The Atlanta Falcons have now moved on to a record 5 – 0 for the season and it is mostly thanks to the late game heroics from their quarterback Matt Ryan. I often hear a lot of talk about the elite quarterbacks in the league and it is surprising how often his name is missing from that list. If I am honest this is something I have been guilty of myself on occasion but from this day onwards that won’t happen again.
Why am I making such a big deal about him this week you ask, well this week we saw him yet again rally his team for a comeback win. I am beginning to lose track of how many times in the last couple of years this has happened so it is lucky I have access to google ;)
During his career Matt Ryan who is often referred to as ‘Matty Ice’ has managed 23 fourth quarter comebacks and 30 game winning drives. (figures courtesy of profootballreference.com) You can certainly see why the Falcons drafted him in the first round back in 2008.
Elsewhere in the league there were a couple of other undefeated teams looking to improve on their record including the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. Tune in to our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week to find out how they got on.
As I sit here writing this week it has also just hit me how many close games we have had this season and by close I mean within seven points or less. Every Sunday I sit there watching NFL Redzone and without fail there is always a handful of one possession games when the clock has under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Personally I think this is great for the sport and a great way to encourage news fans into the league. So if you have not watched it yet I recommend at six o clock UK time on a Sunday you hit the redzone button if you are watching on Sky Sports for 7 hours of commercial free football.
Not only is it commercial free but at the end of the show they also give you a recap of the days touchdowns in a great montage. If you have a free seven minutes then check out the video below:
I have also just realised that I have not talked about my beloved Buffalo Bills that much but after the result this week I have to at least mention how great a job I think Rex Ryan and his coaching staff are doing and also what an impact Tyrod Taylor is having on our offence. I was sceptical of Taylor at first but he is fast becoming a fan favourite, well at least for this fan anyway.
Finally this week I want to talk about a couple of tight ends who have made some big plays this week starting with Tyler Eifert of the Cincinnati Bengals. Tyler played his college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Bengals in the first round of the 2013 draft. Since then Eifert has been making a name for himself in the league but this year to date has certainly seemed like his most productive.
This week alone he had eight receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns against Seattle who are undoubtably one of the best defences in the league. Initially those figures alone may not seem too impressive however when you see his highlights from the game below you will see just how well he played:
The second and final tight end I want to talk about is Gary Barnidge of the Cleveland Browns. Barnidge has been in the league for a number of years now but before this Sunday he was unknown to me to be honest. This has changed now though after he caught eight passes for 139 yards a touchdown. Now his touchdown was one of the most intriguing touchdowns of the year so far, he certainly shows how amazing your concentration levels have to be to play in this league. As always don’t just take my word for it have a look at the video below to see for yourself:
Well that wraps it up from me for another week and so until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.