Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy was impressive, and Texans receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. made a difference. I didn’t expect to write that sentence in October 2026 after these two players were top-10 selections for different teams in the 2024 draft.
It might be too soon to greenlight a documentary about how the Vikings and Cardinals gave up on these two first-round selections. But many in Minnesota will ask what went wrong if McCarthy builds off what he did against the Saints on Sunday.
Maybe Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is kicking himself for not trading for his former Michigan quarterback before he went to join his brother, John, in New York. But Harbaugh should be focused on fixing Justin Herbert, who has gotten worse under his watch. It’s gotten bad for L.A. and not just for the 0–6 Chargers.
What’s the opposite word for super? There’s nothing super about the star-studded Rams.
Rams won’t be ‘super’ at any point this season
This is the time of year when football pundits like to pick apart losing teams. But here’s a different exercise for the heavy preseason Super Bowl favorites: Will the Rams ever become super or just be another ordinary team?
It hasn’t been hard to spot the answer week to week, but it can no longer be ignored after what transpired in an ugly 18–16 loss against the Cardinals. It’s time to accept that the Rams will never become the superteam many envisioned after the Myles Garrett trade in June.
It’s gotten to the point where the 2–4 Rams are listed on the “fork or not to fork” segment of football podcasts. We can play that game, too. I’ll say it’s too early to fork the Rams because coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford can get this team into playoff contention. But it’s laughable to say the Rams will win the Super Bowl, especially with the hole they have dug themselves in the NFC West with the 5–0 49ers at the top.
It’s no longer the Rams or the field who will win Super Bowl LXI. It hasn’t been that way since McVay decided to show up to Australia 36 hours before getting crushed by the 49ers in the season opener. Then there was Garrett’s injury, and he’s been on injured reserve since the Week 1 loss.
Let’s not forget all the special teams miscues. Punter Ethan Evans made a crucial extra point kick, with backup QB Stetson Bennett IV holding the ball, and it should have been a winning moment. Instead, it was a snapshot of how bad things have gotten in L.A. The Cardinals quickly marched downfield after the strange-looking extra point to steal the game on a walk-off Chad Ryland 43-yard field goal.
So, here are the weekly answers: The Rams are dreadful on special teams, the defense has issues, and the mighty offense has been inconsistent this season. Stafford struggled against San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia, but that was briefly forgotten after the duel with Josh Allen and the Bills.
Stafford’s Rams generated only two touchdowns and 286 total yards against the Cardinals, who gave up 45 points last week to the Lions and entered Sunday with a four-game streak of allowing opponents to score at least 31 points.
Strangely, the Rams have been the betting favorite in every game this season. That will change after they lost to Arizona as a 12.5-point favorite. Maybe the not-so-super Rams should be road dogs against the Raiders next week.
Jim Harbaugh should be on the hot seat in L.A.
Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has gotten the bulk of the blame for the disastrous 0–6 start. GM Joe Hortiz has also taken plenty of heat for not adding better weapons on offense.
But Harbaugh needs to be more under the spotlight and not just for the lack of wins this season. Overall, his partnership with Justin Herbert hasn’t worked. Herbert (22-of-37, 204 yards, INT) had another poor performance in the 22–6 loss in Kansas City.
It’s fair to say Herbert has regressed under Harbaugh’s two-plus seasons. Former Chargers coaches Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley were ultimately fired for not providing Herbert better surroundings, but he consistently played like a star quarterback under both regimes.
Losing is losing. But what’s happening under Harbaugh is a lot gloomier than at any point with Lynn and Staley because the star quarterback might just simply be a quarterback. It’s no longer about the lack of help. It’s now about whether Herbert is good enough to be an NFL starter. It’s gotten that bad.
Chargers ownership needs to ask themselves why Herbert hasn’t played like himself this season before making the changes that will surely come from this horrific 2026 season. The problem might be Harbaugh.
McCarthy’s impressive performance isn’t a good look for the Vikings
Several questions came out of nowhere after McCarthy’s strong performance in the Giants’ 34–27 loss to the Saints.
First, will McCarthy make his New York starting debut next week against Houston? That seems to be an easy yes for coach John Harbaugh, who clearly didn’t trust the erratic Jameis Winston from the moment Jaxson Dart went down in Week 2 against the Rams. Harbaugh didn’t waste time executing the trade that sent McCarthy from Minnesota to New York. It came down to how quickly McCarthy could absorb the playbook and gain trust from his new coaches.
However, there are tougher questions to answer. TV talking heads and radio hosts will dissect whether McCarthy can permanently take the starting job from Dart, the 2025 first-round pick.
I, on the other hand, can’t stop thinking about how bad this could look for the Vikings if McCarthy builds on what he did Sunday: 11-of-21 for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
McCarthy was a completely different quarterback than under Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell. He showed accuracy, put balls through tight windows and wisely leaned on his star players, Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely. McCarthy rarely made it easy on himself with the Vikings, even with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
Just a few months ago, McCarthy lost a quarterback battle to Kyler Murray and was dropped to third on the depth chart behind Carson Wentz. I’m sure both sides are to blame for McCarthy’s struggles in Minnesota. But McCarthy seems to have quickly connected with the Giants’ coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan and senior offensive assistant Greg Roman. That’s a lot of coaching experience for the 2024 No. 10 pick. In three weeks, that group might have already done more for McCarthy than in the two-plus seasons with O’Connell and his coaching staff.
Then again, McCarthy might have just used what he learned from O’Connell to put it all together with his new team, just like Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones did after leaving Minnesota. The Vikings might have an issue with giving up on quarterbacks too soon.
Texans already look better with Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison’s stat line doesn’t tell the full story of his impact in his Texans debut in a 34–31 win over the Jaguars in London.
On the surface, Harrison’s three catches for 34 yards looked like what he did the past year and a half playing third fiddle to Trey McBride and Michael Wilson in Arizona. However, Harrison caught all three for first downs, and his presence provided better opportunities for his new teammates.
It’s no coincidence that the Texans (2–4) had season highs in points (34) and yards (426) against a stout Jaguars defense. More importantly, the chemistry Harrison and C.J. Stroud built from their days at Ohio State showed on the field.
Heading into Sunday, Stroud had played well most of the season, but partly because he needed Nico Collins to do the heavy lifting. Stroud’s latest strong performance was different because he wasn’t as predictable and spread the football around—10 Texans registered at least one catch.
Additionally, Stroud wisely didn’t force-feed Harrison to give him a dazzling debut. In due time, Stroud and Harrison should connect more on the field, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing if he continues to be the third option behind Collins and second-year wideout Jaylin Noel, who had four receptions for 107 yards and one touchdown against Jacksonville. For the past few seasons, the biggest issue with this Texans’ offense was its reliance on Collins. Now suddenly Stroud has options with the emergence of Noel and the arrival of Harrison.
In Arizona, stats mattered for a poor team that desperately needed the 2024 No. 4 pick to develop into a superstar. On a better roster that relies on complementary football, Harrison’s presence is more important than his numbers.
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