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Good morning. Halloween night, something truly eerie happened: a Jets victory, one headlined by Garrett Wilson delivering one of the best touchdown catches ever. They’re up to 3-6, and disappointing Houston falls to 6-3.
Today:
- Award favorites
- Dianna on the deadline
- Overlooked stories
- Week 9 watch guide
Checking Odds: Lions and Allen rising
For the first time in my life, the Lions have the second-best Super Bowl odds. Per BetMGM, they’re currently tied with the Ravens at +650, trailing only the Chiefs (+400). The 49ers and Bills rank fourth and fifth, respectively. Let’s come back to the Lions below.
First, here’s how the individual award races stack up, along with my dark-horse picks. As always, bet at your own risk, but these numbers provide a telling picture of the current races. Players are listed by their BetMGM rankings:
- MVP: Josh Allen (+300), Lamar Jackson (+350), Patrick Mahomes (+500). Dark horse: Jalen Hurts (+1800), who finally has his best two receivers back and went 3-0 in October. More on the MVP race here.
- Offensive POTY: Derrick Henry (+140), Saquon Barkley (+350), Justin Jefferson (+625). Dark horse: Jahmyr Gibbs (+3500), who is averaging an impressive 6.4 yards per carry for the 6-2 Lions.
- Defensive POTY: T.J. Watt (+130), Dexter Lawrence II (+600), Will Anderson Jr. (+650). Dark horse: Packers S Xavier McKinney (+1600), who has six interceptions in eight games.
- Coach of the Year: Kevin O’Connell (+650), Sean Payton (+650), Jim Harbaugh (+700). Dark horse: Mike Tomlin (+1000), whose Steelers lead the division and are 2-0 since he made the bold switch to Russell Wilson.
- Offensive ROY: Jayden Daniels (-400). Easy. Caleb Williams (+950) and Bo Nix (+1500) are longshots. Dark horse: Brock Bowers (+4000), who could break the rookie receptions record. More on ROY here.
- Defensive ROY: Jared Verse (+225), Laiatu Latu (+250), Quinyon Mitchell (+650). Dark horse: Packers S Evan Williams (+1400), whose PFF grade of 87.4 ranks seventh at his position.
- Comeback POY: Kirk Cousins (+175), J.K. Dobbins (+425), Joe Burrow (+525). Dark horse: Nick Chubb, who should be higher on this list after recovering from one of the most devastating knee injuries seen on prime-time television.
Now, over to Dianna for the latest.
What Dianna’s Hearing: What will the Lions do at the deadline?
Over the last few days, I talked to a few general managers to try to get an idea of the Detroit Lions’ trade-deadline plans.
One GM told me he though Detroit would target Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals, however, rarely move their players — Hendrickson seems like a longshot. Some other names that came up during the brainstorming: Tennessee’s Arden Key, the Giants’ Azeez Ojulari, and the Packers’ Preston Smith. None of them are big, splashy names, but each of them would provide at least some of the pass-rushing juice the Lions lost when Aidan Hutchinson went down.
Hutchinson hasn’t played since he was injured on October 13, but still ranks third in the NFL in sacks.
🎧 The latest from the “Scoop City” podcast: Dianna and Chase dig into why so many 2023 quarterbacks are struggling.
Back to you, Jacob.
Comeback
Every Friday, I’ll share three stories from The Athletic that you might have missed. All offer deeper looks into the lives of players and coaches we watch every Sunday.
- When Hall of Fame LB Bobby Wagner was asked if it was normal for a quarterback to arrive around 5 a.m. each morning, the 13-year vet replied: “Not normal for most, normal for the great ones.” It’s one of many insights collected by Zak Keefer, who masterfully explains the how behind Jayden Daniels success.
- When Mike Eayrs was hired by the Vikings in 1985, there was no such thing as sports analytics. A former statistics teacher, he spent 16 years introducing his work to the NFL before the Packers stole him from Minnesota. In Green Bay, he pulled from business studies to assist Aaron Rodgers and A.J. Hawk, helping them win a Super Bowl. If you’re interested in the history of analytics, the journey of Eayrs is worth your attention.
- “This is INCREDIBLE,” wrote one reader. “This is The Athletic article I’d choose if I were stranded on a deserted island,” said another. Those were just two of the hundreds of comments praising Ted Nguyen’s 2019 article on how to watch football like an expert. With insight from Carson Palmer, Ted answers questions like, “How can you tell whether it’s an RPO or play action?” and, “What should you look for post-snap?”
Week 9 Watch Guide
Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
Sunday at 4:05 and 4:25 p.m.
Sunday at 8:20 p.m.
Monday at 8:15 p.m.
- Buccaneers at Chiefs (ESPN)
Before we go! Yesterday’s most-clicked: For the second day in a row, it was Mike Sando explaining the Anthony Richardson decision.
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(Photo: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
