The Patriots narrowly escaped New Jersey with their perfect record intact. The Giants of this season were an unlikely threat to the NFL’s best team (Tom Coughlin’s success against Bill Belichick in Super Bowls past not withstanding), but they pushed New England to the brink, falling by a last-second 54-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski that hooked just inside the upright.
Earlier in the drive, rookie safety Landon Collins failed to corral an errant Tom Brady throw that would have sealed the Pats’ fate.
The Patriots remain undefeated at 9-0, but can they become the second team in history to reach 16-0, repeating the feat reached by the 2007 squad? Many obstacles stand in the way, perhaps none greater than the Pats themselves.
Belichick and Co already suffered a big blow Sunday after it was reported star receiver Julian Edelman suffered a fractured foot. He could return this season, but for now, Brady will have to navigate the schedule without his trusted security blanket.
Edelman is the No2 passing option behind Rob Gronkowski, but Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola will need to step up in his absence. Gronkowski, for his part, continued his elite play with five receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown.
Can the Patriots keep the momentum up?
Just seven more wins between a second date with destiny, and there remains no opponent on the slate that will strike fear in the AFC East leaders
The Broncos, who visit New England in Week 11, were viewed as a threat weeks ago, but after Peyton Manning was benched after an atrocious performance against the Chiefs, it’s hard to believe they can knock off Brady’s bunch behind simply a stout defense.
The rest of the schedule features cakewalks in the Texans, Titans, Eagles and Dolphins. Rex Ryan’s Bills (Week 11) and the rival Jets are the only clubs that could possibly upset the Pats, but they’re long shots.
The Patriots topped the Bills 40-32 in the opener, but Tyrod Taylor is entrenched now and playing good football. The Jets put up a good fight against the Patriots in Week 5, and have the strong defense and running game to trouble New England but have been ragged in recent games, and have slipped out of the wildcard places.
The Pats’ passing game is clicking on all cylinders, but it remains to be seen how the absence of Edelman (he had 61 receptions before Sunday’s injury) will affect the offense. They already lost satellite back Dion Lewis (500-plus all-purpose yards) for the season to a torn ACL, another crucial part of the attack. If the injuries continue to mount, the team will be hard pressed to go undefeated.
The running game is struggling already, with the Pats ranked No27 at just 92.8 yards per contest on the ground. Much of that is due to how successful they are through the air, but the offensive line isn’t what it once was.
The defense is in the middle of the pack at No13, led by the trio of Jamie Collins, Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower. They lack a true shutdown corner, and Odell Beckham had much success on Sunday, with 106 yards off just four receptions.
Even when teams appear unbeatable, there’s always a trap game, something to trip the front-runner up. The Bengals and Panthers are also undefeated and no one believes they can run the table.
But the Patriots? Their remaining schedule is weak enough to allow it, and with Brady and Belichick at the helm, you can’t count it out.
Quote of the week
“I think it’s important to do things like that, we’re a connected world, you know — six degrees of separation. I must admit, though, I was very disappointed with whoever the fan was who made a comment that I thought was really inappropriate during the moment of silence. It’s that kind of prejudicial ideology that I think puts us in the position that we’re in today as a world.” – Aaron Rodgers, upset that a fan interrupted the Paris tribute with an apparently prejudiced comment.
The star QB is doing his part to call out the Lambeau faithful (or at least a fan that attended the game in Green Bay) for being disrespectful, and he should be applauded for directing attention to it. Rodgers failed to elaborate on just what the fan said.
Stat of the week
0.0 Peyton Manning’s passer rating before he was benched in the third quarter of the loss to the Chiefs. The future Hall of Famer set the all-time record for career passing yards earlier in the day, but finished the game 5 of 20 passing for 35 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions and was unceremoniously sat for the first time in his career due to performance. Coach Gary Kubiak said Peyton will remain under center moving forward as long as he’s healthy, and shouldered blame for not resting the veteran, who has been battling rib and foot injuries. Sorry, Brock Osweiler.
Fantasy player of the week
Kirk Cousins. If you’re one of the few owners who started the Redskins’ signal-caller, you probably won. Cousins shredded the porous Saints’ defense for 324 yards on 20 of 25 passing (four touchdowns, 0 interceptions) becoming the first player this season to post a perfect passer rating with 20-plus attempts. Cousins needs to find consistency, but he appears to improve every week.
How the Patriots cheated this week
Eli Manning threw the back-shoulder fade to Beckham late in the contest for a five-yard touchdown. Only the call was reversed by officials. Who knows what constitutes a catch anymore? Beckham made the grab, but the ball was stripped from his hands before he could get the second foot down, according to the ruling. Naturally, Beckham felt it was a catch, saying “You can’t leave it up to the officials to get anything right.”
Gif of the week
Antonio Brown is so happy Ben Roethlisberger is back he did a little flip. https://t.co/KS4dPwMKWf pic.twitter.com/CuVXwy7C0t
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) November 15, 2015
When you’re perhaps the best wide receive on the league and in the midst of a torrid stretch, why not somersault into the end zone? Brown capped off the 56-yard TD from Big Ben with the front flip, and finished the day with 10 receptions for 139 yards and two scores. Only the Browns can injure the back-up quarterback, forcing an elite one into action. At least Brown stuck the landing.
Elsewhere around the league
– The Vikings continue to surprise. The defense stymied the explosive (that’s right) Raiders’ offense and limited Derek Carr and Co to just 14 points in Sunday’s win. Adrian Peterson rumbled for a record sixth 200-yard game, and Minny is now alone atop the NFC North.
Teddy Bridgewater had another unproductive day through the air, but the D, led by safety Harrison Smith, got the job done.
– What’s going on with Aaron Rodgers? The NFL’s best QB stumbled to just three points against the lowly Lions through three quarters, handing Detroit their first win at Lambeau since 1991. Rodgers clearly misses Jordy Nelson, but the offense has been anaemic and is ranked No25 in the league.
In typical Lions fashion, they tried to give the game away, coughing up a late onside-kick attempt and surviving two missed extra points by Matt Prater. They were bailed out by Mason Crosby’s failed 52-yard attempt as time expired.
– Add another punch to the stomach of Ravens fans everywhere. The team is surprisingly horrible this year at 2-7, but appeared on its way to pulling out a victory. Enter Elvis Dumervil. The pass rusher took down Jags QB Blake Bortles with time expiring in a contest Baltimore was leading 20-19. Game over, right? Dumervil committed an egregious face-mask foul, though, giving Jacksonville an untimed down and catapulting them into field-goal range. Jason Myers connected on the 53-yard try, and the Ravens are as good as done this season.
– It’s not going to matter when Tony Romo returns. The Cowboys dropped their seventh consecutive game and even in the joke NFC East, are far out of the race. Dallas forced a late fumble by Jameis Winston, but a defensive holding penalty nullified the call, and the Bucs QB put them away moments later with a TD run.
– The Cardinals are for real. They just need to stay healthy. Carson Palmer continued his MVP-level play in the Sunday night victory over the Seahawks (when he wasn’t fumbling deep in his own territory) and led Arizona to a fourth-quarter comeback. Palmer passed for 363 yards and three TDs on the once-vaunted Legion of Boom. The Cards possess an excellent defense and seem as primed as any NFC team to make a run. The ‘Hawks had a chance to climb to .500, but couldn’t get stops when they needed them.
– The Bears have life. Jay Cutler picked apart the Rams’ defense Sunday for 258 yards and three TDs (and a rare no-turnover day from Jay) and at 4-5, they are in the wild-card race. Tight end Zach Miller went off for 107 yards and two TDs, while rookie running back Jeremy Langford shone in his first career start. The shifty fourth-rounder picked up 109 yards and one TD through the air and added 73 and a score on the ground.
