Each Friday throughout the 2024 NFL season, we're performing a leaguewide check-in with quick-hit takes about all 32 squads based on news, fodder, trends and/or results.

With the NFL's Nov. 5 trade deadline looming, many teams are reaching crossroads.

Let's jump into what's dominating the national football conversation this week.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: I have very little confidence in the drop-happy Amari Cooper, but you never know with a new environment. It was worth a low-risk roll of the dice for the Bills, who certainly seem to require a shot in the arm. They've got to be at their best and still in contention when they host Kansas City in a month.

Miami Dolphins: For what it's worth, I think the only game they potentially would have won with Tua Tagovailoa was Week 4 against Tennessee. Even that might be a stretch, considering they lost by three scores. If they beat Indianapolis this week and Tua returns in Week 8, his absence might have cost them very little (if anything) in the win column.

New England Patriots: I don't think anyone could have expected much more than that from Drake Maye in his debut. Looking forward to seeing him follow that up against the Jaguars in London on Sunday morning.

New York Jets: I don't think Davante Adams does much to change the Jets' fortunes. That's two acts of desperation in a two-week span from the front office, which indicates they know just how much trouble they're in.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: The offense is averaging 6.9 yards per play. Nobody else in the AFC is above 6.0 in that metric. That unit looks borderline unstoppable, and I really think they'll wind up in the top spot in the AFC as a result.

Cincinnati Bengals: It would be a shame if the Bengals can't fully rebound, because this could potentially be the best season yet for Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. They're putting up epic numbers together, but the team can't slip up against Cleveland, Philadelphia or Las Vegas over the next three weeks.

Cleveland Browns: They rank dead last in the NFL in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), directly behind four teams (Dolphins, Panthers, Patriots, Raiders) who have either benched or lost their quarterback. But really, what's the point now? Let's just watch Deshaun Watson sink or swim with his career on the line.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Even if the Steelers are still completely satisfied with Justin Fields, why wouldn't they keep the door open for Russell Wilson when addressing the situation publicly? Keeping opponents guessing about who they'll be facing at quarterback gives you a natural advantage.

AFC South

Houston Texans: Not totally a Texans thought, but the team and its fans must wonder what would have become of Deshaun Watson had he remained in Houston. Watson was so good with the Texans, and we'll never know if his career fell apart because of his off-field scandals, because of the move to Cleveland, because he's just faded in general, or all of the above.

Indianapolis Colts: They don't do anything particularly special and they aren't particularly talented, but they compete. They've now won nine of their last 15 games. Head coach Shane Steichen deserves a lot of credit.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags are the antithesis of the Colts. They can't win despite plenty of talent and experience. I'm not sure Doug Pederson can survive a "home loss" to the lowly Patriots in London.

Tennessee Titans: Calvin Ridley has caught two passes on 14 targets over the last three weeks combined. I don't care how messy your quarterback situation is—that's unacceptable when you're making $23 million per year.

AFC West

Denver Broncos: It's clear this team will have several trademark wins and dud losses this season. The good with the bad is OK when you're rebuilding.

Kansas City Chiefs: The 5-0 Chiefs barely have a better scoring margin (+33) than the 3-3 49ers (+32), whom they play in California on Sunday. I think this could be the wake-up call.

Las Vegas Raiders: It'll be difficult to properly judge Aidan O'Connell in comparison to Gardner Minshew with Davante Adams now in New York. What a wasted season for a team that should have done more to address the quarterback position in the offseason.

Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert finally went over 200 yards for the first time this season! He still has only one multi-touchdown game, though. He's become the epitome of "good, not great." I think we've seen him at his best, and that may never be good enough to bring the Chargers the success they desire.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: Teams with better scoring margins than the Cowboys (-42) include the 1-4 Titans (-14), 2-4 Giants (-25) and Cardinals (-30). The Cowboys are barely ahead of the 1-5 Browns (-46). I have no hope left for this team, even if I'm sure they have a few more impressive wins in them.

New York Giants: I think they can absolutely beat the Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Whether or not that's a helpful result is debatable.

Philadelphia Eagles: The problem with the Eagles is there isn't a single diagnosis for what's going on. Everything has fallen apart. Only three teams (the Rams, Titans and Panthers) have fewer defensive takeaways since the start of 2023, and the Eagles have just two of 'em thus far in 2024.

Washington Commanders: They fell short in Baltimore but again showed us they'll contend. Only three turnovers in six games from a new-look offense featuring a rookie quarterback? That's promising. The schedule now eases up for a while, too.

NFC North

Chicago Bears: Despite all the clear-cut progress he's making, Caleb Williams still has the highest bad-throw rate in the league. He's facing a big test in Washington after the first bye week of his NFL career.

Detroit Lions: A deal for disgruntled Jets edge-rusher Haason Reddick would make a lot of sense for Detroit. Maybe he's not Aidan Hutchinson, but he could be pretty close. Otherwise, that loss might be extremely hard for the Lions defense to overcome considering the margin for error in this division.

Green Bay Packers: Jayden Reed had a quiet week but still caught all six passes thrown his way. Packers quarterbacks have a 148.2 passer rating when targeting the 24-year-old, and now you're seeing more blazed paths for Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

Minnesota Vikings: What's wild about Sam Darnold's tremendous start (one of several things, anyway) is that he's been the fourth-most-pressured quarterback in the league (29.1%). The impending return of guard Dalton Risner better help, because that might not be sustainable.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: They have only two sacks in their last four games and a league-low five on the season. A lack of defensive pressure continues to be a big concern for a team that has begun to deliver elsewhere.

Carolina Panthers: They've now lost by multiple scores in seven of their last eight games, with the only exception being a multi-score victory over the Raiders. That might say more about Las Vegas than Carolina, but let's just conclude that both are completely awful and going nowhere soon.

New Orleans Saints: They're crumbling, and it's not just Derek Carr. Without the veteran quarterback as well as Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave, and with the offensive line already a liability, things are getting ugly in New Orleans.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Wacky loss in Atlanta followed by a wacky win in New Orleans. Anything wacky against Baltimore on Monday night will likely result in an L. They have to take a breath.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are exactly who I thought they were entering this season. Fun, sometimes good, often bad. At least it's a generally entertaining rebuild, although it's a shame we're losing time with Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. together right now.

Los Angeles Rams: Take care of the Raiders out of your bye and you should have Cooper Kupp for a home game against the Vikings on short rest in Week 8. After that, the Rams have five consecutive very winnable games (Seahawks, Dolphins, Patriots, Eagles Saints). I suppose they shouldn't be eulogized just yet.

San Francisco 49ers: It's a shame that they're running into such a vulnerable Chiefs team in a post-bye situation, because Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will benefit a lot from an extra week to prepare. Plus, the 49ers are still pretty banged up. This game is ill-timed for them. With that said, can you imagine how uplifting a victory would be in this spot?

Seattle Seahawks: It's likely going to get worse against Atlanta and Buffalo the next two weeks. They'll probably be out of contention by December and looking for their next quarterback by the spring.