That game might have had drama, but it was mostly junk. Too many penalties, too many turnovers, and too much of the game turning on fumbles returned for touchdowns. Maybe having the 49ers minus six colored my perception a bit — Seattle was clearly the right side — but that wasn’t high-quality football. • The Seahawks had the right defensive game-plan — sell out to stop the run and take your chances with Jimmy Garoppolo and the wobbly passing game. George Kittle’s absence made that easier, and the 49ers lost Emmanuel Sanders mid-game, but Garoppolo looked uncomfortable in the pocket, took five ..read more

I was feeling pretty good about the week, heading into Sunday night. My best NFFC team was up 30, and my opponent had only Dalvin Cook left, making me a decent-sized favorite. And my other NFFC team scored 189 points, putting it back into contention for the postseason. I was 6-4-1 ATS, won my best bet, was 2-1 so far in the Super Contest with the Cowboys and 49ers to go. I also had one team that was leading, but an underdog with my opponent having Michael Gallup and Jimmy Garoppolo going Monday night. But Cook scored 31, knocking my top NFFC team to 7-2, the Cowboys obviously didn’t cover, an ..read more

Aside from the ref show, that wasn’t a terrible game. You can tell how much better the Raiders are this year — good offensive line play, better coverage, lots of easy check-down options for Derek Carr when the downfield stuff isn’t there. They’re having a good year, and it’s hard not to wonder how much better the offense would have been had Antonio Brown not gone insane. • It was a modest game for Carr, but he made good decisions, didn’t make mistakes and moved the offense. The Philip Rivers’ pick six cost him a possession in the first half, too. • Josh Jacobs hits the hole decisively and bre ..read more

Today’s TNF slate features one of the most engaging matchups of the year: two divisional rivals on the rise, both of whom stand at four wins and are hoping to push for a playoff berth down the stretch. In this week’s edition of the NFL O-Line Overview, we’ll dissect the current status of the offensive fronts that’ll appear on prime-time tonight, and what impact those units will have on the game. And, of course, we’ll check in on which groups are rising and falling around the league. Risers: Los Angeles Chargers: Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler combined for a season-high 159 rushing yards duri ..read more

That was a horrible game. The Cowboys were the better team — much tougher on both sides of the line of scrimmage — and much better in coverage. But the Giants still got screwed on the obvious PI that wasn’t added on review, and then a ticky-tack PI against them on the next drive that resulted in a Dallas touchdown. Not that they would have won, but they might have covered. The other issue was I had Saquon Barkley and Brett Maher in one league, down 31 and was going against Barkley up 33. I won the latter, and when I checked this morning after watching the game, lost the former by two tenths o ..read more

It could be a great week or merely a decent one, pending some tight matchups in the Monday night game. Unfortunately, I both have and am going against Saquon Barkley, and it won’t be an easy needle to thread. • The Ravens should have put the Patriots away early, but muffed a punt up 17-0 to let them back in the game, then followed up with another fumble in the second quarter. But the Patriots could have gotten the lead before Julian Edelman fumbled (which was taken to the house), and even after that, the Ravens converted a key fourth down to extend their penultimate drive and keep their exhau ..read more

I had the Cardinals plus 9.5, so for me it was an entertaining game. But I also sat Kenyan Drake for Phillip Lindsay at the last minute, so it could have been better. • Jimmy Garoppolo is good enough. The Niners have an offensive mastermind running the show, fast backs, a top-five all-time TE and a professional receiver with Emmanuel Sanders. Garoppolo doesn’t have to carry the team on his back, but he made big throws all game on third down, and Sanders could be a game-changer for him. • It figures after a monster Week 8 Tevin Coleman would be shut down entirely this week. Matt Breida was the ..read more

From pass protection to run blocking, every aspect of the modern NFL offense runs through the O-line. Aside from skill position players themselves, nothing has a larger impact on the outcome of a play call than the battle up front. In the Offensive Line Overview series, we look at which of the league’s 32 offensive lines are trending up and down. As the Cardinals prepare to face off against San Francisco’s swarming defense, we’ll evaluate which O-line across the league are helping hold down the fort, and which are impeding their team. Risers: Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers’ offense hasn’t ..read more

A couple weeks ago, I couldn’t buy a break. Now they’re being handed to me like strip-club leaflets on Las Vegas Boulevard. I had the Dolphins plus 14.5 — thankfully, the refs ruled the lineman’s forward progress stopped on the late fumble, so the Steelers got neither a defensive TD nor a potential spread-covering field goal. Moreover, I had Juju Smith-Schuster (JSS) going against James Conner in one matchup and JSS against Dionte Johnson in another. I won both games by three points. • Mason Rudolph is okay, probably worthy of being an NFL backup. He showed something, down 14-0 to a winless t ..read more

Finally a decent week of football for me. Pending Monday night, I’m 10-4 against the spread, Daniel Jones looked like a future star for the Giants and I won both my NFFC league matchups. The only negative was I made the Jets my best bet, but file that under getting what I deserved. What kind of human being makes the Jets his best bet? • Aaron Jones looked like peak Marshall Faulk Sunday night — he could have had another TD had he not stepped out of bounds at the 10 on a long pass too. It’s amazing Mike McCarthy refused to commit to him for so long. Jamaal Williams scored two TDs of his own ..read more