CINCINNATI BENGALS
10/21/2025

Cincinnati 33, Pittsburgh 31
QB Joe Flacco just earned free eats in Cincinnati for the rest of his life with this performance.

Well, at least until he blows a game then, well that is the way fans work.

So Flacco led the Bengals to a big lead then led the team to a rally in beating Pittsburgh to put the team at 3-4 on the year.

Flacco was 31-47 passing for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. His play elevated everyone around him, including the offensive line which played pretty darn well against a highly regarded but in my mind overrated pass rush from the Steelers. They were no factor in this one.
RB Chase Brown had his best day of the year, 11 rushes for 108 yards and two more receptions, though those went for negative yardage. He had a critical drop that may have a touchdown, but at the least a monster gain.
RB Samaje Perine carried 7 times for 31 yards. If you get points for kickoff returns, Perine is now returning kicks. Not likely to go the distance but if you get yardage points he would be a good addition.

WR Ja’Marr Chase was targeted 23 times. He caught 16 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Pittsurgh seemed content on letting Chase catch the ball underneath but not allowing him to go deep or have big opportunities for run after the catch yardage.

That thought process might have been good for most of the game but it remained on the final drive which allowed the Bengals to get into field goal range for PK Evan McPherson.
WR Tee Higgins was targeted a season-high 10 times, good for 6 catches for 96 yards and a score.
WR Andrei Iosivas even got in on the action catching 3 of 4 targets for 49 yards. He had a huge drop early that would have helped his numbers.
TE Noah Fant caught all 4 targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. This had nothing to do with TE Mike Gesicki going on the injured reserved list but rather a competent quarterback passing the ball.
PK Evan McPherson banged home 3 extra points and 4 field goals, returning to form after a bad 2024. He is well worth picking up via waivers or a trade. Depending on how your league scores kickers, he could be a league winner.

On the defensive side, the Bengals gave up plenty of yards (396) so you are not getting anything from a unit standpoint but individuals are doing well.
DB Jordan Battle had 5 tackles and 1 interception. LB Barrett Carter had 12 tackles. DB DeeJay Turner had an interception and is a great cover guy but nothing more than a shot in the dark. He is not going to get many tackles.

Needless to say, Flacco has been a shot in the arm for this franchise. Everyone is better and seems to believe more wins are ahead. The Bengals get the Jets and Bears in the Jungle the next two weeks before getting a bye week in Week 10. Then it is at the Steelers, home Patriots, at Ravens, at Bills through Week 14.

Some tough games in there for sure but the Bengals handled the Steelers which was supposed to be a big test so no reason to believe it won’t continue.

End.

Mark Huber

---

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

DENVER BRONCOS
10/21/2025

NY Giants 32 Denver 33

Edge Jonathan Cooper was AFC Defensive Player of the Week (6) and this is the first time Denver's had back-to-back (Nik Bonitto) AFC Defensive Players of the Week. The surging NY Giants suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos, 32-33, on a walk-off field goal on the last play of the game. The Broncos' two losses came the same way and are happy being on the winning side this time The Giants did nothing wrong, they didn’t choke and Brian Daboll should not be fired. The Broncos had 8/13 possessions that were unproductive before scoring four touchdowns and the game winning field goal in the fourth quarter. It was an emotional day, enshrining WR Demaryius Thomas (deceased) into the Bronco ring of fame. But it took a bit of the long absent Mile High Magic to escape with an Elway-Esque comeback victory. Denver was terrible on both sides of the ball through the first three quarters. Bo Nix was awful. The number of screen and swing passes called was absurd. The Broncos crossed the 50-yard line only once in the first and were shut out 0-13 at half time. When they did get to the red zone Patron called pass plays and ignored JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Despite JK Dobbins averaging 5.8 yards per carry, Payton was hellbent on forcing Nix to throw the football during predictable and ineffective pass plays throughout three quarters of action. The offense lacks creativity and situational blunders persist. The absurd number of penalties continued, the bulk by the defense this week. The coaching needs to change in order to stop the boneheaded mistake because what they're doing isn’t working.

NIX 27/50-279-2-0; 5-48-2 Dobbins 14-81-0 Harvey 4-0-0 Mims 6/7-85-0 Sutton 6/7-87-0 Engram 5/8-42-0 K Wil Lutz 2/2 PAT 1/1 FG-39-yard walk off game winner.

The Broncos managed only 4 sacks and 10 quarterback hits. Nik Bonitto was shut out on sacks and had only one quarterback hit. The Broncos lost hope until ILB Justin Strnad’s interception. His pick “turned the tide” for the Broncos!

Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos

The Broncos have dominated this series in recently, winning seven consecutive games over the Cowboys. Payton-led teams are 5-4 against the Cowboys. This will mark RB Javonte Williams’ (5.3 YPC/84.6YPG) return to Denver as he continues to rejuvenate his career. The Dallas offense threatens to make this game a track race. The Cowboys offense currently ranks 2nd in points PPG at 31.7. Prescott hasn't thrown an interception since September 21st and has thrown 13 touchdown passes against zero interceptions across his previous four games. The Broncos defense will not only have to rush the passer, but also cover CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, two of the most productive wide receivers this year. Denver’s defense has struggled at times, but It will have to hold Dallas in check until their fourth quarter Denver offense gets going. Nix has been significantly better in the fourth quarter of games over a large body of work. Dallas will be a tough out for the Broncos. The question is, "Can Payton get out of the way and let Nix cook?” Sometimes keeping it simple is enough to win games and keep everyone believing. Dallas’ offense against Denver’s defense.
Dallas 23 Denver 27

Transactions Promoting G Calvin Throckmorton to the active roster. Placed OL Matt Peart and LB Garret Wallow on injured reserve. Designated WR Thayer Thomas as practice squad/injured. Added OL Karsen Barnhart and edge Garrett Nelson to the practice squad. Released QB Sam Ehlinger and re-signed to the practice squad. Released DB AJ Wood. Released WR Thayer Thomas with an injury settlement. Activated LB Dre Greenlaw (suspended for Dallas game).

Orangeman’s Take

It has become more and more obvious that Sean Payton is holding back Bo Nix and the offense. His playcalling is disjointed and the defense knows what he is going to do. However, Nix needs to clean-up his foot work and decision making. The offensive line needs to correct their mental and technique errors. They also need to block the line of scrimmage before moving to the second level (LBs). The coaches need to hammer in their foundational run plays until they run them perfectly. Then Payton needs to call them and stop throwing the ball without getting the run game going. Using less formations and personnel groups should stop some of the mental errors. Where is Mike Leach when you need him (RIP)? Alternating series for Dobbins and Harvey works, so commit to it. Payton will be evaluating the personnel usage in an attempt to improve the Broncos' offense. Some players' snaps may be reduced. Nix and the Broncos' offense operates/executes at a more efficient level when they don’t huddle, but Payton doesn’t want to hear it. The Broncos are pretenders-thou charmed-unless they fix their inconsistent offense.

Fantasy Outlook

Quarterbacks PPR Points
Bo Nix 18-25

Running Backs
RJ Harvey 6-9
JK Dobbins 10-15
Tyler Baddie 2-3
Adam Prentice (FB) 0-1

Wide Receivers
Courtland Sutton 14-19
Marvin Mims, Jr 7-11
Pat Bryant 4-6
Troy Franklin 8-14
Trent Sherfield 0-1

Tight ends
Evan Engram 8-13
Adam Trautman 2-3
Nate Adkins 2-3

Kicker
Wil Lutz 8-9

DST 4-9

Good luck this week!

End.

Charles Rives

---

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

DALLAS COWBOYS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

NEW YORK GIANTS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

CHICAGO BEARS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

DETROIT LIONS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

ARIZONA CARDINALS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---

LOS ANGELES RAMS

The report for this week has not yet been released.

---