When Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco caught a short pass and collided with Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland near the sideline, it seemed unremarkable: The officials didn’t flag it and the announcers didn’t comment on it.
But the league’s disciplinary office had a big problem with it.
The NFL has fined Pacheco $46,371, one of the biggest fines of this season, for what it described as “use of the helmet.”
Video of the play shows that Pacheco did lower his helmet before running into Bland, but it wasn’t the kind of hit with the crown of the helmet that is normally seen as the type of play the league cracks down on. The hit happened along the Cowboys’ sideline, and the Cowboys didn’t react as if Pacheco had committed a penalty.
And that points to the disconnect between what the league office views as illegal use of the helmet and what NFL players understand to be illegal use of the helmet. The league thinks Pacheco committed a serious violation of its rules, on a play that the players themselves thought of as ordinary.
Chiefs Clips
Safety Mike Edwards is back on the active roster for Kansas City’s game against the Texans.
The Chiefs announced that they have signed Edwards off of their practice squad on Saturday. Edwards was a starter for the team during the 2023 season and returned as a free agent this spring. He signed to the practice squad in August and made his first appearance of the season against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
Edwards played for the Bills and Buccaneers last season. He had 51 tackles, an interception, two fumble recoveries, and a sack for the Chiefs in the 2023 regular season and then added 12 tackles and an interception en route to a Super Bowl title.
The Chiefs elevated guard C.J. Hanson from the practice squad and placed safety Christian Roland-Wallace on injured reserve. Running back Dameon Pierce was not elevated, so he will not play against his former team on Sunday.
Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. (chest/shoulder) and running back Woody Marks (ankle) do not have an injury designation for Sunday Night Football.
Both will play against the Chiefs after being upgraded to full participation in Friday’s practice.
Marks played 41 of 76 snaps but rushed for 64 yards on 19 carries. Anderson missed one practice last week with his injuries before playing 34 of 54 snaps against the Colts.
Cornerback Kamari Lassiter (foot) is questionable after returning to practice on a limited basis.
The Texans ruled out linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring) and safety Jaylen Reed (forearm).
Already without their starting left tackle, the Chiefs are also now unlikely to have their starting right side of the offensive line when they play the Texans on Sunday.
Kansas City is listing right guard Trey Smith and right tackle Jawaan Taylor as doubtful for Week 14.
Neither Smith (ankle) nor Taylor (triceps/knee) was able to practice this week.
While head coach Andy Reid told reporters at his Friday press conference that the club was waiting to see about Smith and Taylor’s availability, players will rarely suit up once they’ve been listed as doubtful.
Left tackle Josh Simmons went on injured reserve earlier this week after undergoing surgery to repair his dislocated wrist.
Reid said earlier this week that Wanya Morris would take over at left tackle and Jaylon Moore would play right tackle in the event Taylor was out. Mike Caliendo started at right guard in place of Smith last week.
Additionally, cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace (back) has been ruled out after he did not practice all week. Nikko Remigio (shoulder) was limited on Friday after being full for Wednesday and Thursday, and has also been ruled out.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee), safety Bryan Cook (ankle), tight end Noah Gray (concussion/shoulder), safety Jaden Hicks (shoulder) defensive end George Karlaftis (thumb), running back Isiah Pacheco (knee), and receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring) are all off the injury report and set to play.
Rookie running back Woody Marks (ankle) and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (chest/shoulder) returned to Texans’ practice as limited participants.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said earlier this week that he expects Marks, Anders and cornerback Kamari Lassiter (foot) to play this week. But Lassiter remained a non-participant on Thursday.
Marks played 41 of 76 snaps but rushed for 64 yards on 19 carries. Anderson missed one practice last week with his injuries before playing 34 of 54 snaps against the Colts.
Linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring) and safety Jaylen Reed (forearm) again were out of practice.
Right tackle Trent Brown (hand) and defensive end Denico Autry (knee) were upgraded to limited participation.
Middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) had a full practice after limited participation on Wednesday.
The NFL has announced the 32 players who have been selected as their teams’ choices for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which recognizes players both for their accomplishments on the field and for their work in their communities.
One of those 32 players will be announced as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Thursday, February 5, three days before Super Bowl LX.
Among the most recognizable names are Ravens running back Derrick Henry, Packers quarterback Jordan Love, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.
The full list of 32 honorees is below.
Arizona Cardinals Kelvin Beachum
Atlanta Falcons A.J. Terrell Jr.
Baltimore Ravens Derrick Henry
Buffalo Bills Dion Dawkins
Carolina Panthers Austin Corbett
Chicago Bears DJ Moore
Cincinnati Bengals Ted Karras
Cleveland Browns Grant Delpit
Dallas Cowboys Solomon Thomas
Denver Broncos Garett Bolles
Detroit Lions DJ Reader
Green Bay Packers Jordan Love
Houston Texans Azeez Al-Shaair
Indianapolis Colts Kenny Moore II
Jacksonville Jaguars Logan Cooke
Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce
Las Vegas Raiders Maxx Crosby
Los Angeles Chargers Cameron Dicker
Los Angeles Rams Kyren Williams
Miami Dolphins Bradley Chubb
Minnesota Vikings C.J. Ham
New England Patriots Hunter Henry
New Orleans Saints Demario Davis
New York Giants Bobby Okereke
New York Jets Quincy Williams
Philadelphia Eagles Jordan Mailata
Pittsburgh Steelers Alex Highsmith
San Francisco 49ers Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks Julian Love
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Baker Mayfield
Tennessee Titans Jeffery Simmons
Washington Commanders Bobby Wagner
With their season on the brink at 6-6, the Chiefs will face the surging Texans on Sunday night.
Houston’s defense has been excellent in the club’s last two games, holding Buffalo to just 19 points in Week 12 and Indianapolis to 16 points in Week 13. The Texans enter Week 14 No. 1 in points allowed and yards allowed, also having sacked Buffalo’s Josh Allen eight times in the Thursday night victory.
Houston’s vaunted pass rush could be a significant issue for Kansas City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as the Chiefs could be without their two starting tackles plus a starting guard. Left tackle Josh Simmons was placed on IR after undergoing surgery to repair his dislocated wrist, right tackle Jawaan Taylor is dealing with triceps and knee issues, and right guard Trey Smith has an ankle injury.
Head coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that if Taylor cannot play, Jaylon Moore would slot in at right tackle, while Wanya Morris would play on the left.
How much confidence does Mahomes have in the backup linemen?
“The guys have played,” Mahomes said in his Wednesday press conference, via transcript from the team. “Obviously, we’ll go through the week and see where we’re at the with guys that are a little banged up, but you have got to give respect to where it’s deserved, and those guys have a great defensive line.
“We’ll try to do the best we can, as getting the ball out of my hand, running the football, and then whenever there’s shots down the field, you have to be able to hit them. Standing in the pocket and making those throws against a really good defense.”
Mahomes added that Kansas City’s offense has to match Houston’s defensive intensity.
“I think that’s the biggest thing,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, D-line’s good, linebackers [are] good, and the DBs [are] good. I think what makes them who they are is how hard they play. Every single snap, they’re flying around. They’re trying to make plays happen, they’re trying to intercept the football, or trying to knock the football out, they’re trying to make big hits.
“We got to match that intensity as an offense, as a team in order to go out there and get a win.”
With 348 rushing yards in 12 games, Mahomes is trending toward setting a new career-high in the category. He’s expecting to use his legs and everything else available to him to try and get Kansas City’s seventh win of the season.
“This is a really good football team that’s playing really good football right now and has a really good defense,” Mahomes said. “We’re going to have to throw it all out there and find a way to win. This will be a big game for us to showcase who we are and who we think we can be moving on the rest of the season.”
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, I managed to pass enough classes to secure a couple of undergraduate degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. (From time to time, I wonder whether it was a clerical error.) And so it was with a significant degree of delight that I received an email on Wednesday from CMU that wasn’t asking for, you know, money.
We receive many pitches regarding different studies and trends and other things that ultimately don’t come close to meeting the threshold for sharing here. This one caught my eye, mainly because it confirms one of the things I’ve said consistently about the key to being successful in football.
Unpredictability. In all things. (Most recently, we focused on the importance of unpredictability as to whether a team will, or won’t, go for it on fourth down.)
The folks at Carnegie Mellon have engaged in a study that focuses on the unpredictability of the timing before the snap, specifically as it relates to pre-snap motion.
Ron Yurko, an assistant professor of statistics and data science, used advanced statistical modeling with more than two thousand NFL plays and player-tracking data. The study, performed with Ph.D. student Quang Nguyen and recently published in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A, found that quarterbacks who vary the timing between pre-snap motion and the snap face have greater overall success.
“Quarterbacks who vary the time between a receiver’s pre-snap motion and the ball snap face less defensive pressure or ‘havoc,’ like sacks or interceptions,” Yurko said. “This is because predictability allows defenses to anticipate the snap and disrupt the play.”
The study found that Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady are the best at engineering this extra layer of unpredictability.
It’s a subtle yet important wrinkle in the operation of an offense. Most develop a rhythm that makes it easier to instinctively anticipate the timing of the snap. When watching a game, that pattern often emerges. And if it can be senses on the screen, it can be sensed on the field. And if the defense trusts that the snap is coming, it erases the inherent edge the offense enjoys from knowing when the play will start.
Perhaps teams have been studying this factor privately. This is the first effort to publicly quantify the trait and to characterize it as a skill.
It definitely is a skill. It keeps defenses on their heels. It keeps them guessing. It prevents them from developing a sense as to when it’s time to go.
Unpredictability. The more a defense knows what’s coming and when it’s coming, the easier it is to stop the offense. The less the defense knows, the more that guesswork is required.
One bad guess can blow a play open. Which can blow a game open. Which can be the difference between making it to the playoffs, or advancing deep into the postseason.
Much about the operation of an NFL offense is complicated. This is simple. Within the storm of everything a quarterback processes before a play starts, varying the timing of the snap in relation to the pre-snap movement of players can add to the overall success of everything that happens once the quarterback has the ball in his hands.
Sometimes, the schedule set in May results in a late-season clunker or two. Sometimes, the NFL nails it.
For Week 14, the schedule couldn’t get much better.
Here’s the key. Each of the five windows for the weekend has a game with very high stakes.
It begins tonight, with the surprisingly surging 6-5-1 Cowboys facing the suddenly slumping 7-5 Lions. Both desperately need a win to remain viable in the chase for their respective division titles, or for one of the three NFC wild-cards. The loser won’t be eliminated, but it will get dicey. For the Lions, 11-6 should be good enough. For the Cowboys, however, a loss would make their best possible record 10-6-1. Anyone with an 11-6 record (obviously) would jump them, without the application of a single tiebreaker.
On Sunday, the 1:00 p.m. ET window has three must-watch games. The 6-6 Steelers visit the 6-6 Ravens for first place in the AFC North. (They play again in Week 18.) The 8-4 Colts, who haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2014, play the 8-4 Jaguars for first place in the AFC South. (The rematch happens in Week 17.) And the 4-8 Bengals, whose slim chances of jumping the Steelers and Ravens are hanging by a thread, visit 8-4 Buffalo, which could still jump for the playoff table — and miss.
At 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, the 9-3 Bears and the 8-3-1 Packers renew the NFL’s oldest rivalry at Lambeau Field, with round two set for a Saturday night only 13 days later. It’s the most significant home-and-home for Chicago and Green Bay since the merger, and the biggest game between them since the 2010 NFC Championship.
Rarely are both teams good this late in the season. From the early 1970s through 1988, the Packers were more often than not non-contenders. From 1990 on, the Bears only had sporadic high-level seasons. This year, the black-and-blue planets have aligned perfectly.
On Sunday night, the Texans return to Arrowhead Stadium, where they lost twice in less than a month last season. On a Saturday night in December, Houston kept it within one score, 27-19. In the divisional round of the playoffs, the 23-14 outcome was uncomfortably close for the three-time AFC Champions.
Now, the Texans have won four in a row to get to 7-5. And the Chiefs, at 6-6, have slipped into “run the table” mode. With the first game coming against arguably the best defense in the league.
It all ends on Monday night, when the 8-4 Eagles visit the 8-4 Chargers. Philly has sputtered for weeks on offense, and the Chargers have shown a propensity to step into a periodic pothole. If the Cowboys start Week 14 with a win, the Eagles will be at risk of seeing their lead in the NFC East slip to a half game, 8-5 vs. 7-5-1.
So, yes, December is coming in like a lion. Hopefully, it will go out like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with four weekends of NFL action setting the stage for one of the craziest final weekends of the regular season we’ve ever seen to start 2026.
Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr., rookie running back Woody Marks and cornerback Kamari Lassiter did not practice on Wednesday.
Coach DeMeco Ryans indicated that all three will play in Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
“They’ll all be fine. We’ll see how the week goes,” Ryans said, via a transcript from the team.
Marks injured his foot in Sunday’s win over the Colts. He played 41 of 76 snaps but rushed for 64 yards on 19 carries.
Nick Chubb is the backup to Marks.
Anderson (chest/shoulder) missed one practice last week before playing 34 of 54 snaps against the Colts.
Lassiter played the entire game against the Colts despite his foot injury, and he totaled three tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
Right tackle Trent Brown (hand), defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. (foot), defensive end Denico Autry (knee) and linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring) also didn’t practice on Wednesday.
Middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) was limited.
