Bengals @ Ravens:
The Bengals moved to 4-6 on the season. Three of their losses have been incredibly close (by five points or less) to the Chiefs, Ravens twice, and Commanders. The NFL is a game of inches, and the Bengals are inches away from being a playoff team. Thursday night was a horrible way for the Bengals to lose. Joe Burrow was obviously hit on the head during the two-point conversion attempt, and tight end Mike Gesicki was clearly held by a defender. If I am Burrow, I’m completely frustrated that I’m not getting the same calls as some of the other top quarterbacks in the league. On a positive note, Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns and looked phenomenal.
Running back Chase Brown has become a star in his own right. Brown rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown and had nine receptions for 52 yards. He has become the RB1 now that Zach Moss is likely out for the season. Brown is explosive as a runner and has a real feel in the passing attack, giving Burrow the outlet he needs in case Chase and/or Tee Higgins are covered downfield. Look for Cincinnati to keep peppering Brown with targets over the coming weeks.
Ja’Marr Chase was absolutely outstanding, with 11 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens secondary had no answer for him, as Chase was targeted 17 times during the game. It seemed like he could get open at will and averaged 24 yards per reception. Much of Chase’s success has come with Tee Higgins out with a quad injury, but this is also a precursor for what is to come in 2025, as Higgins is hoping to find a new contract in the offseason. Look for the Bengals to keep giving rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton snaps to get him up to speed.
The Ravens are now 7-3 on the season and have arguably the best offense in the league. They were led by Lamar Jackson, who had 290 passing yards and four touchdowns. Little-known receiver Tylan Wallace had three receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Mark Andrews also had six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. Getting receivers like Wallace and Nelson Agholor involved in the offense will be an excellent thing for the Ravens as it will hopefully prevent other teams from double-covering star receiver Zay Flowers.
Giants @ Panthers:
This game was played in Germany and the Giants have now moved to 2-8 on the season. If the season were to end today, the Giants would have the 1st overall pick in the draft, showing just how miserable this season has been. Giants’ ownership will need to decide very soon whether to stick with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll or move on. The Giants tend to be patient with their coaches, so look for Daboll to have one more opportunity to get this right and groom his own quarterback. At this point, Daboll and Giants fans are beside themselves, considering how badly Daniel Jones has played. Jones threw for 190 yards and two interceptions, and Daboll should consider making a quarterback change ASAP.
Star wide receiver Malik Nabers was only able to grab 6 catches for 50 yards. Nabers hasn’t scored a touchdown in four weeks or had more than 75 yards receiving. Jones is also throwing the ball in precarious situations as Nabers left the game with what appeared to be another major concussion before he returned to the field. On a brighter note, a player to watch is rookie fourth-round tight end Theo Johnson, who is asserting himself into the Giants passing attack. Johnson has had six targets in back-to-back weeks.
Another bright spot for the Giants was running back Tyrone Tracy who had 18 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown against a terrible Carolina run defense. I’m not worried about the fumble late in the game as he is still the Giants most explosive running back and has overperformed expectations. Still since Devin Singletary’s return from injury Tracy has seen his snap share go from 82% down to 69%.
The Panthers move to 3-7 on the season, and second-year quarterback Bryce Young showed some moxie toward the end of the game as he completed a very big pass in the fourth quarter, helping pull out the victory for Carolina. It looks like head coach Dave Canales will likely stick with him as the starter for the rest of the season..
Jonathan Brooks was not activated by Carolina this week but expect him to play next week. Chuba Hubbard had 28 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown to lead the Panthers to the victory in Germany. It will be interesting to see how Carolina decides to split the carries with two excellent young running backs.
With Diontae Johnson now in Baltimore and Adam Thielen still injured with a hamstring issue, rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders has become one of the team’s most trusted targets. Sanders is a player to watch and potentially pick up as his target share has spiked throughout the season.
Broncos @ Chiefs:
The Chiefs continue with their undefeated season, pulling out the win on a blocked kick in the final second. Patrick Mahomes threw for 266 yards and a touchdown. Even more importantly, Mahomes is showing a lot of mobility, rushing for 19 yards and getting out of the pocket when he needs to get the critical first downs to sustain drives. While his numbers are clearly down from where they have been in the past, the Chiefs are winning games, and head coach Andy Reid (and Mahomes) are looking for Super Bowls and not statistics.
Once again, the Chiefs receivers were led by tight end Travis Kelce, who had eight receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. Newly acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had four receptions for 56 yards. Hopkins is proving to be the perfect replacement for Rashee Rice as he is a larger version of Rice and finds the seams in the opposing zone coverage. Watch closely as Hopkins and Mahomes are starting to develop chemistry together, which is a very dangerous thing for the rest of the league.
Denver almost pulled off the upset and now move to 5-5 on the season. They were in charge for most of the game due to their defense, which had 4 sacks on Mahomes. Bo Nix did a terrific job on the road, throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team on a drive that should have won the game, and it was really great to see him complete that pass to Courtland Sutton to put the team in position to kick the game-winning field goal. As for Sutton, he is clearly the Bronco’s best receiver and a must-play each week.
There might be a changing of the guard for the Broncos at running back. Rookie Audric Estime seems to have won the job, as Javonte Williams barely had any carries. In fact, Estime had 82.4% of the snap share, and two of the three red zone carries. Estime is a very good first-and-down running back and short-yardage running back, but it remains to be seen what role Williams will have on offense. Broncos head coach Sean Payton has always liked to rotate his running backs, and now that the trade deadline has passed, Payton will need to figure out the best way to use Estime, Williams, and second-year back Jaleel McLaughlin.
Vikings @ Jaguars:
The Vikings move to 7-2 on the season with the road victory. Head coach Kevin O’Connell could not have been happy with what he saw on the field as the Vikings looked lost on offense. Sam Donald had 241 yards, but he also had three interceptions. Darnold has a horrible habit of holding the ball and not looking off his receivers. Even worse is that the ball sailed over his receivers head multiple times, and he could have easily been picked off one or two more times. The Vikings are very happy with how Darnold has played, but he is not the long-term answer at quarterback, as the team loves injured rookie J.J. McCarthy, who will be back next season.
Justin Jefferson was only able to garner five receptions for 48 yards, which was a major disappointment, considering the Jaguars defense has been shaky all season. The good news was that TJ Hockenson seems to be back to normal, as he had eight receptions for 72 yards on nine targets. In fact, Hockenson tied Justin Jefferson with a 23% target share, showing that he is a clear TE1 moving forward. Now would be the time to trade for him if you can.
The Vikings need to figure out a way to get second-year receiver Jordan Addison more involved in the offense. Addison had five targets and two receptions for 25 yards. The bigger problem is that Addison is open most of the time, but Darnold doesn’t figure out how to look off his first receiver and find his progression.
The Jaguars move to 2-8 on the season and arguably may be one of the worst two or three teams in football. To compound things further, this was one of the worst endings to a game in recent memory. Trayvon Walker committed a ridiculous penalty at the end of the game for unnecessary roughness. The Jaguars never had another chance to get the ball, and the game ended despite how well the Jacksonville defense had played. At this point, Jaguars ownership needs to figure out whether Doug Peterson should be fired as its head coach. The playcalling has been abysmal; the effort has not been there each week, and outside of Thomas, none of the young players seem to be progressing. Owner Sharif Khan has said that he’s happy with the direction of the team but that seems hard to believe considering how bad the Jaguars have played this season.
Mac Jones started in place of Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and only threw for 111 yards and two interceptions. Even more concerning was that Brian Thomas Jr. only had two receptions for 12 yards. Prior to his injury in Week 8 Thomas was averaging over 6 targets per game and 71 receiving yards. In the past two games, he’s had 3 targets and 17 receiving yards per game. That might be about better coverage, or it might simply mean that Thomas is more injured than he is letting on. The bottom line is that if you can’t get your best player the football, you’re never going to win.
Falcons @ Saints:
With the loss, the Falcons move to 6-4 on the season, and if they miss the playoffs, they will look back at this game as one that they should have had in the victory column. In the NFL, it’s critically important to win games on the road to differentiate yourself from the rest of your competitors. Losing a game like this to a team that is reeling (especially a divisional opponent) is a big problem.
As a team, Atlanta ran the ball effectively with 32 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Bijan Robinson had 20 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and Tyler Allgeier had 11 carries for 59 yards. There was a sequence in the game where Allgeier had three chances on the one-yard line and failed to score until the team finally put Robinson in. Robinson then scored a touchdown on the next play. This needs to be corrected quickly. Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Taylor has given Robinson close to 68-70% of the teams carries up to this point, but as the playoffs loom closer, that percentage might need to go up to 80% due to Robinson’s explosiveness and efficiency.
A lot of the public didn’t think the Saints had a chance to win but they always play well at home. Moreover, they were inspired to play well against a division rival and for a new coaching staff that the players seem to like. Shockingly, Alvin Kamara dropped what would have been a game-winning touchdown, but the Saints defense held the Falcons on the final drive and pulled out the victory.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr 269 yards and two touchdowns. The player of the game was former Chiefs star receiver and recent Saints free agent signee Marques Valdez-Scantling, who had three receptions for 109 yards and both touchdowns. MVS has taken over as the team’s deep threat downfield.
Alvin Kamara had another terrific game, rushing for 55 yards and grabbing five receptions for 54 yards on six targets. It will be interesting to see how the team uses Kamara in the coming weeks. The team just signed him to a long-term contract, but with the Saints likely to miss the playoffs, they might want to scale down his touches so they can see how some of their younger players (Kendre Miller and Jordan Mims) fit into their plans for next season and beyond.
49ers @ Bucs:
San Francisco came off its bye week and had a big road victory against Tampa and now stand at 5-4 on the season. San Francisco is one game behind the division-leading Arizona Cardinals but with a half season to go and many of their injured players back, the 49ers seem primed to make a run at the NFC Championship again. Brock Purdy had 353 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a touchdown to tight end George Kittle and rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. Purdy also showed some very good mobility by rushing for 17 yards on four carries. This is one of his best games this season, and his play bodes well for San Francisco in its fight for the division.
In his first game back of the season number one fantasy overall pick Christian McCaffrey had 39 yards as well as 6 receptions for 68 yards. McCaffrey ranked second on the team with a 19% target share, showing that he is fully back from his injury; many football fans were wondering whether or not McCaffrey would have played a full load of snaps, and in fact, he did play pretty much all of them. Jordan Mason, the backup who had played so well the previous weeks, only had one carry for five yards.
Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel has not had the breakthrough game yet this year. It was obvious that the coaching staff tried to get him more involved on offense but Jauan Jennings is playing at a very high level and rookie Ricky Pearsall is beginning to emerge as well. Samuel has his boom weeks but he is very inconsistent and can be frustrating especially in fantasy leagues.
Tampa moves to 4-6 on the season after losing another close game against one of the better teams in the league. The problem this season has not been Tampa’s offense, it’s clearly been their defense and its inability to stop other teams from passing the ball. To make matters worse the Buccaneers have likely lost star offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs for a few weeks with an MCL injury.
Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield struggled, only throwing for 116 yards and one touchdown. The good news is that the running back situation is starting to become a little clearer. Rookie Bucky Irving played very well, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown and catching 3 passes. Rachad White had 6 receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown, as well as 31 yards rushing. Irving out-snapped White as a runner 13-10. White led in receiving targets by 7-3. White has been used as more of a short yardage back, giving him a slight advantage on the whole.
Bills @ Colts:
The Bills pulled out a big road victory and now move to 8-2 on the season. They face Kansas City at home next week in what could be a precursor to the AFC championship. Bills quarterback Josh Allen ran for a touchdown as well as 50 yards and also threw for 280 yards. James Cook had 80 yards rushing and a touchdown, and Mack Hollins led all bills receivers with four receptions for 86 yards. Once again, star wide receiver Amari Cooper missed the game with a wrist injury. He barely practiced last week and although the team would like him to return in time for the Chiefs game, they will not rush them as they likely will win the division and want him to be ready for the playoffs.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid suffered a knee injury and will need to be monitored this week to see if he will be able to play against the Chiefs. Kincaid did make a return in the second half, but it was obvious that he was laboring. The Chiefs are the worst team in the league against opposing tight ends, so it would be a big loss if Kincaid was out. Josh Allen’s roommate, Dawson Knox, is the backup thigh end and would be a very interesting pick-up if Kincaid misses time. The Bills have a BYE in Week 12, so they will not rush Kincaid back unless he’s 100%.
This game started out in a horrible way for Indianapolis with quarterback Joe Flacco throwing two early interceptions . Colts head coach Shane Steichen made a controversial move two weeks ago when he decided to replace second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson with veteran Joe Flacco. Right now many Colts fans must be questioning his decision as the Colts offense has looked moribund with Flacco just as it did with Richardson. If the team is going to miss out on the playoffs, why not give Richardson a chance to improve?
Offensively, Colts wide receiver Josh Downs had 7 receptions for 72 yards, and rookie Adonai Mitchell had 6 receptions for 71 yards. Alec Pierce also played well, with four receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Downs was especially frustrating as he dropped a guaranteed touchdown in the first half, which would have tied the game and perhaps given the Colts offense the shot it needed. The good news is that with Michael Pittman out, Down is the clear WR1 and has averaged close to double-digit targets per game.
Steelers @ Commanders:
The Steelers improved to 7-2 on the season, pulling off a miraculous road victory against Washington. The Steelers never say die attitude reflects that of their head coach, Mike Tomlin, who has never had a losing season in his career with Pittsburgh. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith leaned on the running game as Jaylen Warren ran for 66 yards and Najee Harris ran for 53 yards as the Steelers had 43 carries as a team. About half of Warren’s carries came when Harris left the game with an ankle injury. This is certainly something to monitor heading into Week 11 when Pittsburgh plays Baltimore. Expect Warren to be more involved in the passing attack as well, considering the Ravens have been generous to opposing running backs out of the backfield.
Russell Wilson threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to newly acquired receiver Mike Williams for 32 yards. Williams had only practiced with the team a few times and had a limited knowledge of the offense. They designed a package for him, and Russell Wilson did well to find him to win the game. Williams’s presence is a big boost for star receiver George Pickens. Pickens had five receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, but the emergence of Williams will make sure that opposing defenses do not double-cover Pickens as much as they have.
For the Commanders this was a disappointing day as the team now is 7-3 on the season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels was not able to find the end zone, throwing for only 202 yards. The Steelers defense also kept him in the pocket, as Daniels only rushed for five yards, which is very unusual for him. Perhaps more concerning is how Daniels’ rib injury seems to be affecting him as well. He has gone from averaging 53 yards rushing per game to slightly above 30. Washington has a BYE in Week 14, so it would not be surprising to see Daniels continue to stay in the pocket to protect himself.
Veteran running back Austin Ekeler took over for the injured Brian Robinson and had 44 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns. Ekeler has been a good presence for the young Commanders, but they clearly miss the explosiveness that Robinson brings to the offensive attack. Wide Receiver Terry McLaurin led all Commanders receivers with five receptions for 113 yards. The team clearly needs another wide receiver to step up and help McLaurin as no other receiver had more than 33 yards receiving (Noah Brown).
Patriots @ Bears:
The Bears moved to 4-5 on the season and there could be a chance that Bears head coach Matt Eberflus does not make it through this week. If Eberflus doesn’t get fired I assume that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will get fired any minute now. The playcalling is abysmal, and Caleb Williams seems to be regressing as a prospect. The Bears might be wise and give Williams some time on the bench (like what happened with Bryce Young in Carolina) in order to give him some time and perspective.
The Bears had practically no offense, as Caleb Williams only threw for 120 yards and zero touchdowns. Even worse was that the Bears were only able to get 73 yards rushing against the Patriots. There’s just no semblance of offense, and it’s putting too much pressure on the defense. The Bears receivers were obviously frustrated as Williams was only able to complete 16 passes for an average of 7.5 yards per completion. Keenan Allen had five receptions for 44 yards and star receiver DJ Moore only had three receptions for 24 yards. Not only is the offensive time not giving Williams enough time to get open the receivers are struggling with their separation.
On a positive note, Bears running back D’Andre Swift had a 94% backfield share, which was his season high. When Swift is playing well, the Bears normally play well, as they can lean on their ground attack. When Swift struggles, it requires Williams to throw more, which inevitably gets the team into trouble.
For the Patriots, Drake Maye had 184 yards passing and a touchdown. The offensive line is not getting a great push, but they are being consistent with their running attack, which helps Drake Maye out. Demario Douglas had four receptions for 50 yards and Kayshon Boutte had four receptions for 47 yards to lead all Patriots wide receivers in receptions. Boutte has had six targets in each of the past three games and is very tough against man coverage defensive schemes. Boutte was a top prospect at LSU until he struggled in his senior year. He still has a ton of potential and could be someone that Maye leans on. The Patriots are going to need one of these young players to step up and become the WR1 in critical situations. Right now, that seems to be holding them back.
Titans @ Chargers:
The Chargers moved to 6-3 on the season and are playing at an extremely high level on both sides of the ball. The Chargers defense had seven sacks and controlled the game. Veteran Bud Dupree led the team with two sacks. Give all the credit in the world to head coach Jim Harbaugh who has made an immediate impact fixing the offensive and defensive lines.
Running back Gus Edwards returned from the IR and had 10 carries for 55 yards. He will be the RB2 behind Dobbins moving forward. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman knows Edwards well from their days together in Baltimore. It would not shock me to see Edwards become the goal line and short yardage back once again, vulturing away touchdowns from Dobbins. This needs to be watched if you have Dobbins on your roster.
Justin Herbert threw for 164 yards and one touchdown and he also ran for 32 yards and a touchdown. More importantly he was very efficient with a passer rating of 123.1 after completing 14 passes on 18 attempts. Sadly this is one of those games where none of the Chargers receivers were able to dominate considering that the team was able to stay in its offensive shell and just run the ball.
Tennessee is now 2-7 on the season and really struggling to find their offensive groove. Running back Tyjae Spears returned from injury and had 47 yards rushing to complement Tony Pollard who had 44 yards rushing. This may be problematic to fantasy managers who have Pollard on their roster. With Spears out, Pollard had been one of the top five or six running backs in the league. Now that Spears has returned, they will split carries closer to 50-50.
Will Levis showed some improvement in his return from injury, completing 18 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Levis also rushed for 41 yards, but he definitely showed some maturity against a very tough Chargers defense. Calvin Ridley led the Titans with five receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns, proving that he is a top WR1 regardless of competition. In the three games the team has played since DeAndre Hopkins has been traded, Ridley has had a 34% target share and averaged 100 receiving yards per game. The team might be struggling, but Ridley is a building block for the future.
Eagles @ Cowboys:
The Eagles move to 7-2 and, along with Washington, are the class of the NFC East. Jalen Hurts threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 56 yards and two more touchdowns. The tush push is almost impossible to defend, considering how strong Hurts is. Saquon Barkley only had 66 rushing yards and 12 receiving yards, disappointing many who expected him to have another huge day. The Eagles were winning so convincingly that Barkley did not have to do that much. What is somewhat concerning is that Barkley had zero rushing attempts inside the 10-yard line. This is the only blemish on what is clearly an MVP-type season from Barkley.
A.J. Brown was the leading receiver for Philadelphia, with 5 receptions for 109 yards on seven targets. Tight end Dallas Goedert returned from injury and was the second-most targeted receiver (3). With the Eagles running the ball so effectively, Goedert and WR2 Devonta Smith seem to be more like afterthoughts in the offense than major contributors. Perhaps with tough games on the horizon with Washington and Baltimore coming up they will need to be more involved.
Dallas moves to 3-6 on the season and is a complete disaster. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush only passed for 45 yards on 13 completions which is borderline pathetic. Trey Lance came in and looked a little better rushing for 17 yards and passing for 21. Dallas may want to see what they have with Lance sooner than later.
Jake Ferguson led all Cowboys receivers with 24 yards. Ceedee Lamb had six receptions for 21 yards on 10 targets. It’s obvious from watching the team play that Lamb is supremely frustrated with what’s going on. I’m not sure that any of their skill players are worth playing at this point because the quarterback play is so bad. Moreover, it feels like the team has given up, which makes it hard to start any of them with confidence.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is now faced with losing the fan base and maybe even the team if he keeps coach Mike McCarthy around any longer. Losing Dak to injury certainly hurt the teams chances, but they were playing horribly before that injury. In fact, there were many who thought that he should have fired McCarthy a couple of years ago in order to hire Sean Payton but that train has left the station. Dallas obviously needs a new vision, and McCarthy is not the person to get it done. Jones is known to be stubborn and loves a coach that he can control, but tickets don’t sell themselves, and the team needs a new identity quickly.
Jets @ Cardinals:
The Cardinals are the best team in the NFC West, moving their record to 6-4 with a convincing home win against the Jets. Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and ran for 21 yards, and had two rushing touchdowns. The Jets could not put enough pressure on Murray who looked very confident in the pocket and completed 22 of his 24 passing attempts. When Murray gets into one of these types of grooves he’s very hard to stop as you’re not sure whether or not he’s going to throw or whether he’s going to use his legs.
James Conner had 33 rushing yards to go along with five receptions for 80 yards. Backup rookie running back Trey Benson ran for 62 yards and had two receptions for 25 yards. They make for an excellent 1-2 punch. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing draws up excellent zone running scheme plays, which gives the Cardinals running backs a lot of room to run. Conner had two-thirds of the teams rushing attempts before the game got out of hand, but it is obvious that Arizona is trying to get Benson carries as they need to keep Conner fresh for the playoff stretch.
Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr had five catches for 54 yards and one touchdown. Harrison leads all rookie receivers with six touchdowns on the season and is almost impossible to cover in man coverage. Trey McBride looked unstoppable with four receptions for 71 yards and barely missed a touchdown. There’s some touchdown regression coming for McBride, and he looks like an unstoppable force as a tight end. The biggest concern is second-year receiver Michael Wilson, who has not really stepped up. The Cardinals desperately need another receiver to emerge so that opposing defenses stop double-teaming Harrison.
The Jets moved to 3-7 on the season and it looks like their Super Bowl hopes are gone. The Jets could barely move the football with Aaron Rodgers only throwing for 151 yards. He was also sacked three times. Rodgers missed his receivers on numerous occasions and looked slow, moving out of the pocket. Moreover, many of his passes were low and uncatchable. Father time might be calling Rodgers to leave the game.
Jets wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams combined for 11 catches for 82 yards and no touchdowns, signifying how bad the team looked on offense. Adams had 13 targets, but he couldn’t create any separation and was never a threat to the opposing secondary. The good news is that Adams’ target share continues to rise as he has gone from 15% in his first game up to 37% in this past game with the Cardinals.
Lions @ Texans:
In one of the most improbable victories in quite some time the Detroit Lions scored 19 unanswered points to defeat the Texans to go 8-1 on the season. The Lions were losing at halftime 23-7 as Jared Goff had one of the worst first halves in recent memory. Even though he threw five interceptions, Goff ended up with the win, throwing for 240 yards and two touchdowns. One of the things that makes Goff so special is that he is unflappable, even in the most dire circumstances. There are still a lot of questions about him playing on the road, especially later in the season, but as of right now, he looks like one of the top quarterbacks in the NFC.
The Lions’ rushing attack was led by Jahmyr Gibbs who had 71 yards along with two receptions for 37 yards. David Montgomery once again scored a touchdown on the road and had 32 yards rushing to go along with 24 yards receiving. It is the Lions’ commitment to their ground attack that balances this team even when they’re not playing well.
Wide Receiver Jameson Williams returned to the lineup after missing the last two games due to a suspension. Williams had three catches for 53 yards and gave the team the explosive downfield presence that they were missing in his absence. Tight end Sam LaPorta had 66 yards and a touchdown, and star wide receiver Amon-Ra. St. Brown had 6 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.
The Texans are now 6-4 and play the Cowboys next Monday night in what might be called a must-win game if they want to win the division. Shockingly, the defense let the Texans down, considering they played so well in the first half. The Texans were missing star defensive end Will Anderson, which had a lot to do with the outcome, but regardless, they still did not make the big stops when they needed to. The most telling statistic was that the Texans did not have one sack in the game. Yes the Lions offensive line is good, but zero sacks puts way too much pressure on the secondary.
Offensively, the Texans were led by star running back Joe Mixon, who had 46 rushing yards and a touchdown to go along with 44 yards receiving. The biggest surprise to Texans fans was that Nico Collins was not activated before the game as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Collins has been one of the top wide receivers in all the NFL and he is sorely missed by the Texans who desperately need him back in the lineup.
