I am not going to lie; I missed A LOT of the games this weekend as I chose to watch our great come-from-behind victory in the President's Cup from the comfort of my home, since I knew sports bars and the like would not reserve even one television set for the match. That being said, I did keep my ear-to-the-ground, and I did watch the second half of the Sunday's late-slot games, as well as the night game and of course, the Monday night game (Bear Down!!!) So I am somewhat informed, but not greatly informed.
Game of the Week
Baltimore Ravens 34 Dallas Cowboys 31 (Rio de Janeiro) - The NFL put on a show before our Brazilian brethren, and in a weekend of close games, the fact that there were 2 - count 'em 1, 2 - field goals in the last 10 seconds of the game was amazing!!!
Best Team Performance
Jacksonville Jaguars. With both potential playoff teams coming into the game 1-1, it seemed like this game could be HUGE for the loser. Jacksonville made that New England's issue, trouncing them 35-6, and starting panic throughout the northeast corridor.
Least Impressive Team Performance
Tennessee Titans. A feeble performance against a Jaxson Dartless squad who themselves only managed to score 12 points. Tennessee managed only 181 yards in the air and 81 on the ground, and ended up losing to a Giants squad that lost Brian Burns for the year and only gained 256 yards themselves.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)
Michael Penix, Jr., QB - Atlanta Falcons. His numbers don't pop-off the page (18/25 for 256, 1TD/1 INT), but the offense just looked DIFFERENT that the first two weeks. Bijan ran for 194 on 29 carries, and he also could have won this award, but I suspect a lot of those yards would not have been gained if Tua was still QB. Atlanta went from looking like the worst team in the league to a potential playoff team in its 35-14 victory over Green Bay.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)
Gregory Rousseau, Edge - Buffalo Bills. Rousseau had 8 total tackles and 2 more sacks to bring his NFL-leading total to 6.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)
Tyler Loop, K - Baltimore Ravens. It was almost Brandon Aubrey for the second consecutive week, as his field goal with 7 seconds left tied the game at 31, heading to overtime. But, Baltimore's two-play drive culminated with Loop's 56-yard FG to win the game 34-31.
Most Impressive Team Performance (Premier League)
International Break.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Premier League)
International Break.
Goat of the Week
Cowboys Defense. Tie game, Baltimore has the ball at their own 35 after a touchback, 7 seconds left. One 27-yard completion and a timeout later, sets the stage for Tyler Loop's 56-yard game winner. Either play better defense where longer plays are covered more tightly, or hold up Zay Flowers to run the extra second off the clock before taking him to the ground. Something.
Goat of the Week (Premier League)
International Break.
Breakthrough Performance
Kenyon Sadiq, TE - New York Jets. All the talent in the world, but a preseason injury limited his practice time, so a slow start was expected. But this week 3 7 catch, 105-yard, 1 TD performance is exactly what we can expect to see from Sadiq moving forward in his career.
Finally
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB - Detroit Lions. Not "finally" as in we have been waiting for him, because he is already a great player, but "finally" in the way that it has taken since 1980 for a player to join Billy Simms to gain 300+ rushing yards, 150+ receiving yards, and 6 TDs through 6 games. For those that don't know or remember, Billy Simms was a running back for the Detroit Lions.
Impact Injury
Brian Burns, Edge - New York Giants. Lots more injuries, but the Giants lost Dart last week, and now likely their best - or at least most productive - defensive player for the season this week. If they can challenge for a playoff spot - Jameis Winston should make it to the Hall of Fame!!!
Team Rising
Team Falling
New England Patriots. Falling not just because they are 1-2, as their losses have come to the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars, both on the road and two of the better teams in the league, but because New England has just looked awful doing it!
Best Teams
(All teams will be ranked by record, even if teams with more losses may be better than a team with fewer losses, since Bill Parcells always said that you are what your record says. The inverse is true for the Worst Teams rankings.) (Yes, I know that you could have a worse record and be better, but we are working off record.)
1. San Francisco 49ers (3-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (3-0)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
4. Minnesota Vikings (3-0)
5. Las Vegas Raiders (3-0)
Worst Teams
(All winless teams will be ranked here until all teams have at least 1 win, then I will rank them based upon which teams I think are the worst, regardless of record.)
32. Tennessee Titans (0-3)
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)
30. Miami Dolphins (0-3)
29. Los Angeles Chargers (0-3)
28. Houston Texans (0-3)
Middle Teams
15. New York Giants (2-1)
16. Cleveland Browns (2-1)
17. New Orleans Saints (1-1)
18. Los Angeles Rams (1-2)
18. Los Angeles Rams (1-2)
Last Week's Trivia Question/Answer
Although early, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is currently the leader in receiving yards, a category in which he led the NFL last year. When was the last time a receiver led the NFL in receiving yards in back-to-back seasons and who was that receiver?
Answer: Calvin Johnson, 2011-2012.
Preview - Game(s) of the Week
6. Atlanta Falcons v. New Orleans Saints - If last week's game was any indication, the Michael Penix-led Falcons are much different than Weeks 1/2 Falcons. And, the Saints are fun. Could be a lot of points scored, and it is Monday night.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers v. Cleveland Browns - Can the Browns actually win 3 in a row? Can THESE Browns actually win 3 in a row? Watch only for that crazy possibility.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars v. Cincinnati Bengals - Jacksonville absolutely dismantled New England. Can Cincinnati's new defensive tackles bring them some defensive credibility to keep this close?
3. International Break.
2. Denver Broncos v. San Francisco 49ers - San Francisco is the best team in the NFL right now, to me. Denver, although 2-1, really needs a statement win
1. Kansas City Chiefs v. Las Vegas Raiders - Two undefeated teams tied for first in the AFC West. To stay undefeated and atop the division!
Trivia
I just heard this question and I absolutely love it. Which franchise drafted two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the same draft? Bonus if you can tell me which year and who the two QBs were.
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