Culture
The fearless mindset of the Warriors' Brandin Podziemski: 'He's got a delusion to him'
SAN FRANCISCO — Nearly a year ago on the dot, Mike Dunleavy, the Golden State Warriors’ future general manager, and Kent Lacob, an ascending front office personnel voice, hopped in a car and made the quick 50 mile trip south to Santa Clara’s campus.
They were primarily there to see Maxwell Lewis, the possible lottery pick out of Pepperdine. Lewis played fine. He’d eventually get selected 40th in the 2023 NBA Draft. But he wasn’t the best player on the floor. Brandin Podziemski, a 6-foot-4 guard who was only beginning to creep onto the draft radar, made every significant play to lead Santa Clara to victory. His 23 points mattered. But it was the 18 rebounds that had Dunleavy’s and Lacob’s antennas up.
“Mike and I walked out of the game like, ‘Um, that guy might be a first-round pick,’” Lacob said.
Podziemski competed in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend last Friday. He leads all NBA rookies with 14 games of at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, making him a clear candidate to finish on the All-Rookie first team.
He turns 21 this week, but has already pushed his way past Klay Thompson into the Warriors’ starting and closing lineups, a vital glue piece of head coach Steve Kerr’s favorite five-man group, which has outscored opponents by 57 points in 107 minutes.
The relationship between Podziemski and the Warriors can be traced to that February night. That’s when they first began to take Podziemski seriously as a prospect. In the ensuing 12 months — with a bunch of important inflection points along the way — he has won over every level of the organization, most crucially his veteran teammates.
Podziemski’s future surfaced recently in the visiting locker room in Salt Lake City. He’s a prototype role player right now, but has dreams of becoming an All-Star. There are roadblocks ahead and limitations to overcome. But anyone who has doubted Podziemski to this point has continually been proven wrong.
“The ceiling is high,” Draymond Green said. “He’s still learning. Still figuring s— out. But when you start looking at people who are going to succeed him…”
Green points three lockers down. Stephen Curry is getting dressed after torching the Jazz. Curry’s prime may extend until 40. But he turns 36 next month. When Curry is 40, Podziemski will be 25.
“It won’t look the same,” Green said. “Totally different. But you’re very comfortable when he’s out there on the court. That says a lot for a rookie on this team — that you feel the amount of comfort you do when he’s out there running the show.”
The Warriors’ front office reconnected with Podziemski at the draft combine in Chicago in May. Most top prospects don’t do much court work. He tested out better than expected athletically and was already rising on boards, getting first-round buzz. Some in his position may have skipped the scrimmages. Podziemski didn’t.
“I got nothing to hide,” he told the Warriors brass, led by scouting director Larry Harris.
Podziemski then went out and crushed the scrimmage portion. His stock spiked again. In-person workouts cranked up. Podziemski traveled the country, intent on impressing. He went to Houston. Chuck Hayes, currently in the Warriors front office, was working for the Rockets at the time. He remembers Podziemski killing the workout while letting the gym know about it.
“BP,” Hayes called out before a recent game. “You remember talking trash to John Lucas in the Rockets workout?”
“Oh, yeah,” Podziemski replied.
Podziemski and Lucas, the former NBA point guard and legendary development coach, were arguing about who was the greatest lefty guard in the building. It was an early peek into the mindset that has earned Podziemski so much respect.
“He talk s— all day,” Green said. “That’s all he do.”
Podziemski thought he crushed his workout in Miami. He figured the Heat might draft him 18th. They went with Jaime Jaquez Jr., also a Warriors’ favorite. Golden State was up at No. 19. Podziemski thought he fit, but didn’t feel quite as optimistic about how he performed at his group workout in San Francisco. The Warriors were sure.
“He was great on the court,” Lacob said. “Like, really good. Clearly the best player in the workout.”
The Warriors then brought him into the film room and had him break down two games of tape. They don’t often learn much in these sessions. Podziemski was different. They slowed down some of his pick-and-roll decision-making against Gonzaga and defensive possessions.
“He could reference personnel on the other team,” Lacob said. “Names, tendencies, opponent actions. His memory recall was super impressive.”
Podziemski popped in the Warriors’ analytics model, put together by their vice president of analytics Pabail Sidhu. They value it with increased frequency. Podziemski’s 8.8 rebounds per game led his conference. That juiced the analytics model. When it was all wrapped together, Podziemski finished top-10 on the front office’s consensus final draft board.
“There was a belief that he was clearly a Steve Kerr system fit, but also a consensus belief it was more than that,” Lacob said. “The talent combined with the IQ and the personality was something to bet on.”
Cam Whitmore, considered a pre-draft top-five prospect, was still available at 19. So were plenty of other valued players. But the Warriors didn’t flinch. They took Podziemski. It was Dunleavy’s first draft selection as general manager. The room agreed on Podziemski.
Green sprained his left ankle just before training camp. He missed about a month. In his ramp-up to return, the Warriors set up a scrimmage in Sacramento the morning of their second game. Podziemski was out of the rotation, so they had him play on Green’s team. They lost the first scrimmage after Green turned it over.
“We can’t have a turnover for game!” Podziemski told Green. “You cannot turn the ball over for game.”
Green was stunned. They’ve had rookies who barely say a word to him the entire season.
“I was like, ‘OK, cool, you got it. No problem,’” Green said. “Here we are playing a pick-up game, a game to get me ready and he’s yelling at me. That to me said a whole lot. I was like, ‘You know what? No problem. But make sure you speak up like that all the time.’”
Green and Podziemski high-five during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Alonzo Adams / USA Today)
The Warriors had an extended stay in Los Angeles during the preseason. They had some workouts on UCLA’s campus. After one practice, the guards set up a King of the Court style one-on-one. Score and stay. Podziemski was up against a group that included Curry and Chris Paul.
“We were at UCLA, right?” Paul asked Moses Moody. “When BP beat us in ones.”
“Yes,” Moody responded, grinning at the memory. The rookie was giving it to two of the greatest to ever do it at the point guard position and alerting anyone within earshot of the damage.
“He did the Tiger (Woods) fist-pump,” Paul said, shaking his head.
“‘Let’s f—g go!’” Curry remembers him taunting. “That was hilarious.”
Podziemski’s first NBA taste was bitter. He struggled in summer league, mostly with his jumper and floater. The more he stewed, the more it snowballed.
“I had a little bit of doubt after summer league,” Podziemski admitted. “But the rest of that July period and August and September, I just attacked. I focused on what I needed to work on to be a role player on this team.”
Podziemski attended every team workout that Curry, Paul and Green organized across the summer. He was in the team facility on Aug. 1 and a mainstay almost every day after. He entered camp confident he could make some noise, even if most figured he’d spend the majority of the season in Santa Cruz with the Warriors G League affiliate.
Kevon Looney remembers the new rookie guard bashing into him and clawing over rebounds. He initially told Podziemski to quit stealing them away. Then he realized it was part of his game and attitude.
“I remember in those mini-camps, he’d be grumbling after scrimmages like, ‘Oh, I’m tired of losing,’” Looney said. “I was like, ‘You should just be happy you’re on the court.’ He’s like, ‘Nah, we gotta figure out a way to win. They need to pass me the ball.’ I’m like, ‘Uhh, I don’t know about that.’”
Looney saw a quote from Podziemski soon after the draft that said he wanted to be a triple-double guy.
“That’s pretty bold,” Looney said and laughed. “But I know most Wisconsin guards have this crazy confidence to them. (Jordan) Poole. Tyler Herro. He’s got a delusion to him that makes him good.”
Podziemski grew up in Milwaukee in what he describes as a “competitive” family where his father, John, and his mother, Barbara West, didn’t allow him to win at anything. He needed to earn it.
“From that competitiveness comes confidence,” Podziemski said. “Knowing how much you put into the game, why would you come in here nervous or timid?”
Podziemski stays extremely late after games. He strolls around the locker room and converses with anyone in his orbit. He tried to set up an NBA-related quiz after a game early in the season to get some spending money off Thompson and then compared their salaries when Thompson was hesitant. Thompson told him to stop “pocket-watching.”
“It’s easier to tame a lion than get a sheep to show some oomph,” Curry said. “The most annoying parts about him are the greatest parts about him. He’s still coachable. That’s a big part of it. You can say all that stuff but if you can’t accept coaching, that’s where it turns into being counterproductive.”
Podziemski trails Curry for postgame workouts and studies what makes him great. He might be the most active member of the team’s group chat, according to Green, and told Green he was coming for him via text messages.
“I wouldn’t do this if I were you,” Green warned. “I don’t play fair.”
Podziemski then sent a bunch of old photos of Green to the team, the funniest he could find.
“He was like: ‘Wham. Wham. Wham,’” Green said of the flood of texts and then remembered he hadn’t retaliated. “I still gotta popcorn his car.”
After a low-energy loss to the Heat in late December, a distraught Podziemski went to the podium and blamed himself as the biggest reason for the loss. Anyone who watched the game would’ve placed his decent performance far down the list. Curry went 3 of 15 shooting. Andrew Wiggins was in a slump. Defensive breakdowns were everywhere. But there he was pinning himself as the night’s wrongdoer.
“Geez,” Thompson said when he heard about it. “Dramatic, rookie.”
Kerr has been most impressed with Podziemski defensively. In camp, they track deflections during scrimmages. Podziemski led the team. That was an early sign.
His rebounding numbers translated, which was particularly important for a team that leaned small. The Warriors are the third-best rebounding team in the NBA and Podziemski’s 5.8 rebounds per game in 26 minutes per game rank behind only Green and Looney. He gets on the glass more relentlessly than Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, their bigger wings.
“What this team has lacked, what it lacked last year, he gave us,” Kerr said. “The connection. The connector. The ball-mover. The cutter. There’s a feel and a recognition of what’s happening on the floor that makes him playable in any lineup. He enhances every lineup.”
The Warriors nearly blew a huge lead to the Spurs in late November. They won, but it was a bad overall performance and Podziemski’s first real stinker. He missed all five of his shots. Kerr entered the locker room postgame expecting the team to be down and Podziemski to be in hiding.
“I would have been holed up in my apartment for three days wondering if I’d ever make a shot again,” Kerr said of his younger self. “But I went in there and he was the most upbeat guy. I loved it. Because when you play poorly and still can bring team energy and maintain confidence and swagger, that’s a great sign.”
One of the more consequential plays of the Warriors’ season so far came in Portland in mid-December. They entered a wobbly 11-14, needing desperately to beat a bad Trail Blazers team. But Curry struggled and they were having a tough time putting the win away.
Curry missed a free throw with four seconds left. The Blazers, down two, didn’t call timeout. Shaedon Sharpe pushed the ball upcourt in a scramble drill. He had what appeared to be a path to the rim to tie it. But Podziemski stepped in front and took a game-winning charge. Here’s the possession:
Podz saves the day with a heads-up play ‼️ pic.twitter.com/hsBjStzdye
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 18, 2023
That was Podziemski’s 11th charge drawn. It has become his signature defensive move. He has drawn 27 this season, which leads the NBA. He tracks the leaderboard, knew who led the NBA in that category last season (Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams) and even mentions some of the greatest charge-takers in recent history when discussing it.
When discussing Podziemski’s defensive upside, Kerr compared him to Austin Reaves of the Lakers.
“Like when I coached Austin this past summer, what stood out to me most is just that there’s zero fear defensively. And he’s strong as s—. That’s what they have in common. They’re very similar (in) size. Six-four and really physically strong. That’s what you need, I think, in today’s game. The guys who struggle defensively are the guys who aren’t physically strong. If you’re going to be on the small side, you’ve got to be strong,” Kerr said.
Podziemski has, in a roundabout way, compared himself to Gary Payton II and Draymond Green this season, overly ambitious on its face but Payton and Green seem to understand the general point. He sees the floor and the patterns and has an appetite for disruption like both of them. But that comes with a downside. He roams.
“He gambles way too much,” Kerr said. “That’s great except we really only need one guy (Draymond) doing that. If you have two guys doing that, the defense will be screwed up. But I’ll take that any day over the guy who isn’t aware. The guy who isn’t aware is standing on the weak side while the guy is laying it in. He’s the opposite. He sees every cutter. He’s trying to help on everything. We just have to help him streamline and help him understand his job isn’t to do everyone else’s job.”
Adds Green: “He gets lost sometimes. But the reality is I used to get lost all the time. People may not remember, but they couldn’t play me on shooters for a long time. It’d be like we’re playing the Pelicans, I’d guard Anthony Davis. Then they’d switch Ryan Anderson or Nikola Mirotić and they’d be like: ‘We got to get Draymond out of the game.’”
Podziemski strayed too far off Jordan Clarkson during a recent game against the Jazz and learned the lesson on the bench from Payton, another high-risk gambler.
“He sees what Draymond does and tries to mimic it,” Payton said. “But I told him when you’re guarding a problem like Clarkson, you can’t roam as much as you’d like. Because it’s a swing, swing, high percentage catch-and-shoot. It’s all a feel.”
On the other end of the floor, Podziemski is a low-risk playmaker. In February, he has 52 assists and nine turnovers. In January, he had 41 assists and 12 turnovers. He had a 27-assist, 0-turnover four-game stretch recently that broke rookie records.
But his ultimate upside will be determined as a scorer. Podziemski’s shot diet is limited to 3s, floaters, sweeping hooks and sneaky layups. He stays out of the midrange and doesn’t live above the rim. He struggled with his 3 for some of the season but has made 12 of his last 19 to up his season percentage to 38.5 percent. He has scored in double-figures in 28 games this season, sixth-most among rookies, and hit 20 four times. If that can become a regular benchmark as he nears his prime, the ceiling will continue to rise.
“I want to be an All-Star,” Podziemski said. “You know, Jonathan has taken that next step of really being in that conversation. To see his growth just this year has been pretty special. So going into the summer after this year elevating my game to another level, doing the things that I’m deficient in now and making them as efficient as possible, I think I can get there. I’m never gonna just settle for being a role player, especially after my first year. I got a long career ahead of me.“
(Photo illustration: Rachel Orr / The Athletic; photo: Brian Babineau / NBAE via Getty Images)
University of Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich did not hold back his disappointment upon learning that his Hurricanes were ranked No. 12 in Tuesday’s latest College Football Playoff rankings, and thus out of the 12-team field in favor of No. 11 Alabama, who earned the last at-large bid in this iteration.
Michigan AD Warde Manuel, the chair of the College Football Playoff selection committee, explained the reason Alabama was ranked ahead of Miami: The Tide are 3-1 against current Top 25 teams and Miami is 0-1. Warde also noted that Alabama is 6-1 against teams above .500 and Miami is 4-2.
“Really ??” Radakovich said on X on Tuesday. “What put Bama over the top of Miami for the last spot in is that Miami went 1-2 in their last 3 games (by an average of 4.5 pts, to a ranked Syracuse and (Georgia Tech) team that just took (Georgia) to 8OT). Bama went 2-1 (to 5-7 Auburn, destroyed by (Oklahoma), and beat FCS Mercer).”
Really ?? ….what put Bama over the top of Miami for the last spot in is that Miami went 1-2 in their last 3 games (by an average of 4.5 pts, to a ranked Syracuse and GT team that just took UGA to 8OT). Bama went 2-1 (to 5-7 Auburn, destroyed by OU, and beat FCS Mercer)
— Dan Radakovich (@DanRadakovich) December 4, 2024
Radakovich and football coach Mario Cristobal both pitched for the Canes’ inclusion in the 12-team field earlier Tuesday.
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ACC commissioner Jim Phillips also came to Miami’s defense: “We are certainly pleased that SMU moved up in the rankings and that the Committee continued to recognize the Mustangs’ incredible season, which should unequivocally earn them a Playoff spot, regardless of this weekend’s outcome. With that said, we are also incredibly shocked and disappointed that Miami dropped six spots to No. 12.
“Miami has more wins and fewer losses than the team directly ahead of them and a dominant victory over an SEC team whose late-season surge includes a win over No. 13 Ole Miss. Moreover, with two losses by a combined nine points — to a ranked Syracuse team and a Georgia Tech team that just took No. 5 Georgia to eight overtimes. Miami absolutely deserves better from the Committee.
“As we look ahead to the final rankings, we hope the Committee will reconsider and put a deserving Miami in the field. We will continue to look forward to this weekend, when Clemson and SMU have an opportunity to earn an ACC championship and represent the conference in the CFP.”
Miami is now projected to play against BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28. According to The Athletic’s latest projections, the Hurricanes have only an eight percent chance to make the Playoff. The field will be finalized Sunday, Dec. 8 after the FBS conference championship games.
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The case for Miami
Miami had a strong case to finish ahead of the Crimson Tide. Where Manuel and the selection committee missed the boat is by dismissing the fact that Miami’s two losses were to quality opponents. Georgia Tech finished 7-5 but took Georgia, a Playoff team and SEC finalist, to eight overtimes. Syracuse is 9-3 and No. 22 in the CFP rankings.
Two of Alabama’s three losses were to Vanderbilt (6-6) and Oklahoma (6-6). The loss to the Sooners happened just two weeks ago and was by 21 points. — Manny Navarro, Miami beat writer
The case against Miami
Miami being eliminated from CFP contention came off as a pleasant surprise after several weeks of overrating the Canes, and after Manuel seemed to telegraph that the relative weakness of Miami’s profile would not count against it.
“Teams can only play the (conference) schedule that’s in front of them,” Manuel said after last week’s rankings. “They can only play the opponents that they have. So we take the stance that we’re going to really look at these games, we’re going to look at the stats, we’re going to look at the strength of schedule, but we’re also going to look at how teams are performing against the competition that they have. From our perspective, if it was just about strength of schedule, we wouldn’t be needed.”
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In penalizing Miami, the committee thought beyond the simplicity of counting loss totals, valued good wins over “good losses” and ejected a team with a poor strength of schedule and no ranked wins. It’s not Miami’s fault that it didn’t play Clemson and SMU this season, but it’s not to Miami’s credit, either. — Joe Rexrode, college sports columnist
(Photo: Al Diaz / Miami Herald / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
DENVER — Jerry Jeudy almost got to be homecoming king.
He only slowed down Monday night to soak up the jeers of fans who once rooted for him, but the Jameis Winston roller coaster fell off the tracks with two picks in the final two minutes.
The Cleveland Browns rewrote some records but not the overall story of their disappointing season, as Winston threw for a franchise-best 497 yards and four touchdowns but also had a pair of interceptions that the host Denver Broncos returned for scores.
The Browns, no longer boring but still bad, couldn’t overcome their sloppiness and Winston’s three turnovers. Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian’s 44-yard interception return with 1:48 remaining came when the Browns were driving to set up a potential go-ahead field goal attempt.
But that Winston whiplash only led to more disappointment as the Broncos scored the final 10 points to secure a 41-32 win in a game that featured five lead changes and 163 yards worth of touchdown passes in 11 seconds in the third quarter.
The Broncos improved to 8-5 and moved a step closer to securing a playoff berth. The Browns suffered their fifth straight road loss and fell to 3-9.
“I messed it up for us in front of the whole wide world,” Winston said.
MCMILLIAN PICK-SIX TO POSSIBLY ICE IT.
📺: #CLEvsDEN on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/byTyDJ5y47— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2024
Jeudy had nine receptions for 235 yards, the most yards by a receiver facing his former team in NFL history. He repeatedly sprinted past the Broncos’ secondary and also blew past his previous career-best game of 154 receiving yards in the 2022 season finale.
Winston and Jeudy connected on a 70-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to get Cleveland within three. In the fourth quarter, Jeudy joined Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase as the only players to post 200-yard receiving games this season. Winston bested his single-game record of 458 passing yards in 2019 and Josh McCown’s Browns record of 457 in 2015. But after the Broncos settled for a field goal and a two-point lead inside the final three minutes, the McMillian interception on a sideline route essentially ended the chances of Winston leading a comeback on his big night.
“Bad throw,” Winston said, making it clear he didn’t want to get into further details.
Despite Jeudy’s domination of multiple Denver coverages, Cleveland didn’t have him on the field when McMillian made the interception. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Jeudy was taking a play to rest. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered, but that’s the kind of strange decision — the pick occurred on the first play out of the two-minute warning — that’s been tied to this Browns team all year. In early October, Stefanski said multiple times that Deshaun Watson gave them the best chance to win, and he stuck with Watson despite the quarterback never throwing for 200 yards in a game and Cleveland never reaching 20 points in his seven starts.
Watson only threw for 421 total yards over his last three starts and only had five touchdown passes all season. Winston was a couple of decisions away from surpassing that touchdown total in one game Monday night.
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Jeudy backed up his previous statement that he’s “been open my entire career” with another explosive performance against the team that traded him to Cleveland in March.
He had just one reception in each of Watson’s last three starts. Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman have become playmakers in the Winston-led offense, too. It’s clear that the hesitance to change quarterbacks ended any chance of the Browns salvaging this season, and what was a joyless and relatively hopeless offensive operation had its best showing Monday night with 552 yards and 28 first downs before the fun ended with Winston’s late interceptions.
The Browns got to the 2-yard line while trailing by two scores with 44 seconds remaining before Winston threw into traffic and was intercepted a third time by Cody Barton.
“I think we played our butts off all around,” Jeudy said. “We just couldn’t finish how we were supposed to. That was a great team we faced. We just got to find a way to finish.”
Moore, the intended receiver on the McMillian interception, said the Broncos cornerback undercut the route. Moore blamed himself for hesitating and not making sure he touched McMillian immediately afterward, which allowed McMillian to return to his feet and sprint for the touchdown.
Late in the first half, Nik Bonitto read Winston’s eyes on a pass that he stepped in front of and returned for a 71-yard score.
BRONCOS PICK SIX
📺: #CLEvsDEN on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/X8eJpG9yUj— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2024
“I’m just praying for the Lord to deliver me from pick sixes,” Winston said.
Yes, he really said that. He really did all that, too, releasing six passes that resulted in touchdowns — four to his team and two to the Broncos. He went to Jeudy on the Browns’ first play of the night for a gain of 44 and wisely kept going back. Jeudy encouraged the home crowd to boo louder after his first reception, and after his touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion, he posed and invited the hate.
“They only boo when they know there’s something great in you,” Jeudy said.
Entering Monday night, Jeudy was 29th in the NFL with 645 receiving yards and tied for 25th at 14.3 yards per reception. Now, he’s tied with CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys for fifth with 880 receiving yards and ninth at 16.3 yards per reception.
For much of the night, it looked like Winston would also take a leap — and maybe even into Cleveland’s future plans. He carried a perfect passer rating into the second quarter. On his first two touchdowns, he showed some touch in placing the ball to different parts of the end zone where only David Njoku could get it. The second one to Njoku came late in the first half and followed Bonitto’s interception, allowing the Browns to keep it a one-score game.
Early in the third quarter, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw a 93-yard touchdown strike to Marvin Mims Jr. The Browns answered on the next play with the 70-yarder from Winston to Jeudy.
Ultimately, though, keeping it close — and Winston being close to a night for the ages — ended with Cleveland doing the best it could. Even with the defense twice forcing the Broncos into second-half field goals and twice intercepting Nix, Denver got its defenders into the right places at the most crucial times.
“The team doesn’t deserve that,” Winston said. “Bad throws. I have to be better.”
(Photo: David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
Culture
NFL QB stock report, Week 14: Insight into Bryce Young’s revival; Kirk Cousins still Falcons’ QB1?
Now, this is the Bryce Young the NFL had been expecting.
The 2023 No. 1 pick has played much better since returning to the Carolina Panthers starting lineup five weeks ago, and the gradual progression of late has been the most encouraging. A coach who recently prepared for his team to play against the Panthers noted that Young’s comfort in the pocket has been a launching point for improvement.
Young has completed 60.4 percent of his passes over the past five games for 1,082 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions and an 83.5 passer rating. He’s also logged 82 rushing yards and a score. They aren’t gaudy numbers, but they’ve been efficient.
And let’s not forget, the Panthers still have enough holes on the roster that they’ll be in contention for the No. 1 pick in April. Young returned to a team that was again a seller at the trade deadline.
The Athletic’s Week 14 QB rankings
Young, who has had three head coaches (one interim) in two seasons, started poorly and was benched after two games. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass as the Panthers only generated 13 points in two blowout losses, and he was picked three times and sacked six times.
So the Panthers turned to veteran Andy Dalton, a controversial move that made some around the league wonder whether they were done with Young altogether. Head coach Dave Canales had been credited for his previous work with Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield, so Young’s two-game trial his new coach was alarmingly short after the Panthers invested so much to draft him.
To think, Young’s return to the field wasn’t even part of the plan. Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident, so the Panthers had no choice but to go back to Young.
He had one of his best statistical performances in his re-debut, a 28-14 loss to the Broncos, before leading the Panthers to tight victories against the Saints and Giants. But Young really caught everyone’s attention when he rallied the offense for a game-tying drive against the Chiefs, who ultimately won at the buzzer. And Sunday, Young was again nails in crunchtime in a tough overtime loss to the Buccaneers.
“The surprising thing before (the benching) was that he struggled to deal with pressure. That wasn’t an issue in college,” a rival executive said. “He’s more confident now. He was taking a beating before. He seemed like a battered player.
“They’ve gotten better as an offense overall. Sitting down and coming back, he’s more confident in what he’s doing.”
Young was sacked 62 times in 16 starts as a rookie, so the pocket jitters were understandable. He’s also dealt with scheme and regime changes. Force a young quarterback to perpetually play catch-up to the environment around him, and the fundamentals can get lost.
Since the chaos has settled in Carolina, Young has developed more trust with his skill players. He only had two completions of at least 20 yards in his first two starts of the season, but he has 15 such plays since returning.
Things are finally moving in the right direction, with Young and Canales looking like a better pair than it appeared in September.
“Bryce had a rough go, but it seems like he is starting to understand the offense,” another evaluator said. “He’s getting protected a little better and being decisive. He did go No. 1 for a reason.”
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First, Cousins
Kirk Cousins is coming off his worst outing with the Atlanta Falcons, tossing four interceptions in a 17-13 loss to a Los Angeles Chargers team with a strong defense. But the 36-year-old now leads the NFL with 13 interceptions, and he has no touchdowns against six picks during a three-game losing streak that’s dropped the Falcons into a tie with the Buccaneers in the NFC South.
With those factors, along with Cousins clearly still recovering from a torn Achilles, there will be mounting pressure to turn toward rookie Michael Penix Jr. The first-round pick has blown away the Falcons’ brass, from the way he carried himself in the building over the offseason to his regular-season work on the practice field. There’s a lot of optimism over Penix’s future.
But there’s also hope for the present. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract last offseason, and the Falcons own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bucs. The Falcons rank fourth in passing yards and eighth in total yards this season, so the offense has pulled its weight, even if it’s been sporadic at times, including the four-pick performance costing Atlanta a win.
This is all to say Cousins should, in theory, give the Falcons a better chance to reach the playoffs than a rookie with five career passing attempts. Oh, and the Falcons are about to visit the Minnesota Vikings, so there’s no reason to think they’d shelve Cousins before an emotional game against his former team.
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But what if the slump continues, or the Falcons fall a couple of games behind the Bucs? It’d be logical to give Penix a look down the stretch to at least open the possibility of shifting to Plan B in 2025, especially since he’s been crushing it in practice.
There’d also be a benefit to keeping Cousins healthy, considering how difficult it is for anyone to come back so quickly from an Achilles injury. Cousins has $27.5 million in guaranteed money in 2025, so it’d be natural to want to get the most out of him under the circumstances.
These decisions aren’t made in a vacuum, though. If Penix played well down the stretch, there’d be more pressure to play him in 2025. And if the Falcons agreed with that sentiment, they’d have to find a new home for Cousins, who has a no-trade clause.
The Falcons could handle the financial fallout of parting with Cousins because they’d be promoting a quarterback on a rookie contract, but it’s also the type of decision that could dramatically backfire if Penix didn’t immediately pan out. And no matter how well a quarterback performs in practice, you don’t know how a QB will look in a game until he amasses enough experience.
It’s an enticing thought, but probably not something the Falcons should act upon unless it becomes absolutely necessary.
GO DEEPER
Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Lamar Jackson and a sizzling MVP race: Sando’s Pick Six
Back on top
Josh Allen returned to the top of the rankings for the first time since Weeks 4-5. The Buffalo Bills QB opened the season at No. 2 behind Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. Allen remained there for three weeks and then struggled for a couple of games before tumbling to No. 4 for four weeks. He earned strong consideration at No. 1 a week ago, and his incredible performance in the snow against the 49ers, coupled with Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s loss to the Eagles, solidified the change.
Amari Cooper and Josh Allen connect for the ultimate snow game touchdown ‼️
🎥 @NFL pic.twitter.com/xcOw7jZSEB
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 2, 2024
Allen’s passing/receiving touchdown will be one of the highlights of the season, the answer to a trivia question and possibly one of the most iconic plays in Bills history. Maybe, for some, it will be viewed as his MVP moment.
But from this vantage point, Allen began his mission to overtake Jackson in the MVP race in Week 11 with his 26-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2 to effectively beat the Chiefs. The race is far from a formality, though, as Jackson, Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley don’t figure to be going anywhere.
Jackson’s numbers are still better across the board, save for rushing touchdowns, where Allen has a 6-3 edge. Jackson’s Ravens also blew out Allen’s Bills in Week 4.
But the Bills are in contention for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, while Allen is coming through with some big moments down the stretch. There’s a legitimate argument to be made for the primary characters in the race.
Injury notes
• Baker Mayfield should be good to go this week against the Raiders, according to league sources. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB was still sore Monday after a Panthers defender stepped on the back of his right leg Sunday, causing Mayfield to visit the injury tent and wear a walking boot after the game. But there was no need to undergo further testing. Mayfield has played through far more serious injuries in the past.
• Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Monday they’re still assessing options with Trevor Lawrence, who suffered a scary concussion Sunday against the Texans. Lawrence will remain in the rankings until a decision has been made on his availability.
• Drew Lock became the 45th QB to appear in the rankings this season because he started the Giants’ last game and the team declined to announce which of Daniel Jones’ former backups would start its upcoming game against the Saints.
Dropped out of rankings: Giants’ Tommy DeVito (forearm injury), No. 32 last week.
(Photo of Bryce Young: Matt Kelley / Getty Images)
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