As John Cougar Mellencamp sang in his song, Pink Houses, “There are winners, and there are losers. But they ain’t no big deal…” The reality is winners and losers can vary from week to week, whether it’s players or teams. There are some teams sitting with a 1-2 record who are big winners today, while there are others who are licking their wounds and soul-searching. There are even teams sitting at 2-1 and in first place who don’t consider themselves winners.
Going into this week, there were nine undefeated teams. Heading into Monday Night, we are now down to only four undefeated, 3-0 teams. There were nine teams sitting at 0-2. So far, six of them have saved their season with a win to get them to 1-2. The Colts, Rams, Panthers, Giants, Broncos, and Ravens all saved their season on Sunday…at least for another week. Those six teams are all big winners, even if they are still below .500.
Here’s the list of Winners and Losers this week:
We saw glimpses of this last week but in a losing cause. This week, the Jones to Nabors was in full effect again, on the road…and this time, for a win. Jones was an efficient 24-34 with 236 YDs and two TDs, both to Nabors. Aside from the two TD catches, Nabors snagged sight in total for 78 yards.
The week before, Barkley blamed himself for the loss, dropping the pass that sealed the Eagles’ loss. This week, he put the team on his back for the victory. He rushed the ball 17 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
Goedert also had a monster game for the Eagles. He led the team with 10 receptions for a whopping 170 yards.
Apparently, who needs Jordan Love? The team is now 2-0 with Willis. And they didn’t just do it on the ground in this game. He was 13-19 with 202 YDs and a TD. He also led the team in rushing on six carries and 73 YDs on the ground…and a rushing TD.
RB Zach Charbonett-Seattle Seahawks:x
WR DK Metcalf-Seattle Seahawks:x
QB Andy Dalton-Carolina Panthers:x
RB Chuba Hubbard-Carolina Panthers:x
In a must-win game for the Rams, Williams stepped up. With no Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua, the team needed to rely heavily on their RB. He was a true workhorse, carrying the ball 24 times for 89 YDs and two TDs.
Just as the Rams were 0-2 and in desperate need of a win, so were the Colts. With a spotty performance by quarterback Anthony Richardson, Taylor had to step up. He had 23 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
There is a definite theme this week, with RBs saving the day for their teams. Montgomery was a huge spark for the Lions coming off of their disappointing loss the week earlier. He had 23 carries for 105 yds and a TD.
QB Lamar Jackson-Baltimore Ravens:x
RB Derrick Henry-Baltimore Ravens:x
I don’t often list a player from the losing side as a winner…but Jennings absolutely was, and so were his fantasy owners. He put up 46 fantasy points for the week on 11 catches for 175 YDs and three TDs. It wasn’t his fault the team lost. Without Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle, Jennings certainly did all he could do.
Every week, Darnold makes this list, which makes sense because the team is 3-0 and continues to dominate. He was 17-28 and only threw for 181 yards, but he had four TD passes. If he keeps this up, MVP chatter will surely begin. For what it’s worth, he’s currently listed at 25/1.
With RB Isiah Pacheco out, HC Andy Reid turned to undrafted Steele to fill in. And he was more than serviceable. He carried the ball 17 times and gained 72 YDs. It wasn’t flashy, and the numbers weren’t gaudy…but he more than gave the team what it needed: a steady, sure-handed ball carrier who could help move the chains.
For flashy and gaudy numbers, the team turned to Rice. He caught 12 passes for 110 YDs and a TD.
The Steelers faced off against the undefeated Chargers and sent them back to LA with their first loss. During the game, Justin Herbert left with a leg injury, but it may not have mattered. QB Justin Fields is making Chicago miss him. He is turning into a solid field general. He was 25-32 with 245 YDs and a TD. He also ran the ball in for a TD.
The Seahawks are 3-0 with a two-game lead atop the NFC West. This game was won primarily due to Zach Charbonnet’s running and DK Metcalf’s receiving. Charbonnet had 18 rushes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while Metcalf caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Kudos to the entire Organization for this victory…possibly the biggest “winner” that will appear on this list all year. It is not easy to bench a starting QB, especially one who was the No. 1 pick in the draft just a year earlier. That is what HC Dave Canales did heading into this week against the Raiders. He handed the keys to veteran QB Andy Dalton. All Dalton did was go 26-37 and 319 YDs, along with three TDs. RB Chuba Hubbard rushed the ball 21 times for 114 yards, and he caught five passes for 55 yards and a TD. WR Diontae Johnson had a monster game, catching eight passes for 122 YDs and a TD. The team still may not be great or win a ton of games, but for one week, they were great.
The Ravens backs were against the wall. Starting 0-2 was bad, but starting 0-3 would have been the start of a lost season. And, to make matters worse, they were on the road in Dallas, with the Cowboys coming off of a tough home loss the week before. They came out swinging, led by Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. Jackson was an efficient 12-15 for 182 YDs and a TD. He also rushed the ball 14 times for 87 yards and a rushing TD. Henry was again The King. he ran the ball 25 times for 151 YDs and two TDs.
Just when you forget that Carr is Carr, he reminds you. He only completed 14-25 passes for 142 yards. He threw one touchdown and an INT. Most importantly, his offense was completely stopped, only putting up 12 points.
Pollard was effectively Derek Henry’s replacement. On six carries, he only rushed for 14 YDs. In fairness, the team isn’t good at all, and they are constantly playing from behind. The Titans will be competing for the no.1 pick all season.’
The same holds true for Swift in Chicago. He’s been a solid runner, but when you’re constantly playing from behind, there is no room for him to rush. It wasn’t for a lack of trying to utilize him, though; he rushed the ball 13 times for only 20 yards. The offensive line is truly offensive. They can’t protect QB Caleb Williams, and they can’t create holes for their running game.
The way I don’t normally praise players on losing teams, I also don’t normally hammer players on winning teams…but I have to here. There is something wrong with Kelce. He only caught four passes for 30 YDs and was a ghost on the field for most of the night. And those four catches doubled his output for the year. He now only has eight catches and 69 receiving YDs for the year. And he hasn’t caught a TD pass yet.
Robinson did score a TD Sunday night, but also made the last play to effectively end the game for the Falcons, not being able to get a yard on 4th and 1. He had 16 rushes for only 31 yards.
What can you say about this performance by the Cowboys? They were again awful this week, at home…with Jerry Jones watching closely. With the game completely out of reach, they managed to score 19 points in the fourth quarter, which made it look like a game, but it really never was doubtful. They can’t run the ball and don’t have an effective RB. And QB Dak Prescott and WR Cee Dee Lamb aren’t clicking like they did last year…maybe they are too busy counting their money.
Just when you think QB Kyler Murray will become the playmaker everyone hopes he’ll be, he and his Cardinals turn into a pumpkin. They just can’t gain any consistency. He passed for 207 yards and led the team with 45 rushing yards. Only putting up 13 points at home isn’t going to beat many teams.
The Dolphins are now down to their third-string quarterback, Skyler Thompson, who left the game with a rib injury. Has anybody bothered to reach out to Tom Brady? The Dolphins look completely inept without Tua Tagovailoa, and the season could be hanging by a thread. Thankfully for them, they only have the Titans and the Patriots over the next two weeks.
This is tough to place the Chargers here. They were 2-0 heading into this game and playing very well. HC Jim Harbaugh has employed a balanced offensive attack, but on Sunday, not much worked. JK Dobbins had back-to-back games with over 130 rushing yards, but on Sunday, he only managed 44 YDs. It didn’t help that Justin Herbert left the game early with an ankle injury, but I’m not sure they would have prevailed even if he stayed in the game. It doesn’t get easier next week when they return home to play the Chiefs.
This is a game the Bucs will want back. They were home facing off against the winless Broncos. There was no indication they’d lay such an egg…from Baker Mayfield to Rachaad White. Mayfield only passed for 163 yards, and White only had 35 yards of total offense.
Coming off a huge upset on the road, a letdown was in order, but losing to the Panthers is unacceptable. The fear I had was that the switch at QB from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton was that it would give the team a boost…but I really didn’t expect a win. Not only did the Panthers win, but they dominated 36-22. Normally, 36 pts have been their three-game output. Maybe the Red Rifle can bring the Panthers to respectability. But for the Raiders, this again puts them on a lousy trajectory.
Going on the road to play an undefeated team is difficult, but to be a complete no-show was unexpected. This may have been CJ Stroud’s worst game since entering the league. I’m not sure if this is that the Vikings are truly this good, or that the league is catching up with the Texans and Stroud. I’d like to think it’s the former, but it will be interesting to see how they bounce back this week at home against the Jaguars. They will surely play better than the 34-7 drubbing they had on Sunday.
The Browns defense just hasn’t been clicking as well as it did last year. They have now lost each of their home games, making it way too easy for the Cowboys and Giants’ passing games. The jury is still out on Deshaun Watson and whether he can ever be a consistent quarterback in the league again. He wasn’t awful in this game, throwing two TDs to Amari Cooper. But overall, the team only gained 265 total yards…that’s just not enough in this league.
