Scott Logush
Associate Editor
It took six weeks but there are no more undefeated teams in the NFL. In a week with two massive upsets, the Buffalo Bills fighting for their lives against the wounded New York Giants, and the New England Patriots losing a close game against multiple familiar faces, there was a lot to learn this week.
The Good
Rodgers Isn’t Done?
Aaron Rodgers was throwing a few passes during warmups in the Jets game, just over a month after tearing his achilles. If Rodgers can somehow come back late in the season with the Jets in a competitive spot, they have the opportunity to make some noise in the playoffs. For now, they’re staying alive at 3-3 with the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buffalo Bills.
Dolphins Dominate Again
The Miami Dolphins had another week of dominance. After a relatively slow start that saw the Panthers get up to an early 14-0 lead, Miami stormed back with 21 points in the second quarter. They followed it up with another 21 in the second half while only allowing a single touchdown to the Panthers in the fourth quarter. Tua played a very clean game as well without turning the ball over, and Miami was as explosive as ever, gaining 6.5 yards per play
The Bad
The Carr Stalled (Again)
Derek Carr is just good. Yes, he’s injured, but this has been the story of Derek Carr. He’s an okay to a good quarterback who is consistently chasing the one great season he had seven years ago. He is the most aggressive we’ve seen in his career with his career-high average depth of target being 9.8 yards, but we saw Andy Dalton do significantly better with this team last season. Keeping Dalton on a contract that would have been a fraction of what Carr got would have been a significantly better choice.
Richardson Done For The Season
When word comes down from the team owner that a player is likely done for the season, that’s when you know it is serious. All signs point toward season-ending surgery for the explosive rookie, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Richardson’s style of play put him in the way of multiple hits, and unfortunately, his shoulder didn’t hold up and surgery is the likely option. He ranks very highly on the fun-to-watch scale, and unfortunately, it is confirmed that he will undergo surgery and miss the season.
The Ugly
Jalen Hurts Philadelphia’s Comeback Attempt
Despite injuries, Philadelphia’s defense was far from the issue when the team fell to the New York Jets. Hurts made some big plays, but also had multiple turnovers that inevitably cost Philadelphia the game. New York’s defense is legit and has been legit all season, allowing the 13th fewest points per game at 19.8. The loss of Shane Steichen to the Indianapolis Colts is proving to be a shakey transition that is taking time, and we saw that on display this week.
Moody Game For San Francisco
Never draft a kicker, especially in the third round. Although the final exclamation mark was on the missed field goal, this boils down to the San Francisco offense being stopped in its tracks. This was easily Brock Purdy’s worst game of his career, including the one where his elbow got absolutely busted. He had three turnover-worthy plays, he had five all season prior to this and had seven all of last season including the playoffs. Purdy was also under pressure 15 times, and sacked three times. Purdy’s adjusted completion percentage was 56.5 percent, his lowest of the season by over 14 percent. We’ve seen about a full season of good quarterback play by Purdy, he’ll bounce back but the Cleveland Browns have a case for the best defense in the NFL.
