The first weekend in October is done, and still there are fully six teams in the league remaining with undefeated records. That might just be a record!
The New England Patriots, one of the unbeatens, were on a bye week, so they were going to remain unbeaten no matter what. Next week, another unbeaten team, the Carolina Panthers, also will get a bye, so they will remain unbeaten at least until the latter half of October. Carolina remained unbeaten today by downing the Buccaneers on the road, 37-23, and earning a solid road divisional victory to up their record to 4-0.
In San Francisco, the Packers finally got over the hump, because the 49ers had been one of their major obstacles. In fact, the entire NFC West seems to consistently give the Packers problems, as Green Bay has been eliminated by NFC West teams in four of the last six playoffs (Arizona in 2009, the 49ers in 2012 and 2013, and the Seahwaks last season). But so far this season, they have beaten both the Seahawks (at home in Lambeau) and the 49ers now on the road. It was not a game of offensive fireworks, but the Pack earned a solid victory, and handed the 49ers their third consecutive lopsided loss.
The Atlanta Falcons remained undefeated as well by absolutely hammering the Texans in Atlanta. The Falcons ran out to a huge lead, until it reached a point where Houston could no longer entertain any real hopes of a comeback. Sure, they scored some garbage time points, but the game was not as close as the score indicates. After three straight close, come from behind victories, the Falcons finally enjoyed a comfortable, blowout win.
As for the Arizona Cardinals, the other undefeated NFC team heading into this weekend, they were stunned by the St. Louis Rams, who played exceptionally well, and managed to snap a two-game losing streak with a huge divisional road win against the former unbeaten Cardinals. Head coach Arias said that it is extremely disappointing to lose at home, and the Rams should now be considered a real threat. This was a big disappointment for the Cardinals, who could have put their boots on the throat of the Rams and the 49ers simultaneously, while remaining at least a fairly comfortable two game lead over the Seahawks, who play tomorrow against Detroit. Instead, the Cardinals now are only one game ahead of the Rams and, most likely, the Seahawks, who will likely beat Detroit tomorrow. As for St. Louis, what victory for them! They already have divisional wins against both Seattle and Arizona, and look to be serious contenders.
On the AFC side, the Broncos managed to remain unbeaten by holding off Minnesota at home. They are not blowing people away underneath a Rocky Mountain avalanche of points, as they did in recent seasons. But they have what appears to be a very tough defense, and an offense that can score enough points for a win. It has been a bit rocky for them, but Denver still enjoys a 4-0 record, and are a comfortable two games ahead of their closest competitors in the AFC West.
In the meantime in Cincinnati, the Bengals handed the Chiefs their third straight loss, outlasting them with a 36-21 victory. Cincinnati scored a lot of points, and the defense held off the Chiefs to secure the victory. Like the Broncos in the AFC West, the Bengals enjoy a comfortable two game lead over the second place Steelers in the AFC North.
Across the pond in London, the Jets handed the Dolphins their third straight defeat. Miami put up more of a fight than they did against the Bills last weekend, but the Jets still won convincingly, holding a 27-7 lead at one point in the fourth quarter. Both teams will get a bye next week to recuperate from the overseas trip.
The Giants visited Buffalo, and played extremely well, for the most part. Eli Manning had a good day, as did Odell Beckham, Dwayne Harris, and Larry Donnell. The Giants defense also stepped up, bending but not breaking, and ultimately allowing a Buffalo offense that had average more than 33 points a game to this point in the season to a mere 10 points total - easily their lowest offensive production of the year so far. Not bad for the G-Men.
It took overtime, but the Colts managed to finally beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 16-13. Indianapolis was without Andrew Luck, who sat out with shoulder problems. The victory gives the Colts sole possession of first place in the AFC South for the first time all season.
The Chicago Bears managed to earn their first win of the season, beating the surprising Oakland Raiders at home in Chicago, although it did not come easily. In fact, the Raiders looked capable of beating the Bears for much of the game, and it was a back and forth affair. The Raiders took a lead off a Janikoswi field goal with under two minutes remaining, but the Bears responded with a field goal of their own, and this proved to be good enough for the win.
In Washington, the Eagles suffered another setback, losing a close one. They had fallen behind early, spotting Washington a 13-0 lead at the half, before storming back and taking the lead. It seemed that the Eagles enjoyed the momentum at that point, although Washington came back themselves to preserve the victory, for the moment tying the New York Giants and Dallas atop the NFC East, while Philly fell to last place with a 1-3 record.
San Diego managed to hold off the Browns, 30-27, with Philip Rivers enjoying a pretty solid day, throwing for 358 yards and three touchdowns, as the Chargers get past the Browns and keep pace with the Raiders for second place in the AFC West.
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