If nothing else, it was a somewhat unusual weekend in the NFL. There were some unexpected results, as well as some more quarterback drama, which seems to be a growing theme this season. Let’s take a look at all of the top headlines from the weekend.
Road Warriors
It was a good week to be a road team in the NFL. Heading into Monday night’s game, road teams have won 11 of the 14 games this week, producing plenty of unexpected results. The Buccaneers traveled west to knock off the previously unbeaten Rams in a shootout. The Raiders traveled east to knock off the Colts and get themselves to 2-2. The Browns hit the road to get their second win in Baltimore in their last 12 tries. Not surprisingly, the Patriots and Chiefs both scored road wins, although both had to work for it.
Who’s Left?
A few teams fell from the ranks of the unbeaten over the weekend. As it stands, the Patriots and Chiefs are the only 4-0 teams left, although the 49ers remain undefeated at 3-0 after getting a bye this week.
Meanwhile, the Jets, Dolphins, Broncos, Redskins, Cardinals, Bengals, and Steelers all remain winless. The Jets, to be fair, had a bye, so they are only 0-3, while the Cardinals at least have a tie on their record.
Plus, the Bengals and Steelers play on Monday night, so one team should get one in the win column. That leaves the Dolphins, Broncos, Redskins and Monday’s loser as the four 0-4 teams to start the season.
The Waiting Game
The Bears were one of the few home teams to win on Sunday, although they had to do so without starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. The team is waiting for more tests to know the extent of the injury and how much time Trubisky might miss.
Head coach Matt Nagy said after the game that he doesn’t believe it’ll be a season-ending injury but offered no other comment on his status. In place of Trubisky, Chase Daniel completed 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown in a 16-6 win over the Vikings.
At this point, it seems likely that Daniel will start next week’s game in London against the Raiders before the Bears get a chance to regroup with their bye week.
The Inevitable Change
The Case Keenum era in Washington could be over after three-and-a-half games. In the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Giants, Washington benched Keenum in favor of rookie Dwayne Haskins. Of course, Haskins may not have done enough to earn himself another start, completing just nine of his 17 passes and throwing three interceptions.
Keenum struggled early in the game and may have been bothered by a sprained foot. Keenum’s health could end up being a factor in who starts for the Redskins next week.
It’s worth noting that Colt McCoy is on the roster and working his way back from a foot injury that kept him from competing for the starting job during the preseason. He might only be a week or two away from becoming another option for the Redskins.
