NFL Best And Worst: From Jordan Love’s Masterpiece To Caleb Williams’ Clunker

By lighting it up in Foxborough, Packers quarterback Jordan Love has done more than affirm his status in the MVP race. He might be near the top of the list after what he did to the Patriots. Bears QB Caleb Williams, meanwhile, has tumbled in the opposite direction after his first career four-interception game. For this week’s “Best and Worst” superlatives, I look at overall team performance, MVP candidacy and standout plays. Let’s dive in: The Packers’ beatdown of the Patriots on Sunday was one of the most complete performances we’ve seen by any team this season. Green Bay scored 45 points, the most New England has ever allowed at Gillette Stadium. The big story was Jordan Love making an MVP statement (23-of-29, 372 passing yards, 4 total TDs), and the latest dominance by the Packers’ wide receiver tandem of Christian Watson (seven catches, 171 yards, TD) and Matthew Golden (10 catches, 164 yards, TD). But Green Bay also had a season-high 129 rushing yards, the first time the team has reached 100 net rushing yards in a game this season. And that was with lead running back Josh Jacobs missing most of the contest with a broken finger. The Packers’ defense also registered four takeaways (three interceptions of Drake Maye), the second-most it has had in a game this season, and four sacks. Green Bay has forced multiple turnovers in six straight games and is the only team in the NFL to have four-plus sacks and four-plus takeaways in multiple games this season, according to NFL Research. In an incredibly strong NFC North, the Packers are one of the NFL’s most lethal teams. Love has been playing at a high level all season, and Green Bay’s already superb defense is slated to get back All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who started practicing last week after tearing his ACL in Week 15 last season. A pursuit of Colts running back Jonathan Taylor could make sense for the Packers ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, depending on Jacobs’ health status. Jacobs hasn’t played well when he’s been on the field anyway (26.7 rushing yards per game in three appearances). Adding Taylor would give Green Bay a truly complete offense and one of the league’s best overall teams. The Ravens were unwatchable in last week’s Thursday night loss to the Jaguars. It’s not just that Baltimore’s game plan with undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano was ultra conservative — half-field reads, underneath throws, leaning on Derrick Henry, etc. It’s that the Ravens couldn’t even do that right. If you take away Justice Hill’s garbage-time, 65-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, Baltimore didn’t have a play longer than 14 yards and had just 162 yards of offense overall. Fagnano threw two interceptions deep in the Ravens’ own territory and finished with a 22.7 passer rating. He threw for just 60 passing yards despite playing all of Baltimore’s offensive snaps. Then, defensively, the Ravens were completely outmatched by the Jaguars. They gave up 33 points (third-most they’ve given up in a single game this season) and allowed two receptions of 50-plus yards. Baltimore also had a turnover on special teams, as returner LaJohntay Wester lost a fumble on a kickoff in the fourth quarter. The Ravens tied a season-high with three giveaways. Losers of four straight, Baltimore just traded for veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and the hope is that he can keep the team’s fading playoff hopes alive until Lamar Jackson returns from his thumb injury. But the Ravens’ issues extend far beyond their offense. Love was at least a fringe MVP candidate entering Sunday, and his stellar performance against the Patriots elevated him all the way up into the shortlist of contenders. There might not be another quarterback in the NFL who’s more confident than Love right now, and that shows in how he aggressively pushes the ball downfield. According to Next Gen Stats, he completed six of eight deep throws (20-plus air yards) for 235 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. He’s the only quarterback this season with multiple games with six deep completions. And here’s more: Love’s 153.2 passer rating on Sunday was a career-high and the best by a Packers QB since 2019, when Aaron Rodgers posted a perfect 158.3 rating. Love has also had multiple passing touchdowns eight times through nine games in 2026, making him the first player to accomplish that feat since Joe Burrow in 2021, per NFL research. Through Monday’s games, Love leads the NFL with 2,618 passing yards. Numbers-wise, Love is right in the MVP mix. But the award typically goes to top-performing quarterbacks who lead teams that rank at the top of their conference. The Packers are 6-3, but they’re currently in last place in their division and the No. 7 seed in the NFC. Despite missing three-plus games with a hamstring injury, Williams had clawed back into the MVP conversation with consistent play and efficient passing ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Buccaneers. Now, the Bears quarterback might be out of the conversation. The former No. 1 overall pick threw a career-high four interceptions in Chicago’s wild, 27-24 victory over Tampa. Williams was fantastic in the first quarter (6-of-8, 105 yards, 2 TDs, 156.2 passer rating) but threw three picks in a disastrous second quarter before adding a fourth in the third period. Williams threw into double coverage on the first interception, and attempted throwaways on the second and third ones. The fourth pick was a result of a tipped pass. Williams led a game-winning field goal drive at the end to put a bow on his uneven performance: a 59.5% completion rate for 279 yards and two touchdowns with four picks and a 61.5 passer rating. Even by staying healthy and playing terrific football in each of the Bears’ final nine games, Williams faces an uphill battle to get back into the MVP race, especially if those at the top of the list — Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy and now Jordan Love — maintain a high level of play. Williams had already been working with little margin for error because of the time he missed earlier in the season due to a hamstring strain. There were great options here this week! The Eagles’ Braden Mann had an 86-yard punt against the Eagles, the sixth-longest since 1975 and the longest since Rodney Williams in 2001, according to NFL on FOX research. The Broncos’ Devon Key had a wild interception in the end zone that was almost missed. But I’m going with Nico Collins, who hauled in arguably the most impressive touchdown so far this season. With his feet off the ground and smothered by Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still, the Texans star wide receiver caught C.J. Stroud’s pass at the front corner of the end zone with one hand. Collins’ body was sideways in midair when he made the reception, which he helped secure with Still’s body. Collins and the Texans remain a team to watch down the stretch, when the playoff race heats up. They started their year 0-4, but they’ve won three of their past four games. Stroud is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL right now — he threw for 384 passing yards and 5 TDs against the Chargers — and Houston’s defense is still lethal, even though it hasn’t played to the level we grew accustomed to last year. Maybe “worst” isn’t the best word for this play. “Bizarre” is probably more fitting. Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb made a diving catch early in the fourth quarter of Dallas’ win over Indianapolis. But he was never downed by contact, so he got up and kept running. Then about 20 yards later, in the red zone, Lamb fumbled and the ball was recovered by Colts cornerback Kenneth Harris — the same defender who had erred by not downing Lamb by contact. It was a strange sequence for Lamb, who otherwise had one of the best games of his career, catching 10 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. He’s been averaging 13.0 targets per game for the Cowboys over the past three weeks, a span in which Dallas is putting up 31.6 PPG. At 4-5, the Cowboys are in a two-team race in the NFC East with the 5-2-1 Giants.