Halloween is upon us, and it is very difficult to create content that doesn’t lean into Trick-or-Treat, the word spooky, or the idea of something being scary. It is our pledge here at The Skinny Post, we are Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa, to stick to sports, specifically the NFL, and you are welcome for that. Some would say that we are heroes for that. Not us. But the comment section is down below.
Times are tough for some squads in the NFL and glorious for others. As we do indeed prepare to load up on candy there are some fans with visions of San Francisco in their minds and others who are shifting their attention to 2026 mock drafts. This is that particular inflection point on the year.
Our mission today is to sort through everything in between. Let’s begin.
Why aren’t we making a bigger deal about the whole JJ McCarthy thing?
RJ:
JJ McCarthy is on track to return this week for the Vikings, but the way that Minnesota has handled this all season long has been incredibly suspicious. It makes sense that they were indeed trying some sort of soft benching, but I think they really out-thought themselves here. If they had just benched JJ outright the blowback would have been way less severe than what they are dealing with.
As a result of the weird circumstances that Minnesota created for themselves the pressure surrounding JJ is going to be HIGH this week. If he doesn’t come out and show out then the questions are going to be loud. This is his leadership’s fault.
Michael:
While I think the J.J. McCarthy stuff has gone a weird route, I actually don’t think it’s something worth being worked up about. He was pretty bad when he was healthy and that pushed the team to roll with a veteran while McCarthy rehabbed his injury. Sure, the team could have rolled J.J. out there sooner, but to what gain? They probably truly thought Wentz was good enough in the meantime to keep them afloat while McCarthy got as close to 100 percent as possible. KOC and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s contract are essentially linked to McCarthy’s rookie deal. They are all-in on their young quarterback and I’m not surprised they’re taking extra care to make sure they give him the best chance to succeed.
Will the pressure be on in his first start returning from injury? Of course! But now if the team loses, it’s no longer simply on McCarthy. The defense under Flores is not good right now and the offensive line is still dealing with injuries. I personally think this is a wash of a season for the Vikings and the only thing that matters now is McCarthy’s development, regardless of what their postseason hopes look like.
Which NFL team can win the Super Bowl and doesn’t know it?
RJ:
This answer is pretty simple for me. I wanted to say the Indianapolis Colts, but I think they are very well aware of how much of a shot they have at lifting the Lombardi Trophy this year. No one is saying it is going to be easy, but it is within striking distance for them.
Ironic as it sounds relative to the past, the answer for me is the New England Patriots. I think that they have been so desperate to be good again that they sort of have a house money feel right now. They are so much more than that.
Mike Vrabel has legitimized the Pats in an impressive way and they have a quarterback in Drake Maye who can play at an MVP level. That is a Super Bowl recipe.
Michael:
I think I may have to hand it to the Broncos who currently sit at 6-2 and just showed us they have the necessary “want-to” by scoring 33 points in a quarter to beat the Giants in a game that felt like it should have ended in every way possible aside from them winning.
The offense has been up-and-down this year, but the one thing that has stayed consistent all year – and what will always give them a chance to continue winning – is their defense that possesses an insanely good pass rush.
If that offense can find the next gear, the Broncos could very well push for the AFC West crown and a deep run in the playoffs.
Which NFL team thinks they can win the Super Bowl but can’t?
Michael:
I’m going with the Packers here because I look at the schedule they’ve played so far and I’m not sold on them having proved they are a legitimate contender just yet. The win against the Lions in Week One was impressive but it was Detroit’s first game without both coordinators from a year ago and they’ve since gone on to right their own ship.
The team’s only loss came at the hands of the lowly Browns. They have a tie on their record in a shootout against a bad Cowboys team. The other wins under their belt have been the Bengals (bad), Commanders (worse than we thought), and the Steelers (old man Aaron Rodgers and a regressing defense). That’s not enough for me to take them seriously as a Super Bowl contender.
RJ:
The lies we tell ourselves.
I’d imagine that the Denver Broncos are flying high after destroying my Cowboys this past week. I am not bitter, but I have seen enough teams believe that domination against the Cowboys is proof of something sticking when it hasn’t proven to be. Look at Caleb Williams and the Bears offense. Are they impressing you? They had their way with Dallas a month and change ago.
Beyond reckoning with reality the Broncos also have to live and operate in a division that Kansas City is not going to let go quietly. Oh and the Chargers exist. The Colts are a thing once again. So are the Patriots.
Sorry, Denver.
Which NFL teams are we giving up on right now that will make the playoffs?
Michael:
I don’t know if it counts to pick a team with five or more wins right now, but I’m going with the San Francisco 49ers. They’re third in the NFC North standings and both the Rams and Seahawks are playing much better football right now while also owning the tie-breakers over the Niners. It’s not unheard of for three teams from the same division to make it into the same postseason and the Niners seem to be doing just fine without starting quarterback Brock Purdy.
Normally teams in third place of their division are quick to be dismissed as playoff squads, but the Niners are staying afloat as much as possible to keep themselves in, or adjacent, to the conversation.
RJ:
I cannot believe I am going to say this, but I think the answer is the Houston Texans. I don’t buy that they are elite or that they have figured it out, but I think they are good enough to string enough wins together and right now the AFC is extremely top heavy. The third and maybe even second Wild Card teams there are going to be rough.
So why can’t it be Houston? Why can’t they beat teams the way that they did San Francisco? They are down in general right now, but I totally think it’s possible.
