MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Drew Brees has 11 rib fractures but has seen improvement in lung function



Drew Brees had X-rays, CAT scans and saw doctors every other day this week. They confirmed eight rib fractures on his left side and three on the right, the Saints quarterback told Ed Werder of ESPN on Saturday night.

(Humans have 12 ribs on the right side and 12 on the left, in case you were wondering.)

Testing performed Monday revealed five rib fractures, though it was known he could have “even more.”

Brees told Werder, though, that doctors are encouraged by his progress, specifically improvement in lung function and the continued dissipation of his collapsed lung.

The Saints placed Brees on injured reserve Friday. That means he will miss at least the next three games. The 7-2 Saints play the Falcons, Broncos and the Falcons again in the next three games.

Brees told Werder he is hopeful he will be physically ready to play as soon as he’s eligible in Week 14 “and do so without further risk of re-injury.”

The Saints play the Eagles in Week 14.

New Orleans is expected to start Taysom Hill at quarterback Sunday, though Bucs coach Bruce Arians expects the Saints also to play Jameis Winston, who played for Arians last season.

The Saints went 5-0 without Brees last season as Teddy Bridgewater led them while Brees recovered from a thumb injury.

NBC

 

P.J. Walker to start at quarterback for Panthers



Despite reports that Teddy Bridgewater would be active for today’s game against the Lions, the Panthers are going with P.J. Walker as their starter.

Carolina decided at the last minute to go with Walker instead of Bridgewater, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It’s unclear what transpired at the last minute to make the Panthers go with Walker over Bridgewater. There were reports this morning that Bridgewater had seemed healthy enough in pregame warmups for the Panthers to play him.

Instead it will be Walker as the starter and Will Grier as the backup for the Panthers against the Lions.

NBC

 

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, has suffered a left leg injury during Sunday’s game at Washington.

Moving carefully and not putting weight on the left leg, Burrow was helped to a cart.


Burrow has been fearless throughout the season, taking plenty of hits and shrugging at them.

He also has performed incredibly well, becoming one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Whatever the injury, here’s hoping that it’s not serious, and that he’ll be back soon.

NBC

 

Joe Tweeted this... Ive heard nothing official on the injury.

 

Bummer. He's exciting to watch.

 

Initial reports coming in before testing is a torn ACL... bad news.

 

I will just say that Patrick Mahomes has out of this world talent. I still have to mute SNF because if I've got to hear Chris Collinsworth's nasally, monotone slobbering about him, I may have an aneurysm.

 

LOL dirk.........I wonder how Al Michaels deal with it .

Burrows is gone for year.......Too Bad.

But the Bengals are still in the hunt for Trevor Lawrence.....as long as the NY Jets can win a couple of games.

Can you imagine if Cinncy gets the # 1 Pick.

 

Doug Pederson: We have to get it fixed with Carson Wentz



It’s hard to think of a team that felt less like a division leader through 10 games than the 2020 Eagles, but the standings still show them with a slim advantage over the Cowboys, Giants and Washington Football Team.

Remaining there is going to take a major change in the team’s performance. It won’t be coming via a quarterback change.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said he wouldn’t bench Carson Wentz after Sunday’s 22-17 loss to the Browns and he reiterated that position during a Monday appearance on WIP. Wentz had another rough outing in Cleveland and Pederson said he has faith in backup Jalen Hurts, but the coach still believes that the best thing for his team is to stick with Wentz.

“At that position, this late in the season when that happens, sometimes people take that as we are looking into next year or preparing for next season and giving some of these young guys an opportunity to play,” Pederson said. “Jalen is preparing himself each week to play and that’s what a backup quarterback should do. My perspective is we have to get it fixed with Carson Wentz. That’s where my trust and faith lies, we can get it done. That’s where I am at. By no means am I saying that I don’t have trust or faith in Jalen. It’s a matter of getting the corrections done with Carson.”

Pederson probably won’t find many buyers for the notion that Wentz’s issues can be corrected on the fly, but there doesn’t appear to be any other approach on the table in Philadelphia.

NBC

 

Andy Reid on winning drive: 'I've got Pat Mahomes, you give me a minute and a half, and I'm pretty good'

The Las Vegas Raiders scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:43 left on the clock. Against Patrick Mahomes, they might as well have left an hour.

The Chiefs quarterback guided a seven-play, 75-yard TD drive in 1:15, culminating in a 22-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Travis Kelce, to give K.C. a 35-31 victory over the division-rival Raiders.

With the Raiders on the doorstep of taking the lead before the two-minute warning, coach Andy Reid was asked after the win whether he considered letting Vegas score to secure more time for the rebuttal. Reid rightly didn't feel like he needed to save any additional ticks on the clock.

"I've got Pat Mahomes, you give me a minute and a half, and I'm pretty good right there," he said, via the team's official transcript. "There's a time and a place for (allowing an opponent to score). That wasn't the situation. I hoped we had plenty of time. If we didn't have enough time, I'd be sitting here telling you something different. But we had enough time to get rolling."

The Chiefs' last drive of the game was the easiest. Mahomes sliced through the Raiders defense like a carving knife through a moist turkey. On the drive, Mahomes went 6-of-7 passing for 75 yards and the score.

The signal-caller was asked what he thought after the Raiders nailed the touchdown to retake the lead.

"That we're going to score," he replied. "I just didn't know if it was going to be overtime or we were going to win it."


Win it he did, and with plenty of time to spare.

It was Mahomes' seventh career game-winning drive (including playoffs). Mahomes leads all QBs with six wins since 2018 when his team allowed at least 30 points in a game.

"I take him over everybody, and I'm lucky to have him," Reid said. "As we are as a football team and as we are as a city. I know we're all proud of him and the way he goes about his business. When you're behind, he can make things happen. He sees, he's got great vision. He's got guys, who believe in him, around him and work like crazy to get themselves open. Again, this is just a good football team. Like I said, I'm proud of the way they handled this. This could've easily went the other way and it didn't. And it's because they bear down."

NFL.com

 

Pretty devastating injury for Burrows.

ACL, MCL, and other structural damage.

Hopefully the young man can recover well. He’s a good one.

 

Bengals wouldn’t draft Lawrence even if they get the #1 pick again. What they likely would do is turn that pick into many with someone who needs a new QB. It’s possible, although unlikely IMO, that we see another Hershall Walker or Ricky Williams-type trade depending how valuable teams believe he is. The next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning would be worth it, but odds are much better he falls short of that

 

This just lends more to the argument that you NEED to get your young QB help as soon as possible, in this league. If Burrow ends up falling short of his ceiling, we're all going to look back to this moment and ask why they put a potentially generational star behind THAT OL...

 

It’s a paradox though.

Teams that are bad enough to draft #1 typically lack talent. Teams with really good offensive lines tend to win more games.

Do you build up your line first and get a QB second? Typically you take your biggest need as soon as you can.

Drafting well consistently is the real key...regardless of where you’re picking.

 

You have to get a Good QB when you can, in the case of the Browns that seems to be never, but generally teams don’t get their pick of QBs unless picking number one overall or they pay a kings ransom, something bears fans know about, and the worst thing that could happen is you do what is necessary and then wind up with a lemon, something bears and browns fans both know about. But if you don’t have a QB you aren’t winning any post season games pretty much. So my point is get the QB then worry about surrounding him with what he needs to succeed.

 

Burrow's ability wasn't translating to wins anyway so they'll have the same outlook. I think the Jags or the Jets will get the pick. Still Cincy could get three.

 

In a normal season you put him out there to sell tickets but this year there is no reason to throw him out there. I suppose you put him out theremso it doesnt look like your tanking to your team. To be honest i pull burrow aside tell him to opt out for covid and then roll with what ever qb i can.

 

I agree with both points here. I remember when the Bills drafted OJ Simpson. That team had nothing! Now this was back in the day when a good RB was everything. They spent the next couple of years building that front line. Never won a SB but whey were a force to be reckoned with.

 

They knew who they were drafting prior to free agency. They had more than enough cap room to improve that O-line.

That being said not sure enough blame for the pressure Burrow was facing was given to Burrow himself. Young QBs tend to process more slowly and hold the football.

 

Going into sunday they already had the same number of wins as last year with the Texans & NFC Least x 3 to come in the final 7 games. They were also leading when he went down. Sure you're not being a bit harsh here?