My favorite players the week were…

Offense

Taysom Hill Saints offensive weapon

Hill used to be listed as a quarterback & now he is listed as a tight end.  Realistically, he’s a versatile weapon at almost any spot on offense.  Against the Browns he took snaps at quarterback, lined up as a running back, & lined up as a receiver in-line, in the slot, & on the edge.  He ran the ball 7 times for 138 yards & 3 touchdowns including a 75-yard run. That was the second most rush yards for week 11.  That 19.7-yard average combined with the touchdowns would give him a spot on the list, but that wasn’t all he did.  He had 8 receptions for 50 additional yards.  He threw 2 passes, completing 1 for 18 yards (with the other pass intercepted).  He had a 42-yard kick return & was an effective blocker.  The announcers were joking about putting him in on defense.  I don’t think I would have been surprised to see it.

Jared Goff Lions quarterback

It was a great bounce back day for Goff after last week’s 5 interception game.  He had season bests in passing yards (412) touchdowns with 4 along with a perftet158.3 passer rating.  It was against the hapless Jaguars, but it was still impressive, especially since he was on the sidelines with a cap on for most of the 4^th quarter while Hendon Hooker played mop up.

Amon-Ra St. Brown Lions wide receiver

11 of Goff’s passes went to St. Brown.  He led the league in passing yards in week 11 with 161.  He also reached the end zone twice.

Bo Nix Broncos quarterback

Nix has improved by leaps & bounds this season.  His performance last Sunday was his best so far.  He 28 of 33 passes (almost an 85% completion rate), for 307 yards & 4 touchdowns with no interceptions.  Nix is firmly in the mix for Offensive Rookie of the Year.  That didn’t seem likely back in September when he only threw for 60 yards in a game against the Jets.

The Chargers offensive line

The Bengals desperately needed a win to preserve any playoff hopes.  They came back from 21 points down to tie it int the 4^th quarter.  The Bengals pass rush just couldn’t get it done against the Chargers line though.  On the final drive of the night Justin Herbert connected on 2 long passes.  He had 4 completions in the game that traveled over 20 yards in the air.  That indicates that he had time in the pocket.  For the game, the Bengals recorded just 6 pressures & 1 sack on Herbert.  I can’t really say one lineman made the difference, so I’m going with the entire line (along with help from tight ends & running backs).

Defense

Terrel Bernard Bills linebacker

Bernard had 8 tackles, a sack, & an interception against the Chiefs.  He played his best  when it counted most.  The sack came on 3^rd down & forced a punt.  The interception essentially closed out the game. 

Kamren Kinchens Rams safety

Kinchens was another player who made key plays in key moments.  He has 8 tackles, forced a fumble, & had an interception that killed the Patriots chances on their final drive.  Apparently there was miscommunication between Drake Maye & Pop Douglas on the play, but whatever happened, Kinchens made the catch/interception & ended the game.

Quinyon Mitchell Eagles cornerback

One big question for the Commanders after the game was “what happened to Terry McLaurin?”  It looks like Mitchell happened.  He primarily covered McLaurin.  For the game, Mitchell allowed 0 catches on only 1 target when he was in coverage (32 snaps).  According to Next Gen Stats, Mitchell is allowing 0.9 yards per snap in coverage this year.  That’s great for anyone, but particularly for a rookie.  McLaurin finished with only 1 catch for 10 yards.

Special teams

Chris Boswell Steelers kicker

The Steelers only scored 18 points against the Ravens, but it was enough for the 18-16 win.  Bowell accounted for all the scoring on 6 field goals including 3 over 50 yards.

Anders Carlson Jets kicker

There haven’t been many Jets on my list the last couple of years but Carlson was a bright spot.  He had been on the Jets practice squad since November 8^th.  He is the 4^th kicker the Jets have used this year. For some reason the Jets had their primary kicker, Spencer Shrader, on their practice squad as well & were elevating him for games.  The Chiefs signed Shrader to their roster the Thursday before the game, which made Carlson the sole survivor.  The Jets signed him to the 53-man roster & he hit both kicks he attempted including a 58 yarder.

Karl Brooks Packers defensive tackle

Brooks made a game winning & controversial field goal block on the final play of the game to preserve a win for the Packers over the Bears.

My favorite wine of the week is…

Gaja Barbaresco 2016 Barbaresco, Italy $275

100% Nebbiolo 14% ABV

Barbaresco & Barolo in the Piemonte (or Piedmont) region of Northwest Italy are undisputedly the best growing regions for Nebbiolo in the world.  Gaja, founded in 1859, is one of the best producers in the region.

Angelo Gaja was the first to produce single vineyard wines in Piedmont and revolutionized wine making practices in the region in several ways including the use of French barriques for aging.

Gaja makes several different Barbarescos at different price points.  This is the basic version & the least expensive.  Whole Nebbiolo grapes were fermented, some in stainless steel with 3 weeks maceration on skins & some in neutral oak barrels where maceration was extended to 2 months.  After fermentation, the wine was racked into French oak barrels, with 15-20% in new oak for 1 year.  After that year, the wine was transferred to large neutral oak casks to age another year prior to bottling.

The best Gaja wines combine supple texture with power.  This was no exception. As expected with pure Nebbiolo, it is a pale-colored wine.  It has an intense perfume & spice aroma that almost immediately lets you know this is Nebbiolo.  On the palate, it had big tannins that seemed a bit rough at first despite 8 years of age.  As the wine sat in the glass, the tannins seemed to resolve a bit & the flavors came to the front.  It showed red fruit with some red & black cherry, strawberry, & raspberry.  What really stands out are the non-fruit elements with spice, floral notes, some licorice, tobacco, & herbal notes along with the slight woody spice notes form the new oak.  It had a long finish that really showed the complexity of the wine.

While the wine is drinking very nicely now, it has potential to improve.  It was much better 2 hours after opening.  I expect that it would be excellent anytime over the next 10 years & for people who like their wines to show more aged notes, it could probably hold for up to 20 more years.

While there are some delicate & subtle notes to this wine, it is still a big & powerful wine with tart acidity & huge tannins.  As such, it’s a great wine to pair with a grilled steak or with Osso Bucco.