 |
| Jeffery Simmons The Titans took the Chiefs to overtime |
It was supposed to belong to Buffalo, and it did … until
Sunday. Then the Bills unraveled vs. the New York Jets … the Dolphins won again
… Tennessee pushed Kansas City to the mat … and now our narrative has taken an
unexpected turn: Buffalo not only has company at the top of the conference; it
has company near the top of its own division.
At 6-2, the Bills are only a half-game up on Miami and the
New York Jets in the AFC East, where nobody has a losing record. Plus, there’s
this: The Dolphins and Jets are responsible for Buffalo’s only defeats, with
the Bills 0-2 within the division.
They were 5-1 there a year ago.
OK, so it happens. But MVP favorite Josh Allen has been
erratic the past six quarters, with four interceptions and no TDs, and that’s not
supposed to happen. Worse, he was
complaining of a sore elbow after he was sacked five times Sunday.
“There’s some slight pain, but I’ll get through it,” he said
afterward.
That sounds like a diagnosis of the Bills’ season. They’ve
had a couple of hiccups and are beginning to draw a crowd in the AFC, but
they’ve also beaten four division winners from last year. Plus, we’re only
halfway through the season. So Bills Mafia can shrug and believe their team
will get through it.
But Allen’s injury, plus Sunday’s unexpected loss, are
cautionary signs. Where the Bills once looked invincible in wins vs. the
defending Super Bowl-champion L.A. Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, they’re
beginning to wobble.
They’re tied with the Chiefs at the top of the AFC (Buffalo
holds the head-to-head tiebreaker) … Tennessee will breeze through its division
… Cincinnati’s not going away … and the AFC East is far tougher than anticipated.
Then, there’s the Allen injury.
Fasten your seat belts, Buffalo. It could be a bumpy ride.
‘SUNDAY SCHOOL: FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Don’t play Andy Reid after a bye. Reason:
You’re going to lose. With Sunday’s victory, his teams are 21-3 following
furloughs during the regular season.
Don’t play him in November, either. Dating back to Week 11 of 2019, the
Chiefs won 10 consecutive games this month.
2. Minnesota’s toughest competition won’t be
within its division. It’ll be its four opponents the next four weeks. At
7-1, the Vikings are lapping the field in the NFC North. In fact, they’re 4-1/2
games ahead of runners-up Green Bay and Chicago (each 3-6). Now, look what’s next: At Buffalo (6-2); then
home to Dallas (6-2); New England (5-4) and the N.Y. Jets (6-3). The four are a
combined 23-11. The record of the seven
opponents the Vikings have beaten? Try 27-37, with Miami the only one above
.500.
3. The Rams need more than an offensive line
and running back. They need a closer, too. They’ve been outscored 71-10 in
the fourth quarter this season, including 10-0 Sunday when they blew a tire vs.
Tampa Bay. Quarterback Matt Stafford has been underwhelming. His offensive line
can’t protect. And there’s no running game. In short, the defending Super Bowl
champions are a mess … and look no farther than the fourth quarter of their
latest loss for an explanation. The Rams produced four yards and no first
downs.
4. Don’t count out Tom Brady. Not yet. After 59 minutes without a touchdown or
a pass of 20 or more yards, he rallies the Bucs for a last-gasp, come-from-behind
defeat of the Rams – the opponent that eliminated Brady and the Bucs from last
season’s playoffs. Brady never was better than on a 60-yard game-winning drive
in the last minute of play, completing 5 of 6 attempts, including the
game-winner on a play he suggested. I know, the Bucs are still 4-5 and have a
raft of issues. But they play in the NFC South where nobody is over .500, and
everything is possible.
5. The Packers are in free fall. Forget a
division title. This team will have trouble reaching .500.They never lost more
than four games in any year under Matt LaFleur … until this season. Now they’re
3-6 and circling the drain.
THIRD AND 20
1. What
happens in Vegas apparently does stay in Vegas. The Raiders are 2-1 at home,
which will work. But they’re 0-5 on the road, which won’t. They’re 2-6 under
new coach Josh McDaniels, who lost 23 of his last 30 games as a head coach.
They were 7-5 in 2021 under interim coach Rich Bisaccia and made the playoffs
last year. They’ll make January tee times this season.
2. That
was the Raiders’ third defeat this year after leading by 17 or more. Just lose,
baby.
3. I’m
beginning to worry about Buffalo’s run defense. A week ago, Green Bay shredded
it for 208 yards. On the Jets’ game-winning drive Sunday, they took the ball
out of quarterback Zach Wilson’s hands and put it in the hands of their backs.
Result: Ten carries for 77 yards and a huge upset.
4. Say
this about Chicago’s Justin Fields: He still misses too many throws, but the Bears
have a pulse with him in the lineup. With three TD passes and more yards
rushing (178) than any quarterback in a regular-season game, Fields brought
something to Chicago’s offense that’s been absent far too long: Big plays.
5. Should
Tua Tagovailoa be included in the MVP conversation? The Dolphins are 6-0 when
he starts and finishes a game. They’re 0-3 when he doesn’t.
6. The
South won’t rise again … not this season, it won’t. Seven of the eight teams in
the AFC and NFC South divisions have losing records, with Tennessee (5-3) the
only outlier. The combined record of the two divisions is 27-42-2.
7. Unheralded
heroes of the Chargers’ latest win: The offensive line. Quarterback Justin
Herbert wasn’t sacked. The Bolts surrendered only 10 sacks this season, fewest
in the NFL. Plus, it was guard Matt Feiler who made the last-minute fumble
recovery Sunday to set up a game-winning field goal.
8. Sorry,
Indianapolis, but Sam’s not The Man. With Sam Ehlinger at quarterback, the Colts
were 0 for 14 on third-down conversions Sunday. Add that to last week’s
performance, and they’re 5 for 26 on third-down conversions with Ehlinger and
fading away in the AFC South.
9. Someone
put an APB out on the Raiders’ Davante Adams. The guy disappeared Sunday. After
a first half with nine catches and 146 yards, he had one catch for no yards in
the second.
10. Forget
Kliff Kingsbury’s 27-31-1 record (including the playoffs) as head coach at
Arizona. This is the line that gets me: 6-27-1. That’s the Cards’ record under
Kingsbury when trailing at the half, and it tells you something about the
coaching (or lack of it) going on there.
11. Aaron
Rodgers threw four interceptions last season. He had three Sunday … vs. the Lions. What’s worse, two were in
the red zone, and the last time that happened? It hasn’t. It was a first.
Rodgers has seven interceptions through nine games, his most since 2016. But
that was through 16 games. Maybe it’s time A-Rod concedes that he’s part of the
problem.
12. Question
for Rams’ defensive coordinator Raheem Morris: Why was nobody defending the
sidelines on Tampa Bay’s game-winning drive? The Bucs had no timeouts. Seems so
simple. Yet it didn’t happen.
13. Biggest
difference between the 2021 New York Jets and the 2022 New York Jets: Defense.
Their 14 takeaways this season match their total for all of last season.
14. Funny,
but I feel better about Tennessee after its loss than I did after any of its five
victories. With a backup quarterback and one second-half first down, the Titans
still went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs … losing only in overtime. That’s a
credit to an underrated defense that somehow held firm despite the Chiefs
running 43 more plays (91-48) and producing 20 more first downs (29-9) than
Tennessee
15. I
can’t imagine where the Patriots would be without kicker Nick Folk. No wonder
Bill Belichick thinks he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
16. Nope,
there is no quarterback controversy in Carolina. There’s a quarterback problem.
Big difference.
17. Not
sure what was more impressive: Kirk Cousins’ game-tying throw or the video
afterward of a shirtless and jubilant Cousins in chains.
18. I
swear, Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III found a different gear in the second half
Sunday … and the numbers prove it. Where he ran for 31 yards on nine first-half
carries, he had 78 on 17 second-half runs … plus two TDs. Sound familiar? He’s
Derrick Henry 2.0.
19. Offensive
Rookie of the Year: Houston’s Dameon Pierce or Walker? I have Walker by a nose.
20. Congratulations,
Houston. One day after your Astros win the World Series, your Texans officially
became the worst team in the NFL … and maybe, just maybe, first in line for the
2023 draft.
SUNDAY’S GOLD JACKET STATS
The Chargers have run through 13 kickers the past six years,
including three this season.
Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com,
the Jets are 3-3 this season in games where they trailed by double digits. They
were 3-40 the four seasons before.
The Bengals had more points in the first half Sunday (35)
than Carolina had total yards (32).
SUNDAY’S GOLD JACKET QUOTES
“It’s tough to win in this league when you’re playing a
tough team and your quarterback plays like s**t.” – Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.
“There’s no reason why we should be losing games like this,
and it’s frustrating.” – Las Vegas wide
receiver Davante Adams.
“Guess what? We’re not the same ol’ Jets.” – N.Y. Jets tight end Tyler Conklin.
“That was awesome.” – Tampa
Bay quarterback Tom Brady after a last-second victory.
No comments:
Post a Comment