Pro football leagues the XFL and USFL are in advanced talks to merge, three sources familiar with the situation tell Axios.

Why it matters: Combining the two may be the smartest path forward for the leagues given the challenges and the history of failure for NFL alternatives.

Details: The merger would be structured as a merger of equals and would require regulatory approval, one of the sources said. The leagues hope to combine before the 2024 seasons.

Fox Corp. owns the USFL, while the XFL is owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his business partner Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners.

Game broadcasts of the combined league are likely to be split between Fox and XFL media partner Disney, according to the source. The USFL also has a broadcast agreement with NBC, although it’s not yet been determined if that will continue.

An announcement of the deal could come as early as this week.

The big picture: Non-NFL pro football leagues have mostly failed to catch on with fans, despite several attempts.

The original USFL was a competitor with the NFL for talent and managed to lure future stars like Herschel Walker and Steve Young.

More have come and gone, including the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019.

The longest running spring football league was from the NFL itself with NFL Europe, which served as a developmental league from 1989-2007. The league shuttered it in favor of staging their own games overseas.

By the numbers: Fox executives have previously said the USFL has been profitable and had planned to invest more into spring football, while the XFL lost $60 million for its first season under Johnson, Forbes reported.

Viewership for XFL and USFL games were meager, with each league averaging north of 600,000 viewers for each game. The USFL’s championship game drew 1.2 million viewers, while the XFL attracted 1.4 million for its season-ender.

Catch up quick: The original XFL was launched by WWE’s Vince McMahon in 2001 but lasted just one season. McMahon brought back a revamped version of the league in 2020, but it was shuttered by the pandemic midway through its debut season.

Johnson, Garcia and RedBird then bought the league out of bankruptcy later that year for $15 million, and re-launched it for a second time this past spring. Dozens of players from their XFL have since been signed to NFL team contracts.

The original edition of the USFL, meanwhile, ran for three seasons in the 1980s was a rival for talent with the NFL. It folded in 1985.

Fox launched a new version of the league in 2022. It owns the USFL via National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, a subsidiary of Fox Sports.

What they’re saying: “”We will not comment on rumors and speculation,” the XFL said in an emailed statement. Fox did not immediately return a request for comment.

CHICAGO

Ted Ngyuen of The Athletic takes Bears OC Luke Getsy to task:

Dislikes

Whatever the Chicago Bears are doing with Justin Fields

Two things could be true: Justin Fields is struggling and there is no staff doing a worse job of supporting its young quarterback. It took six weeks last year for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to start committing to calling designed rushes for Fields. From weeks 7 to 16, the Bears averaged 2.16 points per drive (12th in the NFL). They’ve abandoned that strategy this season for some reason.

According to TruMedia, the Bears have called only two designed rushes (not including sneaks and kneeldowns) for Fields. That figure doesn’t include simple zone-read plays in which Fields has an option to keep, but the Bears have to have many, many more ways for Fields to run the ball. With Fields struggling, the option should be heavily featured.

There also have been several plays in which receivers are running in the same area with terrible spacing. It’s hard to tell what the purpose is of some of Getsy’s designs. If that wasn’t bad enough, they also put Fields in a position to fail on his fourth-quarter pick six.

Earlier in the game, Getsy called two successful running back screens. After a drive in which Fields led the offense to a touchdown with downfield throws, the Bears got the ball back, down by three, on their own 12-yard line after a defensive offside. Getsy called a running back screen to the right, but it was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty.

Backed up on their 6-yard line, Getsy called the same screen to the same side. Edge linebacker Shaquil Barrett recognized the screen and dropped back to intercept the pass. There was no room for Fields to ground the ball, and because he was backed up in his own end zone, he needed to get rid of the pass and couldn’t take a sack. It was an impossible situation for the young quarterback and an absolutely terrible decision by Getsy. Fields is to blame for some of the Bears’ struggles, but it’s hard to see any young quarterback developing in this situation.

DETROIT

The Lions may have lost CB C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON for the rest of the season.  Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com:

After suffering their first loss Sunday, the Detroit Lions could be without defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson for the remainder of the season.

Gardner-Johnson is feared to have suffered a torn pectoral during the 37-31 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, a source confirmed to ESPN. NFL Network was the first to report the news.

Gardner-Johnson played 70 defensive snaps against Seattle, finishing with eight tackles and two stuffs.

On Day 2 of training camp, the Lions survived a scare with Gardner-Johnson. He was carted off the field with a right leg injury, but he suffered no structural damage to his knee and was able to return.

Gardner-Johnson signed with the Lions as an unrestricted free agent on a one-year deal and was one of their biggest offseason additions to help the secondary, which was in dire need.

Coming off a Super Bowl appearance with the Philadelphia Eagles, Gardner-Johnson was trying to change the losing narrative in Detroit with his veteran presence.

His six interceptions in 2022 were tied for the most picks in the NFL even though he missed five games with a lacerated kidney.

This is the latest in a plethora of injuries to hit the Lions, including running back David Montgomery (thigh), who is listed as day-to-day after being carted off against the Seahawks, and offensive tackle Taylor Decker (ankle), who missed Sunday’s game.

Lions guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee) and edge rusher James Houston (fibula) are also expected to miss significant time.

NEW YORK GIANTS

The 1-1 Giants took a blow with the loss of RB SAQUON BARKLEY for perhaps a month.  Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com:

An MRI showed that New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley suffered an “ordinary” ankle sprain that now is expected to sideline him three weeks, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Barkley injured the ankle late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s dramatic 31-28 come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals. He scored two touchdowns in the second half (one rushing, one receiving) while the Giants erased a 21-point deficit.

But it was on the second-to-last play from scrimmage that Barkley got his ankle caught at the bottom of a pile. He was in immediate pain and was helped off the field by trainers. The veteran running back later limped off the field after the game.

Barkley had an X-ray done at State Farm Stadium immediately after the game. The results were negative, and there was hope that there was no fracture. But the ankle was still “a bit” swollen and Barkley would undergo an MRI on Monday morning while still in Arizona.

The Giants’ next three opponents are all playoff teams from last season: The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, followed by the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins. Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and rookie Eric Gray will try to fill the void in those games.

There was hope that Barkley had avoided a serious injury and it was just a normal ankle sprain, not the dreaded high ankle sprain that generally sidelines players for multiple weeks.

Barkley, 26, is playing on a revised franchise tag this year. He’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season and was hoping to put himself in position for a significant payday.

Missing time because of injury will not help.

“Obviously, my contract stuff and everything was public and talked about,” Barkley said recently. “I would turn on the TV and I’m seeing myself being talked about. But for me, all that’s in the past. Like I said, once I made that mindset to come here, you’ve got to be mature about it. No hard feelings about it.

“So now, my back’s against the wall again. I’ve got to go out there and prove it. I’m going to go out there and play my heart out, compete at a high level and do what I do best, not only for myself but for my teammates.”

Barkley has 114 yards rushing on 29 carries through two games this season. He also has caught nine passes and scored a touchdown on the ground and in the air.

But now Barkley will be forced to miss some time. And it’s not the first time in his career he’s been stuck on the sideline with a similar injury.

Barkley has a history of ankle ailments. He missed three games in 2019 with a right ankle injury that occurred in a similar manner. He missed four games in 2021 with a left ankle injury that came from stepping on the foot of a Dallas Cowboys defensive back.

Any time the Giants will be without Barkley will affect the team. Barkley had 17 rushes for 63 yards and six catches for 29 yards in Sunday’s comeback against the Cardinals, playing a staggering 65 of 67 offensive snaps (97%).

Barkley also played the highest percentage (80.2%) of his team’s running back snaps last season.

CAROLINA

QB BRYCE YOUNG was mediocre in his home debut.  Jason Owens of YahooSports.com:

The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have restructured his agreement, giving him $210.6 million between 2023 and 2026, the most money in NFL history over a four-season span. His compensation for those years is now guaranteed, the quarterback’s agent told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

The Chiefs and Mahomes plan to revisit the agreement again after the 2026 season, Equity Sports CEO Chris Cabott, who negotiated the deal on behalf of Mahomes, told Schefter.

Mahomes became the NFL’s highest-paid player in the summer of 2020 when he signed a 10-year extension worth $450 million. No player has since topped that contract in terms of total value, but several quarterbacks have passed Mahomes in average annual pay, including four this year — Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow.

Burrow was the latest to reach agreement — on a five-year, $275 million extension with the Cincinnati Bengals that includes $219.01 million guaranteed — a deal that averages $55 million per season.

The flurry of new contracts left Mahomes as the eighth-highest-paid player at his position before Monday’s agreement. He will average $52.6 million over the next four seasons with his restructuring, putting him more in line with the recent quarterback deals.

“I don’t know that there’s really a way to quantify it financially, and no matter what he makes over his career, one way or another, he’ll be underpaid,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said when asked how the Chiefs went about determining Mahomes’ worth.

Mahomes, 28, has been named NFL MVP twice and led the Chiefs to two Super Bowl victories — being named the game’s MVP both times — in his first six seasons. The Chiefs are 1-1 this season, his seventh in the NFL.

Mahomes’ contract runs through the 2031 season.

– – –

LB SHAQ THOMPSON, a mainstay of the Carolina defense, went down on Monday.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Panthers lost linebacker Shaq Thompson to an injury on their way to losing Monday night’s game against the Saints and it is going to be some time before he’s back on the field.

Panthers head coach Frank Reich called it a “significant” ankle injury when he spoke to reporters after the game and said Thompson is likely to miss “extended time” as a result. He is set for further evaluation from doctors on Tuesday.

Thompson was injured when Panthers defensive lineman DeShawn Williams pushed Saints tackle Trevor Penning into his leg at the end of a running play.

“There’s no doubt who the leader is on this team,” defensive tackle Derrick Brown said, via the team’s website. “And I think you saw that, and you know, for him to go down to hurt everybody.”

The Panthers also put cornerback Jaycee Horn on injured reserve a few days ago, so their defense has taken a couple of big hits in a short period of time.

SAN FRANCISCO

For all of his dynamic play-calling, Kyle Shanahan has trended to the conservative side in game management.  Ted Ngyuen of The Athletic sees a change in 2023:

Likes         

Kyle Shanahan getting frisky

Everyone knows the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach is a brilliant play designer and play caller, but sometimes he gets in his own way with his conservatism. The 49ers ranked 28th in fourth-down attempts from 2017 to 2022. Last week, the 49ers went for a fourth-and-1 from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 45-yard line, and this week, he had the offense on the field for another fourth-down attempt before a catch was overturned by replay, which pushed the sticks too far back.

Right before halftime, the 49ers had the ball on the Los Angeles Rams’ 1-yard line with one second remaining. Instead of kicking a field goal, they ran a quarterback sneak and scored a touchdown. The four-point difference from getting into the end zone mattered because the Rams got the ball back with 1:34 left, down 10 points rather than six points. Giving Matthew Stafford a chance to beat you with the final possession of the game could have been season-altering.

But the 49ers avoided the drama because Shanahan made an aggressive decision before halftime. Shanahan’s trust in quarterback Brock Purdy is changing the way he manages the game in a good way. That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly going to be as aggressive as Doug Pederson, but dialing up just a couple of notches for the 49ers could make a huge difference.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

The on-again, off-again relationship between the Rams and RB CAM AKERS is off again – perhaps for good.  Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com:

Rams head coach Sean McVay said general manager Les Snead has spoken with “a handful of teams” about a trade for running back Cam Akers, and “that’s the direction that we’re headed.”

Akers was a healthy scratch Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, something McVay called a “coach’s decision” that was made in the “best interest” of the team.

Akers, a 2020 second-round pick, is in the final season of his rookie contract with the Rams. He had 22 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown in Los Angeles’ season-opening win.

Before the game Sunday, Akers sent a message on X saying, “I’m just as confused as everybody else. I’m blessed though.”

McVay said Monday that Akers’ social media post was “surprising.”

“I feel very good about the clarity that was provided to him on Friday and Saturday, both through he and [agent] David Mulugheta,” McVay said. “And that’s unfortunate, but I feel like it was very clear in regards to our dialogue.”

Last season, Akers spent nearly a month away from the Rams in the middle of the season after McVay said they explored the option of finding the running back “a fresh new start with another team.” Earlier last year, McVay told reporters that he wanted to see more urgency from Akers. McVay said Sunday that this situation with Akers “is different” from what transpired last season.

And if we interpret this from ProFootballTalk.com, Akers will be “moved” (waived?) if no trade opportunity materializes:

On Monday, McVay was asked if Akers would return to active duty with the team if a trade does not come together.

“That won’t be an opportunity,” McVay said, via a transcript from the team. “It’ll be an opportunity to make a move. . . . I feel good about the opportunity to move him, but we won’t go back and forth on it.”

KANSAS CITY

The Chiefs have done right by QB PATRICK MAHOMES.  Adam Teicher of ESPN.com:

The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have restructured his agreement, giving him $210.6 million between 2023 and 2026, the most money in NFL history over a four-season span. His compensation for those years is now guaranteed, the quarterback’s agent told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

The Chiefs and Mahomes plan to revisit the agreement again after the 2026 season, Equity Sports CEO Chris Cabott, who negotiated the deal on behalf of Mahomes, told Schefter.

Mahomes became the NFL’s highest-paid player in the summer of 2020 when he signed a 10-year extension worth $450 million. No player has since topped that contract in terms of total value, but several quarterbacks have passed Mahomes in average annual pay, including four this year — Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow.

Burrow was the latest to reach agreement — on a five-year, $275 million extension with the Cincinnati Bengals that includes $219.01 million guaranteed — a deal that averages $55 million per season.

The flurry of new contracts left Mahomes as the eighth-highest-paid player at his position before Monday’s agreement. He will average $52.6 million over the next four seasons with his restructuring, putting him more in line with the recent quarterback deals.

“I don’t know that there’s really a way to quantify it financially, and no matter what he makes over his career, one way or another, he’ll be underpaid,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said when asked how the Chiefs went about determining Mahomes’ worth.

Mahomes, 28, has been named NFL MVP twice and led the Chiefs to two Super Bowl victories — being named the game’s MVP both times — in his first six seasons. The Chiefs are 1-1 this season, his seventh in the NFL.

Mahomes’ contract runs through the 2031 season.

– – –

Nate Taylor of The Athletic on what ails the Chiefs offense:

In Week 1, the Kansas City Chiefs’ biggest problem on offense was that dropping catchable passes became contagious. A week later, they acknowledge that their offensive issues have multiplied.

“We shot ourselves with penalties and turnovers,” coach Andy Reid said Monday, a day after the Chiefs’ 17-9 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. “You can’t do that and normally come out with a win. You look at it on tape and things are there, but we’re going backward instead of forward. Even with a 5-yard penalty, percentages of scoring on a drive are slim.”

The Chiefs experienced such difficulties in Sunday’s game.

Although the Chiefs are 1-1, their offense has had two underwhelming performances, averaging just 18.5 points, despite featuring quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce (in the second game) and one of the NFL’s most experienced, talented offensive lines. Against the Jaguars, the unit committed eight penalties, pushing the ball backward for a total of 63 yards.

The mental errors involved almost every member of the offense. Center Creed Humphrey had several poor, low snaps with Mahomes in the shotgun.

Before they scored their first points, the Chiefs had two giveaways in the second quarter. They called just two designed running plays in their first four possessions.

Their first possession ended on a terrible third-and-inches play that culminated in left tackle Donovan Smith holding the ball. The next drive was disrupted near midfield by a holding penalty on Smith. The third possession ended when receiver Justin Watson fumbled the ball near midfield. On the fourth possession, a frustrated Mahomes threw a deep pass into double coverage, leading to an interception by Jaguars safety Andre Cisco.

“Little things in this league make a big difference,” Mahomes said after the game. “We have to continue to get better at that stuff.”

Then there were right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s pre-snap penalties. Taylor, a five-year veteran in his first season with the Chiefs, committed five penalties, becoming the most penalized player in an NFL game since 2000, according to CBS. Three of Taylor’s penalties were for false starts as he moved into his pass-protection stance early. It should be noted that the NFL rulebook says players can move as soon as the ball moves any amount and are not required to wait for the full motion of the snap.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Were the first three running backs off the board in your Fantasy draft – NICK CHUBB, AUSTIN EKELER and SAQUON BARKLEY?  It doesn’t look like any of them will be playing this week, with Chubb done for the season.  Here’s the non-update on Ekeler:

Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley said Monday there is no timetable for running back Austin Ekeler’s return.

Ekeler, who has led the NFL in touchdowns the past two seasons, injured his ankle in the Chargers’ Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He didn’t practice last week and missed Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Ekeler has been one of the most reliable players on the Chargers’ offense. Against the Dolphins, he amassed 117 rushing yards and one touchdown and had five catches for 47 yards.

Playing without Ekeler against the Titans, the Chargers’ running backs totaled just 61 rushing yards.

Without Ekeler, the Chargers will rely on Joshua Kelley, who finished with 39 yards rushing and one passing target Sunday. Since joining the Chargers in 2020, Kelley has played eight games without Ekeler and has not scored a touchdown in those games.

Kelley’s highest rushing total in games without Ekeler came during Sunday’s loss; Kelley has never had more than 24 receiving yards in such games.

Since Ekeler debuted in 2017, the Chargers are 49-41 when he plays and 3-7 when he does not play. The Chargers average 3 more points per game when Ekeler plays compared to when he doesn’t over that same span.

The good news for the Chargers is that their opponent this Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings, has fielded one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL. The Vikings have given up 326 yards, third most in the NFL, most recently allowing 175 yards to Philadelphia Eagles running back D’Andre Swift on Thursday.

So Kelley and the Chargers’ other running backs, Elijah Dotson and Isaiah Spiller, have a good opportunity to be productive without Ekeler against a struggling defense.

CINCINNATI

Coach Zac Taylor sort of tells Fantasy owners not to assume that QB JOE BURROW is going to play this week.  Jason Owens of YahooSports.com:

CLEVELAND

It didn’t take long for anyone to diagnose the injury suffered by RB NICK CHUBB.  But it is confirmed.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The image of Browns running back Nick Chubb’s knee injury was gruesome that ESPN wouldn’t show it, and the crowd in Pittsburgh let out an audible gasp when it was shown on the big screen. So it was no surprise when Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed after the game that Chubb is out for the season.

“Nick’s got a very significant knee injury,” Stefanski said. “You feel for the person. He’s a great football player as we know, but he’s an even better person. we will support him every step of the way.”

Asked about a report that Chubb suffered multiple torn knee ligaments, Stefanski said Chubb will need an MRI for an exact diagnosis but that there’s no expectation of Chubb being able to return this season.

“Without imaging I can’t say,” Stefanski said.

Chubb was a 2018 second-round pick of the Browns and has been selected to the last four Pro Bowls. His career average of 5.26 yards per rush is the second-best for any running back in NFL history.

– – –

Will the NFL fine QB DESHAUN WATSON even though the on-field officials let him off for shoving one of them?  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson got away with shoving an official during Monday night’s game.

In the third quarter, Watson was flagged for unnecessary roughness for grabbing the facemask of Pittsburgh’s Kwon Alexander and holding onto it even after both players were out of bounds on the Steelers’ sideline. After the play, Watson lingered near the sideline and exchanged words with the Steelers.

At that point umpire Barry Anderson stepped in front of Watson and tried to direct him back to the field, and Watson shoved Anderson to the side to continue jawing with Steelers players.

Watson was not flagged for the shove, even though the NFL rulebook says under the “Prohibited acts” section that “Under no circumstance is a player allowed to shove, push, or strike an official” and that “The player shall be disqualified from the game.”

The officials would have been well within their authority to eject Watson for the action, and the fact that he wasn’t even assessed a penalty seems like a blown call. The league office may hand down its own discipline.

Mike Florio leads the charge to get Watson – and it sounds like the NFL office has concerns:

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had a rough Monday. He could also have a rough Tuesday.

Watson committed not one but two egregious facemask fouls in Pittsburgh, grabbing a pursuing defender by the cage and throwing him to the ground. As Chris Simms and I discussed on Tuesday’s PFT Live, Watson seemed to be frustrated — either by the fact that he can no longer run away from pursuing defenders or by whatever opposing players are saying to him in close quarters about his off-field issues, or both.

When has any player had two blatant facemask fouls in one game? When has a quarterback ever had one? It’s one of the original safety rules, dating back to long before the years when the NFL downplayed and denied the risks of concussions.

Even a minor grab and tug of a face mask gets penalized and fined. Watson took it to the next level, twice, throwing players down to the turf.

Then there was Watson’s shove of an official during the scrum that broke out after his first facemask penalty. (And, yes, it was a shove.) Contact with an official always requires ejection. It could, coupled with everything else, result in a suspension — in theory.

Would the NFL suspend a franchise quarterback (or at least a quarterback who is paid like one)? The officials might have looked the other way when he should have been ejected. Will the powers-that-be be influenced by his status and importance to his team and the game in fashioning a penalty?

Whatever happens, someone needs to calm him down. Something got under his skin last night, and it stayed there. Future opponents will surely try to replicate that, each and every week, until he shows that it’s not frustrating him.

HOUSTON

Amidst the 0-2 start, QB C.J. STROUD has opened his career with some impressive numbers.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Texans are 0-2 through two weeks, but rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has displayed some strong play to begin his career.

The No. 2 overall pick of this year’s draft has completed 64 percent of his throws for 626 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions — good for a passer rating of 91.2. In Sunday’s 31-20 loss to the Colts, Stroud was 30-of-47 for 264 yards with two TDs.

On Monday, Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans said Stroud did some “really good things” in Week 2, though there are details to clean up.

“C.J. is a very good processor — a smart, smart quarterback. He’s not going to make the same mistake twice,” Ryans said in his press conference. “That’s one thing I like about him. He knows his mistakes and he knows how to correct them on the fly and it’s just encouraging when you see a young player, a rookie quarterback, who is able to make steps in the right direction. He’s able to progress, he’s able to grow within games. Like you see in our past game where he got pressured and held onto the ball a little too long and he comes back, and he makes the right decision with the football.

“This kid is made of all the right stuff. Happy to have him on board — our team is happy to have him on board. We just have to play better, complimentary football around him.”

Stroud has been sacked a league-high 11 times through the first two weeks and has fumbled three times, losing two of them. But the early returns have provided reason to believe he can become a consistent performer behind center for Houston.

That’s 91 passes without an interception to start Stroud’s career.

NEW YORK JETS

Per Shannon Sharpe:

“Zach Wilson couldn’t play dead in a horror movie.”

Jeff Kerr of CBSSports.com calls for regime change:

Do the Jets need to move on from Zach Wilson in order to make the playoffs

Overreaction or reality: Reality

Wilson was horrible in his first start filling in for Aaron Rodgers, going 12 of 27 for 170 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions (38.1 rating) — which is actually over par for his standards. Wilson was 7 of 17 for 76 yards and three interceptions (15.4 rating) in the second half.

The Jets scored 10 points in a blowout loss to the Cowboys. They can’t continue moving forward with Wilson behind that offensive line, no matter how hard Robert Saleh tries. Sure Wilson knows the system, but he hasn’t been good in said system.

If New York wants to have a shot at the playoffs, it needs to find someone better than Wilson. That may be any quarterback at this stage.

THIS AND THAT

SUPER BOWL ODDS

After two weeks, here are the latest Super Bowl odds from Fan Duel:

Kansas City Chiefs                      +600

San Francisco 49ers                   +700

Philadelphia Eagles                    +750

Dallas Cowboys                          +850

Baltimore Ravens                       +1000

Buffalo Bills                                 +1000

Miami Dolphins                           +1300

Cincinnati Bengals                      +1900

Jacksonville Jaguars                  +2600

Detroit Lions                               +2600

New Orleans Saints                   +2800

Cleveland Browns                      +3300

Atlanta Falcons                          +3300

Green Bay Packers                    +3500

Los Angeles Chargers               +3500

Pittsburgh Steelers                    +4000

Minnesota Vikings                      +5000

Seattle Seahawks                      +5000

Tennessee Titans                      +5500

Tampa Bay Buccaneers            +7000

New York Jets                           +7000

Washington Commanders        +7500

Los Angeles Rams                     +8000

New England Patriots                +9000

New York Giants                       +9000

Denver Broncos                        +10000

Las Vegas Raiders                   +12000

Indianapolis Colts                     +17000

Chicago Bears                         +20000

Carolina Panthers                    +20000

Houston Texans                        +70000

Arizona Cardinals                     +100000

After the top seven, do we like anyone?  The Seahawks at 50 to 1, maybe?