You didn’t miss Jonathan Taylor’s massive day. You didn’t miss the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks piling on points in lopsided wins. You didn’t even miss the way Drake Maye and the New England Patriots got a statement win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But let’s try to spin it forward, dive deeper and think outside the box about what we just saw. This is “Sound Smart,” where we prepare you for Monday morning with seven observations from the Sunday slate. If I do my job, you’ll be fluent in the NFL’s Week 10 action.
1. If there’s only one thing you should know from Sunday …
It’s that the Rams are the best team in the NFL.
The Rams have a special combination of assets that makes them an easy decision as the NFL’s top team.
They have the basic elements that every “best” team needs. First, they just trounced the San Francisco 49ers, their division rival that entered the game with the same number of wins. The Rams are officially hot, now winners of four straight. Second, their defense is one of the best two units in the NFL, with just 17 points allowed per game through Week 10. Third, they have dealt with injuries to their best playmaker, Puka Nacua, yet still entered the game with a top-10 scoring offense.
(Relatively speaking, even the quality of the Rams’ two defeats is impressive — both one-possession games. They lost to the 49ers on a last-minute fumble, which they just rectified in blowout fashion. And they lost to the Eagles in fairly fluky fashion via two blocked field goals.)
So they have all of that going for them — and they have Matthew Stafford, who is probably playing better than any quarterback in the NFL. It’s a close call between him and Drake Maye — but no one is talking about Stafford because … he’s been doing this for so long. But even for Stafford, this has been a special season, thanks to the supporting cast of Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams.
And then Stafford has something that all the NFL’s other hot quarterbacks don’t have: a Super Bowl win. He and Sean McVay are screaming confidence and competence that make them the most dangerous duo in the NFL. They’re not interesting like the often-dysfunctional Philadelphia Eagles. They’re not the flashy new toy like Maye and the Patriots. But the Rams are solid. They’re built to win a Super Bowl.
2. You lost my trust & earned my trust
Lost my trust: The Buffalo Bills‘ run defense
It’s one thing for their secondary to get ripped to shreds. They were, after all, without defensive backs Christian Benford, Taron Johnson and Taylor Rapp. But it was De’Von Achane who pummeled the Bills into submission to the tune of 22 carries, 174 rushing yards, six catches, 51 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Earned my trust: Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet
As messy as things got for the Seattle Seahawks in their lopsided win over the Cardinals, Charbonnet was explosive. If you’ve been paying attention to Charbonnet’s season, his production and efficiency have paled in comparison to his backfield-mate, Kenneth Walker. But Charbonnet always seemed to fit well in this Seahawks scheme. This is the game where he finally proved the Seahawks right for sticking with him. He helped burn out the clock and — when Seahawks’ players kept coughing up the ball — stayed turnover-free.
3. Tomorrow’s controversy
Are we sure Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson have figured each other out?
Williams took control of the game for the Chicago Bears in their comeback win over the New York Giants on Sunday. We haven’t seen much in the way of game management from Williams in the NFL. But that’s what he did to get the Bears back into the lead in the closing moments of the game. He ran. He got creative. He didn’t turn the ball over.
He did not, however, operate Johnson’s system to a T — not like Jared Goff once did. And so I found myself thinking about what the Bears coach said when he joined our air this week to discuss Williams after last week’s comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
“He appreciates those [fourth-quarter comeback] opportunities because it gives him a chance to really write his story,” Johnson told “First Things First” last week. “A lot of confidence in him in those waning minutes, and he just finds a way. It might not be exactly how you draw it up as a coach, and yet, he just has that playmaking ability.”
At first glance, one line — “it might not be exactly how you draw it up” — struck me as a potential red flag for their relationship. It’s a spot where you can read between the lines. And there was another moment Sunday where you could read between the lines, where Johnson barely acknowledged Williams at midfield after the game (in which Williams rushed for the go-ahead touchdown).
Weird.
There will likely be a push and pull between Williams, thriving out of structure, and Johnson, an expert in building and teaching offensive systems. Right now, they’ve found equilibrium. But maybe Johnson senses it’s not good enough, given what’s to come.
Yes, the Bears are 6-1 over the past seven games (and now 6-3 on the season). But this was a win over the Giants, who were without their starting QB for much of the second half. The Bears better be eager to prove themselves in the coming weeks. They’re at Minnesota next week, hosting Pittsburgh in Week 12 and then at Philadelphia in Week 13.
So I opened with that question — have they finally figured each other out? — because I think these coming weeks will tell us. If Williams can continue to generate game-winning plays against the elite teams, then this will be a heavyweight tandem that can — not ironically — “take the North and never give it back,” as general manager Ryan Poles once promised.
But if they can’t compromise, then we might witness a strange mismatch of outsized talents that simply don’t mesh.
4. Blind passing chart test: Who’s this quarterback?
You’ll find the answer and the analysis at the bottom.
5. Everyone else is afraid to say …
Kevin O’Connell mismanaged J.J. McCarthy’s latest outing.
Ahead of this season, the Vikings appeared to be the best coaching staff in the NFL. O’Connell was set to run the prolific offense, yet again. Brian Flores was set to run the heady, aggressive defense. And all would be well in Minnesota, particularly because O’Connell seemed to have a good plan in place for his young QB stepping under the microscope.
This week’s performance might’ve been the worst coaching performance of the Vikings coach’s career. And it led to a truly poor performance from his QB, who O’Connell swore to protect from himself.
The biggest issue against the Ravens was a seemingly simple problem to fix, particularly at home: eight false starts. That’s a franchise record at home. After the game, O’Connell admitted McCarthy seemed to be having cadence issues that didn’t show up last week because they were using silent counts on the road. They “tried to simplify,” but couldn’t figure out where the mistake was showing up.
“Whatever was going on with the cadence — or whatever it may be — just not acceptable in any way. And we’ve got to get it fixed. And we will,” O’Connell said postgame. “Whatever was unearthed today needs to get fixed immediately.”
That seemingly simple problem created widespread issues on offense, including play-calling.
The Vikings absolutely could have and should’ve won Sunday, given that they were up 10-3 early in the first half. Their team is supposed to be built to hold the lead, with a strong run game and an amazing defense. But O’Connell wouldn’t quit the passing game — not even in short-yardage situations (where McCarthy ended up throwing a pair of deep passes for a pair of interceptions). And then as Minnesota slowly gave up the lead, he had to ask his quarterback to keep passing.
By the end of the game, McCarthy had a frenetic energy that made life difficult for the Vikings. It showed up in every throw. After spending all offseason discussing an emphasis on layering balls and applying more touch to his passing, the QB began throwing fastballs, exclusively. It was a clear regression away from a major point of developmental emphasis.
The Vikings threw the ball (and committed penalties) on third-and-short. They tried to stay out of third-and-long but committed too many penalties. They checked off the “how to beat yourself” list and, in turn, missed a major opportunity to beat a surging Ravens club.
6. Random ranking: Who are the best seven rookie WRs?
- Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers
- Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers
- Elic Ayomanor, Titans
- Travis Hunter, Jaguars
- Matthew Golden, Packers
- Tez Johnson, Buccaneers
- Jayden Higgins, Texans
7. He said WHAT?!
Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss said the defense “quit” on Jonathan Taylor’s game-winning 83-yard run
The Falcons have lost four straight games. And the past two have been one-possession defeats. It’s starting to look like they have leadership and effort issues cropping up.
Even they will admit that. Not only did Elliss say the defense “quit” on the clinching play in overtime in Berlin on Sunday, but star cornerback A.J. Terrell admitted the defense relaxed once they saw Taylor stopped initially at the line of scrimmage, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.
Anytime you hear the word “quit” in a locker room, you have a problem.
There are no shortage of reasons why Taylor had 32 carries for 244 yards and three touchdowns with three catches for 42 receiving yards. But you can bet the words “quit” and “relaxed” had something to do with it.
The Falcons are spiraling, which is concerning for Raheem Morris’ job security.
ANSWER: Blind passing chart test: It’s Drake Maye
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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