As I mentioned in my Thursday Night blog, this was my last weekend in Berlin. We've gotten pretty comfortable in this apartment, which I've described as a place where someone much cooler than me ought to be living, and in a neighborhood where every conceivable kind of food and service is within a few blocks, as well as two large parks, a dozen playgrounds and one of the main canals running through the city. We've heard good things about our next destination, Lisbon, Portugal, but it's been tough wrapping our minds around our impending departure. In that context, it was nice I had (pending some Monday night action) one of my better NFL weeks in recent memory.
(The view from the sofa in our living room. Above, corner of the playground at Chamissoplatz, a few blocks from our apartment.)
• The Giants started the game like the cautious, small-ball Ben McAdoo-designed squad against which I've railed, but something happened in the second half: they played hurry up, attempted more passes on first down and got the ball into the hands of their best player. Who would have thought using one of the greatest young receivers in NFL history could jumpstart an offense?
• Credit where it's due. McAdoo went on 4th-and-3 in the second half rather than attempting a 54-yard field goal. He did briefly go into a shell with a four-point lead that nearly cost them the game when Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was flagged for a terrible PI penalty which the Ravens converted into a score, but the Giants got the ball back into Beckham's hands when it mattered.
• Hopefully this puts an end to the sub-moronic "Beckham is a distraction" pieces. Of Beckham's 222 yards, 175 were after the catch, meaning he did most of the work, out-running and outmaneuvering the entire defense on his two long TDs.
• Eli Manning also played better once the Giants got out of their "let's hope to get a first down on three plays" mode and attacked the defense. Manning needs to get the ball out quickly, and he needs to target his outside receivers.
• Paul Perkins looks quicker and more explosive than the team's other backs, but apparently he's bad in pass protection. I'd still stash him if I had room.
• Terrance West ran hard for his 3.8 YPC and caught four passes on six targets. He's a three-down back right now.
• LeSean McCoy had a brief scare, but finished with 140 yards and three TDs. If there's any quibble it's his lack of use in the passing game (two targets), but he's running as well as any back in the league, and having a mobile quarterback is a big boost for him just like it was when he broke out alongside Michael Vick.
• Tyrod Taylor is having a sneaky good year, given the receivers with whom he's forced to work.
• Torrey Smith made one big play on an underthrown pass, and there will be more so long as Colin Kaepernick is the quarterback. But his ceiling is erratic, unpredictable big play scoring and as such is best-ball only for now.
• Kaepernick didn't play well, but his eight carries for 66 yards might be bankable in this offense, making him a plausible bye-week starter in good matchups.
• Brian Hoyer is Mr. 300-Yards Passing. He failed to throw a TD, and the team scored only 16 points, but Hoyer gets there every week.
• KaDeem Carey outrushed Jordan Howard on six fewer carries. It's probably still Howard's job, but what was once crystal clear has a bit of murk to it.
• Allen Hurns saw 11 targets, Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee six apiece. Robinson's still the No. 1, but his great preseason seems like a lifetime ago.
• Cameron Meredith, Alshon Jeffery and Zach Miller were targeted on 38 of Hoyer's 49 throws. Add in Eddie Royal's six, and you're at 44. It is a narrow tree. Meredith had another 113 yards on 15 targets, showing his usage last week was no fluke.
• It's amazing Arrelious Benn is still in the league. I remember drafting him in the 18th round five years ago. I just looked up his stats, and sure enough, he hadn't had a catch since 2012.
• Case Keenum actually got 10.1 YPA and 321 yards. But this Lions defense made even Aaron Rodgers look good a few weeks ago.
• Amazingly, Kenny Britt just turned 28 in September. Britt averaged more than nine yards per target over 156 looks from 2014-15, i.e., this probably isn't a fluke.
• They said Marvin Jones and Golden Tate were (1) and (1a) during the preseason. Unfortunately, they didn't say when. Tate blew up on people's benches for 165 and a score, while Jones went just two for 10, but at least he scored a TD.
• The big game from Todd Gurley is on its way. Teams are making the Rams throw, and the Rams are doing it more successfully now. Gurley is supplementing his income with a few receptions too.
• Zach Zenner had a passable game, Justin Forsett did not. In case you're desperate.
• I'd like to congratulate the city of Cleveland on the Browns' backdoor cover. It was a thing of beauty, and while a win would have helped me in Survivor, I'll take what I can get. Through Sunday night, I'm a sorely needed 10-3-1 ATS.
• Cody Kessler is an NFL quarterback, and Terrelle Pryor will get his looks even if he's not playing under center or running much.
• Marcus Mariota had a big fantasy day against a bad Browns defense, but he was lucky a wide open Kendall Wright laid out completely to catch a deep pass that could have been punted to him. Tajae Square, the team's ostensible No. 1 WR in August, had three targets and no catches.
• The Steelers are a big home/road split team thanks to their QB who's now out indefinitely with a torn meniscus. As such the Dolphins were my best bet, though I did not have them winning outright, let alone by 15.
• Le'Veon Bell might have disappointed expectations, but in a game where no one did anything for the Steelers (their TDs were a 61-yard end around to Darrius Heyward-Bey an a toss to someone named Cobi Hamilton in garbage time), he had 53 yards rushing (on only 10 carries) and six catches for 55 more yards. But even Bell's productivity will be tested with Ben Roethlisberger likely out for a while.
• Jay Ajayi already had a huge day, but a 62-yard TD while running out the clock was shades of Emmitt Smith and Terrell Davis in the late 90s. Arian Foster should see some third-down work, but it has to be Ajayi's job now.
• Jarvis Landry isn't a particularly efficient receiver, but he's the man you want on the hands team during an onside kick.
• With Tom Brady back, Rob Gronkowski is rapidly making up for lost time. He's easily the No. 1 TE again and a top-20 overall player. Brady is also the No. 1 QB, and with Ben Roethlisberger out, and Cam Newton not running much Sunday, it's an easy call.
• Julian Edelman hasn't done much since Brady came back. I wonder if at 30, and after some foot problems, he's just a guy now.
• Gio Bernard is a better runner and receiver than Jeremy Hill. Hill will score more TDs, but that's about all he's got going for him.
• Cam Newton had only 6.9 YPA at New Orleans, and while he threw for 322 yards and rushed for a short TD, he had only two carries. I'll chalk this up to his returning from a concussion, but if he doesn't have designed runs, he's a fringe top-five QB.
• Jonathan Stewart scored twice, thanks to Newton's pass-only role, but he has virtually no upside should Newton resume his duties as the goal-line back. Greg Olsen is one of the steadiest producers in the league.
• As a Mark Ingram owner, I wave the white flag. They gave tight end Coby Fleener the goal-line carry, and even though Drew Brees threw 49 times for 465 yards, Ingram saw only three targets for nine yards. Meanwhile Travaris Cadet had five targets and four catches. Unlike last year when Ingram caught 50 passes in 12 games, he's not a big part of the passing attack, i.e., he's basically Jonathan Stewart.
• Brandin Cooks had a huge day, but it could have been Beckham-esque had Brees not missed him on a would-be wide open 80-plus yard TD. Even so, Cooks at home against a mediocre defense is nearly as good as it gets.
• Michael Thomas caught all five of his targets for 78 yards and a score, outproducing Willie Snead who had two more targets. Fleener, in addition to the rushing TD, caught six of his seven targets for 74 yards and another score. It seems like a narrower tree in New Orleans this year with three receivers and a tight end getting the vast majority of Brees' production.
• Brees at home against a weak defense is automatic. We'll see how he does when Denver and Seattle come to town later in the year.
• The Redskins should have blown out the Eagles but for a pick six and a special teams TD. Still, Carson Wentz managed 8.1 YPA and no interceptions, albeit on only 11 completions.
• With Jordan Reed out, Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson combined for 20 targets, but only modest output. Matt Jones ran well and closed out the game with a long first down scamper.
• Alex Smith had a weak fantasy day, but could not have been more efficient with 19 completions on 22 attempts and 10.2 YPA. His only blemish was one sack.
• Spencer Ware retained the lion's share of the workload with Jamaal Charles (3.7 YPC) back, and despite the heavy volume (24 carries) was the more efficient (5.5 YPC) of the two. Ware also did more as a receiver (32 yards to 16) on the same number of targets (2). Around halftime, I set the line at even money between the two for rest-of-season production, but now I'd say Ware is a 60/40 favorite to outscore him from Weeks 7-17. And unlike Melvin Gordon about whom I wrote on Thursday, Ware is a closer.
• Amari Cooper (13 targets) had another big day, while Michael Crabtree, largely checked by Marcus Peters, saw only four targets. Derek Carr managed only 6.6 YPA, threw a pick, lost a fumble and took two sacks.
• DeAndre Washington ran well, seeing 10 carries to Jalen Richard's three before Richard left the game late after getting destroyed by linebacker Derrick Johnson. But even though the Raiders were trailing all game, Washington had only one target and no catches.
• Tony Romo is never getting his job back. We know this because even Troy Aikman was suggesting the possibility, and by the time the mainstream sports media comes around to an idea it's already obvious.
• Not that Dak Prescott hasn't earned it - he did throw his first pick, and he's lost a couple fumbles, but another three TDs without Dez Bryant and 9.1 YPA on the road is awfully impressive. The obvious comp is Russell Wilson.
• If Bryant were ever to get completely healthy and reprise the form he showed from 2012-14, the Cowboys might have the best offense in the league. That's because a mobile, accurate, poised QB playing behind one of the best offensive lines in league history, alongside a rare power back with excellent speed and agility is already a big problem for defenses. Throw in a game-breaking receiver that requires safety help deep, and it's game over. Unfortunately, I'm not sure whether we'll ever see peak Bryant again. (I hope we do, and I say that even as a Giants fan because players like Bryant, Beckham and sober Josh Gordon are what make the NFL worth watching in spite of its management and media coverage.)
• Another 28 for 157 for Elliott, i.e., going to work in the morning. Cole Weasley scored two TDs though.
• The Packers offense has been a shell of its 2010-2014 self for 22 games now. It's time to grieve and move on.
• I've never seen Aaron Rodgers play that poorly. He threw a terrible pick, missed a wide open Richard Rodgers and overthrew a wide open Randall Cobb. And I probably missed a few others. Jordy Nelson doesn't look like himself, and the rest of the targets are just okay.
• Ty Montgomery led the Packers in targets and yards, but his longest catch went for 15. Eddie Lacy gutted it out on a bad ankle, but the game flow did him no favors. Oddly, the Packers didn't dress a backup running back despite Lacy's condition.
• The Falcons are awfully impressive. I doubt any team's come back from a 14-point deficit in Seattle in the second half over the last five years.
• If Matt Ryan is getting 335 yards, three TDs and 8.0 YPA in Seattle, he's matchup proof and must be considered a top-five QB. Moreover, his only pick was a pass off Julio Jones' hands. Over his last two games in Denver and in Seattle, Ryan has 602 yards, four TDs and one pick that wasn't his fault. Ryan might have put up even bigger numbers had the fourth-down pass interference penalty on Richard Sherman been called, too.
• Russell Wilson still doesn't look as mobile as usual.
• Julio Jones won the matchup with the Seattle corners and would have had an even bigger day but for the uncalled Sherman PI. The production has been especially erratic this year, but he's healthy, and there's no reason not to consider him a co-No. 1 with Beckham now that Roethlisberger is out.
• Kyle Shanahan is doing an amazing job with the game planning. One week after torching the Broncos with their speedy running backs, they burned the Seahawks with their wideouts.
• Christine Michael had a modest day, but scored twice, and it might have been three times, but for a vulture TD by Alex Collins.
• Jimmy Graham is doing his best Greg Olsen impression with another solid game.
• Andrew Luck looks great, but he's working with so little, given the weak offensive line and lack of a red-zone receiver.
• Brock Osweiler made a nice throw to C.J. Fiedorowicz, who has now had two big games in a row. Maybe he's worth a look, though this is a run-first team with a bad QB and two good receivers.
• Lamar Miller finally broke out. It looked to me like he mostly got what was blocked (a lot) except on the TD catch where he deftly reversed field and outran/broke several tackles for the score.
• DeAndre Hopkins saw 15 targets for 71 yards. He's a good, but not great receiver.
• I hate to admit it because I dogged him all preseason, but Frank Gore still looks pretty good. His streak of 82 straight games as a RB from ages 28-33 is on par with Tony Gonzalez' and Brett Favre's uncanny feats of durability. To put it in perspective, Miller, who has played 47 straight games, has the second longest active streak.