The Daily Briefing Thursday, January 2, 2025
NFC NORTH
CHICAGO
Charlie Campbell hears that Lions OC Ben Johnson is not enamored with the thought of Ryan Poles picking his players and that Poles isn’t enamored of picking Johnson to lose his job:
Rumors I’m hearing on Bears head coach opening via team sources:
– Lions OC Ben Johnson wants the job, but Ryan Poles has reservations. There is a lot of belief that Johnson would push Poles out.
– Johnson is said to want Commanders assistent GM Lance Newmark as the GM. Newmark was with Johnson in Detroit.
– Poles has a history with Vikings DC Brian Flores, and Flores is a top candidate for Poles.
Albert Breer of SI.com with more along the same lines:
In moving on from Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving, the Chicago Bears gave themselves a five-week headstart on their head coaching search, allowing the powers that be the luxury to put together a search committee, a plan and a roadmap to start vetting candidates without sneaking around behind anyone’s back to do it.
It also allowed for nights like Thursday to happen.
On one end, the 6–3 snoozer against the Seattle Seahawks is a result of how this season was handled. You can’t take a pass-game coordinator, make him offensive coordinator and then head coach in 19 days, and expect all to be O.K. with your rookie quarterback. And it hasn’t been O.K. The Bears scored 45 points total in December.
On the other end, there’s a lesson learned, and Thursday’s flatline after weeks of the offense circling the drain only further colors the complexion of the Bears’ search.
When Chicago set out to find its replacement for Eberflus a month ago, it was with the idea that there was much more to fix than just the quarterback. A culture change was needed, and a Dan Campbell–style leader of men would be best to turn around a franchise that last won a playoff game when Jay Cutler was quarterback and Lovie Smith was the head coach.
That logic remains sound.
Of course, so does the idea that Caleb Williams must be developed—and the Seattle stat line (16-of-28, 122 yards, 1 INT, 53.0 rating, seven sacks taken) and the operational issues Williams was buried under (clock management was a disaster down the stretch again) only highlight it.
And a whole lot more. But we’re going to start this week with a spin around the NFL’s coaching carousel through the reporting I did ahead of Thursday night’s game. (Don’t worry, we’ll get to everything else, too.)
So what’s changed in Chicago? Well, the company line may have shifted a bit from the idea that the Bears are solely looking for a “leader of men.” One thing that was emphasized to me over the past week was that if that “leader of men” wasn’t specifically a quarterbacks guy, then he’d have to have a very clear and sustainable plan for the quarterback (while Campbell himself did fire an offensive coordinator before getting to his, he had a veteran in Jared Goff at the position).
Here’s some more on where I see their search going …
• The biggest question that prime candidates have is about the role of team president Kevin Warren, and I think the McCaskey family is aware of that. To that end, GM Ryan Poles is set up to run point on the search, and I’m told it’s because that’s the way ownership wants it. Warren will have a seat at the table and a major say, of course. But Poles will, too, as the McCaskeys seek alignment on the football operations side.
• Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s name has been linked to Chicago forever. I think last year, the Bears would’ve been near the top of his list. This year? It’s probably more wait-and-see. He’ll be selective this year taking interviews, likely only to sit down with teams he can see himself working for. And while I expect him to take an interview with Chicago, his criteria will remain as we’ve outlined, with Johnson seeking alignment with a GM and an ownership group willing to identify and fix its mistakes. Maybe he’ll find that in Chicago. Maybe not. We’ll see.
• Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and current Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are two leader-of-men types who fit the mold. I think the experience of both as players and Vrabel’s as a head coach and Glenn’s in the NFC North, would be pluses. But both will have to have quarterback plans, as we said.
• Kliff Kingsbury is on the list. He’s been a head coach in college (Texas Tech) and the NFL (Arizona Cardinals). He worked with Williams at USC in 2023, knows the good and bad, went through a tough year with the quarterback and they came out of it with a solid bond. Kingsbury also coached Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech and told me in ’23 that parallels between the Chiefs’ QB and Williams are “eerie.” The Bears interviewed Kingsbury for the OC job in January, so they have a feel for him. That said, Kingsbury’s found football rejuvenation in D.C. and won’t jump just to jump.
• Another name connected to the position is Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores. He was a Boston College teammate of Poles in 2003, and the two have similar roots in the Bill Belichick system (Poles worked under Scott Pioli in Kansas City). I’m also told that Warren’s vetting of Flores with all his old connections in Minnesota (Warren worked for the Vikings for 15 years) yielded strong reviews for the 43-year-old. He will, of course, have to lay out a plan for how things would be different with Williams than they were with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.
• Interim coach Thomas Brown will get a look. As tough as the past month has been, the brass has sympathy for the challenge he’s faced, going from pass-game coordinator (where he wasn’t even running a position group) to interim OC to interim head coach in November.
• Then, there’s Pete Carroll, whose record speaks for itself. He’s won a Super Bowl, been to two Super Bowls and had success that transcended all levels of the sport, with two national titles on his résumé from nine seasons at USC. He also oversaw the development of three first-round quarterbacks with the Trojans, two of whom won the Heisman Trophy, and then Russell Wilson in Seattle. The question, of course, is his age. He’s 73. But the Bears, at the very least, would like to sit down and talk with him.
NFC EAST
DALLAS
Veteran WR DARIUS SLAYTON stands up for embattled Coach Brian Daboll. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post:
The longest-tenured Giants player still standing and playing says this about Brian Daboll:
Give him another shot.
“I think so,” wide receiver Darius Slayton told The Post on Wednesday after practice. “It’s been three years, I think another year to try to give him a chance to really get things rolling would be warranted.”
Slayton does not have a contract for 2025, so this is not simply a case of a player making nice with the boss.
Daboll could be working through his final few days with the Giants, which is a stunning reversal of fortune, considering he was named the NFL’s Coach of the Year in 2022.
The Giants are 3-13 heading into Sunday’s season finale against the Eagles — who will not be using their starters, including Saquon Barkley — and not long after that trip to Philly, the decision will come down from ownership whether Daboll stays as the head coach and Joe Schoen remains as the general manager.
“If Joe and Dabes are gone, those are the guys that drafted me, so yeah, it definitely would affect me,” third-year receiver Wan’Dale Robinson told The Post, “but at the end of the day, still got to make this thing work.”
Making things work this season has been exceedingly difficult and darn near impossible for Daboll.
He has kept the locker room together, which is a plus, but there also has been a franchise record 10-game losing streak, which is quite a minus.
Outside linebacker Brian Burns is finishing up his first season with the team and thus his reference point with Daboll does not go back to 2022, when Daboll arrived to take his first-ever head coaching assignment at any level of football.
The Giants last week accomplished something rare and unexpected — actually winning a game, beating the Colts 45-33 — and Burns was asked if the players had rallied around Daboll to claim this victory.
“We’ve been around him all year,” Burns said.
That was that. A simple declarative statement devoid of much emotion.
That seems to sum up the feeling about Daboll inside the Giants locker room. Most of the players have not been on the scene long enough to display a strong personal attachment.
Some of the prominent players who were with Daboll for the lone winning season in three years — Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence — are on injured reserve and not really a part of the fabric of the team right now.
“Ultimately, it’s up to the ownership and what they decide,’’ said Slayton, who has been through three head coaches in his six years. “It’s a tough business and just like there’s tough decisions made on players, there’s tough decisions made on coaches. I remember when Joe Judge got fired, he didn’t get fired and then the next day he came into meetings and he was fired. You just never know.”
PHILADELPHIA
Coach Nick Sirianni will deny RB SAQUON BARKLEY his first and perhaps only shot at the NFL season rushing record. Erich Richter of the New York Post:
There will be no Saquon Barkley record-breaking party Sunday.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed Wednesday that Philadelphia will be resting players, including Barkley, in Week 18 vs. the Giants as it prepares for the playoffs after winning the NFC East.
Barkley, 27, ends his season with 2,005 rushing yards, just 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards set in 1984.
“He’s the head coach for a reason. He makes those decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know if you let me play, I’m going to go out there and make sure I get it. And if I don’t, I am OK with that, too,” Barkley told reporters Wednesday.
“Obviously it’s a very special record that’s been standing for a very long time by a great player. It’s a team record that everybody’s involved in. You weigh all those things,” Sirianni told reporters Wednesday. “But at the end of the day, you just try to do what’s best for the team. When the bye was, how guys are feeling, the bumps and bruises we can take care of. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be in this situation.”
Barkley, who spent the first six years of his career with the Giants after being drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, was swiped away by the division rival Eagles in free agency.
The three-year contract for $37.75 million has immediately paid dividends for the Eagles, as they are 13-3 going into the season’s final week.
NFC WEST
ARIZONA
LOS ANGELES RAMS
QB MATTHEW STAFFORD will not start against the Seahawks on Sunday. Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com:
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will not play in the team’s regular-season finale against the Seattle Seahawks, with coach Sean McVay saying Wednesday that Jimmy Garoppolo will start instead.
The 10-6 Rams clinched the NFC West in Week 17 but are still playing for playoff seeding. They will finish with the No. 3 seed with a win or a tie against Seattle on Sunday or a loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A Rams loss and a Buccaneers victory would give Los Angeles the No. 4 seed.
Garoppolo signed a one-year deal with the Rams in March to back up Stafford. Stetson Bennett, the Rams’ 2023 fourth-round pick, will serve as Garoppolo’s backup.
McVay said the decision comes from “weighing the pros and cons” in what is “an important game for us.”
“I’m always trying to make decisions that I think are best for our football team,” he said. “It might not be best for everybody else, but if you said risk-reward, I think it’s some great opportunity for Jimmy to be able to play. I think it’s also an awesome opportunity for Matthew to be able to get rested, rejuvenated and ready to go for the playoffs. He’s accumulated so much experience, and I think that’s the important thing.”
Right tackle Rob Havenstein, who injured his shoulder during a Week 17 practice, will not play Sunday. McVay said “everything is tilting towards” Havenstein being ready for a playoff game.
Garoppolo signed with the Rams this offseason after he was released by the Las Vegas Raiders at the start of the new league year.
When asked whether he sees this game as an audition for a chance to start next season, Garoppolo said, “I think anytime you get on the grass in live action, that’s your résumé.”
“What you do out there, everyone sees around the league,” Garoppolo said. “They’re going to break that tape down, good, bad or indifferent. They don’t really care who’s playing, what week it is, whatever it is. That’s your résumé. So that’s how I’ve always approached it. It’ll be no different this week.”
SAN FRANCISCO
SEATTLE
AFC WEST
DENVER
KANSAS CITY
Coach Andy Reid has been fulsome in his praise for QB CARSON WENTZ. The Dolphins and Bengals now hope he wasn’t blowing smoke as Wentz will be entrusted with beating the Broncos in Denver and keeping Miami and Cincinnati’s playoff hopes alive. Adam Teicher of ESPN.com:
– Coach Andy Reid said the Kansas City Chiefs would hold key players, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, out of Sunday’s final regular-season game at the Denver Broncos and that the decision wasn’t a difficult one.
Reid’s decision means Mahomes and the others who won’t play against the Broncos will have a break of more than three weeks between game action. The 15-1 Chiefs have clinched the AFC’s top playoff seed and a first-round postseason bye.
Carson Wentz will make his first start of the season at quarterback against the Broncos.
“I’ve been through that before, so I’m not too worried about all that,” Reid said. “It gives the other guys an opportunity here to grow and you can use everybody.
“The primary thing is to make sure that we stay sharp in all areas through this game and for the upcoming weeks … We want to stay sharp mentally and physically and then that’s our responsibility to do that and how we manage the time. I make sure I do that practice-wise and the guys go out, players and coaches, and work on that.”
While Sunday’s game means nothing for Kansas City, it is pivotal for Denver. The Broncos would clinch a playoff berth as the No. 7 seed by beating the Chiefs, earning a trip to Buffalo for their postseason opener. If the Broncos lose, they would need the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night.
Reid wasn’t specific about which players wouldn’t play in Denver other than to say Mahomes would be one of them. The Chiefs had a similar situation last season for their final regular-season game against the Los Angeles Chargers and Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, running back Isiah Pacheco, safety Justin Reid, defensive end George Karlaftis, cornerback Trent McDuffie and linebacker Nick Bolton were among those who didn’t play.
Wentz has played sparingly in two games as a backup. He is 2-of-2 for 20 yards passing.
“I’m going to prepare to go out there and win and then have a good performance with this offense,” said Wentz, who started one game for the Rams last season after seven seasons as a starter with the Eagles, Colts and Commanders.
“I got one shot last year and so for me it’s just not taking these chances for granted and having fun with it [and] cutting it loose.”
Wentz said preparing as a backup for a full season was a different experience for him. But he said he has always felt ready if the Chiefs needed him and that playing against the Broncos would be valuable for him if he has to play in the postseason.
“I think it would be tremendous just getting reps,” Wentz said. “Obviously preseason is helpful, but that was even limited and seems like another lifetime ago already. This will definitely be helpful if needed in whatever capacity down the stretch there in the playoffs. But quite frankly, I’m just excited to get out there and play ball.”
Wentz signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs. He wouldn’t speculate on his future or what a good showing against the Broncos might do for him.
“I’m confident in myself,” he said. “I’m confident in my abilities and what I’ve done in the past is in the past — good, bad, indifferent. I’m so confident I can play and play at a high level and so I’m looking forward to hopefully doing that this weekend and having fun while I’m at it.”
AFC SOUTH
INDIANAPOLIS
Has Jim Irsay soured on GM Chris Ballard?
That and other issues explored by Zak Keefer and James Boyd in The Athletic:
Back in July, the boss brimmed with his trademark optimism.
“It’s the best team we’ve fielded in a while,” Jim Irsay boasted. Weeks later, during a preseason game, the Indianapolis Colts’ 65-year-old owner spelled out his hopes for the coming season. “I think we have the kind of football team that can really make a difference and go beyond just making the playoffs, but winning playoff games.”
For a man who has never shied away from speaking his mind — be it on social media, in postgame scrums outside the locker room or in late-night calls to local reporters — Irsay has largely been invisible of late. No X posts of consequence. No state of the union videos from inside his office or outside his private jet. No mention of “all chips in,” probably because the chips were never really all-in to begin with.
On Sunday, for the second time in four seasons, the Colts sealed their playoff fate with a humiliating loss to the worst team in football. Three years ago, it happened in Jacksonville, where Jaguars fans showed up in clown masks to mock the home team on the final Sunday of the season, then watched them roll the Colts 26-11. Irsay was so irate that by the third quarter, he was asking confidants what it would take to rid himself of quarterback Carson Wentz’s contract.
Four days ago in East Rutherford, N.J., the two-win Giants lit up Irsay’s team for 45 points, the most New York has scored in nine years. The loss cemented Indianapolis’ fourth straight season without a playoff berth and sixth straight without a playoff win. The Colts haven’t won the AFC South — as wide-open a division as there is in the NFL — in 10 years.
“We sh— the bed,” defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said in the aftermath.
“The standard has to be raised,” running back Jonathan Taylor added.
“We just gotta do something different,” wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “I don’t know what that is, but — something.”
At the middle of it all is the general manager who built this roster and has repeatedly defended an approach that has netted a 61-69-1 record in eight seasons. “If it gets me fired, so be it,” Chris Ballard said in August. He believed his team was ready to compete. He was wrong. Again.
Irsay has long stood up for his GM, whom he once compared to Michael Jordan, believing strongly in Ballard’s ability to build through the draft. “I think a lot of Chris,” the owner said in 2022. “Young GMs make mistakes. He’s been up against it.”
But Ballard is no longer a young GM. And for Irsay, a man who’s always selling hope — in many respects, he’s the biggest Colts fan out there — there is little left. Fans are fed up, exhausted by false promises and underwhelming seasons. Ballard’s approach has grown stale. After a promising debut in 2023, head coach Shane Steichen regressed this year both as a play caller and franchise figurehead; his refusal to answer direct questions during news conferences created multiple PR messes.
Then there’s the 22-year-old franchise quarterback who tapped out of a divisional game in Houston because, he admitted afterward, he was “tired.” Anthony Richardson’s injuries, inaccuracy from the pocket and two-game benching have raised serious questions about his ability to become Indianapolis’ long-term answer at the position. For now, according to a team source, the Colts plan to keep Richardson under center in 2025 in hopes he continues to develop.
But who will be calling the shots above him? Are Ballard and Steichen’s fates tied together?
Irsay has yet to speak on the matter, and if the past is a prelude, that usually means change is coming.
“Everyone knows when you’re going in the right direction,” the owner said two years back. “Even if you’re 6-11, you can tell. That’s what I wanna see and feel.”
In a season full of storms, more could be coming. Over the past few months, conversations with team and league sources, many of whom were granted anonymity in order to speak openly without fear of reprisal, painted a picture of a fractured franchise stuck in a cycle of mediocrity since the night Andrew Luck walked out the door.
That was nearly six years ago. Irsay’s team still doesn’t know where it’s going.
“There’s no vision,” one veteran Colts player said. “From the top down — from the front office, to the coaches, to the players — no one is ever on the same page, and every year at the end, we’re sitting here losing. If you look at the best teams in the league, they all have a vision, and they commit to it. The Chiefs keep winning because they have a vision. The Lions turned things around because they have a vision.
“There’s no vision here.”
After the shock of Luck’s retirement wore off, the future came into focus. It was August 2019, and for the first time in 20 years, the Colts didn’t have a plan at quarterback.
“We’re going to draft one every year,” Ballard told his scouts the following spring.
So while the team churned through veteran stopgaps at the position to varying degrees of disappointment — Philip Rivers in 2020 being the lone exception — the Colts took successive Day 3 swings in the draft, hoping to hit.
In 2020 Ballard wanted Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, whom he graded as a third-round talent. “There’s something about this guy,” Ballard kept telling the room. Problem was, Eagles GM Howie Roseman felt the same way and took Hurts in the second round. Sixty-nine spots later, the Colts drafted a quarterback for the first time in eight years. Then-coach Frank Reich pushed for Washington’s Jacob Eason, a relatively raw prospect with a rocket arm, after the two hit it off during a pre-draft visit.
But Eason never made a regular-season start in Indianapolis. Two years later, he lost his job to Sam Ehlinger, a less-talented but more polished prospect out of Texas whom Ballard grabbed in the sixth round in 2021. Irsay pushed Ehlinger into the lineup during the disastrous 2022 season, but by the end of that campaign — one that began with Matt Ryan at the helm — the Colts found themselves in a familiar spot: aimless at the most important position on the field.
Ballard’s failure to find an answer at quarterback was costing the franchise. Stellar seasons from linebacker Shaquille Leonard, Buckner and Taylor, among others, were being wasted because the Colts couldn’t find stability on offense. Or, in some cases, even competency.
“Taking (a quarterback) will get y’all off my ass for a little bit, but the second that guy doesn’t play well? I’m gonna be the first one run out of the building,” Ballard vented after the 2020 season. “I promise you, we get the importance of the quarterback position.”
But he never got it right. And while Ballard has found success in the draft — something that has always endeared him to Irsay — the Colts’ top talent came at the wrong positions. Quenton Nelson has made three All-Pro teams at guard. Before a debilitating back injury, Leonard was an elite off-ball linebacker. Taylor was undeniably the league’s best running back in 2021.
The Colts have little to show for it.
No elite edge rusher since Robert Mathis in 2013. No true No. 1 receiver. Middling tight ends the past few years.
Ballard’s drafted some great players. He’s also failed to build a great team.
A frustrated fan base has been watching the same story on repeat: The Colts draft reasonably well, remain prudent in free agency, pay solid players solid money, underachieve in the regular season and narrowly miss the playoffs.
The gamble on Richardson, whom the Colts took fourth in the 2023 draft, was both necessary and justified. Irsay would later say the Colts would’ve taken him first overall if they had the chance. And had he not been there, Irsay added, the pick would’ve been Kentucky’s Will Levis, who ultimately tumbled out of the first round.
The Colts knew Richardson’s development was going to take time. He was 20 years old. He’d started just 13 games in college, where his completion percentage was a dismal 54.7. “Ten years ago, he’s not a first-round pick,” said one league source. “Five years ago, he’s not a first-round pick.” Assistant GM Ed Dodds was initially skeptical, calling Richardson’s one season as a starter at Florida “a roller coaster,” though he later came around on the quarterback.
Ballard had been preaching patience for years. Now he stressed it. “He’s not going to be Superman from Day 1,” the GM said of the new face of the franchise.
Over the next year-plus, the team would learn Richardson was as raw as they come. “The preparation stuff isn’t there yet. He just doesn’t know,” said one NFL talent evaluator.
“A good kid but naïve to what it takes to be a pro QB,” another added.
None of it should have been a surprise. Asked in March 2023 about where Richardson would need to improve most at the next level, Florida head coach Billy Napier offered a telling response: “Growing as a leader. Having conviction … with his voice, speaking with clarity … to be kind of the standard-bearer for the entire organization.”
One scout who studied Richardson in the draft was surprised to learn he was voted team captain after his first training camp. “They put a C on his chest, which is not him,” the scout said.
Entering the 2023 season, the Colts added veteran Gardner Minshew, who could start while Richardson acclimated to the pro game. Privately, Irsay wanted Richardson to play. After just one preseason game, Steichen made the call: the rookie was named the starter.
A year later, Ballard would come to question the decision, wondering if the young passer would have benefited more from watching and waiting. Because 10 starts into the QB’s career, Steichen sent Richardson to the bench.
“I wish we hadn’t played him as a rookie,” Ballard told The Athletic last month.
The Colts needed to clean up Steichen’s mess. Hours after Richardson was ruled out of last week’s game against the Giants, a team source contacted local reporters to clear the air the coach had filled with a smokescreen all week.
The source revealed that Richardson wasn’t just “really sore” with back and foot injuries, as Steichen said. The quarterback was dealing with severe back spasms, resulting in a “lack of mobility and movement.”
Translation: Richardson wasn’t quitting on the season or his team, which at the time still had a shot to make the playoffs. He’d missed practice all week. He couldn’t play.
“I should’ve said spasms,” Steichen admitted after the Colts’ loss. “It was soreness/spasms.”
On Wednesday, Richardson revealed that last week’s back pain was so severe he “couldn’t even stand up.” An MRI revealed “a disc thing” that the quarterback said “might be chronic,” though he doesn’t think he’ll need surgery. Richardson’s status for Sunday’s season finale against the Jaguars remains uncertain.
The episode wasn’t the first time Steichen’s reticence to share information left his young QB exposed. After benching Richardson in late October, Steichen refused to explain the decision other than to say Richardson was going through “a process” and that he believed Joe Flacco gave the team “the best chance to win now.”
Asked if his players were on board with the decision, Steichen demurred, saying “I can’t speak for our team.” He wouldn’t even commit to Richardson ever playing for the Colts again. It wasn’t until two weeks later, after Richardson was thrust back into the lineup following back-to-back flops from Flacco, that Steichen explained himself. Sort of.
“It’s the attention to detail in everything he does. From the classrooms to the walk-throughs to practice to the weight room, all those little things, it’s just gotta be at a higher standard,” the coach said. “He’s shown strides. He really has.”
What Steichen didn’t say: Flacco had been so awful there was simply no way he could keep playing him. While the coach flip-flopped, several players privately questioned the direction of the franchise.
“They were trying to hold (Richardson) accountable, which is understandable, but then the guy they put in wasn’t the guy either,” one Colts veteran said. “So when they went back to A.R., at that point it’s like, ‘OK, but what are we doing?’ That really affected the team.”
Multiple players met with Richardson privately to tell him he wasn’t meeting the standard, Buckner among them. “I signed an extension here because I believed in you,” Buckner told Richardson, according to The Athletic’s Jim Trotter. “But you’ve got to do your part.”
All of it — the benching, the waves of criticism, the harsh words from veteran teammates — appeared to resonate with Richardson, who around this time began reading James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” at Ehlinger’s suggestion. The third-string QB implored Richardson to reconfigure his “system” in order to maximize his potential.
In other words, put in more time. Commit.
“The guys ask me to do certain things,” Richardson said after being named the starter again. “Even if I didn’t feel like doing it, man, you gotta do it.”
Days later, he capped the best outing of his young career with a six-play, 70-yard game-winning drive to beat the Jets at MetLife Stadium, plowing through New York cornerback D.J. Reed on a designed run for the deciding score. It was one of Richardson’s three touchdowns that day, and he finished with a career-high 66.7 completion percentage.
In the locker room afterward, tears welled in his eyes.
“Lord knows, the last couple of weeks have been a little challenging mentally,” he said. “But I stuck with it.”
Richardson led another game-winning drive at New England two weeks later, convincing his teammates and some in the building that he’d turned a corner. “He’s a superstar in the making,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said.
Steichen started calling games differently, leaning more on Richardson’s ability as a runner. Before the benching, the Colts dialed up 3.3 designed QB runs per game; after Richardson returned to the lineup, the number jumped to 6.4. It begged the question: Even weighing the quarterback’s injuries — Richardson has missed 16 games in two seasons — why didn’t the team employ a more run-friendly offense to start the season?
Because, to this point, he remains too inconsistent from the pocket, especially on short-to-intermediate throws. Richardson’s completion percentage is a league-worst 47.7, though drops from his receiving corps and uneven line play have factored into that. His EPA per dropback is the second-worst in the league, behind only Levis, who was benched by the Titans earlier this season.
Two years into his career — through injury, criticism and the occasional highlight — Richardson is very much the same player he was at Florida.
Leave it to one of the franchise’s most famous alums to dish on the sorry state of his former team.
Pat McAfee, the former punter and now ubiquitous host of his namesake midday show on ESPN, unloaded on the Colts organization after Sunday’s loss to the Giants. In a lengthy message posted on X, McAfee spoke to what he sees as a “cultural issue” inside the franchise.
“A blind person could see the red flags on this team,” he wrote.
He went off regarding Richardson’s tap-out in Houston: “Somehow A.R. thought it was OK to do that. That’s a locker room issue … that’s an indicator of a loser attitude radiating thru (sic) a building that was built by greats.”
He ripped the veterans on the roster. “Your unwarranted arrogance, laziness, and lack of professionalism has led you to ANOTHER early vacation … which is probably what most of you entitled bums have been hoping for.”
And he questioned their commitment. “Late to meetings, NEVER happens on good teams. Late to/skipping treatment, NEVER happens on good teams.”
Steichen and Buckner did little to dispel those accusations in the days after the loss to the Giants.
“I think with any team, not everyone’s gonna be on time every time,” the coach said. “But there is accountability, and guys are held to a standard, and that is talked about in-house.”
“We’ve had some issues where we haven’t had people being accountable and stuff like that,” Buckner admitted. “And we’ve called people on it. I mean, that’s what happens (on) almost every team.”
Not the good ones, as McAfee said. The Colts’ issues have lingered for months. Seven weeks ago, after a loss to the Bills, veteran cornerback Kenny Moore II called out the team’s preparation and intensity. “I don’t think the urgency is there,” he said. “I don’t think the details are there. I don’t think the effort is there.”
Moore was right, and the Colts’ most recent late-season collapse revealed this team was never a legitimate playoff contender to begin with. In Week 15 at Denver, Taylor dropped the ball inches from the goal line on what would’ve been a 41-yard touchdown run, a mistake that swung the game in an instant. Then came the embarrassment in East Rutherford last week.
Franklin, a five-year captain and one of the team leaders the Colts urged Richardson to learn from after he arrived in Indianapolis, had begged for the matchup on his podcast earlier this season.
“I wanna play a team I know we gonna spank, like the Giants or some sh—,” Franklin said in October. “I wanna play a team that ain’t good with a big market. I’m trying to get my rank up … Gimme the 4-11 Giants.”
The Giants — actually 2-13 entering Sunday — are now 3-13 after spanking the Colts.
“Obviously, something I shouldn’t have said,” Franklin said Wednesday. “Poor choice by me. … I just gotta be better with my words moving forward.”
McAfee hasn’t been the only former Colt to express his disgust. Former Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, who played a role in the franchise’s downward spiral as Irsay’s out-of-left-field choice for interim coach in 2022, weighed in. “I didn’t like the tap-out,” Saturday said of Richardson on “The Domonique Foxworth Show” back in November. “As an offensive lineman, my QB ain’t coming out because he’s freaking tired.”
Saturday’s quarterback was Peyton Manning, who, along with a host of future Hall of Famers, used to set the standard in Indianapolis. The Colts were a model organization back then, contenders for a championship year after year.
It’s what Irsay’s been chasing for a decade. It’s never felt further away.
AFC EAST
BUFFALO
It sounds like QB JOSH ALLEN insisted on at least a start Sunday in New England. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
The Bills have clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC, but quarterback Josh Allen will start Sunday’s regular-season finale even while some other playoff-bound quarterbacks will sit out. Allen says it matters to him that he shows up to work every day.
Allen has started 114 straight regular season and postseason games, and although he’d have to keep going for more than a decade to break Brett Favre’s record of 321, the streak is important to him.
“We’re not close to anywhere near that record, it’s a long ways away,” Allen said. “It’s something that means a lot to me. Just making sure that I’ve been available, playing through things throughout the years. Yeah, it means a lot to me, so I’m glad I get to start.”
Allen isn’t expected to stay on the field for long, and Bills head coach Sean McDermott probably won’t be calling any designed quarterback runs for his MVP candidate quarterback. But Allen will make it 115 straight starts on Sunday, and then hope to extend the streak to 119 straight starts in the Super Bowl.
NEW YORK JETS
Charlie Campbell collects Jets rumors (Rex Ryan ?!?!)
@DraftCampbell
Rumors I’m hearing on Jets openings via team sources:
– Rex Ryan is a real possibility for Jets, so is Brian Flores.
– Aaron Glenn is said to want the job.
– Phil Savage is a serious candidate to be permanent GM. Savage knows team better than external candidates. Savage is very experienced and well-regarded around the league. He could work with any HC, Ryan, Flores, Jon Gruden, Mike Vrabel, etc.
– – –
QB AARON RODGERS will start Sunday, trying to Miami out of playoff contention while starting the game with 499 career TD passes. He acknowledges he might never start again. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will make his 241st career start Sunday. It could be his last.
“Yeah, of course,” he said Wednesday, acknowledging that the thought is on his mind as he prepares for Sunday’s season finale against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.
Rodgers, 41, said he will decide before free agency in March on whether to play in 2025, joking that he won’t need a darkness retreat this time to help his thought process.
In a reflective mood, Rodgers said he has “a lot of gratitude for the last 20 years,” adding that he’s thankful for the many coaches and teammates he has encountered on his football journey from high school to the Jets. He sounded as if he’s thinking hard about retirement.
“This game has given me a lot,” he said. “I’ve given a lot back to it, and I’m thankful for it. I won’t be thinking about that on game day. I’ll just be enjoying this. I’m trying to stay in the moment, but, of course, it’s been a long career. I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to be a part of, what I’ve been able to accomplish, and I’m also looking forward to a nice mental and physical rest.”
The former Green Bay Packers legend left open the possibility of returning to the Jets — if the new regime wants him back — but he didn’t appear overly optimistic about that happening.
“I’m just more resigned to the reality of the situation,” Rodgers said. “I think there’s going to be change here, and if I’m a part of the change, then I just want to make sure everybody knows I have nothing but gratitude for my time here.”
Rodgers, brought in by the Jets in April 2023, called these “the best two years of my life.” He certainly wasn’t referring to what has transpired on the field. After missing nearly the entire 2023 season with a torn Achilles, Rodgers hasn’t played up to expectations. He’s ranked 25th out of 33 qualified passers in Total QBR, with 24 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions — only the fourth time in his career that he has hit double-digit interceptions. The Jets, who began the season with Super Bowl aspirations, are 4-12.
“I’m disappointed about the performance with myself and as a team, but really thankful for the opportunity,” Rodgers said. “If I feel good coming back and they want to make another run at this, that’d be fantastic, but I’m not naive to the situation we’re in.”
The Jets, who fired coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas during the season, have begun the search for replacements. A new regime likely means a change at quarterback. Rodgers, who is under contract for 2025, said he hopes to speak with the next GM at some point to get a feel for the organization’s thinking.
First, he wants to rest. The grind of rehabbing his surgically repaired Achilles exacted a physical and mental toll, he said. He believes that, with proper rest in the offseason and another year removed from surgery, he could be better in 2025.
“I need a break, mentally,” he said.
Rodgers is on the verge of becoming the fifth player in NFL history with 500 touchdown passes. With 62,678 yards, he needs only 115 to pass Matt Ryan for seventh on the career list.
“To even be a small part of his story is, it’s an honor,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “And if it happens to be his last game, let’s take him out on the right note.”
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, whose relationship with Rodgers has come under scrutiny, told ESPN “it’s a blessing” to play with the four-time MVP. “It’s something I’ll tell my kids about.”
Wilson has expressed frustration about his role in the offense, fueling speculation that he’s at odds with Rodgers.
“Yeah, I’ve seen some of that,” Wilson said. “Yeah, I mean, there’s no truth to that. At the end of the day, I don’t speak on things like that because social media is not real.
“This is my first time addressing it,” he continued. “That stuff is just words for people trying to figure out a way to divide us more than they’ve already tried, like the record isn’t enough. Obviously, we’ve got a lot going on here, especially this season, trying to dig ourselves out of this hole. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to. But my feet are where my feet are at, and I’m going to try and finish this thing the right way.”
THIS AND THAT
RECORDS WATCH
Jacob Robinson of The Athletic highlights various NFL records that are to discussed during Week 18:
| From Ditka to Bowers |
| Through the 1950s, if you played tight end, you were typically attached to the hip of an offensive tackle. Occasionally, you caught a pass. That changed in 1961, when a rookie named Mike Ditka revolutionized the position. In just 14 games, he caught 56 passes for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns. No tight end had ever approached that trio, which each ranked among that season’s top five receivers. Among rookie tight ends, two of his records then stood for 62 years, even as two new record-holders overtook the receptions category: |
| This year, another 22-year-old phenom wearing No. 89 — Brock Bowers — has already rewritten the record books, setting new rookie TE marks for receptions (108, a record for any rookie, besting Puka Nacua’s 105 from last season) and yards (1,144) with one game to play. Ditka’s touchdown record will remain intact (Bowers has just four), as should Nacua’s for rookie receiving yardage (1,486), but plenty of other records could be set in Week 18. Here are seven more records to watch, starting with the oldest. For each, I’ll assign a likelihood of either or |
| If Barkley rests, he will also finish 226 scrimmage yards short of tying Chris Johnson’s 2,509 from 2009. 1996: Jerry Rice’s 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Mike Evans’ career began with 10 straight four-digit seasons, something even the GOAT didn’t accomplish, having assembled 927 as a rookie. This season, despite Evans missing three games with a hamstring injury, he’ll just need 85 yards against the Saints to tie Rice, albeit with the benefit of a 17th game. 2003: Torry Holt’s 6,784 receiving yards through five seasons. Despite missing seven games last season, Justin Jefferson smashed this record by 2024’s midseason. The NFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards per game (97.1), he is now at 7,378 yards with one game to play. To catch him, Ja’Marr Chase would need to set a single-season receiving yardage mark next season. 2011: Aaron Rodgers’ 122.5 season passer rating. ️ Lamar Jackson’s current 121.6 is the second-best mark ever, assisted by his 3,955 passing yards, 39 touchdown passes and mere four interceptions. His Ravens play the Browns this weekend, but his rating against them during a loss earlier this year was only 101.8. 2018: Drew Brees’ 74.4 completion percentage. ️ If Tua Tagovailoa (72.9, third-best all time), Baker Mayfield (71.7, fifth) and Jared Goff (71.4, sixth) all finish with completion rates of 70-plus, they’ll become the first trio to do so in a single season. 2024 quarterbacks could also finish with the highest average completion percentage (65.3) in NFL history. As for besting Brees’ record, Tagovailoa would have needed to complete at least 25 of 25 passes on Sunday against the Jets, but he’s missing that game due to injury. 2020: Justin Herbert’s 31 touchdown passes as a rookie. ️ Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix are each at 25, making it even more impressive that Herbert set this record in just 15 games. 2021: Receiving triple crown. |
| Another record to spotlight: Myles Garrett’s 14-plus sacks in four consecutive seasons. An incredible feat, considering the constant double teams and uncalled holds he regularly faces. (After eight years and one playoff win, this could be his last year in Cleveland.) Trivia answer: As for Jayden Daniels’ rookie quarterback rushing record, the previous holder was Robert Griffin III, who had 815 yards on the ground in just 15 games, one fewer than Daniels so far. |
BROADCAST NEWS
The power of the NFL is shown again as the DB admits to being among the 11 million who watched the Seahawks-Bears game. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
After each Thursday night game of the year, Amazon usually sends out an email with the audience numbers. After the final Thursday night game of the year — a 6-3 stinker between the Seahawks and Bears — no press release was sent.
That created the impression the numbers reflected the quality of the game. However, given how bad the game was, the ratings weren’t.
Via SportsMediaWatch.com, 11.04 million tuned in for the Week 17 contest. That beat the 2023 game between the Jets and Browns by seven percent, and the 2022 game between the Cowboys and Titans by 13 percent.
It was still the second lowest audience of the year for TNF, ahead of only Broncos-Saints in October.
Prime Video will televise one of the wild-card games. The goal will surely be to beat the streaming records set by Ravens-Texans (24.3 million) and Chiefs-Steelers (24.1 million) by the Netflix games on Christmas Day.
Ultimately, it comes down to the quality of the matchup. The better the game that the NFL gives to Prime Video, the more likely a new high-water mark will be established.
For perspective, the World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees drew about 16 millions eyeballs.
CFP Playoffs – Tennessee at Ohio State 14.2 million
NBA Finals – 7.6 million
Woman’s Final Four – Uconn vs. Caitlin Clark 14 million
South Carolina vs Caitlin Clark 18 million
NCAA Men’s Final Four – 14.8 million
The Week 17 Lions-49ers game on Monday Night Football – 22 million
PRO BOWL GAMES ROSTERS
Here are the rosters for the Pro Bowl (Games). QB PATRICK MAHOMES cannot be found on the AFC team, and QB BAKER MAYFIELD isn’t on the NFC team (not that we know who we would kick off to make room for them):
Position Player Team
QB Jayden Daniels Commanders
QB Sam Darnold Vikings
QB Jared Goff Lions
RB Saquon Barkley Eagles
RB Jahmyr Gibbs Lions
RB Josh Jacobs Packers
FB Kyle Juszczyk 49ers
WR Justin Jefferson Vikings
WR CeeDee Lamb Cowboys
WR Terry McLaurin Commanders
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown Lions
TE George Kittle 49ers
TE Trey McBride Cardinals
OT Lane Johnson Eagles
OT Penei Sewell Lions
OT Tristan Wirfs Buccaneers
OG Landon Dickerson Eagles
OG Chris Lindstrom Falcons
OG Tyler Smith Cowboys
C Cam Jurgens Eagles
C Frank Ragnow Lions
DE Nick Bosa 49ers
DE Rashan Gary Packers
DE Micah Parsons Cowboys
DT Jalen Carter Eagles
DT Dexter Lawrence Giants
DT Vita Vea Buccaneers
LB Zack Baun Eagles
LB Fred Warner 49ers
OLB Jonathan Greenard Vikings
OLB Andrew Van Ginkel Vikings
OLB Jared Verse Rams
CB Jaycee Horn Panthers
CB Jaylon Johnson Bears
CB Byron Murphy Vikings
CB Devon Witherspoon Seahawks
FS Xavier McKinney Packers
SS Budda Baker Cardinals
SS Brian Branch Lions
P Jack Fox Lions
K Brandon Aubrey Cowboys
LS Andrew DePaola Vikings
RS KaVontae Turpin Cowboys
ST KhaDarel Hodge Falcons
AFC Pro Bowl roster
Position Player Team
QB Josh Allen Bills
QB Joe Burrow Bengals
QB Lamar Jackson Ravens
RB Derrick Henry Ravens
RB Joe Mixon Texans
RB Jonathan Taylor Colts
FB Patrick Ricard Ravens
WR Ja’Marr Chase Bengals
WR Nico Collins Texans
WR Zay Flowers Ravens
WR Jerry Jeudy Browns
TE Brock Bowers Raiders
TE Travis Kelce Chiefs
OT Dion Dawkins Bills
OT Rashawn Slater Chargers
OT Laremy Tunsil Texans
OG Quenton Nelson Colts
OG Trey Smith Chiefs
OG Joe Thuney Chiefs
C Creed Humphrey Chiefs
C Tyler Linderbaum Ravens
DE Maxx Crosby Raiders
DE Myles Garrett Browns
DE Trey Hendrickson Bengals
DT Cameron Heyward Steelers
DT Chris Jones Chiefs
DT Nnamdi Madubuike Ravens
LB Zaire Franklin Colts
LB Roquan Smith Ravens
OLB Nik Bonitto Broncos
OLB Khalil Mack Chargers
OLB T.J. Watt Steelers
CB Marlon Humphrey Ravens
CB Derek Stingley Jr. Texans
CB Patrick Surtain II Broncos
CB Denzel Ward Browns
FS Minkah Fitzpatrick Steelers
SS Kyle Hamilton Ravens
SS Derwin James Chargers
P Logan Cooke Jaguars
K Chris Boswell Steelers
LS Ross Matiscik Jaguars
RS Marvin Mims Jr. Broncos
ST Brenden Schooler Patriots
Kevin Patra of NFL.com looks over the rosters and offers 10 “snubs”.
A snub is in the eye of the beholder.
Now that the 2025 Pro Bowl Games rosters have been announced, discussion and debate about players from both conferences will abound. Some will be aghast at an omission from the Games. Others will take solace that a particular player or two finally garnered deserved attention. Everyone has their own list — it’s only natural.
With 88 total spots broken up between two conferences and each position being capped, it’s impossible for every worthy player to be honored. There is a zero percent chance of everyone having the same 88 names. That’s why “snub” lists like this exist.
In undertaking this endeavor yet again, I personally am less offended by players left off. Instead, I’d like to use this opportunity to highlight those men who have had outstanding years and might have just missed the cut. Some on my list will be outliers to a greater degree than others. The game of “who would you replace” is wholly unfair to the talented players who did have their names on the initial rosters. It’s also not necessary. This is an all-star event for fun, not a cabinet position — and a swath of players on the initial roster will be replaced, some due to making the Super Bowl, others because of injuries or for other reasons.
Before I get to my list, know that there is one name you won’t see below, and you can consider him a snubbed snub, if you must: Patrick Mahomes.
The quarterback of the No. 1-seeded Chiefs has basically been a shoo-in for the Pro Bowl, earning a nod in every season since becoming the team’s starter in 2018. Given Mahomes’ standing as the back-to-back Super Bowl MVP guiding Kansas City to a 15-1 record, you could easily make a case for him to be a Pro Bowler again in 2025. Yet, by all standards outside of the win column — which surely Mahomes would say is all he cares about — this has been a down year for the all-world talent.
With Mahomes set to sit out a Week 18 contest against the Broncos that is meaningless to the Chiefs, he will have set career lows (going back to 2018) in passing yards (3,928), success rate (50.7%, per Pro Football Reference), yards per attempt (6.8) and yards per game (245.5) while tying for his lowest mark in TD passes (26). For most QBs, those numbers would be fine, if not excellent. For Mahomes, they’re just OK. It makes his ability to deliver clutch plays in the crucible of big moments all the more impressive.
Mahomes’ omission also speaks to the insane level at which Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson are currently playing. Allen is leading a juggernaut Bills offense with both his arm and legs. He’s creating fewer negative plays (taking just 14 total sacks so far) than ever. Burrow leads pretty much every statistical category and would probably be the MVP if not for the sieve-like defense holding Cincinnati back. And Jackson is having a better season than he did in 2023, when earned his second career MVP.
I wouldn’t detest anyone who insists that leaving off the QB of a 15-1 club is a snub; Mahomes simply didn’t make my list this season.
10 Cooper DeJean
Philadelphia Eagles · CB
Consider DeJean a stand-in for the entire Eagles secondary, which was shut out of the Pro Bowl. The rookie has been sensational since entering the lineup in Week 6, proving to be the top slot corner in the NFL. His EPA when targeted (-28.3) is the best mark among all nickel backs and No. 2 among all defensive backs. His -0.46 EPA per target ranks second among all corners (minimum of 300 coverage snaps), behind only Pat Surtain II. DeJean is allowing a league-low 4.8 yards per target when aligned in the slot (minimum of 20 targets) and hasn’t given up a TD as a slot defender, with five passes defended. The stingy rookie has helped transform Philly’s defense under Vic Fangio. Entering Week 18, the Eagles D had allowed over one full fewer yard per pass attempt with DeJean on the field (5.6) than when he was off it (7.0).
9 James Cook
Buffalo Bills · RB
The 13-3 Buffalo Bills have just two Pro Bowlers on the initial list: QB Josh Allen and offensive tackle Dion Dawkins. It’s a nod to Allen’s otherworldly play this season. But voters appear to have overlooked Cook’s vital role in helping Buffalo to the AFC East title. Cook leads the NFL with 17 scrimmage TDs this season, including 15 rushing scores. Failing to clear 1,000 rushing yards (he has 981 rushing yards entering Week 18) before voting ended likely hurt his standing among voters, some of whom surely look only at backs who cross that threshold — but Cook’s 5.0 yards-per-carry mark ranks sixth among players with at least 150 carries. The Bills offense (which racks up 365.4 yards and 31.8 points per game) wouldn’t be nearly as potent without Cook combining his ability to burn past defenders and mash out scores at the goal line. Buffalo has been at its best when the back is picking up chunk plays and Allen is play-actioning for deep throws. We knew that Buffalo was asking Allen to carry the passing load entering the season, but Cook deserves to be recognized for his role in a powerful offense.
8 Kyren Williams
Los Angeles Rams · RB
The NFC West champs received a single Pro Bowl nod, which went to rookie Jared Verse. Williams was overlooked despite serving as the engine of the Rams’ offense, generating 1,299 rushing yards (third most in the NFL) and 14 rushing touchdowns (tied for second). Williams’ efficiency (4.1 yards per carry) to date has not been as great as other backs, but his ability to churn out 316 totes over a long season is noteworthy. Sean McVay leaned heavily on Williams to carry the load and keep the offense in favorable situations. Williams’ 85 rushing first downs are second only to Derrick Henry (89), and he ranks fourth in missed tackles forced (77, two more than Saquon Barkley), per Next Gen Stats. The lack of explosive plays likely hindered Williams’ candidacy, but it’s not hyperbole to say that the Rams would not have won their division without the running back.
7 Jonnu Smith
Miami Dolphins · TE
Unfortunately for Smith, Brock Bowers put up a historic season, and Travis Kelce is, well, Travis Kelce. However, the Dolphins’ tight end put up Pro Bowl-worthy numbers in his own right, ranking fourth among NFL TEs in receiving yards (828) and tying for third in receiving TDs (seven). Smith grew into a key cog in Miami’s offense, providing an outlet and run-after-catch ability that was previously missing from his spot on the field. With Tyreek Hill having a down season while Jaylen Waddle dealt with injury, Smith helped buoy the passing attack. His 57.4 receiving EPA ranks second among all tight ends (behind only George Kittle), his 0.58 EPA per target ranked third, his 502 yards after the catch ranked fourth and his 2.1 yards per route finished fifth. (For reference, Kelce had a mark of 1.6 yards per route.) This was the type of season that Bill Belichick surely envisioned Smith was capable of when the ex-Patriots coach signed him to a four-year, $50 million deal with New England in 2021.
6 Kaden Elliss
Atlanta Falcons · LB
No one stuffed the stat sheet across the board quite like Elliss in 2024. The Falcons linebacker has generated 139 tackles, 34 QB pressures (tied for most among off-ball ‘backers, per NGS), five sacks, three pass breakups and one INT. He became the first Falcons player since tackles began to be officially tracked in 1994 to record 100-plus tackles, five-plus sacks and an interception in a single season. Atlanta used Elliss as a movable chess piece, lining him in the box, along the line and in the slot. After offenses began to key on his rushes, the Falcons started to use him as a bluff-dropper to fool quarterbacks. He missed some tackles, but his 14.1 percent tackle rate is tied for best among all linebackers, per NGS. The Falcons defense improved immensely as the season went on under Raheem Morris. Elliss’ versatility and playmaking were a large reason why.
5 Baker Mayfield
Tampa Bay Buccaneers · QB
Several Bucs players could warrant nuggets on this list, including Bucky Irving and Mike Evans, but let’s go with the firecracker QB. Mayfield has powered the Bucs to the precipice of another NFC South title, zooming lasers and dropping dimes on defenses. Even though he lost Chris Godwin for the season in Week 7 and had to work without Evans for a spell, Mayfield didn’t miss a beat. Through 16 games, Mayfield ranks third in the NFL in passing yards (4,279), is tied for second in touchdown passes (39), is tied for second in completion percentage (71.7%) and ranks No. 2 in success percentage, per Pro Football Reference (54.2%). Mayfield rarely gives up on a play, consequently generating sack numbers (39 sacks) that likely hurt his case, but his total EPA of 73.3 still ranks tied for sixth among QBs. Last season, Mayfield was added to the Pro Bowl after an impressive first season in Tampa. He not only doubled down on the 2023 campaign but he improved upon it. He should be the first QB added in the NFC if another drops out.
4 Brian Thomas Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars · WR
Maybe Thomas suffered from a bias against rookies. Maybe it was playing all those forgettable games in Jacksonville. Maybe voters had already made up their minds before Thomas exploded down the stretch. Whatever the reason, Thomas was overlooked despite stacking numbers as a clear-cut No. 1 WR. Thomas sits at No. 5 in the NFL in receiving yards (1,179) and is tied for fifth with 10 receiving touchdowns. The 23rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft displayed an ability to win from every position, lining up wide and in the slot. He also showed advanced route-running techniques that left defenders in his dust. Thomas piled up the all that production despite being Jacksonville’s obvious go-to target, someone that defenses game-planned to slow. Consider that all other Jags wideouts combined have fallen short of Thomas’ yardage total, managing just 1,153 receiving yards through Week 17. Christian Kirk, who played in eight games before being lost to injury, still ranks second on the team in receiving yards with 379. Every other player — including wideouts, tight ends and running backs — combined for just eight receiving TDs. Oh, and Thomas put up some of his best games with backup Mac Jones under center. An ability to win even when defenses gear up to stop him down signifies a great receiver. Thomas flew under the radar as a rookie but likely won’t for much longer.
3 Zach Allen
Denver Broncos · DL
Pressure is production — unless you’re voting for the Pro Bowl, apparently. Allen has been a backfield menace this season, leading all interior defensive linemen with 65 QB pressures (ninth-most among all defenders). When an interior player is getting the kind of push Allen has provided this season, he wrecks games. The pocket-pusher has keyed Vance Joseph’s defense, eating up blockers and still producing; his 14 QB pressures when double-teamed are tied for fourth-most in the NFL. The 27-year-old sits third in sacks among all interior D-linemen with 8.5 (half a sack behind Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams). Allen’s 20 stuffs lead all defenders, per NGS. Beyond the numbers, Allen has helped propel the Broncos into playoff contention on the strength of their defense. Nik Bonitto rightfully was given due attention for his big plays this season, but somehow, Allen was spurned.
2 Kerby Joseph
Detroit Lions · S
Voters might have chosen the wrong Lions safety. I jotted down that line before Joseph came up with two additional interceptions, changing the game in a Week 17 win over San Francisco. That’s not a knock on Brian Branch, who has been sensational; it’s just that Branch’s play seems to have somehow overshadowed Joseph’s. The Lions free safety owns a league-high nine INTs, two more than the next-closest player (Packers Pro Bowler Xavier McKinney). The majority of those have come in high-leverage situations, with Joseph taking away points via end-zone interceptions (four). The ballhawk’s advanced metrics blow those of other DBs out of the water. Per NGS, he’s No. 1 in target EPA (-55.3) this season (No. 2 is Cooper DeJean at -28.3), EPA per target (-1.84; McKinney is at -0.75) and ballhawk rate, or the percentage of targets where the nearest defender made a play on the football via a pass defensed or INT (40%). The Lions’ defense might have become a sieve due to injuries, but Joseph has helped keep the patchwork crew from completely crumbling.
1 Danielle Hunter
Houston Texans · DE
What is it with Texans pass rushers being overlooked? In 2023, it was Jonathan Greenard, who apparently had to move to Minnesota to get his deserved flowers. Now it’s Hunter, who made a Pro Bowl last season with the Vikings but was boxed out in Houston. It’s mind-bending. Hunter leads the NFL with 90 QB pressures, five more than No. 2, Trey Hendrickson. Hunter’s 19.3% QB pressure rate is tied for No. 1 with Micah Parsons (minimum of 300 pass-rush snaps). Hunter’s omission might have been less head-scratching if he had been putting up pressure and not generating any sacks — some voters surely still cling to that metric. But Hunter has 12 sacks, two behind the NFL co-leaders (Myles Garrett, Hendrickson). Given that he’s been one of the league’s best pressure producers on a defense that has scrambled the likes of Josh Allen and other top QBs and is on a playoff team, Hunter profiles as a shoo-in. Apparently, the nation collectively forgot about a Texans edge rush