AROUND THE NFL
Daily Briefing
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If The Season Ended Today in the crowded AFC, the wounded Titans are the top seed, but 10 other teams are within two games of their 6-2 record. The Steelers jumped into the playoffs with their win over Cleveland.
W-L Div Seed Conf W-L
Tennessee South 6-2 1 5-1
Las Vegas West 5-2 1 4-1
Baltimore North 5-2 1 4-2
Buffalo East 5-2 1 4-2
Cincinnati WC1 5-3 2 3-1
Pittsburgh WC2 4-3 3 3-2
LA Chargers WC3 4-3 2 3-2
New England 4-4 2 4-1
Kansas City 4-4 3 1-4
Cleveland 4-4 4 2-3
Denver 4-4 4 2-4
In The NFC, the Packers jump into the top seed and Carolina has replaced Minnesota at #7.
W-L Div Seed Conf W-L
Green Bay North 7-1 1 5-1
Arizona West 7-1 1 3-1
Dallas East 6-1 1 4-1
Tampa Bay South 6-2 1 4-2
LA Rams WC1 7-1 2 5-1
New Orleans WC2 5-2 2 4-2
Carolina WC3 4-4 3 2-4
Minnesota 3-4 2 3-2
San Francisco 3-4 3 3-3
Atlanta 3-4 4 1-4
Philadelphia 3-5 2 3-3
Seattle 3-5 4 1-3
Chicago 3-5 3 1-4
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NFC EAST
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DALLAS
Add LB JABRIL COX to the Week 8 injured. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News:
Cowboys rookie linebacker Jabril Cox will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, a source tells The Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken.
Cox injured his knee during the third quarter of Sunday night’s win over the Minnesota Vikings, and he left U.S. Bank Stadium on crutches. The linebacker received an MRI on Monday which confirmed the diagnosis.
The fourth-round pick from LSU had become a core contributor on special teams. Cox was injured while on punt coverage, and he needed assistance to walk from the field to the medical tent, unable to place pressure on right leg. Cox was then carted from the sideline to the locker room.
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NEW YORK GIANTS
Is this something unique to the Giants or is it a league-wide problem only coming to light because of this outburst from NY coach Joe Judge? Michael David Smith ofProFootballTalk.com:
Giants coach Joe Judge says his team had to use timeouts it didn’t want to use against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football because the headsets weren’t working and they couldn’t get their plays called.
In fact, Judge says the Giants’ headsets never work.
“It’s happened in every game so far,” Judge said, via Newsday. “We deal with the league and they keep telling us there are different software updates, but we had to call two timeouts today because we’re trying to send the deals in personnel-wise and we have half the headsets aren’t getting any reception . . . Whatever the issue with that is, the people involved with that had better get it fixed fast.”
Judge said he doesn’t know if league or Giants employees are in charge of getting the headsets to work but that it “better be fixed fast.”
It should have been fixed after the first time. That it still hasn’t been fixed nearing the halfway point of the season is bizarre, and one of the strangest complaints we’ve heard from an NFL coach this season.
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NFC SOUTH
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NEW ORLEANS
A stat from Peter Schrager:
@gmfb
“You’re never going to punk the @Saints. That’s a New Orleans thing. That’s a Sean Payton thing. You’re never going to come into that building and bully them around. They’ve been underdogs 13 times since 2018. They’re 11-2 in those games.” —
@Pschrags
They have wins over both Green Bay and Tampa Bay in NoLa this season in that role. They could be underdogs later this year when Buffalo and Dallas come to visit.
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TAMPA BAY
RB RONALD JONES II, a 900-yard rusher a year ago, is languishing in a minor role in 2021. Could he be traded today? Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times:
Ronald Jones was the Bucs’ third-leading rusher behind Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard in Sunday’s loss to the Saints.
But that doesn’t mean coach Bruce Arians has any interest in dealing Jones before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
Speculation about Jones being available through a trade intensified again Monday with the news that Titans running back Derrick Henry is expected to miss significant time after suffering a foot injury that will require surgery.
Jones rushed three times for 13 yards and caught one pass for six yards in Sunday’s 36-27 loss at New Orleans. He has 194 yards rushing on 44 carries (4.4 avg.) this year, one season removed from leading the Bucs with 978 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 regular season games.
But Fournette has won the starting role and Jones has not had more than 10 rushing attempts in a game this season.
“It would have to be something really, really special, because I love the way he’s running and it’s just one nick on Leonard and RoJo is the guy again,” Arians said Monday. “It’s still a great 1-2 punch. It would have to be something extraordinary.”
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NFC WEST
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LOS ANGELES RAMS
How can the Rams afford to add LB VON MILLER with the cap having forced them to make a cut already? They are getting the Broncos to keep paying him. Lindsay Thiry and Jeff Legworld of ESPN.com:
The Rams will send a second-round pick and third-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft to the Broncos in exchange for Miller.
The Broncos will also pay $9 million of Miller’s remaining $9.7 million base salary for the nine games left in the regular season, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In Los Angeles, Miller will join a 7-1 Rams team that is among the favorites to make a Super Bowl LVI run.
“Great team — I’ve been a huge fan of [defensive tackle] Aaron Donald for a long time. They got a great defense. … I’m excited, always been a great teammate and I’m going to continue to do that,” Miller said, adding that he hopes to play on Sunday night when the Rams host the Tennessee Titans.
Over the offseason, the Rams completed a blockbuster trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who the team believed could be the final addition needed to win a title and do so in their new home at SoFi Stadium, where the next Super Bowl will be played.
Last month, with the trade deadline looming, Rams coach Sean McVay said he did not anticipate “any big splash moves, like maybe you’ve seen from us in the past.” But the fifth-year coach added, “I would never say never.”
McVay said Monday evening on a conference call with reporters that his initial reaction when informed a deal for Miller could be a possibility was, “‘You’ve got to be s—ting me!’ That’s what I said. I’m like, ‘No way.'”
Miller will provide needed reinforcement to a defense that has experienced a slight decline from last season’s top-ranked performance despite starring three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Donald and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Coming from coach Vic Fangio’s 3-4 scheme, Miller should be a seamless fit with the Rams, whose system stems from Fangio’s, playing opposite of outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. And Miller will draw some attention away from Donald, who ranks 18th in the league with five sacks and has been double-teamed on 106 snaps this season, the fourth most in the NFL.
“He brings an element, obviously an incredibly unique football player that not only is a great pass-rusher, but he’s a complete football player that can really affect and influence an offense in a negative way on all three downs,” McVay said about Miller. “You can utilize him in a variety of different ways.”
McVay said Miller will undergo a physical Tuesday but that it was the hope and expectation that he would be available to play Sunday against the Titans.
Chris Bengel of CBSSports.com counts up the remaining 2022 picks for the Rams (it didn’t take long):
The Los Angeles Rams are going all in and trying to win a Super Bowl this season. It became even clearer on Monday when the Rams acquired star pass rusher Von Miller from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a second and third round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Miller joins a stingy Rams defense that already includes the likes of Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, and Jalen Ramsey — and already leads the NFL in sacks. While Miller has had injury concerns in recent seasons, he’s still one of the better pass rushers around when he’s healthy. Seeing the combination of Donald and Miller rushing opposing quarterbacks is downright frightening.
With the move, the Rams have also decided to give their scouting department for the next several months off. The Rams don’t have any picks in the first four rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. Not counting compensatory picks, the Rams own just a fifth round pick and two seventh round picks in the upcoming draft.
Now, let’s analyze the deal. Our NFL expert Jeff Kerr gave the Rams an A- grade for the move.
Kerr: “Rams GM Les Snead deserves a lot of credit for not even worrying about the draft. Why pick a bunch of unproven commodities when an organization can trade for a proven asset that can help a franchise win now? Snead doesn’t know how that 2022 second-round and third-round pick will pan out, but he knows what the Rams are getting with Miller.”
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AFC WEST
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DENVER
Reaction in Denver to the news that LB VON MILLER was on his way to the Rams. ESPN.com:
An emotional Miller, sitting in the back seat of an SUV as he left the Broncos’ facility Monday, told reporters that he was surprised by the trade.
“It’s still kind of hard to put into words. It’s still kind of raw, but thank you, thank everybody, and off to L.A.,” Miller said.
“It’s still hard — you can’t really put it into words,” Miller added. “Somebody told me once you want to make God laugh, then make plans. You’ve just got to keep going, keep taking it one day at a time. I’ve got a beautiful baby boy, had a lot of beautiful years here, lot of great memories, lot of great teammates, lot of great coaches, lot of great fans.”
Miller, who hosted a Halloween party for teammates and friends Sunday night, was at the team’s suburban Denver complex Monday morning to say his goodbyes to coaches and teammates.
“Always have Super Bowl 50 — seeing the pictures when I was walking out made me tear up,” Miller said. “We always got Super Bowl 50, always got Broncos Country and got to keep going.”
Miller, who was John Elway’s first draft pick (second overall) as the team’s top football decision-maker in 2011, was the longest-tenured Broncos player. He was in the final year of the six-year, $114.5 million contract he signed in late July 2016, six months after he had won the Super Bowl 50 MVP award. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent following the season.
“When I said, ‘Broncos for life,’ I meant that — it will always be in my heart,” Miller said. “It was an honor and privilege to play here. John Elway picked me and it was life-changing.”
Miller, 32, and kicker Brandon McManus were the only remaining players on the roster who played in Super Bowl 50 for the Broncos.
“Von was the very first draft pick we made back in 2011 at a time when we needed an impact player to turn this team around,” Elway said in a statement. “There was a lot of pressure on him as the No. 2 overall pick, and he exceeded all of those expectations during 11 great seasons as a Bronco.
“Von was always at his best when we needed him the most. Our Super Bowl 50 win and playoff run that year would not have been possible without Von turning in one of the most dominant individual performances of all-time.”
Fangio, who spoke just moments before the news of the Miller trade became public, said with the trade deadline approaching that “several” teams had called the Broncos about deals, but he gave no specifics.
With the team at 4-4, Fangio was then asked if he expressed any of his thoughts on what the team should do before Tuesday’s trade deadline to general manager George Paton.
“I told him to do whatever he needs to do and we’re going to coach and coach winning football with what we’ve got,” Fangio said. “I’ve not tried to influence him one way or another.”
Miller, who is the league’s active career sack leader with 110.5 (sacks became an official statistic in 1982), is one of the most decorated players in team history with eight Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro selections, and he was chosen for the all-decade team for the 2010s by the Hall of Fame’s board of selectors.
Miller had a half-sack in the Broncos’ past five games after he had four in the team’s 3-0 start in September. Miller did not play Sunday against Washington because of a left ankle injury, and Fangio said after the game it was “not close” for Miller to be in the lineup.
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KANSAS CITY
Even though they were deemed the victors on Monday night, Darren Rovell points out a failing of the 2021 Chiefs:
@darrenrovell
The Chiefs are now 2-6 against the spread this season. Only Washington (1-7) is worse.
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LAS VEGAS
A fiery accident leaves one driver dead and Raiders WR HENRY RUGGS with a felony charge. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs escaped serious injury in a car accident that happened on Tuesday morning. However, the two-car accident resulted in a fatality — and Ruggs allegedly was driving under the influence.
Las Vegas police have issued a statement indicating that Ruggs will be charged with DUI resulting in death.
Under Nevada law, DUI resulting in death is a Class B felony. Punishment includes two to 20 years in prison.
According to the statement, the front of Ruggs’s Corvette collided with the rear of a Toyota Rav4. The Toyota became engulfed in flames, and a “deceased victim” was found inside the Toyota.
Ruggs was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
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AFC NORTH
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CLEVELAND
Coach Kevin Stefanski says WR ODELL BECKHAM, Jr.’s lack of production is on him. Nick Shook of NFL.com:
It’s a tired storyline at this point of the Odell Beckham experiment in Cleveland, but the numbers (or lack thereof) do not lie: The Browns are not giving enough attention to OBJ.
We’re now in Year 3 of Beckham’s stint in Cleveland — one that could potentially end by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline — and the Browns still don’t know how to properly use the star receiver. Sunday was a low point for the pairing, with Beckham seeing just one target in the entirety of a 15-10 loss to Pittsburgh.
Beckham caught the target (a first-quarter screen pass) and gained six yards. His only other target was a desperate throw down the middle of the field that was slightly errant and might have gotten Beckham walloped had he fully sold out to attempt the catch.
That was it. The Browns twice failed to erase Pittsburgh’s small lead, and Beckham was again a nonfactor.
“First and foremost, I need to do a better job,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday, viaCleveland.com. “I really do. I need to make sure that I put him in position to make some plays and I didn’t do a good enough job, certainly yesterday. Having said that, he gets a lot of attention from the defense. There were a bunch of plays where the safety is cheating to him and that opens up opportunities for other guys.
“I think of an early third down that we had where the post safety stayed to the boundary side because he was cheating towards Odell and we hit a big play to Jarvis, so his effect on our offense is there. But I do need to do a better job of making sure the ball makes its way into his hands.”
This has been a common (and largely justified) theme with Beckham since he arrived in Cleveland. Fantasy football owners cry out in frustration as they watch the Browns throw to everyone not named Beckham, while Beckham’s presence makes it possible for others to thrive. Those watching at home wonder why No. 13 isn’t more involved, and when the losses start to mount as they have in recent weeks in Cleveland, their soft-spoken inquiries become enraged demands.
The Browns, in turn, respond with the same line: He attracts a lot more attention than you realize. It’s valid and often justified, but doesn’t quell the outrage from angry fans.
Sunday’s no-show from the Browns and Beckham couldn’t have come at a worse time. Since Beckham arrived via blockbuster trade in 2019, Cleveland has spent a year floundering under the direction of Freddie Kitchens, then lost Beckham to a season-ending ACL injury in Week 7 of the 2020 season. This year stood as his best chance to make an impact, yet he’s more irrelevant than ever — and the calls to trade him are building.
The problem for Cleveland is simple: The club won’t get much in return for Beckham at this point (and they might also upset their most important receiver, Jarvis Landry). And pound for pound, the Browns will still struggle to find a more dynamic playmaker than Beckham. It’s just about figuring out a way to feature Beckham, even if it requires a bit of stubbornness on the part of Stefanski.
Of course, that all depends on whether Stefanski still sees Beckham as the game-breaker the football world has known him to be.
“I do, yeah,” Stefanski said. “Based off what I see from him each week, and again, I just think he can affect the game and that’s where I’m really making sure that myself and coaches, we have to put him in position to make some plays.”
There’s also the question of fit. Stefanski’s offense dials up screens with the best of them, and it isn’t exactly a deep-shot type of scheme. Of course, a simple rebuttal to this statement would be to feed Beckham the ball with short-yardage attempts. Run the bubble and tunnel screens coaches are so infatuated with, or get Beckham going on a jet sweep or reverse. It worked in Dallas last year, why not try it again?
Well, Stefanski hasn’t exactly gotten into a play-calling rhythm as of late. Cleveland’s offense has faltered and isn’t near the well-paced unit it was for much of 2020. Maybe it’s more about play-calling, execution (Baker Mayfield is not free from critique here, and neither are Landry’s multiple drops in Sunday’s loss) and the absence of players like Kareem Hunt than it is about Beckham.
“No, I think, you’re not going to like to hear it, but I need to do a better job,” he said. “We scored 10 points, so I certainly have to do a better job there.”
It seems calling the offense as it’s designed won’t be enough to get Beckham the ball. Cleveland might need to force-feed the star to get him going, much like the Browns did with Landry in Week 7. It just sounds as if the Browns aren’t all that willing to do it.
“We have to find ways to format it and get the ball in his hands,” Mayfield said. “We’re not trying to force it to anybody. We have a talented skill group so I just have to continue to go through my reads and do that. We can do a better job of getting the ball in his hands, getting him going early and fixing that.”
We’ll see if Beckham is still around to get going early this weekend.
Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com thinks there isn’t much of a market for Beckham:
Shaping up the NFL’s potential trade deadline offerings last week, two things became apparent after speaking to some general managers who will be manning the phones: Nobody is all that interested in taking on someone else’s salary-cap dump; and overvalued “just a name” players don’t have a market to speak of.
We should have learned that in early October when the Dallas Cowboys tried in vain to get anything of value for linebacker Jaylon Smith. It became apparent very quickly that teams didn’t want to be responsible for the one-time Pro Bowler’s remaining salary, leaving Dallas to cut him purely for future cap maneuvering. And we’re going to learn it again by Tuesday, particularly as it pertains to players whose trade availability amounts to little more than a salary dump.
You can officially count the Cleveland Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr. in that category. He has no fit in the Browns’ offense and virtually no interest in the open market as we head toward the deadline.
As one AFC general manager said of Beckham Jr. last week, “Nobody is going to want that salary unless [the Browns] are going to pay part of what’s left on it [this season]. And even if Cleveland is willing to do that, which they probably aren’t, nobody is giving up anything for him. I’ll be very surprised if they can move him for anything.”
This is a consistent theme with Beckham when NFL teams speak about him. Despite him still being a “name” player among fan bases — not to mention a target of constant trade speculation — the truth is that when teams look at Beckham, they see an $8.05 million liability for the remainder of 2021. That’s how much salary he’s owed for the rest of the season, which translates into the cap he would eat up for any team that acquires him. It also represents the amount of money Cleveland would then be able to gain on this year’s cap and roll forward.
The importance of that number is debatable, given that the salary cap is expected to take a healthy jump to nearly $208 million in 2022 (as compared to $182.5 million this season). A lot of teams should have plenty of money to spend, but there will be a push by teams to extend as many of their valuable players as possible next offseason. That’s because some franchises are looking to get ahead of the big cap jumps slated to begin in 2023, when the league’s salary cap is expected to start jumping by at least $20 million per year (and possibly more) annually.
For many teams, that’s going to equate toward an aggressive push to get key extensions done sooner than later — as well as motivation to add players in free agency next offseason before contracts start reaching larger escalations at the middle levels. Long story short: It means teams are going to want as much cap space as possible heading into next offseason, so they can nail down enough players as possible before contracts start to shoot up across all stages of talent.
It’s an important factor with Beckham, even when he accounts for “only” $8 million on a team’s books this year. Not to mention the fact that his injuries and general ineffectiveness in Cleveland don’t bode well for his value, either. While the blame game is getting popular in Cleveland — trying to pin down who is most responsible for Beckham’s lack of contributions — the fact is he’s in an offense where he should be able to contribute more than he has.
Is his lack of traction a Baker Mayfield problem? Does it fall on the offensive scheme of head coach Kevin Stefanski? Is Odell the issue? What about the injuries?
The sentiment from people inside the franchise concludes that it’s a little bit of everything. There are times when Mayfield hasn’t clicked with Beckham. There are times when he has been frustrated with his use in the offense. And there have been times when Beckham hasn’t played nearly as well as some people want to assume — either because of injuries or mistakes or because he’s not the dominant player he once was.
That doesn’t mean he can’t be again. He may still hold value for a team interested in tailoring its offense toward what Beckham does well — then feeding him consistently, like the target-volume dependent player he has always been. There are certainly questions about whether he can still be the explosive player he once was, or even remain healthy for a full season. Lest anyone forget, he has played 44 of his past 74 possible games (including two postseason games last season).
Add all of that up. What you end up with is a “name” player who has a lot of lingering injuries and also been a sometimes-good-but-rarely-great player, in a league that is leaning more into passing offense than ever before. And he’s available at a time when teams are trying to be as smart as ever about their salary cap allotment.
Put more bluntly by Michael David Smith:
@MichaelDavSmith
I’m not sure there’s a single NFL team that would even give up a seventh-round draft pick for Odell Beckham right now unless he was willing to take a pay cut or the Browns were willing to pay some of his remaining 2021 salary.
And this:
@ProFootballTalk
Here’s the real question when it comes to OBJ and the Browns. If/when they don’t trade him today, will they release him tomorrow? (He’d be subject to waivers, and if claimed, they’d be off the hook financially.)
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PITTSBURGH
The Steelers don’t want EDGE MELVIN INGRAM around anymore and they find a taker in the Chiefs. Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Melvin Ingram III is on the move.
The Steelers traded Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick ahead of the trade deadline, the teams announced Tuesday.
Ingram, a former Pro Bowler who spent nine seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, signed a one-year deal with the Steelers before training camp as a rotational outside linebacker, but recently expressed frustration over his role after playing just 26% of snaps against the Seattle Seahawks.
Ingram, who didn’t practice last week or travel to the Steelers’ game in Cleveland, finishes his brief career in Pittsburgh with 1 sack and 10 tackles. Ingram’s limited role speaks to the Steelers’ confidence in second-year outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, who has 1.5 sacks and 25 tackles this season.
The Chiefs and Steelers engaged in trade talks in the past couple of weeks, but initially the Steelers opted to hold on to their pass rusher in hopes they could find a suitor that wasn’t in the AFC. But the market never materialized, and the Steelers granted Ingram’s trade request by sending him to Kansas City.
With Ingram gone, the Steelers’ outside linebacker depth is thin. Derrek Tuszka, initially selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, is the only other outside linebacker on the active roster behind starters T.J. Watt and Highsmith. The Steelers elevated practice squad pass rusher Taco Charlton to the active roster for the game in Cleveland, an option that could add to the depth at the position going forward.
The Chiefs have just 11 sacks in eight games, the second lowest total in the league. Chris Jones has played more on the edge this season but it hasn’t helped the pass rush. He has three sacks.
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AFC SOUTH
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HOUSTON
And so, QB DESHAUN WATSON was not willing to buy his way out of Houston. Ian Rapoport:
@RapSheet
#Texans QB Deshaun Watson not settling his legal situation has resulted in him not getting traded, source said. Watson will stay put in Houston until the offseason.
Presumably Watson believes the Texans will willingly pay him his full massive salary to do nothing the rest of the season.
– – –
Completely outclassed for three quarters, the Texans still left some of their supporters happy. Brian Giuffra of Fansided.com:
The Texans were never going to beat the Rams. Hell, they shouldn’t have come close to covering. But following a wild finish, the Texans just broke a ton of bettor’s hearts.
Texans vs Rams Spread
At WynnBET, the spread for Texans vs Rams closed at 16.5 points. It opened at Rams -14.5, but moved as we approached kick off.
We found out why the line moved for most of this game, as the Rams raced out to a 38-0 lead just before the fourth quarter. That’s when everything changed.
Over the course of six minutes, the Texans scored three touchdowns and completed a two-point conversion to turn a 38-0 game into a 38-22 finish. That means if you bet the Rams -16.5, the bet lost while if you got it at -16, you only got your money back. That after being up 38-0 and seemingly no way you don’t win the bet. What a brutal beat.
The moment of truth in this was an onside kick the Texans recovered with 5 minutes left in the game. They had just scored on 45-yard catch by Brandin Cooks to make it 38-14. Then they got the onside kick and scored six plays later. The two point conversion was just the icing on the cake.
Ironically, it could have been even worse. The Texans were on the 25 yard line with 23 seconds left. Had they kicked the field goal or scored a TD, the Texans would’ve covered the opening number of +14.5 as well.
Sean McVay could have gone for the cover with a 55-yard FG attempt in the final minute, but opted to punt.
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TENNESSEE
What version of RB ADRIAN PETERSON will the Titans get?
With Derrick Henry set to undergo surgery that will put the NFL rushing leader on the shelf for possibly 6-10 weeks, the Tennessee Titans will add a future Hall of Fame running back to the backfield.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Titans are signing free-agent running back Adrian Peterson to the practice squad and plan to elevate him to the roster.
Peterson played in 16 games in 2020 with the Detroit Lions, starting 10 tilts. He rushed for 604 yards and seven TDs on 156 carries with the Lions.
The 36-year-old has 14,820 total rushing yards in his career, just 449 behind Barry Sanders for fourth-most all time.
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After spending the first decade of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, All Day has spent time with New Orleans, Arizona, Washington and Detroit the past four years.
Peterson now joins a 6-2 Titans team that sits atop the AFC standings with a three-game lead in the AFC South. Peterson has a chance to carve out a role as the Titans’ early-down ball carrier when he gets up to speed on the offense. While he’s no longer an All-Pro, Peterson showed last season he can still churn out yards between the tackles, with the occasional burst.
The Titans’ No. 2 running back, Jeremy McNichols, has been deployed as mainly a pass-catcher, earning just seven carries for 38 yards this season. Tennessee will likely go with a committee approach to help fill the gaping hole left by Henry’s injury.
So he has 180 to 15,000.
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AFC EAST
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NEW YORK JETS
Camaraderie among the Jets QBs. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
Jets backup quarterback Mike White stepped in for the injured starter Zach Wilson on Sunday and led the team to a shocking upset over the Bengals, leading to plenty of talk that White, not Wilson is the best quarterback on the team. But Wilson wasn’t jealous.
Instead, White said today, Wilson was his No. 1 cheerleader.
“Zach was awesome,” White said. “He was the first person in the hall when I got off the field to congratulate me. He gave me this huge hug. I was real nervous that I hit his knee and banged him up. He honestly might have been more juiced up than me. He was texting me during the game. Every play during the game he was texting my phone. Obviously I wasn’t answering. He’s like, ‘Oh, my God, that was awesome.’ Then had a big, long congratulations text for me.”
White said Wilson’s support was exactly what he was expecting.
“That’s who Zach is,” White said. “It’s super genuine, the kid just loves football and loves being around the team and it shows every day, whether he’s on the field or off.”
We saw video that showed a similar reaction for QB DAK PRESCOTT of Dallas as he gave back-up QB COOPER RUSH a warm postgame hug following the win in Minnesota.
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THIS AND THAT
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PETE PRISCO’s POWER RATINGS
Let’s see how CBSSports.com’s acerbic commentator stacks them up 1 to 32:
We are at the point of the season, past Halloween into November, when it’s time to ask the question that I love to ask at this time of the year.
Is any NFL team really that good?
Just this past week, we saw the undefeated Arizona Cardinals lose at home to an undermanned Green Bay Packers team. We had the Cincinnati Bengals, who were the top seed in the AFC entering the weekend, losing to the New York Jets and a backup quarterback in Mike White, who lit them up for over 400 yards passing.
There was also the Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing on the road to a good New Orleans Saints team, but a team that won on Sunday with essentially their third-team quarterback in Trevor Siemian.
The Tennessee Titans took over the top seed in the AFC by beating the Indianapolis Colts on the road Sunday, but now they are likely without running back Derrick Henry for the rest of the season because of a foot injury.
Again, I ask the question: Is anybody any good?
That’s what November and December are all about. The contenders will emerge and the pretenders will fall off, either by bad play or bad luck.
The Packers are now in the top spot of my Power Rankings, thanks to the road victory over the Cardinals last Thursday. They did so with a running game and good defense, not exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Packers in recent years.
Green Bay plays at Kansas City, who looked revitalized Monday night against the Giants, on the road this week in a game that matches Patrick Mahomes against Aaron Rodgers, although neither is putting up the gaudy numbers of past seasons.
Even so, it’s a game that could mean a change at the top if the Chiefs were to win. That might be a theme of the season the rest of the way. The teams that do take over the top spot might not be there for long for a reason:
Right now, nobody is really that good.
1 PACKERS
They went to Arizona and beat an undefeated team without Davante Adams and others. That’s the sign of a good team. The defense is getting better by the week. 7-1-0
2 RAMS
They dominated the Texans, which we expected, but face a tough AFC South team Sunday night in the Titans. The offense is really cooking right now and adding Von Miller to the defense is a good thing. 7-1-0
3 BILLS
They didn’t look great against the Dolphins, but found a way to rally in the second half. The offense looked lethargic at times, which can’t happen against good teams. 5-2-0
4 CARDINALS
The health of Kyler Murray bears watching after he got banged up last week. The run defense has to be better going forward. 7-1-0
5 TITANS
They basically locked up the division halfway through the season by beating the Colts, which is a good thing since Derrick Henry is likely gone for the year. Now comes a real proving game against the Rams. 6-2-0
6 SAINTS
Winning the way they did against Tampa Bay is a testament to Sean Payton’s coaching. Give defensive coordinator Dennis Allen his due as well. Both will need to be better without Jameis Winston. 5-2-0
7 BUCCANEERS
The defense just isn’t good enough right now. When they let Trevor Siemian beat them, there are issues. 6-2-0
8 COWBOYS
Winning on the road with a backup quarterback against a good team is why they are a real Super Bowl threat. The defense is getting better by the week. 6-1-0
9 RAVENS
They come off their bye with a tough home game against the Vikings. The offense was just OK the two games before the bye, so they need to get it going. — 5-2-0
10 RAIDERS
At 5-2, they lead the AFC West as they come off their bye. Now they face a long road trip to play the Giants. 5-2-0
11 BENGALS
just can’t handle prosperity. After blowing out the Ravens, how can they lose to the Jets? The defense wasn’t good. 5-3-0
12 CHIEFS
Once again, the offense looked clunky in beating the Giants. That has to change. Patrick Mahomes doesn’t look like himself. 4-4-0
13 STEELERS
They have turned things around in a big way. The defense, as expected, is leading the way. But the offense is getting better. 4-3-0
14 PATRIOTS
Winning on the road against the Chargers is an impressive victory. The defense came up big as Bill Belichick showed off his coaching acumen again. 4-4-0
15 CHARGERS
Losing two in a row is not a good look for this team. Justin Herbert has to pick up his play, but the offensive design isn’t helping him. 4-3-0
16 VIKINGS The offense wasn’t good against the Cowboys. They just seemed too predictable. That has to change. 3-4-0
17 BROWNS
At 4-4, this team is in last place in the division. That’s hard to believe considering the expectations before the season. 4-4-0
18 COLTS
By losing to the Titans, they essentially are playing for a wild-card. The division looks to be lost. Leading 14-0, they should win that game. 3-5-0
19 PANTHERS
The defense came up big against the Falcons, which they might need to do again with the possibility they won’t have Sam Darnold this week because of a concussion. P.J. Walker will face a challenge against the Pats if he starts. 4-4-0
20 49ERS
J Garoppolo played well against the Bears, showing that he should be the guy at quarterback. They looked like the 49ers we expected to see in that game as they ready for a big division game against the Cardinals. — 3-4-0
21 SEAHAWKS
That was a season-saving victory over the Jaguars. Now they get a bye and might get Russell Wilson back after that. 3-5-0
22 BRONCOS
The defense played well against Washington, but the offense continues to flounder. They have to throw it better. 4-4-0
23 FALCONS
With Calvin Ridley stepping away, their offense is limited. That puts more pressure on Matt Ryan and Kyle Pitts. They do get to face a backup quarterback with the Saints this week. 3-4-0
24 EAGLES
They looked like a good team against the Lions. But it’s hardly looked like that for much this season. The defense was dominant. The Chargers will be a challenge this week. 3-5-0
25 BEARS
Justin Fields is getting better – at least running it. That’s progress behind a bad line. He faces a tough Steelers team this week. 3-5-0
26 GIANTS
The defense played a heck of a game against the Chiefs, but it wasn’t enough. They didn’t do enough on offense against a bad Chiefs defense. 2-6-0
27 WASHINGTON
The defense finally shows up some and the offense does nothing against Denver. They have to solve the quarterback position going forward. — 2-6-0
28 JETS
Mike White was outstanding in beating the Bengals. That’s a good thing, but what’s it say about the way Zach Wilson was playing? 2-5-0
29 JAGUARS
off the bye, they were back to playing a sloppy brand of football. That’s on the coaches. Urban Meyer has to be better. 1-6-0
30 DOLPHINS
This season is done. They can talk all they want about Deshaun Watson, but it wouldn’t matter anyway. They are one of the biggest flops of the season. 1-7-0
31 TEXANS
When do they put Tyrod Taylor back in the lineup? It probably doesn’t matter who plays quarterback, but they have a winnable game against the Dolphins this week. 1 1-7-0
32 LIONS
So much for the idea that they were competing each week. It was awful against the Eagles. The talent just isn’t there. 1 0-8-0
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