Some things I’m thinking about after week eight of the NFL regular season:
Force Multiplier
I was super excited when the Chicago Bears acquired Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans. I knew how much he would help our defense, but I might have underestimated it.
He’s been with the team for basically three days. I wasn’t sure what kind of an impact he could make when he didn’t fully know the scheme. What a debut! He was a force to be reckoned with.
Constantly pushing the pocket back, plugging running lanes and eating up two blockers, freeing the likes of Montez Sweat, Devin Bush & James Lynch to wreak their own havoc.
Jeffery Simmons has already proven to be worth every penny the Bears spent to land him, the best is yet to come. This team could be super.
Trade Deadline
The Bears already made their blockbuster move, but I still think some smaller moves could be coming. I’d love a reunion with Khalil Mack but for some reason the Los Angeles Chargers, despite being 0-7, are insisting they aren’t selling. That’s fine, the addition of Jeffery Simmons might be the only addition the defensive line and pass rush needed.
The Bears still have a need at cornerback, though. A better pass rush helps the corners, but Jaylon Johnson & Tyrique Stevenson have been well below par this season.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are cooked after losing Lamar Jackson, possibly for the season, and Snoop Huntley for an indefinite period. Joe Fagnano was never meant to take a snap in an NFL game. Baltimore cannot win a single game with him under center.
The Ravens are 4-4, they’re still in the mix in the AFC playoff race, do they throw in the towel on the season and trot Fagnano out there or do they try to make a move before the trade deadline?
A couple names to watch are Jacoby Brissett, who was demoted to third string by the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears backup Tyson Bagent, who worked with Ravens OC, Declan Doyle last season and has some familiarity with the system.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers became the first team to win an NFL game without completing a single pass since 1974, that’s 52 years! You have to go back to 1945 to find the last team to win by 10 or more points without completing a pass.
Yes, the weather was terrible, but the fact is that in the two games since he returned from injury, Baker Mayfield has yet to throw for 100 yards, COMBINED!, and Tampa has still rolled to two easy victories over division rivals.
The Bucs were dead in the water. I had Todd Bowles on hot seat watch, thinking he might not survive until Thanksgiving. Just last week, I was sure that he would not be coaching this team in 2027.
Now, they might just be the favorites in a very, very bad NFC South. They’ve found a dominant running game and their defense has become a ball hawking wrecking crew.
I don’t know if they can hang with the truly great teams, we’ll find out when they travel to Chicago next Sunday night, but they can certainly hang in their division and that might be enough to give Bowles another season.
Jonathan Taylor
Taylor will be playing for somebody other than the Indianapolis Colts in the next two weeks, that’s a foregone conclusion. The Colts need to strip this thing down to the studs and get as much draft capital as they can. Taylor offers their best chance to acquire some.
All I ask is that the Colts ship him to Cincinnati, Denver or anyplace other than Minnesota. I do not need to see Taylor in the NFC North. Minnesota is putrid offensively, with an outstanding defense, if they can get some semblance of a running game, they might become a legitimate contender. I don’t want that.
I want the Minnesota Vikings to turn into the pumpkin I’ve long suspected them of being. They were 6-0, playing a mostly cupcake schedule and barely squeaking by. The finally played a decent team in a non monsoon and while the defense remains impressive, the offense remains bad.
The Vikings are 6-1, with Buffalo, Green Bay & San Francisco due up next. I think it’s a very real possibility that Minnesota is 6-4 by Thanksgiving and no better than third in the NFC North.
Running Backs
There’s been a resurgence in the valuation of running backs in the last couple drafts. There has been a running back taken in the top ten in the last two drafts and two taken in the first round of each. I think that might come to an end.
Ashton Jeanty, taken sixth overall in 2025 by the Las Vegas Raiders has been usurped by fourth round rookie, Mike Washington Jr. Omarion Hampton, drafted in the 2025 first round by the Los Angeles Chargers hasn’t come close to justifying that lofty draft position.
The Arizona Cardinals took Jeremiyah Love third overall in this past year’s draft. He’s battled injuries, but even when healthy hasn’t flashed any upside. The same can be said for Jadarian Price, taken in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks.
Only two of the top ten rushers in the NFL, at this point in the season, were first round picks. Coincidentally, both Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs were drafted in the first round of the 2023 draft, which might have contributed to teams being more willing to use a premium pick on a running back.
The 2025 draft was considered one of the deepest running back drafts in recent memory. Of the six running backs drafted in the first three rounds, in addition to the aforementioned Jeanty and Hampton, Quinshon Judkins has been average for the Cleveland Browns, TreVeyon Henderson has basically been demoted to third string by the New England Patriots, same with RJ Harvey and the Denver Broncos. Kaleb Johnson has already been traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Green Bay Packers, where he is buried deep on the depth chart.
The three best running backs from that vaunted class are, arguably, Bhayshul Tuten, Kyle Monangai & Jacory Croskey-Merritt. They were a fourth round pick and two seventh round picks, respectively. All this is to say, good running backs can be found throughout the draft. Teams need to be sure they’re getting a Bijan or Jahmyr before using a first round pick on one.
Minshew Mania
Gardner Minshew added another chapter to his amazing NFL story when he replaced Jacoby Brissett and led the Arizona Cardinals to an epic comeback victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The win kept the Cardinals undefeated at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys home stadium since 2009.
Minshew has never been more than average starting quarterback in the NFL, but he’s had his moments. If nothing else, he’ll bring a level of excitement to the Cardinals for the remainder of the season.
As for the Cowboys, I just shake my head. Every year, some national pundit, besides Skip Bayless, picks Dallas to go to the Super Bowl and every year this is what they are.
Dallas had a golden opportunity to run away with the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles have had a multitude of injuries, including losing Jalen Hurts for the season. The New York Giants lost Jaxson Dart for the season and the Washington Commanders have had to play multiple games without Jayden Daniels and lost perhaps their best player in Terry McLaurin for the season.
But, Dallas continues to stumble. They’ve now lost home games to Arizona and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without Baker Mayfield. I’ll flat out say it, the Dallas Cowboys are a joke and not a contender, at all.
Steel Curtain
I should know better than to underestimate the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I really didn’t think that Mike McCarthy would have the same mojo as Mike Tomlin. I didn’t think he could will this team to the playoffs despite a talent deficiency compared to others in their division and the AFC as a whole. I was wrong.
What McCarthy has done for the Steelers is given them an offensive identity and one that fits Pittsburgh perfectly. The Steelers have always had a tough, physical defense and now they have the offense to match.
Aaron Rodgers has limitations at this point in his career, but he can still be super accurate and pick defenses apart, so long as he isn’t shouldering the whole load. The Steelers have developed an elite rushing attack led by Jaylen Warren. This is an old school, smash mouth football team that has a savvy Hall of Fame quarterback that can make you pay if you overcommit to stopping the run.
I really believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers might be the most complete team in the NFC North and they’re knocking on the door of the conference elites.
Jim Harbaugh
Despite being 0-7, my instinct tells me that Jim Harbaugh is not on the hot seat with the Los Angeles Chargers, but I’m thinking that maybe he should be.
I’m starting to believe that Harbaugh is a coach better suited to the college game. I think that after a bit, Harbaugh’s schtick wears thin with NFL players.
He had great success in San Francisco for three years, then the bottom fell out. He’s had marginal success with the Chargers through two years and now the bottom has fallen out.
I thought the Chargers could’ve been a strong contender in the AFC, but now they’re looking at a top five draft pick and big decisions to make.
Things have to change. Maybe it’s Harbaugh, maybe it’s offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel or maybe it’s time to move on from Justin Herbert, who honestly looks more like Daniel Jones than a franchise quarterback.
