Trades have dominated the news today, and I’ll be writing about a few of them come Thursday. In the meantime, as usual, I have thoughts on this weekend’s games!
- Based on what we saw Thursday night, I don’t know how much Jacoby Brissett’s presence is going to change Baltimore’s fortunes. Yes, the quarterback play was the worst part of their performance, but they also showed plenty of other issues. Particularly with a schedule that’s 50% divisional games in a very tough AFC North, it seems like this season may be heading nowhere for the Ravens.
- The Bengals turned around after last week’s concerning performance and dominated the Falcons in Madrid, reminding everyone who was awake to see it why they’re firmly in the hunt for the division (and even the top AFC seed) and why Joe Burrow is a serious MVP candidate.
- The Cowboys got back on track with a win, but it was far closer than it should’ve been with a team with a lame duck coach and a roster depleted by recent trades. There’s no reason to be playing down to competition this much, but it’s not exactly a huge shock to see it happening.
- Much has been made of Todd Monken and the Browns choosing to for two at the end of the game on Sunday, and they obviously didn’t get the result they wanted. I know I’ve talked about these decisions at length and my stance here is likely obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: they made the right choice. You play to win the game, and with time running out and the ball going back to the Saints, that was almost certainly their last chance to do so. Furthermore, the Browns specifically had an over/under of 5.5 wins before the year, and this would have been their sixth win in only nine weeks. They were playing with house money, and not every gamble goes your way. But it was the right bet to make.
- Staying with the Browns, their offense is truly a quarterback away from being something special. Their rookie receivers are the real deal, and Harold Fannin, Jr. has proven he was overthought as a prospect. They have young talent on the offensive line and at running back, too. Obviously Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders haven’t unlocked all of the potential there, but if they find a franchise QB in the draft or sign a veteran good enough to move the needle, they’ll be an exciting unit that will have the team in position to contend.
- The Broncos are 7-2 now, but still one of the more underwhelming teams I’ve seen with such a record. Whether the opponent is good or bad, they always seem to win ugly. While I don’t expect a freak injury again, it seems like the bubble has to burst at some point, because this style of play doesn’t seems sustainable all the way to the Super Bowl. Especially not with the AFC being much stronger than in 2025.
- Additionally, the game-changing interception in the end zone came on the same play as a fairly obvious pass interference that should’ve been called and given the Panthers a fresh set of downs from inside the one-yard line. We could be looking at very different narratives for both of these teams right now.
- For a unit with, quite frankly, limited talent, the Dolphins are playing awfully well on defense. Their performance says a great deal about Jeff Hafley, who has them playing hard and whose schemes are making the most of what he was to work with. This team is getting as full of a rebuild as you can have, but he’s off to a promising start with them.
- Myles Garrett wasted no time in reminding us all just how good he can be. Even on a snap count, he still registered three sacks and was clearly an overwhelming problem for which the Commanders had no solution.
- Despite the excitement surround Garrett’s return, the Rams are crumbling more than anything else. Several key players are going to be out for extended periods of time, including their elite pair of receivers. Most of those players should be back in time to have a strong final month of the season, but the Rams still have to win some games in the meantime; they can’t afford to fall further behind in the crowded NFC playoff race. They hope the Cardinals will give them less trouble than last time, but that game is followed by dates with the Packers, Chiefs, and 49ers. Even going 2-2 in these four games, coming out with a 7-6 record, will leave them with an almost nonexistent margin for error.
- Maybe the only team winning in a fashion less inspiring than that of the Broncos is the Giants. There’s nothing they do so well as to create true mismatches, but they simply win ugly game after ugly game. Unless the Cowboys get consistent, this feels like a team that finishes 9-7-1 and stays vaguely in a Saturday Wild Card game until halftime before being dominated by a superior team that happened to finish 2nd in their respective division.
- The Chiefs, the league, and fans everywhere breathed a collective sigh of relief when Patrick Mahomes came back into the game. That injury had the potential to be devastating; instead, it seems like everything will be just fine. It’s better for the sport that that be the case, anyway.
- Despite the lack of a win, the Chargers haven’t been horrible on defense for much of this year, bending a lot but not breaking very much. That changed this week, as the dam broke and CJ Stroud and the Texans were able to impose their will on that defense all day. It was the best Stroud has looked all year in what’s mostly been a resurgent season.
- That resurgent season has led to only a 3-5 record so far because of a shockingly bad defense. It’s possible that it was just the Chargers, but when the starters were all playing, the Texans looked much more dominant and made many more plays than they have all year. We’ll see in the coming weeks if they’ve turned a corner. Their upcoming games offer a lot of offensive vulnerabilities they can exploit.
- The Seahawks did just fine against the Cardinals, but there are real health concerns with both Sam Darnold and Drew Lock. In a strong NFC that’s going to leave out at least one deserving team, any stretch without proven quarterback play could be enough to seriously hurt them in the playoff race.
- In a season that’s been uncharacteristically (albeit predictably) devoid of rookie quarterback play, it’s now time for Carson Beck after Gardner Minshew’s injury. And as we learned from today’s trade deadline, it’s time for Fernando Mendoza, too.
- One of the biggest question marks leading up to this season for the Packers was whether their receivers could develop enough to answer the bell. That’s been mostly answered this season, but Sunday’s game was the best possible declaration of what they are and what they can be. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden have taken their game to the next level, and Jordan Love appears to be having the time of his life.
- While Love and those receivers deserve all the credit in the world, the Patriots have been really exposed defensively. And with all due respect to Drake Maye, a fundamental part of this team contending is having a strong defense. If they continue to struggle, it does open the door for the Texans or Browns to have a shot at their spot in the playoffs.
- That Bucs-Bears was quite simply the most ridiculous Sunday Night Football game I can remember since the Seahawks and Cardinals tied 6-6 in 2016. The turnovers happened in the most ridiculous ways imaginable, and the near-turnovers were just as wild. 27-24 is a fairly normal football score that you might expect to have been a normal, exciting game if you only saw the final score. It does no justice to how insane most of that game was.
- While they eventually wore down, the Minnesota defense deserves nothing but credit for how well they kept the team in Monday night’s game. Not only were they aggressive in the fashion we’ve come to expect, but their tackling was terrific.
- The eventual loss, of course, came courtesy of hapless quarterback play that has plagued them all year, even as they started 6-0. Obviously they addressed that issue earlier today, but more on that in Thursday’s article.
- The Vikings have a real chance with improved play at the most important position. Do you know who else has a chance? Everyone in the NFC North. In over 20 years following football, I can’t remember a division this dominant. Every one of those teams has a legitimate shot to win the conference, and it’s very possible that at least one of them will end up missing the playoffs instead.
We’ll see what else those four teams can do to impress this week. We’ll see what the rest of the league can do to keep up, too.
