My favorite players the week were…

Offense

Jauan Jennings 49ers wide receiver

The Rams 49ers game was a great watch, but there was a walking wounded aspect of it with so many key players on both sides injured.  The Rams came back & kicked a field goal to win after Ronnie Bell dropped a nice pass that would have given the 49ers a first down & iced the game.

Jennings did his best to fill the void left with Deebo Samuel injured.  He caught v11 passes (the most by a 49er in a game since Jerry Rice in 1995) for 175 yards & 3 touchdowns. He was clutch & looked borderline unstoppable.

Andy Dalton Panthers quarterback

Do you think that there is some buyer’s remorse in Carolina over drafting Bryce Young #1 last year?  They already had to be comparing Young to #2 pick CJ Stroud, who looks like a top 10 quarterback already.  This week they benched Young & started Andy Dalton.  Dalton was a 3-time Pro Bowler with the Bengals where he played from 2011-2019, but the Panthers are his 4^th team in 4 years & he is approaching journeyman status.

In his 1^st start of the year, working with the same basic offensive lineup as Young, Dalton completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards & 3 touchdowns with a 123.6 passer rating.  The Panthers beat the Raiders 36 to 22 for their first victory of the year.  This was actually the first 300 yard + 3 passing touchdown game by a quarterback this year!  Brock Purdy would have joined him if Bell had caught that pass.

Josh Allen Bills quarterback

Allen was dominant on Monday night.  Some might put an asterisk next to his performance since it was against the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars, but it was still impressive.  He passed for 263 yards (23 for 30) with 4 touchdowns for a 142.1 passer rating.  He also led all Bills rushers with 6 runs for 44 yards, a 7.3-yard per carry average.  

Saquon Barkley Eagles running back

Barkley rushed for 147 yards on only 17 carries for an 8.6 yard per carry average with 2 touchdowns, both in the 4^th quarter to help lead the Eagles to the 15-12 win

Jayden Daniels Commanders quarterback

Daniels set the rookie pass completion percentage record of 91.3% for a single game with his 21 of 23 performance for 254 yards, 2 touchdowns & a 141.7 rating.  On top of that, he ran for 39 yards & a touchdown in the Commanders’ 38-33 win over the Bengals.  It looks like we might have another year where the first drafted quarterback doesn’t have the best rookie year

Defense

Jaylon Jones Colts cornerback

Jones helped to make Daniels look like the best rookie quarterback by picking off Caleb Williams twice. One of them was a one handed interception with the ball behind him.  He also has 5 tackles with 1 tackle for loss.  He was a key factor in the 21-16 win over the Bears.

Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings

Greenard was key to the Vikings’ stingy defense in their 34-7 victory against Houston, registering four tackles and three sacks on the day. He also drew a holding penalty on his first play from scrimmage as he overpowered the rookie lineman asked to stop him 1 on 1. It was a big performance against his former team.

Riley Moss Broncos cornerback

Moss was PFF’s highest graded cornerback for week 3 with a 91.3 grade.  Moss & Patrick Surtain II played primarily  1 on 1 coverage, which allowed the Broncos to dial up repeated blitzes, leading to 7 sacks.

Special teams

Brandon Aubrey Cowboys kicker

Aubrey gets my nod despite the Cowboys losing the game.  He made a 65-yard field goal in the first quarter against the Ravens.  That’s the second longest field goal of all time, 1 yard short of Justin Tucker’s record.  It is of course the record for the Cowboys.

My favorite wine of the week is…

Pacher Hof Sylvaner 2018 $25 Alto Adige Valle Isarco       

100% Sylvaner

I almost always think of Germany when I see a Sylvaner, but this is from the Alto Adige Valle Isarco DOC in Northern Italy.  Wine from the region can also be labeled as Südtirol Eisacktaler because of the large number of German speakers in an area that has passed back & forth between German & Italian control over the years.  It is a cool climate region with almost exclusively white varietals adapted for cool weather including Gewürztraminer & Riesling.  

The wine has the classic lime & mineral notes of quality Sylvaner.  It has a crisp, clean, long finish with tart notes & lime pitch.  It has high acid…maybe not Riesling high, but it gets your attention!  It is tingling & refreshing.  It also has a hint of smoke & tiny petrol note.  Sylvaner might not be the most familiar grape to everyone.  I would say that this example is pretty classic & it falls somewhere in the ballpark of a dry Riesling or a Hunter Valley Semillon.

This would be a tough wine for me in a blind tasting because it doesn’t have the herbal or volatile acidity notes that might point to an Italian origin.  It does have some phenolic grip to it, but that’s more of a Sylvaner thing in this case than an overtly Italian aspect.

This is a refreshing wine that is great on a hot day by itself but would also be good with grilled chicken or lightly spiced pork.