"The Rams would be undefeated right now if Myles Garrett hadn't got hurt!" is certainly an overreaction. After all, they lost their first game, which Garrett played in. He played hurt, but still.
But after watching Garrett torch the Commanders with three sacks in his first healthy game of the season, I get where you'd be coming from. This could be the theme of the Week 9 overreactions -- what might have been.
Instead, we're going with "what might still be," because we're within 48 hours of the NFL trade deadline. The next couple of days could tell us a lot about which teams think they're still in it and which teams are thinking more about the 2027 draft.
The Rams traded a lot of their picks in the offseason -- mostly for Garrett -- so it doesn't seem as if they're in position to make another big add at the deadline. But it is the Rams, so you never rule it out. They could use wide receiver help, cornerback help and a few other things, but it's easy to imagine them taking the position that Garrett's return from IR constitutes their big trade deadline acquisition.
With some of these other teams, it's a bit murkier. So, here's our Week 9 overreactions column with a trade deadline slant in which we look at five potential takeaways from all the action and judge them as legitimate stances or irrational stretches. Plus, we hit a few fantasy football overreactions at the end.
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Bengals are one trade from Super Bowl?
Cowboys should trade for more defensive help?
Could we see a WR run at trade deadline?
Giants should get RB help at deadline?
Packers need to give Love RB help?
Fantasy overreactions
The Bengals are one more big trade away from the Super Bowl
Cincinnati opened Sunday's action with a 34-17 victory over the Falcons in Madrid. Quarterback Joe Burrow continues to be on an absolute heater. He was 24-for-29 for 271 passing yards and three touchdown passes Sunday, plus a rushing touchdown for the second week in a row. It was his third game of the season -- and second of his past three -- in which he posted a QBR over 90. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had 142 receiving yards in the first half.
The Bengals are 6-2 and tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North. The Steelers hold the tiebreaker, having beaten Cincinnati head-to-head in Pittsburgh earlier this season. But they play each other again next Sunday night, and after that the only games on the Bengals' schedule against teams that have winning records are one against the Chiefs and two against the Browns. If they can keep Burrow healthy all season, this represents a massive opportunity to cash in with this offense.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
I don't know if they can or will make another big move in the next two days. Remember, they traded the 10th pick in the 2026 draft for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, who has been a high-impact addition. But Cincinnati's running game looks moribund, and the Bengals could stand to make an upgrade at running back or add an offensive linemen.
They also could use help on the back end of the defense, particularly at safety, which is the spot I'm eyeing for them. Do they have the ability to talk the Cardinals into sending them Budda Baker or the Falcons into reuniting them with Jessie Bates III? Think big, Bengals. It's all right there in front of you if you want it.
The Cowboys should make another big addition on defense
Sure, Dallas won Sunday, but not before blowing another double-digit second-half lead and actually falling behind the Colts 23-20 in the final two minutes of the game. The Cowboys are 4-5 on the season, three games behind the first-place Giants in the loss column. They already made one big move on defense earlier this year, acquiring cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Steelers. But they still need a bunch of help on that side of the ball, as evidenced by their propensity for giving away second-half leads.
They have only four picks in next year's draft, so it won't be easy, but if the Cowboys still consider themselves contenders, they should at least be looking for opportunities to add.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
At this point they'd be throwing good money after bad. This is a very young defense with a young, first-time coordinator that was always going to need time to grow together. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, the amount of time needed was clearly more than a few months. Chasing an NFC East title just because you don't think the Giants are for real is an admirable idea, but even if the Cowboys were to catch New York, is this the kind of team that can really expect to make noise in the playoffs? Doubtful.
The Cowboys' best trade asset is wide receiver George Pickens, who's playing on the franchise tag, does not appear to be in the team's long-term plans and actually missed Sunday's game because of an injury. The wise move for Dallas would be to see what teams would be willing to give up for Pickens. Maybe that's how they find the help they need on defense -- some kind of player-for-player swap with a team desperate for wide receiver help. And there are several, as we're about to discuss below.
Multiple wide receivers will change teams the next two days
Jacksonville's Brian Thomas Jr. is a player teams have had their eyes on since the spring. The Jaguars have said they don't want to move him, but deadlines change minds and if the offers get good enough, you can't rule this out. Indianapolis likely would move Josh Downs and Keenan Allen. You can get Calvin Ridley out of Tennessee without giving up too much.
The Chargers keep telling teams they aren't unloading players, but that won't keep other teams from calling to ask about Quentin Johnston. Or Ladd McConkey if he could stay healthy. The Eagles have lost seven games in a row and likely don't have much more use for Hollywood Brown. There are receivers out there to be acquired, for sure. The question is how aggressive teams will be in acquiring them.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
I think the receiver market will be aggressive. The list of contenders that really need wide receiver help includes the Chiefs, Patriots, 49ers, Steelers, Seahawks and Rams. You could also make a case the Broncos and Giants belong in that group.
There are differing opinions in today's NFL on how much is too much to spend on wide receiver, considering how many new good ones enter via the draft every year. But we're heading into Week 10 and just a couple of days away from teams' last chance to make the pickup that boosts their chances, a la Rashid Shaheed in Seattle last season. I expect the wide receiver market to be a lot of fun in the next couple of days.
The Giants should make a big move for a running back and put the NFC East away
The Giants beat the severely undermanned, Joe Milton-led Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday to improve to 5-2-1 and maintain their lead atop the NFC East. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy wasn't as sharp as he was two weeks earlier in his debut Giants start in Houston. He had to leave the game for a while because of a hip injury but returned. The only touchdown of the game was thrown by Jameis Winston while McCarthy was getting the hip checked out.
It was a sloppy game on offense for the Giants, but they did enough to win. But their run game, with Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. still out, averaged only 2.6 yards per carry in the win and continues to be something that could hold this team back.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
It doesn't sound as if Skattebo's hamstring injury is a long-term issue, and he's serviceable enough when healthy. I don't have any issue with New York adding a running back at the deadline, but they should hold off on mortgaging a significant portion of their future draft capital to bring in someone such as Jonathan Taylor thinking he's going to be the difference. Reports on Sunday indicated the Giants pulled an offer for Taylor, which is good, given what we've been told the Colts' asking price still is.
The Giants should be smart and calculated in the next couple of days, not hyperaggressive. They could end up winning this division as currently constructed, and what a boost that would be for their short-term future in John Harbaugh's first year as head coach.
The Packers must build Jordan Love a running game
If Caleb Williams isn't the most fun player to watch right now, then Love is. He was at his brilliant best Sunday, lighting up the Patriots for 372 passing yards and three touchdowns on 23-of-29 passing and also ran for a touchdown in a 45-27 road victory in Foxborough on a day when the Patriots honored Rob Gronkowski.
The Packers set a record for points scored by an opponent in a game at Gillette Stadium. They ran for 129 yards on 32 carries, which is a massive rushing day for the 2026 Packers. They entered the game averaging a league-worst 60.6 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry. Starting running back Josh Jacobs injured his hand in the first quarter and did not return, so they had to lean on Kaleb Johnson and Pierre Strong Jr.. So, while this might have been an unusually good day running the ball for the Packers, it's hard to see it as a sign that their ground game is fixed.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
Hey, Love has it better than some. I'm sure that whatever entity he thanks for the great things in his life hears constantly about receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. And Love certainly doesn't play like a guy who minds having to carry the whole offense. But it's a long season that's only halfway over, and there are going to be days -- especially in Green Bay! -- when it's tougher to throw the ball. There are going to be games in which the opposing defense figures out a way to slow down Love, Watson and Golden. There is going to come a time when Matt LaFleur is standing at a lectern and saying stuff like, "We've got to be balanced."
Whether it's a running back, an offensive lineman, a blocking tight end ... whatever. The Packers have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to find some help for a run game that's easily their biggest problem right now as they try to hang in a division in which every team is at least three games over .500.
Quick-hitter fantasy overreactions
Shedeur Sanders is worth adding in all leagues. OVERREACTION. Awesome game, sure, but do we even know whether he's starting next week?
Makai Lemon is going to help win fantasy leagues in the second half. NOT AN OVERREACTION. Whoever is playing quarterback for the Eagles in a given week has to throw it to somebody, and Lemon has been settling nicely into his role as his rookie season progresses.
Seth McGowan has value even if Jonathan Taylor doesn't get traded or hurt. OVERREACTION. Roster McGowan in case Taylor gets dealt, but if Taylor is still a Colt come Tuesday night, McGowan would serve as only insurance against a Taylor injury.
Jonah Coleman is a must-start RB1. NOT AN OVERREACTION. We know Sean Payton loves J.K. Dobbins, but he also loves a reliable run game, and Coleman's emergence has given the Broncos that for the first time this season. At least until RJ Harvey comes back and starts stealing receiving work, you have to start Coleman every week.
Kenneth Walker III is the fantasy MVP of 2026. NOT AN OVERREACTION. I don't even think the Chiefs expected this. And their expectations were high. If you drafted Walker as your RB1, you're loving life in fantasy.