This has not been a great season on the field for USC or defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. The Trojans were considered an outside threat at the start of the season to play for the national championship, while Williams was set to join the legendary Archie Griffin as the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy.
The Trojans are 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the Pac-12, sitting in fifth place during the venerable conference's swan song. In addition to the team’s brutal defense, Williams has not been as effective as he was last season.
The 6-1, 215-pound Williams has completed 235-of-346 passes for 3,249 yards with a 29:4 TD:INT ratio. Those numbers are significantly below his 2022 passing stats when he completed 333-of-500 passes for 4,537 yards with 42 touchdown passes and five interceptions in 14 games.
This has been a brilliant year for quarterbacks in college football, which will clearly have an impact on the draft. Caleb Williams is no longer being discussed as a potential Heisman winner this season as he is no better than 10th heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
The top contenders include Michael Penix of Washington, Bo Nix of Oregon, Jordan Travis of Florida State, Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State and J.J. McCarthy of Michigan.
Caleb Williams holds his ground in draft
Caleb Williams’ diminished Heisman chances have nothing do with his status as the NFL’s No. 1 draft candidate next April. One top AFC executive says that the numbers may not be as good for Williams, but he is still at the top of the list.
“The way I see it, Williams is the No. 1 draft prospect and nothing has changed,” the executive said. “There are minor flaws because his numbers are not as impressive as they were last year, but he has all the tools needed to be a great player for several years — as long as he stays healthy.”
After Williams, the top quarterbacks in the draft are Drake Maye of North Carolina and Jayden Daniels of LSU. Penix (6-3, 218 pounds), who is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, is most likely the fourth-best quarterback prospect, with Nix (6-3, 214 pounds) next on the list as the No. 5 man.
Where a player checks in when it comes to likely draft status has everything to do with physical ability, potential and the recognition of any major problems. Caleb Williams does not have anything that could be considered a major problem, but he appears to have been somewhat careless with some of his throws this season.
Penix does not have the same athletic ability as Williams or Nix, but the left-hander does not have to take a back seat to any of his competitors in terms of arm strength, accuracy and vision. Nix has shown significant improvement in all the measurable areas as well.
Draft board different than Heisman race
Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are both climbing on the draft board this season. Maye certainly looks the part at 6-4 and 232 pounds. He has high-level velocity that he combines with an effortless release. His ability to deliver the ball from the near hashmark to the far sideline is superior.
Daniels is not the same physical specimen as Williams or Maye at 6-4 and 210, but he is no longer the “Thin Reaper” that he was earlier in his career when he was 175 pounds. Daniels has maximum creativity and has the innate gift of manipulating defensive backs before throwing the ball.
Caleb Williams is likely to keep his position as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, and at least four other quarterbacks will be selected in the first round.
Bills disappointment is growing and clock is ticking
There are disasters all over the NFL this season, but nowhere is the disappointment more palpable than it is in Buffalo.
The key word with the Bills following their Week 10 Monday night loss was “inexcusable.” Losing at home to the Denver Broncos is inexcusable. Turning the ball over four times is inexcusable. Putting 12 men on the field during the game-ending field goal attempts was inexcusable.
Head coach Sean McDermott used that word multiple times while describing his team's play, and it was echoed by several players.
The Bills are supposed to be in the class of elite AFC teams, but their 24-22 loss to the Broncos means that they are a 5-5 team, and they are likely to slip below .500 when they face the Eagles, Chiefs and Cowboys following this week’s game against the punchless Jets.
Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was dismissed after the loss to the Broncos, and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was sent packing in January after the Bills lost to the Bengals in the Divisional Round.
“Just felt like it was time for a change,” McDermott said. “We need to be a confident offensive football team and find consistent production, and that’s really what it came down to.”
Errors abound by offense and coaching staff
When both coordinators get the gate, the head coach is almost certain to follow. Dorsey saw his starting running back James Cook fumble on the first play of the game, and quarterback Josh Allen followed with three turnovers of his own.
Those were all egregious errors, but nothing was worse than having an extra man on the field while Wil Lutz was wide right on his game-winning 41-yard field goal attempt at the gun. Lutz succeeded when he got a second chance. He was 5 yards closer on his final attempt.
This loss is going to stick on McDermott for a while. The Bills have gone backwards since their AFC Championship Game appearance in January 2021, and the irritating flaws that have shown up have turned into major chasms.
It looks impossible to overcome at this point, and owner Terry Pegula will have some painful decisions to make regarding the leadership of the organization.
How Deshaun Watson injury impacts Browns
The news of the displaced fracture in his right shoulder means that Deshaun Watson is done for the year and that surgery is required.
Watson has had myriad injuries this season, but Browns executive vice president and general manager Andrew Berry made the point before the NFL trade deadline that the team would not be acquiring any other quarterback.
That decision is likely to cost them a playoff spot. They could have made a move for Jacoby Brissett or tried to reacquire Josh Dobbs, whom they had traded to the Cardinals in late August and is now working miracles for the Vikings.
Without having made a move, the Browns will have to go with P.J. Walker and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback.
If running back Nick Chubb were healthy it might be possible to survive, but he is not and the lack of a running game to go with insufficient quarterback play is going to cost this team in a big way.
Key errors at inopportune moments costing Ravens
Week 10 brought a bad loss by the Ravens, blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and losing a crucial division game to the Browns while also missing out on a chance to overtake the idle Chiefs for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Ravens have trailed for just 28:46 all season and could be 9-0, but they lost in overtime to the Colts, blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Steelers, and gave up the big comeback to the Browns.
The Ravens are currently the No. 2 team in the AFC to the Chiefs, and if they can't get past Kansas City in the final seven games, they won't have a bye in the first round of the playoffs and won't have home-field advantage when (if) the two teams meet in the AFC title game. Since the Ravens have trailed for less than 29 minutes of game action throughout the season, that will be a bitter pill for head coach John Harbaugh to swallow.
Huge slump by Titans now in its second season
You have to believe that Mike Vrabel is not going to be employed much longer. He was one of the hottest coaches in the NFL until the middle of last season. Vrabel and the Titans started the 2022 season by winning seven of their first 10 games. However, they lost their final seven games last year and are just 3-6 this season. That putrid 3-13 stretch is not going to help Vrabel’s status with Tennessee management and is not likely to impress Robert Kraft if (when) a change comes in New England.
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