Ben SolakNov 18, 2025, 06:45 AM ETCloseBen Solak joined ESPN in 2024 as a national NFL analyst. He previously covered the NFL at The Ringer, Bleeding Green Nation and The Draft Network.
play2:17Cam Newton: The Pats have ‘fool’s gold’ written all over themCam Newton questions how the Patriots will perform against playoff teams after an easy regular-season schedule.
play1:13Spears: Playing both sides of the ball may not be feasible for Travis HunterMarcus Spears voices his concern for Travis Hunter after it was announced he is having season-ending knee surgery.
play2:02Damien Woody: Teams aren’t scared of the Chiefs anymoreDamien Woody, Adam Schefter and Rex Ryan discuss the Broncos’ big win over the Chiefs.
play0:57Rex Ryan praises Broncos’ defense in win vs. ChiefsRex Ryan joins “Get Up” and evaluates the Broncos’ defense after their win over the Chiefs.
play1:42Rex Ryan questions the Browns’ disconnect with Shedeur SandersRex Ryan questions why Shedeur Sanders looked so out of place playing in his NFL debut for the Browns.
Dan Orlovsky: Caleb Williams is evolving into a problem solver (1:08)Dan Orlovsky and Rex Ryan break down Caleb Williams’ improvement in his second season with the Bears. (1:08)
Cam Newton: The Pats have ‘fool’s gold’ written all over themCam Newton questions how the Patriots will perform against playoff teams after an easy regular-season schedule.
Cam Newton questions how the Patriots will perform against playoff teams after an easy regular-season schedule.
Spears: Playing both sides of the ball may not be feasible for Travis HunterMarcus Spears voices his concern for Travis Hunter after it was announced he is having season-ending knee surgery.
Marcus Spears voices his concern for Travis Hunter after it was announced he is having season-ending knee surgery.
Damien Woody: Teams aren’t scared of the Chiefs anymoreDamien Woody, Adam Schefter and Rex Ryan discuss the Broncos’ big win over the Chiefs.
Rex Ryan praises Broncos’ defense in win vs. ChiefsRex Ryan joins “Get Up” and evaluates the Broncos’ defense after their win over the Chiefs.
Rex Ryan questions the Browns’ disconnect with Shedeur SandersRex Ryan questions why Shedeur Sanders looked so out of place playing in his NFL debut for the Browns.
Rex Ryan questions why Shedeur Sanders looked so out of place playing in his NFL debut for the Browns.
The Big Thing: Stacking new head coaches and how they’re winning
Second Take: The Seahawks are still a top-tier NFC contender
It was a marquee week for benchings. Bills receiver Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch for his tardiness to meetings, Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter sat for a drive after missing a walkthrough, and Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens sat out the first series Monday after “missing some things,” according to the team. It was also a marquee week for last-second, winning plays, if you’re into that. I prefer performative benchings.
Every Tuesday, I’ll spin the previous week of NFL action forward, looking at what the biggest storylines mean and what comes next. We’ll seek measured reactions to everyone’s overreactions, celebrate the exciting stuff that nobody is appreciating and highlight what you might have missed Sunday and Monday. There will be film. There will be stats (a whole section of them). And there will be fun.
Jump to a section: Big Thing: Ranking top coaching hires Second Take: The Seahawks are still legit Mailbag: Answering questions from … you Next Ben Stats: Wild Week 11 stats
Every week, this column will kick off with one wide look at a key game, player or trend from the previous slate of NFL action. What does it mean for the rest of the season? This week, we’re looking at how some of the NFL’s new coaches are faring after 11 weeks.
In January and February, every new head coach preaches patience while his fan base dreams of Year 1 ascension. The wheat and the chaff have separated in the 2025 class, as Vrabel, Johnson and Liam Coen have brought their respective programs to winning records. Each had a big win in Week 11, too: the Patriots in an intradivisional Thursday night game, the Bears on the road with a key kick return late and the Jaguars in resounding fashion against a solid Chargers team.
So what’s working for the new headmen? I looked back at the tagline of each hire — the expectation of how they’d bring success to their new franchises — and compared it to the reality of their seasons thus far. One team is ahead of schedule, one team got the ideal outcome of their gamble, and one team is … difficult to understand.
The promise: An elite offensive scheme and playcalling prowess that unlocks the best of Caleb Williams
But the Bears also have a negative point differential. They have played one team that currently has a winning record (Lions) and lost that game 52-21. They’ve played one other game against a team with a power rating above league average (Ravens) and lost 30-16. ESPN’s Football Power Index currently ranks the Bears 19th; DVOA has them 25th.
But because of their standing atop the NFC North, this season’s focus has suddenly shifted from developing a foundation to competing in the NFC playoffs. Let’s recall the expectation that Johnson’s complex, motion-heavy, timing-based offense would take time to install. That Williams would need to grow into the system and Johnson would have to bend his approach to accommodate a stylistically different passer than Jared Goff. That the entire offensive line and running game required reimagining.
On these benchmarks alone, Johnson has been a smashing success. Chicago could be 2-8 right now, had all those winning drives not gone its way, and I’d still be saying it. Johnson’s status as a top-five playcaller in the league has been clearly cemented in his first season outside Detroit. The Bears’ offense works. And it is significantly ahead of schedule.
One-year offensive line makeovers are typically the stuff of myths, but Chicago’s four new starters along the line have come together swimmingly. Right guard Jonah Jackson has returned to his pre-injury form and works with franchise right tackle Darnell Wright as a dominant run-blocking force. Since Week 6, when the Bears returned from their bye, 64% of their runs have gone to the right; before the bye, it was 49%.
On the left side, guard Joe Thuney has been a steady positive presence. Center Drew Dalman, who was rocky to start the season, has blossomed as Johnson adjusted his protections and run-blocking approach to maximize the undersized yet athletic center.
Chicago has the toughest remaining schedule in the league (though a Mason Rudolph-led Steelers team on Sunday would soften that some). I’m not sure how the Bears’ season will turn out and what they can do in the postseason with a thin defense and a green offense. But independent of the results, the process in Chicago is excellent. Johnson is everything that was promised, and in short time, Williams will be, too.
Vrabel’s hiring of Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator was a strong one, but the defense has taken the bigger leap. The entire unit has been reimagined under Vrabel, who brought in DT Milton Williams, DT Khyiris Tonga, edge rusher Harold Landry III, DT Cory Durden, edge K’Lavon Chaisson, LB Robert Spillane, LB Jack Gibbens, CB Carlton Davis III and safety Craig Woodson. That’s 3,909 defensive snaps from acquisitions made this offseason, and each player has met or exceeded expectations.
Anecdotally, the Patriots look like a veteran team. They’ve risen to the occasion in big moments — road wins in Buffalo and Tampa Bay — and sidestepped letdown spots that typically entrap young squads. They handled the Jets, Titans, Saints, Browns and Panthers — struggling teams that often get the drop on suddenly winning squads such as New England.
Cam Newton: The Pats have ‘fool’s gold’ written all over them
The Jaguars are one of the most confounding teams of the 2025 season. At 6-4, they’re in the thick of the AFC playoff picture. DVOA has them as a totally average team (15th), as does success rate (15th on offense, 24th on defense) and EPA (20th on offense, 13th on defense). The FPI has them as the 17th-best team. Point margin has them 12th.
Only they’re not average; they’re volatile. Of the 328 NFL games played so far this season, the Jaguars’ defense has three of the 50 best by success rate, and three of the 75 worst. By offensive success rate, they just had the 18th-best game in the league this season in their 35-6 win over the Chargers — and the third-best of Lawrence’s career — one week after having the 241st.
The running game is where Coen’s creativity and coaching acumen shines. This was even true in Tampa Bay. Though it wasn’t the feature of that offense, the Bucs ran a deep variety of concepts and regularly tailored their rushing approach to that week’s opponent; Jacksonville has done the same, albeit with more of a league-average offensive line.
Spears: Playing both sides of the ball may not be feasible for Travis Hunter
There’s justification for the early-season difficulty of the passing game, and perhaps this most recent performance indicates the corner is being turned. But as it stands, Lawrence remains locked.
The good news — and surprising win! — is that it looks like Coen nailed his defensive coordinator hire. First-year DC Anthony Campanile, who came from Green Bay’s system under Jeff Hafley, is running the cutting-edge schemes the defensive nerds love. According to Next Gen Stats, the Jaguars are seventh in sim pressure rate, dropping a defender off the line of scrimmage on 36.4% of their snaps. Linebacker Devin Lloyd and nickel corner Jourdan Lewis have made huge strides in this system.
This is a bend-but-don’t-break defensive philosophy, so the numbers aren’t pretty on a down-to-down basis. Jacksonville is 24th in defensive success rate but 13th in expected points. Much like the Packers’ defense last season, the Jaguars win by limiting explosive plays — 9.8% of opposing snaps, seventh in the league — and creating timely takeaways. Only the Rams and Bears are generating more turnovers per drive than the Jaguars.
