Wednesday Morning QB (Week 10)
The NFL began their season on an unprecedented run with more than a few teams beginning their seasons undefeated.
After five weeks in the season there were a total of six undefeated teams in the league, something that had never happened before.
Since that time though the number of undefeated teams has begun to drop as it seems like every week a new undefeated team drops a game that they were supposed to win.
That left only three undefeated teams heading into Week 10 and after the week two survived.
The Cincinnati Bengals dropped their Monday night game against the Houston Texans taking them away from the ranks of the undefeated.
It was the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots who came through the week without a blemish on their records.
Both teams have been recognized as the top teams in the league, although New England far more than Carolina, but their undefeated records may be more of an illusion.
It is never easy to run through nine full games without a loss as on any given any team can win.
Still the two undefeated teams have yet to prove much against the best of the best in the league.
Before the season began the Patriots’ schedule was ranked 22nd in strength of schedule rankings while the Panthers were ranked 27th.
That was based on 2014 records and so far they seem to be accurate as neither team has faced a group of teams with a winning combined record.
For the Patriots their combined opponents records so far have been 38-45 while the Panthers have seen teams with a combined record of 35-47.
The Panthers record would have been much worse if it wasn’t for the Green Bay Packers 6-3 record, although the Packers have now lost three games in a row.
There is definitely something to say about going through these teams without a loss as overconfidence is a killer.
There are so many things that can go wrong during a game that will change things but both teams have come out on top every single week.
The problem is that only one of these teams have faced an opponent with Super Bowl aspirations.
The Panthers took on the Packers when they were a one-loss team and shut them down to prove to everyone that they were for real.
That challenge seems a lot less impressive when both Denver and Detroit have done the same thing to the Packers creating three straight losses.
The Patriots have yet to face anyone that anybody thinks will be headed to or at least close to the Super Bowl.
The undefeated records of both teams are great for either group but the fact is they have yet to do anything that should impress anyone.
Believing that the record or the stats are easy ways to determine the best teams is an oversimplification of the season.
There are so many more facets to the season than just the numbers but that is the easiest way to look at teams.
When looking at the stats and the records there is no question that Carolina and New England are the two best teams in the league.
Looking deeper though neither teams has really faced much of a challenge throughout the year.
Meanwhile teams like Pittsburgh and Green Bay have faced much tougher teams throughout their schedule so far and have both taken six wins in what has proven to be two tougher schedules.
When it comes down to who the best teams are in the NFL the automatic answer will be Carolina and New England who are headed to what looks like the best records in football.
It is a far more complicated answer though as there are more teams that look more promising in a total season.
With less than half the season left those teams will emerge and in the playoffs they will show just how good they are.
The Patriots and Panthers could come out on top and see each other in the Super Bowl but they will have to go through far tougher tests than they have so far this year if they want to be named the best team in the league.
Fifth Quarter:
(Thoughts on Week 10 in the NFL)
Color Rush Troubles
The NFL brought some colour to Thursday Night Football with the Color Rush uniforms that debuted in Week 10 with the Bills and Jets decked out in red and green uniforms but those uniforms were not great for the color blind who only saw grey
Great and Terrible Day
Peyton Manning had both the best and worst day of his career as he passed Brett Favre for the most passing yards in NFL history but in the same game threw four interceptions that sent him to the bench for the first time in his career
Taking the Reins
With Brian Hoyer hurt and the Cleveland Browns falling almost out of the playoffs at only halfway through the season the Browns are looking to the future giving Johnny Manziel the reins for the rest of the season
Rob Ryan out in New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints are one of the worst defences in the league and have sunk to the bottom of the division because of it leaving the team with little choice but to make a change as they fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan
Key Scores:
Buffalo Bills 22 – 17 New York Jets
– In the uniforms that looked more like a Christmas special the Bills visited the Jets as Rex Ryan made his first trip back to New York as the head coach of the Bills and he got some redemption for being fired winning his first trip back
Detroit Lions 18 – 16 Green Bay Packers
– The Packers are finding ways to lose now as they had multiple chances to take the wins at the end of the game and couldn’t come through losing their third in a row while the Lions took their first win in Green Bay since 1991
New England Patriots 27 – 26 New York Giants
– The Patriots have a long and complicated history with the Giants as Tom Brady has always struggled against them and he did again this time around as they almost took their first loss against the Giants but came through in the end to stay undefeated
Kansas City Chiefs 29 – 13 Denver Broncos
– The Broncos were once the top team in the league with an undefeated record but their issues are now shining through as Peyton Manning struggled a lot in this game and was benched in the Broncos’ second loss of the season
Next Week:
Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Thursday November 22nd; 8:25 pm ET)
– The color rush continues with slightly less attractive uniforms than last week as the Titans try to get back to winning with Marcus Mariota under centre against another struggling team in the Jaguars
Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings (Sunday November 22nd; 4:25 pm ET)
– The Packers are struggling right now and after three straight losses have fallen out of the lead in the North to the surprising Vikings and now both teams face-off looking to take control of the North and the Packers try to stop the slide
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks (Sunday November 22nd; 4:25 pm ET)
– It is a rivalry that has developed over the last few years but this year is taking a different storyline as both teams have sunk to the bottom of the division and will fight it out to stay out of the basement
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots (Monday November 23rd; 8:30 pm ET)
– The Patriots will enter another week looking to stay undefeated and they will take on the Bills and Rex Ryan who has always given them trouble including the last time these two teams faced where a comeback fell short for the Bills
The Sport Addiction 