Team Chaos wreaked havoc all throughout the NFL this weekend. We saw bad calls, and questionable enforcement of the rules. We also saw good teams fall to lesser ones because who knows why? Through the thick and thin of it, some Week 6 winners and losers emerged. Let’s chat about them.
Winners
The Cardinals and Adrian Peterson
It became obvious in the early moments of the game that Adrian Peterson was the perfect match for the struggling Arizona Cardinals offense. A furious comeback by the Ryan Fitzpatrick led Bucs makes the score look closer than the game was. Peterson ran for 134 yards and 2 TDs on 26 carries. This is exactly the type of workload he was built for. Can he sustain such a workload? That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the Cardinals now have a feasible running game in the absence of David Johnson.
The Philadelphia Eagles
The Thursday night matchup between two NFC hopefuls came down to the wire, and the better team walked away victorious. Cam Newton didn’t do his team any favors and let go of some ill advised passes. The Eagles capitalized on the mistakes and forced turnovers which turned into touchdowns. Game by game, Carson Wentz is looking like the quarterback the Eagles hoped he could be; a big, accurate, all-over-the-field threat with plenty of weapons to choose from. If the Eagles continue to play like they have, we’ll be seeing them in January.
Nick Novac
After the release of Younghoe Koo, the Chargers picked up veteran kicker Nick Novac. This week, Novak nailed a 32-yard field goal as time expired to hand the Raiders their fourth consecutive loss. The Chargers, now 2-4, host the Denver Broncos where they have a legitimate shot to split their divisional games.
Losers
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers
It hurts. Not only does losing Rodgers for the season to a broken collarbone hurt the Packers, but I believe it hurts the league. While I don’t predict imminent doom for Green Bay, this does halt any thoughts of a Super Bowl run. Sorry if you’re a Brett Hundley believer, but we must be logical. From a larger perspective, this could be a game changer for Hundley’s career. Assuming he plays well and limits his mistakes, a team with a need at quarterback may be looking to part with draft picks for his talents.
The Denver Broncos
Sunday night was very telling for the Denver Broncos. They had trouble rushing against a Giants team that had generally given up the rush. They had trouble stopping the run, coming in as the top ranked rush defense. The Broncos had calls go against them, missed field goals, sustained injuries large and small, and we even saw a glimpse of the fabled Brock Osweiler for a second there. Given the night they had, their actual play didn’t look bad. It just never clicked. The Broncos travel to LA to play the Chargers next week, and I don’t imagine that game will be any easier than this one.
Blake Bortles
If I had a dollar for every time a Jags fan shook their head or threw their hand up in dismay at the incompetence of Blake Bortles, I’d donate it to the Jags to pay out his contract. Jacksonville had every chance to win this game. Blake Bortles fumbled in the 4th quarter, and then in the following play threw a pick. I’ve never rooted for the Jags as a fan of the team, but as a fan of the game, I’m rooting hard that they find a franchise quarterback in 2018 and forget the days of Blake Bortles.
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