The storylines in the NFL were all over the place this week. Of course there was the awful Henry Ruggs story. Then there was the Aaron Rodgers COVID-19 news and his woke-shaming podcast appearance to follow. Also, Odell Beckham Jr. forced his way off another team and was released by Cleveland. That was before the games were even played. Fortunately, the games provided some dramatic moments.
No Henry, but Titans Run Continues
In a league where the title as best team continues to be constantly changing, the Tennessee Titans currently have the best claim to the throne. The Titans now have the longest current winning streak in the entire NFL with five straight wins, including against Buffalo, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and most recently the Los Angeles Rams. This most recent win is quite possibly the most impressive considering they beat one of the Super Bowl favorites on the road in their first game without Derrick Henry. The Tennessee offense only produced 194 total yards, but their defense provided constant pressure on Matthew Stafford the entire game and never let their high octane passing attack set the pace for the game. Considering the Titans remaining schedule is one of the easiest in the NFL, they could be in a prime spot to hold the #1 seed in the AFC.
Cleveland Routes Cincy in Battle of Ohio
It’s amazing what a healthy Nick Chubb can bring to the Cleveland offense. Without Chubb and Kareem Hunt, the Browns relied heavily on Baker Mayfield who I’m not convinced is a Quarterback you can rely on to win big games. Their 41-16 demolition of the Cincinnati Bengals was crucial in their hopes for the playoffs as it now keeps Cleveland in the mix for the AFC North, one of the most competitive divisions in football. On the other side, the Bengals, who were the top team in the AFC heading into last weekend, now find themselves in a tie for last place in the division. The battle for Ohio and the quick shift in the standings is a reminder that we really don’t have a damn clue where this season is still heading.
Broncos Herd the Cowboys
You want to lose people’s confidence that you are a Super Bowl contender really quick? Get your ass kicked by the Denver Broncos at home with your star Quarterback returning from injury. That’s exactly what Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys did in their 30-16 loss to Denver. Thanks to some garbage time touchdowns, the loss seemed less severe than it really was, but the fact of the matter is that the Cowboys were dominated my an assumed inferior team at home. What makes matters worse is that with losses from Los Angeles and Green Bay, Dallas lost an opportunity to claim first place in the NFC. This could of course be just a shaky return for Prescott who has looked phenomenal in the other games he’s played this year, but for a team nearly certain to win their division, the Cowboys are battling for seeding now within the top four and a loss to the Broncos doesn’t help.
Jags Get Surprise Win Over Bills in Field Goal Contest
The Buffalo Bills offense was asleep at the wheel on Sunday. It’s almost unfathomable that one of the highest scoring offenses in the NFL with an MVP caliber Quarterback could be held to two field goals against arguably the worst team in the NFL, but that’s exactly what happened. It seems like every good team in the NFL is just bound for some absolute stinkers this year to remove slivers of confidence that they can be taken seriously. This is that game for Buffalo, who currently have the best odds to win the Super Bowl and are still the team I’d take out of the AFC if I had a gun to my head. Let’s just chalk this one up to a bad week or looking past their opponent, but if the Bills lose to the New York Jets next week we may need to have another conversation.
Chiefs Defeat Rodgers-less Packers
Let’s start with Aaron Rodgers. The three time NFL MVP was unable to play this week because he had tested positive for COVID-19. Shortly after the news broke, it was reported that Rodgers was actually not vaccinated even though he had stated at the beginning of the season that he was “immunized”. After much backlash, Rodgers appeared on Pat McAfee’s podcast and stated he never lied, was a critical thinker, a victim of the cancel culture and the woke mob, and that he had done plenty of research about the vaccine (even speaking with well known infectious disease doctor, Joe Rogan). I honestly don’t give a damn if Aaron Rodgers chooses to be vaccinated. Of course, I wish he would, but I’ll give him the “my body, my choice” argument as a free pass. What drives me nuts with Mr. Rodgers is his snarky, wiseass attitude when he got caught with a lie. Aaron has been well spoken for years and I’ve grown to think highly of his comments on social issues and other controversial topics, but last week’s statements seemed to me like a guy who is so insecure about his image and intelligence that he continued to lie about not lying in regards to being vaccinated. He has now been ripped from people ranging from Terry Bradshaw to WWE Monday Night Raw Wrestlers. Personal decision aside, dude you were caught in your own bullshit. Just own up to it and stop acting like everyone else is to blame for your image being damaged.
Now on to the game…
Jordan Love didn’t look great in his regular season debut, but he didn’t look much worse than Pat Mahomes. Let’s give credit to the Packers defense who looked dominant at times yesterday and they aren’t even completely healthy. That being said, I’m still convinced this isn’t the Chiefs team of the past couple years and they don’t have the talent to make a run in the playoffs, even if the offense improves. Although they are struggling, they did squeeze out a 13-7 win against the Packers to continue to work their way back into the playoff hunt and AFC West title race. Personally, I actually think the Packers should feel better after this game though. If Aaron Rodgers (if that is even his real name) plays, Packers win that game and they have a lot to be happy about with how the defense is improving. The Chiefs just barely beat a team at home without last year’s MVP. Good for them.
Conner Runs Through Niners, Arizona Wins Without Murray and Hopkins
How can you not love this Arizona Cardinals team? They lose Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins for the week, put out Colt McCoy at Quarterback, and they go out make easy work of the division rival San Francisco 49ers. McCoy was efficient, missing only 4 of 26 passes and connecting for 1 touchdown. The 31-17 win was mostly provided by Running Back James Conner who had nearly 100 yards rushing while reaching the end zone three times (2 rushing, 1 receiving). This showed a strong level of maturity from this Cards team that is competitive for the first time in years and coming off their first loss of the season to Green Bay last week. The fact that they were able to plug and play without their two strongest offensive players might show more than their previous seven wins provided. Hopefully football fans will get to see Murray and Hopkins return soon because this team is a joy to watch.
Looking Ahead to Week 10
Week 10 will be a fun week in the NFL with some serious potential standing shifting games. There seems to be a lot of good teams, but I’m not sure how many great teams there are right now in the league. Now that we halfway through the season, maybe that will start to change.
Cleveland vs New England is suddenly a really good game with some serious playoff implications if they both teams are close in the race. I’m really starting to like this Patriots team and even though they don’t have championship level talent, I think they could get an upset in the playoffs and can play anyone tough. The Browns have some higher aspirations for post season if everyone is healthy so I’m excited to see if they continue to ride the return of Nick Chubb against Belichick’s defense.
Russell Wilson has been cleared to return for the Seattle Seahawks as they will play Green Bay, who will likely have Aaron “The Immunized” Rodgers back on the field. Wilson return gives Seahawks fans a tiny bit of hope that he can right the ship and turn their season back. Running Back Chris Carson should also be able to return so it could be a nice family reunion for Seattle. If everyone returns as planned, this could be your typically fun Green Bay/Seattle match up. There always seems to be some fun drama between those two franchises.
Sunday Night will be a really important game for the AFC West. Kansas City and Las Vegas both have to prove to their fans that they are legitimate good teams. The winner should feel slightly better, but the loser will take a major punch to their ego as they fall behind their division rival.
I’m interested to see how the Rams respond to their home loss when they head to San Francisco to take on the Niners. I’m just waiting for the Rams to become the team everyone fears, but it hasn’t happened yet. I thought Stafford was playing well enough to claim mid season MVP, but his train wreck game against the Titans ended that. It’s time for Los Angeles to get back in the win column and start another win streak.
Of course, I’ll also be watching the Vikings/Chargers game. From a neutral fan standpoint, I’m sure it will be entertaining like most Vikings games are. I’ll just make a prediction right now. The Vikings will make some terrible mistakes or go multiple lapses of no offense during the game, but keep the game close. In the end, Minnesota will either lose on a game winning drive from Justin Herbert or be unable to close on their own game winning drive.