Betting

Kingsbury has been mentioned as a potential candidate for several jobs after reviving the Washington offense. The 45-year-old may miss out on some job opportunities with this strategy, but if the Commanders lose Saturday to the Lions, he’ll have an opportunity to meet in regards to a few open positions.

Higbee has been able to get in back-to-back limited practices after leaving the Wild Card game against the Vikings on Monday. Rams head coach Sean McVay expects Higbee to be able to play in the Divisional Round against the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday, but those considering using him in their slate should keep a close eye.

This, for a team that already has a $31.7 million dead money Marshon Lattimore cap hit. Designating Carr a post-June 1 release would be far more palatable, but his entire $51.5 million cap hit would then remain on the books until June, leaving a team currently projected to be $60 million over the 2025 cap with essentially zero flexibility. A standard restructure would free up plenty of space, but then leave Carr with an otherworldly (for him) $69.2 million 2026 cap number. Long story short, the Saints face nothing but hard choices with their failed franchise player. It’s going to be a bumpy offseason in NOLA.

Smith is also reportedly a candidate for the Bears job after helping the Steelers reach the playoffs in 2024. It’s worth noting that his previous head coaching gig with the Falcons didn’t work out very well, and the Pittsburgh offense didn’t exactly shine at the end of the season. Still, Smith obviously has some heat, and seems like a strong candidate to ultimately end up coaching the Jets in 2025.

Schultz allows that Vikings DC Brian Flores could get into the mix with a strong interview, but that would go as strongly as possible against Caleb Williams’ stated desire for an offensive-minded head coach. It would also be, frankly, not smart considering Flores’ checkered history with Tua Tagovailoa and the Bears’ entire near future being staked on Williams’ arm. This has to be a play-calling head coach, and Johnson and McCarthy are both qualified in their own way. Johnson, of course, would be vastly preferable to McCarthy, even if you can make the case McCarthy has somehow ended up a bit underrated for his work in Dallas and Green Bay.

Pacheco was a full participant in practice all week. With nearly three full weeks to recover from the rib injury he suffered in Week 17’s game against the Steelers, Pacheco is good to go for Saturday’s divisional tilt against a Texans team the Chiefs beat handedly back in Week 16. Pacheco managed just nine carries for 26 yards in the victory, and will likely split touches with Kareem Hunt.

The Chiefs also removed LT D.J. Humphries (hamstring) from their injury report after both were listed on the report to start the week. Despite being listed on the report, Jones and Humphries were full participants in practice all week long, meaning there’s little to no concern about their health heading into Saturday’s game against the Texans.

This is one worth watching. After popping up as limited following an ankle injury he sustained in Wednesday’s practice, Mixon was a DNP on Thursday and officially carries a questionable designation into the weekend. It’s possible Mixon was sidelined on Thursday out of precaution, but his status will be one to monitor until the team officially confirms his availabilty. In addition to Mixon, LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and WR Robert Woods (hip) are also listed as questionable.

Jayden Daniels will have his trusty tight end available to him this weekend. Ertz practiced in full on Friday and can be trusted to handle his typical possession receiver role. The 34-year-old tight end has a chance to face his former Eagles team in the NFC Championship if the Commanders can pull off the upset and the Eagles successfully fend off the Rams.