Carson Wentz‘s performance in the 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football” may have saved the Minnesota Vikings’ season.
The matchup was primed to be a quarterback evaluation trap. The Bills were on the road with a bottom-five total defensive EPA in the league. The Vikings had Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones all available to help Wentz. The Bills, facing that fierce Minnesota defense, were without half of their starting offensive line.
There is a world in which Wentz plays well enough to make it seem as if he’s still a quarterback worthy of being on an NFL field. Heck, there’s a world in which Wentz plays poorly, but it’s still good enough to beat the Bills thanks to that ferocious Minnesota defense. In either case, the Vikings’ decision-makers could have talked themselves into thinking Wentz might work out.
Instead, Wentz — who some thought deserved a shot because Kyler Murray has been subpar this season — was so dreadful that the front office had no choice. Monday’s outing left no doubt that, if the Vikings did not upgrade their quarterback play, they would be, no pun intended, punting on this season.
Kirk Cousins is the perfect match. He has played in Kevin O’Connell’s system, elevated Jefferson to elite levels and is beloved by the organization and the city. His time with the Las Vegas Raiders was designed to be limited. The Vikings’ trading a third-rounder for Cousins was a no-brainer.
Football fans who spent the 18 hours between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline pining for Minnesota to acquire Cousins got their wish. The same can’t be said for fans who waited on a handful of other potential deals that weren’t made. In this week’s What’s Trending in the NFL, we look at five deals we would have liked to see happen, with the obvious caveat of being grounded in some semblance of reality.
Bonus Five: Deadline deals we would have liked to see
5. Running back Tony Pollard to the New York Giants: The Tennessee Titans were clearly in sell mode, shipping off stud defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and safety Amani Hooker. You could make the case that Pollard was Tennessee’s most obvious trade candidate. There were a handful of teams in the market for a running back, and the asking price for Jonathan Taylor was apparently more than any team was willing to pay. Pollard has been playing some of his best ball in recent weeks, is on an expiring contract and will turn 30 next year. The Giants, currently leading the NFC East, got Cam Skattebo back this week, but his playing style lends to a higher probability of injury, and backup Tyrone Tracy is expected to miss several more weeks with a hamstring injury. A backfield duo of Pollard and Skattebo, or even Pollard as the lead back, could have elevated the run game and opened things up for quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
4. Edge rusher Khalil Mack to the Buffalo Bills: At this stage of Josh Allen‘s career, it’s Super Bowl or bust every season. The Bills saw a conference contender in the Jacksonville Jaguars go all in at the deadline. Acquiring Hooker from the Titans was a great move, but Buffalo’s defense has been lackluster all season and could use help, or at least depth, at every level. Adding a pass rusher like Mack, who went to college in Buffalo, to a unit that should often be playing with a lead would have provided a big boost, and the 0-8 Los Angeles Chargers certainly should have been aggressively looking for a deal to help their future.
3. Cornerback Riq Woolen to the Chicago Bears: It’s hard to be too critical of the Bears, considering they paid a hefty price to make arguably the biggest move of this year’s deadline in acquiring Simmons. But a trade like that indicates the Bears are all in, and Woolen would have significantly helped Chicago’s pass defense. In addition to the Bears’ need at cornerback because of injuries, the team’s remaining schedule is littered with excellent passing offenses and quarterbacks, including games against the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions (twice), Jaguars, Bills and Green Bay Packers. As willing as the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to be as sellers, it’s understandable if the Bears decided not to give up further assets after the bounty they had to trade for Simmons. Still, Woolen would have been an intriguing fit in Chicago.
2. Brian Thomas Jr. to the Los Angeles Rams: The Jaguars made it clear they were playing hard-to-get with Thomas, even though they clearly have no interest in using him on offense. Jacksonville has the benefit of having Thomas on his rookie contract through at least 2027, and injuries can happen at any point. Still, it’s hard to imagine the Jaguars turning down a good offer from an NFC team. The Rams, who are now without Puka Nacua for an “extended period of time” and Davante Adams for at least two more games, have an obvious need at wide receiver. It’s also worth noting that Adams, who turns 34 next month, is in the final year of his contract, as is Nacua.
1. Jonathan Taylor to a contender: Not trading Taylor isn’t necessarily an egregious blunder by the Colts, but it is risky. The Colts could still move Taylor in the offseason, but they now run the risk of his value diminishing over the next two months due to underperformance or injury. Taylor’s age and contract don’t align with the direction of the organization, so getting a second-round pick at the deadline might have been the team’s best-case scenario. Taylor’s addition to a contending team could have significantly altered the Super Bowl picture. It’s hard to imagine too many teams that would have looked better than the Vikings with a backfield of Cousins and Taylor, along with Jefferson and that defense. The Giants also could have become runaway division favorites with Taylor in the mix. The New England Patriots are chasing the Bills in the AFC East, and Taylor in the backfield after injury concerns with Rhamondre Stevenson and Treveyon Henderson would certainly have improved their outlook. Instead, Taylor will spend the rest of the season toiling away in the nothingness of Colts football.
Not Ranked — WR George Pickens to the Rams: We used our five slots for more realistic scenarios, but let’s dream a little here without getting too absurd. Unlike the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys refuse to accept reality regarding their hopes this season, so they weren’t going to be sellers in a winnable division. But if the Rams had made the right offer — and made the cap math work — Pickens would get his audition as a true No. 1 receiver for a few weeks, and the Rams would have a better chance of staying afloat in a competitive NFC playoff race. For the home stretch, Sean McVay would have his 30 tight ends, two-headed monster at running back and a wide receiver trio of Pickens, Nacua and Adams. But hey, the Rams did sign wide receiver Xavier Smith off the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad, so there’s that.
Road to Hollywood
The five teams with the best chance at winning the Super Bowl.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: A lot is made of what Kenneth Walker III has meant for the Kansas City Chiefs offense, but how about Dexter Lawrence for the Bengals’ defense? If Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins keep dominating on offense, this team has potential.
4. San Francisco 49ers: They’re right there alongside the teams ahead of them here, mostly because of what they have in key spots. But the injuries are piling up again, and it’s starting to get worrisome.
3. Buffalo Bills: Adding Hooker was necessary for a bad defense. But the Bills will go as far as Allen takes them, and James Cook performing the way he did late against the Vikings should help the Bills’ offense overall. The Bills don’t have elite weapons in the passing game, but Cook being effective should keep things open enough for Allen.
2. Chicago Bears: The first-quarter Bears of last Sunday are the best team in football. But the other three quarters also happened against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9, so we have to consider that. Still, the Bears won a game in which they played one good quarter of football, and that underscores how good this team is.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: We’ve been beating the drum for weeks about the Jaguars being the most complete team in the NFL, and that was before they went berserk at the deadline. Did they overpay in some situation? Perhaps, but that’s a discussion for another time. Right now, a great team got even better.
Not Ranked — Minnesota Vikings: The only reason they miss the top five this week is that we need to see and verify what nearly all of us think, which is that Cousins will fit in seamlessly and pick up where he left off a few years ago in Minnesota before the Achilles injury. If that happens, this is one of the five teams with the best chance to win the Super Bowl this year. Their defense is that good.
Bottom Five
The five teams with the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
5. Indianapolis Colts: Not enough has been said about how much of a win the trade deadline was for the New York Jets, who have the Colts’ first-round pick in 2027.
4. Philadelphia Eagles: Credit the Eagles for recognizing this is a lost season. And credit them for moving to Joe Milton at quarterback, who is at least more exciting than Tanner McKee.
3. Tennessee Titans: Pollard having a monster game or two and banking an extra win for the Titans would be a hilariously unfortunate outcome for Tennessee this year.
2. Miami Dolphins: You have to at least give the Dolphins props for doing a good job at embracing the rebuild.
1. Los Angeles Chargers: Still trying to wrap my head around Justin Herbert‘s Chargers being ranked worse than Kyle McCord‘s Dolphins, but that’s where we’re at. (Oh, and the one trade the Chargers made to add some extra 2027 draft capital was called off late Wednesday night by the Broncos.)
Not Ranked — Baltimore Ravens: There is nothing from Jacoby Brissett‘s career that suggests he’s going to bring winning football to Baltimore. But his presence at least buys the Ravens one more week of intrigue. If they lose to the Chargers on “Monday Night Football” (no, it’s not eligible to get flexed out), we’re officially moving on to draft talk with the Ravens.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
