What we realized in NFL Presen 8: Feed Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown; Jets in playoff hunt? newsfragment

As soon as 5-0 and having a look totally unbeatable, the San Francisco 49ers have abruptly dropped 3 in a row.

As soon as 1-3, having a look dismal and disjointed, Joe Burrow and the Bengals abruptly seem like … Joe Burrow and the Bengals.

“I don’t use that word unbelievable anymore,” Cincinnati schoolmaster Zac Taylor stated nearest his quarterback’s three-touchdown week in a powerful 31-17 win in San Francisco.

“Because that’s what you come to expect.”

Simply now not in September, it appears.

The Inexperienced Bay Packers nonetheless can’t have the ability to attain within the first 1/2 — 9 issues blended of their endmost 5 — and feature now misplaced 4 in a row.

“Myself, it’s too bumpy right now,” Jordan Love stated. “I need to find consistency in my play.”

The Minnesota Vikings, winners of 3 in a row nearest Sunday’s win in opposition to Love and the Packers, concern they’ve misplaced Kirk Cousins for the season.

And for the primary occasion since Peyton Manning was once their quarterback — long ago in 2015 — the Denver Broncos beat the Chiefs, snapping Kansas Town’s 16-game streak within the sequence.

On a sloppy Sunday around the NFL that featured the likes of Brett Rypien, Tommy DeVito, Taylor Heinicke, Mitch Trubisky and Tyson Bagent stepping in at quarterback for his or her respective groups — spoiler: none removed from a victory — Burrow’s remark within the Bay Department was once essentially the most resounding.

The calf trauma? Historical past.

Burrow? Again in MVP method.

The Bengals? Contenders over again.

Burrow completed with simply 4 incompletions in opposition to the once-vaunted 49ers protection, a unit that’s allowed 852 blended yards of their endmost two losses, to the Vikings and Bengals. Burrow carved up San Francisco’s zone many of the afternoon, after when the 49ers switched into guy, discovered his favourite goal, Ja’Marr Chase, after all zone for a decisive third-quarter landing. It was once antique Burrow and antique Bengals — brutally environment friendly, all the time armed with a solution — and it certainly places them again within the dialog within the AFC.

As for the 49ers, Brock Purdy threw two second-half interceptions and has now misplaced 3 immediately nearest profitable the primary 10 regular-season begins of his occupation. His teammates had his again in a while.

“He’s the reason why we have a chance to win games,” linebacker Fred Warner stated of Purdy, announcing the protection was once accountable for the group’s fresh skid. Up then: a much-welcomed bye.

Right here’s what else stood out from Presen 8:

Give them the ball, see what occurs

All this speak about how offenses are suffering this season, about how scoring has dipped, about how quarterbacks — with uncommon exception — haven’t been as prolific as fresh years.

Future enough quantity of that’s true, so is that this: The league’s excellent huge receivers haven’t bogged down.

No longer Sunday. No longer for many of this season. In Miami, Tyreek Hill has already eclipsed 1,000 yards simply 8 video games in, changing into the primary participant in NFL historical past to take action. The Dolphins finished a season sweep of the Patriots, profitable 31-17 in Miami.

Hill has been unstoppable for many of his occupation, together with his first six seasons in Kansas Town. However by means of his personal admission, he’s by no means appeared this just right.

“I am light years ahead of where I was then,” Hill stated Sunday, when requested about his Chiefs days.

He’ll face his former group for the primary occasion then era in Germany.

In Washington, Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown changed into the primary participant in league historical past with 125 receiving yards in six consecutive video games. The Eagles (a league-best 7-1) finished a season sweep of the Commanders with a 38-31 win.

And in Dallas, CeeDee Lamb erupted for 9 catches, 122 yards and two touchdowns — all earlier than halftime. “Give me the ball and see what happens,” Lamb stated lately. The Rams discovered Sunday what that appears like. Lamb was once deadly. The Cowboys stored feeding him. And earlier than the Rams may just blink, the ranking was once 33-3.

The Cowboys (5-2) completed it off 43-20, their fourth win by means of 20 or extra issues this season.

On a Sunday that noticed a superior selection of additional QBs jerk the area, the league’s true cream-of-the-crop receivers reminded everybody in their use.

Now and again, there’s merely incorrect solution for them.

Did the Titans simply in finding their quarterback?

It’s all the time too quickly, too impulsive, to put together any kind of a daring proclamation nearest a unmarried competition.

However one get started into Will Levis’ occupation in Tennessee, it’s crispy to not assume the Titans will have discovered their then quarterback.

For a 2-4 group floundering in a little bit of a incorrect guy’s land this season — unused basic supervisor Ran Carthon needed to inform Derrick Henry they weren’t buying and selling him earlier than Tuesday’s cut-off date, regardless of inquiries from alternative groups — the Titans had to see one thing from both Levis or second-year QB Malik Willis, who struggled mightily endmost season as a rookie.

Put merely, with Ryan Tannehill out, they wanted both Levis or Willis to grasp ahold of the founding process.

On Sunday, Levis did.

The second one-round pick out, who famously tumbled in endmost spring’s draft, made his NFL debut in opposition to the Falcons, and all he did was once throw for extra touchdowns (4) than Tannehill, the Titans’ veteran starter, had all season (two). Levis strutted his monster arm, hitting DeAndre Hopkins for 3 ratings, together with one for 47 yards and any other for 61.

“He plays the game like he’s been here before,” Hopkins stated of his rookie quarterback.

Due to Levis and Hopkins, the Titans moved to 3-4 with a 28-23 victory in opposition to Atlanta. Levis shared snaps with Willis, however Willis by no means tried a move, impaired best in dashing statuses. And because of Levis’ sterling debut — he completed 19-for-29 for 238 yards, 4 TDs and a 130.5 passer score — there’s slight query which of the 2 QBs the Titans will flip to shifting ahead.

If Levis continues in this trajectory, and Anthony Richardson returns to the method he flashed early this season in Indianapolis, the AFC South figures to be a dozen of amusing within the coming years. All 4 groups, together with Jacksonville (Trevor Lawrence) and Houston (C.J. Stroud), seem like they’ve succesful franchise quarterbacks in park for years yet to come.

Hope, in Carolina.

Fleeting because it could be, it’s one thing.

And this franchise wanted it.

Later six consecutive losses to perceivable the yr, questions on their choice on the govern of endmost spring’s draft and a unexpected transfer in offensive play-caller — schoolmaster Frank Reich passing tasks off to his offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown — the Panthers wanted one thing to progress proper. The rest, actually.

Enough quantity did Sunday.

In a competition that includes the govern 3 alternatives from the latest draft — the primary occasion that’s ever took place in NFL historical past — Bryce Younger earned his first win as an NFL starter, serving to the Panthers to a 15-13 win in opposition to Stroud, Will Anderson Jr. and the Texans. It have shyed away from a 0-7 get started for Carolina, which might had been the franchise’s worst relationship again to 1998.

Younger led a 15-play, 58-yard power around the competition’s ultimate 6:17 to arrange Eddy Pineiro’s 22-yard, game-winning area target. And with that, each group within the NFL has no less than one win this season.

“Down one, go out and try to take the game, what else would you hope for?” Younger stated upcoming.

The Panthers stay slim on skill, particularly on the offensive talent positions, however incorrect group desires to go into November with out a victory.

Are the Jets actually within the early AFC playoff race? (Sure)

“They don’t ask you how, they ask how many,” Jets schoolmaster Robert Saleh stated nearest this one, aptly summing up the offensively challenged fight of Unutilized York his group one way or the other eked out in time beyond regulation.

Saleh’s proper. Overlook the main points. Toss out the field ranking. When your superstar quarterback, who additionally occurs to be a Corridor-of-Famer-in-waiting, is misplaced 4 snaps into the season, you don’t say sorry for the wins that apply.

4 of their first seven, together with 3 in a row?

Doesn’t topic the way you get them. Doesn’t topic what they seem like. Doesn’t topic if the sport featured simply 4 third-down conversions (in 34 makes an attempt) and 24 punts.

Now, the Jets stay a mistaken group, Zach Wilson a mistaken quarterback, however there’s one thing to be stated for a bunch that assists in keeping scraping out unpleasant victories regardless of stunningly lengthy stretches of offensive inadequacy. (Breece Corridor’s 50-yard catch-and-run ranking within the first quarter Sunday was once the Jets’ first first-quarter landing of the season.)

Later dropping 3 in a row nearest Aaron Rodgers went ailing, the Jets (4-3) have ripped off 3 in a row and are — miracle — very a lot within the AFC playoff hunt because the calendar flips to November.

Truthfully, who had the Jets above .500 at any level nearest Halloween?

“I don’t even know what happened,” cornerback Sauce Gardner stated nearest the win, admitting that he idea the sport was once misplaced. However Giants kicker Graham Gano ignored two area targets, together with a 35-yarder with 28 seconds left that will have clinched the win. Two 29-yard completions from Wilson have been plethora to get the Jets in field-goal space.

It’s additionally nice-looking remarkable the Giants just about received a competition throwing for a elegant general of minus-9 passing yards. Later Tyrod Taylor exited the sport within the first 1/2, DeVito, a Unutilized Jersey local, took his park however ended up making an attempt simply seven passes, completing with minus-1 passing court.

Jaguars are heating up

The Jaguars have quietly turn out to be one among the freshest groups in soccer. Future Jacksonville no doubt entered the season with heightened expectancies nearest endmost season’s playoff run, it stumbled early this yr, falling to 1-2 nearest a humiliating 37-17 Presen 3 loss at house to the Texans.

Next the Jags going to London for 2 weeks and located one thing.

The effects since: 5 consecutive wins, resignation them at 6-2 heading into the bye era with a juicy matchup once they go back, at house as opposed to the 49ers. On Sunday, the Jags restrained the Steelers’ win streak, beating Pittsburgh 20-10 at the back of 292 passing yards from Lawrence and 149 all-purpose yards from Travis Etienne, whose 56-yard catch-and-run landing within the 0.33 quarter was once the longest play games of the week for all sides.

Courting again to endmost yr’s late-season run, the Jags have received 11 in their endmost 13 regular-season video games.

Ramsey returns, and the Dolphins conserve rolling

90-four days nearest Jalen Ramsey injured his meniscus — this was once the second one week of coaching camp, and preliminary reviews advised he could be out till December — the six-time Professional Bowl cornerback made his Dolphins debut two days shy of Halloween.

He made his presence felt in an instant, baiting Patriots quarterback Mac Jones into an interception simply earlier than the 1/2 that Ramsey returned 49 yards. It resulted in a area target within the Dolphins’ win, their 6th in seven tries in opposition to their category rival.

“He totally disappointed me,” Dolphins schoolmaster Mike McDaniel joked postgame. “He told me he was going to come back and have a pick six, not a pick field goal.”

“The hype is real when it comes to someone like Jalen Ramsey,” Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa stated.

With the win, the Dolphins finished a season sweep of the Patriots and advanced to 6-2, their excellent begin to a season since 2001.

(Lead photograph of A.J. Brown: Patrick Smith / Getty Photographs)