1. It’s mind-boggling how unserious the NFL can be sometimes. Banning reporters from using All-22 film the NFL offers, that they pay for, to help make fans smarter about the game is simply ridiculous.
If you’re that worried that people breaking down film publicly will give away trade secrets or that the film will be improperly used, don’t sell it. But that would mean less money for the league, and it can’t have that.
2. Speaking of dumb things in the league…did the Ravens really think they could get one over by listing Lamar Jackson as a full participant last Friday with scout-team reps without anyone calling it out? That man is only the reigning NFL MVP with people watching his every move for fantasy football and gambling purposes. The NFL will absolutely have to look into this for a possible violation. That said: as much as I think it’s dumb to play games with other teams by keeping starting QBs a secret until the last minute, it apparently worked in this case. Because the Bears acted like they’d never seen anything like Tyler Huntley before in their lives last Sunday.
3. Caleb Williams didn’t play as badly as the team’s result Sunday. His lone truly egregious mistakes being his costly interception and intentional grounding penalty that essentially took three points off the board for Chicago, which looked like miscommunication more than anything. But…at what point are we going to see it for real? That magic game against a good team that makes you feel like he’s truly arrived? To be fair, he’s not the only one on offense who needs to execute better. For example, he and DJ Moore simply can’t get on the same page for whatever reason, and Ben Johnson forgot to run the football when he had no business doing so. This team must execute the details better across the board, Caleb included. It would just feel…more satisfying if he were taking over the game every week. But that’s not where we are yet.
4. The right thing for me to do Sunday night might’ve been to boo the Packers AND Aaron Rodgers rather than pick a side. But in the end, Rodgers simply proves so unlikable that he overpowers my “revenge game”/“underdog” sympathies. Hold that L, buddy.
5. As someone who didn’t watch the Giants-Eagles game and therefore did not see the Cam Skattebo injury, I feel like the broadcasts and recap shows did a great job of not intentionally circulating the clip. I still haven’t seen it, and I’m not going to seek it out. Brutal way for the young man to end his exciting rookie season. Side note: Jaxson Dart is more fun than I was expecting. Doesn’t mean he’s destined to be good yet, but he’s fun.
6. Justin Fields earned that one, if just for a week. His play has been nothing short of lobotomy-inducing since that Week 1 “breakout,” and he was heading for a much-needed benching until Tyrod Taylor got hurt. But that doesn’t mean Jets owner Woody Johnson, who once signed off on a Tim Tebow trade, had to throw Fields under the bus. (Bad teams stay bad because of bad owners, which Johnson somewhat hilariously admitted he is.) So the beleaguered QB goes out and leads the winless Jets to a comeback win over Cincinnati. Any given Sunday…also, while we’re on the Jets: RIP Nick Mangold. Heartbreaking loss far too young.
7. Kirk Cousins might need to retire. It’s tough coming off the bench after so much time off, of course. But if we’re being real with ourselves, this man has been highly cooked aside from that one insane game last year with 500+ yards and six TDs. The Dolphins are possibly the worst defense in football. Managing just 10 points against them might mean you automatically have to hang ‘em up.
8. Who told Kirk Herbstreit we wanted his fake-tough take on Carson Wentz playing with a mangled left shoulder? This dude has basically been playing with his arm held to his body with nothing but duct tape while he fights for his NFL future, and you’re criticizing him for daring to show how much pain he’s in? I’m a firm believer that some opinions don’t need to be shared, and Kirk should’ve left that one unselected in drafts—you know, like him.
9. Myles Garrett being the first man ever to record five sacks in a game and have his team lose by more than three points is the most Cleveland Browns statistic of all time. Dillon Gabriel’s play against the Patriots makes me think he’s as ready to see Shedeur Sanders get NFL burn as social media is. Hope you enjoy that payday, Myles. Because Jimmy Haslam and Woody Johnson are sitting at that same “bad owners” table. You ain’t winning there, bruh.
10. Derrick Henry passed Walter Payton for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history (112) on Sunday, and I’m not even mad about it. Also, Jonathan Taylor should 10,000% be in the MVP conversation this year even though Daniel Jones would somehow be more likely to win it. Taylor’s resume over his first 75 games is on a Hall-of-Fame track. Don’t sleep on it.
