3M Report: Week Eight

Brian Bulmer

3ms

Welcome to this week’s edition of the “3M Report” – a weekly look back at the mayhem, magic and mishaps from around the NFL, focusing on situations and players who caught my eye or made me scratch my head in either awe or disbelief. So, let’s take a look at week number eight of the NFL season.

As I watched the Red Zone Channel on Sunday it seemed as the programming switched from game-to-game where there seemed to be injuries piling on instead of scoring plays. Le’Veon Bell (knee), Steve Smith Sr. (torn Achilles), Ryan Fitzpatrick (thumb injury), Matt Forte (knee) and Reggie Bush (torn ACL) all went down on a brutal day.

The air show on display in New Orleans was a lot of fun to watch. I am certain the defensive coordinator from either team feels the same way I do. Drew Brees and Eli Manning put on a Sunday performance that left me wanting overtime. Both quarterbacks combined for stats: 70/91 for 861 yards, 13 touchdowns and ONE interception combined. This game, in my opinion, was the game of the year in the NFL so far. My heartfelt condolences go out to anyone who had to face Brees this week in fantasy football.

Flashback to Thursday night, the Patriots absolutely dismantled what appeared to be a surging Miami Dolphins team. We cannot forget the Dolphins did win two in a row against the lowly Titans and Texans. Tom Brady continues to carve up defenses and lead his team to wins. Unfortunately for Miami, they lost pass rusher Cameron Wake for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles.

Dion Lewis is fun to watch in the Pats offense. They have found a way to utilize him and make him a legitimate weapon in the NFL. At 25 years of age, Lewis’ value in dynasty continue to increase. If I am in contention, I would be willing to deal a mid to late first round pick for Lewis at this point.

Charcandrick West was a huge beneficiary of the Kansas City destruction of the Detroit Lions. The Lions look absolutely terrible and apparently are looking to make moves prior to the trade deadline on Tuesday. Currently the Lions are 1-7 and playing the way they are currently it appears they may only have one more win on the schedule. They are definitely showing they are worthy of the top overall pick in the 2016 draft.

[inlinead]In the spirit of Halloween, the Atlanta Falcons did their best Jekyll and Hyde impression. The offense turned the ball over four times which led to the loss in overtime. The Falcons have an incredibly favorable schedule this season and I expect them to get back on track next week against the Niners.

The Ravens and Chargers game had me feeling really blue, no pun intended. For the last fifteen seasons, I have had an opportunity to watch one of the most competitive players in all of the NFL in my lifetime. Steve Smith Sr. has been a pleasure to watch and I felt the end of an era occurred when he left the field and was later diagnosed with a torn Achilles. He is the true prototypical small wide receiver. He plays tough on the outside and in the slot and he wins in a multitude of ways. If we have seen his last game, it has truly been a pleasure watching him play the game of football.

Philip Rivers has been impressive all season long. He is currently on pace to break the single season passing yards record and few are talking about it. Rivers has no choice except to pass for a ton of yards. His team is consistently in the game or playing from behind. He has many weapons to utilize in his aerial arsenal as well. This record could be well within reach when we get to the end of the season.

Stefon Diggs continues to get better each and every week. He has developed some nice chemistry with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Diggs has had at least six receptions and 85 yards in each game since he was activated in week four. The Vikings simply found a gem in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft.

I love watching Carson Palmer in the Bruce Arians vertical attack. They have weapons and Palmer knows how to distribute the ball. He has them firing on all cylinders. Many thought it would be the Cardinals running game that would push them past the poor rushing defense of the Browns on Sunday. It was Palmer who passed for nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald is also on pace to have his best statistical season in his career.

DeAndre Hopkins (along with the Texans’ defense) helped push Houston past the Titans on Sunday. The Texans defense had seven sacks and forced three turnovers. This was a tough game to watch outside of a couple big plays for Houston. The Titans looked lost and in need of a new coach.

The Bengals stayed undefeated and it appears they finally figured out how to beat the Steelers. Andy Dalton targeted AJ Green early and throughout the game. It was the first time I felt that the Bengals are winning in every facet of the game. Their defense is playing very solid and the offense is taking care of the football and scoring when they need it. For the first time in their history, the Bengals are 7-0.

Historic. That is one word that explains Todd Gurley’s first four games for a rookie running back. He has been over 100 rushing yards in his first four games and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He is an impressive football player and it appears the Rams are getting immediate elite production from him. The Rams are also finding ways to utilize Tavon Austin who had another big game this season. St. Louis is a team that continues to get better. If Nick Foles can find a way to distribute the football to his weapons without turning the ball over, they could be a Super Bowl contender with this defense and running game.

The Niners continue to look dreadful.

The Jets defense was taken to the woodshed by Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders offense. Carr hit Michael Crabtree and Andre Holmes for a trio of touchdowns against a stingy Jets defense. Latavius Murray was also able to find enough running room to get over 100 yards rushing. The Jets lost quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the game and Geno Smith filled in and showed a little rust. An overall solid performance by the Raiders- a team I really enjoy watching.

The Seahawks and Cowboys matchup was comparable to a pitching duel in baseball. It wasn’t a very exciting game to watch, but the Seahawks did everything they had to do to get back to .500.

The Denver Broncos defense is SCARY good. They really had Aaron Rodgers on his heels all night. The Broncos offense looked drastically different after a week off as well. Peyton Manning finally went over 300 yards passing and did not throw an interception. Looking ahead, the Broncos host the Patriots on November 29th. At this point, it looks like these are the teams to beat in the AFC and possibly the entire NFL.

Enjoy Monday Night Football. The Panthers look to stay unbeaten against a maligned Indianapolis team that has not looked good all season long. I expect the Panthers to get the win.

In recent news, Le’Veon Bell appears to done for the season with a severly torn MCL. Hope that young man heals up and gets ready for the 2016 season. Looks like it will be the DeAngelo show in Pittsburgh. Remember, Deangelo Williams was the top running back after the first two weeks of the season. He is capable of putting up monster numbers in this offense and is a prime target for a contending team this week.

Let’s hope for more magic, mishaps and mayhem in week eight. Hope your week was filled with maximum production and minimal losses. Good luck in the coming week.

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brian bulmer
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