Arizona Cardinals 22 @ Minnesota Vikings 23
As a Vikings’ fan, this was all too predictable. Except for the final result.
When Marvin Harrison Jr. caught that dime from Kyler Murray late in the 3rd quarter to go up 19-6, of course I thought we were done.
Although I LOVED Minnesota -3.5 this week, I should have known after winning 3 straight road games we would lay a dud at home against an inferior team. 5 wins in a row should scream optimism for the purple. However, when you consider we won by a combined 27 points against teams with a combined record of 21-40 during that 5 game stretch, it gives you some perspective of how good this 10-2 team ACTUALLY is. This Vikings team is giving off some serious 2022 vibes, and that season was ended by a quarterback that we signed off the waiver wire earlier this week.
Seattle Seahawks 26 @ New York Jets 21
This Jets team is an absolute disaster. They fall to 3-9 and were somehow favorites in this game (-2). I can’t believe they were favored to make the playoffs in the preseason (-155 or something like that). I regret not putting more money toward them missing the playoffs (only threw down $30).
They start the season 2-3, fire Robert Saleh after a loss to the Vikings. Then, they sign an aging Davante Adams after losing to the Bills in week 6, only to go 1-5 since acquiring him. It’s been clear there have been ownership issues for some time now with the Jets. They have the longest active streak of missing the playoffs in the NFL (haven’t made playoffs since 2010 season), and have not had a decent quarterback since (probably) Chad Pennington in the mid-2000s.
Meanwhile, Seattle moves to 7-5 to take the lead in the tight NFC West. I don’t think the Seahawks will make much noise if they make the playoffs, but I am happy for Geno Smith getting a fun win against the team that drafted him back in 2013.
Pittsburgh Steelers 44 @ Cincinnati Bengals 38
Safe to say I didn’t expect this game to be high scoring. Pittsburgh +3 was the sharp play by all professional betters.
I thought Cincinnati was going to win the game and I would have taken them -3 had I placed a bet. Sometimes when everyone is on one side, the other side cashes. Not the case here. The Bengals defense is absolutely attrocious, giving up 29.3 points per game this season. It’s unfortunate because they are scoring 27.9 points per game (5th in the NFL). I think a coaching change is necessary and there’s obvious work to do in terms of defensive personnel. People saying the blame is on Joe Burrow must be watching other games. He’s clearly a top 5 quarterback (I think he’s top 3) in an organization known for being dysfunctional at times.
As for Pittsburgh, I did not expect this version of Russell Wilson to show up. He looked washed the last two years in Denver. I understood the benching of Justin Fields even after he led them to 4-2. However, they look like a completely difference team with Russell. I think the only team in the AFC they can’t beat in the playoffs is the Chiefs.
Los Angeles Chargers 17 @ Atlanta Falcons 13
I stayed away from this game because I had no idea who was going to win. If I had to bet I would have taken the Chargers -1.
Atlanta lost that game more than LA won it. Kirk Cousins hadn’t thrown 4 interceptions in over a decade. Definitely makes me feel better the Vikings didn’t extend him. However, they shouldn’t bench him for Penix just yet. They still lead the division at 6-6, tied with Tampa after they stole that game from the Panthers. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cousins has a statement game against Minnesota next week (Falcons +5 seems like a lock right now).
Los Angeles has to be thrilled with how this season is going. It really is amazing what a great coach can do for a team. Harbaugh has them 8-4 already after going 5-12 last year with a lot more firepower on offense (suffered injuries but still). I don’t think their roster is good enough to win a Super Bowl this year, but the Chargers are going to be a scary team going forward.
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