Russell Wilson knows he already has spoiled us. He pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback Sunday in Carolina, complete with the sort of plays that usually lead highlight shows. And barely anyone noticed.
I defy you to find a more ridiculous play from Sunday top to bottom than the one below:
These are the sort of plays we want to highlight in our weekly "Only the Best" post, using our huge NFL.com video library. We might point out the incredible plays you missed or the sequences that tell the biggest stories from Sunday.
This was a play Wilson had no business completing. He got absolutely leveled. The play took arm strength and had to be thrown into a tiny window. It required a sensational catch by Doug Baldwin. And it kept a Seattle Seahawks scoring drive going.
The rest of the best
The New England Patriotssurvived in Buffalo despite a sloppy overall performance largely because Danny Amendola, Shane Vereen and Julian Edelman made a number of tough grabs down the stretch. The play below is the type of throw that doesn't get a lot of attention but has largely defined Brady's career.
There was 1:20 left in the game. The Patriots needed a first down to set up a field goal. Outside pressure was crashing all around Brady, but he didn't move a muscle and delivered a dart to a well-covered receiver. Amendola did the rest, and the Patriots won the game on a field goal a few plays later.
Jay Cutler looked like a different quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals. He looked more polished. I had a few good options of plays to choose from with him, including a beautiful 38-yard pass up the sideline to Brandon Marshall. I choose instead to highlight the Chicago Bears' game-winning touchdown.
This play shows off Cutler's arm strength, which we are used to. The ball gets there before the defender can arrive. It also shows off the excellent protection that Cutler received for most of the day. That's something we're not used to.
Ryan Tannehill tends to be overlooked when we talk about the promising young quarterbacks in the league. Despite a quiet performance from Miami Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace, Tannehill did a nice job throwing for 7.2 yards per attempt in a win over the Cleveland Browns.
I expect Tannehill to make a big leap this season, and he's already off to a solid start. As the play below shows, he throws a beautiful deep ball.
Jordy Nelson didn't look like himself for most of last season. When he underwent knee surgery in August, it felt like more of the same. On Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Nelson reminded us all again and again what an incredible receiver he is for the Green Bay Packers when fully healthy.
We'll close with perhaps the biggest story of the day. Anquan Boldin's epic playoff run last season probably was the difference between the Baltimore Ravens losing in Denver and winning a Super Bowl. On Sunday, he was the difference in the 49ers winning the biggest game of the day.
It's just uncanny how Boldin continues to make huge contested catches, well after his career was supposed to be in decline.
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