Things That Made Me Giddy
You Thought Right: The Patriots Are Back: The defense, yes. And the quarterback is keeping everything on schedule, getting the ball out on-time and getting some unexpected plays from a fairly pedestrian receiving corps. But it’s the offensive line and the power run game—on Sunday led by rookie Rhamondre Stevenson doing his best Mosi Tatupu circa 1983 impression—that is bringing up shades of Belichick teams past. Mac Jones is not Brady, but all the elements of the late-Brady Patriots—including the Super Bowl LIII team—are now here.
Hey Look, It’s Cam Newton!: And he’s doing stuff! (Scoring touchdowns—a TD run and a TD pass on his first two snaps of the game—and picking up penalties for the celebration, but whatever, the Panthers won in a blowout anyway.)
Aaron Rodgers Still Working Through a New Supporting Cast: He was particularly miffed about Josiah Deguara’s lack of attention to detail on a couple of plays, as the second-year tight end is stepping in for an injured Robert Tonyan. For a second straight game it wasn’t beautiful for Rodgers, but it was more than enough considering how the Packers' defense is playing.
Yup, Don’t Worry About the Cowboys: They came into Sunday leading the NFL in luck-adjusted point differential, and while I haven’t re-run the numbers I’m guessing they’re still on top after a 40-point blowout of the Falcons. Dak Prescott’s calf injury was a reason for slight concern after last week’s shaky performance against Denver, but this remains a very good team that can win in a variety of ways.
Dan Quinn Revenge Game: I’m genuinely curious if Quinn (the former Falcons coach who’s now the Cowboys DC, of course) saw Arthur Smith’s quotes to our Albert Breer last week when Smith was, frankly, feeling himself a little more than he probably should have been after holding off Trevor Siemian. While I don’t think these words were directed toward Quinn and/or his old staff and players, it’s not difficult to see how they might be taken that way. Said Smith: “This football league’s not for soft souls, so you gotta play every down. You’re on the road, it’s not the same old Falcons and so we found a way to finish. Soft souls, we got them out of here.” The Cowboys’ drubbing of Atlanta on Sunday felt just a little personal, whether it be a defensive timeout in the final seconds of the first half of a 36–3 game, or Dak Prescott lowering his shoulder on a fourth-down scramble to put Dallas up 40.
AJ Dillon as Kyra Sedgwick in : With Aaron Jones going down on the last play of the third quarter, it was Dillon taking on a full-time workload to finish it. It was tough sledding in the fourth quarter—11 carries for 28 yards—but he added a 50-yard catch-and-run and punched it in on third-and-goal twice (scoring touchdowns is a skill!) to finish off Seattle.
This Time, Mike Zimmer Lets His Offense Win It: Last week, Zimmer settled for overtime rather than going for two in Baltimore, his Vikings eventually falling to the Ravens. On Sunday, protecting a seven-point lead and facing a fourth-and-2 at the Chargers’ 36 with 2:32 to go, Zimmer left the offense on the field and Dalvin Cook got the game-clinching first down. (The Vikings, by the way, are a half-game behind Carolina for the seventh-seed in the NFC and have a win over the Panthers head-to-head.)
Give Joe Barry a Pat on the Back: The narrative can change depending on what happens in January (just ask Mike Pettine), but right now Barry, the Packers’ first-year defensive coordinator, is making it work with a thin cornerbacking group, injury-plagued linebacking corps and without his best pass-rusher. Against Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson in consecutive weeks, the Packers allowed just 34 points combined.
Jalen Hurts Deserves His Shot: Ever since drafting him in the second round a little more than 18 months ago, the Eagles’ front office has basically sent every message imaginable that they don’t believe Hurts is their QB of the future. Hurts, in response, has shown much more good than bad in his first full season as a starter, and Sunday’s win in Denver was another step in the right direction. We know what he can do with his legs, he was connecting with DeVonta Smith outside the numbers, and now it’s time to get him working between the numbers to better regulate this offense. There's no reason to think he can't become the guy in Philly.
The Bills Are Fine Too: But you’re smart, you knew that. However, they’re going to be in a dogfight with the Patriots in the AFC East.
For Your Consideration: Jeffery Simmons: There’s a lot of season to go, and Simmons had already been dominant in the first half of the year. Now it’s showing up statistically (which will catch the attention of voters), as in two more sacks—now five over the last two games—as the Tennessee defense takes over with Derrick Henry sidelined. Consider this the start of his Defensive Player of the Year campaign.
Dan Campbell Is, Like, Half on the Board?: With a tie in Pittsburgh. It probably feels about as good for him as you think it does. He was using timeouts trying to get the ball back at the end of overtime, but couldn’t do so until there were eight seconds left. Missed kicks, dropped interceptions… it just wasn’t meant to be. (Also, read this.)
