Lions at Packers

The last time the Lions beat the Packers, Erik Kramer of the Lions completed 14-29 passes for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns, both to Robert Clark to win 21-17, oh and Barry Sanders ran the ball 27 times for 85 yards. That was December 15^th, 1991. As for this game Aaron Rodgers attempted 61 passes, the game in 1991 had a total of 69 pass attempts, oh how times have changed. Both teams tried their hardest to lose this game, but the packers were just a little more successful on this occasion, losing the game 18-16 by missing on a 2 point conversion, Mason Crosby missing a 52 yard field goal, but the Lions gave it their all, missing 2 extra points, and even Calvin Johnson got in on the fun: failing to secure an onside kick to give Green Bay a chance to win. The drops and the lack of a running game made it extra tough for Aaron Rodgers, but at least he wasn’t scared or throwing tablets.

Cowboys at Buccaneers

The good news for the Cowboys is that it looks like Tony Romo might be back next week, the bad news is that it might be too late to matter as they fell to the Buccaneers 10-6 in an ugly game, as Dallas fell to 2-7. Jameis Winston and Mike Evans led the way, as the two connected 8 times for 126 yards. Both defenses played fairly well on this occasion, and Dallas even appeared to have the game won late in the 4^th, when Jameis Winston fumbled on the goal line, but Dallas was called for holding, giving the Bucs another chance, faking the hand-off to Doug Martin, and instead running the ball himself into the endzone. Dallas had a chance at a hail Mary, however, Dez Bryant looked for the pass interference penalty as opposed to the ball, allowing Bradley McDougald to intercept the ball to end the game.

Panthers at Titans

Marcus Mariota struggled mightily in this game, it’s too bad he can’t play the Saints every week, as Mariota only had 185 yards passing on 24 attempts, Cam Newton had an easy time in this game, it seemed, as he completed his first 11 passes, the Titans had a little bit of an issue with how well Cam played, specifically, how he celebrated himself for his great game, trying to stop him from dancing after a 4^th quarter score to put the game away. Cam took the Titans complaints under consideration, and promptly continued dancing… dancing to 9-0 and a 27-10 victory, do I hear MVP chants?

Bears at Rams

If you had Zach Miller in your lineup, you are officially the greatest scout of opportunities in NFL history, as the backup tight end rumbled his way to an 87 yard touchdown (the longest play to a tight end since 1999), the first of two in this game to go with his 107 yards. Jeremy Langford had himself a terrific day, running for 73 yards and a touchdown, also catching 7 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. As for the Rams, Nick Foles has been benched for Case Keenum going into next week, as they were absolutely torched 37-13, as Foles and Gurley struggled in this game.

Saints at Redskins

This might be a new low for Rob Ryan, a week after watching rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota embarrass his secondary to the tune of 4 touchdowns, they had an opportunity to play against Kirk Cousins and the Redskins. The game was tied at 14 at one point…. But that was as close as it would get for the Saints, as they would lose the game 47-14, and watched Cousins throw for 324 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3, before you say it Kirk, yes, I do like that. Rob Ryan did not, neither did Sean Payton or the Saints, as Ryan was relieved of duty this week, it might take him more than 5 minutes to find a new job this time around.

Dolphins at Eagles

In the battle of Chip Kelly versus imposter Chip Kelly (Bill Lazor), this one saw more than a few bizarre things happen, including a safety, set up by what might be the worst kick return (of the non-turnover variety), as Damien Williams bobbled the ball, picked it up, had his own man tell him to fall down, and he does so… at his own 1 yard line. Sam Bradford was injured in this game and might miss a couple of games, in other news, water is wet. The Eagles scored 16 of their 19 points in the first quarter, and held the lead for most of the game, until the Dolphins rallied to cut the advantage to 16-13. The Eagles would kick a field goal to make it 19-13, after Bradford exited the game. Dan Campbell and the Dolphins would not go silently into the night, however, as Jarvis Landry caught a ball that was deflected up in the air, in the middle of the field where only terrible things happen, for a touchdown to take the lead. Sanchez had a chance to redeem himself though, as he led the Eagles into the redzone where Sanchez did what he does best: turn the ball over in back-breaking fashion, throwing an interception into the endzone to Reshad Jones. Dolphins won this crazy game 20-19.

Browns at Steelers

Heeeeeeeere’s JOHNNY! No, really though, there are his highlights for this game, all in all, he didn’t look bad at all, completed over 60% of his passes for 372 yards and a touchdown, which earned him the starting nod for the rest of the season. However, the Browns did lose 30-9, as the Steelers watched Ben Roethlisberger come off the bench and jumpstart the offense to topple their division rival, both Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant had over 130 yards receiving and combined for 3 touchdowns on the day, as the Steelers put themselves in better position for a wild card spot with a now 6-4 record.

Jaguars at Ravens

Jason Myers kicked the Jaguars into playoff position… these are words I did not think I would udder this year, let alone after beating the Ravens, which was controversial in that a seemingly final snap Hail Mary attempt led to Blake Bortles being sacked, but dragged down by his facemask by Elvis Dumervil, giving the Jaguars, trailing 20-19 a chance to kick a 53 yard field goal, however, on the last gasp Hail Mary, the left tackle was not set on the line, meaning that there should have been an illegal formation on the offense, which in the last 2 minutes of a game, when the clock is running, is ruled as a false start, and a 10 second runoff OR timeout (if the offense has a timeout) can be taken to avoid the runoff, but the Jaguars had no timeouts, meaning the game should have ended without the field goal attempt happening, the face mask, irrelevant, and the snap should never have happened. This finishes the Ravens season, in case they weren’t already done, this finishes them off. As for the Jaguars, this win, their first on the road in 2 years (at Cleveland, on December 1^st, 2013), puts them just 1 game behind division leaders Indianapolis and Houston, both 4-5.

Vikings at Raiders

The final score may have read 30-14, but this game was closer than that for most of the afternoon, until Adrian Peterson broke the Raiders with an 80 yard run in the 4^th quarter, on his way to a 200 yard performance on the ground, as the Vikings, now 7-2, sit in the driver’s seat to the NFC North title. As for the Raiders, Derek Carr had 300 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he had 2 interceptions as well, as the normally dynamic Raiders offense was stymied for most of the afternoon. The Raiders are in trouble, as they are behind a bunch of teams in the AFC Wild Card race, and have a lot of work to do if they’re going to catch up.

Patriots at Giants

This was a similar game to what we normally see from these two teams in the regular season (on the rare occasion they do), it’s a back and forth affair that showcases 2 teams that match up well against one another, as each Brady vs. E. Manning has been decided by 4 points or less. Whether it was the 38-35 win for the Patriots in 2007 to complete the undefeated regular season, and the catch that counted for 2 records, the Superbowl where David (Tyree) beat Goliath, or the Superbowl in 2011 where Mario Manningham makes the catch down the sideline… You get the idea, these games are great. This one was no different, as it came down to a Tom Brady drive down the field to set up a game-winning field goal. It has been 4 years…. Are we looking at round 3 in the Superbowl? Maybe not this time around, but this was a fun game nonetheless.

Chiefs at Broncos

Before we get into this game, let’s take a moment to honor the history that Peyton Manning made in this game, he broke Brett Favre’s record for most passing yards in NFL History, that’s an accomplishment that no one can take away from him at this moment, on that note, Congratulations Peyton on the record, hopefully you can get the record for most wins in NFL History in a couple week, in the meantime, heal up, the Broncos will need you for the playoffs. Back to the recap: Manning played one of his worst games in the last decade, but the Chiefs played a great game on the defense, Cairo Santos kicked 5 field goals to give the Chiefs a 22-0 advantage when Gary Kubiak pulled Manning from the lineup, after the game Kubiak said that he shouldn’t have played Peyton due to several injuries. The Chiefs put themselves back in the hunt for a playoff spot with this win, they have a mountain to climb, but they still have hope. Good news for the Broncos, Demarcus Ware and Aqib Talib should be back soon, Emannuel Sanders has a week to rest up and get ready for the Bears, and they can see what they have in Brock Osweiler, whose contract runs out at the end of this season. As for Peyton, rest, get healthy, be ready to play down the stretch and in the playoffs, one week did wonders for you against the Packers, imagine what 2-3 games rest can do.

Cardinals at Seahawks

Early on, this game looked like a one sided affair, as the Cardinals led 22-7 going into the half, 27 second half points, including 2 turnovers in a row by the Cardinals, one was returned for a touchdown, giving Seattle a 29-25 lead, but the Cardinals came storming back as Jermaine Gresham and Andre Ellington scored, giving the cardinals a 10 point lead. The Seahawks would come within 7 points by kicking a late field goal, but it wasn’t enough, as Seattle dropped to 4-5 to the now 7-2 Cardinals 39-32.

 

The Starts

DeAngelo Williams – Coming off a 170 yard game on the ground last week, and going up against the Browns with Landry Jones possibly under center, there’s no question about starting Williams this week.

Doug Martin – Martin has been a good bargain this year if you drafted him, and the matchup against the mightily struggling cowboys has him in good position to put up a solid stat line for your lineup.

Blake Bortles – Bortles has been a much improved player this season, he’s on pace for 34 touchdowns and over 4000 yards this season if he keeps it up, plus he goes against the Ravens today, who’s secondary has been, in terms of the franchise, historically bad against the pass. With Allens Robinson and Hurns in tow, Bortles is set to have a great day.

Eric Ebron – The Packers have given up over 14 points per game to tight ends since week in the last month of the season. Plus the Lions will probably trail in this game, meaning plenty of opportunities for Ebron to make plays

The Sits

Eddie Lacy – Lacy has been trouble this season, for a guy who was a first round pick in most drafts, he has not produced anywhere near that level due partially to injury. With James Starks in the backfield, I look for Lacy to be spending a lot of time on the bench while he heals up. [UPDATE: Lacy has been ruled out, I definitely wouldn’t start him now]

Marcus Mariota – Mariota, against the Panthers this week, would not be a wise player to start, as the Panthers just took down the Packers from the ranks of the undefeated last week. Any team that can mostly bottle up Aaron Rodgers shouldn’t struggle to contain Mariota.

Nate Washington – Washington’s fantasy owners have seen him have some really good games this year, but going against the Bengals, even if in Primetime, should prove to be too tough of a matchup. With Brian Hoyer at quarterback against a very good Bengal defense, the numbers won’t be there this week.

Julius Thomas – The artist formerly known as “Orange Julius” has disappeared into Fantasy purgatory this season, as he has not produced anywhere near the level of production he had in Denver. Going against the Ravens today won’t help things, as they haven’t given up many points to the tight end position.

The Risks

Ryan Tannehill – this man has been among the hardest quarterbacks to predict this season, but going against an Eagles defense that has been good against quarterbacks this year, and the fact that this game is in Philadelphia means that he would be a risk to start this week.

Mike Evans – Yes he’s a number 1 wide receiver coming off of a great game against the Giants, however, the Cowboys secondary is not quite as forgiving over the last month, as they have given up the 6^th fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. Evans is a risk, but he could be in line for another big game.

Martellus Bennett – Bennett has been solid, but unspectacular this season for fantasy owners, the Rams are a tough defense against tight ends, but Bennett has the potential for a pretty good stat line, but he could also do very little to impact this game.

Packers at Panthers

This was not a game until the very end. The Panthers shut the Packers down for the first half, only allowing them to score 7 points before a furious 2^nd half rally to get them back in the game, which was halted deep in the Panthers redzone, as Aaron Rodgers missed a wide-open Randall Cobb on a 4^th down to end the Packers chances of tying the game. Panthers win 37-29

Patriots at Redskins

The biggest surprise in this game was that the Redskins kept the damage to only a 17 point loss (27-10) with all the issues they’ve had in the secondary this season, and Kirk Cousins only turned the ball over once in 40 pass attempts against a pretty good Pats defense, in Foxborough no less. The Run game was a disaster for the Redskins, only gaining 37 yards on 15 carries. The bad news for the Pats is the loss of Dion Lewis for the rest of the season to an ACL tear.

Titans at Saints

Welcome back Marcus Mariota, he had himself a terrific game against the Saints, throwing 371 yards 4 touchdowns against a struggling secondary. Drew Brees would not be outdone however, throwing for 387 yards and 3 touchdowns, as this game would go to overtime, tied at 28. Delanie Walker had himself a game though, catching 3 tipped passes, including a spectacular catch where the ball was tipped by 2 Saint defenders. Marcus Mariota would throw the game winning touchdown on the first drive of overtime.

Dolphins at Bills

Tyrod Taylor only threw 12 passes in a 33-17 win over the Dolphins, and 8 of those 12 were completed to Sammy Watkins, who turned those 8 catches into 168 yards and a touchdown. As for the Dolphins, they were unable to keep up with the Bills 3 headed rushing attack of Karlos Williams, LeSean McCoy, and Tyrod Taylor. Ryan Tannehill did manage to throw for 309 yards in the loss however.

Rams at Vikings

This was a tightly contested game throughout, no one able to maintain an advantage, no matter how hard one team may have tried to do it… even if it went beyond the rules. The Rams defense cheap shot on Teddy Bridgewater has no place in the NFL, and Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator for the Rams, has run into trouble with dirty defenses before (see Bounty Gate), but the Rams got their comeuppance as they fell to the Shaun Hill (Yes, he’s still in the league after all of these years) led Vikings 21-18 in overtime. This win for the Vikes tied them with the Packers for first place in the NFC North

Jaguars at Jets

Despite the loss dropping the Jaguars to 2-6, they competed well in this game, and still have a shot at the AFC South, believe it or not. Chris Ivory struggled hugely in this game, rushing for 26 yards on 23 carries, but he did get into the endzone twice, and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 272 yards and a pair of scores, which gave the Jets just enough points to beat Blake Bortles 381 yards and 2 scores on a day where the Jags had 2 120 yard receivers in Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson.

Raiders at Steelers

Can the Steelers catch a break?…. Okay, maybe that was poor word choice, but the Steelers were dealt a huge blow with Ben Roethlisberger going down with a foot injury in this game, right after getting him back, and after losing Le’Veon Bell to a torn ACL. The good news for the Steelers is that they were able to survive the onslaught of Derek Carr, as Carr raced the Raiders up and down the field for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns on the day. DeAngelo Williams and Antonio Brown won the day for the Steelers, as Williams racked up 170 yards on the ground, while Brown caught 17 passes for 284 yards on the day.

Giants at Buccaneers

This game was close for most of the afternoon, and got even closer at the start of the 4^th quarter, when rookie Jameis Winston scored a rushing touchdown to make the score 20-18, after missing on the 2 point conversion. 2 Giant field goals and a fumble returned for a touchdown put the game out of reach for Tampa Bay as they fell 32-18 at home.

Falcons at 49ers

Despite the football gods giving the Atlanta Falcons the gift of possibly the greatest schedule ever, including the timing of the Andrew Luck injury (details to follow), they got to play Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers. How do they respond? By laying an egg in San Francisco, they appeared to show no fight in this game, as they seemed to think the game would win itself. Dan Quinn’s decision to kick a field goal on 4^th down in the 4^th quarter of a 4 point ballgame proved to be the difference, as they could have gone for the win, rather than playing not to lose. The 49er defense deserves a ton of credit though, holding NFL touchdown leader Devonta Freeman to only 12 rushing yards has proven to be a tough task this year.

Broncos at Colts

This was an all-around well played football game between division leaders (granted, leading the AFC South is about as meaningful as leading the NFC South last season.), and it looked like a game between 2 good teams. Peyton Manning looked good, passing for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, there was a bizzare sequence at the end of the game where Denver cornerback Aqib Talib poked Dwayne Allen, a Colts’ tight end, in the eye. Not only did this lead to a suspension, but it also kept Peyton Manning from getting on the field with a chance to tie or win the game for Denver. Oh, and it kept Peyton from breaking Bret Favre’s passing yardage record… in front of the home crowd that had supported Peyton for most of his career, no big deal Talib, just remember “Ice up, son”

Eagles at Cowboys

For a game being quarterbacked by Sam Bradford and Matt Cassel, this was actually a fun one to watch, as these 2 NFC East rivals went head to head in a back and forth affair where 4 quarters was not enough to decide it, as each team scored 13 points in the final frame to tie the score at 27 apiece before the Eagles won the game in overtime on a beautiful throw to Jordan Matthews that went for a 41 yard touchdown, Sam Bradford’s only one of the game. DeMarco Murray had himself a great game, rumbling for 161 total yards and a touchdown on the ground against his old team. As for the Cowboys, this marks the 6^th straight game they’ve lost, all of them since Tony Romo went down with an injury. Dez Bryant looked like his old self at least… maybe a little too much.

As we near the halfway point in the season, this is the time where the trade frenzies begin, and everyone is looking for an edge in playoff positioning. Here’s my recommendations to help get you there.

The Starts

Derek Carr – after saying “Park the Carr” last week, he kicked it into overdrive and shifted the course of his and his team’s season against a very tough Jets secondary. I’ll stop with the puns for now, I promise. This week Carr goes against the Steelers, who don’t exactly have The Steel Curtain on defense, they’ve played well overall, but the Raiders have too much firepower on offense to be contained. Carr seems like he could be on his way to a weekly must-start at the quarterback position.

Chris Ivory – If you’re disappointed by his awful game last week, and think he could be slowing down, don’t think, keep this guy in your lineup, he’s too talented, the matchup is too good, and the Jets will be looking to pound the ball against a not very good Jaguar defense this week. With Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall banged up, the run game is going to be the lifeblood of the Jets.

Steve Johnson – The Chargers take on the Bears, who have among the worst defenses in the league, and will be without Keenan Allen for the rest of the season, making Johnson one of the top targets in the Chargers offense, the top offense in the league. I’d look for Johnson to get plenty of targets in a game that should feature a ton of points.

Heath Miller – The Raiders seem to forget how tight-ends work, as they have not covered one this season, and Miller is coming off of a 10 catch game against the Bengals stingy defense last week. Miller needs to be started this week, I expect him to have another great game, especially with Big Ben back in the lineup.

Atlanta Falcons Defense – Against the Buccaneers, this same defense was awful (and that’s being kind), but this week, they’re going against Blaine Gabbert….. Is there a better matchup in fantasy football? As long as Jamarcus Russell doesn’t spontaneously get signed somewhere and started on Sunday, then there’s not going to be a better matchup this week for a defense.

The Sits

Ryan Tannehill – I like Ryan Tannehill as a quarterback, but going against a very talented Rex Ryan defense from Buffalo didn’t go well last time, and I don’t expect it to go well this time either, especially considering that this game is in Buffalo. The Dolphins go as Lamar Miller goes, and this matchup suggests that he may struggle this week, as will Tannehill.

Frank Gore – Frank Gore is one of those players that seems like he will always put up 1000 yards and 7 touchdowns in a season, however, this week is not a week that will help his total. The Denver Bronco defense is just too strong for Gore to overcome, as the Colts offensive line can’t seem to get out of its own way, let alone block for anyone.

Jarvis Landry – The Bills defense has not allowed top receivers to score much in the way of points this season, as only 2 number 1 receivers have scored in the double digits this season. Landry is on an unpredictable team with an unpredictable quarterback, so this might be the week to sit him down and look for other options.

Zach Ertz – People continue to tout this guy as a great tight-end, when all he does is catch a few passes, and not even as well as the elite receiving tight-ends in the league. He’s not even considered the starter on his own team, so why start him? Dallas also has a solid defense, and scored almost nothing against the Cowboys the last time these two teams met.

The Risks

Ben Roethlisberger – This guy has been a fantasy stud in years past, however, his return to the field showed a Big Ben that seemed flustered the entire game. This week he goes against an Oakland defense that gives up a ton of fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (and Tight Ends for that matter), so the matchup is good, the loss of Le’Veon Bell, however, is not. Big Ben would make for a hard player to sit if you’ve held on to him, I would start him, but it could be a risk for disappointment.

Darren McFadden – McFadden is always a risk, no matter who he plays for or against, as he could go off for 100+ yards and a score, average 1.3 yards a carry, or pull a hamstring in the first quarter and not play again for 5 weeks. Not helping matters is that the Philadelphia Eagles have a legit run defense, and Tony Romo is still not under center, so they will be keying on the run game.

Brandin Cooks – Cooks looked great last week against the Giants, scoring 2 touchdowns, and making it look like he was beginning to turn the corner this year after a disappointing start. The Giants have also been using a fullback as a pass rusher, so doing well against a team who’s struggled on defense as much as the Giants have doesn’t mean Cooks has found his groove… necessarily. The Titans are not a good team either but they can stop opposing top receivers…. Or they fall behind so quickly that no one bothers to throw on them anyway.

This week saw a number of high-profile players go down due to injury, including a scary moment in the Seahawks and Cowboys game, with Ricardo Lockette leaving the stadium on a stretcher, I sincerely wish all of those injured a speedy recovery and hope to see them back at full strength next season.

Lions at Chiefs (in London)

For the second week in a row, we had an early London kickoff, and for the second week in a row, this game was unpredictable. The Chiefs throttled the poor Lions 45-10, having 4 different players score rushing touchdowns, and Alex Smith throwing for 2 more, it just seemed like everyone on the Chiefs roster got in on the fun. As for the Lions, it appears that Joique Bell has life, rushing for 56 yards on 7 carries, other than that though, there wasn’t much in the way of good news for them in this game. At least they have Jim Bob Cooter calling the plays, that’s a positive.

Buccaneers at Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are the #1 team in the league at shooting themselves in the foot, they established their dominance in that category throughout this game, turning the ball over 4 times, leading to 20 of the Buccaneers points. Kwon Alexander had himself quite a game, getting 6 tackles, forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble, and even intercepting a Matt Ryan pass. In the second half, the Falcons seemed to remember how to play football, scoring 17 straight points to take the game to overtime, where the defense gave up a field goal, then the offense failed on their next drive. You would think the Falcons would win a game where Ryan threw for 397 yards and didn’t punt, however, bad snaps, poor discipline, and costly penalties will cost you games, even against the Bucs.

Cardinals at Browns

The Browns actually led this game at halftime 20-10, as the Cardinals looked like they were becoming a team that plays down to their competition. Bad news for the Browns though: there are 2 halves in the game of football, and the Cardinals went on to score 24 unanswered points to knock the Browns down to 2-6, and injured Josh McCown in the process, making it look as if Johnny Manziel will get the start on Thursday Night Football. Carson Palmer threw 3 of his 4 touchdown passes in the second half on his way to 374 yards on the day. Chris Johnson and Michael Floyd topped the 100 yard mark rushing and receiving respectively. As for the Browns, Gary Barnidge continued his break out season with a touchdown.

49ers at Rams

Todd Gurley is making his case for offensive rookie of the year, rushing for 133 yards, and Tavon Austin is continuing his breakout campaign, scoring 2 touchdowns on the day en route to a dominant 27-6 win over the 49ers. This 49er team can be summed up by one play in this game: The 9er offense was backed up against the goal line on their own 3 yard line, however, no one covered wide receiver Torrey Smith, Colin Kaepernick didn’t notice this fact, so as opposed to a potential 97 yard touchdown, the Rams would score on a safety later in the drive. This could be part of the reason that Kaepernick was benched in favor or Blaine Gabbert, remember this guy?

Giants at Saints

This was one of the most entertaining games of the season, as there were 14 touchdowns on the way to becoming the 3^rd highest scoring game in NFL history. If you had any players from this game on your fantasy team, you were probably very happy. Eli Manning had 350 yards and 6 touchdowns, however, Eli was outdone by Drew Brees in this QB duel, as Brees technically had 8 touchdown passes, but only 7 of them were to players on his team, as Trumaine McBride has a pick-6. This came down to the very end, as the Saints kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to win 52-49. Odell Beckham had himself a game as well, catching 8 passes for 130 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Vikings at Bears

The Vikings had lost 7 straight games at Soldier Field, and the Bears looked poised to make it 8 straight after Jay Cutler scored a rushing touchdown to give the Bears the lead with under 5 minutes left, however, Teddy Bridgewater would not be denied, throwing a touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to tie the game late, on the ensuing drive, the Bears would punt, which allowed the Vikings a minute to drive down the field for the game winning Blair Walsh field goal to send the Vikings to 5-2. Alshon Jeffery had himself a terrific game, catching 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown on the day, Adrian Peterson also topped the 100 yard mark for Minnesota.

Chargers at Ravens

Justin Tucker’s 5^th and final field goal of the game led the Ravens to victory over Phillip Rivers and the Chargers 29-26, how did Tucker celebrate this victory? By doing this. Unfortunately for the Ravens, they lost their spiritual leader in Steve Smith Sr. in what may turn out to be the final game of his career, on the day he moved to 10^th all-time on the career receiving yards list. As for the Chargers, this could all but end their season, as they drop to 2-6 with the Ravens. That #1 offensive ranking doesn’t seem to mean much at this point in the year.

Titans at Texans

Things are ugly in Tennessee, they lost this game, they lost their coach, and their fans probably lost their lunch watching Zach Mettenberger get sacked 7 times. They allowed more sacks than they scored points (7-6) on offense, the Texans are not a good football team, but the Titans are worse without Marcus Mariota. Brian Hoyer looked good in this game, throwing touchdowns to DeAndre Hopkins and Nate Washington. When Brian Hoyer looks good in a game that doesn’t go to garbage time, you know you have a bad football team. Remember his tenure in Cleveland? One Browns fan certainly did. Texans win 20-6

Jets at Raiders

This was a statement game for the Oakland Raiders, as they jumped on the Jets early, especially after Ryan Fitzpatrick’s early exit, leading at halftime 21-6 over the mostly Geno Smith led Jets. Derek Carr was phenomenal against a very good Jet defense, throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Raiders swagger seems to have returned, as they dominated this game from start to finish, and wasn’t as close as the 34-20 final score may indicate. Michael Crabtree went over 100 yards on the day.

Seahawks at Cowboys

In a tough, hard hitting, defensive game, every yard was earned, every point was a struggle as there were a total of 25 points scored in this game, as the Seahawks got the win 13-12. Dan Bailey, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, kicked 4 field goals to give Dallas the lead in the Jerry dome 12-10, until Steven Hauschka kicked what would prove to be the game winner with 1:10 left in the game. Dallas took over, however, they would fail on a 4^th down with 22 seconds remaining to give the Seahawks the win 13-12. The defenses both played tremendous games, however, it was the Seattle offense that was able to get it going, granted Dallas was starting Matt Cassel as opposed to Tony Romo, who is still recovering from his injury. Dez Bryant came back to play in this game, but he only had 2 catches for 12 yards, as Darren McFadden was the leading rusher and receiver for Dallas.

Packers at Broncos

The Denver Bronco defense could be one of the best we’ve seen in NFL history, this team has scored a ton of touchdowns on defense, they’ve held every team they’ve faced to low scores, low passer ratings, and so on. Aaron Rodgers fell victim to the Rocky Mountain Horror Show (new nickname for the Denver defense), as he was held to 77 yards passing. That is not a typo, 77 yards, Aaron Rodgers, while Peyton Manning turned back the clock (as we all did on Sunday) throwing for 340 yards. Apparently Peyton Manning was just getting into the spirit of daylight savings time with how great he looked on Sunday night. The Bronco run game came back with vengeance, rushing for over 160 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 29-10 win over the previously undefeated Packers. Will Green Bay bounce back in Carolina next week? Will Denver continue this dominance on defense?

Colts at Panthers

When this game was 23-6 in the 4^th quarter, it looked like this one was over, however, Andrew Luck came all the way back to tie the game at 23 points to take this game to overtime, where the Colts got the ball first, kicked an Adam Vinatieri field goal to take the lead, only to see the Panthers answer with Graham Gano’s field goal later in OT, the Colts however, would turn the ball over on an interception on their next drive, giving the Panthers a chance to win the game on another Gano field goal, making the final score 29-26. Andrew Luck seems to play much worse in close games, throwing 8 touchdowns and 11 interceptions when games are within 14 points, whereas when the Colts are trailing by 14 points, Luck has thrown 5 touchdowns and 1 interception, with a 112 passer rating. Chuck Pagano needs to right the ship, or else the Colts are in danger of losing the AFC South. The Titans are a game and a half out with a 1-6 record, oh and the Texans are tied for first place. Who do you all think will take the AFC South crown?

The Starts

Matt Ryan – Ryan has not played well as of late, there’s no doubt about that. After a hot start to the season, he’s tailed off. This week should be his elixir, as the Buccaneers are coming to down, and Ryan loves the Bucs, throwing 6 touchdowns in his last two home games against them. I like his odds to increase that total this week.

Andy Dalton – This information is so secret, not even the employees at the daily fantasy sports sites know it, nor use it to win more money: The Steelers pass defense is not very good. Another not-so-well-kept secret: Andy Dalton is having a phenomenal year, leading the Bengals to a 6-0 record while throwing 14 touchdowns against 2 interceptions. Not to mention that the Bengals have an embarrassment of riches at the skill positions. Start Dalton if you’ve got him.

Todd Gurley – The first running back off the board in this year’s NFL draft, Gurley has been lighting it up lately, rushing for at least 125 yards in each of his last 3 games. Yes, the 49ers were a tough draw in the past, but the once proud defense in San Francisco is now giving up 22 points per game to the running back position, and we know that the Rams will run the ball, and will continue to run the ball as long as Jeff Fisher is their head coach.

Alshon Jeffery – When this guy is healthy, he is a beast, he put up 147 yards and a touchdown in his last game, against the Lions before the bye week, and has victimized the Vikings to the tune of 25 catches for 418 yards and 3 touchdowns in his last 3 games against them. That’s an average of 8 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown per game. If that’s not incentive enough to play him, I’m not sure what is

The Sits

Derek Carr – I’d say Derek Carr is a good start most weeks, as he’s in the middle of a terrific year for the Raiders, putting them in decent position to earn a… dare I say it?…. Wildcard spot in the playoffs? Okay, maybe a little soon for that, but I don’t like his chances this week against a very good New York Jets defense that makes life difficult on the best passers the NFL has to offer. Put Carr in Park this weekend, and don’t forget the E-Brake.

Melvin Gordon – The other first round rookie running back is not having quite as much success as his counterpart in St. Louis, as he has developed a fumbling problem, and both Danny Woodhead and Brandon Oliver are taking meaningful snaps away from him, not to mention that the Chargers are not a very good football team right now. This is a bad combination for a young running back to have success, especially in a fairly tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens

Colts WRs – This is going to be a rough game for Indianapolis, the Panthers defense has been on a tear lately, only bested by the Denver Broncos impenetrable wall of a defense. The Colts offensive line play, along with a possibly not fully-healthy Andrew Luck will lead to a tough matchup for this position group, and as good as TY Hilton is, Josh Norman has been lights out this year, so I wouldn’t look for much from him either.

Heath Miller – One of the least celebrated good tight-ends in the league, probably because he’s not normally a great contributor to the fantasy world, but if you’re streaming TEs. Miller is reliable. The matchup this week however, he’s been reliably mediocre, only scoring 4 touchdowns in 18 career games against the Bengals. Even with Big Ben coming back this week, I don’t like Miller’s odds to be a contributor this week.

The Risks

Matt Stafford – Stafford has looked great since his benching a few weeks ago, he’s averaged about 26 points a game over his last two, and the matchup looks good against the Kansas City Chiefs. Here are the issues: The Chiefs still boast a pass rush with Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, the Lions offensive line still isn’t great, and the game is in London for a 9:30am kickoff. Only strange things happen in that timeslot

Darren McFadden – McFadden appeared to take the lead in the “Dallas Starting Running Back Derby” (It’s not the Kentucky Derby, but outside of the Breeder’s Cup this weekend, what can even come close?) last week after his phenomenal performance. However, this is still Darren McFadden, he could stub his toe getting off the bus and be out for 6 weeks, or he could put up 180 yards and 2 touchdowns, you just never know with him. The matchup against the Seahawks doesn’t help either, as they seem to be getting their mojo back after slumping early in the season.

Randall Cobb – Cobb is the best receiver in the Packers offense, which is great if you were smart enough to draft him, the bad news is he plays against the Denver Bronco’s juggernaut of a defense. Jeremy Maclin, Steve Smith, Calvin Johnson, Amari Cooper, Stephon Diggs, and Travis Benjamin, the top receivers for each of Denver’s opponents this year, were held to a total of 33 catches for 398 yards and zero touchdowns. That’s an incredible level of defense that Cobb might fall victim to, however, Aaron Rodgers is still the quarterback, so there’s always a chance for a good game from Cobb.

Falcons D/ST – As improved as the Falcons defense has been this year, it still doesn’t produce a lot of sacks, they do tend to get turnovers, and with a rookie QB coming to town, the stars seem aligned for a great game for this defense to have a big day. However, Doug Martin is still in the backfield for the Bucs, and Atlanta has struggled against running backs this year (even though they have a highly rated run defense. The matchup looks good, but Doug Martin and Mike Evans could ruin an otherwise great day for this defense.

Bills at Jaguars (In London)

With the NFL doing another 9:30 AM kickoff (1PM for the locals in London), not to mention this being the first time an NFL game was only streamed online for audiences, there was a lot of innovation going into this game, even the Jaguars got in on the fun, scoring 2 defensive touchdowns en route to a thrilling 34-31 win. EJ Manuel once again started for the injured Tyrod Taylor, and things did not start well, having 3 turnovers in the second quarter, allowing the jags to open up a 27-3 lead, which was a 27-13 lead at the half. After no scoring in the third quarter, the Bills came back to score a field goal to start the fourth quarter, then the Bills came back and scored on a 58 yard touchdown pass from Manuel to Marcus Easley with 7:15 to go (and converted on the 2 point conversion). On the next drive for the Jags, there appeared to be a miscommunication between Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and receiver Allen Robinson, as the pass was sailed deep, intercepted, and returned for a touchdown to give the Buffalo Bills an improbable lead. How would Bortles respond to a backbreaking turnover? He led his team on a 2 and a half minute drive resulting in a beautiful 31 yard touchdown to Allen Hurns, giving the Jaguars a 34-31 lead with 2 minutes left. With 57 seconds left, Manual needed to convert on a 4^th and 2, so the Bills call… a rollout to the left? The pass fell incomplete, jaguars win in London.

Buccaneers at Redskins

Kirk Cousins did what? In the first half of this game, it looked like the Buccaneers would dominate, leading 24-7, including a defensive touchdown following a Cousins fumble. Jameis Winston looked great overall, completing 21 of 29 passed for 297 yards and a pair of touchdowns, 8 of those completions went to Mike Evans for 164 yards, including a touchdown. Kirk Cousins, however, would not be denied, as he scored on an 8 yard touchdown run in the second quarter, then went on to throw 3 touchdowns in the second half, 2 of those going to tight end Jordan Reed, the last of which gave the Redskins the lead with 28 seconds left.

Falcons at Titans

Talk about close calls, the Falcons won the game 10-7, but against a 1-5 team in the Titans, this game should never have been a contest for the now 6-1 Falcons. They got the win, but in a very sloppy day for the Atlanta offense, Matt Ryan, normally a top 5 or top 10 quarterback, looked decidedly average in throwing 2 interceptions (1 of which should very much be credited to the Titans defense though). Devonta Freeman and the defense saved the day though, as Freeman went over 100 yards, while the defense intercepted Zach Mettenberger 2 times, including the one that ended the game. Credit to the Titans for playing a tough game, however, the Falcons by no means played well, and could have easily lost this game if they faced a healthy Marcus Mariota.

Saints at Colts

Speaking of sloppy play, it’s time to talk about the Indianapolis Colts, who have found ways to lose, against New England with the fake punt…. Thing, then getting shut out in the first half against the New Orleans Saints. Yes, the Saints defense managed to shut out an offense featuring Andrew Luck, TY Hilton, Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, and Donte Moncrief for an entire half. Drew Brees looked good against a porous Colts defense that, in Bart Scott’s words “Can’t stop a nosebleed”. The Colts would make this a game late, scoring 21 points in the second half, but still fell at home 27-21

Vikings at Lions

Early on, it appeared as if the lightbulb had gone off for the Detroit Lions, as they led 14-3 after the first quarter, by halftime that lead had become only 17-15, and the Lions would go on to lose the game 28-19 as Minnesota’s Teddy Bridgewater completed 25 of 35 passes for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adrian Peterson seemed to struggle for most of the day, as he had a 75 yard run, which was great, but he only had 23 yards on his 18 other carries. The Lions seem to be finding some form of offense, as both Eric Ebron and Megatron had touchdowns, while both surpassing the 80 yard mark on 5 catches. The ugly part of the game for the lions was the fact that the Vikings sacked Matthew Stafford 7 times on the day.

Steelers at Chiefs

The Steelers really miss Ben Roethlisberger right now…. Like REALLY miss him, as Landry Jones started at quarterback for Pittsburgh. The Chiefs though, REALLY miss Jamaal Charles and Jeremy Maclin, but the Chiefs at least had Charcandrick West to pick up the slack, as he had over 100 yards on the ground. Le’Veon Bell played very well, having over 100 yards himself, but only on 17 carries. It was surprising to see Bell not get over 20 carries with Landry Jones at QB. The good news for the Steelers, they should get their star quarterback back next week, the bad news, they lost the game 23-13

Browns at Rams

Can anyone stop Todd Gurley right now? Seriously, this guy looks well worth the number 10 overall pick in the draft, as he gained 128 yards on 19 carries with his first 2 career touchdowns. I’m aware that this was against the Browns, but Gurley is running like a man possessed right now. As for the Browns, Josh McCown had only 6 incompletions on 32 attempts, which is great, but McCown also appeared to injure his arm on the day, and Johnny Manziel came in to finish the game. Rams would win 24-6 to move to 3-3 and within a game and a half of the Arizona Cardinals.

Texans at Dolphins

Dan Campbell seems to be a Dolphin whisperer, the last 2 weeks as head coach have seen his teams blow the doors off of the opposing teams before they knew what was happening. Ryan Tannehill set an NFL record for completions with 25 in a row (including last week) as he would finish 18 of 19 passing on the day for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns. Lamar Miller had 175 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. Miami fans, enjoy this one, this was your day…. Again. As the Dolphins had 4 touchdowns of over 50 yards in the first half. It looked like a game of Madden in the first half, if you put the computer player on rookie, and gave them the worst team (that might actually be Houston at this point. Texans fans…… It gets better, the draft is only a few months away

Jets at Patriots

The Jets always seem to play the Patriots tough, no matter the records, but on this occasion, 1^st place in the AFC East was on the line. The Jets came to play, and powered their way into the lead going into the 4^th quarter, however, the Pats responded by scoring 14 points in the final frame, to give them a 10 point lead with the Jets only responding with a field goal. The Jets drove down the field quickly, kicking another field goal to cut the lead to 7, went for the onside kick, got it thanks to Brandon Marshall, but after completing a pass over the middle, were unable to stop the clock before time expired, unable to get the Hail Mary pass off in time. Patriots win 30-23.

Raiders at Chargers

Derek Carr to Amari Cooper, that’s a call we will be hearing for a long time with the way these two are playing. I am dubbing them the “Bay Area Bros” right here, right now. Cooper had 133 yards and a touchdown on the day, one of 3 thrown by second year quarterback, Derek Carr. The Raiders dominated the Chargers early, taking a 30-6 lead into halftime, before scoring another touchdown in the 3^rd quarter to make it 37-6. Phillip Rivers and the Chargers would go on to make this look like a game late, scoring 23 unanswered points to cut the lead to 37-29, but this game was not anywhere near that close. Credit to the Chargers for continuing to fight, but this day belonged to the Raiders.

Cowboys at Giants

Talk about a revenge game. After the Giants blew a double digit lead in Dallas a few weeks ago, the Giants repaid the favor by beating Dallas at Met Life stadium by a score or 27-20. After the Cowboys tied the game late, former Cowboy Dwayne Harris returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to give the Giants the lead, and the Cowboys couldn’t mount another game-tying drive to keep pace. The Giants, in winning this game, put themselves in the driver’s seat in the NFC East (Not that it means much right now, with every team in striking distance of the 4-3 Giants). Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had 2 interceptions on the night, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

Eagles at Panthers

I could talk about how bad the Eagles looked for most of the night, but that wouldn’t do justice to how good the Panthers were on this night. Cam Newton looked like Superman…. In a mine of Kryptonite, wearing a kryptonite suit…. You get the idea. The defense and running game were able to pick up the slack for Cam, as Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis stopped the Eagles outside runs in their tracks, Josh Norman shut down his side of the field, and Kawaan Short held up the interior run game. Good news for the Eagles is that Byron Maxwell got an interception on the night, and looked good overall, however, seeing left tackle Jason Peters get carted off had to make for an uneasy feeling for Eagle fans.

How did we get here?

Kansas City Royals: The Royals powered their way through the AL Central this season, winning their division by 12 games, came back to beat the Astros in 5 games, after being down 2-1 in the series, and down 6-2 going into the 8^th inning of game 4, which could have won the series for Houston. Then came Toronto, a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, coming off a comeback of their own against the Texas Rangers, after being down 2-0, to get to the ALCS. The Royals would not be denied however, as they took the first two games of the series, only to watch the Blue Jays come back again to tie the series, it looked like Toronto was ready to surge into the 2015 Fall Classic, only to have their hopes crushed in the next two games, losing 14-2 in game 5, then the nail in the coffin with a 4-3 win in game 6.

New York Mets: How did the Mets get here? After starting the season 47-42, and trailing the nationals (48-39), the NL East seemed to be the Nationals to lose, and sure enough, they lost it. This was more of a case of the Mets taking it from them than the Nationals losing it, the New York Mets earned their way to the World Series, and they surged immensely in the second half, to the tune of a 43-30 record. After seeing large division leads disappear on them in the past, it was good to see them take the lead and hold it. As for their road in the playoffs, it was not easy by any stretch of the imagination, drawing the Dodgers in the first round, a team that seemed to have it all. None of that mattered when it came to crunch time, the Mets took game 1 on a stellar performance by Jacob DeGrom. Game 2 was a different story, as LA prevailed, but they awoke a sleeping giant on this night, when Chase Utley slid hard into second base, where he appeared to intentionally take out Ruben Tejada, breaking Tejada’s fibula in the process. The Mets have only lost 1 game since then: Game 4 of the NLDS. The Mets would go on to sweep the Cubs en route to an unlikely World Series berth.

Interesting stat of the series:

According to CBS, the odds of each team to win the World Series before the start of this season were the same for both teams: 28-1

Matchup to watch: The Mets power arms versus the Royals lineup

The Mets starters are a great group that any lineup could struggle with, however, let’s not forget that the Royals were 7^th in Major League Baseball with 724 runs this season, 3^rd in batting average (.269), and 11^th in on base percentage (.322), so this is a group that can definitely hit the ball. This is the matchup that will determine this series, the Mets will score a few runs, will the Royals be able to muster up enough offense to keep up?

Prediction

Back to the Future was so close to getting this right, but the Cubs didn’t quite make it, however, I will go with the NL team in the New York Mets to win this series because their pitching staff will prove to be too much for the Royals offense, especially when the series is in New York. The weak spot is in the relief pitching, but the Mets have enough quality starters to throw out there, and should get more than enough innings out of them to relieve any pressure on the rest of the staff. DeGrom, Harvey, Colon, and Syndergaard, this is one of the best groups of starters across the majors, and I think they get it done. Mets win the series in 6 games.

Ravens at Cardinals

To say it’s been a rough start for the Ravens (1-5) this season would be a massive understatement, in fact, this has been the worst start for the Ravens in franchise history, not only has the record been a disappointment, but the defense has been as well. Tonight they have a chance to show the NFL that they are still a tough team that cannot be counted out by anyone by beating the host Arizona Cardinals (4-2). The Cardinals have been one of the most dynamic and fun teams to watch this season, featuring Carson Palmer throwing to a rejuvenated Larry Fitzgerald, an emerging star in John Brown, and a now healthy Michael Floyd make this a very bad matchup for the Ravens struggling pass defense.

What’s at stake?

For the Ravens: Pride, and a chance to catch up to the Browns

That’s right, the Baltimore Ravens currently trail the Cleveland Browns in the AFC North, which says everything you need to know about their season thus far. If this team wants any chance to get back to .500 by seasons end, they need to start with a win tonight, this is a Ravens team that still has Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett and Steve Smith, but not much else on offense, which has been a huge part of the problem: the Ravens don’t score many points, and because of their defense, they give up a lot of points.

For the Cardinals: Distance from the rest of the NFC West

The Cardinals need to keep their distance from the Rams and the Seahawks, with those two teams appearing to emerge, the Cards need to win the games they should win (Which they failed to do against Pittsburgh last week), including this one. The matchup is primed for a big Cardinals win, but so was their matchup with the Steelers. The Seahawks have a chance to figure it out this year, the Cardinals need to be ahead in the case that they find their winning formula again.

Fantasy Stars to Watch

Carson Palmer: With a bad defense and a great group of wide receivers to throw to, the stars are aligned for a huge game from Palmer, but funny things happen in primetime games. I see Carson Palmer’s stats looking something like this: 23 of 36 passing for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception

Justin Forsett: The Cardinals give up a little over 100 yards per game rushing, and the Ravens will be looking to run the ball early and often to keep the ball out of Carson Palmer’s hands. I see a stat line like this for Forsett: 19 carries for 73 yards to go with 3 catches for 19 yards with a touchdown

Larry Fitzgerald: The ageless wonder finally has a quarterback for the first time since Kurt Warner retired, and his numbers have been great with Palmer under center. Look for Fitz to get something like this: 7 catches for 88 yards

Steve Smith: speaking of ageless wonders, here’s Steve Smith, who has always been a fighter and not one to be told what he can and can’t do (Just ask Aqib Talib on that one “Ice up son”), as for his stats, look for something along the lines of 8 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown

John Brown: Second year player from Pittsburgh state who has emerged as a playmaker for the Cardinals, he had 10 catches for 196 yards last week, a repeat performance is possible, but 6 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown seems more likely.

Prediction:

This game could get very ugly, very fast, as the matchup does not favor the Ravens in any way, shape or form. The Cardinals pass offense could prove to be too much for Baltimore to handle, as the home crown goes home happy: 35-21 Cardinals win

Redskins at Jets

Believe it or not, the Redskins led this game 13-10 going into halftime, before the Jets remembered they had a guy named Chris Ivory in the backfield who rumbled his way to a 146 yard day on 20 carries, with a touchdown, as the Jets won this game 34-20. The Redskins looked awful on offense in the second half, especially when Kirk Cousins was forced to throw into the buzz saw that is the Jet defense. The highlight for the Redskins came late in the first when Cousins completed a touchdown to Pierre Garcon with Darrelle Revis covering Garcon on the play. For the Jets, Ivory was terrific, Brandon Marshall was terrific, and Ryan Fitzpatrick limited his mistakes (While adding an 18 yard touchdown run in the 3^rd quarter). The same could not be said for anyone on the Redskins offense, the defense, however had one bright spot: cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who had a spectacular interception on the day, and looked like a building block for that defense.

Cardinals at Steelers

Here’s good news and bad news for both teams in this game. For the Cardinals, the good news is that Carson Palmer threw for 421 yards, and John Brown had 196 yards receiving on 10 catches, the bad news is that all of those yards resulted in a grand total of 13 points in a loss. For the steelers, the good news is that they won the game 25-13, Landry Jones came in and threw 2 touchdowns to Martavis Bryant (who had 6 catches for 137 yards) and Chris Boswell attempted 4 field goals, connecting on all 4. The bad news is that the Steelers had to settle for 4 field goal attempts, and it appears as if Landry Jones will get the start next week while Big Ben continues to recover from his ankle injury.

Chiefs at Vikings

The Vikings found a way to win this game 16-10, despite a 2 interception game from Teddy Bridgewater and only 60 yards rushing from Adrian Peterson, but playing against the Chiefs without Jamaal Charles certainly makes that possible. At one point in this game, the chiefs had 7 straight punts before getting a field goal with 13 minutes left in the 4^th quarter. The Chiefs defense has enough talent to keep them in games, however, that defense hasn’t played up to its potential, and the offense is sputtering at best right now. Now sitting at 1-5, do questions start about Andy Reid’s job security?

Bengals at Bills

With Tyrod Taylor out due to a knee injury, EJ Manuel got his opportunity to start for the Bills against the 5-0 Bengals. How did he do? He completed 66.7% of his passes for263 yards and a touchdown (also added a rushing touchdown) in a losing effort. LeSean McCoy returned to the lineup and added 90 yards on 17 carries in a good overall offensive performance by the Bills. As for the Bengals, their offense rolled, as Andy Dalton (potential MVP Candidate at this point in the season) threw for 3 touchdowns in a 34-21 win. The Bengals have an embarrassment of riches at the skill positions, and look like they’re among the best teams in the AFC.

Bears at Lions

Congratulations to the Lions for getting their first win of the season, even if it came on the heels of a controversial play on Golden Tate’s touchdown grab late in the second quarter. In this battle of coaches who both took a careful approach, especially in overtime, turned this entertaining battle of division rivals into a metaphoric “I can be more conservative than you” battle between Jim Caldwell and John Fox. Both Matt Stafford and Jay Cutler looked good in this game, each throwing for over 350 yards, and leading their teams to 34 points each within regulation, with the Lions coming out on top 37-34.

Broncos at Browns

This Denver defense is legit, could you imagine how good the Broncos would be if they had their 2013 offense right now? It’s amazing how a team can go from an all-time great offense to an all-time great defense in just a matter of 2 years (4 defensive touchdowns this year alone.). The Browns gave the Broncos everything they could handle, especially with the Cleveland defense matching Denver’s defensive touchdown. 60 minutes was not enough to decide this one, as the teams were locked at 23. All seemed lost for the Broncos when Peyton Manning threw the last of his 3 interceptions, however, the defense forced a 3 and out of Josh McCown and the Browns offense, allowing Manning a chance to redeem himself for the early mistakes, leading Denver on a 13 play drive to set up a Brandon McManus field goal.

Texans at Jaguars

Brian Hoyer and Blake Bortles each threw for 3 touchdowns in this game, it helps that Hoyer had DeAndre Hopkins and Arian Foster and Bortles had Julius Thomas on the field. Neither of these football teams are world beaters, but it’s an important divisional game that could determine tiebreakers in the case that the Colts forget how to play football (That may have already happened, but more on that later). The Jaguars offense has potential, as long as they can limit the turnovers going forward, as for the defense, they have a lot of work to do. The Texans remembered that they had playmakers in Foster and Hopkins, going to them early and often in the 31-20 win.

Ravens at 49ers

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, this would have been a primetime game, Harbaugh versus Harbaugh, 2 great defenses, a reliable veteran against an exciting playmaker at QB and so on. The stakes were much lower this time than the last time these two teams met in a meaningful game (2^nd win of the season versus a super bowl title previously). The Ravens defense is among the worst they’ve had in franchise history. How bad is it? Colin Kaepernick had 340 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. As for the Ravens, Joe Flacco had 343 yards of his own, but it wasn’t enough as the Ravens fell to 1-5 on the season, losing 25-20.

Patriots at Colts

Chuck Pagano, what are you even doing? Did you attempt to trick Bill Belichick? Al Michaels said it best “What in the world?” Why all the criticism? If you haven’t seen the fake punt the Colts attended, look up the highlights for this game and please leave a comment if you think you can figure out the logic behind the playcall. The Colts ended up losing the game, however, it was only by a touchdown this time around, 34-27 to be exact, unlike the previous few meetings, which were…. Ugly to say the least. I give the Colts a lot of credit for fighting hard and giving the Patriots everything they could handle, despite the fake punt. The Patriots are still the Patriots though, and seem to be rolling through the early part of their schedule, but with the Jets upcoming, we’ll get to see a real fight for supremacy in the AFC East.

Giants at Eagles

There was a terrific highlight in this game that I encourage everyone reading this blog to watch, because it was that good. It occurred just after the second quarter ended and….. wait, that was just the new Star Wars trailer being aired for the first time. Seriously folks, that was the highlight of this game, which turned out to be an ugly affair of 2 mediocre NFC East teams fighting it out for first place in a division where Kirk Cousins and Brandon Weeden have taken meaningful snaps this season. As for the game, the story was the Eagles defense swarming and overwhelming the Giants offense, as for the Giants, they had a fullback in at defensive end to rush the passer, and was the best pass rusher on the field for the G-men. The worse news for the Giants is that they looked great in the early goings, Eli Manning started 10-10 and was well on his way to leading the Giants to a 14-0 lead, until DeMeco Ryans stole the ball from Larry Donnell’s hands for an interception. The Eagles took over from there, scoring the rest of the game’s points, winning 27-7. One thing to note: DeMarco Murray ran for over 100 yards, the first time he’s done that as an Eagle.