Denver looks strong in Authentic terms. This season may come down to whether the franchise can resist the urge for a Manning comeback, and let Brock Osweiler stand or fall. Arizona looks good statistically but has only four Authentic tests. The Cardinals’ regular season concludes with Green Bay and Seattle: Those games may be an Authentic feast on both sides. The Authentic sleeper is Kansas City. The Chiefs are moyen statistically, but often in the N.F.L. it’s about who’s playing well late, and Kansas City is.

In other football news, if the postseason began today, a losing team, Washington, would host a playoff contest while three winning teams — Atlanta, Jersey/B and Pittsburgh — would be sent home. Another reason the N.F.L. should switch to a seeded-tournament format.

Damon Runyon Watches ‘Monday Night Football.’ On the final play of “Monday Night Football,” game tied, the Browns lined up to attempt a field goal to win: The Ravens blocked the effort, running it back for a touchdown and victory as time expired. Cleveland is now 2-9 and Baltimore now 4-7; the play meant nothing to the 2015 N.F.L. season. But what happened in the background could mean a lot to the N.F.L.’s future.

As the field goal was blocked, bright green FanDuel ads — “One Week Fantasy Football!” — shone on the stadium’s electronic signs. With Cleveland favored by 4 points, traditional betters who wagered on the final score, whether legally in Las Vegas or illegally through bookmakers, did not care about the kick. If it was good and Cleveland won by 3, those who bet on the Browns would lose their wagers anyway, while those who bet on the Ravens would win their wagers even as Baltimore lost the contest. But in the fantasy-stats version of sports betting, a special-teams touchdown is huge. As the Ravens ran back the kick, money changed hands in the fantasy gambling kingdoms.

Because football is a complex sport with large numbers of players, it’s hard to throw the outcome of a football game in the way that a baseball game can be thrown via deliberate strikeout or a basketball game thrown by deliberately missing shots. But it’s not inconceivable that football stats could be manipulated to serve the interests of fantasy gambling. The more the National Football League wraps its arms around FanDuel, DraftKings and their imitators, the greater the risk N.F.L. contests will become perceived as fixed.

Sweet ‘Lend Me a Tight End’ Plays. A decade ago, it was rare for a tight end to split wide: Today this tactic is so common that it takes two flexed tight ends to merit comment.