This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic’s daily NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox.
Last night, the Lions (12-1) clinched their second straight playoff trip, their first such streak since the mid-’90s, with a 34-31 win over the Packers (9-4). A crucial fourth-and-1 call by Dan Campbell helped seal a massive win. Full takeaways here.
Inside: Elsewhere, everyone’s got an opinion on the Trevor Lawrence hit, and today, we’re sharing some of yours. Plus: a potential Bill Belichick move, Penei Sewell’s childhood and Week 14’s watch guide.
Mailbag: Your thoughts on the Lawrence hit
Hundreds of readers shared strong opinions about yesterday’s newsletter, which covered the rules involved in Trevor Lawrence taking a likely season-ending hit by Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair.
The majority agreed that a rule change could reduce the chances we see a similar incident in the future.
I read all your responses (thank you for those), which included tons of great explanations. Since we’re limited for space, here are a few that stood out (with minor edits for clarity). Stick around for David’s proposal, which made me laugh.
They’re grouped based on which solutions you suggested most frequently, listed from most popular to least:
1. Eliminate the slide:
- “At the risk of sounding like ‘football used to be played by real men’ old-timer, which I am, this ain’t football.” — Vernon
- “I played on both offense and defense in college (two years at FB, two years at LB), and the incentives are all on the side of the offense to slide as late as possible. If they hit you, it’s a penalty. It’s starting to get unfair.” — Drew
- “The game is played too fast for QBs to intentionally put themselves into a defenseless posture. And, given that QBs have inevitably tried to take advantage of the rule to gain additional yards (by sliding late or fake sliding), defenses have no choice but to react with increased aggression.” — Mike
- “Folks, we’re playing tackle football here. Therefore slides should be eliminated — and penalized if used — perhaps with a 5-yard mark off. That should be applied to all runners.” — Steve
2. Penalize the offense:
- “There is too much responsibility put on the defensive player. QBs continue to have the rule advantage. Hall of Fame LT Joe Thomas said any type of fake slide and continued running should be a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct.” — Mike
3. Keep it as is:
- “It really doesn’t matter what the rule is. Both the QB and the defensive player will push the boundary.” — Tyman
- “The problem wasn’t the slide or the lateness of the hit, but HOW he hit Lawrence. Similar to a defenseless receiver or hitting with the crown or sacking a QB with contact to the head. If the defensive player lets up, there would be no issue.” — Jake
4. Find an alternative:
- “The offense must give themselves up in a more easily and identifiable way with a certain distance between themselves and the defender.” — Ben
- “Could we not give referees the power to blow the play dead, based on an unimpeded-path-to-quarterback rule?” — Kent
- “Have a ‘fair catch’ signal for QBs with similar timing rules. A very obvious verbal and/or gestural signal that says, ‘I AM STOPPING RIGHT HERE.’” — Tyler
- “There are probably a half-dozen ways a QB could indicate they are giving up without putting their head in the way of a diving defender. Throw the ball to the sideline. Hold both hands above their head.” — Vince
And here’s David:
“Scrambling QBs should be allowed to throw the football at a defender. If they miss, they are presumed down where they threw the ball. If they hit the defender with the ball, they get 10 extra yards from the spot.”
And you thought the NFL couldn’t get more entertaining! Imagine the AFC Championship coming down to Chris Jones and Josh Allen playing dodgeball.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Back to school for Belichick?
When I’ve spoken to those close to Bill Belichick over the last few months, the message has always been consistent and clear: “Bill wants to coach football.” And now we know that includes college football.
The 72-year-old, six-time Super Bowl champion has spoken with the University of North Carolina about its vacant head-coaching position. I was told that Belichick still wants to return to the NFL, but the father of Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Steve Belichick isn’t closing doors on any college opportunities — and I would expect more college programs to start reaching out now that they know the greatest NFL coach of all time is available.
Back to you, Jacob.
Comeback
Every Friday, I share three stories from The Athletic that you might have missed.
“It’s refreshing to read an article that acknowledges the character and integrity of young athletes, instead of taking the easy, sensationalist route of disparaging them by labeling them ‘busts,’” said one reader of Jim Trotter’s excellent story on the resilience shown by Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson, who both improved after early-season benchings.
61 NFL players have come from American Samoa. Three of them share the last name Sewell. The best-known — Lions All-Pro RT Penei Sewell — might be the greatest athlete in the NFL.
The story began in a house they call “The Shack,” where the family had one bedroom, no kitchen sink and no air conditioning. They all slept together on a large mattress in the living room. Dan Pompei details the story of Sewell’s childhood, where, on the islands of American Somoa — about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand — there was so much laughter, so much playing and so many chores.
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a play-by-play voice in the Madden NFL video game? As Jason Jones explains, talent is key. Hard work is important. Having an infectious personality is a bonus. But there’s so much more to the fascinating story of Kate Scott, who initially wanted to be a teacher, yet has been breaking broadcasting barriers since 2001.
Week 14 Watch Guide
Below is the remaining Week 14 schedule. Since it’s conference title weekend in college football, our NFL Draft experts Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner just shared which future NFL players to watch tonight and tomorrow, including Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty.
And then on Sunday:
1 p.m. ET
- Falcons at Vikings (FOX)
- Browns at Steelers (CBS)
- Jets at Dolphins (CBS)
- Jaguars at Titans (CBS)
- Raiders at Buccaneers (CBS)
- Panthers at Eagles (FOX)
- Saints at Giants (FOX)
4:05 and 4:25 p.m.
- Seahawks at Cardinals (CBS)
- Bears at 49ers (FOX)
- Bills at Rams (FOX)
8:20 p.m.
Monday at 8:15 p.m.
- Bengals at Cowboys (ESPN)
Go win some fantasy football matchups this weekend. Good luck!
Yesterday’s most-clicked: The Tyler Lockett plop.
📫 Enjoyed this read? Sign up here to receive The Athletic’s free daily NFL newsletter in your inbox, and check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.
(Photo: Mike Carlson / Getty Images)
