It was the worst loss ever by a defending Super Bowl champion. The New Orleans Saints demolished the Philadelphia Eagles 48-7 on Sunday. The Eagles fell to 4-6, good for third place in the NFC East, with their playoff hopes fading fast. Meanwhile, with the statement victory over the reigning champions, the Saints made a strong case that they should be the favorites to win it all this season.
It was ugly for Philadelphia football history too, as it was the most lopsided Eagles loss since a 42-0 shellacking at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks back in 2005. That 2005 team was also just months removed from a Super Bowl appearance, albeit a loss. This more recent embarrassment seemed to be representative of a team that has not just been suffering from a Super Bowl hangover but something more serious. A Super Bowl coma, perhaps. Just a few months ago, Philadelphia had reason to be optimistic: not only were they coming off an impressive championship run they were getting back starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who they lost to an ACL tear late in the regular season last year.
Wentz had a brutal game on Sunday, throwing three picks and zero touchdowns. It was the kind of performance that had Eagles fans calling for backup (and Super Bowl MVP winner) Nick Foles. Not that it would have mattered, it was unlikely that any quarterback could have made up for the massive hole that the Eagles’ banged up defense dug for them, with maybe the exception of the one playing for the other guys.
If there was any consolation to Philadelphia fans, it was that they lost to what could very well be the best team in the league. With the big win on Sunday, the Saints improved their record to 9-1, which (temporarily) ties them with the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the league. That won’t last long, as the winner of the high stakes Monday Night Football game between the Rams and Chiefs will surpass them (barring the massive, hilarious anticlimax of that game ending in a tie), but the Saints may just be the most dangerous of the three right now.
That’s something of a bold statement. After all, many experts thought that the well-rounded Rams were the best overall team in the league heading into the season and they have been as good as expected. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have young phenom Patrick Mahomes and a dangerous assortment of offensive weapons for him to play with. The Saints, however, have Drew Brees, one of the best quarterbacks in league history, in the middle of maybe his most impressive season ever. Maybe Mahomes will end up with the better numbers at the end of the season, but Brees’s experience, combined with an improving defense, could give them the edge.
The Eagles, Super Bowl coma or not, probably didn’t have much of a chance in upsetting the Saints on the road, although they almost certainly could have at least made a go of it early on. New Orleans has now won a ninth straight game, in the most dominating fashion possible. The question now has to be whether or not there’s anybody out there that can end that streak any time soon. It will be fun to find out.
MVP of the week
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants. This round’s actual MVP is Drew Brees but we gave him the award in each of the last two weeks. Let’s instead honor Barkley, who had the best game of his young career on Sunday, scoring three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, while running for 142 yards. His team needed every one of those touchdowns to nudge out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-35.
Stat of the week
33 years. There were 33 years, to the day, separating Washington quarterback Alex Smith’s gruesome leg injury during the game against the Houston Texans from former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann’s similarly horrific leg injury back in 1985, one of the most unfortunately memorable moments in NFL history. Just to make things particularly spooky, Theismann was in attendance on Sunday and immediately tweeted out his shock at history repeating itself.
Joe Theismann (@Theismann7)
Alex’s leg is exactly like mine 33 yrs ago
Joe Theismann (@Theismann7)
I feel so bad for him.
In the meantime, Colt McCoy, who last started for the team in 2014, came into the game and put in a valiant effort in relief of Smith, throwing two touchdowns to temporarily give Washington the lead. Unfortunately, the attempt to “win one for Alex” fell short and the Texans ended up winning 23-21, increasing their win streak to seven. Washington fell to 6-4, although the fact that they are in a weak division should provide some comfort. After the game, the team announced that Smith was diagnosed with a broken tibia and fibula, effectively ending his season.
Quote of the week
“I am not ready to coach but I would like to call a play or two next season if the Browns need ideas! And at no time will I call for a ‘prevent defense.’” – Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addressing rumors that the Cleveland Browns were planning to interview her for their head coaching position.
In the face of not a little blowback (it turns out that high-profile members of the George W Bush administration aren’t universally popular), the Browns quickly denied the report. Rice’s response – in which she lobbied for the NFL to bring in women with experience “into the coaching profession as position coaches and eventually coordinators and head coaches” – probably put a kibosh on the whole idea but, then again, this is 2018.
Video of the week
Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons)
Julio Jones was an All-Pro safety in another life… pic.twitter.com/NI7d4x13uM
And the defensive play of the day comes from … Julio Jones? He prevented an almost certain interception with this tackle on the Dallas Cowboys’ Jeff Heath. Not a bad safety impersonation from one of the game’s most celebrated receivers. It was a great play, but the Falcons didn’t have much else to celebrate at the end. The Cowboys eventually won 22-19, evening out their record to 5-5, which doesn’t sound impressive, but it’s worth noting that the window in the NFC East could very well be opening due to Washington’s quarterback situation. The Falcons, meanwhile, fell to 4-6.
Elsewhere around the league
— Andrew Luck continues to once again look like the quarterback that the Indianapolis Colts drafted to be Peyton Manning’s heir. During the Colts 38-10 thrashing of the Tennessee Titans, Luck went 23-for-29, threw for three touchdowns and accumulated 297 yards passing without an interception or a sack. With their fourth-straight win, the Colts pulled themselves to .500 and are still in the hunt for a AFC wildcard spot.
— It was looking like it was going to be a rough week for the Pittsburgh Steelers. First Le’Veon Bell failed to end his holdout, almost assuredly ending his Steelers career. In their first game of the Post-Bell Era, the Steelers looked out of sorts offensively, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to build up a 16-0 lead with 17 minutes left in the game. To their credit, the Steelers rallied by going on a 20-0 run to take the lead and win the game. With the comeback win, the Steelers took their record to an AFC North leading 7-2. The Jaguars sit alone at the bottom of the AFC South at an incredibly well-deserved 3-7.
— The Denver Broncos, of all teams, snapped the Los Angeles Chargers’ win streak at six with a last second 34-yard field goal by Brandon McManus that sealed a 23-22 victory. The Chargers fell to 7-3, second in the AFC West to the cruising Kansas City Chiefs.
— The Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson ran for 117 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. His 27 carries were the most for a quarterback in the Super Bowl Era. Despite his first-round draft pick status, Jackson was forced into essentially being a decoy for the start of his pro career, but with Joe Flacco’s hip injury, the Ravens turned to him on Sunday and he delivered in the 24-21 win. Despite being just three days removed from a hospital visit for a stomach illness, Jackson also passed for 150 yards in the Ravens’ 24-21 win.
— You won’t believe it, but the Jon Gruden Oakland Raiders Head Coach Experience continues to not go super-smoothly as he and quarterback Derek Carr got into a tussle on the sidelines, to the point where tight end Lee Smith had to break things up. Just nine more years and $90m left on that contract, Raiders. The good news is that the Raiders did end up winning the game despite the sideline drama, putting together a 23-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The bad news? The win improved their record to just 2-8.
Jon Gruden and Derek Carr got into it on the sidelines: https://t.co/TmckBPzrpZ pic.twitter.com/W8gRPt59Uj
— Know When To Fold ‘Em Department: “Riverboat” Ron Rivera is known for his gambling nature, and it’s earned him some success. After his Carolina Panthers scored a touchdown against the Detroit Lions to make the score 19-20 with 1:07 left in the game, the head coach decided to risk it all and go for the two-point conversion for a road win rather than going the safe route of kicking an extra point to tie the game and play for overtime. It’s one of those gutsy moves that gets praised it works out. This move did not get praised. Quarterback Cam Newton’s throw missed receiver Jarius Wright and the Lions held on to a 20-19 victory. “I think you go for two on the road,” Rivera said after the loss, which dropped the team’s record to 6-4. Panthers fans will probably disagree, at least this time around.