Best:
Matt Ryan, Quarterback Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta put a beating on Carolina on Sunday, walking away with a 48-33 victory. Ryan went off the charts, going 28 of 37 for 503 yards, throwing four touchdowns and one pick. It was the first time ever that Ryan had thrown for that many yards in a game. Ryan threw for 182 more yards then any other quarterback in the league this week, which is really an eye popping number when you look at it. Atlanta has the most productive offense in the NFL through the first quarter of the season so far, Matt Ryan and his favorite target Julio Jones are a huge reason for that.
Worst:
Jamies Winston, Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Talk about an up and down performer. This week was a bad game for Winston. He went 17 of 35 for 179 yards. He was picked twice and sacked five times. I know your going up against the best defense in the league in Denver and you get spanked 27-7 but still. And this was coming one week after he threw for over 400 yards passing (granted in a losing effort as well) but still. You'd like to think that Winston would be able to build off of that performance. Part of the fault has to go to Dirk Kotter the Bucs head coach. He left Winston in the game too long. By the end of the game, Denver already had a commanding lead. Winston was just getting beat up at that point, so leaving him in the game wasn't a good thing for Jamies both mentally or physically.
Best:
Julio Jones, Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons
You want to talk about a guy who was in a groove, look no further than Julio Jones on Sunday. Not only did Atlanta beat up on Carolina in a 48-33 win, Julio Jones was FEELING IT! He was Matt Ryan's favorite target on Sunday, finishing the day with 12 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown. Yes, you did read that number correctly, Julio Jones had 300 yards receiving in a single game. Jones became just the 6th player in league history to have 300 receiving yards in a single game. He joins Flipper Anderson (336 yards vs New Orleans, 1989), Calvin Johnson (329 yards vs. Dallas 2013), Stephone Paige (309 yards vs. San Diego, 1985), Jim Benton (303 yards vs. Detroit, 1945), and Cloyce Box (302 yards vs. Baltimore, 1950) to do that. He and Matt Ryan became the first QB-WR combo to have 500+ passing yards and 300+ receiving yards in the same game. Impressive day for Atlanta on Sunday.
Worst:
Carolina Panthers Defense
Its no secret that Carolina was supposed to have one of the top defenses in the entire league. Well it didn't look like that Sunday. We already touched on what Matt Ryan and Julio Jones did to the Panthers defense. But wait there's more. In total, Atlanta gained 571 yards, averaging 8.8 yards per play and converted eight third downs. Oh yeah, Atlanta also marched down the field for scoring drives of 92, 98 and 99 yards. The stunning defensive collapse has left the defending NFC champions with a 1-3 record to start 2016. Things really aren't looking good for the Panthers right now, they need to get there act together.
Best:
Le'Veon Bell, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
He's Back! The best running back in the league returned with a force on Sunday. In his first game back from his three game suspension, Bell had the best numbers of any back in the league Sunday. Bell had 18 carries for 144 yards in his return against Kansas City, helping lead Pittsburgh to a convincing 43-14 win over the Chiefs. Oh yeah, he also had five catches for 34 yards, which proves how much of a double threat the guy is. He's the best in the game for a reason, there are few defenders in the league who can knock him off his feet when he's rolling. His first game back really showed that nothings changed from last season. Bell is a beast in the Pittsburgh backfield and now that he, Antonio Brown and Ben Rothlesberger are all healthy and on the field and same page at the same time, the Steelers are going to be a very tough team to beat.
Worst:
San Diego Chargers
This comes as a bit of a surprise. Think about what happened Sunday between the Chargers and Saints. The Chargers had full control of the game, leading by the score of 34-21 with less than seven minutes left on the clock. Most football fans would think that with less then seven minutes left and your team up by two scores, you should be getting set for a victory party in the parking lot after the game right? Right? Not in this case for San Diego. Melvin Gordon fumbled the ball away, giving the Saints a chance to pull to within one score, which they did. On San Diego's next possession, it was Travis Benjamin’s turn to develop a case of late-game butterfingers, coughing the ball up leading to a New Orleans go ahead score. Philip Rivers had a golden chance to play hero and send everybody home happy with a comeback. On cue, he threw an interception on San Diego’s final offensive possession, throwing away any hope the Chargers had of winning in the process.
Best:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
There had been some questions as to the health of Russell Wilson and his leg going into Sunday's matchup with the Jets. Well, he quickly put those worries to rest.Russell went 22 of 32 for 309 yards, good for three touchdowns and no picks. The only dent on his day was that he was sacked twice, but that fact can be overlooked with how well Russell played. He and Jimmy Graham had some great chemistry, and the one thing that really stuck out to me was how easy Russell made it look. Christine Michael was left wide open in the middle of the field to catch his first NFL touchdown. The score was a nice way, for Seattle anyway, to cap a four-play, 61-yard drive that gave the Seahawks a 24–10 lead. Russell seems to play pretty well when his a little banged up I think.
Worst:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Quarterback New York Jets
I feel like a bit of a broken record with this one, at least the last couple of weeks I have. Not only did Fitz throw six picks against KC two weeks ago, he added three more this week against the Seahwaks. Oh yeah, all three picks came in the 2nd half of the game, and all three picks lead to ten points for Seattle. Which, just in case anybody forgot, was the difference in the ballgame as Seattle walked away with a 27-17 win. Fitz has ten picks on the year, a scary number. To make that number even worse, Fitz has thrown for only four touchdowns this season. Ouch. I know Jets head coach Todd Bowles showed confidence still in his starting quarterback, but it really does leave one to wonder. If Fitz keeps struggling like this, how short a leash does he have before he gets yanked in favor of either Geno Smith of Bryce Petty? As much as I like Fitzpatrick, he really needs to get his game back on track.
Best:
Michael Crabtree, Wide Receiver Oakland Raiders
Don't knock the guy, Crabtree still has something left in the tank to be a good receiver in the NFL. He had seven catches for 88 yards in the Raiders 28-27 win over the Ravens. Three of Crabtree’s seven catches produced touchdowns, including a pair of scores in the fourth quarter. Crabtree’s touchdown receptions just kept getting better. After hauling in a short fade from Derek Carr in the first quarter, Crabtree snagged a second score in traffic on third down and then beat the Ravens by making an over-the-shoulder catch and getting two feet in the end zone with 2:13 left in the contest. Through four games, Crabtree has four touchdowns and two game-winning plays (including the two-point conversion to win in Week 1). Yeah, the guy can still produce in the National Football League.
Worst:
Matthew Stafford, Quarterback Detroit Lions
Just by looking at the two teams on paper, you'd like to think the Detroit Lions would be better then the Chicago Bears. Right? Well, as the old saying goes, that's why they play the game. Chicago pulled out a 17-14 win over the Lions, thanks to a little ineptitude from the Lions QB, Matthew Stafford. Stafford threw two key interceptions, both of which likely cost his team points in a game that was won by three points. Both occurred right outside the red zone, meaning the Lions were denied two chances to at least attempt field goals. The first interception was likely the fault of receiver Golden Tate, who ran the wrong route and Jacoby Glenn pounced on the pass for an interception right before the half. The second was thrown into traffic and intercepted by Deiondre’ Hall. He was trying to get the ball to tight end Eric Ebron, but the throw was well off target. As much as I like Matthew Stafford, playing poorly on the road is an unfortunate Stafford trademark. He finished with 213 yards on 23-of-36 passing with no touchdowns and the two costly interceptions.
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