Morning briefing: 6-Dec-24 - Commanders offensive line continues to earn high marks after pushing around Titans defense

Tennessee Titans v Washington Commanders — Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Links to stories, pods and pictures to help you keep up with NFC East and the NFL in general

NFC East links

ESPN

What Week 13 losses mean for NFL head coaches on the hot seat

Firing Daboll and Schoen as a punitive measure for the mistakes made in 2023 and 2024 doesn’t really do New York any favors, especially given that this ownership group’s previous hires at head coach consisted of Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge. The personnel decisions would seemingly fall more on the general manager than the coach, anyway. With a blank slate at quarterback after the season, the Giants have to ask themselves whether Daboll is the best pick to help coach up that quarterback in 2025 and beyond.

Is he? I’d argue that the Daboll who was being fawned over as a head-coaching candidate in 2020 and 2021 and for his work with Jones in 2022 — when he won NFL Coach of the Year — shouldn’t be much different as a playcaller or offensive architect than he is now. Those offenses played into Jones’ (and Josh Allen’s) abilities as a runner and scrambler. Those concepts aren’t outdated and are still in the playbook this season. Jones struggled when he held onto the football, taking too many sacks and fumbling too often, and Daboll’s offense was designed to get the ball out of his hands quickly with RPOs and quick game. That all made and makes sense.

What needs to happen next: The Giants must show some sort of pulse down the stretch, something that will be harder after losing superstar defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence indefinitely after the All-Pro candidate suffered an elbow injury in the Cowboys loss. Ownership has proved to be sensitive to fan criticism in the past, with the botched benching of Manning for Geno Smith in 2017 leading to the firing of McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese. With home games against the Saints and Colts to come, Daboll will need to give the Giants a reason to believe they can turn things around if he wants to be involved in picking the next quarterback in 2025.

dallascowboys.com

Zack Martin to undergo season-ending ankle surgery

Zack Martin will not take the field again for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024. The perennial All-Pro will undergo season-ending surgery, per head coach Mike McCarthy, to repair an ankle injury suffered two weeks ago in the matchup against the Houston Texans.

Martin has dealt with a variety of injuries this season, from his back to his shoulder and now his ankle, but it’s the latter that ultimately ended his campaign.

The news lands only hours after Martin discovered he is the team’s nominee for Walter Payton Man of Year Award.

Pro Football Focus

2024 NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 14

3. Philadelphia Eagles (No change)

Projected Week 14 starters:

The Eagles’ offensive line played one of its best games of the season in pass protection. The unit surrendered just three pressures, and no sacks or quarterback hits, in a win over Baltimore. The line finished with a 93.2 PFF pass-blocking efficiency score — tied for the third-best rating this week.

Left guard Landon Dickerson played a perfect game in pass protection, not allowing a single pressure and not losing on any snaps to the Ravens’ pass rushers. He earned an 85.7 PFF pass-blocking grade, ranking 10th among guards in Week 13.

Best player: Jordan Mailata

Mailata, the NFL’s highest-graded offensive tackle this season, was also the league’s highest-graded offensive tackle in Week 13 (94.5).

7. Washington Commanders (Up 1)

Projected starters entering bye:

Center Tyler Biadasz generated a 90.6 PFF run-blocking grade against Tennessee — a position-leading mark in Week 13.

The Washington offensive line ranked 10th in PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating in Week 13 (90.8) after surrendering just six pressures — including one sack — on 38 pass plays.

Best player: Sam Cosmi

Cosmi did not allow a single pressure against Tennessee, and his 87.6 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked fifth among guards this week.

25. Dallas Cowboys (No change)

Projected Week 14 starters:

Dallas’ offensive line played well in the team’s win over the Giants, especially in pass protection. The unit allowed five pressures — and no sacks — on 37 pass plays, leading to a 93.2 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, which was tied for the fifth-best mark in Week 13.

Guard Brock Hoffman led the way, as he did not allow a single pressure and earned an 87.6 PFF pass-blocking grade — which ranked sixth among guards this week.

Best player: Tyler Smith

Smith allowed just one pressure in the win against New York. He earned an 83.0 PFF pass-blocking grade.

29. New York Giants (Down 1)

Projected Week 14 starters:

The Giants’ offensive line achieved the lowest PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating in Week 13. The unit surrendered a league-high 22 pressures — including a league-high five sacks — on 42 pass plays in a loss to the Cowboys, leading to a 67.9 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating.

Left tackle Chris Hubbard was responsible for seven pressures, finishing with a 15.2% pressure rate to rank second-to-last among left tackles in Week 13.

Best player: Greg Van Roten

Although Van Roten earned only a 64.2 PFF overall grade, it was the highest mark on the Giants’ offensive line in Week 13.

NFL league links

Articles

ESPN

Deion Sanders’ coaching future: Can Colorado keep him?

In what’s considered a weaker candidate pool this NFL cycle, prominent collegiate coaches could be intriguing to NFL owners and decision-makers. But the evaluators and executives I’ve checked with so far aren’t hearing Sanders’ name often in coaching circles — at least not yet.

“I could see him getting an interview or two,” an industry source said. “If you’re focused on finding a dynamic leader, he certainly provides that as a strength.”

Added an AFC executive: “Only time I’ve seen his name is on TV by Michael Irvin,” referring to Irvin’s recent comments on Fox’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” that Sanders would “100 percent” be interested in the Cowboys job. “I think he’s capable, but [he] would need a strong front office to support him.”

The Dallas job is not open now, and Sanders is not seen as a natural fit for the vacant spots in Chicago, New Orleans or New York. The way some see it, his style — including lengthy motivational speeches — is better suited for the college game.

“He’s a good fundraiser and college guys buy into what he sells,” an NFL personnel director said. “He’s tried to hire good coaches, but [I] have heard that he can be hard to work for. And I’m not sure the NFL guys will be in as quickly and also stay as engaged.”

Is there another potential NFL job that could entice Sanders?

One team comes up often when asking people around the league about a potential fit: the Las Vegas Raiders.

Las Vegas doesn’t have an opening, but this is a job people are watching closely, especially how the 2-10 Raiders finish the season under first-year coach Antonio Pierce. To Pierce’s credit, his team showed resolve in last week’s loss to the Chiefs. It was positioned to win the game with a field goal before a crushing botched snap resulted in a fumble.

The belief among many in the league is that Tom Brady, now a minority owner of the Raiders, will have some level of influence over major decisions, and team owner Mark Davis will covet his knowledge and insight. If Brady is looking for a fellow GOAT, Sanders has a compelling case as the best cornerback in NFL history.

This is a franchise that has cycled through six different coaches since 2014 and needs stability. There would also be an element of excitement for a market and a franchise associated with the kind of flash Coach Prime could provide.

“If there’s one fit, it’s Vegas because of the culture there and the bright [Vegas] lights and Davis’ willingness to do something different,” an AFC executive said. “Not sure whether it would work, but it would be exciting.”

Pro Football Focus

Grading all 32 first-round picks ahead of Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season

Pick No. 1: Chicago Bears: QB Caleb Williams

Overall Rookie Grade: 67.3 (Rank: 4/5)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 13 Snaps: 67
Week 13 Grade: 62.4

Williams’ mediocre Week 13 grade represents a tale of two halves in his Thanksgiving debut against Detroit. He completed just six passes in the first half while earning a paltry 31.7 PFF passing grade. For the second week in a row, though, he nearly led a miraculous comeback, earning a solid 75.1 PFF passing grade for his efforts in the second half. Williams continues to show he has the talent to be Chicago’s franchise quarterback, but the Bears can’t continue into next season with the same level of coaching disarray.

Pick No. 2: Washington Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels

Overall Rookie Grade: 87.9 (Rank: 1/5)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 13 Snaps: 82
Week 13 Grade: 68.0

Washington got back to its winning ways without Daniels needing to put the team on his back. He still managed to post a 68.0 PFF overall grade while scoring four total touchdowns. His only major blemish was a fumble early in the fourth quarter when he extended a play in the pocket for too long. [editor’s note: the not-lost fumble is the blemish, not the interception?]. Nevertheless, those mistakes have been few and far between for Daniels, as he has committed just eight turnover-worthy plays this season.

Pick No. 3: New England Patriots: QB Drake Maye

Overall Rookie Grade: 73.6 (Rank: 3/5)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 13 Snaps: 71
Week 13 Grade: 76.0

Maye played well against the Colts in a game New England probably feels it should have won. He completed 24 of his 30 passes, one of them a big-time throw on a corner route to Austin Hooper that resulted in a touchdown. He also added 59 yards on the ground as he continues to prove himself as a dual threat in the Patriots’ offense.

Pick No. 6: New York Giants: WR Malik Nabers

Overall Rookie Grade: 81.1 (Rank: 1/16)
Principal Opponent: DaRon Bland
Week 13 Snaps: 60
Week 13 Grade: 78.3

Nabers finished his Thanksgiving matchup versus Dallas with a 77.5 PFF receiving grade, his best since Week 3. He hauled in eight receptions totaling 69 yards and picked up three first downs along the way. The fact that Nabers is still producing despite the Giants’ quarterback situation shows his talent at such a young age.

Pick No. 12: Denver Broncos: QB Bo Nix

Overall Rookie Grade: 74.5 (Rank: 2/5)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 13 Snaps: 66
Week 13 Grade: 76.5

Nix made two turnover-worthy plays for only the second time this season — and the first since Week 1 — but offset his errors against the Browns with mostly positive play to earn a fourth straight 70.0-plus PFF game grade. He now owns the second-best PFF passing grade in the NFL over the past four weeks (84.5).