1 (2) Atlanta Falcons (6-0) - The Falcons are now 6-0 after a somewhat fortunate victory over the Oakland Raiders. The Falcons only had 286 yards of total offense and gave up 474 yards. Matt Ryan was intercepted 3 times, all in the first half. The Falcons only had possession for 23:34 and their running game struggled to make an impression on the Raiders defense. Once again White, Jones and Gonzalez were the Falcons top 3 receivers. White was the best on the day, catching 6 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.
2 (1) Houston Texans (5-1) - The Texans lost their first game of the season to a rampant, Aaron Rodgers led, Green Bay Packers. The Texans weren't helped by turnovers, with Matt Schaub and TJ Yates combining for 3 interceptions. Turnovers aside, the Texans weren't too bad but were simply beaten by a better team on the day. Arian Foster picked up 2 touchdowns but other than that he was very poor. He ran for only 29 yards from 17 carries and his longest run was 5 yards. The best performance for the Texans came from receiver, Andre Johnson. Johnson caught 8 passes for 75 yards.
3 (5) Baltimore Ravens (5-1) – The Ravens picked up another narrow victory after a 2 point win over the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys kicker, Dan Bailey, had the chance to win the game but his 51 yard kick went wide and the Ravens hung on to go 5-1 for the season. Joe Flacco threw for 234 yards and a touchdown. Anquan Boldin was the leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 98 yards. Ray Rice led the rushers with 63 yards and 2 touchdowns.
4 (6) New York Giants (4-2) - I'm trying to find the right words to describe my thoughts on this Giants team. As an Eagles fan it's definitely not that I like them, I think the right phrase may be, "I grudgingly admire them." They are a good side, they have a lot of different ways to beat teams and if they learned how to play against their NFC East rivals, they'd be a certainty for the NFC's number 1 seed. On Sunday they got ahead and let their runners and defense win the game for them. Ahmed Bradshaw had 116 yards and a touchdown. Eli Manning threw for 193 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers are quite low for him but it was no reflection on him, as they were winning the game without him anyway.
5 (4) New England Patriots (3-3) – The Pats lost a tight game in Seattle, against the Seahawks, to drop to 3-3 for the season. All four teams in the AFC East are 3-3 and it will make the remaining 11 weeks of the season very interesting. On Sunday, Tom Brady threw for 395 yards and 2 touchdowns but also had 2 interceptions. The running game was quite poor and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. The receivers were led by Wes Welker who caught 10 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Lloyd had a mixed game, catching 6 passes for 80 yards but he had a few drops too which could have made a difference in a game as tight as this one.
6 (3) San Francisco 49ers (4-2) – After two dominant wins over AFC East teams, the 49ers didn't find it as easy against the cream of the NFC East. I've mentioned a few times that I felt the key to beating this 49ers team was to get ahead early and force Alex Smith to throw the ball. The Giants were struggling early after two possessions, with both ending in punts and the offense had only picked up 24 yards. At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Smith attempted a deep pass into Giants territory and was picked off. The Giants scored a touchdown on that drive and followed it up with a field goal before half-time. Bradshaw scored early in the 3rd to give the Giants a 14 point lead and it was time for the 49ers to put the ball in Alex Smith's hands. A bad quarterback doesn't become a good one overnight and Alex Smith showed us all why the 49ers have a run first offense by throwing 2 interceptions. Both led to Giants field goals and the game was gone for the 49ers.
7 (7) Chicago Bears (4-1) - The Bears had their bye week this week and will be feeling pretty good about themselves. A bad performance against the Packers is the only negative in what has been a good season so far. This week they host the Detroit Lions in what will be a big clash in the NFC North playoff race.
8 (11) Green Bay Packers (3-3) - The Packers and Aaron Rodgers in particular, were fantastic on Sunday night against the Houston Texans. The Texans were handed their first loss of the season as Aaron Rodgers exploded into life and threw for 338 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both had 100 yard receiving games and Nelson also had 3 touchdown catches. The Packers needed the win to keep pace in what is looking like a very strong, NFC North.
9 (16) Seattle Seahawks (4-2) – The Seahawks had a great win over the New England Patriots to go 4-2 for the season. Quarterback, Russell Wilson had the best game of his short NFL career and ended up completing 16 of his 27 passes for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Pats done well against Marshawn Lynch, restricting him to just 2.7 yards per carry. Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin had big receiving days, combining for 155 yards and both had a touchdown.
10 (8) Minnesota Vikings (4-2) – The Vikings lost their second game of the season on Sunday, against an RG3 inspired, Washington Redskins. The Vikings were the better side for much of the game but ultimately turnovers cost them and the Redskins won the game. The Vikings had more yards, more plays and more time in possession but the 3 turnovers killed them. Washington got 14 points off the first 2 turnovers and the third ended the game. The Vikings are still in a good position but this was a missed opportunity to go 5-1.
11 (9) Arizona Cardinals (4-2) - After starting 4-0, the Cardinals have now lost their last two games and slip to 4-2. They lost this week to the Buffalo Bills in overtime. Kevin Kolb picked up an injury after he was sacked for the 5th time and the Cardinals had to bring in John Skelton. Skelton completed just 2 of his 10 pass attempts and also had an interception. Most of the Cardinals good work, came on the ground. Kevin Kolb picked up 66 yards from 5 runs and William Powell picked up 70 yards. In total the Cards ran for 182 yards but it wasn't enough and the Bills picked up the win.
12 (18) Denver Broncos (3-3) - The Broncos tied up the AFC West at 3-3 after an amazing win in San Diego on Monday Night Football. The Broncos were 24-0 behind at half-time and I've no doubt there were many NFL writers compiling obituaries for Peyton Manning's career after Quentin Jammer returned an interception for a touchdown. However, Manning doesn't give up that easily and he came out in the second half and led his team back to win the game, along with a little help from Philip Rivers. Manning ended up with 309 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. The defense helped out with 2 touchdowns after Philip Rivers turnovers. The Broncos leading receiver was Eric Decker who caught 6 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.
13 (10) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) – The Steelers road woes continued last Thursday in Tennessee, with a defeat to the Titans that leaves the Steelers 0-3 on the road for the season. Ben Roethlisberger had another decent game, throwing for 363 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The running game really struggled and the Steelers ended up with just 56 yards from 22 carries. Isaac Redman had better luck catching the ball. He made 4 catches for 105 yards. Mike Wallace also had a decent game, catching 2 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. However, it wasn't to be for the Steelers and they picked up their 3rd loss of the season.
14 (13) San Diego Chargers (3-3) - The Chargers have two options after Monday's heartbreaking defeat to divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos. They can either let it get to them and crumble to a mediocre season or they can use it as inspiration. The Chargers thought they had the game in the bag at half-time and they've learned the hard way that NFL games don't finish until the staff and coaches are on the field shaking hands. Quarterback, Philip Rivers had a mixed game and ended up with 241 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also fumbled the ball twice which led to turnovers. 5 of his turnovers came in the second half. The Chargers had 6 possessions in the second half and they resulted in 3 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles and one, 3 and out were they punted the ball. I bet that punt after going 3 and out doesn't seem so bad now.
15 (12) Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) - I wasn't sure how to write this, this week. I toyed with ranking the Eagles 32nd and also with just leaving this bit blank. Instead I've decided to just start writing and see where I end up. For me Andy Reid is responsible for the issues. The play calling is ridiculous and his game management is terrible. The bit that really annoyed me on Sunday was our final drive in regulation time. We were three points ahead with 3:32 on the clock and Detroit had 2 timeouts left. We threw the ball twice and only ran it once. I don't care if you lose yards on all 3 plays but you have to run the ball on all 3 downs in that scenario. We threw on 3rd and 4 and it was incomplete, so we gave the Lions the ball with 2:27 left and 2 timeouts. If we ran the ball we'd have made them take a timeout or start their drive inside 2 minutes. Either way the pressure would have been increased as the Lions would have had a bit less time to work with. I've said enough on Vick and the Castillo situation on twitter so I'm not even going to start on that again. The Eagles will win some and lose some but ultimately I'd be very surprised if there's a playoff place at the end of it.
16 (20) Detroit Lions (2-3) - The Lions picked up a win in Philadelphia after a 4th quarter comeback took the game to overtime and then managed to get the game winning field goal after forcing the Eagles to punt from their own end zone. The Lions struggled up until the 4th quarter but exploded into life and ran out winners. Matt Stafford had 311 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception. Calvin Johnson caught 6 passes for 135 yards and Tony Scheffler caught 3 passes for 81 yards. Mikel Leshoure had a good day on the ground, running for 70 yards.
17 (19) Washington Redskins (3-3) - The RG3 show continued on Sunday with the rookie quarterback leading the Redskins to another win. Griffin threw for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception but it was on the ground where he was most effective. He ran for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 76 yarder that effectively sealed the win for the Redskins. RG3 faces his toughest test yet when he has his first divisional game against defending champs, the New York Giants.
18 (15) Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) - Things got messy for the Bengals in the second half as they turned the ball over 4 times and gave the Cleveland Browns their first win of the year. Andy Dalton had a disaster in the 4th, throwing 3 interceptions and also gave away the ball when he fumbled late in the game. Turnovers aside, Dalton had a good game, throwing for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns but ultimately it was the turnovers that cost the Bengals the game and Dalton has to take responsibility for that. AJ Green had another good game, catching 7 passes for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.
19 (17) Dallas Cowboys (2-3) - The Cowboys had a great chance to end Baltimore's great home run but fell short when Dan Bailey missed a 51 yard field goal as the game ended. Tony Romo threw for 261 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Dez Bryant caught 13 passes for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys done well on the ground and ran for 227 yards. DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones had 93 and 92 yards, respectively and Jones also had a touchdown.
20 (21) Miami Dolphins (3-3) – The Dolphins picked up their second win in a row with a 17-14 win over the St Louis Rams. It's a bit of a mystery, how the Dolphins won this game as the Rams were better in pretty much every area other than the only one that really matters. Ryan Tannehill had another decent game, completing 21 of 29 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. The running game really struggled and averaged just 2.1 yards per run. However when the game was done the Dolphins led by 3 points and go 3-3 after a 1-3 start.
21 (14) St Louis Rams (3-3) – The Rams somehow managed to lose in Miami against the Dolphins. They had over double the amount of offensive yards but still managed to lose the game. The Rams gave up 12 penalties which played a huge part in the defeat. They also missed 2 field goals and Miami picked up one of the most fortunate wins of the season. Sam Bradford threw for 315 yards and the running game picked up 162 yards from just 27 carries but some how, it wasn't enough to pick up the win.
22 (23) New York Jets (3-3) – The Jets picked up a big win over the Indianapolis Colts to get back to 3-3 for the season and get back into the AFC East playoff race. Mark Sanchez had a more limited role and was only asked to pass the ball 18 times. He completed 11 of those for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Jets had a massive game on the ground, led by Shonn Greene who had 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. Joe McKnight also done well, running for 71 yards. The Jets face the Patriots this week in a game that could define their season.
23 (24) Buffalo Bills (3-3) – This Buffalo team are a strange bunch, they've suffered a few heavy defeats this season and just as the obituaries are being written, they go and beat the Cardinals in Arizona. Both sides had more yards on the ground, than they did in the air. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 153 yards. CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for 141 yards and both had a touchdown. The Bills ended up with 165 yards on the ground. At 3-3 this Bills team are still very much in the race for the playoffs.
24 (26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) - The Bucs kept their season alive with an impressive win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Everything clicked for the Bucs on Sunday as they ran out easy winners. Quarterback, Josh Freeman, threw for 328 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Running backs, Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount combined for 134 yards and Blount had a touchdown. The receivers were led by Mike Williams, who had 4 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Vincent Jackson also had a good game, catching 4 passes for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns.
25 (22) Indianapolis Colts (2-3) - The Colts suffered a heavy defeat to the Jets in New York on Sunday. The offense couldn't get going and they only managed, 3 Adam Vinatieri field goals. The defense gave up 5 touchdowns and they were blown out by a scoreline of 35-9. Andrew Luck completed 50% of his passes for 280 yards and 2 interceptions. Once again, Reggie Wayne led the receivers, with 5 catches for 87 yards.
26 (25) New Orleans Saints (1-4) – The Saints were on a bye week this week and will probably feel like it's fallen on a bad week for them. They finally got their first win of the season in week 5 and would have wanted to keep the momentum going but instead they had their bye. They have a must win game this week when they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Bucs.
27 (30) Tennessee Titans (2-4) - The Titans had a great victory on Thursday Night Football over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a tight game and the teams were never separated by more than a touchdown and it was the Titans who put together a 10 point run in the games final 4:19 and clinched the win with a field goal as time expired. Matt Hasselbeck had a decent game, throwing for 290 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Chris Johnson had one of his better games this year, picking up 112 yards from scrimmage.
28 (27) Oakland Raiders (1-4) – The Raiders ran the Falcons close but fell short in Atlanta as the Falcons reached 6-0. Oakland were the better side and outplayed the Falcons for most of the game but a mixture of costly turnovers and poor discipline (they gave away 12 penalties) cost the Raiders the win. Carson Palmer threw for 353 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Denarius Moore led the receivers, catching 5 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Darren McFadden picked up a touchdown but he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
29 (28) Carolina Panthers (1-4) – The Panthers had there bye week and will have had plenty of work to do, to try to improve for the remainder of the season. This week they host the Dallas Cowboys in what is shaping up to be a must win game, for both sides.
30 (32) Cleveland Browns (1-5) – The Browns finally picked up their first win since November 2011, thanks to a remarkable 4th quarter. The Browns opened the 4th quarter a point behind the Bengals but scored 21 points and conceded 10 to give themselves the win. The Browns took advantage of 4 second half turnovers and scored 7 points off them. Brandon Weeden was intercepted in the Browns first drive of the game but from that point on, he had a good game. By the end of the game he had thrown for 231 yards and had 2 touchdown passes. Montario Hardesty led the Browns in rushing, with 56 yards and a touchdown. Josh Gordon led the receivers, with 3 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.
31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) - The Jags had there bye week, this week and will be hoping the rest will turn around their season. They face a cross country trip next week, when they face fellow strugglers, the Oakland Raiders.
32 (29) Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) – The Chiefs lost again, this time to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 38-10. They had another 2 turnovers, both from Brady Quinn interceptions. One was returned for a touchdown by Ronde Barber. Quinn only managed to throw for 180 yards and the running game wasn't much better, managing just 2.7 yards per carry. The offense had a bad day and the defense gave up 463 yards to a Tampa Bay side who have struggled on offense all season.
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