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It was clear from the jump that the Bucs didn’t have much of an answer for Hill, and the Chiefs speedster decided to let the few Tampa Bay fans in the crowd know about it by yelling “Help is on the way!”
Tyreek Hill channeling Shannon Sharpe's sideline troll job is amazing. pic.twitter.com/LUHhWqOXw5
— 106 Sent (@ClayWendler) November 29, 2020
Hill’s trolling was a reference to Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, who as a member of the Broncos made the line famous when he mocked New England fans in a win over the Patriots in 1996.
— Jordan (@aKaOakIey) November 29, 2020
Sharpe appreciated the tribute and acknowledged it on Twitter.
Getting the first ring is the hardest thing, and Mahomes has already accomplished that. It was hard to think when Brady was going all Michael Jordan that there would be soon be another potential LeBron James. But Mahomes is that quarterback, in every sense.
Mahomes keeps finding new ways to amaze and has done more than his fair share of it in a short time. While Brady is trying to pad his GOAT lead by bringing the Buccaneers a ring, the attempt is looking futile; it won’t hold off Mahomes. Brady can still do a few more things to hold back Father Time, but there’s nothing he can do about Mahomes being on a trajectory toward clearing what not long ago looked like an impassable bar.
A 7-5 record is not what Bucs fans were expecting from Brady and Co. | The Tampa Bay Times
Wasn’t that the goal when the Bucs went shopping at the NFL’s Pro Bowl store and came home with a Tom Brady, a Rob Gronkowski, a LeSean McCoy, a Leonard Fournette and an Antonio Brown?
“Everybody tried to hand us the Lombardi Trophy in August,” coach Bruce Arians said. “You don’t just throw guys out there with names — you’ve got to practice. You’ve got to learn to get in synch with each other. That takes time.”
Yes, that’s true. But that didn’t stop the Bucs from chasing just about every big name that came available in 2020. So is Arians surprised that November ends with Tampa Bay so close to .500?
“Yes and no,” he said. “I think defensively, we’ve had our chances to be better. Offensively, it was going to be a work in progress all season. We’ve just got to win the next one and stay in this playoff hunt.”
What if what happened to Lock’s Broncos happened to Mahomes’ Chiefs? | Kansas City Star
The team’s three eligible quarterbacks — Lee’s Summit native Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles — have been ruled ineligible to play in today’s game against the New Orleans Saints. They were deemed to be high-risk COVID-19 close contacts, and Broncos officials learned Saturday that none of the trio could be with the team this weekend.
That means the Broncos are expected to start practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback vs. New Orleans. HInton played quarterback for his first four seasons at Wake Forest before moving to receiver in 2019.
How remarkable is this development? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the first time in 55 years that a non-quarterback has started a game under center.
This got us thinking: What are the Chiefs’ options in a similar emergency? What if Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne and Matt Moore, who is on their practice squad, were ruled out of a game without enough time to bring in a quarterback replacement from outside the organization?
Patrick Mahomes, the Funnest Player in the NFL, Wears the Funnest Rolex in Existence | GQ
Mahomes could not have found a better match with his watch, the equally joyful Rolex Daytona Rainbow—the timepiece that always goes for it on fourth down and tries the two-point conversion. What Mahomes and this watch also have in common is statistical—eye-popping, mind-boggling numbers. Mahomes has a 5,000-yard, 50-touchdowns season, while this Rainbow puts up equally gaudy numbers: a bezel featuring a rainbow of 36 baguette-cut sapphires, the case is set with 56 more diamonds, and even the hour markers come in the form of 11 more sapphires. This is the type of watch the typically conservative Rolex doesn’t make very frequently, but Mahomes is also a once-in-a-lifetime type player.
Around the NFL
Lions fans donate to Deshaun Watson’s charity in droves after Texans’ win | NFL.com
One of the league’s best trends is now occurring in Detroit, where Lions fans are giving to the charity of Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson as a thank you for his role in Thursday’s win. Watson was near-flawless on Thanksgiving with a multi-score victory over Detroit that clinched the firing of head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn.
The Lions cleaned house on Saturday.
Just like Bills fans giving to Andy Dalton’s charity after the then-Bengals QB helped them reach the playoffs, and just like Bills fans (again) giving to Josh Allen’s charity to honor his grandmother, now it’s Lions fans.
Jaguars fire GM Dave Caldwell following Week 12 loss to Browns | NFL.com
Dave Caldwell is out as Jaguars GM after eight seasons at the helm of Jacksonville’s personnel department, the team announced Sunday following a 27-25 home loss to the Browns. The decision was simple for Khan, who said his team just hasn’t been good enough to continue on the same path and expect a better outcome.
“I’ve met with Dave Caldwell to express my appreciation for his service to the Jacksonville Jaguars as our general manager,” Khan said in a statement. “Dave was exceptionally committed and determined to bring a winner to Jacksonville, but unfortunately his efforts were not rewarded with the results our fans deserve and our organization expects. Our football operation needs new leadership, and we will have it with a new general manager in 2021.”
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports Trent Baalke will serve as the interim GM for the remainder of the season.
Saints fined $500K, docked draft pick, Patriots fined $350K for COVID-19 protocol violations | NFL.com
The New England Patriots were fined $350,000 for protocol violations stemming from issues in October when Cam Newton and others tested positive, forcing the league, among other things, to push back their Week 4 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, sources told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints were fined $500,000 and docked a seventh-round pick for their maskless locker room celebration following their Week 9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rapoport reported. New Orleans was also found to have conducted a maskless meeting.
The Saints are repeat offenders. Earlier this season, the league fined both the Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders organizations $250,000 each and coaches Sean Payton and Jon Gruden $100,000 each for failure to follow proper face-covering protocol during their Week 2 clash on Monday Night Football.
Niners could play ‘home’ games in Arizona due to COVID-19 restrictions | NFL.com
When Santa Clara County released new COVID-19 restrictions on Saturday, it banned all contact sports and mandated a 14-day quarantine for anyone traveling into the area from 150 miles away. In short, it left the San Francisco 49ers searching for a new home to finish the season.
Niners officials spent Saturday working with NFL officials continuing to work on a plan for the rest of 2020, and as of late Saturday, nothing was set.
However, sources say the most likely option is for the 49ers to play their final three home games at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. Their NFC West rivals — who actually host the Niners in Week 16 — are said to be willing to accommodate them.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs-Buccaneers rapid reaction: Kansas City is right there
A couple weeks back, Andy Reid noted that Sammy Watkins’ absence might have led to an uptick in their production. It may very well be that the opposite is actually true. Hill and Kelce may be about to produce more.
At quarterback, Patrick Mahomes continues to take what is in front of him: a lot of room to attack the opposing defense through the air. The timing he has down with Hill and Kelce has been special — something we have discussed on these pages all year.
I thought the Chiefs defense took some strides in Tampa Bay. The way to beat Tom Brady is to make him uncomfortable — and the Chiefs set that tone early. They hit him eight times on the day. He might have become a little too comfortable in the second half — but by then, it was too late.
Linebacker Anthony Hitchens, defensive end Alex Okafor and safety Tyrann Mathieu all had moments that popped on Sunday afternoon. Mathieu was involved in both causing an interception and securing one for himself. Chris Jones showed some bite to go along with his bark.
A tweet to make you think
Fangio: "I haven’t done a good enough job of selling the protocols to them when they’re on their own.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) November 30, 2020
That’s on me."
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