NFL

Layout:

— Individual Team News + Stone’s Cold Takes

— Picks of the Week

— Featured Team of the Week - Detroit Lions

Arizona Cardinals (1-7):

• Lost 31 to 24 against the Ravens
• QB Kyler Murray could return next week
• Benched QB Josh Dobbs

This game ended semi close but really was not that close for til the end. The Cardinals clearly have needs at a lot of different positions. This team is still missing RB James Conner and it is making things a lot more difficult on everyone else. QB Josh Dobbs who started out the season avoiding turnovers has struggled recently doing just that. There are rumors that QB Josh Dobbs could be on the trade block and that may be the reason why he is not starting next week. The team announced it will either be rookie QB Clayton Tune or QB Kyler Murray. At this point it would be difficult to turn things around enough to make the playoffs for the Cardinals.

Atlanta Falcons (4-4):

• Lost 28 to 23 against the Titans
• Benched QB Desmond Ridder at Half
• DL Grady Jarrett out for Season with ACL injury
• Traded for DL Kentavious Street from the Eagles

Tough loss for the team and even tougher to lose DL Grady Jarrett for the season. The defense has been the key thing for the Falcons that has been keeping them in games and Jarrett is a big part of that. Good move to get some help here with DL Street from the Eagles. It will be interesting to see how the team proceeds but at least at the moment it sounds like they are going to be sticking with QB Desmond Ridder. QB Taylor Heinicke showed a bit more of the potential of the offense and it will be something that will hopefully be more fully implemented as QB Desmond Ridder continues to develop.

Baltimore Ravens (6-2):

• Won 31 to 24 against the Cardinals

This team just keeps on rolling and really had this game pretty well put away from the get go. QB Lamar Jackson continues to play at a high level and be efficient with the ball. In this game though the offense did not have to do too much with the turnovers generated by the defense and the overall efficiency. The real test for this team should come next week against the Seattle Seahawks.

Buffalo Bills (5-3):

• Won 24 to 18 against the Buccaneers
• Signed RB Leonard Fournette

Good to get a win for the Bills but this was not as convincing of a win as it should have been. Had WR Chris Godwin for the Bucs turned around he probably would have caught the game winning Hail Mary from QB Baker Mayfield. To me it still feels like the Bills are trying to figure out their identity. The good news is that they are getting a lot of production out of TE Dalton Kincaid and starting to get help from other folks too like Deonte Harty. RB James Cook is even running the ball pretty well in his limited touches. The defense still has holes due to their pile of injuries and they seem to be grasping at straws to solve problems that may not even be there. I don’t love the signing of RB Leonard Fournette because I don’t think he is much of an upgrade over RB Latavius Murray and definitely in my opinion is not an upgrade over RB James Cook. Overall I am a huge Josh Allen fan but this offense and their struggles do have me scratching my head. However, with them still being at 5-3 I have a feeling that in the long run they are going to be just fine. They are going through pre-holidays slump at the moment. Also, the fact that they won was big this week with the Chiefs losing to the Broncos.

Carolina Panthers (1-6):

• Won 15 to 13 against the Texans

I had a feeling about this game and Carolina fans can rest a little easier at night knowing they avoided losing every game this season. Hopefully this can be a confidence builder for young QB Bryce Young and he can figure out how to continue to improve throughout the rest of the season. It has been encouraging to see a bit more production out of WR Jonathan Mingo these last few weeks as well as WR Adam Thielen. The big concern here on offense at the moment is about what is going on with RB Miles Sanders. He did not see much action even though his counterpart RB Chubba Hubbard did not do much. Maybe a win now will help him to play inspired football the rest of this season because being able to establish a run game will be key for the team if they want to have more success than just this one game.

Chicago Bears (2-6):

• Lost 30 to 13 against the Chargers
• CB Jaylon Johnson requests trade

Rough game for rookie QB Tyson Bagent. Also, the Charger defense really did show up making things difficult on the Bears the whole game. The Bears let the Chargers get out to an early lead and had some calls not go there way on offense and all of the sudden they were in a hole down 14 to 0 after the first quarter and 24 to 7 at half. I would say that this one was just ugly because of that and then a QB who is still a rookie. Overall though I thought QB Bagent showed some poise and made some really good throws. He left a few deep balls on the table that he decided to throw elsewhere but it sounds like he will get another chance to start next week as QB Justin Fields continues to heal from his injury. This next one should be interesting since they will be facing a very good defense from New Orleans and an offense that may be starting to hit its stride.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-3):

• Won 31 to 17 against the 49ers

Great win for the Bengals and a team we were so worried about after starting the season 0-3 has now ripped off 3 straight wins against the NFC West and this one in convincing fashion. QB Joe Burrow appears to be healthy again and was able to move around quite a bit more in this game than he has in any other this season. It appears that he is finding his connection with WR Tee Higgins as well after doing so with WR Ja’marr Chase the other week. The key player in this game though was RB Joe Mixon. In his return back to his hometown he shined bright and produced for the team making it impossible for the Niners defense to clamp down on offenses like they do so often.

Cleveland Browns (4-3):

• Lost 24 to 20 against the Seahawks

The defense here overall played pretty well for the Browns but they need more out of the QB position than journeyman backup PJ Walker can offer. They are playing money to the QB position as if they have a Hall of Famer in place and what they have gotten is an oft injured QB Deshaun Watson who has maybe played one game in the past two years that reminded us of the Watson who played for the Texans. Really though at the end of the day this was sloppy game for both teams and one they will quickly want to move on from. They need QB Deshaun Watson back and they need the old version of him back sooner rather than later. I worry for the future of NFL players getting more guaranteed money based on how his contract has gone.

Dallas Cowboys (5-2):

• Won 43 to 20 against the Rams

The Cowboys came out and were playing like they were trying to make a statement. Great and very convincing win by the team where they were firing on all cylinders. At 5-2 they set themselves up pretty well in the NFC and recent struggles by the 49ers have made things a bit easier. I still feel like the key to sustained success though for the Cowboys is for them to really find and commit to their run game which they still don’t seem to be doing. This was a great win and they didn’t need to but as the season progresses if they can get that going is what will make them a clear cut Super Bowl contender rather than just a strong playoff team.

Denver Broncos (3-5):

• Won 24 to 9 against the Chiefs

Great win for the Broncos and Denver is probably starting to feel good about themselves and Russ’ ability to cook. The stats don’t jump off the page here but they didn’t need to do a lot on offense to beat the Chiefs who had 5 turnovers and couldn’t seem to figure out how to hold onto the ball. Good win for them in the division which sets themselves up well if they can go on a little run now. Key for them moving forward is for the defense to continue to step up and look like it did last year and for QB Wilson to find his old form. That will likely come through a run heavy focused offense that allows Wilson to have plenty of time when he does decide to drop back.

Detroit Lions (6-2):

• Won 26 to 14 against the Raiders

Strong bounce back win for the Lions after a rough week against the Ravens. Overall just a well played game. A couple things they can clean up on offense but the big news from this win was the emergence of RB Jahmyr Gibbs who ran for over 150 yards and added almost 40 yards receiving as well. This is what the fans have been wanting and waiting to see. If he can really get going consistently it will open up this offense quite a bit. The other great and encouraging thing for Lions fans was the 6 sacks and just overall suffocating play by the defense. The Lions are the real deal in the NFC and should be considered in any conversation about top NFL teams. The nice thing is that the division they are in has not been strong this year either so should allow them to have easier divisional games than most of the rest of the league.

Green Bay Packers (2-5):

• Lost 24 to 10 against the Vikings

Tough loss for the Packers who seem to be going downhill fast. The Packers really need to figure out the run game here because I actually feel like QB Jordan Love still has quite a bit of potential and could be the long term answer. He has no real experienced receivers, a struggling offensive line, and a run game that has not really been effective this year. Overall the defense has played well but a little more help on the offensive side of the ball here should go a long way in helping QB Jordan Love continue to progress and make strides to become what he needs to in order to lead this Packers team.

Houston Texans (3-4):

• Lost 15 to 13 against the Panthers

Tough loss for the Texans against the Panthers but the encouraging thing here is that they are still going to be in a lot of games with who well the defense played. Overall the offense struggled to get the passing game or the running game going. No need to panic here because the team is playing better still than most expected at the beginning of the year and will have game like this, especially with a young QB. It seems that QB CJ Stroud is still coming along well and limiting interceptions which so many young QBs with coming into the league and adjusting the speed of the NFL.

Indianapolis Colts (3-5):

• Lost 38 to 27 against the Colts

The Colts definitely are not making it easy on anyone to beat them and are starting to reap the benefits of having RB Jonathan Taylor back in the lineup. Against the Saints though it just was not enough. Good to see that WR Josh Downs continues to play very well. I think the main thing hurting them now is WR Michael Pittman Jr. and his complaining about the team not valuing him. He had the most targets at 13 and the most reception at 8 and managed just 40 yards. He needs to produce at a higher clip when he gets the ball rather than just complain about not getting it or feeling like he is an important part of the offense. Right now WR Downs is playing like the better talent in my opinion and WR Alec Pierce is coming on strong too. Obviously I hope they can all figure it out and play well together.

Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2):

• Won 20 to 10 against the Steelers

Another good win for the Jaguars. They seem to be quietly making their case for the top spot in the AFC. The main thing here is that they have been playing well on both offense and defense. QB Trevor Lawrence has done a good job of limiting turnovers and playing within the offense. I expect them to start unlocking a bit more though of the potential they have given their weapons now as the season progresses. There is no reason this offense should not be able to put up closer to 30 points a game with the talent they have. Against a tough defense what they were able to do was huge and should serve as a confidence boost for them going forward.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-2):

• Lost 24 to 9 against the Broncos
• QB Patrick Mahomes sick prior to the game

Not going to write too much here. QB Mahomes did not look good but was playing sick and the receivers did not look good either. The Chiefs will figure it out and bounce back but getting some more production out of the WR room here would not hurt. Overall though I am not worried about this team and am excited for the upcoming game against the Dolphins.

Las Vegas Raiders (3-5):

• Lost 26 to 14 against the Lions

Rough game and it does not seem like the Raiders are trending in the right direction. The QB play has been awful, WR Davante Adams does not seem happy with his role, and RB Josh Jacobs has not been the same this year. It kind of feels like a typical Raiders season again where on paper they have a lot of talent but just don’t seem to be able to inspire confidence in themselves or their fans. I worry about them down the stretch here with the other teams in their division starting to look better.

Los Angeles Chargers (3-4):

• Won 30 to 13 against the Bears

Great overall win for the Chargers and they needed this one. It was a game they should have won pretty handily and they did. It seems normally the Chargers end up making these games close games but overall good execution by the offense and defense. QB Justin Herbert looked sharp and was spreading the ball around to lots of different receivers. I think a big difference maker here on offense was having RB Austin Ekeler back with the team. Even though he did not do much rushing the ball he led the team in receiving yards and was able to get lots of yards after the catch. If the Chargers can keep trending upwards they are a scary team but we shall see how things go.

Los Angeles Rams (3-5):

• Lost 43 to 20 against the Cowboys
• QB Matt Stafford has sprained thumb

Tough loss and potentially losing QB Matt Stafford is definitely not going to help. Turnovers and the defense letting them get down early are what hurt this team the most in this game. It felt like this game was over after the first quarter with the Cowboy up 17 to 3. The good news though is that it sounds like Stafford avoided major injury and is considered day to day.

Miami Dolphins (6-2):

• Won 31 to 17 against the Patriots
• CB Jalen Ramsey likely to return this week

Great win for the Dolphins against a Patriots who has proved to be a bit problematic for some teams recently even the Dolphins earlier in the season. WRs Waddle and Hill were really cooking and should they continue it is going to make it extremely difficult on teams to stop them. WR Chase Claypool even had a reception this week and was targeted twice in the game. Good to see Miami win again in a game where the run game struggled for them. The good news for this team is that they start to get some help back on defense this week with CB Jalen Ramsey returning. The defense has been the weakest point thus far so any reinforcement are key there.

Minnesota Vikings (4-4):

• Won 24 to 10 against the Packers
• QB Kirk Cousins tore Achilles

What a heart breaking injury. QB Kirk Cousins is someone that I feel like everyone roots for and was pulling this Vikings team back into relevance this year after a rough start for the team. He was playing some of the best football of his career and even doing so without WR Justin Jefferson the past few weeks. Now the team has a decision to make as the trade deadline approaches. They have QB Jaren Hall in place at the moment and are they going to try and help him out with some pieces added or are they going to be sellers at the deadline as they head towards a potential rebuild next year with QB Kirk Cousins hitting free agency. Lots of decisions to be made and very little time to make them.

New England Patriots (2-6):

• Lost 31 to 17 against the Dolphins
• WR Kendrick Bourne tore ACL

Tough loss for the Patriots and on top of that losing their top WR this year does not help a team that doesn’t have much at the position to begin with. There have been a few high moments for this Patriots team but for the most part it feels like this team is on a downward spiral this year. It is tough to see but appears to be the case. No receiver had more than 40 yards in the game and the run game was held under 100 yards. RB Ezekiel Elliott looked the best of the all the backs so maybe they give him so more carries here in the weeks to come and see if he can jumpstart something.

New Orleans Saints (4-4):

• Won 38 to 27 against the Colts

The Saints seem to be started to find themselves potentially. QB Derek Carr had a great game and threw the ball all over the field. This offensive showing is what was expected from the beginning of the year just with WR Shaheed stepping up more than WR Chris Olave early in the season. Next big thing for them will be to have a complete game where the defense plays well like it had been most of the year complementing an explosive offensive performance. They have a good chance to do that next week against the Bears.

New York Giants (2-6):

• Lost 13 to 10 against the Jets
• Lost QB Tyrod Taylor due to injury
• Traded DL Leonard Williams to Seahawks for 2024 2nd round pick and 2025 5th round pick
• QB Daniel Jones cleared to play

I don’t even want to write about this one. It was an overall ugly game and the good thing is that the Giants defense looked really good and were able to shut down the Jets until the end of the game. The QB situation clearly during this game was a difficult one and it is welcome news that QB Jones will be back this week. Trading away Leonard Williams was a good move though because they could use the draft capital as it is clear they are the worst team in the division as currently constructed.

New York Jets (4-3):

• Won 13 to 10 against the Giants

I don’t know what it is in this type of game that the Jets are able to get the win but somehow they are willed to victory. QB Zach Wilson did not look great all game but towards the end figured something out and I think it is just when he gets to play loose and do less thinking that he is at his best. At 4-3 the Jets are looking pretty good for the back half of the season and much better than folks thought when they lost QB Aaron Rodgers. They need to get more out of the running game in order to keep winning game and keep the pressure off of Wilson. RBs Hall, Cook, and Carter averaged under 2 yards a carry across 15 carries.

Philadelphia Eagles (7-1):

• Won 38 to 31 against the Commanders

It was not an easy one for the Eagles but the great teams find ways to get it done. Great 4 TD performance by QB Jalen Hurts and WR AJ Brown continues to amaze. The biggest concern here is that the QB Hurts is dealing with a knee injury that will be something to watch over the coming weeks and how he recovers from it because clearly they need him healthy and starting to contend. Right now Philly looks like the best team in football and with GM Howie Roseman it will be interesting to see if they pull anything off before the deadline to get them more secondary help.

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3):

• Lost 20 to 10 against the Jaguars
• QB Kenny Pickett questionable due to rib injury

Ugly loss for the Steelers and I know there were some questionable calls but overall the struggles on offense here are the main problem with this team. It appears to be potentially a QB and OC issue but primarily an OC issue in my opinion. I know it is the popular thing to rag on OC Matt Canada but it really feels like that is the root of the problem here with this team that has an incredible defense.

San Francisco 49ers (5-3):

• Lost 31 to 17 against the Bengals

That is 3 in a row for the Niners. It is hurting them not having WR/RB Deebo Samuel and OL Trent Williams. I know Purdy has had his struggles in the past couple of weeks but at least from this game I was more impressed with a lot of the plays that he did manage to make. What is more concerning here was how the defense got sliced apart and how when the Niners play good QBs they don’t seem to have an answer for how to stop them. Sunday they didn’t have an answer for stopping the run either. The bye week could not have come at a better time though and hopefully they can get fully healthy and figure out the funk they have been in because they are no longer atop the division.

Seattle Seahawks (5-2):

• Won 24 to 20 against the Browns
• Traded a 2024 2nd round pick and a 2025 5th round pick to the Giants for DL Leonard Williams

Great trade by the Seahawks as they see the struggling Niners across from them and the Rams flailing as well. It was not a pretty win but ugly wins are better than losses and it seems like this team just finds way to get things done. The run game looked great for Seattle and will be key for them down the stretch and against teams like the Niners. Another thing that has been developing more recently is WR Smith-Njigba getting more involved in the offense and just giving QB Geno Smith another high level target to look for in the passing game when WRs Lockett and Metcalf are covered.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4):

• Lost 24 to 18 against the Bills

Even though they lost the Buccaneers should still feel good. They are very much still in it in their division being only a half game back of the Falcons and the Saints. They can easily turn things around in my opinion as they re-find their offensive identity and they have a defense that has slowed down even the best of offenses. They also win this game if WR Chris Godwin turns around a second sooner to catch the Hail Mary pass from QB Baker Mayfield. I really would love it if they find a way to get some more help at the RB position because they still are not getting enough there but we shall see what happens.

Tennessee Titans (3-4):

• Won 28 to 23 against the Falcons
• QB Will Levis started

What a day for QB Will Levis and WR Deandre Hopkins. This could be a great sign for the Titans who struggled with poor QB play thus far this year. QB Will Levis came in and stepped up with 4 TDs against a top ranked Falcons defense and seemed to get the veterans producing on the team as well including WR Deandre Hopkins who caught 3 of the TD passes and had over 100 yards receiving. It was also good to see RB Derrick Henry have over 100 yards and get involved in the receiving game. The Titans could have just figured something out. They have a tough test this week against the Steelers on Thursday night football but I am sure there are more people excited to watch that game after the performance by the 2nd round pick.

Washington Commanders (3-5):

• Lost 38 to 31 against the Eagles

Tough loss for the Commanders where they showed their potential to be able to go toe to toe with the best team in the league. OC Eric Bieniemy clearly has done something right during his time there thus far with how well QB Sam Howell is playing this year. The defense has been inconsistent but the Commanders should still be excited for the future with the young core they have leading this team on offense. They have a game this upcoming week against the Patriots that they need to win and should win.

Picks of the Week:

Went 7-8-1 this past week so that brings me to 55-66-1 on the year with hopefully my best week yet coming up. Things have been very unpredictable recently.

• Vikings +4.5 v. Falcons -4.5
• Bills +3 v. Bengals -3
• Titans +3 v. Steelers -3
• Dolphins +2.5 v. Chiefs -2.5
• Cardinals +8 v. Browns -8
• Rams +3 v. Packers -3
• Commanders +3 v. Patriots -3
• Bears +7.5 v. Saints -7.5
• Seahawks +5.5 v. Ravens -5.5
• Buccaneers +2.5 v. Texans -2.5
• Colts -2.5 v. Panthers +2.5
• Giants +2.5 v. Raiders -2.5
• Cowboys +3 v. Eagles -3
• Chargers -3 v. Jets +3

Featured Team of the Week:

*For links and pictures please see the link in my profile

Lions Den Welcome Sign

Restaurant of the Week (Mom's Spaghetti):

Since we are back in Detroit I had to find a way to give Eminem a bit of a shoutout here. From his song Lose Yourself where talks about Mom’s Spaghetti comes to you the restaurant Mom's Spaghetti. It is a bit of a changeup from the typical place I pick here for restaurant of the week but this one is definitely worth a try. The menu is pretty straightforward here with spaghetti coming with a couple different sauce options and if you would like even in a sandwich. I recommend just getting good old Spaghetti and meatballs but again it is not like you aren’t getting that in one way or another when you order here. It is a half mile from the stadium too so it should not be too hard to make a choice here.