Below is a quick recap for some of the players who played Monday October 15.
Enigma is the best word to describe the players and teams who played last night. I picked Denver to win last night because Manning is far better than Rivers and Manning’s offensive weapons are three times as good as Rivers’. However, at half time I thought my call was one of the worst ones I’ve made all season. Denver stormed back in the 2nd half scoring 35 unanswered points.
Peyton Manning: With his plethora of weapons and an extremely high football IQ, he is still a top 8 quarterback. The 2nd quarter INT was not his fault as the wide receiver ran the wrong route.
Broncos Defense: They did not play as badly as the score would indicate. Seven points came on a pick 6 and they had bad field position which came from bad special teams plays, specifically a muffed punt and kick off. That said, the defense is not very good and is a matchups play.
Antonio Gates: He was slow out of his breaks and had trouble getting separation on a consistent basis. The reason why his numbers were so good is he is the best receiving option on the team. Days like Monday will happen one or two more times this year, giving the impression he is a viable fantasy option. Do not be fooled. Sell high right now.
Philip Rivers: One of the biggest enigmas this season. I cannot believe how much he has fallen off. Two years ago he was mentioned in the same class as Brady, Rodgers, Manning(s), and Brees in terms of real life quarterbacks. I gave Rivers a mulligan last year; maybe he was hurt, maybe the lack of a running game put him in bad situations, maybe the offensive line didn’t give him enough time? I don’t know why he is playing so poorly. Moving forward he’s a matchup play and/or bye week fillin. If he’s your #1 quarterback you should start looking for new options.
