Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com is gloomy about what is next for the NFL as the holiday season approaches.

The NFL’s COVID-19 strategy continues to hinge on the notion that players and others will get the virus, and that the league will intervene quickly and decisively by identifying those who have it and remove them from the facility, along with anyone else deemed to be in sufficiently close contact with those who have it.

That strategy will work, until it doesn’t. At some point, a team may have too many players who have tested positive, and too many collateral players who land on the COVID-19 reserve list as a proactive measure, to field a competitive complement of players.

For now, it’s a game of beat the clock. The league wants to get the games played, one after another and week after week, before the situation reaches critical mass in one or more NFL organizations.

The biggest challenge is coming. Thanksgiving potentially will become a national cornucopia of virus-sharing, with tens of thousands of mini-superspreader gatherings around tables and TVs throughout the country unfolding in a haze of tryptophan and Trump-triggered arguments. Then, as all the people who have been urged by the CDC to not travel next week travel back to their home cities, the spread will continue. And continue. And continue.

By the middle of December, that’s when the NFL may arrive at a moment of reckoning. The question is whether the league and the union agree to put the players in a home-market bubble before or after one or more games get canceled due to too many positives and too many other players beyond those who are positive landing on the COVID-19 reserve list.

In many respects, it’s amazing the NFL has made it this far without losing games. It will be even more amazing if that continues, without the league at some point putting all players, coaches, and essential staff in a hotel.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

It’s not Covid that puts Detroit’s top offensive weapons in jeopardy.  But just about everyone of consequence appears in this story from Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com:

Detroit Lions rookie running back D’Andre Swift didn’t practice Thursday due to a concussion, leaving his status for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers in doubt considering the NFL’s concussion protocol rules.

It’s not clear when Swift suffered the concussion. He was not listed on the team’s injury report Wednesday and spoke with the media for almost five minutes after practice Wednesday.

Swift was coming off the first start of his career last Sunday against Washington, when he rushed for 81 yards on 16 carries and caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Swift has rushed 70 times for 331 yards and four touchdowns while catching 31 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns this season.

He was asked Wednesday what he could potentially do in his second start against the Panthers.

“Keep being consistent. Keep getting better,” Swift said. “There’s a lot of stuff I can get better at, looking at the tape from last game. Just keep being consistent and keep getting better each week.”

The Lions had been working Swift in more and more over the past four games toward taking the team’s primary spot in the backfield from veteran Adrian Peterson, who was signed before Week 1, and Kerryon Johnson, who had been the team’s starter the past two seasons.

“It’s kind of been a process for him. Coming in, he wasn’t able to get as many reps as we hoped that he would at the start of training camp with some of the things that he was working through,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “So, feel like we’ve got him up to speed. He’s in a good spot and then showed up in the game. He did a great job with the run game. We were able to get him involved in the pass game as well.

“As you watched the games prior, I think you can kind of see some of the things that were coming and how we were using him. He stepped up.”

Peterson and Johnson will likely get the bulk of the carries if Swift is unable to play Sunday.

Detroit also had star receiver Kenny Golladay sit out practice Thursday after he returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a hip injury against Indianapolis. Receiver Danny Amendola also missed his second straight practice due to a hip injury.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is dealing with a right thumb injury, practiced on a limited basis, as did receiver Marvin Jones (knee) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (toe).

NFC EAST

DALLAS

Count QB ANDY DALTON among those who had a legitimate battle with COVID.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

It’s been an intense three weeks for Andy Dalton, who returns under center for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

First, he suffered a concussion after an illegal hit by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic. Then, COVID-19 sideswiped the Dalton family.

The veteran signal-caller said he doesn’t recall everything that took place after the big hit, but the entire coronavirus experience stuck with him.

“The COVID, it hit me hard the first day I had it, then it gradually started feeling better,” Dalton said, via ESPN. “By the end of it, I was ready to get out of quarantine and get back up here.”

The concussion, then COVID-19 knocked Dalton out of two games and the Cowboys bye week. He’s back on the practice field this week as he prepares to start Sunday against the Vikings.

The QB added he is still trying to get his senses of smell and taste back.

“It was a crazy three weeks for me, but I’m glad to be on the other side of it,” Dalton said. “I’m glad to be back with everybody and through those three weeks.”

Dalton is unsure how he contracted the virus and added his wife and one of his sons also tested positive. The 33-year-old said everyone in the family is “healthy and back to normal.”

“It was a little frustrating,” Dalton said. “You miss the one game because of the concussion, first time dealing with that, and then the COVID. It’s like, it all kind of hit at once. I wish I could have been out there. I wish I could have played in the two games that I missed.”

The past cannot be changed, but the future sits to be written.

PHILADELPHIA

The Eagles are bringing back RB JORDAN HOWARD after he washed out in Miami.  Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News:

When Miami waived former Eagles running back Jordan Howard this week, it looked like a no-brainer for an Eagles team that has lacked an inside-the-tackles, short-yardage back. Sure enough, as soon as Howard cleared waivers, the NFL Network reported that he was headed back to the Eagles, at first to the practice squad, a league source confirmed.

That’s likely a procedural move as Howard must undergo five days of COVID-19 testing before he can fully join the team. So, no need to use a roster spot on him right now. Howard will not be eligible to play Sunday at Cleveland, which is a bit of a shame since the Eagles could be without running back Corey Clement. Clement is on the COVID-19 reserve list because of an exposure to someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Howard is still just 26, though his stature has declined steadily since his Pro Bowl rookie season of 2016 with the Bears, when he ran for 1,313 yards on 252 carries, 5.2 yards per carry. Last year, in his only season with the Eagles after arriving in a trade, he carried 119 times for 525 yards and six touchdowns. Howard sustained a shoulder injury that limited him to 10 Eagles games, and led the team to allow him to become a free agent. Howard signed with the Dolphins, who used him mostly at the goal line this season. His 28 carries for just 33 yards include four touchdowns.

Miles Sanders obviously is the Eagles’ feature back, and Boston Scott is the No. 2, but Clement hasn’t made a great case for himself as a third option. The team also has Jason Huntley, a rookie who was a fifth-round pick of the Lions. Huntley has played in four games, carrying three times for 14 yards. He is likely to be active at Cleveland if Clement is not.

– – –

Covid (and its tracing) is hovering in on the Eagles wide receivers.  Kevin Patra ofNFL.com:

The Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with a COVID-19 issue ahead of Week 11’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

The Eagles are placing receivers J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, John Hightower and Deontay Burnett on the reserve/COVID-19 list, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero confirmed, per a source informed of the situation. The team later announced that it learned this morning of a player testing positive for COVID-19.

“The individual close contacts who were identified through contact tracing are in self-isolation,” the team said in a statement. “We are following NFL-NFLPA intensive protocols and remain in communication with the league on this matter.”

The NFL recently instituted a league-wide intensive COVID-19 program, which goes into effect Saturday.

Arcega-Whiteside was a healthy scratch in Week 10’s loss to the Giants amid the return of Alshon Jeffery. The former second-round pick has earned two receptions for 45 yards on five targets in seven games played this year.

Hightower has played 277 total snaps in 2020, including two snaps in Week 10. He started four games from Weeks 3-6 when the Eagles’ receiving corps was banged up. Hightower has earned 166 yards on nine catches this season.

Burnett has played in just two games this season, in Weeks 3 and 4, catching three passes for 19 yards.

WASHINGTON

Back in May, Washington would have ditched QB DWAYNE HASKINS for QB JOE BURROW says Coach Ron Rivera.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

When Washington takes on Cincinnati on Sunday, the top two picks in the 2020 NFL draft will face each other, with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow trying to avoid Football Team defensive end Chase Young. Washington coach Ron Rivera revealed this week that his team, picking second, always viewed Burrow and Young as the top two picks in the draft, and would have been happy with either.

Rivera said he wanted to draft Young because he thinks defense wins championships, but he was also very high on Burrow and would have taken him if the Bengals had taken Young.

“We feel like championships are won by playing good defense. We felt pretty strongly about him. The only other option we felt was a viable one for us was Burrow and obviously he was taken by Cincinnati,” Rivera said, via SI.com. “We think Joe is the full package. We really do. We think Chase is the full package. Depending on what Cincinnati did, that’s what we were going to do. The opposite. We didn’t think we would lose out either way. We really didn’t. We think both players are going to be great players and have great careers and we’re fired up that we have Chase.”

Rivera’s comments provide an interesting insight into his mindset about Dwayne Haskins, the quarterback Rivera inherited in Washington. If Rivera was ready to draft Burrow second overall, that means he was also ready to move on from Haskins just a year after Washington took him in the first round.

Now it appears that Rivera is ready to move on from Haskins anyway, as he was benched after a poor start to the season. But that raises the question of why Washington didn’t draft Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. Young may prove to be a great defensive end, but contrary to Rivera’s belief that defense wins championships, what really wins championships is having a franchise quarterback. And Washington may have passed on two of them when passing on Tagovailoa and Herbert.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

With DREW BREES de-ribbed, it now looks like QB TAYSOM HILL will start ahead of QB JAMEIS WINSTON.  Unless he won’t:

The depth chart apparently will control, after all.

In the wake of Ian Rapoport’s hedge that, despite earlier reporting that Jameis Winston will be used in heavy doses on Sunday against the Falcons, multiple reports have more clearly pointed to Taysom Hill serving as the starter for the Saints on Sunday.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com has provided the clearest indication that it will be Hill, not Winston. Schefter’s report also seems to close the door on the possibility of job sharing; he tweets that Hill will start, that Hill took all the starter reps in practice, and that Winston will be the backup.

As noted earlier this week, it makes sense based on the depth chart. Last year, Teddy Bridgewater was the No. 2 quarterback. Thus, when Drew Brees was injured, Bridgewater took over. This year, Hill is No. 2. The time-honored principle of “next man up” points to him.

Others who had been silent about the situation are now chiming in that we should have known all along that Hill would be the guy, given that the team gave Hill $16 million on a two-year deal. It’s easy to say that now. Few in the media were saying it earlier this week, before anyone was reporting that Hill would start.

Our best educated guess continues to be that, even if (as it appears) Hill will start, both will play. Ultimately, the flow of the game and other factors (like, for example, which guy plays better) will determine who ends up with most of the reps.

It ultimately could be no different than using multiple tailbacks. Both get a chance, and the coach eventually rides with the hot hand. That’s quite possibly what will happen on Sunday, even though the Saints would like to keep that quiet for as long as possible.

Indeed, if the Falcons now accept as true the notion that Hill will be the wire-to-wire quarterback, the Falcons will focus the balance of their preparation on Hill, and perhaps they’ll be less prepared when Winston enters the game.

NFC WEST

SEATTLE

Signs that Seattle’s defense has moved from horrid to average with the arrival of EDGE CARLOS DUNLAP.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

When Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider made the trade to import pass rusher Carlos Dunlap from Cincinnati, the GM likely envisioned the end-game scenario that played out in Thursday night’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.

On fourth-and-10 with 38 seconds remaining in the game, Dunlap whipped past right tackle Kelvin Beachum, enveloped Kyler Murray and slung the QB to the turf. Ballgame. 28-21, Seattle victory.

“They brought me here to do one job. I would like to say that I was happy to get it done,” Dunlap said, via Seattle P-I. “This is just a start. I still got a full story to write. I still got to prove a point, and show up when called upon. This is something that I personally see myself being able to do for years to come, and I hope that you got a taste of it today, and there’s going to be more games to play. I just have to continue to show up. This is what they brought me here for. I’m just happy I could deliver.”

Dunlap proved Thursday night he can be a difference-maker for a Seattle front that sorely needed an injection of talent midway through the season. The 31-year-old longtime Bengals pass rusher compiled two sacks, three QB hits, and four tackles, including two for loss, against Arizona.

The former Pro Bowler spent his first 11 seasons in Cincinnati, but the Bengals severely reduced his playing time this year. Dunlap became disgruntled and forced his way into a trade. While his snaps dipped, Dunlap still showed signs in Cincy he wasn’t washed. His play since moving to Seattle proved the tape correct.

Dunlap simply needed the opportunity to prove he still has what it takes to be an upper-echelon pass rusher. Since joining Seattle, he’s done just that, compiling three sacks in three games with the Seahawks. Dunlap has generated a 12.4 percent pressure rate since joining Seattle, via Next Gen Stats, as opposed to 6.2 percent this year with the Bengals.

The Seahawks defense has progressively improved since it added Dunlap. Seattle needs the pass rusher to continue to come up big in significant moments as we press toward January football. In Seattle, Dunlap might finally get the chance to find out what playoff victories feel like.

– – –

The Seahawks have lost TE GREG OLSEN to a non-contact injury that might be seasons and football career ending injury.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Greg Olsen went to block on a wide receiver screen early in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s Seattle Seahawks’ 28-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The veteran tight end immediately knew something was wrong, hopping on one foot following a non-contact injury before he finally went down and was not able to get off the field on his own.

The Seahawks feared Olsen ruptured his plantar fascia.

Those fears are confirmed.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday on Good Morning Football that Olsen did indeed suffer a rupture of his plantar fascia, an injury that will knock him out for two months or so, at least, per sources informed of the situation.

Rapoport added that the hope is Olsen could come back, but it would take a deep Seahawks playoff run, potentially one that reaches the Super Bowl, for that to happen.

Coach Pete Carroll said after the game that the team is unsure whether Olsen could return but was optimistic given that it’s an injury the tight end has dealt with in the past.

“I don’t know that yet,” Carroll said, via ESPN. “There’s been some marvelous returns for guys who do rupture their fascia that would blow you away. Right now, he’s in really a lot of discomfort and all that. But we’ll see what happens. I can’t tell you anymore. It’s pretty early to be talking about it.”

If Olsen is unable to return, it could spell the end of a great 14-year NFL career. The 35-year-old considered making the move to the broadcast booth last offseason before signing in Seattle. It’d be a brutal way to end for a player who has continued to push through injuries down the stretch run of his stellar career.

AFC NORTH

CLEVELAND

Covid alert!

EDGE MYLES GARRETT is out of Sunday’s game.  Mary Kay Cabot of the ClevelandPlain Dealer with more:

Myles Garrett is being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday after testing positive for the virus and will miss Sunday’s game against the 3-5-1 Eagles.

Depending on how things go over the next 10 days, he could be back in time for next week’s game in Jacksonville, but the Browns — 6-3 and in a close playoff race — are bracing themselves to be without him for two games.

Garrett, who leads the NFL with 9.5 sacks, was kept home from the Browns facility on Wednesday and Thursday because of flu-like symptoms and was placed on the list today.

Because he’s both positive and symptomatic, he must be away from the club for at least 10 days and receive medical clearance to return.

The good news for the Browns is that Garrett was at home all week and no high-risk close contacts have been identified. The Browns and all NFL teams are all now on the Intensive Protocol, meaning all meetings are conducted virtually.

The 10-day window on Garrett began when he first reported symptoms to the club’s medical staff, which was presumably Wednesday. In that scenario, he could possibly return the Saturday before the Jaguars game, but a number of other things would have to happen for him to be cleared.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Cal McNair, owner of the Texans, minimizes the role of “interim” GM Jack Easterby in the ongoing search for a GM, then coach.  This from Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle:

McNair leads a coaching search committee that includes team president Jamey Rootes, the Korn Ferry search firm and “an ad-hoc committee of NFL experts.”

The committee also will be looking for a new general manager and McNair said the same thing Rootes said on a Zoom call with season-ticket holders on Wednesday: Executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, who has served as the interim general manager since Bill O’Brien was fired in October, will not be the team’s full-time general manager.

McNair told McClain that Easterby’s future role within the organization will be decided by the new general manager. However, McNair told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday that although Easterby won’t be the general manager, he’s “going to be an incredibly valuable part of our franchise moving forward as he works with our next general manager and head coach.”

McNair said he plans to hire a general manager first, and then that person will help with the hiring of the new coach. The Texans will have to wait for a team’s season to end before they can interview coaching candidates on that team’s staff.

“We’ll use our experts, and we’ll take input where it comes, but at the end of the day, it’ll be my decision,” McNair told McClain. “We’ve started the process, and it’s a rigorous process.

“We’ve started internal discussions. Until we’re allowed to talk to people about the positions, we have to be really careful about what we say and do because of all the rules that are in place.”

THIS AND THAT

SCHEDULE STRENGTH

With an eye to the future, Aaron Schatz of FootballOutsiders looks at who has played the easiest schedules so far and who has the toughest roads to come.  Hint, it looks good for Miami.  Comments edited for space:

For this story, we’ve analyzed each team’s schedule both in the games so far (Weeks 1-10) and in the games to come (Weeks 11-17) based on Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings (explained here). We have adjusted these numbers with projections based on quarterback changes, both in the future ratings and the past ratings mentioned below. For example, the Saints are considered an easier opponent without Drew Brees in the lineup; we estimated that Brees will be out three weeks, with his chance to return gradually increasing between Week 14 and Week 17. The Cowboys, on the other hand, were considered a harder opponent when Dak Prescott was healthy.

We’ve also made small adjustments based on home and road games. However, we made these adjustments at only about 25% of their usual size. Remarkably, there has been no home-field advantage at all in the NFL over the past year and a half. That doesn’t mean that home-field advantage is gone for good, but we’re going to assume that any home-field advantage that does exist is much smaller than what we’ve seen historically.

The write-ups below also look at schedules in terms of fantasy football scoring, analyzing which defenses have done the best at preventing points at each position, with small adjustments for home and away. We’ll list some of the teams on the extremes below. When we rank fantasy schedules, we’re adjusting for playoffs by removing Week 17 and doubling the value of Weeks 14-16.

Here are all 32 teams ranked in order from the hardest projected remaining schedule to the easiest:

1. Atlanta Falcons (3-6)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 18.2%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 0.3% (15)

The Falcons have the hardest remaining schedule in the NFL by far. The average DVOA of their remaining opponents is nearly double that of any other team.

Despite the Falcons having an average schedule through Week 10, their opponents are on pace to give Atlanta the hardest schedule through all 16 games. At least they can’t say they weren’t warned: In the preseason, we projected Atlanta with the second-hardest schedule of 2020, trailing only Carolina.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 9.3%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -0.5% (17)

Jacksonville was the only team this year to play three opponents coming off a bye, all in the first half of the year. (The Jaguars were coming off a bye themselves for one of those games.) Now their schedule gets harder because of opponents rather than logistics. Six of Jacksonville’s seven remaining games are against teams that are .500 or better. The seventh opponent is Minnesota, which has the highest DVOA (13th) of any team with a losing record.

3. Denver Broncos (3-6)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 8.6%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 1.2% (13)

The Broncos will finish the year having faced one of the hardest schedules of opposing offenses. It ranked fifth so far and ranks fourth the rest of the way. That’s life in the AFC West when you don’t get to have the Broncos (our lowest-rated offense) on your schedule. Denver’s remaining schedule of opposing defenses is average, but the total combines to give it the third-toughest remaining schedule overall.

4. Detroit Lions (4-5)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 6.8%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 5.8% (4)

We projected in the preseason that Detroit would have an average schedule. Instead, their schedule has been fourth toughest so far and is fourth in the games remaining, making this the team whose schedule we underprojected the most.

5. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 4.4%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 10.3% (31)

Only Pittsburgh played an easier schedule than Kansas City over the first 10 weeks of the season. But only four teams play a tougher schedule the rest of the way. In particular, the Chiefs are about to face a much harder schedule of opposing defenses, primarily because of games against Miami, Tampa Bay and New Orleans that are all on the road. And on offense, Drew Brees might be back by the time the Chiefs play the Saints in Week 15.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5-1)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 4.4%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -5.1% (28)

Here’s another team where the schedule is about to get much harder than it has been so far. This is particularly true of opposing offenses; the Eagles have played the No. 31 schedule of opposing offenses, but that improves to the No. 10 schedule over the last seven weeks. Strong offenses on the docket include Seattle, Green Bay, New Orleans and Arizona.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 3.6%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 4.1% (7)

If the Buccaneers make it back to playoffs this season, they won’t have skated in with an easy schedule. Tampa Bay’s schedule ranked seventh in Weeks 1-10 and ranks seventh in Weeks 11-17.

8. Tennessee Titans (6-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 3.6%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -3.5% (26)

If you believe that home-field advantage means anything this year, then it matters that five of Tennessee’s final seven games are on the road. That includes three games against teams in the top 10 of DVOA: Baltimore, Indianapolis and Green Bay. However, after the Ravens and Colts, their final five game are against below-average defenses.

9. Minnesota Vikings (4-5)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 3.0%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 5.7% (5)

Minnesota has had a tough schedule for both the first and second halves of the season, including the hardest slate of opposing offenses through Week 10. Things get a little easier from here on out. They start with three straight home games against two bad teams (Dallas, Jacksonville) and one average team (Carolina). Then it gets tougher with road games against Tampa Bay and New Orleans in December.

10. San Francisco 49ers (4-6)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 2.5%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 1.1% (14)

San Francisco is basically just playing spoiler at this point, but after a Week 11 bye, it still gets one game against each of its division rivals, who all rank between eighth and 11th in DVOA. \

11. New York Jets (0-9)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 2.5%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 0.1% (16)

Our playoff odds simulation still gives the Jets just a 15% chance of going winless all season; it’s hard to make it through a year without stumbling your way to at least one win. But the schedule won’t do the Jets any favors, with tough games including the Seahawks and Rams on the road in consecutive weeks. The worst teams left on the Jets’ schedule are also going to be road games — the Chargers this week and the Patriots in Week 17. Overall, the opposing offenses that the Jets face get a little harder the rest of the way, while the opposing defenses get a little easier.

12. Carolina Panthers (3-7)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 2.0%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 10.3% (1)

The Panthers have played the hardest schedule so far, but their toughest games are mostly behind them.

13. Los Angeles Rams (6-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 1.6%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -1.4% (22)

The Rams’ overall schedule gets a little bit harder the rest of the way because the offenses they’re facing get harder. That starts this week with a game at Tampa Bay on Sunday night, but it also includes a rematch with Seattle in Week 16 and home-and-home with Arizona in Weeks 13 and 17. The Rams do get four of their final seven games at home, though, including the three easiest remaining opponents: San Francisco, New England and the Jets.

14. Indianapolis Colts (6-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 1.3%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -7.6% (30)

In the preseason, we projected the Colts to have the easiest schedule in the league this year. But most of the easy teams on that schedule are now in the rearview mirror.

15. Chicago Bears (5-5)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 1.2%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 8.2% (2)

Chicago has Week 11 off, but its awful offense might actually look a little bit better once it returns from the bye. The Bears go from the No. 6 schedule of opposing defenses to the No. 30 schedule the rest of the way. However, their remaining schedule of opposing offenses is still very strong, mainly because of a home-and-home with Green Bay in Weeks 12 and 17.

16. Houston Texans (2-7)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 0.9%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 4.8% (6)

Fantasy football fans should beware: Deshaun Watson has the toughest remaining schedule for a quarterback, with the strong Chicago and Indianapolis pass defenses both on the road in the first two rounds of the playoffs (Weeks 14-15).

17. Green Bay Packers (7-2)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: 0.5%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 3.0% (11)

Green Bay gets to face a lot of easy offenses in the final seven games, but only two teams will face a tougher schedule of defenses in the final seven weeks.

18. Cincinnati Bengals (2-6-1)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -0.4%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -1.4% (21)

Cincinnati has played a top-10 schedule of opposing defenses in the first half of the season and will do so again in the second half. The Bengals’ schedule of opposing offenses does get easier, going from 20th so far to 30th the rest of the way.

19. New England Patriots (4-5)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -1.2%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 1.3% (12)

Improvements by Miami and the Buffalo offense have led to a Patriots schedule that ended up much tougher than projected in the preseason.

20. Arizona Cardinals (6-4)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -1.2%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -4.2% (27)

Although Arizona has a below-average schedule remaining, it’s still harder than the schedule the Cardinals have faced so far. That’s because the Cardinals still have four three division games remaining.

21. New York Giants (3-7)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -1.4%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -1.4% (23)

New York’s future strength of schedule is exactly the same as its past strength of schedule.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-0)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -2.5%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -13.1% (32)

Wondering how the Steelers made it as the final unbeaten team in the NFL? Oh, has their schedule been easy so far. Their nine opponents have included six teams with losing records, plus the two lowest-DVOA teams with winning records, Tennessee and Cleveland. In particular, despite that game against the Titans, the Steelers have faced a very easy schedule of opposing offenses.

For the entire season, the Steelers are on pace to have the easiest schedule in the league.

23. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -3.3%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -1.2% (19)

The Bills’ schedule so far was a little easier than average. Their schedule the rest of the way is a little easier than average

24. Las Vegas Raiders (6-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -3.6%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 3.7% (9)

The Raiders’ schedule getting easier the rest of the way is all about the opposing offenses. Their schedule on defense goes from eighth so far to 22nd in Weeks 11-17. Or, more accurately, the flip in the offenses they face comes after this week’s game with Kansas City. Following Weeks 1-11, the Raiders will have had the fourth-toughest schedule of opposing offenses. In Weeks 12-17, it’s the fourth-easiest schedule. The Raiders’ harder remaining opponents are all coming to Las Vegas: Kansas City this week and then Indianapolis, the Chargers and Miami in a three-game homestand from Week 14 to Week 16. The easier road trips include Atlanta, the Jets and then Denver to finish the season.

25. Washington Football Team (2-7)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -3.9%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -5.4% (29)

Washington is by far the team with the biggest difference between its schedule strength for the year and what we expected its schedule strength to be in the preseason. Blame the collapse of the Eagles and Cowboys, two teams that have fallen far short of projections.

26. New Orleans Saints (7-2)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -4.8%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 6.3% (3)

Here’s one of the reasons the Saints are still the NFC South favorites despite the injury to Brees. They have the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay with two head-to-head wins, but they also have a much easier schedule the rest of the season

27. Cleveland Browns (6-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -6.6%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -1.4% (20)

With the struggles in its own division, the AFC South and the NFC East, the Cleveland defense has really had it easy this year. For the full season, only the Giants and Steelers will face an easier schedule of opposing offenses. But from here on out, the defenses that Cleveland faces get easier too. Well, not the Ravens and Steelers. Those are very hard defenses! But the Browns also get to play Philadelphia, Jacksonville and Tennessee, plus they have back-to-back games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against the Giants (Week 15) and Jets (Week 16). The remaining schedule makes a Cleveland playoff run very realistic.

28. Dallas Cowboys (2-7)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -8.1%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -0.9% (18)

Dallas plays the easiest defensive schedule (of opposing offenses) in the league over the final seven weeks, thanks mostly to three division games, two of which are at home. Minnesota this week is the only above-average offense left on the Dallas schedule.

29. Los Angeles Chargers (2-7)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -8.3%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 3.8% (8)

Justin Herbert faces the easiest remaining schedule of fantasy defenses, with a home game against Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs (Week 14) looking particularly good. Overall, the Chargers’ schedule gets easier on both offense and defense the rest of the way.

30. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -8.9%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -2.7% (24)

Like their division rivals in Cleveland, Baltimore has had an easy schedule, and it only gets easier the rest of the way. Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving night is the only remaining Baltimore opponent that ranks higher than 15th in DVOA right now, although the Titans this week is still a tough game.

31. Seattle Seahawks (7-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -9.8%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: 3.4% (10)

This easy schedule is the main reason that our playoff odds favor Seattle over Arizona and the Rams to win the NFC West.

32. Miami Dolphins (6-3)

Adjusted DVOA of remaining opponents: -10.2%

Adjusted DVOA of past opponents: -3.1% (25)

Are you ready for Tua Tagovailoa, playoff quarterback? In particular, the Dolphins will play the league’s easiest schedule of opposing defenses for the next seven weeks. Yes, the Dolphins have to play Kansas City in Week 14, but otherwise their schedule doesn’t include any teams in the DVOA top 10. They get to play two of this year’s worst teams in the next two weeks, traveling to Denver and then the Jets. DVOA thinks the Patriots (Week 15) are one of the league’s weaker teams. Miami finishes with road trips to Las Vegas and then Buffalo, and while those might be winning teams, the Dolphins have the higher DVOA rating so far this season.

BROADCAST NEWS

Jim Nantz is not content to be a second banana, compensation-wise, to pal Tony Romo.  Andrew Marchand of the New York Post on his looming negotiations, plus some other announcer contract talk:

Jim Nantz, the face of CBS Sports, is looking for “Tony Romo money” in what is shaping into a potential showdown between the network and its longtime star, The Post has learned.

Sources said Nantz is seeking to top the $17.5 million yearly salary Romo received on a new contract signed right before the pandemic hit as everything perfectly aligned for the standout NFL analyst.

While Romo just works the football season, Nantz calls the NFL, the Final Four and golf, including the Masters.

Nantz has been out front for CBS for three decades. He currently makes $6.5 million per year on a contract that ends early next summer, according to sources.

“In the last 30 years, Jim Nantz has become the face and voice of CBS Sports,” Nantz’s agent, Sandy Montag, told The Post.

“The network has become synonymous with his voice and his leadership.”

Nantz, 61, recently stated he wanted to call the Masters, an event he coined “a tradition unlike any other,” well past his previously stated goal of 2035, when he will turn 76. The tournament has signed one-year contracts with CBS since 1956.

Nantz is protective of his relationship with Romo. Last Sunday, with Nantz working the rescheduled Masters, Romo, who earns nearly a million bucks per game, was given the week off.

Nantz, according to sources, pushed for Romo to be sidelined instead of working with Ian Eagle or another partner. Ultimately, CBS Sports executives made the final decision on Romo being absent Sunday, feeling it was easier to have the whole first team not work instead of reconfiguring its broadcast pairings. When Joe Buck calls the baseball playoffs, Fox has Troy Aikman team with other play-by-play partners.

CBS declined comment on negotiations with Nantz. In a statement about Romo’s off day, though, the network said lead NFL game producer Jim Rikhoff, director Mike Arnold and other production personnel worked the Masters along with Nantz on Sunday.

“To avoid a complete domino effect and keep our other crews intact, we gave the rest of the lead crew the week off,” said a CBS spokeswoman. “It’s as simple as that.”

Whatever Nantz ends up making, he is in line for a raise. The going rate for a lead network sports voice is in the $10 million range. Joe Buck makes $10.5 million at Fox, according to sources, and NBC’s Mike Tirico is near that number, as well.

Romo’s perfect confluence of events included CBS not having a viable replacement and the former Cowboys quarterback getting a $14 million-per-year offer from ESPN. CBS tried to audible for Peyton Manning in the middle of the Romo negotiation. After the Manning attempt failed, CBS signed Romo to the largest sports TV analyst contract in history.

CBS, according to sources, views Romo’s contract as an aberration, not a benchmark.

Eagle, CBS’ No. 2 play-by-player on the NFL and college basketball, is viewed as someone who could call the Super Bowl and/or the Final Four. Eagle’s contract, like Nantz’s, is also up soon. Andrew Catalon, who sits behind Nantz on the golf depth chart, is on the rise, but not at Eagle’s level at this point.

Looming over the Nantz and Eagle contract talks is Disney/ABC/ESPN’s aggressiveness in the next round of NFL TV rights negotiations. As The Post previously reported, new deals are expected to be completed before the end of year. Disney very likely could end up with a Super Bowl and potentially two packages.

Its current top NFL team is Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick, with the trio in their first year on “Monday Night Football.” ESPN has been unable to produce a broadcast booth at the level of the other networks in recent years.

While Nantz and Eagle are in negotiations, Kevin Burkhardt is off the free-agency board. Burkhardt just agreed to an extension with Fox, according to sources. He is the host of Fox’s World Series coverage and their No. 2 NFL play-by-player.

Levy has some internal competition at ESPN. In a recent article in The Athletic, Chris Fowler, ESPN’s lead college football play-by-player, openly talked about taking the NFL job without regard for his teammates, Levy and company. Fowler also said his college gig might be better than working the NFL.

Either way, even though Fowler does the national championship, he is not at the level of Nantz or Eagle on football and is propped up by Kirk Herbstreit’s excellence (Herbstreit also has been out of line talking publicly about the MNF job as if there isn’t a trio trying to keep the gig.)

At CBS, executives credited Nantz in being instrumental in Romo’s success. After Nantz struggled with Phil Simms, Nantz helped recruit Romo to CBS four years ago and trained him during exhibition sessions before his debut year.

Romo rocketed to stardom, going from a three-year, $10 million rookie TV contract to a 10-year, $180 million deal when all perks are added in with his $17.5M annual salary.

A breakup between Nantz and CBS seems unthinkable, but a showdown seems certain. Though Nantz has been the face of CBS for three decades, he sits next to an analyst that his network assigned nearly three times the value.

They all may be longtime friends, but this is business.

2021 DRAFT

Add BYU QB ZACH FIELDS to the list of top QBs teams are coveting.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields are widely regarded as the two best quarterback prospects in the 2021 NFL draft, but another college quarterback is working his way up draft boards this season.

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson is having an outstanding season, with an average of 11.4 yards per pass, a 75.1 percent completion rate, 22 touchdowns and only two interceptions. The Deseret News reports that Wilson will “almost certainly” enter the 2021 NFL draft, and BYU quarterbacks coachAaron Roderick said almost every team called him during BYU’s bye week for information about Wilson.

“I think it was just about every team,” said Roderick. “They make their own decisions about his play. That’s their job. They’ve got scouts and evaluators and they are good at what they do and they make their own decisions about what they think of him as a player.”

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Wilson is a junior who started most of both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He looks ready for the NFL.