Though they haven’t exactly looked like a juggernaut this season, the Chiefs have won 13 straight games dating back to last season. And other than the Buccaneers on Monday and the Bills in Week 11, Kansas City’s second-half schedule doesn’t seem overly daunting.
So who’s going to stop the Chiefs from rolling over the league on their way to the first three-peat of the Super Bowl era? We may get a hint on Sunday when the Lions visit the Packers. Does the winner of this marquee matchup get to claim the title of Best Team in the NFC?
FOX Sports’ NFL experts tackle that topic as well as several others, including whether Anthony Richardson is finished in Indy, who’ll be impacted most by the Maryland Miracle and which big names could be on the move before next week’s trade deadline.
Let’s get started.
Should the winner of Sunday’s Lions-Packers game be considered the best team in the NFC?
The fact that the Packers are still in this conversation with Jordan Love having missed significant time (and could again this week) says all you need to know about the viability of this Green Bay team. The Packers have an incredibly well-rounded offense, even when Malik Willis is at the helm, and their defense has been tweaked and adjusted nearly every week to have very few holes. They take the ball away at one of the best rates in the league and are now figuring out how to get pressure in Jeff Hafley’s new scheme.
Meanwhile, the Lions look like an absolute juggernaut and can seemingly win at-will. Not only are they winning, but they’re playing with their food in the process. Running back David Montgomery threw a touchdown pass last game. There’s seemingly no limit to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s creativity, and the defense has figured out how to get by without its best pass rusher.
So the answer is yes, absolutely. — Carmen Vitali
Perhaps Washington deserves a seat at the table? Other than a loss at Tampa Bay in Jayden Daniels‘ first NFL start, the Commanders only other defeat was a seven-point loss to the Baltimore Ravens, one of the best teams in the AFC. On the other hand, Washington’s most impressive win this year came on a Hail Mary against the Chicago Bears, the last-place team in the NFC North. So, I think at this point of the season, this game pits the top two teams in the NFC in the best division in football. And the winner should be given top billing as the best team in the conference. — Eric D. Williams
Can the Browns push for a playoff bid with Jameis Winston under center, or was their win over the Ravens just a one-week bounce?
With a defense still playing well and a group of playmakers on offense that includes Nick Chubb, Elijah Moore, Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku, the Browns are more than capable of going on a run. Winston remains a prolific passer who can dial up big plays. And Cleveland’s next four opponents — the Chargers, Saints, Steelers and Broncos — are all beatable teams. If the Browns fall out of the playoff picture early, they will be the type of team that opponents do not want to face down the backstretch of the season — a talented squad with nothing to lose. — Eric D. Williams
It was a one-week bounce. It’s going to be too difficult for any of these 2-6 teams to make the playoffs in the AFC this year. It’s such a strong set of teams at the top. And it’s not like AFC North is vulnerable. The Browns still live in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The Steelers and Ravens look like clear-cut playoff teams. And the Bengals can beat anyone with Joe Burrow under center. It’s hard to imagine this Browns team rallying around Winston for a truly epic playoff run, particularly after trading Amari Cooper. They played great against the Ravens — who played down to their opponent. But even if the Browns play well the rest of the way, they’re in too big of a hole. — Henry McKenna
Is Colts QB Anthony Richardson asking to be subbed out for being tired going to spell the end for him in Indy? Or is this all overblown?
I think it will be the end for him in Indy eventually — but not because of tapping out. Taking a break is a very bad look, but I’m of the belief that it actually happens more than we think. It’s just that no one has been foolish enough to admit it like Richardson did.
At the same time, we must remember that the former No. 4 overall pick is just 22 years old, and before his benching, had been the youngest QB1 since the start of last season. There’s a lot he’s still learning. This is something I believe he grows from — even if it winds up being elsewhere long-term.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Colts frame his benching as a learning opportunity behind an experienced, Super Bowl-winning quarterback like 39-year-old Joe Flacco. But the reality is that there just aren’t many examples in recent NFL history of early-round quarterbacks who have been Day 1 starters, were benched and came back to have success with that same team. — Ben Arthur
The subbing situation is absolutely overblown. It was clearly immature of Richardson to leave the game — and then to admit he’d done it because he was tired. But if a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes admitted to needing a break, everyone would laugh. No one would criticize Mahomes. So that helps us see what’s really in question: Richardson’s body of work. Criticism of his play is not overblown. He’s a developmental quarterback who hasn’t improved at the pace we’d expect. That counts on the field, where he’s still missing easy throws. That counts off the field, where he’s mishandling the media.
The Colts have decided to let Joe Flacco take over for a playoff push. That’ll only cast more doubt on Richardson’s development. He’s sitting back and watching more when what he really seems to need is game reps. The Colts have a good team that can support him. He’s started just 10 NFL games and he was a college starter for just one season. I don’t know what the Colts expected from Richardson if not growing pains. He’s already struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. Pulling him now? It spells trouble. It shows a lack of commitment to his development. It’s a bad look for the Colts. — Henry McKenna
Which team will the Maryland Miracle ultimately impact more – the Commanders or the Bears?
If it impacts the Bears, they’re in big trouble. This is the kind of game that you need to move on from and forget about as soon as possible — except if you’re Tyrique Stevenson. Then you need to think long and hard about how you play and about not getting carried away to the point of costing your team a game. This could come back around to bite the Bears at the end of the season if they have any playoff hopes, but I’ve been very vocal about that not being the expectation for this team. The resiliency they showed prior to the Hail Mary to take the lead after being behind all game is incredibly encouraging. They need to use that resiliency now to bounce back.
What went wrong for Chicago on Sunday?
The Commanders, on the other hand, executed the last drive to perfection and again proved to be an offense that can move the ball. Jayden Daniels played through his rib injury and has now proven how comfortable he is in his new scheme. In turn, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury trusts him enough to continue to open up the offense. This game should go further in building that trust and seeing the whole playbook come to life for Daniels, which is ahead of schedule for a rookie quarterback. — Carmen Vitali
I’ve heard coaches tell me for years that you learn more from losses than you do from wins, and maybe that’s true. But you don’t gain any confidence or momentum from losses. And when you win a game that you know you almost lost, that you were probably lucky to win, there’s a real chance you can get all of that.
That’s why I think the Commanders will get the most out of this game. The momentum and confidence part is obvious. It has to give them a feeling like they’re in the midst of a special year. Going into games feeling like you can’t lose can be a really powerful thing. But they also know this wasn’t a great game for them. They thoroughly outplayed the Bears. They had nearly 500 yards of offense. But until that final Hail Mary, they couldn’t get in the end zone. That might be their biggest problem, and it was exposed for everyone to see. So they’ve got something glaring to fix. It’s like a check on their unbridled confidence.
The Bears right now are just picking up the pieces. The Commanders can see how close they are to completing their puzzle. — Ralph Vacchiano
At the season’s halfway point, biggest overachieving and underachieving teams and why?
Pittsburgh and Washington are obvious choices, but let’s give Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals some love here. Few expected Arizona to be leading the NFC West at the midpoint of the season, but the Cardinals sit at 4-4 and hold the tiebreaker because of a 2-0 record in the division. Kyler Murray is playing more consistent football and Trey McBride has emerged as one of the best tight ends in the NFL. If the Cardinals can get more consistent play from their defense, they could be dangerous in the second half of the year.
As for the biggest underachieving team, the Jets are at the top of the list. They were predicted to compete for a Super Bowl, but Robert Saleh was fired five games into the season and Aaron Rodgers has failed to spark the offense, even with the addition of his security blanket in Davante Adams. — Eric D. Williams
The Denver Broncos had one of the worst offenses and defenses in the NFL last year and they sure looked like they were starting a rebuilding process during the offseason. Not only that, they put their faith in a rookie quarterback (Bo Nix) who got off to a terrible start.
So how are they 5-3? Sean Payton has surely done one of the NFL’s best coaching jobs, and so has his defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph. They basically rode the NFL’s No. 3 defense and just found ways to keep Nix out of trouble until he found his footing. He has thrown just one interception in the past six games, which is why the Broncos have won five of them. None of the current contenders was more unexpected than them.
On the flip side, remember all that hype about the New York Jets being a healthy Aaron Rodgers away from the Super Bowl? Well, Rodgers is healthy, they still have a dazzling array of young skill players, a top-five defense and … well, they’re 2-6 and have already fired their coach. Disappointments are nothing new for the Jets, but this is an unprecedented flop for them. They probably were never a Super Bowl team, but they have the talent to be a lot better than they are. — Ralph Vacchiano
Are Aaron Rodgers and the Jets finished after dropping to 2-6?
In the final days before the Nov. 5 trade deadline, one surprising big name who could be on the move?
I’m going to throw out DK Metcalf. The Seahawks are very much alive in the playoff hunt, being that they’re in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West, but the sixth-year receiver has no guaranteed money left on his contract after this season. A third contract would likely take him to age 30 (he’ll turn 27 in December), which could be a turn-off for general manager John Schneider. And Seattle could net a strong return for an elite receiver who’s playing at a high level (he’s averaging 81.1 receiving yards per game, eighth-most in the NFL) and has been relatively healthy throughout his career. The Seahawks would be equipped to absorb the loss too, with receivers Tyler Lockett and Jaxon-Smith Njigba and tight end Noah Fant. — Ben Arthur
[RELATED: Cooper Kupp, DK Metcalf headline WRs who could move before trade deadline]
How about Jets cornerback D.J. Reed? The Jets were just buyers with Davante Adams. And they’re not going to turn around and trade him (or any of their quarterback’s buddies) because they might want to try to convince Aaron Rodgers not to retire. But a guy like Reed could net a nice return and take some money off the books this year.
The tricky thing for the Jets (when compared to other sellers like the Panthers) is that they’re likely not going to be big spenders in free agency. So Reed would need to command a serious draft pick, commensurate with what he’d net the Jets as a compensatory pick. That’s why the Panthers sold off Diontae Johnson at such a low price — they will likely be buyers in free agency, which would eliminate any shot at compensatory picks.
But given how well Reed has played on the perimeter, he could be a worthwhile addition for a team in serious need of secondary reinforcements. The Jets can sell without offending Rodgers, in part because they can make that pick now as opposed to waiting on the compensatory formula to award them a selection in 2026. — Henry McKenna
The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams).
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