| This from The Athletic: Two players are on pace to top some impressive records: Puka Nacua: on pace for 1,999 receiving yards and 177 receptions. Both would set all-time records, narrowly topping Calvin Johnson’s 1,964-yard season in 16 games (with Stafford at quarterback, of course) and obliterating Michael Thomas’ receptions record (149). Truly a remarkable start for the fifth-round pick. Nick Bonitto: on pace for 23.5 sacks. After he had 13.5 sacks last season, the Broncos rewarded their 25-year-old edge rusher with a four-year, $106 million extension. The 64th pick out of Oklahoma in 2022 has been even better since, on pace to break the record of 22.5, shared by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan. – – -The NFL has beaten back a lawsuit from Drake – who has not been, and probably now won’t be, one of their Super Bowl Halftime Show headliners no matter who much he fits their preferred deomographic: The NFL has one less thing to worry about. Not that the league had any potential liability arising from Kendrick Lamar’s performance during the Super Bowl halftime show of “Not Like Us,” with lyrics that dub Lamar’s rival, Drake, as a “certified pedophile.” But the NFL won’t have to spend any time, effort, or money preparing and presenting witnesses during discovery or at trial. Via Bill Donahue of Billboard.com, a judge dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group for defamation. Judge Jeannette Vargas issued the ruling that the lyrics reflect the “hyperbole.” “Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about plaintiff,” Judge Vargas wrote. Drake will appeal the dismissal of the case. For now, though, the NFL won’t be dragged into the middle of the fight. During the discovery process, Drake would have (and still could, if the appeal is successful) questioned NFL witnesses involved in the decision to revise the lyrics of the song for the halftime show, which omitted the word that triggered the lawsuit. The argument would be that the league’s decision to scrub the lyrics proves the impropriety of the use of the phrase. For now, the case is over. The “heated rap battle” inevitably will continue. |
| NFC EAST |
| NEW YORK GIANTSOne of the enduring images of Thursday’s Giants win over the suddenly reeling Eagles was New York coach Brian Daboll apparently getting involved in the process by which the medical staff determined that QB JAXSON DART was not concussed. Mike Florio has thoughts: The Giants got a huge win on Thursday night against the Eagles. The victory carries a problematic footnote for Giants coach Brian Daboll. Late in the third quarter, with the Giants holding a 10-point lead, rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart took a big hit at the end of a run. He was taken to the blue tent for a concussion evaluation. During the evaluation, the Prime Video broadcast displayed multiple shots of an agitated Daboll, who wanted his starter back in the game ASAFP. At one point, he poked his head into the blue medical tent. While Daboll didn’t walk into the tent (running back Cam Skattebo did), Daboll went to the opening and looked inside. Coaches aren’t allowed in the blue medical tent. The purpose of the device is to give doctors a chance to evaluate the player with no distractions. The last person who should be creating a distraction is the head coach. Daboll addressed the situation after the game, and he apologized to the team’s doctors. “If you’ve ever been on an NFL sideline, there’s a lot of emotions,” Daboll told reporters. There’s a lot of emotions. And I certainly am an emotional guy. I apologized directly to our team physician. I just wanted his ass out there if he was OK. But I wanted the process — like, we were getting ready to go for it on a potential fourth down. I would have burned a timeout if he could have came out there. So I was asking how long is it gonna take? “So, again, you want your guy out there, not at risk of anything else. But, you know, he came out. ‘I think he’s gonna be good.’ I’m like, ‘Is he gonna be good or not? I’m gonna call a timeout on fourth down and go for this son of a bitch.’ You know what I mean? So, I love our doctors. . . . I apologize. I was in the wrong.” The league office likely will agree. Whether or not Daboll is disciplined for interfering in the evaluation process remains to be seen. At a minimum, expect a memo to be issued — as soon as tomorrow — to all teams with a clear reminder that no one should approach or enter the blue tent during an evaluation. The league also might be reminding its broadcast partners that, when a coach interferes with the concussion evaluation, it’s not an occasion for making light of the situation or generally yukking it up. We all know by now the risks of concussions, and we should realize the procedures are taken seriously. Players who are being evaluated for concussions are patients receiving health care, as to the critical question as to whether it’s safe and appropriate for them to keep playing. Everyone involved needs to act accordingly.– – -If you watched Thursday night, you have to conclude that the Giants, led by rookies Dart and Skatt, might actually be pretty good. Jefferey Pareles of CBSSports.com: The New York Giants could have hardly dreamed up a better “Thursday Night Football,” performance, and for it to come against the reigning Super Bowl champions, and led by a pair of rookies, makes it all the better. Jaxson Dart played by far the best game of his career, Cam Skattebo scored three short-yardage touchdowns, and the Giants beat the Eagles, 34-17. Dart finished 17 for 25 passing for 195 yards and a score and added 13 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown to earn his second win in three starts. Dart took three knees to close out the game in celebration. Skattebo had 110 yards from scrimmage, and Brian Burns had a pair of sacks to bring his season total to seven, tying Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto for the league lead. This was the first time the Giants scored five offensive touchdowns in a game against the Eagles since 2012. “This city, this place is starving for wins, and we feel it,” Dart told the broadcast postgame. “Me and Skatt talk about it all the time, just trying to stack these, and quite honestly we felt like we [let them down] last week, and this is a special one for sure.” After leading 20-17 at halftime, the Giants absolutely took control on both sides of the ball. Given the ball in plus territory, Dart and company cashed in on a 1-yard Skattebo touchdown — his second of the night — to take a 27-17 lead. But the “knockout punch” proved to be knocked punches, delivered in quick succession. The Eagles moved into the red zone early in the fourth quarter, but Jalen Hurts threw late and inside on a Jahan Dotson out route, and “late and inside” is a deadly combination of those attempts. Cordale Flott picked it off and returned it 68 yards all the way to the Eagles’ 23. Aided by a Kelee Ringo pass interference in the end zone, Skattebo punched it in from 1 yard away again to all but end it. AJ Dillon’s fumble on the ensuing drive did, in fact, end any chances of a Philadelphia comeback. It was a very different tale than the back-and-forth first half. On their first drive, the Giants marched 75 yards on eight plays, the final of which was Dart’s 20-yard touchdown run. Dart’s athleticism was on display again on the very next drive, as he evaded multiple rushers before finding Wan’Dale Robinson for a 35-yard touchdown. Then the Eagles responded. A big pass to A.J. Brown helped kickstart a drive that ended in a Jalen Hurts 3-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, and the visitors took the lead on their very next possession, when they got down the field with chunk plays through the air but finished off the drive with four straight “Tush Pushes.” But Dart & Co. weren’t done, going 67 yards in 15 plays, with Skattebo running in from 4 yards away to give New York the lead back, and they would hold onto it until the final whistle. Dart even more impressive than his box score, shows athleticismThe Giants went 11 for 16 on third down, and Dart was absolutely outstanding in those situations. It started early with a 34-yard completion to Lil’Jordan Humphrey on third and 12, and about a minute later, he juked out All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun on his way to the end zone. On a third and 3 in the third quarter, Dart avoided the rush and scrambled smartly for 4 yards and a first down. That drive ended in a touchdown. On the next possession, he delivered a dart, for lack of a better word, to Robinson over the middle for 15 yards on third and 2. A minute later, he delivered a 22-yard dime to Theo Johnson on a third and 12. One of the best things a quarterback can do is excel under pressure, and excelling can take different forms. Sometimes it’s bad play avoidance; Dart had three turnovers last week in a 26-14 loss to the Saints, and the Giants as a team had five. This week, they had zero — and were actually +2 in that department — and Dart was sacked just twice for a loss of 1 yard total. But when it’s positive playmaking under pressure, that is really special, and Dart showed that several times. Dart is also only the third quarterback to have at least 50 rushing yards in each of his first three starts, joining Hurts and Lamar Jackson. His ability to improvise and extend plays — and even make positive plays — when under pressure was an element that was completely missing under Russell Wilson. Giants dominate both trenchesDart is the most noticeable change for the Giants, especially when considering their recent history at the quarterback position. But the most shocking changes might be in the trenches. The Giants ran for 172 yards (98 from Skattebo, 58 from Dart) and limited the Eagles to just 73 yards on the ground. One season after Saquon Barkley had 176 rushing yards in his first game at MetLife Stadium as a visitor, he managed just 58, and 18 of those came on Philadelphia’s first offensive play of the game. Meanwhile, a normally stout Eagles pass rush was completely neutralized, and on the rare occasions it did get pressure, Dart was able to minimize its impact. Yes, Philadelphia was without Jalen Carter, but to see them be so quiet all night, even when they brought blitzers, was a surprise and a testament to the group up front for New York. |
| PHILADELPHIAWhen things work, you are showing conviction and playing to your strengths with a limited playbook. But when they don’t, you are “predictable.” Tim McManus ofESPN.com” – Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said that one of the keys to improving the offense following a 34-17 loss to the New York Giants was to be “less predictable.” Johnson was focused primarily on the ground attack. Philadelphia entered the game ranked 26th in rushing with 95.3 yards per game after finishing second in that category in 2024 with 179.3. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley had 58 yards on 12 carries against his former team. It was the fifth time in six games that he has been held to 60 yards or less on the ground. “It seems a lot harder than it needs to be,” Johnson said. “Maybe moving forward, just have a little bit more variety, hitting the perimeter some.” They have to look for keys that could be giving away what they’re doing to the defense, Johnson said, and “need to be able to keep defenses guessing.” He added that this is not a “finger-pointing show” and specifically that the finger is not being pointed at new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. “I’m with Kevin until the end. A lot of it comes down to execution,” he said. “We’ll go back and look at this tape and see what we’ve got to fix, but moving forward, maybe more efficient, less predictable and capitalize on big plays and explosives.” Barkley had a different viewpoint, noting that there was a level of predictability to last year’s offense as well in that opposing teams knew they were going to run the ball, and the Eagles still found a high level of success. “I think we also have to get back into that attitude, that mindset, not really giving a f— what people are trying to do,” Barkley said. “That’s something that I’m looking for.” The Eagles dropped to 4-2 on the season. They have been outgained in each of their first six games — the first defending Super Bowl champs to do so. They also tie the longest streak of being outgained by any defending champ at any point in a season. This is their first time suffering back-to-back losses since the 2023 season. They have a short break before trying to get back on track at the Minnesota Vikings next week. “You play the game to win,” said quarterback Jalen Hurts, who threw a critical interception in the fourth quarter Thursday, his first pick of the season. “Obviously, we’re competitive in that in trying to figure it out. We’ve got some work to do.” |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCOWho is going to start at QB Sunday for the 49ers when they visit the Buccaneers? Wendell Ferraira of AtoZSports.com: Brock Purdy hasn’t practiced this week, and the strong indications are that the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback won’t be able to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The good news is that backup Mac Jones has played well, but the bad news is that he is not fully healthy either. With both knee and oblique injuries, the quarterback was limited at practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He will play on Sunday, but the preparation for the game won’t be normal as the coaching staff is prioritizing his health. “Really trying to rest it up,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Should be good to go on Sunday, but definitely wasn’t good enough to go today [Thursday]. So, hopefully that will continue to improve.” More injury news from Matt Barrows of The Athletic, including the name of the next 49ers QB in line if Purdy and Jones are unable to go: Meanwhile, wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) will remain out of practice Wednesday, and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) is not yet ready to return from injured reserve. Shanahan said Kittle has “a chance” to return next week. Shanahan said the team had hoped Pearsall would practice this week, and the coach left the door open for him to practice later this week but added, “We’re not counting on it right now.” Purdy originally suffered the toe injury in Week 1 when he was tackled by a Seattle Seahawks defender while his toe was flexed against the field’s artificial surface. He missed the next two games but played in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 49ers believed Purdy couldn’t aggravate the toe injury unless he was tackled in a similar way to the way he was in Week 1. That scenario happened at the end of a second-quarter scramble, and Purdy reported soreness in his toe after the game. He did not practice in the run-up to Thursday’s game against the Rams, one in which Jones overcame cramping and other issues and threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Jones is now 3-0 as the team’s starter. If neither Purdy nor Jones can start Sunday against the Bucs, Adrian Martinez is the third quarterback on the roster. He has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game. |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMOREThe Rams are coming to town, and the Ravens can’t count on having QB LAMAR JACKSON on Sunday. YahooSports.com: The Baltimore Ravens were again without quarterback Lamar Jackson for Thursday’s practice, a sign that the two-time NFL MVP could be out for a second straight game. As the Ravens saw cornerback Marlon Humphrey and fullback Patrick Ricard (calf) return to the field, Jackson was absent as he deals with a hamstring injury that could keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. It was the fifth straight practice Jackson has missed and head coach John Harbaugh wasn’t ready to give a firm update either way on the quarterback’s status. “Same with all the guys that are dealing with different injuries,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “I think it’ll be indicative as the week goes along what their status will be going forward.” Injuries have hit the 1-4 Ravens hard and after the Rams game they will have their bye week before resuming action on Oct. 26 against the Chicago Bears. Cooper Rush will get the start if Jackson is ruled out once again. |
| CINCINNATIWR JaMARR CHASE, and we would assume Bengals fans worldwide, appreciate that the team was not content to ride the 2025 edition of QB JAKE BROWNING down to the bottom. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The Bengals came into the 2025 season with high hopes for making a return to the playoffs, but they have looked likelier to land the first overall pick in three games since quarterback Joe Burrow’s toe injury. Getting outscored 113-37 in those games led the team to make a move to try to stop the bleeding before its too late. They traded for quarterback Joe Flacco and the move has been met with a stamp of approval from wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase called Flacco an “all-time great” who can still play on Thursday and said he was thankful that the organization made a move to try to send their season in another direction. “I appreciate the organization trying to make this work. So we’ve got to make it work,” Chase said, via the team’s website. “They just see that we’ve got a chance. Defense is doing a good enough job to help us out. Ultimately, we’ve got to have plays in space. That’s what they’ve seen. That’s what they wanted to keep going. They’ve just given us an opportunity to make more of those plays happen.” Flacco’s arrival has elicited a warm reaction, but he is coming off being benched in Cleveland and that will lead to some doubts that he can be the savior of a Bengals season that felt like it was circling the drain before his arrival. Answers to how things will play out will start to come against the Packers on Sunday. In 2023, Browning made seven starts for the Bengals and produced a 4-3 record. He completed 70.4% of his passes, threw for 12 TDs, had 7 INTs (a tick more than you would like) and still had a 98.4 passer rating. So far in 2025, he’s thrown more INTs (8) in half as many passes. Matt Fitzgerald of StripeHype.com: It’s no secret and is still quite surreal that the Cincinnati Bengals went from fully supporting quarterback Jake Browning before Week 5 to trading with a division rival to replace him mere days later. That’s how fast the internal perception around Browning shifted. Long gone are the good ol’ days of 2023, where Browning led the Bengals to a 4-3 record and kept their playoff hopes alive deep into the season in relief of Joe Burrow. Now, Cincinnati is leaning on Joe Flacco to take Browning’s spot. Can Flacco into the magic he displayed during his own 2023 renaissance in leading the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs? Or is the 40-year-old more washed than we realize, hence his getting benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel this past weekend? Guess we’ll find out the answers to those questions soon enough, whether it’s definitive in Week 6’s tilt in Titletown with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field or not. The juicier, more immediate inquiries came toward Browning on Wednesday in the wake of his benching. To his credit, Browning didn’t mince words or dodge accountability in the slightest. Bengals QB Jake Browning ‘pissed’ about Joe Flacco trade, but takes responsibilityWhatever deserved criticisms Browning has earned in the midst of the Bengals’ three-game losing streak that’s dragged their record back to 2-3, you can’t question his competitive mindset/dawg mentality. Unfortunately, this was the starting opportunity he thought he may never get again, and he fell flat on his face. I would say it’s enough to wreck a career. However, Browning has had to scratch and claw for every chance at hanging on in the NFL. He’s been a firm QB2 to Burrow for several years now. It’s a bummer that he regressed so much, triggering a desperate-but-necessary Flacco trade. Although he threw eight interceptions across four games, Browning’s words on Wednesday didn’t sound like those of a man ready to throw in the towel on his pro football future (via ESPN beat reporter Ben Baby): “Obviously, I’m pissed. And if I wasn’t pissed, then I shouldn’t be in this locker room. Just like the general theme for myself is,anybody that is going through some adversity, whether it’s football or or personal stuff, you know if you go through it and deal with it the right way, there’s no way you don’t come out the other end you know a better version of who you who you were. So, welcome to pro football — if you don’t play well, you’re going to get replaced. That’s what I’m going through.” The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway also captured another key excerpt from Browning when he held court with the media. Browning doubled down on taking the blame, but also acknowledged the offensive unit is bigger than just him. “I’m not dumb or arrogant enough to think that I didn’t play my role in the offensive struggles. But I think there’s a lot that goes into it.” Look, we can be honest here and say that the absence of a respectable rushing attack and a problematic offensive line didn’t do Browning any favors. That said, he still put the ball in harm’s way far too often with poor decision-making and evidently trying to force the issue. Get even more Cincinnati Bengals news: Follow Stripe Hype here!Browning has attempted the highest percentage of aggressive throws (22.6%) among all qualifying QBs this season, per Next Gen Stats. For a former undrafted free agent with marginal-ish arm talent, that’s being way too reckless with the football. Flacco is at 15% in that category, but with a much more powerful arm even at this late stage of his career. That bodes well for Cincinnati’s defense not having to come up with as many takeaways to keep the turnover battle close. The Bengals should stretch the field better, too, thanks to Flacco’s superior arm strength. Big ups to Browning for facing the music in the midst of what must be the toughest days of his football life — and he’s had his fair share whilst logging years on the bench. The good thing is, he’s used to being a selfless teammate who helps the starter prepare. Shoot, who knows? Perhaps Browning can glean a thing or several from Flacco in the process of watching a hopeful Bengals turnaround from the sidelines. |
| CLEVELANDDov Kleiman with some QB $ numbers: @NFL_DovKleimanInsane: The Cleveland Browns are currently paying EIGHT QBs this season. 1) Deshaun Watson, $35.9M2) Jameis Winston, $2.2M3) Dillon Gabriel, $1.1M4) Joe Flacco, $999K5) Shedeur Sanders, $955K6) Bailey Zappe, $315K7) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, $171K8) Kenny Pickett, $8K |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEJared Dubin of CBSSports.com breaks down a deal where the Jaguars and Browns traded players, basically even up, who play the same position: It’s trade season in the NFL, and with the deadline approaching in just a few weeks, we’re seeing teams start to get moving on the market. On Wednesday night, we even saw a rare player-for-player trade involving players in the same position when the Cleveland Browns sent cornerback Greg Newsome II and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for cornerback Tyson Campbell and a 2026 seventh-round pick. The players were selected just seven picks apart in the 2021 NFL Draft. They have each at times played at an extremely high level and looked like future No. 1 cornerbacks, while also having periods where they played much worse and looked like someone their team might not want to commit significant resources to in the future. Newsome, the former first-round pick, is playing in the final year of his contract on the fifth-year option, while Campbell is in the first year of a large contract extension he signed during the 2024 offseason. The respective contract situations of these players likely played a significant role in the trade itself, so it’s important to note it ahead of time. With the details out of the way, let’s grade the trade for each team. Cleveland BrownsThe Browns got ahead of Newsome’s potential free agency by swapping him out for a player who comes to them at a low cost. They’re not on the hook for any of Campbell’s signing bonus, nor his 2025 option bonus, which has already been paid out. Instead, they get Campbell on a contract that looks like this for the next few years (all numbers in millions), according to Over the Cap: Year Base Rost.Bonus G Bonus Workout Option Bonus Guaranteed Salary Cap Figure2025 $1.50 $0.00 $0.50 $0.00 $0.00 $1.08 $1.412026 $1.62 $0.00 $0.50 $0.50 $11.50 $13.11 $4.922027 $1.50 $0.00 $0.50 $0.50 $0.00 $0.00 $4.802028 $14.50 $1.00 $0.50 $0.50 $0.00 $0.00 $18.802029 Void Void Void Void Void Void $4.602030 Void Void Void Void Void Void 0.00 That’s a very cheap and easy way to get out of the deal for a player who has shown the ceiling of a No. 1/2 cornerback in his career, though he has been bothered by injuries and ineffectiveness over the past couple of seasons. It’s certainly much cheaper than what the Browns would have had to pay Newsome to bring him back for the next several seasons. There’s no guaranteed money remaining beyond next season, after which the Browns can get out of the deal with no cap penalties if they want to. If Campbell performs at a high enough level to justify minimal investment, they have a bargain. If not, they have to go looking for another cornerback — but they were going to have to do that anyway if they didn’t want to pay Newsome on a long-term deal, which it obviously appears that they did not. They made this deal at the minimal cost of moving down from the sixth to the seventh round in next year’s draft, but they also didn’t necessarily net anything guaranteed in return. Grade: B Jacksonville JaguarsThe current Jaguars regime under James Gladstone and Liam Coen isn’t the one that signed Campbell to his four-year, $76.5 million contract with $53.4 million in guarantees. They clearly weren’t as committed to him as the team was under Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson. He got off to a somewhat slow start to this season (he’s allowed 312 yards and three touchdowns in coverage so far, per Pro Football Focus), and with the guaranteed money remaining on his deal, the Jags decided to cut bait. The question now is whether they just wanted to get off the money at the cornerback position entirely, or whether they plan to give Newsome a new long-term contract this coming offseason. They already took on around $19.5 million in dead money for the 2026 season by executing this trade, and if they pay Newsome on a big deal, they’ll basically be paying double the going rate for a corner of his stature, thanks to the acceleration of the remaining guaranteed money from Campbell’s contract onto their books. For that reason, I somewhat expect them to take a look at lower-cost depth cornerbacks, whether in free agency or the draft, unless Newsome gets back to performing at a CB1 level for the rest of the season. They could then look to use Travis Hunter at cornerback more often than he has been used there so far. If Newsome shines and the Jaguars do pay him — Gladstone’s comments on his ball skills imply that they view him as a long-term fit, not someone to fill the need for the rest of the season, but that’s also just the kind of stuff you say after making a trade — then the on-field benefit to them would be somewhat mitigated because of the financial penalties they incurred by trading Campbell so early in his own contract. They basically paid Campbell $30 million to play five games and then go to Cleveland. Grade: B |
| TENNESSEENick Baumgardner of The Athletic takes a scouting look at QB CAM WARD through 5 games: Cam Ward, Tennessee TitansStats: 85-for-164 passing (51.8 percent) for 879 yards, two TDs, three INTs; -.10 EPA/attempt, 15.2 percent off-target rate, 8.0 air yards/attempt; average time to throw: 2.89 seconds The best part about Ward — and why he wound up QB1 in the draft — is that most positive items on his scouting report came from traits that really couldn’t be taught or coached. He played with extreme calm and poise throughout his college career, from Incarnate Word all the way through Miami. In “The Beast,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler described him as a “flatliner” competitively, meaning his on-field pulse never spiked too high or too low, no matter the situation. A former basketball point guard, Ward played with above-average anticipation in college while displaying truly top-line arm talent. Ward’s problems were mostly all experience-related, as he was famously a Wing-T high school QB recruited by almost no one. He became a true quarterback later in life than most of his peers and had to play catch-up. Ward struggled with accuracy, mainly due to mechanical inconsistencies (dropping his elbow, poor footwork, poor throwing base, etc.) and generally was up and down as a processor. He held onto the ball far too long and relied on his athleticism/arm talent to bail him out. He entered the league with a bunch of bad habits, and all of them were bound to be more exposed on a terrible team than they might have been on a squad able to give him more time. Advertisement That said, Ward improved every year in college — almost every week, if we’re being fair. That’s the trait you bet on with him. And the Titans are starting to see glimpses of it. Ward has definitely struggled for long stretches, in all five of his NFL starts. He’s shown rushed or sloppy feet, his drop depths have been inconsistent, and he’s been throwing off flat feet too much. He’s also been guilty of poor processing and being either too slow or too rushed with his reads We saw signs of this type of thing during Ward’s college career, and — though this sort of issue isn’t a dealbreaker — he’s going to go through some really tough moments this year (and maybe next) because Tennessee just doesn’t have enough talent around him. However (and there is a big “however” here), remember the part about Ward getting better almost every time he picked up a football in college? That is happening in the NFL, too. You just have to be patient enough to see it. Did Ward struggle against the Cardinals with some of the same stuff we just discussed? Yes. Did he shrug off those mistakes and consistently work to the next play anyway? Yes. For every two “what are you doing” moments in Ward’s first four games, there was at least one play in which he reminded you why he was the 2025 NFL Draft’s top pick. Then, late against the Cardinals, he put it all together. Ward made three money throws in the fourth quarter, two of them back to back, to help the Titans complete a comeback win. The first came on a beautiful third-quarter throw to Calvin Ridley that he drove between two DBs for 47 yards. On the very next play, Ward stood in against pressure, stepped into his throw and dropped a dime to Gunnar Helm near the pylon to set up a touchdown. Fast forward to the Titans’ final drive, and Ward’s confident sideline shot to Ridley — thrown on time and without hesitation — led to the game-winning kick. There will be moments this year when Ward makes Titans fans pull out their hair. But we’ve also seen enough to say there is light at the end of the tunnel. Ward needs help, but he likely will be a different player in December — and much, much better by the start of 2026. |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALOInteresting: @danfetesJosh Allen said it was a ‘bucket list’ as a kid, to visit all 32 NFL Stadiums. Monday Night, he’ll get to check off another one playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The only other stadium he hasn’t been to… Levi Stadium in San Francisco Allen grew up in Firebaugh, California. The closest NFL stadium to Firebaugh is Levi’s Stadium – 115 miles away in Santa Clara. Allen mentioned in his interview that he has not been to Levi’s – so apparently no visits to a Niners game as a kid. He is asked about another stadium, but says the Bills did play there in a preseason game, so he had visited it. We are pretty sure the question is about Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte which the Bills did visit in the 2022 preseason. But, he will be able to say he played there, as he has in all the others, when the Bills visit the Panthers on October 26. The Bills will not be visiting the 49ers in the 2025 regular season – but, as you know, Super Bowl 60 is in Santa Clara and he can complete the circuit on that day. And by the way, Allen has thrown a TD pass against 30 other NFL teams, with the only possible team he is missing being the one he’s playing Sunday, the Falcons. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| UPCOMING DRAFTS Not every victim of fraud and bad financial dealings is lucky enough to get nearly four times their money back in less than four months (although former NFL S RASHAD JONES probably did have to share a good portion of his settlement with his attorneys). Xuan Thai of ESPN.com: Former Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones has settled a lawsuit against Merrill Lynch for $9.5 million after a former financial adviser allegedly stole $2.59 million from the two-time Pro Bowler. The settlement occurred in August, but public reporting was delayed until this week. According to a June 25 arrest report, Isaiah Williams — Jones’ former financial adviser and a former employee of Merrill Lynch — used his position to gain access to Jones’ personal financial accounts to steal $1.56 million in 133 separate transactions. Another $1.03 million was stolen through a complicated laundering scheme involving bank and cash app transfers between Williams and a Georgia-based woman, Octivia Monique Graham. Jones told investigators he had never met the woman. Court records allege Williams used the money to pay for personal expenses such as airline tickets and hotels, strip clubs, cars, jewelry and duty-free shopping in Mexico. Investment News first reported the settlement on Wednesday. Merrill Lynch declined comment. Jones’ lawyers, Chase Carlson and Jeff Sonn, declined to comment and referred ESPN to a previous statement where they called the situation “another troubling example of a professional athlete being exploited.” According to documents from BrokerCheck, an online database that compiles information about brokers and financial institutions, Jones originally asked for $16 million in damages in an arbitration filing against Merrill Lynch, BrokerCheck reported. The Palm Beach County, Florida, sheriff’s office booked Williams in June on four counts, including first-degree organized fraud and first-degree grand theft, which are both punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Williams is currently out on $1 million bond and awaiting trial, according to the sheriff’s office database. Jones was a fifth-round draft pick out of Georgia in 2010. He spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Dolphins, where he played 128 games, starting 113. According to Over the Cap, Jones made over $56 million in his playing career. |
| BUNNY BUSINESSMike Florio weighs in on what he sees is an unnecessary kerfuffle over the decision to have Bad Bunny headline the halftime show (but in his piece, we see something that might cause the NFL to pull the plug on Bunny Time): The Outrage Machine has been on overdrive lately, as it relates to the NFL’s decision to tap Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl LX halftime show. The political sweet potato has become grist for the grievance mill. Last week, the appointment of the Puerto Rican-born singer (which makes him a U.S. citizen) sparked chatter about having ICE agents at the game to be played in Santa Clara. (Because illegal immigrants will be clamoring to buy Super Bowl tickets on the secondary market.) This week, after Bad Bunny hosted Saturday Night Live and made light of the controversy, a couple of political heavy hitters sounded off on the situation. “I’ve never heard of him,” President Donald Trump said in a Newsmax interview, via Zach Scharf of Variety.com. “I don’t know who he is. . . . I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment — I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.” House Speaker Mike Johnson also chimed in. “I didn’t even know who Bad Bunny was,” Johnson said, via Desiree Anello of People.com. “But it sounds like a terrible decision, in my view, from what I’m hearing. It sounds like he’s not someone who appeals to a broader audience. And there are so many eyes on the Super Bowl — for a lot of young and impressionable children. . . . In my view, you would have Lee Greenwood or role models doing that. Not somebody like this.” Although the chances of a pivot from Bad to Lee are slim to none, Greenwood wants the gig. “I agree with Speaker Johnson,” Greenwood told the New York Post. “I would make a great performer for any Super Bowl show.” Perhaps recognizing that a halftime Bunny flop won’t be happening, Greenwood also stumped for an invitation to sing “God Bless the U.S.A.” before the Super Bowl, noting that he’ll be performing at halftime of an upcoming Dallas Cowboys home game. Beyond the fact that the decision gives the current administration another reason to delay or deny approval of the pending ESPN-NFL mega media merger, it won’t be a surprise if some other network programs an alternative halftime show headlined by Greenwood and featuring other performers who will appeal to the anti-rabbit demographic. It wouldn’t be unprecedented. In 1992, Fox presented a live episode of In Living Color in an effort to siphon viewers from the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl XXVI. It attracted more than 20 million viewers and forced the NFL to revamp the halftime experience, beginning with a Michael Jackson performance the next year. While no current NFL broadcast partner (which Fox became in 1994) would dare to bogart Big Shield’s halftime audience, any network with no realistic chance of ever hosting NFL content could do it. Given the ability to vacuum upwards of 30 percent of 130 million viewers who will be looking to make a statement, it’s surprising that it hasn’t already been announced. Turning Point USA has announced their would be an alternate show at an unnamed source. |
