Ten Thoughts on the NFL

1) The all-time career leader in NFL passer rating has a new number 1 and number 2 as both Patrick Mahomes (110.7) and Deshaun Watson (103.6) have enough attempts to qualify for the leaderboard.

Both of these quarterbacks have been on an incredible tear this year, but it’s Aaron Rodgers, who is third all-time on this list (103.3), that leads this season with a 117.6 passer rating.

• That first one was painful, so I’m gonna need a minute...

2) Speaking of Watson, after he and the Texans knocked off the Lions on Thanksgiving, which led to Detroit firing head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, Lion fans donated over $1,000 to Watson’s charity.

3) The Jaguars fired general manager Dave Caldwell on Sunday following their loss to the Browns, and with a 1-10 record and them in a prime position to draft a top QB, Jacksonville will be an attractive place for prospective GMs.

4) The Atlanta Falcons have been playing better since firing head coach Dan Quinn, but did anyone see a 43 to 6 drubbing of the Las Vegas Raiders coming from them? The Raiders narrowly lost to the Chiefs a week ago, but before that they won three straight and looked to be coming around. Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr was sacked 3 times, he threw an interception, and he lost 3 fumbles.

The Falcons are 4-2 under interim head coach Raheem Morris, and he could be in the mix to stick around.

5) The Texans Will Fuller and Bradley Roby were each hit with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy...

For those that don’t know, Brian Cushing has a couple PED suspensions on his resume.

I’m not saying there’s anything related, but you never know.

6) How about that Robbie Gould?

7) COVID-19 related issues around the NFL is close to a point where games will need to be cancelled, which brings back into play adding an 18th week for makeup games and an 8th playoff spot.

I have a better idea...

The league is already fining and stripping teams of draft picks for violating NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, so if it’s determined that a player or coach acted recklessly by exposing themselves to the virus, thus exposing too many players making playing the the game impossible, then that team should forfeit. The resulting loss in a game check should only hit the forfeiting team.

These guys need to bubble themselves and their families as much as possible to get through the year. This is the sacrifice they need to make to ensure the 2020 season happens.

8) On to a more positive thought...

The NFL is in its 5th year of the My Cause My Cleats campaign, and this season there will be over 1,000 players participating.

“My Cause My Cleats was created out of conversations with NFL players who wanted an opportunity to shed light on causes that mean the most to them,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Season after season I am inspired by the growing number of NFL players that participate in My Cause My Cleats and the causes they represent. Each player has a story to tell and we are grateful for the impact they make in the communities in which they live and work, and society in general.”

NFL players regularly do things to help their communities and to help charities they believe in, yet many fans have little interest in these types of stories. We try to cover as many as possible that relate to the Bears here at WCG — because some positivity is important to share — but there isn’t much interaction on them.

Here’s a challenge to you guys that do the social media thing.

The next time we have something that shines a positive light on a player doing good, click, read, and share that story.

9) You know things are bad for the Chicago Bears when the Eagles’ offense is sputtering along on Monday Night Football, yet social media is making jokes about the Bears.

The Bears have entered “National Joke” territory.

Much like the Bears, the Eagles have had offensive line issues all year, plus their skill players haven’t been very special, and QB Carson Wentz is regressing to the point where Philly has been working in QB2 Jalen Hurts on occasion.

10) With the Seahawks beating the Eagles last night, the Bears 2021 first round draft pick went from 14th to 13th.

I’ll never root for my favorite team to lose a game, but with a season as bad as this one knowing those losses are getting them closer to a top 10 draft pick is a nice silver lining.