The Daily Slop – 21 October 2026
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!
Commanders links
Articles
NFL.com
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin out for rest of season with torn patellar tendon
[T]ests on Tuesday showed that he suffered a torn patellar tendon that will sideline him for the remainder of the 2026 season, Quinn told reporters.
McLaurin will need to undergo surgery that will shelve him for the rest of his eighth NFL year. Having already
missed one game this season due to a hamstring injury, the 31-year-old has now been struck the most severe injury of his career. He missed seven games in 2025, but that was due to a host of injuries: quad, core muscle and groin issues.
Now, Diggs will presumably be quarterback Jayden Daniels’ top target with Dyami Brown, rookie Antonio Williams and Treylon Burks being forced into larger roles.
McLaurin, a five-time 1,000-yard receiver, finished the season with 15 receptions for 230 yards and one touchdown.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Roundtable
How Commanders can adjust to loss of Terry McLaurin
It’s next man up.
Tight end Chig Okonkwo is starting to develop a solid connection with quarterback Jayden Daniels. Against the 49ers, Okonkwo recorded seven receptions for 69 yards, both of which were team highs. Last week against the New York Giants, he caught four passes for 60 yards, just two yards shy of McLaurin’s team-high total. After a rough start to the season, the former Tennessee Titan is beginning to find his groove and could become an even bigger part of Washington’s passing attack.
Another player Daniels needs to continue feeding is wide receiver Stefon Diggs. He leads the team in receptions with 24 and ranks second in receiving yards with 214. In three of the five games Diggs has played, he has recorded the second-most receiving yards on the team. With McLaurin potentially sidelined for an extended period, Diggs could become Washington’s top option at wide receiver.
The Commanders also have an under-the-radar weapon in their arsenal is wide receiver Antonio Williams. He ranks second on the team in receptions with 18 and third in receiving yards with 205.
Williams made an immediate impact in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, leading the team with 64 receiving yards on just four catches. He also had an 87-yard touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts that was nullified because of an illegal shift penalty.
Against San Francisco, Williams finished third on the team in receiving with 50 yards.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
NFL.com
Bad news, good news for Commanders
It has not been a good start to the season for Washington. The Commanders have managed only one win in six games — although it did come against the defending Super Bowl champions — and just fell short in a blowout-turned-nailbiter to the 49ers to fall to 1-4-1.
Luckily, that’s not a death sentence in this year’s NFC East, especially if the defense can maintain the form it found in the second half after allowing the most points in the league over the first five games. No one in the division has won a game since Week 4, marking the first time in league history every team in a division has played consecutive weeks without a victory, per NFL Research. It’s a feat made more (un)impressive by the fact that the Commanders and Giants went head-to-head in Week 5, a game that ended in a tie after disastrous overtime mistakes by both squads.
So, the Commanders are simultaneously at the bottom of the NFC East and in OK shape. They have the same number of losses as the Cowboys (2-4) and Eagles (2-4) and are by no means an impossible distance behind the first-place Giants (3-2-1). Only blind optimists would bank on Washington rebounding for a wild-card spot at this point, but there’s a path to the playoffs through the division. The Commanders can rest and reset during their upcoming bye with that in mind.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Commanders Film Review: Jayden Daniels vs 49ers
Statistically, Daniels played well, completing 29 of his 40 passing attempts for 300 yards and two touchdowns. But throughout the night, Troy Aikman on commentary was constantly pointing out mistakes and Daniels made a few more questionable decisions in clutch situations. So how did Daniels actually play?
Truthfully, I felt Daniels could have played a lot better than he did. That’s not to say he was bad or the reason the team lost this game, far from it. But Daniels is capable of being an outstanding quarterback and he fell short of that standard a number of times on Monday night. I’ll break down some of those mistakes and missed opportunities, but it’s also important to state that he did play well in large parts of the game too. So I’m breaking this post into two sections, the good and the bad. Let’s start with the positives.
Positives
Entering the game, the Commanders had struggled to generate many explosive plays this season and the 49ers defense has been very good at preventing them from happening. So it was a pleasant surprise to see Daniels and the Commanders offense were able to hit a couple of explosive plays throughout the game. One way they hit a couple early was on bootleg rollout schemes.
I have plenty of questions about the pre-snap operation with this Commanders offense right now. The amount of false starts and illegal shift penalties is unacceptable, and there’s quite a few plays where players are running around coming out of the huddle and don’t know where they’re going, leading to rushed snaps late in the playclock.
However, when Daniels is able to get the offense lined up and get a clean look at the defense, one of the key features of this offense from David Blough is the trust it gives to the quarterback to make checks at the line of scrimmage. We’ve seen both Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota make a bunch of checks at the line to get out of bad plays and into better ones. This game was no different, and Daniels made some critical checks in some big moments.
In the second half, and particularly late in the third quarter, Daniels really started to find a groove. He still had some errors, which we’ll get to, but he was much more consistent as the game progressed. He drove the team down the field on an 11-play touchdown drive that was capped off with a nice touchdown pass to Diggs.
The Athletic (paywall)
Against 49ers, Jayden Daniels again shows streaks of brilliance & lapses of concentration
That Washington fell to the 49ers on the road in primetime was not a surprise. Few, if any, expected a team with only one win, countless injuries and the most confounding mistake of the NFL season to have a real shot against one of the league’s most efficient teams.
That Washington turned it into a tight 23-17 finish and nearly had a chance to win after an abysmal first half was a reminder of Daniels’ rare ability — and the Commanders’ continued inability to give him help.
Two years ago, Daniels’ late-game, odds-defying heroics were enough. They were the hallmarks of his rookie season and they masked many of Washington’s struggles — on offense and defense.
Since then, as Daniels has struggled to stay healthy and as Washington has failed to find an identity, the Commanders’ shortcomings have been exposed repeatedly.
The Commanders have yet to play a clean game, free of self-inflicted and costly mistakes, like pre-snap penalties.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Heavy.com
Commanders’ Dan Quinn sends blunt message to Jayden Daniels
Dan Quinn knows the success of the Washington Commanders, not to mention his future as their head coach, largely depends on Jayden Daniels’ development in a new offense, but the under-fire boss isn’t above sending a blunt message to the star quarterback about how he needs to be better.
Quinn told ESPN’s John Keim on Tuesday, October 20, how, “like most things like with him there’s some plays that you say, ‘[Expletive], that’s an incredible throw,’ and there’s other ones I’d love him to stay through the look.”
Daniels is still trying to master an under-center offense under rookie coordinator David Blough. There were some obvious growing pains, but also plenty of positive signs, during the 23-17 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Quinn “was hoping to see more of” Daniels playing “a more scramble-to-throw game” against the Niners’ zone coverage. The coach expects to see Daniels move the pocket with his legs and throw on the run more often “as he’s growing into it, more reps with David, more into the system, I’m expecting his out-of-pocket plays to continue, like for him to run keepers, you know, off our play-action game.”
That’s not exactly a glowing review of Daniels’ performance.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
At 1-4-1, Dan Quinn Says Trial and Error Is Over for Washington’s Offense
The Washington Commanders entered their bye week at 1-4-1, with more questions than answers as they look back on how they got here. This team started the season hell-bent on moving away from Jayden Daniels having to play hero ball. Now the team can only function correctly if he does. In the first half against the 49ers, the offense put up 90 yards and two first downs, then Daniels came out in the second and finished with 300 passing yards, two touchdowns, and only four rushes for 10 yards. Hard to imagine, but both versions of the offense showed up in one game.
Quinn wants a smaller set of things the team can execute repeatedly. He praised the offense for protecting the ball but said he wants more explosive plays. “Sometimes that can mean streamlining to say these are the eight things, 10 things that we’re going to over and over hit. … As the first part of the season goes, there’s some trial and some error, but now that we’re this far along, no more trial. This is how we want to get down.” I took Quinn’s ‘eight or 10 things’ comment as a plan to narrow what Washington leans on after the bye, rather than a promise to run only eight or 10 plays the rest of the season.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Washington Post (paywall)
The Commanders’ defense reached its potential for a half; that’s not enough
The struggling unit showed improvement in a 23-17 loss to the 49ers, but there’s still work to be done
[I]n the second half, defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’s unit did an about-face. It held the 49ers to just 67 yards after halftime and forced three consecutive three-and-outs to end the game.
“We just came out and played ball. It was nothing else. We was tired of getting hit in the mouth,” defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. said. “We bowed up, and we played football in the second half.”
The Commanders had the benefit of getting cornerback Trey Amos and safety Nick Cross back from injury. Amos hadn’t played all season because of an ankle injury, while Cross had missed three games with an undisclosed internal injury.
Jones has been one of the most aggressive defensive play callers in the league, blitzing often in an effort to get the pass rush going, but it hasn’t paid enough dividends. At some point, the Commanders just need their players to perform better.
That finally started to click in the second half. Purdy lost wide receiver Mike Evans to an Achilles injury in the second quarter, which contributed to the drop-off. Washington also sacked Purdy twice and pressured him far more often.
The Commanders’ pass defense is the main reason they’re allowing 28.7 points per game (29th in the NFL). As long as that persists, the defense will keep weighing the team down.
Washington showed it can shut down an opponent in the second half against the 49ers. The next step is doing it for an entire game.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Roundtable
Studs & Duds in Washington’s loss to San Francisco
Stud
2nd Half Defense
Washington gave up three points in the second half on Monday night. Enter week six; their defense allowed 95 points in the second half. Washington forced three-and-outs on San Francisco’s final three drives to give them a chance to steal the upset.
Dud
1st Half Defense
San Francisco went down the field easily on the first two drives, with wide-open catches for Evans and tight end George Kittle. They were going to score a third touchdown, but linebacker Frankie Luvu recovered a fumble on McCaffrey near the field-goal line.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
5 takeaways from Commanders vs. 49ers
Jayden Daniels was impressive in the second half.
As frustrating as things were to start the night, the Commanders found a rhythm to close things out, and as mentioned above, it was nearly enough to overcome their self-inflicted mistakes.
Daniels finished the game with 300 yards and two scores and a completion rate of 72.5%. He’s 64.7% so far this season and has yet to commit a turnover. He’s 12th among quarterbacks in QBR and has seven total touchdowns. Although he is not perfect, he is playing well, and as he showed in the second half, that gives the Commanders a chance to beat anyone.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
A to Z Sports
Quinn shuts down any discussion of in-game confusion about down & distance
Far different from the mea culpa following the Giants debacle, DQ was unequivocal about his decision-making on 4th down vs the Niners
Quinn was asked after the game about the sideline reaction that had drawn so much attention during Washington’s loss.
His response was direct: He said he knew it was fourth down and that the Commanders had deliberately chosen to go for it.
According to Quinn, the conversation captured by the cameras concerned the illegal-shift penalty and a question over the headset about whether Washington could still attempt a field goal.
Quinn also explained that he expected a higher-scoring game against San Francisco and entered the matchup prepared to make aggressive fourth-down decisions.
That account offers a different explanation for the sideline reaction than the one circulating online. It does not erase the failed play, but it challenges the assumption that Quinn had simply forgotten the down.
Quinn’s explanation holds together. The illegal shift created confusion about whether a field goal was still on the table, someone asked him about it on the headset, & he answered. That’s a coach handling a procedural question in real time, not a coach who lost track of the down.
Quinn’s explanation is plausible and consistent with his stated plan to be aggressive.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Metro Sports Page
Sixpack of the Mondays: Gold Pants, Silver Linings
I was trying to think about past regular season games that I would have loved to get for two Sixpacks–that is to say, loved more than getting a warm 12-pack of that terrible Giants tie. Any of the wins during the seven-game winning streak in 2012 would have been great, including a 17-16 win over the New York Giants. That win took us to 6-6 on the season, hardly anything that would spark a parade, but it came on the heels of two straight wins against Philadelphia and Dallas.
There was something happening, and the league was officially on notice–hard to imagine after a horrific 3-6 start to the season. It was a nine-week stretch that bottomed out when Mike Shanahan stood at the podium after our sixth loss to the Carolina Panthers and announced that we were in “evaluation mode” in a way that very much sounded like we were sending the white flag to the top of the pole. But the Redskins came out in week 11 after the bye and picked up three wins against–wait for it–an incredibly weak NFC East. We sent the Eagles and Cowboys to 3-7 and 5-6, respectively.
The win put us one game back of the 7-5 NFC East-leading Giants. We raced past New York down the stretch, like RG3 galloping up the sidelines for his signature touchdown sprint against the Vikings earlier that season. What an incredible season that was…really just a “lightning strikes once” kind of thing, right?
That season was so different from this one, right? Mike Shanahan was a well-respected veteran coach. His players liked playing for him and he had enjoyed success at multiple stops in the league. His hiring signified a measure of organizational stabilization, but the job was just so gargantuan that we fans ran out of patience much faster than a top-tier head coach deserved.
We had a 31-year-old offensive coordinator that plenty of people thought very highly of–a young Kyle Shanahan. (At this point, you kind of have an idea of what I’m trying to do…but the irony that Kyle plays a part in this play is just gravy.) David Blough doesn’t have the same kind of job protection that you might have working for your father, but there have been flashes of what is possible in this scheme.
Dan Quinn is under fire to be sure, but there is no reason to believe we will see Josh Harris morph into the kind of owner who would fire coaches in week five–at least not under current circumstances. Battling impulsive desires and staying at the table to keep grinding is a move, too. The silence from the owner’s suite over the last week has been deafening, and I love it. That’s not to say Adam Peters and Josh Harris have zipped up completely, but they have made zero headlines and that is at least a little different than what we have seen in the past. Steering through “crisis” portions of the season is why you hire men like Mike Shanahan and Dan Quinn, and franchises are routinely rewarded when veteran coaches are allowed to ply their trade.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Riggo’s Rag
4 winners (and 5 losers) at the Commanders’ bye week as hard decisions loom
Josh Conerly Jr. – Commanders OT
The Washington Commanders believed enough in Josh Conerly Jr. to take him at No. 29 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. It was an up-and-down rookie season, but the strides made over the second half of it left reasons for encouragement.
Aside from a disappointing outing against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, Conerly has acquitted himself well this season. His technique in pass protection has improved significantly, and while he still needs to add some play strength, the right tackle is making encouraging strides.
Conerly is not the finished article just yet. But he has shown flashes of what the Commanders envisioned from their first-round selection.
K’Lavon Chaisson – Commanders OLB
The Commanders gave K’Lavon Chaisson a chance to earn a much bigger financial commitment in 2027. He was willing to bet on himself with a one-year deal, even though the New Orleans Saints were offering more long-term security.
There have been flashes of quality. But considering what Chaisson and the Commanders expected, it’s been underwhelming overall.
Chaisson has two forced fumbles but only 2.5 sacks and 15 tackles through six games. The 2020 first-round pick is playing 69 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, but consistency is sometimes lacking.
If Chaisson wants the big bucks — either in Washington or elsewhere —next spring, he needs to do more.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Which NFC East team is most likely to shake things up in the coming weeks?
I’m curious to see whether Washington dips back into the wide receiver market in the wake of Terry McLaurin‘s injury. The Commanders are 1-4-1, which might make them seem ready to unload talent. But they’re only two games out of first place, and it feels like jobs might be on the line in Washington, so they might decide they need to go for it.
What is your best piece of fantasy football advice for this week?
Snag Washington tight end Chig Okonkwo off waivers. The Terry McLaurin injury enhances Okonkwo’s value. Okonkwo and Jayden Daniels seem to have easy chemistry, resulting in 11 catches for 129 yards over the past two weeks. Okonkwo caught all seven of his targets Monday in San Francisco. He’s still looking for his first touchdown this season, but that’s a matter of time based on the way he’s playing.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
What NFL History Says About Patellar Tendon Tears
For those wondering, the Commanders do have a potential out in McLaurin’s contract after this season, according to Spotrac, but as the graphic above shows, it would come with a considerable amount of dead cap ($25.5 million). There’s been no indication Washington is considering that option, and the bigger question right now is what McLaurin’s recovery will look like heading into 2027.
Looking ahead, NFL history shows us a median return timeline of around 11.4 months, according to a 2025 study in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine that examined patellar tendon and quadriceps tendon injuries among NFL players. The study identified 45 NFL players with patellar tendon tears; 26 of them returned to play at least one game (57.8% return rate). The middle 50% of return times ranged from approximately 9.7 to 12.6 months.
[T]he study’s median time to return to play was 11.4 months for those who returned, which would put McLaurin sometime around early October 2027. It is important to note: no timeline has been set for Terry McLaurin, and returning to practice, being cleared for contact, and playing in an NFL game are all different checkpoints.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Riggo’s Rag
Terry McLaurin’s injury adds urgency to Commanders’ Brian Thomas Jr. trade case
Thomas is currently out of favor with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was benched during their game against the Houston Texans in London, sitting on the sidelines for the entire second half. Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers are well ahead of him in the pecking order, so a fresh start may be needed.
Commanders’ trade for Brian Thomas Jr. looks more realistic after Terry McLaurin blow
The 2024 first-round pick has a strong bond with quarterback Jayden Daniels from their time together at LSU. That connection matters, and getting the chance to reunite in Washington would be tempting if the compensation isn’t too much.
Just what the Jaguars will want in return is debatable. But Thomas’ stock is plummeting right now.
Cashing in is the only option, especially since there is almost no chance his fifth-year option will be picked up.
The Commanders might decide to rely on what they have, potentially signing either Van Jefferson Jr. or Jaden Bradley from the practice squad. But Peters might also be thinking about the bigger picture.
McLaurin has been a cornerstone for Washington since he was drafted as a third-round steal in 2019. However, torn patellar tendons typically take around a year to fully heal, and with the player having no more guaranteed money on his contract, the Commanders could use this opportunity to make him a salary-cap sacrifice.
That would be heartbreaking for fans, but Peters runs things like a business. That’s why he fought so hard to make McLaurin’s extension team-friendly.
NFC East mess could provoke Commanders into Brian Thomas Jr. trade
If McLaurin departs, which is possible, the Commanders only have third-round rookie Antonio Williams as a legitimate long-term piece of the puzzle. That won’t suffice, so taking a chance on Thomas seems feasible if the price works for all parties.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
The District Film Room
Week 6: Jayden Daniels
Commanders Overview, NFC East Discussion & A Look Around The NFL | Get Loud | Commanders | NFL
NFC East links
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Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles-Commanders Week 8 game will NOT be flexed out of Sunday night
The NFL gave thought to moving the 1:00 PM start between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns into that SNF slot before ultimately keeping Eagles-Commanders instead, according to the Inquirer’s Rob Tornoe.
It’s surprising that the league did not move this NFC East battle out of the primetime spotlight. The Eagles have lost four straight games to drop to 2-4 … while also losing starting quarterback Jalen Hurts for the season. The Commanders are 1-4-1 this season and 0-7-1 in Jayden Daniels’ last eight starts. It’s not exactly looking like a marquee matchup.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Brian Schottenheimer report card: A second straight dud from the head coach
Brian Schottenheimer is a problem right now
I would like to start the week six Brian Schottenheimer report card with his grade against the Green Bay Packers.
F.
Thank you for reading.
Schottenheimer has been a net-negative to the team in back-to-back weeks. His lack of creativity, answers versus the blitz, and route concepts are just nowhere near good enough to give the offense any easy buttons. After watching the All-22, we can confirm what Chris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico alluded to many times last night. The banged up Green Bay defense were not afraid of the Cowboys passing attack.
They sent heavy blitzes all night because the play-calling to beat the blitz was bad, and the pass protection rules Schottenheimer’s offense has put on tape the last few weeks gives the defense an easy advantage. They left their depth cornerbacks on an island often against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, because they were not afraid of them beating them vertically. The last two weeks, Schottenheimer’s offense has been neutered, and so far, the “answers” they have put on tape are just “hopefully our players can be better”. Well, they haven’t been.
While the play-calling has been bad, and the answers versus the blitz have been bad, the game management and game preparation has been even worse on the offensive side of the ball.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
From The Ringer:
[I]magine my surprise Sunday night, watching as the Cowboys got dominated by the same Packers defense that couldn’t get a stop against the Falcons a few weeks ago, en route to a 23-13 Green Bay win. As the game went on, it felt like two teams heading in opposite directions—the Packers seem to be finding new solutions to their problems each week, while the Cowboys keep springing new leaks.
Dallas’s offense had no rhythm Sunday tonight, and they truly haven’t been in sync since they marched down the field for a go-ahead drive against the Texans in Week 4. Prescott’s passer rating was a season-low 65.2 against the Packers, and this is the first time since 2017 that he’s had back-to-back weeks where he posted a passer rating under 70. Green Bay committed to taking away the deep ball, found creative ways to manufacture pressure with their front four, and waited on Prescott to make mistakes. He obliged with a pair of interceptions, and he was lucky to have had a third negated by a roughing-the-passer call.
Prescott had a rough Sunday night, and this came fresh off of Dallas’s defense bringing in assistant coach Mike Pettine to help iron out its problems. By the Cowboys’ own horrific standard this year, their defense did enough to win Sunday’s game, but their offense let them down.
At 2-4 now, the Cowboys have left the door open in the NFC East for the rest of this floundering division to regain its footing. Pressure will be as high as ever on Prescott and head coach Brian Schottenheimer to fix this passing game before next Monday’s matchup against the Eagles.
To read more of this article from The Ringer, CLICK HERE
Too Deep Zone
J.J. McCarthy is The Answer for the Giants – but only if you ask the right question
McCarthy entered Sunday’s Giants loss after Winston threw two interceptions to help the Saints mount a 34-10 fourth-quarter lead. McCarthy immediately energized the Giants offense with a 19-yard pass to Devin Singletary. Actually, it was a swing pass into the right flat that Singletary turned into a 19-yard gain. That’s how energized the offense was.
McCarthy’s second pass landed near Charlie Jones’ feet. His third sailed out of bounds. His fourth was a pinpoint delivery to Martin Emerson. Emerson is a Saints cornerback, but admit it: you have trouble keeping track of the receivers on the Giants bench too, don’t you? I mean, seriously: Charlie Jones? Didn’t he make Bugs Bunny cartoons?
Under normal circumstances, Emerson’s interception would have all but ended the game. But the Saints are perennial doormats. The Giants play nothing but perennial doormats these days, as if all of their quality opponents joined the B1G, leaving them with nothing but a schedule full of Titans and Cardinals. They aren’t scheduled to face an opponent that currently has more than two wins until the Jaguars in Week 11.
Some Saints rando named CJ Donaldson fumbled the ball straight back to the Giants. And McCarthy isn’t the type of fierce competitor who will let a second chance on his second team in his third NFL season slip away.
McCarthy took the reins of the Giants offense and immediately handed off twice for five yards. The two runs ticked over a minute off the clock. It was as if John Harbaugh had conceded the loss. But McCarthy would not allow the coach or his teammates to surrender. He overthrew Malachi Fields along the right sideline on third down, shrewdly drawing a pass interference penalty.
Then McCarthy threw a 27-yard pass to a leaping Malik Nabers. It was a dime. It was a dart. Why do all lazy metaphors for passes sound like references to other Giants quarterbacks? One short completion and one near-interception by Emerson on a throw into double coverage in the end zone later, Tyrone Tracy ran for a touchdown. Game on, baby.
The Saints had a chance to run out the clock. But every team that faces the 2026 Giants immediately develops the time-management skills of habitual pot smokers. Tyler Shough threw a pair of incompletions in a three-and-out.
McCarthy went straight to work, launching an undercooked Chipotle burrito in the general direction of Jones. Defender Justin Reid helpfully deflected the pass into Jones’ hands. McCarthy then threw a sinkerball along the left sideline to a diving Emerson, who still plays for the Saints. Emerson appeared to intercept the pass, but he trapped the ball against the turf.
Undaunted, McCarthy threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely. It was a cutlet. A crab leg.
McCarthy launched a 46-yarder to Nabers on the next series, after the Saints tried to find ways to add time to the clock. That pass set up a field goal. The Saints punted the ball back to the Giants with 14 seconds left on the play clock and the Giants out of timeouts after the two minute warning; if Kellen Moore tried to roast a turkey, he would die of salmonella. McCarthy scrambled up the middle for a long gain and threw completions in bounds, but he somehow ran out of time to lead a comeback.
The stat sheet says that McCarthy went 11-of-21 for 243 yards, one touchdown and one hand-wavable boo-boo. It doesn’t matter what the film or anyone else says.
Yes, McCarthy stunk in his first two NFL seasons. You know who else stunk in his first two seasons? Josh Allen. Have you heard of him? Are you vaguely aware of his backstory? Do you know what happened in his third season? No, I’m not gonna type it out. YOU say it. That’s right. He became awesome and stayed awesome.
McCarthy has the potential to be even awesomer than Allen, because he was even worse than Allen in 2025. And in April through August, when he lost a Vikings quarterback competition to Kyler Murray, who plays football like a labradoodle puppy who doesn’t want to let go of a tennis ball.
Harbaugh is rebuilding the Giants culture. And the best way to do that is to send a clear message to the locker room. Guys, I will bench any of you in a heartbeat for a one-hit wonder we brought in three weeks ago who got lucky on some turnover-worthy throws if it helps us achieve the short-term goal of stumbling into the playoffs Carolina Panthers-style. That’s how you build trust and camaraderie.
Assuming McCarthy doesn’t throw seven interceptions and get sacked nine times by the Texans in Week 7, he should have no trouble recreating the 9-7-1 glory of the 2022 Giants, the greatest Giants team anyone can remember. Then, Whammo! Dart will return in 2027. And then, Whammo! Dart will try to headbutt a truck, and guess who will be there to pick up the slack? That’s right: J.J. McCarthy. Unless the Colts sign him for four years at $160 million.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Giants release RB Najee Harris 2 days after start
Harris, who is second on the team behind Cam Skattebo in rushing yards with 99 this season, started Sunday but had just four carries for 2 yards. That output ranked last of the six players who were credited with a carry for the Giants.
Skattebo, who began the season as the team’s top running back, has seen his workload reduced after fumbling four times. In Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, Skattebo did not have a carry.
Despite having four running backs dressed for the game (Harris, Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary), the Giants got just 34 total rushing yards.
Harris expressed frustration with the team’s running-back-by-committee approach.
“It’s hard to get into a rhythm with one or two runs,” Harris said Sunday. “The first couple runs you’ll be like: ‘OK, how are they playing me?’ And then the next ones will be like: This is how you attack it. But if you’re getting a play here and you get taken out for a series, there’s nothing you can do. That’s why I’m saying I don’t know. I’ve never been through this before.”
A source told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan that Harris’ comments were not the reason for his release.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Bleeding Green Nation
NFLPA calls for “full investigation” into Jalen Hurts situation
Earlier on Tuesday, the NFL concluded that Jalen Hurts being cleared to play with a superficial blood clot was “handled appropriately.”
On Tuesday evening, the NFL Players Association pushed back on that assertion with an official statement:
The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts. In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received. Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred. Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward.
The NFLPA isn’t necessarily casting doubt on the NFL’s stance. They’re calling for more transparency, which they’re well within their rights to do. It’s not their function to merely take the league at their word.
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What has gone wrong for the 2-4 Rams after ‘superteam’ hype?
[Note from BiB: Washington hosts the Rams in Week 9, which now appears to be a very winnable game]
It was one thing when the Rams could explain away their losses to good teams with excuses.
Well, the alarms are now going off in Los Angeles. On Sunday, the Rams lost 18-16 at home to a 1-4 Cardinals team, the sort of defeat that inspires soul searching and painful self-reflection. Any team can lose when the turnovers don’t bounce its way or an injury unexpectedly costs it a key player, but neither of those were the case against Arizona. And while the Rams lost new kicker Blake Grupe to an early-game knee injury, special teams weren’t really to blame for the loss, either.
Are the 2-4 Rams, who were the prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl after acquiring Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie and bringing Aaron Donald out of retirement this offseason, just not very good? Do we know enough after six games to say with confidence that the superteam Rams we expected to see heading into the season aren’t ever going to show up on the field in 2026? Is it time to write them off as Super Bowl contenders?
I’m going to take a deep dive into what has gone wrong for the Rams, how it cost them the game against the Cardinals and whether they can expect things to get better in the weeks to come. There’s no single glaring problem, but there are real issues that need to be addressed if the preseason favorites want to get their title chase back on track. Let’s run through what our expectations were in August and how things have differed through Week 6.
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More about the Rams from ESPN:
There’s an easy trap to fall into here — where we compare 2025 to 2026 and try to figure out what’s missing from last year. It can make it hard to step back and see the whole picture; what has been missing since before 2025, but was covered up and is now finally getting exposed.
Stafford can’t move. He was never the most mobile quarterback, but the Rams were willing to use him on boots in the past. In 2024, 16.8% of Stafford’s pass attempts were on the run — an above-average number! That fell to 13.9% in 2025 and is down to 9.6% in 2026. Sure, designed rollouts are down — but it isn’t just that. Stafford has zero scrambling passing yards on the season per NFL Next Gen Stats. He has yet to break the pocket and complete a pass on a scramble drill. The last quarterback to log no scramble passing yards through six weeks of a season was 2022 Tom Brady — the final season of a pocket passing titan.
Nobody is going to stand here and argue that the Rams’ passing offense was good in 2025 because of Stafford’s scrambling ability. But without second-reaction plays from the quarterback, an offense cannot easily recover once broken.
Opposing defenses will continue making Stafford’s lack of escapability a pressure point in Los Angeles until he goes back to punishing them with big downfield connections or Sean McVay finds a schematic counterpunch to the weakness in the pocket.
To read more of this 2nd ESPN article, CLICK HERE
The Ringer
Loser: The Rams’ Special Teams (Forever and Always)
Somehow, amid all the fuck-them-picks, let’s-build-a-superteam bargaining the Rams have done with the football gods during Sean McVay’s decade in L.A., they wound up with the league’s most cursed special teams unit. That can be the only explanation at this point, right? We’ll let you have Matthew Stafford, but you’ll never have a reliable kicker, the gods must have said. Aaron Donald will come out of retirement, but every punt return will be an adventure.
The Rams’ special teams unit is a week-to-week punch line. Just a complete comedy of errors at this point. Six days after losing to the Bills on Monday Night Football because of a blocked field goal (that probably would have sailed wide anyway), and five days after cutting the Thicker Kicker (Harrison Mevis) and signing a svelte kicker (Blake Grupe), the Rams lost that new kicker to an injury when he tried to make a tackle on a kickoff return. The Rams then lost the game to the Cardinals 18-16. It’s ironic, probably, that the Cardinals won the game without scoring a touchdown; they just needed six field goals from their stalwart kicker, Chad Ryland.
Playing most of the game without a kicker meant that punter Ethan Evans had to handle kickoffs and that the Rams offense needed to go for two after their first touchdown (and they failed, hilariously so). When the Rams later had Evans attempt a PAT in the fourth quarter, backup QB Stetson Bennett had to enter the game as the new holder, and everyone at SoFi Stadium was probably holding their breath—even as the ball slipped between the uprights.
The Rams rank last in total special teams EPA through Week 6—there’s such a massive gap between the Rams at no. 32 and the 49ers at no. 29 that even if San Francisco melts down on every kick return and field goal attempt on Monday night, it’s unlikely they’ll catch up to the Rams when it comes to special teams ineptitude.
Special teams has been the Achilles’ heel of just about every McVay team. The Rams are last in special teams EPA since 2020 and have finished 30th or lower four times since then. They are well on their way to being not just last in the league in 2026 but one of the worst special teams units since 2000. They are averaging about six EPA lost on all special teams plays (kickoff and punt returns, field goal attempts, extra points, and two-point conversions). Of the 862 team seasons in the TruMedia database, the 2026 Rams rank 799th in special teams EPA. And if they continue at their current rate, they’ll become one of only two teams this quarter century to lose more than 100 EPA on special teams. (The 2000 Bills are last, with minus-109.45!)
And it’s not like this isn’t an acknowledged problem! This offseason, the Rams invested heavily in trying to fix what was the league’s second-worst special teams unit in 2025. McVay fired his ST coordinator before last season was even over and brought in Bubba Ventrone, a widely respected special teams coach who excelled as a ’teamer when he played in New England and as a young coach in Cleveland. The team signed a veteran long snapper, Joe Cardona, and linebacker Grant Stuard, a special teams coverage ace from Detroit. And yet the Rams continue to find new and increasingly embarrassing ways to lose games on special teams. They’ve now lost because of a kicker and because they’ve been without one. What fresh hell will the football gods inflict on the Rams next week?
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NFL.com
ESPN, Lucasfilm, NFL to put Super Bowl LXI in ‘a galaxy far, far away’ with Star Wars
ESPN, Lucasfilm, Disney and the NFL will present a real-time, animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars galaxy and featuring characters from across the Lucasfilm franchise, including original 1977 cast member Anthony Daniels returning to voice C-3PO. Extending the Emmy-winning Funday Football brand to America’s biggest game, Star Wars Funday Football will stream live on Disney+ and the ESPN App, and air on Disney Channel and Disney XD on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027, giving fans of all ages a new way to experience ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl production.
Star Wars Funday Football will be presented alongside the traditional telecast with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge on ESPN, ABC and Disney+ from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. ESPN’s Spanish-language telecast will be available on Disney+ and ESPN Deportes, with a separate Spanish-language presentation on Univision.
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ESPN
I think … the following Eagles will be traded to the following teams
I expect the Eagles to trade away multiple players at the deadline. It’s Howie Roseman! How could they not?
At 2-4 and with quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve for the rest of the year, the season is lost. Sure, they have enough talent to finish 8-9 or 7-10 — Tanner McKee is not a terrible backup, receiver DeVonta Smith is back in the starting lineup, running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and guard Landon Dickerson (knee) are soon to join him, and that defense still has the potential to cause problems for opponents. But Howie Roseman is not the sort of general manager to limp to 8-9 when there are big offseason decisions to be made.
Will Hurts still be the franchise quarterback in Philadelphia? On “This is Football with Kevin Clark” last week, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport openly wondered about the Eagles’ plan for Hurts this offseason — that was before blood clots ended his 2026 season. Will Nick Sirianni still the head coach in Philadelphia? He won a Super Bowl, but his inability to develop coaches and key game-management failures this season invite questions as to his job security.
If I were an opposing general manager, I’d be calling about everyone: Smith, offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell … everyone. Some guys will be untouchable, but here’s who I think has a legitimate shot to get moved and where they end up.
CB Riq Woolen to the Bears for a 2027 fourth-round pick
Woolen is one of the more interesting trade candidates in Philadelphia. The Eagles clearly intended to make Woolen a one-year player and recoup a compensatory draft pick for him next year after a strong season in Vic Fangio’s defense. That plan hasn’t gone entirely swimmingly — Woolen’s play has been up-and-down, and his penalty woes have continued.
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