Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, right, greets Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) after an NFL football game Wednesday, Dec 2, 2020, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 19-14. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
One day in the not so distant future both Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin will be headed to Canton. For now the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and head coach are headed in another direction — winning the AFC North.
Pittsburgh’s upset of Baltimore Sunday moved the Steelers back atop the division and set up an interesting final month of the season. Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP, will try to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. And Tomlin will try to continue his amazing streak of never having a losing record.
Sitting at 7-6, the Steelers finish with a Monday night home game against Miami, travel to Detroit and Cleveland and then host Baltimore in what could be a winner-take-all scenario.
In Sunday’s win over the Ravens the 42-year-old Rodgers, one of six active QBs to win a Super Bowl, completed 23 of 34 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown for the first time since 2022.
“We knew what was on the line today and that’s why you go do business with a guy like Aaron,” Tomlin, one of seven active Super Bowl winning coaches, said in his postgame press conference. “For thick days like today. He’s a been-there done-that guy. Beyond the experience component of it, he relishes it. You can just tell. That’s the benefit of having a guy like AR.”
Rodgers and the Steelers got off to a quick start this season. They were 4-1 before they lost three of their next four, including Rodgers’ game against the Packers. They were desperate heading into Baltimore, who had gone from 1-5 to 6-6, and came away with the win.
Now they have a legitimate shot at winning the division, keeping Tomlin’s streak alive and sending Rodgers back to the playoffs.
Is it Over?
Speaking of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks and coaches, things are not looking bright in Kansas City for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
Sunday night’s loss to Houston dropped the three-time defending AFC champs to 6-7 on the season. Mahomes, who was 14-for-33 for 160 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions for a 19.8 QB rating, had the worst game of his career.
Over his past five games, Mahomes has been under 50 percent completion percentage twice. Before that he had played 149 games in college and the pros and was never under 50 percent.
And the last time the Chiefs were under .500 after 13 games? That would be 2012 when Andy Reid was in his final season in Philadelphia.
Deja Boo
Just two years ago the Eagles started the season 10-1 only to finish 11-6 and get blown out in the first round of the playoffs by Tampa Bay.
This season the Eagles started the season 8-2 and after Monday’s ugly loss to the Chargers are 8-5. Is history repeating like a bad burrito?
Three of the Eagles final four games are against the worst team in the league, Las Vegas, and two against a really bad Washington team.
Lose any of those games and everyone in the organization should be in trouble.
Never Lose Twice
Detroit’s win over Dallas last week kept alive a pretty impressive streak for the Lions. They have now won 15 straight games after a loss.
That ties for the longest streak of not losing two straight with the Baltimore Ravens (2009-12) and Denver Broncos (1984-88).
No Luck for Colts
Not only is Indianapolis falling apart, the Colts lost QB Daniel Jones for the season with a torn Achilles.
Indy’s loss Sunday in Jacksonville was the 11th straight time they lost to the Jaguars in Florida. The last time the Colts won in Jacksonville was 2014 when Andrew Luck quarterbacked the Colts over Blake Bortles and the Jags.
Shut Out? Shut Up
Minnesota lost to Seattle, 26-0, two weeks ago and then came back and beat Washington, 31-0.
Guess that means Seattle would beat Washington, 57-0.
Seriously, that’s the first time since weeks three and four of 1992 that a team was shut out one week and then recorded a shutout the following week. Denver lost to Philadelphia, 30-0, and then beat Cleveland, 12-0, the next week.
Battle in the South
With a month to go, Tampa Bay and Carolina are tied for first place in the NFC South at 7-6. The crazy part is the two teams have not played each other yet.
They will meet twice over this final month, next week in Charlotte and then the final week of the season in Tampa. The Panthers also play at New Orleans and host Seattle. While the Bucs host Atlanta, Thursday night, and travel across the state to Miami.
Just another 1
Green Bay faced Chicago, who was the No. 1 seed in the NFC, last week and beat them, 28-21.
This week the Packers face the Broncos, who happen to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Who knows what will happen, but Vegas has installed the Pack as a 2 1/2-point road favorite.
It’s Official
When Miami beat the New York Jets, Sunday, it eliminated the Jets from the playoffs. Shocking, right?
It will be the 15th straight year the Jets miss the playoffs, which is the longest streak of any team in the four major sports.
Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton is safe, but what about the rest of the AFC West head coaches?
Could we see some surprise exits once NFL regular season ends?
One month, four games remain in the 2025 NFL regular season and while some teams will be headed to the postseason, others are already thinking about the 2026 season.
Part of that thought process will include whether to keep the coaching staff in place, or go out and find replacements. Two teams — the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans — are already in that mode. Who will join them? Here’s a team by team look.
NFC East
Philadelphia — There are fans who might want Nick Sirianni gone. Spoiler: It’s not going to happen. You go to two Super Bowls and win one, you’re not losing your job. The only way that happens is if he balks on bringing in a new offensive coordinator.
Dallas — Brian Schottenheimer has actually done a nice job in his first year. The Cowboys have gotten better as the year progressed and still have a slim shot at the postseason.
Washington — Despite a disaster of a season, Dan Quinn isn’t going anywhere.
New York — Brian Daboll was fired midway through the season. Mike Kafka hasn’t justified having the interim tag removed from his title yet. Look for a big name with head coaching experience to take over.
NFC North
Green Bay — Matt LaFleur heads into the final year of his contract in 2026. New President Ed Policy says he doesn’t want a lame duck coach. So how the Packers do in the playoffs might determine LaFleur’s extension.
Chicago — In his first season Ben Johnson has been as good as advertised and is probably the runner-up as Coach of the Year.
Detroit — Dan Campbell missed Johnson and Aaron Glenn as his coordinators this season, but he’s done enough to stay around Motown a few more years.
Minnesota — Kevin O’Connell and Co. really messed up the QB situation the team is paying for it. But he’s not going anywhere.
NFC South
Tampa Bay — If the Bucs blow the division there may be some in the organization who blame Todd Bowles. It would be a mistake letting him go, however.
Carolina — Dave Canales, in his second year, has done a really nice job in turning the Panthers into a playoff contender.
Atlanta — Raheem Morris was a curious choice two years ago. Two bad years and it’s time to move on to someone else. The Falcons might want an offensive minded coach to work with their young stars on offense.
New Orleans — Kellen Moore, in his first season, has done as much as he can do with the least talented roster in the league.
NFC West
Los Angeles — If the Rams win the Super Bowl it wouldn’t be a shock to see Sean McVay step away. And that’s the only was a change would happen.
San Francisco — Same goes for Kyle Shanahan.
Seattle — Mike Macdonald will also be on the Coach of the Year list for the job he’s done with the ‘Hawks.
Arizona — When a team loses seven games by four points, or less, and then looks like it quit, the coach is in trouble. And that’s the case for Jon Gannon.
AFC East
New England — Mike Vrabel is the Coach of the Year.
Buffalo — There are always whispers about Sean McDermott’s job security, especially if the Bills fail in the playoffs again. But that would be a foolish mistake to let him go.
Miami — Mike McDaniel looked like a goner midseason, but the Dolphins recent run might have bought him another year.
New York — It’s been a rough year for Aaron Glenn. But he’ll get one more year to fix things before there’s a change.
AFC North
Pittsburgh — If Mike Tomlin leaves it will be on his on to go somewhere else. And that’s probably not going to happen, either.
Baltimore — This space has mentioned before that John Harbaugh and the Ravens might be better off parting ways. And Harbaugh would be at the top of the list for every team looking for a new coach.
Cincinnati — There’s always the Joe Burrow got hurt excuse, but it’s time for Zack Taylor to go.
Cleveland — Kevin Stefanski is a good coach. The Browns just aren’t a good team. Let him work with his quarterbacks, or go get another one and see what happens.
AFC South
Jacksonville — Add Liam Coen’s name to the list of coaches who have done a really good job this year.
Houston — DeMeco Ryans is one of the best and most underrated coaches in the league.
Indianapolis — Shane Steichen was battling Vrable for Coach of the Year. Then all hell broke loose.
Tennessee — Like the Giants, and Falcons, the Titans will want a head coach to develop QB Cam Ward.
AFC West
Denver — It’s funny that the Broncos win with defense when Sean Payton is supposed to be an offensive genius. But they’re still winning.
Los Angeles — Jim Harbaugh will eventually get the Chargers to a Super Bowl. This year too many injuries make that a tough task.
Kansas City — Would it be a shock if Andy Reid retires and lets someone else do the reload in KC.
Las Vegas — Could Pete Carroll be one and done? Yes, he could.
How the Heisman trophy will be viewed for years to come will be announced on Saturday. The four finalists are Julian Sayin (Quarterback, Ohio State), Fernando Mendoza (Quarterback, Indiana), Diego Pavia (Quarterback, Vanderbilt), and Jeremiyah Love (Running Back, Notre Dame). From my view, there is a very discernible split between the four candidates. Julian Sayin and Fernando Mendoza are different candidates from Diego Pavia and Jeremiyah Love. The two BIG 10 quarterbacks are very valuable to their teams and their success, but I would not describe what they have done as outstanding. Which brings me to…
This definition comes directly from the Heisman website.
The Trophy remains a national symbol of collegiate football experience, prowess, and competitiveness, awarded annually to an athlete designated as the Outstanding College Football Player in the United States
Why Mendoza and Sayin do not fit the criteria
I make my case against them based on the word outstanding. I must preface the argument by saying that they are great players, and this does not diminish them or what they have accomplished this year.
What I do think is that Mendoza has had the benefit of being on the best team in the BIG 10 with the best coaching staff in the BIG 10. When you pair that with a top 5 rushing attack in the country (yes, I am aware that Mendoza was a part of that). I don’t find what he has done this year to be outstanding. Very good? Absolutely. When I watch Mendoza, it doesn’t feel like he does outstanding things; it just looks like a well-coached quarterback who is in control of an offense. I know people will talk about the throw and catch that it led to when Indiana played at Penn State. It was a good throw, but also the one that kids are taught to throw. Throw it at the crossbar so only your guy can get it. That is how it is taught.
It is a similar case for Sayin, but I have a stronger one against him. In the two games against top competition, Sayin has been ok at best. Against Texas week 1, he had 126 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Against Indiana last week, he had 258 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He was good against Washington and Michigan, but again not outstanding. He has not put up a stat line or made a throw against a team that isn’t Rutgers or Purdue that made me think this guy deserves the Heisman.
Again, these guys are good football players and important to their team’s success, but not irreplaceable. Nor do they make plays every Saturday that wow me. If you don’t believe me, Kurtis Rourke threw for more yards on fewer completions last year at Indiana and didn’t even sniff New York. The same goes for Will Howard at Ohio State. He had similar numbers to Sayin but no invite to New York.
Why it should be Pavia or Love
Because they have done some outstanding things this year. Allow me to elaborate…
As much as I think Pavia may get a bit too much airtime, he turned Vanderbilt into a place that won 10 games this year. He played a large role in their ability to recruit blue-chip guys now. He gave substance to a recruiting pitch that, if I were guessing, hasn’t changed a whole lot for Clark Lea since he has been at Vanderbilt. Now he just has a tangible result to point to.
Unlike Sayin or Mendoza, Vanderbilt is not where it is today without Diego Pavia. There were times this year when the Vanderbilt offense just could not get it going, and Pavia quite literally had to will them to some wins. His stat line was not always pretty, especially at the start of SEC play, but he wasn’t throwing to Elijah Surratt or Jeremiah Smith. He had Eli Stowers and Junior Sherrill. No disrespect to those guys, but they aren’t the aforementioned guys. Oh, by the way, Pavia LED VANDERBILT IN RUSHING YARDS. There was almost nothing more outstanding than what Pavia did this year, unless…
You turn on Jeremiyah Love’s tape. Some of the things this guy did with the football in his hands this year were ridiculous. I will go ahead and point out the elephant in the room in reference to Love’s case for the Heisman. His numbers aren’t exactly gaudy. Love spent all year splitting carries with backfield mate Jadarian Price, who amassed 113 carries on the year.
So if Love doesn’t have the numbers, how does he have a case? When you compare him to last year’s Heisman runner-up, Ashton Jeanty, they had the same average yards per carry at 7. Love scored 21 touchdowns on roughly half of the touches that Jeanty received last year. Oh, and by the way, he was doing all of this against a P4 schedule. Unlike Jeanty, who likely did not win the award based on what conference he played in. But as I said before, Love’s strongest case isn’t on a stat sheet, it is found in the film room.
Why the Heisman could be in danger
People talk about the NFL MVP award a bit begrudgingly now because it is an award that is given to the best quarterback on the best team seemingly every year. The Heisman is not the NFL MVP. In fact, extremely different by definition.
If it goes to Mendoza or Sayin, it feels like we trend strongly in the direction that the NFL MVP award has gone. In which case, we should just ship the quarterbacks of the top four seeds in the College Football Playoff to New York every year and save people the watch time to find out who it is.
The Heisman system already does not work as intended. That is shown by the fact that Texas Tech Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez will be watching the award ceremony from his house. So if it goes to one of the BIG 10 Quarterbacks, it will signal the end of the most outstanding criteria they have in place.
So how do we fix it? The guys who vote on the award should probably be required to watch these guys first. But that feels like a long shot, so instead, it starts with Pavia or Love walking away with the award Saturday night.
USF QB Byrum Brown has a milestone of a performance in Memphis.
Byrum Brown — the electrifying star quarterback who powered the University of South Florida to a 9–3 season and a berth in the Cure Bowl against Old Dominion — will not play in the bowl game, a decision made after ongoing discussions with new USF head coach Brian Hartline and USF Athletics CEO Rob Higgins. Brown, who delivered a rare statistical feat with over 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards, cemented himself as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country this season.
According to Higgins, the decision was mutual and rooted in transparency during the coaching transition. “We mutually determined with Byrum that it’s best for him to not play in next week’s Cure Bowl,” Higgins said. He added that conversations with Brown and his family about his future at USF are ongoing: “Coach Hartline and I continue to have great conversations with Byrum Brown and his family about his future at USF.”
Why Byrum Brown Might Stay at USF Under Brian Hartline
Staying at USF remains a strong option for Brown. Hartline, known nationally for his offensive acumen and quarterback development, could offer Brown a fresh system tailored to his dual‑threat skill set. With USF on the cusp of its first 10‑win season since 2017 and a new coaching staff eager to build around him, Brown could elevate both his draft stock and the program’s national profile.
Higgins emphasized Brown’s continued commitment to the team despite opting out: “Byrum continues to attend every team activity and practice and has been incredible in supporting his teammates as he always is.”
Option Two: Follow Alex Golesh to Auburn
Another path is reuniting with Alex Golesh, the coach who developed Brown over the past three seasons and helped unlock his elite production. Golesh’s move to Auburn has sparked speculation that Brown could follow him to the SEC — a conference that provides maximum exposure and NFL‑level competition.
Reports confirm that transfer rumors are swirling, and Auburn is a natural landing spot given the established relationship between Brown and Golesh.
Option Three: Declare for the NFL Draft
With his rare production and dual‑threat profile, Brown could also choose to enter the NFL Draft. Scouts have already taken notice of his explosive playmaking ability, and his 2025 season placed him among the most productive quarterbacks in the nation.
However, another year under Hartline — or in the SEC — could significantly boost his draft positioning. Brown must weigh immediate opportunity versus long‑term development.
USF Moves Forward as Brown Helps Coach His Replacement
While USF awaits Brown’s decision, he remains fully engaged with the program. Higgins revealed that Brown will serve as a sideline assistant coach during the Cure Bowl, helping prepare senior quarterback Gaston Moore, who will start in Brown’s place.
Moore’s journey is notable: he began his career at UCF in 2020 under Josh Heupel, spent four seasons at Tennessee, and transferred to USF this past offseason. Now a senior, he gets his final collegiate start with Brown helping guide him.
With defensive line coach Kevin Patrick serving as interim head coach, Brown has been actively involved in practices and game prep, demonstrating leadership even as he evaluates his next MOVE.
Politics8 years ago