

Anger. It was plastered across Earl Thomas’ face. This was the nightmare scenario for Thomas – and it’s why Le’Veon Bell is currently jet skiing in Miami.

Thomas, one of the remaining stars on Seattle’s once-formidable defense, who remains in the midst of a contentious contract dispute with the organization, broke his leg in Arizona on Sunday. The venom practically seeped through the TV screen as he was carted off the field. He glanced towards the Seattle sideline and flipped his middle finger at his own team. It was a justified moment of frustration.

It’s not clear who the finger was targeted at, it doesn’t really matter. The 29-year old soon-to-be free agent saw his season end just three games into the campaign. Most likely his career with the Seahawks is done, too. “That’s the crazy part of our business,” star linebacker Bobby Wagner said post game. “If he doesn’t come, then he’s not a team player. If he does come and gets hurt, it’s he shouldn’t have come.”

Thomas and the Seahawks have been locked in a fractious relationship for some time. Thomas had held out hopes for a new contract, or a trade to a fresh team willing to pay up. He ended his preseason holdout in time for proper football. He still refused to practice. His gamble: see how much you missed me? And Seattle did. Through three games, Thomas had been at his best; the most effective player on the Seahawks defense by some distance. Still Seattle wouldn’t budge. No new deal. No trade. Demands were too high, according to reports. Now, if he does find a new team, his value on the market is likely to be lower for a player one year older and coming off an injury.

It’s tough to kick the stench that something is rotten with the Seahawks. The team’s previously vaunted culture has made way to public standoffs with star players, a steady stream of grouchy leaks, and an overall vibe that could be politely described as disagreeable.

They eked by an Arizona side on Sunday that was starting their rookie quarterback for the first time. Previous Pete Carroll Seahawks teams would have feasted. This year’s group looked slow and ponderous on offense. The defense remains a shadow of its former self. The mood, more so than the lack of talent, is what’s so striking. Rarely does a team make so calculated, sweeping business decisions at the cost of its culture.

If reports are to be believed, general manager John Schneider and Carroll opted to reward Russell Wilson over the slew of defensive players who turned the Seahawks from laughing stock into perennial contenders. That’s fair. The franchise quarterback always wins. The defense was beginning to creak. Guys had aged. Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett were deemed more trouble than they were worth – injuries, age, and culture contributing to the decision. Injuries robbed the team of the back-end of the careers of Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril, both of whom were forced into early retirement.

The juggernaut disintegrated fast. That’s why Thomas wanted his payday. He’d seen the turnover on defense. He knew how far this team was from competing in 2018. The $8.5m base salary remaining on his contract just wasn’t worth it to him. He needed long-term security, lest he succumb to the kind of injury sustained by his former running mates in the backfield, Sherman (achilles) or Chancellor (neck). The Seahawks refused to sign him to an extension this offseason, opting instead to figure-out new deals with receiver Tyler Lockett and defensive end Frank Clark. Thomas was incensed.

There is no candle that burns more quickly than that of the pro football player. Veteran players understand that. Front offices do too. Two things can be true at once: teams are right to want to minimize the risk of signing players to big-money extensions; players, with short careers, are right to want to cash-in and maximize their value when they have the hint of leverage.

That’s what makes this thing so brutal. Thomas’s hand was forced. Refuse to line-up, and he’d be hit with the bad-teammate moniker, and lose the money remaining on his current deal. Suit up, and the risks of an awful injury linger over everything, particularly when you play the game the way Thomas does, with an aggression that borders on violent.

Thomas’ injury serves as a wicked reminder: the NFL is an unforgiving business. His middle finger pointed at the NFL’s contractual model, as much as the Seattle brain-trust. Thomas will leave when free agency opens in March, the latest Seahawks stalwart to walk out the door. His market value dinged by his age – 30 – and leg injury.

Wagner, who along with linebacker KJ Wright is the only remaining member of those historically great Seattle D’s, summed it up best after the game: “If I was him, I’d be pissed off,” he said.

MVP of the week

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys. Elliott was his typical self in the run-game, finishing with 152 yards on 25 carries in the Cowboys’ win over the Lions. What was new: Elliott’s impact in the passing game. The former Buckeye has always been an excellent receiver out of the backfield or flexed out wide, yet it seems someone failed to inform the Cowboys’ coaching staff. They finally got the memo. Elliott led the team in receiving on Sunday, too, adding 88 yards and a touchdown to his rushing totals. Dallas still have problems. Elliott isn’t one of them.

Video of the week

ANDY DALTON TO AJ GREEN WITH SECONDS LEFT!! pic.twitter.com/XF1o0AAUhI — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 30, 2018

A microcosm of a funky Bengals-Falcons game. Cincinnati’s walk-off touchdown delivered another heartbreaking loss for the Falcons. Atlanta are the first team since the 1966 New York Giants to score at least 36 points in back-to-back games and, somehow, find a way to lose both. Bad beats seem to be the Dan Quinn way.

Atlanta’s defense has suffered early attrition. Replacements haven’t been anywhere near the level of premier starters Deion Jones, Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen, all of whom are out for the remainder of the season. Blown coverages, missed assignments, and a lack of speed have dogged the defense since the trio vacated the line-up; the play above sums it up perfectly.

Meanwhile, Andy Dalton kept dealing. He currently ranks in the top-seven in quarterback value through four weeks. It’s been that way since the team turned their offense over to Bill Lazor in the middle of last season. The Bengals have found a nice balance of efficiency and explosiveness.

Stat of the week

Six. That’s the number of touchdown passes Mitch Trubisky threw during Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay. He threw six touchdowns combined in his last 10 games.

Trubisky put up the best statistical performance from a Bears quarterback in the Super Bowl era. The how was just as important as the what. Trubisky did an excellent job of playing within the structure of the Bears offense, distributing the ball on-time and in-rhythm to his arsenal of weapons. Not only that, but he showed he could create some magic all by himself, be it with his arm or legs. He never looked flustered.

Don’t look now, but this Bears team has a whiff of the 2017 Eagles about them. The defense is smothering. The coach creative. The offense explosive. And they have a young quarterback who has the ability to extend plays and create off-script. At the quarter mark, the Bears have sole possession of first place in the NFC North.

Quote of the week

Dirk Koetter was not a happy man after Tampa Bay’s loss on Sunday. Photograph: David Banks/AP

“We should fire everybody that was on that field today, starting with me. That was horrific” – Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter.

Koetter may be onto something. Firing everyone at this stage of the season seems impractical, but moving on from defensive coordinator Mike Smith makes sense. Smith has been a solid if unspectacular coach throughout his career. His fit in Tampa, however, has always been iffy. Smith’s defense has conceded 48 points twice this season. They entered the game against Chicago as the fourth least efficient defense in the league.

Elsewhere around the league

Tom Brady’s Patriots ended the Dolphins unexpected winning start to the season on Sunday. Photograph: Steven Senne/AP

-- More teams should get creative with their most athletically gifted players, regardless of positional designations. The Saints continue to find ways to incorporate Taysom Hill into their gameplan. Hill is the team’s Mr Everything: return-man, redzone quarterback, and the man Drew Brees uses to help reveal coverages. Hill, a quarterback in college, even completed a throw off a fake punt on the Saints’ first drive during their victory over the New York Giants. Credit to the Lions, also, who used slot cornerback Jamal Agnew on offense on Sunday. Get as much speed on the field as possible, that’s the name of the modern NFL game.

-- The Patriots avoided their first three-game losing streak since the 2002 season, blowing the doors off the Dolphins. New England have won six straight games after consecutive losses. The average margin of victory in those games: 21.2 points.

-- Dallas’s DeMarcus Lawrence finished Sunday with three sacks, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. Lawrence is at the peak of his powers right now, the perfect pass-rushing blend of springs and hand usage. A pending free agent, Lawrence will be the No1 target for most teams this coming offseason. Don’t be surprised if he comes close to Aaron Donald’s record-breaking $86m guaranteed deal if he gets to the open market. He’s that good.

-- The latest edition of the Fitzmagic experience appears to be over. Fitzpatrick was benched during the Bucs’ blow-out loss at the hands of the Bears. He struggled throughout, heading to the bench at the start of the second-half. Dirk Koetter admitted post-game that Jameis Winston “probably” did enough to regain his starting job for good during his first outing of the season.

-- Khalil Mack is deservedly receiving the lion’s share of Defensive Player of the Year attention. His production has been absurd. However, don’t sleep on JJ Watt. The Texans’ pass-rusher is back to his best. He has four sacks in his last six quarters, including two forced fumbles against the Colts on Sunday.

-- The Browns scored 40+ points for the first time since 2009. They still lost.