Packers 26, Bears 10
The first half of this game confirmed everyone’s suspicions. Rodgers was 19-of-30 in the opening 30 minutes, but for only 150 yards (an abysmal 5.0 YPA), as he missed numerous throws. It only got worse at the beginning of the third quarter, when Rodgers didn’t recognize Leonard Floyd’s blind-side pressure and was strip-sacked. The ball trickled into the end zone, and the Bears recovered the touchdown, giving them the lead.
Lambeau Field was completely quiet at that point, as the Packer supporters were stunned. Moments later, Rodgers drove down the field and helped get the team into the end zone with some clutch third-down conversions. Rodgers did the same thing on the next couple of possessions, and before anyone knew it, the Packers were up 16.
Rodgers finished 39-of-556 for 326 yards and three touchdowns. The stats look great, and everyone on NFL Network and CBS will tell you that there’s nothing wrong with Rodgers. There definitely is something wrong, however. The Rodgers of old would’ve thrown for at least 450 yards on 56 attempts, and he wouldn’t have missed so many throws. His receivers were covered tightly for the most part, but Rodgers has always been able to hit them on impressive back-shoulder throws. That’s still happening on occasion, but it’s not nearly as consistent as it once was.
The one dark cloud over Montgomery’s performance wasn’t his fault. For some reason, Mike McCarthy called a run for Montgomery up the middle on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Montgomery was predictably stuffed. That’s right – with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, McCarthy called a rush up the middle with a receiver on what might have been one of the most important plays of the game. It was completely irresponsible play-calling, and had the Packers lost this contest, fans could’ve pointed to that moment for a major, recent reason to fire McCarthy.
As for Nelson, it’s clear that he’s not 100 percent. Tracy Porter had coverage on Nelson, yet the wideout couldn’t get open. Nelson would’ve laughed at Porter in the past, but he can’t get open now. Nelson was limited to just one catch for nine yards.
Barkley went 6-of-15 for 81 yards and two interceptions. The first pick was a tipped pass by Morgan Burnett into the arms of rookie linebacker Blake Martinez. The second interception occurred when the ball popped into the air as Barkley was hit. Barkley would be a horrible option as a starter, but Jay Cutler could be back in Week 8.
Perhaps even more confusing, there was this:
“He was trying to go across the middle and it was not a person.”
If anyone can decipher what the hell that possibly means, you should probably be hired by the government as someone who can decript alien languages.
Giants 17, Rams 10
Austin scored the game’s first touchdown, but was responsible for the early blunders. He dropped a potential gain of 10-15 yards that would’ve taken the Rams to midfield, up 10-3, and the ball popped out of his hands and sailed right to Landon Collins, who had a spectacular return for a pick-six. Austin then muffed a punt, but was lucky to recover. He followed that up by fair-catching the ball inside his own 5-yard line.
What Austin did, however, was not nearly as egregious as Case Keenum’s errors. Though Keenum began 9-of-10 for 91 yards and a touchdown, he melted down as the morning progressed. He was nearly picked on a downfield shot on a flea-flicker. Then, on one play, he fumbled the ball, recovered it, then was almost intercepted while throwing the ball away. Keenum opened the third quarter by overthrowing an open Kenny Britt on what could’ve been an 80-yard touchdown. Keenum then effectively lost the game with a miserable interception; the game was tied at 10, but he fired an inaccurate ball to Austin, which was tipped by Keenan Robinson and caught by Collins again. The Giants scored shortly later, taking their first and only lead of the contest. Keenum managed to drive deep into New York territory twice after that, but sailed a horrible ball into double coverage, which was picked off. He had another interception, but Brian Quick ran the incorrect route.
Keenum, as mentioned, began the game well, but his numbers after his first 10 throws display how bad he was. He was 23-of-43 for 200 yards and four interceptions after the first couple of drives (32-of-53, 291 yards, TD, 4 INTs overall), and those numbers even include garbage time on the last couple of possessions. Keenum was even worse than those stats indicate. He was wildly inaccurate, had numerous other picks dropped, showed zero pocket awareness – he ran into multiple sacks – and he constantly threw short of the first-down marker on third down. He is garbage, and he needs to be benched in favor of Jared Goff. There’s no point in starting this middling backup anymore.
Eli Manning didn’t have to do much, but he struggled to move the chains for the most part. He went 24-of-37 for 196 yards. Most of his throws were short, as he released the ball quickly to nullify the Rams’ pass rush, sparked by the return of Robert Quinn. Manning was off the mark on several of his attempts, as his poor season continued. Manning was just 4-of-13 on third down, and he had a potential interception that was dropped by Mark Barron.
Aside from Beckham, only one Giant generated more than 32 receiving yards. That was Victor Cruz (5-55), though he dropped a pass. Sterling Shepard (5-32) wasn’t very effective either.
Eagles 21, Vikings 10
Both offenses were a mess. For the Eagles, there was an early false start, followed by a Dorial Green-Beckham drop on third down. A hold ruined the second possession. Carson Wentz then threw an interception on an extremely poor throw to set the Vikings up deep in Philadelphia territory. Wentz fumbled on the ensuing drive on a botched hand-off with Darren Sproles, allowing the Vikings to take over on Philadelphia’s 17-yard line. Wentz continued to struggle after that, forcing a horrible throw into heavy coverage that was easily picked off.
You’d think the Vikings would be able to take advantage of these errors. They made nearly as many blunders, however, and theirs were more egregious because they made their mistakes in the red zone. Sam Bradford, who came into this contest with no interceptions on the year, fired a pick into the end zone under heavy pressure when he didn’t see Rodney McLeod. Pressure was an issue all afternoon for the Vikings, as their fumble recovery turned into a Bradford strip-sack seemingly returned for a touchdown, but ruled down at the Philadelphia 24. Connor Barwin easily beat Jake Long, who was benched for a while after that. Long was swapped back in, but then was benched again, as Mike Zimmer and Norv Turner seemingly couldn’t decide which crappy left tackle to have Bradford get killed.
The Eagles ultimately got their act together offensively, sparked by a kickoff return touchdown. The Vikings never did, save for the very end in garbage time, ultimately prompting their first loss of the season.
With Diggs limited, Bradford’s leading receivers were Cordarrelle Patterson (7-67), who caught the touchdown at the very end, and Kyle Rudolph (5-55). I wouldn’t read much into Patterson’s garbage-time production. Rudolph, meanwhile, dropped a pass.
Colts 34, Titans 26
The Colts maintained a 17-6 lead despite countless drops. They were guilty of two on their opening drive, while Jack Doyle let the ball slip through his hands in the end zone on an ensuing possession. The Titans managed to roar back, thanks to numerous Indianapolis blunders. For instance, the Colts came up with an interception of Marcus Mariota while up 20-13, but unnecessary roughness negated the turnover. The Titans maintained possession and managed to move the chains via a pair of pass-interference flags.
Tennessee established a field-goal lead, and the Colts seemed willing to allow them to keep it, as Andrew Luck nearly threw an interception, though the ball was tipped and sailed into the arms of Doyle. A bit later, Luck threw a touchdown to T.Y. Hilton, but an illegal shift nullified it. Devin Street then came up with a big catch for a first down in the red zone, but was flagged for spinning the ball. It’s ridiculous calls like these that are driving fans away, by the way. Roger Goodell needs to crack down on this, and he should consider getting rid of Jerome Boger, whose officiating crew bungled yet another NFL game.
Luck ultimately found Doyle for what would be the decisive touchdown. The Titans still had a chance to re-take the lead, but Mariota was strip-sacked, and Robert Mathis returned the turnover for a touchdown.
Jets 24, Ravens 16
And yet, the Jets prevailed. The Ravens, as it turned out, had way too many injuries to be competitive. And this includes the shoulder problem that apparently is really bothering Joe Flacco.
Flacco didn’t look right whatsoever. Some expected him to torch the Jets’ miserable secondary, but he couldn’t because he obviously wasn’t 100 percent. He threw two interceptions; one pass was telegraphed, while the other was made because he heaved the ball off his back foot, prompting a high pass. Flacco actually seldom stepped into his passes in this contest. His mechanics were horrible, which might be a sign that he wasn’t feeling well.
Flacco finished 25-of-44 for 248 yards and those two picks. It wasn’t all on him, as he didn’t get much help from both his offensive line and receiving corps, missing stud guard Marshal Yanda and Steve Smith, respectively.
Chiefs 27, Saints 21
It didn’t help the Saints that Terron Armstead sustained an injury on the second drive, but New Orleans couldn’t block the Chiefs’ defensive front. The sack count might not seem low – Drew Brees was brought down only once – but the Saints’ blockers were responsible for numerous holding penalties, which disrupted drives in the opening half. As a result, Brees was constantly stuck in third-and-long situations, and he threw a pick-six on the second drive, which was deflected.
Stats can be deceiving, and that’s the case here, as Brees went 37-of-48 for 367 yards, three touchdowns and the pick-six. Brees definitely did not play poorly at all, but he wasn’t as great as those stats indicate. He was very jittery in the pocket, as it was apparent that the Chiefs’ pressure rattled him. The crowd noise was bothersome as well, as Brees took a delay-of-game penalty and had to waste a precious second-half timeout. He also missed some receivers, including Michael Thomas for a big gain on a third down at the end of the opening half, and he should’ve been picked off another time, but Ron Parker dropped the ball.
Alex Smith misfired on just seven occasions, going 17-of-24 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Most of his throws were of the short variety, as you might expect, though he did connect on a long touchdown to Tyreek
Besides, Kansas City has the luxury of having Spencer Ware in the backfield, so Charles isn’t really necessary at this point. Ware was terrific once again, gaining 77 yards on 17 carries and also caught a 46-yard touchdown. Thanks to Ware, the Chiefs should just rest Charles until he’s absolutely 100-percent healthy.
Bengals 31, Browns 17
It seems as though the Browns would’ve been more competitive had Kessler managed to stay on the field. It was a tight game when he got knocked out, as Kessler was 9-of-11 for 82 yards. Even when Kessler was playing, Cleveland was utilizing fifth-string quarterback Kevin Hogan in these strange read-option plays that were inexplicably effective. Hogan actually led the Browns in rushing and managed to eclipse the century mark, gaining 104 yards and a touchdown on seven scrambles.
Hogan’s passing, on the other hand, left much to be desired. Watching him complete his dinks and dunks and misfire on anything longer than that was a clear reminder of why the Chiefs cut him despite using an actual pick on him in the 2016 NFL Draft. Hogan connected on half of his 24 passes for only 100 yards. He also threw two interceptions.
Raiders 33, Jaguars 16
Despite the 33-point total, it wasn’t Oakland’s offense that sparked the victory, however. The defense played well, but that wasn’t the primary catalyst either. It was actually the Jaguars, who had an epic meltdown in front of their former head coach.
Blake Bortles began the afternoon by missing an open Allen Robinson. Bortles then fired an interception into the end zone, recklessly heaving a pass into triple coverage. Marquise Lee was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, and then Malik Jackson was flagged twice on the same play; once for roughing the passer and another time for yelling at the official. He was eventually ejected, as was Jalen Ramsey for fighting. Bortles, meanwhile, continued to do more harm than good, missing an open Julius Thomas for a touchdown and then getting flagged for intentional grounding on a play in which the Raiders were offside. Robinson, meanwhile, spent the afternoon dropping passes, while the special teams were guilty of a muffed punt.
The Raiders, meanwhile, did just enough offensively to prevail. Derek Carr went 23-of-37 for 200 yards and a touchdown. He could’ve thrown a second score, but Clive Walford dropped the ball in the end zone. With the Raiders leading throughout, Carr didn’t have to force the issue at all, so he effectively was just a game-manager in this contest, all while the Jaguars melted down in front of his very eyes.
Bortles finished 23-of-43 for 246 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and even those pedestrian numbers were helped by garbage time. Bortles was just 5-of-14 for 57 yards and a pick in the first half. Oakland’s pass defense has gotten better in recent weeks, but there’s still no excuse for this.
Lions 20, Redskins 17
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
In the third quarter, the Lions got moving with an 18-yard run from Stafford and then a 52-yard bomb to Marvin Jones, who got a step on Josh Norman. Norman was injured on the play and went into the locker room with a concussion. A few plays later, Zach Zenner (9-29-1) plunged into end zone. Matt Jones then had his third fumble of the game, which was recovered by the Lions’ Kerry Hyder. A shovel pass to Tate went for 22 yards, and the Lions expanded their lead to 13-3 early in the fourth quarter.
The Redskins responded with a touchdown drive to cut the lead to 13-10. The big play was Cousins hitting Vernon Davis (6-79) for a 27-yard reception to the Lions’ 1-yard line, and that set up a short touchdown pass to Robert Kelley. Chris Baker bull-rushed through Larry Warford to help get the ball back for the Redskins. Washington moved down the field with Chris Thompson receiving and running the ball into the red zone. Head coach Jay Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay made a great play call with a zone-read run that Cousins took into the end zone from 19 yards out. It caught Detroit’s defense completely by surprise. The Redskins held a 17-13 lead with 1:05 to go.
With the ball back, Stafford hit Marvin Jones on the run to get the ball to midfield and then took off on a scramble to get inside the 40-yard line. Andre Roberts (1-20) made a great leaping grab to move the ball inside the 20. With just under 30 seconds remaining, Stafford threw a frozen rope to Anquan Boldin (3-28-1) for an 18-yard touchdown pass to win the game for Detroit.
Dolphins 28, Bills 25
By Jacob Camenker – Riggo’s Rag
The Bills could not get anything going in the run game. Part of the problem was the health of LeSean McCoy. Coming into the contest, it was widely expected that McCoy would be unable to play due to a hamstring injury he had suffered on Wednesday. However, the team elected to dress him, and he was in the starting lineup. McCoy had the worst performance of his season, getting just eight carries for 11 yards. Making matters worse, he left the game midway through the second half after aggravating his hamstring injury. The Bills were foolish to play McCoy as they have now risked his long-term health. Soft tissue injuries tend to linger, so it now may be a long time before McCoy is fully healthy again.
Top backup Mike Gillislee looked better than McCoy did in limited action. Gillislee only got five carries, totaling 20 yards. However, he had a big run of 20 yards that saw him burst through the defense and scamper upfield for a huge gain. The only reason Gillislee did not have more yardage was because of a busted wildcat play that saw him lose 11 yards. Gillislee may end up carrying the load for the next couple games depending on the health of McCoy. Reggie Bush (1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD) will also see action.
In the air, Taylor once again put together a good performance, though he tapered off at the end of the day. During the contest, Taylor went 14-of-28 for 221 yards and a touchdown. He made some very nice throws, including the touchdown to Marquise Goodwin. The ball was perfectly placed by Taylor despite the fact that he was dealing with pressure. Taylor launched the ball downfield and got crushed as soon as he released it. The pass hit Goodwin perfectly in stride and allowed the receiver to speed into the end zone. It was a 67-yard score that gave the Bills a 17-6 lead.
Still, the defensive stars for the Bills performed well. Lorenzo Alexander added yet another sack to his league-leading total. He was able to constantly break into the backfield and looked great. It makes me wonder where this production has been throughout his career. Zach Brown also looked very good during the game. He added seven tackles to his season total and was seemingly involved in every play.
Ajayi was simply terrific. The Buffalo front could not contain the second-year back at all. He finished the day with 29 carries for a whopping 214 yards and a touchdown. He constantly ripped off 10-yard chunks and had numerous impressive runs. One of his best came when he broke for a 53-yard run when the Dolphins were backed up in their own territory, and that run helped to flip field position. Ajayi looks to be the workhorse back for the team working forward. He has back-to-back 200 yard games, and he could end up being a huge pick-up if he is available in your fantasy league.
Part of the reason that Ajayi was able to run so well was the performance of his offensive line. This was the second time that the normal starters played all together, and they were able to open some huge lanes. If they stay healthy, the Dolphins could end up making a playoff push.
Of Tannehill’s receivers, Kenny Stills definitely stood out. He caught five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Stills was able to work into open space, and for the first time, he looked like more than just a speed threat. Granted, 66 of his yards came on the touchdown catch, but he still was able to get into open space. Aside from him, Jarvis Landry (5-78) and DeVante Parker (3-20) led the way for the team.
Speaking of Landry, he made a play that was absolutely hard to watch. On a play in the first half, he made a vicious block on Bills safety Aaron Williams. Williams went down on the play and was declared out with a head/neck injury. Williams suffered a nearly career-threatening neck injury last year, so he may be in trouble. To his credit, Landry apologized and looked upset. Nonetheless, it was a dirty play, and he should expect a hefty fine from the NFL.
Buccaneers 34, 49ers 17
By Jacob Camenker – Riggo’s Rag
Colin Kaepernick was pretty dreadful in the contest, going 16-of-34 for 143 yards for an awful yards-per-attempt statistic of 4.8. He did throw a touchdown, but that was negated by the two turnovers he had – a pick and a fumble. Frankly, Kaepernick does not look like a quarterback at all; neither a starter nor a backup. He needs to change positions.
Kaepernick does have some serious athletic ability, which was on display during this game. He carried the ball nine times for 84 yards and demonstrated great instincts when looking for lanes. He has great speed and size, so perhaps switching to wide receiver or tight end would be beneficial for him. It may be too late for him, but given the recent success of Terrelle Pryor some team may take a chance on Kaepernick. It makes more sense for him to make change than to continue struggling as a quarterback. Christian Ponder is probably a better option at this point.
On all three of his touchdowns, Winston made excellent throws. The first one went to Mike Evans (8-96) after Winston moved around the pocket and stepped up into open space. It was a nice display of his mobility. The second touchdown went to Russell Shepard (5-77). Winston lofted a perfect pass into a small window that allowed Shepard to go up and catch the pass. It was definitely Winston’s best throw of the game. The final score went to Evans as well. Winston put the pass up where only his tall receiver could get it. It was a smart play that really helped to solidify the lead for the Buccaneers.
If Winston can continue to play like this against major competition, that would be great for Tampa. They definitely need him to play well if they want to have any chance of competing in the future.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers had some problems of their own. Their rookie kicker, Roberto Aguayo, has continued to struggle. In this game, he made two of his three field goals, but he did miss a 50-yarder. Granted, that is a long kick, but the fact of the matter is that he was a second-round pick. You do not pick kickers in the second round unless they can make 50-yarders in their sleep. Aguayo is now 6-of-11 on the season. He needs to improve, or he will continue to be a liability for the team.
Chargers 33, Falcons 30
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
Atlanta’s defense struggled, and Dan Quinn made a terrible decision that backfired on the Falcons to set up the Chargers for an easy overtime field goal and the win. If Atlanta doesn’t end up winning the NFC South, this game will stick out as one that the Falcons let get away.
Right after a Brooks Reed sack, Vic Beasley strip-sacked Rivers. Adrian Clayborn scooped up the ball and rolled into the end zone to give the Falcons a 27-10 lead. Rivers came right back to hit Tyrell Williams for 38 yards in busted coverage. A 21-yard pass to Travis Benjamin (4-54) got San Diego in the red zone at the 2-minute warning. A bullet to Hunter Henry (1-16) moved the ball to the 3-yard line, and Gordon ran in the touchdown to cut the Falcons’ lead to 27-17 at the half.
Midway through the third quarter, Rivers led a field goal drive to cut the point deficit to seven. Atlanta responded with runs from Devonta Freeman of 15, 14, and eight yards to set up another Bryant field goal. San Diego then marched down the field as Rivers picked apart the Falcons’ defense. He used Gordon as a receiver on a number of plays, including a five-yard touchdown toss. That cut the Falcons’ lead to 30-27 with six minutes remaining. San Diego’s defense came through as Denzel Perryman picked off Matt Ryan to get the ball back. Close to midfield on a fourth-and-2, Rivers hit Antonio Gates (5-38) to move the chains. Gordon had a great run on a third-and-1 where he was stuffed by Deion Jones but bounced off the tackle to turn the other way for a run of more than 10 yards. Atlanta got a stop, but Josh Lambo tied the game with a short field goal. The Falcons got the ball to San Diego’s 40-yard line with one second remaining, but Bryant’s 58-yard field goal was no good.
On the first possession of overtime, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn made a crushing decision. It was obvious that Atlanta should punt and force the Chargers to drive the field, but Quinn showed no confidence in his defense as he went for a fourth-and-1 at his own 45-yard line. That didn’t work out, as Perryman fired into the backfield to notch a tackle for a loss. The Chargers moved the chains with Gates and Gordon to set up Lambo to hit a 42-yard field goal for the win.
Patriots 27, Steelers 16
By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
The Patriots got out to a quick lead in this game when Tom Brady hit James White on a short pass that White took to the house for a 19-yard touchdown – his third in his last two games. Then, early in the second quarter, LeGarrette Blount went in from three yards out to put the score at what appeared to be an insurmountable 14-0 lead.
Jones, who had a poor pass intercepted in the end zone to start this game, never lost his cool, which we’ve seen happen in the past as poor decisions accumulate. His best drive of the game came midway through the second quarter when he hit Antonio Brown with a beautiful pass for 51 yards, and then, four plays later, hit Darrius Heyward-Bey for a 14-yard touchdown on yet another nice throw.
I bring up these nice throws because I have rarely seen Landry Jones put more than one good throw together on a drive. If you had Brown on your fantasy team last season, you knew that he was toast if Jones was in there, but amazingly, Brown pulled down 7-of-11 passes for 106 yards and added a 13-yard rush. Of course, Brown still hasn’t caught a touchdown pass from anyone other than Roethlisberger, but this was a great step forward for Jones.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, the Patriots had on their big-boy pants and didn’t have nearly as much trouble getting into the end zone as the Steelers, who continually settled for field goals or field goal attempts.
The Brady-Gronkowski connection sets the New England offense apart, as we could see when they hooked up for a 37-yard reception, which was the key play on the Patriots’ last scoring drive, and one they dial up whenever they are in need.
The Patriots, on the other hand, are getting healthier by the day it seems, and at 6-1 after missing Brady for the first four games, they couldn’t be in a better position.
Cardinals 6, Seahawks 6
Ultimately, this tie hurts the Cardinals more; they were at home, and they needed to rebound off their 3-3 start, while the Seahawks were 4-1 and had a greater margin for error.
This almost went down as one of Wilson’s worst games ever. Sure, the offensive line didn’t do him any favors; they surrendered constant pass rushes to Chandler Jones and Markus Golden. The latter proved to be a huge problem for the Seahawks. The Seattle blockers also were constantly flagged for holding penalties. By the time the second half commenced, I was shocked when there was an offensive play in which one of the linemen wasn’t guilty of a hold. However, Wilson was way off the mark on most of his passes, even on the rare occasions in which he had time to throw. He definitely did not look right, and I was wondering if he’s dealing with some new, undisclosed injury.
I noted that Wilson was horrible for “most” of the evening. Things somehow changed in overtime. Wilson made a great touch pass to Jermaine Kearse for 31 yards, and then he hit Doug Baldwin for a 27-yard toss in which Baldwin got away from Tyrann Mathieu. This set up Hauschka’s 28-yard try, but he ruined Wilson’s sole positive drive with a miss.
Wilson finished 24-of-37 for 225 yards. Those aren’t horrible numbers, but keep in mind that he had a big chunk of his yardage in overtime. Wilson definitely did get better as the evening progressed, as he was 5-of-14 for 34 yards in the opening half. Maybe he doesn’t have a new, undisclosed injury, but the offensive line is definitely a big problem. I was thinking Seattle’s coaching staff would be able to remedy this issue during the bye as it has been able to in previous years, but apparently, that was not the case.
Johnson gained 113 yards on 33 carries to go along with eight catches for 58 receiving yards. He also had a gain of about 30 negated by a hold. Johnson appeared to win the game in overtime, but he was tackled twice short of the goal line, prompting Arizona to try a 24-yard kick with Catanzaro, and the rest was history.
Michael Floyd, meanwhile, had a miserable evening, continuing his horrible season. Floyd caught five passes for 65 yards, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Floyd dropped a pass early, forced the team to burn a timeout because he didn’t line up properly, got flagged for a hold to wipe out a long run, and then dropped another pass in the red zone to force Arizona to try a field goal.
Broncos 27, Texans 9
Brock Osweiler had a nice fourth-quarter performance against the Colts, but he was going up against one of the top defenses in the NFL on Monday night. If that wasn’t enough, several members of the Broncos’ stop unit told the media that they wanted to “kill” their former teammate. The malice in Aqib Talib’s voice during a pre-game interview made it sound like Denver’s veterans felt like spurned lovers, and they were completely focused on not letting Osweiler beat them. Mission accomplished.
Osweiler was absolutely atrocious in this contest. He went 22-of-41 for only 131 yards and a lost fumble. That’s right – he had a 3.2 YPA. Brodie Croyle could’ve done better while tripping on LSD. Only Jesse Palmer generated fewer yards on 40-plus attempts in NFL history. And yet, the numbers don’t even appropriately describe how abysmal Osweiler was. Osweiler’s downfield passes were all off the mark. He missed open receivers all evening. All of his completions were dinks and dunks, and he often threw way short of the first-down marker on third down. Osweiler’s fumble was ridiculous – the ball just slipped out of his hand without getting hit, and if the Broncos knew what was going on, they would’ve returned it for six – and he was nearly pick-sixed by T.J. Ward in the early going.
The one silver lining for Houston fans who are worried that Osweiler is an absolute bust is that he didn’t have much of a chance behind his offensive line. His blockers struggled versus Denver’s ferocious pass rush, especially in the wake of right tackle Derek Newton’s injury. Newton was carted into the locker room at the end of the first quarter, and Lisa Salters later reported that he tore both of his patellar tendons. Newton’s career could be over.
Trevor Siemian outplayed Osweiler, though he didn’t exactly have as difficult of a matchup. He finished 14-of-25 for 157 yards and a touchdown. He had a deep completion nullified by a Russell Okung hold, and he also endured some drops by Demaryius Thomas.
For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.
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2020 NFL Playoffs Recap - Feb. 3
2019: Live 2019 NFL Draft Blog - April 25
2019 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 9
2019 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 16
2019 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 23
2019 NFL Week 4 Recap - Sept. 30
2019 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 7
2019 NFL Week 6 Recap
2019 NFL Week 7 Recap
2019 NFL Week 8 Recap
2019 NFL Week 9 Recap
2019 NFL Week 10 Recap
2019 NFL Week 11 Recap
2019 NFL Week 12 Recap
2019 NFL Week 14 Recap
2019 NFL Week 15 Recap
2019 NFL Week 16 Recap
2019 NFL Week 17 Recap
2018: Live 2018 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2018 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 7
2018 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 14
2018 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 21
2018 NFL Week 4 Recap - Sept. 28
2018 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 5
2018 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 12
2018 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 19
2018 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 26
2018 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 2
2018 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 9
2018 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 16
2018 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 23
2018 NFL Week 13 Recap - Nov. 30
2018 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 7
2018 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 14
2018 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 21
2018 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 31
2018 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 6
2017: Live 2017 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2017 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2017 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2017 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2017 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 2
2017 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 9
2017 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 16
2017 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 23
2017 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 30
2017 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 6
2017 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 13
2017 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 20
2017 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 27
2017 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 4
2017 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 11
2017 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 18
2017 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 25
2017 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 1
2017 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 8
2017 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 15
2017 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 22
Super Bowl LII Recap - Feb. 5
2017: Live 2017 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2017 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2017 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2017 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2017 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 2
2017 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 9
2017 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 16
2017 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 23
2017 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 30
2017 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 6
2017 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 13
2017 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 20
2017 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 27
2017 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 4
2017 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 11
2017 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 18
2017 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 25
2017 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 1
2017 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 8
2017 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 15
2017 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 22
Super Bowl LII Recap - Feb. 5
2016: Live 2016 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2016 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2016 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2016 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2016 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 3
2016 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 10
2016 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 17
2016 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 24
2016 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 31
2016 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 7
2016 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 14
2016 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 21
2016 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 28
2016 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 5
2016 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 12
2016 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 19
2016 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 26
2016 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 2
2016 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 9
2016 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 16
2016 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 23
2016 NFL Week 21 Recap - Feb. 6
2015: Live 2015 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2015 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2015 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 17
2015 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 24
2015 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 1
2015 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 8
2015 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 15
2015 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 22
2015 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 29
2015 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 5
2015 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 12
2015 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 19
2015 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 26
2015 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 4
2015 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 11
2015 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 18
2015 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 25
2015 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 4
2015 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 11
2015 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 18
2015 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 25
Super Bowl 50 Recap - Feb. 8
2014: Live 2014 NFL Draft Blog - May 8
2014 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 5
2014 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 12
2014 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 19
2014 NFL Week 4 Recap - Sept. 26
2014 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 3
2014 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 10
2014 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 17
2014 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 24
2014 NFL Week 9 Recap - Oct. 31
2014 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 6
2014 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 13
2014 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 20
2014 NFL Week 13 Recap - Nov. 27
2014 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 5
2014 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 12
2014 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 19
2014 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 29
2014 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 4
2014 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 11
2014 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 18
Super Bowl XLIX Live Blog - Feb. 1
Super Bowl XLIX Recap - Feb. 2
2013: Live 2013 NFL Draft Blog - April 26
2013 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 10
2013 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 17
2013 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 24
2013 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 1
2013 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 8
2013 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 15
2013 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 22
2013 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 29
2013 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 4
2013 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 11
2013 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 18
2013 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 25
2013 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 2
2013 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 9
2013 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 16
2013 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 23
2013 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 30
2013 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 6
2013 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 13
2013 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 20
Super Bowl XLVIII Recap - Feb. 3
Super Bowl XLVIII Live Blog - Feb. 2
2012: Live 2012 NFL Draft Blog - April 26
2012 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 10
2012 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 17
2012 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 24
2012 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 1
2012 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 8
2012 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 15
2012 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 22
2012 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 29
2012 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 5
2012 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 12
2012 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 19
2012 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 26
2012 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 3
2012 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 10
2012 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 17
2012 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 24
2012 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 31
2012 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 7
2012 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 14
2012 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 21
Super Bowl XLVII Recap - Feb. 4
Super Bowl XLVII Live Blog - Feb. 4
2011: Live 2011 NFL Draft Blog - April 28
2011 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2011 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2011 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2011 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 3
2011 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 10
2011 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 17
2011 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 24
2011 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 31
2011 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 7
2011 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 14
2011 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 21
2011 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 28
2011 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 5
2011 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 12
2011 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 19
2011 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 26
2011 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 2
2011 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 9
2011 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 16
2011 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 23
Super Bowl XLVI Live Blog - Feb. 6
2010: Live 2010 NFL Draft Blog - April 22
2010 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog - Aug. 8
2010 NFL Kickoff Live Blog - Sept. 9
2010 NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 13
2010 NFL Week 2 Review - Sept. 20
2010 NFL Week 3 Review - Sept. 27
2010 NFL Week 4 Review - Oct. 4
2010 NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 11
2010 NFL Week 6 Review - Oct. 18
2010 NFL Week 7 Review - Oct. 25
2010 NFL Week 8 Review - Nov. 1
2010 NFL Week 9 Review - Nov. 8
2010 NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 15
2010 NFL Week 11 Review - Nov. 22
2010 NFL Week 12 Review - Nov. 29
2010 NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 6
2010 NFL Week 14 Review - Dec. 13
2010 NFL Week 15 Review - Dec. 20
2010 NFL Week 16 Review - Dec. 27
2010 NFL Week 17 Review - Jan. 3
2010 NFL Week 18 Review - Jan. 10
2010 NFL Week 19 Review - Jan. 17
2010 NFL Week 19 Review - Jan. 24
Super Bowl XLV Live Blog - Feb. 6
2009: Live 2009 NFL Draft Blog - April 25
2009 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog - Aug. 10
2009 NFL Kickoff Live Blog - Sept. 10
2009 NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 14
2009 NFL Week 2 Review - Sept. 21
2009 NFL Week 3 Review - Sept. 28
2009 NFL Week 4 Review - Oct. 5
2009 NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 12
2009 NFL Week 6 Review - Oct. 19
2009 NFL Week 7 Review - Oct. 26
2009 NFL Week 8 Review - Nov. 2
2009 NFL Week 9 Review - Nov. 9
2009 NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 16
2009 NFL Week 11 Review - Nov. 23
2009 NFL Week 12 Review - Nov. 30
2009 NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 6
2009 NFL Week 14 Review - Dec. 13
2009 NFL Week 15 Review - Dec. 20
2009 NFL Week 16 Review - Dec. 27
2009 NFL Week 17 Review - Jan. 4
2009 NFL Week 18 Review - Jan. 11
2009 NFL Week 19 Review - Jan. 18
2009 NFL Week 20 Review - Jan. 25
Super Bowl XLIV Live Blog - Feb. 7
2008: Live 2008 NFL Draft Blog - April 26
2008 NFL Kickoff Blog - Sept. 4
NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 8
NFL Week 2 Review - Sept. 15
NFL Week 3 Review - Sept. 22
NFL Week 4 Review - Sept. 29
NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 6
NFL Week 6 Review - Oct. 13
NFL Week 7 Review - Oct. 20
NFL Week 8 Review - Oct. 27
NFL Week 9 Review - Nov. 3
NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 10
NFL Week 11 Review - Nov. 17
NFL Week 12 Review - Nov. 24
NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 1
NFL Week 14 Review - Dec. 8
NFL Week 15 Review - Dec. 15
NFL Week 16 Review - Dec. 22
NFL Week 17 Review - Dec. 29
NFL Wild Card Playoffs Review - Jan. 4
NFL Divisional Playoffs Review - Jan. 11
NFL Championship Sunday Review - Jan. 19
Super Bowl XLIII Live Blog