This is a weird NFL season. The reigning Super Bowl champions are in total disarray, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have a combined record of 9-12, and the New York football teams both have winning records. Oh, and the routinely mocked NFC East might just be the best division in football along with their AFC counterparts. Football is weird. What did we learn this week?
A punt fest in Foxborough ends with a bang
This could be one of the worst games of the season. With a bit of effort, you can frame it as a defensive masterclass from the Jets and the Patriots, but that’s a stretch. Both teams played inspired defense, but the first 59 minutes of this game should be forgotten. What this game will, thankfully, be remembered for is the way it ended: in the most dramatic fashion on a punt return for a touchdown.
With 20 seconds remaining, Patriots returner Marcus Jones fielded a punt – the 17th of the day – at the 16-yard line before breaking down the right sideline, cutting inside, and taking the ball 84 yards to the house to win the game for New England. It was the only real moment of offensive genius in the entire game but even that didn’t come without controversy.
It appeared as if the Patriots’ Mack Wilson illegally blocked the Jets’ Justin Hardee in the back. Ultimately, the play was allowed to stand as Wilson was ruled to have blocked Hardee by coming in from the side. But, the replay shows it was a block in the back. C’est la vie.
Truthfully, this game going to overtime wouldn’t have helped anyone. Instead, we got the first punt return for a touchdown of the season. When society needed it most. Thank goodness.
Three on the bounce for the Detroit Lions
Things were looking bleak for Dan Campbell and the Lions a month ago. They were 1-6 with a historically bad defense and an offense that had mustered just six points in its last two games. A season with so much promise looked to be lost, and there were doubts about Campbell’s ability to lead the team long-term.
Three weeks later, the Lions are now 4-6 and, while making the postseason is an unlikely scenario, there’s a lot to be pleased about if you’re a Lions fan. A convincing defensive performance against the Packers kicked off proceedings, and a strong offensive performance against the Bears a week later followed that. Still, their best showing during the mini win streak came this week against the high-flying New York Giants.
The defense allowed just 18 points, forced three turnovers, and held Saquon Barkley to just 22 yards on 15 carries. The offense got themselves into short-yardage situations and allowed Jamaal Williams to bulldoze his way into the endzone on his way to a three-touchdown day. The Lions are showing grit and noticeable signs of improvement, especially on defense.
Cordarrelle Patterson: Hall of Famer
However you may feel about Cordarrelle Patterson’s career, there’s no denying that he’s the greatest kickoff returner of his generation. Drafted with the 29th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Patterson hasn’t always hit the heights on offense, up until the last two years with the Falcons, but his value as a returner has been undeniable. And it’s enough to get him into the Hall of Fame.
Patterson scored the ninth kickoff return touchdown of his career on Sunday against the Bears and in doing so, set the new NFL record, topping Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington’s record of eight. Coincidentally, Patterson was able to redeem his own mistake, after fumbling the ball on the previous drive and setting up a touchdown for the Bears. But his 103-yard return kick-started the Falcons’ push for victory. It was vintage Patterson. And he’s the best at what he does.
He doesn’t have the same punt returner ability as someone like Devin Hester, who totaled 14 punt-return touchdowns in his career. But Patterson is probably the best kickoff returner of all time. His career on offense has always been up-and-down, but his special teams’ ability alone will get him into the Hall of Fame.
The Cowboys put a hurting on the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are confusing. It’s been hard to truly trust the Vikings as real contenders this season. Before their win against the Bills, the Vikings hadn’t had something of a high-quality win. They’d struggled to really put games to bed against an array of underwhelming opponents. But then they beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime and before you know it, they had us believing.
Never mind, because the Dallas Cowboys absolutely rocked the Vikings in primetime 40-3. One result shouldn’t change the perception of a team, but the Vikings have already been under the microscope for the quality of their wins and performances. The Bills win was impressive, but this undoes that. The Cowboys defense pressured Kirk Cousins 26 times and sacked him on 7 occasions, with Micah Parsons notching 8 total pressures with 2 sacks.
Rather than dwell on the Vikings, it’s clear that the Cowboys are becoming more like themselves with Dak Prescott under center. He looked great again, and it’s nice to see Kellen Moore opting to use his mobility more. The Cowboys scored 37 unanswered points on the road in one of the best all-around performances of the year.
Just give Patrick Mahomes the MVP
Extra, extra! Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in football by a country mile. He’s also the runaway favourite for the MVP award, and there should be no looking back. We have a tendency to create competition for narrative’s sake when it’s simply unnecessary. It might be boring, but Mahomes is so far ahead of the competition. It doesn’t matter what you say about Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa, or Jalen Hurts. No one comes close.
Mahomes was on another level (again) this week against the Chargers, throwing for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns. For those counting, he leads the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns, Football Outsiders’ DYAR and is second in EPA per play and QBR. Those are just the numbers, but watching Mahomes confirms that bias – and vice versa. He just continues to do things that no other quarterback can do, but on a game-by-game basis.
He’s already the favourite for the MVP award, overtaking Allen in recent weeks, but it’s hard to see him giving up the top spot any time soon. He’s the best player in the NFL, and certainly the most valuable. Every question has an answer, and it’s usually Mahomes.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.