Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is over the moon to be heading on the road next week to take on the Green Bay Packers with a spot in the playoffs potentially up for grabs.
The Lions bounced back from a loss last week to trounce the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday, making it seven wins from their past nine fixtures and improving their record to 8-8.
There was also some history made by the second overall selection from the 2022 NFL Draft, with Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson snagging his third interception to tie the record for the most by a defensive lineman in a season in the Super Bowl era.
Hutchinson also shared a sack with teammate Ifeatu Melifonwu, one of seven total sacks on Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Campbell pointed to a fully padded practice on Wednesday as the rallying point for his side facing a tricky quarterback matchup with their season on the line.
"We went full pads on Wednesday and said we were going to get our identity back, and we're going to recalibrate, and those guys did that," he said.
"They trusted us, and they came out and it looked like that. It looked like we were ready to go, it looked like we were more physical. I was proud of them.
"Here's the hard thing with playing a guy like [Justin] Fields, man. If you just come barrelling off the edge, and you're out of control, then he's gone.
"So you have to be able to bring a little bit of force and close the pocket in on him, but you can't commit one way or another because he'll break contain again.
"While all this is happening, our back-end is having to cover their rear off for five, six, seven seconds at a time. You give up a couple of holding calls, that's not an easy task there.
"But all-in-all, I thought we snapped back on defense. We were much more physical, we got takeaways, we got sacks, we were disruptive."
Detroit's win keeps their season alive for at least one more week, and Campbell said he feels blessed to get a chance to play a massive January game at the famous Lambeau Field.
"I think it means everything," he said. "I think it's just so special – it's as good as it can get, seriously.
"You get to go to Lambeau – historic Lambeau – where the top of this division has been Green Bay every year for years, with a chance to earn your right to potentially get in.
"Even if we do get the win, it doesn't mean we're guaranteed to get in. But I know this, we're guaranteed to get one more week, and so I just think this is as special as it gets. I don't think you'd want it any other way."
The Lions will be relying on another strong performance from quarterback Jared Goff, who Campbell said is "extremely hot" after his three-touchdown effort.
"He has a ton of confidence right now, and he's had that for a while," he said. "He's played pretty well all year.
"You can just tell he's in this mode right now where you feel like every time you dial up a pass, he's going to find somebody. He's going to find the throw, he's going to get it to the guy that's open.
"That's a great feeling, man. To feel your quarterback is in that mode, and he's been there, that's a great feeling."
Goff himself has played in playoff games and took the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl appearance, but he still acknowledged how meaningful it still is to just have a chance at making the postseason.
"It's huge," he said. "Not every team, players, young guys get an opportunity to play in games like this.
"There are a bunch of guys here who, for the first half of their careers, have not had a chance to play a game in January that means something, and we're going to get that chance next week.
"Whether it gets us in or not, that's not up to us, but we're going in there and trying to win, and see where everything falls at the end."
Cardinals release three-time All-Pro WR Hopkins
The Arizona Cardinals have released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after failing to find a trade partner.
The team announced the move Friday on Twitter.
Hopkins spent three seasons with the Cardinals after being acquired via trade from the Houston Texans in March 2020.
The 30-year-old had a stellar debut season with Arizona, being voted to his fifth Pro Bowl after tying his personal best with 115 catches totalling 1,407 yards.
In 2021 and 2022, Hopkins had a combined 106 catches as a torn knee ligament and a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing substances limited his playing time.
Earlier this offseason, the Cardinals brought in a new leadership team in general manager Monti Ossenfort and defensive-minded head coach Jonathan Gannon, leading to trade rumours circling Hopkins.
Arizona were unable to find a trade partner to take on Hopkins' $22.6million salary cap hit during the draft last month, leaving the rebuilding Cardinals no other choice but to release the three-time All-Pro receiver.
Amid the offseason trade rumours, Hopkins had been notably absent from voluntary OTA workouts and caused a stir earlier this week when he discussed the NFL's top quarterbacks on a podcast and omitted now-former teammate Kyler Murray.
In three seasons with the Cardinals, Hopkins recorded 221 receptions for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns in 35 games.
The 10-year veteran has 853 career catches for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns.
Mahomes concerned with 'winning rings more than making money'
Patrick Mahomes' focus is on "winning rings" and not making more money, as the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback aims to cement his legacy as an NFL great.
Mahomes was the driving force yet again as the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in the space of three years to cap the 2022 season.
The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Arizona, with league MVP Mahomes completing 21 of 27 passes for three touchdowns.
In the process, Mahomes, who was battling injury throughout the Chiefs' postseason, became the first player since Kurt Warner in 1999 to be crowned NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season.
Yet Mahomes, who became the NFL's highest-paid player when he signed a $450million, 10-year contract in 2020, is now only the seventh-highest-paid QB in the league when it comes to average annual salary.
The 27-year-old, though, is not concerned by money, even though the Chiefs have hinted they will look at improving his terms.
"I've always said I worry about legacy and winning rings more than making money at this moment," he told reporters on Wednesday, as quoted by ESPN.
"We see what's going on around the league, but at the same time, I'll never do anything that's going to hurt us from keeping the great players around me.
"So it's kind of teetering around that line.
"You just want to do whatever to not hurt other quarterbacks [financially]. Whenever their contracts come up, you want to keep the bar pushing [higher]."
Mahomes wants to find a sweet spot where he is earning a fair salary that also enables the Chiefs to retain other players who have proved crucial to their success.
He explained: "It's not about being the highest-paid guy; it's not about making a ton of money. I've made enough money that I'll be set for the rest of my life.
"But at the same time, you got to find that line where you're making a good amount of money but you're still keeping a lot of great players around you so you can win these Super Bowls and you're able to compete in these games.
"If you look at the greats in the league, they find that right spot where they're getting paid a lot of money but at the same time keeping a lot of these great players around.
"I understand you look at the team and you've got guys like Chris [Jones] and [L'Jarius] Sneed and even Travis [Kelce], all these guys that you need to keep around you to have these great teams. But at the same time, you want to make sure you're taking care of yourself."
NFL approves rule allowing ball to be placed on 25-yard line on fair catches on kick-offs
The kick-off return is moving closer and closer towards extinction.
The NFL owners approved a rule on Tuesday that allows teams receiving a free kick (kick-off or safety kick) to get the ball at their own 25-yard line if the team calls for a fair catch anywhere behind their own 25.
The rule has been put in place for just the 2023 season, and will be revisited next offseason.
The intention behind the new rule stems from player safety with concussion rates on kick-offs will be reduced by 15 per cent, according to NFL executive Jeff Miller.
Kick-offs are considered the most dangerous play in the NFL, as data shows concussions occurs more than twice as often on them than on plays from scrimmages.
While the new rule should help with head injuries, it also takes away an exciting part of the game. Under the new rule, models suggest that the kick-off return rate will decrease from 38 per cent to 31 per cent.
There will almost certainly be a backlash among players and coaches, as the new rule will likely bring about more squib kicks and other unreturnable kicks.
This is the second major rule change made to kick-offs in the last decade with the backdrop of player safety in mind.
In 2016, the NFL moved touchbacks on kick-offs up to the 25-yard line from the 20, with the rationale teams will take the ball five yards closer to their own end zone rather than risk getting tackled behind the 25. And fewer returns would also likely mean fewer injuries.
The rule change, however, has taken the ball out of the hands out of kick-off returners, and decreased the likelihood of an exciting return.
There were only nine kick-off returns for touchdowns last season – the fewest in a non-strike season since the 1970 merger.
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