Nothing draws eyeballs like pro football, but the first five games of the 2024 playoffs didn’t draw them quite like they did a year ago.
On Saturday afternoon, Chargers-Texans averaged 31.1 million on CBS, via Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. That was an increase from last year’s 29 million who watched the Browns-Texans opener.
Saturday night’s streaming-only game on Prime Video, Steelers-Ravens, did 22.07 million. Last year’s streaming-only game on Peacock averaged 22.86 million.
The 1:00 p.m. ET game on Sunday between the Broncos and Bills averaged 31.1 million viewers. That’s roughly the same, per Karp, as last year’s Steelers-Bills game, which was moved to Monday afternoon due to a snowstorm.
The 4:30 p.m. ET game averaged 35.6 million on Fox. Last year, Packers-Cowboys in the same window drew 40.2 million. (Yes, the Cowboys still draw.)
The Sunday night game between the Commanders and Buccaneers on NBC and Peacock averaged 29 million, per Karp. Last year’s Sunday night Rams-Lions game generated 36 million.
The Monday night game between the Vikings and Rams averaged 25.4 million. Last year’s Eagles-Buccaneers game on Monday night averaged 28.6 million.
Only one of the games — Commanders-Buccaneers — was decided late. The other games featured victory margins of 20 points, 14 points, 24 points, 12 points, and 18 points.
Also, this year’s Wild Card rounds didn’t include two of the biggest draws: the Cowboys and the Chiefs.
Free agency happens in March. The draft, April. For the rest of January, the challenge for the Vikings will be to determine the long-term future of coach Kevin O’Connell.
He has earned a long-term extension. Yes, the pressure is building on him to win a playoff game. But he’s the first coach in franchise history with multiple 13-win seasons. And he’s only been on the job for three years.
The Week 18 Sunday Splash! report from Jay Glazer that multiple teams are interested in trading for O’Connell wasn’t idle talk. There’s tension in the relationship, stemming largely from the fact that he didn’t get an extension after his second season. Now that he’s one year away from free agency, he could be willing to let it ride, if necessary, and hit the market.
Yes, it rarely happens. Sure, there’s much more than a whiff of collusion when it comes to the NFL and coaches. There’s no salary cap, but there’s also no salary floor. And there’s no union. The 32 teams can engage in subtle, or otherwise, efforts to keep the market down, with the only downside being the wafer thin chance that a coach will risk his career by suing the league and its teams for antitrust violations.
But if O’Connell chooses to bet on himself for one more year, he might end up with a lot more from another team than whatever the Vikings will offer.
Entering the final Sunday of the regular season, his earning potential was as high as it could be. The last two games left a mark on it. While the impact on O’Connell will be (and should be) less than it will be (and should be) on quarterback Sam Darnold, the dynamics have changed in the aftermath of a 31-9 loss to the Lions and a 27-9 loss to the Rams.
Here’s the question. Will the two sides agree on consequences of a two-game tailspin? If the Vikings overplay their hand, O’Connell can always say, “Screw it.” And then he can voluntarily coach as a lame duck and make himself available to anyone/everyone in 2026.
Beyond money, O’Connell could be looking for more say in roster construction. For better alignment with the General Manager. For a situation where he’ll have more of what he needs to put together a team that can both get to the playoffs and win when the postseason arrives.
If there’s an impasse, the Vikings will have to choose between one more year and no compensation on the back end and listening to the teams that might be calling about O’Connell.
It’s unclear what another team would offer, or what the Vikings would want. But it bears watching.
Coincidentally, or not, the Jets have interviewed for their vacant G.M. position Darren Mougey of the Broncos. Mougey and O’Connell played college football together at San Diego State. They were roommates.
The O’Connell contract therefore should be the first order of business for the Vikings, now that the season has ended. Will a deal be reached? Will they keep him for one more year and let him become a free agent? Or will they take the best offer they can get and embark on a search for his replacement?
On the surface, O’Connell seems far too good natured to play hardball. But his father, Bill, is a retired FBI agent who had a role in taking down John Gotti. It’s in the family DNA to match wits with the rich and powerful. And if the Wilfs don’t offer Kevin the kind of deal he’s looking for, they might find out soon that they’ve met their match.
Will they blink? Will they punt? However it goes, it’s a not-so-quiet storyline that could soon get a whole lot louder.
The 49ers are continuing their search for a new special teams coordinator.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, San Francisco has interviewed Denver assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo for the role.
Banjo, 34, is just two years into his coaching career after finishing his time as a player. After playing for head coach Sean Payton with the Saints from 2016-2018, Banjo was hired as after Payton took his job with the Broncos in 2023.
An undrafted free agent, Banjo began his career with the Jaguars before spending 2013-2016 with the Packers. He finished his playing career with the Cardinals from 2019-2022.
The 49ers previously announced they interviewed Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins for the special teams coordinator vacancy.
The club fired Brian Schneider after three seasons earlier this month.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix popped up on the injury report with a back issue in Week 13 before the Broncos played the Browns on Dec. 2. He played all 66 snaps in the 41-32 win and never appeared on the report again with the injury.
It turns out Nix had a transverse process fracture in his back he played through.
“The biggest week was I had a transverse process fracture in my back,’' Nix said Monday, via Mike Klis of 9News. “That week got treatment, made it through that week. Monday Night Football was a stretch where we were all kind of banged up. And I wasn’t going to miss the first Monday night game. I got treatment on it and then we were fortunate to have an off (bye) week the next week and it kind of went away after that.
“That moment was annoying, but we all play with something.”
It was obvious during the Nov. 24 win over the Raiders that Nix was in some pain as he winced after being slammed on his back by Maxx Crosby. Nix, though, played all 68 snaps of that game despite saying Monday the injury happened earlier in the game, with Crosby’s hit exasperating the pain.
Nix played five more regular-season games and the playoff loss to Buffalo after he broke his back. Yet, he finished with 3,775 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes while also rushing for four more touchdowns and catching a touchdown.
“I think that’s the No. 1 quality everybody likes about him is his toughness,’' right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “He’s shown it time-in and time-out. And it’s not just the physical toughness with playing through something like that or whatever he’s going through physically but the mental up-and-down of being a rookie quarterback and being the face of our franchise and all the pressure that comes with that and the way he handled it. Bo’s toughness is why he’s going to be who he’s going to be. It’s been really impressive to watch.”
The Raiders have put in a request to speak with a coordinator from a division rival.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Las Vegas would like to interview Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph for head coach.
Joseph, 52, just wrapped up his second season as Denver’s defensive coordinator under head coach Sean Payton. The Broncos ranked No. 3 in points allowed and No. 7 in yards allowed this season, helping the team make it to the postseason for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2015.
Joseph was previously the Broncos head coach from 2017-2018, with the club going 11-21 in that span. He also spent 2016 as Miami’s defensive coordinator and 2019-2022 as Arizona’s DC.
This is Joseph’s second known interview request, as the Jets also put in one for him.
