USA TODAY International Edition
Bengals ‘ win’ during Sunday bye
1. Why are we kicking off this week’s list with the Bengals? Because obviously they enjoyed a huge win Sunday ... even though they were on their bye ... and remain 0- 8. But Miami’s first victory means Cincinnati now “controls” its fate as it pertains to picking atop the 2020 draft. Could be an abbreviated audition for rookie QB Ryan Finley in place of Andy Dalton for the terrible tigers, who might soon have eyes for Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert.
2. There’s a reason the phrase is “Any Given Sunday,” not “Any Given Saturday.” In a vacuum, not stunning that either the Dolphins got their first win or the Patriots lost for the first time this season. But for both teams to break those respective seals simultaneously? You really never know in the NFL.
3. New England arrived in Baltimore surrendering 7.6 points per game. But after getting smoked for 37 by the Ravens, the Patriots’ scoring average ballooned to 10.9 after they surrendered as many offensive TDs in one night as they had in their first eight games combined. Only takes one bad night to knock a unit from consideration as historically elite.
4. Nice week for the Redskins, who were basically accused of medical malpractice by their best player ( Trent Williams), watched Washington’s baseball team win the World Series – further casting a harsh spotlight on the ineptitude of the football team in the nation’s capital – then saw yet again how ill equipped rookie QB Dwayne Checkdown Haskins is to compete on an NFL field as the team dropped to 1- 8 after losing at Buffalo.
5. But it was a worse week for the Jets, whose best player ( Jamal Adams) was infuriated upon learning the team discussed trading him – and, apparently, everyone else on the roster not named Sam Darnold – but should have been even more upset that Gang Green proceeded to get embarrassed by the previously winless ( and rarely competitive) Dolphins.
6. And how about this – both the Jets and Dolphins recorded a safety. Been a quarter century since both teams got one in the same game. Woohoo.
7. All 11 home teams won Sunday. ( I’m not counting the Jags’ “home” loss in London.) It flew in the face of a seasonlong trend as home teams are now 6865- 1. 8. Christian McCaffrey meter: After a 166- yard, three- TD day, the Panthers’ star is on track for 2,488 yards from scrimmage ... putting him 22 yards off the pace to break Chris Johnson’s single- season record.
9. Three quarterbacks bearing the Allen surname ( Denver’s Brandon, Buffalo’s Josh and Carolina’s Kyle ... all unrelated) started Sunday. Each managed to wrench a victory.
10. Don’t look now, but the Steelers are 4- 2 since QB Ben Roethlisberger went down and sit just one game outside the AFC playoff field.
11. Pittsburgh fill- in Jaylen Samuels caught 13 passes Sunday, most by a Steelers running back in the Super Bowl era.
12. Every Colts contest this season has been decided by seven or fewer points, their average margin in all games just 4.4 points.
13. If you thought what appeared to be a relenting schedule was going to salvage the Browns’ season ... welp. Cleveland is 2- 6. It was 2- 5- 1 after eight games last year.
14. Nice choice by the league making Vikings- Chiefs its # NFL100 game of the week. Kansas City K Harrison Butker’s 44- yard game- winning field goal at the gun of a 26- 23 victory likely rendered it the bona fide game of the week, too ... at least east of Seattle. And props to Chiefs backup QB Matt Moore, who notched the victory in his second start of the season and salvaging a likely split in the absence of reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes ( kneecap) – whom K. C. didn’t rule out until Sunday morning.
15. In a battle of punting royalty, Kansas City’s Dustin Colquitt outkicked his younger brother Britton by 6 yards per boot and successfully put down the hold on Butker’s coup de grâce.
16. Speaking of uniforms, who the heck thought it was a good idea to allow Cleveland to wear its all- brown outfits on the road when the Broncos were wearing their customary orange in Denver? I know it’s just a few days post- Halloween, but ... puke.
17. Bless the Brits, who continuously turn out in droves for often subpar NFL football in London. The Jaguars were blown out 26- 3 and are now 3- 4 after appearing at Wembley Stadium for the seventh consecutive season, a streak that will continue in 2020.
18. The Jags are still stuck on one rushing TD this season, worst in the league.
19. Jaguars rookie QB Gardner Minshew has done a great job filling in for Nick Foles ( clavicle), but should Jacksonville go back to the Super Bowl LII MVP on the other side of its upcoming bye? Minshew turned the ball over four times Sunday in his worst performance of 2019, almost surely opening the door more than a crack.
20. Yes, Houston had more takeaways ( 4) than points allowed ( 3) in its first game this season without injured star DE JJ Watt.
21. Texans QB Deshaun Watson now has a 104.3 career passer rating and will overtake Aaron Rodgers ( 103.3) as the NFL’s all- time leader once he’s played enough games ... assuming Watson can maintain this pace, of course.
22. This season’s lineup of games in London is now complete. The Packers are the only team to never appear in an NFL International Series game.
23. On Sunday, the Raiders played their first game in Oakland since Sept. 15 ( they were the “home” team in London on Oct. 6). Per NFL RedZone’s Scott Hanson, 10 members of the Raiders’ fast- evolving roster were making their debuts at Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum. Nice that they could be victorious reveals in a hard- fought win against Detroit.
24. Oakland RB Josh Jacobs has rushed for 740 yards this season, breaking Hall of Famer Marcus Allen’s singleseason record for a Raiders rookie.
25. Let’s break down the 1976 Bowl between the Buccaneers and Seahawks, who entered the NFL together as expansion franchises 43 years ago. After Sunday’s win, Seattle now leads the all- time series 9- 5 ... has gone to the Super Bowl three times to Tampa Bay’s once ( both teams own one Lombardi Trophy) ... and has 351 wins all time, far better than the Bucs’ 262.
26. Though their defense and special teams ( especially scattershot K Jason Myers) were again less than impressive, the Seahawks’ victory provided another forum to fuel QB Russell Wilson’s accelerating MVP push. A 378- yard, five- TD effort with a game- winning throw in OT never hurts the cause.
27. The Bears were lucky to make the Jordan Howard Bowl competitive but ultimately lost their fourth in a row – thanks largely to a first- half offensive “performance” that included six punts and 9 total yards.
28. San Francisco’s offense will grind you down, the Niners running at least 31 times in every game this season and now averaging a league- high 38 a week.
29. But let’s give the “Air Raid” Cardinals, who have generally been a tough out since the calendar hit October, credit for giving San Francisco a battle – and with Arizona’s top two running backs injured.
30. Apparently the Titans should have waited at least a week to bring K Ryan Succop off injured reserve. He missed all three of his field goal attempts Sunday in his 2019 debut. Predecessor Cody Parkey, always an adventure in his own right, made all three of his FG tries for Tennessee, though was 5- for- 6 on PATs.
31. New Chargers offensive coordinator Shane Steichen clearly got the memo to run the ball more, and the Bolts responded with 159 yards on the ground after failing to crack 40 in the final four games under Steichen’s predecessor, Ken Whisenhunt.
32. Dearest mother – My choice to return to the farm was one I’d basked in joyously for months with nary a regret ... until Sunday’s news that Major Brissett was injured in battle, while Master Sergeant Vinatieri’s marksmanship has proven increasingly untrue. Captain Hoyer has never been appointed to a major command, but I must believe he can lead the men in a tight spot ... though his sidearm is historically prone to friendly fire. Oh, bitter anguish. I will doubtless fret deep into this chilling eve, my innermost thoughts surely allowing no respite.