Sports
Mahomes takes blame as division title hopes fade
DENVER — After congratulating quarterback Bo Nix near midfield following the Broncos‘ last-second victory Sunday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes walked off alone and didn’t say anything before entering the visitors locker room inside Empower Field.
Once there, Mahomes remained silent.
When he reached the podium for his news conference, he used his voice to take much of the blame for the Chiefs’ 22-19 loss, an outcome that leveled the team’s record at 5-5.
“I think we’re really talented and we’ve got a lot of great players, but it’s about being more consistent. I think it starts with me,” Mahomes said. “There’s times where I’m firing and we’re moving the ball down the field at ease. But there’s times where we go in spurts where I miss a throw or a [pass] protection call.
“We haven’t been consistent enough to win games. It starts with me.”
Throughout Sunday’s game, Mahomes never was able to get in rhythm against the Broncos’ defense.
One of the biggest examples happened on the Chiefs’ opening drive. Mahomes missed two deep shots for which speedy receivers Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton were each open downfield. The pass to Worthy was overthrown by 3 yards. Had they connected, Worthy could have scored on a 61-yard reception.
“I’ve just got to make the throw,” Mahomes said. “There’s no other way around it. The play was designed for [tight end] Travis [Kelce] — and I think Travis is wide open — but you have these alerts in your plays and how [safety Brandon Jones] was sitting with Xavier’s speed, I knew he was going to have a chance down the field. I’ve just got to give him a chance. I miss that one.”
Entering the game, the Chiefs were hoping a victory following their bye week would help them chase down the Broncos (9-2) and keep their hopes of a 10th consecutive AFC West title alive. But they now have just a 10% chance of winning the division, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, whose playoff probability model simulated the remainder of the season 10,000 times.
The Chiefs are also no longer favored to win the AFC West, according to ESPN BET. Their +500 odds are their longest to win the division since 2015, two years before Mahomes joined the team.
“It’s going to be tough to get back in the division race,” Mahomes said. “The goal is to get into the playoffs and try to make a run at it. We’ve got to learn from this one as much as possible, knowing we’re going to get a great opponent [in the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts] coming into Arrowhead [Stadium] next week.
“We’re kind of at that point where we’ve got to find a way to win games.”
Entering this season, 989 teams in the Super Bowl era had started 5-5 or worse through 10 games. Just 89 of those teams (9%) went on to make the postseason, and only two made the Super Bowl. The lone team to win the Super Bowl was the 2001 New England Patriots, who were led by first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady.
“It’s just a one-week mindset,” linebacker Nick Bolton said. “I mean, every week is kind of getting to the point where it’s like a playoff week. We’ve got to find a way to one game at a time.”
One poor decision from Mahomes in the third quarter made the Chiefs’ chances of beating the Broncos more difficult. With the Chiefs in the red zone, instead of throwing the ball out of bounds after scrambling — which would’ve set up a short field goal for kicker Harrison Butker — Mahomes tried to make an intermediate pass to running back Elijah Mitchell, only for Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian to intercept it.
On their ensuing possession, the Broncos capitalized by scoring their lone touchdown.
“You can’t do it,” Mahomes said of his decision. “I just didn’t throw it high enough. [McMillian] jumped up and made a good play. I’ve made that throw before, but with the type of game we’re in, don’t put the ball in harm’s way. Take the three points and move on to the next possession.”
All five of the Chiefs’ losses this season have occurred in one-score games (decided by eight points or fewer). Entering this season, the Chiefs had won 17 consecutive one-score games, including playoffs, which was the longest streak in NFL history.
The Chiefs understand that they, at some point, might have to win a close game — or two or three — for them to clinch a playoff spot.
“When you’re playing good teams, whether it’s myself making a [play] call or the players playing, you’ve got to do the right things,” coach Andy Reid said. “You put the guys in the right position, and then guys have got to make plays when given an opportunity. That’s both sides of the ball.”
The one difference Sunday from the Chiefs’ previous four losses was that Mahomes was given the ball with four minutes left and the chance to lead a winning drive. But they never gained a first down or a yard. Mahomes’ final dropback, on third-and-10, ended with him being sacked by McMillian.
“That’s what you want, you want that opportunity at the end of the game,” Mahomes said. “I didn’t come through. I’ve been in that situation before. You get that first first down, it puts us in the driver’s seat. I didn’t find it there, and they came up with a good blitz on that third down. I didn’t give myself much of a chance.”
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn has benched starting quarterback Justin Fields in favor of longtime backup Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor, 36, will start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, the team that drafted him in 2011.
Glenn informed the team of the quarterback change in their Monday meeting, when they reconvened after their mini bye.
“It stinks to be a part of the [demotion],” said tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who played with Fields at Ohio State. “I take it personal, all the hate, all the talking that goes towards him. I take it personal. I’m one of the guys that takes the field with him, and I wish we could’ve done a better job to help him out, but he’s just a true professional.”
The move comes as no surprise, as Glenn indicated last Friday that he was “evaluating everything” — his first acknowledgement of a possible change.
Fields passed for only 116 yards in the Jets’ 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots last Thursday, continuing a season of profound struggles. The Jets’ passing attack is ranked 32nd in yards per game (139.9), with Fields having produced only 505 yards in his past five starts.
Fields is under contract through 2026 after signing a two-year, $40 million contract in March, but his future with the Jets is up in the air. They almost certainly will have a new starter in 2026, either a veteran or a rookie.
Fields is due to make $20 million in 2026, including $10 million guaranteed. His cap charge is $23 million.
With a 2-8 record, the Jets currently hold the fifth position in the 2026 draft. They own two first-round picks in 2026, plus another three in 2027, thanks to the recent Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades. In theory, it should be enough draft capital to trade up for a quarterback.
The Jets signed Fields, giving him a $30 million guarantee, because they felt he had untapped potential, and that he could potentially develop into a solid starter despite his spotty track record with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers.
It hasn’t happened.
Fields ranks 30th out of 33 qualified passers in Total QBR (37.7), with only seven touchdown passes, 1,259 passing yards and one interception. He’s the second-leading rusher on the Jets, with 383 yards and a team-high four rushing touchdowns.
The benching almost happened a few weeks ago.
Fields was replaced at halftime in a Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and Glenn was leaning toward Taylor as his new starter, sources said. But Taylor was scratched on the eve of the Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a lingering knee injury, leaving Glenn no choice but to stay with Fields.
And Fields played his best game of the season, only a few days after he was publicly criticized by owner Woody Johnson. The team rallied around Fields, and the result was the team’s best offensive performance in years — 502 total yards.
He followed that up with a 51-yard passing performance against the Cleveland Browns, but he got a reprieve because the Jets won. Then came the clunker against the Patriots.
“Obviously, we have to do a better job in the passing game, and that has a lot to do with Justin getting the ball to the right guys,” Glenn said Friday.
So once again, the Jets have a muddled quarterback situation. Aside from last season, when Aaron Rodgers started every game, they have been undermined by quarterback instability. From 2021 to 2023, they started three different quarterbacks in each season, including four in 2023 — the year Rodgers tore an Achilles in Week 1.
Taylor has started one game this season — a Week 3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when Fields was out with a concussion. Taylor threw two touchdowns and an interception in nearly rallying the Jets to a come-from-behind win.
His record as a starter is 28-29-1.
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The New York Jets are reportedly moving on from Justin Fields as their starting quarterback.
The team is set to name Tyrod Taylor the starter for their game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, according to multiple reports. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn opened the door for a change at the position last week, making known he would evaluate all positions.
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New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields walks off the field an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“I’m evaluating everything,” he told reporters, via the team’s website. “I’m evaluating myself, the players, schematics, coaches, I’m evaluating everything. So, I don’t want to just place everything on that, that one situation [quarterback].
“I’m just looking at everything, because as a head coach, that’s my job, to make sure that I put this team in the best position to go win games.”
Fields has struggled throughout his first season with Gang Green and with the playoffs getting more and more out of reach, Glenn has apparently decided to make a change.
Without Garrett Wilson in the team’s 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night, Fields was 15-of-26 with 116 passing yards and a touchdown pass. He was sacked twice.
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Fields has thrown for fewer than 100 yards four times this season. The team is 25th in points scored and 29th in yards gained.
Taylor is a veteran NFL quarterback, who has mostly been relegated to the backup role in his career. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 2011 out of Virginia Tech. He’s played for the Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and the New York Giants before joining the Jets in 2024.
While Taylor has had a bit of bad luck at points of his career, he’s proven to be more than capable of taking the reins as the starter.
New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) throws the ball in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 19, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)
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He’s appeared in three games for New York already this season. He has 379 passing yards, three touchdown passes and three interceptions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar has been released from hospital after being admitted last week following an abnormal cardiac episode.
Oscar, 34, felt unwell and temporarily lost consciousness while using an exercise bicycle as part of a routine pre-season fitness test at Brazilian club São Paulo ‘s training complex on Nov. 11 and The Brazilian player was admitted to the cardiology unit of São Paulo’s Einstein Hospital and underwent extensive tests throughout the week before being discharged on Sunday.
“Extensive investigation carried out at the hospital confirmed that the player presented an episode of vasovagal syncope,” a São Paulo FC statement said.
“Stable and clinically well throughout the hospitalization period, the player will now follow a medical rest program for the next few days.”
Vasovagal syncope causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly, which leads to reduced blood flow to your brain and to a brief loss of consciousness.
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Sources told ESPN that initial tests came back positive and everything suggests Oscar’s heart is “intact”, adding that “of all the bad things that could have happened, this was the least bad”.
Oscar returned to his boyhood club São Paulo in December 2024 after spending eight years playing in China. His contract expires at the end of 2027.
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