Sunday was a great day to be young. From Todd Gurley to Steffon Diggs, the young guys put together one hell of a highlight reel Sunday. Though, if there was one constant, it’s that experience wins games in the NFL. Now onto to your week 7 recap.
Buffalo Bills – 31, Jacksonville Jaguars – 34
It might be time to reconsider the Bills defense as one of the best in the league. Since shutting down Andrew Luck in week 1, the Bills have allowed opposing QBs to post 55.3 QBR on this “elite” defense. That ranks 16th in the league. In other words, their defense has been average. Getting throttled by Blake Bortles and T.J. Yeldon sure didn’t help things either.
New York Jets – 23, New England Patriots – 30
Unstoppable might be one word to describe the Patriots right now. Tom Brady is in the midst of an MVP caliber season, Gronk is already in the discussion of greatest tight end ever, and the defense has been surprisingly good this season. The Jets came into this game with the #1 ranked defense, and the Patriots still managed to drop 30 on them. Incredible.
As for the Jets, they went toe to toe with the best, and stayed with them to the end. Nothing to be ashamed of there.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 30, Washington Redskins – 31
Youngsters ruled this game. Doug Martin hadn’t looked that good since his rookie season, running for 136 yards. Mike Evans and Jameis Winston finally look like the formidable duo we all thought they could be. Unfortunately for those guys, it was Kirk Cousins who was the star of the game, leading the Redskins down the field for the win. Yes Kirk, we liked that.
Atlanta Falcons – 10, Tennessee Titans – 7
And the award for worst game of the week goes to Atlanta at Tennessee. The game was boring and was filled with poor performances. With Marcus Mariota out, Zack Mettenberger got the start, and it was all downhill from there. Not a total surprise that the backup QB didn’t play well. What was a bit of a surprise was had bad Matt Ryan played. What happened to you Matty Ice? If the Falcons expect to make noise in the playoffs, Matt Ryan HAS to play better. However, there is a bright side for the Falcons. Devonta Freeman continued his tear through the NFL, rushing for 116 yards.
New Orleans Saints – 27, Indianapolis Colts – 21
Speaking of QBs regressing, what happened to Andrew Luck? Luck was getting MVP consideration before the season, and now he looks so average. The Colts poor play isn’t all on Luck, but his play sure hasn’t helped. Drew Brees has also had a pretty dreadful season, but he was good enough for the win in this matchup. Actually, let me correct myself. Drew Brees wouldn’t have been good enough for the win if Mark Ingram wasn’t there. When you average over 10 yards a carry, you’re doing something more than just right. Dance away Mark.
Minnesota Vikings – 28, Detroit Lions – 19
Welcome to the Steffon Diggs era.
Pittsburgh Steelers – 13, Kansas City Chiefs – 23
Guess last week was a one time thing, because Landry Jones is no Big Ben. Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown played well, but the poor performance from Jones did them in. As for the Chiefs, Alex Smith did his usual quality game manager role as Jamaal Charles 2.0, aka Charcandrick West, ran up and down on the Steeler defense.
Cleveland Browns – 6, St. Louis Rams – 24
Gary Barnidge continued go as his alter ego, Gary Barnkowski, but his teammates couldn’t match his play. Actually, they didn’t come close to matching his play. The Browns went full Browns, and you should never go full Browns. The Rams defense suffocated the Browns offense, causing multiple turnovers, and added a touchdown to the cause. Oh, and Todd Gurley continued to do Todd Gurley things.
Houston Texans – 26, Miami Dolphins – 44
Dan Campbell may be a wizard because magic is the only way I can explain this Dolphins turnaround. Lamar Miller was so good he didn’t just bust through the door, he took TNT to the door and strolled through the flames as doves flew behind him like it was the set of a John Woo movie. Not to be outdone, Ryan Tannehill was nearly flawless in his performance, throwing just one incompletion and 4TDs. All that said, Dan Campbell, you da real MVP.
Side note: Get well soon Arian Foster.
Oakland Raiders – 37, San Diego Chargers – 29
This is a tale of two halves. In the first half of our tale, we follow Derek Carr and Amari Cooper of House Raider, who led their fellow teammates to a 30-6 halftime lead. The second half of our tale started slow, but Phillip Rivers of House Charger gave us a climatic ending. However, House Charger couldn’t quite pull off a legendary comeback, as House Raider won the battle.
Dallas Cowboys – 20, New York Giants – 27
Some of the thoughts I had throughout the game:
- Oh god, Matt Cassel is starting.
- Welcome back to relevancy Darren McFadden!
- Matt Cassel threw a touchdown, and it was to his own team this time!
- Never too early to start celebrating DRC.
- Forever stay classy, Greg Hardy
Philadelphia Eagles – 16, Carolina Panthers – 27
The Panthers are the kind of team that if someone has a bad day the rest of the team is able to pick up the slack. The Eagles are the kind of team that makes you feel sad because you mistakenly bought into Chip Kelly.
BONUS ROUND
MNF Record: 3-2
Baltimore Ravens – 17, Arizona Cardinals – 23
This is just not the Ravens season. Over and over again, the Ravens lose close games. Whether it be coaching, a weaker than normal defense, or just bad luck, I have a hard time seeing them pull it off against the Cardinals.
Come back next week for the Week 8 recap.
