#turnovers

#turnovers

Both the Rams and Patriots are likely going to be at or near the top of their respective conferences, so both of them have their total team success working in their favor. Every statistical edge might be enough to swing the debate one way or another. Stafford will have the edge (in all likelihood) in touchdown passes, TD/INT ratio, and his pedigree. Maye is likely going to beat him out in passer rating, completion percentage, and yards per attempt, even if he is a bit more turnover prone than No. 9 is.

I've seen enough of J.J. McCarthy. On a weekend where draftmates Bo Nix and Drake Maye assumed full command of the AFC, there was the Vikings quarterback playing football as if he had acute lead poisoning. I'm gonna try to describe McCarthy's performance in the space below, but really words don't do it proper injustice. You had to watch. You had to sit there for three miserable hours, beholding a game in which McCarthy gave the home crowd exactly one moment worth cheering for.

Bryce Hopkins finished with 15 points and 13th-ranked St. John's fended off a stiff challenge from William & Mary in the opening half before dominating the final 20 minutes of its 93-60 victory Saturday night in Queens, N.Y. After dropping eight spots in this week's top 25 poll, the Red Storm (2-1) bounced back from last week's disappointing defensive showing in a 103-96 loss to Alabama one week ago and scored 19 straight points to turn a five-point halftime lead into a rout before the midway point of the second half.

Kip Lewis had seven tackles, including two sacks, and No. 11 Oklahoma stunned fourth-ranked Alabama 23-21 on Saturday to send shock waves through the Southeastern Conference. The Sooners (7-2, 4-2 SEC) had three takeaways -- scoring 17 points off those turnovers -- and got a key stop late to end Alabama's winning streaks of eight games overall and 17 at home.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Although there weren't expectations for rookie Cam Ward to lead the Tennessee Titans to a Super Bowl in his first season, there was a degree of belief that the No. 1 pick would offer a promising look into the future. There have been flashes, such as Ward's first NFL touchdown pass -- when he threw the ball across his body while scrambling to fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

I think what separates a lot of players from this level to the NBA level is, can you do it consistently? Everyone knows what your identity is. It's the players that can do it every single night, who are the ones that get opportunities. I'm excited for our group. I still think we haven't scratched the surface for how well we can be defensively. But this was another awesome step for us.

They have had the NFL's top-producing offense for weeks. They'd also enjoyed the largest point differential in the league, having been on the right side of several blowouts. But on Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Colts left Acrisure Stadium trying to explain a six-turnover performance in their ugliest game of the season. The lessons from this 27-20 loss to the Steelers will be harder to swallow. But they can also be useful if put to use in the right way.

Washington forced NFL MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes into two early interceptions. This was a massive positive that kept the Commanders firmly in the hunt, and potentially even in the early ascendancy if these chances were seized. Unfortunately, the offense failed to score a single point off these turnovers. And they eventually paid a heavy price. That did not go unnoticed by head coach Dan Quinn during his postgame assessment.

For me, we were complicating the game at times tonight. We got burned on it. We forced pucks when we didn't need to and turned them over. They came at us, and as we've talked about, they're a talented and good rush team. They capitalized on their opportunities. More than anything, that is what it boils down to. I felt like we were disconnected at times getting through the neutral zone. It cost us.

Then again, there was truly nowhere for the Niners to go but up after the first 29 minutes of the contest. For a few, fleeting moments, the Niners' H-Town showdown with the Texans was a contest. For the rest of the game, it was a lopsided beatdown reminiscent of an early-season college football game between a blue-blood program and a directional school that was bused in for a blowout game and a nice check.