Four weeks in, football fans of the New York teams don’t know what a lead is like.

@WerderEdESPN

This is quite a note from @ESPNStatsInfo : There are two teams who haven’t run an offensive play with a lead this season: the New York Giants and the New York Jets.

The Giants trailed the Cardinals the whole game to get to a tie, then kicked the go-ahead field goal in the final minute and never ran a play.

The Jets won in overtime against the Bills on a walk-off punt return.

This from Jay Cuda:

@JayCuda

Zero of the 4 baseball teams in New York or Chicago made the playoffs.  First time since 2014.

In addition the Bears stink they are in last place obviously, the jets stink they are in last place, and the new york giants stink they are in last place too

The three NFL teams are a combined 2-10.

This:

@EvanHAbrams

Get New York off primetime…

The Giants and Jets are now a combined 𝟑–𝟐𝟕 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐮𝐩 in their last 30 games at night.

That includes, 1-14 SU in home night games (…yes, the Jets Week 1 vs. Bills broke the streak).

When the Eagles do it they get a first down.

When the Giants do it, this happens, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com:

The New York Giants not only were unsuccessful with the “tush push” but also lost two players to injury on the play in the first quarter Monday night. Rookie center John Michael Schmitz and tight end Daniel Bellinger left the 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium and did not return.

Schmitz is dealing with a shoulder injury, and Bellinger sustained a knee injury. They are undergoing further tests Tuesday to determine the severity.

“Yeah, both guys got hurt on that play,” coach Brian Daboll said of the fourth-and-1 rush attempt on the Giants’ opening drive Monday night.

“You walk through it,” he said. “It’s not a live rep of practice. We’ve been successful at it. Just not on that one.”

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Things are going so good for the Bears, they don’t need WR CHASE CLAYPOOL on Thursday.  Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com:

Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool will not be at Halas Hall this week or play Thursday night against the Commanders, coach Matt Eberflus said Monday.

“This morning, we informed him that he’s not going to be here this week for the game as well, and we just feel that’s best for the team at this time,” Eberflus said.

Claypool was a healthy scratch for Chicago’s 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos. The wide receiver was not at Soldier Field on Sunday and was told not to attend the game, according to a team spokesperson.

Eberflus declined to explain specifics about why the Bears feel it’s best for Claypool to be away from the team as Chicago prepares to play Washington on Thursday. Claypool was informed of the team’s decision Monday morning, according to Eberflus.

“It comes down to this. When you’re evaluating players in meetings, in practice, in walk-throughs, all those things, it’s important that you evaluate the entire body of work, right?” Eberflus said. “And we just feel that right now Chase is going to be out of the building, it’s best for our football team.”

On Sunday, Eberflus told reporters that it was Claypool’s choice whether to attend the game as an inactive player or stay home. During his weekly appearance on “Kap & J.Hood” on ESPN 1000 Monday morning, the coach said he wanted to “correct the record” and offered an explanation for why his information was different from the team’s.

“At the podium [Sunday], obviously after an emotional game, I was not clear on what transpired there,” Eberflus said. “We did ask Chase to stay home during that time. We felt it was in the best interest of the team. We always base our inactives based on meetings, based on practice, based on walk-throughs during the course of the week. And we made him inactive for that point.”

Eberflus said the team would “see where it goes” regarding the wide receiver’s future with the organization and whether he would be traded or released.

“[General manager] Ryan [Poles] does all the trades and transactions, and we’ll decide that as we go forward,” Eberflus said.

Claypool expressed frustration with his role in the Bears’ offense Friday. When asked whether he feels he has been put in the best position to showcase his skill set, the wide receiver paused for seven seconds before saying “No.”

Eberflus said after the game that Claypool’s comments did not factor into him being made inactive, which the team informed the receiver of over the phone Saturday. The Bears coach did not give specifics as to why Claypool was made inactive but pointed to the team’s “standard.”

“I came here, Day 1, I talked about being on time, being respectful and working hard,” Eberflus said. “That to me is important for every individual — if it’s a staff member, a player or a coach. That’s where we are. We feel right now this is the best decision for us.”

He then added: “We have a standard for that. We have standards for that. And if those standards are met, then everything’s good. If it’s not, then it’s not.”

Tight end Cole Kmet, who played college football with Claypool at Notre Dame, called the benching “unfortunate” and said he planned to reach out to the receiver Monday.

“Look, I’m just going to be there for him as a friend, you know what I mean?” Kmet said. “At the end of the day, we’re all adults here and everyone gets to make their own decisions and can say what they want to say on things and act how they want to act, whatever it may be. But as a friend, I’m always there for Chase, whether he’s here or somewhere else, wherever it is.”

Quarterback Justin Fields lauded Claypool as an offensive weapon and passionate player but said the receiver “has to work on his display of emotions,” something he said he has spoken to Claypool about previously.

When asked for his perspective on why things have devolved between the Bears and the wide receiver, Kmet pointed to Claypool’s frustrations amid the Bears’ 0-4 start.

“I go back to the losing,” Kmet said. “I think losing can be hard for guys to deal with. It’s been hard for me to manage, but you’ve got to find ways to get back to work, clear your mind, every day. It’s hard — look, I haven’t won a game in almost a year now, and trust me, I take it home with me and it hurts, man, it hurts. It’s hard to deal with it, but we’ve all got to be adults about it and be able to move on and be able to trust the process set.

“That can be hard to do sometimes when things aren’t going your way and maybe you’re not getting the targets you want, and you’re not winning, all those things kinda add up and you get frustrated, but you have to be a man about it, be an adult about it and be able to reset your mind each and every week and just look to improve yourself individually, each and every day.”

The Bears sent the No. 32 pick to Pittsburgh last November in exchange for Claypool, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. In the 10 games he has played in Chicago, Claypool has struggled to establish a high-volume role for himself, having caught 18 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown.

This:

@MySportsUpdate

#Bears HC Matt Eberflus got nearly 20 straight questions to open his presser today about what’s happening with Chase Claypool.

Just got grilled on the topic… Question after question…

And this:

@BrendanSugrue

The last two external consultants, Ernie Acorsi and Bill Polian, landed the Bears John Fox and Matt Eberflus, respectively. They each had ties to their preferred candidate.

Combined, they have a record of 17-52.

No more consultants.

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants have played four games or eight halves of football this season.

In the second half at Arizona, they scored 31 points.  In the other 3 and a half games, they have now scored 15 points.

Or 4 TDs in that one half against Arizona, 1 in the other 6 halves.

This from NFL Rumors:

@nflrums

The New York Giants are the only team to play 3 prime-time games so far this season; they’re 0-3 and have been outscored 94-15  in those 3 games. VIA ESPN Stats.

Coach Brian Daboll appeared to be in the grill of QB DANIEL JONES.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

After a game-sealing, full-field pick-six on Monday night, cameras caught Giants coach Brian Daboll talking in somewhat animated fashion to quarterback Daniel Jones as he left the field. Not long after that, Daboll was seen showing Jones an image on a tablet before tossing it with a spin as he walked away.

What was Daboll trying to show Jones on the tablet?

“I was trying to show him — kind of see what he thought and then kind of tell him what I saw,” Daboll told reporters in response to that question.

What was supposed to happen on the play that ended up going the wrong way for a touchdown?

“Yeah, I’m not gonna get into the particulars of it,” Daboll said. “Just, we didn’t get the job done.”

In Jones’s defense, how was he supposed to see Waller? How was Jones supposed to see anyone? He was under constant duress throughout Monday night’s game. He had no chance to confidently set up and find a receiver. Ever.

It’s amazing that they were even in position to score a touchdown. It happened mainly because, when all else failed (and all else did fail), Jones ran with the ball.

Quarterbacks get the credit when things go well. They get the blame when things go poorly. Last night, things went poorly because the Giants offensive line was Swiss cheese. Without the cheese.

NFC SOUTH

TAMPA BAY

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com is back on the Buccaneers bandwagon:

After spending a day with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their minicamp in May, I left thinking they would be the NFC South winner, even with Tom Brady gone.

They still have a lot of top-tier veteran players, while adding a nice mix of young speed to the roster. They also have Baker Mayfield at quarterback, which I thought would be good enough to get them the division title back in May.

When I went back to visit the Bucs in training camp in July, things changed. Mayfield was in a quarterback competition with Kyle Trask — yes, it was real — and the bright outlook of May seemed to dim, at least in my mind, by late July.

So I picked the New Orleans Saints to win the division before the season.

Now a month into the season, the Bucs lead the NFC South, doing so on the basis of an impressive road victory against the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans. At 3-1, Todd Bowles did a nice job of getting his team to respond against a division rival on a short week after a terrible showing against the Philadelphia Eagles last Monday night.

Mayfield is a big reason why. He was 25-for-32 for 246 yards and three touchdown passes against the Saints. The guy who seemingly always plays with a chip on his shoulder responded in a big way after a so-so showing against the Eagles.

Mayfield was why I thought Tampa Bay could win the division in the first place. But when the competition became a reality, and Mayfield seemed to be pressing when I was there for training camp, that changed my thinking.

Then he bounced back in the preseason to take the job, and now Tampa Bay has won three of four, including two road games at Minnesota and at New Orleans. That has the Bucs up to 10th in my Power Rankings this week as they head to their bye. After that, it’s a big home game with the Detroit Lions, followed by a home game against the Falcons. Is 5-1 out of the question? No way.

The defense is seventh in points allowed, giving up 17 per game. They are tied for second in the league with Dallas in takeaways per game with a 2.5 average, while also being tied for 10th with five other teams with an average of three sacks per game.

Bowles is known for defense, but young offensive coordinator Dave Canales, a rising star in the profession, has done a nice job with the offense. Mayfield has responded with seven touchdown passes and two picks while being sacked only four times. That’s impressive considering the line was a major concern heading into the season.

Sometimes you have to stick to your first instinct, which is what I should have done with my initial thoughts on the Bucs. They are the team to beat now in the NFC South.

Tom who?

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

This from Pete Prisco:

1 49ERS          

There is no doubt who the best team in the league is right now. They do face a tough test Sunday night against the Cowboys.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Sean McVay echoes the contention of QB MATTHEW STAFFORD that the veteran will not miss any time with his hip injury.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

After Sunday’s overtime victory over the Colts, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said he’ll play on Sunday, against the Eagles. On Monday, the man in charge of the team chimed in.

“We’ll be smart with him, but he should be good to go,” coach Sean McVay said, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website. “He’s a stud, and obviously we saw him gut through that yesterday. Definitely took a good shot there. But we feel like he should be good to go.”

McVay added that he doesn’t expect Stafford to be limited in practice this week. McVay added, “We’ll see.”

McVay described the hip injury as a “good deep bruise, and some swelling and things like that, that really happened immediately.”

Stafford, per McVay, is “nice and sore” today. The fact that they won the game probably makes it feel a little better than it otherwise would.

The first official word on Stafford’s status will come from Wednesday’s injury report.

SEATTLE

This note on CB DEVON WITHERSPOON:

@OptaSTATS

Devon Witherspoon of the @Seahawks  is the only NFL player (rookie or not) to have 2.0+ sacks and a 95+ yard TD in the same game (since sacks became an official stat for defenders in 1982).

No other rookie has had 2.0+ sacks and a 95+ yard TD over the course of an entire season.

We doubt there are many 95-yard TDs by defensive rookies to start with.

For a 5^th overall pick, Witherspoon had been kind of under the radar – until Monday night.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Anyone wondering why the Seahawks took cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick of this year’s draft got a pretty good illustration of it on Monday night.

The Seahawks came into the game down three defensive backs and they slid Witherspoon into the nickel spot as a result of the missing pieces. It turned out to be a great move for the defense because Witherspoon was all over the field during the 24-3 win. He sacked Daniel Jones twice and returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

It’s the second time that a defensive back has had multiple sacks and a pick-six since sacks became an official stat in 1982 and head coach Pete Carroll said the “beautiful job” that Witherspoon did is a sign of things to come.

“Playing the position, if you compare it to playing corner, there’s so many more things that happen,” Carroll said in his postgame press conference. “And there’s guys on both sides of you, you’re not playing on the edge, and there’s runs and passes and blitzes and mixes of coverages and things like that, that makes it a position for a guy that can handle all of that naturally. A lot of this is natural skill and awareness that he could pick stuff up so soon and be so dynamic in there in such short order. He’s just going to get better and better. And so, it’s a really, really exciting thing to watch for us and so we’ll keep going with it.”

If Monday night was just a preview of what the rest of Witherspoon’s rookie year will look like, the Seahawks may be celebrating a defensive rookie of the year award winner once the season is over.

– – –

QB GENO SMITH didn’t mince words after the game on a Giants tackle technique.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Geno Smith was ready to write back tonight. And then some.

Smith was pulled down along the sideline in the second quarter in an awkward way. Giants defender Isaiah Simmons dragged Smith to the turf with a hip-drop tackle. He missed the rest of the half with a knee injury that required X-rays.

After the game, Geno sounded off to Lisa Salters of ESPN.

What happened? she asked.

“A dirty play,” Smith said. “Dirty play. You guys could see it. It was a dirty play. There’s no place in this sport for that. And, you know, hopefully something happens. But other than that, the grace of God allowed me to come back into this game.”

He was upset after the hit and beyond, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct foul after he returned to action. Why was he so mad?

“You know what?” Smith said. “I don’t respect that type of stuff, you know what I mean? There’s no need for that type of stuff. It’s a hard-fought game out there. We’re all battling. But no need to take shots at guys running out of bounds on the sideline.”

The hip-drop maneuver has created controversy. A push to outlaw it in the offseason was unsuccessful. The injury risk is very similar to the risk from the banned horse-caller tackle, as the body of the tackler comes down on the ball-carrier’s lower legs. (Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has argued against making the hip-drop tackle illegal.)

Legal or not, this one happened when Smith was out of bounds.

The Seahawks have a bye, giving him extra time to heal. It doesn’t sound like he needs it.

“I’m fine,” he told Salters. “I’m fine. God is good.”

The Seahawks are good, too. And whether it was Smith or Drew Lock or Jim Zorn or Rick Mirer or Dan McGwire or Pete Carroll at quarterback, the defense was more than enough to propel Seattle to a huge win, pushing them to 3-1.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

A story on the most important question facing the Vikings regarding Chiefs availability for Sunday per the Daily Mail:

The Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift frenzy may well continue in Minnesota this weekend – but the Vikings have plans to burst their bubble.

Swift, who is currently dating Chiefs tight end Kelce, has dominated headlines in recent weeks after watching her new beau in action at Arrowhead and MetLife Stadium.

The pop sensation first rocked up to Kansas City’s home arena for their 41-10 victory over the Bears, before heading to New Jersey with celebrity pals Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and more to see Sunday’s 23-20 win against the Jets.

It has been a whirlwind start to Swift’s romance with Kelce, and her appearance at MetLife last weekend brought in a staggering 29 million viewers at its peak on NBC.

Now it’s Minnesota’s turn to host Kelce and Co this Sunday, although it is currently unclear whether Swift will attend her third straight game or not.

Regardless, Vikings cornerback Murphy has been left stunned by the levels of hysteria surrounding her and Kelce, whom they plan to rough up in front of his new flame at US Bank Stadium.

‘Oh man, the social media is going crazy,’ he said about the league’s embrace of the Swift-Kelce saga.

‘And I’m not hating against it. That’s the world we’re living in. Is she going to come to this game?

‘We’re locked in, but that would be something. I’ve been watching her since I was a kid. That would be cool, for sure.

‘Not for him, because we’re going to try to get our hands on him in front of her.’

Heading into Sunday’s game, the Chiefs are 3-1 and in control of their own destiny in the early days of the AFC West title race, while Minnesota is holding a 1-3 record after starting their season with three very close losses.

Not everyone has been enjoying Swift mania in the NFL, nevertheless, with a number of diehard football fans hitting out at NBC for their frequent coverage of the singer during Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and the Jets.

Several users took to social media in their droves to share their thoughts, with one writing: ‘Please don’t play a Taylor Swift on your TV drinking game… you’ll be hospitalized, if you aren’t already.’

Another added: ‘These Taylor Swift cutaways during Chiefs games have got to go.’

While much of the buildup surrounded the potential of Swift being at the stadium, the most furious reaction came after the Chiefs’ first touchdown, when cameras immediately cut to Taylor and her celebrity pals in their suite.

Given it was Isiah Pacheco scoring the points rather than Kelce, some fans were left furious, claiming they should have instead shown the players celebrating on the field.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also accused the NFL of ‘simping’ over Swift during the game.

He posted on X: ‘This is nuts. The NFL is simping for Taylor’.

Portnoy later moaned that Swift is bringing chaos to Sunday Night Football, writing: ‘There is almost too much stuff going on for a Swiftie, a football fan and somebody who bet 25k on chiefs and has Kelce on my fantasy team.’

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

An update on QB JUSTIN HERBERT’s “flesh wound” from Kris Rehm of ESPN.com:

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert fractured the middle finger on his left hand, the team confirmed Monday.

Herbert would be listed as probable and would play this Sunday if the Chargers weren’t on a bye this week, a team spokesperson said.

The injury, on Herbert’s non-throwing hand, came in the third quarter of Sunday’s 24-17 victory over the Raiders.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley called Herbert a “tough customer,” on Monday. He said to expect that Herbert would not take the majority of his snaps from under center, and that they are going to “change it up as much as we can.”

Herbert said the injury resulted from his finger getting stuck in a helmet after he threw an interception caught by Raiders cornerback Tre’von Moehrig. Herbert sat on the field after the play and then headed to the medical tent with an athletic trainer who covered Herbert’s hand with a towel.

When Herbert returned to the field for the Chargers’ next possession, his left hand was wrapped in a bandage, and he had a splint on his finger. He later put on a glove, and he was still wearing the splint after the game.

For all but one snap for the remainder of the game, the offense operated from the shotgun and pistol formation, instead of under center, to make handling the ball easy for Herbert. The injury didn’t appear to bother Herbert much Sunday, as he connected with receiver Joshua Palmer for a 45-yard pass to seal the win.

The bye week comes at a perfect time for the Chargers who were also without three of their best players in running back Austin Ekeler, outside linebacker Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James Jr. on Sunday. They will play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.

“I think what’s top of our list is just rest,” Staley said, “and making sure we get a fresh group going into Dallas that’s hungry. And you know that that’s ready to go play a quality game against a quality team.”

AFC NORTH

CLEVELAND

TE DAVID NJOKU was impressive on Sunday after a painful household accident.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Browns tight end David Njoku played on Sunday despite suffering burns on his face and arm in a household accident. That won him the praise of head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Stefanski said there wasn’t much to like about the Browns’ 28-3 loss, but he loved what he saw from Njoku.

“The way he played was unbelievable to me with what he went through. Not just the pass game, the run game, he was the first guy picking his teammates up off the ground, it felt like every single play. He was a warrior,” Stefanski said. “It was impressive to watch.”

On a mostly ugly day for the Browns’ offense, Njoku led the team with six catches for 46 yards. And he demonstrated his toughness to his coaches and teammates, who undoubtedly were impressed that he was playing through pain for his team.

PITTSBURGH

The Steelers have a reason to start QB MITCHELL TRUBISKY if they wish.  Or at least that’s what it sounds like in the wake of putting only 6 points on the board in a KENNY PICKETT start in Houston.  CBSSports.com”

The Steelers’ struggling signal-caller suffered a knee injury on a failed fourth-down try in the third quarter. He was helped off by trainers and immediately replaced by backup Mitchell Trubisky. He had guided just 93 net passing yards while throwing his fourth interception in as many games before exiting. Pittsburgh ruled him out shortly afterward. Pickett is dealing with a bone bruise in his knee and could sideline him this week, per NFL Media. The team reportedly isn’t ruling him out for this week, but could choose to hold him out until after their Week 6 bye.

– – –

This from Dov Kleiman:

@NFL_DovKleiman

𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: #Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said there is no thoughts on changes to offensive coaching or play caller.

“Not at this juncture, no.”

Tomlin said that the “changes” he was referring to was more about the physicality and the practice attire but the offensive coaching is “Not good enough.”

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

The DB has seen QB C.J. STROUD play in two of his four games – and it seems pretty clear that he is really good.

Danny Kanell puts him even higher up the food chain.  Grant Bricker ofSaturdayTradition.com:

C.J. Stroud’s NFL career is off to a hot start through four games.

Danny Kanell called him Stroud phenomenal Monday and dubbed the Ohio State product as the best rookie in the 2023 NFL Draft class so far.

“He has been phenomenal. He is the best rookie in this class so far through four games and he is the best rookie quarterback through four games in the history of the NFL. I did a little research after watching him play. Cam Newton is first, then it’s C.J., and then Andrew Luck. Here’s the difference. Newton through four games, four interceptions. Luck through four games five interceptions. You mentioned zero interceptions. It’s unbelievable. Stroud’s first two games he was getting sacked and beat a lot. It didn’t faze him or impact his decision making. He has been spectacular.”

To say Stroud has been spectacular is an understatement. After Sunday’s 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stroud has 1,212 yard passing and 6 touchdowns. The Houston Texans are 2-2 and currently in second place in the AFC South.

The Texans may have struck gold on their top draft pick out of Columbus. Stroud travels to Atlanta to take on the Falcons next. It’ll be interesting to how long Stroud can keep this up.

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND

Mike Florio joins Peter King as a media insider who is reading the tea leaves on Coach Bill Belichick:

Bill Belichick suffered his worst loss ever on Sunday. It couldn’t have happened in a worse possible year.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft, in significant comments that went largely overlooked in March, created the distinct impression that Belichick’s ability to chase and catch Don Shula’s all-time win record hinged on winning enough games to make the team competitive in the short term.

“You guys have posted a losing record two of the last three seasons . . . if that happens again, could Bill [Belichick’s] job be in jeopardy, or is he here to break Don Shula’s all-time wins record and beyond?” Kraft was asked at the league meetings.

“Look, I’d like him to break Don Shula’s record,” Kraft replied, “but I’m not looking for any our players to get great stats. We’re about winning, and doing whatever we can to win. And that’s what our focus is now. And I — it’s very important to me that we make the playoffs, and that’s what I hope happens next year.”

The answer was not, “Bill Belichick has won six Super Bowls. He will coach this team as long as he wishes.” No, on the subject of the specific stat of wins, Kraft made it clear that the team needs plenty of those wins now. As in enough wins to get to the playoffs. Now.

Sunday’s loss dropped the Patriots to 1-3. They’ve been 1-3 for three straight years. They were blown off the field by the Cowboys. Also, there’s a very real rivalry between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (who has a Hall of Fame jacket and bust) and Kraft (who has neither). Jones now holds bragging rights for at least two years, likely four.

Currently, the Krafts are not keeping up with the Joneses. The gap between the quality of the teams is enormous, and everyone saw it last night, as the appetizer to the Taylor Swift game.

In late June, Kraft made it clear that he would get satisfaction from only one thing: “Number 7.” At this rate, they won’t even get seven wins. At this rate, a “mutual parting” between the Patriots and Belichick feels like it is in the offing.

Really, what else can Kraft do but to start over? Belichick has had four seasons post-Brady. Belichick has been to the playoffs once without Tom Brady. Last year was a disaster. This year is shaping up to be another one.

It’s unprecedented territory for any NFL owner. No coach has gone from being so great to so mediocre. But that’s where the Patriots are. And no one cares much about championships that are now at least a half of a decade into the rear-view mirror.

As Jerry Glanville once said, the NFL means “not for long” — if you’re not succeeding. Belichick currently is not succeeding. His past success only makes his present struggles more glaring.

– – –

A big injury for the Patriots:

New England Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon is scheduled to have surgery on his torn right biceps Wednesday, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Judon hopes to play again this season, but there is uncertainty whether he can or will, a source told Schefter.

Judon, a four-time Pro Bowler, was injured early in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday when he reached his right arm out to tackle running back Deuce Vaughn.

In addition to Judon, the Patriots also lost starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez to a right shoulder injury late in the first quarter. Gonzalez is expected to be sidelined, also indefinitely, with a torn labrum, a source told Schefter.

The Patriots were trailing 31-3 when Judon was injured. Coach Bill Belichick was asked after the game whether there was any consideration of removing Judon from the game — similar to what Belichick did with starting quarterback Mac Jones by pulling him with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter — but said that wasn’t discussed by the coaching staff.

Judon entered Sunday’s game with a team-high four quarterback sacks. He had a career-high 15.5 sacks in the 2022 season.

Four-year veteran Anfernee Jennings and 2023 second-round pick Keion White are among the top options to fill his void.

The Patriots (1-3) host the New Orleans Saints (2-2) on Sunday.

THIS AND THAT

PAYING ROOKIES

There was a time rookies were vastly overpaid compared to veteran players.  Now, the CBA has turned things around – and the University of Southern California is paying QB CALEB WILLIAMS so much, he has no financial incentive to turn pro.

Not sure where NFC North News got this info, but we don’t doubt there is truth in it:

@NFCNorthNewss

BREAKING: Caleb Williams says he can make more money returning to USC next season then as a rookie in the NFL and says he can pick what team he wants to go to because of that.😳

Caleb’s only 5 team he would play for are the #Cowboys, #Raiders, #Vikings, #Giants, and #49ers. 👀

THE 3 EARLY FIRST ROUND QBs

One is great, one is promising, one hasn’t done much yet – Derrik Klassen of The 33^rdTeam with a nice look at the three QBs who went off the board in the first four picks in May:

Think back to the conversations about the 2023 quarterback class six months ago. Bryce Young was the unquestioned No.1 pick. C.J. Stroud was a talented passer, but one with questions to answer about his skills outside the pocket and the history of Ohio State quarterbacks. Anthony Richardson was a complete tear-down and rebuild project after barely completing half his passes in college.

That’s exactly how the draft order shook out, too. The Carolina Panthers took Young with the first pick, the Houston Texans got the next-best bet in Stroud, and the Indianapolis Colts took their usual swing on high-end traits with Richardson.

It turns out a lot can change in six months of NFL time.

Bryce Young Struggling In Carolina

The Bryce Young era in Carolina hasn’t gone according to plan a month into it. Young was supposed to bring a spark to the Panthers’ offense and elevate the talent around him. That’s the expectation of any No.1 pick in a vacuum, but that’s also what Young did at Alabama. Alabama’s offensive line and skill talent weren’t near the program’s typical standard during Young’s time in college, but everything he gave them as a problem solver and playmaker made up for it.

That Young was a historically small prospect at 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds wasn’t supposed to matter.

Young hasn’t been able to beat the small quarterback allegations in the pros yet. He’s already serving as an example of the difference between high-end college athletes and pro athletes. NFL pass-rushers are bigger and faster, NFL throwing windows are tighter, and NFL defenses are far more complex than anything Young saw in college. All of that is catching up to Young, who is used to overcoming imperfect play in structure with his creation ability.

The results through three games have been ugly. Young is averaging 4.9 yards per pass and has been sacked 11 times. A few drops and some questionable offensive line play factor into that, but the point of a No.1 pick is that they should transcend that to some degree.

Instead, you get screen-heavy game plans like the one we saw from the Panthers in their 20-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Young just doesn’t have the physical tools to fix the problems the Panthers offense has.

Anthony Richardson’s Flashes of Brilliance

Richardson is the anti-Young. He’s a cyborg-turned-quarterback who many believed would take time to acclimate to the NFL because of his accuracy issues and perceived inability to process — a bogus claim from the jump, to be clear.

It’s not taken Richardson any time to acclimate to the NFL. At least not in terms of handling the mental side and being an NFL-level playmaker. Richardson came out firing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, scored two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter of Week 2 against the Texans and took the Los Angeles Rams down to the wire in Week 4. Accuracy is still an issue, but there’s no doubt he has the tools and mental makeup to be a force.

The difference between Richardson and Young is the Colts quarterback has the athletic tools to make up for an imperfect supporting cast and to mask typical rookie struggles.

The 6-4 Richardson can stand tall in the pocket and scan the field. If Richardson ends up late on a throw, he can throw 100 mph to make up for lost time. If Richardson has to leave the pocket, he runs a 4.44 and can outrace most NFL defenders to the edge. Richardson has all the tools that let a rookie screw up and buy themselves extra opportunities; Young doesn’t.

C.J. Stroud’s Immediate Returns

Then there’s Stroud, who resides in a different plane from the other two altogether. Stroud is a throwback pocket passer. To many, that was a fault during the draft process.

While Stroud’s accuracy and decision-making in college were phenomenal, there was concern that pulling him out of the cushy environment at Ohio State would make things slow down for him and expose his average ability to create outside of structure.

That couldn’t be further from what we’ve seen through a month of play.

Stroud has everything you want. Purely as a thrower, it doesn’t get prettier than watching Stroud. He’s got zoomer Matt Ryan vibes with how he can bend the ball to his will to all three field levels down in and out.

Stroud maximizes what he’s got with excellent anticipation, too. At 6-3, Stroud comfortably sees the field from the pocket and already anticipates throwing windows like a veteran. He’s not afraid to throw before the break and trusts his man to get open.

None of the “Ohio State system quarterback” issues come up in Stroud’s play, either. The Texans gave him the full playbook from the jump and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is calling plays like he knows he has a certified dude at quarterback. Stroud executes the classic under center Shanahan play-action stuff just as well as handles the quick game from empty sets or five-step dropbacks on third-and-12. It’s all on the table for him.

The Texans ask Stroud to make big boy reads and throws, and he’s executing as well as any rookie has in the modern era.

Better yet, the game hasn’t been too fast for Stroud outside the pocket. It turns out the flashes we saw against Michigan and Georgia at the end of his final college season weren’t a mirage. That’s just who he is when the lights shine bright enough. Stroud has proven more than capable of making defenders miss and scrambling around to salvage otherwise broken plays. Now, he’s never going to be the agent of chaos that Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes is, but he’s more than capable of getting active when plays break down.

That has culminated in fantastic early returns on Stroud’s rookie year. Not that passing yards are a perfect barometer, but Stroud is already in rare company. Stroud’s 1,212 passing yards make him the third player in history with at least 1,200 passing yards through their first four starts. Cam Newton and Andrew Luck are the only other two quarterbacks to do so, and Justin Herbert fell just five yards short. All three of those guys won Offensive Rookie of the Year and became multi-time Pro Bowlers and even an MVP in Newton’s case. History is on Stroud’s side.

Where Do They Go From Here?

The 2023 quarterback class shows all three shades of rookie play.

Stroud is the guy who stepped in right away and looked like a pro. Luck, Herbert and Newton had that aura about them. Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott had some of that, too.

Richardson, inconsistent as he may be, is an uber-talented player with enough flashes of command and toughness to feel good about moving forward. Josh Allen was an extreme version of that, but Lamar Jackson falls into that mold as well. In the end, the wait was well worth it for those two.

Young is in limbo; neither capable enough within structure to move the offense right away nor talented enough to be explosive. The former can and will change as he gets more reps, but the latter won’t. He’s not going to get any bigger or faster. The margin for error isn’t going to change for him.

Now, the story is far from written for this quarterback class. We’re not even through the first chapter. But for the time being, two rookie quarterbacks look like good long-term investments. Neither of them is the guy who was drafted with the first overall pick.

2024 DRAFT

Will the Steelers and Patriots both get top 10 picks next year?  Austin Mock and Chris Burke of The Athletic think so:

Just a month into the season, the top of the 2024 NFL Draft order might be coming into focus a bit.

To get an update on where things stand, we turn to Austin Mock’s projections. Mock projects the score for every game and the final win percentage for every team using his NFL betting model. The model phases out older data and uses data from this year as the season progresses. The simulation then runs 100,000 times after each day of games to give us, in this case, our projected top-10 draft order plus each team’s projected win total and playoff chances.

How does that projected top 10 look after Week 4?

Projected top 10 (as of Oct. 3) 

                                                Proj. Wins        Playoff Chance

1. Chicago                                 3.6                    0.2%

2. Carolina (CHI pick)               4.6                      0.6%

3. Arizona                                 5.3                      1.6%

4. New York Jets                      5.6                      3.3%

5. Denver                                 6.3                       5.3%

6. New York Giants                 6.7                      12.2%

7. New England                       6.9                       14.9%

8. Las Vegas                           7.0                       8.9%

9. Pittsburgh                            7.1                      16.2%

10. Minnesota                         7.2                      18.8%

A few thoughts on this week’s projections:

1. A Texans turnaround

How ’bout what’s going on in Houston? Behind Offensive Rookie of the Year-level play from QB C.J. Stroud, the Texans have steamrolled the Jaguars and Steelers on back-to-back weekends to climb into the AFC South race. Two weeks ago, when the Texans were 0-2, they were sitting on 4.7 projected wins and a 1.2-percent playoff chance. Now, they’re at 7.9 and 25.4, respectively.

Their recent success is bad news for the Cardinals, though. Arizona owns Houston’s first-round pick in 2024 and, at one point, it appeared the Cardinals might have a shot at picking 1-2 come April. After Week 4, they’re projected to hold picks 3 and 14 instead — a terrific haul, no doubt, but one that could make their draft dreams a little trickier to fulfill.

The Texans’ division-title odds (15.4 percent) are still the lowest of any AFC South team (Jacksonville has the best shot, 39.6 percent). However, as Houston has shown, things can change in a hurry.

2. Chicago’s stranglehold on No. 1

After The Athletic’s Adam Jahns suggested last week that “there is no rock bottom” for the Bears, we wondered aloud in this space what “worse” could even look like. Well, we have our answer.

Facing a Denver team that currently has one of the worst defenses this league has ever seen, the Bears blew a 28-7 home lead, wasted Justin Fields’ phenomenal performance (28 of 35, 335 yards, four TDs, one INT), and at least pried open the door on a winless season. As is, they’ve dropped 13 straight dating back to last season.

Their most recent meltdown coupled with Carolina’s loss Sunday left Chicago holding picks Nos. 1 and 2 in our projections — and in the current draft order, were the season to end today. That’s the same spot Arizona was in two weeks back. Mock’s model now puts the Bears at 3.6 projected wins and the Panthers, who traded their first-rounder to Chicago ahead of the 2023 draft, at 4.4. The next closest teams are the Cardinals (5.3) and Jets (5.6).

3. A top-10 pick for the Steelers?

By Steelers standards, this has been a rather frustrating multiyear stretch. Mike Tomlin’s team crept into the playoffs at 9-7-1 two seasons ago, missed out at 9-8 last year and are off to an entirely uninspiring 2-2 start this year. Sunday’s 30-6 loss in Houston, which included an injury to QB Kenny Pickett, was about as ugly as it’s been.

Pittsburgh has never finished below .500 in Mike Tomlin’s 16-year coaching career, but our projections suggest that run could end in 2023 — Mock’s model has the Steelers at 7.1 projected wins and a 16.2-percent playoff chance (which is higher than it probably felt for anyone watching in Week 4).

The Steelers’ last top-10 pick came in 2019 (Devin Bush), and they traded up 10 spots to make it.They haven’t picked earlier than No. 10 since way back in 2000, when they selected Plaxico Burress. Obviously, Pittsburgh would prefer to keep its streak of non-losing seasons alive and make a playoff push, but this also looks like a team that could use the influx of talent a high draft slot might offer.

4. A modest boost for Minnesota

Are you writing off the Vikings? A 13-game winner and NFC North champion last season, Minnesota had to come back from a 13-7 halftime deficit at Carolina to claim its first win. Updated Minnesota projections: 7.2 wins, 18.8-percent playoff chance, 5.2-percent shot at a division title. Those numbers didn’t boost the Vikings enough to get them out of the top 10, but they were an uptick from last week’s projected win total (6.9) and playoff chances (17.2).

An upcoming stretch on the schedule figures to be revealing, one way or the other. The Vikings host the defending champion Chiefs this week, then — after a Week 6 trip to Chicago — get another marquee home game, on a Monday night against San Francisco. They’ll follow that up with road trips to Green Bay and Atlanta.

5. The Patriots are fading

The projected No. 9 pick last week; the projected No. 7 pick (and a win total of just 6.9) this week — it’s starting to look bleak early for Bill Belichick’s squad.

It doesn’t help that New England plays in the same division with two teams among the top six in Super Bowl chances: Buffalo (11.8 percent, third-best) and Miami (7.8 percent, sixth-best). The Patriots still have three games left on their schedule against those rivals (two versus Buffalo and an October trip to Miami). The optimist might say that gives Belichick a chance to storm back into the division race. The realist might be penciling in three losses.