THE DAILY BRIEFING
| With the first byes in the books, it is time to resume – If The Season Ended Today. Monday, we have the NFC:
Philadelphia East 6-0 1 5-0
Minnesota North 5-1 1 4-1
Tampa Bay South 3-3 1 3-1
San Francisco West 3-3 1 3-2
NY Giants WC 1 5-1 2 3-1
Dallas WC 2 4-2 3 3-2
LA Rams WC 3 3-3 2 3-2
Green Bay 3-3 2 2-2
Atlanta 3-3 2 2-3
Seattle 3-3 3 2-3
It’s still early, especially for the tiebreakers, but the Eagles are three games over the playoff line.
Washington, New Orleans, Arizona and Chicago are 2-4 – and still just one game south of the playoff line.
Here is how The 538 assesses the chances of making the playoffs for the NFC teams:
Philadelphia 99%
Minnesota 92%
Dallas 91%
Tampa Bay 81%
Giants 72%
San Francisco 68%
Rams 48%
Green Bay 41%
Atlanta 35%
Seattle 24% |
| NFC NORTH |
|
DETROIT
Coach Dan Campbell spoke about his team’s injury situation as the 1-4 Lions re-convened after their bye week. Christian Booher of SI.com:
Fresh off a bye week, the Detroit Lions are hoping to get several key players back before their Week 7 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.
While details of injured players like D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark were uncertain Monday, head coach Dan Campbell provided clarity on the status of a second-year player.
Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike had season-ending back surgery, meaning his 2022 campaign will end without him playing a single snap. Campbell called the injury, “a little bit of a gut punch,” and was non-committal on what the surgery means for Onwuzurike’s future.
“Hopefully this certainly helps,” Campbell said. “It’s a last resort, but he felt like that’s where he needed to go with it. Saw a number of doctors and so we’ll see where it goes.”
As for the remaining injured players, Campbell said he hopes to know more about their status on Wednesday.
“We’re a little bit better,” Campbell remarked. “I don’t know how far along we’ll be until Wednesday but I know everybody feels a little bit better. Now, how much? We’ll see.”
Swift and Chark have missed each of the last two games leading up to Detroit’s bye week, while St. Brown returned to action in a limited capacity in Week 5 against the New England Patriots. |
|
GREEN BAY
When the NFL schedule came out, Packers fans could be forgiven for thinking the two New York teams on back-to-back weekends would mean an enjoyable trip to London and then a comfortable home win. Peter King:
What odds could you have gotten from a wise guy back in the summer if you wanted to bet the Pack would lose to the Giants and Jets in succession in October? And not only lose, but be certainly outplayed, particularly in Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Jets at Lambeau Field. “We’re in a pretty bad predicament right now,” said coach Matt LaFleur. The Packers aren’t able with a young receiver corps to rely on anything offensively. After the game, Aaron Rodgers said he thinks the offense needs to be simplified for the time being. “All of it,” Rodgers said. “I don’t want to get too specific. I’m not attacking anything. I think based on how we’ve played the last two weeks it’s going to be in our best interest to simplify things for everybody … the line, the backs, the receivers … and maybe that will help us get back on track.” Maybe facing Washington next week will help just as much. |
| NFC EAST |
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DALLAS
Mike Sando of The Athletic – and his gang of anonymous advisors – tell the Cowboys how to finish out their promising start to the season:
1. The Cowboys are stacked on defense and made a second-half run at the Eagles with Cooper Rush on Sunday night. What can they do to contend for more than just their usual early playoff exit?
Keep riding the defense.
The defense is the one thing this team can count on. It has remained strong statistically without the same reliance on turnovers. Dallas ranked seventh in defensive expected points added (EPA) to this point last season, according to TruMedia. The Cowboys rank seventh this season as well. But there’s a big difference within those rankings. The 2021 team ranked first in EPA gained from opponent turnovers. The current team ranks just 25th in that category.
“I almost feel like the defense has gotten more confident since Dak has been out,” an NFC team executive said.
And why not? It’s the second season under coordinator Dan Quinn, who has continued to evolve his scheme, making it less static almost every year. Micah Parsons is an established superstar with a year of seasoning.
Don’t change too much once Prescott returns.
Prescott led the NFL in EPA per pass play in eight starts through Week 10 last season. He ranks 17th in nine starts since then, and no one would say the weaponry awaiting him is better now. But if the defense has been good enough this season for Dallas to win with Rush tossing five touchdown passes, down from 16 for Prescott at this point last season, could Prescott’s return take the Cowboys to the next level?
“I think from the quarterback position they are going to struggle there some when it is really crunch time,” an AFC exec said. “It’s like they try to give Dak too much leeway and it backfires.”
The Cowboys have shifted hard toward the run on early downs, early in games. They took it to another level Sunday night. Trailing the Eagles by 17 in the third quarter, they ran the ball six consecutive times on early downs, including for a touchdown. While we could applaud coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for the patience, did they have a more appealing alternative? Surely the Eagles would have voted for two quarters of Rush in pure dropback pass situations. How much changes when Prescott returns?
“What I think gets them over the top is consistently doing this when the quarterback comes back, which we will see if that happens,” an offensive coach said. “They are very similar to New England in that New England is playing with the backup now and they are managing the backup, and Dallas wants to play to their defense. They are not going to do that with a guy like Dak, but they have to do it with a guy like Cooper Rush.”
It will be fascinating to see whether McCarthy keeps the offense operating within this more conservative framework following his starting quarterback’s return. McCarthy seemed adamant about this last week when asked about Moore’s development as offensive coordinator.
“This is a defensive-first operation,” McCarthy said. “That’s mandated by the head coach, because that’s our strength. We identified that in the spring. I think (Moore) has done an excellent job adjusting to that.”
If McCarthy identified the Cowboys as a defensive team in the spring, before losing Prescott, what has changed?
Hope for the best from ownership.
Mandated by the head coach? We’ll see how that goes if and when Jones addresses the situation as the season unfolds. Coaches in the league have long thought Jones’ public commentary and proclivity for communicating directly with players has made it difficult for McCarthy and his predecessors to lead the team. Already this season, Jones has encouraged a quarterback controversy between Rush and Prescott. What coach needs that from his owner?
“Jerry just can’t help himself by getting in the way of the coaches and inerting himself into situations, which is his right to do, but over the course of season he will create 2-3 issues that end up costing them,” a second NFC exec said. “Coaches who have been there will tell you, Jerry cuts off the coaches, he steps in, he wants this, he wants that, he will go to players. It just kind of happens.”
It should be alarming for the Cowboys’ 80-year-old owner to realize only Stephen Ross’ Miami Dolphins, Jimmy Haslam’s Cleveland Browns, Daniel Snyder’s Washington Commanders and the Ford family’s Detroit Lions have gone longer than America’s team without reaching a conference championship game (Cal McNair’s Houston Texans haven’t been around that long).
Jones is better than those owners, but he is also the common denominator in Dallas not making a deep playoff run in decades. Can he be as good as the Eagles’ Jeff Lurie? Lurie stayed hungry after winning it all five years ago. He made major moves last offseason to position his team for a run at a second Lombardi Trophy. Can Jones stay out of the coaches’ way? Might he use the trade deadline to bolster an offense that needs another weapon?
“They really need an explosive-play outlet,” another NFC exec said. “Tony Pollard has been good on the perimeter run game and the screen game, but if they can find a tight end or someone that can create the mismatch, that takes their offense to a different place.”
Adding veteran help will be tougher to do after Dallas signed Prescott and especially running back Ezekiel Elliott to rich contracts offering little flexibility.
“They are not that team to make those types of moves,” an AFC exec said.
Don’t fall for the idea Dallas should stick with Rush at QB.
Those wondering whether the Cowboys should stick with Rush after going 4-1 with him in the lineup should know how much less productive the offense has been. Dallas is averaging 10.2 fewer offensive points per game this season compared to last, falling from 27.5 to 17.3.
The Cowboys hit their average with 17 on offense Sunday night. They needed 10 more to beat the Eagles. Dallas’ average point differential is down from 10.1 per game last season to 2.0 so far this season.
Prescott may or may not restore the lost productivity. If he returns and struggles or is injured again, Rush will still be there. The Cowboys need to find out whether they can become significantly better on offense. Only Prescott provides that opportunity.
The 2016 Denver Broncos with Trevor Siemian and the 2019 New Orleans Saints with Teddy Bridgewater are two of the closest comps for this Cowboys team. Both started fast with backup-caliber quarterbacks. Siemian’s Broncos finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. The Saints, after winning three times with Bridgewater during a 4-1 start, welcomed back Drew Brees and went 13-3 (while also going one-and-done in the playoffs as Brees’ age factored).
The 2014 Arizona Cardinals are another Cowboys comp. They got two victories with Drew Stanton in the lineup when going 4-1 to start the season. They were obviously better with starter Carson Palmer, whether or not they got over the top in the end. |
|
PHILADELPHIA
Eagles fans gave Jill Biden their traditional greeting on Sunday night – the same one they gave Santa Claus. Victor Nava in the New York Post:
There was no brotherly love for first lady Jill Biden from Philadelphia Eagles fans Sunday night.
Biden, who was raised just outside Philadelphia, and doesn’t hide her support for the city’s pro teams, was greeted with boos as she took part in the coin toss prior to the matchup between the Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.
The first lady was serving as the Eagles’ honorary captain for the game and was also present to promote the Biden administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative.
Jill Biden received the traditional greeting from the Philly Phaithful as she took the field with cancer patients, survivors and their families.
The jeering did not go unnoticed on social media.
The first lady also led fans in a rendition of the Eagles fight song, “Fly Eagles Fly,” a portion of which was aired on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” No booing could be heard during the snippet played on the broadcast.
Philadelphia sports fans are notoriously cantankerous. In 1968, Eagles fans mercilessly booed and threw snowballs at a man dressed as Santa Claus who appeared on the field during halftime of a late-season game.
Coach Nick Sirianni also was fired up Sunday night as his Eagles went to 6-0. Joseph Salvador of SI.com:
Right before the Eagles closed out a 26–17 win over the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, cameras caught Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni screaming at the opposition in a heated moment on the sideline. After the NFC East win, Sirianni explained why he was so upset.
“I was mad about the extracurricular activities,” Sirianni said, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “I’m always going to stick up for our guys. You may have seen me in the Jets game in the preseason. They hit Jalen [Hurts] out of bounds, and I reacted similarly. I’m sure we weren’t angels in that confrontation right there.”
Sirianni was referring to shoving and altercations after the whistle toward the end of the game. He explained that sticking up for his players is instinctive for him.
“I love these guys,” Sirianni said. “This is my family. I’ve got a great family at home. I’ve got great parents. I’ve got a great wife. I’ve got great kids. I’ve got great brothers. But this is my other family. Just like when my brother’s team was 0–2 to start off, and somebody was making fun of my brother when I was in sixth grade and he was a senior, and I stuck up for him in that scenario, I’m going to stick up for my guys in this scenario.” |
|
WASHINGTON
This – as QB CARSON WENTZ goes to IR after “beating” Chicago:
@ESPNStatsInfo
Carson Wentz W-L by day of the week as a starting QB:
Thursday: 7-0
Rest of week: 39-44-1
Wentz will have surgery on his finger and be out 4-to-6 weeks.
– – –
Peter King with the conventional media wisdom on Daniel Snyder and the Commanders:
There’s little question that commissioner Roger Goodell and a majority of the owners want to see Snyder sell the Washington franchise, but they may need more ammo to make him sell than they currently have.
It’s amazing how the two-decade Snyder regime has deteriorated a once-mighty franchise and continues to do so. He’s having trouble finding a state or municipality who wants to go into business with him building a new stadium, and the thought that D.C.-area power players would turn their business backs on a franchise that was a top-five NFL gem 25 years ago is shocking enough. I was told over the weekend that the league’s investigation into Snyder’s personal conduct by former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White could be the tipping point that could force Snyder out—if her investigation finds more wrongdoing by Snyder than is currently known. As the ESPN story by Seth Wickersham, Don Van Natta Jr. and Tisha Thompson relates, the woman with whom Snyder settled a sex-harassment charge for $1.6 million in 2009 could be a key element in White’s investigation.
ESPN reported that Snyder’s attorneys tried to keep the woman from interviewing with any of those investigating the owner or the team by offering her another payment, and that she would not take the payment. Snyder’s attorneys denied such an offer was made. ESPN also reported the woman was interviewed by White as part of the league’s investigation, which one source said could be the turning point in White’s investigation and in the league trying to remove Snyder as owner.
The NFL’s annual fall meeting is Tuesday in Manhattan, and it’s unlikely the Snyder case will be discussed there. Nothing of substance is expected to happen until White releases her report. But if the report has teeth about personal misconduct from Snyder, that could finally be the smoking gun to force the league to confront the Snyder headache head-on. |
| NFC SOUTH |
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ATLANTA
Six weeks in the Falcons are tied with the mighty Buccaneers for first in the NFC South – and perhaps just a Jerome Boger flag away from a 2-game lead in the division. Peter King acknowledges the head coach:
Coaches of the week
Arthur Smith, head coach, Atlanta. After starting 0-2, the Falcons have now won three of their last four, including a 28-14 win over the 49ers this week. The Falcons held the 49ers scoreless in the second half and Marcus Mariota, Smith’s prize QB pupil, was the picture of efficiency, going 13-of-14 for 129 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. With $77 million in dead cap money, Smith is finding creative ways to win games. |
|
CAROLINA
One day after he was banished from the team’s bench, WR ROBBIE ANDERSON is sent packing to Arizona (which learned that WR MARQUISE “HOLLYWOOD” BROWN is lost to a foot injury. Joseph Salvador of SI.com:
On Monday, the Cardinals announced that they have acquired wide receiver Robbie Anderson from the Panthers. The Panthers received “undisclosed draft compensation” in the deal, according to the release.
However, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Carolina received a sixth-round pick in 2024 and seventh-round pick in 2025 for Anderson.
The news comes less than a day after Anderson was seen getting into a heated exchange with several coaches during a loss to the Rams. It started with Anderson getting in the face of wide receivers coach Joe Dailey in the second quarter, as frustrations boiled over on the sideline for Carolina’s struggling offense.
In the third quarter, interim coach Steve Wilks was seen mediating another argument between Anderson and Dailey, before sending his wide receiver to the locker room. Anderson was escorted off the field by a member of the Panthers’ staff.
Anderson appeared to confirm the trade news via Twitter using emojis. After Sunday’s game he explained what happened from his point of view.
“I’m here to do all I can to help us win. It’s third down. I’m being taken out the game, you know, I don’t think I should be okay with that,” Anderson said. “So, I made a comment, ‘It’s the money down, why am I being taken out?’ And that’s that.”
As Anderson alluded to, the past week has been a rough one for the Panthers after the firing of Matt Rhule. The ousting of Rhule, who coached Anderson at Temple, led to speculation that Carolina possibly could trade some of its veterans, such as Anderson and running back Christian McCaffrey. It appears the trade was a mutual decision by both Anderson and the Panthers. It also might have been a necessary one for the Cardinals.
According to Schefter, Arizona wide receiver Marquise Brown suffered a potentially season-ending foot injury Sunday and will undergo further testing Monday to determine the extent of the injury. Without Brown, the Cardinals evidently made it a priority to add another weapon for quarterback Kyler Murray. |
|
TAMPA BAY
Coach Todd Bowles did not go easy on his team after the loss in Pittsburgh. SI.com:
Following the Buccaneers’ 20–18 loss in Pittsburgh that dropped them to 3–3 on the season, coach Todd Bowles questioned his team’s motivation in a scathing appraisal of the game.
“We didn’t take them lightly, No. 1,” Bowles said in the postgame press conference, per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “No. 2, I think guys that are living off the Super Bowl are living in a fantasy land. You’ve gotta get your hands dirty and go to work like everybody else. We’ve been working hard, and we’ve gotta work harder. Nobody’s gonna give us anything. Nobody’s gonna feel sorry. We’ve gotta go back as coaches, as players. … The time for talking is over. You either gotta put up or shut up.”
Tampa Bay’s offense struggled for much of the game, particularly in the red zone, where they scored just once in four trips.
“We didn’t earn it,” quarterback Tom Brady said after the game. “We didn’t earn the win. It’s a game of earning it, and it’s a game of playing well and performing well, and we’re just not doing a good job of that. I don’t think we’ve done it for six weeks. I think we’re all playing less than what we’re capable of. We’ve all gotta look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out why.”
Tampa Bay plays at Carolina (1-5) next Sunday as the Bucs look to put another frustrating loss behind them and improve offensively against an NFC South rival being led by an interim coach. |
| NFC WEST |
|
LOS ANGELES RAMS
An injury for the Rams during their victory over the Panthers. Lindsey Thiry ofESPN.com:
Rams left tackle Joe Noteboom tore an Achilles tendon in Sunday’s 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Noteboom will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Alaric Jackson will take over at left tackle in Noteboom’s absence.
The loss of Noteboom is the latest blow to the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, who have dealt with nonstop injuries to their offensive line.
Noteboom and right tackle Rob Havenstein had been the only two linemen available for every start.
Among linemen who have suffered injuries for the Rams and have missed time include center Brian Allen, guard David Edwards, guard Tremayne Anchrum, center Coleman Shelton and guard Logan Bruss. |
| AFC WEST |
|
KANSAS CITY
Peter King traveled to Kansas City to praise the QBs – but ended up saluting EDGE VON MILLER:
You come to write about Allen-Mahomes V, and to see if Josh Allen could bury the vivid, bitter memory of last January’s playoff debacle here and stake the Buffalo claim as the best team in football, and of course that’s the story of the day, of the week, of the month in the NFL.
But there’s something else that happened in the 3 hours and 10 minutes of this tight duel. Something significant. In the four previous meetings between these great quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and the Andy Reid offense averaged 32 points a game. In their 10 drives Sunday, everything Mahomes did was a struggle. Nothing was easy.
You realize it was a struggle because of the difference Von Miller made in his 46 snaps on the field. Miller wrecked Kansas City’s last three drives with play reminiscent of his Super Bowl MVP performance terrorizing Cam Newton seven years ago. First a tackle of a scrambling Mahomes from behind, then a third-down sack, and finally a pressure leading to the game-ending interception.
“Games like this one, this is why I came here,” said Miller, 33 going on 23, weary but happy, walking down the narrow hall to the Bills’ locker room after the game.
Buffalo is so much better on big stages because of a fearsome defensive front led by Miller. And because of his influence in cramped locker rooms like this one. “He’s my mentor,” defensive end Greg Rousseau said.
This from star linebacker Matt Milano: “Guys want to be like him. Von’s inspiring.”
King does talk about the QBs – then wanders back to Miller:
As with Brady/Manning, Allen/Mahomes can engender the who’s better arguments. In the last 50 years, we’ve seen some good rivalries. But the vagaries of the schedule and the short intersection of great careers have combined to limit what could have been historic rivalries. Terry Bradshaw and Ken Stabler did have five playoff duels, but started against each other in Pittsburgh-Oakland games just twice more. Joe Montana never really had one great rival. Dan Marino and John Elway would have had a great rivalry, but they faced each other just once in the first 15 years of their careers.
Mahomes-Allen could grow to rival Brady-Manning. Brady was 25 and Manning 24 when they first played, in 2001. Their youth and long-term drive helped the rivalry last 15 seasons, till the 2015 playoffs.
Style of play, of course, is far, far different—but in some ways, the relative styles befit the eras of the game. Coaches and GMs a generation ago lusted for pocket quarterbacks. Manning and Brady were perfect stylistically in an age when passers were getting more protection from the league and weren’t sitting-duck targets as much as in the seventies and eighties. That has helped Brady last till 45 and it certainly helped Manning last till 39, when he won his second Super Bowl in his last game.
Mahomes and Allen both are mechanically very sound with plus arms. But as we’ve seen, they can both be circus performers. Peyton Manning never trucked safeties in the open field, as Allen does. “Tackling him is like tackling a defensive end,” KC linebacker Nick Bolton said. Manning never leapt over safeties, as Allen did Sunday on the game-winning drive. Tom Brady never rolled out and evaded four tacklers and threw a set-shot TD pass, as Mahomes can do.
One other thing these two teams have: excellent organizations to make sure Allen and Mahomes continue to be surrounded by cap-wise, scouting-smart teams. GMs Brandon Beane of the Bills and Brett Veach of Kansas City know how to keep the windows open around good quarterbacks. They know when to take shots—the way Beane and coach Sean McDermott did with Miller last spring.
The last time Buffalo played here, Kansas City scored 42 points, Mahomes threw for 378 yards and KC ran for 182. It was a defensive debacle. After that game, McDermott remembered something he learned as a young coach on Andy Reid’s staff in Philadelphia: Make sure you’re comfortable with each line, offense and defense.
McDermott and Beane liked their young talent on the defensive front. But they both wanted a horse. “We felt like we needed a player, a marquee player, to help us a little bit there for games like this,” McDermott told me after the game. “Blitzing Patrick Mahomes, that’s been well-publicized is not very effective. So you gotta be able to win with your front four.”
Miller was going to be 33, and the Bills weren’t sure how many snaps per game they’d get out of him. But Beane went all-out. Miller was certain at the start of free-agency he’d stay with the Rams, but Buffalo offered a better guarantee package in its six-year, $120-million offer, and Miller took it. After the game Sunday, he admitted to having some serious buyer’s remorse right away. “So tough leaving LA,” he told me. “Not only L.A. but Aaron Donald, man. I could’ve just rushed with Aaron Donald and Greg Gaines and rode off into the sunset.
“But to come here and have success and win the way we are and have this type of impact on a group of young guys, this is what it’s about. I battled through training camp. I was homesick and L.A.’s not even my home. I was homesick all the way through training camp.”
The craziest thing helped turn the tide: toilet paper.
“Bills Mafia started to make me feel at home when I was battling all that homesickness,” Miller said of the intensely loyal fan group that follows the Bills. “I said something in the media about how we were staying in a dorm in training camp, and the toilet paper was not that great. And Bills Mafia sent me tons and tons and tons of toilet paper. Wipes too! So that made me feel good.”
Right away, he became influential with the young players. He told Greg Rousseau, the 2021 first-round defensive end, that the best way to be an impact defensive player is to play like you’re on offense. “Always be aggressive,” Miller told Rousseau. And Don’t blink became the defensive mantra. Don’t be scared—you’re better than they are. Miller says it every day, over and over.
It’s been awhile – but Sunday had a return of Nostra-Romo:
To me, this is not going to be a high-scoring type of game … This is going to be a 24-20 type of game.
–CBS analyst Tony Romo, 10 minutes into the Buffalo-Kansas City game, when it was scoreless. The final: Bills 24, KC 20. |
| AFC SOUTH |
|
HOUSTON
Probably no one was more involved in the process that took the Texans from a reliable playoff team to the bottom five than Jack Easterby. He will not be part of any rebound. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
Jack Easterby, the Texans front office executive who had the ear of CEO Cal McNair, is on the way out.
Easterby and the Texans are going their separate ways, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
His official title was executive vice president of football operations, but Easterby was widely regarded as the person who was the most important voice in shaping the Texans’ decision-making, including the hiring of General Manager Nick Caserio and head coach Lovie Smith.
With Easterby gone, it’s unclear how safe the jobs of Caserio and Smith are, and what the future of the franchise holds. The Texans don’t have much in the way of talent, but they are in great salary cap shape in 2023 and have extra first- and third-round picks in 2023 and extra first- and fourth-round picks in 2024, thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade. That could make Houston an attractive place for a front office executive who wants to run the show as the team attempts to rebuild. |
|
TENNESSEE
A Super Bowl in Nashville makes too much sense – and America’s fastest growing city just moved one step closer to that day. Turron Davenport of ESPN.com:
The Tennessee Titans have an agreement in place with Nashville Mayor John Cooper to build a new stadium.
“When my father brought this team to Tennessee 25 years ago, I don’t think he could have imagined a better home for our organization,” said Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk. “The way the people of Tennessee have embraced this team as their own is truly something special, and I am thrilled that with this new agreement, we will cement our future here in Nashville for another generation.”
The 1.7-million-square-foot stadium will have a dome, making it possible to host a Super Bowl and other major events year-round. It will be located east of Nissan Stadium along the East Bank.
The project is said to cost up to $2.2 billion and must be approved by the Metro Council.
Titans ownership has reportedly agreed to put up $800 million to help fund the project. The stadium also will be funded by a $500 million investment by the state.
“This new stadium proposal protects Metro taxpayers by not spending a single dollar that could be spent elsewhere on our core priorities like education and public safety,” Mayor John Cooper said.
Funding for the new stadium comes from four separate revenue sources. The Titans, the NFL and personal seat license (PSL) sales combined represent the largest source of funding for the new stadium. General obligation bonds are not a part of the proposal, and zero dollars are required from Metro’s operating budget.
Additionally, the team agrees to waive $32 million of outstanding bills owed by the city for construction and maintenance performed on Nissan Stadium over the past four years. As part of the overall project budget, the team also agrees to pay off the remaining $30 million in bonds owed on Nissan Stadium. This represents $62 million in additional unfunded liabilities relieved as part of the agreement.
The Titans have agreed to maintain and backstop upkeep over the life of the lease, and Metro will own the stadium when the lease expires — creating a multibillion-dollar asset for the city.
The deal is a result of Nissan Stadium needing renovation after 23 years of wear and tear. A provision in the current lease requires the stadium’s condition to be kept on par with other sports venues built around the same time.
That project was going to cost approximately $1.8 billion over the next 17 years. Cooper called it “financially irresponsible” to renovate Nissan Stadium instead of building a new facility, which supporters say would attract more tourists year-round. But the Nashville Metro Council has reportedly been reluctant to approve more big spending for tourism projects. The new stadium would represent the largest building project in Metro history.
More on the stadium from Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill:
Q: You mentioned the building will be enclosed. Is there a building in the NFL it will be similar to inside?
BN: “In terms of the interior design and experience, Allegiant Stadium (in Las Vegas), is probably as close as it gets. It’s a translucent roof, like Allegiant. The translucent roof lets daylight through, and it creates a really special experience within an enclosed facility. We are also picturing using quite a bit of glass on the sides to focus on letting as much daylight as possible into the building. In terms of the seating mix, Allegiant is probably the most comparable. It’s an efficient design like theirs, and it focuses on the diversity of the experience like Allegiant does. There’s not a bad seat in the house like Allegiant. But everything about this building will be uniquely Nashville. In terms of the exterior architecture, there’s never been anything like it.”
Q: Anything else you can say about the exterior of the building?
BN: “Again, the exterior will be uniquely Nashville. One thing that will be different about this building and any other NFL facility is its location. It will be in a central part of the city, it will be surrounded by a beautiful neighborhood and beautiful parks, so the exterior of the building will respect that location and will use materials and features that make it a very special and uniquely Nashville building.”
Some descriptions of the new stadium’s location say it will be “on the banks of the Cumberland River” but we would say the current stadium sits on the banks of the river. It looks like it will go up in the parking lot on the far side of the stadium as you cross the river, closer to I-24. This from The Tennessean:
This agreement would mean Metro regains control of 66 acres of land along the bank of the Cumberland River, which includes the site of the current Nissan Stadium.
Plans are in the works to redevelop the area into a large park, greenways, affordable housing and more.
Earlier this year, city planners released details on the plan, dubbed “Imagine East Bank” that had been in the works for nearly two years.
Several projects are already under development, providing a catalyst to redesign the corridor which sits across the Cumberland River from Nashville’s downtown: 111 N. First Street, Oracle, Cayce Place and now the new Titans stadium.
Much of the plans for Imagine East Bank have hinged on whether or not the Titans will build a new stadium. |
| AFC EAST |
|
BUFFALO
This:
@JonScottTV
How tough is Jordan Poyer?
The #Bills safety was not medically cleared to fly because of rib injury, so he drove 15 hours to Kansas City and back to play in this game.
You can be medically cleared to play NFL football, but not to fly?
As this story from Tim Graham of The Athletic makes clear, the issue is a collapsed lung.
Jordan Poyer was on the field Sunday as the Buffalo Bills took on the Kansas City Chiefs. He recorded four tackles — three of them solo — as the Bills defeated the Chiefs 24-20.
The safety, however, didn’t travel to Kansas City on a plane. Instead, the team rented a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van to take Poyer and his family from Buffalo to Kansas City for the game, a source confirmed to The Athletic. Poyer isn’t cleared to fly as he is still healing from a collapsed lung due to a rib injury he suffered two weeks ago. He is allowed to play on the Bills’ secondary. |
|
NEW ENGLAND
Hard to tell from this is Peter King was among the invited 260.
Robert Kraft had a fairly Hollywood wedding party. In July, when Kraft buddy Elton John was playing Gillette Stadium on his farewell tour, he asked Kraft, then engaged, when he was planning to get married. Up in the air, Kraft told him. “Well, I want to perform at it,” Sir Elton told Kraft. “That will be my wedding gift.” So Kraft, 81, and his 47-year-old ophthalmologist bride, Dr. Dana Blumberg of New York, planned a wedding to fit in with the rock star’s current tour at an event space in Manhattan crafted out of an 1860s-era bank. Elton would be on the West Coast for shows in the Bay Area, Seattle area and Vancouver this month, but he had a gap day on Friday night, Oct. 14, and flew in from California to play a 45-minute set, including “Circle of Life.” The invitees weren’t told it was a wedding and didn’t find out until a video recorded by Al Michaels introducing the newlyweds was played at the event. Quite a guest list (of about 260) for the wedding party: Tom Brady, Ed Sheeran (one of the last to leave), Meek Mill, Drew Bledsoe, Roger Goodell, Kenny Chesney, Randy Moss, Adam Silver, Jon Bon Jovi … and probably the only time ever that Ed Sheeran will play guitar for a live Meek Mill rap song.
Brady went – without knowing it was the wedding?
Drew Bledsoe on the invite list.
Snark from Lucy Burdge:
@LucilleBurdge
Belichick: Skipped Kraft’s wedding and then beat the Browns as the underdog.
Brady: Attended Kraft’s wedding and then lost to the Steelers as the 10-point favorite.
Mike Florio, as one might expect, expounds
Patriots coach Bill Belichick, appearing on WEEI radio, explained on Monday morning
that he talked to team owner Robert Kraft about attending Kraft’s surprise wedding on
Friday night, but that Belichick decided he had too much going on.
“Sorry I missed it,” Kraft said, via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. “I’m very happy
for him.”
Kraft is surely happy Bill opted not to attend, if it meant ensuring that the Patriots would
beat the Browns. On the flip side, the Buccaneers lost as 9.5-point favorites over the
Steelers after quarterback Tom Brady left the team to attend the Friday night event. He
then skipped a Saturday morning walk-through and meetings, before rejoining the team
on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles insisted that the absence of his all-in-except-when-he-
isn’t quarterback didn’t contribute to the outcome. What else was Bowles going to say?
The bottom line is that, even though Bowles said Brady didn’t miss anything, Brady
missed a Saturday morning walk-through and he missed Saturday morning meetings.
Presumably, Bowles scheduled those activities because he believed they would help the
team be best prepared to win. And Brady wasn’t there for them.
It’s not complicated. Brady said when he retired that he no longer could make the full
commitment to football. Even though he later returned, he’s clearly not making the full
commitment to football. He’s trying to find a both-ways sweet spot that isn’t working as
well as it needs to work.
And while neither Bowles nor Brady’s teammates will ever say anything about it,
consider the sights and sounds of Brady chewing out his offensive linemen during
Sunday’s game. While the other players were sitting there and taking it, what were they
thinking?
Here’s what I was thinking they may be thinking: It takes some nerve for a guy who
checked out for part of the preparation for the game to be complaining about how the
guys who didn’t check out are performing during the game.
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QB BAILEY ZAPPE is one of Peter King’s Players of the Week:
Offensive players of the week
Bailey Zappe, quarterback, New England. Another start, another win (38-15 at Cleveland) for the fourth-round rookie from Western Kentucky. In his three appearances for the Patriots, Zappe’s passer ratings: 107.4 at Green Bay, 100.0 against the Lions at home, and 118.4 at Cleveland. On Sunday, Zappe recorded his first 300-yard passing game, going 24-of-34 for 309 yards. The 23-year-old from Victoria, Texas, just might be threatening Mac Jones’ hold on the starting job. |
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NEW YORK JETS
Shot:
@RichCimini
#Jets are second team in the Super Bowl era to have a winning record through six games despite being an underdog in all six of those games (2001 Cleveland).
Chaser from Zach Rosenblatt:
@ZackBlatt
The #Jets open as 3.5-point underdogs against the Broncos for next week.
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Peter King has a CB SAUCE GARDNER stat:
Sauce Gardner is every bit as good as he looks early on in his NFL career. On Sunday, against Aaron Rodgers, Gardner played man coverage on 11 of 42 coverage snaps and allowed no completions in two targets. So far this year, he’s allowed one reception for six yards in 40 man coverage snaps, the best record in man coverage of any cornerback in the league.
Gardner, RB BREECE HALL, WR GARRETT WILSON – the Jets have three legitimate Rookie of the Year candidates. The kind of draft that can turn a franchise around. This from Stefan Stelling of JetsXFactor.com:
The New York Jets are on a mission to silence their doubters.
A 3-2 start (now 4-2) has started to shift the conversation surrounding the team. Though “Same Old Jets” is a long way from over, the Jets sit in fifth place in the AFC playoff picture.
The main reason for that change? The contributions of general manager Joe Douglas‘s last two drafts.
Immediately following the 2022 NFL draft, the Jets were widely considered to have the best draft across the league. Through five weeks, the team’s rookies have exceeded those high expectations.
Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson, Breece Hall, Max Mitchell, and Micheal Clemons have all done exactly as asked – and then some.
Not to be outshined, Zach Wilson and Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets’ two first-round picks in 2021, have been key players in the Jets’ first back-to-back wins since 2020. Elijah Moore, Michael Carter, and Michael Carter II, other 2021 picks, are all making important contributions as well.
These young players have been the engine behind the Jet’s resurgence. In this article, I’ll focus on Zach Wilson, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall. Then, I’ll touch on the rest of the draft classes’ performance this season.
Breece Hall
After a slow start to his career, Breece Hall started to hit his stride in Week 5. On the season, Hall is tied for sixth among all running backs with 488 scrimmage yards. Hall is also second in receiving yards with 213, only one yard behind Chargers back Austin Ekeler.
Hall’s career day was one of the biggest reasons the Jets upset the Miami Dolphins in Week 5. On the ground, Hall churned out tough yards with 18 carries for 97 yards and one touchdown. In the air, Hall flashed his home run ability with two receptions for 100 yards, and he was inches away from adding two receiving touchdowns.
While the Hall pick may have been seen as a luxury, he’s shown that he can carry the load for the offense with his speed and agility.
Garrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson has flashed the potential to be a star receiver in the NFL with his combination of speed and explosiveness. After not playing much in Week 1, Wilson announced himself in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns.
In his second career game, Wilson had eight receptions on 14 targets for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson was the Jets’ go-to guy and completed a historic comeback with his second touchdown catch.
Through five games, Wilson has 23 receptions for 282 yards and two touchdowns. It’s only a matter of time before he explodes again. His stat line undersells how good he’s been.
Wilson’s elite speed and agility have allowed him to get open at will against man coverage, where he leads the NFL in route success rate at 54%. With the wide perception that Jets’ receivers struggle against man coverage, it seems inevitable that Wilson will become the primary read against man-to-man looks. Once the offense gets in rhythm under Zach Wilson, Garrett Wilson will take off.
Sauce Gardner
Sauce Gardner has been everything he’s been advertised to be and more this season.
Despite facing Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Amari Cooper, and Diontae Johnson, Sauce has only allowed 12 receptions on 24 targets for 127 yards while picking up four pass breakups and one interception.
In a matchup against arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Sauce allowed only 26 yards on five targets while adding his first career interception. Sauce set the tone for the game by hitting Teddy Bridgewater for a safety on the first play.
Gardner’s closing speed and arm length have consistently shown up in coverage. He’s wiped away several big plays with his ability to quickly close the distance and force an incompletion. He’s showing the coverage technique and smarts of a veteran corner after playing only five games. This kid is the real deal.
Alijah Vera-Tucker
There isn’t a single player on this team that has been asked to do more than Alijah Vera-Tucker. Vera-Tucker went from left guard in all of 2021, to right guard in Weeks 1-3, to left tackle in Week 4, and to right tackle in Week 5.
Since moving to tackle, Vera-Tucker has allowed three pressures and zero sacks across 70 pass-blocking snaps, while his run-blocking has been stellar. He has been outstanding in both phases of the game and is doing everything asked of him.
After the Jets lost four tackles to injury, Vera-Tucker’s versatility allowed the offense to keep moving forward. It’s fair to wonder if the Jets would’ve won the last two games with Conor McDermott playing tackle instead.
Zach Wilson
After missing over a month due to a knee injury, Zach Wilson is 2-0 and riding high in 2022. His return game got off to a rocky start, but Wilson was red-hot in the fourth quarter to lead a fourth-quarter comeback over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This past week, Wilson calmly and consistently picked apart a depleted Miami Dolphins secondary. He completed 67% of his passes, rushed for a touchdown, and recorded no turnovers as he led the Jets’ offense to a 40-point outing.
His stats through two weeks – 32-for-57 (56.1%), 462 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions – are hardly impressive. However, Wilson’s 8.1 yards per pass attempt is the sixth-best mark in the NFL.
Wilson has been at his best in the fourth quarter this season. In the final period, Wilson is 13-of-15 for 173 yards with five touchdown drives.
While Wilson still has a lot to improve, his accuracy, decision-making, time to throw, play-action fakes, and poise have all improved significantly. This team will only continue to improve as he settles into the offense.
The best of the rest
While the players mentioned above are the primary leaders in helping the Jets advance to 3-2, the rest of each draft class is still making their impacts felt.
Elijah Moore and Michael Carter have felt like forgotten players this season. After being the focal point of the offense in 2021, both players have taken a back seat. However, that doesn’t mean they’re any less impressive.
Michael Carter is 13th in the NFL in forced missed tackles despite being 33rd in attempts. Elijah Moore has been consistently winning his routes and delivering when targeted.
Michael Carter II is the starting slot corner for a significantly improved passing defense. Brandin Echols may have lost the starting job but he’s the primary backup and made two big plays against Cleveland (plus a downed punt inside the five against the Dolphins).
Jermaine Johnson would have been mentioned above if it wasn’t for an ankle injury sidelining him for the foreseeable future. Johnson has had a nose for the football, racking up defensive stops and sacks at a high rate. Meanwhile, Max Mitchell has been the Jets’ savior with his solid play at right tackle. The 111th pick was improving each week before a knee injury knocked him out in Week 4.
Even the Jets’ final pick, Micheal Clemons has been getting plenty of snaps. Clemons has been playing at a respectable level at both defensive end and tackle. Jeremy Ruckert is the only rookie not overly contributing. He’s flashed at times as a blocker, but a brutal drop leaves him behind C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin on the depth chart.
The Jets are built for the future
After four very long years, Joe Douglas has put together a competitive roster. The Jets are currently 3-2 and sit in the AFC’s fifth seed.
However, this team isn’t even close to its potential. Here is a list of New York’s key players that are 25 or younger:
RB Breece Hall (21)
WR Garrett Wilson (22)
WR Elijah Moore (22)
CB Sauce Gardner (22)
TE Jeremy Ruckert (22)
RB Michael Carter (23)
QB Zach Wilson (23)
OT Mekhi Becton (23)
OT Max Mitchell (23)
OG Alijah Vera-Tucker (23)
DE Jermaine Johnson (23)
OG Nate Herbig (24)
DT Quinnen Williams (24)
DE Micheal Clemons (25)
DE Bryce Huff (24)
CB D.J. Reed (25)
S Jordan Whitehead (25) |
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THIS AND THAT |
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BROADCAST NEWS
The St. Louis payment and what to do with Daniel Snyder have been mentioned as topics for Tuesday in New York, but Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic says a bad debut for streaming service NFL Plus will also be on the docket:
The NFL launched its NFL Plus streaming app in July, rolling up its in-market streaming of games, a coaches’ film show and audio of all contests into one product. And it marked the NFL’s entry into the bloated universe of streamers.
So how’s the reception been for the app, which costs $4.99 a month ($39.99 a year), or $9.99 a month ($79.99 a year) for an advanced tier that includes All-22, the show that purports to allow the viewer to watch game film like a coach?
NFL owners on Tuesday are scheduled for a review of NFL Plus at their fall meeting in New York City, but judging from complaints littered across social media, the league has work to do. Some of the beefs are based on the fans’ faulty premise that NFL Plus would offer out-of-market games, which is what the Sunday Ticket package currently held by DirecTV does.
But the other gripes range from technical — the games not playing — to not being able to route the stream onto a connected TV or other devices. Some wondered why there is a fee to watch in-market games that are on free TV. In-market games previously could be watched for free on mobile phones.
“Anyone else keep getting a 403 Forbidden code in NFL plus (on Roku) I pay 10 bucks a month to not even get to watch all the game,” tweeted @orchard_drew.
“Let me get this right. NFL plus lets me watch the games that are already on local tv. And not out-of-market games. Got it. Useless,” tweeted @wolfdog.
“The way @NFL Plus handles subscriptions is absolute dogs–t,” tweeted @jwarminsky. “It feels like 2003 every week: Log out, log in, log out, log in; look around in the poor UX for the audio link; sometimes you login just fine and it says you don’t actually have a subscription.”
The NFL did not reply for comment.
Beyond the technical issues, some observers are concerned the app does not offer enough content to draw subscribers.
An NFL team president said he had a conversation with a friend recently who has cut the cord and wanted to watch the London Giants-Packers game on NFL Network. The team president said he suggested NFL Plus, but the friend instead took a one-week free trial from Sling and watched it that way.
“I’d be shocked if it’s killing it,” the team president said. “I’m sure they’ll spin it that way. The league office typically does. But I don’t know that many people that are paid subscribers to NFL Plus … Like, there’s probably some weird workarounds that people can do to maybe get some of these games. And whether they subscribe to Paramount Plus, or they subscribe to ESPN Plus or whatever, you may not need the NFL Plus product.”
Daniel Cohen, Octagon’s executive vice president of global media rights consulting, said there is not enough content to draw in casual fans. If the app had a Manningcast-type offering, he hypothesized, that arguably could entice.
“Maybe you want to go get Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek to go talk it up while you’re watching the game that’s only on NFL Plus. There just has to be premium content that you can’t get anywhere else,” Cohen said. “And enough of it to get someone to take their wallet out, take their credit card out, enter their numbers. I mean, the whole consumer psychology of buying streaming is tough.”
Indeed, NFL Plus hit the market at what appears to be a saturation point for streaming services, and as many of the companies that offer the subscription apps are reporting substantial losses.
Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks talked last week at the Sports Business Journal World Congress of Sports about why Fox has all but shunned the streaming wars. Rivals NBC (Peacock), CBS (Paramount Plus) and ESPN (ESPN Plus) have all aggressively tackled streaming, but Fox has largely avoided the space. Fox does have an ad-supported service Tubi that does not compete for sports rights.
“We all know, there’s too many streaming products out there, there’s too many direct-to-consumer products,” Shanks said.
The context is also important. The NFL has for a while been in advanced discussions to sell the rights to Sunday Ticket as DirecTV’s nearly three-decade run expires at the end of the season.
As part of that media deal, the league is also exploring selling part of NFL Media, which includes NFL Network, NFL.com and RedZone. So NFL Plus could be thrown into that mix or held out as a stalking horse for the Sunday Ticket rights to gain leverage over the bidders.
One thing is clear, the Sunday Ticket transaction is not ready for an owners’ vote at the league meeting in New York. The next meeting is in Dallas on Dec. 13, where the league hopes to have a package ready for owners to bless. |
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