Zoox is testing its custom robotaxis, which are built without a steering wheel or pedals, on public roads in San Francisco and the Las Vegas Strip. 

The rollout of the autonomous vehicles, which Zoox CTO Jesse Levinson first announced at TechCrunch Disrupt, is a public show of force from the Amazon-backed company. Federal regulations prohibit the use of AVs built without human controls for commercial operations. Companies can apply for exemptions, but Zoox has not done so. The company says it has self-certified its AVs, a claim that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is actively investigating.

NHTSA’s rules around vehicles meeting certain safety standards include a “testing and evaluation” exception called the FAST Act, which could be how Zoox is navigating this regulatory minefield. Zoox did not confirm or deny its use of the Fast Act, and NHTSA didn’t respond in time to TechCrunch to provide clarification. 

If Zoox is relying on the FAST Act today to roll out its toaster-looking AVs, then it still has some time before it needs to deal with NHTSA again. The company will initially only ferry employees around the SoMa neighborhood of SF and on the Strip and surrounding areas of Vegas. In 2025, Zoox plans to test with early public riders as part of a so-called “Zoox Explorer” program.

The Atlanta Falcons head west with their collective feathers between their tails after a rough Saints loss. However, it’s time to lock in on the Denver Broncos defense. Surprisingly, a team coached by an offensive-minded coach in Sean Payton actually deploys a balanced defense at all three levels.

The Broncos have the No. 4 scoring defense and the No. 5 overall defense in the NFL heading into Week 11. That unit is a big reason why Denver is a surprising 5-5 with a rookie quarterback and an NFL-high $82 million in dead money on their salary cap.

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The Falcons need to leave Colorado, avoiding a two-game slide, heading into late-November. On paper, Atlanta can match up well with Denver. Now, let’s see how that could look on the field on Sunday.

Hit the Boundary

The Broncos utilize the 3-4. Vance Joseph, the defensive coordinator/former head coach wants to disrupt at all costs. He believes in heavy blitzing and man coverage behind it. As aggressive as you will find, Denver will throw caution at the wind and get upfield. The stats bear that out as they rank in the top ten league wide in several defensive categories including No. 2 in sacks.

The outside linebackers leave the sideline-to-sideline pursuit to the inside ‘backers. The edge rushers, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper want to bend the corner, leaving the spots they vacate empty. As a result, swing passes to Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier force matchups versus Justin Strnad and Cody Barton. 

Both Strnad and Barton play well in space but lack the explosion to prevent the Atlanta backs from gaining the perimeter. Meanwhile, faking a jet sweep will draw the defense away from the far side of the first few yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Misdirection could help Atlanta open up the offense early. 

Safety Unconcerned

For as stellar as cornerbacks Pat Surtain and Riley Moss played so far in 2024, the same does not apply to safeties P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones in pass coverage. Jones has replaced Justin Simmons well and leads the team in tackles, but he’s not as strong against the pass (when the Broncos aren’t sacking quarterbacks). Tight end Kyle Pitts in games like this, must see the majority of the targets not intended for the running backs. 

Intermittently, Pitts shows the skillset that made Atlanta select him in the first place. Too often, he vanishes into thin air. Now, against a team with strong corners but safeties and linebackers that allow roughly seventy percent of opponent targets completed, the best answer remains the simplest. 

Allowing Pitts to climb the route tree in the intermediate to deep areas benefits the Falcons. On top of that, using the crossing routes to pick or wash the defender away will work as well. 

Overview

Make no mistake, the Atlanta Falcons will line up versus a top-10 defense in the Denver Broncos. This is the best defense, by some distance, that they will have played since Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Yet, holes exists and prosperity will arise all over the field. Granted, Denver thrives against the run and possesses two excellent corners on the outside.

Yet, a veteran like Kirk Cousins can find a seam, a sliver of daylight to move the ball. While this may not end up a high scoring affair, the Falcons possess the talent to not only succeed but win the game.

Provided that they do not fall prey to playing into the Broncos; strengths, Atlanta can escape with a quality road win.

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The Chicago Bears fired former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron from their OC position on Tuesday, hoping to shake up a unit that ranks among the worst in the NFL.

Three takes on four big questions about the Seattle Seahawks

Offensive passing game coordinator Thomas Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator.

The moves come with the Bears (4-5) mired in a three-game losing streak and the offense in a free fall after an offseason overhaul highlighted by the arrival of Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Waldron spent the previous three seasons as the OC for the Seahawks under head coach Pete Carroll. Waldron was not brought back after the Seahawks moved on from Carroll in January, and landed with the Bears shortly after.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that changes were coming in the wake of a 19-3 loss to New England at Soldier Field, though he wasn’t ready yet to announce them. He said the decision on whether to retain his offensive coordinator would be “mine alone.”

“After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is in the best interest of our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense. This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully,” Eberflus said Tuesday in a statement. “I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward.

“Thomas is a bright offensive mind who has experience calling plays with a collaborative mindset. I look forward to his leadership over our offensive coaching staff and his plan for our players,” Eberflus said.

Waldron lasted just nine games. He was hired in January to replace Luke Getsy, who was let go after two seasons. Getsy was subsequently hired as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator and fired in November.

The Bears rank 30th in the NFL in total offense and 24th in scoring. Chicago has gone without a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2004. It’s been 23 consecutive possessions without a TD for the Bears since they scored in the final minute at Washington in Week 8, when they lost on a Hail Mary pass by Jayden Daniels. Williams was sacked a whopping nine times against New England, which came in tied with six other teams for the worst record in the NFL.

The offense has produced just two touchdowns in 34 drives in the three games since Chicago’s bye. The Bears won three in a row prior to their off week, and Williams and the offense looked like they were finding their rhythm, even if they were doing it against struggling teams.

Williams completed 74% of his passes for 687 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception during that run. In the past three games, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner has completed just 48 of 95 passes without a TD.

Williams has often been under siege behind an offensive line that has played poorly and been hit hard by injuries. He has also hung onto the ball too long at times, rather than check down or throw it away to avoid a sack.

Waldron, meanwhile, seemed to abandon the run in some games. He was also urged by players to coach the team harder following a loss at Indianapolis in Week 3.

The Bears then went on their winning streak and headed into their bye with a 4-2 record. They’ve unraveled since then, and the schedule is about to get tougher. Six of the final eight games are against the NFC North, starting with Green Bay’s visit on Sunday.

The recent struggles have also turned up the heat on Eberflus, with fans chanting “Fire ‘Flus!” during the New England game. Chicago is 14-29 in his 2 1/2 seasons. It’s not what the Bears envisioned after going from 3-14 in 2022 to 7-10 last year.

General manager Ryan Poles gave the offense a big makeover in the offseason.

The Bears cleared the way to draft Williams by dealing Justin Fields to Pittsburgh. They made a blockbuster trade for a playmaking receiver for the second year in a row, acquiring six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers after sending the No. 1 pick in 2023 to Carolina for DJ Moore. Chicago got the Panthers’ 2024 first-rounder in that deal for Moore and used it to take Williams.

The Bears also added running back D’Andre Swift and veteran Gerald Everett to form what looked like a potent tight end tandem with Cole Kmet. But the offense hasn’t come together the way the Bears hoped.

Seattle Seahawks coverage

• Seahawks add a nose tackle, place safety on injured reserve
• Seahawks release one of their key offseason signings
• Lefko: Seahawks at crossroads as a franchise, with Geno at the center
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• Seattle Seahawks Midseason Grades: Evaluating first half of 2024