W-L               Conf

1  Philadelphia        East        7-1                   5-0

2  Detroit                 North      6-2                   4-1

3  Seattle                West       5-2                   4-1

4  Atlanta                South     4-4                   3-2    

5  Dallas                 WC1       5-2                   2-2

6  San Francisco   WC2        5-3                   4-1

 7  Minnesota          WC3       4-4                   4-2

8  New Orleans                      4-4                   1-2

9  Tampa Bay                        3-4                   3-3

10 LA Rams                            3-5                   2-3

11 Washington                       3-5                   2-4

There is a four-way tie in record atop the AFC:

W-L                 Conf

1 Kansas City       West         6-2                   4-1

2 Miami                 East          6-2                   4-1

3 Jacksonville       South        6-2                   4-2

 4 Baltimore           North        6-2                  4-2

5 Buffalo               WC1         5-3                   2-3

6 Pittsburgh          WC2         4-3                   3-2

7 Cleveland          WC3         4-3                  3-2

8 NY Jets                              4-3                   2-2

9 Cincinnati                           4-3                   0-3

10 Houston                            3-4                   2-2

11 Tennessee                        3-4                   2-3

12  LA Chargers                     3-4                  1-3

As a glance at the standings might tell you, the AFC is starting to pull away in the season series with the NFC.  The AFC now leads 26-17.

The AFC North, at 8-2, has the best inter-conference record of any division (the Bengals are 4-0).  They primarily have forged that against the 3-7 NFC West.

– – –

Peter King explains why the huge Miami-Kansas City game is happening this week in Germany:

It’s an excellent question: Does the NFL regret putting one of the games of the year, 7-2 Kansas City against 7-2 Miami, in the Sunday morning 9:30 Eastern Time window on NFL Network instead of in prime time, when it could have been a ratings monster?

Well, no one inside the NFL offices would ever admit it. Of course, there has to be some regret. But I’m going to tell you how it happened, and why it’s pretty logical that the game ended up in Germany.

Five major reasons:

1. Every team now is mandated to play a “home game” at an international site at least once every eight years. Kansas City wanted its game to be in Germany, where it has global marketing rights, in one of the years when it was scheduled to have nine home games. In 2022 and 2024, AFC teams were and are slated for eight home games. The 2023 season, with nine home games for AFC teams, was the obvious choice.

2. The NFL doesn’t like to schedule division teams as international foes unless those teams agree to make the trip. No way Denver, Vegas or the Chargers would volunteer for trips of 10 hours or more to Frankfurt this year. That left six Kansas City home games: Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia. Heck of a home slate.

3. Kansas City did not want to lose the Chicago home game. The Bears were scheduled to be in Kansas City only once between 2016 and 2030, and that was this year. In the Midwest, the 103-year-old Bears have fans everywhere, and KC felt it would have been a disservice to those fans to go 15 seasons without a visit by the Bears. That left five Kansas City home games.

4. Keep in mind the NFL has to have its schedule in place by early May, and the defending Super Bowl champs are going to max out with six prime-time appearances plus multiple doubleheader appearances on Fox and CBS. Let’s go back to early May and look at the KC schedule. The Philadelphia Super Bowl rematch was a lock to go to prime time—and it became the Nov. 20 Monday-nighter on ESPN/ABC. Buffalo, Cincinnati and Miami, probably in that order, seemed like good national-TV games. (I say in that order, because back in April and May, the Bills and Bengals were clearly more desirable TV teams than Miami.) So, the NFL made KC-Buffalo and KC-Cincinnati the late-window doubleheader games in Weeks 14 and 17, respectively. That left two Kansas City home games for Germany: Miami or Detroit.

5. X factor, now. The league also had to find a Kickoff Game foe for Kansas City on Sept. 7. Yes, the league could have made this a division game. Raiders-Chiefs was very nearly put in that slot; I can tell you the league was seriously considering that game. But the NFL broadcast committee has often said internally: Teams play their way onto the national games. Detroit was 8-2 down the stretch last season. The Lions had zilch to play for in week 18 at Lambeau Field and the Packers had a playoff spot to play for—yet the Lions beat Green Bay and played valiantly that night. Inside the NFL, there was a fascination with the potential of the Lions. The league never has to put the most desirable matchup as the first game of the season, because the ratings are going to be solid anyway. So, they put the Lions in the opener, over Miami and the Raiders. Good call. Detroit 21, Kansas City 20.

That left Miami for Frankfurt. And once again, like the endangered cat stuck high in the tree, the NFL has fallen out of a Redwood and landed on its feet with a TV decision. Set your alarms next Sunday, America.

Interesting that the Chiefs placed such a high importance on placating Bears fans in Missouri and Kansas.

More on the game from King:

I.

This is the game with the best combined winning percentage in the history of the International Series. Miami and KC, the two highest-seeded teams in the AFC, are a combined 14-4. It’s a Kansas City “home game,” and I can’t imagine the locals are too happy about surrendering the Return of Tyreek Hill Bowl to a stadium 5,000 miles away.

II.

As the players left the field after Denver’s 24-9 upset of Kansas City Sunday, the PA system at Empower Field in Denver blared “Shake It Off,” by Taylor Swift. Assume Travis Kelce heard.

III.

The teams have differing travel philosophies. Late Monday afternoon, Miami will fly approximately 9 hours and 5 minutes, from Fort Lauderdale to Frankfurt, arriving mid-morning Tuesday. Players will have Tuesday off, then practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as normal with some media obligations each day, with a customary Saturday walk-through … Kansas City will have a normal early week, with players off Tuesday and practice Wednesday and Thursday at home. Late Thursday afternoon, Kansas City will fly approximately 9 hours and 55 minutes, from Kansas City to Frankfurt, arriving mid-morning Friday. KC will have a light practice at 3:45 p.m. Friday, then have media obligations, then a walk-through Saturday. The Ravens were in London the full week and beat Tennessee earlier this month; the Jaguars flew over Thursday night, as the Chiefs will, and beat the Falcons a few days later. It all probably doesn’t matter much.

IV.

The game site, Deutsche Bank Park, seats only 48,000 for American football. Tickets went on sale June 27, and it sold out in 15 minutes … with 1,420,587 people waiting in the online queue.

Bottom line: There haven’t been many must-see games at 9:30 a.m. ET in NFL history, but this is certainly one.

CHICAGO

If anyone wants him, the Bears are willing to dump CB JAYLON JOHNSON.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson could be dealt before today’s NFL trade deadline.

Johnson has been given permission to seek a trade, according to multiple reports.

The 24-year-old Johnson was a second-round pick in 2020 and is in the final year of his rookie contract. He and the Bears have reportedly been far apart in negotiations on an extension, and if the Bears think he’s going to leave in free agency in March anyway, it makes more sense to move him now, assuming they can get more for him than the potential compensatory pick they could get if another team signs him.

When healthy, Johnson has started every game since his rookie year, and he’d provide an instant upgrade to any NFL secondary. A playoff contender could look to bolster its defense with a move before the deadline at 4 p.m. ET today.

DETROIT

Monday was a coming out party for RB JAHMYR GIBBS.  Bryan D’Ardo of CBSSports.com:

Instead of ghosts and goblins, young Lions fans may want to consider being Jahmyr Gibbs for Halloween. The Lions rookie running back provided plenty of treats for Detroit fans during Monday night’s 26-14 win over the Raiders while tormenting Las Vegas’ defense all night.

Gibbs ran for a season-high 152 yards and a score on 26 carries. He also caught five passes for 37 yards while becoming the first Lions running back to rush for over 100 yards and have at least 30 receiving yards in a game since Barry Sanders’ did so way back in 1989.

While Gibbs doesn’t run like Sanders, he was just as effective as the Lions’ Hall of Fame runner on Monday night. The hard-charging Gibbs was the engine behind a Lions offense that churned out 486 total yards that included 222 yards on the ground. Conversely, the Raiders struggled to move the ball sans Josh Jacobs’ three-yard touchdown run late in the first half that capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

Las Vegas’ only other score was Marcus Peters’ 75-yard pick-six early in the second half. The pick-six along with the Raiders’ red zone defense, kept Las Vegas within striking range of Detroit until Gibbs’ 27-yard touchdown run made it a nine-point game with late in the third quarter.

Gibbs’ monster night was in part set up by Jared Goff, who threw for 225 yards in the first half. Goff’s big first half included an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta that gave Detroit a 16-7 halftime lead. Goff’s favorite target on the night was Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught six passes for 108 yards.

While the Lions stars were out in full force, Maxx Crosby was the only Raiders’ star who brought his “A” game to Detroit. Jimmy Garoppolo completed less than half of his pass attempts and was sacked six times. He completed just one pass to Davante Adams while badly overthrowing him late in the contest.

Why the Lions won

Have you heard of Jahmyr Gibbs? The electric rookie running back single-handedly carried Detroit’s offense on Monday, gashing the middle of Vegas’ defense with one explosive touch after another. It was an uneven night for quarterback Jared Goff, whose second-half pick-six pulled the Raiders within one score. Early red-zone woes also made the game closer than it should’ve been. But Gibbs’ dynamism opened things up down the stretch, and he finished with 170+ yards from scrimmage. Defensively, the Lions’ back end — often said to be due for an upgrade — stepped up to silence Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers until the waning minutes of the contest.

MINNESOTA

Peter King sums up the recent career arc of QB KIRK COUSINS:

When Kirk Cousins suffered a suspected Achilles tear Sunday late in the game at Green Bay, it marked the first time in the 35-year-old quarterback’s life that he’s had any significant injury. Before now, he’d missed two games in nine years as a starter. ”It’s surprising and it hurts,” said tackle Brian O’Neill. “He lives and breathes being durable and available and out there for us.” The narrative around Cousins was changing this year. In opening his football life and real life to the Netflix doc on quarterbacks, lots of fans saw a more intense, serious-minded, playing-with-pain, likeable guy than they believed Cousins was. Then the year began, and the same old questions about Cousins kicked in with Minnesota’s 1-4 start, and the season seemed lost in Week 5 with the hamstring injury to Justin Jefferson. Without Jefferson, Cousins and the Vikings have won three in a row, and he’s been on fire, with 74-percent accuracy. Overall, this was turning into his best season as a pro, even without the elite WR. Now the ball is handed to rookie fifth-round QB Jaren Hall from BYU, unless the Vikings choose to navigate a picked-over free-agent market or trade for one. A brutal blow for the team, and for a quarterback headed to free agency after the season. It won’t be great for Cousins, on the free market heading into his age-36 year, coming off a torn Achilles.

DALLAS

Peter King sings the praises of special teams coach John Fassel as one of his coaches of the week:

John Fassel, special-teams coordinator, Dallas. Hard to have a better special-teams day than Fassel’s crew had against the Rams. That’s the team that employed Fassel as special-teams coordinator for eight years—and as interim head coach for three games pre-McVay—before he was allowed to move to Dallas in 2020. In the first half against the Rams, the Cowboys had a 58-yard field goal, a Rams’ punt blocked out of the end zone for a safety, and a 63-yard return on the ensuing free-kick by KaVontae Turpin. That’s a dream sequence by the field-goal unit, the punt-block unit, and the return team.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Peter King on how the Giants lost with his Goat of the Week.

Graham Gano, kicker, New York Giants. The normally reliable Gano cost the Giants a victory Sunday, missing field-goal tries from 47 and 35. He pulled the 35-yarder wide left with 25 seconds to go, keeping the Giants’ lead at 10-7. The Jets drove for a field goal to tie, then won in overtime on another field goal. On a day the Jets were 0-for-12 in third-down conversions in the first 57 minutes, the Giants handed them the gift of the season.

PHILADELPHIA

Peter King on the greatness of WR A.J. BROWN as an Eagle:

A.J. is OK. Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown plays bigger than 6-1 and 226. He seems 6-4 and 240, almost tight end in stature. He is such a great competitive catcher of the ball that even double-teams, like the one he beat on his second touchdown catch in the Eagles’ 38-31 win over Washington Sunday, are often fruitless. Next Gen Stats had a great example of Brown making catches so many receivers wouldn’t. His 25- and 16-yard catches for touchdowns against Washington had completion probabilities of 23.8 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively, per Next Gen. Easy to say now, but what a great trade GM Howie Roseman made on draft weekend 2022, dealing the 18th and 101st picks to Tennessee for the 24-year-old Brown. On Sunday, he became the first NFL player to have six straight games of at least 125 yards receiving. For some perspective, I went back and looked at the best six-game stretch of Jerry Rice’s career, and was a bit startled to see that Brown’s is better:

Brown, weeks 3-8, 2023: 49 catches, 831 yards, 17.0 yards per catch.

Rice, weeks 11-16, 1995: 45 catches, 819 yards, 18.2 yards per catch.

– – –

RB KENNETH GAINWELL fumbled at the goal line in the first half Sunday, then went to his phone at halftime.  Tim McManus of ESPN.com:

– Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said running back Kenneth Gainwell “knows he made a mistake” by responding to a negative comment on social media during halftime of Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders.

“Should he respond to somebody that’s DM’ing him? No, he shouldn’t respond to that guy or that girl at all,” Sirianni said. “And so, yes of course we talked to him about that, to be locked in and focused and not worried about outside noise. He knows he made a mistake responding back to that person.”

Gainwell, a third-year back out of Memphis, lost a fumble at the Commanders’ 3-yard line midway through the second quarter.

A halftime exchange between he and a fan was circulated on social media during the game in which the fan used an expletive and told Gainwell to “hold on to the football,” to which Gainwell responded, “Lil boy don’t text me.”

Gainwell finished with 26 yards on seven touches in the 38-31 victory. Part of a backfield rotation led by D’Andre Swift, Gainwell has 153 rushing yards and a touchdown on the season.

The Eagles lost two fumbles inside the 3-yard line Sunday, joining the 2022 Denver Broncos as the only teams to lose multiple fumbles inside the 3 since 2000.

“Kenny had a fumble this week, but he had an unbelievable run the week before against Miami,” Sirianni said. “I still have a lot of faith in these guys, and I still have a lot of faith in Kenny.”

TAMPA BAY

Should the 3-4 Buccaneers be buyers or sellers today?  Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com says they should sell:

Let’s finish up the NFC South with the Buccaneers, who lost 24-18 to the Bills on Thursday night. It’s been a rough three weeks after the bye for Tampa Bay, which started the season 3-1 before losing three straight after its week off. Baker Mayfield ranks 26th in QBR over that three-game losing streak, with the 2018 No. 1 overall pick completing just 58.7% of his passes and averaging 5.9 yards per attempt.

The Bucs could hope he improves or swap him out for Kyle Trask, but it might be more realistic to recognize that either player isn’t about to lead them to a Super Bowl. Tampa Bay could have a shot at competing for a division title if it turns things around, but it can’t run the ball and doesn’t have a great line. Mayfield can look fine when he gets the ball out quickly and isn’t stuck in obvious dropback situations, but I’m not sure this is a very good offensive line.

If general manager Jason Licht decides the Bucs should get younger, there are a few pending free agents who would have interesting trade markets. Wideout Mike Evans didn’t come to terms with the team on a new deal and seems likely to leave in March. Linebacker Devin White briefly requested a trade before the season and doesn’t have a new contract. Linebacker Lavonte David and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are both pending free agents after the season. The Bucs will bring back some of these guys, but if there’s one or two Licht doesn’t expect to have on the roster in 2024, it might make sense to trade them now.

Verdict: Should subtract talent.

ARIZONA

If QB KYLER MURRAY can’t go Sunday, the Cardinals have otherwise changed their Tune at QB.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said after Sunday’s loss to the Ravens that Joshua Dobbs would get another start at quarterback, but he veered away from that plan on Monday.

Gannon said that either Kyler Murray or rookie Clayton Tune will get the start and said the decision was based on watching the film of the Ravens loss. Murray has not played in a game since tearing his ACL last season and Gannon said the team is “going to keep ramping up Kyler and see how he progresses throughout the week” before making a call.

According to multiple reports, however, the team is planning to have Tune start the game against the Browns. It would be the second regular season appearance for Tune after he threw one pass for four yards on a fake punt in Week Seven.

Gannon said the team was working through scenarios that could include Murray being active as Tune’s backup if he doesn’t get the starting nod, so a lot of the picture still needs to be filled in before the Cardinals get to Cleveland in Week Nine.

SEATTLE

The Seahawks – in a lot better position in the NFC than maybe you thought they were – are buyers at the deadline.  Rhiannon Walker of YahooSports.com:

Leonard Williams, the Pro Bowl defensive lineman, is headed to the Seattle Seahawks, according to an NFL Network report.

The New York Giants traded him to the Seahawks for a second-round pick in 2024 and a fifth rounder in 2025 and are reportedly taking on the majority of the $10 million owed to Williams. On Instagram, Williams thanked the Giants and their fans.

“It’s been an honor to be apart of the Giants organization and everything it stands for, this place will always have a special place in my heart,” Williams wrote. “Thank you to all the coaches, staff, teammates and fans that have supported me through my career here. NY it’s been real. Now it’s time to continue my career back in the west coast. Seattle here we come ! GO HAWKS!!!”

New York is trading Williams the day after losing to the New York Jets — the team that originally drafted Williams sixth overall in 2015.

In his second season with the Jets, Williams was selected to his lone Pro Bowl. Williams was traded to the Giants for a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the Giants used the franchise tag on Williams. He signed the one-year tender the first time. The following year, though, the Giants signed Williams to a three-year, $63-million deal, which included $45 million guaranteed.

Williams has 1.5 sacks in 2023. In five years with the Giants, Williams had 204 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks in 61 games played.

DENVER

After beating the Chiefs, Sean Payton tell Peter King he doesn’t see 17-0 happening anytime soon:

Denver’s nugget. The Broncos are still a little clunky on offense, but the two games against Kansas City in the last 17 days proved this is a competitive, feisty team. Who holds Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to 28 points in eight quarters? With disappointing vets Frank Clark and Randy Gregory cleared off the roster this month, young defensive playmakers like 24-year-old outside ‘backer Baron Browning (two sacks and a forced fumble) will have every chance to form a needed nucleus. Seems much longer than five weeks ago that the Broncos lost, 70-20, at Miami. After this game, coach Sean Payton said he reminded his players Detroit was 1-6 a year ago this week, and things change pretty fast in the NFL. “Enjoy this one,” Payton told the team, “but remember—we’re gonna play in bigger games than this one.” We talked for a few minutes about how Kansas City, and every good team, will have one or two of these games a year. At least. “Miami’s record [17-0 in 1972] is going to be around for a long time,” he said. “This league is just too hard.”

LAS VEGAS

QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO doesn’t sugar coat it – the rest of the Raiders may not have been very good Monday night, but he sure wasn’t.  Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com:

While Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a pithy summation of his play in the Raiders’ 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions Monday night at Ford Field, All-Pro receiver Davante Adams was nearly speechless.

It was that kind of game for the Las Vegas offense, which was outgained by the Lions 486-157.

“You have good days and bad days,” Garoppolo sighed. “Today was a bad day, there’s no sugarcoating it. It is what it is. So, I’ve just got to play better. Myself, I have to play better. A bunch of little things that will solve a lot of problems.

“It starts with me. We’ve got to be better, and we will be.”

After suffering through a 10-for-21 passing night for 126 yards with an end zone interception and enduring a career-high-tying six sacks, Garoppolo’s 46.9 passer rating was the third-lowest passer rating in a start of his career.

And Garoppolo, who was returning after missing last week’s loss at the Chicago Bears with a back injury suffered the previous week, now leads the NFL with nine interceptions. This despite missing 2½ games (he missed the Raiders’ Week 4 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers with a concussion).

“We can’t win if we give the ball away, period,” said Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, who reiterated that he wasn’t singling out Garoppolo.

Adams, meanwhile, had just one catch on seven targets for 11 yards, and his 14% catch rate was tied for the worst reception percentage in a game with five-plus targets in his career, per ESPN Stats & Information research. And while Garoppolo did look for Adams deep, he missed with four off-target throws.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to say at this moment,” Adams said softly. “I truly don’t. I wish I had the words to say something that’s not going to get blown up in the media and taken out of context, so I’m going to just, I truly, I just don’t know.”

Adams, who said he was frustrated, has just 142 receiving yards over the past four games, his fewest in a four-game stretch since the 2015 season, when he was in his second year in the NFL, with the Green Bay Packers.

He also has not caught a touchdown pass since Week 3.

“It’s not hard to maintain the confidence in our offense,” Adams said. “It’s just hard to curb your frustration when you can’t put it together, when you know you should.

“Just keep trying to get better. Keep trying to get better.”

It was hard for Garoppolo to get untracked against the Lions.

Consider that Garoppolo was just 2-for-7 with the interception on throws of 15 or more air yards downfield. He went 3-for-10 on second, third and fourth downs, was 1-of-7 on throws outside the numbers, and ultimately, was a mere 4-of-12 targeting receivers, including 1-for-7 when targeting Adams.

In fact, no receivers touched the ball in the first half.

The Lions pressured Garoppolo on 12 of his 28 dropbacks, including on eight of 11 in the fourth quarter, and the game percentage of 43% is the highest rate of pressure Garoppolo had faced in a game since he saw a 45% rate in Week 8 of the 2020 season against the Seattle Seahawks, when he was with the San Francisco 49ers.

“A little pissed off from the game,” Garoppolo said, “but physically, I’m fine.”

Signed to a three-year, $72.75 million free agent contract to replace nine-year starter Derek Carr, the oft-injured Garoppolo underwent surgery on his left foot in March. He sat out the on-field portion of the Raiders’ offseason program while rehabbing and was on a “pitch count” in training camp before suffering the concussion and back injuries.

Asked if he felt he was still playing catch-up, Garoppolo shrugged.

“I mean, I’ll never make an excuse like that,” he said. “It is what it is. We’re in the season now. People don’t care if you have excuses or not, so you’ve got to go out there and play. I’ve got to play better. It’s just a bunch of little things, man. Man, it’s frustrating.

“You have the good days, you have the bad days, but we’ve just got to string things together. I’ve got to play better. There’s just so much love in that locker room and it sucks that we performed like that tonight.”

CLEVELAND

Peter King on the sub-optimal performance of QB DESHAUN WATSON:

I think all players are different, with different ways of expressing themselves, with different thresholds of pain. So let’s put those things aside. Let’s deal with performance only. I asked Stathead, the Pro Football Reference stat service, to rank all quarterbacks in the NFL—minimum 200 attempts—by passer rating since the start of 2022. Per Stathead, 41 quarterbacks have at least 200 pass attempts since opening day ‘22. Re Watson’s performance:

a. Watson’s 79.8 rating is 38th among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts over the past two seasons.

b. Watson’s passer rating is five points shy of the ratings of Desmond Ridder and Sam Howell, six points behind Gardner Minshew, nine points behind Jacoby Brissett, 10 points behind Taylor Heinicke, 16 points behind current Houston successor C.J. Stroud, and 19 points behind Geno Smith.

c. Watson has been paid, as of this morning, $90.77 million by the Browns since signing his fully guaranteed $230-million contract in March 2022. That number, per overthecap.com, will be $91.37 million by the end of this season.

d. To acquire Watson from Houston, the Browns sent the 13th and 107th picks in the 2022 draft and the 12th and 73rd picks in the 2023 draft, and will send their first- and fourth-round picks in 2024.

The contract is a five-year deal. It’s too early to say Watson is a Cleveland bust. But if the Browns get to the end of this season without having a good idea whether Watson’s their long-term quarterback, that would be an abject disaster. Imagine surrendering three mid-first-round picks, one third- and two fourths-, and $91.37 million, and not feeling like you’ve solved a decades-long quarterback problem. There’s a lot of pressure on Watson, and the Cleveland offense, to show progress by the end of the season. A lot of progress.

And credit to the rest of the Browns team and staff for getting into contention without any significant help from the QB savior.

But seriously, aside from the legal and moral issues (and we don’t really think they should have been put aside) – shouldn’t the conduct of Watson that was revealed by the investigation have raised red, red flags about the rest of his current mental state and the appropriateness of giving him “face of the franchise” money?

PITTSBURGH

Steelers RB JAYLEN WARREN went to work on Friday and found out he was $48,556 poorer for his actions on what seemed to the 99% of us that don’t understand the thinking of NFL Justice to be a routine pass block. Mike Santa Barbara ofYardbarker.com collects reaction:

The NFL handed down a significant fine to Pittsburgh Steelers second-year running back Jaylen Warren for unnecessary roughness committed in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams. However, the amount of the fine ($48,556), when compared to the offense, has some around the football world scratching their heads.

On the play in question, Warren appeared to make a superb block on Rams defensive tackle Michael Hoecht. However, the NFL ruled that Warren’s actions were illegal and worthy of a fine. Replays show Warren lowering his head and leading with the crown of his helmet before making contact, which is, more than likely, why he’s now lighter in the pocket.    

The NFL is attempting to eliminate potential plays that could cause injury, like leading with the head or crown of the helmet, hence the seemingly ticky-tack fine to Warren. However, in Warren’s case, should context not matter? It’s clear that Warren’s helmet made contact with Hoecht’s chest, but there is a considerable size difference between the two. Hoecht is six-foot-four, 310-pounds, while Warren is five-foot-eight, 215 pounds. When trying to block an unabetted lineman that dwarfs him, it’s hard to tell Warren what to do there that doesn’t involve voluntarily getting run over.

Another issue some have griped with is the hefty price Warren will pay. While most outsiders think every NFL player is rich, they are not. As for Warren, playing on a rookie deal ($870,000), this is his second fine of the year, amounting to $96,000 or 11 percent of his contract.    

For context, Denver Broncos defensive back Kareem Jackson, a repeat offender, received a lesser fine ($19,669) for a hit in September that concussed Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas. The incident was also Jackson’s second fine for an illegal hit through only two weeks of the season.

While not nearly as steep, four other Steelers also received fines for either unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness penalties in Week 8, including cornerback Damontae Kazee ($11,806) and wide receivers Diontae Johnson ($10,927) and George Pickens ($17,050).

Everyone wants football players to be safe on the field. Though, when it comes to Warren, one could argue the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.

This tweet from J.J. Watt:

@JJWatt

This is literally stealing money from a guy. I mean what are we doing here?

I don’t care how much money you make, $48,556 is a LOT of money (it’s Jaylen Warren’s entire game check) and we’re taking it away from him for this? Really?

This is horrendous.

You can see what all the commotion is about – or actually NOT SEE IT, here.

TENNESSEE

Titans OC Tim Kelly was in synch with rookie QB WILL LEVINS in his debut.  Ted Nguyen of The Athletic:

Titans call all the shot plays in the playbook

Will Levis, a projected first-round quarterback who fell to the second round, threw for four touchdowns in his debut. And these weren’t just dink-and-dunk passes, they were the complete opposite. According to Next Gen Stats, three of Levis’ touchdown passes are in the top 10 of the season in air-yard distance. The game plan for the Titans was to let the rookie do what he does best and that’s go bombs away with his big arm.

Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly didn’t put Levis in a situation where he had to make hard reads and go through his progressions. He was either throwing short or throwing deep. In Week 8, Levis led the league in percentage of passes with over 20 air yards (28.6 percent).

Levis used pump fakes on three out of four of his touchdown passes against an aggressive Falcons defense that has jumped passes all season. On Levis’ third touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, Kelly copied a route concept that C.J. Stroud drew up against the Falcons defense to take advantage of their overaggressiveness.

I liked the variety of shot plays the Titans had in their game plan. They asked Levis to do what he did best and he thrived. Levis was explosive in his first start but Titans fans should temper their expectations. He wasn’t nearly as good when he was forced to play quarterback. Levis only converted on two out of nine third-down pass attempts. He still has a long way to go and these shot plays won’t be available in most games, but it’s good to see the arm talent translate.

THIS AND THAT

DON’T DRAFT A KICKER

Peter King on why drafting kickers early is foolish:

After watching rookie kicker Jake Moody miss a 41-yarder 10 inches wide right to lose the Niners’ game at Cleveland in Week 6, then seeing him miss his next field-goal try from 40 last Monday night at Minnesota (in an indoor stadium) 3 feet wide right, I have come to this conclusion: Never, ever, ever pick a kicker in the first four rounds of a draft.

In the last 15 years, NFL teams have picked five kickers in the first four rounds. Two of them, Moody and Chad Ryland, were picked this year, so it’s too early to judge. But the recent evidence is overwhelming. It’s dumb to take kickers early. Look at the five guys picked in the top four rounds of the past 15 drafts:

2023

Jake Moody (San Francisco, Round 3, 99th overall). Struggling. Now, Moody made a 55-yarder after missing from 40, and I don’t want to be flip here, but I don’t care. You cannot miss 41- and 40-yard kicks in big moments in consecutive games. You can’t.

Chad Ryland (New England, Round 4, 112th overall). Five of nine from 40 yards and out.

2022

Cade York (Cleveland, Round 4, 124th overall). Cut after one season. On the Titans’ practice squad.

2016

Roberto Aguayo (Tampa Bay, Round 2, 59th overall). A 71-percent kicker as a rookie, he slumped in camp in 2017 and never kicked again in the league. Unsigned.

2011

Alex Henery (Philadelphia, Round 4, 120th overall). Kicked four seasons. Made 69 percent of his kicks beyond 40 yards. Not good. Per Wikipedia, he now works for a real estate firm.

The following kickers were not drafted, and at least one, who dresses in purple, will likely be going to Canton one day: Justin Tucker, Matt Prater, Younghoe Koo, Chris Boswell, Brandon McManus. The following kickers were drafted, but not in the top 140 of a draft: Dustin Hopkins, Matt Gay, Nick Folk, Harrison Butker.

Moody and Ryland have miles to go before we can judge their careers definitively. Clearly, we have to wait and see on them. But the point is, there was no evidence last April that kickers are worth valuable picks in the draft, and there certainly isn’t now.

DEFENDING FLAG FOOTBALL

A guy from England tells Peter King that his town team will do well against NFL stars in Flag Football.  Well, not really, but he claims England will field a good side in 2028:

Flag football is bigger than I think. From Simon Grant, of Carlisle, England: “I think you are vastly underestimating the popularity and competitiveness of flag football outside the U.S. In my tiny provincial town in the North of England, we have a rookie team that just made the playoffs, and every week we have 30 guys turn up to play. In the summer, the European Flag Championships were hotly contested by both men’s and women’s teams—UK, France, Germany, Switzerland all represented to name a few. The fact that the games will take place in LA may have influenced the decision to include ‘American’ football, but it is far from guaranteed to be gold for Team USA.”

Interesting, Simon. That’s really great of you to write and inform me.

SINS ON HAIL MARYs

King again:

Peter King wants to clean up the Hail Mary:

I think, speaking of the Bills-Bucs game, it contained a pet peeve of mine. On the Hail Mary (perfectly lofted 62 yards in the air into the end zone by Baker Mayfield, by the way), Tampa Bay tight end Cade Otten was held/interfered with/thrown down in a two-man vise with Taylor Rapp and Christian Benford the Buffalo offenders.

Except, on Hail Marys, there are never offenders. Anything goes. There is no play like this in football, and possibly in all of sports, where the officials see blatant pass interference and defensive holding (and some offensive penalties at times too) and never throw a flag. It’s a pet peeve because, how can the NFL officiating department expect us to believe all plays are officiated equally regardless of the situation when Otten gets mugged by two Buffalo defenders and lands on the ground and no flag is thrown? And then the NFL counts on people forgetting, which they’ve done this morning because 14 games were played Sunday, making it easy for everyone to just move on. Nothing to see here.

I think this is what should happen on Hail Marys. The Competition Committee and the commissioner should come out of next spring’s league meeting with a decree that says the play will be called differently going forward. Beginning in 2024, jostling will be allowed as players get in position for the Hail Mary pass to fall to earth. Pulling players down, blatantly holding them or locking them away from the play with two defenders will result in pass-interference, with an untimed down for the offensive team at either the spot of the foul or the one-yard line. Bottom line: Officials cannot allow one play to be a bastardization of the rules, which is exactly what the Hail Mary is now. It is a joke, and the NFL has allowed it to be that.

On Sunday, the DB saw the official’s not hesitate to give the Eagles 31 yards to the one on an end zone pass interference that didn’t seem like much during the regular course of the game.

We admit to liking DPI as a 15-yard penalty so that there isn’t so much hanging on whether or not a flag is thrown.