The NFL is full of surprises. It isn’t all death, taxes, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Raise your hand if you thought Cam Newton would be an MVP candidate and the Panthers would be 5-0. Tight end Greg Olsen has been Newton’s lone weapon after losing wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Newton was at his best when Ron Rivera needed him to be in the fourth-quarter comeback that silenced the Seahawks’ 12th Man when he found Olsen with the 26-yard game-winner. That’s what $103.8 Million Men are supposed to do.
“Nothing about this contract changed my approach to the game,” Newton said in June. “It’s still going to be the person who’s willing to win at all costs, but I have to understand what I mean to this team. … I feel like I’ve done a great job to this point and will be more mindful of the hits that I take when running, and make this process go smoothly.”
The Panthers are mostly a no-frills outfit lacking national sex appeal, but they’ve won nine straight regular-season games dating back to the end of last season. Rivera and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott deserve kudos for enduring over the last month without star linebacker Luke Kuechly (concussion), who had 14 tackles in his return while hounding Marshawn Lynch.
“We keep pounding,” cornerback Josh Norman said.
They’re Sleepless in Seattle shockingly because their Seahawks have lost their killer instinct. A fateful communication glitch between Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman on the Olsen seam pattern led to their fourth blown fourth-quarter lead this season.
Did anyone think the Orange Crush Broncos would be 6-0 with Peyton Manning (7 TDs, 10 INTs) looking like most 39-year-old quarterbacks look?
It’s not time for Brock Osweiler, but you might forgive Peyton for humming “Touchdown pass you felt so good,” after rebounding from a pick-six by firing a 75-yard laser to Emmanuel Sanders to help beat the Browns.
If there isn’t any quarterback Mike McCoy would rather have than Philip Rivers, why take the ball out of his hands in the last seconds — on the Green Bay 3, needing a touchdown to tie — and give it on first and third down to Danny Woodhead at the end of the quarterback’s gallant 503-yard day? Especially missing three starters on the offensive line.
“People say Aaron [Rodgers has] a quick release,” Packers guard T.J. Lang said. “I don’t think anybody has a quicker release than that guy [Rivers].”