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NFL Week 12: Computer, look up ‘rut’ please
We are a full trimester into this NFL season. We know things. The 10-1 Eagles are really good. So are the 9-3 Ravens and various 8-3 teams. But this week, we focus on the teams who can’t figure themselves out. Ranking on a Rut Meter from 1-10:
- Chargers (4-7). The other LA team has a superstar quarterback, a solid defense and no ability to get out of its own way. The Ravens struggled against these guys in last night’s closing game, even giving the ball to Justin Herbert & Co. with only a three-point Baltimore lead in the final three minutes. This was the chance! Five plays later, the Chargers turned it over on downs and subsequently let Zay Flowers ice it, 20-10. Rut Meter: 10. Don’t be surprised if head coach Brandon Staley has a new job next year.
- Saints (5-6). A talented roster should probably be a game or two above .500 right now, but cannot stop choking in the red zone. New Orleans outgained and out-possessed the Falcons, but managed to miss the end zone completely in Atlanta’s 24-15 win. Also at 5-6, Atlanta holds the tiebreaker lead atop the horrendous NFC South. Rut Meter: 9.
- Browns (7-4). Cleveland still has one of the league’s best defenses, but the quarterback position continues to be cursed. Deshaun Watson is out for the year, and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson left with a concussion yesterday. A major slide is coming. Rut Meter: 10. (By beating Cleveland, Denver has officially graduated from this list, winning five straight.)
- Bills (6-6). You’ll hear talk today about whether Buffalo’s playoff chances are gone, but there’s technically plenty of time left, though the Bills’ schedule is brutal the rest of the way. And yet this team remains one of the league’s most bewildering. They can push an elite Eagles team to overtime — Philly needed a 59-yard field goal just to make it there — and still lose in maddening fashion, 37-34. The tires are stuck in the snow. Rut Meter: 11.
Not qualifying for this crew: Patriots (2-9). They’re so bad, I’m not sure if it’s all a bit to get higher draft stock. New England might be the worst team in the NFL, which shouldn’t be a thing Bill Belichick does.
Off the list for now: Steelers (7-4). Pittsburgh, after canning offensive coordinator Matt Canada last week, looked better on offense in yesterday’s win over Cincinnati than they have in years. Literally. They gained over 400 yards for the first time in 59 games. The Steelers only scored 16 points, but this was a big win. The frustrating bit: Where has this been? They’re legit AFC North contenders now.
We missed some games, of course, so read what Zak Keefer learned this week here for more. Also, Robert Mays and Nate Tice gave their instant reactions to every game here.
Coaching Carousel: Texas A&M’s extremely normal time
The college football weekend was filled with important results and yet, by yesterday afternoon, any headlines about the games themselves were gone. The coaching carousel has been that suddenly busy.
We’ll get to the craziness in College Station shortly. A quick rundown of who’s in and out:
Whew. And that’s just one day after the regular season ended. Still plenty of silly season to go, and speaking of silly:
- Elko is the current choice at A&M after a bonkers weekend, which saw reports matriculate Saturday night about the Aggies hiring Stoops. Online, fans revolted strongly enough to make the school back away from the 73-64 Kentucky coach. Less than 24 hours later, the 16-9 Elko — who was defensive coordinator at A&M from 2018-21 — is the guy, sources told The Athletic.
- From the outside, it’s extremely awkward. This is a school that’s paying former coach Jimbo Fisher nearly $80 million to go away, and now they’re going to surely pay Elko, who looks like a second choice, a hefty sum. They do all this in order to hire a coach coming off a 7-5 season. Better be right. Or not. Money’s fake anyway.
In a sport filled with lovely stupidity, this ranks highly. A&M fans will always have this multiversal fork in the road: What if Stoops was the right choice? We’ll never know. Our Sam Khan Jr. argues the school got it right with Elko.
Bonus stupidity: Grumors are so back. During the first two decades of this century, Jon Gruden’s name popped up in college coaching searches, namely Tennessee over and over. Unattributed reports would usually say Gruden and/or his family was looking for houses in [insert college town here].
Now … he’s apparently a serious candidate at Indiana. I love this sport.
We have a long way to go on the coaching carousel. Keep up with the latest here.
News to Know
Smith calls out Brady
Former NFL quarterback Alex Smith politely lambasted Tom Brady on TV yesterday, as the current “NFL Countdown” host eloquently pushed back on Brady’s recent comments deriding the current state of pro football. I agree with most of what Smith said. Read his full comments here.
Ball injured
Hornets star LaMelo Ball left Charlotte’s 130-117 loss to the Magic yesterday with a right ankle strain, which could make a bad season for the 5-10 Hornets worse, as Ball had been a lone bright spot thus far. Or, more responsibility for No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller could pay off. It’s unclear how long Ball will be out.
More news
- The NFL RedZone offices had to be evacuated during yesterday’s broadcast as a (false) alarm could be heard on air. See the full update here.
- Vanderbilt forward Lee Dort was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
- The NCAA volleyball bracket is set. Nebraska, Stanford, Wisconsin and Pitt are the No. 1 seeds.
Things You Need to See: The best goal in EPL history?
We run a lot of fun soccer highlights in this newsletter. This, from Man Utd’s Alejandro Garnacho yesterday, might be the best to grace these digital pages:
It’s not just a Pulse honor — there is legitimate discussion whether this is the best goal the Premier League has ever seen. Yes, even better than that Wayne Rooney goal:
Watch This Game
NFL: Bears at Vikings
8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
Two interesting wrinkles: 6-5 Minnesota’s clinging to playoff hopes with Josh Dobbs, while 3-8 Chicago is running out of time to figure out its future at quarterback.
NBA: Nuggets at Clippers
10:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
The Clips have quietly won four of five, reversing the painful slide endured after the James Harden trade. Meanwhile, the 11-6 defending champs have been mediocre in the last week or so.
Pulse Picks
Jai Lucas didn’t play at Duke, which made the offer to be an assistant coach at the powerhouse a rarity. But Lucas is more than a rarity — he’s part of basketball royalty, and already earning a branch on the family tree. Make time for this one today.
We still don’t know much about Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Will Sammon dives deep on the Japanese superstar set for an American introduction. One coach thinks he could win the Cy Young next year.
Ari Wasserman opines on Ohio State’s Ryan Day, who “loses sight of who he is” when Michigan is across the way. Click.
Ann Meyers Drysdale should be in the dictionary next to “trailblazer.” The woman who, over 40 years ago, signed a contract with the Pacers — as a player — reflected on her career as one of the most impressive basketball figures ever.
I liked this one a lot: Scott Wheeler went behind the scenes with Michigan State hockey, a program which had to completely rebuild itself.
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(Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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