AROUND THE NFL
Daily Briefing
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Judy Battista of NFL.com reports that New Orleans has lost the 2024 Super Bowl. Kevin Patra, also of NFL.com, has the tale:
Super Bowl LVIII is on the move.
NFL owners pushed the Super Bowl slated to be played in New Orleans in 2024 to 2025, NFL Network’s Judy Battista reported.
With the league moving to 17 regular-season games next year, thereby pushing the Super Bowl back a week in subsequent seasons, a 2024 Super Bowl in New Orleans would have conflicted with Mardi Gras that year, which is scheduled for Feb. 13.
Pushing the game to 2025 alleviates the issue, as Mardi Gras that year isn’t until March 4.
The decision opens up the 2024 Super Bowl to be awarded to a new host city. A place like Las Vegas, which had the 2020 draft canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and boasts a shiny new stadium, could be a logical fit to slide into the rotation.
The Super Bowl is slated to be in Tampa Bay in 2021, followed by SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in 2022, and make a return trip to Arizona in 2023.
What about Dallas/Ft. Worth/Arlington? The last Super Bowl at AT&T Stadium was a disaster, but that was back in 2011. Wouldn’t 13 years be enough time to cleanse the stench? Hall of Fame enshrine Jerry Jones will be 82 in 2024. Just don’t try to pack in a crazy number of seats.
Indianapolis, the exemplary 2012 Super Bowl host, might be getting close to the time that it would get another.
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Stealing a word from police de-funding, the NFL “re-imagines” the Pro Bowl, “announcing” without actually saying it, that the actual game has been cancelled. The release truly is a marvel of something, but that something is not clarity.
NFL to reimagine 2021 Pro Bowl; ’22 Pro Bowl awarded to Las Vegas
The NFL Pro Bowl presented by Verizon brings together NFL players, their families and fans for a fun and interactive celebration of the best players in the game.
Over the last several months, the NFL has innovated the off-season, preseason and now the regular season. The virtual NFL Draft and collective NFL family raised more than $100M for front line workers, training camp replaced games with practices and the regular season has required schedule adjustments to protect the health of the players, coaches and other personnel.
The NFL will continue to recognize the players’ outstanding seasons and welcome fans to demonstrate their passion for their favorite players when voting for the 2021 Pro Bowl Roster begins on November 17th. The full Pro Bowl rosters will be revealed in December, where the players are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts as one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who are selected to the Pro Bowl roster.
Additionally, the league will work closely with the NFLPA and other partners, to create a variety of engaging activities to replace the Pro Bowl game this season. This virtual recognition of the season’s finest players will provide fans the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of their favorite stars.
The NFL and NFLPA’s intention is to play a full regular and postseason schedule, culminating at the Super Bowl.
The NFL also announced that the 2022 Pro Bowl will be awarded to Las Vegas and take place at Allegiant Stadium. This continues the league’s partnership with the Raiders and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, who are also scheduled to host the 2022 NFL Draft.
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NFC NORTH
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CHICAGO
In all the Covid excitement, most of the positive tests have happened to individuals who are in little if any risk from the disease.
But there has been talk about older coaches, and the Bears now have a high-risk coach who is self-quarantining. But, as Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com explains, OL coach Juan Castillo’s issues apparently have nothing to do with the Bears.
The Bears won’t have offensive line coach Juan Castillo this week.
Castillo will quarantine, staying away from the team, through Sunday, coach Matt Nagy announced via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Castillo had close contract with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and is considered “high risk,” though he has not tested positive himself. The person Castillo had close contact with is not practice squad offensive lineman Badara Traore.
The Bears placed Traore on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Castillo will continue meetings with his players on Zoom, but Donovan Raiola will take over in-person coaching in practice and during Sunday’s game.
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GREEN BAY
Fantasy Football followers take note of this from Adam Schefter:
@AdamSchefter
After missing the past two games, Packers’ WR Davante Adams was a full participant at practice today and is on track to play Sunday vs. the Buccaneers.
And this from Mike Florio:
In the hours before the Packers played the Falcons on Monday night in Week Four, wide receiver Davante Adams posted and deleted a tweet saying that he would not be playing in the game despite feeling his hamstring was well enough for him to play.
Adams wrote that he’d done “everything I need to do and proved Im ready but I guess I don’t know my body as well as others” in the deleted tweet. On Wednesday, Adams explained why he posted the tweet.
“It’s not too much to read into it to say I was frustrated,” Adams said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “Obviously, I’m a competitor. I think everybody knows that. Everybody knows what I’m about and how I play football. I don’t necessarily, obviously, understand what the club’s interest [is] and everything that goes with it. But being a competitor, like I said, and me being who I am and how I’m wired, even if I’m not 100 percent, which I said obviously at that point I felt great to play. But even if I’m not 100 percent, I mean, I’ve played few football games feeling 100 percent. So at the end of the day, a lot of that factored into the decision.”
Adams didn’t apologize for the feelings, but said taking the tweet down was the “best thing” because it eliminated a potential distraction for the team heading into the game.
It doesn’t look like there will be a need for another tweet before the Packers face the Buccaneers this Sunday. Adams was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and more of the same over the next two days should mean he plays for the first time since Week Two.
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AFC WEST
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DENVER
RB MELVIN GORDON gets a DUI. NFL.com:
Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon was charged Tuesday night with driving under the influence and speeding between 25 mph and 39 mph over the limit.
Gordon was stopped at 5th Ave. and Speer Blvd. in Denver on Tuesday evening, per the Denver Police Department. Gordon, who was driving 71 mph in a 35 mph zone, consented to and failed field sobriety tests and was arrested.
Gordon is slated to be arraigned on Nov. 13.
“We are aware of the situation involving Melvin Gordon,” the Broncos said in a statement obtained by NFL Network’s James Palmer. “Our organization has been in communication with him and is in the process of gathering more details.”
Broncos coach Vic Fangio said the team is investigating the situation and who Gordon might have been around given the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that everything is on the table with a possible suspension. A decision on whether he’ll be inactive Sunday against the Patriots should be made in next two days. Denver resumes practice Wednesday.
Gordon signed with the Broncos this offseason on a two-year, $16 million contract. In four games played, the 27-year-old back has rushed for 281 yards on 65 carries and scored four total touchdowns. With Phillip Lindsay banged up, Gordon has taken the starting RB reins, rushing for over 100 yards in his last game, a Thursday night win over the New York Jets in Week 4.
In damage control from the Gordon camp, we are told he called GM John Elway and apologized before the ink had dried on the citation.
This from Mike Klis of News4:
Sources say Gordon was returning from dinner at a Denver-area restaurant. A team source told 9News that Gordon immediately called — and spoke with — Broncos general manager John Elway after he was charged. The source said Gordon expressed remorse and took responsibility in his meetings with Broncos coaches and executives.
The Broncos had the past three days off but resumed practice at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday in preparation for their game Sunday at New England. Gordon did not participate. Per a team source, Gordon was at Broncos headquarters Wednesday and met with head coach Vic Fangio. After they talked, Fangio excused Gordon for the day.
:”I didn’t want him practicing today until we get to the bottom of everything,” Fangio said in a Zoom media call Wednesday. “Talk to the league, get all the facts in order before we make a decision on what we’re going to do and weigh the differences between what the mandated league punishment will be and any thing we want to do in addition to that.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed. But my own two kids have disappointed me at some points in their life but I never stopped loving them any more. He’s one of us. We’re going to love him but there’ll be some consequences to what happened last night.”
Gordon is coming off his best game since he signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Broncos in March. His 43-yard touchdown run late in the Broncos’ game against the New York Jets clinched a 37-28 win, Denver’s first of the season.
Are NFL players allowed to eat at restaurants?
It looks like they are:
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, players are prohibited from engaging in such activities including, but not limited to, attending bars and/or nightclubs, hosting or attending indoor parties and concerts where more than 15 people will be present, as well as a ban on professional sporting events and even indoor church services that exceed 25 percent capacity. There are obvious caveats, in that players are allowed to pick up food from a bar, and the professional sporting event they can attend would be their own.
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AFC NORTH
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CLEVELAND
Some thoughts on Sunday’s game with the Steelers from Jake Trotter of ESPN.com:
What would a win mean for the Browns?
Trotter: You could easily make the case that a win would be Cleveland’s biggest since returning to the NFL in 1999. The Browns wouldn’t just be defeating a rival that has basically owned them in recent years, especially in Pittsburgh. They would be taking another big step toward ending the league’s longest playoff drought, up to 18 years. Cleveland is playing like a confident team right now. A win in Heinz Field would further cement that confidence and belief of what is possible.
What can we expect from each team in their first meeting with Myles Garrett back on the field?
Trotter: Off the suspension after the helmet swing against Pittsburgh that ended his 2019 season, Garrett is playing the best ball of his pro career. He has three strip sacks, and forced Colts quarterback Philip Rivers into an intentional grounding safety on Sunday. Only two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald has more sacks (7.5) than Garrett, who has six. It will be interesting to see how Garrett responds to the microscope in Pittsburgh, especially with fans in the stands, who figure to be all over him. The best way to respond would be to deliver another game-changing play.
What is each team’s outlook the rest of the way for winning the AFC North?
Trotter: The Browns boast a 76.8% chance to make the playoffs, according to the ESPN Football Power Index. Given that the road trip to Pittsburgh might be their toughest remaining game, a win would substantially improve their chances. Especially considering even with the Pittsburgh trip, the Browns have the NFL’s second-easiest remaining schedule, according to FPI. Cleveland would still be in solid playoff shape with a loss. But a win would put the Browns in the driver’s seat to finally make the playoffs.
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AFC SOUTH
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JACKSONVILLE
Should the Jaguars try a field goal on Sunday, they are expected to make NFL history. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com:
More bad history for the Jacksonville Jaguars again this week.
The Jaguars will be using their fifth kicker in as many weeks when they play host to Detroit on Sunday, and when Jon Brown attempts a field goal or PAT at TIAA Bank Field, he’ll make the Jaguars the first team in NFL history to have a different player attempt a field goal or PAT in five consecutive games.
“We worked him out, he looked good, and [I] guess we’ll just have to see when he goes out there on Sunday,” head coach Doug Marrone said. “But there’s a difference. I think that the one thing about that position that I’ve kind of learned through my experience is you can go out there and look good in practice but I think it’s a whole different ballgame when you go out there on a Sunday and then the pressure [be]comes involved.”
The Jaguars are on their fifth kicker because of injuries. Josh Lambo, who has made 74 of 78 field goal attempts (including 11 of 12 from 50 yards or longer) since joining the team during the 2017 season, suffered a hip injury in Week 2 and has been on injured reserve ever since.
The team elevated Brandon Wright from the practice squad, and he made 1 of 2 PATs against Miami in Week 3 but injured his groin during the game. The Jaguars signed Stephen Hauschka and Aldrick Rosas the next week, but Hauschka was unable to play because of knee soreness so Rosas kicked against Cincinnati in Week 4. He made 4 of 5 field goal attempts and his only PAT attempt.
Rosas, however, injured his hip and groin during the game and was placed on the practice squad injured list. Hauschka played in last week’s loss at Houston and missed a 24-yard attempt wide left and came up short on a 49-yard attempt. He was released on Monday, and the team elevated Brown from the practice squad.
Brown is a former soccer player at Kentucky who walked on as a football player at Louisville. He was a kickoff specialist and never attempted a PAT or field goal for the Cardinals. He has spent time with Cincinnati and San Francisco after going undrafted in 2016.
Per Elias Sports data, there are only four teams since the 1970 merger that have had five different players attempt a field goal or PAT in a single season. The Jaguars will become the fifth, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Chargers, the 2000 and 1987 Washington squads, and the 1978 New Orleans Saints.
“I can’t remember anything like this,” said Marrone, whose team became the first in NFL history to lose three consecutive games to winless teams (excluding season openers) with last Sunday’s loss to the Texans. “I don’t think anyone has been though anything like this as far as the people here, whether it’s [special-teams coordinator] Joe DeCamillis, [assistant special-teams coordinator] Mike Mallory or any of the other coaches.
“… Unfortunately a lot of the other players that we’ve had have been injured or have gotten injured, which is crazy in that regard.”
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The Jaguars picked up a linebacker for the difference between a 6th and 7th round pick, which would seem to be about the smallest dimension of trade capital. Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com:
On the same day Kamalei Correa sent in his request to be traded, it was granted. On Wednesday afternoon, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported that the Tennessee Titans linebacker was being traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora confirmed the report. According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, the Jaguars traded a 2021 sixth-round pick to the Titans in exchange for Correa and Tennessee’s 2021 seventh-round pick.
Correa was listed as inactive when the Titans took the field last night against the Buffalo Bills, and he was just recently activated from the COVID-19/reserve list. Still, him being inactive during the Titans’ dominant 42-16 victory in Week 5 was apparently the last straw for the veteran, and he requested to be traded or released the following day.
Correa, 26, started in five of the 16 games he played in last season, and he recorded a career-high 37 combined tackles and five sacks. He was originally selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft and spent two seasons in Baltimore before being traded to the Titans for a sixth-round pick ahead of the 2018 season. He earned a one-year extension this offseason after his career year, but other offseason additions put his spot in the pass-rushing rotation into question.
The Titans went out and signed former Atlanta Falcons pass-rusher Vic Beasley and also made the late-offseason addition of Jadeveon Clowney. In three games this season, Correa recorded just two combined tackles.
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TENNESSEE
Colin Cowherd offers this in praise of QB RYAN TANNEHILL:
@FOXSports
Ryan Tannehill’s last 17 games: 13-4, 36 TD, 7 INT
Lamar Jackson’s last 17 games: 15-2, 36 TD, 8 INT
“We need to reboot this. Maybe Tennessee and Baltimore are the same team.” —
@ColinCowherd
Backers of Jackson would point out that in that span Lamar has run for 1,349 yards and 7 TDs.
Tannehill has rushed for 293 yards and 6 TDs.
The FOX numbers include postseason for both QBs – 1 game for Jackson, 3 for Tannehill after the Titans beat the Ravens.
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AFC EAST
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NEW ENGLAND
QB CAM NEWTON has survived his symptom-free battle with Covid. Mike Reiss ofESPN.com:
When the New England Patriots return to practice on Thursday, quarterback Cam Newton is expected to rejoin them after being removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday.
That would put Newton on track to start Sunday at home against the Denver Broncos (CBS, 1 p.m. ET). Newton had gone on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Oct. 3 after testing positive.
Patriots players returned to the facility Wednesday after three days off, although they weren’t together as a complete group. Instead, their arrivals were staggered, as the focus was on strength and conditioning work. Newton was present at the facility, according to a source.
The team used its indoor practice facility as a satellite locker room as part of efforts to space out.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore also could be on the cusp of a return, according to a source, but he would have to clear a final hurdle to come off the COVID-19 reserve list for that to happen. He posted on his personal Instagram page earlier this week that he was “ready to be back in action.”
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NEW YORK JETS
More QB JOE FLACCO on Sunday as the Jets aspire to win in Miami. Brian Costello of the New York Post:
The Jets will be missing quarterback Sam Darnold for at least one more week.
Jets coach Adam Gase said Wednesday that Darnold will not play Sunday against the Dolphins, the second game he’ll miss since suffering a shoulder injury in Week 4. Joe Flacco will start again in Miami.
“I think he’s better than what he was last week,” Gase said of Darnold. “I think the more time we give him, the better he’ll feel. I think he’s taking the steps that we need him to take to give us an opportunity into next week. We’ll be able to make that decision when we get there.”
Darnold sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder in a loss to the Broncos on Oct. 1. He was slammed to the MetLife Stadium turf by Denver linebacker Alexander Johnson. He returned to finish the game but has not played since. Gase sounded hopeful he could return next week to face the Bills.
Flacco will still be receiving his play calls from the embattled head coach. Sam Neumann of USATODAY.com:
Despite toying with the idea of giving up play-calling duties, Adam Gase will be his team’s offensive shot-caller for the foreseeable future, as first reported by NFL Network’s Kim Jones. Gase confirmed this when speaking with the media on Wednesday.
Gase mentioned that everything would be on the table as far as the offense following the Jets’ 30-10 loss in Week 5. Despite his comments, he’s retained himself as the team’s play-caller. New York’s head coach discussed the idea with his staff, but he said they all agreed that it would be a good idea for him to continue to call plays, per North Jersey’s Andy Vasquez.
Under Gase’s direction this season, the Jets’ offense is averaging just 15 points per game. Through five games, the team has only scored over 17 points once. Gang Green is 32nd in scoring, 32nd in passing, 31st in total yards, 32nd in first downs and 31st in touchdowns scored.
While Gase and his staff have concluded that he’s the best man for the job, the numbers certainly don’t point to that being the case.
The numbers cited by Neumann indicate that the Jets offense stinks. There really is no indication in them, one way or another, whether poor play-calling is the reason. Perhaps, Gase is doing a brilliant job just getting horrible talent up to bad.
Of course, if someone else did call the plays and the Jets thrived, then there would be evidence that Gase and his calls were the root of the problem.
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THIS AND THAT
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Le’VEON BELL MARKET
The early response is no from San Francisco, maybe from Chicago.
First the Niners. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
Bell is now back on the market, but it sounds like the 49ers won’t be making a run at him.
“I’m good with all our guys,” coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday. “So, even if Raheem [Mostert] wasn’t back [from a knee injury], I don’t think that would change much. I think we’ve got pretty good depth and I know we’re going to get Tevin [Coleman] back soon, too, hopefully. Raheem played, I thought Raheem played great. I thought he was probably the best football player on the field on Sunday and wish we could have got the ball to him more, but you could tell he was ready to go.”
From Raheem Mostert to Tevin Coleman to Jerick McKinnon, there’s simply so need for Bell. Besides, the 49ers have far bigger problems right now than running back.
Florio again with this from the Bears.
Bears coach Matt Nagy was asked about the possibility of Bell signing in Chicago. Nagy didn’t rule it out.
“I think he’s a good running back,” Nagy said, via Kimberly Martin of ESPN.com. “We absolutely love our RBs here and our situation, and I’ll leave the stuff up to [G.M.] Ryan [Pace].”
The Bears lost running back Tarik Cohen to a torn ACL in Week Three. Bell, if healthy and motivated, would bring an important dynamic to a Chicago offense that hasn’t been as effective as necessary, despite the team’s 4-1 record.
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2021 DRAFT
Who is going to get the TREVOR LAWRENCE pick? Here are the current chances perFootballOutsiders.com:
NYJ 27.6% 72.8%
NYG 17.0% 58.4%
ATL 11.4% 50.2%
WAS 11.5% 49.0%
JAX 6.6% 39.3%
DEN 5.9% 37.1%
CIN 4.5% 33.0%
LAC 3.2% 23.1%
HOU 1.9% 19.0%
PHI 2.0% 18.7%
DET 2.2% 17.8%
DAL 1.8% 17.5%
MIN 1.5% 15.6%
MIA 1.3% 14.4%
SF 0.6% 9.7%
CAR 0.3% 7.2%
ARI 0.1% 3.7%
NE 0.2% 3.5%
LV 0.2% 3.5%
CHI 0.0% 1.4%
CLE 0.0% 1.2%
TB 0.0% 1.0%
IND 0.0% 0.9%
NO 0.0% 0.8%
BUF 0.0% 0.4%
TEN 0.0% 0.3%
GB 0.0% 0.2%
LAR 0.0% 0.1%
PIT 0.0% 0.1%
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AIKMAN RATINGS thru Week 5
The Buccaneers lost in Week 5, but so did the Chiefs, so the Buccaneers moved into 1stin the Aikman Combined Ratings. But Tampa Bay was at 172.0 after Week 4, so the gap between the top and 8th place is just 7.8 points.
The Aikman Combined Ratings often track W-L record, but so far the four undefeated teams are outside the top five, the 4-1 Bears are 15th and the 4-1 Bills fell from 11th to 20th after they were beaten by the Titans. In 14th, the Vikings, close losers to Seattle last week, are the best of 12 teams with one win or fewer but most of the other teams on that list are bunched at the bottom.
W-L Offense Defense Combined
1 Buccaneers 3-2 90.5 77.4 167.9
2 Chiefs 4-1 99.8 65.6 165.4
3 Rams 4-1 94.2 70.0 164.2
4 Cardinals 3-2 95.8 68.0 163.8
5 Ravens 4-1 89.7 73.1 162.8
6 Steelers 4-0 91.5 71.2 162.7
7 Packers 4-0 106.2 55.8 162.0
8 Browns 4-1 96.7 63.4 160.1
9 Seahawks 5-0 99.6 60.2 159.8
10 Titans 4-0 101.7 56.1 157.8
11 Colts 3-2 79.2 76.8 156.0
12 49ers 2-3 87.3 67.5 154.8
13 Patriots 2-2 85.3 69.2 154.5
14 Vikings 1-4 92.2 61.5 153.7
15 Bears 4-1 80.3 71.7 152.0
16 Chargers 1-4 88.2 63.6 151.8
17 Dolphins 2-3 90.0 60.7 150.7
18 Saints 3-2 95.6 54.3 149.9
19 Panthers 3-2 90.1 59.5 149.6
20 Bills 4-1 93.4 54.8 148.2
21 Raiders 3-2 95.0 51.1 146.1
22 Cowboys 2-3 94.8 50.1 144.9
23 Jaguars 1-4 88.2 54.5 142.7
24 Eagles 1-3-1 83.5 56.6 140.1
25 Texans 1-4 82.8 56.9 139.7
26 Falcons 0-5 88.0 51.5 139.5
27 Broncos 1-3 71.4 66.4 137.8
28 Lions 1-3 86.9 48.8 135.7
29 Bengals 1-3-1 75.2 60.1 135.3
30 Washington 1-4 73.6 61.4 135.0
31 Jets 0-5 68.2 59.4 127.6
32 Giants 0-5 67.5 59.5 127.0
NFL Average 88.2 61.8 150.0
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