Week 7

CINCINNATI BENGALS (33) vs. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (31)

The “Icy Hot Bowl” was one that certainly did not disappoint. In six Thursday night matchups between division rivals, this was the fifth one that came down to the final two minutes. However, although I was surprised with the amount of points that each team scored, I expected the Bengals to win this game for multiple reasons. Number one is because the Steelers always find a way to lose to an inferior opponent at least once per season, but the second is that this team has not won a Thursday night matchup against a divisional rival on the road in seven tries. At the end of the day, the bottom line is that 40-year-old Joe Flacco outplayed 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, which is something that should weirdly be celebrated.

Pittsburgh got off to a convincing start early in the contest. On their two third down attempts of the opening drive, Rodgers hit DK Metcalf for a 39 yard shot down the sideline and then maneuvered the pocket from left to right, connecting with an open Jonnu Smith in the end zone for a touchdown. With less than five minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Bengals were trailing 10 to nothing and it felt like we were in for a boring predictable blowout. However, what gave their offense a spark was something they have failed to establish all season long: the running game!

Entering Thursday night, Cincinnati only averaged 52 rushing yards a week, by far the worst in the National Football League. Yet it was a 27 yard run from Chase Brown that gave their offense the boost they needed to march down the field and score their first touchdown of the night. One play later, Rodgers threw an absolute arm punt of an interception down the sideline to Jordan Battle and all of a sudden, we had a ball game. Another long run from Brown, this time from 37 yards, set up a go-ahead touchdown pass to Tee Higgins just two plays later and the Bengals were somehow winning! Pittsburgh’s offense made an effort to get back into opposing territory on their next possession, but what looked like a nifty sideline catch from DK Metcalf turned into an interception by DJ Turner as he ripped the ball out of the Pro Bowl receiver’s hands. The Bengals capitalized off the possession by kicking a last-second field goal to enter the halftime break ahead by seven when they were trailing by 10 just five minutes prior.

What ensued in the second half turned into a back-and-forth shootout. It was predictable for the Bengals defense because they have been a terrible unit all season long and entered Thursday night without its best player Trey Hendrickson coming off the edge. Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, Jaylen Warren and Pat Freiermuth each had 110+ yard performances, the offense went seven for ten on third down, and nearly totaled 400 yards! The Steelers had four total drives in the second half with three of them ending with touchdowns. However, what was more impressive to me was how Cincinnati never backed down.

While they did blow a 10 point fourth-quarter lead, their offense did not break a 

sweat for most of the night, especially Ja’Marr Chase. He got targeted a career-high 23 times against the Steelers defense and caught 16 of them for 161 yards with a touchdown. It did not matter if he ran an inside slant pattern or a simple seven route towards the sideline. With the exception of a few drops, Chase was absolutely unguardable the entire night. That was a huge reason why Flacco finished the night with over 340 yards and three touchdown passes, but there are two more unsung heroes that deserve their praise. The first is Chase Brown because in a year where the run game has been non-existent for the Cincinnati Bengals, he gave this offense the spark they needed to take as much momentum as possible and shined with over 100 rushing yards. The second player is Tee Higgins, who made the most critical play of the entire night. On the final drive of the night, Flacco found the open receiver open down the sideline for what could have been a 35 yard touchdown. But with the presence of mind, Higgins slid down in bounds to force the Steelers to burn their last timeouts and allow the Bengals to burn a lot of time off the clock. That set up the go-ahead 36 yard field goal for Evan McPherson and the upset was officially pulled off!

There was a lot that happened on Thursday Night Football, but the bottom line is that Cincinnati outplayed Pittsburgh for a huge stretch of the night. I think that this would have been a guaranteed victory for Aaron Rodgers if it were not for the two interceptions he threw. The one that DJ Turner ripped away from DK Metcalf was not obviously the quarterback’s fault, but that arm punt of a pick on the previous possession sure as hell does not get a pass. Both of those turnovers led to 10 Bengals points in a two point defeat, meaning that without those costly mistakes, the Steelers would have won the game! However, I am not going to complain either because we had ourselves one heck of a showing between two of the oldest quarterbacks in the National Football League. Some will say this was hot, others icy. I would argue to say that it was spicy.

The Bengals get a huge win on a prime time stage to get back in the column at 3-4 and will stay home for a chance to even their record as they welcome the New York Jets. The Steelers lose in heartbreaking fashion, but are still leading the division at 4-2 and will head back home for what should be an epic showdown against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.

LOS ANGELES RAMS (35) vs. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (7)

Unfortunately, this international showdown between the Rams and Jaguars was not the grudge match we all wanted. In fact, this was one of the more boring blowouts of the entire season.

From start to finish, Los Angeles just had the better football team. Their offense scored a touchdown on three of their first four drives of the game and did their job in the second half by putting the game out of reach. Matthew Stafford only had 186 passing yards on 21 completions, but still threw five touchdown passes with no interceptions. Considering that he was without his favorite target Puka Nacua in unfavorable weather conditions, this was an impressive performance. 

For the Jaguars, the issue was not moving the ball. It was scoring. There were more than a few drives where their offense got into scoring range, but they did not score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. To give this team some semblance of pride, Travis Hunter had a big game with over 100 receiving yards and his first career score, yet the outcome was already decided at that point. Jacksonville settled for one field goal attempt, in which Cam Little missed a 50 yarder wide left. They went for it on fourth down six times and only succeeded twice! It does not help when the receivers are dropping everything in sight. To make matters worse, Trevor Lawrence got sacked seven more times by the ferocious Rams defense, which makes it 14 sacks in two weeks. LA used the exact same formula that the Seahawks used last week: shut down the run and make the offense one dimensional. 

It was nice to see Los Angeles return to form and get a convincing win without one of their top players available, but to me, this said more about Jacksonville and their flaws. They treated that Monday night win against the Chiefs like it was their Super Bowl and over the last two weeks, the after effects hit this team hard. The offensive line is incredibly suspect, they cannot establish a consistent passing game and the defense is starting to get exposed again. This is looking like a carbon copy of the 2023 season and for them to avoid deja vu, everybody has to step up their games. Otherwise, Trevor Lawrence’s future with this team is in serious jeopardy.

The Rams get a huge win in London and will enter their bye week 5-2 while the Jaguars drop their second in a row to head into their week off 4-3. 

CHICAGO BEARS (26) vs. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (14)

It is nice to see the Bears on a roll with a traditional method to get the job done: play great defense and run the ball efficiently. Over the last few weeks, Caleb Williams has been decent, but has not put up outstanding numbers since the third game against the Dallas Cowboys. On Sunday, he only threw for 172 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, but what really worked for Chicago was their ability to run the football. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 205 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, which allowed the team to dominate the time of possession 36 minutes to 24 for the Saints, a team that could not hold onto the football.

Despite two sweet touchdown passes from Spencer Rattler to Chris Olave that erased an early 20-0 deficit, New Orleans lost this game exactly the way they beat the Giants: turnovers. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen sure had a fun afternoon rubbing it in against the team that fired him in the middle of the 2024 season. Rattler was responsible for all four of them: three interceptions and a lost fumble on a strip sack from Montez Sweat. Chicago simply took Alvin Kamara out of the gameplan by holding him to 29 yards on 14 touches and the sophomore quarterback could not drag his team out of the mud. Once again, the Saints kept playing from behind and could not find a way to pull through in the most impactful moments. At some point in time, if you are head coach Kellen Moore, you have to wonder when the time is right to start rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. Although Rattler has not been completely terrible, he is definitely not a part of the solution to help them win games. There does have to come a point where the team has to come together and realize something has to change. Whether it happens this week or the next will be determined, but their season is dwindling quickly.

The Bears win their fourth straight game and are back in the playoff hunt at 4-2, but will take the road for what should be a difficult matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, the Saints get humiliated once again to fall to 1-6 and will head back home to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (31) vs. MIAMI DOLPHINS (6)

When I found that this game was being played in heavy winds with incoming rain, I knew that the Browns were going to win. Why? Because the Dolphins are absolutely horrible in the cold and they proved it firsthand on Sunday. After both teams kicked early field goals, Cleveland’s offense set the tone with a 46 yard touchdown run to give them their first lead of the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Dee Eskeridge got the ball dislodged on the return and the Browns recovered, immediately setting up another trip to the end zone for Judkins. That immediately opened up the flood gates and from that point on, Miami had no chance.

The Dolphins offense did not score a single touchdown on Sunday afternoon and relied on two field goals from Riley Patterson for all six of their points. Tua Tagovailoa had another horrendous performance with three interceptions and 100 passing yards. All three of those turnovers were in the second half, beginning with a pick six to Tyson Campbell on the first play from scrimmage! The second one was nearly returned for a touchdown, but it was returned all the way to the two yard line, in which Judkins punched in his third score of the afternoon. The third resulted in Tua getting benched for rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers. The crazy part about this was that Dillon Gabriel did not even do much throwing the football, but he did not even need to because everybody else was taking care of everything for him. 

It is time for Miami to move on from Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier. This was more than just a blowout on the road. The Dolphins flat out quit on each other and it felt like nobody felt bad about it whatsoever. Watching him stammer and stutter during the press conferences has just been so painfully uncomfortable. Obviously, you cannot blame him when players make mistakes, but there is just absolutely no urgency or sense of pride with this team. Tua wanted to throw teammates under the bus at a press conference last week, only for him to be tied for the league lead in interceptions with Geno Smith! Something has to give and the longer this persists, the more disastrous their season will turn out.

The Browns pull off a convincing victory at home and are back on the board at 2-4, but will take the road for what should be a challenging matchup against the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have been embarrassed once again to fall to 1-6 and will stay on the road for a must-win game against the Atlanta Falcons.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (31) vs. TENNESSEE TITANS (13)

“Vrabel” chants spread across the seats at Nissan Stadium after Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots won their fourth straight game on Sunday afternoon against the Tennessee Titans, who entered their first week since firing Brian Callahan. The Titans offense played with some fight early on, scoring 13 points on two of their first three drives. However, their defense let New England hang around and one kickoff out of bounds allowed them to take the lead with a beautiful 39 yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte. From that point on, the energy on Tennessee’s sideline diminished and they failed to score the rest of the game.

Cam Ward showed positive flashes earlier on, but he got sacked five more times and turned the ball over twice, one of them resulting in a scoop-and-score from K’Lavon Chaisson. The Titans essentially had no rushing attack whatsoever with just 39 yards on 12 attempts and they went three for ten on third down. Tennessee essentially had to play perfect for them to have a chance of winning, but the minute they fell behind, they lost all their energy.

Drake Maye, on the other hand, was absolutely spectacular. He completed 91% of his passes on Sunday, which is a franchise high. Not even Tom Brady had that high of a completion percentage. Even with four sacks taken, Maye still totaled over 280 yards of scrimmage with a couple touchdown passes. What was more refreshing to see was Rhamondre Stevenson picking up nearly five yards a carry on 18 touches, showing us why the Patriots gave him a long term extension in the first place. The defense got off to a slow start, per usual, but they eventually figured things out and dominated the rest of the way. I get that Jeffery Simmons and L’Jarius Sneed left the game with injuries, yet New England was just the better team from start to finish.

The Patriots win their fourth game in a row and are still atop the AFC East at 5-2, heading back home to see if they can keep their win streak alive against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, the Titans are still one of the worst teams in the league at 1-6 and will take the road for another grueling matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (31) vs. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (0)

This was by far the most predictable blowout of the season. We all knew the Chiefs were going to win by double digits and return to form against a reeling Raiders team. It was a little shocking the way that Kansas City won the game, but the outcome was still expected nonetheless.

Las Vegas’ offense only picked up three first downs, failed to convert on third down and only had 95 yards of offense. The only bright spot was that Geno Smith did not throw an interception again, but his quarterback rating was an eight. The Chiefs simply took Ashton Jeanty out of the gameplan and squeezed the passing game, yet the Raiders failed to figure out how to move the ball down the field. 

Patrick Mahomes, on the other hand, rose up the MVP ladder with three more touchdown passes and 286 passing yards, along with zero interceptions. From start to finish, the Chiefs offense was just invincible. They dominated the time of possession by holding onto the ball for 42 minutes, they picked up 30 first downs, and it got so boring to the point that the backups were taking kneeldowns with two minutes remaining. Rashee Rice made his return to the starting lineup and caught seven passes for 42 yards with a couple scores. You add 152 yards on the ground and what you get is an inevitable blowout. This was nothing more than a business meeting for Kansas City and instead of sharing the profits, they took it all for themselves.

The Chiefs are back with a winning record at 4-3 and will stay home for a Monday night showdown against the Washington Commanders. Meanwhile, the Raiders get goose-egged on the road and will enter the bye week 2-5.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (28) vs. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (22)

Normally, I would not be overly impressed with how the Eagles won because they let their opposition hang around for too long but the bottom line was that the Vikings offense did not take advantage of their opportunities and the defense let up too many big plays to win. 

Jalen Hurts had his best game of the season without question with a perfect passer rating. He finished Sunday afternoon completing 19 of 23 passes for 326 yards with three touchdown passes and zero interceptions. The downside was that Saquon Barkley was held to 2.4 yards a carry with 44 yards on 18 touches, but that was what Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores wanted. The only issue for him was that Hurts accepted the challenge of winning the game with his arm. As a result, DeVonta Smith totaled 183 yards on nine catches, with his biggest highlight of the day a 79 yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter to put Philly ahead 21-9. AJ Brown caught four passes for 121 yards. On the opening drive, he was the one that set the tone with a 37 yard touchdown reception down the sideline on fourth and four. In the last two minutes, he put the icing on the cake as he beat Isaiah Rodgers on a double move for a 45 yard catch-and-run to the 11-yard line. 

Carson Wentz made his fourth start of the season against his eventual replacement in Philadelphia. For the most part, he was okay because he threw for 313 yards. However, he threw two horrible interceptions, one of them a pick six by Jalyx Hunt that came back to bite Minnesota in the butt. Even then, this offense had multiple chances to go in front and give the Eagles their third straight loss. Here is the catch. They entered the red zone six times and reached the end zone just once. 15 of their 22 points came off five made field goals from Will Reichard, so while Philly’s defense bent for a good stretch of the afternoon, they made a few critical plays that kept them ahead. 

For Philadelphia, this was the win that they needed to bounce back after the two week slump they had. They still have flaws that must be corrected, but Hurts was absolutely phenomenal and their defense stood its ground. Minnesota had several chances to win, but they could not capitalize and that was the biggest difference in this football game.

The Eagles bounce back strongly and are still atop the NFC East at 5-2, heading back home for a chance at revenge against the New York Giants. The Vikings lose in agonizing fashion to finish the week 4-3 and will have to fly across the country for a Thursday night matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (13) vs. NEW YORK JETS (6)

There were a lot of ugly games this week but this one between the Panthers and Jets has to be near the top of the list. Carolina got their first win on the road, which is great, but the team they played against is just an absolute dumpster fire.

Justin Fields was once again a trainwreck. He got sacked three times and only threw for 46 yards before Aaron Glenn said “that’s enough” and pulled him in the second half for Tyrod Taylor. For the second week in a row, near the end of the first half, Glenn decided not to run a final play at the end of the second quarter and now it is becoming more apparent why. Nobody has any faith in this offense. Taylor was slightly better in the thirty minutes he was on the field, but that is not saying much. He completed 10 of 22 passes for 126 yards with two interceptions to Jaycee Horn and three sacks taken. Once again, all six of their points came off the leg of Nick Folk and not one single touchdown was scored. 

Bryce Young got hurt with an ankle sprain, yet neither he nor Andy Dalton had to do much to win. All it took was one touchdown and Carolina got that thanks to Xavier Legette. It is easy to nit pick and say that they were doing everything they could to lose, yet all they really needed was a pulse to just get through the afternoon. Chuba Hubbard made his return to the lineup and looked rusty with 31 yards on 14 touches, but Rico Dowdle picked up the slack as he ran for 79 yards. Overall, this was just a very sloppy game and I speak for all of us when I say that it is a relief that the Panthers were not the ones to give the Jets their first win. 

The Panthers hang on for road victory number one and have a winning record at 4-3, but without Bryce Young due to an ankle sprain, they will head back home to welcome the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, the Jets are once again winless after one week with an 0-7 record and will go on the road to play the Cincinnati Bengals.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (38) vs. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (24)

This was the biggest statement performance of the season for the Indianapolis Colts, especially by their offense with six scores on nine total drives. Daniel Jones was again outstanding with 288 yards and two touchdown passes, Jonathan Taylor had a hat-trick performance with three scores himself, and the entire offense was a near perfect four for five in the red zone. Any time that the Chargers tried to make a push for a comeback in the second half, Indianapolis simply found a way to respond every time. They proved to be the best team in the AFC on Sunday afternoon and they deserve tremendous credit for how they have performed all season long.

Justin Herbert, on the other hand, had an up-and-down performance. Everybody wants to point out the injuries on the offensive line and point out that this is the reason why their offense has struggled, but that was not the reason why they lost the game. In the first half, Herbert was absolutely horrible. He only scored three points and threw two interceptions, trailing 23-3 at the break. When he returned to the field for the final two quarters, he engineered three straight touchdown drives that kept Los Angeles in the game, but did not give them the lead. His final possession of the afternoon lasted 21 plays and lasted over nine minutes, but thanks to a huge sack from DeForest Buckner and a delay of game penalty, the Chargers failed to convert on the final fourth down attempt of the afternoon to try to make it a one-possession game. Many are going to praise Herbert for throwing for 420 yards, yet he was down 38-17 at one point! Right now, this team is in trouble after being one of the best in the league through three weeks. Their offense is inconsistent and the defense has been extremely vulnerable, which results in agonizing defeats such as this.

The Colts pull off a huge win on the road and are now the best team in the AFC at 6-1 with a trip back home to play the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Chargers have lost three out of their last four to finish the week 4-3 and will stay home for a Thursday night showdown against the Minnesota Vikings. 

DALLAS COWBOYS (44) vs. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (22)

Stephen A. Smith is not going to like me when I say this, but this was the most convincing victory of the season for the Dallas Cowboys. Their offense was fantastic, that was not too surprising, but it easily was the best week for the defense. In a game where many expected Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders to walk up and down the field, Dak Prescott made sure that the world remembered who he was on Sunday.

It started with a touchdown on the opening drive that only lasted three minutes, but Dallas began to falter a little bit. After the Commanders went three-and-out, they pinned the Cowboys at the one yard line and Da’Ron Payne stuffed Javonte Williams in the end zone for a safety! When Washington’s offense took the field on the ensuing possession, a 44 yard catch-and-run for Chris Moore set up a wide open go-ahead touchdown pass to Zach Ertz. Unfortunately, that was the only time that they would take the lead as Dallas kept the foot on the gas offensively and tightened up their defensive coverages. Once they reclaimed the lead, they never trailed again.

Prescott threw for over 260 yards with three touchdown passes and zero interceptions, continuing to stamp himself in the MVP conversation. Javonte Williams is also having an outstanding year that makes him a leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. He finished the afternoon with 116 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, making him the second leading rusher in the NFL behind Jonathan Taylor. CeeDee Lamb made his return from an ankle injury and caught five passes for 110 yards, topping it off with a 79 yard touchdown that gave Dallas all of the momentum in the second quarter. This offense has been the biggest reason why their team has been in the playoff mix and head coach Brian Schottenheimer deserves a ton of credit for utilizing his best playmakers better than Mike McCarthy ever did when he was the head coach.

Unfortunately, this was an agonizing loss for Washington. The biggest reason why was because they lost Jayden Daniels due to another injury, this time to his hamstring. Before he got hurt, the Commanders were down 27-15 and his last play was a lost fumble on a strip sack from Shemar James, so it is hard to say that the outcome would have changed if Marcus Mariota was not forced to take over. On his first drive, he threw a pick six to DaRon Bland and all of a sudden, Dallas was ahead 41-15 and the outcome had been decided. Mariota finished the game completing four of ten passes with two sacks taken and the only touchdown scored in garbage time. The biggest reason why Washington was one-dimensional the entire day was because Jacory Croskey-Merritt could only pick up 33 yards on 13 carries, so Dallas had this game under their control and did not make any mistakes in the process.

The Cowboys get a huge win at home and are now 3-3-1, but will travel across the country for a challenging matchup against the Denver Broncos. The Commanders are back in purgatory at 3-4 and will stay on the road for a Monday night showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

GREEN BAY PACKERS (27) vs. ARIZONA CARDINALS (23)

For the second week in a row, Jacoby Brissett made the start in place of Kyler Murray. It was another close game that was winnable for Arizona, but once again, they failed to seal the deal in the fourth quarter. 

For 45 minutes, the Cardinals played from ahead most of the way. It started with a field goal on the opening drive and a forced fourth down stop to establish early momentum. Their offense was in sync, scoring on five of their first seven drives. Even with six sacks taken and a lost fumble that set up a Packers touchdown in the second quarter, Arizona never trailed entering the fourth Any time the defense let Jordan Love or Josh Jacobs establish a rhythm, Brissett did everything he could to make sure that this was his time to shine. Up 23-20 with less than six minutes remaining, he was in position to finish the job and put the game out of reach. However, Green Bay swung momentum back over to their side on fourth down at the 47 yard line, where they stuffed the quarterback sneak and gave the offense tremendous field position with time to spare.

Love went to work by marching his team into field goal range, but they faced fourth down and two. They could have sent Lucas Havrisik onto the field to tie the game, the backup kicker that drilled a 61 yard kick to end the first half. Instead, the offense stayed on the field and Love found Tucker Kraft for a clutch conversion into the red zone. Not too long afterwards, Jacobs gave the Packers the lead with 1:50 remaining, but Brissett had a chance to do what he could not last week: engineer a game winning drive. 

A couple of big completions to Zay Jones and Michael Carter got the Cardinals in scoring range, but the best defensive player on the field Micah Parsons flew through the edge with his third sack of the afternoon to force another fourth down. On a desperate Hail Mary attempt, the pass was way out of bounds and the offense turned it over on downs once again, this time to put the game to bed. 

It was another impressive statistical performance from Brissett, but the bottom line was that this offense could not make the plays they needed to win the game! It happened the exact same way against the Colts last week and the script repeated itself at home. Green Bay, on the other hand, capitalized on the chances they were given. Two of their three touchdowns came off a defensive stand: the first after a fumble recovery and the second after a fourth down stop. That was the biggest difference on Sunday afternoon and that is why there is a widened gap between the two teams.

The Packers survive on the road and are now 4-1-1, but will stay on the road as they see an old friend on Sunday Night Football against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have lost five straight games to enter the bye week 2-5.

DENVER BRONCOS (33) vs. NEW YORK GIANTS (32)

Entering the fourth quarter, the Giants had this game in their control. They were ahead 19-0 and were about to pull off a huge upset victory on the road against a really strong Broncos team. Jaxson Dart threw three touchdowns against the vaunted Denver defense, while Bo Nix failed to establish a consistent rhythm throughout most of the afternoon. Although there was a missed extra point and failed two point conversion, a huge lead with 15 minutes left felt like game over. Then, the impossible happened.

The Broncos began the period with a touchdown pass to Troy Franklin off the ricochet, with Courtland Sutton catching the football on the two point conversion attempt to cut their deficit to 11. However, that was not the play that swung the entire game around because just a few minutes later, New York had a wacky deflected touchdown play of their own. On a pass intended for Wan’Dale Robinson, the ball popped up in the air and Theo Johnson not only held on for the catch, but he took off down the sideline in stride for a 41 yard touchdown! That truly felt like the dagger play as Denver now trailed 26-8, but their offense once again marched down the field on a 13 play drive for a successful touchdown and two point conversion. Now the Giants were only ahead by 10. With five minutes left, all they had to do was hold onto the football and chew enough time off the clock to hang on for the win. They did not.

Just three plays later, Dart threw a horrible interception right in the waiting hands of Justin Strnad, who returned it all the way to the 19 yard line. On the ensuing offensive possession, the Broncos made it a one score game with a wide open touchdown pass to RJ Harvey in the flat. Now the alarm bells were really ringing on the Giants sideline. When Dart got the ball back, he went three-and-out in just over a minute, giving Nix 2:42 to pull off the most signature game winning drive of his career!

On a huge third down play at the 31-yard-line, Nix found Marvin Mims deep down the right sideline for a 31 yard catch, sending the fans at Empower Field in a frenzy! Evan Engram then got free for 20 extra yards right before the two minute warning and on the very next play, Nix took the quarterback sweep for a go-ahead touchdown run! If you thought that was it, you would be horribly mistaken.

The Broncos defense did enough on its ensuing possession to force fourth down and nineteen, but a roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive! Three plays later on a deep shot to Beaux Collins, not only did Riley Moss get flagged for pass interference at the worst time, but Sean Payton got flagged for chirping at the refs outside of the coach’s box! That set up a go-ahead touchdown for Dart, but the kicker Jude McAtamney missed his second extra point of the afternoon and it only kept New York ahead by two instead of three! Now all the Broncos needed was a field goal to win.

Nix only ran two plays on his final drive: the first a 29 yard dart over the middle to Mims and the second a 22 yard back-shoulder snag by Sutton. These two plays set up an easy 39 yard field goal attempt for Wil Lutz, in which the trusted veteran easily split the ball through the uprights to cement the comeback!

 In just fifteen minutes played, down 19-0, the Broncos scored 33 points to win by one! That is absolutely absurd! In that span, Bo Nix was responsible for all four of their touchdowns and there was not one drive where they stalled out for a punt. From New York’s perspective, it is easy to scapegoat defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and have him fired for incompetence but here is the kicker. If Dart does not throw that interception to Strnad, there is a good chance they hold on for the win and many including myself are crowning them as a Wild Card contender. That was more costly than the two missed extra points because that turnover was all Denver needed to officially get their spark back. 

The Broncos come back from the brink of destruction to lead the AFC West 5-2 and will stay home to welcome another NFC East team in the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, the Giants choke away a pristine opportunity as they fall to 2-5 and will travel back across the country for a road meeting against the Philadelphia Eagles.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (20) vs. ATLANTA FALCONS (10)

This was the most impressive victory of the season thus far for the 49ers. Their defense did not have Nick Bosa or Fred Warner, they lost one of their starting cornerbacks, and still held the Falcons to 10 points and 62 rushing yards. The strategy was very simple: shut down the run and force Penix to win the game by himself. That succeeded in a big way on Sunday night. Bijan Robinson was held to just 40 yards on 14 carries, while Penix got sacked twice and lost a fumble. Despite a couple of solid performances from Kyle Pitts and Darnell Mooney, the offense only scored one touchdown on nine drives and it played a negative effect on the defense.

If you told me that Mac Jones was only going to throw for 152 yards with a pick, I would say that the Falcons got the momentum they needed to win this game. However, there was one player that shined bright under the bright lights better than anybody else: Christian McCaffrey. He looked like his vintage self with over 200 yards of scrimmage and the only two touchdowns the 49ers scored. Although Jones did not have the best showing, he still converted 50% of his third down attempts and the interception he threw was not his fault because the ball bounced right off the hands of Jauan Jennings. In short, he was more of a game manager than a hero and that was all it took for San Francisco to handle their business. The longer they were on the field, the more worn down the Falcons defense got over time.

The conclusion is simple: one team was able to run the ball effectively and the other could not. This was a pure coaching victory for both Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh because with a small roster of available guys, they slowed down one of the best running backs in the league and their offense exposed a couple of Atlanta’s defensive flaws. It was certainly far from pretty, but they made more impactful plays when it mattered most.

The 49ers bounce back with a huge win at home and are still tied for the division lead at 5-2, but will take the road for a difficult grudge match against the Houston Texans. The Falcons unfortunately cannot pull off another upset as they finish the week 4-3 and will head back home for a chance to bounce back against the Miami Dolphins.

DETROIT LIONS (24) vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (9)

It was unfortunate that the Monday night doubleheader did not give us the two exciting matchups we all thought we could watch before the week started. This matchup between the Bucs and Lions was supposed to be the best one, yet the Lions simply put on a defensive clinic from beginning to end.

Detroit’s offense got off to an outstanding start by waltzing down the field in three minutes, capped off with a breakaway catch-and-run score for Amon-Ra St. Brown. However, they fizzled out on their next four drives. Here is how all of them ended: turnover on a strip sack, turnover on downs, punt, missed field goal. However, the Bucs failed to capitalize on either one of those chances as their offense was getting absolutely punked by a hobbled Lions defense. For the record, almost every one of their starting defensive backs was out. Terrion Arnold and DJ Reed had been out for a while, Kerby Joseph was ruled inactive due to a knee injury, and Brian Branch was suspended for his altercation in the Chiefs loss. Yet all of a sudden, Baker Mayfield at one point completed just six of ten passes for 24 yards. Nobody used the injury excuse card when Tampa was winning so there is no reason to use it now. Unfortunately, it got worse when Mike Evans fractured his clavicle, a huge loss to the passing attack after just getting him back from a hamstring pull.

Goff and Mayfield threw for over 200 yards with an interception each, but the biggest difference in the game was that Detroit dominated the trenches. Jahmyr Gibbs was the best player on the field with nearly 220 yards of scrimmage and two touchdowns, including a 78 yard burner to the house that put the Lions ahead 14-0. The Bucs, on the other hand, mustered nothing with Rachaad White and Sean Tucker in the backfield. Any time that Tampa had a chance to get back in the game, they either gave up a big sack that led to a punt or they would fail to convert on needed third down and fourth down attempts. When your best receiver is tight end Cade Otton, that is a huge problem. Goff did not even have that great of a performance, yet he still had a better game than Mayfield, whose stock dropped a few points in the MVP race after Monday night. 

Overall, Detroit needed this win to bounce back from their loss against the Chiefs and to remind the league that one loss does not tell the whole story. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, got their serving of humble pie. They do not get to use the injury excuse because the Lions had several key players out as well. Outside of the opening drive of the third quarter, their offense was abysmal and the defense did not have one of its better performances. I will not overreact too much about this defeat because this was only their second loss, but I am hoping that this does not send Tampa in a bit of a freefall.

The Lions respond with a huge victory at home and will head into the bye week 5-2 while the Buccaneers get crushed on a primetime stage but are also 5-2 and will stay on the road for a chance to bounce back against the New Orleans Saints.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (27) vs. HOUSTON TEXANS (19)

Do not be fooled by the final score. This was one of the ugliest and sloppiest Monday night games I have watched in a good bit. The fact that Seattle turned the ball over four times, committed 12 penalties for 93 yards, went two for fourteen on third down, and still won the game is just absolutely absurd. Then again, they played the Houston Texans, a team with an even worse offense and a defense that gets out of hand at the worst possible time.

Up until the final drive of the game, CJ Stroud had no room in the pocket and the offense did next to nothing with the football. Nick Chubb and Woody Marks only combined for 31 rushing yards on 15 carries, while the best receiver of the night was Dalton Schultz with nine catches for 98 yards. They were two for fifteen on third down, one for four on fourth down, and the only touchdown that Houston scored before the final two minutes came on a scoop-and-score from Will Anderson. This team also committed 10 penalties for 105 yards, while their offensive line allowed three sacks. The worst part was that Seattle’s offense was doing everything they could to keep Houston in the game, yet there was next to no response. The Seahawks even tried a reverse pass with Cooper Kupp that got intercepted by Calen Bullock, yet all that was mustered was a field goal. To their credit, however, they had a few promising scoring drives that should have allowed this game to become a blowout. Yet, Seattle’s inflicted mistakes were what forced them to hang on by eight.

The Seahawks get a decent win at home to stay in the division race in the bye week at 5-2, while the Texans come back from their week off with another frustrating loss to fall to 2-3, heading back home for what should be a dog fight against the San Francisco 49ers.