Halloween came early for 2-7 Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who watched in horror as his team committed penalties and turnovers, missing easy opportunities throughout last night’s 28-6 loss to the Ravens (3-5), and now GM Chris Grier is out. Full takeaways here.
Inside: Travis Hunter, one of the most intriguing rookies ever, is out for at least four weeks with an injury. Plus we have spooky weekend matchups and Ted Nguyen unpacking the Steelers’ defensive struggles. It’s all scary-bad in today’s Halloween edition.
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Travis Hunter: Ambitions on hold
The spotlight was always going to shine on the Heisman Trophy winner, attempting to become the league’s first true two-way player in decades.
Then Jacksonville traded two first round picks and change for the rights to draft him second overall, and expectations rose even higher.
“In our mind, we got two second overall picks this year,” said Tony Boselli, their executive VP of football operations, after making Hunter both the first receiver drafted No. 2 since Calvin Johnson and the highest-drafted defensive back in 34 years.
The 22-year-old has since been the equivalent of a full-time starter, playing mostly on offense. It’s been a mixed bag for a player whose combined snap counts are 101 percent.
He’s played 67 percent of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps (324 total), resulting in 225 routes run, 45 targets, 298 receiving yards and a touchdown. He’s not showing elite separation, but that’s OK, since he can out-jump two defenders.
He’s also played 34 percent of defensive snaps (162 total), with 120 in pass coverage. He’s seen 18 targets, allowed 106 yards and broken up three passes.
Overall, things had been trending up, at least on offense. Running an average of 26 routes per game from Weeks 1 to 5, Hunter’s nearly doubled that mark since, with an average of 47.5 over his past two games.
Could his role continue to expand after a Week 8 bye?
We’ll see, but we’ll have to wait until at least Week 13. On Thursday, the dual-threat was listed on Jacksonville’s injury report due to what Coen said was a non-contact knee issue. The severity became clearer this morning, when the 4-3 Jaguars placed Hunter on IR.
Hunter — who missed two preseason games with an upper-body injury — will now miss the next four weeks.
He’s attempting to redefine what’s possible in the NFL, and I wish him good health. Remember, the rookie is 6-foot-1, 185-pounds. That’s similar to my build, and I write a newsletter for a living.
What Ted’s Seeing: Pittsburgh’s $163 million letdown
From my Steelers film review: Why Pittsburgh’s high-priced defense is struggling.
The Steelers spent heavily in 2025 to maintain their defensive identity. They used this year’s first-round pick on a defensive lineman (Derrick Harmon at No. 21), and committed $163 million (nearly 60 percent of their cap) to the NFL’s highest-paid defense, according to Over The Cap.
Yet they look like an undisciplined unit, and have been out schemed by good offenses, who seem to know exactly what the Steelers will do.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur watched the tape. One of the best coaches in the league at attacking specific coverages, LaFleur knew the Steelers wanted to play man and blitz, and he used simple motions to create space for tight end Tucker Kraft to run.
Below, the Packers motioned Christian Watson across the formation. Steelers safety Chuck Clark and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (both in the blue circle) were expected to work in tandem to cover Packers receiver Romeo Doubs and Kraft (red) in a stack alignment.
By moving Watson, LaFleur pulled another defender away, further clearing the underneath route for Kraft. The Steelers were slow to react. Porter stuck with Doubs, but Clark was blocked momentarily by Doubs’ vertical route, giving Kraft the space needed to make an easy catch on the run.
That was Kraft’s second touchdown, and he finished with seven receptions for 143 yards. Little surprise against a Steelers team allowing the most yards after the catch to tight ends.
And this isn’t an isolated sample; it’s been an ongoing issue with Mike Tomlin-led teams. Read the full article here.
Back to you, Jacob.
What to watch in key games
I typically reserve this section for Sunday matchups to watch. But the amount of candy I’ve eaten from my cupboards suggests it’s Halloween, so let’s highlight some of the scariest mismatches (lines per BetMGM):
Panthers at Packers (-13): The only sight more terrifying than Green Bay’s pass rush teeing off on either an injured Bryce Young or an even more injured Andy Dalton? The first-place Packers’ awful throwback costumes.
Falcons at Patriots (-5.5). Atlanta’s once-stout offensive line has struggled due to injuries, and their Bijan Robinson-led run game is beginning to feel the effects. The 6-2 New England allows the second-fewest rush yards per game (76). Good luck, whichever quarterback starts for the Falcons. Michael Penix has been limited at practice.
Broncos (-1.5) at Texans. Houston’s offensive line had a surprisingly great game against the 49ers in Week 8. Don’t expect an encore against Denver’s No. 1 pass rush, which leads the league in pressure rate, sacks per game, etc. C.J. Stroud has a front-row seat for this terror show.
(If you’re a sucker for good offensive line play, you’ll appreciate this episode of “The Athletic Football Show.“)
Colts (-3) at Steelers. Tomlin’s defense struggles to cover tight ends, as Ted noted above, and now faces Indy’s Tyler Warren, quietly on pace to become the fourth rookie tight end in NFL history to top 1,000 yards. This could be his blowing-up game.
Bears (-2.5) at Bengals. Chicago’s continued to dominate the run game, leading the NFL in rushing yards since Week 6. Cincy ranks on the opposite end of that spectrum, allowing the most rush yards since Week 6. And since Week 4. And 3. And 2. You get it.
Our full Week 9 watch guide has more.
Extra Points
🏈 Redemption? Before J.J. McCarthy makes the third start of his professional career, Michael Silver explains why it’s still J.J. or bust in Minnesota, even as the Vikings watch Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers impress elsewhere.
📺 Good TV. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen tee off Sunday afternoon, and Richard Deitsch shares why Bills-Chiefs remains the NFL’s top watch.
🧰 New NFL. “A variety of reasons have sedated the hatred,” writes Tim Graham, in his story on the reshaped rivalries in today’s game.
🤝 Kirk Cousins? No one expects him to be moved by the Falcons, Josh Kendall writes. “That means Cousins will almost certainly be released this offseason.”
▶️ This week’s most-clicked: The Athletic’s Spooky Week 9 Power Rankings.
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