As the halfway point of the season arrives, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions are still the lone undefeated team. The Chiefs will end the weekend by attempting to get to 8-0.
Along the way, there will be plenty of interesting games. He’s a quick look at each one, along with a fact or two that I found interesting — and that you might, too.
And, yes, this is the third week of the preview column. What do you think of it? If you have any ideas or comments or generalized insults, let me know at florio@profootballtalk.com.
3-4 Cowboys at 5-3 Falcons (-3), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Greg Olsen)
It’s a Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins reunion. They spent four years together in Minnesota. There was friction. There was underachievement. There was a single playoff appearance. There was one viral moment of pushing and shoving that carried something more than celebration.
Zimmer’s defense has allowed a whopping 37.3 points per game in four losses, and only 16.3 points per game in three wins.
For Cousins, he’s 3-3 in games against teams other than Tampa Bay, with six touchdown passes and six interceptions.
A Dallas loss would give them five on the year — that’s the total number they had in each of the three prior seasons.
5-3 Broncos at 5-3 Ravens (-9), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)
Lamar Jackson is good to go after missing two days of practice, with back and knee injuries. The Ravens had their five-game winning streak end in Cleveland last Sunday. They’ve added receiver Diontae Johnson via trade; some would say they should be looking to add players in the secondary.
Denver has fattened up its record against teams with a combined record of 11-29. They’ll face the 5-3 Ravens, 7-0 Chiefs, and 5-3 Falcons over the next three weeks.
Last weekend, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix set the franchise rookie record with five wins. He had 284 passing yards and four total touchdowns in a 28-14 win over the Panthers.
2-5 Dolphins at 6-2 Bills (-6), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
A win by Buffalo would complete the sweep of Miami and, barring an epic collapse, nail down the division.
Josh Allen is 12-2 against the Dolphins; Tua Tagovailoa has won only one of eight against the Bills.
The Bills have a three-game winning streak; the Dolphins have lost five of six.
2-6 Saints (-7.5) at 1-7 Panthers, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy and Jay Feely)
After a 2-0 start, the Saints have lost six in a row. The last four have happened by double digits.
They’ll get quarterback Derek Carr back in the lineup; he has missed three games with an oblique injury.
Bryce Young gets another start for the woeful Panthers, who are 4-12 against the Saints since the start of the 2017 season.
2-6 Raiders at 3-5 Bengals (-7), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)
These teams last met in the 2021 playoffs, a wild-card game the Raiders nearly won.
Las Vegas has lost four in a row, its longest losing streak since moving to Nevada. They haven’t lost five straight since 2018.
The Bengals are 0-4 at home this season. Quarterback Joe Burrow thinks it’s “doable” to win seven of the next nine — even though they’ve lost five of the first eight.
4-3 Chargers (-1.5) at 2-6 Browns, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
Jim Harbaugh returns to Ohio, with a team not nearly as dominant as his Wolverines had been. And with Jameis Winston at quarterback, the Browns have gotten a lift.
The L.A. defense is getting it done; they’re giving up 13 points per game and have yet to surrender more than 20. Rookie receiver Ladd McConkey had a breakout game in Week 8, with a pair of touchdowns and 111 receiving yards.
Against the Ravens, the Browns scored more than 20 points for the first time this season, while also ending a five-game losing streak.
6-2 Commanders (-3.5) at 2-6 Giants, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Sanchez)
The Giants would have beaten the Commanders in Week 2, if they only had a kicker. The Commanders did that day, getting seven field goals from Austin Seibert in a 21-18 win.
The Commanders have a chance to start 7-2 for the first time since 1996. That year, Washington opened 7-1 but lost six of the next eight and missed the playoffs. It was their final season at RFK Stadium.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones still has no touchdowns at home this season. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass at MetLife Stadium since Week 17 of the 2022 season. He’s the first NFL quarterback since 1950 to lose six straight home games and not throw a touchdown pass in any of them.
2-6 Patriots at 1-6 Titans (-3.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Jason Benetti and Mark Schlereth)
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is questionable after suffering a concussion in the Week 8 win over the Jets. If Maye can’t go, it will be Jacoby Brissett, backed up by Joe Milton III.
Titans quarterback Will Levis is also questionable, with a lingering shoulder injury. They’ve been outscored in their last two losses 86-24.
4-3 Bears at 4-4 Cardinals (-1.5), Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
These are the only two teams remaining for the original NFL, which launched in 1920.
The Bears will try to keep one loss from becoming two, following the Hail Mary debacle that cost them a win over the Commanders. The Bears also will attempt to win on the road for the first time this season.
The Cardinals have won three of four, two straight with walk-off field goals. Rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has 411 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
2-6 Jaguars at 5-2 Eagles (-7.5), Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, and Jason McCourty)
Doug Pederson returns to face the team he took to a Super Bowl win seven years ago. It’s Pederson’s second game in Philly since being fired after the 2020 season; in 2022, the Jaguars lost to the Eagles, 29-21.
The Jaguars have allowed 30 or more points in three of the last four games, and in four of the last six.
The Eagles have won three in a row, with four touchdowns scored in each of their last two games. They continue to be undefeated (4-0) when receiver A.J. Brown plays.
6-1 Lions (-3.5) at 6-2 Packers, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)
The Lions have won five in a row, with 25 touchdowns and only 20 incomplete passes. This week, Detroit plays outdoors for the first time all season.
The Packers have won four in a row. Quarterback Jordan Love is questionable with a groin injury. His availability is expected to be a game-time decision.
Green Bay has won two in a row with walk-off field goals, both from new kicker Brandon McManus.
3-4 Rams (-1.5) at 4-4 Seahawks, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)
The Rams have won two in a row; their Week 8 upset of the Vikings ended talk of a Cooper Kupp trade.
Seattle has been consistently inconsistent. They won three to start the season. Then, they lost three. Then, they won by 20 points on the road in Atlanta. Then, they lost by 21 at home to the Bills.
Receiver Puka Nacua suffered a knee injury in practice on Thursday. He’s questionable for the game.
4-4 Colts at 5-2 Vikings (-5), Sunday 8:25 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)
Two years ago, these teams played an epic late-season Saturday game. The Colts led at halftime, 33-0. The Vikings won in overtime, 39-36.
The Colts are the first team ever to have each of their first eight games of the season decided by six points or fewer.
Joe Flacco starts for Anthony Richardson, who was benched after a Week 8 loss to the Texans. The Vikings have lost two in a row after starting 5-0.
4-4 Buccaneers at 7-0 Chiefs (-8.5), Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
It’s a Super Bowl LV rematch. The Bucs have lost two in a row and three out of four. The Chiefs haven’t lost since Christmas Day, 2023.
Patrick Mahomes has eight touchdown passes and nine interceptions. That ties him for the most interceptions in the league. He has thrown at least one in every game.
Cayenne pepper and water might have helped Aaron Rodgers, but it didn’t goose the ratings.
Thursday night’s Texans-Jets game on Amazon Prime attracted an audience of 11.56 million viewers. That’s a slight drop from last year’s Week 9 Titans-Steelers game, which did 11.65 million.
The New York market would ordinarily deliver more eyeballs, but the Jets had lost five in a row. After a sluggish and ugly first half, some might have decided to watch something/anything else.
Thursday Night Football is averaging 13.0 million viewers per game. it’s a four-percent increase over last year’s average through Week 9.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (ribs) does not have an injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Giants.
The rookie had a full practice Friday after limited practices the previous two days.
He played through the injury last week, taking all 74 snaps, after two missed practices and a limited practice. So, he is healthier this week and isn’t expected to have any limitations.
The Commanders ruled out offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas (ankle), and they list running back Brian Robinson (hamstring) as questionable.
Center Tyler Biadasz (thumb) and wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (hamstring) returned to full participation Friday and have no designation.
The Packers might not know until Sunday afternoon whether Jordan Love will start at quarterback against the Lions.
Love is officially listed as questionable with a groin injury, and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said today that he always prefers to give questionable players as much time as possible to determine whether they’re going to be able to play in the game.
“We’ll give him up to game time to see how he’s feeling,” LaFleur said.
The Packers will announce whether Love is active 90 minutes before the game’s 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. With the Packers trying to catch the Lions in the NFC North, Sunday’s game qualifies as the biggest game of the season for the Packers, and they’ll hope Love is feeling ready to go.
If Love can’t go, the good news is that backup quarterback Malik Willis has played very well in Love’s place this season, going 2-0 as a starter when Love missed two full games with a knee injury and then coming off the bench last week and leading the Packers to a win when Love suffered the groin injury. No team wants to be without its starting quarterback, but the Packers know they can win with Willis if they need to.
The Broncos made a procedural move Friday, signing offensive guard Calvin Throckmorton to the active roster and releasing fullback Michael Burton, the team announced.
The Broncos will sign Burton back to the practice squad Saturday and elevate him for Sunday’s game.
Throckmorton was out of elevations, having played in three games from the practice squad this season. He has seen action on three offensive snaps and 12 on special teams.
Throckmorton has appeared in 48 career games and started 27.
Burton has played all eight games this season and has five receptions for 40 yards. He has played 80 offensive snaps and 149 on special teams.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has a fire in his belly. That’s good. But he knows that, at times, he needs to control it.
“I’m really not a great loser,” Smith told reporters on Thursday. “It sucks, I hate it. I need to, overall, when I watch myself, ‘Hey man, just continue to uplift the guys,’ and if I’m being honest, do a better job at times when we’re down. Those are things that I’m constantly improving. I’m not going to say I’m perfect at it. I’m very emotional when it comes to winning and when it comes to doing the right thing. At times, I let my emotions show. Whether that’s good or bad, I guess that’s a personal opinion, but I’m going to be myself at all times. I want to continue to bring that fire to our team, to our offense. I want to continue to be competitive and not in a bad way, but in a good way. It’s always a fine line that you’ve got to walk, but I’ve got to be careful with making too many mistakes in that area.”
He wants to be his authentic self, but he also doesn’t want to be his authentic self in a way that creates a problem for the team, in the form of a 15-yard penalty.
That happened on Sunday, in the loss to the Bills. Smith was called for taunting in the third quarter after throwing the ball at a Buffalo defender following a 10-yard run. The flag, enforced at the Seattle 20, wiped out the gain and set the stage for a punt.
“Those are things that I can’t have happen,” Smith said. “Obviously, everyone’s watching me. If I’m upset, they get a little antsy. I’ve just got to have a better poker face and just work on it.”
Still, it’s better for a quarterback to have a fire that needs to be controlled than to have no fire at all. It’s easier to throw a little water on an existing flame than to start a flame that isn’t there.
Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt returned to a full practice Friday as the team continues its preparation for Monday Night Football.
Hunt’s quad injury limited him in Thursday’s practice.
In four games this season, Hunt has 90 touches for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
Hunt was one of four changes to the report from Thursday, Offensive lineman Ethan Driskell (illness) was a full participant after missing Wednesday; cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (concussion) returned to practice as a limited participant; and tight end Jared Wiley (knee) was a new addition to the report.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes still is on the practice report as a full participant with an ankle injury. It is the first time this season he is on the report.
Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) remained out of practice.
Defensive end Mike Danna (pectoral) again was limited.
The Jaguars have several key offensive players listed as limited for this Sunday’s game against the Eagles.
Wide receiver Brian Thomas (chest) is part of that group after being injured in last Sunday’s loss to the Packers. He was limited in practice for the third day in a row on Friday.
Running backs Travis Etienne (hamstring) and Tank Bigsby (ankle) are also in that category. Head coach Doug Pederson said earlier this week that he feels good about Etienne returning after missing the last two games.
Wide receiver Gabe Davis (shoulder) and right guard Brandon Scherff (knee) round out the group. Left guard Ezra Cleveland (ankle) and wide receiver Christian Kirk (collarbone) have been ruled out.
Safety Andrew Wingard (knee) and running back Keilan Robinson (knee) also drew questionable tags while defensive tackle Maason Smith (ankle) is out.
The Seahawks had optimism that receiver DK Metcalf could return this week. He won’t.
He has missed six consecutive practices and has not played since spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the Seahawks’ win over Atlanta on Oct. 20.
The Seahawks ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the Rams.
Tight end Noah Fant also won’t play.
Nose tackle Cameron Young (knee) and offensive tackle Abraham Lucas (knee) are the other Seahawks ruled out. Lucas remains on injured reserve.
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV (neck) is questionable.
Offensive tackle George Fant (knee) does not have an injury designation, so the Seahawks could activate him from injured reserve Saturday so he can return Sunday.
The Buccaneers have added safety Antoine Winfield to their injury report on Friday with a foot issue.
He was officially limited in the session.
Jenna Laine of ESPN noted Winfield was “in good spirits” in the locker room after practice.
Winfield has recorded one pass defensed, a fumble recovery, and 28 total tackles in four games for the Bucs so far in 2024.
Running back Bucky Irving (toe), linebacker Lavonte David (ankle/chest), nose tackle Greg Gaines (calf), receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring), and receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) all remained out of practice on Friday.
Defensive lineman William Gholston (knee) and guard Ben Bredeson (shoulder) remained limited.
Safety Tykee Smith (concussion) was upgraded from limited to full. And long snapper Evan Deckers (hamstring) remained full.
Playing the Chiefs on Monday night, the Bucs will issue their final injury report of the week on Saturday.
