Hot Takes: NFL Week Six

Week six is in the books and it’s now time for some HOT TAKES!

1. The Worst 5-0 Team Ever

I can’t claim that I thought my Carolina Panthers would win in Seattle because I didn’t. This is a team that had beaten us four straight times playing at home, where they never seem to lose. And through three quarters, especially the first half, things weren’t looking so good. Cam Newton couldn’t complete a pass to the right team and the defense couldn’t stop Jimmy Graham. 

Then, something happened. Something that no one, especially me, can explain. 

The Panthers figured out Seattle. 

All of a sudden, the defense was able to get a pass rush on Wilson, Luke Kuechly was making all the tackles, the receivers were actually catching the ball, Jonathan Stewart was running guys over, and Cam went full Super Cam. 

The Seahawks have had trouble protecting leads all season, but at home they’re usually up to task. They’ve lost two games at home during the Russell Wilson era and Wilson has never lost to the Panthers. Holding a nine point lead in the fourth quarter, this was supposed to be the time for the Seattle defense to step up and prove why they’re the most feared defense in the league. 

But it didn’t happen.

The ever scrutinized Cam Newton picked apart the Seattle secondary that he couldn’t figure out all game. He was able to spot the mismatches and take advantage of the miscommunications. He led a touchdown drive that cut the lead to three, but Graham Gano missed the extra point that would’ve cut things to two. 

It was typical Gano. Whenever the Panthers need him to make a clutch kick, he usually misses. This extra point would’ve meant the Panthers could’ve won the game on a field goal. Instead, if they wanted to win, they would need a touchdown. A touchdown Newton provided, finding a wide open Greg Olsen in the endzone while Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas argued over whose fault it was. 

It was a signature win for a Panthers team that has been given no respect all season despite their undefeated record. It showed that when the chips are down, this team isn’t going to roll over like they might’ve in the past. It showed that Cam has matured as a quarterback and Ron Rivera has matured as a coach. It showed that a 5:30 AM fire alarm was a compliment paid to the team by worried Seattle players.

I don’t know that this Panthers team is great. I’m a sports pessimist, so I’ll never believe my team will win until they actually win. And there are still plenty of flaws with this team, most notably at the receiver position. But after being doubted by just about every “expert” heading into the week, the Panthers made a lot of people eat crow on Sunday. And it tasted just fine. 

2. Broncos Winning Despite Manning

Peyton Manning is an all-time great quarterback. He’s also 39-years-old with no feeling in his fingers playing in cold weather. So it’s not exactly shocking that he’s struggling. However, it is shocking that he’s struggling this bad. Manning has seven touchdowns to ten interceptions and has no zip on the ball. Not only that, but he’s not even making good throws. Always known more for his mind than his skills, Peyton isn’t reading and reacting like he used to. 

Luckily for Peyton, the Broncos defense is the second best in the league in terms of yards given up, the best in the league when it comes to takeaways, and the leads the league in sacks. Basically, the Broncos defense is why they’re undefeated and not Manning and their offense. 

Can Manning figure it out? Well, there’s not a lot to figure out. He’s not seeing some magical defense that he’s never seen before. He’s in a new system for pretty much the first time in his career and he’s old. Maybe he picks up the system as the season goes along, but he’s not going to heal or get younger. In fact, as the weather gets colder in Denver, I expect Manning to struggle even more. They better hope the defense keeps playing at a high level because if they start to slip, the Broncos will be gone early in the postseason. 

3. The Worst Play Ever

I’m sure you’ve seen the “Whatever The Fuck” the Colts ran against the Patriots on Sunday night and I’m sure you’ve tried to figure out the logic behind it, likely failing at every explanation. 

That’s because there is no good explanation for what happened. The Colts pulled out all stops against the Patriots. Going for it on fourth down early in the game, trying an onside kick, and using every gimmick in their book. The “WTF” was just another trick that went the way of Wile E. Coyote. 

The play may’ve had a chance at working if Colt Anderson was in shotgun and not under center, but he was in no mans land under center. By the way, the center was actually a wide receiver and Anderson is a safety, not a quarterback. There was no reason to call the play and no reason for the ball to be snapped. 

The Colts were never going to win on Sunday (remember, the Patriots are PISSED OFF) and that play won’t cost Chuck Pagano his job (management decided to axe him long before Sunday) but one has to wonder why Pagano and the Colts would even try such a low percentage play in the first place.

4. Firing Coach = Win

The other week the Dolphins fired Joe Philbin in a last ditch effort to save their season. After a bye-week, Miami looked like the team that many thought they would be heading into the season.

Don’t buy in.

Not only were the Dolphins coming off a bye-week, but they were playing the Titans, a team whose only victory came week one against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Titans are a terrible football team and just because Miami beat them handily doesn’t mean they’re all of a sudden world-beaters. Let’s not forget that Miami is in the same division as the undefeated Patriots, a one-loss Jets team, and a potentially good Bills team. Ryan Tannehill still had two interceptions and, again, they were playing the Titans. 

Dan Campbell might turn into a good head coach, he’s younger than Peyton Manning, but don’t expect the Dolphins to play like this every week, especially when they play good football teams. 

5. AFC South vs. NFC East

Which division is worse right now? The leader is both divisions is 3-3 and haven’t looked impressive for more than a week. 

The Colts will likely win the AFC South again because they have the best quarterback, but if Hoyer just keeps throwing the ball to Hopkins and the Texans defense plays like it should, would anyone be shocked if they win the division at 8-8? 

The 3-3 Eagles were written off as early as last week, but after beating the Giants, they now lead the division. I still think the Giants are the favorites to win the division because of their quarterback/coach combo, but if the Cowboys can hang around long enough until Tony Romo and Dez Bryant return then they’ll be a major threat.

Basically, the AFC South and NFC East are the NFC South this season. Suck on that, NFC South haters.

Quick Takes

*Guess the Falcons weren’t as PISSED OFF as the other teams who remained undefeated.

*The Lions still suck and only won because John Fox is just as incompetent as Jim Caldwell.

*How did the Cardinals lose to the kicker from Friday Night Lights?

*Speaking of the Steelers, Antonio Brown is still great, but this just goes to show that, more often than not, the quarterback makes the receiver and not the other way around. 

*Time for Kansas City to end the Smith/Reid partnership.

*The Ravens are so bad right now that they couldn’t even beat the 49ers. Can they go ahead and trade Steve Smith back to us?

*The Packers gave up 500 passing yards and still won. Must be nice to have Aaron Rodgers.

*The best thing to ever happen to the Jets was Geno Smith getting punched in the face.