Okay, there were more upsets this weekend yet again. I is starting to feel like this season might be defined by them. There were some serious upsets this weekend, too!
Let's take a look:
Let's take a look:
New York Giants 27, Houston 22 - Wow! I was glad to see this one. I have come to be skeptical about how the Giants have handled things in recent seasons, particularly how they have handled (or rather, failed to handle) their offensive line woes. As I have mentioned numerous times before, the G-Men have a ton of talent of offense, but the weak offensive line prevents them from shining like they probably should. Well, yesterday's game was a change from all of that. It was not exactly an offensive explosion, and they still have not scored 30 points in almost three years, but they nevertheless put up a very decent offensive game. And most importantly, they earn a win, and seeing as though they had won only three games all year last season, Giants fans like me will take it. A good, solid, and very timely win for the G-Men. Hopefully, the first of many this season, but let's see what happens.
Buffalo 27, Minnesota 6 - Well, this was one that I got very, very wrong. I was expecting a blowout, but the wrong team wound up getting blown out. The Bills looked like the worst team in the league according to many entering the season, and they played like it for the first two weeks of the season. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, they wind up handing the Vikings their butts, right in front of their home fans. This was an embarrassing loss for Minnesota, who now have to go all the way to Los Angeles to take on what might just be the best team in the league. Quite a shocker!
Philadelphia 20, Indianapolis 16 - The Return of Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. Wentz shook off the rust early, throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedart to conclude a 12 play drive, giving Philly a 7-0 lead. The Colts answered shortly thereafter, as Andrew Luck connected with Ryan Grant for a 5-yard touchdown to tie it shortly thereafter. The game went back and forth after that, with the two teams exchanging field goals until the fourth quarter, when Philly running back Wendell Smallwood concluded a 17-yard drive that ate up 11 minutes and 18 seconds by pounding it into the end zone from 4 yards out, giving the Eagles the comeback win. In is return, Wentz completed 25 of 37 passes for 255 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Luck, in a losing effort, completed 25 of 40 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Washington 31, Green Bay 17 - Washington jumped out early and were all over the Packers, scoring two touchdowns in both the first and second quarters. By halftime, Green Bay found themselves down, 28-10. Adrian Petersen ran for 120 yards on 19 carries, and two touchdowns. Alex Smith completed 12 of 20 passes for 220 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. Aaron Rodgers continued to struggle, although some of the receivers really bobbled and dropped passes which should have been caught. Overall, Rodgers completed 27 of 44 passes for 265 yards, with two touchdowns. But it was not enough to catch Washington on this day.
Kansas City 38, San Francisco 27 - Kansas City still looks incredible, behind star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes completed 24 of38 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns. San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a solid day as well, completing 20 of 30 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. The bigger story with Garoppolo was the possibly season ending ACL injury. He was trying to get the 49ers back into a game that had spun completely out of control early on for them, as the Chiefs jumped all over them to take a 35-7 lead in the second quarter. San Fran made a game of it, but were not able to really fully get back into the game. The greater concern for them right now is, of course, the injury to their star quarterback. As for KC, they stay hot, and still look incredible right now.
Tennessee 9, Jacksonville 6- The Titans managed to win a slugfest, in what wound up, somewhat surprisingly, being a defensive struggle. The Jaguars had looked unbelievable for the first two weeks, but they suddenly looked all too human on Sunday, managing only a field goal. Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 12 of 18 pass attempts for an even 100 yards. Blake Bortles, in a losing cause for Jax, completed 21 of 34 passes for 155 yards. Neither man had either a touchdown pass or an interception.
Miami 28, Oakland 20 - The Dolphins stayed unbeaten, coming back from a 17-7 third quarter deficit to beat the Raiders. Ryan Tannehill completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for Miami, which was good for 289 and three touchdowns. Oakland's Derek Carr completed 27 of 39 passes for 345 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Ultimately, the Raiders simply did not produce enough on offense to keep up with the Fins, and Miami's defense really clamped down on Oakland after the Raiders took that 10-point lead in the third quarter.
Carolina 31, Cincinnati 21 - This was a back and forth affair, almost a shootout between the two teams. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had played extremely well, but he had a bad game this time around, completing 29 of 46 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw four picks. Cam Newton completed 15 of 24 passes for 150 and two touchdowns. Ultimately, the Panthers made fewer mistakes, which helped them to survive and essentially outlast Cincinnati, to hand them their first loss. The Panthers right now are tied for first place in the NFC South with New Orleans and Tampa Bay, all of whom have a 2-1 record. The Bengals are also 2-1, and tied with the Ravens for first place in the AFC North.
New Orleans 43, Atlanta 37 (OT) - A great game. This was the very essence of a shootout between two offensive powerhouses. Back and forth it went, with both teams scoring and both teams answering. Ultimately, it went into overtime, with both teams having scored 37 points in regulation. Drew Brees had a phenomenal day, completing 39 of 49 passes for 396 and three touchdowns. Michael Thomas was his biggest target on this day, as he caught 10 passes for 129 yards. Matt Ryan, in a losing cause, had a banner day, completing 26-of 35 passes for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Calvin Ridley was Ryan's biggest target, catching 7 passes for 146 and three touchdowns. But the Saints won it in overtime on a 15-play, 80 yards drive that ended with Brees pulling a spin move on two defenders, and then diving in for the game winning touchdown.
Baltimore 27, Denver 14 - The Broncos suddenly looked vulnerable, after two straight wins to start the new season. Case Keenum did not look very good, and the Ravens defense, after allowing 14 points in the first quarter, clamped down and resembled the old great Ravens defenses of the past. Alex Collins picked up 68 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and Javorius Allen had two touchdowns - one on the ground, and one on a pass by Flacco, as Baltimore wore Denver down, and ultimately handed them their first loss of the season. Baltimore is tied with the Bengals for first in the AFC North, while Denver is now behind the red hot Chiefs in the AFC West.
L.A. Rams 35, L.A. Chargers 23 - The battle for Los Angeles was not exactly what we might have expected, yet on some levels, it was precisely how you might have figured it. Both teams showed offensive firepower, but the Rams ultimately just had more of it. Philip Rivers had a solid enough day, completing 18 of 30 passes fo 226 yards and two touchdowns. Rams quarterback Jared Goff had a great game, completing 29 of 36 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns, although he also had one interception. Todd Gurley picked up 105 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Ultimately, the Rams just buried the Chargers chances under a barrage of points, as they remain undefeated - the only unbeaten team left in the NFC.
Seattle 24, Dallas 13 - The Seahawks took the lead in the second quarter, after a scoreless first, as Russell Wilson found Jaron Brown for an 18-yard TD pass. The 'Boys responded with a field goal, but Seattle got yet another touchown as Wilson connected with Tyler Lockett on a 52-yard pass, then added a field goal for a 17-3 lead over Dallas at halftime. The Cowboys only managed a field goal in the third quarter, but Chris Carson pounded it in from five yards out in the fourth quarter to effectively ice the game, giving Seattle a 24-6 lead. Carson carried the ball 32 times for 102 yards, with that one touchdown. Wilson played solidly for Seattle, completing 16 of 26 passes for 192 yard, with two touchdowns. The Cowboys were able to notch a touchdown themselves, but were never seriously in this one. Dak Prescott did not handle the pressure well. He completed 19 of 34 passes for 168 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Both teams are 1-2.
Chicago 16, Arizona 14 - For a while, when the Cardinals jumped out to a two touchdown lead early on, I was beginning to regret having picked the Bears, and feeling like I had seriously underestimated that Cardinals. But the Bears mounted a serious comeback, and shut the Cardinals out the rest of the way. Which means that Arizona is right where I expected them to be at this point, winless and seemingly hopeless. At 0-3, they are now officially the last place team in the NFC West, and the only remaining winless team in the NFC. As for the Bears, this was truly a great comeback road win, and keeps their momentum alive. Remember, if not for a miracle comeback by the Packers on opening day, Chicago would be 3-0 at this point. They are a rising franchise, and a team to watch out for in the future. As of right now, in fact, the future almost looks like it might be here already, as the Bears find themselves rather unexpectedly alone in first place in the NFC North.
Sunday Night Football
Detroit 26, New England 10 - This was one of those games that I got wrong. I mean, really, who could have seen the Lions not only beating, but pretty much dominated the Patriots? One of the most futile teams over the past two decades thoroughly beating the most successful team during that same period? I mean, it is not unthinkable, but it sure is not what you expect to happen. Yet, it happened, which means that New England has now lost a rare two consecutive games. It also means that the Lions snap their losing streak, and give Matt Patricia the game ball after earning a win against his former team. It also happened to be the first win of Patricia's career.
Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh 30, Tampa Bay 27 -The Buccaneers were being badly outplayed for most of the game, as the Steelers reverted to their normal winning ways after struggling for the first two weeks of the season. At halftime, Pittsburgh led it, 30-10. Tampa only managed to cut the lead by a field goal in the third quarter. But in the fourth, Tampa suddenly roared to life, and came close to pulling off a monumental upset, scoring two touchdowns and keeping the Steelers potent offense suddenly at bay. But in the end, when Tampa's offense needed to score, they instead stalled. And when the Bucs defense needed to stop Pittsburgh, they allowed two key first downs, and that was the story of this game. The Bucs were knocked from the ranks of the undefeated teams, while Pittsburgh earns their first win of the season.
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