bill-in-bangkokSun, November 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM UTC·17 min readCommanders links
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ESPN
Oregon honors former Ducks QB Marcus Mariota during USC game
The Ducks honored Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota during Saturday’s game against USC, as Oregon players and coaches on the sidelines wore sweatshirts emblazoned with “Ohana” in honor of his Hawaiian heritage.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMariota, who now plays for the Washington Commanders, was in Eugene to be recognized for his induction into Oregon’s Sports Hall of Fame. He was also the celebrity guest picker for ESPN’s “College GameDay,” and unsurprisingly picked the Ducks.
Mariota won the Heisman in 2014, his final year at Oregon. He set a Pac-12 conference record for most touchdowns in a season with 58; 42 passing, 15 rushing. He also set the conference’s mark for career touchdowns with 136.
He threw at least one touchdown pass in all 41 college games he played in at Oregon, starting every one of his appearances.
Fans at Autzen stood and gave Mariota a rousing ovation when he was honored midway through the first quarter of the game. The Ducks’ former quarterback held his hand to his heart with a broad smile. His sweatshirt also read “Ohana” in bright green letters, for family.
Commanders Wire
How should Commanders handle Jayden Daniels these last six games?
[L]istening to Washington, D.C. radio this past week and hearing differing fans and talk show hosts discuss Jayden Daniels playing this year, I understand there is no easy answer. The season’s context, the team’s place this season, provides a different context, and that context determines the answer to the question.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementShould Daniels play again this season? Well, if he had only been injured once and the team still had a shot at the playoffs, then there would be no debate. He absolutely should be playing.
If the context were that he was injured three different times this season, and there are only one or two games left, and you are eliminated from the playoffs, then, no, why would you risk putting him back out there for only that one or two games, when your team is not going anywhere?
However, the context for this 2025 season is that there are still six games remaining on the schedule. Yes, he has been injured three times, thus missing games due to three different injuries. But are the Commanders‘ coaches going to ask many other guys on the team to play these last six games when many of them have sore knees, ankles, a stiff back, and sore shoulders? They are not 100 percent, and you are gonna tell them to get out there for six games, but then you are gonna tell them you are protecting Jayden all six games?
[I]t is not an individual sport. There are others involved, 52 others. Football is the ultimate team game. I’ve gone back and forth on this because I am a big believer in weighing the risk vs. the reward. But with six games remaining, I’m afraid the Commanders are going to need to play Jayden in some of these six games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJayden needs to take on more responsibility to get down or get out of bounds more often. Some of the hits he was taking in the Seattle game were unnecessary. No, that is not hindsight. [Having been] injured three times this year, missing games from three different injuries, Jayden Daniels should now know, more than ever, that he really isn’t indestructible.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders insider sees clear path for Commanders to extend Deebo Samuel
It’s a tricky conundrum. John Keim of ESPN thought bringing Samuel back was feasible. And he also felt the Commanders have enough spare financial resources to make it work, providing the All-Pro’s demands aren’t too high.
“He has been Washington’s most productive pass catcher, as injuries have sidelined Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown for a combined 16 games. Samuel has a team-high 53 receptions (37 more than the next receiver), 470 yards and five touchdowns. A bruised heel caused him to miss one game, but Washington lacks quality receiver depth and a return for Samuel would make sense. The question is at what cost? McLaurin will count for $18.35 million on the cap in 2026, so the Commanders could afford another year of Samuel if they wanted.”John Keim
Samuel’s taken advantage of this opportunity., The accusations of being a locker-room distraction and of poor conditioning haven’t been evident in Washington. He’s bought into the project, and although the Commanders have fallen way short of expectations, the versatile offensive weapon is one of the very few to emerge with credit from the campaign.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe’ll be 30 years old next season, and Peters’ handling of McLaurin’s extension over the summer could signal hesitancy to shell out more money for an aging playmaker. But if Samuel is willing to accept a middle-of-the-road offer to stay with the club, it would be a win-win for all parties.
Riggo’s Rag
Brandon Aiyuk release buzz puts the Commanders on high alert
Adam Peters knows him well. So does Jayden Daniels.
[C]onsidering his teammates have supposedly been unsuccessful in their attempts to get him back onside, Aiyuk and the Niners could very well go their separate ways when the time comes.
“It was expected that [Brandon] Aiyuk could return for the latter part of this season, but he has remained on the PUP list. His presence at the team’s training facility has become scarce; sources say Aiyuk typically works out early in the morning and departs before other 49ers players arrive. Numerous members of the organization — including some 49ers players — have reached out to Aiyuk in recent weeks in an unsuccessful attempt to bring him back into the fold, one source said.”Dianna Russini
Pairing Aiyuk with second-team All-Pro wideout Terry McLaurin represents a mouth-watering proposition if he gets a better run of luck on the health front. The money has to work, and there is also the small matter of Deebo Samurl Sr. potentially getting an extension. But if Peters had to choose between the ex-Niners teammates, going with the younger option, who already has chemistry with Daniels, would be the wise course of action.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNothing has been confirmed yet. The Niners could explore trade opportunities, but they might not be too forthcoming if teams know he’s going to be cut. If San Francisco does release Aiyuk, he’ll have a queue of suitors. However, linking back up with Daniels could be right at the top of his preferences when it’s all said and done.
Podcasts & videos
HC Dan Quinn on Bye Week | Washington Commanders | The Gameplan | NFLNFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Comparing Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott
Who’s the best quarterback in the NFC East?
One way to make the comparison is to look at the stats. That can also be dangerous because it ends up being easy to cherry pick stats to support your view. I don’t plan on running through a litany of stats here to prove a point. Instead, I’ll submit this up front, Prescott is superior if you just consider the traditional passing game. He tends to average better passing stats than Hurts, he leads the league in QBR this year, and he was second in the MVP voting in 2023. In the regular season of the NFL, Prescott piles up the stats, he’s what they would term a prolific passer.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSo on that front, I’m willing to say you’d pick Prescott over Hurts. If I showed you the stats and the passing tape of each player, and you were a general manager who had to draft one or the other with little other information, you’d probably take Prescott.
But now we step into a different realm. Is Prescott the better QB, not just the better passer? This is where things tend to get murky. Things like the post-season, things like the roster around the player, things like other skills that play into being a quarterback. When you get into this realm, there are no absolute locks because everything tends to play off each other. Does Hurts win in the playoffs because he rises to the occasion, or is it because he has a better team around courtesy of an aggressive general manager? And all of that can flip.
Prescott’s really strong regular seasons have been punctuated at the end many times with duds in the playoffs. That’s the reality. And the playoffs are everything in the NFL. Winning in the regular season is required to get to the playoffs, but winning in the playoffs are when myths and legends are made. Hurts has the clear advantage in that area.
Are the Cowboys failures in the recent playoffs Prescott’s fault? I can actually present two opposite arguments, and they both make sense to me on some level.
NFL.com
Cowboys want to retain WR George Pickens beyond 2025 with franchise tag being a potential option
Pickens is in the last year of his rookie contract, and his performance has essentially demanded he be among the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPickens is second in the league in receiving yards with 908, on his way to a career season. He has the most receiving yards by a Cowboy not named CeeDee Lamb since Amari Cooper totaled 1,114 yards in 2020 and, according to Next Gen Stats, Pickens leads the NFL with 12 receptions and 227 yards on tight-window targets.
As of now, no contract talks have taken place, sources say.
If Pickens is not the top receiver in free agency next offseason, then he’s at least in the conversation for that title. While the best option for Pickens would be to hit unfettered free agency, the more likely option, sources say, is the Cowboys franchise tag him at an expected price of over $28 million for one season. Dallas would then attempt to work out a long-term deal with Pickens.
Another option is to tag Pickens and try to trade him for future picks, and there is historical precedent for that. But that would be the backup option to signing him to long-term deal in Dallas.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFurther complicating things is that the Cowboys currently have the least amount of projected salary-cap space in 2026 in the league, per Over The Cap, so retaining Pickens would require some financial maneuvering [Bill-in-Bangkok: Jerry Jones will open up approximately $88m in new cap space with pre-planned push-button restructures of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith, Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa; Cowboys cap management strategy is among the least understood in the league]. Considering that point, it’s important to note that use of the franchise tag would be more cap prohibitive than an extension.
Pro Football Talk
Report: Lane Johnson will not require surgery on his foot injury
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson will not require surgery for his Lis Franc foot injury, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Eagles did not place Johnson on injured reserve on Saturday.
The initial prognosis was 4-6 weeks, which would have likely kept Johnson out until the postseason. According to McLane, Johnson will have X-rays after the swelling subsides in his right foot, but Johnson might miss only three games.
The Eagles play the Cowboys, Bears and Chargers in the next three games.
Fred Johnson will start in Lane Johnson’s absence.
The Eagles are 120-62-1 in games Lane Johnson has played and 15-24 in games he has not, including the playoffs, since he joined them as a first-round pick in 2013.
Upcoming opponent
Mile High Report
Broncos championship window has opened
With six games remaining on the schedule and sitting at 9-2, this season has the potential to be even more fun. The first division championship since 2015. The top seed in the AFC, and, with it, homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. If that happens, Denver is still one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. And based on what we heard from Broncos Country in the 22-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the fans will do their part.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYet, even if the Broncos stumble – I don’t think they will – so what? Denver will finally break free of the shackles of the disastrous Russell Wilson contract and be able to fill in more pieces when the offseason arrives. So the Broncos will be even better, in theory, next season. How incredible is it to think like this?
In other words, this season isn’t a one-off for this franchise. Yes, some may think this start is a mirage, but when you take a step back, the future is not. For the first time in a long time, you see a championship path. And it’s not tainted by orange-and blue-shaded glasses. It’s legitimate and real.
The next six games will be fun, and everything this team wants to accomplish is within its reach. But also remember, the championship window has finally opened.
Man, it’s great to have the Broncos good again.
NFL league links
Articles
The Athletic (paywall)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow 2 NFL teams are winning the game of inches, stealing yards on the ‘dynamic kickoff’
The latest evolution of that hunt has come on the NFL’s new “dynamic kickoffs.” Some teams have adapted quite well to the rule change, while others seem to be content handing their opponents free yardage every time they kick the ball. And in an era when field goal kickers are getting better and better at dialing it up from long distance, those yards are precious and can mean the difference between surrendering points on a drive or getting a much-needed stop.
We’re going to use expected points added (EPA), as well as opponent average starting field position, to tell us which teams are gaining an advantage on kickoffs and which are leaving points on the field. Expected points are based on the down, distance, yard line, score, time remaining and a few other factors that indicate the points an offense is expected to score. To keep it simple, however, on average, a team starting a drive on its own 35-yard line is expected to score about 1.6 points per drive. That number drops to about 0.7 if they start a drive from the 20.
So how are the Panthers and Seahawks gaining such a big advantage on kickoffs? It all starts with the kickers.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJason Myers and Ryan Fitzgerald are the kickoff specialists for the Seahawks and Panthers, respectively, and both do an incredible job keeping returners on their toes.
Like baseball pitchers with deep arsenals, these kickers have different types of kicks they can deploy to keep returners from knowing what’s coming. Take the “knuckleball” kick, which has gained some acclaim this year because it’s both hard to track and hard to catch after it hits the ground. Both of these kickers have a sort of knuckleball kickoff they like to use — but not every time.
If they used it every time, you would see returners cheat up in an effort to field the kick cleanly — before it takes a bad bounce. But returners fielding kicks from Myers and Fitzgerald know they can’t creep closer, because both kickers are also adept at launching high-draw kicks that will land inside the 5-yard line, which would result in the returner working backwards and catching the ball on his back foot.
You’re probably thinking now that every NFL team is going to start either teaching their kickers to do what Myers and Fitzgerald do or find kickers who can emulate their success. It’s not that simple. For one thing, return units will learn from their mistakes and find ways to eliminate the advantages those kickers create. Secondly, kickers have another important responsibility we haven’t talked about yet: They still have to make kicks!
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTake the Los Angeles Rams. Remember when kicker Joshua Karty had the Eagles in a blender in Week 3, unable to catch any of his knuckleballs? The Rams gained more than four points in that game from kickoffs. The problem was that Karty struggled to make field goals, and the Rams ended up having to replace him as their full-time kickoff specialist and field goal kicker.
Discussion topics
NFL.com
Re-drafting 2025 NFL rookie running backs: Ashton Jeanty NOT first player taken
Cam Skattebo
New York Giants
Actual draft position: Round 4, No. 105 overall (eighth RB selected)
Should have been: Top-10 pick
Despite playing in just eight games before his season-ending ankle injury, Skattebo had the biggest impact on his offense of all the rookies on this list, providing a major spark with his tenacious attitude and play style. Very few rookies outside of the quarterback position affect a team as positively as Skattebo did, on the field and with his infectious personality. He started to take over as the Giants’ feature back in Week 2, and from Week 3 through Week 7 — the gruesome injury came early in Week 8 — he forced the second-most missed tackles in the league with 31 (behind only Christian McCaffrey), according to Next Gen Stats. He had also gained 316 rushing yards after contact in that span, the fourth-most in the NFL. Skattebo’s monster breakout came in a Week 6 upset of the rival Eagles, scoring three of his seven scrimmage touchdowns (a total that is still tied for the most among all rookies with Ashton Jeanty). A fourth-rounder in April, Skattebo has shown he was worthy of being a top-10 pick. He wasn’t taken in the first two days of the draft because, frankly, he didn’t possess elite traits. But if we’re talking about a pure football player, is there anyone better? I’d argue there isn’t. This guy plays every down like it’s his last.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJacory Croskey-Merritt
Washington Commanders
Actual draft position: Round 7, No. 245 overall (25th RB selected)
Should have been: Second-round pick
The Commanders showed their fondness of Croskey-Merritt when they traded away Brian Robinson Jr. in late August. He’s a perfect fit in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense as an elusive and explosive runner between and outside the tackles. He took advantage of his early opportunities after Austin Ekeler went down and earned the RB1 job for five games. He had one 100-yard performance in those starts but lost his starting job to veteran Chris Rodriguez Jr. after some inefficient play. Still, the seventh-round draft pick has the third-most rushing yards among rookies this season, with 498 on 114 carries (4.4 ypc). We’ll see if he can retake the job after the bye.
