JO_75
Hall of Famer
The official halfway point of the season is here as the Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while not the major names that were expected to move, did not move. We did get some wheeling and dealing that may have changed the course of the season. The 49ers went bold and reunited Nick Bosa with Chase Young, Da Bears added some pass rush help with Montez Sweat, and Leonard Williams leaves New Jersey for Seattle. The Bills got better at corner in a surprising move when they landed Packers Corner Rasul Douglas and to fill the void left by Kirk Cousins, the Vikings traded for Josh Dobbs who now trades the warm Arizona sun for cold Minnesota winters.
For those wondering in honor of the game taking place in Germany on Sunday, I translated Trade Deadline into German and Google gave me what you see in the Title Thread. I also will include some sort of German translation into every preview... why? I don't know but you can blame Google if the translation is wrong, I'm just going off what it gives me.
Thursday Night Football
Titans @ Steelers: As Grumpy Cat once said, Ich hoffe, dass beide Teams verlieren. This is a game that takes on a whole new meaning following the trade deadline, Derrick Henry is still a Titan and Will Levis is coming off his first career start in which he threw four touchdowns in the win against Atlanta. Levis is the first rookie to accomplish this since Marcus Mariota did this in 2015, also as a Titan. Now Tennessee appears to be all in on Levis as they head on the road to a place where rookie quarterbacks are eaten alive, Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin's record against rookie quarterbacks speaks for itself but they did just lose to a rookie quarterback in CJ Stroud last month. Unlike CJ Stroud, Levis gets to face a Steelers defense without star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick who is out with a hamstring injury but will likely see the return of Cameron Heyward who has been out since week one dealing with a groin ailment. Can Levis go into Pittsburgh and have similar success that CJ Stroud did or will the Steelers defense be too much for Levis in his second start?
Sunday Early Games
Dolphins @ Chiefs: Grüße aus Deutschland! The NFL returns to Germany with major AFC playoff implications on the line as the Miami Dolphins take on the defending Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are coming off a loss to the Denver Broncos that saw their 16 game winning streak against Denver come to an end while Miami secured the season sweep over the Patriots to remain atop the AFC East. The MVP race will get some clarity as the quarterback duel between Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa makes this a must watch game, Tyreek Hill playing the Chiefs for the first time since being traded, so much intrigue with this game. Vic Vangio and the Dolphins defense looks to contain the high powered offense of the Chiefs who were held to a season low nine points against the worst defense in the league last week. Can KC get right this week or will Tua cement himself in the MVP race and outshine Patrick Mahomes and company?
Vikings @ Falcons: The Vikings season came crashing down when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and is now out for the remainder of the season. Already without Justin Jefferson, the Vikings will now move on to fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall as they look to salvage the rest of the season. Atlanta meanwhile is starting veteran QB Taylor Heinicke in place of Desmond Ridder who left the game last week being evaluated for a concussion. Both teams would be in the playoffs if the playoffs started today, and if both teams were healthy this would be a key game to determine who might get in and who is out. Can Minnesota stun the Falcons with a rookie quarterback on the road or will Taylor Heinicke lead the way for Atlanta in a tight division battle with the New Orleans Saints?
Seahawks @ Ravens: Mehr Vogel-gegen-Vogel-Gewalt! Another week in the NFL and another matchup of bird teams as the Seattle Seahawks travel to Baltimore to take on the Baltimore Ravens. Al Michaels said it best on Thursday Night, every team is so up and down from week to week and there is no team that embodies that more than the Baltimore Ravens. Sure, they may be still working out the kinks in Todd Monken's offense, but the inconsistencies of the offense is the one thing the Ravens are consistent at doing. One week, they crush one of the NFC's best teams and the next, they are clinging on to a lead against a one win team. Seattle has their bright spots as well, in fact they lead the NFC West currently but their offense is hit and miss as well. Think this is going to come down to defense and I'd give the slight edge to Baltimore to win a defensive battle if it came down to it, but Seattle must capitalize if Baltimore makes a mistake late and opens the door for a potential win.
Cardinals @ Browns: If it wasn't for Kyler Murray's injury last December, they would be sitting pretty in the win column right now. They will be without Murray again this week, but rookie Clayton Tune gets the start against a tough Browns defense that will welcome him to the NFL in the nicest way possible. Even without Greg Newsome, the Browns should defense should have no problem containing the Cardinals offense. On the flip side, Deshaun Watson is back for Cleveland and right now has a lot to prove as he has failed to live up to the contract he signed. The Browns focus should be on Kareem Hunt going against the 25th ranked run defense of the Cardinals to lighten the load for Watson and his shoulder injury. Can Arizona surprise the Browns or will Cleveland's defense make short work of Clayton Tune in his first start?
Rams @ Packers: Verletzungen seem to be hitting the quarterbacks hard this year, as the Rams will be without Matthew Stafford and will turn to Brett Rypien to take on Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is on a four game losing streak this week as the Jordan Love era has gotten off to a rocky start. Seems the Packers just can't get anything going offensively, even in the run game. The Rams not having Stafford available should boost their chances of winning but it's time to see what Jordan Love is made of, can he rise to the occasion and help turn things around or will the Rams find a way to win without Stafford and keep up in the NFC West?
Buccaneers @ Texans: Both teams sit at 3-4 at the halfway point and you could say both teams are overachieving compared to where most people expected them to be. Stroud has done much better than other Ohio State quarterbacks, Baker seemingly has played well and in a bad division should have them in contention for the NFC South crown. One key loss for Houston is that they will be without their leading rusher Dameon Pierce who is out with a ankle injury. I expect a defensive battle in this one as Tampa's defense has not allowed opposing offenses to score 20 or more points in all but two games. While DeMeco Ryans' defense has kept opposing offenses under 20 points in five straight games. Something has got to give in this matchup, both teams coming off close losses and needing a win to turn things around for a playoff push in the second half of the season.
Commanders @ Patriots:
Bears @ Saints:
Sunday Late Games
Colts @ Panthers
Giants @ Raiders
Cowboys @ Eagles
Bills @ Bengals
Monday Night Football
Chargers @ Jets
For those wondering in honor of the game taking place in Germany on Sunday, I translated Trade Deadline into German and Google gave me what you see in the Title Thread. I also will include some sort of German translation into every preview... why? I don't know but you can blame Google if the translation is wrong, I'm just going off what it gives me.
Thursday Night Football
Titans @ Steelers: As Grumpy Cat once said, Ich hoffe, dass beide Teams verlieren. This is a game that takes on a whole new meaning following the trade deadline, Derrick Henry is still a Titan and Will Levis is coming off his first career start in which he threw four touchdowns in the win against Atlanta. Levis is the first rookie to accomplish this since Marcus Mariota did this in 2015, also as a Titan. Now Tennessee appears to be all in on Levis as they head on the road to a place where rookie quarterbacks are eaten alive, Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin's record against rookie quarterbacks speaks for itself but they did just lose to a rookie quarterback in CJ Stroud last month. Unlike CJ Stroud, Levis gets to face a Steelers defense without star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick who is out with a hamstring injury but will likely see the return of Cameron Heyward who has been out since week one dealing with a groin ailment. Can Levis go into Pittsburgh and have similar success that CJ Stroud did or will the Steelers defense be too much for Levis in his second start?
Sunday Early Games
Dolphins @ Chiefs: Grüße aus Deutschland! The NFL returns to Germany with major AFC playoff implications on the line as the Miami Dolphins take on the defending Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are coming off a loss to the Denver Broncos that saw their 16 game winning streak against Denver come to an end while Miami secured the season sweep over the Patriots to remain atop the AFC East. The MVP race will get some clarity as the quarterback duel between Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa makes this a must watch game, Tyreek Hill playing the Chiefs for the first time since being traded, so much intrigue with this game. Vic Vangio and the Dolphins defense looks to contain the high powered offense of the Chiefs who were held to a season low nine points against the worst defense in the league last week. Can KC get right this week or will Tua cement himself in the MVP race and outshine Patrick Mahomes and company?
Vikings @ Falcons: The Vikings season came crashing down when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and is now out for the remainder of the season. Already without Justin Jefferson, the Vikings will now move on to fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall as they look to salvage the rest of the season. Atlanta meanwhile is starting veteran QB Taylor Heinicke in place of Desmond Ridder who left the game last week being evaluated for a concussion. Both teams would be in the playoffs if the playoffs started today, and if both teams were healthy this would be a key game to determine who might get in and who is out. Can Minnesota stun the Falcons with a rookie quarterback on the road or will Taylor Heinicke lead the way for Atlanta in a tight division battle with the New Orleans Saints?
Seahawks @ Ravens: Mehr Vogel-gegen-Vogel-Gewalt! Another week in the NFL and another matchup of bird teams as the Seattle Seahawks travel to Baltimore to take on the Baltimore Ravens. Al Michaels said it best on Thursday Night, every team is so up and down from week to week and there is no team that embodies that more than the Baltimore Ravens. Sure, they may be still working out the kinks in Todd Monken's offense, but the inconsistencies of the offense is the one thing the Ravens are consistent at doing. One week, they crush one of the NFC's best teams and the next, they are clinging on to a lead against a one win team. Seattle has their bright spots as well, in fact they lead the NFC West currently but their offense is hit and miss as well. Think this is going to come down to defense and I'd give the slight edge to Baltimore to win a defensive battle if it came down to it, but Seattle must capitalize if Baltimore makes a mistake late and opens the door for a potential win.
Cardinals @ Browns: If it wasn't for Kyler Murray's injury last December, they would be sitting pretty in the win column right now. They will be without Murray again this week, but rookie Clayton Tune gets the start against a tough Browns defense that will welcome him to the NFL in the nicest way possible. Even without Greg Newsome, the Browns should defense should have no problem containing the Cardinals offense. On the flip side, Deshaun Watson is back for Cleveland and right now has a lot to prove as he has failed to live up to the contract he signed. The Browns focus should be on Kareem Hunt going against the 25th ranked run defense of the Cardinals to lighten the load for Watson and his shoulder injury. Can Arizona surprise the Browns or will Cleveland's defense make short work of Clayton Tune in his first start?
Rams @ Packers: Verletzungen seem to be hitting the quarterbacks hard this year, as the Rams will be without Matthew Stafford and will turn to Brett Rypien to take on Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is on a four game losing streak this week as the Jordan Love era has gotten off to a rocky start. Seems the Packers just can't get anything going offensively, even in the run game. The Rams not having Stafford available should boost their chances of winning but it's time to see what Jordan Love is made of, can he rise to the occasion and help turn things around or will the Rams find a way to win without Stafford and keep up in the NFC West?
Buccaneers @ Texans: Both teams sit at 3-4 at the halfway point and you could say both teams are overachieving compared to where most people expected them to be. Stroud has done much better than other Ohio State quarterbacks, Baker seemingly has played well and in a bad division should have them in contention for the NFC South crown. One key loss for Houston is that they will be without their leading rusher Dameon Pierce who is out with a ankle injury. I expect a defensive battle in this one as Tampa's defense has not allowed opposing offenses to score 20 or more points in all but two games. While DeMeco Ryans' defense has kept opposing offenses under 20 points in five straight games. Something has got to give in this matchup, both teams coming off close losses and needing a win to turn things around for a playoff push in the second half of the season.
Commanders @ Patriots:
Bears @ Saints:
Sunday Late Games
Colts @ Panthers
Giants @ Raiders
Cowboys @ Eagles
Bills @ Bengals
Monday Night Football
Chargers @ Jets
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