Week 8 Roundup

His dad finished his career with 91.5 sacks, although the 7.5 he had in his rookie were unofficial, as the league didn’t count them in 1981. Coming into Sunday, Chris Long was a mere 89.5 QB takedowns behind his father Howie, but after the St. Louis game against New England, it’s 87.5—Long took down Tom Brady’s replacement twice in a hard-fought 23-16 loss to the Pats. The Arch City gang are much more spirited of late, and almost took their third straight win. With Long coming into his own, look for opposing QBs to be wary, and opposing offensive coordinators to gameplan with Long in mind.

Two other defenders who have played well in a nightmarish season this far are Julian Peterson and Marcus Trufant of Seattle. Injuries have brutalized the ‘Hawks, but those two have been a pair of stalwarts. That was obvious in Seattle’s 34-13 road whipping of San Fran. The two combined for thirteen tackles, and Peterson had a sack, as Seattle’s D controlled the game by making big plays when it counted. Seattle players often toil in obscurity, even when they are playing well, due to the city’s relative remoteness and the Birds’ few appearances on national TV. Give Peterson and Trufant extra credit for working their tails off despite the team’s poor play so far, and doing it in the shadows of the league.

Speaking of remoteness, New Orleans and San Diego traveled across the pond for the leagues annual game in London, at Wembley Stadium, home to many fabled soccer matches. Now, add a “real” football thriller to the list, as the Big Easy bunch edged the Bolts 37-32. Don’t blame LaDainian Tomlinson for the loss, though—his hobbled toe hurting less than it has all season, LT looked pretty spry on foreign soil. Rushing for 105 yards on 19 carries, and catching five passes for 65 yards and a touchdown, for a combo 170 yards, it was vintage Tomlinson. The TD was LT’s 134th of his magnificent career, good for 6th on the all-time list, and his 47th career 100-yard game. Over 83,000 fans turned out for the game in England, proof that our favorite sport here in the States has some worldwide appeal.