By: ZACHARY JONES / STAFF REPORTER
Amazon Thursday Night Football
This Thursday Night on Amazon was another snooze fest as the Washington Commanders beat the Chicago Bears 12-7.
In terms of offense it was a poor game, but the Bears offense did look fluid on their final drive where they fell a yard short of the victory.
It appears as though Brian Robinson Jr. has already taken over the backfield 2 weeks after coming back from being shot twice. Turnovers changed the game as the Commanders won that battle 2-0 and ultimately won the game. Both teams are 2-4 and should be expected to miss the playoffs at this point.
Early Window
The Atlanta Falcons defeated the San Francisco 49ers 28-14.
Atlanta’s defense looked great, generating multiple turnovers including another solid game from the defensive line. Marcus Mariota further proves himself with a near perfect 3 touchdown game, while the 49er’s quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, struggled with multiple turnovers and found himself on his backfoot more than he’d like.
The run game for San Francisco was completely shut down and Atlanta simply couldn’t make mistakes. Both teams are 3-3 and tied for first in their respective divisions.
The New England Patriots dominated in their 23-point victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Rookie Bailey Zappe continued his solid start with a second consecutive win in a game that demanded high attempt totals from him. Young guns Rhamondre Stevenson and Tyquan Thornton scored 4 of the 5 touchdowns for the offense while both are in their first 2 years in the league.
The Browns struggled, as you would expect in a game where Jacoby Brissett had to throw 45 times, two of which were intercepted. Ultimately Cleveland is bound to lose if the run game doesn’t get going, and that was proven in this game.
Cleveland is now 2-4 and New England is 3-3. Both of these teams will probably miss the playoffs, but they both could benefit from the return of their starting quarterbacks.
The New York Jets beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in one of the most exciting games of the week.
It is heavily expressed that the rookies for the Jets are game changers. For the second week in a row Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall have been outstanding and perhaps the best players on their side of the ball. Hall topped 100 yards rushing and found the endzone once in the blowout win, while Sauce looked elite in coverage, gaining praise from multiple legends for his efforts on defense.
The Packers are a concerning team, especially due to the poor start from a young receiving core. Rodgers looked frustrated and it shows, especially with the pressure he faced in this game from Quinnen Williams and company.
The Jets are a surprising 4-2 and the Packers are 3-3, and each could make the playoffs with the extended format.
The Jacksonville Jaguars lost by a touchdown to the Indianapolis Colts in a divisional matchup this week.
Colts quarterback Matt Ryan threw the ball 58 times without Jonathan Taylor in the lineup again this week. Deon Jackson stepped up big in place of the injured Colts running backs with over 100 yards from scrimmage as well as a touchdown.
On the other side, Travis Etienne Jr. continues to take over the Jacksonville backfield as he out rushed James Robinson again. Christian Kirk continues to struggle to demand targets, and the Jacksonville defense looked completely different than they did earlier this year.
The Colts are now above the Jaguars in AFC South and the Jaguars find themselves on a 3 game losing streak following a solid 2-1 start.
The Minnesota Vikings continue to leave winning games in the air with another one-score victory over the Miami Dolphins, this being their fourth consecutive game of that nature.
The Vikings stars looked solid in this game, but the offense was still absurdly stagnant against a formidable Miami Dolphins defense.
The Dolphins offense continues to miss Tua Tagovailoa in a game where Teddy Bridgewater turned the ball over multiple times. Regardless of the quarterback, it is obvious that Tyreek Hill is an elite receiver and will have elite production.
The Vikings are an NFC North leading 5-1 and the Dolphins are now tied with the Patriots for last in the AFC East.
Andy Dalton finally lost to the Cincinnati Bengals as his New Orleans Saints lost by 4.
Joe Burrow continues a successful stretch with a 4 touchdown 0 turnover game. JaMarr Chase had a big game against a New Orleans secondary that has struggled this year, while Joe Mixon played solid against a good run defense.
Saints Alvin Kamara continues to be the bright spot of the team's offense when healthy, adding another game with over 100 yards from scrimmage. Unfortunately, the New Orleans passing offense didn’t have a great game with their three starting receivers out of the game with injury.
The Bengals are now tied for the top of their division, and the Saints are a game behind for theirs.
The New York Giants find themselves at an unprecedented 5-1 after a victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is looking more like the 6th overall pick he was intended to be with a 2 touchdown game where he lacked weapons. The highlight of this victory came on the other side of the ball, as rookie Kayvon Thibadeux had an amazing outing that included the game sealing strip sack on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson, much like Daniel Jones, lacks weapons and it shows. Mark Andrews has been the only consistent piece for Jackson to throw to for the season. One player who stepped up well was running back Kenyan Drake who had over 100 yards on only 10 carries as well as a touchdown.
The Ravens still lead their division at 3-3, but there is room for concern with the Cincinnati Bengals beginning to get hot. The Giants are still not first in the NFC East, but are playing amazing and could definitely find themselves in the playoffs if they continue their efforts.
Frustration is growing in Tampa after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-18.
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady found himself talking to his offensive line often after the poor start to the season for the line. Brady continues to throw the ball in high volumes, pitching it 40 times in the loss.
Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris continues his struggles averaging only 3 yards per carry in the win for the Steelers, but he did find himself in the endzone on a dump off from rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. Pickett soon left the game with a potential concussion, to be replaced by Mitchell Trubisky who went on to further the lead with a fourth quarter touchdown.
The Buccaneers still lead the NFC South at 3-3, while the Steelers are still at the bottom of the AFC North at 2-4.
Afternoon Window
As sloppy as the game may have been, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Carolina Panthers by 2 scores in Carolina’s interim coach Steve Wilks first game in the position.
Surprisingly, the headline of this game didn't involve playing football, instead it involved leaving the game, as Carolina receiver Robbie Anderson left in the middle of the game after disputes with multiple coaches. Since, Anderson has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals for low draft picks.
The Rams also have had players find disputes with coaching decisions as running back Cam Akers requested a trade this week. The Rams played good enough in this game and seemingly got more players involved in this victory than there have been in games prior.
The Panthers defense looked solid, scoring more points than the offense due to a Donte Jackson pick six. The Panthers should have better games ahead of them with the return of starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, but will still likely fail to make the playoffs.
The Rams are now 3-3 at a tie for their division while the Panthers are at the bottom of the NFC South at 1-5.
The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 19-9 in the low scoring division matchup. Both defenses showed out this game, getting 6 sacks a piece, with the Seahawks defense adding an interception as well.
Seahawks rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen looked great once again, getting the lone interception of the game and recovering a fumble as well. His size paired with his raw athleticism has helped him to continue his amazing start to his first year in the NFL. Kenneth Walker III played well again and showed why he was a Doak Walker winner.
Kyler Murray hit 100 yards rushing, but ultimately couldn’t find the endzone in the loss. The Seahawks are in a 3 way tie in the NFC West, with the Cardinals only being only a game behind.
The Buffalo Bills defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a close 24-20 game that didn’t live up to the thriller it was supposed to be
Josh Allen was still electric despite the lower score. He tallied three touchdowns to three different receivers as well as 350 total yards.
Patrick Mahomes found success from his receivers, but ultimately his two turnovers were too much to overcome for the Chiefs in this game.
Both teams lead their divisions and should be playoff locks, look to see a repeat of this matchup in the playoffs.
America’s Team on Sunday Night
The Dallas Cowboys faced off against an undefeated division rival Philadelphia Eagles team in a 26-17 loss.
Cooper Rush and the Cowboys finally come back down to Earth after a four game win streak. Rush turned the ball over three times in the loss, leaving many Dallas fans happy for the soon returning starter, Dak Prescott.
Jalen Hurts on the other hand continues his solid play with a multiple touchdown, 0 turnover game. Truly though, this game was dictated by the elite play of the Philadelphia defense who forced Cooper Rush to make bad decisions all night.
The Eagles lead the NFC East as the only undefeated team in the NFL and the Cowboys are 3rd due to how stacked their division seems to be this year.
Monday Night Football
The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos 19-16, even with a 57 pass 0 touchdown game from Justin Herbert.
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was more disappointing than Herbert in this game, as he had 15 passing yards in the 2nd half and overtime. The Denver defense looked great in this game, and second year corner Patrick Surtain II had his second game of the year where he did not allow a single catch over the course of the entire game.
The Chargers defense played well, but issues were noticed regardless, with offseason signing JC Jackson letting up multiple big plays including the only Broncos touchdown of the game.
The Broncos lost this game due to special teams miscues with two muffed punts from return man Montrell Washington. The second of which, while it may not have been his fault, led to the game winning Chargers drive.
The division stacks out well with the Chargers tied for first at 4-2 and the Broncos in third now at 2-4.
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