Greg Olsen, TE, Panthers
Olsen’s return from a Week 2 broken foot was much-heralded, but offered little in the way of results. He made one catch — a ten-yarder. His connection with quarterback Cam Newton looked rusty, he wasn’t terribly involved in the offense, and to make matters worse, he reaggravated the foot injury. It doesn’t appear as serious as the one that already cost him most of the season, but anyone expecting Olsen to make a triumphant return came away very disappointed.
New Orleans Saints’ offense
The Los Angeles Rams deserve a world of credit for their defensive effort on Sunday against the high-powered New Orleans offense. A group that is near the top of the league in points scored, passing yards, and rushing yards was held to a modest afternoon by their standards. They had 14 first downs and limited Drew Brees and the Saints to 223 yards passing, a substandard total for them. If nothing else, the Rams proved that it is possible to slow down the New Orleans offense.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Jets
The Jets tight end has had an excellent season, but he picked an awful time for his first drop all year. The drop came in the first quarter when he was wide open in the end zone. Seferian-Jenkins will be having nightmares about that one, especially in a game that the Jets ended up losing by one score (they settled for a field goal on that possession). Even worse was the fact that, for the second time this season, he had what looked like a touchdown catch controversially reversed on replay. In the end, he only came away with two receptions for 27 yards. He won’t be feeling good about this one.
Alex Smith, QB, Chiefs
The calls for Patrick Mahomes are only going to get louder after this one. Opposing defenses are more or less daring Smith to beat them with his arm, and he continues to not do it. Smith managed just 199 yards and did little to move the offense in a 16-10 loss. The Chiefs maintain that Smith is their starter and they have no plans to change that, but if this keeps up, they really should think about making a switch.
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers
Coming off a huge week against the Miami Dolphins, Stewart crashed back to earth hard on Sunday against the Jets. The Panthers’ offense had its share of issues, but Stewart’s inability to get a run game going was a major one. While he managed his third touchdown of the season, he put together only 26 yards despite a solid 15 carry outing. Hopes were raised for him after last week, but it seems Panthers fans should temper expectations.
Aqib Talib, CB, Broncos
Talib really can’t help himself. While he wasn’t responsible for starting his latest fracas with Michael Crabtree, he certainly finished it, and got himself ejected in the process. Talib has to walk a finer line on things like this — he’s gotten in a lot of trouble with the league before, and this latest altercation could land him a suspension. His absence from the game also allowed Derek Carr to pick apart a weakened Denver secondary on the way to a win. He has to keep his cool more effectively.
Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
If you are a big Cowboys fan, your Thanksgiving was probably frustrating. The Cowboys got blown out at home by the Chargers 28-6, allowing the game to turn into a laugher in the second half. Dak Prescott passed for just 179 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions, including a 90-yard pick-six. Prescott has now gone three straight games without a touchdown pass, and he’s failed to generate double-digit points in any of those games. Not coincidentally, all three poor performances have come without Ezekiel Elliott, who is serving a suspension.
