There will be outrage in Philadelphia and the normally mild-mannered Eagles fans are likely to be furious with me. Their team had a huge win against Dallas last weekend to move to an NFL-best 8-1 record on the season. But it is another feathered creature ruling the roost in the NFL this week with the Baltimore Ravens fresh in at number one. I can hear the boos now!
The Ravens are dominating both lines of scrimmage during their four-game winning streak that has catapulted them to the top of the AFC North and to the top of these rankings. Against Seattle, Baltimore rushed for 298 yards and three scores, while recording four sacks and shutting down the Seahawks attack.
The Eagles need their bye week because quarterback Jalen Hurts has a knee injury that needs time to heal up. And he will be needed for a brutal stretch of games that could define Philly’s season. Off the bye, they are at Kansas City, home to Buffalo then San Francisco, at Dallas and at Seattle. That’s a tricky run indeed.
It was a more familiar scenes for the Chiefs in their 31-17 win over the Chargers. Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns while Travis Kelce caught 12 for 179 and one score. But the defense that recorded five sacks and two interceptions deserves some love. They have still not allowed more than 21 points in a game this season.
The Bengals have put a slow 1-3 start behind them and have roared back into the AFC playoff picture with four straight wins to move to 5-3. They are very much in the Super Bowl conversation again because they have a true superstar at the quarterback position in Joe Burrow and he looks healthy and in red-hot form.
The 49ers needed last week’s bye to put a buffer between a three-game losing streak and what they hope will be a run to the Super Bowl. Rest assured, this team is still capable of mounting that sort of challenge. Key injured players will return soon and Chase Young could boost the D. A tough trip to Jacksonville is next.
The Jaguars took a five-game winning streak into their bye and will return to action hoping Trevor Lawrence’s knee is feeling better. Lawrence has been excellent, as has running back Travis Etienne. The defense is a ball-hawking unit. The schedule is about to toughen up, but the Jags look good in the South.
The Dolphins still haven’t beaten a team with a winning record and that narrative won’t go away until they do. But they can still be explosive on offense and the defense is getting better and better. That’s positive. Chances to beat a quality team will come with a regular season-ending run of Dallas, at Baltimore, Buffalo.
Dallas did more than just hang around against Philadelphia. They were a play or two away from taking down their division rival. The Eagles have a tough run incoming while Dallas face the Giants, Panthers, Commanders and Seahawks before a Week 14 rematch with Philly. This division is still up for grabs.
The Lions are coming off their bye with a renewed focus on chasing down a first division title since 1993. The Vikings have not gone away just yet, but the Lions are obviously in great shape at 6-2 – currently good enough for the number two seed in the NFC. Words I never thought I would type about the Lions.
The Cleveland defense did an absolute number on Arizona’s putrid attack during Sunday’s 27-0 win that lifted the Browns’ record to 5-3 on the season. Now, comes a much toughest test in the form of the division-leading Baltimore Ravens. Deshaun Watson is likely to face significant pressure in this key game.
The Bills have ever-so-discreetly been asked to leave the NFL’s top table of teams. They’ve been shifted out of the fancy private dining area occupied by the likes of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Kansas City. They’re eating in the main hall now with a whole raft of teams jealously wishing they were sat elsewhere.
Let’s keep that analogy going just a tiny bit longer. The Seahawks are in that main dining hall, knowing they are not good enough to be eating with the elite. That’s especially the case after Seattle effectively spilled gravy, ketchup and mustard down themselves in Baltimore last week. Okay, that’s all I’ve got on that front!
The Chargers survived against the New York Jets on Monday thanks to good showings from the defense and special teams units. And while that was commendable, it sort of shows the inconsistency of this team as Justin Herbert and the offense was quiet. When will all three units play well at the same time?
The Saints continue to receive great help from a defense that forced five turnovers last week. But the offense has also played a major role in this team steadying the ship with back-to-back wins after losing four of its first five. Surprisingly, the Saints have averaged 412 yards per game on offense since Week 6.
The Steelers continue to fail most eyeball tests and get out-gained almost every week (their yardage differential compared to the opposition is -790 and that ranks them 31st in the league). Yet this team finds a way to win close games and is very much alive in the AFC playoff race with a 5-3 record. Unbelievable.
C.J. Stroud has not only injected energy and belief into his teammates, he has given an entire city and fan base a spark. No one is laughing at the Texans nor taking them lightly anymore. The future is indeed bright for this team and Stroud, who has ice running through his veins, is on his way to becoming an NFL star.
The Vikings have been ravaged by injuries on all fronts and had to turn to Josh Dobbs at quarterback last week. Despite being in town for just five days and hardly knowing the names of his teammates, Dobbs delivered and this plucky team has now won four straight after losing some nail-biters early in the year.
Even the most positive and passionate Jets fans must have lost faith in this offense by now. And the struggles show how important good line and quarterback play is in the NFL. With failures at both vital spots, the Jets cannot get all that much out of their skill position stars Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson.
The Commanders are not only alive in the NFC playoff race at 4-5, they are an intriguing team that demands our attention on a weekly basis. Sam Howell has made a very good start to life in the NFL, despite being under great physical pressure. The young QB ranks second in the NFL with 2,471 passing yards.
The Colts have been far from perfect this year, but they have won games with multiple 50-yard field goals (at Baltimore) and multiple pick sixes (at Carolina) and they remain alive in the AFC playoff race at 4-5. Indianapolis have averaged 26 points per game this season – good for seventh in the NFL.
The Bucs have lost four in a row after a 3-1 start and last week’s loss in Houston was a heartbreaker. The defense shipped 39 points, heaping pressure on head coach Todd Bowles. If that doesn’t make bad enough reading, Tampa allowed 496 total yards at an average of eight yards per play! Hard to win that way.
How often does this happen in the NFL? Will Levis followed up a very strong showing in his first NFL start with no touchdown passes in a loss to the Steelers. He is still worth a good explore the rest of the way and Derrick Henry’s increasing presence (three straight 100-yard scrimmage games) should be a huge help.
The Falcons have lost two in a row and three of their last four. Tyler Heinicke is not going to be the long-term answer at quarterback in Atlanta, but he’s probably better than Desmond Ridder. There is talent on this team but, for some reason, it is not being used. Bijan Robinson had just 11 carries last week.
The Packers got a much-needed win to snap a four-game losing streak. And while it came against a Rams team struggling to keep pace with Brett Rypien at QB, it served as progress for Jordan Love, who played his first game since Week 2 at Atlanta without committing a turnover. It won’t be so easy in Pittsburgh.
The Broncos were on a bye last weekend, licking their wounds after a 3-5 start to the year but boosted by a win over KC in their most recent outing. Denver’s defense – which allowed Miami to score 70 points in a September thrashing – has not allowed an opponent to reach 20 points in the last three Broncos outings.
It was only against the equally-lowly Giants, but Antonio Pierce injected energy and passion into the Raiders in his first game as the team’s interim head coach. Josh Jacobs certainly looked livelier, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns. This team could spring the occasional surprise the rest of the way.
The Rams’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers summed up the first half of their season. They can be really encouraging at times and then maddeningly frustrating. They blew that winnable game to fall to 3-4. But the plus side is the connections between Matthew Stafford and receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
The Patriots are 2-7, bottom of the AFC rankings and off to their worst start under Bill Belichick since his first season in New England when they went 5-11 in 2000. This game in Germany means a great deal to owner Robert Kraft. How will he react if New England lose and fall to 2-8? He wouldn’t… would he?
The bad news for the Bears is that they only have two wins and – with Justin Fields sidelined in recent weeks – they don’t seem to be making any real progress. The good news is that one-win Carolina is up next and Fields could return. The second half of this season must offer hope for 2024 and beyond. Must!
Bryce Young picked the worst possible time to throw two pick sixes in a home loss to Indianapolis, with the costly errors coming a couple of hours after C.J. Stroud had thrown for 470 yards and five scores in a massive Houston win. Those two rookie QBs are going to be compared and contrasted for years to come.
Daniel Jones is now gone for the year with a knee injury and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor is on injured reserve with a rib injury. So, with Tommy DeVito and/or Matt Barkley picking up the slack, surely attention turns to next season? I bet Saquon Barkley wishes he had escaped NY around the trade deadline.
58 total yards! You read that correctly. An NFL team gained 58 total yards… that was one embarrassment of a game for the Cardinals and we had every right to expect better than that, even with rookie Clayton Tune at quarterback. Kyler Murray should be back soon and a major spark is needed. The only way is up.
