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| Wednesday, January 4, 2023 |
| Hello, everyone, and happy Wednesday. All eyes in the NFL remain on the Damar Hamlin situation, as the Bills safety remains in critical condition while recovering from cardiac arrest suffered in Monday's game (more on that below). In the meantime, with John Breech taking the day off, Cody Benjamin is here to deliver you all the latest from around the league. |
| This is the Pick Six Newsletter. Now let's get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you're signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don't want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.) |
| We've got updates on Hamlin, a Week 18 forecast, new power rankings, and much more: |
| 1. Damar Hamlin updates: Bills-Bengals aftermath, medical insights |
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| Brady Quinn and Ryan Wilson joined Will Brinson on the latest "Pick Six NFL Podcast" to break down the latest updates surrounding Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who remains hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest during Monday's game against the Bengals. The guys did their best to process the emotional impact of Hamlin's injury, then assessed the logistical hurdles that await the NFL from a scheduling standpoint, with Week 18 and the start of the postseason around the corner. |
| Catch the full episode (and subscribe for daily NFL talk) right here. Also, be sure to follow our latest coverage on Hamlin and his recovery from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center at CBSSports.com, where we recently got insight on Hamlin's injury from an NFL cardiologist, and highlighted the latest donations to Hamlin's charity, which has now raised more than $6 million. The Bills, meanwhile, resumed football activities Wednesday for the first time since Monday's incident. |
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| 2. Power Rankings: Bills on top, but Packers are surging |
| Pete Prisco is shifting the NFL hierarchy quite a bit entering the final week of the regular season, lifting the Bills over the Chiefs as the No. 1 team in his Week 18 Power Rankings. The Chiefs (No. 2) and 49ers (No. 3) are also moving up. But no team has his attention more than the Packers, who are up to No. 16, all the way from No. 24 about a month ago: |
| Green Bay still doesn't look like the dominant team we've seen in recent years with Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback, a team that earned the top seed a few times in the NFC. But they seem to be coming together at the right time. They are making timely plays, big plays, big special teams plays and they are getting just enough out of Rodgers and the passing game to go with a good rushing attack that averages 125.6 yards per game and 4.7 yards per rush. The Packers average just 215.3 passing yards per game, but Rodgers seems to be coming on as of late as his receivers mature. |
| The Pack is back. ... [We] probably haven't seen the best of Rodgers yet. Each week, he appears much more comfortable with his young receivers, which isn't something the rest of the NFC wants to see. The offensive line is also back healthy again, which is big. So this is my apology to the Packers. I dismissed you a long time ago, yet here you are one game away from the playoffs -- a team none of the other NFC teams wants to see in the postseason party. |
| 3. Prisco's Picks: Jaguars rout Titans, Bengals edge Ravens |
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| Pete Prisco went 10-5 making straight-up picks in Week 17. Now he's back with predictions for every single Week 18 matchup. Here's a sampling: |
| Jaguars 30, Titans 20: The winner here wins the AFC South. Tennessee is beat up and will start Josh Dobbs at quarterback here. Unless Derrick Henry can run for 250, I don't see the Titans hanging around.Bengals 29, Ravens 21: The Bengals had their game suspended Monday night against the Bills, which could impact their preparation here. The Ravens could have Lamar Jackson back, which would help an ailing offense in a big way. Even so, I think the Bengals will come out and light up the Ravens defense.Packers 31, Lions 24: If the Packers win, they are in. It's that simple. The Lions are coming off an impressive victory over Chicago, but this is a big step up in completion. The Packers are playing well and they will continue that here. |
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| 4. Heinicke, Howell to play QB for Commanders in Week 18 |
| Another week, another change at quarterback in Washington. After going back to Carson Wentz in Week 17, and losing any shot at a playoff run as a result, Ron Rivera is reversing course under center yet again. Knocked out of the postseason picture, the Commanders will start Taylor Heinicke against the Cowboys in Week 18, ESPN reported, giving the veteran backup his 10th start of the season. It won't only be Heinicke's show if all goes according to plan, however, as rookie fifth-rounder Sam Howell is also expected to get snaps in the regular-season finale; he's yet to take the field this year. |
| 5. QB Power Rankings: Brady, Rodgers on the rise in top 10 |
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| Every week, we rank all 32 starting QBs from first to worst. And what do you know, as the postseason draws near, some of our favorite ageless signal-callers are moving up the board, with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers both making leaps in light of clutch wins to march toward the playoffs. Here's a look at this week's top 10: |
| Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)Joe Burrow (Bengals)Josh Allen (Bills)Justin Herbert (Chargers)Jalen Hurts (Eagles)Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)Brock Purdy (49ers) Aaron Rodgers (Packers)Tom Brady (Buccaneers)Geno Smith (Seahawks) |
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| 6. Extra point: 2023 mock, playoff projections, things we learned |
| Hungry for a couple more headlines? These are important reads as we approach the playoffs and offseason: |
| One thing we learned about each team: Jeff Kerr reviews the Week 17 slate with key takeaways.Trapasso's 2023 mock draft: The Texans go Bryce Young at No. 1, and three more QBs follow. Playoff projections: SportsLine's latest simulations have the Dolphins sneaking in. |
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