| Is three weeks too early for an If The Season Ended Today? Nah. The AFC – with two familiar teams at the top: 1 Kansas City West 3-0 2 Buffalo East 3-0 3 Jacksonville South 2-1 4 Pittsburgh North 2-15 Las Vegas WC1 3-0 6 Baltimore WC2 2-17 Denver WC3 2-18 Cleveland 2-19 Cincinnati 2-1 All four teams in the AFC North with winning records. The AFC North plays 16 games this year with the NFC South – and so far they are 4-1 with the one loss being suffered at home to New Orleans. In the NFC, the incredible super team that was the Rams are not in the top 8 – at the moment: 1 Minnesota North 3-02 San Francisco West 3-03 Philadelphia East 2-14 Carolina South 1-25 Detroit WC1 2-16 Chicago WC2 2-17 Seattle WC3 2-18 NYGiants 2-1 In Mike Renner’s Mock Draft at the bottom of today’s DB we noticed that the Patriots still had the 24th pick. Since Renner said the picks were determined by current Super Bowl odds, is it possible that New England still has the 9th best chance of hoisting Lombardi in the eyes of the oddsmakers? Fan Duel says no with New England at #16. But the Rams still are the 2nd favorites: Buffalo Bills +650Los Angeles Rams +700Baltimore Ravens +950San Francisco 49ers +950Seattle Seahawks +1000Kansas City Chiefs +1100Philadelphia Eagles +1700Detroit Lions +1800Cincinnati Bengals +1900Denver Broncos +2000Jacksonville Jaguars +2000Chicago Bears +2200Minnesota Vikings +2200Dallas Cowboys +2500 Houston Texans +2700New England Patriots +3300Indianapolis Colts +6000New Orleans Saints +6000Green Bay Packers +6000Los Angeles Chargers +7500Washington Commanders +8000Las Vegas Raiders +8000Atlanta Falcons +10000Tampa Bay Buccaneers +10000Pittsburgh Steelers +10000Carolina Panthers +12500New York Giants +12500New York Jets +22500Cleveland Browns +40000Arizona Cardinals +40000Tennessee Titans +50000Miami Dolphins +100000- – -Austin Abbott has some recent deals and moves that aren’t looking good: @AustinAbbottTransactions this offseason that look horrific so far: – Seahawks paying Rashid Shaheed $17M instead of Ken Walker (who only makes $14.3M) – Jags decided to not pay Parker Washington before the season started, he’s about to get a bag – Rams trading for Myles Garrett.. LA gave CLE Jared Verse + a 2027 1st + 2028 2nd + 2029 3rd for Garrett. He has 0 tackles, went on IR and might not be back till week 9 – Patriots giving up a 2028 1st and a 2027 5th to Philly for AJ Brown who went on IR and is expected back mid season.. just 3 receptions for 26 yards – Dolphins signing Malik Willis to a 3 Year, $67M contract.. They’re 0-3, he has 1 Passing TD and 2 INT’s heading into Week 4 – Saints signing Travis Etienne to a 4 Year, $48M contract.. he’s the 5th highest paid RB in the league and ranks 27th in Rushing Yards (128) this year.. – Buccaneers extended Baker Mayfield to a 3 Year, $165M contract.. Tampa Bay is 0-3, Baker dislocated his right thumb and will miss time. Bakers stats over his past 10 games: 11 TD’s, 11 INT’s, with a 2-8 record I know it’s only been 3 weeks but these decisions must be keeping these General Managers up at night We don’t agree about the Dolphins signing. Someone had to play quarterback, the money to Willis isn’t that great on the QB scale. And we’re not sure he’s really played all that bad. |
| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGOPressed into service, QB CASE KEENUM had a night to remember on Monday. Dan Wiederer of The Athletic: It was nearing 11 p.m. Monday when Case Keenum made it to his postgame press conference at Soldier Field. He hadn’t yet showered, was still in his grass-stained uniform pants, socks and cleats, and had eye black smeared above his cheeks. The Chicago Bears quarterback wore a smile that would be difficult to erase. Keenum was in no rush to move past what happened on the field Monday with his often steady, sometimes spectacular performance propelling the Bears to their statement 27-7 thumping of the Philadelphia Eagles under the lights near Lake Michigan. “You dream about this,” Keenum said. “That’s why I’m still here and still doing this.” Indeed, this was the type of night you live inside for as long as allowed, the kind of performance that provides so much payoff for all the long hours and grindy weeks the NFL requires. And for Keenum, who turned 38 in February, the joy of his payoff was only heightened by the audience — not just the 59,588 fans in attendance or the primetime “Monday Night Football” viewers, but also his parents, his in-laws, his wife Kimberly and their two children, Kyler and Cadence. Keenum had a motivational message for his kids before kickoff. “Keenums can do hard things,” he relayed. “And hopefully,” he added not long after his two victory formation kneel-downs, “they saw their dad do a hard thing tonight and will be able to use that in the future.” Sure enough, the Bears were home underdogs Monday, with starting quarterback Caleb Williams sidelined by a hamstring injury and backup Tyson Bagent having his week interrupted by a concussion. For style points, Keenum inflated the pregame betting line to 10 points before being corrected down to the 3.5-point spread established by the oddsmakers. “Ten sounds better,” he said with a laugh. One day, when he’s retired and in a rocking chair on a porch somewhere back home in Texas, Keenum can pick and choose which embellishments he’ll add to a performance in which he threw for 247 yards with two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 110.8. He did it against defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, against All-Pro defensive lineman Jalen Carter and against an Eagles defense with difference makers at all three levels. Keenum also ran for a 1-yard score, his first rushing touchdown in nearly seven years — so long ago that he couldn’t even recall his 1-yard TD as Washington’s quarterback in Week 16 of the 2019 season against the Giants. “Did you have to ask ChatGPT for that one or what?” Keenum quipped. Most of all, Keenum kept labeling this experience as “special.” From the union he’s had over the past year-and-a-half with coach Ben Johnson to this gritty, resilient team he’s been a part of, to the way everyone rallied together during a demanding week to produce this kind of triumph. “You could tell this meant a lot to him,” Johnson said. “But at the same time he kept his composure. It’s a lot. I think it’d be easy for a younger player to get overexcited or stimulated. And yet you could tell he was ready and he couldn’t wait to get out there but at the same time under control. The rest of the unit feeds off that.” When last week began, with Williams out and Bagent entering concussion protocol, a window of opportunity slid open for Keenum to start for the first time since 2023. On Wednesday, undrafted rookie Miller Moss noticed an energy spike from his fellow quarterback, telling position coach J.T. Barrett that it felt like Keenum had flipped a switch in how dialed in he seemed. Barrett just smiled. “Yeah, buddy,” he told Moss. “It’s time to go.” What followed, Keenum noted Monday, was a stack of 14- to 16-hour workdays. Full commitment. Responsibilities understood. “Barely saw the wife and kids,” he said. “Studied film. Grinding. I had my phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ for all my friends. The only two people who were in my group were my wife Kimberly and Ben. And I’ll let you guess who called more.” With 68 previous career starts, including the playoffs, the preparation process was never going to be an obstacle for Keenum. That, in turn, offered the Bears coaching staff valuable comfort amid a turbulent week. The union between Keenum and Johnson — just 21 months his quarterback’s senior — also felt invigorating. Both men recalled their first meeting, in the spring of 2025, with Johnson working to convince Keenum to join him as a mentor for Williams. That initial conversation was scheduled to be 15 minutes. It pushed well past two hours, with Keenum declaring to himself, “I want to do it. And I want to do it with this guy.” Before that first meeting materialized, Keenum considered himself retired. Johnson, though, can prove pretty darn convincing. And after that initial conversation, Keenum had zero hesitation about signing on. “He’s kind of like the governor down in Texas,” Johnson said. “So pulling him out of Houston was no easy feat. But the city of Chicago has a pretty good draw itself.” Added Keenum: “I found the love of football again working with him.” If that wasn’t a significant tailwind, it at least provided a gentle breeze. The next step for Keenum was managing a complex offense on the Monday night stage against a loaded defense. Yet from the opening snap, Keenum made it obvious he was locked in. His first play was an easy pass split to the right to Luther Burden for a 7-yard gain, the first of 24 completions spread to seven pass catchers. Throughout the night, the efficiency was felt in the way Keenum recognized coverages and got the ball out quickly, sensed pressure, and anticipated throws. Keenum’s first TD toss — his first in 1,015 days — was actually completed 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage. It was underhand too, just a little Jennie Finch-style flip to Burden, who picked up a first down on the third-and-2 play, then kept his legs driving as four other teammates helped push him into the end zone. Keenum’s second touchdown, with 5:47 remaining in the third quarter, was the night’s longest play, a 41-yard dart to Kalif Raymond over the middle with the 11th-year receiver racing the final 28 yards after the catch. “I was just hoping these legs were going to hold up,” Raymond said. Raymond and Keenum had spent extra time after practice working on that play, seeking timing and polish and hoping for the ideal look from the Eagles defense. And when they got it, bam! “It was a great route, great protection and a really good play design,” Keenum said. “That was a play Ben was very high on. And I loved it, too. But I had some questions about it. And he kinda — I wouldn’t say talked me into it (Sunday) night but he assured me it would be a good play. And golly if he didn’t call it at the perfect time.” If Johnson’s sway helped that particular play come to life, Keenum’s command in the final quarterbacks meeting of the weekend radiated. “He ran the show,” Johnson said. “The coaching staff kind of took a backseat. There were no reminders from us. He was just going through the list of every single play that was on the plan and what he was going to do. He gave us his favorites. “That right there is a good indicator of what it’s going to look like on game day. And we needed him to play that well.” As for the TD run, the one that pushed the Bears ahead by 20 points midway through the fourth quarter, Johnson labeled that “a Mike Martz Special, the ol’ ‘Sucker Sneak,’” and a concept the Bears activated near the goal line based on the Eagles’ defensive alignment. Said Keenum: “My word of the week was ‘trust.’ Trust my abilities. Trust my preparation. Trust my feet. Trust my eyes. Trust my o-line. Trust the play call. Trust the play design. And I just trusted it.” There he went, diving across the goal line of the north end zone, adding to the pile of fun during this unforgettable night. During a postgame TV interview, Keenum expressed his desire to relive the whole experience Tuesday — with a viewing at home beside his kids. He also conceded that a Bears-Eagles rewatch might ultimately lose out to “Bluey.” Regardless, Keenum will have this night forevermore, etched into his own brain but also into the memories of Bears fans. “Chicago and Soldier Field at night? It’s awesome,” he said. Besides, who knows when — if ever — Keenum’s next start will come. Bagent is healthy again, and while Johnson acknowledged discussions are on the docket for Tuesday, he was emphatic when he said, “There was a reason Tyson ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback.” Still, whatever Week 4 brings, and no matter what the rest of the season offers, Keenum can take great pride in how he performed on Monday night. “This was a very special moment for him,” Raymond said, in the understatement of the year. |
| MINNESOTAThe Vikings, like the 49ers recently with Trey Lance, are overcoming a horrific pick: @SeifertESPNAccording to the Elias Sports Bureau, J.J. McCarthy is 1 of 4 first-round QBs in the past 25 years to start 10 or fewer games for the team that drafted them. The others: Paxton LynchTrey Lance Johnny Manziel Coach Kevin O’Connell admits his offense hasn’t been holding up his end of the bargain. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The Vikings are 3-0, but it isn’t because they have found an offensive groove so far this season. In three weeks of work, they have managed to pick up a league-worst 715 yards and their passing game has been the least productive in the league. That didn’t stop them from trading quarterback J.J. McCarthy to the Giants on Monday and head coach Kevin O’Connell expressed confidence later in the day that starter Kyler Murray will be able to create better results with more time in the offense. “Look, we’ve seen Kyler play 11 snaps in one game and played against a good defense on the road yesterday. There’s a lot of things beyond Kyler that we need to improve, including myself, and we’re going to do that, and we’re going to ascend as an offense,” O’Connell said, via the team’s website. “I believe in our guys. I believe in where we can get to as a team, and I just love the fact that collectively we’re able to come together and find a way to win football games.” Things got particularly bleak for the Vikings in the second half in Tampa on Sunday as they gained 77 yards and picked up four first downs while turning the ball over once and punting four times. A game against the winless Dolphins this week gives the Vikings a chance to find some better footing and questions about when that will happen will get a bit more pointed if they continue to scuffle the way they did against the Buccaneers. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| TAMPA BAYA note from Ira Kaufman: @IKaufman76Baker Mayfield’s dislocated thumb will end a long and improbable streak for the Bucs. Since 2018, no Tampa Bay starting QB has missed a game due to injury. And this: @NFLSTROUDConfirming Jalen McMillan has a sprained left PCL. Same knee he injured earlier. Could miss 6-8 weeks. Tough break for Bucs WR. @JennaLaineESPN reported first.– – -Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com on the floundering Buccaneers: When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided that undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels had earned their backup quarterback job in August, they knew the risk involved. Daniels was the first undrafted rookie in Buccaneers history to start the season as the team’s primary backup quarterback. It was an unusual decision, but one the Bucs thought was right after training camp and a solid preseason. Daniels, who played six college seasons at Kansas, completed 27-of-44 passes for 239 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions with 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground in three preseason games. The Buccaneers made that decision presumably hoping Daniels wouldn’t be needed this season. Then, suddenly, he was. Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb late in the Buccaneers’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings and coach Todd Bowles told WFLA he will miss “a minimum of three weeks.” Bowles said Daniels will be the starter on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. It’s obviously a very scary stretch coming up for the Buccaneers. They are 0-3 after a collapse in the second half of last season. They’re 2-10 in their last 12 games. If Mayfield misses three games and the Bucs lose all three with Daniels (vs. Packers, at Cowboys, vs. Steelers), they’ll be 0-6 and 2-13 in their last 15. Bowles is already on the hot seat and an 0-6 start would be bad for him. It might also be bad for general manager Jason Licht, who put together the roster and didn’t have a better backup quarterback plan than an undrafted rookie who was good but far from great at Kansas. It’s not inconceivable that Daniels could keep the Buccaneers afloat, though. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the first three starts of undrafted rookie Devlin “Duck” Hodges’ career in 2019, though they lost the next three and Hodges didn’t play in the NFL after that season. Tommy DeVito played well as an undrafted rookie for the 2023 New York Giants, they won three of his six starts and now he’s the primary backup for the Patriots. Tyson Bagent got four starts as an undrafted rookie for the 2023 Bears, they went 2-2 and he’s now their established backup. So perhaps the idea of an 0-3 team having to start an undrafted rookie for a few weeks isn’t as bad as it sounds. But it is a tough ask. And it was a risky proposition when the Buccaneers decided on it. “You can go back and forth with the experience argument, but we’d rather have a very talented, prepared, inexperienced quarterback than going with experience just for the sake of saying the guy’s experienced,” Licht said via the team’s site. “Like all rookie quarterbacks, whether you’re the No. 1 overall pick or undrafted, there’s going to be a learning curve, there’s going to be ups and downs. But we feel good about where he’s at, his trajectory, and we’re excited.” We’ll see if the Buccaneers can get through the next few games without Mayfield. If it goes terribly bad, there will be some justified consternation around the Buccaneers’ offices. Panic meter: Unless Daniels has a surprising run, this could get very ugly. Watching Monday’s game, the DB was thinking that QB CASE KEENUM would look good in the Pewter and Red. |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYBobby Burack of Outkick wonders what is going on with Chiefs LT RON SIMMONS, about whose absence the team has been less than forthcoming: Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons is mysteriously absent from the team — again. Simmons holds one of the most important jobs in football. He is paid to protect the blindside of Patrick Mahomes, the central figure of the NFL’s defining dynasty and one of the most valuable assets in American sports. Yet Simmons has played in just eight of 20 games since the Chiefs drafted him two seasons ago. Khali Benson, an undrafted rookie right tackle who played exclusively on the right side in college, has filled in for Simmons this season. The Chiefs are 3-0, but Benson showed clear limitations on Sunday against the Dolphins. The team’s own highlights package of the victory is marred by defenders beating him almost immediately off the line of scrimmage. The Chiefs offense misses Simmons’ stability. And yet, there is still no information regarding when he might return, or whether he will return at all this season. How does that happen in a league where highly paid insiders compete to deliver minute-by-minute injury updates on even the most obscure players in the NFL? To understand how, we have to return to the 2025 pre-draft process. In October 2024, Simmons suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury at Ohio State. After the season, reports indicated that he was well ahead of schedule in his recovery. The Chiefs selected him 32nd overall. A week after the draft, Simmons was active for rookie minicamp. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the national reporter most connected to the Chiefs, the injury did not cause Simmons to fall to the final pick of the first round. The concern was something less clinical and more ominous: his character. “Several teams agree: Josh Simmons had best tape of any OT last year. And they aren’t very concerned with recovery on the torn patella tendon. More of the concern is maturity/character. But he’s going to the ideal, veteran-laden place,” Fowler posted on X on April 24, 2025. It remains unclear what those “character concerns” were. But they had to be substantial for nearly every team in the league to pass on a left tackle with elite tape who had already been cleared for contact by draft night. For the first month of last season, it appeared the Chiefs had taken advantage of the rest of the league’s hesitation. Simmons looked like the long-term answer to Kansas City’s chronic left tackle problem. That reading no longer holds. On Oct. 6, 2025, two hours before the Chiefs’ Monday Night Football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team abruptly listed Simmons as questionable due to an “illness.” He ultimately played and played well. The episode would have disappeared into the weekly churn of NFL oddities if not for what happened days later. After a full week of practice, Simmons did not show up for his pregame responsibilities the following Sunday against the Lions. It was reported that players and members of the staff were unsure of his whereabouts. After the game, head coach Andy Reid suggested he knew where Simmons was. Reid and the Chiefs offered almost no explanation afterward. The silence continued throughout much of Simmons’ four-game absence, which the team described only as a personal/family issue. Reporters provided no real clarity over the past year about what happened or why members of the organization were apparently unaware of Simmons’ absence until close to game time. Last month, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame provided the first substantive report on the matter, saying Simmons left the team without approval the Saturday before the Lions game and that there was a period of time in which the “team didn’t know where he was.” That is also the version of the story OutKick has heard but have been unable to independantly verify. The team will not confirm, deny, or comment on the matter. OutKick emailed Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and Simmons’ agent Drew Rosenhaus before Verderame’s report to ask whether those details were accurate. Neither responded. After a full training camp, Simmons missed his first practice of the season on Aug. 18. Verderame reported afterward that Simmons was “fine.” “On Chiefs LT Josh Simmons missing practice with a back injury, I’m told ‘he’s fine.’ Don’t sense any concern about the second-year star,” Verderame posted on X. It is now Sept. 28. Simmons has not practiced since. He has missed the first three games of the season. Though the team says he has been in the building, he’s clearly not “fine.” However, we have already established that Verdemran’s sources with the team are strong. There is reason to believe that the team did consider Simmons’ injury minor at the time. Something changed. On Monday, Reid offered a vague, almost eerie update. “I’ll tell you what,” Reid told Chiefs Digest reporter Matt Derrick. “I will let you guys know when Josh [Simmons] is coming back. I’ll be the first to tell you. So we’ll just see how that all works out.” The contrast with Reid’s other injury updates is difficult to ignore. Asked about safety Chamarris Connor, who, like Simmons, is the only other starter to miss the team’s first three games, Reid sounded far more direct. “Yeah, so he practiced last week, and he’ll get going this week, too,” Reid said. “So there’s a good chance he’ll be out there. We’ll just see how the week goes, but it looks like it’ll be a pretty decent chance.” Now consider the reporting around other injured Chiefs players. When rookie Mansoor Delane injured his shoulder in Week 1, Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport, and Tom Pelissero quickly reported that the injury was minor and continued providing updates throughout the week. ESPN, Fox, NFL Network, NBC and Amazon devote weekly pregame segments to injury news. They inform viewers about the availability of backup linebackers and rotational defensive backs. Yet we cannot find a single example of them discussing the status of the player tasked with protecting Patrick Mahomes. Over the past month, there has been one national report about Simmons. It came from Fowler, who, fittingly, described the injury as “mysterious.” We keep coming back to that word. At minimum, we can establish this: the NFL’s top reporters either do not know the story behind Simmons’ absence or are choosing not to pursue it publicly. Likewise, the Chiefs either do not know when Simmons will return or are deliberately withholding information they routinely provide about other players. That is unusual, to use a term. Simmons’ absence has naturally invited speculation about whether it is connected to last year’s disappearance from the team. Yahoo NFL analyst Hayden Winks is among those asking. “So Josh Simmons is going to miss more time than what he would’ve on IR, which could mean he’s missing longer than the Chiefs expected based on this back injury. There’s also a history of him just not being around. There could be a lot more to this story than what’s public,” he posted Monday. Price Carter is one of the top Chiefs film analysts. He detailed the unusualness of the Simmons saga to OutKick: “It would be difficult to describe the Josh Simmons injury timeline as normal. What started out as a routine back injury, described by several reporters as a ‘minor issue’ that he could ‘play if it was game week’ has now lingered on for the better part of two months. With no timeline for return, and no corresponding roster move the local media is only left with the information they are given by the team. Andy Reid is notorious for not saying much at the podium and the team only provides a very brief look at practice to the media. Reporters state that Simmons is with the team but that is all the news that there is.” That speculation is warranted. Simmons is not an anonymous private employee. He is the left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. And by offering so little clarity, his own team has invited the public to fill in the blanks. Perhaps there is a deeper explanation for Simmons’ absence. Maybe the pre-draft character concerns are connected to last year’s absence and this year’s. There is precedent for NFL teams describing a personal matter as an injury in an effort to protect a player. The Bills did this with Ed Oliver in the face of tragedy. Still, the Chiefs have made the matter worse by saying nothing while keeping Simmons on the active roster. They could have placed him on injured reserve and said they would re-evaluate him later in the season. They could have placed him on the non-football injury list and said he was out until further notice while asking the public to respect his privacy. Instead, the Chiefs have chosen ambiguity. The longer this lingers without an explanation, the harder it becomes to accept that this is merely a back injury. If it were only a back injury, why the secrecy? Why the lack of reporting? Why the careful language? For whatever reason, the Kansas City Chiefs do not want to provide the details about Josh Simmons. Already, there is speculation that Simmons does not want to play or does not love football. At this juncture, how can that not be among the possibilities that come to mind? At this point, Kansas City owes Simmons and its fans one of two things: an explanation, or a roster decision that acknowledges there is no clear path back. Apparently, the team has concluded that rampant speculation about its stud left tackle is less damaging than the truth. |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSThe Chargers chargering: @QBgamiComing into Sunday, teams who forced 5+ turnovers with a +4 or better turnover margin were 81-2-1 since 2013. The only 3 teams to lose in that scenario: The Chargers (2015)The Chargers (2022)The Chargers (2026) The rest of the NFL remains undefeated. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEThe Jaguars have taken some recent opponents to Pound Town. Ryan Paganetti: @RyanPaganettiTrevor Lawrence has been pulled with at least 5 minutes left in 5 of the Jaguars’ last 11 regular-season games, each time leading by 20+. This has not happened any other time since at least 2000 The Jaguars offense is flat out dominating people. |
| TENNESSEEWith the game on the line Sunday, QB CAM WARD threw a brutal interception. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: After quarterback Cam Ward threw an interception in the end zone late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 12-7 loss to the Giants, Titans head coach Robert Saleh said that Ward has “to be smarter with the football.” Saleh spent more time discussing Ward’s decision making during his Monday press conference. Saleh said that he thinks Ward has been “spot on” with his decisions in most respects, which makes it “unfortunate that one of his critical mistakes came on the last play of the game” but does not make Ward a reckless player with the ball. “He gave him a bad ball,” Saleh said, via the team’s website. “Bad decision, not a reckless decision, bad decision, which I’m sure he recognizes. But Cam is far from reckless.” Recklessness may not be Ward’s chief issue, but the simple fact for the Titans is that their offense is not productive enough to overcome even an occasional mistake. They’ve scored 37 points in three weeks and that number is going to need to climb for Ward to have a compelling case that he’s the long-term answer in Tennessee. |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALOThe unique bond between the people of the Buffalo area and the players that wear the Bills uniform is shown here: @thesportsontapDJ Moore went to lunch at ZJ’s Family Restaurant in Hamburg, New York. It is a family diner. Not a place with a velvet rope. Booths, a counter, regulars. Somebody in there recognized him, and quietly paid for his meal. They never told him who they were. They just did it and let the server deliver the news. So Moore pulled out cash and handed it to his server, a woman named Carol Poules. “This is for everyone’s meal that’s sitting here, and the rest is for you.” Six or seven tables. Plus everybody sitting at the counter. A couple hundred dollars, and then a tip on top of that for Carol. Her words. “It was so exciting, it was a pinch-me moment. Very cool. He just seems like a good, genuine person.” One of the people who got a free lunch out of it was a woman named Carol Conklin. “Nothing’s ever happened like that to us before where someone will buy your lunch.” On his way out, the room called out Go Bills. He said it right back. Here is the part that makes it land a little harder. DJ Moore has been a Buffalo Bill for about six months. He did not grow up there. He did not pick it. Carolina drafted him in the first round in 2018, then traded him to Chicago in 2023. Chicago traded him to Buffalo on March 11 of this year for a second round pick. Eight seasons, more than 8,000 receiving yards, three teams. He has spent his career being moved around by people who make those decisions in rooms he is not in. And then he walked into a diner in a town of 60,000 people, in a city he got assigned to, and a stranger who had nothing to gain from it bought him a sandwich and disappeared. So he bought the room. Buffalo does this. This is the city where fans sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to Andy Dalton’s charity because of one throw, and where they gave more than a million dollars to a children’s hospital in Josh Allen’s grandmother’s name after she died. It goes the other direction too, apparently. A guy who has been traded twice paid for six tables of strangers because one of them was nice to him first. |
| MIAMIThe Dolphins have suffered a big loss with RB De’VON ACHANE done for the year. NFL.com: Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a torn ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday. Miami placed Achane on injured reserve later Monday. Achane went down early in Sunday’s game with a knee injury, and first-year head coach Jeff Hafley told reporters after the defeat that it did not “sound very optimistic.” Hafley confirmed the severity of the injury Monday morning. Achane, who made his first Pro Bowl last season, signed a four-year, $64 million extension this past offseason. He was expected to be one of the key pieces for the rebuilding Dolphins, who are off to an 0-3 start on the season. Achane entered the 2026 campaign off a career-best year on the ground (1,350 yards) with an additional 488 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns, which was his third consecutive double-digit TD season to begin his career. Achane, however, was off to a slow September, failing to eclipse more than 100 scrimmage yards in the first two games of the season, as Miami’s offense as a whole struggled with new quarterback Malik Willis under center. The fourth-year back had 17 rushing yards on three carries at the time of his exit on Sunday. Achane will finish the 2026 season with 127 rushing yards on 34 carries, 49 receiving yards on seven catches, and zero touchdowns. Willis led the Dolphins in rushing on Sunday with 56 yards on nine attempts, while second-yard back Ollie Gordon II added 41 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Jaylen Wright, who has flashed at times, rounds out Miami’s RB depth chart, but he has been dealing with a stinger and a foot injury and was inactive on Sunday. Jarquez Hunter and Carlos Washington are on the Dolphins’ practice squad. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| 2027 MOCK DRAFTFrom Mike Renner of CBSSports.com: Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, CJ Carr, LaNorris Sellers — what do all four of those quarterbacks have in common? Well none of them appear in this mock draft because all of them have more years of eligibility. With Sayin and Carr I think physical development and mastery are needed for them to get drafted where they want to. For Moore it’s a full healthy season after his scary head injury last weekend. And for Sellers, well, there’s a lot that needs to change. While those four returning to school makes this “loaded” quarterback class far less exciting, the draft is still loaded at other positions. Especially the ones that get paid the big bucks. Three receivers, two offensive tackles, and two edge rushers go within the top 10 of what’s shaping up to be a blue-chip heavy draft class. One last thing, and this is important: The draft order was determined using the reverse Super Bowl odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Jets have three first-round picks: their own, the Cowboys’ from the Quinnen Williams trade and the Colts’ from the Sauce Gardner trade. The Cowboys have the Packers’ selection from the Micah Parsons trade. OK, let’s get to it! 1 MIAMIJeremiah Smith WROhio State • Jr • 6’4″ / 222 lbsWhile Malik Willis hasn’t been an overnight success in Miami, he’s under contract for two more seasons and has been throwing to the NFL’s worst receiving corps. That changes the second Smith steps on the field for the Dolphins. Smith has the kind of speed that even Willis can’t overthrow and ball skills to fight through contact downfield for big plays. 2 ARIZONAArch Manning QBTexas • Sr • 6’4″ / 222 lbsManning has serious work to do down the stretch this season to prove he’s worthy of this pick, which he’ll get as Texas looks like a playoff lock at this point. If the other choice is Carson Beck or Jacoby Brissett, though, I’m still taking the chance on Manning. He has plays every week that show his high-end talent, but he’s yet to have a wire-to-wire dominant game. 3 TENNESSEEJordan Seaton OTLSU • Jr • 6’5″ / 311 lbsThe Titans can finally get out from under the ugly Dan Moore Jr. contract next offseason and they’ll fill his shoes with the most polished pass protector in the class. Seaton has elite-level potential in the passing game, where he’s one of the most impressive athletes you’ll ever see at the position. 4 CLEVELANDTrinidad Chambliss QBOle Miss • Sr • 6’0″ / 210 lbsCould the Browns tab another 6-foot quarterback to be the face of their franchise? Well, there may not be many other options as most of the top quarterbacks have years of eligibility left. Chambliss also has the best tape for a 6-foot quarterback since Bryce Young went No. 1 overall in 2023. At this point, you could even argue that Chambliss has passed more tests against top competition than even Bryce. He certainly has a stronger frame and bigger arm than the Panthers’ signal-caller. Chambliss faces a gauntlet of a schedule in the SEC. If he can keep passing tests, he’ll end up here. 5 NY JETS Leonard Moore CBNotre Dame • Jr • 6’2″ / 197 lbsMoore is a prototypical corner prospect who’s shown the most well-rounded cornerback skill set since Jalen Ramsey came out a decade ago. He’d be a massive upgrade from Brandon Stephens and complete the defensive overhaul they started this offseason. 6 NY GIANTSCharlie Becker WRIndiana • Jr • 6’4″ / 208 lbsBecker has a special combination of speed and ball skills. His ability to track the ball downfield and then finish through contact is right up there with Jeremiah Smith in this class. That’s the type of player I want to pair with Jaxson Dart when he’s back healthy next season. 7 ATLANTATrevor Goosby OTTexas • Sr • 6’7″ / 325 lbsGoosby hasn’t quite looked as dominant to start this season as he did to finish 2025 after suffering a bone bruise in his knee this preseason. Still the natural talent is obvious as is the need on the Falcons’ roster. With Jake Matthews turning 35 next offseason, Goosby could be the next in line. 8 TAMPA BAYColin Simmons EDGETexas • Jr • 6’3″ / 246 lbsSimmons drops not because of anything he’s done this fall, but because the teams in front of the Bucs here seem very unlikely to take edge early yet again. Simmons leads all of college football this season with seven sacks. He’s a high-end speed rusher, which is a distinctly different type of edge than what the Bucs currently have on their roster. 9 CAROLINADylan Stewart EDGESouth Carolina • Jr • 6’5″ / 250 lbsStewart is one of the freakiest athletes you’ll ever see for someone who’s 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. At that size, he moves like a wide receiver. His draft stock has been in free fall this year, though, as he missed the first two weeks of the season with a back injury and then got suspended for throwing a punch vs. Alabama over the weekend. The talent is top-5 worthy, but the red flags are growing. 10 LAS VEGASCam Coleman WRTexas • Jr • 6’3″ / 204 lbsVegas Super Bowl odds haven’t quite caught up to the Raiders’ success this season. If they end up with a top-10 pick, though, it’s going to be difficult to pass on this receiver class. Especially given how well Klint Kubiak’s offense was able to feature No. 1 receivers in Seattle and New Orleans. Coleman has the ability to take the top off the defense consistently, even if he’s still raw as an all-around route-runner. 11 WASHINGTONAshton Hampton CBClemson • Jr • 6’2″ / 205 lbsThe Commanders have been cursed of late when it comes to drafting corners. Hampton would change that. He’s a massive 6-foot-2 corner with the kind of ability to go toe to toe with bigger receivers who have been an issue for Washington. 12 NEW ORLEANSDevan Thompkins DLAlabama • Sr • 6’5″ / 300 lbsOne of the biggest risers in this year’s class, Thompkins has looked like a completely different player after transferring from USC to Alabama. At 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, Thompkins is still athletic enough to line up as a standup outside linebacker for the Tide and not look out of place. He’d be the perfect power edge to pair across from Chase Young. From Indianapolis Colts 13 NY JETS (from Indianapolis)Greg Johnson IOLMinnesota • Sr • 6’6″ / 325 lbsJohnson is a plug-and-play guard with a massive frame. His tape in the run game this season has been dominant. He could take over for Dylan Parham at left guard and turn the Jets’ offensive line into one of the league’s best. 14 LA CHARGERSWill Echoles DLOle Miss • Jr • 6’3″ / 315 lbsEcholes is the kind of interior penetrator the Chargers’ defensive line has been missing. They have a lot of guys who are great at eating space in the run game, but not many who can create havoc in the backfield. That’s what Echoles has been doing since the start of last year. 15 PITTSBURGHJadan Baugh RBFlorida • Jr • 6’1″ / 225 lbsThis might be disrespectful to Baugh’s talents not to have him in the top 10 at this point, as he’s tearing through college football. Baugh has 600 yards and 11 scores in four games, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s elusive — what’s not to like? 16 NY JETS (from Green Bay)Will Heldt EDGEClemson • Sr • 6’6″ / 260 lbsHeldt is a distinctly different edge from what the Jets have on their roster. He’s got size to be an early down run defender and then collapse the pockets on third downs. That’s the kind of edge rusher you want paired across from David Bailey’s speed. 17 CHICAGOTrevor Lauck OTIowa • Sr • 6’5″ / 314 lbsThe Bears are doing their best to rebuild the 2025 Iowa offensive line and with good reason. Both Trevor Lauck and last year’s second-rounder Logan Jones are well-oiled machines on outside zone runs — a favorite of Ben Johnson’s offense. 18 MINNESOTAKade Pieper IOLIowa • Sr • 6’3″ / 298 lbsPieper is the kind of athletic center who can be a weapon in an offense. His ability to get out on the move and make plays in space is as good as it gets at the position. He’s what the Vikings were hoping for when they drafted Garrett Bradbury. 19 HOUSTONChris Cole LBGeorgia • Jr • 6’3″ / 235 lbsCole is an athletic marvel with limitless range at the linebacker position. He will bridge the gap between off-ball and edge if you want him to or he can just shut down windows over the middle of the field all day 20 JACKSONVILLEA’Mauri Washington DLOregon • Sr • 6’3″ / 325 lbsWashington is a ridiculously explosive nose tackle who can reset the line of scrimmage in the run game. While he hasn’t quite developed the way many were hoping this season as a pass rusher, the potential is there with his first step and low center of gravity. 21 DALLASDavid Stone DLOklahoma • Jr • 6’3″ / 315 lbsStone is a do-it-all defensive tackle who could immediately improve the Cowboys’ run defense. With Kenny Clark almost certainly on track to be a cap casualty after this season, Stone could fill his shoes immediately. 22 DENVERJamari Johnson TEOregon • Sr • 6’5″ / 255 lbsAfter missing a couple of games with injury, Johnson came back to tear up USC this past weekend with seven catches for 119 yards. He’s a smooth-moving pass catcher with a massive frame and a large catch radius. He could be a Bo Nix favorite underneath. 23 DETROITKelley Jones CBMississippi State • Sr • 6’4″ / 205 lbsJones is a perfect Lions corner with his press pedigree. You won’t find too many longer corners in college football history. He’s only allowed five catches on 14 targets for 67 yards with four pass breakups this season. 24 NEW ENGLANDSammy Brown LBClemson • Jr • 6’2″ / 235 lbsBrown is a three-down off-ball linebacker with about as clean an athletic and production profile as you could hope for at the position. He’d be a big upgrade in coverage vs. what’s currently on the Patriots’ roster. 25 CINCINNATILance Heard OTKentucky • Sr • 6’6″ / 325 lbsHeard would fit in on the Bengals’ line in the run game where he’s a certified people mover. He wouldn’t have to start right away with Orlando Brown Jr. under contract for two more seasons. With Brown’s play slipping from his peak, though, Heard would provide injury insurance in the meantime. 26 PHILADELPHIAYhonzae Pierre EDGEAlabama • Sr • 6’4″ / 251 lbsPierre is the type of traitsy edge rusher the Eagles would love to get into their building to try to develop. He had a breakout third season in 2025 and has followed that up with 12 pressures on 64 pass-rushing snaps so far in 2026. 27 KANSAS CITYKJ Duff WRRutgers • Jr • 6’6″ / 225 lbsWith Rashee Rice in a contract year, the Chiefs will likely be looking for a big-bodied wideout to fill his role. Duff is just that and then some at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds. Duff has also been dominating college football this year with the fourth-most receiving yards in college football (550). 28 SEATTLEReed Harris WRArizona State • Sr • 6’5″ / 220 lbsHarris is another massive wide receiver at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds who can really run routes. He’s added more layers to his game after only hauling in 39 passes for 673 yards last season at Boston College before transferring. 29 SAN FRANCISCOMelvin Siani OTTexas • Sr • 6’6″ / 317 lbsSiani has the athletic ability to be the heir to Trent Williams on the left side for the 49ers. He’s been lights out this season in pass protection with only four pressures allowed on 148 pass-blocking snaps. 30 BALTIMORESamson Okunlola OLMiami (Fla.) • Jr • 6’6″ / 330 lbsOkunlola is having a breakout season after switching from left guard last season to left tackle this fall. He looks much more comfortable out on the edge, where his quick feet can be a weapon. While he hasn’t faced much in the way of top competition, he’ll get those chances as the season wears on. 31 BUFFALOTony Rojas LBPenn State • Jr • 6’2″ / 236 lbsRojas likely would have been in the league right now if it weren’t for a torn ACL early last season. Now the fourth-year linebacker looks like the best player at the position in college football. His instincts have really shined this season — especially in coverage. 32 CLEVELAND (from LA Rams)Anthony Boswell IOLHouston • Jr • 6’2″ / 301 lbsBoswell’s tape as a redshirt freshman last season for Toledo was outstanding and now he’s doing the same thing to Big 12 defensive linemen. He’s not a special athlete the way Kade Pieper is, but he’s technically sound and extremely consistent. He’s only allowed one pressure on 124 pass-blocking snaps this season. |
