Sean Payton is the right man to get Russell Wilson's career back on track, according to the quarterback's former coach Pete Carroll.
Carroll and Wilson reached two Super Bowls together with the Seattle Seahawks after the latter was drafted in the third round of the 2012 draft.
Wilson earned Pro Bowl honours nine times with the Seahawks and threw two touchdowns as the team beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
But the relationship between Carroll and Wilson reportedly soured in the later years of their time in Seattle, and the quarterback was traded to the Broncos prior to the 2022 season for a haul of picks.
After signing a bumper $245million contract following the trade, Wilson's first year in Denver was one of the worst of his career, throwing a career-low 16 touchdowns as the team limped to a 5-12 record and finished bottom of the AFC West.
Nathaniel Hackett did not make it through a full first season as head coach, but the Broncos made a trade with the New Orleans Saints to bring the sought-after Payton in to replace him.
Payton won a Super Bowl during a successful spell with New Orleans before stepping away at the end of the 2021 season, and Carroll feels he could be the correct coach to get Wilson back to his best.
"I don't think you can come up with a guy better at coaching quarterbacks than Sean," Carroll told reporters. "He's proven that.
"He's had such tremendous success. He's got a great playcaller mentality to him. They're very fortunate to have him."
Reports last week stated Wilson asked for Carroll and Seattle general manager John Schneider to be fired towards the end of his time with the Seahawks.
"My response to that is a similar response to what it's always been with guys I've coached,'' Carroll said.
"I'm always going to hang with them, I'm never going to leave them and I'm going to be there at the end. All of the good stuff, all of the bad stuff, I'm still going to be there.
"[It] doesn't matter who the guy is. Regardless of what had happened, what has taken place, things that have been said. [If] you hang with them, it all comes back around. I'd like to demonstrate that faith in the relationship and the depth of what we did together, and the growth challenges it brings to us along the way."
NFL: NFL-best Lions beat Packers on field goal as time expires
Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, Jake Bates made a 35-yard field goal as time expired and the Detroit Lions clinched a playoff spot with a 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.
The NFC-best Lions (12-1) broke a franchise record with their 11th straight win - including two over the Packers (9-4) - to stay ahead of Minnesota (10-2) in the highly competitive NFC North.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth down five times, including with 1 yard to go at the Green Bay 21 with 43 seconds left, and his gambles backfired only once.
David Montgomery ran for 7 yards, barely getting a handoff from Goff after the quarterback tripped and was falling toward the turf. That ensured the Lions could try a field goal without giving the Packers the ball back, and Bates hit his third-game winning kick this season.
The Lions' final drive began with Goff’s 19-yard pass to Jameson Williams. He also connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for 16 yards on the decisive possession. Goff finished 32 of 41 for 283 yards, and six Lions players had at least five receptions.
NFL suspends Houston Texans linebacker Al-Shaair three games
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been suspended three games without pay for his latest violations of NFL rules following his illegal hit to the head of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Jon Runyan, the NFL vice president of football operations, issued the suspension on Tuesday, notifying Al-Shaair of the punishment in a letter, noting "repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship."
Al-Shaair is reportedly appealing the suspension.
Al-Shaair's latest offence occurred with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter of Sunday's 23-20 win at Jacksonville, when Lawrence scrambled on a second-and-7 play. Lawrence began to slide, but Al-Shaair delivered a forearm shot to Lawrence's head, which led to a concussion.
"Video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide," Runyan wrote. "You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of your opponent when you had time and space to avoid such contact."
Following the egregious hit, Lawrence's team-mates came to his defence, which escalated into a brawl.
Al-Shaair's actions during the ensuing fight also factored into the suspension.
"After the illegal hit, you proceeded to engage in a brawl, which you escalated when you pulled an opponent down to the ground by his facemask," Runyan wrote. "After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike acts, you removed your helmet and reengaged with your opponent while walking down and across the field, which started another physical confrontation near the end zone."
This is the third time this season Al-Shaair has been punished by the NFL.
Last week, he was flagged and fined for a late hit on Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard, and back in Week 2, he punched Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson during a scuffle that was began after Al-Shaair's hard hit on quarterback Caleb Williams.
"Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL," Runyan wrote. "Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated."
If Al-Shaair's suspension is upheld, he will miss games against the Miami Dolphins (5-7), Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) and Baltimore Ravens (8-5), and won't be eligible to return until the season finale at Tennessee.
At 8-5, the Texans are atop the AFC South, two games ahead of the second-place Indianapolis Colts.
NFL: Broncos stay hot with win over Browns
Ja'Quan McMillian's 44-yard interception return touchdown, the second of two pick-sixes against Jameis Winston, locked up a wild 41-32 victory for the red-hot Denver Broncos over the Cleveland Browns on Monday.
Denver (8-5) was able to earn a third consecutive win despite Winston throwing for a Browns franchise-record 497 yards and four touchdowns and a huge night as well for former Bronco Jerry Jeudy, who racked up 235 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in his first meeting with his ex-team since being traded to Cleveland in the off-season.
Winston also threw three interceptions, however, with two coming back for touchdowns. McMillian's score came with 1:48 remaining and the Browns (3-9) threatening while trailing by just two points, 34-32.
Bo Nix was picked off twice for Denver while completing just 18 of 35 passes for 294 yards, though the rookie did connect with Marvin Mims for a 93-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos a 28-17 lead early in the third quarter.
Cleveland answered with a long touchdown pass of its own a mere 11 seconds later, as Winston hit a wide-open Jeudy in stride on a deep ball for a 70-yard score. The duo then teamed up for a successful 2-point conversion that brought the Browns within 28-25.
After Wil Lutz gave Denver some breathing room with a 36-yard field goal, Winston led the Browns on a nine-play, 72-yard drive culminating with his 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Chubb that put Cleveland up 32-31 with 8:57 left.
The Broncos responded with an 11-play series that Lutz finished with a go-ahead 27-yard field goal with 2:54 remaining. McMillian then sealed the outcome by taking Winston's ill-advised pass the other way on the following possession.
WInston's first interception of the night was returned 71 yards for a touchdown by Nik Bonitto to stake Denver to a 21-10 advantage late in the second quarter. The veteran quarterback quickly rebounded, though, by engineering an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with his 4-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku with 13 seconds left until half-time.
Njoku also had a touchdown catch in the first quarter and finished with nine receptions for 52 yards. Elijah Moore added 111 yards on eight catches for Cleveland.
Mims and Courtland Sutton both eclipsed 100 receiving yards for Denver, with Mims totalling 105 on three catches and Sutton accumulating 102 on six receptions.
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