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On this weekend in the NFL, there were a whole bunch of major upsets. Yes, a whole lot of elite teams entering this weekend all fell. There was only one prior weekend in NFL history that I can remember where it was anything like this. That was all the way back in the 1990-91 season, which just happens to have been my favorite NFL season. To my knowledge, that remains the only weekend in NFL history when literally every single division leader lost.
To be sure, that did not happen this weekend. In fact, since there are now eight divisions instead of the six that existed back in 1990-91, the chances of that repeating seem very remote. Yet, a lot of hot teams who are winning their division all lost yesterday. That included the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, both of whom saw their seven game winning streaks end. The Rams also had a 7-1 record entering this weekend, but they did not escape without a second blemish on their record. Buffalo looked like a lock for the AFC East title just a few weeks ago, but with New England coming on, and with the Bills suddenly looking very vulnerable with two losses in their last three games, they look a lot more vulnerable. The Raiders entered the Meadowlands hoping to maintain their sole possession of first place, but they left tied for first, and with two other teams, the Chiefs and the Broncos, nipping at their heels. And a few weekends ago, the Bengals won a huge game by blowout in Baltimore that tied them for first place in the AFC North, but the loss at home to the Browns yesterday – a second loss in a row now - seems to solidify their status from one of the rising teams to a team suddenly in serious trouble. The Saints were not leading their division, but after beating the Bucs last weekend, they wee down by only half a game because of their bye week earlier this season, and had to be considered one of the teams to watch for at least a playoff berth, and possibly a serious contender for the NFC South title. But a surprising loss at home to the Falcons knocked them down a peg or two.
If you are keeping count, that makes five teams that either were outright division leaders or were tied for first, but who found themselves suffering upset losses. That includes the Cowboys, Packers, Rams, Bills, and Raiders. Some other heavy favorites also lost, and the Ravens just barely escaped what would have been a major upset.
So, let’s take a look at the weekend that was in the NFL here, one that had some memorable upsets and near upsets:
NY Giants 23, Las Vegas 16 – How about this result? The G-Men pulled off a big win, perhaps their biggest so far this season. It does not make them instant playoff contenders. In fact, the chances for Big Blue to qualify for the postseason still feels a bit remote. However, it does keep them alive, and has to be a big boost for morale. It was a back and forth game, but the Giants defense did a tremendous job in holding off the explosive Raiders, who never seemed to fully get into sync in this game. With the win, the Giants improve to 3-6 on the season, and are now tied with Philly for second place. As for the Raiders, they fall to 5-3 and this loss, coupled with the win by the Chargers, means that they are now only tied for first in the AFC West. Additionally, wins by both Kansas City and Denver make the division lead very slim for both the Chargers and the Raiders in the still apparently wide open AFC West, where it feels like any team that gets hot from here on out has a serious shot of winning the division. My pick: Accurate
Cleveland 41, Cincinnati 16 – The Browns really had their backs against the wall entering this game. They started off 3-1, but then lost three of four games, dropping them to 4-4. A loss here would drop them to a losing record at the mid-season point, and that after a second straight divisional loss. So instead, the Browns completely dominated this game, basically from beginning to end. The Bengals actually did better statistically in many key categories, but the Browns committed no turnovers while Cincy had three. Also, Cleveland simply converted their opportunities much more efficiently, leading to this result. That the Browns win was not exactly a shock. That they dominated was a bit of a surprise. My pick: Accurate
New England 24, Carolina 6 – Mac Jones is starting to look very impressive at the helm for New England. And the Patriots as a team are really stepping up in a big way, as well. They have now won three straight games, and two of them were blowouts. Belichick has the defense looking solid, as they looked very impressive in shutting down the Panthers offense, holding them to just two field goals in the second quarter as the only points that Carolina would score all game. The Pats improve to 5-4 and return to a winning record and are now only half a game behind first place Buffalo. As for the Panthers, this loss drops them to 4-5 on the season, as they slip farther behind in the NFC South. My pick: Accurate
Jacksonville 9, Buffalo 6 – This was one of those big upsets yesterday that I just really did not see coming. The thing is, though, the Bills seem to have gone from one of the seeming elites in the league, and the heir apparent to Kansas City for AFC supremacy earlier this season, to a team in serious trouble right now. It all seems to have started with that loss to Tennessee. And now this game, where the Jaguars defense held the Bills to a total of two field goals. I thought that the Bills might struggle, but would win. But once again, the AFC South seems to be giving Buffalo some headaches this season. They fall to 5-3, and a once comfortable lead in the AFC East is now suddenly a quite tight race. The Bills have to be careful, because they have some tough games coming up, including two against their division rival Patriots. The Jaguars, meanwhile, improve to 2-6 on the year. My pick: Inaccurate
Miami 17, Houston 9 - Well, despite the obvious struggles and long losing streak for both teams entering this game, it felt like somebody was bound to finally find a way to win. And sure enough, the Fins managed to do it, although not in a very convincing, statement kind of a way. Mostly, though, this game showcased two very inept offenses. The two teams were mostly even in the stats, although the Dolphins did produce a lot more first downs, 22 to 14. However, both teams gave away turnovers so frequently that it gave this contest a very sloppy feel. Miami committed 5, while Houston had 4. Still, the defense really stepped up in a big way for Miami, preventing any touchdowns and forcing the Texans to settle for field goals time after time. It allowed the offense to get away with having committed as many turnovers as they had. With the win, the Dolphins improve to 2-7 on the year, and snap a seven game losing streak. As for the Texans, they fall to 1-8 and remain winless since the season opener. Not a brilliant football game, but for the Fins, a win is a win, right? And finally! My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 34, Minnesota 31 - Wow, what a game this was! Minnesota owned a two touchdown lead here, twice. Yet the Ravens kept pounding away, managing to tie it and then take the lead. Only the Vikings also battled back to force the overtime, where the Ravens ultimately sealed it off the foot of their great placekicker, Justin Tuck. Baltimore held onto the ball for over 46 minutes, almost doubling the Vikings total time of possession. Additionally, the Ravens amassed 500 yards of offense exactly, which is not a number that you see NFL teams producing too often. They also had a whopping 36 first downs, to just 13 for Minnesota. All of those statistics makes you wonder how the Vikings even managed to keep this game so competitive, although Baltimore's two turnovers, to zero for the Vikes, might help to explain that. Still, Lamar Jackson proved to be a bit too much for Minnesota, even after throwing two picks. The Ravens now improve to 6-2 on the season, and are tied with the Titans for the best overall record in the AFC as of this moment. With this loss, Minnesota falls to 3-5 on the season. My pick: Accurate
LA Chargers 27, Philadelphia 24 – The Chargers put up the 445 yards of offense, earning 28 first downs. The Eagles tried to keep up, and indeed, it was a back and forth kind of game, and it came down to the final minutes, not surprisingly. But the Chargers were able to get the field goal that secured the win, as they improve to 5-3 on the season, and now are back to a share of the lead in the AFC West. The Eagles, meanwhile, fall to 3-6, and are tied with the G-Men for second place in the NFC East. My pick; Accurate
Denver 30, Dallas 16 – Now this was the result that truly shocked me. Upsets happen, sure. And the Broncos wining this game was not unthinkable, although it seemed unlikely to me. But a complete blowout? That was what I found stunning. The Broncos held onto the ball for over 41 minutes, or over two-thirds of the game, which is more than a little decisive. They produced over 400 total yards of offense, and capitalized on two Dallas turnovers, as well. And the defense was just phenomenal, threatening to shut Dallas out until the final five minutes or so of the game, when the ‘Boys finally scored two touchdowns to make this game superficially closer than it actually was. Denver gets back to winning record at 5-4 with this win, while the Cowboys lose for the first time since opening day. They drop to 6-2 on the season, although they remain well ahead in the NFC East. My pick: Inaccurate
Kansas City 13, Green Bay 7 – You might have been forgiven if, weeks ago, you would have expected this game to be a huge shootout, with beautiful highlights of textbook big plays on offense for both sides. But the Chiefs have been struggling lately, and their normally explosive offense just has not seemed to get into rhythm very often this season, including in this game. Also, Aaron Rodgers did not suit up for Green Bay, and it showed. The two teams combined for just 20 points, in what was a surprising defensive struggle. The Packers had two turnovers, which might have been one of the true deciding factors. But KC holds at home for the win, to improve to 5-4 and get back to a winning record. The Packers, meanwhile, lose for the first time since opening day against New Orleans, as they fall to 7-2, although they remain well ahead in the not so competitive NFC North. My pick: Accurate
Arizona 31, San Francisco 17 – The Cards managed to avoid being one of the elites to fall. In fact, they dominated this game more than the final score would suggest. They took over the game early, and built up a commanding 31-7 lead in the third before the 49ers began to score more points to make the game look like more of shootout than it actually was. Arizona held onto the ball for almost 37 minutes, and produced 437 yards of offense. Three turnovers for San Fran also really hurt their chances. With the win, the Cardinals complete the season sweep over the 49ers, and improve to 8-1, retaking sole possession of first place in the NFC West. San Francisco, meanwhile, drop to 3-5 on the year now. My pick: Accurate
SNF: Tennessee 28, LA Rams 16 – Another surprising result. I expected the Rams to win, although a Titans win would not have been shocking. But that Tennessee dominated this game was surprising. The Titans outgained the Rams, 347 yards to 194. The real difference in scoring was that the Rams kept having to settle for field goals, while the Titans got the touchdowns. At some point, the Titans have to be seen as possibly the best team in the league, and this just very well may have been the game that pushes them to such lofty heights. They have beaten up on some of the other elite teams in the league now in consecutive weeks, beating the Bills, the Chiefs, the Colts, and now the Rams, to improve to 7-2 on the season to remain atop the AFC South. Meanwhile, the Rams fall to 7-2 with the loss, and fall to second place in the NFC West behind Arizona. My pick: Inaccurate
MNF: Pittsburgh 29, Chicago 27 - The Bears at least made a game of this one, which they should get credit for. Yet, this is more or less the result that most of us expected, in the end. Pittsburgh came up with the goods, enough to win it, earning their fourth straight win in the process. Again, at least Chicago made them work for it a bit, and really seemed to get it together in the fourth quarter, making the Steelers sweat just a bit. In the end, however, Pittsburgh improved to 5-3, and are still hot on the heels of the division leading Ravens, and remain half a game in front of the Browns. As for the Bears, it feels like they have not won in a long time, although they played better in this game than they have in a while, to be sure. Still, they lose their fourth straight to fall to 3-6 on the season, and fail to capitalize on the rare loss by the Packers to gain some ground. My pick: Accurate
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