In week 7 the Browns gave us another overtime show, the Panthers made their biggest fourth quarter comeback in franchise history, the Cowboys lost in dramatic style, the Chiefs put an end to their losing streak against the Bengals and the Bears came close to defeating the Patriots.
Denver Broncos v Arizona Cardinals
45-10
Before the game All-Pro pass-rusher Von Miller promised to “kick their ass” in reference to the Cardinals, and he wasn’t wrong. Denver’s defense were impressive, scoring two touchdowns, generating a couple of fumble recoveries and three picks, whilst accumulating six sacks.
Von Miller himself had another great game, generating a Josh Rosen fumble that was reversed, only to turn around and force another fumble plays later. He then dialed up a second fumble off Rosen in the game’s dying moments. He was keen to keep his pre-game promise.
The dismal offensive show from the Cardinals ended up costing offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy, his job with the Cards announcing Friday morning that he’d been fired. Their night started off by calling a time out just two plays in and another in the first quarter. From there, Rosen threw his first pick-six of the game, just 59 seconds in, when his pass was tipped by Denver’s Derek Wolfe into the waiting arms of linebacker Todd Davis, who took it 20 yards for the pick-six. The rookie quarterback’s nightmare was far from over, he subsequently whipped a late first quarter throw into the hands of Chris Harris Jr, who flew 53 yards for another Denver defensive score.
Whilst it may seem it, there’s actually nothing wrong with Rosen‘s arm, he still has potential. Sadly we’re not seeing it due to a broken-down scheme and players stopping mid-route, like J.J. Nelson did on Thursday. The QB finished with an ugly box score of 21-of-39 passing for 194 yards with one TD (he hit Larry Fitzgerald for his 111th career receiving score, the wide receiver now ties with Tony Gonzalez for seven all-time) and the three picks. The rookie also had a visit to the medical tent after being slammed helmet-first into the ground on a second-down sack by Shaquil Barrett before halftime.
Denver’s offense was practically mistake-free from the get go, with Case Keenum unfurling perfect play-action darts and wideout Emmanuel Sanders capping Denver’s opening drive with a razzle-dazzle pass to a leaping Courtland Sutton in the end zone for the 14-0 lead. Sanders had a great evening, hauling in a prefect deep shot from Keenum for a 64 yard touchdown that put his team up 28-3 only moments in to the second quarter.
Phillip Lindsay was a game-changer for the Broncos. The rookie tore off a stunning 22 yard run early, he rumbled for a 28 yard run up the middle of the Arizona defense to put Denver up 42-10 and finished with 90 yards at 6.4 yards per attempt.
Up Next:
Broncos v Chiefs – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
49ers v Cardinals – – Sunday October 28th (4:25pm)
Tennessee Titans v LA Chargers
19-20
The British fans had something to cheer about this time. Unlike last week’s runaway game, they actually got to see an exciting game at Wembley Stadium.
Philip Rivers was once again the catalyst for the Chargers offense, who were without Melvin Gordon (hamstring). He finished the game connecting 19 of 26 passes for 306 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
LA took the lead through Rivers‘ 75 yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Williams. After that the game slowed a bit until early in the third quarter when Mike Williams scored a 55 yarder to give Los Angeles the 17-6 lead. The Titans responded almost immediately with their best drive of the game, a seven play, 42 yard push that culminated in a Derrick Henry one yard TD.
From that point on the Chargers’ defense kept Tennessee’s offense under wraps until their final drive and subsequent two-point conversion attempt locked in the win for LA. It wasn’t just the Chargers’ D-line who impressed in the latter stages, their wide receiver corps played a key role in the victory. Williams, Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams combined for 245 receiving yards. Austin Ekeler also helped out with 46 yards on the ground and 26 in receiving.
What gave the Chargers the slight edge was their consistency on offense and special teams. The Titans were hit by drives sputtering out at midfield during the first half, but a stronger performance from Marcus Mariota in the second is what charged their almost comeback. The quarterback didn’t have the greatest of first halves, throwing his first career red-zone interception, but he managed to keep his Titans in the game and finished with a completion of 24 from 32 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. His effort was complimented by Dion Lewis‘ rushing effort, tallying 91 yards on 13 carries, a huge chunk of that yardage came on a spectacular 36 yard, tackle-shedding run on Tennessee’s final scoring drive. What hurt the Titans most was their relative quietness on offense in the first half, mixed with Ryan Succop‘s missed 54 yard field goal.
Luckily for Tennessee they have their bye week to fix their offensive woes.
Up Next:
Both teams on bye
New England Patriots v Chicago Bears
38-31
Chicago quarterback Mitch Trubisky had a varied afternoon. He scored a rushing touchdown after avoiding various tackles and twisting and turning his way to the end zone. Although the Patriots defense had focused on his scrambling abilities all week he managed to improvise his way to 81 rushing yards, the second-most by a quarterback against New England in the Bill Belichick era.
His erratic ball placement was on display again Sunday, exemplified by Jonathan Jones‘ one-handed interception inside the patriots’ 5-yard line, on a pass that, had it not been underthrown would have resulted in a glorious long touchdown from Anthony Miller.
When his team were 38-31 down with two seconds remaining, Trubisky needed a 55 yard miracle to force overtime. It looked possible when Kevin White corralled the QBs 54 yard throw only to be tackled by what seemed like the whole of New England’s defense just shy of the goal-line.
Chicago’s defense and special teams didn’t have their best game either. They’ve dominated the season’s first month but have allowed 69 points to the Patriots and the Dolphins in the last couple of weeks. Khalil Mack played through an ankle injury but his defense still couldn’t stop the Patriots. Thanks to strong special teams performance, New England overcame a pair of lost fumbles by Cordarrelle Patterson and Sony Michel (who later left the game with a knee injury) that placed them in a 17-7 hole early in the second quarter. Patterson earned his redemption almost immediately with a 95 yard kickoff return, his sixth such touchdown of his career.
Kyle Van Noy broke a 24-24 tie in the third quarter when he scoopped up Dont’a Hightower‘s blocked punt on his second attempt for New England’s first touchdown from that scenario since 1996. The special teams’ scores played a huge role in the Patriots reaching 38 points total for the fourth consecutive game, setting a new franchise record. Whilst the Pat’s offense is injury-ravaged (without Rob Gronkowski, Jeremy Hill, Rex Burkhead and now Sony Michel) and yet to connect on all cylinders, the team is finding ways to move the chains, generate plays and outscore their opponents on a weekly basis. They travel to Buffalo on Sunday before hosting the Packers in week 9.
James White impressed once again for the Patriots connecting on 8 receptions for 57 rushing yards, 11 carries, 97 total yards and two touchdowns. Tom Brady is excited to have Julian Edelman back in the mix as well. The wide receiver scored their first touchdown of the afternoon through pure strength and determination, pushing, pulling, weaving, turning and diving his way to his second touchdown of the season. Brady‘s connection with Josh Gordon remains sporadic but the former Browns wideout led the team with 100 yards on four receptions, including a 55 yard catch-and-run to set up White‘s two yard TD catch on a nine play, 96 yard drive late in the fourth. Gordon is important to Brady‘s aerial attack and their connection and trust is growing by the week.
Up Next:
Patriots v Bills – Monday October 29th (8:15pm)
Jets v Bears – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Buffalo Bills v Indianapolis Colts
37-5
Buffalo’s defense just didn’t show up in Indiana. Colts QB Andrew Luck completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards and four touchdowns, his most of the season so far. The Colts’ rushing game racked up 220 yards on 37 attempts which included a 19 carries, 126 yard, one touchdown game from Marlon Mack. He ripped off gains of 23, 15 and 10 over the course of the four quarters.
Luck must be extra appreciative of T.Y. Hilton who had four catches for 25 yards and two touchdowns being back in the fold. Hilton found soft spots in zones and made contested catches whilst adjusting on the fly to give Luck an open target. Having him back means Luck doesn’t have to rely on his tight ends like he’s had to in recent weeks, allowing the field to open up more and the Colts to shine that little bit brighter.
Buffalo’s offense was as abysmal as their defense, not helped by losing LeSean McCoy to a head injury early in the first half. Chris Ivory and Marcus Murphy did commendable jobs, rushing for 134 yards on 20 carries. Bills brought in Derek Anderson at QB for Josh Allen. He threw 3 interceptions, two of which came in garbage time, for 175 yards with a completion of 20/31 passes.
The Bills play host to Tom Brady and his New England Patriots Sunday, who are on a roll offensively, defensively and on special teams. Whilst Colts fans will hope their luck is finally changing and will continue to do so against a 1-5 Raiders.
Up Next:
Patriots v Bills – Monday October 29th (8:15pm)
Colts v Raiders – Sunday October 28th (4:05pm)
Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars
20-7
The story of this game started before the whistle, with the benching of Blake Bortles. It didn’t help Jacksonville (3-4) who look nothing like the team that defeated the Patriots a month ago. The story post game was whether the Jags were starting to panic about recent results and Telvin Smith requested the media not “ask us to point fingers”, presumably at each other as to who is at fault for their recent decline. One thing is for sure, Jacksonville have lost their identity and need to find it again quickly, especially with a game against the reigning Super Bowl champions looming.
What’s eating at the Jaguars is their offense. Their complete lack of a running game and costly drops are killing their offense. Not helped by routes run short of the chains on third down and certainly not by the number of turnovers. T.J. Yeldon has been forced to carry an incredible weight of the running game on his shoulders recently and has understandably struggled to do so. Against the Texans he dropped a pass that led to a Kessler inception and gained just 28 yards from 12 attempts. Carlos Hyde couldn’t get up to speed quick enough as Leonard Fournette‘s absence becomes more detrimental with each week that passes.
Whilst Cody Kessler and his offense struggled, it was a different story for DeShaun Watson and his. De’Andre Hopkins was the Texans’ star. He was routinely winning one-on-one matchups against Jalen Ramsey and although he only finished with three receptions, one of them extended for a key drive and another for a touchdown.
Watson added Will Fuller to his list of solid targets. The return of Lamar Miller improved an already thriving offense. Miller rushed for 100 yards and scored a touchdown on 22 carries. The Texans finally got a smooth victory and it was a well deserved one at that.
Up Next:
Dolphins v Texans – Thursday October 25th (8:30pm)
Eagles v Jaguars – – Sunday October 28th (9:30am)
Detroit Lions v Miami Dolphins
32-21
The Lions said in the offseason that they planned to improve the ground game and it finally came to fruition in South Beach. Rookie Kerryon Johnson blasted through the Dolphins defense all game, giving the Lions 158 yards on the ground, his second 100+ rushing yard performance of the season, 71 of those came in the first quarter. As a team the Lions strode for a whopping 248 rushing yards, the ability to do so took some pressure off Matthew Stafford‘s shoulders. They generated 24 first downs with an average of 8.2 yards per play on 56 snaps before their end-game kneels.
Dolphins fans have been so impressed with QB Brock Osweiler that they’ve started calling this month Brocktober. Sadly for them Sunday just wasn’t his day, though he wasn’t the main problem for the home team. Whilst he rarely tested the Detroit defense, he made enough quick throws to move the chains consistently, he just needed help from his defense in slowing down the lions.
In the first half Osweiler made a stunning touchdown throw to Kenny Stills in the back of the end zone. He later hit Danny Amendola on the move with a laser pass to close the gap deep in the fourth quarter. Kenyan Drake also impressed blasting for a 54 yard touchdown run, proving that when the Dolphins have the ball they can move well and produce explosive plays with Osweiler under center.
The Dolphins’ offensive game wasn’t helped when they lost Albert Wilson to a bad looking leg injury and Stills later walked to the locker room with a injury during Miami’s final drive. DeVante Parker was inactive from the start, so the build up of these injuries left Miami with just two healthy receivers. Miami are hoping that Wilson won’t be out long-term and that Stills’ injury isn’t as bad as it seems.
Up Next:
Seahawks v Lions – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Dolphins v Texans – Thursday October 25th (8:30pm)
Minnesota Vikings v NY Jets
37-17
There was more to this game than meets the eye, whilst a free agent in the offseason quarterback Kirk Cousins rattled it down to two teams, the Jets or the Vikings, he chose the latter.
The Viking’s QB had a steady performance finishing the game with 25/40 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. After cutting through the Jets’ defense on the first drive of the game he struggled to find a rhythm before half time with Minnesota settling for punts on 6 of 7 possessions. It took him until midway through the third to tap into the efficient that has him on pace for his best ever season. He put together an impressive nine-play, 74 yard drive completing passes to Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs and Brandon Zylstra, demonstrating why he is among the NFL leaders in completion percentage, passing yards and TD-INT ratio, as well as 300 yard games.
Thielen finished with 110 yards on nine catches, whilst Diggs added 33 on hight catches to help the Vikings post their third successive win.
Sam Darnold continued to show his potential with a handful of really nice passes wile putting up bunch of unmethodical throws, however once again he threw numerous interceptions. The first of his three on the day came when he tried to hit Robby Anderson whilst being covered by Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith, it turned in to an easy pick for Smith after it deflected off Rhodes in the blustery conditions.
The rookie QB started to take more risks as the Jets’ chance of a comeback diminished, but if backfired and transformed a somewhat close game into a massive deficit by the middle of the fourth quarter. His numbers were very rookie-like completing just 17 of 42 passes for 206 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. He did however run a touchdown.
Up Next:
Saints v Vikings – Sunday October 28th (8:20pm)
Jets v Bears – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Carolina Panthers v Philadelphia Eagles
21-17
The Carolina Panthers made their largest fourth quarter comeback in franchise history in Philly. They seemed to sleep through the first three quarters of the game resulting in a 17-0 deficit heading in to the final period of play. Cam Newton shook off his sluggish start to propel the Panthers to a comeback victory.
In the fourth quarter alone, Newton completed 16 of 22 passes for 201 passes and two touchdowns with a 131.1 passer rating. His biggest play occurred on the game-winning drive, facing fourth-and-10 with 2:06 remaining, Newton stayed calm while facing the Eagles’ pass rush before connecting with wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 35 yard gain. He capped off the drive with a one yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen, and finished the game completing 25 of 39 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, adding 49 yards rushing on seven carries.
Just like their offense, Carolina’s defense had issues early on, having no answer for the Eagles’ offense in the first three quarters. One of their worst moments came on the end of an Eagles 17-play, 94 yard touchdown drive in the third which handed them the initial 17-0 deficit, this was the second consecutive week that the Panthers had to climb out of a 17pt hole. In suit with their offense, the defense turned it around in the final period, holding Philly to just 22 yards of total offense, Luke Kuechly, Julius Peppers and Mario Addison all finished the game with a sack. The defense again rose to the occasion in the final minute with the Eagles heading for the red zone, by coming up with a sack-fumble of Wentz. By the end of the game the Panthers had sacked Carson Wentz four times and recorded six hits.
Wentz practically shrugged aside the swirling winds with an almost seamless performance in the first three quarters, completing 23 of 27 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. The third-year quarterback was on fire at one point completing 15 consecutive passes finishing the game with 30 of 37 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target of the afternoon was Zach Aertz who made nine catches for 138 yards on 11 targets. Alshon Jeffery chipped in with seven catches for 88 yards on 10 targets. Unfortunately for Wentz neither he nor his offense could do much to stop the late-charghing Panthers after holding them for the majority of the game.
Up Next:
Ravens v Panthers – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Eagles v Jags – Sunday October 28th (9:30am)
Cleveland Browns v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23-26 (OT)
This game saw the fourth overtime period this season for the Browns, the most since 2011. Whilst they rarely end up winning, one thing’s for sure, Cleveland know how to entertain. Unluckily the Browns’ overtime ended in failure on Sunday after a fumbled punt return by Jabrill Peppers set up a game-winning 59 yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro, who made up for botching a 40 yard attempt in regulation and a missed extra point.
Jameis Winston started ahead of Fitzpatrick but didn’t impress. He struggled in overtime and threw a killer interception late on, one of four Bucs turnovers on the day. He play well in regulation, finding Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard time and time again. A 14 yard DeSean Jackson touchdown helped the Bucs build a 9-2 lead. Winston threw for 365 yards and piled up 55 on the ground in the game but he also lost the ball on a third quarter strip by Myles Garrett and nearly lost his team the game with a shaky final few minutes.
Baker Mayfield seems to have had a positive effect on the Browns. They’re banged up at wideout and their offensive line has issues but they always seem to have a chance with the rookie at the controls. He threw for just 62 yards in the first half but bounced back in the second. He threw a scoring strike to David Njoku and authored a seven-play, 75 yard touchdown assault to bring Cleveland within 23-16 of Tampa. He then hit them with a surging 35 yard scramble in the fourth quarter but the potential of it being a game-tying drive fell away when he was stuffed on a fourth and goal attempt. The young QB would not admit defeat and unfurled a dart one drive later to Jarvis Landry, who, fell in the end zone after making a beautiful catch to tie the game.
Cleveland face a massive test next week when they travel to the Steelers, if they take that game to a fifth overtime then you can count us all impressed.
Up Next:
Browns v Steelers – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Buccaneers v Bengals – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
New Orleans Saints v Baltimore Ravens
24-23
This game featured the NFL’s top scoring offense against the top defense, resulting in many hard-fought battles on both sides. It was the Saints who finished on top, thanks to Justin Tucker‘s first career missed extra point for the Ravens.
Entering the game Baltimore allowed just 12.8 points per game. The 24 points the Saints managed is the most the Ravens have allowed since week two when the Bengals scored 34.
Drew Brees led the charge for New Orleans, completing 22 of 20 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns to win their fifth consecutive game. Sunday also proved historical for Brees who entered the game with 499 career touchdown passes. He joined the exclusive NFL 500 career touchdown club with a yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson in the second quarter. He then added a 5 yard TD pass to Michael Thomas in the fourth quarter. He is only the fourth QB to reach the 500 mark, he joins Peyton Manning (539), Brett Favre ( 508) and Tom Brady (504).
That was not the only history he made Sunday, Brees is now only the third quarterback in league history to defeat all 32 teams, Manning and Favre the only others to do so.
Taysom Hill may be the Saints’ backup quarterback but he’s proved himself in a variety of offensive positions this season, including as a tight end to block. He produces whether it’s taking snaps and running or getting down the field on special teams. Against the Ravens he gained 35 rushing yards on six carries and produced two tackles while covering kicks.
Baltimore’s quarterback Joe Flacco pulled the weight of his whole team with 2:03 remaining on the clock with a 24-17 deficit. He engineered a six-play, 81 yard drive that was crowned by a 14 yard touchdown pass to Josh Brown. Flacco completed 23 of 39 passes for 279 yards and a couple of touchdowns. The Cherry on the top of their offensive game would have been to take it in to overtime, all they needed was Tucker to execute the extra point, something he’s done 222 of 222 times in his 7 year career, unfortunately the kick sliced wide and left a stunned expression on the two-time All Pro’s face and feeling of pure and utter shock and disappointment bolting around the home fans.
Up Next:
Saints v Vikings – Sunday October 28th (8:20pm)
Ravens v Panthers – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Dallas Cowboys v Washington Redskins
17-20
The Cowboys comeback was almost complete when kicker Brett Maher saw his attempt at a game-tying field goal hit off the left upright and out rather than through. The kick came at 00:03, the miss handed the Redskins the victory and an NFC East division lead. It broke a steak of 16-straight made by Maher. The failure came after a flag on Dallas and a 5 yard penalty before the snap, pushing what was a 47 yard attempt to a 52 yarder. If not for the flag the kick would surely have signed, sealed and delivered us into overtime.
Washington’s defense dominated the Cowboys’ offensive line throughout the afternoon. Led by Ryan Kerrigan, Preston Smith, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne and Matt Ioannidis, the Redskins controlled the line of scrimmage from the get go. They hammered Ezekiel Elliot over and over, holding him to a mere 34 yards on 15 possessions. They also pressured Dak Prescott all afternoon, sacking him four times, forcing two fumbles and several big holding calls. Apart from one big play to Michael Gallup for a 49 yard touchdown, the ‘Skins dominated until Prescott used his legs to get Dallas back in the game and eventually to the point of a potential tie and overtime.
Washington QB Alex Smith couldn’t consistently move the chains, generating just 178 passing yards with a 56% completion rate. Adrian Peterson came to the rescue with 99 yards on 24 carries, breaking tackles and hitting the outside for chunk gains. The game marked his fourth 96+ rushing yard day for the 33 year old.
Dallas’ defense were given a boost by the return of Sean Lee. He made several pivotal stops to end Washington drives and help give Dallas a shot at the comeback. He complied six tackles leading Tony Romo to praise his instincts. Later in the game Lee tracked down Smith on third and down and tackled the QB out of bounds short of the marker to set up the Cowboys’ potential game-tying drive. Although Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch have had strong performances for Dallas this season, Lee‘s experience and savviness was the difference-maker.
Up Next:
Cowboys – Bye Week
Redskins v Giants – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
LA Rams v San Fransisco 49ers
39-10
LA outclassed their division rivals in all three phases, taking advantage of turnovers and picking apart the Niners defense all day long. They remain the only undefeated team this season.
Aaron Donald shined on defense for the Rams sacking C.J. Beathard seven times, his most in a single game and doubled his season sack total to eight. Corey Littleton tallied two sacks, Samson Ebukam forced a fumbled on a strip sack and Mark Barron played the enforcer. Their defense forced four San Fransisco turnovers and turned them in to 24 crucial points.
Fresh off his 200 yard rushing game last week Todd Gurley made history again. He scored three more touchdowns to take his season total to 14, tied for the most through seven games in NFL history. It was his 10th consecutive regular season game in which he tallied a TD and his third game this season in which he’s scored at least three. Gurley has stood out over the last two seasons as the most consistent and dominant player, which extends to his end zone presence.
Already without their star man Jimmy G, Richard Sherman and safety Jimmie Ward before the game, the Niners then lost their other star safety Adrian Colbert to what looked like a nasty lower leg injury. Their woes were not over with second-year Reuben Foster exciting with a shoulder injury at one point, then Matt Breida with an ankle problem.
The Niners seem to be missing Jimmy G at quarterback, with what started out as a season full of potential and dreams now seeming like a lost cause. Six wins behind NFC West leaders, the LA Rams, they have proven week after week that they don’t belong in the playoff conversation, it’s too early to count them out but some say they should now just play for pride and draft pick position.
Up Next:
Packers v Rams – Sunday October 28th (4:25pm)
49ers v Cardinals – Sunday October 28th (4:25pm)
Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs
45-10
A week after their first defeat of the season, the Chiefs were back on their game. They found the end zone early and often, scoring points on five of their first six drives, racking up 319 total yards on five first half drives, the most since 2016 and a season high 551 total yards for the game, the team’s best since 2004.
Patrick Mahomes continued to impress with another stellar performance, totaling 358 yards and four touchdowns. He now leads the league with 22 touchdown passes, becoming the youngest player in NFL history, at 23, with six consecutive 300 yard passing games.
The golden boy for the Chiefs Sunday night was Kareem Hunt, he set the tone early and scored three touchdowns with 141 yards on 20 receptions. It says something about Mahomes and his team when a big win over the Bengals, an AFC playoff contender, was not surprising and seemed not just expected but fundamental.
Cincinnati had an underwhelming game mustering just 235 total yards against the Chief’s defense. Cincy went three or four-and-out on three of their first half drives and fell down by four scores before halfway through the third period. The Bengals botched a a fake punt in the first half which set K.C. up for a superb field goal position. They also missed numerous tackles on defense allowing the Chiefs to extend their drives by allowing unnecessary chunks of play. Vontaze Burfict was the worst offender, losing ball carriers drive after drive before having to exit with a hip injury.
Up Next:
Buccaneers v Bengals – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Broncos v Chiefs – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
NY Giants v Atlanta Falcons
20-23
The moments of the game that will be talked about the most are the controversial decisions made by Giants head coach Pat Shurmur all night. Eli Manning wasn’t finding targets in the end zone very easily, with the score 20-12 with less than five minutes remaining Shurmur opted to go for the two point conversion, which in itself is a decision any coach would make, however, the fact that he could see his quarterback wasn’t connecting in the red zone should have made him realize it probably wasn’t going to work. That being said, it very nearly worked, Odell Beckham Jr caught it but it he couldn’t hold on.
Speaking of OBJ he hauled in eight passes for 143 yards and has now accumulated 5,000 receiver yards quicker than anyone since the leagues merged in 1970. He also scored a touchdown with 00:05 left on the clock. Had Manning been able to get the pass away and not been stifled in the field burning valuable time off the clock, things may have turned out different for New York. It wasn’t enough to tie the game or win it but it brought the Giants to a much closer score than a lot of people expected
Saquon Barkley was stymied by the Atlanta defense all night. They were the first team to hold him to less than 100 rushing and receiving yards in a game. The rookie running back only managed 43 yards on 14 carriers and nine catches for 51 yards. Monday’s performance saw his second-lowest rushing output of the season, his lowest was his 28 yards against Dallas in week 2. What made the night more frustrating for Barkley was the fact he was coming off his best game of the season against Philly where he totaled 229 yards, 130 rushing and 99 receiving.
Whilst both teams had a lackluster first half with the score going in at the break 10-3 to the Falcons, and both quarterbacks seeing multiple sacks, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan was putting up impressive numbers. He threw for 379 yards, completing his final 18 passes to take his team to their second successive victory. One of the quarterback’s highlights was his 47 yard touchdown pass to Marvin Hall. His offense gave him a boost with their reliability and ability to move the ball with ease. Tevin Coleman broke loose on a 30 yard scoring run.
It was a big night for Girogio Tavecchio, the Milan native was signed midweek to fill in for the injured Matt Bryant at kicker. The Italian made all three of his field goal attempts, including a 56 yarder that was the longest of his career and essentially sealed the victory for Atlanta. Ryan was full of praise for Tavecchio stating “that kick was good from about 65 yards. He did a great job for us coming on short notice.”
Atlanta get to enjoy their bye week, while the Giants have to get ready to host the Redskins, who had an impressive Sunday afternoon against the Panthers.
Up Next:
Redskins v Giants – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Falcons – Bye Week
Bye Week for – Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders,
Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers
Up Next:
Packers v Rams – Sunday October 28th (4:25pm)
Colts v Raiders – Sunday October 28th (4:05pm)
Seahawks v Lions – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
Browns v Steelers – Sunday October 28th (1pm)
ALL TIMES U.S. EASTERN
Artistry of Sport 
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