Minnesota 28, N.Y Giants 10 – On a dreary day at the Meadowlands, the Giants produced results to match the weather. The Vikings dominated the game Kirk Cousins completed 22 of 27 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Delvin Cook added 132 yards on 21 carries, and Minnesota produced 211 total yards on the ground on this day. Daniel Jones showed glimpses of brilliance on this day, but he admitted after the game that he had a lot to learn. He completed 21 of 38 passes for 182 yards, with one touchdown and one INT. This was a dominant win by the Vikings, although the G-Men can take away some positives from this one, despite having been dominated. My pick: Accurate
Philadelphia 31, N.Y. Jets 6 – This one was ugly. Gang Green’s offense looked sad, quite frankly. They were completely dominated and physically beaten down. Philly’s defense produced 10 sacks on New York quarterbacks, and were relentless, forcing three turnovers. The Eagles outgained the Jets, 265 yards to 128 total yards of offense for Gang Green, and produced nearly twice as many first downs, as well. A solid win for Philly, which wins a second game in a row to raise their record to 3-2, back into a first place tie with Dallas. Gang Green, meanwhile, drops to 0-4, and seriously looks like a candidate to be either the worst team, or the second worst team, in the league. The two worst teams in the league, in fact, might both be in the AFC East, which clearly benefits the Patriots and Bills. My pick: Accurate
London Game – Oakland 24, Chicago 21 – Well, I got this one wrong, for sure. The Raiders took an early 17-0 lead into the lockers at halftime, although the Bears really began to rally in the third quarter, outscoring the Raiders 21-0 and taking a lead for a little while. But a 2-yard run by Josh Jacobs inside of the two-minute warning gave the Raiders the lead again, with very little time for Chicago to work, and the bears ultimately could not answer. Oakland dominated time of possession, and produced 398 yards of total offense, to just 236 for Chicago. Chase Daniel, starting for the injured Mitch Trubitsky, completed 22 of 30 passes for 211 yards, with two touchdowns, but also two INT’s. Derek Carr, meanwhile, completed 25 of 32 passes for 229 yards, but played well enough to help lift the Raiders to a huge victory that gets them to second place, only one game behind first place Kansas City. Who would have predicted that? Meanwhile, the Bears fall to 3-2, tied with the Vikings again, and behind both the Packers and the Lions in the NFC North. My pick: Inaccurate
New England 33, Washington 7 – It took a while for New England to get going, as they fell behind 7-0 early, and looked sluggish on offense for most of the first half. But they began to find their rhythm in the second half, completing dominating the game and outscoring Washington 21-0 in the second half alone. Tom Brady completed 28 of 42 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. Sony Michel also had a solid game on the ground, producing 91 yards and one TD on 16 carries. Colt McCoy, meanwhile, completed 18 of 27 passes for 119 yards, with one INT for Washington, who remains winless at 0-5. The Patriots, meanwhile, raise their record to 5-0, and are now the sole unbeaten AFC team left, and one of only two teams with perfect records, along with 3-0 San Francisco. My pick: Accurate
Carolina 34, Jacksonville 27 – Two teams with backup quarterbacks playing, who have already led their teams to some serious success this season. Gardner Minshew II, who is playing in place of injured Nick Foles, played well once again for Jax, completing 26 of 44 passes for 374 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Kyle Allen, meanwhile, is playing in place of injured Cam Newton, but he also has played well, producing Carolina’s three victories thus far this season. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown. But it was the running game for both teams that really seemed to produce the most impressive numbers. Christian McCaffrey, who apparently is nicknamed Run CMC, picked up a whopping 176 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Meanwhile for Jax, Leonard Fournette produced 108 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries for the Jaguars. The Jaguars produced over 500 yards of offense, held the ball for longer than the Panthers, and also picked up more first downs. But they also committed three turnovers, to none for Carolina, which obviously proved costly. The Panthers raise their record to 3-2, second behind the Saints in the NFC South. Jacksonville, meanwhile, drops to 2-3, and is now tied with the Titans for last place in the AFC South. My pick: Inaccurate
Buffalo 14, Tennessee 7 – This was a slugfest, just like everyone probably predicted it was going to be. And the Bills, a team which seems clearly on the rise, managed to earn a tough road victory against a potentially dangerous opponent. It was a very low-scoring affair, to be sure. But Buffalo did just enough to earn a win to stay hot at 4-1. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen completed 23 of 32 passes for 219 yards, with two touchdown passes and one interception. Frank Gore added 60 yards on 14 carries on the ground. For Tennessee, Marcus Mariota completed 13 of 22 for 183 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. Derrick Henry added 78 yards, and scored the Titans only touchdown, on his 20 carries. It was a close, evenly fought match-up, but the Bills proved that they are ready to take that step up to playoff contender status with this solid road win to improve to 4-1, and second place in the AFC East. The Titans fall to 2-3, and are now tied with last place with Jacksonville in the AFC South. My pick: Accurate
New Orleans 31, Tampa Bay 24 - The Saints had a tough game, as expected. But in the end, they did enough to secure the win, and improve to 4-1, staying atop the NFC South in the process. Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston completed 15 of 27 passes for 204 yards with two touchdowns. Terry Bridgewater completed 26 of 34 for 314 yards, with four touchdowns to one INT. The Saints offense produced 457 total yards on offense, compared to just 252 yards by Tampa. While the Saints strengthened their lead in the NFC South, the Buccaneers dropped to 2-3, now third in the NFC South, behind New Orleans and 3-2 Carolina. My pick: Accurate
Arizona 26, Cincinnati 23 – Well, Arizona earned their first win of the season, doing it on the road and at the expense of the pitiful Cincinnati Bengals, who probably should have won at least one game by now. But Cincy choked and lose this on the final play of the game, when Zane Gonzalez split the upright on a field goal attempt to win it outright for Arizona, and avoid an overtime battle. The Cardinals produced over 500 yards of offense. Kyler Murray completed 20 of 32 for 253 yards. Murray aded 93 yards and one touchdown with his running abilties, as well. In a losing cause, Andy Dalton completed 27 of 38 for 262 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, the Cardinals improve to 1-3-1 on the season, although they remain firmly in last place in the NFC West. The Bengals, meanwhile, drop to 0-5, alone in the basement of the AFC North, and one of four teams left who have yet to win one game this season. My pick: Inaccurate
Houston 53, Atlanta 32 – Who would or could have expected this? The Texans scoring 53 points, and absolutely blowing out the Falcons? I expected the Texans to win, but did not admittedly expect much from their offense. But Houston produced 53 points, the second most in franchise history, and overwhelmed a hapless Atlanta defense. Matt Ryan actually had a good day for the Falcons, completing 32 of 46 for 330 yards., with three touchdowns and one INT. But it paled in comparison to Deshaun Watson, who completed 28 of 33 for 426 yards, and a whopping five touchdown passes. Carlos Hyde added 60 yards and another touchdown on 21 carries, as Houston picked up 592 total yards of offense and romped to a blowout win. The Texans raised their record to 3-2, and are tied for first with the Colts in the AFC South. Meanwhile, the Falcons dropped to 1-4, and are dangerously close to seeing this season spiral completely out of control. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 26, Pittsburgh 23 (OT) – The Steelers lost more than a game here. The Ravens dominated the time of possession battle, although these two teams were otherwise largely even in most other categories. To be sure, this was a heartbreaking loss, and it keeps the Steelers near the bottom in the AFC North, while also keeping the doubts and questions burning, as they fall to 1-4. One of the main questions is when Mason Rudolph will be able to return, after suffering a concussion and looking visibly confused and hurt. Before leaving the game, he had completed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Lamar Jackson completed 19 of 28 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown, although he also threw three picks. But he also ran for 70 yards on 14 carries, and was a force for the offense. Justin Tucker’s field goal in overtime with 5:26 left lifted the Ravens to a huge divisional road win, and allows them to at least keep pace atop the AFC North, and possibly to take sole possession of first, depending on what the Browns do tonight. My pick: Inaccurate
Denver 20, L.A. Chargers 13 – The Broncos took over early in the first quarter, building up a 14-0 lead, and then held the Chargers scoreless for the rest of the half, taking a 17-0 lead into the lockers by halftime. The Chargers tried to fight back in the second half, after missing opportunities and largely being dominated in the first half, but their efforts ultimately fell just short. Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco completed 14 of 20 passes for 182 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Phillip Lindsay added 114 yards and another touchdown on 15 carries on the ground for the Broncos. In a losing cause for the Chargers, Philip Rivers completed 32 of 48 passes for 211 yards, but had no touchdowns and two interceptions. Denver earns their first win of the season and improve to 1-4, although they still are in last place in the AFC West, while the Chargers fall to 2-3 and are in third place in the AFC West. This clearly does not look much like the Chargers team that went 12-4 and looked like one of the top teams in the AFC last season. My pick: Inaccurate
Green Bay 34, Dallas 24 - While I had predicted the Cowboys to win this one, there was certainly the knowledge that the Packers, a very strong quality team, could win. But seeing them blow Dallas away through the first two and a half quarters, and basically put the game out of reach was admittedly a bit of a surprise. Yet, that was pretty much what happened. The Pack jumped all over the 'Boys in the first half, capitalizing on mistakes and missed opportunities for Dallas. This just kept going, until Green Bay had taken a nearly insurmountable 24-0 lead early in the second half. Aaron Rodgers completed 22 of 24 for 238 yards, but the real story for the Packers offense was running back Aaron Jones, who had promised to have a better day than Ezekiel Eliot would for Dallas. And he delivered, running for 107 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries, in what was a career best, banner day for him. Eliot did not have an awful day, picking up 62 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries, but he clearly was outshined by the Packers running game in this game. Dak Prescott completed 27 of 44 passes for 463 yards and two touchdowns, although he also threw two INT's. The 'Boys actually outgained the Packer offense by more than 200 yards, but Green Bay dominated the time of possession, and committed no turnovers, to three by the Cowboys. With the win, coupled with the Chicago loss, the Packers are back in sole possession of first place in the NFC North, while this loss means that the Cowboys have to share first place in the NFC East with the Eagles for the first time in four weeks. My prediction: Inaccurate
Sunday Night Football - Indianapolis 19, Kansas City 13 – Indianapolis got a bit of revenge for the blowout playoff loss they suffered at Kansas City last January. The Colts looked like a throwback to the NFL of old, relying on power football, particularly form their offensive and defensive lines to dictate the momentum of the game. Jacoby Brissett completed 18 of 29 passes for 151 yards, but he threw no touchdowns and one INT. But the real power behind Indy’s offensive approach last night was the running game, again powered by that impressive offensive line. Marlon Mack carried the ball 29 times for 132 yards, and the Colts produced 180 total yards on the run. In a losing cause for KC, Patrick Mahomes completed 22 of 39 passes for 321 yards and one touchdown. The Chiefs running game was virtually non-existent, as the Colts D basically shut them down. This was a huge road win for Indianapolis, who now play a majority of their next seven games at home, which should help their record. Meanwhile, this was a very tough and sobering loss for Kansas City, who fall from the elite ranks of the unbeaten teams. They also suffered some injuries to their offensive linemen, and just seemed to struggle all night long. It seemed to show that a power, grinding football team can come in and physically dominate the Chiefs, which means that KC now has some work to do to try and address the weaknesses that the Colts exposed at Arrowhead Stadium last night. My pick: Inaccurate
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