| We wondered if there would be any 18-game performers in 2024. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com has found five candidates. As the NFL ponders expanding the regular season to 18 games, five players can find out this year exactly what that feels like. Players who were traded from a team that hasn’t had its bye week to a team that already had its bye week can go through the whole season without a week off. This year, five players have already played nine games on a team that didn’t have its bye yet and were traded to teams that still have nine games remaining after already having their byes. Those players are Preston Smith (traded from the Packers to the Steelers), Za’Darius Smith (Browns to Lions), Khalil Davis (Texans to 49ers), Mike Williams (Jets to Steelers) and Jonathan Mingo (Panthers to Cowboys). Last year Leonard Williams became the first player in the modern era to play 18 games in a season when he was traded from the Giants to the Seahawks and played in every game for both teams, without getting a bye. In the modern era, playing 18 games in a season only became possible in 2021, when the NFL added a 17th regular season game and an 18th week to the season. But Williams is not the only player in NFL history to play 18 games in a season. In the early days of the NFL, schedules were not standardized and some teams played more games than others. From 1925 to 1930 the Frankford Yellow Jackets played more games than other NFL teams, and according to pro-football-reference.com, four Yellow Jackets players played in 19 games in a season, and another 11 Yellow Jackets played in 18 games in a season. Before Williams, the last time an NFL player played in 18 games in a regular season was in 1930. Now five more players can do it. We would note that this year’s Iron 5 would play 18 games in 18 weeks. An 18-game NFL schedule would be 18 in 19 or 20 weeks. And we wonder – does the Iron 5 get an extra game check?- – -Mike Sando of The Athletic tells us what his pleasant surprises are so far in 2024: Pleasant surprises not mentioned elsewhere: • The Arizona Cardinals leading the NFC West with a 5-4 record after a five-week stretch in which they defeated the 49ers, Chargers, Dolphins and Bears when all those teams’ starting quarterbacks were healthy. • Mike Tomlin and Sean Payton, two Super Bowl-winning coaches facing increased scrutiny entering the season, having their teams in AFC playoff contention despite quarterback uncertainty, while the Bengals, Jets, Dolphins, Browns and Jaguars are on the outside, looking in. |
| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITThis from Kalyn Kahler of ESPN.com: The Detroit Lions will end the season with another streak of opponents losing their following gameHere’s a fun one. On Sunday, the Titans became the first Lions opponent this season to win their following game, breaking a streak of six straight opponents who lost their next game after facing Detroit. The Lions’ opponents weren’t just losing — they were losing big. There’s something to be said about Detroit’s physical style and play-action-heavy offense that creates residual fatigue for opposing defenses. — Kalyn Kahler, national NFL reporter Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com: Jared Goff will break Drew Brees’ single-season record for completion percentageOver the first five games, Goff’s 83% competition percentage was an NFL record, according to ESPN Research (minimum 50 attempts). He leads the NFL with a 74.9% completion percentage, putting him on pace to eclipse Brees’ 74.4% single-season mark set in 2018. And Goff isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He has completed 30 straight passes to his top target, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and can boost his numbers against the Colts and Jaguars (two struggling pass defenses) over the next three weeks. — Seth Wickersham, NFL writer |
| MINNESOTAMike Sando of The Athletic, following the script of not rewarding known entities like Andy Reid, but coaches deemed to have over-achieved, tabs Kevin O’Connell as his Coach of the Year: 1. The Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell is the midseason choice for Coach of the Year.Andy Reid and Bill Belichick are arguably the greatest coaches of this century. Reid last won Coach of the Year in 2002. His team has an 8-0 record this season and is winning with a different formula, but we are so conditioned to his success, and the resourcefulness of Patrick Mahomes, that Reid’s name scarcely even arises for the award. He might be above it. Belichick was a three-time winner from 2003 to 2010, but never thereafter. We tend to focus on coaches perceived to be doing more with less in a given season. O’Connell fits that profile. He’s my choice because the Vikings have nearly matched their preseason Vegas win total after losing their starting quarterback to a season-ending injury during preseason. The sortable table below shows Minnesota ranking second to Washington in actual wins as a percentage of full-season Vegas totals. Washington Commanders (7-2) 6.5Minnesota Vikings (6-2) 6.5Denver Broncos (5-4) 5.5Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) 8.0Arizona Cardinals (5-4) 7.0 The Vikings have won primarily with defense, but O’Connell has gotten more than expected from a Sam Darnold-quarterbacked offense. Darnold ranks second to Lamar Jackson and just ahead of Jared Goff in explosive pass rate, with 22.3 percent of his passes gaining more than 15 yards (excluding situations when field position made gaining that many yards impossible). Also strongly considered: Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, for winning without his starting quarterback in a reimagined style while developing the NFL’s youngest roster and improving, at least so far, on defense with the new coordinator LaFleur hired; the Los Angeles Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh, for instantly remaking his new team in his image; the Detroit Lions’ Dan Campbell, for winning in a complementary fashion and in his vision for style of play. |
| NFC EAST |
| NEW YORK GIANTSThe Defensive Player of the Year plays for the Giants according to Mike Sando of The Athletic: • Defensive Player of the Year: Dexter Lawrence II, New York Giants. Lawrence is a 6-foot-4, 340-pound nose tackle with nine sacks in nine games, twice his full-season total from 2023 when he finished ninth in voting for the award. Although defensive tackles won three of the first four DPOY awards (introduced in 1971), including “Mean” Joe Greene twice in the early 1970s, none fit Lawrence’s profile from a size standpoint. Aaron Donald (280 pounds) is the only defensive tackle to win the award since 2000. Cortez Kennedy, Dana Stubblefield and Warren Sapp won it in the 1990s, all while weighing in the lower 300s. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| CAROLINAThe Panthers have activated RB JONATHON BROOKS for their winnable game in Germany against the NY Giants. Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report: Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales confirmed the team is activating rookie running back Jonathon Brooks. Canales said the team hasn’t made any decisions over Brooks’ availability for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants in Munich. It needs to see how he performs at practice over the next few days. The Panthers knew when they selected Brooks with the No. 46 overall pick that it would be a while before they’d see a tangible return on their investment. He tore his ACL a little less than a year ago as a junior at Texas. Carolina signaled in mid-October that Brooks was in the final stages of his recovery when it opened the 21-day window for him to practice before either being activated or placed on season-long injured reserve. “This is really a 12-month recovery for this injury,” he told reporters. “So, for me to be back in 11 months, it feels like I feel good. I just say the progress that I’ve made from going back when I first heard it, I didn’t know it was — obviously like everybody overreacts, but it seemed like I wasn’t even going to be able to play a game.” The Panthers have been leaning on Chuba Hubbard as their No. 1 option on the ground. The fourth-year back has gone for 665 yards and five touchdowns on the ground through nine games. With the team sitting at 2-7, there’s almost no chance Carolina can climb back into a playoff position. The rest of the season is about laying the groundwork for 2025, so having Brooks in the backfield could at least generate some excitement about next year. With Brooks getting ready to show his worth, it seems like a funny time to throw big money at RB CHUBA HUBBARD. But that’s how the Panthers roll. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The Panthers and running back Chuba Hubbard are going to stay together for a while longer. The team announced that they have signed Hubbard to a four-year contract extension on Thursday. They did not announced any terms, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that it is a four-year, $33.2 million deal. Hubbard will receive $15 million in fully guaranteed money and has a maximum value of $37.2 million. Hubbard had 133 carries for 665 yards and five touchdowns to go with 26 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown so far this season. The 2021 fourth-round pick has 638 carries for 2,645 yards and 17 touchdowns for his career. The Panthers picked Jonathon Brooks in the second round this year, but he has not played yet due to a knee injury he suffered in his final year of college. He was activated this week, but is likely to make his debut after the team’s Week 11 bye and is now set to share time in the backfield with Hubbard for several years to come. Don’t get the DB wrong, we like Hubbard quite a bit. |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONAJosh Weinfuss of ESPN.com on the crazy work ethic of WR MARVIN HARRISON: Around 8 a.m. on a Monday, about 16 hours after he had 130 yards and two touchdowns in his second NFL game, Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was back on the practice field catching balls off the Jugs machine. One by one, the balls hummed off the wheels and shot into Harrison’s hands. About a half-hour later, he had caught about 200. That Monday wasn’t an anomaly. It doesn’t matter what happened the day, week or, even, month before. To Harrison, who got in the off-day workout with fellow receiver Michael Wilson, it was the first day of a weeklong routine that has become as much a part of Harrison as his 6-foot-4 frame, great hands and Hall of Fame lineage. The stories of Harrison’s work ethic became the stuff of lore long before his name was called as the No. 4 pick in April’s NFL draft. Nothing has changed since he joined the Cardinals. Harrison catches about 200 balls before practice Monday, Tuesday and Saturday and after practice on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. That’s in addition to the hours of work he puts in on his body — recovering, lifting and getting treatment — the playbook and his craft. Committing to the process and being consistent by putting in the work that got him to the NFL has produced 28 catches for 445 yards and five touchdowns through nine games. But Harrison’s rookie season has been a roller coaster. He followed one catch on three targets in his NFL debut with 130 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first quarter — in Week 2. However, he didn’t have more than 64 yards in a game again until Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, when he finished with 111 yards and a touchdown. “I just want to be successful,” Harrison told ESPN. “I want to be great so bad. I want to help my team so bad, and I’m just always going to put my best foot forward for the team, and I think that’s really just where it comes from: just go out there, have fun.” IN MAY, AROUND the time Harrison started attending rookie practices at the Cardinals’ facility, a member of the team’s nutrition department walked up to left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Harrison’s former Ohio State teammate, with a message. “Hey, your boy Marv,” Johnson was told, “he already beat you.” Johnson had been at the facility daily, showing up 90 minutes before meetings every day. But Harrison didn’t just beat Johnson to the facility. He got there early enough to catch 200 balls and eat breakfast — before Johnson even parked his car. “To do that as a rookie is very commendable,” Johnson said. Johnson has seen this all before. Ask any of Harrison’s teammates from his three seasons at Ohio State, where the receiver had 155 catches for 2,613 yards and 31 TDs. Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Matthew Jones, who was at Ohio State from 2018 to 2023, remembers days when Harrison was on the Jugs machine in the Buckeyes’ indoor facility at 5:15 before 6 a.m. meetings. “Him and that Jugs machine is like best friends,” Jones said.– – –“Marv’s been a grinder since we’ve been in high school,” said Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who played with Harrison at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, where Harrison caught 144 career passes, setting Philadelphia Catholic League records with 2,625 yards and 37 touchdowns. “All the stories that came out in college about him being after practice, working late at night on the Jugs machine, catching balls, he was the same way in college and same way in high school.” Harrison had a Jugs machine at home in high school, St. Joseph’s school teammate Malik Cooper said, and would roll it outside and catch between 100 and 200 balls a day. It wasn’t rare for Harrison, Cooper and other teammates to spend weekends playing video games at Harrison’s, and then get on the machine for marathon catching sessions. They’d each catch 100 balls at a time and rotate, with Harrison going first, until sunset. Sometimes they’d fit in a workout in Harrison’s basement or play basketball. After his football games, Harrison would watch the film with his dad, Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison Sr., breaking down his performance and learning the nuances of the game. Cooper, who was Harrison Jr.’s quarterback for a season, remembered him staying home instead of going out with his friends some weekends to get in extra work — a preview of how he operated in college. “He was just always finding ways to get better and not just taking mental reps, [finding] ways during practice that he could harness some physical skills, too,” said Ryne Morrison, Harrison’s receivers coach in high school. He “turned the corner” his junior year, Morrison said, figuring out how to manage his time better, approach each day and get extra work in. Then Harrison became a pace-setter for his teammates, Morrison said. “I’m pretty sure that there’s nobody in the state that could guard Marv at all,” Cooper said. “Just immediately took this job like it’s the most important thing in his life,” fellow Cardinals wide receiver Andre Baccellia said. “Film room, on his iPad all the time, in the meeting room, just seeing he’s always tapped into the plan on his iPad, looking at stuff, watching tape. “I’m five years in, so I’ve seen rookies come in, and just the level of seriousness and attention to detail that he’s on, it’s next level.” Wide receivers coach Drew Terrell noticed Harrison’s professionalism during the pre-draft process, and that professionalism carried over through OTAs into the regular season. It hasn’t wavered. While it might take some players years to come up with a routine, Harrison came into this season ready with his, Terrell said. Former Cardinals receiver and free agent Chris Moore, who’s in his ninth season, said that is “very rare.” Many NFL receivers catch 25 or 30 passes per day. Harrison’s teammates haven’t heard of anyone catching hundreds of extra passes per day. When receiver Greg Dortch thinks about it, he worries about wear and tear. “He probably should ice up after because his hands are going to be sore,” Dortch said. Harrison doesn’t have a hand-care routine, he said, just tape to prepare a pair of calloused hands that have caught thousands of balls. It has led to a number of jammed fingers and surgery on his right thumb, Harrison told ESPN. However, there are areas of his routine that aren’t as regimented as others. Harrison doesn’t follow a strict diet, have a personal chef or bring his meals from home. Coach Jonathan Gannon recently asked Harrison what he ate, and the receiver responded honestly: Five Guys. However, Harrison has figured out a recovery routine that works for him. He’s not a fan of the cold tub but will sit in the hot tub. He opts for massage guns over actual massages and uses air-compression leg sleeves that give him a “restorative massage” to help relieve pain and refresh his legs quicker after games and practices. “Just watching him work is honestly an honor, to be here and watch him see how he does it just because it is different,” Moore said. “To be out there, to already have these values instilled in him as a rookie and stuff, and nobody has to tell him what to do, he’s just out there doing his job. … It’s truly crazy.'” IN THE HUSTLE and bustle of a post-practice locker room, Harrison’s chair was empty. While the other Cardinals took off their pads and changed out of their practice gear, Harrison was on the field catching balls off the Jugs machine. “It’s just who he is,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. “It’s not a surprise. That’s normal.” Harrison bought a tennis ball machine for his home in Arizona to get more catches in. He was also introduced to playing catch with a rugby ball before practice as a way to open his hands before it’s time to start catching footballs, which are smaller. At Ohio State, Harrison used a basketball. “The stories are all carrying over,” Terrell said. “He’s always thinking about ways to improve.” Paris Johnson said Harrison’s life is football. “Marvin’s very low-key,” Johnson said. “He doesn’t need to be out everywhere with all the action. So his action is what he preps, but when it comes to being around socially, he’s around the guys. He doesn’t need to be out with just anybody, that’s not his entertainment, what entertains him is being around his close friends, his girl, his family, the facility.” Between the time Harrison was drafted and started practicing two weeks later, he and Gannon had a conversation about Harrison’s renowned work ethic. Gannon knew Harrison put in the work and wanted to make sure his top pick was careful about it. “If we spaced out how many reps and the amount of workload he gets, and then he goes and runs 100 routes on the weekend, he might be dragging today,” Gannon said during the summer. “Now, he doesn’t drag, but I’m just talking about, I love extra work, but you’ve got to be smart about it. You’ve got to have a routine about what you’re doing.” What changed the most for Harrison going from Ohio State to the NFL is the structure of his days. His time is more regimented because he has meetings, practice and treatment. He had to forgo some of his early-morning Jugs sessions in favor of his other responsibilities. Seven weeks into the season, Harrison has found a routine of which Gannon approves. Gannon wanted that kind of consistency, so Harrison would have a baseline if some part of his weekly approach wasn’t working. “He’s starting to figure that out a little bit,” Gannon said in September. “And it takes time.” Last week, Gannon said he expected Harrison to have a learning curve, but Harrison has been “1,000 percent” coachable and responsive to the slight adjustments that coaches have been making to his game. They’ve had to address his stride length, which is longer than the other receivers and sometimes causes Harrison to find himself deeper in his routes than expected in the Cardinals’ rhythm-and-timing-based offense. They’ve also worked with Harrison on getting his eyes to where Murray wants them. “He acts like a 10-year vet,” Gannon said. “And I love where it comes from. It comes from a place of him wanting to help the team first, and then, secondly, is ‘I want to improve my game.'” Even before the season started, Harrison was putting “a ton of pressure” on himself, Terrell said. During one early training camp practice, Harrison started talking Terrell’s ear off before a walk-through, asking him question after question. “Like, ‘Hey, did you see this route on tape? What’d you think? But did you see this? Should I have done this with my release on tape?'” Terrell remembered. “And, it’s like, ‘Dude, like, calm down. Calm down. Yes, I’ve seen it all. Here’s how we’re going to correct it.’ “But he wants to be perfect.” |
| LOS ANGELES RAMSThis from Dan Orlovsky of ESPN.com: The Los Angeles Rams will win the divisionLos Angeles has rallied back from a rough 1-4 start; it is on a three-game winning streak and sits second in the NFC West. Sean McVay is moving Matthew Stafford out in the perimeter more than ever, designing bootlegs for the 36-year-old quarterback to find receivers in space. Kyren Williams has been the heartbeat of the offense, and Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are back from injury. Along with a young defensive line led by Braden Fiske and Jared Verse, the Rams can win the division if they stay healthy. — Dan Orlovsky, NFL analyst |
| SAN FRANCISCOThe sad reason CB CHARVARIOUS WARD has left the 49ers. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward is in Dallas preparing for Friday’s memorial service for his daughter, Amani Joi. She died last week before her second birthday, which was later this month. Ward is away from the team indefinitely as he and his family mourn their loss. The NFL does not offer teams roster exemptions for players on bereavement leave, something coach Kyle Shanahan believes the league should. “It’s tough. Everybody handles things differently,” Shanahan said, via Cam Inman of The Mercury News. “You’ve got to be there for someone. There’s no right or wrong way to [mourn].” In seven games, Ward has 35 tackles and five pass breakups. |
| AFC WEST |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSPraise for Chargers DC Jesse Minter from Mike Sando of The Athletic: 3. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is clear choice for top defensive assistant.Lots of good candidates here. Brian Flores of the Vikings and Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos deserve mention. Philadelphia’s Vic Fangio will be one to watch as the Eagles’ season progresses. The Lions’ defense has made a jump under Aaron Glenn, while the Packers have gotten good results so far with Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator. Minter stands out because he has instantly driven the NFL’s largest year-over-year defensive reversal, turning the 28th-ranked defense by EPA per play — both last season and over the previous four — into the No. 1 unit this season through Week 9. Over the previous three seasons, the Chargers ranked no higher than 25th after eight games or through a full season, despite having a defensive play-calling head coach in Brandon Staley. From a statistical standpoint, it’s as though Minter packed up the Ravens’ defense, which he helped coach from 2017 to 2020 before serving as coordinator at Vanderbilt and Michigan, and brought it to Los Angeles. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDGM Andrew Berry presents himself to the media, but doesn’t move the discussion on QB DESHAUN WATSON forward much. Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry was noncommittal when asked Wednesday about Deshaun Watson’s standing with the franchise, as the quarterback’s struggles in Cleveland continued before he sustained a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear in Week 7. “Really our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury, is first and foremost and to make sure that he gets healthy from the Achilles injury,” Berry said during a news conference with reporters during the team’s bye week. “Everything else, we’ll deal with at a later moment.” Before the injury, Watson posted the lowest Total QBR of any qualified passer in the NFL. The Browns were 1-5 in Watson’s six starts before the Achilles injury and didn’t reach 20 points in any of those games. Berry, though, said the offense’s issues were not limited to Watson. “We haven’t played well as a team and we haven’t played well as a unit on offense,” Berry said. “I think oftentimes when you don’t play well on offense, obviously your starting quarterback and your playcaller will get the most criticism. But the reality of it is, offenses, it comes down to organization and synchronization. There’s just a lot of shared ownership across the different position groups in terms of why we didn’t perform.” Since trading three first-round picks and giving Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract before the 2022 season, Watson has started 19 games, with each of his last two seasons ending because of injury. He missed the final eight games of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery to his throwing shoulder. He served an 11-game suspension to start the 2022 season after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. Since making his debut in Cleveland, Watson’s 33.8 Total QBR ranks 32nd of 33 qualifying passers, higher than only that of the Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young. Berry said he was in “full support” of coach Kevin Stefanski’s decision to keep starting Watson before his latest injury. When asked whether the decision to trade for Watson was his or a mandate from ownership, Berry said: “All of us were on board.” The Browns still owe Watson $46 million in each of the next two seasons. Watson has cap hits of $72.9 million in the 2025 and 2026 seasons, both slated to be the second highest in the NFL. Cleveland would take on dead cap hits of $172 million and $99 million in 2025 and 2026 if the team were to part ways with Watson after the season. One year after finishing with an 11-6 record and making the playoffs, the Browns are 2-7, tied for the worst record in the league. Jameis Winston has taken over for the injured Watson and Stefanski relinquished playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey in Week 8. A disappointing first half of the season has seen the team trade two veteran leaders: wide receiver Amari Cooper, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills, and defensive end Za’Darius Smith, who was dealt to the Detroit Lions before Tuesday’s trade deadline. When later asked whether it is still possible for Watson to return as the Browns’ starting quarterback, Berry said, “Yeah, I think that’s always possible.” Berry declined to assess the deal for Watson and whether it was a good trade. “I’m really not in reflection mode,” he said. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| PLAYOFF PREDICTIONSThe Dolphins in the playoffs? That’s one of five takes from ESPN experts on how parts of the playoff picture will play out: How will the playoff races play out? The Baltimore Ravens will make the Super Bowl with improved pass defenseThe Ravens’ defense is fifth worst in the league against the pass, and they’ve seen one of the highest dropback rates accordingly. That’s not a good formula for running through an AFC that’s riddled with star quarterbacks — but I don’t think those numbers will hold. Cornerback Nate Wiggins and linebacker Trenton Simpson are improving each week. Nickel cornerback Arthur Maulet is back from a knee injury, and I trust coordinator Zach Orr to find new subpackages that work. If their pass defense becomes even average, the 2024 Ravens can go all the way. — Ben Solak, NFL analyst The Kansas City Chiefs will be the No. 1 seed in AFCThe Chiefs will finish with the NFL’s best record and earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They haven’t been as dominant as they were in the past, but the trade for DeAndre Hopkins to replace injured Rashee Rice and a top-five scoring defense can easily lead them to their ninth straight AFC West title. Kansas City is vying for New England’s record of 11 straight division titles (2009-2019). — Jason Reid, senior Andscape writer The Miami Dolphins will claim an AFC wild-card spotThe Dolphins’ roster has enough talent to wake up from a 2-6 slumber. The offense is averaging 27.0 points since Tua Tagovailoa returned in Week 8. On defense, the pass-rush injuries hurt, but safety Jevon Holland and defensive end Zach Sieler should be back soon. The schedule is also manageable as two of Miami’s last nine games feature opponents with .500 records or worse. The Dolphins probably won’t catch the Bills in the AFC East, but the seventh seed is gettable. — Jeremy Fowler, national NFL reporter The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will earn an NFC wild-card spotDespite the injuries to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, the Bucs can bounce back from a 4-6 start. Evans should return in Week 12 from his hamstring injury, and their final seven games are exceedingly easy. They have two matchups with the Panthers, plus contests against the Raiders, Cowboys, Giants and Saints. The Buccaneers’ toughest opponent will be the Chargers in Week 15. So going 10-7 is very realistic. — Aaron Schatz, NFL analyst The Pittsburgh Steelers will beat out the Cincinnati Bengals for an AFC wild-card spotWith a strong defense that just brought back Alex Highsmith and is led by Defensive Player of the Year front-runner T.J. Watt (-135, per ESPN BET), Pittsburgh’s pass rush will continue to fluster opposing passers. Meanwhile, the offense has found its legs with Russell Wilson under center, and adding Mike Williams to the outside only bolsters the receiving corps. I see the Steelers splitting the series with Baltimore to lose the AFC North, but they’ll fend off Cincinnati for a playoff berth. — Liz Loza, fantasy analyst |
| HOT SEAT COACHESBryan DeArdo of CBSSports.com has Mike McCarthy at the top of his list. There’s an old saying that the NFL stands for “Not For Long,” and that has already been the case this year for NFL head coaches. Robert Saleh and Dennis Allen have already been relieved of their duties, and several other coaches will likely join them over the next few months. A number of NFL coaches are on the hot seat as we enter the 10th week of the regular season. More coaches could join them if things go south over in the coming weeks. Making matters more daunting for each coach is the fact that six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick is available and is expected to be in the running for several head-coaching gigs this offseason. Which coaches could find themselves without a job when the regular season is over (if not earlier)? Here’s a ranking of the coaches who either are or will soon find themselves on the hot seat. For each coach, we’ve placed a point rating based on how likely it is that he will be fired (10 being the highest, 1 being the lowest). 10. Dave Canales, Panthers Canales probably isn’t going anywhere, but he was included on this list given that Panthers owner David Tepper changes coaches more than Sean Payton changes sticks of Juicy Fruit. It’s been a tough season for Canales and the Panthers (2-7). But things are looking a little brighter following this past Sunday’s upset win over the Saints that saw former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young pick up his third career win. Canales will only help his cause if he and Young can continue to make strides together over the season’s final eight games. Hot seat rating: 2 9. Nick Sirianni, Eagles Sirianni is likely safe. The Eagles (6-2) have won four straight and are battling with the Commanders for the NFC East crown. It would take a late-season collapse similar to the one Philadelphia endured last year for Sirianni’s job to be in serious jeopardy. Philadelphia’s remaining schedule isn’t the easiest, with upcoming matchups against Washington (6-2), Pittsburgh (6-2), Baltimore (5-3) and the suddenly-surging Los Angeles Rams (4-4). Hot seat rating: 2 8. Mike McDaniel, Dolphins Like Sirianni, McDaniel’s job status doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy at the moment. McDaniel can obviously help his cause by winning some games during the second half of the season. Currently, the Dolphins are 2-6 and have lost three straight games. They’re 0-2 with Tua Tagovailoa back in the lineup, although they were much more competitive in those games. Miami has five games left against teams with losing records, so a solid finish is certainly possible, as long as the Dolphins don’t suffer any more significant injuries.Hot seat rating: 2.5 7. Kevin Stefanski, Browns Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year, but this year has not been his best work. The Browns’ season essentially ended during this past Sunday’s loss to the Chargers that dropped them to 2-7 entering their Week 10 bye. Injuries (especially on the offensive line) and awful quarterback play have largely told the tale of the Browns’ season so far. Stefanski can’t control injuries, and while he has to shoulder some blame for the failed Deshaun Watson experiment, Stefanski has proven that he can have success with other quarterbacks. Stefanski’s past success will likely buy him some equity and keep him safe this offseason. But like the previous two coaches mentioned, Stefanski can obviously help his case by winning as many games as he can from here on out. Cleveland has two remaining games against the Steelers, one against the Ravens and another against the defending two-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Hot seat rating: 3 6. Brian Daboll, Giants Alright, now we’ve officially reached the coaches who are unquestionably on the hot seat. Giants owner John Mara reportedly wants to exercise patience in regard to his staff. That is obviously a good sign for Daboll, who is closing on his second losing season in three years. Barring a complete collapse, it’s conceivable to think that Daboll will be back next year, but other changes are likely coming for both Daboll and the Giants’ roster. Daniel Jones might be playing elsewhere next year, and Daboll might be asked to relinquish play-calling duties. Hot seat rating: 4.3 5. Jerod Mayo, Patriots There have been rumblings that the Patriots’ brass have had some second thoughts after promoting Mayo following Belichick’s departure. If those rumblings are true, it’s safe to say that the team’s 2-7 start hasn’t helped Mayo’s standing with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. New England has struggled so far under Mayo, but that was largely expected given the team’s obvious roster deficiencies and having a rookie quarterback under center. It helps that the Patriots have played better in recent weeks, edging the Jets in Week 8 and losing a close game to the Titans this past Sunday. Mayo is likely safe this year, but the Patriots will need to take a jump in 2025 if Mayo is going to be around in 2026. Hot seat rating: 4.5 4. Matt Eberflus, Bears Eberflus gained some momentum following “Hard Knocks,” his new hairdo and Chicago’s 4-2 start with No. 1 overall Caleb Williams playing well. Chicago’s two-game losing streak, however, has put him back on the hot seat. Now 4-4, the Bears will have to be competitive down the stretch for Eberflus to keep his job. The prospect of that happening doesn’t look good as the Bears have only two remaining games against teams with losing records. Eberflus could be safe if the Bears finish with seven or eight wins and Williams shows significant signs of improvement over the final two months of the season. But that may not even be enough for him to keep his job. Hot seat rating: 6 3. Doug Pederson, Jaguars Jacksonville is 3-12 since starting 8-3 last season. It’s gotten so bad that Pederson had to field questions about whether or not he had lost the locker room after just four games. Compounding the losing has been Trevor Lawrence’s decline. The former No. 1 overall pick is completing a career-low 61.3% of his passes with just 11 touchdowns through nine games. Jacksonville ends the year with five games against teams with losing records, but their next three opponents are a combined 19-6. Barring an incredible turnaround, the Jaguars are looking at their fifth season with double-digit losses since 2018. Peterson has yet to have a losing season in Jacksonville, but he likely won’t be back next year given how bad this year has gone. Hot seat rating: 7.5 2. Antonio Pierce, RaidersAll the goodwill that Pierce built up following last year’s 5-4 finish as the Raiders’ interim coach seems to have run out. The team parted ways with several assistants on Monday, and Pierce will likely follow them out the door soon. The Raiders are 2-7 through nine games and are currently riding a five-game losing streak. Las Vegas dealt Davante Adams several weeks ago, have an unsettled quarterback situation and a defense that has forced just five turnovers. The Raiders need a complete overhaul of the roster, which will likely lead to a coaching change. Could that coach be Belichick? That could happen, given Tom Brady’s new role as a Raiders minority owner and Belichick’s desire to get back on the sideline. It helps that the Raiders have a rich history. Belichick could add to his already sparkling legacy by leading the silver and black back to glory. Hot seat rating: 8.5 1. Mike McCarthy, CowboysMcCarthy is essentially a lame duck coach. The Cowboys are 3-5, and McCarthy is in the final year of his contract. He will be looking for a new job this winter unless he can turn things around in a hurry. That doesn’t look possible, though, unless Cooper Rush can duplicate the success he had in 2022 while playing in relief of the injured Dak Prescott. But that Cowboys team was much better than their current outfit. The 2024 Cowboys have a litany of issues and a tough second half schedule to boot, with two games apiece against the Commanders and Eagles in addition to matchups with the Texans and Bengals. Speaking of Belichick, his name has been floated around as a possible replacement for McCarthy. It’s safe to assume that Jerry Jones would jump at the chance to hire the future Hall of Fame coach if the opportunity presents itself. That possibility alone may compel Jones to part ways with McCarthy, who is likely done in Dallas despite guiding the team to three straight 12-win seasons from 2021-23. Hot seat rating: 9.2 We think this is a pretty good list by DeArdo, with the coaches truly in jeopardy probably starting with Eberflus at #4, those with a hot seat rating of 5 or higher. One name that should be on the list, probably staying, but should be on the list is Todd Bowles of the Buccaneers. Again, we think he’s staying, but he probably slots in there between Daboll and Stefanski if Tampa Bay doesn’t right its ship and defense down the stretch. |
| SEASON RECAP WITH BEST GAMESFrank Schwab of YahooSports.com looks at the 5 best games so far of 2024 and 5 games coming up to anticipate: What will we remember from this 2024 NFL regular season? If the Kansas City Chiefs chase an undefeated season, that’s the answer. But that’s unlikely. That leaves Jayden Daniels. Daniels is having a truly special rookie year for the Washington Commanders, the type of debut season that we’ll be able to recall 25 years from now. His immediate impact has turned around the Commanders after decades of suffering, and he has already made one special game-winning play that will go down in NFL lore. It’s rare to see a rookie define an entire season, but through half of this season that appears to be the case. In that regard, here’s a look back at the best games of the first half of the season, and the best matchups yet to come. NFL’s top 5 games so far Week 3: Commanders 38, Bengals 33This Monday night game is when Jayden Daniels announced himself as a star. Daniels was 21 of 23 for 254 yards and two touchdowns, added 39 yards and a touchdown on the ground and the Commanders scored on every possession except when they took a knee to end a half. Daniels’ 27-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin to put the game away looked like it would be the signature moment of his rookie season. He would top that play in October. Week 5: Falcons 36, Buccaneers 30This was a weird back-and-forth Thursday night game with plenty of twists and turns and a walk-off overtime touchdown by the Falcons. The Falcons needed a wild rally just to force overtime on a Younghoe Koo field goal as time expired. Cousins had a career-high 509 yards in this win, which shifted the power of the NFC South. Week 5: Ravens 41, Bengals 38Joe Burrow threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns and was the losing quarterback. That’s how fun this game was. Lamar Jackson had 403 total yards and threw for four touchdowns. The Bengals lined up for the game-winning field goal in overtime, but a botched snap led to a miss. Derrick Henry broke a long run to set up the Ravens’ game winner after that. You won’t see many games quarterbacked at a higher level. Week 8: Commanders 18, Bears 15Disclaimer: For the entirety of 60 minutes, this was an ugly game. That doesn’t matter. This game is the one from the first half of the season that will be remembered 25 years from now, and it’s for the last play. Jayden Daniels scrambled around (while Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson taunted fans from the field) and bought just enough time to heave a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Noah Brown for the win. It was the rare moment in which everyone knew immediately they’d just seen something historic. Week 9: Rams 26, Seahawks 20This game was wild. Geno Smith threw two interceptions inside the Rams’ 10-yard line in the fourth quarter, including one returned more than 100 yards for a touchdown, but rallied to throw a game-tying touchdown with less than a minute left. In overtime, the Seahawks were in field-goal range but went for it on fourth-and-1 and the Rams got a great stop. Then Matthew Stafford completed some big-time passes, including a 39-yarder for the win that was hauled in by Demarcus Robinson with one hand. Thoroughly entertaining. NFL’s top 5 matchups remaining Week 11: Washington at PhiladelphiaThe Commanders are in first place of the NFC East, which wasn’t expected. To stay there, they’ll need to hold off the Eagles. This seemed like an odd choice for a Thursday night game when the schedule was released, but now it might go a long way in determining if an upstart Commanders team can win the NFC East. The rematch in Washington is Week 16, by the way. Week 11: Kansas City at BuffaloThis one will conjure up some bad memories for Bills fans. The Bills have had some rough losses to Kansas City in the playoffs, including last postseason when the Chiefs came to Buffalo and stunned the Bills. Buffalo is good once again, the Chiefs are too, and if the Bills have any hopes of having home-field advantage again for a playoff showdown, this is a must-win for them. Week 15: Buffalo at DetroitIt’s possible we see this matchup again in the Super Bowl. Both teams are on the short list of contenders midway through the season. Josh Allen is having an MVP level season, and the Lions offense looks unstoppable. Whether or not there’s a rematch coming in February, this is a fun game between two excellent teams. Week 17 (tie): Kansas City at Pittsburgh, Baltimore at HoustonThe NFL seemed to do pretty well with its Christmas games. All four of the teams playing on Dec. 25 would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, including the surprising Steelers. It’s not completely out of the question the Steelers might still be in play for a No. 1 seed when it hosts Kansas City. It’s also not completely unreasonable to wonder if the Chiefs are still chasing the 1972 Dolphins and 2007 Patriots by being undefeated in Week 17. Then Baltimore vs. Houston will feature Lamar Jackson vs. C.J. Stroud. Not a bad Christmas doubleheader. Week 17: Detroit at San FranciscoSan Francisco hasn’t been great yet, but we all know the 49ers can still make a run. The Lions have been perhaps the most impressive team of the first half, and they remember what happened in last season’s NFC championship game loss at San Francisco. It’s possible this game determines if the Lions get the No. 1 seed, which would be huge for their Super Bowl hopes. |
