Bills: James Cook has been spectacular for the Bills this year, but keep an eye on rookie running back Ray Davis. Davis is explosive and, if given the opportunity, could earn himself 30-40 percent of the touches. His low center of gravity also makes him a potentially useful player in the red zone.
Browns
Jameis Winston should have been the Browns QB at the beginning of the season. MNF was a tough environment against a good Broncos defense, and I can only imagine how bad Watson would have been if he had been the QB. The Browns players also look like they want to play for Winston, compared to how disinterested they looked when they were playing for Watson.
Broncos
This team is for real. It will be tough to win in the playoffs with a rookie QB, but they are definitely a playoff-caliber team. I love their defense, I love their head coach, Bo Nix is fantastic, even against good team or defenses, and whoever their lead back is from game to game can make plays.
Ravens
Out of Lamar Jackson’s 23 completions for 237 yards, 11 of those receptions and 105 of those yards went to his tight ends: Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Baltimore desperately needs another receiver besides Zay Flowers to step up if they want to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. John Harbaugh is continually asked about Diontae Johnson, but for some reason, the team chooses not to give him snaps.
Dolphins
While Tyreek Hill is obviously the Dolphins most explosive receiver, it has become obvious that Tua prefers to throw to Jonnu Smith when teams play either zone or two high coverages. Smith finished with 10 catches for 113 yards on 11 targets
Raiders
Up until the last drive, Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell played one of the best, if not the best, game of his career. If not for an unfortunate clapping incident, the Raiders would have had a chance to kick the winning field goal. Looking back Antonio Pierce made the wrong decision starting Gardner Minshew over O’Connell after training camp.
Titans
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has eight receiving touchdowns on 20 receptions this season, making him one of the most viable targets in the league. Hopefully, the Titans will open their offense up for Will Levis and feature Westbrook-Ikhine more, as he has certainly earned the opportunity,
Chiefs
Isiah Pacheco’s return completely clouds the Kansas City backfield. Pacheco and Kareem Hunt split carries evenly (both had seven), and outside of one big run of 34 yards by Pacheco, neither showed much juice against a beatable Raiders run defense.
Colts
Once again, Anthony Richardson only completed 12 passes. Admittedly, his receivers dropped a few easy ones, but Richardson does not put the ball where his guys want it. Kudos to Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who went for the two-point conversion to win the game; most coaches would have played it safe. Jonathan Taylor exposed the Patriots soft run defense for a big day.
Jets
The Jets played inspired defense, but Aaron Rodgers only completed 21/39 passes for 185 yards. Those numbers are substandard in today’s pass-happy NFL, where 250 passing yards often feels like a bad week.
Texans
Nico Collins must wish he played against Jacksonville every week. He dominated them for eight catches for 119 yards and a TD. Collins loves playing against man coverage, and Jacksonville plays that almost exclusively.
Jags
Trevor Lawrence was leveled by a dirty hit from Azeez Al-Shaair. Lawrence had given himself up on a run when Al-Shaair launched in the air to hit him. It’s likely that Lawrence will miss at least one week, but it could be an IR stint for him if the team wants to play it safe. Al-Shaair needs to be fined and suspended for dirty play.
Patriots
Out of the 24 passes that Drake Maye completed, 11 went to his tight ends, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. Kayshon Boutte was the Patriots leading receiver with 41 yards. Without a doubt New England needs to address this issue in the off-season as it is hurting Maye’s growth.
Steelers
Russell Wilson was fantastic, throwing for 414 yards and three TDs, but the MVP of the game was the Steelers defense. They sacked Joe Burrow four times, intercepted him once, and recovered four fumbles. Aggressive play like that will win many games in the NFL.
Bengals
You have to feel bad for Joe Burrow. He has 30 passing TDs this season on a 4-8 team. If the Bengals record was 8-4, he would be in the MVP discussion.
Chargers
The Chargers defense intercepted Kirk Cousins four times en route to a resounding road victory. Justin Herbert only threw for 147 yards (117 of which went to Ladd McConkey). Quentin Johnston needs to be replaced, as his drops are costing the team critical drives. D.J. Chark should get a shot one of these weeks.