Another NFL team reportedly wants to speak with Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury for its head coaching vacancy.
There are currently three NFL teams without a head coach: The New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and New York Jets all fired their head coaches at some point during the 2024 NFL season. That number will change after Sunday’s slate of Week 18 games when “Black Monday” arrives.
Chicago may not be the only team who wants to speak with Kingsbury.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Jets have “internally discussed interest in interviewing” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Kingsbury.
So much depends on how desperate Kingsbury is to be a head coach again. Chicago would seemingly represent a better opportunity than New York. However, Kingsbury is still being paid from his time as the Cardinals’ head coach and is enjoying his time in Washington coaching the game’s top young quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
Mike Vrabel is reportedly interviewing with the Jets
Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel is reportedly interviewing for the vacant head coaching job for the New York Jets on Friday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Vrabel is expected to be the top candidate in the 2025 coaching cycle. So teams with vacancies, including the Jets, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints should all be interested in his services.
However, the biggest question is whether the Patriots would also be interested.
The Jerod Mayo era was a disaster in Year 1, but then again, it should have been expected considering all of the things wrong with the team. He wasn’t exactly put in a position to succeed with the Patriots.
Yet, it’ll be up to ownership to decide if they believe in Mayo to figure it out or go with a more proven option in Vrabel, who could potentially recruit former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to come on board as well.
The Patriots likely won’t have long to decide with Vrabel beginning his interview process.
Can the Steelers defense hold off Joe Burrow’s MVP-worthy performance in Week 18, or will they fuel his case for the award?
The NFL MVP race was initially down to two candidates: QBs Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. That changed when Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow led his 4-8 team to four straight victories. Now at 8-8 and on the verge of making the playoffs, Burrow must first face the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18.
Cincinnati also needs two other teams to win—the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets—to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Burrow’s offense looks to make an ‘MVP-sized’ statement against a struggling Steelers defense.
Burrow ranks fourth in MVP odds—according to Draft Kings—trailing Allen, Jackson, and Eagles RB Saquon Barkley despite similar statistical success. This could easily fuel Burrow heading into Pittsburgh for Week 18’s matchup.
The Steelers desperately need a win, having lost three straight to the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs. They are on the brink of letting Baltimore claim the AFC North title.
WATCH: Bills’ Sean McDermott locker room speech post-Jets win
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, like his team, was feeling awfully comfortable against the New York Jets.
The Bills (13-3) rolled the Jets (4-12) in Week 17. The 40-14 win helped his team lock up the No. 2 overall seed in the AFC playoff picture.
As the score indicates, Buffalo easily took the victory. To celebrate, the Bills head coach dusted off an iconic line from Marv Levy during his post-win locker room address.
One more time: Bills’ Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper high-point touchdowns
The Bills rolled the Jets and put a lot of points on the scoreboard in Week 17.
The Bills (13-3) took a 40-14 win over the lowly Jets (4-12). While the Bills’ first-team players were on the field, they were far-and-away the better team.
Of all the big plays that happened for the Bills, a pair from Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman stood out the most. The Bills receivers both high-pointed touchdown grabs in the second half against the Jets. Those scores put the game to bed.
Before moving on to the Bills’ season finale against the Patriots on Sunday, check out both plays one more time right here:
The Jets were busy adding former Commanders ahead of their scheduled interview with Ron Rivera.
Are the New York Jets preparing to make former Washington coach Ron Rivera their next head coach? Rivera, who was fired in January after going 26-40-1 in four seasons, is scheduled to interview for New York’s vacant head coaching position on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Jets announced multiple roster moves, with some familiar names to Washington fans. The Commanders released 2022 second-round Phidarian Mathis on Saturday to make room for the return of defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.
The Jets also announced the signing of linebacker Jamin Davis — a 2021 first-round pick by Washington. The Commanders released Davis in October, and he signed with Green Bay’s practice squad. After four weeks with the Packers, the Minnesota Vikings signed Davis to their 53-man roster. He appeared in four games for the Vikings, who released Davis on Saturday.
What does this have to do with Rivera? Well, Rivera, who ran football operations in Washington, selected both Davis and Mathis. Three of Rivera’s four first-round picks were jettisoned by new Commanders general manager Adam Peters since August. The other, Chase Young, was traded last season.
Davis appeared in nine total games this season between the Commanders and Vikings.
Mathis played in a combined 11 games in his first two seasons. This season, Mathis appeared in 12 games for Washington, but his playing time decreased in recent weeks, with veterans Sheldon Day and Carl Davis outperforming him.
Roster Moves:
▪️ Signed DL Phidarian Mathis & LB Jamin Davis to active roster
▪️ Signed OL David Sharpe to practice squad
▪️ Signed K Greg Joseph to active from practice squad
▪️ Placed K Greg Zuerlein & S Chuck Clark on IR
▪️ Released K Anders Carlson
The Jets also signed veteran offensive tackle David Sharpe to the practice squad. Sharpe spent the 2020 season with Washington.
New York wasn’t done adding former Commanders signing kicker Greg Joseph. While Joseph didn’t play for Rivera, he did kick in one game for Washington this season.
The signings likely have nothing to do with Rivera’s pending interview, but it’s certainly interesting timing.
How high and how low can the Panthers go in the 2025 NFL draft order? Here’s their ceiling and their floor with one week of play to go:
No, the Carolina Panthers will not have possession of the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL draft for the third straight year. But they can get awfully close to it!
The final bout of jockeying for draft position, at least amongst non-playoff teams, will take place here in Week 18. And with the final slate of regular-season contests ready to be played, let’s take a look at where the Panthers currently sit in the top 10 of the 2025 order . . .
2025 draft order entering Week 18
*SOS = strength of schedule
New England Patriots (3-13, SOS: .467)
Tennessee Titans (3-13, SOS: .515)
Cleveland Browns (3-13, SOS: .540)
New York Giants (3-13, SOS: .551)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12, SOS: .474)
Carolina Panthers (4-12, SOS: .496)
New York Jets (4-12, SOS: .500)
Las Vegas Raiders (4-12, SOS: .544)
Chicago Bears (4-12, SOS: .555)
New Orleans Saints (5-11, SOS: .507)
So, how high and how low can the Panthers go after this weekend?
What is the highest pick the Panthers can have in the 2025 NFL draft?
Carolina will not be able to skip the queue to the very top. Even if they match New England’s winning percentage, the Panthers’ lowest-possible strength of schedule would still be greater than the Patriots’ highest-possible strength of schedule.
They could, however, shoot up to the No. 2 spot.
The following outcomes must occur in Week 18 for that to happen:
Atlanta Falcons def. Carolina Panthers
Tennessee Titans def. Houston Texans
Cleveland Browns def. Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants def. Philadelphia Eagles
Jacksonville Jaguars def. Indianapolis Colts
Per Nathaniel Puente of WCNC Charlotte, a loss from the New York Jets in this scenario along with at least four of the following outcomes would push the Panthers to No. 3:
Arizona Cardinals def. San Francisco 49ers
Chicago Bears def. Green Bay Packers
Cincinnati Bengals def. Pittsburgh Steelers
Detroit Lions def. Minnesota Vikings
Kansas City Chiefs def. Denver Broncos
What is the lowest pick the Panthers can have in the 2025 NFL draft?
The Panthers, with their 48-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, locked themselves into the top nine of the order.
Carolina, 4-12, cannot be jumped by the only 5-11 team in the NFL by virtue of the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker. That team is NFC South rival New Orleans Saints, who are currently in the 10th overall slot.
So, yes, the lowest position the Panthers can fall into is No. 9.
One more time: Bills’ Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper high-point touchdowns
The Bills rolled the Jets and put a lot of points on the scoreboard in Week 17.
The Bills (13-3) took a 40-14 win over the lowly Jets (4-12). While the Bills’ first-team players were on the field, they were far-and-away the better team.
Of all the big plays that happened for the Bills, a pair from Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman stood out the most. The Bills receivers both high-pointed touchdown grabs in the second half against the Jets. Those scores put the game to bed.
What we learned from the Bills’ Week 17 win vs. Jets
The Buffalo Bills ar rounding out their 2024 schedule, most recently with a Week 17 win over the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium, 40-14.
The Bills (13-3) and Jets (4-12) have trended in opposite directions for much of this season, the former being dubbed as overachievers and the latter underachievers. Buffalo took care of business at home against a struggling New York squad and have now positioned themselves firmly as the second seed in the AFC playoffs with a week to spare in the regular season.
Next, the Bills will take on the New England Patriots (3-13) on the road at Gillette Stadium without anything to play for in Week 18.
Granted, it was over the four-win Jets, but they bucked some trends that could be telling for what’s to come in the postseason.
Buffalo had a quarterback pressure rate of 43.2%, which ranked fifth out of every team in Week 17. For the season, they rank middle-of-the-pack in the NFL with a pressure rate of 34.7%. And, they only blitzed 13% of the time on Sunday. This is a sign that the defensive line is stepping up down the stretch.
The Bills also held Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers without a third-down conversion (0-for-5). Going into the game, Buffalo’s defense ranked among the worst in the NFL on third downs. They ranked 32nd in the NFL against the pass on third down and 31st against the run (EPA/play).
These are good signs from the defense for what’s to come. The two-seed is wrapped up and the defense can continue to get healthy for the final run.
Cooper and Coleman provide a huge boost for the offense
Imagn Images
Wide receivers Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman haven’t been on the field consistently for the Bills, and when they have been on the field they haven’t gotten consistent targets. But one thing is clear: they can make plays when given the opportunity.
Cooper has played only eight games for Buffalo this year and has seen three or fewer targets in six of them. Coleman has played in 12 games and has seen two or fewer targets in five.
The Bills haven’t needed to break glass in case of emergency much at all this season. So, two of their better playmakers have had limited touches. But, as you saw in Week 17, they are more than capable of coming down with difficult catches when relied upon.
Both found the endzone against the Jets on highlight-reel plays. In the postseason, the Bills may lean on them a bit more, especially Cooper who has been around the block in the NFL without getting many chances in the postseason.
Cole Bishop flashing potential at safety
Imagn Images
Second-round rookie Cole Bishop has three starts under his belt, the latest being Week 17 as he filled in for Damar Hamlin.
Bishop has made his share of rookie mistakes, but he has shown flashes of what he can become and why he was picked early in April’s NFL Draft. Head coach Sean McDermott has been impressed with him.
Ahead of the Week 17 game, McDermott said, “I’m impressed with his improvement, and it’s good to see. His first game [Week 5 at HOU] was a bit rocky as it is for most rookies… it’s been fun to watch Cole develop so we’re looking for more as the season moves forward here.”
Bishop, even as a rookie, seems to give the run defense a boost at the very least with his downhill style of play. He’ll be one to watch in the final week of the season. He could be a starter come Week 1 of 2025 and may be needed before that.
Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. the Jets
The Buffalo Bills got after it against the New York Jets and won, 40-14, in NFL Week 17 action.
But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (13-3) doing all the dirty work against the Jets (4-12)?
More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron.
There will always be plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.
With that, here’s how the Bills’ depth chart broke down via snap counts in their win against the Jets:
