Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day’s action and examines their significance moving forward.
It’s beyond over
The Jets are cooked.
Regrettably, I was expecting this to be the week that they finally took off. The reason: Well, how could they not?
We’d seen flashes from the offense at times, and it was only fair to assume that the old Aaron Rodgers-Davante Adams connection would ramp up after a second week of practice together. And surely the defense would feast on the Patriots’ offense.
One way or another, this was supposed to be the ultimate get-right spot. As it turns out, the Jets are never to be overestimated – there’s always room for them to disappoint you.
A stunning loss in New England drops New York to an unfathomable 2-6 mark on the season. While the most optimistic onlookers *raises hand* left the door open for this team to overcome a 2-5 start, it no longer seems wise to cling on to any such hope.
We’re now at a point where the Jets may be one loss away from bowing out of the playoff race completely. And if that defeat comes next week, in a tough matchup with the Texans, we should probably start having a real conversation about what this team should do at the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
Turning into a seller just three weeks after making a desperation trade for Adams would, of course, be a rough look. But that shouldn’t stop the Jets from salvaging this mess and doing the right thing for their future.
Then again, perhaps we shouldn’t be expecting too much on that front. Doing all the wrong things is kind of their brand at this point.
Browns a new team
Jameis Winston will never be confused for a high-end NFL quarterback. Limited to just three starts over the last two years, league evaluators had effectively decided he’s little more than a high-end QB2.
The former No. 1 pick deserves all the credit in the world for his performance in a big win against the Ravens this week. But the fact that inserting him into the starting lineup was all the Browns needed to look like a completely different team tells you everything you need to know.
Deshaun Watson, prior to his season-ending injury, wasn’t just a low-end starter. He was an unplayable and borderline unrosterable quarterback. But the Browns were stuck trotting him out there week after week in an attempt to justify the worst trade and worst contract in NFL history.
Were it not for the financial commitments and presumed pressure from the top of the organization, Watson likely would have been benched weeks ago. Because as we saw last year when Joe Flacco stepped in for five games down the stretch, this offense is ready-made to succeed so long as the quarterback doesn’t drag it down.
Winston, making his first start since September 2022, put up 334 passing yards against Baltimore. That easily clears Watson’s most productive day in a Browns uniform. Winston’s total of three touchdowns was matched by Watson just once in his 19 starts. Winston also posted a 0.29 EPA/dropback, more than doubling Watson’s best mark in Cleveland, according to Austin Gayle of The Ringer.
Winston isn’t going to be perfect – we saw several turnover-worthy plays against the Browns that could easily end up going the other way in future games. But you can deal with the occasional giveaway if you actually have a quarterback capable of running the offense the way it’s designed and pushing the ball downfield.
The Browns had that with Flacco last year, and they have it again with Winston. The instant success of a veteran castoff drives home just how bad the quarterback situation was in between.
Richardson struggling
The Colts have a problem.
Anthony Richardson is not a good quarterback right now. In fact, one could reasonably argue that he’s currently the worst starter in football.
The 2023 No. 4 pick had himself another disastrous day against the Texans, completing just 10 of 32 attempts for 175 yards and one touchdown, one interception, and one lost fumble. He also took five sacks against Houston’s ferocious pass rush.
On the season, Richardson is now connecting on a ghastly 44.4% of his passes. That puts him at 50% through his first 10 starts in the NFL. Completion percentage isn’t everything, and it’s still early, but these aren’t the names you want to be associated with at any point in your career:
I want to be clear: I am nowhere near ready to consider giving up on Richardson as an NFL quarterback. He was low on experience coming into the league, and making good on his sky-high potential was always going to be about getting reps. The floor may now appear lower than anyone was hoping, but the ceiling is still high if the Colts can remain patient.
It’s also worth noting that Josh Allen’s first 10 career games looked a lot like Richardson’s: A lot of bad misses, a lot of terrible decisions, and some questions about whether he’d ever put it all together. Allen may be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to quarterback development, but that’s the upside you’re chasing when you draft one with physical tools like this.
Unfortunately for Richardson, he didn’t do himself any favors this week when he pulled himself out of the game for a third-and-long play because he needed a breather. That won’t help his case for keeping the starting job when we have plenty of evidence that suggests the offense operates better with Flacco under center.
Quick slants
Hail Mary magic
Jayden Daniels continues to amaze. The Commanders seemed dead in the water after a late touchdown put the Bears up by three points with 25 seconds to play. And they would have been were it not for the runaway favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels put all elements of his unique skill set to use for a stunning walk-off Hail Mary, buying time in the backfield before unloading a deep ball 60-plus yards to the end zone. It wasn’t his best outing of the year, but Daniels battled through last week’s rib injury and shook off some big hits to throw for 326 yards while running for another 52. The Commanders are suddenly must-watch TV, and it’s all because of their superstar rookie.
Bears get what they deserve
Batting down the Hail Mary was all the Bears needed to move to 5-2. Even with a win, though, it was going to be difficult to come out of this week feeling good about the state of this offense. Caleb Williams was under pressure on a career-high 51.6% of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. The continued difficulties in pass protection contributed significantly to the No. 1 pick completing just 10 of 24 passes for 131 yards against a Washington defense that entered this week ranked 26th in EPA/pass. A concerning trend of poor play-calling reached a peak when a third-and-goal handoff to backup lineman Doug Kramer was fumbled. The Bears are headed in the right direction, but it really feels like the offensive coaching staff will hold them back in the short term.
A special (teams) performance
The Lions went into halftime of Sunday’s contest against the Titans having accumulated 9 net passing yards. Typically, that would be a surefire sign of a team getting blown out. In this case, the Lions held a 35-14 lead. It was a similar story in the second half. Jared Goff finished the day with a season-low 85 yards while the Lions cruised to a 52-14 win. The run game continued to produce at a high level, and a few turnovers gave Detroit some incredibly short fields. But the real story was a truly ridiculous showing on special teams. Khalil Dorsey got things started with a 72-yard kick return early in the second quarter. Kalif Raymond ripped off a 64-yard punt return two possessions later and then took one back 90 yards for a score after halftime. In total, Detroit finished the day with 262 return yards. The unit’s 196 yards over expected is the most in a game since at least 2018, according to Next Gen Stats.
Falcons own the NFC South
It’s not easy to trust the Falcons. After years of torture, with an all-time Super Bowl collapse providing the lowlight, their own fans will probably be the last ones to buy in. But this team is slowly rounding into the form we all hoped to see after an aggressive offseason headlined by the move to bring in Kirk Cousins. The offense has now put up 30-plus points in three of its last four games. The Falcons may only be sitting at 5-3, but sweeping the Bucs with Sunday’s win officially puts them in the driver’s seat in the NFC South. Assuming they keep trending in the right direction and potentially make a deadline move to address the defensive front, there’s no reason this team can’t compete with the best of the NFC in January. A home playoff game would go a long way toward a deep run.
Any way you want it
A matchup with the Jaguars’ league-worst pass defense by EPA figured to set the stage for a monster game from Jordan Love. It wasn’t quite working out that way early, and the Packers’ star quarterback ended up sidelined with a groin injury for most of the second half. As we’ve seen from Green Bay throughout this season, though, this team is about much more than a high-powered passing attack. The defense did its part with another pair of turnovers, already eclipsing last year’s total with 19 on the season. The run game also came through to close things out, as it did during Love’s early-season absence, with Josh Jacobs recording 127 yards and two touchdowns. Love’s health is essential for this team to reach its ceiling, but the fact that the Packers don’t exclusively rely on their star quarterback bodes extremely well for their chances of going deep into the playoffs.
Dolphins’ offense back?
Tua Tagovailoa was decently efficient in his first game since Week 2, completing 28 of 38 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown. More than his individual stats could show, though, it was clear that his presence was the key to unlocking a supremely talented cast of offensive playmakers. Tyreek Hill and De’Von Achane both had productive days, and a 27-point showing against the Cardinals marks Miami’s best scoring output of the season. The offense performing at this level makes the Dolphins a playoff-caliber team, but the road back to contention may prove too difficult from here. A narrow loss to Arizona drops Miami to 2-5 with the division-leading Bills up next.
Eagles heating up
The Eagles’ offense has been the target of some fairly consistent criticism in this space; all of which, I’ll note, has been deserved. While I’m certainly not going to walk it back after one game against one of the league’s worst defenses in Cincinnati, it would be silly to ignore the possibility that this could be the start of a long-awaited turnaround. Jalen Hurts played as well as he has at any point in the last calendar year, completing 16 of 20 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown while adding another 37 yards and three scores on the ground. Granted, the total passing numbers may not be what you expect from a $255-million quarterback. But with a dominant run game, and a defense that looks better every week, taking care of the ball while hitting on the occasional big play to your superstar receivers is really all this team needs. Upcoming contests against the Jaguars, Cowboys, Commanders, and Rams give the offense a real opportunity to take off.
Tight ends steal the show
Passing numbers may be down, but tight ends weren’t going to let that get in the way of them enjoying their special day. National Tight Ends Day was celebrated this year with a number of big performances around the league. Fourteen different tight ends found the end zone at least once Sunday. In total, the 16 scores sets a new record for the honorary holiday. There were also five tight ends who didn’t record touchdowns but still led their teams in either catches or yards.
Stat of the week
