NFL Week 6 Recap 2015 (October 21st)

It was another important week in the NFL which saw some big Divisional wins and has just settled the season the path it is likely to go.

There are always a couple of surprise teams that can put together a run at this point when it looks like they are seemingly staring into the abyss, but most records will tell us teams 'are what we think they are'.

You can put a fork into some teams around the NFL, while Coaches might begin to feel their seats getting warmer and warmer before Black Monday in January when a number of changes are usually made.

So what did I make of Week 6 of the 2015 NFL season?

Peyton Manning is Finished as an 'Elite' Quarter Back

That may seem an understatement considering many have been ready to leave Peyton Manning on the scrapheap for weeks already, but I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt until this week.

There is little doubt now that Denver are beginning to win games in spite of their Quarter Back and not because of Peyton Manning which has been the case through his career. Manning hasn't been helped by some poor drops from normally reliable Receivers, but the Interceptions thrown have almost been telegraphed to the Defenders and it's almost like Manning is second guessing himself.

If teams had taken advantage of his sloppy play or if the Broncos Defense had been about the level of last year, I think Denver are looking at a 3-3 record AT BEST, rather than at 6-0 where they currently stand. Baltimore, Kansas City, Minnesota, Oakland and now Cleveland all had their shots to win those games against Denver and it is only the Defensive unit that has helped them overcome Manning mistakes.

That is hard to write considering how good Manning has been in his career, but Father Time remains undefeated and his skills look completely eroded now.

To me it would be a huge surprise if Manning was to return to the NFL next season, especially in Denver, while this team might make the Play Offs but I wouldn't back them to win more than a single Play Off game even with home advantage.

Manning has no running game to aid him and it has to be pointed out that Denver are 6-0 because they have played teams with a combined 10-24 record to this point. Even then they have barely squeaked by and I think we will know exactly what Denver are once they come out of their bye into their next five games.

Why? Well they only face the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots in that run (17-12 combined record to this point and two undefeated teams).

Can Someone Tell Me What is a Catch in the NFL?

I am done.

Absolutely done.

Just what is a catch in the NFL these days?

Anyone who saw the Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game might have been as stunned as the commentators when they saw the Golden Tate 'catch' which was turned into an Interception ruled a Touchdown because he had taken 'three steps' before breaking the plane.

As Tate was crossing the line, the ball was ripped out of his hands and caught by a Bears Defender and almost everyone was waiting to hear from the referees that the call on the field stands after it had been ruled an Interception. The commentators couldn't believe it had been overturned into a Touchdown and the question was how is that a catch and a Touchdown when this below wasn't?

Devonta Freeman caught a pass the week earlier, and stretched over the plane before being turned around and the ball coming loose... But that was an incomplete pass according to the referees?

Why do the NFL make it so difficult to determine a catch? Bang-bang plays are different but surely the second you make a 'football move' or blatantly cradle the ball should be a catch right?

To me the Golden Tate 'catch' should have been ruled the same as Freeman's and it was then an Interception. If it wasn't and he had broken the plane as announced by Dean Blandino and the referee on the field, then Freeman's is a Touchdown too as is Dez Bryant's from the Dallas Cowboys Play Off loss to Green Bay last season.

Why is it so convoluted though? Millions watch these games and you don't want to make a rule so grey that people don't know which way the referees will rule. It needs to be cleared up once and for all because it looked ridiculous on Sunday and I am sure there is going to be at least one more really big moment later in the season just like it. One that will likely be ruled the other way too!

The Carolina Panthers Have a Statement Win to Underline 5-0

When Kelvin Benjamin was lost for the season, I wasn't sure the Carolina Panthers would be anything more than perhaps the best team in a pretty poor Division. That was the best case scenario in my mind and even their 4-0 start to the season could be ignored because of the teams they had beaten.

Ignore the Panthers no longer though.

Cam Newton showed his ever improving maturity by helping Carolina come back from 13 points down to not only beat the Seattle Seahawks, but to beat them on the road.

Some have suggested Newton as a potential MVP candidate and that performance on Sunday has me firmly believing that the Quarter Back is now looking to move to the next echelon of players in his position.

The fact Newton won the game with his arm will have left a beaming smile on all who have backed him to flourish into a top Quarter Back and I do think the Panthers are for real as a Super Bowl contender.

Carolina's Defense is always going to keep them in games, but Newton being able to sustain drives in hostile environments under immense pressure while standing in the pocket makes them a threat to win it all.

My concern? I think outside of Greg Olsen the Panthers don't have reliable Receivers and that might haunt them later in the season when teams take away their Tight End. Carolina do look a little short at the moment to win it all, but this is a young team and I love what their Quarter Back is doing at the moment.

Any team that can win in Seattle deserves my respect, although Seahawks fans might begin to worry about their own chances of reaching another Super Bowl with a Defense that has consistently blown coverages and big leads in Fourth Quarters this season.

Sam Bradford Still Doesn't Look the Answer for Chip Kelly

When the trade was made between the Philadelphia Eagles and the St Louis Rams that sent Nick Foles to Missouri and brought Sam Bradford to Phili, I think a lot of people were excited to see what the former Number 1 Overall Draft Pick was going to be able to do in this Offense.

He was coming off a second big knee injury, but Bradford showed enough in pre-season to start the season for the Eagles and was a popular choice for Comeback Player of the Year.

It hasn't gone to plan for Bradford despite the fact the Philadelphia Eagles are back on top of the NFC East, but that was because the Defense helped them overcome Bradford's mistakes in the Monday Night Football win over the New York Giants.

Mistakes have been a big problem for Bradford and he has shown little sign that he is learning from them. He hasn't looked happy behind this Offensive Line, but his deep throws have been inconsistent and the fans continue to urge Chip Kelly to perhaps make the change to Mark Sanchez.

Now Sanchez is far from the answer, but he played OK in relief for Foles last season although Kelly was far from sold. The only fortune for the Head Coach is the fact that the Dallas Cowboys have been hurt so badly by Offensive injuries through the season and the Eagles can take control of the Division.

However, they won't go far if Bradford can't find a way to run the Offense without making critical turnovers as has been the case all season for him. At least the running game has begun to show some life, but there is still a long way for Philadelphia to go to be considered a Super Bowl contender with Bradford running this Offense.

Top Ten

1) Green Bay Packers (6-0): They go into their bye week undefeated and hoping it gives them time to allow some of their banged up Receivers restore their health.

2) New England Patriots (5-0): Easily looking the team to beat in the AFC, although helped by a ridiculous 'Fake Punt' attempt from the Indianapolis Colts.

3) Cincinnati Bengals (6-0): I expected a flat Cincinnati Bengals team to perhaps struggle at the Buffalo Bills, but I couldn't be more wrong and this looks a Super Bowl contender more and more each passing week.

4) Carolina Panthers (5-0): How could I not have Carolina make a big move upwards after their statement win on the road in Seattle?

5) Denver Broncos (5-0): The record deserves respect, but don't be surprised if Denver start moving down after their bye week and with a run of very difficult opponents.

6) Arizona Cardinals (4-2): A sloppy loss from Arizona against a third string Quarter Back, especially as Pittsburgh barely moved the ball in the first half.

7) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2): For the first time since Ben Roethlisberger was injured, I have to put Pittsburgh back into the top ten. Could easily be 3-0 without their starting Quarter Back if Josh Scobee could kick a Field Goal and look very good on both sides of the ball.

8) Atlanta Falcons (5-1): The loss was coming as Atlanta's luck ran out in the SuperDome on Thursday Night Football.

9) Minnesota Vikings (3-2): This is a better team than the record will show and I think they are a genuine Wild Card contender.

10) New York Jets (4-1): The Jets have been earning my grudging respect over the last few weeks and have to bring them into the top ten with a big game with New England next on deck to prove they deserve their place.

Bottom Five

32) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5): Gus Bradley has to be on the Hot Seat in Jacksonville after another terrible blow out loss at home against an opponent they were favoured to beat.

31) Tennessee Titans (1-4): Marcos Mariota has been banged up and Tennessee were embarrassed by the Miami Dolphins in a game they were favoured to win. Long road to go for the Titans to get back to being a competitive team on a regular basis.

30) Detroit Lions (1-5): A good win for the Lions, but there is still something not quite right there and Jim Caldwell has to be under pressure as Head Coach.

29) Kansas City Chiefs (1-5): Their best player is injured and the Chiefs look like they need to make the change at Quarter Back and see what they have for the future. Alex Smith has never been the answer despite what the Sky analysts will tell you.

28) Baltimore Ravens (1-5): I wouldn't be surprised if the Baltimore Ravens begin moving on some of their older pieces like Steve Smith because this season is done.

Week 6 Picks Recap

Back to back losing weeks has to be considered a disappointment although it could have been a lot worse if not for Philadelphia blowing out the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

There were some misfortunate moments- Green Bay had the chance to move up by 11 points at the end of their game with San Diego, enough for the cover, but Aaron Rodgers missed two wide open Receivers in the End Zone.

The New England Patriots were up by thirteen points before allowing a Touchdown inside the last minute of that game which prevented that one being a cover too and both of those games going the other way would have changed the whole week.

My worst pick of the week by miles was picking the Baltimore Ravens to win in San Francisco as I put too much stock in the 49ers focusing on the Seattle Seahawks which is their next game on Thursday Night Football. All in all it was a poor week, but the season totals remain intact thanks to the first four weeks of the season.

However, I will be looking to end the poor run of the last two weeks by getting back to winning ways in Week 7 which features the second London game of three to be played this season.

NFL Week 1 Recap 2015 (September 16th)

The first week of the NFL is in the books and I have decided I will try and put a recap in place in a different post to my 'NFL Picks' post which had become very long when the recap was added to that.

There were plenty of big storylines in Week 1 and I have put a few thoughts down about some of them.

The Big Rookie Battle between Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota

You are going to hear a lot of 'I told you so' comments from some in the media that might have suggested Marcus Mariota was the better Quarter Back coming out of College compared with Jameis Winston.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't believe that and selected Winston Number 1 overall, but he didn't have a good outing in Week 1 as he struggled to decipher the Tennessee Titans Defense.

Some of the errors he made, and got away with in College, were still at the forefront of Winston's play, but it is just his first ever NFL game and the Buccaneers can have plenty of other concerns rather than just the Quarter Back.

Winston's poor performance was magnified by how well Mariota played for the Tennessee Titans as he became the first rookie Quarter Back to throw FOUR first half Touchdown passes in his first start. However, Mariota is going to have much tougher Defenses to go against than this Tampa Bay one and there is the same overall feeling about both players after one game.

Namely, it is one game... You can't have an overreaction either way despite the positives around Mariota and negatives around Winston, but it is just one game and a career isn't judged on a single game.

The Buffalo Bills May Be the Best Defense in the NFL

After what I said about overreactions to one game above, some may criticise me for doing the same thing after one game the Buffalo Bills Defense dominated against the Indianapolis Colts.

The difference is that rookie players are going to be inconsistent so I look at the two Quarter Backs above and think they are going to have good and bad games through the season.

This Buffalo Bills Defense is far from a 'rookie' one and clearly the pieces were already there last season. Rex Ryan might not have succeeded as he would have liked with the New York Jets, but he does get the best out of his players and I think he will make this Defense just a little stronger than last season which could make them the best in the NFL.

The pressure up front was incredible against the Colts, that picture above summing up Andrew Luck's day, and not many Offensive Lines could handle that pressure. It is a big test for Buffalo in Week 2 to back up that performance and prove they are for real when the New England Patriots come to town, but I really do think this Bills team could go very far as long as the Offense continues to manage the game as they did against Indianapolis.

Kam Chancellor is Going to be Paid

It was a big decision from Kam Chancellor to sit out Week 1 as his dispute with the Seattle Seahawks continues and his absence certainly contributed to the Defense giving up 34 points in a Week 1 loss at St Louis.

The 'Legion of Boom' was down to 1.5 players in that game with Chancellor out and Byron Maxwell now in Philadelphia, while Earl Thomas looks half the player he is as he seems to be banged up.

Seattle are going to need the Defensive unit at their best because the Offensive Line looks horrific and I am not sure this is a team built to come from behind too often. If the Defense are giving up plenty of points, it will be tough for the Seahawks to make it three in a row when it comes to Super Bowl appearances.

I am not sure if Chancellor's stand off with Seattle will be settled by this Sunday, but I would be surprised if the Seahawks don't make the move to get him back to work. Another poor Defensive effort at the Green Bay Packers might certainly speed up negotiations and not many would have picked Seattle to be 0-2 after two games which has become a distinct possibility.

If Carson Palmer Remains Healthy, the Arizona Cardinals are a Real Super Bowl Contender

When Carson Palmer went down with an injury last season, the Arizona Cardinals were 7-1 and looked primed to take over as the NFC West Champions. A further injury to Drew Stanton ended the Cardinals real ambitions to play the Super Bowl in their own Stadium, and a Wild Card Play Off exit was expected as the injury bug hurt the whole roster.

Palmer was back for Week 1 and looked very, very comfortable with the keys to the Offense and he is more than a game manager that Arizona began to rely upon in his absence in 2014.

He is as important as any player on this roster for the Cardinals and could have a Kurt Warner type season if he gets through the season, one that ends with a Super Bowl appearance.

Winning the NFC West won't be easy, but the Cardinals look strong on both sides of the ball and if they could somehow come away with the Number 1 Seed in the NFC, I think it will be very difficult for a team to go to Glendale and knock them off.

The two games in Week 16 and Week 17 when Arizona host Green Bay and Seattle could be crucial to Play Off Seeding and keeping their Quarter Back healthy will put this team in a position to win it all.

What Were the New York Giants Thinking?

Look, I don't have two Super Bowl winning rings like Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning have, but I could only shake my head in embarrassment at the way the New York Giants blew their Week 1 game at the Dallas Cowboys.

Anyone who plays Madden or has watched Football for any length of time, from 10-70 years old, would have known the simple plays to run when the New York Giants got down to the 1 yard line for a 1st and Goal with under two minutes left.

The Cowboys had two timeouts, so the obvious calls with a three point lead were for the Giants to run the ball twice with the hope they score the Touchdown or force the Cowboys to use their last two timeouts.

At Third Down the main option has to be running the ball knowing you either score to go ten points up, or you try and catch the Defense with a surprise pass and score that way.

If throwing, you DO NOT throw the ball out of the End Zone and stop the clock running, you either take the Sack or you try and run the ball in. I couldn't believe Eli Manning did the one thing you simply can't do and the fact the Cowboys scored with 7 seconds left just underlined the mistake as the Giants saved them around 30 seconds with that dumb decision.

Both Coughlin and Manning took the blame as they should have, but you know what makes the Third Down call even more baffling?
How about Rashad Jennings telling the press that he was told not to score by Eli Manning, something Manning hasn't disputed... So why was the pass called in if the Giants didn't want to score?!!!!!!!!!!!

If I thought it was poor clock management while watching the end of the game, I now think it is actually incompetent of the Giants to run a passing play when they have said they don't want to score. I guess the Football Gods decided they had to be punished with a great drive run by Tony Romo to win the game for Dallas.

Is it Time to be Concerned for Peyton Manning?

I figured the torn quad that Peyton Manning was playing with at the end of last season had affected him massively, but, wow, did he look bad in Week 1!

I don't know how much blame I want to apportion to the Offensive Line, which had struggled in protection, because Manning didn't exactly light it up when he did have time to throw. Everything was short and he didn't challenge Baltimore deep too often.

If it wasn't for the Defense, the Broncos don't win that game in Week 1 and they would be travelling to the Kansas City Chiefs in a very difficult spot even this early in the season.

Peyton Manning has a chance to bounce back against the Chiefs and prove there is still something left in the tank, but I also think he needs to get his head around the Gary Kubiak system. Manning also wasn't helped at all by the running game and that is a key for him, but the bubble screens that have been so successful for Denver were blown up constantly by Baltimore.

I definitely want to see some big improvements from Manning in the next couple of weeks to remove this doubt I have about him.

Top Ten

1) Green Bay Packers (1-0): This is the team I would pick to win the Super Bowl at the start of the season and I can't knock them off after a Divisional win.

2) Arizona Cardinals (1-0): As I have said above, if they can stay healthy, particularly Carson Palmer, the Cardinals can win it all.

3) New England Patriots (1-0): Team to beat in the AFC as the reigning Champions, but a big test for them in Week 2 will show where the Patriots are.

4) Denver Broncos (1-0): I am concerned about Peyton Manning, but the Defense looked legit in Week 1 and I am still not completely bailing on the Quarter Back.

5) Dallas Cowboys (1-0): Barely escaped with a win in Week 1 and lost Dez Bryant and Randy Gregory for a few weeks which will hurt.

6) Buffalo Bills (1-0): If Tyrod Taylor can continue to manage the game as he did in Week 1, Buffalo's Defense is good enough to help break the 15 year streak without a Play Off appearance.

7) Indianapolis Colts (0-1): It was a bad loss for the Indianapolis Colts at the Buffalo Bills, but the latter might be very under-rated and I expect the Colts to bounce back on Monday Night Football.

8) Seattle Seahawks (0-1): They need to bring back Kam Chancellor into the fold and the Seahawks have to get better protection for Russell Wilson, but Seattle still one of the top teams in the NFC.

9) Philadelphia Eagles (0-1): No one should be rushing off the Philadelphia Eagles bandwagon if you were on it last week as the Offense certainly found their gear in the second half of the loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

10) Atlanta Falcons (1-0): With Matt Ryan and Julio Jones on the Offense, scoring points has never been a problem for Atlanta. However, if Dan Quinn can inspire the Defense to perform as they did in the first half of the win over the Eagles, Atlanta might be a dark horse for a deep run this season.

Bottom Five

32) Washington Redskins (0-1): A good team would have put the Miami Dolphins away last week, but Washington are far from a good team.

31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1): There are still a lot of holes for Lovie Smith to fix for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to turn this franchise around.

30) Cleveland Browns (0-1): If Johnny Manziel has extended time at Quarter Back, the Cleveland Browns might be the worst team in the NFL pretty soon afterwards.

29) Oakland Raiders (0-1): Derek Carr is injured and the Oakland Raiders laid an egg in a Week 1 blow out at the hands of Cincinnati.

28) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1): This did feel a season that Jacksonville could start proving that Gus Bradley is getting things right at the franchise, but they were just horrible in being beaten by Carolina at home in Week 1.

Week 1 Picks Recap

I can't complain about the Week 1 Picks which saw five of the eight picks return as winners and another coming back as a push.

Apparently the Vegas casinos described it as the worst opening weekend of the NFL for twenty years and that means the next couple of weeks are going to be dangerous.

They haven't made those huge hotels out of having weeks like last week on a regular basis and I have definitely taken note and will look to avoid getting caught in the backlash.