For the first time since Week 8, all 32 NFL teams were in action this past week. The Thanksgiving tripleheader was a bit of a dud, as all three home teams (and favorites) won their games, but the Kansas City Chiefs barely survived the Las Vegas Raiders in the Black Friday matchup, thanks to a confusing illegal-shift penalty.
On Sunday, Russell Wilson diced up the Cincinnati Bengals defense, Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions in another Atlanta Falcons loss and Bryce Young turned in an impressive performance in an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Philadelphia Eagles also won their eighth straight game vs. the Baltimore Ravens. That defense has been playing incredibly well.
This week, I want to discuss what the Carolina Panthers should do at quarterback in 2025, and my picks for NFL Coach of the Year.
It’s a narrative that has been building for a couple of weeks now. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has been playing some pretty good football as of late. Bryce Young has gone from a player some considered to be one of the bigger busts of all time, to a quarterback with potential.
Two weeks in a row, Young has played well in front of his home fans despite three-point losses. In each contest, he’s made big-time throws downfield, and overall has looked like a completely different player.
In the eventual 26-23 overtime loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, Young also had a game-tying touchdown pass to Adam Thielen with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, where he stepped up in the pocket and delivered a confident strike downfield for the score. It marked the second game-tying drive Young led in the final two minutes of a game in the last two weeks.
What changed with Young? A few things immediately stand out to me. He stopped holding onto the ball too long, which led to sacks of his own making. Go back and watch the Week 1 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Young wasn’t getting the ball out on time. That goes hand-in-hand with my next point, which is that Young now has an internal clock. He looks confident running the offense, and knows where the ball is supposed to go if option one isn’t open. He’s finally running point guard, and that’s what development is.
Over his last four starts, Young is averaging 6.1 yards per dropback. He averaged 4.1 yards per dropback in his first three starts this season. The Panthers are averaging 23.3 points per game over Young’s last three starts after averaging just NINE points per game in Young’s first three starts. Young also has just one turnover over 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 Young had gone three straight starts without a turnover, and first time he has ever thrown for 250 yards in back-to-back games.
Young has a higher passer rating (87.3) over his last three games than Justin Herbert (85.5), Aaron Rodgers (84.6) and C.J. Stroud (84.0) over their last three games. He has clearly shown improvement over the last month, so what are the Panthers going to do with their former top pick? I think they should keep him as their starter, and use their first-round pick on another position.
Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said it earlier this year: “Organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.” Yes, the start Young got off to was horrific, but he’s starting to show people why he was considered to be the top quarterback in his class pre-draft. Let him continue to develop alongside coach Dave Canales and teammates like Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks.
This is definitely a decision that goes against how today’s NFL operates. If your quarterback isn’t Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen he’s replaceable! Throw yourself back on that quarterback carousel! No. Let’s stop doing that. I understand this league is about results, but how about you give the quarterback you mortgaged the future of the franchise for some more time? I imagine David Tepper probably isn’t too antsy to ditch Young and admit he was incredibly wrong in his decision to trade up and draft him. So, let’s see what 2025 brings. Young’s redemption arc has already been fun to watch. He may be capable of being a starter in this league.
If you’ve followed my column, you know I hate how NFL awards are handled. MVP has become a quarterback award, Comeback Player of the Year now has different rules and Coach of the Year is a bit wonky as well.
As it stands now, Dan Campbell, Mike Tomlin and Kevin O’Connell are the favorites to win Coach of the Year over at BetMGM Sportsbook. They are deserving, sure. But here are my top three Coaches of the Year through 13 weeks:
Harbaugh won the College Football Playoff National Championship at Michigan last year, and is now going to make the playoffs in his first season back in the NFL. The Los Angeles Chargers currently sit at 8-4, which is their best 12-game start to a season since 2018.
Harbaugh took over for the “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 defeated the Falcons, 17-13, while picking off Cousins four times. It was the fifth game this season where L.A. allowed 13 points or fewer, which is tied for most in the NFL.
Harbaugh’s impact on this franchise has been felt immediately. His defense is playing like Michigan’s did last year, and he’s boosted Justin Herbert’s confidence, too. Herbert just became the sixth quarterback in NFL history to go 10 straight starts without throwing an interception.
Who saw the Washington Commanders starting the season 8-5? This franchise was criticized for hiring Quinn, and for the moves it made in free agency as well. Bobby Wagner? Austin Ekeler? You sure those guys can still play? Yes, absolutely. They’ve made big impacts on this team, as have other signings like Jeremy Chinn and Frankie Luvu. Washington’s new decision-makers also ditched the Commanders’ last three first-round picks in the matter of months, and STILL have fared better (Jamin Davis, Jahan Dotson, Emmanuel Forbes).
The selection of Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall appears to be a great pick as well. He just became the first rookie in NFL history to complete 80% of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another in a game this past week against the Tennessee Titans.
This franchise has been down in the dumps for so long, and it took less than half a season to create a buzz that hasn’t been felt in D.C. for quite some time. Washington has the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite, a top-five offense and a top-five passing defense that is about to add Marshon Lattimore. They did all this with a new coach who most would probably argue was the most underwhelming hire of the cycle.
I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking the Buffalo Bills were poised to take a step backward this season. I mean, they lost Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Tre’Davious White, Mitch Morse, Dane Jackson, Leonard Floyd and Tyrel Dodson among others. How were they going to get better? Yet through 13 weeks, the Bills look like the best team in the AFC.
The Bills have already clinched the AFC East with five games still left to play, and Josh Allen has done an incredible job taking care of the ball this season, scoring 26 total touchdowns compared to seven turnovers. The offense has scored 30 points in six straight games, which is tied for the longest streak in team history, and the defense is allowing 18.7 points per game, which is tied for No. 6 in the NFL.
You could argue McDermott entered this season somewhat on the hot seat with how the 2023 campaign ended and all that transpired in the offseason. But the Bills haven’t fallen off a cliff. They’ve gotten better, and McDermott deserves credit.
