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1. GOOD: Jaguars are beginning to look like AFC’s top team
2. BAD: With chance to make statement, Browns did so in the wrong way
3. UGLY: Lamar Jackson’s latest injury might spell doom for the Ravens
4. GOOD: Lions tighten up NFC North by knocking off unbeaten Vikings
5. BAD: Everything about the passing game in Tampa Bay
6. UGLY: The Cowboys need to revamp their entire organization

was weird from the second Sunday kicked off.

In Buffalo, Lamar Jackson came back from an ankle sprain and lasted exactly one play before injuring his right thumb in a defeat to the Bills. Jackson was seen in the second half in a brace, raising questions about when he’ll be back for a Baltimore team suddenly on a three-game losing streak.

Elsewhere, the Titans gave the Bengals everything they could handle in Cincinnati, largely because Joe Burrow threw three interceptions. After taking a 13–0 lead early, Tennessee allowed 21 unanswered points before a seesaw affair ended 43–36 in Cincinnati’s favor, with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase combining for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Burrow finished with five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown, throwing for 462 yards in the win.

In Dallas, the Cowboys seemed to survive a scare against the Cardinals, leading 30–24 with under two minutes and Arizona out of timeouts. Instead, the Cardinals won 33–30 in overtime, with Tyler Allgeier having an incredible effort, totaling 147 rushing yards and a score on 11 carries.

But we start with the Jaguars, who not only dispatched the Colts with ease but also showed all of their considerable power in the wide-open AFC.

GOOD: Jaguars are beginning to look like AFC’s top team

Last season, the Jaguars went 13–4, winning their last seven games before falling in a hard-fought battle to the Bills in the wild-card round. 

Over eight weeks, Jacksonville appears to have leveled up while the competition stayed at the same level. After throttling the reeling Colts, 42–7, the Jaguars are now 6–2 and in firm control of the AFC South, with no other team having fewer than five losses. Now, it’s more about whether Jacksonville can win the race for the AFC’s top seed than whether it can win the divisional title for a second consecutive season. 

There’s little doubt the Jaguars are one of the best teams in the conference, but it could be time to consider them for the top spot. Jacksonville entered Sunday ranking eighth in scoring and third in points against per game. Trevor Lawrence has been a star, throwing for 1,690 yards, 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The weapons are varied but solid, with receivers Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Josh Cameron, alongside Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. in the backfield. 

Looking around the AFC, the two teams with a real argument as superior are the Chiefs and Bills. Both have better quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, respectively. Kansas City is a dynasty with three championships and five Super Bowl appearances in the past seven years, while Buffalo is an annual contender averaging the most points per game in football. 

But those teams also have flaws. The Chiefs don’t have a prolific playmaker on the outside, relying on an oft-injured Rashee Rice and a first-round disappointment in Xavier Worthy. Buffalo’s defense is horrific by all measures, coming into Week 8 as the 30th-ranked scoring defense and 31st in yards permitted.

Lastly, look at the schedule. If Lamar Jackson is hurt, Jacksonville is facing the Jackson-less Ravens on Thursday night before games against the Titans, Giants and Titans again. Being 9–2 going into December is a distinct possibility.

BAD: With chance to make statement, Browns did so in the wrong way

With a victory, the Browns would have swept the season series against the Steelers and been in legitimate control of the AFC North alongside the Bengals. Instead, Cleveland was pummeled 27–6, falling to 5–3 and bringing looming questions to the forefront.

Looking at their five wins, the only impressive one was the Week 4 victory on Thursday night over Pittsburgh. Otherwise, it’s been two wins over NFC South teams in the Panthers and Buccaneers, a 13–10 triumph over the Tyler Huntley–led Ravens and a last-minute win against the Titans. 

The good news for Browns fans? They have a favorable upcoming schedule with a trip to New Orleans before a four-game homestand featuring the Texans, Raiders, Bengals and Falcons, with only Cincinnati having a winning record. The bad news? Cleveland has scored 24-plus points only twice, and the Browns are face quality offenses, including three which ranked in the top 10 for points per game entering Sunday.

Cleveland hasn’t won a division title since 1989, when the Browns played in the AFC Central alongside the Houston Oilers and the Chuck Noll–coached Steelers. After Sunday, the prospects of breaking that streak are dimming, while postseason dreams rely on better efforts in winnable games ahead.

UGLY: Lamar Jackson’s latest injury might spell doom for the Ravens

After missing three weeks, Lamar Jackson returned from his high ankle sprain on Sunday against the Bills. He lasted one play. 

Jackson injured his right thumb on a throw to Zay Flowers, having his hand hit on the follow-through. Jackson immediately jogged to the sidelines, and medical personnel brought him directly to the locker room, where he was ruled out shortly thereafter. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Jackson will need thumb surgery and will be placed on injured reserve for the 4–4 Ravens, who will be on life support in the playoff race. Baltimore is already in last place in the AFC North and has the Jaguars visiting Thursday night. Looking at the standings, it’ll likely take at least 10 wins to reach the postseason. The Ravens will be in an impossible position when Jackson returns.

Turning 30 in January, it might be time to have an in-depth conversation about Jackson’s long-term future in Baltimore. He’s slated for free agency after this season, and while it’s unthinkable that the Ravens would allow him to leave, could he get the franchise tag for the second time in his career? Furthermore, if Baltimore craters the rest of the year, could it consider drafting Jackson’s replacement in the 2027 draft, with a half-dozen quarterbacks projected to be first-round picks?

Over the past six years, Jackson has missed at least four games in four of them (should he miss at least one game for this thumb injury). During that span, the Ravens have reached the playoffs three times and have two postseason victories. He’s also starting to decline as a rushing factor. From 2019 to ’24 Jackson never averaged less than 53.8 yards per game. Last year, that number fell to 26.8. Now it’s at 28.8.

Trading Jackson seems like lunacy, but a long-term commitment won’t be an easy choice for Baltimore.

GOOD: Lions tighten up NFC North by knocking off unbeaten Vikings

The NFC North is the best division in football, and it’s not particularly close at the start of November. 

While the NFC West was supposed to be the tower of power in 2026, the North has proven it, with four teams not only above .500 but also in playoff position heading into Monday night when the Bears visit the Seahawks.

On Sunday, the Lions beat the Vikings, 19–15, giving Minnesota its first loss of the year after beginning 6–0. 

Jahmyr Gibbs was awesome once again, rushing for 153 yards and a touchdown while Jared Goff shook off four sacks and an interception to throw for 176 yards and a score. Unfortunately, the big concern is linebacker Jack Campbell, who had to be backboarded off the field after a scary fourth-quarter collision. Campbell is the heart and soul of the Detroit defense alongside edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who was in tears while Campbell was being evaluated. 

For Minnesota, it’s an understandable road defeat, but the schedule doesn’t get easier with a home date against the Bills next Monday night. Coach Kevin O’Connell & Co. have little margin for error, as the Packers sit 5–3, while Chicago is 5–2 to match Detroit.

BAD: Everything about the passing game in Tampa Bay

It was raining in Florida on Sunday. So were the boos any time someone decided to drop back and make a go of it. 

In Tampa Bay’s 16–0 win over the Falcons, we saw ineptitude on an epic scale. Baker Mayfield didn’t complete a pass and only attempted three. Three also happens to be the number of interceptions Michael Penix Jr. threw in the first half before adding another in the fourth quarter, helping both Tampa and Atlanta get to 3–5 in the woeful NFC South. 

With the ball slick and the field water-logged, completing a pass was borderline impossible. The last time a team went an entire game without a single passing connection was in 1974, when the Bills beat the Jets 16–12 despite Joe Ferguson going 0-of-2 in windswept Rich Stadium. 

As for the Falcons, there’s reason to hope Penix had an awful day in terrible conditions. Over the past two weeks, Penix had thrown six touchdowns against zero interceptions in a loss to the Bears and a win over the previously unbeaten 49ers. 

With the Buccaneers, an ugly win is better than nothing. Tampa Bay began 1–5 but now has a pair of divisional victories in the past two weeks against the Panthers and Falcons. 

If Tampa Bay is going to climb back and take the crown, though, smart money says Mayfield will need to complete a few more passes.

UGLY: The Cowboys need to revamp their entire organization

The Cowboys losing to the Cardinals might seem like a fluke. In reality, Dallas should be happy it wasn’t over in regulation. Jerry Jones’s team was outgained 467–261, even though Jacoby Brissett was benched mid-game for Gardner Minshew II.

Dallas was overwhelmed by a team coming into the game at 2–5, rebuilding on both sides of the ball under first-year coach Mike LaFleur. The Cowboys are supposed to be a contender, blessed with a division that has Tanner McKee and J.J. McCarthy helming the Eagles and Giants, while the Commanders are without star receiver Terry McLaurin for the season.

Instead, Dallas is 3–5 and looks like a team with no direction other than sinking toward the bottom. The Cowboys have long been bastions of mediocrity, failing to reach the NFC title game since 1995. This year, the Cowboys entered the season with a new defensive coordinator in Christian Parker. They used two first-round picks to fix that side of the ball in safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence. They rank dead last in yards per game allowed. They’ve lost at home to the previously winless Buccaneers and now the Cardinals.

With the trade deadline on Nov. 10, Jones should sell. He should canvas the league to gauge interest in receiver George Pickens, who is playing on the franchise tag. He should make-and-take calls on all of his veterans who don’t have crushing cap hits to move, and see what the returns would be.

At this point, the Cowboys could make a run, but for what? At best, Dallas is churning toward a wild-card exit while being booed off the field at AT&T Stadium.

It’s not in Jones’s nature, but Dallas should accept reality and start stripping down the roster in earnest.