Another week down, another week of football is in the books. Some teams finally got their first win, like the Washington Redskins, while others are still waiting, like the Pittsburgh Steelers. Peyton Manning put on yet another quarterback clinic proving he is back and better than ever. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started Mike Glennon at quarterback, but still lost. Let’s start with the NFC West and incredible comeback by the Seahawks:
- The team that has been the best in the NFC so far has to be the Seattle Seahawks. They easily beat their last two opponents, one being division rival the San Francisco 49ers. This week, they went against one of the AFC’s best teams, the Houston Texans. The Texans looked like they were ready to hand the Seahawks their first loss. Down 20-3 going into the third quarter, the Seahawks made a miraculous comeback scoring 17 unanswered points sending the game into overtime. Kicking a game winning field goal, the Seahawks stayed perfect and left the Texans lost for words. Matt Schaub was partly to blame when he threw an interception in the fourth quarterback that Richard Sherman returned for a touchdown. However, the Texans defense did not help their teams, but the blame should be put on their offense for not being able to move the ball to put up any points in the second half and overtime. The best news of the game was that Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett who looked to suffer a very serious lower back injury, was diagnosed with a pulled muscle and was back with the team after the game.
- The Denver Broncos’ offense put on yet another show. Peyton Manning is having one of the best years in his career, and he already has a few MVP trophies. Every play looked perfectly executed. This offense has consistently made defenses tired and clueless as to where the ball will be going. Many thought the loss of left tackle Ryan Clady will slow this offense down, but it is still full steam ahead. Their opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, got off to a hot start in their first game, but have stuttered ever since. Chip Kelly’s rapid offense is not fooling anyone and quarterback Michael Vick is back to taking huge hits. Running back LeSean McCoy is on pace for yet another huge year; something the Eagles should really focus on. This team should become a run first offense instead of trying to throw a deep ball to a second string receiving corp.
- Their AFC West rivals, Kansas City Chiefs, also moved to 4-0 beating Peyton’s little brother Eli and the New York Giants. The Chiefs really shined on special teams; Dexter McCluster returned a Steve Weatherford punt for a touchdown. The Chiefs finally committed a turnover, two to be exact, but their defense was able to keep the Giants from ever figuring out their offensive struggles. The Giants have now scored seven points in their last two games. Alex Smith continued to pick apart another defense with his short passes. He needed to be efficient as Jamaal Charles had a very quiet day.
- The Chicago Bears struggled and suffered their first loss to the Detroit Lions. Quarterback Jay Cutler committed three interceptions and lost a fumble. They did attempt a comeback in the fourth quarter outscoring the Lions 16-3, but it was not enough. The Lions got a huge offensive boost with the return of versatile running back Reggie Bush. He is a huge addition to that offense who will be without wide receiver Nate Burleson. The loss of DT Henry Melton left a lot of space for Bush to run and showed that the Bears’ defense has a big issue with the defensive front without him. The win puts the Lions in a first place tie with the Bears in the NFC North.
- The New Orleans Saints are back on top and look better than they have in years. Head coach Sean Payton is back and has relieved some of the stress Drew Brees put on himself. The Saints defense has also improved after having one of the worst years in NFL history last season. However, this offense is one of the best in the league. Jimmy Graham can catch anything thrown his way. Darren Sproles had a huge night both receiving and rushing. The Miami Dolphins did not look like a 3-0 team. They looked like a team lacking chemistry with an inexperienced quarterback. Tannehill tried to run the ball himself, but ended up losing it with the Saints recovering and going on to score a touchdown. He ended the night with four interceptions. Brees and the Saints love playing on Monday Night; they have won their last nine Monday Night Football match-ups.
