Just as the Colorado balloon was filling up with current success and future possibilities, Kansas popped it on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
After the 37-21 loss by the No. 16 Buffaloes to the unranked Jayhawks, coach Deion Sanders blamed the stumble on his team’s reaction to the praise it has received.
“We started smelling ourselves a little bit,” Sanders said after the game, via Max Olson of ESPN.com. “That’s what I just told our team. We got intoxicated with the success. We got intoxicated with the multitude of articles and the assumption that we’re this and the assumption that we’re that. And we did not play CU football. Therefore, we got our butts kicked. It is what it is.”
Along the way, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders seemed to shove an official. He wasn’t penalized for the gesture.
Kansas dominated the game, holding the ball for more than 40 minutes, outrushing Colorado 331 to 42, and not punting once.
Colorado had won four games in a row. The loss complicates their path to the Big 12 championship. For Kansas, which started 1-5, it was the third straight win against teams in the top 25.
The outcome from Sanders’s team caps a week in which two-way star Travis Hunter said he’ll be leaving for the draft — and Deion’s prospects at the next level had been generating plenty of attention.
The Giants benched quarterback Daniel Jones for business reasons, not for football reasons. And the Giants allowed personal feelings to interfere with what would have been the best business decision — prevent him from going elsewhere and proving the Giants wrong, Saquon-style.
But they’re going to waive him. Even though they haven’t done it, the owner has said it’s going to happen. (The reason for the delay isn’t clear, but it’s clearly coming.)
While many have adopted the narrative that Jones stinks, he doesn’t. He hasn’t. He helped lead the Giants to the playoffs in 2022. With Jones at the helm, the Giants beat the Vikings in Minnesota in the wild-card round. His struggles have typically traced to subpar offensive line play.
Once he’s released and clears waivers (he absolutely will), Jones will be free to sign with any team at any time. He’ll first need to ask whether to join a team now or wait.
Waiting would allow Jones to get a better feel for who the real contenders will be — and it might give him a chance to play sooner than later, if a starter gets injured elsewhere.
Regardless, consider the backup situations for the various contenders and ask whether a guy who earned a contract that paid $40 million per year and won a playoff game would be better than the current No. 2.
Buffalo: Mitch Trubisky. (Probably.)
Miami: Skylar Thompson/Tyler Huntley. (Yes.)
Baltimore: Josh Johnson. (Yes.)
Pittsburgh: Justin Fields. (Yes, but they seem to be committed to Fields as current backup and potential future starter.)
Houston: Davis Mills. (Yes.)
Kansas City: Carson Wentz. (Probably.)
L.A. Chargers: Easton Stick. (Yes.)
Denver: Jarrett Stidham. (Yes.)
Philadelphia: Kenny Pickett. (Yes.)
Washington: Marcus Mariota. (Probably.)
Detroit: Hendon Hooker. (Yes.)
Minnesota: Nick Mullens. (Yes.)
Green Bay: Malik Willis. (Yes, although Willis has played well this year.)
Atlanta: Michael Penix Jr. (Yes, but they likely wouldn’t do it.)
Tampa Bay: Kyle Trask. (Yes.)
Arizona: Clayton Tune. (Yes.)
Seattle: Sam Howell. (Yes.)
San Francisco: Brandon Allen. (Yes.)
L.A. Rams: Jimmy Garoppolo. (Probably.)
So, yes, someone who is currently contending should want Jones. Jones can afford to take his time. To wait for a clear shot to potentially contribute on a team that has the ability to go deep into the playoffs.
And maybe to wait to see if/when a starter gets injured and an immediate need arises for Jones to play, sooner than later.
The NFL Players Association announced on Friday that Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell is their Community MVP for Week 12.
Terrell hosted his first “Crownucopia” event in Atlanta last week and distributed 200 gift bags filled with culturally inclusive hair and personal care items to families experiencing homelessness around the Atlanta area. He also hosted a Thanksgiving-themed dinner at My Sister’s House at the Atlanta Mission.
“I’m honored to be recognized by the NFLPA for the work that the A.J. Terrell Jr. Foundation is doing to serve communities in and around Atlanta,” Terrell said in a statement. “This means so much to me because Atlanta isn’t just where I work — it’s where I grew up. My parents and siblings are still here, and now I’m raising my kids here, too. Atlanta has always been home, and it always will be.”
The NFLPA will donate $10,000 to Terrell’s foundation or the charity of his choice. He will also join the other weekly winners in being eligible for the Alan Page Award at the end of the year.
Quarterback Julian Lewis, one of the top high-school prospects in America, has committed to Colorado and coach Deion Sanders, just days after de-committing to USC.
Lewis announced his decision on Pat McAfee’s show.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to get to work and compete,” Lewis said. “Colorado wasn’t recruiting me until I reclassed, so it really was perfect timing. This is only the beginning. I trust Coach Prime and [offensive coordinator Pat] Shurmur to help me become the player that I want to be.”
The development increases the likelihood that Sanders will return to Colorado in 2025. Earlier this week, Sanders said he has a “kickstand down” at Colorado and that he’s happy there.
Still, the kickstand can go up at any time. Of course, the kickstand can go up for Lewis, too.
With Colorado thriving in 2024 and coach Deion Sanders being linked to other jobs (on Friday, former Cowboys teammate Michael Irvin made clear his intention to pitch Deion to Jerry Jones), Sanders was asked about the situation at a press conference on Tuesday.
The initial question mentioned college and pro jobs. At no point did Sanders reiterate his comments from 2023 that he would never coach in the NFL.
Then, after joking that the question was “disrespectful” with the Colorado athletic director in the room, Deion said this: “Price. There’s a price of everything.”
He paused before continuing.
“I’m happy where I am, man,” Sanders said. “I’m good. I got a kickstand down. . . . It means I’m resting. I’m good. I’m happy. I’m excited. I’m enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here. Truly do. Next question.”
The kickstand metaphor might be perfect. It’s arguably the best way to describe every college coach. Kickstands are meant to be put down, until they’re put up.
It’s perfect for Deion, who seems to be destined to climb the ladder to a bigger job, the same way he climbed from Jackson State to Colorado. The question is whether he takes another college job, or whether he goes to the NFL.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has had a number of strong games during his rookie season, but Sunday’s effort against the Falcons was his best yet.
Nix threw a touchdown pass to cap the first possession of the game and added three more over the rest of the afternoon to propel the Broncos to a 38-6 win. Nix finished the day 28-of-33 for 304 yards and both the completion percentage and the passing yards were single-game highs for him this season.
Nix spread the wealth by completing passes to nine different receivers and four different receivers scored touchdowns against Atlanta. Neither Courtland Sutton nor Devaughn Vele were in that group, but they combined to catch 11 passes for 144 yards during the win.
The Falcons offense had no such success. Kirk Cousins failed to throw a touchdown for the second game in a row and he wound up taking a seat in the fourth quarter so first-round pick Michael Penix could get some playing time. Penix was 2-of-4 for 24 yards and the Falcons managed just 226 yards during their visit to Denver.
Atlanta is now 6-5 and they are off in Week 12. The Broncos are also 6-5 and will be in Las Vegas to continue their push for a playoff spot. With games against the Browns and Colts on deck after the Raiders, it looks like a good opportunity for Nix and company to make a run that puts them good shape for the postseason.
Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has torn the Falcons apart on Sunday, so the NFC South team is using the final minutes of the blowout as a chance to see their first-round quarterback in action.
Michael Penix replaced Kirk Cousins with just over nine minutes left to play and the Falcons trailing 38-6 in Denver. Penix played seven snaps and threw one pass in a loss to the Seahawks earlier this season, but he could see a more playing time in this one if he can pick up some first downs.
Cousins was 18-of-27 for 173 yards and an interception on Sunday. He didn’t have a great game in last Sunday’s loss to the Saints either, but any thoughts of a quarterback change will be tempered by the fact that Atlanta will be 6-5 and in first place in their division when this one is over.
A good showing by Penix could make that something to discuss if the losses keep mounting, however.
It looked like the Falcons had forced a turnover on downs on the Broncos’ first possession of the third quarter, but a booth review brought bad news for the road team.
Officials ruled that Broncos wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey caught a pass, fumbled, and recovered the ball for a first down to overturn an initial ruling of an incomplete pass. That allowed the Broncos’ drive to continue and quarterback Bo Nix capped it with his third touchdown pass of the day.
Nix hit wide receiver Troy Franklin for a seven-yard score and the Broncos lead 28-6 with 9:05 left in the third quarter.
It’s Nix’s fourth-straight home game with 200-plus passing yards and two-plus passing touchdowns. That’s a good sign for how things are coming together on offense in Denver and a good sign for what the rookie quarterback can do over the course of his career.
The Broncos are back in Denver after two straight road losses and the comforts of home are agreeing with them on Sunday.
Bo Nix capped the team’s first possession with a touchdown pass and he’d lead two more scoring drives before time ran out in the second quarter. The second of those drives came in the final minutes of the second quarter and it ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marvin Mims that put Denver up 21-6 over the Falcons.
Nix was 17-of-19 for 192 yards and he completed 12 straight passes at one point. The first touchdown went to tight end Nate Adkins and the Broncos ganged up to push running back Javonte Williams into the end zone for the team’s third score.
The Falcons had a couple of long drives of their own, but they both ended with field goals and that’s not going to be enough to get them to their seventh win.
The Broncos only had one player listed as questionable on their injury report for Sunday’s game against the Falcons, but the game-time call didn’t go safety Brandon Jones’s way.
Jones is inactive due to an abdomen injury that limited him in practice this week. Jones has started every other game that the Broncos have played this year and he has 79 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton, tight end Greg Dulcich, tackle Frank Crum, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, defensive lineman Eyimoa Uwazurike, and quarterback Zach Wilson are also inactive.
Falcons cornerbacks Dee Alford, Mike Hughes, and Antonio Hamilton were all ruled out on Friday. Linebackers JD Bertrand and Troy Andersen are also inactive along with offensive lineman Brandon Parker and tight end Charlie Woerner.
