Author: nfltalk

49ers General Manager John Lynch said Tuesday morning he is “not sure” Brandon Aiyuk’s return is realistic this season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday afternoon that he remains hopeful the wide receiver will come back but knows it’s unlikely.

“Oh, I’m definitely still hopeful,” Shanahan said on KNBR, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I’m not counting on it, but I’m definitely still hoping that can happen.”

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Aiyuk is rehabbing from tearing the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee during a game against the Chiefs on Oct. 20, 2024. He remains on the physically unable to perform list with only four regular-season games left.

His future with the team is uncertain after the 49ers voided the remaining guarantees on Aiyuk’s contract earlier this year. A recent ESPN report suggests the tensions between Aiyuk and the 49ers may stem from his failure to attend offseason rehab sessions.

KNBR asked Lynch on Tuesday whether the report of the contract adjustment further strained the relationship or communication with Aiyuk.

“I don’t necessarily know that the reporting was an inflection point, but I think, the entire time, it hadn’t been great,” Lynch said. “And so, you do your best to rectify those things, and then, everyone’s got to be professionals and conduct themselves in that manner.”

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Oh, how quickly things change in the National Football League. At this time last year, the Bears and the Patriots not only had questions about their young quarterbacks, but if they could surround them with the infrastructure — the coaching, the weapons, the offensive line — for success.

Now, Chicago and New England lead their respective conferences. Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme has lifted Caleb Williams and a rushing attack that has the highest success rate in the league. Drake Maye has ascended to stardom with Stefon Diggs recapturing his earlier form. Both offensive lines have been overhauled, the personnel has improved, and the coaching has gone from among the league’s worst to its best.

If you think those turnarounds are quick, just consider the developments of the past few weeks. The Cowboys have won three straight and defeated the past two Super Bowl champions in a span of five days. The Colts, once the toast of the NFL for their resurrection of Daniel Jones, have lost three of four, no longer lead even their own division and are in a dog fight for a playoff berth. The Panthers alternate between looking like one of the NFL’s worst teams and one of its best.

There are 20 teams .500 or better, tied for the most through 13 weeks in NFL history. The teams with the top four shortest preseason odds — the Lions, Chiefs, Ravens and Eagles — all lost in Week 13. The drama is high, the margins are narrow, and the next five weeks should be thrilling.

And we like that a lot.

Five things we liked in Week 13

Cowboys fight fire with fire

Want to know how to beat the Chiefs? Don’t back down. Not once. Don’t worry about the clock — Patrick Mahomes once managed a field goal drive in 13 seconds, remember? —  don’t play for field position. The way to beat Patrick Mahomes is to not let him have the ball.

That’s exactly what the Cowboys did in their 31-28 Thanksgiving Day win. Each of Dallas’…

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It’s unacceptable from an established veteran. It’s unfathomable from a rookie. For the second time in three weeks, the Giants benched linebacker Abdul Carter for violating team rules.

The first came after Carter slept through a walkthrough before the Giants’ game against the Packers, a team source confirmed. This time, according to the New York Post, he missed a team responsibility. Those weren’t isolated incidents, either. A team source said Carter has repeatedly shown up late to meetings throughout the season.

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It’s an alarming pattern that points to a troubling lack of accountability for the rookie linebacker — and it’s starting to hurt the Giants.

“S–t happens,” Carter said.

To his credit, Carter eventually accepted responsibility for his latest absence. It took several questions, but he acknowledged he “let my team down,” noting the 10 points New England scored while he was off the field. He said he felt “sick to [his] stomach” on the sideline and needed to “be better.”

The words sound good. They always have. But why believe this time?

Tardiness isn’t new. Missing activities isn’t new. Under former coach Brian Daboll, a lack of accountability permeated the locker room, and Carter often benefited from that looseness. His first benching was viewed internally as a positive sign — a signal that interim coach Mike Kafka, who declined to offer details beyond saying the decision was his, would take a firmer approach.

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But Carter responding to that discipline with another infraction two weeks later speaks louder than anything he might say. His actions, not his words, tell the story — and the story is getting more concerning.

“Everyone has different challenges — I had mine, he’s dealing with his,” edge rusher Brian Burns said. “I think it’s just an honest mistake. He’s human. He makes mistakes. At the end of the day, he does have to be a pro. He does have to take accountability…

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With the latest DraftKings promo code, new users receive $200 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins, and Monday Night Football gives you one final chance to capitalize on this bonus on the Week 13 NFL slate. The Patriots enter on a nine-game winning streak, while the Giants have lost six straight. These are two trends that the SportsLine Projection Model projects to continue and expects the Patriots to cover as 7.5-point favorites as one of the model’s Monday best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook. Kickoff for Giants vs. Patriots is set for 8:15 p.m. ET, and New England’s over/under for total points scored is 27.5.

The model is also backing Over 234.5 total points in Lakers vs. Suns in NBA action, while one of SportsLine’s top experts has locked in an NHL pick on Mammoth vs. Sharks. Claim the latest DraftKings promo code, where new users get $200 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins: 

Check out our DraftKings promo code review for full details.

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Week 13 on a 49-33 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Monday best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook

Patriots (-7.5) vs. GiantsLakers vs. Suns: Over 234.5 pointsSharks (+136) vs. Mammoth

Combining the model’s three picks into a Monday parlay at DraftKings would result in a payout of +821 (risk $100 to win $821). Bet it at DraftKings here:

Patriots (-7.5) vs. Giants (+100)

The Patriots may have found their next elite head coach and quarterback combination in Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, who made the Patriots the only 10-win team through the first 12 weeks of the 2025 NFL season. The Patriots have won nine straight, going 6-3 against the spread over that span as well. New…

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has been fined $26,085 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct after jumping onto the goal post as part of a touchdown celebration.

Pickens scored a touchdown in the second quarter of the Cowboys’ dominant Week 11 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The celebration was flagged by referees, with officials awarding a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as a result.

George Pickens celebrated his second-quarter touchdown against the Raiders by embracing the goal post. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Christian Petersen via Getty Images)

The fine is larger than the second offense for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, indicating that Pickens may have been fined more heavily due to repeat offenses. This is Pickens’ fifth fine of the season, with nearly all of them relating to unsportsmanlike conduct or taunting.

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Pickens was fined twice for Dallas’ win over the New York Giants in Week 2, with him and fellow receiver CeeDee Lamb fined $14,491 each for a gun-related celebration after a touchdown; Pickens was then fined an additional $14,491 for taking off his helmet before leaving the field. Pickens was also fined for taunting in Week 7’s win over the Washington Commanders and Week 9’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

The league cited “use of a prop” as the reason for this fine. Seattle Seahawks’ receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was given a similar fine in Week 7 for dunking the ball over the cross bar in a touchdown celebration, though Smith-Njigba was only charged $14,491 for his first offense.

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Pickens and Lamb were both benched to start the game as part of a “coach’s decision” from Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer. Both receivers went on to score in the blowout win, and Pickens finished with a team-leading 144 receiving yards off nine receptions.

Though the team originally stayed quiet on why the receivers were benched, Lamb revealed on Thursday that he and Pickens had missed curfew while…

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