After a one week hiatus we’re back with five takeaways. Apologize for missing Week 5.
1. Finally
We finally had a Sunday of football that didn’t make me want to remove my eyeballs and throw them into the garbage. The Green Bay Packers-San Diego Chargers game was probably the best one of the season to this point, there were two overtime contests, the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots game was hilarious (thank you Chuck Pagano) and what I’m about to hit on next was also tremendous.
2. It’s Cam’s Time
That was a hell of a comeback Cam Newton led in the Carolina Panthers 27-23 win at Seattle. Newton paced Carolina to two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to erase a nine-point Seahawks lead. His numbers don’t look much different than previous years and in some cases are worse — his completion-percentage is currently what would be a career low 55.4%. Sometimes you have to ignore the stats to look at the context of accomplishments. Newton is basically the entire Panthers offense. Greg Olsen is his only reliable pass catcher and Jonathan Stewart had played poorly until Sunday. Some people may not want to admit, but Newton is a beast and deserves the recognition.
3. Dan Campbell Living Out The Cliche
Miami Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is the coach you would create if you were writing a corny movie script, but you can’t argue with the results. The Dolphins stomped the Tennessee Titans 38-10 in Tennessee during his debut. They did it by getting back to running the ball — Miami ran the ball 32 times for 180 yards. In the previous four games the Fins totaled 277 yards on the ground. Lamar Miller piled up 113 yards, after totaling only 131 in the first four. Miller also ran for his first touchdown. Miami has a prime opportunity to get back to .500 this weekend hosting the Texans and then the next three games on the road will decide the path of its season. The Dolphins play at the New England Patriots, at the Buffalo Bills and at the Philadelphia Eagles in Weeks 8 through 10.
4. Baltimore Ravens Falling Apart
I knew the Ravens would have some issues, but I never imagined this. The Ravens already have five losses, they’ve had five losses or less in three of John Harbaugh’s first seven seasons as head coach. Baltimore has never lost more than eight games and have finished over .500 in six of the years. It’s hard to see it getting turned around also. The Ravens have to play the Cardinals on “Monday Night Football” in Glendale this week before hosting the Chargers in Week 8. It’s not out of the question the Ravens head into their bye at 1-7.
5. Rushing Leaderboard
The NFL laughs at your fantasy football teams. The 10 players with the most rushing yards this season are Matt Forte, Devonta Freeman, Chris Ivory, Justin Forsett, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Carlos Hyde, Giovani Bernard, Doug Martin and Frank Gore. WELP! The only player on that list that was guaranteed to go in the first round was Peterson. Forsett and Forte probably went in round two or three also. It’s crazy how unpredictable the NFL can be.
Want to find cheap tickets on your phone? Download TiqIQ’s app now for an instant discount on all events: http://tiqiq.us/
