MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (left shoulder) unlikely to play Sunday vs. Vikings

The Jacksonville Jaguars have encountered another bump in their difficult 2024 road.

Trevor Lawrence (left shoulder) is considered unlikely to play Sunday versus the Vikings, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources.

Lawrence, who has been receiving treatment on the injured shoulder according to Rapoport, was limited in practice on Wednesday. Head coach Doug Pederson was noncommittal when discussing his quarterback's status when speaking with reporters ahead of the team's first practice of the week.

Rapoport added that while surgery is not scheduled for Lawrence, several options remain possible for the Jaguars' franchise quarterback.

Lawrence has had an up-and-down 2024 season, struggling through early portions of the campaign before producing a few quality performances over the last five weeks. At 2-7, the Jaguars are facing a steep climb back into contention, which only becomes more treacherous should they be forced to play without Lawrence.

Jacksonville signed veteran backup C.J. Beathard on Wednesday in an apparent effort to add depth in the event Lawrence cannot play. Former Patriots first-round pick Mac Jones is would be the next man up on the QB depth chart.

NFL.com

 

Jared Goff’s 74.9 percent completion rate has him on NFL record pace

No quarterback in NFL history has ever completed three-quarters of his passes in a season. But Lions quarterback Jared Goff just might do it this year.

Goff’s completion percentage is at 74.9 percent this season. If he completes his first pass on Sunday night against the Texans, he’ll be at exactly 75.0 percent for 2024.

The NFL record for completion percentage in a season belongs to Drew Brees, who completed 74.44 percent of his passes with the 2018 Saints. Brees also has the second-best completion percentage in NFL history, at 74.34 percent in 2019, and the third-best at 72.01 percent in 2017. No one in NFL history has come close to what Brees was doing late in his career.

At least, no one until Goff this year. Over his last six games, Goff has completed 82.8 percent of his passes. No one else in NFL history has ever completed more than 80 percent of his passes over any six-game stretch. It’s been a remarkable run for Goff this season, and his accuracy is one of the reasons the Lions are the best team in the NFL right now.

PFT/Smith

 

UPDATE ON DAK...

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Dak Prescott has “obviously a serious injury.” The quarterback is seeking other opinions after the initial diagnosis reportedly was a partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon, which is the tendon partially tearing off the bone.

“He’s still going through the process,” McCarthy said Thursday, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “I visited with him again this morning on it. He’s still collecting information, different opinions, and that will continue through next week. But he’s here every day.”

 

Sounds painful

 

Officially out 4 games (IR)

 

That’s 15 million wasted dollars.

 

After seeking other opinions, according to multiple reports, Dak Prescott is more than likely opting for season ending surgery to repair his hamstring. He has one more specialist to see Monday, but signs are pointing to him being done for 2024.

 

Bears not changing QBs: Caleb Williams 'our starter,' coach says

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he is still in the process of deciding changes to help the team's struggling offense but confirmed that rookie Caleb Williams will remain the starting quarterback.

"Caleb is our starter," Eberflus said.

Besides the quarterback position, however, "everything is on the table," Eberflus said.

Following the Bears' third straight loss, a 19-3 defeat to the New England Patriots, Eberflus said that any changes made are "ultimately my decision."

"There will be changes, adjustments, being made," Eberflus said. "I'm not going to disclose those right now. I'm not at that point in the process. Monday is a long day in terms of the evaluation of everything, in terms of lineups, in terms of the coaching, in terms of how we need to do better in that coaching and in that communication in-game, during the game, after the game, prior to the game. It's important that we take time to make those decisions and make the right decisions that's for the Bears, best for the Bears going forward this week and going forward into the future."

Immediately after Sunday's loss, Eberflus acknowledged that one of the changes he's considering could be switching the team's offensive playcaller, the role that currently belongs to offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Eberflus declined to say whether Waldron would remain on staff this week but noted that potential changes would need to be expedited.

"It's got to be fairly quick," Eberflus said. "I just think that right now, to come out here less than 24 hours and make all those changes or changes that you want to make and state. When I have those answers, I'll get them to you. I'm just not at that point right now."

When asked specifically what changes Eberflus is considering, the Bears coach specifically noted "in-game communication."

"In terms of that, it's got to be better," Eberflus said. "The adjustments, the tactical adjustments, need to be better with that on all sides. Everything's on the table. And it's important that we look at everything and we take the time to get that done."

Chicago's offensive struggles have been magnified in three straight losses to the Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals and Patriots. The Bears have scored 27 points coming off their Week 7 bye and rank at the bottom of the NFL in points scored (24th), yards per carry (28th), yards per pass (30th), total yards (30th), third downs (31st) and yards per play (31st).

ESPN

 

On Tuesday, the Bears dumped offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. It reportedly was preceded by an effort from some players to make it happen.

Marc Silverman of Waddle & Silvy on ESPN 1000 posted this piece of insight on Twitter: “After talking to a few people with knowledge of the situation, players went to [coach] Matt Eberflus & [G.M.] Ryan Poles asking them to make a change at offensive coordinator.”

The number of players who lobbied for change wasn’t specified but, if it happened, it apparently was enough to help make something happen.

In September, tight end Marcedes Lewis told Jay Glazer of Fox that multiple players went to Waldron directly, asking for him to coach them more aggressively.

Silverman’s tweet had one more wrinkle: “There have also been a few veteran players requesting [Tyson] Bagent starts.”

PFT
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Now that is nuts... tells me there is dissension within this Bears team and organization if some vets want Williams benched. We'll see what happens under the new OC.

 

Its official... Dak is out for the remainder of the season. Having hammy surgery.

 

Raiders sticking with Gardner Minshew at starting quarterback

As they come off their Week 10 bye, the Raiders won’t be switching their starting quarterback.

Head coach Antonio Pierce said in his Wednesday press conference that Minshew will remain the team’s starter for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.

“Listen, when we brought in Gardner, we expected, obviously, the play that we’ve seen in the past. And at some point, you’ve got to give a guy confidence,” Pierce said. “There’s been times, obviously, with turnovers and other things that’s taken place where we made decisions to either put him on the bench or go to another quarterback.

“But this week, I felt like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to move forward. And he has every opportunity to go out there and give us a win.”

Minshew has thrown for 1,501 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games this season, also losing four fumbles. Minshew was benched for QB Aidan O’Connell, but the second-year QB then suffered a thumb fracture that landed him on injured reserve.

 

Trevor Lawrence will not play vs the Lions this week. I dont think it matters one way or the other who they start anymore, especially a road game in Detroit.

 

Colts bench Joe Flacco, turn back to Anthony Richardson at QB

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two games after a sudden quarterback change, the Indianapolis Colts have done an about-face and will return to Anthony Richardson as the starter for Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

Coach Shane Steichen said the coaching staff implored Richardson to take a greater command of his off-the-field preparation and attention to detail and, "over the last two weeks, he's made strides in those areas, big-time strides in becoming a pro's pro."

That, Steichen said, prompted the decision to go back to Richardson, who had started just 10 games before being benched after Week 7. He missed the past two starts, losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.

"He's going to start this week," Steichen said. "He will start the rest of the season. And we will go from there."

ESPN

 

Daniel Jones demoted to 3rd-string QB as Giants turn to Tommy DeVito

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants have benched Daniel Jones and named Tommy DeVito as their new starting quarterback.

Giants coach Brian Daboll announced Monday that the struggling Jones will be New York's third-string quarterback going forward, behind DeVito and Drew Lock, who will remain in the backup role.

Jones' benching starts the process of the last-place Giants (2-8) moving on from the quarterback they signed to a four-year, $160 million deal less than two years ago.

Daboll spoke with his quarterbacks Monday morning and informed them of his decision. Admittedly, it was not an easy conversation, especially telling Jones his season and Giants career effectively are over.

"I got a lot of respect for Daniel, I've said that before," Daboll said. "Those conversations will remain private. Certainly you're not going to be happy about [being benched] as a competitor, and I respect that."

ESPN

 

Anthony Richardson leads Colts past Jets in return to starting role

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The sharp suit Anthony Richardson donned for his arrival at MetLife Stadium on Sunday suggested he meant business.

But when the Indianapolis Colts quarterback engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives -- including the game winner with 46 seconds remaining -- to beat the New York Jets and simultaneously justify his reinstatement as the team's starter, Richardson left no doubt he'd come here with a purpose.

Richardson, the No. 4 draft pick in 2023, had perhaps the best day of his young career while leading the Colts to a 28-27 win that kept their postseason hopes alive and reversed a concerning downward trend on offense -- not to mention ended a three-game losing streak.

The past two games, during which Richardson was benched and served as a backup to veteran Joe Flacco, were a wake-up call for the young player.

"It kind of just let me relax a little bit," Richardson said. "It just allowed me to take a step back and just clean up some things that I had to clean up. And that was really my focus, making sure when I did get the opportunity again, making sure I was at the best of my ability and I was doing the right thing for the team."

Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen said last week he wanted to see Richardson be more focused on the details involved in game preparation.

Richardson's coach and teammates said they had seen a renewed level of concentration from him ahead of Sunday's game, his 11th pro start. He'd been arriving to work earlier in the morning, spending more time meeting with assistant coaches, and taking more ownership of the game plan, they said.

"He was putting in the work," Steichen said. "He was ready to roll today."

Results followed. Richardson completed 20 of 30 attempts for a career-high 272 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing). He was especially brilliant in the fourth quarter, completing 8 of 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.

Richardson and the Colts drove 70 yards on eight plays in a possession capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Richardson to receiver Josh Downs with 10:11 remaining. A failed 2-point conversion left the Colts still down 24-22.

The Indianapolis defense gave up a field goal on the ensuing drive, with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets chewing up 7:30 of clock in the process and extending their lead to 27-22.

That's when Richardson's moment arrived. The Colts took the ball with 2:41 remaining and, two plays later, Richardson produced the Colts' biggest play of the day. Receiver Alec Pierce found a gap in the Jets' zone coverage, and Richardson hit him with a perfectly placed hole shot for 39 yards. Richardson found Downs for 17 yards on the next play, and the Colts were at the Jets' 10-yard line, poised to win the game.

On third-and-goal from the 4, Steichen didn't overthink it: He put the ball in his massive quarterback's hands, with the 6-foot-4, 244-pound Richardson executing a power run off the left side and finding the end zone.

The score touched off a wild celebration on the Colts' sideline.

"Emotions were at an all-time high," Richardson said. "I was so geeked up that we scored."

"I definitely just appreciate them for trusting me and just believing in me throughout the whole process, regardless of what was going on," Richardson said.

ESPN
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Thats a real good feel-good story.

 

Here's a fun stat on Anthony Richardson.

His completion percentage of 48.5 is easily dead last in the NFL... in fact its the worst percentage since Tim Tebow in 2011 (46.5)

But wait, there's more...

Richardson is averaging 15.6 yards per completion this season, more than two full yards ahead of No. 2 Lamar Jackson, who is averaging 13.4 yards per completion. The last quarterback who threw at least 150 passes and finished a season with a better yards per completion average than Richardson’s this year was Chris Chandler with the 1998 Falcons.

So now you know!

 

Sean Payton on Bo Nix: I’ve been real impressed with how quickly he’s adapted to this league

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix turned in his best performance of the season on Sunday, piloting Denver to a 38-6 victory over Atlanta.

Head coach Sean Payton said in his Monday press conference that the team is excited about the way Nix has grown and developed week after week, which is part of why Payton has been able to expand the plays he has in for each game.

“I think repetition is where it begins,” Payton said. “The more and more you rep a certain play or a certain scheme, the more and more you get comfortable with it. You kind of know where all the answers are relative to — Bo said something that was real sharp yesterday. We send in a play for a certain defense, and you get another defense. The better plays have an answer versus more of the defenses. As he gets comfortable with where those answers are, then you can expand on it. The same thing the other way around. In other words, there’s certain plays we’re going to have up each week that we’re going to window dress.

“I just think it’s a gradual [process]. I can’t look at one game and say, ‘That was the game.’ It’s a gradual process of confidence both in what he’s comfortable with and then confidence in what the others around him can do with it. It’s kind of something that is ongoing. Honestly, I don’t think that ever really — there’s no conclusion to it. You’re always tinkering. You’re always looking for new ways to get a third-down conversion, but I’ve been real impressed with the speed at which he’s been able to adapt to this league.”

Nix completed 28-of-33 passes for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday. He’s thrown just one pick in his last five games and only two dating back to Week 3.

In those last nine contests, Nix has completed 67 percent of his passes or 1,891 yards with 14 touchdowns and two picks.
Payton said Nix’s performance has helped instill a belief that the Broncos can compete to win every week.

“I think it’s pretty powerful and he’s why — just having experienced it for a long stretch with another player in [Drew] Brees — you always believe you’re in each game,” Payton said. “You always believe — even if you fall behind — you’re in each game. The opposite can be very difficult. I think that player who’s touching the ball on every offensive play, it definitely can lead to a direction — both mentally as well as on the field — lead to a direction [of] how a team thinks.”

But even as Nix has led Denver to a 6-5 record through 11 games, Payton isn’t trying to crown the young quarterback.

“Let’s not send this kid to Canton quite yet,” Payton said. “We’re sitting here in the middle of the season. He’s playing well. I’m excited. The film showed that he’s playing well. The film showed a few things though that I wanted to scream at him about. We’ll keep correcting those things.

“I like the way he prepares. I love the way he comes to work. I love his enthusiasm. I think it’s naturally contagious. I think he’s a winner. It’s interesting because you guys real time are seeing it just like we are. I’m real encouraged by that.”

per; PFT

 

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix played the best game of his young career on Sunday and now he’s been recognized for it.

The NFL named Nix AFC offensive player of the week on Wednesday.

Nix finished Sunday’s 38-6 victory over Atlanta 28-of-33 for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions — good for a 145.0 passer rating. He was sacked only once in the contest.

Through 11 stars, Nix has now completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 2,275 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions, helping the Broncos to a 6-5 record. The club is currently the AFC’s No. 7 seed.

While Nix was the NFL’s offensive rookie of the month for October, it’s the quarterback’s first player of the week award.

He is the first Broncos rookie quarterback to ever win AFC offensive player of the week.

PFT

 

Ive been kind of enjoying the 'drama' going down in New York with Woody Johnson's implosion process of the Jets, especially since it's grown to involve Rodgers.

First Saleh got axed after week 5's loss to the Vikings and then 1 week later they traded for, Davante Adams. The Jets were 2-4 at that trade and went 1-4 after the trade, so then we see, Joe Douglas get axed, Joe had a wonderful record of 30-64 as GM.

Now here's the kicker that is the most enjoyable to me. After the week 4 loss to the Broncos, Woody wanted Aaron Rodgers benched... he held a meeting with all sorts of Jets higher-ups and apparently was talked out of it, but just recently this has been made public, so the latest thing going on is how is Rodgers going to handle this news or respond to it. Speculation has one of a few things going. Rodgers, who gave up about $35M to get on board with the Jets could just say the hell with this and demand out, he could say, ok, bench me and start Tyrod Taylor, and he may choose not to play at all. Woody who wanted to bench Aaron has nobody in his way now so if Rodgers does get benched, I might split a gut laughing at all this. Its an ongoing soap opera at the moment and as far as soap's go, this might be the best ever, at least 'Days of our Lives' type stuff, cant hold a candle to this.