NFL talking points as New England Patriots find mojo, Houston Texans upset

NFL TALKING POINTS: Jonathan Taylor scores five touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots crush Atlanta and Houston Texans shock Tennessee.

Is there anything more entertaining than the 2021 NFL Regular Season? He currently delivers incredible results and storylines on a weekly basis to rival the greatest dramas in television history. The headlines of the week? The Indianapolis Colts crushed the Buffalo Bills thanks to Jonathan Taylor, the Mac Jones Patriots continue to impress and the Houston Texans beat the Tennessee Titans in the upset of the week.

Taylor’s five-star performance in the Indianapolis rout

There has always been something about Jonathan Taylor. Selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Taylor dominated college football in Wisconsin, becoming the first player in history to go over 6,000 yards in a three-year span. He pursues electric form in the NFL.

On Sunday, Taylor was relentless in his dismantling of one of the league’s best peak defenses. He scored Indianapolis first, second, third, fourth and fifth touchdowns as the Bills – considered one of the best teams in the AFC before that heartbreaking 41-15 spanking – suffered the wrath of Taylor, who is currently embarking on an impressive race. eight straight games with 100 scrum yards and a rushing touchdown.

The only other player in NFL history to do this since 1950 is LaDainian Tomlinson, who was named MVP that year. Taylor is playing at a historic level right now, breathing life into an Indianapolis middle offense to lead them to three straight wins.

Taylor scored a franchise record five touchdowns in the win at Buffalo. The team ran for 264 total yards on 5.7 yards per carry, with 185 yards from the second backer. He set the tone early on, scoring to cap an 11-game, 65-yard opener before catching a 23-yard pass from Carson Wentz to give him a 14-point lead. He scored three more touchdowns as Bill simply had no response to Taylor.

Buffalo had allowed fewer points than any NFL team when they welcomed the Colts to town, and placed third in rushing yards allowed and rushing yards allowed per carry. Things looked bad for Buffalo and quarterback Josh Allen early on, with the quarterback throwing an interception on the eighth game of their first practice – which Taylor presumably turned into a touchdown. Later in the game, Allen threw another pass which was knocked down by Kenny Moore and intercepted. Just as Taylor’s MVP case grew exponentially, Allen’s dropped dramatically. He didn’t look particularly precious on Sunday.

After sealing their third straight win, the Colts are now above .500 for the first time in 2021. Indianapolis now has a tough game streak, facing players like Tampa Bay, New England, Las Vegas and Arizona as they hope to seal a topsy-turvy AFC playoff berth – but they’re certainly finding form at the right time.

Taylor had one of the best statistical performances in NFL history against the league’s best defense on Sunday, taking what he wanted at will. If Taylor wants Indy to qualify for the playoffs, it would be foolish to bet against them.

New New England look showing flashes of the old one

The pre-draft comparison for quarterback Mac Jones was Tom Brady, simply because of similar athletic ability and precise throwing ability. Of course, it’s incredibly unlikely that the rookie will accomplish even half of the GOAT’s glittering CV – but Jones’ methodical and pragmatic approach allowed the Patriots to become themselves again as they crushed the Falcons. 25-0 in Atlanta.

I’m not even talking about the conquering Patriots of the past decade, where Brady was joined by Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman as New England collected Super Bowl rings like stamps for the past decade. No, this Pats team looks like the New England team that won three championships in four seasons with a young Brady at the helm in the early 2000s.

It’s a team that relies on a conquering defense to keep opponents in check, orchestrated by head coach Bill Belichick, with a powerful and relentless running game. It’s an offense that doesn’t ask much of Jones, allowing him to thrive. He completed 22 of 26 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown and an interception to start. The 23-year-old even tackled Falcons corner AJ Terrell, who was billed ahead of the game as one of the most successful defensive backs of the season. While landing a pick on a poor throw from Jones, Terrell was targeted six times in primary cover allowing five receptions and a touchdown.

The rookie was effective leading New England to their fifth road win of five Foxborough starts, joining Dak Prescott and Ben Roethlisberger as the only rookie quarterbacks to win each of their first five road starts. Jones behaves with a poise and calm that veterans would dream of, and it works perfectly in this New England system.

The Falcons tried to cope with the Pats’ much-loved defense with screens and short passes, but the warmth Belichick brought in meant the Pats failed to launch the offense. The Pats almost begged Atlanta to try the ball deep, and the ineffective running play gave the New England defense total control. The Patriots had four sacks and four interceptions in a strong midweek performance.

With Jones at the helm, it looks like the Pats have regained their mojo.

Texans stun Titans in pick of Week 11 Upsets

The NFL is proving to be a nightmare for oddsmakers in Las Vegas, although bookies really should know better. Given how incredibly random this season has been, it makes perfect sense that the Houston Texans 1-8 traveled to Nashville and beat the Tennessee Titans 8-2 22-13.

Clearly, the Texans and their worst NFL record beat the AFC’s number one seed on the road, as quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw just 107 yards while staying with a pair. brave touchdown passes. He made sure the Texans never controlled the debates and instinctively used his legs to secure the first pivot stockings with his legs. Taylor didn’t really light up the stats sheet, but he did make some crucial plays at pivotal moments.

If Taylor didn’t light up the box score, Ryan Tannehill made sure he was in the dark. The 33-year-old suffered the worst performance of his career on Sunday, with throws for 323 yards and one touchdown, while giving the Texans’ terrible defense four interceptions. Tannehill was also flagged for an intentional stranding late in the first half, putting Tennessee out of its scoring position. More than anything, this performance highlighted Derrick Henry’s impact on this Titans offense. When the king struck the injured reserve, Tennessee’s offensive ideals followed him.

Perhaps more concerning for Tennessee is Tannehill’s failure to connect on the deep ball. On passes from more than 10 aerial sites, the former Dolphins signalman threw four touchdowns for seven interceptions. The addition of Julio Jones – an older, injury-prone version of the wideout superstar – to a body of receivers including AJ Brown can’t mask such glaring shortcomings, especially without Henry to lean on.

The 2021 NFL regular season has been a roller coaster so far. Perhaps the Texans’ victory was not as extraordinary as it seemed. It’s the ordinary season, after all.