Big questions, takeaways: Jameis Winston’s big day, plus walk-off wins for Packers, Cardinals

Describe the game in two words: Flacco-esque Magic. Winston’s first game as starter was reminiscent of when Joe Flacco stepped in last year and settled the quarterback position for the Browns. It seemingly injected life into every phase of the team as the Browns pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season.

Early prediction for next week: RB Nick Chubb will record his first 100-yard game of the season. It was also a solid second game for Chubb, who provided some tough runs against one of the NFL’s best run defense. With Cleveland’s offensive line getting healthier, Chubb could have a breakout game against the Chargers. — Daniel Oyefusi

Next game: vs. Chargers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Ravens

How did the Ravens lose to the one-win Browns? Nothing should come as a surprise. The winning touchdown allowed by the Ravens — a 38-yarder from Jameis Winston with 59 seconds — was the 21st completion of 25 or more yards given up by Baltimore, which leads the NFL. This was a secondary that was missing two of its top cornerbacks in Marlon Humphrey (knee) and Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) and had benched safety Marcus Williams. Plus, the Ravens have a history of playing down to their competitor’s level. Before reeling off five straight wins, Baltimore lost to the last-place Raiders. The Ravens were due for a hiccup like this.

Describe the game in two words: Another collapse. This marked the Ravens’ eighth loss when leading inside the final two minutes of the fourth quarter since the start of the 2022 season. That’s the most such losses in the NFL over that span. Finishing has been a problem for the Baltimore defense, which entered this game with the most points allowed in the fourth quarter (84).

Most surprising performance: Dropped passes. The Ravens’ wide receivers dropped a season-worst three throws from QB Lamar Jackson, all of which came on third down. Baltimore entered this game as the second-most efficient offense on third downs, converting 50% of the time. On Sunday, the Ravens failed on eight-of-ten third downs (20.0%). — Jamison Hensley

Next game: vs. Broncos (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Lions

Can the Lions carry their momentum into the divisional showdown with the Packers? The Lions were impressive in all three phases, notably on special teams, where Kalif Raymond returned a 90-yard punt for a touchdown. CB Khalil Dorsey also had a 72-yard kick return as the Lions snapped their six-game losing streak to Tennessee. It’ll be hard to find a team more talented than Detroit right now, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down as they enter Green Bay on a roll. Even without its second-leading receiver Jameson Williams, who was suspended for two games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy, they put up 35 points in the first half for the first time in a game since 1970.

Eye-popping stat: RB Jahmyr Gibbs reached a max speed of 22.03 mph on his career-long 70-yard rushing touchdown at 3:57 in the first quarter, which is the fastest top speed that any Lions player has reached as a ball carrier since 2016, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. It was also the longest rushing touchdown scored at Ford Field since former Lions RB Jahvid Best rushed for an 88-yard touchdown on Oct. 10, 2011.

Most surprising performance: The Lions’ offensive line. Detroit allowed veteran QB Jared Goff to get sacked three times in the opening quarter for the first time in his career, per ESPN Research. Goff was also under pressure on three of his first six dropbacks (50%), and he fumbled after being sacked at 7:12 in the first quarter, but his teammate Kevin Zeitler recovered it. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: at Packers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

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Kalif Raymond takes a 90-yard punt return to the house

Kalif Raymond outruns everyone on the Titans for a 90-yard punt-return touchdown for the Lions.

Titans

Are the Titans the worst team in the NFL? The Titans entered the week in an intense competition with the Panthers, Browns and Patriots for the worst team, but the Patriots and Browns were victorious this week. The same can’t be said for the Titans who suffered a lopsided lost to the Lions. The defense might be the one thing that elevates Tennessee. Entering this week, they were tops in the NFL allowing 272 yards per game. Although Detroit scored 52 points, they only gained 225 yards.

Most surprising performance: WR Calvin Ridley turned in the first 100-yard receiving performance of the season for the Titans. In the first quarter. Two of Ridley’s first three catches went for over 20 yards. The first seven times QB Mason Rudolph targeted Ridley resulted in completions which was much higher than 30% catch rate entering this week. Ridley finished the game with 10 receptions for 143 yards.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Colt Anderson’s special teams unit was terrible. Khalil Dorsey started with a 72-yard kickoff return, and Raymond, a former Titan, exploded for a 64-yard punt return in the second quarter and a 90-yard return for a touchdown later. Kalif Raymond is the first player with multiple 60-yard punt returns in a game since Gunner Olszewski for the Patriots in 2020. — Turron Davenport

Next game: vs. Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Eagles

Is it time to buy into this Eagles defense? It appears Vic Fangio’s group has arrived. After holding the Browns and Giants to a total of 12 points the past two weeks, questions remained about whether the Eagles’ defense could hold up against a more potent attack. They stabilized after a slow start against Cincinnati and came up with two huge, game-defining plays: A fourth-and-1 stick by CB Cooper DeJean on WR Ja’Marr Chase late in the third quarter that kept the Bengals short of the first-down marker, and a nice tip-drill interception from CB Isaiah Rodgers to S C.J. Gardner-Johnson on a QB Joe Burrow deep ball early in the fourth quarter — one of two takeaways on the day. If Philadelphia can continue to play this kind of complementary football, it’s going to be a tough team to beat.

Describe the game in two words: Slow start. Thanks to a opening drive by Cincinnati that ate up more that 10 minutes, the Eagles failed to score in the first quarter for the eighth consecutive game, marking the longest first-quarter drought for the team in the last 25 years. Philadelphia put up just 55 yards of offense. QB Jalen Hurts helped lead the charge from there, however, posting four total touchdowns, including three rushing scores. It is his third career game with three rushing TDs, which is the most by any QB since the start of 1950.

Eye-popping stat: Hurts’ 45-yard TD pass to WR DeVonta Smith late in the third quarter had a completion probability of 21.6% according to NFL Next Gen Stats, the least likely TD pass for Hurts so far this season. It’s the fifth-least likely TD of Hurts career with three of those going to Smith. It’s the second-longest TD pass of Hurts’ career by air yards (45). — Tim McManus

Next game: vs. Jaguars (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

Bengals

Were the last two weeks fool’s gold? Yes. Turns out, beating a scuffling Giants squad that benched its quarterback a week later and a Browns team led by QB Deshaun Watson weren’t high-caliber wins. In a game against a potential playoff contender and recent conference champion, Cincinnati struggled. The offense couldn’t produce much outside of a strong drive to open the game and the defense couldn’t get enough stops. Instead of moving to .500, the Bengals are now 3-5 and winless in four home games this season.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Cincinnati couldn’t get the run game going. At one point, the Bengals had 48 rushing yards on 17 carries. The lack of faith in the ability to get a yard needed was evident when coach Zac Taylor dialed up a swing pass for WR Ja’Marr Chase on fourth-and-1 that was stopped short of the sticks. What had been a bright spot at times this season was ineffective when Cincinnati needed it.

Eye-popping stat: The Bengals couldn’t find a way to disrupt Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Hurts was pressured on just two of his first 20 dropbacks. He completed both of them. That’s not a winning metric when Cincinnati didn’t blitz on 72.7% of those dropbacks. — Ben Baby

Next game: vs. Raiders (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Rams

With WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back, could the Rams take the NFC West? Winning the division is absolutely still in play, and Los Angeles showed Thursday night how good their offense can be when healthy. This is the offense the Rams envisioned this offseason and gives coach Sean McVay so many options as a playcaller. At 3-4, the Rams are tied with the 49ers and Cardinals and are just a game back of the 4-3 Seahawks heading into Sunday. And 10 days from now, the Rams play in Seattle for a chance to get even closer to the top of the division.

Most surprising performance: The Rams kept Nacua’s return quiet, activating him from injured reserve despite the fact he couldn’t practice because of the short week. QB Matthew Stafford went to Nacua early and often on Thursday night, and the second-year receiver led the Rams with seven catches for 106 yards on nine targets.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Stopping Justin Jefferson. Jefferson, the receiver Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula called “the best in the world” leading up to this game, had eight catches for 115 yards on Thursday night. The Rams’ pass defense entered the game ranked 30th in DVOA, and the group struggled to stop the Vikings’ best player on what was otherwise a strong night for the defense. — Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Seahawks (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Vikings

Who are these Vikings? Close observers left SoFi Stadium wondering if these Vikings are the same team that dominated the first five games of the season — with the biggest point differential in the NFL. Or whether they are the one that allowed 61 points in two losing games in five days. This was certainly a tougher stretch of the season than some realized, having played arguably the best and most physical team in the NFL (Detroit) and then traveling to the West Coast to play on a short week. The Vikings have put themselves in position for a playoff run, but they’ll need to tighten up to stay on it.

Describe the game in two words: Overblown controversy. There is no doubt that referee Tra Blake and crew missed a face mask foul late in the fourth quarter that would have reversed a safety and given the Vikings a first down on their final possession. But it’s hard to say that call cost the Vikings the game. They still would have had to move nearly 80 yards in 1:36 with no timeouts for a touchdown, and then get a 2-point conversion just to tie and force overtime. It was a bad miss, but the Vikings can’t (and didn’t) blame it for their loss.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Vikings couldn’t find a way to get to Rams QB Matthew Stafford. They pressured him on only three of his 34 dropbacks; that 9% pressure rate was their lowest in a game since 2020. And even then, Stafford completed a pass against all three of those pressures, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to WR Cooper Kupp after eluding DT Harrison Phillips and LB Jonathan Greenard. Pass rush had been key to the Vikings’ hot start this season, and before Thursday they had managed at least a 24.6% pressure rate in every game. — Kevin Seifert

Next game: vs. Colts (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)