NFL Week 12 Roundtable: Giants' post-Jones QB plans, NFC West contention, is Bo Nix a legitimate OROY candidate?

Officially, the New York Giants can be counted among the teams whose offseasons are built around finding their next franchise quarterback.

Daniel Jones' benching and subsequent release is just one development that highlights the events in the league leading up to Sunday's Week 12 game. The Giants will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with fan favorite Tommy DeVito starting.

Elsewhere in this week's roundtable, NFL writers Mike Sand, Zach Kiefer and Jeff Howe talk about the NFC West. Will it be the league's most enticing division title race?

What will happen in the offensive race for Rookie of the Year? Will the Denver Broncos' Bo Nix (or another rookie quarterback) close in on the Washington Commanders' Jaden Daniels? Anthony Richardson has bounced back in Indianapolis, but how will he and the Colts fare against a formidable opponent in the Detroit Lions? The Kansas City Chiefs, an 11-point favorite without Taylor Swift, will visit Charlotte and the Carolina Panthers for the first time in eight years. The Harbaugh Bowl also concludes Week 12 on Monday night.

Read more about what's grabbing our writers' attention this week.

The Giants host the Bucks, and the Daniel Jones era is over. What's next for Jones? What will the Giants' quarterback plans be this offseason?

Howe: They were aiming to move up to the top QB position in April, and expect a similar effort — if not a more concerted one — this spring. The Giants are still in contention for the No. 1 pick, so they could get a QB selection, but the race is primarily focused on Cam Ward and Shedure Sanders. But there is no strong talent in this class, and some personnel executives have already said they do not intend to rank a 2025 QB ahead of the six first-round picks starting in April. Like other teams struggling with a quarterback shortage, the Giants need to be aggressive, but they can't force it. As for Jones, he joins a camp battle for teams unable to find a starting-caliber QB in the draft. I highly recommend a friendly offensive system, as Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, and others have all worked well recently.

sand: Jones probably projects as a backup somewhere on a team aiming for the playoffs and ready to upgrade behind the starters. The Miami Dolphins are still 4-6, but could use an upgrade behind Tua Tagovailoa. The Arizona Cardinals have Clayton Tune. Tampa Bay has Kyle Trask. The Minnesota Vikings have Nick Mullens. Maybe those teams love their backups, but we could see teams being in their situation considering Jones.

As for the Giants, who will make the decisions there? How high will their draft picks be? Which veterans are available? It's too early to know what the Giants are going to do based on all the important unknown variables. They need to find a veteran who can start and have the potential to improve without relying too much on the next QB drafted — especially in 2025, which is the best place to draft at this position. I can't believe it's the year.

Kiefer: Jones will make a lot of money in this league as a capable backup, free of expectations as a franchise man. Barring an unforeseen injury, it's hard to imagine any team using him as a starter in Week 1 of next season. Not after what he put on tape the past two seasons. And the Giants will find themselves back in the worst position in football this spring. That means they need a quarterback in a draft that doesn't have a lot of quarterback talent. It has caused teams to miss goals in the past and has exhausted them for decades. New York would be wise to go the veteran route before the draft to be safe. Will the prospect of Justin Fields being hired get Giants fans excited?

Daniel Jones was benched on Monday after the New York Giants started the season 2-8, completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions through 10 games. did. (Mario Homme/Defody Images via Getty Images)

The Broncos face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday and are in contention for the AFC playoffs. Is Bo Nix (or another rookie QB) a legitimate candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, or could Jaden Daniels still miss out on the award?

Howe: It's a natural loss for Daniels, but Drake Maye is playing better than the Knicks. There's absolutely a path for the Knicks to win the award if Daniels and the Commanders fall out and the Broncos clinch a playoff spot, but I'd still take Daniels on the field.

sand: The loss is understandable for Daniels, but there is uncertainty about how strong he and his offense will finish. The Knicks definitely have an advantage on him from a production standpoint. You can see that in the table below, which shows Daniels, Knicks, and Maye's performance over the last six games. It's a big change from the beginning of the season.

Kiefer: Mike is right. Bo Nix as well as Drake Maye are in the conversation, but Daniels in Washington won't be able to boast about the relative team success the Knicks enjoy in Denver. Voters for these types of awards often rely on turnaround stories, and for a time this season Daniels was writing the script for football's top award. He's still in the lead, but how he handles the losing streak may decide this award.

The Chiefs are 11-point favorites going into the road trip with the Panthers, and will likely bounce back on Sunday. Has the loss in Buffalo, combined with the Lions' continued rise, changed your impression of Kansas City?

Howe: Wait a minute, yes. If the Chiefs could beat the Buffalo Bills with a below-average performance, it could have been the end of it, but the Lions and Bills are decidedly better at this point. And while everyone is waiting for the Chiefs to make a big splash with Patrick Mahomes gaining experience with skill players, let's not overlook the fact that Josh Allen and the Bills will do the same. No one who has watched the playoffs over the past five years will look down on the Chiefs, but they are objectively worse than either Detroit or Buffalo entering the most important period of the season.

sand: How the Bills offense handled the Chiefs defense should be a concern for Kansas City. Kansas City could improve as the season progresses. This is because Kansas City has a great manager, and their key players are growing, with Isaiah Pacheco returning and Xavier Worthy gaining experience. But all things considered, this feels like a good year to be either Detroit or Buffalo. The Chiefs are very good, but not as dominant as their record indicates.

Kiefer: I learned my lesson last year. The regular season doesn't really matter to the Chiefs. During their dynasty, they transcended the norm of soccer. It doesn't matter that many of their wins this season have been unconvincing. It doesn't matter that Travis Kelce took a step back. It doesn't matter if Patrick Mahomes looks mediocre or worse down the stretch. It doesn't matter that they didn't shut out the Bills last week. They definitely remain a legitimate Super Bowl contender and can beat anyone in the playoffs. Remember, as Kansas City proved last year, it's not the team that's at its best in November and December, it's the team that gets hot in January. We know how to do it better than any other team.

The Harbaugh Bowl is held on Monday nights. The Baltimore Ravens are in the hunt for the AFC North title. Last week, the Los Angeles Chargers ran away from the Cincinnati Bengals with a 7-3 record. This work has many stories. Which one intrigues you the most?

Howe: Before the season, league coaches and executives expected Justin Herbert, along with Jim Harbaugh, to prioritize play on the ground and high-level defense to complement the quarterback. Harbaugh ran a conservative offense, but lately he's given Herbert a chance to break it up. If Herbert beats the Ravens, he will earn serious MVP consideration.

sand: Using inside information from coordinators Jesse Minter and Greg Roman, who spent significant time on the Ravens' staff, I believe the Chargers' much-improved defense will slow down Lamar Jackson. I'm interested in whether it can be done. Is this a game the Chargers can play their way? What if this game picks up where the Chargers vs. Bengals left off? In that case, could Justin Herbert keep pace with Jackson?

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Kiefer: The Chargers vs. Bengals game was one of the best games of the season. Herbert ran wild in the first half, but in the second half Joe Burrow played some of the best football I've ever seen. What will be interesting about Monday night's game against Harbaugh is how Lamar Jackson bounced back from last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (his 0.21 EPA per dropback and 66.1 passer rating were season lows). Ta). Jackson typically inspires teams outside the AFC North, and a win against an elite defense on Monday (the Chargers boast the league's top defense at 14.2 points per game) could put him in the MVP race. will be pushed back to the forefront.

It's time for the biweekly NFC West temperature check. The Los Angeles Rams (5-5) will host the highly anticipated Philadelphia Eagles team on Sunday night. The San Francisco 49ers (5-5) are playing the Green Bay Packers. The Cardinals (6-4) will face the Seattle Seahawks (5-5). Which team is in the best position to win the division?

Howe: I liked the Cardinals as a fun surprise team this season, but I didn't expect them to be a serious divisional threat, even if injuries to their opponents were a big reason. I'm sticking with the Cardinals because they are playing the best and continue to get better. I like the Seahawks and think they're neck-and-neck with Arizona, so their two matchups over the next three weeks could very well tell the story of this division race. However, Seattle needs to focus more on the run game, and injuries to the O-line have been an issue. The Niners still have the highest ceiling in the division, but they've given up too many games to be ready to think that pattern is going to magically break. The Rams have been too inconsistent, but we can't rule out the possibility that Matthew Stafford flips the switch and sticks around.

Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals could be one of the league's surprise teams, sitting atop the NFC West at 6-4. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

sand: The Athletic's model gives the Cardinals a 58% chance of winning the division, followed by the Rams (23%), 49ers (12%) and Seahawks (8%). Is it really that biased? I expect the division to be settled until the final week when San Francisco visits Arizona and the Rams visit Seattle. All four teams have a chance of 9 wins and 8 losses. A team that goes 10-7 will likely win its division. I don't think any team has a huge advantage, but I doubt the 49ers can stay healthy enough to win.

Kiefer: The Cardinals are playing the best of any team in the division, and as Jeff pointed out, these two matchups against the Seahawks could ultimately decide the NFC West title. (San Francisco and Los Angeles have been too inconsistent.) But at this point in time, what's important is a team that shows visible signs of improvement, and the Cardinals fit that bill. Arizona has won four straight, including the last two by a combined 45-point margin. . In three of those wins, the defense allowed fewer than 16 points. On the offensive side, Kyler Murray is on a roll. By mid-January, I'm hoping the Cardinals will win their first district title since 2015.

(Top photo of Bo Nix: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)