Windy City Gridiron
1) Either reports of Detroit’s demise are greatly exaggerated, or the Bears just suck. Good on Caleb Williams for showing some improvement, I guess. Way to make it 52-21 rather than like 52-10. But you know who hasn’t improved much at his job? His general manager. Just want to point out that I wrote this back in January…is it too late to take that extension back?
2) At this rate, we won’t have enough healthy ankles, knees, and toes to give all of these injured QBs. (Also, what is going on with this rash of torn toe ligaments?) We did not sign up for another season of Joe Burrow missing basically the entire year, and the Bengals definitely didn’t after all that money they shelled out to keep the band together for one last run. But hey, at least Carson Wentz might get to start for his sixth new team in six years, eh?
3) Chris Jones put on a legendary hating performance at the end of the Eagles’ win over the Chiefs on Sunday, taunting Hurts about barely reaching 100 yards passing. The QB’s response was utter perfection. Hold that L. Also, talk all the mess you want about the “Tush Push,” but it feels like the Chiefs might’ve had a better chance at winning if Harrison Butker didn’t miss so far to the right, Travis Kelce didn’t gift-wrap the Eagles a goal-line INT, and Patrick Mahomes didn’t yeet deep balls 10 yards past a guy who runs a 4.2 40.
4) My wife and daughter’s gateway drug into football madness might’ve been the Dolphins and Patriots trading return touchdowns last Sunday—first one of those since Desmond Howard and Deion Sanders—and I’m here for it. There’s nothing like the special teams coach getting ready to murder each and every person on the punt unit only to immediately turn around and high-five most of those same guys for pulling off a kick-return TD on the next play.
5) Thank God for Brandon Aubrey casually being a stone-cold killer and Cameron Dicker becoming the most accurate kicker in NFL history last night. Some kickers are out here casually nailing 55-yarders like layups. Speaking of kickers, no one misses that creepy weirdo Justin Tucker.
6) Oh yeah, guess who has the highest regular-season passer rating in NFL history? That would be one Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr., who just crept to the top spot with a wild 102.6 rating for his career. First off: not bad for a guy everyone thought should change positions coming out of college. Second: Jackson being No. 1 means Aaron Rodgers is NOT, which is always a win.
7) If I were the Pittsburgh Steelers’ special teams coach, I’m not sure I’m ever putting Kaleb Johnson back to receive another kickoff after he gifted Seattle with quite possibly the easiest touchdown they’ll ever score. Muffing the kickoff is one thing. Not going after the ball is another. (I also have special anger about this because an old teammate...
