There will be outrage in Philadelphia (like they’re going to read these rankings) as I have knocked their Eagles from the top spot even though they have yet to be knocked from the ranks of the undefeated in the ‘actual’ National Football League. What can I say? I just love me some Josh Allen and his Buffalo Bills.
There are few sights prettier in football right now than a football humming downfield having been unleashed from the howitzer that is Josh Allen’s right arm. The Bills can score from anywhere on the field, as Allen proved with his 98-yard strike to Gabe Davis.
The Eagles are banged up along the offensive line, but they have good depth there and they can keep this train on the tracks. Jalen Hurts now has an NFL record 19 rushing touchdowns in his first 24 starts and continues to make plays as a passer.
I’ve heard of short-yardage backs, but short-yardage tight ends? Travis Kelce had seven catches for 25 yards and a touchdown in Monday’s win over the Raiders. The Chiefs are now 4-1 or better for the fifth time in the past six seasons. That is dreamy consistency.
The Cowboys have now won four in a row with backup quarterback Cooper Rush at the helm and while that is a nice story, it’s not really the story! Dan Quinn’s defense – led by the close-to-unblockable Micah Parsons – deserve most of the headlines.
The Vikings have not been perfect, but their 4-1 record is looking very nice after five weeks. And they are winning some of the close ones that got away from them last year. Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson all showed up big in last week’s win over Chicago.
The Buccaneers needed a questionable roughing the passer call to sneak past Atlanta on Sunday. And keeping Tom Brady upright remains the key. He went 0 of 7 on plays where he was pressured – an indication that he cannot bail himself out of trouble.
The Ravens played out yet another close game and Justin Tucker delivered his 12th walk-off field goal – third-most in NFL history. Tucker has now made 61 consecutive field goals in the fourth quarter or overtime. What a weapon to have when games are on the line.
The 49ers flexed their muscles against a hapless Carolina team and took over top spot in the NFC West in the process. It’s not been pretty in getting to 3-2, but the defense is among the league’s best and Deebo Samuel remains a game-breaking beast.
Aaron Rodgers respects the process and expects bumps in the road during a season. But he will be demanding more from young receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson, the latter of whom’s production has simply not been good enough so far.
The Bengals are 2-3 and each of their losses has come on the final play of the game. The protection of Joe Burrow must continue to be a priority, but so too does unleashing Ja’Marr Chase. He caught seven passes for just 50 yards (7.1 average) against Baltimore.
‘Give Austin Ekeler the football.’ Put that on a t-shirt, put that on the locker room wall; do whatever it takes to make sure one of the hardest-working and most productive players in the NFL keeps getting the rock. That’s five touchdowns in the past two weeks for Ekeler.
The Titans have steadied the ship and that’s hardly surprising with the excellent Mike Vrabel at head coach. Derrick Henry does not look like the world-beating force of the past few years, but he is good enough to remain the driving force for this team.
Like so many teams, the Dolphins need to ride out some key injuries. They were down to third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson on Sunday, lost tackle Terron Armstead and were already playing without Pro Bowl corner Xavien Howard. Oh, and Tyreek Hill left the stadium in a walking boot.
Scream this from the top of the Empire State Building… “The New York Giants are 4-1!!” Head coach Brian Daboll is playing with a quarterback who has no long-term backing from the franchise in Daniel Jones and a wafer-thin receiving corps. But he is getting the job done.
Taysom Hill carried nine times for 112 yards and three touchdowns last week and also threw a 22-yard scoring pass. Whoever plays quarterback the rest of the way, they have to give way to Taysom every now and then so he can power this attack.
The Rams cannot run the football and they cannot protect Matthew Stafford. And both of those flaws fall on the overpowered offensive line. But he is another worry for the Rams. Credible folks in the media, including former players, are questioning their toughness once more.
The Jets have won back-to-back games and have been powered by their young players, including potential league stars in running back Breece Hall and cornerback Sauce Gardner. The job is not done yet but Robert Saleh has this team on the right path.
Help me out, Jacksonville. You know I want to get on board and believe. Trevor Lawrence has turned the ball over seven times in the last two weeks. Now, we get to see how he deals with adversity and how head coach Doug Pederson gets his young star back on track.
With Deshaun Watson waiting to enter the fray in Week 13, there is a natural tendency to see how Jacoby Brissett is doing at quarterback and his Week 4 rating of 68.0 was not good enough. But neither was a D giving up 202 yards and two scores on the ground.
I almost get the sense that Bill Belichick relished having to come up with a gameplan to help out rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe. That sort of thing gets Bill out of bed with a spring in his step. It certainly worked as New England hammered Detroit 29-0.
I didn’t like the call to go for two and a 31-30 lead with 4:27 to play in Kansas City. Kick the extra point and tie the game. What I do like is the Derek Carr-Davante Adams connection and it’s also good to see a healthy and productive Josh Jacobs in the backfield.
The Cardinals fell to Philadelphia with a late 43-yard field goal miss but being 2-3 after a difficult start to the season is not a disaster. DeAndre Hopkins returns from a PED suspension in Week 7 and that should help a stop-start offense.
Geno Smith over Russell Wilson equals an improvement. Why not? Some of the footballs flying out of Geno’s hands over the past two weeks have been absolute things of beauty. Now, if Seattle could just find a way to stop opposing teams; they might be onto something.
The Colts won last week but I felt obliged to drop them at least one spot after that horror show in Denver last Thursday night. That was some bad football. But, here comes the good news – as horrible as the Colts have looked, they are 2-2-1 and very much alive.
The Falcons were unlucky not to get one last shot to finally down Tom Brady (he is now 11-0 against them in his career). I continue to be impressed with the job being done by head coach Arthur Smith. Atlanta remain a dangerous foe.
Let’s not beat around the bush… Russell Wilson looks a shadow of his former self. The nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion has a high bar in Denver and he’s nowhere near it right now. Denver better hope he has a shoulder injury because that can heal. Declining skills? Not so easily.
You wouldn’t want to hang many Bears games in museums as works of art, but I was impressed at how they fought back against Minnesota last weekend after a slow start. That’s about as positive as I can be for a team at 27 in the rankings.
Steelers fans called and called for rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett and Mike Tomlin delivered, only for the youngster to toss up three interceptions. No drama. It’s all part of the learning curve and there is little point going back to Mitchell Trubisky.
The Lions hit a low on Sunday, according to head coach Dan Campbell. It’s hard to disagree following their 29-0 thrashing against New England. While their other games this season only produced one win, at least they have been entertaining. Not in Week 5.
Houston’s defense kept them in Sunday’s game against Jacksonville, keeping things close until impressive tackle-breaking rookie running back Dameon Pierce could score the only touchdown of the game.
Trouble is brewing in Washington as head coach Ron Rivera dropped a very big hint in front of the media that suggested quarterback is this team’s problem. Carson Wentz is in the coach’s cross-hairs even though the coach’s specialty – defense – is also being exposed.
Early season firings are often surprises. Not this one. Matt Rhule had to go after the Panthers opened the year 1-4. He was supposed to be an offensive whiz kid but his unit was the league’s worst. Rhule exits stage left with an 11-27 record and possible trade fire sale upcoming.