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Tommy DeVito will start at QB on Sunday for New York Giants
Another quarterback switch for Giants
Tommy DeVito will start at quarterback Sunday for the New York Giants when they face the Baltimore Ravens. Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Wednesday that Drew Lock, who started the last two games, is in a walking boot with a heel injury.
Daboll had said on Monday that “Drew (Lock) Drew will be at quarterback this week, unless he can’t be based on injury.”
Well, based on injury he obviously can’t be. Daboll indicated he was uncertain Lock, who won’t practice on Wednesday, would be well enough to serve as the backup quarterback on Sunday vs. the Baltimore Ravens. If not, Tim Boyle would have to be elevated from the practice squad to serve as QB2.
Blogging the Boys
Time is coming for NFL to decide on flexing Week 16 Cowboys game on Sunday Night Football
Dallas fell to the Cincinnati Bengals who feel a lot better about their 5-8 record following Monday night than Dallas does given that they won.
Oh, yea, the game was on Monday Night Football. It was primetime television that the whole world saw. It sounds a bit weird for a 5-7 and 4-8 team to meet on MNF, but given that ESPN and Disney had set up for an alt cast involving The Simpsons to be done around this game the Cowboys and Bengals stayed put despite the fact that the NFL now has the ability to flex in and out of certain games on Monday nights.
The subject of flexing is why we are here today as the Cowboys have another game set for primetime coming up and unlike this past week there are no animations made for Bart Simpson that would prohibit the game from being moved.
In case you are unaware, the Cowboys are currently set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. What is notable about the game, relative to our discussion, is that it is set to occur on Sunday Night Football.
I’d imagine that NBC, the home of SNF, would prefer something different, even if the Dallas Cowboys are ratings gold.
CBS will likely have the Steelers/Ravens game and not want to give it up. FOX will likely wind up with Eagles/Commanders on their side of things so (this is all guessing) the most logical options are: Texans/Chiefs, Lions/Bears and Vikings/Seahawks.
It certainly seems possible that one of these games could be given some deference as two of them (sorry Bears) feature two teams that are going to be in the playoffs in all likelihood.
In case you are curious, the minimum amount of notice that the NFL has to give for a [Sunday Night Football] flex at this point in the season is 6 days. They still have some time, but we are getting close.
For Sunday Night Football in Weeks 14-17, the flexible scheduling decision will generally be made no later than 6 days prior to the game.
[I] assume that the league would prefer to flex something in and out with more than six days notice so as to allow time for fans who will be in attendance to adjust. That is admittedly a guess, but that would mean we could get an announcement this week.
Bleeding Green Nation
2025 NFL Draft Watch: Top college football takeaways from conference championships
Weekly check-in on the top college football prospects.
Players of the Week
Cam Skattebo, Running Back Arizona State: The Big 12 Championship game was a great place for Cam Skattebo to familiarize the entire country with him. The senior running back carried the ball 16 times for 170 yards and a score while catching two passes for 38 yards and another touchdown. His combination of vision, patience, burst, and a hard running style proved too much for the Iowa State defense. Skattebo now has over 2,00 yards of total offense this year, 1,568 on the ground and 506 through the air, and 22 touchdowns to his name. Skattebo is one of the best running backs in the country and now will get to shine in the College Football Playoffs.
Daylan Everette, Cornerback, Georgia: Quinn Ewers long day on Saturday is owed in large part to Daylan Everette, who picked off two of his passes in the SEC championship game and broke up one more. Everette only gave up three catches on nine targets that day, showing off his lockdown ability. Funny enough, all three of Everette’s interceptions this year came against Texas. The 6’1”, 190 pound defender is the top cornerback in Georgia’s secondary and could continue to be a factor in the playoffs.
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NFL.com
Five teams facing make-or-break Week 15 games heading into stretch run of 2024 NFL season
Last we saw Jayden Daniels and Co. on the field, they walloped a dismal Tennessee Titans club at home. It was the type of blowout that playoff teams add to their ledger on the march to January. The win stopped a three-game skid during which the Commanders lost their grip on the NFC East. A Washington defeat and a Philly win on Sunday clinches the division for the Eagles.
Focus for Quinn’s club is now on sewing up that final playoff spot. Next Gen Stats gives Washington an 87 percent chance of making the postseason with a win. Yet, that number drops to 58 percent with a loss — 29 percentage points of leverage. A couple of stumbles down the stretch would open the door for teams from the NFC West and a couple in the NFC South to feel they have a path to the postseason through the wild card.
The new régime in D.C. engineered a quick turnaround in Year 1. Sunday is another box-tick game. Can the young Commanders win a high-leverage contest against a club they should best, one that has little to play for and is starting a backup QB? An upset loss could set up Washington for a late-season slide right out of the playoffs.
NFL.com
Facemask penalties could be subject to replay assistance in 2025 NFL season
Facemask penalties, which currently are not subject for review, have been under scrutiny this season following a number of notable missed calls, particularly during prime-time games.
Vincent on Wednesday acknowledged that the position of refs and the speed of the game can make officiating facemask calls difficult in real time on the playing field, which is why an assist from New York could be beneficial.
“Concerning yes, because that’s a big miss — that’s a big foul,” Vincent said. “We would like to consider — or for the membership to consider — putting that foul category that we can see, putting that on the field to help because there is a frustration. We believe that is one category that we can potentially get right.”
The league historically has been hesitant to have subjective plays be reviewable — pass interference was reviewable for only the 2019 season — and the NFL has never allowed replay to determine there was a penalty when one was not called on the field.
Making facemask fouls, which carry a 15-yard penalty, reviewable would change that precedent.
Among the other topics discussed by Vincent and Goodell on Wednesday:
The league will consider changes to the onside kick after dramatically overhauling the kickoff rule on a one-year basis. “We need to look at that. That’s a dead play,” Vincent said of the onside kick’s low success rate. “That is a ceremonial play. Very low recovery rate. When we look at the kickoff and maybe where the touchback area should be during the offseason, we need to revisit the onside kick.” Options include giving the team an opportunity to run one play to gain a certain number of yards to keep possession.
ESPN
Where do things stand with Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr. and the future of the Falcons’ QB1 spot?
Graziano: I honestly don’t think anything has changed since the day Penix was drafted. The Falcons said then that their plan was to try to win now with Cousins and that Penix was drafted to be the future quarterback. I was with the Falcons last weekend in Minnesota, and my understanding is that the April plan is still in effect.
After a fourth straight loss in which Cousins failed to throw a touchdown pass, Falcons coach Raheem Morris was quick to assert that they were not considering benching Cousins for Penix. I think Cousins will start for the rest of this season — or at least until the Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention — and then they’ll decide what to do in the offseason. Penix is going to turn 25 in May. He made 45 starts in college, including 28 during his last two seasons at the University of Washington. If he’s not ready to start in the NFL right now, he should be very soon.
Fowler: The last time we discussed Cousins’ future, I pointed out that his late-season play could be a factor in his future with the team, especially with penchant for teams playing first-round picks sooner than later. (It was of course aggregated to “Falcons will trade Cousins if he struggles,” but that wasn’t really my point.) Now, his job status has become a weekly topic in Atlanta news conferences amid his struggles.
At some point, the cries for Penix will be too loud to ignore if Cousins continues to throw interceptions — he has eight over the past four games. But I still believe the Falcons can maximize his talent. Cousins is third in the NFL with 3,396 passing yards, and the Falcons have a bevy of offensive talent around him, so Cousins’ production should return to the mean eventually. As long as the Falcons are mathematically alive to win the NFC South, Cousins should have a decent chance to finish the season.
Cousins does not have a play-action touchdown pass this season. That was a staple for him in Minnesota, where Kevin O’Connell had him throwing in rhythm. After asking a few scouts about what’s wrong with Cousins, they point to him feeling pressure or looking uncomfortable in the pocket. His once-high-level footwork hasn’t been as crisp of late, which could be a remnant of his recovery from the torn Achilles he sustained last October. His ball location hasn’t been quite as good, either. Perhaps Cousins can improve those areas in short order, but if he doesn’t, the Penix questions will persist.
Washington Post (paywall)
NFL owners approve first private equity deals for part-ownership of teams
The Bills and Dolphins are each selling a 10 percent stake to private equity firms.
More than three months after NFL team owners approved a measure permitting franchises to sell minority ownership stakes to private equity funds, the owners ratified the league’s first such deals Wednesday, involving the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins are selling a 10 percent ownership stake to Ares Management funds, pending closing of the deal. The Bills are selling a stake to Arctos Partners. They did not announce specifics, but a person familiar with the Bills’ deal said it is also a 10 percent stake.
The measure, approved by the owners by a 31-1 vote in August, limits a team to selling no more than 10 percent of its ownership to private equity from a list of firms approved by the league. A fund can hold ownership stakes in as many as six teams. It must hold that ownership stake for at least six years. A fund’s minority ownership of a team gives it no voting rights.
The sale of the minority ownership stakes come as the Bills construct a new stadium. The franchise previously never had minority owners.
The owners also approved minority ownership transactions without private equity involving the Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders.
Washington’s new President
After Commissioner Roger Goodell opened Wednesday’s meeting, Harris said he wanted to say a few words to his fellow owners, according to a person familiar with the matter. Harris thanked former team president Jason Wright for his contributions and officially introduced newly hired team president Mark Clouse to the owners. Harris told the other owners of Clouse, “No one’s more excited to have him here than me.”
The other owners gave Clouse, the president and chief executive of the Campbell’s Company, a round of applause. He begins his new role with the Commanders in January.
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