It was a week full of big time injuries. A lot of star players are now expected to miss the rest of this season. The Kansas City Chiefs who won two games all of last season are the only undefeated team left in the league. The NFL is a lot of things, but predictable is not one.
- Peyton Manning played his first game in Indianapolis since being released from the Colts one season ago. It was emotional to see the crowd give their former quarterback a standing ovation and video tribute for Peyton himself. The game, however, did not go so well for the Broncos. Denver played their sloppiest game of the season with Ronnie Hillman fumbling at the goal line and Manning throwing an air ball that turned into an interception. It is the first week the loss of three offensive lineman showed its effect. The Colts’ defense managed to get serious pressure on Manning in the pocket and paid off. Sack specialist Mathis sacked his former teammate which resulted in a safety. The Colts may have lost something even more valuable than winning one game, Reggie Wayne. Wayne is out for the season with a torn ACL.
- The Bears were bit the hardest by the injury bug this week losing their quarterback and middle linebacker. Jay Cutler is out at least four weeks after tearing his groin muscle and Lance Briggs is out six weeks with a shoulder injury. The Bears are in trouble of losing their lead in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers going on a three game winning streak. The Bears lost to the Redskins who were led by a much healthier looking Robert Griffin III. Washington still has plenty of other issues, especially on defense, but it is a welcomed site for fans. The Redskins will be without safety Brandon Meriweather for two games after he was suspended for dirty hits for two games. He is currently appealing his suspension.
- The Patriots welcomed back tight end Rob Gronkowski who finally made his season debut on Sunday against the New York Jets. Unfortunately, it was spoiled when the Jets won in overtime on a very controversial penalty. Tom Brady threw for a rare interception that was returned for a touchdown. Brady seemed off all night, overthrowing his receivers and trying to force passes to Gronkowski even when he was in triple coverage. The Jets’ defense deserves a lot of credit as well. Their front seven is becoming one of the most dominant in the league. They held the Patriots’ to 90 rushing yards which did not help Brady. The AFC East might not be a run away like the Patriots are used to.
- The Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated after beating third string quarterback Case Keenum and the Houston Texans. Keenum got the start after the terrible performances by Matt Schaub and TJ Yates. He was able to finally break that awful streak of throwing a pick-six in consecutive games for the Texans. He had a tough task against a very tough Chiefs’ defense who leads the league in sacks and he definitely did better than expected. The Texans only lost by one point, but they lost linebacker Brian Cushing for the year. Cushing tore his LCL and broke his leg during the game; this is the same leg that has a repaired ACL from last season.
- The New York Giants finally got their first win against a terrible Minnesota Vikings teams. One thing the Giants should build on is their ability to stop reigning MVP Adrian Peterson from ever getting loose. They will need that amount of effort next week as they face LeSean McCoy and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Vikings had Josh Freeman make his debut for them and he looked anxious every time he dropped back. He could not connect with any of his receivers all night. The Vikings no longer look like the playoff team of last season and they have a lot of holes to fix. The Giants only allowed the Vikings to score a punt returned for a touchdown which is an area they never struggled with in the past, but it is clearly a problem this season.
