Burrow, Baker, Rodgers (and Brady)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Joe Burrow is officially back<\/a> for the Cincinnati Bengals\u2019 Thanksgiving night game against the Baltimore Ravens. Pain management had been a major concern the past few weeks from the turf toe injury Burrow suffered in Week 2, but I\u2019m told he\u2019s comfortable after a full load of work on the practice field. Those around him describe him right now as \u201ca relentless competitor, itching to get back.\u201d That checks out.<\/p>\n (However, Cincinnati\u2019s best-case goal might be just avoiding a losing season. The Bengals are three games behind Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North and would likely need to win out and finish 9-8 to have a chance of returning to the playoffs.)<\/p>\n \u2022 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u2019 Baker Mayfield has a low-grade left shoulder strain and is trying to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.<\/p>\n \u2022 Aaron Rodgers\u2019 left wrist fracture kept him out of the Steelers\u2019 loss to the Chicago Bears, but I\u2019m told he is trying to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers are hoping to have an answer on his game status earlier this week than they did last week, when they took the decision up to game day.<\/p>\n \u2022 New England Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell is expected to miss at least four weeks with a knee injury<\/a> and will most likely land on injured reserve. But rookie left guard Jared Wilson (ankle) has received better news and could be back much sooner.<\/p>\n \u2022 Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson has taken over as the offensive coordinator in Las Vegas after the team fired Chip Kelly<\/a> on Sunday. I\u2019m told minority owner Tom Brady was a big advocate of bringing in Kelly to run the offense, and he has shared with some people close to him his disappointment in the team\u2019s overall performance. His frustrations go beyond the offense, too.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Houston Texans\u2019 defense might be the best in football right now, and a lot of that is thanks to Will Anderson Jr. Expect Houston and the third-year edge rusher to get right to a contract extension once the season wraps.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next in Minnesota?<\/p>\n Everyone around the league is asking: What happened to the Minnesota Vikings?<\/p>\n And they\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n Inside the state of Minnesota, inside the building, inside that locker room, there are some pondering how different this season might look just with better quarterback play.<\/p>\n The Vikings took a massive and costly swing<\/a> this offseason, spending more than any NFC team. They walked away from 14-game winner Sam Darnold. They lost Daniel Jones to the Indianapolis Colts. They passed on four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. From everything I\u2019ve gathered, money wasn\u2019t the hang-up in any of those situations; it was ultimately all about betting on J.J. McCarthy.<\/p>\n This organization has been competitive for a decade and believes deeply in its coaching staff, especially 2024 Coach of the Year Kevin O\u2019Connell. Even with differences in opinion about the quarterbacks inside the building, most notably with some in the organization wanting to retain Darnold, they decided collectively to back the 22-year-old McCarthy, fresh off a major knee injury that cut short his rookie year before it could begin.<\/p>\n So far? The returns have been messy<\/a> for 4-7 Minnesota. McCarthy\u2019s 54.1 completion percentage ranks last among qualified starters. He owns the league\u2019s longest active streak of games with an interception (six). The offense is averaging a paltry 247.5 yards per game in McCarthy\u2019s starts, the smallest fraction ahead of the league-worst Tennessee Titans. McCarthy has also missed five games with a high ankle sprain and entered concussion protocol<\/a> earlier this week. He is not expected to play against Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t help but recall a story<\/a> my colleague Zak Keefer wrote in September after speaking with O\u2019Connell:<\/p>\n \u201cIn what world do you go from wearing a life vest and learning how to swim to being thrown into the deep end in the middle of a 200-meter freestyle against Michael Phelps? We decide in this league very quickly whether a guy can or can\u2019t play quarterback,\u201d O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n The 40-year-old coach\u2019s point: NFL teams cycle through young quarterbacks and often have only themselves to blame. And now O\u2019Connell, staring at that potential scenario in real time, is doing everything to keep this ship from sinking on his watch, even as the waves get taller by the week.<\/p>\n So now what? Delay McCarthy again? I\u2019ve been told there were some concerns about how another year sitting on the bench would affect him. And would it even help? Every question has a cousin, and suddenly they\u2019re multiplying. Can a raw but talented quarterback grow fast enough to match a team built to win yesterday?<\/p>\n That\u2019s a lot of pressure on a young player, not to mention on QBs coach Josh McCown, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and O\u2019Connell himself.<\/p>\n With McCarthy out again Sunday, it\u2019s Max Brosmer time<\/a>. The undrafted rookie, making his first NFL start, has evaluators using words like calm, organized and efficient. I\u2019m told by a scout who liked him in college at New Hampshire and Minnesota, \u201cHe\u2019s not flashy, but neither was Brock Purdy when he first got tossed into the fire for the 49ers and won the job.\u201d<\/p>\n At this point, the Vikings just need some type of spark at quarterback.<\/p>\n \n The Vikings could be turning to undrafted rookie Max Brosmer on Sunday against the Seahawks. (Luke Hales \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Brosmer might not be the long-term answer. But O\u2019Connell has another shot to stabilize this offense, squeeze something out of a season veering sideways, and, if nothing else, give maybe the best receiver in football, Justin Jefferson, a reason to smile again. The star wideout has stayed patient all season despite the quiet stat lines.<\/p>\n This could be the reset the Vikings desperately need. Right now, the question ringing through the building and across the league is impossible to ignore: \u201cWhy did you ever let Sam Darnold go?\u201d<\/p>\n George Pickens heist<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, along with wide receivers coach Junior Adams, is getting plenty of credit for helping George Pickens find his footing in Dallas, both on the field and in the locker room. The results have been immediate and impressive<\/a>, especially in Sunday\u2019s triumphant win over the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Cowboys are set to give Pickens \u2014 who is expected to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday after being limited in practice this week \u2014 a contract this offseason. And because nothing in the NFL is ever simple \u2014 or boring \u2014 guess who his representative is?<\/p>\n NFL superagent David Mulugheta.<\/p>\n Yep. The same agent who represents Micah Parsons. The same agent Jerry Jones said he didn\u2019t know and didn\u2019t want to talk to during Parsons\u2019 extension discussions over the summer. From what I\u2019m told, there\u2019s no drama brewing here; everyone is expected to handle it professionally.<\/p>\n After striking out on landing a top-tier receiver in this year\u2019s draft, Jones made a move that, at the time, raised eyebrows. By early May, Dallas finalized a deal with Pittsburgh<\/a>, with the Steelers sending a 2027 sixth-round pick along with Pickens to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third and a 2027 fifth. Rival executives are still shaking their heads at the return Jones squeezed out of the Steelers \u2014 and how this might be looked at as the Cowboys trade of the year.<\/p>\n Kyle Shanahan has the 49ers still standing<\/p>\n For years, people said Kyle Shanahan could win with anyone under center. This year, he\u2019s proving he can win with anyone at all \u2014 out of necessity.<\/p>\n Being a scheme genius, a premier play caller, is one thing. Being adaptable, flexible, emotionally even-keeled and creatively relentless when your roster keeps falling apart \u2014 that\u2019s where a coach becomes great.<\/p>\n The San Francisco 49ers are somehow 8-4. Fred Warner and Nick Bosa are out for the season. Brandon Aiyuk hasn\u2019t played<\/a>, and George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall and Brock Purdy have missed significant time. Oh, and they\u2019ve used three kickers to boot.<\/p>\n This is Shanahan\u2019s finest season. Coincidentally, it\u2019s coming at the exact moment he has the least to work with.<\/p>\n Mottos, mantras and acronyms<\/p>\n When the Bears take their four-game winning streak to Philadelphia this week, \u201cGood, better, best\u201d won\u2019t just describe the Black Friday deals at the King of Prussia mall. Those three words have become the rallying cry of first-year Bears coach Ben Johnson, something he borrowed from his own high school football coach, as The Athletic\u2019s Kevin Fishbain explained in a terrific story last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n NFL coaches almost all have a dash of summer camp counselor in their makeup, and Johnson\u2019s suddenly popular motto \u2014 \u201cwhen it\u2019s not going well, it\u2019s cheesy and stupid,\u201d Bears tight end Cole Kmet told Kevin, \u201cbut when you\u2019re winning, it\u2019s awesome\u201d \u2014 fits right in.<\/p>\n Sean McVay and his 9-2 Los Angeles Rams have \u201cWe then me.\u201d Mike Macdonald and his 8-3 Seahawks have \u201c12 as one.\u201d Mike Tomlin and his 6-5 Steelers have \u201cThe standard is the standard.\u201d Dan Quinn\u2019s Washington Commanders went to the NFC Championship Game last year behind \u201cHard s\u2014 with good people,\u201d a motto that appears on Quinn\u2019s office wall.<\/p>\n \n Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, left, and Rams coach Sean McVay have winning teams with winning slogans. (Harry How \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Such slogans are actually common sights inside NFL facilities, and acronyms are the current fad. The Bengals have P.H.A.T. (\u201cPhysical, hungry, accountable teammate.\u201d) The Los Angeles Chargers have T.E.D. (\u201cThere every day.\u201d) The 49ers have W.I.T. (\u201cWhat it takes.\u201d) The Ravens have W.I.N. (\u201cWhat\u2019s important now.\u201d) Texans coach DeMeco Ryans wants his players to S.W.A.R.M. (\u201cSpecial work ethic and relentless mindset.\u201d) Mike Vrabel and the Patriots are wearing blue \u201cworking man\u201d shirts to the facility as New England promotes DTF (\u201cDetails, technique and fundamentals\u201d) \u2014 and don\u2019t ask your teens for any alternate meanings.<\/p>\n Of course, the acronym game doesn\u2019t always work out. The Giants in recent years have made a habit of preaching \u201cSmart, tough, dependable,\u201d and before you ask what that stands for, I\u2019d remind you that this is a family-friendly column.<\/p>\n Table talk<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve figured out by now that talking isn\u2019t exactly my issue. My younger sister, though? Total opposite. She doesn\u2019t say much ever, especially about football, but she loves having a few go-to topics so she can survive painful small talk without defaulting to the classic, \u201cSo \u2026 how\u2019s work?\u201d<\/p>\n And she\u2019s not alone. Plenty of people want to sound like they know what they\u2019re talking about around the holidays.<\/p>\n So, in the spirit of helping the quiet ones at the table this week, here are some easy NFL talkers you can casually drop into conversation and instantly sound like the smartest person in the room:<\/p>\n \u2022 Myles Garrett has more sacks by himself (18) than three teams through 12 weeks (Carolina Panthers, Bengals, 49ers).<\/p>\n \u2022 Every Steelers wide receiver has combined for just a bit more receiving yardage (1,082) than Pittsburgh cast-off Pickens (1,054), by himself.<\/p>\n \u2022 Every team has at least six takeaways this season \u2026 well, except for the New York Jets. New York has only forced one turnover \u2014 a Broncos fumble in London. That means the Jets haven\u2019t forced a turnover on American soil since Week 18 of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n \u2022 The only team never to play on Thanksgiving? That would be the Jacksonville Jaguars.<\/p>\n \u2022 The last time the Chiefs didn\u2019t win the AFC West, Ben Affleck was still married to Jennifer \u2026 Garner.<\/p>\n![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2243246865-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2247047584-scaled.jpg\")
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