National Football League

National Football League

We had four non-first-round rookie quarterbacks take snaps this week -- Riley Leonard, Shedeur Sanders, Brady Cook and Tyler Shough. We had three interceptions behind the line of scrimmage -- two in one game between the Bengals and Bills. And we had the most important play in NFL history: a third-and-2 from the Chargers' 21 on which Jalen Hurts threw an interception to Da'Shawn Hand, who fumbled the ball on the return,

The only reason why it's a big week this week is because we have a game and we got to win it,

The Dallas Cowboys needed a break over the weekend. They just finished a span of four games in 18 days with their 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday, which ended a three-game win streak and dropped them to 6-6-1 on the season. Bodies were sore. Minds were worn. "I do think it's good for our players to get their bodies back right," coach Brian Schottenheimer said as preparations began for Sunday's home game against the 5-8 Minnesota Vikings ( 8:20 p.m. ET).

Chaisson has been a revelation in his inaugural campaign with the Patriots. He's been everything they could've hoped for and more since inking him to a one-year, $3 million "prove it" deal this past March. An 11-2 New England club went on bye atop the AFC standings and with its first division title since 2019 firmly in reach. Chaisson has unexpectedly been at the center of it all.

Because the Patriots were not only excited to finally get to their bye week but also to show off on national television for the last time until the playoffs, they played with an edge against the Giants in a way that was indicative of a Vrabel-led team. That was particularly true of the defense, which was hitting hard all night and, in some cases, being penalized because of it.

Almost two years into his professional career, that's not the case anymore. Newton had a first-round grade with most experts. General manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn presented him with the Commander Gold Tag, reserved for primary targets who align with their desired ethos. When he slipped through the cracks and into their laps at No. 36 overall, Washington didn't hesitate to bring him on board.

Over the last few years, the Patriots have lost every member of the dynasty team either by cutting them outright or letting them leave in free agency, becoming the official sign that the best days are in the rearview mirror. That has led fans to hope some of them will eventually return after spending time with other teams, including a beloved cornerback who remains unsigned this season.

LAS VEGAS -- Quarterback Geno Smith suffered a right shoulder injury on Sunday, during the Las Vegas Raiders' 24-17 loss to the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium. Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Smith's shoulder "locked up" after getting hit while completing a 3-yard pass to tight end Brock Bowers to close out the third quarter. Smith went into the locker room, and backup quarterback Kenny Pickett played for the entire fourth quarter. Pickett completed 8 of 11 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

CFP qualifier Tulane is expected to promote veteran assistant Will Hall to head coach, sources tell ESPN. He replaces Jon Sumrall who, last week, accepted the job to coach at Florida. Hall, 45, was the Green Wave's offensive coordinator in 2019-20 before he left to become head coach at Southern Miss from 2021-24. The Golden Eagles went 14-30 over the four seasons with Hall at the helm.

Green Bay Packers wideout Christian Watson is heating up. One week after a 51-yard touchdown reception against the Detroit Lions, Watson struck from distance again Sunday in a huge NFC North matchup with the Chicago Bears. Watson caught a slant on third-and-3 from the Bears' 41-yard line in the third quarter and went into the end zone untouched. In the process, he reached the top speed of the week at 21.6 mph and helped the Packers reclaim the division lead with a 28-21 victory.