Top 5 things to know from Sunday in the NFL and notes around the league

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We just witnessed another fantastic Sunday in the NFL. Before I get to the top 5 things to know from Sunday’s games, allow me to summarize some other highlights from week eight on the schedule.

The Saints bring their streak to five straight games winning a nail-biter against those tricky Bears after starting the season (0 – 2). The Bengals kept their postseason hopes alive (3 – 4) by barely beating the Colts at home. The Jets may be out of contention at (3 – 5) but they showed the league they can play with anybody by coming within a couple of plays of beating the NFC champion Falcons (25 – 20). The Panthers defense helped their struggling offense take care of business on the road in Tampa Bay by a score of (17 – 3). As for the Bucs (2 – 5), I still don’t know why so many “experts” had them making the playoffs?! Jameis Winston is not the guy that Tampa thought would be their franchise QB when they drafted him with the first overall pick three seasons ago.

There are a few other interesting topics but I think these five takeaways from Sunday’s matchups are the top highlights from the NFL weekend.

Watson vs Wilson: What a game! Former rookie of the year Russell Wilson out-dueled DeShaun Watson who will most likely win that award this season. Not just the ROY but Watson could be the MVP of the league if he continues his remarkable play and the Texans make the playoffs. Both quarterbacks threw for over 400 yards and each had four passing touchdowns. Both QB’s went back and forth getting their teams in the end zone in a game you couldn’t take your eyes off. The difference and deciding factor were that Watson threw three interceptions to Wilson’s one. The former Super Bowl champ hit Jimmy Graham in the end zone with 21 seconds left on the clock and won the game (41 – 38). The biggest headline of this game is that rookie QB DeShaun Watson went into Seattle and lit up the scoreboard against what’s supposed to be a top-five defense in football.

Cowboys Need Ezekiel Elliott: The Dallas Cowboys need Zeek or they’re not making the postseason. The Boy’s fed the beast 33 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns in a critical division matchup against the Redskins on the road in D.C. Elliott is the catalyst for the Cowboys offense and ignites the flame for their defense. Zeek in the backfield opens up the offense for Dak Prescott and company in the passing game. If they lose him due to these never-ending court battles then Dallas is done. All due respect to Dak, Dez and Witten but Ezekiel Elliott is their best player.

Pennsylvania is King of the NFL: The Eagles (7 – 1) and Steelers (6 – 2) are the two best teams in the NFL. Philly shut down the 49ers (33 – 10) who up until last week were within 3 points of winning every game since week two. The Steelers went to Detroit in prime time football Sunday night and silenced the Lions. Matthew Stafford kept his offense moving but they stopped before reaching the end zone. The Lions kicked five field goals in the loss to Pittsburgh (20 – 15). Both teams have so many weapons on offense and a stacked defense that can sack the quarterback and cause turnovers. It could be the battle of Pennsylvania in the Super Bowl come February.

The Bills are Legit: The Bills are basically unbeatable at home. Buffalo is (4 – 0) at New Era Field and have taken down some tough teams like the Raiders this past Sunday, the Broncos and even the hard nose Jets squad. The Bills are now (5 – 2) and are looking really good. They have the best turnover ratio in the league at (+14) because they play smart, ball controlled offense to coincide with a ferocious defense that seems to make a game-changing play every week. We need to start giving Tyrod Taylor his due because he’s a gamer. He may not put up the numbers like his counterpart Derek Carr on Sunday, but the result is what counts and Taylor puts his team in position to win every single game. This is a playoff team!

The Patriots are Back: Speaking of playoffs, the only team standing in the Bills way in the AFC East are the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The Pats won again yesterday bringing their record to (6 – 2) and are on a 4-game win streak. Tom Brady is playing excellent as usual and the defense has really started to improve. New England will allow you to dink and dunk but when the opposition gets near the red zone the defense steps up and forces field goals keeping teams away from pay-dirt. If Rob Gronkowski can stay healthy throughout the season then New England has a great shot to repeat as NFL champs.