On the cusp of contention
7. San Francisco 49ers (5-4, No. 10) 8. Dallas Cowboys (6-3, No. 7) 9. New York Giants (7-2, No. 11) 10. Tennessee Titans (6-3, No. 15) 11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4, No. 9) 12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5, No. 14)
Coach Kyle Shanahan deserves the benefit of the doubt given his track record as a play-caller, but it’s a bit confusing to see star running back Christian McCaffrey get fewer carries than 2021 sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell. In his first game since suffering a sprained MCL in Week 1, Mitchell rushed for 89 yards on 18 carries in a 22-16 win over the Chargers, while McCaffrey had just 38 yards on 14 attempts. San Francisco’s offense looks unstoppable on paper, but Shanahan struggled to get his top playmakers involved Sunday night, as McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle had a combined seven catches for 84 yards. By loading the box and allowing just 3.8 yards per carry, the Chargers might have delivered the blueprint on how to slow down the Niners: make Jimmy Garoppolo win with his arm. He was up to the task Sunday, averaging 8.6 yards per attempt, but it’s going to be difficult for San Francisco to get back to the NFC championship game without more from its star players.
It seems like the Titans and coach Mike Vrabel never get enough attention for their consistent success, which continued Sunday with a 17-10 win over the Broncos. They certainly benefit from playing in perhaps the worst division in the league, but they’ve put themselves firmly in the playoff race despite having 18 players on injured reserve and fielding a passing offense that ranks 31st in the NFL. That’s all thanks to the defense, which limited Denver to 4.3 yards per play and sacked Russell Wilson six times Sunday. More injuries could push Tennessee to the breaking point, especially after cornerbacks Elijah Molden and Caleb Farley went down Sunday, but the return of quarterback Ryan Tannehill and rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks should provide some stability heading into a difficult closing stretch. If the Titans can maintain their grip on the AFC South, they could prove difficult to beat come January.