\u201cIt\u2019s the focus, the attention to detail, the want and the need to practice hard,\u201d Allen explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some really hard practices, but it\u2019s been extremely helpful to get those and feel that type of vibe and that type of energy. But it takes a whole group to go out and do that, and we feel like we\u2019re doing some good things right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were a few to pluck out of Sunday\u2019s big win.<\/p>\n
The first one emanated from those practices\u2014and the downfield blocking that led to Cook\u2019s chunk runs of 16, 17 and 18 yards over the course of the afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the finish, the follow,\u201d Allen said. \u201cFrom our O-line, our receivers blocking downfield, following the ball, picking each other up. Really having the intent to show how much we love each other when we\u2019re on the field and we\u2019re not getting the ball. We work on that in practice, we continue to follow the ball. The running backs, every time they touch the ball, they score a touchdown. And that changes you, when you get those six-yards runs and they end up turning into 15 to 20, then you get a chance to break them. It starts in practice, building up that stamina and having guys go block safeties and really having that intent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another detail was how Allen spread the ball around, hitting a staggering 10 receivers despite only throwing the ball 26 times, and logging just 23 completions. Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincade, as you\u2019d expect, got theirs\u2014combining for 13 catches and 144 yards.<\/p>\n
But a lot of guys down the line did their part, too, in a game that was close throughout.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat goes back to the mantra we\u2019ve tried to adopt here: Everybody eats\u2014do your job and you\u2019re going to have some opportunities to make some plays,\u201d Allen said. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy because you wish you could get everybody as many targets as possible but when you have guys constantly doing the right thing, sometimes, hey, you\u2019re only going to get two opportunities today.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m looking at these numbers and I think of Elijah Moore, he had one target for 28 yards, on a big second-and-8 that got us down in scoring position. Curtis Samuel, one catch for six yards that got us an opportunity to get to a third-down play that we really like early on, which we scored on the next play. It all adds up and when guys have that feeling of, any opportunity or any down it could be their chance to get the ball here, that\u2019s when you\u2019re gonna have some pretty good success.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Allen\u2019s reaction when I mentioned he hit that many different receivers was spontaneous and genuine: \u201cHeck yeh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, similar things were happening on defense, where Joey Bosa started to look like his younger self, and actual younger guys such as defensive backs Maxwell Hairston and Cole Bishop turned potential, as two high draft picks, into real tangible production.<\/p>\n
The result was a Buffalo team that controlled the Chiefs throughout, even after a missed field goal late cracked the door open in the final minute for Kansas City.<\/p>\n
Effectively, this win, in tandem with last week\u2019s rout, puts a rough two-week turn in the rear-view\u2014that stretch encompassing the Bills\u2019 mistake-ridden loss to the Patriots and no-show on a bad Monday night in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Looking for more than that? Allen\u2019s not really going to give it to you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s any other game,\u201d Allen said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we have to continue to tell ourselves each and every week, no matter who the opponent is. They\u2019re nameless. They\u2019re faceless. And it\u2019s our job to go 1\u20130 each and every week.\u201d<\/p>\n
That said, Allen added his words come with \u201c100%\u201d respect for the Chiefs. \u201cYou know who you\u2019re playing,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019ve just always had this mindset, it\u2019s more about us than it is about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
And would he be surprised to see the Bills meet the Chiefs again in January?<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reality is, no one would.<\/p>\n
And Sunday only gave us all more good reasons to feel that way\u2014and maybe, just maybe, that the winter version will play out a little differently this time around, too.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The 49ers have been winning no matter who takes the field. \/ Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
What the 49ers are doing deserves mention every week until it stops happening. On Sunday, San Francisco was without Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and Ricky Pearsall. And they absolutely dominated the Giants in New Jersey, racing to a 17\u20137 halftime advantage, keeping their hosts down multiple possessions through the second half and winning 34\u201324 to get to 6\u20133 on the season.<\/p>\n
So how have they kept this going? Mac Jones, most prominent among Niners\u2019 replacements, has an idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts with the culture, for sure,\u201d Jones told me. \u201cKyle [Shanahan], the way he sets the table for the team, he wants to develop everybody\u2014from undrafted rookies to fifth-year quarterbacks on their third team. He wants everyone to be great. That\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. Kyle just does a great job, defense, too, and special teams, everybody has a system. And when you have a system you believe in and it works, these are the results.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results have been a lot better than anyone could\u2019ve hoped. Without Aiyuk or Pearsall, they brought back Kendrick Bourne, pulled Skyy Moore off the scrap heap, accelerated rookie Jordan Watkins\u2019s development and leaned on old reliable Jauan Jennings. In Bosa\u2019s place has been rookie Mykel Williams. And when Williams tore his ACL on Sunday, Sam Okuayinonu and Clelin Ferrell registered sacks. Meanwhile, second-year man Tatum Bethune has stepped up in Warner\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to say, by the way, that the stand-ins are as good as the All-Pros they\u2019re replacing. Or even nearly as good.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s more a commentary on the wherewithal of the team to make it work without them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s interesting, KB obviously has some knowledge of the offense,\u201d Jones said. \u201cSkyy played in a completely different offense. And Jordan was with Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin. You have guys from all over the place; they didn\u2019t get OTAs and training camp. Jordan did a little. But they came in and they\u2019re working hard with Hank [WRs coach Leonard Hankerson].<\/p>\n
\u201cOur challenge every week is knowing where to go and get lined up. And what you see is guys being plug-and-play because of the system.\u201d<\/p>\n
That system did enough to keep the Giants at an arm\u2019s length all day.<\/p>\n
The challenge will be stiffer next week, as the Niners swing for a season sweep of their archrival Rams, who haven\u2019t lost since San Francisco beat them in Week 5. Jones, of course, knows it won\u2019t be easy, having played in that Oct. 2 slugfest. And so work toward L.A. is already underway, which Jones is good with\u2014because, much as anything, work is fun again.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, it\u2019s so fun,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI enjoy the games but I really enjoy the practices, to be honest. Obviously, game day, you are locked in, and we\u2019re winning. But all the real fun work comes during the week. We\u2019re out there having fun, dancing and executing our plays, bringing the energy. I really enjoy the locker room, the plane ride, all the little things we talk about before the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair to say, the Niners like having him, and the others who\u2019ve helped hold the fort down, too. We\u2019ll see where they take this team next.<\/p>\n
But they\u2019ve already gone further than most people thought they could.<\/p>\n
Kevin O\u2019Connell\u2019s handling of J.J. McCarthy the past few weeks was just what the young quarterback needed. Could he have forced it with McCarthy and put him out there against the Chargers 11 days ago? Sure, O\u2019Connell could have made him play.<\/p>\n
Instead, he did what a lot of coaches don\u2019t\u2014he prioritized his quarterback\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
Believing that the Vikings would be best served by having a healthy, confident captain for the offense for November, December and January, O\u2019Connell stuck with Carson Wentz in Week 8, knowing whatever he decided wouldn\u2019t necessarily have just a one-week impact. Sunday sure looked to affirm the wisdom in treating it that way.<\/p>\n
McCarthy\u2019s numbers were modest\u2014he threw for 143 yards, two touchdowns and a pick on 14-of-25 passing\u2014in the Vikings\u2019 27\u201324 upset of the Lions at Ford Field. But when Minnesota really needed its quarterback, he was at his very best<\/a>. And he was at his very best in ways that brought to life his confidence both in himself and his teammates, and the coaches\u2019 confidence in him.<\/p>\n It really showed up on the Vikings\u2019 final possession. Detroit pulled to within 27\u201324 on Jameson Williams\u2019s tightrope run to the end zone, and kicked the ball back to Minnesota needing one stop to get a chance to tie or win the game at the wire. The Vikings set up, after a Myles Price return, at their own 23 with 1:51 left and the Lions holding three timeouts.<\/p>\n The first snap busted, with Jordan Mason going the wrong way and McCarthy holding the ball. A lot of young quarterbacks freeze in that spot. McCarthy didn\u2019t, quickly recognizing the situation, tucking the ball away, and burrowing forward for four yards to get Minnesota into second-and-6. A play later, the Vikings were in third-and-5, with 1:41 left. And that\u2019s where O\u2019Connell could\u2019ve gone by the book, run it, forced the Lions to burn their last timeout, punted and let Brian Flores\u2019s defense, which had played well, go win the game.<\/p>\n Instead, O\u2019Connell put the ball in McCarthy\u2019s hands. McCarthy saw a matchup he liked, and, in turn, put his faith in fourth-year receiver Jalen Nailor. The throw landed on Nailor\u2019s back shoulder as he turned for it, moving the chains, ending the game and paying off the coaches\u2019 faith in the quarterback, and the quarterback\u2019s faith in his receiver.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean more bumps won\u2019t come. They will, of course. But now the Vikings have a quarterback who\u2019s healthy, who has building confidence and who has a really good situation around him, with Minnesota just a game and a half out of first in the competitive NFC North.<\/p>\n It\u2019s giving the Vikings their best shot going forward\u2014in large part because it\u2019s giving McCarthy his best shot to become the quarterback O\u2019Connell & Co. think he can be.<\/p>\n Caleb Williams and the Bears have turned things around under Ben Johnson. \/ Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Ben Johnson\u2019s approach with the Bears\u2019 offense is starting to work<\/a>. Yes, the Bengals\u2019 defense played its role in that, in what was as wild a game as you\u2019ll see\u2014a 47\u201342 Chicago win that kept bringing twists and turns until the very end. And, sure, the Bears\u2019 schedule hasn\u2019t exactly presented a murderer\u2019s row of top-end defenses.<\/p>\n Still, the numbers are the numbers:<\/p>\n The total yardage number was 18 shy of a record for a franchise over a century old, it was the first time the Bears had ever gone for 280 both on the ground and through the air in a single game, and Chicago was three first downs short of a single-game team record in that category.<\/p>\n And the best thing, from the Bears\u2019 perspective, is Johnson is just eight games in, and this didn\u2019t appear out of nowhere. This is the fifth time in six games the Bears topped 380 yards of offense, and the third time in four games they rushed for 145 or better.<\/p>\n All of which validates the methods Johnson employed to get this going in the first place.<\/p>\n Remember hearing how bad things looked around Williams in late July and early August? It\u2019s a stretch to say that was by design. But it also wasn\u2019t an accident. Johnson\u2019s approach was to have his players drinking from a firehose early, to see what they could handle, and inform him on building a scheme that fit the talent on hand.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first during camp, we\u2019re putting in the whole playbook, so it was a little overwhelming, like, They could call anything,\u201d rookie tight end Colston Loveland told me. \u201dNow, when it comes to [the] game plan, obviously, depending on what the defense does, nickel vs. base, coverages and all that, we will obviously have a tight game plan. And we\u2019ll study through the week what we have going in.<\/p>\n \u201cCoach Johnson has done a great job of knowing what we do best and sticking to it.\u201d<\/p>\n It took a while, Loveland explained, for Johnson to see the potential his team had for running wide-zone concepts. But in time, it came along, and now the run game is a force.<\/p>\n Williams has come along, too, and it showed in the most critical spot on Sunday.<\/p>\n The Bears had blown a 41\u201327 lead in the fourth quarter, trailed the Bengals 42\u201341 and got the ball back on their own 28 with 50 seconds left and one timeout. Two incompletions put the Bears in third down, and Williams converted with a 14-yard scramble. Then, Chicago flipped the game back. On first-and-10 from the 42, Williams quickly diagnosed what the defense was throwing at him. The call on the play was one the Bears had run earlier. But they hadn\u2019t seen the Bengals combat it with split-safety coverage at it yet.<\/p>\n Flying through the seam, into the void between the safeties, was Loveland, who Williams found and hit with a fastball around the 35. Loveland spun through tackle attempts from Geno Stone and Jordan Battle, and then raced to a 58-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n \u201cSplit safety, middle of the field was naked, Caleb put it on my body there,\u201d Loveland told me after the game. \u201cI happened to break a couple tackles and was just like, Man, I might as well take it all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n He did, giving the Bears the lead for good with 17 seconds left and, the hope is, this is just the start for Chicago as Johnson\u2019s offense gets cemented down.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s always the goal. November, that\u2019s when teams have to play good ball,\u201d Loveland said. \u201cHopefully, we\u2019re just hitting our stride now, but like I\u2019ve been saying we got to continue to keep working and practicing hard, and keep doing what we can.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s fair to say they\u2019re already playing a lot better ball than a lot of folks expected.<\/p>\n Sign Up. SI NFL Newsletter. Get MMQB’s Free Newsletter. dark<\/p>\n Cam Little had a huge day on Sunday, and I want to acknowledge the winning part of this first, before we get into his distance kicking. Little\u2019s 48-yarder in the final minute of regulation in Las Vegas sent the Raiders-Jaguars thriller into overtime, and his overtime extra point, on a Sunday when PATs were not automatic, wound up being the final margin.<\/p>\n The Jags really needed that one, too, after riding consecutive losses into their bye, so it\u2019s not like the result of the game was a sidebar to anything.<\/p>\n O.K., then, there\u2019s the matter of the NFL-record 68-yarder he drilled before halftime.<\/p>\n It would be a story regardless, but it is more now than ever before because of how commonplace field goals in the 50s have become, and how attempts from the 60s are no longer outlandish in the least.<\/p>\n Along those lines, the Jags\u2019 second-year kicker felt good enough in warmups to mark his \u201cdrop line\u201d (the furthest line-of-scrimmage point he felt comfortable hitting a field goal from) at the 44, which set his max at 62 yards (eight yards for the snap, another 10 accounting for the end zone), and provided the routine guidepost for coach Liam Coen and special teams coordinator Heath Farwell.<\/p>\n Interestingly, those two didn\u2019t really consult Little much after Trevor Lawrence killed the clock at the 50, six yards short of the drop line with five seconds left in the first half. They simply sent Little, whose previous career-long was 59 yards, and who did manage to hit a 70-yarder in the preseason, out there to try to get Jacksonville its first points.<\/p>\n \u201cThe preseason attempt from 70 gave me confidence,\u201d Little told me. \u201cYou just don\u2019t want to turn an opportunity to get three points into an opportunity for the other team to get six [on a blocked or returned kick]. We\u2019ve tried it so many times since I\u2019ve been here, Trevor and the offense have been so good at getting the ball in two-minute situations down into the range. It puts me in the mindset to prepare to kick a field goal. \u201c<\/p>\n And kick the field goal he did, sending a low liner through the uprights from the other side of the stadium.<\/p>\n This, again, was just the latest in a string of these longer kicks this fall. There are, of course, no shortage of theories for why it\u2019s happening. Tom Dempsey\u2019s distance record of 63 yards stood from 1970 to 2013. Since, there have been six successful kicks of 64 yards or longer. Three of those six (Little, Chase McLaughlin, and Bradon Aubrey) came this year, and Aubrey also had one last season.<\/p>\n Little\u2019s reasoning is pretty straightforward.<\/p>\n \u201cI can think back to when I was getting recruited in high school, if you could kick a 50-plus yarder from the ground you were getting scholarships from schools,\u201d Little said. \u201cI saw a kid from Alabama hit a 60-yarder the other day. The level down there is getting so much better, which is making the level in college higher and now wearing on the NFL. Jake Bates for the Lions hitting a 64-yarder [in the XFL] before he got there. Brandon Aubrey making the most 60-yarders ever. The talent level is rising, it\u2019s kind of like the evolution of putting, it\u2019s gotten so much better. You can say the K-ball does help but it doesn\u2019t affect the talent level.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d rather shine a light on the talent. You look at [Justin] Tucker, he hit a 66-yarder [in 2021]. I think the opportunities are becoming more prevalent. Organizations are trusting their guys to go do it because they see the talent level.\u201d<\/p>\n I do think Little\u2019s right, by the way.<\/p>\n Guys are only going to get better at their craft the more specialized they get to this particular skill. And at some point, the NFL\u2019s probably going to have to take a look at whether to make field goals more challenging.<\/p>\n Until then, I\u2019d expect more, not less, of these to come.<\/p>\n The most interesting result of the day came in Pittsburgh, where the streaking Colts finally fell off track a bit. This was easily Indianapolis\u2019s worst Sunday of the year and, of the two the losses to pick from, its most resounding defeat.<\/p>\n So does that tell us much about the Steelers? I think it does. The Colts\u2019 previous loss was fluky. That game had a long touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor called back, plus Adonai Mitchell\u2019s self-inflicted goal-line fumble. Otherwise, it\u2019s fair to say Indy probably should\u2019ve beaten the Rams in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n This one wasn\u2019t like that. The Steelers took a double-digit lead into halftime and didn\u2019t let the Colts get closer than that until the game\u2019s final seconds.<\/p>\n And it was the defense that dominated, picking off Daniel Jones three times and forcing six turnovers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know what we\u2019re trying to do. We know we\u2019re capable of winning a chip [championship],\u201d Joey Porter Jr. told me postgame. \u201cOne-play focused, one-game focused, we\u2019re really just trying to go back to that Steel Curtain defense, that gritty defense. We are going to take one step at a time, and we put it on tape today.\u201d<\/p>\n They most certainly did. In the second quarter, T.J. Watt registered a strip-sack on Jones to cut off an Indy drive that was inside the Steelers\u2019 40, then Payton Wilson picked off a ball intended for Josh Downs underneath\u2014a pick that would lead to a Pat Freiermuth touchdown two plays later. After that, a third-quarter interception, this one tipped at the line by Wilson and collected by rookie Jack Sawyer, set up another Steeler score.<\/p>\n Finally, it was Porter\u2019s turn. The Steelers had been disguising coverages to deal with all the Colts\u2019 motion, and, in the fourth quarter, the third-year man from Penn State jumped in front of Alec Pierce to steal the ball away and effectively end Indy\u2019s hopes of getting to 8\u20131.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made it tough for them, and we let our D-line eat,\u201d Porter said. \u201cThe boys got back there and made it hard for Daniel to execute. He had to get the ball out quick. \u2026 We know they are a good team and move a lot to confuse the defense. We had that already in mind and it wasn\u2019t really hard when they started doing that\u2014we were ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n In being ready, the Steelers showed that, gradually, they\u2019re becoming more complete, with pieces starting to come together across the board. The run game, though stagnant Sunday, has been better of late. And in getting to 5\u20133, with a two-game lead in the AFC North, the Steelers haven\u2019t needed a single day of 250 net yards passing from the offense.<\/p>\n Which, really, reflects why Aaron Rodgers signed there in the first place.<\/p>\n He\u2019s part of a team in Pittsburgh. A good one, at that.<\/p>\n The Dolphins fired Chris Grier but have many more decisions to make. \/ HAL HABIB \/ The Palm Beach Post \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n The idea for the Dolphins now is to take a global look at the status of their football operation. Former GM Chris Grier, for what it\u2019s worth, has been an incredibly well-liked and well-respected boss in Miami. He worked for the team for a quarter century, and was in his 10th season as general manager and seventh in command of the football operation when owner Stephen Ross let him go Friday. As such, the decision to fire Grier wasn\u2019t made haphazardly.<\/p>\n The next question, then, would be why let Grier go<\/a> and not coach Mike McDaniel?<\/p>\n My take: Ross has heard a lot of folks, and I\u2019d be one of them, say McDaniel is likely gone after this year and will probably wind up doing really well when he gets his second shot as a head coach, whenever and wherever that might be. That\u2019s why, I bet, he\u2019d think it makes sense to get a full autopsy on where his team is (and maybe even hire a new football czar and get that czar\u2019s take on McDaniel) before moving on from the coach.<\/p>\n By letting go of Grier\u2014who made the playoffs twice in his seven years in charge, and three times in his decade as GM\u2014you give yourself a chance to start the autopsy now, without having to hide anything. Regardless of whether you like the way the Dolphins handled his dismissal last week, it\u2019s hard to argue that the review isn\u2019t necessary. Ross, now in his 18th season as owner, hasn\u2019t won a playoff game. His once-proud franchise last won one in Grier\u2019s first year there as a scout, and Dave Wannstedt\u2019s first year as coach (2000).<\/p>\n That\u2019s the longest such drought in the NFL, which illustrates how far they are from the days of Dan Marino in South Florida. The last sentence of Ross\u2019s written statement announcing the move acknowledges the associated need for change: \u201cThat work begins now, finishing the season strong, evaluating all areas of our football operation, and moving forward with a clear vision for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n My translation: Nothing is guaranteed for McDaniel at the end of the season, or even over the next few weeks, including a stand-alone game in Madrid followed by a bye. But he has a chance to prove himself, as Ross, team president Tom Garfinkel and Ross\u2019s advisors try to chart a course. I would guess that leads the Dolphins to a new head of football ops, and that person would make a call on McDaniel\u2014unless McDaniel\u2019s grip on the locker room slips (that\u2019d be the one way McDaniel could still lose his job in-season).<\/p>\n In the meantime, he has a football team to coach. And a chance to win a stay of execution while his bosses try to create a better setup for whoever\u2019s sitting in McDaniels\u2019s seat in 2026.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no \u201cgood guy\u201d in the Disney\u2013YouTube TV fight. This battle got real over the weekend, when millions lost access to Oklahoma-Tennessee, Texas-Vanderbilt and scores of other college football games on Disney-owned networks. It\u2019ll get even edgier Monday night, if things remain unsettled, with millions more missing Cowboys-Cardinals Monday Night Football.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be clear about what\u2019s happening: Something subscribers paid for is being taken away from them for the sake of one side or the other winning the fight. What that fight amounts to is those involved making as much money as possible off the right to broadcast football.<\/p>\n Essentially, when someone tells you that the other side is being wronged here, it\u2019s for the sake of some board member\u2019s kid being able to keep the private jet gassed up.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t, and shouldn\u2019t be, your fight. It\u2019s their fight, and shame on them<\/a> for using America\u2019s obsession with the great sport of football as leverage in it. The leagues, the NFL included, aren\u2019t blameless here, either. As they\u2019ve held their partners at gunpoint, knowing that sports are the only thing people watch live anymore, they\u2019ve made it harder and harder for networks to profit off what they\u2019re paying for it. So then the networks get into disagreements with the providers, who also need the games to make money and make the numbers work.<\/p>\n Then the providers pass the cost along to you, which is why watching the games, however you do it, is getting more and more expensive.<\/p>\n #FootballIsFamily, right?<\/p>\n Anyway, a lot of this is just business in the 21st century. People with Ivy League MBAs are determined to find where your breaking point is on paying for all this stuff, and then they\u2019ll walk right up to that line and charge you whatever\u2019s one inch short of that number. That\u2019s business, and we can argue whether it\u2019s good for these sports long term or not, but it is what it is.<\/p>\n What makes this case egregious, to me, isn\u2019t that. Again, it\u2019s that now they\u2019re literally taking away what you paid for to settle their own fight.<\/p>\n And make no mistake: This isn\u2019t one or the other pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown.<\/p>\n It\u2019s both coming to the end of a contract and deciding that using that circumstance\u2014one where viewers would have the games effectively blacked out\u2014for their own interest was more important than doing the right thing for their customers.<\/p>\n The Panthers might be the NFL\u2019s weirdest team. Here are Bryce Young\u2019s passer ratings in the Panthers\u2019 five wins: 78.6, 90.7, 114.8, 88.4 and 48.3. In eight starts, he\u2019s thrown for more 200 yards once. Meanwhile, Carolina\u2019s had two days of 200 yards rushing, went for 163 yards on the ground Sunday in its upset of the Packers and is gradually improving defensively.<\/p>\n This may not seem like the winning blueprint for a team with a third-year quarterback who was drafted with the No. 1 pick. But it\u2019s actually exactly what Dave Canales has had in mind.<\/p>\n Over the summer, the one thing GM Dan Morgan, EVP Brandt Tilis and Canales felt they\u2019d accomplished, entering their second season in charge, was setting the personality of the team. What Canales was looking for mirrored the lessons he\u2019d taken from 14 years under Pete Carroll in Seattle\u2014he wanted competitiveness, edge and toughness.<\/p>\n And at the halfway point of Year 2, Canales is getting that based on how the players themselves see the strength of the team.<\/p>\n \u201cPhysical,\u201d said Rico Dowdle, the Panthers\u2019 new workhorse, imported from Dallas. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the things we want to come out and we want to show: We\u2019re physical. That we\u2019re going to be physically better than the other team. That\u2019s one thing we hang our hat on each and every week. Just coming out and being physical. I think that shows on film.\u201d<\/p>\n On paper, at least, it should hold up as the weather changes. The Panthers get the Saints next, then the Falcons, 49ers and Rams, so we should know more by their Week 14 bye.<\/p>\n For now, they\u2019re at least watchable. Which is an improvement.<\/p>\n The quick-hitters are coming for you now. And coming fast \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 One interesting name on the trade block that I didn\u2019t mention in my Friday notes<\/a> is former No. 7 pick pick Tyree Wilson. He\u2019s clearly not what Vegas hoped for in 2023, but there\u2019s still some promise for the 25-year-old as a supersized edge who can bump inside and rush on passing downs.<\/p>\n \u2022 While we\u2019re there, I\u2019m still keeping an eye on Jaelan Phillips and the Eagles. Late last week, word was Philly wanted Miami to pay down some of Phillips\u2019s remaining salary for this year, and Miami wanted a third-round pick for him. We\u2019ll see whether they can bridge those gaps before tomorrow.<\/p>\n \u2022 Bo Nix pulled the Broncos from the fire again in an 18\u201315 win over the Texans, and there\u2019s something to be said for that, even if he\u2019s imperfect.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Chargers beat the Titans on Sunday, but they lost Joe Alt again\u2014and that\u2019s going to be a really difficult one to work around, as we already saw earlier in the year. Alt\u2019s value to Jim Harbaugh\u2019s program can\u2019t be overstated. He and Rashawn Slater, both now out, help form the identity of that team.<\/p>\n \u2022 A little nuance: When the Patriots could\u2019ve just handed the ball off on a third down, and run more clock, they chose to let Drake Maye throw to move the chains. And move the chains he did, with a little rollout pass to Hunter Henry to convert. With the Chiefs having lost Sunday, Maye may be my midseason MVP.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Rams embarrassed the Saints on Sunday, and it sure looks like Sean McVay\u2019s offensive vision for that team is coming to life, with Matthew Stafford playing coldly efficient ball, and Puka Nacua and Davante Adams playing off one another perfectly. Can\u2019t wait for their rematch with the Niners.<\/p>\n \u2022 Jaxon Smith-Njigba may be the Offensive Player of the Year, and Sam Darnold is playing quarterback at a really high level<\/a>. Darnold, if you\u2019re keeping score at home, connected on his first 17 attempts and finished with more touchdowns passes (4) than incompletions (3).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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