5 thoughts on Sunday's NFL action through a Patriots' prism

On a Sunday where the Patriots weren't playing, here are five quick thoughts on how things played out from a New England perspective.



1. The Bills are in first place in the AFC East? The Bills are in first place. The last time Buffalo was in first place? Week Two of the 2014 season. They were also in first place in Week Three of the 2011 season. So it’s been awhile. But a win is a win is a win. We’ll reserve judgment on ranking the rest of the AFC East until we get to see the Dolphins play, but for now, Buffalo has earned the right to enjoy first place, at least for a week.

2. At halftime of the Jaguars-Texans game, Houston coach Bill O’Brien yanked starter Tom Savage and replaced him with DeShaun Watson. While Watson wasn’t able to lead the Texans to a comeback win, there was a crisper feel to the Houston offense with Watson under center. (The Clemson product was 12-of-23 for 102 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.) The Texans come to Foxborough on Sept. 24 for a Week 3 game against the Patriots. Could New England be facing Watson instead of Savage? We’ll see, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone in the slightest if that was the case.

3. If the Patriots are going to be in the free agent mark for some short-term answers at wide receiver, they could be competing with the Bears. Chicago lost its top two wide receivers — Kevin White and Cam Meredith — to injured reserve after they went down in Sunday’s loss to the Bears. We listed a few stopgap possibilities in our Sunday notes column, but it’ll be interesting to see if New England and Chicago are kicking the tires on the same guys this week.

4. There’s a danger in overreacting too much after Week One, but if Andrew Luck is out for an extended stretch with that shoulder issue, the Colts will be in the mix for a top 10 draft pick. It was an abysmal start for Indy, which got steamrolled by the Rams in Los Angeles by a final score of 46-9. The one bright spot? Old friend Jacoby Brissett, who was effective moving the ball on his first drive under center in the second half. The former New England signal-caller took over in the fourth quarter of Indy’s loss to Los Angeles, and immediately led the Colts on a scoring drive. In the end, he went 2-for-3 for 51 yards. While it’s important to note that it’s a lower case “c,” Brissett and Scott Tolzien might be the first quarterback controversy of the year in the AFC South.

5. In addition to Brissett, here’s a quick look at how a dozen ex-Patriots did on Sunday:

Brian Hoyer: 24-for-35, 193 yards, 4 sacks, 0 TDs, 1 INT for San Francisco in a loss to Carolina
Martellus Bennett: 3 catches, 6 targets, 43 yards for Green Bay in a win over Seattle
James O’Shaughnessy: 1 tackle for Jacksonville in a win over Houston
Tavon Wilson: 3 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed for Detroit in a win over Arizona
Chris Long: 1 tackle for Philadelphia in a win over Washington
Logan Ryan: 1 tackle for Tennessee in a loss to Oakland
Le Garrette Blount: 14 carries, 46 yards; 1 catch, 1 target, 1 yard, 1 TD for Philadelphia in a win over Washington
Akiem Hicks: 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss for Chicago in a loss to Atlanta
Jabaal Sheard: 1 tackle for Indianapolis in a loss to Los Angeles
Barkevious Mingo: 1 assisted tackle, 1 quarterback hit for Indianapolis in a loss to Los Angeles
Justin Coleman: 2 tackles, 1 pass defensed for Seattle in a loss to Green Bay
Jamie Collins: 2 tackles, 2 assisted tackles, 1 forced fumble for Cleveland in a loss to Pittsburgh