By Lucas Camacho
Welcome to another week of the NFL season. We had four teams that had a bye this week: two teams that needed a break (the Dolphins and the Rams) and two teams that the league needed a break from (the Vikings and the Chiefs). That’s right, only two undefeated teams are still standing, and they both had the week off. Let’s see how the rest of the league did this week.
49ERS 36 – SEAHAWKS 24
On Thursday, we were treated to a big divisional matchup. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks in a game they desperately needed to win. They’re now back near the top of the NFC West behind a solid outing from Brock Purdy; who completed 18 of 28 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Some say it’s exaggerating to say this saved the 49ers season…I argue it’s NOT. The 49ers have to go through the Cowboys and Chiefs before they get to their bye. Their chances against the Cowboys aren’t bad…it’s the Chiefs that’ll be the problem. As for the Seahawks, they blew their chance. The 49ers are still missing several key pieces, including offensive juggernaut Christian McCaffrey, and the Seahawks were home. Even though they were missing players of their own, the Seahawks had a legitimate chance to beat the 49ers at home…and then watched it slip through their fingers.
JAGUARS 16 – BEARS 35
Some time ago, at the London Zoo everyday at 4 in the afternoon, they had what they called the Chimps’ Tea Party. The NFL equivalent is watching the Jaguars play. They lost at their second home in London as they were utterly destroyed by the Bears. This loss does not help Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Trent Baalke at all. Owner Shad Khan says he believes in his coach and GM, of course that was before the Jaguars got blown out. Who knows, if they lose again at Wembley Stadium against the Patriots next week, the pair could find themselves getting fired from across the pond (if they haven’t been so already by the time this article comes out). On the Bears’ side, this is it: this is the Caleb Williams we’ve been waiting for. The famed Trojan alumni completed 23 of 29 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns (while throwing one interception). Williams also ran it himself four times for 56 yards. We’ll see if Williams can continue to build from here, because if he can…he’s gonna run away with more than just the Rookie of the Year…
CARDINALS 13 – PACKERS 34
Speaking of quarterbacks finding their stride, it looks like Jordan Love has found his as he led the Packers in a rout of the Cardinals. Love completed 22 of 32 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns. His only interception of the game happened due to a slip by his own receiver. Other than that, Jordan Love looks like the quarterback we saw breakout last year. As for the Cardinals…there doesn’t seem to be an end to this bad roller coaster ride. It doesn’t help that their approach is undisciplined and that rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. went down with a concussion. The sad part is that the Cardinals could be a great team, or at the least a good one. But watching their game fluctuate week after week should have their fans and front office worried knowing that it’s only a matter of time before the 49ers and Rams get healthy again.
COLTS 20 – TITANS 17
This turned very entertaining as the Colts rallied back to beat the Titans. Veteran Quarterback Joe Flacco managed to finish up with a respectable game; completing 22 of 38 passes for 189 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Does this mean that the Colts’ troubles are over? Not quite, as the defense should have been able to handle a turnover-prone quarterback like Will Levis. We’ll see how things go for the Colts when Anthony Richardson eventually returns to the helm. As for the Titans, so close and yet so far. To the credit of the Titans, Will Levis had one of his best games yet as he only turned it over once (again, the Colts defense doesn’t look great at this rate). But the Titans may have to get more aggressive as the Bills and Lions are next on the schedule. If not, this season is lost for the Titans.
TEXANS 41 – PATRIOTS 21
In yet another rout, the Texans spoiled rookie Drake Maye’s debut. Reigning Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud had only one blemish in the form of an interception, but still managed a great game completing 20 of 31 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. The reason the Texans did so well can be pointed to the return of Joe Mixon, who rushed 13 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. We’ll see if the Texans can ride this momentum to put a stranglehold on the AFC South. As for the Patriots, this went as well as I expected. Some people say there’s reason for hope as Maye threw for three touchdowns. But what I saw was the same thing I was worried about when Maye entered the NFL Draft: the interceptions. He had two, and he’s lucky that’s all he threw since the Texans don’t have a necessarily great defense. His real test will come when he faces a truly fearsome defense.
BUCCANEERS 51 – SAINTS 27
Blowout seems to be the theme of this week, as the Buccaneers won with the utter destruction of the division rival Saints. Baker Mayfield put up numbers you’d see in a Madden video game: completing 24 of 36 passes for 325 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Obviously, if not for the turnovers, this game would have been an even bigger runaway for the Buccaneers. There is still the concern about the lapses from the defense. After blowing last week’s game against the Falcons, the Buccaneer defense allowed the Saints to score 20 unanswered points. The defense needs to get more consistent before anyone can consider the Buccaneers a legitimate threat. On the other side, the Saints clearly need Derek Carr back. What they got in Spencer Rattler is basically a walking copy of A Tale of Two Cities. He had a great first half…but couldn’t get it going for the second half. This chaos factor needs to be kept in check before they lose too many games…or else they’re just gonna have to get comfy and watch the playoffs from home as the Buccaneers or the Falcons represent the division.
BROWNS 16 – EAGLES 20
I have always said if you take two struggling teams who need a win and put them together…you get a great game (which is a good break from the other blowouts this week). There are not many teams in the NFL that needed a win like the Eagles and the Browns. However, it was the Eagles that managed to find a way to win. Jalen Hurts managed to complete 16 of his 25 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. I would like to point out though that this doesn’t change much. The Eagles still don’t look like a Super Bowl contender, and managing to squeak out a win against a floundering Browns team doesn’t change anyone’s perceptions on the Eagles’ chances. Over to the Browns, we keep expecting them to hit rock bottom…but they still haven’t gotten there yet. The running game though seems to be improving as the Browns averaged 4 yards per carry. Other than that, it seems the Browns’ season is lost unless something turns around and fast.
COMMANDERS 23 – RAVENS 30
This turned out to be the premier matchup of the Sunday morning games (…and probably the best game of the week period). Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson fought off a big challenge from Rookie of the Year contender Jayden Daniels as the Ravens beat the Commanders (in what could be a Super Bowl preview). Let’s look at the stats of both quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson completed 20 of 26 passes for 323 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Jayden Daniels completed 24 of 35 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Those stats look almost even to me. The Ravens’ offense is finally looking like where it needs to be to challenge the Chiefs while the Commanders should look to tighten up their defenses before they make a serious bid for the NFC crown, which is very much up for grabs.
CHARGERS 23 – BRONCOS 16
The Chargers seem to have spent their bye week wisely. They looked to be the team they hoped to be as they brushed the Broncos aside. Despite the score, this wasn’t close. The only reason it was is because the Chargers’ defense disappeared in the fourth quarter. Star Quarterback Justin Herbert looked a little bit like his old self; completing 21 of his 34 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. Now it’s a little early to say the Chargers are turning things around, but this was a good step in the right direction (just keep an eye on Coach Harbaugh, who will be wearing a heart monitor for the next two weeks). Speaking of steps, it was one step forward and two steps back for the Broncos. The Chargers gave them a small opening, but the problem was that the Broncos dug themselves into too deep of a hole to climb out of in time. If not for the two late scores, the Broncos could have been shut out at home. They’re going to need to lean a little more into the run game if they want to give rookie Bo Nix a chance.
STEELERS 32 – RAIDERS 13
Yeah, yeah, another blowout…this time it was the Raiders on the business end of it as they got railroaded by the Steelers. Despite the offense finally shining, Justin Fields didn’t have a consistent game. On the ground, he was great, rushing 11 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns. The problem is the passing game on Fields’ watch: only completing 14 of 24 passes for 145 yards and no touchdowns. The dilemma for the Steelers is risk another inconsistent performance from Fields or take a bigger risk on Russell Wilson, who is returning from injury and far from his prime. As for the Raiders, I had a bad feeling that changing quarterbacks wasn’t going to change anything. I don’t see O’Connell or Minshew being the answer at quarterback, thereby putting the Raiders in the same boat as the Steelers: which risky quarterback do you gamble on next week? One thing is for sure, the Raiders need Davante Adams back (but boy has Brock Bowers shined in his absence).
LIONS 47 – COWBOYS 9
Now this is just plain sad. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones got the WORST birthday present ever in seeing his team utterly destroyed by the Lions. I can think of a lot better gifts to give an 82 year old man than an old fashioned butt-kicking (even underwear would have been better). Dak Prescott only managed to pass for 178 yards and threw two interceptions. The Cowboys’ bye couldn’t have come at a better time. As for the Lions, this was an amazing game that really sent a message to the rest of the league, which is what they’ve been wanting to do (along with their fans). But for what we want most…there is a price that must be paid in the end. The Lions lost pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a broken tibia that needed immediate surgery. No one is saying he’s done for the year, but don’t be surprised if Hutchinson has played his last down in at least the regular season…
FALCONS 38 – PANTHERS 20
This was a little closer, but still a blowout. The Panthers continued their march to irrelevancy as they got hammered by one of their divisional rivals. Falcons Quarterback Kirk Cousins didn’t have an exceptional game, only completing 19 of 30 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, but it was good enough to get the job done. The real stars for the Falcons were their running backs. Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson combined rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns. It was important that the Falcons put away their opponent this week (as it made the final minutes less stressful). As for the Panthers, it’s a team that nothing is going their way. However, there is one intriguing prospect, and that’s concerning their running backs. It is assumed that rookie Jonathon Brooks will be having his 21 day window to return from an ACL injury begin soon. That makes Chuba Hubbard, entering a contract year, a possible trade asset. There are some teams that could use a running back for the stretch run, and that might be what the Panthers need to rebuild for next year…
BENGALS 17 – GIANTS 7
Well, it wasn’t pretty for either team, and the Bengals would have liked to play this game a lot better, but as the old saying goes: “beggars cannot be choosers.” The Bengals definitely needed this win, though it would have helped if Joe Burrow passed for at least one touchdown. He didn’t throw an interception either, however, and did throw for 208 yards (respectable at the very least). Of course, the Bengals will need better playing to truly turn things around. As for the Giants, this is a message for whoever plans the schedule: stop putting Daniel Jones in prime-time games! He has won once in big televised games, and it’s getting sad to watch. I really have no confidence in the Giants to be able to right the ship with Jones at the helm, but I am very interested in watching them take on the Eagles next week…which means the return of the Giants’ former star running back, Saquon Barkley.
BILLS 23 – JETS 20
This was definitely a much better game than most of the ones from Sunday. The Bills definitely had to dig deep on this one and fend off the Jets. Quarterback Josh Allen completed 19 of his 25 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The Bills look to be almost at full strength, and that’s good because how long do you think the Bills can last by relying on Allen to scramble? (The answer shouldn’t be too hard.) As for the Jets, well, firing your head coach did nothing. You still have the same issues, the same amount of penalties, same amount of mistakes, and the same amount of wasted opportunities as before. To their credit, the Jets did look like a changed team…for a little more than a quarter of the game. I honestly don’t think it was Robert Saleh’s fault that the Jets are where they are, and they really shouldn’t have fired him just because Aaron Rodgers had a hissy fit. Now there are no real solutions left as the Jets are now on the brink of falling out of contention for the playoffs.
Sources indicate that the Jets are finalizing a deal for Davante Adams from the Raiders.
