Lamar Jackson has been on fire this season. There's no denying his ability. The Ravens should pay top dollar for him based on those abilities. However, outsiders were perplexed after negotiations between Lamar and The Ravens fell through this year. He is a top tier QB in the league and in a league where you only go as far as your quarterback. Other teams would be lining up to sign him.

Maybe the Ravens are still stinging from the Joe Flacco contract, or maybe they're seeing something else. Jackson has arguably been the league's best quarterback this season. But in two games, against the Dolphins and the Bills, he didn't make enough plays late in the fourth quarter to give his team the victory. Other critics will point out that Jackson has only won one playoff game. In both losses this year, his team was outplayed in the second half. That is not entirely Lamar's fault; his defense has certainly left him hanging, but there were two key drives against the Dolphins and Bills in which Jackson missed wide open receivers that would have secured his team's victory.

Lamar will continue to ball out, so how the Ravens contract dispute plays out will be interesting to watch. How can you let a talented quarterback leave for another team? The Ravens appear to be engaged in a dangerous game of chicken.

By thrashing the Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, the Chiefs reminded everyone in the league that they are still one of the top dogs. The game was only decided by ten points, but the play was very one-sided all night and not as close as the score suggested.

Mahomes executed a number of circus highwire acts that resulted in first downs or touchdowns. The frightening thing for their NFL opponents is that they are running the ball better than they have in the previous six years. The loss of Tyreek Hill was significant, but adding a line of scrimmage pounding running game could make Mahomes even more lethal with the addition of play action passes. The AFC West was regarded as one of the more competitive divisions in the NFL, but the Chiefs have reminded everyone that the AFC West runs through Kansas City and their claim as the team to beat once again following a strong start to the 2022 season.

Tua Tagovailoa suffered a frightening head injury on Thursday Night Football, his second in two weeks. The NFL and the Miami Dolphins did Tua a disservice by failing to protect him from himself. All of these NFL players do not want to disappoint their teammates by missing a game. Tua is a crucial member of the Miami Dolphins. He was allowed to play after his "back" injury against Buffalo and was thrown down in the second quarter, aggravating his head injury sustained just four days earlier. He has already been ruled out for Week 5 against the Jets.

This isn't a new development for the NFL. They've avoided the concussion issue for years, pretending to care about head injuries while adding games and making the preseason a thing. Players have been entering and exiting concussion protocol and returning to play days later. The Tua's reaction after the hit was shocking, and Amazon Prime kept replaying it.

The NFL will do what the NFL does: find a fall guy, as they did with the Dolphins' "independent" neurologist, fire him, and have plausible deniability. Concussions are an unavoidable part of the game; there is no way around them. However, the NFL is attempting to piss on our shoes by informing us that it is raining. The only ability they care about is availability, and in a league where that translates to dollars, both players and the league have a vested interest in playing. You must protect players from themselves for the sake of their long-term health.

After placing my faith in the Commanders +3 on Sunday, having a vested interest I decided to watch the game. Sportsbooks everywhere had the Commanders at the 3 number which seemed very off to me. There could not have been an easier wager on the weekend than the Dallas Cowboys.

Carson Wentz ran around all day like ghosts were chasing him, the running game was abysmal, and he never used his speedster WRs, Samuel and Mclaurin. The Dallas defense deserves credit for making his life miserable all day with a ferocious pass rush. For years, the Commanders have been a dysfunctional organization, and many die-hard fans have begged Dan Synder to sell the team.

You had problems with cheerleaders, which prompted an investigation, and the release of racially charged emails, in which only Jon Gruden was held accountable. Dan Synder must have dirt on Goodell or the league because he consistently makes The Shield look bad while simultaneously making an entire fanbase despise him. I'm not sure where The Commanders are going from here. They are my candidate for the league's worst team. Time will tell, but they have a great chance with Wentz at center.

The 49ers defense was outstanding on Monday Night Football, harassing Matt Stafford to the tune of 7 sacks, one 50-yard pick-six, and numerous QB pressures that kept the Rams off balance. The Niners are first in defensive DVOA and are tied for first in yards allowed with the Bills. Nick Bosa is looking like a stud and leads the league in sacks. For context, the 49ers are allowing 3.8 yards per play, which is lower than the 2000 Ravens and the 1985 Bears, both of whom went on to win the Super Bowl.

The 49ers have now won seven consecutive regular-season games against the Rams, and the Shannahan vs. McVay rivalry has heated up. This game was also very chippy, with two teams who generally despise each other. It reminds me of the beef between the Niners and the Seahawks. After Crabtree vs. Sherman, we have Deebo vs. Ramsey.

When Trey Lance was lost for the season, the 49ers had an ace in Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners are the ideal fit for him, as they have a strong running game and a strong defense. The 49ers should be the team to beat in that division, as they appear to be rounding into form.