Well, that was amazing. What a great day out.
The game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints was not perfectly played, by any means. But it will go down as a London games classic with the Vikings running out 28-25 winners, courtesy of a double-doink failed field goal attempt from 61 yards out.
Will Lutz’s agony provided ecstasy for the Vikings fans and it put a dramatic exclamation point on what was a fascinating roller-coaster ride of a contest for more than 60,000 on hand in London. As I described on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday night, it was perfect imperfection.
It was such a wild ending, it was almost easy to forget that Minnesota’s own kicker Greg Joseph had landed the game-winner from 47 yards out with 24 seconds remaining. All that kicking at the end of the game must have had Ted Lasso and his Richmond FC players nodding in approval from the stands.
What I loved about this game was the back and forth, the drama – both good and bad – and the stars stepping up when their teams needed them the most.
Kirk Cousins led the Vikings to victory in London with 273 passing yards and one touchdown, Cam Jordan was a constant menace to him as the Saints leading pass-rusher and rookie receiver Chris Olave is going to be a good one. The Saints have to be excited about his entrance into the NFL.
But the biggest battle I enjoyed was Justin Jefferson against Marshon Lattimore. That was best on best if ever I saw it. Jefferson was so fun to watch, catching 10 passes for 147 yards. He also scored on the easiest three-yard touchdown run you will ever see. And then London got to witness the ‘Griddy’ which was another major highlight.
The Vikings are not playing text-book football right now. They need to sharpen some things up and there areas for improvement. But they are 3-1 after the season’s first month and that means they are one of the NFL teams in great shape as we move further into October.
Who’s Hot…
The Seattle Seahawks offense… We have to factor in the opposition here because Detroit cannot play defense and have shown no signs of life on that side of the ball in the season’s opening four weeks. But you cannot turn your nose up at the numbers produced in the Seahawks’ 48-45 victory. Geno Smith threw for 320 yards, two touchdowns and no picks, D.K. Metcalf caught seven balls for 149 yards; and Rashaad Penny carried 17 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Something close to consistency must now be found on offense for the Seahawks to make a run.
The New York Jets defense… The Jets are another of those teams who are not perfect and they will have some downs this season, for sure. But look where they are after a month. A 2-2 record which is their best mark at this stage of a campaign since 2017. They’re already halfway to their 2021 win total. Zach Wilson came alive down the stretch with 128 passing yards and a rating of 138.9 in the fourth quarter, but the defense powered Sunday’s 24-20 win over Pittsburgh, recording three sacks and pouncing for four interceptions.
Josh Jacobs… The Las Vegas Raiders took some pressure off quarterback Derek Carr as they ran the ball 38 times for 212 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-23 win over the Denver Broncos. Josh Jacobs was the star of the show, carrying 28 times for a career-high 144 yards and two scores. I was sitting in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as I watched him dominate the Broncos and it reminded me of seeing him play in London in 2019. He was excellent and was so tough to bring down, especially on one impressive third quarter run that went for 42 yards when it should have gone for just two or three. Balance will bring out the best in this entire offense and that is good news for Carr and Davante Adams.
Who’s Not…
The Indianapolis Colts… I was going to write Jonathan Taylor’s name in here because he rushed for just 42 yards on 20 carries in Sunday’s 24-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. That result dropped Indy to 1-2-1 on the season. But then I thought about it some more and this is on the offensive line and the fact that Matt Ryan doesn’t make enough plays at quarterback, in my opinion. Jonathan Taylor is a special talent but you can’t pound the rock when you’re trailing in games as often as the Colts have been this season. That is why Taylor has just one rushing touchdown in four weeks.
Baker Mayfield… It’s not really working out for Baker Mayfield or the Carolina Panthers at the moment. In Sunday’s 26-16 home loss to Arizona, Mayfield threw for 197 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Without going back and digging into all the stats, I feel like that has been his weekly output for the past month. He got booed off the field and rightly so. Mayfield got hot towards the end of the game – when it was already out of reach – leading a late touchdown drive. Prior to that, his passer rating was an embarrassing 37.1.
The Fast Five…
- If you’re going to the New York Giants-Green Bay Packers game this Sunday, you’re in for a treat and you will be seeing one of the best players in the NFL at the moment. Saquon Barkley is back to his best – 146 rushing yards on Sunday – and is the major reason New York are 3-1.
- Josh Allen remains box office every time he steps on the field. The Buffalo Bills were in a world of trouble in Baltimore, trailing 20-3. But Allen made big play, followed by special play, followed by ‘how did he do that?’ play. He was the reason Buffalo won that game with a late Tyler Bass field goal.
- It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but the Detroit Lions have me interested. The big numbers are often necessitated by them being way behind and playing catch-up, but Detroit are fun to watch on offense. Their attack was missing running back D’Andre Swift and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown during Sunday’s loss to Seattle and they still wound up scoring 45 and racking up 520 total yards.
- Cooper Rush is becoming quite the story, leading the Dallas Cowboys to three straight wins while subbing for the injured Dak Prescott. But he is not the only contributor in Big D. The defense has really stepped the fore and could make this a more well-rounded and dangerous team when Dak does return.
- Josh Allen was not the only quarterback doing magical off-script things on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes made some plays in Kansas City’s 41-31 victory over Tampa Bay that were almost unfair. That is the future – and the present – of this great game. You have to be able to make plays out of structure and off the cuff and Mahomes has no problem taking that approach. He is magical.
Fact of the Week
With one game remaining in Week 4 (Monday Night Football), 14 of the 15 games played were within a single score at some point in the fourth quarter – tied for the most such games in a single week in NFL history. The only game not within eight points at any stage in the fourth quarter was the Chiefs-Bucs on Sunday Night Football.
Final Thought…
There was a wonderful atmosphere at the London game this weekend and that was a joy to see. And for the outstanding fans on these shores, October is just getting started. There is still the Packers and Giants to come at Tottenham this weekend and then Jacksonville vs. Denver at Wembley on October 30. Great times!