November 1: Blockbusters, Fire Sales, and the Last Unbeaten Team

A week of major trades reshaped NFL rosters, and today’s Week 8 slate puts the league’s only undefeated team to its toughest test yet.

With the trade deadline on November 10, NFL front offices have been busy, and this week brought some of the season’s biggest moves. The Chicago Bears gave up two first-round picks for an All-Pro, the Indianapolis Colts traded away two longtime stars, and contenders across the league are making their push. Today, the Minnesota Vikings, the last unbeaten team in football, head to Detroit as underdogs.

The Week’s Biggest Trades

The biggest deal came Thursday. The Tennessee Titans sent All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Bears for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, plus a 2027 fourth-rounder. It’s a huge price, and it shows Chicago is going all in this season. Earlier in the week, the Colts started a sell-off that has the whole league talking. Indianapolis traded eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and sent defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The moves came after the 2–5 Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on October 19, and receiver Josh Downs has reportedly asked to be traded too. Not every star wants out, though. Jets receiver Garrett Wilson said this week that he hasn’t asked for a trade and wants to stay in New York.

These deals add to a busy season of trades. Since September, the New York Giants traded for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles moved center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens, and the Houston Texans acquired receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. from Arizona. Two of this week’s new acquisitions could meet right away. The Bears play at Seattle on Monday night, where Simmons and Nelson could make their debuts for their new teams.

A packed football stadium on a crisp autumn afternoon at kickoff, with players lined up under golden light

With the deadline approaching, every Sunday now matters for teams deciding whether to buy or sell.

Today’s Must-Watch Games

Vikings at Lions, 1 p.m. ET, FOX. Minnesota is 6–0, powered by a defense that has allowed the fewest points in the league, yet oddsmakers have the Vikings as three-point underdogs. Their offense has scored the fewest touchdowns of any 6–0 team since 1934. Against Detroit’s high-scoring attack, this is the clearest test yet of whether they’re for real.

Ravens at Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBS. Lamar Jackson is expected back after missing three games with an ankle injury, just in time for a matchup with Josh Allen and a 5–1 Buffalo team coming off its bye. It may be the best quarterback matchup of the week.

Titans at Bengals and Colts at Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET, CBS. Both are the first games for Tennessee and Indianapolis since trading away cornerstone players, and they’ll show how each team responds.

Chiefs at Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. One of the AFC West’s fiercest rivalries, in a season when Kansas City has already lost a game.

Eagles at Commanders, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC.Sunday Night Football closes the day with an NFC East rivalry, as Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni faces questions about his team’s effort heading into the deadline.

Big midseason trades have shaped NFL history before. In October 1989, the Dallas Cowboys traded running back Herschel Walker to, of all teams, the Minnesota Vikings for a haul of players and draft picks that helped build a Dallas dynasty with three Super Bowl titles. Whether Chicago’s bet on Simmons pays off like that won’t be known for years, but the pressure starts today.