NFL Bandwagon Report: McCaffrey, Henry are unstoppable forces

There are the teams you’re born rooting for, for better or worse, and then there are the bandwagon clubs – the franchises and star players that pique your interest, draw you in and drop you off. Each week of the 2022 campaign, we’re recapping some of the most encouraging and discouraging developments from around the NFL and deciding whose bandwagon to hop on or off – even if only for a week.

The leaves are changing and the temperature is dropping. In football terms, this is code for the playoff races are about to heat up and Week 8 had several results impact the standings in unpredictable ways.

Certain playoff hopefuls have made notable roster moves in the leadup to Tuesday’s trade deadline, which will impact how the rest of the year unfolds.

With that in mind, here’s our roundup of highs and lows from Week 8 as we’re about to hit the midway point of the regular season.

Hop on: CMC on a contender

When the San Francisco 49ers traded for one of the most dynamic offensive players in the game, they actually got three. Plug him into head coach Kyle Shanahan’s playbook and pit him against his new team’s biggest divisional rival and, well… you get magic. In just his second Sunday as a member of the 49ers, Christian McCaffrey registered the touchdown triple-crown – and he made it look easy.

First, he pulled off the surprise play of the day with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk to tie the game in the second quarter. In the third, he caught a nine-yard toss from actual QB Jimmy Garoppolo to take the lead, and then sealed the victory in the fourth doing what he does best: busting into the endzone with a power run.

Injuries and stalled rebuilds in Carolina have prevented us from seeing McCaffrey in many meaningful games – his single career playoff date was a wild-card loss as a rookie in January 2018. It’s great to see him on a club with Super Bowl-sized hopes for the first time in his career. (ES)

Hop off: Bengals abandoning the run without Ja’Marr Chase

You’d think without their top pass catcher available that Cincinnati might’ve leaned more on the run game Monday night against Ohio’s other team, but Cleveland dominated on the ground and controlled the clock for 36:45 compared to 23:15 for the Bengals. Joe Burrow had 35 pass attempts and the team was held scoreless through three quarters. Even though Chase, who’s out with a hip injury, was held to 75 yards in two games versus Cleveland in 2021, having him out there Monday would’ve made Cleveland’s night far more difficult. The Bengals rushing attack was a complete non-factor with the Browns more than quadrupling the 10 team attempts and 36 yards the Bengals mustered in the 32-13 loss. (MJ)

Hop on: Derrick Henry whenever he plays the Texans

Derrick Henry versus the Houston Texans might be the greatest running back in the history of football. The Titans star put the entire state of Tennessee on his back, including rookie QB Malik Willis in his first career start, and ran all over the Texans in Sunday’s 17-10 win. Henry had 219 yards and two touchdowns on a whopping 32 carries. Henry is heating up this season with at least 100 yards in each of his past four games and at this point Henry running all over the Texans is to be expected.

Henry has averaged 114 rushing yards in 11 career games versus Houston but his past four appearances against Houston have been tough to comprehend. Henry has run for 211 yards and three TDs, 250 yards and two TDs, 212 yards and two TDs, plus the 219 and a pair of scores this past Sunday. If a quarterback had 892 yards and 9 TDs with his arm over a four-game stretch against a specific opponent it would be impressive. That a running back has done it with his legs is remarkable.

Hall of Fame running backs Barry Sanders, LaDainian Tomlinson and Jim Brown each had three career games with 200 or more yards rushing and two or more rushing touchdowns. Derrick Henry now has four such games in a row against the Texans and six in total for his career. The Titans host the Texans in Week 16 to close out the season series. (MJ)

Hop off: “The same old Vikings…”

Five consecutive one-score victories can’t be good for the heartrates of Vikings faithful… but it’s through these tight games that we see one of the biggest differences between this year’s NFC North-topping Minnesota team and the one that missed the post-season a year ago. Put simply, last year’s Vikings would have – and did – lose these tight games, building up a bad habit of frittering away late-game leads and winding up on the losing end. This year, the defence – while, yes, has kept opponents in games – has found a way to come up big when it matters most. Minnesota ranks fifth in takeaways per game, and with the offence’s redzone success, that’s enough to negate the lingering flaws of last year. (ES)

Hop on: Hail Mary touchdowns even when futile

It’s tough to beat that moment when a QB heaves up a long ball and his receiver comes down with a dramatic catch in the end zone when the game is (seemingly) on the line. It’s among the most thrilling plays you’ll see in football and Panthers QB P.J. Walker delighted fans with one of those moments Sunday afternoon when he connected with D.J. Moore on a perfect, 62-yard Hail Mary pass.

It was the perfect precursor to yet another classic Falcons fourth-quarter blown lead resulting in a heartbreaking loss, however Carolina’s kicker missed the extra point, the game headed to OT and Atlanta ended up winning by a field goal.

It ultimately amounted to nothing more than some riveting stat padding despite Patrick Mahomes of all people even describing it as “the best throw of the year and not even close.” (MJ)

Hop off: Hoping for a Packers turnaround

Contrary to Aaron Rodgers’ suggestion following last Sunday’s loss to the Commanders, facing the Bills is not in fact the best thing for anyone. We saw that this past Sunday in Buffalo when Josh Allen & Co. handed the Packers their fourth straight loss. History tells us not to doubt the willpower and talent of Rodgers – he’s gotten the job done with sparse offensive units before – but history also tells us he’s never had to deal with such a shallow pool of weapons (made so by injuries, a lack of recruiting at the position, and straight-up inexperience). Week 9 sets up a rebound against the struggling Lions, but after that Green Bay’s got dates with the Cowboys, Titans and Eagles – a stretch that’s expected to provide the final blow. (ES)

Hop on: The Seahawks in the playoff picture

As we approach the official halfway point of the season, the success of Geno Smith’s Seattle Seahawks – all the way to the top of the NFC West – remains atop the list of biggest surprises in the league right now.

While the coast isn’t exactly clear for a long stay atop the division considering the 49ers are just one win behind and now have McCaffrey on their side, the post-season hopes are real. Geno Smith is finally set up for success, and his stats from Sunday continue to show what he can do. Seahawks are in the playoff picture. This is not a drill. (ES)

Hop off: Zach Wilson as the Jets’ saviour

The good news is the Jets are 5-3 and still occupying a playoff spot for the time being, however confidence is dwindling after QB Zach Wilson’s subpar performance in a loss to the division rival Patriots. It might’ve been Wilson’s first loss in five starts this season but he completed fewer than 50 per cent of his 41 pass attempts and threw three interceptions – two of which were dirt ugly.

It can’t all be hung on Wilson since the entire offence struggled without rookie RB Breece Hall and offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, who are both done for the year.

Wilson now has 16 career interceptions in 18 career starts, compared to 12 touchdown passes, since being drafted second overall in 2021. Jets coach Robert Saleh was direct in his assessment of the sophomore QB’s performance: “He's got to play better.” (MJ)