Around the AFC
Run coming? Don’t look now, but Lamar Jackson is healthy and the Ravens have tripled their win total in the past five days. Sure, the victories came against Chicago and Miami. And yeah, John Harbaugh’s team is still just 3-5. But if Pittsburgh loses Sunday to 7-1 Indianapolis, the Ravens are going to find themselves just a game out of first place in the AFC North with both games against the Steelers still ahead. Baltimore’s next four before taking on Aaron Rodgers and company: at Minnesota and Cleveland, then home against the New York Jets and Cincinnati. That’s a chance to make a run.
Pair of Jokers. The Colts’ offensive explosion has been remarkable, and QB Daniel Jones rightfully gets a lot of attention. But find a better pair of weapons than Jonathan Taylor and rookie TE Tyler Warren. Taylor’s on pace for 2,200 total offensive yards and 30 (!!) touchdowns. Warren, meanwhile, arrived as the No. 14 pick and currently ranks first among NFL tight ends in yards (492), 20-plus-yard catches (8) and first downs (25). These guys aren’t just good. They’re set up to be dangerous for years to come.
It’s a Revolution. Speaking of… the Patriots are 6-2, have reeled off five straight wins, Drake Maye’s taken a star turn in Year 2 and it doesn’t look like smoke and mirrors. Mike Vrabel’s team has the second-best scoring differential (+67) in football behind only the Colts. The team also already has a win in hand at Buffalo (5-2). Here are the Patriots’ opponents before those teams meet again Dec. 14: Atlanta on Sunday, at Tampa, N.Y. Jets, at Cincinnati and the N.Y. Giants.
Around the NFC
All you need is… Jordan Love is up to second in the NFL in EPA per dropback, behind only Indy’s Daniel Jones. He put on a clinic Sunday night against predecessor Aaron Rodgers and has the Packers sitting at 5-1-1. If the playoffs started today, they’d be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They’re big favorites vs. Carolina on Sunday, then have a massive Monday Night game at home vs. Philly.
PNW power. If you’re counting Super Bowl contenders in the NFC, the list doesn’t get long before Seattle. Second-year coach Mike MacDonald has a squad. The defense is legit, and Sam Darnold is engineering an offense that continues to get the job done. They’re a real factor in what’s shaping up to be among the NFL’s best divisions. Tough trip east to Washington for Sunday Night Football this weekend.
Aw, Shoughs. The listless New Orleans Saints are rolling with second-round rookie Tyler Shough at quarterback after benching Spencer Rattler. It’s a tough enough test this weekend on the road against the Rams, and it won’t do Shough much good at this point if Mickey Loomis starts dealing away offensive pieces ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, but that’s life when you’re 1-7. Time to get a look, though, as this team will be drafting high — very high — in the spring of 2026.
Game of the Week
Kansas City at Buffalo
Any time Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes square off, it’s must-see television. If the Bills are going to win, they’d do well to lean on James Cook, who is coming off a 216-yard romp over Carolina and is now averaging 6.0 yards per carry for the year. But the Chiefs are hot even by recent-year Chiefs standards. They’ve put 28-plus on the board in five straight games and have only looked more explosive since getting Rashee Rice back in the lineup. In the receiver’s two games since returning from a six-game suspension, the Chiefs have outscored Vegas and Washington 59-7, and Mahomes has thrown six touchdowns. Half have gone to Rice, who already has 13 catches for 135 yards. A fourth straight win and then a bye before a monster game at Empower Field on Nov. 16 feels right.
Chiefs 31, Bills 29
Lock of the Week
Minnesota at Detroit
The Vikings’ quarterback issues remain, and Kevin O’Connell now must give J.J. McCarthy a good, long look the rest of the year. In Detroit, meanwhile, Jared Goff is playing terrific football. The work week started for the Lions by giving a four-year, $180 million whopper of an extension to star Aidan Hutchinson. That’s two $45-plus million pass-rushers in the same division with him and Green Bay’s Micah Parsons. Hutchinson’s off to a monster start after a broken leg marred his 2024. Good luck, McCarthy. The Lions are 9.5-point favorites, not the biggest line of the week — the Packers and Rams at home against Carolina and New Orleans, respectively, are bigger favorites — but this feels like a matchup of teams going in opposite directions.
Lions 28, Vikings 17
Upset of the Week
Chicago at Cincinnati
Welcome to the Bad Loss Bowl. The Bears might have had the worst loss of Week 8 — against a reeling, Lamar Jackson-less Ravens team. Except then the Bengals allowed the winless New York Jets to put 39 points on the board and notch their first win, 39-38. Now the Bengals could be without new old quarterback Joe Flacco and back to Jake Browning. But who can trust Ben Johnson’s team at this point? The 2.5-point road favorites look like they’ve made real progress, but then step back. Similar to the play of their second-year quarterback, Caleb Williams. The Bears should win this game, especially if Flacco doesn’t play. It should be a get-right game for Williams against a defense that’s really struggled. We’ll see.
Bengals 24, Bears 23
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