Minnesota's win on Monday night made them one of five NFL teams with a 4-0 record. Three of the other four are for real; one team, though, may be playing above their station.
Nearly every pre-season publication held that the New York Giants were a Super Bowl contender and they have done nothing to disprove that.
The Giants, who slapped Kansas City around on Sunday, have built a foundation on tremendous defensive and offensive lines.
The only thing that could stop them is bad luck or a significant injury to their quarterback, Eli Manning. His injured heel is not that bad and he expcts to be fit to play against the lowly Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
That is only a sparring session before the biggest game of the season a week later, when the Giants face the NFC's other undefeated team, the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints are guaranteed to enter that game unblemished because they have this Sunday off, not that they seem to need it.
New Orleans faced a rough test last weekend, but their defence stepped up and forced the New York Jets' rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez, into four turnovers while sacking him five times.
Because the Saints' attack have been the most prolific in the league (144 points, 36 per game) their defence have been overshadowed.
Astonishingly, their quarterback, Drew Brees, has not thrown a touchdown pass in two weeks and it has not mattered; his team's aggressive defence are allowing only 16.5 points per game.
In the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts lost their long-time head coach, Tony Dungy, to retirement and their Hall of Fame receiver, Marvin Harrison, to eroding skills, but this has not made a difference to Peyton Manning, the NFL's best quarterback.
"We played greatness today," the Seattle Seahawks coach, Jim Mora Jr, said of Manning after he led the Colts to four touchdowns in his first five possessions on the way to a 34-17 win.
The Colts' running game has not yet rounded into shape and their defence, while feisty, have yet to see their leader, Bob Sanders, flying around like a human missile.
Sanders is an undersized safety who plays with such recklessness he is often injured. That is again the case, but when he comes back someone will pay.
The surprising Denver Broncos are he remaining unbeaten team. Their off-season was filled with turmoil, first with the firing of their long-time coach, Mike Shanahan, and then the trading of their quarterback, Jay Cutler, by Shanahan's 32-year-old replacement, Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels was formerly the New England Patriots' offensive co-ordinator and he came to the Rocky Mountains intent on doing things his way.
At first that hinted at disaster but when their wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, caught a pass off the head of the Dallas defender Terence Newman and took it a weaving 51 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:46 to play on Sunday it may have set in motion a revival in Denver.
This Sunday, McDaniels comes to a showdown with his old boss, the Patriots' Bill Belichick.
He has a defence that held the Cowboys to 74 yards rushing and limited their quarterback, Tony Romo, to 11 of 24 passing in the second half with no touchdowns, a critical interception and five sacks.
"To come out and do it against a great team shows we are great," the Broncos' linebacker, DJ Williams, said.
This sort of confidence is perhaps premature in Denver, and the Giants, Saints and Colts may prove just that.
rborges@thenational.ae
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars