Tag: football

NFL Week 15 Winners and Losers

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After many weeks of waiting, teams are finally clinching playoff berths. Some teams secured their divisions and have chances at the number one playoff seed. Even more exciting are the teams that had chances to clinch and couldn’t, setting up more anticipation for the holidays. It’s time to see who or what else stood out during week 15.

Winners: Jesse Minter

The Chargers entered Sunday anticipating a must-win divisional game after their defense sealed an overtime victory last Monday night against Philadelphia. Los Angeles had the chance to eliminate Kansas City from playoff contention and keep the top wildcard spot. Sunday’s win was one of their best of the season.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter called a great game. Despite a 13-3 Chiefs lead in the second quarter, the Chargers defense never relented and played better each possession. Los Angeles recorded five sacks and didn’t give up any points in the second half. Even after Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes II exited with a torn ACL, the Chargers pressured and intercepted backup quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Los Angeles intercepted both quarterbacks once.

Audiences wonder if Los Angeles can remain a constant playoff threat even if star quarterback Justin Herbert plays with an injured hand. The Chargers are peaking at the right time and are a true postseason threat because Jesse Minter has this defense playing aggressive and determined.

Houston Texans

Audiences have been waiting for Houston to get on a roll and play quality football most of the season. It has finally happened after another dominant win Sunday.

The Cardinals are certainly not playoff contenders and faced an uphill battle. The Texans dominated every side of the ball start to finish. Their offense steamrolled a hapless Arizona defense and didn’t turn the ball over. Quarterback C.J. Stroud IV completed 22 of 29 passes for 260 yards, three touchdowns and a 137.1 passer rating. Running back Jawhar Jordan had 15 carries for 101 yards and helped the offense dominate time of possession. Receiver Nico Collins and tight-end Dalton Schultz combined for 11 catches, 161 yards and all three receiving touchdowns.

Houston’s defense made sure to hold a double digit lead after Ka’imi Fairbairn’s first field goal. Cornerback Kamari Lassiter intercepted Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett to start the third quarter and the defense forced a fumble. All three touchdowns yielded were meaningless since the Texan offense scored the following possessions. Arizona had no answers unless Houston let up.

Like the Chargers, the Texans are playing their best football at the right time. They’ve won six of their last seven since the start of November. While almost no NFL team wants to play head coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense, the offense is becoming a nightmare for opposing defenses. There is a chance Houston has a long playoff run if they keep playing like this.

Jalen Hurts

A gut-punching Monday Night Football loss to Los Angeles because of an overtime interception brought up a lot of questions on what else is wrong with Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts has appeared off most of this season from his throws to reading the field. While it looked as if there was improvement last Monday night, there was also bad luck. There was none of that Sunday in a shutout win over Las Vegas.

Hurts finally led the Eagles to an easy 31-0 win and looked good. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 175 yards, three touchdowns and an almost perfect 154.9 quarterback rating. Jalen Hurts also ran seven times for 39 yards. His four yard touchdown pass to start the game erased some doubts that last Monday night’s game left scars and mental fatigue for Philadelphia’s offense.

Some will say the shutout win against the Raiders doesn’t say much about the fragile state the Eagles are in, but a shutout win is hard for every team– even reigning Super Bowl champions. If Philadelphia’s offense finally gets hot and plays their best football of the season, they’ve picked the best time.

Tyler Shough

All of the surprising things this season one might not compare is how New Orleans starting quarterback Tyler Shough has played the last month and a half. Shough has led the Saints to three of their four wins and played well in all of them.

New Orleans faced a tough task in stopping a confident, first place Panthers team that hasn’t been close to a division winning berth since last decade. Carolina’s defense has improved, but Tyler Shough had the blueprint to beat them twice. He completed 24 of 32 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown for a 110.4 passer rating. Shough also ran eight times for 32 yards, including a late, four yard scramble that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Panthers defense. That play got New Orleans in position for the game winning field goal.

The Saints still have a lot to work on and evaluate with the roster, free agency and the upcoming draft. Viewers expected the quarterback position to be a top need and area of concern, but it appears that Tyler Shough may have eliminated the necessity to for at least another season.

Losers: John Hussey and his officiating crew in New England

There are few games this season, last season, this decade, and the last overall decade where referees determine games single handedly. Usually blaming officials for certain finals will make people roll their eyes and say it’s because of certain biases clouding judgement. Not Sunday. An extremely high number of serious viewers and analysts who closely studied Buffalo’s “comeback” win in New England Sunday are certain the referees both stole a win from the Patriots and were awful at making simple calls.

It seemed apparent early when New England dominated Buffalo that referee John Hussey and his sideline crew weren’t going to call many penalties. There was a belief by many that the referees would be biased against the Bills. The Patriots offensive line got away with some blatant holds on TreVeyon Henderson’s runs. Those rooting for Buffalo were probably most incensed when Kayshon Boutte made a 30 yard catch during New England’s first possession and there was no review for it being complete. Perhaps some audiences thought those weren’t too bad…until the second half.

Hussey and his fellow officials picked and chose what to penalize New England for the last two quarters. The problems began to show on Buffalo’s second possession of the third quarter where a Patriots stop on third and five should’ve been a field goal attempt. The referees called holding, and shortly after the Bills scored a touchdown and trailed by three. The following possession, veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White intercepted New England quarterback Drake Maye in what’s a clear defensive pass interference while a line judge looked directly at it. The non-call was bad, but what made it worse was the exact same thing happened two Bills possessions after when New England defensive back Marcus Jones intercepted Josh Allen. Not only did the referees call pass interference when Jones turned around to find the ball, they also ruled receiver Khalil Shakir miraculously caught the ball even though Jones had it in his hands. The referees somehow couldn’t differentiate between Shakir’s hands and arms wrapped around Marcus Jones’ head and throat, and what counts as a catch, or what was a penalty all in one play. The Bills got their second lead change and scored the last touchdown of the game three plays later.

The wildest part about this whole mess is how referee John Hussey has been viewed by many in past years as one of the most respected and honest NFL officials. So, when one of the most transparent and highly regarded referees and his crew blindly miss textbook illegal block in the back penalties on punt returns, Stefon Diggs being held on New England’s last possession of the game, and face-mask penalties on blatant pass interference calls, those are serious problems the league should address in specific detail. The fact that almost no major network or online sports site seriously covered the disturbing officiating issues in New England is an alarming indictment of so-called fair and objective sports broadcasting and journalism.

New York Giants

Some games didn’t have blatantly terrible officiating issues. Some featured cringe-worthy teams that make dumb decisions. New York has made terrible choices much of the season, and rushing starting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to play a meaningless divisional game against Washington was one more on a long list.

Dart didn’t play bad. He completed 20 passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. However the Giants trailed the entire game. According to NFL insider James Palmer, Jaxson Dart has been evaluated for a concussion in half the games he’s played in, and missed two. Dart could have also played with more after effects from the most recent one. Somehow that didn’t matter to an interim head coach, staff or organization that’s in prime position for the first overall pick in the 2026 draft.

There continues to be serious questions about injury negligence and disturbing team decisions concerning playing injured or almost injured NFL players every week this season. The Giants’ organization is one of the biggest culprits and hasn’t been fined once despite putting multiple quarterbacks at risk. At some point it must stop because players like Jaxson Dart will get seriously hurt, and there will–again, be a massive uproar about why the NFL hasn’t been more strict with teams suspected of protocol violations.

Green Bay Packers championship aspirations

The conversation after week 14 was about how Green Bay controlled their destiny in the NFC North, was a valid championship contending team, and were hot at the best time. After Sunday’s deflating loss in Denver, none of that may be true by week 16.

Injuries devastated the Packers in a critical second half. The best addition of last offseason was linebacker Micah Parsons. Parsons tore his ACL on a Denver first down in the third quarter. He is done for the remainder of the season. That wildly, was not the only big injury Green Bay had. Receiver Christian Watson also left with a chest injury that left quarterback Jordan Love with no talented options to throw to most of the second half. Not surprisingly, the Broncos took advantage of the Packers injuries and sealed an easy win.

Today’s updates reveal Watson should return to practice before the next game or two, but Green Bay’s defense will be easier to attack. Chicago’s re-match with the Packers will be more favorable after Bears head coach Ben Johnson now knows how to attack them with the running game. Any opponent Green Bay plays will exploit and go after a more vulnerable defense without it’s biggest star and playmaker. Many believed the Packers could go on a championship run after the trade for Parsons from Dallas. That’s off the table with how many quality NFC teams have their stars fully healthy.

Next week’s Sunday Night Football

The last two of three Sundays have featured terrible night games. The poorly chosen ones featured at least one team out of the playoff race. The NFL chose not to flex them leading up to last Sunday night. During half-time last night in Dallas, NBC gleefully announced that instead of the audience being tortured with Miami versus Cincinnati, we would instead be treated to a groan-worthy New England versus Baltimore matchup.

Some readers may be confused with what the problem is. The issue isn’t New England and Baltimore getting featured, it’s how this late in the season, the NFL promised again to air the most quality games the closer we get to the playoffs. Green Bay versus Chicago should be seen by a whole, national audience. Not only does it fetch higher ratings (particularly in the nations’ third-largest media market), it has direct NFC North and conference implications everyone should have the chance to watch. Baltimore’s second game against Pittsburgh, which will determine who wins the AFC North, takes place the last Sunday of the regular season. Menwhile, the Ravens are unwatchable against serious contending playoff teams and have deserved audiences’ ire this year.

There have been a lot of perplexing decisions by commissioner Roger Goodell this season, but not using the power to flex second half regular season Sunday night games boggles minds since Goodell was the one who proposed and pushed for these ideas years ago.

December 2025 NHL Power Rankings: The Avalanche Show Yet Again Why Expansion is a Good Thing

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Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon would be the NHL’s MVP if the season ended today.

On November 29th, the Colorado Avalanche hosted a home game against the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens have been in a defensive slump and the Avalanche made it worse. The 7-2 thrashing Colorado put on Montreal was talked about the rest of the weekend. However, unlike previous matchups between both teams, one thing stood out: the Avalanche wore their throwback uniforms.

For those who don’t know, the then-Nordiques moved from Quebec City, Quebec to Denver, Colorado in 1995. The Nordiques were one of four teams that joined the NHL after the World Hockey Association (WHA) folded in 1979, and did well holding onto and developing talented players. Unfortunately, Quebec City wasn’t able to keep its team in the mid-90s because of financial issues and the smaller market not being enough to sustain the team compared to other larger cities in the U.S. The cherry on top of a painful move was the Avalanche winning their first Stanley Cup championship after relocating to Denver.

You may ask what’s the relevance to this story compared to where Colorado is today and what’s going on in the league? Well, articles in The Athletic and New York Times went viral discussing how drastically different things have been for the now-Utah Mammoth compared to when they were the Arizona Coyotes. There were a lot of crazy things mentioned in these articles, but when a current general manager says how one T.V. in the locker room is worth more than an entire facility back in Tempe, AZ, that doesn’t go away. Not to mention last offseason was filled with so many rumors and conversations of where the next expansion teams would be that commissioner Gary Bettman went on record saying there won’t be any discussion on that with the owners anytime soon.

Which is why we turn our focus to the present day Avalanche. Like Colorado, several teams have changed destinations throughout the decades. Atlanta (which for some reason is being considered by serious hockey analysts for yet another professional team) was home to both the Flames and Jets. The return of the Winnipeg Jets has brought all kinds of fortune and success. Not only has the city returned to relevance, multiple players still love and call the team their favorite. The Flames move to Calgary is regarded as one of the best because of the golden age of hockey played in the 1980s. The Battle of Alberta brought the best (and worst) out of everyone. Many still despise the Whalers moving to Carolina and becoming the Hurricanes. However, the NHL is well regarded and talked well about in the south and beloved in North Carolina. The Stars success in Dallas brought both another team to Minnesota and serious discussions of adding a team to Houston.

Some teams will never have to move or relocate because of the money, location and large fanbases they attract. But some should either consider or do it because a fresh start is necessary. Expansion is another great option because many people in North America love ice hockey and want to watch a team closer to home. Some large cities have been crying for a better team or championship for so long, a second team must be considered. It’s why both the league and owners should seriously discuss adding four more teams within the next decade. Quebec City finally has both the money and infrastructure to maintain a professional team. Houston and Kansas City are great cities to expand the game to geographically different areas. Two teams in Texas or Missouri would add a quick, fierce rivalry to immediately grab viewers’ attention and make history in each matchup. Toronto or Vancouver having a second team would make both older franchises more desperate to win a title and stop acting like the world revolves around them. Inner city rivalry games are also a big draw, especially opening night and on holidays.

There is irony in New Jersey, Las Vegas and Colorado being long-term hockey attractions but not Phoenix, Oakland or Atlanta. Last year the Winnipeg Jets were the best team start to finish in the regular season. The talented core put together may have never happened if they were still the Thrashers. The Avalanche are on pace to have as many points if not surpass Boston’s record three seasons ago. It’s doubtful Colorado would have both this team, coaching staff, success and run if they stayed in Quebec. There are dozens of cities lobbying and planning for success like the Golden Knights and Predators have had. It’s time the NHL gives them a chance.

Colorado players celebrate one of their seven goals in a dominant home win against Montreal. Audiences love the alternate Nordiques uniforms so much, the Avalanche could wear them again on January 29th when the Canadiens wear red.

Time for the first power rankings of the season. These show where all 32 teams objectively stand going back to the rankings from last season. Some teams will have tiebreakers based off of how they’d perform on a neutral site.

#32 Nashville Predators (last ranking: 29)

While many viewers wonder if Barry Trotz can be a competent, long-term general manager, it has flown under the radar how much goaltender Juuse Saros has regressed in not even a full calendar year. Remember, Trotz floated the idea of trading Saros near last season’s trade deadline because of how much he liked Justus Annunen. Something is wrong in Nashville and that could be more than the general manager.

#31 Calgary Flames (last ranking: 21)

This season’s Flames team is what many expected to see last year. The only surprise is how sophomore starting goaltender Dustin Wolf is giving up one goal more per game compared to last year. On the plus side, all Calgary needs is more top end talent to compliment the roster assembled.

#30 Buffalo Sabres (last ranking: 30)

If there was ever a game that’s defined where the Sabres are, it was last December third’s 5-2 loss in Philadelphia. When captain Rasmus Dahlin cross checked Trevor Zegras into the glass, he did so out of impulse without thinking of the consequences. That’s a dumb decision for any player, let alone a captain. Coach Lindy Ruff is one of the NHL’s all-time best, but even he can’t help Buffalo from sinking. If there was ever a team in prime position to move and start over in a new city or country, it would be the Sabres.

#29 Seattle Kraken (last ranking: 28)

During Seattle’s four game losing streak, the Kraken were shut out twice and scored four goals once in a 9-4 loss to Edmonton. Seattle’s dreadful on offense and it is hard to see how they stay in the playoff race as more teams in the western conference start to pull away.

#28 Chicago Blackhawks (last ranking: 31)

A lot of what makes the first rankings of the year difficult to make is how teams that start well won’t be placed higher because of how they performed the previous season. Same applies with teams that were championship contenders and have fallen by the way side for any number of reasons. I understand people won’t like this placement for Chicago. The roster is better, Connor Bedard is playing as the elite center many believed he would, and Jeff Blashill’s having a great year behind the bench.

That said, the amount of inexperience the Blackhawks have will show the later the regular season progresses. Edmonton, St. Louis and Winnipeg will be better than what we’ve seen, and it is one of the biggest lessons Chicago must learn.

#27 San Jose Sharks (last ranking: 32)

Wow! Was Macklin Celebrini a slam-dunk pick (even though he went first overall). The 19 year old was the second player to get 40 points into the season. A teenager is on pace for 121 points and trails only Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. San Jose will be fun to watch the next few years.

#26 Vancouver Canucks (last ranking: 16)

It was clear once Rick Tocchet left, things would go south in Vancouver. Things are so bad the Canucks went from worshipping the ice captain Quinn Hughes skates on to trade discussions with New Jersey. Vancouver is a hot mess because they let a great coach go and dealt the leader of the locker room in the span of months earlier in 2025. Those two decisions will haunt the franchise for years to come.

#25 St. Louis Blues (last ranking: 15)

At first it was strange to see St. Louis start the season slower than expected, but stats help. The Blues have one of the worst offenses and that shouldn’t be a surprise. General manager Doug Armstrong needs to add a center or forward that makes opposing defenses worry about breakaway chances and two-on-one scoring opportunities. That would also take a lot of pressure off the defense to create shot attempts on offense.

#24 Columbus Blue Jackets (last ranking: 19)

Columbus is fortunate they have several games at hand against some of their divisional opponents, so there’s nowhere to go but up. To everyone’s surprise, Jet Greaves looks like a franchise starting goaltender who could take the Blue Jackets far should they invest in more defense. Don’t be surprised if Columbus moves a spiraling Elvis Merzlikins at the trade deadline.

#23 Ottawa Senators (last ranking: 14)

Many expected Ottawa to have some struggles to start the season after a breakout year, a fun return to the playoffs, and a tough first round exit. But this defense? Absolutely atrocious. Prime Martin Brodeur could be in net and struggle almost every night with how bad it’s been this season. The Senators gave up 20+ goals four games into October. Every team has injuries at some point but the sloppy play is on the coaching staff.

#22 Utah Mammoth (last ranking: 20)

At first I was expecting more people would be upset with this ranking. However, center Logan Cooley being out indefinitely gives this spot more merit. Add in a streaky first two months of play and Karel Vejmelka playing close to 90% of Utah’s games, the Mammoth earned this placement.

#21 New York Rangers (last ranking: 18)

It’s been a blooper-filled start to the season for the Rangers. I still believe New York will miss the playoffs and start trading talent next calendar year, but the Rangers remain competitive after a wonky first month in which they kept getting shut out at home, but looked like a playoff team on the road.

#20 Detroit Red Wings (last ranking: 22)

There are no easy wins in the NHL and it’s harder to have a shutout. That’s why goaltender John Gibson getting his first shutout win as a Red Wing against Vancouver Monday night is big. It’s his best game of the season. If Gibson and the defense in front of him build off that shutout win, Detroit will be hard to beat almost every week.

#19 New York Islanders (last ranking: 24)

Despite a flood of injuries the last two months, New York has hung in there because of coach Patrick Roy, center Bo Horvat and rookie phenom defenseman Matthew Schaefer. Schaefer has single handedly won some games for the Islanders and has made sure they stay relevant in the division race.

#18 Anaheim Ducks (last ranking: 25)

This was another ranking many would see as controversial given how well Anaheim’s played this season. However the recent losses of goaltenders Lucas Dostal and Petr Mrazek to IR are big concerns and the biggest test for the Ducks. If Anaheim is a top three team in the Pacific by next month’s rankings, we’ll know for sure if they’re the real deal.

#17 Philadelphia Flyers (last ranking: 27)

Rick Tocchet was a perfect coaching hire. He is a rare coach who keeps a lot of the John Tortorella discipline and hardline stances while getting the team to evolve, play smarter and clamp down on defense. Most importantly, Tocchet gets along well with top-tier talent. I’m not sure the goaltending situation stays solid the whole season, but the Flyers are a fringe playoff threat the rest of the year.

#16 Pittsburgh Penguins (last ranking: 26)

This is the biggest team surprise of the year so far. Sidney Crosby has matched Wayne Gretzky’s goal total from his age 38 season in 56 less games. Crosby may be a dark-horse MVP candidate should Pittsburgh grab a high playoff seed. A new coach helps but with Sidney Crosby playing similar to when he first came into the league, many teams will see the Penguins as a hard out.

#15 Toronto Maple Leafs (last ranking: 8)

I’m still willing to give Toronto more breaks with their slump given who their coach is and the deep scoring talent. However, the losses of both goaltenders Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz are huge blows and present several problems for general manager Brad Treliving. An ugly start to the season could get worse if Dennis Hildeby isn’t the answer in net.

#14 Boston Bruins (last ranking: 23)

If someone told you at the beginning of the season that one of the top three goal scorers in the NHL would be a Boston Bruin, they would assume it would be David Pastrnak. Turns out it’s Morgan Geekie. What should be a re-build or re-tool season for Boston has been a year many see them in the playoffs. It would be comedic if after last season’s results, the Bruins somehow make the playoffs but the Maple Leafs or Panthers do not.

#13 New Jersey Devils (last ranking: 13)

Think of the Mammoth but with more hype and located on the east coast. That’s New Jersey. A bit shocking the Devils are inconsistent after general manager Tom Fitzgerald added more defensive depth in the offseason. New Jersey sports media is pressuring Fitzgerald to make another big trade but that could make things worse. Here’s hoping coach Sheldon Keefe can fix the issues.

#12 Edmonton Oilers (last ranking: 10)

Many analysts, friends and commenters told me in the last two Stanley Cup playoffs that I was much too harsh on Edmonton’s defense and goaltenders. Anyone who has seriously watched the Oilers play not even two months into the season knows that the goaltending is so bad, even the broadcasting crews make jokes at their expense. Trading Stuart Skinner for Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry, who’s buried on the depth chart because of poor play, is unlikely to solve anything. From Elliotte Friedman to Paul Bissonette, analysts can tell this start to the season has a much different feel in Edmonton than the last few. This might be the last dance for the Oilers core talent.

#11 Montreal Canadiens (last ranking: 17)

Something many sports fans forget is how one decision can impact a lot of lives. The most drastic example is the NBA’s Luka Doncic getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Countless lives were changed overnight. A much smaller example is goaltender Samuel Montembeault. Some analysts had him going to Seattle in the expansion draft back in 2022. Given how Montembeault’s game has been uneven at times while the Kraken have one of the better goaltending duos in the league, one wonders what would’ve happened if he never went to the Canadiens. It’s a small thought many will dismiss, but it might have made Montreal take a more serious look at their goaltending situation and not just sign players they see as temporary solutions.

#10 Winnipeg Jets (last ranking: 1)

Much like Calgary, Winnipeg is playing like many expected last season. The difference is injuries and a continual slump in offensive production could un-do a lot of progress the Jets made in Scott Arniel’s first year. It makes Eric Comrie’s time as starter in net more important given where Winnipeg could be by March’s trade deadline.

#9 Los Angeles Kings (last ranking: 12)

Los Angeles has a fantastic defense. The offense and power-play? Absolute garbage. Coach Jim Hiller has to find some answers by the New Year. It’s baffling that a veteran team this talented struggles to score when they have the puck.

#8 Florida Panthers (last ranking: 3)

Let’s not be too critical of this placement. We know when fully healthy, Florida is a top five NHL team. We also know that no Matthew Tkachuk or Aleksander Barkov for most of the season changes everything. Other injuries such as a five month loss of defenseman Dmitry Kulikov doesn’t help. The Panthers have earned enough grace to take a slower tumble in these standings than most other teams.

#7 Minnesota Wild (last ranking: 11)

I’d love to have Minnesota up higher if they can fix their offensive struggles. A bottom ten offense holds them back from a top five ranking. Regardless, the Wild are amazing audiences during every game goaltender Jesper Wallstedt plays. Wallstedt was shockingly 8-0-2 in his first ten starts, and half of those wins were shutouts. Not only is the sophomore net-minder leading the league in every important goaltending category, but he also had sports pages in and outside of Minnesota wonder if he’d have more season shutouts than Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will have touchdown passes by May. It’s super early to call Jesper Wallstedt the next Martin Brodeur but wow, talk about potential.

#6 Carolina Hurricanes (last ranking: 6)

The next three teams are all in the same position: a top tier championship contender with some serious glares that could de-rail their title dreams. Most of Carolina’s inconsistencies come from goaltending and defensive injuries. While Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt has been getting most of the attention, Hurricanes third string goaltender Brandon Bussi has been a lifeline. His 1-0 OT shutout win November 30th against Calgary was a season highlight.

#5 Vegas Golden Knights (last ranking: 4)

If someone said before the regular season that Mitch Marner would excel in Vegas, many would’ve agreed because Toronto is notorious for bungling star players and their talents. Yet if someone added that Marner could have been the glue that held the Leafs locker room together, that would’ve stunned almost everyone. Mitch Marner’s growth and presence almost cancels out the goaltending and defensive issues the Golden Knights have dealt with the last two months.

#4 Tampa Bay Lightning (last ranking: 9)

Without captain Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay got back to what made them successful and now the Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL. The defense led by net-minder Andrei Vasilevskiy is top five, the penalty kill is the league’s second best and the offense is top ten with Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel. Now if center Brayden Point can get out of his slump, this could be the best team in the eastern conference.

#3 Washington Capitals (last ranking: 2)

Not only does this Washington team look nearly identical to the teams coached by Barry Trotz, the most stand-out player is Tom Wilson. Wilson is more focused and critical to coach Spencer Carberry’s offense. He leads the the Capitals in points (32), goals (17), and hits (83). He’s progressed to a team leader opposing defenses have to prepare for (and not just for the cheap shots and fighting).

#2 Dallas Stars (last ranking: 5)

If Colorado were not a factor, Dallas would be the easy pick for best team. Not only are the Stars playing some of their best hockey, they’ve played well despite several players entering and returning from IR. While the loss of assistant captain and former champion Tyler Seguin for the rest of the regular season is damaging, it might not matter with how Dallas is playing now until late in the season.

#1 Colorado Avalanche (last ranking: 7)

Even if Colorado’s season was in the mainstream news 24/7, it wouldn’t be enough to highlight how impressive the first two months have been for the former-Nordiques. Two regular season losses in almost two months of play. At one point all the starters had a positive plus/minus differential in the double digits (only ONE player has a negative differential. That is almost unheard of). Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood are playing the best goaltending they have in their careers. I don’t know how any team in the west could take this juggernaut out in a seven game series unless injuries plague the whole roster. Ils sont magnifiques!

The NHL’s best player Nathan MacKinnon (29) scored two goals in a 3-2 overtime win in New York December 6th.

NFL Week 14 Winners and Losers

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The fourteenth week of the regular season eliminated more teams from playoff contention and solidified division leaders. The postseason is a month away and most franchises are getting ready for a higher playoff seed or the offseason. Time to break down this weekends’ winners and losers.

Winners: Tony Pollard

A lot of analysts will correctly discuss and break down how Cleveland rookie quarterback Shadeur Sanders is the real deal and leads, adapts and makes the Browns offense better even in a loss. Most of those analysts won’t talk about how runningback Tony Pollard almost single-handedly got Tennessee their second win of the season.

Tony Pollard is one of the few NFL offensive players who has shredded the vaunted Cleveland defense this season. Instead of a sack-fest on number one overall pick quarterback Cam Ward, Pollard led the offense and ran 25 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Every time the Browns defense seemed to stifle the Titans passing game, Tony Pollard broke out for a long run and put Cleveland back on their heels.

Yes it has been a season to forget for Tennessee’s offense, but most of the defenses that have played the Titans struggled to contain Tony Pollard and have had to account for his added strength and agility compared to previous years. If Tennessee adds more talent to the offense this offseason, Pollard could become a more dangerous player next year.

Miami Dolphins running game

Miami’s mid-season resurgence has been led by their running game. Many viewers know De’Von Achane is one of the NFL’s most underrated runningbacks, so it wasn’t surprising he had a good game. However, Achane had company that helped seal an early win.

The Dolphins’ leading rusher in New York was Jaylen Wright. Wright had 24 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown. When Wright wasn’t cutting through the Jets, Achane took over for one of his seven carries. De’Von Achane finished with 105 all-purpose yards and a rushing touchdown.

New York had nothing on offense and that gave Miami more chances to put scoring drives together. Even with the lopsided advantage, the Dolphins have put together a more sensible game-plan where the running game takes over and puts the passing game in easier situations. Head coach Mike McDaniel may have saved his job with this change.

Blake Corum

Los Angeles needed to regroup after a shocking road loss in Charlotte last Sunday. A great way to do that was to lean on the running game. With the now official, last place Cardinals on the schedule, the Rams constantly ran the ball and crushed their division rival.

Blake Corum was the best player in a dominant 45-17 win. Corum ran 12 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown gave Los Angeles their first lead of the game and his last score sealed the easiest win of the late afternoon matchups.

The running game will be key for how far the Rams go in the postseason. Backs like Blake Corum and Kyren Williams are dangerous players for any top tier defense. The more Los Angeles relies on a runningback duo, the closer they will come to making the Super Bowl.

Losers: Baltimore Ravens defense

Serious NFL analysts struggle to cover a lot of objective game content without fixating on a losing team’s offense. Baltimore’s offense wasn’t good in a divisional home loss to Pittsburgh (the winner would lead the AFC North), but it was understandable that there were several issues ranging from injuries to terrible officiating calls.

The Ravens defense had no excuses. There are at least four former Pro Bowlers back healthy, yet an injured, mostly one handed Aaron Rodgers threw for almost 300 yards against them. The Steelers led almost the entire game. Whenever Baltimore’s offense tried to get back in the game or cut the deficit, Pittsburgh shredded the Ravens secondary and got their extended leads back. Receiver DK Metcalf had seven catches for 148 yards after three straight weeks of averaging 50 yards per game. Again, there is no excuse for former Pro Bowlers to play helpless against younger, more inexperienced division rival receivers.

Sunday’s home loss shows Baltimore shouldn’t make the playoffs. Whoever wins the fifth seed would want the Ravens to win the AFC North so they can have an easy wild-card weekend win. Nobody respects Baltimore’s defense, and they won’t be stopping any of the four remaining offenses on their regular season schedule.

Dan Quinn

Everything about Washington’s shutout road loss was awful. Jayden Daniels re-injured his left elbow, tight-end Zach Ertz may have suffered multiple career ending injuries in his right leg, and a Bobby Wagner led defense was obliterated by the NFL’s worst quarterback. When a team is shut out, that falls on the head coach.

Dan Quinn is revered by many and has earned a lot of respect. However, his game-plan for Minnesota was putrid. There were people publicly asking if the Commanders bothered to practice or plan against the Vikings. Washington has veteran, All-Pro leaders on every side of the ball, and most of them played lost on Sunday. That is not a common sight among Quinn’s players. It’s as if the coaching staff didn’t take that game seriously.

With Sunday’s humiliating loss, the Commanders are officially eliminated from playoff contention. It stuns that one of the most hyped teams before the regular season went from playoff favorite filled with older, All-Pro veterans on every side of the ball, to a flaming, crash-out mess in salary cap and free agent nightmare once the off-season begins. Dan Quinn has to better prepare for next year and make sure no one takes any “easy” games off.

4th quarter Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati had not lost a game with Joe Burrow as their starting quarterback since mid-December 2024. Burrow makes the team better and the Bengals were in command of a pivotal road game in Buffalo…until the fourth quarter.

Everything fell apart after tight-end Mike Gesicki scored Cincinnati’s fourth touchdown to take a 28-18 lead. The Bengals defense is now a top contender for worst defense of all-time and showed why on a Josh Allen 40 yard rushing touchdown the following possession. That meant Cincinnati’s offense had to seal the win and score again. And score they did…

…by giving up an interception return touchdown to the Bills two minutes later.

Buffalo didn’t end there. The Bills got their final score of the game after a second straight interception from Burrow five plays later. The Bengals’ playoff hopes were on the line against an opponent also fighting for a playoff spot, and squandered it in the worst way possible during the most important quarter of their season. What a devastating way to be eliminated from postseason contention!

NFL Week 13 Winners and Losers

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The last Sunday of November had fewer games but just as much entertainment compared to prior weeks. Upsets, injuries and comebacks led headlines and will be the focus as December begins. The playoff picture has never looked more crowded. It’s time to break down who or what stood out most; positively or negatively.

Winners: Davante Adams

A stunning loss in Carolina said a lot of things about Los Angeles. It appeared head coach Sean McVay and most of the Rams didn’t take the Panthers seriously. One player who did and played well all four quarters was wide receiver Davante Adams.

Adams had four catches on five targets for 58 yards and two touchdowns. His first score gave Los Angeles their first lead of the game and his second tied the game at 14. According to NFL Network’s GameDay Watch, Davante Adams became the fourth player in NFL history with 13+ reception touchdowns in at least four career seasons (the other three are Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss).

Davante Adams left Sunday tied sixth with San Diego Chargers tight-end Antonio Gates for all-time receiving touchdowns with 116. Adams will end up alone in sixth place some time this season. It’s cool to see that even in some down years, Davante Adams is still one of the best and most dangerous receiving threats a defense can face.

New York Jets

Not many people expected New York to go on a winning streak or have a span of winning football a month ago. The Jets end week 13 with three wins in their last four games. Their recent victory against Atlanta may be their best of the season.

New York battled hard against the Falcons. The Jets defense struggled against quarterback Kirk Cousins and runningback Bijan Robinson. However, New York’s offense kept the game close and even had a few leads. Receiver Adonai Mitchell stood out with eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. 52 of those went on the touchdown run he had in the first half to tie the game at 14.

Many viewers wondered if the Jets were the worst NFL team heading into November. Rookie head coach Aaron Glenn didn’t have a lot of talent to work with on the defense, and the offense struggled to dominate games and control the game clock. Glenn has turned things around from fiasco and hopeless to competent and optimistic. This time New York may have found their head coach of the future and are a team to keep an eye on the last month of the regular season.

Kimani Vidal

The Chargers have been battered at the running back position most of the season. They have needed someone to step up the last few weeks who can give quarterback Justin Herbert some relief when he isn’t throwing the ball and leading the offense. Los Angeles might have found a new gem Sunday in Kimani Vidal.

The sophomore back was the Chargers’ best player. Vidal ran 25 times for 126 yards and a touchdown. He also had a catch for eleven yards. Kimani Vidal made the game clock a constant issue for Las Vegas’ defense and helped Los Angeles keep the ball for nearly 36 minutes.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh promoted Vidal at the best time. After the Chargers win, news broke Sunday night that team star Justin Herbert will need surgery for a fractured hand. The surgery likely sidelines Herbert at least one week. Los Angeles must now rely on their running game to dominate offensive tempo and do most of the work against their next opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. Get familiar with Kimani Vidal the next few games.

Losers: The second half Cleveland Browns

The 49ers and Browns played a slugfest first half Sunday afternoon. The score at halftime was 10-8. Both defenses were phenomenal, but both offenses made a lot of great plays. San Francisco pulled away in the second half because Cleveland committed a lot of blunders.

Offense and special teams kept turning the ball over. The Browns’ second possession ended in their territory after tight-end Harold Fannin Jr. fumbled a fourth down pass and 49ers linebacker Luke Gifford recovered. San Francisco had a short field to work with and scored a touchdown five and a half minutes later. The second major gaffe was a punt return fumble by returner Gage Larvadain at his own 18 yard line. The 49ers recovered the fumble and scored an easier touchdown minutes later (their two point conversion after the touchdown failed). The third and last major blunder was a turnover on downs by the offense next possession. San Francisco took enough time off the clock and added three more points from a 31 yard Matt Gay field goal. Cleveland officially lost when the offense committed another turnover on downs their last possession.

It’s torturous to watch the Browns take a step forward after finally finding a quarterback who can make the right plays in rookie Shadeur Sanders, but then take two steps back because of special teams and offensive errors and turnovers. Cleveland’s defense is Super Bowl caliber and will miss the playoffs again because the offense and special teams are among the NFL’s worst. What a shame.

Tyler Shough’s two point conversion attempt

New Orleans rookie quarterback Tyler Shough may be a great quarterback in the future. Shough has mostly kept the Saints competitive since he was named starter early November. For now, Tyler Shough still has a lot to learn and it showed Sunday in Miami.

The Saints rallied late Sunday afternoon and were two points away from tying the Dolphins at 19 and taking the game to overtime. Shough attempted a two point conversion pass, and it epically failed. Not only was the pass bad, it was easily picked off by veteran cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick and returned for a Miami two point score. The final was 21-17.

In Tyler Shough’s defense, he is a rookie gaining more hands-on experience, and every quarterback learns the hard way not to force a bad throw in heavy defensive pass coverage to a competent receiver. Still, the loss stings and keeps the Dolphins in the playoff race.

Pittsburgh Steelers offense, especially Aaron Rodgers

Buffalo versus Pittsburgh was important for both teams Sunday. Although to many that’s obvious, both the Bills and Steelers are in tight division races and have been behind at least one opponent at some point this season. A game this important meant both offenses would have to play at a high level. Buffalo found offensive rhythm the longer the game went. Pittsburgh? Not so much.

The Steelers offense did nothing after runningback Jaylen Warren scored their only touchdown a few plays after linebacker Patrick Queen recovered a fumble from Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed ten of 21 passes for 117 yards. Rodgers shouldn’t have played this game because he has three fractures in his left wrist. Both Rodgers and Pittsburgh knew this before Sunday, yet he still played. After a sack fumble from Joey Bosa in the second quarter, Buffalo got the lead and never trailed again.

The Steelers offense played even worse once backup Mason Rudolph replaced Rodgers. Rudolph completed one of his three passes–to the Bills defense. Aaron Rodgers had to close out a game with no hope of winning down by nine, and then by 16 points.

It’s another season where Pittsburgh goes through multiples crises on offense, while the defense and special teams are expected to keep games close. At some point, there must be massive changes because no one likes the offense the Steelers put on the field each week.

NFL Week Eleven Winners and Losers

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The eleventh week of the NFL season was both chaotic and fun by various turns. The upsets rocked not just the football world but the expected playoff pictures in both conferences. There is still a lot to process and breakdown because most fans and analysts didn’t expect so many storylines. It is time to break down the best and worst of week eleven.

Winners: Davis Mills

After C.J. Stroud IV was injured two weeks ago, many wondered if Houston could salvage their playoff chances with veteran backup quarterback Davis Mills named starter. Mills is now undefeated after both his starts. Those wins were both against divisional opponents.

Davis Mills completed 26 of 41 passes for 274 yards, a touchdown and a 90.9 quarterback rating. His scoring pass to receiver Nico Collins gave the Texans their first lead of the game. Mills also led two critical scoring drives in the fourth quarter to tie and then take Houston’s second and last lead.

The AFC South now has an opportunity to have two teams make the playoffs. The Texans winning two important division games without their starting quarterback keeps them in the postseason picture before December.

Sean Tucker

Tampa Bay’s controversial loss in Buffalo (more on that later) dampened a lot of positive talk on the Buccaneers’ running game. Since Bucky Irving’s absence for a few weeks, Tampa Bay couldn’t afford a one dimensional performance in a pivotal road game at Buffalo. A runningback like Sean Tucker had to step up and play well.

That is exactly what Tucker did. The sophomore had 19 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two catches for 34 yards and another score. Sean Tucker had 18 of the Buccaneers 32 points before the Bills pulled ahead and forced Tampa to commit more mistakes.

If the Buccaneers are going to have a solid playoff run, they need the running game to step up more. Sean Tucker brings a lot of skill and grit many teams covet in a starting back. Once Bucky Irving returns, Tampa Bay should use both to throw more teams off balance.

Pittsburgh Steelers

It has been a rough last four weeks for Pittsburgh. The Steelers were able to beat the NFL-best Colts, but lost to Cincinnati, Green Bay and Los Angeles. In all three losses, Pittsburgh’s defense gave up at least 25 points and the offense was either great or terrible. On Sunday, the good Steelers showed up.

Both quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph combined for 243 yards, two touchdowns and a 112 quarterback rating. Runningback Kenneth Gainwell had seven catches on eight targets for 81 yards and both scores. The offense played well against a historically bad Bengals defense.

Pittsburgh’s defense played their best game of the season. While they sacked veteran quarterback Joe Flacco once, the Steelers gave up less than 200 passing yards. Safety Kyle Dugger sealed a win with an interception return for a touchdown late in the third quarter. Cornerback James Pierre also returned a Noah Fant fumble for a touchdown.

Many wonder if Pittsburgh can keep both their division lead and win the AFC North late in the season. If the Steelers heat up or play like they did Sunday, there is no doubt they win the division.

Mark Andrews

Baltimore’s second game against Cleveland was almost unwatchable. Any updates that appeared showed the Browns and Ravens in a slugfest. No matter which team won, it was a big deal if Baltimore tight-end Mark Andrews either scored or set the franchise record in receiving yards. He did both on Sunday.

Andrews broke former Raven great Derrick Mason’s receiving yards record with three catches for 32 yards. Given how tough Cleveland’s pass defense is, Mark Andrews wasn’t going to have a breakout performance. Yet he did clinch the record five plays into the game. Andrews also had the play of the game when he lined up for a Tush Push play, but faked the run up the middle, and ran for a 35 yard touchdown. It shocked audiences and sealed the Ravens fourth straight win.

Losers: Washington Commanders

Watching Washington play American gridiron football the past two weeks heading into week eleven was awful. Two playoff favorite teams went into the DMV and pummeled the Commanders. Washington dealt with serious injuries and ejections from fighting. Sunday’s loss in Madrid was another low, but in different ways.

Commissioner Roger Goodell decided audiences in Spain should be treated to a lowly Washington versus Miami matchup. In the first NFL game played in Iberia, the Commanders played the Dolphins to a deadlock until a breakout third quarter. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s 20 yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuels finally gave the team some hope and their first lead of the game.

Washington’s defense had a better game, but they gave up a tying touchdown to start the fourth quarter. Despite some breakout plays by Mariota the next two possessions, the Commanders couldn’t score because of a turnover on downs and a missed field goal attempt. That meant overtime. Miami intercepted Marcus Mariota the first play of overtime, and finished their only drive of the quarter with a field goal.

It’s one thing to get blown out two straight weeks in the worst ways possible. To go overseas and lose an unwatchable, close game against another bad team in overtime feels worse.

NFL referees, beginning with Alex Moore and his crew

Here it is. Overall officiating was a hot mess in most of Sunday’s games, but there was none worse than referee Alex Moore and his crew in Buffalo. Most pundits will laud Bills quarterback Josh Allen for his six touchdown performance and conveniently ignore certain parts of the game that led to some of those scoring opportunities.

The errors and bad calls started late in the second quarter. A questionable roughing the passer penalty on Tampa Bay gave Buffalo a fresh set of downs a minute left in the half. The Bills offense capitalized with a 52 yard touchdown three plays after. On the Buccaneers first drive of the second half, tight-end Cade Otton had a nine yard gain that was close to the first down marker. CBS’s J.J. Watt said it looked like a first down to him, and audiences saw the side and overhead views. It looked like a first down. Not only did the referees not look into the play past a digital camera measurement, head coach Todd Bowles let them off the hook by not challenging the play.

The most egregious call came late in the fourth quarter when the Buccaneers defense finally stopped a crucial Buffalo drive. On a third and four, Tampa Bay held the Bills to what should have been a field goal attempt. However, Alex Moore threw a flag for a facemask penalty, and that led to an automatic first down and 15 yards for Buffalo. Everyone who saw the replay all said the same thing: there was no penalty because the hands never went inside the mask. The defender’s hand hit the helmet screw on the side. Two plays later, Allen and the Bills scored another touchdown.

Yes, there are always calls with which viewers, refs and fans in the stands will disagree. Loudly. NBC and NFL broadcasters disagreed on referee Alex Kemp’s pass interference call on Detroit cornerback Rock Ya-Sin against Philadelphia receiver A.J. Brown late Sunday night that sealed an Eagles win. The call was considered so bad that Yahoo!’s Jay Busbee wrote an article on how receivers drawing pass interference calls is their revenge for the NFL’s complicated catch rules. John Hussey’s crew missed several holding calls in Los Angeles could have impacted Seattle’s last field goal attempt. When sports outlets like ProFootballNetwork show disproval over calls like Otton’s failed first down conversion, it can only make the audience’s distrust of the officials grow.

Jonathan Gannon

One would think after November ninth’s brutal loss in Seattle, head coach Jonathan Gannon may have found ways to inspire confidence against a division rival Arizona tends to play their hardest and best games against the following week. Apparently, Gannon did nothing to inspire confidence with his roster, since the Cardinals were blown out again in another embarrassing loss to San Francisco. This time it was at home.

The 49ers had a double digit lead for almost three quarters. While the score was terrible, the worst part for Arizona was the number of penalties. The Cardinals committed 17 penalties for 130 yards. According to Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic, it was a new record in over a century of the team’s franchise history. Broadcaster Kevin Kugler said close to half-time that the Cardinals committed 13 in one half. The mistakes gave San Francisco more scoring opportunities and nullified touchdowns and positive plays for Arizona.

Two blowouts against division rivals certainly should have Jonathan Gannon on the hot seat and fighting for his job the remainder of the season. If the Cardinals can’t improve and continue playing like this heading into Christmas, there will be no doubt about Gannon’s job status.

Klint Kubiak

The same people who heaped praise on Bills quarterback Josh Allen for a six touchdown game and did not consider the officiating issues sound like same ones dumping vicious criticism on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold for a four interception game without considering it wasn’t all on him. It is most certainly true Darnold’s four turnovers were a headache and held Seattle back in what may have been the most important NFC west divisional game all season. However, a lot of Seattle’s game plan should not have involved him throwing the ball on five step drop-backs or in shotgun formation.

Serious analysts said prior to Sunday’s game that the Seahawks dual running game and offensive line would determine which team won. Both areas have been serious concerns every time Seattle has played Sean McVay’s Rams. Backup center Olu Oluwatimi’s first start of the season was in the most important NFC West game this year. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak should have emphasized that runningbacks Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III get the ball two of every three downs. The running game is great for offensive linemen because they go into attack mode and lead with pushes against the defense. Two quality running backs make the ground game harder to stop. It also leads to play action passes (where the quarterback fakes the hand-off to runningbacks and then settles in to pass), which could have and should have been encouraged.

Kubiak also casually ignored high risk throws. Sam Darnold has thrown in triple and quadruple coverage a few times the last few games, and while accuracy and luck have bailed him out, that should have been stressed weeks ago. It wasn’t until the third quarter and the last two drives of the game that Darnold was more careful with the ball. Coincidentally, that’s when the running game got going and gave Los Angeles issues.

Seattle will regret not winning Sunday’s game for a lot of reasons. The possibility of rookie offensive guard Grey Zabel landing on injured reserve is season altering. If there had been a better offensive game plan from the offensive coordinator, a lot of upcoming issues would be non-existent.

Note: NFL’s Winners and Losers will not be published next week due to writer, editor and publisher personal reasons and necessary time off. Publications will resume around the conclusion of week 13.

NFL Week Nine Winners and Losers

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We are now officially in the second half of the NFL 2024-2025 regular season. Some teams are rising in draft position while others inch closer to the playoffs. Postseason hopefuls want higher seeding further into November. Here are the winners and losers after week nine.

Winners: Drake London

It’s rare someone on a losing team gets featured in the winners section, but Atlanta wide receiver Drake London deserves this spot after a career day in New England. London also doesn’t share blame for the Falcons taking a loss.

Drake London was most of Atlanta’s offense on Sunday. He had nine catches for 118 yards and all three touchdowns. No matter which Patriot defender covered London, he found a way to get open and keep the Falcons in the game. New England only won because John Parker Romo missed the game-tying extra point after London’s third touchdown.

Atlanta’s playoff chances hinge on their star wide receiver. The more offensive coordinator Zac Robinson utilizes Drake London and makes him the focal point each possession and game, the better chances the Falcons have of winning.

Carolina Panthers

Anytime a team wins a low-scoring game, it’s due either to both teams playing great defense or they’re bad. Carolina played the 5-1-1 Packers in Lambeau Field and did the impossible; won a low-scoring defensive game.

The Panthers offense used everything they had to pull out a win. Runningback Rico Dowdle ran 25 times for 130 yards and both touchdowns. Dowdle’s four carries for 21 yards on Carolina’s last offensive possession got kicker Ryan Fitzgerald into position for the game winning 49 yard field goal. Fitzgerald did miss an extra point earlier in the game, but when his team needed three winning points, he delivered.

Carolina’s defense had one of their best games of the season. Although Green Bay lost dominant tight-end Tucker Kraft to a torn ACL, the Panthers frustrated quarterback Jordan Love throughout the game. They recorded one sack and four passes knocked down. Safety Tre’von Moehrig intercepted Love and returned the ball 36 yards midway through the third quarter. Eight plays later, Dowdle ran for Carolina’s second touchdown.

Many viewers don’t want to watch a barebones Panthers roster stack hard-fought wins. They should, because head coach Dave Canales has the team bought in and playing hard every game. Do not be surprised to see the Panthers as a dark-horse playoff candidate throughout November.

Cam Little

Jacksonville’s Cam Little might be the first kicker who’s ever made the winners and losers section on this website at separate times during an NFL season. Although Little cost the Jaguars a home win earlier in the season against Seattle, he was dialed in and a reason Jacksonville won Sunday in Las Vegas.

Cam Little now holds the NFL record of longest field goal completed in a regular or postseason game. His booming 68 yard make helped the Jaguars earn their fifth win of the year. Guess everything worked out.

Seattle Seahawks

In too many previous years, Seattle came off the bye week slow, with sloppy and sluggish play. This was a road game in Washington where a desperate Commanders team had to win. Simultaneously, they retired the number of a beloved Hall of Fame wide receiver. It felt like a trap game for Seattle. Instead the Seahawks dominated all 60 minutes.

After a fast first possession from Washington, Seattle’s offense went 12 plays, 90 yards and eight minutes for the game’s first score. The Seahawks then scored two touchdowns a minute apart in the second quarter after the Commanders committed a special teams blunder.

Star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had over 100 yards receiving at halftime. Starting quarterback Sam Darnold completed all 16 of his passes for over 250 yards and four touchdowns before half-time (his 17th straight completion tied a franchise record with Warren Moon). Darnold finished with over 325 passing yards, four scores, three incompletions and was never sacked. According to NFL Network’s Dante Koplowitz-Fleming, the only other quarterback to do this in the Super Bowl era was Johnny Unitas against the Atlanta Falcons in 1967.

Seattle also enjoyed a stellar defensive performance. The Seahawks sacked Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels four times and pressured him each snap. Daniels threw an interception to safety Ty Okada on the Commanders second possession of the game, which led to Seattle’s second touchdown and quickly put the game out of reach. Even when Daniels tried running for a late touchdown in the fourth quarter, Seattle stood firm and accidentally ended the sophomore’s season by dislocating his left elbow on a goal-line tackle.

There has been constant criticism by serious fans that the Seahawks need to be talked about more for how hard, physical and dominant their play is on every side of the ball. It’s safe to say everyone within the NFL world will be hearing about them this whole week.

Losers: Tennessee Titans offense

Anyone who watched Los Angeles play in Tennessee knew the only reason the Chargers squeaked out a win was because the Titans have the NFL’s worst offense. Halfway into the season, Tennessee has proven it and left no doubt.

Two of the Titans three sides of the ball scored a touchdown Sunday. The defense recorded an interception returned for a touchdown to grab an early lead, and the special teams returned a punt for a touchdown to get the lead back. The offense needed to score one and gain some confidence. After a four down series at Los Angeles’ goal-line resulted in a turnover on downs, it became apparent the best Tennessee could hope for was multiple field goals. The Titans made one field goal before the Chargers closed the game out with 4:19 left.

Tennessee is approaching territory no team should be in. They’re tied with the 1975-76 New York Jets for fewest touchdowns in a season with 14. Defunct or rebranded teams like the Dayton Triangles, 0-14 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 1942-45 Chicago Cardinals somehow scored more touchdowns than the 2025 Titans. One has to think there is nowhere to go but up.

Detroit Lions

No team has dominated the NFL the last few years like Detroit. Head coach Dan Campbell knows how to get the best out of his team almost every week. Sunday was a rare day where almost everything the Lions did looked bad, sloppy and unprepared.

Detroit’s offense was dominated against the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Jared Goff was sacked five times and star offensive tackle Penei Sewell left at one point because of an eye injury in the second quarter. Runningbacks David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs were held to 65 yards. While Montgomery did score a touchdown, he also lost a fumble that led to a Minnesota touchdown. Two receivers almost had 100 yards, but that was because the Vikings led by double digits most of the game and didn’t play as hard.

The Lions defense did the best it could without starters in the secondary. They sacked quarterback J.J. McCarthy five times and intercepted him once. They also gave up three touchdowns including a wide- open rushing score to the sophomore passer that gave Minnesota another double-digit lead. McCarthy and runningback Aaron Jones Sr. found ways to get critical first downs when it mattered most.

Still, Detroit battled and came close to taking the game to overtime. Their special teams also committed a blunder. Kicker Jake Bates missed a pivotal field goal that could have taken the Lions to overtime and a shot for a win. A second loss to a divisional rival is worrying in a tight NFC North race. The Lions will look back at this home loss and wish they had played better.

Stephen Ross

As bad as Sunday’s loss was for Detroit, it was worse for anyone who doubted Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, past and present. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is easily the biggest name that comes to mind.

If we compared Miami in the seasons after Flores was fired as Dolphins head coach to how Minnesota’s defense has fared since last year, it’s obvious which team is better. Yes, a few one-and-done playoff appearances for Miami stands out, but the Vikings play hard enough that even well-seasoned division rivals struggle to fare them off. Minnesota should be out of the playoff race and a non-factor in the NFC North. Yet the Vikings’ defense is the main strength that keeps them in the postseason conversation.

It’s clearer each week that Brian Flores is and should be the most coveted head coaching candidate for any team both this year and next. Owners like Stephen Ross are too impatient to recognize true talent when it stares them in the face. Whichever team hires Flores and whichever head coach Miami hires next, should remind audiences once again who will succeed.

The NFL rule on not challenging intentional grounding

The NFL has odd rules on what can or cannot be challenged, especially when penalties are involved. Over the years, some rules have changed on what can be challenged (one example is 12 men on the field). One that many audiences learned about Sunday afternoon was the penalty of intentional grounding.

Intentional grounding is a complicated penalty that is worded in many ways (seriously, read the whole definition on the NFL’s official website to learn more), but not many players or even coaches like Kansas City’s long-tenured Andy Reid knew it couldn’t be challenged, especially in pivotal moments.

The case to make the rule challengeable came in the Chiefs-Bills game late in the third quarter. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes II threw an odd pass that made the refs call a penalty. Even in replays, the ball looked like it was tipped. Commentators, coaches and even former head referee Gene Steratore concluded the ball was tipped. That should take away an intentional grounding call because of something (a finger for instance) interfering with the ball’s natural motion. Audiences then learned the officials cannot consider nor accept a challenge because it’s based off the on-field call.

Since the ruling could not be challenged, the Chiefs dealt with a longer third down. That led to Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau and Michael Hoecht sacking Mahomes for a nine yard loss. The Bills scored a touchdown the next possession. Buffalo won by seven.

Best believe the NFL will take a look at and review the protocol for challenging intentional grounding plays in the offseason. Like the reforms to overtime rules over the years, this could be the difference in which team advances in the playoffs.

Note: NFL’s Winners and Losers will not be published next week due to writer, editor and publisher personal reasons and necessary time off. Publications will resume around the conclusion of week eleven.

NFL Week Eight Winners and Losers

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Week eight was a fun and wild end to October. There are some surprising teams in first place while some playoff-seasoned teams continue to fade. The first two months of this season were anything but dull. It’s time to break down the week eight winners and losers before Halloween.

Winners: Mike McDaniel

Miami head coach Mike McDaniel has received a lot of deserved criticism almost all of 2025. The Dolphins have been more sloppy, soft and terrible at every end of the field. So when Miami dominated in Atlanta Sunday, it was a reminder the head coach isn’t finished yet.

The Dolphins offense was close to perfect. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played his best game of the season. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 205 yards, four touchdowns and a 138.6 passer rating. The best part for Tagovailoa was his focus and determination. He didn’t turn the ball over and he completed a pass to nine different receivers. An active running game helped. Three runningbacks, led by Devon Achane, ran for 131 total yards.

The defense also had their best game of the season. Although the Dolphins sacked quarterback Kirk Cousins once, they snuffed out the Falcons’ running game. Miami has been last in stopping the run all season. They gave up less than 50 rushing yards and forced Atlanta to beat them throwing the ball downfield. The Falcons couldn’t do much but score a garbage time touchdown at the end and punt the ball away almost every possession.

Sunday’s win gives Mike McDaniel some time and helps him retain control of the locker room. A head coaching change at the end of October would show the Dolphins giving up on the regular season. A dominant road win the last Sunday of October changes that view and gives Miami some hope for November.

New England Patriots defense

Many raved about Cleveland’s Myles Garrett having a five sack day, but New England had the better all-around performance Sunday afternoon. The Patriot defense is quietly one of the NFL’s best.

Although New England played a middling Browns offense, they didn’t play down to competition and dominated most of the game. The Patriots forced a safety, intercepted quarterback Dillon Gabriel twice, and sacked Gabriel once. New England gave up less than 70 yards rushing, forcing Cleveland’s offense to throw most of the second half.

Head coach Mike Vrabel was hired to make sure the Patriot defense kept playing at a high level while getting better offensive production. That defense is a big reason New England ends October at first place in the AFC East.

Tucker Kraft

Week eight is usually seen as National Tight-End Week. No tight-end had a better Sunday than Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft.

The Packers double digit win in Pittsburgh wouldn’t have been possible without Kraft. He had seven catches on nine targets for 143 yards, five first downs and two touchdowns. Both of Kraft’s scores gave Green Bay leads, and the second was the final lead change of the game.

Tucker Kraft’s physical play specifically stood out in the second half. The Packers scored on all but one possession and every time quarterback Jordan Love needed to complete a critical pass, Kraft delivered. There are a good number of offensive pieces Green Bay can rely on, but Tucker Kraft is the easy go-to option for both Love and and the passing game.

Losers: San Francisco 49ers defense

Despite injuries to captains and star players, San Francisco’s defense played well the last few weeks. Viewers knew at some point the injuries and lack of pass rush would catch up to the 49ers. It finally and spectacularly happened Sunday.

Houston’s offense was embarrassed last Monday night in Seattle. With receiver Nico Collins out, quarterback C.J. Stroud IV had to complete passes to different receivers trying to win their coverage matchups. Stroud shredded San Francisco’s secondary for 318 yards, two touchdowns and a 106.6 passer rating. The 49ers pass rush couldn’t sack Stroud and were dominated in first half time of possession. At one point in the second quarter, NFL Redzone reported that of the 23 minutes played, San Francisco was on offense for five and a half minutes.

The 49ers offense scored a few times to narrow Houston’s lead, but the damage was done. The Texans’ offense found a way to get their double digit lead back every time San Francisco came close. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has done a great job and should be a head coaching candidate for next season, but this is something even he cannot fix.

All the late afternoon games

There were six teams on a bye this weekend. That meant fewer games, and it also meant a lot more objective fanbases could check in on a lot more conference matchups. Anyone who chose the opposite and skipped the late afternoon trio of games won the weekend.

The early 3:05 p.m. central time game between Tampa Bay v. New Orleans was painful to watch. The Buccaneers defense led a one-sided win and the Saints were unwatchable on offense. Dallas v. Denver was a one-sided, high-scoring game. The Cowboys had not beaten the Broncos in 30 years. That record was unbroken with a 20 point loss keeping the streak going. Tennessee v. Indianapolis ended how everyone thought it would: a double digit Colt win.

This is also the time of year many complain that the NFL has to start flexing games. After watching a few clips of yesterday’s late afternoon games, one cannot argue that commissioner Roger Goodell again lacked foresight in flexing a few matchups.

Terry Bradshaw

When will the NFL on FOX decide to move on and force former Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw to retire? There is no way a decent sports commentator has either a mental lapse or breakdown while talking about a sports matchup or head coach without getting some form of public blowback. The fact that both former Hall of Fame commentators Howie Long and Michael Strahan were also stunned by Bradshaw’s incoherent sentences shows how awkward and out-of-touch pre-game commentary has gotten on FOX. The network should be glad no one filed a lawsuit.

NFL Week Seven Winners and Losers

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As we near the end of October, more teams separate from being playoff contenders to having high draft picks. Coaching plays a part in which team advances or goes home. It’s time to break down the weekends winners and losers.

Winners: Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia hasn’t lost three straight games in over two years. That streak remains after a dominant Sunday win.

The Eagles played one of their best, complete games of the season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 19 of 23 passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and the perfect 158.3 passer rating. Hurts overcame his lull by utilizing the best players around him and made sure to put both his star receivers in position to constantly beat the Vikings secondary.

Philadelphia’s defense had a good game too. Linebacker Jalyx Hunt intercepted Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz and returned the ball 42 yards for a touchdown. Hunt’s score gave the Eagles their first double digit lead of the afternoon and forced the Vikings to play aggressive and take more risks early. The defense also sacked Wentz twice and forced two fumbles.

Philadelphia’s day got better when Washington and New York (more on them later) lost later in the afternoon. The Eagles are easily the best team in the NFC East and should remain atop the division at least another month.

Quinshon Judkins

Cleveland’s offense has been anemic the first half of this season, but one bright spot has been rookie runningback Quinshon Judkins. Whenever the second round pick has played major minutes, opposing defenses have had to second guess how to defend against the Browns offense.

Miami is last in the NFL against the run, and Cleveland made sure to establish the ground game early. The Browns also didn’t have to throw the ball much because of how the Dolphins offense kept turning the ball over, so Judkins almost single-handedly put the game away before the fourth quarter. His three rushing touchdowns was the first for any Cleveland runningback since 2000.

The Browns desperately needed offensive sparks to both give their elite defense a rest and to put pressure on opposing defenses to stop blitzing the quarterback each possession. While rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel gets more time to develop, read the field and build trust with his receivers, Quinshon Judkins should be the main player in the Browns offense and continue building off a solid rookie season.

Chicago Bears defense

It’s simple for any viewer to look at a sports team and say they’re easy to beat when those people never played a professional sport. When the team mentioned is thought to be one of the worst, it still takes effort to both play and win against them. This is why several teams have struggled against the 2025 New Orleans Saints. Anyone who follows the NFL knows they lack a lot of talent, but it doesn’t always show because of how hard they play. The Bears were not the team that overlooked New Orleans.

While the Saints defense kept the score close most of Sunday afternoon, Chicago’s defense was the most dominant unit all game. They had three interceptions off New Orleans starting quarterback Spencer Rattler. The Bears defense also forced Rattler to fumble the ball on the Saints first drive of the game. Chicago recovered it and got the games first points after six plays.

Turnovers weren’t the only issue for Spencer Rattler and New Orleans’ offense. The Bears defense sacked him four times and forced a turnover on downs situation. Chicago’s defense has improved the last few weeks, and this was a game more analysts should seriously re-watch given how many playoff contending teams haven’t taken their less talented opponents seriously.

Jim Bob Cooter

It’s a matter of time before both casual NFL viewers and serious analysts start to throw out offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter as a 2026 head coaching candidate. Cooter has led what many believe to be the league’s best offense the first-half of 2025 and the most efficient offense by points per drive this century. This is the same offense many believed was filled with underwhelming talent before the season started.

Sunday was another buzzsaw performance by Indianapolis. The Chargers defense didn’t know who to stop in Cooter’s Daniel Jones-led offense. The Colts had one of the best balanced attacks that showed on the stat-sheet and scoreboard. If Jones didn’t complete well-thrown passes to his easily open receivers, then running back Jonathan Taylor gashed Los Angeles’ front seven for a touchdown. The Chargers defense has multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl players who cause chaos for almost any team they play. Indianapolis broke them down each possession no matter how long they were off the field.

Jim Bob Cooter has done something no other NFL coach could do: get Daniel Jones to play better each week behind center and get every Colts offensive player to improve and continue development each week. Many don’t know or believe Indianapolis can keep this up near or in 2026, but there’s a lot to like with how Cooter’s coaching has improved and how he’s learned valuable lessons over the years with different offenses.

Losers: Pete Carroll

To show just how bad Las Vegas is this year, here’s a stat that should stun readers: in Pete Carroll’s 14 years with Seattle, the Seahawks weren’t shutout until a primetime game against Green Bay in 2021. It took 11 years to shut out a Pete Carroll coached team in his NFL return. Carroll was shutout in his seventh game with the Raiders.

Pete Carroll is known for his, “always compete” mindset. The philosophy has landed him four NFL jobs and changed the sport on how to critique certain styles, draft better players and what to look for in building a defense. Before Carroll went to both USC and Seattle, he had built solid, playoff rosters in both New York and New England before getting fired.

Sunday’s whooping in Kansas City may be the worst moment of his professional coaching career. Not only was this the first regular season shutout win in Andy Reid’s head coaching career, it was so lopsided that Las Vegas obviously quit early in the second half. According to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, the Chiefs became the second NFL team since 1950 to have as many first downs as opponents offensive plays run. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes II sat the entire fourth quarter and backup Gardner Minshew II downed the ball multiple times before the final two minute warning.

When Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider decided not to bring Pete Carroll back after the 2023-24 season, many thought the executive was unfair and the franchise didn’t appreciate what the elderly coach brought to the team. Every week it looks like Schneider was right and Carroll should have retired for good.

Washington Commanders

This site does a good job of reinforcing certain sports beliefs many people tend to gloss over. One is how losing teams in a conference finals can return the following season with either unrealistic or over bloated expectations. Washington is a great example of both this year.

The Commanders were throttled against their weaker division rivals in Dallas late Sunday afternoon. Every team has bad days and weekends, but this Washington loss worries analysts in numerous ways. They lost sophomore and former second overall pick Jayden Daniels to a hamstring injury in the second half of a blowout loss. The Cowboys offense did any and everything they wanted to with the Commanders defense. Head coach Dan Quinn was hired to shore up and solidify a rising defense that needed more pass-rush and secondary talent. Dallas torched Quinn’s tattered defense for over 400 yards and won by 22 points.

Sunday’s ugly loss bumps Washington to third place, and that might not last long with the Giants’ steady improvement since Jaxson Dart was named starting quarterback. It’s now time for the Commanders’ coaches to start second guessing everything.

Brian Daboll’s fourth quarter gameplan

After a few weeks of escaping the loser’s column, head coach Brian Daboll returns. Give him credit though, for getting better with holding a lead and getting his team to play better in the third quarter. However, the fourth quarter remains an obstacle.

New York gave up a whopping 33 points in a wild loss in Denver late Sunday afternoon. ESPN reported several times that teams trailing by 18+ points in the final six minutes had lost 1,605 straight games. According to NFL Network’s GameDay Highlights, the Broncos were the first team to score 30+ points in the fourth quarter after being shutout through the previous three. Denver made it a record surpassing the Atlanta Falcons 31 point week two performance at Green Bay in 1981. Those are the only times it has happened.

There are equal amounts of blame all around for the Giants in that debacle, but all the coaches are at the forefront because a team up 19-0 beginning the fourth quarter, and leading 26-8 with almost five and a half minutes remaining should close out the game with a comfortable lead.

Anyone who thinks the Atlanta Falcons will find consistency

Say what you want about Sunday night’s game, Atlanta continues to stump anyone who watches American football. One week the Falcons are unstoppable, the next they’re the worst team to take the field.

After pummeling conference and Super Bowl hopeful Buffalo, Atlanta played an unbelievably lousy game in San Francisco. The running game was non-existent and sophomore star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took a beating against a 49ers defense missing their captains and best players. The Falcons defense held out a long time before San Francisco’s offense put a few scoring drives together and the game out of reach.

Head coach Raheem Morris must be frustrated like everyone else watching his team each week. Not only is Atlanta’s play inconsistent, if Penix Jr. suffered a serious leg injury, that could present a lot more problems the second half of this season.

NFL Week Six Winners and Losers

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Week six was full of eye-opening play and revealed who is closer to the playoffs. Conversely, some teams are close to preparing for the offseason. It’s time to break down the weekend’s winners and losers.

Winners: Bryce Young

Another slow regular season start for former number one overall pick Bryce Young had a lot of people wondering if head coach Dave Canales would bench him at some point. Those questions are shelved for the rest of October.

The third year quarterback had a rare, shootout win against the favored Cowboys. Every time Dallas’ offense scored, Bryce Young answered back with a scoring drive. Young completed 17 of 25 passes for three touchdowns and a 114.8 quarterback rating. His most impressive drive was the game’s last possession as he led Carolina’s offense down the field the remaining six minutes and seven seconds for kicker Ryan Fitzgerald to attempt a game winning field goal. Bryce Young completed three passes for 25 yards and used his intangibles and game intelligence to both position the spot for Fitzgerald’s game winning field goal and take maximum time off the clock each play.

This game is big for Young’s confidence as the first half of the season is nearly over. The Panthers are at .500 and are in position to be a dark-horse wild card team. More NFC teams are faltering and losing quality players to season ending injuries. As Bryce Young showed us last season, the more he plays, the better he gets. Carolina’s offense could be hard to stop by Thanksgiving.

The number one seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If someone said Tampa Bay would be the NFC’s best team at the end of week six a week ago, many would have called it crazy. The Buccaneers sit atop their division and conference as the only team with one loss after six weeks.

Tampa played their most complete game Sunday in a dominant home win against another team with only one loss, San Francisco. After quarterback Mac Jones threw an interception to cornerback Kindle Vildor on the 49ers first possession of the game, the Buccaneers scored a touchdown on two plays. After San Francisco got their first lead in the second quarter, Tampa’s offense scored two straight touchdowns and went into half-time up four.

Head coach Todd Bowles called a great game for the defense. Besides the Vildor interception that helped the offense get in position for an easier opening game score, the defense inflicted nightmares on the 49ers offense. The Buccaneers sacked Jones five times and intercepted him once more. The blitzes Bowles threw at Jones and San Francisco’s offensive line showed audiences who controlled the game start to finish. Head coach Kyle Shanahan had no answers and at one point, offensive captain and tackle Trent Williams was so frustrated he picked a fight with Tampa Bay safety Tykee Smith and drew a personal foul.

The Buccaneers didn’t need a fourth quarter rally after quarterback Baker Mayfield found rookie Tez Johnson for a 45 yard touchdown to close out the third. Both the fans and analysts believe Mayfield is an MVP candidate given how poised, tough and bold Tampa Bay plays every game. As David Carr said on NFL Network’s Game Day Final, “There isn’t a team in the NFC that Tampa Bay thinks they can’t beat.”

Patrick Mahomes II

Baker Mayfield isn’t the only MVP favorite after Sunday night. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes II had a good game against Detroit. The aggressive Lions defense played like rookies against the NFL’s most dangerous quarterback.

Mahomes completed 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards, three touchdowns and a 132.2 passer rating. He also ran ten times for 32 yards and another score. Patrick Mahomes found a way to complete at least one pass to eight different receivers, even when the Lions applied more pressure. The Chiefs last two offensive drives were the most important. Both went over 4:40 and ended any chance of a Detroit comeback. Mahomes found Hollywood Brown for the final touchdown of the game and made sure Harrison Butker was in position to make a 33 yard field goal before the two minute warning.

Viewers love the big plays Mahomes makes, but former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck’s segment on ESPN’s Sportscenter with Scott Van Pelt shows why he’s the NFL’s best passer, especially against the league’s best teams. Kansas City had no penalties on offense or turnovers. Hasselbeck broke down Mahomes’ wits, throwing speed, reading the field and redzone decision making late Sunday night (for those who want to watch the analysis and fast forward past the game recap, start around the 1:30 mark). This offense will also get better each week.

Losers: Cam Little

Anyone who reads Winners and Losers knows at some point a kicker will be featured for the wrong reasons during the year (minus last week because of the odd injuries so close together). This year’s annual first kicker in the losers column award goes to Cam Little.

Little cost Jacksonville a home win Sunday against Seattle. He missed an extra point after the Jaguars scored the game’s first touchdown. The Seahawks scored 10 straight points and took the lead, but Jacksonville had a chance to close the deficit to one with a 50 yard field goal and one minute left before halftime. Since Cam Little’s in the losers section, you know how this went. Seattle then went down the field in 51 seconds and kicker Jason Myers made his field goal attempt.

Four points may not be a lot for new viewers, but when a team trails 20-6 to start the fourth quarter, it’s a problem. The Jaguars scored on a Trevor Lawrence 26 yard pass to Tim Patrick, but because Little missed important kicks earlier, Jacksonville went for two…and failed.

The difference between 20-12 and 20-17 came down to critical errors. Instead of a 52 yard field goal with under six minutes left in the game, the Jaguars punted. That was their best scoring chance before Seattle closed out the game a few possessions later. Even if Cam Little made one of his attempts, having an additional point or three would’ve helped Jacksonville’s patience and not play scattered near the end.

Baltimore’s last possession of the first half against Los Angeles

Baltimore suffered an awful home loss against the Rams Sunday. The turnovers, sloppy play and quarterback change showed how bad the Ravens are this season. However, one drive crystalized how bad it’s been not even two months into the season.

Baltimore’s offense was gifted a starting drive deep in Los Angeles territory late in the second quarter. The Ravens offense had to go 32 yards and score a touchdown for their first lead of the game. Baltimore got a first and goal at the Rams four yard line. The first and goal play wasn’t bad. Derrick Henry ran for three yards. One would think the next play or two would give the Ravens the touchdown.

But no. Instead, Baltimore decided to do two tush-push plays (when the ball is snapped to the primary ball carrier at a very close distance and an offensive player or two push the carrier forward through both offensive and defensive lines) with tight-end Mark Andrews. On paper, this should work. This season though, Baltimore hasn’t been good so of course, neither attempts worked.

That meant head coach John Harbaugh had to rely on his strengths as a former special teams coach and go for a…who am I kidding, he went for it on fourth down. This time the offense decided to hand the ball to their best player and runner Derrick Henry for the score. Henry was pancaked for a two yard loss by Los Angeles’ defense. The Ravens did not score the rest of the game.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

It has been a cruel start for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Arizona Cardinals career. He wasn’t utilized well his rookie year in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s offense. His struggles continue this season.

Harrison Jr. left in the second quarter of Sunday’s game in Indianapolis due to a concussion. Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a hard time finding open receivers and Indianapolis took advantage of the mistakes until Marvin Harrison Jr. got dinged up. After Harrison Jr. left the game, the Cardinals offense broke out. Arizona’s offense scored 17 of their 27 points in the second half.

Maybe Brissett and the offense found out what to fix at half-time. There was a late, controversial no-call on the Colts for defensive pass interference that led to a turnover on downs and sealed an Indianapolis win. One has to wonder if Harrison Jr. had been in for the play and final drive if it would have led to an easier decision and scoring play for the Cardinals offense. No matter what viewers think, almost everyone can agree Marvin Harrison Jr. has had one of the unluckiest timelines since Arizona drafted him.

NFL Week Five Winners and Losers

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Week five in the NFL had a lot of thrills, jaw-dropping surprises and hair-pulling moments. Some of the best games of 2025 were played yesterday. Audiences found out which teams may be legitimate contenders and which ones could be one and done if they reach the playoffs. Here are this weeks’ winners and losers.

Winners: C.J. Stroud IV

Houston’s offense was unwatchable most of September. The Texans lone win entering Sunday was a shutout against what many considered the worst team in Tennessee. If Houston wanted to turn the tide on their season, they needed a win and for the offense to play well. Both happened Sunday.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud IV had a great game against one of the league’s worst defenses. Stroud completed 23 of 27 passes for 244 yards, four touchdowns and a 143.9 passer rating. His third touchdown pass gave Houston a 21 point lead and put the game out of reach late in the second quarter.

There were growing worries about C.J. Stroud’s regression. The last two weeks showed that if Houston’s offensive line can beat opposing defensive fronts, Stroud is still one of the league’s best quarterbacks. It’s not surprising that the Texans’ two wins are when C.J. Stroud IV plays like the franchise quarterback many saw when he won Rookie of the Year.

Denver Broncos

While last week’s Winners and Losers admitted the AFC west as an overhyped division, many believed Denver was still a quality wildcard choice. After a stunning road win in Philadelphia, more people believe the Broncos are a serious division title and playoff contender.

Denver’s 18 point fourth quarter is a top performance for any team this season. The reigning champion Eagles dominated the first three quarters and there was no chance they would ease up entering the final 15 minutes. Not only did the Broncos turn the game around, they dominated Philadelphia on every side of the ball. Denver sacked quarterback Jalen Hurts six times throughout the game and forced four punts on six second half possessions.

The Broncos offense had three fourth quarter possessions that went over 3:30. Two had ten or more plays for at least 3:50. Head coach Sean Payton knew what quarterback Bo Nix and runningback J.K. Dobbins had to do and made sure the right plays were called each set of downs.

Not many teams can or have the talent to beat the Eagles in a 60 minute game. Fewer can do it in Philadelphia. Both of Denver’s losses now look like bad luck considering how well they have played the last two games.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Any attention analysts gave Washington in their matchup against Los Angeles either went to the return of sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels or how head coach Dan Quinn needed to make some tweaks to the defense. Nobody considered how the running game could help the Commanders get a pivotal win.

Seventh round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt almost single handedly won Washington a pivotal game against the Chargers. He ran 14 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Croskey-Merritt’s first score cut Los Angeles’ lead to three, and his second gave the Commanders their first lead of the day. He was such an issue that the Chargers defense started blitzing the run and eventually caused a fumble, (though Los Angeles didn’t get any points off the turnover).

Washington could have another offensive playmaker the rest of 2025. With Austin Ekeler on injured reserve and Chris Rodriguez Jr. a non-factor in almost every game since, the starting running back position is Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s to lose the rest of this season. He’ll be an interesting player to watch in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s system.

The insane touchdown fumble recovery made by Tyler Lockett

In now what is the leading candidate for play of the year and most insane American football play you’ll see for 2025, veteran receiver Tyler Lockett scored his first touchdown as a Titan in what may be the most memorable of his career. There aren’t enough words to type what happened. Just watch it for yourself here.

Many viewers, including the CBS broadcasting crew, couldn’t believe what happened. Sports pundits throughout the country had a variety of reactions after the play, and many believe the series of errors was a big reason Arizona lost. It will be hard to find a stranger play this regular season.

Losers: AJ Cole and Spencer Shrader

Indianapolis dominated Las Vegas almost the entire game early afternoon Sunday, but there was a scare for both the Raiders punter and the Colts kicker when they both got whacked and had to leave the game.

Las Vegas punter AJ Cole faced a defensive onslaught after he punted at the end of a drive midway through the second quarter. Ian Thomas recovered the fumble, but Indianapolis got possession of the ball in the Raiders redzone. Cole wound up getting injured on the block and that was his only punt of the game.

After the Colts scored on an easy three yard touchdown from Jonathan Taylor, kicker Spencer Shrader made the extra point. A Vegas defender ran into Shrader’s kicking leg long after the extra point was in the air. While the Raiders took a penalty, that was the end of the game for Spencer Shrader. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported early Monday afternoon that Shrader suffered a season-ending knee injury on the play.

Both teams had kicking issues the rest of the afternoon. Las Vegas’ were worse since they had to try and convert a lot of two point conversions and fourth downs. Thankfully it didn’t seriously impact the game since Indianapolis won by double digits.

Brian Daboll

The Giants and their fans entered week five on a wave of optimism many hadn’t felt since last decade. Many believe rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart will be the franchise quarterback for a long time. Viewers should have been more objective about Dart and the team given how there are a lot of positions lacking talent and proper coaching. Reality hit hard in a brutal loss Sunday.

New York started well and even led by double digits at one point in the first half. While New Orleans climbed back and took a two point lead at halftime, the Giants still looked the better team. Head coach Brian Daboll should have emphasized certain changes and how drives cannot end because of turnovers. Neither happened in the second half.

The Saints defense forced a turnover on every New York second half possession. The first two Giants possessions ended in fumbles recovered by New Orleans. One was returned by defensive back Jordan Howden for an 86 yard touchdown. Jaxson Dart threw two interceptions the next two possessions and threw a catchable ball through receiver Wan’Dale Robinson’s hands for a turnover on downs to end the game.

New York’s offense should get better the next few months but that was an ugly game offensive minded head coach Brian Daboll will want back if that winds up costing the Giants a playoff spot.

Seattle Seahawks defense

Sunday’s best game could have been the one that featured twin teams celebrating their 50th anniversary of playing in the league while wearing throwback uniforms. On one hand, the offensive shootout was entertaining, exhilarating and must-watch T.V. On the other, whichever team lost would have to take a serious look at the defensive lapses.

Seattle’s defense has been lauded by many analysts to be one of the league’s best this season. Despite how well the front four defensive linemen have played, more viewers are aware the Seahawks secondary is one of the league’s deepest. Although linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence and cornerback Devon Weatherspoon did not play Sunday, there was a lot of optimism the defense could make a lot of stops given how battered Tampa Bay’s offense was. That didn’t happen.

Seattle’s secondary allowed 29 of 33 completions and was shredded by rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka and veteran tight-end Cade Otton for a combined 244 yards. The front seven didn’t fare better. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was sacked once and although the runningbacks mustered 70 yards, the Seahawks defense gave up their first two rushing touchdowns of the season.

Cornerback Tariq Woolen was also concussed after he played well most of the first half. It didn’t help Seattle’s secondary had to be on the field more after the offense committed a few turnovers and gave Tampa’s offense favorable field position. Almost every elite defense has bad games, but this was a performance analysts could be talking about near the end of the season if the Seahawks playoff position and division-winning chances falters.

Buffalo Bills

Many believed Sunday night’s divisional matchup against Buffalo and New England would be great. While most believed the Patriots would make the game difficult for the Bills, almost no one thought the road team would win.

Buffalo was out-played almost the whole game. Outside of a Curtis Samuel touchdown where the Bills led by four, New England bullied Buffalo on every side of the ball. Head coach Mike Vrabel emulated his predecessor Bill Belichick and quarterback Drake Maye mirrored the play of franchise legend Tom Brady. The defense clouded quarterback Josh Allen’s downfield reads and didn’t give him any big plays. The Patriots’ game winning field goal and clock management caught Bills head coach Sean McDermott off-guard.

It’s not a terrible loss given how many viewers believe New England is a playoff candidate, but the standings are not in Buffalo’s favor. Indianapolis now has control of the AFC’s one seed and probably won’t lose another game for at least a month. Pittsburgh is a game behind but benefitted off a bye week and should look better the next few weeks. The Bills have to win almost every game in order to get the one seed and home field advantage. With Kansas City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New England (at Foxborough) and Tampa Bay on the schedule, that might not happen after a surprising Sunday night loss.