Week 17 kicked off with the Browns steamrolling the Jets and a full slate awaits this weekend! Check in with The Athletic for all the latest NFL news, game previews, injury updates and analysis.
After spending the bulk of his Wednesday meeting with reporters explaining the benching of Russell Wilson as a win-now move, Broncos coach Sean Payton revealed another motivation behind making Jarrett Stidham the team’s new starting quarterback.
“To get a true evaluation and to see what he can do, he needs to play,” Payton said.
In other words, the Broncos have already begun the work of examining their 2024 options at quarterback, a topic that will dominate the offseason. Payton believes Stidham can be one of those options for many reasons, some of which he delved into Wednesday.
“He’s someone who has really good poise,” the coach said. “He has really good feet. You see his arm strength and decision-making.”
Another key component that could work in Stidham’s favor? He’ll come cheap.
The Las Vegas Raiders’ season hung in the balance. If they let this one slip away, their hopes of sneaking into the playoffs would be finished.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell hadn’t completed a pass since the first quarter, and he wasn’t about to attempt one now. The offense faced a second-and-4 with 2:35 remaining in the fourth quarter and a 20-14 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs in hand. A run was the obvious call, but it would come with left tackle Kolton Miller and running back Josh Jacobs watching from the sideline.
Kansas City had one timeout and the two-minute warning left to stop the clock, so the Raiders needed another first down to secure the must-have win. With everything on the line, the Raiders had little choice but to dial up a play for a second-year player who was making just his second career start.
“I done been there before,” running back Zamir White said Thursday. “I’m used to the pressure.”
White had never been in such a high-leverage situation in the NFL, but he had been in plenty on his way to helping Georgia win the 2022 national championship
The play made no sense. Ten days after Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields put on a show against the Washington Commanders thanks in part to moving pockets, there he was, sitting in the pocket with a blitzer running unimpeded at him.
Minnesota Vikings defensive end D.J. Wonnum crushed Fields for a 7-yard sack to begin Week 6.
We found out later that the idea was for Fields to get the ball out quickly, which is the best way to beat the free blitzer on that play. Why one of his reads was fullback Khari Blasingame, we don’t know, but it’s a play that seemed representative of an offense that hasn’t always seemed to fit the skill set of its quarterback.
That play has been Exhibit A in the growing case against offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who has drawn more criticism from the fan base than anyone at Halas Hall.
He’s been the proverbial bogeyman, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.
If the Bears are going to make changes to an offense that hasn’t progressed the way they’d like, the coordinator would be part of that conversation.
The blame game in the city has been familiar. Is it Fields’ fault or Getsy’s? Mitch Trubisky’s or Matt Nagy’s? Jay Cutler’s or the variety of offensive coordinators he had?
Russell Wilson had the engagement ring from the Denver Broncos, but Sean Payton wasn’t the one who put it on his finger. Now the engagement is off, and Wilson’s time in Denver is nearly over.
Wilson is prepared to be cut from the Broncos before March 17, 2024, when his $37 million salary for 2025 would become guaranteed. Still, he’ll walk out with a lot of money, almost $120 million for the past two years.
Payton stays with all the power, but this was never a one-or-the-other situation. It was Payton’s team from the day he was hired this year. The Broncos hired him understanding he does things one way. His way.
He was hired to be the one to evaluate the quarterback and figure out how to completely overhaul an organization that had no identity and lacked direction. In order for this to happen, Broncos ownership had to allow Payton this season to assess and evaluate his quarterback no matter the monetary commitment. These are conversations that happened during the hiring process, not in Week 17.
Tough decisions had to be made, and tough conversations were had in Denver. Ownership allowed the football people, Payton and general manager George Paton, to make the call, and they did.
The Commanders’ final injury report is a boon for hopes that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy bounces back from a four-interception start.
Washington ruled out five players for Sunday’s home game including three starters in the secondary. The absence of cornerbacks Kendall Fuller (knee) and Benjamin St-Juste (concussion), and safety Percy Butler (wrist) will only make the challenge of one of the league’s worst defenses facing San Francisco more frightening.
“Well, it’ll be a little bit makeshift,” head coach Ron Rivera said of the defensive back rotation. Safety Kamren Curl is the lone steady piece available for a group that labored throughout the season.
First-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes will start after limited reps in recent weeks amid a difficult rookie season. Deep reserve Tariq Castro-Fields will handle the opposite outside CB role with 2023 second-round pick in the slot. Special Teams performer Terrell Burgess is expected to join Curl at safety.
“So those would be our defensive backs,” Rivera said on Friday.
That statement frightens anyone hoping Washington somehow slows down a 49ers attack with weapons like Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. San Francisco was already posted to riddle a defense that allowed a relentless amount of explosive and broken plays this season.
Starting left tackle Charles Leno and center Tyler Larsen were also ruled out. Right tackle Andrew Wylie (elbow) could become the third starting OL unavailable. Rookie RB Chris Rodriguez, who scored two touchdowns in last week’s loss to the Jets, was placed on IR this week with an ankle injury.
Grover Stewart didn’t give up. The Indianapolis Colts’ nose tackle saw Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier take a pitch to the outside and sprint down the sideline untouched with nothing but the end zone in sight. There was no way Stewart, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 314 pounds, was going to chase down his 5-foot-11, 220-pound opponent, but he tried anyway, hustling toward the pylon to no avail.
That third-quarter play was the embodiment of the Colts’ lackluster performance in a 29-10 loss at Atlanta on Christmas Eve. The effort was there, Stewart insisted, but his team’s execution wasn’t up to par. Days later, Stewart, in his usually simplistic style, just shook his head while reflecting on the defeat.
