The Rise of JSN

 

Move over Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and all of the other top receivers, there is a new number 1 in town. That guy is Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN is off to a historical start to his 2025 campaign, and he's only getting better. 

It's crazy to think that this is the first season where JSN is the number one wide receiver on his team in both college and the NFL. During his career at Ohio State, JSN was a superb receiver, but he was always overshadowed by guys such as Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr, Chris Olave, and Emeka Egbuka to name a few. 

Even in his first two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, DK Metcalf was always regarded as the WR1. But now this is JSN's offense. Smith-Njigba currently leads all wide receivers in receiving yards with 1,313. 

JSN has already shattered his receiving yards total from last season through just 11 games. If he keeps this pace up, he will probably end up with more receiving yards than he had in his first 2 NFL seasons combined. 

The next closest receiver to this number is George Pickens with almost 300 yards less than JSN. Not to mention, JSN has already broken the single-season receiving yards record for the Seattle Seahawks in just Week 12.

Through his first 11 games, JSN has tallied at least 79 receiving yards per game. In addition, he has had at least 93 receiving yards in every game this season except one back in Week 4. 

In addition, JSN is on pace to break the single season receiving yards record throughout the NFL which is held by Calvin Johnson. If he keeps this pace up, he would just barely sneak past Johnson's mark although he would do it in one extra game. 

Putting all of these numbers aside, JSN is off to a ridiculous start. Moving on from DK Metcalf could turn out to be one of the best moves ever made by the franchise because of the gem they unlocked in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. 

Trouble in Arrowhead

 

What is going on with the Kansas City Chiefs? Through their first 10 games, they have had their worst start to a season in almost a decade. They currently sit at 5-5, looking from the outside of the AFC Playoff Picture. 

After three straight Super Bowl appearances, and three championships in the last 5 years, it is really surprising to see this Chiefs team struggle this bad. The combination of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid we have gotten to know has been almost allergic to losing until 2025.

The Chiefs have won the AFC West nine times in a row dating back to 2016, but now this streak is in major jeopardy. Currently, the Chiefs trail the Denver Broncos by four games for first place in the AFC West. 

So what has been the problem thus far? One thing I can say for sure is that it is not Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes currently has the 4th most passing yards in the NFL and third highest QBR as well. In addition, the offense ranks in the top 10 of the NFL in terms of total offense. 

The normal thing to conclude would be that the defense is at fault. However, the Chiefs defense like their offense also ranks within the top 10 in total defense throughout the NFL. So where have the Chiefs gone wrong in 2025?

The answer is that their main struggle has been their ability to win close games against good teams. Every one of their five losses has come by one possession and only a combined 22 points. In addition, all of their losses have come against teams currently in a playoff position. 

On the other hand, the five games that they have won have all come in pretty comfortable fashion. Each game they have won has been by at least two scores. But, only one of those wins has come against a team that is currently in the playoff picture. 

Looking ahead, 3 of the Chiefs last 7 games come against teams currently in the AFC playoff picture. It is looking pretty unlikely that Kansas City will repeat as champions in the AFC West, but to keep their postseason hopes alive, they will have to win some games they aren't projected to win. 

The narrative has always been to not bet against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. But now in 2025, has the rest of the league finally figured out how to stop Kansas City? 

Are the Broncos Legit?

As we approach Week 11, the Denver Broncos are off to their best start since their last Super Bowl victory back in 2015. Yet, sitting at 8-2, are the Broncos really that good and do they have what it takes to make a deep playoff run?

Denver narrowly escaped their previous game against the Las Vegas Raiders with a three point victory on Thursday Night Football. The offense was nowhere to be found as they racked up just 10 points against a subpar team in the Raiders. 

That has been a common theme this season for Denver. They have had multiple games where they have barely escaped with victories in part to their struggling offense. 4 of their last 5 wins have come by just a combined 9 points. 

In addition, all of these wins were against teams not currently in a playoff position. A big part of the Broncos' struggles on offense has been their inability to get Courtland Sutton involved more. Sutton, their top wide receiver, was awarded a 4 year, $92 million contract extension this past offseason, but has failed to live up to it through the first 10 weeks of the season. 

Subsequently, it has been Troy Franklin who has lead the Broncos in receptions through the midway point of the season. The plan should be simple: Nix needs to get Sutton involved more in order to elevate this subpar offense so far. 

On the other hand, it has been their superb defense that has been consistently bailing them out. The Broncos defense currently ranks third in the league in total defense, and have given up the least amount of touchdowns in the league with only 15 given up. 

Star linebacker, Nik Bonitto, currently ranks third in the NFL with 9.5 sacks this season. Similarly to Sutton, Bonitto was also awarded a big contract extension this offseason. Bonitto has fully lived up to the hype as the leader of this stout defensive corps. 

Denver currently has a one game lead atop the AFC West as they enter a heavily anticipated matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. In recent history, Kansas City has dominated this matchup, winning 12 of their last 15 games head to head. It should be a good test for Denver and a heavy indicator in what the outcome of the AFC West will be come January. 

A Sleeper for MVP

 

After a huge win at home over the New Orleans Saints, Matthew Stafford has quietly entered the NFL MVP conversation. Stafford has led the Los Angeles Rams to a 6-2 record, with their two losses coming by just one score each. 

Back in 2021, Matt Stafford was dealt to the Los Angeles Rams after spending his first 11 years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. This trade ended up being the best possible situation for Stafford's career as he immediately brought home the Lombardi Trophy to LA in his first full season with the Rams. 

This past Sunday, Stafford threw for four touchdowns which was good enough for his fourth game this season with at least three touchdown passes. In his last two games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints, Stafford threw for a combined 9 touchdowns compared to 0 interceptions. 

He currently leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with 21 through 8 games and has only thrown 2 interceptions as well. The next closest quarterback to 21 touchdowns is Justin Herbert who has 18 and at the same time has played one more game than Stafford as well. 

In addition, Stafford is one of nine quarterbacks who has eclipsed the 2000 passing yards mark and currently ranks 5th in the NFL even with already having his bye week in Week 8. 

Since he entered the NFL back in 2009, Matt Stafford has been one of the most consistent players throughout the league. The accolades don't necessarily back it up, but each and every year Stafford always puts on a show, consistently bringing this Rams team to the playoffs. 

Somehow Stafford has never been named to an All-Pro team, has never won an MVP, and has only made the Pro Bowl twice in his 16 year career. However, what he does have is a Super Bowl under his belt which most other quarterbacks in the present day NFL cannot say. 

Stafford is slowly climbing the ranks and turning a lot of heads this season. As of now, he's only focused on bringing back another Super Bowl to Los Angeles, but an MVP wouldn't be too bad either for the veteran quarterback. 

An Unbelievable Start for JT

After another phenomenal performance this past Sunday, Wisconsin's very own Jonathan Taylor has cemented himself as the NFL's best running back this season. 

When it comes to touchdowns, JT is well accustomed to them as he currently leads all running backs with 12 rushing touchdowns and 14 total touchdowns for the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts. Not only does Taylor lead the touchdown category, but he also leads all running backs with 850 rushing yards as well. 

After JT's three touchdown performance against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, he became the first player in NFL history to score three times in three consecutive games against the same team. Only 8 weeks into the NFL season, Taylor is on pace to shatter a lot of other records as well. 

Taylor's superb start to the season has entered his name into the MVP conversation which is very rare for a running back. Since the NFL started awarding the MVP in 1957, only 16 running backs have taken home this trophy compared to a whopping 50 quarterbacks.  

The last running back to be awarded the MVP was Adrian Peterson with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2012. Taylor has a chance to break the 13 year long drought if he keeps up his unbelievable start to the 2025 NFL season. 

Jonathan Taylor also has a chance to be the first Indianapolis Colt to win the Most Valuable Player award since Peyton Manning back in 2009. Additionally, this is the best start to the season for the Colts since they also started 7-1 in 2009 when Manning was awarded the MVP. 

While these MVP conversations are worth noting, Jonathan Taylor is focused on bringing home the Lombardi Trophy to Indianapolis for the first time since 2007. Indianapolis will head to Pittsburgh this Sunday to take on the Steelers and try to improve their AFC-best record to 8-1. 

Pandemonium in Seattle

The Seattle Mariners are just two wins away from their first ever World Series appearance. The run they have been on throughout 2025 has been inspiring and is giving the city of Seattle hope for their first major championship since 2014. 

How did the Mariners get here? They got here by winning their first AL West title since 2001, when they won an MLB record 116 games. After a gritty series against the Detroit Tigers, the Mariners boarded a flight to Toronto and stole the first two games of the ALCS from them. 

They are lead by potential AL MVP Cal Raleigh, who racked up 60 home runs during the season. Their pitching staff has been unbelievable and has done a great job for them at all times. There aren't many better pitching trios than Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Luis Castillo. Oh and by the way they also have George Kirby who is the Game 3 starter tonight. 

In my opinion, Seattle is a much better all around team than Toronto is, and this is what is going to propel them to their first World Series appearance. To add a cherry on top, Seattle is doing all of this in their first full season with their manager Dan Wilson.

Wilson was first hired as the Seattle manager in August of last season assembled his American League leading squad in no time. In addition, Seattle did a great job during the trade deadline as they bolstered both corners of the infield. 

They got Josh Naylor from the Guardians to take over first basemen duties and re-acquired Eugenio Suarez to take the other corner over at third. The middle of Seattle's lineup at one point wasn't the best, but the addition of these guys has taken it to a new level.

It is fair to say that Seattle is pretty excited. To go from not seeing your team win their division in 24 years to now competing for a chance to play for the World Series. The sky is the limit for the Mariners as they head into Game 3 tonight. 

                                                              

Through 3 Weeks: The AFC's Best

 

The Indianapolis Colts have been arguably the hottest team in the NFL through the first three weeks of the season.  With a new quarterback, dominant running back, and a stout defense, it is going to be hard to stop the Colts anytime soon. 

The reincarnation of Daniel Jones is real folks. After he was released by the Giants a season ago, it seemed like Jones was entering the end of his career in the NFL. Jones was signed by the Vikings and  sat behind Sam Darnold, watching him revive his career in Minnesota. 

Indianapolis decided to take a shot on Jones and signed him to a one-year deal this offseason. It was decided by Shane Steichen before the season that Jones earned the starting job and he hasn't looked back since. 

Jones currently has the third most passing yards in the NFL, has yet to turn the ball over, and has lead the Colts to a combined 103 points to start the 2025 campaign. It's clear that Jones used Darnold's career revival as inspiration and motivation for this season and the rest of his career. 

It also helps out when you have the best running back in the league at your side in Jonathan Taylor. Taylor currently leads the NFL in carries and rushing yards after his three touchdown performance in the Colts domination of the Titans on Sunday. 

Since entering the league in 2020, Taylor has always been amongst the league's best, but he was constantly overshadowed by others. Now in his sixth NFL season, Taylor looks like the most dominant back in the NFL and is only going to get better as the season progresses. 

Along with JT, Jones has utilized his other weapons in Michael Pittman, Tyler Warren, and Alec Pierce very well. Pittman, after a bit of a down year in 2024, has turned it up in 2025. Alec Pierce continues to be a constant deep threat to opposing defenses, and rookie Tyler Warren is turning into one of the league's premier tight ends right before our very eyes. 

To make things better for Indianapolis, the AFC South division favorites coming into the 2025 season, the Houston Texans, are currently 0-3. A three game lead to start the season over the back to back AFC South champs is a pretty hefty advantage to say the least. 

I'm excited to see if Daniel Jones can continue his unreal production as the season progresses. The Colts will face a real test this upcoming Sunday as they take their undefeated record to Los Angeles to take on the 2-1 Rams.