Trick or Treat 🎃 Cardinals Soar, Saints Get Spooked

Good morning. This is the Opening Drive, the weekly newsletter that brings you the best of the NFL so you’re always the smartest one at the water cooler.

King Henry scored his 100th touchdown, Dak injured his hamstring, Titans win a thriller in OT, Saquon broke the internet, and players reportedly want to get traded to the… (checks notes) Commanders??

Let’s dive in.

QUICK HITS

• Dak Prescott suffers hamstring injury in Cowboys' loss to Falcons (Yahoo Sports)

• Ravens' Derrick Henry scores 100th career rushing TD vs. Broncos, surpasses 1,000 yards on ground this season (CBS Sports)

• Tyler Bass boots 61-yard game-winning field goal, Bills beat Dolphins 30-27 (PFT)

• Gardner Minshew benched for Desmond Ridder as Raiders get blown out by Bengals (Cincy Jungle)

• Cleveland Browns offense, Jameis Winston struggle in loss to Chargers (Akron Beacon Journal)

• Lions leave no doubt about NFC North superiority in thorough defeat of the Packers (Yahoo Sports)

• DeVonta Smith helps Eagles hold off Jaguars with sensational 1-handed TD grab while falling out of bounds (Yahoo Sports)

• Drake Maye's miracle TD not enough in Patriots OT loss to Titans (NBC Sports)

• Giants on fast track to irrelevance with another despicable home loss to Commanders (NY Post)

• Bryce Young guides Panthers to dramatic come-from-behind win over Saints (Yahoo Sports)

• Broncos need to rebound after getting 'teeth beat in' by Ravens (SI.com)

• Cardinals rock Bears 29-9 (Chicago Sun Times)

• Matthew Stafford's perfect OT performance leads Rams past Seahawks (Rams Wire)

• Jerry Jones “concerned” about Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury (PFT)

• CeeDee Lamb injures shoulder in loss to Falcons, Jerry Jones gives ‘hopeful’ update (On3)

• Chris Olave released from hospital, will travel home with Saints (PFT)

• Lions DB Brian Branch ejected following hit on Packers WR Bo Melton (Bleacher Report)

• Rams receiver Puka Nacua was ejected after throwing a punch at Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson (NY Post)

• Saquon Barkley pulls off wild backward hurdle to stun Jaguars, convert first down (Yahoo Sports)

• Sources: Players want to be traded to Commanders at deadline (ESPN)

WHO’S UP? WHO’S DOWN?

Who’s up?
The Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are flying high, perched atop the NFC West after a dominant 29-9 victory over the Chicago Bears. This win marks their third straight and fourth in five games, catapulting them to a surprising 5-4 record.

Sunday's game was a ground-and-pound masterclass, with the Cardinals rushing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. James Conner continued his resurgence with his fourth 100-yard game of the season, while Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, and even tight end Trey McBride joined the touchdown party.

Quarterback Kyler Murray played the role of efficient game manager, completing 65% of his passes without a turnover. But it was the defense that truly stole the show, sacking Bears QB Caleb Williams six times and holding Chicago to a measly 21% third-down conversion rate.

Rookie pass rusher Xavier Thomas had a breakout performance with 1.5 sacks, as the Cardinals' defense continues to exceed expectations under new head coach Jonathan Gannon.

With their perfect 2-0 division record, Arizona now controls their own destiny in the NFC West. While tougher tests lie ahead, these Cardinals are proving they're no longer the division doormat. The question now becomes: can they maintain this altitude, or will they come crashing back to earth?

Who’s down?
New Orleans Saints. The New Orleans Saints' season of woe trudged on Sunday as they dropped their seventh straight game, falling 23-22 to the lowly Carolina Panthers. Quarterback Derek Carr's return from injury was supposed to provide a spark, but instead it only added fuel to the dumpster fire that is the Saints' 2024 campaign.

Carr, who missed three games with an oblique injury, stumbled in his comeback performance. The veteran signal-caller completed just 18 of 31 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown. But it was a pass he threw early in the game that really set tongues wagging.

On a play that resulted in receiver Chris Olave suffering a concussion, former Saint Michael Thomas took to social media to blast Carr. Thomas didn't mince words, calling for Carr's ouster and saying the QB "need his a-- whooped."

With the loss, Carr achieved an dubious distinction - becoming the first NFL quarterback to lose to 31 different teams. Talk about spreading the misery around! The only team left on Carr's "To Lose" list? His former squad, the Las Vegas Raiders, who the Saints face in two weeks.

At 2-7, New Orleans' playoff hopes have all but evaporated. Head coach Dennis Allen acknowledged his job security is in question, while players struggled to explain their continued late-game collapses. As safety Tyrann Mathieu put it: "I don't think we're relaxed; I think we're pressing a little too much."

BEST LOOK 🔥 

The Packers donned their 50’s classic look in their matchup vs. the Lions on Sunday

The Eagles’ Kelly Green throwback look is one of the best in sports 🔥 

Shout out to the Vols ‘dark mode’ unis from the weekend.

STATS OF THE WEEK 

Lamar Jackson now holds the record for fewest games to reach 20 pass TDs and 500 rush yards in NFL history at 9 games. Jackson also recorded his fourth perfect passer rating game of his career, tying former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Not a great stat for Matt Eberflus fans.

The Cowboys turned the ball over four times on downs on Sunday. That’s the most in a single game since 2000.

MEME OF THE WEEK

Cowboys down big…

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