The Steelers have now been out-gained in every game this season. Somehow, they’re 6-3. They are now the first team in NFL history to be out-gained in their first 9 games and still have a winning record. The AFC North is wild this year.
Speaking of which, the Ravens were starting to emerge as the best all-around team in the NFL entering Week 10. The NFL has an unbelievable way of serving up plates of humble pie. Baltimore blew a 14-point lead in the 4th quarter and lost to the Browns on a last-second field goal. I don’t know if I can say Deshaun Watson played great, but he is starting to show glimpses of his former self.
Staying in the AFC North, the Bengals woke up from their early-season funk to win 4 straight. Then they ran into the rookie buzz saw that is C.J. Stroud, who led yet another last-second game-winning drive. Forget about Rookie of the Year, he might be in the running for MVP.
Bill Belichick has become the boogie-man for New Englanders with short memories. Some of the criticism is warranted. But there’s only so much he, or any coach, can do. When there are plays to be made on the field, the quarterback has to hit them. Mac Jones’ interception with under 5 minutes remaining on what should have been the go-ahead touchdown was one of the worst throws you’ll ever see. He’s made a bunch of critical mistakes that have been the difference in games this season. The Patriots have lost five games by 5, 7, 4, 3, and 4 points. Take away some of his key mistakes or insert just league-average quarterback play, and the Patriots are at least 5-5. They’re not a good team by any stretch, but they’ve been in a ton of winnable games. Just haven’t gotten it done.
Well I guess the Super Bowl is back on for the 49ers. They halted their 3-game losing streak with a 34-3 blowout win over a red-hot Jaguars team. Everyone seemed to contribute on offense - Purdy, Kittle, Deebo, Aiyuk… Well, everyone except Christian McCaffrey I guess. McCaffrey’s streak of 17-straight games with a touchdown came to an end against Jacksonville, meaning he’ll have to share that record with Lenny Moore instead of owning it outright. Oh well.
Don’t look now, but the Vikings own the NFL’s longest current winning-streak after getting their 5th consecutive W on Sunday vs. the Saints. Josh Dobbs continues to amaze. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 268 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, and added a rushing TD in just his second appearance with the team. Don’t sleep on that defense either. Their aggressive ways are starting to lead to some big plays.
The Lions offense had everything going against the Chargers on Sunday. They ran for 200 yards, Jared Goff threw for 333, and their play-action passing game was unstoppable (9-12, 141 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT). It’s a shame for Justin Herbert because he did everything possible to try and win that game. His defense let him down once again.
The only interesting part of the Cowboys’ 49-17 drubbing of the Giants was CeeDee Lamb becoming the first player in NFL history to catch more than 10 passes and 150 yards in 3 straight games. On Sunday, he had 11 for 173 and a touchdown.
Geno Smith bounced back from a rough outing against the Ravens to play a clean game against the Commanders. He completed 31 of 47 passes for 369 yards, and 2 touchdowns. More importantly, he had 0 giveaways and led Seattle on a last second game-winning field goal drive to get the Seahawks to 6-3.
The Jets couldn’t take advantage of a Raiders team playing with its back-up quarterback and interim head coach. Zach Wilson looked better, but his interception in the final minutes did New York in. Bad penalties in critical moments sank the Jets’ chances as well. The offense just can’t get out of its own way.
Kyler Murray looked pretty good in his return to the field following last year’s season-ending knee injury. Not only did Murray show off the new wheels, he led the Cardinals to a game-winning field goal as time expired.
The Buccaneers halted their 4-game losing streak with a 20-6 win over the Titans. Even with the 4-game slide, Tampa is a half game out of first place. We won’t know who the NFC South division winner is until Week 18.
Discussion about this post
No posts