Who is next to make a move in the AFC?

Around the AFC

Grumpier old men. The 2024 presidential election of quarterback matchups — old vs. older — turned into quite a barn-burner. Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns and definitely didn’t know the “6-7” celebration Darnell Washington did after one of them. Joe Flacco has hardly been in Cincinnati long enough to figure out where the early bird specials are, and yet he hit Ja’Marr Chase 16 times on 23 targets for 161 yards and a TD. Cincy pulled it out late and suddenly looks like a team that could survive until a late-season Joe Burrow return.

We beat the Broncos. Denver’s two losses are walk-offs on the road against Indianapolis and the L.A. Chargers. Those teams are sitting near the top of the AFC currently and square off this weekend at SoFi. The Colts’ offense is absolutely humming. The Chargers stopped their slide by narrowly beating Miami last weekend. This should be a good one – and could well have seeding impact come January.

Very good Vrabel. The three teams above would represent the top three seeds in the AFC if the playoffs started today. No. 4? Drake Maye and New England. How about that? Mike Vrabel’s done a heck of a job in his return to Massachusetts. Now, actually winning the division against Buffalo is a monster ask, but the Patriots have won three straight and two other divisional teams — the Dolphins and Jets — are very bad. This team can stay in the playoff picture.

Around the NFC

Bears back? Is the endangered Chicago Bear about to stumble out of the wilderness after three decades of irrelevance? Are they really, actually back? Well, they’ve got a chance to stake their claim the next few weeks. Not only is Chicago 3-2 under coach Ben Johnson and QB Caleb Williams and winners of three straight, but their next four games are against New Orleans, Baltimore, CIncinnati and the Giants. Time to gorge.

Are you for real? The Eagles have suddenly lost two straight games and now face Minnesota. If the Vikings lose Sunday, they could find themselves in last place in the NFC North. This is a matchup of teams that started the year as prime NFC contenders and still might be, but are each currently in a bit of a state of flux. Either could get hot, but both have major questions. In Philly: How to get a dormant offense of star players fully rolling. In Minnesota: What’s the plan at quarterback?

Bryce is nice. Since throwing two interceptions in Carolina’s season-opening loss, quarterback Bryce Young has thrown nine touchdowns against three picks and led the Panthers to three wins. This team’s not particularly good, but Young continues to show signs of growth after really struggling as a rookie. Doesn’t hurt to have a back like Rico Dowdle, who is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards and looks like a steal after signing for one year and $2.75 million this spring.

Game of the Week

Tampa Bay at Detroit

Baker Mayfield is playing like an MVP candidate, and he’s about to get receiver Mike Evans back, too. The Bucs have been awfully fun to watch with rookie WR Emeka Egbuka quickly becoming a star and Bo Nix’s brother, Tez Johnson, coming on strong recently too. They’ve got a big challenge on their hands this weekend on the road against the Lions, though, where Dan Campbell’s team has caught fire since a lackluster Week 1 loss. That’s enough to make Detroit a 5.5-point favorite against the team with the best record in the conference.

Lions 27, Buccaneers 23

Lock of the Week

Las Vegas at Kansas City

Don’t look now, but the Chiefs offense is heating up. They’ve scored 37, 28 and 30 the past three weeks, and in that stretch Patrick Mahomes has eight TD passes vs. one interception. Oh, and Kansas City gets top receiver Rashee Rice back from a six-game suspension starting Sunday against the division-rival Raiders. Pete Carroll’s team, meanwhile, has really struggled. Quarterback Geno Smith is comfortably leading the NFL with 10 interceptions and star tight end Brock Bowers has been slowed by injury. If KC gets off to a good start, the 12.5-point line might not be enough.

Chiefs 34, Raiders 20

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