The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers face off for the first of two crucial division showdowns in 2020 this Sunday. (h/t Justin Berl, Getty Images)
Welcome to midsesason! The season is flying by, and every week has been a blast. I went 8-6 last week, bringing my season record to 47-25-1. Definitely could have better, but I have high hopes for this week. Let’s get into it.
Falcons 27-23 Panthers
Starting off this week with an upset pick. I’ve probably been the biggest blind believer in the Falcons this year, even despite all of their blown leads. I have also expressed how much I like the Panthers. Despite how much better Carolina has looked this season, I think this game will be a lot closer than people think, and I think Atlanta will pull of a close upset over their division rivals. I’m not sure what my main reason is for picking the Falcons, but it just feels right. I’ll probably look stupid after tonight, but anything can happen.
Bills 20-17 Patriots
This one is going to be hard to watch. Two teams that have spent the last month struggling mightily, especially offensively. These division rivals started the season pretty well, but things are going downhill quickly. Whoever comes out of this with an L can spiral downward very fast. Unfortunately for the Patriots, it’ll be them. Their offense just isn’t nearly as talented as Buffalo’s is. And despite the Bills’ offensive struggles and the talent of the Patriots defense, I think they’ll do what they need to do to get the job done. It will be close and can go either way, but I’ll trust the team that has proven more in 2020.
Titans 31-20 Bengals
I think this one can be fun. Yes, this is one of the league’s best teams against one of the worst, but like I said yesterday, the Bengals are always in the fight. I think it’ll be a bit tougher against a team like the Titans, who must be super fired up after a heartbreaking loss last week. Tennessee hadn’t lost since January, so I can only imagine how much that stung. They will win this game pretty easily, but once again, don’t be surprised if Cincy is a bit of a thorn in their side. It could be close.
Raiders 34-31 Browns
This might just be the most entertaining game of the week. Two very high-powered offenses that have scored a good amount of points this season. The Browns will be without OBJ, but they still have a good amount of weapons and young studs to give the ball to. Vegas is coming off a very tough loss to Tampa and now have to travel all the way out to Cleveland, but I think that their talent and coaching is better than that of the Browns, so I’ll take them to pull out a W. I know I’ve been a bit harsh on Cleveland in the last few weeks, but I just find it hard to have any sort of confidence in this team. They just struggle against good teams, and I think the Raiders are pretty good.
Colts 24-23 Lions
Another game that will be very entertaining, and very close in my opinion. The only reason I’m taking Indy here is because they’re coming off a bye. These teams match up pretty well with one another, and the Lions are pretty hot right now. Granted, their 2 consecutive wins are against 2 terrible teams. The Colts don’t have the most impressive resume either, but I just think the team is a smidge better than Detroit. I trust their defense a lot, as they have proven to be the difference maker in almost every game for Indianapolis. It wouldn’t shock me at all if the Lions pull this upset off, but I just don’t have it in me to pick them.
Packers 33-19 Vikings
We already saw how massive the difference between these teams is in Week 1. I expect a similar result on Sunday. The Packers are just so much better than the Vikings on both sides of the ball. Minnesota is also reeling, and despite coming off a bye, they will look lethargic on Sunday. It is an uninspired group playing uninspired football behind a coach and a quarterback that nobody wants to play for/with. Green Bay will score a lot of points early, get off to a huge lead, and then the Vikings will score some points at the end to make things look “respectable”, as they always do. But this will be a blowout, through and through.
Chiefs 35-10 Jets
Ohhhhhh boy. It’s not often that we see the best team in the league play the worst team in the league. It’ll be quite the sight to see on Sunday at Arrowhead. I truly believe the Chiefs could rest their starters and win this game easily. In any case, it’ll be ugly and not even remotely close. You don’t need me to tell you that. Kansas City is a 20-point favorite for a reason. I don’t think it’ll be one of the biggest blowouts ever, but it’ll be easy for KC. I’d like to think that Jets +19.5 is the sneaky pick of the week, but I don’t want to lie to myself.
Rams 27-17 Dolphins
The first start for new Dolphins starting QB Tua Tagovailoa will unfortunately be a loss. I’m very excited to see how the former Alabama signal caller performs, but I personally think he’s not ready. This is a move that the Dolphins should have made much later in the season, if not next season entirely. But I am rooting for the kid. It is a very tough first test against one of the league’s best defenses. The Rams have proven themselves as a team that can absolutely shut down offenses. Miami has a pretty good offense, but I don’t think they’ll be able to overcome LA’s talent with the rookie under center. I genuinely think the Dolphins would have won this game with Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB. I believe in Tua, but just not this week.
Steelers 26-23 Ravens
This is the Game of the Week without question. It better live up to the hype. I personally think it will. Steelers-Ravens hasn’t disappointed for seemingly my entire life. Moreover, these teams are back to playing football the way they want to, and the way they did when this rivalry was the best in the the NFL. They can beat you in so many ways offensively, but they pride themselves on their defense. Both teams have stellar defensive units with stars all across the board. This is going to be a classic, I can just feel it. I’d typically roll with the home team in a game like this, but what does being at home really mean in 2020? You don’t have to travel? Pittsburgh to Baltimore is mere hours on the road anyways. So I’ll roll with the team that I think is better, and that is the Steelers, but JUST barely. I simply trust their offense more, as they have been able to get things done both throwing and running the football. The Ravens are statistically the best run team in football, but their passing game has been a bit suspect this season. QB Lamar Jackson tends to struggle in big games, and this is a huge one. I just don’t know if he is built for a moment like this. In any case, I’ll take Pittsburgh in a very, very close game.
Chargers 30-24 Broncos
This should honestly be a very easy win for the Chargers. But, as I always say, they will find a way to almost blow it. Division games are never easy, but the Broncos are a very bad team that is continuing to reel week after week. The Chargers finally have some momentum on their side after finally picking up their second win of the year last Sunday. They are simply far more talented and better coached than Denver and they have no business losing this game. I expect QB Justin Herbert to have another big game, and the LA defense might finally show up against a Broncos offense that has struggled all year long. It would be nice to see the Chargers actually win a game convincingly for once.
Saints 27-13 Bears
This game looks very good on paper, considering the records of these teams, but I don’t think it’ll be close. The Bears offense has been absolutely putrid and impossible to watch all year long. On Monday night, they had the audacity to not even reach the endzone. They’re trying to make things work offensively on the fly, and it is not working at all thanks to very poor QB play. Meanwhile, the Saints are finding their groove with 3 straight wins and some great offensive play. Their defense has been a bit suspect, especially in the secondary, but it would take a special kind of bad secondary to make Nick Foles look good. I think the Saints win this game very convincingly, and we might even see a bit more QB shuffling from Chicago.
Seahawks 31-24 49ers
This is another absolutely awesome game on this week’s schedule. The games between these two rivals have been so good in the last few years, and I don’t expect this one to be any different. The 49ers are getting their rhythm back after some early season embarrassments. Seattle is coming off a heartbreaking loss in the desert and will be hungry to bounce back. This is a massive game in both the division and the conference. These teams actually match up with each other quite well, especially considering how awful Seattle’s defense is. San Francisco is still battered injury-wise, but players have stepped up and proven that the depth of this team can overcome those injuries. However, I’m not sure if this week’s squad has what it takes to overcome Russell Wilson. Last Sunday night taught us that the only thing that can beat the Seahawks QB is himself. I doubt he’ll make as many mistakes as he made last week, and it’ll be enough to pull out a win on Sunday. It will be close, but Russ will pull it out, as he always does.
Eagles 31-10 Cowboys
Another classic NFC East showdown in primetime. Although, unlike last week’s Thursday night affair, this one is going to be genuinely awful. The Cowboys will likely start rookie QB Ben DiNucci, who they took in the 7th round of this year’s draft, in light of Andy Dalton dealing with a concussion suffered last week in Washington. In his relief efforts in the last two weeks, he has looked awful. So I can only imagine how his first start will go. The Eagles have all the momentum they can have after pulling off a huge comeback win last Thursday to vault into first place, and they do not want to look back. This team should absolutely demolish Dallas on Sunday. The Cowboys are playing awful football, none of the players are inspired to play without Dak Prescott, nobody is buying into HC Mike McCarthy’s system, the list goes on and on and on. Philly should win huge. Or maybe DiNucci will shock the world. I doubt it.
Buccaneers 31-13 Giants
Man, WHY are so many NFC East teams on primetime all the time? These games are just blowouts waiting to happen. The Giants will be this week’s victim on Monday night at the hands of their good friend Tom Brady. The Bucs offense has absolutely exploded in the last two weeks with 41.5 points per game. Meanwhile, the Giants offense hasn’t been able to get out of its own way. The New York defense is admittedly pretty good, but good enough to stop the hottest offense in football? I think not. It should be an easy win for Tampa. The offense might be a bit more limited against an actual good defense, but they’ll still find themselves in the endzone quite a bit. And the Bucs defense will absolutely suffocate the Giants offense. It is a complete mismatch.
The Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Tennessee Titans to improve to 6-0, and are now the NFL’s lone unbeaten team. (h/t Wade Payne, AP Photo)
After one of the wildest weeks in recent memory, there’s a lot of shuffling to do in this week’s power rankings. Let’s stack up the NFL 1-32 as we approach the midway point in the 2020 season.
1 – Chiefs (6-1)
Kansas City is still the best team in football, and they proved that with force on Sunday in Denver. The Chiefs dominated their division foes all game long, and excelled in all 3 phases of the game. With 3 offensive scores, a pick six, and a kick return touchdown, they became the first team this season to score in all 3 phases in 2020. They are continuing to be efficient and not too reliant on any particular player, even with QB Patrick Mahomes under center. They are simply more well-rounded than any other team in the league, and all they do is get things done all over the football field. Their schedule the rest of the way is pretty easy for them, and I’d be shocked if they drop more than 2 or 3 games. Next up is the Jets, in a game that they can honestly win by 30 if they rest their starters.
2 – Steelers (6-0) 3
In the last 2 weeks, Pittsburgh has silenced all the doubters. This team had won its first 4 games against awful teams, but they have won their last 2 quite convincingly against two 5-win teams. Yes, the Steelers were slipping up in the second half of Sunday’s game in Nashville, but there is still no doubt that they were the better team all game long. They deserved to win that game. This is arguably the best all-around team in the league, right up there with Kansas City, and they have proven it week in and week out. Their schedule is starting to tighten up a bit, as they get their first of two huge matchups with the Ravens this Sunday. It’s another big test for the Steelers, but I think they’ll be just fine. I do think QB Ben Roethlisberger’s errancy is a bit concerning, but this is a true Super Bowl contender.
3 – Titans (5-1) 1
Tennessee was getting ran out of their own building on Sunday for over 30 minutes of play, but they almost came all the way back to pull off another clutch win. Instead, they came up just short and suffered their first loss of 2020. I won’t bump them down too much, as I still believe this team is very elite and a true title contender. However, I’m a bit concerned about this team’s performance against elite defenses. They were getting shut down by the Steelers D before they got complacent. Their defense was also being picked apart all game long outside of some gift INTs, allowing long, tiring drives. It could have just been a bad game, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but this team faced their first truly elite opponent and failed the test. I believe in their ability to bounce back, which they’ll need to do as the back half of the schedule gets very tough.
4 – Buccaneers (5-2) 3
This team is so, so good. Outside of an opening day loss with little to no chemistry and a poor performance against a great defense a few weeks ago in Chicago, this team has looked absolutely spectacular. QB Tom Brady has been doing huge things this season to the tune of being included in MVP talks. The defense is getting better by the week, as is key units like the offensive line. There are so many weapons on offense that Brady can find to make this offense even more dynamic. Oh, and they just signed former star WR Antonio Brown. I’m not sure what he’ll provide to the team and the offense, but star power is star power. Even without him, this team would have been just fine. They are quickly becoming my favorite to win the NFC.
5 – Packers (5-1) 2
The Packers played a fantastic game on Sunday, so I didn’t want to bump them down too much. It just so happened that some teams below them last week played better. QB Aaron Rodgers played a spectacular game, and WR Davante Adams returned to the lineup in a huge way. Even without RB Aaron Jones, this offense looked unstoppable. They were playing a terrible team, but the point still stands. This team has been feeding on poor opponents all season long and got absolutely exposed when they played a truly great team 2 weeks ago, but I still like this team to go far in the playoffs. They are built for it. I also expect them to make a big move as we approach the trade deadline to possibly push them over the hump and make their Super Bowl chances that much better.
6 – Ravens (5-1)
Baltimore had the week off but still made headlines by signing former Cowboys star WR Dez Bryant to their practice squad. I don’t expect Dez to make much of a difference or even play much, but this team did need some help at the WR position. They face one of their toughest tests of the year this Sunday as the Steelers come to town, and they are surprisingly favored. I’ll give my thoughts on that more tomorrow.
7 – Seahawks (5-1) 3
This defense is absolutely awful. Genuinely one of the worst units I have ever seen. Everyone loves to talk about how bad Dallas’ defense is, which is absolutely warranted, but let me just give you some food for thought. Dallas gives up a lot of points, but they are fifth in the league in total yards allowed. Only 4 teams have given up more yards, and one of them is the Seattle Seahawks… who have played one less game than each of the other teams in the top 5. They are first in yards allowed per game with over 50 yards more than the 2nd place team. The offense is amazing, Russ is amazing, Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf are amazing, but their defensive woes finally caught up to them. I hope it was a wakeup call for this team to make some sort of move to bolster their defense, even after Jamal Adams comes back. They need it very badly.
8 – Rams (5-2) 3
I do believe that the Rams are back. This team looked ugly two weeks ago in Santa Clara, but on Monday night, they looked great on both sides of the football. Yes, the Bears aren’t the greatest test in the world, but they are a 5-2 team for a reason. Now the Rams are at 5 wins, just a half game out of first place, and right in the thick of things in the NFC. I’d like to see them play more good teams to get a better idea of how good this team truly is, but I feel pretty good about them right now. I understand putting them this high might be a bit controversial, but based on precedent, I like this team a lot.
9 – Saints (4-2)
In the midst of tons of injuries plaguing their offense, the Saints continue to win games. After a couple of tough primetime losses, they have won 3 games in a row despite still missing WR Michael Thomas and others. It’s quite impressive what they’ve been able to do, but I have one small problem with them. The 3 teams they’ve beaten aren’t really all that, and each game has been decided by one possession (albeit one of them was thanks to a garbage time TD). I don’t expect them to blow people out with the injuries they have, but the struggles are still a bit of a concern. I have no doubt that once they get healthy, they will be very dangerous, as QB Drew Brees is starting to play much better than he did in the early goings of the season and RB Alvin Kamara is continuing to play like one of the league’s best players. The schedule gets very tough very quickly, so they need to get healthy if they want to stay competitive in both the division and the conference.
10 – Cardinals (5-2) 4
Welcome to the top 10, Arizona. It’s been a long time coming. The Cardinals have won 3 straight games, most recently against the previously-undefeated division rival Seahawks in the Game of the Year. 2nd year QB Kyler Murray is continuing to play stellar football every week, and star WR DeAndre Hopkins is having big game after big game in his first year in the desert. Other young players are starting to emerge with massive impacts like RB Chase Edmonds, WR Christian Kirk, and S Budda Baker. This team is remarkably talented on both sides of the ball, and HC Kliff Kingsbury is finding a great deal of success in his second year. This is surely a playoff team in the making, and I cannot wait to see how the rest of the season plays out.
11 – 49ers (4-3) 5
Perhaps we buried this team too soon. It was hard not to, but they have bounced back from their shortcomings in a big way, despite being arguably the most injury-ridden team in football. Even now, they are faced with injury after injury at the running back position, but are still finding great success in the run game. QB Jimmy Garoppolo has also improved his play and reduced his mistakes to help put his team in a position to win. This schedule gets extremely difficult very quickly, but if this team can keep staying tight and well-coached and overcome their injuries, then I actually like them to pull out a lot of tough games. It’s a gritty bunch that is built to win, and that’s what they’ll do.
12 – Colts (4-2) 1
Indy had the week off, which they must be very glad about. They have the Lions coming up, but after that, they are faced with one of the most difficult stretches of any team in the league. They should get an easy win this week, but things get super hard afterward. If team is truly great, then they’ll win some of those games. If not, then things could be over quickly. The next month or so will dictate the Colts’ 2020 season.
13 – Bills (5-2) 3
This team may have 5 wins, but they do not look good right now. For one, two of those wins are against the Jets, and one of those two wins was in a game where they didn’t score a touchdown. This offense is really struggling, which is quite confusing considering how prolific they were in the first 4 weeks of the year. They need to figure things out quickly if they want to keep up in a very tough AFC, because they do not have the luxury of playing the Jets again this season. If they don’t get things going quickly, it could be a long road ahead. I believe in the talent and coaching of this team, but I need to see it, and it needs to be now.
14 – Bears (5-2) 6
Perhaps the Bears are who we thought they were. And we let them off the hook (for about a week). I’m relegating the Bears down back where they belong thanks to a shameful outing on Monday night in Inglewood. Not only was their offense nonexistent, but their defense, which has carried this team all year long, also put up a very lackluster performance. Yes, the Rams are a very good team with a very good defense of their own, but Chicago’s offense was absolutely unwatchable all night long. As I said yesterday, Nick Foles isn’t anything close to a long term option at QB, and he might not be a short term option either. Are we sure Mitchell Trubisky isn’t the better choice?
15 – Raiders (3-3) 3
Las Vegas got Tom Brady’d on Sunday, so it hurts to bump them down this much. But, I think it’ll only be a temporary thing. I still like the talent that this team has quite a lot, and for what its worth, they were only down 4 early in the 4th quarter. They just got closed out by a masterful Tom Brady performance. This team will be fine. Their schedule isn’t that bad, and they should be favored to win a lot of games down the stretch. I truly believe this is a solid wild card team that could do some big things later in the season, but they need to tighten things up on defense if they truly want to threaten in January. That’s the weakest link on the team, and it needs to improve fast.
16 – Browns (5-2) 1
Wow, the Browns beat the 1-win Bengals again! And it was by 3! On virtually the last play of the game! What a convincing win! So impressive! Yeah, no. This team still doesn’t do it for me. Yes, QB Baker Mayfield was awesome on Sunday. But it helps when you don’t have any pressure on you from the opposing defense. It also helps when you’re playing one of the worst teams in football. The Cleveland defense got obliterated by a rookie QB all game long and let Cincy have whatever they wanted offensively. This team was 11 seconds away from another bad loss, but they were lucky enough to escape. It was another Mickey Mouse win for this unimpressive team. Now they will be without arguably their best player, WR Odell Beckham Jr., for the rest of 2020. I’m not sure how much of a playoff contender this team will be, but no matter what, I don’t really believe in them.
17 – Dolphins (3-3) 1
The Tua Tagovailoa era begins on Sunday in Miami. The rookie QB had the week off to prepare for his first NFL start, which will be a tough test against one of the league’s best defenses in the LA Rams. It’ll be very interesting to see how the rook does, especially considering how special fellow first round QBs Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert have looked in 2020. I’m rooting for him, but there’s no doubt that it will be very, very tough this week.
18 – Panthers (3-4) 1
I honestly really like this team. They have lost their last 2 games, but they have been very competitive all season long. QB Teddy Bridgewater has performed very well in his first year in Carolina, and their offensive weapons have really looked good. It would be very interesting to see how these last few games would have gone with RB Christian McCaffrey in the lineup, but luckily for them, he should be back soon. This is a solid 8-9 win team, and once McCaffrey comes back, I think they’ll find themselves winning a lot of games.
19 – Chargers (2-4) 1
Congratulations to rookie QB Justin Herbert on getting his first career win. The rook looked fantastic once again on Sunday, and it finally paid off. The Chargers are still facing a myriad of injuries across the board, but #10 is consistently finding ways to keep them in games. He continues to prove himself as one of the best young signal callers in the league, and I couldn’t be happier for him. The team has its struggles in other areas, but QB and WR are not one of them. If they can tighten up on defense, then they can win a ton of games. Defense is arguably the reason that this team isn’t undefeated right now. This team’s toughest games are honestly behind them, so don’t be surprised if this team sneaks into the wild card race in a few weeks. Of course, this is the Chargers, so they’ll find some way to mess that up.
20 – Lions (3-3) 2
Detroit has quietly found their way back to .500. Back to back wins have this team back on the right track, but we should take that with a grain of salt considering they played two 1-win teams, and Atlanta handed them the game on a silver platter on Sunday. But this team is definitely finding their stride on both sides of the ball. The Lions have a tough test coming up this week with the Colts coming to town, but if they can pull out a win, then I wouldn’t sleep on this team to string together some wins. The next few weeks aren’t terribly difficult, but the season ends with some very tough games.
21 – Eagles (2-4-1) 3
Say hello to your new NFC East favorites. Despite being 2 games under .500 and putting up some awful performances, the Eagles have found themselves in first place. And based on the standing of the rest of the division, it doesn’t look like they will lose that. Yes, they’re only 0.5 games up on Washington and Dallas, but those teams are pretty bad. Philly is starting to get things going and have proven themselves as bonafide comeback kids in the last few weeks. They host Dallas on Sunday night and they should absolutely destroy them, but if they don’t, then we should be concerned. Regardless, I don’t see any scenario in which this team doesn’t make the playoffs.
22 – Patriots (2-4) 7
Nothing, and I mean nothing, is working in New England right now. The offense has been sputtering for 3 games in a row, and that’s being generous. The Patriots are averaging 9.3 PPG since their bye week, and they only have 3 passing touchdowns on the season. Their run game, which was their offensive strong suit early in the season, is now nonexistent. The defense, which this team prided itself on, is folding by the week. It’s starting to get embarrassing. I really don’t see a scenario in which this team gets back on track. It might be over for them in 2020.
23 – Bengals (1-5-1) 5
This is the most competitive 1-win team I have ever seen in my life. I’m not sure how many teams they would beat that are below them this week, but they have something that they all don’t: fight. They might have more talent, but the Bengals refuse to say die. Rookie QB Joe Burrow has kept this team in almost every game this season, and despite having no offensive line and limited weapons, he has put up huge numbers. Once this team gets some real O-line talent and better players at skill positions, things could get dangerous in Cincy. This season is obviously a lost cause, but the future is very bright.
24 – Texans (1-6) 1
Sigh. #GetDeshaunWatsonATeam is still going as strong as ever, and it is such a shame. The Texans struggled all afternoon long against the Packers, and only got it going once it was garbage time. There isn’t much going on in Houston. The offense has talent, but they still have not overcome the hole left by the departure of WR DeAndre Hopkins. The defense is a mess, getting torn apart week after week. This is just a bad team that can’t overcome bad decisions made in the past and poor performances on the football field. Lucky for them, they’ll have a good draft pick this year. Oh wait, it’s gone. I would say the future is bright in Houston, but there is no immediate future.
25 – Vikings (1-5) 1
Minnesota had the week off, which I’m sure their fans were ecstatic about, considering they didn’t have to watch Kirk Cousins play QB for a week. They wrap up their 2020 series against the Packers on Sunday and will likely get run out of the stadium. The season is very much over in Minneapolis.
26 – Broncos (2-4) 1
This is a pretty bad team. They were absolutely embarrassed on Sunday at home against the Chiefs, and thanks to injuries, this season is going nowhere fast in Denver. QB Drew Lock also is starting to look less and less like the QB of the future with every passing week. Perhaps if they were healthier, this team would be performing better, but I doubt it. The Broncos are simply not in a good spot right now, and it’s not getting better anytime soon.
27 – Washington (2-5) 4
Sunday’s win may have hurt our tank, but I honestly don’t care. It was super fun game on Sunday, and there is nothing better than crushing the Cowboys. That being said, I still don’t think this team is very good. There is undeniable talent at many different positions, but it’ll take a while for all that to come to fruition. Once it does, then there is promise, but that doesn’t exist right now. Washington has the week off this week, luckily for me. But I’m quite interested to see how competitive this team can be, just 0.5 games out of first place.
28 – Cowboys (2-5) 7
Welcome to the cellar, Dallas. This team is awful. Without Dak Prescott, they cannot do a damn thing offensively, both through the air and on the ground. The team had less than 150 yards on offense in the entire game in Washington on Sunday. The defense is also continuing to be one of the worst units in football, getting absolutely ran over by Washington all afternoon long. HC Mike McCarthy is surely on his way out of Dallas, and not soon enough. The Cowboys are simply terrible. It’s such a shame for a team that had so much promise with this core that will likely be split up very soon.
29 – Falcons (1-6) 4
Georgia sports never cease to amaze. You know the story by now. Another blown game for the Falcons. Just 7 days after the Atlanta Braves blew a 3-1 NLCS lead. It’s such a shame. This team is very talented and had potential to be a solid 6-8 win team. Instead, they have now lost 3 extremely winnable games this season, and their 2020 campaign is cooked. All Falcons fans have to look forward to is the draft, where they can potentially find themselves a QB of the future. The team is certainly in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™, and they are becoming more and more of a contender with every passing week.
30 – Giants (1-6)
This team actually put up a really good fight on Thursday night. They have done that many times this year. The Giants are actually a few plays away from being in first place. And even still, they’re only 1.5 games out of first. I wouldn’t exactly say that the season is alive, but this team certainly is. They’re starting to figure things out under HC Joe Judge, and it appears to be working. It might still be early, but we’ll see. Are they still going to be picking in the top 5? Probably. Are they looking for a QB? Probably. But this team will continue to fight for the rest of the way in 2020.
31 – Jaguars (1-6) 2
This might be the most disappointing team of the 2020 season. The Jags, who I once considered one of the most promising young teams in football, are now very, very deep in the cellar. This team has nothing going for them right now. Before, they were a promising offensive team, but even that isn’t working for them. It’s cooked right now in Jacksonville. QB Gardner Minshew is not the answer and he is not a franchise QB. HC Doug Marrone cannot be fired soon enough. The team needs another complete overhaul, and it will likely start with a QB in this year’s draft. I am officially putting the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™.
32 – Jets (0-7)
Nothing that I can say here that I haven’t already said all season long. I will say this though: the Jets had 4 total yards of offense in the 2nd half on Sunday. Trevor Lawrence must be contemplating a 4th year at Clemson very hard right now. What a sham.
The Arizona Cardinals overcame all odds in an incredible comeback victory in overtime on Sunday night against their division rival Seattle Seahawks in the game of the year through 7 weeks. (h/t Joe Camporeale, CBS Sports)
Holy sh*t. That’s the only way I can describe this week’s football games. This was one of the most fun, insane, and absolutely thrilling slate of games that I have ever seen in 13 years of watching football. This one is gonna be long, but let’s recap one of the wildest weeks in recent memory.
Eagles 22-21 Giants
Thursday night’s NFC East showdown was expected to be a snoozefest, but it was actually quite a good game with some very memorable moments. The game was tight for about 2.5 quarters, but momentum swung in a huge way when the Giants pulled off one of the wackiest and funniest plays in recent memory. From his own 12 yard line QB Daniel Jones kept the ball on a zone read, faking out the entire city of Philadelphia, and was LOOSE with nobody within 10 yards of him. Jones was streaking down the field, shockingly reaching the highest speed of any QB this season (per Next Gen Stats), and nobody was gonna catch him. Unfortunately for Jones, the grass caught him, and he tripped and stumbled down at the 8 yard line to be downed after an EIGHTY (80) yard run. It was a hilarious play that garnered attention from all corners of the media, and won’t soon be forgotten. Luckily for the Giants, they still reached the endzone on that drive to take a 14-10 lead. Later in the game, with just over 6 minutes to play, Jones found WR Sterling Shepard for a 2 yard score to put New York up by 11, and seemingly ice the game. But, if there’s anything that you should know about Eagles QB Carson Wentz, it’s that he never goes down without a fight. Wentz led his team right down the field for a quick touchdown and a failed 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 5. All the Giants needed to put the game away for good was a 1st down conversion or two. On a crucial 3rd down, Daniel Jones lofted a perfect, beautiful pass to TE Evan Engram, who inexplicably dropped the ball to give the ball right back to Philly. Predictably, the Eagles went all the way down the field, and with 40 seconds left, Wentz rifled in a perfect pass in between defenders to his RB Boston Scott for the go-ahead score. The Giants had a chance to go down and win the game with very limited time left, but Jones fumbled the ball on a strip sack to put the game to bed. The Eagles picked up their 2nd win of the year, and leapfrogged to 1st place in the NFC East at 2-4-1. This team has gotten off to some slow starts in the last 2 games, but they have fought back hard late. With the rest of the division falling apart, Philly is now starting to emerge as the favorite to win the NFC East.
Lions 23-22 Falcons
This one was wacky. What else should we have expected from a Falcons game in 2020? This was a tight game throughout that was shockingly dominated by defenses more than offenses, which was the exact opposite of what I predicted last Thursday. With just over 3 minutes to play, the Lions took a 16-14 lead on a long Matt Prater field goal. The Falcons were able to do exactly what they needed to do, marching the ball right down the field, burning the Lions timeouts and setting up a potential chipshot game-winner for kicker Younghoe Koo. Trying to burn just a bit more clock from the Detroit 10 yard line, they gave the ball to RB Todd Gurley, who simply needed to go down before the endzone. In typical Georgia sports fashion, he didn’t. Gurley realized his mistake too late, and despite trying to go down before the endzone, ended up breaking the plane for the go-ahead touchdown. It left QB Matt Stafford and the Lions more than enough time to go back down the field and try to win the game for themselves. Thanks to a successful Atlanta 2-point conversion, the Lions needed a touchdown and an extra point to win. On the second to last play of the game, Stafford heaved the ball to WR Kenny Golladay, the man who had a huge game, who leaped up and made a spectacular contested grab at the Falcons 11 yard line. After a spike, Detroit only needed an 11 yard touchdown on the game’s final play. After running around an extending the play, Stafford threw a pass to his TE T.J. Hockenson, who had separated from his defender for an unbelievable touchdown to tie the game at 22. All Matt Prater needed to do for the win was hit the extra point, and he did just that. It was another awful, disgraceful, unbelievable loss for the Falcons, who are seemingly doing this just to mess with us at this point. These horrible blown games and ridiculous mistakes are happening way too often for this not to be some sort of prank or social experiment. Regardless, Atlanta is now 1-6 and reeling more than ever. This was the 2nd consecutive win for the Lions, albeit against two of the league’s worst teams, but it must feel good for them to be getting their season back on track. They now sit at .500 and are trending upwards. I doubt it will continue, but again, it was much needed for this team.
Browns 37-34 Bengals
The 2nd battle for Ohio this season was even better than its predecessor. This game was a wildly entertaining shootout from start to finish, highlighted by two incredible QB performances. Browns QB Baker Mayfield and Bengals QB Joe Burrow were going back and forth all afternoon long in Cincinnati, especially in the 4th quarter. The Bengals entered the final period up by 3, and what followed was 15 minutes of pure offense and adrenaline. There were 5 lead changes in the 4th, all of which coming on touchdown passes. The Browns struck first on a pass to David Njoku to go up 24-20. Burrow responded right back with a TD to his fellow rookie, WR Tee Higgins, who has emerged as a star in the Cincy offense. Once again down 3, Baker found his RB Kareem Hunt on a short score to retake a 4 point lead. With just 66 seconds left to play, Burrow dumped it off to RB Giovani Bernard, who muscled his way across the plane to put the Bengals up 34-31 for what felt like a game-winning score. But, these are the Cincinnati Bengals, so heartbreak was inevitable. With 11 seconds left, Baker Mayfield found rookie WR Donovan Peoples-Jones on an incredible throw and catch on the right corner of the endzone for the definite game-winning touchdown. It was a remarkable back-and-forth affair, and both signal callers played awesome football. Mayfield finished the game 22-28 with 297 yards and 5 passing touchdowns. Burrow was incredible as always, throwing for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns in addition to running in a score in the first quarter. The Bengals may be losing a lot of games, but the #1 overall pick has kept them in all of them. He is truly special. For Cleveland, it was a good bounce back game that the team needed to get back on track after last week’s embarrassment in Pittsburgh. I still don’t have much faith in them, but there is no denying that they look good. However, it’ll be an uphill battle without WR Odell Beckham Jr., who unfortunately suffered a torn ACL in the first quarter of this game. We can only hope that he has a speedy, healthy recovery.
Steelers 27-24 Titans
2020’s final battle of unbeatens did not disappoint. The Steelers got off to a blazing hot start, taking the ball 75 yards on 16 plays on the game’s opening possession, with a duration of over NINE (9) minutes, for a touchdown. They would score the first 14 points of the game and held a 24-7 lead at halftime. QB Ben Roethlisberger was playing a clean, efficient game, throwing 2 first half touchdowns, both to WR Diontae Johnson, who has emerged as one of the deadliest weapons in this stacked Pittsburgh offense. Meanwhile, Tennessee’s offense was being stifled by the Steelers’ stellar defense, as QB Ryan Tannehill couldn’t get things going through the air and RB Derrick Henry was being stuffed play after play on the ground. However, the second half was a different story. The Steelers extended their lead to 20 with a field goal, and what followed was a relentless comeback effort by the Titans. It started with WR A.J. Brown taking a short catch on a slant route 73 yards to the house, leaving several Steelers DBs in the dust. The Titans added a field goal late in the 3rd after a poor interception by Big Ben to cut the lead to 10. The Steelers then went on a masterful drive, going 72 yards on a whopping 16 plays, chewing up over 7.5 minutes of clock. Unfortunately for them, the drive came to an abrupt stop thanks to another very bad interception thrown by Roethlisberger in the endzone to set the Titans up with a golden opportunity to go right back down the field to tie or win the game. Tannehill did just that led his team all the way down to the Steelers 28, setting up a very makable game-tying FG for kicker Stephen Gostowski, who has hit several game winning kicks this season. His kick from 45 was straight for a short while, but ended up sailing right and missed narrowly, preventing the game from going into overtime and giving the Titans their first loss since last year’s AFC Championship Game. The Steelers did deserve to win this game for outplaying Tennessee for virtually the whole game, but you can’t help but feel for the Titans, who almost pulled off another incredible comeback. The Steelers improved to 6-0, and, thanks to the Seahawks loss later on Sunday, are now the NFL’s lone undefeated team. They looked very good at times against the Titans, but Roethlisberger was way too errant late, and they had no business almost blowing the game. They may be the last team without a loss, but I don’t think they are the best team in the league. I will say that they’re pretty damn close.
Saints 27-24 Panthers
This was a pretty fun game in the Superdome. It was somewhat of a homecoming for Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater, who is arguably only a starting QB now because of what he was able to do in relief of Drew Brees last season in New Orleans. Teddy and his Panthers got off to a bit of a slow start, as the Saints jumped out to an early 14-3 lead thanks to a phenomenal touchdown catch by TE Jared Cook and a patented leap for a touchdown by QB Drew Brees. Carolina was able to respond in a big way, as Bridgewater launched a perfect deep ball to WR D.J. Moore, who was wide open against a struggling Saints secondary, for a 74-yard score. The Panthers were able to reach the endzone with Moore again before the end of the half, as he took an end around for a 7-yard touchdown to put them up 17-14. Brees led a clutch 2-minute drill drive in response, as he found WR Deonte Harris for a 4-yard touchdown pass with just 2 seconds left in the half to retake the lead going into the break. In the third quarter, the Saints went up by 7 thanks to a field goal, and the Panthers were able to tie the game on another run by a receiver, this time with Curtis Samuel scoring a 5-yard touchdown. Both defenses were able to hold for the rest of the game, but thanks to a Saints FG with just under 8 minutes to play, New Orleans was able to escape with a narrow victory against their division rival. It wasn’t easy at the end, though. Panthers HC Matt Rhule had one of the ballsiest decisions of the season thus far, attempting a game-tying field goal from 65 yards out with 2 minutes left. It would have been the longest field goal in NFL history had it gone in, and Panthers kicker Joey Slye almost did just that. It came up just a few yards short, and the Panthers lost. Carolina put up a good fight, but there is no doubt that they were the inferior team on Sunday. Their leading rusher had just 12 yards, and they struggled to move the ball at times against a Saints defense which has had many issues of its own this year. New Orleans has now ripped off 3 straight wins and are right back in the NFC South title race. Their next two games are against 5-2 squads: Chicago and Tampa Bay. One of those games is not like the other. Their Week 9 contest against the Bucs might just be the deciding game in this division. They should definitely not look ahead, but it’ll be hard not to.
Bills 18-10 Jets
Perhaps the snoozefest of the week. Maybe I should start handing that award out every Tuesday. Most games with the Jets in it would win the award. New York actually got off to a shocking 10-0 lead on Sunday thanks to Buffalo’s offense still being on the bus. The Bills were finally able to wake up on both sides of the ball, but never to the tune of a touchdown. They saw what the Broncos did in New England in Week 6 and thought, “It’d be pretty neat if we did that.” Kicker Tyler Bass knocked through 6 field goals, and that was all that was needed to beat the Jets. It helped that New York amassed an incredible, amazing, wonderful FOUR YARDS in the ENTIRE second half. Four. They moved the ball 12 feet. In 30 minutes. Just when you thought the Jets couldn’t reach a new low, they go out there and do it. What a sad game for both parties. The Bills need to solve these offensive struggles quickly. Yes, they racked up over 422 yards of offense, but not scoring a touchdown all game long? Against the Jets? A bit embarrassing.
Washington 25-3 Cowboys
I’ll admit it. This was fun. Very, very fun. I know I’ve been a complete cynic about this entire Washington Football Team season, but how could I now enjoy a complete clobbering of the Cowboys? I live for games like this. Even in a tank and in the midst of an embarrassing season, I will accept this all day long. From start to finish, this was a complete domination by Washington. QB Kyle Allen led an impressive opening drive that culminated in an overturned touchdown to Terry McLaurin and a 4th and goal stop by the Dallas defense, but the WFT defense still secured points by forcing a fumble by Cowboys QB Andy Dalton that was recovered by the offense in the endzone for a safety. Washington got the ball right back and ran right down the Cowboys’ throats in a drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown by rookie RB Antonio Gibson, who has become a star and a true RB1 in this offense. In the 2nd quarter, up 9-3, Washington WR Terry McLaurin and Cowboys rookie DB Trevon Diggs were seen jawing at each other after a play. McLaurin casually responded by absolutely burning Diggs on the next play and catching a beautiful deep ball by Kyle Allen for a 52-yard score. Terry celebrated by rocking the ball like a baby to add insult to injury. Washington wasn’t done scoring in the 2nd half, as Allen found TE Logan Thomas on a short pass that Thomas took 15 yards for another touchdown to put the WFT up 22-3. For the second consecutive game, Dallas’ offense never got going, even for a second. Andy Dalton was struggling against a solid Washington defense that wasn’t letting him breathe. It was a breakout game from LB Cole Holcomb, who had his hands all over the game with an interception and a very impressive sack in which he bulldozed RB Ezekiel Elliot in pass protection. In the second half, Dalton suffered a very unfortunate concussion while sliding thanks to a horrible cheap shot by LB Jon Bostic. Bostic would be ejected from the game. The entire second half was a punt-fest, as the only score was a 4th quarter Washington field goal. Overall, it was a remarkably balanced game by the Washington offense, throwing for 189 yards and rushing for 208. Gibson had 128 yards (the highest total in the league this week) and a score on 20 carries. It was a different story for Dallas, who put up a measly 142 yards with just 54 coming through the air. This is the same team that led the league in passing yards coming into this week. Of course, that is thanks to Dak Prescott, who this team misses dearly. This season is unequivocally over for the Cowboys, and I am quite happy that a loss to us was the final domino to fall in this disaster of a season in Dallas.
Packers 35-20 Texans
As I predicted, this was a complete masterclass from Aaron Rodgers. The Packers QB played an incredible game against the Texans, as Green Bay dominated from wire to wire. Rodgers to WR Davante Adams was the story of the game, with ARod throwing for 283 yards and 4 TDs and Adams catching 13 of those passes for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. RB Jamaal Williams also had himself a nice game in relief of the injured Aaron Jones, accounting for 77 yards on the ground and scoring a touchdown. Houston was able to get going offensively only one they were down by 3 scores, and they never had a shot at coming back. This team is simply lacking on both sides of the ball and don’t have what it takes at all to compete with elite teams. You can only hope that they hire the right coach in January. For Green Bay, it was a nice bounce back win after getting ran out of the building last week in Tampa. Momentum is back on their side as they head into the meat of their schedule. I will take this performance with a grain of salt, as Houston is terrible, and I’m excited to see if the Packers actually show up against the best teams on their schedule.
Buccaneers 45-20 Raiders
Breaking news that has no reason to be breaking: Tom Brady still has it. I really can’t believe people were giving up on this man in Tampa. I was one of the many people that were very concerned with the way his 2019 season ended in New England, but we can clearly see now that it was a product of that team having nothing going for them offensively. Now, in Tampa, with all the weapons in the world and an elite defense, Brady is leading this team to new heights. This game was actually close in the first half, thanks to an opening possession touchdown throw from Raiders QB Derek Carr to WR Nelson Agholor. Brady would respond with 3 first half touchdowns of his own, including a drop dead gorgeous deep ball to WR Scotty Miller for a 33 yard score. Again, if you had your doubts about this man’s ability to throw the football, please exit left. Vegas was able to cut the lead down to just 4 in the fourth quarter thanks to a touchdown and a field goal, but Brady went full closeout mode. It almost reminds you of seeing Mariano Rivera step out of the pen to close a game for the Yankees. Tom led not one, not two, but three consecutive touchdown drives to put Vegas away for good. It was a remarkable performance for the GOAT, who finished with 369 yards passing on 33/45 completion, 4 passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. Brady is more than fine, the Tampa defense is more than fine, and the Bucs are soaring. This is one of the league’s best teams, and they proved it. The Raiders are no joke, despite being .500. They hung around for a long while in this game, they just couldn’t overcome GOAT activity. The team is still loaded with talent and will win a lot of games this year. But the main takeaway has to be Tom Brady, who played so well that he has now entered the MVP conversation. At age 43. Greatness.
Chiefs 43-16 Broncos
Snow game! Well, kind of. There was snow on the ground and some flurries throughout in this complete walloping of the Broncos by Kansas City. There isn’t a lot to take away from this game other than that Denver is still pretty bad and the Chiefs are still the best team in football. Once again, KC didn’t ask QB Patrick Mahomes to do anything incredible, as they won the game in every facet. Mahomes had just 200 yards passing and a single passing TD on 15 completions. Of the 5 Chiefs touchdowns, one was passing, two were rushing (one of them coming from their backup QB), one was a pick 6, and the other was a kickoff return for a touchdown. The Chiefs became the first team this season to score in all 3 phases, and it was well deserved by a team that excels at playing well-rounded football. The Broncos were never really in it, and QB Drew Lock put up another dud, not throwing a touchdown for the second consecutive game, and throwing 2 more interceptions. Lock is talented, and can get the job done in some games, but I expect Denver to move off him very quickly. I don’t think he has what it takes to be a franchise QB.
49ers 33-6 Patriots
For the first time in my life, the Patriots are headed to the cellar. New England put up another disgusting game on offense, and it was largely thanks to QB Cam Newton playing his worst game in a Patriots uniform yet. Cam was absolutely atrocious, throwing for 98 yards and 3 ugly interceptions on 9/15 passing en route to being benched in the second half. Once again, the Patriots couldn’t run at all against a 49ers defense that was surprisingly very stingy once again. The run game on the other side of the ball was the story of the game. San Francisco had their way all game long on the ground, despite several injuries to their RBs. Jeff Wilson Jr., who is probably listed as the 4th RB on the depth chart, ran circles around the New England defense to the tune of 112 yards and 3 (!!) touchdowns on just 17 carries. The Patriots, who have been known for their stellar defense in the last few years, got boatraced by a 49ers offense with injuries at seemingly every position. QB Jimmy Garoppolo did throw 2 picks, but one of them only led to 3 points and the other was at the end of the first half. Other than that, Jimmy G was fine, throwing for 277 yards on 80% completion. The Niners are now way back on track, and are above .500 for the first time since Week 3. They are right in the thick of things in the NFC. Meanwhile, New England is falling off a cliff, and they are falling fast. This was their 3rd straight loss, and they are averaging 9.3 points per game in those losses. They have 18 points in the last 2 games, and Cam Newton is playing horrible football. This team only had defense going for them, and now that isn’t even working. This season is over for them. The only question is, what happens now?
Chargers 39-29 Jaguars
The world is starting to realize a truth that I have been preaching for years: Justin Herbert is the god damn truth. The rookie QB out of Oregon has done nothing but perform in his 5 starts, and he finally got his first win on Sunday. As if his play in his first 4 starts wasn’t good enough, he played arguably his best game in Inglewood against the Jags in Week 7. The rook tossed for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns in addition to being the team’s leading rusher with 66 yards and a rushing touchdown. All 3 of his touchdowns went to 3 different receivers as well. It was really a game of runs, as the Chargers jumped out to a 16-0 lead, but the Jags came back quickly with 3 touchdowns to go up 21-16. The third quarter was like a heavyweight fight, with both offenses scoring touchdown after touchdown. Down by 7, Herbert found WR Jaylen Guyton on a beautiful deep ball down the right sideline for a 70 yard touchdown to tie the game, and less than 2 minutes later, Herbert ran in the go-ahead score to put the Chargers in front for good. It was a very entertaining game that was close for a long time, but the Chargers were the better team from start to finish. Although it took him 5 games to get his first win, there is no doubt that Herbert is leading this team to do big things. Yes, it was the Jaguars, but Herbert has played this well in every game. He is a bonafide franchise QB, and the Chargers must be thanking their lucky stars to have him.
Cardinals 37-34 Seahawks
Game of the Year. No other way to put it. I was initially a little bit unenthusiastic about this game being flexed into primetime, but I was proven very wrong. This was wild, can’t-miss action from start to finish. This is gonna be quite the long recap, but here we go. Seattle got off to a hot start, scoring the game’s first 10 points, including an opening drive touchdown from QB Russell Wilson to WR Tyler Lockett. The Cardinals got on the board late in the 1st quarter with a beautiful deep ball touchdown throw from QB Kyler Murray to WR DeAndre Hopkins. The two have upped their chemistry game after game, and are quickly becoming one of the best QB-WR duos in football. Seattle got another field goal and were driving down the field when one of the craziest plays of the year happened. Russ was looking for a man on a quick throw to the endzone, but Cardinals S Budda Baker read the play like a book and picked it off and was gone down the near sideline. It seemed like nobody would stop Baker on his way to the endzone, but Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf was running him down with straight-line speed that I have never seen before, and brought Baker down at the Seahawks 8 yard line. It was an absolutely unbelieveable play by Metcalf, and it paid huge dividends. Despite being gifted an 8-yard field, Arizona failed to reach the endzone after 4 plays, and Seattle got the ball right back. They would go down and score again, this time with a 24 yard run by RB Carlos Hyde, who became the lead back on Sunday night due to an injury to Chris Carson. The Cardinals were able to get back in the endzone, as Murray found WR Christian Kirk for a short touchdown with 74 seconds left in the half. That seemingly did it for the half, but Russell Wilson said no. With 43 seconds left, Russ threw an absolutely perfect, beautiful deep ball to Tyler Lockett for another touchdown. The ball went so high that the SNF booth dubbed it a “moon ball”, which is the perfect way to describe it. The Cards would add a field goal to go into the half down 10. The lone score of the third quarter was a Kyler Murray 5-yard TD run. The Seahawks found themselves driving again in the fourth quarter, but Russ threw a questionable endzone interception to CB Patrick Peterson to set up a huge drive for the Cardinals, who just needed a field goal to tie the game or a touchdown to take the lead. Instead, on the first play of the drive, Kyler Murray threw an interception of his own, setting up another Seahawks touchdown. It was another gorgeous ball from Wilson to Lockett, who had himself a mammoth night. Lockett finished with 200 yards receiving on 15 catches with 3 touchdowns. It was his second game with 3 touchdowns this year, which is just remarkable. The touchdown put Seattle up by 10 with under 7 minutes to go, but the Cardinals refused to say die. With 2:28 to play, Kyler found Christian Kirk for another touchdown score to cut the lead to just 3. The defense got a stop, and Murray led a clutch drive down to the Seattle 27. Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted the game-tying kick through, and we were headed to overtime. And it was wild. The Seahawks got the ball first, but couldn’t get anything going on offense, so they punted the ball to Arizona. The Cards themselves were able to move the ball, as RB Chase Edmonds got all the way down to the Seattle 33 on a 32 yard scamper. Arizona ended up getting all the way down to the Seattle 23, setting up a game-winning field goal attempt for Gonzalez. And in classic Seattle-Arizona SNF overtime fashion, he hooked it wide left. Seattle was back in business, only needing to go 40 yards or so, with the most clutch player in football under center. With just 73 seconds left in the OT period, Seattle called a screen for D.K. Metcalf, who soared down the near sideline for the game-winning touchdown. Or so we thought. The play was called back for a holding call on a block by WR David Moore. Back on the other side of the 50, on 3rd and 14, Russell Wilson threw an inexplicable INT on a clear miscommunication to Cardinals rookie LB Isaiah Simmons, who gave Arizona another chance to win it. Lo and behold, with another opportunity to win it, from 48 yards out, Zane Gonzalez nailed the game-winner to win the game for the Cardinals. It was one of the wildest, most fun, and most spectacular regular season games I’ve seen in a very long time. It was the first loss of the year for Seattle, who shouldn’t hang their hats too much. Russ was pretty special with 388 yards passing and 3 beautiful touchdowns, and was even the leading rusher with 84 yards. However, his 3 picks were pretty bad, and the last one cost his team the game. If that doesn’t happen, this game probably ends in a tie. But now, Seattle has a loss. This was the 3rd consecutive win for Arizona, who now sits very comfortably at 5-2, right in the thick of the NFC West race. Kyler Murray was spectacular, throwing for 360 yards and 3 touchdowns while adding 67 yards and a score on the ground. Both of these teams will be playing in January, and I cannot wait to see the next game between them. What. A. Game.
Rams 24-10 Bears
This game was a very, very close runner up for Snoozefest of the Week™. It was virtually unwatchable. At least the other 2 primetime games this week were awesome. The Rams controlled this game from start to finish, and Chicago was truly never in it. Jared Goff had himself a nice night with 219 yards and 2 TDs on 70% completion. The Bears offense was slow and stagnant all night, struggling to move the ball in any capacity against an LA defense that has emerged as one of the league’s best. Every couple of drives, the Rams would go down and score a touchdown, and late in the 3rd quarter, it was 24-3. That was pretty much it, outside of a late fumble return TD by Bears DB Eddie Jackson. Now both of these teams sit at 5-2, but they are two very different 5-2s. The Rams are a bad call away from being 6-1, and thanks to Seattle’s loss, are only a half game away from being in 1st place. They are trending upwards, and playing very good football. Meanwhile, Chicago drops only their second game of the season, but they do not feel like a 5-win team right now. Their defense did not have a good game, and their offense was absolutely awful. QB Nick Foles does not look like a real starter, and their inability to create anything down the field is hurting this team greatly. I’m not sure if this team is a real playoff contender, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it.
The Ohio State Buckeyes ended a 299-day wait and finally returned the football field on Sunday to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. After a turbulent offseason filled with questions, cancellations, rescheduling, and overall chaos, it was a relief to see the Scarlet and Gray out there again once more. Here’s a recap and some of my thoughts on the Bucks’ 52-17 win from The Shoe.
It was a slow start for the Silver Bullets as Nebraska drove right down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, which only lasted 4 plays and under 2 minutes, highlighted by a 47 yard run by QB Luke McCaffrey. The Huskers’ QB runs gave the Ohio State defense fits all afternoon long, as Adrian Martinez and McCaffrey combined for 165 yards and a score on the ground. But after that opening series, it was virtually all Buckeyes. QB Justin Fields led his offense right down the field on an 11 play, 75 yard drive lasting 5:05 that ended in a 1-yard score by RB Master Teague, who looked good in his first game as the Bucks’ starting back. Ohio State would force a 3 and out and strike quickly on their next possession for another TD, this time on a dime from Fields to WR Garrett Wilson, who is poised to do massive things in his 2nd year in Columbus.
True sophomore WR Garrett Wilson hauled in a beautiful pass from QB Justin Fields for a go-ahead 42-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter. (h/t David Jablonski, Dayton Daily News)
Wilson and fellow star WR Chris Olave were all over the place, torching the Nebraska secondary to the tune of a combined 13 catches for 233 yards and 1 touchdown. Fields was throwing the ball with confidence and impeccable accuracy all afternoon long, only throwing 1 incompletion all game long. Moreover, that one miss was a drop by Olave in the endzone on what would have been a very, very tough catch. Justin also got it done on the ground, running for a team-high 54 yards, including an impressive 17-yard score. The Bucks defense continued to dominate in the second half, as they forced a fumble on Nebraska’s first possession of the 3rd quarter and returned it for six.
Junior DB Sevyn Banks returned a fumble by Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez 55 yards for a crucial 3rd quarter touchdown. (h/t Ohio State Athletics)
The Buckeyes offense would find the endzone again, this time on an otherworldly catch from true freshman WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the back of the endzone in which he somehow got a foot down with acrobatics that would make the US Olympic team proud. People were so impressed with the catch from the true frosh that social media was already dubbing it the best catch of the 2020 season. There’s still plenty of football to be played this year, but that one will be on highlight reels all season long. It was Fields’ 2nd passing touchdown of the afternoon. His campaign got off to an almost perfect start, as he finished with 276 yards on 20/21 attempts. Many in Columbus, and around the country, think that the kid from Georgia in his second year with the Buckeyes is poised for a Heisman season. If today was any indication, we just might get that.
True freshman WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba made an incredible touchdown catch in the back of the endzone. (h/t David Jablonski, Dayton Daily News)
It wasn’t a perfect game from the Bucks. Nobody expected it to be. The run game struggled all game long, as the offense struggled to gain first downs on 3rd and short runs. RB Master Teague III only had 3.4 YPC, and graduate transfer RB Trey Sermon from Oklahoma struggled on short yardage runs. Sermon showed some burst on outside carries, but the team had to rely on several Justin Fields QB sneaks all game long. That is not a winning formula.
Two Buckeye stars had to leave the game with injuries on Saturday: G Wyatt Davis and WR Chris Olave. Davis left with a leg injury that was surely a precaution, as he talked to the media and seemed fine after the game. Olave was walloped on a tackle right to his shoulder, and was completely dazed and out of it. He promptly left the game and didn’t return. It wasn’t the first of such hits from a Nebraska defense that was hitting so many Buckeye players upstairs that it started getting questionable. Three separate Cornhuskers were called for targeting, with two getting ejected from the game. Many Nebraska fans online were upset about the rulings, as were FOX commentators Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt. They were tough calls, but there is no doubt that the consistency with which Nebraska DBs made hits like that was very odd and not appreciated by Ohio State. The Buckeyes offense would tack on an “in your face touchdown”, so to speak, as QB Jack Miller ran in a short score with 18 seconds left. HC Ryan Day said he felt bad about it, but I did not. You reap what you sow, Scott Frost.
It wasn’t the cleanest game, or the most perfect game, but it was pretty damn close. It was fantastic to see the boys in scarlet and gray back out there, and I’m sure they couldn’t have been happier to be playing football again. Next up for the Bucks is the Nittany Lions of Penn State in a primetime showdown in Happy Valley. It’s a PSU team with a lot of questions on both sides of the ball, but there’s no doubt it should be a great game, as it always is. I’ll see you next week to wrap up that contest from State College.
Would you look at that, it’s Thursday again. That means it’s time to pick 14 more games! I went 9-5 last week, bringing my season total to 39-19-1. Again, not too shabby. Let’s get into this week’s predictions.
Eagles 27-20 Giants
Ah yes, the classic NFC East primetime matchup that nobody wants to watch. Contrary to what most people are thinking, I’m actually excited to watch this game. It’s an imperative matchup in the race for the NFC East title. If some things fall into place for the Giants, they could find themselves in first place. But they need to win this game first. New York has been playing much better football in the last 3 weeks, but I’m not entirely sure if this young, inexperienced team is ready to win a big game yet. The Eagles have had a couple of tough losses in their last 2 games, and I think they’re ready to finally get back in the win column and get back into first place. QB Carson Wentz has played cleaner football recently, and if he can limit the turnovers against a good Giants defense, then Philly should take this one.
Falcons 38-34 Lions
Expect a lot of points on Sunday in Atlanta. Both of these teams are coming off nice wins against some bad teams, setting the stage for a pretty interesting matchup. The game is honestly a tossup for me, as I can easily see either team coming out with a win. I think the Falcons offense will be the difference maker in this game, as they have been on fire so many times this season. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Lions defense stepped up and had a nice game like last Sunday in Jacksonville, but they are facing a much better offense this week. Falcons WR Julio Jones is finally getting back in form, and it is making a huge difference for Atlanta. If there’s anything I can say with confidence about this game, it would be to take the over.
Browns 22-18 Bengals
It really took everything in my power to not pick the Bengals in this matchup. Cincy played Cleveland very closely in their first matchup in Week 2, and came very close to pulling off a comeback. The Browns laid another dud last week in Pittsburgh, and that concerns me very much. But, I typically see that teams bounce back in a big way after getting embarrassed on a big stage. I will recognize that the Browns are good enough to do that, but it will not be easy. Bengals QB Joe Burrow has done nothing but fight and put his team in positions to win games, and he will not go down quietly this week. It’ll be a tough, physical game, but I trust the superior talent of the Browns to pull it out in a very close one. However, do not be surprised at all if the Bengals pull off the upset at home.
Titans 24-23 Steelers
Whew. This one should be a blast. This is easily the game of the week, and I can’t wait to see it. Two unbeaten teams who are so well-rounded and so well-coached. Both teams are coming off huge wins against division rivals and must be fired up to finally play each other after this game was postponed a few weeks ago. It’s going to be a game defined by defense, and while I do believe that the Steelers defense is the best unit in this game, I trust Tennessee to win based on precedent. This is a team that has proven time and time again that they will not back down from a challenge. From last year’s immaculate playoff run to this season’s 5-0 start, the Titans might be the best big game team in the NFL not named the Kansas City Chiefs. All they do is win, and I like them to pull it out in a very close on on Sunday.
Saints 28-24 Panthers
Somehow, some way, the Saints will likely still be without WR Michael Thomas for Sunday’s contest against Carolina. I’m not sure why I continue to get my hopes up about him playing, but here I am again, disappointed but not surprised. New Orleans will still be fine though, as they pulled out back to back nice wins before heading into their bye last week. The offense has found its rhythm, and RB Alvin Kamara continues to put up huge numbers. In Thomas’ stead, WR Trequan Smith has stepped up and emerged as a very nice option for QB Drew Brees. Plus, it’ll be a homecoming for Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater, who I’m sure Saints HC Sean Payton will draw up a tough gameplan for. The Panthers might linger around for a while in this game, but it should be a comfortable win for New Orleans.
Bills 31-10 Jets
The New York Jets will lose this game. We can wash, rinse, and repeat this for the next 10 weeks. Buffalo is a significantly better team that has already wiped the floor with the Jets this season. They’ve struggled for the last 2 games, but there is no better team to play to get back on track than the Jets. It’ll be ugly, and it won’t be close.
Cowboys 20-17 Washington
The once-best rivalry in football will be renewed for the first time in the Washington Football Team era on Sunday in Landover, and it will not be very fun to watch for fans of both teams. I’m sure everyone is just salivating at the prospect of an Andy Dalton-Kyle Allen QB matchup. This will be a very unattractive, low-scoring game at FedEx Field, as Dallas’ once-potent offense is now stuck in place with Dalton at QB. Moreover, despite 5 consecutive losses, the Washington defense is still a nice unit, led by their stellar defensive line and CB Kendall Fuller, who leads the NFL with 4 interceptions, all of which coming in the last 3 games. Washington is still completely handicapped on offense with Allen at QB, so don’t expect them to do much there. Dallas’ superior offensive talent will push them to a late victory, likely with a last-second FG or touchdown. Most years, I’d be very upset with a loss to Dallas. This year, I am simply accepting fate.
Packers 42-24 Texans
The poor, poor Houston Texans. Last week in Nashville, they came 4 seconds away from handing their rival Titans their first loss. Their consolation prize this week? Facing a pissed off Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The Green Bay signal caller has always responded to a blowout with a stellar performance, and he has historically owned the Texans in the few games that he has played against them. Last week’s embarrassment in Tampa has to have this Packers squad fired up in a big way. They want to show the league that they aren’t the “September Heisman” of NFL teams. I expect Green Bay to win this game big, and I fully expect Rodgers to put up massive numbers.
Buccaneers 31-28 Raiders
This game was flexed out of Sunday Night Football just a matter of hours ago, which is somewhat unfortunate, since I was very much looking forward to seeing this game in primetime. Regardless, this should still be a great game. The Raiders, who are coming off of a huge win against the Chiefs and a week off, are looking to carry their momentum into this huge matchup against Tom Brady and the Bucs. Tampa has some momentum of their own following their blowout of the previously undefeated Packers last Sunday. Both of these teams match up very well with each other, but the key matchup will be the Raiders offense vs. the Bucs defense. Both of those units are very solid and have looked pretty good consistently this season. I like Tampa’s defense to do its job just enough for Tom Brady to pull some heroics and help the Bucs pull out a close, tough victory in Vegas. It’ll be a very tight game that can easily go both ways, but I’ll trust the team with Brady at the helm to win it.
Chiefs 27-13 Broncos
This could be our first snow game of 2020, which would be quite the sight here in late October. Even if it’s in the 70s in many places on the east coast, I can still appreciate a good snow game. In any case, this should be an easy one for the Chiefs. The Broncos, despite coming off of a big win in New England last Sunday, have an offensive unit that is not very good, and the Chiefs defense will keep them in check. And although Denver’s defense gave the Patriots fits last week, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense is a completely different beast. Even in the conditions, the Chiefs will still win games as they have so many times this season: relying on Mahomes to get the job done with his arm while they grind out the opposing defense on the ground and make plays on the other side of the ball.
Patriots 21-17 49ers
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo is finally coming home to Foxboro to take on the team that gave him 2 rings and a career as a starting QB to begin with. I can only imagine what Patriots HC Bill Belichick has in store for him on the defensive side of the ball. Nobody in the world is better at gameplanning to shut down opposing QBs. The Patriots offense is still an issue, and the San Francisco defense is not an easy unit to pick apart. However, I still think they’re vulnerable, and I think the Patriots are too good to lose 3 games in a row. I expect their defense to rattle the Niners offense just enough for Cam Newton and company to do what they need to do to secure a bounce back victory for the Patriots to get back to .500.
Chargers 30-26 Jaguars
If the Los Angeles Chargers care about winning at all, then they will win this game. There is no reason that this team, which should honestly be 5-0 right now, should not dispose of Jacksonville with ease. However, I am still predicting the Jags to stick around in this game because that is simply what the Chargers always do. Even after a bye week, there will be some aspect of this team that makes this game much closer than it should be. I fully expect QB Justin Herbert to have another huge game against a lackluster Jaguars defense and walk out of this game with his first career win. If the Chargers find some way to mess this up again, then I will certainly be disappointed, but not surprised.
Seahawks 35-27 Cardinals
This newly-anointed primetime game features one of the more exciting QB matchups of the 2020 season thus far: Russell Wilson of the Seahawks vs. Kyler Murray of the Cardinals. Two guys who used to play baseball who have been entrusted to lead their franchises to glory. Russ obviously has already done that, and it looks like Kyler is on the right track. Both of these teams have looked pretty good this season, with Seattle being one of 3 unbeaten teams in the NFL, and with the Cards coming off of 2 blowout wins. It should be a very fun game in the desert, as it is seemingly every time these division rivals match up with each other. I like the Seahawks in a close one, simply because Russell Wilson has pulled complete magic every time he has been asked to lead his team to victory. He has done it week after week, and he’ll likely do it again on Sunday night. I wouldn’t sleep on Kyler and the Cards, however, as their offense has looked great this season, and their defense is really starting to come into their own. It should be a great matchup.
Bears 23-21 Rams
The Chicago Bears, who are perhaps the most shocking team in football this year, are getting another chance to prove their worth on primetime. They take on a Rams team that is coming off a primetime game of their own, but one in which they were taken care of quite handily by San Francisco. I like to stand by my philosophy of teams bouncing back in a big way after a bad loss, especially on primetime, but I believe in the Bears defense too much to stand by it this week. The Rams struggled to move the ball against a Niners D that was missing several key pieces. This Bears defense has been playing elite football all year long, and will likely put the Rams offense in a bind once again. The biggest question mark for me with Chicago is the offense, like it has been all year. But, they have proven week in and week out that they are more than capable of getting the job done. It’ll be very close and very tough, but I think the Bears come out of SoFi Stadium with another huge win and an improbable 6-1 record.
Titans RB Derrick Henry put his team on his back with over 200 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns to propel Tennessee to a 5-0 record. (h/t Andrew Nelles, Tennessean.com)
Week 6 of the NFL season taught us a lot about many different teams. We got to learn more about certain contenders and a lot of pretenders. Let’s stack up these teams 1-32 like we do every week.
1 – Chiefs (5-1) 1
The Chiefs are back in a familiar ranking this week. Yes, there are 3 teams that don’t have a loss, and Kansas City is not one of them, but there’s still no doubt in my mind that this is the best team in the league. On a cold, rainy, ugly night in Orchard Park, they got the job done the old fashioned way: pound the ball on the ground, and let your QB pick apart the defense bit by bit. That’s what HC Andy Reid let QB Patrick Mahomes and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire do on Monday evening, and it worked to perfection. When they are clicking, they are impossible to stop. Their defense also looked very sharp and improved after a rough previous outing, with S Juan Thornhill making plays all over the secondary. This team had a slip up a couple weeks ago against Vegas, but that is not the norm at all with them. They will be fine. One loss does not define a team, as I will get into more later with another top team.
2 – Titans (5-0) 2
There is a legitimate argument for this team to be at 1. They have looked like one of the most complete teams in all of football week in and week out, and all they do is win. HC Mike Vrabel has his team playing elite football, and it’s in large part thanks to the sensational play of QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry. Tannehill has thrown 4 TDs in each of his last 2 games and is 3rd in the league in passer rating at 113.5. Henry leads the league in rushing despite playing 1 less game than most players with 588. His 214 yards on Sunday were enough to carry his team to an incredible, clutch overtime victory against Houston. There isn’t much this team doesn’t do well. They could do a better job of getting after quarterbacks, but even if they don’t, their secondary has played decently well this year, led by CB Malcolm Butler. Next up for this squad is one of their two fellow unbeatens: the Pittsburgh Steelers. If they can win that game the way they’ve been winning lately, then we should seriously consider talking about this team’s chances to reach Tampa in February.
3 – Packers (4-1) 2
For the first time in 2020, the Packers slipped up. And it was embarrassing. After a fairly hot start in Tampa, including some Aaron Rodgers hip thrusts, Green Bay gave up 38 unanswered points and was ran out of the building. Like I said above, I will not judge a team based on one game. Yes, they played absolutely awfully, but I won’t punish them too much for it because I know how good they really are. I think they will be just fine. If not, then it’ll be a cause for concern, but one game isn’t enough to show us that. They have a very easy schedule, and will win many more games. This was probably their toughest game of the year, and they lost. It happens. They’ll be fine.
4 – Seahawks (5-0) 1
The Seahawks were off for the week, so there’s not much to get into with them. It came out today that they’ll be pursuing WR Antonio Brown, which is… questionable. If there’s anything this team doesn’t need, it’s a wide receiver. Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, David Moore, and others have been just fine. Maybe this team should get another good corner, or a pass rusher, so they can actually stop someone on defense. Regardless, this team will be fine and continue to win games as long as Russell Wilson is at QB. This week, they get a handful of a challenge in Kyler Murray’s Cardinals, a team that always gives them fits. I don’t expect Seattle to suffer their first loss, but anything can happen.
5 – Steelers (5-0) 1
Pittsburgh had one of the statement wins of 2020 thus far, and it was very impressive to see. Rookie WR Chase Claypool has emerged as an absolute star offensively, their run game is improving every week with RBs James Conner and Benny Snell putting up good numbers, and QB Ben Roethlisberger is having a spectacular start to his 17th season. The story of this team is their defense, as it has been for the whole year. They excel in every facet of their defense, with rushers like T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, and Cam Heyward attacking passers, and DBs like Minkah Fitzpatrick making huge plays in the secondary. This is another very complete team like the ones above them, but I need to see them win more big games before bumping them higher. This week, they get a fellow 5-0 team in the Tennessee Titans. That game will be a great benchmark for both teams.
6 – Ravens (5-1) 1
Baltimore looked great for most of the game in Philadelphia, but their struggle to close out the game and shut the door on the Eagles concerns me a bit. There’s no denying the talent and great coaching that this team has, but if they can’t close out a team like Philly, then what will happen if they get into that situation against teams like Pittsburgh and Tennessee? We’ve already seen them lose to Kansas City. I have a feeling that this team is just gonna beat up on bad teams all year long and eventually get exposed against great teams. We’ll find out soon enough, as their upcoming opponents are as follows: Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New England, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh again. It’s a very tough stretch that will teach us a lot about what this team is truly made of.
7 – Buccaneers (4-2) 2
Yes, the Bucs looked incredible on Sunday. Yes, I’ve been very high on this team all season long. I still am very high on this team, but I’m not gonna be super over-reactionary this week. They still need to prove a lot. I’m not surprised that they played a very inspired game on Sunday after an extremely uninspiring performance in their previous game against the Bears. Tom Brady does not lose back to back games very often. Every aspect of this team looked great against Green Bay, and it was the first time they played a truly complete game this season. If they continue to do that consistently, then there isn’t gonna be a lot standing between them and a Super Bowl berth. But I need to see it more often before I bump them up to the top of this list.
8 – Bears (5-1) 6
Like I said yesterday, I am done disrespecting this team. They are 5-1 for a reason. Their defense is one of the best in the league, and their offense is getting the job done against teams that are very solid defensively. QB Nick Foles isn’t anything special, but he is doing exactly what he needs to do to put his team in a position to win every week. WR Allen Robinson has been playing at a high level all year long, and RB David Montgomery has done nothing but produce in his second year. Their defense needs no introduction, as it as solid as ever led by their stars like LB Khalil Mack and DBs like Eddie Jackson. HC Matt Nagy has this team doing one thing: winning. And they’re doing it consistently against good teams. I’m excited to see them play more elite teams, because if they can win those games, then this team will go a lot farther than we might have expected.
9 – Saints (3-2) 3
The Saints were one of four teams who got the week off, so there’s not much to talk about with them. They welcome in the Carolina Panthers this week, who have had a better-than-expected season so far this year. New Orleans still might be without WR Michael Thomas this week, but they should be fine. They’re playing better football, despite having a porous secondary, and are trending in the right direction. If they drop this week’s game, then there will definitely be a lot of questions to be asked. But I don’t see that happening.
10 – Bills (4-2) 3
Buffalo lost their second game in two weeks, both of which coming to the top 2 teams in this week’s rankings. I don’t want to punish them too hard based on their opponents, but they simply did not look good in either game. They were outclassed by Tennessee and Kansas City, and quite frankly looked like they didn’t even belong on the same field as them. Most teams would go 0-2 in that stretch, but I’m not sure what to make of their back to back poor performances. This team will bounce back, but these last two games have to feel a bit demoralizing. QB Josh Allen needs to get back on track if he wants to stay confident and have this team winning like they were in September.
11 – Rams (4-2) 3
Another week, another loss for the Rams against a non-NFC East team. HC Sean McVay is now 0-4 against 49ers HC Kyle McVay, and Los Angeles, who has looked great against the worst division in football, put up another subpar performance against a real team. This team is very talented, but they are yet to show us anything really… substantive in 2020. I think that they’ll be fine, but they play in the toughest division in football by a longshot, and the schedule does not get any easier. If they continue to play the way they did last week, then it’ll be a long, uphill road for this team compete for a playoff spot.
12 – Raiders (3-2) 1
Las Vegas did not play this week, but are the beneficiary of teams above them losing, so they get temporarily bumped off. They got one of the biggest wins of the year two weeks ago in Kansas City, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can carry that momentum into their next few games. They get Tom Brady and the Bucs this week in primetime in what should be a great game that I cannot wait to watch.
13 – Colts (4-2) 2
Indianapolis looked like they were still on the team bus for the first 15 or so minutes on Sunday, but when they finally woke up, they were not going to be stopped. After falling behind 21-0 to the Bengals, the Colts ended the game on a 31-6 run. Once they tightened up on both sides of the ball, they were not losing that game. It’s a testament to HC Frank Reich’s coaching and the experience of this team. When they are down, they don’t give up. It’s one of the reasons I like this team so much. I can’t put them too high because of their loss to Cleveland, but this team will be up here for a while. They should be a playoff team in a couple of months.
14 – Cardinals (4-2) 3
Arizona continues to be streaky in 2020. 2 wins to open the year, 2 losses, and now 2 more wins. I’m still gonna keep them a peg down because they’ve beaten Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton in their last two games, but they sure have looked great doing it. The offense is back on track after a couple of down games, and their defense has stiffened up greatly, thanks to stellar play from S Budda Baker and others. QB Kyler Murray has also returned to form, and WR Christian Kirk is emerging as a star in their offense. Next up for the Cards is the rival Seahawks in their toughest game of 2020 so far. Perhaps the momentum of the last two games will propel them to a W, but I doubt it.
15 – Patriots (2-3) 4
One word: ugly. That is what the New England Patriots were on Sunday afternoon against Denver. QB Cam Newton and the offense looked absolutely putrid from start to finish. Both the run game and the passing game, which have looked pretty good through their first 4 games, were lifeless and stagnant against a Broncos defense that is definitely good, but nothing special. They are depleted at WR and their committee of RBs has refused to show up in a big way this year outside of one big game from Rex Burkehead. The Patriots defense did its job, not allowing a touchdown, so to lose the game is definitely a back breaker. The rest of the schedule is nothing easy, and this offense needs to figure itself out quickly if the Patriots want to keep up in a competitive AFC.
16 – 49ers (3-3) 3
The Niners got back on track with a resounding victory in a seemingly must-win game against Los Angeles. Had they lost and dropped to 2-4 in the league’s toughest division, it would’ve been a long road back to the playoff hunt. Now they sit comfortably at .500 and trending upwards as the schedule gets even tougher. I trust the experience and coaching of this team to carry them, but the question is: how far? I still feel like this team will be limited against the league’s best. They are starting to get healthy again, but their fully healthy squad couldn’t even beat Arizona. We’ll find out soon enough what this team truly is, but for now, I’ll keep them right in the middle of the pack.
17 – Browns (4-2) 7
Ok, I know what you’re thinking. “You being WAY too harsh to the Browns!” Maybe. But this team got flat out exposed. There is no other way to put it. Yes, they beat Indy in a good win in Week 5, but they racked up Mickey Mouse wins the rest of the year en route to their “impressive” 4-1 record going into Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh. We thought they were legit, and we found out that they aren’t very close. Many teams have the decency to put up fights and show up to their games against elite teams. The Browns did not. QB Baker Mayfield did that thing he always does where he folds under the brightest lights. He was never built for the moment in college or the pros, and he has proven that he still is not. We saw that in Week 1, and we saw it again on Sunday. After their loss to Baltimore, Cleveland was able to get by on asking Baker to do minimal work on the field and win on the backs of their stellar RBs, but without Nick Chubb in the lineup, they have to ask Baker to be a real QB. Spoiler alert: he can’t do that. Not against good teams at least. Cleveland will still win games this year, yes, but the next time they play an elite team, they’ll fold once again. It’s in their DNA.
18 – Dolphins (3-3)
Miami has now won 3 of their last 4 games, all of which coming in pretty impressive fashion. Even in their one loss, they put up a very good fight. Their recent success has been in large part due to the surprisingly great play of veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has been one of the more pleasant surprises of 2020 so far. The defense has also stepped up in a big way, especially on Sunday, not allowing a single point to the Jets. Heading into the bye, I imagined this team would just regroup and keep on fighting towards a potential wild card spot. But they have made the decision to bench Fitzpatrick for rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa, who the Dolphins took with the 5th overall pick in this year’s draft. It’s a decision that was inevitable, but I’m not sure if anyone expected them to make it this early, especially with the way Fitz has been playing. I’m excited to see what the kid from Alabama has to offer, but I can’t help but feel perplexed, and honestly sad for Fitz. Let’s see if it pays off for Miami.
19 – Panthers (3-3) 3
Carolina’s three-game win streak was snapped on Sunday against a very good Bears team, so I didn’t want to punish them too much, but their ranking this week is simply a product of the movements of the teams around them. I still feel good about this team, as I very much believe in HC Matt Rhule and QB Teddy Bridgewater. RB Christian McCaffrey is also on the way back in just a matter of time. I think this team has many more games to win, but I’m not sure if they’re a playoff contender. The NFC is just too competitive.
20 – Chargers (1-4) 1
The Chargers were on a bye this week, which I’m sure their fans enjoyed since they didn’t have to see them blow another game. They have a very good chance to snap their 4-game skid (which should 100% be a 4-game win streak) this Sunday against Jacksonville, but I wouldn’t put it past this team to mess it up somehow.
21 – Cowboys (2-4) 1
Oh, brother. This team is baaaaaad. At least they had QB Dak Prescott to fall back on when their defense was porous. Now, they have Andy Dalton. And he does not look like the answer. Dalton had a very poor first start on Monday night, and it didn’t help that RB Ezekiel Elliott couldn’t hold onto the ball whatsoever. The defense also kept on playing like a JV unit, letting Kyler Murray, Kenyan Drake, and the Cardinals’ receivers have whatever they wanted all night long. This is a completely different offense with Dalton at the helm, and it is lifeless. You can’t help but feel like this team is completely dead without Prescott under center. If that’s the case, then this season is completely lost. But hey, at least they’re still in first place!
22 – Lions (2-3) 5
I always felt like this team was better than their record and performances thus far this season. Maybe they aren’t, but they certainly looked like it on Sunday in Jacksonville. It may have just been a product of playing the Jaguars, but this team looked very solid. They have been in many of their losses this year, so they could easily be above .500. QB Matt Stafford had a great day throwing to WR Kenny Golladay, and rookie RB D’Andre Swift had the best day of his young career. Their defense also looked very solid against a Jags offense that puts up a lot of yards. No, this team won’t be competing for anything anytime soon, but I’ll bump them up for the week because why the hell not?
23 – Texans (1-5)
The Texans did that thing they always do where they’re in position to win a game but then, because they’re the Houston Texans, blow it and take another devastating loss. Houston had everything going their way after coming back from an early double-digit deficit on Sunday, even after giving up big plays to the Titans. All they needed was a stop. And they couldn’t get one on back to back possessions to lose the game. So, the Texans, who I’ve given the benefit of the doubt to all year, lost another very winnable game. This team really should have more than just 1 win, but coaching and inability to perform in the clutch have them sitting at 1-5. I am officially sticking a fork in them. They are certainly better than the teams below them, but that doesn’t mean much anymore.
24 – Eagles (1-4-1)
By some grace of God, this team is just a half game out of first place in the NFC East. They have put up dud after dud this season, outside of one win in Santa Clara that was practically handed to them on a silver platter. Carson Wentz did play arguably his best game of the year on Sunday, and the Eagles almost came all the way back, but it wasn’t enough. This team is going to win the division in my opinion (which is the equivalent of beating toddlers in a race), but they need to start getting it together fast. They have a very important game tomorrow night against the Giants, and if they lose, then oh BOY they will be torn into next week.
25 – Falcons (1-5) 4
Atlanta pulled out their first W of the year in dominant fashion on Sunday in Minneapolis, much to the avail of me, someone whose team is now in much better position in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™. I’ve been waiting for the Falcons to play a complete game without completely blowing it, and they finally did. This team should absolutely be .500 or better right now, so it was good to see them finally get in the win column. I’m not sure how much their fans liked it, but it was good for a team that is now looking to right the ship after the firing of HC Dan Quinn. I’m not sure how many more games this team will win this year, but I’m hoping it’s plenty.
26 – Vikings (1-5) 4
It is very easy to say that Minnesota has a Kirk Cousins problem, but I think it’s much more fitting to say that they have a whole team problem. Yes, their QB was horrid in the first half against the Falcons with 3 INTs, but it didn’t help that their defense was getting torn apart. When you fall behind by 23 points so early in the game, it becomes nearly impossible to get the run game going, which is exactly what Minnesota needs to win games. When RB Dalvin Cook isn’t a big part of the offense, the offense can’t do much. Yes, Cousins garbage time statpadded his way to a respectable statline, but there is no denying or ignoring how poor this team has been. It’s hard to see the $86 million man coming back after this season. With every passing week, it looks more and more like this once-Super Bowl contender is heading into rebuild mode.
27 – Broncos (2-3) 1
I will give credit to the Denver Broncos. They walked into Foxboro and did not stand down to the Patriots. Yes, their offense had a pretty bad game, but QB Drew Lock and company did what they needed to do to put their defense in a position to lock up a win by stopping the Pats offense, and that’s exactly what happened. It was a good win for a team that certainly needed the morale boost. That being said, I don’t expect to see much more of that from Denver. They are facing too many injuries, and they are in a division that is stacked to the brim with offense, unlike the New England team they just faced. This team will still be a bottom-tier squad in 2020.
28 – Bengals (1-4-1) 3
The Bengals are back to being the Bungles: embarrassing loss after embarrassing loss, blowing games and doing nothing to help their stellar rookie QB Joe Burrow. Cincy came out firing on Sunday to the tune of a 21-0 second quarter lead, but they were completely lifeless after that. Nobody expected anything out of this team, so it’s nothing shocking or depressing, but you can’t help but feel for Burrow right now. Luckily for him, this team will be in position to draft an elite offensive line talent in April. That will help this team greatly.
29 – Jaguars (1-5) 3
Now this is a team that has angered me. After 2 weeks this season, I had very high hopes for the Jaguars. They looked like an inspiring, talented young group of players, led by QB Gardner Minshew II. But week after week, they have proven to me that I was very, very wrong. This team is awful and very uninspired. For each of the last 3 weeks, they looked like they didn’t even want to be on the field. It’s only a matter of time before HC Doug Marrone is ran out of town, and that time cannot come soon enough. And although I like Minshew, I’m not sure if he’s the answer as a franchise QB. I think it’s time to enter the Jaguars into the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™.
30 – Giants (1-5) 1
Another formerly-winless team who got their first win of the year on Sunday. And thank God they did. They honestly should have gotten it two weeks ago in Arlington. Wrap your head around this: if they had won that game, the Giants would currently be in first place in the NFC East. Only in 2020. It was a good win for a Giants team that just looked like they wanted it more against Washington. Next up for them is a reeling Eagles team. If they win that game, and a few other things fall into place, the Giants will somehow find themselves in the playoff picture. Once again, only in 2020.
31 – Washington (1-5) 1
I… I really don’t want to talk about this team. They are a complete eye sore to watch. They are still dysfunctional from the top down. The coaching staff is an absolute disaster, especially offensively. QB Kyle Allen has done nothing to prove that he deserves to be the starting signal caller of this football team. HC Ron Rivera continues to send mixed signals about the way he leads this team and the way he expects his QBs to play. They continue to lose game after game in utterly embarrassing fashion. It is absolutely disgraceful and impossible to tolerate. Next up is an Andy Dalton-led Cowboys team, and yet this team will likely still find some way to lose in absolutely horrible fashion. In other words, the name might have changed, the coach might have changed, the “vIbE” might have changed, but this team has not changed one damn bit.
32 – Jets (0-6)
Once again, this one needs no explanation. The Jets are now the NFL’s lone winless team. Joe Flacco has started the last 2 games at QB and has looked horrible. The defense cannot do a thing to stop anybody. The offense cannot do anything even if they faced a college team. The unis are still awful. Oh, and Adam Gase is still employed. I’m sick of asking how things like this are possible, so I’ll just keep it at that for the week.
All stats taken from ESPN and Pro Football Reference.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and his team had a long day in Green Bay’s first loss of the season on Sunday in Tampa Bay. (h/t Tori Richman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Week 6 of the NFL season played out much like the weeks that came before it: tons of offense, blown leads everywhere, and learning more and more about each team in the league. Let’s recap what happened in the 14 games this week.
Titans 42-36 Texans
What a doozy this game was down the stretch in Nashville. This game had everything: big time players making big time plays, incredible individual performances, blown leads, clutch plays, and a walk-off touchdown. Let’s start with the losing side, led by Deshaun Watson, who was masterful. The Texans QB completed 28 of his 37 attempts for 335 yards and 4 TDs, with WR Will Fuller V accounting for 123 of those yards and a score. Even after falling into a 14 point hole, Watson led Houston back on drive after drive to help them claim a lead in the second half. All 4 of his touchdowns went to 4 different receivers, as the Titans defense had no answers. Tennessee’s offense had all the answers, however, as QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry both played a spectacular game once again. Tannehill threw for 364 yards and 4 TDs on 73% completion, and Henry ran for 212 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries, including a remarkable 94 yard sprint int he 4th quarter. Henry became just the 3rd player in NFL history to run for 200+ yards in 3 games. These teams went back and forth in the 4th quarter, with the Texans taking a 1 point lead on a 53 yard dime to Will Fuller V after the aforementioned Henry touchdown run. After a poor interception thrown by Tannehill, the Texans reached the endzone again with 1:50 left on a Brandin Cooks TD catch. Houston went for 2 to put the game out of reach, but was stopped, making it a 36-29 game. Ryan Tannehill led his team all the way down the field, and threw a perfect ball to WR A.J. Brown in the endzone for the game-tying touchdown with just 4 seconds left. The Titans won the toss in OT, marched the ball all the way down the field, and Derrick Henry ran in the game-winning touchdown from 5 yards out. It was a tough loss for the Texans, who now drop to 1-5 on the year. The loss re-sparked the conversation about the NFL’s overtime rules, and how it only seems fair that both teams should get the ball in the extra period. I don’t disagree at all, but that shouldn’t undermine how impressive the win was for the Titans. They are now one of only 3 undefeated teams left in the NFL at 5-0, and really look like one of the league’s best teams. They play exceptionally well in almost every facet of the game, and they have been putting it to opponents. Derrick Henry is making a case for being the best RB in football, and Ryan Tannehill is playing the best football of his life. This was an amazing game from start to finish, and it’s a shame that one team had to walk away with a loss.
Colts 31-27 Bengals
Speaking of blown leads, the Cincinnati Bengals played football on Sunday. Cincy came out firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball, absolutely dominating the Colts for over a quarter to the tune of an early 21-0 lead. QB Joe Burrow was on fire, throwing dime after dime, often connecting with fellow rookie, WR Tee Higgins. Indianapolis finally woke up after falling behind 3 scores, scoring 3 2nd quarter touchdowns, and ended up only down 3 at halftime. It was all Colts from there on out, as their defense stiffened up and locked up the Bengals offense for almost the entire second half. Thanks to an incredible TD grab by TE Jack Doyle, a late field goal, and an insurance INT of Joe Burrow, the Colts walked away with the win. It was a testament to how tough this team is, bouncing back from a bad loss last week and an awful start in the game itself. QB Philip Rivers finished with an impressive statline of 371 yards and 3 touchdowns. Burrow didn’t have a bad game either with 313 yards of his own, but it wasn’t enough. Once again, the #1 overall pick played well, but it wasn’t enough. That’s a trend that we can only hope doesn’t continue for too long in Cincinnati.
Falcons 40-23 Vikings
Congratulations to the Atlanta Falcons for getting their first win of 2020 and making the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™ a much, much tighter race. The Falcons continued the trend of winning games after firing a head coach, which has seemingly never failed in recent memory. This was quite the domination by Atlanta, who jumped out to a 23-0 lead and never looked back. How thankful do Falcons fans have to be that they didn’t blow this? It was a very impressive game from two Falcons in particular: QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones. Falcons fans have been waiting for Julio to return to the Julio Jones of old, and he certainly looked like it on Sunday in Minnesota. Ryan and Jones linked up 8 times for 137 yards and 2 TDs on some impressive plays by both of them. Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins got off to a horrid start with 3 first half interceptions en route to a scoreless first 30 minutes. He ended up statpadding his way back to a seemingly respectable statline at the end of the game, but we all know that’s because of the way the Falcons play once getting up big. There is one Viking I don’t want to take away from, and that is rookie WR Justin Jefferson. After a down week last Sunday in Seattle, Jefferson bounced back in a big way with 166 yards and 2 TDs on 9 catches. My fantasy team thanks you, JJets. Both of these teams walked out of US Bank Stadium at 1-5. The Falcons should feel good with the burden of Dan Quinn off their shoulders, but the Vikings have to be asking themselves questions about where to go from here. This is a talented team, but they have refused to step up this season. They can’t get it done in the clutch, and if their games aren’t close, they’re the ones getting blown out. Kirk Cousins now has two 3 interception games this season, and is tied for the lead league in INTs, which is inexcusable. When his contract is up after this year, it’s hard to believe he’ll be back in Minnesota.
Broncos 18-12 Patriots
This was a snoozefest. There is no other way to put it. Both of these offenses struggled all game long, and we only had one touchdown in 60 minutes of play. The Broncos field goal-ed their way to victory behind 6 FGs from Brandon McManus. The Patriots almost mounted a late comeback behind a touchdown run from QB Cam Newton and a gift interception from Broncos QB Drew Lock, but Newton was picked off by the Denver defense to put the game to bed. And, in the words of Jedi Master Yoda, “not short enough it was.” This game was a complete eye sore, but it did reveal a lot about both teams. Denver finally got their starting QB Drew Lock back, and he led his team to victory in his first start back, despite a plethora of injuries across the board on offense. The Broncos have had quarterback questions, but there’s no doubt that Lock is a solid starter that can lead this team, especially when their healthy. For New England, this was a headscratching performance offensively. The defense did its job, but the offense could not move the ball for almost the whole game. Newton looked lethargic, the run game was stagnant, and the passing game was virtually nonexistent. The team is now 2-3 and struggling on the offensive side of the ball more than ever, even after a week off. They need to figure things out fast if they want to compete against a division that, outside of the Jets, is actually pretty good.
Giants 20-19 Washington
Sigh. Speaking of snoozefests, we had our first Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™ Bowl of 2020 in East Rutherford on Sunday. The Giants got off to a relatively hot start with a 10-0 first quarter lead, including a dime of a touchdown throw to Darius Slayton by QB Daniel Jones. Jones even had a shocking 60 yard run in which he left the Washington defense in the dust with some of that “sneaky athleticism”. It took Washington a much longer time to get going, as they didn’t reach the endzone until there was 13 seconds left in the first half. But, they finally did on a very nice throw from QB Kyle Allen to TE Logan Thomas. For the rest of the game, both offenses struggled to move the ball, plagued by turnovers and poor play. In a 13-13 game with less than 4 minutes to play, Kyle Allen was trying to lead a game-winning drive, but ended up fumbling the ball on a strip sack, leading to a Giants recovery and touchdown return. It was seemingly flattening for Washington, but they didn’t give up just yet. Allen brought his team right back down the field, and with just 22 seconds left, found WR Cam Sims on a great pass into the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. Instead of electing to tie the game with an extra point, HC Ron Rivera told his offense to go for 2 and the win. After running around, searching for an open receiver, Kyle Allen threw an incomplete pass to end the game and secure the first win of the Giants season, and the fifth consecutive Washington loss. Although Kyle Allen looked good at times, it was an overall poor game from the newly appointed starting QB. It didn’t help that the rest of his offense didn’t show up for most of the game. The Giants and QB Daniel Jones were not much better, as they were outgained by almost 100 yards, despite coming out with the win. The Washington defense looked improved, but the Giants will make any defense look good. Washington is now in last place in the division, and is a new emerging contender in the Trevor Lawerence Sweepstakes™. Even with a very easy upcoming schedule, you can only feel like this team is not built to win many games for the rest of the year.
Ravens 30-28 Eagles
The final score of this game should not fool you. The Ravens, despite letting up a bit at the end of the game, dominated this game for most of the way on Sunday. Baltimore’s offense controlled the tempo for all but 7 minutes of the game, with QB Lamar Jackson doing his thing both throwing and running the ball. Jackson had 186 yards passing and 108 yards rushing with 2 total touchdowns. It took Philadelphia a while to get going, as they were scoreless for the first 38 minutes of the game. The Eagles got on the board thanks to a long run by RB Miles Sanders, who fumbled the ball close to the goal line, but it was recovered by WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside for a touchdown. Down 30-14 with less than 4 minutes left, the Eagles reached the endzone twice, but missed the 2nd of two 2-point conversions and fell just short. QB Carson Wentz played well in the comeback effort, throwing for 213 yards and 2 TDs, but the most impressive stat was having 0 interceptions. It was the first game without a pick for Wentz this season, who has been plagued by that this whole year. The Eagles are now 1-4-1, but still just a half game out of first place in the pile of trash that we call the NFC East. This was the 3rd consecutive win for Baltimore who is getting back into their groove. The Ravens are back to looking like one of the league’s best teams, but I’d still like to see them be more productive in the passing game. Until they do that, I’m not sure if I like them to beat the other elite teams in the AFC.
Steelers 38-7 Browns
If you want the textbook definition of a statement victory, this is it. Yes, the Steelers have historically owned the Browns, but this Cleveland team felt different. They came into this game at 4-1 and feeling great about themselves. The Steelers came in at 4-0, but still being disrespected by the media thanks to their opponents poor records. But after this game, they left nothing up to question anymore. From the jump, this was a Pittsburgh domination. The Steelers jumped out to a 24-0 lead behind a pick 6 of Browns QB Baker Mayfield and back to back impressive second quarter touchdown drives. They never looked back, locking up the Browns offense for the whole game, including another interception, and making their mark in the AFC with a blowout victory. It was a very tough reality check for a Browns team that had looked so impressive in the last month or so. QB Baker Mayfield had an awful game, as he has tended to do so often in his time in Cleveland. I don’t think it’s time to panic at all, but I certainly do not think that Baker Mayfield is the long term answer at QB in Cleveland. Perhaps he can get it done for the time being, but if the Browns keep getting embarrassed like this in big games, and he continues to play poorly in those games, then it will eventually be time to move off of him.
Bears 23-16 Panthers
Ok, ok, fine. I’ll stop disrespecting the Chicago Bears. If there’s anything we knew about this team, it’s that their defense is fantastic. On Sunday, they reiterated that in a big way. Chicago’s D kept the Panthers in check for most of the game and forced 3 turnovers, including 2 interceptions of Carolina QB Teddy Bridgewater. The offense did what it needed to do, as it has so many times this season, as they scored efficiently and led by as many as 14 points in the 4th quarter. The Panthers tried to make it a game at the end, but the Bears defense simply did not let up. Chicago isn’t the most flashy team, they’re not exciting and won’t make it on SportsCenter Top 10, but all they have done is win. HC Matt Nagy has done a fantastic job with his team, and it seems that the move to start Nick Foles at QB is paying off, as he has led his team to back to back wins against some very good teams. Chicago now sits atop the NFC North thanks to a certain dud performance by the Packers, and look poised as ever to keep on winning. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the rest of the year.
Lions 34-16 Jaguars
What a game for the Lions offense. Detroit controlled this game for all 60 minutes on Sunday in Jacksonville thanks to some big performances by some of their stars. WR Kenny Golladay had 4 catches for 105 yards, and rookie RB D’Andre Swift had his fingerprints all over the game with 116 yards rushing and 2 TDs. It was a rough game for the Jaguars, who couldn’t muster much offensively once again. Their leading rusher was RB James Robinson with just 29 yards. WR Keelan Cole had himself a nice game with 143 yards on 6 catches, but that was about it for Jacksonville. They looked lifeless the whole game, just as they have for the last month or so. We can officially stick a fork in this team that looked so promising early in the year. I was a believer in QB Gardner Minshew II, but now I’m not sure if he can get the job done. He does put up numbers, but I’m not entirely sure if he’s a franchise QB. The Jags are on the fringe of the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™, but don’t be surprised if they’re fully in it in a few weeks.
Dolphins 24-0 Jets
Ah yes, the New York Jets. What a team. What a ride. It took 6 weeks in a season with record-setting offense, but we had our first shutout of 2020. And of course it was the Jets. Led by backup QB Joe Flacco once again, they did absolutely nothing offensively. Literally nothing… to the tune of a goose egg on the scoreboard. The Dolphins, who have looked very impressive in the last couple of weeks, dominated this game and made it look like New York didn’t even belong on the field. If we’re being completely honest, they didn’t. This team is still a mess. Without Sam Darnold, they are impossible to watch. I still don’t know how Adam Gase is employed. But alas, it makes for good content, so I’m here for it. The Dolphins finally got to see their #5 overall pick QB Tua Tagovailoa in action with a couple of minutes left for a couple checkdowns and handoffs, but you could sense that he brought a new level of excitement and energy to an already talented and inspired roster. Apparently, HC Brian Flores liked what he saw so much that he has made the decision to name Tua the starter (more on that tomorrow). It’s an exciting time for the Dolphins. As for the Jets, they are still in the lead in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™, and with the Giants and Falcons winning on Sunday, they are now the lone winless team in the NFL. I don’t expect that to change any time soon.
Buccaneers 38-10 Packers
Another resounding, statement victory. Everybody was so excited to see this matchup, and for good reason. Both of these teams are elite contenders led by two of the greatest QBs of all time. But what we got was a coaching and overall team performance virtuoso by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yes, the Packers jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead thanks to some great drives led by QB Aaron Rodgers, including his… questionable hip thrusts. But the Bucs’ second quarter was one of the more dominant periods you’ll ever see from a team. CB Jamel Dean picked off Rodgers and returned it down the sideline for 6, followed by another interception off of a deflection to set up another touchdown, this time for RB Ronald Jones II. Later in the quarter, rookie WR Tyler Johnson caught a short touchdown from QB Tom Brady, and at the end of the quarter, Brady found his old friend, TE Rob Gronkowski for the fourth touchdown of the period. It was Gronk’s first touchdown of the season, and the 91st touchdown he has caught from Tom Brady. From there, the game was never in doubt, as the Packers couldn’t even muster another point. 10 3rd quarter points later, and the game was all but over. With their spectacular defense making life hell for Rodgers, and their offense clicking and firing on all cylinders, the Bucs finished the game scoring 38 unanswered points and completely shutting down Green Bay, handing them their first loss of 2020. I knew that Tampa was good, but I did not expect this at all. The Packers looked like a completely different team than they had been in their previous 4 games, and I’m sure they’re gonna take a long, hard look at themselves this week in preparation for their next game. Perhaps Green Bay is not as formidable as we thought. Or perhaps Tampa Bay is even better than we imagined.
49ers 24-16 Rams
Sunday night’s NFC West showdown was pretty fun, but I wanna start by saying that the best part of the game was the uni matchup. I’m in the minority that loves the new Rams getups, and the 49ers throwbacks are some of the best unis in football. So when those two are combined, I am very pleased. The game itself was very interesting as well, as San Francisco honestly dominated for almost the whole game. Their defense bounced back in a huge way after an embarrassing performance last Sunday, holding the Rams to just 9 points in the first 56+ minutes of the game. The offense did its job as well, as they played a very efficient first half. QB Jimmy Garoppolo had himself a night with 268 yards and 3 TDs on 70% completion after playing the worst game of his life last week. It was a fairly uneventful second half, but the Niners held off a late comeback attempt by the Rams to hold on and get back to .500. Kyle Shanahan is now 4-0 as a head coach against Sean McVay, who seemingly has no answers against the 49ers. The Rams are now winless this season against non-NFC East teams, but I’m sure they’ll be fine. They lost to a Niners team that was playing with complete and utter urgency, and were simply outplayed. This division just keeps on getting more and more juicy, as all 4 teams are .500 or above. Can they all play each other very week please?
Chiefs 26-17 Bills
This one was pretty ugly for the most part. Monday afternoon’s game was played in a complete downpour, but it didn’t stop the Chiefs from doing big things through the air. QB Patrick Mahomes played another brilliant, efficient game. They didn’t ask him to make any huge plays because he didn’t need to, but when his number was called, he delivered. Mahomes threw for 225 yards and 2 TDs on a brilliant 81% completion. The real bread and butter in the game for KC was the run game. Rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 161 yards on a whopping 26 carries, and he is now 2nd in the league in rushing. The gameplan was very similar to the one the Chiefs had against Houston on opening night: pick the defense apart, throw the ball efficiently, and gash the opposition on the ground. When Kansas City is playing like that, I’m not really sure who can stop them. For Buffalo, it was a slow, sluggish game, and they could never really get going offensively past the second quarter. QB Josh Allen didn’t seem to handle the conditions very well, but still delivered some good throws, including a dime on a touchdown to WR Stefon Diggs. But outside of that, it was a slow day at the office for the Bills. They only racked up 206 yards offensively, and they only scored 7 second half points. Allen finished with 122 yards and a pick, but also threw for 2 TDs. The Bills have now put up complete duds in back to back weeks against 2 of the NFL’s best teams, so I’m not sure what to make of them just yet. Are they a fringe contender that isn’t good enough to beat the best? Or were they tricking us the whole time? We’ll find out soon enough.
Cardinals 38-10 Cowboys
The Andy Dalton era could not have gotten off to a worse start in Dallas. Both teams got off to a slow start on Monday night, but the second quarter was an offensive explosion by the Cardinals. It helped that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott could not have held onto the ball even if you paid him to (which they quite literally are). Zeke fumbled the ball twice on consecutive drives, with each turnover leading to a touchdown for Arizona. He now has 3 lost fumbles on the year, which is absolutely inexcusable for somebody being paid $90 million and being asked to shoulder the load offensively for a team that is now without their star QB. On the next drive for Arizona, QB Kyler Murray unloaded an absolute beauty of a deep shot to WR Christian Kirk, who sprinted past every resident in Texas en route to an 80 yard touchdown. In only 8 minutes, the Cards found themselves up 21-0, and they never looked back. They even went up 28-3 in the 3rd, but unlike the other red bird team in the NFL, they continued to dominate. Their defense also showed up big time, led by S Budda Baker, who had his hands all over the game. Baker accounted for one of two interceptions thrown by Cowboys QB Andy Dalton, who struggled from start to finish. Outside of a garbage time touchdown, Dalton was horrendous, missing easy throws and getting absolutely dismantled by the Cardinals defense. It could be the product of his first start in a very long time, facing an elite defense, and not getting any favors from his RB or his porous defense, or it could just be Dalton not being the short term answer at QB that Dallas needs. Next up for them is another good defense in Washington, but if they cannot beat that team, then it is certainly panic time in Dallas. Such a shame for a team that looked like it had such a bright future. Arizona is now 4-2 and sitting nicely at 2nd place in the NFL’s best division, the NFC West. If they can continue stringing together some wins, especially against division opponents, then they can continue gaining some playoff traction. Next up for them is Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Let’s see what this team is truly made of.
Another week, another slate of games to predict. Hopefully this week’s games don’t get hit by COVID waves like a week ago. I went a very solid 10-4 last week, bringing my total to 30-14-1 on the year. Not bad at all. Let’s get into my picks for Week 6. (Disclaimer: because it’s so late and this is honestly last minute, I won’t be writing excerpts on each game. I’ll go back to doing that next week. Sorry!)
Titans 31-20 Texans
Colts 24-13 Bengals
Vikings 34-30 Falcons
Patriots 30-14 Broncos
Giants 24-16 Washington
The first Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™ Bowl of 2020. I hope we leave with a favorable result.
Ravens 35-20 Eagles
Steelers 27-26 Browns
Big Ben has never lost to Cleveland at home. This will likely be his biggest scare yet, but I doubt it’ll be enough. Should be a great game.
Panthers 21-18 Bears
Jaguars 31-28 Lions
Dolphins 34-17 Jets
Packers 27-24 Buccaneers
Early game of the year candidate on paper. I cannot wait to watch it unfold. I like the Pack to pull it out late, but don’t be surprised if Tom Brady pulls through like he does so often. Counter-intuitively, the keys to this game are these teams’ defenses. Keep an eye out for them.
Rams 28-20 49ers
Chiefs 34-30 Bills
Another spectacular game on paper. Should be a blast with a lot of points. Whatever the over is, take it.
Cardinals 26-21 Cowboys
It would not surprise me at all if the Cowboys pull out a win on Monday night. Do not sleep on Andy Dalton as a starting QB. He might shock you.
Even in a bye week, the Green Bay Packers gained positioning on other NFL contenders to jump to this week’s #1 spot. (h/t Dylan Buell, Getty Images)
Sorry for the delay. It’s been a busy week! I figured I’d pump this out real quick so I cover the basis for this week. I don’t wanna leave y’all hanging! So, let’s stack up the NFL 1-32 with mere hours to go before Week 6. (Disclaimer: because it’s so late and this is honestly last minute, I won’t be writing excerpts on each team. I’ll go back to doing that next week. Sorry!)
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf caught 2 TDs in a win over the Vikings, including the game-winner on 4th and goal with 15 seconds left. (h/t Abbie Parr, Getty Images)
The 2020 NFL season is continuing to deliver. Week 5 was filled with incredible highs and heartbreaking lows. Let’s break down one of the wildest weeks in recent memory.
Bears 20-19 Buccaneers
For the first time in… history, perhaps, Tom Brady had a complete lapse on the football field. The Bucs QB not knowing it was 4th down on the game’s deciding play was the culmination of a night filled with mistakes, anger, and poor play from Tampa Bay. The Bucs got off to a 13-0 start, but two TDs in the last 2 minutes of the first half from Chicago (thanks to a questionable fumble call) put the Bears right back in it. The second half was fairly back and forth as the game became a battle of field goals. Tampa’s offense looked very sluggish in the absence of WR Chris Godwin and RB Leonard Fournette, and the offensive line looked overwhelmed by a fantastic Bears front. Star LB Khalil Mack had his way with the Bucs’ tackles, much to the dismay of Tom Brady, who was barking at his offensive linemen all night long. The Bears offense and QB Nick Foles did what they needed to do when it mattered most, leading to the game-winning field goal from Cairo Santos with 73 seconds left. It was an ugly game for both sides, but it showed us a lot about these teams, especially as they head into some tough upcoming games. I’ll get into that more tomorrow.
Panthers 23-16 Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are finally cleaning house. After their 5th loss in 5 tries, both HC Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff were fired. It was a move that was a long time coming as the Falcons have never been able to get their franchise back on track after 28-3. Outside of an early touchdown, it felt like Atlanta was never truly in this game, as the Panthers controlled the tempo from start to finish thanks to more great play from their offense, led by QB Teddy Bridgewater. Behind 313 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, the Panthers cruised to a close, but seemingly easy win in Atlanta. The Panthers are now on a 3 game win streak, despite being without RB Christian McCaffrey in each of those games. It has been a very impressive stretch that is a testament to the coaching of HC Matt Rhule and experience of this offense, which has come together quite nicely. The Falcons now turn to Raheem Morris as interim HC for the rest of 2020 as they try to right the ship. Or, perhaps Atlanta will tank for a QB in this year’s draft. It’s safe to say that they are firmly in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™ as one of the league’s 3 winless teams.
Raiders 40-32 Chiefs
For the first time in his career, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has lost a game by more than 7 points. The Raiders walked into Arrowhead on Sunday and put on an offensive clinic. The game was a shootout from the jump, as both teams traded big play after big play en route to a 24-24 halftime score. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, the Raiders came out firing in the 4th, scoring 16 unanswered to all but ice the game. They were helped out by Mahomes throwing his first interception of the season to S Jeff Heath, who almost returned it for 6. Kansas City almost mounted an improbable comeback, but the Raiders run game picked up huge first downs to put the game away late. In the end, QB Derek Carr threw for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 72 yard bomb to 2020 1st round pick WR Henry Ruggs III. RB Josh Jacobs also added 77 yards and 2 TDs of his own. This was a return trip to Earth for the Chiefs, who had won their previous 13 games dating back to last year, including the playoffs. These are the Kansas City Chiefs, so they will be fine, but this defense did not look good at all, and the offense was struggling mightily for almost the whole second half. Meanwhile, the enigma that is the Las Vegas Raiders finally got their signature win under HC Jon Gruden. If they can keep the momentum from this game going forward this season, then the silver and black will be right in the thick of the AFC playoff race.
Cardinals 30-10 Jets
Not much to talk about here. New York Jets very bad. Adam Gase very bad. Joe Flacco very bad. The Cardinals got back on track, as I predicted, and got good performances out of all their star players. QB Kyler Murray had another good game that was not in vain as he threw for 380 yards and a score to WR DeAndre Hopkins, who had 131 yards of his own. The Jets never had a chance in this game, as their abysmal offense could barely move at all. Perhaps they could have done more had QB Sam Darnold played, but I seriously doubt it. This is the worst team in football by a wiiiiiiiide margin, and they are seemingly getting worse by the week. Now there are talks of RB Le’Veon Bell being traded, which I’m sure Bell is dying for. The team is terrible, the culture is terrible, the coaching is terrible, and the fans are miserable. They’re probably dreaming of Trevor Lawrence more than they’re dreaming for a win.
Steelers 38-29 Eagles
The Keystone State battle did not disappoint. There is a ton of stuff to get into from this game. Let’s start with the losing side, who put up a much better fight than I anticipated. The Eagles were often down but never out on Sunday. Each time Pittsburgh retook the lead, they were met with resistance from the Birds. RB Miles Sanders had a somewhat weird game with 80 yards and 2 TDs, with 74 of those yards and 1 of those touchdowns coming on a 74 yard touchdown in the 1st quarter. QB Carson Wentz had another one of those Carson Wentz games where he played just well enough to keep his team in the game, but still made mistakes that ended up costing his team the game. He had 2 more interceptions, with one of them leading to a Steelers touchdown that gave them a very comfortable cushion. He still threw for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns, with the once no-name WR Travis Fulgham catching 10 balls for 152 yards and a score, but it was not enough. The Steelers were too much to handle on offense, as rookie WR Chase Claypool caught 7 passes for 110 yards and 3 touchdowns, in addition to scoring another TD on the ground. QB Ben Roethlisberger had himself a game with 239 yards and 3 TDs on 80% completion. Pittsburgh’s offense, which was a major question mark for me, finally showed up to play, but their defense looked a bit suspect against a team that had no business moving the ball as well as they did. They still showed up when they needed to, but it was questionable. The Steelers are now 4-0, bit their opponents are an abysmal combined 3-15-1. Their next 2 games are against Cleveland and Baltimore. It’s time to see if this team is truly a contender or a team that beats up on the league’s worst.
Rams 30-10 Washington
It’s official: Dwayne Haskins was not the problem. The Washington Football Team finished Sunday’s contest with 108 total yards, the 3rd lowest mark in a game in 50 years. The coaching staff, especially OC Scott Turner, is that bad. QB Kyle Allen made his first start for Washington and, quite predictably, the offense looked horrible. Allen did lead a 1st quarter TD drive that was capped with an impressive TD run, but that was about it. The story of the game was Allen being knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury after a big hit from Rams CB Jalen Ramsey, allowing Alex Smith to enter the game at QB. It was Smith’s first action since his gruesome leg injury 693 days beforehand. It was absolutely incredible to see him back on a football field, and it is a testament to how hard of a worker and how much of a fighter he is. I wasn’t the biggest fan of him as our QB, but I love him for who he is and how he never gives up. I am so happy that he was back out there, and even happier that his family got to see it live. That being said, I was holding my breath on every play. It doesn’t help at all that his offensive line decided they didn’t want to play, allowing Smith to be sacked 6 times. The team gave up a total of 8 sacks on the day in an absolutely shambolic performance by both the offense and the defense. But Dwayne Haskins was the problem. Sure. On the other side of the ball, the Rams offense looked pretty good, as it has so many times this season. They weren’t met with much resistance from the Washington defense, but I will still give them credit. QB Jared Goff had a nice, efficient game, outside of a poor interception to Washington CB Kendall Fuller. LA’s defense dominated the game for 4 quarters to help keep the game locked for the Rams. The game ended up being ugly in the second half thanks to a downpour of rain, but it was never in doubt. Rams HC Sean McVay returned to Landover and stuck it to his old team with authority, because as he knows all too well, the Washington Football Team is far too predictable.
Ravens 27-3 Bengals
We need to get Joe Burrow an offensive line for the greater good. The Bengals rookie QB was getting battered for 60 minutes on Sunday thanks to his offensive line continuing to play like the worst in football. Burrow was sacked 7 times, and the offense could not do a thing. The Bengals were scoreless for the first 59 minutes and 28 seconds of this game for crying out loud. Cincinnati better start drafting some tackles if they want to protect Burrow, otherwise he’s in for a long career with the Bengals. Sunday’s performance was a masterful one by the Ravens defense, which is getting back into a groove. They locked up the Bengals offense all game long, including a 53 yard fumble return TD by rookie LB Patrick Queen. The Baltimore offense did its job as well, despite only 180 passing yards from QB Lamar Jackson. This team’s passing offense is arguably its biggest concern, but if the defense can keep playing at this level, then it might not matter.
Texans 30-14 Jaguars
As I predicted, the first game without Bill O’Brien was a win for the Houston Texans. Good for them, and interim HC Romeo Crennel, who became the oldest man to ever be a HC on Sunday. Houston was in control for a large majority of the game, despite a decent outing by the Jacksonville offense. QB Gardner Minshew II had another 300 yard game with 301 and added 2 TDs. But Jacksonville could not overcome two things: the Texans passing game, and themselves. QB Deshaun Watson threw for 359 yards and 3 TDs, with 161 yards and a score going to WR Brandin Cooks. RB David Johnson also had a nice game on the ground with 96 yards on 17 carries. But more importantly, the Jaguars couldn’t get out of their own way. On an imperative 4th down late in the game, with a chance to get back into it, Jacksonville called a ridiculous trick play in which they snapped the ball directly to RB James Robinson, who fumbled the football and turned it over. I’m not sure if HC Doug Marrone or OC Jay Gruden was responsible for that, but regardless, it was inexcusable, and it costed the Jags a shot at coming back. Jacksonville has now lost their last 4 games, and coaching has been a large factor in all 4. Perhaps they should follow in the Texans’ footsteps.
Dolphins 43-17 49ers
This one was… shocking. The Dolphins absolutely boatraced the 49ers all afternoon long on Sunday in one of the more unexpected outcomes of 2020 so far. Miami came out of the gate firing and didn’t look back for a second, leading by 14 at the end of the 1st quarter, 23 at the end of the 2nd, and winning by 26. The offense looked fantastic as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick put together another impressive performance with 350 yards and 3 touchdowns on 78.5% completion. They got whatever they wanted against a 49ers defense that played absolutely awful football. But as bad as San Francisco’s defense was, it was not nearly as bad as their offense. QB Jimmy Garoppolo played perhaps the worst game of his life with 77 yards, 2 REALLY bad INTs and 0 TDs on 7/17 passing for a whopping 15.7 passer rating. Jimmy G ended up getting benched for C.J. Beathard, who played a much better game, although it didn’t end up meaning anything. The Niners struggles are still going strong against teams not from New York, and it appears as though it might be time to make some decisions. If Garoppolo continues to play poorly and not perform like the QB that took this team to the Super Bowl just one year ago, and that this team is paying over $100 million dollars, then it might be time to move on.
Browns 32-23 Colts
Perhaps the best game on paper in Week 5 did not disappoint. It was a fun, classic feeling game on Sunday afternoon in Cleveland. I felt that the Indianapolis defense would keep them in this game, but the Browns’ overpowering offense was the story in this game. Thanks to a great first half, the Browns were in control for a large majority of the game, despite a couple of interceptions from QB Baker Mayfield. Even the Cleveland defense showed up in a big way, picking off Colts QB Philip Rivers for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, forcing a safety, and only allowing one offensive touchdown. We already know that the Colts offense is a bit sluggish thanks to the lack of ability that Rivers brings to the table, but Sunday showed us that this team could be so much more dangerous with a better QB. They had so many drives that ended up deep in Browns territory, but ended with 3 points due to the lack of ability to move the ball any further. The defense also played its worst game of the year, but I truly think that says more about the Cleveland offense, which has cemented itself as one of the league’s best. If this game did anything, it’s that it furthered the narratives that we already had on these teams.
Cowboys 37-34 Giants
This was a spectacular game in Arlington on Sunday which was unfortunately highlighted by a horrific moment in recent NFL memory. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was rolled up on after a short run and suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle in a gruesome injury that broke the hearts of players, media, and fans all across the country. I was personally very emotional for Dak, who has been through so much in his NFL career, and was so close to getting paid in a big way. Seeing him getting carted off the field in tears was just heartbreaking. We’re all praying for you, 4. At the time of the injury, the Cowboys were losing thanks to some impressive play from the Giants on both sides of the ball, highlighted by a 46 yard pick six of Prescott. Dak lead his team back from 14 down, including a wild trick play in which he caught a touchdown from WR Cedrick Wilson. Backup QB and former Cincinnati Bengal Andy Dalton came in for Dallas, and struggled for a while as the Giants retook the lead with less than 9 minutes to play. The Cowboys got a late field goal to tie the game, stopped the Giants with less than a minute to play, and the Red Rifle hit WR Michael Gallup on back to back amazing throws to set up the game-winning field goal. It was an inspiring win by a team that was absolutely devastated by the loss of their franchise QB. Dallas now sits atop the NFC East at 2-3, and I think they’re in very good hands with Dalton. The Giants are now 0-5 and still very much a contender in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™. It was their best game of the year, but it still wasn’t enough. Next up for them is Washington, in what might be one of the worst games you will ever see.
Seahawks 27-26 Vikings
Russell Wilson did it again. As if there were any doubt. The Seahawks looked absolutely lethargic for over a half of football as they could barely move the football against a Vikings team that was not scared of the challenge. The Minnesota offense was churning on both the ground and through the air as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead. The Seahawks drove for a touchdown for their first points of the game, then were gifted a short field on a fumble, scored another touchdown, and then were gifted another short field on a spectacular INT of Cousins by LB K.J. Wright, and scored another touchdown to take a 21-13 lead in the blink of an eye. Three TDs in two minutes from a team that couldn’t buy a point in the first half got them right back into it. Cousins responded with an impressive drive ending in a TD to Adam Thielen, then hit Thielen for another touchdown with 7 minutes left in the game to put the Vikings in the driver’s seat. The ball was back in Wilson’s hands, and everyone expected the Seahawks to take the lead right back led by the most clutch player in football. But shockingly, Russ threw a sloppy interception to seemingly seal Seattle’s fate. All Minnesota needed was a few first downs. The Vikings got inside the redzone and were stopped short of the line to gain, and facing 4th and inches, had two choices: go for it and end the game with a first down or kick a field goal to take an 8 point lead with less than 2 minutes to play. HC Mike Zimmer preposterously chose the former, and the Vikings were stopped. Russell Wilson had a chance at redemption, and did not make the same mistakes twice. On a 4th and 10 with his back to his own endzone, he hit WR D.K. Metcalf on a beautiful deep ball down the left sideline. He drove his team all the way down to the goal line with about 30 seconds to play, but Seattle couldn’t punch it in on 3 straight plays. Facing 4th down with 15 seconds left, Wilson found Metcalf again for the game-winning touchdown. It was another game-winning drive led by Wilson, who is always built for the moment. The Seahawks were outplayed all night long, but Russ somehow managed to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat to lead his team to 5-0. He is firmly in the lead for this season’s MVP. It’s not even close.
Saints 30-27 Chargers
For the first time in 2020, I got the exact score of a game right in a prediction! I definitely didn’t expect the game to go the way it went in terms of how badly the Chargers blew it, but still, it feels nice to be exactly right. The Chargers came out firing on all cylinders led by rookie QB Justin Herbert, who threw 3 first half TDs to lead his team to a 20-3 lead. Herbert looked as mobile and as strong as ever, and his arm was dropping jaws all across America. New Orleans’ offense looked lifeless as QB Drew Brees struggled for almost the entire first half, highlighted by a very poor interception that led to a touchdown for LA. The Saints reached the endzone right at the end of the half to cut the lead to 10, and cut it to 7 in the 3rd. Brees found TE Jared Cook on a beautiful deep ball in the 4th to tie the game, and the Chargers’ lead was officially blown (again). Both defenses held up for almost the rest of the quarter, but on a pivotal 3rd down with less than 4 minutes left, the Saints secondary blew their coverage on Chargers WR Mike Williams who was wide open and walked into the endzone for a go-ahead touchdown with 3:40 left. The rookie delivered again as he did all night for his 4th touchdown of the game. But, this is the Chargers, so of course they had to blow it. The Saints drove right down the field and tied the game on a Taysom Hill touchdown run with 52 seconds left. But even then, the former Oregon QB didn’t give up. Herbert led his team down the field and set up a potential game-winning field goal, but kicker Michael Badgley doinked it off the right upright, and the game went to overtime. In OT, the Saints took the lead on a field goal, and after a big drop by Chargers rookie WR K.J. Hill, stopped LA on 4th down to win it. It was another blown lead by LA, who has now lost their last 4 games despite deserving to win each game. Herbert is still winless as a starter, but should be undefeated. The rookie shut up any and all doubters with 264 yards and 4 touchdowns, but even he isn’t good enough to stop the Chargers from being the Chargers.
Titans 42-16 Bills
Tuesday night’s battle of undefeateds showed us quite a bit about each of these teams. The Tennessee Titans aren’t the flashiest or the most exciting, but they just win games. Everyone on the team does their job and it works to perfection. Tennessee was in control from start to finish as both their offense and defense executed from start to finish. CB Malcolm Butler picked off Bills QB Josh Allen twice, RB Derrick Henry was running people over and throwing people off him like they were JV players, and QB Ryan Tannehill put up another efficient and dominant game. HC Mike Vrabel’s squad does their job week in and week out, winning games and shutting down great teams, even dating back to last year. Even with their COVID-19 issues, they put together a masterclass against a Bills team that is very good. This Titans team is certainly one of the league’s best, and now they have put the NFL on notice with this huge win in primetime. This isn’t the end of the world for Buffalo, but they definitely need to tighten up as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday evening.
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Falcons 27-23 Panthers 
Bills 20-17 Patriots 
Titans 31-20 Bengals 
Raiders 34-31 Browns 
Colts 24-23 Lions 
Packers 33-19 Vikings 
Chiefs 35-10 Jets 
Rams 27-17 Dolphins 
Steelers 26-23 Ravens 
Chargers 30-24 Broncos 
Saints 27-13 Bears 
Seahawks 31-24 49ers 
Eagles 31-10 Cowboys 
Buccaneers 31-13 Giants 
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Cardinals (5-2) 
Texans (1-6) 
Washington (2-5) 
Jaguars (1-6) 
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