Packers @ Titans:
Malik Willis had 202 passing yards and a touchdown in a revenge game. Moreover, he ran six times for 73 yards and a rushing touchdown. He was the difference maker, as was the Packers defense, who had eight sacks. Jaylen Reed only had 50 yards receiving, and Christian Watson had 67 yards receiving, but that should hopefully change next week when Jordan Love returns against the Vikings.
The Titans are very frustrating because there are glimmers that show that Will Levis might be a pretty good quarterback. He ended up with 260 passing yards and two touchdowns, although a lot of that was in garbage time. It was good to see DeAndre Hopkins play so well. He had 6 receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown, and he looked like his old self. The bad news was that Calvin Ridley only had one reception for 9 yards, and Tony Pollard only had 14 yards rushing. The Packers run defense had been so bad all season long that it was a complete disappointment to see Pollard perform so poorly. He was one of the bigger misses of the week.
Bears @ Colts:
Caleb Williams had 363 passing yards and two touchdowns, but a lot of that was in garbage time. D’Andre Swift was only able to muster 20 yards rushing and the Bears averaged 2.3 yards per carry against the Colts team that had been a sieve previously against the run. Rome Odunze did have 112 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Cole Kmet had 10 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown, so it was good to see them heavily involved. It will be interesting to see how those targets get divided when Keenan Allen returns soon from injury.
Anthony Richardson was horrible. He threw for 167 yards and two interceptions. The Colts bright spot was Jonathan Taylor, who had 110 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The receivers would honestly be better off with Joe Flacco. On the bright side, the Colts defense had four sacks and two interceptions, which was the real difference in their ability to beat Chicago.
Panthers @ Raiders:
I’m sure many people were surprised that the Panthers beat the Raiders on the road, but I wasn’t. I mentioned on the First Look and on Friday Night Lights that I thought Andy Dalton would play well. Not only did Dalton throw for 319 yards and three passing touchdowns, but he also made it easier for the running game to get going, and Chuba Hubbard had 114 rushing yards. Diontae Johnson had eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown to lead the receivers. One thing of note was that Adam Thielen did get injured in the game. If he’s not back, Xavier Legette becomes a potential start, especially in DFS.
I think it’s time to bury Zamir White. White only had 34 yards rushing, and if he’s not scoring touchdowns, he’s worthless in the passing game. The Raiders defense was very underwhelming, and Gardner Minshew was under siege most of the game. On a brighter note, Tre Tucker had a big game, as did Jacobi Myers. Both players had 7 receptions, and it was good to see them in the box scores, considering they had done nothing for the first two games.