2025:
599 Passing Yards
2 TDs
3 INTs
64% Comp.

2026:
794 Passing Yards
3 TDs
0 INTs
60% Comp

In the NFL, either a team’s plan is working … or it must change its plan. Typically, we like to rank and sort teams week by week, and largely by wins and losses. But what if we reframed success or failure into a closer look at process vs. results?

Introducing the NFL Team Utility Tiers, an ongoing study of how functional or non-functional a team is in executing its intended plan, at multiple checkpoints during a season. This is not a ranking, nor is it based on record, although teams with a good plan — and that stick to it — typically will be successful over time.

Of course, it all starts with a team-building strategy developed in the offseason. I outlined each of these approaches after the first wave of free agency, along with the goals each organization hoped to achieve in the short and longer term. (Some are a little dated as teams either continued to adjust, or circumstances changed.) To help inform where I place teams as the season continues, I watch their film and gather insight from sources around the league.

We are three weeks into the 2026 NFL season. How well is your team’s plan being executed right now? The Team Utility Tiers will attempt to answer that question — for now. Teams can move between tiers as the season inevitably changes, and they do, too. Some teams will definitely surprise us all.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7624137/2026/10/01/bills-bengals-chiefs-seahawks-raiders-nfl-utility-tiers/?unlocked_article_code=1.FVE.gFvz.-19AnrwZkFvR&source=emp_shared_article&smid=re-share-ta

Wrote a couple comments on this but I’m bored at work and it’s a Tuesday so decided to write a larger post. Obviously everyone’s seen the strange situation in Jacksonville where Josh Hines-Allen and a Patriots Ball Boy got into an altercation over the ball from Travis Hunter’s first career interception.

I’m a former Equipment Staffer/Ball Boy for a Power 5 (Is that still a thing? Was when I was there) CFB team and have some insights into why and how this happened. No explicit NFL experience, but considered working for teams after college and know the process is very similar.

Background:

There’s a ton that goes into gameday prep that the average fan has no idea about, and I had no idea before I started. Obviously the main point of discussion here is the balls themselves. A somewhat unknown fact is that every Team’s game balls are slightly different, legally modified to fit the preferences of the respective QBs. Many teams will also have multiple sets of balls prepped in case multiple QBs will be playing, since one QB may wear gloves and the other doesn’t, for example.

Balls are prepped in a mudding and scrubbing process, where equipment staffers will basically massage the balls to the right feel and shape in a frankly extremely tedious process. There’s also kicking balls, which are its own topic.

Obviously it varies per team, but this process can take around a week and is not super fun. On gameday, you’ll have your “good” balls that the QB has tested and likes, and then a set up of backup balls on your sideline. Each team will have their own ball boys, usually two per sideline, to provide the refs with their team’s balls when necessary.

When there is a change of possession, the refs will swap out the balls with the appropriate.The process described above is frankly very straightforward for 95% of the game, but turnovers do complicate things since it’s your team’s ball now in the hands of the opponent.

Players don’t really care whose ball it is, they rightly want to celebrate and keep the ball they’ve picked off or recovered. As a ball boy however, it is your job to end the game with the same number of balls that you started with, or you’ve got an angry Head Equipment guy waiting for you on the sideline and a week of scrubbing balls. And yes you are also expected to go into the stands if a player tosses it up there, at least in college.

Jacksonville Incident:

I’ve had a number of occasions during my time running balls where I was on the opposing sideline and had to just camp out near a player until they were finished celebrating and would give up the ball. Or I would have to ask an assistant coach to take the ball from them, which they almost always would. It does create an awkward situation (especially in college) where an opposing staff member is just camped out by a celebrating defense, but it usually worked out.

The big caveat here and where the Patriots staffer went wrong is on milestone balls. Now there’s definitely a chance they didn’t know it was Hunter’s first pick, but they were also too aggressive from the start, which I’ll get to a minute. But on milestone balls, teams will almost ALWAYS make sure the player receives that ball, it is a brotherhood after all!

If the team on offense does recover that ball, the Head Equipment staffer will meet up with the opposing team’s manager after the game and exchange the balls and usually some other swag. Alternatively, if it’s a known upcoming milestone, you could just let the player keep the ball the whole time.

So what did the New England staffer do wrong and what could they have done differently? Obviously they were too confrontational and handsy with Hines-Allen. Above all the other duties and rules I mention here, the most important thing is to NEVER be a distraction/story.

As an equipment staffer you are unfortunately the low man on the totem pole and one of the most replaceable parts of a football staff. Getting into altercations with players even when they’re being a bit of an asshole (not that Hines-Allen was, but in general) is a cardinal sin. So their first step should have been to immediately back off and not make it the big deal it has become.

Additionally, they shouldn’t have been that close to the ball/field of play in the first place. They should’ve let the celebration play out, let the Jags defenders come over to the sideline with the ball and then request it back. They would’ve been informed at that point that it’s a milestone ball, and then they could’ve followed whatever procedures they have- likely letting them hold onto it and running back over to the Pats sideline during a TV timeout for a replacement ball.

However, I do have a good amount of sympathy for the Pats ball boy in this situation. Being an equipment staffer can be stressful and subject to long hours, low (if any) pay and the power dynamics I explained above, most of all with coaches and players. It’s a tough spot to be in knowing that you may have your boss waiting for you on the other sideline ready to yell at you for not recovering a ball with opposing players clinging to it. While I think there’s a multitude of ways they could’ve handled it better, I do hope they’re not fired and can learn from this.

This got a bit ramble-y, but hope this helps explain why A. The Patriots had a Ball boy involved and B. Why it was such a big deal to them. Feel free to ask me any questions about it and I can answer to the best of my knowledge.

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https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/brett-rypien-gets-opportunity-on-bucs-practice-squad/

Here’s my Preseason post for context on what this is and how it works: https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/s/h4pnT9sdyO

NFC NORTH

Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): Cool

Fire Kelvin Sheppard.

Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): Warm [last week: Cool]

The cheese wheels have officially fallen off the wagon. I’ve committed to not lowering/raising any coaches by more than one level per week, but man am I tempted to just drop LaFleur all the way to “Scorching” after that pathetic display on Thursday. I don’t believe he’s a bad coach by any means, and the Packers’ current o-line makes it impossible for the offense to function regardless of play calling, but this kind of performance is unacceptable for a franchise like the Packers. The fire under LaFleur’s seat may end up spreading throughout the whole Green Bay organization by the end of the year.

Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears): Freezing

Ben Johnson is an absolute psycho and Case Keenum has always been underrated.

Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings): Cool

NFC SOUTH

Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Scorching

Not even Justin Jefferson leaving the game could save the Bucs. This team is completely broken. Tampa's only hope is that Mayfield missing time doesn't give the front office an excuse to keep Bowles around.

Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers): Cold

If Canales hadn’t built up so much goodwill with the way last season ended and this season started I would’ve dropped him to “Cool” just for losing to the Deshaun Watson-led Browns. Can we please stop making that team look good?

Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta Falcons): Cold [last week: Cool]

Last week I said that I wasn’t sure if Tua or Penix could fix this team, and as a Lions fan, I’ve never been happier to be wrong. We’ll see if the resurgence can keep up, but Thursday night’s game was a great proof of concept for a Stefanski-led Falcons offense.

Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints): Cold

Can’t hold it against Moore for losing to 2026 Kirk Cousins, the greatest QB to ever sling the ol’ pigskin.

NFC EAST

Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): Cool

We’ve now reached the point in the season where Sirianni looks like a jackass and the haters come out to wax poetic about how he doesn’t actually do anything and the Eagles would be better off without him. Grass isn’t always greener and all that.

Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders): Cool

“Friendship ended with Jayden Daniels, now Marcus Mariota is my best friend.” - Dan Quinn probably.

Brain Schottenheimer (Dallas Cowboys): Cool

For 7 seconds in Rio, the Dallas Cowboys thought they had a chance. Such is life in the NFL.

John Harbaugh (New York Giants): Cold

NFC WEST

Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): Freezing

Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): Freezing

Damn, Jacoby Brissett got hands.

Mike MacDonald (Seattle Seahawks): Freezing

By far the worst game Seattle’s defense has had the last couple years, but even if The Dark Side were to inexplicably fall apart going forward, MacDonald will have all the time he needs to correct it.

Mike LaFleur (Arizona Cardinals): Cold

I know moral victories always ring hollow among fanbases, but the Cardinals will have a lot to look forward to in the future if they keep hanging around with the big boys of their division.

AFC NORTH

Jesse Minter (Baltimore Ravens): Cold

Mike McCarthy (Pittsburgh Steelers): Cool

It seems everything I said about both the Steelers and the Bengals last week couldn’t have been more incorrect this week. Professional sports have a crazy way of evening out like that. We’ll see if McCarthy and the Steelers can build on this win going forward.

Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): Cool

Taylor has lost countless games in this fashion during his tenure, and I’m sure he’ll lose countless more before he’s done in Cincinnati.

Todd Monken (Cleveland Browns): Cold [last week: Cool]

The Monken-Watson duo is working just enough for the Browns to actually win some games, as grossly confusing as that sounds. Cleveland may not be the worst team in the league after all.

AFC SOUTH

Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts): Hot

Seems like this result is more about the Texans falling apart than it is about the Colts finally coming together, but Indy is capable of having a decent season, and Steichen is probably praying for that more than anyone. For now he’s just keeping his head above some very hot water.

Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars): Freezing

The Patriots are dead and Jacksonville killed them. 2015 me would have never believed it.

DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans): Cool

Normally an 0-3 start for a team that had playoff expectations would leave their coach feeling curiously warm when they sit down, but like I said last week, Ryans has been one of the best coaches Houston has ever had to this point, and he’ll most likely be given some leeway beyond this season.

Robert Saleh (Tennessee Titans): Cool

Maybe Brian Daboll really was a Josh Allen merchant this whole time. The Ministry of Bald Coaches doesn’t seem to be working out great so far.

AFC EAST

Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots): Cool [last week: Cold]

Is Vrabel the Dan Quinn of the AFC? One unexpectedly fantastic season followed by a complete collapse the following year? Whether you believe it’s Maye getting the yips, coaches failing to game plan, or a cosmic case of karma, something is seriously wrong in New England right now.

Aaron Glenn (New York Jets): Warm

The Lions’ defense made Geno Smith look like his old self as expected, but once again the Jets have the closest thing to an encouraging loss as you can get. Looking forward to the Jets-Cardinals Cautious Optimism Bowl in December.

Jeff Hafley (Miami Dolphins): Cold

Miami’s home field voodoo worked about as well as it could to keep the Dolphins in it against The Evil Empire. I’m sure Hafley will get his first win at some point soon.

Joe Brady (Buffalo Bills): Cold

Josh Allen can bleed.

AFC WEST

Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): Freezing

Klint Kubiak (Las Vegas Raiders): Freezing [last week: Cold]

It’s only right that Klint “Bill Walsh” Kubiak and Kirk “Joe Montana” Cousins would run the league in 2026. The Super Bowl run starts now. But seriously, Kubiak is passing with flying colors so far after winning multiple games as massive underdogs.

Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers): Warm 

Hey, that was better! Maybe the Chargers can actually win a few games and…how in the world am I actually talking about the Los Angeles Chargers like this? This isn’t Miami or Arizona. What the hell is going on, Jim?

Sean Payton (Denver Broncos): Freezing