Seattle Seahawks
Record: (5-0).
Recap: Bye Week.
Breakdown:
Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: (5-0).
Recap: Win Vs. Cleveland Browns, 38-7.
Breakdown: Prior to Sunday, Mike Tomlin was a perfect 13-0 against the Browns during his tenure as a head coach; making that 14-0 for the Steelers head man as Pittsburgh steamrolled Cleveland by 31 thanks to another terrific defensive outing and a resilient ground game. Four sacks, one pick-six and holding the No. 1 rushing team to just 75 yards paired with another huge game by James Conner (20 carries for 101 yards and a score) has the Steel City undefeated nearly halfway through the season. Chase Claypool continues to be a rookie gem for Pitt hauling in 74 yards including a 36-yard fade route and third-year player James Washington hauled in a career-high 68 receiving yards finding pey dirt as Big Ben made just enough plays to get in the dub column. Next week will be the toughest matchup to date as Ben and the Steelers head to Nashville to take on Ryan Tannehill and the undefeated Titans Sunday.
Kansas City Chiefs
Record: (5-1).
Recap: Win Vs. Buffalo Bills, 26-17.
Breakdown: Well bad news for the National Football League as the Chiefs offense may very well be unstoppable. Kansas City had a game for the century rushing for a team-high 245 yards off 46 carries, all of which are career-highs under coach Andy Reid. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire, on the eve, of being replaced by Le’Veon Bell next week, rushed for a career-high 161 yards off 26 carries Monday evening providing the perfect compliment to Patrick Mahomes who had an “off,” game throwing for 225 yards and two touchdowns off six incompletions. Fourth-year receiver DeMarcus Robinson hauled in a season-high 69 yards off five catches being Mahomes number one target while Steve Spagnuolo’s defense certainly wasn’t perfect (six of the eight penalties on the defensive end, specifically the secondary) it did just enough hitting Josh Allen early-and-often with five quarterback hits, three tackles-for-loss and a game-sealing interception. Next week the Chiefs introduce Le’Veon Bell to an already electric offense in Denver when taking on Drew Lock and the Broncos in Mile High Sunday.
Baltimore Ravens
Record: (5-1).
Recap: Win Vs. Philly Eagles, 30-28.
Breakdown: The Ravens played it close to the chest Sunday sweating out a toughie in Philly, needing every inch to stop Carson Wentz and the Eagles on a failed two-point conversion to survive their way to (5-1). Lamar Jackson silenced the injury doubts surrounding him passing for 186 yards through the air and rushing for another 108 totaling two touchdowns in the tough dub. John Harbough’s defense played another gem sacking Carson Wentz six times while forcing four fumbles and just 213 passing yards. The Ravens rush defense wasn’t great giving up almost 200 yards (194) off 10-yards-a-carry so that can certainly be something to watch moving forward but through nearly halfway through the season, the Ravens are off to another exceptional start. Big Truzz and the crew will look for dub number six in a couple weeks against their hated rivals Big Ben and the Steelers in an epic AFC North Battle a Sunday and a half from now.
Tennessee Titans
Record: (5-0).
Recap: Win Vs. Houston Texans, 42-36 in Overtime.
Breakdown: DJ Khaled said it best, “all they do is win, win, win no matter what.” The Nashville (COVID-infested) darlings just find ways to win and it helps having a guy like Ryan Tannehill for that. The MVP-worthy quarterback had the most wins when trailing in the four quarter since 2019 and when it mattered most, RT was clutch throwing for 364 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Oh and Derrick Henry, he may be the best running back again rushing for 212 yards while hauling in another 52 with two rushing touchdowns including the game-winner in OT. Tight end Anthony Firkser had a career day Sunday afternoon hauling in eight receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown giving Mike Vrabel a reason to smile. The Titans defense still is awful giving up 412 yards and five touchdowns but if the offense can manufacture 612 yards of offense that won’t matter much. The Titans will look to stay undefeated this Sunday when Big Ben and the undefeated Steelers come to Nissan Stadium for an unbeaten matchup.
Tampa Bay Bucs
Record: (4-2)
Recap: Win Vs. Green Bay Packers 38-10.
Breakdown: Buck yeah! Tampa Bay sent the Packers to Davey’s Jones Locker Sunday dominating every facet of the game in their 18-point beatdown. Ronald Jones rumbled and pummeled his way to 113 yards and two big touchdowns (making that three straight 100-yard games), Gronk had his best game as a Buc hauling in 78 yards and his first touchdown in the maroon and silver and Tom Brady finished the game turnover-free. It’s time to start taking this Tampa Bay defense seriously cause they were incredible limiting Aaron Jones to just 15 rush yards, turning over Aaron Rodgers twice including a pick-six and sacking Packer quarterbacks five times. So long as Bruce Arians’ squad can stay disciplined (zero penalties this game), run the ball effectively (158 team rush yards) and play exceptional defense (five sacks, two picks, 160 pass yards allowed), this team can, no doubt, contend. Arians’ Bucs will look for their fifth win as a group taking on Derek Carr and the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday Night Football.
Green Bay Packers
Record: (4-1).
Recap: Loss Vs. Tampa Bay Bucs, 38-10
Breakdown: The Packers have lost by at least 15 points or more in four of the five losses the Packers have had with Matt LaFluer as coach and Sunday was no different. After going up 10-0, Green Bay would then go on to allow 38 unanswered points and the rest was history. Once David Bakhtiari went down with a chest injury, Aaron Rodgers struggled immensely throwing a pick-six and then another interception on the next two of his three throws. The superstar quarterback was sacked five times completing only 4.6-yards-per-throw. Aaron Jones was a no show rushing for just 15 yards and defensively, they were just as bad, surrendering 158 yards on the ground (113 at the legs off Ronald Jones) with two rushing touchdowns and zero sacks as Tom Brady carved Packer defenders with two big touchdowns off 166 passing yards on the afternoon. The good news for the Pack is the worst part of their Sunday is over and hopefully next Sunday against Deshaun Watson and the Texans in Houston may hold a different narrative.
Chicago Bears
Record: (5-1).
Recap: Win Vs. Carolina Panthers, 23-16.
Breakdown: The Bears are a bar fight watchers dream: it’s ugly, it’s long and it’s hard-to-watch at times but at the end, everyone leaves happy cause Chicago just finds ways to win. Matt Nagy’s squad did that again Sunday doing just enough on offense while dominating on defense to edge out a solid Panthers squad. Chuck Pagano’s squad was downright dominant making life hell for Teddy Bridgewater sacking him four times while picking him off twice. They also forced a fumble which enabled Nick Foles to be good enough (202 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns) to bring Chicago their fifth win. David Montgomery utilized his dual threat abilities totaling 97 all-purpose yards and rookie tight end Cole Kmet found the end-zone for the first time in his young career. It’s almost never pretty but the Bears are off to one of their best starts in the last decade as Naggy’s squad will look for their sixth win Monday evening taking on Jared Goff and the Rams in Inglewood on MNF.
Los Angeles Rams
Record: (4-2).
Recap: Loss Vs. San Francisco 49ers, 24-16.
Breakdown: Apparently the Rams forgot to bring their defense to the Bay as the 49ers went up and down on the field all game against Los Angeles. Brandon Staley’s unit couldn’t stop a nosebleed, surrendering 390 yards and 21 first half points to a depleted and mentally unstable Niners squad. Jimmy G out-battled Jared Goff throwing for 268 and three touchdowns off just ten incompletions while Goff just mustered 198 yards off 19 incompletions with a pick. The defense registered zero sacks and just was a non-factor until the game was out of hand and Goff just could not hook up with his favorite target Cooper Kupp completing just three-of-nine targets to the stud slot receiver. The single silver lining was the run game as Darrell Henderson Jr. ran all over Niners defenders to the tune of 88 yards off just 14 carries. Henderson along with Sean McVay will hope this defense and his franchise quarterback can rebound quick as the Rams head back home to take on Nick Foles and the 5-1 Bears in Inglewood Sunday.
Cleveland Browns
Record: (4-2).
Recap: Loss Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 38-7.
Breakdown: The Browns got a taste of their own medicine Sunday as the Steelers out-rushed them 129 to 75, out-threw them by two and simply out-played them from the snap. Baker Mayfield looked like “2019 Baker Mayfield,” throwing two interceptions including a horrific pick-six thrown into a triple-covered receiver. Cleveland’s number one rushing attack was dominated only surpassing 75 yards for the game and the revamped much-improved offensive line looked like last year’s line allowing four sacks in the defeat. The Browns defense got after Big Ben registering two sacks but was gashed on the ground giving up 129 yards and three rush touchdowns so the Land will go back to the drawing board next Sunday taking on interstate foe Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Indianapolis Colts
Record: (4-2).
Recap: Win Vs. Cincy Bengals, 31-27.
Breakdown: Well it’s not about you start, it’s about how you finish and man the Colts finished with a purpose roaring back from 21 down to squeak out a win over the Bengals in Lucas Oil Sunday. Veteran Phillip Rivers had his best game as a Colt throwing for 371 yards and three touchdowns finding unlikely targets in the victory. Fifth-year no-namer Marcus Johnson had the game of his life hauling in five catches for a career-high 108 yards, long forgotten tight end Trey Burton made his presence felt totaling 59 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns and Jack Doyle after a bone-head first quarter fumble redeemed himself hauling in a back-shoulder touchdown catch to spark the Indy comeback. The Colts rush defense was terrific, surrendering just 98 yards off 3-yards-a-carry average while sacking Joe Burrow twice and picking him off once during the dub. River’s squad will look to make it two straight wins this Sunday in Detroit when facing Matt Stafford and the LIons on Ford Field.
New Orleans Saints
Record: (3-2).
Recap: Bye Week.
Breakdown:
Arizona Cardinals
Record: (4-2).
Recap: Win Vs. Dallas Cowboys, 38-10.
Breakdown: Homecoming was awfully sweet for Kyler Murray as he sure loves to play at AT&T Stadium moving his record as a player as (7-0) with a trouncing of the Cowboys Monday night. Murray sliced and diced his way through the air (188 yards) and on the ground (74) breaking ankles en route to three total touchdowns to go with 262 all-purpose yards. He had the perfect running mate in Kenyan Drake who rushed for a season-high 164 yards with two scores off 20 attempts and Christian Kirk had his best game of 2020 hauling in 86 yards and an additional two touchdowns in the evening. Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph got the game ball completely, shutting down the Cowboys only surrendinger 97 rush yards, 4.9-yards-per-pass with three sacks, two fumbles recovered and two interceptions all in the aftermath of losing their star rusher Chandler Jones. Next week welcomes a big challenge as Russell Wilson and the undefeated Seahawks come to squad off in an NFC West juggernaut match Sunday afternoon in the desert.
Las Vegas Raiders
Record: (3-2).
Recap: Bye Week.
Breakdown:
Buffalo Bills
Record: (4-2).
Recap: Loss Vs. Kansas City Chiefs 26-17.
Breakdown: BillsMafia found themselves sleeping with the fishes Monday losing a slugfest by nine on a Rainy Orchard Park field. Josh Allen looked like “2019 Josh Allen) throwing for just 122 yards off 4.5-yards-a-pass this evening, but defensively was where this team looked atrocious allowing Clyde-Edwards Helaire and the Chiefs to run wild rushing for 245 yards and one touchdown on the night. Sean McDermott’s squad got ramrodded in the time-of-possession department losing that 15 as well. Brian Dabboll’s offense only rushed for 84 yards so moving forward they need to make a more concerted effort to play through Devin Singletary or Zack Moss and don’t expect third-option receiver Demarcus Robinson (69 receiving yards) to out-play Stefon Diggs (46) moving forward. This team needs a lot of help on the defensive line and rebounds from Allen, Diggs and Singletary and there will be no better chance this Sunday against Sam Darnold and the Jets in the Big Apple.
San Francisco 49ers
Record: (3-3).
Recap: Win Vs. Los Angeles Rams, 24-16.
Breakdown: What a difference a week makes: Jimmy G made San Fran fans forget about last week throwing for 268 yards and three touchdowns while Georgia Kittle had the game of his season hauling in 109 yards off seven catches with a sick 44-yard run-after-catch for a score. The oft-injured Robert Sala pass-defense channeled their 2019 version harassing Jared Goff all night just allowing 198 yards and a key pick and Raheem Moestert played well before exiting with an injury totaling 76 all-purpose yards. Through all the injuries, Mike Shanahan’s crew is still .500 and will aim for their fourth dub this Sunday as Jimmy G will head back to Foxborough to take on Cam Newton and the Patriots in New England.
Carolina Panthers
Record: (3-3).
Recap: Loss Vs. Chicago Bears, 23-16.
Breakdown: The Panthers may have been feeling themselves a little too much as the offense struggled to manufacture points in their five-point home loss to the Bears. Teddy Brigewater finally looked human throwing for just 216 yards with two picks and getting sacked another four times. Mike Davis and the ground game rushed for 112 yards as a team but fumbled away a ball that led to key Chicago points. Matt Rhule’s defense continued to improve only allowing 63 rush yards, 191 pass yards with a pick but gave up just one to many scores in a tight loss. Third-year player DJ Moore continues a strong season hauling in five receptions for a game-high 93 yards and the Panthers will need the offense to rebound in a hurry as this Sunday they head to New Orleans to play Drew Brees and the Saints in an NFC South battle.
Miami Dolphins
Record: (3-3).
Recap: Win Vs. New York Jets, 24-0.
Breakdown: Back-to-back dubs for the Fins has Fitzmagic smiling from Beard to Beard. This one was a straight up blowout as Brian Flores’ squad played great. Fitzpatrick passed for 191 yards and three touchdowns, the Fins found their ground game once more on the legs of Myles Gaskin rushing for 91 yards and hauling in another 35 more on Club Dub. Fourth-year tight end Adam Shaheen had himself a game hauling in a season-high three catches for 51 yards and a touchdown this afternoon. Defensively, Flores’ unit played great allowing just 182 pass yards while sacking Joe Flacco three times and forcing a fumble and a pick with zero points on the scoreboard. The “rebuilding,” Fins will face another toughie a few weeks from now when Jared Goff and the Rams come to town the first of November.
New England Patriots
Record: (2-3).
Recap: Loss Vs. Denver Broncos, 18-12.
Breakdown: When an 11th-year receiver is your best quarterback you are in trouble and that was the case Sunday as Cam Newton struggled immensely in his return following a positive coronavirus test throwing two interceptions, fumbling it twice and just 157 passing yards. He tried to make up for it rushing for a team-high 76 yards with a score but it simply wasn’t enough to bring the Pats their third victory Sunday. New England’s pass defense continues to be electric holding Drew Lock to just 189 yards while picking him off twice but struggled as a unit against the run surrendering 135 yards on the ground, particularly 101 at the legs of dynamic dynamo Phillip Lindsay. Bill Belichick’s team is in foregin territory now being under .500 for the first time since 2002. Cam Newton and the squad will search for their third win as a unit next Sunday against Jimmy G and the 49ers back at Gillette.
Detroit Lions
Record: (2-3).
Recap: Win Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-16.
Breakdown: The Lions finally saw their second-round investment pay dividends Sunday as rookie DeAndre Swift broke out. The former Georgia Bulldog was nearly unstoppable in Jacksonville rushing for 116 yards including a 54-yard burst with two touchdowns off just 14 carries. Detroit owned the ground rushing 180 yards and three total touchdowns as the Lions dismantled Jacksonville in Florida this afternoon. Through the air, Kenny Golladay owned that hauling in a season-high 105 yards off just four catches. As for the defense, Matt Patricia’s squad played their part only allowing just 44 yards rushing while harassing Minshew Magic into two fumbles and a pick while sacking him once in the dub. The Motor City will aim for .500 next week taking on Matt Ryan and the Falcons in the A-T-L Sunday.
Denver Broncos
Record: (2-3).
Recap: Win Vs. New England Patriots, 18-12.
Breakdown: Drew Lock rewrote the history books Sunday leading his Broncos to their first win in Foxborough since 2006 as Denver edged out the Patriots by six in a snoozer Sunday. Lock was God-awful in his return back from the shoulder injury throwing for just 189 yards and zero touchdowns but he got some help from Phillip Lindsey who rushed for a season-high 101 yards off 23 carries, receiver Tim Patrick hauled in 101 yards off just four catches and kicker Brandon McManus got the game ball kicking six field goals accounting for all 18 of the Broncos points. Vic Fangio’s defense played a major part as well sacking Cam Newton four times along with forcing two interceptions and four fumbles in the Sunday victory. The Broncos will aim for back-to-back wins when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs come to Mile High Sunday afternoon.
Dallas Cowboys
Record: (2-4).
Recap: Loss Vs. Arizona Cardinals, 38-10.
Breakdown: The struggle bus was real for the Cowboys as seemingly everything went wrong for Dallas Monday night. In Andy Dalton’s debut replacing the beloved Dak Prescott, he straight up sucked throwing for just 266 yards with two interceptions, being sacked three times, completing just five-yards-pass with 20 incompletions. But in his defense, he didn’t get help as Zeke Elliott fumbled the ball away twice, all of which led to points on the board for Kyler Murray’s Cardinals. Mike Nolan’s defense continue to struggle immensely allowing Kenyan Drake and Murray to rush for over 261 yards and three touchdowns on the night leading to the inevitable conclusion to this story: head coach Mike McCarthy & Mike Nolan need to go and fast as the Red Rifle and the Boys are right back to it against Kyle Allen and the Washington Football team in the Nation’s Capitol Sunday.
Los Angeles Chargers
Record: (1-4).
Recap: Bye Week.
Breakdown:
Atlanta Falcons
Record: (1-5).
Recap: Win Vs. Minnesota Vikings, 40-23.
Breakdown: In Raheem Morris, we trust: in Morris’s first game as the Falcons head coach, the A-T-L simply annihilated the Vikings in Minnesota by 17 this afternoon. Matt Ryan had his best game of the season carving up Viking defenders to the tune of 371 passing yards and four touchdowns while superstar Julio Jones returned with a vengeance hauling in 137 yards and two touchdowns off 8 catches in the victory. The Falcons defense deserved the game ball though turning Kirk Cousins over three times with three interceptions while limiting the Vikings to just 32 rush yards while surrendering zero rush touchdowns. The A-T-L dominated the time-of-possession 40-to-19 and if they can string together repeat performances they will be in good shape matching up against Matt Stafford and the Lions back in the Ville Sunday.
Minnesota Vikings
Record: (1-5).
Recap: Loss Vs. Atlanta Falcons, 40-23.
Breakdown: No Dalvin Cook, no hope whatsoever for the Vikings as they got trounced Sunday, falling 40-23 to the Falcons at home. Kirk Cousins was a turnover machine throwing three back-breaking interceptions all of which lead to Falcons points. With no Dalvin Cook, Minnesota had virtually no run game just registering 32 rush yards and Mike Zimmer’s pass defense was just the worst allowing 371 yards and four touchdowns through the air this afternoon. The single silver lining of the game was rookie Justin Jefferson who hauled in a game-high 166 yards off nine catches and two touchdowns in the L. Mike Zimmer’s group will try to regroup next week when the Purple People Eaters take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Green Bay Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles
Record: (1-4-1).
Recap: Loss Vs. Baltimore Ravens, 30-28.
Breakdown: Back-to-back tough losses have the Eagles reeling a bit losing a nail-biter to the Ravens after failing a two-point conversion with under a minute remaining left in regulation. Philly had looked resilient the last two games especially on the ground rushing for 194 yards (118 at the legs on an impressive stud like Miles Sanders) but the offensive line woes continue to brutalize Doug Pederson’s offense surrendering six sacks and the Eagles experienced fumblitis the afternoon coughing it up four times against an excellent Ravens defense. Philly’s defense did what they could sacking Lamar Jackson three times but too many rush yards (182) and big plays ultimately doomed them. Fortunately Philly will have a good chance to rebound this Thursday against Danny Dimes and the Giants in an NFC North battle at Lincoln Financial.
Houston Texans
Record: (1-5)
Recap: Loss Vs. Tennessee Titans, 42-36.
Breakdown: Well in a lot of ways the Texans won the battle but ultimately lost the war dropping a nail-biting loss to the Titans in Nashville Sunday. The good was Deshaun Watson had his best game of the season throwing for 335 yards rushing for another 26 with four touchdowns. The other good was a healthy Will Fuller hauled in six catches for career-high 123 yards and a touchdown. The bad was Houston allowed 612 yards of offense including 212 at the legs of Derrick Henry and 42 total points. The Texans still have zero form of a consistent pass rush and have allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of their six games played thus far. Granted Romeo Crennell has enabled this team to play hard and fight resilently but H-Town has a long way to go before gaining tractability in the win column. The Texans will look to bounce back against Aaron Rodgers the Packers back in Houston this Sunday.
Cincinnati Bengals
Record: (1-4-1).
Recap: Loss Vs. Indianapolis Colts, 31-27.
Breakdown: If an NFL game was done in one quarter, the Bengals would’ve won cause they looked amazing through 1/3rd of Sunday's game in Indy. Reality then set in as they allowed 24 unanswered points next quarter ultimately dropping their second straight to the Colts at Lucas Oil. The Bengals secondary got carved up allowing 371 yards through the air at the arm of Phillip Rivers along with three touchdowns and Cincy’s rush offense wasn’t much better running for just 98 yards on the game. Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow continues to show flashes of brilliance throwing for 313 passing yards, rushing for a touchdown and finding veteran A.J. Green (96 receiving yards) and fellow rookie Tee Higgins (career-high 125 yards off six catches) early-and-often therefore solidifying a morbid franchise having a bright future once they surround him with offensive lineman and a defense. Zac Taylor’s squad will look to rebound this Sunday during an interstate matchup against Baker Mayfield and the Browns back at home.
New York Giants
Record: (1-5).
Recap: Win Vs. Washington Football Team, 20-19.
Breakdown: The original is always the most memorable and the Giants secured their first win of the season on a defensive stand staving off Washington to secure Joe Judge’s first dub as a head coach. The New York football Giants finally ran the ball well rushing for 132 yards off five yards a carry and their defense played their tails off tallying three sacks and forcing two important Kyle Allen turnovers that lead to New York points. Daniel Jones wasn’t amazing but he wasn’t imploding and his 112 pass yards and 74 rush yards with a score were just enough for the Big Apple to feel that winning feeling. Big Blue will face another NFC North foe in Carson Wentz and the Eagles in Philly this Thursday night.
Washington Football Team
Record: (1-5).
Recap: Loss Vs. New York Giants, 20-19.
Breakdown: Make that four straight losses for Washington as the woes continue in the Nation’s Capitol. Quarterback Josh Allen I thought should’ve ran for the botched two-point conversion to win in the closing seconds but really Washington’s fate was sealed prior to that. Only 86 rush yards, two back-breaking turnovers and three sacks allowed ultimately doomed this squad. It may now be Alex Smith’s time to start at quarterback as the Football Team welcomes Andy Dalton and the Cowboys to FedEx Field this Sunday.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Record: (1-5).
Recap: Loss Vs. Detroit Lions, 34-16.
Breakdown: The Jaguars were nearly silenced to a purr Sunday as they got dominated as the hands of the Lions in their 18-point L. Jacksonville got out-rushed by 136 while turning it over twice and getting doubled down in the time-of-possession. This team is going nowhere quick and it may very well be time for a coaching change in Florida. Win or Loss number two on the way heading to Inglewood to take on Justin Herbert and the Chargers next Sunday.
New York Jets
Record: (0-5).
Recap: Loss Vs. Miami Dolphins, 24-0.
Breakdown: Did anyone know the Jets had Joe Flacco? New York caught a butt-fumble and lost huge. Here Trevor Lawrence comes.
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