Post 28 - Weekly Slant 23/09/2015

Hello! And Welcome to my corner.

The NFL season is rumbling on with week 3 starting tomorrow, and week 2 did not disappoint.

The Raiders dismantled the Baltimore Ravens defense, who last week held the Broncos to no offensive touchdowns, to the tune of 37 points. Despite the Ravens offense also finding a new gear, scoring 33 points, the Raiders youth were too much for the Ravens to match. This was a great result for the Raiders, but the Ravens now find themselves in a potentially disastrous position and it's only week 2. The Ravens now have to face the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals and then the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens HAVE to win at least one of these games or it's virtually season over.

The Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Miami Dolphins 23-20 and they looked good all round. Blake Bortles took care of the ball and Allen Robinson took over, with 6 catches for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. On defense, they held the Dolphins when it mattered, giving their rookie kicker the chance to win the game, which he did, connecting with all 3 of his field goals, including the game winner with 43 seconds left.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers, having been blown out at home by the Titans, marched into the Superdome and took down the New Orleans Saints. Jameis Winston looked a lot better and didn't turn the ball over. Also, their defense harassed Drew Brees and suffocated the Saints offense. This season has not started well for the Saints. Add the fact Brees could miss the next few games with a rotator cuff injury, the Saints could really be in trouble. For the Buccaneers however, was this game a flash of the future with Winston?

The Washington Redskins came back from a tough home loss to the Dolphins last week to beat the St Louis Rams 24-10, the same Rams team that upset the Seahawks a week ago. The Redskins, widely regarded as one of the worst teams in the NFL, stuffed the Rams offense, allowing just 213 yards of total offense, and pounded the Rams defense with Matt Jones and Alfred Morris. Matt Jones, the 3rd round pick from this years draft seems to be a steal. He ran 19 times for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Redskins certainly have a dangerous looking backfield.

Is it finally Johnny Football time in Cleveland, for good? In his 3rd career start, 1st this season, Manziel lead the Browns to a 28-14 win over the Tennessee Titans. He opened the game with a long touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin, and then lead another touchdown drive, along with a Travis Benjamin punt return touchdown, to give the Browns a 21-0 lead at halftime. Though he didn't pass the ball much, just 15 times, he looked a lot more comfortable controlling the offense compared to last season. With the score at 21-14, and the Titans in with a chance of pulling the game back, Manziel showed off some vintage Manziel, spinning away from a sack, and throwing a 60 touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin. However, it's been announced that Josh McCown has now cleared the concussion protocol and will start on Sunday. It seems Johnny Football time will have to wait.

Quick Slants 

  • The Browns, Raiders, Jaguars, Buccaneers and Redskins all winning on Sunday marked the first time ever, all 5 of those teams won on the same day.
  • Boris Johnson had this to say about an NFL franchise in London: https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/646661634396655616
  • Tony Romo is out for at least 8 weeks with a broken clavicle (collar bone), and Brandon Weeden is expected to start, with newly acquired Matt Cassel backing him up. 
  • Adam Schefter has reported that Kam Chancellor is planning to return to the Seahawks today after holding out hoping for a new contract. 
  • Ryan Fitzpatrick is set to keep the starting QB job for the New York Jets upon Geno Smith's return.
  • The Steelers get LeVeon Bell back this week. After seeing what DeAngelo Williams could do for the Steelers, the prospect of having Bell back must get Steelers fans excited. 
  • The Ravens traded a seventh round pick to the Dolphins for cornerback Will Davis, adding depth to the secondary.
  • Following the Packers win over the Seahawks, can anyone deny that Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the world at the moment. He can do things that others simply can't. The Packers and Patriots appear to be the teams to beat this year. 


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