The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 26 modern era semifinalists for election to the Class of 2026 on Tuesday.
Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are two of the five players who have reached this point in the process in their first year of eligibility. Quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Frank Gore, and tight end Jason Witten are the other members of the group that played their final game in 2020.
Offensive tackle Lomas Brown, who retired after the 2002 season, and defensive lineman Kevin Williams, whose last season was 2015, are the other first-time semifinalists.
Four players who were among the seven finalists for election last year were automatically moved to the semifinalist stage this year. They are offensive tackle Willie Anderson, wide receiver Torry Holt, linebacker Luke Kuechly, and kicker Adam Vinatieri.
The other 15 semifinalists also return from last year. They are quarterback Eli Manning; running back Fred Taylor; wide receivers Steve Smith, Hines Ward, and Reggie Wayne; offensive linemen Jahri Evans, Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski, and Marshal Yanda; defensive backs Rodney Harrison, Earl Thomas, and Darren Woodson; edge rushers Terrell Suggs and Robert Mathis; and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork.
The Hall of Fame selection committee will pare the group of 25 down to 15 names that will be announced next month. Those 15 players will join three senior candidates, a coaching candidate and a contributor candidate in consideration for election at the selection committee’s meeting next year.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen calls the team’s offensive plays and his work in that area came under scrutiny after the team’s 23-20 overtime loss to the Chiefs.
The Colts had a 20-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but they failed to pick up a first down on any of their final four possessions and that left the door open for a Kansas City comeback win. During his Monday press conference, Steichen was asked several questions about his thought process on those drives.
After a Jonathan Taylor run on the team’s first offensive play of the fourth quarter, Steichen called passes on the next eight plays. Quarterback Daniel Jones completed two of those throws for 12 yards and the Colts only used 3:14 of clock over the course of the possessions. Steichen said the final drive of regulation was one where he could have done a “better job for sure.”
“You always go back and self-evaluate those situations,” Steichen said. “I really thought that last drive in regulation when we went pass, pass, pass, I could have called some runs there. Absolutely could have eaten up some time there, but, you know, in hindsight, it just didn’t work out, and I look at myself first and foremost in those situations to get better for our guys moving forward.”
The Colts took the ball to open overtime and picked up nine yards on their first two plays, but Taylor was dropped for a loss on third down and the Chiefs drove for the game-winning field goal after a punt. It’s the kind of loss that necessitates a close examination of what went wrong, especially since the team’s margin for error is slim with games against the Texans and Jaguars on the docket in the next two weeks.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud’s status hasn’t changed since last week.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters on Monday that Stroud remains in the concussion protocol. Stroud was injured in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Broncos and has missed the last three games.
Davis Mills has started all three of those games for Houston and the Texans have won all three to push themselves back into the playoff picture in the AFC. Ryans said that Stroud will return to the starting lineup if he clears the protocol ahead of the team’s Week 13 game against the Colts.
The next update on Stroud’s progress will come with Wednesday’s practice. That will also be the case for safety Jalen Pitre as he also remains in the concussion protocol to kick off the week.
The Colts had an 11-point lead over the Chiefs heading into the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, but they weren’t able to finish off their ninth win of the regular season.
A Kareem Hunt touchdown run, a two-point conversion and a field goal tied the game and the Chiefs won it on another Harrison Butker kick in overtime. The Colts went three-and-out on each of their final four possessions, which left cornerback Charvarius Ward to say that he feels the Colts are close to being a real contender but are “not there yet” after failing to finish off the Chiefs.
“We gotta learn how to win these type of games,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said, via the team’s website. “The learning curve can’t be long. I feel like we didn’t play up to the standard that we wanted to play at, but credit to them — they’ve been in that type of situation and made the plays that they had to make. . . . They made championship-level plays. And we gotta be better if we’re going to be the type of team we want to be this year.”
The Colts won five blowouts during a 7-1 start to the season, but they’ve lost two of their last three games and their most recent win came in overtime against the Falcons. They remain in first place in the AFC South, but they’re just a game up on the Jaguars and two games up on the Texans with four of their final six games coming against those divisional foes. The other two are against the Seahawks and 49ers, so now would be a good time for the Colts to show that they’ve learned the necessary lessons from Sunday’s loss.
The Chiefs aren’t out of it quite yet.
Down 20-9 late in the third quarter, the Chiefs scored 11 in the fourth period before getting a game-winning 27-yard field goal from Harrison Butker in overtime to beat the Colts 23-20.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes made several key plays late to bring the team back from the brink to win. Down by three late in the fourth quarter, Mahomes connected with Rashee Rice on fourth-and-3 to keep the drive alive with a 19-yard gain. While Kansas City got down to the Indianapolis 2-yard line, the club couldn’t punch it in at the end of regulation, settling for a 25-yard field goal from Butker.
While the Colts took the ball in overtime, Jonathan Taylor was stuffed on third-and-1 for a 2-yard loss, forcing a three-and-out. The Chiefs’ defense forced three-and-outs on each of Indianapolis’ last four possessions starting at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
That gave Kansas City the opportunity to go down the field and win. Mahomes made another outstanding play, hitting a deep shot to Xavier Worthy on third-and-7 for a 31-yard gain, putting the club in Indianapolis territory. Then a 21-yard pass from Mahomes to Rice effectively put things in place for a Chiefs win.
After getting to the 9-yard line, Kansas City didn’t mess with anything else, sending Butker out to end it and cap a 12-play, 81-yard drive.
Rice ended the day with eight catches for 141 yards. He was battling a hamstring issue late in the contest, but was able to get back on the field for the critical 21-yard gain.
Mahomes finished 29-of-46 for 352 yards with an interception — a tipped pass that led to Daniel Jones’ first touchdown to Michael Pittman. Kareem Hunt ended the day with 104 yards on 30 carries with a TD.
On the other side, Taylor was held to just 58 yards on 16 carries with no touchdowns. He had two catches for 8 yards.
Jones was 19-of-31 for 181 yards with two touchdowns.
With the win, the Chiefs gained a key conference victory and ended a two-game losing streak. Though the Chiefs are still on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason picture, the club at 6-5 still has some life. Kansas City will be in Dallas for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Cowboys in Week 13.
At 8-3, the Colts are still in first place in the AFC South. They will host the division-rival Texans in Week 13.
