Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
If I would've told you back in August that a Jaguars-Jets game in December was going to have huge playoff implications, I probably would have been laughed off the internet for suggesting such lunacy, but here we are. It's somehow happening, and it's happening tonight.
The biggest upside of this game is that it's on Amazon Prime, so I can get the rest of my Christmas shopping done while I watch. We'll be previewing tonight's showdown in today's newsletter, plus we'll be taking a look at the Pro Bowl roster, which was unveiled last night.
As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them.
1. Today's show: Brady Quinn breaks down the latest NFL news
If you're going to listen to just one episode of the Pick Six podcast every week, then you should definitely make sure that you're listening every Thursday, because that's when Brady Quinn joins the show. For today's episode, the former first-round pick chatted with Will Brinson about multiple topics, including whether Zach Wilson is a bust.
After watching Wilson return to the lineup last week, it doesn't sound like Quinn is too confident that Wilson will be keeping his job once Mike White is healthy enough to return.
"I don't know that he's progressed to the point where he's being able to read his progressions," Quinn said. "Whatever Robert Saleh wants to say that maybe Wilson matured over this three weeks on the bench, I don't see it."
Quinn pointed out that the Jets simplified things for Wilson in Week 15 with several passing plays where he didn't have to go through his progressions because he only had one true read on the play. The simplification might help Wilson build confidence, but it's not ideal. When White is under center, the Jets are simply a better offensive team, according to Quinn.
"The offense and the passing game looks drastically different with Mike White," Quinn said. "[Wilson] doesn't feel comfortable playing from the pocket and you can see it. That's the biggest difference between him and Mike White. [With White] the ball is getting out, he's going through progressions, he was staying in the pocket, but with Wilson, it's like he's waiting for an opportunity to get outside the pocket because he's so uncomfortable inside it."
If you want to hear Quinn's full thoughts on the topic -- and everything else the two guys talked about on today's podcast -- then be sure to click here. Brinson and Quinn also talked about the MVP race, along with Jalen Hurts' injury and how long he might be out.
2. Thursday night preview: Prepping you for Jaguars at Jets
There's going to a lot on the line tonight for both teams. The Jets (7-7) desperately need a win so that they can stay alive in the AFC wild-card race. A loss won't eliminate them, but it will make it highly unlikely that they end up making the playoffs. As for the Jaguars (6-8), the AFC South race is suddenly wide open and with a win tonight, they'll get one step closer to stealing the division title from Tennessee.
My good buddy Jared Dubin wrote our deep-dive preview for this game here at CBSSports.com, and here's how he sees the game playing out:
- Why the Jaguars can win: Two words: Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars quarterback has been on fire over Jacksonville's last six games: He's completed 70.4% of his passes while averaging 280 passing yards per game. Oh, and he's also thrown 14 touchdowns compared to just one interception. If Lawrence's hot streak continues, the Jags should be able to steal this game, but throwing the ball won't be easy tonight. Not only will Lawrence be dealing with a Jets defense that has given up the fourth-fewest passing yards in the NFL this year, but the weather isn't expected to be ideal for throwing the ball. It's expected to be rainy, windy and cold.
- Why the Jets can win: If Zach Wilson wants to prove that he's capable of being the Jets' full-time starter at QB, this is the game where he needs to do it. The Jaguars have surrendered the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL this year, which means the Jets should be able to move the ball through the air. Also, Jacksonville will be missing Travon Walker, so theoretically, the Jags' pass-rush shouldn't be too strong tonight. Also, the Jets have the perfect weapon to take advantage of the Jags' struggling secondary with Garrett Wilson, who is averaging 108.3 receiving yards per game over the past four weeks.
You can get a full preview of the game from Dubin by clicking here.
If you're thinking about betting on the game, Jordan Dajani put together a full gambling preview (odds via Caesars Sportsbook). You can check out Jordan's full gambling preview by clicking here, but if you don't feel like clicking over, here's one prop from both of us for tonight's game.
- ONE PROP JORDAN LIKES: Garrett Wilson OVER 55.5 receiving yards (-129): "The Ohio State product has started to emerge as a legitimate star. I know his quarterback situation isn't ideal, but Wilson has gone over 55.5 in six of his past seven games, including the past four straight."
- ONE PROP I LIKE: Riley Patterson OVER 1.5 field goals (-106): It's supposed to be rainy and cold at MetLife Stadium tonight, which isn't ideal for kickers. but I'm going to overlook that because the Jaguars love using Patterson. The Jags' kicker has gone OVER 1.5 field goals in each of his past four games, and I think we'll see him do it again tonight. The Jets' have a top-10 red zone defense, which means it won't be surprising if the Jags are forced to kick field goals any time they make their way down into the red zone.
Finally, if you're wondering who we're picking, here's who we have tonight in a game where the Jets are currentely a two-point favorite:
Dubin's pick: Jaguars 17-13 over Jets
Dajani's pick: Jets 23-21 over Jaguars
My pick: Jets 23-20 over Jaguars
If you want to know who our NFL experts are taking, be sure to head over to our CBSSports.com picks page by clicking here.
3. NFL MVP Watch: Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes tied at the top of our poll
With just three weeks left to play in the regular season, the race for MVP could end up going down to the wire, at least if our MVP poll here at CBS Sports is any indication.
To figure out who has the upper-hand right now, we rounded up 10 CBSSports.com writers and had them vote on who they think will win the MVP. Under the new voting rules this year, the 50 media members who vote on the award will each get to name up to five players on their ballot, so that's exactly how we handled the voting with our ballots.
If our poll is any indication, there could be some serious drama this year and that's because we have a tie at the top.
Here's a look at our top five along with their point total in the vote. (A player got five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on.)
T-1. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (52)
T-1. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (52)
3. Bills QB Josh Allen (28)
4. Bengals QB Joe Burrow (26)
5. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (8)
Last week, Jalen Hurts had a comfortable eight-point lead, but that has now completely evaporated away after a week where Mahomes threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-24 overtime win over the Texans.
Overall, a total of seven players received at least one vote, including two wide receivers, which I'm only noting, because a receiver has never won the award. If you want to see a full list of every player who got at least one vote, then be sure to click here.
4. QB chaos: Ryan Tannehill likely out for the season, Matt Ryan gets benched again
The Titans might need a Christmas miracle if they're going to win the AFC South title this year. Not only are they on a four-game losing streak, but they also appear to have lost their starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
Here's a quick look at three starting QB jobs that changed hands Wednesday:
- Ryan Tannehill likely out for year. The Titans QB missed several games earlier this season due to an ankle injury, and he re-injured that ankle in Week 15, except this time, it's more serious. According to Titans beat reporter Paul Kuharsky, Tannehill might need surgery on his injured right ankle and his season is almost certainly over. With the Titans leading the Jaguars by just one game in the AFC South, Tannehill's injury certainly throws a wrench into Tennessee's chances of winning the division. With that in mind, we decided to break down the AFC South race, and you can see that by clicking here.
- Malik Willis to step in for Titans. If Tannehill is done, that means rookie quarterback Malik Willis will be closing out the season as Tennessee's starter. The first start of Willis' career came back in Week 8 when the Titans faced the same Texans team they'll be playing Saturday. (Eight weeks ago, the Titans beat Houston, 17-10, with Willis under center.) Besides that win, the Titans also took the Chiefs to overtime in a 20-17 loss in Willis' only other start.
- Matt Ryan gets benched for Nick Foles. It's not often you see a QB get benched twice in one season, but that's exactly what's happening with Matt Ryan. Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday announced Wednesday that Nick Foles will be the team's starter for Monday's game against the Chargers. "Ultimately, I feel like Nick will give us a better chance to go win these last three games," Saturday said. This will mark Foles' first start since Week 16 last season when he won a game for the Bears. This is a decision that was likely at least partially motivated by finances. Ryan has $17 million in 2023 money that becomes guaranteed if he can't pass a physical in March, and the Colts likely don't want to risk him getting injured with Indy hopelessly out of the playoff race.
- Cardinals down to third-string QB. When Arizona takes the field against the Buccaneers on Christmas night, Trace McSorley will be on the field making the first start of his career. Colt McCoy started last week, but won't be able to play Sunday due to a concussion he suffered against the Broncos. McSorley has been in the NFL since 2019, but has yet to start a game.
The other QB news everyone has their eyes on is with Jalen Hurts, who will likely be OUT on Saturday against the Cowboys. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni announced Thursday that Gardner Minshew is set to start for Philly on Christmas Eve. Hurts injured his shoulder in Week 15 against the Bears.
5. Pro Bowl rosters revealed: Eagles lead way with eight players
There will be 88 players in Las Vegas for this year's Pro Bowl, and those players were revealed Thursday night when the NFL announced the official roster for both the AFC and NFC. The rosters were decided with input from fans, players and coaches, with each group counting one-third toward the vote.
Here are a few nuggets about this year's Pro Bowl rosters:
- Eagles have the most Pro Bowlers. In news that probably won't surprise anyone, the team with the best record also happens to have the most Pro Bowlers. The Eagles had eight players named to the initial roster, which is one ahead of the Cowboys and Chiefs, who both have seven players. Not to be outdone, the Ravens and 49ers both had six players named to the Pro Bowl.
- Pro Bowl surprise. One surprise with the Pro Bowl is that the player who got the most votes from fans didn't even get named to the game. Tua Tagovailoa was the ONLY player in the NFL to get more than 300,000 votes, but he didn't crack the roster of AFC quarterbacks that includes Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. The fan vote only counts for one-third of the decision-making process, which means if Tua didn't make it, it's because coaches and players didn't vote him in.
- Rare rookie party. The AFC and NFC both have one rookie at cornerback, marking just the second time in Pro Bowl history that two rookie corners have made a Pro Bowl in the same year. The Jets' Sauce Gardner and the Seahawks' Tariq Woolen will join Ronnie Lott (49ers) and Everson Walls (Cowboys), who both played in the Pro Bowl following the 1981 season.
- Geno waits a decade. The Seahawks QB got named to the Pro Bowl this year, which means he had to wait until his 10th season to get his first Pro Bowl nod. Smith is the first QB since Rich Gannon in 1999 to earn his first Pro Bowl selection after spending at least 10 seasons in the NFL.
- Only two teams got shut out. There were 30 teams that had at least one Pro Bowl player, which means there were two teams that had zero players: the Bears and Jaguars. If the Jags need something to motivate them tonight, that should do it.
If you want to see the full roster for each conference, then be sure to click here.
Remember, Pro Bowl is undergoing a major change this year. Instead of a standard NFL game, the rebranded Pro Bowl Games will be a week-long celebration that will include multiple events. In the week leading up to the game, players will participate in multiple skills competitions. The week in Las Vegas will conclude Feb. 5 with a flag football game between the AFC and NFC that will be coached by Peyton and Eli Manning.
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Sunday Ticket headed to YouTube
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Sunday Ticket has a new home. After 29 seasons with DirecTV, Sunday Ticket will be changing hands for the first time ever. The NFL announced that it has reached a deal with Google that will put Sunday Ticket on YouTube starting with the 2023 season. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is paying an average of $2 billion per year for the rights. According to PFT, the deal will run for seven years. Sunday Ticket is for fans who want to watch out-of-market games. For more details on this deal, be sure to click here.
- Super Bowl champion Ronnie Hillman passes away. The former Broncos running back has tragically passed away at the age 31. Hillman led the Broncos in rushing during their Super Bowl winning season in 2015. Hillman topped 100 yards in four different games while also leading the team in rushing touchdowns. According to his family, Hillman had been battling a rare form of cancer, renal medullary carcinoma, that predominantly afflicts the sickling of the red blood cells and affects the kidney. You can read more about Hillman here.
- Ravens lose second-leading receiver for the season. The hits keep coming for the Baltimore Ravens. The team is already dealing with multiple injuries, and now you can add Devin Duvernay to the list. The receiver has been placed on injured reserve after hurting his foot in practice this week. Going into Week 16, Duvernay had the second-most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns on the season for Baltimore. With the Ravens now needing some depth at receiver, the team claimed Sammy Watkins off of waivers.
- Antonio Brown arrest warrant withdrawn. Three weeks after putting out a warrant for his arrest, police in Tampa Bay have recalled the warrant. The former NFL receiver had been facing domestic violence accusations stemming from an incident on Nov. 29, but the woman involved recanted her testimony on Dec. 16, which paved the way for the warrant to be rescinded.
