If The Season Ended Today in the AFC:

Pittsburgh        North   10-0     7-0

Kansas City     West      9-1     8-1

Buffalo            East       7-3     5-2

Indianapolis     South     7-3     3-3

Tennessee      WC1      7-3     5-3

Cleveland        WC2      7-3     4-3

Las Vegas       WC3      6-4     4-3

Baltimore                       6-4     4-4

Miami                            6-4     3-3

Denver                                      4-6     4-4

New England                4-6     4-4

In Week 11, Tennessee and Cleveland displaced Baltimore and Miami from the playoffs.

– – –

We saw this and we sort of agree.  Peter King:

I just hate the pass-interference rule. Detest would be the better word. With 27 seconds left in the second quarter at Indy and Green Bay up 21-14, Aaron Rodgers threw a beautiful rainbow to Marquez Valdez-Scantling that came down at about the Colts’ 1-yard line. Valdez-Scantling and Indy cornerback Rock Ya-Sin were jousting, and Ya-Sin at the last minute had Scantling’s right arm grabbed, and Ya-Sin punched the ball away just over the goal line. Flag. Deserved. Defensive pass interference. But 51 yards? Absurd. A short Rodgers TD made the margin 28-14 with 10 seconds left. If screaming would help, I’d scream that DPI should be a 15-yard infraction, not a spot foul to radically affect close, important games. I cannot believe the powers of the NFL don’t see how much this infringes on competitive balance.

We would say that Ya-Sin’s DPI came close to the concept of severe pass interference that would be a spot foul.  He did not give MVS a chance to get his second hand to the ball, he wasn’t just tugging at a jersey.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

Peter King:

How much longer can Matt Patricia last? After 6-10 and 3-12-1 in his first two years, the Lions fell to 4-6 with quite likely the ugliest loss of Patricia’s 28: They were shut out by a backup quarterback making his first NFL start, P.J. Walker. Lack of Discipline of the Week: Carolina was going to punt late in the fourth quarter. Fourth-and-five. On consecutive snaps, Romeo Okwara and Nick Williams were called for encroachment. First down, Carolina. Victory formation. End of game. How embarrassing for this once-proud franchise. Can’t wait to see the Lions play on Thanksgiving.

Michael David Smith piles on:

@MichaelDavSmith

Two observations from Lions-Panthers:

P.J. Walker belongs in the NFL.

Matt Patricia belongs in the XFL.

He’s a DoorMatt for the other Matts to wipe their feet on.  Radio host Michael Stone:

@stoney16

If my memory is correct Matt Patricia is now 0-9 against other Matt’s.

0-5 vs Matt Nagy    

0-3 vs Matt Lafleur     

0-1  vs Matt Ruhle

He is an improbable 1-0 against Matt Ryan.

GREEN BAY

Who are these people that send out random “death threats”?  Too much of that in America today.  Jason Owens of YahooSports.com:

Marquez Valdes-Scantling tweeted Sunday that he received death threats.

The Green Bay Packers wide receiver fumbled a pass from Aaron Rodgers in overtime, setting up the Indianapolis Colts for a 34-31 win. He tweeted about the threats just hours after the game and wrote that his teammates have his back.

@MVS__11

Death threats over a football game? Jesus you people need help. It’s actually sick. I’m good. My team got my  back.

Valdes-Scantling, 26, is in his third NFL season, all of them with the Packers. Prior to his tweet about death threats, he wrote about the opportunity to grow from Sunday’s mistake.

His report of death threats arrive amid heightened social tensions amid the chaos of the 2020 election and COVID-19 crisis. Journalists and election workers have also reported receiving death threats in recent weeks.

Now Valdes-Scantling is on the receiving end of sports fans letting their emotions get the worst of them. And he’s making sure to go public with the news.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

QB ANDY DALTON finds a benefit for COVID a spotted by Peter King:

“I can eat really healthy right now, and it doesn’t matter because I can’t taste it.”

—Dallas quarterback Andy Dalton, who says he has not regained his sense of taste after a bout with COVID-19.

NEW YORK GIANTS

As the DB interpreted the friction amidst the firing of OL coach Marc Columbo, it looked like OC Jason Garrett was caught in the middle.  Now this from Jason LaCanfora ofCBSSports.com:

Giants first-year coach Joe Judge’s decision to fire offensive line coach Marc Colombo after heated exchanges between the men made national headlines this week, but is hardly the only area of the offensive staff under serious review.

Sources said there has been friction and turmoil within other aspects of that staff as well, with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett under scrutiny and a change at that key staff position a very real possibility in 2021. Judge was one of just five new head coaches hired in 2020, while that number could double next year, flooding the market with coordinators and assistant coaches looking for work. Options will abound and Judge has already displayed that he will not shy away from making a bold — if not shocking — move even if comes at a less than opportune time.

Colombo has been seething for weeks, sources said, with Judge working with that position group — one that was making strides — and, in the eyes of some within the organization, trying to take credit for the improvements being made. Tension had been mounting about Judge’s desire to bring in outside consultation for that position group and he and Colombo clashed over technique and how to approach certain positions. That culminated in a fiery exchange between them in earshot of players last week. Ultimately, Colombo was informed of his firing by team security and not Judge directly — a common-sense decision to quell any potential physical altercation.

Despite all the turmoil, the Giants remain in position to win the lowly NFC East. The defense has made significant gains this season, while the development of quarterback Daniel Jones remains a pivotal element in the franchise and something Judge will be very hands-on and proactive about. Jones has had an inconsistent season — the loss of star running back Saquon Barkley for the season was an obvious blow — and continues to struggle with turnovers, though he took care of the ball in a huge win over the Eagles last week.

There is a strong expectation that more staff overhaul is coming in 2021, and a new offensive coordinator next season would not surprise several sources who know Judge well.

This from Peter King on Colombo’s replacement:

I don’t know Judge well, but I like what I’ve seen as his first year has progressed. He has a plan, he has a presence, and he’s imbued his team with a toughness that was much needed. This seems like a disagreement between two men that festered and Judge had enough.

No one can predict how DeGuglielmo will do, but a few thoughts here. If he was a great line coach, would he be unemployed in 2013, unemployed in 2017 till replacing Chris Foerster in Miami in midseason that year, and unemployed till November of this year? In three of the last eight years, he wasn’t working when the season kicked off. Would a great line coach have been fired by Frank Reich after one year in Indianapolis (2018), and dismissed after one year in Miami by Brian Flores last winter? Would a great line coach have lasted an average of 23 games per job in his last seven stops before East Rutherford?

I can’t tell you if this is a debacle or not. I do know that most of what Judge has done so far passes the smell test, and a head coach can do what he wants, and should do what he wants, if the move is in the best interests of the team. Judge obviously feels this was. We’ll see. Something about it just doesn’t feel right, that’s all.

PHILADELPHIA

Peter King:

Eagles record since beating New England 41-33 in Super Bowl LII: 22-21-1 (with Seattle, Green Bay and New Orleans in the next three weeks).

The first place Eagles!  Have we ever seen a race like this?

Philadelphia     3-6-1              2-2

NY Giants       3-7                 3-2

Washington     3-7                 2-2

Dallas              3-7                1-2

How strange was Week 11?  Without the help of an inter-division game, the NFC East had a winning record of 2-1.

Even with the two wins (Dallas over Minnesota, Washington over Cincinnati), the NFC East is 4-19-1 outside the division.

There are 4 interdivision games remaining –

Week 12 – Washington at Dallas (Thanksgiving)

Week 16 – Philadelphia at Dallas

Week 17 –  Dallas at Giants, Washington at Philadelphia

Are there any other wins out there?

Philadelphia – Seattle, at Green Bay, New Orleans, at Arizona (best guess 0-4)

Dallas – at Baltimore, at Cincinnati, San Francisco (let’s give ‘em the Bengals 1-2)

Washington – at Pittsburgh, at San Francisco, Seattle, Carolina (maybe CAR, 1-3)

Giants – at Cincinnati, at Seattle, Arizona, Cleveland, at Baltimore (1-3 with CIN)

So, before we put in the final division games, we get

Cowboys         4-9

Washington     4-10

Giants             4-11

Philadelphia    3-10-1

If the Cowboys win on Thanksgiving, they are likely to get to 6-10 or 7-9.

Hard to see any of the other three teams getting to six wins unless they beat a Baltimore or a San Francisco or an Arizona.

On the other hand, if the WFT wins on Thursday – things are pretty wide open.

– – –

QB CARSON WENTZ was one of Peter King’s Goats for Week 11:

Carson Wentz, quarterback, Philadelphia. Another discombobulating game by the quarterback who looks less and less like a franchise player every week. Wentz threw an ugly pop-up interception that Cleveland linebacker Sione Takitaki returned 50 yards for a TD to open the scoring on a miserable day by Lake Erie. Then Wentz took a dumb safety to put the Eagles down five in the third quarter. In a 22-17 game—that was the final in Cleveland’s favor—the quarterback can’t hand the other team nine points. It left coach Doug Pederson to answer for whether he’s thinking of playing Jalen Hurts now. Pederson said no. But seriously: How can he not be thinking about it?

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

Prior to Sunday’s lackluster game in New Orleans, Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.comwas hearing the Falcons had a pair of favorites, both Black by the way, for their GM and head coaching jobs.

The Atlanta Falcons are continuing internal discussions about potential general manager replacements, while interim head coach Raheem Morris continues to impress ownership and the front office with his performance replacing Dan Quinn.

Morris, who has deep ties to team president Rich McKay and is also well regarded by McKay confidant Tony Dungy, has the Falcons playing good football since Quinn was let go following another slow start. The Falcons are focused on the GM opening and sources said they will begin to interview some candidates next month. Several strong candidates are currently not employed by NFL teams, and thus could be contacted at any point for the vacancy. Former Texans GM Rick Smith is among the candidates the Falcons would like to speak with, sources said, while Smith is likely to have numerous options with some NFL executives anticipating upwards of eight openings.

Smith and McKay have ties going back to their time on the NFL’s Competition Committee, Smith is very highly regarded by the league office in New York and is someone whom Troy Vincent, the league’s head of football operations and someone at the forefront of the NFL’s push for more diversity, strongly supports. There is a sense in the Atlanta organization that the team is not as far from competing as some have suggested and they are not embracing the idea of a wholesale rebuild to the roster, believing a core on offense puts the team in a position to win in 2021.

Furthermore, Morris, 44, is earning high accolades within the organization for his work as a leader and for what he is doing on game day, and his resume with experience as a head coach previously and on both sides of the ball has positioned him as a very viable candidate for the job, sources said. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who works with McKay on the Competition Committee, has long been a champion of Morris, believing he deserved another chance as a head coach. Morris was one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history when he took over the Buccaneers in 2009, lasting three seasons.

Morris already has deep roots communicating with and coaching players on the Falcons offense and defense, having been with Atlanta since 2015, and he had already taken over defensive play calling for Quinn this season as the defensive coordinator. Since Quinn was let go in mid-October following an 0-5 start, the Falcons are 3-1 with their only loss being a bizarre 23-22 defeat to the Lions when running back Todd Gurley fell into the end zone rather than taking a knee as instructed at the one, which would have effectively won them the game.

Atlanta’s performance has improved on offense and defense, and this is the rare instance in the NFL when the interim head coach stands a reasonable chance of retaining the job. Should the Falcons fare well in their remaining NFC South games (they face the Saints once more and have two of their final three games against the Buccaneers) the strength of Morris’ candidacy will only increase. He already has plenty of supporters within the organization.

Smith has 18 years of front office experience:

Denver Broncos (2000–2005)    Director of pro personnel

Houston Texans (2006–2017)    General manager (added EVP title in 2012)

Smith left the Texans after 2017 in what was described as a leave of absence to spend time with his wife in her battle with breast cancer.  Tiffany Smith passed away early in 2019.

– – –

Meanwhile, deposed coach Dan Quinn is doing self-scouting.  Peter King:

Had a good conversation with Dan Quinn on Saturday night. The fired Falcons coach has done something I think is really bright. “I did a 360 on myself,” Quinn said. He asked TV journalist/analyst Laura Okmin to reach out to 30 to 40 people Quinn had either coached with, coached, or knew well in his NFL life. Quinn asked Okmin to talk to these 30 or so people about what the coach needed to do better. No names; Quinn wanted honesty, and told Okmin to grant anonymity. “I wanted to know my blind spots,” Quinn said. “Most often, when you’re the head coach, people tell you what they think you want to hear. I wanted to get the truth, right between the eyes.” So Okmin reached out and reported back to Quinn. He was a bit coy about what exactly he learned, but one thing he discovered is he didn’t have the kind of pipeline that a coach needs to have to last a long time in one place. He needed to develop—as coaches like Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid have done—an ethos that every coach and player in the organization buys into. The self-scouting thing is helping Quinn, but it does not beat the alternative. “It sucks being out,” said Quinn, who normally is Mr. Positive. “I’m hurting.”

NEW ORLEANS

Peter King on the debut of QB TAYSOM HILL:

When the first start of Taysom Hill’s NFL career was over, he saw Drew Brees, leaving the field at the Superdome after a 24-9 win over rival Atlanta. At that moment, Brees had 11 fractured ribs and a very wide grin, and he gently hugged Hill.

“I love you,” Brees said into Hill’s ear. “You deserve this.”

Hill is a modest guy, but truth be told, he thought so too. In the last eight years, four college seasons at Brigham Young had ended in injury for Hill, he’d gone undrafted, got signed and soon cut by the Packers, landed with the Saints to be a special-teamer and perhaps a gadget player. Hill played very sparingly for three years, until Brees got waylaid by the rib injury last week. Coach Sean Payton picked Hill to start over the first pick of the 2015 draft, Jameis Winston, for a couple of reasons: He felt he owed it to him and told him he was next in line; and Payton truly felt Hill had a chance to be a new-wave quarterback, runner and thrower, who could capably replace Brees when he retired—likely at the end of this season. Why not find out if he was the real deal?

And so with Brees out for at least three weeks, Hill got the nod from Payton. And he got the Brees treatment. Every Saturday night, Payton and Brees, who’d been together since 2006, reviving a floundering franchise and making it relevant, met in the team hotel and went through the game plan. “The Dot Meeting,” Payton called it. Payton would have maybe 225 plays on his laminated play sheet in different categories (red zone, short-yardage, etc.). Payton liked most of them. Brees would pick his favorites, maybe 40, and Payton would put a black Sharpie dot next to the play, then try to call most of them the next day. Ditto with Hill.

Both liked a play that would send Michael Thomas in motion and get him a crosser completion.

On Sunday, Payton called it first—the first call of Hill’s starting career.

“Box Right Nasty, X Out, Q-8 Smash,” Payton told me after the game. “and Taysom called it wrong! He forgot the motion!! First play of the game!”

Wrong call and all, inauspicious as it was, maybe it was karma. Hill completed the short throw to the right of the formation for eight yards.

“I didn’t want to run him early,” Payton said. “You know what people think of him—they think he’s a runner. I think he’s a quarterback. And I wanted him to play quarterback early.”

Hill threw 13 passes in the first half, got sacked twice, and scrambled on a pass play once. Sixteen of the 17 plays in the first half with the ball in Hill’s hands were just what Payton wanted—pass plays. In the second half, the full Hill happened, including a smooth 10-yard TD run to his left that looked so natural. “He runs that touchdown to the left, and it was so easy,” Payton said. “He looked so good. I watched that and I was like, ‘Wow.’

Hill tallied 233 passing yards, ran for 51 (and two TDs), and completed 18 of 23 with two drops and one quite-underthrown deep ball. He’ll start next week at Denver and almost certainly the following week at Atlanta. And then, who knows? Brees could be back.

“There was a lot of pressure on him,” Payton said. “A lot. I felt it too.”

“I always felt I was capable of playing quarterback, and starting, in this league,” Hill told me. “But of course, until you do it, that’s just talk.”

The play I thought was the key to the entire day happened on the first drive of the third quarter. The Saints led 10-9, and the outcome was very much in doubt. On first down from the Saints’ 41, Hill was under center, received the snap, and took his drop. His favorite target, Thomas, posted up about nine yards upfield. And here came linebacker Deion Jones, unblocked, steaming straight ahead at Hill.

This is the kind of play that tells you much about a quarterback. Would he hang in and take the hit, a whopper that could knock the wind out of a man and maybe do something worse? Or would he tuck the ball and try to run around end—which, absolutely, is not the call here.

“That play,” Hill said. “I remember it. I can see it. It’s the type of play you’ve got to make as a quarterback. Trust yourself, trust the receiver. I didn’t see Michael catch it, but I did put the ball there for him.” Hill didn’t see it, because he got slammed by Jones. But it was complete. Gain of nine. Seven plays later, Hills scampered around right end for a touchdown and a 17-9 lead.

“You know what I liked about that play?” Payton said. “Deion hid what he was doing. Taysom didn’t know he was coming. But he came, Taysom had to adjust, and he did, he got the ball out, and it was right on target. Important play for him. Those are the tough plays for a quarterback. He just . . . made it.”

In the locker room, Hill got another hug: from Payton. This time there were no words.

“He didn’t have to say anything,” Hill said. “I appreciate him. I appreciate his support, ever since I’ve been here.”

The win puts the Saints at 99.7% to make the playoffs per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com:

FPI chances to make playoffs: 99.7%

FPI chances to win division: 76.9%

Sunday’s win over the Falcons, combined with the Packers’ overtime loss to the Colts, put the Saints in control of the NFC. They’ve won seven consecutive games since a Week 3 loss to the Packers, finishing the last two without starting quarterback Drew Brees. And now the Saints move to one of the weirder parts of their schedule. They’ll play three consecutive road games, but all of them are against very beatable opponents: Denver, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

Pete Blackburn of CBSSports.com is among those noticing an oddity involving QB PATRICK MAHOMES and the Chiefs winning TD:

Here’s a pretty wild stat for you: Last night marked the first time in his career that Mahomes has thrown a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes of a game. I have no idea how that can possibly be true, but apparently it is? Insane.

It should be noted that Mahomes is credited with 6 career Game-Winning Drives, five coming from situations that don’t involve that final two minutes.

LAS VEGAS

We thought QB DEREK CARR looked like a winning QB on Sunday night, but unlike Peter King we didn’t quite see an MVP candidate:

 I think, after watching the Raiders for eight quarters against Kansas City this year, I’m adding Derek Carr to my “MVP Watch” ballot. Carr, Mahomes, Wilson, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Murray, Josh Allen . . . and maybe Derrick Henry, Brady, Kamara. With six weeks to go, it’s a pretty open competition. Funny how you get affected by a team losing, or winning, even if that player wasn’t, say, the culprit in the loss. Green Bay loses to Indy, in large part because of an overtime fumble by Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and you think, Why should Rodgers get marked down for that? Of course he doesn’t, but putting up three points in the last six Green Bay drives—that’s on Rodgers. Anyway, keep this in mind: It’s a 16-game award. We shouldn’t know the winner after Week 11.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

QB JUSTIN HERBERT is not Samson – he performed just fine with his locks shorn.  Shelley Smith of ESPN.com:

– It’s not a Los Angeles Chargers game without late-game dramatics. This time, they won, beating the New York Jets 34-28 after holding off a late New York drive to break their string of hard-luck, fourth-quarter losses.

With the win, the Chargers moved to 3-7 on the season, while the Jets fell to 0-10.

Once again, quarterback Justin Herbert was the star. He tied an NFL rookie record (set earlier this season by the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow) with 37 completions, going 37-of-49 passing for 366 yards and three touchdown passes. He set a personal high for passing yards and a league rookie record for most games with at least three touchdown passes, as Sunday was the fifth time he has thrown three or more touchdown passes.

Many of those passes went to Keenan Allen, who set a franchise single-game record with 16 receptions. Allen gained 145 yards and hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to put the Chargers up 31-13.

The Jets did add some anxious moments, as they came back from 18 down to have a chance to tie the game late. New York drove to the Chargers’ 32 with less than two minutes left. But unlike blown leads earlier in the season against the Denver Broncos (21 points), Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints (17), Jacksonville Jaguars (16, but eventually won) and the Kansas City Chiefs (11), the Chargers held, as they gave up a voluntary safety to provide the final margin. Therefore, the Chargers’ four losses while entering the fourth quarter with a lead didn’t become five.

Another note from Sam Farmer of the LA Times:

@LATimesfarmer

Also, he’s the first rookie quarterback with at least two touchdown passes in seven consecutive games in NFL history

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

TV replays didn’t clearly show the hands of coaches Mike Vrabel and John Harbaugh after the Titans comeback overtime win – but that didn’t stop some from swearing they didn’t shake hands.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com among them:

They exchanged pleasantries before the game. They exchanged none after the game.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh waved off Titans coach Mike Vrabel after Sunday’s overtime win by Tenessee.

Both were wearing face coverings, so it likely wasn’t a COVID thing. It may simply be that, in the deflating moments following a loss that sent the Ravens to 6-4 and after whatever happened before the game, Harbaugh simply wasn’t interested.

Bryan DeArdo of CBSSports.com with the denials.

John Harbaugh dominated the headlines before and after the Ravens’ overtime loss to the visiting Titans on Sunday. Before the game, Harbaugh engaged in a verbal altercation with Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler. After the game, there were questions regarding whether or not Harbaugh shook hands with Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel, whose team is now 2-0 against the Ravens in the calendar year after they upset Baltimore in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs, dismissed any notion of a possible rift between himself and Harbaugh, whose team fell to 6-4 and in third place in the AFC North.

“I went to celebrate with Derrick [Henry] and the team and congratulate them, and ran back to shake his hand,” Vrabel said of his actions immediately following the Titans’ 30-24 win. “Asked [Harbaugh] what the issue was before the game, and he said there wasn’t an issue. So I went to celebrate with my football team.”

Vrabel was also asked if Harbaugh declined to shake his hand.

“No, absolutely not,” Vrabel said. “No. A lot of respect for John. We shook hands.”

Harbaugh echoed what Vrabel said during his postgame presser.

“After the game, there wasn’t an issue,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “Coach Vrabel, was down there celebrating in the end zone, and then he came back around and shook hands. [What transpired] before the game is irrelevant.”

While both coaches downplayed what transpired before and after the game, there’s no denying that the Ravens are a frustrated team after dropping their second straight game and third game in four weeks. During Sunday’s loss to the Titans, the Ravens were out-rushed 173-129 as Henry gashed Baltimore to the tune of 133 yards on 29 carries that included the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Lamar Jackson, the reigning league MVP, failed to throw for 200 yards for the sixth time in 10 games this season. Jackson, who on Sunday failed to complete 60% of his passes, didn’t complete a single pass to Marquise Brown, the team’s first-round pick in last year’s draft. And while tight end Mark Andrews caught five passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, Jackson completed just 10 passes for 76 yards to his receivers.

“I feel like people want us to lose,” a dejected Jackson said after the game.

The Titans, meanwhile, had little issue moving the ball through the air against the Ravens’ defense. Ryan Tannehill completed 22 passes including two touchdowns as Tennessee’s offense piled up 26 first downs and 423 total yards.

The Ravens will have to regroup in a hurry, as they are just four days away from their Thanksgiving Day showdown in Pittsburgh against the undefeated Steelers.

It looked to the DB like they possibly did not have technically touch hands (which some in today’s Covid world should be celebrating, not criticizing) – but something on the order of “good game” “good game” seems to have been exchanged without overt hostility after Vrabel asks him about the pregame stuff and Harbaugh dismisses it with the hand motion.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1330621931272409088

CINCINNATI

Peter King:

I think I’m not going to criticize Zac Taylor for the injury to Joe Burrow. That’s unfair. But I do think that, if he self-scouts his second year as an NFL coach and his first year with a franchise quarterback, Taylor may come to the conclusion that he put Burrow in harm’s way too much. If you count pass attempts, sacks and rushes, Burrow had an average of 49.8 “exposures” per game (473 passes, runs and sacks in 9.5 games). Kyler Murray (46.1) never seems to take a huge hit, Russell Wilson (45.0) has learned to manage his physical punishment, Aaron Rodgers (38.0) seems to take fewer big ones than he used to, Deshaun Watson (41.8) has been helped by a real left tackle, Laremy Tunsil, and Lamar Jackson (40.3) is on almost exactly the same path as 2019, when he took 40.0 exposures per game. Taylor certainly looked at his first 10 game plans and knew his best chance was with the ball in Burrow’s hands. I get it. But if I’m Taylor, my focus is getting the rehabbed Burrow exposed a good 10 times per game less in 2021.

CLEVELAND

Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com assesses the Browns’ playoff chances:

Cleveland Browns (7-3)

FPI chances to make playoffs: 58.2%

FPI chances to win division: 0.6%

Would you look at this? The Browns are off to their best start through 10 games since 1994. No matter how they’re winning, or whom they are beating, the Browns have staked themselves to a decent playoff position as Thanksgiving approaches. It’s true that the Browns have defeated only one team (Indianapolis) that currently has a winning record. But with the Jaguars, Jets and Giants representing half of their remaining schedule, it might not matter.

At Tennessee, Baltimore and at Pittsburgh are the three tough games left for Cleveland.

PITTSBURGH

Who would have thought that the Steelers might be able to eliminate the Ravens from winning the AFC North by Thanksgiving

But with a win on Thursday night for a season sweep, the 11-0 Steelers will lock out the 6-5 Ravens and leave them only eligible for a Wild Card.

Cleveland is at Jacksonville on Sunday, so likely to go to 8-3.

– – –

Is it time to talk 16-0 for Pittsburgh?

It’s a funny year, in that the lone unbeaten team usually isn’t put at the top of the Power Rankings.  Top five sure?  Number one, maybe not.

After Baltimore on Thursday, the Steelers schedule has two easy games, two that are not.

Washington, at Buffalo, at Cincinnati, Indianapolis, at Cleveland.

Thoughts from QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER thru Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 10-0 with Sunday’s 27-3 win over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars.

It’s the first time in franchise history the club opened a season with 10 wins, and it is the only team to reach 10-0 in the last five years.

Pittsburgh became the 18th team in the Super Bowl era to start 10-0. Ten of those clubs made the Super Bowl, and six won it all.

“We’re not chasing perfection in terms of a perfect 16-0,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We’re chasing Lombardis. That’s the most important thing for us.”

The Steelers have taken care of business each week this season, even if they haven’t always been impressive. Sunday, the offense once again left points on the field against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and Big Ben threw his first INT in four weeks.

“We got to put more points on the board,” Roethlisberger said. “I know what the scoreboard says, but there were too many times we punted and didn’t do enough. Offensively, we’re happy we got the win, but we know we have to be better.”

The Steelers haven’t received as much hype for their undefeated record as others in the past largely because of how they’ve scraped out wins against lesser clubs.

“We don’t anticipate rolling out of tunnels and people laying down for us,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We step out of tunnels expecting a 60-minute fight every week.”

At times the Steelers have invited the fights by getting off to slow starts.

Leaning on a strong defense lends itself to tighter games. Sunday, the Steelers forced four interceptions of Jags rookie quarterback Jake Luton.

No one in Pittsburgh is concerned with going undefeated.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Owner Cal McNair has reached out to QB DESHAUN WATSON as an informal part of the coaches search committee.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

As Texans owner Cal McNair contemplates the next moves to be made by the football team he inherited, McNair has made his best move yet.

McNair has sought the input of his most valuable employee regarding the team’s next head coach.

The son of team founder Bob McNair recently told ESPN that the direction of the franchise came up during a recent dinner with franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson. As explained by Adam Schefter of ESPN, “McNair wanted to hear Watson’s thoughts and opinions on who should be the next head coach, and Watson shared his opinions with McNair.”

McNair specifically told ESPN “that he welcomes Watson’s input, respects his opinion and wants the star quarterback to be happy.”

Some will look at this and exclaim that quarterbacks shouldn’t have input in such decisions. That players play and coaches coach and owners hire coaches. Others will say, “Why shouldn’t quarterbacks have input?”

So why shouldn’t quarterbacks have input? Teams want quarterbacks to act like supervisors on the shop floor, showing up early and staying late and taking work home and setting the example that inspires and leads the other players. Then, teams want quarterbacks to sit down and shut up when big decisions come around.

It’s a short-sighted approach that fails to reflect the fact that it’s much harder to find a great quarterback than it is to find a great coach, and that the team won’t achieve as much as it can if the relationship between coach and quarterback doesn’t work.

Although a balance exists regarding a quarterback’s input in issues like coach selection and roster construction, the better the quarterback, the more important it becomes to listen to him. Indeed, if Watson gets sufficiently disenchanted with the organization that he decides he’ll make it known internally that he wants out and that he’ll do the bare minimum until he gets his way, that’s not going to be good for business.

Ultimately, that’s not going to be good for anybody.

So, yes, McNair should listen to Watson — unless McNair wants to risk Watson deciding, in a year or two, that he wants to continue his career somewhere else.

INDIANAPOLIS

In the final minutes of Sunday’s game, the officials were throwing flags galore to the chagrin of owner Jim Irsay. ColtsWire.com:

The Indianapolis Colts (7-3) came through with a wild 34-31 win over the Green Bay Packers (7-3) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but there was a moment when it seemed Indy was blowing its chance to close out the game.

In fact, they had blown their chance. With a 31-28 lead and just over two minutes left to play, the Colts committed five penalties in an eight-play span. The flags were being thrown left and right as the Colts kept getting pushed back and stopping the clock. It got to the point where it was a surprise when a flag wasn’t thrown.

Colts owner Jim Irsay spoke to the media after the game and had some words about the string of penalties.

Whether the league will slap Irsay with a fine for critiquing the officials remain to be seen, but he wasn’t afraid to say how he felt about the seemingly endless string of penalty calls.

In total, the Colts were credited with eight penalties costing them 116 yards. Regardless of how one might feel about the calls, the Colts must make sure they have cleaner play when putting games away later in the season.

AFC EAST

MIAMI

QB TUA TAGOVAILOA was benched because he wasn’t playing well enough, but he will still start next week.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

A floundering Miami Dolphins offense turned to its bearded veteran quarterback in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos.

Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced Tua Tagovailoa as Miami trailed 20-10, and nearly led the Dolphins to a late-game comeback. The Broncos ultimately held on for a 20-13 win.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores said after the game that Tagovailoa was benched purely for performance reasons. It was speculated on the broadcast that Tua, who was on the injury report with a foot issue this week, might’ve sustained a lower body injury.

Flores added that Tua would remain the starter for next week’s game against the Jets.

“It’s very clear this is Tua’s team. Tua is going to continue to get better and grow,” Fitzpatrick said, per Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Today was different than the last few weeks. They needed me to go in there and provide a spark.”

FitzMagic’s entrance immediately jumpstarted the offense, leading an eight-play, 44-yard drive culminating with a field goal to cut the lead to one-score midway through the final period.

A lost Melvin Gordon fumble just shy of the endzone on Denver’s ensuing drive gave the Dolphins a chance to tie it. That bid would fall short after Fitzpatrick tossed a game-sealing interception 13 plays into his second series, allowing Denver to hang on for the victory.

“Whatever was going to be best for the team. When I was in there, we couldn’t really get things going,” Tagovailoa said, per NBC6’s Ruthie Polinsky. “Coach felt it was best to put Fitz in to give us a spark. When I heard that – it’s really what’s best for the team.”

The Dolphins benched Fitzpatrick earlier this season as the quarterback was in a groove, leading two straight wins. Tua extended that win streak to five straight for the ‘Fins. Miami sat in playoff positioning entering the week, but trailed the 3-win Broncos squad for the bulk of the contest.

Tagovailoa took a sack early in the fourth quarter that led to the injury speculation. Prior to that, the rookie QB was ineffective all game, completing 11 of 20 passes for 83 yards, 4.2 yards per attempt, with one TD. He also took six sacks, overwhelmed by Broncos pass rushers behind a struggling offensive line.

With Tua under center, the Dolphins went 3-and-out five times, compiled just 10 first downs, and the only touchdown came off a short-field following an interception. Struggles such as this find their way to most rooks at some point, but Flores reiterated that he still believes in his young QB.

“He’s healthy. He’s a confident kid. He’s fine,” he said, according to ESPN.

NEW ENGLAND

Does QB CAM NEWTON want to stay with the Patriots?  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

Cam Newton has six games left on his one-year deal with the Patriots. Appearing Monday on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, Newton was asked a simple question: Does he have interest in staying with the team beyond this season?

Newton avoided it.

“Man, I have interest in winning the Arizona Cardinals game,” Newton said, via NBC Sports Boston. “How about that? . . . There are so many things that — I don’t want to even harp, dwell, or even think — as the Bible says, my cup runneth over. Just trying to focus on the near future rather than the far future.”

Sticking around would give Newton an even greater mastery of the offense, an offense he’s still learning.

“I would say so,” Newton said regarding whether he’s comfortable in the offense. “I would say every day for me is another opportunity for me to get better. Do I know everything in this offense? No, I do not.”

He could eventually know everything in the offense, if he returns. But if he stays, he surely won’t take another bargain-basement one-year deal. Newton will want something that better reflects the quarterback market. He’ll also likely have suitors elsewhere, depending on the offseason coaching and quarterback carousel.

NEW YORK JETS

This doesn’t happen often in the NFL, especially when running backs are concerned.  Jeremy Willis of ESPN.com:

Two Gores: A father, a son and two touchdowns on the same weekend.

New York Jets running back Frank Gore is 37 and has been in the NFL since 2005. His son, Frank Gore Jr., a freshman running back at Southern Miss, was born in 2002. The elder Gore was in college at Miami when his son was born. He is now playing for his fifth NFL team.

This weekend, both Gores found the end zone on the same weekend for the first time.

On Saturday, the younger Gore ripped off a 51-yard touchdown reception in the Golden Eagles’ 23-20 loss to UTSA.

On Sunday, his father scored his first touchdown as a Jet, also scoring in his third decade of his NFL career.

If Dad can hang around for a few more seasons and his son makes a pro team, they’d be the first father and son to play in the NFL at the same time.

Gore with some comments after the loss to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

The Jets (0-10) are six losses shy of joining the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns as the only 0-16 teams in NFL history.

The Jets missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year, as they were mathematically eliminated on Sunday — their earliest elimination since 1990. It’s the second-longest playoff drought in Jets history, one behind the 1970-80 dry spell.

Gore admitted this could be the most difficult season of his career. He has been a part of two 4-12 seasons, with the Indianapolis Colts in 2017 and the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, his rookie year.

“Yeah, I’d say it’s tough, because it’s the stage of my career,” he said. “I was younger in San Fran and I always felt like, ‘I got time, I got time.’ Now, I don’t know if I’m going to play next year and … I don’t know.

“You just never know. I’ve got to be real with myself, how teams think about my age. They might not want a 38-year-old running back on the team. It’s tough because I don’t know about next year.”

THIS AND THAT

ROONEY RULE CHANGES

Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com looks at the consequences, intended and perhaps otherwise, of the new version of the Rooney Rule.

The NFL has been lauded for its efforts to expand and broaden the Rooney Rule, including having it apply to coordinators and rewarding teams for developing minority head coaching and general manager talent. But there are often quirks that develop, and unintended consequences that emerge.

Specifically, the rule that owners recently voted on, to reward a team with two third-round compensatory draft picks, could prevent teams within a division from hiring a candidate they might otherwise choose. League sources said that the Falcons had been keeping a close eye on Saints assistant general manager Terry Fontenot for their vacant general manager position, but the odds of them actually hiring him are complicated by this rule.

“Think about it this way, how much is a general manager worth and how many options do you have?” said one league source with knowledge of the situation. “How many teams would trade two third-round picks for an unproven GM? That’s not exactly how this works, but if it helps the team you have to catch to win your division at some point, how many teams would still do it?

“The Saints are their main rival, they know the Saints are in cap hell (in 2021) and New Orleans has done a great job in the draft. Is it worth them getting two straight extra third-round picks — possible 10-year starters — just to hire their assistant general manager? They like Terry a lot, but I’m telling you, that’s a very real factor in the discussion. I’d be shocked if they did based on what I’ve heard.”

It is undoubtedly a significant reward for the teams that are developing the talent and considered as a strong step in the right direction by many of the African American coaches and executives I have been in contact with. But when it comes to divisional rivals, it may come with unintended repercussions for certain candidates.