Welcome back! We are already over 1/4 of the way through the 2018 NFL season and it's getting more excited week after week. This past weekend began with a clean rookie QB sweep and was capped with a historic Monday night. As always, this article aims to recap last weeks action and highlight what was impressive and what has left us with some questions. We live by 1 rule in these articles: NO MERCY. There is absolutely nothing left back as we highlight those teams/players that left us with some good impressions and those that left us with some questions. Please take a read and let me know your comments on this weekends NFL action. Enjoy!
It would be wrong to start anywhere else. Drew Brees has long been known as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and this past Monday night set in stone his legacy as one of the greatest of all time. Drew Brees entered Monday nights game against the Washington Redskins needing 201 passing yards to break Peyton Manning's record of 71,940 career passing yards. Everyone knew. The announcers, fans, players, coaches, family, even the NFL Commissioner was ready to see it happen. Just no one expected it to happen so quickly. As the end of the half quickly approached, Brees need only a few more yards to break the record. His wife and children were escorted down to the sideline as everyone was expecting it to happen. And in the most dramatic fashion, with everyone on the edge of their seat, Brees hit New Orleans receiver Tre'Quon Smith deep down the field for a 62-yard touchdown. The stadium went crazy, the announcers were blown away, and players began celebrating. The officials even allowed play to stop for a brief moment to recognize what is likely the greatest feat for an NFL QB. Brees continued the impressive night finishing 26/29 for 363 yards and 3 TDs. He now has 499 TDs for his career, 4th most in NFL history (1 behind Tom Brady). A record he undoubtably will challenge.
Stats and records aside, I think the most impressive moment from Brees on Monday night came after he broke the record and walked to sideline to greet and celebrate with his family. With his wife standing by, Brees crouched down to hug and kiss his sons and in what I can only describe as one of the most remarkable moments in sports, Brees said to his sons:
"I love you guys so much. You can accomplish anything in life you if your willing to work for it."
Drew Brees left Monday night's game against the Washington Redskins as the NFL leader in career passing yards with 72,103 yards and he isn't done yet. Who knows how far he will extend the record but if there is one thing to remember from Brees, you can accomplish anything you are willing to work for.
Adam Thielen has been nothing short of a monster receiver this season. Through 5 games, Thielen has 47 catches for 589 total receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. As impressive as that is, thats not what has set him apart from others this season. With over 100 yards receiving in Week 5, Thielen became the first player in modern history to began a season with five straight 100 yard games. Quite impressive for a guy that was passed on by every team in the 2014 draft to only become an undrafted free agent pickup by the Minnesota Vikings. Adam Thielen has looked unstoppable this year and with Kirk Cousins at the helm, I don't see him slowing down anytime soon.
The reigning super bowl champs don't look like a team that just won the big game. Coming off a 23-21 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings this past weekend, the Eagles sit at 2-3, good for 3rd in the NFC East. Even with the return of Carson Wentz, their offense isn't in sync right now and they are quickly falling behind in one of the perceived weaker divisions in the NFC. The Eagles offense currently ranks 19th in passing yards, 16th in rushing yards, and 25th in points for (source). Worst of all, their star running back, Jay Ajayi, went down with a torn ACL injury during Sunday's loss. That leaves their backfield decimated and looking for answers. So much so, rumors are now surfacing that the Eagles have reached out to the Buffalo Bills regarding a trade for former Eagle running back LeSean McCoy (source). Questions remain for the Eagles going forward and although the panic button might not be in play just yet, time is quickly running out in the NFC East.
I typically don't place the players team next to his name in these recap articles, but in case you forgot, Doug Baldwin does still play wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. He entered 2018 with lingering affects from his knee injury and if you head back to some of my preseason articles, I was way down on Baldwin for the 2018 season. You can admire a player playing through injury but I don't suggest trusting them in fantasy. Regardless, Baldwin has been back in the Seahawks lineup for a couple of weeks now but has basically been a ghost on the field. Take this past weekend for example where Baldwin played nearly 90% of the offensive snaps (53/60) but saw 1 total target which he turned into 1 reception for 1 yard. I mean come on. A #1 receiver with a very good quarterback and thats all the involvement you get in the passing game? Just not good right now and moving forward I will be avoiding the Seahawks offense until I see some sort of consistency. Question remain not only for Baldwin but for their backfield which seems to be rotating backs on a weekly basis (but that frustratingly doesn't include Penny who they took in the 1st round of 2018's draft).
Thanks for checking out the article. I hope you enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts on Week 5 of the NFL season in the comments below and lets get ready for Week 6!
