Tuesday Morning Football

After a week off due to a frustratingly busy workload, and not enough time to sit and write, I'm back with the weekly roundup of the NFL's top performers.

In London, the Atlanta Falcons raced to an unexpected 21-0 lead before the Detroit Lions launched an unexpected 22-point comeback to win the game in the dying seconds. There were a number of noteworthy results from around the league, as the struggling Saints beat the Packers on Sunday night, the Steelers put 50 points on the heavily-favoured Colts and the Bengals got back to winning ways following a frantic fourth quarter with the Ravens that saw the lead change three times in the final six minutes (before a penalty overturned a last-gasp 89-yard Steve Smith touchdown).

Ben Roethlisberger

Not much more needs to be said other than Big Ben became the first player in NFL history to post two games with over 500 yards passing. Only 15 quarterbacks have one game of over 500 yards passing to their name, including Norm Van Brocklin's record of 554 yards, set against the New York Yanks in 1951. Roethlisberger finished with 522 yards (and six touchdowns), and at one point early in the third quarter was on pace to break 600. No one is doubting Ben as a singular talent but that offense has struggled in recent weeks, and it is staggering that this feat was accomplished against a Colts team with a respectable defensive unit.

Arian Foster

The first of three players on this list to score three touchdowns, Foster was again the focal point of a Texans offense that dominated the Tennessee Titans. He continued his comeback from injury, and one of the best seasons of his career, with 151 yards off 20 carries and two touchdowns. Foster added 22 yards receiving and a touchdown to complete his hat-trick.

Emmanuel Sanders

Another three-touchdown performance came from the Broncos' latest receiving threat. Sanders arrived from Pittsburgh via free agency prior to this season and has emerged as Peyton Manning's new favourite weapon. He highlights how dangerous the unit can be because, should defences shut down Demariyus and Julius Thomas, Manning will find new and explosive ways to beat you. The San Diego Chargers found this out the hard way when Sanders torched them for 120 yards and three touchdowns off only nine receptions.

Rob Gronkowski

Recurring injuries and a slow start to the season had many people wondering whether we had already seen Rob Gronkowski at his peak. Some suspected he would never regain his formidable 2011 form, in which he accumulated 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns. The man they call Gronk bounced back in a big way on Sunday when he caught 149 yards and three touchdowns against the Chicago Bears, in a performance that wouldn't have been out of place in his dominant first three seasons in the league.

Big Blue Review: Giants @ Cowboys

The Giants entered week seven on the back of a 27-0 humbling at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles and responded with a shrug and a whimper rather than a necessary emphatic performance at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

The Giants walked into Philadelphia aware that, if they pulled off wins in their next two weeks, they would enter the bye week 5-2, with three wins over division rivals and a firm hold of the NFC East. Dallas and Philadelphia have looked good this season, but close wins over poor teams have led some to question how strong they really are.

But both Dallas and Philadelphia are too good for New York, and Sunday was a reminder to all that the Giants are not yet contenders. The Giants had hoped that the script would be that of the plucky underdogs bloodying the nose of the playground bullies, but it played out more like a horror movie.

If the Philadelphia game was a crushing capitulation, it was a case of 'good, but not good enough' against the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants had pressured Tony Romo (Jason Pierre-Paul had a phenomenal game, besting Tyron Smith for two sacks, six tackles and three hits/hurries), kept DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant in check, showed some offensive prowess of their own and went into half time tied 14-14.

One thing that had categorically not worked in the first half was the run game. The offensive line simply could not run block, and yet Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo religiously stuck with rushing on first down, even when Eli Manning had the time necessary to pass all over the Cowboys' defence. I understand that you cannot simply abandon the run altogether, but I'd have expected to see the ratio of pass plays to run players edge in favour of the former while chasing the game. It led to a lot of 3rd-and-long situations, and quick passes could have both neutralised the Cowboys blitzing defence and put the ball into the hands of the Giants' most dangerous playmaker - Odell Beckham, Jr.

Coaching can also be called into question when discussing the Giants' discipline. If Tom Coughlin's time in New York can be given a storyline, it is that of a harsh disciplinarian who tapped into his softer side, won the locker room over, and led the team to victory in Super Bowl XLII. Despite this, he has always preached mental toughness and maturity, so it is surprising to find the Giants so plagued by indiscipline. Larry Donnell fumbled twice on Sunday (one of which sealed the Giants' fate), and the offensive line had another night to forget, with Will Beatty responsible for two drive-killing penalties.

These issues are all, fortunately, correctable. What isn't, however, are injuries. The Giants have thus far lost David Wilson, Jerrel Jernigan, Victor Cruz, Trumaine McBride and Walter Thurmond III to season (or in Wilsons' case, career) ending injuries. On top of that Geoff Schwartz will be out of action until at least week nine, and Rashad Jennings, Jon Beason and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are all hugely limited by injuries of their own. The Giants are a middle-of-the-road team, and now they are a middle-of-the-road team with an increasingly depleted roster. It's not a good position for any team to be in.

Tom Coughlin's men could pull off an upset at home later in the season, but for now Big Blue are 3-4, and have a number of major issues that need to be corrected before Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts roll into MetLife stadium in week nine.

Put simply, the Giants are what everyone expected. The three-game win streak raised expectations - and power ranking positions - through the roof, but ultimately the giants are a team still very much in the process of rebuilding. The pieces are there to be successful, and 3-4 is a better record than the 1-6 record they had in 2013, but the 2014 Giants are an incomplete team that will feast on weak teams and come undone against the tougher teams on their schedule.

NFL Tuesday Morning Football - Top Performers from Week Six

In this shortened, slightly late, post - due to overbearing work-induced time constraints - I will be taking a look at three of the top performers from the NFL this week.

Another topsy-turvy week in the NFL saw the Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers join forces to post the highest-scoring tie (37-37) in NFL history, the Cowboys beat the Seahawks in Seattle to stake their claim as (probably) legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and the Green Bay Packers stole a win from the Miami Dolphins with a last-second fake spike touchdown from Aaron Rodgers.

Colin Kapernick, LeSean McCoy, Giovani Bernard, Tom Brady,  Andrew Luck and Alshon Jefferey were among those who put up stellar numbers this week, but here are three players I felt worthy of a place in my weekly roundup.


Joe Flacco

Joe Flacco threw five touchdown passes on Sunday. This would be a huge deal in its own right, but what makes it more impressive is that he managed to do it all in the first half. He nearly did it in one quarter, with his final touchdown - a 56 yard pass to Steve Smith Sr. - coming less than one minute into the second quarter. It took the Ravens' quarterback just 16 minutes and three seconds to throw five touchdowns (now the NFL record for the Fastest Time to Five Touchdowns), and had Flacco continued as this pace he would have thrown 18 touchdowns. Yes, it was against the impossibly bad Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it is an impressive feat nonetheless.

Matt Forte

Kiss goodbye to Matt Forte, running back, and say "hello" to Matt Forte, offensive weapon. He has not been named as such for no reason, and that reason is not "because it sounds cooler". Forte can be considered an offensive weapon - initially created by the Jacksonville Jaguars for former Michigan quarterback Dennard Robinson - because he has emerged into the type of player that causes defensive coordinators nightmares. Forte has flourished under second-year head coach Marc Trestman, and now has a league-high 46 catches in six games. He is the only running back to feature in the top 20 in receptions and top 50 for receiving yards, and he has four games with 100 combined yards from scrimmage this season. Sunday's win over Atlanta was no different, with Forte posting 80 yards - and two touchdowns - on the ground and 77 yards in the air.

T.Y. Hilton

T.Y. Hilton had a quiet week six, leading the NFL in receiving with nine receptions for a staggering 223 yards and an average of 24.8 yards per cach. He also caught one of Andrew Luck's three touchdown passes in the Indianapolis Colts' 33-28 win over the division rival Houston Texans. Hilton emerged in the absence of Reggie Wayne last season, and has remained the Colts' most prolific playmaker despite Wayne's return and the addition of former New York Giant Hakeem Nicks. He leads the Colts with 40 receptions for 604 yards and eight plays of at least 20 yards, a stat for which he is ranked fourth in the league.

Honourable mention: Dan Bailey

Dallas Cowboys' kicker - and die-hard Aston Villa fan - Dan Bailey became the most accurate kicker in NFL history on Sunday, surpassing Mike Vanderjagt's (remember him?) record of 86.47% with a 91.07% field goal accuracy percentage. Vanderjagt's record was always doomed to fall though, because the standard of kicking in the league right now is so much higher than anything that has come before. The top 38 most accurate kickers in history have been active in the last ten years, and twenty three of them are on NFL rosters as we speak. Given how long NFL kickers' careers tend to last, 26 year-old Bailey has plenty of time to distance himself from the rest of the placekicking crowd.

NFL Tuesday Morning Football - Top Performers from Week Five

The NFL might not have been as wild as College Football was this weekend (in which five of the top eight, and eleven of the top 25, ranked teams in the country lost), but it was typically filled with big results, unpredictable moments and impressive individual performances. Let's take a look at five of the best:

*Honorable mentions* Russell Wilson for posting 201 yards passing, 122 yards rushing and three touchdowns against the Washington Redskins. Percy Harvin, who would have made the list, had any of his three touchdowns stood. A 16 yard rush, and receptions of 26 and 41 yards were all nullified by referee Jeff Triplette.

Tom Brady

It appears the reports of Tom Brady's demise were greatly exaggerated. Any problems the Patriots seemed to suffer from over the first four weeks were temporarily erased as they marched to a dominant win against the previously undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. The entire team looked to have regained their best form, notably Rob Gronkowski and Darrelle Revis, but Brady put forth a near-flawless performance, going 23-of-35 for 292 yards (his highest of the season) and two touchdowns. His 292 yards were enough to break the 50,000 career passing yards mark.

Brian Hoyer

Brady's former understudy has, following a brief and unfruitful period in Arizona, gone on to carve out a solid career as a starter in Cleveland. Despite their drafting of Johnny Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Browns have put their faith in Brian Hoyer and been rewarded. On Sunday he put 26 unanswered points on the board to seal the largest road comeback in NFL history, and the biggest in Browns' history. When it was all said and done, Hoyer had completed 37 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns.

Arian Foster

I was tempted to put yet another DeMarco Murray performance (31 carries, 136 yards) here but instead opted for his Texans' counterpart. Arian Foster returned from injury and shone in a losing overtime effort against the Dallas Cowboys, gaining 157 rushing yards on 23 carries, with 15 additional yards receiving. He scored two touchdowns, including the game-tying score with less than one minute left in regulation, but unfortunately fumbled on a third-and-two play in overtime that allowed Dallas to score the winning field goal. It was Foster's twentieth game of at least 150 yards from scrimmage.

Branden Oliver

Everyone knows the name Branden Oliver now, but you'd be forgiven for not knowing prior to the San Diego Chargers' 31-0 win over the New York Jets. The Chargers are without Ryan Mathews, lost Danny Woodhead for the year shortly after and saw their running back unit depleted further when Donald Brown suffered a concussion in the first quarter. The undrafted rookie out of Buffalo was the next man up, and exploded for 144 rushing yards, a further 68 receiving yards and two touchdowns against a Jets defence ranked as one of the best in the league,

C.J. Mosley

I may have written about Kyle Fuller a few weeks ago, but we have found our frontrunner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. C.J. Mosley was a coveted prospect coming out of Alabama and he lived up to the hype in the Baltimore Ravens' 20-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, piling up 14 tackles, a spectacular goal line interception and a hit on Andrew Luck that forced a rare pick for Haloti Ngata. He doesn't have the highlight-reel moments that Fuller, Anthony Barr or Khalil Mack might have, but Mosley has been a force in the middle of the Ravens' defence and has 49 total tackles through five games.

Big Blue Review: New York Giants v Atlanta Falcons

With a 30-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Giants advanced to 3-2 and a +.500 record for the first time since the end of the 2012 season - officially making all that talk of Eli being benched and Coughlin being fired a thing of the past.

The Falcons' visit to Metlife Stadium really was a game of two halves. The first half saw the Atlanta Falcons' first-ranked offense move the ball with relative ease. The Falcons' were suffering from a depleted offensive line void of key starters in Joe Hawley, Lamar Holmes, Justin Blalock and Sam Baker, but the makeshift unit still managed to frustrate the Giants' defensive line - a performance that was underscored by a clinical ten-yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson in the first quarter. Julio Jones bested Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for eight catches and 88 yards, and Matt Ryan finished the first half going 17-of-27 for 166 yards, without being sacked once.

Giants' fans would have been concerned by the re-emergence of the self-defeating New York Giants in the first half. In a bizarre sequence of events, Quentin Demps picked off Matt Ryan on third down before fumbling the ball on the return, and a Prince Amukamara penalty gave the Falcons great field position and a first down. The defence forced a punt before a roughing the punter penalty on Jason Pierre-Paul gave the Falcons yet another first down. The defence were competitively quiet in the first half, but still managed to hold the Falcons to just one touchdown.

The Giants' emerged after half time trailing 13-10, and did so a team transformed. The Giants' class of 2014 made a huge impact, with 2014 Heisman Trophy finalist, and fourth round draft pick, Andre Williams rushing for a touchdown after Rashad Jennings went down injured. Williams ran hard all afternoon, and ran over Falcons defenders on many of his carries. Odell Beckham, Jr. finally made his Giants' debut after a preseason of injury and almost no practices. He was moved all over the offense, and early in the second half showed exactly how dangerous he can be when he got open with ease on consecutive plays. Only an overthrown pass by Eli Manning - who was otherwise consistently calm and composed - and a defensive penalty prevented them from being touchdowns. Beckham Jr. finally found the endzone in the fourth quarter with a 15 yard pass from Manning.

The defence raised their game as well, with the Falcons' offensive line finally overwhelmed by their defensive counterparts. Jason Pierre-Paul was phenomenally disruptive - repeatedly hurrying Ryan and causing penalties. Robert Ayers and Jonathan Hankins continued their good form, with the latter effectively sealing the win with a sack on fourth down late in the game. As a unit they hit Matt Ryan eight times. The Giants' were exposed at linebacker, however, with the group seemingly unable to cope with screens or short routes by running backs out of the backfield - a deficiency disguised by the dominance of the line and secondary.

The Falcons may have also been 2-2, but this win legitimises the Giants. It proves that their offence works against a tough defence, it proves they can win in the fourth quarter (they trailed 21-10 with 21 minutes left), and it proves that the defence can keep up with the best in the league. It also validates - for now - the selection of Odell Beckham Jr. in the first round. Even though their opponents have a combined twelve wins (at the time of writing) compared to the Cowboys (nine wins) and Eagles (seven wins), the Giants are still being viewed as the runts of the litter in the NFC East. This win should have changed that perception for the time being.

What We've Learned About The NFL Through Four Weeks

The Patriots are in trouble

Let's clear some things up: the Brady-Bellichick 'era' is not over. There is no 'quarterback controversy' brewing. Jimmy Garoppolo will not start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

As bad as the Monday Night Football loss to Kansas City was, it doesn't change anything in New England. It does, however, confirm the Patriots' status as a team in trouble. Through four weeks the Pats have lost a divisional game against the Miami Dolphins, scraped past the lowly Oakland Raiders and been dismantled 41-14 by the Kansas City Chiefs. That they beat the Minnesota Vikings by a sizeable scoreline does not disguise the fact that they are suffering from an atypically anaemic offence.
Only a few weeks ago, Tom Brady said: "when I suck, I'll retire". I don't see him retiring any time soon, but Brady, for the first time in his career, sucks right now. Brady has looked like a shell of his 2002-2013 self, and the offensive line, now without Logan Mankins, have not helped him out. The Patriots are 23rd in rushing offense, and a mind-boggling 30th in passing.
Brady has talent around him, but he does not have the time to work his magic and bring them into the game. Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins are talented, but redundant because Brady is jumpy about getting rid of the ball before getting laid out.

The defence, too, were horrible against Kansas City, but they will still be able to keep the Pats competitive this season. Unfortunately, I don't think that will be enough to make the playoffs. Of course, they looked bad through four games in 2013 and still ended up in the AFC Championship game, so there's still hope for Pats fans.

The Cowboys are not a guaranteed playoff team...

It was hard not to be impressed by the Cowboy's dominant win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Their offensive line looked unstoppable as DeMarco Murray ran riot over the Saints' struggling defence, and Tony Romo went 22-of-29 for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

No one is taking that win off them, but, as should always be the case with the Dallas Cowboys (but rarely is), expectations must be tempered. They beat a Saints team that had allowed Matt Ryan to break the Falcons' single-game passing record and then lost to the Cleveland Browns the week after. The Cowboys laid an egg against the San Francisco 49ers and followed that up with unimpressive performances against St. Louis and the Tennessee Titans. The win does not magically erase the Cowboys' inability to get into the postseason over the past few years, and - although they played exceptionally well against New Orleans - it doesn't hide the fact that their defence is still porous. They are allowing nearly 380 yards per game, and in a division that features high-powered offenses courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants, that could be disastrous.

Four games is too early to anoint them NFC East champions, but it is also too early to completely rule them out. Get back to me in week eight and, if the Cowboys have strung together some performances of the calibre of that Saints win, then we can start seriously discussing them as contenders.

But the Cincinnati Bengals are...

In much the same way that it is too early to rule out the Dallas Cowboys from making the playoffs, it is also too early to really lock anyone in for a playoff berth. However, if you had to bet on one team playing football in January, the Bengals would have to be it.

As so many pundits, journalists and analysts are so fond of saying, the Cincinnati Bengals are "the most complete team in football". They currently sit - after a bye week - seventh in total offense and 11th in total defence, with convincing wins against division rivals the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans under their belt.

Andy Dalton is hardly setting the league on fire, but he is playing smart, mistake-free football in a scheme that allows him to maximise the considerable talents of players like A.J. Green, Giovanni Bernard and Mohamed Sanu. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals boast a deep and stingy defence that leads the league in one of - if not the - most important statistical categories: scoring defence. Through three games, the Bengals are officially the best at keeping opposing offenses out of scoring positions, and have a league-leading +15.7 point margin that should only increase when they face the floundering Patriots offence this Sunday.

J.J. Watt is the NFL MVP

I am one of those people who, almost every season, hopes and prays for a defensive MVP. The last overall MVP to ply his trade as a defensive player was Lawrence Taylor in 1986. Taylor is widely - and rightfully - hailed as the greatest defensive player of all time and revolutionised the concept of pass-rushing outside linebackers, who had previously played the game in a reactionary capacity. 'LT' dominated opponents during his revolutionary career with the New York Giants, and his uncanny speed and strength meant offences had to game plan around this one man. Defences often did - and still do - this for offensive players, but rarely the other way round.

Fast-forward to 2014 and J.J. Watt is dominating opposing offensive lines in a manner reminiscent of Taylor. When Jadaveon Clowney was drafted by the Texans with the first pick in the 2014 NFL draft, many expected Watt to benefit from the extra attention his new team-mate would bring; Clowney has been inactive for the better part of four weeks due to injury, and in that time Watt has been nothing short of dominant. He currently has 16 quarterback hits, more than 15 teams have, and in week four alone Watt had more hits (nine) than any other team had. His total means that the Texans have a league-leading 34 hits, and his 31 pressures would have seen him finish inside the top 20 at his position for the entirety of last season.

Oh, and he also caught a touchdown while lined up at tight end against the Oakland Raiders, and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.

Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers are great at passing for touchdowns and yardage through the air, but they are simply doing what they are being paid to do well, and currently Watt is doing his job better than they are doing theirs. J.J. Watt lives in a world all of his own, and he breathes the rarefied air reserved for the Best Player in the League. Should his play remain at this level for the rest of the year, you are looking at your league MVP.

NFL Tuesday Morning Football - Top Performers from Week Four

It feels strange to think/say/write it, but we are already a quarter of the way through the 2014 NFL season.

It's already been filled with drama and talking points; from domestic violence scandals and a swathe of of injuries to star players across the league, to teams with surprising records (both good and bad) and a hilarious South Park parody featuring the Washington Redskins.

For UK fans, week four will be dominated by talk of the NFL's first of three annual soujourns across the pond. The Miami Dolphins' destruction of the Oakland Raiders at Wembley was an impressive team performance, but there have been a number of phenomenal individual performances over the last three weeks, and that didn't change in week four. Let's take a look at who lit the league up this week:

Teddy Bridgewater

We'll officially declare the Matt Cassel "era" over in Minnesota. Cassel's fractured foot has put him out of action for a while, and Bridgewater's performance on Sunday may mean we never see the former Patriots quarterback in a Vikings uniform again. Bridgewater starred in one of the most impressive rookie quarterback debuts in recent years, leading the Vikings to a win over the Atlanta Falcons. Bridgewater was calm and composed all game, passing for 317 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and a rushing touchdown.

Andrew Luck

Arguably the league's MVP at the quarter mark, Luck has - despite his team's 0-2 start - been in stellar form, and Sunday saw him bring his touchdown total for the season to 13. Against AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans, Luck completed 29-of-41 passes, threw for 393 yards and four touchdowns. Only three NFL quarterbacks have thrown more through the first four games of a season since 1960 - Kurt Warner and Don Meredith (14) and, of course, Peyton Manning (16). With Luck and J.J. Watt, the 2014 MVP race could easily come from the AFC South.

DeMarco Murray

As someone with DeMarco Murray in his fantasy football team, I am well aware of the calibre of his performances this season. If you've been hiding under a rock, you'll not be aware that Murray has rushed for 534 yards and five touchdowns. He's also lost three fumbles but those numbers mean that Murray is on pace for 2,136 yards and the crown to Eric Dickerson's three-decade old single-season rushing title. Obviously, we're only in September, but his 149 yard, two-touchdown game against the Saints will help him on his way.

Steve Smith

Whether it's Katherine Grainger finally winning her Olympic gold medal at her fourth and final summer games, Kurt Warner resurrecting his career in Arizona and leading the franchise to their first Super Bowl, or Derek Jeter hitting a walk-off single in his final appearance at Yankee stadium, sports fans love a storyline. In the NFL, a whole load of fuss is made whenever this situation unfolds: 'X legendary player returns while playing for a new team to Y team that they spent most of their career with'. In recent years we have seen Peyton Manning face the Indianapolis Colts, Brett Favre returning to Lambeau as a Viking and - on Sunday - Steve Smith suiting up for the Baltimore Ravens against the Carolina Panthers. Smith stuck it to his former team of 13 seasons with seven catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Larry Donnell

As I wrote in my review of the New York Giants' rout of the Washington Redskins on Friday, the Giants now have a force at tight end. No-one is crowning the 2011 undrafted free agent out of Grambling State the next Jimmy Graham, but by the end of the year he could be regarded as one of the league's most potent offensive threats. Through four games Donnell has 25 receptions (tied for 7th in the league and 3rd among tight ends) for 236 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those came in one game, as Donnell caught touchdown passes on three of his first five receptions on Thursday night. His huge frame gives Eli Manning a crucial presence in third down and red zone situations, something the New York Giants have missed since Martellus Bennett departed for Chicago in 2013.

Big Blue Review: New York Giants @ Washington Redskins

Be honest: who saw this one coming? Even the most die-hard Giants fans would never have envisaged a demolition job on this level.

Despite less-than-favourable Las Vegas betting odds that had the 1-2 Giants as underdogs, the Giants themselves were more confident after beating the Houston Texans to earn their first win of the season.

As we saw in the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl-winning seasons, once Tom Coughlin's Giants start playing with confidence and have momentum, they are a very difficult team to stop. Of course, Atlanta could end all the fun next weekend, but the importance of the Houston result cannot be understated.

They started where they left off, with Eli Manning once again leading the charge. Last season Eli was running for his life behind a poor offensive line every game, had no running game to ease the load, and was hindered by a corps of unspectacular receivers who he was subsequently unable to develop a rapport with.

Flash forward to last night and Eli is being protected by a solid offensive line who - after a tumultuous preseason and a ghastly week one outing against the Detroit Lions - have gelled nicely in the past three games. As a result, he is enjoying time in the pocket, and time to make smarter decisions. Being a Manning, it should come as no surprise that, when given time, Eli is capable of picking defences apart. Like his brother Peyton, Eli flourishes when given the flexibility to call the shots and make audibles, and Ben McAdoo's offense is structured around no-huddle play and short, high-percentage, passes.

Eli Manning finished the game going 28-of-39 for 300 yards, four passing touchdowns, and his first rushing touchdown since 2011. He had a passer rating of 117.5.

The newfound unity along the offensive line is reflective of the Giants offense as a whole. Slowly but surely the unit has gelled into a formidable one, and over the last two games the Giants have outscored their opponents 76-31.

Against Washington, as was the case in the Houston game, the Giants' wide receivers held up their end of the bargain - both Victor Cruz and Reuben Randle accumulated 108 and 89 yards receiving, respectively.
They finished the game without a single touchdown, however, because they all went to the tight ends, with Larry Donnell the main beneficiary.

Donnell, undrafted out of Grambling State in 2012, has been a revelation this season and of his first five catches, three went for touchdowns of five, six and six yards. Donnell was the first Giants tight end since Joe Walton in 1962 to score three passing touchdowns in a single - remarkable considering that Big Blue has seen players like Mark Bavaro and Jeremy Shockey pass through their doors.
He causes match-up problems for opposing defences due to his considerable height, and Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo know this.

"When he (Manning) gets in trouble...he knows he can throw it up there and it's my job to go up and get it. And he feels comfortable doing it."

Daniel Fells chipped in with a touchdown of his own, but Donnell is unquestionably the Giants' tight end for the foreseeable future.

The defence proved emphatically that last week's performance was no mere fluke, with Antrel Rolle, Prince Amukamara, Quentin Demps and Trumaine McBride all picking off Kirk Cousins. Giants defensive backs had studied Cousins extensively during the week and had noticed that the inexperienced signal-caller was staring down his receivers. Jason Pierre-Paul was able to identify, and then call out, the intended receivers from the line of scrimmage. The only negative was seen when Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie left the field temporarily with an injury, and the Redskins began to see some success on offense. The Giants' secondary could come undone should he miss further time later in the season.

The Washington Redskins, and surprisingly hapless quarterback Kirk Cousins, have seemingly awoken a sleeping Giant. The Giants kept the ball rolling with another mistake-free, turnover-forcing performance, and dominated a team the Philadelphia Eagles could only scrape past last weekend. The Giants have a much-needed divisional win, and a lot of momentum heading into a major clash with the Atlanta Falcons in ten days' time.

NFL Tuesday Morning Football - Top Performers from Week Three

Another week of NFL action is in the books, and thankfully we didn't see a repeat of the injury epidemic that plagued last week's games. The Baltimore Ravens lost Dennis Pitta for the season however, and the Pittsburgh Steelers saw cornerback Ike Taylor leave the game with a gruesome-looking broken forearm.

So ignoring the ongoing fracas caused by Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Jonathan Dwyer et. al, week three was a phenomenal showcase for the unpredictability of the NFL. Arizona put the NFC on watch with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the surprisingly winless New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts finally got their first wins, Pittsburgh demolished the Carolina Panthers and Seattle held off the Denver Broncos with a overtime win courtesy of - who else? - Marshawn Lynch.

Oh, and three quarterbacks - Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson and Johnny Manziel - all caught passes from wide receivers. Of all the things you could accuse the NFL of being, 'predictable' isn't one.

Kirk Cousins

The talk of the 'RG3 Era' in Washington D.C. being over is probably premature, but after head coach Jay Gruden said he felt that Cousins was a better fit for his scheme in the wake of Griffin's injury, many people began speculating whether we'd ever see the former Baylor quarterback in a Redskins uniform ever again.
Gruden may have had a point, as Cousins delivered a performance worthy of a starting job on Sunday. He went 30 of 48 for 427 yards, and threw three touchdowns and one interception against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rashad Jennings

The Giants' much-maligned offense exploded into life against the previously unbeaten Houston Texans, with Eli Manning delivering a mistake-free performance and throwing two touchdowns. It was running back Rashad Jennings who stole the show, with a 38 carry, 176 yard, one touchdown performance. It was a career game, and Jennings poignantly dedicated it to his father:

“Today I was just reminded that my father has diabetes and he ended up getting both of his legs amputated. He doesn't have legs. Today, I remembered that I do have them.”

Le'Veon Bell

Another masterful running performance came courtesy of the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell. The Carolina Panthers' defense was one of the league's most formidable units a year ago, and - despite the absence of defensive end Greg Hardy - is still one of the NFL's best. Despite his unquestionable talent, it was therefore surprising to see Bell rack up a monstrous 147 yards rushing against the Panthers.

Kyle Fuller

The Chicago Bears' secondary is a unit that has already been decimated by injury. Charles Tillman is lost for the year, and a who's-who of defensive backs have picked up injuries in recent weeks. This less-than-desirable situation has given other players the opportunity to step up, and 2014 first round draft pick Kyle Fuller has done just that. Fuller bagged two interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers in week two and added a third - at a crucial moment in the game - against the New York Jets this week. He also added two forced fumbles and so far has an allowed passer rating of 43.6. With Tillman's career in doubt, the Bears may have struck gold with this playmaking rookie cornerback.

Big Blue Review: New York Giants v Houston Texans

When the 2014 season fixtures were announced, Giants fans were buoyed by three winnable (but not necessarily easy) games against Detroit, Arizona and Houston. In week one the Giants fell victim to the high-powered offence of the Lions, and in week two they collapsed against the Cardinals on the back of a plethora of farcical self-inflicted wounds including fumbles, dropped passes and special teams blunders.

They also picked up injuries to key players such as Jon Beason, Devon Kennard and Walter Thurmond III, weakening a side already hindered by the absence of Odell Beckham, Jr. and Geoff Schwartz.

So the Giants came into week three in desperate need of a win, and the odds were not exactly in their favour. They had floundered to a disappointing 0-2 record while the Texans, last seasons' worst team, were 2-0. In 2007, the Giants lost their first two games before rallying after a change in approach from Tom Coughlin. This week, Coughlin allowed rap music to be played during practice to lighten the mood. Ultimately it seemed to have made a difference.

Despite this, the game got off to a bad start, and it looked as if the ridiculous errors from the Cardinals' game were to continue. After a long drive, tight end Larry Donnell fumbled the ball on the Texans' five-yard line, and on the next series the usually-reliable Zak DeOssie snapped the ball over kicker Josh Adams' head. Two long drives, and no points scored. The Giants should have been 10-0 up, but had nothing to show for it.

Eli Manning was clattered by J.J. Watt early on; fans would be forgiven for thinking that it would be a long day for the Giants offensive line, but the much-maligned unit emerged as the catalysts for the Giants' first win of the season. They paved the way for a 176 yard, one touchdown performance by Rashad Jennings, and kept the Texans' defensive line at bay as Eli Manning completed 21 of 28 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

The Giants' offense has been described all-too-often as a "work in progress", this game appeared to see them finally clicking. It wasn't the prettiest performance, but it was effective and showcased how dangerous the Giants can be under Ben McAdoo.

Victor Cruz appeared to redeem himself after his error-strewn game against the Cardinals with five catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.

His return to form was mirrored by that of Jason Pierre-Paul. Both are vital players and the Giants need both to be at their best if the team are to succeed. Pierre-Paul was everywhere, and although he didn't pick up a sack, he was able to frustrate Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Texans' run game for much of the afternoon.

The defensive line will be frustrated to have left a number of sacks on the field, but credit should be given to Fitzpatrick, who proved to be quite elusive when pressured, rushing for a late touchdown. The Giants secondary can be pleased with a performance that saw Antrel Rolle, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara all intercept Fitzpatrick, who had not turned the ball over in the first two games.

The Giants are still their own worst enemy, however. The 30-17 scoreline could have been 40-17 if not for two avoidable errors early in the game, Amukamara and Rodgers-Cromartie both dropped an interception each, and another miscommunication in the secondary allowed Damaris Johnson to score a huge 44 yard touchdown pass that slashed the Giants' lead to just seven points. That touchdown came on the back of a large gain by running back Alfred Blue, who took advantage of a

In all, this was a convincing win with some correctable errors still remaining. The Texans were void of their biggest offensive threat, running back Arian Foster, and the Giants will still likely struggle against the tougher teams on their schedule. However, after a dire preseason and a poor season opener, the G-Men needed a performance to prove that their new offense can work. Eli Manning asserted that the 2014 Giants are better than the 2013 Giants; they needed a performance to support that theory. They got one.
The Giants go into a short week and a Thursday Night Football game against the Washington Redskins, crucially, with some momentum behind them, and it would seem that the rumours of Eli Manning's demise were greatly exaggerated.

NFL Tuesday Morning Football - Top Performers from Week Two

The league suffered something of a black eye this week with a host of unfolding scandals. NFL fans saw Ray Rice unceremoniously kicked out of the league for domestic abuse and Adrian Peterson deactivated - and then controversially reactivated - by the Minnesota Vikings for disciplining his son with a branch. As a result, the Carolina Panthers benched defensive end Greg Hardy in response to a now two-month old assault conviction. Ray McDonald has escaped punishment though, because reasons.

Speaking of black eyes, as soon as the first games kicked off major names began dropping like flies. The Cincinnati Bengals lost A.J. Green to turf toe early in their game against the Atlanta Falcons; the Washington Redskins lost both Robert Griffin III and DeSean Jackson within moments of one another; Knowshon Moreno fell to a dislocated elbow; Gerald McCoy and Mark Ingram left their respective games with broken hands; Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman and New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason both aggravated recent injuries; Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry both left the Chiefs game against the Broncos with ankle sprains, and both Allen Hurns and Marcedes Lewis picked up injuries in the Jaguars' loss to Washington. Other notable casualties were Vernon Davis, Jason McCourty, Vontaze Burfict, Justin Gilbert, Roy Helu, Shawn Lauvao (it was a bad day for the Washington Redskins), Walter Thurmond III, Eric Decker, Tavon Austin and Ryan Mathews.

It was - in a word - a massacre, and I can't think of a more injury-filled week in the NFL. Despite that, a number of survivors still managed to string together some eye-popping performances:

Aaron Rodgers

After a quiet week one in which the Packers were soundly outplayed and outmatched by the Seattle Seahawks, Aaron Rodgers rebounded with a huge performance that saw him go 25-of-42 for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Packers rallied after falling behind to the Jets early (the Packers were down 21-3 at one point in the second quarter), and Rodgers' performance was crucial in securing the win and avoiding falling to 0-2 on the season.

Bobby Rainey

Doug Martin has been another injury casualty of the season so far, but the Buccaneers won't have missed him against the St. Louis Rams after Bobby Rainey rushed for 144 yards on only 22 carries (6.5 yards per carry). A touchdown would have been the ultimate exclamation point on his dominant performance, but Rainey - who has hopped around the league and experienced brief stints at Cleveland and Baltimore - will have undoubtedly secured himself a bigger role in the Bucs' offense going forward.

Jordy Nelson

Directly linked to Aaron Rodgers' monster performance is Jordy Nelson. Nelson appeared to be the main beneficiary of the Packers' attempts to wrest the lead from the New York Jets, and caught nine balls for a staggering 209 yards and an 80 yard, comeback-clinching, game-winning touchdown that arguably 'saved the Packers' season'. It's a testament to Nelson's character that his reaction after the game was:"um ... I don't know...I left some plays out there, honestly."

Darren Sproles

Seven receptions, 152 yards, 21.7 yards average. Numbers you'd normally associate with a wideout the calibre of a Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall or A.J. Green. Those numbers actually belong to Philadelphia's diminutive, 31 year old running back Darren Sproles, who proved that he still has plenty left in the tank after a performance that helped carry the Eagles past the Indianapolis Colts. Sproles also added a cherry on top in the form of 26 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Chandler Jones

New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones was a big reason why the Pats were leading the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 at halftime. Already down 17-7 and enjoying a torrid start to life in their temporary home stadium, the Vikings' misery worsened when the freakishly athletic Jones burst through their line, blocked kicker Blair Walsh's attempted field goal, scooped the ball up after a perfect bounce and sprinted 60 yards for the special teams Touchdown of the Year (I'm sorry, but this will take some beating). He added eight tackles and two sacks in a defensively dominant outing by the Patriots.

Charles Woodson

For doing the right thing and bluntly declaring that the Oakland Raiders do, as many people suspected, "suck".

Big Blue Review: New York Giants v Arizona Cardinals

Sorry everyone, no Manningface this week.

Why? Because even though the Giants were their own worst enemy this week, we can absolve Eli Manning of all blame in this "nightmare" start to the season. The Lions game got out of hand early on, and little seemed to click for the G-Men, which makes this week's loss all the more painful. The Giants did click, and they did so - albeit in an unattractive fashion - for the majority of the game; of course, the biggest difference between the Giants and the Cardinals on Sunday was that the Cards took their chances when they were there.

The first quarter was a particularly rough affair for the Giants. Frequently the Giants' defence would force third-and-long, only for the Cardinals' playmakers (notably John Brown and Andre Ellington) to convert these opportunities for first downs. The offensive line play was also poor, with Eli Manning unable to find a rhythm early on as a result of pressure from the Cardinals notoriously physical (even without Darnell Dockett and John Abraham) defensive line.

So, a bad start for Big Blue, but their fate was still far from decided. After two strong quarters in which the offense scored two touchdowns on long drives and the defense held the Cardinals scoreless, the Giants were undone in two fleeting moments of madness that unquestionably turned the tide of the game for the worse. Ted Ginn, Jr. stunned Metlife Stadium into silence with a phenomenal 71-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, and on the ensuing kickoff Quintin Demps handed the ball back to the Cardinals with a fumble. Prior to the Ted Ginn, Jr. 'incident', the Giants had allowed only 33 yards on punt returns. They gave up 71 in one nightmarish moment, and the Cardinals were back - inexplicably - in the driving seat.

Eli Manning said it best: "we've got a one-point lead, and the next time we touch the ball, we're down eight".

From there on the game became a comedy of errors. Preston Parker slipped in the endzone, with Patrick Peterson almost picking Eli Manning off as a result, and on the next play Rashad Jennings capped another potential scoring drive by falling over and fumbling the ball.

The Cardinals could only manage a field goal, and with nearly five minutes on the clock the Giants had time to salvage the game. Chasing the lead, the Giants understandably turned to their receivers and were let down spectacularly. This was the toughest pill to swallow, and Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle either failed to make crucial catches or dropped balls that hit them in the hands. Cruz dropped three passes - one of which was for a potentially huge gain prior to the Ginn, Jr. punt return, and another that would have given the Giants a big first down late in the day.

It wasn't all bad though, and Eli Manning rightly commented that there were signs of improvement. The result and the implosion in the fourth quarter had 'Same Old Giants' written in bold neon signage all over them, but in the second and third quarters the Giants showed exactly what type of team they can be.

Despite some early shakiness defending the run and a perplexing plethora of penalties from the secondary, the Giants defence gelled as the game went on.
Jason Pierre-Paul and the Giants' pass rush put pressure on Drew Stanton with ten hits and four sacks, but - to a composed Stanton's credit - were unable to force a turnover. The Giants stopped the Cardinals plenty on third down, and often forced third-and-long situations, but were unable to force a single interception or fumble. Almost all of the Giants' turnovers were self-inflicted wounds, but Cardinals defenders were always there to make plays when the opportunities presented themselves.

After a week one disaster that saw Matt Stafford pile 346 yards and two touchdowns on the Giants' secondary, that same unit held the potentially lethal duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd to just 70 yards and no scores.

Another sign of encouragement for Giants fans was the continued emergence of Larry Donnell. Fans were left despairing after an offseason that left the team without a clear starting tight end, but over the first two games Donnell has emerged as the team's best pass-catching threat. Manning looked to Donnell often and the second-year pro caught seven passes for 81 yards.

As always, any review of a Giants game starts and ends with Eli Manning. The Giants' beleaguered signal-caller has felt the wrath of many (misguided) fans this week, who for some reason feel fit to lay the blame for the team's struggles at Manning's feet.

He quietly had a strong outing, with two picks (one bounced off the shoulder pads of an Arizona lineman, the other a desperation throw when the game was all but lost) unfairly underlining a game in which he often led the Giants on long drives into Cardinals' territory. He spread the ball around well, put the ball in tight spots and placed the Giants in scoring positions, with the game highlighting just how methodically dangerous (also known as 'Peytonesque') he can be when given time by his offensive line. Manning finished 26-of-39 for 277 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

This game wasn't a question of 'who wanted it more?' - a ridiculous philosophy I don't subscribe to because, at this level, everyone 'wants it more' - but several players on both sides of the ball need to at least look like they are trying to win the game. The Cardinals were unspectacular but smart, opportunistic and mistake-free. Sometimes that's all you need to win in the NFL, and it's what the Giants should aspire to be right now.