Patrick Mahomes’ moment, Earl Thomas released, COVID scare and more
The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl favorites, and Patrick Mahomes has a chance to enhance his legacy to legendary status.
Patrick Mahomes is a champion. In 2020, he can cement himself among the game’s all-time elite.
Mahomes’ accolades are well-known. He has won the NFL MVP. He has been the Super Bowl MVP. He’s a champion. An All-Pro. A two-time Pro Bowler, and only the second quarterback to ever eclipse 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdown passes in a season.
He’s 24 years old.
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years, and are betting favorites to become the first repeat champion since the 2004 New England Patriots. Their offseason was sublime, with general manager Brett Veach retaining every player who earned at least 60 percent of his unit’s snaps.
In short, the Chiefs are primed for the best title defense we’ve seen in years with talk of being a dynasty in the air.
And, yet, it could evaporate quickly.
In 2010, the Green Bay Packers won it all with Aaron Rodgers entering his prime. The Packers went 15-1 the following year — ironically their lone regular-season loss coming to the Chiefs — before shockingly losing to the New York Giants in the NFC Divisionals.
Rodgers has never been back to the Super Bowl.
In 2013, the Seattle Seahawks were crowned champions in Russell Wilson’s second season. The next year, Wilson and Co. were back and a yard away from repeating. Enter Malcolm Butler.
Mahomes has the opportunity to become only the eighth starting quarterback in the Super Bowl era to repeat as champion, and the fourth in the salary cap era (1993-present) alongside Troy Aikman, John Elway and Tom Brady.
Both Aikman and Elway were first-ballot Hall of Famers. Brady certainly will be.
In the current state, both Mahomes and the Chiefs appear to have a limitless future together. History says limits often appear without warning in the NFL.
Ask Aikman, who watched head coach Jimmy Johnson be fired by his Dallas Cowboys after a second straight title. Or Joe Montana, whose bid for a three-peat was ended on a crushing Leonard Marshall hit. Montana missed the next two seasons and never started another game for the San Francisco 49ers.
This campaign could be a defining moment for Mahomes if he navigates it successfully.
Make no mistake, Mahomes is already in an elite group. Only 13 other quarterbacks have ever won a Super Bowl and MVP. The Texas Tech product is clearly on a Hall of Fame path, but ask Rodgers or Drew Brees about what a second title would mean. Especially back-to-back in an era where it’s absurdly difficult to do so.
Yet Kansas City is primed for an awesome run in a weak conference. The coaching staff is back in its entirety, something that almost never happens for a defending champion. The offense features a comical amount of talent, and everybody is either before or in their best years.
Often, Kansas City will put Mahomes, Kelce, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, receivers Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Sammy Watkins on the field together frequently.
Good luck stopping that.
In today’s NFL, it’s near impossible to put together the roster Veach has stitched for the Chiefs. Yet he’s done it, giving his superstar quarterback the opportunity to become one of the all-time greats from a historical standpoint before turning 26.
This season is about many things. COVID-19. Brees’ likely last season. Brady with the Bucs. So on.
It’s also about the game’s biggest star and greatest player trying to firm up his place in history on a team that appears ready for further greatness.
Power rankings
Top 10 current head coach-quarterback combinations
1. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
2. Sean Payton and Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints
3. Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks
4. John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
5. Bruce Arians and Tom Brady – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers
8. Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings
9. Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles
10. Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys
Quotable
"“Everything we do has a purpose. We’re very intent on explaining to our team why we’re doing things the way we’re doing them. I’m a big believer in educating our team in why we’re doing things. That we’re not just out there blindly winging it and trying to go ahead and force punishment. I explained the other day, when you make mistakes on the field, there are consequences. In the game, it’s penalty yards. At a practice, we have to understand that there are consequences for mistakes. This isn’t a punishment. It’s a reminder that we have to draw our attention and be more detailed with how we approach things.”"
– Giants head coach Joe Judge on players, coaches running laps for mistakes
This is a recipe for disaster. There’s nothing wrong with Judge demanding accountability, but this is the NFL, not college. Kids will run, pros will call their agents.
Judge has to understand his station. He’s the head coach, yes, but he’s won as many games in said position as you and I. He doesn’t have clout. Nobody in uniform cares if he’s won as an assistant under Bill Belichick. The reality is he’s one of the more unproven hires in recent league history.
The Giants can’t afford another mess. If this season goes really south, general manager Dave Gettleman could be gone and certainly, Judge would go with him. No outside GM is coming to New York and being saddled with a coach he didn’t pick.
Random stat
In the 1970s, the Los Angeles Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers 17-of-20 times.
In the ’90s, the roles reversed, with the Niners winning 17-of-20 battles between the foes.
Info learned this week
1. Ravens right to move on after Thomas throws punch
The Ravens sent Earl Thomas home before the weekend, this after he punched fellow safety Chuck Clark. Then, on Sunday, Baltimore released the seven-time Pro Bowler.
For general manager Eric DeCosta, releasing Thomas after a tumultuous year in Charm City results in a one-year, $22 million deal for the future Hall-of-Famer. If the team doesn’t win the inevitable battle over whether his “conduct detrimental to the team” clause can be invoked, Baltimore will have dead cap hits of $10 million in 2021 and $5 million the following year.
However, Thomas might have given Baltimore its out. When he posted a video of the incident on his Instagram page, the Ravens were given a great opportunity to argue their side. This is a clause in every contract and if breached, can be used for immediate termination of the deal. Thomas may have made a very, very costly mistake in posting the video.
One last thought: While it’s costly regardless of the aforementioned contract situation, Baltimore did the right thing. Thomas’ tenure clearly hadn’t gone well internally, because no team moves on from an elite talent — even a slightly declining one — over one skirmish in training camp. The players wanted him gone, and now he is.
For the Ravens, this is a Super Bowl year. It’s off to a rocky start.
2. Policy on fans continues to be scattershot for NFL teams
The Chiefs won’t be playing to an empty stadium come Week 1. They aren’t alone. Yet plenty of others have decided to close their gates.
Kansas City announced it will house approximately 17,000 fans for each of its first three home games before reevaluating. The Jacksonville Jaguars are allowing for 25 percent capacity, while Baltimore is hoping to include 7,500 people for their opener.
The Cowboys are also planning on having fans, although nothing has been formally announced after Jerry Jones talked about an open roof and leaving a door open for a vacuum effect. Seriously.
The NFL’s other 28 teams have either not released plans or aren’t going to have fans at the outset. If no outbreaks result from the four teams housing fans, perhaps other owners will be emboldened to welcome patrons come October.
It’s interesting the NFL isn’t going with a uniform policy of no fans early. While increased revenue is always king, the idea of some teams having a home-field advantage — even a minor one — while most others don’t is a question of fair competition.
Still, the league has left the decision to state guidelines and team judgement. We’ll see how all involved adjust over the coming weeks and months.
3. Washington’s Rivera battling cancer on eve of season
Ron Rivera is taking on a new fight, one he’s prepared to win.
On Thursday night, it was reported Rivera has been diagnosed with squamous cell cancer. The shocking news was tinged with positivity, as the coach says it’s considered very treatable and was caught early.
Despite the health crisis, Rivera is planning on coaching through a recovery regimen that includes treatment five days per week for almost two months. Rivera, in his first year with the Washington Football Team, isn’t considering stepping away despite battling cancer while attempting to avoid contracting COVID-19.
Our best wishes to Rivera, one of the NFL’s true good guys.
4. Deluge of false-positives presents NFL with major question
The NFL dodged the proverbial bullet on Sunday. But what if this was a Sunday in October?
Yesterday, the league had a scare when ample tests from the BioReference lab in New Jersey — which handles 10 teams’ COVID-19 tests — had a run of faulty tests. The result was many clubs involved postponing their practices until it was confirmed the cases were not legitimate.
In one way, the error was a blessing for the NFL. It had a morning of going through protocols and procedures, evidenced in Cleveland with the sanitation of the building and subsequent contract tracing methods.
However, it also represented what could happen if testing goes haywire on a Sunday in, say, a month from now. The league has to be concerned about one of the labs it’s working with having such a widespread issue. If that happens in Week 5, you’re likely looking at a bevy of cancelled games and the schedule being thrown into chaos.
Crisis averted, at least for now.
5. Clowney remains on market as he continues to overplay hand
The Jadeveon Clowney situation is both informative for future free agents and increasingly pitiful.
Clowney entered the offseason as one of the top free agents. It’s now Aug. 24, and he’s without a team. The former No. 1 overall pick, according to sources, wanted $20 million from the Texans when he was tagged in 2019. Houston didn’t see the value and moved him to the Seahawks. Clowney wanted the same price on the open market in March. He didn’t get the offers.
Fast forward to August, and Clowney has priced himself out of most team’s budgets. The Cleveland Browns made a real offer to him this spring, and Clowney balked. The Tennessee Titans were interested for quite some time, but no deal materialized. Maybe those teams circle back, but the first round of offers is always the best.
After notching only three sacks last year, nobody was paying him like DeMarcus Lawrence or Frank Clark. Clowney is a terrific player — who ranked 10th in pressures in 2019 and is one of the best edge defenders against the run — but teams don’t pay huge money for those metrics. They pay for sacks, wise or not.
Clowney can wait all he wants, but his reality is simple. He’s getting a cheap, one-year deal.
Two cents
The Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers are going to be entertaining. However, being good is a different task.
Both teams have playmakers abound. In Vegas, there’s Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow and Tyrell Williams on the outside with Josh Jacobs in the backfield and Darren Waller up the seam.
For the Panthers, there’s the best dual-threat in football with Christian McCaffrey and a fun tandem of receivers in D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel. Factor in first-year head coach Matt Rhule — known for his schemes — and the Panthers are going to move the ball at will.
The problems, though, are twofold and identical for each team.
Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater are solid, but far from spectacular. Carr is superior to Bridgewater, but the style is similar. Make the safe throw, don’t turn the ball over, play from the pocket. In 2020, that’s not enough to beat top-tier teams.
Then there’s the defenses. Carolina’s group was so bad that in April, general manager Marty Hurney used every draft pick on it. The Panthers will have more talent, but it’s raw. For the Raiders, Maxx Crosby is an ascending star, but beyond him is a mishmash of older veterans and unproven youngsters. Tough year ahead on that side of the ball.
Las Vegas and Carolina will be fun, but both need more defensively, and under center, to compete.
Gambler’s Game
Looking for a good value bet on a Super Bowl LV champ? Try the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta is 60-1 to hoist its first Lombardi Trophy, tied with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Giants. With due respect to the oddsmakers, what?
Last year, the Falcons defense was transformed after eight games when now-coordinator Raheem Morris took over for Dan Quinn. The unit had been allowing 29.6 points and 379.5 yards per game with only seven total sacks.
After Morris got the call sheet? Atlanta limited opponents to 17.6 points and 319.6 yards per game and amassed 21 sacks.
Combined with a talented offense featuring quarterback Matt Ryan and receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, the Falcons are worth a small bet for a potentially huge payoff.
Inside the league
Young receivers are making waves around training camps.
Sampling a variety of league contacts, a few under-the-radar names came up as worth watching heading into 2020.
In Jacksonville, the Jaguars could have a steal in second-rounder Laviska Shenault Jr. Thought by some league personnel men to be a first-round talent, general manager Dave Caldwell plucked Shenault from the University of Colorado. There, he racked up 1,775 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons despite lackluster quarterback play.
Despite falling in the draft due to a core muscle injury and a 4.58 40-time at the NFL Combine, Shenault is making an impact in Duval. He could see a bevy of snaps alongside emerging star D.J. Chark and veteran Chris Conley. At 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds, he’s a big-bodied target for second-year quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Staying in the AFC, Jody Fortson is turning heads in Kansas City. Unlike Shenault, Fortson won’t see a ton of offensive snaps this season even in a best-case scenario considering the depth chart of Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson.
Still, the 24-year-old impressed the Chiefs while on the practice squad as a rookie in 2019 after choosing Kansas City over San Francisco as a UDFA. After working in Dallas during the offseason at Michael Johnson Sports Performance, Fortson has put together a string of quality days for the defending champions, making him a viable option to earn a roster spot.
League sources believe Fortson may be plucked off the practice squad if placed on it this time around, considering his play this summer and the increase in active roster size from 53 to 55.
One other note on Fortson: At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, he’s an intriguing chess piece. While Kansas City hasn’t given him run at tight end, he could serve as a backup to Travis Kelce considering the camp injuries to veterans Deon Yelder and Ricky Seals-Jones.
Finally, the Eagles had a dire situation at receiver last year due to a talent drain and injuries. They shouldn’t have the same issue in 2020 with both first-round pick Jalen Reagor and 2019 second-round choice J.J. Arcega-Whiteside making cases for large target shares.
Reagor shocked many when selected ahead of Justin Jefferson, who went one spot later to the Vikings. However, the TCU product has been a star of camp. He hasn’t been along, with Arcega-Whiteside making a bid to rebound from a quiet rookie season.
The Stanford product caught only 10 passes in ’19, but the offseason appears to have served him well. Some around the NFL see him as a breakout candidate in an offense poised to be explosive behind Carson Wentz, running back Miles Sanders, tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, and the aforementioned receivers alongside DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery.
History lesson
The 1985 Miami Dolphins offer up one of the great what-if questions in NFL history.
Miami, led by Hall of Fame coach Don Shula and quarterback Dan Marino, went 12-4 en route to a fifth-straight AFC East title. Most notably, the Dolphins hammered the previously-undefeated Chicago Bears in Week 13, hanging 38 points on the famed “46” defense.
Incredibly, Miami lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at the Orange Bowl due to six turnovers. It was the first time in 19 tilts the Dolphins lost to New England at home.
Predictably, Chicago crushed Tony Eason and the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, 46-10. If Miami had been there, we get one of the great matchups ever. Alas.
Parting shot
What to make of the Detroit Lions?
Detroit has the makings of a fun offense, but questions abound. Can second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson find his form after an injury-marred rookie season? Can Matthew Stafford stay healthy entering his 11th season? Will the offensive line hold up after losing guard Graham Glasgow and right tackle Ricky Wagner?
If those questions are answered affirmatively, Detroit will have a terrific offense. The receivers are excellent in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, and the backfield duo of D’Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson is an exciting one.
Defensively, can Jeffrey Okudah seemingly replace Darius Slay? Will head coach Matt Patricia find enough pass rush with Trey Flowers and a litany of unknowns?
The Lions are a team reasonably long on talent but equally long on ifs. It’s a tough position considering the strength of the NFC North and Patricia’s lack of a winning track record.
Still, Detroit is worth watching closely. Stafford can play, his weapons are above-average and the defense has upside through its youth. Don’t sleep on Motown.