Fresh off last week’s trade from the Titans to the Bears, defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons had a clear impact on Monday night’s win over the Seahawks.
Simmons finished the game with six tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and a pass defensed in the 34-17 victory.
Head coach Ben Johnson told reporters after the game that he gave Simmons a game ball or the performance.
“Our guys were excited the moment they heard the news we were bringing him on, and he’s fit right in,” Johnson said. “We have a high-character locker room, and he’s that himself. You can feel his presence out there, whether it’s during the play or even after the play. You can feel him talk a little smack as well which I think that elevates everybody around him.
“I thought he played outstanding. He got one of the game balls. To come in there and have a share of the lead of tackles and a sack in his first game, his impact was profound.”
The Bears allowed just 252 total yards on Monday night, which was 1 yard off from Seattle’s lowest output of the season. The Bears will be at home to play the Buccaneers on Sunday night in Week 9.
Titans Clips
After consistently telling teams that defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons would not be traded, the Titans decided last Tuesday to listen to offers.
This Tuesday, they have another decision to make about one of the key offensive players on the roster.
Multiple teams are interested in running back Tony Pollard. So far, however, G.M. Mike Borgonzi has declined to engage in conversations about a potential trade.
Whether that will change remains to be seen, with or without someone calling owner Amy Adams Strunk directly.
Regardless, Pollard is an attractive option for any contender looking for help at the position. His contract is very affordable, relative to the veteran market. His 2027 base salary is $5.99 million (with $3.32 million left for 2026). In 2027, he’s due to earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $6.74 million. (In each year, he earns $30,000 for each game in which he’s on the active roster.)
Over the past two games, Pollard has rushed for 246 yards and five touchdowns. He’s averaging in those two games 5.34 yards per carry.
Pollard has four straight 1,000-yard seasons (two with the Cowboys, two with the Titans). At 595 yards through eight games, he’s on pace for a fifth.
With multiple teams linked to Colts running back Jonathan Taylor — and with the Colts not yet in a ballpark that will get a deal done — Pollard could become a much more affordable Plan B as the trade deadline creeps closer and closer.
Giants coach John Harbaugh apparently ruffled some feathers in Nashville by making a phone call to Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk in an effort to spark trade discussions for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. And Harbaugh doesn’t care about any “code” that he may have violated by going over the head of Titans G.M. Mike Borgonzi.
Harbaugh admitted to reporters on Monday that he made the call. And he vowed to make similar calls, if it’s in the best interests of the team.
“I did, I did,” Harbaugh said regarding whether he called Strunk. “I left a message. . . . Because you turn over every stone. You know, gonna try everything. I mean, I just, I’ll put it out there, man, we’re open for any call. Anybody wants to call us or call anybody. Call.”
Next came a discussion about songs that send the “call me” message, from the Blondie song of that name to the more recent Call Me Maybe.
“Let’s put that out there,” Harbaugh said. “Put that out there. It was kind of, like, fun to see the outpouring of interest in that. I enjoyed it. We’re not like — we’re not part of any secret society oath that says you can only talk to somebody. We’re not in that. We didn’t get memoed on that. We’re not in that agreement. So like I said, anybody can call us. We won’t be adhering to that particular agreement.”
Amen to all of that. The only rules that should matter are the written rules. Those who tiptoe around unwritten rules undermine their chances to get shit done.
Besides, calls between teams happen at many different levels. There isn’t an exclusive G.M.-to-G.M. network of bat phones.
In this specific case, the Giants apparently weren’t getting anywhere with Borgonzi. So they got creative, and resourceful.
As we understand it, they didn’t hear from the Titans to see if they’d match or beat the offer the Bears made for Simmons. Which would seem to be the sensible thing to do before finalizing a deal — unless the Bears expressly set a firm and quick take-it-or-leave-it deadline that prevented the Titans from exploring whether more could have been gotten from another team.
Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase gave a fiery halftime speech last week when the Bengals trailed the Ravens 13-0. The Bengals won 35-13.
Chase put his frustration on public display Sunday, once spiking his helmet on the sideline and another time being animated. The Bengals trailed the Titans 13-0, 28-23 and 36-29 before winning 43-36 in overtime.
The Bengals seem to like angry Chase.
“He’s a pro, and guys get emotional sometimes,” quarterback Joe Burrow said, via Geoff Hobson of the team website. “That’s how it is. I like when he gets emotional like that. It usually means I need to do a better job of throwing him the ball. That’s a good reminder.”
Chase had his first 100-yard game of the season, with 141 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches, but two of Burrow’s interceptions were intended for Chase. The quarterback and wide receiver had a miscommunication on a scramble drill on one, and Burrow underthrew a wide-open Chase on another that should have been a touchdown.
Chase agreed that he “probably was” upset, but he wouldn’t say why.
“He may be mad at me. He may be mad at whoever,” coach Zac Taylor said, via Ben Baby of ESPN. “I trust him to go out there and do his job. That doesn’t change anything.
“I kind of like it, to be honest with you. It’s something different to deal with. It’s kind of good. I like the competitiveness from our guys.”
In one of the craziest games of this NFL season, Joe Burrow totaled six touchdowns as he led the Bengals to a surprisingly hard-fought 43-36 overtime win over the Titans today.
Burrow completed 38 of 48 passes for 462 yards with five touchdowns, three interceptions and three sacks, and he ran the ball three times for 10 yards and another touchdown.
Days after trading away their best player, the Titans showed they’re not giving up on this season, giving the Bengals everything they could handle for 60 minutes, and then some. Titans quarterback Cam Ward had a career-high 304 passing yards, but he couldn’t move the Titans in overtime after Burrow’s overtime touchdown gave the Bengals their final lead.
The trade of defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Bears for two first-round picks led some to think the Titans were tanking on the season, but they sure didn’t play like it today in Cincinnati. They jumped out to a 13-0 lead over the Bengals and never quit, in an exciting game that featured an excellent quarterback duel.
But ultimately it was Burrow who made more plays, as the Bengals improved to 5-2 on the season and continued to look like they’re going to be playoff contenders. The Titans fall to 1-7 and don’t look like they’re going anywhere — but do look like they’re going to keep fighting.
The Titans caught the Bengals by surprise today in Cincinnati, jumping out to a surprising 13-0 first quarter lead.
And then the second quarter was all Bengals.
It’s now 14-13 Bengals at halftime after Joe Burrow threw two second-quarter touchdown passes, one to Ja’Marr Chase and one to Jack Endries.
The Titans showed they’re not just tanking by the way they came out strong, but the Bengals showed they’re the better team in the second quarter. This looks like a game the Bengals should control in the second half.
Someone forgot to tell the Titans they’re supposed to be tanking.
After Tennessee sent its best player, Jeffery Simmons, to Chicago last week, there was talk that the Titans were waving the white flag on the season. It sure doesn’t look that way early on in Cincinnati today.
The Titans have taken a 10-0 lead on a 41-yard touchdown run by Tony Pollard. That came after the Titans’ offense opened the game with a 10-play, 52-yard drive that resulted in a Joey Slye 46-yard field goal.
And just when the Bengals’ offense started to get going, Joe Burrow was intercepted by Tennessee’s Amani Hooker.
The Bengals came into the game heavily favored, but so far it’s been all Titans.
Wide receiver George Pickens has touchdown catches in two of his last three games and he’ll have a chance to make it three of four against the Cardinals on Sunday.
Pickens was listed as questionable on the Cowboys’ final injury report due to shoulder and hamstring issues, but he avoided the inactive list ahead of kickoff in Dallas. Pickens has 37 catches for 485 yards overall this season.
Defensive tackle Kenny Clark was also listed as questionable for the Cowboys due to a back injury. He joins Pickens in the lineup for Week 8.
Cardinals at Cowboys
Cardinals: QB Carson Beck, CB Starling Thomas, RB Evan Hull, LB Eku Leota, OL Jon Gaines, OL Albert Reese, DL Walter Nolen
Cowboys: WR KaVontae Turpin, CB Shavon Revel, LB Dee Winters, LB Tyrus Wheat, OL Drew Shelton, TE Luke Schoonmaker
Raiders at Jets
Raiders: WR Dont’e Thornton, QB Aidan O’Connell, WR Malik Benson, S Tristin McCollum, S Dalton Johnson, OL Bryce Cabeldue, DT JJ Pegues
Jets: RB Breece Hall, WR Tim Patrick, OL Max Mitchell, OL Kohl Levao, LB David Bailey, LB Joseph Ossai, CB Nahshon Wright
Falcons at Buccaneers
Falcons: QB Andy Dalton, QB Jack Strand, LB Divine Deablo, RB Brian Robinson, DB Billy Bowman, CB Robert Longerbeam, DE Drake Jackson
Buccaneers: WR Emeka Egbuka, CB Ayden Garnes, G Luke Haggard, G Billy Schrauth, DL DeMonte Capehart
Ravens at Bills
Ravens: WR Elijah Sarratt, S Jaylinn Hawkins, CB Chandler Rivers, OL Emery Jones, G Vega Ioane, DL Aeneas Peebles, QB Joe Fagnano
Bills: OT Spencer Brown, OL Ar’maj Reed-Adams, DL Greg Gaines, WR Skyler Bell, LB Mike Danna, CB Dee Alford, S Jalon Kilgore
Browns at Steelers
Browns: QB Dillon Gabriel, QB Taylen Green, LB Justin Jefferson, CB Noah Igbinoghene, RB Audric Estime, C Parker Brailsford
Steelers: WR Ben Skowronek, QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, CB Brandin Echols, RB Eli Heidenreich, CB Doneiko Slaughter
Colts at Jaguars
Colts: LB Bryce Boetticher, TE Pharaoh Brown, DT Kevin Givens, WR Anthony Gould, OL Charlie Heck, QB Riley Leonard, CB Justin Walley
Jaguars: S Antonio Johnson, WR CJ Williams, CB Alijah Huzzie, LB Jamal Hill, DE Wesley Williams, DT Albert Regis
Vikings at Lions
Vikings: S Jakobe Thomas, CB Charles Demmings, RB Demond Claiborne, OL Caleb Tiernan, DL Elijah Williams, QB Max Brosmer
Lions: TE Jackson Meeks, C Seth McLaughlin, DL Mekhi Wingo, DE Ahmed Hassanein, S Bishop Fitzgerald
Titans at Bengals
Titans: RB Tyjae Spears, WR Carnell Tate, P Tommy Townsend, OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, TE Kylen Granson, DL Jackie Marshall, DB Jaylon Jones
Bengals: S Kyle Dugger, C Connor Lew, OL Myles Hinton, WR Mitchell Tinsley, DT Landon Robinson
The 2026 Bengals have won two, lost two, and then won two. In their last two, quarterback Joe Burrow has been stellar.
In both the 31-24 Week 5 win over the Dolphins and the 35-13 Week 6 win over the Ravens, Burrow threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions. If he does that again on Sunday against the Titans, Burrow will expand the membership of an elite club by 50 percent.
Per NBC Sports research, another four-TD, no-pick game from Burrow would make him only the third quarterback in NFL history to do it for three straight games. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford accomplished it in 2025. Then-Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the first to ever do it, in 2016.
The Bengals have beaten the Titans four of five times, including a victory over Tennessee in the 2021 postseason. A win would vault the Bengals into second place in the AFC North, in front of the loser of the Browns-Steelers game.
Unless they tie. In that case, the Browns and Steelers would each be 5-2-1, and the Bengals (with a win on Sunday) would be 5-2.
Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who turns 33 in early January, continues to get it done at a high level. A solid performance on Sunday at Buffalo will put him ahead of a pair of Hall of Famers on the all-time rushing list.
Henry enters the Week 8 game with 13,597 career rushing yards. With only 66 yards, he’ll pass Jerome Bettis for No. 8 on the career list. With 88, Henry will leapfrog LaDainian Tomlinson.
If, along the way, Henry scores a rushing touchdown, he’ll join Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen as the only players with 40 or more rushing touchdowns with multiple teams.
Faulk did it with the Colts and the Rams. Allen did it with the Raiders and the Chiefs. Henry has previously gotten there with the Titans.
The overriding question for Henry is how high he can go on the career rushing list. The current record holder, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, believes Henry can catch and beat Smith’s all-time record of 18,355 yards.
Henry needs 4,758 yards to match Smith. To get there, Henry probably will have to finish 2026 strong and keep it going for four more years.
By then, it’s possible that Henry will be playing for a third team. It would be fitting if the Cowboys — who weren’t interested when Henry became a free agent — would be the team with which Henry breaks Smith’s record.
