We are now over the hump of the 2025 NFL season, and honestly, it is going by way too fast. Before you know it, wildcard races will be upon us and then the playoffs. However, there’s no time to look too far ahead, so instead we’re going to look back at the phenomenal action we were treated to over the past 72 hours.

As we always do, we’ll discuss the rookie standouts, league wide dominant performances, and the best highlight that graced our screens this week. So, let’s kick this weekend’s review off with rookie tight end Colston Loveland of the Chicago Bears.

Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Week

Offensive – Colston Loveland | Tight End | Chicago Bears

The Bears have been somewhat made fun of because of the level of play the Indianapolis Colts have been getting out of their first-round rookie tight end, Tyler Warren, while Colston Loveland the 10th overall pick has been merely a passenger.

That was until this weekend, when many could argue he was the best skill player on the park for either team. With playmakers like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Rome Odunze on display, Loveland was the cream of the crop. He was Caleb Williams favourite target, hauling in a team-high six receptions, which also resulted in him leading his side in both receiving yards and touchdowns. In doing so, he set new career highs in both categories, managing to secure 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Loveland finally used his savvy route-running ability, while also being one of the better athletes on the park, to his advantage. Throw in the fact that veteran tight end Cole Kmet was also out, which gave Loveland the opportunity to shine, resulting in a career day.

Honorable Mentions: Kyle Monangai and Jaxson Dart

Defensive – Malaki Starks | Defensive Back | Baltimore Ravens

We move to the AFC North, as the first safety off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft finds his way onto the list for the first time. Ravens rookie Malaki Starks was one of the best players in college football last year and, due to positional value fell to the latter stages of the first round in April.

He became an instant plug and play starter for the Ravens, providing them with a bright light in a season where those have been few and far between. However, this weekend marked his true breakout game, as Starks managed to make play after play in both the passing and ground games.

When it came to getting downhill, Starks made five tackles on the day, with three of them at or behind the line of scrimmage, putting the Dolphins off schedule. As for his dominance in shutting down the Dolphins passing game, he was all over the park. Targeted three times, he allowed only one reception for five yards, and the icing on the cake was his first NFL interception.

Honorable Mentions: Jalon Walker and Donovan Ezeiruaku

Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week

Offensive – Brock Bowers | Tight End | Las Vegas Raiders

This one hurt, as I recently traded Brock Bowers away in a couple of fantasy leagues, and the fact that he went and dropped 50 points in most leagues had me rather bitter. However, I have to look past my personal disappointment as a fantasy manager and give Bowers his flowers for just how dominant he was in the Raiders overtime loss to the Jaguars.

The sophomore tight end certainly made a loud return to the lineup after dealing with a nagging knee injury through the early portion of the season. He made life much easier for Geno Smith, hauling in 12 receptions and generating 127 receiving yards. What really put Bowers above any other offensive player in the league this week was the fact that he accounted for three touchdowns on the day.

All of them came in huge moments, whether it was taking the lead with under two minutes to go, or scoring the touchdown in overtime that set the Raiders up for a potential game-winning two-point conversion.

All in all, it was great to see the league’s premier tight end back in business this weekend, and it certainly looks like he hasn’t missed a beat.

Honorable Mentions: Sam Darnold and Tee Higgins

Defensive – Alex Highsmith | Edge Rusher | Pittsburgh Steelers

Many have questioned whether the Steelers still needed Alex Highsmith after Nick Herbig seemingly became one of the better pure pass rushers in the league. However, when your defence has been historically bad, you need your best and most talented players to step up.

This, in fact played out right before our eyes as the Steelers defence finally lived up to their talent on paper and faced an Indianapolis Colts offensive unit that had been drawing statistical comparisons to the 2007 Patriots.

Heading into the game as home underdogs, the Steelers needed the highest-paid unit in the league to turn up. To many of our surprise they answered the call to the tune four sacks and six turnovers. The havoc was ignited by the pass rush of Highsmith, Watt, and Herbig, however it was the former third-round pick who really took over the game.

Highsmith had two sacks on four pressures, which earned him an 84.4 pass-rush grade from PFF. It wasn’t just as a pass rusher that Highsmith made his mark, as he also stood out against the dominant Indy rushing attack and proved why he’s considered one of the best edge rushers in coverage, collecting a pass breakup in the process.

Honorable Mentions: Laiatu Latu and Josh Sweat

Highlight Of The Week | Colston Loveland Touchdown

We have already discussed this player, and more specifically this play, and that of course is the walk-off touchdown from rookie tight end Colston Loveland. It was the game that saw almost 100 points scored, with 21 of those coming in the last two minutes.

After the Bears blew a 14-point lead in under 80 seconds, there was a huge sense of urgency to get the ball into field-goal range and ensure they didn’t snatch a loss from the jaws of victory. With 17 seconds on the clock and only one or two chances to gain around 20 yards for a game-winning field goal, they had no timeouts remaining. That meant anything caught over the middle had to be efficient, with enough time to get another snap off and spike the ball.

Loveland made sure that a spike wouldn’t be necessary. He caught a dot from Caleb Williams over the middle of the field for the required yardage to be in range for a three pointer. In doing so, he broke an arms tackle from Jordan Battle and was off to the races, scoring what would be the game-winning play for his team and a signature moment in his young career.

Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers One Hander and Cam Little NFL Record