SUNDAY WAS NOT kind to three of the four teams that made last year’s conference championships.
Two are 1-3, another was shut out at home for the first time since 1993 by a division rival, and the only unbeaten team of the bunch may have lost its starting quarterback.
In the case of the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, the lone 4-0 team in the NFL, they may be no worse for wear without Trevor Siemian. Rookie Paxton Lynch saw his first regular-season action when Siemian exited Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury and did more than enough for the Broncos to cruise in a 27-7 victory over the 1-3 Buccaneers.
Siemian sprained the AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder and coach Gary Kubiak said he probably could have returned, but Denver’s bigger worry should be the Atlanta Falcons when their NFL-leading 34.7 points per game roll into Mile High Stadium next week to face the Broncos’ vaunted defense.
Just ask the Carolina Panthers how that worked out for them.
Last season’s Super Bowl runners-up suffered a 48-33 shellacking in Georgia as their NFC South rival, led by Julio Jones, ran circles the size of Josh Norman’s mouth around Luke Kuechly and company to fall to 1-3 in their Super Bowl hangover.
Out of seven previous teams under the modern playoff format to start 1-3 or worse after a title game appearance, only the 1996 Cowboys made the playoffs.
What’s worse, Cam Newton suffered a concussion during the loss as the Panthers’ offensive line continues to falter around the reigning NFL MVP, who dipped and dodged to just 165 passing yards before exiting in the fourth quarter. He was entered into the league’s concussion protocol with his Week 5 status up in the air.
The same can also be said about Carson Palmer, who started opposite Newton in last year’s NFC Championship Game and may be just as integral to his team’s dwindling playoff outlook.
Indeed, the Arizona Cardinals are a mess and in last place in the NFC West after blowing a 13-10 lead to the Los Angeles Rams after Palmer’s exit. The 36-year-old quarterback went end-over-end in the fourth quarter and landed on his head, sending him to concussion protocol, while Drew Stanton squandered the Cardinals’ final two drives with a pair of interceptions.
Maybe equally surprising as Arizona’s unforeseen struggles is the fact the Rams are 3-1 and tied for first place with the Seattle Seahawks.
Speaking of first place, the New England Patriots held onto that spot in the AFC East despite suffering the most painful of losses on Sunday, a 16-0 beat down courtesy of Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills.
You’ll need to time travel 24 years to find the last time a Belichick-coached team was shut out at home: Sept. 27, 1992, when he was with the Cleveland Browns. Jacoby Brissett, the Patriots’ starting quarterback on Sunday, was born three months later.
It was just the second time since 2009 the Patriots have lost to an AFC East team at Gillette Stadium as Buffalo, with just one win in Foxborough since 2002, dictated play wire to wire in a complete role reversal.
Don’t feel too bad for them, though. They’re still 3-1, improbably, and Tom Brady makes a triumphant return from his Deflategate-enforced holiday next week against the Browns.
Answering the Bell
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell returned from his three-game suspension and made his presence felt in his season debut, totalling 178 yards from scrimmage.
It opened everything up for his team-mates in the 43-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns — two to Antonio Brown — as he finished 22-of-25 on the night.
There were a number of firsts amid the 571 total yards the Falcons dropped on the Panthers defense.
Matt Ryan completed 28 of his 37 passes for a Falcons-record 503 yards and four touchdowns, and Julio Jones had 12 catches for 300 yards, becoming only the sixth player to break the 300-yard mark in a game.
The Falcons, already with the NFL’s top-scoring offenses entering the week, have scored 45 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history.
New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick followed up a historically awful six-interception performance last week with three picks in a 27-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Two of the interceptions came in the fourth quarter, giving Fitzpatrick 11 fourth-quarter picks over his last five games.
Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott again went interception-free in a 23-of-32 performance complete with 245 yards and the first two-touchdown game of his young career. His 131 pass attempts without a pick are the most in NFL history to start a career.
Will Fuller had himself a day in the Texans’ 27-20 victory over the Titans. The rookie wideout was Houston’s leading receiver, with 81 yards and a touchdown on seven grabs, and added a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown that served as the eventual game winner.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr engineered yet another comeback win, made complete by Michael Crabtree’s third touchdown catch of the game with 2:12 to play. Oakland held on for a 28-27 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, giving Carr his sixth game-winning drive since the start of the 2015 season — the most in the NFL.
“That performance in the second half is flat-out unacceptable,” said a furious Mike McCoy, whose San Diego Chargers blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter before losing 35-34 to the New Orleans Saints. “We absolutely gave this one away. Everything falls on me. I’ll take the blame for everything that happens. We’re going to find out a lot about this football team in a hurry.”
Unfortunate for them with the injuries, would have been great to see them fully loaded having a crack at Europe.
Glad McCabe is back, good player, thought it was a poor decision in the Summer to let him go.
Wonder what Conan O’Donnell is up to this weather
@ScewMadd: He was togging out for Counties Manukau in the mitre cup, prior to that he was at the sunwolves. Since the mitre cups completion I am not sure where he’s at. He put in a few 80min performances for Counties and he looked v solid. They played him at lh for all but one of his starts. Connacht could do with him now that’s for sure.
@Ian Verdon: I thought O’Donnell and Kenny would be starting for Connacht as a duo for 10 years when they first came on the scene. Both looked serious prospects but O’Donnell didn’t work out for some reason and Kenny’s taking more time do come through that I thought he would. His technique needed a good bit of work but a serious specimen.
@Eddie Hekenui: O’Donnell impressed me for counties this season, granted I only saw 3 of his performances. He seems comfortable playing either side of the scrum and his skillset is good. Kenny at 133kg is certainly a specimen, for me he needs to shed a few kg’s. His athleticism isn’t bad for a lad of his weight but I think with an added injection of acceleration he could be more of a weapon with ball in hand and get around the park more. He’s only 23 which is still young for a prop. He could well be on the bench this weekend I’ll be keeping an eye on him if indeed he is and does get on.
@Ian Verdon: Having seen him in action last season he’s definitely trimmed down since he was an U20 so I doubt he’s still 133 but you’re spot on that he could still do with tightening things up a bit. Still looks to be carrying a bit of bad weight. He’s some engine on him considering his size too. He got through a mountain of work in the game I saw him live and he did a number on his opposite number in the scrum which was a bit of a weakness for him at U20 level.
Yeah O’Donnell was a lad I was really surprised got let go. He was a huge prospect at underage levels and it’s an area Connacht have very little depth. But the coaches saw him in action everyday so are sure to have had good reasons. Hopefully he can continue his career somewhere else and maybe work himself back into contention somewhere in Ireland.
@Eddie Hekenui: it states on Connacht’s team page he’s still 133kg but that may not have been updated. For his size he does have a impressive engine but even cutting down 5kg can make a world if difference to ones athleticism just look at Healy and killer.
O’Donnell is still only 23 himself maybe he’ll do a thornbury and try educate and develop his game in Nz playing m with likes of counties and come back in a year or so better for it. Wether that be with Connacht or indeed another province.
@Ian Verdon: I wouldn’t place much stock in figures listed on the clubs websites. They’re never updated. They get put in after the players initial testing and that’s it. I’d be less concerned with a weight figure than a composition one too. He looked like he’s lost a lot of the bad weight he was carrying and turned it into muscle.
This could be a massacre, as could every other Connacht match in the tournament