Thursday Night Football:
Raiders 31 Chiefs 30
In this much anticipated battle between division rivals, the game was decided on the final possession. On an untimed down, Derek Carr threw the game winning TD to Michael Crabtree to lift the Raiders to victory, by one point. The real highlight of the game was the resurgence of WR Amari Cooper, who caught 11 passes for 210yds and 2TDs. This season has been a down year to say the least for him, but if this is a sign for things to come, all future opponents of the Raiders beware.
Sunday:
Vikings 24 Ravens 16
The Vikings, who still have Sam Bradford out with injury, where able to get a narrow victory on a Baltimore Ravens team, that didn’t seem to have the ability to move the ball on offense. K Justin Tucker’s 57 yd field goal was probably the only true highlight on offense for the Ravens, which in itself is pretty impressive. The Minnesota defense and home crowd, fueled this victory, as they now improve to 5-2.
Saints 26 Packers 17
The hype was around backup QB Brett Hundley, who was making his first career start for the Green Bay Packers, after the injury to Aaron Rodgers. He didn’t live up to it as he had a 87yd, 1 rushing TD, and 1 INT stat line. Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense was easily able to put up points against this tired Packers defense en route to another victory.
Dolphins 31 Jets 28
After this game, it’s safe to say Matt Moore is a better QB (as of now) than Jay Cutler. He brought much needed life and energy to a Miami team that looked lost. Moore carried the Dolphins to a comeback win against their division rivals, posing a 188yd, 2TD, INT performance in the second half only! Let’s hope that with Moore looking like the starter for the next few weeks (while Cutler is dealing with a rib injury), that they continue their winning ways.
Bears 17 Panthers 3
In the surprise win of the week, the Chicago Bears held the usually high scoring Carolina Panthers offense to 3 points en route to their 3rd victory on the year. Rookie Eddie Jackson broke an NFL record, as he was the first player ever with two defensive touchdowns of at least 75 yards in one game. The former NFL MVP, Cam Newton, didn’t have the best of games, for the Panthers, as he threw for 211yds and 2 picks. Chicago is looking like a much improved team than last year and games like this prove it.
Rams 33 Cardinals 0
This result just added fuel to the bandwagon heading the way of the reborn L.A. Rams. Their offense under Sean McVay, has been dominant in all aspects. QB Jared Goff is living up to expectations and RB Todd Gurley is playing his best as well. The always reliable Rams defense held the Arizona Cardinals scoreless and without much hope in moving the ball on offense. RB Adrian Peterson zoomed back to reality, after an incredible debut for Arizona, as he only had 21 rush yards the entire game. If things didn’t seem to be bad already for the Cards, they got much worse, as QB Carson Palmer broke his arm and is looking to be out, possibly for the rest of the season. Let’s see where Arizona goes from here and if the Rams continue to be a legitimate playoff contender for the rest of the year.
Bills 30 Buccaneers 27
The Bills got the better of the Bucs in this back and forth contest. RB LeSean McCoy ran for 91yds and 2 TDs, as the Buffalo offense was able to put points on the board. Their dominant and mostly newly acquired secondary also played extremely well. The Bills are looking to break their long playoff drought this year, and if they keep playing like this they will.
Jaguars 27 Colts 0
The dominant Jacksonville defensive front 7 was the headline for this game, as they got a combined 10 sack game on the putrid Colts offensive line. QB Jacoby Brissett and the Indianapolis offense could get a thing going and their terrible defense also couldn’t stop the garbage can in Blake Bortles from throwing close to 400yds and a TD. The Colts are truly looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL, without their star quarterback Andrew Luck.
Titans 12 Browns 9
Before this game went underway, everyone expected Tennessee to run over and dominate this horrible Cleveland Browns squad. This game that ended up without a touchdown being scored for either team, had to go to overtime, where Ryan Succop kicked the game winning field goal for the Titans. What a boring game this was.
Seahawks 24 Giants 7
After a huge win against Denver last week, the Giants are back to their mediocre ways, as they are now 1-6. The Legion of Boom was great as usual for Seattle and their offense actually managed to put up some points. The Seahawks are looking to win their division and make another Super Bowl appearance this year, and they definitely have the talent to do so.
Chargers 21 Broncos 0
Denver has lost two straight games against two teams with losing records, by large margins. Broncos fans everywhere are starting to hit the panic button, as this is looking like a lost season if things continue the way they are. On the Chargers side, this is their third straight win and are looking to be finding their footing, as they are trying to turn this season around. Let’s see if after these wins, Chargers fans will actually show up to their team’s home games.
Patriots 23 Falcons 7
The Patriots have gotten the better of Atlanta in this rematch of Super Bowl 51. The New England defense (which has looked bad this year) held their own against this high powered Falcons offense and only gave up 7 points the entire game. The Patriots have proven to psychologically own the poor Falcons and are definitely the better team.
Monday Night Football:
Eagles 34 Redskins 24
The Philadelphia Eagles got the better of their division rivals in this heated contest. They now have the best record in the NFL, standing at 6-1. The first half in this game was relatively back and forth, until Carson Wentz went off and dominated for the rest of the night. He threw for 268yds, 4TD, and 1INT and is looking to make his case for this year’s NFL MVP award.