AROUND THE NFL
Daily Briefing
| If The Season Ended Today in the AFC, the Dolphins have moved into the playoffs.
Only the Chiefs have clinched their spot.
yx-Kansas City West 11-4 1 6-4
Tennessee South 10-5 1 6-4
Cincinnati North 9-6 1 7-3
Buffalo East 9-6 1 6-5
Indianapolis WC 9-6 2 7-3
New England WC 9-6 2 7-3
Miami WC 8-7 3 5-5
Baltimore 8-7 2 5-6
LA Chargers 8-7 2 5-5
Las Vegas 8-7 3 6-4
Pittsburgh 7-7-1 3 5-5
Cleveland 7-8 4 4-6
Denver 7-8 4 3-7
The Raiders have a tough finish (at IND, LAC), but if they win both games, we are relatively sure, based on playing with ESPN.com’s playoff machine, that they are in the playoffs.
The Dolphins (at TEN, NE) also make the playoffs with a pair of wins, even if the Raiders sweep. And New England at Miami in Week 18 could be a win and in game.
Now to the NFC – where 3 teams have been crowned division champs and the two top teams in the NFC West are in the playoffs.
The seven teams could be settled this weeks if SF beat HOU, PHIL beats WASH, BUF beats ATL, CAR beats NO and GB beats MIN. Most of those seem doable, although neither Carolina or the Saints are very good right now.
yx-Green Bay North 12-3 1 8-2
yx-Dallas East 11-4 1 9-1
x-LA Rams West 11-4 1 8-3
yx-Tampa Bay South 11-4 1 7-4
x-Arizona WC1 10-5 2 6-4
San Francisco WC2 8-7 3 6-5
Philadelphia WC3 8-7 2 6-4
Minnesota 7-8 2 5-5
Atlanta 7-8 2 4-7
New Orleans 7-8 3 5-5
Washington 6-9 3 5-5
What are the current Super Bowl odds? Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com on the new favorite:
An eight-game winning streak can change a lot of minds.
For the Chiefs, a stunning turnabout from 3-4 to 11-4 has caused them to return to the top of the stack in the odds to win the Super Bowl. Currently, Kansas City is a +400 (four to one) favorite to win it all. They’re followed in the odds by Packers, at +450.
Next are the Bucs at +650, the Bills and Rams at +800, and the Cowboys at +1000.
The Patriots currently land at +1300, followed by the Colts at +1600 and the Cardinals and Titans at +2000.
The Bengals could be an intriguing value play at +2800, along with the 49ers at +4000. (But not the Chargers at +4000.)
The Chiefs also are the clear favorites to win the AFC crown, at +160, followed by the Bills at +350. The Packers are +200 to win the NFC, with the Bucs at +300.
In any of these wagers, the biggest wildcard continues to be the pandemic. It can, in one fell swoop, wipe out a team’s chances to progress on the playoff tree.
Confusing Las Vegas odds of the betting public for the minds of the 50 MVP voters, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks that the lowering of the former means that woke voters will put QB AARON RODGERS dodging of his vaccination status/lying to the media aside when it comes time to vote:
The woke mob has fallen asleep at the switch.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose post-COVID diatribe included a prediction that the media won’t give him MVP votes, continues to surge in the MVP odds.
Currently, PointsBet has Rodgers at -225 to win the NFL’s MVP award for the fourth time in his career. He’s now the clear favorite over the likes of Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (+650) and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (+800).
If the Packers hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Rodgers likely will win it. The voting could become interesting however, if/when the Chiefs secure the top seed in the AFC. Although quarterback Patrick Mahomes hasn’t had an overwhelming statistical performance this year, his name recognition and leadership of a team that has gotten better and better after a rough stretch in the early part of the season could make a difference.
Besides, Mahomes has 4,310 passing yards. Rodgers (who missed a game due to COVID) has 3,689. That said, Mahomes has 33 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Rodgers has 33 touchdown passes — and only four interceptions.
If both teams get the top seed in their respective conferences, Rodgers deserves it more than Mahomes. The betting odds prove it. And at this point not even the woke mob can keep it from happening. |
| NFC NORTH |
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CHICAGO
Erik Edholm of YahooSports.com doesn’t understand why Matt Nagy is still the coach of the Bears:
If the Chicago Bears have made up their minds on the fate of head coach Matt Nagy, there’s little reason for them to delay what feels like the inevitable.
Let the man go.
No, this isn’t a snow-blinded suggestion after Sunday’s late, spirited comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks. And it’s not a reactionary take for a coach who won 15 of his first 20 regular-season games but has gone 18-25 since.
Nagy had to feel like he was coaching for his life when he made the decision to go for two after the Bears cut it to a one-point game with just over a minute left. Clutch Nick Foles came through, too, hitting Damiere Byrd for one of the wildest two-point grabs you’ll see, giving the Bears the one-point edge that stood as the winning margin.
Good for Nagy. He deserved that. He has had a rough few years. He got to knock Pete Carroll out of the playoffs and know that his guys fought really, really hard for him with his fate at a flashpoint.
In the end, however, this game shouldn’t matter for his fate. If you wanted to fire Nagy yesterday, you should still want to fire him tomorrow. Beating a 5-10 team can’t carry that much weight. The Bears brought Nagy back mercifully last year after they backed their way into the playoffs. All that move did was kick the can down the road. We’re essentially in the same spot with Nagy that we were then.
Would it spell out how brutal this business is, firing Nagy immediately after their best win in recent memory? Absolutely. But there’s a competitive advantage to doing so Monday.
The new NFL rules this season governing head-coaching interviews, enacted at the owners meetings this offseason, allow teams with vacancies to conduct those interviews as soon as Tuesday (with a few stipulations).
The bottom line is any team wishing to take advantage of those new rules must not have their head coach in place anymore. Two teams — the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars — currently meet those requirements.
The Bears need to join them, again if they’ve decided to move on. Others might follow suit. There could be, as there are most years, several head-coaching vacancies. Better to kick-start the process now than fall behind.
Well, for one, say what you will about Nagy as a coach and his results on the field, but he’s been a good ambassador for the franchise in many respects. He’s a well-liked person by the club’s employees and hasn’t done anything embarrassing off the field — something you can’t say about the two current teams with head-coaching openings.
Also, the Bears have never fired a coach before the conclusion of the season in their 100-plus years as a franchise. It’s a source of pride in a way. They stuck with Marc Trestman during an embarrassing 5-11 season in 2014. They didn’t can John Fox until after a brutal 2017 season.
Perhaps there was nobility in that once upon a time. Times have changed. Waiting until Black Monday out of respect is now antiquated, and the Bears can’t worry about doing Nagy wrong. Firing him after this game should help make the process of replacing him that much easier.
Plus, for Nagy, wouldn’t he want to walk now with his over-.500 record (33-30) and a chance to get a head start on finding his own new gig? All parties benefit. Nothing that happens in Weeks 17 or 18 should change what we already know about Nagy in Chicago.
There also have been reports that the Bears might be considering other sweeping changes. Team chairman George McCaskey technically calls the shots, and that might include the fates of team president Ted Phillips and general manager Ryan Pace.
If they’re going to go that direction, getting early legwork done on the head-coaching candidates might be even more important. Halas Hall could be a very busy place come early January.
If the Bears decide to take advantage of the new rules — and they have until early Tuesday morning to do so — they might not be able to talk to everyone on their coaching wish list.
The Bears can talk to only assistant coaches or college coaches at this point. Current NFL head coaches with jobs will remain off limits until Jan. 10, the day after the end of the regular season. (Interim head coaches, however, are technically allowed to interview.)
They also can talk only virtually with the eligible candidates, and there’s a two-hour limit to the online chats.
Teams also can deny head-coaching interviews for their assistants, so it’s no guarantee that the Bears will be able to check off all the names on their list.
But again, why wait? Even if they can have only brief, getting-to-know-you chats with a few potential candidates, it behooves them to start the process. They can see how engaged the candidates are. They can gather their feelings on Justin Fields, their approaches to analytics, how much say over the roster and personnel decisions they’ll seek (and whether they want to work with Pace and the rest of the front office if they’re still part of the picture).
They can compare answers to the next time they speak. Or perhaps they can eliminate potential options if they don’t like what they hear, even in a brief session. There’s quite a bit that can be accomplished, even in these limited interviews.
The Bears’ recent head-coaching searches have been strange and convoluted. This is something they should aspire to prevent happening.
Former GM Phil Emery crisscrossed the country in 2013 after the Lovie Smith firing, interviewing a whopping 20 (!) potential replacements before settling on Trestman. Before hiring Fox, the Bears talked about bringing in Gary Kubiak and (!!) Mike Shanahan; neither ended up making it to Halas Hall for interviews.
And after Fox was canned, they spoke to five candidates — including then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio — prior to sitting down with Nagy, who was the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator at the time. His interview came less than 24 hours that year after the Chiefs were upset at home in the playoffs against Tennessee.
We don’t know if it was the tipping point, or how much he emphasized it during that chat in K.C., but Nagy reportedly liked then-rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky, whom Pace had just traded up to draft less than nine months prior.
The symmetry here is undeniable. The Bears then, as it is now, were not the most attractive head-coaching opening that year. But they had a moldable first-year quarterback taken high in the draft, in whom the Bears had sunk a wealth of assets to land. They also had a front-office structure that not all the candidates were keen on.
Isn’t that where we are now with Fields? The Bears have no reason to think Fields will turn out the way Trubisky did in Chicago, but it’s fair to suggest the team’s brass views Fields as one of the more attractive elements of this job opening.
Sure, some up-and-coming assistant could blow some smoke up the Bears brass’ suits and say they love Fields and would do anything to work with him. Or perhaps there’s a confident coach who gives Chicago an assertive roadmap on how to get the most out of its young QB after a frustrating but promising debut season.
Whatever the results, it’s obvious: There’s nothing gained by keeping Nagy past Monday — hard as a beat-up Bears roster seemed to play for its coach on the road — if the team has made up its mind on letting him go already.
The Bears might even be helping the guy by doing so. But the most fruitful part of his early termination, history be damned, is that they badly need to get the next hire right. That’s the bottom line, and the century-long history of not making an in-season firing isn’t worth keeping alit.
The Bears have always bathed in their history, and rightfully so to a degree. Tradition does matter, but only to a point. No Bears fan cares about holiday-season kindness. They care about finding a coach who can develop Fields and build another winner. That’s it, and that’s all that needs to matter. |
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DETROIT
Revolving door on the COVID list in the Motor City, but the Lions (who nearly won Sunday with TIM BOYLE), get QB JARED GOFF back. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:
The Detroit Lions are getting their quarterback back, but losing one of his favorite targets.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff cleared COVID-19 protocols Monday, a week after he was placed on the reserve/COVID list, while receiver Josh Reynolds tested positive for the virus.
Goff did not play in Sunday’s 20-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but should be back in the lineup for this week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Tim Boyle, making his second career start, completed 24 of 34 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown, but threw a game-sealing interception with 33 seconds to play and the Lions at the Falcons’ 9-yard line.
Boyle said he made a poor read on the play, believing the Falcons were in zone coverage when they were in man-to-man defense.
Boyle tried to squeeze a back-shoulder pass to Kalif Raymond into triple coverage, but Falcons linebacker Foyesade Oluokun jumped the route at the 1-yard line.
Boyle said he should have worked the left side of the formation instead, where Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown were in single coverage against Atlanta defensive backs.
“Probably would have had a little bit better opportunity of scoring,” he said Sunday. “But that’s my first time being in a two-minute drive with an opportunity to win a game. It’s intense and people are tired and communication kind of, it just, it’s being able to kind of settle down in those moments. Not that I don’t think it was too big for me, but it’s just — it’s football. It’s football. It comes down to the last game, I made a critical error that I can’t make and ultimately that falls on me.” |
| NFC EAST |
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DALLAS
Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com assesses the Cowboys after their big win over Washington:
We overreact to just about everything each week in the NFL. It’s part of the charm.
If you want a perfect formula for a grand overreaction, this was it: A good Dallas Cowboys team playing an incredible game in prime time, piling up 56 points as the offensive stars shined, the defense was dominant and the special teams even made the highlights. A 56-14 win over any team catches everyone’s attention.
And away we go.
You’re going to hear “Cowboys” and “Super Bowl” together a lot this week. It’s not crazy. Dallas has the blue-chip stars to compete with anyone. If you’re making a list of contenders, the Cowboys have to be on it.
That doesn’t mean the Cowboys turned into the 1984 49ers just because they destroyed the middling Washington Football Team. Here’s why we need to pump the brakes:
The path will be hard – The Cowboys are still in the mix for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, but it’s most likely going to the Packers. The most likely outcome, based on what’s left on the schedule, is the No. 3 or 4 seed. Anything can happen, but a likely NFC path for Dallas is a wild-card game against the Cardinals, then a game at Tampa Bay before a late January date at Lambeau Field. Just because the Buccaneers got hot late and went on a similar run through the playoffs last season doesn’t mean it’s easy.
The offense was slumping: Recency bias means since we just saw the Cowboys blow up, we believe their offense is great. We forgot that a few days ago there was talk was about how Dak Prescott hadn’t been playing great since a calf injury and Ezekiel Elliott looked old. The Cowboys failed to top 377 yards in five of seven games after Prescott’s injury. They almost got shut out at home by the Broncos and had nine points against the Chiefs. Maybe the blowout of Washington was the sign that everything is right again and the Cowboys’ many offensive stars will get on a roll. Maybe we should wait to see it again.
The defense relies on turnovers: Dallas leads the NFL with 33 takeaways. It has 25 interceptions and nobody else has more than 20. The Cowboys are built for big plays and a turnover-reliant defense can do great things. The 2009 Saints, who won a Super Bowl, are a great template for that. But the Cowboys aren’t going to shut down most offenses. Only five teams have allowed more yards per pass and only seven are allowing more yards per rush. There’s nothing wrong with how the Cowboys play defense, but what happens if they’re not forcing mistakes against Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady?
This season is getting wacky: Look around the NFL. There were 106 players put on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday, bringing the number to 476 since Dec. 13, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. The Cowboys aren’t any more at risk to have an outbreak at the wrong time, but it seems inevitable some team is going to have its playoff dreams ended in a miserable way in January. If you want to make the argument the Cowboys are the best team this season it’s fine, but of all seasons in which the best team might not win, maybe it’s this one.
Dallas is having a very good season. Of course it’s possible for the Cowboys to win a Super Bowl. The talent is undeniable. But there will be a lot of talk this week about the greatness of the Cowboys. Next week, we’ll probably be on to the next hot team.
Even as he talks about putting on the brakes, Schwab has the Cowboys at #3 in his weekly ratings, behind only Green Bay and Kansas City. |
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NEW YORK GIANTS
With his team of oft-injured, mediocre when healthy draft picks in tatters, surely Giants GM Dave Gettleman will be leaving soon. Dan Duggan of The Athletic looks at possible successors:
For a 39-season stretch, from 1979 to 2017, the New York Giants had three general managers. They’re on the verge of having their third general manager in five years.
The turnover started when two-time Super Bowl winner Jerry Reese was fired late in the 2017 season, ending an 11-year run as GM. Reese was replaced by Dave Gettleman, who worked in the Giants front office from 1999 to 2012.
The Giants surely are set to move on from Gettleman, who has amassed a 19-44 record in four seasons. The question is whether or not the Giants will branch out from the tree of George Young, who turned the franchise around after his hiring in 1979.
Young won two Super Bowls before giving way to his assistant general manager, Ernie Accorsi, in 1998. Accorsi reached one Super Bowl and laid the groundwork for Reese, who was promoted from his role as director of player personnel in 2007.
Young had no connections to the Giants when he was a compromise GM choice between dueling co-owners Wellington Mara and Tim Mara. Giants ownership has shown little interest in going back outside the organization since landing Young.
When Reese was hired to replace Accorsi in 2007, the team interviewed four internal candidates (Reese, Gettleman, vice president of player evaluation Chris Mara and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams) plus former Washington Football Team general manager Charley Casserly. The search to replace Reese was equally familiar. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick was the only outside candidate interviewed, joining Abrams, vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross and Gettleman, who returned after spending four seasons as the Carolina Panthers GM.
Even if ownership wants to hand the baton to Abrams, who has been with the Giants since 1999, it’s imperative to at least speak to a more diverse group of candidates. It was one thing to keep the GM job in the family when the Giants were having success. It’s entirely different to stick to the script when the franchise is tied with the Jets for the worst record in the NFL over the past five seasons.
The search could be limited by ownership’s apparent intention to retain coach Joe Judge. The merits of the decision to stick with Judge can be debated. But if that is indeed the plan, it stands to reason that ownership will target a general manager with a pre-existing relationship with Judge.
Gettleman and Judge were an arranged marriage, and it hasn’t worked out. Ownership already would be putting a lot of eggs in the Judge basket by giving him a third season, so it’s logical that they’ll go all-in on the coach by pairing him with a compatible general manager.
Here’s a preliminary list of the Giants’ most likely targets based on conversations with sources:
Kevin Abrams
Current job: Giants vice president of football operations/assistant general manager
Breakdown: There is no doubt that ownership was setting the table for Abrams to succeed Gettleman. Abrams’ role has expanded beyond managing the salary cap behind the scenes, while his public profile has increased by appearing alongside Gettleman in news conferences in recent years. Ideally, for ownership, there would have been a seamless transition from Gettleman to Abrams to continue the George Young lineage.
But the Giants have not been living in an ideal world. Ownership cares about public relations, and an internal promotion would cause a segment of the fan base to revolt. Promoting the assistant GM from the Giants’ current decade of despair would be a tough sell. But Abrams, who has a measured personality and is an analytical thinker, would be a stark departure from Gettleman. Abrams and Judge are believed to have a good relationship, which should help his cause.
Monti Ossenfort
Current job: Titans director of player personnel
Breakdown: Ossenfort could be the early favorite. He has strong ties to Judge from their time together in New England. Ossenfort was in the Patriots organization from 2003 until leaving for his current role with the Titans last year. Ossenfort spent his final six seasons in New England as the director of college scouting. His star has been on the rise, as he has interviewed for general manager jobs with the Panthers (2021) and Browns (2020). Ossenfort has branched out to another successful organization in Tennessee to strengthen his resume.
Dave Ziegler
Current job: Patriots director of player personnel
Breakdown: Ziegler has risen through the ranks during his nine years in New England. He served as the team’s director of pro personnel for four years before getting promoted to replace Ossenfort as director of college scouting last year. Ziegler got promoted again this offseason after Nick Caserio left to become the Texans’ general manager.
Caserio would have been a slam-dunk hire if the Giants fired Gettleman after last season. Ziegler checks a lot of the same boxes. Ziegler interviewed for the Broncos’ GM job in the offseason, but he decided to remain in New England. His ties to Judge could draw him to New York.
Scott Pioli
Current job: NFL Network analyst
Breakdown: If ownership wants a more seasoned executive to pair with Judge, Pioli could be an attractive candidate. Pioli and Judge didn’t overlap in New England, but there will be plenty of shared philosophies from their extended time working in Bill Belichick’s program. Pioli was in New England from 2000 to 2008, mostly serving as the vice president of player personnel.
The Giants had interest in Pioli in 2007, but he declined their interview request. A New York native and the son-in-law of Bill Parcells, Pioli figures to be more interested now since he hasn’t been a GM since a rough stretch in Kansas City ended in 2012. Pioli was the Falcons’ assistant GM from 2014 to 2019. If ownership emphasizes experience, Pioli could rise to the top of the list.
James Liipfert
Current job: Texans assistant director of player personnel
Breakdown: Liipfert is a young executive who worked with Judge in New England. Liipfert was with the Patriots from 2009 to 2017, serving as a national scout in his final three seasons there. He left in 2018 to become the Texans’ director of college scouting. Liipfert was part of a four-person group that split general manager duties in Houston in 2019. He was promoted to assistant director of player personnel this offseason by Caserio. Liipfert is a dark-horse candidate due to his lack of high-level executive experience.
Eliot Wolf
Current job: Patriots front office consultant
Breakdown: Wolf was on the Giants’ radar in 2017, but he didn’t get an interview before the job went to Gettleman. The son of Hall of Fame former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, Wolf has been viewed as a rising star but hasn’t landed a GM job. He has interviewed for GM openings with the 49ers (2017), Colts (2017), Panthers (2018) and Packers (2018).
Wolf worked his way up the ladder in Green Bay for 14 years before getting passed over for the Packers’ GM job that went to Brian Gutekunst in 2018. Wolf then spent two seasons as the Browns’ assistant general manager under John Dorsey before landing in New England last year. The experience Wolf has gained in the past four years could make him more appealing as a general manager candidate to the Giants, especially since he has added familiarity with Judge’s roots in New England.
Joe Hortiz
Current job: Ravens director of player personnel
Breakdown: Hortiz has no connection to Judge, but if any candidate is going to overcome that in this process, it could be someone who has been groomed in one of the best front offices in the NFL. Hortiz has been in Baltimore since 1999, with an extensive background as a college scout.
There would be some overlap between Hortiz’s background and Judge’s Patriots roots. Ozzie Newsome, who was the general manager for most of Hortiz’s time in Baltimore, began his front office career working with Belichick in Cleveland in 1991. The parallels between the Patriots and Ravens organizations could bridge the gap between Judge and Hortiz.
This isn’t a list of every possible candidate — none of these execs are minorities, and the NFL’s Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least two minorities for GM openings. But these seven targets are viewed as the most likely candidates to land the job at this stage.
Other names that could surface during the search include Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds, Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi, Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles, Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen and Seahawks vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner. |
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PHILADELPHIA
The raging COVID infection will have to penetrate three separate rooms to deny the Eagles a QB on Sunday. Tim McManus of ESPN.com:
The Eagles are keeping quarterbacks Jalen Hurts, Gardner Minshew and Reid Sinnett in separate rooms at the NovaCare Complex amid the surge in coronavirus cases across the country and the NFL, coach Nick Sirianni said.
“We’re going to make some adjustments. I’m not there 100% yet because I don’t have to be quite yet with the players not being back yet, but we’re going to definitely make even more adjustments than what we need to just keep everybody safe,” he said. “The quarterbacks will be in separate rooms. We’re going to be even more safe with them being in separate rooms.”
The Eagles (8-7) play at the Washington Football Team on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox). It’s the second matchup between these two teams in 12 days after their first meeting was moved from Sunday to Tuesday, Dec. 21, following a COVID-19 outbreak with Washington. Garrett Gilbert got the start in that game, with starter Taylor Heinicke and backup Kyle Allen on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Eagles won 27-17 and, after beating the New York Giants on Sunday, now have a 65% chance of making the playoffs.
Washington, meanwhile, has just a 6% chance of qualifying for the postseason after dropping three straight.
We’re surprised Washington’s playoff chances are calculated as that high. |
| NFC SOUTH |
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TAMPA BAY
EDGE SHAQ BARRETT might be back for the playoffs. Jenna Laine of ESPN.com:
Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaq Barrett suffered a sprained ACL and MCL in Tampa Bay’s 32-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, coach Bruce Arians announced Monday.
“It’s not severe, but he’s probably out for the rest of the regular season,” Arians said. “Hopefully we’ll have him back for the playoffs.”
The Buccaneers also placed star wide receiver Mike Evans on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday. Evans missed Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury. Tampa Bay did get a wide receiver back from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, however, activating Breshad Perriman.
Barrett, who notched his team-leading 10th sack of the season Sunday — becoming just the fourth player in franchise history with two 10-sack seasons — suffered the injury in the second quarter, left the game and attempted to return in the third quarter but was able to play only a series before being ruled out.
The team already was without Jason Pierre-Paul, its other starting outside linebacker, on Sunday. He has been dealing with a torn rotator cuff throughout the season.
Arians also announced that wide receivers coach Kevin Garver tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. |
| NFC WEST |
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SAN FRANCISCO
Whether it’s true or not, Coach Kyle Shanahan says that QB TREY LANCE is better prepared now to lead the 49ers if QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO can’t go with a damaged thumb. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
Monday brought word that 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with a chipped bone and torn ligament in his right thumb and the injury kept him out of practice as the team returned from a mini-bye following last Thursday’s loss to the Titans.
It also creates some doubt about whether he’ll be able to play when the 49ers face off with the Texans this Sunday. The 49ers would turn to first-round pick Trey Lance if Garoppolo is not able to go and he has not been on the field since playing five snaps in a Week 11 win over the Jaguars.
While Lance hasn’t seen any game action, he has seen reps in practice and head coach Kyle Shanahan gave his work in those sessions a strong review when speaking to reporters on Monday.
“I think this last month with Trey has been his best consecutive four weeks of practice since we’ve had him,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “He’s had a number of good days, and he’s had some bad days like most guys do. But as far as his consistency and stuff, I feel this last month has been his best.”
Most of Lance’s work hasn’t come with the first team and there’s obviously a difference between practice and game action, so it’s hard to know how that work would translate to seeing the field on Sunday. The coming days should provide more insight into whether we’re going to find out.
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LOS ANGELES RAMS
RB DARRELL HENDERSON is down again, but RB CAM AKERS is back. Grant Gordon of NFL.com:
The bad news for the Los Angeles Rams backfield is that running back Darrell Henderson is out.
The good news for the L.A. backfield is that running back Cam Akers could be in.
Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters Monday that Henderson suffered an MCL injury and will be placed on injured reserve, but Akers, who tore his Achilles in July, could be available for Sunday.
Henderson was ruled out during the Rams’ win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and initial reports suggested a knee sprain. Henderson is likely to miss three to five weeks.
Akers’ torn Achilles, however, was of the utmost seriousness and when he was activated off injured reserve on Christmas, excitement was abundant at the amazing speed of the second-year player’s comeback. McVay added Monday that if needed Akers could’ve suited up against the Vikings.
As of late, Rams rusher Sony Michel has been leading the charge and doing so in impressive fashion. Michel has 168 carries for 728 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, but over the last four games has surpassed 90 yards rushing three times. |
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SEATTLE
Pete Carroll on what the Seahawks need to get out of their current plight. Brady Henderson of ESPN.com:
As the Seattle Seahawks wind down their worst season in more than a decade, coach Pete Carroll doesn’t believe a “restart” is in order.
“Not for one reason at all am I thinking that we have to restart this whole thing and create a new philosophy and a new approach and all that,” he told 710 ESPN Seattle on Monday. “I don’t think that. I think we’ve got the essence of the things that we need. We’ve got to build on them, we’ve got to support it better and we’ve got to continue to grow and progress. There ain’t no standing still, but there’s the foundation for doing things.”
Carroll volunteered that thought when asked a general question on his weekly radio show about the team’s future. A day earlier, he had sidestepped a question about a possible rebuild, saying after the Seahawks fell to 5-10 with a 25-24 home loss to the Chicago Bears that his focus was on this week.
That officially eliminated them from playoff contention and locked them into a last-place finish in the NFC West. It’s only the third time in 12 seasons under Carroll and general manager John Schneider that the Seahawks have not made the playoffs, and according to ESPN Stats & Information, it’s the first time they’ll finish last in their division since 1996, when they were playing in the AFC West.
The Seahawks were already assured of their first losing season since 2011. Their 10 losses are their most since they went 5-11 under Jim Mora in 2009. That led to a reset of their football operations with the 2010 hires of Carroll and Schneider, who overhauled the roster. The most significant changes they’ve undergone since then came in 2018. In what was more of a retool than a rebuild, they moved on from, or lost to injury, some of the core members of their Super Bowl defenses, including Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett.
Carroll, who has final say on personnel matters, said the Seahawks were “very optimistic” about their level of talent going into this season. He mentioned their offensive line in particular, saying it’s been “fine” and hasn’t been the problem “at all.” But he said the Seahawks have been “up against it” with how loaded the rest of the NFC West is. They’ve gone 2-3 in divisional games.
Their two Pro Bowl selections (linebacker Bobby Wagner and free safety Quandre Diggs) are the fewest in the division. Two of their Pro Bowl players from last year have been hurt, with quarterback Russell Wilson missing three games with a broken finger that may still be impacting him and strong safety Jamal Adams suffering a season-ending labrum tear earlier this month.
The 49ers have five Pro Bowlers this year, while the Rams and Cardinals have four apiece.
“We like what we’ve got, but you’ve got to admire what the other teams have and acknowledge the fact that they’ve got some great players over there, too,” Carroll said of the NFC West.
Carroll was asked if Jody Allen, who’s been the team’s de facto owner since her brother Paul passed away in 2018, has signed off on the idea that a restart isn’t needed.
“We’ve been on the same page about everything that’s going on since she took over,” Carroll said.
The 70-year-old Carroll is under contract through the 2025 season while Schneider is under contract though the 2027 draft, each signing an extension within the last 14 months. |
| AFC SOUTH |
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INDIANAPOLIS
Oh, boy. QB CARSON WENTZ takes his turn on the COVID list – and due to the NFL’s rules it will be longer than most no matter how miniscule his infection or exposure. ESPN.com:
The Indianapolis Colts have placed starting quarterback Carson Wentz on the reserve/COVID-19 list, putting into question whether he’ll be available for the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Wentz, who is unvaccinated, also was on the COVID list before the season.
As an unvaccinated player, Wentz can be put on the COVID list either as a close contact or for testing positive. If he is a close contact, he must quarantine for five days and can return after that point as long as he tests negative for the coronavirus. If he tested positive, he must quarantine and will be out for at least Sunday’s game.
If Wentz can’t play, rookie Sam Ehlinger would likely step in.
“We have a plan for the whole team and a plan for certain individuals, Carson being one of them,” coach Frank Reich said Monday when asked about isolating Wentz from his teammates. “I’m not going to get into specific names. Those things are being talked about and discussed.”
The Colts won Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals despite missing several players on the COVID list, including their best offensive lineman, Quentin Nelson, and their best defensive player, Darius Leonard. Wentz threw two touchdown passes in the victory.
The Colts (9-6) currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the playoff chase. |
| AFC EAST |
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MIAMI
The Dolphins are now the first team with a 7-game winning streak and a 7-game losing streak in the same season. |
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NEW ENGLAND
The Patriots were cooking with a strong defense. Now, they have been gouged in the last two games (the quality of the opposition may have something to do with it). Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:
What has happened to the once-vaunted New England Patriots defense?
The unit that prides itself on transforming on a week-to-week basis to take away an opponent’s strength has been shredded on the ground (226 yards allowed to the Indianapolis Colts) and through the air (314 yards, three TDs allowed to the Buffalo Bills) in back-to-back losses that have sparked unexpected concerns.
Things have been markedly different since the Dec. 12 bye, when the team was on a seven-game win streak, which has players wondering how things gone so drastically off track.
“Wish I knew,” safety and longtime captain Devin McCourty said in the aftermath of Sunday’s 33-21 loss to the Bills, a game in which opposing quarterback Josh Allen was credited for an exemplary performance.
“It’s too late in the season to not play your best football and I would say these last two weeks have come down to that; we’re playing against teams that are playing the way you’re supposed to be playing in late December.”
Added linebacker Kyle Van Noy: “We can’t point the finger. We’ve got to get together as a team, come closer, and just got to do the right things.”
The Patriots (9-6) are already looking ahead to Sunday’s home game (1 p.m. ET, CBS) against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13), which has the potential to be a “get-right” matchup against a team playing out the string. But even if that’s the way it turns out, there will be a question as to whether New England can deliver that type of performance against playoff-caliber competition.
The season finale at the Miami Dolphins will be the final test before likely postseason competition, when the Patriots are projected to be playing on the road on wild-card weekend.
“Hopefully we can play our best football in January. That’s what we need to do. That’s what we’re planning to do,” coach Bill Belichick said in his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI. “There’s still a lot in our control. I think before we write the finale to the season, let’s see how we finish playing.”
One area where Belichick hopes to see improvement is defensively on third and fourth downs. He called that “the story of the game” against the Bills, who were 6-of-12 on third down and 3-of-4 on fourth down, while the Buffalo defense held the Patriots’ offense to 1-of-10 on third down.
Belichick noted speedy receiver Isaiah McKenzie had success on “over” routes that take longer to develop because they are farther down the field, which highlights the need for a more disruptive pass rush.
Those were some of the corrections players went over Monday with coaches, as they “flushed it” and looked ahead to Sunday’s game against the Jaguars.
“I would say, both [losses], there’s not one thing that needs to be fixed. It’s overall, everybody playing just a little bit better,” McCourty said. “It’s not like it’s just all bad and we’re getting killed, but when we need to make a play, we’re not making those plays. It’s just not good enough. |
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THIS AND THAT |
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BROADCAST NEWS
Media maven Richard Dietsch of The Athletic makes some 2022 predictions for the broadcast world. Below are the ones that concern the NFL:
3. Urban Meyer will NOT be hired by Fox Sports.
I’m going against my own conventional wisdom here, which states that sports television networks will hire anyone short of O.J. Simpson. Meyer was well-liked by Fox Sports officials and left on good terms. He was very good on X’s and O’s segments, and given how closely aligned Fox is with the Big Ten, his name carries weight. Would I personally hire him? No, I would not hire a professional bullshit artist, but I don’t run a sports network.
Why I think Meyer won’t be on Fox next season is just a guess: If Meyer is engaged in active litigation with the Jaguars (and thus the NFL by extension), I don’t think Fox Sports (a partner of the NFL) would put him on its airwaves. I could also see the thinking of putting Meyer on the air in 2023 versus 2022 reducing negative fallout. If there’s one prediction that I would not be the least bit surprised to be wrong on, it’s this one.
4. Amazon will finally make it official and name Al Michaels as its play-by-play broadcaster for 2022.
This potential move has been discussed and reported on for some time by others in this space, and that speculation has also extended to potential analysts. In 2022, Amazon will become the first digital streaming service to have exclusive rights over a national package of NFL games. The company will air 15 “Thursday Night Football” games a year (through the 2032 season) via Prime Video to Amazon customers with a Prime membership. (The games will also be televised in the home markets of the playing teams.) Marie Donoghue, the vice president of global sports video at Amazon and a former ESPN executive who was once part of former ESPN president’s John Skipper’s inner circle — and by extension, the NFL’s — is not going to start this package without having a name brand calling the games. All signs point to big talent hirings, and money is no object for Amazon. It doesn’t take MacGruber to connect the dots.
9. The Indianapolis Colts will win the Super Bowl.
I figured I’d make one bold sports prediction. |
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2022 DRAFT
From NFL.com, here is the current top 10 for 2022:
This is a look at the first-round order for the 2022 NFL Draft heading into Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season, along with the top three needs for each team. The order is determined by record, using strength of schedule as the first tiebreaker (click here to see a full list of the draft-order tiebreakers
1 Jacksonville Jaguars
2-13 · Strength of schedule: .511
Biggest needs: OL, WR, CB
CG: Having just lost to the Jets, the Jaguars’ path to the No. 1 pick of the draft is wide and clear. Absent an upset of the Patriots on Sunday or the Colts the Sunday after, Jacksonville will sit atop its second draft in a row.
2 Detroit Lions
2-12-1 · .527
Biggest needs: QB, WR, Edge
DP: The Falcons, who handed the Lions their 12th loss on Sunday, are the only team with fewer sacks and a lower QB pressure rate than Detroit, which has floated near the bottom in both categories for three straight seasons.
3 Houston Texans
4-11 · .480
Biggest needs: QB, CB, DL
4 New York Jets
4-11 · .493
Biggest needs: DB, WR, OL
CG: The Jets are now knotted with two other teams, the Giants and Texans, at 4-11. But the Jets have the toughest remaining schedule of those three, and an 0-2 finish against the Bucs and Bills could lock them into the third pick.
5 (+1) New York Giants
4-11 · .564
Biggest needs: OL, Edge, QB
DP: These are trying times for Giants fans who have been rooting for their team and the Bears to keep losing to ensure highest possible draft positioning for Big Blue’s two first-rounders. It will be at least two straight weeks without both clubs taking an L on the same weekend thanks to Chicago’s upset of Seattle and the Week 17 Justin Fields Trade Bowl between the Bears and Giants.
6 (+1) Carolina Panthers
5-10 · .498
Biggest needs: QB, OL, CB
DP: The level of need at cornerback pales in comparison to that of the first two positions on the list above and will largely be determined by the decisions Carolina makes about its own free agents. Stephon Gilmore and Donte Jackson have expiring deals.
7 (+1) New York Jets (from Seattle)
Seahawks’ record: 5-10 (.522)
See Pick No. 4 for analysis of the Jets’ needs
8 (-3) New York Giants (from Chicago)
See Pick No. 5 for analysis of the Giants’
9 (-1) Washington Football Team
6-9 · .551
Biggest needs: QB, OL, WR
DP: The wheels have come off for Washington and QB Taylor Heinicke. The Football Team’s lack of offensive punch has been on display over the past five weeks, when they averaged 17 points per game. Heinicke has posted fewer than 150 pass yards and a sub-60 passer rating in both of his outings against Dallas this season — definitely not what you want against a hated division rival.
10 (-1) Atlanta Falcons
7-8 · .451
Biggest needs: Edge, OL, WR
DP: Calvin Ridley, who has been out since Week 8 as he deals with a personal matter, and 2021 sixth-round pick Frank Darby are the only wideouts Atlanta has under contract beyond the current season.
11 (+1) Denver Broncos
7-8 · .462
Biggest needs: QB, LB, Edge
CG: Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell’s absence at linebacker has been felt, and it hasn’t felt good. Both had their seasons ended by pectoral injuries, both are pending free agents, and if at least one of them isn’t back in Denver with a new deal, the Broncos could have a gaping draft hole to fill.
12 (-7) Minnesota Vikings
7-8 · .496
Biggest needs: CB, Edge, LB
DP: Minnesota has spent its top pick on a defensive player only once in the past six drafts (Mike Hughes in 2018), but 2022 could be the time to snap the streak. The Vikings have fallen to 29th in total D (would be a Mike Zimmer era low). |
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