Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
I have to say, it's a minor miracle that I even found time to write the newsletter today due to the fact that I have gotten absolutely nothing done over the past 36 hours because all I've been doing is watching Brandon Aubrey's 66-yard field on repeat. There was a BEHIND-THE-BACK pass in the NFL over the weekend, and I don't even care because someone hit a 66-yard field goal.
If you didn't see either of those plays or if you just have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry, we'll be covering them both today. Plus, we'll also be taking a look at the who won the Raiders starting QB job. Oh, and we have the DEBUT episode of our newest podcast here at CBS Sports, so let's get to the rundown.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter or you can tell people you run into at the bank. That also works. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. CBS Sports' newest NFL podcast is here: 'Pushing the Pile' makes its debut
There's a new NFL podcast here at CBS Sports and it's debuting today. We gave you a sneak peek of the show Friday, but now, you're getting the real thing.
The podcast is called "Pushing the Pile," and it's hosted by the dynamic duo of Kyle Long and Mike Renner. Starting today, the two guys will be coming to you four days per week (Monday thru Thursday) and they'll be breaking down every NFL-related topic that needs to be broken down.
One of the topics on today's inaugural episode was a conversation about which teams have improved the most heading into the upcoming season. Let's take a look at one improved team from each guy's list:
- Kyle Long: Jets. Long is very high on the Jets for one big reason. "Here's the reason why: Aaron Rodgers. It's as simple as that. And then you go and add the offensive linemen that they did with Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. This team got better. I want you to understand the things that this offense went through last year without having [Rodgers] under center. The communication pre-snap was off, which makes the offensive line look worse, which makes the receivers look worse." With Rodgers back in the fold, Long thinks that will make everyone on offense much better.
- Mike Renner: Chargers. Renner has the Chargers at the top of his list because he believes they made a massive upgrade at head coach. "To go from Brandon Staley to Jim Harbaugh, that's why they made [my most improved list]. That's it. ... Jim Harbaugh, in my opinion, is one of the three best coaches in the NFL right now."
Not only did the two guys talk about the NFL's most improved teams, but they also listed off several teams that could regress in 2024, and let me just say, Cowboys fans and Bills fans aren't going to like what they have to say.
If you want to listen or subscribe to the podcast, you can do that here (and you definitely should). You can also watch today's episode on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Raiders QB battle is over: Gardner Minshew wins the starting job in Las Vegas
The Raiders held a QB competition in training camp this year, although we're using the word "competition" very loosely here, because for the past two weeks, it really felt like no one actually wanted to win the job. Despite that fact, the competition is now over after Gardner Minshew was named the starter over Aidan O'Connell on Sunday.
Here's what you need to know:
- Minshew had an ugly preseason. In two games, Minshew completed just 48.5% of his passes while only throwing one touchdown. In five possession against the Cowboys on Saturday night, Minshew led the Raiders' offense to exactly zero touchdowns.
- Why Minshew got the starting nod. Minshew didn't exactly outplay O'Connell to win the job, so why did he get the starting job? According to Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, it seems like it all all came down to the fact that Minshew is better leader on the field. "[Minshew's] personality is infectious," Pierce said Sunday. "His energy is infectious. His leadership is infectious. Things of improvement: footwork in the pocket, staying on script. There is some magic about him when he does break the pocket and does his thing, but there is a lot of times where the first or second read is there, we have to let it rip." Minshew has 37 career starts compared to just 10 for O'Connell.
- O'Connell could still see some action this year. Although Minshew won the job, Pierce didn't rule out the possibility of O'Connell getting on the field this season. "Aidan is a young player that has a tremendous upside that I think will still be a starter here in this league ... will be a starter at some point in this league, if it's this year or next year, but he will play in games," Pierce said, via ESPN.
Minshew went 7-6 during 13 starts with the Colts last season. If you want to check out our full story on Minshew winning the starting job, you can do that here.
There are still two other QB battles going on right now in the NFL with the Broncos and Steelers still undecided on who their starter will be. If you want the latest on those two competitions, we've got a full update here. Bo Nix seems like a lock for the job in Denver, but things in Pittsburgh seem to still be up in the air.
3. Breaking down every rookie first-round QB's preseason performance
After breaking down every rookie QB performance from last week's preseason action, we decided to do it again for the second week of the preseason.
Cody Benjamin watched every snap from every rookie quarterback and then he broke down each rookie's performance. There were a total of nine rookie quarterbacks who saw action over the weekend. Here's what he had to say about Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Bo Nix.
- Bears 27, Bengals 3. Caleb Williams finishes 6 of 13 for 75 yards. "While he completed less than 50% of his passes against the Bengals, Williams once again stole the spotlight with his razzle dazzle, hitting fellow rookie Rome Odunze for a deep gain after a long scramble (you can see that play here), then scoring himself on a backyard-style scamper. In each of his two preseason starts, the No. 1 pick has promised the Bears will be nothing if not entertaining under his lead."
- Eagles 14, Patriots 13: Drake Maye finishes 6 of 11 for 47 yards. "After an offseason of trumpeting Jacoby Brissett as the proven front-runner for the top job, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo definitively declared that the competition "isn't over" after Maye showed resilience and mobility in an extended look against the Philadelphia Eagles. While his aerial marks weren't eye-popping, he confidently shook off contact and had a nice third-and-goal scoring dash."
- Broncos 27, Packers 2: Bo Nix finishes 8 of 9 for 80 yards and one touchdown. "Sharp and elusive in his strong preseason debut, Nix largely continued that play as he got the start in Denver's Week 2 preseason exhibition vs. Green Bay. The first-round rookie was dialed in from the jump, completing all four of his passes in the Broncos' opening drive for 26 yards. Nix finished completing all but one of his nine throws for 80 yards and a touchdown."
If you want to check out Cody's breakdown of the other eight other rookie quarterbacks, you can do that here.
4. Overreactions and reality checks from first week of the preseason
Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that's especially true during the preseason. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at some of the biggest things that happened over the weekend to decide if we're overreacting to them:
Statement: It doesn't matter who wins the Steelers QB job.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. "The biggest concern with Pittsburgh is the offensive line. ... If the Steelers are going to be poor in pass protection, Fields may have to be the quarterback because of his ability to create plays outside the pocket. Wilson just doesn't have that elusiveness at this stage of his career. So yes, it does matter who the quarterback is for Pittsburgh with this offensive line."
Statement: Panthers are making a massive mistake sitting Bryce Young in the preseason.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. "This has been a truly baffling decision. Young was arguably the worst quarterback in football last season and had one of the worst rookie seasons in history. One would think the preseason under a new coach and new offense would benefit a young quarterback who needs a fresh start like Young."
Statement: Daniel Jones will not be the Giants' starting QB in Week 1.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. "Jones played in his first game since tearing his ACL last November and the results didn't go well. He almost threw an interception on his first throw -- and threw two interceptions on his first three drives. Jones really looked bad trying to avoid a safety that resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown, but settled in to finish 11 of 18 for 138 yards in his half of action. Drew Lock is injured and Tommy DeVito is the third-string quarterback. Jones' job shouldn't be in jeopardy in the slightest, no matter how bad he performs this preseason. Jones will start the season, but will be finish it?"
There are plenty more overreactions from the second week of the preseason, and you can check them out here.
5. Craziest plays from Week 2 of the preseason: Mahomes magic, plus Aubrey hits 66-yard field goal
The NFL preseason isn't always exciting, but thing got pretty wild over the weekend.
Here are some of the top plays you might have missed from the second week of the preseason:
- Mahomes goes behind-the-back. The Chiefs quarterback has been showing off a behind-the-back move in practice, and now, he's finally done it in a game. During the first quarter of Kansas City's 24-23 loss to the Lions on Saturday, Mahomes threw a pass BEHIND-HIS-BACK that landed in the hands of Travis Kelce for an eight-yard gain. If you want to see the pass, you can check it out here. After the game, Mahomes said he only threw the pass because Kelce ran the WRONG route. "Long story short, Travis didn't run the route he was supposed to run, and then it was kind of a behind-the-back pass kinda 'cause I was mad, I was pissed off at Travis," Mahomes said. Kelce responded to those comments, and you can check out what he had to say here.
- Brandon Aubrey nails 66-yard field goal. That is not a typo: The Cowboys kicker drilled a 66-yard field goal against the Raiders on Saturday night, and the crazy thing is that the kick would have been good from at least 70 yards (you can see the field goal here). Aubrey's kick would have tied Justin Tucker's record for the longest field goal in NFL history, but unfortunately for the Cowboys kicker, preseason stats don't count in the record book. That being said, Aubrey did break a 22-year-old record for longest preseason field goal that had stood since Ola Kimrin hit a 65-yarder in 2002.
- Jets special teams star. When training camp started, Brandon Codrington was a long shot to make the Jets' roster, but the team might have to give some serious thought to keeping him after what he pulled off Saturday night. For one, he recorded the longest kickoff return by any player over the weekend with a 63-yarder during New York's 15-12 win over Carolina (you can see that here). The undrafted free agent out of North Carolina Central then followed that up with a 31-yard punt return, which is tied for the fourth-longest return by any player this preseason (check out his punt return here). Even Jets head coach Robert Saleh was impressed with Codrington, "That's what he's here for. That's why we brought him in, his punt return and kick return ability. I thought he did a really nice job today," Saleh said after the game, via JetsXfactor. It's still not clear if Codrington has done enough to make the team, but he definitely has to be feeling better about his chances.
If you want to see all the biggest highlights from Week 2 of the preseason, you can do that here.
6. Extra points: Vikings sign Stephon Gilmore
It was a busy weekend 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.
- Stephon Gilmore finally picks a team. After spending the 2023 season in Dallas, the five-time Pro Bowler is now headed to Minnesota after agreeing to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings on Sunday. This will be the fifth team Gilmore has played for in five years. You can check out the details of the signing here.
- Steelers dealing with two big injuries. The Steelers offense took a huge injury hit over the weekend. For one, starting center Nate Herbig tore his rotator cuff and he's now out indefinitely. You can read about the ramifications of that injury here. Also, Jaylen Warren is expected to miss several weeks with an injury hamstring that could sideline him for Week 1.
- Buccaneers to release Randy Gregory. Four months after signing with Tampa Bay, Gregory is already on his way out. Gregory didn't show up for training camp and apparently, the Bucs have had enough. Head coach Todd Bowles revealed over the weekend that the team will be parting ways with the veteran pass-rusher.
- Tyreek Hill wants to race Noah Lyles. The Dolphins star has been in a war of words with Lyles, who won the 100m gold medal at the Olympics in Paris. Hill has now challenged Lyles to a race with one catch: It would be a 50-yard sprint. I don't know if this race will happen, but someone needs to make sure it does.
- Colt McCoy retires. After 13 NFL seasons, the veteran quarterback has decided to call it a career. McCoy's career started in 2010 when the Browns selected him with a third-round pick. The 37-year-old started just 36 games over the course of his career, going 11-25. McCoy won't be out of work, though; he'll be joining NBC Sports to help cover the Big 10.
