NFL HOT TAKES 

Written by Dylan Davis & Max French, 10/21/2025

Steelers win playoff game - Spice level: 🔥🔥

The Pittsburgh Steelers have undoubtedly been having a streak of “mid” seasons, not having won a playoff game since 2016, or winning more than 12 games in the regular season since 2017. Yet they currently stand at the top of the AFC North, which as of recent, has been dominated by the Ravens and the Bengals, but due to heavy injuries in the Ravens' defence and the loss of star quarterback Joe Burrow on the Bengals, the Steelers have taken this opportunity to secure a strong start to the season at 4 wins and 2 losses. 

Thanks to offseason trades and good draft decisions made by Omar Khan, such as securing a top 30 receiver in DK Metcalf, signing a veteran presence at QB with Aaron Rodgers and heavy investments in the defensive core, having drafted five defensive players this year. The team has seen a significant all-around improvement in offensive and defensive production, with more development to come from the team’s young defensive core as the season unfurls. 

This creates a good recipe for the Steelers to win their first playoff game in almost 10 years, and with a little bit of luck, we believe they could have a shot at winning the AFC. 

Cam Skattebo winning OROY - Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Cam Skattebo came into the league with a draft profile predicting his strengths to be: a built low to the ground Running Back with a muscular frame, either breaking defenders’ tackles or making them “feel his force” if they do manage to get him down. As well as being an elite run extender, relying on outstanding leg drive and contact balance to continue for yards after contact. 

Despite these strengths, he was described as lacking the desired acceleration out of his cuts and stated he “must improve his ball security” in order to produce at the next level. Despite this, the “Skat Pack” has been limited to one fumble through 7 weeks with 4 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown. Alongside this, he has 338 rushing yards on 82 rushing attempts, at 4.1 yards per carry. Skattebo’s receiving game has improved since his time in college, as he has 20 receptions on 24 targets for 155 yards, at 7.8 yards per reception, thus far this season. As the giants' offence develops throughout the season, we predict that the Skat Pack’s production will continue to trend upwards and possibly cement him as the offensive rookie of the year. 

Jaxson Dart is a Better Quarterback Than Jalen Hurts - Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥

First of all, with a last name like “Dart,” how can you not be a sweet player? Rookie Jaxson Dart had an impressive debut as the Giant’s QB1 in Week 3 against the Chargers, throwing a modest 111 yards and one touchdown (though no picks). Since then he’s only picked up steam. Last Sunday night against the #2 defence Broncos, Dart had three throwing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, albeit with questionable efficiency. Dart is young and quite athletic, and has a solid running game. This was best displayed against the Philadelphia Eagles in week five: (Dart underlined yellow)

In this play Dart immediately faces pocket pressure (1), but manages to slip out (2), and finds himself in a one-on-one against Zack Baun (3), a top five linebacker in the NFL. Dart absolutely dusts Baun, and ends up running the ball for a touchdown, after he started at about the 30-yard line. What really makes Dart’s case however, is the fact that he doesn’t use his running as a crutch to compensate for weak passing game. Instead, Dart thrives in the pocket, where he consistently is able to buy enough time to get a throw off. Against the Broncos, Dart made solid passes throughout the entire game, throwing an impressive 283 yards. For reference, Jalen Hurts threw a similar 280 yards a few weeks prior against the Broncos. Between his running and passing game, Dart is looking extremely well rounded.

Until last week, Jalen Hurts has been putting up similar numbers to Dart. But against the Vikings, he really put on a show, throwing for 326 yards with 82% completion. Here we saw one of his biggest strengths, which was his deep ball, as he hit A.J Brown and Devonta Smith for long passes the entire game in a commanding performance. So it’s safe to say that Jalen Hurts has a better deep ball than Dart. Matter of fact, Jalen Hurts has simply been quite a consistent passer this entire season, albeit having had some difficulties in weeks 2 and 6 against the Giants and Chiefs. Notably, Hurts has not had a great rushing season, and currently has similar rushing yards to Dart despite having played three more games. Hurts also benefits from the best offensive line in the league, which buys him an almost unfair amount of time to get throws off. When it comes to receivers, Hurts has Smith and Brown at his disposal, both of whom are top-tier. Meanwhile, Dart’s best target at the moment is Wan’Dale Robinson, who has been the Giant’s WR2 since Malik Nabers got injured a few weeks ago. Dart also has to throw from a significantly worse offensive line. 

Ultimately, Jalen Hurts had been able to thrive because of the tools at his disposal, rather than over-the-top talent, while still managing to look less well-rounded compared to Dart, due to his lackluster running game. Meanwhile, Dart is putting up higher and higher numbers each week against all odds. For this reason, we believe that Jaxson Dart is a better quarterback than Jalen Hurts.