I hope you got to watch some football on Thanksgiving, because those games were too much fun. Here’s hoping Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and others gave you small-talk fodder for those that needed it. Speaking of which, let’s get to those quarterbacks.
In these rankings, I’m focused on monitoring the fluctuations of a QB’s performance throughout the season. No one — not even Drake Maye — is safe at the top. No one — not even Max Brosmer — is stuck at the bottom. There is room for quick ascent — and rapid decline. One question holds most important: What have you done for your team lately?
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All I can say is that Smith can thank his lucky stars for Brock Bowers.
The star tight end is about the only thing that seems to be working for the Las Vegas Raiders offense. The removal of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly did not make things better. Here’s how Smith’s first five dropbacks went over the first three drives this past Sunday versus the Chargers:
- Incomplete
- Sack fumble (recovered by Smith)
- 27-yard pass (to Bowers)
- Sack
- Interception
Presumably, these have been scripted performs, by the way in which. So with every week of planning, this was what the passing offense seemed like. Yikes.
On the season, Smith shouldn’t be enjoying nicely, significantly within the conditions when his staff is definitely aggressive. Because the video games drag on, he seems to be higher in among the similar ways in which Blake Bortles seemed half-decent in 2015 when he racked up stats (4,428 passing yards, 35 TDs, 18 INTs) as groups blew out the Jaguars.
It’s laborious to make sense of whether or not Smith is toast or coach Pete Carroll is toast — or each. However you’ll be able to guess Smith received’t be the Raiders’ starter subsequent yr. And I don’t suspect he’ll win a beginning job wherever else, both.
Sanders is making a terrific case for Kevin Stefanski to land a greater job subsequent yr. However Sanders has not but made a terrific case for himself to land a greater job subsequent yr.
Sanders ought to get till the tip of the season to show himself and develop as a passer. And — opposite to deep-reddit, tinfoil-hat theories — Stefanski appears to be doing every thing he can to assist his QB with playcalling and design. It’s simply that, at occasions, Sanders isn’t serving to himself but. It’s clear {that a} huge a part of Sanders’ success is coming via the display sport. Take a look at his first landing cross final week, a 66-yarder to Dylan Sampson. Take a look at the 5 completely different display passes the Browns ran towards the 49ers.
Stefanski has turned the display sport into an offensive point of interest to fabricate effectivity in a passing offense that’s in any other case experiencing points — largely by the hands of Sanders, who hasn’t been an environment friendly passer on throws at or past the road of scrimmage.
It’s not simply that he’s not finishing throws. It’s additionally that he’s not trying them, which may have been receiver Jerry Jeudy’s beef when the 2 bought into what seemed to be an argument throughout Sunday’s sport.
Groups are going to leap these screens. They’re going to provide Sanders alternatives to go downfield. He must take them.
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Working it again hardly ever works within the NFL.
It appears the Ravens are affected by an absence of evolution. Maybe as a result of nearly nothing modified from a personnel standpoint, issues are falling aside round Lamar.
The offensive line that appeared questionable going into 2024 seemed strong that yr. However that very same line that seemed strong going into 2025 has turned questionable. Derrick Henry’s manufacturing seems to be good on paper, however the movie exhibits the slightest proof (however simply sufficient to be important) of Father Time. And whereas final yr’s movie seemed prefer it had some hidden manufacturing that the Ravens may eke out this yr, we’ve really seen the other occur — a regression from supporting solid members like Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Isaiah Possible.
So all of it comes again to Lamar, who’s making an attempt to do extra for his offense whereas preventing via accidents. The record is lengthy and important for a cellular QB: hamstring, toe, ankle, knee.
The expectation was that he’d return and do MVP issues, as a result of that’s what he’s at all times carried out. However he’s clearly by no means been this banged up. The Ravens may have withstood these accidents if their supporting solid rose to the event. Or they might have withstood the lackluster supporting solid with out Lamar’s accidents.
The one excellent news is that, as a lot as issues are going improper in Baltimore, they’ve gone a lot, a lot worse elsewhere of their division. So the Ravens may limp into the playoffs anyway.
Mahomes went into Josh Allen mode.
I do know that’s a bizarre sentence. As a result of we’re accustomed to Allen going into Mahomes mode. However I believe everyone knows what “Allen mode” seems to be like at this level, proper? There’s a degree of desperation blended with do-everything willingness blended with alien-level arm expertise. And most vital, there’s the ingredient of getting to hold the supporting solid — and to try throws that solely two quarterbacks (Allen and Mahomes) would dare try.
Regardless of an unimaginable sport from Mahomes, he misplaced. The irony is that Mahomes is enjoying at such a excessive degree that he needs to be having fun with himself. His movie is chock-full of unimaginable throws. And Mahomes has not too long ago complained about how the latest common seasons have been such a grind that they’re not as enjoyable. However he was successful then. And now, with all this electrical play, he’s dropping.
And … I’m wondering: Is that this even much less enjoyable?
The Panthers won’t be a constant staff from week to week, however when they’re enjoying nicely, they will beat anyone. So a win over the Panthers is a high quality win. However in fact, the Rams misplaced.
Does that make it a high quality loss? In some methods, sure.
In the case of bookmakers’ odds, Stafford’s MVP marketing campaign slipped, as a result of he threw two interceptions and misplaced a fumble — contributing to the Rams’ defeat. I’d really argue this efficiency ought to assist his MVP candidacy, partly as a result of it confirmed that possibly the Rams aren’t fairly as full as we thought they have been. And Stafford is enjoying a a lot larger function in holding the staff collectively than we initially believed. MVP voters in all probability received’t view it that method. However I view it that method.
Finally, this was an outlier sport for Stafford, who has been the king of threat administration. He’s been within the league a very long time and won’t should do a lot to deal with the errors he made. The Rams are nonetheless the NFL’s finest staff. Now greater than ever, he’s on the heart of that.
You can see the respect that Prescott and coach Brian Schottenheimer had for the Chiefs protection. They dialed up a plan that had Prescott checking the ball all the way down to his receivers on bubble screens, usually to the left aspect, the place they used their athleticism to generate YAC. If it wasn’t that, then the Cowboys had Prescott rolling to throw to horizontal route-runners.
And even after doing that for mainly all the first half, the Chiefs made Dak work laborious for his throws over the center. He put the ball in hurt’s method at the least 4 occasions and was fortunate to solely see one interception. He solely tried one cross past the 20-yard line — a deep ball to CeeDee Lamb for 51 yards.
Hey, you do what you’ll be able to to beat the Chiefs. As a result of they’re going to do every thing they will to stump you. In opposition to KC, it’s an actual credit score to a QB who will be regular, significantly on third downs and significantly within the third quarter. That’s when DC Steve Spagnuolo turns into the Grim Reaper and Patrick Mahomes’ best lieutenant in comebacks. It’s Spags who generates the additional possessions for Mahomes to remain within the sport.
However that’s the place — credit score to Prescott — he confirmed up. There was one third-down conversion within the low pink zone that was significantly spectacular, with the Cowboys QB rolling proper and zipping the ball into a decent window.
The Chiefs are laborious to beat. They’re hardest to beat when their backs are towards the wall. That’s what Dak and Co. did.
Earlier than becoming a member of FOX Sports activities as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years overlaying the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Observe him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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