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If there is such a thing, it's a good problem to have for the Buffalo Bills.
The pressure of Super Bowl expectations is certainly more attractive than leading the race for the first pick in next year's NFL Draft.
“You can look at it one of two ways. Are you trying to walk through the door of getting closer and closer to success? Or are you trying to walk through the door every morning of fear of failure?" said head coach Sean McDermott prior to OTAs practice. "We choose to walk through the door of, hey, we try and move ourselves closer and closer every day to being successful as an individual, team and organization. So, that's the approach that we take.”
As reigning five-time AFC East champions led by NFL MVP Josh Allen at quarterback, the Bills are naturally facing great expectations in 2025. It's all about finally getting over the hump and into the Super Bowl for the first time in 32 years.
As such, the 29-year-old Allen has a lot on his shoulders and his performance under fire will go a long way in determining the Bills' fate.
Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon explored "the key obstacle each current starting NFL quarterback faces entering 2025," and paired Allen with "expectations."
"Allen is an MVP now, and his Bills are favored to win every game. If he can't finally get to a Super Bowl in 2025, he will begin to take heat," said Gagnon.
Will it be Allen who truly deserves the heat should the Bills falter? He has been fabulous in the last couple of playoff losses, but Buffalo has come up short in some other area.
Afterall, the MVP award is most likely a result of the quarterback noticeably elevating his supporting cast.
"He is as confident and as calm, cool, and collected as he always is," said McDermott.
It sure sounds like the MVP is ready for the challenge.
More must-reads:
- Andy Reid’s main flaw will cost Chiefs a trip to the playoffs
- Frank Ragnow update fits troubling 2025 Lions pattern
- The 'Five game-winning-drives in a season' quiz
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Packers announce head-turning roster move one day after 2025 Lions sweep
Fresh off a Thanksgiving win on Thursday against the Detroit Lions on the road at Ford Field in Detroit, the Green Bay Packers made a notable move to reunite with kicker Lucas Havrisik. Green Bay parted ways with Havrisik just before the Lions game, but on Friday, the team announced that he’s back in the fold after getting signed to the practice squad roster. Via Green Bay’s official website: “The Green Bay Packers signed K Lucas Havrisik (HAVE-ruh-sick) to the practice squad. General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced the transaction Friday.” Lucas Havrisik insurance for now for the Packers It can be recalled that Havrisik saw action in three games in the 2025 NFL season for Green Bay in place of the then-injured Brandon McManus. In those games, the former Arizona Wildcats kicker went 4-for-4 on his field goals, including a franchise record-setting 61-yard make in Week 7’s 27-23 win in Glendale over the Arizona Cardinals. He was also 7-for-9 on extra-point attempts, with both misses happening in Week 11’s 27-20 victory against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. McManus is healthy and perfect in the two games since he returned to action, so there is no reason for the Packers to give his spot to someone else so Havrisik will just be insurance for now for Green Bay, which has a Week 14 date with the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.
After missing out on Lane Kiffin, Florida has new top target in coaching search
The Florida Gators won't be hiring Lane Kiffin as their next head coach, but there's a new top candidate in Gainesville. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is now the leading candidate for the head coaching position. Sumrall has also reportedly withdrawn his name from consideration for the HC role at Auburn, leaving his options open between remaining at Tulane and moving to Florida. The Gators stand at 3-8 before Saturday's rivalry game against Florida State and have fired former head coach Billy Napier after a 3-4 start to his fourth season in the Swamp. Thamel reported on Friday that Florida had stopped considering Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as a candidate, amid Kiffin's upcoming decision to either stay at Ole Miss or accept the head coaching job at LSU. Why Florida would be interested in Jon Sumrall According to Thamel, Sumrall is expected to decide by Sunday whether he will stay in New Orleans or move southeast to Gainesville. Sumrall, 43, is in his second year at Tulane, having taken over after Willie Fritz was named head coach at the University of Houston. Sumrall maintained the momentum of Tulane's football program established by Fritz, leading the Green Wave to the American Athletic Conference championship game a year ago. This season, No. 24 Tulane is 9-2 heading into Saturday's regular season finale against Charlotte. A win on Saturday night would secure a home game for the Green Wave in the AAC championship against North Texas. If Sumrall and Tulane win the AAC title, a College Football Playoff spot could be possible. With Sumrall's impressive record as a head coach — 41-11 between his tenures at Troy and Tulane — it's easy to see why the powers that be in Gainesville have identified him as the top target in Florida's coaching search now that Kiffin is out of the running.
Blue Jays: To extend or not to extend Shane Bieber
Early in the off-season, Shane Bieber shocked the baseball world when he opted into his player option for the 2026 season. This year, he’ll earn $16 million before entering free agency after the season ends. Bieber opting in made the Toronto Blue Jays’ off-season slightly easier, because instead of needing two starters, they only needed one. Wednesday’s signing of Dylan Cease solidified their rotation, at least for now. By signing Cease, the Blue Jays have at least two starters locked in for their 2027 rotation. Cease signed a seven-year deal, and Trey Yesavage will have five additional seasons of team control. José Berríos could opt out of his contract, but that doesn’t seem likely. Bieber and Kevin Gausman, who the Blue Jays should also consider extending, are two starters who’ll hit the market barring any re-signings. There’s a strong case to extend Bieber, especially if the Blue Jays believe he can get back to his pre-injury form. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bieber had a 1.63 ERA and 2.07 FIP in 77.1 innings pitched, winning the American League Cy Young. The following two seasons, Bieber produced a 2.97 ERA and 2.92 FIP in 296.2 innings pitched, with a 27.8 K% and 5.8 BB%. Unfortunately, he pitched just 128 innings in 2023 with less-than-ideal results, and then required Tommy John surgery after just two starts in 2024. Those starts were his last with the Cleveland Guardians, as they traded the starter to the Blue Jays before the 2025 trade deadline for pitching prospect Khal Stephen. Upon returning from Tommy John surgery, Bieber authored a 3.57 ERA and 4.47 FIP in 40.1 innings pitched, with a 23.3 K% and 4.4 BB% in 40.1 innings pitched. The 30-year-old’s postseason was a mixed bag, producing several strong starts but getting roughed around in a few and giving up the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the World Series. As a whole, Bieber finished the playoffs with a 3.86 ERA and 4.26 FIP in 18.2 innings pitched, with a 21.7 K% and 7.2 BB%. There’s risk involved for both parties when it comes to extensions. Bieber has missed significant time in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025 due to injuries. There’s no telling how much time he’ll miss if the Jays extend him, but it’s not a good sign. Moreover, who knows if Bieber will return to the form he showed before the 2023 season? On Bieber’s end, if he has a good 2026 season, he stands to lose money if he signs an extension early. Granted, that goes both ways because he stands to lose money if he has a rough season, if he doesn’t sign an extension. All that being said, the Jays and Bieber will probably let the 2026 season play out and go from there. It’ll be a big season in determining if Bieber returns to the front-end-of-the-rotation starter he was in the past, or a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Surely, they’ll have interest in reuniting with him at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
Nick Sirianni sends message after Eagles fans called for Kevin Patullo's firing
Nick Sirianni is standing by his coaching staff amid calls for the Philadelphia Eagles to make a serious change to their offense. Eagles fans were unhappy with the team’s offensive play-calling during their 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears. Philadelphia made several questionable calls throughout the contest, including a decision to let the clock run down to the two-minute warning in the first half, which drew loud boos inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. With the Eagles putting up just nine points midway through the fourth quarter, fans started chanting for offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo to be fired. “Fire Kevin! Fire Kevin!” fans were heard chanting. Fans did not get their wish, at least for the time being. When asked about a potential change at play-caller, the Eagles head coach backed Patullo. “This is the greatest team sport there is, and it is never about one person,” Sirianni said during his postgame news conference. “I have confidence in the entire group. I know it will keep coming back to Kevin. If I thought it was one thing, then you make those changes. Obviously, it’s a lot of different things. I don’t think it is Kevin.” The Eagles offense has looked anemic through 12 games this season, which is in stark contrast to last season’s Super-Bowl-winning offense. The offense has looked even worse over the past four weeks, with the team putting up just 15.5 points per contest during that span. The most glaring regression has been the play of Saquon Barkley, who has gone from MVP finalist to middle-of-the-pack running back in the span of a few months. With Patullo taking the offensive reins from previous OC Kellen Moore, who became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, it’s not hard to see why fans are pinning the blame on him. Despite the Eagles’ offensive struggles, the team still sits at a solid 8-4 through Week 13. Philly’s elite defense may be masking the team’s offensive inefficiencies thus far. If the Eagles drop a few more games, Sirianni may have a harder time staying loyal to Patullo.
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