VITO'S VIEWS

The week featured what is likely to be the play of the year in the Saints-49ers game when the 49ers faced 4th and 2 on their 33-yard line late in the game. George Kittle caught a short pass and bulldozed his way for 39-yard gain while his face mask was being pulled. Then the 15-yard penalty was added on and 49ers won with a late field goal.

The win vaulted the 49ers from fifth to first seed in the NFC while the Seahawks dropped from first to fifth with the loss to the Rams. It also means the Saints are in danger of going on the road if they get to the NFC title game, which is always challenging for a dome team.

In the AFC, Baltimore kept a grip on the top seed by beating Buffalo.

Positives

—Jimmy Garoppolo boosted his record to 19-4 with four touchdowns and 349 passing yards as he outdueled Drew Bree’s. The Saints scored on their first four possessions and lost. Going into the game, teams that scored on their first four possessions were 44-0 since 2000.

—The rejuvenated Rams beat the Seahawks with defense as they survived two interceptions by Jared Goff, including a Pick Six.

—The Ravens also relied on their defense as they held the Bills to 278 yards of offense as they retained the top seed in the AFC. They have now won nine in a row, seven against winning teams.

—Ryan Tannehill boosted his record to 6-1 since replacing Marcus Mariota as the Titans crushed the Raiders, but Derrick Henry has been the key to their four-game winning streak with 599 yards and seven touchdowns. He got 103 against the Raiders.

—The Eagles rallied for a tying touchdown in the fourth quarter and then marched for a game winning touchdown in overtime to beat the Giants and tie the Cowboys for first place in the NFC East. They did it even though Carson Wentz was down to one healthy receiver. But it is hard to imagine the Eagles going deep into the playoffs even if they make it.

Negatives

—The home team usually gets the calls, but the officials blew critical calls that went against the Patriots in their loss at home to the Chiefs. They cost them two touchdowns, blowing the whistle on a scoop and score and nullifying a second touchdown by ruling the runner was out of bounds when he wasn’t. Still, the Patriots didn’t play well and Tom Brady seems to be showing his age.

—Kyle Allen apparently isn’t the Panthers quarterback of the future. After a 5-0 start, he has lost six of seven, including the loss to Atlanta. If they don’t keep Cam Newton, finding a new quarterback will be Job One for the new coach.

—The Houston Texans beat New England a week ago but then were drilled by Denver and rookie quarterback Drew Lock. The Texans now face the Titans twice in the last three weeks and are in danger of missing the playoffs.

—The Indianapolis Colts also are in danger of missing the playoffs after blowing a 14-point third quarter lead and losing to Tampa Bay. If they don’t make the playoffs, it will be the fourth time in the last five years they are failed to make it.

—The Lions fell to 3-9-1 with the loss to the Vikings but coach Matt Patricia tried to claim the team is better than its record. The team was 6-1 in his first season after replacing Jim Caldwell, who was fired for going 9-7. Patricia seems likely to be the latest Bill Belichick assistant to fail as a head coach.

The NFL has an entertaining tripleheader for much of the country on Sunday. It starts with the Saints-49ers at 1 p.m. on Fox, the Chiefs-Patriots on CBS as the late afternoon game and Rams-Seahawks on NBC as the Sunday night game. Unfortunately, the MNF game is the Eagles-Giants and the NFL can’t flex that game. Any of the three Sunday highlight games would have been a better attraction on Monday night.

Game of the week

Chiefs at Patriots. Early in the season, this looked like the game of the year in the AFC, but Baltimore has surpassed both teams. Still, it is a good game as Patrick Mahomes faces Tom Brady, who plays the role of the aging gunslinger facing the new kid on the block. Brady’s dealing with injuries and the lack of an elite receiving corps, but he is still Brady. The Chiefs will try to hand the Patriots their second straight loss after they were beaten by Houston Sunday night.

Game of the weak

The 3-9 Dolphins face the 4-8 Jets, who lost to the Dolphins in the first game and have now lost to two winless teams. The Dolphins were 0-8 when the Jets lost to them and the lost to the 0-11 Bengals. The Dolphins were supposed to be tanking to get the first pick but their three wins, including last week’s victory over the Eagles, has them two games behind the 1-11 Bengals.

What to Watch for this weekend:

—The game between the Saints and 49ers, both 10-2, could be a preview of the NFC title game and a battle for the top seed although the Seahawks are also 10-2. The top seed is the only thing the Saints have to play for because they are the only team in the NFC South with a winning record. But the 49ers are locked into a struggle with Seattle for the NFC West title. They play the Seahawks in the last game of the year.

—The 7-5 Rams need a win over the Seahawks to keep their wild card playoff hopes alive. With the Saints and 49ers at 10-2, they have no chance to win the division title. The Rams showed signs of getting it together when they routed the Cardinals last week, but it has still been a disappointing season for the Rams.

—Surprising Buffalo, which is 9-3 and is likely to get a wild card spot, will try to upset Baltimore, which is playing to keep the top seed. A Buffalo win and New England loss to Kansas City would leave the two teams tied for the AFC East title at 10-3 with three games left. The Bills play at Pittsburgh and New England the next two weeks.

—The 7-5 Titans, who are a game behind Houston in the AFC South race, can’t afford to look ahead to the Texans game next week. They play at Oakland, which has been unpredictable and is 6-6.

—Eli Manning returns to the starting lineup because rookie Daniel Jones is injured and faces a familiar foe in the Eagles, who will tie Dallas for first place in the NFC East at 6-7 with a victory. Yes, 6-7, that is how bad this division is. The Cowboys or Eagles will not only win the division, but host a playoff game against a team with a better record. That will cause howls of protest from those who favor reseeding at the end of the regulation season. But the league wants to put a premium on teams winning their division. There will be more howls if the Eagles or Cowboys win a playoff game at home against a team with a better record but it appears unlikely.

There’s a new sheriff in the NFL.

Baltimore’s gritty victory over San Francisco in rainy conditions and New England’s loss to Houston vaulted the Ravens into the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They both have 10-2 records but Baltimore has the tie-breaker because of its victory over the Patriots.

Meanwhile, the surprising Bills boosted their record to 9-3 with a victory at Dallas and still play the Patriots in the second to last game.

In the NFC, it now appears to be a three-team race for the top seed with Saints, 49ers and Seahawks all at 10-2. The 49ers go to New Orleans this week.

A look at what happened last weekend:

Positives:

—Baltimore showed it could win a low scoring defensive game in bad weather in beating the 49ers. Now they face another test at the surprising Bills.

—Seattle vaulted into contention for the top seed with the victory over Minnesota. It is now one of three 10-2 NFC teams with the Saints and 49ers.

—The Rams are still alive in the wild card race at 7-5 after routing the Cardinals as Jared Goff threw for 424 yards.

—Deshaun Watson outdueled a frustrated Tom Brady with three touchdown passes as the Texans beat the Patriots. The Texans have a game lead in the AFC South over the Titans, but play the Titans twice in the last three weeks.

—Cincinnati went back to veteran Andy Dalton at quarterback and beat the Jets to post their first victory after an 0-11 start. The Bengals, despite the win, are still in lead for the top pick in the draft.

Negatives:

-/Kirk Cousins lost another big prime time game as the Vikings lost to Seattle. Cousins is now 0-8 on MNF.

—Cleveland coach Freddie Kitchens wore a Pittsburgh Started It T-shirt and the Steeler finished it by beating the Browns. Kitchens ill-advised move raised more questions about whether he is destined to get a second year as the Browns’ coach.

—Carolina coach Ron Rivera became the second coach to be fired after the Panthers fell to 5-7 with a loss to Washington, which was the first team to fire its coach, Jay Gruden, this year.

—The Jets lost to 0-11 Cincinnati after earlier losing to 0-8 Miami. The 4-8 Jets would be 6-6 if they had been able to beat two winless teams.

—There is a chance the NFC East winner could have a losing record after the 6-6 Cowboys lost to Buffalo and the 5-7 Eagles lost to Miami. One of these teams will win the division and host a playoff game. The two teams play at Philadelphia in the second to the last game of the season.

In the aftermath of the three Thanksgiving Day games, New Orleans became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. But it now appears that five of the six NFC playoff slots are set with 10-1 San Francisco, 10-2 New Orleans, 9-2 Seattle, 8-3 Green Bay and 8-3 Minnesota virtual locks.

The only question is which two wind up with wild card spots. The sixth spot goes to the NFC East winner – Dallas or Philadelphia. In the AFC, only three teams – 10-1 New England, 9-2 Baltimore and 9-3 Buffalo appear to be locks. Six teams – Houston and Kansas City at 7-4 and four 6-5 teams – Colts, Titans, Raiders and Steelers – are fighting for the final three slots.

Game of the Week (and Maybe the Season)

San Francisco goes to Baltimore in what may be a Super Bowl preview. The 49ers defense will try to stop Lamar Jackson from putting on another show.

Game of the Weak

Tampa Bay goes to Jacksonville for a battle of two 4-7 teams. The Jaguars have given up more than 200 yards rushing in three consecutive games, but that string will likely be snapped because Tampa isn’t a rushing team. The game will turn on whether Jameis Winston can avoid throwing interceptions and how the Jaguars react to reports of internal strife between the coaching staff and the front office.

What to Look For This Weekend

–If not for the 49ers-Ravens matchup, a duel between 9-2 Seattle and 8-3 Minnesota would get top billing. Both teams are fighting for division titles in their respective divisions.

–Third string quarterback Devlin Hodges replaces Mason Rudolph as the starter for the Steelers against Cleveland, but the real question about this game is whether the two teams can avoid mayhem this time in the wake of now suspended Myles Garrett hitting Rudolph with his helmet two weeks ago.

–The Colts-Titans winner can tie for first place in the AFC South if the Texans, as expected, lose to New England. The Titans play the Texans twice in the last four games while the Colts play only one more division game left against the Jaguars.

–Philadelphia is 5-6 for the second consecutive year. Last year they won four of last five to make the playoffs at 9-7 with Nick Foles at quarterback. In the wake of Dallas’ loss to Buffalo, they control their destiny and they are well positioned for a playoff run. After meeting Miami Sunday, they have two games against the Giants and one with Washington. The key is their Dec. 22 game against Dallas.   

Baltimore and San Francisco tuned up for Sunday’s showdown in Baltimore by crushing the Rams and Packers. Their matchup may be a Super Bowl preview.

The strange thing is that it is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, so it won’t be shown in many markets.

Meanwhile, the Rams getting blown out by the Ravens makes it likely they won’t be returning to the playoffs, much less the Super Bowl.

Positives

—Lamar Jackson, drafted with the last pick on the first round just two years ago, threw five touchdown passes in the win over the Rams. Defensive coordinators seem to have no idea how to stop him.

—The 49ers boosted their record to 10-1 with the easy victory over the Packers. Jimmy Garoppolo threw touchdown passes of 42 and 61 yards and their defense handcuffed Aaron Rodgers. Now they face the Ravens and Saints in back to back games.

—The Jets won their third game in a game and scored 30 points in consecutive weeks for the first time in team history (which means Joe Namath never did it) while upsetting the Raiders.

—Devlin “Duck” Hodges replaced Mason Rudolph in the second half and led the Steelers to a victory over winless Cincinnati. He has now been named the starter.

—The Titans scored four touchdowns in six offensive plays to rout the Jaguars. They were also the third team in a row to rush for over 200 yards against the Jaguars.

Negatives

—The Rams are starting to look like a one-year wonder as they were crushed by the Ravens. Jared Goff looks lost and Todd Gurley isn’t the running back he was before he had a knee injury.

—Jerry Jones wasn’t happy with his coaching staff after the Cowboys lost to the Patriots. The Cowboys had a punt blocked and coach Jason Garrett decided to kick a field goal when he was down seven in the fourth quarter instead of going for it on fourth and seven.

—The Eagles lost a chance to gain ground on the Cowboys when they lost to the Seahawks as their defense gave up 129 yards to Rashaad Penny.

—The winless Bengals benched veteran Andy Dalton earlier in the year for young Ryan Finley, but he didn’t provide a spark and after the loss to the Steelers, they’re going back to Dalton. They should have put Dalton in at halftime. The 0-11 start is the worst in Bengals history and now they have a shot at going winless although they play Miami in their Week 15 game.

—The San Francisco-Green Bay game was supposed to be a showdown, but instead it was a rout as the Packers were no match for the 49ers. The one-sided loss raised questions about whether the Packers are a Super Bowl contender.

The weekend started with the Texans bouncing back from the one-sided loss to Baltimore to beat the Colts Thursday night and take over first place in the AFC South. It was the first of four national TV games this weekend.

The late Sunday game featuring the Cowboys at the Patriots will be the only game on Fox in that time slot and will be shown nationally. The only other game in that time slot – the Jaguars at the Titans – will be on CBS.

And then there is the Sunday night game pitting the Packers at the 49ers and the Monday night game featuring the Ravens at the Rams. It will be a pre-holiday treat for the fans, who will get three national games on Thanksgiving.

So that is six national TV games in five days.

Game of the Week

The Packers go to the West Coast face the 49ers in an important game for both teams. The 49ers are only one game ahead of the Seahawks, who play at Philadelphia. The Packers are only a half-game ahead of the Vikings, who have a bye. The Packers, 49ers, Seahawks and Packers all figure to make the playoffs, but two will settle for wild card spots.

Game of the Weak

The 3-6-1 Lions go to Washington to face the 1-9 Redskins, who won’t have much of a home field edge because the Washington fans are voting with their feet on the Dan Snyder regime and staying home. The Lions will be missing Matthew Stafford for the third straight game so Washington rookie Dwayne Haskins has a chance to get a victory when he duels Jeff Driscoll

What to look for this weekend

–The spotlight will be on Tom Brady when the Patriots host the Cowboys. He is not only on the injury report as questionable with an elbow injury (he is likely to play) but he is showing signs of finally aging. Even he said the defense and special teams are carrying the team and appeared depressed after the win over the Eagles during a post-game press conference that didn’t even last two minutes. The Patriots had to rely on a trick play on a touchdown pass by Julian Edelman to beat the Eagles. How will he play against the Cowboys?

–Atlanta, which has won two consecutive games after a 1-7 start, goes for its third in a row against Tampa Bay. Owner Arthur Blank’s decision not to fire Dan Quinn during the bye week now looks like a good move. But Quinn still may not save his job at the end of the year.

–The Eagles lost to the Patriots last week and now take on Seattle at home. A victory and a Cowboy loss to the Patriots would tie the Eagles with the Cowboys at 6-5 for first place in the NFC East. The two teams are not only fighting for the division lead but a playoff spot. The second-place finisher won’t get a wild card spot. The Seattle-Philadelphia game was flexed out of prime time, an indication of how disappointing the Eagles have been.

–How many spectacular plays will Lamar Jackson make against the Rams in prime time? A loss would drop the Rams to 6-5 and would mean they won’t return to the playoffs, much less the Super Bowl.

–Mason Rudolph should thank Myles Garrett for hitting him with his helmet. It obscured the fact he played a terrible game with four picks and raised doubts that he will be the quarterback of the future for the Steelers. He tries to rebound against the winless Bengals.

The weekend got off to a rocky start with the melee at the end of the Browns-Steelers game.

It was bad optics for the NFL and shows the Browns are a team out of control.

It also takes the focus off some great matchups this weekend, including a Super Bowl rematch from two years ago and a matchup of two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.

Game of the Week

New England goes to Philadelphia for a Super Bowl rematch of two years ago. The Eagles have more at stake since they are fighting Dallas for the NFC East title. At 8-1, the Patriots are virtually already in the playoffs, but they don’t want to lose two in a row. They had a soft schedule going 8-0 before getting drilled by Baltimore. Losing two in a row to winning teams would raise questions about whether they are as good as their record. Carson Wentz will make his first start against the Patriots. Nick Foles, now in Jacksonville, quarterbacked the Eagles to the Super Bowl win when Wentz was hurt. The only surprising thing is that the game isn’t in prime time, but CBS probably protected it. The only other late game CBS is showing is the Bengals-Raiders so it will be virtually a national TV game.

Game of the Weak

New York Jets at Washington. These two teams have combined for three wins, two by the Jets. That means they have a combined 3-15 record. The Redskins are starting rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins against second year quarterback Sam Darnold, who is struggling.

What to watch for

—If we didn’t have a Super Bowl matchup on the schedule, the Houston visit to Baltimore would be the headline game because it will be the first Deshaun Watson-Lamar Jackson duel since 2016 when Watson and Clemson won an epic 42-36 shootout. It is surprising the NFL didn’t schedule this game in prime time or at least in the 4:25 p.m. slot. At 1 pm, CBS will also be showing three other games.

—While Nick Foles former team, the Eagles, will be playing a Super Bowl rematch, Foles will be returning from his broken clavicle to face the Colts. At 4-5, the Jaguars need to get on a run if they’re to be a playoff contender. Meanwhile, Jacoby Brissett returns for the Colts after they lost to Miami last week with Brian Hoyer at quarterback.

—The Saints failed to score a touchdown in the Superdome for the first time with Drew Brees at quarterback in a loss to the Falcons. Now they Saints go to Tampa Bay attempting to show they can bounce back.–The Bears at the Rams will be the Sunday night prime time game, but the matchup of Mitch Tribusky and Jared Goff is not likely can be compelling. The Bears won 15-6 when they played late last year and the two quarterbacks combined for seven interceptions, four by Goff.

—The Chiefs and Chargers go to Mexico City for a quarterback matchup between young Patrick Mahomes and veteran Philip Rivers. Mahomes figures to outscore Rivers since the Chargers have scored 30 points only twice this year. But the Chiefs defense is so porous that Rivers might have a big day in which could be a shootout.

Nick Foles belongs to two of the most exclusive quarterback clubs in the world.

He is one of two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to come off the bench late in the season because the starter was injured and lead his team to the Super Bowl title. Jeff Hostetler with the Giants in 1990 is the other after he replaced injured Phil Simms.

He is also one of two quarterbacks to beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in a Super Bowl. Eli Manning, who did it twice, is the other.

And now he will attempt to join another exclusive club. He will try to become the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl for the Jaguars and only the fourth to take them to the playoffs. Mark Brunell, David Garrard and Blake Bortles are the other three.

Foles’ return Sunday in Indianapolis from the broken clavicle that sidelined him for the opener couldn’t be timelier.

The Jaguars are 4-5 and their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.

Despite all the Minshew Mania, he was still a rookie quarterback and didn’t beat a winning team in his eight starts.

The Jaguars have been the definition of average and predictable this year. They have played five games against winning teams and lost them all. They played four games against losing teams and won them all.

What we don’t know is whether the Jaguars are simply an average team destined to be 8-8 (they have three games against winning teams left on their schedule) or whether they just need better quarterback play to make a run to the playoffs.

Foles will provide the answer. This is his time of the year. He’s not an elite quarterback and has tended to be injury prone, but he is one of those quarterbacks who is best at crunch time.

And CBS Sports noted he has played more games in November and December (31) than in September and October (23).

The last two years, he came off the bench in Philadelphia when Carson Wentz was injured and the moment wasn’t too big for him.

He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl title two years ago and probably came within a dropped pass of leading them back to the NFC title game last year.

Some quarterbacks struggle in crunch time. Foles elevates his game. He is 9-2 the last two years come off the bench for the Eagles and only 1-1 when he started the first two games last year.

Tossing in a victory Foles had against the Jaguars in 2016 when he was with Kansas City, he is 10-2 since 2016 in November and beyond. That .833 winning percentage late in the year is the best for any quarterback with 10 or more starts, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Tom Brady is second at .794.

Granted, Brady has played a lot more games late in the year and is 27-7.

Still, Foles has shown what he can do with a good team around him like he had in Philadelphia.

Which brings us to why his return will be a good barometer of how good a team the Jaguars are.

They have three games left against winning teams – two with the Colts and one at Oakland. If they lose all three and beat the four losing teams remaining on their schedule to finish 8-8, it will be a sign they have to upgrade the team around Foles to get to the playoffs.

If Foles takes them to the playoffs, it will be a sign that the Jags have a good team to complement him.

In effect, Foles’ return will tell us more about the Jaguars than about Foles. We know what Foles can do with a good team around him late in the year.

What we don’t know if how good the Jaguars are. We will get the answer in the answer in the next seven weeks.

Yannick Ngakoue decided to be on himself this year and he appears to be winning that bet.

Ngakoue turned down what he thought was a low-ball offer from the Jaguars in the offseason and decided to play out the final year of his rookie contract at $2.025 million.

He knew a big year in 2019 would set him up for a monster contract in 2020 when he becomes a free agent.

The Jaguars can franchise him but if he doesn’t sign the tender, he is not considered under contract and the Jaguars can’t fine him if he is a no show until he gets paid or traded.

Well, it looks like Nagkoue is having the type of season that will earn him a big deal next year.

Just listen to coach Doug Marrone talk about him this week.

“When you see the production by him you have to remember that teams are doing a lot to stop him, especially in the pass rush phase,” Marrone said. “He’s had a bunch of quality rushes, but he’s also had a bunch of double teams that he is fighting through or chips.

“I think he has improved greatly in the run game. I think he’s done a really good job there, and I think he has improved as a pass rusher and has done an excellent job. The numbers may not show that, but when you watch the film and you see how many people, they are putting on him, I think at times that can be very discouraging, and he has done a great job in a lot of ways.

“He has been great in the locker room, he’s been great in practice, he is doing everything he possibly can to help this team win and you couldn’t ask for more from a player.”

The numbers Marrone was talking about don’t make it look like he is having a great year. He has just four sacks, eight quarterback hits, one forced fumble and 18 tackles in nine games.

But he not only played hurt at the start of the year, Marrone makes it sound like he is having a stellar year despite the numbers. And pass rushers are at a premium.

Now the ball is in the Jaguars court. They didn’t offer him enough to get him to signed after his sacks dropped from 12 in 2017 to 9.5 last year and didn’t make the Pro Bowl again although his quarterback hits jumped from 23 and 33.

Unfortunately for Ngakoue, Marrone isn’t involved in contract talks. Tom Coughlin has the final decision and Dave Caldwell does most of the negotiating.

It remains him to be seen if they will pay him what he thinks he is worth since Josh Allen seems to be a star in the making.

Having Allen and Ngakoue as the pass rushers would the next few years would seem to be a plus for the Jaguars but it remains to be seen if the Jaguars front office sees it that way.

But assuming the rest of the league looks at his film and sees it the same way Marrone does, one thing is obvious — Ngakoue is going to get a big contract next year.

If not from the Jaguars, he will get it from a team that needs a pass rusher who has improved against the run this year.

The 1972 Dolphins can break open the champagne.

Now that San Francisco became the last unbeaten team to lose Monday night, it is official that the Dolphins are the only team ever to record a perfect season in the league’s first 100 years.

In the league’s early days, four teams didn’t lose a game but all had ties. That doesn’t mean the Dolphins were the best team in the first 100 years. They probably weren’t in the top five, but they took advantage of window between the Green Bay dynasty of the 1960s and the Steelers dynasty of the 1970s to get their perfect season.

The Packers won five titles and Steelers won four and the 49ers, the team of the 80s, won five although the final one was in 1994. The Dolphins only won two.

The San Francisco loss means the NFC race is wide open. The 49ers now lead the Seahawks by just a game in the loss column and still play five winning teams, including the Packers, Ravens and New Orleans.

The Packers and Saints are also just a game behind the 49ers in the loss column. It also was one of those Any Given Sunday weekends as three 1-7 teams all won, notably the Falcons upending the Saints and the Dolphins, who are supposed to be tanking, winning at Indianapolis.

The third was the Jets beating the Giants although that wasn’t much of an upset.

Positives

—The Dolphins dumped Ryan Tannehill as part of their tanking program. The Titans signed him and he’s 3-1 since replacing Marcus Mariota, including the win over the Chiefs Sunday, and has them in the playoff hunt at 5-5. Tannehill even scored on a two-point conversion.

—Another team that took advantage of the Dolphins’ tanking program was the Steelers. They gave up a first-round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick, and he has four interceptions and two returns for touchdowns in the last three games, including one Sunday against the Rams. They’ve won four in a row after a 1-4 start without Ben Roethlisberger and are in the wild card hunt at 5-4.

—Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson has now beaten previously unbeaten New England and winless Cincinnati in the last two weeks. He does his thing regardless of the competition. The skeptics say he can’t keep playing this way long term without getting injured but the Ravens are living in the moment.

—The Seahawks are living on the edge, winning an overtime game for the second week in a row. They beat the 49ers on Jason Myers 42-yarder against San Francisco at the end of overtime.

—Kirk Cousins led the Vikings to a big prime time come from behind road win in Dallas with two touchdown passes. He was 6-13 with the Vikings and Redskins in prime-time road games. Dalvin Cook was the key to the victory for the Vikings, who are now 7-3. He ran for 97 yards including the go-ahead touchdown on fourth down and had 86 receiving yards.

Negatives

—The Giants are finding out Eli Manning wasn’t their only problem. They have lost six in a row with rookie Daniel Jones at quarterback, including an embarrassing loss Sunday to the Jets and coach Pat Schurmur is 7-19 in his past two seasons. Will he get a third season? We’ll see.

—The Rams are having a major Super Bowl hangover after losing in Pittsburgh. They’re 5-4, haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in their last 19 possessions and Jared Goff looks lost.

—Adam Vinatieri has now missed six extra points this year, including a critical one in the loss to the Dolphins. It looks like he stayed one year two long at age 47.

—Jimmy Garoppolo is now 16-3 as a starter for the 49ers after the home loss to Seattle. But he had three turnovers in the loss. He has to play better down the stretch. He plays Kyler Murray Sunday and then has a three-game stretch against the Packers, Ravens and Saints. The 49ers can’t afford any more losses like the one to Seattle after Chase McLaughlin of the 49ers missed a potential game winner from 47 yards out earlier in overtime that was shanked so badly it went into the tunnel. He made a 47-yarder with one second left in regulation to send the game in overtime. He was kicking because Robbie Gould was sidelined with an injury. San Francisco opened the door for Seattle to win when they got the ball back with less than two minutes left and threw three consecutive incomplete passes, taking only 25 seconds off the clock and giving the Seahawks time to drive for the game winning field goal.

—Count Carolina’s Ron Rivera as the latest coach to not understand when is the right time to go for two. He did it early in the fourth quarterback with the Panthers down 24-16. That meant they needed both a touchdown and two-point conversion to send the game in Green Bay into overtime in their final drive. They didn’t score anyway, but it was a head scratching decision by Rivera.