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Today, a quick list of injuries impacting the divisional round, plus your thoughts on the Deion-to-Dallas idea, stories of Josh Allen’s college days and the latest in Pittsburgh’s QB room.
Key injuries to know
Injuries change the course of each season, yet once we turn the page to new campaigns, the impacts of those injuries become easy to forget. Remember the 49ers’ historically awful injury luck in 2020? Or Baltimore’s the year after? Losing seasons for otherwise winning teams.
Of course, no asterisks accompany those losses. And none should. It’s a next-man-up league, and any successful team needs depth.
But replacement players can only take you so far. Among 2024’s 10 teams least impacted by injuries (through Week 16, per Sports Info Solutions), eight made the playoffs, while the Falcons were one win away. (This chart also includes the most-heavily injured team. See if you can spot them.)
That doesn’t tell the full story, as significant injuries then occurred in the final two weeks, but it makes these Lions look more impressive. Thank you, Dan Campbell.
Injuries to watch for each remaining team:
Texans: RB Joe Mixon (ankle) joined yesterday’s injury report, while starting RG Shaq Mason and LB Azeez Al-Shaair were limited (knee injuries), as was TE Dalton Schultz (shoulder). All are expected to play.
Chiefs: With most starters having not played since Week 17 — giving them a very rare 23 days of rest — Patrick Mahomes (ankle), DT Chris Jones (calf) and other key players are fully practicing.
Commanders: All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner played through a rolled ankle last Sunday. He has missed every practice this week, but it would be surprising if he sits.
Lions: Two starters in RB David Montgomery (knee) and CB Terrion Arnold practiced in full, but elite RG Kevin Zeitler missed (hamstring). He’s questionable. Star DE Aidan Hutchinson has been eyeing a return for the Super Bowl. 👀
Rams: They did not practice yesterday, having played Monday night. When they do, I’ll be watching for starters LT Alaric Jackson (chest), TE Tyler Higbee and CB Ahkello Witherspoon (thigh).
Eagles: They suffered the biggest blow among wild-card teams when breakout LB Nakobe Dean tore a patellar tendon. Brooks Kubena explained why it’s such a big loss.
Ravens: Pro Bowl WR Zay Flowers hasn’t practiced since Jan. 2. He’s questionable. Rashod Bateman sounds ready to step up.
Bills: Their injury report lists 12 players, 10 more than their opponent. Fret not, Bills Mafia — yesterday, zero starters and only two backups were limited: RB Ray Davis (concussion) and LG Alec Anderson (calf).
As for who might win this weekend, NFL insiders shared their predictions with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. Hint: They’re not high on Buffalo.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Wilson working as Steelers weigh future
Russell Wilson is already back in the gym, posting photos to social media with captions about preparing for next season. Will that season be in Pittsburgh, though? That’s the big question as the Steelers head into an offseason filled with uncertainty at quarterback.
While Wilson and Justin Fields had their moments in 2024, neither managed to stake their claim as the team’s long-term solution under center. Now both QBs are weeks away from free agency. Head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t shy away from addressing that uncertainty during his season-ending press conference.
“We’re definitely open to considering those guys,” Tomlin said. “But there’s a lot of work to do before we make any decisions.”
Sounds like the Steelers are keeping their options open, and I wouldn’t be surprised if 36-year-old Wilson is in a different uniform next fall.
Back to you, Jacob.
Coaching Carousel: Your thoughts on Deion in Dallas
In this week’s survey, we asked whether the Cowboys should seriously consider making Deion Sanders their next head coach. 22.1 percent of readers said yes, bring on the circus.
- Most pointed out that if anyone can handle the spotlight and stand up to Jerry Jones, it’s the confident, media-savvy “Prime Time.”
- Reader Dima noted, “You can’t argue with results. People were ready to laugh at him struggling in Colorado. Instead, look what he did.” Reader Chris added, “Say what you want, but Deion has backed up his talk just about everywhere he’s gone.”
- The season prior to Sanders arriving in Colorado, the Buffaloes went 1-11. He transformed the program in just two years, bringing along Heisman-winner Travis Hunter and leading Colorado to an impressive 9-4 record in 2024.
Most readers said, “No, be serious,” also referencing Sanders’ lack of experience (just five years as a college coach and none in the pros), the media hoopla it would bring and the current Cowboys quarterback room, which doesn’t need Sanders’ son Shedeur. (Deion has claimed they’re a package deal.)
But if not Sanders, then who? Here were your top three:
- Kellen Moore. I was surprised to see the Eagles OC, who spent five years coaching in Dallas before the Cowboys tired of him, lead with 17.5 percent of your votes.
- Ben Johnson. While the Detroit OC was a close second here, with 16.8 percent of votes by Scoop City readers, he led this poll of mostly Cowboys fans — which had Moore fifth, behind Bill Belichick.
- Pete Carroll. The only other coach with at least 15 percent of your votes, he’s interviewed with the Bears and Raiders so far.
“A headless chicken wearing a Tom Landry fedora” also received one vote, as did Woody Johnson’s teenage son. We have fun here.
Their schedule: Dallas is interviewing former Jets HC Robert Saleh on Saturday and former Vikings HC Leslie Frazier on Monday.
Also, when our Cowboys beat reporters shared those results from their similar survey, this chart perfectly illustrated the frustration in Dallas:
Throwback Thursday: Josh Allen’s college days
Josh Allen has always believed in himself, as you’ll see below. To understand how he became one of the NFL’s most authentic leaders, The Athletic called his childhood friends, college teammates and coaches. Their stories are worth reading.
Many made me chuckle, including this one from Tanner Gentry, Allen’s teammate at Wyoming and with the Bills:
‘Fourth of July trip. My grandparents own a cabin in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. We had a big crew there and it’s out in the middle of nowhere so we’re playing drinking games. It was an unreal trip.
‘About a week and a half later, my grandma texted me that one of the trees was chopped down and the cover for the axe was still on it right by the tree.
‘I sent it to the group and was like: “Who chopped this tree down?” And Josh was like: “That was me.” I was like: “Dude, you left the cover on.” And he goes: “Oh, that’s why it was so hard to chop it down.”‘
Each story illustrates a different aspect of Josh Allen’s authenticity as a teammate and leader. Read them all here.
News: Ravens sign Diontae Johnson
“Wait, what?” I thought to myself when reading that ⬆️ headline. I’m not alone, right?
Yesterday, we noted the Texans had cut Johnson, previously released by Baltimore in late December. Why would the Ravens re-sign him so soon?
- First, it’s solely a procedural move, as Johnson won’t be “awarded” to the Ravens until Feb. 10, the day after the Super Bowl.
- More importantly, he’ll qualify as an unrestricted free agent. This gives the Ravens a chance to earn a compensatory draft pick in 2026 if he signs a contract in 2025 free agency.
It’s a clever move by a team that has gained a league-high 56 compensatory picks since the system was introduced in 1994. Last offseason, The Athletic explained how this system works. Real-life fantasy football.
Yesterday’s most-clicked: Dane Brugler’s latest 2025 mock draft.
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(Photo: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
