"The Stack" 10-3-16
Ho hum. Just another day at the office for Julio Jones who had 12 receptions for 300 yards and one touchdown in the Falcons 48-33 statement win over the Panthers. The 300 receiving yards is the 6th most all time.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
It was a rough day for Jacoby Brissett and the New England Patriots who were shut out at home for the first time since 1993 with a 16-0 loss to the Bills.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Crabtree had a big game with three touchdowns including the game winner to lift the Raiders to a 28-27 win over the now previously undefeated Ravens.
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The Stack is back on this Monday and another week in the NFL is just about in the books. Before we get to that though, what a game Saturday night between Louisville and Clemson. I really hope both of these teams make the College Football Playoff, because that was a thrilling game, with Clemson winning 42-36. The game lived up to the hype and then some. Week 4 in the NFL also had some pretty good games and tremendous action so let’s get right to the recap and reaction in “the stack” for today, Monday, October 3rd:
Jacksonville 30 Indianapolis 27
This London game was not great for three quarters, but the last quarter saw plenty of action. The Jaguars controlled this game from start to finish, but Andrew Luck finally woke up with a couple of touchdown passes to make it close, but the Colts decision to not have Frank Gore in the backfield on a 4th and one was a peculiar one. Luck threw it to Dewayne Allen, but he couldn’t make the catch thanks in part to the Jaguars defense and the Jaguars would hang on for the win. They weren’t great, but this win may give them some momentum for the rest of the season.
Atlanta 48 Carolina 33
So it may be time to really wonder what is going on with the Panthers. Their defense isn’t the same. Their offense can’t protect Cam Newton (who was knocked out of the game with a concussion). They sure couldn’t stop Julio Jones Sunday who put up the 6th most yards by a receiver all time. That would be 300 yards on 12 catches. He was amazing as was Matt Ryan. It may be time to take the Falcons seriously in the NFC South.
Oakland 28 Baltimore 27
Make that three wins for the Raiders this season in early kickoff time games. They did it once again Sunday in Baltimore, coming back after squandering a lead in the fourth quarter. Michael Crabtree was huge with three touchdowns. This Raiders team is a team to be reckoned with.
Chicago 17 Detroit 14
Just when you think the Lions have turned the corner they turn in a performance like they did on Sunday. Matthew Stafford did not have a good day. Golden Tate did not have a good day. And if the Lions keep having more bad days, Jim Caldwell, Jim Bob Cooter and the rest of the coaching staff will be gone sooner versus later.
Houston 27 Tennessee 20
Rookie wide receiver Will Fuller had himself a day with a receiving touchdown and a punt return touchdown. He became the first Texans player in team history to accomplish such a feat. Brock Osweiler once again was a little shaky, but the Texans rose to the occasion and held on to beat the Titans. It’s looking more and more like the Texans are the team to beat in the AFC South.
Buffalo 16 New England 0
I said I wasn’t going to bet against Bill Belichick. I should have on Sunday. The pregame back-and-forth bantering between the two teams clearly amped up the Bills who played a sound game defensively and did enough on offense to come away with the win. Actually the pregame antics were the highlight of the game. It helps when you go against third string quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Big win for Buffalo. At least for Patriots fans Tom Brady is back next week.
Seattle 27 New York Jets 17
Russell Wilson’s knee looked pretty good on Sunday. He threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns leading the Seahawks to the win. And while Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t as awful as he was last week in Kansas City, he by no means was great in this one. The Jets need him to play better if they want to salvage the season and make a playoff run.
Washington 31 Cleveland 20
There was a Jordan Reed citing in the endzone finally yesterday. Actually there were two of them. That was a big reason why Washington was able to win yesterday. They had to work for this one though as they found themselves trailing in the second half. I’m buying stock in the Browns and their future. They play hard and have some good playmakers.
Denver 27 Tampa Bay 7
Trevor Siemian leaving the game with an injury normally would make fans sweat, but when the Broncos have a defense like they do, they’re in just about any game. Rookie Patrick Lynch threw his first touchdown pass and the Broncos defense made Jameis Winston look very average. The Bucs have been pretty disappointing since their week one win in Atlanta.
Los Angeles 17 Arizona 13
The disappointing Cardinals struck again. They have now turned the ball over ten times in the last two games and may be without Carson Palmer for a little while after he left the game with an injury. Drew Stanton replaced him and promptly threw two picks including one at the end of the game. The Cardinals need to figure things out in a hurry if they want this season to go anywhere. The Rams have now won three straight games since their opening week debacle in San Francisco.
New Orleans 35 San Diego 34
The Chargers looked like they had this game well in hand. Two turnovers later they found themselves training and Phillip Rivers and company couldn’t drive down the field to have a chance to win the game. Not a good loss for the Chargers, but a big win for the Saints whose season looked like it was going nowhere.
Dallas 24 San Francisco 17
The 49ers offense played much better in this game, but rookie quarterback Dak Prescott was better than his counterpart Blaine Gabbert. Shocking right?! The Cowboys are now 3-1 and sitting pretty in the NFC East.
Pittsburgh 43 Kansas City 14
This wasn’t a game. A game would indicate that one team showed up and clearly the Chiefs did not show up. Ben Roethlisberger had a huge game with five touchdowns including two to Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell came back and had 140 yards rushing and caught a few passes as well. The Chiefs likely will just throw this game film away. It was that bad.
New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings 8:30 PM ET ESPN
U.S. Bank Stadium is hosting another primetime game. The first primetime game saw Sam Bradford make his Vikings debut. The offense still hasn’t been very good, but they have gotten the job done thus far. They will need the run game to pick things up here, but it won’t be easy against an improved Giants defense. Then again, Eli Manning has had plenty of issues against the vaunted Vikings defense so things will probably even out. Advantage to the home team in this one.
Prediction: Vikings 24 Giants 13
Coming up Tuesday: MNF reaction plus MLB playoff preview
