The Daily Briefing Tuesday, October 18, 2022

AROUND THE NFL

@darrenrovell

We are headed towards another under hitting.

Unders went 10-4 this week in the NFL.

Unders this year in the NFL are now 57-37 (60.6%)

GREEN BAY

This from Ian Rapoport:

@RapSheet

#Packers G Jon Runyan was fined $5,215 for unnecessary roughness in last week’s loss to the #Giants. No flag was thrown, but Runyan still got a fine letter … from his dad, NFL VP Jon Runyan, who handles on-field discipline for the league.

– – –

QB AARON RODGERS won’t have the familiar face of WR RANDALL COBB in the huddle for a few weeks.

The good news for the Green Bay Packers is that receiver Randall Cobb has not been lost for the season. The bad news for them as they continue to search for solutions to their offensive struggles is that they will be without one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorites for multiple weeks.

Cobb suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the New York Jets. It appeared that players rolled into each of his legs, and it wasn’t clear which ankle was injured.

“It’s not going to be like a one-week deal or anything like that; I think he’s going to miss some time,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “But he definitely avoided a serious injury.”

Injured reserve is a possibility for Cobb. If that becomes the case, then Cobb would have to miss at least four games.

Cobb was the Packers’ leading receiver in the Week 5 loss to the Giants in London, where he had seven catches for 99 yards. The Packers have had a different leading receiver in each of their six games, and Cobb ranks second on the team in receiving yards (257) and fourth in catches (18).

Another receiver is eligible to come off injured reserve this week: veteran Sammy Watkins, who suffered a hamstring injury in practice after the second game of the season. Watkins ran routes Sunday on the field before the game.

“We’ll see how he’s feeling on Wednesday, and we’re hopeful that maybe he can [practice] and we can open that window,” LaFleur said.

The Packers also played Sunday without rookie receiver Christian Watson, who has a hamstring injury. Watson remains on the roster, which would indicate they think he could be back in fewer than four weeks. All the moving parts at receiver combined with the fact that the Packers could make offensive line changes this week after Rodgers was hit nine times by the Jets could be another reason why Rodgers said they need to simplify their offense.

“I just think that based on how we’ve played the last two weeks, I think it’s going to be in our best interests to simplify things for everybody — for the line, for the backs, for the receivers, especially with Cobby’s injury,” Rodgers said. “Just simplify some things, and maybe that’ll help us get back on track.”

LaFleur said he spoke with Rodgers on Monday. However, he was vague with reporters when questioned about his quarterback’s remarks, saying he didn’t know exactly what Rodgers meant by his comments.

“What are we asking our guys to do? That’s what you always look at critically,” LaFleur said. “I know every time we come out of a game and you look at every play critically, you always ask yourself, ‘Did we give our guys a chance?'”

Sunday marked the first time the Packers (3-3) have lost back-to-back regular-season games in LaFleur’s four seasons as coach. They have scored just 107 points this season — which, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, is their fewest in any six-game span with Rodgers as their starting quarterback.

– – –

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com with a deep dive on the Packers’ and their two-week skid:

It was one thing to get blown out in the opener by the Vikings, since that happened to the Packers in their Week 1 loss to the Saints a year ago, and everything was fine. They were unfortunate to lose in London to the Giants, but the team seemed to chalk that up to its maiden voyage over the Atlantic. Cornerback Jaire Alexander summed it up succinctly in advance of Sunday’s game against the Jets: “I ain’t worried, but if we lose next week, then I’ll be worried.”

Well, it’s next week, and Alexander should be worried. The Packers were outplayed from start to finish at Lambeau Field during a comprehensive Jets victory. The Jets were off to a surprising start at 3-2, but those three wins had each come against backup quarterbacks. If anything — given that they had narrowly missed out on a Sauce Gardner pick-six in the first quarter when a would-be interception hit the turf — this could have been an even more significant blowout for Gang Green.

It’s difficult to identify what Green Bay’s winning formula should be right now. There were a few ways it tended to win games during its stretch with consecutive 13-win seasons in Matt LaFleur’s first three seasons, a streak that is clearly in danger after a 3-3 start. Those paths to victory either aren’t available to the Packers or haven’t been sustainable this season, including in the loss to the Jets. Here’s what they are missing in 2022:

They turn the ball over too often. Going back to Mike McCarthy’s final season with the team, the Packers have been protecting the football at historically impressive rates. They turned the ball over 15 times in 2018, 13 times in 2019, a mere 11 times in 2020 and 13 again last season. They were only the second team in league history to record no more than 15 giveaways in four consecutive seasons.

After losing a fumble on an exchange between Aaron Rodgers and AJ Dillon on Sunday, the Packers have now turned the ball over eight times in six games. A year ago, if we leave aside Jordan Love’s start against the Chiefs, they didn’t reach eight giveaways until their Week 12 game against the Rams, three days after Thanksgiving. If anything, they should be happy this isn’t at eight or nine giveaways through six games, because they have recovered seven of their 12 fumbles on offense.

It’s one thing when rookie Romeo Doubs fumbles twice after catches, or when Aaron Jones is hit sticked by a rare coverage snap from 340-pound Bucs tackle Vita Vea. But Sunday’s fumble was the second time this season the Packers have lost the ball on an exchange between Rodgers and a running back. His three interceptions haven’t been particularly close or required a tip at the line of scrimmage or any sort of bad luck. Rodgers was strip-sacked inside his own 10-yard line, only for Green Bay to fall on the resulting fumble.

They aren’t playing great situational football. This was really a 2020 special, when the Packers fielded what might have been the best red zone offense in league history and haven’t been great since. They’re scoring 4.7 points per trip inside the 20 this season, which is right around league average.

What had been stickier for the Packers was their success on third down. From 2019-21, they converted nearly 43% of their third downs into first downs, the eighth-best mark in football. This season, they have dropped to 38.4%, which ranks 19th. They’re also 2-for-8 on fourth down, well below the league average of 47.8%. They went a combined 5-for-20 on third and fourth down during the loss to the Jets.

We can’t say the same thing about the defense, which held the Jets to a 1-for-11 performance on third down. The Packers are allowing opposing teams to convert only 26.2% of their third-down opportunities into first downs, which is the best mark in football. Their 50% success rate in the red zone is also above league average. That’s the good news for the defense. The bad news?

They can’t stop the run. Green Bay came into Sunday’s game ranked 30th in rush defense DVOA. This shouldn’t necessarily be a surprise, given that it ranked 28th in the same category a year ago, but this was supposed to be a better defense on paper than the one we saw given the return of Alexander and others from injury.

In a game in which Zach Wilson threw for just 110 yards on 18 dropbacks, the Jets moved the ball on the ground. Breece Hall and Michael Carter combined for 157 yards on 26 carries, including a 34-yard Hall touchdown on a play in which he abandoned what was supposed to be a reverse and took the ball to the house instead.

They couldn’t run the ball Sunday. The Packers generally have been excellent running the ball this season, but the league’s third-best rushing offense by DVOA heading into the day couldn’t do anything against the Jets. Nineteen carries from Dillon and Jones produced just 60 yards and three first downs. This is the same New York defense that allowed the Dolphins to average 5.3 yards per carry last week and the Browns to run for 184 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2.

They’re not making plays downfield. I wrote last week about how the Giants dared Rodgers to throw deep in the second half and weren’t afraid of the Packers making them pay. For the second week in a row, Rodgers wasn’t able to convert when he went deep, going just 1-of-4 for 41 yards on those 20-plus air-yard attempts.

On the season, Rodgers is just 6-of-27 on deep pass attempts for 197 yards and a passer rating of 54.4. The league averages 11.3 yards per attempt on those deep throws, but he is at 7.3 yards per deep target so far, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

It’s difficult to quantify this, but Rodgers hasn’t looked good working out of the structure of the offense. When he holds the ball for more than three seconds, the Packers average just 6.6 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 28th in the league. Over his consecutive MVP campaigns in 2020 and 2021, Rodgers generated 8.5 yards per attempt in those same situations, which ranked 13th.

Right now, the offense is limited to running the ball and Rodgers’ ability to get the ball out quickly, both through run-pass options (RPOs) and quick game. A whopping 34% of his passes have been at or behind the line of scrimmage, the most of any quarterback. That’s up from 27.1% a year ago, and while there’s nothing wrong with running lots of screens, the Packers don’t have the playmakers after the catch to make teams regret missing a tackle.

They’re not getting unexpectedly excellent contributions from surprising places. When they were ripped apart by defensive injuries last season, the Packers survived with shockingly impactful seasons by low-cost free agents. Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell went from bouncing around the league to earning a first-team All-Pro nod, while cornerback Rasul Douglas took over for the injured Alexander and picked off five passes.

That’s not happening this season. Campbell has struggled mightily in recent weeks and was at fault on two key plays during the loss to the Giants. Douglas, moved into the slot by the return of Alexander, has allowed a passer rating of 106.1 as the nearest defender in coverage.

If you were trying to piece together a Packers formula in 2022, it would involve rushing the passer, which they still do at a high level. They can run the football most weeks. Rodgers hasn’t slipped much physically and can still work quick game at a high level. There will be weeks in which that’s enough to win, like it was against the Bears in Week 2.

To access a higher ceiling, though, something needs to change. They can’t be average in the red zone and on third downs, miss out on big plays, struggle to stop the run and turn the ball over at a normal rate and expect to be one of the best teams in football.

Maybe this all corrects itself as time goes on. I suspect the Packers hope it goes that way. With wideout Randall Cobb sidelined by an ankle injury during the loss to the Jets, though, Green Bay’s need for help at receiver is even more obvious and glaring. It was one thing when it resisted the urge to add a second piece behind Davante Adams while it was winning plenty of games and operating at a high level on offense.

It’s another when the Packers are struggling to move the ball on the Jets and don’t have much big-play upside beyond Doubs. I suggested the Packers try to buy low on the Steelers’ Chase Claypool in my trade column last week, but Claypool had a 96-yard performance in Sunday’s upset win over the Buccaneers. He might not be available. Odell Beckham Jr. could be that guy if the Packers want to go after the league’s most conspicuously available free agent. Rodgers is dropping hints about what he wants, though, and while the Packers have ignored his pleas in the past, they might have no choice but to give in.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Yesterday, we noted that the 4-2 Jets are underdogs at 2-4 Denver this week.

The other New York team isn’t getting any respect either as the 5-1 Giants head to 2-4 Jacksonville.  John Breech of CBSSports.com:

N.Y. Giants (5-1) at Jacksonville (2-4)

1 p.m. (Fox)

Latest Odds: Jacksonville Jaguars -3

I can’t remember the last time the Giants played in a somewhat important game this late in the season. Sure, it’s not actually that late in the season, but I’m still counting this as important because Giants fans haven’t really gotten a chance to watch any meaningful games past September over the past few seasons. For the past five years, the Giants have basically been eliminated from the playoffs by the time Week 7 rolled around, BUT NOT THIS YEAR. This year, the Giants could end Week 7 with the second-best record in the NFL all to THEMSELVES if they can beat the Jaguars.

The fact that the Giants are good this season is something that no one saw coming; well, except for the guy in the tweet below. He bet $1,000 that the Giants would win Super Bowl LVII, and at this point, it’s looking like the smartest $1,000 that anyone has ever spent.

The biggest surprise of the season for the Giants so far has been their offense. If you watched their offense play last year, they were absolutely atrocious. It was like watching a remake of the movie Little Giants, but the beginning of the movie where the team is so bad that you almost feel sorry for them. The big difference between last season and this season is that the Giants actually have an offensive coaching staff that isn’t in over its head.

For some reason, the Jaguars are favored in this game and I’m guessing it’s because they’re one of the best teams in the NFL at stopping the run. The Jags are only surrendering 89.3 yards per game, which is the third-best number in the NFL. If the Jaguars stop the run, that will put the game squarely on Daniel Jones’ shoulders and if this were any of his past three seasons, I would automatically pick the Giants to lose by 30 in that situation. but not this year. I’m picking the Giants.

Also, I feel like I should mention the fact that the Jaguars have lost EIGHTEEN straight games to NFC opponents. Since Week 6 of 2018, they’re 0-18 against NFC teams and 2-16 against the spread in those games. Of course, the twist here is that their last win against an NFC team came against the Giants. A win here would certainly bring their losing streak full circle, but I don’t believe in circles, so I’m taking the Giants.

PHILADELPHIA

Tim McManus of ESPN.com on the 6-0 start and where the Eagles want to go from here:

Lincoln Financial Field hasn’t shaken like it did on Sunday since the 2018 NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings.

It had the combustible energy of a giant soda can being kicked around for three hours. It was the Philadelphia Eagles coming in 5-0. It was Meek Mill’s performance of “Dreams and Nightmares” before kickoff. It was the hated Dallas Cowboys strutting on the visitors’ sideline. It was the Philadelphia Phillies bat-cracking their way to the National League Championship Series. It was the weekend-long sports party in the city that left fans drunk with excitement — and in some cases, just drunk.

It was all of that in a 26-17 win, capped by an on-field scrum where center Jason Kelce was taken to the ground and coach Nick Sirianni lost it with a profanity-filled sideline tirade.

“How ’bout them Eagles!” Sirianni screamed over and over as he made his way through the tunnel and into the locker room, putting his own spin on Jimmy Johnson’s famed line.

Defensive standouts Fletcher Cox and Haason Reddick playfully counted to six on their fingers. Linebacker Shaun Bradley belted, “Man, f— that [Dallas] star. Ain’t nobody worried about that s—.” Inside the locker room Kodak Black’s “Walk” boomed over the speakers as running back Miles Sanders and others joyfully bounced in rhythm.

“That was like the best atmosphere I’ve been in and it was a regular-season game,” receiver A.J. Brown said.” Look, Philly is lit. That’s all I’m going to say. Philly is lit and I’m enjoying being here.”

While the scene felt like a playoff win and the reaction was similarly euphoric, the party fizzled pretty quickly and the team’s mindset was back to business, even with their bye week up next.

“We celebrated this win because it’s a big win — a big division win, most importantly,” Brown said. “But as soon as the music stopped we started thinking about who we are playing after next week [the Pittsburgh Steelers]. We’re already trying to get ahead. This team is hungry.”

That may best describe the overall feel of the 2022 Eagles, the lone unbeaten team in the NFL. The roster is full of gifted players with a little something extra to prove. Guys like Sanders, cornerback James Bradberry and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson are all in contract years. Brown, one of the top receivers in the game, got sent to Philly by the team that drafted him. Cox is trying to reestablish himself as a dominant player after a couple of down seasons, by his standards. He’s part of the 2017 championship core that includes Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson and Kelce, who are trying to make a push for more hardware in the latter stages of their careers.

Then there’s 24-year-old quarterback Jalen Hurts, on a quest to show that he is the answer to a long-term franchise quarterback. His maniacal pursuit of improvement — for himself and the team — has set the tone internally.

“He’s the ultimate leader,” said left tackle Jordan Mailata. “It doesn’t matter who you are, he’s going to hold you accountable.”

The 2017 Eagles team is the only one in the city’s history to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. This city is well aware of how hard it is to catch that magic carpet. Beyond exceptional talent and pitch-perfect coaching, it takes relentless effort, some good fortune, and the energy of the 53 players in the locker room bouncing off each other just so.

Football is too unpredictable to say what this team will look like in three months, but some of the necessary ingredients are in place for this to be a special season — something the crowd recognized Sunday night.

“I look at the people in the locker room — and this is what amazes me and what I love about it the most is — when I’m talking to the guys, breaking the huddle down, I feel their energy, I feel their hunger, I feel their [lack of] satisfaction,” Hurts said. “I feel all of this. And a guy in my shoes, that’s what I love because I know I have guys around me that’s going to step, I’ve got guys around me that’s going to go, regardless. And they know that we’ve got to do that together.

“We’ve kind of built this mentality, we’ve built this sense of not being satisfied. … It’s a journey, and we take that journey head-on.”

WASHINGTON

Peter King with this prior to Tuesday’s meeting of NFL owners:

“He’s backed into a corner. He’s behaving like a mad dog cornered.”

–An NFL owner granted anonymity in ESPN’s damning report on Washington owner Dan Snyder.

CAROLINA

Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com looks at the rumors swirling about RB CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY being available at the trade deadline.

Despite a litany of media reports suggesting otherwise, the Christian McCaffrey trade talks are in the early stages of a junior high prom: More staring and waiting than actual dancing.

Right now, that’s the proper framing of talks involving the All-Pro Carolina Panthers running back.

There’s an emphasis on “right now” because things can change quickly. But any potential deal has a long way to go through before the league’s Nov. 1 trade deadline. At the moment, there are a handful of interested teams checking in. Not one has made a concrete offer. That includes the Buffalo Bills, who despite reports of a pursuit, are also taking a wait-and-see posture. We’ll get to the particulars of how a deal can come together — and who could be in play — but first, let’s unwrap some context surrounding McCaffrey and current interest.

How the Bills figure in potential trade talks

Last week started with the Panthers firing head coach Matt Rhule on Monday, followed by dueling reports about whether or not the Bills and Panthers were having discussions about McCaffrey. Both denied being engaged in talks. A more pertinent question was whether or not the Panthers and Bills had previous conversations about the running back. The answer is yes.

During the offseason, the Bills checked in on McCaffrey’s availability. The inquiry ultimately went nowhere. There wasn’t a trade offer or even a spitballed discussion about what assets would need to be on the table. And since that exchange concluded in the offseason, the Bills and Panthers have not discussed McCaffrey’s trade availability beyond one simple parameter: If Carolina decides to trade him, Buffalo would appreciate a courtesy call so it can decide whether it wants to be involved.

As of this week, that’s the same stance of a handful of other teams that called the Panthers following the report of Buffalo’s interest. Much like the Bills, other teams would like to be involved if McCaffrey is going to be made available. They also haven’t made any offers.

This is a fairly natural posture for NFL teams when there is two weeks of runway before the trade deadline and nobody wants to open talks by bidding against themselves. Once the deadline gets closer and the luxury of waiting vanishes, that could change, especially if it becomes clearer what Carolina wants for McCaffrey.

Multiple first-round draft picks isn’t realistic for Panthers

So who is interested and what are the Panthers seeking?

The teams interested in McCaffrey are trying to conceal themselves at this point, but they fit a similar template. Look for the well-built franchises that are ready to contend for a Super Bowl this season, then circle the ones that appear to be one dynamic running back away from significantly improving their title shot.

The Bills fit. So do the San Francisco 49ers, along with a small handful of others.

Ultimately, the question is going to come down to the assets offered for McCaffrey. In terms of tradable commodities, the Panthers are approaching him more as a pocket listing than someone being actively shopped on the trade market. If teams want to make an offer, Carolina will entertain it. They’ll also do so knowing two things about his value: He’s a player who could be significantly helpful if the team decides to make a run at one of the elite quarterbacks in the 2023 draft; and he’s an attractive player to keep in the fold for whoever the head coach is next season.

If that’s interim head coach Steve Wilks, he’s already familiar with McCaffrey representing the best player he currently has on his offense. If it’s another coach the Panthers are attempting to hire, McCaffrey remains a player who can be viewed as a selling point. Not to mention the reality that his contract starts becoming far easier to offload if necessary after the 2023 season.

The next two weeks should sharpen what it will ultimately take to get McCaffrey in a deal, but it’s safe to say that the early proclamations of “multiple” first-round draft picks is inaccurate. While that may be the hopes and dreams of team owner David Tepper — who is going to be the one making the final call — Carolina is not getting that kind of package for McCaffrey.

For now, it’s better to think of McCaffrey’s value in terms of how his trade could set Carolina up for a future quarterback pursuit. Resolving the quarterback spot is the No. 1 priority for the organization. If a team offers a package of trade assets that get the Panthers closer to being in play for the draft’s top two quarterbacks, then it will likely be viewed as a realistic offer.

Anything less is going to leave the Panthers where they are now: Stuck at the junior prom and staring at dance partners, with nobody making the move that matters.

Should the Buccaneers – unable to rush and with a QB who likes to hit receivers out of the backfield or lined up in the slot – be in the mix?  Acquiring McCaffrey could be the tonic the struggling offense needs.

Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus got us thinking along these lines:

@PFF_Mike

If I’m Jason Licht I’m willing to part ways with any and every pick in the 2023 draft before the deadline

The window slams shut when Brady retires. No reason to worry about scratching to go above .500 with Kyle Trask

TAMPA BAY

Greg Auman of The Athletic with the numbers on Tampa Bay’s anemic running game:

@gregauman

Mini-thread on Bucs’ running game, or lackthereof. To say they’re ranking 32nd is kind. Last in yards per game, last in yards per carry. They average 3.07 yards per carry, and next-worst is 3.36. No NFL team has averaged that little per carry since Tom Brady’s rookie year.

Last NFL team (over a full season) to average less per carry than Bucs are right now was the 2000 Chargers, who averaged 3.03 yards per carry in a 1-15 season, with not Tom Brady but Ryan Leaf at quarterback. Terell Fletcher and Jermaine Fazande were their leading rushers.

The 2022 Bucs averaging 3.07 yards is a fifth of an inch per carry better than the worst rushing team in Bucs history, which was the 2-12 1977 team, which averaged 3.06.

Bucs are one of three NFL teams without a carry of 20+ yards this season, with Steelers and Browns. By comparison, Browns have 11 such runs, Seahawks 10. Bucs’ longest run this season is 17 yards, the shortest long of any team in the league this season.

The Buccaneers have rushed 126 times in their 6 games.  That is 27^th most in NFL.

ARIZONA

As WR ROBBIE ANDERSON heads to Arizona to join QB KYLER MURRAY, Peter King reminds us how he got there:

I think this succession of events told me everything I need to know about who Carolina wide receiver Robbie Anderson is:

a. When Matt Rhule was hired to coach Temple in 2013, he okayed the move of the 6-3 Anderson from the secondary to wide receiver. Anderson responded with 791 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

b. The program stuck with Anderson when he missed the 2014 season due to academic ineligibility. Rhule welcomed him back in 2015.

c. Anderson had 70 catches for 939 yards as a senior, and was signed as an undrafted free-agent by the Jets. After averaging 52 catches a year in four seasons with the Jets, Anderson hit free-agency. The Jets were lukewarm about re-signing him.

d. In 2020, Rhule, the new coach of the Panthers, signed Anderson to a two-year, $20-million contract, with $12 million guaranteed.

e. Anderson caught 95 balls for the Panthers in 2020 and in 2021 Rhule and GM Scott Fitterer authorized a two-year extension for Anderson for $29.5 million.

f. Rhule was fired by owner David Tepper last Monday.

g. This was the reaction of Anderson to the firing of the man who coached him in college and who, when Anderson’s free-agency market was soft, signed him to one contract and then another a year later: little more than a shoulder shrug and “It is what it is.”

h. On Sunday, in the first post-Rhule game, Anderson was kicked off the sidelines in Los Angeles by interim coach Steve Wilks, apparently for mouthing off to an assistant coach. That should give you an understanding of soon-to-be former Panthers receiver Robbie Anderson.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Things have come unglued between the Rams and RB CAM AKERS.  Sarah Barshop ofESPN.com:

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said the team has explored the option of finding running back Cam Akers “a fresh new start with another team.”

On Friday, McVay said Akers would not practice for the second day in a row or play in the Rams’ Week 6 game because the team was “working through some different things with Cam.” He was listed on the team’s injury report as out due to personal reasons.

McVay said if trading Akers “doesn’t come to fruition, then we’ll figure out a solution, how to best move forward with him here.” McVay also said he wouldn’t take the possibility that Akers plays for the team again “off the table.”

“I’d like to think I’m a very open-minded person,” he said. “But I think when you look at certain situations and scenarios with the way that things have kind of unfolded, as of right now, I think … the best option for all parties … would be to explore if there’s a good situation for him with another team.

“If that doesn’t come to fruition, I would never say that him coming back and figuring out the best way to be able to utilize him and him be the best player he’s capable of is, is off the table. I would never speak in absolutes like that.”

Akers has 151 rushing yards and a touchdown on 51 carries this season. After he scored a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 — his first since the 2020 season — he said he was motivated because “everybody else felt like I lost a step or whatever, but I didn’t.”

McVay said he has thought the communication between Akers and his agent about the situation “has been pretty clear and there’s been good dialogue.”

“Sometimes good dialogue can lead to clarity on making a decision that isn’t necessarily easy, but it’s the best,” McVay said. “… And I’m never going to claim to always make the right decisions, but when you weigh the different things that we’re working through and trying to figure out what’s best for our football team and running back room in particular, that’s kind of the direction that we’re leaning towards right now.”

In Akers’ absence Sunday against the Panthers, running back Darrell Henderson Jr. ran for 43 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and running back Malcolm Brown added 15 yards on seven carries.

Although McVay acknowledged that a fresh start for Akers may be in the best interests of the team and the player, there’s a real possibility a trade doesn’t get made.

“I will say a lot of these types of discussions go on and nothing comes to fruition,” McVay said. “And then sometimes things happen a lot quicker based on finding someone that accommodates the things that maybe you’re looking for or that suits the interest of the player and our team. And so it just takes one. But in a lot of instances, sometimes things never work out.”

SEATTLE

Torched in the previous two games, the Seahawks kept the Arizona offense out of the end zone on Sunday.  Brady Henderson of ESPN.com smells a rebound such as Seattle has done before.

They did it in 2020, going from a historically bad defense early in the season to one of the best in the NFL over the second half.

They did it again in 2021, righting the ship on that side of the ball after a brutal first month.

Was the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant defensive performance in Week 6 a sign that they’re pulling off another drastic turnaround from their latest miserable start? There was plenty of celebration after their 19-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, but are their defensive struggles from the first five games completely in the rear-view mirror?

“You’re seeing all of the work that we put in in practice finally starting to come out,” said defensive end Shelby Harris, who had one of Seattle’s six sacks of Kyler Murray. “When we get the lead like this at the end of games, you get the rush, D-line gets to have some fun. Obviously, you look around the locker room and everyone is always happier after a win. You’re not as sore after a win. Always remember this feeling, and go replicate this next week.”

The Seahawks entered Week 6 allowing the most yards per game (430) and the second-most points per game (30.8), while also ranking near or at the bottom of the NFL in several other defensive metrics, including yards per pass and yards per rush.

They held the Cardinals to 315 total yards and kept their offense from scoring after it drove for a field goal on the opening possession (Arizona’s only other points came via a fumble recovery in the end zone on a botched punt). They held Arizona to 4-of-16 on third down and 1-of-5 on fourth down. Throw in the two takeaways they got from rookie cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant, and this might have been the Seahawks’ most comprehensive defensive performance since they held the Los Angeles Rams to three field goals in Week 16 of the 2020 season.

It helped that the Cardinals were missing their No. 1 receiver DeAndre Hopkins as well as RB1 James Conner, but the Seahawks’ defense had gotten gashed in consecutive weeks by Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints offenses that were each missing some of their best players. That made Sunday’s win a reversal of what had become well-established roles over the first five games, with the Seahawks’ defense carrying the load for a change while Geno Smith and the offense did just enough.

“Really happy with the whole group on defense,” coach Pete Carroll said. “They’ve been fighting their tails off to get it done and to try to get to a point where they really feel like they’re doing something. And the pass rush came to life today. And the guys were all over the quarterback. So really rewarding in that regard.”

The Seahawks’ six sacks were their most in a game since they had that many in Week 12 of the 2020 season, right after that turnaround began. They came from six different players: Harris, defensive linemen Poona Ford and Quinton Jefferson, outside linebackers Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor and safety Ryan Neal. According to ESPN Stats & Information, they sent four or fewer rushers on all six sacks — their most sacks in a game via a standard rush since their 2013 Super Bowl season.

“We stopped the run,” Nwosu said. “That’s really what it was. The last four or five weeks, we’ve had trouble stopping the run, and that’s what the game plan was going into this game: Stop the run so we can have some fun. We did that, and guys were able to fly all over the field and get after Kyler Murray.”

Murray ran for 100 of the Cardinals’ 144 rushing yards as Seattle held their running backs to a combined 44 yards on 18 attempts. The Seahawks had been allowing a little more than 5 yards per rush (including QB runs) entering Sunday, the fifth-worst mark in the NFL.

Carroll made vague mentions of some adjustments that defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt made up front after their 39-32 loss last week in New Orleans, though he didn’t want to specify with the Seahawks and Cardinals facing each other again in three weeks. The changes included different alignments by their defensive linemen — Ford played more on the edge, for instance — and not as many snaps for starting inside linebacker Cody Barton, who’s had an uneven start to the season, particularly against the run.

“Their running backs averaged 2.5 yards a carry,” Carroll said. “And it’s all of those guys working inside and setting the thing in motion. We made a couple of adjustments this week that worked out great. And I think they’re going to pay off as we move forward.”

DENVER

The Pulse at The Athletic sums up the Broncos loss Monday:

It’s truly bizarre to see Russell Wilson, a former MVP still in his prime, look this bad. Is it coaching? Health? Is he simply washed up? The answer isn’t so simple, but the result is deeply problematic for Denver. A no-good season got worse with a 19-16 loss to the Chargers last night.

It’s the second straight week the Broncos have lost an ugly game in overtime, and not the first time due to user error. Despite Wilson’s struggles, it was Montrell Washington’s muffed punt in overtime that eventually sealed the loss. Tough.

After a decent first half, Denver’s offense whimpered after the intermission – and QB RUSSELL WILSON has a balky hamstring.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson added another ache Monday night to an already painful start to his first season with the team as he suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of Denver’s 19-16 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

“I kind of scrambled to move around on one, I had to throw it away, it kind of got me pretty good in the fourth quarter,” Wilson said. “Just tried to play through it … just trying to find a way to win the game.”

Wilson received treatment following the game and will be evaluated further Tuesday morning. As of Monday night, the belief was that he would be taken for an MRI exam as well.

Wilson’s injury comes amid continuing struggles for the Broncos’ offense; Denver (2-4) has scored 16 or fewer points in five of its six games and had minus-9 net passing yards in the second half against the Chargers.

Wilson finished Monday’s game 15-of-28 passing for 188 yards to go with a touchdown, but 173 of those passing yards as well as the touchdown came in the first half. He was 3-of-11 for 15 yards in the second half.

Wilson had received treatment for a partial muscle tear near his right shoulder in the wake of Denver’s Week 4 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 2. The Broncos had 11 days between their Thursday night loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 6 and Monday’s defeat.

“Shoulder did good, but listen, the only thing that matters is us winning,” Wilson said. “Not going to sugarcoat it, the only thing matters is us winning … there’s no excuse for it, we’ve got to find a way.”

The Broncos traded five draft picks, including two first-round selections and two second-round picks, as well as three players to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Wilson. They then signed Wilson to a five-year, $245 million contract extension just before the start of the season.

But the Broncos are now one of the league’s lowest-scoring teams and rank at or near the bottom in red zone offense, goal-to-go situations and third down conversions.

“This is very disappointing,” Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said Monday night. “We need to have a lot more urgency across the board — it starts with me as a coach, then all of the other coaches, then to the players. Players need to be just more urgent. … We’ve got to execute at a higher level, and we’ve got to come up with some better plays.”

Wilson has now thrown for fewer than 220 yards in three of the Broncos’ six games, and his only 300-yard passing effort was his 340-yard day in the season-opening loss at Seattle. Overall, the Broncos have scored just five points in the third quarter, and two of those points came via a safety by the defense in Week 2 against Houston.

On Monday, the Broncos had just one third-quarter possession.

In overtime, the Broncos’ offense opened with a three-and-out, and then after their defense stopped the Chargers to get the ball back at their own 31-yard line, Denver responded with another three-and-out. Wilson threw incompletions on his only two pass attempts of overtime, both on third-down plays.

“We could have done it cleaner in the second half,” Wilson said. “The reality is it’s just not good enough. We’ve got to be better, we’ve got to play sharper, we’ve got to find ways to make plays, we’ve got to find ways to get touchdowns. Felt like we should have won that game.”

Sometimes network analysts soften the blow when teams aren’t functioning on offense.  That wasn’t the case Monday.  Larry Brown of Larry Brown Sports was listening:

The Denver Broncos did not leave Troy Aikman impressed on Monday night.

The Broncos entered the game 2-3 and lost 19-16 to the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. Denver’s offense continued to have problems, including on the opening possession of overtime. Denver got into a 3rd-and-1 situation and was unable to convert, so they punted.

The disappointing showing from the Broncos’ offense led to some harsh criticism from Aikman, who was serving as the game analyst on ESPN.

“It’s not been very good,” Aikman said of the Broncos’ offense. “But why is that? It’s because everyone across the board — it’s not just Russell Wilson — it’s the protection up front. It’s their inability to consistently be able to run the football. It’s their inability to consistently be able to beat defenders with routes. So, you combine all that, and you get an offense that is not scoring many points and is not playing very good football.

“They’ve got too good of players for it to consistently be this poor. At least I think they do. Maybe they don’t.”

That’s the question. Most people went into the season thinking Denver had the offensive personnel to succeed, but they haven’t come close to doing that. We know that Russell Wilson is battling an injury, but he has been bad since Week 1, when he should have been fresh. The logical conclusion is that the Broncos have poor schemes and poor coaching. Maybe that’s what Aikman was getting at without actually saying it.

– – –

The Broncos went down without any second half contributions from RB MELVIN GORDON – by choice.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Broncos running back Melvin Gordon had three carries for eight yards in the first quarter on Monday night and then was taken out of the game for reasons he said he doesn’t understand.

Gordon told Bridget Condon after the game that no one on the Broncos’ coaching staff explained to him why he was benched.

“To tell you exactly what happened? I can’t tell you. Because I don’t know,” Gordon said. “Na, no one mentioned anything to me.”

Gordon said he thought he could have helped the Broncos win, but he didn’t get the opportunity.

“Just waiting for my number to get called so I can go out there and help my teammates. It was a close game, I felt like I could’ve made a difference, but apparently not,” Gordon said.

Latavius Murray, who just signed with the Broncos two weeks ago, was their leading rusher, with 15 carries for 66 yards.

KANSAS CITY

Are the Chiefs looking to add the final piece of their 2022 puzzle at the trade deadline?  They have cleared some space to add a contract.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Chiefs will have a bit more cap space to work with over the rest of the 2022 season.

Field Yates of ESPN reports that the team has restructured tight end Travis Kelce‘s deal. Kelce converted base salary into a signing bonus in a move that has freed up $3.455 million in cap space for the AFC West club.

That money could be used for a trade deadline acquisition or free agent who the team believes can help their push for the postseason. The NFLPA had the team with under $500,000 in cap space in its most recent salary cap report.

Kelce is signed through the 2025 season and has a base salary of $11.25 million for the 2023 campaign.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Of note –

@AdamSchefter

Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert’s 57 passes during Monday night’s matchup vs. Denver were the most in a winning effort without a passing touchdown in NFL history.

Beyond that, ESPN Stats & Info lets us know this:

It’s the 2nd time this season a player threw at least 57 passes and no TD (Kyler Murray).

Prior to this season it hadn’t happened since 2005 (Brett Favre).

– – –

DB MONTRELL WASHINGTON gets credit for a muffed fair catch in the stats, but the play was actually triggered by bonehead postioning by teammate P.J. LOCKE and an alert shove by Ja’SIR TAYLOR of the Chargers:

(Broncos punter JK) Scott boomed the punt about 60 yards with more than five seconds of hang time. As a result of the high, arching punt, Broncos core special teamer P.J. Locke had sufficient time to sprint down the field and set up to block around the Denver 33-yard line, where returner Montrell Washington was coming up the field, tracking the punt and calling for a fair catch.

With Locke and Washington within one yard of each other and Locke face-to-face with the Chargers’ Ja’Sir Taylor, Taylor perfectly timed a shove of Locke into Washington as the returner was about to field the punt. The ball hit off Washington’s leg — his second muff of the game — and was recovered by the Chargers’ Deane Leonard.

With a fair catch called, there was no need for Locke to try to block.

BALTIMORE

WR DeSEAN JACKSON may get one more gig.  TheRedZone.org:

Veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson made it clear last week that he still wants to play and he has a visited scheduled with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Jackson mentioned that he would like to play for either the Eagles or the Packers but apparently he is open to other options.  The 35-year-old  played half of last season for the Rams and half for the Ravens. He finished 2021 with 20 catches for 454 yards — a career-high average of 22.7 yards per catch, which suggests he hasn’t lost his speed.

Jackson has also played for Philadelphia, Washington and Tampa Bay in his 14-year NFL career.  The Ravens have a dearth of receiving options with Hollywood Brown in Arizona, Rashod Bateman dealing with a foot sprain, and few other options that could crack the 53-man rosters of at least half the teams in the NFL.  It would surprise no one to see Jackson spend the rest of his 15th NFL season in Baltimore.

CLEVELAND

A judge says the latest woman to sue QB DESHAUN WATSON cannot hide in anonymity.  Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com:

Judge Rabeea Sultan Collier ruled Monday that the plaintiff who filed a civil lawsuit against Deshaun Watson last week has 24 hours to amend her petition to include her name if she wants to go forward with the suit.

The ruling was made in an emergency hearing held in the 113th District Court in Harris County (Texas). During the hearing, Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, asked the court to order counsel to provide the name of the plaintiff and sanctions for not originally providing it.

The lawsuit, filed under the pseudonym Jane Doe, is the 26th known civil case filed against Watson accusing him of inappropriate sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massages. The previous lawsuits had been filed by attorney Tony Buzbee.

Hardin said during the hearing that his legal team compared the latest action to one of Buzbee’s cases, saying, “You see in that red line that they simply copied Mr. Buzbee’s pleading almost in toto.

“And the relevance to that is that Mr. Buzbee’s case is [one of the cases] in which the court ordered him to replead and give us the name,” Hardin said.

“There is no question they would not know they had to tell us the name.”

Hardin’s team spent 72 hours trying to get the name, he said, adding, “And therefore, we would like to ask for the name and we would like sanctions for making us go through this.”

HOUSTON

Legendary scribe John McClain has some thoughts at Gallery Sports on the departure of Jack Easterby – and he lets it all hang out:

The emasculation of Jack Easterby is complete.

Easterby was one of the worst things to happen to Houston sports, and his 3 ½-year reign as the Texans’ executive vice president of football operations is over. The McNair family fired him over the weekend, and, as far as fans in Houston are concerned, it’s good riddance.

Janice, Hannah and Cal McNair should get credit for finally giving Easterby his pink slip, a move that’ll improve the atmosphere at NRG Stadium for the Texans, who are 1-3-1 and preparing for Sunday’s game at Las Vegas.

Because he was so unpopular, a dark cloud hovered over Easterby. That cloud has dissipated.

Now the McNairs should reach out to Andre Johnson to see if he’s interested in returning to the organization. Johnson, who was a special advisor to Bill O’Brien in 2019 before resigning in August of 2020, has been an outspoken critic of Easterby. And he didn’t rip Easterby anonymously, either.

Bringing back Johnson, the team’s career receiving leader who was the first former player inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor, would be a wildly popular decision because he’s so respected by fans and media.

The Easterby firing, first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, set off rejoicing throughout the organization because he’d made so many enemies since he left New England and came to Houston in April of 2019.

Something happened after last season that caused the McNairs to see Easterby in a different light – the same dark light that everyone else saw.

During the offseason, Easterby’s influence with the McNairs diminished. He didn’t have the same decision-making authority. He was seldom seen or mentioned. He was forced into the background. It was apparent Easterby would be gone after the season, but the McNairs didn’t wait, and the Texans’ fan base is giving a 100-percent approval rating.

I pointed out before the first preseason game how the emasculation of Easterby was continuing. He was kicked off the sideline during games for the first time since 2019. Media called him “the high-five coach.”

When the McNairs hired Easterby, he was described as a “Man of God” who had contributed to helping the Patriots win two Super Bowls. He was their “character coach” who was available for players, coaches and others in the organization who needed him as an advisor.

As soon as he arrived in Houston, it became clear to many that Easterby had much grander goals than being a spiritual advisor. His critics said he wanted to run the organization. He helped get rid of others who stood in his way.

In his relatively short time with the Texans, Easterby made so many enemies that many contributed to Sports Illustrated doing two rip jobs in one season.

Easterby got rid of a lot of good people in the organization and replaced them with those who’d be loyal to him. They were in the minority.

I’ve never seen an executive in Houston sports try to take credit and blame others more than Easterby.

Others in the organization would do something positive, and Easterby would claim it was his idea when just about everyone knew it wasn’t.

Easterby leaked stories to his friends in the local and national media but denied to the McNairs that he was the source of the leak.

Last year, Easterby told some members of the media every bad decision had been made by  O’Brien.

Easterby used “I” all the time, and “we” wasn’t in his vocabulary.

Easterby infuriated his co-workers by trying to dictate where he had no business dictating.

For instance, Easterby knew absolutely nothing about media relations, and it didn’t come under his jurisdiction. That distinction belonged to team presidents Jamey Rootes and Greg Grissom.

Boundaries didn’t keep Easterby from trying to dictate policy about something in which he was clueless. He made sophomoric decisions that embarrassed the organization, like putting out a player roster with no numbers on it. He scrubbed the team’s highly popular website of everyone but owners, executives and department heads. That mistake has been rectified, too.

The power-hungry Easterby spent six years with the Patriots and became close friends with  director of player personnel Nick Caserio. Caserio gave him a strong recommendation to  O’Brien, who was in his sixth season as the Texans’ coach.

As soon as Easterby arrived in Houston, he and O’Brien collaborated on getting general manager Brian Gaine fired. With Easterby’s support, O’Brien was promoted to general manager by Cal McNair, which turned out to be disastrous for the Texans because of his terrible personnel decisions.

O’Brien once told the media the Texans would win multiple Super Bowls as long as Easterby was in the organization. Then Easterby back-stabbed O’Brien, leading to his firing. When Easterby was promoted to interim general manager, his power base grew.

Ask O’Brien today how he feels about Easterby, and his friends will say he wouldn’t pick up a garden hose if Easterby was on fire.

Cal McNair promoted Easterby to interim general manager after O’Brien was fired four games into the 2020 season. One thing Easterby did was to sign quarterback Josh McCown and place him on the practice squad.

Later that season, three players and one assistant coach told me off the record they thought Easterby would find a way to get McCown hired once Romeo Crennel finished the season as the interim coach. I didn’t believe them.

Easterby and McCown had bonded through ministries and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They were close before McCown came to the Texans.

Before David Culley was hired, Easterby did wrangle an interview for McCown, whose only coaching experience was as an offensive assistant at his sons’ high schools. After Culley was fired, McCown was interviewed three times. Easterby pushed the McNairs and Caserio to hire McCown as the new coach. And they almost did before coming to their senses and promoting Lovie Smith from associate head coach/defensive coordinator.

Easterby played a crucial role in getting Caserio hired as general manager in January of last year. They have the same agent, Bob Lamonte. When Caserio arrived at NRG Stadium, he had no idea about the overwhelming venom directed at Easterby by fans and media.

O’Brien always told reporters that decisions were made jointly by him and Easterby even though anybody with a lick of sense about how the Texans are run knew nobody told O’Brien what to do, including Easterby.

One reason Rootes resigned was because of Easterby. Privately, he told friends he’d had enough of Easterby’s interference. Grissom experienced many of the same problems.

The McNair family should have pulled the plug on Easterby when they fired O’Brien, but better late than never, right?

If Houston was Oz, fans would be singing, “Ding dong the witch is dead.”

TENNESSEE

TE Delanie Walker is formally retiring.  Turron Davenport of ESPN.com:

Former Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker announced Tuesday that he is officially retiring from the NFL.

“Playing this game, I did it for so long, I am so thankful,” Walker said via the team site. “I would say it worked out better than I could have imagined.”

Walker played 14 seasons starting in 2006 when the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the sixth round out of the University of Central Missouri. The Titans signed Walker to a four-year, $17.5 million contract in 2013.

As a Titans player, Walker became one of the most prolific tight ends in the NFL and was named to the Pro Bowl in three of his seven years in Nashville. Walker’s 28 touchdown receptions are the most for a Titans/Oilers tight end and his 4,423 receiving yards finished second in franchise history for tight ends.

Walker was a four-time team caption for the Titans and helped turn things around for the Titans when he joined the team. He last played seven games in 2019, a season that was impacted by lingering injuries. Walker was released in March 2020 and did not sign with another team.

“I want to congratulate Delanie on a fantastic NFL career,” said Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk. “His impact on our team and in our community is undoubtedly one to be celebrated and set a standard for others. He was a true professional in everything he did and was one of the key players who helped our organization reach the level of success that we have sustained for several years now.”

MIAMI

“Doctors” in the media are salivating as the Dolphins prepare to start QB TUA TAGOVIALOA on Sunday night.  Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com:

– Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will prepare this week as the team’s starter for Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday, marking his return to the football field after spending the past two weeks in concussion protocol.

Tagovailoa began football activities last week and cleared concussion protocol Saturday but was inactive for the Dolphins’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. McDaniel said he felt “really good” about getting Tagovailoa back on the practice field and liked how he responded. This will mark his first full week of practice since Week 3, and McDaniel said the impact of his return to the lineup is palpable.

“He’s a captain. He’s a captain for a reason, and as I’ve told you guys from the onset, I think he’s a very, very good player at that position,” McDaniel said. “So very good players, they definitely give people a boost — not because of what other people aren’t but more just because he is who he is. So he’s a strong fabric of this team, and that’s exciting when you get to go play with one of your brothers, which is why the team will be excited, and it will be exciting.”

Tagovailoa hasn’t played since Miami’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29, when he sustained a concussion that resulted in a brief hospitalization after hitting his head on the ground. The play occurred four days after a similar incident against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 25, when Tagovailoa hit his head on the ground and stumbled while trying to return to the huddle.

He was evaluated for a concussion at halftime of that Bills game but passed his examination. Both Tagovailoa and the team later said it was a previously sustained back injury that caused the stumble. However, the incident led the NFL and NFL Players Association to review the application of the concussion protocol and implement an amendment.

The Dolphins lost both games Tagovailoa missed, bringing their record to 3-3 after starting the season with three straight wins. At the time of his injury, Tagovailoa led the NFL in QBR and ranked second in passing yards and third in passing touchdowns. He was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2 after throwing for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns — both career-highs — in a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens.

McDaniel said he’s spoken with Tagovailoa about finding the balance between fighting to keep a play alive and learning when to accept that a given play is not going to work.

“There’s risks in this game and you’ve got to be able to control the controllables,” McDaniel said. “One thing for him is you love his competitive nature, but there is a time in a play where you have to kind of concede, and that’s where he’s kind of been focusing on because it’s something that’s not natural to him. He wants to break every tackle, and he doesn’t like when plays don’t work. Well, sometimes they won’t.

“So that’s something that he’s mindful of, and I think that that’s a consistency of all the really great quarterbacks that you think of, the guys that you look up to, the guys that kind of set forth the example of how to play the position, they do find ways to be available. And part of that is that concession, but that is — all things considered, that’s probably a good problem to have in terms of a competitor. You just need to be able to understand your importance to the team and how sometimes the best play you can make is a throwaway.”

Miami’s offense has seen a sharp decline without Tagovailoa on the field. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Dolphins ranked first and second in the league in points per drive and offensive expected points added, respectively. In the time since, they’ve fallen to 28th in offensive EPA and 29th in points per drive.

Both Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson started games in place of Tagovailoa but both were forced out of their lone starts due to concussion protocol and a thumb injury, respectively. Dolphins offensive lineman Robert Hunt said after Sunday’s game that injuries are “part of the business” of the NFL, and added Monday that while getting Tagovailoa back would be galvanizing, they have a job to do no matter who is at quarterback.

“Tua is Tua — Tua is our leader,” Hunt said. “He’s the guy who has been running the show and we’ll be excited to get him back. But exactly what you said — if not and it’s somebody else back there, we still got to do our job and try to play a game and win a game.”

THIS AND THAT

2023 DRAFT

Some thoughts on how the draft is shaping up from ESPN.com experts Mel Kiper, Jr., Jordan Reid and Matt Miller:

Who’s the biggest riser on your board through seven weeks?

Reid: Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee. The 6-foot-4 senior is making a strong argument to be included in the first tier of 2023 quarterbacks, and I now have him as my QB5. His accuracy at all three levels of the field has improved, and he’s showing off strong command of the Tennessee offense — which includes plenty of explosive play opportunities down the field. He has an easy throwing motion, and the ball comes out with zip to the short and intermediate areas. But he also has the touch to be an efficient deep-ball passer.

Miller: Chase Brown, RB, Illinois. Brown entered the season as a Day 3 player, but he’s a solid Day 2 candidate now. The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder has tackle-breaking ability, open-field speed, great hands and the moves to make defenders miss. Brown is dominating the stat sheet — he leads the nation with 1,059 rushing yards — and showing pro-level traits. He impressed once again on Saturday against Minnesota, gaining 180 yards on the ground and scoring on a 40-yard catch-and-run.

Kiper: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky. He has risen from No. 22 overall to No. 4 in my rankings and has a legitimate chance to be the No. 1 overall pick. I was extremely impressed with him again in the upset win over Mississippi State on Saturday night. After dealing with hand and foot injuries this season, he landed hard on his left shoulder in the second half and briefly went to the locker room to get checked out. But he returned to lead the Wildcats to a win, completing 17 of 23 passes with a touchdown and pick-six.

Which prospect has surprised you most through seven weeks?

Miller: Drew Sanders, OLB, Arkansas. I could make this the Hendon Hooker show, but Sanders — a transfer from Alabama — has been a standout playmaker for the Hogs. The 6-foot-5 junior is a do-it-all defender with 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 68 tackles. He’s now a top-15 player on my board and brings the type of versatility that NFL teams covet at the position.

Kiper: Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 360 pounds, he looks lighter on his feet and has done a great job mirroring pass-rushers. He hasn’t allowed a sack while playing more than 300 snaps at right tackle. A basketball player in high school, you can see that footwork show up in both the run and pass games. Jones engulfs defensive ends while opening up holes for his running backs. He has played his way into the top-50 discussion, and I have a second-round grade on him.

Reid: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU. I’m looking at the other side of things here, as Boutte has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2022 season. The 6-foot junior finally came alive against Florida with six catches and 115 yards, but he hadn’t recorded even 50 receiving yards in any of the five games leading up to the Tigers’ win over the Gators. He was a WR1 candidate coming into the season, but he has struggled to find consistency in the offense. His talent is evident, but with only 17 catches, 130 receiving yards and one touchdown this year, the production is concerning.

Who’s the prospect you’re watching most closely the rest of the season?

Kiper: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida. What a roller coaster of a season. Actually, every series is a roller coaster with him. At 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds, Richardson is the rawest draft-eligible passer, and yet he has the highest ceiling of any QB who could enter April’s draft. He just hasn’t put it together and been consistent. His accuracy comes and goes, he misses easy throws and he tosses bad picks (he has six TDs and seven INTs).

I want to see how Richardson fares down the stretch — the Gators play Georgia in two weeks and have a tough road game against Texas A&M after that — because that could determine whether he enters the 2023 draft or comes back to school. Again, Richardson has the talent to be the No. 1 overall pick, but he’s not close to reaching his ceiling.

Reid: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State. A hamstring injury has limited him to just two games, four catches and 36 yards this season, but he’s expected to return Saturday against Iowa. I want to see how Smith-Njigba follows up his historic sophomore season once he’s back in the lineup, and I’m curious how the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder will be incorporated into the offense — which hasn’t missed a beat without the standout receiver. He’s a deceptive route runner who is excellent maneuvering through traffic out of the slot, and even though he has missed time, Smith-Njigba is still my WR3.

Miller: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia. He came into the season with hype as a potential CB1 and top-10 pick, but Ringo has been quiet this year with just 15 tackles, two pass breakups and no interceptions. You could argue that opposing offenses are avoiding him, but that hasn’t been the case on tape. Ringo has the 6-foot-2, 210-pound size, speed and physicality to be a top-15 pick, but his play needs to step up over the final weeks of the regular season.

Make the case for C.J. Stroud as QB1 in April’s draft.

Miller: A general manager once told me that “size is a trait,” and Stroud has a 6-foot-3, 218-pound frame that Alabama’s Bryce Young lacks. And the Ohio State passer plays with efficiency that Kentucky’s Levis doesn’t yet. Stroud is a combination of his two main competitors for QB1 — big, mobile, strong-armed and accurate to all levels of the field. He will get plenty of questions about his scheme at Ohio State and the pro track record of previous Buckeyes quarterbacks, but the talent is undeniable. He has a fantastic 24-3 TD-to-INT ratio, and his 94.4 QBR leads the nation.

OK, how about Bryce Young?

Reid: Yes, Young’s 6-foot, 194-pound size will be an endless talking point. But when strictly evaluating his game, there isn’t a lot missing with Young overall. He has A+ poise, he is tough as nails and he is a true leader. Young showcases above-average arm strength and is supremely accurate, but the most impressive part of his evaluation is how calmly he plays the game. He is always in control, facilitating and creating for an Alabama offensive group that isn’t as talented as we’ve seen in past years. He has 16 touchdowns and three interceptions this season while completing 67.2% of his throws.

What about Will Levis?

Kiper: The 6-foot-3 Levis has everything NFL teams want in a starting quarterback, both physically and from the standpoint of being able to play right away. He has played in an NFL offense the past two seasons, which scouts will take notice of when comparing him to Stroud/Ohio State. He can power the ball to any point on the field and can bide time with his legs to escape the pocket and throw accurately off-platform.

Levis can step up in the pocket with the best of them, too, hanging in there until the last second to absorb pressure and deliver strikes with his quick release. He has some poor moments, but the good far outweighs the bad, and I can see a team — the Texans? — falling in love with him at the top of the board.