THE DAILY BRIEFING
| Scott Kacsmar looks at the NFC Pro Bowl QB candidates:
@ScottKacsmar
Once you get over the shock that Geno Smith is a legit Pro Bowl QB this year, it is really hard to name a 3rd NFC Pro Bowl QB after Hurts and Geno.
That’s why Rodgers had a real shot without injury despite the down year.
Who else?
W-L Rating TDs/INTs
JIMMY GAROPPOLO 6-3 103.0 16 TDs, 4 INTs
DAK PRESCOTT 4-2 95.3 10 TDs, 6 INTs
JARED GOFF 4-7 93.5 17 TDs, 7 INTs
AARON RODGERS 4-8 92.9 21 TDs, 9 INTs
TOM BRADY 5-6 92.5 14 TDs, 2 INTs
KIRK COUSINS 9-2 88.6 17 TDs, 9 INTs
Why Rodgers from that group? Just because he has 21 TD passes (1st in NFC)?
Why not the guy who is 4-2 and might be 10-2 or 9-2 with about 20 TDs when it is all over in Prescott?
Or Cousins, who will probably has 12 or 13 wins with numbers comparable to Rodgers?
Goff and Brady are basically having the same season as Rodgers.
And what if the 49ers stay hot and Garoppolo goes 11-4 with the best passer rating of the bunch?
Is it because of Rodgers’ charm? (joke) Reputation? Surprised to see him with the most INTS of the bunch. |
| NFC NORTH |
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GREEN BAY
Coach Matt LaFleur is optimistic that QB AARON RODGERS could start Sunday per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:
The Green Bay Packers are not Jordan Love’s team quite yet.
A day after Love’s productive performance in Sunday’s 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Packers coach Matt LaFleur made it clear that Aaron Rodgers will start on Sunday against the Chicago Bears if his rib injury allows it.
Rodgers, who left the game against the Eagles in the third quarter because of pain and trouble breathing, underwent additional tests on Monday. However, LaFleur was vague about the results.
“Sometimes there’s stuff that doesn’t show up on all the scans,” LaFleur said. “All I can tell you is he’s feeling a little bit better.”
Rodgers also has played with a broken right thumb for the past seven weeks, yet LaFleur said they won’t go with Love unless it’s an injury-related move even if the third-year backup is in better shape physically than Rodgers.
“I don’t think that’s what we’re arguing here,” LaFleur said. “It’s just, we’ve got a lot of faith, quite frankly, in both those guys. But you know, Aaron’s the starting quarterback. He’s battled through a lot throughout the course of his career. It’s pretty well documented, and I think he’s been able to play at a pretty high level through a lot of different situations. So again, we’ll take it one game at a time and make the best decision moving forward.”
The Packers have their bye the following week, and LaFleur said that could also factor into whether they hold out Rodgers to give him more time to heal.
But Andy Nesbitt of USA TODAY says the Packers should not let Rodgers back in the lineup no matter what his health might be:
Aaron Rodgers left Sunday night’s loss against the Eagles in the third quarter with a rib injury that left him unable to carry his bag to the bus and left the team he’s led since 2008 with an easy decision to make – give the keys of the franchise to Jordan Love.
The Packers fell to 4-8 with their 40-33 loss to the Eagles and their season is pretty much done. But they were able to take a positive from their defeat to the team with the NFL’s best record – they saw Love make some big plays down the stretch, including a 63-yard TD pass, and look comfortable taking over for Rodgers.
They saw their future out there wearing No. 10 and looking them dead in the eyes.
Now it’s just time for the team to tell No. 12 that they appreciate everything he’s done for them over the years but football is a tough business and now that business is shifting to Love.
Rodgers said after the game that he thinks the team needs to win all five of its remaining games and then get some luck to get into the playoffs. And he was right about all of that. Their chances are slim to none, with none looking pretty darn realistic right now.
He also said that if the tests on his body come back OK on Monday then he’ll be ready to go this coming Sunday against the hated Bears. And he was wrong about all of that.
But let’s be honest – the Packers aren’t winning their five remaining games and they’re not going to the playoffs.
And let’s be more honest – Rodgers is one of the best QBs to ever play the game and he’s always going to want to shake things off and get back in there, which is impressive. But no matter what those tests say about his banged up ribs, it’s time for him to put on a jacket and watch from the sidelines and help his backup, who the team took in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, adjust to a new role that comes with a lot of weight to carry.
Will the Packers do that – bench Rodgers – if the doctors say things are good? He has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing hand for weeks and now he has issues with his ribs. He also turns 39 later this week and I can’t imagine anything less fun at that age than playing tackle football in the freezing cold against grown men who would love nothing more than to slam you to the turf.
There’s nothing left for Rodgers to do here. There’s a lot left for the Packers to learn from with Love.
The timing all just seems to be right.
Will the Packers have the guts to do it?
Their fans should hope so. |
| NFC EAST |
|
NEW YORK GIANTS
Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic on the Yes and nays of signing WR ODELL BECKHAM, Jr.
The day before a Thanksgiving game with Dallas, New York fans were reminded of a starry memory of NFC East meetings past.
Eight years ago, Eli Manning threw a deep bomb to Odell Beckham Jr., who miraculously caught the ball one-handed for an electric touchdown. It’s been called one of the greatest catches ever made, elevating the then-rookie to NFL superstar status.
Almost a decade later, plenty has changed. But another installment of Cowboys-Giants took on a greater significance than just another rivalry game. Though Beckham didn’t suit up for either team, he was the talk of Thursday’s matchup.
A quick refresher: Beckham’s Giants career ended with a 2019 trade to Cleveland, where he remained until last season. He signed a one-year deal with the Rams last November, helping Los Angeles win the Super Bowl. However, on the NFL’s biggest stage, he tore his ACL for a second time. Now a free agent, Beckham has been searching for a new home, and Dallas and New York have reportedly been among the suitors.
Enter the media frenzy around the choice and Thursday’s game. And the Cowboys and Giants aren’t the only teams in the running for Beckham’s services. He has also been tied to the Bills, Chiefs and Ravens, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Thursday’s game that he “had a good visit” over the phone with Beckham the same day. The three-time Pro Bowler is reportedly visiting the Cowboys on Dec. 5, per Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.
When asked Friday to provide more information on the Beckham situation and their more quiet recruiting approach, Giants coach Brian Daboll said: “I keep that in-house right now. That’s kind of where we’re at with it.”
Daboll didn’t confirm a visit, saying he has to speak with general manager Joe Schoen, who is on the road scouting, but that they’d reconvene later Friday to talk. But NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that Beckham will visit the Giants on Thursday and the Bills on Friday.
Regardless of where Beckham ends up, he’s expected to command a hefty price tag and a multiyear commitment. Beckham is reportedly expected to be seeking a deal that would pay on a prorated basis, like the contracts Chris Godwin and Mike Williams signed last offseason (three years, $60 million). Former NFL agent Joel Corry recently broke down what a deal like that might look like. It dives into the guaranteed money and bonuses that might make sense for Beckham.
Teams aren’t just vying for his immediate services, though; they’re seeking a multiyear commitment that requires a little more thinking when it comes to not only numbers but also the fit.
There’s plenty to dissect about a potential Giants reunion. Let’s break it down.
Pros
A legitimate receiving weapon to help the playoff-hopeful Giants
Despite the loss to Dallas, the Giants are still 7-4, and the playoffs are well within reach. But they also have some of their toughest games on the horizon. There are two Philadelphia games to be played, along with a trip to Minnesota. Though this weekend’s game against Washington is crucial to the postseason outlook, there’s plenty of time for the competitive Giants to lock in a playoff spot.
Assuming Beckham is healthy, he’d be a legitimate weapon for a receiving corps that’s been in flux all season. Sterling Shepard tore his ACL in Week 3. Rookie Wan’Dale Robinson missed four games with a knee injury, then tore his ACL in Week 11. Kenny Golladay dealt with a knee injury, and his production hasn’t matched his big-money contract. The Giants dealt Kadarius Toney to the Chiefs before the trade deadline after his own injury-riddled season. So it’s been a hodgepodge of those names and midseason additions playing the bulk of the snaps. The Giants’ leading receiver with 476 yards is Darius Slayton, a 2019 NFL Draft pick who was the subject of trade rumors heading into this season. Return specialist Richie James is second with 280 receiving yards.
Slayton has made some great grabs, including a spectacular deep catch Thursday. But the receiving group as a whole has been inconsistent, and if the Giants are hoping to reach the playoffs and make noise, they could use some help. Especially with the running game starting to slow down of late.
Homecomings are fun
This is pretty self-explanatory for Giants fans who have already been salivating at the prospect of a Beckham reunion.
And it’s not just the fans who would be happy. Beckham’s former teammates would welcome a reunion, too. Just ask Saquon Barkley, who along with Shepard attended Beckham’s 30th birthday party during the Giants’ Week 9 bye. Asked how much time he spent convincing Beckham to rejoin the Giants, Barkley said, “He knows how I feel.”
So what’s Barkley’s sales pitch?
“I feel like there’s not really a sales pitch,” Barkley said after the bye. “It’s New York; it’s the Giants. Obviously, he has familiar faces within this facility and this locker room. Personally, I think it would be a great story to come back to a place that you were at before and continue to help build success and continue to come here with the right mindset and be a leader and be the type of player he can be for his team. Like I said, he’s a special player. He can help any team.”
Upcoming free-agency class
The next batch of free agents leaves something to be desired in the wide receiving market, thanks to recent massive contract extensions. The top talent originally slated to hit the open market is locked down, leaving big names out of the picture. The Giants will have free agents of their own at the position in Shepard and Slayton. But some of the top names to monitor are Jakobi Meyers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Allen Lazard.
These are good players, to be sure, but probably not difference-makers.
Beckham might still be. And there’s a chance to nab him before even more teams get involved during the offseason.
Clears up focus in NFL Draft
Beckham would improve the Giants’ 2023 wide receiver situation and reduce the need to use a top draft pick at the position. The Giants have plenty of holes at other positions to address, perhaps even at quarterback. While they have capital, do they want to spend on a wide receiver, given how much else needs fixing? Also important to remember alongside the Daniel Jones dilemma: A decision needs to be made on superstar running back Barkley. If neither returns, even more needs to be addressed.
Now, bringing back Beckham wouldn’t eliminate the need to draft a receiver, but having him and Robinson (who in theory could be back healthy for the start of next season) would have to make the brass a bit more comfortable going after other positions without having to worry about trading picks for a veteran receiver or drafting one up high.
Cons
Would he be unhappy if the Giants kept losing?
This has to be asked for a player on the other side of 30 who just won a Super Bowl and is likely looking for a contending team. The Giants, though still in playoff contention, probably don’t have the Super Bowl odds in their favor this year like the Bills, the Ravens or even the Cowboys.
Would that be frustrating for Beckham? And at this point in his career, would he be OK with where the Giants are at? It’s an important factor to consider.
Is the attention worth it?
Beckham commands attention, not just on the field but off it as well. Would the Giants be comfortable bringing that to their locker room?
Most recently, Beckham was removed from a plane Sunday in Miami. Beckham, per the Associated Press, “failed to respond to requests to buckle his seatbelt and appeared to be unconscious.” He tweeted, “Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me… I’ve seen it alll..”
Among other highlights, during his final season with the Giants, Beckham sat down with reporter Josina Anderson and rapper Lil Wayne in an explosive interview. He vented frustrations with the Giants and Manning. Beckham’s tenure with the Browns ended acrimoniously when he was released just after the trade deadline. That came just days after Odell Beckham Sr. posted a video on Instagram of Baker Mayfield not throwing to Beckham Jr. when he was open.
While details of what happened on the plane are still fresh, it’s a good reminder of the media attention Beckham draws.
Is Beckham back to form?
Health is wealth, and it’s unclear which version of Beckham will return to the field. As we near December, the season is coming to a close, and the question “Will Beckham even play?” feels valid if he’s not visiting Dallas until Dec. 5. Perhaps the answer is yes. Rapoport reported Sunday that Beckham has been fully cleared from his ACL injury and upon signing with a team would be good to go. But Rapoport also mentioned Beckham will still need to get up to speed with football activities. So we still don’t know how much of an impact he’d make for a team during the regular season.
In Jones’ media scrum Thursday, he was asked if he thinks Beckham will play this season.
“We’ll see,” Jones said. We’ll have to see. I haven’t gotten the benefit of his rehab work and where he is. That’s where it is.
“Odell could help us. I believe that right now. Now, we got to make it fit. That’s the challenge.”
Are health or financial concerns more pressing?
“I think just the general how we make this fit,” Jones said. “All of that. Availability is huge, but the financial part is really huge, too.”
Just as the Cowboys are determining whether Beckham is a financial fit, the Giants will also have to crunch some numbers. And that begs the next question:
Are the resources worth the investment?
This is the nitty-gritty of the entire debate. For a rebuilding Giants organization, does it make sense for Schoen and company to commit to multiple years for someone like Beckham, who is already 30 and coming off two major surgeries?
Schoen and Daboll seemed poised to approach this season conservatively. Then they started winning. As they headed into the trade deadline with a winning record, they didn’t alter that plan. The question now: Is Beckham the type of player, at this stage of his career, worth reconsidering or switching up the plan for?
Schoen was open to the idea in his remarks to the media after the Nov. 1 trade deadline.
“He’s a guy we would consider and talk to when he’s healthy,” the GM said. “Yeah, any player to upgrade the roster, we’re going to consider and have conversations with their representatives.”
There’s little doubt Beckham would upgrade the roster, but are the circumstances right for the Giants to pull the trigger? We’ll soon find out. |
|
WASHINGTON
Timo Riske of ProFootballFocus points out that since week 6, the Commanders 6-1 record is the best in the league. Not tied-best. It’s the best. |
| NFC SOUTH |
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TAMPA BAY
Fortune favors the bold – and it did not favor Todd Bowles on Sunday whose lack of confidence in his quarterback led to him not pressing the issue at the end of regulation. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times:
Poor clock management was a big story line in the Bucs’ 23-17 loss at Cleveland on Sunday.
On Monday, head coach Todd Bowles said he didn’t want to risk an interception at the end of regulation and preferred to let the game go into overtime.
And that is with a quarterback who has attempted 420 passes this season with only two interceptions; the 0.04 interception percentage is the best of Tom Brady’s career.
Sunday, after a screen pass to Rachaad White netted only 1 yard, Brady threaded a needle to Julio Jones between three defenders for a 26-yard gain. That’s when Bowles finally used a timeout but only 8 seconds remained in regulation.
“It could’ve been an interception as well,” Bowles said. “We said if we didn’t get yards on the first play, we wouldn’t call timeout. We would probably let the clock run. If he saw something, he could throw it. But we didn’t get any yards on the first play. We got 1 or 2 yards with Rachaad and we were backed up.
“So if he had thrown a pick and the ball went the other way and they would’ve kicked a field goal, we felt better going into overtime so I didn’t do it. He threw it on second down, he saw something, got it in the there and we called timeout.”
Could that pass have been intercepted?
“It could’ve been. It was a risky throw, but he got it in there,” Bowles said. “Tom has been making those throws but we felt good going into overtime the way the defense was playing and we felt we had it right there so that’s the call we made.”
The Browns tied the score when tight end David Njoku made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on fourth and 10 from the Tampa Bay 12-yard line with 32 seconds remaining.
Bowles could have elected to take a timeout after linebacker Lavonte David made a third-down stop of a screen pass to Njoku for a 1-yard loss.
The Browns had one play to tie the score. If they missed, the Bucs would have won.
But if they tied it up, calling timeout after third down would have given Tampa Bay and Brady more time to get into field-goal range.
After Jones’ catch, the Bucs needed only 12 more yards for kicker Ryan Succop to attempt a 54-yard field goal.
But the Bucs let the clock run down, with Bowles explaining he didn’t want to give the Browns time to design a play.
“It could have been (a way to save time in regulation), but we didn’t want them to talk about it,” he said. “We wanted them to just line up and play and go, so we let it go.”
Bowles said he trusted his defense to keep the Browns out of the end zone in overtime.
The Bucs won the coin toss and drove the ball to the Cleveland 37-yard line. But a hands to the face penalty on offensive tackle Donovan Smith backed the Bucs up to their own 43 and Brady threw incomplete to Mike Evans, forcing a punt.
Bowles was asked Monday about being too conservative on offense.
“I don’t think we’ve played conservative on offense at all,” Bowles said. “You can say that in hindsight about this game, but you don’t think about those things as coaches, you make the best decision possible based on everything that’s been going on and you kind of go from there.
“We had not been moving the football, we had nine three-and-outs, so it wouldn’t have been wise to try to call that one. I made it, I can live with that and I’m okay with it.”
This from another Buccaneers scribe Greg Auman:
@gregauman
The single best thing the Bucs offense does is avoid turnovers, so if fear of an interception still played any role into Bowles not calling a time out in the final minute, there’s a paralyzing level of risk aversion involved there. |
| NFC WEST |
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LOS ANGELES RAMS
DT AARON DONALD is now among the many Rams injured. Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com:
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has an ankle sprain, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
McVay said he isn’t sure of the severity of the injury, saying Donald was still meeting with doctors and undergoing testing. However, McVay said the medical staff believes it is a high ankle sprain.
“Obviously we’ll take the appropriate steps for Aaron in terms of how we move forward and what that means as far as his availability for this week and the weeks to come,” McVay said.
Donald is the latest star Rams player to deal with an injury. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has missed two games this season while in the concussion protocol, and wide receiver Cooper Kupp is on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain. On Sunday, McVay announced wide receiver Allen Robinson II will be out for the rest of the season after a CT scan revealed a stress fracture in his injured foot.
The Rams also have dealt with significant injuries to their offensive line. According to Elias Sports Bureau data, Los Angeles is the only team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to use a different starting five-man offensive line combination in each of its first 11 games of a season.
McVay was asked whether he has considered to holding out several of his star players for the rest of the season because of the injuries the team has dealt with. He said he looks at each case differently, but that the team will be smart about each player’s health.
“It certainly has been something that I don’t think anybody could have ever predicted,” McVay said. “And when it rains, it pours.”
In 11 games this season, Donald has five sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 11 quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
This from Adam Schefter:
The Los Angeles Rams are uncertain when or if quarterback Matthew Stafford will return this season, league sources told ESPN.
Stafford was out Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs because of a strained neck and two recent trips to the concussion protocol. He suffered one concussion earlier this month, and the Rams never could prove he suffered a second concussion even though he was in the protocol a second time.
Stafford, 34, has absorbed plenty of physical punishment this season. On Wednesday, the Rams ruled him out for their game against the Chiefs.
Rams coach Sean McVay said Stafford felt some numbness in his legs after taking a hit last Sunday against the Saints but also emphasized that even though Stafford is in the concussion protocol, it doesn’t mean he has been diagnosed with a concussion.
Stafford’s status going forward is similar to that of injured Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who was expected to miss six to eight weeks after having ankle surgery. Sources told ESPN the Rams, who have lost four straight games and six of their past seven, feel there is no need to rush back an injured player unless the season stops slipping away. |
| AFC WEST |
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DENVER
Bill Barnwell examines the Denver mess (substantially edited for space):
Wilson had arguably his best game of the season in Week 11, when Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett handed over the playcalling reins to Klint Kubiak. The turnaround lasted exactly one week. Wilson was back to his frustrating self Sunday, going 19-of-35 for just 142 yards while losing a fumble on a strip sack just outside the red zone. Denver scored 10 points on 12 offensive possessions, and even when it was given a bit of hope by recovering an onside kick in the fourth quarter, he threw four consecutive incompletions to end his day.
It’s past the point of expecting Wilson to turn things around in 2022; even if he did look like the old Wilson from here on out, this would still qualify as a disappointing season. As someone who thought the Wilson trade was a victory for the Broncos and who projected the Broncos as one of five teams most likely to improve, I clearly was wrong. I’ll admit defeat, but I want to take a closer look. What has gone wrong for Wilson in Denver? And, perhaps more importantly for a player who is under contract through 2028, can it be fixed?
Let’s start at the time of the trade and work our way through what’s gone on this season before looking forward to what happens next:
Could we have seen this coming?
It would require a certain amount of revisionist history to answer “yes.” Wilson struggled at times over his final two seasons in Seattle, in part because of a broker finger in 2021, but he was generally very good. His 64.4 QBR over that stretch ranked eighth in the league, just ahead of Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray.
After recovering from the finger injury, Wilson was particularly effective at the end of his Seahawks tenure. He struggled with his accuracy after rushing back from injury, but over the final seven weeks of last season, he posted a QBR of 67.8, the seventh-best mark in football. He threw 15 touchdown passes against three picks, and while it was a frustrating season for his team, the Seahawks won four of their final seven games. The wheels were not falling off at the end of 2021.
I will say there’s one element of Wilson’s game that slowed in 2021 and has continued to be off the pace in 2022: his mobility. He scrambled for nearly 28 yards per game in 2020, a figure that dropped by more than half to 11.5 yards per game in 2021. He has been effective when he has chosen to scramble this season, but he doesn’t take that choice often, as he’s averaging only 12.5 scramble yards per game.
Likewise, when Wilson’s on the move, he has been a less effective passer. NFL Next Gen Stats considers a throw on the run to come when a quarterback passes the ball while traveling faster than 8 mph. In 2020, Wilson’s EPA per play on these passes was the 11th best in the league. Last season, that mark fell all the way to 27th. This season, he ranks 24th.
Does Wilson need that mobility to thrive at his height (5-foot-11) and with his skill set? Maybe. Given his success over the end of 2021 and how drastically those overall numbers differ from the downtrodden stats he has posted in 2022, though, we have some evidence he was able to succeed at a reasonable level without running the same way he did as a 25-year-old.
What about with Nathaniel Hackett?
Now, I feel the need to mention the other person absorbing much of the blame for Denver’s struggles. Could we have seen Hackett struggling in his first stint as a head coach? That one seems more plausible. His résumé before taking over in Denver was limited. Remember that the original story surrounding Hackett’s hire was in relation to the idea of the Broncos trading for Aaron Rodgers, who regarded the former Packers assistant as “like a brother” after three years together in Green Bay.
Hackett had spent eight years as an offensive coordinator before taking over in Denver, and the results were mixed. With EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton at quarterback in Buffalo in 2013-14, Hackett’s offenses ranked 25th and 26th in offensive DVOA. Hackett followed coach Doug Marrone to Jacksonville, and while the Jaguars advanced to the postseason, it wasn’t because of their offense; Blake Bortles & Co. ranked 27th, 15th and then 30th before Hackett was fired during the 2018 campaign.
Hackett then moved on to Green Bay, where he had the offensive coordinator title on some of the league’s best offenses. With the Packers, though, he wasn’t calling plays, a duty that fell to head coach Matt LaFleur. Hackett was responsible for installing the red zone offense, and the Packers fielded what was likely the best red zone offense in NFL history during the 2020 season.
The league as a whole isn’t great at picking head coaches, so this isn’t an issue specific to the Broncos. I’m willing to bet Hackett improved as a coach during his time with the Packers, just as someone like Brian Daboll got better after being around Nick Saban. At the same time, if I had told you in 2018 that the offensive coordinator who had just been fired by the Jaguars would be an NFL head coach just over three years later, you probably would have laughed. It was way more reasonable to be skeptical of Hackett than it was to have been wary of Wilson heading into the season.
– – –
Is there anything else to blame?
There’s a legitimate argument to be made about injuries and absences impacting our expectation of what the Broncos were going to look like on offense. Heading into the season, it looked like this could be one of the league’s deepest, most robust offensive cores around the new quarterback. I had the Broncos 14th in my playmaker rankings heading into the season, and the feedback at the time ranged more toward them being too low than too high.
Things look different now. Wideout Tim Patrick didn’t play a single snap after tearing an ACL. Running back Javonte Williams tore an ACL in Week 4. Mike Boone, who was part of the rotation replacing Williams, suffered a high ankle sprain. Running back Chase Edmonds, acquired in the Bradley Chubb deal, suffered one of his own shortly after arriving. Hamler has been sidelined by knee and hamstring injuries. Receiver Jerry Jeudy has missed the past two weeks with an ankle issue. Tight end Greg Dulcich was on injured reserve to start the season, while Albert Okwuegbunam, a breakout pick before the season, fell out of favor and has been a healthy scratch for weeks.
Leaving the playmakers aside, Wilson himself was out for a game with a hamstring issue. The line also is down three likely starters in Garett Bolles, Lloyd Cushenberry and Billy Turner, all on injured reserve.
The running back rotation Sunday was between Latavius Murray and Marlon Mack, neither of whom was on the roster to start the season. Sutton was joined at wideout by Kendall Hinton and Brandon Johnson, the latter of whom caught a touchdown pass in his second career NFL game. The starting left tackle was Calvin Anderson, who was fourth on the tackle depth chart heading into the season. In the past, with a more stable offense and more mobility, Wilson might have been able to overcome weak spots in his lineup. Now, as he’s about to turn 34, it doesn’t appear he can drag a limited supporting cast to big offensive performances.
Did the Broncos make the most lopsided trade ever?
Not unless it gets much worse. The trade obviously has turned into a huge victory for the Seahawks, who are projected to land the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. They used Denver’s 2022 first-rounder on left tackle Charles Cross, who has been excellent as a rookie protecting quarterback Geno Smith. Shelby Harris has been a solid rotation defensive tackle. Tight end Noah Fant has been an ancillary option in the passing game and Drew Lock has backed up Smith, but even getting Cross and a top-five pick for Wilson would have been a good deal for Seattle.
It’s still too early to close the book on the trade. I think back to 2011, when Washington traded a draft haul to the Rams for Robert Griffin III and looked like a genius after he led the team to the playoffs as a rookie. Injuries slowed him down afterward, and by Year 3, the trade looked like a huge victory for the Rams.
– – –
If the Broncos just wanted to dump Wilson off their books to the highest bidder next spring, it would be theoretically possible, if not particularly likely. Wilson has a $20 million option bonus due in March, so if they dealt him before then, they would owe only $40 million in dead money. While $40 million is a staggering amount of dead money — and the Broncos would have paid $57 million for one terrible season of football — that would be one way to get out of three more years of guarantees if they want nothing more than to be done with their investment.
The team acquiring Wilson would absorb those $104 million in guarantees, so it would take a front office desperate for a quarterback who believes it can fix the nine-time Pro Bowler. I would say that seems unlikely, but we just finished an offseason in which Carson Wentz returned serious draft capital for a team that was basically shopping him in the free stuff section on Craigslist, so it would be foolish to rule anything out. There are teams that likely would deal a seventh-round pick to absorb the Wilson contract, although I’m not sure Denver would be willing to take such a humiliating sell-down on its investment.
What needs to change for Denver?
Writing 2022 off as a lost season, here’s what the Broncos need to do to get the most out of Wilson in 2023 and beyond.
1. Move on from Hackett. While he is generally regarded around the league as a nice guy — and coaches have survived worse starts to their head-coaching careers — it’s difficult to find any evidence that he has been suited for this opportunity. His early-season game management blunders cost the Broncos at least one win, and while he has been thoughtful about bringing in help and ceding responsibility to try to create a better atmosphere, I’m not sure there’s much he can hang his hat on after a woeful campaign. A reunion with Rodgers — either in Green Bay or elsewhere — would make sense for both parties.
2. Keep Ejiro Evero. The best thing Hackett has done in his tenure is hire Evero to be his defensive coordinator. The Broncos rank fourth in the league in defensive EPA per play allowed. Evero has built one of the league’s stoutest defenses while missing key contributors Justin Simmons and Randy Gregory for chunks of time. The much-vaunted pass rush duo of Gregory and Chubb combined to play just 101 snaps together, as Gregory went down injured before Chubb was traded to the Dolphins.
Evero will attract head-coaching consideration this offseason, and the Broncos should give serious thought to making him their own head coach this spring. Promoting Evero would limit whom they can talk to for their offensive coordinator gig, since they wouldn’t be able to offer a promotion to offensive coordinators around the league. If they hire an offensive coordinator to be their head coach and lose Evero in the process, though, they will take a step forward and backward at the same time.
3. Hire a coach or coordinator with a track record of molding offenses to unique quarterbacks.After going for a first-time head coach in Hackett, I have to imagine Denver would pursue a more experienced option to take over the offense. I’m sure it is one of the many teams that would be interested in coaxing Sean Payton out of retirement, but even after getting a first-round pick back in the Chubb deal, I don’t know that it has the sort of draft capital the Saints will want for their former coach.
A more realistic option would be Frank Reich, who had built a series of solid offenses around different passers before things fell apart in Indianapolis this season. Reich also is a free agent, so the Broncos could hire him as their offensive coordinator if Reich’s interested in that role. Maybe Kubiak is that guy if the Broncos look better over the second half of the season and think he can rebuild the offense over the offseason.
Whoever ends up running the offense for Denver needs to construct an offense around Wilson and his skill set. The Broncos need to boot Wilson out more often. They need to use more play-action. They need to create more easy answers for Wilson, and given his unique stature and style, those answers might be different than they would be for other quarterbacks. (I’d trust Wilson more with throws to the flat than quick throws over the middle of the field, as an example.) In what might be a painful admission for a certain cooking-based movement, he also needs more of a running game than what he has had.
4. Get healthy. Easy, right? The Broncos would look different with Williams, Jeudy, Patrick, Dulcich, Bolles and Cushenberry all on the field at the same time, something that didn’t happen for a single snap this season. They likely will address right tackle again this offseason and should bring in another back to rotate alongside Williams and Boone, but most of their offensive core is already present. Getting them on the field should improve matters.
There’s no way to sugarcoat what we’ve seen in 2022. Wilson has been bad. The Broncos have been awful. It’s not a fluke or bad luck, and it’s telling that the best piece of evidence suggesting Wilson might turn things around is a game against the Raiders in which the offense scored 16 points. There’s no secret formula or hidden stat suggesting they are about to fix this overnight.
We also have a decade of play suggesting Wilson is a top-10 quarterback and one season suggesting he’s a fabulously compensated Mitch Trubisky impersonator. While that one year is the most meaningful and recent data point, it’s not the only one. I’m still willing to hold out some hope that Wilson turns things around and looks more like the guy the Broncos thought they were acquiring in March. I’m just not sure that transformation is going to happen before this season is over. |
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KANSAS CITY
Field Yates with some numbers on the greatness of TE TRAVIS KELCE:
@FieldYates
Travis Kelce is now up to 9,918 career receiving yards, as he surpassed Tony Gonzalez (9,882) for the most receiving yards by a TE in NFL history within his first 11 seasons.
Of note: this is Kelce’s 10th career season and he played a total of 0 offensive snaps as a rookie.
– – –
The Chiefs are signing the guy the worst offense in the NFL could not use:
@TomPelissero
Two-time Pro Bowl RB Melvin Gordon is expected to sign with the #Chiefs practice squad, per source.
Released by Denver last week, Gordon should be active soon. Another weapon for the stretch run. |
| AFC NORTH |
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CLEVELAND
QB DESHAUN WATSON is locked, loaded and active for Sunday in Houston. Jake Trotter of ESPN.com:
Cleveland officially added Deshaun Watson to its 53-man roster Monday, clearing the way for his Browns debut Sunday against his former team, the Houston Texans.
The Browns waived quarterback Joshua Dobbs in a corresponding move.
Watson served an 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy by committing sexual assault, as defined by the NFL, on massage therapists. He was also fined $5 million and has had to undergo a mandatory treatment program.
Watson’s return Sunday will mark exactly 700 days since he last played in a regular-season game (with the Texans on Jan. 3, 2021).
Watson has been accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and other inappropriate sexual misconduct during massage sessions.
– – –
He still hasn’t spoken publicly since his suspension was announced in August, though he is expected to later this week.
The Browns traded for Watson in March, sending the Texans three first-round draft picks. Cleveland also signed Watson to a five-year deal worth $230 million guaranteed, the richest contract in NFL history.
Watson has been practicing with the Browns since Nov. 16 and has been sitting in on team meetings and working out at the team’s training facility since Oct. 10.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that the team is “excited” to see him play.
“He’s done a nice job with his time away, physically staying sharp, mentally staying sharp,” Stefanski said. “I think he’ll be ready to roll.”
Cleveland is 4-7 after Sunday’s overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. |
| AFC SOUTH |
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INDIANAPOLIS
The Jeff Saturday Experiment took a step back late Monday night when the Colts interim coach displayed an unorthodox use, or lack thereof, of his three timeouts. While the clock didn’t actually stop the Colts, they turned the ball over on downs on their final drive with some ticks on the clock left, it all felt both rushed and unrushed at the same time to media experts like Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:
On the Colts’ final offensive drive in Monday night’s loss to the Steelers, Colts coach Jeff Saturday repeatedly let the clock run rather than call timeout, resulting in the Colts ending the game with two unused timeouts. Saturday said afterward that he didn’t see why he should have called any timeouts on the drive.
“I thought we had plenty of time, I wasn’t really concerned,” Saturday said. “We still had timeouts. I wasn’t too concerned.”
On three consecutive plays after the two-minute warning, the Colts were tackled inbounds and did not call timeout, even though they had all three timeouts. The last of those plays was a Matt Ryan 14-yard run up the middle on second-and-17, and Saturday said he didn’t call timeout because he wanted to see if the officials ruled that Ryan had run for a first down.
“When he was going down, I couldn’t tell where they were gonna start him from going down, right? If he was gonna get the first down. And then we got there, I expected us to get on the ball and have another play, a little bit quicker than that. But again, this wasn’t a press for time. We just didn’t make enough plays,” Saturday said.
Pressed by reporters about not using his timeouts, Saturday said he didn’t think the Colts needed them.
“I didn’t feel like time was of the essence at that moment,” Saturday said. “I thought we had a good play, I felt like we would get to it. . . . I felt good about the call before, I felt like we’d have time, we would have timeouts afterwards, we were in striking distance, so I never felt like the pressure of needing the timeout.”
The Colts called timeout only once in the second half, before their final offensive play, an incomplete pass on fourth-and-3. That turned the ball over to the Steelers on downs, and they kneeled down once and ended the game, without the Colts using their final two timeouts.
More from Nate Atkins in the Indy Star:
Matt Ryan was off and running on another final-minute scramble, desperate to lead another comeback win, as interim coach Jeff Saturday pulled his microphone closer to his mouth for one of his first real decisions as an NFL coach.
Colts offensive play caller Parks Frazier was in his ear, watching from a skybox in Lucas Oil Stadium as Ryan did the improbable, much like he did two weeks ago against the Raiders, in their first win together in these roles.
But each game has its own personality, with its own traps and challenges. And this one called for Saturday to take control.
He had three timeouts in his pocket. As Ryan lunged toward the first-down marker, he first had to see where the spot would be, and it would up three yards short. The time ticked below 50 seconds.
The timeouts stayed in his pocket.
Instead, the Colts ran an inside zone play up the middle to Jonathan Taylor for no gain. They created a final play with 30 seconds left, and Ryan threw into double coverage to Parris Campbell, the ball hit the turf and the Colts lost 24-17 to the Steelers on Monday Night Football.
“I felt like we had time. We would have had timeouts afterwards,” Saturday said of the decision to run with Taylor. “We were in striking distance. So yeah, I never felt like the pressure of needing the timeout. Like I said, I thought the call was good. We were in that mode pretty much the whole second half, so it was pretty consistent with what we were doing.”
This was Saturday and Frazier trying to stick to who they were, even if they had to forge those identities on the fly three weeks ago. Saturday is a former 14-year center in the NFL, 13 with the Colts, and linemen love to run. Frazier likes to say he stays aggressive in his own ways, and he likes to show that aggressiveness can come through the run game. They know their best player is their running back.
This was supposed to be a surprise moment. In a passing league, in 2022, they were going to rush to the line with a defense scrambling and do something different. The clock felt inconsequential with those three timeouts. This was about the battle with downs.
“I mean, would I have liked him to snap it a little bit earlier? Sure,” Saturday said. “But again, I never felt pressed for time. I never felt like we wanted to get to something different.”
But this forged identity isn’t the only one in play for the Colts. They also have a quarterback in Ryan who has been through this far longer than they have, with 38 career fourth-quarter comebacks, good for the fourth-most in NFL history. He’s led this Colts team on five such comebacks already this season, representing their four wins and a tie. He’s been doing this, with this team, since Saturday was working in an ESPN studio.
Ryan is a quarterback. He scans the defense, finds the mismatch and throws the best option. He wasn’t that in that moment, because the Colts had dialed up a run.
“I mean, I don’t mind the call,” Ryan said. “We were going with some tempo, trying to get that first and then probably bang a timeout after that first.”
Like so much with this Colts team, this sequence will spark another chicken-or-the-egg debate. Did the Colts fail on execution when they took time to snap and Jelani Woods missed a block on Alex Highsmith and Taylor got tackled in the backfield? Or did they execute poorly because of the decision to run on 3rd-and-3, without the chance to survey a defense after a timeout?
They have put together an ironic season through 12 games of high and low moments in these scenarios. They’ve come back for some thrilling late victories, like on Ryan’s fade route to Alec Pierce to beat the Jaguars and the slant he threw to Parris Campbell to beat the Raiders. They’ve also fallen short on other attempts, like with Taylor’s fumble against the Titans, the offensive line crumbling against the Eagles and Rodrigo Blankenship’s missed field goal in the tie against the Texans. |
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JACKSONVILLE
Jacksonville’s comeback was unprecedented – although it is more surprising that it had never happened before.
@CBSSportsHQ
The Jaguars were 0-162 since 2000 down 7+ points in final 2 minutes prior to today😳 |
| AFC EAST |
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MIAMI
The two Super Bowl threats that are appearing as bright blips on the screen as December beckons meet this week in Santa Clara – with quite a bit of player and coach cross pollination.
RB RAHEEM MOSTERT finds himself caught in a crossfire when his praise of his current QB is deemed to be a shot at the guy with the Niners. Tom Dierberger ofNBCSports.com:
Mostert’s comments in a recent interview with Go Long TD’s Tyler Dunne stirred up the 49ers Faithful. Mostert claimed the Dolphins have “way better talent here” and that Tua Tagovailoa is a quarterback “who can actually sling it,” which many interpreted as a slight to 49ers signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo.
Which leads WEAPON DEEBO SAMUEL to pipe up on Twitter:
@19problemz
Raheem be real with yourself 😂😂
And Mostert responded:
@RMos_8Ball
What click bait. Not once did I dog Jimmy G in my interview. Did I praise our QB1?! Hell yeah I did!! But I also threw out compliments to my former QB. But hey let’s leave that part out… |
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THIS AND THAT |
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NOTHING TO DO WITH NFL
Hey, we like the World Cup specifically, and soccer in general. But this is funny:
@jarvis_best
How to fix soccer:
1. The field is fucking huge. Shrink it.
2. Too many players on the field. Limit to three forwards, two defenders, and a goalie.
3. Players should get to come in and out whenever they want. Don’t stop the game.
4. Shrink the goal.
5. Ice everywhere |
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BROADCAST NEWS
Jim Trotter of NFL.com gives out Trust Ratings to the 8 division leaders:
s we enter the final six weeks of the 2022 NFL regular season, it seems an appropriate time to discuss which division leaders can be trusted a little, a lot, or not at all to make playoff runs that end in Glendale, Arizona, the site of Super Bowl LVII. Using those three trust tiers, here’s how I categorize the eight teams.
A LOT
Kansas City Chiefs
AFC WEST · 9-2
Remember all the talk coming into the season about how the Chiefs offense would miss Tyreek Hill and not be as explosive or efficient? Yeah, me neither.
Truth is, the Chiefs offense has not missed a beat. Kansas City has scored 30 or more five times, and 41 or more three times. Patrick Mahomes, the front-runner for MVP, looks as good as he has at any point in his career. His average of 8.1 yards per pass attempt through Sunday is nearly a full yard more than his mark in the category last season, and his 29 touchdown passes have him on a pace that would fall just a bit short of his career high of 50.
Outside of Philadelphia, no team has been as consistent from Week 1 to now. Like every team, the Chiefs have had one inexplicable loss, in their case at Indianapolis in Week 3; but at 9-2 they are in a great position to have the AFC playoffs run through Arrowhead Stadium, where they are 6-1 over the past three postseasons.
Philadelphia Eagles
NFC EAST · 10-1
The Eagles opened the season 8-0, but their most impressive victory might have been last Sunday’s. Six days after losing to Washington at home, they traveled to Indianapolis to face a Colts team that had a bit of buzz about it after winning the debut of interim coach Jeff Saturday, and overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to win. Notable was that they did not have their A-game yet were able to grind out a victory. It spoke to not only their talent, but their athletic character.
My belief in them has a lot to do with the play of quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has silenced doubters who viewed him as a question mark, if not a liability, entering the season, and a roster that might be the deepest in the league. General manager Howie Roseman’s sublime free-agent moves and draft dealings coming into the campaign, coupled with the recent signings of defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh, should make him a leading candidate for Executive of the Year, along with Seahawks GM John Schneider.
San Francisco 49ers
NFC WEST · 7-4
This should come as little surprise considering the 49ers were basically a dropped interception away from reaching the Super Bowl last season and have only strengthened a roster that returned largely intact. That is not to say they have not been blessed with good fortune, if not blatant luck. After all, they are being led by a quarterback they did everything possible to trade in the offseason only to find no takers because Jimmy Garoppolo was coming off offseason shoulder surgery.
But a season-ending injury to youngster Trey Lance opened the door for Garoppolo to return to the starting lineup and potentially lead San Francisco to a third NFC Championship Game and second Super Bowl as its starter. The 49ers offense is loaded at the skill positions, and the defense is one of the best in the league. Trying to find holes in this team is like trying to find an answer for versatile running back Christian McCaffrey, whom the 49ers acquired from Carolina prior to the trade deadline. Talk about an embarrassment of riches.
A LITTLE
Miami Dolphins
AFC EAST · 8-3
How quickly things can change. Tua Tagovailoa has gone from having people question whether he was the long-term answer at quarterback for the Dolphins to being mentioned as a legitimate MVP candidate. Such is life when a plan comes together, when talent and experience are combined with dynamic support on the perimeter and a beautifully creative mind on the sideline.
Tagovailoa is living his best life in part because of the synergy between him and first-year coach Mike McDaniel, whose calm demeanor and play-design gifts have created an environment in which the former No. 5 overall draft pick is flourishing. Miami has no shortage of talent or speed at the wideout position, with the duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle causing defensive coordinators to age in dog years.
It is notable that Miami has not lost a game in which Tagovailoa has started and finished. He and the offense appear to only be getting better, as the Dolphins have scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games while holding opponents to 17 or fewer in three of the last five contests. Will their game this coming week at San Francisco be a Super Bowl preview?
Tennessee Titans
AFC SOUTH · 7-4
Maybe this is a blind spot for me, but I love how the Titans know who they are and don’t try to be something else. While other teams want to lean on their pass game and deception, the Titans line up and seek to beat you with physicality and execution. It doesn’t matter if you know what’s coming, they say, you still have to stop it.
When you have a running game led by Derrick Henry, and a defense led by Jeffery Simmons, and a coach who is one of the best when it comes to situational football and clock management — those are all things that travel well in the postseason. Their biggest question mark — and it is a legitimate one — is quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the lack of consistency in the passing game. Rookie wideout Treylon Burks has shown signs of living up to his first-round draft status the past two games, catching 11 passes for 181 yards. If he continues to improve, and Tannehill protects the football, anything is possible with a defense that has held the opponent to 20 points or fewer in eight consecutive games.
NOT AT ALL
Baltimore Ravens
AFC NORTH · 7-4
I was prepared to have the Ravens higher on this list until some disturbing demons reappeared on Sunday, namely an inability to close out drives on offense and to finish games on defense.
If you want to be viewed as a legitimate threat, you don’t go 2 of 5 in the red zone against a Jacksonville defense that was allowing touchdowns on 59 percent of opponents’ trips inside of its 20-yard line. And you definitely don’t let the Jaguars rally for a 28-27 victory by driving 75 yards for a touchdown and decisive two-point conversion in the final two minutes.
We can talk about dropped passes or interceptions, but that’s all it would be — talk. The Ravens thought they had turned the corner on these issues, but clearly they have not.
Minnesota Vikings
NFC NORTH · 9-2
The Vikings have a five-game lead in the division with six games to play. Should they win the NFC North, which seems a fait accompli, they would have to win at least two playoff games (three if they don’t secure a first-round bye as the NFC’s No. 1 seed) to reach the Super Bowl and another to win the title. So, the question is, do you trust quarterback Kirk Cousins to do that?
Really, it’s as simple as that. Minnesota has a talented running back in Dalvin Cook, arguably the game’s top wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, and a defense that’s good enough to help the team win. So, do you trust Cousins to deliver? One game, maybe. Two games, possibly. But three?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC SOUTH · 5-6
Talk to me when the Bucs climb above .500. They had a chance to do so on Sunday but blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Browns and lost in overtime, falling for the fourth time in six games. Tampa Bay entered Week 12 ranking at or near the bottom of the league in rushing, red-zone offense and big plays, something not even Tom Brady has been able to overcome with any consistency. Thank god for the NFC South.
The Bills and Cowboys are among those not leading a division, so not eligible for the ratings. |
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