Prolific Titans highlight odd week
After disruptions, Steelers continue to rule Browns
It was not the day many people expected. The Denver Broncos, the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears all pulled off upsets on the road. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made easy work of the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles gave the Baltimore Ravens a scare, and the Cleveland Browns went from looking like an offensive juggernaut in Weeks 2 through 5 to being absolutely humiliated by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But when you consider that several NFL teams dealt with closed practice facilities because of positive coronavirus tests, the fact that the games were even played was nearly as surprising as the results on the field. Here’s what we learned:
It doesn’t matter if Derrick Henry is the chicken or the egg. Has quarterback Ryan Tan
nehill’s efficiency in the passing game prevented teams from stacking the box, allowing Henry to reach his true potential? Or has playing with Henry made life easy for Tannehill, who had been a disappointment for Miami? Whatever it is, it’s working.
The numbers in Sunday’s overtime win over Houston were eye-popping even by Tennessee’s high standards. Tannehill passed f or 364 yards and four touchdowns, which were almost an afterthought since Henry’s 264 total yards from scrimmage included a 94-yard touchdown run, a
53-yard reception in overtime and a 5-yard gamewinning touchdown in which he got the ball on a direct snap with Tannehill split out as a decoy receiver.
Pittsburgh-Cleveland is a rivalry in hate only.
The teams have often had a chippy past, but that has not made for competitive games. Playing the Browns seemed to bring the best out of the Steelers, with Pittsburgh winning 38-7 to improve to 5-0. Just about everything was clicking for the Steelers, who got a pick-six from safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and big offensive games from running back James Conner and rookie receiver Chase Claypool. In doing so, the Steelers improved their record against the Browns to 36-7-1 since that team’s resurrection in Cleveland in 1999.
Joe Burrow is the NFL’s future, but Philip Rivers can still sling it. Burrow was the first overall pick in this year’s draft, and he’s had an impressive start — regardless of his win-loss record. Sunday, he looked like he might be taking the next step as he got his team off to a 21-0 lead against the Indianapolis Colts. But there’s a reason the Colts wanted Rivers, and the 17year veteran showed why. He stayed cool, outscoring Cincinnati by 31-6 the rest of the way while throwing for 371 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bears are probably a playoff team. It has not always been pretty. In fact, it has been mostly not pretty. But Chicago held off a Carolina comeback Sunday to improve to 3-0 on the road and 5-1 overall. In the past 10 seasons, only five teams have started 5-1 and failed to make the playoffs — though that list includes the 2012 Bears.