The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills played a great game, producing one new fantasy takeaway. Sean Tucker dominated the scoring for the Bucs with three touchdowns, including two on the ground. He looked fantastic as a receiver out of the backfield — very important since the Tampa Bay passing game has fallen on hard times.
Tucker, who has been performing at a high level in the pros and probably would have been a second-round pick if he were healthy in his draft year, had 21 touches for 140 yards. But Rachaad White isn’t getting totally swept aside, as his success rate for the season is very high, remaining higher than Tucker’s, and he was effective again in Buffalo (51 yards on 10 carries). Bucky Irving is week to week. Irving might be back in Week 12, but who knows. Sunday’s events are bad for people who held on to Irving, as his role may be limited.
The Bucs punted to lose, opting to kick on fourth-and-2 midway through the fourth quarter near midfield. Their chances of subsequently holding the Bills without a score in a game they already were trailing by five were low, and Josh Allen and company moved the ball down the field like a hot knife through butter. Allen was at his best despite two picks, and Tyrell Shavers emerged as a top target. I’ll talk about Shavers at more length in Tuesday’s “Market Share Report.”
Allen is the second QB ever with three passing TDs and three rushing TDs in the same game (he has done it twice). The other such game was by the most underrated QB in NFL history: Otto Graham (1954).
Early games: Young walks tall; Jefferson disappoints again
Washington vs. Miami (Madrid): This was a pathetic outing by Tua Tagovailoa against the NFL’s worst pass defense. So much for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, as it seems like Chris Rodriguez is the primary back now for the Commanders. Deebo Samuel is averaging 7 yards per catch over the past five games, but he had touchdowns in the past two.
Carolina at Atlanta: My belief was that the Falcons were not bad, especially on defense. I have to hand it to Bryce Young, who just carved up Atlanta for 448 yards and three touchdowns. He also led a fourth-quarter comeback, winning the game in overtime. I’ve given up on Young, but this is the kind of game that earns you another season at the controls — whether that ends up being positive for the Panthers remains to be seen. My skepticism about Tetairoa McMillan has always been QB-based. He dominated with Young, which was hardly surprising. But Young dominating any defense, never mind an average-ish one, was gobsmacking — for me, at least. Tyler Allgeier was a nonfactor, and Bijan Robinson dominated. That seems to happen randomly.
Houston at Tennessee: Davis Mills again came to life late in the game and got Nico Collins producing at a top level with over 25 PPR points. Woody Marks has totally shoved Nick Chubb aside. It’s basically early retirement for Chubb. But Marks did little and was a total bust as a receiver. The Texans have won three of four without C.J. Stroud dating back to last season. I am just ignoring the Titans, one of the worst offenses in league history. Tennessee had five penalties (four false starts) on its first 18 plays … at home.
Chicago at Minnesota: I’ve always believed in QB-centric WR rankings. By that, I mean if I think the QB is horrible, I basically am way below market on his team’s WRs. J.J. McCarthy had some drops, including a couple by Jordan Addison. But he airmailed and spiked a bunch of easy throws, too. Justin Jefferson has two touchdowns and 270 receiving yards in his five games with McCarthy. Caleb Williams also wasn’t good, but we can say that’s due to Minnesota’s defense. The Bears defense, on the other hand, has been horrible, and this was — on paper — a game in which McCarthy was supposed to generate momentum going into the final stretch of the season.
Green Bay at New York Giants: I was shocked by how the Giants controlled this game on the ground. They were gashing the Packers for much of the day. Tyrone Tracy Jr. finally looked good, and he and Devin Singletary combined for 187 scrimmage yards. Meanwhile, Josh Jacobs suffered a knee injury that reportedly is not season-ending, but anytime a knee knocks you out of a game, you have to expect a one- to four-game absence. Nothing about the Packers was impressive Sunday against a Giants team that, though not as bad as its record, is still bad. I’ll be shocked if the Packers make any noise in January. Can I put my finger on what the problem is? Not remotely.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: I guess we have to accept that the Steelers’ defense has rebounded. That’s not exactly shocking, given Mike Tomlin runs the unit and is obviously a good coach. I’m surprised, though. The expectation is that Ja’Marr Chase is going to be suspended for a game, given he seems to have spat on Jalen Ramsey. What an embarrassment. A man can’t spit on another man. Pittsburgh tight end Darnell Washington, who weighs 300 pounds and whom Aaron Rodgers reportedly banged the table to keep at the position rather than moving to tackle, is like an angry dad trying to teach his small children a lesson. He’s positioned to be a fan favorite for years. Jaylen Warren is like Bruce Lee out there, launching flying kicks into defenders. Is this even legal? Maybe he was trying another hurdle.
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville: It seems like the Chargers have just too many injuries to compete. I want to give Jacksonville’s defense some credit, though. The Chargers had 135 scrimmage yards and eight first downs. Nothing against Travis Etienne Jr., but Bhayshul Tuten is more exciting. He has elite speed and runs with more power than Etienne. He should start. Whether he will, who knows.
Late games: Darnold a dud, Brissett breaks record
Seattle at Los Angeles Rams: Man, I have egg on my face with all the plaudits I’ve given to Sam Darnold. He threw four picks and lost the game. His performance in big games against top teams is an issue now. He flagged the last two of last season, including one in the playoffs to the Rams. He fumbled the game away against the 49ers in the opener. Now this fiasco. It’s not fair. The bigger sample is always more predictive. But narrative trumps analytics, and Darnold is going to be criticized for falling short until he doesn’t. He’s certainly not at his best when his best is needed. The Seahawks won yards per pass play 6.3 to 4.6, which should be an 8- to 9-point win. But not with four picks. Seattle’s defense dominated (12 first downs allowed versus 26 for the Seahawks).
Kansas City at Denver: This line (Chiefs minus-4.5) seemed wrong all week, even with Patrick Surtain II out for the Broncos. Denver still has probably the best pass defense in football given its pass rush, and it held Patrick Mahomes to a pathetic 5.2 yards per pass play. Neither team could muster a running game with its starters injured. Tyquan Thornton needs to play more. He pops out there, even running down defenders on turnovers. He’s as fast as Jameson Williams. I thought Rashee Rice was going to be WR15, but that might have been optimistic.
San Francisco at Arizona: Christian McCaffrey had a good all-around game, irrespective of the touchdowns, which is more predictive of future points. Jacoby Brissett set a completion record (47). We have to pick on this San Francisco defense now. This is probably going to be good for Brock Purdy, as the Niners will be pushed to score. Bam Knight had a long TD called back (holding). We’ll save Michael Wilson for Tuesday’s column.
Baltimore at Cleveland: Myles Garrett is just unreal with four more sacks. But the less said about the offenses in this game, the better. Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers were caught from behind to prevent long TDs. Shedeur Sanders played worse than a fifth-round rookie, if that’s even possible. Quinshon Judkins seems to have hit a wall (3.3 yards per carry in his past five games).