The Daily Briefing Friday, November 25, 2022

Hopefully, all of you had a good Thanksgiving.

Certainly, the NFL did with three competitive, one-score games in which all 6 teams scored more than 20 points.

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

It was a Thanksgiving Day for NFC Central QB injuries.  QB JUSTIN FIELDS hopes to play with a separated left shoulder.  Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com:

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields said Wednesday that he is dealing with an injury to the acromioclavicular joint in his left shoulder and will evaluate how he feels later this week before determining whether he’ll play against the New York Jets.

“It’s a separated shoulder with partially torn ligaments,” Fields said, describing his injury. “Basically, like an AC joint. That’s my understanding of it.”

The quarterback landed on his left shoulder after he was tackled by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford on a first-down run with 1:47 to play in Chicago’s 27-24 loss at Atlanta. The Bears continue to classify him as day-to-day and are leaving the door open for Fields to play Sunday.

“We’ll see where it goes, and then when we get to tomorrow, we’ll know more, and I think by Friday we’ll know more,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “It’s kind of one of those things, you work through the week, and we’ll see where it is and hopefully we’re getting better and better every single day.”

The Bears held a walk-through practice Wednesday. Fields’ projected status on the injury report was classified as limited, although the quarterback did say he threw during Wednesday’s session and felt pain in his injured shoulder.

“The pain is pretty high today just with throwing and stuff like that, finishing throws, just the pain with that,” Fields said. “I’m just going to work throughout the week to get that motion down, try to get that pain down a little bit and see what happens Friday night, Saturday. See how it goes.”

The quarterback said he was not sure whether he would have to wear a harness or brace on his left shoulder to play.

Fields was medically cleared to practice after going through a series of exercises to test his range of motion and the strength of his injured arm. He noted that he felt the most significant amount of pain on his follow-through and that he experienced discomfort handing off the ball on running plays.

Handing off the ball with his right hand, which would be the opposite of his current operation, is not something the quarterback plans to do.

“Nah. If I have to do that, I’m probably not going to play,” Fields said.

DETROIT

Football can be cruel.  The Lions gave it their all against the Super Bowl favorites, with many effective plays, but didn’t optimize the clock in the final minutes – and they are deemed to have “collapsed”

Dam Cambell got roasted for the Detroit Lions’ ugly loss.

I get why folks are charmed by Dan Campbell, but his game management skills have been dreadful

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) November 24, 2022

On paper, Tashan Reed, a Raiders beat writer for The Athletic, is correct, while Campbell has a fun demeanor in his post-game press conferences, not to mention his appearance on Hard Knocks, he opted to take a timeout with 32 seconds to go before Jared Goeff attempted a failed deep pass to DJ Chark on third-and-one and then kicked the game-tying field goal with half a minute left on the clock. While it’s never fun to play for a tie, it’s worse to play for a loss, and by giving the ball back to the Bills’ offense, they effectively did just that.

Campbell is this what you do? Dumb stuff?

— Brenden Schaeffer (@bschaeffer12) November 24, 2022

After watching the Lions remain competitive deep into the second half, the Bill Simmons of The Ringer decided to set up a poll asking “How will the Lions F this up?” There was an option for “Dumb Goff pick,” another for “Drive-saving PI,” a “Crushing Fumble” choice, and even a fourth for “Nope they’re winning this,” which actually got the plurality of the votes. Unfortunately for Simmons, none of his options proved true, which he lamented in a follow-up retweet.

Should have added a choice “Dan Campbell goes into a coma with 2:30 left.” https://t.co/c992JKIh6m

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 24, 2022

Did Cambell “go into a coma,” maybe from eating a bit too much Turkey? Technically no, but his decision-making certainly played a role in his team’s defeat.

Dan Campbell’s game and clock management there will not be taught in any coaching clinics

— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) November 24, 2022

Pat Leonard, a Giants beat writer for the New York Daily News, got in on the fun as well, suggesting that Campbell’s efforts won’t be taught in coaching clinics next spring. If anything, maybe Campbell should pursue some additional clinical study on time management, should he remain in place as the team’s head coach, of course.

Dan Campbell crumbling here late in this one. Doesn’t get the time out and then 3rd and 1 they throw a deep ball. Forced to kick the field goal. It’s good BUT :23 left and the Bills have 3 time outs.

— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) November 24, 2022

And last but not least, we have a comment from Matt Parrino, a Bills beat writer for Syracuse.com. An expert on the Bills, Parrino detailed how the Lions didn’t get the timeout, then maddeningly threw the ball deep on third and one before kicking a field goal with 23 seconds left on the clock.

Did the Lions lose their game to the Bills solely because of Campbell’s poor decision-making? No, not solely; the Bills did a very good job of getting down the field in a hurry at the end of the game, and their coach, Sean McDermott, deserves credit for putting together a decisive drive. Still, in the end, the Lions could have just run the ball on third and one, forced the Bills to defend them for three more plays, and even if it resulted in a trip to overtime, that would have been a better result than dropping a stunner with four seconds left to play.

This from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

With the Lions trailing the Bills 25-22 late in the fourth quarter today, D.J. Chark got open past the Bills’ secondary for a potential game-winning touchdown. But Jared Goff threw the ball short, and the pass fell incomplete. After the game, Lions coach Dan Campbell said the play call was good but the execution was not.

“We liked the play call. It didn’t work out and we kicked the field goal,” Campbell said. “Chark, I’m not sure he ever really saw it until it was real late. I just don’t think he really saw it, so, obviously, yeah, they weren’t on the same page.”

If Goff had thrown a better ball, Chark could have caught it in stride and scored a touchdown, which with the extra point would have given the Lions a 29-25 lead. Instead the Lions settled for a field goal and a 25-25 tie.

Needing only a field goal to win, Josh Allen easily marched the Bills into field goal range for the game-winning kick and the 28-25 victory. That missed connection between Goff and Chark costing the Lions four points was very big in a game they lost by three.

GREEN BAY

QB AARON RODGERS has played over a month with a thumb on his passing hand that was not successfully immunized from breaking.  Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:

Aaron Rodgers never felt the need to get into details about his right thumb injury for one reason: It was never going to keep the Packers quarterback from playing.

That’s why it wasn’t until Wednesday when he finally — and reluctantly — confirmed that it was indeed broken.

“It doesn’t make a difference with me playing,” Rodgers said. “It doesn’t make a difference. You saw the tape on my thumb. Didn’t make a difference.”

Rodgers has been dealing with the injury since he was sacked by Giants linebacker Oshane Ximines on the final play of the Packers’ Oct. 9 game in London. Rodgers attempted a Hail Mary, but Ximines hit Rodgers’ throwing arm and forced a fumble. Immediately after the play, Rodgers came up flexing his right hand.

Rodgers was asked specifically on Oct. 26 if his thumb was broken. He replied at the time: “My thumb is hurt.”

Even when Pat McAfee asked Rodgers on Tuesday during his weekly appearance on McAfee’s show if the thumb was broken, Rodgers just said he had played with broken fingers before without elaborating on this injury specifically.

“I think I’ve had worse injuries I’ve played with,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “Definitely a challenge, but the days off helped. Feeling better this week.”

He was back at practice Wednesday after an extended break following the Packers’ loss to the Titans last Thursday, when Rodgers’ accuracy was perhaps at its worst. He missed throws at critical times in the second half to Allen Lazard and Sammy Watkins that he described as passes he’d complete 99 times out of 100. Still, he insisted the thumb injury had nothing to do with those misses.

“There’s one in every 100 that doesn’t come off the right way,” Rodgers said.

When asked whether he’s just saying that because he doesn’t want to sound like he’s using the thumb as an excuse, Rodgers said: “I think it’s the truth. My thumb was hurting a lot worse in the Dallas game, and I put the ball where I wanted to.”

Indeed, Rodgers had pinpoint accuracy just five days earlier in a win over the Cowboys. As a whole, however, Rodgers’ accuracy numbers have been down since the injury. He completed 69.7% of his passes with eight touchdowns and three interceptions in the first five games of the season with the Packers at 3-2. In the next six, of which the Packers have won only one, his completion rate dropped to 62% with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.

However, Rodgers said he has had other injuries that have impacted his ability to throw more than this one.

“When I hurt my knee in ’18, you throw from the ground up, so that was definitely difficult on the footwork, plant leg,” Rodgers said. “When I broke my index finger in college, that was probably a slightly more important finger to deal with. I remember I was at practice and Coach Tedford said, ‘I don’t care what’s hurting, you’ve got one day off and if you miss another day of practice, you’re the backup again.’ So there was no choice.”

Unlike Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who needed his fractured thumb surgically repaired earlier this season and missed five games, Rodgers said surgery was never considered and won’t be needed after the season unless something else happens.

“I don’t know what [Prescott] had, but it probably wasn’t,” Rodgers said when asked if his injury was as severe.

Rodgers and the Packers had five days off before they returned to the practice field on Wednesday to prepare for Sunday’s game at the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I hope it helped his thumb,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. At 4-7, the Packers can ill afford many more — if any — losses and still have a chance to make the postseason. Some have likened this to the 2016 season, when the Packers were 4-6 and heading to Philadelphia when Rodgers said he thought they could “run the table.”

However, the Eagles team Rodgers & Co. faced six years ago was 5-5. This one is 9-1.

“I feel confident we’re going to go out and play well,” Rodgers said. “But I don’t think this is the last stand.”

MINNESOTA

Alec Lewis of The Athletic sees an MVP in WR JUSTIN JEFFERSON:

They saved the best for last.

This was Thursday night. Before the Minnesota Vikings gutted their way past the New England Patriots 33-26. Before the ball was even kicked off.

Spotlights fluttered throughout U.S. Bank Stadium. Purple and yellow reflected off the arena scoreboards. All at once, with the aptly satiated crowd roaring, the video board showed an image of the tunnel.

Through it walked Justin Jefferson.

He cupped his hands behind his ears, seemingly asking for more noise, more energy and more support. And if he proved anything with his nine-catch, 139-yard performance — on prime time, amid the Thanksgiving spectacle and against a Bill Belichick-coached team devoted to eliminating him from the game — it’s that he deserves it all.

A loaded contract? Sure.

Best-receiver-in-the-league honors? Why not?

The Most Valuable Player award?

“Yeah,” Vikings veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “Yeah. MVP. He’s having that type of year where he should be considered.”

History tells us it is going to be an uphill battle. Only 19 non-quarterbacks have ever received the award. None of them has been a wide receiver.

Last year, Cooper Kupp became the first wide receiver to even receive a vote since 1998, when another talented wideout played for the Vikings. His name is Randy Moss. He, too, starred on Thanksgiving.

That brings us back to Thursday night. To No. 18 in purple. And to the absurdity of what he is accomplishing. Through 11 games this season, he has amassed 81 catches for 1,232 yards. Paced out over 17 games, Jefferson is projected to finish with 125 catches and 1,904 receiving yards.

But it’s also the way he’s doing it and the defenses he’s navigating. Thursday night was a perfect example.

Against the Patriots, Jefferson faced “a lot of different double teams,” as quarterback Kirk Cousins described it. “The long third down that he caught was a double.”

The long third down happened late in the first half. Jefferson started from the slot on the line of scrimmage. Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones, one of the league’s best defensive backs this season, stood across from Jefferson and was shaded on the receiver’s right shoulder.

After Cousins caught the snap, Jefferson blurred past Jones. As part of the plan, Patriots safety Devin McCourty slid over to help. Jefferson, though, jetted away from him. Cousins lofted the ball up, and Jefferson high-pointed the pass the way he has many times this season. The catch catapulted him into the history books as he broke Moss’ record for the most receiving yards through three seasons in an NFL career. (And he still has six games to go in the regular season.)

Jefferson stands 6-foot-1. He is not your prototypical jump-ball receiver, which may be why Cousins initially seemed unwilling to accept the risk of lobbing it in Jefferson’s direction amid coverage. Jefferson, however, has proven that he can mitigate that risk.

“When that ball is in the air,” he said, “it’s mine.”

The numbers confirm his claim. So far this season, Jefferson has caught 73.3 percent of his targets 15 yards or more down the field. That’s the highest mark through the first 11 games of a season since 2000, per TruMedia. The next best? Roddy White in 2010, who caught 68.8 percent of his targets.

Reflective of Jefferson’s reliability on jump balls is that he hauled in another critical one Thursday night. This one came in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 26. Jefferson lined up wide to the left. Again, Jones stood across from him, but this time he was shaded to Jefferson’s left side.

After Cousins received the snap, Jefferson sprang into his stride. He got past Jones. McCourty drifted over again. Jefferson eyed him in his peripheral vision but knew the catch would secure another red zone trip. He hung on, popped up and flexed his muscles.

These days, his teammates aren’t even surprised by ridiculous catches like that.

 “That’s just normal now,” Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter said. “He’s just amazing. He’s always doing new stuff. That’s just him.”

For years, tight end T.J. Hockenson had watched Jefferson from afar with the Detroit Lions. He was wowed. Three weeks into his time with the Vikings, he talks about Jefferson as if he’s a different breed of human being.

“What he does is very uncommon,” Hockenson said. “It doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t. To have a guy like that out there playing is special.”

You may not need any more statistics to comprehend his greatness, but here’s another anyway: This season, Jefferson has accounted for 43.1 percent of the Vikings’ passing yards, which ranks first in the NFL by a wide margin. The distance between him and No. 2 (Tyreek Hill’s 37.5 percent) is the same as between Hill and the No. 9 receiver (Terry McLaurin’s 31.4 percent). To take it a step further, Jefferson’s percentage of the Vikings’ passing yards would be the highest of any receiver since Brandon Marshall with the Bears in 2012 (45.7 percent).

“He means a whole heck of a lot to our offense, to our team,” first-year Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Thursday night.

“He’s one of absolutely the most special players I’ve ever been around as a player or coach,” O’Connell added. “He tends to show up and be ready to go every time we put on the uniform and go out there.”

He was ready in Week 1 against the Packers, torching their zone defense for 11 catches, 184 yards and two touchdowns. He was ready in Week 4 in London, counteracting the ways the Eagles and Lions had largely shut him down, amassing 13 catches for 147 yards. He was ready in Week 8 against the Cardinals when he reached over a defender for a third-down catch. And Week 9 versus the Commanders, when he skied for another ball in the end zone. The Buffalo game in Week 10? It symbolized all that he meant to this Vikings team.

Then, of course, there was Thursday night. Jefferson had been frustrated with the way his team played against the Cowboys last weekend. He looked for ways he could adjust. As he has all season, O’Connell worked alongside him, putting Jefferson in motion and moving him around. He caught multiple passes on the team’s first drive, another touchdown drive, which set the tone for the entire night.

The Patriots double-teamed him. He weaved his way through defenders, catching passes and eating up extra yardage. His production remained elite.

“These are the types of games I love the most,” he said. “Thursday nights. Prime time. The whole world is watching. No better time to go off.”

No better time, either, to begin the MVP conversation.

Peterson said he understands that the MVP tends to be a quarterback award. But he has had a front-row seat to NFL games for more than a decade, and he knows what he’s been watching.

Thursday was just another layer to the tapestry of this season. Peterson understood the record Jefferson broke. Peterson saw how Belichick’s defense schemed to stop him. Peterson heard the way the crowd responded when Jefferson entered the arena.

When they saved the best for last.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

Jerry Jones allowed himself to be in a newspaper photo when he was 14 years old, not knowing at the time what the Washington Post would think about it 65 years later.  Todd Archer of ESPN.com:

After the Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants on Thanksgiving, owner and general manager Jerry Jones answered more questions about a story published by The Washington Post than his team improving to 8-3 and looking like a Super Bowl contender.

The Post published a story Wednesday with a photo that showed a 14-year-old Jones peering over a crowd of white students as six Black teenagers walked up the steps of North Little Rock High School in Arkansas as the school was integrated in 1957.

Jones said he was there out of curiosity than animosity.

“I didn’t know at the time the monumental event really that was going on,” Jones said. “I’m sure glad that we’re a long way from that. I am. That would remind me [to] just continue to do everything we can to not have those kinds of things happen.”

At issue now, however, is the perception Jones has not done enough to further Black coaches. The Cowboys are one of seven teams not to have had a Black head coach and have had two Black coordinators since Jones has owned the team (Maurice Carthon, Brian Stewart), but their highest football executive, vice president of player personnel Will McClay, is Black. The Cowboys have a Black assistant head coach in Rob Davis and their strength and conditioning staff has three Black coaches in Harold Nash, Kendall Smith and Cedric Smith.

Jones has complied with the Rooney Rule in which teams have to interview minority candidates. Before hiring Mike McCarthy in 2020, Jones interviewed former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. In 2003, he interviewed Dennis Green before hiring Bill Parcells. In 2007, he interviewed Ron Rivera, Jim Caldwell, Mike Singletary and Todd Bowles before hiring Wade Phillips.

Jones said his decisions are made for business reasons, not race, particularly saying in part that his relationships with players “are as an adviser of using any skill or talent I’ve got financially.”

“I want it to work. I want it to work. I want it to work for my players. When I consult and am with them, I’m with them on a business basis,” Jones said. “Where I’m going with this is that I’ve never thought about some of the issues that you want me to be, or about which you’re asking me to be, sensitive. My goal when I get up in the morning is to make it work. And I don’t care whether it’s you or you or you. Hell, we’ve got to make it work. That’s where I go. As far as who makes it work, what they look like, who makes it work, that has no place in my life. No place. It isn’t even a thought about who makes it work.”

– – –

Meanwhile, here’s what the Cowboys did on the field from Charlotte Carroll and Jon Machota of The Athletic:

The Dallas Cowboys picked up an important NFC East triumph with a 28-20 win over the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving afternoon. Here’s what you need to know:

Dallas (8-3) has won four of its last five games and has swept the Giants (7-4) this season. New York has lost three of its last four games.

Dak Prescott bounced back in the second half. The Cowboys quarterback threw two interceptions in the first half, but tossed two TD passes in the first two second-half drives. Dallas added a third TD in as many possessions in the second half.

Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz caught two touchdown passes in the win. He only had one TD catch entering Week 12.

Micah Parsons added to his claim for NFL Defensive Player of the Year with two sacks, which is the ninth time in his early career with two or more sacks in one game.

The Giants offense stagnated overall. Saquon Barkley accounted for a first-half New York TD, but was held to 52 total yards.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Ugly early, pretty late for Cowboys

It was pretty ugly early, but the Cowboys played as was expected in the second half. Things were going so well that a tight end whac-a-mole celebration broke out in one of the Salvation Army red kettles following Dallas’ fourth TD of the game. The Cowboys were expected to beat the injury-plagued Giants, something they’ve now done 10 times in 12 games with Prescott at quarterback. Prescott is now 26-6 against the NFC East.

At 8-3, Dallas is now 1.5 games back of the Eagles for the best record in the NFL. There’s still a long way to go, but the Cowboys belong in the conversation for the best team in the league.

As long as it can avoid any major injury issues, this team appears to be in a position to make a deep playoff run. Odell Beckham Jr. might put them over the top. The Cowboys are very interested. But it should be noted that the play of wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (106 yards on six catches) and Michael Gallup (five catches, 63 yards) was impressive. It’s the best those two have played together this season. — Machota

Key stat

The Cowboys clearly won the battle on third down. The offense converted on seven of its 11 attempts. Dallas’ defense held the Giants to only three conversions on 11 attempts.

AFC NORTH

CINCINNATI

It looks like RB JOE MIXON is out, but WR Ja’MARR CHASE is in for this week.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

It looks like the Bengals are likely to be without their starting running back for Sunday’s matchup with the Titans.

According to multiple reporters on the Cincinnati beat, Mixon was not on the field for Friday’s practice. That means Mixon has been sidelined for all three days of the club’s practice week.

Mixon suffered a concussion during last week’s victory over Pittsburgh. Samaje Perine scored three touchdowns, playing extended snaps in Mixon’s stead

Mixon leads the team with 506 yards on 148 carries. He’s also caught 41 passes for 314 yards. He has eight total touchdowns— six rushing and two receiving.

In more positive injury news for Cincinnati, Ja’Marr Chase was on the field for his third straight practice after missing multiple weeks with a hip injury. Chase is still second on the club with 47 catches, 605 yards, and six receiving touchdowns. It’s not clear quite yet if Chase will play against the Packers, but quarterback Joe Burrow said earlier this week he’s expecting to have the receiver back on the field.

An later Friday, Mixon was indeed ruled out of Sunday’s game.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Yes, it will be QB KYLE ALLEN on Sunday in Miami.  Michael David Smith ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Texans have benched quarterback Davis Mills.

Kyle Allen will be the starter for the Texans on Sunday against the Dolphins, head coach Lovie Smith confirmed.

“Kyle Allen will start this week,” Smith said. “Reasons why? It’s like that with all positions, there comes a time when you feel like you need to — you’re always looking for the best option, that gives you the best chance to win, and that’s where we are right now. We’ll need both guys, and as I said right after the game and all week, there’s a lot of other things that we have to do better. Protection has to be better no matter who our quarterback is. Hopefully that will be the case which will give us a better chance to win football games.”

Asked how Mills took the benching, Smith said he took it the way any player would.

“How would any competitor take it?” Smith said. “Of course he’s not thrilled about it, but who would be?”

Smith would not commit to Allen starting for the rest of the season, saying, “We take it day by day with everybody.”

The 26-year-old Allen originally entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Panthers and has also spent time in Washington. He has started 17 games in his NFL career and has a 63.1 percent completion rate with 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

INDIANAPOLIS

Jim Irsay is on the defensive as Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said what a lot of people are thinking about the firing of Frank Reich.  Stephen Holder of ESPN.com:

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay pushed back on recent characterizations of his handling of the team’s coaching change and firing of coach Frank Reich, telling ESPN, “It’s not personal. It’s the very opposite from being personal.”

Irsay’s comments were prompted in part by statements made by Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, a former Colts assistant and Reich mentee, who offered passionate postgame comments after Sunday’s win over the Colts in Indianapolis and was captured on video after the 17-16 victory yelling into the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd, “That s— was for Frank Reich.”

In his postgame news conference, Sirianni added, “You don’t want to know what I think of if he should be here or not, but you guys can probably imagine what I really think.”

Irsay, who also has been bothered by some portrayals of his decision to hire Jeff Saturday as an interim coach, offered a strong defense of his decisions surrounding the coaching change.

“Frank is a treasured friend of my family and all my daughters,” Irsay said. “We go back a long, long way. I’m very, very close to Frank, and I’ve known Frank for many decades. He’s like family.”

Irsay said he demonstrated his commitment and belief in Reich by executing a contract extension with him earlier this year despite two seasons remaining on Reich’s original deal. Irsay said he was reluctant to extend Reich when Reich broached the idea because of the remaining term on the previous contract and because Irsay had concerns about the team’s offensive consistency after the disappointing end to the 2021 season. But, Irsay said, he went against his past stance and made the decision to move forward with a new deal that locked Reich up for five additional seasons.

Told that the team had announced extensions for Reich and general manager Chris Ballard in August 2021, Irsay said this was a more recent agreement between the team and Reich.

“I’ve been doing this for over 50 years, and I’ve never, ever, ever, ever given a coach an extension when there’s two years left on the contract,” Irsay said. “But [I did it] because of the closeness with him and our family, and because I hoped that maybe it would be something that would help strengthen him in his position and his own belief.”

Irsay drew a comparison to the Colts’ decision to move on from running back Edgerrin James after the 2005 season because of the team’s tightening salary-cap situation, saying that decision — like the one to fire Reich — was made with the right intentions.

“I had to tell Edgerrin James that there wasn’t gonna be a contract,” Irsay said. “And he still asked me to present him for the Hall of Fame because people understand. I just think that has to be clarified because I don’t know where anything personal gets in terms of the organization, as if we wronged someone. You have to make a decision that’s in the best interest, in your belief, of the franchise going forward. It’s not personal.”

The move to hire Saturday, who took over despite having never been a coach beyond the high school level, was heavily criticized in some corners. Irsay pushed back on that criticism, too, saying Saturday’s hire was a highly unique situation.

“You have to understand that Jeff’s a very unusual person that was in a very unusual position to have the type of qualities that would make him able to make a transition like this,” Irsay said. “Most of the time, it is gonna be pretty hard. Could I make a hire like this again? Probably not. I mean, if I was lucky enough to live long enough to do this for 75 years, it’s probably once in 75 years. I mean, it was a rare thing because the circumstances presented themselves that way.”

Irsay specifically disputed the idea that he hired Saturday, a former ESPN analyst and Colts consultant, merely because of their relationship or his status as a former Colts player.

“I mean, I wasn’t gonna pick up the phone and hire Dallas Clark or Dwight Freeney,” he said. “No, they wouldn’t be ready.”

Asked whether the course of the team has changed under Saturday’s leadership — the Colts are 1-1 since his hire — Irsay had plenty to say.

“The trajectory’s changed,” he said. “People can write their stories and everything else. But, look, we won a tough game on the road in Las Vegas, after [previously] really being unable to compete. And we come in and play a team that’s probably gonna be in the NFC championship game (the Eagles) with just a remarkable quarterback.

“People think that Jeff was gonna come in be a miracle worker. I mean, what kind of delusional trip were they on? They have their original narrative and anything that goes against that narrative, they don’t wanna write until they have to. And eventually they will. They’ll see the light. But all we can do is focus on Pittsburgh, and then when the offseason hits, we’ll do a serious and dedicated interview process, which I’m looking forward to.”

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

The Bills emerged as winners on Thursday in Detroit, but they lost EDGE VON MILLER.  Bobby Kownack of NFL.com:

Bills linebacker Von Miller suffered a knee injury in Thursday’s 28-25 win over the Lions and was ruled out after he was carted to the locker room.

The initial diagnosis on Miller’s injury is a knee sprain, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Miller will undergo an MRI, among other tests, to confirm the diagnosis Friday, but will miss some time, Rapoport added.

Head coach Sean McDermott told reporters in his postgame news conference that he did not have an update.

Miller suffered the injury with just over two minutes remaining in the first half when his leg got caught up under a Detroit offensive lineman. He walked to the sideline under his own power, but was carted away after he emerged from the medical tent.

The eight-time Pro Bowler had one tackle in the game at the time of his injury.

Miller has compiled eight sacks and a forced fumble this season for Buffalo after signing with the team in the offseason.

With Greg Rousseau and Miller’s backup, A.J. Epenesa, already inactive due to ankle injuries, Buffalo was left with three defensive ends for the remainder of the game.

NEW ENGLAND

Should TE HUNTER HENRY’s late TD catch have been over-turned? NBC’s Terry McAuley was adamant that the pass was “incomplete.”  Henry thought he had a TD.  The DB, and some others, thought that since the ball did not touch the ground after he had juggled it, that he could still complete a catch just short of the goal line.

Sam Monson

@PFF_Sam

I have no idea how that’s not a catch.

His hand is under it the whole way, he doesn’t ‘lose control of it’ until the ball is well away from the ground again.

To me the only question is TD or not, not whether it’s a catch.

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com got an explanation from NFL VP of Officiating Walt Anderson:

With 6:50 remaining in the third quarter the New England Patriots thought they’d taken a 29-23 lead (with an extra point pending) after Mac Jones connected with Hunter Henry from 6 yards out for the go-ahead touchdown.

Henry leaped to catch the ball and reached it over the goal line in the air. It was ruled a touchdown on the field. But as he came to the ground, the ball moved and the officials went to video to determine if it should have been a catch. After a lengthy review, they reversed the call. The Patriots had to settle for a field goal and eventually lost 33-26.

A pool reporter (ESPN’s Mike Reiss) asked NFL Senior Vice President of Officiating Walt Anderson to explain the decision. This is their conversation:

Question: What did you see to determine New England’s Hunter Henry didn’t maintain control?

Anderson: “He was going to the ground, the ball ended up touching the ground and then he lost control of the ball in his hands.”

Question: Can you explain why he wasn’t granted possession before the ball hit the ground?

Anderson: “Because as he’s going to the ground, he has to maintain control of the ball upon contacting the ground. The term that’s commonly used is ‘surviving the ground’ – a lot of people refer to that. So, as he’s going to the ground, he has the elements of two feet and control, but because he’s going to the ground, he has to maintain control of the ball when he does go to the ground.”

Question: He has two hands on it. How much is that factored into this decision, that he had two hands on the ball?

Anderson: “Well, if he had maintained control of the ball with two hands, even if the ball were to touch the ground, if you don’t lose control of the ball after it touches the ground, that would still be a catch.”

Question: Is there anything else that I didn’t ask that is important to add to this discussion?

Anderson: “No, we’ve pretty much covered all the elements of the catch that are required to make it complete.”

So we are left with an “incomplete pass” on a ball caught in the field of play that only touched the ground while it was in two-handed control of the receiver.

Mike Florio agrees:

The decision raises an interesting question as to the application of the “clear and obvious” standard. The ruling on the field was a catch for a touchdown. For replay review, here’s the proper question: Was the ruling on the field clearly and obviously wrong?

There are two separate components to the “clear and obvious” standard in this case. It was indeed clear and obvious that Henry lost possession when he landed and re-secured possession short of the end zone. That would have given New England the ball on the one-inch line, fourth and goal.

But was it clear and obvious that the ball struck the ground and moved sufficiently to make it not a catch at all?

Remember, reversals are supposed to happen only when it’s clear and obvious. Fifty drunks in a bar would have to agree, as it’s often described.

In this case, it seems clear and obvious that it wasn’t a touchdown. But it doesn’t seem clear and obvious that it wasn’t a catch; Henry’s hand was at all times under the ball. Thus, New England arguably should have had the ball just outside the Minnesota end zone, fourth and goal.

While it’s possible that the Patriots would have opted for the field goal and the 26-23 lead, the Patriots may have chosen to try to punch it in for a touchdown. If the process had been true to the “50 drunks in a bar” standard, the Patriots should have had that option.

NEW YORK JETS

It took a few days, but QB ZACH WILSON seems to realize he mis-stepped in Sunday’s postgame.  Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

On the day he lost his starting job in a dramatic quarterback shake-up, Zach Wilson tried to win back his New York Jets teammates with an apology.

Under heavy criticism from fans and media, Wilson spoke to the entire team on Wednesday, admitting he botched Sunday’s postgame news conference — the one in which he refused to take accountability for his poor performance in a loss to the New England Patriots.

“I had a sick feeling in my stomach,” he said, alluding to the uproar he caused.

That game, combined with what coach Robert Saleh called a deterioration of basic fundamentals, led to Wilson’s benching. Mike White will start Sunday against the Chicago Bears at MetLife Stadium. Joe Flacco will be the No. 2 quarterback; Wilson will be inactive.

Wilson, acknowledging his poor play, didn’t question Saleh’s decision. Speaking to the team, he expressed support for White but also vowed to win his job back, players said. He wanted to clear the air with teammates, some of whom were upset by his postgame comments, sources said.

“It was the only thing I could think of the last couple of days,” Wilson said. “I wanted the opportunity to talk to those guys and really make it from the heart.”

Wilson’s benching was a significant pivot for an organization that had geared almost everything around him since drafting him second overall in 2021. It raises questions about the future of the team’s quarterback position, a proposition the Jets never thought they’d have to confront so soon.

Explaining the decision, Saleh said Wilson’s fundamentals are “really out of whack” and that he needs time to refocus. Saleh has “every intent” of playing Wilson again this season, insisting the Jets “haven’t wavered in our belief that he’s going to be the future of the franchise.” Saleh described the demotion as a temporary reset.

“Is it a small step back? Absolutely,” Saleh said. “But do I think it’s going to be a great leap forward when he gets a chance to reset himself? Absolutely. So, this is not putting a nail in his coffin. This is not that. This is not close to that. But I do believe, at the end of this, it’s going to be a rejuvenated, renewed young man.” Understandably, Wilson wasn’t happy with the decision, with Saleh describing his reaction as, “Why me? Why now? I want to play.”

“It’s tough, man. It’s never fun,” Wilson told reporters. “The first thing that went through my mind is I have to get to work, I have to get better.” The news didn’t come as a shock.

Jets grounded with Zach Wilson starting

Zach has 13 touchdown passes in 20 career starts, the fewest by any quarterback through their first 20 starts since Brady Quinn had 12 from 2008-12. He also ranks near the bottom in several categories among the 38 QBs to start at least 10 games the past two seasons:

“You know what? I wouldn’t say [I was] necessarily surprised because I haven’t been doing my job,” he said. “Of course, I would like to not agree with the decision and everything, but it comes down to I have to play better.”

Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com:

In early August, on the day the New York Jets lost first-round offensive tackle Mekhi Becton due to injury for yet another season, head coach Robert Saleh began to grapple with the impact it could have on Zach Wilson. General manager Joe Douglas had retreated to his office and was lining up potential free agent options to patch the offensive line, while Saleh leaned against a practice facility wall and contemplated what this meant for his presumed franchise quarterback.

I asked him if this would change his calculus for Wilson. After all, losing an anchor tackle wasn’t a small thing.

Saleh brushed off the suggestion.

“It is frustrating, but let’s just call it like it is — nobody cares,” he said. “If you’re going to preach to guys about it being a ‘next man up’ mentality, you have to be prepared to live up to that. You’ve got to perform. End of story. It’s the same expectations for everybody out there. It’s the same expectations for Zach. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us, so we better not be feeling sorry for ourselves.”

He paused for a tick and then underscored a bottom line that would come to define the season ahead.

“We’ve got to find a way to make it work,” Saleh said.

At the time, it didn’t seem like much of a revelatory moment. Coaches are notorious for speaking in these kinds of clichés — next man up, get the job done, nobody feels sorry for us, etc. Especially in training camp, when talk is cheap and the losses haven’t piled up yet. But there was a very believable no-bs tone in how Saleh was relaying the message on this particular day. The Jets were coming off a deeply disappointing 4-13 season in which Wilson’s development and the toothless defense — which was supposed to be Saleh’s wheelhouse — were going to be seismic issues in 2022.

Looking back at Saleh’s “no excuses” reaction to the loss of Becton, something else about that day also stands out: Asked to put a coaching microscope on Wilson and come up with his most important point of emphasis, Saleh answered in a nanosecond.

 “For me, it’s the intangibles,” he said. “How is he carrying himself? How is he leading? He’s got all the physical tools. We know that. But it’s the intangibles that really set players apart at the quarterback position.”

Once again with those training camp clichés — yet Saleh isn’t wrong. A repetitive principle about quarterbacks can get pounded into dust in the NFL every year and still be true. And in this case with the Jets, it has proven true. It’s nearly four months later and Zach Wilson’s intangibles remain a question for the organization. And coming off last week’s remarkably tone-deaf answer about whether he felt like he let the defense down (“No,” Wilson said without hesitation), it’s probably fair to question whether his leadership has some distance to travel, too.

It’s fair to presume that this is how Wilson got benched by the Jets Wednesday. By blowing through a red light question and wrecking in the middle of the intersection where avenues of leadership and “no excuses” meet. And to make matters worse, doing it in a season where that other issue from last year, Saleh’s defense, has been catching nothing but green lights.

Reflecting back on Saleh in August and then pressing it against Wilson’s performance and recent demeanor, it’s no wonder he’s getting sat down. Perhaps it’s not permanent, as Saleh suggested on Wednesday. But it’s certainly necessary when so many other parts of the roster and coaching staff have gotten themselves over a significant hump.

In a way, you could argue that what is transpiring right now is a good thing for the Jets. It’s suggestive that the franchise is becoming more a product of in-season culture building than offseason tough-talking. The team is 6-4, stacking young building blocks and making progress that’s worth fighting for. Particularly after six straight years of averaging less than five wins a season and feeling hopeless almost anywhere you looked on the depth chart.

Having standards is a good thing. Living up to them is a great thing. Especially when that applies to a franchise quarterback who was selected No. 2 overall and given ample opportunities to showcase some kind of growth. Wilson has had moments, but not enough to justify a belief that he’s on the right track. Right now, he isn’t. That means something had to change. It means the Jets had to showcase to everyone and themselves that there was a willingness to make a hard choice — even if some might not agree with it.

That doesn’t mean Wilson is done in New York. It means the program has changed and he’s on notice. Like Saleh said about the Becton injury in August, this might be frustrating — but nobody cares. Find a way to make it work. Understand the expectations and act accordingly.

That mentality is precisely what is shaping the Jets. And Wednesday is the proof that it now applies to everyone in the organization.