Sleepless in Seattle, relief in LA, angst in Great Britain, TB is still great, and how about those Bills?
We need to apologize to the United Kingdom. For some reason, the NFL loves sending nasty football games to London. There has to be a better way to grow the game. Nobody in America was excited for Falcons-Jets, so why are we exporting that NFL product? But hey, it’s a pattern. The NFL is sending the Jags-Dolphins there in a couple of weeks.
Zach Wilson is chasing down Peyton Manning’s record. Zach Wilson is off to a record pace–unlike anything we have seen since Peyton Manning’s rookie year in 1998. With nine interceptions so far, Wilson is on pace to break (with 30) Manning’s record of 28 INTs for a rookie. I just can’t get a read on Wilson. One week he looks like a franchise QB, and the next, he seems like a Jets QB.
Something’s gotta give in Seattle. Something is coming with an unhappy QB, an aging coach, and their Super Bowl window slamming shut. Although Seattle sits at 2-3, they’re arguably the least put-together team in the division. The 12-win team from ’20 hasn’t shown up this year. Seattle wants to be in the championship conversation, but this team is nowhere near the Rams and Cardinals at this point, and the 49ers have a strong core and a 1-2 punch at QB. Where is Seattle? Do they move on from Wilson? Let Pete Carroll go? Both? Something else? My gut says something will happen soon.
Falcons’ Kyle Pitts is the future at the TE position. Gronk, Kittle, and Kelce have established the profile of today’s tight end. But I think Kyle Pitts is in a position to carry the torch from here. Watching him play is just so much fun. He is a matchup nightmare, and it feels like he’s involved in every play, the type of player you can build a franchise around, I’m excited to see how Pitts develops. (It’s a reason–the only reason–for me to watch Atlanta play.)
Week 5 Power Rankings
Bills: What a game to cap off a long Sunday! A weather delay didn’t slow the Bills down one bit. Josh Allen played great in passing and rushing, and the defense caused Mahomes all kinds of problems. The win puts the Bills in the driver’s seat in the AFC–both for home-field advantage in the playoffs and a potential Super Bowl berth. KC? Now at the bottom of the AFC West (ouch!), the Chiefs have three games to get things together–at WFT then Nashville, and home for the Giants–before going up against the Packers at Arrowhead on November 7.
Chargers: It was a shootout and a game to remember–Herbert and Baker went back and forth, blow for blow, and the Browns-Charges game wasn’t decided until the last minute. Austin Eckler’s three fourth-quarter TDs touchdowns gave LAC what it needed to cross the finish line. Luck, too, played a part. The Chargers were on the gift side of a wild PI call that put them in a position to win.
Steelers: Pittsburgh needed a bounce-back win in the worst way against the Broncos, and it got just that. Big Ben had time in the pocket (his OL met the challenge), Chase Claypool was all over the field, and the running game finally … ran (Najee Harris rushed for 122 yards). Was this the precursor of good things to come? Truth will be told soon. Seattle is in town next, followed by an important matchup with the Browns.
Bears: The defense came to play on Sunday, giving up just one late touchdown to get a road win against a Raiders team that (at this point in the season) is tough to future out. Justin Fields kept Bears fans on the edge of their seats, and he did enough to show ‘he’s the guy” in Chicago. Now the big question is: Where do the Bears go from here? Well, pay attention to the next two weeks. The Packers come calling next week, and then there’s a trip to TB to play TB.
Mount Rushmore Worthy Performances
Tom Brady: 411 yards, 5 TDs. Brady came out firing and quickly put the concern of ‘a letdown game’ to rest. Last week’s emotional win wasn’t a hindrance this week.
Justin Herbert: 398 passing yards, four passing TD, one rushing TD. Incredible. Herbert showed that he can end up on top in a shootout, and he did it against gunslinger Baker Mayfield. Let’s stop talking about whether Herbert is the real deal. He is.
Mike Williams: 8 receptions, 165 yards, two TDs. Williams was Herbert’s favorite target on Sunday, especially when it counted. But he also got away with the biggest robbery of the week, mauling the Browns’ cornerback and still getting a flag in his favor. But that’s part of the game, isn’t it? You do what you have to do, and Williams did. Chargers got the W.
Davante Adams: 11 receptions, 206 yards, one TD. Adams torched the Bengals all game long, making play after play and coming through at the end of the game. Anytime Rodgers is in trouble it seems he’s able to find Adams open for a smooth 30-yard pickup.
