Much has been made of Tom Brady’s return to Foxboro. The game turned out to be a mistaken ridden, rain sodden mess. Brady didn’t play his best. In fact, one could argue that Mac Jones out played Brady. However, when the chips were down, Bill Belichick showed who he trusted to win the game. With 59 seconds left in the game, Belichick opts to try for a 56-yard field goal instead of trusting rookie Mac Jones to get the necessary 3 yards for a first down. The rain compounds the issue. Mac Jones had thrown for 275 yards and two touchdowns and Belichick trusted Nick Folk’s leg in the rain more than his rookie’s arm. Was that a coaching mistake or a severe lack of trust? I contend it’s the latter. And so, Brady gets the better of Belichick on the strength of a DOINK! How fitting. Brady has won so many close games by driving the Patriots to field goal range in the waning seconds of a game, trusting that the kicker would do his job which he inevitably did so many times. Tom Brady walked away from Sunday nights game having won more games in Foxboro than the Patriots have this year. Brady is still winning the divorce. Now for the rest of the NFL Rollup.
1. And then there was one. Cardinals humble overrated Rams. Kyler Murray continues to be electric. Welcome to the NFC West Matthew Stafford. Cardinals sit atop the mountain as the lone undefeated team in the NFL.
2. 49ers injuries are piling up again, but hope remains. Seahawks escape Santa Clara with a win. Trey Lance may start next week.
3. Chiefs finally win a game that they should win, but they allowed 30 points….
4. Lightening delays the inevitable on MNF. It was fitting that lightening delayed last night’s game. Lightning definitely struck at Sofi, and the Raiders were the victims. Bolts lit up the Raiders in a hostile environment scoring 21 unanswered points in the first half. Yup….there were more Raiders fans than Chargers fans at Sofi Stadium. Herbert’s outstanding play will hopefully improve the Charger fan numbers in the future.
5. Washington edges the Falcons in the last minutes of the game.
6. Buffalo humiliates Houston 40 to nil.
7. Cincinnati sends Jacksonville home 0-4. Despite 2-hour warmups before the game, Joe Burrow looks smooth as ice.
8. Colts defeat a flailing Dolphins team. Maybe Tua is better than we thought….
9. Bears claw their way to .500 with a ten-point victory over the Lions.
10. Jets STUN the Titans! Zach Wilson carved the Titans up for 297 yards and two touchdowns, a nice outing for the rook. Robert Saleh gets his first win as an NFL HC.
11. Green Bay predictably wins an unspectacular game against the wayward Steelers.
12. Lamar looks sharp against a surging Bronco’s team. This is an important win for the Ravens. They won, on the road in an extremely hostile environment. We all hope Teddy Bridgewater, QB for the Broncos comes back to the field soon. Harbaugh secures an obscure NFL record to the chagrin of Vic Fangio.
13. Browns gut out a tough win on the road. The run game salvages Mayfied’s mediocre day.
