Welcome to the deep dive ow.

This is where we cut through all the noise surrounding the gridiron and deliver only the critical insights you need to be thoroughly well informed.

That's the goal.

We're deep diving into everything football this week.

From week eleven and beyond, we're talking the international stage.

It's a pretty serious quarterback crisis, and of course the monumental contract figures shaking the lead's entire financial foundation.

And it really is the perfect time for a deep dive like this.

The NFL season is hitting that organizational turning point.

It's a fascinating time.

What do you mean by organizational turning point?

Well, you're seeing this powerful blend of competitive urgency on the field.

Teams are desperately fighting for those playoff spots, and it's happening at the same time as these huge organizational decisions behind.

The scenes, right to sayings about coaching free agency.

Exactly, coaching stability, massive free agency implications, and franchises are having to figure out right now where they stand with the upcoming draft classes.

So our mission today is to connect these immediate, you know, on field results directly to that long term strategic outlook for these teams.

Okay, so let's start with maybe the biggest strategic play of all the global game.

I want to impact this major, truly historic international event.

The NFL is officially landing in Spain for the very first time.

A huge claim in the European market, it really is.

And we're looking ahead to the Washington Commanders facing the Miami Dolphins in Madrid in a game that honestly, it transcends their current three seven records.

It absolutely does.

This isn't just another game they've shipped overseas.

It's a profound statement about global expansion into a high value soccer mad market.

The matchup itself, you know, Commanders versus Dolphins is happening at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The home of Real Madrid.

I mean, that's just an iconic venue, it is.

And we really need to focus on the scale of the logistical undertaking here.

This is the NFL's debut in Spain and it wraps up a record setting seven international games for this twenty twenty five season.

But trying to a host an NFL game, I mean, with two full organizations, all their equipment inside a historic stadium like the Bernabey is while it's an organizational feat bordering on.

Heroic, absolutely, and I was reading that Real Madrid has been an incredible partner, but the stadium still had to undergo some pretty serious temporary.

Changes, oh massive changes, even with its recent multimillion dollar renovations.

The biggest issue, and its one people often overlook was the pitch dimensions and player safety.

Right.

An NFL field is a very specific.

Size, very specific.

The NFL requires a minimum field size of one hundred and nine point seven by forty eight point eight meters.

The Bernabey pitch is designed for soccer, which is one hundred and five by sixty eight meters.

So to make it work, they had to extend the field.

Length, which means what they just paved over some seats pretty much.

It necessitated removing several rows of the really expensive front row seating around the perimeter, all just to get the required depth for the end zones and crucially the safety margins for players running out of bounds.

That's a huge undertaking, and it was just the field right, the sheer human element the NFL traveling road show.

It demands an incredible amount of space.

Correct, The scale of an NFL travel party just dwarfs the soccer team.

It's not even close.

You're dealing with a fifty three man active.

Roster plus the practice squad guys.

Plus the practice squad, and then dozens upon dozens of staff, coaches, medical personnel.

You're looking at a group that can easily top one hundred and fifty people per team.

So the BERNABE had to expand its locker rooms into adjacent high end VIP zones just to accommodate that sheer size.

All to make sure they have proper space for equipment, for meetings, and I imagine most importantly player recovery in treatment.

That's non negotiable for these athletes.

And Commander's head coach Dan Quinn actually emphasized that point.

He said, the biggest challenge is just establishing a routine when you're used to practicing at home and just flying out.

Setting up those recovery and treatment areas in a completely foreign environment takes days to normalize, and that search for a routine can affect how you play.

And you have to assume this massive logistical headache is justified right the local excitement, it sounds like the demand proves the NFL made the right choice in picking Madrid, Oh.

The reaction was explosive.

Tickets for the eighty four thousand capacity stadium sold out on the very first day.

The most astonishing number I saw was that there were reportedly seven hundred thousand digital devices waiting in the queue.

Seven hundred thousand.

That's insane.

That's nearly ten times the stadium's capacity.

It shows a level of immediate, ravenous demand that few other markets could possibly match.

And that kind of initial demand is exactly why the NFL sees Spain as a foundational step.

But here's the deeper challenge for the league.

Right.

It's one thing to sell tickets once.

It's another to convert that initial demand into genuine, lasting, knowledgeable fandom, and that.

Means overcoming a pretty significant cultural and language hurdle.

Exactly, it's easy to sell a spectacle, but translating the complex lexa of American football into Spanish, a market that is so thoroughly accustomed to the fluid nature of soccer, that's a whole different beast.

It creates these fascinating challenges for the interpreters and the broadcasters.

I mean, think about it.

It's not just the no huddle offense, for which a term like reunion just sort of comes close, it doesn't quite capture it, no, But you also have concepts like the line of scrimmage or the sequence of downs.

These are completely foreign ideas in sports where play is continuous, So the interpreters they have to simplify.

They focus on translating the idea of the play, emphasizing the speed attack rapido rather than getting bogged down in the mechanics of the huddle itself.

So the goal isn't just to sell tickets, it's to generate real lasting fandom that's rooted in actually understanding the game.

That's what NFL internationals Jarrett Meyer said, And the benchmark for that really is London.

Right.

The London crowd started out as just a rainbow of jerseys, right, everyone wearing their favorite teams.

Gear, a total mix.

But now, after years of annual games, about eight percent under the crowd, where's the designated home team's colors.

That's the true sign of market maturity, of organic allegiance, and that's what the NFL is chasing in Spain.

In that organic growth, it's definitely helped by a powerful human narrative, which this specific matchup actually delivers.

Despite the team's poor records.

Yeah, we have to talk about the Polynesian quarterback story.

It's a great angle.

This game features two Polynesian qbs from the exact same high school in Honolulu, Saint Louis School, Tua Tagovlo of the Dolphins and Marcus Mariota of the Commanders.

And this is more than just a footnote.

It's a real cultural connection.

It's a wonderful generational story.

It highlights this successful pipeline from that one school in Hawaii.

Mariota, who's five years older than Tua, actually served as a mentor to him at camps when Tua was just a young kid.

I read that Tua said when other older guys were kind of pushing him away, Mariota would be the one to pull him aside and offer guidance, even.

Though Mariota was already one of the top quarterbacks in the country at the time.

It really he speaks volumes about the culture of mentorship within that Saint Louis School program.

And now here they are lining up against each other on the biggest international stage.

Mariota is starting this game because the Commander's starter, Jaden Daniels, is unfortunately out with a dislocated elbow.

This will be Mariota's fifth start.

Of the season, and that global visibility holds a profound meaning for them way beyond just the win loss column.

Tago Viloa called it a really cool opportunity for Polynesian kids all across the Pacific in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga to see two players from their community on this huge global platform.

It's inspiration, it's visibility for a population that has historically been underrepresented in sports mediaps.

Okay, so let's talk about the immedia stakes.

On the field for these two three seven teams.

Washington is reeling.

They're riding a five game losing streak, which has forced a massive coaching shakeup on the defensive side of the ball.

Yes, head coach Dan Quinn, who you know, He earned his reputation as the celebrated defensive coordinator for the Legion of Boom in Seattle.

He is now taking over defensive play calling duties.

Moving those duties away from the current coordinator, Joe wit Junior.

And I have to say there was a remarkable maturity in wit Junior's response, which suggests that the team dynamic at least publicly is still pretty strong despite the demotion.

According to Quinn, Wit Junior took it like a pro.

He said, I understood it, and I expected it.

It's about winning, That's what it's all about.

And look, the Commander's defense clearly needed a directional change.

Quinn himself openly acknowledged it, saying the defense just felt off and it lacked the discipline and intensity he demands.

And the numbers back that up completely.

Washington's defense has been severely struggling.

Oh, It's been bad, particularly against the pass.

They're allowing more passing yards per attempt eight point four than any other defense in the league.

They also ranked second highest in yards per play allowed at six point four.

I mean, those are statistically unsustainable numbers if you hope to salvage any part of your season.

And the problem isn't just the yardage, is the lack of discipline that results in these huge, backbreaking plays.

They're tied for the most completions of twenty plus yards allowed in the entire NFL with thirty six.

So Quinn is inheriting a unit that just consistently fails to communicate in the secondary and struggles with gap control in the run game.

Which is why they're giving up an average of one hundred and fifty one point eight rushing yards per game over this five game skid.

It's a total breakdown.

That lack of run defense discipline leads us directly to the massive key matchup for Washington this week, containing Dolphins running back.

De Von Ashane, who is electric.

He just put up one hundred and seventy four rushing yards last week in Miami's win over the Bills, showcasing that elite game breaking.

Speed, and Washington has already struggled mightily against versatile, explosive backs.

I mean, just look at the tape.

We saw the Lions Jamiir Gibbs rack up one hundred and seventy two total yards and three touchdowns against them.

He averaged nine point five yards per twenty And.

Then there was b John Robinson to the Falcons, who had one hundred and eighty one total yards against the Commanders, with one hundred and six of those coming as a receiver out of the backfield.

What those examples show you is that versatility is Washington's kryptonite this season.

They can't defend the run and they absolutely cannot cover backs out of the backfield, so Quinn taking over play calling will be immediately tested by trying to find an answer for h and who can beat them both between the tackles and on the perimeter.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Dolphins defense, which started really slow, is actually showing some signs of life and that's a key reason there three to seven and not you know, zero ten.

They needed those signs because that defense was highly criticized early on.

They allowed over one hundred and fifty rushing yards in four of their first five games.

But you're right, there's been a notable shift since week six.

What's changed, well, since Week six they have morphed into a genuinely elite rush defense.

And this turnaround is largely attributable to the accelerated growth of young players in their defensive rotation, specifically defensive tackles Kenneth Grant, who's only twenty two and Jordan Phillips, who is twenty one.

And you couple that with the arrival and impact of rookie linebacker Chop Robinson.

Also twenty two, and their veteran leaders like Zach Seeler and Minka Fitzpatrick have been instrumental in getting this young rotation in sync, the results are showing up on the field, and that gives them a big advantage against Washington's pretty inconsistent running game.

Before we move on from the international angle, Dan Quinn had a really interesting, almost strategic perspective on the future of these global games he did.

When he was asked if teams could potentially play abroad once a season, he actually considered it and responded with a thoughtful why not.

He noted that while these games come with huge logistical hurdles, the extended time the team spends together overseas forces connection and it build a chemistry that regular road trips just don't.

He said he personally liked the feeling of an extended.

Trip as long as the logistics, like their planned Monday night departure, are handled thoughtfully to prioritize rest and recovery.

It's a fascinating strategic view, suggesting that international travel could become a kind of mandated team building exercise rather than just a logistical dream.

Which is clearly tied to the NFL's desire to fulfill Commissioner Roger Goodell's ambition of expanding to sixteen international games per season.

I mean they're talking Melbourne, Rio, Paris.

The world is the goal.

All right, here's where we pivot to where the season is starting to come apart at the seams for some major franchises.

We're diving into the turmoil affecting the playoff picture and the existential pressures facing quarterbacks and coaches.

Let's start with that season defining collapse down in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars Week ten loss to the Texans, a thirty six to twenty nine defeat.

It was just brutal, not just because they lost to a division rival, but because of how they lost.

They were holding a nineteen point lead late in the third quarter and they completely imploded.

And what we need to analyze is the aftermath.

It showed a level of professional frustration from the quarterback.

Just the internal pressure there is reaching a critical point exactly.

Trevor Lawrence himself admitted the frustration.

He said, it's tough losing in general, but to lose that way, to control the game and let it go and give it away is tough.

That quote just highlights the immense pressure on him as the supposed franchise savior, and the.

Numbers highlight just how complete that implosion was.

After building all that momentum, the offense completely stalled, managing only one single first down in the entire fourth quarter.

One first down.

That level of stagnation is just unacceptable for a team with playoff aspirations.

That lapse in execution led to twenty six unanswered points by the Texans, who are led by their backup quarterback Davis Mills, which just makes the defeat even more embarrassing.

So Lawrence's final stat line thirteen of twenty three for one hundred and fifty eight yards, one touchdown, one pick, it really mirror the team's inability to finish.

The job it did.

And this loss has absolutely reignited the national criticism not just about Lawrence's consistency from week to week, but about his leadership and his decision making under fire, and that raises some serious concerns about his growth under head coach Liam Cohen's system.

And if that inconsistency continues, it shifts the dynamic entirely when they eventually try to negotiate his megadeal right, that pressure has to be bleeding into the lock room, affecting how players view his command of the offense.

It absolutely does when a highly paid quarterback or one who is expected to be highly paid fails to finish games consistently.

It breeds skepticism among teammates.

It gives the organization pause when it comes time to hand out that fifty plus million dollars per year contract.

The missing insight here is whether cohens system is fundamentally flawed or if Lawrence is simply buckling under the weight of expectation.

That question is defining their entire season.

Shifting up north, we have the ongoing quarterback dilemma in Green Bay with Jordan Love.

The Packers are showing some signs of defensive competence, but that offense remains scented.

The criticism of the Packers' offense following their narrow ten to seven loss to Philadelphia centered squarely on caution and philosophy.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovski.

He criticized the play calling as way too cautious, especially since the offense failed to produce any of those decisive, explosive plays you need to put a game away.

So it's less about Love's raw ability and more about the coaching philosophy being imposed by Matt Lafleur.

What's the long term risk of that approach?

The risk is profound.

The key consensus among analysts is that the coaching staff needs to empower Love to throw into tight windows and trust his arm to diversify the attack.

If Lafleur continues to coach Love to just be a game manager.

Someone who just minimizes mistakes and relies on short, easy throws.

Exactly, if that's the plan, he is fundamentally limiting the ceiling of the guy who is supposed to be their franchise quarterback.

You risk stagnation.

A franchise quarterback has to be capable of carrying the offense when the running game stalls or the defense gives up a big play.

If they don't give him that freedom, they may never know if Love is truly capable of being that guy.

And speaking of coaching decisions, my goodness, the absolute coaching drama in New York has reached a fever pitch.

The Giants fired Brian Dable after throwing away yet another lead in Week ten.

This is a monumental, franchise defining move.

Da bols firing is only the second mid season coaching firing the Giants have executed since nineteen seventy seven.

John Mara, the president and CEO is now facing immense pressure after overseeing four coaching firing since twenty fifteen, and.

The team's overall record since that twenty fifteen season is just abysmal fifty nine wins, one hundred and fourteen losses, one tie.

It ranks as the second worst in the entire NFL.

Narrowly better than only the Jets and the Browns.

I mean, the organization is just paralyzed by its own instability.

So the search for the next coach is underway, and it's full of fascinating, high stakes rumors.

The biggest name swirling around is, of course Bill Belichick, due to his deep ties to the.

Organization, right he was their defensive coordinator for their first two Super Bowl wins under Bill Parcells.

Now, Belichick public issued a statement saying he will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies and that he's committing his focus to UNC.

But there's always a butt.

There is always a butt.

Am lister A quick to point out that things are rarely that simple when a prestigious franchise comes calling.

A hard push from the Giants, especially if they guarantee him full personnel control, which he demands, could still lure him despite legitimate concerns about his age.

He'll be seventy four soon.

So the ownership has to weigh that risk of hiring a coach who demands absolute control and is approaching his mid seventies against the potential reward of bringing in a historically proven winner who could instantly fix that organizational paralysis.

They absolutely must, and the other candidates include established veterans like Mike McCarthy, who is a proven regular season winner, and then you have younger options like Seattle's offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak, who is noted for his innovative offenses, and Notre.

Dame coach Marcus Freeman, known for his recruiting and defensive intensity.

It's a massive decision for Mara and general manager Joe Schoin.

It's one that could define the next decade for a franchise that is just desperate to reclaim its former prestige.

And to add to the immediate headaches, there's the quarterback situation.

Rookie Jackson Dart who has been a real bright spot.

Since Week four, he's out with a concussion.

He was playing really well too, over fourteen hundred passing yards, ten touchdowns, and seven rushing touchdowns, I mean, a real testament to his dual threat ability.

So Janis Winston will start against Green Bay, a team fighting for a playoff spot, and Winston's presence brings a really distinct change in the locker room demeanor compared to the high intensity, often volatile style of Dable.

Players have noticed that, They've said, Mike Kafka, the interim coach, has a calming presence, and Winston brings a different skill set than dark how So well, Winston himself was praised by some observers as the best passer on that team, even when he was sitting on the bench.

He's poised, he's experienced, and he's capable of executing those deep throws that Dirt was less consistent with.

But he's going to be leading a team whose run defense is historically bad right now.

Allowing a league worst five point five yards per carry.

Which puts incredible treasure on the offense to score often.

Now let's pivot down to the Miami Dolphins, where the contract situation has created a kind of organizational paralysis, making their future trajectory almost impossible to navigate.

Yeah, the organizational breakdown in Miami appears to be deeply entrenched.

General manager Chris Greyer has already been held accountable for poor personnel decisions, and head coach Mike McDaniel is highly likely to be relieved of his duties at the end of the season.

Barring some kind of miracle.

A miraculous turnaround or a deep playoff run, neither of which it looks probable.

But the real anchor weighing them down is to a tago veloas contract which makes him essentially unmovable.

It's a massive obstacle to any kind of rebuild or reset.

It is to assign that four year, two hundred and twelve million dollar contract back in twenty twenty four, and it includes an watering fifty four million dollars guaranteed in twenty twenty six.

This huge guarantee, coupled with his persistent inconsistency and his long history of injuries, which include those bell rung episodes that raise serious long term health questions, it makes him nearly impossible.

To trade, even if the team decided he wasn't the long term answer.

No team wants to absorb that kind of guaranteed money for an injury prone, inconsistent player.

Exactly, and that lack of trade flexibility is compounded by the poor outlook on the horizon for drafting a replacement.

It's creating a perfect storm of immobility.

We'll get to that draft class later, but.

Yeah, analysts are already describing the twenty twenty six quarterback draft class as putrid and incredibly thin at the top.

So if Miami is stuck with Tua and his massive cap hit and the draft class offers no high end replacement talent, it severely limits their ability to bring in a legitimate, high end head coaching candidate who would demand a stable quarterback situation.

They are entering a strategic mind where they have high expectations but zero flexibility to meet them.

Okay, so let's shift the focus from current performance and collapse to the underlying economics of football.

This is where we talk about who is earning the premium contracts and why, and the incredible power of quarterback scarcity in a league that's obsessed with the.

Position, and that leads us straight to the what you call the one hundred million dollar quarterback resurgence starring Daniel Jones of the Colts.

That is a market reality that defies conventional expectations given his injury history and his previous tenure with the.

Giants, Jones, now striving in Indianapolis, is positioned for a massive free agency payday in twenty twenty six despite his history.

His recent performance leading the Colts to this unexpected eight to two meter record in a run heavy scheme has just skyrocketed his market profile.

And league insiders of projecting he could command a nine figure contract, something worth around one hundred million dollars over three or four years.

So why that number?

Specifically, what comparisons are driving this projection for Jones, a quarterback many people myself included, considered replaceable just last year.

The projection is driven by recent reclamation deals.

It's comparable to what Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold secure when they hit the market, deals designed to stabilize teams at the most critical position.

In Mayfield's contract was heavily scrutinized.

Yeah, Jones is currently performing better than Mayfield was before his extension.

He is, and the logic is crystal clear.

Teams prioritize quarterback stability over gambling on an unproven draft pick, especially in a weak QB class year, which as we just discussed with Miami amplifies Jones's leverage dramatically.

When the draft well runs dry, you pay for the established talent, even if it's merely C grade talent.

So the Colts who appear all in on making a long term offer to keep Jones are essentially paying the scarcity tax because they believe their windowed win is right now.

Exactly this negotiation will define their entire offseason.

They have to calculate not just Jones's value, but the cost of not having him if the alternative is starting over with a rookie from a lackluster class.

This is the definition of strategic necessity, outweighing perceived talent level.

But the quarterback isn't the only position commanding astronomical money.

We have to talk about the premium edge rusher market, which is being led by Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals.

Hendrickson is drawing early attention as the expected top non QB free agent for twenty twenty six.

His profile is just elite and highly consistent.

He posted seventeen point five sacks and sixty five pressures in twenty twenty four, and he's described as an immediate upgrade for any contending defense with deficient edge play.

Edg rushers really are the defensive equivalent of quarterbacks in terms of market value, aren't they?

They are because they disrupt the passing game with unmatched consistency.

So what kind of money are we talking about for a top tier rusher like this and what challenges does that present for Cincinnati?

Market projection suggest he could command north of thirty four million dollars per year on a multi year deal that will place him among the highest paid edge defenders in the league, comparable to Miles Garrett or Nick Bose.

The complicating factor, though, is his age.

He'll be thirty one at the start of the twenty twenty sixth season, and that.

Age profile might push teams towards shorter deals, maybe two years with heavy incentives rather than a full five year commitment with full guarantees.

That's the strategic decision for the Bengals.

It's a tough one.

They're trying to maintain a championship window while dealing with significant financial constraints.

They have three options.

Pay him the market rate, which hurts their ability to sign younger players, use the franchise tag, which is projected to cost roughly thirty six million dollars for one year, or they might even consider a sign and trade to recoup some draft capital.

But losing Hendrickson would create a clear defensive hole.

It would so they have to balance those long term cap implications against the immediate need to maintain their pass rush as a defensive cornerstone.

We saw several key moves happen around the trade deadline that show just how desperate teams are to acquire established, proven talent, even if it costs future picks.

Let's start with the Colts again.

We're clearly building around Jones with an immediate focus on winning.

The Colts made a huge splash by acquiring star cornerback Sauce Gardner, recognizing that elite cover corners are also a premium asset, and to get him they had to pay a steep price.

They packaged the disappointing Adernain Mitchell, a twenty twenty four second round pick who hadn't performed, with a pair of future first round selections.

That's a strategic move that highlights the team's willingness to sacrifice future depth for immediate defensive stability.

It's a clear mandate from ownership to win now.

And while we're on the Colts, wide receiver Alec Pierce is quietly setting himself up for his own massive payday thanks to his extreme efficiency in that offense.

Pierce is trending toward a lucrative second contract, potentially upward of twenty million dollars per year.

His efficiency has been elite, leveraging his speed and deep threadability.

He led the league with twenty two point three yards per catch in twenty twenty four, and he's at the top of the league again in twenty twenty five with twenty point nine.

He's on track for his first one thousand yard season, establishing a strong deep ball rapport with Daniel Jones, and.

The Colts will have to find a way to make the finances work to keep both Jones and Pierce long term, which may require restructuring some other contracts on the books.

Moving to the edge rushers again, the Chicago Bears were clearly aggressive at the deadline, even if they didn't get their top target.

The Bears are an up and coming team that was trying to speed up their rebuild and contend this season.

They reportedly tried unsuccessfully to trade for star defensive end Miles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, who flatly refused to part with him.

Garrett is non negotiable talent he is.

The Bears ultimately settled for acquiring Joe Tryon Schienka, but failing to land a player of Garrett's caliber really shows the gulf between their ambition and what established contenders are willing to sacrifice.

And finally, let's look at the Dallas Cowboys, who decided to bolster their struggling defense just before their Monday night game against the Raiders, showing that even contending teams have major holes.

The Cowboys defense was true abysmal before these moves, I mean, ranking thirty first in both points and yards allowed per game.

You just cannot compete for a championship with those numbers.

So they made two key acquisitions to plug these gaps, defensive tackle Quinn Williams from the Jets and linebacker Logan Wilson from the Bengals.

Williams is a disruptive force in the interior, so he should immediately help shore up their leaky run defense and command double teams.

Which frees up other pass rushers like Micah Parsons and Wilson will also help stabilize their run defense at that second level.

It was a clear sign of urgency from their front office.

All right, now we move into the weekly wrap up, focusing on major upcoming matchups and surprising individual performances that are defining the current narratives.

Let's start with a massive NFC West showdown, the Rams versus the Seahawks.

Both teams are seven too, writing significant momentum.

This is a battle for division supremacy that feels like an instant classic in the making.

Both the Rams and Seahawks are on four game win streaks and boast stellar statistics, ranking in the top five for both scoring offense and defense.

The Rams are averaging almost twenty eight points per game and allowing just seventeen.

Seattle is scoring over thirty and allowing nineteen.

I mean this appits two incredibly well rounded teams against each other.

It does, and the battle of the quarterbacks here is fascinating, especially considering Sam Donald's stunning efficiency for Seattle this year.

It's the reclamation story.

Of the year, it really is.

Donald has been hyper efficient.

He holds the best deep ball completion percentage in the entire NFL, converting a stunning seventy two point four percent on twenty nine attempts.

That is a career high efficiency, far surpassing his previous best of fifty six percent back in twenty twenty two.

But what really underscores his value is the advanced metric estimated points added or EPA.

For those less familiar with the specifics, what exactly is EPA and why is it so significant?

So?

EPA or estimated points added is a widely used metric that quantifies the value a player adds on every single play relative to league average expectation.

If a quarterback makes a play that significantly increases the team's chance of scoring, they get a high EPA scorer.

And Donald is at the top of the league in that.

He ranks first in EPA per dropback, meaning he is maximizing the offensive opportunity on every pass attempt, right alongside Matthew Stafford who was second.

And don't forget Donald's last loss to the Rams, when he was sacked nine times at the Vikings sets up a fascinating revenge narrative this week.

Wow, and for the Rams, we have to talk about the debut of the kicker that instantly became a legend, the Thier kicker.

Yes, the two hundred and forty five pound kicker Harrison Mavis.

He made his NFL debut last week, replacing the struggling Joshua Carty, who had been horrendous, missing eight total kicks including paytes and having three blocked.

That's a crisis point for a team trying to win the division.

It is so Mevs, an All American from Miszoo, went six of six on pay ats in his debut.

This game is expected to be incredibly close, so special teams and Mevs's first field goal attempt in an NFL pressure cooker be absolutely vital.

The kicker narrative is almost always irrelevant until a division title hinges on a forty yarder on.

The Seattle side, the focus shifts heavily to the interior offensive line, particularly rookie guard Grays Abel, who is facing the ultimate test against that Rams defensive front.

Zabel's performance will be critical against the Rams stout defensive line, which features disruptive tackles like Kobe Turner and Braden Fisk.

The Seahawks ranked twenty second in yards per carry on runs between the tackles, so run blocking is a major question mark.

For zabele PFF grades are pretty low on run blocking they do.

And for the audience.

PFF or Pro Football Focus uses proprietary metrics to grade every snap a player takes.

But what's interesting is Seattle actually ranks fifteenth in yards before contact on runs inside the tackles, which suggests the interior is doing okay when they're healthy.

This game against a top five run defense like the Rams is Zabel's biggest test yet.

If he can't hold up, the entire running.

Game stalls okay.

Shifting to the east, we have the Lions versus Eagles matchup, which involves a bizarre mixture of winning football and some very high profile internal dysfunction.

The Eagles, despite their seven to two record, are dealing with significant internal drama that seems to be bubbling over.

Wide receiver AJ Brown caused a major stir when he called the team a sush show on a Twitch stream and told fantasy managers to get rid of me, and then.

He doubled down.

He said he's trying to laugh through this sized it would not apologize, suggesting that the team's issues are deeper than the wind column suggests.

He did, and quarterback Jalen Hurts facing repeated questions about Brown's comments maintained composure but acknowledged the underlying tension.

He responded diplomatically, saying his focus was on the upcoming game against Detroit and that driving the drama further would only create more distraction.

Its classic crisis management by a franchise quarterback, prioritizing stability over confrontation.

But the criticism didn't stop there.

Former Panthers QB cam Newton wade in arguing the issues were fundamental to the organization.

He argued that the team is a walking ticking time by of dysfunction whose issues have only been masked by winning.

But that raises a critical question, doesn't it If Nick Sirianni's dysfunction resulted on a Super Bowl appearance just last year, isn't that just the price of dealing with elite, highly competitive and demanding personalities like AJ Brown.

That's the key analytical challenge.

Is this true toxic culture or is it just the difficulty of managing greatness?

The Eagles, much like the Patriots of old, might simply tolerate internal heat because they know it leads to wins.

The problem is whether that heat eventually melts the roster down the.

Stretch precisely on the Detroit side.

Their defense is generating pressure, ranking fourth in the NFL with thirty sacks, but the reliance on Aiden Hutchinson is becoming a strategic concern that the Eagles can exploit.

The pass rush is inconsistent.

Hutchinson is the star, but he put up goose eggs in his last outing against the Commanders, recording his lowest PFF grades of the season, a.

Twenty five point seven tackling grade and a sixty one point zero pass rush grade.

Yeah, that drop up is alarming.

A sixty one point zero pass rush grade is slightly above average, but a twenty five point seven tackling grade is failing.

It indicates a lack of discipline.

The team seems to only generate pressure when safety Brian Branch blitzes, which tells you the surrounding defensive line needs significant help.

And they can't rely too heavily on the blitz against the quarterback as careful as Jalen.

Hurts No, because blitzing exposes a secondary that has been inconsistent this year.

The key matchup here is the Lion's interior offensive line against the Eagles defensive tackles, particularly Jalen Carter, who has twenty eight pressures, and the newly acquired Jalen Phillips, who recorded eight pressures in his Eagles debut last week.

If Detroit can't contain that interior pressure, Jared Goff will be under duress all afternoon.

Finally, we have to look at one of the most surprising metrics defining explosive running backs this season, highlighting a player who needs more touches.

This is a fun stat that measures how often a running back exceeds twenty miles per hour on a carry, indicating elite breakaway speed.

The league leader is Jonathan Taylor, who has hit that mark six times on one hundred and eighty nine carries.

Okay, so, who's the surprise.

The Baltimore ravens Keaton Mitchell.

He has achieved twenty plus miles per hour three times on just fifteen carries this season.

Fifteen carries.

That is a phenomenal rate of explosion.

It confirms that every time he touched the ball he has home run capability.

It puts Mitchell's explosiveness on par with Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Brice Hall.

But Mitchell is doing it with a tiny fraction of the carries.

He may not have a clear starting role yet backing up Derrick Henry, but he is clearly one of the most explosive backs in the NFL when he gets a chance.

He's a player every defense must account for whenever he steps onto the field.

Okay, turning to the collegiate game now, where huge matchups are happening, just in time for a major broadcast resolution that had fans worried about missing critical playoff implications.

That's right, college football fans who rely on streaming can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Disney and Google reached a new multi year distribution agreement restoring all ESPN and ABC channels to YouTube TV subscribers after a tense two week blackout, and.

That restoration is crucial for viewing this massive Week twelve slate, which features huge games with college football playoff implications.

We're talking about highly anticipated clashes like No.

Four Alabama hosting Non to eleven Oklahoma, But the gigantic sec showdown on ABC is between No.

Poll ten Texas traveling to face No.

P five Georgia.

A loss for Texas would almost certainly eliminate them from both SEC contention and the CFP discussion.

While Georgia is trying to avoid a loss that could dash their hopes of reaching the SEC championship game.

These are games that define coaching legacies and of course, draft stock.

And speaking of draft stock, beyond the current season, let's look ahead to the draft pipeline where league executives are sounding the alarm bells about the twenty twenty six cornerback class, a concern that directly impacts the high price of quarterbacks like Daniel Jones.

The fear is palpable across the league.

Huh it is?

Executives are expressing serious concerns about the lackluster twenty twenty six QB draft group.

The class was expected to be stronger than the twenty twenty five group, but one executive was quoted saying, I don't love any of them right now, noting that there's no clear cut, blue chip taught prospect to set the pace.

What's driving this perceived drop in talent?

Why are prospects that are highly rated early on now faltering.

It's a combination of underperformance and economics, specifically the impact of NIL money.

And to clarify, NIL stands for name, image and likeness, which allows college athletes to earn income.

Many of the higher end players expected to materialize just haven't met expectations on the field, and the high NIL money is encouraging prospects who might otherwise declare early to stay for another season.

So guys like Organ's Dante More, who draft expert Todd McShay says is likely returning to school, are opting for guaranteed income and another year of seasoning over rushing into the NFL draft where their stock might be middling.

Exactly.

Even Arch Manning, one scene as the next next big thing from the famous Manning lineage, has reportedly played himself out of a projected first round grade with inconsistent tape.

This combination of NIL retention and on field underperformance at the top means the talent pool is frighteningly shallow, and.

This lack of talent at the top has massive implications for quarterback needy teams like the Jets, the Browns, or the Titans.

It creates enormous strategic challenges.

The Jets and Browns, with their glaring QB holes, would rely on a strong top end to the draft to find a long term solution it also hurts the Tennessee Titans, who have the inside track on the top pick, but may lose the ability to auction that selection off to a desperate QB needy franchise.

If the talent pool is thin.

Right, there's no consensus star teams are less willing to pay that premium trade price for the.

Top pick, leaving the Titans with less leverage and potentially forcing them to take a player they don't truly believe in.

So if we have to look for bright spots among the prospects for those teams that must take a core back, who stands out right now?

Alabama's Ty Simpson is having the best year of the prospects.

According to one executive.

He's got poise and consistency.

Even if he doesn't have the highest physical tools.

He's played his tail off and is throwing the ball well in high pressure SEC games.

Any other names.

South Carolina's leonoras Sellars is noted for having traits on top of traits, big, explosive, powerful arm, tough to tackle, but he still needs to solidify his decision making and play consistency before he can be considered a first round lock.

Okay, finally, let's chick in on the Georgia Bulldogs pipeline to the NFL, specifically the Charges connection, which has proven pretty successful.

Recently, the Chargers have been very happy with their recent Georgia picks.

Lad McConkey, selected in the twenty twenty four draft, has been a huge success.

He's racked up nearly two thousand receiving yards and set an NFL record for receiving yards by a rookie in a playoff game with one hundred and ninety seven yards against the Texans.

That's a massive endorsement of the Georgia program's ability to produce NFL ready talent.

Now they are projected to double down on the Georgia defense.

Yes, a mock draft projects the Chargers could take linebacker CJ.

Allen late in the first round of the twenty twenty six draft.

Allan leads to the Bulldogs and tackles looking to do so for the second straight year.

This fit makes perfect sense because the Chargers run a three three five defense, which is structurally similar to what Georgia runs.

Plus, the Chargers linebacker coach is Navora Bowman, a former All Pro who played a similar style to Allan, suggesting he could be the perfect.

Mentor continuing that valuable pipeline of collegiate talent.

Okay, now we need to cover some essential stories that go beyond the box score, stories that speak to the human element and cultural impact of the.

Game, providing that crucial context often missed in the rush of weekly scores.

We start with the tragic news regarding Marshawn Neeland, which has profoundly impacted the Cowboys organization in his college alma mater.

Former Western Michigan and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshaw Neeland died on November sixth.

He was only twenty four years old and was in his second season with the Cowboys.

His death, which occurred unexpectedly during the season, has prompted immediate tributes across the football community.

It's a stark reminder of the fragility of life.

In Western Michigan.

His alma mater honored him in their game against Ohio, making sure his memory was central to the day.

They paid deep respect.

WMU painted his Nober ninety nine on both sidelines, coaches and players wore his jersey or initials on their helmets, and defensive lineman Rodney McGraw changed his number to number four for the rest of the season to honor his former teammate.

And the game captains carried his Nober ninety nine jersey to the crime toss.

Ensuring his presence was felt in every aspect of the game.

This tragic event also spurred a powerful, timely demonstration of mental health awareness by an active player, Mac Hollins.

Leveraging the NFL's massive.

Platform, Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins used his entrance before a Thursday night game against the Jets to spread awareness from mental health resources.

He wore a shirt featuring the suicide and crisis lifeline number nine eight eight on the front and the powerful message you are worth it on the back.

Crucially, the shirt also listed words like alone, scared, and vulnerable, acknowledging the internal struggles so many people face regardless of their public persona.

And Hollins emphasized the need to normalize this conversation, especially for men in high pressure, hypermasculine environments like professional football.

He spoke eloquently, stating it's okay to not be okay and noted that this topic often gets pushed aside for men.

He wanted to emphasize that mental health struggles happen to all men and need to be addressed more openly.

A really powerful statement.

Finally, we need to touch on the intersection of football in public opinion, specifically regarding political and cultural choices made by the league on its biggest stage.

Dallas Cowboys co owner Charlotte Jones publicly defended the selection of Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show, emphasizing the NFL's global stage and its desire for wide cultural reach.

She stated that the choice was purely about securing the number one performer in the world and celebrating the mixed culture of society.

Noting that the game is not about politics.

She said, the Super Bowl's a global event and they believe the entertainment must reflect that global audience.

And when she was asked directly if they should have chosen someone who didn't touch politics, Jones firmly replied that people tune in for the game and the music, and the NFL strategy is to do everything we can to avoid politics.

It really highlights the league's ongoing high stakes effort to navigate these major cultural moments while trying to avoid the political division that permeates so much of American life, and.

We also saw a former Stealer star, Alejandro Villanueva, weigh in on the reaction President Donald Trump received at a commander's game.

Addressing the complicated relationship between the military and public political expression.

Villanueva, who served multiple tours in the US Army, called the booing of President Trump during the salute service moment unfortunate.

He acknowledged the intense political division in the United States, but expressed a profound hope that the military does not become seen as supporting one political party over the other.

Emphasizing the crucial non partisan nature of the military civilian relationship.

He stressed that the military serves the country, not a party, and that public displays of political partisanship during moments meant to honor service can erode that vital distinction.

What a sweep across the football landscape this week.

I mean, we've covered everything from the global stage in Madrid with the logistics and that fascinating Polynesian QB matchup, to the shocking contract values like Daniel Jones potentially hitting a nine figure deal, and the pressure cooker environments for coaches like Dan Quinn and the struggling Jaguars and.

The overarching theme that connects all these threads, from Miami's paralysis to the high price of Daniel Jones is scarcity.

Scarcity of proven talent, scarcity of good young quarterbacks, and scarcity of coaching stability.

We talked about the New York Giants, a franchise with the second worst record in the league since twenty fifteen who just fired Brian Dable, or an organization trapped in a vicious cycle, a.

Cycle of changing direction every two years.

And given the incredibly high price of acquiring proven talent, whether it's an edge rusher like Trey Hendrickson demanding thirty four million dollars a year or a quarterback like Daniel Jones commanding one hundred million dollars due to market desperation, and then you factor in the dire projections for the upcoming draft classes.

This all boils down to a critible question about resource allocation and strategic organizational priority.

So the final provocative thought for you to consider is this, how much longer can Giants' ownership or any struggling ownership group facing a rebuild afford to prioritize a high stakes, expensive and often failed coaching search over aggressively acquiring immediate established superstar players.

Should they risk another coaching higher failure when they have young talent like Jackson Dark Or should they instead use every available resource, draft capital and future cap space to trade for stability and guaranteed top care talent, even at the astronomical prices we've gon.

It's a necessary balance between organizational identity and sheer competitive necessity and a league that's built on scarcity.

That is truly the strategic tightrope walk defining the next five years for these struggling franchises.

And you now have the critical knowledge to be well informed on where the football world stands right now.

We'll catch you next time for another deep dive