Los Angeles @ Denver:
I called the Chargers victory on the Sunday morning discord show as I knew that their zone defense was something that the Broncos offense couldn’t handle. More surprising was Justin Herbert, who had 237 passing yards and a touchdown. By the way, if you didn’t wake up at 8:00 AM on Saturday to listen to Fantasy House Calls on SiriusXM fantasy sports radio, you missed out on my Kimani Vidal anytime touchdown call. Vidal caught a 38-yard touchdown reception and made people a lot of cash!
Denver struggled against the Chargers swarming defense, but I think this was to be expected. Denver had won three games in a row and they were coming in a little hot and maybe thought that they were better than they actually are. Bo Nix tried his best, throwing for 216 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran for 61 yards. Cortland Sutton had four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Plus, it was very good to see Devaughn Vele back on the field. Vele had four receptions for 78 yards, and now, with Josh Reynolds out on IR, he could be a sneaky add.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 10: Najee Harris #22 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Heinz Field on October 10, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh @ Las Vegas:
The Steelers ran the ball 35 times for 183 yards, which is 5.2 yards per carry. When you’re running at that kind of clip, you’re going to win a lot of games. Justin Fields ran for 59 yards and two touchdowns, and Najee Harris ran for 106 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers passing game didn’t have to do that much, but they did make a concerted effort to get the ball to George Pickens at the end of the game to get him a touchdown.
Las Vegas is suffering from injuries and bad quarterback play. With no Davante Adams and no Jacobi Myers, only Brock Bowers exists as a receiving threat. Bowers had 9 receptions for 71 yards and is their entire offense. Alexander Mattison ran for a touchdown early in the game. He also caught a touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter, which the referees called back due to a delay of game penalty, which came at like the worst time for the Raiders. It took them from having a chance to no shot to win. Hopefully Jakobi Meyers returns next week.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 28: David Montgomery #5 of the Detroit Lions celebrates a touchdown during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on September 28, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Lions defeated the Packers 34-20. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Detroit @ Dallas:
Detroit played arguably the best game that I have seen a team play all season. Jared Goff threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns, and the Lions also ran 36 times for 184 yards. There’s nothing they couldn’t do. David Montgomery had 80 yards and two touchdowns rushing to lead the team. In the passing attack, Jameson Williams had three catches for 76 yards and a touchdown, and even more impressive was how Jared Goff was able to spread the ball to seven different receivers.
I’m not sure how Mike McCarthy still has a job. I’m also not sure how Dallas is going to get better after giving Dak Prescott $60 million per season. Prescott threw for 178 yards, had two interceptions, and could not make easy throws, hard throws, or any throw for that matter. Dallas was only able to rush for 53 yards as a team and only Lamb shined in the passing attack with 89 yards. I don’t see how this gets better anytime soon for Dallas, especially with their injuries on defense.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 18: Alontae Taylor #27 of the New Orleans Saints tackles Drake London #5 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Caesars Superdome on December 18, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Atlanta @ Carolina:
If you have Bijan Robinson on your team, this was finally the game where he exploded. He ended his day with 95 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Tyler Allgeier also had 105 yards and a touchdown as Atlanta ran for 5.2 yards per carry against a toothless Panthers defense. Drake London had 6 receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown but Kirk Cousins only threw for 225 yards as Atlanta was able to control the game on the ground.
Carolina was competitive but they just don’t have enough on defense to make the stops that they need to at critical times. Andy Dalton threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and Dionte Johnson had 6 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Chuba Hubbard had 92 yards rushing and looked solid, and rookie TE Ja’Tavion Sanders had five catches for 49 yards and played well. I’ll give the Panthers credit for at least staying in this game as opposed to Dallas and Jacksonville who were outclassed from the opening minutes.