Sunday Rundown: An ode to Steve Smith; Raiders emerging as surprise contender

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Blood, guts, and tears

On a day that saw a seemingly endless stream of injuries, one will stand out.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith tore his Achilles and is lost for what was supposed to be his final season as one of the NFL's most colorful characters.

In a league that struggles to find superstars that strike the delicate balance between spiteful malcontents and sanitized corporate puppets, Steve Smith never shied away from being himself.

His endless trash-talking and obvious Napoleonic complex sometimes diminished his image, but as Smith aged he became known for what he was: a good teammate and low-key family man who produced at an inhuman level.

Smith's career seemed finished when the Carolina Panthers didn't re-sign him following the 2013 season. Maybe it would have been had the prideful Smith not seen a lack of interest from the franchise that drafted him as a personal attack. Smith famously torched the Panthers for seven catches, 139 yards, and two touchdowns in his return to Carolina and used it as motivation to make his career's second act a great one.

As farewell tours go, Smith's was one of the most productive. Leaving Carolina in 2014, after spending 13 seasons there, Smith put up 1,065 yards and six touchdowns with the Ravens. In 2015, at age 36, Smith had already tallied 46 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns.

It's hard to believe that the former junior college player won't use the injury as a spark to come back and play one more year, but Smith has never been one to take back any of his statements.

- Joe Thomson

Silver and Black revival

Don't look now, but the Oakland Raiders are suddenly one of the NFL's fastest-rising teams.

With yet another convincing win, this time against a New York Jets club that had established itself as a legitimate playoff contender in the several weeks prior, the Silver and Black now sit at 4-3 through seven games.

The impressive mark, which puts the team above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2011, also gives the Raiders sole possession of the top AFC wild-card spot.

It's early, of course, but playoff football returning to Oakland is becoming an increasingly realistic possibility.

After years of Raiders fans having to take solace in selling points that insisted the organization was being rebuilt the right way, general manager Reggie McKenzie's vision is finally starting to yield results on the field.

And as is the case with any successful team, it all starts with the quarterback.

Derek Carr is quickly establishing himself as a franchise-caliber signal caller, building upon a 2014 rookie campaign in which his potential for such a development was made extremely apparent.

He finished Sunday's game against New York's second-ranked defense completing 23-of-36 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns. That performance, leading a 34-point output, is by far the most productive showing any quarterback's had against New York's vaunted defense thus far - Tom Brady included.

Should Carr continue on his current path and keep the offense firing on all cylinders, the relatively favorable schedule that lies ahead should have a nine- or 10-win finish well within reach.

With some young talent in place throughout the roster, this may only be the beginning for an organization long overdue to get back to its winning ways.

- Dan Wilkins

Stray Thoughts

• The Bengals are running away with the AFC North, moving to 7-0 with a 16-10 victory over the Steelers. For the Steelers, Sunday's loss may be the least of their worries with Le'Veon Bell suffering a potential season-ending knee injury.
• Todd Gurley became the first rookie in NFL history with four straight games of 125 yards or more. Gurley is proving to be the dynamic weapon the Rams lacked since the Greatest Show on Turf era, and could steer the club to its first playoff appearance since 2004.
• It's probably unwise to write off Eli Manning and Drew Brees. After middling debuts to the season, Brees tied the single-game record with seven touchdowns, while Manning compiled a cool six scores.
• Detroit's catastrophic season reached a new low in a 45-10 defeat to the Chiefs at Wembley Stadium. Lions fans may want to start watching tape on Cal quarterback Jared Goff.
• In spite of Philip Rivers' excellent campaign, the Chargers would be wise to accelerate its rebuild as the franchise appears to be entering a bold, new chapter.
• After a turbulent start to his rookie campaign, Jameis Winston silenced his critics over his past three starts. The 2015 first overall pick did not throw an interception for the third consecutive game. The 21-year-old appears to be rapidly maturing before our eyes.

- Arun Srinivasan

Injury Ward

Recapping the weekend's most significant injuries.

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
Team hopeful ACL damage avoided.
The severity of Bell's injury has yet to be announced, but the team is hopeful that's he's dealing with an MCL injury. Football fans and fantasy players will all be saddened if he's forced to miss any amount of time. DeAngelo Williams has already shown he can produce in the Steelers' offense.

Steve Smith, WR, Ravens
Torn Achilles. Out for season.
With his season lost, the focus shifts to whether Smith will change his mind and return for another year. Everyone hopes that's the case.

Matt Forte, RB, Bears
Team expects MCL injury.
While Forte didn't leave the game in the same scary fashion as Bell, his injury could turn out to be just as significant. Rookie Jeremy Langford is the next man up in Chicago's backfield.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Jets
Torn ligaments in thumb.
Losing Fitzpatrick could be a significant loss for a Jets team that was in the driver's seat for the second wild-card spot in the AFC. Backup Geno Smith came out of Sunday's game with shoulder and abdomen injuries, which could force the team to look for veteran help at the position.

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