Early NFL Sunday In Review: Rejoice or Tears?

Oct 28, 2012; London, England; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) smiles after the 2012 NFL International Series game against the St. Louis Rams. Mandatory Credit: Joe Toth-US PRESSWIRE

I think most of us can agree that Sunday is the best day of the week. Reason #1: No school for all of the teenagers and young adults in the nation. Reason: #2 Finally, a break from all that work during the normal weekdays. And of course the most important reason that Sundays are so special. In a nation buzzing about the current political campaigning and with the holiday season fast approaching, the NFL gives all those football lovers a day where they can just sit down, grab the potato chips, and relax. Well, unless you’re a Panthers fan.

So let’s start off the early recap with the team previously mentioned. Why exactly were the Panthers players and fans so stunned? After grabbing a surprising first-half lead, Carolina led the way in the third as well, grabbing several field goals as the Bears were constantly battling to get good field position. The drives finally started forming for Chicago in the fourth as they scored two unanswered touchdowns that gave them the lead. Carolina quickly responded with a field goal, but were perhaps a little wary of how much time they left on the clock. With a two-minute drive, Jay Cutler took the reins, leading the Bears to a field goal as time waned to a close. Final 23-22, and the Panthers have another reason to be turn off the television, while the Bears move to 6-1 on the season as they control their destiny in the NFC North.
The Seahawks likewise went into the locker room with their morale on a low note. After keeping a lead for most of the first three quarters, they saw Matthew Stafford cap his exceptional day with a touchdown pass with twenty seconds left on the clock. Titus Young found himself on the receiving end of that pass, which was his second touchdown grab of the day, leaving his fantasy owners with a large smile on their face at game’s end. Final: Lions 28, Seahawks 24.

In a very low scoring affair in Cleveland, San Diego left the field on the short side of a 7-6 defensive battle. Trent Richardson had another great game, as he rushed for over 100 yards and got the only touchdown of the game. The Chargers move back in their race for a playoff spot as they drop to 3-4, which could leave this game having huge implications come December and January.

Despite the first thirty minutes being utterly controlled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the score didn’t reflect the offensive effort. They went into the locker room down 14-12, and were never able to get much going in the latter thirty minutes as the Packers escaped with a 24-15 win. Blain Gabbert had a strong passing effort for having a banged up left shoulder, but when a big play was made late, it was almost always to the benefit of Green Bay.

The Miami Dolphins. That sentence speaks for itself. After a thorough hammering of division rival New York Jets, the final score stood as 30-9. The down side for the Dolphins in this game was Ryan Tannehill left the game with a leg injury. Still, Matt Moore was able to hold the lead, adding some nice passes to his own credit. I think the only thing to properly describe this game is to steal a quote by one of the Jets announcers after an interception by Chris Clemons. “It goes from bad to worse for the New York Jets.” And with that, Miami 4-3, Jets 3-5.