2022-23 NFL (Week 8)

Games I saw (some of):

Bears 29-49 Cowboys

The Bears offense is starting to move the ball and that's a positive thing to see. But the Cowboys are getting their roll on and they're looking good right now. At first it felt like the Cowboys might've been swept up by the transition back to Dak--something about the backup just doing what needs to be done makes it hard for the starter to get his groove back--but they seem to have put that to rest. (That said, Lions and Bears aren't exactly the top of the competition, so maybe this is a premature projection)

Giants 13-27 Seahawks

The Seahawks down the stretch made plays and the Giants couldn't get it done. I think these are strangely fairly even teams but the Seahawks have a desire to succeed whereas the Giants feel lucky to be here. In keeping with that, I kinda like this Seahawks team, I think they can that shoddy division of theirs because they know they have to play hard; on the other hand, the Giants started 6-1 but would you be surprised if they finished 6-11?

Packers 17-27 Bills

Man, this had 41-10 written all over it and it felt to me like Josh Allen was trying to not run up the score. In the 1st half the Bills were pretty dominant but in the 2nd Allen over threw every 3rd down pass in a way that seemed....well....intentional. I think he knew he had the W and didn't want to step on the gas. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers knew he was gonna win the game but he was able to cover the spread and make the game look competitive (when it wasn't really). Still love the Bills, not sure why they left the stomp boots at home, but they were the clear victor. The Packers are flailing badly, they're not terrible but they need to re-tool some things (like offense and defense, for example) if they're gonna make the post-season. 

Bengals 13-32 Browns

Dang, just one of those nights for the Bengals, even though it felt like they'd played their way out of that. The Browns have a good running game and a good pass rush and on nights like this, that's enough to finish off an opponent that just doesn't have it. Good W for the Browns, their season isn't over, they can still get some magic going; bad L for the Bengals, they had been rolling but without JaMarr Chase, they'll have to figure it out all over again.

The rest of the slate:

Ravens 27-22 Bucs. Best against best, the Ravens are better. The Bucs D had been so good all year long but that offense is so ineffective, it's dragging down the other side, too. 

Broncos 21-17 Jags. This game could've gone any direction and it would not have surprised me. I don't think the Broncos are as bad as we thought they were, don't think the Jags are as good as we thought they could be. Looks like "next year" for both teams. 

Panthers 34-37 (OT) Falcons. I caught the end of the 4th quarter--memorable! The Panthers made the crazy play to get the TD to tie it up at the end of regulation, WR gets penalized, they miss what would've been the game-winning extra point, then blow it in OT. Not an important game but that moment will linger for a long time in this league. 

Dolphins 31-27 Lions. The Dolphins have put together a pretty good team but their QB situation is not ideal, feel like that's gonna be an albatross all year long. The Lions can score points but they don't outscore people. 

Cards 26-34 Vikings. Typical Vikings victory: they seem like the better team but still have to struggle to seal the victory. Typical Cards loss: outclassed all the way through but spicy enough to hang around and look dangerous late.

Raiders 0-24 Saints. What happened to the Raiders? I kinda like that offense, why didn't they bring to New Orleans? The Saints are one of those teams that isn't good, isn't bad, they're gonna lose games they should win and win games they should lose. 

Patriots 22-17 Jets. The Jets had a shot to beat the Pats and they couldn't get it done. That said, I still think these two teams are closer then we realize: two good defenses, two so-so offenses.

Steelers 13-35 Eagles. Yeah, the Steelers suck and the Eagles are rolling. Not a shock at all. 

Titans 17-10 Texans. Okay, if you say so. Seems like the Titans should be better but they're not an easy out. The Texans suck but play hard.

Commanders 17-16 Colts. Oh yeah, this is exactly how this game should've turned out. 

Niners 31-14 Rams. Still not completely out on the Rams, but it is clear they ain't got no fire in 'em this year. The Niners really have a nice looking attack and a pretty good D, if they can just find some consistency, they can win the NFC (we'll see).