Author: alaskaadmin

Welcome to the Quarterback Notebook, where I’ll cover the past week in NFL quarterbacking — from the most interesting passers, plays and storylines to some other stuff that caught my eye while watching film this week. This week, we’ll look at how Aaron Rodgers is holding the Steelers’ offense back, check in with Drew Lock, and ask Baker Mayfield to chill out. Let’s talk quarterbacks. The Steelers’ offense has been flat-out unwatchable to start the season. Even with the aid of a Cooper Rush turnover spree in Week 1, Pittsburgh ranks 31st in points per drive, expected points added (EPA) per play, and success rate. The offense is generating explosive plays at the fourth-lowest rate, and only the Packers have been worse on third down. Through two weeks, nothing is working, and Aaron Rodgers is pointing fingers at himself … kind of. “We need to be better, and it starts with me,” the Steelers quarterback said after Sunday’s three-point performance in a loss to New England. But just when you thought he was about to take some accountability, he kept talking: “It starts with me, at like, making sure Mike [McCarthy] knows what’s working and not working, so we can call stuff that has a better chance.” That’s right, Rodgers believes the solution to Pittsburgh’s offensive woes is more play-calling input from himself. In the second half of the Patriots game, we got a little preview of what the Steelers’ offense could look like with Rodgers running the show, and it looked a lot like the offenses we’ve seen him lead in Pittsburgh and New York over the past few years. Rodgers lined up in the gun and got rid of the ball as quickly as possible. The main aim of his preferred offensive approach seems to be reducing the hits he takes. Rodgers doesn’t want to hold the football any longer than he has to, and the explosive plays McCarthy is so keen on creating require it. And that’s the primary issue with the Steelers offense: Rodgers gets worse the longer he holds the ball. That’s what separates this version of Rodgers from the back-to-back MVP we saw in Green Bay at the start of the decade. On dropbacks that last more than 2.5 seconds, Rodgers is averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt through two weeks, per Next Gen Stats. That’s down from 6.8 in 2025, continuing a downward trend dating back to 2021. Rodgers wants to play a point-guard-like role but is no longer interested in creating. That, of course, would require him to hold onto the ball longer and expose himself to more hits. And maybe that’s for the best. Rodgers still has some talent left in his right arm. He’ll show it off a few times a week, but he can no longer hit tough throws with regularity, which was a hallmark of his game when he was playing at an MVP level. He has a sub-40 passer rating on throws with a completion probability under 50%, averaging just 2.9 yards per attempt, per Next Gen Stats. Back in 2021, Rodgers had a passer rating over 90 on such throws, averaging 7.9 yards per attempt. Once again, we’ve seen a steady decline in his production on those plays over the past few years. Rodgers seems to think he can make up for his waning physical abilities with his advanced football IQ by getting the Steelers into good plays based on what he’s seeing pre-snap. Rodgers likes to boast about his pre-snap acumen, but plenty of examples show him making poor decisions at the line. Take this play from Sunday’s loss. McCarthy has a toss play to the running back called, and the Steelers have the right blocking matchups to make it work. But Rodgers sees Pats cornerback Christian Gonzalez playing off-coverage on DK Metcalf and decides that flipping a quick pass out to him is the better option. It was not … Had Rodgers just stuck with the original play, the Steelers might’ve picked up a nice chunk that kept them ahead of the chains. Instead, they ended up in a second-and-long with a quarterback uninterested in pushing the ball downfield. You can probably guess how that series ended. I’m not sure if there are any remedies for what ails the offense, but leaning on Rodgers even more than they already have won’t fix anything. Like a Rodgers dropback, the sooner this era of Steelers football ends, the better. After three rough halves to start the season, the Broncos’ offense flipped a switch in their second-half comeback over the Jaguars. Whether it was first-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb or head coachSean Payton acting as a shadow play-caller, someone on Denver’s staff came up with the idea to get Bo Nix on the move, and it seemed to unlock something in the third-year passer. Nix connected on 4-of-5 passes made on the run and averaged over 11 yards per attempt in the second half, per Next Gen Stats. That doesn’t include this 49-yard dime to Jaylen Waddle, which led to Denver’s first points in the second quarter. Nix isn’t known for his downfield passing prowess, but when he gets outside of the pocket, that part of his game seems to open up. Nix has really struggled when throwing to the intermediate parts of the field, which is awfully important for sustaining an effective NFL passing game. He’s completed just 46% of his attempts into that range when throwing from the pocket, per Next Gen Stats. Put Nix on the move, though, and his completion percentage on intermediate throws jumps to 55%. He’s one of the rare quarterbacks who’s more accurate when throwing on the run. That’s more of an indictment of Nix’s ability to throw from a stationary position than anything else. His production when throwing on the run is around league average. It’s less of a superpower and more of a crutch — a crutch the Broncos coaching staff has leaned on heavily. Since he entered the league in 2024, Nix has thrown for more passing yards on the run than any quarterback in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. I’m not sure Payton and Webb can squeeze any more juice out of Nix’s mobility than they already have. And calling designed rollouts can limit the passing game, as it usually cuts the field in half for the offense. Nix must improve his play from the pocket if this offense is going to take the next step and get the most out of a stacked supporting cast. The 26-year-old did offer some glimmers of hope against Jacksonville. This was a throw Nix has rarely made with confidence throughout his career. And there were a few other examples of Nix ripping a throw into a tight zone window with confidence and anticipation in Sunday’s game. That’s a good sign. As Nix gets more comfortable targeting the middle of the field, we should see even more of those flashes; but until he cleans up his footwork in the pocket, accuracy will be a limiting factor, and Denver’s coaching staff will have to find more creative ways to get him moving. The ink is barely dry on the three-year, $165 million extension Baker Mayfield signed with the Buccaneers right before the season, but I’m wondering if the last two weeks have the front office already looking for an off-ramp. General manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles said a lot of nice things about their quarterback throughout the somewhat contentious negotiations, but it wasn’t hard to read between the lines to figure out where their concerns lay. “The main thing is not turning the ball over and sometimes checking it down,” Bowles said in the offseason. “Understanding when he gets out of the pocket — he makes some great scrambles — but understanding how to get down and putting himself out of harm’s way.” We’re two games into Mayfield’s new contract, and not much has changed. He’s tied for the league lead in “turnover-worthy plays” (per Pro Football Focus), and we’ve already seen a handful of daring scrambles that make it look like Mayfield has been possessed by the spirit of Cam Skattebo. This play against the Bengals was a two-for, with Mayfield taking an unnecessary hit and coughing up the ball in the red zone. Hopefully, someone on the Bucs coaching staff talked with Mayfield after this play in the loss to the Browns, where he decided that taking a defender head-on was a better option than running out of bounds or throwing the ball away. Look, when Mayfield was on heavily discounted deals, those displays of toughness were admirable. Now that he’s making top-of-the-league money, they’re unacceptable. For better or worse, the Bucs are locked into the Baker Mayfield business for the next three seasons. In 2029, the team can get out of the deal without taking on a massive cap penalty. If his judgment doesn’t improve—whether it’s protecting himself or the football—that will feel like a long wait. I’ll give Drew Lock this: he’s a lot of fun to watch. Watch him whip a throw over the middle of the field, and you can see why the Broncos once viewed him as their quarterback of the future. If he can keep this up while Sam Darnold works his way back from a hip injury, another team may view him in the same light next offseason. My money’s on the Falcons. I’m still not a believer after Sunday’s impressive showing. Seattle’s offensive line kept him in clean pockets all day, and we still saw glimpses of the inaccuracy and shoddy footwork that sabotaged Lock’s stint in Denver. There are far better ways to spend $30 million. You have to watch this one from the end zone angle to fully appreciate the play Joe Burrow makes here. With pressure bearing down on him, Burrow throws a no-look pass that dekes the defender in coverage and opens up the window to hit Tee Higgins and move the chains on third down. The play requires pocket presence, accuracy, anticipation, and a little bit of creativity. Look, I’m not the biggest fan of Michael Penix Jr.’s game, but I am thankful that he’s returning for Week 3. I couldn’t do another week of Cooper Rush, who’s still making rookie mistakes in his 10th year. This pick was a high school-level blunder. Devin Lloyd barely moves on the play, and Rush throws it directly to him. To make matters worse, Rush badly whiffs on a tackle and nearly takes his teammate out in the process.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Losing Jaxson Dart to a knee injury on Monday night was a “gut punch” to the New York Giants, in the words of his replacement. And that was before they learned that their franchise quarterback might be lost for the entire season. Now that body shot is in danger of turning into a knockout blow, ruining what once seemed like such a promising season. And only Jameis Winston can step in and save the Giants. But that’s mostly because the Giants have no other choice. Like it or not, the 32-year-old Winston is the best of the terrible options facing the Giants if it does turn out that Dart is done for the year. There is no Joe Flacco-like, plug-and-play starting quarterback sitting in free agency. Most of the backups who might be available in a trade aren’t much of an upgrade either. And the good ones who could provide some excitement will surely cost more than the Giants would be willing to give up. Which is why it’s Winston-or-bust for this star-crossed team in 2026, if what Giants coach John Harbaugh called the “ongoing process of evaluation” of Dart’s knee reveals the season-ending injury they so obviously fear. The Giants will say that’s not so bad. After all, they liked Winston enough to sign him to a two-year, $13 million contract extension just two weeks ago, making him one of the highest-paid backup QBs in the league. But their faith in him was mostly a short-term proposition. They saw him, according to a team source, as a solid veteran who was smart and talented enough to get them through a short stretch if Dart went down. Their faith gets shakier when it’s a long-term proposition they were hoping to avoid, especially since Winston last started more than seven games in a season seven years ago. That year, if you don’t recall, was a great example of the full Jameis Winston experience. His cannon arm threw for 5,109 yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 — still the fifth-highest total ever. He also threw a career-high 33 touchdown passes. But he countered that with a ridiculous 30 interceptions (seventh all time, and the most in more than 30 years) as the Bucs went 7-9. Ideally, the Giants could keep their playoff hopes alive by acquiring someone that would make them less … nauseous. But look at the landscape. The other options are mostly even worse. Flacco would be an upgrade, even at age 41. He was terrific for the Bengals in six starts last season, and he’s got a long history with Harbaugh from their days in Baltimore. But he’s the only backup to Joe Burrow on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. He’s the insurance policy, so he’s not going anywhere. Everyone else? Yuck, either because of what they’d cost or who they are. Let’s run through some names to illustrate the point (and the Giants’ predicament). Mac Jones: The 49ers have reportedly wanted a second-round pick plus more when teams inquired about him over the past year. That’s too high of a price to pay, even if the Niners are selling. Shedeur Sanders: He’s got his supporters, but even the Browns aren’t sure he has a future. And the last thing the Giants need is a quarterback learning on the job. Derek Carr: There have been rumors that he’d consider unretiring for the right opportunity, but he’s 35 and hasn’t played in almost two full years. Carson Wentz: He was with Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy in Kansas City last year, but the Vikings don’t like J.J. McCarthy enough anymore to trade Kyler Murray’s backup. Jacoby Brissett: Presumably, the Cardinals could deal him if they decide to move on to Gardner Minshew or rookie Carson Beck. But if Brissett loses his job to either of them, is he really an upgrade? Jimmy Garoppolo: The 34-year-old is also open to unretiring, but the last anyone really saw him was when he lost his job to Aidan O’Connell. That was three years ago now. Tommy DeVito: The Italians of Northern New Jersey would be thrilled, but even if the Patriots made him available, the Giants already know his train won’t carry them far. There are others, of course. Josh Johnson’s never-ending NFL story is currently playing out on the Bengals practice squad. Maybe Eagles GM Howie Roseman would be willing to swindle the Giants into a lopsided deal for veteran Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee. See, if there really are better options out there, they probably aren’t available anyway. Because why would any team be willing to trade a capable backup in the wake of the Week 2 carnage that saw three talented young quarterbacks (Dart, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams) go down? This after Sam Darnold and Murray were knocked out in Week 1 and Tua Tagovailoa was injured before the season opener. At least Winston knows the Giants’ offense and has had time practicing with their players. That doesn’t count for much, but it’s better than nothing at all. OK, maybe it’s not much better. The Giants are almost certainly damned no matter what they do. Their best hope is that Winston can be the short-term solution they believed he was and guide them through the easiest stretch of their schedule — New York’s next three games are at home against the Tennessee Titans (0-2) and the Arizona Cardinals (1-1) and then at the Washington Commanders (0-2). If the Giants’ defense and running game are what they think they are, a 3-2 or 4-1 record with Winston at the helm isn’t that far out of reach. After that … well, that’s where the Jameis Winston experience could get wild. But there just aren’t many better rides out there that would get the Giants to the place they eventually hoped to be. So their best bet is to commit all their first-team reps to Winston and see where he takes them. It could be a very bumpy ride, though. Buckle up, Giants fans.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Caleb Williams has a habit of making us — the NFL world — uncomfortable. He doesn’t care about optics. He doesn’t waste thought on what the average NFL fan (or GM or coach) might think. He reacts authentically. He’s sensitive. He feels. He hurts — publicly. You don’t see that often in the NFL. You don’t see that enough, frankly. Think back to when he sought out his mother to cry in her arms at USC. Think back to when he used to let his mother paint his nails. Think back to that photoshoot where Williams was sitting in a — how to put this? — vulnerable position. And, of course, think back to Sunday when he sat on the injury cart and pumped his fist with tears in his eyes. That’s the incident that’s all over social media. You can guess by now: I don’t have a problem with it. And it’s hilarious to watch people crying on social media with criticisms about … another man crying. But it’s no surprise. Hypocrisy isn’t hard to find on X, Instagram or TikTok. The criticism is getting absurd. The memes — well, some of them are objectively funny. The silliness is fair, now that we know he could play again in Week 3. This is 2026. Williams isn’t just a public figure — he’s the NFL’s rising superstar, fed to fans all offseason through the media and Madden hype. He has opted into some of that, but not all. (The Bears and Williams, for example, declined a one-on-one interview when I visited camp this summer, in part because the buzz was going too far.) After putting up 59 points in Week 1, the Bears’ matchup against the Vikings was the most anticipated matchup of Week 2. When he does something objectively theatrical, people will respond with good-natured jokes. But the genuine pearl-clutching and hand-wringing? The idea that the injury cart is somehow sacred and reserved only for career-ending injuries? Get out of here. Let’s go back to the play where the injury happened for context. Trying to escape a sack late in the fourth quarter, Williams slid. He held his hamstring and screamed, captured clearly by the broadcast. He banged the turf with his fist in frustration. The team got out the cart, and — this part you’ve surely seen — he covered his face with a towel, eventually pulling it away to show his red, watery eyes. He pumped the air, like he was Kobe Bryant after tearing his Achilles. This is high drama worthy of reality television. But folks, I hate to break it to you. The NFL is reality television. The NFL is all about its drama. It’s no mystery why Madden wanted to put Williams on its cover. He’s fascinating on and off the field. He’s a great football player. But he’s also unique. And it’s this sensitivity that — I think — makes him different than the average NFL player, coach or fan. I can see why Williams was upset. It’s not all that different than the last time we saw him publicly crying after that big loss at USC. It was the sheer disappointment of a missed opportunity. He was on the 6-yard line — just a handful of yards away from a go-ahead touchdown. In an ugly game. Against a division rival. If he and the Bears had scored, no one would have cared that the Vikings won the X’s and O’s and stymied what was supposed to be a historic Bears offense. That’s a tough thing for an injury to take away. We also have no idea what that injury might have felt like — the level of pain. But I’m sure everyone can relate to a disappointment of this magnitude. The season looked so promising, even in that ugly game. For the rest of the fourth quarter, it looked like Williams’ season might be in jeopardy. Williams had to reconcile with his game — and his season — ending in major disappointment. Then we got the first sign of good news. “I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee. That was my first inclination,” coach Ben Johnson said during a postgame press conference. “But yeah, the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there. … We need the points desperately at that point. It’s a shame.” Now here’s a criticism that I’ll buy: Williams’ theatrics distracted the team’s focus at the game’s most crucial moments. “Everybody wants to keep morale up,” Bears defensive lineman Grady Jarrett told reporters after the game. “Because Caleb is the guy here, and so nobody wants to see him go down. Definitely have got to rally up, do more. We’ve got to finish the game at the end of the day.” It’s a bit hypothetical for my taste to wonder if the Bears would’ve won if Williams hadn’t taken the cart, hadn’t pumped his fist and didn’t have tears in his eyes? If the answer is yes, then the Bears have to examine their team-wide focus before examining Williams’, because one man’s tears should not leave the other 47 players without resolve. Football is a sport where toughness is — quite literally — on a player’s scouting report. Obviously, this series of events left us questioning Williams’ toughness. But bigger than that, if Williams is a superstar and he isn’t “tough,” can he be successful in the NFL? The way I see it: The tears don’t matter. The hamstring injury does. If there was a way for Williams to play through the injury, then there’s a problem there, because his departure worsened their chances. If there was no way for Williams to get back on the field, then what are we arguing about? The manner that he left the field? Again, get out of here. Let’s all take this opportunity to take a deep breath and try to get comfortable with seeing a grown man cry. From my vantage, that’s what this is about. People don’t like seeing their quarterback cry. I’m not one of them. I’m all for it.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports