| Would the NFL have flexed out of Dallas at Las Vegas on Monday night? They usually don’t touch the mighty Cowboys, but in 2025, Seattle at Rams and/or Tampa Bay at Buffalo would seem to have been better options and probably unprotected. But as Mike Florio explains, by rule, the NFL could not touch it if it wanted to: Starting in 2006, when Sunday Night Football moved from cable to broadcast, the NFL began utilizing the ability to slide bad games away from the big platform, replacing them with more compelling matchups. The flex scheduling concept has more recently spread to other prime-time windows, with Thursday night and Monday nights now in the mix. Setting aside the fact that flexing games not by hours but by days creates logistical issues and potential expenses for fans traveling to games, if the league is going to prioritize harvesting large audiences over in-stadium fan convenience, there’s more work to be done. Specifically, the Thursday/Monday flexing needs to begin earlier. For Monday games, flexing is available from Weeks 12 through 17 (with 12 days notice). For Thursday games, it’s available from Weeks 13 through 17 (with 21 days notice). It’s now Week 11. And the Monday night game has the Raiders hosting the Cowboys. In contrast, the Week 11 Sunday slate has MANY better games that could have been moved to Monday night. (The same concept applies to the Thursday night game, which puts the 2-7 Jets in a standalone window.) The mid-season, non-flex donut hole raises another important point. When the league is putting the schedule together, it’s critical to get the Thursday and Monday games right from, say, late October until the flex window opens. The potentially “bad” teams should have any prime-time games early in the year, before their records fully expose their flaws. The Raiders — a team anyone paying even casual attention to the NFL knew or should have known would struggle this year — nevertheless had a Thursday night game in Week 10 and a Monday night game in Week 11. The best candidate to move to Week 11 Monday night would have been Seahawks-Rams, which is currently hidden in a 4:05 p.m. ET regional window. (Chiefs-Broncos is the big-platform 4:25 p.m. ET game.) Under current rules, however, Seahawks-Rams couldn’t have gone to Monday night because the rematch is set for a future Thursday night. And one of the two games in the annual rivalry must be available to Fox. If the goal is to put the best games in prime time, that rule needs to go away. And, yes, it’s important not to rob Peter blind in order to provide Paul with compelling prime-time games, but there are enough “good” games to go around in most weeks (and especially in this week). It should never happen that, in November, the Monday night game is one of the objectively least desirable games of a weekend that has Sunday afternoon games like Seahawks-Rams, Broncos-Chiefs, Buccaneers-Bills, Chargers-Jaguars, Bears-Vikings, and Bengals-Steelers. Looking ahead at the Primetime Flex candidates, there is only one game that we see with two teams likely to be “out of it”. That is in Week 16 on Sunday night – Cincinnati at Miami (and even then the Bengals could be on the fringes). Best option to replace it might be New England at Baltimore with CBS protecting Pittsburgh at Detroit late. There are some other games with one good team like Rams at Atlanta on Monday in Week 17 or Denver at Washington (Sun night) and Giants at Pats (Mon night) both in Week 13 – but that’s Thanksgiving with other complications. |
| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITMichael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com spots an endangered Lions record that could fall to a Lion: Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is only 23 years old, and after his three-touchdown game on Sunday, he has 41 touchdowns in his NFL career. That’s getting him close to a record set by another Lions running back. Hall of Famer Barry Sanders scored 47 touchdowns before his 24th birthday, which is the most in NFL history for a player under the age of 24. Gibbs won’t turn 24 until March, so he has the rest of this season to score seven touchdowns and eclipse Sanders’ record accomplishment. Gibbs’ 41 touchdowns are the most of any player in the NFL since he entered the league in 2023. With a touchdown on Sunday night against the Eagles, Gibbs will tie Jim Brown for the fourth-most touchdowns before the age of 24. Up next on the list are Randy Moss and Emmitt Smith, who each scored 43 touchdowns before age 24. And then Gibbs could set his eyes on Sanders, a player any Lions running back should be honored to be mentioned with. |
| NFC EAST |
| PHILADELPHIAWR A.J. BROWN apparently feels he can simultaneously be a great teammate and unhappy with how little his talents are being used. As the world turns, so does the news cycle. One story refuses to go away in Philadelphia, though, and it’s centered on A.J. Brown. The receiver’s discontentment with his limited role in the Eagles’ offense has been a persistent storyline during the 2025 season, and while team leadership and even Brown himself downplays the seriousness of the matter, the issue refuses to fade away. In a video that surfaced Tuesday night, Twitch streamer JankyRondo played a game of Madden NFL 26 on a livestream against a PlayStation user named imopen11 who was purportedly Brown, and asked him over in-game chat if everything was going well. “Everything been good, though?” the streamer asked. “Everything been straight? Mental good? Kids good?” “I mean, no,” the person replied, chuckling. “Where have you been? Family good? Yeah. Everything else? No. It’s been a s—show.” The person who was purportedly Brown laughed his way through his response, seemingly at the absurdity of both the question and his frustrating reality. Later in the game, the same person offered advice to fans watching. “If you got me on fantasy, man, get rid of me,” he said, laughing again. Although Brown never appeared in the video, his participation in the in-game chat was confirmed Wednesday when he spoke to reporters in the locker room following practice. Asked for his perspective on the livestream in which he came off unhappy with his situation, Brown noted he would not apologize. “I think if you’ve got eyes, you can see that,” Brown said regarding things not going well. “It’s the same things I’ve been saying all season. So me making light of my situation on Twitch with my friend, that’s something I’m not apologizing for. Because, like I said, if you have eyes, you can see that.” Later asked for more clarification on the video, Brown said: “After the game, I said all the right answers, and y’all still made a story. In that moment where I’m just talking to my friend, having fun with my friend, I’m not apologizing for that. … It’s not that I was throwing anybody under the bus. I’m literally trying to laugh through this s—. This s— is tough. But I’m trying to make fun of the situation and to try to get through it. It is what is is, man.” Clips of the exchange spread virally across social media on Wednesday, trickling into Eagles coach Nick Sirianni’s meeting with reporters. “I’m close to being done answering these questions with this,” Sirianni said, via ESPN. “He’s working hard and he is a big part of this game plan [for Sunday’s game against the Lions] and he’ll be a big part of the game plan going forward. He’s working like crazy when he’s here, and I’m excited to have him.” Quarterback Jalen Hurts was also broached about the issue. “I know you gotta ask those questions and I have a lot of respect for that,” Hurts said. “My focus always goes back to what the group is doing and what the collective is. Obviously, A.J. plays a pivotal role in what we’ve been and what we’ve done. And so, we just have to continue to grow with that every day. I know he’s talked about having a growth mindset and embracing that, so we just need that mentality as we go throughout this season and try to get to where we’re trying to go.” When it comes to this persistent topic, Brown’s lack of production certainly doesn’t help matters. Over Brown’s last five games, he’s seen 35 targets, good for a satisfactory average of seven per game. He’s caught just 19 of them for 264 yards and two touchdowns, with nearly half of those yards and both scores coming in a 28-22 win over the Vikings in Week 7. Even in that game, Brown appeared subdued when celebrating his first score, almost as if the entire ordeal has left him weary. The ongoing drama inspired some to wonder whether the Eagles might trade Brown at the deadline, but once it passed and Brown remained an Eagle, general manager Howie Roseman succinctly explained why he wouldn’t send the three-time Pro Bowler elsewhere: “You just don’t get rid of guys like that.” After the deadline passed, Brown played in Philadelphia’s low-scoring win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night and was all but invisible, seeing two targets over the majority of the contest before a questionable fourth-down decision called for a deep shot to Brown that landed incomplete in the game’s final minute. He left Lambeau Field with two catches for 13 yards in the 10-7 triumph, adding fresh fuel to the long-lasting fire. “If you look at how the game went, there were a lot of plays that are going to [Brown] that for different reasons don’t,” Sirianni explained Wednesday. “For instance, [DeVonta Smith]’s touchdown, that play is going to A.J.; they took it away, and [Hurts] threw it over the top. You can’t look at stats and just say this is what’s happening. You can’t paint the picture that way.” Likewise asked about the ball not coming his way more from Hurts at times, Brown, too, offered a measured explanation. “Certain plays have different reads despite what it looks like when somebody takes a screenshot,” he said. “And you can’t go off that. [Hurts] has certain reads. He has a lot going on in his head that he’s trying to process, and then also he has pressure in his face. Maybe that’s a question for him or K.P. (offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo).” Here is a list of the 10 most targeted players: Ja’Marr Chase 107 Chris Olave 95 Christian McCaffrey 90 Trey McBride 88 Jaxon Smith-Njigba 85 Drake London 85 Justin Jefferson 84 Amon-Ra St. Brown 82 Keenan Allen 80 Ladd McConkey 80 All of them have 50+ receptions. It is pretty hard for Brown to be in that company – when he only has been targeted 54 times which is 43rd in the NFL. That said 79 players have been targeted 40+ times. Brown is averaging 7.56 yards per target which ranks 44th. Ten receivers are averaging more than 10 yards per target – including Brown’s teammate DeVonta Smith with 10.60 for his 62 targets. |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONAHere is another look at what might unwind for QB KYLER MURRAY from former agent Joel Curry of CBSSports.com: Quarterback Kyler Murray’s prospects with the Arizona Cardinals took a turn for the worse last week on Election Day. Murray got a vote of no confidence from coach Jonathan Gannon and the Cardinals. Gannon indicated during his weekly radio interview with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that Jacoby Brissett would be starting at quarterback in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks even if Murray wasn’t dealing with a right foot sprain that has kept him out of action ever since Week’s 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Cardinals placing Murray on injured reserve the following day overshadowed that he was essentially benched for a journeyman backup quarterback. Murray is eligible to return from IR for Week 14’s game versus the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 7. There’s plenty of speculation about whether Murray will play again this season. Arizona’s offense has been better under Brissett although that isn’t reflected in the won-loss column. In Brissett’s four starts, the Cardinals are averaging 24.8 points and 351.3 yards per game with a 1-3 record. Arizona has averaged 18.8 points and 288.4 yards per game while winning two of Murray’s five starts. Murray has only produced seven pass plays of 20 yards or more. Brissett has twice as many with 14 while taking 25 fewer offensive snaps than Murray this season.Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride had a hard time finding the end zone with Murray. He is a red zone threat with Brissett. Five of McBride’s six touchdowns in 2025 have come from Brissett. Murray is in the second year of the five-year, $230.5 million contract extension, averaging $46.1 million per year, he signed in July 2022. The 2019 first overall pick is under contract through the 2028 season. Murray is scheduled to make $125,234,860 over the next three years (2026 through 2028). Out of Murray’s $42,542,500 for 2026, $36.8 million is fully guaranteed. The guaranteed money consists of Murray’s $22.835 million base salary and $13.965 million of his $17 million fifth day of the league year roster bonus, which is due next March 15. His 2026 salary cap number is $53,260,677. The ultimate decision about Murray reportedly will be made in the offseason. Gannon and Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort don’t have an allegiance to Murray. He received his contract when Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim where serving in those respective capacities. Murray’s situation is expected to come to a head before next March 15 (i.e.; the fifth day of the 2026 league year). That’s when Murray’s completely unsecured $19.5 million 2027 base salary is fully guaranteed. He is scheduled to make $36.335 million on a $41,246,177 cap number in 2027. It’s hard to imagine Murray having significant trade value primarily because of his contract. The inclusion of an unprecedented “homework” clause in Murray’s contract, which the Cardinals subsequently removed, requiring at least four hours of independent study during game weeks raised issues about his work ethic. Unlike most of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks, Murray’s contract doesn’t contain a no-trade clause. The Cardinals were able to get a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 fifth-round pick for 2018’s 10th overall pick Josh Rosen, the quarterback Murray replaced, from the Miami Dolphins during the 2019 NFL Draft. The draft capital received for Rosen is probably more than Murray would command because he had three fully guaranteed years worth $6,239,388 remaining (and a fifth-year option that could be exercised) left on his cost-contained rookie contract when traded. If the Cardinals could find a trade partner comfortable with Murray’s existing contract, there would be $15,629,354 of 2026 dead money, a salary cap charge for a player no longer on a team’s roster. The Cardinals would gain $37,631,323 in 2026 cap space by moving Murray. He would be off Arizona’s books after 2026 freeing up $41,246,177 and $46,357,360 of cap space, respectively, in 2027 and 2028. It’s more likely that the Cardinals will have to eat part of Murray’s 2026 salary for him to be dealt. For instance, the Cardinals converting the $17 million 2026 roster bonus to signing bonus prior to a trade would increase the 2026 dead money to $32,629,354 and lower the 2026 cap savings to $20,631,323. Murray having to change the guarantee vesting date for his 2027 base salary wouldn’t be out of the question either. This could be accomplished by having the injury guarantee still kick in as scheduled in March with the $19.5 million becoming fully guaranteed in 2027 either on the fifth day of the waiver period (five days after Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 19, 2027) or the fifth day of the 2027 league year that mid-March. Releasing Murray is a viable alternative if a trade doesn’t materialize. The Cardinals would have $52,429,354 in dead money by cutting Murray without a post-June 1 designation before the 2027 salary guarantee vests. The $52,429,354 would be the second most dead money ever related to an individual player in one league year behind only quarterback Russell Wilson’s $53 million, following his release from the Denver Broncos in March 2024. Murray’s dead money would consist of the $36.8 million in 2026 guaranteed salary and $15,629,354 in bonus proration from 2026 and 2027. The insurance on Murray’s contract reducing the bonus proration attributed to 2027 by $2,288,823 because of his right ACL tear during the 2022 season is why there would be a modest 2026 cap savings of $831,323 rather than a $1,457,500 increase in 2026 cap charges. Murray would be off Arizona’s books starting in 2027. The Cardinals are in a position salary cap wise to handle a conventional release of Murray. There are $275.5 million of 2026 cap commitments with 50 players under contract, according to NFLPA data. The top 51 salaries (i.e.; salary cap numbers) matter under offseason accounting rules. The Cardinals have $15.39 million of existing cap space that can be carried over to 2026. With a similar increase as in 2025, the 2026 salary cap should be in the $300 million to $305 million range. If the season ended today, the Cardinals would have the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Arizona would be a in a position to find Murray’s successor in the first round. Presumably, Brissett would serve as a bridge quarterback for the Cardinals in 2026 if they parted ways with Murray. He joined the Cardinals in March as an unrestricted free agent on a two-year, $12.5 million deal, averaging $6.25 million per year. Brissett is scheduled to make $5.44 million in 2026 on a $7.19 million cap number. A change of scenery might do Murray some good. Veteran quarterbacks who were also early first-round picks, such as Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and Baker Mayfield, are thriving in 2025 for teams that didn’t draft them. |
| SAN FRANCISCOShould he ever get healthy again, QB BROCK PURDY will be the 49ers starter. Nick Shook of NFL.com: The San Francisco 49ers (6-4) have accomplished a rare feat in 2025 by winning the majority of their games despite only having their starting quarterback available for two of them. The reason: Veteran backup Mac Jones is playing like a quality starter and has powered the 49ers to a handful of wins in place of franchise signal-caller Brock Purdy. Purdy is inching closer toward a long overdue return, though. It won’t be long before he’s ready to reclaim his place in San Francisco’s lineup, but might coach Kyle Shanahan be tempted to ride the hot hand in Jones? “No. It’s not a hard decision,” Shanahan said. “It’s just more about Brock’s health. It’s been awesome how Mac has played. He has been great. But we’ve got a lot of confidence in Brock and we know Brock will play at a high level too as long as he’s healthy.” Purdy suffered a toe injury in the 49ers’ thrilling Week 1 win in Seattle, missed Weeks 2 and 3, returned ahead of schedule for San Francisco’s Week 4 loss to Jacksonville and realized he’d pushed himself too hard, taking the next six weeks to recover, rehab and work toward returning. Over the last month, each Friday has included a question regarding Purdy’s status: Might this be the week the newly paid signal-caller returns? The answer has largely been the same: Purdy is progressing toward returning, but Jones will continue as the 49ers’ starter. |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYThere is no bigger fan of QB PATRICK MAHOMES than on-line researcher Scott Kacsmar, but that doesn’t extend to the Super Bowl favorites DC: @ScottKacsmarSpags might have the most complicated coaching legacy in football history. Are his defenses good at limiting points and yards? No. Do they get a lot of takeaways? No. @CWilliams2288Kansas City is 4th in points allowed per game and 6th in yards allowed per game this season. But sure Scott, they’re not good at limiting points and yards. @ScottKacsmarNo defense has faced fewer drives than the Chiefs this year. Also faced Russ instead of Dart. Lamar got injured in 3Q. Raiders without Bowers and Meyers. Commanders without Daniels. Overrated defense. This explains the “faced fewer drives” disparagement: @ScottKacsmarExtremely misleading stats. The Chiefs go on long drives better than anyone, have done so for years, so KC games have very few possessions. That deflates their raw offensive stats and makes their defense look better than it is. Look at drive stats instead. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDFormer Browns QB Bernie Kosar has a serious medical problem. The AP: – Bernie Kosar has undergone a series of procedures to stop internal bleeding as he awaits a liver transplant. The former Cleveland Browns star quarterback posted on social media Wednesday morning that he underwent “two aggressive procedures” over the past couple days and was set for a third one on Wednesday. The 61-year-old Kosar was set to receive a liver transplant last weekend, but said in a social media video that it was delayed because the donor’s organ was infected. “I could really use your love, support and actual prayers today,” Kosar said from his hospital bed. Kosar told Cleveland Magazine last year that he had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson’s disease. The Youngstown, Ohio, native recalled being bothered by liver-related issues for years but brushed them off because he wasn’t sure of the source. A diagnosis of cirrhosis about 16 months ago confirmed the specificity and severity of his condition. Kosar played in the NFL for 12 seasons after leading the University of Miami to its first national championship during the 1983 season. He grew up rooting for the Browns, who selected him in the 1995 NFL supplemental draft. Kosar played for the Browns from 1985 to 1993, leading the franchise to three AFC championship game appearances (1986, ’87 and ’89), losing each time to the Denver Broncos. Kosar is third all-time in franchise history with 21,904 passing yards. |
| AFC EAST |
| MIAMICharles McDonald of YahooSports.com sees a path for Coach Mike McDaniel to save his job. The Dolphins … have been pretty solid lately! This team has been much better since it started so slowly, getting trounced in most of its games amid a 1-6 start. However, this team has been playing credible football lately to the point where there is optimism about where the Dolphins are and when the eventual reset happens. Miami is 3-7 and not a threat to make the playoffs, but if you squint you can see things are slowly starting to come together, potentially delaying the decision on head coach Mike McDaniel’s future by at least a year. While the offense has always been the source of excitement and interest for the McDaniel-led Dolphins, the defense has had a strong turnaround compared to where it was to start the season. Over its first five games, Miami had the worst defense in football. According to TruMedia, the Dolphins allowed the most yards per drive (42.9), the highest success rate for opposing dropbacks (56.4%), and they ranked last in explosive play rate (13.9%) and 31st in expected points added per play (0.18). They looked destined to be one of the worst defenses in league history. Things have changed in a big way. Since Week 6, another five games worth of data, the Dolphins have been one of the better defenses in the league. They’re ninth in yards per drive (28.4), 11th in success rate (39.9%) and they’ve gone from allowing over three points per drive to 1.93 over their last five games. Most notably, they’ve arguably been the best rushing defense in the league within that timespan. They rank first in expected points added per rush (-0.25) and fourth in success rate (33.1%), which is a massive jump from where they were at the start of the season when they were bottom two in both categories. If the Dolphins can continue that defensive performance throughout the rest of the season, they’ll be competitive in every game. That improved play isn’t coming against nobodies either. They completely dismantled Atlanta and Buffalo’s running games, which is no small feat, and just bottled up the Bills’ explosive offense for four quarters. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver deserves a ton of credit for again figuring out how to fix things in the middle of the season. The defense is still doing the heavy lifting, though, as Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ passing game continues to sputter this season. What’s worked on offense is the play of De’Von Achane, who is doing whatever he can to keep the Dolphins moving the chains. In that same five-week timespan, 19.3% of Achane’s 83 carries have gone for explosive runs and he ranks second in expected points added on rushes (14.1). McDaniel is still one of the best at dialing up a running game in the league and he has figured out how to keep the explosives going even though they still need to improve the passing game. As much as McDaniel has struggled recently, it’s fair to be dubious about Miami’s ability to upgrade from him given where the peaks of this game have gone. If he can just have the Dolphins play more like they have over the past few weeks instead of the start of the season, the practical move might be to heavily invest in the offensive line and try one more time next season. This might not be done just yet. Starting with Sunday in Madrid against the reeling Commanders, the Dolphins have three winnable games to get to 6-7. The next three are tougher, but their opponents are not elite so let’s go 2-1 for 8-8. And maybe the 14-2 Patriots will be resting. So, while we are not predicting it, we could see 9-8. Although 7-10 seems more likely. 11 Sun, Nov 16 Washington (Madrid)12 BYE 13 Sun, Nov 30 New Orleans14 Sun, Dec 7 at NY Jets15 Mon, Dec 15 @ Pittsburgh16 Sun, Dec 21 Cincinnati17 Sun, Dec 28 Tampa Bay18 TBD – Flex @ New England |
| NEW ENGLANDMike Reiss of ESPN.com makes the case for QB DRAKE MAYE as the MVP: New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has made plenty of highlight-reel plays this season to become the favorite to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award. But it’s one of the simplest plays in the playbook that excites the second-year player more than any other: Maye ensures three players are behind him, approaches the line of scrimmage, sets under center Garrett Bradbury, calls for the snap and then backtracks a step before planting his left knee in the ground. “Getting into victory formation … That’s what I’m proud of the most,” he said. “There are probably some plays in there, some throws I made, but I think as a whole, it’s just working hard to win in this league.” Maye hardly had practice at the play as a rookie in 2024, when the Patriots won four games. But he already has called the play 11 times this season for minus-13 yards, one of the rare occasions in football where moving backward means a team is surging ahead. The 23-year-old Maye has helped the 8-2 Patriots to a seven-game winning streak, tied for the longest in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, and hopes to be calling the victory formation again Thursday when they host the 2-7 New York Jets (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). This season, Maye ranks in the top three in completion percentage (71.7%), passing touchdowns (19) and passing yards (2,555). He has had five games with a 75% completion rate and at least two touchdown passes, which ties for the fourth most in a season in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (2007), Matt Ryan (2016) and Jared Goff (2024) have more, and Brady and Ryan earned MVP honors in those respective seasons. All of that has been made possible thanks to an evolving leadership role, a growing mastery of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense, a willingness to spread the ball around featuring pinpoint deep passes, and mobility reminiscent of last year’s MVP, Josh Allen. “I’ve been super impressed,” veteran wide receiver and go-to target Stefon Diggs said earlier this month. “I’m riding with Drake Maye.” Here are the five keys to Maye’s MVP-like season. LeadershipIn his rookie season, the 2024 No. 3 pick was cognizant that his role was to learn behind veteran starter Jacoby Brissett — until the team turned to Maye in Week 6. This season, however, Maye has been more assertive taking the reins as the leader of the offense. In the offseason, he hosted a gathering for his pass catchers in his native North Carolina. In Week 6, he hosted his offensive linemen for a hibachi dinner at his home, where his wife, Ann Michael, baked an oatmeal apple cinnamon crisp that had his blockers buzzing. Tight end Austin Hooper has noticed the difference in the Year 2 version of Maye on and off the field. “Seeing where he’s at now, the command of the huddle, seeing him being willing to say subtle things like, ‘If you want the ball, this is what I expect’ — but in a very nice Drake way,” Hooper said. “… You see the comfortability coming off the rookie year — shoulders a little lower, has a little more swag to him, confidence.” Veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs spends a lot of time with Maye, with their lockers positioned next to each other, and has also noticed. “Authentic and intentional are the two words I’d say that describe [Maye’s] leadership,” Dobbs said. “He’s himself every day. He hangs out with everyone … but he’s also very intentional with what he wants to get done and how he wants to push a certain person to achieve something on the field.” Dobbs and Maye also sit together in the quarterbacks room, where McDaniels has shared his past history and experience coaching legendary Patriots quarterback Brady to help push Maye. “Josh does a good job saying, ‘This is how I’ve seen it done at a high level.’ And [Maye] soaks it in,” Dobbs said. “And he’s able to do not exactly how Josh tells him to do it, but he puts his own spin and personality on it.” Starting right tackle Morgan Moses, who at 34 is the oldest player on the Patriots’ roster, called Maye “magical.” “The detail he plays with, and the professionalism he brings every day, it makes everybody better around him [and] commands greatness out of the offense. He does it in his own way. You’re able to feed off him.” Like all good leaders do, Maye practices what he preaches. He has worked to reduce turnovers, one of the top parts of the team identity coach Mike Vrabel has preached. In 13 games last season, Maye threw 10 interceptions. In 10 games this year, he has had five. Dobbs pointed to the Patriots’ Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers as the turning point to better ball security — a game in which the team totaled five turnovers including a Maye interception and lost fumble. “He’s done a good job, especially after that moment, of being intentional, taking care of the ball, being good in the pocket, working on those habits in practice. And it’s shown,” Dobbs said. “As long as we keep doing that, we’ll always have a chance any week.” Spreading the ball around with accuracyThe Patriots have had six different players lead the team in catches and receiving yards in a game, something no other club has done this season through Week 10. Coaches and players say that’s a good indicator of Maye often taking what is there. “He has an uncanny ability to see the coverage post-snap,” New England quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant said. “We try to give him clues on what to look at pre-snap, and what to key post-snap, and if he sees a certain look too, he knows what his answers are and what to get back to. It’s a quarterback taking his coaching, and the work he’s put in, and realizing it on Sunday.” Maye had completed 66% of his passes in 2022 at North Carolina, which dipped to 63.3% in his final collegiate season. In his 2024 rookie NFL campaign, he finished at 66.6%, so his current mark of 71.7% would be a new benchmark for him. Grant cited his “consistent stroke” and work with a private quarterback coach to home in on technique. “You pride yourself on trying to be accurate with the football — trying to hit a guy in a spot, on the shoulder, for yards after the catch,” Maye said, deflecting praise to his teammates. “Credit to them, they’re making great plays and great plays on the ball, and credit to the guys up front. They’ve been blocking their butts off.” Dobbs pinpointed the second half of the Week 5 win against the Buffalo Bills as a breakthrough for better efficiency. Maye was 9-of-16 for 89 yards in the first half of that game. He was 13-of-14 for 184 yards in the second half. “That was the moment you saw it. … I thought playing on the road, hard environment, you’re on the silent count and their defense likes to spin the coverage and try to confuse you — and it’s ‘Let me get the ball out, find the first open guy, simple football.’ He hooped in the second half,” Dobbs said. “Then he really has propelled himself since then. That’s something that comes with time.” Mastery of McDaniels’ offensive systemMaye said in the offseason that one of the most important priorities for him was a smooth transition from the Alex Van Pelt-led offense in 2024 to McDaniels’ attack in 2025, as he wanted to set the pace for his teammates when the offseason program began April 7. So he immersed himself in learning the offense during the normally quieter months of February and March, spending time in Foxborough, albeit with limitations on the contact he could have with coaches based on NFL rules. That aspect of Maye’s commitment and performance has stood out to No. 3 quarterback Tommy DeVito, who joined the Patriots in late August after being waived by the New York Giants. “Just how much control he has over this offense in his first year; I’ve been here a couple months and there are so many moving parts to this offense that the outside eye doesn’t see. The run game, everything flows through Drake. Every single thing. Every check. Every alert. Whether it’s built in or not, he gets to the answer,” DeVito said. “That’s been the most impressive thing — he’s not overwhelmed and still able to play at a high speed.” Maye’s willingness to learn and improve has been tone-setting, according to Grant. He highlighted a practice leading into the team’s Week 9 win against the Atlanta Falcons as an example. The Patriots had been working on an offensive concept, and Maye didn’t make the correct decision on one play that led to a defender getting his hand on the football. But when the team came back to the same play later in practice, Maye aced it, and the result was an explosive play. “It’s been great, because he’s excited to learn and continue to improve. He has the right mindset of attacking each and every day. He’s thirsty to learn,” Grant said, noting footwork, pocket maneuvering and trusting protection as areas in which Maye has been all “about owning the details.” Those details have been complemented by McDaniels’ unwavering belief in him, which came to the forefront after a surprising season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders when Maye wasn’t as decisive as he has since been over the team’s current seven-game win streak. The hot topic on local sports radio in the aftermath was if Maye had “too much on his plate,” to which McDaniels calmly retorted: “We have to understand it’s his first game in our system. The view of it is a long-term vision of where this guy is going to be. He’s the right guy.” McDaniels’ guidance has sparked Maye’s rise to MVP consideration. “He’s done it his whole life, and I feel like he was put on this Earth to be an offensive coordinator,” Maye said after a Week 8 win against the Cleveland Browns in which adjustments from McDaniels were a driving factor in turning a 9-7 game at halftime into a 32-13 rout. “It’s fun to be in the headset with him.” Maye’s mastery has been especially apparent against the blitz. Through Week 10, he leads the NFL in QBR (94) when blitzed, according to ESPN Research. He also has a 69% completion rate while averaging 9.5 yards per attempt, both ranking him third in the NFL against the blitz. In addition, Maye has thrown nine touchdown passes and only one interception against the blitz. The only players with more touchdown passes against the blitz are Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (18) and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (11). Last season against the blitz, Maye had a QBR of 48 and completed 54% of his passes with five touchdowns and five interceptions. “He’s poised in the pocket, athletic and has great touch,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said. Mobility and durabilityWhen the Falcons were preparing to face the Patriots in Week 9, their defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, paid Maye one of the highest compliments. “He feels like a younger [Bills QB] Josh Allen,” Ulbrich said. Just as Allen has shown a knack for turning broken plays into positive gains on the ground, Maye has as well. Since Week 6 of the 2024 season, when Maye made his first career NFL start, he has the most rushing yards on scrambles (678). That is 101 more than the next-closest player in that span — Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. If anything, at times Maye has trusted his legs too much, sometimes kicking himself for bailing out of passing plays early. But teammates believe he’s being too hard on himself. “He’s not forcing it,” Dobbs said. “That’s the big thing you see sometimes — guys can try to force it, especially if the game has a little lull. Like the Cleveland game [Week 8], we did fine in the first half, playing good defense. But just staying true to the reads and progressions, and the way it naturally happens — he had the big [28-yard] run in the third quarter. And then the next play you catch them in man again and throw a [39-yard] touchdown. That’s just good football.” Players ribbed Maye for how the 28-yard scramble ended with a less-than-artful slide, with Vrabel joking that he might have to send the quarterback to baseball’s spring training to learn better sliding skills. In a Week 6 win at Tennessee, Maye failed to get down on a third-down scramble and paid a heavy price — a crunching hit that led to his head hitting the ground with a thud, with the independent spotter pulling him for a concussion check. Maye missed three plays, with Dobbs delivering a clutch third-down conversion, before returning to the game. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maye is built to take some hits, but it’s the accumulation of them over the course of the season that coaches worry could wear him down. “The No. 4 thing on our pillars and what we’re trying to build, our team identity, is making great decisions,” Grant said. “For Drake Maye, being healthy is making a great decision for the football team. We continuously talk to him about the balance between his aggressiveness and competitiveness — and putting us in the best position to win games.” Dobbs, who has made a career out of being a dependable backup for seven franchises, echoed the need for Maye to be out there. “You look around the league, and teams that are in it, playing well, with good records, their guy is out there,” Dobbs said. “Not to say no one else can go in there and execute. But that’s the nature of the league — the person that gets the most [practice] reps, you need him out there. He’s always protected himself.” When Maye has taken big hits or made an uncharacteristic mistake, teammates have noted his response and growth-based mindset. They cite it as another key ingredient in his rise, which has in turn elevated the offense. “Things aren’t always going to be perfect. You have to roll with the punches. It’s a hard job, playing quarterback,” Diggs said. “To rally, stay poised, with that quarterback mindset — I tell him, ‘We’ve got your back — right or wrong — we don’t care what you do. Keep making plays. Keep being smart.'” The deep ballPicking Maye’s most impressive play of the season isn’t an easy task because of the volume of choices. DeVito submitted Maye’s 32-yard sideline connection with Diggs in the third quarter of the Week 5 win against the Bills as a “tremendous” option to consider because it combined two special traits of Maye’s — extending a play by breaking the pocket to his right and striking deep with pinpoint accuracy. Vrabel said that’s been one of the most fun things for him to see — how accurate Maye has been when on the move. Then there are the more standard deep-ball passes delivered from the pocket, such as Maye’s 54-yard fourth-quarter gem to receiver Mack Hollins in Sunday’s win against the Buccaneers. Plays like that contributed to Maye entering Week 11 completing 58% of his throws 20-plus yards downfield, the second-best mark in the NFL behind the Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold (72%). “It starts with the guys up front, trusting those guys. I think they know in the huddle, based on the call, some of the same words are showing up for deep shots and the offensive line gets excited. So it makes them want to block, makes them want to hold in,” Maye said. “And then those guys down the field, they’re just worried about the details and knowing that one-on-one is open. I keep on telling them I’m going to give you a chance to go make a play. They keep on making plays and building trust every week.” Patience and discipline have been critical on those deep shots. “[Maye] does a really good job taking what’s there throughout the game and not forcing the deep ball. So that way when it is there, he hits it. It’s a splash play and everything is very clean. He throws a very clean ball,” DeVito said. “He does a good job manipulating defenders and giving guys a chance. And guys on the outside have made a lot of great plays.” Grant added “time on task” as a factor in the deep-ball passing proficiency. He said Maye’s first choice when given the option is to practice deep shots, and it’s a regular part of his routine to stay after practice and work on them with pass catchers tracking the ball over their shoulders. Combine that with his processing skills and the results have been potent. “Every quarterback, pre-snap, has a read on what they’re trying to get done,” Grant said. “… Some of the deep balls, it’s the first read in the progression. Sometimes it’s late in the progression; sometimes it’s out of structure. He’s done a good job staying true to his rules, and when those opportunities have presented themselves, he’s pressed go on it.” Maye and Rams QB MATTHEW STAFFORD are the two favorites with eight weeks remaining. Where were they preseason? Well, we found these odds after Week 1. Only one of the two is on the list (and well down it at that): Josh Allen +380Lamar Jackson +550Joe Burrow +600Patrick Mahomes +650Jayden Daniels +1000Jordan Love +1200Justin Herbert +1400Jalen Hurts +1400Brock Purdy +2200C.J. Stroud +2500Baker Mayfield +3300Matthew Stafford +3300Caleb Williams +3700Dak Prescott +4000Trevor Lawrence +4500 |
| THIS AND THAT |
| RANKING THE YOUNG QBs AND THEIR CONTRACTSInteresting exercise from Mike Renner of CBSSports.com: Eleven of the 32 starting quarterbacks — more than one-third of the league — are still on their rookie deals. Of those, 10 were first-round picks. With that in mind, I’ve been tracking those quarterbacks closely throughout the season, as not only will their respective franchises be reliant on their development, but also the quality of the product across the NFL. Drake Maye: A+He’s the co-betting favorite to win NFL MVP at FanDuel and has taken the Patriots from worst to first — what else is there to say? If you want to quibble, he’s taking too many sacks (35, second most in the NFL), but that’s where the negatives end. Caleb Williams: BFrom year one to year two, there have been glaring areas of improvement with Williams’ development and glaring areas of stagnation as well. The sack-prone Williams we saw as a rookie is no more. He’s on pace to take fewer than half of the 68 sacks we saw from him as a rookie. That’s allowed for a much more consistent flow of the Bears offense this season. On the flip side, it would be more consistent if he didn’t have as many pure misses on tape. His adjusted completion percentage has taken a step back even from his rookie season, as he’s especially struggled finding his mark when on the move. The scary thing is, the Bears offense is already effective with so much more potential for Williams yet to be unlocked. Jaxson Dart: BDart isn’t perfect, and his play style has quite obviously not been sustainable, but the Giants offense should not be as effective as it’s been under his tenure. He’s 12th among starters in EPA/play this season and is responsible for 17 scores in only seven starts. That’s without No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers for all but one of those starts as well. His ability to create something out of nothing is already among the best in the entire NFL. It’s quite clear the Giants have something in their 2025 first-rounder. What remains to be seen, however, is if it’s sustainable. Dart has taken 77 hits in his seven starts and has already been evaluated for concussions on four occasions. He won’t make it through his rookie contract at that rate. Can whoever is the next Giants head coach reign in Dart’s recklessness while still getting the out-of-structure magic? That’s the big question that still needs answered. Bo Nix: C-Nix is one of those hot-button quarterbacks where an honest review of his strengths and weaknesses is a rarity. To a certain segment of the Broncos fan base, his play is the reason Denver is 8-2. To another segment of national media who never saw him as a first-rounder to begin with, his play has been bench-worthy so far. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Nix has almost all of the traits you want from a franchise quarterback. He’s been the best quarterback in the entire league at avoiding sacks when pressured (9.3% rate) while also leading the league in game-winning drives. The one trait he quite obviously has not shown this season is a pretty darn big one, though … accuracy. By pretty much any metric you want to use, Nix has been one of the least accurate quarterbacks in the NFL this season. His misses have come at every level of the field but are particularly egregious downfield. He’s completed only 15 of 47 deep passes this season, and those misses have hamstrung the Broncos offense. Considering this was his biggest worry coming out of Oregon, him regressing in year two should scare all Broncos fans. Cam Ward: C-No quarterback in the NFL is fighting a tougher uphill battle each game than the Titans signal-caller. His top three receivers of late have been two Day 3 rookies and a journeyman who’s been on four teams in three years. Oh, and he’s already had his head coach fired. You can’t evaluate him purely statistically because it’s the worst situation in the entire NFL. That being said, there is one area that has to improve and fast. Amazon’s Sam Schwartzstein affectionately calls it SCRACK: sack EPA combined with scramble EPA. It’s a stat where playmakers such as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes routinely lead the league. Ward is not only dead last in the stat this season; he’s been more than twice as bad as any other quarterback in the NFL. For someone with his athletic prowess, he has to be more willing to take off as a runner when nothing is there instead of taking bad sacks (38 — most in the NFL). There are tons of special plays on Ward’s tape to get excited about, and he’s almost never looked overwhelmed despite the stats never looking great. There are encouraging signs, but he can’t do it all on his own. C.J. Stroud: D+There are valid excuses for Stroud’s poor performance this season. The offensive line, the inexperienced receivers, the first-year offensive coordinator — it’s not an easy situation to play elite football in. Stroud, though, isn’t some rookie just finding his footing in the NFL. He’s a third-year player who had one of the best statistical rookie seasons of all time. The bar for him is different than it is for other quarterbacks on this list. So when he’s regressing instead of progressing, that’s concerning. When Davis Mills can come in and the offense doesn’t look too dissimilar over the past game and a half, that’s concerning. It’s not that he can’t put up elite numbers once again when the talent around him improves, but rather that he’s not shown any signs of growth to say he’ll ever overcome a mediocre supporting cast. Michael Penix Jr.: DThe exciting downfield passer we saw last season and at Washington has been nowhere to be found this fall. In fact, Penix has as many deep completions this entire season (seven) as he did in three starts as a rookie. That seems wholly incompatible with the player most expected Penix to be. What scares me the most about Penix’s performance so far is how reliant on in-rhythm throws he’s been. If the ball isn’t out when Penix hits his back foot, more often than not his accuracy is going to suffer. And on top of that, he’s shown almost no ability to create outside the pocket — either as a runner or passer. He’s only managed 83 passing yards and 68 rushing yards on the 43 times he’s broken the pocket this season. For someone who has to win from the pocket, Penix needs to be more precise than he’s been this season. J.J. McCarthy: FMcCarthy has more interceptions (six) than touchdown passes (five), has the lowest completion percentage in the entire NFL through four starts (53.7%), and his sack pace extrapolated to 17 games would be the sixth most all time. It is important to reiterate, though, that it’s only four starts, and the first four of his career at that. If you’re looking for encouraging signs, you’ll find a couple of throws a game, but not any extended stretch of play to warrant a grade higher than this. Bryce Young: FYoung is on pace for the sixth-lowest 16-game passing yardage total since the reemphasis on illegal contact in 2004 caused passing numbers to soar leaguewide. He’s 30th in EPA/play despite having one of the league’s best rushing attacks and a legit No. 1 receiver in Tetairoa McMillan. The flashes we saw at the end of last season are nowhere to be found. Carolina will more than likely have a different starting quarterback Week 1 of 2026. Tyler Shough: Incomplete (small sample)I went with an incomplete given we’ve only seen two career starts from Shough at this point. If you’re a Saints fan, though, you feel a lot better about him now than you did two weeks ago. He’s handled pressure exceedingly well for a rookie and not had any boneheaded plays on 92 dropbacks. We’ll check back in later this season for a more thorough assessment. Jayden Daniels: Incomplete (injury)Injuries were always the biggest worry for Daniels coming out given his string-bean frame and healthy risk tolerance taking hits in the open field. Now he’s already suffered four separate injuries that have caused him to miss time in one and a half seasons for the Commanders. The elbow dislocation suffered in Week 9 is the most serious of the bunch, as the timetable for his return is still unknown. Some harsh grades from Renner, particularly Stroud who was an “A” after his rookie season. We don’t dispute the Caleb Williams grade at this snapshot in time, but to imagine him ahead of Daniels, Stroud and Nix at the beginning of the season… |
