Category: NFL News

Jerod Mayo has the hardest job in the NFL – taking over from Bill Belichick [Getty Images]

Rebuilding a team is never easy, but this is no ordinary rebuild facing the New England Patriots – as once the most dominant dynasty the NFL has ever seen is now having to be reconstructed from the ground up.

Fans in New England were spoilt rotten with almost two decades of unbridled success during the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era – the greatest quarterback and head coach combination the sport has ever witnessed.

They became the Manchester United of the NFL, but now face a similar problem as the Red Devils in trying to replicate their success while replacing club legend Sir Alex Ferguson.

After 11 years they are still seemingly no closer to finding their ideal replacement. The Patriots will hope to get back to the summit of their sport a lot quicker.

And the man following ‘the man’ – and playing the David Moyes role – is Jerod Mayo – at just 38 he’s the youngest head coach in the league in his first year in the top job, but has the responsibility of piecing the Patriots back together brick by brick.

The Brady & Belichick era – the hardest act to follow

To truly understand the size of the task in hand for such a young and inexperienced head coach as Mayo, it’s worth remembering some of the more incredible achievements of a side that became the team to beat every season for two decades.

In the 18 seasons Brady played the majority of games the Patriots reached the Super Bowl nine times, winning six, in what is just a phenomenal rate of success in a sport built for parity.

The pair had a 100% record in earning 18 winning seasons, won 17 AFC East titles and made 13 AFC Championship games – including a run of eight years in a row where they were playing for a place in the Super Bowl.

Throw in that incredible 16-0 perfect regular season, and almost every individual and head coach-quarterback record you can think of, and it’s the very essence of a dynasty.

Good luck following that!

A…

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The New Orleans Saints will try to snap a four-game losing streak when they battle the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. New Orleans is coming off a 51-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Denver dropped a 23-16 decision to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos (3-3), who are 2-1 on the road this season, have outscored their opponents 112-96 on the year. The Saints (2-4), who are 1-2 at home in 2024, have outscored their foes 167-147. Quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is expected to remain out for New Orleans, while receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) will not play.

Kickoff from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The Broncos are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Broncos vs. Saints odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 37. Before making any Saints vs. Broncos picks, be sure to see the NFL predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven 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 7 of the 2024 NFL season on an incredible 11-3 hot streak on top-rated NFL picks this year. Longer term, it is on a 192-132 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season and a 46-24 roll on top-rated NFL picks since Week 7 of 2022.

The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94% of CBS Sports Football Pick’em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it at their favorite sports betting site  and betting apps is way up.    

Now, the model has set its sights on Broncos vs. Saints and just locked in its betting picks and NFL predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NFL odds and NFL betting lines for Saints vs……

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Football truly straddles the line between being an art and a science.

Honestly, you could zoom out and include all sports. But after watching OC Ben Johnson scheme up nearly a dozen plays for offensive linemen, I had to close all my spreadsheets. My technically oriented mindset doesn’t know how to factor in pettiness. However, it makes the games all the more enjoyable.

If a perfect model for the NFL existed, we wouldn’t get as excited entering each week. I’d have known to start Romeo Doubs. However, the storylines are a blend of human chaos and statistics that make the “art and science” descriptor fit. And after another wild set of games, let’s tease out some takeaways from all the drama.

Is Jordan Love a top-3 fantasy QB for the rest of the season?

Admittedly, a top-three mark for Jordan Love feels aggressive.

Typically, we reserve that level of confidence for mobile QBs. Over the last five seasons, non-hybrid passers have needed at least 4,828 passing yards and 38 TDs to crack the top three. After Love posted his fourth multi-TD outing on Sunday, the results hint at a path for him to get there. But the offensive success comes from the scheme as much as Love’s arm.

HC Matt LaFleur has been in his bag all season. The Packers have top-12 marks in yards per drive and EPA per play. But it’s not all done through the air. Love’s dropback rate on early downs (54.0%) sits at the league average. So, having the backfield maintain a 48.5% success rate makes obvious passing situations easier for Love. However, his group of receivers and their ability to create highlights every week are what will keep Love in the top-three discussion:

Doubs’ return (and two-TD result) will garner most of the attention, but his skill set seamlessly fits Green Bay’s passing game. Operating primarily as their X-receiver, his 3.34 YPRR from the boundary (with Love under center) falls in line with other WR1s (Mike Evans – 3.44, Terry McLaurin – 3.45). Love’s aggressive…

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The Green Bay Packers replaced future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers rather seamlessly with current starter Jordan Love, but they have had a harder time replacing the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, kicker Mason Crosby. 

That’s why Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst signed free agent kicker Brandon McManus after a workout on Tuesday, according to ESPN. He will reportedly immediately become the Packers kicker, starting with their Week 7 home game against the 5-1 Houston Texans. The 2024 season will be the 33-year-old McManus’ 11th NFL season after nine with the Denver Broncos to start his career from 2014-2022 and last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was the kicker for the Broncos Super Bowl 50 championship team in the 2015 season. His 253 made field goals ranks as the fourth-most in the NFL from 2014-2023, trailing only Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (327), Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein (280) and Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (259) in the span of his career. 

The Washington Commanders signed him to a one-year deal in March this offseason, but they cut him in June after he was the subject of a lawsuit that alleged sexual assault in May. McManus will be eligible to play for the Packers immediately after a league investigation found insufficient evidence to support a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. 

Love threw for 32 touchdowns in his first full season as the Packers starting quarterback in 2023, the second-most in the NFL last season behind only Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s 36. His 12 passing touchdowns in four games this season are tied for the second-most in the NFL with Joe Burrow, trailing only Baker Mayfield’s 15 for the league lead. Love set Packers postseason single-game records for passer rating (157.2) and passing yards per…

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Shortly before midnight local time, Woody Johnson climbed into the passenger row of a golf cart that would transport New York Jets brass from the locker room toward their MetLife Stadium vehicle entrance.

Six days had elapsed since Johnson had exercised his control as team owner to fire head coach Robert Saleh.

Even fewer days had passed since the Jets stripped offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of play-calling duties, a responsibility that on Monday against the Buffalo Bills fell to passing game coordinator Todd Downing.

Now, as Johnson and Co. rode down the tunnels of MetLife Stadium, his assertion that this Jets team is the most talented he’s had in 25 years seemed further validated. So, too, did concerns about whether that talent would capitalize on its potential.

Because even as the Jets unlocked their run game and bolstered their explosive pass game, the first contest of interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich’s tenure will tally in the same column as Saleh’s last two: a loss.

The Bills improved to 4-2 atop the AFC East with a 23-20 win, while the Jets fell to 2-4 and third in the division.

Their season was not over. But their chance of making the playoffs, per the New York Times’ playoff predictor model, hovered at 40%. Their chance of winning the division: 10%.

A close Monday night game slipped from their grasp, taking with it some of their postseason viability.

“This was a golden opportunity,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, after a late interception doomed the Jets’ last chance to close a deficit that all night had seemed manageable. “Some games you win in the NFL and some games you give away.

“This was a giveaway.”

The Jets are likely asking themselves: How much more than a Week 6 game was given away?

How soon, and through what means, can they find that elusive win?

A three-game losing streak hung over the heads of a locker room that was dead silent as players began to head to the shower. Eventual murmurs picked up and…

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Five games into their 2024 season, the Philadelphia Eagles rank just 18th in points per game. They’re 14th in yards per play, 20th in the share of drives ending in a touchdown or field goal, 27th in the share of drives ending in a turnover, 18th in third-down conversion rate and 27th in red-zone touchdown rate. It’s a far cry from where their offense was just two years ago, when they took the league by storm and made a run to the Super Bowl. 

And star right tackle Lane Johnson is frustrated with the team’s progress. He went off following the team’s too-close victory over the hapless Cleveland Browns on Sunday. 

“We’re a constipated offense is what it bleeping comes down to,” Johnson said, via NJ.com. “It seems like that a lot. We’re definitely frustrated. We have a lot of ability, a lot of talent and we are making games a lot more competitive than they need to be. We’ve got to fix it. As far as talent-wise, this is one of the more loaded offenses I’ve been a part of.”

During the game, the boo birds rang down from the Lincoln Financial Field stands, and Johnson understood where the fans were coming from. 

“I’d be doing the same thing,” Johnson said. “They’re tired of seeing offenses that aren’t efficient, especially in the first half. We’re really putting ourselves in bad positions. Our first quarter hasn’t been our strong point. We’ve talked about it, but moving forward, we’ve got to go prove it.”

Head coach Nick Sirianni, on the other hand, took an opposite approach. He instead admonished the fans for being frustrated with the product they’re seeing on the field. 

“We thrive off the crowd when they cheer for us,” Sirianni said. “That’s all I’ll say. When our crowd cheers for us, we thrive off of them. You know, we hear them when they boo. We don’t necessarily like it. I don’t think that’s productive for anybody. When they cheer for us, and we’ve got them rolling, we love it.”

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker, top, is congratulated by wide receiver Jalen McMillan (15) and center Robert Hainsey after scoring against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Be careful before you meander into that Tampa Bay-New Orleans boxscore. I know it sounds delightful. There were 78 total points! There were 897 yards of offense! Both teams have several must-start fantasy options, right?

So of course the fantasy superstar from this game was Sean Tucker, unheralded running back of the Buccaneers. Because that’s how fantasy goes sometimes.

First, let’s start with the Tampa Bay players you likely used for fantasy. Baker Mayfield is a carnival sometimes, but he’s also producing most weeks. Mayfield threw for 325 yards and four passing touchdowns, offsetting three interceptions and landing him at 28,8 fantasy points. It’s his third straight game over the 20-point mark, and he was sitting at QB2 with just SNF and MNF left on the slate. The Buccaneers have sailed past 30 points in four of their games this year, an offense you can generally trust.

Chris Godwin went off against the Saints secondary, rocking an 11-125-2 line on 13 targets. He’s had at least five receptions in every game and the shift to a slot-heavier role seems to agree with him. Godwin needed a bigger role because Mike Evans was dealing with an undisclosed injury for most of the day, limping through the first half and briefly visiting the locker room. He only had one target in the second half and finished 2-34-0 on six targets. Variance bites us all sometimes. Cade Otton only had two catches on his six targets, but one of them went for a short touchdown. You’ll take that during the Tight End Blackout of 2024.

Bucky Irving picked up the backfield start with Rachaad White unavailable and was fine, but not quite the smash we hoped for (14-81-1 rushing, 2-24-0 receiving). That’s good for 17.5…

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The 2024 NFL season has brought a bundle of surprises, from the Minnesota Vikings matching the Kansas City Chiefs with a perfect 5-0 start to the Cincinnati Bengals stumbling at the bottom of the AFC North despite an explosive return to action from Joe Burrow. Oftentimes, there seems no such thing as a “safe bet” on the weekly NFL calendar, but we’re still here to help forecast what’s ahead.

We’ve collected all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them in one place, so you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more. Ready? Let’s jump in.

All NFL odds via SportsLine consensus odds.

Jaguars at Bears

Time: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network), stream on fubo (try for free)  
Open: Jaguars -1, O/U 46.5

SportsLine’s Projection Model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, and it’s up to $7,900 for $100 players on top-rated picks since its inception. In Week 6, we can tell you the model is projecting a 25-21 win for the Bears, who secure the straight-up victory in nearly 60% of simulations. The Jaguars are coming off their first win of the season, but they’ve struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball. Catch the full SportsLine projection for this matchup, plus other Week 6 picks, right here.

Cardinals at Packers

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free) 
Open: Packers -4.5, O/U 47.5

“Arizona’s been a fun team this year and their pace so far in terms of scoring has been impressive. Kyler Murray didn’t do a ton after a 50+ yard scamper against San Francisco, but I’d expect him to be a little more productive in this matchup, especially with Trey McBride operating as a fully functional target hog. The Packers have…

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