Odell Beckham and Jay Ajayi feature in Neil Reynolds' talking points
Monday 31 October 2016 17:55, UK
NFL expert Neil Reynolds discusses the biggest moments from week six, including a great British performance in Miami and a return to form for one of the game's premier talents.
What a weekend of action in the NFL! There were comebacks galore, a key injury that could affect a genuine Super Bowl contender for a few weeks and not to mention a couple of upsets. It was another Sunday night which proved that the NFL continually serves up surprise after surprise.
Here are six story lines and headlines that caught my eye during our stint in the Sky Sports studios.
It ain't over till it's over - part one
The defending NFC champions Carolina Panthers are in a world of trouble at 1-5 and have now lost four games in a row - but at least they showed some fight on the offensive side of the ball in their loss at New Orleans.
The Panthers started out badly and found themselves in a 21-0 hole. But they kept plugging away and ended up tying the scores late at 38 apiece. The Saints - led by the outstanding Drew Brees, who threw for 465 yards and four touchdowns - drove for the late field goal for their second win of the year.
I'd like to think the fightback will serve the Panthers well as they look to rescue their season. But this was a heart breaker and the sloppy performances, particularly on defence, are a real concern and this might be one occasion where it really is over before it's over!
It ain't over till it's over - part two
It was not looking good for the New York Giants as they trailed Baltimore by ten early and then saw star receiver Odell Beckham Jr limp off to the locker room with a hip injury. Would Odell return? How would the Giants cope if he was absent?
They need not have worried. OBJ went off to the tune of 211 second half yards and while he is a penalty flag waiting to happen when he scores a touchdown (what the heck was that triple jump routine all about?) his sideline and end zone antics become a mere footnote when he performs well.
Beckham showed the form that can make him an all-time great if he keeps his head on straight and stands the test of time. As I have said many times before - performances like Sunday night are the reason defensive backs try to get into his head. When on top of his game as he was during New York's 27-23 win (eight catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns), Beckham is about as uncoverable as any receiver in the game.
It ain't over till it's over - parts three, four and five
It was that kind of night in the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars trailed the Chicago Bears 10-0 early and then 16-10 with just two minutes left on the clock before Blake Bortles fired the winning touchdown pass to Arrelious Benn, who slid to the ground and got back up before being touched to race 51 yards to the end zone. That was a big road win for the Jags, who now have two victories in a row, but they have to find a way to start faster each week.
Seattle's defence had a rough time of things against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half and the special teams unit also had some miscues that hurt the team. But Pete Carroll's team stayed the course, got a late interception from Earl Thomas, and scratched and clawed their way to a 26-24 win.
As for the Falcons, I think they have shown they are for real - even in a losing cause. They gave the Seahawks a scare in Seattle and they are going to last the distance this year, in my opinion, after falling away after a fast start in 2015.
And the Houston Texans were in a 23-9 hole against the Indianapolis Colts before rallying to a 26-23 overtime win over their division rivals. I have to admit I didn't see that one coming but then again, this was a tough night for making predictions in the NFL.
I said I would prefer Andrew Luck over Brock Osweiler any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Well, not on this Sunday! The latter had more passing yards, more touchdowns and, most importantly, led his team into the winning position in overtime. I wonder who Colts general manager Ryan Grigson will blame for this week's loss?
All aboard the Jay Train!
What a performance by British running back Jay Ajayi as he enjoyed a career day during Miami's shocking 30-15 dismantling of the team I felt was one of the best in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
'The Jay Train' carried 25 times for 204 yards and two touchdowns and is becoming more of a focal point of the Dolphins' attack with each passing week. The London-born Arsenal fan runs with pace - as evidenced by his 62-yard touchdown scamper at the end of the game - but it is his power that puts fear into NFL defences. I think it is safe to say that Jay - who did not even make the team flight to Seattle in week one - is firmly out of head coach Adam Gase's doghouse.
In the other locker room, there will be concerns for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was enjoying a sensational start to 2016. Big Ben will have surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee and is definitely out for this Sunday's showdown with the New England Patriots.
It ain't over till it's over - the bonus section!
It would have been a dangerous time for the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills after they both opened the year at 0-2. That would have been a time when a season hung in the balance and could have turned sour in a hurry.
The Bills fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and have been rolling ever since - they rushed and rolled to their fourth straight win on Sunday evening, racking up 312 yards on the ground in a 45-16 beat-down of the San Francisco 49ers.
Whatever change was made in the coaching ranks in Buffalo, it has worked and LeSean McCoy, in particular, looks like the guy who won the NFL rushing title a couple of years ago. Things are clicking in Buffalo now and given how wide open the AFC is right now, a playoff chase is a serious probability.
The Redskins were similarly down in the dumps after their 0-2 start but have shown great mental toughness in grinding out results. They were equally physical on Sunday, rushing for 230 yards and sacking Carson Wentz five times in a 27-20 win over Philadelphia. With that kind of support, Kirk Cousins looked good under centre and things are looking up for the London-bound Redskins.
Lost but far from forgotten
Lost in the array of headlines created on Sunday evening was the fact that the New England Patriots improved to an AFC-best 5-1 record with a 35-17 shellacking of the Cincinnati Bengals, who played tough in the first half before falling away on the road.
If the Patriots clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs, they will be firm favourites to make a seventh Super Bowl appearance with Tom Brady at the helm. It has been an incredible run of power and productivity from the Patriots in an era when the race to each Super Bowl is wide open.
There is a long, long way to go, so we're not pencilling the Patriots in for the Super Bowl just yet, but Brady was superlative again on Sunday with just six incompletions from 35 attempts for 376 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. And Rob Gronkowski looks healthy and happy again as he caught a career best 162 yards-worth of passes on seven catches. This is the AFC's team to beat.
