"The Stack" 10-16-17
Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone on Sunday against the Vikings, an injury that could potentially sideline the Packers quarterback for the rest of the season and change the complexion of the NFC North and the NFC in general.
The world basically has come to an end now that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is potentially done for the year with a broken collarbone. Granted that was the biggest storyline from Sunday and it is a big story (though the Giants also had something to say about the big storyline Sunday night), but we have plenty of reaction to the rest of Sunday’s NFL action so let’s get right to “the stack” for today, Monday, October 16th:
Dolphins 20 Falcons 17
A tale of two halves. The Falcons absolutely dominated the first half with a 17-0 lead, but appeared to not come out for the second half at all. It’s rather baffling. The Dolphins offense isn’t anything to write home about, but Jay Ajayi put up over 100 yards rushing and Jay Cutler threw two second half touchdowns to help give the Dolphins the lead. A late Matt Ryan interception sealed the deal. What is going on with the Falcons? That’s a question I think everyone in Atlanta and beyond is asking.
Bears 27 Ravens 24
If you thought the Dolphins beating the Falcons was surprising, what about the Bears going into Baltimore and beating the Ravens?! It wasn’t necessarily that Trubisky did a whole lot. Heck, Tarik Cohen threw the first touchdown of the game for the Bears, but their defense did plenty returning an interception for a touchdown and then after the Ravens tied the game up, Trubisky helped lead the Bears down for the game-winning field goal. What is going on with the Ravens?
Texans 33 Browns 17
Hey Hue Jackson, how was it starting Kevin Hogan instead of Deshone Kizer? Hogan was awful and Deshaun Watson was terrific with three touchdown passes along with one pick (that the Browns returned for a touchdown) and the Texans won this game easily. The Browns are a mess. And it isn’t going to get better anytime soon.
Vikings 23 Packers 10
Yes, Aaron Rodgers got hurt in this one. No, it wasn’t a dirty play. That play though changed not only the complexion of this game, but the entire Packers season. The Vikings dominated this game and if it hadn’t been for a couple of turnovers in the first half the final score would have been much larger. The Vikings appear now to be the front runners to win the NFC North. The Packers are still alive provided that Rodgers doesn’t miss the rest of the season with that broken collarbone.
Saints 52 Lions 38
Raise your hands if you saw the Saints scoring three defensive touchdowns in this game. You are all liars. The Saints defense was great against a battered Matthew Stafford and company. What has happened to the Lions defense? The Saints have rebounded nicely from their 0-2 start and given the issues with the Falcons, they may be the favorites in the NFC South. That is saying something.
Patriots 24 Jets 17
Crisis averted Patriots fans. The Patriots spotted the Jets 14 early points and then Tom Brady went to work. Granted Josh McCown did finish with more yards (354 to 257), but, Brady helped settle the Patriots down and lead them to the victory. It may have helped that the Jets had what appeared to be a would-be touchdown overturned when Austin Seferian-Jenkins fumbled out of the back of the endzone. The Jets are playing much better than just about anyone thought, but the Patriots were able to escape with a victory.
Washington 26 49ers 24
Kirk Cousins and company started out red hot with two early touchdown passes, but the 49ers received a spark when Brian Hoyer got benched in favor of C.J. Beathard. He helped lead the 49ers back and had a chance to win at the end, but they couldn’t complete the deal. Cousins disappeared for large stretches of the game, but threw his third touchdown of the game in the second half to help keep the 49ers at bay. Still, this was not a great game by Washington. And San Francisco needs to get Carlos Hyde going more. Yes he had two touchdowns, but he needs to get more yards. The 49ers are still winless.
Cardinals 38 Buccaneers 33
Apparently, a change of scenery was all that Adrian Peterson needed. He ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns including 54 yards on the team’s opening drive to help set the tone for the Cardinals in this one. They had to sweat it out late though. Give Ryan Fitzpatrick credit for coming in for the injured Jameis Winston and helping the Bucs keep the fight, but the Cardinals held them off.
Rams 27 Jaguars 17
Quite the start to this game with the Rams returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and then Leonard Fournette running it 75 yards for a touchdown on the Jaguars first play from scrimmage. He played well, but the special teams is what cost the Jaguars in this one. In addition to that kickoff return for a touchdown, the Rams also blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. These two teams have the ability to make decent runs…they just don’t always put together a complete game.
Steelers 19 Chiefs 13
All you need sometimes is a heavy dose of Le’Veon Bell to take down an undefeated team. And a spectacular catch and run for a touchdown from Antonio Brown. And a fantastic defensive effort. The Steelers got all three of them in taking down the undefeated Chiefs. The Chiefs offense managed just six yards of offense in the first half. They had a chance to win it at the end still, but that isn’t the Chiefs offense we’ve seen in the other five games this year. Big win for the Steelers.
Chargers 17 Raiders 16
The Raiders are in complete freefall. Their offense was not good against the Chargers. Derek Carr threw two interceptions and I wonder just how much his back was troubling him. They had a golden opportunity with the Chiefs losing to get back in the division mix and failed to do so. Not good Oakland. Know what was good though? Melvin Gordon who accounted for both of the Chargers’ touchdowns. He was a major reason they were able to win.
Giants 23 Broncos 10
I should be done predicting NFL games here going forward. I said that the Broncos over the Giants was the absolute lock of the week with all of the injuries the Giants had to their receiving core, but the Giants defense absolutely played stellar and the Giants rushing attack led by Orleans Darkwa was the real difference. The Broncos were near no shows. This was quite the stunning loss and what a win for the Giants. No one knows anything about what is going on in the NFL. No one!
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans 8:30 PM ET ESPN MNF
So after that pathetic pick of the Broncos over the Giants why not offer a prediction for tonight? Provided that Marcus Mariota plays, the Titans offense should be just fine against the Colts defense. The Titans have more talent than the Colts. It all depends on Mariota. If he plays and can play for the entire game and be healthy, the Titans win this game.
Prediction: Titans 27 Colts 16
Coming up Tuesday: MNF reaction, college football weekend reaction and baseball thoughts.
Coming up later this week: 2017-18 NBA season preview
