I’m very close to just taking out these intro paragraphs and getting straight to my five points. However, it does add some character to the article. Just like how CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys added pain to my weekend with an overtime win over my New England Patriots. Despite the loss, I’m proud of the way the Pats played and am looking forward to our next game against the Jets at home. The rest of our season will depend on how well we play in that game. If we don’t dominate I’m going to start having to question our legitimacy as a contender in the AFC. In the meantime, there are several teams in this league that are currently dominating, so let’s talk about them.
1. The Ravens put on a clinic against the upstart Chargers
The Chargers were coming off a three game winning streak, dropping 47 on the Cleveland Browns the week before, and the Ravens just went up to them and took their lunch money. The defense held Justin Herbert & Co. to only 6 points on the day, picking off last years Offensive Rookie of the Year and stopping them several times on fourth down. Lamar didn’t have the eye-popping numbers through the air like he did against the Colts, but he did enough to get the job done. The spotlight was more on the Ravens running back core as DeVonta Freeman, Le’Veon Bell, and Latavius Murray each scored for the purple and black. The Ravens will host Cincinnati this upcoming week which will be a big indicator for each teams race to claim the AFC North crown. Losing Ronnie Stanley is huge, but I have faith in this team to be serious contenders at the end of the day.
2. The Green Bay Packers are on fire (and Aaron Rodgers owns the city of Chicago)
Is there any other team that can challenge for the NFC North besides the Green Bay Packers? There’s a reason this team held a 26-6 record over the past two years. The cheeseheads strolled into Soldier Field and just played a very efficient game. They beat the Bears by not turning the ball over and being 100% on fourth down. Rodgers had a calm game by his standards, throwing for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns, but it got the job done. The thing that was most talked about was how Aaron Rodgers proclaimed his ownership of the Chicago Bears after his rushing touchdown to put the game away. Since their week 1 loss to Jameis and the Saints, which we can now say was a fluke game, the Packers have gone on a five game winning streak. Getting All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari back in practice this week will definitely help them down the road. The Packers will host the struggling Washington Football Team this Sunday as Rodgers & Co. look to take advantage of the Football Team’s last-place defense.
3. The Jacksonville Jaguars won a football game
For the first time since September 13th, 2020, the Jacksonville Jaguars have won an NFL game. It’s funny how the one time I write about Urban Meyer the week after he gets his first win in the NFL. The Jaguars beat the Miami Dolphins by a score of 23-20 in London this past Sunday. Trevor Lawrence had his first game as a pro without throwing an interception, going 25/41 for 319 yards and one touchdown. After stopping the Dolphins on fourth down with just over a minute and a half remaining, Trevor Lawrence was handed the opportunity to win the game. After getting sacked and being set up with a 3rd & 20, Lawrence completed a 12 yard pass to second-year man Laviska Shenault. His most important throw of the game came on the next play on 4th & 8, completing a nine yard pass to Shenault again. Meyer called a timeout with one second left on the clock, setting up a Matthew Wright’s third field goal of the day. A 53 yard game-winner. For once in their life, the people of Jacksonville, Florida celebrated. The Jaguars are on a bye this week, but come back to play Geno Smith and the Seahawks. We’ll see how it goes for Duval.
4. Who’s going to stop the Arizona Cardinals?
Even without star pass-rusher Chandler Jones and a lot of their coaching staff this past Sunday, the Cardinals just found a way to get it done. Kyler Murray showed why he’s an elite quarterback throwing for four touchdowns and no interceptions and the Cardinals defense stepped up as well sacking Baker Mayfield five times and forcing three turnovers. They will take on the Houston Texans next week followed by the Packers, 49ers, Panthers and Seahawks. If they can win at least three of those games then they have a real chance of winning arguably the hardest division in football. Kyler is still looking like the MVP front runner and trading for three-time Pro Bowler Zach Ertz to replace the loss of Maxx Williams will definitely be a big help. Excited to see what Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals can do for the rest of the year.
5. Derrick Henry is the best running back in the NFL
35 rushes for 182 yards and three touchdowns.
28 rushes for 113 yards.
33 rushes for 157 yards and one touchdown.
29 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
20 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
The man is unstoppable. Derrick Henry currently has 10 touchdowns and 783 rushing yards through six games of football, currently leading the league in both. The second best rusher is Nick Chubb, who has 523 yards. After leading the league in rushing in back-to-back seasons, it doesn’t look like King Henry is going to slow down anytime soon. This man is solely carrying the Titans to a 4-2 record right now. And after an insane performance against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, who are currently the second best defense in the league, it’s looking like he might be on pace to reach 2,000 rushing yards once again. The Titans will be traveling to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs and their 29th ranked defense, so expect another big game from the best running back in the NFL.
Big games to look out for this week are the Chiefs vs. Titans, Bengals vs. Ravens, Bears vs. Buccaneers and Football Team vs. Packers. Not a real “flashy” week but every game is important in a league that can change completely in one single play. Let us now pray for the citizens of Detroit, Michigan. Y’all know the drill. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.