Undefeated teams find a way to win
Kirk Cousins to Robert Alford.
Walk-off pick six in overtime…FOR THE WIN! #WASvsATL http://t.co/aN5UdvEvnC— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2015
Whether it was the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons or Cincinnati Bengals, three of the four remaining undefeated teams that played on Sunday found a way to win despite less-than-stellar overall performances.
Aaron Rodgers threw his first interception at home in nearly 600 pass attempts. He also lost a fumble in a 24-10 win over the St. Louis Rams. It’s the second consecutive game that Green Bay’s offense has struggled (scored 17 against San Francisco in Week 4). It’s also the second consecutive game that its defense has stepped up big time, allowing a total of 13 points during that span.
At 5-0 on the season, we know the Packers offense will be fine. Forcing four Nick Foles interceptions in another good performance from Dom Capers unit, it’s the defense that is on the verge of making this the most well-rounded team in the NFL.
Atlanta struggled big time on offense, scoring a total of three first half points against the Washington Redskins on Sunday. In fact, the Falcons didn’t score a touchdown until less than eight minutes remained in regulation.
However, the team’s defensive picked it up big time in this one. After scoring two defensive touchdowns last week against the Houston Texans, it won in walk-off fashion after Robert Alford picked off a Kirk Cousins pass and returned it 59 yards for a game-ending score.
In Cincinnati, it looked like the Seattle Seahawks were primed to hand the Bengals their first loss of the season. Scoring twice in less than two minutes early in the third quarter, the two-time defending NFC champions took a three-score lead into the final stanza. Instead of buckling under the pressure, Cincinnati picked up its game big time — earning a hard fought 27-24 win.
While Andy Dalton did his thing (331 yards) on offense, the Bengals defense stiffened up when it needed to the most. Seattle tallied a total of 39 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson was sacked four times and hit a total of 10 times in the game. With both sides of the ball taking over, Cincinnati found a way for the third 5-0 start in franchise history.