Seattle def Arizona 23-20
Seattle pulls out a big road win over the Cardinals. Sam Darnold led the team with 242 yards passing and a touchdown, but it was good to have Zach Charbonnet return, as he had 12 carries for a touchdown. His being on the field allowed Kenneth Walker to be used wisely, as Walker finished with 110 yards of total offense.
Arizona was led by Marvin Harrison Jr, who had 66 yards receiving and a touchdown, but he continues to have some bad drops. Trey Benson had his first start as the RB1 and had 35 yards rushing as well as five receptions for 19 yards. He will be a very good player moving forward. It was just a tough match-up against a good Seattle defense.
Pittsburgh def Minnesota 24-21
In an exciting game in Dublin, Pittsburgh defeated Minnesota on the strength of DK Metcalf’s five receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. Kenneth Gainwell took over for an injured Jalen Warren and had 99 yards rushing and two touchdowns, as well as six receptions for 35 yards. Gainwell will definitely earn himself more opportunities moving forward. The Steelers almost blew this game when Mike Tomlin refused to go for the first down to seal the game, instead choosing to punt the ball, which was a very conservative call.
To Minnesota’s credit, they came back and kept the game very competitive, giving themselves a chance to win it at the end. Carson Wentz had 350 yards passing and two touchdowns. Jordan Addison, in his first game back, had four receptions for 114 yards, and Justin Jefferson had 10 receptions for 126 yards. Minnesota just wasn’t able to run the football effectively against Pittsburgh, and Wentz was under siege all game long as the offensive line did not protect him.
New York Giants def Los Angeles Chargers 21-18
This was both a great and horrible game for the Giants. It was great that they got their first win of the season at home against an undefeated Chargers team. Jaxson Dart led the Giants with 111 yards passing and a touchdown, as well as 54 yards rushing and a touchdown. However, the Giants lost Malik Nabers with what is assumed to be a torn ACL. Without him, the Giants have slim hopes for the rest of the season.
Speaking of injury, the Chargers lost offensive lineman Joe Alt early in this game, which left Justin Herbert very little time to pass. Omarion Hampton was outstanding with 12 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown, as well as five receptions for 37 yards. Hampton exposed a poor Giants run defense with some big plays throughout the game.
Houston def Tennessee 26-0
It might be time for a changing of the guard in Houston, as Woody Marks led the team with 119 total yards from scrimmage as well as two touchdowns. Marks simply looks faster than Nick Chubb, and the Texans need all the explosive players that they can get. CJ Stroud was under siege most of the game, but he still was able to complete 22 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
The Titans may have to move on from their head coach, Brian Callahan, as once again the team could muster very little offense. Rookie QB Cam Ward only threw for 108 yards, and Tony Pollard only had 64 yards rushing. Calvin Ridley was underwhelming yet again with two catches for 30 yards. It feels like the Titans need to change something very quickly, or they will lose fan support.
Atlanta def Washington 34-27
One of the things that you can always count on in the NFL is that you never know what’s going to happen from one week to the next. Last week, Michael Penix Jr was horrific, yet this week, against Washington, he threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Bijan Robinson had 75 yards rushing and a touchdown, as well as four receptions for 106 yards. Drake London came through with 110 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Washington kept this game close in the second half, even after they fell behind early. Marcus Mariota threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and Deebo Samuel caught six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. The biggest problem for Washington is that their defense can’t stop anyone right now; they’re not putting any pressure on the quarterback, and they cannot stop the run.
Buffalo def New Orleans 31-19
This game was surprisingly close as Buffalo was ahead only by a few points late in the fourth quarter. Josh Allen led the team with 209 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, as well as 45 yards rushing and a touchdown. James Cook had 117 yards and a touchdown, and the Bills just were a little bit better than the Saints. Once again, the Bills run defense let them down as the Saints had 34 carries for 189 yards. If Buffalo does not solve this issue, they will not make the Super Bowl yet again.
The Saints were very competitive, even though Spencer Rattler only threw for 125 yards and a touchdown. Kendre Miller looked very explosive, running for 65 yards and a touchdown, and he certainly earned himself more opportunities. If the Saints decide to trade Alvin Kamara by the trade deadline, Miller is a certainty to be the RB1 moving forward.
Philadelphia def Tampa Bay 31-25
In one of the more exciting games at the 1:00 pm slate, the Eagles defeated Tampa behind Jalen Hurts’ 130 yards passing and two touchdowns. Dallas Goedert caught both of those touchdowns as they were trick plays in the red zone that worked to perfection. AJ Brown was a supreme disappointment with only two receptions for 7 yards.
Baker Mayfield did everything he could to keep the Buccaneers in this game, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He made spectacular plays to Bucky Irving, who had 102 yards receiving and a touchdown, as well as Emeka Egbuka, who had 101 yards and a touchdown. The Bucs need to give Mayfield more protection, as the Eagles DL was in his face all game long.
Detroit def Cleveland 34-10
Detroit continues to play well at home as they defeated Cleveland even without a great game by Jared Goff. Golf had 168 yards and two touchdown passes, both of which went to Aman-Ra St Brown. But it was the Lions defense that had a terrific game, sacking Cleveland three times, getting two interceptions off Joe Flacco. Detroit also had a punt return for a touchdown, which really helped switch the momentum in the game.
Cleveland struggled throughout, with the exception of Quinshon Judkins, who had 21 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Jenkins is clearly the best player on the field, and they try to get him the ball as much as possible. At some point soon, the Browns might need to decide whether they need to move on from Joe Flacco, as his lack of mobility limits them severely.
New England def Carolina 42-13
The Patriots had one punt return for a touchdown, as well as another that almost went to the end zone. Drake Maye led the team with 203 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also had one rushing touchdown. Stefon Diggs finally had a good day receiving with six receptions for 101 yards.
Carolina was not able to do much of anything on offense as Bryce Young only threw for 150 yards and one touchdown. Rookie WR1 Tetairoa McMillan had four catches for 62 yards, but Chuba Hubbard was only able to rush for 49 yards. Carolina’s special teams cost them the game, allowing New England to score once and change the momentum of the game multiple times.
Jacksonville def San Francisco 26-21
When we think of Liam Coen, we normally think offense, but it was the Jacksonville defense that won them the game. The Jaguars defense had four takeaways, which helped them pull off the upset at home. Travis Etienne Jr. led the Jaguars with 124 rushing yards and a TD and looked phenomenal. It makes you question why the previous regime buried him on the bench. One major cause for concern is Trevor Lawrence, who continues to underwhelm. The team is winning in spite of his subpar play.
When San Francisco looks back at this game, they will realize that their OL could not open any running lanes for Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey averaged less than 3 yards per attempt, which made their offense predictable. Of concern as well is the fact that Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall both left the game with injuries. Without them–and Brandon Aiyuk–the 49ers offense is in real trouble.
Los Angeles Rams def Indianapolis 27-20
Matthew Stafford threw for 375 yards, including an 88-yard TD pass to Tutu Atwell late in the game to secure the victory for the Rams. Puka Nacua was sensational once again, catching 13 passes for 170 yards and a TD. Kam Curl was the defensive star, intercepting Daniel Jones twice, including one late in the game.
Adonai Mitchell cost the Colts the victory not once but twice. The first time, he made a great reception and move and was on his way to a long TD score until he showedboated and dropped the ball prior to reaching the end zone. Then, later in the game, he was called on a holding penalty, which brought back a Jonathan Taylor long TD run. If those two plays don’t happen, the Colts walk out of Los Angeles with a win.
Kansas City def Baltimore 37-20
In a must-win game for both teams, Kansas City’s offense thoroughly dominated Baltimore’s defense. Patrick Mahomes threw for 270 yards and 4 TDs (to four different receivers). Xavier Worthy returned from injury and led the team with 5 catches for 83 yards. Kansas City is still searching for a running game, but with Worthy back, they have another dimension on offense.
Baltimore struggles all game long defensively, and when asked to find their offense, they couldn’t. Lamar Jackson left the game in the second half with a hamstring injury, which compounds a grim situation. Moreover, defensive stalwarts Roquan Smith and Marlon Humphrey left the game with injuries, completely decimating their defense. RB Justice Hill looked good, rushing for 76 yards and a TD, and catching 5 passes for 41 yards and a TD.
Chicago def Las Vegas 25-24
Caleb Williams led Chicago to a comeback win on the road, throwing for 212 yards and a TD. Williams did not look very good in the first half, but used his mobility more in the second half to pull out the game. Rome Odunze was once again the star of the Bears offense, catching 4 passes for 69 yards and a TD. Defensively, Chicago intercepted Geno Smith three times, which was the best they have played all season.
Las Vegas really struggled with their play calling in the second half, refusing to open up their offense and be aggressive. On a positive note, Ashton Jeanty finally broke loose for 138 yards rushing and a TD. Jeanty also had 2 TD receptions. The bigger failure was the play of Geno Smith. Not only was he intercepted three times, but he also only managed to find Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers for 9 catches for 76 yards. Chicago’s pass defense has been a sieve all season, and it seemed like Las Vegas was afraid to challenge them as much as they needed to.
Green Bay ties Dallas 40-40 OT
In one of the most shocking outcomes in a while, Dallas ties Green Bay at home behind Dak Prescott, who threw for 319 yards and 3 TDs, including 2 to George Pickens, who had 134 yards on 8 catches. Once again, Javonte Williams played well with 85 yards rushing and a TD. Jake Ferguson continued his hot play with 7 receptions and a TD.
Green Bay was led by Jordan Love, who threw for 337 yards and 3 TDs. Romeo Doubs was the star for the Packers, catching all three TD passes. Josh Jacobs had 2 rushing TDs and ran well, but the defense let the Packers down. Green Bay had only 1 sack on the night, caused no fumbles, and had no interceptions. Considering their defense had looked so good in previous weeks, it was truly disappointing to see them look so basic against Dallas, who was missing an OL starter and CeeDee Lamb.
