Tag: steelers

Week 13 Picks

Week 13 provides the most stacked schedule of the entire season with incredible matchups and fantastic storylines all over the place. Here’s how I see this inevitably awesome slate playing out.

Cover photo taken from NFL.com.

Last Week: 11-5

Season Total: 106-72-1

Bills 23-20 Patriots

Thursday, 8:15 PM EST, Prime Video

I really wanted to pick the Patriots outright here, seeing as though all signs point towards them winning this game. Both teams are equally rested from playing on Thanksgiving, and New England looked arguably better than Buffalo did. Now, the Pats come home for this massive showdown with a ton of implications for the division and the playoffs. I think Bill Belichick is going to have his guys ready, but as much as I want to trust that, I can’t pick Josh Allen and the Bills to lose this game. They need to come out and make a statement, and I think that’s exactly what they’re going to do. Buffalo’s defense will need to step up and play some of their best ball of the season, and without Von Miller, it’s going to be very tough. It’s going to be a slog for a while, and the Patriots will probably lead this one for the most part, but I think the Bills offense will get going in the second half to come back and steal a win in Foxboro.

Steelers 17-14 Falcons

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

These teams are on par with each other in my mind. I’d typically pick the home team in a situation like this, but I think the Steelers are simply trending in a much better direction than the Falcons are. Pittsburgh’s young pieces are finally starting to gel and the defense is back to playing very well now that they’re healthy again, and I simply don’t see how Marcus Mariota and the Falcons’ anemic offense is going to put up enough points on them. The Steelers offense should do just enough, regardless of whether Najee Harris plays or not, to win this game.

Packers 24-21 Bears

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

As much as I would love to pick the Bears in this game, predicting Aaron Rodgers to lose to Chicago is simply sacrilegious. Justin Fields should be back for the Bears, which makes them the better team, but until they show me that they can actually beat the Packers, I won’t predict them to. If Fields is fully healthy and plays like his usual self, then Chicago should win this one fairly easily. This is their best opportunity to prove me wrong.

Lions 27-24 Jaguars

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This may look like a gross matchup on paper, but I think this game is going to be so much fun. These are two young teams that are seemingly starting to get it going, and I think there’s going to be points galore in Detroit in a very exciting contest. I’m not sure how the Jaguars are a road favorite against a Lions team that has been so solid at home, especially ATS, but I do understand the sentiment. Jacksonville looked really great last week, and Trevor Lawrence is doing his thing. But, the same can be said about the Lions. They almost beat the Bills, and we know how dangerous they are at Ford Field. I think their prowess at home is enough to put them over the top in a game like this against an opponent that’s on their level. It wouldn’t shock me if it goes the other way, seeing as though the Lions always find a way to lose games like this. Regardless, I’m actually really excited to see it play out.

Vikings 21-20 Jets

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

It’s strange to see a game like this mean so much at this point in the season, but here we are. This one is going to be extremely impactful on the playoff races in both conferences. The Vikings squeaked by for a win yet again last week, while the Jets are flying high after Mike White’s heroics last week and the continued lights-out play by their defense. I actually think this is a super solid matchup for the Jets. I think their defensive front will be able to lock up Dalvin Cook, and I think Sauce Gardner can hold his own against Justin Jefferson (in what’s probably the best WR-CB battle of the season). But it feels too difficult to pick against the Vikings at home coming off a mini-bye, especially with 1PM Kirk Cousins being activated. They should be able to do just enough offensively towards the end of this game to snatch another victory out of the jaws of defeat and inch closer to a division title.

Commanders 20-17 Giants

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

It has been six years since the last meaningful Washington-New York game this late in the season. There is so much on the line on Sunday in East Rutherford when it comes to the Wild Card race. Neither team can afford a loss, and a win puts someone firmly in position to lock up a playoff spot in the coming weeks. These teams are trending in completely opposite directions; the Giants are coming off a mini-bye after being handled by the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, which was their third loss in their last four games, and the Commanders are coming off their sixth win in seven weeks on Sunday against Atlanta. So, it’s no secret why Washington is favored in this one, even on the road. Vegas is right. We are the better team and there is no excuse to lose this game, even on the road. We can effectively stop everything that the Giants do well offensively, and if our offense does its job and limits its mistakes, then we will win this game. I think it all boils down to which QB loses the game for their team. I want to believe it won’t be Taylor Heinicke. And I really, really want to be proven right.

Eagles 22-17 Titans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This game looks a lot better on paper than it will actually be. I think it’ll be close, but it will be pretty ugly and run-centric from start to finish. That says a lot about these two defenses, which are both great. I think both offenses are capable of doing great things, but not in a matchup like this. The two fantastic front sevens will control this game, with both teams desperate to establish the run. So, it’ll probably come down to whoever can make the most plays through the air. There’s no doubt who the better passing team is here. The Titans have certainly found something in rookie WR Treylon Burks, but the Eagles have plenty more weapons and the vastly better QB in Jalen Hurts. At home, they will make all the plays necessary in the passing game to win this one late.

Ravens 19-10 Broncos

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Both of these teams annoy me, so the fact that they’re playing against each other this week really annoys me. The Ravens are simply the better team by a longshot, so they will obviously win this game. But it’s going to be ugly and there will not be a lot of points put on the board thanks to the level of both defenses. So, my two pieces of advice are: don’t watch this game and take the under.

Browns 27-10 Texans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Deshaun Watson is back in the NFL and back in Houston. Certainly this wasn’t deliberate on the part of the league! Regardless, Watson should be thankful that he’s getting such an easy tune-up in his first game back. Houston will definitely be hostile for him on Sunday, but the Texans themselves certainly won’t be. He should have a field day against their dreadful defense, and the Browns will likely look like the great team that they have the potential to be.

Seahawks 24-13 Rams

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX

It’s no surprise that more money is coming in on the Seahawks than any other team this week. Everyone knows the Rams will be completely overmatched in this game despite being somewhat competitive last week. Yes, the Seahawks looked absolutely brutal defensively on Sunday, but Los Angeles doesn’t pose any sort of offensive threat. This is a perfect bounce-back opportunity for Seattle’s defense, and their offense should have an absolute field day once again. Even in a road environment against a divisional opponent, the Seahawks should dominate this one.

49ers 20-17 Dolphins

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX

What a gorgeous matchup this is. Two of the best teams in the NFL that play nearly identical football facing off in a massive matchup and potential Super Bowl preview in December. The student in Mike McDaniel vs. the teacher in Kyle Shanahan: who can execute the system better? It’s a difficult question to answer. I’m picking the 49ers for a few reasons. The first of which is their defense, which is miles better than any other in the NFL right now. Even against a phenomenal Dolphins offense, I think they’ll be able to keep things under control. The second reason is what I mentioned earlier: Kyle Shanahan is the teacher. He should know all the ins and outs of Mike McDaniel and his system, since Shanahan is the one who started it. The final reason is the most basic, Raza reason of all time, which is the 49ers being at home. But the first two are my main rationale behind picking the Niners here. I just think it’s a great matchup for them, and Miami needs to prove to me that they’re up for this incredibly difficult test.

Bengals 30-27 Chiefs

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

Here it is. Perhaps the game of the year in a rematch of last year’s regular season thriller and playoff classic. Two of the best QBs in the NFL facing off in Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. Two of the best weapons in football on display in Travis Kelce and Ja’Marr Chase. Two fantastic offenses and two improving, stout defenses facing off against one another. This game is certainly going to live up to the hype, and it might exceed it somehow. I’d typically be wrestling with myself in making this pick, but I actually feel very confident in the Bengals to win this game, and I even think they should be favored here. For starters, they’re at home. They got DJ Reader back, which immediately made the defensive front infinitely better, and the Chiefs don’t pose much of a rushing threat (although Isiah Pacheco is certainly giving them a lift). They’re getting Ja’Marr Chase back, and Joe Mixon is likely returning as well, providing their offense with the biggest possible lift. Joe Burrow has never lost to Patrick Mahomes, and I see no reason for that first loss to come here. If Cincinnati’s offensive line can keep Burrow afloat, he should have a field day against a secondary that simply hasn’t seen an offense this stacked yet this season. Look for Chase to have a massive game against Chiefs rookie DB Trent McDuffie. This is a perfect matchup for Cincy, and while Mahomes and company are obviously going to do their thing, I just think the Bengals have what it takes to win this game and stake their claim for the AFC. Bengals stocks are skyrocketing, and this is their best opportunity to keep them rising. I virtually never pick against the Chiefs, but this just makes sense to me. Which of course means it’s going to explode in my face.

Raiders 27-24 Chargers

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

If I know anything about both of these teams (which I rarely ever do), then I know this game is going to be hilarious and must-see TV from start to finish on Sunday evening. They don’t make many games with much more potential to be a complete clown fiesta than this one. These teams in this time slot in a divisional showdown is just bound to create fireworks. Neither of these teams moves the needle at all. Neither one does anything particularly well other than force feed their star RBs. Neither of these defenses are good, so those RBs should pop off like they always do. That alone makes this worth the price of admission. I don’t even know how to assess this matchup or make a pick here, so I’m just going to take the Raiders for being at home and looking flashier last week. They might come back to Earth and completely crash after last week, or they could carry that momentum into this big game and pop off yet again. Regardless of what I predict, the opposite will happen.

Cowboys 27-16 Colts

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

This is one of the more simple picks of the week. Dallas has extra rest after playing on Thanksgiving. They have the vastly superior offense and a much better defense. They are playing some of the best football in the league. The Colts are solid and competitive, but they will simply be overmatched here from start to finish. They might hang around for a while, but I don’t think they have a semblance of a chance in this game.

Buccaneers 16-13 Saints

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN

This is gross. Buccaneers-Saints games always are, but this one might be the worst of them all. For both of these teams, the ceiling is mid and the floor is unwatchable garbage. I expect this matchup to bring out the worst in both sides. It’s going to be ugly, defensive, low-scoring, and littered with turnovers. And the slightly better team will prevail. It’s pretty simple in theory, but it’s going to be awful in reality.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Post-Week 12 Power Rankings

Thanksgiving weekend provided some great football and shook up the Power Rankings from top to bottom.

Cover photo taken from Yahoo News.

1 – Chiefs (9-2)

The Chiefs didn’t play their best game on Sunday, settling for a lot of field goals on long drives that died close to the goal line. Despite that, they still won very convincingly, albeit against one of the worst teams in the league. They still got their numbers in and are vastly improving in the run game due to the emergence of Isiah Pacheco. They have one of their toughest tests of the year this week in a banger matchup against the Bengals, so we’ll see just how effective their new and improved run game and secondary is in that one.

2 – 49ers (7-4)

Like the team above them, the 49ers didn’t put together the flashiest performance in their win on Sunday, but they continued to show just how dominant they can be defensively. Shutting out the team who had gone the longest without being shut out is a pretty impressive feat. San Francisco is now first in every defensive statistical category other than passing defense. The offense didn’t look great, and Elijah Mitchell is out again with injury, but I think that will allow them to use Christian McCaffrey a lot more, which can help them in the end. After a few weeks of beating up on poor opposition, this week’s potential Super Bowl preview against the Dolphins will tell us whether or not the Niners deserve to be this high.

3 – Eagles (10-1)

I wanted to move the Eagles up just a bit this week, but I simply hated what I saw from their defense on Sunday night. Giving up 33 points at home to an offense that has struggled all year long isn’t a great sign. What is a great sign is seeing their own offense finally look like themselves again, rushing for a franchise record 363 yards amidst another tremendous outing from Jalen Hurts. I would like to see them throw the ball more effectively, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. They can run it down your throat all game long, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

4 – Cowboys (8-3)

Dallas looked just about as good as I expected them to on Thanksgiving. Their defense got off to a slow start, but they eventually suffocated the Giants offense while Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb did the rest on the other side of the ball. It’s difficult to assess the meaning of moving the ball on the Giants at this point in the season, but I liked what the Cowboys offense showed on Thursday. They don’t have many tough defenses on the schedule for the next few weeks, so this theme should continue for a bit.

5 – Dolphins (8-3)

The Dolphins did exactly what we all knew they would do on Sunday, if not less than expected. They thrashed the Texans on both sides of the ball, although it wasn’t as flashy or explosive as I may have anticipated. Still, they were up 30-0 at halftime, so taking the rest of the game off doesn’t bother me. Tua Tagovailoa still looks incredible, the offense continues to fire on all cylinders, and the defense is still clicking as well. The last couple of weeks have been gimmes for Miami, so this week’s mammoth matchup with the 49ers will be a great benchmark for where this team stands.

6 – Bengals (7-4) 3

The Bengals just put together one of the most impressive wins of the year. I thought they would lose when we were still under the impression that Ja’Marr Chase would be playing. When he was ruled out, I figured there was no way they could pull it out. And they controlled the Titans from start to finish in another remarkable performance by their star QB Joe Burrow and their great defense. Burrow just keeps on slinging it even without his favorite target, Tee Higgins has been incredibly dominant as a WR1, and Semaje Perine has proven himself as a very capable backup with back to back spectacular performances. Meanwhile, the defense keeps on doing its thing, despite being susceptible to the occasional big play. But they don’t give up many touchdowns, and they are one of the best in the league after halftime. They’ll have their hands full with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs coming into town on Sunday, but I just keep on loving what the Bengals show me, and I have no reason to believe that they won’t be up for the test.

7 – Vikings (9-2) 1

My biggest takeaway from Thanksgiving is that Kirk Cousins put together a great performance in primetime. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Vikings pull it out late, and their offense looked fantastic all game long with Justin Jefferson putting together another spectacular performance. Their defense made the plays they had to in the end despite struggling all game long, and now Minnesota is in a position to become the first division-clincher of the season. I feel like I’m not as low on this team as so many others, but I’m still not as high as I once was. I think they have a ton of potential, but I still need to see more before concluding that they can reach that potential on a weekly basis.

8 – Bills (8-3) 1

I’m not going to sit here and say that struggling with the Lions is a bad thing. That’s a solid team and that’s an environment that’s fine to struggle in. I’m also not going to sit here and say I wasn’t impressed with the Bills on Thanksgiving. I would have liked to see them play better on both sides of the ball, especially offensively. I don’t know why they keep getting off to such slow starts, but it doesn’t matter if Josh Allen keeps putting the team on his back late in games. I do think the injury to Von Miller is going to set this team back a great deal, and their defense could struggle mightily in the coming weeks. Buffalo now has three straight tough divisional games that will show us what they’re made of.

9 – Titans (7-4) 1

I had a great deal of faith in the Titans. Unfortunately that faith was misplaced. I do think that this team has a ton of great things going on, and they just happened to lose to a better team. I think the thing I like the most about what Tennessee is showing me is that Treylon Burks is finally emerging as a viable WR in this offense. They are going to need that down the stretch. They still look plenty good on both sides of the ball, and they will be fine. But Sunday’s loss makes me skeptical that this team can do anything in the playoffs.

10 – Jets (7-4) 5

All the Jets needed to become a great team again was a quarterback change. Who would’ve thought? The legend of Mike White returned and grew tenfold on Sunday as the backup came in and produced another incredible performance. It helps that the best player on the offense finally got the ball consistently as rookie WR Garrett Wilson put together one of the best games of his young career. When #17 gets the ball, good things happen. The RB room continues to get thinner, but backups Zonovan Knight and Ty Johnson did their thing when they were called upon. The defense looked like themselves again, but I’ll wait until they play a QB not named Trevor Siemian to decide whether or not they’re fully back. The good news is that the Jets have their mojo again and finally look like a competent team once more. The remaining schedule is brutal, so we’ll see how long they can keep it up.

11 – Seahawks (6-5)

What happened to the Seahawks defense? I can’t make heads or tails of it, but all of a sudden, they can’t stop anything anymore. I thought the Bucs game was a product of a huge international trip, but getting gashed at home by the Raiders leaves me scratching my head. Moreover, Geno Smith has started committing some errant turnovers that don’t inspire a lot of confidence. He was able to bounce back and string together a nice performance, but it means nothing when the defense doesn’t show up. It also doesn’t help that Kenneth Walker was running into a wall all game long. Seattle is now outside of the playoff picture, and they need to fix their issues at the earliest convenience if they want to get back in.

12 – Ravens (7-4) 2

I don’t want to talk about this team. They annoy me to no end. Every game goes exactly the same: get off to a huge lead and then blow it in hilarious and ridiculous fashion. Each of the Ravens’ losses have come with multi-possession second half leads. For a team as supposedly well-coached as Baltimore is, that is both inexcusable and incomprehensible. Continuing to lose in this fashion again and again is what can cause a team and a locker room to fall apart. It’s going to cause this team to lose their grip on the division.

13 – Commanders (7-5)

Hey. Look at us. Who would’ve thought. Not me! The Commanders have now won six of seven and sit in the playoffs as the 7 seed. The winning formula continues to be executed perfectly week in and week out. Brian Robinson Jr. has emerged as the RB1 we all knew he could be, notching his first 100-yard game and boasting a reasonably-sized hat afterwards. The defense continues to play at an elite level, doing everything necessary to win games on their own. They bent for a while on Sunday, but never broke, and eventually came up with the game-winning turnover. Chase Young should actually return next week, which will help the pass rush (I am tired of saying this every week, please come back Chase!), but we don’t even need that at this point. Montez Sweat is playing out of his mind, as is Jonathan Allen, as always. Taylor Heinicke is still… Taylor Heinicke, but it doesn’t matter at this point. As long as the team arounds him continues to thrive, his mistakes can be avenged. But I still don’t like seeing them. There’s room to improve, but I have a ton of faith in this team to keep on doing their thing. Next up is two straight games against the Giants with a bye sandwiched in the middle. This is a fantastic opportunity to prove ourselves, and I hope we can get the job done.

14 – Patriots (6-5)

The Patriots showed me a lot to like on Thursday night. Mac Jones played another surprisingly great game and several members of the offense contributed in huge ways. The defense could have played better, but they also flashed at times. You can talk about the refs all you want, but the Patriots probably deserved to lose anyways. Still, I feel pretty solid about this team, and think they have what it takes to make a playoff push. Next up is another Thursday nighter, this time in a massive divisional showdown against the Bills. Don’t be surprised if it looks similar to last week’s game.

15 – Chargers (6-5) 2

I’m not going to overreact to the Chargers eking out a win over a bad Cardinals team, but it was nice to see them put together a win like that after last week’s tough loss. Justin Herbert looked great once again and put together a masterclass of a game-winning drive. I still don’t feel great about this team on either side of the ball, but I know that #10 gives them a fighting shot in any of their games. That’s more than I can say about most teams in this league.

16 – Giants (7-4)

The Giants are continuing to get exposed week in and week out and I am continuing to love it. There’s not much I can say about Thursday’s game that I haven’t been saying about this team for months. They cannot beat teams that are better than they are, and they cannot rely on their passing game to carry them offensively. Their defense continues to struggle against any offense with a pulse, although they are getting healthier, which could help them in the upcoming weeks. Their next four games are against current playoff teams, so New York could either prove me completely wrong or continue to fall apart like I knew they would.

17 – Browns (4-7) 4

The Browns did what I expected them to do in beating the Buccaneers this week. It wasn’t necessarily how I expected it to happen, but they got it done. However, none of that really matters now. All eyes are on Cleveland this week as Deshaun Watson returns from his suspension. There’s no doubt that he will elevate this offense tremendously, but it still feels so wrong that he’ll even be playing at all. It’ll be interesting to assess this team after seeing him play, but there’s no doubt that it will be sullied by just how poorly this franchise has handled everything in the last year or so.

18 – Buccaneers (5-6) 6

Why should we have any faith in the Buccaneers to do anything worth a damn? Yes, they are going to win this atrocious division and host a playoff game, but why should I believe that will amount to anything? They aren’t playing as poorly as they once were, but they are now bordering on incompetent when it comes to coaching, and that will hold them back. Todd Bowles just isn’t meant to be a head coach in this league. We’ll see if their newfound running game can carry them.

19 – Lions (4-7) 3

Simply put, the Lions just keep on showing me things to like. Their passing offense continues to play at a prolific level at home, and Jamaal Williams is proving to be way more effective than any of us expected. He’s practically RB1 in this offense at this point. Now, they could be adding first round pick WR Jameson Williams to the fold, which will give them another level of explosiveness as the season winds down. I wish this defense was playing ever so slightly better, but even they looked solid on Thanksgiving, making some nice plays in key spots. But, they folded when it mattered most, and that’s all anyone is going to remember. Still, I thoroughly enjoy watching this team, and I think that’s going to continue for the rest of the year.

20 – Packers (4-8) 1

The Packers are in a very precarious spot that I don’t believe they ever wanted to be in. The season is a completely cooked product, but now, so is Aaron Rodgers. So, the reins are likely being handed to Jordan Love, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The third-year man looked great in his relief appearance on Sunday night, and I think he could really flash if given the opportunity to start the rest of the year. I see no reason for Rodgers to come back this year, and I think it would benefit the Packers tremendously to let Love do his thing for the next few weeks. They have nothing to lose, and plenty of draft position to gain.

21 – Raiders (4-7) 6

Josh Jacobs. That’s it. That’s all that needs to be said about the Raiders. Jacobs is continuing to play like an OPOY frontrunner, putting together the best game of his life on Sunday, putting together over 300 all purpose yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning sprint in overtime. Vegas keeps on feeding him non-stop, and it keeps on working. It’s honestly really nice to see him flourish. Davante Adams also continues to pour in good contributions offensively, which helps complement Jacobs’ running attack. Yeah the defense still sucks, but I don’t even think this team cares as long as #28 keeps on doing what he’s doing.

22 – Falcons (5-7) 2

It has been pretty apparent for a while now that the Marcus Mariota experiment in Atlanta has been a complete failure. Yes, the Falcons are still very much in position to perhaps win this division, but I don’t think Mariota should continue being the signal caller. I don’t think Atlanta loses anything from letting Desmond Ridder get some reps. This team can’t get anything going offensively with Mariota under center, so why not see what the rookie has to offer? The defense is actually playing pretty well, so a change at the QB position could provide this team the lift they need to get back on track.

23 – Jaguars (4-7) 3

Sunday’s win was absolutely awesome to see thanks to the best game of Trevor Lawrence’s career by a longshot. The young star QB went 29/37 for 321 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no picks. He orchestrated a beautiful game-winning drive with barely any time on the clock and looked the part of the generational QB he has been promised to be. It felt really nice to see the kid do his thing on a big stage against a good team. It inspires a lot of confidence in what the Jaguars are building moving forward.

24 – Cardinals (4-8) 6

You can’t force me to talk about this team. I won’t do it! The only thing I’ll say is that they need to fire Kliff Kingsbury yesterday. Just swallow your pride and do it.

25 – Steelers (4-7) 3

The Steelers are starting to figure things out with their young offense. Kenny Pickett looks more comfortable by the week, George Pickens continues to break out as one of the best rookie WRs of his class, and the run game is actually working. Benny Snell was the workhorse after Najee Harris’ injury, but both poured in good contributions all game long. The defense is clearly amplified by the presence of TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who made the plays to win the game, as they so often do. I think Pittsburg his a team that could have a strong finish to the year now that the pieces are finally starting to fit together.

26 – Colts (4-7-1) 3

Jeff Saturday had his first bad coaching moment on Monday night. I’m surprised it took three weeks for it to happen. Remarkably poor clock management and surprisingly poor defense what lost the Colts the game on Monday night. They were able to orchestrate a nice comeback, but it just wasn’t enough. It’s clear that Indy has some pretty nice offensive pieces, and with an actual QB, they could do some nice things in the future. But the weak links simply continue to weigh them down.

27 – Bears (3-9) 3

The Bears played a good team on the road without their star QB and were forced to start a journeyman backup with painkilling injections in his leg and subsequently got thrashed. And none of us are surprised. Chicago will look like that more often than not when they’re missing their best player. It’s a pretty simple calculus.

28 – Panthers (4-8) 3

The Panthers have quietly been pretty solid over the last month or so. Yeah this team is pretty bad, but they were always competitive, and that competitiveness is now translating into wins over bad teams. That’s about as much as you could ask for with a team in a state like this. The run game got back on track, Sam Darnold wasn’t awful, and the defense didn’t have to do much against the worst offense in football. It was just a solid game from a team that’s probably better than they seem.

29 – Saints (4-8) 4

Stop making me watch Andy Dalton. I’m begging you.

30 – Rams (3-8)

The Rams are a sad sight that is only getting sadder by the week. While I think they played better than we expected on Sunday, they still weren’t good by any means and never stood a chance. They don’t really stand a chance in any of their games at this point. This is just an awful team that’s only getting worse.

31 – Broncos (3-8) 2

No thanks.

32 – Texans (1-9-1)

Making a QB change meant absolutely nothing and predictably didn’t help at all. What a shocker! I never liked the decision to bench Davis Mills. The team’s struggles were never his fault. I hope they give him another shot.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 12 Picks

Thanksgiving is upon us with an absolute feast of a schedule of games throughout the holiday weekend. Here are my picks for one of the most stacked slates of the season.

Cover photo taken from NFL.com.

Last Week: 9-5

Season Total: 95-67-1

Bills 27-20 Lions

Thursday, 12:30 PM EST, CBS

Thanksgiving kicks off with what should be a very entertaining game in Detroit. The Bills are playing their second straight game at Ford Field after the blizzard moved their game there last week. They’re going to be much more comfortable in this game than they were on Sunday against Cleveland, and I think their offense is going to look much better. Josh Allen should be able to string together a solid performance, and he has a penchant for tearing it up on Thanksgiving. I do think the Lions will be competitive though. They’re on a three-game win streak and have looked very good on both sides of the ball in recent weeks. They won’t back down from this challenge at all. But I think this is a bit too tall of a mountain for them to climb.

Cowboys 26-13 Giants

Thursday, 4:30 PM EST, FOX

If last week was any indication, then this game shouldn’t be close. The Cowboys are 9.5-point favorites for a reason. They looked unstoppable on both sides of the ball last week in Minnesota, while the Giants lost to a Lions team that hasn’t been anything special this season. Now, the Cowboys come home and should be able to handle this Giants team with ease. They already beat them this year on the road, and that was when Cooper Rush was starting. With Dak back and playing great ball, and with that defense being as dominant as they are, I think this one could be a blowout.

Patriots 20-17 Vikings

Thursday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

Everyone is jumping ship on the Vikings after their embarrassment/exposé last week. While I’m not ready to give up on them, I do think this is going to be another brutal matchup for them. New England’s defense has been great, and Kirk Cousins is bound to struggle in primetime against another stout defensive front. New England’s offense isn’t anything special, but they should look much better than they did last week amidst the elements in Foxboro. I just think this matchup plays right into the strengths of the Patriots with their defense and run game, and they should be able to escape with a close win.

Browns 21-18 Buccaneers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This is one of the more even matchups of the week for me. I think the Bucs are a better team than the Browns, but this feels like a very winnable game for Cleveland. Tampa is coming off a bye and had some good momentum going into it, but this is a tough road test for them. The Browns have been losing, but they’ve been competitive. Amari Cooper has been playing fantastic, and if they can get Nick Chubb going, then they can win any game. The key to this one is how the Buccaneers offense looks coming out of their bye. I’d like to think that they won’t be completely lethargic, but they have been lacking something all year long. This is a great opportunity to prove their worth as they try to get back over .500.

Titans 23-20 Bengals

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

This rematch of last year’s divisional playoff matchup should be a blast. This is the best game of the week in my opinion, as well as the hardest to pick. It’s easy to lean the Bengals way with how hot Joe Burrow and their offense have been, especially since Ja’Marr Chase is returning to the lineup after missing the last month or so with injury. Perhaps the result of that playoff game also lingers in people’s minds. But I just can’t bring myself to side with Cincy here. I just think this is a great matchup for the Titans. Being at home helps, but they are simply going to take advantage of all of the Bengals’ weaknesses. Their defensive front should feast on Cincinnati’s horrible offensive line, just like the Steelers did a week ago. Plus, Joe Mixon might not even play for Cincy, so Burrow will be dropping back time after time and will likely get hit over and over again. Derrick Henry has been unstoppable, and considering the Bengals couldn’t stop Najee Harris last week, I think the King could have another huge game. As long as Ryan Tannehill limits his mistakes and the defense keeps Burrow and company in check, the Titans should be able to out-execute the Bengals down the stretch and come away with this win. Or, Burrow and Chase could explode like they always do and carry Cincy to a win. Neither result would shock me.

Dolphins 38-10 Texans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Dolphins are one of the best teams in the NFL with perhaps the best, most explosive, most dynamic offense in the NFL. The Texans are the worst team in the league by a solid margin. This will be a complete wash. Next!

Jets 20-17 Bears

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Jets are finally doing the right thing and benching Zach Wilson. It’s about damn time. I’m glad they’re owning up to their mistakes. The reins are now being handed to Mike White, who was a bit up and down last year, but is definitely an upgrade over Wilson. If all else fails, they can always turn to Joe Flacco again, who wasn’t awful in his few starts this year. Regardless, I think the Jets are simply the better team in this game, and I expect their defense to do the heavy lifting on Sunday. The Bears will likely be able to play Justin Fields, but his shoulder injury will limit him. If they can ride David Montgomery all game long, then they could win. But that just doesn’t seem feasible.

Commanders 23-13 Falcons

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

There is not a universe where this game should be remotely close. The Falcons are a team that is incapable of throwing the football, boasting the second worst passing offense in the league with a measly 154.5 yards/game. They just lost one of their only viable pass-catchers with Kyle Pitts’ knee injury. While they’re a good running team, they’re going up against one of the most stout run defenses in the league on the road. The Commanders have give up the sixth least rushing yards per game in the NFL, and the defense is only getting hotter. With Chase Young finally returning to the lineup, they’ll have even more juice on that side of the ball. Like last week, the Commanders offense won’t have to do too much for them to come away with a win. All they have to do is rely on the run game and let their defense do the rest.

Panthers 13-10 Broncos

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Similar to the Broncos game a week ago, I don’t want anything to do with this, and I know you don’t either. I can’t believe I’m trusting Sam Darnold of all people to win a game, but like last week, I’m just going to drop this here and move on.

Ravens 24-20 Jaguars

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

This is a weird matchup. No matter what my pick would have been, I know I would feel weird about it. On one hand, I feel like the Jaguars could be competitive and maybe even win this game coming out of their bye. The Ravens looked dreadful last week and didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in their offense. On the other hand, this is another Florida homecoming for Lamar Jackson, and the first one went swimmingly. So, who’s to say it won’t happen again? I feel like Baltimore is going to look much better offensively in this game than they did last Sunday, but I also think the Jaguars are going to give them fits for a bit. It will probably be close for a while, but the Ravens pulling away late makes sense to me.

Chargers 27-24 Cardinals

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, CBS

Both of these teams suffered pretty tough primetime losses to division rivals last week. That makes this pick extremely difficult. The Chargers showed me infinitely more to like than the Cardinals did, especially offensively. Justin Herbert looked great now that he has all of his weapons available. We still don’t really know what’s going on at QB for Arizona, so it’s hard to put any faith in them to win. I do like both of their options, but, neither are better than Herbert. Moreover, the Cards defense got absolutely smacked on Monday, and I think that LA can take advantage of their weaknesses in the secondary. I just think the Chargers are ever so slightly better on both sides of the ball, so they’re my pick, even in a tough road setting.

Seahawks 24-16 Raiders

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, CBS

I don’t see a world where the Seahawks lose at home off a bye to a team as bad as the Raiders. The last time we saw Seattle was in Munich, where they suffered a tough loss to the Bucs. Now, they’re well rested off the international break, and should be ready to come home and smack a bad team. I’m honestly pretty excited to see how their offense plays. They can either lay a dud like they did in Germany, or they can get back to their dominant ways from the first half of the season. The latter seems much more likely, especially in a matchup like this.

Chiefs 31-10 Rams

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

A lot has changed for both of these teams since their absolute classic of a meeting four years ago in LA. The Rams have changed infinitely more than the Chiefs have, specifically in the department of being a good team. Kansas City is easily the best team in football, while the Rams have become a laughingstock that sold their soul for a ring. By all means, this should be a complete blowout for the Chiefs. They are hot and are showing no signs of slowing down. The Rams might not even have Matthew Stafford for this game, so that makes it even easier to project a total wash for KC.

49ers 24-13 Saints

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

The Saints got their mojo back last week, but they’re about to run into a complete wall in San Francisco. The 49ers are far and away the best defensive team in the league, and New Orleans doesn’t pose enough of an offensive threat to make me believe that this one will be close. Moreover, the Niners offense was clicking better than ever before on Monday night in Mexico. At home against an arguably worse defense, I see no reason for them to slow down.

Eagles 27-19 Packers

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

The Eagles need a game to get back on track and return to their dominant form from the first half of the season. I think this is their opportunity. Coming back home for another primetime game against a struggling Packers team seems like a promising chance to find themselves again. I think Jalen Hurts is going to have a huge game, and more importantly, I think Philly’s defense is going to bounce back in a massive way and put together a dominant performance. If the Eagles can limit Green Bay’s offense similar to how Tennessee did last Thursday, then they’ll control this one from start to finish.

Colts 16-13 Steelers

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN

This is going to be low-scoring, smash mouth football from end to end. Both of these teams like playing defense and at least trying to run the ball, and both teams have done well at doing both of those things in recent weeks. The Colts have found their run game again since Jeff Saturday became coach, and the Steelers have seemingly unlocked Najee Harris again. So, that will be the name of this game, especially considering that both QBs aren’t exactly world-beaters. With this game being in Indianapolis where the Colts nearly just beat the Eagles, it’s pretty easy to pick Indy to win, but I think it’s going to be close and honestly pretty entertaining.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Post-Week 11 Power Rankings

Week 11 was ugly and messy, but told us so much about so many teams. Here’s how I stack it up as we head into Thanksgiving.

Cover photo taken from VSiN.

1 – Chiefs (8-2)

Death. Taxes. Patrick Mahomes beating division opponents on the road. Travis Kelce ripping the Chargers apart and breaking SoCal hearts. We all saw it coming, and it was still awesome. 15 and 87 are simply poetry in motion, and this is still the best team in the league. Sunday night’s game was a bit closer than I anticipated, and despite some heroics by the Chargers and Jerrick McKinnon’s best efforts to give the game away, there was no doubt who would win in the end. This offense is simply too dominant, and the defense is still playing well despite some hiccups on Sunday. The Chiefs are top of the league in total yards, passing yards, and scoring. Oh, and Mahomes has now won an impossible 25 straight games in November and December. So yeah, good luck stopping Kansas City.

2 – 49ers (6-4) 2

I know most of you think I’m insane for continuing to put the 49ers this high, but I don’t care. I feel so strongly about this team, and I think they’re the best in the NFC right now. It’s a pretty tight race between them and the two teams below them, but I feel the most confident in San Francisco at the moment. They are simply dominant on both sides of the ball, and when they are playing the way they want to, you aren’t going to get past them. The defense is obviously one of, if not the best in the league, but the offense is finally starting to get everyone involved, and it’s a beautiful sight. I’d wager that more Niners games down the stretch look like Monday night’s. And that is a terrifying thought.

3 – Eagles (9-1) 1

Philly’s cracks are starting to show. Losing Jordan Davis clearly has a massive impact on their defensive interior, and until newcomers Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh get more acclimated with this defense, their interior run-stopping ability will be hindered greatly. They did a solid job of containing Jonathan Taylor for the most part, but the weakness was clear. The bigger concern was the offense’s inability to move the ball on a Colts defense without its best player. The Raiders had a better offensive performance against Indy than the Eagles did. Perhaps the Commanders laid the blueprint of how to stop this team. They needed a wild JT fumble on a play that could’ve been blown dead to win on Sunday. It shouldn’t have been that close. Until they show us another complete performance, Philadelphia will keep on sliding.

4 – Cowboys (7-3) 3

The Cowboys are back after a single bad quarter/OT a week ago. All they did to respond was put together perhaps the single best performance of any team this year en route to the biggest road victory in franchise history. The defense was sensational, especially up front, as they destroyed the Vikings OL to the tune of 7 sacks. The offense was firing on all cylinders as everyone got involved, namely Tony Pollard, who has proven himself as one of the most dynamic and useful RBs in the league. Dak Prescott looked very comfortable, and the Cowboys looked like a complete juggernaut. They likely won’t have a better performance this year.

5 – Dolphins (7-3)

The Dolphins had the week off ahead of an absolute cupcake against Houston. I expect another offensive explosion out of them this week.

6 – Vikings (8-2) 4

That was as brutal as it gets in this league. I don’t want to throw in the towel and tell everyone who didn’t believe that the Vikings were legit at 8-1 that they were right, but they might have been onto something. I have no idea how you can come home after such a great win and get walloped so badly, but Minnesota didn’t have a semblance of a pulse on Sunday, and it was simply embarrassing. They should be ashamed of themselves. The good news is that they have nowhere to go but up. I don’t see them playing worse than that this season, and they get a shot at redemption in front of the nation on Thanksgiving. It’s going to be another tough one, but they can’t get any lower than this rock bottom.

7 – Bills (7-3) 1

The Bills are still not looking as good as they should be, but they’re back in the win column, and that’s all that matters. I will say that I like the way they’re running the ball lately, but other than that, I don’t see anything that stands out. Josh Allen has still been pretty average over the last month, and the defense continues to play below their standard. Buffalo is about to smack Detroit on Thanksgiving and the national media will start to fawn over them again, but I’d love to see them put together a complete, dominant performance against an actual team before giving them their flowers again.

8 – Titans (7-3) 2

The Titans just keep on winning. I don’t know if there’s a better culture in the league than the one Mike Vrabel has in Tennessee. They just play winning football week in and week out. Derrick Henry is still on a tear, Ryan Tannehill looks very comfortable off his injury, and this defense proved once again why they’re one of the best in the league, especially when fully healthy. Now, rookie WR Treylon Burks is getting involved offensively, which could give a huge boost to their virtually non-existent passing attack. Going into Lambeau and winning that convincingly in a primetime setting isn’t easy. But the Titans made it look like a walk in the park.

9 – Bengals (6-4) 2

Outside of getting thrashed by Cleveland on MNF a few weeks ago, the Bengals really weathered the storm while Ja’Marr Chase was out. They picked up two huge wins, albeit against pretty poor competition, and now sit in prime position to make a run at the division title with Chase returning to the lineup this week. Joe Burrow looked very comfortable without his top target, and even went Joe Mixon went down, Semaje Perine did a great job in relief. The defense did not play their best game by any means on Sunday, but they made all the plays they had to in order to lock it up in the fourth quarter. I feel great about this team now that their best player is returning and I’m super excited to see them make another push to the playoffs.

10 – Ravens (7-3) 2

I’m not going to try to guess or even make sense of Baltimore’s complete dud of a performance on Sunday. It was sloppy, it was ugly, it was lifeless, and it was straight up weird. But, they won, which is all that matters. I still don’t really know what to make of the Ravens at this point, but they keep on winning and still sit atop the division. I just have a feeling that won’t last very long.

11 – Seahawks (6-4) 2

Seattle had their bye this week ahead of a relatively easy matchup with Vegas on Sunday in the desert. It could turn into a shootout, so they should be thankful they got some rest in this week. I’m interested to see if they can keep up their dominance as the season winds down.

12 – Buccaneers (5-5) 3

The Bucs had the week off after the international trip last week. They head to Cleveland for a tough matchup with the Browns on Sunday, but if their defense keeps playing like they did going into the bye, they should be able to get back above .500.

13 – Commanders (6-5) 2

The winning ways are continuing in DC, and the formula keeps on being executed to perfection. It was the defense that stood out above everyone else in Houston, using an absolute dominant performance from start to finish highlighted by a handful of sacks and a pick six by Kendall Fuller to suffocate the Texans all game long. The offense also did its thing, as Taylor Heinicke played a very solid game and the run game continued to dominate. It was as complete of a performance as you could ask for. Now, Chase Young finally returns to give the defense another huge lift. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store.

14 – Patriots (6-4) 2

It wasn’t pretty by any means (in fact it was nothing short of miraculous), but the Patriots continued their win streak on Sunday thanks to a dominant defensive performance and one of the most clutch punt return touchdowns in recent memory. Mac Jones actually played quite well against a solid Jets defense, but a combination of wind blowing kicks and passes all over the field left the offense with virtually nothing to show for it. Still, the Patriots showed plenty to like on Sunday, and now sit in a playoff spot with seven games to go. The remaining schedule is tough, but at this rate, I like their chances.

15 – Jets (6-4) 3

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. Zach Wilson is by far the worst starting QB in the NFL, and his team is finally starting to agree with me. Robert Saleh knows it, and his teammates are taking notice of the narratives online. It’s only a matter of time before he’s rightfully shoved on the bench. And the Jets will be infinitely better off for it.

16 – Giants (7-3) 3

Is the Giants fugazi run finally coming to a merciful end? It just might be. Getting housed by the Lions in your own stadium is not exactly a promising sight. The offense has finally hit a wall, and the defense got torched, especially on the ground. The remaining schedule isn’t much prettier. New York has a massive Thanksgiving showdown in Dallas on Thursday, then the Commanders and Eagles twice each with tough matchups with Minnesota and Indianapolis sprinkled in. Are we positive that they can win any of those games? Let’s find out.

17 – Chargers (5-5)

I’ll give the Chargers credit: they were a lot more competitive than I imagined they would be on Sunday night. Getting Keenan Allen and Mike Williams back clearly did wonders for Justin Herbert, who was launching the ball all over the joint all game long and looked like his old self again. Even Josh Palmer made huge contributions. At the end of the day, they just couldn’t overcome Patrick Mahomes. So, I won’t be mean to the Chargers. For once, they don’t really deserve it.

18 – Cardinals (4-7)

I realistically should be dropping the Cardinals for Monday night’s absolute stinker, but it’s hard to beat elite teams with a backup QB. I really don’t have much else to say. They should be better when Kyler Murray returns to the lineup, but they’ll still be the same old mid Cardinals they’ve been all year long. They probably won’t look as bad as they did on Monday again, but we know this team is nothing special. Just keep on giving me Nuk fantasy points, and we’re chilling.

19 – Packers (4-7)

I had a lot more faith in the Packers to do literally anything on Thursday night, but they reminded us all that they still don’t do anything particularly well. The comeback against the Cowboys was nothing short of a fluke. The defense was porous once again as Derrick Henry absolutely manhandled them for sixty minutes, and they became the only secondary to allow Treylon Burks to do anything in his career. The offense really couldn’t get going either, despite two more touchdown catches by Christian Watson. Overall, it was just another bad Packers performance, one that we should all come to expect.

20 – Falcons (5-6) 2

The Falcons overcame the Justin Fields freight train in a pretty solid home win on Sunday. It did come at a cost, as Kyle Pitts is now likely out for the year with a knee injury, but he could never get involved enough offensively for me to believe that’s some sort of debilitating hit to that side of the ball. They did get Drake London involved, which is a great sign. And Cordarrelle Patterson broke the record for most kick return touchdowns in a career. On top of that, the defense finally came through and won them a game. It was just a solid afternoon all around in Atlanta.

21 – Browns (3-7)

The Browns keep on losing, but at least they showed some fight on Sunday in Detroit. Having the game moved on short notice didn’t seem to affect them, as they had a bit of a pulse. Amari Cooper continued to feast on opposing secondaries, but it just wasn’t enough as the defense laid a dud and the run game couldn’t really get going. I do think the Browns are going to look a lot better after Deshaun Watson comes back, but they still have one more game to go.

22 – Lions (4-6) 4

Look at the Lions stringing together impressive wins. Sunday’s might have been the best yet, as they smothered the Giants defensively and ran circles around them on the other side of the ball. Jamaal Williams poured in three touchdowns to take the NFL lead, Aidan Hutchinson continued his dominant ways, and the Lions have now won three in a row. They’re getting their groove, and are actually playing good football in outdoor environments. Plus, they should be getting Jameson Williams back soon, and the rookie is primed to make a huge splash. Thanksgiving’s showdown with Buffalo should be a lot of fun.

23 – Colts (4-6-1) 2

By all means, the Colts should have won on Sunday. They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and outplayed the Eagles for 58+ minutes. But, an unfortunate Jonathan Taylor fumble and the greatness of Jalen Hurts prevented Indy from returning to .500. Still, it’s hard not to feel good about what Jeff Saturday is doing with this team. They’re playing solid, winning football, and using their bread and butter of a running attack as the backbone of their team. I think we’ll see the Colts be a lot more competitive down the stretch with their newfound formula.

24 – Bears (3-8) 4

The Bears finally returned to Earth on Sunday in a tough loss in Atlanta. They simply folded in all three phases, with special teams and the offensive line folding the most. I don’t really think the result of the game or anything that happened in it matters as much as Justin Fields’ shoulder, which got injured in the waning stages of the game. He should be good to go this week, but shoulder injuries always plague QBs, so hopefully he’s able to make a full recovery soon.

25 – Saints (4-7) 5

Good for the Saints to look like a real team again. It’s about time. Andy Dalton looked like a real QB, spreading the ball around and getting everyone involved. Chris Olave had perhaps the best game of his rookie season, highlighted by a long touchdown catch in which he absolutely torched perhaps the league’s best corner in Jalen Ramsey. The defense wasn’t great, bu they did what they had to do down the stretch. It helped that Matthew Stafford left the game with an injury.

26 – Jaguars (3-7) 1

The Jaguars had their bye this week ahead of a really intriguing matchup with the Ravens on Sunday. Believe it or not, I think Jacksonville might have a real shot in that one. But we’ll dive more into that on Thursday.

27 – Raiders (3-7) 5

The Raiders must have heard my slander (and must’ve known I took them +2.5), because their last few minutes in Denver on Sunday displayed more life than I’ve seen from them all year long. The Broncos defense was giving them fits all game long, but Derek Carr put on his big boy pants and led a fantastic drive to tie the game and send it to OT, then hit two huge passes to win it on a beautiful deep ball to Davante Adams. Adams had another big game, and Josh Jacobs got back to his productive ways as well. I’m not going to give this defense props for shutting down the worst offense in football, but that’s always a positive as well.

28 – Steelers (3-7) 1

I have one major takeaway from the Steelers’ performance on Sunday. That takeaway is that Najee Harris might not be completely cooked. He had a great game against a solid defensive front, and finally looked like he did in 2021. I’m not saying that he’s back by any means, but it was promising to see that. Kenny Pickett wasn’t awful either, especially when he was targeting George Pickens, who is easily Pittsburgh’s WR1 at this point. The defense got some key takeaways, but it wasn’t enough to stop the potent Bengals offense. I thought it would be closer, but I still like what the Steelers showed me.

29 – Broncos (3-7) 6

There is no reason to talk about the Denver Broncos in any context. Next!

30 – Rams (3-7) 6

I told you this team would look dreadful without Cooper Kupp. Outside of a long touchdown and maybe one other nice drive, this offense was stuck in quicksand against a Saints defense that isn’t very good. It didn’t help that Matthew Stafford got hurt again, but come on. This team doesn’t do anything well, and they looked completely lifeless, just as I predicted.

31 – Panthers (3-8) 3

You know, at least the Panthers were competitive for most of the game on Sunday. That’s a lot more than I can say for the team below them. Baker Mayfield was pretty bad, but so was the rest of the team, and so was the team across from them. It was just an ugly mess, and the inferior team always loses those kinds of games.

32 – Texans (1-8-1) 1

Yeah, this is way worse than I thought. The Texans are cooked in every aspect, as they can’t get anything going on either side of the ball anymore. Dameon Pierce has disappeared, Davis Mills is a statue in the pocket, and the defense might as well not even be there. Houston is on the fast track to the #1 overall pick, and they better pray they don’t mess it up. They have a plethora of picks and can turn this around pretty quickly. Cleaning house and starting over with a new star QB could do wonders for this franchise. Lord knows they need it.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 11 Picks

Last week’s upsets made for a losing record after several great performances. Let’s try to get back on track this week.

Cover photo taken from Dallas Cowboys.

Last Week: 6-8

Season Total: 86-62-1

Packers 20-17 Titans

Thursday, 8:15 PM EST, Prime Video

This week’s Thursday nighter is going to be a strange one. Both of these teams are in weird spots right now, with both picking up wins last week but still in a really precarious spot on the season. Both Green Bay and Tennessee could really use a win here, but the Packers need one infinitely more. I think they have some great momentum from their comeback last week and have found a wrinkle in their offense by getting Christian Watson involved. While I think the Titans defense is probably the best unit in this game, it’s hard to bet against the Packers at Lambeau with everything going right for them. Plus, I just don’t know what to make of Tennessee’s offense right now. This is bound to come back to bite me, but I’m rolling with the hot hand.

Bears 26-23 Falcons

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I don’t trust the Bears to win a game convincingly to save my life. Hell, I don’t know if I even trust them to win a game at all at this point. But the Falcons are simply a team that’s reeling more than almost any other in football right now. Even at home, I don’t see anything to like with them. At least Chicago has Justin Fields, who has been one of the most unstoppable players in the league for the last month. I don’t know if he’ll be able to continue replicating his incredible performances, but I know I can trust him more than anyone on Atlanta. Maybe, just maybe, this is the one that the Bears finally win.

Bills 17-14 Browns

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The big storyline here is the weather. It’s going to be one of the biggest blizzards that someone ever decides to play football in with plenty of wind to boot. So, at the very least, this is going to be low scoring and close (as long as they don’t move the game). I actually wanted to pick Cleveland here, seeing as though the conditions likely favor the better running team. But there’s simply no way I can pick the Browns in a game like this. The Bills need this win badly, and these conditions favor them seeing as though they’re built for it. I know they lost to New England last year in that frigid wind-fest, but I just feel like this one will be different.

Eagles 24-16 Colts

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Eagles finally suffered their first loss on Monday night, and I think it’s safe to say they won’t have many more games like that for the remainder of the season. They have a great opportunity to bounce back in this one. If last week was any indication, the Colts will be feisty, especially returning home, so I think this game will be close for a bit. But the Eagles are simply so much better than Indy is on both sides of the ball, and that will prove to be the difference. They won’t let themselves get physically dominated like they did against Washington.

Patriots 25-17 Jets

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Let me get a couple of things straight. I think the Jets are better than the Patriots. I also don’t think this game should be a blowout. But history is simply pulling me in this direction. The Patriots own the Jets so bad that it’s almost embarrassing. Every time you think New York has the team that can overcome New England, they collapse. It happened earlier this year when I picked the Jets, so I’m simply not going to make that same mistake again. I think it’s worth noting that I have only picked one (1) Jets game correctly all year long, and that was when they beat Denver. So, take this with a grain of salt. I just don’t trust Zach Wilson to not give this game away like he always does. He has been awful in every game he has played against the Patriots, and I don’t see that changing. All New England has to do is capitalize on those mistakes, and they’ll be golden.

Saints 19-13 Rams

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Remember when these teams were good? Yeah, those were the days. Now, they’re two of the most unwatchable teams in football that will make this game an eyesore from start to finish. At least the uniform matchup is gonna be great! Simply put, the Rams are going to accomplish absolutely nothing with Cooper Kupp out. He is their entire offense, and they won’t be able to move the ball whatsoever, even against an awful Saints D. New Orleans has nothing promising on offense either, but they certainly have more to like than LA at this point. All they have to do is get Alvin Kamara involved, and they will win. It’s hard to tell whether or not they will, but you just have to pray they use common sense.

Giants 23-20 Lions

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I wanted to pick the Lions so bad here. I just want the Giants to lose so bad. The question is whether or not I can trust Detroit in a spot like this. All signs point towards a resounding no, but they did put together another nice performance last week in Chicago, and that was a similar road environment to this one. But I just think this all boils down to a very simple matchup to assess. The Giants are the third best rushing team in football with 164 yards/game, led by this year’s top RB in Saquon Barkley. The Lions, meanwhile, have the second worst rush defense in the league, giving up an incomprehensible 160 yards/game on the ground. So, this will come down to whether or not Detroit can stop Barkley and the Giants on the ground. I simply do not see that happening. Maybe they can force Daniel Jones into some mistakes like they did last week with Justin Fields, but New York is simply better defensively than Chicago is, and that will also prove to be a huge factor.

Ravens 27-16 Panthers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

A 13-point spread seems a bit harsh, but this should be a blowout for Baltimore. They’re coming off a bye and likely getting some key offensive pieces back like Mark Andrews and Gus Edwards. The Panthers are coming off a mini-bye and a win last Thursday, but this is an infinitely tougher test than that one. Combine that with the fact that Baker Mayfield is starting this game for Carolina, and you have a disaster waiting to happen. The Ravens are way better on both sides of the ball and should control this one from start to finish.

Commanders 22-19 Texans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This is a must-win game. We cannot lose to the Texans after what we’ve done in the last 5 weeks. That’s the type of loss that completely derails a season beyond repair. This team has to stay focused and keep the good things going. This is the place where it would be so typical for them to lose. It has to be different this time. Yes, the Texans are a perfectly competitive team, but they also have the worst record in the league. I don’t care what the situation is. You have to win. The defense has to keep playing lights out, and boy would I love to see Chase Young make a huge impact in his return. The run game has to keep on moving the ball and making Taylor Heinicke’s life easier. And he has to keep feeding Terry McLaurin all game long. The formula is there and we should be able to execute it against the worst team in the league. Just… don’t lose.

Broncos 17-14 Raiders

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX

I hate both of these teams so much that I don’t even want to pick this game. I don’t want to even think about this game. I’ll just drop this here and move on.

Vikings 26-23 Cowboys

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

On paper, this is probably the game of the week. Look at the Vikings getting so much national love! Good for them. That’s great and all, but I really need them to pull through and win another one. They are coming off an incredibly draining, emotional win last week in Buffalo. They could either keep that momentum up and come home to pull off another huge win, or they could fall flat on the national stage. While the latter seems more likely, I’m not going to lose faith in this time that I’ve been riding all year long. The Cowboys are coming off a 4th quarter collapse and probably want to bounce back in dominant fashion, but it’s going to be hard. Minnesota is playing great offense and the defense has some mojo now. This is such an air-tight matchup that is so difficult to pick, but I just think the Vikings are the better team, so I have to rock with them. This is another opportunity for them to make a massive statement, and I think they’ll be up to the task.

Bengals 20-19 Steelers

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

Contrary to what you might think, this game should also be pretty tight. For starters, the first meeting between these teams was absolutely insane, and Joe Burrow had 5 turnovers. So don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that Cincy will just roll in this game. I think Pittsburgh not having Minkah Fitzpatrick is a huge deal, but having TJ Watt is an even bigger deal. His impact was felt in a massive way last week, and I think the Steelers defense will once again make life uncomfortable for Joe Burrow, especially while he’s still without Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals we saw two weeks ago against Carolina are nowhere close to the Bengals we’ll see this Sunday. This all boils down to whether or not they can out-physical their bitter rival and win a tough road game. They couldn’t do it against Cleveland a few weeks ago. It’s really hard to imagine them doing it this week. But, I can’t trust Kenny Pickett and this Pittsburgh offense. At least the Browns have competent players on that side of the ball. The Steelers have nothing. By all means, this is a must-win game for Cincinnati, and I think their defense will rise to the occasion and make the difference in this game. Just don’t be surprised if it goes the other way.

Chiefs 31-20 Chargers

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

These teams are trending in completely opposite directions. The Chiefs are scorching hot and my #1 team in the league right now as Patrick Mahomes continues to shred defenses en route to potentially another MVP. They’re getting everyone involved offensively, and the defense is finally playing up to its potential. The Chargers, meanwhile, won’t stop falling apart, and there’s nothing Justin Herbert can do about it. The defense isn’t good at all and is likely going to get torched once again by this unstoppable Chiefs offense. Precedent would suggest that this will be a close game due to this being the second meeting between these teams and it being in primetime at SoFi and whatnot. To that, I simply say that I do not care. The Chiefs are leagues better than the Chargers, and Mahomes shines on primetime no matter where he plays. Give me KC in dominant fashion.

49ers 23-14 Cardinals

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN

We still don’t know who will be starting at QB for the Cardinals in this game, but it doesn’t matter. The 49ers are an infinitely better team that should be able to handle them all game long. Arizona is certainly competent, and either QB gives them a good shot to win, but San Francisco’s defense will simply be too much to overcome. The Mexico crowd should also have a blast watching the Niners run all over the Cardinals’ defense, which gives up the third most points per game in the league. There could be a lot more points scored in this game, but this feels right for where these two teams stand right now.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Post-Week 10 Power Rankings

An incredibly fun, upset-filled week has caused plenty of shuffling in this week’s rankings as we head into the final two months of the season.

Cover photo taken from The Phinsider.

1 – Chiefs (7-2) 1

For the first time in 7 weeks, we have a new #1 team. Kansas City has clawed their way back to the top thanks to another lights out performance. Yes, they were playing Jacksonville, but the way they won was very promising. They got newcomer Kadarius Toney involved, their committee of RBs continues to dominate, Travis Kelce found the endzone for the first time in weeks, and Patrick Mahomes is simply lights out right now. He is the MVP at the moment, and it’s hard to see him falling off that track. It wasn’t perfect, and I’d like to see them limit turnovers as much as possible, but it doesn’t matter as long as they continue to dominate on both sides of the ball like they have since losing to Buffalo. Just to put that dominance in perspective: they can clinch the division this week, and there’s still seven more games after that one. Yes, the division is awful, but this team has risen above the rest in the AFC in recent weeks and absolutely deserves this top spot.

2 – Eagles (8-1) 1

It finally happened, everyone run for your lives! Relax. The Eagles were never going undefeated. No team ever will. They were bound to lose eventually, and while I felt it was coming soon, I didn’t see it being to Washington, nor did I see it being in that fashion. The Eagles were physically dominated for 60 minutes on Monday night as their division rival shoved the ball down their throat for several long drives to dominate time of possession and set the tone throughout the game. It was the first time this year that the Eagles have been outplayed, and it was pretty shocking to watch. I have a feeling that this will be a much needed wakeup call for Philly. The rest of the schedule is still pretty easy, but this loss should give them their edge back ahead of big matchups like their second game against Dallas as well as both of their showdowns with the Giants, a very physical team.

3 – Vikings (8-1) 2

That was truly something. The Vikings won the game of the year on Sunday despite losing it at least three or four times throughout the course of the fourth quarter and overtime alone. They may have been gifted the game by Josh Allen, but they made every play they had to when they needed it most, and they proved to everyone that they’re not frauds like so many people thought. Kirk Cousins delivered one of his best Vikings performances ever, Dalvin Cook stepped up in a huge way, and Justin Jefferson stole the show as always, highlighted by the greatest catch I’ve ever seen. Most importantly, the defense did its thing to bring the Vikings back and eventually win the game late by forcing two redzone turnovers and scoring that incredible touchdown on the fumbled snap at the end of the game. The secondary, which I had plenty of questions about, came through to put a bow on it. It was a coming out party for the Vikings, who everyone should treat like the real deal. They have silenced the doubters.

4 – 49ers (5-4) 2

The 49ers won on Sunday night by playing their bread and butter football. They ran the ball all night long and relied on their defense to step up and make the plays necessary to win the game. Jimmy Garoppolo was practically a nonfactor outside of a rushing touchdown, but that’s not a bad thing at all. Getting Elijah Mitchell back was absolutely massive for this team, as the new duo of him and Christian McCaffrey simply wore down the Chargers defense all game long. While I’d love to see guys like Deebo Samuel get more involved, it’s not necessary at all. This run game is going to be one of the best in the league moving forward, and the defense is back to being elite now that they’re healthy again, as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Talanoa Hufanga absolutely took over late. I love this team from top to bottom and can’t wait to see what else is in store for them as this season winds down.

5 – Dolphins (7-3) 4

Tua Tagovailoa is shutting a lot of people up, including me. The Dolphins are now undefeated in games that Tua starts and finishes, and his last three have been incredible. He became the first QB in franchise history with three straight games of 3+ TDs and 0 INTs. That’s a remarkable streak, and his efficiency cannot be overstated. He’s the highest rated passer in the league by far. I know that it helps to be surrounded by an embarrassment of riches, but Tua is a huge part of this team’s success. The acquisition of Jeff Wilson continues to prove to be a huge one as he once again dominated, and the tandem of him and Raheem Mostert is a pretty dominant one. Now that this team has a great run game, who is going to stop their offense? I’ll have to see someone do it to believe that it’s even possible.

6 – Bills (6-3) 2

My suspicions were true. We are in that area of the season where the Bills fall apart after winning their Super Bowl by beating the Chiefs in Kansas City. Josh Allen is going on his yearly roller coaster where we have no idea what we’re going to get from him on any given snap. He now has six (6!) redzone turnovers in his last 10 quarters. That is awful. The Bills would have won easily if Allen didn’t commit any of the three absolutely atrocious 4th quarter/OT turnovers that he did. He has been straight up bad for the last 2.5 games, and it’s holding this team back. It doesn’t help that their secondary injuries are starting to catch up to them. Buffalo is just teetering right now, just like they did at this time last year. All of a sudden, they are third in their own division, just a game out of last place, a week removed from being the 1 seed in the conference. It’s not the easiest schedule moving forward, so Josh Allen has to get back on track if they want to get back in first place.

7 – Cowboys (6-3) 4

I really have no idea what happened to the Cowboys on Sunday. They lost their first game in franchise history in which they entered the 4th quarter with a 14+ point lead. They were 195-0 previously! That’s a remarkable statistic. They really had their way on both sides of the ball for three quarters outside of some questionable Dak Prescott throws. But in the fourth, it all fell apart. I get that Aaron Rodgers straight up owns this franchise, but it was pretty shocking to see this team that has been so sound all year long just fall apart like that, especially against a team that had lost 5 straight games and has looked awful for months. I think they’re going to be fine, but that was not a very promising sight.

8 – Ravens (6-3) 1

The Ravens had a much-needed bye this week as they try to get healthy offensively. This week, they should be getting big pieces like Mark Andrews and Gus Edwards back. Even if they don’t, they should have an easy time on Sunday at home against the Panthers.

9 – Seahawks (6-4) 1

The Seahawks were stifled practically all game long on Sunday in Munich. It was honestly weird to see, considering how dominant they’ve been on that side of the ball for the last month or so. But I wouldn’t say that Seattle had a bad game by any means. They ran into a good defense that is in the midst of a hot streak, and they lost a close, hard-fought game in another continent. I’m not so sure they would have lost if the game was in Seattle. Even if their defense was slightly better, they likely could have won. I still think this is a very solid team all around, and I expect them to be better in the coming weeks.

10 – Titans (6-3)

Sunday’s game taught me virtually nothing about the Titans. I will say that I loved their defensive performance despite being without two of their best defensive linemen in Bud Dupree and Jeffery Simmons. At the same time, it doesn’t take much to dominate the Broncos offense. Tennessee’s own offense was absolutely inept for the most part, needing a couple of big plays to win the game. It’s good that they got those plays, but they really don’t have anything else to show for their offensive performance. Ryan Tannehill looked fine in his return, which is more than they can ask for. The next few weeks are brutal, so we’ll see how far this formula can take the Titans.

11 – Bengals (5-4)

The Bengals had the week off, and not much happened around them. It’s still unlikely that Ja’Marr Chase will be back for the next couple of weeks, which definitely hurts. There are some toughies coming up, so they could use all the help they can get. But, I have faith in Joe Burrow and the rest of the team to compete and stay afloat in this tight AFC playoff race.

12 – Jets (6-3)

The Jets had their bye this week and were the massive beneficiary of the Bills losing to catapult them to 2nd place in the AFC East by virtue of their head to head win against them from Week 9. They should feel a lot better about their playoff chances now. They’ve got some tough games ahead, including an inevitable loss to the Patriots this week, but I still think the Jets have what it takes to stick around in the playoff mix for the next month or so.

13 – Giants (7-2)

I am so sick of talking about this team. It’s the same thing every week. Look, the Giants beat another awful team super unconvincingly! It was a boring game that nobody cared about! What a great team! No. I don’t care. Neither do you. While I love Saquon Barkley and have him in my top 5 MVP candidates right now, even he can’t get me to think this team is worth a damn. They can certainly prove me wrong in the next few weeks, but I severely doubt that happens.

14 – Buccaneers (5-5) 4

Post-divorce Tom Brady might be something special. Ok, maybe not, but the Bucs are playing pretty well since that split. Their biggest strength has been their resurgent defense, which has played back to back great games. Shutting down the Rams isn’t exactly impressive, but they had their way with a Seahawks offense that had been dominant for months coming into Sunday’s game. Tom Brady has played some nice games as well, despite the plethora of injuries around him, and the offense has seemingly found a wrinkle with Rachaad White coming out of the backfield. He’s more effective at this point than Leonard Fournette, so the run game could find a huge boost. This is still the second worst rushing team in football, so they could use that boost in a huge way.

15 – Commanders (5-5) 6

I’ve been trying to find the words to describe Monday night’s game for a while and I just can’t find them. I’m still so shocked at what I saw, but more importantly, I am so proud of this team. They went on the road on primetime in a spot where they always fold and absolutely dominated the best team in the league all game long to hand them their first loss. That’s so impressive, and actually inspires confidence in this team, which I haven’t had in a while. I won’t get my hopes up too high, but it’s hard not to feel good about where we stand right now. The defense continues to play lights out thanks to their dominant front, which is only getting better now that Chase Young is returning, and a surging secondary highlighted by the emergence of Benjamin St-Juste. The offense has been physical and dominant, which was on display all night long in Philly. The run game is working thanks to Brian Robinson’s toughness and Antonio Gibson’s dynamic ability. Terry McLaurin has been absolutely feasting in recent weeks and has been the best player on the field for several weeks now. Taylor Heinicke tried his best to give the game away, as always, but at the end of the day, he helped us win. The winning formula involves limiting his mistakes and physically setting the tone in the trenches. We’ve done that for the most part in recent weeks, and I feel great about our chances of doing so in the next two as well. This is the type of win that catapults teams to runs, like our win against Tampa last year, so we’ll see where this roller coaster takes us next.

16 – Patriots (5-4) 1

The Patriots had the week off ahead of a huge divisional matchup against the Jets. All of a sudden, the Patriots are only a game behind the Bills, which was unfathomable two weeks ago. If they can keep physically dominating in the next couple of weeks, then they will find themselves in the thick of the wild card race. It will be very difficult, as this is likely the hardest section of their schedule.

17 – Chargers (5-4) 3

The Chargers were about as competitive as I imagined they would be on Sunday night, but after their opening drive touchdown, they were pretty much inept for the rest of the game. Justin Herbert was just ok, the injury-riddled offense was anemic for the most part, Austin Ekeler couldn’t do anything, and the defense got pounded all night long. It was slightly worse than I anticipated, but I don’t expect anything out of this team anymore. Against great teams like San Francisco, they are just going to look outmatched. Prepare for a repeat of that this Sunday night against the Chiefs.

18 – Cardinals (4-6) 2

To put it plainly, the Cardinals are very good when they have to turn to Colt McCoy. Dating back to last year, all he does is win games. All that shows is that he is a great backup QB, as he always has been. Beating the Rams isn’t exactly an impressive feat. Beating the Rams with a backup QB is even less impressive. Combine that with the fact that Cooper Kupp sprained his ankle in the middle of the game, and you have one of the most “meh” wins of the 2022 season. Still, the Cardinals got everyone involved offensively, and for that, they should feel good about themselves.

19 – Packers (4-6) 6

I am not going to overreact and declare that the Packers are back or anything close to that, but they showed more fight in the 4th quarter on Sunday than in all of their previous 5 games combined. That means a lot. Their defense finally remembered how to play football, and their offense got massive contributions from Aaron Jones and, for the first time, Christian Watson. The rookie caught 3 huge touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers, who finally found touch on his deep ball again. The comeback was a truly great one, and the Packers should be proud of themselves. I have no idea what this could lead to for them with a brutal remaining schedule, but they finally have one thing on their side: momentum.

20 – Bears (3-7) 2

The Bears keep on moving up despite the fact that they keep on losing. Why? Well, Justin Fields continues to play like one of the most dynamic players in the league. Not just QBs, but all players. And losing is good for the Bears! They need that draft pick as high as possible to snag a great WR! Blowing a lead like that is quite embarrassing, and Fields’ pick six was a bad one, but for him to bounce back with another incredible TD run like he did is proof that this kid is the real deal. I love watching him play, and the Bears’ best-case scenario of him dominating while losing is coming to fruition every week. It’s truly remarkable that they became the first team in NFL history to lose 3 straight games in which they scored 29+ points. I don’t see any problems!

21 – Browns (3-6) 4

The Browns are back to being awful. To come out of their bye and get dismantled like that is pretty bad, even if they were on the road against one of the league’s best teams. Jacoby Brissett is really struggling, but the good news is that there’s only two more games of him. The bad news is that the season is pretty much over.

22 – Falcons (4-6) 6

Even though I picked the Falcons to lose on Thursday, I’m pretty embarrassed at how bad it was. They have simply devolved into a team that does nothing well on either side of the ball. They have the sixth worst total offense and third worst passing offense in the league. I don’t even think they want to try to throw it anymore. Drake London and Kyle Pitts continue to be absolutely wasted in Atlanta. Defensively, they’re second worst in total yards and sixth worst in points. Losing AJ Terrell effectively ended any hopes they had of being remotely viable on that side of the ball. The Falcons had a fun thing going for a bit, but the wheels have completely fallen off, and they are 100% cooked.

23 – Broncos (3-6)

This is the only thing I’ll say about the Broncos. If they scored just 18 points in all of their games this year, they’d be 8-1. Yes, you read that right. Eighteen points per game. Instead, they are the single worst scoring offense in football with a poor 14.6 PPG. Meanwhile, they’re the best scoring defense in the league, giving up just 16.6 PPG, in addition to being the 2nd best total defense and best passing defense. How is that even possible?! This team is a joke that is only getting worse, and I’m just about sick of talking about them.

24 – Rams (3-6) 5

This is the only thing I’ll say about the Rams. They just lost Cooper Kupp, who is going on IR with an ankle injury that will require surgery. Do not be surprised if they turn into the worst offense in football without him. They won’t be able to overcome him with Ben Skowronek as their top passing option, and they won’t be able to move the ball on the ground with their dead-last-ranked run game. They are going to be the most unwatchable team in the league moving forward. Mark my words.

25 – Colts (4-5-1) 4

Jeff Saturday proved me wrong. He proved us all wrong! Major props to him, and good for the team to find their edge that had been missing for so long. Saturday went back to Matt Ryan and it paid off in a huge way. Most importantly, he finally unlocked Jonathan Taylor, who had his best game since Week 1 and finally looked like his old self. Maybe the Colts will be a frisky team under Saturday for the rest of the year. Either that, or they just notched a one-score win over the worst team in the NFL.

26 – Lions (3-6) 1

The Lions actually played a good game in the outdoors. I was just as shocked as you were. They showed up in every phase of the game, and I was impressed. It definitely helps that guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift are healthy again, and it also helps that Jeff Okudah has emerged as the CB1 they envisioned when they drafted him 3rd overall in 2020. Detroit has found themselves again, and it’s fun to watch.

27 – Jaguars (3-7) 1

The Jaguars were about as competitive as I expected they’d be on Sunday, if not more. Trevor Lawrence played a solid game, and Christian Kirk had a dominant performance. Their defense just couldn’t overcome the buzzsaw that is the Chiefs. I really don’t know what to make of the Jags at this point, as they show us something different every week, but I still feel like this is a solid young core. They might not have many wins left this year, but I like what’s going on in Jacksonville.

28 – Panthers (3-7) 2

I think the Panthers have themselves a gem in D’Onta Foreman. He has proven himself as a physical, dominant RB1 that can be a workhorse. They’re going to need him to keep that up now that they have to turn to Baker Mayfield once again thanks to PJ Walker sustaining an injury. All they have to do is take the ball out of Baker’s hands and put it into Foreman’s while their defense keeps doing its thing. Unfortunately, that might be tough this week against a very good Baltimore team.

29 – Steelers (3-6) 2

Just as I predicted, the Steelers got themselves another win because Mike Tomlin is absolute money coming off a bye. They weren’t impressive at anything other than their defense shutting down an anemic Saints offense with some of the worst QB play in the league. This team isn’t very good, but at the very least, they’re incredibly reliable in certain spots thanks to their great coach.

30 – Saints (3-7) 6

The Saints going from one of the most promising teams in the league to one of the worst, most unwatchable teams in the league has been extremely sad to watch unfold. I know they have injury problems out the wazoo, but it’s so much more than that. Dennis Allen has been an awful HC, Pete Carmichael might be the worst OC in the league, their QB play has been abysmal, they continuously forget that they have Alvin Kamara, and the defense just hasn’t been good enough. So much of what’s going on in New Orleans is laughable, and they desperately need to hit the reset button this offseason, if not sooner.

31 – Texans (1-7-1) 1

Despite being virtually not competitive at all in yet another loss, the Texans are being bumped up this week because there’s one team in this league that’s simply more embarrassing than the rest.

32 – Raiders (2-7) 4

That’s right. The Raiders are the worst team in the NFL right now. They are a complete and utter embarrassment, a weekly dumpster fire, and an unmitigated disaster across the board. Derek Carr has fallen off a cliff, Josh Jacobs has run into a wall, the defense might as well not exist, and the coaching staff is just laughably bad. Josh McDaniels could get outcoached by me, and my highest level of coaching is a flag football team for kids. The personnel decisions continue to make no sense and it continues to show on a weekly basis. Everyone needs to be fired; hell, the franchise should just disband at this point. The Raiders should be absolutely ashamed of themselves on all fronts.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 10 Picks

Last week was another good one for my picks, but this slate is filled with a lot of tossups that are a bit head-scratching. Hopefully it ends up being as successful as the other recent ones.

Cover photo taken from Tom’s Guide.

Last Week: 10-3

Season Total: 80-54-1

Panthers 23-20 Falcons

Thursday, 8:15 PM EST, Prime Video

If this game has a fraction of the drama of the first meeting between these two teams, then TNF will be appointment television. While I don’t see that being the case, I think this game will be pretty close if nothing else. The Panthers will likely be out for revenge on the Falcons, considering they should have beaten them two weeks ago if it weren’t for the penalty on DJ Moore after he caught PJ Walker’s late touchdown. This is a team that has played solid since they started blowing it up except for last week’s collapse in Cincinnati. I think they’ll be able to come back home and bounce back against an Atlanta team that I just have no idea what to make of at this point.

Seahawks 21-16 Buccaneers

Sunday, 9:30 AM EST, NFL Network

I understand why the Buccaneers are favored in this game. It’s pretty hard to pick against them here. They’re coming off a much-needed win, and the energy around the team feels different now. Their defense is playing great ball as well. But, all of that can be said about Seattle, who is riding a 4-game winning streak, playing great defense themselves, and is much better offensively. I need to see them be stopped to believe that they can be stopped. I’ve been raving about their winning formula for weeks now, and I think it’s going to carry them to victory once again. If the Seahawks can wear Tampa down with Kenneth Walker and Geno Smith doesn’t make mistakes, they should be able to win this one with ease.

Bills 27-17 Vikings

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I think the Vikings are a good team. A great team even. I don’t think their 7-1 record is as much of a fugazi as everyone else does. That being said, I think they’re going to be completely overmatched in this game. The Bills are coming off a very tough road loss to a divisional opponent and have played pretty subpar football for the last six quarters. I think this is a tremendous opportunity for them to come back home and smack a great team to get back on track. Minnesota’s pass defense hasn’t been great all year long, so Josh Allen should have a field day after struggling against the Jets last week. Both of these teams need this win to show us all that they’re capable of being as great as we think they can be, but I’d wager that Buffalo needs it more. In this circumstance, I think they’re going to get it in dominant fashion.

Bears 23-20 Lions

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Bears are playing great offense right now thanks to the surge of Justin Fields as both a thrower and a runner. Their defense has been struggling since trading away their key pieces, but considering their opponent this week, they should have a bounce back day. The Lions are utterly incompetent offensively on the road, and while these divisional games are always tight, I don’t trust the Lions to overcome their own offensive woes. Moreover, I just think Fields will be too much for their defense to handle. He has been sensational in recent weeks, but they only have one win to show for it. Chicago deserves this one.

Broncos 17-14 Titans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

I don’t even know what the total is in this game, but no matter what it is, just take the under. This game is going to be dominated by the two sensational defenses. We still don’t know if Ryan Tannehill is going to suit up for the Titans, but even if he does, I don’t trust him or this Tennessee offense to move the ball on Denver. And I simply never trust the Broncos offense to do anything, even off a bye. The reason I’m picking the Titans is because they’re at home and are coming off a very tough road loss. I think they’ll use this game as an opportunity to bounce back from their 5-game winning streak being snapped and ride their defense to get back in the win column.

AUDIBLE: Tennessee is going to be without major pieces on their defense such as Jeffery Simmons and Bud Dupree, so I’m simply swapping the pick to Denver instead. They’re a popular bet this weekend for a reason, and that reason just got a lot more convincing.

Chiefs 31-14 Jaguars

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

There’s not much to this one. The Jaguars have been playing well as of late, but it means nothing. They typically can’t even overcome themselves, so how are they supposed to overcome the Chiefs at Arrowhead? Patrick Mahomes is going to shred this team alive. I think the X factor here is Travis Etienne for Jacksonville. If he can produce like he usually does against a stout Chiefs front, then maybe the Jags have a chance. But if he gets stifled, then this one will be over quickly.

Dolphins 26-20 Browns

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Browns played their best game of the season going into the bye and now come out of it with a road trip down to Miami. It feels like a good matchup for them on paper, so I think this one will be close for the most part. But it’s simply impossible for me to pick against the Dolphins with how scorching hot they are offensively. While Cleveland has a solid defense, nobody has been able to stop these WRs all year long. I doubt they’ll be the first. I don’t love Miami’s defense, and I think Nick Chubb is about to feast on them all game long, but I think they can make enough plays in the secondary against Jacoby Brissett to win this one in the end.

Giants 20-13 Texans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Look here! Another cakewalk of a victory for the Giants against an awful team! What a great schedule! By all accounts, the Giants win this one in a blowout. But, they never exactly look convincing, so I already know the Texans are going to hang around for a while in this one before New York uses a couple of 4th quarter drives to win it. It’s going to be extremely boring and remarkably predictable and I am going to hate it.

Steelers 17-16 Saints

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I don’t want to pick this game at all. It’s a total nightmare for me. I want to pick the Saints because I think teams typically bounce back after awful primetime performances (see their TNF loss to Arizona and following shutout of Las Vegas). At the same time, I like Mike Tomlin’s Steelers at home off a bye. This is perhaps the worst Steelers team Tomlin has ever had, but to their credit, they’ve been very competitive at home, including a win over Tampa. I just don’t know what to make of the Saints at QB, and with the Steelers likely getting TJ Watt back, their defense should feast on New Orleans’ offensive line like Baltimore just did. I hate everything about this game, but I feel comfortable with this pick.

Raiders 27-10 Colts

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, CBS

This game is going to go one of two ways. Either the Jeff Saturday era in Indy begins disastrously thanks to a blowout at the hands of one of the worst teams in the NFL or it’s going to start surprisingly well by notching an unexpected, tough, hard-fought win. I personally think the former is more likely. I have absolutely no faith in the Raiders anymore, but surely they can win a game like this. Their offense is dealing with a ton of injuries and their defense is abhorrent, but come on. The Colts are an unmitigated disaster all around without a real head coach, playcaller, or QB, and they just got smoked last week. I don’t know what their winning formula is at this point. But maybe, just maybe, they show us something we haven’t seen before in this game. If that happens, then the Raiders franchise should just fold on the spot.

Cowboys 23-20 Packers

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

Believe it or not, I actually really wanted to pick the Packers here. I think this is a huge spot for them, and them getting a win at home against a great team to turn their season around feels more likely than not. But then I remembered that they’re the 2022 Packers who do absolutely nothing well and are likely going to be put in a chokehold by Dallas and their great defense. So, I’m meeting in the middle. I see the Cowboys winning this one close after the Packers put up their best fight in months. I don’t know why I feel like the Packers are going to be competitive in this game seeing as though their last home performance was a blowout loss to the Jets. I just know that Aaron Rodgers always shows up against the Cowboys. This time, it won’t be enough. I like the Cowboys defense too much, and I think their offense will do just enough to put them over the top.

Rams 20-17 Cardinals

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

This might be the biggest mid-off of the entire season. Both of these teams are mid enough, but considering that both Matt Stafford and Kyler Murray are dealing with injuries and might not play in this game, it could get worse. Regardless of any of that, I simply think the Rams are a better team overall with a much better defense that should be able to win them this game. That’s about all I want to talk about here. I have no interest in this matchup between two disasters of teams whatsoever.

49ers 24-20 Chargers

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

This game looked a lot better on the schedule two months ago, but it could still be a fun one. I don’t have any faith in the Chargers to win this one, but I think they’ll be competitive at the very least. They always tend to make things interesting, despite their plethora of injuries. Justin Herbert seems to be healthy, and if he is, then LA can hang around in any game. But the 49ers will be too much to overcome. They’re at home and off a bye, still getting healthier and better on both sides of the ball. The last time we saw them, they destroyed the Rams and CMC looked unstoppable. I don’t see why they can’t replicate that here. It won’t be a complete wash, but I think San Francisco will control most of this game and get back above .500.

Eagles 27-17 Commanders

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN

There is simply no way that the Commanders are going to win this game. They probably won’t even be competitive. For starters, the Eagles are the best team in the NFL and absolutely dismantled Washington in Week 3. This is also on Monday night, a situation where this franchise has struggled for *checks watch* ever. Taylor Heinicke is still the starting QB, so that sucks. The defense is playing well, but we all know they’re going to get gashed by one of the best offenses in football. The off-the-field drama is getting louder and worse by the day with lawsuits and controversy galore. This franchise is in total disarray right now, and it’s about to get worse with another blowout loss at the hands of a division rival. This time, the entire country is going to see it. It doesn’t get much uglier than this folks.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Post-Week 9 Power Rankings

Following another fairly predictable week, there isn’t too much shakeup in the Power Rankings. But anything can happen from here on out as we eclipse the halfway point of the season.

Cover photo taken from Daily Norseman.

1 – Eagles (8-0)

I really don’t want to hear anything about this team’s schedule or their performance on Thursday, which is somehow being considered “subpar”. Just stop it. They were double digit favorites and covered easily. Nobody thought they were going to lose that game for a second. They were the superior team all game long outside of just two Texans drives that actually went somewhere. The defense stepped up big time, Jalen Hurts continued to throw the ball sharply, and the run game did its thing. This is still the best team in the NFL, and it’s still not very close.

2 – Chiefs (6-2) 1

Kansas City has plenty to feel good about after Sunday night’s tough win, but they also have a good deal to feel bad about. The main thing is their offensive line being awful, which I suppose we should just be used to by now. Going up against one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL, they got absolutely manhandled, and the Chiefs’ run game was nonexistent. However, when you have Patrick Mahomes, you don’t need a run game. He threw a whopping 68 passes and put the entire offense on his back. That’s what it took to win, considering KC’s defense did its thing against a very one-dimensional Tennessee offense, especially in the second half. Hard fought wins like that are the sign of a great team, and #15 continues to show everyone why he’s the best in the world.

3 – Cowboys (6-2) 1

The Cowboys had their bye this week, and it was fairly uneventful. They do get bumped up due to the actions of the team below them, but that’s about it. There’s rumblings of Odell Beckham Jr. signing with the team, which would be quite a sight to see, but I don’t know how much I buy it happening.

4 – Bills (6-2) 2

Losing to Zach Wilson? Really? After how much I slandered him and propped you guys up? After being nearly two-touchdown favorites? That’s bad. I know the Jets have a great defense, but this is a team that got smothered the previous week. There was no excuse to lose this game. Josh Allen has played pretty poorly in his last six quarters of football with 4 bad interceptions and zero (0!) touchdowns. We might be entering that part of the year where the Bills mess around for a few weeks before getting their stride back before the playoffs, but I thought we were past that. This team is far too talented to suffer that same fate. I expect a much better performance next week back at home.

5 – Vikings (7-1)

Minnesota just keeps on finding ways to win. You can talk about it being unconvincing and deny their success all you’d like, but what you can’t deny is them being six games over .500 and 4.5 games ahead in the division. Their defense played very well on Sunday except for one drive and one ridiculously lucky touchdown from Washington. The offense stifled for a little, and nearly gave the game away if it wasn’t for a pick six that got called back, but they made the plays necessary to win the game late. That has been the story of this team all year long. They just execute when it matters most, and that’s what makes them so successful.

6 – 49ers (4-4)

San Francisco had the week off as they continue to get healthy and prepare for a second half push to the playoffs. While they currently sit 1.5 games back in the division, I feel pretty good about their chances of making a run and getting a home playoff game. Even if they don’t, I know they’re good enough to win games in January.

7 – Ravens (6-3)

Congrats to the Ravens for finally winning a game convincingly after getting off to a great start. They completely shut down the Saints all game long thanks to their incredible defensive performance. The offense didn’t look great, but it didn’t matter. All they needed was a few scoring drives to ensure that the game was out of reach by the third quarter. It’s easy to give the offense a pass for the lackluster showing considering the injuries, and it was very promising to see their defensive dominance. I think the trade for Roquan Smith might just pay off for them.

8 – Seahawks (6-3) 1

Seattle has now won 4 games in a row, and most of them have essentially been in the same fashion. They force feed Kenneth Walker to wear you down and then let it fly or feed him some more to score on you. Then their defense does the rest. The Seahawks have shown us their formula week in and week out, and it continues to work with flying colors. As I’ve said in weeks past, I love this team’s personnel and their identity, and they play some of my favorite football of any team in football. They have a tough test coming up against a stingy Buccaneers defense on Sunday in Munich, but I think they’ll be up for it.

9 – Dolphins (6-3) 1

While I don’t love the way this defense is playing right now, there is no denying that the Dolphins are arguably the most stacked offensive team in the league. Tua Tagovailoa is playing great ball, leading the league in passer rating. The addition of Jeff Wilson is already paying dividends for the running game, and he is proving to be a pass-catching threat as well. They don’t need that though, considering Tyreek Hill is off to the best start to a season in the history of the league and Jaylen Waddle keeps on torching defenses. Miami is simply one of the must-watch teams in the NFL because of how fun they are on that side of the ball. They need to sure up their defense for this playoff push, but it might not matter. They’ll just outscore you instead.

10 – Titans (5-3) 2

That was about as impressive of a loss as you’ll ever see in this league. To go into Arrowhead with a rookie QB in his first road start and second career start to play one of the best teams in the league and control most of the game just to lose in OT is a sign that this Titans team is pretty good. You’d think they win that game if Ryan Tannehill is their QB. This defensive front continues to play like one of the best in the league, and Derrick Henry is making another OPOY surge. However, there are two areas that I didn’t like very much on Sunday night. The obvious one is the fact that this team has no wide receiver talent at all, and you simply can’t win in this league without WRs. Trading away AJ Brown looks like a worse move by the day. The other is that Malik Willis is obviously still very raw and needs a lot more time to sit and develop, but we honestly already knew that. Nobody was expecting him to light up the world in a situation like that.

11 – Bengals (5-4)

I won’t take too much stock in blowing out arguably the worst team in the NFL. We know the Bengals are a great home team, and we all saw that blowout coming. While Joe Mixon’s 5 touchdowns were fun to watch, Sunday’s game didn’t show me too much. This team still feels like it has a distinct ceiling while Ja’Marr Chase is out. Until he gets back, it’ll be really hard for me to feel great about where they stand.

12 – Jets (6-3) 1

Never in a million years would I have seen the Jets winning that game. I thought they’d get crushed, in large part thanks to Zach Wilson going up against a great defense. But Wilson barely had to do anything, as New York was able to use their identity of running the ball and playing great defense to pull off the upset. They get great contributions from their backup RBs Michael Carter and James Robinson, and their defense did the rest, led once again by Sauce Gardner. It was an absolutely massive win for this team to stay alive in the playoff race, and it proves to me that they can actually be great if their style of football works.

13 – Giants (6-2) 1

The Giants somehow lost to the bye week with DB Xavier McKinney hurting his hand on an ATV in Cabo. He’ll now be out for a few weeks, and the secondary will likely suffer for it. We’ll see how the defense responds, and we’ll see if the offense can keep up their unlikely success. This second half is going to tell us a lot about who the Giants truly are.

14 – Chargers (5-3)

The Chargers once again escaped by the skin of their teeth in another unconvincing performance against an average team. Nothing about this team moves the needle. I will say that Justin Herbert looked very solid, and the bye week probably helped him a ton. I also think the defense played a better game, although it wasn’t perfect by any means. Sunday’s game was a battle of who wanted to lose more, and of course the Falcons did. LA won’t get away with many more performances like that.

15 – Patriots (5-4) 3

The Patriots are somehow above .500. It’s largely thanks to playing one of the most embarrassing teams in the NFL who is clearly actively tanking. Again, nothing about New England really stands out, regardless of who plays QB for them. This is a very run-of-the-mill team that benefitted greatly this week from their opponent and the rest of the teams in this range falling apart around them. I still don’t like them.

16 – Falcons (4-5) 1

Sunday’s loss was pretty embarrassing for the Falcons. They simply did not want to win at all, repeatedly giving the game away in ridiculous fashion. Their style of football is only taking them so far, as they refuse to throw the ball. When they do, it’s hardly effective. I do like their defense, but they haven’t played great in recent weeks. I think the rest of the league is starting to figure Atlanta out, and for that reason, their winning ways might not continue much longer in 2022.

17 – Browns (3-5) 2

The Browns are coming out of their bye in a weird spot. They played their best game of the season heading into it, and now have just 3 weeks left before Deshaun Watson returns. But those three games are against Miami, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay. So, while we feel good about this team right now, this is about to be a potentially brutal stretch for them. Let’s find out what they’re made of.

18 – Buccaneers (4-5) 5

The Bucs are finally back in the win column in extremely unconvincing fashion. I’m sure that notching another win has to feel great for them, but they’re still an average to below average team that doesn’t move me much. Their defense did finally show back up and play one of their best games of the year, which is good to see. Perhaps they can use the momentum of Tom Brady orchestrating a perfect game winning drive on the day where he eclipsed 100,000 career passing yards and turn it into something productive. I’ll have to see it to believe it.

19 – Rams (3-5) 3

Snooze. This team is boring. They’re not good at anything. I’m starting to sound like a broken record at this point. They can’t get anything going on either side of the ball and it’s just so stale. I hate watching the Rams more than nearly every other team in the league just because there’s literally nothing to watch at this point. I know exactly what I’m going to get out of them every single week: nothing.

20 – Cardinals (3-6) 3

Speaking of boring NFC West teams that do nothing well, the Cardinals lost yet again on Sunday. That’s now a sweep completed by the Seahawks as Arizona didn’t do a single thing worth a damn for sixty minutes other than get a lucky pick six. They couldn’t even get DeAndre Hopkins going, which is typically the only thing they actually excel at. Nothing about this team is working, and relying on their talent to win them games has gotten them nowhere. They need to blow this thing up.

21 – Commanders (4-5)

Once again, we played exactly as I expected us to on Sunday. We were competitive throughout. We played good defense. And at the end of the day, we beat ourselves. I could have told you before the game that we’d be in a perfect position to win only to piss it away thanks to Taylor Heinicke’s inability to play QB and boneheaded plays and penalties. Oh wait, I did! It is just so predictable. The best news surrounding this team is the potential sale of it. In all fairness, that’s about the best news we’ve received in decades.

22 – Bears (3-6) 4

How can you not love what the Bears are doing? They’re losing games while developing Justin Fields by playing to his strengths and allowing him to flourish by playing his game. And boy, is he flourishing or what? Justin has been sensational for three weeks in a row, with the latest performance being the best yet with over 300 total yards and 4 total touchdowns. The highlight of the season came on Sunday with a 61 yard sprint to the endzone to punctuate a 178 yard rushing day, setting the record for most rushing yards by a QB in history. Fields how has 9 touchdowns and just 1 interception in his last 3 games, and while the Bears are just 1-2 in those games, it doesn’t matter. They’re blowing it up because they know they suck. They now have full confidence in their franchise QB, and so does the rest of the league. Now they can move forward and continue this rebuild around Justin Fields. It is so awesome to see.

23 – Broncos (3-5) 4

I suppose the Broncos won the bye week thanks to the utter incompetence of so many other teams in this range. They did trade away Bradley Chubb, but that was a necessary move to get a first rounder back, so I’d say they won the deal. Let’s see how it affects their defense in the back half of the year as they try to figure out this mess.

24 – Saints (3-6) 4

Just when you think the Saints have a good thing going, they go out and there and lay a complete dud. A week after shutting down a solid Raiders offense and putting together a great offensive performance, they played their worst game of the year thanks to being incapable of moving the ball or stopping backup WRs, RBs, and TEs. It was just embarrassing to watch unfold. I really think this team should go back to Jameis Winston at QB, but even if they do, it won’t make that much of a difference. They’re simply not good enough to be consistently competitive.

25 – Packers (3-6) 3

The Packers just keep on reaching new lows. I picked them to lose on Sunday, but I didn’t realize it would be that bad. Three redzone turnovers? Aaron Rodgers continuing to play like a shade of his past self? The defense still playing like garbage while dropping like flies? It is a complete, unmitigated disaster in Green Bay right now, and it’s likely only going to get worse. I can’t imagine what the future of this team looks like.

26 – Jaguars (3-6) 3

The Jags should feel good about themselves after finally being able to overcome their own incompetence to win a game. It helps when you’re playing a team that’s somehow more incompetent than you are. Travis Etienne continues to look like an absolute stud at RB, the receivers looked like their September selves, and the defense stepped up in the second half after getting absolutely torched to start the game. But this still isn’t a good team by any means. Jacksonville won between two bad teams because the other team is worse. It’s that simple.

27 – Lions (2-6) 5

The Lions finally got that elusive second win just as I predicted they would. It wasn’t exactly in the fashion that I expected, but it still worked. I was actually shocked to see Detroit win a game thanks to their defense. This is a unit that has been the absolute worst of any on either side of the ball in the NFL this year, and they put together their best game of the year. For once, it wasn’t on the offense. That’s a good thing, because those guys weren’t great, but they didn’t have to be. Good for the Lions.

28 – Raiders (2-6) 4

I can’t talk about this team anymore. It’s so exhausting. I’ll just leave you guys with this stat. In their first 61 years of existence, the Raiders blew a 17+ point lead just five times. In their first 8 games of their 62nd year of existence, they’ve done it three times. What a disaster.

29 – Colts (3-5-1) 4

The 2022 Indianapolis Colts are slowly becoming one of the most embarrassing teams I’ve ever seen. First they traded for the corpse of Matt Ryan, then benched him within the first two months of the year because he was un-shockingly awful. Their star player Jonathan Taylor has been a ghost all year long. Their defense can’t stay healthy. They hand the reins to Sam Ehlinger, who has also been unsurprisingly terrible. And now they fire HC Frank Reich, who has a winning record in his time in Indy despite the revolving door at QB. To top it all off, they bring in former center Jeff Saturday as the interim HC, whose highest level of coaching is a high school team that he led to a 3-7 record. It’s like this is Ted Lasso or something. Jim Irsay is absolutely unhinged right now, and while it makes for tremendous comedy, I feel really bad for the Colts. This was a great franchise that is now suffering an awful fall from grace.

30 – Panthers (2-7) 2

The Panthers predictably got blown out on Sunday. There’s nothing shocking about it. I still feel the same way I did before about this team. They’re clearly in rebuild/tank mode, and it’s going pretty well. I do feel bad for PJ Walker, who was looking really solid before playing horribly and being benched for Baker Mayfield. I hope he keeps his job, because he’s actually fun to watch and is probably a better option at this point than Baker is.

31 – Steelers (2-6) 1

I really, really wanted to put the Steelers at the bottom this week. But I’m giving them one last chance to prove themselves. Off their bye, they get a reeling Saints team at home and have a real chance to get back in the win column. I don’t feel confident in their chances to do so, but it doesn’t feel impossible. If they lose, you can bet I drop them to that #32 spot next week.

32 – Texans (1-6-1) 1

The Texans don’t feel like the worst team in football, but they’re just allergic to winning. They played a solid first half against the best team in the league, but the second half was just abhorrent. Davis Mills continues to look like anything but the answer at QB, Dameon Pierce was stifled for the most part, the WR group is generationally bad, and the defense is starting to show some cracks. The Texans are likely content with continuing to lose, so I suppose this is all good for them. But I feel like they’re better than this.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 9 Picks

Last week was my best of the season. Hopefully the winning ways continue this week with the shortest slate of the year thus far waiting.

Cover photo taken from NFL.com.

Last Week: 12-3

Season Total: 70-51-1

Eagles 29-14 Texans

Thursday, 8:15 PM EST, Prime Video

It doesn’t get much simpler than this. This is the best team in the NFL facing off against one of the worst teams in the NFL. Even on the road, this should be an absolute wash for Philadelphia. The Texans have had a competitive edge to them all year long, especially at home, but this is their toughest test yet, and they haven’t looked the part in the last two weeks. They better hope they show up defensively and keep the Eagles offense at bay. In the off chance that they do, their offense has to go through that tremendous Birds defense. It’s just not going to happen. This should be another field day for Jalen Hurts and company. At least one of your teams will win on Thursday night, Philly!

Chargers 27-24 Falcons

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Every time these two teams meet up, it’s absolute comedy. I’ve said it so many times before: they are the exact same franchise in two different conferences. So, at the very least, this should be close, especially with the Chargers coming off a bye. But they’re also coming all the way out east against a team that’s probably better than they are, and is certainly playing at a better level. Still, I feel like LA should come out on top here. I just don’t like how they’ve played all year long. I think the key for them is to get Austin Ekeler all the touches in the world, seeing how D’Onta Foreman dismantled the Atlanta defense last week. I don’t trust the Falcons to contain him, and with AJ Terrell likely still out, I don’t know if they can contain the passing game either. Their own offense can and will put points on the board and has shown us that they can win shootouts, but this feels like a bad matchup for them. It’s a total coinflip, so I’d avoid betting this one like the plague.

Dolphins 23-19 Bears

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

This is another wonky matchup for me. One one hand, the Dolphins have looked great since Tua’s return and boast the best, most productive WR duo in the NFL. They also just added Jeff Wilson and Bradley Chubb to boost the run game and the pass rush at the trade deadline. But, this is a tough road test against a Bears team that’s improving every week. Justin Fields had himself a very nice game last week against an elite defense, so who’s to say it won’t happen again? I don’t see there being a ton of points on the board here; it should be hard-fought throughout and dominated by each defense. In a game like that, I have to trust the better, more talented offense in Miami. It’s just too hard to pick against them with how scorching hot they can get offensively. I don’t see Chicago’s defense being able to stop them.

Bengals 28-17 Panthers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Bengals are a solid team that went on the road and got embarrassed on national television by a division rival. I feel extremely confident that they’re going to come home and play infinitely better against a worse opponent after being smashed like that. Even without Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Burrow is capable of putting up numbers against a defense as bad as Carolina’s. Moreover, Cincy’s defense should be fired up and ready to make amends for how poorly they played on Monday night. This just feels like the perfect bounce-back game for Cincinnati. They’re one of my most confident plays ATS (-7) this week.

Lions 30-27 Packers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Yes, you are reading this correctly. No, I am not joking. The Lions are an actually serviceable team at home, and they very nearly beat the Dolphins last week. Their offense just finds another gear at Ford Field, and the Packers defense isn’t nearly good enough to stop them. Dan Campbell will once again be coaching for his life in this game, and Detroit is just so desperate for a win. I think they’re going to be as fired up as ever against their bitter rival and muster up enough to get their first win in 7 weeks. Moreover, I don’t like anything the Packers are doing other than finally running the ball effectively, but they’ll need to rely on Aaron Rodgers to win this game for them, which I just do not have confidence in right now. I absolutely love the Lions +3.5. What a world.

Patriots 17-13 Colts

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

There is simply no way that the Patriots are going to lose at home to a team led by Sam Ehlinger. It’s a simple calculus. Bill Belichick owns young QBs, the Patriots are a better team at home, and the Colts don’t pose a threat. It’s very likely that Jonathan Taylor will once again be out for Indianapolis (as if that means anything at this point), and after seeing how he played last week against a similar defense to New England’s, I don’t trust Ehlinger to put up enough points with his arm to win this game. The Patriots might use last week’s dominant win over the Jets to slingshot them back into playing like a real team, and an easy matchup like this should help them tremendously.

Bills 24-10 Jets

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

This would not be a blowout if the Jets of 2 weeks ago were playing in it. Alas, they are without Breece Hall and still need to depend on Zach Wilson to win them football games. That’s a disaster waiting to happen, as we saw last week. He is embarrassingly bad and will be awful once again this week against a great Bills defense. While I think New York’s own defense is good enough to contain Josh Allen and company for a bit (Stefon Diggs vs. Sauce Gardner is appointment television), it’s only a matter of time before they explode. The Bills will win this game in dominant fashion on the backs of their defense, and their offense will do enough to just cover the spread.

Vikings 23-20 Commanders

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I was very close to picking us in this game. My philosophy is simple: I have to see it to believe it. I can’t pick us to beat one of the league’s elite teams just because we’ve strung together wins against some bums. I need to be proven wrong before changing my mind. The Vikings aren’t exactly the scariest, most convincing 6-1 team ever, but there is no denying how good they can be. Their offense is as dynamic and scary as any in football, and while their secondary is pretty poor, their front seven is stacked and ferocious. It’s a pretty solid matchup for Washington, who might just be able to take advantage of a bad secondary. But do we really think Taylor Heinicke can beat a great team with his arm? I think the key for us is stopping Minnesota’s offense, especially containing Justin Jefferson. If you force the Vikings to beat you on the ground, then it plays right into our defensive strength up front. If they gash us through the air, then it’s over. I think that’s the more likely scenario. That would be one hell of a way to lose to Kirk Cousins in his proverbial homecoming.

Raiders 23-20 Jaguars

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Like the Bengals, I don’t think the Raiders are as bad as they showed us last week. It was pretty embarrassing, but they’re simply too talented to be that awful again. It doesn’t help that they’re back on the road for an east coast trip and a 1pm kick, but it does help that they’re facing one of the worst teams in the league. The Jaguars are only doing one thing well right now, and that’s letting Travis Etienne cook. But last week was indicative that they can’t just ride him to victory. I don’t think the Raiders defense is nearly as good as Denver’s, but I don’t think the Jags can win solely on the back of #1. They’ll have to rely on Trevor Lawrence to make plays, which I can’t bet on. In a game with two pretty bad teams, you have to side with the superior talent, which lies in silver and black.

Seahawks 27-21 Cardinals

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX

This is a very tough pick to make. I feel very confident in Seattle and how they’ve played in recent weeks, including shutting down the Cardinals offense at home a few games ago. I simultaneously think that Arizona is better right now than they were in that game solely because of DeAndre Hopkins and his productivity since his return. However, I still like the Seahawks here purely based off their consistency. I know that Geno Smith is going to sling it and Kenneth Walker is going to run all over people. While I know that Kyler Murray and Hopkins will get their numbers, I don’t trust Arizona’s defense or their run game at all. They can’t win the game with only two players. Seattle’s defense will put up another solid game and the Seahawks will find a way to notch yet another win.

Buccaneers 20-17 Rams

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

Both of these teams have had quite the fall from grace since their classic in last year’s Divisional Round. The Rams boast one of the least productive offenses in the league including the second worst run game and a defense that continues to falter. The Buccaneers meanwhile have the worst run game, a QB who gets no favors from anyone, and a defense that is also struggling despite its talent. So, there will either be a lot of defense in this game or none at all. And there will be a lot of passes thrown. For that reason, picking the Bucs is fairly easy. They have the better QB, the better weapons, and the better defense. Oh, and they’re also at home off a mini-bye after playing last Thursday. I can’t put any faith in the Rams right now, especially with Cooper Kupp dealing with some ankle issues. He is their entire offense (hell, he’s their entire team), and if he can’t go or is less effective than usual, then they don’t stand a semblance of a chance. Tampa needs this win badly, and I think they’ll step up and make enough plays to finally snap their skid.

Chiefs 30-20 Titans

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

The Chiefs are virtually unbeatable off a bye. At home against a Titans team that nobody really feels great about in primetime, they should waltz to a win. For one, we still don’t know if Ryan Tannehill will return for Tennessee. If he does, then he’ll likely be limited. If he doesn’t, then Malik Willis gets the keys to the car for a second straight week after completing just six passes last week in an unconvincing win over Houston. I trust Derrick Henry to make this offense at least slightly productive, but on the road against a great Chiefs defense that’s starting to get healthy, it will be in vain. Patrick Mahomes and company should put up their usual fireworks. Look out for trade deadline acquisition WR Kadarius Toney to get involved and make some plays in his first game as a Chief.

Saints 26-23 Ravens

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN

I feel like last week could have been the performance to get the Saints back on track, especially defensively. Stopping Lamar Jackson off a mini-bye isn’t an easy task, but I think at home in a primetime environment, they can muster up just enough to put up another solid performance. New Orleans’ offense is seemingly finding its groove as well now that Alvin Kamara is back to his dominant ways. I don’t think Baltimore’s defense can stop #41, and for what it’s worth, Andy Dalton has been solid for the Saints. He’s the inferior QB in this matchup, but Lamar’s weapons around him are dropping like flies and it’s hard to project who if anyone is going to contribute on a weekly basis. I just think this is a good matchup for the Saints, and it’s hard to pick against them at home in primetime. That’s going to be a raucous scene that could prove to be the difference.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Post-Week 8 Power Rankings

Amidst the trade deadline and another great week of football, there are plenty more shakeups in this week’s rankings.

Cover photo taken from Dallas Morning News.

1 – Eagles (7-0)

The NFL’s best teams destroying some of its worst is never exactly the most revealing thing in the world. Sunday showed me once again that the Eagles can absolutely decimate you through the air if they want to. Their dominance in the run game is well-documented, but people forget just how good of a passer Jalen Hurts has become. It helps that AJ Brown is continuing to shred secondaries. This team is just so incredible on both sides of the ball, and is only going to get better defensively with the acquisition of Robert Quinn. How they’re not the universal #1 across the media is beyond me.

2 – Bills (6-1)

The Bills would probably tell you that they didn’t play the way they wanted to on Sunday night. They obviously got off to a great start, but after going up 24-7, they phoned in the rest of the game. Josh Allen threw two really bad picks to take points off the board, their defense let up, and they just looked lethargic. They luckily didn’t have to continue playing their best ball to stave off a bad Packers team, but I would’ve liked to have seen a more complete performance out of them, especially coming off a bye.

3 – Chiefs (5-2)

The Chiefs had the week off ahead of a suddenly huge primetime showdown with the Titans at home on Sunday night. If they look even slightly as good as they did against San Francisco, then we should see some more fireworks out of this team.

4 – Cowboys (6-2) 1

This team just keeps on playing better and better. I think that giving up points in bunches to the Bears makes them look worse, but they went up 28-7 in the blink of an eye. The rest of the game was simply keeping Chicago’s offense in front of them, hence the big numbers from them. It doesn’t change the fact that this defense continues to play like the best in the NFL, and their offense finally poured in a great performance highlighted by a hat trick from Tony Pollard. They are so dominant defensively that any above average game from their offense means they win by 20+. I think the league should be a lot more scared of Dallas than they might be right now.

5 – Vikings (6-1) 1

The Vikings are still winning games by closer margins than they’d like, but all that matters is that the winning ways are continuing. The streak has reached five games, and they looked very solid on Sunday, especially offensively. Kirk Cousins played a great game and everyone on that side of the ball continues to contribute greatly. Now, TJ Hockenson is being added into the mix after being traded by Detroit. I’m not sure how he’ll fit into the system, but in due time, he should be another great weapon for Cousins. I still want to see the defense sure up the secondary, but they’ll continue to get away with it as long as this offense keeps their scorching ways going.

6 – 49ers (4-4) 3

Who would have thought that Christian McCaffrey would make a huge impact in this offense after a full week of practice? CMC became the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to throw, run for, and receive a touchdown in a single game. He was an absolute nightmare for the Rams, as he will continue to be for any and all defenses in the future. The rest of the offense looked just fine without Deebo Samuel, highlighted by another good game from Brandon Aiyuk, and the defense got back on track thanks to Nick Bosa being fully healthy again. His impact on the defense simply cannot be overstated, and it showed in bunches on Saturday. This team bounced back in a huge way from last week’s embarrassment, and I think they’re only going to get better. They are so much better than their record.

7 – Ravens (5-3) 1

This team is one of the hardest to make heads or tails of. I love Lamar Jackson, but I don’t know how to feel about the weapons around him. Nobody can stay healthy, but he continues to make it work. I don’t like this defense very much, but they played a solid game on Thursday. As a whole, I think this team is getting by on having a great QB and a generally talented roster, but we continue to see that they can’t play full games. I think they can be elite if they get healthy, but that feels unlikely for the time being. We’ll see how far Lamar can take them.

8 – Titans (5-2) 2

Honest question: how many people know that the Titans have won 5 games in a row? I feel like this team is getting completely lost in the mix of everyone else. It could be because of their cupcake schedule or their awful division, which is totally fair, but we have to put some respect on Tennessee. Winning on the road in a divisional game with a backup QB in his first career start isn’t easy. Handing the ball off to Derrick Henry over and over again is pretty easy though. He had his fourth consecutive 200 yard rushing performance against Houston. That is genuinely unfathomable stuff. None of the Titans wins on this streak have come against teams with winning records, nor have any of them been by more than 7 points. I know it’s not impressive, but they’re running away with the division and Henry is playing like an OPOY candidate. If no one else will respect them, I will.

9 – Seahawks (5-3) 3

How fun is this team? Everything they do is awesome. I never thought I’d see myself enjoying Seahawks football or them even being this good, but they are, and I am. They just keep on winning, and continue to do so in impressive fashion. Their defense stood out the most on Sunday, limiting the Giants all game long, allowing just 53 rushing yards from Saquon Barkley. Geno Smith did his thing again, DK Metcalf looked fine after suffering a minor injury last week, Tyler Lockett made amends for an uncharacteristic drop, and of course Kenneth Walker kept on scoring. This team now sits atop the division with a full game lead. I don’t know how long they’ll stay there with the Niners nipping at their heels, but it might be a tighter race than we thought.

10 – Dolphins (5-3) 3

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are the best WR duo in the league. That argument has been put to bed. It might get to the point where they become one of the best duos we’ve ever seen. Both of them are so incredibly dynamic and talented. It makes every Dolphins game a must-watch. It helps that Tua Tagovailoa is playing solid ball. Granted, they won’t be playing the worst defense in the NFL every week. Moreover, their own defense needs to play vastly better than they did on Sunday. They should never have been a 27-17 hole in the first half alone. I will say that I loved the fact that they shut out the Lions in the second half. And the pass rush is getting a huge boost thanks to trading for Bradley Chubb. I love the way this team is playing, and they are so much better with Tua at the helm. Their playoff push is imminent against a fairly easy schedule.

11 – Bengals (4-4) 5

Last week, I declared that the Bengals were back. Then, Ja’Marr Chase’s injury was decreed way more serious than any of us expected. I’ve said for over a year that Chase is one of the most valuable players in the league thanks to his ability to alter the way this offense works and is played against by opposing defenses. With him out on Monday night, you could see just how much worse this team is. The Browns weren’t moved at all by just Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, who are typically open because of the attention that Chase gets. They couldn’t run the ball effectively without a threat of deep shots. They were absolutely manhandled, giving the rest of the league the blueprint to shut this team down while Chase is out. The next few weeks are a bit easy on paper, so Cincy better hope they can notch some ugly wins while #1 gets healthy.

12 – Giants (6-2) 5

The Giants finally lost a game they deserved to lose. About time! Their offense was an absolute sham for sixty minutes as their patented running game did a whole lot of nothing and Daniel Jones played his worst game of the season. Moreover, their defense, which has been so solid all year long, let up a lot of big plays and long drives. They were able to force some turnovers and get pressure, but it just wasn’t enough this time. And that’s what I’ve been waiting to see. The Giants have had a winning formula for a while, but it was only going to take them so far. Their games against actual teams will go like they did on Sunday. Luckily for them, their schedule is remarkably easy, with their next two games being at home against the Texans and Lions, so wins should still be pouring in for them.

13 – Jets (5-3) 2

The Breece Hall injury effectively ruined the Jets season. Now they can’t run the ball, which means the offense rests on the shoulders of Zach Wilson. And he is the worst starting QB in the league. I’m not afraid to say that there are several backups in the league, including his own, that are better than he is. If the Jets want to win, they should have Flacco under center. Wilson’s inability to read defenses and inexplicable tendency to hand the ball right to them multiple times a game is holding this team back so much. Despite the fact that they couldn’t run the ball, the Jets might have won on Sunday if it wasn’t for those boneheaded picks. Their defense could have played better, but I’m placing all the blame on the guy who was unfathomably selected #2 overall last year. He is the problem.

14 – Chargers (4-3)

I don’t know what the rest of the Chargers season will look like as they come out of their bye week, but I’m having a hard time feeling good about it. They’re still super banged up and simply not great across the board, and Justin Herbert needs to elevate his level of play. I don’t like their chances this week coming across the country to play a solid Falcons team.

15 – Falcons (4-4) 4

I’ve felt pretty good about the Falcons for a while now, and suddenly they have sole possession of first place in their division. That’s merely a product of how bad it is, but I’m not going to sit here and say this team isn’t good. Perhaps they should have lost on Sunday, but they found a way to win, as good teams do. Their offense continues to play very well, especially at home, but their defense sorely misses AJ Terrell. I think the secondary play can and will hold them back in future games, but for now, they’re content to be .500 in spite of their last two defensive performances.

16 – Rams (3-4) 1

I honestly might have the Rams too high here. As I’ve said all year, this team is the definition of mid. With Cooper Kupp nursing an injury, they could look like one of the worst teams in the NFL this week. He is their entire offense, although Allen Robinson is contributing ever so slightly. Matt Stafford is doing nothing, nor is the defense. The only good thing about this team is #10, as has been the case since the start of the year. If he can’t go this week, you’ll see just how reliant this team is on him.

17 – Cardinals (3-5) 1

The Cardinals looked exactly how I thought they would look on Sunday. They were competitive all game long, but when it came down to it, they could not execute. It was very predictable, and for that reason, I’m not going to be that harsh to them. It was a tough road test against a very good team, and they played a solid game. DeAndre Hopkins’ return from suspension has proven to be massive for this offense as he put together yet another monster statline, but the rest of the offense is just lingering. They need to get healthy in the RB room if they want to be better. The defense isn’t good and they’ll just have to live with that. But if they slightly improve, they really could be a playoff team.

18 – Patriots (4-4) 3

This team is weird. I expected them to look better after last week’s thrashing in primetime, and they did. They still could have and should have looked better considering how bad the Jets played, but a win is a win, and they’re back to .500. I don’t know how much I buy this team on either side of the ball, and their inconsistency makes it that much harder to read them. Mac Jones still isn’t playing well, but the emergence of Rhamondre Stevenson makes this offense viable. The defense played much better, which is good to see. I just don’t see New England actually rising to the occasion and beating the good teams on their schedule.

19 – Browns (3-5) 4

I thought the Browns would play well on Monday night. I did not foresee them playing their best game of the year by far and winning by nearly 20 against their division rival. After the Ja’Marr Chase news broke, I figured the Browns would win (and rushed to take them +3.5), but I didn’t see it being so dominant. Jacoby Brissett played a solid game, Amari Cooper was spectacular, and their RB tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt finally returned to form. Chubb continues to play like the NFL’s best back, racking up TDs like it’s a video game. While the offense moved the ball up and down the field, perhaps the most impressive part of the performance was how their defense shut down and dismantled Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense from start to finish. Without Chase on the field, they couldn’t get anything going, and the Browns pass rush looked as good as we know they can be. I don’t know how many of these types of performances Cleveland has in them, but if they can get some more good momentum going with Deshaun Watson just 3 games away from returning, then perhaps they can turn their season around.

20 – Saints (3-5) 4

Like the team above them, I didn’t know the Saints had such a dominant performance in them. It certainly helps that Alvin Kamara is finally looking like himself again with an incredible 3-touchdown performance, but something got into their defense after being thrashed last week by Arizona. They absolutely locked down a very solid Raiders offense to the tune of the second shutout of the season thus far in the NFL. Josh Jacobs, who had been unstoppable coming into the game, had just 43 yards on the ground, and Davante Adams might as well have stayed in Vegas after just 1 catch for 3 yards. New Orleans’ dominance on both sides of the ball was very impressive, but it remains to be seen whether or not that can be replicated against the tougher teams on their schedule. This week’s primetime matchup with the Ravens should help us get a better understanding.

21 – Commanders (4-4) 4

Strap in folks, we’re going on our yearly Linsanity run. This year, it features 3 straight wins against 3 awful teams that will have this fanbase stirred up and ready for a “playoff push”. Left hand up, am I right? I wish people would temper their expectations. We should have lost to Chicago and Indianapolis, who both beat themselves. We realistically could have lost to Green Bay if it wasn’t for a defensive touchdown taken off the board. This team still is not good. However, it’s not all bad (for once). The defense has been playing very well, especially up front. I’m taking that with a grain of salt considering the offenses they’ve played. Taylor Heinicke has been… fine I suppose. The gameplan of throw it up to Terry McLaurin and praying has worked thus far since #17 is one of the best receivers in the NFL and continues to earn every penny of that extension. If there’s one good thing that comes from Heinicke starting, it’s that Terry gets the love he deserves. So yes, we are somehow back at .500 and on a streak. But the next two games are against the 6-1 Vikings and 7-0 Eagles. Prepare for this team to look as awful as they did on that 4-game losing streak.

22 – Packers (3-5) 4

The Packers have now lost four in a row. Despite that fact, they are content to continue with their roster being the same while the rest of the division around them makes moves. It’s a sign of the times in Green Bay. They seem perfectly fine with being bad. I do think they played alright on Sunday night, and it helps that Aaron Jones is becoming the central focus of the offense. But the defense is still getting torched, especially in the secondary, and they can’t throw the ball. The losing ways are going to continue for the Packers, and they have no one to blame but themselves.

23 – Buccaneers (3-5) 4

This has been perhaps the worst week of Tom Brady’s life, but I’m not here to beat him up. I’ll also lay off on beating up his team for once. Yes, this team sucks, but we already knew that. They’re the same team every single week, and that’s why they can’t win. They are simply not good at anything other than statpadding in the passing game. Every week is more of the same, so none of the Buccaneers’ struggles shock me anymore. They’ll just keep on plummeting.

24 – Raiders (2-5) 4

I should start a new rule where I don’t talk about your team if you get shut out. That seems fair. That being said, I can’t ignore how embarrassing the Raiders were on Sunday. They let a defense who has gotten gashed in nearly all of their games this year put them in a padded cell. Davante Adams had yet another game where he was invisible. Josh Jacobs’ hot streak ended and the rest of the team had no idea what to do, namely Derek Carr, who looked genuinely awful. We knew their defense was bad, so seeing them get gashed wasn’t shocking. But I never expected this offense to look so poor.

25 – Colts (3-4-1) 3

The first game of the Sam Ehlinger era went as expected. The Colts were simply mediocre all game long, and could have won thanks to being handed the game by the Commanders offense. But, their defense fell apart late, and they completely blew it. Ehlinger was painfully average, as was everyone else involved. Like so many other teams in this range, we know what we’re going to get out of Indianapolis every single week. It’s really shocking to see Jonathan Taylor continue to be a complete non-factor, but I’ve gotten used to it at this point. Teams won’t fear Ehlinger, and they don’t fear Taylor anymore either.

26 – Bears (3-5)

Despite another loss, it’s hard to not feel encouraged by what the Bears have been doing in recent weeks. Justin Fields has looked really solid and extremely comfortable as the offense around him continues to produce. He had a career day on Sunday with efficient passing and three total touchdowns. It helped that Chicago put themselves in a massive deficit early on, allowing Fields to put up numbers, but regardless, I was once again impressed. He looks much more comfortable in the pocket and is throwing the ball really well. The RB duo of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert continues to shine as well. I’m not sure what the direction of this team is after dealing LBs Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith but trading for a WR in Chase Claypool, but I think they feel better about Fields too and are preparing to build around him for the future. I love to see that.

27 – Broncos (3-5) 2

Like so many other teams this week, the Broncos looked exactly how I expected them to on Sunday morning in London. The offense was able to put up enough points against a bad team, and the defense was able to shut down a solid offense when it mattered. They forced key turnovers in key moments, and it won Denver the game. I still think this team is relatively awful, but there’s no denying how good they are defensively. As I’ve said all year long, that defense will win them games against inferior competition. That is exactly what happened on Sunday.

28 – Panthers (2-6) 2

I feel pretty bad for the Panthers. Once again, they were competitive to the very end. They pulled off an incredible Hail Mary which should have won the game and missed two game winning kicks, including the extra point after that Hail Mary. D’Onta Foreman put up a monster statline in his first game as the team’s true RB1 and PJ Walker continued to look very solid as the QB1. I do think losing while putting up those numbers was the best-case scenario for this team, but it definitely stings.

29 – Jaguars (2-6) 2

Just about the only positive with the Jaguars right now is the fact that Travis Etienne has fulfilled the promise of being a true RB1. He had a huge game on Sunday morning in London and continues to be the best player on the offense. No one else is playing close to his level, especially QB Trevor Lawrence, who continues to lay a ton of duds on the field. His costly, bad interceptions lost the Jags the game, and he’s simply regressing. There’s nothing else but himself to blame it on. He has a RB, good WRs, a good coach, and a decent defense. He is the main reason this team is losing games.

30 – Steelers (2-6) 2

The Steelers have a real case for being the worst team in the NFL right now. Kenny Pickett hasn’t done anything in his starts, Najee Harris has regressed into Trent Richardson, and the defense is playing like one of the worst in the league. There isn’t a single thing this team does well. They are firmly in the running for the #1 pick, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if they end up with it by season’s end.

31 – Texans (1-5-1)

If you can’t beat a team playing their backup QB in his first start at home, then you’ve got problems. We all know the Texans have problems, though. None of this is remotely shocking. I think they could have and should have played better, but the Titans have absolutely owned them in recent years, namely Derrick Henry, who had his fourth straight 200-yard rushing day against Houston. Losing games is the best-case scenario for the Texans, so I’m sure they’re not too upset.

32 – Lions (1-6)

The Lions in a closed environment, especially at home, are simply different. It’s the only place where they can play like an actual football team. The offense got off to a blazing hot start on Sunday, but the second half was anything but. Getting shut out for the entire second half after putting up 27 in the first is a bit mind-boggling, but this is the Detroit Lions. Everything is mind-boggling. Now, they’ve dealt away TJ Hockenson and seem fully geared towards continuing the rebuild next year. It’s only a matter of time before Dan Campbell is sent on his way as well.

All stats taken from ESPN.