Pittsburgh- 23
Baltimore- 16
The day began with reports that Ravens HC John Harbaugh could be on the hot seat and ended with his Baltimore team falling short at home against division rival Pittsburgh. We’ll see what comes of the rumors of Harbaugh’s demise but for now, his team has lost three straight games after starting the season a promising 4-2.
This was another game dominated by Pittsburgh’s star players, which now include second-year RB James Conner. Conner rushed for 107 yards and totaled 163 yards and a touchdown and he is doing things no other Steeler, or in some cases, no other NFL player has ever done. NFL insider Adam Caplan pointed out that Conner’s four games of 100 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and one touchdown is the most ever by a player in a single season. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared that Conner is the first Steeler to ever record at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns in the team’s first eight games.
QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and survived a scare when he was tackled hard by a Ravens defender. He missed one play in which backup QB Josh Dobbs threw for a huge first down. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 78 yards, leading a balanced Steelers receiving group. WR Antonio Brown had an inefficient line of five receptions and 42 yards on 11 targets but boosted his bottom line with a touchdown reception, his sixth straight game with a score.
There is little to be excited about when it comes to the Baltimore offense and it is surprising they were even able to stay in the game. QB Joe Flacco threw for 209 scoreless yards while RB Alex Collins, who was iffy to even play in this game, totaled 39 yards and a touchdown. WR Willie Snead led the team in receiving but that only required 58 yards on seven grabs. WRs Michel Crabtree (3/32) and John Brown (3/17) were duds in this one against the continually improving Steelers Defense. RB Ty Montgomery, whom the Ravens traded for at the deadline, was a healthy scratch.
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Miami- 13
New York Jets- 6
This game featured a pair of struggling AFC East teams and was about as ugly as you might have imagined, featuring four field goals and a defensive touchdown. That’s it! Jets rookie QB Sam Darnold continued to struggle with protecting the ball as he threw four interceptions, including the back-breaking pick-six in the fourth quarter. Darnold leads the league with 14 interceptions, four more than the next closest passer.
QB Brock Osweiler started his fourth game in place of injured QB Ryan Tannehill, throwing for 139 scoreless yards. Veteran WR Danny Amendola led the team with 47 yards on five receptions. After his impressive game last week, WR DeVante Parker caught just one pass for eight yards. WR Kenny Stills surprised us all when he was activated for the game but was barely involved, catching his only target for 19 yards. RB Kenyan Drake totaled 35 yards in the game, snapping his previous hot streak.
The Jets got back WRs Quincy Enunwa (3/40) and Robby Anderson (4/32) but neither could overcome Darnold’s miscues to make an impact on offense. Rookie TE Chris Herndon stayed hot, leading the team with 62 yards on four catches. RB Elijah McGuire made his season debut, totaling 50 yards. He’s already overtaken rookie RB Trenton Cannon, as expected. Starting RB Isaiah Crowell totaled 60 yards.
Atlanta- 38
Washington- 14
Our long national nightmare has come to an end. Falcons WR Julio Jones finally snapped his 12-game scoreless streak, breaking free against the Redskins for a 35-yard touchdown. That was Jones’ first touchdown since Week Twelve of last season when he scored twice. That was just part of the Falcons offensive domination against the Redskins on Sunday.
QB Matt Ryan threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns, while RB Tevin Coleman had his best game of the season, totaling 156 yards and a pair of receiving scores. Rookie WR Calvin Ridley scored a 40-yard touchdown to break out of his mini-slump and finished with a 6/71/1 line for the game. The story of the game was Jones though. He caught seven of 10 targets for 121 yards and the all-important touchdown as his team wiped out the host Redskins.
Playing from behind for nearly the entire game, Washington QB Alex Smith threw for 306 yards, his first game this season over the 300-yard plateau, and also led the team with a pitiful 22 rushing yards. Veteran Adrian Peterson was game-scripted out, rushing only nine times for 17 yards. WR Josh Doctson caught his first touchdown of the season and WR Maurice Harris came out of nowhere to lead the team with 12 targets, 10 receptions and 124 yards. TE Jordan Reed quietly remained one of the league’s most disappointing players, catching four passes for 34 yards. He hasn’t eclipsed 50 receiving yards in over a month and hasn’t scored since Week One.
Kansas City- 37
Cleveland- 21
Entering the game, the predominant storyline was the new coaching staff of the Cleveland Browns, who finally canned former HC Hue Jackson following their Week Eight loss. QB Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs quickly reminded us that it didn’t really matter. For the eighth time in nine games, the Chiefs scored 30 or more points and pulled away from the new look Browns in the second half.
Mahomes threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns and a pair of Cleveland natives made the difference for the Chiefs. RB Kareem Hunt totaled 141 yards and three touchdowns, while TE Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 99 yards and two scores. WR Tyreek Hill was out there after suffering a groin injury a week ago but couldn’t take advantage of multiple injuries to the Browns’ secondary, finishing with 69 yards on four receptions. WR Sammy Watkins also failed to follow up his huge Week Eight performance, posting a 5/62 line and leaving the game with an ankle injury.
The most obvious difference in the Browns Offense with previous OC Todd Haley also fired was the role of RB Duke Johnson. Prior to this game, Johnson’s season-high was just six touches. In this game, he was a focal point, leading the team with nine receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson was used almost exclusively as a receiver, carrying just once. Rookie RB Nick Chubb toted the ball times, a new season-high, for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Rookie QB Baker Mayfield played well against the usually soft Chiefs Defense, passing for 297 yards and two scores. Mayfield was also forced from the game as he was checked for a concussion but passed the protocol and returned to the game. TE David Njoku rebounded from his Week Eight goose egg, catching four passes for 53 yards. WR Jarvis Landry disappointed with 50 yards on six catches.
Minnesota- 24
Detroit- 9
The Vikings Defense sacked Lions QB Matthew Stafford 10 times and, as a result, Detroit was held to fewer than 14 points for the first time in nearly a year. Stafford finished with 199 scoreless yards as the Lions played their first game without WR Golden Tate, traded last week to the Eagles. Veteran WR Marvin Jones caught six passes for 66 yards and talented young WR Kenny Golladay continued his cold streak with three receptions for 46 yards. Kenny G hasn’t caught more than four passes since Week Three. Detroit did get RB, or maybe I should say WR Theo Riddick back on the field after missing two games. Riddick played mostly out of the slot and caught seven passes for 36 yards. He didn’t notch a single carry, which is not good news for his fantasy outlook. Rookie RB Kerryon Johnson cooled off, totaling 44 yards on 15 touches.
The Vikings played without WR Stefon Diggs, who was dealing with a rib injury but did get RB Dalvin Cook back in the lineup. Cook was expected to be on a pitch count and ultimately split 20 carries with RB Latavius Murray but also added four receptions, totaling 109 yards on fresh legs. Murray finished with a respectable 47 yards and a touchdown.
With Diggs ruled out, this looked like a smash spot for WR Adam Thielen but in the end, his 100-yard game streak ended at eight. Thielen caught just four passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. WR Laquon Treadwell actually led the Vikes in receiving with 37 yards as QB Kirk Cousins spread the ball around, throwing for a modest 164 yards and one score.
Chicago- 41
Buffalo- 9
The Bears used their strong defense and a comeback game from RB Jordan Howard to wipe out the outmanned Buffalo Bills. This game was a mismatch already and then it was announced that veteran QB Derek Anderson would miss the game due to a concussion, forcing Buffalo to turn back to QB Nathan Peterman, the turnover machine. Sure enough, Peterman threw three picks and the Bills also lost a fumble. Two of those turnovers led to points for the Bears and that’s all they needed.
Peterman threw for 189 yards and ran for 46 more, along with a touchdown. Veteran RB LeSean McCoy was once again a non-factor, totaling 29 yards. WR Kelvin Benjamin and TE Logan Thomas both had 40 receiving yards, good enough to lead the team.
Bears QB Mitch Trubisky ended his QB1 streak, passing for 135 yards and one touchdown. A big part of his recent fantasy production was his damage done as a runner. In this game, he carried the ball just once for six yards. Howard got back on track, rushing for 47 yards and two touchdowns, while RB Tarik Cohen was quiet, totaling only 13 yards on six touches. With WR Allen Robinson out for the second straight game, rookie WR Anthony Miller’s 5/49 led the team.
The Bears lost WR Taylor Gabriel to a leg injury and the Bills saw TE Charles Clay (hamstring) and RB Chris Ivory (shoulder) leave the game and fail to return.
Carolina- 42
Tampa Bay- 28
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned back to veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter following a four-interception game by QB Jameis Winston a week ago. The results were just as most expected. After the Panthers got out to a sizable lead, Fitzpatrick was forced to throw the ball all around the field and just like last week, he nearly led his team to a comeback victory.
As has been the case often this year for the Bucs, their quarterback play was very pleasing to fantasy players but simply not enough on the field as Tampa fell to 3-5 with this loss. Fitzpatrick threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Among his five starts this year, Fitzpatrick has thrown for four touchdowns in three of them. The Bucs top target in the passing game wasn’t WR Mike Evans, who pathetically caught just one of his 10 targets for 16 yards. It wasn’t deep threat vet WR DeSean Jackson, who posted a 2/32 line. It was not even touchdown threat WR Chris Godwin, who caught two passes for 40 yards. It was slot WR Adam Humphries, catching all eight of his targets for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers Offense is clicking. QB Cam Newton threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns and added another 33 yards on the ground. RB Christian McCaffrey showed some balance to his game, rushing for 79 yards and two touchdowns along with 78 yards on five receptions. TE Greg Olsen caught all six of his targets for 76 yards and a touchdown and WR Devin Funchess posted a 4/44 line. WR Curtis Samuel scored twice, one on a 19-yard reception and one on a 17-yard end around run. Finally, rookie D.J. Moore couldn’t replicate his huge Week Eight game, catching just one pass for 16 yards.
Houston- 19
Denver- 17
WR Demaryius Thomas didn’t have to wait long for his revenge game. After the Denver Broncos traded the veteran receiver at last week’s deadline, the Texans new wideout got a chance to face the only team he’d ever played for as a pro. The Texans worked to get Thomas involved early, catching both targets thrown his way on the opening drive. He would only draw one more target the rest of the game but caught all three for 61 yards.
As usual, WR DeAndre Hopkins was the first option for QB Deshaun Watson. Nuk finished with 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. The Texans have few other options with WR Will Fuller out for the season and rookie WR Keke Coutee still dealing with a bad hamstring. RB Lamar Miller flopped, totaling 48 yards and being outrushed by his backup RB Alfred Blue.
The Broncos trailed for most of the game but had a chance to steal the win with a last-second field goal that ultimately went wide. Denver was without rookie RB Royce Freeman for the second game and RB Phillip Lindsay totaled 84 tough yards. The common narrative entering the game was that the Thomas trade opened the door for rookie WR Courtland Sutton to play a major role. That wasn’t the case in this game as he saw only five targets, catching three for 57 yards, on a day in which his QB Case Keenum threw the ball 42 times. Not a great start. The Broncos were actually led in receiving by TE Jeff Heuerman, who caught 10 of 11 targets for 83 yards and a touchdown. Veteran WR Emmanuel Sanders posted a quiet 6/47 line.
New Orleans- 45
Los Angeles Rams- 35
This game was touted as an offensive showdown and many feared this could be the game that ended the Rams undefeated streak. Ultimately, that’s just what happened. The Saints and Rams predictably began the game by trading touchdowns before the defense really began playing.
QB Drew Brees threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns and RB Alvin Kamara scored three times, along with his 116 yards from scrimmage. WR Michael Thomas caught the go-ahead score, a 72-yard touchdown. After he made his way to the end zone, he went directly to the goalpost to reprise the flip phone celebration performed by former Saints WR Joe Horn 15 years ago. Many pegged rookie WR Tre’Quan Smith for a breakout game and although he didn’t quite get there, he did score a touchdown among his two receptions for 23 yards.
The Rams were led by QB Jared Goff, who threw for 391 yards and three touchdowns. Goff welcomed back one of his favorite targets, WR Cooper Kupp, who missed two games with a leg injury. Kupp caught five passes for 89 yards and a score, while WR Brandin Cooks, playing against the team that drafted him, posted a 6/114/1 line. RB Todd Gurley had a disappointing game, totaling only 79 yards and a touchdown. It’s amazing that this now qualifies as a letdown.
Los Angeles Chargers- 25
Seattle- 17
The Los Angeles Chargers held on, by just a fingertip, to defeat the Seattle Seahawks. QB Russell Wilson’s last-second pass was tipped away by a Chargers defender, helping LA to win their fifth straight game. QB Philip Rivers spread the ball all over, finding WRs Tyrell Williams (2/23/1) and Mike Williams (1/30/1) for touchdowns and focusing on feeding his top WR Keenan Allen targets all day. Allen has struggled this year but caught six passes for 124 yards, a new season-best. The Chargers also had RB Melvin Gordon back on the field after he missed the team’s pre-bye game in Week Seven. Gordon totaled 123 yards and a touchdown. RB Austin Ekeler continued his downward trend after a sizzling start to the season. Gordon’s backup touched the ball just four times for 34 yards.
Wilson had to throw the ball more in this game than he has all season, putting it up 39 times for 235 yards and two scores. WR Doug Baldwin continued his on again, off again play, catching all four targets for 77 scoreless yards. RB Chris Carson left the game early due to a hip injury so RB Mike Davis saw the bulk of the work, totaling 107 yards. WRs Tyler Lockett (3/22) and David Moore (2/16) reminded us that they are not reliable fantasy options unless they are scoring touchdowns, as they had been in recent weeks.
New England- 31
Green Bay- 17
The final game of the Sunday slate was the much-anticipated matchup for future Hall of Fame QBs Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. While this one was close for the majority of the game, the Packers simply made too many mistakes and Brady and the Pats pulled away in the final quarter.
The Patriots played without TE Rob Gronkowski and RB Sony Michel and didn’t even miss them as they handled the Packers. Brady threw for 294 yards and a touchdown, hitting WR Josh Gordon for a 55-yarder to put the game away in the fourth period. Gordon led the team with five receptions for 130 yards, while RB James White kept up his unbelievable hot streak, totaling 103 yards and two touchdowns. With Michel out, the Patriots leading rusher was actually WR Cordarrelle Patterson, who carried 11 times for 61 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. Patterson is likely to lose this role once Michel returns but seeing him more often with the ball in his hands in an intriguing thought. Veteran WR Julian Edelman added 71 yards on six receptions.
Rodgers threw for 259 yards and two scores, finding TE Jimmy Graham (4/55/1) and WR Davante Adams (6/40/1). It was actually rookie WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling who led the team with 101 yards on three grabs. RB Aaron Jones rushed for 76 yards but a late fumble led to a Patriots score and helped decide the game.
