Welcome to another installment of my weekly NFL Column. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records. I will also be previewing the upcoming gameweek, too.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
I was interested to see how this game would go, but I didn’t expect what I saw. Go watch it.
Miami Dolphins @ Chicago Bears
No, seriously, this was a great game.
Let’s talk about this madness.
The Chicago Bears are a team that I didn’t expect very much from – specifically this season. They have some young stars with upside down the line, but 2022 looked like it’d be a rough one. They entered the week at a respectable 3-5, but after trading away their two best players – Roquan Smith to Baltimore and Robert Quinn to the Rams – I was worried this could get ugly. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the W, but they put in a great effort, especially Justin Fields.
Miami Dolphins 35 – 32 Chicago Bears
These two teams near enough traded scores throughout the game. It went Chicago, Miami, Chicago, Miami, Miami, Chicago, Miami, Chicago, Miami, Chicago. Both offenses were playing exciting football, as the two Quarterbacks both had great games in different ways. Tua Tagovailoa took the traditional path to a good game, throwing 300 yards and 3 TD’s, but Justin Fields had himself a day, too.
The Bears second-year QB threw for a pretty measly 123 yards, but he threw them where it mattered most. Throwing 3 TD’s on just 17 total completions. This is just a fraction of his effort though. Fields’ biggest contributions came on the ground. He rushed 15 times for an incredible 178-yards – setting the new all-time regular season record for a Quarterback. He also scored a rushing TD, on a 61-yard breakaway in the third quarter. Naturally, we’ll talk more about that in our Standout Individual Performers section, but it was a huge part of this exciting game.
The Dolphins offense was as high-flying as always, with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle continuing to dominate, combining for 228 yards and 2 TD’s between them. However, one of the biggest moments in the game actually came off the back of a blocked punt return, by Andrew Van Ginkel. This was the one score I referenced earlier that broke the trend of back and forth scoring – making it a huge moment in the game. The Bears pulled it back to just a 3-point game with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately couldn’t muster anything up on their final two drives.
Other games to watch back
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
Upset of the Week
Buffalo Bills 17 – 20 New York Jets
What the hell is going on this season? We’ve had so many wild upsets already! If you were told this would happen before the campaign began, you might even think this was the most surprising one so far. But, the Jets have genuinely been great this year. They’ve got heart and there is some legit talent on the team. Playing with a chip on your shoulder is a cliché, but this team is doing just that. Sauce Gardner is a legit star in the making and the offense is doing just enough without Breece Hall to stay afloat. New York might have two legitimately good football teams over the next couple of years.
The Bills couldn’t get anything going and even threw two interceptions, including one to the aforementioned rookie cornerback. Another rookie, Garrett Wilson shone in the passing game and second-year Michael Carter scored one of the two Jets TD’s in this hard-fought divisional victory. The Jets are 6-3, and the Bills are 6-2 – who’d have thought.
Honourable Mention: Green Bay Packers 9 – 15 Detroit Lions
Aaron Rodgers threw 3 interceptions in a single game of football for the fifth time in his career (having played 222 games), and for just the second time since 2009, his second season as the starter. This was a truly unique performance in the worst way possible. But give credit to the Lions defense. Rodgers had one of his worst ever games, but the Lions had to go win it. The D held Green Bay down and Goff did just enough with a pretty gross line of 137 passing yards and 2 TD’s as well as 1 INT. But hey, a win is a win – especially when it’s against the Packers, who they just defeated for the second time in a row after losing the previous 5 games.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Philadelphia Eagles (8-0)
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6)
Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
Miami Dolphins (6-3)
Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
Detroit Lions (2-6)
New England Patriots (5-4)
New York Jets (6-3)
Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
Seattle Seahawks (6-3)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
Losers
Houston Texans (1-6-1)
Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
Atlanta Falcons (4-5)
Chicago Bears (3-6)
Carolina Panthers (2-7)
Green Bay Packers (3-6)
Indianapolis Colts (3-5-1)
Buffalo Bills (6-2)
Washington Commanders (4-5)
Arizona Cardinals (3-6)
Los Angeles Rams (3-5)
Tennessee Titans (5-3)
New Orleans Saints (3-6)
Teams on Bye
Cleveland Browns (3-5)
Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
Denver Broncos (3-5)
New York Giants (6-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
Undefeated Watch!
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Eagles (8-0)
We made it, ladies and gentlemen. Not only did we get further into the year than last season with our Undefeated Watch! but we’ve also managed to see a new franchise record from Philly. This is the best start in Eagles history. 8-0 puts them pretty damn close to clinching a playoff spot in this wild NFC race, but they have eyes on bigger things. They want a high seed and they look in a good position to earn it.
Next week they’ll be hosting a 4-5 Washington team, in a bid to keep the momentum going.
Standout Individual Performers
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
26 touches. 211 scrimmage yards. FIVE touchdowns.
The Cincinnati Bengals are a team that is full of superstars. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins absolutely terrorise defenses. On their own D, they have Jessie Bates, Trey Hendrickson and more. They also have a damn good running back, but he can sometimes get forgotten. That running back is Joe Mixon and this week he was impossible to ignore.
Mixon touched the ball 26 times, with 22 carries and 4 receptions. He rushed for 153 yards and added another 58 receiving yards on top of that. His 153 yards were the third-most he’s rushed for in his career and his 211 scrimmage yards is a new career high. The career high he’ll be most proud of though – Touchdowns. Mixon scored five times, with 4 coming on the ground and one more added through the air. He had only ever scored 3 TD’s once, and now he has become the first player in franchise history to score 5 TD’s in a single game. He was only the 17th player in NFL history to score 5+ TD’s in a game.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
15 carries, 178 rushing yards. And some Quarterback stats, too.
It’s pretty cool that Mixon set a franchise record and had himself a career day – and don’t get me wrong, he was definitely the best performer this week by some margin. However, Justin Fields is the only man who can claim to have broken an all-time NFL record this weekend. The second-year signal-caller put on an absolute rushing clinic, with 15 carries turning into 178 rushing yards, including a huge 61-yard TD. His 178 rushing yards is the most that a Quarterback has ever rushed for in a single regular-season game. He only threw 123 yards passing, which is nothing special, but threw 3 TD’s. An iconic rushing performance in a narrow defeat for one of the more exciting young stars out there.
Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
10 receptions on 17 targets for 146 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
The Las Vegas Raiders are doing terribly this season, but at the very least they’re strengthening Davante Adams’ career stats. He once again dominated in a loss, this weekend. The ex-Packer hauled in 10 receptions on 17 targets – yes, 17 targets for #17 – and turned those into 146 yards. He also caught two more touchdowns. Adams has now scored 7 times in his first nine outings for the Raiders. He’d probably trade them all for a few more wins, though.
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
7 receptions on 8 targets for 143 receiving yards and a TD.
Back to players who actually won this week for a moment, here. As I previously mentioned, Tyreek Hill is the face of an incredibly exciting offense. Tua (who Hill has declared the best QB in the league) has developed brilliant rapport with his wide receivers and his connection with the veteran is constantly evolving. This week, Cheetah put up his fifth game with over 140 yards in just nine games. That is insane. More than half of his games for Miami have been huge games. He caught 7 passes on 8 targets for 143 receiving yards and scored a TD. Also, I have to respect a man who can do a cartwheel into a backflip [not the technical term I’m sure] with a helmet on.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
17 carries for 115 rushing yards and 2 TD’s.
When you play against the Kansas City Chiefs, you have to pass the ball, this is known. Naturally, that means less rushing attempts. Less attempts won’t stop the king, though. Derrick Henry has to carry this Titans team on his back, now, so his efficiency isn’t usually as important. However, this week on limited touches he put in a very good performance. They couldn’t win it in Overtime, but in regulation, Henry carried the ball 16 times, for 114 rushing yards and scored twice. He tacked on one more yard in OT, but their only chance was realistically if they got the ball first, due to their run-heavy, time-draining approach.
Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
26 carries for 109 rushing yards and 2 TD’s, plus 3 receptions for 20 receiving yards.
I am a bit of a Kenneth Walker III fanboy, and I’ll admit it up front, but he looks so good in this featured role. The Seahawks rookie was easing his way into the offense, but once Rashaad Penny got injured, he got launched into a 20-carry per week workload. Since then he has had just one game under 97 rushing yards. This week, Seattle won against a struggling Cardinals team, with Walker showing up. He rushed 26 times and had 109 yards, scoring twice. He also added 3 receptions for 20 more yards on 4 targets.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
7 receptions on 13 targets for 115 receiving yards and a TD.
The Minnesota Vikings win this weekend was largely emphasised through the lens of Kirk Cousins’ return to Washington. *insert YOU LIKE THAT soundbite* And, yes, Kirk was clearly the star of the postgame celebrations. However, Justin Jefferson was the star on the field. The second-year superstar wideout was cooking this week. He was targeted 13 times and caught 7 of them, with 115 receiving yards and his third TD of the season.
Matt Judon, New England Patriots
6 combined tackles, 3.0 sacks.
Alright, let’s talk about defense. There were 3.0 players with 3.0 sacks this week! I have to start up front with the current frontrunner – for my money at least – in the Defensive Player of the Year race. That player is, of course, Matt Judon, the Patriots’ defensive end. This man is playing absolutely out of his mind, this season. The 30-year-old star edge rusher was already leading the league in sacks (tied with Za’Darius Smith) heading into this week. He didn’t like sharing that title though, so he went and got 3.0 more sacks in Indianapolis. What a beast.
Josh Uche, New England Patriots
6 combined tackles, 3.0 sacks.
Yes, you’re reading that correctly. Two separate New England players had three sacks in the same game. I’m sure hiring Jeff Saturday will fix that, so don’t worry Colts fans! While Judon is an elite pass rusher, Uche is a young linebacker who has missed some time throughout the year. He shows flashes, though, and this week that would be an understatement. He recorded 5 solo tackles as well as one assist. He also recorded 3.0 sacks, which is very impressive for an off-ball linebacker. He had 5.0 career sacks before this game, so this was quite an upgrade.
Javon Hargrave, Philadelphia Eagles
7 combined tackles, 3.0 sacks.
We have been hyping up the Eagles plenty this year, and for very good reason. They’re 8-0 and looking like a formidable team atop the NFC. While everybody is hyping up their offensive stars, though, their defense is doing well, too. One specific player has gone absolutely nuts since their bye week in Week 7, is Javon Hargrave. The veteran defensive tackle has had two-straight multi-sack games. Last week he had 2.0 and this week he went one further. Hargrave had 7 combined tackles and 3.0 sacks. Next week they’ll be hosting the Commanders and he’ll be going for three in a row.
Stat Leaders Through Week 9
Passing Yards – Patrick Mahomes KC, 2605
Passing TD’s – Patrick Mahomes KC, 21
Rushing Yards – Derrick Henry TEN, 870
Rushing TD’s – Nick Chubb CLE, 10
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 1104
Receiving TD’s – Stefon Diggs BUF, Travis Kelce KC and Davante Adams LVR, 7
Total TD’s – Nick Chubb CLE and Austin Ekeler LAC, 10
Tackles (combined) – Jordyn Brooks SEA, 90
Sacks – Matt Judon NE, 11.5
Interceptions – C.J. Gardner-Johnson PHI, 5
Week 10 Preview – What to watch
Teams on Bye
Cincinnati Bengals
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Baltimore Ravens
Week 10 Best Games
Minnesota Vikings @ Buffalo Bills, 6pm
Los Angeles Chargers @ San Francisco 49ers, SNF
Seattle Seahawks @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2:30PM
Tyler’s Bold Week 10 Prediction
The Seahawks will defeat the GOAT and his Buccaneers in Munich!
Week 10 Storylines
Munich game!! Can the Buccaneers win in Europe as they fight back towards .500? Seahawks @ Buccaneers, 2:30PM
A high-flying Minnesota roll into an epic matchup with Super Bowl favourites Buffalo. Vikings @ Bills, 6pm
Two teams who have been immensely underwhelming face off. Colts @ Raiders, 9:05pm
Don’t let the records fool you, these two NFC North teams can create fireworks. Lions @ Bears, 6pm
The NFC West is scrambling to keep up with Seattle, which will take a step in the right direction? Cardinals @ Rams, 9:25pm
The battle of the Bosa’s! (Or McCaffrey vs Ekeler for you fantasy managers). Chargers @ 49ers, SNF
Can Philadelphia pick up the spirits of their baseball fans by going 9-0? Commanders @ Eagles, MNF
