Sunday Football Afterword: Week 5 Late Games

A high level of respect is present between two of the
Game's all-time passing greats.

A cold has been kicking my butt the past few days. I had hoped to publish this yesterday a few hours after my first Sunday Afterword, but was unable to.

Cam Newton continues to struggle in tight spots, evidenced by a poor pass on 4^th down near the Seattle goal line late in the game. The Seahawks defense, of course, cannot be overlooked, but it also cannot be ignored that this was not the first time Newton has failed in such situations. Seattle won 16-12 in Carolina, a game the Panthers needed to win if they wanted to be considered a legitimate playoff contender in the NFC.

Most of the other games were not all that exciting. Chicago’s offense played well and their defense played better. Granted, it was against the Jaguars, but it was in Jacksonville; that has to count for something, right? Well, maybe not so much, but 41-3 is still a score that you can’t scoff at regardless of the opponent.

Only San Francisco scored a larger margin of victory, backing up a crushing defeat of the New York Jets a week earlier with a 45-3 win back in California against the Bills. For the first time in NFL history, a team – Buffalo – gave up 300+ passing yards and 300+ rushing yards. There had been 122 games in which a team gained 300+ yards on the ground, another 2,316 with 300+ through the air, but San Francisco was the first with both. (source)

Tennessee was manhandled no worse in Minnesota as they lost 30-7 in another ugly contest with an AFC team getting pummeled by an NFC opponent.

The game of the week for many of us, myself included, was the Broncos-Patriots game in New England. On Denver’s first drive, Manning lofted a perfect pass to Demaryius Thomas, which he caught then fumbled. New England took over and turned the takeaway into a touchdown. Manning drove Denver back down the field to tie the score on their ensuing drive, but the Broncos’ offense stalled after that.

New England took off and led 31-7 in the 3^rd quarter. Manning led a furious comeback against a defense that was somewhere between a standard Belichick defense and a prevent scheme. Despite the secondary being backed up a bit, Manning still threw fantastic passes over the top and found receivers deep. When they couldn’t get over top, Manning still found ways to get them the ball on ‘go’ routes. It wasn’t enough, however, when a fumble by Willis McGahee deep in Patriots territory late in the 4^th quarter ended all hope of a full comeback. New England held on, 31-21 in yet another epic Manning v. Brady/Belichick battle. Brady is now 9-4 all-time in their matchups.

Suspended coach, Sean Payton, was in attendance for
Drew Brees' record-breaking performance Sunday.

The final game of the day, the Sunday Night game, was not a particularly exciting game, but there were still plenty of important story lines. The Saints ended their bid for a winless season as Drew Brees beat his old team, the San Diego Chargers, 31-24. Sean Payton and two other Saints executives were permitted to be in attendance for the game and got to see Drew Brees break one of the oldest records in the National Football League. Over half a century ago, Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts set a record of 47 consecutive regular season games played with a touchdown pass. On Sunday night, Drew Brees threw a touchdown in his 48^th consecutive game.


Breaking records is special, and it is even more special at home. Last year, Drew Brees got to break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yards mark at home. This year, on Sunday, he broke an even longer-standing record, and he also broke that mark at home against the team that parted ways with him for their current quarterback. It couldn’t have been written any better for Brees.