| There has been a tie where both teams scored in the 40s before, but it’s been 61 years since the other one. This from FoxSports.com: 2. Packers-Cowboys is the second-highest scoring tie in NFL history, only behind a 43-43 tie between the Oakland Raiders and Boston Patriots in Week 6 of 1964. The Raiders-Patriots game from 1964 was incredible. Oakland QB Cotton Davidson was 16-of-34 for 337 yards with four TDs, two of which were to WR Art Powell (seven receptions for 121 yards and two TDs. Running back Billy Cannon powered the ground game with 13 carries for 90 yards. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com didn’t like the fact that the Packers only had 4:40 to work with after the Cowboys hogged 5:20. San Francisco’s Super Bowl LVIII decision notwithstanding, the conventional wisdom regarding two-possession overtime is that the team that wins the toss should choose to kick. This choice requires more careful deliberation in the regular season, where the overtime period lasts 10 minutes and 10 minutes only. The proposal that brought the postseason rules to the regular season initially included a return to 15 minutes. The league ultimately decided to stick with 10. Sunday night’s Packers-Cowboys game became the first data point as to the question of whether 10 minutes are enough. They aren’t. The Packers were rushed at the end of their possession, nearly running out of time before ending the game with a mutually-dissatisfying 40-40 tie. Coaches want the regular-season overtime rules to be the same as the postseason rules. While they’re never be identical unless and until the possibility of a tie is removed, 10-minute overtime entails different strategies and approaches than 15-minute overtime (which, obviously, becomes unlimited overtime in the postseason). Yes, it generally makes sense to take the ball second. If the team that gets the opening kickoff scores, the other team will know what it needs. The team that has the ball second will, if the first team has gotten a field goal or a touchdown, go for it on fourth down in its own territory (as the Packers did last night, on fourth and six from their 24). In the regular season, the ability to know what is needed must be balanced against the very real possibility of having the opportunity to leave the team that gets the ball second with insufficient time to match or beat a score. The Cowboys used 5:20 of overtime to score their field goal. The Packers had 4:40 to respond. If/when a third possession happens after a pair of scores, there could be little or no time to get in position for a potential game-winning field goal. A 10-minute overtime sets the stage for more ties. And no one should want more ties. No one should want any ties. Although ties can help avoid the complexity of tiebreakers in the final standings, football is always better when there’s a winner and a loser. With only 10 minutes, that becomes harder to accomplish. The NFL shortened overtime in 2017, after the Buccaneers played more than 73 minutes on a Sunday against the Raiders before turning around and playing the Falcons on Thursday. That change came when the NFL was fighting to quiet ongoing criticism of short-week football. Now that the P.R. war against Sunday-Thursday turnarounds has been won by The Shield, there’s no reason to not revert to 15-minute overtime. So let’s go back to 15 minutes. It will create more apples-to-apples strategic decisions for both regular-season and postseason overtime, especially as to the critical threshold question of whether to take the ball — and whether to secure a chance to leave the team that gets the ball second without enough time to answer. With 10-minute overtime, the clock looms large. With 15-minute overtime, it becomes less of a factor in the various decisions the teams will make, starting with the most important decision of whether to take the ball first, or second. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASThe Cowboys defense ranks 31st in points allowed so maybe they miss EDGE MICAH PARSONS. But then again, they rang up 40 points without a turnover against the defense Parsons was playing for on Sunday night. Kristen Wong of SI.com: It perhaps wasn’t the finish either team wanted in the fallout of Parsons’s blockbuster trade to Green Bay last month, but the game did end up turning into a pretty dramatic offensive duel between two top NFC quarterbacks. Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and Packers’ Jordan Love each threw three touchdowns heading into OT, and both teams’ kickers finished the game off with a field goal apiece. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who has had plenty to say in the month following the Parsons trade, told reporters that he thought his team deserved to come out on top. “I’m proud of this bunch,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “I thought we played well enough to win the game. I’m sick for these players, sick for these coaches and sick for our fans that we didn’t bring home a win.” Jones went on to give a very simple and blunt reason as to why he didn’t pay Parsons this past offseason. “It’s very simple. Dak was indispensable. In my mind. And Micah wasn’t,” Jones said. |
| NEW YORK GIANTSIn QB JAXON DART’s first start, the Giants scored a gritty upset. Jori Epstein of YahooSports.com: As New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson returned to the line of scrimmage, he embraced Jaxson Dart and patted his rookie quarterback on the helmet. Two minutes and 29 seconds remained in Dart’s first career NFL start. Thanks to the underneath route on which Dart and Johnson had just connected, that start was overwhelmingly headed in the direction of an improbable win. The pass wasn’t a spectacular downfield throw, nor did it require layers of defensive diagnosis. Like most of Dart’s completions on the day, the Giants’ final throw was straightforward enough to capitalize off a game plan designed to accentuate tempo and the quick game. But Johnson’s decision to stop his route in the middle of the field, rather than follow the full path that head coach Brian Daboll had intended since installing this play a decade-plus ago, wasn’t a mistake. It was instead a calculated decision from Dart that reflected the quarterback’s comfort adding his own flair to the New York Giants. “I told [Johnson], just from film prep and stuff, ‘If you see that middle open, just sit down for me,’” Dart said after leading the Giants to a 21-18 win over a previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers team. “It was kind of a cool moment to see that happen in a big situation like that.” The last point — Dart rising to the occasion when the moment was brightest — did not surprise Giants coaches and teammates on a day when Dart did enough of what New York needed from him, even if no one was trying to call it perfect. Dart leaned on his mobility and legs with a frequency that teammates worried wasn’t sustainable. In doing so, he sparked and maintained enough Giants offense to deliver the franchise its first win in four tries this season. The Giants’ defense led the way, tormenting a Chargers unit down three starting offensive linemen to the tune of two interceptions, each returned to the 3-yard line. Dart built off that start with a turnover-free game as he accounted for a passing and rushing touchdown despite losing star receiver Malik Nabers in the second quarter to a torn ACL, according to multiple media reports. The performance wasn’t typical, Dart becoming the first rookie quarterback since Phil Simms in 1979 to beat an undefeated opponent in Week 4 or later in his first NFL start. It wasn’t typical, either, the Giants knew, that their quarterback felt comfortable enough before he’d started a game to advise his tight end to change a play — a decision Dart shared with his head coach in the pregame locker room. But atypical moves could come to define the Dart era in start No. 2 and beyond. That wouldn’t surprise Giants teammates and coaches. “I think there’s nothing about him that is typical to a rookie,” Johnson said after catching three passes for 17 yards and a touchdown from Dart. “His poise, the way he can rally the troops. Everyone just rallied behind him.” Even Dart’s play style is atypical, fellow rookie Cam Skattebo said. “He’s got that dog that he can battle through a lot,” Skattebo told Yahoo Sports. “So I’m proud of him and we’re going to continue to ride.” After Dart had visited his offensive linemen’s lockers and chatted with Russell Wilson, whom he replaced, and carried around what appeared to be a game ball tucked underneath his arm for far longer than is, well, typical, Jameis Winston approached Dart’s corner locker. Winston helped Dart out of the protective padding that tried to shield the rookie from the not insignificant number of hits Dart absorbed. Winston encouraged Dart to celebrate the mobility and scrappiness-powered victory for 24 hours while acknowledging that a defense-forward performance left plenty of room for the offense to grow. “We got to continue to get better and he knows that,” Winston told Yahoo Sports after his conversation with Dart. “He wants to be the best. That’s what he said. “I said, ‘You will be. But we got to continue to get better.’” On Sunday, the Giants’ record got better for the first time this year. The squad that dropped its first three contests in various ways with Wilson under center eked out a win that was muted to some degree by the knowledge of both sides’ self-described sloppy plays and Nabers’ injury. Still, a wave of hope flowed cautiously through the Giants’ postgame locker room, the energy palpable from the defense’s 12 quarterback hits and two interceptions as well as the one-two punch run game that Dart and Skattebo leveraged to keep the Chargers’ defense off balance. Consider the Giants’ first drive, when Dart and Skattebo ran eight times vs. one completed pass and one defensive pass interference advance. Dart slipped upfield for 9 yards on his first keeper before rushing for 15 and a touchdown to cap the drive. The score marked the Giants’ first opening-drive touchdown at home since November 2022, per team records. And the lead the Giants took with 4:17 to play in the first quarter would never evaporate. That was thanks in large part to the Giants’ defensive pressure and a tone set by three-time Pro Bowl lineman Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence tipped Justin Herbert’s pass intended for Tre Harris with 43 seconds to play in the first quarter, securing the tip for an interception which he then ran down the left sideline 37 yards before falling 3 yards short of the end zone. The Giants’ offense failed to capitalize on the gifted red-zone visit and settled for a field goal. But they’d get another chance to change that fortune in the third quarter. With 3:47 to play, Dru Phillips dove for pick two and returned it to the 3-yard line as Lawrence had. This time, Dart found Johnson on a shovel pass for the 3-yard touchdown. Skattebo, who finished with 91 yards from scrimmage on 27 touches, rushed for the 2-point conversion. Before long, Daboll was pulling Dart’s forehead to his own, embracing his hand-picked first-round quarterback in celebration. “He’s the guy that believed in me from Day 1,” Dart said. “When you have a coach who you know has your back, I’m going to go out there and do everything I can for him to win.” |
| NFC WEST |
| LOS ANGELES RAMSThe man of the hour among NFL receivers is WR PUKA NACUA. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has had as good a first four games of the season as any wide receiver, ever. Nacua has 42 catches for 503 yards this season, which is the best in the NFL in both categories and on a blistering pace that would obliterate the NFL records. If Nacua kept this pace over 17 games, he’d end the season with 179 catches for 2,138 yards. The NFL records are 149 catches and 1,964 yards. It’s unlikely that Nacua will keep his current pace, but his 42 catches so far this year are tied for the most in the first four games of a season in NFL history. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford feels lucky to have Nacua on his team. “He’s as tough as they come, did a hell of a job again today,” Stafford said. “We called his number quite a few times. The fourth down was huge, the touchdown catch. He’s a heck of a football player. We’re lucky to have him on our team. I think his play style rubs off on everybody on our team, not just offense. I think our defense looks at him and is like, ‘shit, we’ll ride with that guy all day.’ And I know that’s how we feel on offense.” As Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp can attest, no QB has been better at producing big numbers for one receiver than Stafford. |
| SAN FRANCISCOAfter Jaguars coach Liam Coen got nasty, 49ers DC Robert Saleh went over the top in his response – threatening murder on a live mic. Here is a version of the encounter that does not include all that Saleh said from Nick Wagoner and Michael DiRicco ofESPN.com: The simmering tension over 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s remark earlier in the week about the Jaguars “legally stealing signals” from opponents spilled onto the field Sunday, as Saleh and Jacksonville coach Liam Coen had to be separated amid a heated postgame exchange. Saleh and Coen, two of the top candidates for the Jaguars’ head coaching job in the offseason, did not initially greet each other at midfield after Jacksonville’s 26-21 win. But Coen circled back toward Saleh as the situation escalated. Saleh, who exchanged words with Jaguars offensive tackle Walker Little, was held back by a Niners staff member, while Jaguars center Robert Hainsey restrained Coen. In a video by Action Sports Jax, Coen can be heard shouting, “Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep my name out of your f—ing mouth,” to which Saleh replies in part, “I will f— your world up.” After Saleh and Coen left the field, Coen twice declined to provide details when asked about the exchange. “Not a big deal,” Coen said. “Just keep that between us.” Saleh is generally not available to talk to reporters after games. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the situation and if he believed Saleh’s signal-stealing comments sparked the back-and-forth with Coen. Shanahan said he tried to clear things up Friday, when he said repeatedly that Saleh was complimenting the Jaguars. Shanahan said he did not see their postgame exchange Sunday. “I don’t think you should be that sensitive about it, but it is what it is,” Shanahan said. “I’m not too worried about it.” Asked if he was concerned that Saleh’s words had angered the Jaguars coaches, Shanahan demurred. “We don’t totally care if coaches are pissed off,” Shanahan said. “It has no effect on the game. I think Saleh was paying them a big compliment in what they’re good at doing. It’s not illegal. He said [there’s] nothing illegal about it. I think you use the word sign stealing and what the headlines get with those type of words, I think the perception of that becomes wrong.” Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said he thought Saleh’s comments might have fired up Coen a bit after the game. “I’m actually excited that he kind of kept his composure throughout the game,” Hines-Allen said. “And then, at the last minute, ‘Hey, do what you’ve got to do.'” The only 49ers player in proximity to the Saleh-Coen exchange was defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos, who declined to offer details. “That’s between them two,” Gross-Matos said. “I ain’t got nothing to do with it. I don’t really know what was going on between them.” Saleh first mentioned that the Jaguars are good at signal stealing during his weekly news conference Thursday, when he was asked about the biggest challenge that Coen’s offense presents. Saleh repeatedly said what the Jaguars do is legal, but offered more detail on Jacksonville’s approach. “They’ve got, legally, a really advance signal-stealing type of system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation,” Saleh said Thursday. “They do a great job with it.” This is the complete exchange per CBSSports.com: Here’s the exchange: Coen: “Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep my name out of your f—ing mouth.” Saleh: “I was trying to compliment your ass. I will f— your world up. You don’t wanna f— with me. I will f—ing end your f–ing life.” Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little, who was between the two coaches, then turned toward Saleh and told him to “Get outta here,” and the exchange ended. |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYWR XAVIER WORTHY looks like the key to KC’s offense after Sunday’s beatdown of the Ravens. Nate Taylor of ESPN.com: In his much-anticipated return, Kansas City Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy made the most of his seven touches in a 37-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Even when Worthy didn’t touch the ball, the Chiefs’ fastest player still had a significant impact on his teammates, with Kansas City scoring its most points of the season and most since Sept. 24, 2023. After missing the past two games while recovering from a dislocated right shoulder, Worthy led the Chiefs in receiving (career-high 83 yards) and rushing yards (career-high 38). “He’s just so explosive,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “When you get the ball in his hands, man, it just makes defenses have to adjust. And when they adjust, because he gets so much attention on him, other guys can make plays happen. “Just having him out there, not only for his physical abilities but just the morale of the [locker room], I thought it was huge.” Worthy’s production and presence helped unlock the Chiefs’ offense, with Mahomes also posting his best performance of the season. He completed passes to nine teammates and threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns without committing a turnover. “It felt like what we know we’re capable of [as an offense],” said receiver Hollywood Brown, who scored a touchdown. “We’ve had some hiccups, this guy off the field or this guy off the field. Just getting everybody together was big for us.” Late in the first quarter, Mahomes completed his first deep pass to Worthy, who sprinted past cornerback Marlon Humphrey for a 37-yard gain. Worthy, who wore a small brace for his right shoulder, finished the highlight by sliding to the turf near the sideline, a decision he made to help protect himself. “We’re just going to keep growing and that’s just the chemistry that we’ve built,” Worthy said of his connection with Mahomes. “When I talked to Coach [Andy Reid], he was like, ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘I’m going out there and I’m doing everything.’ I’m not trying to be limited. “I had never missed a game before in my life.” In the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, Worthy dislocated the shoulder on the third play of the game. The injury occurred when he collided with tight end Travis Kelce, who was running a crossing route in the opposite direction. The Chiefs began the season 0-2 in part because the offense struggled while having to perform with a short-handed group of wide receivers. Rashee Rice, Mahomes’ top receiver, is serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, and rookie Jalen Royals missed the first two games because of a right knee injury. “When I got hurt in the beginning of the first game, it hurt me, and I felt I let the guys down,” Worthy said. “That’s just the player I am. When I got back out there, I just vowed to myself that I’m going to make plays.” Worthy played 41 snaps (58.6%), and the Chiefs accentuated his skills by getting him the ball in creative ways. His first reception was on a fourth-and-2 in the first quarter, when the Chiefs had him use his speed and quickness to beat man-to-man coverage for a 4-yard gain. The Chiefs’ first snap of their first TD drive in the second quarter featured an extra offensive lineman, guard Mike Caliendo, and tight formation to set up a misdirection play. Worthy flashed his speed on an end around and gained 35 yards, the Chiefs’ longest designed run this season. “I thought [offensive coordinator] Matt [Nagy] used [Worthy] the right way and put him in great positions,” Reid said. “I’m glad he came out [of the game] healthy.” When on the perimeter, Worthy ran a nifty stop-and-go-and-stop intermediate route to get open against cornerback Chidobe Awuzie for a 28-yard reception. “He’s not just this fast receiver,” Mahomes said. “He’s gained weight, he’s kept his speed, and he’s shown that he can be a guy that can do everything. This is the role we expected him to be in, and he’s showcased it today.” Prior to Sunday, Mahomes had struggled when blitzed, completing just 52% of his attempts. But with Worthy as a viable passing option, Mahomes excelled when the Ravens blitzed, completing nine of 13 attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown. When Mahomes threw the ball past the line-to-gain marker, he completed nine passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. “With the offensive line, we just had better communication,” Mahomes said. “With Xavier being back, it’s that threat of being able to win over the top. It’s scary for defenses when they’re going to bring pressure, knowing you can get it to that guy — short or deep — and then he can make plays happen.” |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMOREYahooSports.com on the plight of the Ravens: Another big-time injury to monitor is that of two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who exited Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs with a hamstring injury in the third quarter. He was replaced by backup Cooper Rush, who went 9-of-13 for 52 yards, as his final drive behind was capped off with a 71-yard rushing touchdown from Justice Hill in garbage time. The Ravens are currently decimated by injuries to their defense, including those to star defensive tackle Justin Madubuike (neck), linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), Roquan Smith (hamstring) and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Nate Wiggins (elbow); the potential loss of Jackson could be a huge blow for a team that’s already started out 1-3. More from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: For most of their franchise history, the Baltimore Ravens have been known for having an elite defense. This year is very different. Through the first four games of the season, the Ravens have had one of the worst defenses in the NFL, giving up a league-high 133 points. In Sunday’s 37-20 loss in Kansas City, a Chiefs offense that had been struggling this year beat up Baltimore for the most points the Chiefs have scored in any game this season as well as the most yards and first downs the Chiefs have gained in any game this season. Injuries have been a major challenge for the Ravens’ defense. Four starters were already out before the game started on Sunday, and then linebacker Roquan Smith, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and cornerback Nate Wiggins were all injured during the game. But coach John Harbaugh said afterward that’s no excuse. “You’ve got to find a way to win anyway,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve never made excuses for those kinds of things, and the guys who are up there are going to play well, and we’ve got to find ways for the guys who are in there to execute.” Despite it all, the Ravens remain the betting favorites to win the AFC North. They’re still likely going to be playing meaningful football in January. But if they’re going to win in January and, they hope, in February, the Ravens need to get their defense fixed. |
| CLEVELANDIs it time to move on from QB JOE FLACCO? Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com looks at it and says it will be after Flacco starts in London on Sunday: The Cleveland Browns are at the bottom of the AFC North. Is anyone surprised? We didn’t think so. Now here’s the more concerning part: There’s an obvious primary reason the Browns are 1-3, fresh off a 24-point defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions. And that reason is the man under center. Let’s be clear: Joe Flacco is far from the only reason the Browns are ailing. Besides the fact this franchise is in a perpetual state of turmoil, the current roster was never expected to support a signal-caller to a consistently professional degree. Rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. entered Week 4 as the club’s leading receiver, for crying out loud. And yet coach Kevin Stefanski chose to open 2025 with Flacco, a 40-year-old journeyman, as the starting quarterback in part because he brought a base level of competence. That level has dropped. Two years after he spearheaded an improbable playoff bid as a last-second emergency starter for Cleveland, Flacco fully looks his age. Two years after feeding a not-retired Amari Cooper and a fresher David Njoku, the grizzled gunslinger leads all quarterbacks in total turnovers (8) through four games, and his completion rate (58.1%) ranks among the NFL’s worst starters. The two most basic necessities — completing and controlling the ball — are far from givens under his direction. After Sunday’s loss, Stefanski redirected pointed questions about Flacco to the offense as a whole, but in doing so, he gently left the door open for a warranted evaluation of the position: “I understand the question, especially when we are struggling the way we are on offense,” he said of a potential quarterback swap. “But that’s not our focus right now. … Right now, we have too many things going wrong, and we all own that. It isn’t because of one player.” Notice these two key phrases amid the coach-speak: “I understand the question.” “That’s not our focus right now.” The first phrase is the greatest indication yet that Stefanski is prepared to usher Flacco to the bench sooner than later; he’s literally acknowledging there’s a debate to be had, or a finger to be pointed. And even if he rightly wants to point it across the board rather than at the aging man at the controls, he’s only declining to publicly entertain a quarterback shakeup “right now.” Here’s a little NFL communications tip: If a key decision-maker repeats phrases like “right now,” it just means they reserve the right to change their mind in a hurry. Their plans, as always, are subject to change in a heartbeat. But is a change actually, truly justified? Is this what the Browns need at 1-3? Um, yes. This isn’t a campaign to have a very accomplished veteran quarterback lose his starting job as much as it is a plea to Stefanski and the rest of the Browns staff to exercise some big-picture sense. We can understand why Flacco was tabbed to lead the charge into 2025, even as a retread rental. The last time he worked with Stefanski, the Browns ended up in the postseason. Except that was also ages ago in NFL time. Since that magical but short-lived run, Cleveland is 4-17. And practically everyone from the top on down knew, coming into this year, that the roster was not even close to being “a quarterback away.” So why bother with him at all? To establish a culture for a totally overhauled quarterback room. To set the tone for professional preparation and execution. And maybe, just maybe, to eke out a win or three and stay competitive in the scrappy AFC North alongside a feisty Jim Schwartz-led defense. Well, four games in, Flacco may have made his mark in the quarterback room. He may have shown much younger teammates what it’s like to do business at the NFL level. But his execution as the guy who touches the ball on every snap has left a lot to be desired, hence the Browns sitting at the basement of the North despite also boasting the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed per game. Is Stefanski really interested in waiting around for Flacco to rediscover his touch? For what? To win another game by mid-October? To ensure Flacco goes into retirement as a No. 1? If he was always the designated placeholder, isn’t this precisely the kind of slumping start that might prompt a place-changing? The New York Giants just provided the blueprint for this very ordeal: They signed Russell Wilson, a proven vet, to be the de facto starter of a remade bunch, and once he proved too sluggish to drive an NFL offense in the year 2025, they pivoted to their higher-upside investment. Jaxson Dart promptly rewarded them with a spicy upset in Week 4. Now do the Browns have a Dart-level alternative waiting behind Flacco? Not necessarily. But maybe! After all, they spent not one but two 2025 draft picks on quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders; they literally have even more reasons to turn the page under center. It’s not as if Stefanski is averse to the prospect of thrusting these youngsters into the fire. The Browns trading veteran reserve Kenny Pickett just before the season broadcast to the rest of the NFL their willingness to have Gabriel and/or Sanders see extensive playing time; Flacco is 40 years old, remember, and even if he had been lighting it up, who’s to say Father Time wouldn’t have struck via injury, prompting Gabriel, the rookie No. 2, to inherit the offense indefinitely? Again, the only way the Browns were ever going to keep Flacco under center for the whole season was if they surprised early and stayed competitive in the North, but if he’s an actual impediment, there’s double the reason to gamble with a fresh face. Can Gabriel be that much worse? Maybe his lauded short-area accuracy could speed up Stefanski’s attack? Maybe not? Even then, isn’t the potential growth opportunity worth that risk? Odds are the Browns will be back in the market for more help at this position come 2026, but don’t Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry want to know if they’ve got any diamonds in the rough before then? And, look, if you’re of the opinion Gabriel or Sanders would simply be swallowed up by Cleveland’s other issues, you might be right, but what’s their alternative? Sit around until the whole organization is cleaned out (again)? Demand a trade without taking meaningful snaps? You can bet, if asked, they wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to show their stuff, even in not-ideal circumstances. So why hasn’t Stefanski already made the call? Unlike, say, Brian Daboll in New York, his own job atop the Browns’ staff might feel a bit more secure. He’s not necessarily as desperate for an immediate spark, given both his deeper track record (two playoff runs) and previous success with Flacco. There’s also some personal history: This kind of transition is treading new ground for Stefanski. At every stop he’s had as either an offensive coordinator or head coach, he’s worked with a veteran as the regular starter: Kirk Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings (2018-2019), Baker Mayfield upon his arrival in Cleveland, and then a combination of Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett and Flacco in recent Browns seasons. The last time Stefanski held an NFL job where a rookie was a full-timer under center was 2014 with Teddy Bridgewater. It’s possible, maybe even probable, he’ll keep holding out, sticking with the proven man, through Week 5. The Browns, after all, are headed overseas for an international contest with his old team, the Vikings. That doesn’t exactly scream “ideal first start” for Gabriel or Sanders: away from home, on literal foreign turf, against an endless barrage of Brian Flores blitzes. But don’t be surprised if even he thinks twice about the decision before then and, more so, during that game against the Vikings. Because unless Flacco reverts to early-career form and starts dropping bombs to upset Minnesota in London, the Browns are shaping up to be the next team to give a brand new signal-caller his first real crack at the NFL game. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| HOUSTONBefore Sunday’s win over the Titans, Dianna Russini of The Athletic went on Dan LeBatard’s radio show and said. “C.J. Stroud is really good, they are still trying to figure themselves out on offense…I am not in the camp that he’s ruining his opportunity to get a mega extension, I still think he can play. There is still some work to be done. There are some things going on behind the scenes that I think we are going to find out about soon” That sounds more like Russini knows some things that she doesn’t want to share with us yet. It was only the Titans, but Stroud and the Texans offense were fine on Sunday: eek 4 saw the best of C.J. Stroud as he led the Houston Texans to their first win of the season, a 26-0 shutout of the Tennessee Titans, and it may have also provided the ideal snapshot of what the new offense can be when it is firing as intended. Stroud completed 22 of 28 passes for 233 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in the victory. In a sense, Stroud was surgical in working with what he was presented from play to play. Stroud’s 8.3 yards per pass attempt are his 15th-fewest in 25 games with 200-plus passing yards, per Stathead. But Stroud spoke candidly about the dink-and-dunk approach and how it opens up opportunities for bigger plays later in the game. He spoke specifically about a 37-yard completion to Nico Collins. “The way teams are playing us, and the way our offense is kind of built, is just death by a thousand cuts,” Stroud told reporters during his postgame media availability on September 28. “Taking what the defense gives me. And then finally, I think after you hit a big play, or like a big play comes, is when everything kind of opens up. So, I feel like that’s what happened. “Big plays like that definitely give us energy that we need going forward. I think it just – sometimes it’s that one play that kicks it off to get everything rolling. We kind of had that my rookie year.” “Sometimes it just takes that one play, that one drive, that one point of emphasis to finally hit to finally get the things rolling that we know that we can do,” Stroud said. “I think that’s kind of the cool thing about playing football is, it’s different every year. It’s different every game, and you just got to find the niche. And I think, maybe, hopefully, I did that. But we got to just go back to practice, and continue to get better.” Collins finished the game with four receptions for 79 yards, a notable day after his back-and-forth in the media with Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. Stroud and the Texans got big performances from rookies Jayden Higgins and, especially, Woody Marks. Higgins caught his first NFL touchdown on his lone target and reception of the day, hitting pay dirt on a 24-yarder. Marks turned his 17 carries into 69 yards and a touchdown, adding another 50 yards and 1 TD on four receptions. Stroud was praised for offensive coordinator Nick Caley and running back Nick Chubb. He also lauded the tight ends, offensive line, and receivers in general. But he was effusive with his comments about Higgins and Marks, picks Nos. 34 and 106 overall in the 2025 draft. “I was a really big fan of Woody in college, when he was at USC. Thought he was really elusive, really crafty, and I thought he did a good job since those days in that Lincoln Riley offense. And I thought today we kind of used him in that light. Spread him out, gave him some familiarity running the ball and some plays that he’s ran before, and he’s a very dynamic pass catcher. But yeah, he did great,” Stroud said. “Hig is a dog. He’s somebody who was very elusive, great route running. And him one-on-one, a lot of times – he’s big, and he’s fast, tall – that’s a mismatch. So, he did a great job on that touchdown play, and he just continues to get better every week, and I think [Jaylin Noel]’s same thing. A lot of our rookies are doing great. Tae [Aireontae Ersery] had a great game. So, a lot of the guys that are doing big things in their first year, it’s going to be huge for us.” |
| INDIANAPOLISThe Colts are no longer undefeated although they did plenty of good things Sunday in Los Angeles – but much of it was undone by WR AD MITCHELL. Noah Compton of YahooSports.com: The Indianapolis Colts had just retaken the lead late in the form of an electric, 76-yard touchdown reception from Daniel Jones to AD Mitchell, except they didn’t. They actually turned the ball over, and it wasn’t anything the Los Angeles Rams defense did. Unfortunately for Colts fans, this is far too familiar a mishap. AD Mitchell did the hard part, hauling in a contested grab on 3rd and 4, and then evading two nearby defenders as he tightroped the sideline for the rest of the way. As soon as he approached paydirt, however, is when focus was lost, and so was his first career touchdown. Channeling his inner Jonathan Taylor versus the Denver Broncos in 2024, Mitchell lost control of the ball within a yard of the goal line and subsequently fumbled it out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. It’s up in the air whether or not he was celebrating too early or was merely trying to manage the out-of-bounds marker as he extended for the goal line, but regardless, Mitchell’s mishap negated six points as well as turned the ball over. It was simply unacceptable, and Mitchell knows this. “I just lost focus…It was a play that can’t happen. Just unacceptable. I’ve got to be better for the organization,” Mitchell said to James Boyd of The Athletic following the loss. “Try to move forward, learn from the previous mistakes, and get better.” Head coach Shane Steichen did make it a point of emphasis to hold onto the ball so that Jonathan Taylor’s mistake is never replicated. Alas, not even a full calendar year later has resulted in more of the same. Couple that with Mitchell’s well-documented acclimation to the pros, and it makes sense why, after finally breaking through with a big play on Sundays, the young wideout is taking it extra hard. However, props are also in order to Mitchell for not ducking the media, something other teams have already seen happen through the short season thus far. “Letters and logos,” Mitchell revealed as the motto that Steichen emphasized regarding Taylor’s (and now Mitchell’s) mishap. “Holding the ball through the letters and logos. Finishing through the end zone.” AD Mitchell’s rough performance unfortunately didn’t end there, either. Late in the fourth quarter, tied 20-20, just beyond the 2-minute warning, superstar running back Jonathan Taylor broke one deep for a 53-yard touchdown to take the lead. That potential game-sealer was wiped out with a holding penalty by Mitchell. His rough day will certainly be talked about the most; however, this was a team effort chock-full of mistakes. The Colts had a season-high 11 penalties charged for 88 yards lost, with miscues scattered throughout, made by nearly every player and coach. That’s not to absolve Mitchell of his shortcomings, but rather to show that this game was not solely lost because of one player’s performance. Shane Steichen has spearheaded his tenure as the Colts’ head coach with an emphasis on accountability, and since that’s more or less been carried out by him and his staff thus far, the same can be expected for Mitchell’s playing time moving forward. Indy certainly doesn’t want to rush back Alec Pierce as he works back from a concussion he suffered in Week 3, but veteran wideout Ashton Dulin has more than proven over the years that he’s a reliable spot-starter when called upon. The people calling for Mitchell’s job are understandably emotional, but there’s simply no reason to give up on a guy when there’s enough depth to fill the void as he works through the kinks. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDMark Daniels of MassLive.com lays out the developing promise of QB DRAKE MAYE as he gets ready to go to Buffalo on Sunday night: It was January 22 when the Patriots announced the hiring of Josh McDaniels. By bringing back the accomplished offensive coordinator, some wondered how Drake Maye would acclimate to his historic, complicated offense. Those questions were raised after Maye looked uncomfortable in the Patriots Week 1 loss. Since then, it’s become clear that January 22 was also one of the most important days for Maye when the Patriots announced McDaniels’ hiring. Four weeks into this season, the veteran play-caller is clearly one of the best things to happen to this young quarterback. Maye enters this week ranked in the top 10 of most statistical categories in the NFL. As he prepares to face off against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, the young quarterback is statistically close to Allen. Maye’s sixth in the NFL in passing yards (988), one spot ahead of Allen (964). He’s tied with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and the Bills quarterback with the eighth most passing touchdowns (7). Despite being 15th in passing attempts, Maye is sixth in the NFL in completions (91). His 109.4 passer rating places him fifth in the league, one spot below Allen (109.7). Maye also leads the NFL in completion percentage (74%). While no one claims Maye is better than Allen, his rapid rise among NFL leaders highlights the effective coaching and offensive play-calling of McDaniels. On Sunday, the Patriots scored the most points since the 2021 season when they scored 50 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their win over the Carolina Panthers was one of their biggest blowouts since then. That year marked the last time McDaniels was in New England. Four years ago, he had a rookie quarterback, Mac Jones, operating like a top-15 quarterback. Before that, he schemed up an offense around quarterback Cam Newton, whose best days as a passer were behind him, so the quarterback ran for 12 touchdowns. What we’re seeing this year is a blend of schemes. Maye is doing a good job of quickly going through his progressions and hitting the open pass catcher. McDaniels is also utilizing Maye’s athleticism. The quarterback is often rolling out of the pocket in designed bootlegs, where the opposing defense doesn’t know if he’ll continue running or throw while on the run. “Well, to be able to extend plays, move the pocket, and move the launch point is critical,” Mike Vrabel said of Maye’s ability to throw on the run. “Those plays have helped us, and he’s done a good job with them.” McDaniels is using more motion and run-pass options with his quarterback. Maye has two rushing touchdowns through four games after having two rushing touchdowns all rookie season. Overall, the Patriots are showing more offensive efficiency than we’ve seen in recent memory. The Patriots third-down conversion rate (41.7%) is their best since 2021 (43.5%). Their red zone conversion rate (66.7%) is the best since 2012 (70%). They enter this week ranked 10th in the NFL in scoring with 25.5 points per game. Last year, the Patriots were 30th in the NFL, scoring 17 points per game. In 2023, they were tied for last (13.9). The last time they averaged more than 25 points a game was in 2021 with McDaniels (27.2). “It’s a lot of fun to be able to have an offense like Josh’s, it’s great,” offensive lineman Ben Brown said on Monday. “We’re able to run downhill, but we’re also able to get out in space. It keeps defenses a little more honest. It’s a lot of fun playing in this system.” The biggest winner from McDaniels being back is clearly Maye. Last season, he was the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL, and he showed glimpses of potential. This year, he started the season as the second youngest starting quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy. Entering this week, he’s the third youngest with Jaxson Dart now starting for New York. Through four games, Maye isn’t just showing potential, he’s realizing it. Even advanced metrics have him among the league’s best quarterbacks. Maye ranks third in the league in total EPA (an advanced metric that measures expected points on a per-play basis). He trails Allen and Green Bay’s Jordan Love. Even in a historical context, Maye is in good company. Through the first four weeks, his 74.0 completion percentage is the best among second-year quarterbacks in NFL history. It doesn’t take an advanced metric to see it. Maye is clearly comfortable in this Patriots offense, and right now, he’s thriving. The Patriots offense no longer looks like one of the worst in the NFL. Vrabel’s decision to bring McDaniels into the fold had led to Maye developing at a rapid pace. For the first time in a while, the arrow on this franchise is pointing in the right direction. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| SCHEDULE THOUGHTS FEATURING TELEVISON, THE RAVEN AND THE BENGALS Richard Dietsch of The Athletic on the NFL’s role in laying the Raven low. When I asked Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill prior to the start of the NFL season for the team he considered pivotal for his network this year, his answer surprised me: The Cincinnati Bengals. “It’s so weird to say this because we’ve always been the NFC package but Cincinnati is huge for us,” Mulvihill said. “We’ve got Cincinnati playing Detroit in a 4:25 (p.m. ET) game for us in Week 5 and then we’ve got them playing Buffalo in December. If we get the Cincinnati that we saw in the second half of last season, we’re loaded. We just need Cincy to be in contention throughout and we’re going to feel great about our 4:25 schedule.” The Bengals currently sit at 2-1 and play the Broncos tonight in the late game of an ESPN “Monday Night Football” doubleheader (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC). But the winning record could obviously be a mirage given Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury that is expected to keep him out for an indefinite number of months. I thought about Mulvihill’s preseason thoughts while watching the NFL this Sunday because of another team in the AFC North — the Baltimore Ravens. Yesterday’s desultory 37-20 loss to Kansas City left them at an ugly 1-3 on the season. Get ready to see this stat everywhere: Since 1990, only 35 teams have reached the playoffs after starting 1-3. This wasn’t supposed to happen. When The Athletic asked 47 NFL staffers who would win the AFC prior to the season, 28 said the Ravens and 26 picked Baltimore to win the Super Bowl, the most of any team. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Baltimore’s 1-3 start is a disaster for the NFL, given the Ravens’ standing as a Super Bowl favorite. But here’s the interesting rub: The NFL front-loaded its schedule this year, and one of the teams they used to do that was the Ravens, who had a “Sunday Night Football” game in Week 1, a “Monday Night Football” game in Week 3, and yesterday’s game in the late CBS window, which per a CBS spokesperson, went to the 93 percent of the country. (The other CBS late-window game was Chicago’s win over Las Vegas.) The Ravens next four weeks includes zero games in major television windows: • Oct. 5: 1 p.m. ET vs. the Texans on CBS • Oct. 12: 1 p.m. ET vs. the Rams on Fox • Oct. 19: Bye week • Oct. 26: 1 p.m. ET vs. the Bears on CBS Mulvihill said on Sunday that the NFL can easily ride out a slow start from Baltimore, and that the league has also already benefited from the early-season schedule for the Ravens. “This year’s schedule is front loaded-with so many good games that it’s inevitable for at least one good team to get off to a slow start, but that team then also benefits from a softer midseason because their September is so tough,” Mulvihill said. “We’re no less excited about our Baltimore games now than we were in May.” The viewership benefits that the NFL’s front-loading has already provided can’t be overstated. You may have noticed other major sports (notably college football this season) schedule great viewership matchups at the beginning of the year. NASCAR fans have long rewarded the sport with big viewership numbers for the Daytona 500 even though it starts the Cup season. To highlight Mulvihill’s point, let’s look at what the Ravens have already produced for the league as far as viewership. ESPN’s Week 3 game between the Lions and Ravens on “Monday Night Football” averaged 22.85 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL+. That made it the largest Week 3 MNF audience since ESPN acquired the game’s rights in 2006. Buffalo’s 41-40 victory over Baltimore in Week 1, featuring the Bills scoring an insane 16 points in the final four minutes to overcome a 15-point deficit, averaged 24.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, the most-watched “Sunday Night Football” opener since 2022. As we will have to often note for viewership in 2025, this year’s sports viewership numbers have gotten a boost due to new Nielsen methodological changes, specifically the use of “Big Data + Panel” methodology beginning Sept. 1 (I recommend this piece by Sports Media Watch’s Jon Lewis on how it is impacting sports.) There is also better measurement from Nielsen since February regarding out-of-home viewing, which now covers 100 percent of the television population, up from 66% coverage last year. This brings us back to the Bengals: If you peer down the Ravens’ television schedule, the team’s next game of significance as far as a national viewership window comes on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 27, NBC/Peacock) when they meet the Bengals in a divisional game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. It’s a high-profile matchup on one of the most important days on the NFL calendar, and the league could use both teams to be at least be remotely competitive for a playoff berth. If not, the NFL will be looking at some serious post-Thanksgiving indigestion when the viewership number comes out. There is no flexing out of that game. We would say that while the Ravens are only playing at 1 p.m. on Sunday in their next three games, their three opponents included a 2024 playoff team doing well in the Rams, a 2-2 Bears team that may be on the rise and a Houston team that’s been to the playoffs the last three seasons. And after that, while there are some easier games, the Ravens still have 2 with Pittsburgh, 2 with Cincinnati, Green Bay, rising New England and the Vikings. So we count 10 challenging games and three easy ones (Cleveland, Jets, Miami). If Baltimore wins the three easy ones and goes 7-3 in the challenging ones – that’s 11-6. But if they only go 5-5, that’s 9-7. |
| WHO?The first three Super Bowls featured marching bands as the halftime entertainment. Then, at Super Bowl 4 in 1970, Doc Sevrinson, Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton and Carol Channing headlined the show. For the rest of the 1970s and ‘80s, the NFL mixed acts you had heard of with a few marching band and ensemble shows (which at least featured songs you had heard of). Even Super Bowl 18 in Tampa, with the Whitney Houston National Anthem had the combined U. of Florida and Florida State bands. By Super Bowl 25, again in Tampa, featured acts (in this case New Kids On The Block) were performing as part of special themed shows with large casts. And so it began, a run of more than 30 acts that the DB had heard of, acts where you could hum along with most of their hits – acts like Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan, Aerosmith, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake. They were the biggest names in music – appealing to the NFL fan base and just about everyone else. Then, in 2020, the NFL made a conscious decision to narrow the spectrum of appeal for their halftime acts by allowing Jay Z and his Roc Nation to produce the shows. But even then, the first show in Miami in 2020, had Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, names you know. We were tested in 2021 with The Weeknd, but at least he had one universally played hit “Blinding Lights.” Since then, (Dr Dre and others, Rhianna, Usher and Kendrick Lamar) the acts have had names we knew – if not songs on your playlist. Then, came Sunday night. Jared Schwartz of the New York Post tells us why we should have heard of “Bad Bunny”, who is breaking a self-imposed ban against performing in the United States, his country of citizenship. Bad Bunny will take the stage. The Puerto Rican Reggaeton and hip-hop superstar will perform the Super bowl 2026 halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, the NFL announced during the Packers-Cowboys “Sunday Night Football” game. He follows Kendrick Lamar, who headlined last year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is the most-streamed artist in the world and a three-time Grammy winner. “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bunny said in a statement. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.” He also announced the video himself on social media, with his song “Callaita” playing in the background. The “King of Latin Trap” has performed during the Super Bowl before, when he was a special guest for Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s co-headlined halftime show during Super Bowl 2020 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Bunny, 31, just recently concluded his 31-night residency at San Juan’s El Choli in Puerto Rico. His final show, titled “Una Más,” was the most-watched Amazon Music livestream ever. The majority of his lyrics are in Spanish, making him an interesting choice for the show. Earlier this month, he revealed that he did not include any concerts in the United States for his upcoming 2025-26 tour due to a fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “could be outside” his shows. “Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel [to Puerto Rico], or to any part of the world,” Bunny told I-D. “There was the issue of, like, f–king ICE could be outside. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.” Bunny also explained that one of the reasons for not including the U.S. is that Puerto Rico does not have statehood. “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate – I’ve performed there many times,” he told the outlet. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US…People from the US could come here to see the show.” The Super Bowl will be played on Feb. 8, 2026. We had heard rumors of Adele or Taylor Swift. Metallica is still going strong. Ed Shearan packs them in. There are all the great country acts that can’t get a sniff of the Super Bowl Halftime stage. Bad Bunny. This probably explains the NFL’s primary reason for the pick: @esaagarPeople think the NFL chose BadBunny b/c they are woke IRL its b/c he has a huge foreign fan base and they want football to expand globally. Hence his choice + all the international games Globalization coming for the most American sport It’s all about the ratings – the American football audience is there and they will just take a break when Bad Bunny is introduced (with the TV still on). It’s a ploy to get a non-Super Bowl demographic to take a peek This prophecy appeared on Twitter on February 11 – Raphæl de la Ghetto@ilovesmickAll these white people mad about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance… I hope next year they get Bad Bunny performing the whole set in Spanish. This might sum it up – Rafa Torres@PatottasNFL fans have no idea who Bad Bunny is, and Bad Bunny fans have no idea what the Super Bowl is. |
