Did Sam Darnold ever play his last game in the Carolina Panthers uniform? With a shoulder injury, Darnold could return to the game in December, but according to Adam Shefter (ESPN), the Panthers are preparing to play the rest of the season without him. PJ Walker was the team’s starting quarterback in Sunday’s 34-10 win in Arizona, but Cam Newton stole the show with his two touchdowns (one passing and one on the ground). Newton will likely get the first start of his second stint with the Panthers next Sunday when his former head coach Ron Rivera and the Washington squad will be in Charlotte. Newton and Rivera spent nine seasons together with the Panthers. Quarterback fighter Chase Young, however, will miss the meeting and the rest of the season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament on Sunday near Washington. Will Newton’s return to Carolina and the return to the game of running back Christian McAffrey be enough to allow the Panthers to qualify for the January tournament? Possible. Especially if the young defense of the Panthers, who are currently 5-5, makes their contribution. One thing is certain, the presence of Newton will make the Panthers more interesting in the second half of the season.
A growing list of wounded
Coming close to surprising the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings earlier this season, the Lions pulled off a 16-16 draw from the Steelers in Pittsburgh in a game that turned out to be a comedy of errors on Sunday. They will therefore not be the first to lose 17 games in the same season. In addition to their loss-flavored draw, the Steelers lost the services of several players. TJ Watt will likely miss at least Sunday’s game in Los Angeles against the Chargers with knee and hip injuries. Cornerback Joe Haden (foot) and guards Trai Turner (ankle) and Kevin Dotson (ankle) also finished the game on the sidelines. It’s still unclear when Chase Claypool (toe) and Stephon Tuitt (knee) will play, and Ben Roethlisberger (COVID-19) did not play against the Lions, being replaced by Mason Rudolph, who was very ordinary after a first. promising series. The Steelers could also be without safety half Minkah Fitzpatrick (COVID-19), which would be a heavy loss to Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ aerial game.
The Browns in troubled waters
Injured to a knee on Sunday in Foxborough, Baker Mayfield seems to have avoided the worst and his case will be reassessed daily. The Cleveland Browns have lost four of their last six games, however, and sit last in the North American. For the first time since taking office, Kevin Stefanski will therefore have to find a way to get his team out of a bad streak. The head coach is also said to have spoken with Myles Garrett, who criticized the work of the club’s coaches after the 45-7 beating the Browns suffered at the hands of the New England Patriots. The Lions will be in Cleveland on Sunday, then the Browns will face the Baltimore Ravens twice in a row. In order to make the playoffs for the second year in a row for the first time since 1989, the Browns will absolutely need to perform well in their intradivisional games. Mayfield, meanwhile, could play his future with the organization in the coming months. Some observers doubt it will be the long-term solution for the Browns, who have assembled a team that is among the most talented on the tour. If his playing career were not to go his way, Mayfield could turn to an acting career. We never tire of seeing its advertisements (at home with Baker Mayfield) on the small screen.
The Awakening of the Chiefs
After a first half of the season that had something to worry about their fiercest supporters, the Kansas City Chiefs finally looked like the team they formed from 2018 to 2020, Sunday night in Las Vegas. With their 41-14 dominance over the Raiders, the Chiefs are back on top of the West American. Patrick Mahomes (35 for 50 for 406 yards and 5 touchdowns) played his best game in 2021 and the Chiefs’ defense limited Derek Carr and the Raiders to 299 yards of attack, in addition to causing two turnovers that seemed to shatter the morale of the latter. The Chiefs’ next game should be a delight for fans of the offensive game as they receive a visit from Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Cowboys had a blast against the Atlanta Falcons, which they pulverized 43-3 on Sunday, a good way to forget their embarrassing loss to the Denver Broncos the week before.
In the field, nothing to complain about …
Aaron Rodgers lost the esteem of many people last week. First, because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 even though he had suggested that he was, and second, because some of his comments during an interview with the ex-kicker Pat McAfee would have made the most ardent anti-vaccines very proud. That said, it’s extremely difficult to criticize his game. Even though he hadn’t trained with his team in over a week, Rodgers completed 23 of his 37 passes for 292 yards in the 17-game win. -0 of the Packers against the Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay. The Packers also received good news on Monday as Aaron Jones’ knee injury is not believed to be serious. Jones and AJ Dillon are currently the best pair of running backs in the NFL, except perhaps the one made up of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. The Packers’ defense has also been playing very well for a month, especially the tertiary sector. She muzzled Russell Wilson on his return to play. With a 3-6 record, the Seahawks have little room to maneuver to advance to the playoffs.
The Pats are back
If that weren’t clear enough yet, it should be since Sunday: The New England Patriots are already back in the squad of good NFL teams. They scored the last 45 points of the game after giving the Browns a touchdown in what was their fourth straight win. The Pats could be 8-2 rather than 6-4, but their narrow losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys are further examples that Bill Belichick’s roster should be taken very seriously. Unless they lose key players to injuries, it would be very surprising if the Patriots didn’t return to the playoffs after a year-long absence. The question is rather whether they will cap the Buffalo Bills at the top of the East Division of the American. Excellent on both sides of the ball, the Bills remain the favorites for the title, but the two games between them and the Patriots (December 6 and 26) will likely decide the section champion. Mac Jones and Patriots to kick off 11e week of activities by visiting Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.