Is week eight or nine now considered the halfway point of the NFL regular season?
I can see the argument for both but I would lean more towards saying nine. This week will be covering a quarterback (QB) facing an old foe; a battle between two high scoring offenses; and a battle between the teams who picked first and second in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Matthew Stafford and Kevin O’Connell meet for the first time since 2021
Rams QB Matthew Stafford has nine wins to 13 losses against the Vikings in his career. This will be his second game against the Vikings since he was traded to the Rams from the Lions.
Last time around he did not look that great, throwing under 200 passing yards, one touchdown (TD) and three interceptions (INTs). He and the Rams still ended up winning that game 30 to 23 and going on to win the Super Bowl for that season. Can he improve from that performance and win again?
The Rams have been a team hospital this season, suffering several key players’ injuries on both sides of the ball. They are expected to have star wide receiver (WR) Cooper Kupp back this week in what should be a much needed boost for an underwhelming offense. A bright spot on the offense though has been running back (RB) Kyren Williams who has now gone nine straight games scoring a TD and hopes to continue doing so against the Vikings. He is coming off a two rushing TD game against the Raiders in a 20 to 15 win.
On the other side of the ball, the defense will need to generate pressure and do it well as Vikings QB Sam Darnold has struggled when facing pressure this season. Rookie defenders Jared Verse and Braden Fiske will look to continue that as they are ranked first and second in pressures forced by rookies.
The Vikings are a very good football team, do not let last week’s loss to the Lions fool you. Now who was that loss on? I would argue it was on Darnold and the few dumb decisions he made. As mentioned earlier, Darnold has struggled when facing pressure. What did the Lions do? They sent pressure and it worked really well, forcing Darnold to only one TD pass and one INT. This game also notes Kevin O’Connell’s first game against his former team since leaving them. O’Connell was the Rams offensive coordinator in the 2021-22 season when the Rams won the Super Bowl.
Another bad note to make is this Vikings defense got exposed last week, allowing 31 points and several Lions to have big plays (which included RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and QB Jared Goff). On a bright note, one could argue the defense was the reason they were in this game as they forced a scoop and score in the fourth to give them the league. With that being said, they also failed to hold the Lion’s offense on the final drive which led to a game losing field goal (FG) made by Lions kicker (K) Jake Bates.
Oh and on top of everything else, the Vikings are facing the dreaded Lions curse. This season no team has won a game after playing the Lions. I have that standing true still.
Final Score: Vikings 22 – Rams 26
Josh Allen and Bills head to the West Coast for an Offensive Showdown
MVP!!! MVP!!! MVP!!! That is right, I think Bills QB Josh Allen is currently the most valuable player in the NFL right now (with Ravens QB Lamar Jackson being right behind him). The Seahawks are going to have their hands full this week dealing with the Bills high-powered offense. Will their strong defense be able to stop them? Let’s break down both teams and find out.
The Bills post one of the better offenses in the league scoring 20 plus points in every game this season outside of one. This can be thanks to the many weapons they have. Recently added star WR Amari Cooper via trade who scored a TD in last week’s game at home versus the Titans. Rookie WR Keon Coleman is coming off his first 100-yard receiving game in that same game.
It is not just the passing game playing well though. The RB duo of third year veteran James Cook and rookie Ray Davis who each had a rushing TD in the game against the Titans. Add all of that plus Allen, and you get a very good offense that does not show any signs of slowing down.
The Seahawks on the other hand are coming off a much-needed win at the Falcons in which they scored a total of 27 points on offense and seven on defense. QB Geno Smith is coming off a very impressive game of 207 passing yards and two passing TDs. One might say that is not that impressive but it was more of the throws themselves that made it such an impressive outing. The first one came from an insane tight-window throw to WR DK Metcalf with only eight seconds left in the second quarter. The second came late in the third quarter off a wheel route and lob to RB Kenneth Walker (who also scored a rushing TD earlier in the first).
As mentioned before, the defense also got involved in scoring. In the fourth quarter, the Falcons QB Kirk Cousins dropped back and was hammered hard by Seahawks edge rusher (EDGE) Boye Mafe. The ball popped out and fellow Seahawk EDGE Derick Hall recovered it. They also managed to intercept the ball from Cousins two times. The defense will need to step up big though as they play Allen and the Bills.
Overall, I expect a good game and a Bills win but could see a number of outcomes depending on how the defenses play.
Final Score: Bills 30 – Seahawks 20
Caleb Williams makes return to his hometown
The last time the Bears paid a visit to the Commanders, they dropped 40 points on them and WR D.J. Moore had a career game of eight catches, 230 yards and three TDs.
This time around, both teams are featuring what they believe to be their franchise QBs. Now, this game was originally scheduled to be a 12 o’clock slate game but was flexed to a 3 o’clock slate due to how good both teams have been and the interest in the battle between picks one and two from the draft. Unfortunately, it seems as if Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels will likely miss the game due to bruised ribs that he suffered against the Panthers at home in week seven. His current status is listed as “very doubtful.”
The Commanders offense still looked fine without Daniels last week though. Veteran QB and former Titans second overall pick Marcus Mariota led the Commanders to a total of 30 points and a 40 to seven victory over the Panthers. Not only that but he earned the highest passing grade at 90.2 via PFF (Pro Football Focus). This comes from a stat line of 205 passing yards, two passing TDs, 11 carries and 34 rushing yards.
Not just the Commanders offense has played well though, the defense is also coming off a very nice game recording under 200 total yards allowed; two sacks and two INTs with one taken back for a TD (otherwise known as a pick six). Overall the Commanders will be having a tough matchup this week as the Bears come in as one of the best teams (efficiency-wise) over the last three weeks (note they have only played two games in the last three weeks due to a bye).
The Bears’ bye week came at a good time as they are on a three game streak and the extra rest could be helpful after being in London for almost a week. This Bears offense is finally coming into its own though putting up 30-plus points in back to back games. This is mostly due to rookie QB Caleb Williams. As shown on the graph below, Williams was the most efficient QB in weeks four through six.
Just like the Bears usual, the defense is playing at an elite level. They have stars all across the field, including veteran Kevin Byard is a top five ranked safety (S) via PFF. Overall, the secondary is playing at a high level right now, being ranked first among successful coverage averages. This is also Williams homecoming game as he is from Washington, D.C. Other than that, there is not much to say about the Bears this week other than they are coming into this game as favorites, and I believe they are going to win by two scores in another huge game by Williams.
Final Score: Bears 30 – Commanders 16
Remaining Games and Predictions:
Packers at Jaguars: Packers fall into trap as Jaguars pull off upset win. Final Score: Packers 23 – Jaguars 27
Cardinals at Dolphins: Tua looks sharp in return but Cardinals build off last week’s win to win again. Final Score: Cardinals 30 – Dolphins 24
Jets at Patriots: Jets barely escape in a much needed win. Final Score: Jets 22 – Patriots 21
Ravens at Browns: Ravens cruise by injured Browns. Final Score: Ravens 34 – Browns 13
Eagles at Bengals: Bengals move to .500 after a big win. Final Score: Eagles 18 – Bengals 28
Colts at Texans: Colts bench Anthony Richardson after another disappointing game. Final Score: Colts 20 – Texans 32
Titans at Lions: Titans offensive struggles continue in huge loss to Lions. Final Score: Titans 9 – Lions 30
Falcons at Buccaneers: Falcons take advantage of banged up Buccaneers in major win. Final Score: Falcons 27 – Buccaneers 24
Saints at Chargers: Someone please save Justin Herbert. Final Score: Saints 17 – Chargers 26
Chiefs at Raiders: DeAndre Hopkins shows out in first game with Chiefs. Final Score: Chiefs 33 – Raiders 14
Panthers at Broncos: Bryce Young shows promise against strong Broncos defense but falls short. Final Score: Panthers 22 – Broncos 24
SNF Cowboys at 49ers: Why is this on primetime? Final Score: Cowboys 20 – 49ers 30
MNF Giants at Steelers: Giants win big in defensive battle. Final Score: Giants 18 – Steelers 14
