Sunday Night Football delivered a Mississippi State spotlight with a twist, and the biggest storyline came on Seattle’s side of the ball. Charles Cross started at left tackle against Kansas City, helped keep Sam Darnold upright in a 20-3 Seahawks win, then left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury that was later reported as a high ankle sprain that could sideline him for a while.
Seattle’s offense controlled the game in the trenches. The Seahawks did not allow a sack, piled up 153 rushing yards, and held the ball for nearly 36 minutes.
Cross was part of that effort before the injury, and when he exited, veteran Josh Jones stepped in at left tackle. Cross has started all 69 NFL games he has played since Seattle took him in the first round of the 2022 draft, so his departure carried real weight for a line that had just smothered the Chiefs’ pass rush.
Kansas City’s evening was ugly across the board. The Chiefs fell to 5-1, and Chris Jones had one of those rare quiet nights when the action he usually creates behind the line of scrimmage never showed up. Seattle kept the pocket clean and never let Kansas City’s front get home.
Elsewhere, Woody Marks was heavily involved for Houston even in defeat. The Texans running back handled the ball 20 times against the Giants, carrying 19 times for 66 yards and adding a 15-yard reception, but Houston still lost 27-21 in overtime. The Texans remain winless at home heading into their bye week, though the workload pointed to how much they trust Marks right now.
Martin Emerson Jr. followed up an NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor with a loss. One week after his two-interception game against the Giants earned the award, Emerson and the Saints dropped a 16-10 decision to Pittsburgh at Stade de France. The Steelers won on the ground, and New Orleans fell to 2-5.
Chicago got Montez Sweat back after he finished his two-game suspension, and the timing lines up with a 5-2 Bears team that now has a proven pass rusher back for the stretch run. Chicago beat New England 30-24 on Thursday night without him, then reinstated him afterward.
Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons kept producing even in another tight loss. He had four tackles, a pass defensed and two quarterback pressures in a 27-24 defeat to Cleveland, and the Titans said he extended his streak to six straight games with either a tackle for loss or a pass defensed. The Browns sealed it with a 32-yard field goal on the final play, dropping Tennessee to 1-6.
Afterward, Simmons sounded frustrated by another missed chance.
“We could have taken the life out of that team in the first half,” Simmons said. “We didn’t do enough, especially when it really mattered.”
In Other News...
Mississippi State Just Landed A Massive Recruiting Win For Its Future Wing Core
Mississippi State kept building early momentum for its 2027 basketball class with the addition of four-star small forward Jalen White, a promising wing prospect who made his pledge after an official visit to Starkville. White gives the Bulldogs another high-level piece to pair with point guard Jacques Mitchell, making him the second four-star commit in the class and signaling that the staff is not wasting time laying the foundation for the future.
The commitment also says plenty about how Mississippi State is selling its program on the trail. Whites decision underscores the appeal of the Bulldogs environment and the way the coaching staff has connected with him during the process, a combination that helped the school separate itself in a race that had drawn national attention. For a class still in its early stages, landing a wing with that kind of profile gives Mississippi State some real direction as it keeps assembling its next core. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Evans III Suddenly Faces A Painful Mississippi State Decision
Anthony Evans III has already had to navigate an uneven 2026 season, one interrupted by injury and reshaped by the loss of quarterback Kamario Taylor, and the ripple effects have reached beyond the weekly stat sheet. Even so, Evans has remained one of Mississippi States most important offensive pieces, the kind of player whose presence matters not just for this fall, but for whatever comes next in Starkville.
Now the larger question is whether this season becomes his last college run or merely a pause before one more year. Evans is weighing a possible return for a fifth collegiate season in 2027, though his path there is not simple, with his eligibility situation unresolved and his NFL plans still part of the equation. For Mississippi State, the answer could shape the offense again next year, and for Evans it adds a personal decision that is suddenly harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Offense Faces A Brutal Test After Major QB Blow
Mississippi States offense heads into a daunting matchup with Texas carrying more than just the usual SEC pressure. The numbers have not been kind to the Bulldogs, with multiple analytics models slotting Texas well ahead of them and projecting a clear edge for the Longhorns as the game approaches. Add in the loss of quarterback Kamario Taylor, who underwent season-ending surgery, and the challenge only gets steeper for a Mississippi State team trying to steady itself on offense.
Jeff Lebby confirmed the surgery and framed it as a team decision, leaving the Bulldogs to sort through the fallout while preparing for one of their toughest tests of the season. Texas is dealing with injuries of its own, but Steve Sarkisian pointed to his teams recent win in spite of those issues, a reminder of how much depth the Longhorns can still bring to the table. For Mississippi State, the task is now less about matching the outside projections and more about finding a way to keep the game competitive under difficult circumstances. [Read more 🡒]