Where are the Chiefs and Lions at?
32 (32)
The Panthers got outgained 427-246 yards but pulled off a 23-22 win in the final two minutes. Three of the four Panthers wins in the past two seasons have come by 2, 2 and 1 points. The Panthers aren’t going to be apologetic about any win.
31 (29)
The Saints’ firing of head coach Dennis Allen had to happen. They’re in free fall and losing to the Panthers was an obvious last straw. The problem will be finding a replacement, considering the massive rebuilding effort that needs to happen.
30 (30)
Jerod Mayo should have gone for the 2-point conversion and the win. He didn’t, then oddly has refused to give a decent explanation for his decision. It’s not the worst thing for a 2-7 team, but hopefully it’s a learning moment.
29 (31)
You haven’t exactly turned a corner when you need overtime to beat the Patriots at home, but head coach Brian Callahan couldn’t afford a loss. Not that there’s any sign he could be one-and-done, but if he fell to 1-7 on a loss at home to New England, maybe the seat would have started to get warm.
28 (28)
The Raiders fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and two other assistants, and that seems like a desperate move. The Raiders don’t have offensive talent outside of Brock Bowers. Antonio Pierce should know that once you start firing coordinators, the next one to go is the head coach.
27 (27)
Daniel Jones had zero yards passing at halftime on Sunday vs. the Commanders. He rallied a bit in the second half, but it’s clear the Jones era is over in New York. The Giants have wasted six seasons waiting for him to turn a corner.
26 (26)
Trevor Lawrence had an 8.3 passer rating at halftime on Sunday vs. the Eagles. He’s backsliding. The Jaguars as a whole are a mess, and team owner Shad Khan needs to start paying attention to his team and leading a productive change.
25 (20)
Well, forget about the notion that the Browns could have a surge with Jameis Winston at quarterback. He looked bad Sunday vs. the Chargers and so did the Browns. They’re playing out the string for the second half of the season.
24 (24)
Another heartbreaking loss. Head coach Mike McDaniel’s decision to not go for 2 and the lead late was weird. Safety Jordan Poyer’s awful penalty on a third-down incompletion after that was inexcusable. The Dolphins are 1-3 in Tua Tagovailoa’s starts. They’ve taken a big step back.
23 (21)
It keeps getting worse for the Cowboys, who will reportedly be without Dak Prescott for multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury. Dallas still has one of the NFL’s toughest remaining schedules. It’s worth wondering if there will be any reason to bring Prescott back in December.
22 (23)
Joe Flacco looked bad on Sunday. Maybe that’s because he went against a tough Vikings defense, but it was concerning. The decision to bench Anthony Richardson was controversial, and it will look bad if Flacco craters.
21 (17)
Geno Smith threw two horrendous fourth-quarter interceptions and the Seahawks still had a shot to beat the Rams in overtime. That’s not to point out a moral victory, it’s to say that Seattle will regret letting a game slip away that it should have won.
20 (25)
The Jets play only one more game against a team that is currently two or more games over .500, and that’s the Bills in Week 17. There are a lot of mediocre or bad teams coming up for the Jets. New York is in a big hole and might not be a great team, but the opportunity to make a run is there.
19 (13)
Chicago’s coaching staff is on a bad run. It screwed up the Washington game and had major mistakes in the Cardinals loss too. Having Caleb Williams in the game to hurt his ankle on the final play of a 29-9 loss was inexcusable too. Head coach Matt Eberflus is in trouble.
18 (15)
Head coach Todd Bowles’ decision to kick the extra point at the end of regulation will follow him around for awhile. If you have one play from the 2-yard line to knock off the Chiefs in Kansas City, you don’t pass that and pray to beat Patrick Mahomes in overtime. The Buccaneers played for overtime, and it ended how everyone but Bowles knew it would.
17 (14)
We shouldn’t view the Broncos any differently after Sunday. If you thought this was one of the NFL’s best teams before a beatdown by the Ravens, you were fooling yourself. They can make the playoffs beating bad teams, and any division winner would want to draw them in the wild-card round.
16 (19)
Joe Burrow seemed annoyed on the sideline during his five-touchdown game and afterward, said “what is there to be happy about?” Burrow was likely sending a message that the Bengals still have a long way to go, and they face a massive challenge Thursday night at Baltimore.
15 (16)
The Rams keep battling, whether it’s after a 1-4 start to the season or the many times on Sunday when it looked like they would lose to the Seahawks. It’s incredible how quickly they went from potential trade deadline sellers to playoff contenders.
14 (22)
Head coach Jonathan Gannon has done a very good job with the Cardinals’ defense. That side is making big strides with few blue-chip players. The Cardinals lead the NFC West and at very least they’re going to hang around the wild-card race.
13 (18)
Jim Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He just happened to take nine seasons off to coach Michigan. The Chargers are improving, especially on defense, and only injuries will keep them from a wild-card spot.
12 (12)
The Falcons’ only remaining opponents that currently have a winning record: Commanders, Vikings, Chargers, Broncos. That’s not too bad. The Lions have seven games against current winning teams. It sounds wild, but the Falcons could be a surprise contender for the No. 1 seed.
11 (11)
Assuming Christian McCaffrey comes back this year, the 49ers can feel like their season really starts now. It’s not too late for them to win the NFC West and be the most dangerous team in the conference by January. They have to get some more injury luck.
10 (6)
The loss to the Jets was not a good look. The offense looked really bad, the third time that group has laid an egg on the road this season. The truth is that C.J. Stroud is good but he has had some regression after a great rookie season. There’s still time to get it right.
9 (10)
Sunday was a needed rebound, but the Vikings didn’t look great especially on offense. Sam Darnold can’t get into a turnover slump. He had three bad ones against the Colts. That’s been his issue through his career, and seeing him revert to that version of himself was troubling.
8 (9)
T.J. Watt is a massive favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year at BetMGM. He’s -140 odds. No other player after Sunday’s games was shorter than 10-to-1. Another DPOY award would be an amazing five combined for the Watt family.
7 (5)
The Packers had a sloppy, uneven effort on Sunday vs. the Lions. They weren’t beating the Lions with a bunch of penalties, dropped passes and a horrible Jordan Love pick 6. It’s possible Green Bay is the second-best team in the NFC. It’s also undeniable the Packers are the second-best team in their division, at best.
6 (8)
The Eagles are playing well. The second half vs. the Jaguars was concerning, with game management errors that allowed Jacksonville to stay in the game and almost win it. But a weird second half will keep the Eagles under the radar. Pretty soon, everyone will be talking about them.
5 (7)
The Commanders have a tricky Week 10 game against the Steelers. It would be easy for them to look ahead to a Week 11 showdown against the Eagles, which will be on a Thursday night. It would be a sign of maturity for the Commanders if they don’t trip up this weekend.
4 (3)
The Bills didn’t look great in barely getting by Miami at home, but that’s OK. It was a win against a desperate Dolphins team that knew their season was on the line. Buffalo now leads the division by four games with eight weeks to go. They could clinch as soon as Dec. 1.
3 (4)
Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and he might be having his best season. His passer rating is an unbelievable 120.7, which would land him fourth on the all-time single-season list. Is Jackson already among the top 10 quarterbacks of all time? Maybe. And he’s only 27 years old.
2 (1)
The Chiefs’ win on Monday night vs. the Bucs showed again that they can get victories without playing their best ball, and also the positive impact DeAndre Hopkins can have. He made big plays including two touchdown catches and will continue to get better. How did the rest of the NFL let the Chiefs get him for just a conditional fifth-round draft pick?
1 (2)
Jared Goff has the highest completion percentage (82.8%) and passer rating (140.1) for any six-game stretch in NFL history. That he kept that hot streak going outdoors, in a rainstorm at Green Bay, is impressive. If the Lions get the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, Goff will get MVP votes.