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Jacksonville Jaguars

33:10 win against the Baltimore Ravens

by Floreich11

Naturally, there were several candidates that could be listed here this week. But after an outstanding first half of the season, the Jags more than deserve to finally top this category. Against a depleted Ravens squad, the challenge wasn't insurmountable, but the Jaguars have been impressive on both sides of the line of scrimmage all season and controlled the game from start to finish. As a result, they celebrated a comfortable away victory in Baltimore.

For me, the Jaguars are one of the most complete teams in the AFC this season and are fully justified in dreaming of the playoffs and beyond.

An honorable mention in this category certainly goes to the Green Bay Packers, who completely blew the Patriots off the field in a 45:27 win. Star cornerback Christian Gonzalez in particular was painfully exposed by the Packers' receivers at times.

New England Patriots

27:45 loss against the Green Bay Packers

by RP74

Given the circumstances heading into the games and the expected results, there was only one Loser of the Week for me: the Patriots. Because the Cowboys somehow managed to pull off a win thanks to the Colts' shortcomings.

Okay, maybe we should also mention the Browns, who took the risk in OT at the New Orleans Saints of trying to win it with a two-point conversion. The attempt failed, leaving them at 5:4 in the tight AFC North.

The Patriots were completely steamrolled – or rather blown away – by the Packers right from the start. Maye's pass was intercepted on the Patriots' very first drive, followed by a 3-and-out on the next drive, and just like that, the Packers were up 14:0 – later extending it to 17:0. At no point did it feel like there could be any winner other than the Packers. Only after it reached 42:14 were the Patriots able to do some late damage control.

QB Maye (3 TDs/3 INTs) is cause for concern. He plays some games like an MVP, and then others with far too many turnovers. As it stands, he has already thrown 3 more INTs than in the entire previous season. If their season isn't going to end with the regular season, Maye needs to get back to last year's level fast.

The defense, usually HC Vrabel's crown jewel, also needs to quickly rediscover its past strength. Allowing almost 380 passing yards is nearly double what they surrendered per game in 2025.

A look at the remaining schedule: Lions, Chargers, Bills, Vikings, Chiefs, Jets, Broncos, Dolphins. There are some serious heavyweights waiting for the Patriots, along with divisional matchups where upsets by supposed underdogs can't be ruled out. As I see it, they'll need five more wins to make the playoffs.

C.J. Stroud (Quarterback, Houston Texans)

44:22 win at the Los Angeles Chargers (21/45, 348 Passing Yards, 5 Passing TDs, 1 INT, 2 Carries, 20 Rushing Yards)

by Floreich11

When a quarterback leads his offense through enemy ranks with such composure and ice-cold precision, it deserves pure admiration.

C.J. Stroud delivered an absolute masterclass in the Houston Texans' dominant 44:22 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers: He completed 21 of 35 pass attempts for an outstanding 384 passing yards, threw an impressive five touchdowns with just one interception, and added 20 rushing yards for good measure.

Stroud proves once again that he can win games single-handedly and, on his best days, belongs among the absolute top quarterbacks in the league. Chapeau for this performance!

Harrison Butker (Kicker, Kansas City Chiefs)

35:12 win against the NY Jets (5/5 Extra Points, 0/1 Field Goals)

by RP74

Is it possible to deliver the flop performance of the week on a team that actually won? My answer: Yes, you can.

Granted, there were plenty of other candidates for this category this week. Fumbles, INTs, drops – or, as nearly every week: the Chargers.

But I deliberately chose Butker. With the score at 14:12 shortly before halftime, he got two attempts at a FG (one due to a defensive penalty flag). But both times he failed to convert.

Had the Jets not been the opponent, that could have swung the game. Last week as well, his missed FG on the penultimate drive cost the Chiefs the victory.

So far this season, the once so reliable kicker sits at 12 made FGs out of 19 attempts.

For a team aiming for deep playoff runs or more, such a success rate is disastrous. It will be interesting to see how long HC Reid continues to give Butker the chance to turn things around. A potential successor recently joined the practice squad: Justin Tucker.

Arvell Reese (Linebacker, New York Giants)

19:11 win at the Philadelphia Eagles

by Floreich11

What an absolute statement of power from the Giants linebacker!

Arvell Reese delivered an all-time performance in the 19:11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles: 12 tackles, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble speak volumes.

Not only is he the youngest player in NFL history with three sacks in a single game since the stat was officially tracked, but he's also the first rookie since 1999 with such an absurd stat line.

Under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, he is deployed with immense flexibility as both a linebacker and pass rusher – and as a top pick, he's repaying that faith tenfold right now. The front-runner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award comfortably leads this category this week.

3 and 6

by RP74

Beyond the obvious – that every team in the NFC South has only three wins, while every team in the NFC North has at least six – there's even more to connect to the numbers 3 and 6.

This matchday featured three games with three turnovers and a whopping six games with four or more TOs (there were seven in the Bears vs. Bucs game). Three players stood out as "TO specialists" in particular: Cousins (3 INT), Maye (3 INT and 3 TD), and Williams (4 INT).  

Six QBs accounted for three or more TDs (Stroud, Burrow, Love, Purdy, Young, Maye), while RB Walker added another player to the 3-TD club. A long-awaited returnee announced his comeback with the lucky number 3: Myles Garrett racked up three sacks against the Commanders.

Hard to believe, but true: with 6 wins in a row, J.J. McCarthy currently holds the longest active winning streak among all starting QBs.

For Packers fans: For the first time in six decades, the Packers earned a road win scoring 45+ points while putting up 450+ yards.

Add 3 and 6 together, and you get the fact that after Week 9, we are officially past the halfway mark of the regular season. Slowly but surely, it's worth taking a look at the playoff picture.

RP74:

As a non-expert, I occasionally ask myself whether certain things in the NFL are fair or not.

Take this season, for example. It's possible that all teams in the NFC North will finish with a clearly winning record, while all teams in the NFC South end up with a clearly losing record. Right now, a realistic scenario is: one NFC North team misses out on the playoffs, but a team from the South makes the postseason and gets home-field advantage in the first round on top of that. Fair or unfair?

Another example: the offense is allowed to push a teammate, like on the Tush Push. But for the defense, that's forbidden and would draw a five-yard penalty. Fair or unfair?

An offensive false start is whistled dead immediately – a defensive offside is not, giving the offense a so-called free play. Fair or unfair?

On the last example, I'm making up my mind – Unfair: the offense faces 3rd and 3 at the opponent's 5-yard line. Right near the end zone. Now the defense commits an offside – the penalty, as you know, is half the distance to the goal. So it continues at the 2.5-yard line. Anywhere else on the field, that penalty would have awarded a new first down. But not so close to the end zone.

And that's not all. If the offense then commits a false start, they go back 5 yards to the 7.5-yard line – still 3rd down. There should be a rule change so that in this scenario, a new first down is awarded – or if the offense gets assessed the same penalty distance after the defense, play resumes from the original position – in this example, at the 5-yard line. How do you see it?

Fair or unfair?

I'm sure you notice other subjective injustices in the NFL. What do you think urgently needs to be changed?