The Good Ship Seahawk is Taking on Water. Even though the Seahawks are still 6-2, things are not trending well for Russell Wilson and company.
Whenever an offense scores 34 points, a team should win that game. Not the case with Seattle, as their porous defense allowed 44 points - to a so-so Bills offense.
More alarming, Wilson threw two more picks, making for five in two games. He's forcing things, trying to make up for his defense's deficiencies.
RW3 needs some help from his defense. He simply can't be expected to carry the team each week as his defense flounders.
Is Cam's COVID Coma Over? Although Cam Newton's performance was a huge improvement over the previous two games, it must be marked with an asterisk.
That's because it came against the winless (and hapless) New York Jets.
Still, he did go 27 of 35 for 274, score two TD's on the ground and lead the Pats on a last-minute game winning drive that was capped by a 51-yard Nick Folk field goal.
Question is, which Cam will show up against the Ravens? If it's the Good Cam, the Patriots will be competitive. If it's the bad Cam, well, it could get ugly.
Dolphins Prevail in Duel in the Desert. Rightly so, the Dolphins-Cardinals tilt was billed as a duel of two number one's: the Cards' Kyler Murray, and Dolphins' newly-announced starting QB, Tua Tagovailoa.
Both quarterbacks delivered big time: Tua went 20 of 28 for 248 yards and 2 TD's, while Murray completed 21 of 26 passes for 283 yards and three TD's.
Tagovailoa looked like a veteran in the fourth quarter, leading the Dolphins to a 10-point stanza to author a thrilling 34-31 come-from-behind win. It should be the first of many memorable match-ups between the two uber-talented pivots.
Dalvin's Cooking in Minnie. With apologies to the Saints' Alvin Kamara, Minnesota's Dalvin Cook is currently the best running back in the NFL.
In his last two games, Cook has rushed for 369 yards - 206 on 22 carries last weekend vs. the Lions, and 163 vs. the Packers the week previous. He now has 12 touchdowns total and five in the past two games alone.
If he can stay healthy, Cook - who's rushed for 858 yards to date - could be a legitimate MVP candidate, and possibly lead the surging Vikings to a playoff spot.
Trouble in Tampa? Prior to their match-up with the Saints, the Bucs were being touted as the best team in the NFC South.
That's no longer the case after they were dominated by the Saints to the tune of 38-3. It was a butt-kicking from every angle.
New Orleans' defense overwhelmed Tampa's O-line, leading to one of Tom Brady's worst nights as a pro. Meanwhile, the Bucs' defense had no answer for Drew Brees.
Was this a one-off, or are the Bucs not nearly as good as advertised? Only time will tell.
There's Promise in Carolina. Granted, the Panthers lost 33-31 to the defending Super Bowl Champions.
Still, they gave the Chiefs everything they could handle. Teddy Bridgwater proved he's a rising star at QB, and the the Panthers' defense hung in their against an explosive Kansas City offense.
Turns out there is life after Cam Newton in Carolina, with Matt Rhule's young team showing plenty of promise despite being 3-6.
New York's Bad Teams Continue to Find Ways To Lose. Football fans in New York must be beside themselves.
Although the error-prone Giants prevailed 23-20 over the Washington Football Team, the Jets fell to 0-8 with a last-minute loss to a mediocre Patriots squad. The combined record of the two teams is 2-15.
Sure, injuries are playing a part in the poor records with key players out on both teams. That said, the front office of both clubs has to take the blame for the lackluster records. Giants fans can only hope that QB Daniel Jones will continue to mature, and that RB Saquon Barkley will find a way to stay healthy.
Meanwhile, Jets fans can draw solace in the fact that they might get Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL Draft. And that head coach Adam Gase will be gone by then.
