Windy City Gridiron
1. No one cares if the Bengals’ defense is trash or if Colston Loveland only scored that game-winning touchdown because of bad tackling. That game-winning throw by Caleb Williams was immaculate—possibly the most “superstar” throw we’ve seen from him in the NFL, considering the circumstances. Enjoy it, and enjoy these cardiac Chicago Bears being the clutchest team in the league. Who knows when you’ll see anything like this again?
2. Random note: my fantasy football team has a weird glitch where having an absolutely awful defense that surrenders a ton of points is good for you. Guess which defense I just picked up off waivers last week and scored me so many points I would’ve won if I only played them against my opponent’s entire squad? If the Bengals’ defense is going to perform like this for me every week, give me the trophy now.
3. I like Raheem Morris, but “Clapgate” is a little ridiculous. The Falcons coach has internet sleuths trying to catch Patriots players “simulating” Michael Penix clapping for the snap, which they claim caused an early snap that resulted in a crucial intentional grounding penalty. The best they could find was safety Jaylinn Hawkins trying to get teammate Carlton Davis’ attention as a receiver motioned into his zone. Sometimes unfortunate stuff happens in football, and the Patriots certainly have that past history with Bill Belichick to consider. But Belichick’s gone. Plus, the Falcons might not have been in such a desperate position if their kicker hadn’t blown a key extra point just before that play. They had plenty of chances to put New England away before that, too, after harassing Drake Maye for much of the afternoon. Sometimes, it’s not them. It’s just you.
4. We used to be a proper civilization. But now? You don’t even get two pumps anymore, as Rico Dowdle discovered after his third-quarter TD run. All these goofy penalties for having too much fun or “disconcerting signals” are killing the vibe, y’all. Side note: how the $&@# are the Panthers 5-4? They are literally neck-and-neck with the Bears in the playoff hunt. Just…how?
5. Your semi-annual reminder that the Dallas Cowboys continue to be a completely unserious franchise that never fails to disappoint the nation in primetime. Getting pieced up by Jacoby Brissett in the year 2025 (or any year, really) should get your primetime slot privileges revoked. Putting the circus inside a palace doesn’t make the operation less of a circus.
6. If you like film breakdown clips, especially in this poisoned era of NFL interference, Matt Waldman does a great job. Before targeting Ashton Jeanty as his muse for his solid performance on a terrible Raiders team, he did the Lord’s work spreading the gospel of Caleb Williams, pumping the brakes on any alarm over the Bears’ young star. Check out his work, and get smarter about the game.
7. The Seahawks’ passing offense looks completely unfair right now. It’s not even just that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is basically a...
