I fucking hate losing to former players and coaches. Especially to someone like Kirk Cousins, who was once viewed as our QB of the future. Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell, who was once our offensive coordinator for a few years, has multiple former Washington coaches on his staff. Like Wes Phillips, Greg Manusky, Keenan McCardell and Ken Kotwica. It was a homecoming for most of them.
Anyway, picks and penalties were the story here, and they returned to haunt us at the end of this game. Taylor Heinicke threw an awful pick; not sure what he saw in that play, and he made a bad, forceful throw that killed us. Heinicke’s limitations are apparent, but he has guts. Also, we couldn’t establish an effective running game; our RBs combined for 24 carries for 80 yards, which is not good enough.
We are not getting our TEs involved regularly; Logan Thomas had 3 targets for 0 yards, and John Bates had 1 reception for 5 sad yards. We need to improve in this part. In addition, the O-line is beyond shaky, and depth is becoming a concern.
On a positive note, our Defense had a solid performance; holding Minnesota’s explosive offense to 20 points was pretty remarkable. But, regretfully, we let this game slip away — a game we had in our pocket.
WASH 17 — VIKINGS 20
I’m hyped as fuck with the news of Dan Snyder exploring the sale of the team. Growing up in the DMV area, I know what it is like to be proud of this team, and Snyder has killed the spirit of this fan base. Most notably in home attendance games. Regardless of who the new owner is, new ownership will re-energize the fan base.
Anyhow, up next, we are visiting the 8-0 Philadelphia Eagles. Nobody gives us a chance on this rematch. However, I saw Houston give Philly problems, and Washington is much more talented than Houston. It will be all about containing Jalen Hurts and protecting our QB, Simple as that.
Jahan Dotson and Chase Young could be ready to play against Philly; their sheer presence should add a spark to the entire team. An upset victory over the undefeated Eagles on Monday Night would be epic. Advantage, Washington Commanders.
And for the rest of the league,
EAGLES 29 — TEXANS 17
The Eagles got exposed here. They struggled against an inspired and young Houston team. At halftime, the game was 14-14, and things did not look good, but the Jalen Hurts to AJ Brown connection for a TD broke open this game for Philly. Next, Philadelphia hosts Washington. Advantage, Washington Commanders.
The Texans are on the rise, with many pieces in place to make some noise toward the end of the regular season. Nevertheless, I’m still skeptical of Davis Mills as Houston’s future QB. Next, Houston visits the NY Giants. Advantage, Houston Texans (I predict an upset).
CHIEFS 20 — TITANS 17
What a thrilling game this was. The Chiefs rallied late and took this game into overtime to win it with a field goal. Patrick Mahomes made clutch throws, used his legs to gain crucial yards, and even ran for a score. Kansas City is starting to get hot at the right time. Next, Kansas City hosts Jacksonville. Advantage, Kansas City Chiefs.
Derrick Henry rushed for over 100 yards and 2 TDs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Malik Wills’s inexperience at QB — Wills is definitely not ready to start games this soon. However, Ryan Tannehill is still listed as injured. Next, Tennessee hosts Denver. Advantage, Tennessee Titans.
BUCCANEERS 16 — LA RAMS 13
Tom Brady sucked ass for the entire game; however, he was excellent in the last drive to put away the Rams. Essentially, Tampa Bay keeps its season alive. Next, Tampa Bay hosts Seattle. Advantage, Seattle Seahawks.
The LA Rams need to find their ground game ASAP. Cooper Kupp will not be enough to carry this team to victory. The season is starting to slip away for LA. Next, the LA Rams Host Arizona. Advantage, LA Rams (I believe Sean McVay will make adjustments).
NY JETS 20 — BILLS 17
The AFC East just got red hot — every team in this division has a winning record. Zach Wilson is still developing as a QB, but remarkably, Wilson protected the ball well and had zero turnovers. The Jets Defense is more than enough to make up for shaky QB play. Next, the NY Jets have a week off.
The Bills got rocked to the core and looked like a beatable team. This tough division loss has exposed some of Buffalo’s limitations. Josh Allen rushed for 86 yards and 2 TDs but also had 2 picks, which made a massive difference in the final outcome. Allen is now listed as injured, but no reason to panic; Allen will be replaced by Case Keenum, a competent backup QB. Next, Buffalo hosts Minnesota. Advantage, Minnesota Vikings.
RAVENS 27 — SAINTS 13
The Ravens have found their ground game. Last week it was Gus Edwards, and this week it was Kenyan Drake’s turn, rushing for 93 yards and 2 TDs. Lamar Jackson had another solid game, rushing for 82 yards and pedestrian 133 yards and 1 TD. Next, Baltimore gets to rest for a week.
The Saints got away from their running game. Alvin Kamara had a pathetic 30 yards on the ground with only 9 carries; This is a terrible recipe to overcome Andy Dalton’s limitations as a QB. Yet, surprisingly, the Saints, at 3-5, are still pretty much in the hunt for their division. Next, New Orleans visits Pittsburgh. Advantage, New Orleans Saints.
LIONS 15 — PACKERS 9
The Lions stepped up and delivered a soul-crushing defeat to Packer nation. Finally, Detroit might start putting some wins together and make a late-season run or play spoiler. Next, Detroit visits Chicago. Advantage, Chicago Bears.
The Packers are terrible, and Aaron Rodgers is struggling to spark up this offense. The idea of benching Rodgers might become a reality soon enough. Also, Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry is officially on the hot seat. Unfortunately, green Bay is too far from Minnesota to catch them up on the division. Next, Green Bay hosts Dallas. Advantage, Green Bay Packers (this is a must-win for Green Bay).
JAGUARS 27 — RAIDERS 20
The Jaguars are slowly putting things together to become an explosive Offense and a dominant Defense. Trevor Lawrence is getting better and better under Doug Pederson’s tutelage. At 3-6, Jacksonville has legit playoff chances in the AFC. Next, Jacksonville visits Kansas City. Advantage, Kansas City Chiefs.
The Las Vegas Raiders are officially the most disappointing team this 2022 season. The Raiders should’ve never moved away Rich Bisaccia for Josh McDaniels. The Raiders were a playoff team last season and are loaded with talent to be this mediocre. Next, Las Vegas hosts Indianapolis. Advantage, LAs Vegas Raiders (a must-win for the Raiders).
SEAHAWKS 31 — CARDINALS 21
The Seahawks are riding high on a 4-game winning streak, and Geno Smith is playing way better than I expected. The perception of Geno Smith as a QB is starting to change around the NFL. But I still don’t fully buy it. Next, Seattle visits Tampa Bay. Advantage, Seattle Seahawks.
The Cardinals are 3-6 and free-falling fast. If Arizona doesn’t make the playoffs this season, I don’t see Kliff Kingsbury returning as Head Coach. Next, Arizona visits the LA Rams. Advantage, LA Rams.
PATRIOTS 26 —COLTS 3
At 5-4, the Patriots are back on the hunt for the AFC East title. However, their QB play is still a liability for New England against a division sucked with better QBs. Next, New England has a by-week.
Firing Frank Reich is not the answer to turning this floundering team around. Hiring Jeff Saturday as Head Coach was a wild move by Jim Irsay. Jeff Saturday, a former player and current TV analyst, has never coached in the NFL. The Colts are a disaster, and this bold move seems to be geared toward tanking to grab another big-name college QB in 2023. Next, Indianapolis visits Las Vegas. Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders.
DOLPHINS 35 —BEARS 32
Tyreek Hill is single handily putting Tua into the MVP conversation. Mike McDonald is doing a fantastic job coaching up this incredibly talented team. Next, Miami hosts Cleveland. Advantage, Miami Dolphins.
The Bears are on the right track. Justin Fields is improving on a week-to-week basis. Although they lost this game, how they played it is the formula for Chicago to follow. Next, Chicago hosts Detroit. Advantage, Chicago Bears.
BENGALS 42 — PANTHERS 21
The Bengals needed this win badly to keep their underperforming season afloat. Cincinnati was up 35 -0 by halftime and never really looked back. Next, Cincinnati has a week off.
The Panthers were entirely dominated here. Nevertheless, I’m confident that interim Head Coach Steve Wilks will make things interesting in the NFC South in the second half of this 2022 season. Next, Carolina hosts Atlanta. Advantage, Atlanta Falcons.
LA CHARGERS 20 — FALCONS 17
The LA Chargers are the most underwhelming 5-3 team this season. It seems like Justin Herbert is not developing further as a QB, and his play has been inconsistent. In addition, the Chargers are struggling to establish any dependable running game. But at least they are winning games, winning ugly but winning nonetheless. Their schedule is about to get pretty tough, and we will see if LA has what it takes to be a playoff contender. Next, the LA chargers visit San Francisco. Advantage, San Francisco 49ers.
The Falcons lost this game, but at 4-5, they are still in the mix for the NFC South. But they need higher production from Marcus Mariota, Kyle Pitts, and Tyler Allgeier. Next, Atlanta visits Carolina. Advantage, Atlanta Falcons.
Rod Rioja 