It’s incredible how the narrative turns so quickly for NFL teams after a victory, compared to another demoralizing loss.
Look at the Miami Dolphins, who picked up their third win of the season on Monday Night Football with a 23-15 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
The Dolphins host the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) and New England Patriots (3-7) in the next two weeks. If all goes well, Miami could be 5-6 before their primetime Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers. That’s surely an optimistic outlook for the Dolphins, who withstood a four-game absence from Tua Tagovailoa’s early-season concussion.
On the other hand, let’s look at the New York Jets (3-7) and Dallas Cowboys (3-6). Both teams scored six points, and surrendered more than 30 in their Week 10 losses. And how do we view their seasons? This week’s USA TODAY Sports NFL overreactions begin with the Jets and Cowboys.
Jets, Cowboys will flounder until end of the season
Both of their seasons are pretty much over. There’s no postseason in sight.
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The best part (for the hate watchers) is there are eight more weeks to see how their much more their seasons unravel. Blame polarizing Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for helping their team become such enigmas for how they captivate our attentions, then fail to deliver almost weekly.
Rodgers and the Jets got a much-needed win against the Houston Texans in Week 9, but they are 1-4 since interim coach Jeff Ulbrich took over for the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. The Jets have lost six of seven, and that’s even after Rodgers and Davante Adams got their wish to play together again.
In Dallas, poor Jerry was forced to answer questions about the sunlight beaming into AT&T Stadium, blinding star receiver Ceedee Lamb from catching a touchdown pass last week. Cowboys starter Dak Prescott is out for the season, needing hamstring surgery. A season that started with playoff hopes might barely sniff third place in the NFC East.
The Jets host the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday, while the Cowboys host the Texans on Monday Night Football this week. We’ll see if they can either turn their seasons around, or proceed toward the inevitable.
Will any team beat Chiefs? At least 12-0 is in the cards
Will any team beat the Kansas City Chiefs this season? It’s hard to say. The Chiefs may not go undefeated, but we’ll play it safe with this overreaction: Kansas City will be 12-0 before December.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated at 9-0 thanks to linebacker Leo Chenal blocking a field-goal attempt as time expired to beat the Denver Broncos 16-14 last Sunday.
Andy Reid’s Chiefs have won 15 consecutive games, dating back to last season. Whether it’s star quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading a late scoring drive, Steve Spagnuolo’s defense making timely stops or special teams making big plays, Kansas City is on a roll with their third straight Super Bowl in sight.
No team would love to play spoiler more than next Sunday’s opponent. Mahomes and the Chiefs will visit Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the game of the week. Kansas City has bounced Buffalo from three of the last four playoffs, including last season’s divisional round game in western New York. Sure, Buffalo is 8-2 but those two losses showed offensive shortcomings they’ll experience again Sunday against Kansas City.
After the Bills, the Chiefs will finish November facing the Carolina Panthers and Raiders and get to 12-0. As for the rest of the season, keep an eye on Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
Russell Wilson and Steelers are going to win a playoff game
You’d think Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens would be leading the AFC North, but guess again. It’s Mike Tomlin. It’s Russell Wilson. And it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the division after improving to 7-2 with their 28-27 win over the Commanders last Sunday.
Well, Pittsburgh has the lead until it hosts Baltimore this week. It’ll be their first matchup in the division this season. The Steelers may relinquish the division lead, but both teams are playoff bound in 2024.
Our overreaction: The Steelers will win their first playoff game since 2016. They’re not a bona fide Super Bowl contender just yet, but Pittsburgh is the grittiest team in the NFL not named Kansas City and Detroit. Even as a wild card, they have the potential to upend a division leader.
Tomlin has always coached his teams to fight until the very end, to believe when there’s no reason to believe even with the horrible quarterback play they’ve endured since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Tomlin made the right move starting Wilson in place of Justin Fields, although many questioned the Super Bowl-winning coach. Pittsburgh has won four in a row, including all three of Wilson’s starts this season.
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