I got home from London maybe half an hour before the early games kicked off, and after setting my lineups, I realized a couple things: (1) I had left Andrew Luck in on one dead-in-the-water team Thursday even though I had FAABed Carson Wentz; and (2) I hadn't yet fixed the Apple TV/IPad remote issue that came up on Thursday morning before we left. The first was bad only because it was the NFFC, and I'd hate to swing a win in someone's favor who didn't deserve it. Thankfully, that didn't happen as the team with Luck lost by 100.
The second issue cut into my focus during the first half of the early games. Two months ago, Heather claimed she lost the Apple TV remote in the couch in Berlin, and despite hours of searching, neither of us could find it. So we figured out how to use the IPad as the remote, only it wasn't working Thursday morning while we were packing for London and wanted to install Sasha in front of the TV. For some reason "home sharing" on the IPad, a necessary step, was "currently unavailable" and as that was still the case on Sunday evening, I inferred by "currently" they meant "permanently."
After going through a bunch of other steps with ITunes on our various devices, I still couldn't get it to work, so I was half watching on my new laptop and also on the crappy desktop monitor while discovering the NFL package only lets you stream from one PC at a time, even though it allows you to use Apple TV and a PC simultaneously. Anyway, after wasting an hour or so trying every permutation of things that might have contributed to the IPad remote working two months ago, I googled the issue for the third time and came upon the solution: I had recently enabled two-factor authentication for my Apple account after my laptop was stolen last month, and for God knows what reason that prevents the IPad from homesharing. The problem is so rarely what you'd think.
(Church behind the house where we stayed. Above, nearby street in Holland Park.)
• Ben McAdoo was at it again - sitting on an eight-point lead for the first 19 minutes of the second half before Jason Pierre-Paul's fumble return TD. It was only after the Browns scored a subsequent TD that McAdoo briefly opened it up to go up 14 again. Don't assume he's learned his lesson because I can assure you he has not.
• After seeing Odell Beckham return a punt for a TD, only to have it called back on a penalty that didn't affect the play, I tweeted that Beckham was a slightly bigger and faster Antonio Brown. Some took exception, arguing Brown is the better player, but Beckham has slightly more yards per target over the last three years, the same number of TDs in five fewer games and plays with an inferior QB and a worse and more conservative coach/offensive coordinator. Brown is great, but Beckham is the better talent.
• The brainwashed announcers (can't remember who they were) kept saying things like: "I know there's some off-the-field stuff, but this guy is a player" about Beckham. Or "I'd still take this guy on my team." Those aren't exact quotes, but it was that level of preposterous, pretending-to-be-contrarian-while-stating-the-obvious idiocy. Anyone with even a passing interest in the NFL knows Beckham is a superstar.
• If you prorate Jason Pierre-Paul's three sacks over a full hand, he'd have had five. Seriously, though he's had 5.5 sacks the last two games and has been a disruptive force on the level of Khalil Mack and Von Miller of late.
• Victor Cruz has had only one catch in each of the last three games, and it's gone from between 37 and 48 yards.
• I was hoping for more from Gary Barnidge, but Josh McCown kept looking for his Seth DeValve. (I know, but realize some artists are only appreciated posthumously.)
• Terrelle Pryor and Colin Kaepernick are one-upping each other in the "I can produce with replacement value teammates" competition.
• Larry Fitzgerald is still useful, but there's really only one player on the Cardinals. David Johnson had more rushing yards than anyone else had receiving, and more receiving yards than he had rushing. He also scored another TD for good measure.
• Devonta Freeman lost a goal-line TD to Tevin Coleman, but otherwise was not affected by Coleman's return. Despite averaging only 3.8 YPC, Freeman got a ton of extra yardage with sharp jump cuts and broken tackles and scored twice himself. Coleman went just 8-for-9.
• Julio Jones' volatile season continues. He now has four games with 35 yards or fewer and and six of 100-yards or more. Put differently, he has only one game (Week 1) where he had more than 35, but less than 100.
• I guess LeSean McCoy's thumb and hamstring are okay. He's back to being a top-10 overall player.
• Sammy Watkins seemed to have gotten through the game in decent shape too. It's nice he has one more prove-it game before the fantasy playoffs start. Tyrod Taylor suddenly has some upside too (Raiders, Steelers, Browns, Dolphins) the next four weeks.
• Blake Bortles salvaged an awful passing day with 81 rushing yards. His receivers were not so lucky.
• Matt Barkley played surprisingly well considering how many passes (a few of which were of the game-winning variety in the end zone) his receivers dropped.
• Derrick Henry outproduced DeMarco Murray for once, but Murray still had five catches and 84 yards from scrimmage. The bye week should help Murray's toe heal.
• Jordan Howard is the NFC's Spencer Ware - consistently productive, surprisingly efficient as a receiver and underused at times.
• Kaepernick had a huge day with 296 yards passing, three TDs and 113 rushing yards. But if he gets into the end zone on that last play, he adds a rushing TD and sets up a potential all-time day with an extra quarter.
• Carlos Hyde had another good game with 65 yards on the ground and five catches for 30 more and a TD.
• Ryan Tannehill played arguably his best game of the year with 9.5 YPA, three TDs, no picks, only two sacks and 34 yards rushing.
• Devante Parker got hurt, but Jarvis Landry still managed only seven targets and four catches for 47 yards. Adam Gase knows what he's doing.
• Jay Ajayi struggled against the 49ers suddenly not horrendous run defense.
• Jared Goff looked good in the first half, but otherwise did next to nothing. Todd Gurley simply can't get going on this team.
• Mark Ingram is so much better than Tim Hightower it's laughable Sean Payton benched Ingram for two uncharacteristic fumbles earlier this year.
• Michael Thomas (who fumbled twice and caused an interception two weeks ago against the Broncos) is still the team's No. 1 WR. Brandin Cooks, for some odd reason, didn't receive a target.
• Josh Hill seems to have supplanted Coby Fleener as the team's primary TE, though Fleener went 4-for-59 in limited snaps.
• Drew Brees at home is arguably the most automatic source of production in all of sports.
• Jeremy Hill couldn't get going on the ground, but went 6-for-61 as a receiver in Gio Bernard's (permanent) absence.
• In A.J. Green's absence, Tyler Eifert saw 11 targets, Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd, nine each.
• Kenneth Dixon and Terrance West had nearly identical stat lines on the ground, but Dixon went 4-for-31, West 3-for-16 as a receiver.
• With 14 targets, Tyrell Williams was the Chargers clear No. 1 WR Sunday, but left the game with a shoulder injury. Antonio Gates didn't see a single target, Travis Benjamin saw only one and Hunter Henry only three. Dontrelle Inman, who went 6-6-119-1, would obviously be worth a look if Williams misses time.
• The Texans are an offensive wasteland. DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar Miller toil for what they can.
• The Buccaneers defense dominated Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense all game. Thomas Rawls did nothing, and no receiver caught a pass longer than 21 yards.
• Jameis Winston played well, given the opponent, and Mike Evans got his with an 11-8-104-2 line.
• Cam Newton did nothing most of the game, but had a 75-yard TD to Ted Ginn and a 44-yarder to Kelvin Benjamin who made a great, juggling catch.
• After starting the year with six straight games of 64 yards or more, Greg Olsen now has five straight with 52 or fewer. It's not quite Marvin Jones territory, but it's close.
• Despite a couple drops, Michael Crabtree was again Derek Carr's receiver of choice with 13 targets and 108 yards. Meanwhile Amari Cooper disappeared to the tune of 9-4-22.
• Carr dislocated his finger on a play, but returned the next series to quarterback the team to the win.
• Jonathan Stewart is getting some work near the goal line and scored twice, even though Cam Newton also had a three-yard TD. Stewart also averaged 5.6 YPC.
• Tom Brady had by far his worst game of the year with 5.7 YPA against the Jets of all teams. Familiarity not only breeds contempt, but also unusually defensive-oriented results sometimes.
• Rob Gronkowski returned to action only to suffer a back injury, providing fantasy owners with his second zero of the season. Combine that with three missed games, and an 11-yard game, and on balance he's been a bust despite the excellent stretch from Weeks 5-8.
• Malcolm Mitchell is emerging as an outside playmaker (2 TDs), but with Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman around, it's hard to see him getting consistent targets.
• Dion Lewis has apparently supplanted James White as LeGarrette Blount's change-of-pace complement, but both Lewis and White had four catches (Lewis on seven targets, White on nine.)
• Ryan Fitzpatrick played his best game of the year, and if that were to persist Brandon Marshall and Quincy Enunwa would again be relevant. It's telling that during Fitzpatrick's best and Brady's worst games, played in the Jets' home stadium, the Patriots won by five.
• Trevor Siemian actually played very well. It wasn't just the 368 yards and 10.8 YPA, but he did it in the face of pressure, scrambled for 23 yards and bought time for throws down the field.
• Emmanuel Sanders is a poor man's Antonio Brown, his former teammate.
• Tyreek Hill is a monster on punt returns, but like Dante Hall, Devin Hester and Tavon Austin before him, totally inefficient as a target from scrimmage.
• Spencer Ware runs hard and caught two more passes for 32 yards, but for God knows what reason Andy Reid so often has Charcandrick West in the game when the Chiefs are behind.
• It took three years, but Travis Kelce is now getting the targets he deserves.
• Justin Houston had 10 tackles and three sacks in his second game back. Von Miller had nine tackles, one assist and three sacks. Wonder if any two players on opposing teams ever combined for 19 solo tackles and six sacks before.
• Sunday night's contest was one of the more bizarre I've seen from the Chiefs being stopped short of the goal line to end the game, initially, only to have it overturned on review, to the Broncos attempting and missing a 62-yard FG in overtime, to Cairo Santos hitting the upright on the game-winning kick. But (and maybe I missed this) why isn't anyone talking about Andy Reid's decision to kick the PAT up five in the third quarter?