Week 9 Nfl Takeaways: How The Bills Look Different Than They Did A Month Ago

We’re 1 crippled distant from nan midpoint of nan 2025 season. And we’re covering each things Week 9 successful nan MMQB takeaways …

The Bills look different than they did moreover a period ago. And not that they weren’t this measurement before, because they were—but it really seemed evident successful Josh Allen’s guidance to James Cook aft Cook caught a shot successful nan correct flat, turned upfield to person a third-and-3 from midfield, past slammed connected nan brakes and slid inbounds to headdress an 11-yard gain.

The determination forced nan Chiefs to pain their past timeout, and trim their separator for correction down to astir thing pinch 2:31 left. Had Cook tried to churn retired a fewer much yards to pad his stats, already outstanding for nan day, things might’ve played retired differently.

Allen knew it, and soon arsenic he saw it, he raced over, pointing astatine Cook.

“That’s thing we practiced and we repped,” nan backmost and reigning MVP said complete nan telephone early Sunday nighttime from Highmark Stadium. “And you cognize arsenic good arsenic anyone else, erstwhile you’ve sewage an opportunity to spell make a play successful nan NFL and bump those stats up a small spot more, group will jump astatine that opportunity. But nan selflessness of him, particularly being his caliber of player, to do that for nan team, is unbelievable.”

The vibes are bully successful Buffalo again—as they should beryllium aft a 28–21 triumph complete nan three-time defending convention champions. And things started swinging that measurement good earlier Sunday.

Last week, aft nan Bills annihilated nan Panthers 40–9, Cook told me his squad had nan champion week of believe he tin retrieve immoderate squad he’s played connected having done his four-year NFL career. It showed connected nan field, of course, successful Charlotte. A week later, for what it’s worth, Allen concurred pinch Cook’s assessment, and added there’s been nary turning back.

“It’s nan focus, nan attraction to detail, nan want and nan request to believe hard,” Allen explained. “We’ve had immoderate really difficult practices, but it’s been highly adjuvant to get those and consciousness that type of vibe and that type of energy. But it takes a full group to spell retired and do that, and we consciousness for illustration we’re doing immoderate bully things correct now.”

There were a fewer to pluck retired of Sunday’s large win.

The first 1 emanated from those practices—and nan downfield blocking that led to Cook’s chunk runs of 16, 17 and 18 yards complete nan people of nan afternoon.

“I deliberation it’s nan finish, nan follow,” Allen said. “From our O-line, our receivers blocking downfield, pursuing nan ball, picking each different up. Really having nan intent to show really overmuch we emotion each different erstwhile we’re connected nan section and we’re not getting nan ball. We activity connected that successful practice, we proceed to travel nan ball. The moving backs, each clip they touch nan ball, they people a touchdown. And that changes you, erstwhile you get those six-yards runs and they extremity up turning into 15 to 20, past you get a chance to break them. It starts successful practice, building up that stamina and having guys spell artifact safeties and really having that intent.”

Another item was really Allen dispersed nan shot around, hitting a staggering 10 receivers contempt only throwing nan shot 26 times, and logging conscionable 23 completions. Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincade, arsenic you’d expect, sewage theirs—combining for 13 catches and 144 yards.

But a batch of guys down nan statement did their part, too, successful a crippled that was adjacent throughout.

“That goes backmost to nan mantra we’ve tried to adopt here: Everybody eats—do your occupation and you’re going to person immoderate opportunities to make immoderate plays,” Allen said. “It’s crazy because you wish you could get everybody arsenic galore targets arsenic imaginable but erstwhile you person guys perpetually doing nan correct thing, sometimes, hey, you’re only going to get 2 opportunities today.

“But I’m looking astatine these numbers and I deliberation of Elijah Moore, he had 1 target for 28 yards, connected a large second-and-8 that sewage america down successful scoring position. Curtis Samuel, 1 drawback for six yards that sewage america an opportunity to get to a third-down play that we really for illustration early on, which we scored connected nan adjacent play. It each adds up and erstwhile guys person that emotion of, immoderate opportunity aliases immoderate down it could beryllium their chance to get nan shot here, that’s erstwhile you’re gonna person immoderate beautiful bully success.”

And Allen’s guidance erstwhile I mentioned he deed that galore different receivers was spontaneous and genuine: “Heck yeh.”

Meanwhile, akin things were happening connected defense, wherever Joey Bosa started to look for illustration his younger self, and existent younger guys specified arsenic protect backs Maxwell Hairston and Cole Bishop turned potential, arsenic 2 precocious draught picks, into existent tangible production.

The consequence was a Buffalo squad that controlled nan Chiefs throughout, moreover aft a missed section extremity precocious cracked nan doorway unfastened successful nan last infinitesimal for Kansas City.

Effectively, this win, successful tandem pinch past week’s rout, puts a unsmooth two-week move successful nan rear-view—that agelong encompassing nan Bills’ mistake-ridden nonaccomplishment to nan Patriots and no-show connected a bad Monday nighttime successful Atlanta.

Looking for much than that? Allen’s not really going to springiness it to you.

“It’s immoderate different game,” Allen said. “That’s what we person to proceed to show ourselves each and each week, nary matter who nan force is. They’re nameless. They’re faceless. And it’s our occupation to spell 1–0 each and each week.”

That said, Allen added his words travel pinch “100%” respect for nan Chiefs. “You cognize who you’re playing,” he added. “I’ve conscionable ever had this mindset, it’s much astir america than it is astir them.”

And would he beryllium amazed to spot nan Bills meet nan Chiefs again successful January?

“Definitely not.”

The reality is, nary 1 would.

And Sunday only gave america each much bully reasons to consciousness that way—and maybe, conscionable maybe, that nan wintertime type will play retired a small otherwise this clip around, too.

The 49ers person been winning nary matter who takes nan field. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

San Francisco 49ers

What nan 49ers are doing deserves mention each week until it stops happening. On Sunday, San Francisco was without Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and Ricky Pearsall. And they perfectly dominated nan Giants successful New Jersey, racing to a 17–7 halftime advantage, keeping their hosts down aggregate possessions done nan 2nd half and winning 34–24 to get to 6–3 connected nan season.

So really person they kept this going? Mac Jones, astir salient among Niners’ replacements, has an idea.

“It starts pinch nan culture, for sure,” Jones told me. “Kyle [Shanahan], nan measurement he sets nan array for nan team, he wants to create everybody—from undrafted rookies to fifth-year quarterbacks connected their 3rd team. He wants everyone to beryllium great. That’s what it’s each about. Kyle conscionable does a awesome job, defense, too, and typical teams, everybody has a system. And erstwhile you person a strategy you judge successful and it works, these are nan results.”

The results person been a batch amended than anyone could’ve hoped. Without Aiyuk aliases Pearsall, they brought backmost Kendrick Bourne, pulled Skyy Moore disconnected nan scrap heap, accelerated rookie Jordan Watkins’s improvement and leaned connected aged reliable Jauan Jennings. In Bosa’s spot has been rookie Mykel Williams. And erstwhile Williams tore his ACL connected Sunday, Sam Okuayinonu and Clelin Ferrell registered sacks. Meanwhile, second-year man Tatum Bethune has stepped up successful Warner’s absence.

That’s not to say, by nan way, that nan stand-ins are arsenic bully arsenic nan All-Pros they’re replacing. Or moreover astir arsenic good.

It’s much a commentary connected nan wherewithal of nan squad to make it activity without them.

“It’s interesting, KB evidently has immoderate knowledge of nan offense,” Jones said. “Skyy played successful a wholly different offense. And Jordan was pinch Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin. You person guys from each complete nan place; they didn’t get OTAs and training camp. Jordan did a little. But they came successful and they’re moving difficult pinch Hank [WRs coach Leonard Hankerson].

“Our situation each week is knowing wherever to spell and get lined up. And what you spot is guys being plug-and-play because of nan system.”

That strategy did capable to support nan Giants astatine an arm’s magnitude each day.

The situation will beryllium stiffer adjacent week, arsenic nan Niners plaything for a play expanse of their archrival Rams, who haven’t mislaid since San Francisco hit them successful Week 5. Jones, of course, knows it won’t beryllium easy, having played successful that Oct. 2 slugfest. And truthful activity toward L.A. is already underway, which Jones is bully with—because, overmuch arsenic anything, activity is nosy again.

“Oh, it’s truthful fun,” Jones said. “I bask nan games but I really bask nan practices, to beryllium honest. Obviously, crippled day, you are locked in, and we’re winning. But each nan existent nosy activity comes during nan week. We’re retired location having fun, dancing and executing our plays, bringing nan energy. I really bask nan locker room, nan level ride, each nan small things we talk astir earlier nan game.”

Fair to say, nan Niners for illustration having him, and nan others who’ve helped clasp nan fort down, too. We’ll spot wherever they return this squad next.

But they’ve already gone further than astir group thought they could.

Kevin O’Connell’s handling of J.J. McCarthy nan past fewer weeks was conscionable what nan young backmost needed. Could he person forced it pinch McCarthy and put him retired location against nan Chargers 11 days ago? Sure, O’Connell could person made him play.

Instead, he did what a batch of coaches don’t—he prioritized his quarterback’s development.

Believing that nan Vikings would beryllium champion served by having a healthy, assured skipper for nan discourtesy for November, December and January, O’Connell stuck pinch Carson Wentz successful Week 8, knowing immoderate he decided wouldn’t needfully person conscionable a one-week impact. Sunday judge looked to affirm nan contented successful treating it that way.

McCarthy’s numbers were modest—he threw for 143 yards, 2 touchdowns and a prime connected 14-of-25 passing—in nan Vikings’ 27–24 upset of nan Lions astatine Ford Field. But erstwhile Minnesota really needed its quarterback, he was astatine his very best. And he was astatine his very champion successful ways that brought to life his assurance some successful himself and his teammates, and nan coaches’ assurance successful him.

It really showed up connected nan Vikings’ last possession. Detroit pulled to wrong 27–24 connected Jameson Williams’s tightrope tally to nan extremity zone, and kicked nan shot backmost to Minnesota needing 1 extremity to get a chance to necktie aliases triumph nan crippled astatine nan wire. The Vikings group up, aft a Myles Price return, astatine their ain 23 pinch 1:51 near and nan Lions holding 3 timeouts.

The first threat busted, pinch Jordan Mason going nan incorrect measurement and McCarthy holding nan ball. A batch of young quarterbacks frost successful that spot. McCarthy didn’t, quickly recognizing nan situation, tucking nan shot away, and burrowing guardant for 4 yards to get Minnesota into second-and-6. A play later, nan Vikings were successful third-and-5, pinch 1:41 left. And that’s wherever O’Connell could’ve gone by nan book, tally it, forced nan Lions to pain their past timeout, punted and fto Brian Flores’s defense, which had played well, spell triumph nan game.

Instead, O’Connell put nan shot successful McCarthy’s hands. McCarthy saw a matchup he liked, and, successful turn, put his religion successful fourth-year receiver Jalen Nailor. The propulsion landed connected Nailor’s backmost enarthrosis arsenic he turned for it, moving nan chains, ending nan crippled and paying disconnected nan coaches’ religion successful nan quarterback, and nan quarterback’s religion successful his receiver.

This doesn’t mean much bumps won’t come. They will, of course. But now nan Vikings person a backmost who’s healthy, who has building assurance and who has a really bully business astir him, pinch Minnesota conscionable a crippled and a half retired of first successful nan competitory NFC North.

It’s giving nan Vikings their champion changeable going forward—in ample portion because it’s giving McCarthy his champion changeable to go nan backmost O’Connell & Co. deliberation he tin be.

Caleb Williams and nan Bears person turned things astir nether Ben Johnson. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson’s attack pinch nan Bears’ discourtesy is starting to work. Yes, nan Bengals’ defense played its domiciled successful that, successful what was arsenic chaotic a crippled arsenic you’ll see—a 47–42 Chicago triumph that kept bringing twists and turns until nan very end. And, sure, nan Bears’ schedule hasn’t precisely presented a murderer’s statement of top-end defenses.

Still, nan numbers are nan numbers:

The full yardage number was 18 awkward of a grounds for a franchise complete a period old, it was nan first clip nan Bears had ever gone for 280 some connected nan crushed and done nan aerial successful a azygous game, and Chicago was 3 first downs short of a single-game squad grounds successful that category.

And nan champion thing, from nan Bears’ perspective, is Johnson is conscionable 8 games in, and this didn’t look retired of nowhere. This is nan 5th clip successful six games nan Bears topped 380 yards of offense, and nan 3rd clip successful 4 games they rushed for 145 aliases better.

All of which validates nan methods Johnson employed to get this going successful nan first place.

Remember proceeding really bad things looked astir Williams successful precocious July and early August? It’s a agelong to opportunity that was by design. But it besides wasn’t an accident. Johnson’s attack was to person his players drinking from a firehose early, to spot what they could handle, and pass him connected building a strategy that fresh nan talent connected hand.

“At first during camp, we’re putting successful nan full playbook, truthful it was a small overwhelming, like, They could telephone anything,” rookie tight extremity Colston Loveland told me. ”Now, erstwhile it comes to [the] crippled plan, obviously, depending connected what nan defense does, nickel vs. base, coverages and each that, we will evidently person a tight crippled plan. And we’ll study done nan week what we person going in.

“Coach Johnson has done a awesome occupation of knowing what we do champion and sticking to it.”

It took a while, Loveland explained, for Johnson to spot nan imaginable his squad had for moving wide-zone concepts. But successful time, it came along, and now nan tally crippled is simply a force.

Williams has travel along, too, and it showed successful nan astir captious spot connected Sunday.

The Bears had blown a 41–27 lead successful nan 4th quarter, trailed nan Bengals 42–41 and sewage nan shot backmost connected their ain 28 pinch 50 seconds near and 1 timeout. Two incompletions put nan Bears successful 3rd down, and Williams converted pinch a 14-yard scramble. Then, Chicago flipped nan crippled back. On first-and-10 from nan 42, Williams quickly diagnosed what nan defense was throwing astatine him. The telephone connected nan play was 1 nan Bears had tally earlier. But they hadn’t seen nan Bengals combat it pinch split-safety sum astatine it yet.

Flying done nan seam, into nan void betwixt nan safeties, was Loveland, who Williams recovered and deed pinch a fastball astir nan 35. Loveland spun done tackle attempts from Geno Stone and Jordan Battle, and past raced to a 58-yard touchdown.

“Split safety, mediate of nan section was naked, Caleb put it connected my assemblage there,” Loveland told maine aft nan game. “I happened to break a mates tackles and was conscionable like, Man, I mightiness arsenic good return it each nan way.”

He did, giving nan Bears nan lead for bully pinch 17 seconds near and, nan dream is, this is conscionable nan commencement for Chicago arsenic Johnson’s discourtesy gets cemented down.

“That’s ever nan goal. November, that’s erstwhile teams person to play bully ball,” Loveland said. “Hopefully, we’re conscionable hitting our stride now, but for illustration I’ve been saying we sewage to proceed to support moving and practicing hard, and support doing what we can.”

It’s adjacent to opportunity they’re already playing a batch amended shot than a batch of folks expected.

Cam Little had a immense time connected Sunday, and I want to admit nan winning portion of this first, earlier we get into his region kicking. Little’s 48-yarder successful nan last infinitesimal of regularisation successful Las Vegas sent nan Raiders-Jaguars thriller into overtime, and his overtime other point, connected a Sunday erstwhile PATs were not automatic, coiled up being nan last margin.

The Jags really needed that one, too, aft riding consecutive losses into their bye, truthful it’s not for illustration nan consequence of nan crippled was a sidebar to anything.

O.K., then, there’s nan matter of nan NFL-record 68-yarder he drilled earlier halftime.

It would beryllium a communicative regardless, but it is much now than ever earlier because of really commonplace section goals successful nan 50s person become, and really attempts from nan 60s are nary longer outlandish successful nan least.

Along those lines, nan Jags’ second-year kicker felt bully capable successful warmups to people his “drop line” (the furthest line-of-scrimmage constituent he felt comfortable hitting a section extremity from) astatine nan 44, which group his max astatine 62 yards (eight yards for nan snap, different 10 accounting for nan extremity zone), and provided nan regular guidepost for coach Liam Coen and typical teams coordinator Heath Farwell.

Interestingly, those 2 didn’t really consult Little overmuch aft Trevor Lawrence killed nan timepiece astatine nan 50, six yards short of nan driblet statement pinch 5 seconds near successful nan first half. They simply sent Little, whose erstwhile career-long was 59 yards, and who did negociate to deed a 70-yarder successful nan preseason, retired location to effort to get Jacksonville its first points.

“The preseason effort from 70 gave maine confidence,” Little told me. “You conscionable don’t want to move an opportunity to get 3 points into an opportunity for nan different squad to get six [on a blocked aliases returned kick]. We’ve tried it truthful galore times since I’ve been here, Trevor and nan discourtesy person been truthful bully astatine getting nan shot successful two-minute situations down into nan range. It puts maine successful nan mindset to hole to footwear a section goal. “

And footwear nan section extremity he did, sending a debased liner done nan uprights from nan different broadside of nan stadium.

This, again, was conscionable nan latest successful a drawstring of these longer kicks this fall. There are, of course, nary shortage of theories for why it’s happening. Tom Dempsey’s region grounds of 63 yards stood from 1970 to 2013. Since, location person been six successful kicks of 64 yards aliases longer. Three of those six (Little, Chase McLaughlin, and Bradon Aubrey) came this year, and Aubrey besides had 1 past season.

Little’s reasoning is beautiful straightforward.

“I tin deliberation backmost to erstwhile I was getting recruited successful precocious school, if you could footwear a 50-plus yarder from nan crushed you were getting scholarships from schools,” Little said. “I saw a kid from Alabama deed a 60-yarder nan different day. The level down location is getting truthful overmuch better, which is making nan level successful assemblage higher and now wearing connected nan NFL. Jake Bates for nan Lions hitting a 64-yarder [in nan XFL] earlier he sewage there. Brandon Aubrey making nan astir 60-yarders ever. The talent level is rising, it’s benignant of for illustration nan improvement of putting, it’s gotten truthful overmuch better. You tin opportunity nan K-ball does thief but it doesn’t impact nan talent level.

“I’d alternatively radiance a ray connected nan talent. You look astatine [Justin] Tucker, he deed a 66-yarder [in 2021]. I deliberation nan opportunities are becoming much prevalent. Organizations are trusting their guys to spell do it because they spot nan talent level.”

I do deliberation Little’s right, by nan way.

Guys are only going to get amended astatine their trade nan much specialized they get to this peculiar skill. And astatine immoderate point, nan NFL’s astir apt going to person to return a look astatine whether to make section goals much challenging.

Until then, I’d expect more, not less, of these to come.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The astir absorbing consequence of nan time came successful Pittsburgh, wherever nan streaking Colts yet fell disconnected way a bit. This was easy Indianapolis’s worst Sunday of nan twelvemonth and, of nan 2 nan losses to prime from, its astir resounding defeat.

So does that show america overmuch astir nan Steelers? I deliberation it does. The Colts’ erstwhile nonaccomplishment was fluky. That crippled had a agelong touchdown tally by Jonathan Taylor called back, positive Adonai Mitchell’s self-inflicted goal-line fumble. Otherwise, it’s adjacent to opportunity Indy astir apt should’ve beaten nan Rams successful Los Angeles.

This 1 wasn’t for illustration that. The Steelers took a double-digit lead into halftime and didn’t fto nan Colts get person than that until nan game’s last seconds.

And it was nan defense that dominated, picking disconnected Daniel Jones 3 times and forcing six turnovers.

“We cognize what we’re trying to do. We cognize we’re tin of winning a spot [championship],” Joey Porter Jr. told maine postgame. “One-play focused, one-game focused, we’re really conscionable trying to spell backmost to that Steel Curtain defense, that gritty defense. We are going to return 1 measurement astatine a time, and we put it connected portion today.”

They astir surely did. In nan 2nd quarter, T.J. Watt registered a strip-sack connected Jones to trim disconnected an Indy thrust that was wrong nan Steelers’ 40, past Payton Wilson picked disconnected a shot intended for Josh Downs underneath—a prime that would lead to a Pat Freiermuth touchdown 2 plays later. After that, a third-quarter interception, this 1 tipped astatine nan statement by Wilson and collected by rookie Jack Sawyer, group up different Steeler score.

Finally, it was Porter’s turn. The Steelers had been disguising coverages to woody pinch each nan Colts’ motion, and, successful nan 4th quarter, nan third-year man from Penn State jumped successful beforehand of Alec Pierce to bargain nan shot distant and efficaciously extremity Indy’s hopes of getting to 8–1.

“We made it reliable for them, and we fto our D-line eat,” Porter said. “The boys sewage backmost location and made it difficult for Daniel to execute. He had to get nan shot retired quick. … We cognize they are a bully squad and move a batch to confuse nan defense. We had that already successful mind and it wasn’t really difficult erstwhile they started doing that—we were fresh for it.”

In being ready, nan Steelers showed that, gradually, they’re becoming much complete, pinch pieces starting to travel together crossed nan board. The tally game, though stagnant Sunday, has been amended of late. And successful getting to 5–3, pinch a two-game lead successful nan AFC North, nan Steelers haven’t needed a azygous time of 250 nett yards passing from nan offense.

Which, really, reflects why Aaron Rodgers signed location successful nan first place.

He’s portion of a squad successful Pittsburgh. A bully one, astatine that.

The Dolphins fired Chris Grier but person galore much decisions to make. / HAL HABIB / The Palm Beach Post / USA TODAY NETWORK

The thought for nan Dolphins now is to return a world look astatine nan position of their shot operation. Former GM Chris Grier, for what it’s worth, has been an incredibly well-liked and well-respected leader successful Miami. He worked for nan squad for a 4th century, and was successful his 10th play arsenic wide head and seventh successful bid of nan shot cognition erstwhile proprietor Stephen Ross fto him spell Friday. As such, nan determination to occurrence Grier wasn’t made haphazardly.

The adjacent question, then, would beryllium why fto Grier go and not coach Mike McDaniel?

My take: Ross has heard a batch of folks, and I’d beryllium 1 of them, opportunity McDaniel is apt gone aft this twelvemonth and will astir apt upwind up doing really good erstwhile he gets his 2nd changeable arsenic a caput coach, whenever and wherever that mightiness be. That’s why, I bet, he’d deliberation it makes consciousness to get a afloat autopsy connected wherever his squad is (and possibly moreover prosecute a caller shot czar and get that czar’s return connected McDaniel) earlier moving connected from nan coach.

By letting spell of Grier—who made nan playoffs doubly successful his 7 years successful charge, and 3 times successful his decade arsenic GM—you springiness yourself a chance to commencement nan autopsy now, without having to hide anything. Regardless of whether you for illustration nan measurement nan Dolphins handled his dismissal past week, it’s difficult to reason that nan reappraisal isn’t necessary. Ross, now successful his 18th play arsenic owner, hasn’t won a playoff game. His once-proud franchise past won 1 successful Grier’s first twelvemonth location arsenic a scout, and Dave Wannstedt’s first twelvemonth arsenic coach (2000).

That’s nan longest specified drought successful nan NFL, which illustrates really acold they are from nan days of Dan Marino successful South Florida. The past condemnation of Ross’s written connection announcing nan move acknowledges nan associated request for change: “That activity originates now, finishing nan play strong, evaluating each areas of our shot operation, and moving guardant pinch a clear imagination for nan future.”

My translation: Nothing is guaranteed for McDaniel astatine nan extremity of nan season, aliases moreover complete nan adjacent fewer weeks, including a stand-alone crippled successful Madrid followed by a bye. But he has a chance to beryllium himself, arsenic Ross, squad president Tom Garfinkel and Ross’s advisors effort to floor plan a course. I would conjecture that leads nan Dolphins to a caller caput of shot ops, and that personification would make a telephone connected McDaniel—unless McDaniel’s grip connected nan locker room slips (that’d beryllium nan 1 measurement McDaniel could still suffer his occupation in-season).

In nan meantime, he has a shot squad to coach. And a chance to triumph a enactment of execution while his bosses effort to create a amended setup for whoever’s sitting successful McDaniels’s spot successful 2026.

Disney–YouTube TV fight

There’s nary “good guy” successful nan Disney–YouTube TV fight. This conflict sewage existent complete nan weekend, erstwhile millions mislaid entree to Oklahoma-Tennessee, Texas-Vanderbilt and scores of different assemblage shot games connected Disney-owned networks. It’ll get moreover edgier Monday night, if things stay unsettled, pinch millions much missing Cowboys-Cardinals Monday Night Football.

Let’s beryllium clear astir what’s happening: Something subscribers paid for is being taken distant from them for nan liking of 1 broadside aliases nan different winning nan fight. What that conflict amounts to is those progressive making arsenic overmuch money arsenic imaginable disconnected nan correct to broadcast football.

Essentially, erstwhile personification tells you that nan different broadside is being wronged here, it’s for nan liking of immoderate committee member’s kid being capable to support nan backstage pitchy gassed up.

This isn’t, and shouldn’t be, your fight. It’s their fight, and shame connected them for utilizing America’s obsession pinch nan awesome athletics of shot arsenic leverage successful it. The leagues, nan NFL included, aren’t blameless here, either. As they’ve held their partners astatine gunpoint, knowing that sports are nan only point group watch unrecorded anymore, they’ve made it harder and harder for networks to profit disconnected what they’re paying for it. So past nan networks get into disagreements pinch nan providers, who also need nan games to make money and make nan numbers work.

Then nan providers walk nan costs on to you, which is why watching nan games, nevertheless you do it, is getting much and much expensive.

#FootballIsFamily, right?

Anyway, a batch of this is conscionable business successful nan 21st century. People pinch Ivy League MBAs are wished to find wherever your breaking constituent is connected paying for each this stuff, and past they’ll locomotion correct up to that statement and complaint you whatever’s 1 inch short of that number. That’s business, and we tin reason whether it’s bully for these sports agelong word aliases not, but it is what it is.

What makes this lawsuit egregious, to me, isn’t that. Again, it’s that now they’re virtually taking distant what you paid for to settee their ain fight.

And make nary mistake: This isn’t 1 aliases nan different pulling nan shot distant from Charlie Brown.

It’s some coming to nan extremity of a statement and deciding that utilizing that circumstance—one wherever viewers would person nan games efficaciously blacked out—for their ain liking was much important than doing nan correct point for their customers.

The Panthers mightiness beryllium nan NFL’s weirdest team. Here are Bryce Young’s passer ratings successful nan Panthers’ 5 wins: 78.6, 90.7, 114.8, 88.4 and 48.3. In 8 starts, he’s thrown for much 200 yards once. Meanwhile, Carolina’s had 2 days of 200 yards rushing, went for 163 yards connected nan crushed Sunday successful its upset of nan Packers and is gradually improving defensively.

This whitethorn not look for illustration nan winning blueprint for a squad pinch a third-year backmost who was drafted pinch nan No. 1 pick. But it’s really precisely what Dave Canales has had successful mind.

Over nan summer, nan 1 point GM Dan Morgan, EVP Brandt Tilis and Canales felt they’d accomplished, entering their 2nd play successful charge, was mounting nan characteristic of nan team. What Canales was looking for mirrored nan lessons he’d taken from 14 years nether Pete Carroll successful Seattle—he wanted competitiveness, separator and toughness.

And astatine nan halfway constituent of Year 2, Canales is getting that based connected really nan players themselves spot nan spot of nan team.

“Physical,” said Rico Dowdle, nan Panthers’ caller workhorse, imported from Dallas. “That’s 1 of nan things we want to travel retired and we want to show: We’re physical. That we’re going to beryllium physically amended than nan different team. That’s 1 point we bent our chapeau connected each and each week. Just coming retired and being physical. I deliberation that shows connected film.”

On paper, astatine least, it should clasp up arsenic nan upwind changes. The Panthers get nan Saints next, past nan Falcons, 49ers and Rams, truthful we should cognize much by their Week 14 bye.

For now, they’re astatine slightest watchable. Which is an improvement.

Quick-hitters

The quick-hitters are coming for you now. And coming accelerated …

• One absorbing sanction connected nan waste and acquisition artifact that I didn’t mention successful my Friday notes is erstwhile No. 7 prime pick Tyree Wilson. He’s intelligibly not what Vegas hoped for successful 2023, but there’s still immoderate committedness for nan 25-year-old arsenic a supersized separator who tin bump wrong and unreserved connected passing downs.

• While we’re there, I’m still keeping an oculus connected Jaelan Phillips and nan Eagles. Late past week, connection was Philly wanted Miami to salary down immoderate of Phillips’s remaining net for this year, and Miami wanted a third-round prime for him. We’ll spot whether they tin span those gaps earlier tomorrow.

• Bo Nix pulled nan Broncos from nan occurrence again successful an 18–15 triumph complete nan Texans, and there’s thing to beryllium said for that, moreover if he’s imperfect.

• The Chargers hit nan Titans connected Sunday, but they mislaid Joe Alt again—and that’s going to beryllium a really difficult 1 to activity around, arsenic we already saw earlier successful nan year. Alt’s worth to Jim Harbaugh’s programme can’t beryllium overstated. He and Rashawn Slater, some now out, thief shape nan personality of that team.

• A small nuance: When nan Patriots could’ve conscionable handed nan shot disconnected connected a 3rd down, and tally much clock, they chose to fto Drake Maye propulsion to move nan chains. And move nan chains he did, pinch a small rollout walk to Hunter Henry to convert. With nan Chiefs having mislaid Sunday, Maye whitethorn beryllium my midseason MVP.

• The Rams embarrassed nan Saints connected Sunday, and it judge looks for illustration Sean McVay’s violative imagination for that squad is coming to life, pinch Matthew Stafford playing coldly businesslike ball, and Puka Nacua and Davante Adams playing disconnected 1 different perfectly. Can’t hold for their rematch pinch nan Niners.

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba whitethorn beryllium nan Offensive Player of nan Year, and Sam Darnold is playing backmost astatine a really precocious level. Darnold, if you’re keeping people astatine home, connected connected his first 17 attempts and vanished pinch much touchdowns passes (4) than incompletions (3).

• With Jayden Daniels down, if I were nan Commanders, I’d beryllium listening to waste and acquisition offers for seasoned players. As it stands correct now, they person conscionable 2 picks successful nan first 4 rounds successful April.

• The Chiefs, for nan first time, missed Josh Simmons connected Sunday.

• Seeing Tucker Kraft wounded stinks each nan measurement around. He’s specified a fun, young subordinate who looked for illustration he was becoming 1 of nan NFL’s champion tight ends. And he’ll beryllium a reliable feline for nan Packers to replace, thing that showed already connected Sunday.

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