Impressed, Depressed and Dismissed: Patriots’ Brady impresses

Unless your name is Adam Vinatieri, Dan Bailey or a couple of other names, life as a kicker in the NFL probably isn’t going too well for you.

After the kicking blunders in the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks game, which led to a 6-6 tie, the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals had a couple missed field goals and a missed extra point which lead to another tie in the NFL.

The Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on a similar path as Oakland missed two game-winning field goals while the Buccaneers missed an extra point. Luckily though, the Raiders prevented the tie with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Seth Roberts.

Overall, it was another stellar week of games with a lot of good and a lot of bad. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what impressed, depressed and what should be dismissed.

IMPRESSED: Tom Brady

Since returning from his four-game suspension, Brady has been has certainly impressed as he’s been lights out for the Patriots. In four games, Brady has 1,319 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions, which is unbelievable for the 39-year-old quarterback.

Brady’s ability to dissect a defense and make quick decisions is what sets him apart from everyone else, and he showcased that against the Bills.

Brady skillfully set his protection calls and negated the Bills ability to blitz and get pressure on the New England quarterback. When Brady had a clean pocket, he was able to take advantage as he completed 87 percent of his passes for 288 yards according to Pro Football Focus.

Right now, the only question is, who can stop Brady as the Patriots try to make another Super Bowl run? At the moment, it looks like no one can.

DEPRESSED: Jaime Collins

Things can change in an instant, and they certainly did so for Collins on Monday. He went from being apart of, quite possibly, the best team in the NFL to the worst as he was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a compensatory third-round pick.

The former Patriot is one of the best linebackers in football, so to say that this move is surprising is an understatement. Collins is an athletic freak who is amoeba-like in his ability to play a variety of positions along the front seven of the defense.

It appears as though Collins’ freelancing tendencies along with his expiring contract made him expendable enough for Bill Belichick to pull the trigger.

No matter the case, the Browns are getting an extremely talented linebacker in his prime who should be a huge help for their future.

However, you have to feel for Collins who went from the top of the NFL to the bottom. Wins are a lot harder to come by in Cleveland.

DISMISSED: Seahawks defense

After being on the field for 95 plays last week, the Seahawks defense had a down week against Drew Brees and the explosive New Orleans Saints passing game. Seattle allowed 375 total yards and 25 points, which are much higher than their season averages.

The Seahawks still have one of, if not, the best defense[s] in the NFL, but it is too much to ask a team to come back after an exhausting game, fly cross country and stop an explosive offense.

Outside good performances for K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner and Cliff Avril, the Seahawks defense was average. Richard Sherman wasn’t his normal self, and even Earl Thomas had his own struggles at safety. It also didn’t help that defensive leaders Michael Bennett and Kam Chancellor were out due to injuries.

Under normal circumstances, the Seahawks defense would have performed much better.