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Matthew Stafford Is Back
Finally, a thrilling Monday Night Football game after what felt like an eon. Matthew Stafford looked to be back to his early-season form, leading the Rams to a 30-23 win over the Cardinals. Stafford completed 23 of his 30 attempts for 287 yards and three touchdowns. In what should come as no surprise, Cooper Kupp led the Rams in receiving (13-123-1 on 15 targets), but Stafford got both Odell Beckham (6-77-1 on seven targets) and Van Jefferson (2-58-1 on three targets) in on the scoring bonanza. Since all Rams touchdowns came via the air, there was little for Sony Michel to do. He ground out a respectable 20-79-0 rushing line, but his 7.9 PPR points was quite an anemic showing if you expected more from him. I would like to point out that it’s fun to see that Beckham is showing signs of life. He was quite efficient last night, and I’ll be excited to see how he finishes the season.
Kyler Murray tried his best to win the game for the Cardinals, but unfortunately, their comeback fell just short. Murray made several ludicrous plays last night to extend drives and put the team in a position to win. He passed for 383 yards and rushed for 61 additional yards. Unfortunately, Murray also threw two interceptions which led to two drives stalling out. Interestingly, AJ Green was the receiver to lead this team. Green posted a 7-102-0 receiving line (10 targets) whereas DeAndre Hopkins had a below-average day. Hopkins (5-54-0 on 12 targets) could possibly still be feeling the effects of the hamstring injury he suffered a few weeks ago and hasn’t fully recovered. Running back James Conner was the highlight on offense for the Cardinals. He rushed 13 times for a paltry 31 yards but converted his red zone opportunities into two touchdowns. Conner was also used heavily out of the backfield as a receiver, posting a 9-94-0 (nine targets) receiving line. Unfortunately, it looked like Conner got dinged up on the last play of the game, so monitor his status this week. I’ll also be interested to see if the Cardinals activate Chase Edmonds this week and what the workload split for this backfield will look like going forward.
Tom Brady Gets His 700th Touchdown
In what was ostensibly the best game of the weekend, the Buccaneers narrowly beat out the Bills in OT 33-27. Tom Brady put on a performance for the ages, completing 31 of his 46 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Brady also added 16 yards on seven rushing attempts, including one score. Leonard Fournette continues to be a force on the ground, rushing 19 times for 113 yards and a score. Fournette wasn’t as effective in the air, turning his seven targets into a 4-19-0 receiving line. The passing offense for the Buccaneers remains condensed around three key players: Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Rob Gronkowski. Godwin had a massive day, posting a 10-105-0 receiving line (15 targets). Despite not scoring any touchdowns, I’m optimistic that Godwin will soon find himself in the end zone. Funny enough, Breshad Perriman caught his second target in overtime and took it straight to the house. Not only was that the walk-off touchdown that ended the game, but it was also Brady’s 700th.
On the Bills’ side of the ball, Josh Allen’s strong performance was sadly all for naught. Allen played well, posting over 300 passing yards and rushing for over 100 yards. Despite his best efforts, the Bills’ furious comeback fell short. Stefon Diggs (7-74-0 on 13 targets) and Cole Beasley (9-64-0 on 11 targets) did a good job moving the chains. Diggs continues to command volume and I expect that his poor touchdown luck will soon turn around. Gabriel Davis (5-43-1 on eight targets) has emerged as another possible weapon for Allen. Emmanuel Sanders suffered a knee sprain on Sunday, and I expect that Davis will inherit that role. Davis makes for a strong waiver pickup this week.
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George Kittle Is The Playoff Hammer
I know I’ve spilled a lot of digital ink on both of these teams, but it’s difficult to not want to discuss the second overtime game we experienced. Truthfully, this game seemed over by the half. The Niners were leading 17-6 at the half, but it certainly felt like the Bengals should’ve been behind by multiple scores. The Bengals initially prioritized the run game, feeding Joe Mixon despite his lack of efficiency. Mixon finished with 58 yards on 18 rush attempts and caught both of his targets for ten yards. It was ostensibly a game to forget for the Bengals’ lead running back. It was nice to see both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase have good days. Higgins has now gone over 100 receiving yards three weeks in a row. Chase has had a few quiet weeks but erupted on Sunday. He caught five of his eight targets for 77 yards and two scores, which brought the Bengals back into contention. Both Higgins and Chase give the Bengals an incredibly strong one-two punch in the receiving game and it’s a shame that the team isn’t more pass-happy.
For the Niners, George Kittle has reemerged as the unstoppable force he used to be. Kittle went nuclear on Sunday, catching 13 of his 15 targets for 151 yards and a score. Brandon Aiyuk also did some damage, posting a 6-62-1 receiving line (11 targets). Although Deebo Samuel played this game, he only caught one target for 22 yards. Samuel was mainly used out of the backfield, where he posted an 8-37-1 rushing line. It’s possible that the team opted to reduce Samuel’s workload to prevent him from reinjuring his groin. Hopefully, Samuel continues to get healthy and can act as the playoff hammer this season, but I suspect it might be Kittle’s time to shine.
Nothing Is Certain Except Death, Taxes, and Aaron Rodgers Destroying The Bears
The Packers embarrassed the Bears on Sunday Night Football, winning 45-30. Aaron Rodgers continues to play at an incredibly high level against his divisional rivals, completing 29 of his 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. Davante Adams had a big game, catching 10 of his 13 targets for 121 yards and two scores. Allen Lazard chipped in with a 6-75-1 slash line (seven targets) and seems to be playing ahead of Marquez Valdes Scantling. The bigger story here was ostensibly the health of Aaron Jones, who touched the ball only eight times. Jones was efficient with his workload, turning those touches into 65 yards from scrimmage and a score. AJ Dillon maintains his role as the team’s primary running back, carrying the ball 15 times for 71 rushing yards.
For the Bears, Justin Fields continues to develop into a strong NFL player. The rookie quarterback looked good making plays with his arms and legs. He completed 18 of his 33 pass attempts for 224 yards and two scores and added 74 yards with his legs. Fields was far from perfect, tossing two interceptions, one of which was a game-sealing pick-six, but there’s plenty to like from his development. It would help if Fields wasn’t consistently let down by his receiving corps. Damiere Byrd (2-76-1 on two targets) and Jakeem Grant (1-46-1 on three targets) were the two standout receivers on offense. Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney combined to catch only three passes for 33 yards. Robinson had a couple of egregiously bad drops early on, which suggests he’s not fully healthy. David Montgomery has seen his role in the receiving game expand. The running back posted a 6-39-0 receiving line on seven targets, which offset his mediocre rushing day (10-42-0). Fields would need a little bit more help from his receivers in the future, but the future appears to be quite bright for him.
