| While the final odds varied a bit, the oddsmakers ended up pretty much right on the final outcome of the Championshp Game. Favored by 3.5 – 4.5, the Patriots won by 3 and failed to cover. Favored by 2.5, the Seahawks won by 4 and covered. For Super Bowl 60, the Seahawks open as 4.5-point favorites over the Patriots. – – -There were no fourth quarter points scored in either championship game. Not surprising when 10-7 after three, surprising when 31-27 after 3. – – – Nuggets: @TVSportsUpdatesSuper Bowl matchups to appear twice on the same network: Dolphins-Redskins: NBC (VII and XVII)Cowboys-Bills: NBC (XXVII and XXVIII)Steelers-Cowboys: NBC (XIII and XXX)Chiefs-Eagles: Fox (LVII and LIX)Patriots-Seahawks: NBC (XLIX and LX) This – @FieldYatesIMPORTANT note: Super Bowl LX will be the third time that both head coaches share the same first name. In all three cases, both coaches were named Mike. XXXII: Shanahan vs. HolmgrenXLV: Tomlin vs. McCarthyMacDonald vs. Vrabel on deck This – @NerdingonNFLThis is the first Super Bowl since 2003 to feature two teams that missed the playoffs the previous season 1968: Colts-Jets1981: Bengals-49ers1999: Rams-Titans2000: Giants-Ravens2003: Panthers-Patriots2025: Patriots-Seahawks This: @WhitlockJasonMike Macdonald, Mike Vrabel and Curt Cignetti just put pressure on all new coaches. Instant results are expected. Rebuilds are officially 2 years, never 4 or 5 again. Receipt: @minakimesMar 7, 2025Flat out: this (trading Geno Smith) is a terrible move by Seattle. Chances of upgrading are extremely low. |
| NFC NORTH |
| GREEN BAYPackers OL RASHEED WALKER runs afoul of New York’s tight gun laws. ESPN: Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Rasheed Walker was arrested Friday morning at LaGuardia Airport in New York after he tried to check in a bag that contained a firearm. Walker, 25, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, according to the New York Post. He appeared in Queens County Criminal Court on the gun charge and was released later Friday. According to the Post, citing a criminal complaint, Walker told an airline employee that his bag contained a locked box holding a handgun. Port Authority Police, after being alerted by the employee, searched Walker’s bag and found a 9mm Glock pistol along with 36 rounds of ammo in the locked box. Walker’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, told the Post that the gun was legally licensed in Wisconsin and that Walker didn’t know he couldn’t travel with it in New York. “We are confident the matter will be resolved favorably,” Aidala told ESPN. Walker, a seventh-round draft pick of the Packers in 2022, is due back in court March 19.– – -And it is the Packers who get Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The Packers have found their new defensive coordinator. According to multiple reports, they will hire former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon for that role. Jeff Hafley held the job for the last two seasons, but left to become the new head coach of the Dolphins this month. Gannon was fired by the Cardinals after the 2025 regular season came to an end and he interviewed for several defensive coordinator positions after being let go. Gannon was 15-36 over three seasons as the head coach in Arizona. He was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator for two years before landing that job and a strong performance on Matt LaFleur’s staff could move him back into the ranks of head coaching candidates down the line. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASThis: @Ian_OConnorPatriots owner Robert Kraft has been to 11 Super Bowls since Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it to his last one…and Jones is the one in the Hall of Fame. Go figure. A reminder from Ari Meirov: @MySportsUpdate#Seahawks DE DeMarcus Lawrence after signing in Seattle in March: “Dallas is my home… But I know for sure I’m not gonna win a Super Bowl there.” Lawrence is now going to the Super Bowl. |
| NEW YORK GIANTSWith Todd Monken lurking as OC, Jim Harbaugh’s staff is beginning to take shape with two other coordinators hired. Jordan Raanan and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com: The New York Giants are hiring Dennard Wilson as their defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Sunday. They are also expected to hire former Baltimore Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton for the same role on coach John Harbaugh’s staff, a source confirmed. Wilson, 43, who spent the previous two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, has a connection to Harbaugh, serving under him as the Ravens’ defensive backs coach in 2023. Wilson interviewed for the Giants’ defensive coordinator job after the 2023 season. He was considered a favorite but chose the Titans instead. He had the second-ranked defense in Tennessee in his first year, before guiding the 21st-ranked unit this past season. Broncos assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard and former Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver were also names of serious interest for the Giants’ defensive coordinator position, according to multiple sources. Wilson and Horton are the first coordinators hired by Harbaugh, who took the job last week after 18 seasons in Baltimore. The Giants have interest in Todd Monken as their offensive coordinator, but he’s still in the running for the Cleveland Browns’ head-coaching job. Monken was Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator in Baltimore for the past three seasons. |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONAThe Cardinals coaching search is down to three finalists willing to lead the team into battle in the NFC West. Dan Lyons of SI.com: Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Saturday that Arizona has identified three “lead candidates” to replace Jonathan Gannon, who was fired at the end of the Cardinals’ 3–14 season. Raheem Morris, who was fired after back-to-back 8–9 seasons leading the Falcons, is the most high-profile of the candidates, and is joined by Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile and Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. Campanile and LaFleur would be first-time head coaches. The most experienced coach on the Cardinals’ reported list, Morris took over the Buccaneers for his first head coaching stint in 2009 after two years as defensive backs coach, ascending to the top job after Jon Gruden was fired. He went 17–31 in three seasons before being dismissed, missing the playoffs three times—including a 10–6 campaign in 2010. After a three-year stop in Washington as DBs coach, Morris was hired by the Falcons’ Dan Quinn as assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator, later moving to coach on the offensive side of the ball before returning to defense in 2019 to coach the secondary once again. He became the defensive coordinator in 2020 and later interim coach after Quinn’s dismissal, going 4–7. From there, Morris would work for three years under Sean McVay as Rams defensive coordinator, and then return to the Falcons in 2024 as head coach. He went 16–18 before being fired. Now, he could be on the verge of his third head coaching opportunity. The 43-year-old Campanile spent most of his coaching career working through the college ranks. The Rutgers grad and New Jersey native held multiple spots on the Scarlet Knights’ staff from 2012 to ‘15 after coaching at the vaunted high school program at Don Bosco Prep. From there, he moved on to Boston College (2016 to ‘18) and Michigan (‘19) before breaking into the NFL as Brian Flores’s linebackers coach with the Dolphins in 2020. He remained on staff under Mike McDaniel until 2024, when he left to coach under Jeff Hafley with the Packers defense. Liam Coen hired Campanile as Jaguars defensive coordinator in ‘25, and his first full-time DC job proved fruitful for the franchise, which made a playoff run under the new coaching staff. Campanile’s defense ranked sixth in the NFL in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), a measure of play-by-play team efficiency adjusted to opponent strength. Jacksonville ranked fourth in the NFL against the run. No NFL rusher managed more than 74 yards on the ground in a single game against the Jaguars, with the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor reaching that mark on 21 carries in a 36–19 Jacksonville win in December. A name that should be very familiar to NFL fans, LaFleur is the 38-year-old younger brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who has been making his way through the NFL ranks over the last decade-plus. After serving as FCS program Davidson’s offensive coordinator in 2013, LaFleur jumped to the NFL as an intern with the Browns the following year, later coaching alongside his brother and current 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan (as well as the aforementioned Morris) with the Falcons as an offensive assistant. While his brother went to work for McVay with the Rams, Mike followed Shanahan to San Francisco in 2017, spending four years as passing game coordinator. LaFleur had an ill-fated two-year stint as Jets offensive coordinator under Robert Saleh from 2021 to ‘22, and then took over the Rams OC job once held by his older brother in ‘23. The McVay tree has borne significant fruit despite the fact that the Rams coach just turned 40 on Saturday, with Zac Taylor (Bengals), Kevin O’Connell (Vikings) and Coen (Jaguars) all finding success after working in Los Angeles. That tree could sprout a second LaFleur branch if Arizona opts to hire the Rams OC. |
| LOS ANGELES RAMSThis: @danorlovsky7Stafford in Seattle this season 51-84831 yards6TDS 0-2 Completely let down– – -One season ends, and talk of the next begins. The big question for the Rams is QB MATTHEW STAFFORD. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: After Sunday’s NFC Championship loss to the Seahawks, Rams coach Sean McVay was asked a direct question about his quarterback. “Do you expect Matthew Stafford to be back next season?” “I mean, if he still wants to play,” McVay said. “What the hell kind of question is that?” He seemed more incredulous than upset by the question. McVay then became pragmatic. “You have to ask him,” McVay said. “We’ve been totally present. I know that if he wants to, he’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip. I mean, he’s the MVP of the league, and if he’s not — you know, I mean, I got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level that’s just different.” Stafford, who turns 38 next month, was separately asked whether he’ll return. He didn’t say no. He also didn’t say yes. “I can’t generalize six months of my life ten minutes after a loss,” Stafford said. Stafford is due to make $40 million next year, the final season of his current deal. The Rams and Stafford have been operating on a year-to-year arrangement; if both sides decide to give it another year, he’ll surely deserve a significant raise. Last year, things got dicey. Stafford received permission to explore a trade. He ultimately decided to stay put, getting more from the Rams but not as much as he could have gotten elsewhere. This year, they may be doing the dance again. The challenge will be to convince teams that he’s serious about leaving, and that it’s not simply an effort to get the best possible deal from the Rams for 2026, and perhaps beyond. |
| SEATTLEWas it genius defense or a fortuitous busted coverage that stopped the Rams on the big 4th down? Jason Owens of YahooSports.com: Like the back-and-forth regular season series between the NFC West rivals, Sunday’s NFC championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks came down to the wire. The Seahawks secured their 31-27 victory thanks in part to a late fourth-down stop in the red zone that kept the Rams from taking a lead. Rams coach Sean McVay was asked about the failed fourth down in his postgame news conference. He believes that the Seahawks got a bit lucky on the pivotal play as two defenders covered the primary target, running back Kyren Williams. ‘Fortuitous bust’“That was a situation where we just kind of came up short,” McVay told reporters. “They kind of lucked into having two guys peel on Kyren right there. I know that can’t be a part of their design. It’s a fortuitous bust by them.” McVay quickly pivoted to crediting the Seahawks for their win. “They’re an excellent team,” McVay continued. “You don’t take away anything. They earned the win, and they’re NFC champs for a reason.” The play in question was a fourth-and-4 from the Seattle 6-yard line with 4:59 remaining. The Rams trailed 31-27 and would have taken a late lead with a touchdown. Instead, Matthew Stafford threw incomplete to tight end Terrance Ferguson, who was covered tightly by cornerback Devon Witherspoon. The Seahawks took over on downs and ran most of the remainder of the clock down on their ensuing possession. Was it a ‘bust?’Williams was designed as the primary target on the play for a swing pass out of backfield. He lined up to the left of Stafford, who was in shotgun formation. Williams ran to the left flat at the snap and was immediately picked up by safety Julian Love, who appeared initially to be rushing Stafford. Linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence also pulled back and dropped into coverage of Williams. Stafford looked first in Williams’ direction, then looked elsewhere when he saw that he faced double coverage. He opted to target Ferguson in the back of the end zone, and the pass stood little chance thanks to Witherspoon’s coverage. Stafford had nowhere to throwTo be fair to Stafford, he didn’t have any good options. With Love joining Lawrence on Williams, the Seahawks rushed only three and dropped eight in coverage. There was nowhere clean for Stafford to throw. Was Love’s assignment to rush Stafford, or did he improvise and drop back to cover Williams when he saw the running back’s route? It’s not clear from watching the play. |
| AFC WEST |
| DENVEROn the curious fumble/incomplete pass that largely decided the AFC title game before the snow hit, the consensus seems to be that the right call (or at least the call that it was a Patriots fumble recovery) was reached by the wrong process. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: The first half of Sunday’s AFC Championship included an officiating error that robbed the Patriots of a defensive touchdown. And while they still ended up with possession (and scoring on a 12-yard drive), the officials mistakenly ruled a backward pass to be an incomplete forward pass. After the game, referee Alex Kemp spoke to pool reporter Jeff Legwold. And Kemp took responsibility for the mistake. Here’s the full transcript: “Q: What were the dynamics of the second quarter ruling that changed the call from an incomplete pass to a backward pass recovered by New England? “Kemp: I initially ruled it as a forward pass, which was incorrect. I proceeded to go through the administration of an intentional grounding foul. The down judge and the umpire came and talked to me and provided more information. The down judge explained that he extended his right arm to signal that he had a backward pass and at that point we determined that New England had picked up the then backward pass. We awarded possession to New England with no advance, because at that point we are not allowed to permit an advance. “Q: Was there an inadvertent whistle? “Kemp: The whistle stopped the play, but it was after the New England player picked up the ball.” They got it right, after they got it wrong. But the play should have kept going, and the Patriots should have had a touchdown. The safer approach is to let it keep going, because replay is available to turn the mistaken ruling of a backward pass into an incompletion. It would be irresponsible to downplay the moment or excuse the mistake because the Patriots eventually scored. With replay not available to keep the play alive, plays like that should be kept alive. Especially in a game of that magnitude. But was it a backwards pass? Stidham’s intent, for which grounding would have been called, was to push the ball forward, but the New England defender intervened. This from Terry McAuley seems to say that if the ball was out of Stidham’s hand we would have had to spend more time on whether it was forward or backwards, but it actually was a fumble. The Denver forward/backward pass in the 1st half was extremely complex and needs clarification. It was initially ruled an incomplete forward pass with the whistle blown before NE picked up the football. Based on the announcement, they changed the ruling to backward pass on the field. But by doing that, it created an erroneous whistle which would require the down to be replayed and NE cannot get the ball. Had they stayed with the initial ruling, Replay could review and NE would have been awarded the ball after review because erroneous whistle rules would not apply. Ultimately, the result was correct, but the process to get there was not. Let’s address the play itself. This is the best angle. The rule is: “intentional” forward motion of the hand starts a pass. There is clearly contact by the defender with the hand, and it appears to me that contact causes the hand to move forward rather than it being intentional motion of the passer. That would make this a fumble, and the rules I note earlier apply equally, just as if it was a backward pass. Since the ruling was a change of possession, Replay could have stopped and reviewed. Since the game was not stopped, it’s clear they determined the result of the play, NE’s ball at the spot of recovery, would not change, so no need for a full booth review. – – -Credit to Tony Romo who was right on top of Sean Payton’s decision to pass up a short field goal that would have put the Broncos up, 10-0. Seth Wickersham with some fascinating inside info on Payton’s decision: Last Sunday night, Sean Payton sat in his office at the Denver Broncos facility, watching film of his opponent in the upcoming AFC Championship game: the New England Patriots. He wanted to have the Los Angeles Rams-Chicago Bears divisional round game on in the background. He turned on one of the flatscreens in his office. He flipped around, somehow ending up on Nickelodeon and “Dora the Explorer.” He finally found the right channel, just in time for the Bears to make a critical decision on their first drive. On fourth-and-two from the Rams 21, they elected to skip a gimme field goal and go for it — the exact type of call that has dominated playoff professional and college football this season, and can end up winning a tight game or be one of the main reasons for a loss. Payton saw the Bears line up on offense, and he squinted. “Kick it,” he said. On the play, Caleb Williams was intercepted, costing Chicago three points — the difference in the final score. “Why are coaches not kicking field goals?” Payton said, turning back to game preparation. That decision for coaches — when to go for it on fourth-and-short and when to kick — has become one of the most scrutinized and divisive calls in football, an easy sports talk debate. For most of professional football’s existence, it wasn’t even a decision. Coaches took the points. That started to change in 2002, when a renowned Cal-Berkeley economist named David Romer authored a paper called “It’s Fourth Down and What Does the Bellman Equation Say?” Using the Bellman Equation — Ei Di(gt) Vi = Pgt + Bgt Ei Di(gt+1) Vi – egt — Romer’s conclusion was clear: the probabilities of what could happen after a successful conversion on fourth-and-four or less outweighed kicking a field goal or, in some cases, punting and playing field position. Simply put, the math told coaches to be more aggressive. Romer’s findings didn’t become conventional wisdom for more than a decade. Now, broadcasts feature in-game analytics, with percentages. Coaches like Detroit’s Dan Campbell go for it as an imperative — as part of their identity. The Broncos’ director of game management/assistant offensive line coach Evan Rothstein is one of Payton’s most trusted and valued staffers. He came to Denver from Detroit and New England, where he learned from Bill Belichick, who revolutionized situational football strategy. On Saturday mornings during the football season, Rothstein gives mesmerizing presentations to Payton and the coordinators, breaking down key moments from the previous week’s games and ending with data-backed opinions of what to do should the Broncos end up in a similar position. But in the end, it’s Payton’s call. Generally, if the Broncos are driving and faced with fourth-and-short yardage, they will strongly consider going for it. If it’s fourth-and-one after the opponent turns the ball over and gives Denver a short field, Payton will usually take the points. Sunday’s AFC Championship was different, of course. It was different because quarterback Jarrett Stidham was making his first start of the season after star Bo Nix fractured his ankle last week. It was different because Denver’s defense hadn’t played particularly well since the bye week against top opponents. It was different because the Broncos could have easily lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round because their red zone offense was inefficient: one touchdown in four trips. And it was different because a Super Bowl appearance was on the line. All of those facts can be used to argue for or against going for it on fourth-and-short. In the second quarter on Sunday against New England, the Broncos were up 7-0. They drove into the Patriots red zone. On third-and-six, Stidham scrambled right for five yards to the New England 14-yard line. That left fourth-and-one — and a familiar decision. Denver had gained yardage on every play of that drive, and to that point, its defense had forced three punts. “I wanted 14-0,” Payton later told me. Going for it is one thing; finding a good play is another. Payton ordered 11 personnel — one running back, one tight end, and three receivers — and from it called a running play called Nickel Duo. “A sub-run versus a sub-front” he said. Then, Payton called time-out. He wanted to think. Duo was Denver’s top fourth-and-short run; Slipper Naked, a bootleg to the right, was its top fourth-and-short pass. He went with the pass. But at the snap, the Patriots surprised Denver by playing Red Two, a zone defense, behind a six-man front. The play had no chance. Stidham threw into traffic, incomplete. Denver not only missed out on three points, it missed out on its last, best opportunity for easy points. The Broncos never got so close to the end zone the rest of the game. “I wish I’d stayed with the initial play call,” Payton said softly, leaving the stadium. “The look they showed on film, and the look we saw, wasn’t the look we got.” The Broncos, the AFC’s top seed and a home underdog for both playoff games, lost for many reasons. They failed to run, and catch, well. They missed two field goals. Stidham fumbled in the second quarter, leading to New England’s only touchdown, and threw an interception late the game. Denver’s defense played one of its best games of the year but forced zero turnovers. A priority all week — both in coaches’ game-planning sessions and full-team meetings — was to contain quarterback Drake Maye and keep him from running. Maye ended up with ten carries for 65 yards and a touchdown, including a run left to ice the game with just under two minutes left. But Denver also lost because of Payton’s decision. Something about fourth down brings out the explicable and inexplicable in coaches, the rational and irrational. You never know what you’ll get. To this day, Belichick regrets going for it on fourth down against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. In Sunday’s NFC Championship against Seattle, Sean McVay of the Rams — a coach who is often criticized for not going for it on fourth down enough, and who took field goals against Chicago last week and won — went for it twice on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter down 31-27, getting a first down on one, missing the second time, and coming away with zero points in the loss. Why do some fourth downs convert, and some fail? Payton hates it when people attempt to rationalize a missed opportunity or failed play by shrugging and saying, “That’s football.” It’s an affront to his soul and everything he stands for, when he and his staff work 18-hour days to impose their will on a coin flip of a game. But the thing is, that is football. And always will be. After Sunday’s game, Payton entered his small office down the hall from the locker room. He sat down and stared at the floor. He is 62 years old and has been a head coach for 19 years. He has a Super Bowl win, and many devastating playoff defeats. It was quiet, except for the random sounds of the crash landing of a season ending: the echo of a shouted cuss word, the shuffle of coaches and staffers mulling around and whispering. Moments passed. Payton sat up. “I can’t believe we lost.” A few more seconds passed. “That fourth down …” |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDWell-traveled Anthony Lynn gets an interview in Cleveland. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The Browns have added another name to their list of head coaching candidates. They announced that they interviewed Commanders running backs coach/run game coordinator Anthony Lynn on Saturday. Lynn also interviewed for the Bills’ head coaching job this weekend. Lynn has been on Dan Quinn’s staff in Washington for the last two seasons. He had a similar role on the 49ers’ staff in 2022 and 2023 and spent the 2021 season as the Lions’ offensive coordinator. Prior to those jobs, Lynn went 33-31 over four seasons as the Chargers’ head coach. They went to the playoffs once in that run and won in Baltimore before losing to the Patriots in January 2019. The Browns have held second interviews with Jim Schwartz, Todd Monken and Grant Udinski. They are expected to speak to Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase this week and interviewing him and Lynn will satisfy the Rooney Rule requirements needed for the Browns to hire their next head coach. But Udinski is out per Mike Garofolo: @AdamSchefterJaguars OC Grant Udinski has informed the Browns that he is removing himself from consideration for their HC position, per a source. Udinski has a new deal in place with Jacksonville that will bump his pay for next season, but the Jaguars are allowing him to continue pursuing the Bills’ HC job. If Udinski doesn’t get the Buffalo job, he will be back as the Jaguars’ OC. |
| PITTSBURGHHe doesn’t fit the Steelers mold – he’s not young, he’s not a defensive coach – but he is a Yinzer. Mike McCarthy and the Steelers have agreed that he’s the next coach. Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com: Mike McCarthy is coming home. The Steelers have verbally agreed with the 62-year-old Pittsburgh native to become just their fourth head coach since 1969, the team announced Saturday afternoon. The news of McCarthy’s hire comes just 11 days after Mike Tomlin told the team he was walking away from the role after 19 seasons. The Steelers selected McCarthy after interviewing seven candidates virtually and three, including McCarthy, in person. They also held in-person interviews with Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. McCarthy had his in-person interview Wednesday, while Weaver was in the building Saturday. Flores interviewed first on Tuesday. McCarthy, who didn’t coach a team in 2025, spent five seasons with the Cowboys before he and the organization failed to reach a contract extension after the 2024 season, leading to Dallas’ hiring of Brian Schottenheimer. McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl title with the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 season, brings that title experience to the Steelers, who last won a Lombardi Trophy to cap off the 2008 season. There’s some belief in the building, sources told ESPN, that bringing McCarthy in the fold could lure 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh after a one-season stint with the Steelers. McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay, and the pair won their lone Super Bowl title together. Steelers owner and team president Art Rooney II said Jan. 14 that he believed Rodgers’ decision about his future would be affected by Tomlin’s departure. In hiring McCarthy, the Steelers made a departure from their previous hiring practices. Their three most recent head coach hires — Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll — were 38 or younger and had never been NFL head coaches. In his news conference following Tomlin’s resignation, Rooney expressed a desire to contend immediately. By landing on McCarthy rather than a first-time head coach, the Steelers signaled a belief that the veteran coach can immediately help them break a frustrating drought of postseason wins that dates back to 2017. “I’m not sure why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend,” Rooney said in that news conference. “Obviously your roster is what it is, changes every year. And so you deal with what you have every year, try to put yourself in a position to compete. Sometimes you have the horses, sometimes you don’t, but I think you try every year. “… We’ll try to compete day one if we can.” Per Wikipedia – Yinzer is a 20th-century term playing on the Pittsburghese second-person plural vernacular “yinz.” The word is used among people who identify themselves with the city of Pittsburgh and its traditions. “Yinzer” (or “Yunzer”) was historically used to identify the typical blue-collar people from the Pittsburgh region who often spoke with a heavy Pittsburghese accent. The term stems from the word yinz (or yunz), a second-person plural pronoun brought to the area by early Scottish-Irish immigrants.[1] Over time, yinzer has been used by many Pittsburgh residents to self-identify, even if they don’t speak with a thick accent. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| TENNESSEEThis: @JaimeEisnerThe Patriots have won as many games since December 21st as the Titans have won since firing Mike Vrabel.– – -Robert Saleh is no fool, so Zachary Pareles of CBSSports.com isn’t telling us anything Saleh doesn’t know about the importance of nailing his OC hire. Roughly 15 months after an ignominious midseason firing by the New York Jets, Robert Saleh is a head coach once again with the Tennessee Titans hiring him to save what has been a slowly sinking ship for several seasons. Saleh got the Titans’ job the same way he got the Jets’ job: by doing phenomenal work as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator. No, Saleh’s 2025 defense wasn’t the dominant force his 2019 and 2020 units were. But given the circumstances, he did a terrific job. The 49ers lost Nick Bosa to a torn ACL in Week 3 and Fred Warner to a dislocated and fractured right ankle in Week 6. First-round rookie Mykel Williams tore his ACL in Week 9. Injuries ate away not only at the stars, but at the depth, too. Despite having a dearth of pass rushers and playing rookies and inexperienced backups at every level of the defense, the 49ers buckled down in key scenarios and limited the damage: San Francisco finished 20th in total defense but 13th in scoring defense, in large part thanks to the fourth-best goal-to-go defense in the league. Now, Saleh will hope his second go ’round as a head coach goes much better than his first. He went 20-36 with the Jets despite having a top five total defense in three of his seasons in the Big Apple. Saleh will call plays for Tennessee defense, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, and there will undoubtedly be several other changes that he’ll adapt. Defense was never been the problem for Saleh, though. It was the offenses. For that aspect, it’s worth noting that Saleh impressed the Titans with his “incredibly detailed, comprehensive and team-specific” offensive coordinator plan, according to Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr. That’s a good thing because for Saleh to succeed, he needs Cam Ward to succeed — and for Ward to succeed, he needs the right offensive coordinator. Saleh’s offensive struggles with the JetsThe two biggest aspects Saleh never got right in New York were quarterback and offensive coordinator. The team completely whiffed on 2021 No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. There was certainly some bad luck here. Trevor Lawrence went No. 1 overall, and it was a historically disappointing quarterback class thereafter. Five quarterbacks went in the top 15, and only one — Lawrence — is a starter. None of Wilson, Trey Lance (No. 3 overall), Justin Fields (No. 11 overall) and Mac Jones (No. 15 overall) made it through his rookie contract with the team that drafted him. Hindsight, of course, is 20/20, but it’s clear that Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas didn’t exactly set Wilson up for success either. The Jets’ receiving yards leader and rushing yards leader in 2021 were rookies (Elijah Moore and Michael Carter). The team’s top two receptions leaders were Jamison Crowder and Braxton Berrios. And leading the entire operation was offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, whom Saleh brought over from San Francisco and was calling plays for the first time in his career. The defense, bereft of talent, finished dead last in points and yards. It was a mess. The Jets finished 4-13. The overall product improved in 2022 (7-10 record) thanks to a jump from the defense, which went from the NFL’s worst to one of its best. Still, the offense was terrible: Wilson struggling and a poor offensive line in from of him. So, Saleh overhauled the entire offensive operation in 2023. He parted ways with LaFleur and hired Nathaniel Hackett fresh off a disastrous 15-game run as the Denver Broncos’ coach. Hackett, most notably, had coached Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay; a few months later, lo and behold, the Jets traded for Rodgers. It ended up being a second swing and miss from Saleh and Douglas. Rodgers tore his Achilles minutes into his Jets debut, missed the rest of the season and was never the same. He was back for Week 1 of 2024 but clearly rusty. There were odd sideline exchanges and a disagreement about Rodgers’ hard counts (Saleh eventually backtracked). Less than a week later, with Saleh reportedly set to demote Hackett, he got fired. That’s what makes Saleh’s offensive coordinator plan vital for his success in Tennessee. He missed on two quarterbacks and two offensive coordinators while with the Jets. The first appeared to be a matter of youth: too much newness between head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterback and supporting cast. The second appeared to be a matter of too much acquiescing to familiarity: Rodgers got his former offensive coordinator and several of his former teammates. There was some bad luck mixed in with Rodgers’ injury, but it’s clear Saleh’s offensive misfires doomed him. Saleh wouldn’t have taken this job (or been offered it) if he didn’t firstly believe in Ward and secondly believe he has the right plan for Ward. Unlike his time with the Jets, the young, highly drafted quarterback is already in place. It’s up to Saleh to complete the puzzle. Cam Ward showed real promise down the stretchWard was one of the least talked-about No. 1 picks ever on draft night — the Shedeur Sanders slide, the Travis Hunter trade and the Titans landing spot all contributed — and remained that way all season. The Titans were dreadful out of the gate, starting 0-4. Ward then generated the biggest headline of his career thus far by declaring, “We ass.” Fitting. It didn’t get much better. The Titans won in Week 5 but lost in Week 6 and fired Brian Callahan. They didn’t win again until Week 14. That’s an easy way to get lost in the NFL’s never-ending shuffle of headlines. But Ward, mostly out of sight and out of mind from the national perspective, closed the regular season strong. It started, ironically, against the Seattle Seahawks, who own arguably the NFL’s best defense. Ward threw for 256 yards and a score, ran for 37 yards and a score, went 4 for 4 for 45 yards and three first downs on fourth down and ran for two first downs on fourth down as well. His 0.16 expected points added per dropback was his best number in a full game this season and the fourth-best number by any player against Seattle. Many of the numbers weren’t necessarily “good,” (Ward’s 5.1 net yards per pass attempt this season was dead last) but they were much improved. That’s a very positive sign. Perhaps the most positive sign was the decrease in negative plays, as the bottom three rows of that chart show. Ward was on track to have one of the worst sack-to-pressure rates on record before his mid-season turnaround. As he learned to evade pressure, he not only avoided negative plays, but he started making some highlight-reel ones, too. This is what the Titans offense was down the stretch: far more palatable when digested through highlights than an entire game. The Titans were still 31st in passing success rate and 28th in yards per play from Week 12 onward. Upgrades for Titans to makeTennessee likely thought it had made itself a solid landing spot for Ward, and in some respects, it did. Tennessee has poured ample resources into its offensive line, which finished 13th in Pro Football Focus’ pass block metrics (23rd in rush blocking). Third-year guard Peter Skoronski graded out well, as did fellow guard Kevin Zeitler. Right tackle JC Latham made a significant jump from his rookie year, especially as a run blocker. Overall, the run game finished solidly. Saleh, his offensive coordinator and eventually his offensive line coach must have a plan to continue Skoronski’s and Latham’s upward trajectories while also hoping to get veteran free agents Dan Moore Jr. and Lloyd Cushenberry back on track. Moore signed a four-year, $82.5 million contract last offseason. He was PFF’s No. 56-ranked pass-blocking tackle out of 71 who played at least 500 snaps. He also allowed 46 pressures, second-most in the NFL. Cushenberry was PFF’s No. 31 overall center out of 34 with at least 500 snaps. His 24 pressures allowed were third-most among center. If Zeitler leaves, that’s another hole to fill. Tennessee would also do well to add a true No. 1 wide receiver, or at least a high-end, reliable No. 2. Calvin Ridley was limited to just 17 catches across seven games and has struggled with drops. The Titans can get out of his contract this offseason. Rookies Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor were intriguing and flashed at times but, like the offense as a whole, were inconsistent. Tennessee, it should be noted, has the most projected cap space in the NFL. Of course, few changes will matter if Saleh doesn’t get the offensive coordinator right. Ward showed some truly wowing arm talent and creativity while also displaying maturation and improvement as a negative play mitigator. He also showed the ability to run an under-center offense — something he didn’t do in college and something that should serve him well going forward. There’s a lot of fun, moldable potential for both him and this offense. They must have the right architect. |
| AFC EAST |
| MIAMIThis: @DavidFurones_The Patriots are about to play in their 10th Super Bowl since the Dolphins’ last playoff win. New England has now won 34 postseason games since Miami’s last playoff win on November 30, 2000. Seattle actually is 4th in that span with 16 playoff wins. – – -Bobby Slowik, who did the best work with QB C.J. STROUD in Houston before the relationship sowered, is back in the Offfensive Coordinator business with new head coach Jeff Halfley. Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com: The Miami Dolphins are promoting Bobby Slowik to offensive coordinator, a source confirmed to ESPN on Saturday. Slowik spent the 2025 season as the Dolphins’ passing game coordinator; he also interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator job. He’s the second coordinator hired under new head coach Jeff Hafley this week, after the team hired former Buffalo Bills special teams coordinator Chris Tabor to the same position Friday. A source told ESPN that Miami also interviewed Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt for its open defensive coordinator job. Hafley said at his introductory news conference Thursday that he will call defensive plays, and that the Dolphins’ offense would depend on the strengths of its personnel. “I’m never one to just say, ‘Here’s the playbook, this is what we’re running regardless of who we have,'” he said. “I’m not like that. I want to take a close look at what we have and I want to make sure we fit that and give our players the best chance to succeed. … There are certain core beliefs that I really do believe in, like running the ball and being really physical up front — so when they know we’re going to run the ball, we’re still going to run it well. That’s going to be huge for me. “And then we do need to build it around the quarterback, and you have to surround that quarterback with weapons — the O-line, the wideouts, the backs so it’s not all him.” The Dolphins’ passing offense struggled in 2025; its 180.5 passing yards per game ranked 25th in the NFL. The team will likely break in a new quarterback in 2026, with Tua Tagovailoa open to a change of scenery this offseason. Miami’s rushing offense was its focal point, on the strength of running back De’Von Achane — who ranked fifth in the NFL with a career-high 1,350 rushing yards. Hafley vowed to continue building around the Dolphins’ run game this season. “I like being under center and do I like running the football,” he said, “because the play-action pass off that, you create separation between the second and third level and from a defensive standpoint, that’s really hard. The screen game, the keepers, everything looking the same, hunting explosives, right? Those are things that have always given me trouble as a defensive coach and I’d like to implement some of those.” Before arriving in South Florida, Slowik spent two seasons as the Houston Texans offensive coordinator. Houston finished 12th in both yards per game and scoring in his first season, but those figures dropped to 22nd and 19th in 2024, respectively. Slowik was also an assistant coach for both the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders dating back to 2011. He and Hafley were on the same 49ers staff from 2017 to 2018. |
| NEW ENGLANDTwo sides of the same coin: Jack Andrade@RealJackAndradeThe Patriots have allowed 26 points across 3 playoff games to reach Super Bowl LX The only team to allow fewer points over 3 playoff games before a Super Bowl appearance was the 2000 Ravens (allowed 16 points) Dante Koplowitz-Fleming@DanteKopFlemFewest points scored in the Wild Card, Divisional, and Conference Championship Games en route to a Super Bowl appearance: 54 – 2025 Patriots61 – 2000 Ravens68 – 2007 Giants New England’s path is 16-3 over the Chargers, 28-16 over Houston, 10-7 over Denver. The 2000 Ravens went 21-3 over Denver,24-10 over Tennessee, 16-3 over Oakland. Baltimore scored 34 points in winning the Super Bowl over the Giants.- – -This from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: The Patriots’ AFC Championship Game victory in Denver was their ninth win in nine road games. That’s unprecedented in NFL history. Prior to this season’s Patriots, no team in NFL history had ever gone 9-0 on the road. The Patriots went 8-0 on the road in the regular season and then added a win in their only road playoff game on Sunday. Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave head coach Mike Vrabel a game ball in the locker room after Sunday’s win over the Broncos and pointed to that achievement as the reason. “No other team in the history of the NFL has gone 9-0 on the road,” Kraft told the Patriots’ locker room. Three other teams have won nine road games: The 2007 Giants actually won 10 road games, and the 2020 Buccaneers and 2005 Steelers each won nine. But those teams all lost games on the road, too. The Patriots are the first team ever to play at least nine games on the road, and win them all.– – -No other human being knew what QB DRAKE MAYE was going to do on the biggest play of the game. Jori Epstein of YahooSports.com. With the sunny, blue skies that colored the first half a distant memory, the New England Patriots had no intention of passing the ball. One minute and 57 seconds remained in the AFC championship game. Third-and-6 loomed, and snow blanketed Empower Field at Mile High so thoroughly that stadium staff were powering snowblowers every game break to elucidate the down-and-distance markers vanishing beneath the powder. But facing what Patriots center Garrett Bradbury called a “sideways blizzard,” just one first down separated the Patriots from a Super Bowl berth. The Denver Broncos knew the weather drastically decreased the chance of a pass, so they left no safeties deep. They saw heavy personnel New England had earlier aligned on for a stretch run to the right, and defenders slid to their left accordingly. As Drake Maye surveyed his options in an offense that puts a lot on the quarterback’s plate but also empowers him, Maye thought to himself: “At some point, they get lackadaisical.” Translation: If the Broncos were going to slide toward his right, Maye would take it around the left edge. Broncos outside linebacker Jonah Elliss seemed to travel with Maye as he took off behind the line of scrimmage, then across the line of scrimmage, and nearing the first-down chains. But as Elliss dove to prevent Maye’s conversion, he instead ended up sprawled in the snow as Maye’s speed proved unmoored by the slick conditions that his teammates and opponents confirmed impacted their ability to find solid footing. “If it’s a pass play called, then we’re going to protect him the best we can and he’s got obviously that threat to take it, and so we’ll ride with him any day of the week,” Bradbury said from a celebratory postgame locker room. “He understands his skills and how he can hurt a defense. I mean, that’s got to be demoralizing for a defense. “Gutsy effort from him in those conditions.” After scoring just 10 points to the Broncos’ 7, the Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl. Because on a day when two high-performing defenses were further aided by conditions that countered the pass game the NFL has tried so hard to promote, the Broncos’ mobile, first-string quarterback was confined to the fourth floor with a scooter. And while Bo Nix recovers from a broken ankle he suffered in overtime of the Broncos’ divisional-round win, Maye validated why he’s a finalist for this season’s MVP as he rushed for 65 yards and a score. Maye is poised to be the youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl since Dan Marino in 1985. Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams echoed Bradbury’s phrasing from the opposite side of the locker room. “It’s demoralizing,” he said of Maye’s escapability. “I mean, dem boys, they rushing. They trying to go get him and he fast. He [is] fast and that’s a backbreaker when you [are] rushing and you can’t get back there. Now you got to chase him after you done beat your guy. “That was a big play by Drake that ended it for us. We’re going back to the Bowl.” |
| THIS AND THAT |
| RANKING THE HIRESWriting prior to the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy, Tyler Sullivan of CBSSports.comgrades the first five coaching hires: The NFL hiring cycle is as robust as it’s been in recent memory. In all, 10 openings popped up across the league this go-around, meaning over 30% of franchises were looking for new head coaches. When we look at the array of openings, they are quite different. On the one hand, teams like the Browns, Giants, Raiders, Titans and Cardinals all fired their head coaches — some midseason — after years that left them with some of the league’s worst records and in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Then, there are clubs like the Bills, Ravens and Steelers that moved on from their head coaches after their tenures — which were considered successful overall — ran stale and failed to meet expectations. Now, each of those teams will have new faces leading their organizations into what they all hope will be a brighter tomorrow. With five coaching positions filled, let’s begin rolling out our grades for each hire. Teams yet to hire a head coach: Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders FALCONSKevin Stefanski: B+The new brain trust in Atlanta, headlined by president of football Matt Ryan and head coach Kevin Stefanski, is quite powerful. With Stefanski, he found himself in a quarterback tornado as head coach of the Browns, particularly over the last few seasons — beginning with the arrival of Deshaun Watson and double-dipping in last year’s draft with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Even with that instability under center, Stefanski was still able to win two NFL Coach of the Year awards (2020 and 2023), so he comes to the Falcons with a strong reputation. Similar to the Browns, however, Stefanski’s tenure could be defined by how he develops the quarterback position, particularly with Michael Penix Jr. Unlike Cleveland, Stefanski will now have a plethora of weapons at his disposal to help Penix, most notably Bijan Robinson and Drake London. He also has Kirk Cousins currently in the fold as a veteran backup option. Stefanski was the offensive coordinator for the Vikings in 2019, when Cousins earned a Pro Bowl nod after posting a career-high 107.4 passer rating. From an offensive standpoint, this is a strong attempt by the Falcons brass to maximize what they have in Penix. It was also a savvy move to retain defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as well. RAVENSJesse Minter: AWhile some may have expected Baltimore to go with an offensive-minded head coach to pair with Lamar Jackson, I believe hiring Minter is the better approach. One of the biggest obstacles in the Ravens’ pursuit of a Super Bowl berth has been their defense falling short, despite having elite talent like Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith. Injuries played a major role, but the unit also simply didn’t perform to its level. Minter should help fix that, as his Chargers defense ranked top five in the NFL in several key categories this season as defensive coordinator. Of course, Minter also has ties to the organization, having worked as a defensive assistant under John Harbaugh from 2017 to 2020. From there, he rose through the ranks largely under Jim Harbaugh — first as his defensive coordinator at Michigan and then with the Chargers. The biggest X-factor will be who Minter brings in as offensive coordinator, but he comes from a strong coaching tree and should be able to find the right conductor for Baltimore’s high-octane offense. DOLPHINSJeff Hafley: C+When Miami hired former Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as its next general manager, the writing was on the wall that the Dolphins would keep that Green Bay pipeline flowing with the hiring of Jeff Hafley. This move leans into what made Miami feisty down the stretch, as it went 6-4 over its final 10 games thanks in part to improved defensive play. The Dolphins allowed 21.9 points per game over that span after surrendering 29.3 points per game in the seven games prior. With Hafley’s bread and butter on defense, that unit should remain a strength in 2026. Under Hafley, Green Bay allowed 20.5 points per game, 5.1 yards per play and 108.5 rushing yards per game over the last two seasons — all top-10 marks in the NFL. Hafley’s group did stumble a bit down the stretch of the 2025 campaign, however. The bigger concern as Hafley ascends to head coach, despite his experience at the college level (he led Boston College from 2020 to 2023), comes on the offensive side of the ball. Miami appears poised to part ways with Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, and given the team’s cap constraints, there’s no clear path to a suitable replacement. With Hafley not coming from an offensive background, he may not be able to mask those deficiencies as effectively as a coach with more experience on that side of the ball. That could result in a lean 2026 for the franchise. GIANTSJohn Harbaugh: AThis is a great marriage between the Giants and Harbaugh. From New York’s perspective, the team needed to bring in a head coach with immediate credibility, particularly after three of its previous four hires were first-time head coaches. The Giants were searching for a Tom Coughlin-like figure who can stabilize the organization, and Harbaugh is certainly capable of that. Harbaugh is also the first head coach the Giants have hired who has previously won a Super Bowl, so he brings a winning pedigree that no recent coach has carried into the building. From Harbaugh’s standpoint, this was the top job on the market when he accepted the gig (Buffalo had not opened up yet). New York already has a franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, intriguing skill-position weapons in Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, and a defensive line stocked with stud pass rushers like Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter. The Giants also hold the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, creating even more avenues to add blue-chip talent. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a Harbaugh-led rebound in 2026. TITANSRobert Saleh: BThere’s an argument to be made that the Titans should have opted for an offensive-minded head coach to pair with rising second-year quarterback Cam Ward. After all, the franchise finished 30th in points per game (16.7) and 31st in total yards per game (259.6) during the 2025 season. That said, Saleh is worthy of a second stint as a head coach. While his offenses with the Jets never fully panned out, he did have New York’s defense playing at a high level. If he’s able to provide a similar boost in Tennessee, that would be a welcome development, particularly after the Titans have given up 27.6 points per game over the last two seasons (31st in the NFL over that span). Saleh was saddled with Zach Wilson to begin his tenure with the Jets, and after that pick flamed out, the team pivoted to Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles just a handful of plays into his first season. That prevented Saleh from ever truly getting off the ground in New York, but he won’t have that same problem in Tennessee, particularly if Ward carries over his second-half leap into Year 2. With his quarterback secure, Saleh will need to hire the right offensive coordinator, but the head coach is positioned to succeed. Beyond already having Ward in place, Saleh inherits a Titans team holding the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and the most available cap space in the NFL, with a projected $100.7 million. That’s an awfully strong starting point. |
