Category: NFL News

The 2024 NFL regular season is complete and in the rear-view mirror as it’s time to move into offseason mode for 18 of the NFL’s 32 teams. Realistically, some of them have already done so — especially those who have made changes at the head coach or general manager positions. And because it’s what we do here, we’re going to let you know exactly which jobs are open, and who might be up for them.

Rather than scouring the scatter shot reports across social media, CBSSports.com has compiled all of those reports of interest in one place. Below, we will track all of the coordinator, head coach and general manager candidates and where they have been requested to interview.

Chicago fired Matt Eberflus after its Thanksgiving Day clock management debacle against the division-rival Lions. Interim head coach Thomas Brown had been doing well as the offensive coordinator, but the team has taken another step backward since he was promoted for the second time during this season. The next Bears coach will get the opportunity to work with Caleb Williams and some talented players on defense, but there is still a need for massive improvement on offense.

Here are the candidates the Bears are interviewing/have interviewed so far:

Completed

Interviewing

Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator (per reports)Arthur Smith, Steelers offensive coordinator (per reports)Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator (per reports)Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator (per reports)Pete Carroll, former Seahawks head coach (per reports)Mike Kafka, Giants offensive coordinator (per reports)David Shaw, former Stanford head coach and current Broncos senior personnel executive (per reports)Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator (per reports)Joe Brady, Bills offensive coordinator (per reports)Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach (per reports)  Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders offensive coordinator (per reports)

What many thought…

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NFL wild-card weekend! Six games from Saturday to Monday that launch us into the second football season. For this week’s Playbook, I looked at each game and one specific matchup or aspect (sometimes multiple because I can’t help myself) that could swing things.

Starting with the Saturday afternoon game that should just be called “Texans time” by this point.

Can Texans, C.J. Stroud finally find answers for season-long issues?

The Texans’ run game isn’t good. It’s actually the worst run game this NFL season. It’s a reflection of an offensive line that has battled injuries, and a setback in play and cohesion. The poor run game creates tons of long downs and distances for C.J. Stroud to overcome. To make it worse, the lack of consistent protection means opponents can either blitz and win instantly on plays or not even bring pressure and have it still affect Stroud and his offense.

That lack of threat in the run game and ability to play passively against the Texans has allowed defenses to stay in soft coverages. They keep a lid on big plays to Nico Collins and dare Stroud and the rest of the offense to put together multiple plays in a row. Stroud has faced the third-most dropbacks this season with a defense using a split-safety coverage (with both safeties deep in a two-high shell and not in the box as another body against the run), and he’s struggled against those coverages, ranking 26th in dropback success rate and 24th in EPA per dropback.

This is more a reflection on the Texans’ current ecosystem as it’s hard to attack downfield if you can’t protect! This has me still optimistic about Stroud in the future. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the Chargers run split-safety coverages under Jesse Minter at the second-highest rate in the NFL, with the coaching staff’s attention to detail being highlighted in these coverages that get unlocked with proper scouting.

Another reflection of how well-coached and aware this defense is is how well the…

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It’s a new season.

Start from scratch. Scrap the regular season. It’s playoff time. 

OK, so maybe that does not work that way for those of us picking games. I tried. It is the playoffs — but the regular season counts.

For me, that’s not a good thing. I went 8-7-1 against the spread last week — two winning weeks in a row — to finish the regular season at 128-138-6. I went 13-3 straight up to finish 178-94-0. That’s solid.

I will say that I usually get hot in the playoffs, which gives me hope that I can get over .500 for the season. It will take some big-time picking to get there, but why not? 

Here we go.

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

The Chargers come into this game with an offense led by Justin Herbert, who has yet to win a playoff game. This is a big game for him. The Texans haven’t played as well as expected, especially C.J. Stroud. This makes this a big game for him, too. But the Chargers have the top-ranked scoring defense in the league, which will make this a challenge. I think their pass rush will be an issue against Stroud’s offensive line. Herbert will play well and find a way to win his first playoff game. 

Pick: Chargers 27, Texans 20

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime)

The Ravens seem to be riding high heading into the playoffs, while the Steelers have lost four straight, including to the Ravens two weeks ago. The Steelers have struggled on offense lately, which is an issue against a high-scoring offense led by Lamar Jackson. But it’s tough playing a third game against a division opponent. I think the Steelers will hang around in this one. It’s close, but the Ravens take it. 

Pick: Ravens 24, Steelers 19

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

The Broncos are the surprise team in these playoffs. They’ve gotten here behind a good defense that can rush the passer. That defense will be challenged by Josh Allen in a big way. Orchard Park, N.Y., is a tough place to make…

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 29: Daniel Jones #8 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on prior to a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that they have signed former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to their 53-man roster.

In a corresponding move, they waived backup quarterback Brett Rypien. Jones will join the Vikings roster to back up Sam Darnold during the playoffs.

Jones initially signed with the Vikings practice squad on Nov. 27 after being released by the Giants. He has remained on the practice squad since, but will now be available in the postseason in the event that Darnold needs to be replaced.

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Just five days before the Dallas Cowboys played their season finale, three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott asked to be released with the hope of latching on with a playoff-bound team to chase a Super Bowl ring. 

Dallas granted his request, and Elliott will now be eligible to participate in the postseason after signing on to the practice squad of the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday night, per NFL Media. 

Elliott becoming a Charger occurred because he lost a competition for his old spot as the Cowboys’ lead running back with undrafted veteran Rico Dowdle taking that mantle and producing the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. Elliott rushed 74 times for 226 yards and three touchdowns while catching 12 passes for 69 yards in 15 games played in 2024. 

He entered the NFL as the fourth overall pick in the 2016 Draft out of Ohio State. Elliott hit the ground running at the professional level, running for a league-best 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns his rookie year, earning a first-team All-Pro selection as well as a Pro Bowl trip. He led the NFL in rushing yards per game in each of his first three seasons, and led the league in total rushing a second time in 2018 with 1,434 yards. During his Cowboys career, Elliott was named an All-Pro twice and made three Pro Bowls. However, Elliott hasn’t rushed for 1,000 yards or averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry since 2021. 

What can Elliott bring to the Chargers?

The Cowboys’ third all-time leading rusher, who is still just 29 years old, is a depth signing for an 11-6 Chargers squad that has battled injuries at the running back position throughout this season. 

Leading rusher J.K. Dobbins, who has 905 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 195 carries…

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Eagles react to drawing the Packers in the wild card round originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles already beat the Packers once this season.

Four months ago. On another continent.

“I feel like a lot of stuff has changed,” center Cam Jurgens said. “I feel like it’s been a year since we played them last … in Brazil, my God. Reset and get ready for this postseason.”

Because the Eagles’ backups dispatched the lowly Giants, 20-13, in just 2 hours and 53 minutes on Sunday afternoon, the Packers-Bears and Commanders-Cowboys games were still finishing up as the Eagles celebrated their 14th win in the home locker room at the Linc.

So some players didn’t even know the Eagles drew the Packers in the wild card round until they heard the news from reporters. But it’s official: The 2-seeded Eagles will host the 7-seeded Packers on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. in the NFC wild card round.

A rematch of the Eagles’ 34-29 victory over the Packers on Sept. 6 in São Paulo, Brazil.

But a lot has changed since then. For both teams.

“Everyone makes their adjustments throughout the season, tries to figure out who they are as a team, as a defense, as an offense,” linebacker Zack Baun said. “You throw in wrinkles here and there and you see what sticks. We’ve changed and I know they have too.”

After that Week 1 matchup at Neo Quimica Arena, the Eagles rolled to a 14-win season and an NFC East title. Meanwhile, the Packers got battle-tested in the tough NFC North and got into the playoffs as a wild card team.

This figures to be a good matchup for the first round.

“Yeah, both teams are different from that day until now, no doubt,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “We’ll use that. You use everything. That’s something that when we go play a team that we played the previous year, we’ll use that, too. That’s from year to year. So of course we’ll use that. They’ll use that. We understand that. It’s a really good team. Really well coached.”

Even though it has…

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Division rivals face off in an NFL regular season finale as the Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) visit the Las Vegas Raiders (4-12) on CBS and Paramount+. The Raiders have their sights set on the 2025 NFL Draft, although they enter Week 18 on the heels of back-to-back victories. They host a Chargers side that has clinched a playoff spot but could clinch the No. 5 seed with a win on Sunday. You may be able to stream Sunday’s game live on Paramount+, which you can now try free for the first seven days when you sign up here.

Kickoff from Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, NV is 4:25 p.m. ET. The Chargers are 7-point favorites in the latest Chargers vs. Raiders odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under for total points scored is 42. Los Angeles is the -329 money line favorite (risk $329 to win $100), while Las Vegas is the +259 underdog (risk $100 to win $259). Sunday’s game will be streamed live on Paramount+ with their must-have Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan, which you can now get on a 7-day free trial.

Paramount+ is the only place to watch every minute of every NFL on CBS game this season. A subscription also gives you access to other sports content including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, NWSL, Serie A, and countless movies and shows. You can now get a free 7-day trial, so sign up right here. 

How to watch Chargers vs. Raiders

Raiders vs. Chargers date: Sunday, Jan. 5Raiders vs. Chargers time: 4:25 p.m. ETRaiders vs. Chargers TV channel: CBS Raiders vs. Chargers streaming: Paramount+ 

Week 18 NFL picks for Chargers vs. Raiders

Before tuning into Sunday’s Raiders vs. Chargers game, you need to see the NFL picks from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. 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 18 of the 2024 NFL season on a 30-14 betting hot streak on…

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws the ball in the second quarter of his team’s win over the Steelers. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Steelers are lucky they won 10 games early. They might be stuck on 10 wins going into the offseason.

The Steelers have fallen apart, and they had another horrendous performance, in which the offense was mostly inept. The Steelers lost 19-17 Saturday to the Cincinnati Bengals, who kept their playoff hopes alive. For the Steelers, it was the fourth straight game in which they never even held a lead. The Steelers had a shot at the end to win the game on a field goal, but their drive stalled before they hit midfield and the Bengals held on when Pat Freiermuth dropped a fourth-down pass. That sums up the past month for the Steelers.

The Bengals (9-8) needed to win, then wait until Sunday for help. They also needed the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Denver Broncos and New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins (or a tie game) to get the wild-card spot.

The Steelers (10-7) are in the playoffs. But they’re going to go face the Baltimore Ravens next week if the Los Angeles Chargers win on Sunday. The Steelers will face the Houston Texans if the Chargers lose to the Las Vegas Raiders.

It might not matter who the Steelers play. They don’t look like they can beat any playoff-level opponent lately.

Steelers have a rough 1st half

The Steelers had lost three in a row and they started slow. Bengals QB Joe Burrow had an easy drive downfield to start the game. The Steelers put cornerback Cory Trice Jr., replacing inactive Donte Jackson and making his first career start in his sixth NFL game, on Ja’Marr Chase with no help. Chase beat him easily for a 12-yard touchdown. It was Chase’s 17th touchdown of the season. Burrow completed all six of his passes on the drive. He had 12 straight completions to start the game, a streak that was snapped on a dropped pass.

After Chase’s touchdown, the Steelers had…

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