There’s only one winless team remaining in the NFL this season.
The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants got their first wins of the season while the Green Bay Packers were handed their first defeat of 2020. That means that there’s just three clubs – the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks – that own the league’s best record at 5-0. And guess which two AFC teams meet this upcoming Sunday in Nashville?
In a season where teams have been putting up plenty of points, Adam Gase’s club was the first to be blanked in 2020. New York finished with a mere 263 total yards and was a miserable 2-of-17 on third down (2-of-3 on fourth down). Joe Flacco was sacked three times and connected on less than 50 percent of his passes (21-of-44). The Jets’ defense did pick off Ryan Fitzpatrick twice. All told, five of the club’s six losses have been by 10 or more points.
The Jaguars looked to snap a four-game losing streak when the Detroit Lions came to town. But the woes continued for Doug Marrone’s club as the team surrendered at least 30 points for the fifth consecutive outing. Jacksonville’s defense was gouged for 180 rushing yards and the team failed to sack Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford. Gardner Minshew threw for one score but committed two turnovers – raising his season total to eight.
Losers of four consecutive games following a Week 1 surprise of the Eagles, Ron Rivera’s club headed to MetLife Stadium to take on the winless Giants. Quarterback Kyle Allen got the start for the second straight week and overcame a pair of turnovers and three sacks and wound up throwing for 280 yards and two TDs – the second with 36 seconds to play. But down by a single point, Rivera opted to go for the win and the two-point conversion failed.
Mike Zimmer’s club was coming off a heartbreaking loss at Seattle and now took a struggling Falcons’ team looking for its first victory of 2020. And the Vikings were overwhelmed early as Atlanta owned a 23-0 third-quarter lead and exploited Minnesota’s defense for 462 total yards. Kirk Cousins threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns but was also picked off three times – the second time this season the nine-year veteran has served up that many picks.