This week on Girlfriends + Football, the crew welcomed a very special guest: Sarah Spooner, a lifelong Washington Commanders fan who has been loving and suffering through that franchise since the 1980s. She summed it up perfectly: "Still love it, still hate it." Honestly, that's football in a sentence.
Before diving into the games, the important things: Sarah overthinks her jersey selection every single week, she orders wings on game day, she skips football parties entirely, and her fantasy team is called Dame Judy Dench. Dame Judy Dench defeated the Thunderball Masters this week. That's all you need to know.
Washington-Giants: A Tie That Feels Like a Loss
Leave it to Sarah to bring receipts on the most bewildering game of the week. Washington and the New York Giants tied 27-27 in overtime, and it somehow felt worse than a loss.
Jayden Daniels had the numbers: 302 combined yards, 103 of them on the ground, two touchdowns. Washington was up 14 in the fourth quarter. And then it all fell apart. The defense changed their scheme, let Jameis Winston back into the game, and the Giants tied it up. In overtime, Washington actually recovered a fumble and had possession... and then ran out of the clock without scoring.
Sarah's theory? The left guard stepped on Daniels' foot on the same play where he was injured back in Week 2. She believes it rattled him, sent him into a panic, and the whole fourth quarter unraveled from there. Whether or not that's exactly what happened, it was clearly not the composed, dynamic Daniels we've come to expect.
For the record: this is the third time Washington has tied the Giants. Third. Time. NFL overtime rules give both teams a possession in a 10-minute period, and if it's still even at the end... tie game. "I've never seen a tie feel like a terrible loss," Sarah said. We believe her.
Bills Win in OT, But It Wasn't Pretty
Beth brought the Bills drama, and there was plenty of it. Buffalo beat the Rams 23-20 in overtime, but James Cook fumbled twice, including once in OT, and the Rams' Puka Nacua and Matthew Stafford held a clinic on that offense all night.
What saved Buffalo? Josh Allen (121 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown) and a defensive sack from "Groot" (you know who you are, Russo) at a critical moment. The Bills won on a 45-yard field goal, and it was Josh Allen's first career overtime win. He came in 1-8 in OT. Beth had a 1% fantasy winning percentage going into overtime. "Overtime on Monday nights is horrible at my age," she said. Relatable.
Lions Are Doing That Thing Again
Laura's Lions kept rolling, beating the Arizona Cardinals 45-21. Slow start, then an absolute steamroll. Jared Goff is quietly building a case for MVP — he tied Russell Wilson's record of 12-plus touchdowns with zero interceptions through the first five games. Laura is not quietly making the case. She's making it loudly.
Jahmyr Gibbs also made history this week, tying Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns before a player's age (we'll just say: very young). Laura mentioned that Barry Sanders retired by fax at 30 and walked away from the game entirely. Context appreciated.
One concern: receiver Tom Kennedy went down with an injury, which pushed Amon-Ra St. Brown into kick return duty. He made a solid run but fumbled. The Lions will be fine, but it's worth watching.
Eagles in London: A 57-Yard Gut Punch
Philadelphia fans, look away. The Eagles lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-17 in London, and the finish was one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the season.
It started badly, ejections on the very first drive (Bryann Thomas Jr. and Jeremiah Trotter Jr., both gone). The Eagles battled back and were up 17-16 with 8 seconds left. They kicked off inbounds. Jacksonville returned it about 50 yards. And then Cam Little lined up for a 57-yard field goal with one second on the clock.
He made it. And then he ran backward without even watching, because he already knew.
Stood Out, Fell Out
Sarah's standout: Tyler "Scoop" Huntley, who stepped up when it mattered. Her fallouts: Jayden Daniels and Nick Sirianni — the Washington spiral had enough blame to go around.
Laura's standout: Penei Sewell, who moved to left tackle this season and has been nothing short of fantastic. Her fallout: Dan Quinn, whose defensive decisions in the fourth quarter handed the Giants a tie.
Beth's standout: Cam Little, obviously. Her fallout: Tua Tagovailoa, who threw an interception on his second touch of the game. "Actively trying to never play again," Beth said.
Sports & Medicine
The injury report was a lot this week. The notable ones: Javon Hargrave (Achilles, likely season-ending), Devin White (broken forearm, surgery — Laura admitted he wasn't playing that well anyway), Deebo Samuel (hamstring), T.J. Hockenson (concussion), and David Montgomery (groin).
The one to watch closely: Will Shipley has a plantar fascia tear. Not fasciitis, an actual tear. That distinction matters. He's out several weeks and will be wearing a boot, not cleats, since the position of a cleat makes it worse. He's filling in for Saquon Barkley, who is also out. And Tank Bigsby is on reserve. The Eagles' running back room is in rough shape.
Fantasy Picks from Gina (Week 6)
Gina from Fan Girl Football had her weekly waiver wire wisdom. For Week 6, she's watching: Aaron Rodgers against Tampa Bay (three straight games with 28-plus fantasy points and three touchdowns each); Ramondre Stevenson against the Jets (the Jets allow the 8th most PPR points to running backs, and TreVeyon Henderson's ankle injury opens the door for more carries); Matthew Golden against the Cowboys (nine targets per game, 6 catches and 123 yards against Chicago last week, Cowboys are soft on receivers); and Brenton Strange against Houston (14 receptions and 163 yards on 16 targets in the last two games — top-10 tight end upside).
Thirsty for Football: Beermosas
This week's drink is a Beermosa — a beer mimosa timed perfectly for London morning games. The base is a Belgian wheat or a lager (skip the stout for this one). For a mocktail version, Laura used an Untitled Arts Italian Pilsner with orange juice. Her glass came from Heidelberg, Germany, because of course it did.
"In this economy," Laura made two.
Rate the Fit
No contest this week. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson showed up in a full purple suit and won every single vote. Unanimous. The crew did note one very important suit crime: on a two-button jacket, the bottom button should never, ever be buttoned. Consider this a public service announcement.
Looking Ahead to Week 6
Sarah is watching the Bills-Raiders game and the Dallas-Green Bay matchup. Laura's Lions are on bye, but she's circling the Texans-Jaguars London game (with a Beermosa in hand, naturally) and keeping an eye on David Montgomery's health. Beth wants Baltimore-Cleveland and is all in on Bills-Raiders.
And in this week's show and tell: Beth's 11-year-old daughter spent her fall break at Michael's making a hand-painted Bills Christmas ornament. It is one of a kind. Just like this show.
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