Week four saw winners rise up in the last few seconds of several games in the NFL. For those exciting victories to happen there had to be some losers as well of course. As great as it is to go ahead with ten seconds to go, the feeling of losing in that fashion is a lower low than the winners’ high.
Let’s get right to the winners and losers from week four in the League. With Thursday Night Football, there is no time to dwell on the past, kickoff is just about 58 hours away.
NFL Grown Man of the Week: Todd Gurley had a monster game in his second opportunity this season after coming back from a nasty knee injury in his last college game. This young man is a beast and the way he was treated by the NCAA and Georgia, who did not stand by him, he deserves every bit of glory he earns as a pro.
NFL Child of the Week: Ndamukong Suh. If you get paid like a quarterback, you cannot just ignore the media with “next question.” That money comes from football fans’ interest in Suh’s play, but also interest in his thoughts and actions off the field. Probably best not to wear everyday sneakers to practice either my man.
Loser: Joe Philbin got clipped as Miami’s head coach just four games in after his team went through the motions in their game in London. The guy just did not have the results expected with all the talent in Miami to stay employed. Most NFL head coaches don’t leave on their own. Getting fired is just part of this business. Enjoy that loney remaining on the contract Joe. May even be able to draw unemployment for 82 weeks.
Winner: Devonta Freeman went off for the second week in a row with three touchdowns and helped the ATL to 4-0. This guy has went Marshall Mathers, seizing the moment ever since Tevin Coleman went down and forced the Falcons to give Freeman all the touches.
Loser: JJ Watt is the best defensive player in the NFL and he is on one of the five worst teams in the League. All his efforts and abilities are not equating into wins due to the lack of a QB and a decent secondary. Maybe some other team can adopt Watt due to the abuse he is suffering at the hands of the Texans.
Winner: Kansas City has a hell of a kicker in Cairo Santos. Kickers are weirdos but I had to put him in the winners slot after making seven, count em, seven field goals to account for all his team’s scoring. Too bad for the Chiefs they still lost to 4-0 Cincinatti however.
Loser: NFL fans. The Monday night game was determined by another complicated officiating rule that ruins a simple game. The refs got it wrong and Seattle benefitted. Oh and Detroit is 0-4 as a result. Sorry, Lions fan.
Winner: Peyton Manning. He has the best defense in his career and it may carry him to the Super Bowl as long as he plays within his aging self. Denver’s defense sacked Teddy Bridgewater seven times and ripped the ball on Minnesota’s last drive to preserve the win and their perfect record.
Loser: NFL kickers. Missing field goals and extra points is becoming contagious. Maybe the extra point being moved back a few yards is messing with these fragile men’s minds more each week. The kicker from Jacksonville, Jason Myers, missed two big FGs that could have won the game for his struggling team. Even with a timeout by the Colts giving him another try, the kid still yacked.
Winner: The NY Giants overcame a good but undisciplined Buffalo team that was penalized 17 times. Rex Ryan can spin that into his team being fighters, but you can’t win many games with the refs backing you up that many plays.
Loser: Arizona was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten when the Rams got an ugly win over them. The Cards are the better team, but the Rams have a way of getting over really good teams. Just ask the Seahawks.
Winner: CJ Spiller got a walk off TD in overtime versus Dallas as Brees found him open on a wheel route. The Saints might want to target that guy a bit more if they want to stay in the win column.
Loser: Dallas’ Lance Dunbar is just another Cowboy on the injured list after tearing his knee up, which will cost him the rest of the season.
Winner: Kirk Cousins managed a game winning touchdown pass versus the Eagles. He led a 90 yard drive that ended with a short TD pass that gave his Redskins the lead for good. If this guy could ever get his interceptions under control he would be a high level NFL quarterback.
Loser: Colin Kaepernick led San Francisco to another loss with his terrible play. His QBR of 20.1 could probably be matched by most league backups. Running QBs look good in their first couple seasons until defensive coordinators have enough film on them to see their tendencies and ultimately make them one dimensional. We have seen the best of Kap a couple years ago.