IF YOU WANT TO WIN, PUT C.J. GARDNER JOHNSON ON YOUR DEFENSE
There has to be something that the average NFL fan doesn’t know about safety C.J. Gardner Johnson.
How else can you explain why the Chicago Bears, who signed him two weeks ago, are his fifth team (six if you count the Eagles twice) in seven years?
It’s not his play. Because all he does is make plays.
In Chicago’s come-from-behind win over the Giants, Sunday, Johnson was all over the place. He had nine tackles, two for a loss, two sacks, and forced a fumble. That was his second game as a Bear. In his debut with his new team he had six tackles, one for a loss, and a sack.
Last year for the Super Bowl champion Eagles Gardner Johnson started 16 games, had six interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, 12 pass breakups, two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. That didn’t stop the Eagles from trading him to Houston for a guard who they later cut, twice.
And Houston cut Gardner Johnson just a few weeks into the season.
Back in 2022, the year the Eagles lost the Super Bowl he had six interceptions in 12 games togo with eight PBs and five tackles for a loss. After that season they let him go to Detroit.
In a league where defensive playmakers are harder and harder to find it seems like this guy always shows up at the right time.
LOSING COWBOYS
Dallas enjoyed its bye week, well as much as a 3-5-1 team can enjoy a bye week, Sunday. The Cowboys have to go 5-3 over their final eight games to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the turn of the century. Dallas had losing seasons in 2000-01-02 under head coach Dave Campo. The only other consecutive losing seasons for the Cowboys since Jerry Jones bought the team was his first two years as owner 1989-90.
DON’T LOOK NOW
Remember when the Pittsburgh Steelers were cruising along at 4-1 and the Baltimore Ravens were left for dead at 1-4?
Well the Steelers, after losing again Sunday night, are 5-4 and the Ravens, after three straight wins, are now 4-5. Is there anyone who doesn’t think Baltimore is going to win the AFC North?
SPEAKING OF THE AFC NORTH . . .
How bad is this division? The Jets were 0-7 before beating both Cincinnati and Cleveland the past two weeks. They also took the Steelers right down to the final minute opening day.
AND ABOUT THE STEELERS
Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw his sixth and seventh interceptions of the season in Sunday night’s loss to the Chargers. That’s seven picks in just nine games for Rodgers as a Steeler. In 18 years with Green Bay he only had more than seven three times. The most he’s ever had is 13 in his first year as a starter, 2008.
LUCKY 21
Over the past two seasons, with Minnesota and now Seattle, QB Sam Darnold has 21 wins. That’s the same number of wins he had his first six years in the league combined.
UNLUCKY 21
Washington, after getting blown out by Detroit, has now lost four straight games by 21 points, or more. That’s only happened one other time when the Cardinals did it in 2002. The Commanders will try to not make it five straight when they play Miami in Madrid, Sunday.
WHAT A WIN
There’s winning ugly and then there is how Denver beat the Raiders last Thursday night. The Broncos scored 10 points, had 10 first downs and two turnovers. Teams record with those stats are 2-202.
Denver did extend its home winning streak to 10 games, the longest active streak in the league. And its seven-game winning streak is its longest since 2015 when the Broncos won the Super Bowl.
BETTORS BEWARE
Sunday was a bad day for bad beats.
It started in Germany where the Colts were 6 1/2-points favorites over the Falcons and won by 6. Back over here, the Bears came from way back to beat the Giants by 4, but the line was 4 1/2.
Then there was the Houston/Jacksonville game. Houston was a 1 1/2 point favorite and trailed by as many 19 at one point. The Texans came back and took a one-point lead in the final minute. The Jaguars had one last chance, but Jags bettors were in by the half-point. Until Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence fumbled on the final play of the game and the Texans returned it for a touchdown and an eight-point win.
THE AFC CHAMPION WILL BE . . .
I’m not sure. But I’d like to make a bet it comes out of the AFC West (and it won’t be the Raiders).
