Miami Dolphins vs Jacksonville Jaguars
LONDON - The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium played host to two NFL 'also rans' as the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars squared off in the UK. Miami (3-3) looked very comfortable on the 'football' pitch despite the long flight over and overwhelmed the Jaguars 38-3.
Miami went ahead early on a DJ Reed pick-six early in the first. Reed added another INT on the day to add to his total of six on the season.
"It's just one of those things," Reed said. "You can play great all year and never take one away - This year seems to be a year where people are trying me and I'm responding well."
Wide Receiver Julio Jones returned and put on a show with 103 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. His running mate Allen Robinson also chipped in with a TD of his own.
"For me, I think I can be an X-Factor in this offense too," Robinson said. "I'm learning a lot from Julio and George (Kittle); Although we are only 3-3, I think we can make this offense special."
New Head Coach Hines Ward ran his early record to 2-1 and is quickly winning fans in the Miami locker room.
"He's the man," Jalen Hurts said. "He did it for a long time in this league and when he talks, everyone listens."
Miami will look to pick up their 4th win of the season next week as they return home to face the Atlanta Falcons.
Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts
INDIANAPOLIS - The Houston Texans kept pace for first place in the AFC South with a win over division foe Indianapolis 28-26. The Texans (5-1, 2-0 AFC South) were able to return to their two quarterback rotation of Andy Dalton and Gardner Minshew in this one. As with past games this season, Dalton started and Minshew relieved. Beat writers were speculating Minshew wouldn't play much after his poor performance last week, but the Texans and Minshew had other plans. The backup was 9 of 11 for 126 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception.
"I like coming off the bench," Minshew said. "I view myself like a sixth man in the NBA or closer in baseball. I don't care if I start as long as I'm out there playing meaningful minutes helping this team win."
The star of the game, however, had to be the Houston defense that stifled Carson Wentz and the Colts offense all day. Indianapolis (1-5, 0-2) only rushed for 68 yards and outside of some garbage time passing yards, looked out of sorts on offense.
Of note, tight end Mike Gesicki is starting to emerge as a star for this Houston team. Gesicki had 11 catches for 102 yards and has consistently shown he can get open. He has already caught 43 passes for 525 yards and 5 touchdowns through his first six games.
Houston will travel to Arizona next week to take on the Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
CHICAGO - The oldest rivalry in the NFL was on display Sunday as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 30-16 at Soldier Field. Green Bay (5-1, 2-0 NFC North) welcomed back quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from injured reserve and used his arm to down the formidable Chicago defense. The Packers QB threw for 257 yards and a touchdown which was just enough to keep the Bears (1-5, 1-1) out of reach.
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams continued his tear this season, racking up two more sacks including a forced fumble on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that was picked up in the endzone by Charles Omenihu for the opening points of the game. Williams now has 13 sacks through six games and will likely be drawing more double teams moving forward.
Bad blood erupted between the teams at the end of the game when Green Bay decided to kick a field goal as time expired already up 27-16. Chicago coach Matt Nagy was visibly upset and refused to shake Packers coach Eric Bieniemy's hand after the game.
"This is the NFL," Bieniemy said after the game. "I don't take my foot off the gas ever and that's the message I want our players to hear. If they're so upset about it, maybe they should have scored more points."
Bieniemy and his aggressive Green Bay team head home next week to take on the Washington Football Team.
