We had a great week of close games. 10 games were within one score and 1 of those even ended in a tie.
TNF – Seattle Seahawks beat Arizona Cardinals 23-20
The Cardinals had a huge comeback attempt that tied the game with 0:28 left. Unfortunately, the kickoff didn’t land in the landing zone, giving the Seahawks good starting field position. A few plays later, Jason Myers hit a 52 yard field goal to win the game. Sam Darnold was the better QB with Kyler Murray throwing 2 interceptions and being sacked 6 times. Marvin Harrison Jr. actually had a solid statistical game, but had a big drop and just looked out of sync with Kyler again. For Seattle, Ken Walker was the big gainer but Charbonnet got the TD. TEs Elijah Arroyo and AJ Barner had good games but JSN was still the leading receiver.
Dublin – Pittsburgh Steelers beat Minnesota Vikings 24-21
Carson Wentz had huge yardage but threw 2 picks and was under constant pressure. Jefferson and Addison had big receiving games. For Pittsburgh DK Metcalf had a big breakaway TD, but other than that Kenneth Gainwell was their entire offense. After a late Vikings TD, they attempted an onside kick but failed. A big Kenneth Gainwell run got them close to the 1st down marker but Pittsburgh couldn’t get the 1st. They didn’t go for it on 4th and inches, instead taking a delay of game and punting the ball back to Minnesota. Carson Wentz’s first pass of the drive was caught by Steelers DB James Pierre. After review it was called incomplete due to a bobble and not getting his feet down after the bobble, keeping the Vikings hopes alive. The next two plays were 5 yard penalties on Pittsburgh. A big intentional grounding call with a 10 second runoff put the Vikings in a tough spot. The Vikings could not convert and the Steelers held onto the win.
Atlanta Falcons beat Washington Commanders 34-27
Michael Penix thoroughly outplayed Marcus Mariota in this one. Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts all had good games for Atlanta. Mariota tried to complete the comeback but was ultimately unsuccessful. Deebo Samuel was the leading receiver for Washington.
Buffalo Bills beat New Orleans Saints 31-19
The Bills once again beat a winless team by double digits. Like the Dolphins game, this one was a bit too close for comfort for a while but Buffalo ultimately pulled through. James Cook had more yards from scrimmage than Spencer Rattler did through the air. While Buffalo mostly just ran the ball, Allen had a decently efficient game. Carl Granderson had a sack and 2 TFLs for New Orleans, while Jonas Sanker had an interception and 3 passes defended.
Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 34-10
No QB in this game eclipsed 200 yards, with Goff going 16/27 for 168 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Joe Flacco was just 16/34 for 184 yards and 2 interceptions. Instead, Jahmyr Gibbs and Quinshon Judkins led their teams in yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown had 2 TDs and Isaiah Bond was the leading receiver for the Browns.
New England Patriots beat Carolina Panthers 42-13
This one was a blowout early. Bryce Young and the entire Carolina offense sputtered. Drake Maye on the other hand was extremely efficient, most often to Stefon Diggs who had his breakout game as a Patriot. Marcus Jones had a punt return TD in this game as well.
New York Giants beat Los Angeles Chargers 21-18
The Giants pulled off the upset to give Jaxson Dart his first career victory. The biggest news out of this game though was when star WR Malik Nabers tore his ACL jumping up for a ball on a “free play”. Thanks MetLife Stadium. Herbert, Hampton, and Johnston all outgained their Giants counterpart, but it wasn’t enough for the win. Herbert’s 2 interceptions were the difference in a 3 point game.
Philadelphia Eagles beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25
The Eagles returned a blocked punt for a Touchdown early and built a large lead. They did not complete a pass in the 2nd half but apparently they didn’t need to, as they held on to secure the win regardless. Bucky Irving had a big game but exited the game late with an injury. On the Eagles side, Saquon had just 2.3 yards per carry and Jalen Hurts was their leading rusher. Jihaad Campbell intercepted the Buccaneers final drive and effectively ended the game.
Houston Texans beat Tennessee Titans 26-0
The Titans got nothing going in this one, dropping to 0-4. Ward threw for just 108 yards and was only 10/26. Tony Pollard had a decent game all things considered with 4.6 yards per carry. Elic Ayomanor was the leading receiver on just 2 catches. For Houston, Woody Marks took over the lead in the backfield over Nick Chubb. C.J. Stroud had a good game with Nico Collins having a good game. Woody Marks also added 50 yards and a TD through the air. Derek Stingley caught the lone interception.
Los Angeles Rams beat Indianapolis Colts 27-20
The Rams come away with a win here off of huge performances from Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. The story of this game though was AD Mitchell and the Indianapolis Colts. Mitchell led the team with 96 receiving yards but celebrated early, fumbling the ball at the 1 yard line out of the back of the end zone turning a touchdown into a turnover. On the next series he got an unnecessary holding penalty that negated a long Jonathan Taylor TD. The Colts still had a chance until Daniel Jones threw a late interception.
Jacksonville Jaguars beat San Francisco 49ers 26-21
The Jaguars, fueled by a Parker Washington Punt Return TD, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 Devin Lloyd interceptions, were able to beat a depleted 49ers team. Brock Purdy outgained Trevor Lawrence by a lot, but it was almost entirely to CMC. BTJ and Travis Hunter had some positive signs this week after both starting quite slow. Travis Etienne continues to look great.
Kansas City Chiefs beat Baltimore Ravens 37-20
The Chiefs welcomed Xavier Worthy back to the team, making him the leading rusher and receiver for Kansas City. Mahomes looked like his old self and moved to 6-1 against Lamar. The Ravens were full of injuries, eventually deciding to turn to Cooper Rush and Justice Hill. The Ravens have 3 losses to top tier teams but are also now full of questions at 1-3.
Chicago Bears beat Las Vegas Raiders 25-24
The Bears gave Geno Smith fits, with him compiling just 117 yards and throwing 3 interceptions. Kevin Byard had 2 of the interceptions and Tyrique Stevenson had Ashton Jeanty had a breakout game with 138 yards and 1 TD, but did lose a fumble. On offense, Rome Odunze continued his great season and Caleb Williams did just enough to leave with a win.
SNF – Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers tie 40-40
The rare NFL tie. Dak Prescott and Jordan Love both had 31 completions and 3 touchdowns. Josh Jacobs had 86 rushing yards while Javonte Williams had 85. George Pickens had 134 yards and 2 TDs, Josh Jacobs had 71 yards receiving, but Romeo Doubs had 58 yards receiving with 3 TDs. Jordan Love lost the only fumble of the game. Micah Parsons did get a sack on his former QB. All-in-all these teams were almost perfectly matched all night and came out with an unlikely 40-40 tie, the 2nd highest scoring tie in NFL history.
MNF – Miami Dolphins beat New York Jets 27-21
The Miami Dolphins come out victorious in this battle of winless teams. They did a lot of this without star WR Tyreek Hill, who suffered a knee injury that ends his 2025 season and puts even his 2026 season in serious doubt. Hill had a good game before going down, and Achane did on the ground as well. The story of this game though was the 5 total fumbles, 3 by the Jets, 2 by the Dolphins, that were all 5 recovered by Miami. The Jets were once again led by Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, although this time Mason Taylor got into the action. Neither of these teams appear poised to make a run, so it’s possible that come draft day Jets fans will look back on this game fondly.
MNF – Denver Broncos beat Cincinnati Bengals – 28-3
Everyone involved seemed to have a good week for Denver is what turned out to be the less interesting of the overlapping MNF games. J.K. Dobbins had over 100 yards, but RJ Harvey still got involved. Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and Troy Franklin all played well too. On Defense Nik Bonitto had 1.5 sacks. For Cincinnati, it feels safe to say the Jake Browning experiment is a flop. He performed well in his last stint as an emergency starter, but had turned the high power Cincinnati offense into one of the worst in the league. A team that was expected to be in 40 point shootouts weekly put up just 3 on Monday Night Football. Chase Brown has regressed heavily, while Higgins and Chase aren’t pulling their weight either with the backup QB. On the bright side, Demetrius Knight had an interception and the Bengals defense actually hasn’t been as bad as advertised through 4 weeks.
