Cover 7 | Sunday A daily NFL destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders might have turned in the week’s best game, but did a rookie quarterback in Tennessee steal the headlines? CeeDee Lamb asked the Dallas Cowboys to feed him, and feed him they did. Several quarterback injuries should have a few teams worried, too.
There is plenty to discuss from Week 8. The Athletic NFL writers Ted Nguyen, Tim Graham and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on the top headlines from Sunday.
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Lamb said, “Give me the ball and see what happens,” and 12 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns is what happened. What are your thoughts on his and the Cowboys’ performance against the Los Angeles Rams?
Pompei: The Cowboys were humming Sunday, and when they are humming, they are capable of impressive performances. Lamb is an elite talent even though he hasn’t always produced like one. If the Cowboys continue to feature him the way they did against the Rams, he could be one of the league leaders in receiving. The Rams were compliant, however. We will be much more impressed if the Cowboys can perform similarly next Sunday against the Eagles. They are certain to go into that game feeling good about themselves after what they did to the Rams — whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen. Consistency is the key for the Cowboys.
Graham: This game was over before the anthem singer’s voice stopped echoing off the AT&T Stadium rafters. It was a total annihilation, with the Cowboys defense and special teams snatching souls early. Dak Prescott could have gone to Lamb more often in the first quarter. Then they exploded in the second quarter for five catches, 79 yards and two touchdowns. Such production has carried Dallas as its run game has slid over the past month. Running backs combined for 17 attempts and 71 yards, with receivers Brandin Cooks and Lamb each carrying around the left end. Tony Pollard still is averaging less than 4 yards a pop. If he can regain traction, look out.
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Nguyen: When the Cowboys are rolling, they roll. Prescott had one of those games where he looked completely under control, getting rid of the ball in rhythm but downfield. Lamb looked like he was back in Oklahoma physically overwhelming Big 12 secondaries. The Cowboys won this game in a wild sequence starting near the end of the first quarter. Brandon Aubrey converted on a 58-yard field goal, and DaRon Bland got a pick six. They blocked a punt on the next series for a safety and took the safety punt back 63 yards, and then Prescott hit Lamb for a 10-yard touchdown. That’s 19 unanswered points in about three minutes.
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Rookie Will Levis debuted by completing 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns in a Tennessee Titans win over the Atlanta Falcons. What stood out about his performance, and does this officially end the Ryan Tannehill era in Nashville?
Pompei: Levis looked like an NFL quarterback who is capable of doing everything an NFL quarterback needs to do to be a consistent winner. He made big plays, he took advantage of the abilities of his most dangerous weapon (DeAndre Hopkins), and he didn’t turn the ball over. Of course, it was only one game, so he has much more to prove before anyone can proclaim him a franchise quarterback. But his first start was as encouraging as it could be. The Titans have no reason to play any other quarterback as long as Levis is healthy.
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Graham: Tannehill has gotten enough opportunities, but with the pedestrian AFC South still up for grabs, Mike Vrabel might be tempted to lean toward Tannehill when the veteran’s ankle heals. Levis made a scintillating first impression, though, and Titans fans deserve to see more. Not only did he throw four scores without a turnover, but he also spread the ball around well. He connected with six targets. Five of them had at least three receptions, and the other caught the last TD.
Nguyen: Levis did a good job taking care of the ball and executing a good game plan by the Titans, using pump fakes to get an aggressive Falcons defense out of position for big plays. It’s not easy for a rookie to remain calm in the pocket and hunt for these opportunities downfield, so I was impressed by his poise. It’s a one-game sample, but it was an impressive debut for the rookie against a good defense.
The Eagles-Commanders game might have been the best of the day so far. Sam Howell produced, but the Eagles overcame. What was the biggest takeaway?
Pompei: The Eagles are a gritty, confident, consistent team that rarely has an off day. It would have been easy for them to coast in this game and lose one they should have won. This game was sandwiched between a game against the Miami Dolphins and one against the Cowboys — games that are perceived as much more important. The Eagles started slowly and trailed by 11 early. They were chasing seven points midway through the fourth quarter. But they kept coming and never blinked. If they continue on the path they are on, no opponent will want to play them in January and February.
Graham: Given the San Francisco 49ers’ recent turbulence and the Detroit Lions’ ugly loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, we can safely call Philly the NFC’s best team. Many worried about Jalen Hurts’ bruised knee over the past few days, but he was electrifying Sunday. The Eagles fielded perhaps the most effective rushing attack last year, but with the Commanders keeping D’Andre Swift mostly in check, Hurts tossed four touchdowns to overcome an 11-point deficit deep into the second quarter. And every time I watch A.J. Brown, I can’t stop wondering what the Titans were thinking when they traded him.
Nguyen: The Commanders defense is awful. There’s no way you should have that defensive line and be this bad. It’s predictable, and they play way too much man coverage for a team that is as bad at it as they are. My second takeaway is that A.J. Brown is a monster — he would be the best receiver in the league if it weren’t for Tyreek Hill. Brown had two catches in the end zone that might be two of the best of the season. Howell has his issues, but he’s worth continuing to develop. He could use some help from the run game, though. Eric Bieniemy, like his mentor Andy Reid, has a habit of getting away from the run too quickly. Brian Robinson Jr. averaged nearly 6 yards a carry but had only 10 carries.
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Kenny Pickett, Tyrod Taylor, Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins suffered injuries and were ruled out in Sunday’s games. Which injury is the most concerning? And which, if any, backup quarterbacks for these teams impressed the most today?
Pompei: The loss of Cousins, who will miss the rest of the season if he has an Achilles tear as feared, is likely to change many things. Cousins was playing at a high level. The Minnesota Vikings had turned it around and looked like a playoff contender. Now they look like sellers at the trade deadline. It would be something if Danielle Hunter is traded because Cousins is injured. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Rams obviously need their starters back healthy to stay on course. The New York Giants are in a difficult spot because they are on their third quarterback option, and Tommy DeVito is an undrafted free agent.
Graham: DeVito’s performance was the most fascinating. He played a majority of the game but completed only two of his seven passes for minus-1 yard. Brian Daboll barely let the undrafted rookie attempt a pass through regulation, and the Giants nearly won anyway. If Graham Gano hadn’t missed a couple of field goals, DeVito would have gone down in some kind of history — in the stadium 11 miles from his childhood home and where he won a high school championship, no less. The most costly QB injury was to Cousins because the other teams weren’t going anywhere regardless. The Vikings have won three in a row, including two in the division and one over an NFC heavyweight, right at the time general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must decide whether to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. How much faith do they have in fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall?
Vikings locker room was pretty emotional. Multiple players, leaders, tearing up over how much Kirk Cousins has meant and means to them and to the locker room.
“I can’t describe it,” Harrison Smith said. “You really just have to experience it to know.”
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) October 29, 2023
Nguyen: Cousins looked bad. It was a non-contact injury and he was ruled out quickly — both are bad signs. Taylor Heinicke was impressive. Desmond Ridder was benched for performance reasons rather than a possible concussion, but Heinicke nearly brought the Falcons back from a double-digit deficit and made some nice throws downfield. He did a good job of not taking sacks. Ridder took five sacks in the first half, and Heinicke took only one. I thought Ridder was close to a breakout, but it’s just been a whack-a-mole of problems for him. When he fixes one problem, another arises. It’ll be interesting to see who Arthur Smith goes with from here on out.
Side note: Mitchell Trubisky was awful. The Steelers need Kenny Pickett back as soon as possible.
The Cincinnati Bengals just won their third straight. The 49ers just lost their third straight. Are we seeing the real version of these teams right now?
Pompei: This is who the Bengals are, certainly. They have made significant progress since the start of the season, and there is room for more improvement. The 49ers are in a rut. Brock Purdy isn’t playing well, but the 49ers were missing arguably their two best players on offense in Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams. If Purdy is asked to win the game without much help, he’s probably going to struggle. If he’s supported with solid blocking and runs and yards after the catch, he can win with a team that has a premium defense. This is the type of game that could be a turning point for the 49ers, and it still wouldn’t be stunning if these teams met in Las Vegas in February.
Graham: We’re at least getting closer to the real version of each quarterback. Joe Burrow is playing like Joe Cool, and Purdy has been homely. This was Purdy’s third straight game with at least one interception, and he has fumbled twice in that span. The Niners also have been without Samuel throughout their skid. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has looked increasingly like a Super Bowl contender since mustering a field goal against Tennessee in Week 4. Burrow threw only four incomplete passes Sunday, two of them on his first series, and maybe — just maybe — he finally is getting on the same page as Tee Higgins. Burrow had completed only 38.9 percent of his attempts to Higgins before Sunday, but they connected on five of six targets for 69 yards.
Nguyen: Burrow is getting healthy, and his mobility was a big factor Sunday. He made plays passing and escaping from pressure, and he had 43 yards on scrambles. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo put together another masterful game plan, taking away the 49ers run game to make passing in the middle of the field difficult for Purdy. This is the formula the Bengals have been so successful with in recent years, so it’s fair to say they are looking close to the best version of themselves. The 49ers are missing Williams and Samuel, which are key parts of what they do. They’ll return to form when they get healthy. The big issue is that Purdy’s turnover luck is finally turning. Even when Purdy was playing well, he got away with a lot of turnover-worthy plays. He has to be more careful with the ball.
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Just nine points as Patrick Mahomes dealt with the flu and the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since 2015. What are your thoughts on this result?
Pompei: The Chiefs have been somewhat streaky this season even though they came into the game with only one loss. They haven’t always handled business the way they were expected to, losing to the Lions and barely beating the New York Jets. They need to iron out some inconsistencies to be everything they were last year. Mahomes’ performance was completely out of character, however. It will be stunning if he has another game like that this season. We can write it off to the flu, or maybe to the absence of Taylor Swift.
Graham: Denver might want to volunteer to play Kansas City every Sunday. For the second time in three weeks, you’d have thought Steve Atwater and Randy Gradishar were dropping the hammer out there, limiting the Chiefs to 28 combined points. Sunday was grueling for Mahomes, who took three sacks and was hit 11 times. Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, with 12 career QB hits, collected four. Denver had seven pass breakups and forced two fumbles, not counting Mecole Hardman Jr.’s muffed punt. Kansas City looked poor, but this doesn’t sound the alarm for me. Some opponents simply have a team’s number, and I don’t believe A) the Broncos will turn this victory into anything meaningful and B) the Chiefs offense will remain muted for long.
Nguyen: It seemed like the Chiefs overlooked the Broncos. They’re close to wrapping up the division in October. The defense was solid for most of the day, but the offense couldn’t get going and Mahomes made uncharacteristic mistakes. There was a chance for the Chiefs at the beginning of the fourth quarter when they forced a punt while it was still a one-possession game, but Hardman, whom the team traded for in part to help solidify its punt return unit, tried catching a punt inside the 10-yard line and muffed it. The Broncos recovered and put the game away. The Chiefs will be fine, but they had no business losing this game.
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(Top photo of CeeDee Lamb: Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images)