NFL teams have traded talent this season the way their players swap jerseys, and now we're starting to see the dividends of those deals.
Adrian Peterson, dealt from New Orleans to Arizona, carried the ball a career-high 37 times for 159 yards in the Cardinals' 20-10 victory at San Francisco. Can he sufficiently rest those 32-year-old legs for tonight's game against Seattle, a pivotal matchup in determining the pecking order (behind the Rams) in the NFC West?
"He's not a normal 32-year-old running back," Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton said of Peterson. "I think we all knew what he was capable of. ... He's a Hall of Famer for a reason, and he's got a lot left in the tank. He said that, and now he's backed it up several times."
Philadelphia traded for Jay Ajayi, and the former Miami running back made a splash in his debut Sunday, running for 77 yards in eight carries against Denver's top-ranked defense. He had a 46-yard touchdown run in that 51-23 blowout and now gets some time to study the playbook as the Eagles have the week off.
"The explosiveness, you can see it; it's there," Eagles Coach Doug Pederson said Monday of Ajayi. "We'll just continue to grow with him and get him more comfortable each week."
The Rams traded for a big-name offensive player, too, acquiring receiver Sammy Watkins from Buffalo. He hasn't had a huge impact in recent weeks, but made the most of his one catch Sunday -- slipping behind the New York Giants secondary for a 67-yard touchdown.
Houston will play at the Rams on Sunday, a game that likely would have been much better had Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson not suffered an ACL tear. The Rams and Eagles are the two most surprising teams this season, and will meet Dec. 10 at the Coliseum.
As for Watkins, he played against the Texans in 2014 and '15 when he was with the Bills, scoring a touchdown against them in both games.
Sometimes with trades, the rich get richer. That looks to be the case in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars further solidified their impressive defense with the addition of 319-pound defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, who previously anchored Buffalo's front.
Dareus had three tackles in his Jacksonville debut Sunday, a 23-7 victory over Cincinnati. The Jaguars play host to the Chargers in Week 10.
The football world is waiting for a first glimpse at some other big trades. Buffalo acquired Kelvin Benjamin from Carolina, and that 6-foot-5 receiver figures to make an impact in Sunday's game against the red-hot New Orleans Saints, who have won six in a row and have finally discovered a defense.
In the wake of a 34-21 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday, the Bills told Benjamin he could go home to complete his move north from the Panthers. Instead, he chose to stay in Buffalo and work on learning the playbook.
"It showed me his commitment," Coach Sean McDermott said Monday. "He moved up here in a very short amount of time, and I offered him the chance to go home and get some clothes and get organized, and he said, 'No, coach. I want to stay and get this offense down as best I can in a short amount of time here.' That showed me he's committed to the cause at this point."
Just when the 49ers will turn to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is unclear. They are 0-9, and want to be able to protect him seeing as they have a lot riding on the player who was Tom Brady's backup in New England. Rookie C.J. Beathard took a beating Sunday behind a patchwork offensive line, and without top receiver Pierre Garcon.
The 49ers play host to the Giants on Sunday, with those teams a combined 1-16.
"You've got a bunch of guys out there and you're trying to get through it," 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan said, when asked about the timetable for Garoppolo. "To just throw out a quarterback who has had three practices with extremely limited reps, who doesn't know your offense, that's kind of an unfair position to put him in."
Sports on 11/09/2017