As the NFL season enters its second third, a few things are clear. 

For starters, both North divisions are loaded: All eight teams are over .500. In the NFC, it’s conceivable all four could make the playoffs, something that hasn’t happened since the league realigned in 2002 and then expanded the postseason field in 2020. Yet with the NFC East and South divisions almost guaranteed to send one team apiece, all eventualities are on the table. 

Meanwhile, in the West divisions, a few teams appear headed in different directions. The Chargers suffered their sixth consecutive defeat on Sunday and head into their bye week with almost no answers and several questions. The biggest is whether Mike McDaniel can figure out how to work with Justin Herbert, as the pairing has been a mess from the start. One coordinator says it might not be that simple. 

Then there are the Cardinals, who, despite a 2–4 record, have good vibes in Arizona after a shocking upset of the Rams. While the road to contention remains long, the Cardinals are hanging tough, currently having more wins at SoFi Stadium (two) than the Rams and Chargers combined (one).

But we begin in Baltimore with a divisional clash between the Ravens and Bengals, where an unknown looms under center.

Lamar Jackson’s injury woes continue to be mysterious in Baltimore 

Will Lamar Jackson play this week in a key divisional battle against the Bengals? Time will tell. If history is any indication, Baltimore will hold its breath while Jackson works back from an ankle sprain.

Speaking to a source familiar with the franchise and Jackson, the quarterback’s frequent inability to return from injuries promptly has been a topic of discussion within the Baltimore building. The source called him a slow healer, and while Jackson’s toughness hasn’t been called into question, there have been concerns about his ability to bounce back quickly.

Jackson’s first serious injury was in 2021, when he suffered an ankle injury in Week 14 against the Browns. Entering that week, the Ravens were 8–4. Jackson missed the rest of the season, and Baltimore finished 8–9.  The next year, Jackson was hurt in Week 13 against the Broncos, sustaining a sprained PCL. Jackson was considered week-to-week for well over a month. He never returned, and the Ravens fell to the Bengals behind Tyler “Snoop” Huntley in the wild-card round. 

Last season, Jackson hurt his hamstring in a Week 4 loss to the Chiefs. Despite initial optimism the injury wouldn’t be long-term, Jackson didn’t return until Week 9 when Baltimore took on the Dolphins. 

Now, Jackson is battling a lower-body injury, and although coach Jesse Minter says he’s making progress, it is unclear if he’ll return in Week 7. Jackson was originally expected to play against the Falcons, one week after spraining his ankle. Then it was thought Jackson might see action against the Browns last week, but he never practiced. Going into this week, Minter wasn’t sure if Jackson would participate in practice.

At 4–2, the Ravens need Jackson. They scored only 10 points in a loss to Cleveland last weekend and needed overtime to dispatch Atlanta the week before. Without Jackson, Baltimore will be a home underdog against the Bengals, who are trying to overtake them in the AFC North. Additionally, a third loss would put Baltimore in a brutal spot with home-field advantage, as the Chiefs are unbeaten and the Bills have only one loss. 

Ultimately, Jackson needs to be right. A lessened version of the two-time MVP doesn’t work. But the Ravens also need their star to get back on the field, especially in a tight division race.

Is Kyler Murray turning a corner for the Vikings?

There seems to be a universal opinion on the Vikings: They’re 5–0 and the defense is otherworldly but their offense is a problem. 

Coming out of the bye, that’s a tough argument to fight. Minnesota has the league’s second-ranked defense, allowing 259.8 yards, and is first at 12.8 points allowed per game. Coordinator Brian Flores has taken on the role of mad scientist, blitzing an NFL-high 67.0%. The next-highest clip is 42.5% by the Buccaneers. 

Still, there’s an internal belief that things are changing. One team source pointed to halftime of Minnesota’s 15–10 win over the Dolphins in Week 4 as the pivot point for quarterback Kyler Murray. 

Before then, Murray missed most of Week 1 with a concussion, sat Week 2 with the injury, and returned in Week 3 against the Buccaneers. He struggled in Tampa Bay despite a 23–16 win, throwing for 168 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Against the Dolphins, he started 11-of-19 for 112 yards. Since finishing off the win over Miami and then beating the Saints 23–13 in Week 5, Murray is 40-of-48 for 308 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. 

As importantly, the drive chart says plenty. Between the second half against the Dolphins and the entire New Orleans game, the Vikings had 15 possessions. Only five ended without points and/or less than 40 yards (excluding an end-of-game kneeldown).

This week, Minnesota will host the 2–4 Colts, fresh off a loss to the previously winless Titans and firing their GM. Indianapolis has struggled defensively, ranking 26th in total yardage. It’s a chance for Murray and the Vikings to keep rolling, something they must do in an NFC North with no team at or below .500.

Cardinals are hanging tough in Mike LaFleur’s first season

Every day, each Cardinals player sees the same signage inside the facility. Ignore The Noise.

This year hasn’t always been easy for Arizona, which went into the season as an underdog in each of its 17 games. Yet the Cardinals, a team universally picked as a bottom-feeder, are a respectable 2–4 after shocking the Rams on Sunday with an 18–16 win. 

A team source said there’s been tremendous buy-in for first-year coach Mike LaFleur’s program. Sunday’s performance on both sides of the ball showed it. Offensively, Arizona had four 10-plus-yard plays, including two that took more than eight minutes off the clock. Defensively, the Cardinals held the high-powered Rams to 140 yards below their NFL-leading average.

Perhaps most telling, though, is how Arizona won the game. As the source detailed, with 31 seconds left and no timeouts remaining, quarterback Jacoby Brissett took the snap on the right hashmark. He then moved to the left hashmark and knelt to give kicker Chad Ryland the ball where he wanted it. Ryland then hit his sixth and final kick of the afternoon. 

While it’s a play that should be executed with relative ease, we’ve seen in recent weeks how teams struggle under pressure, especially end-of-game scenarios. The Cardinals showed that, even though the record isn’t sterling, it’s solid considering the early stage of this rebuild.

This season, the two biggest wins by outright underdogs both belong to Arizona. If the Cardinals keep buying into LaFleur and add talent over the coming offseason, they may not have as many chances to stun the world.

Mike McDaniel, Chargers issues could be seen coming

This offseason, the Chargers’ hiring of McDaniel as their offensive coordinator wasn’t just seen nationally as a good hire. Many saw it as a home run. 

After six weeks and no wins, it’s now viewed as a disaster that could cost McDaniel his job at any moment, with Los Angeles on its bye week before facing the Rams, Texans and Ravens. While injuries have crushed the Chargers with tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, and receivers Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston all missing significant time, the biggest problem has been quarterback Justin Herbert, who has looked like a shell of himself.

Through six weeks, Herbert ranks 30th in success rate (39.3%) and 32nd in EPA per play (-0.126) of 33 qualified quarterbacks. He’s thrown five touchdowns against a league-high eight interceptions with a QBR of 29.9.

A veteran defensive coordinator warned over the summer that McDaniel could have issues this season after what happened in Miami. 

During last year in Miami, All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Afterward, Tua Tagovailoa cratered, throwing 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions before being benched in December for Quinn Ewers. The coordinator cited McDaniel as a big part of the issue, saying he didn’t know how to adjust without Hill as a de facto easy button. Essentially, without the top-shelf speed to stretch the field and turn short passes into big gains, the source thought McDaniel’s passing scheme could struggle. It has.

Now with a week off to self-scout and adjust, McDaniel can change things up. The question is what adjustments he will make, and whether they will be enough to save his job and/or salvage anything from this season in Los Angeles.

Where the 2027 QB class stands

This is supposed to be a generational quarterback crop entering the 2027 draft. Maybe it will prove to be, but as the college football season approaches the halfway point, there are more questions than answers about many of the big-name prospects. 

Perhaps nobody embodies this more than Texas’s Arch Manning, who entered the fall projected to be the top pick on many boards, only to struggle for the Longhorns. Overall, Manning has thrown for 1,295 yards with 11 touchdowns against five interceptions—reasonable, if not eye-popping numbers. Manning fell to the bottom of the first round in Gilberto Manzano’s latest two-round mock draft.

Yet in a conversation with one longtime personnel evaluator, Manning hasn’t played like a top pick. The source believes Manning should follow in his uncle Peyton’s footsteps, and return to college for his senior season, giving him a chance to gain experience while refining his game. The evaluator’s biggest issue with Manning? His inability to stretch the field. 

Heading into this weekend, the 22-year-old only has 21 collegiate starts to his credit. By comparison, Caleb Williams played in 37 games, Jayden Daniels played in 55, and Drake Maye saw action 30 times. Fernando Mendoza, April’s No. 1 pick, played in 36 games, including 16 with last year’s national-champion Hoosiers. 

Conversely, the source has loved Miami’s Darian Mensah, who has the nation’s top team humming with 18 touchdown passes and an 80.8% completion rate, leading all FBS quarterbacks. Mensah is on his third team in as many years after transferring from Tulane and Duke, but he’s seemingly found a home with the Hurricanes. 

Lastly, keep an eye on Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker. After two years at North Texas, the redshirt sophomore came to the Cowboys and played inspired football with a 6'3", 215-pound frame. At 20, Mestemaker has thrown for 16 touchdowns and 9.6 yards per attempt, leaning on a strong arm and athleticism. Young and relatively inexperienced (25 games), Mestemaker could be the ultimate wild card come April.