AROUND THE NFL
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Is it possible that we could have a new labor agreement without labor strife? That’s the rumor – and it will include provisions for a 17-game season. Mark Maske of the Washington Post:
Negotiators for the NFL and the NFL Players Association have made meaningful progress toward a new labor agreement that is increasingly likely to include a 17-game regular season. This according to multiple people familiar with the situation.
The positive momentum has buoyed optimism for an agreement to be in place by the end of the upcoming NFL postseason.
“I think there’s some real intensity and opportunity over the next few weeks,” one person familiar with the state of the negotiations said, adding that the participants are “working hard” to complete a deal.
Owners have shown a willingness to make concessions to get the players to put aside their concerns about a 17-game season, according to people on both sides of the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
It’s not clear what concessions would be deemed acceptable by the NFLPA to agree to a longer regular season, which the union previously has opposed on player-safety grounds. But it appears that at least some of those concessions would be tied to the sport’s economic system for compensating players, perhaps through modifications to the rookie compensation system put in place in the labor deal reached in 2011.
That 10-year collective bargaining agreement between the league and union runs through the 2020 season. The NFL and NFLPA have been negotiating throughout this year, attempting to avoid another work stoppage such as the lockout of the players by the owners that preceded the 2011 agreement.
More from Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:
The agreement would scale back the preseason and could come with an expansion of the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams, Maske adds. (Maske also suggests that expansion of the postseason does not require the union’s approval. This conflicts with our understanding of the requirements of federal labor law, given that expanding the playoffs would amount to a sufficiently significant change in working conditions to make union approval necessary.)
Any expansion of the regular season, of course, would mean owners have made financial concessions to get players to agree. The NFLPA consistently has opposed the idea of more regular-season games, citing player safety concerns.
Chris Cwik of YahooSports.com says some prominent players aren’t as optimistic as Maske’s source or sources:
Despite a Washington Post article Wednesday suggesting the two sides were making progress on a new collective-bargaining agreement (CBA), San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman told players they should save their money and prepare for a strike.
Sherman’s tweet came hours after the Post article. The NFLPA endorsed Sherman’s stance, retweeting the message with a “100” emoji.
@RSherman_25
Our players should continue to save their money and be prepared for a work stoppage at the expiration of the Current CBA. Our greatest strength is our solidarity.
The current CBA expires following the 2020 season. One of the more contentious issues between both sides revolves around adding more regular-season games to the schedule. The owners want to push for 17 or 18 regular-season games. In that scenario, the preseason would be shortened. The players are hesitant to add more games to the regular-season schedule given the physical and mental toll of a 16-game season.
Sherman also threw cold water on the Post’s report that both sides were moving closer to a deal. Sherman — and Los Angeles Rams safety Eric Weddle — disagreed with the Post’s declaration that a 17-game season was “increasingly likely.” Sherman said the league trying to push a false agenda.
@RSherman_25
· 13h
We continue to have discussions but we are nowhere near an agreement. There are points of contention on both sides that need to be addressed before more progress is made. https://twitter.com/sinow/status/1194782035296112641 …
@SInow
It is reportedly “increasingly likely” that the new CBA between the NFL and NFLPA features a 17-game regular-season schedule and reduced preseason http://go.si.com/zPKr82V
@weddlesbeard
If we agree to 17 game schedule it would be a travesty. Not sure why it’s even on the table. Ugh
@RSherman_25
It’s really not. These are tactics from the league using their media connections to push a false story. We aren’t even close to a deal. They are literally pushing out their “proposal” as something we agree with which is ridiculous. Don’t worry brother
The NFL and NFLPA opened CBA negotiations much earlier than expected in an effort to prevent a strike. While that looked like a positive sign initially, it’s clear there are much bigger issues between the two sides than expected. It could take a full year before the situation gets resolved.
– – –
Here are the chances of various teams advancing to the conference championship game and beyond as determined by the secret sauce of FootballOutsiders.com:
Team Conf App Conf Win SB Win
NE 71.9% 46.4% 26.8%
SF 50.1% 29.8% 15.6%
BAL 51.0% 23.6% 11.8%
NO 41.2% 21.3% 10.3%
KC 31.8% 15.3% 8.3%
GB 31.8% 14.1% 5.9%
MIN 26.6% 12.6% 5.9%
DAL 18.4% 8.8% 4.2%
SEA 20.8% 9.3% 3.9%
HOU 17.1% 6.1% 2.6%
IND 8.6% 3.0% 1.3%
PHI 7.3% 2.7% 1.0%
OAK 6.8% 2.2% 0.8%
PIT 5.6% 1.5% 0.6%
TEN 2.1% 0.7% 0.3%
CAR 2.1% 0.7% 0.2%
JAX 2.0% 0.6% 0.2%
BUF 2.1% 0.5% 0.2%
LAR 1.2% 0.4% 0.1%
The same system says the Bengals have reached 58.5% to achieve the first overall pick.
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NFC EAST
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PHILADELPHIA
Tim McManus of ESPN.com wonders if QB CARSON WENTZ is “elite”:
Quarterback Carson Wentz will square off against Tom Brady for the first time in his career when the Philadelphia Eagles host the New England Patriots on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
“It’s always cool to play a competitor like him, arguably one of the best ever,” Wentz said Wednesday. “Ton of respect for him and what he has done.”
Wentz missed the last matchup, of course, as a torn ACL and LCL late in the 2017 season sidelined him for the Eagles’ postseason run, which culminated in a 41-33 win against New England in Super Bowl LII.
Before that injury, Wentz was on an MVP charge and looked to be leading the next generation of great quarterback play. But Sunday’s game has no baton-handing feel to it. Injuries slowed Wentz’s ascension. He’s healthy now, and while there have been some solid performances and “wow” moments over the first nine games of the 2019 season, there hasn’t been the same current of electricity flowing from Wentz and the offense as there was during the 2017 title season.
So where is Wentz in his development? What factors need to be considered when evaluating him? And are there signs that he remains on track to becoming one of football’s best signal-callers? Here’s what the next-level statistics tell us:
29.9: The percentage of blitzes faced per dropback this season, which ranks 20th in the NFL. Defenses brought the heat at about the same clip last season — 28.7%, which ranked 19th. During Wentz’s career season in ’17, it was a much different story. He was blitzed more than any QB in the NFL at 38.9%, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. And he made defenses pay, tossing 14 touchdowns to one interception for a 99.6 rating. He remains effective against the blitz (65% completion rate, 3 TDs) but just doesn’t have as many opportunities against it. In other words, defenses have adjusted, limiting one of Wentz’s strengths.
26: The number of first downs Wentz picked up with his legs in ’17 over 13 games, compared to 14 so far this season. He’s behind pace in that department while also down in rushing attempts per game (4.9 to 4.1) and rushing average per attempt (4.7 to 3.9). Wentz had three rushes of 20-plus yards in ’17 and none so far this season. This tells us a few things: Wentz is operating within the system more and freelancing less; he’s being more judicious about racing into traffic; and there has been a defensive adjustment on this front.
“There’s usually a spy, someone that’s kind of keying the quarterback,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, when asked how the defensive approach has changed against Wentz. “The type of blitzes that teams [are using]. He’s a right-handed quarterback, so a lot of times they don’t want to let you escape to your hand side or your right, they might pressure you to the back side. There are all kind of ways that they can affect your quarterback and particularly Carson, but one of the things he’s great at and has done a really good job this year of is just getting the ball out, understanding our offense better, spreading the ball around.”
5.0: Percent of drops per pass attempt by Eagles receivers this season, the worst clip in the NFL. They have 15 drops in all, tied for second highest in the league. It’s a real issue that has held Wentz and the offense back. Wentz ranks 24th in the NFL this season in completion percentage at 62.7. His expected completion percentage, though, is 65.1, per NFL Next Gen Stats, which moves him up to 13th among QBs.
2.67: Seconds before throw on average, 27th in the NFL. Some of that can be chalked up to his natural style of play: He likes to create with his legs and extend plays, so he’s never going to be the leader in this category. But there are times that call for him to get the ball out of his hands quicker, which continues to be a point of emphasis.
43: Passing first downs by Wentz on third down in 2019, the most in the NFL. “Situational football” is when he is at his best. He continues to shine on third down (63% completion rate, 98.9 passer rating) and in the red zone (8 TDs, 0 INT), just as he has for most of his career. These are two of the most critical areas for a quarterback to excel, and Wentz remains an ace.
Conclusion: His weapons have let him down this season. Defenses have adjusted to his game, thereby limiting the amount of explosive plays. Wentz is improving when it comes to operating within the system, but it’s not always the most natural thing for him and remains a work in progress. He still has an ability to create magic out of thin air and performs best when the weight falls on his shoulders to make a play.
The ingredients remain in place for him to become great. A strong performance Sunday against one of the top defenses in the NFL, and opposite arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, would help get Wentz back into the elite-quarterback conversation.
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WASHINGTON
Is there hope for the Redskins? They finally are going to get a look at the tandem of QB DWAYNE HASKINS and RB DERRIUS GUICE. Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com:
Washington running back Adrian Peterson said he was “excited” about the return of teammate Derrius Guice, even though the last time Guice was healthy, Peterson was inactive.
But things have changed since then, so Peterson’s not worried about not getting a uniform this week.
“Coach Gruden was here. He’s no longer here, so different scenario,” Peterson said of fired coach Jay Gruden, via Les Carpenter of the Washington Post.
Gruden made Peterson inactive for the opener, which seemed to just make players mad that the former MVP was being snubbed. And of course, Guice got hurt, and is just getting back now after surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
But interim coach Bill Callahan wants to run a lot, so he’s confident he can find carries for both backs.
“We’ve got a pretty good rotational system for that,” Callahan said. “We feel pretty confident [Guice will] see quite a bit of action this weekend.”
Now, whether it will be effective — or Guice will be able to stay healthy enough to make it a true partnership — remains to be seen.
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NFC SOUTH
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NEW ORLEANS
Kevin Patra of NFL.com offers a nugget:
Last week, for the first time ever with Drew Brees under center at home, the New Orleans Saints didn’t score a touchdown.
It wasn’t as if the Saints were facing the 2002 Buccaneers or the 2013 Seahawks defenses. Nope. The Atlanta Falcons entered Sunday’s tilt with a defense ranked 30th in yards allowed, 24th in total points given up, 31st in red zone defense and dead last in sacks.
The Saints got walloped by that one-winged bird, giving up six sacks and never punching it across the end zone line.
“Unacceptable,” Brees said bluntly on Wednesday, describing the loss.
It’s one thing to lose a game. Teams lose over the course of the season. It’s another to lay an egg at home against a division rival who had been left for dead on the side of the road, entering the game with one win on the season.
“We were extremely disappointed in our performance,” Brees said, via The Times-Picayune. “I think we know we’re a lot better than that and understand that, especially at this point in the season, this is a time when we really want to start separating ourselves from the pack in a positive way and continuing to position ourselves to achieve the goals that we have set for this team.”
The loss doubly hurts after watching San Francisco fall on Monday night, knowing New Orleans could have taken a step toward securing a potential No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. The failure, pushing the Saints to 7-2, now currently places Brees’ team behind Green Bay for playoff bye positioning.
“We understand that every game you’ve got to show up and you have to play your best and what comes with that is great attention to detail, great execution, great focus and intensity,” Brees said. “And unfortunately our execution just was not up to standard across the board. That needs to get cleaned up and it will get cleaned up and as a result, we’ll play a lot better.”
If failing to score against Atlanta’s 30th-ranked pass defense proved hard, maybe facing the 32nd-ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass D on Sunday will provide a reprieve.
The Saints have scored at least 6 points in every game of the Payton/Brees Era that began in 2016. There have been only 5 total games where they failed to put a TD on the board in some fashion.
– – –
This from Field Yates of ESPN:
@FieldYates
Most catches without a drop (charted by @ESPNStatsInfo) this season:
1. Michael Thomas: 86
2. Chris Godwin: 60
3. Austin Ekeler: 57
4. Austin Hooper: 56
5. Allen Robinson: 53
6. Larry Fitzgerald: 50
T-7. Jamison Crowder: 48
T-7. Christian McCaffrey: 48
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NFC WEST
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SAN FRANCISCO
Sacrilegious vandalism at Levi’s Stadium. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
The penalty for grabbing a facemask in the NFL is 15 yards, but a Santa Clara man is facing more severe discipline for his own tug of a facemask on Monday night.
Santa Clara police announced that they arrested Jorge Alberto Lopez for felony vandalism after the conclusion of the 49ers’ home loss to the Seahawks on Monday night. The police report states Lopez was spotted ripping the facemask off of a statue of Joe Montana that is outside of Levi’s Stadium.
“The Joe Montana statue that is part of the ‘The Catch’ art installation located inside the stadium’s Gate A plaza was vandalized following our recent Monday Night Football game. Security personnel apprehended the individual soon thereafter and the Santa Clara Police Department arrested the individual on felony vandalism charges,” the 49ers said in a statement, via NBCBayArea.com. “Crews have already begun repairs on the statue and expect work to be complete prior to Sunday’s home game. As this is an ongoing police matter, we will not have any additional comment.”
The statue of Montana is joined by a statue of Dwight Clark reeling in his pass at the end of the 1981 NFC Championship Game. They were unveiled last October.
– – –
T JOE STALEY barely returned before he goes on the shelf again. Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:
After missing six games because of a broken fibula, San Francisco 49ers left tackle Joe Staley is out again for at least another couple of weeks.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan announced Wednesday that Staley had finger surgery after he fractured and dislocated his finger in Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
“He will not play this week,” Shanahan said. “He’ll probably be out a couple weeks.”
Staley suffered the injury in the game and was able to play through it, but when he woke up on Tuesday, the finger had swelled considerably, and he sought out San Francisco’s medical staff to find out the extent of the injury.
Shanahan told reporters Tuesday afternoon that Staley had a broken finger but was seeking a second opinion before getting the surgery that would require him to miss a couple of weeks.
As it turned out, Staley needed surgery and underwent the procedure Tuesday evening. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey, a close friend of Staley’s, said he has been in touch with Staley.
“It was an unfortunate thing, didn’t even realized that it happened,” McGlinchey said. “It was a finger that I think he had already had some issues with, and he came in the next morning, and it had ballooned up on him, and it was like an afterthought. Unfortunately, that’s the results that came back. But his spirits are high, he’s going to continue to rehab and be a pro like he always does, and hopefully we get him back in a few weeks.”
Rookie Justin Skule, who filled in for Staley while he was out earlier this season, will “most likely” step back into that role, according to Shanahan.
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AFC NORTH
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CINCINNATI
How little we knew or know. This from Scott Kacsmar:
@ScottKacsmar
Crazy to think back in Week 2 the NFL’s last winless team (Bengals) was a 1-point favorite against what would be the last undefeated team (49ers).
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AFC SOUTH
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INDIANAPOLIS
The Colts are all in with fading legend PK ADAM VINATIERI as he makes his last stand.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com:
The Indianapolis Colts will continue to ride with kicker Adam Vinatieri despite continuing struggles this season.
“Adam is our kicker,” coach Frank Reich said Wednesday, per Stephen Holder of The Athletic. “Chris (Ballard) and I have talked about the situation. Obviously, there have been other kickers in here… When you take a look, we believe Adam is the answer.”
The Colts reportedly worked out kickers Tuesday but decided to stick with Vinatieri.
The 46-year-old has been a wreck this season, missing 11 attempts, most in the NFL. Vinatieri is 14 of 19 on field-goal attempts and 14 of 20 on extra-point tries. His 71.8 kick percent (FG and PATs) is lowest in the NFL (min. 10 kicks), per NFL Research.
The veteran kicker’s woes have cost the 5-4 Colts several chances to stack victories. In Week 1, Vinatieri missed two field goals and an extra point in a six-point loss to the Chargers. In Week 9, he botched a field goal and an extra point in a two-point loss in Pittsburgh. In Week 10, his missed extra point led to the Colts trailing by four points late, needing a touchdown instead of a potential game-tying field goal late to possibly send the game to overtime against Miami.
All nine of Indy’s games have been decided by one possession, underscoring the magnitude of Vinatieri’s miscues. A kicker with virtually any other name would have been replaced by this point. The Colts, however, will give the benefit of the doubt to their previously trusty veteran once again.
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TENNESSEE
Soccer is bringing the Titans together. Turron Davenport of ESPN.com:
Walk through the Tennessee Titans’ locker room on Fridays after practice and you’ll hear a lot of trash talking coming from a group crowded around a PlayStation 4.
When rookie wideout A.J. Brown suggested they play Madden NFL, he was quickly shut down.
“Man, get out of here with that — we play Madden in real life,” linebacker Jayon Brown responded.
What started as a camaraderie-building experience has turned into an intense video-game tournament thanks to players’ love of FIFA 20, which has inspired them to learn about the “other football.”
Linebacker Daren Bates proudly wears a Son Heung-min jersey to showcase his Tottenham Hotspur fandom. Bates joked about starting a trend when he spotted a Paris Saint-Germain Neymar jersey in Brown’s locker.
“I see Jayon wanted to bring jerseys out. I was already a fan. I was the first one to have a jersey. I brought my Son jersey out, and everybody wants to go buy themselves a jersey,” Bates said as Brown gave him a thumbs down.
Which team does Jayon Brown play on FIFA 20? It’s usually Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Turron Davenport/ESPN.com
Veteran linebacker Wesley Woodyard was appointed the “commissioner” of the competition taking place in the locker room, which involves about 12 players.
“It’s one of those season-long tournaments. We have to get this thing finalized and see who’s the best FIFA player,” Woodyard said.
There aren’t any prizes at stake other than bragging rights, but judging by how hyped players get talking about who’s the best, bragging rights are incentive enough.
Here’s what the players had to say about the competition:
Who is the best at FIFA 20?
DT Matt Dickerson: “I am not going to lie; Jayon probably has the best record in here.”
Bates: “Everybody is going to say they’re the best. My record is amazing. … Jayon is a great player. He’s not good — he’s a great FIFA player, but he has lost to me before in the past.”
DL Brent Urban (now with the Bears): “I am the best, it’s no question. I beat everybody. I really get into it, where I even play in ultimate team mode. … I’d say Jayon is up there. He’s not as good as me. We’ve had good battles. I beat him and he’s beaten me. I edge him out slightly. It’s a good rivalry, I would say.”
Brown: “The only person that trash-talk me is Urb [Urban]. He has one win over me. I get respect in here.”
Woodyard: “Jayon, Ukeme [Eligwe], Kareem Orr — they’re pretty good players.”
Orr: “My record in the locker room? I am top-five in this locker room.”
DL Jurrell Casey: “I am more like the coach. I coach them up and get them good. I am not that good myself. I just teach them techniques and they execute it. I got Wesley. He’s my protégé. I am schooling him and getting him ready.”
Which teams or players do they use?
Woodyard: “I bounce around from Chelsea to others, but I really like the Hotspurs. … I scored my first goal with Son.”
DB Josh Kalu: “I play with Manchester. … That’s my team.”
Dickerson: “I run with Barcelona or Liverpool. You can’t go wrong with [Lionel] Messi or [Mohamed] Salah.”
Casey: “I am more Chelsea and Manchester United. I am not really a big soccer guy like that. I just started playing it.”
Bates: “I am a Tottenham Spurs guy. I use Son No. 7. Dele Alli, [Harry] Kane, the whole squad. I rock with them boys.”
Brown: “I normally use PSG with Neymar, [Edinson] Cavani, and Kylian Mbappe’. … I am a fast player and up-tempo type of style that no one can beat in this locker room. I average about five goals a game with that. I am the best! My go-to move is pure speed. I am going to try and outrun you; then after that, I am going to try and dice you up! There’s something about it, man. It’s uptempo with no breaks. Offense to defense, it’s a quick transition. You can’t just pick up the sticks and get good. It takes a couple of weeks to get good at the game. There are so many moves you can do. The more you play it, the more moves you learn. It’s really a skill-level game.”
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AFC EAST
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NEW ENGLAND
With his contracted time with the Patriots down to six regular season games plus a postseason, QB TOM BRADY is putting out the vibe that he will take and honor a multi-year contract. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has long said he could play until he’s 45, but Brady’s longtime personal trainer Alex Guerrero says Brady has lately been saying he’ll play even longer than that.
Guerrero said on WEEI that the 42-year-old Brady has been telling him he’d like to play until he’s 46 or 47.
“It all comes to commitment, really,” Guerrero said. “No one thought you could play at the elite level in your late 30s, early 40s. That is something we always felt we could do. I have really wanted to be there to help him accomplish that goal. I certainly do believe that 45 is a very realistic goal. We talk about it all the time. Every year he just adds another year. He goes in and he’s like, ‘Guys, I feel so good still. I think I am going to go till 45.’ I am like, ‘OK.’ Now he’s like, ‘Alex, I think I can go like 46 or 47.’”
That would keep Brady in the NFL through the 2023 or 2024 seasons. But will he stay in New England that long? Guerrero said it’s too soon to say whether Brady will be in the Patriots’ training camp next year, or whether he’ll leave in free agency.
“I don’t know,” Guerrero said. “It’s not July 2020. I am focused on today. I am just trying to get Tom ready for practice today. It’s Thursday.”
Wherever he is, Brady sounds committed to playing at least a few more years in the NFL.
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NEW YORK JETS
An illness is said to have kept RB LeVEON BELL from practice. Dennis Waszak, Jr. of the AP:
New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell sat out practice with an illness, but is expected to be OK in time for the team’s game at Washington on Sunday.
“I don’t think it’s something serious,” coach Adam Gase said Wednesday.
When a reporter jokingly asked if Bell might have mononucleosis — which sidelined quarterback Sam Darnold for a month — Gase shook his head and half-smiled.
“I hope not,” he said. “Yeah, way too soon.”
Bell is also listed on New York’s first injury report of the week as dealing with sore ribs and a knee ailment. He hurt his ribs last Sunday in the Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants, but didn’t believe it was anything serious. Bell tweaked his knee two weeks ago at Miami, but tests came up negative.
Running back Josh Adams (illness), cornerback Darryl Roberts (calf), safety Matthias Farley (quadriceps) and linebackers Brandon Copeland (hip/thumb) and C.J. Mosley (groin) also did not practice. Mosley is expected to miss at least another four weeks before the team re-evaluates his situation.
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THIS AND THAT
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KAEP
Dan Graziano of ESPN.com thinks he has gotten to the bottom of the strange NFL-arranged workout for Colin Kaepernick:
Colin Kaepernick is a 32-year-old quarterback with 72 career touchdown passes, 13 rushing touchdowns, 30 interceptions and a Super Bowl start. But it has been almost three seasons since he played in the NFL, and during that time he has been more of a symbol and a lightning rod than a football player.
Now the league has organized a pro-day-style workout for Kaepernick in Atlanta on Saturday and invited all 32 teams to attend. This raises a lot of questions. How did we get here? What happens next? We thought we’d try to answer all of the questions for you:
Let’s rewind: What happened with Kaepernick, and why is he out of the NFL?
Kaepernick ignited controversy in 2016 when he began sitting (and later kneeling) during the pregame playing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial inequality. He finished that season as the San Francisco 49ers’ starter, but he opted out of his contract at the end of 2016 after the team made it clear to him that it planned to release him.
Since that time, he has not played in the league and no team has had him in for a workout. (Seattle had him in for a visit but did not work him out or offer him a contract.) In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL alleging collusion by team owners to keep him out of the league. This past January, Kaepernick and the league reached a settlement.
Wait. He wasn’t the only one who protested, right?
Right. Other players joined Kaepernick in protesting social injustice during the anthem. Former 49ers safety Eric Reid actually filed his own collusion grievance after it took him a long time to find a job in free agency during the 2018 offseason. (Reid eventually signed with the Panthers and has continued to kneel during the playing of the anthem.)
Michael Bennett remained in the locker room during the anthem earlier this season while with the Patriots, though he has been standing for the anthem since being traded to the Cowboys. Players such as Malcolm Jenkins in Philadelphia and Kenny Stills in Miami and now Houston have engaged in their own forms of protest.
The issue crescendoed early in 2017 following critical comments from President Donald Trump, and NFL owners passed a new rule governing anthem behavior in May 2018. But after discussions between the league and the NFL Players Association, that rule was never enforced, and the intensity of the issue has largely died down since.
What has Kaepernick been doing the past three years?
Other than suing the league for collusion and continuing his community work, which has included donating more than $1 million to charities working on behalf of social justice, Kaepernick has, according to his representatives Jeff Nalley and Jasmine Windham, been working out in an effort to stay ready for when and if he gets a call from an NFL team. Which he has not yet received.
Why is this workout happening now?
Sources familiar with the league’s thinking say there are two reasons: First, a little over a month ago, Kaepernick’s representatives put out a lengthy statement to address what they described as “false narratives” surrounding Kaepernick’s situation and to assert that he still wanted to play.
Second, several teams have been in contact with the league office to ask about Kaepernick’s status, and the league has grown tired of telling teams they’re free to find out for themselves. Potentially interested teams haven’t wanted to bring in Kaepernick for visits or workouts the way they routinely do on Tuesdays during the season, so the league is organizing Saturday’s workout so that interested teams can check him out en masse.
Is this a part of his settlement with the league on the collusion grievance?
Multiple sources say no, that the league is not required to hold this workout as part of any settlement.
How long has the NFL been planning this?
Unclear. One source Wednesday said the league had been in conversation with Kaepernick and his representatives about a workout like this over the past few months. But another source said there had been no contact between the league and Kaepernick’s reps in more than a year.
Did Kaepernick know this was coming?
No, he did not. The NFL reached out to Kaepernick’s agent, Nalley, around 10 a.m. ET Tuesday and told Nalley the league would be circulating a memo to all 32 teams at 4 p.m. ET announcing the plans for the workout. That was the first Kaepernick heard of this, and he and Nalley responded with a few requests, most of which were denied.
They asked if it could be held on a Tuesday, when most in-season player workouts are conducted. They asked if the workout could be pushed back later than this week to allow Kaepernick more time to prepare. The league said no to both of those requests and told Kaepernick it would provide him with a list of the team personnel who were planning to attend the workout. (ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday evening that the NFL has reversed its decision to provide the list.)
Kaepernick tweeted Tuesday that he looked forward to seeing head coaches and general managers at the workout — an indication of his own skepticism about how seriously teams would take the whole thing.
So why is it on a Saturday, then?
The NFL wanted to have the workout at an NFL team facility, and it didn’t think a team would want to open its facility to the other 31 teams on a Tuesday or any other day when it would be going through its normal game preparation. The league determined that it could use the Falcons’ facility on Saturday afternoon, after the Falcons had left for their Sunday game in Carolina.
Who’s going to be at the workout?
The workout is being organized by Jeff Foster, the president of NFL scouting, who among other things is responsible for selecting college players for the annual NFL combine. The on-field workouts will be conducted by former NFL coaches.
As for which teams and who specifically from those teams will be there … Kaepernick and his representatives are still waiting to see that list. When and if they get one, it would be surprising if most or even all of the league’s 32 teams aren’t represented, since there’s no harm in sending someone to at least take a look. But those who show up are more likely to be scouts or personnel executives than the GMs and head coaches Kaepernick tweeted he’s eager to see.
It’s extremely unlikely that any head coach or GM whose team plays on Sunday or Monday will make the trip. It’s possible that the Steelers and Browns, who play Thursday night, could send their coaches or GMs, or that higher-ranking officials from the four teams that are on bye this week — Tennessee, Green Bay, Seattle and the Giants — could go if they were interested. But that’s just speculation. I have no specific information on those teams’ plans in this matter.
What are the chances he signs and plays this season?
Pretty remote, and this is an important thing for people to understand. The idea that a team would sign Kaepernick now and expect him to start games this season is incredibly far-fetched.
First of all, as we’ve mentioned, he hasn’t played in three years. Second, you just don’t see teams pick up quarterbacks during the season for the purpose of starting games for them right away. Yes, Jimmy Garoppolo started the final five games of the 2017 season for the 49ers after they picked him up in a late-October trade, but that was neither the Niners’ plan nor their reason for acquiring him. The Niners got Garoppolo to start for them in 2018 and beyond. The main reason he started so soon was because C.J. Beathard got hurt and the Niners were well out of the playoff race.
You don’t generally see a team pick up a quarterback from outside the organization, teach him the offensive system in a week or two and ask him to step in and save the season. Translation: If you’re a fan of the Bears imagining Kaepernick replacing Mitchell Trubisky by Thanksgiving and leading you to the playoffs, you’re in a fantasy world.
Any team looking at Kaepernick this weekend would be doing so with the thought of adding him to its overall quarterback picture for next season and beyond. It’s possible a team could sign him and get him into its building to prepare him for a 2020 role. It’s also possible no team signs him until the offseason. And, as the past three years have shown us, it’s obviously possible no one signs him at all.
What would it cost to sign him?
It couldn’t possibly be much at this point. During that 2017 offseason, sources said Kaepernick was looking for a low-end starter or high-end backup salary, which would have been justified given where he was in his career at that point.
Of course, that information turned out to be irrelevant, since no team ever actually found out what he was looking for because they didn’t ask. At this point, it’s hard to imagine he could ask for much more than a veterans minimum deal with a bunch of incentives tied to playing time and performance. Teams that go to the workout might have a chance to ask Kaepernick in person, since part of the plan is for him to submit to an interview, a video of which will then be circulated to all 32 teams.
Is he good enough to help someone?
Of course he is. You can argue whether Kaepernick is good enough to open the 2020 season as a starting quarterback. But you can’t argue that he’s not good enough to be on a team’s roster. He has been for three years. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Kaepernick’s 2016 numbers with the 49ers show that he was better that season in Total QBR (49.4) and TD-INT ratio (4.0) than the average NFL backup (42.5, 1.6) has been this season.
Kaepernick as a player was not without his flaws, and there’s little doubt he could have benefited from some NFL coaching during his exile. But his talent alone should have landed him a spot on someone’s QB depth chart long before now.
If he does get signed, will Kaepernick continue to protest during the anthem?
In March 2017, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Kaepernick planned to stand for the national anthem that season. Of course, he never got the chance and hasn’t commented on it publicly.
So is this all just a publicity stunt?
That has been suggested by some close to Kaepernick, including Panthers safety Eric Reid. But it doesn’t seem likely in the strictest sense, since it’s hard to see how this offers much of a potential public-relations boost for the NFL. The league is having a good year. TV ratings are up. Interest in young stars such as Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson is high. This past week featured exciting, down-to-the-wire prime-time games between high-profile teams. The anthem protests haven’t been at the forefront of any coverage or discussion about the league in quite a while, and there’s little doubt the NFL prefers it that way.
Those who were angered by Kaepernick’s stance aren’t likely to appreciate that this issue has come up again. Those who disdain the league for unfairly keeping Kaepernick unemployed aren’t likely to change their position because of this workout. If anything, this injects the potential for negative PR at a time when the league is doing all right.
Now, all of that said, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that the NFL or any other multibillion-dollar corporation is acting purely out of the goodness of its heart and without any regard for its own self-interest. So if you want to believe this is an effort to head off questions that might come up from the union during collective bargaining agreement talks or from TV networks during negotiations of new deals or to ward off potential future lawsuits, go right ahead. You might be right on any or all of those fronts. But from a PR standpoint, it’s hard to see how this does anything for the league.
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So at the moment five teams (SF, NO, GB, SEAT, MINN) will take five of the playoff spots with some still to be determined combination of byes and division titles. And then either Dallas or Philadelphia will get the 4th seed and the right to host a powerful Wild Card with a better record.
So it appears with seven weeks to go.
Overall Div Conf
1 San Francisco West 8-1 1 5-1
2 New Orleans South 7-2 1 5-2
3 Green Bay North 8-2 1 5-1
4 Dallas East 5-4 1 4-3
5 Seattle WC 8-2 2 5-1
6 Minnesota WC 7-3 2 6-2
7 LA Rams 5-4 3 3-3
8 Carolina 5-4 2 3-4
9 Philadelphia 5-4 2 3-4
10 Chicago 4-5 3 3-3
More from Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
The 49ers lost their first game of the year on Monday night, which didn’t knock them from the top perch in the NFC playoff picture but did make things tighter in the race for the No. 1 seed in the conference.
A win would have left them two games up on the Packers and Saints in the loss column and three games up on the Seahawks on the same front. All three of those teams are right on the 49ers’ tails now, however.
Here’s how the entire NFC playoff picture looks with Week 10 in the books.
LEADERS
1. 49ers (8-1) Monday night’s loss cost them a chance at a commanding lead in the NFC West, but they remain in front of both conference and division.
2. Packers (8-2) They rebounded from a bad loss and have a week off to prepare for their shot at the 49ers.
3. Saints (7-2) An upset loss to the Falcons stings less thanks to losses by the 49ers and Panthers.
4. Cowboys (5-4) Sunday night’s loss to the Vikings sets up a tense stretch run in Dallas.
5. Seahawks (8-2) They get a well-timed bye after playing 70 minutes that kept their hopes of a division title alive.
6. Vikings (7-3) Winning on Sunday night has solidified Minnesota’s Wild Card edge with six games left on the slate.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
7. Rams (5-4) The Rams are home the next two weeks, but injuries are mounting at the wrong time for last year’s NFC champs.
8. Eagles (5-4) A loss by the Cowboys put them back into a horse race for the division title, but they’ll need to beat the Patriots this week to fully take advantage.
9. Panthers (5-4) They’ll need to guard against the kind of letdown against the Falcons that the Saints experienced in Week 10.
10. Bears (4-5) They got a much needed win on Sunday and will need another one against the Rams this week to fan their remaining playoff hopes.
– – –
You wouldn’t have known about it from listening to Monday night’s commentary, but Seattle won after playing for a tie.
Faced with 4th-and-2 at their own 45, out of timeouts just inside two minutes and armed with a bold QB and MVP candidate, Seattle meekly punted rather than boldly go for the win. The chances of converting were about 60% (we actually think a little more with Wilson) and if Seattle got it, they would be extremely unlikely to lose, most likely to have a field goal attempt to win.
Instead they punted. Surely, we thought the 49ers would think, with 1:50 to play, run two plays that kept the clock running, hopefully get one first down, then with inside a minute to play, go aggressively for another field goal try. As division leader, make sure of the tie, then try to win with a walkoff.
Instead, only 25 seconds elapsed with three clunky incompletions and the punt. The last incompletion, heaved downfield, was espeacially clunky. A Seattle had plenty of time to move into place for the winning field goal opportunity they should never have expected when they punted.
You may not agree with the above. But the issues are certainly worth discussing. Instead, the ESPN telecast avoided them all, except for a fleeting reference by Joe Tessitore that only 25 seconds had elapsed after the San Francisco punt.
(Upon reviewing the tape, we also note nary a mention of Seattle using its last timeout with the clock stopped after the two-minute warning).
Dieter Kurtenbach of the San Jose Mercury News offers a defense of Shanahan’s play-calling, including the long pass on 3rd down:
The 49ers had the ball on their own 20-yard line with 1:50 remaining in a sudden-death overtime period.
A field goal would have won them the game.
But only 25 seconds, zero gained yards, and no timeouts later, the Niners punted and the Seahawks had the ball at their own 36. They drove 40 yards and kicked a game-winning 42-yard field goal as time expired.
The hot take is so easy to write: Kyle Shanahan — the Niners’ head coach and offensive coordinator — did it again. Just like in Super Bowl LI, the so-called offensive genius passed when he should’ve run the ball and his team lost because of it.
It’s not really that simple, though.
It never is. (Though perhaps those clamoring over the play calls are.)
Yes, it looks suspect in retrospect that Shanahan called three straight pass plays in that scenario. The history of him in such moments makes it seem all the more controversial.
Hindsight or a random person on Twitter might tell you that the Niners should have peppered in the run a bit to wind down the clock — especially considering that Seattle had no timeouts left — or even that they should have merely taken a knee and accepted a tie.
But Shanahan was trying to win the game.
A frequent Madden player might think that a team can play the clock and the opponent at the same time — that they can gain yards on a perfectly timed schedule — but that’s now how real football works. After all, if the 49ers’ offense was capable of that kind of precision, they wouldn’t have been in overtime on Monday.
You call plays that can net you the needed 50-plus yards and put you in scoring position with less than two minutes to play. And given how poor the Niners’ run game was on Monday, that two-minute offense should not have included handing off the ball.
And playing for a tie? Only a coward does that.
Yes, a tie might look better than a 27-24 loss right now, but wouldn’t 24-24 feel like a loss if it was attained because the Niners had no desire to actually win?
Of course, the possibility exists that the Niners might regret losing Monday’s game come December — that they’ll wish they had tied — but for that to be the case, they’ll have to lose a few more games along the way. No matter how it all shakes out, this loss will not feel monumental. It’ll either be inconsequential or the start of something much larger and insidious.
But no matter how it shakes out, 49ers fans will at least know that their coach is trying to win, as opposed to trying to not lose.
Who was the last successful coach to do the latter?
Which fan base is cool with that being temperament being acceptable from their team leader and offensive play-caller?
The narrative that Shanahan should have called for more runs in that series also ignores the fact that all three of the Niners’ pass plays had a high likelihood of completion, and the third pass of the drive had an outstanding chance of winning the game.
“Definitely wish we took more time off the clock,” Shanahan said after the game. “But [I] was counting on us catching one of those balls.”
An NFL head coach expecting one of three passes to be completed in this pass-happy NFL? Run this guy out of town.
It should also be noted that had any one of the three passes been competed — as Shanahan counted on — the clock ceases to become an issue.
Perhaps it even becomes a detriment to the Niners, who had only one timeout and had to drive at a lot more yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
The Niners’ first pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage. That’s just a defender making a really good play. You can’t be angry about that.
The second pass was a drop by Dante Pettis. Perhaps Garoppolo led him a bit too much, but the ball hit Pettis square in both hands — had he made the catch, he likely would have picked up a first down. That’s not a bad play call, that’s bad execution.
And while you might wonder why Garoppolo threw a rainbow pass down the sideline on third down, had Shaquill Griffin not made an incredible, full-extension, two-handed pass breakup on the play, Deebo Samuel would have coasted into the end zone, winning the game for the Niners. (Had he not dropped it, of course.)
Samuel had a step — or two — on Griffin and the pass was on the money. Again, you have to tip your hat to a great defensive play.
In the end, that was the difference in the game — not the play calls.
The Seahawks, as flawed as they might be, made more plays in the clutch than the 49ers. They tipped accurate Garoppolo passes and didn’t drop first-down completions.
Oh, and when their field-goal kicker had a chance to win the game, he made his kick.
Obviously, ESPN didn’t have time to point that out – but at least pointing out that the Pettis drop meant Seattle was one play away from getting the ball back with time on the clock would have been nice.
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NFC SOUTH
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ATLANTA
The Falcons will give up a home game in 2020 to aid the NFL’s international initiatives.
Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
The Falcons will only be playing seven games in Atlanta during the 2020 regular season.
It’s unclear where their eighth home game will be played, but we know it won’t be in the United States. The Falcons announced on Tuesday that they will be the home team for one of the NFL’s international games next year.
Whether the Falcons will be playing in London or Mexico City remains unknown. The Dolphins are set to host an international game next season and the Jaguars will be back in London for the eighth straight season.
In addition to the three other NFC South teams, the Falcons are set for home games against the Bears, Lions, Broncos, Raiders and the NFC West team that finishes in the same spot in the standings as the Falcons this season.
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TAMPA BAY
The Buccaneers benched CB VERNON HARGREAVES III on Sunday, then flat out cut him on Tuesday. Jenna Laine of ESPN.com:
Two days after he was benched for what coach Bruce Arians deemed lack of hustle, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves on Tuesday morning.
“After thoughtful consideration over the past few weeks, Bruce and I came to the conclusion that we needed to make this change,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a statement. “Decisions such as this are always difficult, but I felt it was in the best interest of our team to part ways with Vernon at this time and allow him to explore other opportunities. We are disappointed that it did not work out here for Vernon and we wish him continued success moving forward.”
Hargreaves, the 11th overall pick in the 2016 draft, was the most experienced cornerback on the Bucs’ roster.
He was the Bucs’ top cornerback heading into this offseason, which is why the organization picked up his fifth-year option for 2020, valued at $9 million. That fifth-year option was guaranteed for injury only, however.
“He didn’t look like he was hustling to go in for a tackle,” Arians said when asked about Hargreaves, who surrendered a 55-yard catch to Andy Isabella at the beginning of the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. “He was chasing somebody across the field, and he wasn’t running fast enough.”
Hargreaves wasn’t defiant when approached by ESPN after the game and said he believed things could be resolved.
“If that’s what Coach saw, that’s what he saw,” said Hargreaves, who got back into the game after nickelback M.J. Stewart’s injury. “There’s no arguing it. I need to hustle, point-blank, end of discussion. And I’ll get better. I’m sure I’ll talk with him this week and we’ll get things straightened out, and we’ll see where to go from here.”
Now the Bucs’ most experienced corner is Ryan Smith, who was removed after two plays on defense Sunday because he surrendered a 69-yard touchdown and has played only five defensive snaps this season. The Bucs drafted him in 2016 as well.
This tweet from Thomas Bassinger of the Tampa Bay Times:
@tometrics
#Bucs 2016 draft
Vernon Hargreaves: gone
Noah Spence: gone
Roberto Aguayo: gone
Ryan Smith: chasing Christian Kirk
Caleb Benenoch: gone
Devante Bond: gone
Danny Vitale: gone
Their struggles today can be traced directly to this disaster. Teams miss on picks, but holy smokes.
WR CHRIS GODWIN was a great 3rd-round pick in 2017, TE O.J. HOWARD still a 1st round enigma. 2017 second-rounder S JUSTIN EVANS is oft injured and now on IR.
The 2015 draft featured JAMEIS WINSTON, but 2nd round RB RONALD JONES is finally getting some traction. T DONOVAN SMITH and G ALI MARPET are starters from 2015 and LB KWON ALEXANDER was a fine pick who got his big 2nd contract from the 49ers.
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NFC WEST
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LOS ANGELES RAMS
Sean McVay and the Rams looked a lot better last year when the offensive line was stable and productive. Now, C BRIAN ALLEN is done for the year – the latest in 2019 upheaval. Gary Klein in the Los Angeles Times:
The Rams’ losses continue to mount, and not just on the field.
Center Brian Allen will sit out the rest of the season because of a knee injury that requires surgery, right tackle Rob Havenstein will be sidelined at least one game because of a knee injury, and wide receiver Brandin Cooks also will be sidelined another game because of concussions, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
A day after the offensive line was in injury plagued disarray during a 17-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rams started to cope with the fact that they will have an even more inexperienced and undermanned group in Sunday night’s game against the Chicago Bears at the Coliseum.
That does not bode well for a team that is 5-4, in danger of falling off the pace for a playoff spot and possibly suffering a collapse less than a year after it played in the Super Bowl.
Austin Blythe will start at center, and Andrew Whitworth will play left tackle. Those are the only certainties for a position group that boasted near-unprecedented continuity during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
“We’re working through those things right now,” McVay said during a news conference.
Allen and Joe Noteboom, both drafted in 2018, had replaced John Sullivan and Rodger Saffold, respectively. The Rams declined to exercise their option on Sullivan, a 10-year NFL veteran, after last season. Saffold, a 10th-year pro, signed a four-year, $44-million free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans that included $22.5 million in guarantees.
Noteboom suffered a season-ending knee injury Oct. 13 against the San Francisco 49ers. Allen suffered a left knee injury during the second quarter Sunday at Heinz Field.
Havenstein played through a right meniscus injury against the Steelers but came out late in the game.
Rookies David Edwards and Bobby Evans, second-year pro Austin Corbett and perhaps Jamil Demby, who struggled in a reserve role earlier this season, will start or play against a Bears defense that features Khalil Mack and other outstanding pass rushers.
In what combination remains to be determined. The Rams are inclined to keep Edwards and Corbett at guard and possibly start Evans at right tackle, McVay said. But nothing has been decided.
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SEATTLE
The Seahawks closed out their win at San Francisco without the services of WR TYLER LOCKETT, but Pete Carroll says his injury is not severe. Nick Shook of NFL.com:
After a scare last night that required a visit to a Bay Area hospital, Tyler Lockett appears to be OK.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters Tuesday the receiver did indeed stay overnight at a Stanford hospital near the 49ers’ home of Santa Clara due to severe swelling in his leg, but it was more of a precautionary stay than anything, per 710 ESPN Seattle. The injury shouldn’t be a problem for Lockett in the future, Carroll added.
“It should be OK, it shouldn’t be a big problem going forward,” Carroll said. “There’s concern there could be some complications when you have something like that.”
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday on NFL NOW that Lockett did not need to undergo surgery, and his injury was a “very bad bruise” that swelled a lot.
Lockett had initially been hospitalized after suffering the contusion late in Monday night’s win over the 49ers. Lockett caught the final kick of regulation and downed it but didn’t return to the field after that, instead receiving medical attention and eventually making the trip to the hospital.
Carroll had talked about how serious the injury appeared to be for Lockett, but mentioned it was good that the Seahawks’ medical staff appeared to have gotten ahead of whatever issue was plauging Lockett. Less than 24 hours later, the prognosis is even brighter, with Carroll mentioning how fortunate the Seahawks are to have a bye this week.
At 8-2, Seattle’s Monday night’s overtime win over the 49ers helped put the Seahawks right back into the conversation for the NFC West crown. Their chances will be significantly improved if Lockett can play a part in the pursuit.
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AFC NORTH
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CLEVELAND
WR ANTONIO CALLAWAY, no stranger to diva WR behavior, was benched on Sunday – and the Browns won. Nick Shook of NFL.com:
After two months of public clamoring for more opportunities for Rashard Higgins, Browns fans entered their fever dream Sunday when Higgins caught the team’s game-winning touchdown.
The score snapped Cleveland’s four-game losing streak and earned the team’s first home win of 2019. It’s unlikely it would have happened had Antonio Callaway been available to play.
The Florida product did not dress Sunday, making a surprise appearance on the team’s pregame inactives list. Browns coach Freddie Kitchens at least partially explained Callaway’s absence Monday, telling reporters during a conference call that he benched the second-year wideout as a punishment for an undisclosed issue.
“I don’t know if he got the message or not,” Kitchens said, via the Associated Press’ Tom Withers. “But I’m not wavering.”
Callaway’s benching is the second time in which he’s been unavailable to play because of his own actions. The receiver served a four-game suspension to start the season due to a violation of the league’s policy and program for substances of abuse.
When he returned, he was clearly unprepared to play, confusing his assignment and alignment on multiple downs in Cleveland’s Week 5 loss to San Francisco and dropping what would have been a touchdown reception on the goal line. The blunder not only cost the Browns a score, but also resulted in an interception, thanks to the upward deflection off Callaway’s hands.
It’s been a work in progress since then, as the receiver has repeatedly shown flashes of the talent that convinced Browns general manager John Dorsey to take a risk on him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, despite Callaway’s past off-field transgressions. Too often, though, the receiver has found himself in hot water with either law enforcement, the NFL, or now, his own coaching staff.
Kitchens refused to elaborate on the cause of Callaway’s benching, instead emphasizing that he hopes his decision made an impact on the young receiver.
“I always want our players to make good choices,” Kitchens said. “I did what I felt like I needed to do. It’s over.”
Callaway has eight catches for 89 yards in four games (two starts) in 2019.
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AFC EAST
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MIAMI
Coach Brain Flores didn’t get the memo that the Dolphins are supposed to be losing. Nick Shook of NFL.com:
The Miami Dolphins showed their hand early in the 2019 season when they traded away Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and Minkah Fitzpatrick in separate deals that landed them a total of three first-round picks, including two in 2020.
Lately, though, they haven’t exactly followed suit. The Dolphins own the longest active win streak in the AFC East at two games.
This seems to fly in the face of what many saw as an open teardown-and-rebuild process, to which first-year coach Brian Flores would be subjected. But Flores’ current team — the one filled with players playing for 2019, not 2020 or beyond — isn’t accepting a loss-filled fate as easily as one might expect.
“We’re going out to win every game. Period,” Flores said following his team’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, via ESPN. “I have been in this league for a long time, and if you are not motivated on a daily basis, you won’t be in this league long — that’s players, coaches, that’s personnel, that’s everybody.”
The Dolphins have done just that in consecutive weeks, first taking down the New York Jets in a battle of AFC East ineptitude before stunning much of the football world in Week 10 with their two-point win over the Colts in Indianapolis. The latter victory has some thinking its a sign of a possible turnaround under Flores.
“We’ve worked so hard for this,” rookie defensive lineman Christian Wilkins said, again via ESPN. “The outside world, the media maybe, thought this wasn’t possible. We got two more wins than the rest of the world thought we were going to have this year, so that’s always pretty cool. … This is all starting to come into fruition — what we envisioned. Guys are starting to buy into Flores’ vision, the team-first culture.”
While that might be true, it’s also a team led by key veterans who don’t care about the future, because such a future likely won’t include them. Few things motivate more effectively than a clock that is running out.
“People get mad when we win. I wouldn’t want anybody to go to their job and fail at it,” 31-year-old center Daniel Kilgore said, per ESPN. “We got 53 guys busting their ass every day, competing, trying to get a win. I understand the point [of tanking]. But I’m not down for it. I’m an old man in this league. I’m trying to get as many wins as I can get. My clock is running out. You’ve got many young guys coming in here over the next couple of years, so worry about it then. Win now.”
The Browns created something of a blueprint for a rapid teardown and rebuild that included bottoming out in the most severe way possible: 0-16. These Dolphins are doing everything they can to avoid such a fate, and after two straight victories, they’re rightfully focused on this week’s game — at home against the 6-3 Buffalo Bills — more than anything else.
Actually, only three teams in the entire league currently possess longer win streaks – Baltimore 5, Pittsburgh 4 and Seattle 3.
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THIS AND THAT
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AIKMAN RATINGS
No big changes in the Aikman Combined Ratings through Week 10 as the Patriots and Niners remain 1-2 with New England on bye and San Francisco losing in overtime.
Despite their loss, the Cowboys remained 3rd although their rating fell from 172.0 to 167.4. After thumping Cincinnati, the Ravens jumped from 5th to 4th while continuing to sit atop Aikman Offense.
For those surprised by the Cowboys high ranking, we would note that their combination of Offense and Defense is the best in the NFL’s yards-only method of ranking.
– – –
Hammered by the Ravens, the Bengals have moved to the bottom of the Aikman Combined. Miami, winners of two in a row, has eased up another spot to 30th.
2019 Season Aikman Efficiency Ratings Through Week 10
—— Aikman —— —— NFL ———
Rank W-L Team Comb Off Def Off Def Com
1 8-1 Patriots 178.2 82.1 96.1 15 1 16
2 8-1 49ers 174.5 84.4 90.1 9 2 11
3 5-4 Cowboys 167.4 94.1 73.4 1 7 8
4 7-2 Ravens 167.0 98.0 69.0 2 14 16
5 7-3 Vikings 165.4 92.2 73.2 8 13 21
6 8-2 Seahawks 160.1 90.4 69.7 5 24 29
7 8-2 Packers 158.6 88.9 69.7 17 28 45
8 6-3 Texans 157.8 93.2 64.6 4 19 23
9 6-3 Bills 156.9 82.5 74.4 23 3 26
10 7-2 Saints 155.6 84.9 70.7 14 5 19
11 5-4 Eagles 155.3 85.8 69.5 20 8 28
12 5-4 Rams 154.5 82.0 72.5 12 11 23
13 6-4 Chiefs 153.0 89.3 63.7 3 22 25
14 5-4 Colts 152.2 83.9 68.3 22 10 32
15 5-4 Steelers 151.9 73.6 78.2 28 12 40
16 5-5 Titans 151.2 81.4 69.8 25 18 43
17 3-6 Broncos 150.3 74.3 76.0 27 4 31
18 3-6 Buccaneers 149.9 83.2 66.6 7 25 32
19 4-5 Bears 148.9 74.5 74.4 29 9 38
20 4-6 Chargers 148.2 79.6 68.6 16 6 22
21 5-4 Raiders 146.2 87.8 58.4 13 26 39
22 4-5 Jaguars 145.4 77.6 67.7 11 16 27
23 5-4 Panthers 145.0 81.6 63.4 21 20 41
24 3-5-1 Lions 143.9 83.5 60.3 6 30 36
25 3-6 Browns 141.2 75.0 66.2 19 17 36
26 2-8 Giants 139.1 73.4 65.8 24 27 51
27 2-7 Falcons 138.9 83.0 55.9 10 23 33
28 3-6 Cardinals 138.8 81.4 57.4 18 31 49
29 1-8 Redskins 128.5 64.2 64.4 30 21 51
30 2-7 Dolphins 124.4 66.4 58.0 31 29 60
31 2-7 Jets 124.2 59.7 64.5 32 15 47
32 0-9 Bengals 123.7 65.7 58.0 26 32 58
NFL Average: 149.9 81.2 68.7
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ESPN RATINGS
As voted by ESPN.com’s experts.
1. New England Patriots (8-1)
Most important game left: Dec. 8 vs. Chiefs
A rematch of the AFC Championship Game, but this time at home, should be a playoff-type environment and provide a solid barometer as to how ready the Patriots (8-1) might be to make a return trip to the Super Bowl. Road games against the Eagles (Sunday) and Texans (Dec. 1) easily could have qualified, but Tom Brady-Patrick Mahomes has produced some of the best the NFL has had to offer within the last year. — Mike Reiss
2. San Francisco 49ers (8-1)
Most important game left: Dec. 8 at Saints
The 49ers have put themselves in position not only to win the NFC West but also to nail down home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Niners also have a big one against Green Bay two weeks before this, but that one is at Levi’s Stadium. The Saints game will go a long way in determining the Niners’ playoff position and offer an idea of how they stack up against another top team in the conference. — Nick Wagoner
3. Baltimore Ravens (7-2)
Most important game left: Sunday vs. Texans
A win over the Texans could prove huge for a Ravens team looking to secure a first-round bye for first time since 2011. Baltimore, which is one game ahead of Houston for that No. 2 seed, can extend its lead over the Texans and grab hold of the head-to-head tiebreaker. A loss would bump the Ravens out of that No. 2 spot with six games remaining and give the Texans the inside track to one of those first-round byes. — Jamison Hensley
4. Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
Most important game left: Dec. 29 vs. 49ers
The Seahawks’ remaining six games are against NFC teams, meaning they’ll all carry added weight in terms of playoff importance. As it stands now, none looks more important than the regular-season finale. The Seahawks’ next four games are against teams currently above .500, so they could be clinging to a wild-card spot heading into Week 17. It’s hardly out of the question that the 49ers could slip during a difficult stretch of their own. If so, the rematch at CenturyLink Field could determine the NFC West champion. — Brady Henderson
5. Green Bay Packers (8-2)
Most important game left: Dec. 23 at Vikings
Yes, the Nov. 24 game at the 49ers might help decide first-round playoff byes, but the Packers likely will be underdogs there, so the NFC North race might be more important if the Packers can’t upset the 49ers. With the Vikings only a game behind, a sweep of Minnesota could be key to winning the division. — Rob Demovsky
6. New Orleans Saints (7-2)
Most important game left: Nov. 24 vs. Panthers
Up until this past Sunday, I would’ve picked the Week 14 home date with the 49ers — which still might determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the NFC. But the Saints need to take care of their own backyard first after their stunning loss to the Falcons. The Saints must lock down the NFC South title, and that means they can’t open the door by slipping up again at home against another division rival in two weeks. It won’t be easy with the way league MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey has been playing. But ideally, the Saints can get the division title wrapped up before heading to Carolina for the Week 17 rematch. — Mike Triplett
7. Minnesota Vikings (7-3)
Most important game left: Dec. 2 at Seahawks
The Vikings took the first step to proving why they belong in the postseason by beating a contender in Dallas. If they want to cement themselves further in the playoff picture, they need to do it again by going to Seattle and coming away with a win. Playoff seeding comes into play between the seven-win Vikings and the Seahawks, who are currently seeded No. 6 and No. 5, respectively. A victory could boost Minnesota’s postseason standing even further and earn it a more favorable matchup. — Courtney Cronin
8. Houston Texans (6-3)
Most important game left: Sunday at Ravens
The Texans have a tough three-game stretch coming up (at Baltimore, vs. Indianapolis and vs. New England), but it begins with a huge game in Baltimore coming off of a bye. Yes, the game against the Colts is huge for the division, but if the Texans want to take a step forward, their focus can’t be on just winning the AFC South. Houston has won only one playoff game under Bill O’Brien, and if it wants to go to an AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history, it starts with proving it can beat the best teams in the conference. — Sarah Barshop
9. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
Most important game left: Dec. 1 vs. Raiders
The following game against the Patriots once loomed large, but after losing four of their past six games, the more reasonable goal for the Chiefs is to hold on to their lead in the AFC West. The match against the Raiders could well determine which team wins the division. — Adam Teicher
10. Dallas Cowboys (5-4)
Most important game left: Dec. 22 at Eagles
This is likely going to be for the division title and a spot in the playoffs — if the Cowboys can grab wins before they get there. The Cowboys’ best and presumably only path to the postseason is by winning the NFC East. There simply are too many teams with better records at the moment to consider a wild-card spot. Philadelphia has a much easier schedule, so the Cowboys have to be in a position to make the Dec. 22 meeting matter. If this game ends up for the division, we truly can say Jason Garrett will be coaching for his job. — Todd Archer
11. Los Angeles Rams (5-4)
Most important game left: Sunday vs. Bears
A season after a making a Super Bowl run, the Rams’ season hangs in the balance coming off a loss to the Steelers. The Rams still have a chance to make the playoffs, but it is shrinking at an alarming rate with a 5-4 record while being in a division that has been dominated by the 49ers. The Rams must find a way to regroup on offense and get past the Bears; otherwise, their season could be lost. — Lindsey Thiry
12. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
Most important game left: Dec. 22 vs. Cowboys
The Eagles and Cowboys are tied atop the NFC East at 5-4, and there’s a real possibility this game will decide the division. The Cowboys currently have the advantage in the head-to-head and divisional-record tiebreakers, making it all the more important that Philadelphia takes care of business at home against the Cowboys. — Tim McManus
13. Buffalo Bills (6-3)
Most important game left: Dec. 15 at Steelers
The Steelers have been resurgent over the past few weeks, winning four of five games to vault into AFC wild-card contention. With the Colts, Raiders and Titans all jockeying with Buffalo and Pittsburgh for the conference’s two wild-card spots, this late-season matchup will go a long way toward deciding who gets it — and establishing a tiebreaker. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
14. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
Most important game left: Nov. 21 at Texans
Losses to Pittsburgh and Miami in back-to-back weeks prevented the Colts from being able to head into Houston in first place in the AFC South. A victory over the Texans — combined with a win over Jacksonville in Week 11 — would put the Colts in a solid position in the division, because they would have swept the season series against Houston, which is likely their biggest competition to win the division and get an automatic playoff spot. — Mike Wells
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)
Most important game left: Dec. 29 at Ravens
Seemingly out of the playoff race before it started with an abysmal start to the season, the Steelers are right back in the thick of things with four divisional games coming up. The most important one of them is the last, a regular-season finale in Baltimore against a team they nearly beat in overtime with Devlin Hodges at quarterback. If the Steelers continue their hot streak, it could wind up being for the AFC North title. — Brooke Pryor
16. Carolina Panthers (5-4)
Most important game left: Nov. 24 at Saints
Three of the Panthers’ next four games should be winnable, with two games against Atlanta and one against Washington surrounding the Saints game. With an upset of New Orleans and wins in the other three tilts, the Panthers would be 9-4 with two of their final three at home. It looks like it will take 10 or 11 wins to make the playoffs in the NFC, so Carolina will need to pull an upset somewhere. — David Newton
17. Oakland Raiders (5-4)
Most important game left: Dec. 1 at Chiefs
If they handle their business over the next two weeks — at home against the winless Bengals and at the 2-7 Jets — the Raiders will go to Kansas City with a 7-4 record and first place in the AFC West on the line. Pretty heady stuff for a team that gave up 278 passing yards and four TDs to Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter of the Chiefs’ 28-10 win in Oakland on Sept. 15, right? Especially since Arrowhead Stadium has been such a house of horrors for Raiders QB Derek Carr, who is 0-5 in Kansas City with three TD passes and five INTs. — Paul Gutierrez
18. Tennessee Titans (5-5)
Most important game left: Dec. 1 at Colts
Having lost to the Colts at home, it will be imperative for the Titans to win in Indianapolis. They have to overcome some bad history against the Colts — who have won 14 of the past 16 games in this series — and stay on pace for a wild-card spot. If the tiebreakers come down to division or conference record, another loss to Indianapolis likely would knock the Titans out of the playoffs. The Texans appear to be the front-runners for the AFC South, and the Titans have two remaining games versus Houston in December. The race for the division is going to go down to the wire. — Turron Davenport
19. Los Angeles Chargers (4-6)
Most important game left: Nov. 18 vs. Chiefs
At 4-6, the most important game for the Chargers is the next one, a Monday Night Football tilt against the AFC West rival Chiefs. With Kansas City losing over the weekend against the Titans, the Chargers still sit two games back in the division with six left to play. So even though it has been up-and-down year for the Bolts, they could catapult themselves back into the playoff conversation with a win over the Chiefs. — Eric D. Williams
20. Chicago Bears (4-5)
Week 10 ranking: 21
Basically, the Bears have to win Sunday night to keep their dim playoff hopes alive. At 4-5, the Bears are 3.5 games behind Green Bay and 2.5 behind Minnesota in the NFC North. Chicago’s best chance at qualifying for the postseason is probably a wild-card berth, but it’s a crowded picture in the NFC. The Rams are one of the teams ahead of the Bears, but Los Angeles has lost four of its past six. Despite all of the Bears’ struggles, the Rams game is winnable — and vitally important to Chicago. — Jeff Dickerson
21. Detroit Lions (3-5-1)
Week 10 ranking: 18
It’s cliché to say the next game is the most important because it’s the next one, but based on what’s happening with the Lions, it really is. Detroit has lost five of six games. Its defense doesn’t appear to be improving, and its offense might or might not have Matthew Stafford. The Lions get the Cowboys at home, and if they can’t beat Dallas, their season will be all but over considering the state of the NFC and that of the NFC North. — Michael Rothstein
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)
Week 10 ranking: 22
That’s the date of Nick Foles’ return, and the Jaguars pretty much have to go 5-2 over the final seven games to have a realistic shot at the playoffs. Dropping the first one after the bye would leave the Jaguars two games below .500 and essentially eliminate any margin of error. The Colts have not played well over the past two games, and they are coming off a home loss to Miami, so the Jaguars could get the second part of their season rolling by beating a reeling team. — Mike DiRocco
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6)
Most important game left: Sunday vs. Saints
When you start 3-6, every game becomes must-win. Just ask the 1994 Patriots, 1995 Lions and 2012 Redskins, who all overcame 3-6 starts to finish 10-6 and reach the playoffs. The 1996 Jaguars also did it with one loss in their final eight games to finish 9-7. Granted, the mistakes the Bucs make don’t warrant playoff conversation, but sometimes hope is the only thing keeping a struggling team running. This week’s home game against the Saints — which comes on the heels of the Bucs’ first win in over a month — could do wonders for the psyche of a young secondary that finally made a late stop. — Jenna Laine
24. Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1)
Most important game left: Dec. 8 vs. Steelers
This is the Cardinals’ next-best chance at getting another win. Arizona has been beating teams it should, and while the Steelers topped the Rams last week, Pittsburgh is playing with a backup quarterback. If the Cardinals can’t win that contest, their next — and possibly last — chance to get a victory would come the week after against Cleveland. — Josh Weinfuss
25. Cleveland Browns (3-6)
Most important game left: Thursday vs. Steelers
The Browns saved their season with a late, game-winning TD drive on Sunday. Now, they have a chance to generate momentum for the first time all year with a divisional rival coming to town. Beat the Steelers and all of a sudden Cleveland’s playoff outlook begins to change, especially considering that the Browns own the NFL’s easiest remaining schedule. — Jake Trotter
26. Denver Broncos (3-6)
Most important game left: Dec. 15 at Chiefs
This is the game in which the Broncos definitively will know where their season stands. The Broncos will know how Brandon Allen looks in the offense; rookie Drew Lock will either be on the roster or remain on injured reserve; and Denver will either be flirting with .500 or looking at a top-five pick going into its fourth road game in five weeks. This is also a measuring stick after the 30-6 thrashing that the Chiefs gave the Broncos in October, along with considering the Broncos’ traditional late-season woes in Arrowhead Stadium, where the Broncos are 2-14 all time in December visits. — Jeff Legwold
27. Atlanta Falcons (2-7)
Most important game left: Nov. 28 vs. Saints
As bad as the Falcons’ season has gone, things won’t appear nearly as bad on paper if they can sweep their division rivals. The Falcons made it look easy in New Orleans and frustrated Drew Brees. They have to bring the same type of intensity on Thanksgiving night. — Vaughn McClure
28. Miami Dolphins (2-7)
Most important game left: Dec. 22 vs. Bengals
The Dolphins are on a two-game winning streak and could play themselves out of what was setting up as the battle for the No. 1 pick. But as it stands, Cincinnati remains the biggest competition for Miami to land its choice of quarterback in the 2020 draft. The 0-9 Bengals have a two-game draft advantage over the Dolphins, but there could be a scenario going into Week 16 that the winner here gets the top pick. — Cameron Wolfe
29. New York Jets (2-7)
Most important game left: Dec. 8 vs. Dolphins
File this one under “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice …” The Jets can’t afford to be fooled twice by the Dolphins, who beat them in Week 9. It was the low point for the Adam Gase regime. Fortunately for the Jets, they get a chance for payback — at home. More than that, the Jets can use the game as a progress meter. If the team truly is making strides over the second half of the season — the only thing to sell to an angry fan base — it will take care of business. On a personal level, it would be embarrassing for Gase to go 0-2 against his former team. — Rich Cimini
30. New York Giants (2-8)
Most important game left: Dec. 15 vs. Dolphins
If the Giants lose this one, watch out. Everyone is going to be gone. This would be the ultimate embarrassment for the Giants and co-owner John Mara. Hey, it might be mid-November, but this is what the Giants’ season has become: trying to salvage some respectability; avoiding further embarrassment; and developing Daniel Jones. — Jordan Raanan
31. Washington Redskins (1-8)
Most important game left: Sunday vs. Jets
When you’re 1-8, there aren’t a lot of significant games remaining, and this could just as easily be Dec. 22 versus the Giants. The Redskins have lost eight in a row at home and need to give their fans something to feel good about. If you can’t beat poor teams, then it’s difficult to sell belief that you’re close to anything besides a massive rebuild. It’s a chance for rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins to build some confidence. But if the Redskins lose these games, they will help themselves in April; don’t be surprised if Redskins fans root for that to happen. — John Keim
32. Cincinnati Bengals (0-9)
Most important game left: Dec. 22 at Dolphins
This one is a no-brainer. Right now, the Bengals are two games ahead of Miami in the race for the No. 1 pick. However, if the winless Bengals get a win over the Jets in Week 13, there could be a one-game difference between the Dolphins and Cincinnati ahead of the penultimate regular-season game. Even though Miami is on a two-game win streak, this one is still big. — Ben Baby
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