| Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com kick around some names to know for the upcoming coaching carousel: Fowler: It’s hard to ignore what Joe Brady is doing in Buffalo, dating to last season. He has established an equal opportunity offense that finds the open man and can dictate the pace with a run-heavy attack. He interviewed for head-coaching jobs years ago and sort of missed the window, but it appears that will open for him again. Graziano: Brady is a good one. I was having this conversation with someone Monday, and we kind of agreed there aren’t a ton of obvious names right now. Ben Johnson in Detroit and Bobby Slowik in Houston will likely be the big names on the circuit, but they aren’t new to it. It’s a little early for Ryan Grubb in Seattle or Drew Petzing in Arizona, though obviously stranger things have happened. Arthur Smith is doing a really nice job with Justin Fields in Pittsburgh and likely gets a look again at some point, but probably not this soon. Can I cheat and point out that Bill O’Brien was a really good NFL head coach who’s doing a good job with Boston College at the moment and could want back in at some point? Fowler: We all know the usual suspects this time of year — Slowik and Todd Monken (Baltimore) come to mind as playcallers — but as far as sneaky, emerging names, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has caught the attention of some around the league. Same with Petzing, whose Cardinals offense ranks seventh in yards per game. |
| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGOMaurice Jones-Drew, writing at NFL.com, lays the blame for the lack of success of QB CALEB WILLIAMS on the team’s running game: We are three games into the 2024 NFL season, and it appears the Chicago Bears have already lost their way, being too eager to put all their eggs in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ basket. Yes, the No. 1 overall pick entered the league with high expectations, but make no mistake: He’s still a rookie, learning how to acclimate to the speed of the pro game and dissect opposing defenses on the fly. This franchise has almost always been known for its stout defense and physical rushing attack — and this year’s squad has a great D, ranking in the top 10 in points and yards allowed. But despite having a rookie under center, Chicago’s dropping the ball when it comes to the ground game. In this past Sunday’s 21-16 loss at Indianapolis, the Bears rushed for a measly 63 yards on 28 carries. That’s 2.3 yards a pop against a Colts defense that allowed nearly 500 ground yards in its first two games of the season. Chicago spent much of that game within one score (it can thank its defense), which makes the fact that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron had Williams throw the ball 52 times(!) all the more puzzling. NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 4: Jauan Jennings, Sam Darnold among top targetsThrough three weeks, the Bears, whose lone win came on the back of a big defensive and special teams performance in Week 1, have the third-worst total offense in the NFL. They rank second in pass attempts … but 25th in pass yards, tied for 22nd in rush attempts and 31st in rush yards. This pass-heavy approach isn’t working (Williams has been sacked 13 times). That much is clear. But what is most striking to me is what is going on with the run game. Chicago’s backfield looks much different than it did a year ago, with D’Andre Swift getting a majority of the carries. Swift, who received a three-year, $24 million deal in the offseason on the heels of his breakout year in Philly, has 68 yards on 37 carries for a puny 1.8 yards per attempt this season, while Roschon Johnson, Khalil Herbert and Travis Homer have combined for 19 carries and are averaging 3.3 yards per carry, with Herbert scoring the position group’s lone TD on the season. Williams has 67 yards on 11 attempts, but 60 of those yards have come on six scrambles, per Next Gen Stats. The Bears purportedly upgraded their backfield this offseason with the signing of Swift. However, the ground game has been far less efficient in 2024. Bears run game, Weeks 1-3 2023 2024Rush percentage over expected (ROE) 41.5% (3rd NFL) 25.0% (29th in NFL)Yards per carry (YPC) 4.3 (T-11th) 3.0 (31st)Expected rushing yards per carry (xYPC) 4.5 (7th) 4.0 (T-29th) For those of you who say, “Well, the Bears had a more mobile quarterback in Justin Fields last season,” I hear your argument. But to this, I counter: The contrast in production when it comes to efficiency is even more glaring when looking solely at the running back position. Bears RBs, Weeks 1-3 2023 2024Rush percentage over expected (ROE) 46.3% (2nd NFL) 18.5% (31st in NFL)Yards per carry (YPC) 4.4 (T-8th) 2.3 (32nd)Expected rushing yards per carry (xYPC) 4.5 (4th) 3.9 (T-23rd) No ifs, ands or buts about it: Swift must improve and reclaim the burst and ability to create that which we saw a season ago. But in his defense, Chicago’s offensive line has also been bad. Look no further than the Bears’ second-quarter drive against Indy, when they ran 10 plays in the red zone and failed to score. The final play of the drive — a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line — saw Williams pitch the ball to Swift, who was immediately swallowed up by Colts defenders for a 12-yard loss, as at least four offensive linemen missed their blocks on the play. Waldron, whose offense has scored three touchdowns in three games, MUST get back to the basics to jump-start the run game. I’d like to see him implement more pin-and-pull blocking schemes, which help create favorable angles while also getting blockers out in space on the perimeter, and utilize more bootlegs and quick passes out of play action. The next couple games present the Bears with a real opportunity to find life in the ground attack, as they face two opponents (Rams and Panthers) that rank in the bottom five in run defense. Waldron must get Swift and Co. going in the run game. If not, the Bears’ season will continue to spiral and Williams’ development will suffer serious consequences. |
DETROITNew uniforms for the Lions on Monday: ![]() |
| MINNESOTAThe emergence of QB SAM DARNOLD is, in part, thanks to having a stable offensive line in front of him. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com: I caught up with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell to discuss his offense, which ranks third in scoring (28.3 points per game) and has helped guide the Vikings to a 3-0 start. What’s obvious is quarterback Sam Darnold’s star turn. What’s not so obvious is Minnesota’s impressive physicality up front, which stands out against a backdrop of bad offensive line play leaguewide. That has been huge for Minnesota. “The offensive line has been really physical, and [tight end] Josh Oliver has been a big factor in that, too,” O’Connell said. “We’ve been able to run it and sustain drives. On the early downs with the [play-action] pass, screens, we’ve been able to steal some chunks and we’ve been efficient on third down.” He likes the plus-two turnover margin but wants to see “self-inflicted penalties” cleaned up. Darnold is a catalyst, and the Vikings are not shocked. They believed this offseason that Darnold had untapped potential — and as one team source said, “can throw the s— out of the ball.” He just needed to clean up decision-making that plagued him in the past. O’Connell and the staff — and, yeah, the mere presence of star receiver Justin Jefferson — have streamlined that decision-making for him. |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONAThe Cardinals take a hit with the loss of DL JUSTIN JONES. Josh Weinfuss ofESPN.com: Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Justin Jones will miss the rest of the season with a triceps injury, coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday. The Cardinals have placed Jones on injured reserve and signed defensive lineman Naquan Jones, who was with Arizona in training camp, off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad in the corresponding roster move. “He’ll come back better than ever,” Gannon said of Justin Jones, adding that the team will “figure it out” on playing without him. Jones suffered the injury late in the second quarter Sunday against the Detroit Lions and was ruled out early in the third quarter. In almost three full games, Jones played 98 snaps with four tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit and a fumble recovery. He was the most double-teamed Cardinals defender on pass rushes, seeing two defenders on 50.9% of his pass rushes. Jones signed a three-year deal with Arizona in March that was worth up to $31.1 million and included a $9.75 million signing bonus. In other injury news, Gannon said Wednesday that tight end Trey McBride was still in the concussion protocol after a vicious collision with safety Brian Branch late in the fourth quarter. Gannon also said right tackle Jackson Barton’s toe injury was day-to-day. Barton was Arizona’s third-string right tackle and started in place of backup Kelvin Beachum, who missed the game with a hamstring injury. Barton left the game in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Charlie Heck. “I thought he did good,” Gannon said Monday of Heck. “He came in, and he knows what he is doing. He is a pro, and we feel good about him going into the game. He is a capable player.” Beachum’s injury will continue to be evaluated throughout the week. |
| SEATTLEBrady Henderson of ESPN.com on why the 3-0 Seahawks currently are enthralled with new Coach Mike McDonald: – When Mike Macdonald was hired by the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason, he brought the Baltimore Ravens’ notoriously tough conditioning test with him. Every NFL player must pass one at the start of training camp in order to practice, and the versions vary by team. This one requires them to complete six 150-yard shuttles, with a time limit on each leg that differs depending on position groups. Not finishing any of the six legs in the designated time means failing the test and having to start it over. “Never want to do it again,” Seahawks wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. said. “It’s deadly.” It might have been predictable that a few young players would fail such a difficult test, requiring them to start camp on the non-football injury list until they could pass. But to the Seahawks’ new head coach, it wasn’t acceptable. “Macdonald was pissed,” a source close to a player said. Macdonald chewed out the players individually, according to team sources, and then brought up the issue in front of the rest of the team in order to drive the point home: You owe it to everyone else to show up in shape. He told at least one of the players that he’d have been cut on the spot if not for the guaranteed money in his contract, another source close to one of the players said. If it wasn’t already clear to Seahawks players that Macdonald has a different leadership style than his predecessor, Pete Carroll, then that moment left no doubt. The Seahawks’ decision to move on from Carroll in January changed the organization’s power structure, with longtime general manager John Schneider now holding final say over personnel decisions as well as oversight of the coaching staff. When Schneider and owner Jody Allen hired the former Ravens defensive coordinator, it also meant a change in how the Seahawks will be coached, and Macdonald’s new-sheriff-in-town moment was an early indication. Whereas Carroll took a gentler approach when it came to holding his players accountable, Macdonald — the NFL’s youngest head coach at 37 — favors an old-school style that includes plenty of tough love. While their philosophies differ, Macdonald still plans to lean on the same defense-and-run-game formula on the field that propelled Carroll to the most wins in franchise history and its lone Super Bowl title. The Seahawks are finding their footing on the ground, ranking 23rd in rushing yards (97.3 average), but they’ve started the season 3-0 heading into Monday night’s game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC). With Macdonald calling their defense, they’re allowing the fourth-fewest points in the NFL (14.3), the main reason why they’re one of the league’s five remaining unbeaten teams. “He’s just big on accountability, which is really important right now because it’s a lot of new players, a new staff, a new way of doing things around here,” defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. “I think when you’re trying to implement something new, it takes a lot on the players and the leaders on the team to hold everyone accountable. … I think he’s doing a good job.” IN JANUARY, THREE days after the Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals to finish 9-8 for a second straight season, the team announced Carroll was out as head coach. It was not a typical firing. The move came after multiple meetings with Allen, who said in a statement the two sides had agreed Carroll would transition into an advisory role. During his farewell news conference later that day, Carroll made it clear his wish was to continue coaching the team. Allen, who has stayed out of public view since she assumed control of the team in 2018, did not speak at the gathering, and the team’s brief statement offered no insight into why the move was made. More straightforward was what would happen next. As Schneider confirmed, a clause in the extension he signed after the 2020 season stipulated he would assume the top spot in Seattle’s football operations department when Carroll left. The two had arrived together in 2010 under an atypical arrangement in which Carroll had final say over personnel decisions and both reported to ownership. In recent years, the two had discussed the possibility of Carroll, at some point, ceding that power to Schneider. With Carroll out, the general manager was now officially in charge. As the former coach passed the baton, he alluded to the weight that comes with being the organization’s top decision-maker. “It’s been 14 years, he’s been waiting for his opportunity and he deserves it,” Carroll said. “He’s great at what he does. And now he’s going to find out. Find out, big fella. But he deserves this moment.” Schneider’s first order of business was the one that may define the rest of his tenure as Seahawks GM — hiring Carroll’s replacement. When Schneider was interviewing for the job in 2010, he was preparing to hire a head coach, only to find out that Carroll was already their man. Fourteen years later, Schneider’s chance had come. Schneider had been doing homework on potential successors knowing Carroll, well into his 70s and with various interests outside of football, could decide to retire at any time. With some legwork done, he cast a wide net in his search, meeting virtually with at least eight candidates for initial interviews. Macdonald was squarely on Schneider’s radar, having developed a reputation as one of the NFL’s brightest defensive minds. The Ravens were the league’s top defense the past two seasons, and the Seahawks saw first-hand the issues Macdonald’s scheme created during a 37-3 loss to Baltimore in November. Michigan had also just won a national championship using the defense Macdonald helped build during his lone season as the Wolverines’ DC in 2021. Because of the timing of Carroll’s exit, the Seahawks weren’t able to conduct an initial interview with Macdonald during the Ravens’ playoff bye week. Since they missed that initial window, NFL rules stipulated they wait for Baltimore’s season to end. The interview didn’t happen until Jan. 30, two days after the Ravens lost in the AFC Championship Game and almost three weeks after they announced Carroll’s departure. The Seahawks, according to a team source, had noticed a trend with their earlier interviews, with some candidates impressing them in virtual conversations but not nearly as much during the second, in-person sessions. Macdonald, on the other hand, blew them away when Schneider, Allen, assistant GM Nolan Teasley and the rest of their leadership team met with him face-to-face in Baltimore. A major selling point was his philosophy on holding players accountable and his three-word motto that embodies it — “make it right.” Schneider found Macdonald to be such an efficient communicator that a two-hour portion of their interview with him felt more like 20 minutes. He would eventually tell his scouting department to be prepared for much quicker conversations with Macdonald than they were used to having with Carroll. “It was communication, leadership, clarity … that jumps off with Mike,” Schneider said. “I had talked to several people that had interviewed him already and they were like, ‘Wait until you look in this guy’s eyes, man. He’s there. He’s present. He’s on it.’ And he was. Everybody in that room felt it.” Carroll and Schneider would regularly disagree but ultimately came together on almost every decision, which is how Schneider plans to operate with Macdonald now that he has final say. Schneider said he could count on one or two hands the number of times Carroll had to wield his personnel power. The more significant change in Schneider’s role is that all the coaches — Macdonald included — now report to him. Macdonald had spent nine of his 14 seasons as a coach working in one place, having joined John Harbaugh’s staff in Baltimore as an intern in 2014 after three seasons at his alma mater, Georgia. He didn’t have a deep list of coaching contacts, so Schneider worked closely with him to build his staff. The two went to work on it the day before Macdonald was introduced as Seattle’s coach on Feb. 1, trying to make up for lost time. Macdonald had previously worked alongside four of the 24 assistants they hired, including assistant head coach Leslie Frazier and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh. As one Seahawks source put it, Macdonald prioritized the best teachers as opposed to the familiarity of coaching friends. As the staff was coming together, the two discussed one well-known name that they didn’t end up hiring. Schneider expressed some reservations to Macdonald as well as one thing he liked — the assistant’s ability to be an enforcer. He loved his new head coach’s response. “Isn’t that what I’m here for?” Carroll is still technically employed by the Seahawks, though he isn’t mentioned on their online list of employees, nor has he been spending much time at team headquarters. Carroll did plan initially to serve in an undetermined advisory role, as his mentor, Bud Grant, had done with the Vikings after his final season as Minnesota’s head coach. But in an August appearance on 93.3 KJR-FM in Seattle — while one of his ex-players, Doug Baldwin, was co-hosting — Carroll said he’s been keeping his distance from the organization. He declined to comment to ESPN for this story and hasn’t done any other media interviews aside from the lone radio appearance, preferring to lay low out of respect for Macdonald and the start of his regime. “I haven’t talked to those guys at all,” Carroll told the station. “I ran into Mike in the parking lot one day, and it was a great chance to just, the two of us alone, to meet. … I’m not paying that much attention to it because it just feels like it’s the right thing to do to let them go.” THE FIRST THING Seahawks players mention when describing Macdonald is usually his brain. “I don’t think Coach knows how smart he is,” linebacker Tyrel Dodson said. “The stuff that he comes up with, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ I’ve just never heard of that. People can be smart and you not understand them. He’s smart and he understands us and he coaches it so well.” Macdonald, born in Boston and raised in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, graduated summa cum laude from the University Georgia with a finance degree before returning to the school to earn his master’s in sports management. “Nerdy for sure,” cornerback Devon Witherspoon said. “But it is in a good way, though, his own way, and I think that’s what makes him who he is.” Macdonald’s sense of humor is another facet of his personality that’s often brought up by players, even if his jokes don’t always land in team meetings. “We laugh with him because it’s like, ‘OK, we see where you were going there, but it didn’t come across how you wanted it to,'” cornerback Tre Brown said. “But we love him, man. He’s a friendly guy.” Macdonald isn’t hard on players as a default, Brown said, only when he needs to be. One such moment came at the end of a practice early in training camp, when Macdonald saw a group of young players heading inside in defiance of instructions to sign autographs. He caught up to one of them and gave him an earful, sternly ordering an undrafted rookie to the berm across the field, where fans were waiting. Another rookie who witnessed the exchange exclaimed with a grin, “Mike does not play.” Those who played for Carroll and worked under him say they never saw him dole out discipline that way, even behind the scenes. The ultimate players’ coach, he believed in empowering them as a means of getting the most out of them, which meant giving plenty of leeway and leading more like a father figure than an authoritarian. He was willing to deal with the inevitable downside of that approach — the free spirits who would take more rope than he gave. “Philosophy is a lot different,” Brown said of the change in coaches. “Make it right,” which Macdonald adopted during his early days in Baltimore, embodies the standard he wants his players to meet both on and off the field. It’s about correcting mistakes or avoiding them in the first place, about making it clear what won’t fly while leaving no room for ambiguity. “There’s going to be mistakes made out there,” Macdonald said. “Let’s take accountability, let’s not point fingers and let’s move forward. It just made sense on how to do business with the guys and how you want to be coached. You don’t want it to be personal. … It’s easier to coach that way, when you’re not blaming the person, you’re blaming the action of what’s going on and trying to coach that.” Said offensive passing game coordinator Jake Peetz of Macdonald’s plain-spoken style: “He’s very much like, hit you between the eyes, very direct. You don’t really have a lot of guesswork on where you stand because he’s going to come to you with information … and he knows how to say … ‘This is what I want, how I want it,’ and he can prepare his guys to get it done.” Macdonald’s fine system — more strictly enforced than Carroll’s — includes a $500 penalty for showing up even one minute late to a meeting, according to one player. Being overweight and missing physical therapy sessions are other finable offenses. “It comes up every day,” cornerback Artie Burns said of the saying. “A simple mistake on a coverage: Make it right, get it fixed and we’ll live on the next play. A minute late to meetings: Make it right, you’re fined up, don’t do it again. It’s just an easy way to get it solved and know, hey, the standard is the standard, don’t slip away from it, and just make it right.” WITH A WIN Monday night, Macdonald would become the first rookie head coach since Dan Quinn in 2015 to start 4-0. According to ESPN Research, it’s happened 10 times since 1970. The Seahawks have benefited from a soft schedule out of the gate that included hosting the Denver Broncos in Bo Nix’s NFL debut and the Miami Dolphins without Tua Tagovailoa. The next month will test them. They’re banged up on both sides of the ball and have a much tougher slate of quarterbacks on the horizon, including Jared Goff on Monday night and then Brock Purdy, Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford before their bye in Week 10. But so far, their new schemes on both sides of the ball are taking hold, and so is Macdonald’s “make it right” message. “From my perspective, what makes it work is when the whole team is bought into the system,” Williams said. “We hold each other accountable now. … If it was always coming from Mike, it would probably be easy to be like, ‘Oh, Mike’s the bad guy,’ or something like that. “In our own D-line room, we have our own ‘make it right’ system where now we hold each other accountable. So it’s almost like the whole team has just bought into that type of mindset.” |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYTE TRAVIS KELCE hasn’t been himself for the first three games, but he’s not worried. Jenna West of The Athletic: Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce is shaking off his struggles on the field early this season. “With how defenses are playing us right now, I’m not really getting a lot of opportunities to make plays down the field but (I’m) not using that as an excuse,” Kelce said on Wednesday’s episode of his “New Heights” podcast. “Moving forward, still trying to make sure that I help the team out in that regard knowing I’ve been that weapon for us in the past.” The Chiefs are 3-0 following their 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night which saw Kelce finish with four catches and 30 yards. Kelce has tallied just eight catches for 69 yards this season (averaging 8.6 yards) and has yet to score a touchdown. He averaged 10.6 yards per reception last regular season and 11.1 yards in the postseason. “I’ve had a lot of catches in this league, man. I’m not worried about the catches and the yards and all that,” Kelce said. “I have the most fun when the ball is thrown my way, who doesn’t? It has everything to do with execution, just making sure we’re doing whatever we can to win these football games, man. That’s always going to be the goal.” Kelce’s brother and podcast co-host, Jason, said it’s “frustrating” to watch Travis’ struggles and he “can’t wait for it to turn (around).” “If it doesn’t, as long as we’re winning football games, we’re good to go, baby,” Travis responded. Atlanta held Kansas City scoreless after the third quarter, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed only one pass for 2 yards in the fourth quarter. Mahomes has also been honest about his performances this season. “Luckily for me, I’m not playing my best and we’re still getting wins,” Mahomes said. “I’ve got to get better to make the offense better.” In the fourth quarter, Kelce failed to secure the ball on a pass in the middle of the field that would’ve been a first down, with the ball knocked out by safety Jessie Bates III. The Chiefs’ next drive ended after just three plays when rookie receiver Xavier Worthy stopped running his crossing route, a third-down incompletion that forced a punt. Kelce said he “was trying to do too much before putting the ball away” on the incomplete pass. Despite the Chiefs’ struggles, they are among the five undefeated teams in the NFL, joining the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. Kansas City will travel to Los Angeles in Week 4 to play the Chargers on Sunday. |
| LAS VEGASThere was plenty of oohing-and-ahhhing when Coach Antonio Pierce talked about business decisions after the brutal loss to the Panthers. Frank Schwab ofYahooSports.com with more: Life as an NFL head coach is easier when you’re winning, especially in the rare case you’re doing so with no expectations. Antonio Pierce made an impression last season. Taking over for Josh McDaniels, who was fired midseason during his second disastrous stint as an NFL head coach, Pierce connected with the Las Vegas Raiders players and fan base by saying the right things, injecting some bravado and winning some games. He went from an interim to rightfully getting a shot to see what he could do with the full-time job. Raiders owner Mark Davis hired him as his permanent head coach in January. Pierce’s first full season as a head coach is only three games old, but there have already been some questionable moments. Pierce wouldn’t endorse quarterback Gardner Minshew II as his starter after a horrid loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. He questioned the players’ effort after the loss. His comment that some players made “business decisions” got traction in a hurry. During a fired-up news conference after the loss that was heavy on the theme that the Raiders got their behinds kicked, Pierce seemed to be at a loss for why some of the things that worked last season aren’t working again. “Same group, for the most part, all came back,” Pierce said. “Same technique, same coaches. It’s not a different scheme. We’re going have to coach it better, be some hard asses on the guys, and guys have to take to rough coaching because we didn’t see that coming on either side of the ball.” There’s still a lot of talk. Now it has to be followed up by substance. Antonio Pierce having a rougher time in Year 2The Minshew part of Pierce’s week seemed to be a sign of an inexperienced coach. Minshew played pretty well in a Week 2 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, a stunning victory that kept the Raiders from an 0-3 start. Minshew wasn’t good in Week 3, but nobody on the Raiders was, including the coaches. Though there was much more talk from Pierce about the effort of the defense than there was about getting outcoached by Dave Canales and his Panthers staff. Minshew got replaced by Aidan O’Connell late in the game, and then Pierce didn’t say Minshew was still his starter when asked on Monday. “I think we’ve got to get with the players and just evaluate everything from yesterday first,” Pierce said. On Tuesday, reports said the Raiders were sticking with Minshew. An ESPN.com report quoted a source saying “nothing was ever pondered” regarding a quarterback switch. Basically, Pierce left his quarterback hanging out to dry for nothing. Even if Minshew barely won the quarterback competition in preseason, treating him like that after a loss that was far from his fault isn’t a great look. And then there was the “business decisions” line that caught fire. Pierce’s ‘business decisions’ lineThe term “business decisions” refers to a player who might not go all out to make a tackle or take on a block, particularly late in a blowout. That’s what Pierce thought was going on late in the Panthers game. “I think as the game went on — I don’t think it was the team — I think there were definitely some individuals that made business decisions,” Pierce said after the game. “And we’ll make business decisions going forward as well.” A lack of effort is not ideal and needs to be corrected. But, like Minshew, it’s a team that played hard enough a week earlier to beat the Ravens. There’s more talk about which players might have missed a tackle late in a blowout than accountability for a coaching staff that was overwhelmed by a Panthers team that was clearly the worst in the NFL through two weeks. With the comment, Pierce also put a bright spotlight on his players and also himself, because words like that have to be backed up by action or they’re meaningless. The priorities seem off. But everything can be a learning moment, even for a head coach. Pierce has coached only 12 games. Over the long haul, talking about “The Raider Way” and lighting victory cigars will have to be backed up with solid Xs and Os and having your team prepared to play the Panthers at home. Pierce’s ability to manage a game came under immediate scrutiny in Week 1 when he punted on fourth-and-1 from the Chargers’ 43-yard line in the fourth quarter, a move so questionable that even the Chargers were shocked by it. Those are the moments that win and lose games in a highly competitive league, not endless platitudes about beating the Kansas City Chiefs. Pierce isn’t off to a great start this season. He talked a lot in his postgame news conference after Sunday’s loss about getting harder on the players. The same needs to apply to him. |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSThe Chargers will be without S DERWIN JAMES for Sunday with Kansas City. He hit TE PAT FREIERMUTH of the Steelers near the neck with his helmet. NFL Justice banned him for a game and he lost his appeal. His past bad conduct did him no favors. Kris Rhim of ESPN.com: Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. will miss Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs after the NFL upheld his one-game suspension for “repeated violations of playing rules.” The NFL announced the suspension Monday after James was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a hit to Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth in the third quarter of Los Angeles’ 20-10 loss Sunday. It was the seventh time James was flagged for unnecessary roughness in his career, tied with Marshon Lattimore and Jordan Poyer for second most in the NFL since 2018 (trailing Xavier Woods’ eight). James, a former All-Pro, appealed the suspension, but NFL vice president of football and international communications Michael Signora announced that the suspension was upheld Tuesday night. In a letter to James that was included in the NFL’s announcement, vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote that video shows James lowered his head on the hit, making illegal, forcible contact with his helmet that could have been avoided. “Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules will not be tolerated,” Runyan wrote. “Substantial penalties are warranted when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.” The Chargers also could be without quarterback Justin Herbert (ankle), offensive tackles Joe Alt (MCL sprain) and Rashawn Slater, and outside linebacker Joey Bosa (hip) for Sunday’s game. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDEDGE MYLES GARRETT is ailing, but not ruled out. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: There will be a couple of new injuries listed next to Browns defensive end Myles Garrett’s name on this week’s injury report. Garrett has been dealing with foot issues for the last few weeks and head coach Kevin Stefanski said at a press conference that Garrett will not be practicing with the team on Wednesday. Stefanski also said that Garrett is dealing with Achilles and thigh injuries that he picked up in last Sunday’s loss to the Giants. Stefanski also said that Garrett is determined to play through the injuries, so the team is not ruling him out for this Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Tackle Jack Conklin (hamstring), tackle Jedrick Wills (knee), running back Jerome Ford (knee), linebacker Jordan Hicks (ribs, elbow), tight end David Njoku (ankle), and running back Pierre Strong (hamstring) are also sitting out of practice on Wednesday. This on the heals of the loss of G WYATT TELLER to IR. Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com: The Cleveland Browns placed right guard Wyatt Teller on injured reserve Wednesday, sidelining him for at least the next four games. Teller injured his knee in the third quarter of Cleveland’s loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, and coach Kevin Stefanski had said Monday that Teller would miss “multiple weeks.” A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Teller had missed only three games over the previous three seasons combined. Third-round pick Zak Zinter, who filled in for Teller against the Giants, is expected to start at right guard against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Teller’s injury was one of several along the offensive line that Cleveland faced Sunday, forcing a mass shuffling across the unit. The Browns lost Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and James Hudson III (shoulder) to injuries, and Dawand Jones was benched after halftime because of a knee injury, according to Stefanski, before coming back into the game after Hudson went down. |
| PITTSBURGHOf the five 3-0 teams, Austin Mock of The Athletic has the Steelers ranked last: 5. Pittsburgh SteelersOdds to make the playoffs: 80%Odds to win division: 52%Odds to clinch first-round bye: 11%The Steelers are last on this list, but how can you not be impressed by the job this coaching staff has done? The defense is great again, but that wasn’t hard to predict. The offense, though, has been a pleasant surprise, even if the numbers aren’t jumping off the page. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has gotten the best out of Justin Fields through three weeks. The most impressive thing about how Fields is playing in this system? He’s cut out the negative plays. Fields ranks 10th among qualified quarterbacks in sacks and interceptions per dropback this season at just 7.7%. That’s the same number as Patrick Mahomes through three weeks. From 2021-2023, Fields ranked dead last (38th) among qualified quarterbacks in the same metric at 13.2%. That improvement alone shows a tremendous amount of growth from Fields as well as superb coaching by the Steelers. Or maybe it’s a Bears issue. Despite the improvements by Fields, he still ranks 17th in dropback success rate, which is boosted by a 47% mark against the Chargers. If you get that version of Fields every week, then the Steelers are going to be set. But if that’s the ceiling, and the offense reverts back to efficiency levels of the first two weeks, I’m not sure how far this team can go. Can the Steelers make the playoffs? Absolutely. In fact, I have them as considerable favorites to do so (80%). But in terms of being among the league’s best, I need to see more consistency with the offense before I get there. He has it KC, Buffalo, Seattle, Minnesota 1 thru 4. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEThe Jaguars are an answer to a question posed to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler: The most confusing team of the season is _______?Fowler: The Jacksonville Jaguars. The disastrous start to the season — especially coming off last year’s collapse — is confounding. This is a pretty good team, or should be based on the talent on the roster, but it’s coming apart at the seams. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence isn’t living up to the hype. He hasn’t won a game since Thanksgiving weekend of last year! The offense is allergic to the red zone. And the defense ran into a Buffalo buzzsaw Monday night, which can’t help its confidence. The tough early season schedule hasn’t helped. Losing by 37 on “Monday Night Football” can’t happen. This must be turned around starting Sunday at Houston, or coach Doug Pederson’s plan will continue to be scrutinized. |
| TENNESSEEJeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com wonder when QB WILL LEVIS will get the hook: Fowler: Where are you at with the Will Levis situation in Tennessee? Receiver Tyler Boyd’s comments to the media that the Titans’ passing game hasn’t found its chemistry yet stood out to me. I suspect Tennessee will give Levis more time to develop, but he must make better decisions — or Mason Rudolph will be the one making them. Graziano: That’s the thing, right? Not only do they have to reach a point where they feel like Levis’ decision-making is holding them (and him) back, but they likely have to be convinced it would be better with Rudolph. It’s kind of like the Carolina situation a little bit. Sure, Bryce Young had to sit down because he was repeating too many of the same mistakes and it didn’t look as if it would get better. But also, everyone you talk to in Carolina says Andy Dalton looked great all offseason, and the team believed the offense would be considerably better if it put the veteran in. The locker room surely was feeling that. If the locker room in Tennessee feels similarly, like Levis is a lost cause and Rudolph is the guy, then yeah. But I don’t know enough about that situation to make a good prediction on when or if they’ll make a change. I know the Titans went into the season aiming to use it to find out about Levis, which makes me think he’ll get a long leash. But it’s worth watching for sure. |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALOThis is pretty impressive for QB JOSH ALLEN. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Bills quarterback Josh Allen continued his torrid start to the season in Monday night’s win over the Jaguars. Allen was 23-of-30 for 263 yards and four touchdowns to fuel Buffalo’s 47-10 rout. The win moved the team to 3-0 on the season and it resulted in Allen being named the AFC’s offensive player of the week on Wednesday. It’s the 13th time that Allen has taken the prize since joining the Bills as a 2018 first-round pick. Allen has completed 75 percent of his passes this season while throwing eight touchdowns and no interceptions. It’s been a winning formula for the Bills thus far and more of the same over the rest of the schedule would likely put Allen into MVP consideration come the end of the year. It’s not often, in fact perhaps never, when both conference’s Players of the Week have come from Monday Night action – but Washington QB JAYDEN DANIELS won his first such award for his play in the ABC version of Monday Night football. |
| MIAMIThe Dolphins appear to have three candidates to start at QB on Monday against Tennessee. Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com: Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said it’s possible the team makes a change at quarterback ahead of this week’s game against the Tennessee Titans. Speaking to local media Tuesday, McDaniel said “there’s a lot of stuff on the table” as the Dolphins prepare for Monday night’s game. Skylar Thompson left last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks with a rib injury and was replaced by Tim Boyle. Thompson is still “day-to-day” as of Tuesday afternoon, McDaniel said, and the team is open to the possibility of starting either Boyle or Tyler Huntley. “As Skylar progresses, I think that leaves variables more vague. I think we have an important 48 hours to see where he’s at and then get in front of the rest of the quarterbacks room,” McDaniel said. “I think you have to open up your mind to a plethora of different solutions, considering your current answers, as objectively as you can evaluate, haven’t been the right ones.” Thompson was ineffective in Sunday’s 24-3 loss to Seattle, completing 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards. None of the nine offensive drives he led lasted longer than five plays. Boyle was slightly more effective, completing 7 of 13 passes for 79 yards, but the Dolphins were held out of the end zone for just the third time under McDaniel. Sunday’s loss also marked the Dolphins’ lowest scoring output since McDaniel was hired in 2022. “I was surprised by a bunch of things. I think you go into a game planning for more than three points,” McDaniel said. “There were some surprising moments within that game from the quarterback, from Skylar, that I know he wishes he could have back. I think it’s important to not take anything for granted and to be extremely accountable and critical across the board, including with yourself. … Then I think there were some surprising contributions to the quarterback, by way of other players, that compounded to make it a game that not any of the players are used to.” McDaniel said the team will probably decide on its starter soon to give players adequate time to prepare. He said he doesn’t foresee a scenario in which Miami plans to use multiple quarterbacks against the Titans. The Dolphins will play at least three more games without starter Tua Tagovailoa, who McDaniel said is meeting with neurologists this week. Tagovailoa was able to travel with the team to Seattle last weekend but remains in the NFL’s return to participation protocol after suffering a concussion in Week 2. |
| NEW YORK JETSDan Graziano of ESPN.com with a name to watch in the Jets passing game: Watch for the Jets to work wide receiver Mike Williams into the playbook more and more in the next couple of weeks. Williams is coming off a torn ACL and played just nine snaps in the season opener, 37 in Week 2 (which represented 65% of the Jets’ offensive plays) and then just 33 (45%) in Week 3 when they were blowing out the Patriots. The Jets believe that the way they worked running back Breece Hall back into the lineup over the first four to six weeks of last season is a template they can follow with Williams, whom they view as a red zone playmaker for Aaron Rodgers and a big part of their plans once he’s fully healthy. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| COLLEGE IMITATING THE NFLUNLV’s starting QB is leaving the Rebels in the lurch, leaving school, because of a “contract dispute.” Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com on what appears to be UNLV’s belief it could get a solid NCAA QB without paying a dime in NIL: Barry Odom was up early on Wednesday. He’d already digested the news — as well as he could — that his starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka, had bailed three games into the season. “Thought he had a market value higher than he was making here,” UNLV’s coach texted in the early morning gloom, at least around the Rebels’ football office. Sluka — veteran of one month of FBS football, on-field leader of an undefeated team ranked for the first time in program history with eyes on a College Football Playoff bid — had taken his talents elsewhere. Sluka will be a redshirt senior in 2025 and can conceivably test the market once again. Leaving before playing four games allows him to keep a redshirt season. His decision is unprecedented in its scope, according to those who have endured the three-year, two-month history of NIL. Money — the allure of it and, depending on which side you talk to, perhaps the unfulfilled delivery of it — is central to the story that shook college football on Wednesday morning. ESPN reported that Sluka was verbally promised a minimum of $100,000 from a UNLV assistant coach. Multiple sources tell CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz that Sluka had not received any NIL money from UNLV. A crux of the breakdown was the fact that whatever Sluka believed he was promised by UNLV was not outlined in writing before Sluka arrived as a coveted transfer from Holy Cross. One source close to Sluka, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the only money he received from UNLV was a player stipend. An NIL agent described Sluka’s camp not having an agreement in writing as “catastrophic.” Rob Sine, the CEO of Blueprint Sports, which operates UNLV’s collective, told CBS Sports it had not agreed to a $100,000 figure with Sluka. “We were introduced to the agent less than a month ago for the first time and the agent said he wanted to explore opportunities for his client,” Sine said. “We informed that he was not registered with the state or with the school and that he needed to be so the athlete needed to talk to the coaches directly. There was a discussion via email about 3,000 a month of a recurring payment and then the agent said no we’re still discussing, we’ll let you know how things progress, don’t onboard my athlete onto your program yet. And that was it. All of this happens in the span of less than a couple weeks. We never agreed to $100,000, it was never brought to us that was what the number needed to be. I’m learning about a lot of this like you guys are. “The collective is in great shape and has made every payment that it’s needed to make and stood up to every obligation we’ve been contracted to do,” Sine said. “Everything we do is contracted, we don’t do anything verbally. We have documentation on every deal we do. There was nothing for this guy. He received $3,000 from us this summer and that was it. We took care of that.” Sluka, a native of Long Island, did not profile as a high-level transfer when he left Holy Cross, ranking as the No. 32 quarterback in the portal, per 247Sports. The players at the top of that list — Cam Ward, Will Howard, Riley Leonard — most likely had NIL agreements in writing, or at least their agents would have pushed for it. In a previous interview with CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello explaining his team’s 3-0 start and offseason rebuild, Odom described the process of landing a commitment from Sluka in January. “There was nothing binding him to us other than a handshake, and, ‘Yeah, I’m coming,’ until he gets to campus,” Odom told CBS Sports in a prior interview about his program’s 3-0 start and landing Sluka. “And that’s the way the rules were at that time.” There had been recent communication between Sluka’s camp and UNLV to resolve the situation. Sources say Sluka’s agents had tried to negotiate with UNLV, including one offer that would have paid Sluka under 50% of what he was verbally promised. Nothing materialized, leading to Sluka’s stunning exit. “I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled,” Sluka wrote in a graphic that was published on his X account. “Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program.”Sluka’s decision is just the latest example of how unregulated promises in NIL can derail a team’s season. His exit mirrors similar situations, but for UNLV, the stakes were never higher. Rob Sine, the CEO of Blueprint Sports, which operates UNLV’s collective, told Yahoo Sports that the collective never agreed to a $100,000 deal with Sluka and that it made a payment of $3,000 to Sluka and was discussing a monthly payment of $3,000 before his decision to leave. The most famous example of a midseason sit-out is likely former Houston quarterback D’Eriq King, who halted his 2019 season after four games to keep his redshirt and ultimately enter the portal. We’ve even already seen the midseason transfer a few times early in 2024. Oklahoma State offensive lineman Jason Brooks announced that he’d enter the portal last week. Earlier this week, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said that Jaden Mickey, who had been third in the team’s cornerback rotation, would do the same. Given that history, it’s not as if a player choosing to sit out over an NIL dispute is a step too far beyond what we already see in the sport. “You, in theory, could get another shot at a payday and maximize your time in college,” a Power Four general manager told Chris Hummer of 247Sports/CBS Sports. “I think players are going to start paying attention to your four games and whether to look at it through the lens of a business decision.” Underclassmen aren’t allowed to transfer until a portal window opens in December. But many players are faced with a decision midseason around the four-game mark. For those who haven’t redshirted in their career — like Sluka — they can save a year of eligibility by choosing to shut things down. There are also documented cases of players exercising their leverage to request more money for play. Before Maryland’s 2022 Mayo Bowl game appearance against North Carolina State, Tagovailoa and two other players went to Locksley and said they’d need $50,000 each to play in the game, according to reporting by John Talty and Armen Keteyian for their 2024 college football book “The Price (more on that here). UNLV is 3-0, ranked for the first time. Sluka is a big reason. He only has 21 completions in three games, with a 43.75% completion rate. His success has come on the ground, leading the country in missed tackles caused by a quarterback. The prevailing sentiment is that the system is at fault here, rather than the player. It’s going to happen again. How long until players hold out in the middle of the season? This is what the NCAA has left us in the NIL era, which is something pretty much close to squat. |
| 2024 DRAFTAustin Mock of The Athletic says the Titans are trending towards the first overall pick of the 2025 draft: Projected top 10 (as of Sept. 24) Projected Record Playoff Chance1. Tennessee 6-11 11%2. NY Giants 6-11 9%3. Cleveland 6-11 13%4. New England 6-11 13%5. Indianapolis 7-10 14%6. Jacksonville 7-10 15%7. Las Vegas 7-10 12%8. Chicago 7-10 11%9. Denver 7-10 14%10. Carolina 7-10 17% A few thoughts on this week’s projections from The Athletic NFL Draft expert Nick Baumgardner: QB decisions loomIf the Titans finish this season with the No. 1 pick, odds are the Will Levis era in Tennessee will be over, or at least firmly on the back burner. Same time, the 2025 QB class is not the same as the one we saw this past spring. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck likely stands as the current QB1 and, so long as he finishes this year strong, he’d be a fair choice in the top three of the ’25 draft. But what about QB2? If the Giants land as high a pick as they do in our projections (No. 2), it’ll be time for a new quarterback in New York, as well. Should Tennessee, or another QB-needy team, snags Beck at No. 1, the question would become: Is there another quarterback in this class worth using a top-three pick on? How about a top-five pick? Top 15? Those are fair questions right now, as the pack following Beck — Shedeur Sanders, Quinn Ewers, Drew Allar, etc. — has hardly erased all doubts about their respective futures. Any team that had an opportunity to address the QB position last draft and didn’t may come to regret it. It’ll be interesting to see which teams add prospective starting QBs via the 2025 draft and which choose to spend capital on younger players like Justin Fields, Trey Lance or others who’ve been previously cast aside. Welcome back, ClevelandThe good news in Cleveland right now: The Browns have a first round pick again. And … that’s it. That’s the list. The Deshaun Watson situation seemingly has turned into a race to determine whether or not Cleveland can get out of Watson’s nightmarish deal before 2026. If the Browns (somehow) can, they — like, potentially, the Giants, Titans, Raiders, Dolphins, Saints and others — will be firmly in the quarterback market. That said, as we’re seeing this September, Cleveland also needs plenty of help elsewhere. On top of having a severely underperforming, high-priced QB, multiple seasons with light draft capital have taken a massive toll on the offensive side of the ball. A Panthers rebound?After looking like the worst team in football over the first two weeks of the season, Carolina flipped the script by swapping a struggling Bryce Young for veteran QB Andy Dalton in a 36-22 win at Las Vegas. With that, our first look here at the projected draft order has the Panthers outside the top five (and barely in the top 10). Don’t be surprised if that’s how it happens. Many of Carolina’s problems in the first two weeks were due to Young being totally broken as an NFL player. The Saints scored 47 points in a Week 1 win over Carolina, but they also had the advantage of three turnovers and fewer than 200 yards of offense by the Panthers. Carolina’s offensive line was very good last week, though, and has been better than the numbers have shown overall. Dalton has given a young team confidence, and the Panthers have winnable games all over their last-place schedule the rest of the way. DB thoughts – * We would be shocked if every team in the NFL won at least six games. * If Tua doesn’t come back, the Dolphins will pick in the top 10. * We would wager that Indianapolis wins more games than Carolina. |
