New York Jets quarterback:
Geno Smith
Quarterback Geno Smith may have officially hit rock bottom after his performance against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Smith completed more passes to the Bills than the Jets as he was 2 for 8 for five yards and three interceptions on three straight drives. Smith was benched for veteran Michael Vick after the first quarter and Vick has officially been named the starter for their next contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. In my opinion, Smith is done as a starter in New York. He has had more downs than ups in his time with the Jets and usually the first two or three seasons is when you can find out if a quarterback is going to be the leader of your franchise or not. Smith will be watching from the sidelines as he and the Jets head to a hostile environment as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.
Cleveland Browns running
back: Ben Tate
It was a very quiet outing for running back Ben Tate as he and the Cleveland Browns showed some struggles on offense against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Tate had 15 carries for only 26 yards and a touchdown. Tate is one of the great young running backs in the NFL. After spending time in Houston backing up running back Arian Foster, Tate got his chance in Cleveland to start and has been productive until Sunday against a Raiders defense that ranks 26th in the NFL stopping the run, allowing 130 yards per game. Even though the Browns won, the Raiders came to play as they held Cleveland to 39 total yards on Sunday. The Browns were fortunate that they were playing Oakland because those numbers won’t fair too well against other opponents. Tate and the Browns will have a chance to show they were having an off day as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into town with a rush defense of their own that ranks 23rd in rush defense.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver:
Steve Smith
After being given a boost of motivation since being released by the Carolina Panthers this offseason, wide receiver Steve Smith has been out to prove that his former team made a mistake letting go of the 5-time Pro Bowler. On Sunday though, Smith was unable to back up his words against the Cincinnati Bengals. Smith was targeted nine times but only hauled in three passes for 35 yards against a Bengals defense that rank 23rd in the NFL in pass defense, allowing 258 yards per game. A critical moment for Smith came late in the game when quarterback Joe Flacco heaved a pass deep downfield for Smith who found his way into the end zone after making the catch and a few moves to get the score. However, Smith was called for pass interference after pushing off the defender and allowing him to break free. Smith and the Ravens hit the road next week to face their arch rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Defense: Indianapolis Colts
As a Colts fan, this pains me to write this. On Sunday, the Colts, who defensively looked better the past few weeks, forgot to show up on defense Sunday, at least that may be the only excuse they can use. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Colts gave up a total of 639 yards, 522 of them coming through the air with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger picking apart the secondary. Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns and completed 40 of 49 passes. In a high scoring game that ended in a Colts loss, the Colts should be embarrassed by the performance, especially from a team that is looked at as a potential Super Bowl contender. The defense looks to turn things around as they pack their bags for another road game this Monday Night as they face the New York Giants.