The second weekend of September football is now behind us — and Philly area high school and college football schedules are in full swing.
Today’s football games are equipped with more safety precautions than ever before , many with an ambulance on standby at the stadium.
Fifty years ago — as the dry hot days of August and the noise of daytime nature were interrupted by the sound of preparation for a new football season, just as it is today — people were not widely concerned. But the truth is that in the 1980s and 1990s , CTE was not widely talked about, although the disease was first identified in boxers as far back as 1928.
CTE is both a (degenerative and progressive) brain disease that mostly affects those with a prior history of injuries to the head (especially affected in athletes.)
PHOTO: Concussion (Movie)/Facebook
Now that a new football season is upon us for high school, college, and professional sports , CTE is once again front and center. Six weeks ago — a twenty-seven-year-old man entered the premises that also encompass the National Football League Offices in Manhattan, New York — and engaged in a violent attack that ended with him accidentally exiting the elevator on the wrong floor and then subsequently ended the lives of four people around (Rubin Management Company) at 345 Park Ave. He left a subsequent note that explained that due to a high school football injury, he believed that CTE was caused.
This past summer , one of the greatest defensive backs ever to don the Kelly Green in Philadelphia was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Allen had a (thirteen-year) career, including nine seasons with the Eagles. He and Waters were part of Buddy Ryan’s Eagles’ secondary that didn’t protect against hard hits — it promoted them. On the podium , Eric Allen spoke extremely fondly of his days wearing green in Philadelphia—two Legendary Eagles Defenders — one now in Canton — And One Who Is Not.
Nearly twenty years ago , fellow defensive star and teammate Andre Waters ended his own life. He was found to have CTE in his brain upon autopsy. Five years after that — the man whom Waters had confronted in the scene in Concussion — (Dave Duerson) would end his own life in the year 2011.
While the likelihood is that the confrontation scene in the movie never actually happened , the effect of CTE on today’s NFL players is quite real. The additional safety precautions from helmets to healthcare professionals on youth and high school football sidelines today aren’t just recommended.
The 1-0 Philadelphia Eagles will face the 0-1 Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX at Arrowhead Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 4:25 EST. The Birds unfurled their Super Bowl banner pregame Week 1. The Chiefs will not be unfurling any banners before their home opener Week 2.
The Eagles have oddly faced the Chiefs each of the last four seasons:
The Eagles will be without TE Dallas Goedert and RB2 Will Shipley, but the the Chiefs have more damaging absences to overcome with WR1 Rashee Rice serving a suspension and WR2 Xavier Worthy out with a shoulder injury. You can find the full Eagles-Chiefs inactives here.
As we noted in our five things to watch, the Eagles will have many of the same matchup advantages in this game that they did in the Super Bowl. Both teams lost defensive starters this offseason, so we’ll see how they adjust.
The Chiefs opened as 1.5-point favorites, but the line has since moved in the Eagles’ favor. The Birds are now 1-point favorites. For the gambling enthusiasts, you can find my Week 2 picks here.
Feel free to discuss the game in the comments section below.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — First, it was Puka Nacua, securing a sloppy handoff and jetting 45 yards for a touchdown to open the Rams’ game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Then, it was Davante Adams, using a hesitation move to get free. As soon as the ball left quarterback Matthew Stafford’s hand, it was obvious. Adams loped into his first touchdown as a Ram, and after a quick three-and-out by the Titans offense, fans at Nissan Stadium began to file out.
They weren’t the finishing touches on the Rams’ 33-19 win — their widest margin of victory since Week 13 in 2023 — but it was a harbinger for the havoc the Rams’ receiving duo can wreak on the rest of the NFL.
Adams, the free-agent acquisition whom head coach Sean McVay pestered during his Japanese vacation to come to Los Angeles, finished with six catches on 13 targets for 106 yards. Nacua caught eight of his nine targets for 91 yards, plus that 45-yard carry.
All told, the duo finished with 242 of the Rams’ 439 yards of offense and 14 of Stafford’s 23 completions.
Despite the two-touchdown difference in final score, the Rams (2-0) actually trailed at halftime after a series of mistakes to end the second quarter.
Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward began to show off his ability to move around in the pocket, extending plays with his legs to allow receivers time to get open. At the Rams 9, he was able to keep a play going for over eight seconds, rolling to the right sideline before throwing across the field to fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor for a diving touchdown.
Stafford was picked off on the very next play, losing track of a corner lurking beneath Tutu Atwell. A defensive pass interference call on Cobie Durant and a couple of Tony Pollard runs and the Titans (0-2) added a field goal to take a 13-10 lead into the half.
The miscues continued in the third quarter. Adams took the Rams into the red zone with a diving, fingertip catch and a third-down conversion for 26 yards. But a miscommunication between center Coleman Shelton and right guard Kevin Dotson on third-and-goal led to pressure in Stafford’s face. The quarterback’s throw to Adams was off-target, and the Rams kicked a field goal.
Nacua led the Rams down the field for their next score with catches of 24 and 22 yards to move the Rams from their own 31 to the Tennessee 23. Two plays later, tight end Davis Allen dove for the pylon and, after review, was ruled to have scored a go-ahead touchdown.
With momentum back on the Rams side, outside linebacker Byron Young stripped the ball from Ward’s hands in the pocket and linebacker Nate Landman recovered at the Tennessee 21. Three plays later, and Stafford found Adams in the end zone, and the rout was on.
This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: NFL/YouTube
The Philadelphia Eagles will get an early test of their Super Bowl credentials when they go head-to-head with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
The Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40-22 to claim the NFL championship last season and will be eager to lay down a marker this time around.
Despite heading into the 2025 season as the reigning champions, the Eagles have spent the summer playing down their chances of going back-to-back.
Their reluctance to talk themselves up has had a knock-on effect elsewhere, with several NFL pundits overlooking them when discussing this season’s title race.
For example, in a recent interview with Betway Insider, former NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper predicted that the Minnesota Vikings would emerge victorious at the Super Bowl.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) computer model has also jumped on the bandwagon, predicting that the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills will contest the big game in February.
The FPI gives the Eagles a 9.5 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl, which seems surprisingly low given the manner of their success last term.
The Eagles have the opportunity to demonstrate why they should not be underestimated when they go head-to-head with the Chiefs again this weekend.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was made to look second-rate by the Eagles’ dominant defensive unit in the last Super Bowl, which allowed Jalen Hurts to strut his stuff during the game.
Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score to earn Super Bowl MVP honours. He threw for 221 yards as the Eagles cruised to an impressive victory.
While Sunday’s game will present a different challenge, given that it will be played in Kansas, the Eagles will fancy their chances of securing a positive result.
They triumphed 21-17 on their last visit to the Arrowhead Stadium in 2023. The Bills were the only other team to defeat the Chiefs on their own patch during that season.
Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni is expecting a tough battle and says both teams will try to learn from their recent matches when they face each other this weekend.
“We’ve played them every single year, so you’re constantly looking at those tapes and you have a plan of what you do when you play a team again, and you go through that process,” Sirianni said.
“From that, you can expect things they did successfully to come again in different forms, and you can expect things they may not have done successfully that they change a little bit.”
PHOTO: NFL/YouTube
The Eagles’ chances of victory in Kansas would be significantly boosted if they can find a way to become more effective with their running game.
Running back Saquon Barkley was shackled by the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s plan holding him to a season-low 2.3 yards rushing on 25 carries.
Barkley had similar troubles in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, recording just 3.3 yards per carry on 18 runs at Lincoln Financial Field.
When considering that he ran for more than 100 yards in 11 games last year and had an NFL-record seven touchdown runs of 60-plus yards, it is easy to see why the Eagles need Barkley to fire.
The Chiefs will be desperate to set the record straight against the Eagles, especially after failing to impress in their first game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
A 27-21 defeat in Brazil has put the Chiefs on the back foot, and they cannot afford a similar outcome against the Eagles, setting up what promises to be a thrilling clash.
This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Casey Murphy/Unsplash
Look, the Philadelphia Eagles are already pretty damn good at football. But here’s the thing — they could get even better by stealing some tricks from poker pros.
These card sharks have mastered skills that translate perfectly to the gridiron.
And honestly? The Eagles would be crazy not to pay attention.
Reading People Like a Book
Ever watch a poker pro in action? They’re basically human lie detectors. Poker players spend hours studying every twitch, every betting pattern, every tiny tell their opponents give away. It’s almost scary how good they get at it.
The Eagles already watch game film — every team does. But they could take this way further. Instead of just looking at what plays teams run, they should be studying the subtle stuff. Does the quarterback always tap his helmet before a blitz? Do linemen shift their weight differently on run plays versus pass plays?
It’s like when Daniel Negreanu calls out exactly what cards his opponent is holding. That level of observation doesn’t happen by accident.
Ice-Cold Discipline
PHOTO: Casey Murphy/Unsplash
Here’s where poker gets really interesting for football. Every single hand, poker pros are doing math. They’re calculating odds, managing their bankroll, deciding whether that bluff is worth the risk. And they do it all without showing emotion.
The Eagles need that same ruthless discipline. Sure, football’s an emotional game — passion matters. But the best decisions come from clear heads, not hot tempers.
Think about those crucial fourth-down calls. How many times have we seen teams (not naming names, but we all know) make terrible decisions because they got caught up in the moment?
A poker player would crunch the numbers first. What are the odds? What’s the downside? Can we afford this risk right now?
Rolling with the Punches
Poker players have this saying: “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” The game changes constantly — your pocket aces get cracked, someone goes all-in when you least expect it. The best players just… adapt.
Football’s the same way. Game plans are great until the other team does something you didn’t see coming. Remember when the Patriots started using that no-huddle offense against everyone? Teams that adapted quickly won games. Teams that didn’t get steamrolled.
The Eagles are actually pretty good at this already, but they could push it further. What if they practiced switching between completely different offensive schemes mid-drive? US poker pros don’t just have Plan B ready — they’ve got Plans C through Z mapped out too.
Bouncing Back from Bad Beats
Any poker player will tell you about bad beats — those brutal hands where you do everything right and still lose. Maybe your full house loses to a straight flush. Maybe someone hits a miracle card on the river.
The key? You can’t let it tilt you. You’ve got to shake it off and play the next hand like nothing happened.
Football’s full of these moments. Fumbles on the goal line. Pick-sixes on perfect throws. Missed field goals in the playoffs. The teams that win championships are the ones that don’t let those moments snowball.
The Eagles could learn from how poker pros build mental toughness. They use specific routines, breathing techniques, and even meditation. Whatever it takes to stay level-headed when everything’s falling apart.
Building Your Network
Here’s something most people don’t know about poker: the best players share information all the time. They’ll text each other about tough hands, discuss strategy, and even stake each other in big tournaments.
It sounds counterintuitive, but helping your competition actually makes everyone better. And when everyone’s better, the whole ecosystem grows.
The Eagles could tap into this mindset more. Yeah, they work with other teams in a transactional sense, but if they opened their minds to sharing insights, training methods, and mistakes, they could build a stronger knowledge base that would advance football for all.
James Brizuela is a contributing sports and entertainment writer located in Los Angeles. His focus is on Comics, Comic Book Movies, Video Games, NFL, and MMA. He has in-depth knowledge of the NFL as a whole, having been a fan for over 30 years, and covering the sports over the last six years. He also knows the ins and outs of the comics world, becoming an editor while covering everything DC and beyond on Comic Book Resources, Giant Freakin Robot, and Inside the Magic. James joined Newsweek in March 2024, having previously written NFL content for Sports Illustrated. He is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside. You can get in touch with James by emailing, j.brizuela@newsweek.com. You can find him at X @james_brizuela.
Quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle have already been ruled out of Week 2. The good news is that Purdy might return in Week 3 after reports that he is suffering from a version of turf toe.
Kittle is out for the next four games due to a hamstring injury. The other bit of good news is that receiver Jauan Jennings is expected to suit up. and reports indicated that he was on the field and preparing to do so against the New Orleans Saints.
While there is some good news regarding injuries on the team, the 49ers were just dealt some bad news regarding the status of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.
#49ers OT Trent Williams just finished testing his knee out and then a long conversation with OL coach Chris Foerster and members of the training/medical staff. He’s headed back to the locker room now.
According to 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner, Williams was out on the field and attempting to test out his knee. However, he had a long conversation with offensive line coach Chris Foerster, and went back into the locker room.
Though the 49ers have yet to release their inactives list just yet, signs point to Williams not being able to suit up.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to a game of the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 16, 2025 in Las… Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to a game of the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Williams is just another in the long list of offensive injuries the 49ers are being dealt with at the start of this season.
For Mac Jones, losing Williams will make things far more dangerous in terms of stopping the Saints’ pass rush. At least he will have the chance to dish the ball out to Jennings.
The 49ers were able to pick up a big win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, even with their mounting injuries. They look to do the same against the Saints in Week 2.
Jones will lead the offense, which still has Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, and Jennings. However, they will do so without Williams and Kittle.
For more on the 49ers and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
The NFL is a small world — a high school reunion with shoulder pads.
Guys are shuffled around the deck of 32 teams year in, year out. And all too often, they end up staring across the field at someone they used to game plan with.
That’s what’s happening this Sunday in New Orleans. Kyle Shanahan and his San Francisco 49ers will be in town, and on the other sideline, waiting for them, will be Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.
And Staley, who was an assistant with vague assignments for the Niners last season (he was certainly not the team’s shadow defensive coordinator), has a defense that’s an absolute nightmare for Shanahan’s wide-zone run game.
Yes, this game will be anything but Big Easy for San Francisco.
Staley’s defensive scheme was, ironically, popularized by Shanahan’s predecessor in Santa Clara, Chip Kelly. It’s called the Tite Front, and it’s a real nasty look to face if you’re a team whose entire identity is based on the wide zone run.
It’s a 4-0-4 front, which means you’ve got two big defensive linemen lined up in the “4i technique” — smack dab between the offensive guards and tackles in the B gap — and an even bigger nose guard staring the center eye-to-eye. It’s a front designed to gum up the works for a team that wants to stretch the field horizontally.
And that’s exactly what the 49ers want to do. Particularly with a backup quarterback at the helm, likely down the team’s top two pass catchers from 2024.
Kelly, the offensive mad scientist, cooked this scheme up back in his Oregon days. He made it to stop his own offense. Seriously. His run-pass-option scheme became so dominant, he had to invent a defense to counter all the teams that were ripping it off. It turns out that defense is just as good at making life miserable for the wide-zone mafia that dominates the league.
The basic idea is that those defensive ends at the 4i force the offensive tackles to occupy them. The whole thing creates a traffic jam that makes it near-impossible for offensive linemen (typically the guards and center) to do their two main jobs on zone runs: double-teaming along the line and then getting to the second level to block linebackers.
While most guys on defense these days want to get into the backfield as fast as possible, Staley preaches a different kind of gospel. His linemen are supposed to fill one gap off the snap and then, depending on where the ball carrier moves, fall into another. It’s called a “gap-and-a-half” defense, and when it works, it frees up the linebackers to clean house and stop the run before it even gets started. It also lets Staley keep two safeties deep in the pass game, but because those second-level blocks rarely arrive on time (if at all), they can crash down in the run game, too.
In short, the Tite Front allows defenses to receive all the benefits of stacking the box without actually doing so.
This is the kind of defense that once made Staley a hot commodity on the coaching market. Both Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan saw his work and decided they’d rather hire the guy than have to face him. McVay brought him to the Rams in 2020 after seeing his work with the Bears, where he helped devise a late-season defensive plan against McVay that later became the basis for the Patriots’ Super Bowl game plan. You know, the one that left the Rams with three points. As the Rams’ DC in 2020, Staley’s defense was the best in the NFL. That got him the head coaching job with the Chargers.
After three years with the Chargers, he came back to the Niners last season as an assistant. No one can quite tell you what he actually did for the team. For whatever reason, the Niners didn’t see fit to put him in charge of the defense either before or after last season. Perhaps it was the other coaches and the way they wanted to do things — the Niners run a very different defense.
So now, Staley’s with the Saints. And he’s inherited a roster that’s better suited for his defense and a head coach and front office that’s all-in on his plan to blow up the Shanahan offense, league-wide.
The first thing Staley did as Saints DC was trade for 330-pound nose guard Davon Godchaux, an absolute beast who is a nightmare to handle at the 0 technique. Thoughts and prayers to Niners center Jake Brendel this week.
Last week, the Saints held the Cardinals to just 80 yards on outside-zone runs, and most of that came on one play where two Saints defenders ran into each other, leading to a 52-yard scamper. You take that away, and the Cardinals’ running backs averaged 2.5 yards per carry.
Compare that to the Niners’ Week 1, when San Francisco, with Brock Purdy at quarterback, averaged just three yards on 21 outside-zone carries against a five-man front from the Seahawks.
What’s going to happen when Mac Jones — who defenses don’t ever have to consider as a runner — is running this show?
“It goes back to when Kyle’s dad was calling plays back in Denver,” Staley said this week. “They’re going to run their offense… It really forces the defense to declare itself.”
Unless Shanahan has some new tricks up his sleeve and the guys up front who can execute those tricks, that declaration isn’t a problem for the Saints. Their defense — built by a former Niners head coach and brought to the NFL by a former Niners’ defensive coordinator’s protégé, as well as Shanahan’s former assistant and now top rival — was built to stop Shanahan’s basics.
It’s a small world, this NFL.
And that could very well be a big problem for the 49ers on Sunday.
As the Dallas Cowboys prepared for their first play of the 2025 NFL season, quarterback Dak Prescott and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter came face-to-face. Carter ended up spitting on the jersey of Prescott, and was given a personal foul and ejected from the game.
There was video of Prescott spitting right before that, but it appeared to be him doing it just at the ground. After taking a look at the play, the NFL reportedly announced that Prescott would not be fined for his role in the play.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was not fined for spitting in the direction of Eagles DT Jalen Carter on opening night.
This isn’t a surprise as there was nothing on video that indicated that Prescott intentionally spit on Carter. The spitting incident from Week 1 is officially done, as the NFL also announced earlier in the week that Carter would not be suspended for the Eagles Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up prior to an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium on August 16, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up prior to an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium on August 16, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images/Getty Images
Despite not winning against the Eagles, Prescott played very well in Week 1. He threw for 188 yards, but had a couple huge drops from Ceedee Lamb that could have allowed him to have a much more productive game. The Eagles have one of the best defenses in the league, but Prescott avoided turning the ball over and didn’t take a sack.
The fact that he wasn’t fined wasn’t the only good news that Prescott got on Saturday. The Cowboys also announced that they were resigning guard Tyler Smith to a four-year, $96 million contract that makes him the highest paid guard in the league. Smith has quickly developed into one of the best offensive lineman in the NFL, and has proven to be a security blanket for Prescott.
The Cowboys will look to get their first win of the season as they host the New York Giants on Sunday. Dallas has dominated this series as of late, as the Cowboys have won the last eight games. Prescott has been terrific against the Giants during his career, as he has thrown for 3,915 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 15 games against his NFC East rival.
Not only has he put up big numbers against the Giants, but he has also went 13-2 in his career in this rivalry. For a team looking to avoid an 0-2 start on the season and in the NFC East, this could be just the perfect matchup for Prescott.
Kickoff between the two teams is for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be on Fox.
For more on the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
It’s hard to believe, but when the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs play Sunday in Kansas City, it’ll be the fifth time these teams have met in the past five seasons. That makes the Chiefs join NFC East rivals Dallas, Washington and New York as the only teams to play the Eagles at least once a year since the start of 2021.
The Eagles and Chiefs have only played 12 times dating back to 1972, which means almost half of all Eagles-Chiefs games in NFL history have taken place over the last four years.
On Sunday, temps are expected to be in the low 90s at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs went 10-0 last season including two postseason wins. The Chiefs haven’t lost at home since Dec. 25, 2023, a 20-14 loss to the AFC West Raiders. The Eagles went to Kansas City that year and escaped with a 21-17 win. (More on that later.)
Eagles-Chiefs have made for some classics lately, including two Super Bowl matchups in a three-year span, and Sunday’s game has all the makings of another.
Let’s take a trip down Eagles-Chiefs memory lane, shall we?
Super revenge
After losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, a 38-35 thriller that there’s no need to rehash, the Eagles exacted revenge in the biggest way possible.
They absolutely thrashed the Chiefs just about seven months ago in Super Bowl LIX, a 40-22 triumph that delivered the Eagles their second Lombardi Trophy.
The standout plays are countless – from rookie DB Cooper DeJean’s pick-six, to DeVonta Smith’s famous “dagger” touchdown, to any of the six sacks the Eagles defense picked up on Patrick Mahomes as they embarrassed the three-time Super Bowl champion.
The game, billed as a clash of elites, was lopsided from the start, as the Eagles took an early 10-0 lead and then started their ascent to a blowout when DeJean returned a Mahomes pick 38 yards for a touchdown. Eagles fans don’t seem to get tired of watching this:
At that point, Mahomes looked like a shot fighter, and even a very resilient Chiefs team that had come from behind in so many games that year just didn’t have any answers for Vic Fangio’s front-four rush.
Smith’s 34-yard TD catch in the third extended the lead to 34-0, and Jake Elliott’s 50-yard field goal in the fourth made it 40-6. The game was never in doubt for the Eagles, and the final score only looked somewhat close because Mahomes hit Xavier Worthy for a garbage-time 50-yard TD pass against Eagles backups, as the starters were on the sideline preparing to celebrate a title.
Road warriors
During the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs have gone through stretches where they’ve been almost unbeatable at Arrowhead.
In 2023, the Chiefs were 4-1 at home when Week 11 drew the Eagles on Monday night. At that point, the Eagles had lost four straight games to the Chiefs going back more than a decade – since a 2009 win a the Linc – and hadn’t won at Arrowhead since 2005.
And it sure looked like the Chiefs would once again get the best of the Eagles, who were down 17-7 in the third, but Jalen Hurts led a seven-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Hurts running in a 10-yard touchdown to cut the Kansas City lead to 17-14 with 4:05 left in the quarter.
Early in the fourth, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce fumbled after a 4-yard catch when he was hit by Bradley Toby. Nic Morrow recovered the loose ball, killing a Chiefs drive.
With 8:56 left in the game, the Eagles had the ball at their own 20-yard line. Hurts hit D’Andre Swift on the left side, which turned into a 20 yard-gain. The biggest play came on 3rd-and-5, when Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith for 13 yards, setting up a 41-yarder to Smith on the very next play down the 1-yard line, and that’s where the Eagles are unstoppable.
One play later, Hurts’ 1-yard TD run put the Eagles up 21-17. The Chiefs had the ball two more times in the fourth but never advanced past their own 49. Finally, the Eagles had their first win against the Chiefs since 2009.
The Eagles improved to 9-1, and at that time, nobody could foresee the 1-6 slide they’d encounter to end the year.
Kolb comes through
The 2009 season wasn’t a great one for the Eagles. They won 11 games but suffered a bunch of injuries toward the end of the year, especially on the offensive line. They ended up getting blown out by Dallas in the last week of the season and again in an NFC Wild Card game, the latter of which turned out to be Donovan McNabb’s final game as an Eagle.
The season started off with McNabb getting hurt in the season opener against the Panthers, and third-year backup Kevin Kolb entering the game to finish off a 38-10 win. McNabb would miss the next two games, putting Kolb in the driver’s seat to show if he could be the franchise future. Kolb and the Eagles lost a Week 2 game against New Orleans at the Linc before welcoming the Chiefs, who were off to an 0-2 start.
Kolb held the fort down in this Week 3 battle, tossing two TD passes and going 24-for-34 for 327 yards in the 34-14 win. His 64-yard deep strike to DeSean Jackson in the second quarter put the Eagles up 21-7, and his fourth-quarter TD pass to Brent Celek extended the lead to 34-7.
Eagles/Chiefs 2009: LeSean McCoy’s first career TD.
McNabb got hurt early in the 2009 season so Kevin Kolb had to step up and he played great but he got a lot of help. Rookie @CutonDime25 scored the first TD of the game and his career (yes he wore #29 as a rookie) followed by… pic.twitter.com/dp87xAD9OQ
The Green Bay Packers are 2-0 in the Micah Parsons era, and their fans are letting Jerry Jones know about it.
Less than two weeks before the season started, the Packers acquired Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys after failed contract negotiations.
The Packers have now won each of their first two games of the young NFL season, and they are quickly nearing the top of everyone’s list of Super Bowl contenders.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium.(Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
After defeating the Washington Commanders 27-18 on Thursday night, Parsons was interviewed by the Amazon Prime Video broadcast team, and Packers fans chanted “Thank you, Jerry,” which Parsons couldn’t help but enjoy.
Jones took notice and spoke about the chants in an appearance on ESPN New York radio Saturday.
“I smiled,” he admitted. “I heard a little of that in the first game when they played the Detroit Lions. But the bottom line is… when you trade one of the best players in the NFL, you’re gonna hear about it.
Micah Parsons #1 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after the Packers beat the Detroit Lions 27-13 at Lambeau Field on Sept. 7, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.(John Fisher/Getty Images)
Jones is not afraid to say he traded away a “rare” talent, but he reiterated that the return was one he could not turn down.
“Those four or five players, including the player we got, have a much better chance of helping us win a championship than one player,” Jones said.
The Cowboys owner also said that he “like[s] Micah” and had spent the entire first half of their final preseason game with his mother.
Jones said the trade was “just business, all the way.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones meets with outside linebacker Micah Parsons (11) prior to the NFC Wild Card playoff football game against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium. (Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports)
During the college football season each year, as long as you’re watching the games, we point out five players each week to keep an eye on who make logical sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the following year’s NFL Draft.
Anto Saka (4), EDGE, Northwestern (6’4, 255): (4) Oregon at Northwestern, 12:00 p.m.
Saka doesn’t yet have great stats (9 sacks in two seasons at Northwestern and none so far in 2025), but the following highlight reel shows his athletic traits. Speed and power:
This guy is already one of my favorite prospects in the 2026 draft. He’s likely to crush the Combine, so if he has any sort of impressive production at all in 2025 he has a chance to be a first-round pick.
Isaiah World (76), OT, Oregon (6’8, 318): (4) Oregon at Northwestern, 12:00 p.m.
One of the players tasked with blocking Saka is World, a transfer from Nevada.
World has great length at 6’8, and he also possesses quick feet, and has some moments as a finisher. A highlight reel, via Devin Jackson of the Inquirer (World is the LT):
World played RT and LT at Nevada, which makes him a swing tackle prospect short-term, and an eventual replacement for Lane Johnson long-term.
Kenyon Sadiq (18), TE, Oregon (6’3, 245): (4) Oregon at Northwestern, 12:00 p.m.
Sadiq an outstanding athlete who came in at No. 11 on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list this summer.
A junior from Idaho, Sadiq is a matchup nightmare for defenses. Last year, he took a big step forward, catching 24 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns; both TDs were in the Big Ten title game. The 6-3 Sadiq came to Oregon two years ago at 220 pounds but is now 255. He’s much leaner this season thanks to healthier eating, which he said has enabled him to go from 12-13 percent body fat to about 10. He vertical jumped 41.5 inches this summer, power cleaned 365 pounds and bench pressed 435.
Sadiq’s athleticism on the field is obvious, as shown on this TD against Penn State last season.
Sadiq will have to get more comfortable running the full NFL route tree, but the upside as a receiver is there, and as the Inquirer’s Devin Jackson shows below, he’s going to keep improving as a run blocker.
Lots to like from #Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq from an athleticism perspective as a receiver, but they moved him around a lot offensively. His performance against Illinois was a perfect example.
Got him in space on a screen and jet sweep, and he is a willing blocker in the run game. pic.twitter.com/8gUCdqrfWM
Oh hey, our first Georgia prospect of the season. (There will be more.)
Everette was a five-star recruit who played sparingly as a freshman on Georgia’s National Championship team. He got his first taste of being a starter in 2023, and started full-time in 2024. He enters 2025 as Georgia’s CB1. He has good length, and is thought of as a cerebral corner.
In 2024, starting full-time, Everette had 58 tackles, 3 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, and a sack. All three picks, his sack, and one of his forced fumbles last season came in two games against Texas (video via Aaron Leicht):
The knock against Everette is his quickness and change of direction in man coverage, not unlike another former Bulldog in Kelee Ringo. However, Everette is a more savvy player than Ringo, and thus has a better chance of working around his deficiencies.
When you see 6’6, 330-pound NT, you think space eating run stuffer, but Banks isn’t really that. He is more of a penetrating D-lineman who plays with good effort and has some legit juice as a pass rusher. In 2024, he had 21 tackles (7 for loss), 4.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles, which aren’t crazy stats, but look at how many pressures this guy gets:
The downside is that he’ll be a fifth-year senior this year and he is a bit of a late bloomer, not having done much in his first three collegiate seasons from 2021-2023. Banks is getting first-round love, but I think he’s more of a Day 2 guy, because of his age and his need to get better in the run game.
When the Eagles and Chiefs meet Sunday in Kansas City, they won’t be the exact same squads that met in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans about seven months earlier, a memorable night for the Eagles as they pounded the two-time reigning champions by a 40-22 score that wasn’t even that close.
The Eagles are trying to rebuild a top-ranked defense that lost about half its starters in the offseason to free agency or trades. The Chiefs are trying to repair the left side of an offensive line so decimated by injuries come playoffs that coach Andy Reid had moved his All Pro left guard to left tackle and filled the left guard spot with a third-stringer.
Amazingly, the Chiefs still made it to the Super Bowl despite their offensive line issues, but the short-armed Joe Thuney was no match for the length of Eagles EDGEs Josh Sweat, Jalyx Hunt and the team’s other pass rushers who teed off on Patrick Mahomes.
Pressures like this were common throughout the game:
And like this..
The Chiefs remade their o-line this offseason, trading Thuney to the Bears and moving 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia to guard after the former BYU lineman struggled as a rookie and couldn’t get on the field past Week 1. They also used a first-round pick on Ohio State OT Josh Simmons, who was a big-time recruit out of California and one of the most athletic linemen in his class. Simmons suffered a knee injury in October and missed the rest of the season, including Ohio State’s run to a national title.
Simmons won the starting LT job and lined up alongside Suamataia last Friday when the Chiefs opened their season in Sao Paolo against the Chargers, a game they’d lose 27-21.
How improved are the Chiefs on the left side compared to February? It’s a complicated answer. At very least, they have a left tackle who’s actually a left tackle. At left guard, though, Suamataia is nowhere near Thuney’s level.
The film from Week 1 showed that both young linemen have some progress to make, and the Eagles are probably happy they get to face them earlier in the season.
The Chiefs showed some communication breakdowns – especially against some stunts and line games, which the Eagles do occasionally – and some technique breakdowns for both linemen.
Pressure on Mahomes came early for the Chargers – like the first third-down sceanario, a 3rd-and-6 that saw Simmons driven back into the pocket, forcing Mahomes to throw off his back foot with a lot of traffic in his face.
Both Simmons and Suamataia were driven back to collapse the pocket, making Mahomes release quickly and off the mark at the first-down marker.
Here’s a schemed pressure with the Chargers overloaded on the left side of the line.
The Chargers executed a T/E stunt and delayed LB blitz but the real pressure simply came from the DT getting inside Suamataia and then riding him back into Mahomes, who was hit while he threw incomplete.
Side note: This is also the play where Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy and TE Travis Kelce collided on a mesh concept leading to Worthy’s exit from the game with a dislocated shoulder. He’s listed as doubtful to play Sunday.
Here’s a pressure from just a three-man rush – a three-man rush!
Simmons gets beat badly off the snap by the edge rusher, forcing Mahomes to step up and then scramble to his left. Naturally, the LB who looked like a blitzer but was actually a dropper and spy saw Mahomes the whole way and was able to outflank Mahomes to make the QB stop dead in his tracks and try to reverse course before getting sacked.
Every so often, the Chiefs like to go under center and run play-action bootlegs, getting Mahomes out of the pocket, where he’s a sensei with his ability to hurt defenses with a pass or run. There were two instances where the under-center play action did nothing to help Mahomes avoid pressure from the left side.
Here’s one:
Simmons badly missed his punch on the EDGE defender, who beat him with a hand swipe and then went into QB pursuit mode. Sure, Mahomes picked up the first down, but he took a major knock at the end of the run.
The Eagles don’t have Sweat anymore but Jalyx Hunt and Josh Uche took turns last week lining up over Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton while Jordan Davis lined up over LG Tyler Smith and had one of the best games of his career, although his best rushes came against Cowboys C Cooper Beebe.
Andy Reid is notorious for not helping out his offensive tackles so he can make the most of his five outlets on every pass play. We’ll see if he makes any adjustments Sunday afternoon or if the Eagles once again dominate the left side of KC’s offensive line.
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After starting their season with a 20-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last weekend, the New Orleans Saints face a difficult matchup this Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers are expected to be without starting quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, but they still have some weapons remaining on offense, and their defense is no picnic to deal with either.
New Orleans defensive end Chase Young has been ruled out for Sunday due to a calf issue, and offensive guard Trevor Penning also won’t play because of a toe injury, per ESPN.
“New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young (calf) and guard Trevor Penning (toe) have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers,” wrote Katherine Terrell.
“This is the second missed game for both players. Young was injured in practice last week and is week-to-week according to Saints coach Kellen Moore. Penning was injured during the first preseason game.”
Young was signed by the Saints in free agency during the 2024 offseason. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after playing three years of college football at Ohio State University. As a junior with the Buckeyes, he won a slew of individual awards, including the Big Ten Most Valuable Player, and put up 16.5 sacks.
Some feel he hasn’t lived up to his potential in the pros, even though he was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020. But he has been a very solid player, and he contributed 5.5 sacks and three passes defended last year.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 23: Chase Young #99 of the New Orleans Saints warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 23, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin…. GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 23: Chase Young #99 of the New Orleans Saints warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 23, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
The Saints took Penning with the No. 19 pick in the 2022 draft out of the University of Northern Iowa. He hasn’t missed a game since his rookie year, when he was limited to six contests due to a torn ligament in his foot.
Things won’t get any easier for New Orleans after it hosts the Niners this weekend. It will hit the road for games against the new-look Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 and Week 4, respectively, before it returns home to host the New York Giants on Oct. 5.
Photo: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
It has been long forgotten, what with the 10 million news events between now and then, but do you remember what Donald Trump’s closing message was the night before Election Day 2016? It was not about Hillary Clinton, or Billy Bush, or whatever madness was going on at the time that seems downright pedestrian now. Donald Trump’s closing-night message in 2016 as he spoke in New Hampshire was: Bill Belichick wants me to win.
In the evening’s closing remarks, Trump simply took an email he claimed Belichick had sent him and read it aloud:
Congratulations on a tremendous campaign. You have dealt with an unbelievable slanted and negative media, and have come out beautifully – beautifully. You’ve proved to be the ultimate competitor and fighter. Your leadership is amazing. I have always had tremendous respect for you, but the toughness and perseverance you have displayed over the past year is remarkable. Hopefully tomorrow’s election results will give the opportunity to make America great again. Best wishes for great results tomorrow. Bill.
The presumption at the time was that Trump had simply made it all up. Not only did the email match Trump’s tone almost exactly, but it wasn’t like Belichick to weigh in on politics — or much of anything.The Patriots coach was notoriously focused solely on football and well known for his grouchiness if you dared bring up anything else. When it turned out that, yep, Belichick had really sent that email, people were shocked, not least of all Patriots players, some of whom said they felt “betrayed.” “When the letter came out, I felt kind of like we got kind of bamboozled,” Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty would later say. “Bill always said things like, ‘We don’t have to be in the media talking about these different things.’ I had some opinions I might have wanted to share, but out of respect to the team, I didn’t.” It just didn’t seem like something Belichick would ever do.
Nine years later, it’s considerably less surprising, and not just because Belichick is so open in his support for Trump these days that he did a podcast with him on the eve of the last Election Day. In 2016, Belichick was on top of the world, clear of the Deflategate scandal and about to win his fifth Super Bowl, the most of any coach in NFL history. (He’d win one more two years later.) Now? Belichick is not just gone from the NFL entirely, he’s the laughingstock of college football, a man whose North Carolina team got destroyed on national television in his debut (with Michael Jordan in attendance, averting his eyes) and who is perhaps better known at this point for his influencer (and lobster lobbyist) girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, who is 49 years his junior. It’s no longer the least bit surprising that Belichick is an avid Trump supporter. An old white man with delusions of grandeur who’s mucking everything up at his job and has a predilection for much younger women? How is he not in the Cabinet?
Belichick Schadenfreude has been a long time coming; even before he stuck his nose into politics, he was perhaps the most hated man in football. That he is struggling at a level below the NFL is one of the more delicious aspects of this pile-on. It’s particularly sweet because he and his team were so confident they would show up and just start wrecking the sport, with Michael Lombardi, North Carolina’s general manager and one of Belichick’s longtime consiglieres, saying he thought of the Tar Heels as “the 33rd [NFL] team.”
Why isn’t Belichick coaching one of the actual 32? It’s because no one in the NFL wanted him after he left the Patriots. Belichick interviewed for several jobs last year and was universally rejected, in large part because he demanded too much control. (Not to mention his record as Patriots coach got a lot worse once Tom Brady wasn’t his quarterback.) “Most team owners are loath to grant a single person as much power as Belichick wielded in New England, even with his career results,” wrote Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham, and Jeremy Fowler in ESPN last year. “Owners now value collaboration and cooperation among football operations, the coaching staff and other team executives. Most reject the fear and leverage that fueled New England’s dynasty. This time around, what made Bill Belichick great limited his options.”
That left college football. And for that the sport has become professionalized in an age of NIL and unlimited transfers and free-agent quarterbacks — it’s turning into Minor League NFL — one fundamental thing about college football has not changed: The coaches are the stars. They have all the power, they have all the control, they are the kings of all that they survey. Belichick had gotten very used to that power in New England, and it’s difficult to say he hadn’t earned it, with the six Super Bowl rings and all. But again, when his teams began to struggle after Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay (and ultimately retired), leading to the Patriots split, he looked around and saw the league had shifted around him — and away from him. The power in the NFL, like with every professional sports league now, is with the front offices. Bill Parcells, Belichick’s mentor and rival, strove to be both general manager and coach of his teams, saying, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries”: He wanted to coach the team and pick the players. But no NFL team works like this anymore. There was no team that would allow Belichick to do it.
But that’s what college football is: one single head coach in charge of everything. (It’s why you see more close-ups of Georgia coach Kirby Smart during a televised game than you do most of his players.) Now, there are signs that college football, as it becomes more professionalized, may evolve as the years go along, but Belichick is 73 years old: He won’t have to worry about that. (That’s more of an issue for Jordon Hudson, I guess.) He’s in charge now. What Belichick wanted — more than money, even more than winning — was power.
It’s far too early to judge Belichick’s college career a failure. He’s only two games in, for crying out loud. Maybe he’ll be able to wield his newfound control as successfully in Chapel Hill as he did in Foxboro, and maybe he won’t. But that’s why he’s there.
It makes his affinity with Trump even more logical. Belichick, one suspects, is a Trump supporter first because he agrees with his politics, whatever Trump’s politics even are anymore. But what aligns him most with the President temperamentally has always been their shared sense that they — and only they — should be in charge of everything. That kind of megalomania, unfortunately for Belichick, just isn’t an option anymore. Unfortunately, it still is for his friend in Washington.
The Green Bay Packers had yet another commanding win to begin the new season, taking down the Washington Commanders, 27-18, to start 2-0 on the year.
The Packers defeated the Detroit Lions in Week 1 at home, and Lambeau Field’s first night game of the campaign had a sold-out crowd loving what they saw from Matt LaFleur’s squad on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, after looking great in their season opener against the New York Giants, the Commanders’ offense was flustered against a Packers defense that shined in Week 1.
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders in the second quarter at Lambeau Field on Sept. 11, 2025.(Jeff Hanisch/Imagn Images)
After looking great in their season opener against the New York Giants, the Commanders’ offense was flustered against a Packers defense that shined in Week 1 against the Lions.
Keeping Jayden Daniels in the pocket, the second-year quarterback was forced to throw the ball, but the Packers’ secondary was blanketing receivers in coverage and making it hard to get anything going.
The Commanders were forced to punt on their first three possessions, but Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense were able to go 96 yards on their second drive to find seven points with a Romeo Doubs quick slant for the score. Tucker Kraft, the game’s leader in receiving yards with 124 on just six catches, had a massive 57-yard reception to quickly flip the field into Washington territory during the drive.
Green Bay would find the end zone once more in the first half, courtesy of another 90-plus-yard drive. Malik Heath’s insane toe-tap grab on the sideline, which was reversed after video replay review, was a massive 37-yard swing for the Packers during the drive. Josh Jacobs kept his touchdown streak going with now 10 straight regular-season games he’s found colored paint on a two-yard run to make it 14-0.
Meanwhile, Matt Gay got the Commanders on the board with a 51-yard field goal in the second quarter, but he was unable to convert from 58 yards before the half was over. And when the second half started, Gay couldn’t turn a solid Commanders drive into three more points, banging the ball off the right goal post.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) scores a touchdown against Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil (0) in the first quarter at Lambeau Field on Sept. 11, 2025.(Jeff Hanisch/Imagn Images)
But while the Commanders struggled with their offense, their defense was keeping the Packers at bay entering the fourth quarter with a 17-3 ballgame in favor of Green Bay. Daniels saw the opportunity with only 15 minutes left to play, and orchestrated a 50-yard touchdown drive where his trusty tight end Zach Ertz fought his way in with a 20-yard catch-and-run score to make it a 17-10 game.
Now, the pressure was on Green Bay to get back to scoring, and Love was up for the task. The Packers went 65 yards, and Love used his own tight end, finding Kraft for the easy touchdown.
With the two-touchdown deficit, the Commanders were in desperation mode. Daniels was able to get his offense into the end zone, with Deebo Samuel getting his second touchdown of the season. But even with the two-point conversion to make it 27-18, the clock wasn’t the Commanders’ friend in the end.
Looking at the box score, Love was 19-of-31 for 292 yards with two more touchdown passes to his early-season resume, while Jacobs had 84 rushing yards on 23 carries and his score.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes against the Washington Commanders in the first quarter at Lambeau Field on Sept. 11, 2025.(Jeff Hanisch/Imagn Images)
For the Commanders, Daniels was 24-for-41 for 200 yards and two touchdowns, while being held to just 17 yards on seven carries. As a team, Washington rushed for just 51 total yards compared to Green Bay’s 137.
Washington Commanders star running back Austin Ekeler appeared to have suffered a scary non-contact injury.
Late into the fourth quarter, Ekeler was shown trying to take a cut on the field when he went down. He looked to be in immediate pain, and the training staff attended to him immediately.
Ekeler had to be helped off the field, and he looked to be in considerable discomfort as he was placed on the sideline benches.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 14: Austin Ekeler #30 of the Washington Commanders lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 14, 2024 in… PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 14: Austin Ekeler #30 of the Washington Commanders lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 14, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The hope would be that Ekeler did not suffer the type of injury that would knock him out for longer than a game or two. However, he has already received an unfortunate prediction from a sports doctor.
Dr. Evan Jeffries showcased a slow-motion capture of the incident where Ekeler was hurt, and he indicates that the Commander’s back may have suffered a torn Achilles.
This is just speculation, and there is no confirmation of that. However, Ekeler appeared to be in considerable pain, and having to be carted off the field is never a good thing.
Ekeler missing time would be tough for the Commanders to deal with. He picked up 26 yards on the ground in Week 1, but was aiming to be one of the biggest contributors on offense in 2025.
In Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, Ekeler picked up 17 yards on eight carries. He also had two receptions for seven yards.
Now, Ekeler will undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury that he suffered. At first glance, things do not look good.
The Commanders already lost defender Deatrich Wise Jr. earlier in the game, as he also had to be carted off the field after suffering what appeared to be a leg injury. Hopefully, Wise and Ekeler did not suffer anything season-ending.
With the NFC East kicking the season off with two divisional matchups. There’s already two teams with a division win, and a division loss.
The 1-0 Eagles currently sit 2nd in the NFC East behind a 1-0 Commanders team about to kickoff for Week 2’s Thursday Night Game against a 1-0 Packers that mortgaged the next few years on Micah Parsons getting them over the hump and to the Super Bowl.
Regardless of tonight’s outcome. The Eagles will get a look at two teams they won’t play until the 2nd half of the season. Which could be deciding factors for the NFC East Title, and maybe. The NFC.
Will We Have A New Division Winner
There hasn’t been a repeat NFC East winner since 2004, when the Eagles owned the division from the 2001-2004 division. Able to win the division with records of 11-5, 12-4(twice) and 13-3.
Last season, the Eagles came out on top of the division with a 14-3 record. Beating out the Commanders who finished with a 12-5 record of their own.
The NFL projected that the Eagles will finish the season with 11.6 wins, and that the Commanders will regress back to 10.4 wins. Will 12 games be enough for either team to win the division this year? And where will that place them amongst the rest of the NFC contenders like the Packers, Rams & Lions?
A Question For Week 18.
As always, the NFL scheduled every Week 18 matchup to be a divisional game. Even though most teams have clinched a playoff spot or been eliminated from contention weeks prior, the NFL still wants these matchups to “matter.”
So a week 18 match between the Eagles and the Commanders could bring the division down to the wire. Especially ending the year with two games against Washington, and a snowy trip to Buffalo in between. Week 18 has the potential to be worth all the marbles… 16 1/2 weeks from now.
Star wide receiver Jayden Reed exited the game at the beginning of the first quarter after attempting to catch a touchdown pass.
Reed caught the pass but fell down on his arm with a ton of force. He appeared to be in pain immediately, and the training staff instantly came to check on him.
Jayden Reed #11 of the Green Bay Packers reacts during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Arena Corinthians on September 06, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Here are the top five fantasy players… Jayden Reed #11 of the Green Bay Packers reacts during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Arena Corinthians on September 06, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Here are the top five fantasy players to avoid in Week 2.
Following a few moments, Reed was able to get up and jog to the sideline, but he was favoring his right arm, which hung at his side. Once on the sideline, Reed remained in pain and jogged instantly to the locker room.
So far, the Packers have not yet updated the status of Reed, but the way he was hanging his arm was not a good sign. He has also been dealing with a foot injury, but was set on playing through said injury.
The Packers are already down two starters on the offensive line, as both Aaron Banks and Zach Tom are out. Banks is dealing with an ankle and groin injury, while Tom is dealing with an oblique ailment.
With Reed potentially out for the remainder of the game, the Packers would be down three big-time contributors on offense.
Green Bay needs more offensive playmaking help, as the team is already down Christian Watson. With Reed potentially out for the rest of the game, the team has Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks as the primary pass catchers.
Love and company will need to be on their A-game to ensure they take down the Commanders. Without Reed, that may be a lot harder to accomplish.
Long time division rivals clash in Vegas in Monday Night Football action
Los Angeles ChargersCredit: Los Angeles Chargers
In game 1, we saw the LA Chargers successfully fend off the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional thriller full of big plays and bigger upsets. This week, the divisional feuds continue as the Chargers head to Vegas to face a newly revitalized Raiders team.
It took a few years of navigating drafts and trades, but it appears that this year’s Las Vegas Raiders can pose a serious threat, unlike we’ve seen in recent years.
After a 14-year run with the Seattle Seahawks that includes a Super Bowl victory (Super Bowl XLVIII), future Hall of Fame coach Pete Carroll has made his way to the often-troubled Raiders, bringing with him a work ethic and maturity level that have been sorely missing in the team’s past.
Now in command, he oversees a promising team full of young studs, such as the eruptive tight end Brock Bowers, who is now considered the best player at the position, and the newly drafted running back Ashton Jeanty, who is viewed as one of the best RB prospects in years.
Along with Carroll also comes former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who finished top 5 in total passing yards last season. And to round out this offense on the WR end of things, we have Jakobi Meyers, a player who has flown under the radar quietly while accumulating a career-best season last year for not only surpassing 1,000 yards for his first time, but also catching 129 targets with a mind-blowing 0 drops.
Safe to say the Chargers cannot let their foot off the gas during their next meeting. But as we’ve seen in game 1, Herbert and the Chargers are also playing with a chip on their shoulder after numerous underwhelming years.
If the offense continues to click like it did against the Chiefs, Herbert will have not one, not two but three highly skilled receivers at his disposal in McConkey, Allen, and Johnston. We should also see a breakout game from the Chargers’ own rookie RB Omarion Hampton, who saw a solid amount of carries in game 1, though left much to be desired in terms of yardage gained.
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The key to victory is not resting entirely on the Chargers’ offense but more on the defense, specifically superstar safety Derwin James Jr., as he must apply as much pressure as he can to Geno Smith in hopes of preventing any type of production from Bowers and Meyers.
Could we see two fun shootouts in a row for the Chargers? There’s a high possibility. We’ll see how things play out on Monday night in Vegas, where the high-rollers take all the risk.
This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Casey Murphy/Unsplash
Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts begins his sixth professional season carrying a mix of admiration and debate.
He is a Super Bowl champion, a Super Bowl MVP, and the unquestioned leader of one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses.
Yet his place among the league’s elite quarterbacks remains a polarizing subject. Some insist his impact extends far beyond statistics, while others point to modest passing totals compared with his peers.
As the 2025 season approaches, the conversation is no longer about whether Hurts belongs in the upper tier; it is about how his distinctive style compares to the gaudier numbers and accolades of rivals like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Matthew Stafford.
Understanding Hurts requires viewing his production through a different lens, one shaped by team identity and situational dominance.
Hurts’ Style and Statistical Footprint
PHOTO: Casey Murphy/Unsplash
Hurts has yet to record a 4,000-yard passing season, but that limitation is deceptive. His 2022 campaign produced 3,701 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and another 760 yards rushing with 13 scores. Those numbers positioned him as a dual-threat whose efficiency mattered more than sheer volume.
In 2023, he logged 3,858 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, complemented by 15 rushing scores. The kind of production reflects how Philadelphia leans on him near the goal line.
Entering 2025, Hurts has compiled two Pro Bowl selections, a second-team All-Pro, and a championship resume. His success is often measured less by box scores and more by game control, especially late in contests when the Eagles close leads with his legs. For bettors and analysts alike, monitoring Jalen Hurts prop bets provides insight into how sportsbooks weigh his hybrid role.
Mahomes: The Benchmark of Modern Quarterbacking
Any comparison of elite quarterbacks begins with Patrick Mahomes. Since assuming the starting role in 2018, Mahomes has posted seasons of 5,097 and 5,250 passing yards, alongside a staggering 50-touchdown campaign.
His career includes three Super Bowl victories, multiple MVPs, and six Pro Bowl appearances. The Chiefs’ seven-year run of success makes him the undisputed standard, one regularly featured across NFL prop insights.
When measured against Mahomes, Hurts appears conservative in yardage and passing output. Yet Hurts owns a head-to-head playoff win against Kansas City, an achievement few can claim.
The distinction highlights a central tension: Mahomes dazzles with sustained statistical dominance, while Hurts wins through adaptability and balance. Both approaches have achieved victories in the NFL, but one appeals to highlight reels, the other to clock management and situational mastery.
Allen’s Power and Playoff Frustrations
Josh Allen represents another contrasting model. His 2020 and 2021 seasons produced 4,544 and 4,407 passing yards, respectively, along with 36-plus touchdown campaigns. Add in nearly 800 rushing yards in 2021, and Allen epitomizes raw physical capability.
His first MVP in 2024 validated years of near misses, but Buffalo has yet to clear its playoff hurdles. Here, Hurts stands taller: Philadelphia captured a championship during his run, while Buffalo continues searching.
Allen’s highs outpace Hurts statistically, yet his turnovers, 23 in 2019, 27 in 2022, underscore risks tied to his aggressive style. Hurts, by comparison, turns the ball over less often despite heavy rushing usage. The comparison suggests Hurts may not match Allen’s ceiling in raw production, but he offers steadier efficiency in critical moments.
Jackson’s Unique Dominance
Lamar Jackson reshaped Baltimore’s offense when he became the starter, producing an electrifying 1,206 rushing yards in 2019 alongside 36 passing touchdowns. His two MVPs by 2024 signal recognition of this unique style, but postseason frustrations mirror Buffalo’s.
Jackson has four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro nods, yet no Super Bowl appearance. Hurts, by contrast, already owns the ring Jackson chases.
Statistically, Jackson’s rushing totals exceed Hurts with 1,005 yards in 2020 versus Hurts’ 784 in 2021. That said, Hurts’ blend of efficiency and postseason success provides a counterweight. Each has transformed expectations for quarterback mobility, but Hurts’ Super Bowl triumph grants him a credential that changes legacy conversations.
Burrow’s Precision and Resilience
Joe Burrow embodies pocket precision. His 2021 and 2022 seasons included 4,611 and 4,475 passing yards, while his 2024 campaign reached 4,918 yards with 43 touchdowns. Injuries, however, have disrupted his trajectory, limiting his ability to sustain momentum.
Burrow’s Bengals reached a Super Bowl but fell short, leaving his resume defined by potential rather than hardware. Hurts, in contrast, combines slightly lower statistical output with a healthier run of postseason availability.
Where Burrow commands admiration for accuracy and composure, Hurts earns credit for durability and adaptability in varied game scripts. The two often intersect in conversations about leadership: Burrow’s calm precision versus Hurts’ quiet command. Both inspire teammates, but only Hurts has parlayed that influence into a championship so far.
Herbert and Stafford: Statistical Brilliance and Longevity
Justin Herbert burst onto the scene with 4,336 passing yards as a rookie and later eclipsed 5,000 in 2021. Yet his Chargers remain playoff underachievers, undone by collapses such as blowing a 27-point lead.
His statistics, including multiple 30-touchdown campaigns, present an intriguing counter to Hurts’ balanced approach. But Herbert lacks postseason validation, leaving Hurts with a stronger legacy despite smaller yardage totals.
Matthew Stafford, meanwhile, represents longevity. He exceeded 5,000 passing yards in 2011 and captured a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2021, but his career has been uneven, marked by injuries and losing records. Compared to Stafford, Hurts already matches the championship milestone but adds rushing dynamism that Stafford never possessed.
Why Hurts’ Value Defies Conventional Metrics
The debate over Hurts’ ranking often turns to numbers he may never achieve. Philadelphia’s offense prioritizes time of possession, rushing efficiency, and situational execution over gaudy passing stats. That approach ensures Hurts’ success will always appear muted beside Mahomes’ fireworks or Allen’s arm strength.
Yet context matters: Hurts has led his team to 14 wins in 2022 and captured the ultimate prize in 2024. He enters 2025 as the NFL’s 11th-highest-paid quarterback, a paradox given his accomplishments.
The value he brings lies not in eclipsing 5,000 yards but in embodying a system designed to win when it matters most.
For Philadelphia, and perhaps for the league’s evolving understanding of quarterback play, Hurts may represent the future standard: efficiency, leadership, and adaptability over spectacle.
