{"id":137712,"date":"2024-12-16T15:36:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T08:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137712"},"modified":"2024-12-16T15:36:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T08:36:02","slug":"how-sirianni-led-eagles-through-bumpy-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137712","title":{"rendered":"How Sirianni Led Eagles Through Bumpy Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"style_hfl21i-o_O-style_uhlm2\"\/>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_8p64vbbbe\"><a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"http:\/\/si.com\/nfl\/scoreboard\"><u><em>Week 15<\/em><\/u><\/a><em> brought a ton of games with big stakes\u2014and what those games lacked in drama, they made up for statements made and lessons learned. As we\u2019ve been doing all season, we\u2019ll publish the takeaways Sunday and update them live through Monday morning. So come back again if not all 10 are here yet \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mtmoof5dh\"><em><strong>This week provided another test that Nick Sirianni\u2019s Philadelphia Eagles passed with flying colors. <\/strong><\/em>It was, indeed, one of those <em>Only in Philly<\/em> weeks. The Eagles had won nine straight to move to 11\u20132 and stay within a game of the Detroit Lions for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The ninth of those wins, against the Carolina Panthers at home, was a little uneven, but not any real reason for panic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xcr7pxk8i\">Then, A.J. Brown said something in postgame, and the volume turned up to a million. You\u2019d have thought the team was coming apart at the seams, and Sirianni was back at that shaky press conference that kicked off his tenure. That\u2019s Philly. But it\u2019s not these Eagles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9rsh8b97x\">Instead of listening, Sirianni focused inward. He showed the players a reel of celebrations Wednesday. The defense mobbing Chauncey Gardner-Johnson after an interception. Saquon Barkley dancing with Grant Calcaterra after the tight end scored. Barkley and Mekhi Becton strumming air guitars. Brown and DeVonta Smith coming up with a Dwayne Wade\u2013LeBron James impression. And, yes, Brown and Jalen Hurts, together, doing their best Kid \u2019n Play.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_lxa4cs5y3\">From there, the week was all about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sirianni knew his players got the picture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_lhbn8s10z\">\u201cHe let us address it,\u201d left tackle Jordan Mailata told me Sunday night. \u201cOnce it was done, he made sure to move on and keep the Steelers the main thing. He didn\u2019t let it linger. We kept pushing on. And that was Coach\u2019s message. Nick did a great job of just moving on from that. And seeing him move on made us move on and keep the main thing the main thing. Like I said, it was our business this week, but it\u2019s none of our business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_bqofi5bya\">\u201cWhen we get the message from [the] head coach, the captains and the leaders on this team, we have to enforce that amongst the rest of the locker room. And we all responded really, really well this week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_bavgnso9s\">It showed in Sunday\u2019s resounding 27\u201313 win over a tough Pittsburgh team. The Eagles didn\u2019t just beat the Steelers. They beat the Steelers into submission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xz43g6w1d\">It started with Jalen Hurts, Brown and the rest of the passing game coming alive in a way that belied the All-Pro receiver\u2019s complaints of the Sunday previous. Faced with a rugged Steelers front that wasn\u2019t going to let Barkley run roughshod over them, Philly put the ball in Hurts\u2019s hands, and Hurts responded with 146 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-13 passing in the first half. The Eagles went into halftime up 17\u201313, despite running for just 50 yards at 3.3 per carry over the first 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_43ujv1egx\">The run game would come around, even if it didn\u2019t go wild in the second half, and the defense would buckle down, too\u2014keeping the Steelers off the scoreboard and to just 83 yards and four first downs after halftime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_0cdf9t2nm\">\u201cI\u2019m not worried what the headlines are going to say tomorrow, right? But I do sincerely believe that we played complementary football today and that should send a message to everyone,\u201dMailata says. \u201cNot like we\u2019re trying to [send a message], it\u2019s just that we know it is a great reminder for us moving forward of how much of a complete team we have. And if we protect the ball, if we play sound football? Coach has a saying: <em>tough, detailed, together<\/em>. I think tonight we really executed that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ucfd6rnzf\">All three elements of the slogan were on display over the game\u2019s final 10:29.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_b9pkqqr50\">The Steelers, down 14, had just punted and pinned Philly at its own 3, presumably validating Mike Tomlin\u2019s decision not to go for it on fourth-and-7 from Eagles\u2019 46. Little did Tomlin know what was coming\u2014Pittsburgh wouldn\u2019t get the ball back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_2sa0htqp3\">Hurts converted third-and-6 with a short throw to Brown that the receiver took for a 21-yard gain. Barkley churned out seven yards on a third-and-2. Hurts struck downfield to Smith for 22 yards to dig the team out of second-and-14. Hurts converted a fourth-and-1, then a third-and-1 with Brotherly Shove keepers. And Kenneth Gainwell got the yards needed on third-and-2 with 2:12 left, and Pittsburgh out of timeouts, to get Philly in victory formation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_s2tefxw25\">\u201cI can tell you right now\u2014the one-two,\u201d Mailata says about the drive. \u201cIt is hard to find people to have that one-two: to keep moving the ball, to keep that time of possession up. And that\u2019s what it showed me today, that the next-man-up mentality and the one-two were there. You could see it on the film. Guys just turning up each play, just giving that grit. That was a battle, man. That was no easy game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xtlltv51b\">It was never going to be. But it gave everyone who didn\u2019t know a window into who the Eagles have become over the ongoing 10-game winning streak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_wza3nktm3\">Since, of course, very few folks were focused on that the past few days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_6e930cl47\">\u201cFor me, I don\u2019t focus on the fans,\u201d Mailata says, in a matter-of-fact way. \u201cI don\u2019t feed off the fans, to be honest. I think, for us, we\u2019re so in tune with each other that we\u2019re just focusing on our job. \u2026 We\u2019re just focusing on our job and making sure that everything goes well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_4pdcjy9df\">For over two months now, it has been going well in Philly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_evinntn1d\">Safe to say, Sirianni has a pretty good idea on how to keep it that way.<\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_31om4up2o\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_31om4up2o\" class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"\/><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source\/><source\/><source\/><img class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\" alt=\"buffalo-bills-group-celebrates\" title=\"buffalo-bills-group-celebrates\"\/><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"base_1emrqjj\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_13\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01jf6ye2dkeh2wshn2t8.jpg\" alt=\"buffalo-bills-group-celebrates\" title=\"buffalo-bills-group-celebrates\"\/><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">The Bills rebounded from their Week 14 loss with a big win in what was billed as a possible Super Bowl preview \/ Kimberly P. Mitchell \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_0om92z8a6\"><em><strong>Last week\u2019s loss to the Los Angeles Rams stuck with the Buffalo Bills\u2014in a good way. <\/strong><\/em>The NFL season is long. It\u2019s hard for a team to bring its best every week. And if every team is going to hit a ditch or two at some point over the course of the year, the Bills sped right into theirs last Sunday in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_e9fuir5x3\">On paper, it was understandable. The Bills beat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, had their bye in Week 12, then throttled the other Super Bowl team, the San Francisco 49ers, in Week 13.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_snd2azn2z\">But that doesn\u2019t mean Buffalo was going to accept how it played in Week 14.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_g5adno4yy\">\u201cWe\u2019ve had tight teams before, Albert, but this team is, I would say, extra tight,\u201d coach Sean McDermott said, leaving Ford Field on Sunday night. \u201cI mean, they really enjoy playing, and they really enjoy playing with one another, from a teammate standpoint. And they also realized that we probably didn\u2019t have the focus that we needed a week ago. And the leaders took over and led by example this week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_5rgp63q8d\">The result: a 48\u201342 win in Detroit against a Lions team that came in 12\u20131.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_gp22m8lrh\">The Bills showed plenty in the win. Josh Allen played like the MVP of the league, and he may well be named that, officially, a couple of months from now. The Bills rushed for 197 yards on 34 carries. Nine different skill guys caught passes. The defense did allow 42 points and nearly 500 yards through the air, but rendered the Lions one-dimensional on offense and allowed a lot of that yardage, and scoring, while Detroit played catch-up, and with a secondary that\u2019s pretty banged up right now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_96d3q5q5v\">What you, and everyone else, will remember is James Cook\u2019s 41-yard touchdown run; Allen exploiting a depleted Lions linebacker group by throwing to running back Ty Johnson; and Allen\u2019s strikes downfield to Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. You\u2019ll remember Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver getting after Jared Goff, and the Bills jumping up 14\u20130, 21\u20137 and 35\u201314 on their stunned hosts and in front of a stunned crowd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_g2vblsd2b\">McDermott, though, is going to remember, like he said, how one week affected the next.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ba7du7d9g\">Even now, he can\u2019t explain exactly what went wrong early on in L.A. But the way the Bills reacted, even in the moment, made him feel a lot better about it. Buffalo was down 38\u201321 going into the fourth quarter, and the Rams might not have survived had the fourth quarter been 16 minutes instead of 15.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_j0qltxp5f\">When I asked McDermott what happened at the end of that third quarter, he joked, \u201cUh \u2026 Josh Allen?\u201d And there was a ton of truth in that\u2014Allen was a force of nature that could only be stopped by the expiration of the clock at SoFi. But there\u2019s more to it, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9u0oe6gd4\">That includes what he saw during the week leading up to Sunday\u2019s showdown in Detroit, after, McDermott says, \u201cI probably didn\u2019t have them prepared the way I needed to\u201d for the game against the Rams. And it really came alive, from his own standpoint, in how much he was looking forward to going back to work with the guys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_1ceewndol\">\u201cWe\u2019ve all been there, where you\u2019re like, hey, you\u2019re kind of just trudging through the snow, the wet snow, and it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re good.\u2019 But every week\u2019s a headache, you got guys late, you know how it goes,\u201d McDermott says. \u201cNot that we were perfect and everybody\u2019s an angel. But they want to win and they\u2019re willing to put the work in. And I\u2019m saying, I feel like\u2014as across the board as it could be\u2014it\u2019s almost like they don\u2019t want to let each other down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ttgfmcp8l\">And that, McDermott continues, is, and was, especially true with Allen, who\u2019s embraced the leadership role he\u2019s moved into as some of the Bills\u2019 old cornerstone captains left the building in the offseason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_afjiuxr9e\">\u201cIt\u2019s staying after to work with receivers for an extra five to 10 minutes to make sure they have the detail, the timing down, in order to execute at a high level in some of those moments,\u201d McDermott says. \u201cI mean, that&#8217;s just one example I would say that happens during the week. And then just coming in a way of [being] ready to work. Again, I don\u2019t want to sound like he hasn\u2019t done this in the past, but there\u2019s a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mk64tk8vr\">As a result, there\u2019s a difference in these Bills too\u2014because the group is more tightly knit, more focused and with an increasingly maniacal quarterback.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_j8veguout\">It showed Sunday, in the lessons they took from the week before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9nqoscymg\">\u201cEvery lion picks up a scar along the way. And we picked up a scar,\u201d McDermott says. \u201cNow, that scar has got to stay with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_0jqy11no5\">If these Bills truly are as different as McDermott thinks they are, there\u2019s no doubt it will.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_z5u8wnwmb\"><em><strong>Mike Evans deserves his flowers. <\/strong><\/em>The 11th-year vet has been fighting a bum hamstring all year. It cost him a month of games in the middle of the season. This week, after missing Wednesday and Thursday practices to rest it, there were questions about how much it would hobble him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_8qcehrrd5\">The Los Angeles Chargers, playing host to Evans\u2019s Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, found out pretty quickly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_1i49v9did\">Nine catches, 159 yards and two touchdowns later, Tampa was leaving Southern California with a 40\u201317 rout of Justin Herbert &amp; Co., an 8\u20136 record, a 1.5-game cushion atop the NFC South\u2014and a healthy appreciation for the impact of the team\u2019s longest-tenured player, who\u2019s seen it all over a decade-plus in town. Even if those outside Florida may not get it the way those he works with do.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_0u69jm0ww\">\u201cIt never ceases to amaze me,\u201d coach Todd Bowles told me postgame. \u201cAnd he does it the right way, that\u2019s what makes it so hard. It\u2019s probably why he doesn\u2019t get the accolades he deserves. But he does it the right way. And when you put it in his area, he\u2019s determined to make a play and get it in the end zone\u2014there\u2019s no stopping him. And so from a team standpoint, you got to catch yourself or you\u2019ll end up watching him instead of coaching \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_6nswya3he\">\u00a0\u201cIt was unbelievable what he did today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_bie4miuww\">What\u2019s wild is, through two quarters, and with the Bucs down 17\u201313, Evans\u2019s numbers and impact were pretty pedestrian.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_3cn0f9kaa\">It didn\u2019t take long for the 31-year-old to change that. On Tampa\u2019s fifth offensive snap of the second half, Baker Mayfield scrambled and broke contain to his left. Evans broke off his route and into Mayfield\u2019s vision. Mayfield dropped it in the bucket, Evans caught it, burst right through the arms of Chargers rookie Tarheeb Still at the 35 and raced past the rest of the defense for a 57-yard score to put the Bucs up 20\u201317.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ufsvw0hv2\">Two possessions later, with the Bucs up 23\u201317, and in third-and-12 from the Chargers\u2019 35, Evans roasted corner Kristian Fulton to the post for another touchdown, to make it 30\u201317 and effectively put Los Angeles in the rear-view mirror for good. And show, again, that even with that hamstring issue lingering, he\u2019s still a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_icdcxzeh6\">\u201cWhen he hurdled a guy last week, I knew he was back,\u201d Bowles says. \u201cAnd then the extra oomph he had today. If he hadn\u2019t had a T-shirt on, he probably would have broken another tackle and scored again. The guy had [his] T-shirt on that one. But he was doing some great run after catches, which we hadn\u2019t seen in the early part of the year. We need every yard, and he\u2019s helping us get everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ozwa6spug\">Truth is, that\u2019s been the case for a long time, and on more than just game day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qz4g10v21\">Bowles has been witness to it through plenty of major transitions, too\u2014first his own, from defensive coordinator to replacing Bruce Arians as head coach, then at quarterback, going from Tom Brady to Mayfield. So he knows first-hand what Evans has meant to the Bucs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_dqimc4zhm\">\u201cHe\u2019s been impressive, because no matter who\u2019s here, who\u2019s coaching, who does what, he always produces and performs the same,\u201d Bowles says. \u201cIt takes a guy with great mental toughness and mental discipline to get that done and go through a few coaches and still do the things that he\u2019s doing to be great. I mean, it\u2019s been unbelievable. He\u2019s probably one of my favorite two or three players ever. And I\u2019m sure he\u2019s everybody\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_warxwqxp8\">\u201cHe\u2019s great in the community, he works hard at practice, he works hard in the weight room, good dude off the field and he competes like hell. So that makes it easy for a coach. It makes it very easy. And the fact that he\u2019s older, the young guys coming, it\u2019s something that they can aspire to be and it teaches them work ethic and how to be a pro.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_bbenvur0p\">His production, of course, gives them plenty to aspire to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_axvwy5ukn\">Evans came into this year with a string of 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons. He came into Sunday\u2019s game, after missing three games and with four to go, with just 590 yards, making an 11th 1,000-yard season pretty unlikely. But after pushing that to 749 with Sunday\u2019s big day, he now needs to average just 83.7 yards to get there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_kqa0rn74i\">Maybe he will. Maybe he won\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_cu0b8hlbl\">Regardless, what he means, and has meant, to the Buccaneers won\u2019t change. As the Chargers could tell you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_lmj26h7l0\"><em><strong>The NFL\u2019s decision to put two games on Christmas figures to have a material effect on the AFC playoff race. <\/strong><\/em>All four teams set to play Saturday, then again the following Wednesday, are squarely in the chase. The Chiefs, Houston Texans and Steelers lead their divisions, and the Baltimore Ravens are one game back in the AFC North. On Saturday, the Steelers will play the Ravens and the Chiefs will play the Texans. On Christmas, it\u2019ll be Steelers-Chiefs and Texans-Ravens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qm324bkvk\">The state of things for the teams involved? Well, when I talked to Texans safety Jimmie Ward, he\u2019d already taken a turn in the cold tub, right after Houston outlasted the Miami Dolphins, 20\u201312, at home. When I spoke with Ravens tight end Mark Andrews after Baltimore routed the New York Giants 35\u201314 in New Jersey, he was ready to board a train home. That mode of travel is standard for a New York trip for Baltimore, but it takes on a little added importance with the 10 days ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_z5vsy9b8s\">\u201cThere are benefits to it,\u201d Andrews tells me. \u201cYou\u2019re not going 30,000 feet in the air, with the dehydration and stuff like that. That part\u2019s going to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_5ljqvufpn\">The rest is, well, TBD.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_v28tkkjs2\">Patrick Mahomes told the media last week that \u201cit\u2019s not a good feeling\u201d looking ahead at a stretch like the Chiefs were facing this late in the season. \u201cYou never want to play this amount of games in this short a period of time,\u201d the quarterback continued. \u201cIt\u2019s not great for your body. But, at the end of the day, it\u2019s your job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_44v9zhggz\">That, of course, was before Mahomes got hurt in Sunday\u2019s win over the Cleveland Browns. He\u2019ll undergo more tests Monday, and he\u2019s always been as tough as they come when it comes to playing through injuries, but this is exactly what the concern was when the league scheduled this back in the spring\u2014that a star player would be put in a position where he might risk making a bad injury worse if he doesn\u2019t push through on short rest in consecutive weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_3f8caupgm\">Given that, this was a good time to dig in with a couple of guys in the midst of that meat grinder of a three-game stretch\u2014coming off the field from the first leg of a tough relay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_a3gu55u53\">\u201cReally you just got to take each day [as it comes],\u201d says Ward, now in his 11th season. \u201cYou got to take one day at a time, can\u2019t really look ahead. You just got to hammer the recovery, stay in the training room and try to heal your body for the next game. \u2026 I just got out of the cold tub. So attack it today. Start watching film today. I\u2019m pretty sure coaches watched film today. They probably went right to their office. They\u2019re probably starting game planning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_qqb17g5yh\">I checked, and they were. Because every minute will count for the four contenders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_anmlaqqvq\">\u201cIt\u2019s the little things,\u201d Andrews says. \u201cI\u2019ve already started to recover. I did six minutes in the cold tub after this game trying to reset the body knowing that it\u2019s a short week. Just taking time at the nighttime to put in the massages, do every little thing to make sure that by game time Saturday, I\u2019ll be jumping out of my skin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_h9mwrwvq2\">That\u2019s the goal, anyway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_a6r0l1ghk\">And, as Mahomes said, it\u2019s not like they have a choice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fo0f3sa3b\">\u201cIt\u2019s our job,\u201d Ward says. \u201cWe get paid for it. Playing on Christmas, it\u2019s pretty cool\u2014never got to play on Christmas before. Three games in 10 days, that\u2019s cool. There are other teams that are going through it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_56q3cdwbp\">How it affects the four of them will be interesting, of course, and certainly could impact how the league handles these things going forward.<\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_jsi6qks9w\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_jsi6qks9w\" class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"\/><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source\/><source\/><source\/><img class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\" alt=\"mike-mccarthy-gestures-sideline-arms-up\" title=\"mike-mccarthy-gestures-sideline-arms-up\"\/><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"base_1emrqjj\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3710,h_2086,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01jf6yfzfpk06hhxyx54.jpg\" alt=\"mike-mccarthy-gestures-sideline-arms-up\" title=\"mike-mccarthy-gestures-sideline-arms-up\"\/><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">The Cowboys have continued playing hard for McCarthy, even after the season went sideways. \/ Tim Heitman-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_g64fyvem6\"><em><strong>The Dallas Cowboys have told you what they think of Mike McCarthy. <\/strong><\/em>Sometimes, this works the other way\u2014where you see a team mailing it in and it\u2019s so clearly a sign that the players are out on their coach. In this case, Dallas had every opportunity to do just that. A month ago, on a Monday night, they got beat 34\u201310 by a Texans team that didn\u2019t even play that well. They had two games in the 10 days to follow. The quarterback was out for the year. They were 3\u20137.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_nt7fvwnzq\">Instead, the Cowboys have surged. They\u2019re 3\u20131 since, and would probably be 4\u20130 were it not for Monday night\u2019s punt team meltdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_cgqe10klb\">On Sunday, they became the first team to enter a game as an underdog to the Panthers in nearly two years. They proceeded to soundly beat Dave Canales\u2019s suddenly feisty bunch 30\u201314, behind another solid afternoon from Dak Prescott stand-in Cooper Rush, another starry effort from CeeDee Lamb and another dominant showing from Micah Parsons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_7s7e50kfz\">\u201cIt\u2019s just who we are, a bunch of guys that love to compete, a lot of winners on this team, a lot of wins over the last few years with coach McCarthy and these core players,\u201d Rush told me over the phone afterward. \u201cThere\u2019s a culture there\u2014you\u2019re going to go out there and play your butt off and compete no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_zap8javgj\">Now, in the NFL, with a team like this, the \u201cwin one for coach\u201d idea can get overblown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_raf1n0nfa\">For most guys, there\u2019s a pretty big individual interest at play, when you\u2019re playing out the string for a team that\u2019s fallen out of the race. Very few players\u2019 futures are secure, and the tape will be their r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2014there\u2019s no hiding dogging it in an adverse situation, and doing that can certainly stick with a guy who\u2019s looking for a job.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_uh0gwtah4\">That said, McCarthy\u2019s still the Cowboys\u2019 coach, and his players know the situation he\u2019s in, without a contract for next year. So when I asked Rush whether there was any element there of playing for McCarthy given the tenuous situation he\u2019s in, the quarterback, now in his fifth year playing for the coach, didn\u2019t miss a beat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mjcnx6yad\">\u201cIt\u2019s just more who he is\u2014it\u2019s just been the attitude the last couple of years,\u201d Rush answered. \u201cHe does a great job having a pulse of the team, keeping guys together, keeping us together in the locker room and creating that culture that no matter who we\u2019re playing, what we\u2019re doing. If you\u2019re out there, you\u2019re competing your butt off. He has us well prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_y9q8ooahd\">It showed again Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_asautdbrs\">Now, again, McCarthy\u2019s situation is different than some other coaches on the hot seat. Since his contract is up, the Cowboys would have to draw up a new deal to keep him, which takes the idea of just kicking the can down the road off the table. So it may be easier to let him go than it would be to stay the course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_8mkwaatfv\">Yet, here we are, and McCarthy, coming off three consecutive 12-win seasons, was faced with his darkest hour as Cowboys coach. And he\u2019s giving the Joneses plenty to think about.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_z5xmuwmot\"><em><strong>I like that Sean Payton was a little salty after the Denver Broncos\u2019 win. <\/strong><\/em>Denver crushed the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It put the team by itself in second place in the AFC West, behind only the division champion Chiefs. It gave the team nine victories, to lock up the franchise\u2019s first winning season in eight years. It all happened with a team that\u2019s gotten younger over the two years the coach has been in Colorado.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_21n7ftcgs\">So here was Payton afterward: \u201cIf you\u2019re in this industry, you want to be somewhere where it\u2019s really important and the expectations are high. So it\u2019s nice to get the ninth win. We\u2019ll have some cupcakes for you guys as you leave and then we\u2019ll go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_yq3ki9hzp\">Translation: <em>This isn\u2019t close to where I\u2019m looking to be.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_44r9tlf83\">By invoking the standard set by John Elway and Peyton Manning in the Broncos\u2019 past, Payton is implicitly setting the bar there for his players. Which, by every indication I\u2019ve gotten, the players seem to understand\u2014not just in how they handled Sunday and its aftermath, but in how they\u2019ve embraced his demanding, difficult program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_eea0aj5dq\">And if you don\u2019t believe it, the fourth quarter of Sunday\u2019s game provides proof, not just in how the Broncos outlasted the Colts, but in how they beat them in every phase of the game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_v0pxvfjk5\">Denver entered the fourth quarter trailing 13\u201310. Rookie Bo Nix had three picks and was probably playing his worst game in three months. The run game had stalled. The defense had taken it on the chin a little, too\u2014with Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor getting their footing, and plenty of yardage, on the ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_tx2924h6h\">Then, Marvin Mims Jr. returned a punt 61 yards to the Colts\u2019 15. Two plays later, Nix found second-year tight end Nate Atkins for a score to put Denver up 17\u201313. Four snaps later, third-year pass rusher Nik Bonitto sniffed out a double-pass, picked off Adonai Mitchell\u2019s cross-field throw (technically it was scored as a fumble, because it was thrown behind the line), and ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown to make it 24\u201313. And after that, Nix drove Denver 35 yards for a final score to cash in a Patrick Surtain II interception.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_4z1mqz21f\">So just like that, the special teams, defense and offense coalesced when it mattered most.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_z87ksf8e9\">It hit the Colts like an avalanche, which is exactly how Payton\u2019s best New Orleans Saints teams used to make their opponents feel. And while I don\u2019t think the Broncos are quite <em>there <\/em>yet, this, to me, was another compelling piece of evidence that they\u2019re on their way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_kplkx76cq\">I also think Payton believes that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ohgz10bal\">Otherwise, I\u2019m not sure he\u2019d be talking postgame the way he was.<\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_4rlikld7r\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_4rlikld7r\" class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"\/><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source\/><source\/><source\/><img class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\" alt=\"bill-belichick-waves-unc-basketball-crowd\" title=\"bill-belichick-waves-unc-basketball-crowd\"\/><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"base_1emrqjj\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5898,h_3317,x_0,y_157\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01jf6yj15we999rdscxa.jpg\" alt=\"bill-belichick-waves-unc-basketball-crowd\" title=\"bill-belichick-waves-unc-basketball-crowd\"\/><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">Belichick looked for NFL jobs, but had a reason to jump to UNC \/ Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_rd31no4z6\"><em><strong>The very end of Bill Belichick\u2019s time out of coaching, to me, colors who he is. <\/strong><\/em>And that starts with his brief flirtation with the New York Jets, how that happened, and why it ended.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_pcuiovpg6\">Belichick has a pre-existing relationship, going back to the 1990s, with Mike Tannenbaum, who is working (along with fellow ex-NFL GM Rick Spielman) as a consultant to the Jets\u2019 search. So the coach reached out to his former Browns and Jets colleague to gauge interest, and Tannenbaum took it to the team. The Jets then mulled it, then worked to set up a meeting between Belichick and owner Woody Johnson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_04lbszks2\">At that point, things <a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bill-belichick-unc-craft-legacy-on-his-terms\"><u>between Belichick and North Carolina<\/u><\/a> were heating up. So the coach circled back. The Jets, of course, are on the very front end of what they expect to be an exhaustive and thorough process. As such, the timing didn\u2019t work out. Additionally, my understanding is Belichick didn\u2019t just indiscriminately reach out to every team with an opening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_tl2t4v65l\">What does this tell us? Well, first off, while the Jets did have geography going for them, this does show that a pretty smart football guy thought the football situation there could be turned around relatively quickly, otherwise the call wouldn\u2019t have gotten made. Second, Belichick still had designs on the NFL, but it couldn\u2019t just be any NFL job (again, he didn\u2019t call everyone).<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_36fwu3um4\">That indicates two things: Belichick wanted to get back to his life\u2019s work and coach in 2025, and his overwhelming preference was to do it his way. In other words, he didn\u2019t want someone going halfway in on him (maybe letting him coach, while delegating out the rest). And I do think the last year showed him that while an NFL job offer might\u2019ve been coming, it probably would\u2019ve been more difficult to get anything approximating the control he had in New England.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_60014cjhx\">To me, that\u2019s not about being a dictator. It\u2019s about Belichick\u2019s own belief in what works.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_i32iu277w\">And with Belichick\u2019s study of college football having gone deep, aided by his son\u2019s position as Washington\u2019s defensive coordinator and his own vast Rolodex, the opportunity to run things his way, and win his way, was there at that level in a way it wasn\u2019t in the pros. In fact, as those around him see it, NFL elements like NIL (salary cap) and the transfer portal (free agency) should give him and his staff a leg up on the competition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_uvhqzmsa5\">So how will it work? I think through older players, three or four years in and unhappy with their draft standing, coming over in the portal under the premise that Belichick and his staff will better prepare them for the pros, with a steady stream of younger players developing through the pipeline. And having played for Belichick, those guys will be more attractive to NFL teams, that\u2019ll likely presume they\u2019re more ready for the pros.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_g6e1bs2d0\">In fact, Rams coach Sean McVay told me over the weekend that UNC prospects will absolutely be more enticing to him now, because they\u2019ll have gone through Belichick\u2019s program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_2uki9yaek\">Maybe Belichick will wind up loving it, and make his way off into the sunset in a few years having changed the Carolina football paradigm. Maybe it won\u2019t work. Or maybe he\u2019ll wind up, in a year or two, back in the pros after showing his program still works\u2014his buyout drops from $10 million to $1 million on June 1, meaning there\u2019s not much stopping an NFL team from coming after him in 2026 or \u201927.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_h93fhusoo\">Either way, while I\u2019m a little disappointed we won\u2019t get to see him in the NFL next year, I\u2019m fascinated to see how the next chapter for the greatest coach ever plays out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_2ljnwx8uv\"><em><strong>The 49ers face a slew of big decisions this offseason. <\/strong><\/em>The Niners are now 6\u20138. They\u2019re on the brink of elimination from the playoff picture after a run of four NFC title games, and two Super Bowl appearances, in five years. They\u2019ve mortgaged contracts to facilitate it. The bill is coming due. Could they push things off another year? Sure. But \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_1oglvodcw\">This is where the Rams were in early 2023, at the point where they needed to reset their cap, or it might become a two-year ordeal, rather than one that can be dealt with in a single offseason. The good news? The Rams wound up making the playoffs, despite carrying $75 million in dead money on their cap\u2014and did it thanks to a comprehensive football program that was humming in the departments of player development and coaching.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fx6kiojbx\">The Niners are like that, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9vwc9v4m4\">They have between $250 million and $300 million in cap commitments for 2025, and that\u2019s without lifting a finger in free agency, adding a draft class or, most notably, doing a long-term deal with Brock Purdy. They have 12 guys with cap numbers for next year exceeding $9 million. There are guys such as Deebo Samuel who could be on the chopping block. There are free agents such as Charvarius Ward who will be tough to keep. Tough calls are coming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_c7gj1ny5v\">And that\u2019s where Purdy comes into the picture. He\u2019s the Niners\u2019 guy. They believe in him, and view re-signing him as a \u201cwhen,\u201d not an \u201cif.\u201d But \u201cwhen\u201d is certainly complicated by this traffic jam of big contracts\u2014a result of the high level at which the Niners have developed talent over Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch\u2019s time in charge. They\u2019ll be willing to do business with Purdy this offseason, but at what level? That, to me, is the question, with the question for Purdy being how willing he might be to push things to the limit?<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_92dwjugol\">The Niners have been here before. Coming out of 2017, they quickly moved to re-sign Jimmy Garoppolo rather than franchise tagging him a couple of months later. They did it in January to give themselves a measure of certainty, still in the infancy of the current regime. I\u2019d think they may try, again, to move fast, to see if there\u2019s a compromise to be done early with Purdy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_v83sak2mz\">But with Purdy under contract for 2025 at a very reasonable rate, they have some flexibility with him that they don\u2019t have with other players.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_341eodpcb\">Which only underscores how complicated the next six months or so will be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_7gmvgwvpx\">So while there\u2019s every reason to believe that Shanahan and Lynch will be able to work their way out of all this (the 2019 and \u201923 Super Bowl teams did look considerably different from one another), it sure won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_jlarbg41g\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_jlarbg41g\" class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"\/><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source\/><source\/><source\/><img class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\" alt=\"travis-hunter-holding-heisman-trophy\" title=\"travis-hunter-holding-heisman-trophy\"\/><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi%2F01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"base_1emrqjj\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5270,h_2964,x_0,y_105\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01jf6yksyfswrwvnmqmz.jpg\" alt=\"travis-hunter-holding-heisman-trophy\" title=\"travis-hunter-holding-heisman-trophy\"\/><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">Hunter is one of the most fascinating draft prospects in years \/ Lucas Boland-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_nbte2pnel\"><em><strong>Travis Hunter is the most fascinating draft prospect we\u2019ve had coming into the league in years. <\/strong><\/em>The Colorado corner\/receiver\/everything edged out Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty for the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, and his next step will be taking his unprecedented r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2014no one has ever won the Heisman, Bednarik and Biletnikoff awards before\u2014to the pros.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_sai8f8yc2\">One thing I feel relatively confident saying is he won\u2019t be used in the NFL the way he has been in college, as a full-time, two-way player.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_inv69m8fz\">So the operative question when considering his professional future is which way is best to use a guy who has the capability of being a top-shelf receiver or corner. And the answer I\u2019ve got from scouts, and pretty emphatically, is the same as it was for Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey and Chris Gamble when they were coming out, after having been used at both those positions as collegians (Woodson was less full-time on offense than the other two).<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ykvrtocyw\">\u201cDominant CB that will be a role player at WR on third down,\u201d texted one AFC college scouting director. \u201cSpecial man cover skills. Long, explosive, twitchy, super instinctive. Rarely allows separation. Outstanding ball skills. Can match up and cover multiple types of receivers <em>and <\/em>takes the ball away. He\u2019s a raw receiver with natural athleticism and hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_uy36tw2il\">\u201cBest player in the draft,\u201d texted a second AFC college scouting director. \u201cHe\u2019s easy [to evaluate].\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_s3rmpr5mm\">\u201cHe\u2019s an amazing athlete with rare instincts,\u201d added another AFC exec Sunday. \u201cGreat length, a playmaker. Best value league-wide will be at cornerback due to the difficulty of finding elite players at the position. But right now, he\u2019s actually a better receiver. Thin frame and durability is an issue. He\u2019s still maturing, but probably will never be over 185 to 190 pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_m9gr89199\">The next question, then, is whether he\u2019s a better receiver than Arizona\u2019s Tetairoa McMillan or a better corner than Michigan\u2019s Will Johnson, with McMillan and Johnson considered the standard-bearers this year at those spots. When I asked the third AFC exec that, he quickly responded, \u201cNo,\u201d but then backtracked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_l3r3iij5t\">\u201cActually, at receiver, possibly,\u201d he added. \u201cThey\u2019re just different stylistically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_5hm0w3ofx\">The first college scouting director went the other way, saying, \u201cI\u2019d say no with McMillan, and yes with Will Johnson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_2iowhq6m1\">So maybe he\u2019s the draft\u2019s best receiver. Maybe he\u2019s the draft\u2019s best corner. Maybe he\u2019s not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_db2xd96d1\">But that it\u2019s even a question on both at the same time tells you all you need to know. I\u2019ll have a little more on Hunter coming in the Tuesday notes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_hb3jmylxe\"><em><strong>Fourteen games down, two to go. Let\u2019s empty the notebook on Week 15 here with the quick-hitters \u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_tyb7b63t0\">\u2022 Jerod Mayo\u2019s postgame press conference after a 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals should get your attention. The New England Patriots\u2019 coach was asked about not running Drake Maye on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 plays near the goal line, given the QB\u2019s athletic traits and size. \u201cYou said it, I didn\u2019t,\u201d Mayo responded, in what sounded like a criticism of his own offensive staff. Not great.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_akj3t7er6\">\u2022 The Cardinals rushed for 163 yards Sunday, in a game they had to have. James Conner remains among the league\u2019s most underrated players, and Arizona\u2019s not going away after a midseason lull.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_7azqcw7pu\">\u2022 Here\u2019s hoping Geno Smith is all right. It was awful seeing him go down Sunday night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_1if4u51dw\">\u2022 While we\u2019re there, the Green Bay Packers looked downright terrifying to open that game against the Seattle Seahawks, marching right down the field, and to a 14\u20130 lead, on the road. They scored on five of six possessions through three quarters, and cruised to a win\u2014and the defense, under Jeff Hafley, looks like it\u2019s catching up to the offense, particularly with the growth of young guys such as Edgerrin Cooper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_dgkdzgcoq\">\u2022 If the Eagles are locked in for Week 18\u2014and not sitting guys with their playoff standing set\u2014it\u2019d be tough to expect a Giants win there. But I think it\u2019s fair for New York to hope for a split of its next two (at the Falcons, then home against the Colts) to avoid ending the season on a 12-game losing streak. Because it\u2019d be hard to sell the idea of just running the whole thing back again if the team\u2019s last win of the year came in the first week of October.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_q7wg44cak\">\u2022 My sense is Mike Vrabel is high on the list of the three teams with head coach openings now, and will probably be the most sought after candidate in January. What\u2019ll be interesting to see is who\u2019ll be willing to let him set a program up his own way\u2014which could mean bringing ex-Tennessee exec (and current Giants exec) Ryan Cowden with him as general manager and perhaps Browns tight ends coach Tommy Rees as OC (though Josh McDaniels might be a possibility to come with him to certain locales, too).<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_2j4mechtp\">\u2022 The Washington Commanders did well to survive in the Superdome on Sunday, but you\u2019re starting to see where the roster is probably another offseason or two away from being a real contender. Which is to be expected, knowing what GM Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn inherited. They\u2019ve done great work. That doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t still a lot of work to do.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_77cx8eva5\">\u2022 I love how the Saints keep playing for Darren Rizzi, and how Rizzi gambled on them in going for two when down 20\u201319 at the end there. As my colleague <a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_aoxits\" href=\"http:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/saints-should-make-darren-rizzi-full-time-head-coach\"><u>Conor Orr wrote Sunday<\/u><\/a>, New Orleans could do worse than just rolling with Rizzi next year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_cma7bzrxn\">\u2022 Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams may be old and playing out the string of a lost season, but it was fun to watch the chemistry those two have come back to life on Sunday in Jacksonville, as the Jets notched their fourth win of the year (and, incidentally, their first Sunday win in exactly three months).<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_4oo2en8hf\">\u2022 Joe Burrow has every right to be frustrated. He went through a lot over the past year, and got himself to a place where he\u2019s playing great ball. It\u2019s a loss for all of us that we won\u2019t get to see it continue into January, thanks to a Bengals defense that seemed to get old all at once.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/week-15-nfl-takeaways-sirianni-eagles-bumpy-week-bills-rebound\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Week 15 brought a ton of games with big stakes\u2014and what those games lacked in drama, they made up for statements made and lessons learned. As we\u2019ve been doing all &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137712\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137712\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}