My favorite players of the week were…

Offense

Jayden Daniels Commanders quarterback

Daniels was electric again this week.  He completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards with 2 touchdowns.  He also ran for 51 yards to bring his total for the day to 350 yards of offense.

Saquan Barkeley Eagles running back

Barkeley set the franchise playoff record for rushing yards in a playoff game with 26 for 205 yards.  He had 2 touchdown runs of over 60 yards each.   He also added 27 yards on 4 catches.  It’s worth remembering again that the Giants paid Daniel Jones & let Barkeley walk.

Travis Kelce, Chiefs tight end

Kelce had 7 catches on 8 targets for 117 yards & a touchdown.  He set a record with his 9th career 100 yard passing game in the playoffs.  Kelce might not be able to perform as well on a weekly basis as he did a couple of years ago, but he shows up for the playoffs.  His last game with over 101 yards was against the Ravens in the 2023 AFC Championship game.  He made up for the lack of results by the Chiefs receiving core outside of Xavier Worthy’s who had 45 yards.  Kareem Hunt, DeAndre Hopkins, Samaje Perine, Juju Smith-Schuster, Hollywood Brown, & Isial Pacheco combined for 1 catch for 2 yards.

Matthew Stafford, Rams quarterback

Stafford kept the Rams in the game.  He completed 26 of 43 passes for 324 yards with 2 touchdowns to Tyler Higbie.  He didn’t throw an interception, but he did lose a fumble.  He was sacked 5 times but moved well in the pocket & only lost 44 yards on those sacks.  He now has 15 touchdowns for the Rams in the playoffs, which ties him with Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for most in franchise history.

Defense

Jalen Carter, Eagles defensive tackle

Carter had 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, & a pass defensed. He had seven total pressures on 50 pass-rushing snaps.

Commanders secondary

The Lions offense didn’t look that bad.  Jahmyr Gibbs had 105 yards rushing & a 7.5 yard per attempt average.  Amon Ra St. Brown had 8 catches for 137 yards (17.1 yards per catch).  The Commanders secondary made the game altering plays.  Mike Sainristil had 2 interceptions, Quan Martin had one, & so did Jeremy Chinn.  That & a lost fumble by Goff made the difference in the game. 

Special teams

Nikko Remigio Chiefs receiver

Remigio had a 63 yard kickoff return that frustrated the Texans so much that defensive back Kris Boyd shoved special teams coach Frank Ross on the sidelines.  That return led to a field goal by the Chiefs.

Tyler Bass, Bills kicker

Bass hit both of his field goals with the longest at 51 yards, which was the longest field goal of the weekend.  He also made his 3 point after attempts.

My favorite wine of the week is…

CVNE Monopole Clásico 2020 Rioja $30

Viura & Palomino 13.5% ABV

CVNE was established by 2 brothers in 1879. The initials stand for Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España (The Northern Spanish Wine Company) or la Cuné.  CVNE Monopole is Spain’s oldest white wine brand. It has been produced since 1915. Monopole Clásico is a throwback to how the wine was produced in the 1970’s.  The owners opened a bottle of Monopole Clásico in the early 2010’s & decided to try to make something like it with the same aging potential.

The Viura grapes are hand harvested in 20kg boxes (about 44 pounds). After a gentle pressing, the juice goes into concrete tanks to allow the gross lees to fall to the bottom.  The clean juice is then transferred into stainless steel tanks for fermentation.  After fermentation to dryness, the wine is aged in older barrels that range from 300-500 liters (79-132 gallons).  To this point, this is not unusual for a high-quality Rioja Blanco, but then things get interesting.  A small portion of Manzanilla Sherry is added to the blend at this time. The wine is left to settle in the barrels and casks of varying capacities for around 8 months, during which periodic tastings are carried out.  It uses Manzanilla Sherry purchased from Bodegas Hidalgo, located in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.  The Manzanilla raises the alcohol a bit (but at 13.5% it is not heavy).  It also gives it the classic flavors associated with Fino or Manzanilla Sherry made from biologically aged Palomino wine.  There is a slight acetone odor, tangy salinity, & a mouthfeel that has less glycerol than expected.  The Manzanilla has aged under a yeast film called a flor.  The flor strips glycerol from the wine & protects it from oxidation as it ages.

After 8 months in barrel, this is a complex wine that has long term aging potential.  It has an intense Manzanilla aroma & taste with salinity & nutty notes.  It has high, crisp acidity & a long finish that shows floral notes, salinity, green apple, mineral…almost sea shell notes, & lemon.  It’s a wine to pair with seafood. Just thinking about it makes me want some paella!