Baker Mayfield was super efficient against the Niners on Sunday, with 256 passing yards on just 23 attempts. He was also sacked just once and did not throw a pick. Emeka Egbuka was out for much of the game with a hamstring injury — he’s probably looking at a 2-to-6 week absence. Mayfield was also without Bucky Irving, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
But Mayfield made it work with backup receivers Kameron and Tez Johnson. Mayfield is just really good, an MVP contender. His scramble for a first down on 3rd-and-14 had to be seen to be believed. For someone who is not remotely a top athlete, he really knows how to make plays with his legs. He’s like Patrick Mahomes this way. It was the key play in the game.
The 49ers are decimated by injuries. We got the all-clear on Jauan Jennings, but he was clearly still very limited. Kendrick Bourne stepped into the void again. Mac Jones threw the ball well but had two picks and took six sacks (those sacks are worth about three picks). That’s how you score just 19 points despite 347 gross passing yards. Christian McCaffrey is three yards and a cloud of dust, so the team has no real threat of a running game.
Late Games: Not lovin’ Jordan
Cincinnati at Green Bay: If you thought the Bengals would let Joe Flacco grip it and rip it, you were wrong. They tried to win with methodical short-area accuracy. They just wanted the ball out of his hands quickly and he was dumped just once on 46 dropbacks. This isn’t going to work though.
Nine targets for Romeo Doubs. What is it between the Packers and this guy? They think Doubs is Don Hutson. He’s somewhere between a “ham-and-egger” and “just a guy,” in Jersey parlance. This is going to be Green Bay’s downfall. Give Matthew Golden more action if you’re going to insist on basically freezing out your best receiver, TE Tucker Kraft. Maybe this is a Jordan Love problem. Love’s stats are stellar but he doesn’t pass the eye test. Admit it, you’re not going to believe in him with two minutes left, down a score in a big game. The defense isn’t going to fear him. I can’t say what’s missing though.
Tennessee at Las Vegas: There are just not actionable takeaways here. Calvin Ridley (one target) was hurt early, if you were wondering.
Early Games: Kimani was vital; Dowdle doubles down
Broncos vs. Jets (London): We all had 10 more yards of passing offense than the Jets today. Justin Fields is just terrible. I can’t take his lack of competitive fire when I see QBs like Bo Nix fighting and diving for yards and taking on tacklers while he just slides and dives for no reason. He can’t anticipate receiver’s routes and let the ball go. His accuracy is so bad, it’s like he has the yips. I have never seen a QB who makes playing the position look harder. Yet, in his postgame interview, Aaron Glenn thought it was ridiculous to ask if he’s still the QB. It was ridiculous to start him in the second half. Jets fans want to see Brady Cook at this point and I don’t blame them (Tyrod Taylor is also terrible).
It’s hard to judge the Broncos offense since they weren’t required to play the game today, given the Jets averaged 1.4 yards per play.
Arizona vs. Indianapolis: I have to tip my cap to Jacoby Brissett, who didn’t have Marvin Harrison (concussion) for much of the game and had no running game to speak of yet produced 17 passing first downs and 70 total offensive snaps. The Colts had only eight third downs — the less you have, the better. Jonathan Taylor is the best back in football, but on the game-winning drive, the big plays were a 22-yard pass to Alec Pierce and a third-down conversion to Josh Downs to set up Taylor’s short TD. Indianapolis can lay claim right now to being the best team in the AFC. If the Colts aren’t, they’re at least in the conversation.
Chargers at Miami: Well, Kimani Vidal is definitely the starting running back now for the Chargers. Rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden fumbled, but he’s the waiver-wire story this week for the Chargers as he was a key part of their passing game (7-for-68 on eight targets). Gadsden was always viewed as a WR type playing TE. Ladd McConkey finally delivered for for the Bolts, mostly late and especially on the big catch to set up the game-winning field goal. Miami gave the game away with picks and sacks. De’Von Achane ran great and looked super explosive. There may be changes coming soon for Miami at QB and on the coaching staff, however.
New England at New Orleans: DeMario Douglas lost a second long TD on a weird off-ball offensive pass interference by another player. But Kayshon Boutte converted two scores, including one on the drive where the second Douglas TD was erased. I don’t know what Rhamondre Stevenson needs to do (fumble) or not do (have successful runs) to cede most of the running game to TreVeyon Henderson. As the Saints have gotten more feisty, the passing volume has dissipated.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh: Considering the opponent, the Steelers offense was very good — 5.8 yards per play and 7.8 yards per pass. This was Aaron Rodgers’ best game of the year. Dillon Gabriel is not a real player and the Browns had to know that. He’s too small, has too weak of an arm and also isn’t athletic. Other than that, though… In a perfect world, he’s a backup QB (I guess as long as you never have to play him). Giving Quinshon Judkins 12 rushes while you have Gabriel throw 52 passes is a choice. I will save my take on Harold Fannin for Tuesday’s “Market Share Report.”
Dallas at Carolina: You have to be kidding me with Rico Dowdle. True story: I lost a championship last year because the Cowboys gave Ezekiel Elliott a one-yard TD at the expense of Dowdle. So the fact he’s run for nearly 400 yards the past two games and beat the Cowboys Sunday gives me great joy. The Panthers gave Chuba Hubbard real money this summer, but that should be meaningless now. You have a team to think about. The NFL is war. You can’t fool the players over who should be playing. Dowdle had 56 receiving yards, too.
Javonte Williams, meanwhile, had one of those nothing games for a starting RB that rarely means anything. The entire Dallas offense was George Pickens. I’m going to give Bryce Young credit like I gave Caleb Williams credit against Dallas, but the game ball in this one goes to Dowdle. I want TDs, but they are descriptive mostly. Yards and targets are predictive, and Tetairoa McMillan didn’t get them, so color me unenthused about his two scores.
Seattle at Jacksonville: Sam Darnold is making a case for being the best QB in football. Another ho-hum 121.7 rating. He has four games in a row now over 111.4. He’s been over 100 in 17 of his last 21 games. Now think about that Fields game. The Jets never gave Darnold a chance and I blame all the supposed sharps who buried him completely, divorced from team and coaching context. It was so freakin’ obvious Darnold never had a chance! The dude had no offensive line, no receivers, mono, Adam freakin’ Gase, no defense to give him a chance… I shouted this for years and was mocked. (I am a Jets fan. Pray for me.) But every team that let Darnold go is going to regret it, no doubt.
By the way, Darnold has unlocked Jaxon Smith-Njigba, not vice versa. That bomb Darnold threw to JSN was a thing of beauty.
It’s officially time to start discussing Jaxon Smith-Njigba as a bona fide OPOY candidate. JSN has been absolutely sensational for Sam Darnold and the Seahawks.
Unstoppable.pic.twitter.com/ocfv7Ntrda
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 12, 2025
I thought Trevor Lawrence was going to go on a roll off that great game on Monday night against the Chiefs, but he had happy feet and struggled with accuracy all game. He lost a lucky long TD to Brian Thomas on a deflection off a defender when Travis Hunter egregiously lined up offside. It was like he was daring the refs to call it.
Rams at Baltimore: Could Lamar Jackson be worth the multiple touchdowns per game the Ravens are losing without him at QB? At least Derrick Henry looked Henry-like (except when he was stuffed at the goal line.) We’re just assuming Jackson is back after the Week 7 bye, but what if this is a six-week hamstring issue?
Matthew Stafford was not sharp and missed a wide open Davante Adams twice in the end zone — on consecutive plays. As for Puka Nacua, we were told it was an ankle and then maybe a broken leg and now it’s a hamstring? Here’s an internet doc’s injury analysis on him.