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It's elementary: Watson can be the answer for Rodgers, Packers

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Christian Watson is a freakish talent who some scouts I've spoken with have compared to Calvin Johnson in terms of his raw physical tools. That's why Watson was a second-round draft choice, and it's why you'll forgive me for being so excited about his three-touchdown breakout performance against the Cowboys' stout defense Sunday.

Watson, who checks in at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds with 4.38 speed and a 38-inch vertical, is a specimen. But we already knew that. What we haven't seen - at least until Sunday - was the game-breaking speed and playmaking chops.

“He's a different type of talent," an NFL scout told me. "Physically, he's just enormous and fast and so gifted. But what I liked in the Dallas game was seeing his top-end speed and how it didn't take long for him to get there. The smooth acceleration into high gear was special."

Playing with quarterback Trey Lance at North Dakota State, Watson averaged 20.4 yards per catch while dominating at the FCS level. (The Bisons won three national titles in his four years there.) He's a natural deep-ball guy because of his measurables, but given his short-area quickness and newfound trust from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, expect head coach Matt LaFleur to deploy him in bubbles and even runs. That's how versatile he can be and, quite honestly, if we're talking about Green Bay turning this thing around, Watson is the ultimate wild card.

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The scout added: "Sunday was a good day for a lot of scouts that liked him in the draft, because it validated what I think guys believed about him. He's a pretty unique talent."

Monday mayhem

I still don't know what to think about Monday night's peculiar ending between Washington and Philly.

Don't get me wrong: The Commanders deserved to win and I'm continually blown away by Taylor Heinicke. He may not be the most talented quarterback, but he's the definition of the term "gamer." He plays with the type of swag and fearlessness that inspires guys. Just ask head coach Ron Rivera, who called it "grit," or star receiver Terry McLaurin, who said: "It's really big when your quarterback, your leader, is a guy who's galvanizing the team. You can just see it in (Heinicke's) eyes. No game is over, no drive is dead when he's back there."

Heinicke made a smart play to keep the clock running near the end of the 32-21 road upset win by taking a knee. What happened next was wild and seemingly unprecedented: All-Pro defensive end Brandon Graham slid into Heinicke and was flagged for a personal foul that effectively ended the game.

"I'm gonna take that one on the chin," Graham said immediately after the loss.

"I was just trying to touch him. Touch him down. It just looked like he was gonna get up, you just never know," Graham told reporters. "That's on me. I'll own that one."

It's not that I disagree with the call because by rule it was correct. But Graham is too good and too smart a player to have done that with malicious intent. You're going so fast for so long, and it's unnatural for a QB to simply give himself up like that. Still, what a way to end what was arguably this season's biggest upset victory.

The Commanders are now 5-5 and scheduled to get promising third-year defensive end Chase Young back for a winnable road game this week in Houston.

Short yardage

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◾️ It still feels like the Vikings - who improved to 8-1 by winning in Buffalo on Sunday - are a relative afterthought when it comes to Super Bowl contenders.

It's time to adjust our mindset because dismissing Kirk Cousins and company would be foolish after Minnesota won its seventh straight game. At what point do we say: OK, the schedule hasn't been the most difficult, but this is a good team. To me, we're there.

If going toe-to-toe with that Bills offense in that hostile environment doesn't convince you, I'm not sure what will. ESPN's Bill Barnwell notes that since acquiring All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs in 2020, that was the first time the Bills lost in nine home games when scoring 30 or more points.

◾️ I know it's just one game, but Tom Brady and the Bucs looked like a new team in Germany. The Seahawks arrived having won four straight with a dominant offense. Tampa Bay's physical defensive front held star rookie Kenneth Walker III to only 17 yards on 10 carries - a season low since becoming the starter.

Most importantly, Brady looked more like the guy we're used to seeing: live arm, sharp ball fakes while sprinkling in a few downfield dimes. I don't think the Bucs have solved all their problems - what was offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich doing on that ridiculous Philly Special call? - but this was a key step in the right direction.

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Chris Godwin might be the most important weapon for Brady. He’s a big-bodied receiver who can play in the slot and he's been a tremendous third-down option during their tenure together.

After battling a series of injuries this season, Godwin told reporters Sunday was the best he felt all year. His presence will not only help Brady but also make it much harder for opposing defenses to bracket All-Pro Mike Evans on the outside. This is huge news for Tampa's offense.

The NFC South is a mess, and eight or nine wins should do the trick. It sounds strange, but the 5-5 Bucs control their own destiny.

◾️ Speaking of Bucs-Seahawks, the NFL's first-ever game in Germany was an overwhelming success. Not only were the fans electric for 60 minutes, but they legitimately stayed afterward for what appeared to be hours, singing and drinking massive pints of beer. "That was one of the great football experiences I've ever had," Brady said.

The game was played in front of 69,811 fans at the famed Allianz Arena in Munich, home to Bayern Munich, the most successful and valuable franchise in German soccer. The NFL said it received three million ticket requests, and will now look to other potential European markets like Spain and France, Brett Gosper, the league's head of UK and Europe, told The Associated Press.

"They’re two very healthy media markets, healthy sports markets, some strong indicators from our streaming platform as well as from our consumer sales," Gosper said.

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This is all part of the NFL's master plan to grow the game and its wallet. International expansion - not only in Europe - was at the forefront when the league went to the controversial 17-game schedule. As things currently stand, it's committed to playing at least four international games each season, while all teams are required to play a home game abroad once every eight seasons.

◾️ Tua Tagovailoa had another huge game as the first-place Dolphins improved to 7-3 - and 7-0 when he starts. At one point during Sunday's 39-17 win over Cleveland, the home crowd started chanting: "M-V-P! M-V-P!" It's not a preposterous statement, especially when considering his odds were a long 75-1 before the season. The 24-year-old quarterback finished 25-for-32 for 285 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

“There's no doubt I heard that … It's flattering,” Tagovailoa told reporters of the chants.

Miami is averaging 391.5 yards per game, third in the league. Tagovailoa is the NFL leader in expected points added per dropback at 0.37, according to NFL Next Gen stats via ESPN, outpacing the more heralded Patrick Mahomes (0.28) and Josh Allen (0.13). Tagovailoa ranks second in completion percentage over expectation (3.5 percentage points), a jump from last season's differential (0.9). More of his pass attempts have resulted in touchdowns than anyone else (7.3%), and he's tops in the NFL in yards per completion (12.87) and QBR (82.6). His 19 TD passes are tied with Joe Burrow for third and he's played in one fewer game.

Tua's in the MVP conversation.

◾️ On Monday, the Patriots' Bill Belichick said coaches should be allowed to challenge plays with under two minutes remaining. This isn't the first time Belichick has said it, and he may have a point.

Belichick was asked about a key play in the Vikings' 33-30 OT win at Buffalo, in which Bills receiver Gabe Davis hauled in a 20-yard catch with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter. NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson later said the play - critical in setting up a tying field goal to send the game into overtime - should have been reviewed and ruled incomplete.

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In a Monday interview, Belichick added: "There have been other examples of that, plays that have occurred in situations where teams couldn't challenge because the rules prohibited (it).

"I get forward progress, and things like that, that you can't challenge. I'm not talking about that. I'm saying not having the ability to challenge a play that could impact the outcome of the game - even calls like holding and pass interference and things like that - I don't see why those plays can't be reviewed (by a coach's challenge)."

Going on nearly five decades in the NFL, you're hard-pressed to find a more qualified person to speak on this, and it'll be interesting to see if the competition committee considers this in the coming years.

◾️ Another Sunday, another Giants win. I'd be remiss if I didn't show love to quarterback Daniel Jones. He ranks eighth in QBR despite losing Sterling Shepard for the season and potentially emerging tight end Daniel Bellinger. Jones' numbers might not wow you - especially when running back Saquon Barkley is putting up video-game stats - but he's not turning the ball over and he's lethal on the ground.

Only Justin Fields, Lamar Jackson, and Allen have more rushing yards than Jones, whose 387 yards are more than Kyler Murray, Marcus Mariota, and Jalen Hurts. The sixth pick in the 2019 draft seems to have left the G-Men with no choice but to extend him long term after not picking up his fifth-year option before the season.

◾️ I love what I'm seeing from Chiefs rookie defensive end George Karlaftis, the 21-year-old first-rounder out of Purdue. He's tied with No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson of the Lions among rookie edge rushers in QB pressures (28), according to PFF's data. They share a similar physical profile and have the same relentless drive to get home and wreak havoc. When I watch Karlaftis, I see a perennial Pro Bowler whose overall effort and improvement are noticeable.

The scout I spoke with echoed this sentiment as well, telling me: "Karlaftis is a really good football player. He's sound, he plays fast, and I think his athleticism is going to create problems for even the better linemen."

Jordan Schultz is theScore's NFL insider and senior NBA reporter. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

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