There is one remaining undefeated team. The two-time defending Superbowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs went to San Fransisco and defeated the reeling 49ers 28-18. It is a strange season because the Chiefs have a plethora of injuries themselves, and Patrick Mahomes has been struggling. Thus far this season, he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.
It appears that, for at least one week, Doug Pederson’s job will be safe. The Jaguars easily defeated the hapless Patriots in London. A victory over a 1-6 team won’t keep his job for long, though; they’ll have to prove they can string a few wins together against some real opponents.
Another HC may have entered the fray for the next coach to be relieved of his duties. Brain Daboll’s Giants took a drubbing in the Meadowlands against arch-rival Philadelphia Eagles. And to add insult to injury, the loss was mainly due to the excellence of Saquon Barkley. In 17 carries, he rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown. He should have been a Giants uniform for his entire career.
Regardless of their team’s results, these three players are all big winners this week.
In his first game back in over a season, Nick Chubb returned to the Browns. He rushed the ball 11 times for 22 yards and a TD. They lost 21-14 to the Bengals, but the result is secondary to Chubb’s return.
Washington’s Jayden Daniels left the game early, and his replacement, Marcus Mariota, put together a solid game. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two TDs. This is yet another example of a veteran, journeyman QB coming in without his team missing a beat.
Kareem Hunt has come full circle, back with his former Chiefs in their time of need. After an unsuccessful five-year stint in Cleveland, he has returned. He had 78 yds on 22 carries and two TDs on Sunday. That now gives him three on the season.
All of these QBs had huge victories this past week and are all big winners.
It may not have been his best victory, but it’s up there with his most important one…and that includes his playoff comeback a couple of seasons ago. The team was reeling and needed a win in the worst way. Granted, they only defeated the 1-6 Patriots, but a win is a win. Statistically, a 2-5 team has a 6% chance at the postseason…”so you’re saying there’s a chance”. Lawrence was 15 for 20 with 193 yards and a QBR of 132.5, and he added a TD.
After falling behind 10-0 to the Titans, Allen and the Bills woke up. They scored 34 unanswered pts. Allen was 21 for 33 with 323 yards and two TDs.
Goff is seriously making a case for MVP. He had another nearly perfect game. He completed 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards. His QBR was 145.4, and he threw two TDs. And with the win against the previously undefeated Vikings in Minnesota, his Lions are in first place in the NFC North.
Smith may be the most under-the-radar QB in the league. He is the picture-perfect definition of serviceable…and I don’t mean that as an insult. His QBR was 117.5 after completing 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards and two TDs.
Statistically, this was a soft game for Burrow, but it was a much-needed victory for the Bengals. They are now 3-4 and within striking distance of the playoffs. He only threw the ball 25 times, but he did what was needed, completing 15 passes for 181 yards and two TDs.
This game between the Texans and Packers was my preseason Superbowl matchup. If it turns out to be, we’ll be in for an exciting game. The Packers prevailed on a last-second FG, winning 24-22. Love was 24-33 with 220 yards and three TDs.
Wilson could have also been in this “welcome back” section, making his first start of the season. But I put him here because as the preseason no.1 QB for the Steelers, he was expected to start the first week of the season. Although the first half was dicey, with the home crowd even booing him occasionally, Wilson was more than solid in the second half. He finished the day 16-29, 264 yds and two TDs, along with a 119 QBR.
With RB1 Travis Etienne still out of action, Bigsby has filled in more than admirably. On 26 rushes, he had 118 yards and two TDs.
The Lions have one of the best two-back tandems in the league. This week, it was Gibbs who carried the load. On 15 carries, he rushed for 116 yards and two TDs.
In many ways, as Williams goes, so go the Rams. He is a throwback RB who is a true workhorse. On 21 carries, he gained 76 yards with two TDs.
In many ways, this game was all about Russell Wilson and how he’d perform in his first game with his new team. But during those times when Wilson was less than stellar, Harris was a savior, keeping many drives alive with his legs. On 21 rushes, he had 102 yards and scored a TD.
St.Brown finds himself as the WR1 on the first-place Lions. He is as tough as nails and in many ways, doesn’t get the credit he deserves…and certainly not as much as some of his counterparts. All he does is put up numbers, week after week. In a very important game against the Vikings, with first place and possible no.1 seed on the line in the NFC, all he did was catch eight passes for 112 yards and a TD.
This was an eye-opening, coming-out party for Coleman. His receptions weren’t gaudy, but his yardage and average was. He gained 125 yds with an average of just over 31 yards per carry.
Aside from Giants HC Brian Daboll being on the hot seat, it’s getting toasty for Patriots HC Jerod Mayo and Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel. The Patriots now find themselves 1-6, and the Tua Tagovailoa-less Dolphins are 2-4. It would be an upset for owner Robert Kraft to fire his HC after just one season, but not out of the question. A 1-16 or 2-15 season has to be enough to give Mayo a pink slip.
McDaniel is far closer to being shown the door. He’s had the cover of Tua’s concussion as a shield, but he can’t keep hiding behind that. For such an offensive genius with so many weapons, he should have gotten more out of Tua’s replacements. They have the Cardinals at home this coming week, and a loss could be the final straw for ownership.
Aside from the Patriots, Giants, and Dolphins, the Jets and Panthers are just awful at this point. The addition of Davante Adams didn’t help Aaron Rodgers or the Jets…and it’s beginning to feel like the end of the line for Rodgers. This week’s matchup against the Patriots in New England will be intriguing on so many levels. And as far as the Panthers, at this point, they just have to give thanks to the Patriots for keeping them out of the basement.
As I said earlier, it’s a QB league. When they perform well, their teams often win. When they don’t, they lose. Such was the case this week with two Pro Bowl caliber QBs.
The jury has been out for me regarding Purdy for a while. Maybe it was my bias against the last pick in the draft and being so protective of what Tom Brady did as a sixth-rounder, but something has always seemed off for me regarding Mr. Irrelevent. He played the worst game of his career against the Chiefs on Sunday. Granted, the team is decimated by injuries, but he has to do better than a 43 QBR and three interceptions.
This may have been Stroud’s worst game as a pro. It was a tough spot, playing in Lambaugh Field against a staunch Packer defense. It was also the team’s second road game in a row. It did take a last-second FG to beat them, but Stroud was awful for much of the day. He completed less than 50% of his passes, with only 10 completions on 21 attempts…and he only threw for 86 yards. In some games, that’s one long pass to Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, or Tank Dell.
