Schrager’s Cheat Sheet: Vance Joseph’s resurgence; Jayden-Lamar must-see showdown

National Football League

Updated Oct. 8, 2024 1:48 p.m. ET

Every week, FOX Sports NFL reporter Peter Schrager opens his notebook and opines on three of the biggest storylines around the league.

1. Vance Joseph’s Resurgence

The best story that’s not gotten enough press this year is what the Denver Broncos are doing on defense. And the man at the helm has a story to tell, himself. Vance Joseph, who has now been coaching in the NFL for 20 years, finally got his head coaching opportunity with the Broncos in 2017. But the results were mixed — the Denver fan base never took to him and it all was over in 24 short months. Joseph was out. Fired. He resurfaced as Kliff Kingsbury’s defensive coordinator in Arizona, but when Kliff lost his job, too, an opportunity came in Denver when Sean Payton took the head-coaching gig with the Broncos. Payton met with Rex Ryan and others for the DC position, but Vance Joseph was a name that kept coming up in conversations. But could Joseph go back to the place where he was fired as a head coach and return in an assistant role? It takes someone devoid of ego and someone who just loves the profession to do so. When the job was offered, he accepted the gig. The fan reaction was mixed. And after giving up 70 points to the Dolphins in Week 3 last year, it looked like it was a mistake on all fronts.

But something happened. A few weeks later, they held Patrick Mahomes in check in a rare Broncos win over Kansas City (Mahomes’ first–ever loss to Denver). Over the second half of the 2023 season, Denver’s D showed great improvement.

And this year, Denver ranks both third in the NFL in total defense (256.5 yards/game) and scoring defense (13.8 PPG). As rookie quarterback Bo Nix gets acclimated and comfortable, Joseph’s defense is leading the way. Payton’s got his hands full with the young offense, and Joseph’s unit is the fuel behind the team’s three-game win streak.

What a cool story in Denver this year. And while Nix and Payton dominate the headlines, there’s a lot to be said for the story getting less press: the Vance Joseph redemption story. And just watch — if things keep going this way, you better believe the man who waited his whole career for a shot at a head coaching gig is going to be considered for another one.

Vance Joseph has the Broncos’ defense performing as a top-3 unit in the NFL. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

2. Buffalo’s Big Gamble

Monday’s Bills–Jets matchup has tension and real stakes. First place in the division could hang in the balance, but also mass hysteria with a loss. The Jets, well, that’s normal fare. The Bills? Their last two losses have raised eyebrows around the league. The blowout against the Ravens was a harsh wake-up call and Sunday’s loss in Houston was potentially worse, given the squandered lead and head–scratching play-calling.

Watching from SoFi Stadium before the Packers-Rams game on Sunday, I was confused and assumed there was something going on in a game that I wasn’t tracking closely enough. But, no. The Bills’ throwing the ball three times while tied and back up in their end zone late in the fourth quarter was nothing more than what we all saw on our tablets, phones and NFL RedZone. Buffalo became the only team in the last 45 years to be tied or leading in the final minute of a game while inside their own 5-yard line, to throw three straight passes.

My concern? It’s whether they have the playmakers. Buffalo led the league in scoring through three weeks. That story is done. And as Stefon Diggs brushes by Josh Allen in the postgame, mid-field scrum, you can’t help but wonder if the lack of a Diggs or even a Gabe Davis, on this roster will come to haunt Buffalo this season. The trade deadline is rapidly approaching. With Khalil Shakir out and Davis and Diggs elsewhere, is there a veteran wide receiver Buffalo could acquire before the deadline? No one’s panicking in Buffalo right now and there’s no sense of desperation. But a loss to the Jets on Monday could ring some alarms in Western New York.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane famously said he wasn’t looking to be the Los Angeles Rams from a few years back. But they might want to consider a “F them picks” approach over the next few weeks if things go sour in the coming weeks.

Josh Allen and the Bills made some head-scratching decisions late in the game against the Texans. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

3. Jayden vs. Lamar

The Commanders-Ravens tilt on Sunday is my favorite game of the season thus far, and nobody in a million years could have imagined such a must-see matchup in Baltimore in Week 6 when the schedule was released. Whereas Baltimore fans look at the Steelers, Bengals, Browns and even the Colts as far more bitter rivals — the geographical proximity and relatively small history between the Commanders (or what they were named at the time of a majority of their previous matchups) makes this somewhat testy franchise-wise.

But that’s just the backdrop to Jayden Daniels versus Lamar Jackson, which is as tantalizing a quarterback matchup as you’ll find. Lamar’s playing the best football of his season right now, coming off two dazzling performances the past two weeks, and Daniels is having arguably the greatest start to a rookie quarterback’s career…ever. Even C.J. Stroud, who ran away with the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award last year, didn’t tear it up in any single five-game span like Daniels just did in his first five games out of the gate.

With the Beltway serving as the backdrop, two of the league’s best quarterbacks — with their own style and unique abilities — are squaring off. As someone who’s alternated between giving Daniels and Lamar his weekly “Player of the Week” award the last four weeks, it’s truly a pleasure to be able to sit back and see how this plays out. Commanders vs. Ravens as the most anticipated game of the season thus far? It’s why you love the NFL.