Best:
Baltimore Ravens
This game was a statement game. It made a statement for two reasons. One the New England Patriots are human. And two the Baltimore Ravens are stepping up to becoming one of the elite teams and a threat in the AFC. Baltimore dominated the game, to the tune of a 37-20 win over the defending champions. And Baltimore had found a way to make the Patriots defense look normal, for starters by finding holes to be able to run through and rack up over 200 rush yards on the day. Lamar Jackson, by hanging onto the ball a little longer, was able to extend plays and make New England scramble. And its not just the offense, the Baltimore defense got New England out of its rhythm. The pass rush smothered Brady and the secondary jammed Pats receivers. Now if Baltimore can build off this performance next week, then they have truly turned the corner to becoming one of the elite teams in this league.
Worst:
New York Jets
To say that this game on Sunday was embarrassing would be a mild understatement. You can't even beat the Dolphins, a team that looked like a pushover most of the year. Miami walked away with a 26-18 win, its first on the season. Sure, there area few injuries that the Jets have had to deal with, but that's no excuse for Sam Darnold's poor performance. He's taken more than a few steps backwards this year and looks like a shell of the QB awe saw last season, It's not just him, it falls on the coaches too. Adam Gase has been horrible at trying to game plan and his line can't give Sam any time to really be able to make a play. This team is just a mess, something that doesn't look like its going to get cleaned up anytime soon.
Best:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
There's been quite a few times this season where Wilson has been making a claim for MVP this year, and this week's performance only added to it. Seattle had a big week, walking away with a 40-34 win over Tampa Bay and Wilson's performance was a huge reason why the Seahawks got the win. He went 29 of 43 for 378 yards and another eye popping five touchdowns. To make this more impressive, Wilson has 20 touchdowns and only one pick on the year, becoming the 2nd player since 1950 to do that through the first nine games of the season. The other? Drew Brees last year. What Wilson has been able to do this year is elevate the rest of his teammates to be able to play at his level. Seattle is playing great football and he is a big reason why.
Worst:
Adam Vinatieri, Kicker Indianapolis Colts
It feels weird saying this but, one of the more reliable kickers in league history has started to fault. He had an off week two weeks ago but managed to turn it around and kick a game winner last week. Then this week, he goes back to what we saw three weeks ago. The Steelers won 26-24 over the Colts and it was thanks to a really bad miss from Vinatieri. He pushed a 43 yard attempt so far to the left it wasn't and still isn't, fathomable that a guy who's been as good as he has, for as long as he has, was missing kicks like that.
Best:
Christian McCaffery, Running Back Carolina Panthers
We made the argument earlier for Russell Wilson being the MVP, well you can also put this guy in that argument as well. Carolina came away with a 30-20 win over Tennessee and McCaffery was a big reason for that. He finished the day with 24 carries for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. What really stood out on this day was the 58 yard touchdown run late in the game that helped salt away the win for the Panthers. There was some question as to whether or not the Panthers would fade this year when Cam newton got hurt, but McCaffery has been a beast and has carried the Panthers, keeping them in the hunt in a tough NFC. If Carolina wants to stand any chance, they need to keep their star back healthy and on the field.
Worst:
Gardner Minshew, Quarterback Jacksonville Jaguars
When Nick Foles went down with injury, Jacksonville had no choice but to go with a sixth round rookie pick in order to field a starting QB. For a while it worked. But then again, there are times when he reminds everybody that he was a sixth round pick. Look at Sunday, as Houston pounded Jacksonville 26-3. In this game, Minshew went 27 for 47 for 309 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also lost two fumbles and despite the 309 yards, didn’t make any meaningful plays. There are times when Minshew has looked great and should be the guy to take the team the rest of the way. And at the same time, he's had performances that make you think it might not be such a bad idea to go back to Nick Foles when he comes back from injury.
Best:
Andy Reid Head Coach Kansas City Chiefs
He's looking like a genius after the Kansas City 26-23 win over Minnesota on Sunday. With Patrick Mahomes out hurt, KC has gone to Matt More under center. He was pretty efficient on Sunday completing 25 of 35 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. Reid had his team not only ready, but made the adjustments needed to get the Chiefs in a position to win without their MVP level QB.
Worst:
Matt Nagy, Head Coach Chicago Bears
At what point do you consider throwing the towel in with Nagy in Chicago? He had no confidence , or answers for that matter, for the Bears in their 22-14 loss to the Eagles. Chicago was held to just nine total yards of offense in the first half. NINE. That's going Jets, Bengals and redskins level bad. Other teams have managed to make it without their number one quarterback, but Chicago hasn't been able to do it. Nagy was coach of the year with the Bears last year, but this year its slipping, and slipping fast
No comments:
Post a Comment