There were some great games this week, with some wild finishes. A season-high six teams were on their bye weeks: Falcons, Bills, Bengals, Jags, Saints, and Jets. For those teams that did play, though, here is what we have learned.
Ravens:
They have finally shored up their pass defense, which has looked much better in the past couple of weeks. Couple that with an already great run defense and with an elite offense led by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry; this Ravens team is one to be reckoned with.
Chargers:
They are a good team, and their success this season hasn’t been a fluke. However, we have seen good offenses put up big points on them the past couple of weeks, and they will see a lot more of that when they play playoff-caliber opponents. Justin Herbert continues to look great, even with a sub par offensive line.
Bears:
Caleb Williams has looked much improved with a new offensive coordinator over the past two games. He was able to get Keenan Allen and DJ Moore involved, too, as they were losing confidence in him.
Texans:
The Texans are lacking depth at wide receiver and on their offensive line. CJ Stroud looks like he’s rushing his throws, and he seems to have hit the sophomore slump. Even the greatness of Nico Collins can’t save him.
Steelers:
George Pickens is letting his immaturity get the best of him. He’s one of the most talented receivers in the league, but on the last play of the game, he was more concerned about getting into a fight with Greg Newsome than he was about scoring a touchdown. If the Steelers are going to be a playoff team, he needs to get his head right.
49ers:
No Brock Purdy and no Trent Williams made it virtually impossible for San Francisco to win this game. It feels like this is becoming a lost season, as Brandon Allen couldn’t move the ball at all.
Colts:
Josh Downs had about 50 yards called back on various penalties, which nullified a potentially good game. The real problem is that Anthony Richardson had a low completion rate, as he only completed 11 passes which is just not good enough to win games.
Browns:
Jameis Winston has once again proven that he can be a starter in the league. Even though he only threw for 219 yards, he ran for a critical touchdown late in the game and led his team to victory. Winston has become a leader that his teammates respect.
Panthers:
This is Chuba’s backfield. It seems this is not the year for Jonathan Brooks, as even though Panthers head coach Dave Canales promised that he would get Brooks involved in the offense, he only had two carries for seven yards, which was a major disappointment.
Bucs:
Bucky Irving seems to be taking over the RB1 role for Tampa. He’s more explosive than Rachaad White and also shows very good hands out of the backfield. Look for him to see more opportunities as the season progresses and Tampa has a fantastic schedule.
Commanders:
After a few weeks of seeing him not look effective, dropping back Jayden Daniels showed that he is once again healthy and added another gear to the Commanders offense, rushing for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Patriots:
New England is desperately seeking a WR1 receiver to help Drake Maye, as Maye just doesn’t have anybody that he can count on in critical situations. They have a good tight end in Hunter Henry, but they still need to surround Maye with a better offensive line and talented receivers.
Giants:
Malik Nabers had zero receptions at halftime until they finally started to feature him in the second half. He finished with six receptions for 64 yards. This is of the utmost concern that the team cannot get the ball into the hands of their best player, who is obviously frustrated with the poor playcalling.
Cowboys:
The Cowboys finally decided to lean on Rico Dowdle in the running game, and it paid off. Dottle had 19 carries for 86 yards rushing and showed that he could withstand a full load of carries.
Dolphins:
The Dolphins offense cooks when they find a way to get Jaylen Waddle involved in the offense. Waddle has been underutilized up to this point, but today, Tua was able to get him the ball in space, and Waddle responded with 8 catches for 144 yards and a TD.
Titans:
The Titans are a significantly better team when they give Tony Pollard the immense workload that he seems to crave. With Tyjae Spears out, Pollard has looked like a top-five running back in the league.
Lions:
David Montgomery left the game for a time with a shoulder injury, but Jahymr Gibbs was sensational, rushing for two touchdowns and looking explosive. It wouldn’t surprise me if Gibbs was the lead back in Week 13, as it is a short week for Thanksgiving.
Vikings:
With Josh Oliver out with an injury, T.J. Hockenson had seven catches for 114 receiving yards and played a full load of snaps. He is fully back, considering he has had nine targets and 70+ yards in two of the three games since his return.
Chiefs:
TE Noah Gray is not a fluke. If anything were to happen to Travis Kelce, he arguably would be a top-five player at the position.
Broncos:
Javonte Williams cannot be trusted as the RB1 for Denver. After dominating last week, he only had eight carries for -2 yards in what many would have thought was a great matchup. Courtland Sutton has been the 3rd best WR over the last five weeks and is a true mismatch against defenders.
Rams:
Puka Nacua has taken over the Rams WR1 role from Cooper Kupp. Even though both players had double-digit targets, Nacua outgained Kupp 117-33, proving that he is the bigger downfield threat and game-changing receiver. Nacua also has a very favorable matchup on the road against New Orleans next week.
Packers:
The Packers have turned into more of a run-based offense, as Josh Jacobs had three touchdowns to help seal the victory. Jacobs has been the 2nd best RB in the NFL statistically since Week 7. As the weather continues to get colder and more difficult to play in look for Green Bay to continue to lean on their running attack instead of their passing game.
Seahawks:
For the third game in a row, it feels like Jaxson Smith-Njigba has become Geno Smith’s favorite target. JSN is not only catching quick passes over the middle, he’s also challenging defenders deep which is making him more of a big play receiver.
Eagles:
There aren’t enough superlatives to describe how good Saquon Barkley is this season. Against the Rams, he had 26 carries for 255 yards and 2 TDs, along with 4 catches for 47 yards. Plus, he still has games against Carolina, Dallas, and New York on his schedule. It’s a long shot, but 2000 total all-purpose yards is not out of the question.
Cardinals:
Arizona lost this game for two reasons: Kyler Murray was missing his receivers horribly, and James Conner had no room to run. The Cardinals offense is always better when their running game sets up their passing attack.
Raiders:
Gardner Minshew was lost for the season with a broken collarbone. The Raiders offense is in real trouble if they are forced to go with Desmond Ridder, who might be the worst passer in the NFL. There will be many people who will want them to sign Daniel Jones, but that doesn’t seem like it is a good move considering they should have a high pick in next year’s draft.
