All 32 for the first time since Week 8 were in use last week. The Thanksgiving tripleheader was a bit boring as all three home teams (and favorites) won their games, but the Kansas City Chiefs barely survived Las Vegas Raiders in the Black Friday matchup, thanks to a confusing penalty for an illegal shift.
On Sunday, Russell Wilson rolled that Cincinnati Bengals defense, Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions in another Atlanta Falcons loss and Bryce Young put in an impressive performance in an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Philadelphia Eagles also won their eighth straight game against the Baltimore Ravens. This defense played incredibly well.
This week I want to discuss what that is Carolina Panthers what I should do as quarterback in 2025 and my picks for it Coach of the Year.
1. What should the Panthers do with Bryce Young in 2025?
It's a narrative that's been building for a few weeks now. The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 has been playing pretty good football lately. Bryce Young has gone from a player considered by some to be one of the greatest failures of all time into a quarterback with potential.
Two weeks in a row, Young has played well in front of his home fans despite three-point losses. He made great offside throws in every contest and overall he seemed like a completely different player.
Young also had a game-winning touchdown pass in the eventual 26-23 overtime loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday Adam Thielen With 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, he pushed his way into the pocket and delivered a confident shot downfield to tie the score. It was the second game-winning effort to put Young ahead in the final two minutes of a game in the last two weeks.
What has changed with Young? A few things immediately stand out to me. He stopped holding the ball for too long, resulting in sacks of his own making. Go back and look at the Week 1 loss New Orleans Saints. Young failed to get the ball out in time. This goes hand in hand with my next point, which is that Young now has an internal clock. He appears confident on offense and knows where the ball should go when option one is not available. He's finally a point guard and that's exactly what development is.
In his last four starts, Young averaged 6.1 yards per dropback. He averaged 4.1 yards per dropback in his first three starts this season. The Panthers have averaged 23.3 points per game in Young's last three starts after scoring just NINE points per game in Young's first three starts. Young also had just one turnover in his last four starts after turning the ball over five times in his first three starts of the season. Sunday marked the first time in his career that Young went three straight starts without a turnover and the first time he threw for 250 yards in consecutive games.
Young has a higher passer rating (87.3) than Justin Herbert (85.5) in his last three games. Aaron Rodgers (84.6) and CJ Stroud (84.0) in the last three games. He has improved significantly in the last month. So what will the Panthers do with their former top pick? I think they should keep him as the starter and use their first-round pick at another position.
Minnesota Vikings Coach Kevin O'Connell it said earlier this year: “Organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.” Yes, Young was off to a terrible start, but he's starting to show people why he was considered the best quarterback in his class before the draft . Let him continue to develop with coach Dave Canales and his teammates Xavier Legette And Jonathan Brooks.
This is definitely a decision that contradicts today's operates. If your quarterback isn't Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen he is replaceable! Jump back into the quarterback carousel! No. Let's stop this. I understand this league is about results, but how about letting the quarterback you pawned off the future of the franchise for a little more time? I imagine David Tepper probably isn't too nervous about dumping Young and admitting that he was incredibly wrong in his decision to trade him and sign him. Let's see what 2025 brings. Young's redemption arc has already been fun to watch. He could be capable of being a starter in this league.
2. My Coach of the Year Favorites
If you've been following my column, you know I hate how Awards are being processed. MVP has become a quarterback award, comeback player of the year has different rules now, and coach of the year is a little strange too.
Dan Campbell, Mike Tomlin and Kevin O'Connell are currently the favorites to win Coach of the Year. Sports betting. You certainly deserve it. But here are My The three best trainers of the year over 13 weeks:
Jim Harbaugh (+600)
Harbaugh won He won the playoff national championship at Michigan last year and will now make the playoffs again in his first season . The Los Angeles Chargers is currently 8-4, which is their best 12-game start to a season since 2018.
Harbaugh took over for “defensive-minded” Brandon Staley and took his defense from a bottom-five unit to the top half of the league. The Chargers also currently rank first in scoring defense with 15.7 points allowed per game after allowing 23.4 points per game last season, which ranked ninth-worst. They just beat the Falcons 17-13 and defeated Cousins four times. It was the fifth game this season in which LA allowed 13 points or fewer, tied for the most points of the season .
Harbaugh's impact on this franchise was immediate. His defense is playing like Michigan's last year, and he's strengthened Justin Herberts also self-confidence. Herbert became just the sixth quarterback in NFL history to go 10 consecutive starts without throwing an interception.
Dan Quinn (+1600)
Who saw that? Washington commanders Will the season start 8-5? This franchise was criticized for hiring Quinn and also for the moves it made in free agency. Bobby Wagner? Austin Ekeler? Are you sure these guys can still play? Yes, absolutely. They have had a huge impact on this team, as have other signings Jeremy Chinn And Frankie Luvu. Washington's new decision-makers also gave up the Commanders' last three first-round picks in a matter of months, and they STILL did better (Jamin Davis, Jahan Dotson, Emmanuel Forbes).
The selection of Jayden Daniels The No. 2 overall seed also seems like a good choice. He just became the first rookie in NFL history to complete 80% of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns and running for another in a game against the nfl last week Tennessee Titans.
This franchise has been on the rocks for so long, and it took less than half a season to make a splash in a way DC hasn't felt in quite some time. Washington has the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite, a top-five offense and a top-five pass defense that will be added soon Marshon Lattimore. They did all of this with a new coach who most would probably say was the most disappointing hire of the cycle.
Sean McDermott (+2000)
I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought that Buffalo Bills were ready to take a step backwards this season. I mean, they lost Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Jordan Poyer, Tre'Davious White, Mitch Morse, Dane Jackson, Leonard Floyd And Tyrel Dodson among other things. How should they get better? But after 13 weeks, the Bills appear to be the best team in the AFC.
The Bills have already won the AFC East with five games left to play, and Josh Allen has done an incredible job handling the ball this season, scoring 26 total touchdowns compared to seven turnovers. The offense has scored 30 points in six straight games, the longest streak in team history, and the defense is allowing 18.7 points per game, tied for No. 6 in the nfl.
One could argue that McDermott entered this season somewhat on the hot seat due to the end of the 2023 season and everything that transpired in the offseason. But the Bills didn't fall off a cliff. They have gotten better and McDermott deserves credit.
