NFL: Tom Brady outshines Peyton, and Big Ben keeps the Steelers rolling

Brady bests Manning … again

“I don’t usually stink, but I stunk today.” Seven words from Peyton Manning to sum up his own hugely disappointing performance during Denver’s 43-21 defeat by New England. The Broncos quarterback’s duel with Tom Brady was supposed to be the highlight of the weekend, but wound up looking like a snapshot of their rivalry down the years: really rather one-sided.

This was the 16th time the pair have faced off in their NFL careers, and the 11th time the Patriots quarterback has come out on top. There have been mitigating circumstances. In the early years of their rivalry, when Brady was most dominant (he won the first six head-to-heads), he was playing on a New England team that was simply more balanced, with a far better defense than Manning’s Colts.

On the other hand, Manning has often had better offensive weapons around him. He started off his career throwing passes to Marvin Harrison in Indianapolis, with Edgerrin James in the backfield. More recently he has had Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker and either Eric Decker or Emmanuel Sanders alongside him in Denver. Brady had Welker during the receiver’s best years, of course, and three seasons of Randy Moss, but lately Rob Gronkowski has been his only stand-out target.

Instead, he has helped some less famous names to make an impression. Brandon LaFell never caught more than five touchdowns in any of his first four seasons in the league, but grabbed his fourth in as many weeks on Sunday.

His rise to prominence echoes that of team-mate Julian Edelman, a seventh-round pick in 2009 who totalled 714 receiving yards in his first four seasons, only to reel in 105 balls for 1,056 yards in 2013. Edelman had a touchdown reception on Sunday, too, although he did not need Brady’s help for his second score of the day – an 84-yard punt return.

The Broncos, by contrast, put up plenty of yards but not nearly enough points against a defense that produced a pair of interceptions – each of which led to a New England touchdown. Manning could hardly be blamed for the second, which bounced off the chest of Welker and into the hands of Brandon Browner, but he had failed to spot defensive end Rob Ninkovich dropping into coverage on the first.

It was a clever play-call from New England, and one which led the Denver Post’s Mike Klis to argue that talk of Brady dominating his head-to-head match-ups with Manning was unfair, since the Patriots quarterback never had to throw his passes against a Bill Belichick defense. “Brady also has won games against Manning’s teams in which he threw for 168, 144 and 186 yards,” noted Klis. “That would suggest a third guy in the rivalry.”

Whichever way you slice it, though, this was a big win for Brady and the Pats. It affords them a tie-breaker over Denver should they finish with equal records, and that could mean another trip to Gillette Stadium in the playoffs for Manning, a prospect he surely would not relish.

Because one underestimated factor in this rivalry is that the majority of games have been played in Foxborough, where Brady has beaten Manning eight times out of 10. Playing elsewhere, their head-to-head record sits at an even 3-3. At this stage, Manning might quietly wish to avoid his rival altogether, but if they must meet again, you can be sure he would prefer it to take place in Denver. PB

Brilliant Ben makes Steelers look super

Ben Roethlisberger rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as Brady or Manning. He does not feature prominently in discussions of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. And yet, over the last fortnight he achieved something that no signal caller had ever done before him: throwing 12 touchdowns in the space of two games.

If the Steelers’ 51-34 win over Indianapolis last month was stunning – coming as it did just a week after the Colts had shut out Cincinnati – then Sunday’s 43-23 victory over Baltimore on Sunday was even more satisfying for Mike Tomlin’s team. The Ravens are, after all, a division rival. Beating them has given Pittsburgh a major leg up in the ridiculously competitive AFC North, even if the Bengals and Browns must still be overcome.

The victory was not all down to Roethlisberger, but he was the single biggest part of it. Completing 25 of 37 passes for 340 yards, he spread his six touchdowns between five different team-mates. The last one went to Matt Spaeth a blocking tight end who had not caught a pass all season. “I wanted him to have a touchdown catch because of all the hard work and the things he does, the grunt work,” said Roethlisberger. “We called him a scoring machine tonight. I’m so happy for him.”

It speaks to how well the quarterback is playing that he could afford to worry about such things. As of today he might be the leading candidate for league MVP. His 22 touchdowns and three interceptions are the equal of Brady, and so far Roethlisberger is completing more of his passes (68.3% to 64.1%) on a higher average per attempt (8.0 to 7.2).

Get into the career numbers, in fact, and you will find that Roethlisberger does not compare as unfavourably to Manning and Brady as some might immediately assume. His career completion percentage (63.6%) is better than the Patriots quarterback (63.5%), while his interception percentage (2.7%) is only a shade worse than the Denver player’s (2.6%).

There are lies, damned lies, and statistics, of course, and it is also true that Roethlisberger’s comes up short in other categories. Certainly his career passer rating (93.9) is a few points worse than those of both Brady (96.1) and Manning (97.7). As of today, he does not belong in that GOAT conversation. But, several years younger than either of them, there is time yet for him to make a case for inclusion.

Because when it comes to the criteria that many judges prize highest of all – winning championships – he is doing pretty well so far. Roethlisberger is one of just 11 quarterbacks to own multiple Super Bowl rings, having become the youngest starting quarterback ever to earn one when he led the Steelers to victory over Seattle back in February 2006. He was 23 at the time.

His next Super Bowl win was even more memorable, arriving as it did via a brilliant game-winning drive in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter against Arizona. His final touchdown pass, floated over the heads of three Cardinals defenders to Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone, was the sort that lives on forever in NFL lore.

Roethlisberger has said more than once that his greatest ambition is to win five Super Bowls – passing Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw. That goal remains a long way off. But keep playing as he has these last two weeks, and No3 might not be that far away at all. PB

In Sanchez we trust

Philadelphia offensive tackle Jason Peters didn’t even know Mark Sanchez had entered the field of play on Sunday, but Sanchez certainly did, having not thrown a football in an NFL game since December 2012 after a shoulder injury kept him out all of last season. Nary is there a moment when you are introduced quietly under the flamboyant Chip Kelly , and in Philadelphia’s 31-21 defeat of the Texans Sunday, Sanchez was thrust into the action after Eagles starter Nick Foles went down with a collarbone fracture.

Sanchez started 62 games for the Jets, going 33-29, but despite leading New York to two AFC Championship games from 2009-13 he is unfairly remembered for this play, the infamous ‘butt-fumble’. Contrary to the aforementioned Peters’ belief, he entered NRG Stadium and promptly found Jeremy Maclin down field for a 52-yard strike, then finalised the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews on third-and-goal. Suddenly the veteran remembered what it was like to feel relevant again.

Foles has unsurprisingly failed to keep up the standards he set last season when he threw for 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions (the best TD/INT ratio in NFL history) and recorded the third-highest quarterback rating in history: 119.0. This new year sees him second in the NFL in interceptions with 10, but that wasn’t a stat that forced the hand of Kelly. Instead the final play of the first quarter brought a sack from Houston linebacker Whitney Mercilus, leaving Foles in a sling and thrusting Sanchez into the spotlight.

Philadelphia are now 6-2 atop the NFC East and at the halfway point of their season it will be very interesting to see whether the success and efficiency of the offence changes much with Foles expected to miss at least a month. His replacement finished a respectable 15-of-22 for 202 yards with two touchdowns and two picks in this game – one of which bounced of Josh Huff’s hands – while Sanchez’s superior mobility and speed are two attributes that lend him an edge in Kelly’s hurry-up offence that is at an optimum with a genuine dual threat at quarterback.

Kelly’s faith in Sanchez is well documented after a great training camp and preseason, but this was actually just the second time in his career in which he completed at least 68 percent of his passes, threw for at least 200 yards and had two TD passes.

The status of inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans is perhaps of greater concern with a torn Achilles sending the Eagles defensive leader down for the year. While LeSean McCoy will be the focal point going forward alongside a thriving Jeremy Maclin, for the next few weeks at least it is Sanchez who will decide Philadelphia’s fate with four of their last eight games against division opponents. MW

Ryan Tannehill finding his best form as Miami wins third straight

Dan Marino is the best quarterback in Miami Dolphins history but his latest task for the franchise is to turn the fortunes of Ryan Tannehill – who has always had the skills but not always the mental ability – to be one of the best in the league. The Hall of Fame legend has been in the film room with Tannehill over the last couple of weeks, making sure the 26-year-old executes for 60 minutes.

The Dolphins, blowing out the San Diego Chargers 37-0 at home Sunday, registered the franchise’s first shutout since December 2006, and according to ESPN it was San Diego’s first blank since Halloween 1999; a span of 241 games.

So what has changed during Miami’s three-game win streak? This was their first home win since week one against New England and during September there were some voices suggesting Tannehill was on the hot seat. That month saw him complete just 60% of his passes, but over this successful stretch the most sacked quarterback in 2013 has five new offensive lineman, culminating in more time and a 66.3% completion rate.

Entirely out of the blue has been a sudden rushing element most people never knew existed. Less Marino- and more Bill Lazor-inspired, the offensive coordinator has introduced the read-option into the offence and Tannehill now has 245 yards on 31 rushes on the season, leaving him fourth behind Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson. That’s not bad company.

Miami scored on their first four possessions against San Diego, eventually forcing their opponents to sit the once MVP-favoured Philip Rivers to the bench before the third quarter was up. Some may argue that during this 4-1 stretch Tannehill has been able to take aim at less-than-attentive pass defences in Oakland, Green Bay, Chicago, Jacksonville and now San Diego, but there is no doubt he is making better deep throws and extending plays with his legs when the pass isn’t there for him.

The Patriots may have seized control in the AFC East but Miami are most certainly in the playoff mix at the conclusion of Week Nine. Their former leader Marino and subsequent improvement of the current face of the franchise will play a pivotal role in them remaining there. MW

Quick outs

• The last one-loss team in the NFL is … the Arizona Cardinals? Hands up who saw this coming at the start of September. We discussed Arizona in more depth last week, but this was another impressive win for Bruce Arians’s team in Dallas. Yes, the Cowboys were missing Tony Romo, and back-up quarterback Brandon Weeden showed all his limitations as he struggled to get the ball to receivers Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams, but the Cardinals still demonstrated their defensive qualities in becoming the first team this season to hold DeMarco Murray to under 100 rushing yards.

• Next up for Arizona is a home game against St Louis, a match-up that looks more straightforward on paper than it is likely to be in reality. The Rams are 3-5 overall but 2-1 within the NFC West after beating San Francisco on Sunday. St Louis had already beaten Seattle at home, and their season is beginning to feel reminiscent of 2012, when they lost just one out of six divisional games, but still finished with a losing record overall. Crucially, the Rams seem to have rediscovered the ferocious pass rush that has been their calling card under Jeff Fisher, sacking Colin Kaepernick eight times this weekend.

• Highlight from that Rams game: Darren Bates taking the term ‘jumping offside’ very, very literally.

• Five wins in six games for the Kansas City Chiefs. Twelve sacks in eight games for the destructive Justin Houston. Andy Reid’s team might not have come out of the blocks as quickly as they did last season, but they sure are beginning to look like a contender again in the AFC.

• Good win for the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football to get them back on track after that loss to Pittsburgh a week ago. Even better effort from TY Hilton to wrestle the ball away from Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the end zone.

• For the superstitious Patriots fans among you: a detailed breakdown of Bill Belichick’s win-loss record as Patriots head coach, according to which outfit he was wearing.

• Robert Griffin III returned, and Washington lost to the Vikings. Hardly that big of a surprise, since they’ve lost to most people this season, regardless of who is taking the snaps. Griffin was OK, completing 18 of 28 for 251 yards, one score and one pick, but I will say this: Alfred Morris seemed to have a lot more running room back there with the Vikings’ D also having to account for the mobile RG3.

• Stat of the week. PB

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) November 3, 2014

Roethlisberger has 12 TD passes in his last 2 games. The Jets have 12 TD passes in their last 15 games.