GILLETTE STADIUM (Foxborough, Mass.) — Anytime Jordan Love dropped back, it felt like Gillette Stadium held its breath, waiting for the Packers QB to deliver disappointment.
And he did. Over and over.
It started in the first quarter when his defense delivered a turnover, with New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye throwing a pick. And it really never stopped in Green Bay’s dominant 45-27 win, with Love making high-difficulty throws at a clip that was unlike anything I’d seen from him — or any signal-caller — in 2026.
Meanwhile, if you’re watching closely, you can tell exactly which two teams are competing for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. You can see that the Rams are shaping up into a Super Bowl team, even in an ugly loss. And you can see who should get traded (and who should not get traded) before the deadline on Tuesday. Let’s dive into all of that — and more.
Welcome to Sound Smart, where I take you beyond what’s obvious. Let’s go below the surface. Let’s spin it forward, dive deeper, think outside the box and read between the lines. If I do my job, you’ll be fluent in the NFL’s Week 9 action.
1.
What Stood Out Most To Me Sunday: Jordan Love Played The Best Game I’ve Seen From A QB This Season.
Just moments after Jordan lofted a deep ball downfield to Christian Watson for a touchdown, the Packers QB stood under center in hopes of converting a 2-point conversion. He’d scored 40 points. Why stop there? So Love dropped back — but then took it himself, carrying the ball into the end zone for the 2-pointer.
It was a microcosm of the game. Utter dominance by Love.
As the QB left the field, you could hear fans chanting “MVP.” At this time last year, the stadium echoed with MVP chants for Drake Maye. At this time 10 years ago, it echoed for Tom Brady. But on Sunday afternoon, the chants in New England were for Love.
“It’s awesome. It’s definitely a very cool feeling to be able to hear fans chanting that. That’s all I can say, man,” Love said when I asked during a postgame presser.
That’s all!?
“Eventually, there’s not going to be any question,” Watson told me when I asked if Love is getting enough MVP chatter. “He’s going to continue to do his thing, and he’s going to get all the recognition he deserves.”
Jordan Love meets Packers fans chanting MVP after the game against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
Before the season, I wrote that Jordan Love was underrated — perhaps the most underrated QB in the NFL. But I felt that he’d finally started getting the recognition he deserved. Now I’m wondering if he’s underrated again, if only because he is starting to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Like the MVP. And that’s a crowded space, with Caleb Williams, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
But after the way Love put the ball into tight windows — 40 yards downfield — how could you argue that Love isn’t one of the NFL’s best passers?
He finished this game 23-of-29 for 372 yards and three passing touchdowns. He had a 153.2 passer rating, 12.8 yards per attempt, a 79.8% completion percentage and a completion percentage over expected of 21.8%. He did that despite 13 pressures (39.4% of dropbacks). He may have taken three sacks, but against pressure, he was 6-of-9 for 153 yards.
“Flowing — that’s what it feels like. It feels like you’re in that flow state and just finding ways to get guys the ball,” Love said.
I asked if this was the best game he’s ever played.
“Man, it’s definitely up there,” he said during the postgame press conference.
He even contributed on the ground, with a rushing touchdown (to go with the 2-point-conversion carry). But man, some of these throws. They were just awesome.
And this Patriots defense isn’t a bunch of scrubs. Going into this week, they were top 10 in points allowed per game and yards allowed per game. Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez — arguably the league’s best cornerback — was in coverage for 10 catches for 187 yards, per Next Gen Stats.
“We just put ourselves in the best position to exploit — to stay away from their strengths as much as we could,” Watson told me postgame.
But … it sure looked like they were throwing at Gonzalez, who was one of the Patriots’ perceived strengths. Watson just smiled and nodded.
Somehow, this offense left yards on the table. For example, Love hit tight end Tucker Kraft on the hands on a seam route. Kraft couldn’t haul the ball in, but the pass fell right into place — over the tight end’s shoulder. And if he caught it, he was probably running free for another touchdown.
But there’s no need to be greedy. The numbers were gaudy enough. And if you caught the performance, you’ll know what I’m talking about. This was unlike anything we’ve seen in terms of difficulty and downfield throwing.
This was a masterpiece.
2.
What Went Wrong: Drake Maye Looks Startlingly Like Sam Darnold.
Don’t believe what you see in the box score.
All those passing yards and all those touchdowns cannot excuse what Drake Maye did in the first half: three interceptions. The Patriots didn’t stand a chance in the second half, and Maye’s “good” numbers — 21-for-38 for 299 yards and three touchdowns — were nothing more than garbage-time production.
He was bad. He was so bad, in fact, that he completely took his team out of the game, particularly when Love caught fire.
This could’ve been a duel between two of the league’s top quarterbacks. Instead, it was an absolute rout, with Love showing he has ascended into the Tier 1 of QB play. But Maye? He’s falling out of Tier 2, which includes Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud and Jared Goff.
“You can’t put the team in the hole straight off the bat, first possession, first half,” Maye said. “I feel like in the times we had chances to get back into the game. I messed them up.”
And that’s because of his likeness to Sam Darnold.
Now, I want to be clear: Maye is a better quarterback than Darnold. When Maye is at his best, he really is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. When Maye plays like he played against the Packers, he shows how far he has to go to stay among the elite. His mental lapses are so severe that his team has to be perfect to overcome them.
On Sunday night, the Bears were able to overcome their star QB’s mistakes. Caleb Williams threw four interceptions — constantly shooting his team in the foot — but the defense, with two interceptions and four sacks, kept the team in the game. And Williams was lucky he was playing the Buccaneers (and not the Packers), because Tampa gave the Bears the breathing room to win it. Chicago hit a game-winning field goal to bail out Williams.
The Patriots couldn’t do the same favor for Maye, who had another of his off days. That’s when he looks like Darnold. They’re both good QBs whose mistakes become major impediments to victory. And unlike the Bears and Seahawks, who have found ways to overcome Darnold’s catastrophic games, the Patriots don’t know how to get past Maye’s worst days.
It’s ironic that Tom Brady was in the stadium to watch this game — calling his first Patriots home game since joining FOX Sports — because Brady trained Patriots fans to appreciate consistency. Brady learned — at a young age — that it’s important to avoid the low-lows of quarterbacking before chasing the high-highs. It’s the low-lows that kill a team’s shot at winning.
The current Patriots QB has yet to learn it. With all that talent, Maye can’t help himself. But that makes him unreliable — and sometimes it even makes him a liability.
3. 
I Can’t Shake This One Thought: The AFC’s No. 1 Seed Will Be The Jaguars Or Bengals.
You know the meme where two Spidermans are pointing at each other?
Hey, that’s me.
Well, that’s how the Jaguars must have felt watching the Bengals beat the Falcons in Barcelona. Both Jacksonville and Cincinnati have defenses that are trending upward and might be getting better — the Jaguars acquired Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III from Atlanta early Monday. More importantly, both teams are offensive juggernauts with two of the best QBs in the NFL. And when it comes to the AFC hunt, both teams benefit from two of the easiest schedules in the NFL.
They’re good. Their opponents are bad. They’re going to duke it out for the No. 1 seed.
It feels inevitable. And if you think back to Week 4, you might remember these teams saw each other and the Jaguars won, 22-17 — despite Joe Burrow throwing for 428 yards. That’s a consequential game, giving Jacksonville the advantage for the top seed. So the Bengals would have to be that much better against their weak schedule.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars got the best of the Bengals in October despite Joe Burrow’s 428 passing yards. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
I’m guessing that Bills and Broncos fans are wondering what the heck I have against them. The Bills will be dangerous in the playoffs. No doubt about it. But their defense (and general sloppiness) makes me think they’re going to drop some games, particularly with a challenging schedule ahead. And forgive me, Broncos fans, but I don’t trust Bo Nix.
Burrow and Trevor Lawrence have been among the best passers in the NFL. The Bengals don’t quite have a running game like the Jaguars, who have seen Bhayshul Tuten emerge with efficient production that has made him an advanced statistics darling. But of course, Cincinnati has been unstoppable in the passing game with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
Defensively, the edge goes slightly to the Jags. But I think the Bengals’ defense has gotten better every week, with the offseason trade for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence looking better each week.
I feel pretty darn good about one of these two teams taking the top seed in the AFC, even if they both have a sub-20% chance, per Next Gen Stats.
4.
Everyone’s Afraid to Say: The Rams Are Following In the Footsteps Of Iconic Super Bowl Champions.
You know who the Rams remind me of?
Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. And Tom Brady’s Patriots.
Now, those two QBs (and organizations) have a longer run of sustained excellence. But much like those organizations, the Rams entered this season with a target on their back the size of California. The “Super Team” hype worked against the Rams in two ways: 1) Everyone wanted to crush the supposed Super Team, and 2) They weren’t actually that good.
In fact, the Rams have been pretty mediocre — in every metric except special teams, where they’ve been one of the worst units in the NFL. After Week 9, they rank 13th in points scored per game (23.8) and eighth in points allowed per game (20.1).
They have some of the most recognizable names on either side of the ball, from QB Matthew Stafford to receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. They have some of the best football players on the planet — and that includes (lesser-known players like) cornerback Trent McDuffie and edge Byron Young. And then, obviously, coach Sean McVay is one of the faces of the NFL.
After early-season knee surgery, Myles Garrett made a dominant return to action on Sunday with three sacks against the Commanders. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
That has actually worked against them — for now.
Because the thing about “the target” is that teams can’t keep it up all year. The Rams are 5-4, which doesn’t scream Super Team anymore. I don’t think teams are worried about bringing the Rams back to earth, because that has already happened.
And while the Rams were not a Super Team to start the year, I believe they are going to surge in the second half of the year — like the Chiefs and (Tom Brady) Patriots did during their Super Bowl runs. You don’t have all year to figure your identity out, but you do have a grace period, which the best teams use to experiment and feel out their limits. That can make for ugly football. That can generate losses. But as Bill Belichick used to say: You know what kind of team you are when Thanksgiving rolls around.
We’re almost there. The Rams won ugly against the Commanders on Sunday, but they have a healthy Garrett, Donald and Young on the defensive line. They have a healthy Stafford, and Davante Adams should be back soon. One concerning note is Nacua, who will have an MRI on his right knee on Monday.
Basically everyone picked the Rams to make and/or win the Super Bowl. And basically everyone got scared and backed off that prediction. Well, I’m here to remind you: It’s gonna happen. They have the makings of a team that’s going to get hot in the playoffs. Just when you forget about them, they’re gonna be one of the NFL’s best teams.
5.
What’s Next? Should They Stay Or Should They Go?
With the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, here are the big names who should stay or go.
Trade Him: If someone feels generous enough to give the Colts assets for a player they’re going to part ways with this offseason, then … why not? The Colts would take a cap hit for trading Jones, which gives them a little leverage to make the Vikings (or anyone else who’s interested) give up a reasonable return.
Indy is selling for a rebuild. Jones isn’t going to be a part of that and, given the incentives in his contract, he probably wants to go to a contender where he can cash in on bonuses (on top of simply wanting to not be on one of the league’s worst teams).
Keep Him: He’ll turn 28 in January, which isn’t so bad for a running back these days. Derrick Henry might be a freak of nature, but he’s 32, which provides an optimistic runway for Taylor. The Colts are probably going to draft a young QB to play right away. Taylor is the perfect complement to a rookie QB, because he’s been able to produce despite years of tumultuous circumstances.
I know that a Taylor trade would be the exciting splash that we all crave at the deadline. But it’s actually not smart for the Colts to move someone as reliable as Taylor, who will make life easier for whoever plays QB for them next year.
Trade Him: There might not be a player who has more “he has something” plays — without actually ever developing into a reliable threat. Downs’ potential is enticing. His production isn’t. That’s why he’s on the market for a fourth-rounder, per reports. And that makes all the sense in the world. It’s not like they Colts would be saying good riddance, but Downs simply hasn’t panned out. They can wish him good luck and let him be on his way to Kansas City — or wherever else.
Keep Him: Look at the Kayshon Boutte situation with the Patriots and the Texans. New England ditched Boutte before the season in a trade with Houston — in part because Boutte wanted out — and now the Patriots could really use an outside receiver who Drake Maye trusts.
So you look at that situation and apply it to Jacksonville. As I mentioned earlier, I expect the Jaguars to compete for the AFC title. I don’t expect the Jaguars to be healthy all year long. So if Parker Washington or Jakobi Meyers got hurt, then I could easily see the Jaguars regret having traded BTJ. And I could see it stinging even more if BTJ goes off with the Chiefs.
Trade Him: The Eagles should keep selling. They’re not a good football team right now, but I trust GM Howie Roseman to do a timely rebuild. That means continuing to stock up on draft assets — while selling on older starters like Baun.
I would throw guard Landon Dickerson into the mix here, too. I probably would hold onto tight end Dallas Goedert, given how trusty he can be for a QB. And rookie TE Eli Stowers has not shown signs of development.
Keep Him: The NFC East is winnable, and Dallas is definitely the most talented team. The Cowboys just have to stop beating themselves. It’s a cliché, but it’s painfully true. It’s not a high bar for most, but it’s one the Cowboys can’t seem to clear.
It would be detrimental for the Cowboys to trade Pickens. He’s a good player. Ryan Flournoy got his chance to audition for WR2 against the Colts, and it wasn’t reassuring. Keep Pickens. Try to make the playoffs. And heck, if he plays well down the stretch, the Cowboys could re-sign him and do for Dak Prescott what the Bengals have done for Joe Burrow.
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