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College Football Playoff rankings: Georgia bumped out of bracket while Oregon, Ohio State hold steady at top

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Georgia plummeted from No. 3 to No. 12 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday following a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss, its second loss of the season, while previously undefeated Miami dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 after falling to Georgia Tech.

If the season ended today, the 7-2 Bulldogs would be the first team left out of the bracket, because No. 13 Boise State would claim an automatic berth as the fifth conference champion.

“Their offense hasn’t been consistent, and they’ve struggled with some turnovers,” committee chairman Warde Manuel said of Georgia. “Their defense has been solid, though in their loss to Ole Miss, with their offense struggling, their defense was on the field quite a bit.”

Oregon and Ohio State remained atop the rankings, while Texas, Penn State and undefeated Indiana moved up behind them, giving the Big Ten four of the top five teams.

Undefeated BYU jumped from No. 9 to No. 6 following its dramatic win over rival Utah late Saturday. Tennessee remained at No. 7, while Notre Dame moved up from No. 10 to No. 8.

Alabama, coming off a blowout win at LSU, moved up one spot from No. 11 to No. 10, with Ole Miss jumping up from No. 16 to No. 11. The Rebels would receive the last at-large berth if the season ended today.

Manuel said the fact Alabama and Ole Miss both beat Georgia head-to-head contributed to the Dawgs falling as far as they did.

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Is Georgia in trouble?

While Dawgs fans may be freaking out over being left out of this week’s hypothetical bracket, Georgia will move right back up if it beats seventh-ranked Tennessee at home this week. It would be Georgia’s second Top 10 win this season (it previously beat No. 3 Texas), and its two losses were to the committee’s No. 9 (Alabama) and No. 10 (Ole Miss) teams.

But the Dawgs would not be out of the woods yet. They close with Georgia Tech, which knocked off Miami last weekend. Barring a surge of upsets elsewhere, Georgia presumably cannot afford a third loss, unless it comes in the SEC championship game.

Can BYU breathe easier?

BYU, then 8-0, found itself behind five one-loss teams from the Big Ten and SEC last week. With Miami and Georgia dropping, the Cougars made up ground and now have some breathing room should they lose in the Big 12 championship game.

But as Georgia found out, the committee can drop a team precipitously at any time. BYU won’t be truly safe unless it earns an automatic berth.

How’s the G5 race shaping up?

Boise State dropped a spot from last week but is still rolling along as the highest-ranked Group of Five team, best positioned to earn one of the five bids reserved for conference champions if the Broncos win the Mountain West.

But there are now two teams from the American Athletic Conference in the rankings. Unbeaten Army is at No. 24, while 8-2 Tulane entered at No. 25. The Green Wave, also unbeaten in the AAC, play at Navy with a chance to clinch a spot in the conference title game, but Tulane seems unlikely to make up 12 spots on Boise State unless the Broncos lose once.

Army, which is plagued by its poor schedule strength to this point, has a golden chance to boost its resume when it faces No. 10 Notre Dame next week. 

Required reading

(Photo: Tom Hauck / Getty Images)



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Michael Strahan anthem controversy shouldn’t make you mad, unless you’re looking to be mad

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And here I thought the biggest takeaway from the most recent edition of “Fox NFL Sunday” was former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski jumping out of an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter.

Wrong! Turns out it’s Michael Strahan who’s topping the newsmaker charts, this after the former New York Giants defensive end was caught, if that’s the right word for it, failing to hold his right hand over his heart during the playing of the national anthem. To fill out the picture here, the “Fox NFL Sunday” show was done live from Naval Base San Diego on Sunday as part of a Veterans Day salute, and during the anthem, all of the panelists, except Strahan, are shown with their right hand across the heart. Strahan has his arms in a resting position in front of his body, right hand over left.

According to the U.S. Flag Code, civilians “ … should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.” It’s the “should” part of this that would seemingly give Strahan an avenue for a pass, but that’s playing word gymnastics, don’t you think? This isn’t a legal case, because Strahan didn’t do anything illegal. What’s more, he looked quite dignified and focused during the anthem, as though in church.

What, then, did Strahan do wrong? He apparently was not acting in strict adherence to the U.S. Flag Code, but in every other respect, Strahan presented himself as a respectful, loyal American citizen.

Criticizing Strahan becomes an even more difficult exercise when one takes into account his family. His father, Major Gene W. Strahan Sr., served 23 years in the Army. According to the younger Strahan’s Fox Sports biography, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer and member of the Giants’ 17-14 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII spent part of his childhood living in Germany, where his father was stationed.

Strahan posted a photo of his father on Instagram on Monday, along with these words: “Thank you to all veterans and active service members who courageously risk their lives to protect us every day. Your selfless sacrifice is beyond measure.”

There was more.

“This is my hero, it is also my father, Gene W. Strahan, Sr.,” Strahan wrote. “He served for 23 years in the army and was a proud member of the 82nd Airborne Division. Just as I honor my father, I keep all of you in my thoughts each and every day as we would not have the safety and freedoms we cherish without you. Thank you.”

Jay Glazer, a member of the “Fox NFL Sunday” cast, took to X to highlight Strahan’s family history.

“Let me tell you this, I don’t know if I have a friend who is more proud of his military roots than Michael, growing up on an army base constantly talking about what he learned from his dad Major Gene Strahan and how his time there shaped him,” Glazer wrote.  “I heard it CONSTANTLY, still do!

“But also, with no fanfare i personally saw him donate thousands of dollars of clothes to veterans, including many homeless veterans as well clothes for veterans to go on job interviews.”

That, right there, can easily be put to use in dismissing all the social media Captain Midnights who became outraged by Strahan’s lack of hand over heart during the playing of the anthem. But to pull Major Gene W. Strahan’s military record out of a file cabinet misses the point because it speaks to a much larger point: Major Strahan’s service to his country helped preserve our right — your right, my right, Michael Strahan’s right — to observe the playing of the national anthem in whatever manner we see fit.

No doubt lots of people would prefer that the playing of the anthem be a Norman Rockwell painting come to life, with everybody standing on Main Street as the high school band strikes the notes that put us in a patriotic mood. A mayoral proclamation is read. Cannons are fired. War veterans salute. And, yes, citizens place hand over heart.

The national anthem is so much more complicated in the 21st century — especially at sporting events, what with artists who feel the need to decorate their performances with signature flourishes that sometimes reduce the exercise to so many cats on so many keyboards. Furthermore, it’s pointless to monitor how people comport themselves during the anthem and then make judgments about patriotism based on the findings. If you don’t believe me, take a good, long look around your section during the playing of the national anthem next time you’re at a sporting event.

Granted, the setting for the latest edition of “Fox NFL Sunday” was Naval Base San Diego, and, yes, that was a genuine military band performing the national anthem. No disrespect to every singer, band and choral group that’s ever performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” nothing catches the moment better than a military band. And yet “Fox NFL Sunday,” while saluting Veterans Day, did so in a way that played up the strength of its cast members. Count me among the millions who loved watching Gronkowski jump out of a helicopter, but in the end, it was all just a vehicle for the kind of hijinks we’ve come to expect from him. No problem here. He’s fun.

And Michael Strahan? He didn’t do anything that should make you mad, unless you’re the type who looks for things to get mad about. If that’s the case, look harder.

(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)





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Duke leaning on Cooper Flagg late didn’t work — this time. But Blue Devils want ball in his hands

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ATLANTA — Jon Scheyer would do it again.

And later this season, he almost certainly will.

With 26.5 seconds left, Duke and Kentucky tied in another Champions Classic thriller, Scheyer took timeout to scheme up his best play — or really, his best player.

Because, let’s face it: There was only ever one thing that Duke’s coach was going to call for in the clutch moments of Kentucky’s eventual 77-72 win. He knew it. Kentucky knew it. Everyone in State Farm Arena knew it. But with the game on the line, you go to your star — even if he’s 17 years old, playing in only his third college game.

So, Jon, what did you want on that last play?

“The ball in his hands,” Scheyer said before pointing his thumb to his right, where freshman Cooper Flagg was sitting.

It’s that simple. In the crucible of one of the best games of this early college basketball season, Scheyer put the rock in Flagg’s hands and, basically, said go make a bucket. Which, considering Flagg already had a game-high 26 points by then — including Duke’s final seven points, and 12 of its past 14 — ain’t exactly a bad strategy.

So after fellow freshman Kon Knueppel inbounded the ball to Flagg, Duke ran three ghost screens — first with Maliq Brown, then Tyrese Proctor, then Knueppel — and then cleared everyone out of the way.

No ball screens. No passes. No interference. Just let Flagg cook.

It worked the possession before, right? Flagg basically did the same thing when he took an offensive rebound from Brown and, without hesitation, drove into the teeth of Kentucky’s defense. Somehow, he got off a shot over 6-foot-11 forward Andrew Carr, which tap-danced along the back rim before finally falling through the hoop. That tied the score at 72, setting up a do-over scenario for Duke and its teenage phenom.

Only this time, Kentucky — the fifth most-experienced team in the country, per KenPom, which starts four seniors and a junior — learned a thing or two. Rather than following Knueppel out to the wing after his ghost screen, Kentucky wing Otega Oweh hung back a little, wary of Flagg’s incoming drive. Gotcha. This time when Flagg tried to post up Carr, Oweh saw his opening, timing his help defense perfectly before ripping the ball out of Flagg’s grasp. Knueppel fouled Oweh in transition before he got a shot off, but the damage was done; Oweh’s subsequent free throws put Kentucky ahead for good.

 

After the game, Scheyer acknowledged that he “probably could have put (Flagg) in a better position, to be honest.” Like a ball screen with Proctor, perhaps, to force the defensive switch? Duke’s junior point guard had Jaxson Robinson guarding him, and while Robinson’s an excellent shooter, his defense is about as tough as tissue paper. Earlier in the second half, when Flagg hit Robinson with a drop step in the post, that freed him up for his easiest points all night. Or maybe Scheyer could have gotten Knueppel involved first, and had him feed Flagg off a short roll.

But regardless, Scheyer was going to Flagg.

And he was right to.

“We’re going to be in these moments a lot together, and I trust his instincts,” Scheyer said. “But he’s got to touch it, and trust that good things are going to happen. I wish you could say that every time it’s going to work out, but that’s not reality.”

In that pivotal moment, it didn’t. And it didn’t the next possession, either, when Flagg — with Duke still trailing by only two — lost his dribble in the corner and the ball slowly rolled out of bounds. “I kind of lost the ball first, and then I might have slipped,” Flagg said, “but whatever happened, that’s not an excuse.” The 6-foot-9 wing crumpled to the court as the nearby referee signaled for the turnover, which all but sealed the Blue Devils’ defeat with 5.5 seconds left.

And while those two late turnovers are the moments that will endure, it’s plainly inaccurate to lay the blame for Duke’s defeat at Flagg’s feet. A teenager, in his first nationally televised game, after being touted for months as arguably the best American-born NBA prospect since Anthony Davis, responded with his game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds, plus two assists and two blocks.

He played every second after halftime, which became paramount once graduate guard Sion James left with a shoulder injury and freshman big Khaman Maluach exited with cramps. (About those: Scheyer said he’s “concerned” that cramps have impacted Duke’s freshmen in all three games thus far, but it’s something Duke’s sports science staff is actively addressing, like it did with Paolo Banchero years ago.)

Without Flagg, who had an alley-oop tip-in dunk on Duke’s first possession, Scheyer’s team would never have had a chance to win in the game’s final minute. But, and yes, there’s a “but,” it’s also true that Flagg and Duke’s entire team, really, showed their youth in the second half.

In the first half, Duke had 28 points in the paint to Kentucky’s six. In the second half? Kentucky had 20 to Duke’s 18.

In the first half, Duke had 11 points off turnovers, and Kentucky had none. In the second half? Kentucky had nine, and Duke had only four.

In the first half, Duke had eight fast-break points, to only one for Kentucky. In the second half? Kentucky again had nine to Duke’s four.

That’s not one freshman having two tough possessions. That’s an entire team wilting, or at least looking its age when it could not afford to.

“They showed incredible maturity,” Scheyer said, “and their experience showed in the second half.”

That’s the difference between the nation’s fifth-oldest team and one that starts three freshmen, isn’t it? Flagg, a quick learner, isn’t likely to make those late-game mistakes again. Nor is Knueppel, one of the best shooters in the country, liable to go 5-of-20 overall, or 1-of-8 from 3. Also worth noting: Duke wouldn’t have been in nearly as close a game if it shot anywhere near normal. The Blue Devils entered Tuesday making 14 3-pointers per game, fifth-most in the country, before making just four of their 23 tries from deep, or 17.4 percent.

Still. This is the first time either of those guys have been in a game like this, in a building like this, where CATLANTA feels like an appropriate dateline. Scheyer has said multiple times this summer and season that he didn’t construct Duke’s daunting nonconference schedule in such a way so his team could go undefeated. The Blue Devils still play at Arizona, vs. Kansas in Las Vegas and host Auburn in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

He did it so his team would get better. And while learning from wins is more enjoyable than learning from losses, it isn’t always as effective.

“We got a long season to go,” Scheyer said. “I feel more optimistic tonight, losing, than I did even before, because you find out in this game the character of your team and the heart that they have — and this team’s got a lot of heart.”

Scheyer made a controversial choice to build his third roster around a freshman, even one as talented as Flagg, in the most experienced era in college basketball history. Remember that there have been two freshman starters combined in the past two Final Fours. But if Duke is going to get to that point, it’s going to take Flagg being the best player on the floor in situations like Tuesday.

He wasn’t on his first crack. It happens. But this is how youth gets experience. It lives things.

Want to bet how Flagg’s next game-winning opportunity goes?

“Coach has trust in me to go and make a play,” Flagg said. “I’m glad he had that trust in me, to put the ball in my hands. I’m looking for it in that moment. It didn’t work out, but I’m still going to look for it, no matter what.”

(Photo of Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Kentucky’s Otega Oweh: by Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)



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Why the Chiefs love Steve Spagnuolo: Exotic blitzes, tough love and home cooking

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Before dawn on a fall Friday, Steve Spagnuolo enters the Kansas City Chiefs facility with a large aluminum pan. The defensive coordinator finds a place for it in the defensive line meeting room, returns to his car and comes back with another pan, this one for the linebackers room. Then he does it again, delivering the final pan to the defensive backs room.

In each pan, there are 15 generous portions of banana pudding. Chiefs defenders will find the pans waiting for them when they come off the field after a light practice. They will have to move quickly to get their highly coveted treat lest invasive offensive linemen move in.

Four days earlier, Steve’s wife, Maria, bought eggs, butter and other ingredients. Then she went on a banana hunt. She needed 25, starting at Aldi and taking only the ones that met her requirements for size and ripeness. She found more at Price Chopper and the rest at Cosentino’s Market. Some were a bit too green, but she put them in the oven or in plastic bags to expedite ripening. Freshness matters, so Maria waited until Wednesday to start the two-day cooking process.

Steve delivers Maria’s desserts every week during the NFL season. Of course, he’s more famous for devising blitzes so bold that no other coach would dare imagine them and coverages so complex they leave quarterbacks cross-eyed. Coaches and commentators testify about his insidious game plans that lure opponents into his web and praise his ever-evolving scheme.

But that’s only part of the story. The rest? It’s in those aluminum pans.

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‘Spags is a wizard’: How Steve Spagnuolo turned the Chiefs defense into one of the NFL’s best

Sports were the center of Spagnuolo’s universe during his childhood in Grafton, Mass., but were less important to his father, who worked long hours as an accountant and spent his free time listening to music, reading and writing. When Spagnuolo was 12, his parents split up, and his dad wasn’t around much in the years that followed.

Richard Egsegian, geometry teacher, guidance counselor and football coach at Grafton High School, took an earnest interest in every child in his sphere and a special interest in Spagnuolo, who happened to be his quarterback. Egsesian may not have been a wizard of a strategist, but his coaching touched the heart. “He was,” Spagnuolo says, “a man of character.”

Egsegian and Spagnuolo had long talks on bleacher benches after practices. Egsegian once loaded up a few of his players in his Volkswagen Beetle and drove them to the University of Massachusetts to watch one of his former players practice. He treated Spagnuolo to a day at Patriots training camp.

Egsegian set Spagnuolo on a path to being a coach. After playing wide receiver at Springfield College, Spagnuolo hopscotched like young coaches do, working for six colleges and two World League teams. Then, in 1999, new Eagles coach Andy Reid hired Spagnuolo as a defensive assistant. He worked with Reid in Philadelphia for eight seasons, eventually coaching defensive backs and linebackers.

Those years had an indelible effect on him. In Reid, he found a mentor and someone who always had his back. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson helped Spagnuolo develop his defensive mentality. Spagnoulo sensed a certain peace in fellow assistant coach Les Frazier, who brought him to church.

Then he met Maria. The first time they were alone together, he looked at her as if he was about to say something romantic. Instead, he said, “You must be a hard worker. Your hands are very strong.” Regardless, she decided to stick with him.


Steve and Maria Spagnuolo make Chiefs defenders feel like family. (Dan Pompei / The Athletic)

He was the Giants’ defensive coordinator in 2007 when the team started 0-2 and gave up 80 points in the first two games. Defensive end Michael Strahan recalls Spagnuolo telling his players he believed in every one of them and wouldn’t trade them for anyone else. And then he pushed them to where they did not know they could go.

“He challenged guys to be better, but he did it in a way that didn’t demean anyone,” Strahan says. “It was like, ‘I know there’s more there. And I believe in you.’”

In the subsequent Super Bowl, Spagnuolo’s Giants prevailed over Tom Brady and the Patriots — “He’s been the bane of my existence,” Brady said on a recent Fox broadcast.

The victory propelled Spagnuolo to the St. Louis Rams’ head coaching job in 2009. With the Rams, he admittedly didn’t lean on the people around him enough. Given a precious opportunity he knew might never come again, he found it difficult to trust.

“Sometimes when you get that job for the first time, you either think you have all the answers or you’re kind of eager to do things the way you thought they should be done,” he says. “And you learn that it’s best to use as many resources and ask other people as many different questions as you can.”

Current Los Angeles Rams president Kevin Demoff, who had a hand in Spagnuolo’s firing after three seasons, posted about it earlier this year on X. “The team & organization he inherited in STL was a mess, nobody could have had success,” Demoff wrote. “Yet he changed the culture/staff & players believed. An amazing human deserving of the real shot we couldn’t give him.”

Time has been good for Spagnuolo. A conversation with him always made you feel like you sipped warm brandy, but now the finish is smoother.

“There’s more of a gentleness with people now,” says Maria, who has likewise been good for him. “I’ve seen him have a really tender heart towards some of his players, like a father’s heart.”

Like Egsesian, Spagnuolo never had biological children. He and Maria married when he was 45 and she was 40. Her stepchildren Jeffrey and Crissy and their families make up the extended Spagnuolo family, but many others are considered adopted members.

When safety Quintin Mikell was a rookie defensive back with the Eagles, Spagnoulo asked him how he was settling in. Mikell said he missed home cooking, soul food specifically. Not long after, he found an aluminum pan in his locker with fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas and sweet potato pie.

Maria can cook anything, learning from her paternal grandmother, Angelina Damiani, during her childhood in West Philly. The most important thing she learned from her grandmother: cooking was about more than just cooking.

“The first thing Jesus did was feed people, and then he showed them kindness and love,” Maria says. “Steve loves the fellas and likes to show them.”

They bring Greek food to Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis, a native of Athens. His favorite is Giovetsi. “It takes me back home whenever she makes it,” Karlaftis says.

For former Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, it’s the banana pudding. “She even cooks better than my grandma, and I don’t put no one above my granny,” says Sneed.

They recently gifted defensive lineman Chris Jones with a bottle of Maria’s homemade Limoncello, which he couldn’t help but sample during a workday. “Oh my God, it’s serious,” says Jones, who had dinner at the Spagnuolos’ home before the season with safety Justin Reid and linebacker Nick Bolton. Each player left with a doggy bag too large to carry on an airplane.

Jones has called Spagnuolo a father figure, as have Reid, Sneed and others. Spagnuolo particularly resonates with players whose relationships with their fathers are strained or nonexistent.

“I lost my father when I was 13, so I look up to him as a father figure,” Karlaftis says.

Sneed, who was traded to the Titans in the offseason, still texts Spagnuolo weekly and tells him he loves him. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook calls him one of the top five or 10 people he’s ever met. Reid had T-shirts printed in January that read, “In Spags We Trust.”

“He completely changed my life on the field and off the field and post-career,” says Strahan, who became a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and host of “Good Morning America” and “Fox NFL Sunday.” “Winning that Super Bowl gave me a life after football that I don’t think I ever would have had if not for him. And I attribute that win to him and his incredible game plan.”

Before their first meeting of the week, Chiefs defenders usually see a Bible verse or a statement about gratitude or another value displayed on the screen. Spagnuolo often begins the meeting by reflecting on the sentiment. Jones, who sits behind Spagnuolo at chapel every Saturday night, calls him his “spiritual muse.”

In December 2021, Sneed’s older brother was stabbed to death. When Sneed found out, his first call was to Spagnuolo.

“I called him crying,” Sneed says. “He said, ‘What’s wrong? What’s wrong?’ I couldn’t get my words out. ‘Speak to me, LJ, speak to me.’ I said, ‘My brother passed.’ Then he started crying as well.”

In the aftermath, Spagnuolo reached out daily. Spagnuolo still texts Sneed scripture from time to time, and the cornerback finds comfort in knowing Maria prays for him every morning. “He’s someone I call on when I need help, when I’m in danger, whether it’s on the football field or not,” Sneed says.

Early in Cook’s rookie season, he felt lost. He was trying to find his place and needed reassurance that he was on the right path. Spagnuolo had noticed some growth in Cook, and he wanted Cook to see it, too. In his office, Spagnuolo showed Cook a video of his combine interview earlier that year. The player who sat in Spagnuolo’s office looked and carried himself differently.

As he watched, Cook broke down.

“I don’t remember that guy,” he told Spagnuolo. “I’m a different guy now.”

Cook says it was a major pivot in his life. “I was going through a lot of personal things as well as things with the team,” Cook says. “It reminded me of how far I came, and it inspired me.”


The Spagnuolos made sure Nick Bolton (third from left), Justin Reid (third from right), Chris Jones (right) and guests left dinner with full stomachs — and plenty of food to take home. (Courtesy of the Spagnuolo family)

Despite his velvet touch, Spagnuolo does not coach meekly. His tenacity helped develop Sneed into one of the game’s premier cornerbacks.

“I was kind of lackadaisical when I came into the league,” Sneed says. “He showed me how to practice and run after the ball. He’ll come on the field yelling, ‘Run to the ball!’ He’s going to be on your tail like white on rice.”

Jones, who jokingly calls Spagnuolo a dictator, says they butted heads initially. “I spend a lot of one-on-one time with him,” Jones says. “And it’s not all good times. Sometimes, it’s a cursing out.”

This season, Spagnuolo is leading a Kansas City defense that ranks in the top 10 in points allowed for the fifth time in six years. He won his fourth Super Bowl ring earlier this year — the most of any coordinator in NFL history. Yet he has not had a legitimate interview for a head coaching job in 16 years (not including a token interview after serving as interim coach of the Giants for four games at the end of the 2017 season).

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Nguyen: Chiefs’ Steve Spagnuolo cements himself as an all-time great defensive coordinator

The legacy of his 10-38 record with the Rams explained things for a while. It didn’t help that Spagnuolo followed that up with a dumpster fire of a season with the Saints — with Sean Payton suspended for Bountygate, Spagnuolo’s defense gave up the most yards in NFL history.

Reconnecting with Reid in 2019 made those memories fade. But now, three championship parades later, Spagnuolo is 64 years old. His cholesterol is a little high. One of his hips wore out and needed to be replaced, but he still can sprint down the sideline to call a timeout, even if he isn’t supposed to.

Will he ever get another chance?

“You’d like to think you’re evaluated not by a number,” Spagnuolo says. “And I think somewhere along the way, somebody may do that. But if they don’t, I’m OK with it. It’s in God’s hands.”

The failure he experienced has led to a profound appreciation for all he has. With the Chiefs, he provides the yin to the yang of Patrick Mahomes, rides shotgun to the masterful Andy Reid and builds bridges with banana pudding.

This, he knows, is not a bad life.

Inspired by comedian Tony Baker, Steve and Maria instituted a “Cram Award” for the defender with the best hit in a Chiefs victory (Baker posts videos of rams ramming, which he calls “crams”). Saturdays after a win, Spagnuolo plays a video of highlights mixed with Baker’s posts, then a drum roll precedes the announcement.

The winner is presented with an Italian dinner from Maria in an aluminum pan. Recently, it was homemade gemelli in a blush sauce and chicken parmesan in gravy.

“Getting a game ball, I don’t really care about,” Jones says. “But the Cram Award, I mean, you get a dish from Maria.”

After a recent Chiefs victory, Spagnuolo received texts from Jones and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who had been given Cram awards the previous Saturday. They sent messages of gratitude along with photos of the pans that had contained their dinners.

The pans were empty. Hearts were full.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)



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Klay Thompson wanted a low-key Warriors homecoming, but warm embrace could help heal wounds

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SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson didn’t want any of the pomp and circumstance.

The warm welcome from 400 or so Warriors employees who met him at the Dallas Mavericks’ team bus Tuesday and cheered for him as he walked toward the visitors’ locker room inside this familiar Chase Center. The sailor caps that were inspired by his boating passion and worn by everyone, from Warriors owner Joe Lacob to the rest of the sellout crowd of 18,064 that made sure his incredible legacy was honored. The Stephen Curry pregame speech that was scrapped, as Thompson shared, when the Splash Brothers exchanged text messages the night before and decided to pull it from the script.

According to league sources, Thompson’s message to his old team heading into his night of celebration was that less was more. But the Warriors, who were determined to pay homage to the massive part he played in their dynastic run in first-class fashion, pulled out all the stops anyway. This reunion game, one in which the Warriors went to such great lengths to honor the 13 years of memories between them, was bound to be uncomfortably ironic.

Here you had Golden State officials trying so hard to show proper respect to his storied past, only to be met with a lukewarm response that served as a reminder that the perceived disrespect regarding his future was the primary cause of this bitter basketball divorce. Unless Lacob found a way to put the two of them in a time machine and travel back to two summers ago, then committed to keeping the Warriors’ celebrated trio together by giving Thompson the same four-year, $100 million deal that he gave to Draymond Green, then these wounds were bound to stay open.

Or so it seemed.

Curry’s late flurry ruined Thompson’s plans for a revenge game. The Warriors won 120-117 after Curry buried the Mavs in video game form during those wildly entertaining final minutes. Still, it was quite clear that healing had occurred between the two sides. And by the time Thompson took the postgame podium, having hit six 3s en route to 22 points but surely lamenting his missed 3 that rimmed out with 89 seconds left, the tone that he had set behind the scenes coming into this emotional affair had changed for the better.

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Curry, Warriors ruin Klay Thompson’s Bay Area return with 120-117 win

“It was a really cool experience,” he said of the evening that also included a video tribute. “I appreciate the fans very much. The captain’s hat ended up being a great touch, since I’m such a passionate boater. I saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. That was a warm-hearted feeling. So it was really cool to see fans with gratitude towards myself, and it’s something I won’t take for granted. It’s very, very awesome.

“It was a cool moment to feel the energy from the fans, and especially, you know, all the chatter that I heard — it was all positive. (That) just means a lot to myself, because I really enjoyed my time here and … left it all out on the floor.”

The pregame greeting from the employees, specifically, was a special touch that some in Thompson’s circle had hoped — like the Curry speech — would be scratched from the program. Yet as Thompson shared afterward, the gesture had the desired effect.

“That was really cool,” he said. “I’m very grateful for the employees to give me that kind of love. Totally unexpected, and definitely put a smile on my face. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

No matter the context, Thompson’s willingness to share warm feelings about the Warriors organization signaled a thawing of the iciness in this relationship that is only right considering all the history between them. Beyond the four titles, five All-Star appearances and countless good times in between, there was a special bond between Klay and the Bay that can’t be properly preserved if the friction remains. And while the disagreement surely remains about how his contract situation was handled, with Thompson believing he should have received equal treatment to Green and the Warriors pointing to his devastating stretch of injuries as justification for their more measured approach, the affectionate postgame scene came with signs of genuine reconciliation that should only get better from here.

Thompson hugged Warriors coach Steve Kerr first, and was then embraced by Curry. Next came longtime Warriors trainer Rick Celebrini, then Andrew Wiggins, Trayce-Jackson Davis, Moses Moody, various staff members, Green, fellow Bahamian and his replacement, Buddy Hield, Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, Gary Payton II, and assistant coach Bruce Fraser. It’s unclear if Thompson connected with Lacob, but it reaches a point in this post-Warriors saga where that sort of subplot doesn’t truly matter anymore.

“The Warriors did an incredible job of honoring him,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, a Bay Area native who attended Cal and knows the passion of these local fans well.

Warriors mission accomplished, in other words, with a win to boot as they improved to an unexpected 9-2 mark.

Anyone who knows Thompson well knows he likely didn’t sleep much after this one. Curry’s 37-point performance overshadowed Thompson’s dynamic night, with No. 30 celebrating the win as if he were still in a gold-medal march with Team USA rather than a mid-November NBA affair. Thompson left the floor with a sense of appreciation, tossing his headband into the stands on his way through the tunnel before being greeted by a long line of admirers.

Andre Iguodala, his fellow Warriors legend and current National Basketball Players Association executive director, visited the Mavericks locker room before the game and returned for a postgame chat as well. Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob waited to see him too, as did former Warriors big man and current liaison between basketball and business, Zaza Pachulia.

For Thompson’s part, his mind inevitably turned to the next basketball challenge ahead. His Mavericks are just 5-6 now, with this Luka DončićKyrie Irving-Thompson trio still finding their way amid a parity-filled Western Conference that is up for grabs. As the nostalgia faded, with all those Warriors years irrelevant to the task at hand, he looked ahead.

“We’ve had like four games this year that could have gone either way,” Thompson said. “This one really stung, being up seven (points) with four minutes left. We’ll watch the film and get better. But I am really proud of how this team keeps fighting. We’re still getting to know each other, and I keep telling the guys, it’s better to go through this stuff early in the season versus Game 60. So I know we have a chance to be great. We’ve just got to stay the course.”

He would know, of course. There’s a past basketball life where his transcendent play sparked an annual charge to the NBA’s mountaintop. The Warriors cherish those days, and want to ensure they’re not forgotten. And if Tuesday night was any indication, Thompson does too.

(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)



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Best 2025 NFL Draft options for teams vying for No. 1 overall pick

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The annual race to the bottom of the NFL has several participants this season — 11 teams are at three wins or fewer heading into Week 11.

Unlike last year, there is no consensus pot of gold at the other end of the failure rainbow. There are elite players in the 2025 NFL Draft class, to be sure, but none of them play the positions we typically see go No. 1. There isn’t a no-doubt QB; the OT class is thin; the edge group is very raw.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the teams leading the race for the No. 1 overall pick and see what makes the most sense for each of them. Using The Athletic’s NFL projections model, here are the eight teams likeliest to land atop the draft:

go-deeper

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NFL Draft 2025 Big Board: Travis Hunter takes No. 1 spot, 4 QBs in updated top 50

Projected record: 5-12

Don’t rule out Georgia’s Mykel Williams pushing himself past Carter and into the top edge spot before this season’s over — The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Carter ranked as the No. 3 prospect and Williams No. 8 on his updated 2025 Big Board. However, as it stands now, I’d probably go with Micah Parsons’ understudy in Happy Valley.

The Panthers do not need to select another quarterback with that top pick — should they claim it — because they just did that in 2023. Carolina should work to continue developing Bryce Young and his offensive line while finding ways to add usable skill talent.

Defensively, Carolina has to find a culture. That’s hard to do without any impact players. There aren’t too many no-doubters defensively this year outside of Travis Hunter, but Carter’s a total freak, very young (age 20) and could be a pillar here.

Projected record: 5-12

You have no idea how badly I wanted to write down Malaki Starks name here. New England needs a safety, and Starks is one of the best prospects we’ve seen at that position in a long time. He also can play corner and is hands down the smartest defender in this class. He would change New England’s defense overnight. All that said, the Patriots would also have to explain drafting a safety No. 1 overall.

Campbell, as the best OT in this class, would require less justification. (He also might be a capable guard at the next level, depending on fit and situation.) This isn’t an elite tackle class, but New England could use help in front of Drake Maye.

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NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Chiefs back at No. 1, plus quarterback confidence rankings

Projected record: 5-12

It’s still a back-and-forth thing, for me, right now between Cam Ward and Sanders as QB1 (Brugler’s board has it ranked Ward, Jalen Milroe, Sanders). In such an uncertain QB class, there’s no telling how it will ultimately play out, but Ward and Sanders have been steadily better than the rest of the crop this year. Ward has a better physical frame, but Sanders is closer to being ready for action right now — so long as your team can help him.

A current pro comp for Sanders might be a more athletic version of Bo Nix. Nix certainly has taken his lumps in Denver, but he’s a very smart processor with good quarterbacking instincts. Sanders is very much in that arena, only with a better arm and more impressive movement skills.

Having a bridge QB on the roster with Sanders would be ideal. But if the Raiders can surround him with a decent infrastructure, he might surprise everyone as a rookie.

Projected record: 5-12

I’m not even going to give the Browns another option, because they’d need to move this pick — even if they can’t land an all-time haul and just drop down a spot or two. The Browns have too many needs in too many areas, plus they are in an absolutely hellacious situation with Deshaun Watson. They cannot add a QB at No. 1 in April, and Campbell is the only OT in this class worth thinking about that high.

Cleveland is back in the first round for the first time since the disastrous Watson trade. Rather than immediately putting themselves back behind the eight ball, the Browns should find a way to cash a (hypothetical) No. 1 pick in for more capital.

Projected record: 5-12

It doesn’t look like Will Levis is the answer to anyone’s prayers, but he’s still only 25 years old and on a cheap contract. The Titans are in a weird spot, though, and it might get worse before it gets better.

A preferable option to going QB at No. 1: finding a decent veteran to compete with Levis while Tennessee builds out the rest of its roster. I’d love to say “draft Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan,” but Tennessee likely needs more than just a WR from a potential top spot.

Hunter, however, is “more than just a wide receiver.”

The Titans are one of the worst teams in football. They also started the year with an older roster, on average, than the Lions, Eagles, Packers and Chiefs. Tackle could also be a choice here, but — again — this might not be the right class to address that spot.

Projected record: 5-12

I’m only going to do this under the condition the Giants sign a bridge quarterback and let Ward sit and learn for a year. I’d say the same if Sanders were the match here. (Could Daniel Jones serve that purpose?)

The Giants, quite frankly, are not a quarterback away from being saved. I’m afraid if they select Ward or Sanders in the top five, they’ll wind up in two years where the Panthers and Colts are now: cold-sweat panicking about why their rookie hasn’t saved them by himself. No quarterback in this class is capable of strapping a team on his back and carrying it next year. If anyone’s hoping for that outcome, they’ll earn what they get.

All that said, Ward has improved every year he’s played — and has jumped up in competition levels multiple times.

There’s no way I’d draft a QB No. 1 this year, but I’m not in charge of a QB-desperate franchise that’s running out of choices.

Projected record: 5-12

We’ll see how things go (and, obviously, this job is still filled for the moment), but the Jaguars get my pre-vote for best opening of the impending 2025 NFL coaching cycle. That’s not just because the new coach would get Trevor Lawrence. There’s also a fair amount of young talent to work with on this roster, and the Jaguars currently have the most 2025 draft capital in the league.

Even though the 2025 draft class doesn’t look elite by any measure, it’s more than enough for the Jaguars — an aimless group that is better than its record — to turn their fortunes.

Hunter, the best college player in America, could help finally give Lawrence a real weapon and/or establish the Jaguars’ defensive culture. It’s a win-win. Easy fit.

go-deeper

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Travis Hunter tracker: Clutch TD reception helps Colorado continue its playoff push

Projected record: 6-11

Talk about a team without a culture — what even are the Saints? Right now, they’re a team with an overpriced, low- to mid-tier starting quarterback surrounded by aging players from a bygone era. They’re also about to be starting over, again. Regardless of the direction this franchise takes with its coach (and perhaps its GM), New Orleans has to get better over the ball, on both sides of the line.

Graham’s ability to control the middle of a defensive front in several different ways from different spots gives off slight reminders of a younger (albeit better) Ndamukong Suh.

Graham’s motor is relentless, his grip strength might crush an apple, and his agility numbers at 320 pounds will be elite come evaluation time. Graham easily could’ve been the guy in high school voted “Most Likely to Wrestle an Actual Bear.”

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

NFL QB stock report, Week 11: Caleb Williams’ flaws have followed him from college

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos of Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders and Abdul Carter: Doug Murray, Julio Aguilar, Randy Litzinger / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)





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To keep South Carolina on top, Dawn Staley had to change

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Just a few weeks before South Carolina began its campaign to defend its national title, fifth-year senior Te-Hina Paopao laughed and joked with teammates on the sideline during practice as coach Dawn Staley stood nearby and rattled off feedback to players conducting a full-court drill.

Staley either didn’t notice or didn’t mind Paopao that October Monday (but given that it’s Staley, it’s fair to assume it’s not the former). A year ago, Staley would’ve characterized it as Paopao’s being unfocused. The constant chatter would have felt like disrespect to the game and that she was allowing distractions to enter this sacred space. But today, Staley doesn’t see it that way at all. Instead, she understands it as a necessary piece of what this team needs and more importantly, how she needed to adjust for her players. It’s now part of how they win games, even if it wasn’t how she won games in the past.

That ability to adapt might be Staley’s greatest asset as the No. 1 Gamecocks, who are on a 40-game winning streak, return most of last season’s roster and embark on a season in which they could become the first program to repeat as national champions since UConn won four straight from 2013 to 2016.

Staley has set the bar high at South Carolina. Time and time again, she has asked players to step outside their comfort zones. But last year, she had to do that too … even if she fought it first. A year ago at this time, when her players wouldn’t stop chattering, she’d looked to the north end of the gym where massive banners hang representing South Carolina’s first-round WNBA Draft picks. She’d remember what it had been like to coach those players who helped Staley mold the program into the gold standard and she’d fear, is this team going to tear down everything we built?

But then? That team accomplished something none of those players on the wall ever did — went undefeated and won a national title. In the course of that run, last season’s team also taught the Hall of Fame coach an unexpected lesson: Even in her mid-50s, after she’s won almost everything, there is still a lot more to learn.

“This game will stretch you out. It will give you what you need,” Staley says. “In some uncanny way, I’ve always gotten something I needed at the time I needed it.”

When she was a player, successes and losses often reinforced Staley’s idea of what it meant to respect the game — to be focused, to remove distractions. When she was cut from the 1992 Olympic team, the crushing defeat fueled her drive to return in 1996 (and an additional two Olympics after that). When she started as a coach at Temple in 2000, she was still playing in the WNBA, and the game allowed her to learn how to balance herself and see the game differently.

When South Carolina — then an SEC bottom dweller — hired Staley in 2008, she came in with an intensity and expectation that the players would have the same drive and chips on their shoulders as she did. But they didn’t. During Staley’s first preseason in Columbia, associate head coach Lisa Boyer pulled Staley aside to tell her that all the players could hear was her volume, not her words.

If Staley wanted to get through to them, she needed to pivot. She didn’t need to lower her standards, but she needed to change her approach.

The game gave her a chance to evolve. And she did. South Carolina, which had been to the Sweet 16 just twice in its history, won its first national title nine seasons after Staley took over.

Last season, Boyer reminded her of that pivot 15 years earlier and made her consider that the game perhaps was giving her a chance to do it again, to stretch herself as a coach. This time, it wasn’t about changing how she communicated but allowing players to communicate the way they needed to, to cede ground in a way she never had before to get this group to go further than she ever had before. Staley, who describes herself as an old-school coach who likes things to be defined strictly as right or wrong, suddenly realized she needed to step into the gray area so South Carolina could reach its full potential.

“She changed her coaching,” Paopao says. “She had to get things across quickly before we started losing attention. We were good for like six to eight minutes … . And she knows that. She knows our attention span is small.”

Staley picked her battles. She allowed the talking, singing and joking so long as players were more disciplined in every other way on and off the court. When they were late to team events or missed classes, she enforced time off from basketball. They weren’t allowed in the gym or weight room. Staley called it PTO.

Amid the players’ constant noise, Staley saw something clearly — this team was becoming one of the closest she had ever had. What she had once seen as a distraction she wanted to eliminate was unexpectedly what brought players together.

“I enjoy the challenges of the job, I really do. And I think I’m pretty good at it. But some stuff, you can’t win,” Staley says, referring to her losing the battle against her players in their chatty silliness.

The hallmark of great coaches is their ability to adapt over the years. Often, the focus is on an evolution on the court or how they adjust to new rules, not how a coach fundamentally — and quickly — adapts to their own players.

“They really can’t help it. It’s who they are. As long as we’re getting what we need to get from a competitive and a practice and core values standpoint, I let them be who they are,” Staley says. “That’s why I coach — to allow our players to get to who they are a lot quicker in their life. … Who am I to put my traditional outlook on life and basketball on them? To put them in a box they don’t fit in?”

It’s with this view that a stretched and pivoted Staley has returned for her 25th season on the sideline. The Gamecocks remain largely the same personality-wise even if their play looks a bit different now without 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso, who’s in the WNBA, but they’ve already clocked wins over Michigan and top-15 NC State.

This year feels different for Staley even if the roster and the results have been largely the same. South Carolina keeps winning, and the chatter in practice is still there. Paopao says they’re “not as bad” as they were last season but she can’t be quite sure. Maybe it’s just that Staley isn’t fighting them on it as much, she wonders.

This year, Staley wouldn’t dream of doing that.

“My heart is always with young people and wanting them to grow and learn, but it’s a challenge,” she says. “I needed (the lesson) for the pure sake of them letting us know, ‘It’s cool, we’ve got you. We’ve got you but we’re going to be us.’ That was refreshing.”

(Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)





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What happens if Jets owner Woody Johnson leaves for the Trump administration again

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The New York Jets’ playoff hopes likely died in the Sonoran Desert. Owner Woody Johnson’s big swings — firing head coach Robert Saleh, replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich, trading for wide receiver Davante Adams — didn’t work.

Johnson envisioned this season ending in the land of milk and honey. Instead, the Jets are 3-7 after their latest embarrassing loss. Johnson might not even be around for the aftermath.

In the lead up to the Presidential election, there was an expectation around the Jets’ facility that, if Donald Trump won, Johnson would leave to join his administration, as he did in 2016 when Johnson was appointed the ambassador to the United Kingdom. During the 2024 campaign, Johnson made a handful of appearances on Fox News stumping for Trump, his friend, and hosted Trump in his box at the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night road game a couple weeks ago, which took place a day after a Trump rally in Latrobe, Pa. If Johnson is heading back to work for the White House, that news will likely drop in the coming weeks. Last time, Trump picked Johnson on Jan. 19, 2017, and Johnson was confirmed in June. He wouldn’t have to go through the confirmation process again if he’s appointed to the same position — ambassador to the U.K. — though Johnson would have to be confirmed if he was appointed to a different position.

Last time, Johnson’s brother, vice chairman Christopher Johnson, ran the franchise for three and a half years until Woody Johnson returned in 2021. Christopher Johnson wasn’t around the team much in 2022 or ’23, but was back into the fold in ’24, possibly in preparation to take over if his brother leaves again. And if Woody Johnson does leave, it would carry plenty of implications for the Jets’ immediate future, and beyond.

There’s a good chance the Jets will be looking for a new head coach and general manager this winter. Ulbrich, previously the team’s defensive coordinator, hasn’t shown enough to earn the full time job since replacing Saleh in the interim, especially since the defense has taken a step back. The Jets rank last in the NFL in defensive EPA since Ulbrich became interim head coach, as well as 25th in rushing defense, 26th in red-zone defense and 25th in scoring defense. In the Week 10 loss to the Cardinals, they missed 20 tackles, per NextGen. As for general manager Joe Douglas, he’s felt like a dead man walking since Johnson started to enact his will without involving Douglas, who was not consulted before the decision to fire Saleh. Johnson also pushed for the Adams trade and to get Haason Reddick in the building with a restructured contract after a prolonged holdout.

“Woody and I talk every day,” Douglas said recently, sounding defeated. “I serve at the pleasure of the owner.”

Douglas is in the last year of a six-year contract and his best season record-wise — 7-9 in 2019 — came with a roster that he didn’t even build, hired in June that year after free agency and the NFL Draft. He’s never made the playoffs and has a worse career winning percentage as Jets GM than predecessors John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan.

Everyone in the league watched from afar as Johnson fired Saleh in Week 5 and took power away from Douglas. Then, they saw the results on the field. There will be interest if the jobs come open — there are only 32 NFL head coach and general manager positions, after all — but this isn’t exactly looking like an appealing organization for any prospective coach or GM. Candidates with options might think twice.

So that raises the question: How involved Woody Johnson will be when it comes to the next steps, which could also impact the Jets’ ability to lure quality candidates. He will most likely be involved in both searches (if Ulbrich and Douglas are gone), along with Christopher, before he joins Trump’s administration (if he does leave).

There’s also the question of how this impacts the future of Rodgers, who was supposed to be the franchise’s savior but instead looks like a shell of his former self. In the Cardinals loss he had 151 passing yards on 35 pass attempts, the second-fewest yards he’s ever had on 30 or more attempts in a single game.

Some in the organization wonder if, should the season continue down this path and Rodgers keeps playing the way he has, he might opt to retire. He’s turning 41 in December. There’s also the question of what coach would want to join a Rodgers-led team as his skills decline, considering all that comes with coaching Rodgers, from the off-the-field circus to the on-the-field control he demands.

Rodgers currently only carries a $23.5 million cap hit next year, but if he was cut or retired the Jets would incur a $49 million dead-cap charge. If the Jets declared him a post-June 1 cut (or retirement), they could split the $49 million hit over two seasons, with $14 million of it coming in 2025 and $35 million in 2026.

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There is still an avenue to Rodgers returning in 2025, though, and it actually starts with the Woody and Christopher Johnson dynamic. Rodgers has a close relationship with Christoper Johnson. When the Jets contingent (the Johnsons, Saleh, Douglas, Nathaniel Hackett and team president Hymie Elhai) visited Rodgers at his Malibu home last year to try and convince him to join their team, Christopher Johnson actually arrived first and spent time with the quarterback before the others arrived. Rodgers has a closer relationship with Christopher than with Woody, according to team sources, and some think Christopher Johnson’s presence might help convince Rodgers to stick around.

If Woody Johnson is making the calls, though, it wouldn’t be shocking if he wanted to move on from Rodgers considering the lack of success the team has had relative to expectations. After firing Saleh, Johnson called this Jets roster the most talented in his 25 years as owner.

Regardless of whether Rodgers returns, though, the roster will likely look a whole lot different in 2025. Some notable players set to become free agents: cornerback D.J. Reed, tight end Tyler Conklin, tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, defensive end Haason Reddick, linebacker Jamien Sherwood, safety Tony Adams, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and safety Isaiah Oliver. The Jets will also have decisions to make on wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. Star 2022 draft picks Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are eligible for extensions for the first time.

Christopher Johnson made some questionable decisions in his time running the team, namely hiring Adam Gase in 2019, and waiting until after free agency and the draft to fire Maccagnan later that year. But some around the team feel that Christopher Johnson learned a lot from his first go-around and that he’s more likely to allow whomever the Jets hire as general manager the autonomy to run the team without much interference. That’s less likely to be true if Woody Johnson remains in the building.

(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)



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Joel Embiid’s return gives Sixers hope again — but they’ve heard this song before

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PHILADELPHIA — Not much changed in the ending.

The Philadelphia 76ers walked off their home floor again, with a bevy of New York fans again chanting “Let’s Go Knicks,” after another road win by Tom Thibodeau and company in the City of Brotherly Love. This time, Karl-Anthony Towns got the walk-off love as he left the court at Wells Fargo Center with his dad in tow, quickly followed by Josh Hart and Miles McBride.

Joel Embiid and his Sixers had long since left the floor.

Their season, already off to such a horrendous start, filled with injuries and doubts and an awful moment of confrontation, continued its spiral Tuesday in a 111-99 loss to the Knicks, dropping Philly to 2-8. But this is where Philadelphia hopes things bottom out.

Well, maybe that comes Wednesday, when the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers play here.

For now, all the Sixers have to comfort themselves was Embiid’s return to action Tuesday after he missed the first six games of the season while continuing to rehab his left knee, followed by a three-game suspension levied by the NBA after Embiid shoved a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist during a postgame incident Nov. 2. The columnist had written several incendiary opinion pieces about Embiid’s conditioning but also referenced Embiid’s late brother Arthur and Embiid’s son, also named Arthur, in an Oct. 23 column. That set off the 30-year-old Embiid.

Tuesday, Embiid was far from his dominant self. He was rusty, finishing just 2-of-11 from the floor, scoring 13 points in 26 minutes. His old, and perhaps now former nemesis, Towns, had the upper hand all night, finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Towns finished the game for New York, while Embiid sat the last few minutes to keep him from racking up more than the 25 to 30 minutes the Sixers had plotted for him pregame.

“You can do whatever you want in practice and scrimmage, but the game is a different story,” Embiid said afterward. “I’ll be fine.”

His words, a franchise’s worries.

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Embiid hasn’t been fine most springs, when championships are decided, after suffering injuries late in the regular season or in the playoffs. Last year, he missed two months with a meniscus injury in his left knee, then suffered a bout of Bell’s palsy during Philadelphia’s series loss to the Knicks. So the Sixers and their superstar agreed this season he’d be held out of a bunch of regular-season games to give him the best chance of getting to April and May healthy. The organization’s misrepresenting statements cost the Sixers $100,000, but one doubts they cared much. Embiid says playing is up to him, but of course, it isn’t, not really.

Yes, Embiid played for Team USA in the Olympics, including a huge game against Nikola Jokić and Serbia in the semifinals, showing up when the United States needed him most. But that stint was two-plus months before the start of training camp, and the time off showed.

Against New York on Tuesday, he missed his first five shots from the floor, not scoring a field goal until he hit a 3-pointer with nine minutes left in the third. Embiid, as ever, got to the line, making 8 of 8 free throws in the first half. But Embiid was noticeably lagging throughout the second half. He was pulling on his shorts after his first stint of the second half. And though he asked the crowd to rise up late in the third quarter, he couldn’t lift up Philly in the fourth, as New York pulled away.

“When he’s playing well, he’s kind of got command of the game at the offensive end,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said afterward. “He’s either creating good shots for himself or creating a lot of defensive schemes against him, which is creating much easier shots for our guys. That’s part of rhythm, that’s part of conditioning, all that kind of stuff. He’s a great shooter. That’ll come back, too, I think.”

The Sixers now have to hot-wire their hopes of finding continuity with yet another new core group.

Paul George, the premier free-agent acquisition of the offseason, is just coming back himself from a preseason bone bruise that cost him the first five games of the season. He looked great Tuesday, though, looking exactly like the silky smooth scorer and facilitator the Sixers hope he can be, finishing with a game-high 29 points. But guard Tyrese Maxey, who took such a big step last season playing alongside Embiid, missed his third straight game with a pulled hamstring. It doesn’t leave Nurse a lot of time to evaluate who plays best with whom.

For example: Philly brought in Guerschon Yabusele, who starred on the French national team in the Olympics, helping lead Les Bleus to a silver medal. He was sensational. The Sixers hoped he could play for them in small-ball units at center. And with Embiid out, they got a good long look at him. Through the first nine games, he shot better than 43 percent on 3s on decent volume. Now, though, Nurse will have to play Yabusele and Embiid together, with Yabusele playing more power forward. The shots are different. The rhythm is different. Whom Yabusele now guards at the other end is different.

Nurse got exactly what he wanted to see late in the first quarter, when Embiid returned after a few minutes on the bench, drew two Knicks to him at the top of the key and fed an open Yabusele on the wing for a 3. But that was the only shot Yabusele hit all night in seven attempts.

Still, it’s crystal clear how formidable the Sixers can be when Embiid gets back to his old self, flanked by a healthy George and Maxey; solid role players such as Kelly Oubre Jr., Yabusele, Caleb Martin; rookie Jared McCain, who’s utterly fearless; and vet stashes such as Reggie Jackson, Kyle Lowry and Andre Drummond. Philadelphia’s offensive potential is staggering once everyone is healthy, so the Sixers are doubly fortunate their awful start hasn’t buried their playoff chances in the less-than-fully-functional Eastern Conference; the Sixers entered play Tuesday just a game out of the Play-In round.

George knows the pressure Embiid is under. He was a franchise player for the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, and then a co-franchisee with the LA Clippers alongside Kawhi Leonard. That weight of being the man feels like you’re wearing a burlap jersey and concrete Nikes.

“I think it’s no pressure for him,” George said. “He is the piece. He is The Process. I think he just finds his way, as he should. We’re here to kind of keep things going afloat until he gets back to himself. But I don’t think there’s pressure for him to do anything extra. He’ll find his rhythm as the games go on, as we learn how to play off of him and play around him. I’ve seen it in practice, so I know he’s not too far off.”

I asked Embiid if the urgency of the 2-8 start, and the ticking down of his prime years, is pushing him to come back sooner rather than working through the regular season more slowly, as had been the long-term plan. He recalled his rookie season, after he’d missed two years rehabbing following multiple foot surgeries. Embiid roared out of the gate, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting — even though the Sixers held him out of all but one game of the second half of the season.

“We were still really competitive,” he said of what became a 28-54 season. “And even that year, if they would have let me finish the year, I thought we actually had a chance of making the playoffs. So, urgency, sure. But you’ve also got to understand, we haven’t been healthy. Everybody’s getting back. Like I said, based on how it’s gone the last couple of years, with us on the floor (together), I think we’ve got a pretty good chance.”

“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold,” William Butler Yeats wrote a century ago, about something else entirely. But it’s up to Embiid to make sure people here don’t start seeing a connection.

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(Photo: David Dow / NBAE via Getty Images)



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NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Chiefs back at No. 1, plus quarterback confidence rankings

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The Week 11 NFL Power Rankings are checking in on the most important position in the game — quarterbacks.

It’s been a weird year for the most high-profile position in the game. The best quarterback in the league has not been that impressive. A can’t-miss prospect is missing by a lot. A future Hall of Famer is finishing his career on fumes. And Russell Wilson is 3-0.

We’re rating every team’s confidence in its quarterback situation from 1 through 10, and you’ll notice we’re leaning heavily on EPA-per-dropback statistics provided by TruMedia. That’s simply how many expected points a quarterback generates each time he intends to throw. It’s not a perfect statistic, but it’s pretty widely considered the best way to measure overall efficiency at the position.

Our faith in these teams’ quarterbacks affected the rankings this week in several spots, including at the top, where a familiar face is back despite barely winning once again.

Last week: 2

Sunday: Beat Denver Broncos 16-14

QB confidence rating: 10

Patrick Mahomes is 12th in the league in EPA per dropback (.12), 17th in passer rating and has thrown almost as many interceptions as touchdowns (nine to 12). That passer rating is on pace to be the worst of his career. Doesn’t matter. He’s still the player every team in the league would trade their guy for in a minute. Two more wins will give him 100 for his career counting the regular season and playoffs. He’s also a three-time Super Bowl champion, two-time MVP and the reason the Chiefs are the title favorite again this year regardless of his numbers.

Up next: at Buffalo Bills, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

Last week: 1

Sunday: Beat Houston Texans 26-23

QB confidence rating: 7

This could be a nine, but there’s always a concern with Jared Goff that something bad is lurking around the next corner. For instance, a five-interception game like he had Sunday night against the Texans. That’s more interceptions than he had in the first eight games of the season combined. The other knock on Goff is his offensive coordinator and teammates make it easy on him. His air yards per attempt (6.9) rank 29th in the league. Still, his EPA per dropback (.16) ranks eighth in the league and can’t be dismissed.

Up next: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

‘Just to be here is surreal’: Jake Bates, Lions complete wild comeback vs. Texans

Last week: 3

Thursday: Beat Cincinnati Bengals 35-34

QB confidence rating: 9

The only reason this isn’t a 10 is Lamar Jackson’s 2-4 career record in the playoffs. Jackson is the frontrunner for NFL MVP, which would be his third. Only Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have done that, and Jackson is only 27 years old. He leads the league in EPA per dropback by a wide margin (.37). Rodgers is the only player since 2010 to top that number in a season. His .40 in 2011 earned him the MVP trophy.

Up next: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

4. Buffalo Bills (8-2)

Last week: 4

Sunday: Beat Indianapolis Colts 30-20

QB confidence rating: 8

Josh Allen has scored 58 non-passing touchdowns since being drafted in 2018. That’s 12th in the NFL in that period. He has thrown 184 touchdown passes in that span, which ranks third. That’s 242 times he’s put the Bills in the end zone. This year, he’s seventh in EPA per dropback and has thrown 17 touchdowns against just four interceptions.

Up next: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

Last week: 8

Sunday: Beat Dallas Cowboys 34-6

QB confidence rating: 7

The Eagles have won five straight, and in that stretch, Jalen Hurts is fifth in EPA per dropback (.20) and third in passer rating (126.1). Against the Cowboys, he was 7-for-9 for 115 yards and two touchdowns while under pressure, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s also leading maybe the best rushing attack in the league. He had 56 yards and two touchdowns on the ground Sunday.

Up next: vs. Washington Commanders, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

The Eagles are ‘building that bully’ after an overdue Cowboys beatdown in Dallas

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)

Last week: 9

Sunday: Beat Washington Commanders 28-27

QB confidence rating: 4

Pittsburgh is not in this position because of its quarterback play, but Russell Wilson deserves some credit for being 3-0 since taking the job from Justin Fields. Wilson’s chuck-it-deep style has been a nice fit with George Pickens and the Steelers. The veteran quarterback is third in air yards per attempt (9.9) since Week 7, and his .19 EPA per dropback is on pace to be his best since the 2015 season.

Up next: vs. Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Last week: 6

Sunday: Bye

QB confidence rating: 6

Jordan Love’s problem, and problem may be a relative word in this context, is that he just signed a $220 million contract, and he has thrown an NFL-high 10 interceptions. He’s 19th in EPA per dropback (.02), and his season has to have Green Bay fans a little worried that he’s a good quarterback who had an elite finish to the 2023 season rather than an elite quarterback.

Up next: at Chicago Bears, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Last week: 7

Sunday: Beat Jacksonville Jaguars 12-7

QB confidence rating: 5

Sunday was the game the Sam Darnold skeptics have been waiting for. Darnold threw three interceptions and had a passer rating of 48.2 against a Jacksonville defense that had been very generous to opponents all season. Darnold is 21st in EPA per dropback (.01). After the first month of the season, he was 11th (.09), but fading in the second half has been a hallmark of Darnold’s career. It appears now more than ever that he’s just keeping the job warm for J.J. McCarthy (No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft), who suffered a season-ending knee injury in training camp.

Up next: at Tennessee Titans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

9. Washington Commanders (7-3)

Last week: 5

Sunday: Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers 28-27

QB confidence rating: 7

Jayden Daniels was just average on Sunday against the Steelers. It’s about time. The rookie was starting to look like he’d never stub his toe. Daniels completed 50 percent of his passes and had the second negative EPA game of his career. Still, he’s second in the NFL in EPA per dropback (.22) behind only Lamar Jackson. He is second in quarterback rushing behind Jackson as well, prompting a postgame question comparing the rookie to the reigning MVP. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin quickly shut that down.

Up next: at Philadelphia Eagles, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

Last week: 15

Sunday: Beat Tennessee Titans 27-17

QB confidence rating: 8

Justin Herbert’s numbers aren’t flashy, but he might be your favorite quarterback evaluator’s favorite quarterback. Herbert threw 18 passes Sunday but rolled up a 123.1 passer rating and is now sixth in that category among qualified passes (103.2). After toiling in relative obscurity for the first four years of his career, Herbert has a chance to get into the national conversation this year if the Chargers keep winning.

Up next: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

How Jim Harbaugh channeled a folk-rock ballad to lead Chargers to third straight win

Last week: 16

Sunday: Beat New York Jets 31-6

QB confidence rating: 7

Kyler Murray completed 22 of 24 passes Sunday, including his last 17, and it wasn’t because he was throwing to wide-open receivers all day. The odds of completing his final 17 passes based on their expected completion percentage was .245 percent, according to Next Gen Stats. Murray is 11th in EPA per dropback at .13, which is the best number of his career, and with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, he’s on pace to have the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career.

Up next: Bye

Last week: 10

Sunday: Beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20

QB confidence rating: 7

It feels like Brock Purdy has reached an important milestone this season. There’s no longer a daily debate about whether he’s a great quarterback or merely the product of his environment. He’s just playing mostly good football. Purdy is sixth in EPA per dropback (.18) and second in air yards per attempt (9.1). Since he was drafted in 2022, he leads the NFL in passer rating (106.9). On Sunday, he threw for 353 yards and was 4-for-5 for 39 yards on the 49ers’ game-winning drive.

Up next: vs. Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

49ers, Jake Moody deliver wobbly win but team is still trying to find its dominant self

13. Houston Texans (6-4)

Last week: 12

Sunday: Lost to Detroit Lions 26-23

QB confidence rating: 7

C.J. Stroud’s season now officially qualifies as a sophomore slump. He had a 64.2 passer rating and threw two interceptions Sunday night and lost despite a five-interception game from his opponent. Stroud is 24th in EPA per dropback (minus-.01). As a rookie, he finished sixth (.11). Houston has lost two in a row and three of its last four.

Up next: vs. Dallas Cowboys, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

Last week: 11

Sunday: Lost to New Orleans Saints 20-17

QB confidence rating: 7

Kirk Cousins is on track to be in the Comeback Player of the Year conversation, but his campaign took a hit Sunday as Cousins failed to throw a touchdown pass against the Saints for the second time this season. Those are the only two games in which Cousins hasn’t thrown a touchdown in his first year with the Falcons. He’s 10th in EPA per dropback (.13) and has his team in first place in the NFC South. If you took away the two games against New Orleans, Cousins would be sixth in EPA per dropback (.17).

Up next: at Denver Broncos, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-6)

Last week: 18

Thursday: Lost to Baltimore Ravens 35-34

QB confidence rating: 8

This losing record isn’t Joe Burrow’s fault. The fifth-year quarterback hasn’t played this well since he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl. Burrow is seventh in EPA per dropback (.17) and third in passer rating (108.1) after completing 34 of 56 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns while losing a thriller against Lamar Jackson on Thursday night. Those are both the second-best marks of his career. See, not his fault.

Up next: at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)

Last week: 13

Sunday: Lost to San Francisco 49ers 23-20

QB confidence rating: 7

Baker Mayfield leads the NFL with 24 touchdown passes. That’s only four short of his career high, which he set last year in Tampa. His EPA per dropback (.11) ranks 13th and is tied for the best mark of his career. Mayfield is trying to keep the Buccaneers afloat without receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and he almost did it Sunday against the defending NFC champions despite passing for only 116 yards.

Up next: Bye

17. Denver Broncos (5-5)

Last week: 14

Sunday: Lost to Kansas City Chiefs 16-14

QB confidence rating: 6

Rookie Bo Nix had a higher passer rating than his counterpoint Sunday, which is notable because his counterpoint was Patrick Mahomes. Nix was 22-for-30 for 215 yards and two touchdowns and posted a .36 EPA, which is the highest mark of his 10-start NFL career. In four of Nix’s first five games, he posted a negative EPA. In three of the last five games, he’s been in positive numbers. He still ranks 29th overall in EPA (minus-.11), but he’s moving in the right direction. He also has rushed for 290 yards and four touchdowns.

Up next: vs. Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

‘We were right there’: Broncos heartbroken by blocked field goal loss to Chiefs

Last week: 17

Monday: Lost to Miami Dolphins 23-15

QB confidence rating: 7

This is not Matthew Stafford’s best season. He has thrown seven interceptions, including one in each of the last six games. He had 293 passing yards Monday night but couldn’t get the Rams into the end zone. Stafford, the No. 1 pick in 2009, is 26th in EPA per dropback (minus-.03), which is the third-worst number of his career. Still, even at 36 years old, Stafford is a guy lots of coaches would pick to win them one game.

Up next: at New England Patriots, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

19. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)

Last week: 19

Sunday: Bye

QB confidence rating: 6

Since Geno Smith’s bounce-back 2022 season, his passer rating is going in the wrong direction. That year it was 103, the highest mark of his career as a starter. It fell to 92.1 last season and currently sits at 88.6. Smith isn’t playing poorly. He’s 16th in EPA per dropback (0.3), but it’s becoming clear that Seattle needs peak Geno to be competitive. An 11-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio is not peak Geno.

Up next: at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

20. Miami Dolphins (3-6)

Last week: 27

Monday: Beat Los Angeles Rams 23-15

QB confidence rating: 6

By the numbers, Tua Tagovailoa is playing great. He is eighth in EPA per dropback (.14), and he’s completing more than 70 percent of his passes. However, Monday night’s win, in which he was 20-for-28 for 207 yards, one touchdown and one interception, improved his record as a starter this season to just 2-3. Granted, those losses came to Buffalo (twice) and Arizona, but there’s still something missing from this offense, and Tagovailoa is the player most responsible for getting that fixed.

Up next: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

21. Indianapolis Colts (4-6)

Last week: 21

Sunday: Lost to Buffalo Bills 30-20

QB confidence rating: 3

Anthony Richardson was trending on X early in the day Sunday. That’s not a good sign considering he was benched two weeks ago. Veteran Joe Flacco hasn’t backed up the team’s decision to make that move. Flacco threw three interceptions Sunday and is 0-2 since replacing Richardson. Coach Shane Steichen says the veteran will remain the starter “until I say otherwise.” That should probably be soon. Developing a young player, even one with a 44.4 completion percentage, makes more sense than continuing with Flacco, who is 21st in EPA per dropback.

Up next: at New York Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET


Drake Maye got the best of fellow rookie Caleb Williams on Sunday and is the Patriots’ biggest reason for hope at the moment. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

22. New England Patriots (3-7)

Last week: 29

Sunday: Beat Chicago Bears 19-3

QB confidence rating: 7

Drake Maye may be overrated here, but he gets a bump because he’s the only reason for hope in New England at the moment. Maye looked particularly good in comparison to fellow rookie Caleb Williams on Sunday. The Patriots have won two of their last three games, and Maye is 25th in EPA per dropback (minus-.02). He’s also averaging 38.8 rushing yards per game, which is fifth among quarterbacks.

Up next: vs. Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

23. Chicago Bears (4-5)

Last week: 20

Sunday: Lost to New England Patriots 19-3

QB confidence rating: 5

Is it too early for Bears fans to panic about Caleb Williams? No, probably not. This year’s top pick has three straight games with a negative EPA, and he’s 33rd in that category for the season (minus-.13). He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 6. His completion percentage (60.5) ranks 32nd. His sack percentage (11.4) is 33rd and a sign that not only is Chicago’s offensive line not as good as expected but that Williams is taking too long to get the ball out of his hands. Things are not good.

Up next: vs. Green Bay Packers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

24. New York Jets (3-7)

Last week: 22

Sunday: Lost to Arizona Cardinals 31-6

QB confidence rating: 2

The Jets bet their present and future on Aaron Rodgers having one more run in him. They’re losing that bet badly. Rodgers is 26th in EPA per dropback (minus-.02), 29th in completion percentage (62.4) and 25th in yards per attempt (6.4). On Sunday, he threw for 151, no touchdowns and completed only two passes that traveled more than 7 yards, and the Jets couldn’t manage a touchdown. If this is Rodgers’ last season, it looks like it will be a somber one.

Up next: vs. Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

After blowout loss in Arizona, Jets are out of time and Aaron Rodgers is out of answers

25. Dallas Cowboys (3-6)

Last week: 23

Sunday: Lost to Philadelphia Eagles 34-6

QB confidence rating: 6

Dak Prescott is 31 years old, and he could be about to have season-ending surgery to repair a hamstring that is torn off the bone. It wasn’t going great when Prescott was healthy. He’s 27th in EPA per dropback (minus-.05), which is not what the Cowboys were expecting when they made him the highest-paid player in the NFL in the offseason at $60 million annually. Cooper Rush, Dallas’ primary backup since 2021, passed for 45 yards on Sunday, and Trey Lance had 21 yards and one interception on six passes as the Cowboys dropped their fourth straight.

Up next: vs. Houston Texans, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Trey Lance or Cooper Rush? Cowboys are a mess that neither quarterback can fix

26. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)

Last week: 26

Sunday: Bye

QB confidence rating: 2

How much influence will new Raiders minority owner Tom Brady have on which quarterback Las Vegas drafts in April? You’d think a lot. There seems to be little question the Raiders are going to be in the quarterback market. Current starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II, if he does in fact hang on to the starting job after the bye week, is 30th in EPA (minus-.11). After that, the depth chart is Desmond Ridder and Aidan O’Connell.

Up next: at Miami Dolphins, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Last week: 31

Sunday: Beat New York Giants 20-17

QB confidence rating: 3

The Panthers have won two in a row with Bryce Young as their starting quarterback, but it’s probably a mirage. The wins have come over the Saints and Giants, and the former No. 1 pick hasn’t been the driving force in either victory. He’s averaging 5.4 yards per attempt with a minus-.10 EPA per dropback in those two games. Young only took back the starting job because of an Andy Dalton injury, and these last two weeks probably didn’t change the organization’s mind much.

Up next: Bye

28. New Orleans Saints (3-7)

Last week: 32

Sunday: Beat Atlanta Falcons 20-17

QB confidence rating: 5

The Saints appear to be linked to Derek Carr through at least 2025 because of his contract. That comes with a ceiling, but it comes with a floor, too. Carr passed for 269 yards and two touchdowns to newly acquired Marquez Valdes-Scantling on Sunday, and he is ninth in EPA per dropback (.13) this season. That’s on pace to be the second-best mark of his career and his best since 2019.

Up next: vs. Cleveland Browns, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

29. New York Giants (2-8)

Last week: 25

Sunday: Lost to Carolina Panthers 20-17

QB confidence rating: 2

The best news for the Giants is they can move on from Daniel Jones after this season for the low, low price of $22 million in dead money. It’s been time to move on for a while. Jones threw 37 passes Sunday and had only 190 yards and two interceptions to show for it. For the season, he’s 28th in EPA per dropback (minus-.08). For his career, which has spanned six long years as the starter in New York, he’s 24-44-1. He’s had only one winning season and has never gotten to 10 wins.

Up next: Bye

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

The Giants are getting worse, so what is the case for retaining Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen?

30. Cleveland Browns (2-7)

Last week: 24

Sunday: Bye

QB confidence rating: 1

Deshaun Watson’s injury allowed Cleveland to change the subject from its controversial quarterback for now, but the conversation is coming back. Watson’s fully guaranteed deal means there’s no easy or inexpensive way to move past him. The Browns can take a small country’s GDP worth of dead money, have a backup quarterback with a $72 million cap hit next year or start Watson again in 2025. Amazingly, the third option may be the most palatable, even though he posted a minus-.25 EPA per dropback this season, which ranks 37th among qualifying quarterbacks.

Up next: at New Orleans Saints, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

31. Tennessee Titans (2-7)

Last week: 28

Sunday: Lost to Los Angeles Chargers 27-17

QB confidence rating: 2

The only reason Tennessee gets a two is because only Cleveland is getting a one. The Titans aren’t in much better shape, but at least they have answered the question they came into the season asking. Is Will Levis the starter of the future? No. Levis was fine Sunday, throwing for 175 yards and two touchdowns, but Tennessee fans are probably hoping that doesn’t provide the team with false hope. The game managed to even up his touchdown-to-interception ratio at seven to seven for the season. Levis is 36th in EPA (minus-.22).

Up next: vs. Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)

Last week: 30

Sunday: Lost to Minnesota Vikings 12-7

QB confidence rating: 4

The good news from Sunday? Mac Jones’ 14-for-22, 111-yard, two-interception day should make Jacksonville fans feel better about Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars’ regular starter may be headed for season-ending shoulder surgery, which might not be the worst thing considering this is a lost season in Jacksonville and Lawrence could use a reset. He has underplayed expectations since being drafted No. 1 in 2021, ranking 25th since then in EPA per dropback (.00). He had 11 touchdowns and six interceptions this season before being sidelined last week.

Up next: at Detroit Lions, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

(Top photo of Patrick Mahomes: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)





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