My favorite players the week were…

Offense

Kirk Cousins Falcons quarterback

Cousins set a Falcons single game record with 509 passing yards! He had 4 touchdowns & 1 interception.  His final pass of the night was a 45-yard touchdown to KhaDarel Hodge to win the game in overtime.

Lamar Jackson Ravens quarterback

Jackson accounted for more than 400 yards in a thrilling game against the Bengals.  He was 26 of 42 passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns. He added 55 yards on 12 carries.

JaMarr Chase Bengals wide receiver

Despite losing to the Ravens, the Cincinnati offense was clicking & Chase was a huge part of the effort.  He caught 10 passes for 193 yards & 2 touchdowns.

Trevor Lawrence Jaguars quarterback

I wasn’t expecting this.  Lawrence completed 28 of 34 passes for 371 yards with 2 touchdowns & an interception.  Admittedly, it was against the worst defense in the NFL.  The Colts are allowing 419.2 yards per game in offense & are 29^th in passing defense at 262.2 yards per game.  Still it was a step forward for Lawrence.

Defense

Dylan Horton Texans Defensive End

Horton played 15 snaps, 21% of the defensive playing time and recorded one tackle.  He makes my list though because this was his first game back since being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes, on Dec. 1^st of last year when he was a rookie.  He’s in remission & looked fast on the field chasing Josh Allen.

Xavier McKinney Packers

McKinney is having an incredible year & this week was no exception.  He has had an interception in every game this year including a pick of Matthew Stafford this week.  No one had ever had an interception in 5 straight games to start a season since the 1970 NFL merger.  He also recovered a fumble & returned it 7 yards.  I doubt he can continue this streak indefinitely, but the longer he can, the more he becomes a defensive player of the year candidate.

T.J. Watt Steelers linebacker

Speaking of defensive player of the year candidates, Watt had 1.5 sacks, which brings his total to 4.5 for the year.  He also had 8 tackles with one for a loss & was constantly disruptive.

Andrew Van Ginkel Vikings linebacker

Van Ginkel picked off Aaron Rodgers & ran it back for a 63-yard touchdown.  He is the first player in NFL with at least 3 sacks & more than 1 pick 6 in the first 5 weeks of a season.

Patrick Surtain

The Broncos got off to a slow start falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter.  After a Will Lutz field goal got the score to 10-3, Surtain picked off Gardner Minshew at the goal line on first & goal.  He ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.  Minshew was benched after another interception & Aiden O’Connell came in.  Surtain picked him off as well to set up another score.

Special teams

Ka’imi Fairbairn

During the 3^rd & 4^th quarter the announcers kept talking about Josh Allen turning into Superman.  I didn’t see it.  I feel like Superman could complete more than 9 of 30 passes.  The guy who is looking like a superhero recently is Ka’imi Fairbairn.  His 59-yard field goal as time expired won the game. He was 3 for 3 on field goals & made both of his extra point attempts.  He has made 8 kicks longer than 50 yards this year & that’s just 3 short of the record for a season! This is the second time he has made my list this season.  I’m sure that excites him.

Isaiah Simmons Giants safety & Bryce Ford-Wheaton Giants wide receiver

It is often hyperbole when you say a player won the game or that one play changed the game, but Simmons definitely changed the game on one play against the Seahawks.  With just over a minute remaining in the game, the Seahawks attempted a field goal to tie the game.  Simmons, who was just added to the kick block team last week, blocked the kick.   Bryce Ford-Wheaton recovered it &  returned it 60 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

My favorite wine of the week is…

Chateau Clinet 2020 Bordeaux Pomerol, Bordeaux, France

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon $120 15% ABV

80% new French oak aging in barrels.

Classic Pomerol te4nds to be Melot dominant with Cabernet Franc as the supportive herbal note.  For Client, Merlot is dominant with Cabernet providing structure & some of the pyrazine/herbal notes of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine showed soft ripe fruit, with a core of red fruit with a ripe chocolate note pointing to Merlot as the primary grape.  It had medium drying tannins that are almost silky.

The wine shows complex flavors of red fruit, chocolate, black fruit, cassis, rose petals, herbs, vanilla, & tobacco.

The 15% alcohol is the highest ever for Client, but it tastes balanced due to the ripe fruit & the high/tart acidity. This wine is drinking well now but should improve over the next 5 years.  Depending on how you like Bordeaux, it might be interesting for the next 20 year