Keion White doesn't want to hear anything about moral victories.
"I personally don't take consolation prizes," he said when asked about the Patriots performance in Buffalo. "I want to win. So that's just how I feel about it."
Others in the locker room have shown more flexibility about where the team is. Captain Deatrich Wise, in particular, has talked about wanting to show that the hard work is working and that this group is laying down the foundation for an eventual winning program. White understands that thought process but isn't fully embracing it.
"You learn things from losses, " he admitted. "You learn things from wins. You can learn things from every situation that you're in. But I believe that a loss is a loss. There's no such thing as a good loss. There's no such thing as, like, all the consolation prizes and everything like that. At the end of the day, we get paid to win, and that's how you continue to get paid."
The Pats have won just 7 times during White's tenure. No one worth a damn is accepting of this, and White - who has been pretty ticked off after a few of these losses (in particular, week three against the Jets) - has done a fair amount of soul-searching when it comes to that, and to a Patriots defense that has been disappointing.
In particular, their play against the run has been far below the "standard" they — coaches and players — always reference. In fact, the Pats have been sliced and diced like apples for a Christmas pie. They've surrendered 100 or more yards on the ground in 11 of the last 13 weeks and have had some whoppers in there — 193 yards against the Dolphins, 192 a week later versus the Texans, and, more recently, 163 yards to the Cardinals and 172 to the Bills.
"That's the thing I've been thinking about for a while," said White. "I don't feel like I'm playing really good run defense right now. I think we just have to get all on the same page, align where we want to be, and have a defensive identity. I think right now, we're not doing too many things well as a defense, and we just had to find what our identity is. We played a little bit better last week, for sure, but just figure out what our path is."
This is a refreshing bit of honesty from White, but as you can tell, that's who he is. The former Georgia Tech star will say it if it's on his mind, and he was until the interview took a surprising turn. It was an innocuous question — White asked why it's been so hard for this defense to get on the same page.
"I'd rather no comment for (that)," said White matter of factly.
Fair. Perhaps White viewed that inquiry as being above his pay grade. Or, in the moment, just didn't have a response or one he felt like sharing.
The follow-up was similar, wondering if the issues versus the run were "an alignment or a technique problem?"
"No comment," he replied.
White has never shied away from being critical. He had been just 30 seconds before. But as the losses mount, so does the frustration, and I think White has about had it up to here with it - and with his own recent decline in play. Perhaps a final flourish and a win or two will convince the former second-rounder that Wise is right and better days are around the corner. It sure as hell beats the current reality - and the alternative.
ROAD GOES THROUGH KC, AGAIN
With their resounding 29-10 victory over the Steelers on Christmas Day, the Kansas City Chiefs secured the top seed in the AFC for the postseason. This is the 4th time the Patrick Mahomes-led team has reached these heights (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). But are they equipped to win another third straight Super Bowl?
Until a few weeks away, the Chiefs appeared ripe for the picking. So many one-score games - 10 in all. Their offense hadn't been able to dial up explosives with any regularity, instead being forced to grind out 10 to 12-play drives to find points. Mahomes needed to play near-flawless football, and despite higher-than-usual interception numbers, he'd been able to do that in the big moments.
But the worm is starting to turn, and Hollywood Brown has been a major reason why. The Chiefs signed Brown in the off-season to a one-year deal, believing his big play ability - paired with rookie first-rounder Xavier Worthy - would open up the offense in a way it hasn't been able to achieve since dealing Tyreek Hill to Miami. Again, it hasn't stopped KC from winning titles, but it has increased the degree of difficulty for Mahomes.
But Brown got hurt on the very first play of the preseason and didn't return until two weeks ago. The Chiefs have been thrilled to see him, scoring 27 and 29 points in his return.
"I think you’re starting to see kind of what this offense was meant to be,” said Mahomes. “Obviously, we don’t have Rashee (Rice, out for the year) out there. But (we have) some other guys we’ve added to try to fill that role as best we can. You can see where we thought we were going to be at the beginning of the year. And obviously, we have to ramp it up fast against some really good teams."
Brown's already gotten 14 targets (9 catches, 91 yards), but just as important, he has allowed Worthy to see more single coverage. The rookie, who was starting to come on, has 15 catches, 144 yards, and two touchdowns since Hollywood's returned, and I'd be afraid - terrified even - of what they could become in January and, gulp, February.
“Before Hollywood got (back), Xavier started playing better, being more confident and I had gotten better chemistry with him,” added Mahomes. “Other guys stepped up, making plays. Then you throw Hollywood in there, and it kind of sets everybody perfectly in their roles. We spread the ball around really well. When you have that many weapons, it’s hard for the defense to account for. Hollywood has made a huge impact on this offense.”
MONEY MADE
The Minnesota Vikings could face quite the conundrum this off-season. The team drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round this April, believing he was not only their quarterback of the future but that the future would come at some point during his rookie season.
Instead, the former University of Michigan national championship-winning signal caller needed season-ending knee surgery in August (and another clean-up procedure in October), leaving the job to their bridge signing, Sam Darnold. To say that it has been the best free agent deal of 2024 would be the understatement of the year.
For one year and $10 million, Darnold is a darkhorse MVP candidate (he won't win, but a top-5 finish is realistic), leading the Vikings to a 13-2 record. Somehow, that's only good for second place currently in the NFC North (the Lions are also 13-2 and have the tiebreaker), but Darnold and company still have a legit shot at the division and the #1 seed in the NFC, finishing the year with a date against 11-4 Green Bay Sunday and a trip to the Lions the following weekend.
"We know exactly the kind of team we have and exactly the kind of guys we have in that locker room," said Darnold (32 TDs/11 INTs. "It's just for us to be able to continue to go 1-0."
Darnold has been clutch in late-game situations all season and has led fourth-quarter comebacks in three of the Vikings' last four games, including a last-second touchdown pass in Seattle on Sunday.
"Sam has had some huge plays this year, considering the circumstances, and kind of how that play came to life, for him to move up and throw the ball, really on the move there with that kind of accuracy and to know where Justin was going to be in the moment, was a remarkable play," said Kevin O'Connell. "It doesn't get better than that. And I thought, as I told the team, his 12th time being over a 100.0 rating, which is a very, very significant number in our offense in this system, what has become Sam's offense, making some of the plays and throws he did..."
Darnold has benefited from O'Connell's play calling and from having weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockensen, and Aaron Jones. But the former future of the Jets and then the Panthers deserves credit for growing in his previous stops and sharpening his processing, which was a real issue before (he was also the backup in SF last season). Now, he's set to cash in Minnesota or elsewhere.
I count at least five teams as being heavily involved in the QB market this off-season (NYJ, NYG, Tennessee, Las Vegas, NO). Considering there may only be two 1st rounders in this class (Shadeur Sanders and Cam Ward), Darnold is looking at a Baker Mayfield-like contract, bare minimum (3 years, $100 million/$50 mil guaranteed). Will the Vikings be willing to move on from someone who has thrived under O'Connell for the unproven McCarthy, especially when you consider the season they're having? Or will they trust their head coach to work his magic on the next guy? The organization's decision will have a massive impact on the market, one way or the other.
NERD NUMBERS
- Drake Maye has thrown 1+ passing TD in 7 consecutive games — longest such streak by any rookie since Justin Herbert (10-game streak) in 2020.
- Kyler Murray had 16 offensive TDs, 3 INTs, and a 100.8 passer rating from Weeks 1-10. Since then, he has had five offensive TDs, 6 INTs, and an 80.2 passer rating from Weeks 12-16 (Wk 11 bye). The Cards are 1-4 over the latter stretch (one win came over the Pats).
- Josh Allen (30,377) passed Patrick Mahomes (30,360) in Week 16 for the most pass and rush yards by a player in their first 7 seasons in NFL history.
- Brian Thomas Jr. leads all rookies in receiving yards (1,088) and receiving TDs (9) in 2024. Thomas already set the JAX rookie record for receptions (73), yards, and TDs; He also has the 5th-most receiving yards by a rookie in the last 5 seasons (Nacua, Chase, Jefferson, Wilson).
- Brock Bowers already holds the record for most receptions by a rookie TE in NFL history (101); he needs 10 receiving yards to pass HOF Mike Ditka (1,076 in 1961) for the most by a rookie TE in NFL history. Bowers also needs five receptions to break the rookie record for catches (held by Puka Nacua).
- The Saints haven't finished a season with fewer than seven wins since 3-13 in 2005. They are currently 5-10.
- Jalen Hurts is tied for the NFL lead with 14 rush TDs in 2024. He is one rushing touchdown shy of tying the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season. He would tie himself and Josh Allen, each with 15 rush TDs in 2023.
- CeeDee Lamb (496) needs 15 receptions over his last two games to surpass Michael Thomas (510) for the most receptions by a player in their first 5 seasons in NFL history.
- Chuba Hubbard has 71% of the Panthers' rushing yards in 2024 (2nd-highest in NFL). Only LAR Kyren Williams has a higher percentage of team rush yards (77.1%).
- Jayden Daniels had 258 passing yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs, and 81 rushing yards in Week 16 win vs Eagles. First rookie QB with 5+ pass TDs and 50+ rushing yards in a game all-time.
