Now that the NFL season has rolled into November and the Carolina Panthers have yet to lose we must realize that they may actually be the best team in the NFC. Already they have beaten the conference’s Super Bowl team from the last two years and on Sunday they demolished the team that was supposed to be the best in the NFC: Green Bay.
Carolina’s 37-29 victory over the Packers showed again that the Panthers defense can be overwhelming. While Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 376 yards and four touchdowns most of this yardage came after Carolina had shut down the Packers running game and built up a 27-7 halftime lead.
Cam Newton continues to grow as a quarterback, passing for 297 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. At 8-0 with no truly outstanding opponents left on the schedule, the Panthers should at least be mentioned with the Patriots as a team that could go undefeated this season. Carolina have five road games left including New Orleans, Dallas, New York Giants and Atlanta. But none of the teams – with the possible exception of the Falcons – have played well enough this year to say Carolina can’t beat them all.
Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell hit a game-winning field goal in the final seconds to give the Steelers a 38-35 victory over Oakland. Running back DeAngelo Williams had 170 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers who are now 5-4. But the Steelers’ victory was soured by another injury to Ben Roethlisberger, who was taken to hospital for an MRI after hurting his foot late in the game. He was unable to put any weight on the foot as he left the field, and it was later confirmed he will miss at least two weeks with a mid-foot sprain.
Of course, the Patriots continue to dominate this season. Sunday, they ran over Washington 27-10 to also go to 8-0. Tom Brady was efficient but not fantastic against an underrated Washington defense, but he didn’t have to be tremendous. LaGarrette Blount ran for 129 yards and the Patriots defense held Washington to 250 yards, many of which came after the game was long decided.
For all their troubles this year, the Buffalo Bills are 4-4 and very much in the running for a playoff spot. Against Miami they seemed to find the perfect quarterback–receiver combination in Tyrod Taylor and Sammy Watkins in a 33-17 victory over the Dolphins. Taylor and Watkins connected on eight passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. Running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams each had more than 100 yards rushing and combined for three touchdowns.
Buffalo’s division rival, the New York Jets, are also in a wildcard hunt at 5-3. They beat Jacksonville 28-23. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick played with a torn ligament in his left thumb but still threw two touchdown passes. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles continues to impress with 381 yards against a depleted Jets secondary but he was also intercepted twice, contributing to the loss.
New Titans coach Mike Mularkey doubled the win total of his predecessor Ken Whisenhunt this season with Tennessee’s 34-28 overtime victory at New Orleans. Rookie quarterback Marcus Mariotta had a signature win over the Saints flimsy defense throwing for 371 yards and four touchdowns including the game-winner to tight end Anthony Fasano.
St Louis literally knocked Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater out of the game with a second-half hit. His replacement, Shaun Hill, helped lead the 6-2 Vikings to a 21-18 win, mostly on the back of running back Adrian Peterson who had 125 yards and kicker Blair Walsh who hit a field goal in overtime. The Rams offense continues to struggle. Quarterback Nick Foles threw for only 168 yards in the defeat that drops them to 4-4.
