Last week, I picked out five games with teams that absolutely had to win the week and could not afford a letdown. Of those five, only three prevailed. The Steelers lost to the Browns. The Commanders lost to the Cowboys. And the Texans lost to the Titans…needless to say, all three of these teams are huge losers this week.
All the concerns that were lingering around the Steelers came to fruition on Thursday. Ultimately it seems unrealistic that either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields will be able to lead the Steelers to the promised land. Granted, it was only one divisional loss on the road, but after their big against the Ravens, Thursday could have gone one of two ways. This was the way I feared it could go, with a gigantic letdown.
CJ Stroud hasn’t been quite the same dynamic player he was in his rookie season, and defenses have caught up to him. He only completed 20 of 33 passes with two interceptions. And Joe Mixon was awful, only gaining 22 yards on 14 carries.
The Commanders are now on a three-game losing streak, and their defense has abandoned them. They somehow managed to give up 34 points at home to a Dallas team led by Cooper Rush. They are still clinging to the no.7 seed in the NFC, but the margin of error is razor-thin at this point, and they have to find a way to get their early-season mojo back.
Although not many believed the Colts would be able to hang with the Lions, QB Anthony Richardson reverted back to his inaccurate self. They had a chance to get back to .500 and, with Houston’s surprising loss, get themselves back to within one game of the division lead. But when your QB only completes 11 out of 28 passes for 172 yards, it’s nearly impossible against any opponent, nevermind a team who’s the favorite to win the Superbowl.
Half of the NFC West are big losers this week. Both the Cardinals and 49ers lost massive games. The undermanned 49ers again could not get over .500, losing in Green Bay, getting them down to 5-6. The Cardinals lost a tough matchup against Seattle, to bring them down to 6-5 and tied with Seattle. The Cardinals could only muster six pts in their loss. For the 49ers, there was heart, but with Christian McCaffrey still working his way back, going to Lambeau was a tall order. McCaffrey finished the day with 11 carries for only 31 rushing yards.
On the winners side…a win is a win, I suppose. In a game that should have been a cakewalk for the Kansas City Chiefs, they built an 11-point first-half lead that they took into the fourth quarter. But 11 unanswered pts by the Cardinals had the game tied late and much in doubt. Patrick Mahomes had to put his Superman cape on, leading the Chiefs down the field for his patented comebacks. And with no time on the clock, they managed to kick a FG to walk out of Carolina with a win.
The Vikings are back to never losing. Sam Darnold played as well as he has all season, completing 22 of 34 passes for 330 yards and two TDs. Aaron Jones was a monster on the ground, gaining 106 yds on 22 carries, with a TD. And Jordan Addison, not Justin Jefferson, caught eight passes for 162 yards and a TD.
The Dolphins were one of the teams I said couldn’t afford a letdown, and they didn’t disappoint, easily beating the Patriots 34-15. Tua Tagovailoa still has never lost to the Patriots, and he was magical on Sunday. He completed 29 of 40 passes for 317 yards and four TDs. One went to Jalen Waddle, who caught eight passes for 144 yards. Another went to former Patriot TE Jonnu Smith, who had nine catches for 87 yards.
At this point in the season, it’s impossible for the Lions to have a letdown game. RB Jamhyr Gibbs made sure of that. He carried the ball 21 times for 90 yards and two TDs.
While the Broncos aren’t quite in the same rarified air as the Lions, HC Sean Payton has this team believing in themselves and currently in the playoffs. Bo Nix is edging his way into serious rookie of the year discussions. On Sunday, he may have put himself in the lead. He completed 25 of 42 passes for 273 yards and two TDs. His main target was WR Courtland Sutton, who made eight catches for 97 yards with both of Nix’s TD passes.
And the two RBs with the best weeks were Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs and Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkey. Each RB had a very workman-like 26 rushes…although Barkley more than doubled Jacobs’ yardage. Jacobs rushed for 106 yards and a productive (on the field and in fantasy) three TDs.
And although Barkley “only” had two TDs, he rushed for 255 yards. He now has the third lowest odds to win the MVP, only behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. He is sitting at +650, and for my money, a great value play. Jackson’s loss last week in Pittsburgh really hurt his chances. He could do something special on Monday night against the Chargers, but for now, the shine is off. And, although the Bills did beat Kansas City to catapult Allen’s MVP bona fides, he isn’t having what anyone would call a whirlwind season. Barkley has a serious chance at this award, which admittedly, always does go to a QB.
