Morning Briefing: 19-Dec-24 – Malik Nabers chases receiving records as 2024 season ends for Giants

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Makes sense for the Cowboys’ penalty issues to resurface

Penalties have been a big talking point for the Dallas Cowboys lately.

The Dallas Cowboys may have picked up the win this week and handled the Carolina Panthers with relative ease, but one of the more troubling trends of the last few years resurfaced: penalties. The Cowboys were flagged 14 times and gave up 99 yards in penalties, though it didn’t really affect the game itself.

Still, penalties have been a common complaint in Dallas. That has often been attributed to Mike McCarthy, mostly because the head coach talked so often about wanting to cut down on penalties during and shortly after the 2021 season. But like us broke down earlier this yearpenalties weren’t a problem for McCarthy in Green Bay, while they’ve generally been a recurring problem for the Cowboys over the past decade and a half regardless of coach.

When things started against Carolina, the Cowboys were ninth in total penalties called against them. It might not sound good, but Dallas has been top five in penalties each of the last three seasons, so the ninth is really making progress. After the game, however, the Cowboys moved back to fourth place. That’s a big increase, but 14 penalties in one game will do.

With three weeks left in the season, Dallas has the fourth-best net penalty at +13. This means that, overall, opponents have been called for 13 more penalties than the Cowboys. The three teams ahead of them are the Vikings, Steelers and Rams, all led by head coaches who are in the running for the Coach of the Year award.

Just as importantly, the Cowboys are fourth in net penalty yards at +137. They are behind the Vikings, Steelers and Bills here. Penalty metrics can be skewed due to the different types of penalties – a couple of really long passing penalties can completely throw off this data – but it’s still important to be aware of as it tracks the actual yardage impact.

That doesn’t change the fact that the Cowboys played a sloppy game against the Panthers, drawing almost twice as many flags. Some of that can be attributed to the defense looking to pad their stats, as Greg Olsen explained on the broadcast, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch.

Great blue view

shut it down? New York Giants’ WR Malik Nabers has milestones to pursue

The rookie won’t let various injuries keep him off the field

Don’t try to tell New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers that, with the team at a hopeless 2-12, he should protect his battered body by shutting it down for the team’s final three games.

Nabers doesn’t want to hear it.

First and foremost, it’s been clear through a season where Nabers has played through groin and other injuries, only to be sidelined by a concussion, that the young man loves to play. He will not let injuries or the team’s poor performances stop him.

Second, there are franchise receiving posts within his reach. Nabers isn’t afraid to admit he wants them.

It’s easy to think that Nabers is selfish and concerned with records. I can’t see it that way. He loves the game. He loves to play. He wants to be as productive as possible. On the other side of the ball, I give Nabers and Brian Burns all the credit in the world for continuing to do as much as they can when neither is anywhere near 100% physically.

Great blue view

The New York Giants know who their starting QB will be vs. Atlanta Falcons

Drew Lock will be the starting quarterback for the New York Giants on Sunday vs. Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters Wednesday that Lock, recovered enough from heel and left elbow injuries to practice, will return to the starting role.

Lock had started the previous two games before missing Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Tommy DeVito, in concussion protocol after leaving the game against Baltimore just before halftime, “have a chance” to be the backup quarterback. If DeVito doesn’t clear the record in time, Tim Boyle would be the No. 1 quarterback. 2.

NFL.com

Cowboys’ Jerry Jones: Micah Parsons trade has ‘never been voiced in this organization’

Jones addressed speculation about trading Parsons during his weekly radio spot on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.

“It’s never been stated in this organization that we don’t have a future with Micah Parsons,” Jones said.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that the Cowboys plan to evaluate their top-heavy spending after giving contracts to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

“Obviously we’re all in on Dak and CeeDee, but after that, you’re still shaping things, including Micah,” Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones told Rapoport. But Micah is a great player. You don’t do well in this league by letting guys like Micah leave the house normally.”

The stage is set for another offseason filled with discussions about a big Cowboys player getting paid. The question is how much between $30 million and $40 million Parsons will cost Dallas. Nick Bosa currently sits atop the edge-rusher market at $34 million annually.

Pro Football Focus

2024 NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 16

1. Philadelphia Eagles (No change)

Expected starters in week 16:

Landon Dickerson left Philadelphia’s Week 15 game against Pittsburgh and was replaced by Tyler Steen at left guard. Steen posted a 30.7 PFF overall grade in his 49 snaps against the Steelers, which was the lowest on Philadelphia’s offensive line.

Right guard Mekhi Becton allowed three sacks over his first four games of the season but has given up none in his past nine games.

Best player: Jordan Mailata

Mailata’s 83.4 PFF pass-blocking grade against Pittsburgh was sixth among left tackles in Week 15.

7. Washington’s commanders (No change)

Expected starters in week 16:

The Commanders’ offensive line played well in pass protection in the team’s win in New Orleans. The unit gave up just 10 pressures — including a sack — on 46 passes, leading to a ninth-ranked 88.0 PFF pass-blocking efficiency this week.

Center Tyler Biadasz did not suit up for the Commanders due to an illness. He was replaced by Michael Deiter, whose 51.7 PFF overall grade was the lowest among the team’s offensive linemen.

Best player: Sam Cosmi

Cosmi surrendered four pressures against New Orleans – his worst total in a game this season.

25. Dallas Cowboys (Up 1)

Expected starters in week 16:

The Cowboys’ offensive line, although hit by a wave of injuries, played well in pass protection against the Panthers. The unit allowed just three pressures — and no sacks — on 29 pass plays against Carolina, leading to a second-ranked 94.8 PFF pass-blocking efficiency.

While rookie Tyler Guyton did not start against the Panthers, his play was encouraging coming into the game due to injury. Guyton allowed just one pressure on 23 plays, leading to an 81.2 PFF pass-blocking grade. That mark was eighth among left tackles in Week 15.

Best Player: Tyler Smith

Smith posted an 86.1 PFF pass-blocking grade against Carolina, which ranked third among guards this week.

29. New York Giants (Up 2)

Expected starters in week 16:

Despite the team’s overall issues, New York’s offensive line played well in pass protection in a loss to the Ravens. The unit gave up just eight pressures — including a sack — on 42 passes, leading to an eighth-ranked 89.3 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating.

Right tackle Evan Neal has allowed pressures on 5.7% of passes this season, which would be by far the best rate of his career. His previous best was 10.1% as a rookie in 2022.

Best player: Greg Van Roten

Van Roten is one of 19 guards to earn PFF run blocking and pass blocking grades above 66.0 this season.

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Pro Football Focus

2024 NFL quarterback rankings ahead of Week 16

In these quarterback rankings, we’ve evaluated the top picks based on PFF passing grades. Using insights from Premium Stats, we’ll also feature a number of key grades beyond passing grade, including grades under pressure, from a clean pocket, against the blitz, and more.

Ranking the top NFL rookies after Week 15

Here are the highest-rated first-year players after 15 weeks of action.

1. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

PFF grade: 88.3

Daniels turned in another strong performance as the Commanders defeated New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, completing 25 of his 31 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. This season, he has a marketable strike rate of just 1.5%.

2. EDGE Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams

PFF grade: 85.1

Verse continued his impressive rookie campaign in the Rams’ Thursday night football win over the 49ers, bringing his total pressures to 64 on the season. He has earned an 82.2 PFF pass-rushing grade through 15 weeks, and his 18.7% pass-rush win rate ranks seventh among all NFL cornerbacks.

3. TEA Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

PFF grade: 84.3

Bowers posted the lowest mark of his career Monday night against the Falcons, with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft averaging just 0.76 yards per carry. route. However, that shouldn’t diminish what has been an incredible season so far, with Bowers posting an 87.3 grade through 15 weeks.

Over the Cap

Kirk Cousins’ contract breakdown

After a string of poor games, the Falcons will move starting QB Kirk Cousins ​​to the bench in favor of rookie Michael Penix, Jr.. Cousins ​​signed a highly questionable $46 million per year contract with the Falcons as a free agent that included $100 million in guarantees despite coming off an Achilles injury the previous season. Now the contract appears to hang over the Falcons and tie up their salary cap for the next two years. Here’s a look at the Falcons’ options with the contract.

Cousins ​​counts $40 million against the Falcons’ salary cap in 2025. Because the Falcons front-loaded his contract with $62.5 million paid in 2024, his 2025 salary is only $27.5 million. That salary is already fully guaranteed and owed to Cousins, cut or not. The cost to cut Cousins’ cap hit would be gigantic — $65 million in 2025.

The Falcons could choose to exercise the designation option after June 1 and cut Cousins ​​right at the start of the 2025 league year. This is similar to what the Broncos did with Russell Wilson this past season. If the Falcons did this, Cousins’ cap hit would remain at $40 million in 2025, and the team would then defer $25 million to 2026.

The difficulty with the first scenario for the Falcons is that in many ways they went back into a salary cap with different signings to try to compete for the NFC South. They are one of just six teams projected to be over the cap in 2025, and increasing Cousins’ cap hit by $25 million really exacerbates their cap issues. They have a few players who could be released for cap savings, but they would likely be forced to double down on more players in 2025 and further complicate their flexibility in 2026.

If Cousins ​​is on the Falcons roster in 2025 as a backup, he will earn $10 million guaranteed on his 2026 salary. That would bring the cost of cutting Cousins ​​in 2026 to $35 million from $25 million. It doesn’t seem like a smart choice either.

The Falcons agreed to a no trade clause when they signed Cousins. Most QB-needy teams are bad teams, and it’s possible Cousins ​​doesn’t want to go to those teams.

Looking at the finances and the team’s salary cap situation, the move that makes the most sense is the release after June 1st of next year.