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- šŗ Wolf Sports Weekly
šļø The NFL lost former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Cowboys DE Marshawn Kneeland, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound just days after scoring his first NFL touchdown, last week.
š The parity continuesā¦
This time last week, we were all impressed by the Billsā win against the Chiefs. One week later, weāre shaking our heads wondering how Buffalo was routed by Miami. The Bills offenseāeven before star TE Dalton Kincaid left with a hamstring injury (week-to-week)āwas again cold, while Dolphins RB DeāVon Achane went off for 225 total yards and two TDs. The result continues a major trend of parity and unpredictability across the NFL this season, which we can only hope leads to one of the most exciting postseasons weāve had in a while.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor might have had the best international performance in NFL history, totaling 286 yards three TDsāincluding the game-winner in OTāagainst the Falcons in Berlin, Germany. The first game in Germanyās capital was a great one, and it got Indy to 8-2 while Atlanta drops to 3-6. The arguable MVP frontrunner Taylor is already up to 17 TDs in 2025.
Dan Campbell took over the offensive playcalling for the Lions, and the initial results were extremely positiveāwith Detroit getting a little redemption from last seasonās playoff loss to the Commanders with a 44-22 victory. Everyone got involved for the Lions offense, including three total TDs from RB Jahmyr Gibbs, a big game from WR Jameson Williams, and an early TD and āTrump Danceā by Amon-Ra St. Brown with President Trump in attendance. Of course, this Sunday night at Philadelphia will be a much bigger test for Detroit.
Monday Night Football between the Eagles and Packers was the first scoreless first half since 2023, but WR DeVonta Smith and Philly made enough plays in an odd 10-7 game (with puzzling decisions) where Green Bay had a shot to tie it on a last-second 64-yard FG.
Other Week 10 results:
Rams 42, 49ers 26: Matthew Stafford threw at least four TDs for the third straight game while Kyren Williams ran for two as the Rams offense stayed hot and the LA defense forced a couple of turnovers.
Patriots 28, Buccaneers 23: The Patriots look for real, winning at the Bucs to improve to 8-2āheadlined by the continued ascension of rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson, who had 14 carries for 147 yards and two TDs against Todd Bowlesā defense.
Bears 24, Giants 20: Quietly, the Bears are 6-3 after a comeback win over the Giants that led to Bears HC Ben Johnson saying QB Caleb Williams has āice in his veinsā in the locker room. Meanwhile, Jaxson Dart suffered a concussion (the fourth time he was checked for one this season) in the third quarter.
Texans 36, Jaguars 29: Jacksonville was up 29-10 in the fourth quarter, but Texans QB Davis Mills (with C.J. Stroud out with a concussion) caught fire with two TD passes and the game-winning TD run in a much-needed win to boost Houston to 4-5.
Ravens 27, Vikings 19: Baltimoreās defense did an excellent job of taking WR Justin Jefferson (4/37) out of the game, and rookie S Malaki Starks intercepted his second pass in as many weeks with the Ravens getting to 4-5. Also, RB Derrick Henry finally matched his HS football rushing yardage of over 12,000.
Broncos 10, Raiders 7 (TNF): In a sluggish game for both offenses, the Denver defense did work with 22 QB pressures, 11 QB hits, six sacks, and an INT as the Broncos get to 8-2 ahead of this Sundayās big matchup with the Chiefs.
Chargers 25, Steelers 10 (SNF): Pittsburgh had a very ugly offensive performance, while Justin Herbert got rid of the ball to avoid the Steelers pass rush in a game capped by WR Keenan Allen becoming the Chargersā all-time receptions leader.
Seahawks 44, Cardinals 22: Seattle dominated from the jump, with LB Tyrice Knight and DE DeMarcus Lawrence combining for two scoop-and-scores in the first half of the NFC West victory.
Saints 17, Panthers 7: Saints WR Chris Olave caught a 62-yard TD that arguably shouldāve been called a push-off with Panthers CB Jaycee Horn in coverage, but the New Orleans defense stood tall as Carolina failed to capitalize on their Week 9 win versus the Packers.
Jets 27, Browns 20: Breece Hall took a screen pass 42 yards to the house for a key fourth-quarter TD to help the Jets win their second game in a row.
šæ Trade deadline delivers
The headlining move of last Tuesdayās NFL trade deadline was the Colts acquiring star CB Sauce Gardner from the Jets for two first-round picks and WR Adonai Mitchell. It was an all-in move by Indianapolis with their Super Bowl window wide open, and the defense will now have a trio of Gardner, Charvarius Ward (currently on IR with a concussion), and Kenny Moore II at cornerbackāgiving them a group that can perhaps match up with the top offenses in the AFC.
On the other end of the blockbuster deal, the Jets didnāt stop thereāas they made another huge move by sending Pro Bowl DT Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys for a 2027 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, and DT Mazi Smith. New York is clearly setting themselves up for a move at quarterback, and they now have five first-round picks over the next two years at their disposal. From the Dallas perspective, it was a bold move that Jerry Jones had alluded to being a possibility, and they now have Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa on the interior DL.
A couple of teams pushing for former Saints WR Rashid Shaheed ended with him being acquired by the Seahawks, who sent a fourth-round pick and fifth-round pick to New Orleans. The Steelers were the other team reportedly involved.
The Jaguars acquired WR Jakobi Meyers from the Raiders for a fourth-round pick and sixth-round pick. Meyers requested a trade before the season, and he finally got his wish as Jacksonville needed help at wide receiver due to multiple injuries at the position.
The Chargersālooking to fix injury issues of their own (on the offensive line)āmade a deal with the Saints for OT Trevor Penning, sending a 2027 sixth-round pick to NO.
Chicago acquired DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick from the Browns in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
At the buzzer of the deadline, the Jets acquired CB JaāSir Taylor from the Chargers for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2028.
Among the moves that didnāt happen, the Bills reportedly tried to acquire Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle and former Jets DT Quinnen Williams, but were rebuffed by their AFC East rivals.
And the final piece of news from the trade deadline came on Sunday when it was revealed that the Cowboys added a āpoison pillā condition that blocks the the Packers from trading superstar DE Micah Parsons to a team in the NFC East. If they do, Green Bay would owe Dallas a first-round pick in 2028, and the same condition applies to the Cowboys and DT Kenny Clark being traded in the NFC North.
šµ Giants fire HC Brian Daboll
The Giants have fired HC Brian Daboll following a 2-8 start, marking the end of his tenure after being hired in 2022. GM Joe Schoen remains in place and will apparently lead the head coach search, but New York has gone 20-40-1 since hiring the pairingāand theyāve gone 11-33 over the past two-and-a-half years.
A blown lead yesterday in a game where the Giants led 20-10 in Chicago was the final straw, but itās an interesting decision to say the least with QB Jaxson Dart showing plenty of promise and Daboll clearly being the one to identify him as the target in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take over as interim head coach, but looking ahead, Bill Belichick is a name we would think might be at the top of the list for New Yorkāespecially if they want someone who will work with Schoen, who just about everyone is stunned at remaining in New York to lead the coaching search.
Remember, the NFC East will be featured on the in-season version of Hard Knocks this year, and not coming off well leading to more changes for an angry, outspoken fanbase would not be surprising.
šÆ Joe Burrow returns to practice
Bengals QB Joe Burrow returned to practice yesterday for the first time since his bad toe injury in Week 2āand he hopes to potentially play for Thanksgiving Night against the Ravens. Burrow has a 21-day window to be activated, and the initial timeline for a return was expected to be sometime in December, at best. The other injury news from the past week:
Commanders QB Jayden Danielsā elbow injury isnāt as bad as feared, with no ligament damage and a chance for him to return this season.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, who was benched for Jacoby Brissett, was placed on IR with his foot injury and will miss at least three more games.
The Colts placed DT DeForest Buckner (neck) on injured reserve ahead of Week 10.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson (knee) expected to miss three-to-four weeks.
Raiders G Jackson Powers-Johnson (ankle) and Commanders CB Trey Amos (fibula) might miss the rest of the year, while Bills DE Landon Jackson (knee) is out for the season.
And Broncos LB Alex Singleton underwent surgery for testicular cancer but thankfully hopes and expects to return this season.
š° Everything else NFL
Jets LB Quincy Williams lost his starting job ahead of Week 10 but said he intends to win it back. The former All-Pro selection is the brother of traded DL Quinnen Williams.
Veteran S Juan Thornhill was released by the Steelers after Week 10; and before Week 10, the Titans released S Quandre Diggs upon his request.
Commanders HC Dan Quinn announced he has taken over play-calling duties from DC Joe Whitt Jr. as Washington tries to climb out of a 3-7 start.
Washington will be without DL Daron Payne on their trip to Berlin due to a one-game suspension for punching Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. The suspension will not be overturned following appeal as was the case for LB Frankie Luvu last week.
The NFL has announced the December 20 games will take place at 5 PM ET and 8:20 PM ET in coordination with the College Football Playoff.
FOX has hired former Super Bowl champion QB Drew Brees as an NFL game analyst, and he will work his first game in Week 11.
Former All-Pro WR Antonio Brown was extradited to New Jersey for an attempted murder charge from earlier this year.
The Colorado Rockies have hired Browns executive Paul DePodesta as the clubās president of baseball operations.
Other Sports Updates
š The initial College Football Playoff rankings were headlined by No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, and No. 3 Texas A&M in the top three spots. New rankings release every Tuesday night.
š College football action from last weekend included No. 8 BYU falling to No. 9 Texas Tech, 29-7, to leave three undefeated teams through 11 weeks. Also, No. 9 Oregon survived versus No. 20 Iowa, and No. 4 Alabama beat rival LSU, 20-9.
š NHL record extends: Capitals legend Alexander Ovechkin became the first player in league history to score 900 goals.
ā¾ļø Notable news for the San Diego Padres: Starting pitcher Yu Darvish announced he underwent surgery to repair his flexor tendon. The club hired Craig Stammen as their new manager.
š° President Trump pardoned Mets legend Darryl Strawberry, who was convicted on a tax evasion charge in 1995.