What we learned about Chiefs offense, Dolphins impress in loss & Jessie Bates heads to Jaguars

Summary of What we learned about Chiefs offense, Dolphins impress in loss & Jessie Bates heads to Jaguars

by The Athletic

1h 6m•November 10, 2026
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Overview of What we learned about Chiefs offense, Dolphins impress in loss & Jessie Bates heads to Jaguars

This episode of The Athletic Football Show is a Week 9 NFL hangover recap centered on four big storylines: the Jaguars’ aggressive trade for Jesse Bates, the Chiefs’ offense continuing to hum against weaker defenses but still carrying some real limitations, the Lions surviving a tough battle with a feisty Dolphins team, and the 49ers’ offense continuing to look nearly unstoppable while the Raiders remain stuck in a painful run-game spiral.

Jesse Bates Trade: Jaguars Go All-In

The biggest news item was Jacksonville trading significant draft capital — a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick — to Atlanta for safety Jesse Bates.

Why the move makes sense

  • Bates is viewed as one of the smartest, most impactful safeties of his generation.
  • He fits Jacksonville’s defensive identity, which uses a lot of interchangeable, creative coverage concepts on the back end.
  • He pairs well with Antonio Johnson and helps stabilize the secondary after the loss of Eric Murray.
  • The hosts loved the aggression, arguing Jacksonville is in a position to be bold because there isn’t a dominant team separating from the pack.

Bigger deadline theme

  • The move reinforced how urgent some teams are being, especially compared with clubs like Buffalo that are reportedly “poking around” but not yet making major moves.
  • They noted that deadline trades often look more exciting than impactful, but this one felt both.

Chiefs vs. Jets: Efficient, Well-Schemed, but Still Limited

The Chiefs scored plenty, but the discussion kept returning to the same question: is Kansas City’s offense talented enough when it matters most?

What worked

  • The Chiefs are scheming it up extremely well right now.
  • Against below-average defenses, they can manufacture offense through:
    • Travis Kelce matchups
    • quick game and screen concepts
    • Worthy/Rice/Yet another short-area answer
    • creative run-game structure
  • The return of Rashee Rice was emphasized as huge, especially for giving them a real screen-and-manufactured-yardage element.

What still worries them

  • The receiving talent beyond Rice is still thin.
  • Xavier Worthy’s role remains frustrating because he’s not consistently dangerous after the catch.
  • There are still too many situations where the Chiefs rely on players who don’t create much beyond 10 yards.
  • In a game like this, it looks fine; against elite defenses in the AFC playoffs, the ceiling may still be too low.

Run game praise

  • The Chiefs’ commitment to the run game was a major positive.
  • The offensive line, especially Creed Humphrey, was singled out for:
    • physicality
    • movement in the run game
    • helping define the offense’s identity
  • The hosts liked how Andy Reid has leaned into a run-first, physical approach that helps keep the offense on schedule.

Jets takeaway

  • The Jets are a frustrating team because they have real young talent and a lot of good pieces, but keep sabotaging themselves with mistakes:
    • Braelon Allen fumble
    • sacks and missed opportunities
    • penalties
    • dropped passes
    • wiped-out third-down conversions
  • Still, there’s optimism about the long-term build:
    • good offensive line pieces
    • promising skill-position talent
    • a defense and roster that may be closer to competitive than the record says
  • The hosts argued that, for a rebuilding team, keeping players like Breece Hall may be worth more than a late pick because the organization is trying to bank development and experience.

Defensive notes

  • George Karlaftis was praised for his best season yet:
    • strong run defense
    • disruptive edge-setting
    • batted passes
  • Kansas City’s defense isn’t built to win with pure four-man pass rush, but it has enough role players and versatility to cause problems when it blitzes and plays man.

Lions vs. Dolphins: Miami’s Young Core Shows Encouraging Signs

The Lions won, but the Dolphins earned real respect for how hard they played and how competitive they were for much of the game.

Dolphins positives

  • The coaching job on both sides of the ball was praised.
  • The team is playing hard and developing young players in a way that can matter long-term.
  • Caleb Douglas stood out as a real player:
    • strong hands
    • attacks the football
    • makes the quarterback’s job easier
  • The hosts compared the vibe to early Dan Campbell Lions teams: not great yet, but visibly building something.

Lions takeaways

  • Detroit’s offensive line had a rougher day than usual.
  • Miami’s defensive front, especially Zach Sieler and Chop Robinson, caused serious problems:
    • pressured Goff
    • disrupted interior blocking
    • forced key incompletions and field goals
  • Goff’s pocket movement was praised as a reason he survived the pressure as well as he did.

Dan Campbell praise

  • The hosts strongly emphasized how consistently excellent Campbell is:
    • culture
    • game management
    • fourth-down aggression
    • maintaining standards
  • They argued he doesn’t get enough credit because what he does is no longer novel, but he remains one of the league’s best head coaches.

Lions defensive front

  • Detroit’s front seven was also praised:
    • Malcolm Rodriguez
    • Alim McNeill
    • Aidan Hutchinson
    • Derrick Moore
    • depth pieces like Nowaske and Tyler Lacey
  • The Lions’ ability to generate pressure and field a strong rotational front was highlighted as a major part of their identity.

Raiders vs. 49ers: San Francisco Looks Like an Offensive Machine

This was the most emphatic segment of the show: the 49ers’ offense is operating at a level that feels almost unfair.

Why the 49ers are terrifying

  • They have the best run game in football.
  • Brock Purdy is playing elite football from the pocket.
  • Kyle Shanahan is using formations and personnel to force defenses into impossible choices.
  • Their offense is built to punish teams in every possible way:
    • under-center dropback
    • run game
    • play-action
    • five-out concepts
    • progression passing

The Purdy effect

  • Purdy was praised for:
    • pocket movement
    • timing
    • vision
    • confidence against pressure
  • The hosts noted that straight under-center dropbacks, without play-action, are almost a “perfect offense” for San Francisco because they force defenses to respect the run without limiting the quarterback’s field vision.

Supporting cast

  • George Kittle was once again absurdly good as a blocker and as a problem-solving piece.
  • Christian McCaffrey looks even more explosive this year.
  • Jordan Mason was a real factor as a complementary back.
  • Jake Brendel was credited for a strong run-blocking game, which helped show how much the interior line matters to the offense’s identity.

Big-picture stat theme

  • The hosts highlighted how Purdy’s efficiency from under-center dropback is absurdly high, and how the Niners are making defenses guess wrong constantly.
  • The Niners are getting elite quarterback play even with limited receiver availability and depth issues.

Raiders concerns

  • The Raiders’ passing game actually has some life:
    • Brock Bowers is a superstar
    • Michael Mayer and Tre Tucker help
    • Kirk Cousins was jokingly referred to as “47 years old” but basically treated as a really good pocket passer when protected
  • But the run game is catastrophic:
    • too many negative plays
    • drives getting nuked
    • almost impossible to sustain offense
  • The defense also remains in need of major overhaul, especially in the front seven.

Bigger Themes and Takeaways

1. The AFC playoff race is still wide open

  • The hosts kept coming back to the idea that no team is truly a superpower right now.
  • That’s why teams like Jacksonville are justified in pushing chips in.

2. The NFL is in a strong pocket-passing era

  • The hosts praised the level of quarterback play across the league:
    • Purdy
    • Burrow
    • Goff
    • Love
    • Stroud
    • Lawrence
    • Josh Allen
  • It’s an unusually strong year for efficient pocket QB play.

3. Good teams can still be incomplete

  • Kansas City looks smart and dangerous, but not fully loaded.
  • Detroit is winning while still ironing out wrinkles.
  • San Francisco looks dominant despite receiver injuries and depth questions.
  • Miami may be terrible in the standings but is still developing meaningful building blocks.

Final Thoughts

The episode’s main message was that the NFL is full of teams that are better than their records, better than their reputations, or still one move away from becoming serious contenders. Jacksonville acting aggressively, Kansas City’s scheme masking roster limitations, Detroit’s steady excellence, and San Francisco’s offensive genius all point to a league where the margins are thin — and where the right coaching and structural advantages can change everything.