Games I saw (some of):
Bucs 28-22 Eagles
Fun game. I think Jalen Hurts is underappreciated, I still believe in his ability to get shit done. If the Eagles don't miss that late FG, this is still a game right to the buzzer. The Bucs offense is definitely gonna move the ball but that defense still has yet to impress me.
Dolphins 20-23 Jags (London)
Yeah, the Dolphins suck, man. I'm out on Tua, that dude has no magic and I don't think it's injuries. Oh and the rest of the team isn't particularly good either. I don't have much faith in the Jags, but Trevor Lawrence is really starting to look like a for-real NFL QB.
Bengals 34-11 Lions
I've been telling you all season that the Lions dominate 4th quarters but I had the Bengals today. Why? Because the Bengals don't play like a team vastly better than the Lions, thus they were going to be bringing it all the way through the 4th quarter, whereas everyone just stops playing after 3 quarters. And, yes, the Bengals were up big and could've taken their foot off the gas but this team can't afford to do that and so they didn't. I kinda love Burrow, he's the shit. I'd like to say something nice about the Lions...but I got nothing.
Chargers 6-34 Ravens
The Chargers just didn't match up well with the Ravens and spun their wheels from beginning to end. In the 2nd half, they went for a ridiculous 4th down attempt and didn't get it. This was the signal that they were chucking out their playbook (and raising the white flag) and turning this into a high level practice, so I wouldn't look at this game as much of indicator of how the two teams would look if they meet again in the playoffs. When Lamar Jackson plays methodical and measured, the Ravens are a really good squad; and when he's not, he forgets the linebacker spying on him, throws a bad interception, leading to the Chargers only worthwhile drive. This was a good day for the Ravens, at their best they're pretty good. This was an unfortunate nothing-burger of a day for the Chargers, it got off to a bad start and the Chargers pretty well mailed it in after that.
Vikings 34-28 (OT) Panthers
All I saw was the final drive where the Panthers needed to go 96 yards (and get the 2-point conversion) just to tie it up. Didn't feel like it would work...but Darnold hit a big pass over the middle on 4th down and then dinked/dunked the rest of the way and even stuck the 2-pointer for the tie. When the Panthers bring it, they're pretty good, man, I'm still in. The Vikings are up/down, hard to call. Vikings got the win in OT, they feel like a team that only shows up when their lives on the line and if they don't feel threatened then they mostly suck (meaning they'll play better against good teams and lose to crappy teams...so losing to the Vikings confirms my belief that the Panthers are actually pretty good...see how that works?
Cowboys 35-29 (OT) Pats
Weird game, fun game, felt like there was always something going on in this game. Belicheck clearly gets it up for the high profile squads but then doesn't against the chippies, which seems very un-Belicheck, but here we are. The Cowboys were the better team and though the Pats gave them a game, I don't think Belicheck had the blueprint for how to stop them. (Cowboys-Bills Super Bowl?)
Seahawks 20-23 (OT) Steelers
I dunno, both of these teams sludged their way to a draw and then the Steelers got lucky with a giveaway fumble by Geno Smith for the easy game-winner. I'm still way out on the Steelers and the Seahawks have just dug too big a hole for their division. Both of these teams are already done, right?
Bills 31-34 Titans
On the one hand I thought it was a disappointing loss for the Bills; but then I thought the Titans took this victory perhaps too personally--does this mean they're ready to win or did they just blow themselves out? Last year, the Bills got smoked twice by the Chiefs (in two totally different ways, no less) and they got smoked by the Titans (for no particularly reason, the Bills just could not get anything that day). The Bills felt like the better team but even the better team can't stop Derrick Henry when he gets some steam behind him. So though the Bills felt like they could score whenever they wanted, the Titans were game for it and even made the Bills' final drive come up short (I'd say the Bills blew that more than the Titans won it, but whatever). Good W for the Titans, they're in a sorry division and this could be the start of a nice run for them (or else they just peaked, one or the other). Bills let this one slip away and they should be wary of every missed opportunity but the Titans brought their A game (and the Bills still should've pulled it out),
The rest of the slate:
Packers 24-14 Bears. Thought the Bears D would give the Packers offense (not as good as everyone thinks it is), some fits today. Well, it wasn't a blowout but it doesn't seem like the Packers had to scramble.
Texans 3-31 Colts. The Texans are a 'get-right' team, aren't they? Does this mean the Colts are good? (No)
Rams 38-11 Giants. NYG without Saquon Barkley or Daniel Jones? Yeah, this is what that looks like.
Chiefs 31-13 WTF. The Chiefs need to re-establish Tyreke Hill and they'll be fine (just ask WTF).
Cards 37-14 Browns. This one kinda shocked me: felt like the Browns were rolling and the Cards were ready for a smack in the face. Guess I had it backwards, the Cards straight dominated this match in a way I did not see coming.
Raiders 34-24 Broncos. The Gruden fiasco is the kinda dark cloud that routinely hangs over the Raiders but rather than get subsumed by it the Raiders balled out against a familiar opponent on the road. Yeah, I called this one: in football the best way to handle adversity is to punch some other dude in the face. Broncos were that other dude.
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