry with Christian Kirk, connecting with the first-year receiver for 35 yards to set up an Arizona field goal. Rosen later unfurled a 40 yarder to tight end Ricky Seals-Jones to the Vikings 10, but that drive ended with David Johnson getting stonewalled on fourth-and-goal at Minnesota’s 1-yard line. Rosen struggled for much of the second half, taking a sack at his own 2-yard line, one of four on the day. There was a glimpse of hope for the young quarterback though, he put together one of his better drives of the season with a seven-play, 69-yard touchdown march midway through the fourth. Despite the loss Rosen, who threw for 240 yards at 7.7 per pass still has a bright future.

Minnesota finally pounded a team on the ground, with Latavius Murray punishing the Cardinals for runs of 34 and 26 yards to go with his 21 yard touchdown, the team’s first rushing touchdown of the year. Kirk Cousins was fire in the second half, throwing for 233 total yards, spreading the ball to six different targets and getting another big day from Adam Thielen, who notched his sixth straight 100+ yard performance and added a 13 yard score. Cousins returned one drive later to pile on the pressure with a seven yard scoring dash. It wasn’t all plain sailing for Cousins though, he tossed a first half pick and saw six of his passes batted down by the Arizona defense

Up Next:

Broncos v Cardinals – Thursday October 18th (8:20pm)

Jets v Vikings – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Indianapolis Colts v NY Jets

34-42

Sam Darnold played the best game of his rookie season so far, completing 80% of his passes at over 9.0 yards per attempt against an undermanned, overmatched Colts secondary who couldn’t keep up with Terrelle Pryor, Jermaine Kearse and rookie tight end Chris Herndon. Darnold showed impressive touch and decision-making, keeping Andrew Luck’s comeback bid at bay with four field-goal drives in the final 20 minutes of the game. The Jets have broken the 30-point mark in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2011 season.

Unfortunately for the Colts the only luck their QB brings, other than his name, is the bad kind. He’s getting killed by the ever mounting number of drops that has overtaken his injury-ravaged running backs and wide receivers. Marlon Mack was back in the starting lineup after a three-game absence, but it wasn’t the return he wanted, dropping a screen pass into the hands of Morris Claiborne for an easy pick-six on the game’s opening possession. Their luck got worse and worse throughout, already without their number one receiver T.Y. Hilton, Luck lost their second in command, Ryan Grant and backup wideout Marcus Johnson to lower-leg injuries in the second half. The QB’s arm strength, ball placement and pocket movement seem to be improving by the week, which leads to the question of whether it’s the ‘talent’ around him that’s leading to his bad luck, if Sunday’s game is anything to go by, that’s exactly what is happening.

Up Next:

Bills v Colts – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Jets v Vikings – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Seattle Seahawks v Oakland Raiders

27-3

Much to the London fans disappointment, our first NFL in London game of the season was a much one-sided affair, with very little drama. It seems to be the way every year.

The Seattle fans had plenty to beam over, as the Seahawks set the tone early at Wembley, unleashing a string of powerful runs and class lobs from Russell Wilson to produce a 14-play, 82-yard scoring drive that ate over seven minutes off the clock. In that dominant stride down field, rookie Rashaad Penny hauled in a 24-yard catch-and-run and finished with 70 yards off 11 touches. Second-year David Moore also contributed with a 28 yard catch from Wilson and logged a 19 yard touchdown. Wilson threw a bad pick in the second half, but for the most part had his way with 222 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a day to forget for the Raiders. Derek Carr took an atrocious six sacks and appeared to hurt his non-throwing arm in the final quarter of this waking nightmare. There’s just no flow to this Oakland attack, which finished the game at 3.3 yards per play with just 79 yards rushing. The Raiders weren’t helped by the early loss of Amari Cooper with a concussion. Carr managed just 142 yards passing with no wideouts accounting for more than 31 yards. Martavis Bryant and Jordy Nelson were essentially invisible.

The Seahawks defense saw their fair share of personnel losses too.  The difference however, is that they didn’t let the loss of Earl Thomas affect their play. Frank Clark dominated, piling up 2.5 sacks and generating a game-changing fumble that set up a Seattle field goal for the 20-0 lead. Oakland’s tackles have been compared to open barn doors. The Raiders must find a way to better protect Carr, if they’re wanting to turn their morose start to the season around.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Raiders, now they have extra time to work on their offensive coverage and their defensive plays, fans are hoping to see a resurgent display from their team emerge on the other side.

Up Next:

Both teams on bye week 

Carolina Panthers v Redskins

17-23

The Panthers faced a 17-0 deficit at one point, but they made a comeback, the biggest in franchise history. Their revival came late in an inconsistent second quarter, after Cam Newton had thrown an interception to Josh Norman, who also forced a fumble against his former team. Carolina got the critical touchdown when Devin Funchess made an amazing leaping catch in the end zone to get the wheels of the comeback rolling. Finding themselves down 20-9, Newton pieced together his best drive of the game in the fourth quarter on a nine-play, 75 yard drive that featured another jaw-dropping catch by Funchess before Torrey Smith scored on a 3 yard pass. Carolina looked poised to continue its march to history on the final drive before it fizzed out at midfield in the final minute. Newton connected on 27 of 46 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns whilst Funchess had five catches for 74 yards.

Alex Smith and Vernon Davis paired amazingly in the first half. Smith connected on three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown with his old Bay Area cohort to set the tone early. Their strong offensive play in the first half, along with some costly Carolina mistakes saw them jump to a 17-0 lead. Smith methodically made his way through the Panthers’ defense with long, time-consuming drives. While his 22 yard TD pass to Davis came one play after Panthers rookie DJ Moore lost the ball on a fumbled punt return. The Redskins QB finished the game completing 21 of 36 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He hardly accomplished anything in the second half with Carolina’s front seven finally turning on the pressure, but his steady performance in the opening half was enough for the Redskins to hold on to the win.

Up Next:

Panthers v Eagles – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Cowboys v Redskins – Sunday October 21st (4:25pm)

LA Rams v Denver Broncos 

23-20

The Rams are now the only team still undefeated this season. The Broncos came close to ending that run on Sunday, but just couldn’t get the extra mile.

Todd Gurley rushed for a career-high of 208 yards against the Broncos. The running back scored two touchdowns and picked up 10 first downs on the ground all by himself. He now has five TDs in two weeks and 11 in total, the most through six games since Shaun Alexander in 2005 (12). The Rams needed that display with Cooper Kupp (knee) sidelined and Brandin Cooks having to come off with a concussion. Robert Woods impressed on offense, getting 100+ yards for the third time in four weeks.

Rookie defensive end Bradley Chubb had his breakout game, recording three of Denver’s five sacks of Jared Goff. Lined up against Andrew Whitworth, Chubb took advantage of strong coverage from the Broncos’ secondary. His edge rushing partner Von Miller also tallied 1.5 sacks, boosting his season total to 5.5. Denver’s pass rush is picking up.

Sunday’s loss, though a very close result, doesn’t help the case of Vance Joseph, who is reportedly in a “crucial stretch” to save his job. If Denver’s losing streak extends to five against a bottom-tier Cardinals next week, then Joseph and Co. could be gone by next month.

Up Next:

Rams v 49ers – Sunday October 21st (8:20pm)

Broncos v Cardinals – Thursday October 18th (8:20pm)

Jacksonville Jaguars v Dallas Cowboys

7-40

This matchup was practically over after the first half, as the Cowboys dominated the Jaguars to a 24-0 halftime lead. Through the first two quarters, the Cowboys produced 17 first downs compared to the Jaguars’ three. The Cowboys also totaled 251 yards of offense, while the Jaguars managed just 64 total yards.

The Cowboys entered Week 6 ranked 30th in the league in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game, but scored a season-high 40 points. The Jaguars who are ranked first in total defense (292.2 yards per game), allowed the Cowboys to amass 378 yards. Dallas also ran a season-high 72 offensive plays, converted 7 of 17 third down attempts, produced 23 first downs and ordered time of possession, holding the ball for 38:55 to Jacksonville’s 21:05.

The Cowboys allowed quarterback Dak Prescott to work his magic through the air and on the ground, reminiscent of 2016. Prescott connected with 10 different players en route to completing 17 of 27 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. What really hurt the Jaguars was Prescott and his legs, rushing for a touchdown and setting career-highs in yards (82) and carries (11) in a single game. When he dropped back to pass, Cole Beasley seemed to be his favorite target, especially when it came to third down. Beasley hauled nine catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets. His 100 yard receiving effort marked the first time this season a Cowboys’ receiver has hit the century mark.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott rounded out the Cowboys’ offensive dominance by rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. With his 15 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, he reached 25 career rushing touchdowns in fewer games (31) than any player in Cowboys history, passing the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, who needed 34 games to set the previous mark.

The Jaguars (3-3) are on a two-game decline with issues on offense and defense. The Jaguars once-feared defense has broken down, allowing 70 total points in the past two games. Week 5’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs was initially considered a fluke, but after their second non-show, it no longer looks that way. Sunday’s defensive show raised major alarms.

Meanwhile, the Jags offense truly missed running back Leonard Fournette, who missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury. The Jags thrive when they are able to establish a running game, but the inability to sustain drives has put the defense on the field too much. Quarterback Blake Bortles struggled against a swarming Dallas defense. Bortles finished the game completing 15 of 26 passes for 149 yards, a touchdown and an interception, getting sacked three times and hit seven.

Up Next:

Texans v Jaguars – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Cowboys v Redskins – Sunday October 21st (4:25pm)

Kansas City Chiefs v New England Patriots

40-43

No game in the entire history of the National Football League has ever finished with a scoreline of 43-40.

Sunday Night Football’s game saw the older generation quarterback vs the new generation quarterback. Tom Brady just about had the edge over Patrick Mahomes, recording his 200th career win. That isn’t to take anything away from Mahomes, his side were down 15pts at halftime, they made a comeback to take a 33-30 lead early in the fourth quarter, threatening to break the Patriots’ 88-game winning streak when leading by 14 or more points at the break.

The Brady-Belichick era has lasted for 19 seasons so far and for just the second game in that period the Patriots “failed” to attempt a single punt all game. That’s a testament to New England’s offense, which consumed 36 minutes of the clock en route to nine scoring drives; Brady (340 yards) dropped back to pass 37 times while New England attempted 38 carries, Sony Michel had 24 of them. The rookie has 316 rushing yards at a 4.7 YPC over his last three games, all Patriots victories. Michel and James White were the engine of the Pats’ attack Sunday night, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and leading a ground attack that picked up 15 first downs. Their consistency was needed on a night when Brady struggled to connect with his receivers downfield and was often bothered by Kansas City’s eight-man coverage. That all changed in the fourth quarter when Chris Hogan and Rob Gronkowski each secured long gainers to set up go-ahead scores. It wasn’t all perfect sailing for Brady, he did produce a third quarter fumble in Patriots territory after spending 10 seconds in and around the pocket.

In five plays; a Julian Edelman sweep, two short Michel runs, a White catch-and-run and the evasive Gronkowski chunk play (49 yards), New England marched 65 yards down the field to set up a Stephen Gostkowski game-winning 28 yard field goal.
So on the whole, the Patriots offense has not looked better than what we saw on Sunday night.

Patrick Mahomes was up to his usual ways, he went shot for shot with Brady, but some errors meant it just wasn’t enough to secure the win. Thanks to two early interceptions from the QB, including a reckless red-zone throw in the direction of a triple-covered Travis Kelce at the end of the first half, Kansas City went in at half time with the 15-point deficit. The Chiefs came out fighting in the second half. With Mahomes‘ laser arm and the speed of Tyreek Hill (142 yards, 3 TDs) and Kareem Hunt (185 total yards, TD), scoring 24pts on their first four drives of the second half.
Kansas City mismanaged the final two drives, going three-and-out and punting (the only one of the game) down four and then scoring too quickly, if there is such a thing, tying the game at 40 with three minutes to go.

Sadly for the Chiefs they had a penetrable and injury-riddled defense who was no match for New England down the stretch, failing to make the necessary third-down and red-zone stops when needed. One defensive player will be having more nightmares than the rest, Breeland Speaks had a missed tackle on Brady‘s go-ahead touchdown run mid fourth quarter, he thought Brady had already thrown the ball so let go, turns out he still had it and scored a rushing touchdown, the 19th of his career. Kansas City survived against the Steelers by playing from ahead in the fourth quarter, but, when the roles were reversed in Foxborough, the Chiefs couldn’t finish.

The loss ended KC’s undefeated run and re-cemented New England as a favorite to come out of the AFC. If we’re lucky, these two teams will meet again in January. The way both have been playing, that’s a very real possibility and it would set up a very exciting rematch.

Up Next:

Bengals v Chiefs – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Patriots v Bears – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

San Fransisco 49ers v Green Bay Packers

30-33

Up Next:

Rams v 49ers – Sunday October 21st (8:20pm)

Packers – Bye Week

Bye Week for Detroit Lions & New Orleans Saints 

Up Next:

Lions v Dolphins – Sunday October 21st (1pm)

Saints v Ravens – Sunday October 21st (4:05pm)

ALL TIMES U.S. EASTERN