Geno Smith Benched Against San Diego Chargers
The New York Jets’ starting quarterback Geno Smith got taken out after the first half this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. Smith went into halftime going four of 12 for 27 yards with an interception. Smith was in the game for six Jets possessions which ended in four punts, a Chris Johnson fumble, and a Smith interception. Smith’s replacement, Michael Vick, didn’t do too much better. Vick playing the way he did has prevented the Jets from being embroiled in a quarterback controversy and head coach Rex Ryan has already come out and said Geno Smith will make the start in Week 6. That will give everyone a chance to see if pulling Smith affected his confidence.
Dolphins’ Derrick Shelby Suspended Indefinitely After Arrest
The Dolphins announced Monday that third-year defensive lineman Derrick Shelby has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. Shelby was arrested Saturday on charges of trespassing and resisting arrest without violence. According to reports this incident was following an altercation at a Fort Lauderdale nightclub. Shelby has two sacks over the first four games in 2014 and plays a very important reserve role for the Dolphins. This suspension is going to hurt Miami.
Cardinals Backup Quarterback Drew Stanton Out with Concussion
The Arizona Cardinals lost to the Denver Broncos Sunday 41-20. However, they may have suffered a bigger loss in the third quarter when backup quarterback Drew Stanton left the game with a concussion. Stanton will go through the league’s concussion protocol this week. Once Stanton left the game (starting quarterback Carson Palmer has been out with a nerve injury in his shoulder), the Cardinals had to turn to third string rookie Logan Thomas. With the statuses of Palmer and Stanton up in the air this week, the starter could end up being any one of the three quarterbacks by the time Sunday comes around.
LeSean McCoy Takes Himself Out in Fourth Quarter
With 3:42 left in the 4th quarter and the Philadelphia Eagles clinging to a 34-28 lead over the St. Louis Rams, star running back LeSean McCoy left the field and didn’t return. When asked why, head coach Chip Kelly told reporters, “LeSean took himself out.” With the run game struggling the way it has been in Philadelphia, McCoy taking himself out of the game with less than four minutes remaining in the game has to make you wonder if the lack of production is a result of the offensive line or something wrong with McCoy.
Montee Ball Will Miss Significant Time With Groin Injury
Denver Broncos running back Montee Ball left Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals with a groin injury. According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, Ball will be “out for a while.” The Broncos won’t know what his status is for sure until the MRI results come back. Ball hasn’t been producing this year like the Broncos had expected him to, but his backups, Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson, played well after Ball went down. Considering this offense isn’t predicated on running the ball, I don’t expect the Broncos to miss a beat at all.
New England Patriots Look Like Patriots Again
Last Monday night the New England Patriots got embarrassed on Monday Night Football by the Kansas City Chiefs 41-14. All the talk after that was if the Patriots were one and if quarterback Tom Brady was playing his last season of football because he’s regressed so much. The talk was also if Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the one to blame since he was the one who made all the personnel choices. Well, Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals the Patriots got back to their winning ways by beating the Bengals by a score of 43-17. For this week at the very least that talk will subside about Brady and Bilichick.
Calvin Johnson Injures Ankle Again
Going into Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills the Detroit Lions weren’t exactly sure if wide receiver Calvin Johnson was going to play. They decided to keep him activated and insisted he’d be more than a decoy out there. Johnson didn’t have a single reception in the first half and took a hit to his right leg after making his first reception in the third quarter. Johnson went to the locker room after that and didn’t return for the rest of the game. The Lions can’t be sure how serious Johnson’s injury is until all the test results come back.
Jake Locker Out With Another Injury
Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker has had his fair share of injuries so far in his short career. He missed last week with an injury and returned to the lineup this week to face the Cleveland Browns. While Locker was taking a run into the end zone on Sunday, he took a questionable shot to the helmet from a defender. Locker left the game to get checked for a concussion and was then cleared to return. However, later in the game Locker injured his right thumb and had to leave the game. Locker didn’t return this time. The extent of his injury is unknown at this time and the Titans are waiting for the MRI results to come back.
Giants’ Offense Is Starting to Click
The New York Giants’ offense started off extremely slow this season. With new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo installing a new offense, it wasn’t much of a surprise that they started off slow. In their first two weeks the Giants only scored a total of 28 points. In Weeks 3-5 they scored 30, 45, and 30. On top of the offense starting to click in the new system, the Giants just got their first round pick back into the lineup. Wide receiver Odell Beckham missed the first four weeks and in his first game back had four receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown. With their offense starting to click this way and their defense playing as solid as they’ve been playing, the Giants are going to be a dangerous team moving forward.
Peyton Manning Gets 500th Career Touchdown
Before Sunday only one quarterback in the history of the NFL had reached the 500 touchdown mark. That quarterback was Brett Favre. After Sunday there’s a new player on that list. Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning surpassed the 500 touchdown mark and is looking to surpass Favre in the upcoming weeks. Barring some kind of injury, Manning will break Favre’s record sometime in the very near future.