It is rare for a team on a five-game winning streak to make a quarterback change.
Unless, of course, the signal-caller you are turning to happens to be the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards.
Drew Brees was back under center for the Saints for the first time since injuring his right thumb in Week 2, throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns as New Orleans improved to 7-1 with a 31-9 win Sunday over Arizona.
“I felt like early on there was a lot of excitement and maybe shaking the rust off a little bit, but I love the game and love being out there with my teammates,” Brees said. “I was hoping this was going to be the week. This was the week I had in my mind from the moment that I got hurt.
“As soon as I could grip it and rip it, I wanted to play. I wanted to be out there with my teammates.”
Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had gone 5-0 as the fill-in starter, but Brees, who underwent thumb surgery on Sept. 18, completed 34 of 43 passes, including 11 on as many targets to Michael Thomas for 112 yards.
New Orleans led only 10-6 at halftime, but Brees connected for a 15-yard TD toss to running back Latavius Murray in the third quarter and scoring strikes to Taysom Hill (5 yards) and Thomas (9 yards) in the fourth. Murray added 102 yards and another touchdown on the ground, with Alvin Kamara (ankle/knee) missing his second straight game.
“Man, I can’t say enough great things about Teddy and his leadership over the last five weeks,” Brees said of Bridgewater. “He basically stepped into the role that obviously I would normally have. … He was the starting quarterback and he took on that role and was a big part of our success the last few weeks.
“I hope I’m able to stay healthy for the rest of the go, but knowing you have a guy like that that the guys love so much and trust and is capable as he is, that’s a great thing to have.”
Arizona (3-4-1) had won its previous three games, but New Orleans held Kyler Murray and the Cardinals’ offense to 244 total yards and 10 first downs.
Leader Of The Pack
It didn’t turn out to be the marquee quarterback matchup everyone envisioned when the schedule came out, but Aaron Rodgers and the Packers outlasted the Patrick Mahomes-less Chiefs, 31-24, Sunday night in Kansas City.
Chiefs backup Matt Moore threw for two touchdowns and had K.C. in a 24-24 tie in the fourth quarter before Green Bay running back Aaron Jones broke a short pass for a 67-yard touchdown with barely eight minutes remaining. It was the second touchdown of the game for Jones, who leads the NFL with 11 through eight games.
Fly Like an Eagle
Philadelphia emerged from two tumultuous weeks — and losses to Minnesota and Dallas — with a convincing 31-13 road win against the previously rolling Bills (5-2).
The Eagles (4-4) ran the ball effectively amid gusting winds throughout the game, totaling 218 rushing yards, including touchdowns on the ground from Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard and Boston Scott.
Carson Wentz threw for only 172 yards, but he connected on a 5-yard scoring pass to tight end Dallas Goedert in the second quarter.
“I told them I was proud of them, and how they handled their business this last week, with some of the distractions around our football team and how they were able to put that away and focus on this game and do their jobs,” said Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who came under fire in Philly for essentially guaranteeing a victory last Sunday night against the Cowboys, only to get crushed, 37-10. “We just have to learn from what we’ve gone through these first eight games and just focus on football and do frankly what they did this week.”
Redemption Song
Adam Vinatieri finally has been showing his age this season, but the future Hall of Famer nailed a 51-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining to boost the surging Colts (5-2) to a 15-13 win over Denver.
The 46-year-old Vinatieri had missed an extra point that would have tied the game at 13 late in the third quarter, his career-high fourth missed PAT of the season.
“Honestly, you have to have a short memory, good or bad,” Vinatieri said. “I guess for me, the only thing I try to think about is my fundamentals and what I need to do right there at the moment and try not to think about the situation in the game and what it means. I just try to focus in on my little world.”
A Perfect World
The NFL’s only two remaining unbeaten teams again posted impressive wins, with New England hitting the season’s midpoint 8-0 with a 27-13 win over Cleveland and San Francisco walloping Carolina, 51-13, to improve to 7-0.
Bill Belichick became the third coach in NFL history to reach 300 wins (postseason included), behind only Don Shula and George Halas.
The Pats defense forced three turnovers (with one interception of Baker Mayfield) and scored a touchdown — Dont’a Hightower’s 26-yard fumble recovery — as they won their NFL-record 21st game started by a first-year or second-year opposing quarterback.
Tevin Campbell scored four touchdowns (three rushing and one receiving) for the 49ers, who totaled 232 rushing yards.
Bad Beat
The Bengals were getting 13 points and looking solid for the backdoor cover when Andy Dalton appeared to find Auden Tate in the end zone for a touchdown that would have brought Cincinnati within at least 24-16 with four seconds remaining. But the TD was overturned by replay and the Rams held on for a 24-10 victory.
The Hurt Locker
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt tweeted after Houston’s 27-24 win over Oakland that he expects to miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported a source saying the team’s fear is that Watt suffered a torn pectoral muscle.
“This game can be beautiful and it can also be brutal. Absolutely gutted that I won’t be able to finish the season with my guys and give the fans what they deserve,” Watt tweeted. “I truly love this game and can’t stand letting you guys down. Thank you for all of the thoughts & well-wishes.”
Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks was placed in concussion protocol for the second time this season in the first quarter of a 24-10 win over Cincinnati at Wembley Stadium in London. On the Rams’ first possession of the game, Cooks dropped a pass after being involved in a helmet-to-helmet collision with Bengals safety Jesse Bates III. Broncos right tackle Ja’Wuan James departed their loss to Indianapolis with a knee injury.
Post Patterns
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes to rookie DK Metcalf as Seattle rebounded from last week’s loss to Baltimore with a 27-20 win over Atlanta. … Falcons backup quarterback Matt Schaub completed 39 of 52 passes for 460 yards in place of Matt Ryan, who sat out with an ankle injury to end his streak of 154 consecutive regular-season starts. … Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns as Tennessee evened its record at 4-4 with a 27-23 win over Tampa Bay. … Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans set the franchise record with his 431st career reception, surpassing the previous mark by James Wilder. … Bears kicker Eddy Pinero missed a 41-yard field goal as time expired as Chicago (3-4) lost its third straight game, 17-16, to the Chargers. … Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers put them ahead with an 11-yard TD pass to Austin Ekeler with 8:04 remaining. … Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson’s third TD toss of the game, and second to tight end Darren Fells, with 6:34 to go helped Houston improve to 5-3. … Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for 285 yards and three scores for Oakland. … Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen hadn’t thrown an interception in winning his first four starts in place of Cam Newton, but he was picked off three times and sacked seven times in Carolina’s blowout loss to San Francisco. … Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had another quiet game, with five catches for 52 yards against the Patriots. He has scored just one touchdown in seven games for Cleveland. … Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield’s 12th interception of the season came on a shovel pass in the second quarter. Bubby Brister, anyone?
Three stars
1. Drew Brees, Saints quarterback
The NFL’s all-time passing yardage leader racked up 373 more and threw three TD passes in the second half in his first game since Week 2 in a 31-9 win over Arizona.
2. Tevin Coleman, 49ers running back
Coleman rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns and scored a fourth on a 10-yard TD reception as the Niners remained unbeaten with a 51-13 rout of Carolina.
3. Cooper Kupp, Rams wide receiver
Kupp had seven catches for a career-high 220 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown reception on a double-reverse flea-flicker in the second quarter of LA’s 24-10 win over Cincinnati.
Quote of the Day
“I joke about it with [the coaches] that we don’t run any trick plays. That was the first and best one we’ve ever had. Maybe we can talk Sean [McVay] into doing a few more now.”
— Rams quarterback Jared Goff on his touchdown bomb to Kupp.
Fantasy Insanity
- Those waiting for the Chris Herndon breakout have to be frustrated watching Ryan Griffin haul in two touchdowns Sunday. Considering Griffin’s presence, and the general dysfunction of the Jets offense, pump the brakes on your Herndon optimism.
- Josh Reynolds had a nice game for the Rams in London (three catches, 73 yards, one touchdown). This can be directly tied to an early injury to Brandin Cooks, who was placed in concussion protocol for the second time in a month. Based on how long Giants WR Sterling Shepard has been out after two concussions in close proximity, get prepared for Cooks to miss multiple weeks. Reynolds is an option as a replacement. But also be aware: Outside of Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ passing game has been unreliable for fantasy owners.
- David Montgomery finally topped the 15-point barrier in PPR leagues, rushing 27 times for 135 yards and a touchdown, and four catches for 12 yards against the Chargers. Balance that against six games of mediocrity. Shop him now. Only two attractive matchups remain between now and fantasy title week (Week 12 vs. Giants, Week 16 vs. Chiefs).