With Week Eight wrapped up we now find ourselves at the midway point of the 2013 NFL season. With the exception of teams that have already had their bye weeks, most franchises find their regular season schedules halfway complete. In a season of shocks and surprises, let’s take a look back at the events of Week Eight with a larger view to some of the most important events of the year.
-Through eight games the Kansas City Chiefs have quadruple their win total from a season ago. In the most stunning worst-to-first turnaround in recent history, they sit at the very top of the NFL as its only undefeated team. After winning a close 23-17 game over an underrated Cleveland Browns team, the Chiefs head to Buffalo hoping to extend their quest for perfection to 9-0 before entering their bye week.
-5,838 passing yards, 58 touchdown passes, and 12 interceptions. Those are the obscene statistics that Peyton Manning is on pace for as the Denver Broncos enter their bye week. Those numbers would shatter both Drew Bress’ single season passing yardage record and Tom Brady’s single season passing touchdown record. Over the last couple of weeks, increased pressure has led to a number of turnovers, but Manning is still leading the Broncos’ offense to ridiculous numbers. Mid-season MVP? Without a doubt.
-Speaking of the aforementioned Tom Brady, here’s another number for you: 213. That is how many yards fewer that Brady passed for than Calvin Johnson’s eye-popping 320 yard receiving total last week. The Patriots are 6-2 on the season, but for the first time in years, that has very little to do with the play of Tom Terrific. With Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola on the field together for the first time last week, Brady only managed 116 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception. It’s a true sign of greatness when a football team can win in spite of poor quarterback play, but if this team is to truly contend this year then Brady needs to return to form soon.
-Returning to Calvin Johnson’s big day, there isn’t much more to say other than that he is the most dominant player in the NFL. After dealing with some injuries earlier in the year, he has caught 23 passes for 484 yards and three touchdowns in just the last two weeks! There is no one in the NFL that can cover him one-on-one and quite frankly he’s proven time and time again that he can beat triple coverage. The Lions are on bye this week, but you have to imagine that Calvin will pick up right where he left off in Week Ten, when the Lions head to Chicago to face a surprisingly vulnerable Bears defense.
-Who would have thought the after starting 0-6, the New York Giants would find themselves just two games out of the NFC East divisional lead. After back-to-back wins, the G-Men are still very much in the picture with the division currently being led by the 4-4 Cowboys. The Giants haven’t looked perfect these last two weeks, but we know what can happen when Tom Coughlin’s bunch builds momentum. Keep an eye on these guys. They can be dangerous down the stretch.
-For the first time in Cam Newton’s career his Carolina Panthers sit above .500. The 4-3 Panthers play host to the 2-5 Atlanta Falcons this week with the hopes of building on that recent success. Cam’s play has soared in the last three weeks as the offensive game plan has been altered to cater to his strengths. When he enters “Super-Cam” mode he is nearly unstoppable, and backed by a very talented defense, this often overlooked franchise has a real shot at the playoffs this season. Let’s see if they can take the next step by defeating a team that has been a perennial division rival this weekend.
Thanks for reading everybody. Enjoy this week’s slate of games!
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