What’s going on in the NFL right now? Both the Giants and Jets are over .500, Cooper Rush is still undefeated as a starting quarterback and the Denver Broncos SUCK. Regardless of how bad Tom Brady says the football is right now, I’m still loving this season. A lot of action this week in the league. Let’s get into it.
1. The New York Giants are gettin it done in different continents
What a season Brian Daboll’s guys are having. The G-Men are sitting at 4-1 after an impressive come from behind win against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in London. The defense came up big with a late fourth down stop near the goal line and Saquon Barkley once again put on a great performance. Daniel Jones didn’t play an unbelievable game, but most importantly he took care of the football, something that he has failed to do in previous seasons. The Giants face their biggest test of the season next week against the Baltimore Ravens, but after that game they have a pretty favorable schedule. They face the Jaguars, Seahawks, Texans and Lions. It’s the NFL, so there are never any guaranteed wins, but this Giants team can make serious noise. I believe in Brian Daboll.
2. Breece Hall is the best rookie running back in the league
Yes, Skylar Thompson was at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. However, the Dolphins had their healthy defense out there and Breece Hall tore them apart.
18 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown while also catching two passes for 100 yards.
The Jets have won three games this season. In all three of those wins, Breece Hall has seen the end zone. He is a dynamic player who has that versatility out of the backfield that every team needs. Keep your eye on Breece Hall because he is making a push for Offensive Rookie of the Year. I picked his teammate Garrett Wilson to win it in preseason but if Hall keeps playing like this, the award will have his name on it.
Shout out to Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh for drafting a great rookie class.
3. The Patriots defense put on an absolute clinic against the Lions
Prior to Sunday’s game, the Detroit Lions had scored at least 24 points in every game this season. They were ranked first in team offense and had scored the most points in the league (140). The New England Patriots shut them out. Two Matt Judon sacks (one forced fumble), a Kyle Dugger fumble return TD, another Jack Jones pick and forcing the Lions to go 0/6 on fourth down is the definition of a clinic. Bailey Zappe, the Patriots third-string rookie QB, filled in greatly today for the injured Mac Jones only throwing four incompletions. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for a career-high 161 yards and Jakobi Meyers caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots head to Cleveland next week to take on the Browns. A winnable game, but it is not known yet if Mac Jones will return or not.
4. The Dallas Cowboys defense with yet another impressive performance
What a day for Dan Quinn’s defense. Five sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and a touchdown as the Cowboys beat the defending champion Rams by a score of 22-10. Micah Parsons recorded his third two-sack game of the season and just showed once again why he is a top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Prior to Sunday’s game the Cowboys were ranked third in the league in points allowed (62), holding all five of their opponents this year to under 20 points. Cooper Rush doesn’t even have to play well, this defense has shown they can carry him to victory. They will face the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday Night Football. Dak Prescott could also possibly return from the thumb injury he suffered against the Buccaneers during the first game of the season. If they can win that one, who knows what else this team can do.
5. Matt Rhule’s time as a NFL head coach is coming to an end
Matt Rhule was a good college coach. He turned both Temple and Baylor into winning programs after enduring one and two win seasons at the beginning of each tenures. It just hasn’t worked out at the professional level. Reports of Rhule losing the locker room have been surfacing since last year and it’s looked like that on Sunday’s. In his first two seasons as the Panthers head coach Rhule hasn’t been able to win more than five games. In the Panthers first five games this year the offense has failed to score 25 points and have turned the ball over in each of their four losses. His record as a head coach now sits at 11-27 and with upcoming games against the Rams and Buccaneers, they’d need a miracle to be able to get back into playoff contention. It just doesn’t seem like it’s going to work out in Carolina for the former Baylor coach and it looks like his firing is imminent.
UPDATE: Both Matt Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow have been fired by the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers now owe Rhule north of $40 million as they let him go after an 11-27 record as their coach. Defensive coach Steve Wilks will step in as interim head coach.
According to Patriots fans, Bailey Zappe has officially started his Tom Brady career arc. It was an impressive performance, but lets please relax. It was the Detroit Lions defense with several injured defensive backs. Playing away in Cleveland will be a big test, especially if Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney are able to return from their injuries. The Arizona Cardinals came with an A+ jersey & helmet combo, but just couldn’t get that comeback win against the Eagles. Just please Lord, do not give us another game this Thursday like the Broncos vs. Colts. I’ve never in my life seen fans of the home team LEAVE before overtime starts. Horrible scenes. It is going to be Bears vs. Commanders so it could honestly get worse. We’re just going to have to wait and see. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
Go Pats! Thank you Yanni for this recap and update.