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The Atlanta Falcons drafting of Michael Penix Jr. just six weeks after signing Kirk Cousins to a $180 million contract doesn't seem like that much of a head-scratcher anymore. Penix, the eighth overall pick in this year's draft, was supposed to serve as Cousins' understudy for a year or two, a plan that was scuttled when Cousins quickly lost the zip and accuracy on his passes and his grip on the starting job. It was hard to argue with making the change after Cousins had nine picks and one touchdown pass in his last five starts — but it was a daring move nonetheless with the Falcons trailing first-place Tampa Bay by a single game with three weeks left. Penix made the move pay off with a solid first NFL start in the Falcons' 34-7 rout of the New York Giants on Sunday that bolstered Atlanta's playoff hopes , and the Falcons (8-7) moved back into first place in the NFC South with the Buccaneers' loss at Dallas on Sunday night. The left-hander was not at all overwhelmed by the moment, completing 18 of 27 passes for 202 yards — numbers that would’ve been better if not for at least three dropped passes, one of which Kyle Pitts bobbled right into the hands of a New York defender for Penix’s lone interception. “He went out and played almost flawless football,” coach Raheem Morris said. Cousins will almost certainly be looking for his fourth team in 2025. If the Falcons cut ties as expected, they'll have paid Cousins $90 million for 14 games. Cousins' career earnings are about $321 million and his record is 84-77-2, including a 1-3 mark in the playoffs and 7-7 this season. In the spirit of expedited judgments, let's take a gander at how other quarterbacks have fared with their new teams in 2024. Russell Wilson The Pittsburgh Steelers landed the biggest bargain of the season in Wilson, whom they signed for the veteran's minimum of $1.21 million, leaving his former team, the Denver Broncos, on the hook for the remaining $37.79 million of his 2024 salary. Wilson's calf injury in camp forced the Steelers to start Justin Fields, who went 4-2 before Mike Tomlin made the risky switch to Wilson, who's gone 6-3 with 15 TD throws and four interceptions. With the Steelers (10-5) playoff-bound, Wilson will make his first postseason appearance since 2020. The only question is whether it'll be at home as AFC North champ or on the road as a wild-card. They're tied with the Ravens atop the division but currently own the tiebreaker. Sam Darnold This was expected to be a rebuilding year in Minnesota after the Vikings lost Cousins in free agency. They signed Darnold, the third overall pick in 2018, to a $10 million, one-year contract and drafted national champion J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick. McCarthy tore the meniscus in his right knee during the preseason opener and has undergone two surgeries, opening the way for Darnold's breakthrough season. Darnold brought a 21-35 career record with him to Minneapolis and all he's done is go 13-2 while setting career highs with 32 touchdown passes, 3,776 passing yards and a 67.2% completion percentage. The Vikings are tied with the Lions atop the packed NFC North and the division crown could come down to Minnesota's season finale at Detroit on Jan. 5. Gardner Minshew The Las Vegas Raiders signed Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract and he beat out incumbent Aidan O'Connell for the starting gig. But he only went 2-7 and sustained a season-ending broken collarbone in a Week 12 loss to the Broncos, opening the door for O'Connell (1-4) to return. The Raiders' 19-14 win over Jacksonville on Sunday snapped a 10-game skid but might have taken them out of the Shedeur Sanders sweepstakes. They are 3-12, a game behind the Giants (2-13), who jettisoned QB Daniel Jones less than two years after signing him to a four-year, $160 million contract and have gone with Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito instead. Caleb Williams The Chicago Bears had high hopes after drafting Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, but it might turn out that the second QB taken — Washington's Jayden Daniels — is better than the first as was the case last year when C.J. Stroud outperformed Carolina's Bryce Young. Williams has a terrific TD-to-INT ratio of 19-5, but the Bears are 4-11 and have lost nine in a row. Their last win came way back on Oct. 13 against Jacksonville. Jayden Daniels The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU has led the Washington Commanders (10-5) to the cusp of their first playoff appearance since 2020. His bolstered his Rookie of the Year credentials with a five-TD performance Sunday in leading the Commanders to a 36-33 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. For the year, Daniels has 22 TD throws and eight interceptions. Bo Nix The former Auburn and Oregon star hasn't looked much like a rookie after starting an NCAA QB record 61 times in college. The Broncos (9-6) could snap an eight-year playoff drought with a win Sunday at Cincinnati thanks to Nix's steady play , Sean Payton's exhaustive guidance and Denver's traditionally stingy defense. Nix was drafted 12th overall after the Broncos released Wilson despite a a whopping $85 million dead money charge on top of the $37.79 million they're paying Wilson to play for Pittsburgh this year. With 22 TDs and 11 interceptions, Nix has almost matched Russell's win total (11-19) in his two seasons in Denver. ___ AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report. ___ Behind the Call analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL during the season. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Arnie Stapleton, The Associated PressTwo Virginia legislators – one Democrat and one Republican – plan legislation to limit what debt collectors and creditors can seize. Del. Phil Hernandez, D-Norfolk, wants to make it easier to limit the amount a creditor or debt collector can take from a family bank account under a court order. Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, wants to rein in Virginia’s unique-in-the-nation law that allows liens to garnish 100% of an erring taxpayer’s wages. Hernandez Virginia House of Delegates Coyner Virginia House of Delegates Under current Virginia law, you can exempt $5,000 of bank accounts or household goods from creditors, but you must file a Homestead Deed and then go to court to claim your exemption. Hernandez wants to make that protection kick in automatically for bank accounts. For many Virginians, the Homestead Deed protection is out of reach, said Jay Speer, chief executive officer of the Virginia Poverty Law Center. “This is virtually impossible for someone without a lawyer. This bill will make it automatic, which we think makes a lot more sense and it makes things easier for a bank that receives a garnishment,” he said. Virginia consumer protection bills meet mixed results in assembly The poverty law center supports the measure. It notes that many Virginians now have their wages deposited directly to their bank accounts. The complicated process of protecting sums in those accounts means state law's limits on how much a creditor can have garnished from wages is rendered moot. And not being able to keep at least some money in a bank account has meant families can’t get at their money for essential bills, for rent, food or medical expenses. Some people have electricity, water or gas cut off because a creditor has effectively frozen their bank accounts, the poverty law center said. “Families shouldn’t have to make the impossible choice of feeding their children or paying off a debt,” Hernandez said. “This necessary bill will create new protections to safeguard funds that are needed for the necessities of life and prevent families from falling into a vicious cycle of poverty," he said. Twenty-six states have higher household good exemptions, and 11 of these have additional, separate exemptions for at least portions of a debtor’s bank account, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis of state exemption laws compiled by the National Consumer Law Center, a nonprofit that tracks consumer protection measures nationwide. Delaware bars garnishment of bank accounts but has no exemption for household goods. While Alaska's household goods exemption is less than Virginia's, its separate exemption for some funds in a a bank account exceeds Virginia's exemption. Coyner is focusing on the court orders that let creditors - as well as state and local tax collectors - take Virginians' wages when they owe money. While most creditors or debt collectors are limited to seizing 75% of a debtor's paycheck, tax collectors can seize the whole amount. “Garnishing 100% of someone’s wages is not just impractical – it’s inhumane,” Coyner said. “This bill allows Virginians to pay their debts while maintaining their dignity and basic livelihood.” Her bill would set the same limit on garnishments for back taxes as applies to any other debt: 25% of disposable earnings for a given week, or the amount by which a delinquent taxpayer’s disposable earnings for a week exceed 40 times the minimum. Fifteen states exempt more of a debtors’ wages from garnishment, including four states that exempt all wages: North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. “I believe in paying your taxes,” Coyner said. “But people need a minimum to live on." Virginia lags other several other states when it comes to limiting how much property and wages debt collectors can seize, the National Consumer Law Center review shows. Virginia’s law also exempts $50,000 of a debtor’s home from seizure, while 32 states have higher exemptions. A 2020 law aimed at helping debtors and creditors work out payment plans saw use of settlement services grow last year. The law required debt settlement agencies be licensed and capped the fees they charge. Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, introduced it and argued for it after hearing from the Office of the Attorney General’s consumer protection unit that it was getting a lot of consumer complaints about some debt settlement companies charging exorbitant fees for these services. Virginians entered into 10,559 new agreements during the year; there were 18,586 such agreements in force at the end of the year, a State Corporation Bureau of Financial Institutions report found. The agreements seek to repay or forgive $303 million of debt. Debtors and creditors have come to terms on $104 million, and since the law took effect have repaid $85 million. “We want people to have confidence in these firms,” Willett said. “There were a lot of good firms here, but we wanted to keep the bad actors out. ... A lot of the good ones were with us on this, he said. “It seems to be working," Joseph Face, commissioner at the State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions, said he’s not hearing any complaints about debt settlement agencies anymore. Debts are mainly owed retailers and credit card companies he said. The high-interest rate payday, car title and open-end credit lenders that the General Assembly also cracked down on in 2020 do not seem to be involved, he said. The debt settlement bill says debt settlement firms must now be licensed by the Bureau of Financial Institutions. It sets a cap of 20% of a borrower’s debt as the fee a debt settlement firm can charge. A licensed firm must post a surety bond equal to the average amount it receives from Virginians under its debt management plans, up to a maximum of $350,000.
Falcons drafting Penix no longer a head-scratcher with rookie QB shining in place of benched Cousins
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. It’s rare for the NFL to schedule regular-season games for a Saturday, but when it happens, it’s a big deal! For Week 17, there’s an NFL triple-header on Saturday, Dec. 28 with all three games broadcasting on the NFL Network . If you want to catch all of the hard-hitting action, the best way to watch online is with Sling TV . Who’s Playing During the NFL Triple-Header? The first game features the Los Angeles Chargers battling the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on the NFL Network. As for the second game, the NFL has the Denver Broncos taking on the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a start time of 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT. The game airs on the NFL Network. The final game of the triple-header has the Arizona Cardinals playing against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the NFL Network. Thankfully, even without cable, you don’t have to miss any of the action. You can access all of these NFL games set for Saturday, Dec. 28 online with Sling TV . How to Watch the NFL Triple-Header Online: Livestream Football Games Without Cable Scroll down and check out how to stream the NFL triple-header, below: Sling TV Sling is one of the best options for affordable live streaming with the Sling Blue package, which is going for half off your first month of service. The package includes the NFL Network for the NFL triple-header on Saturday, Dec. 28, as well as added analysis and commentary. Please note: Pricing and channel availability are subject to your local TV market. Learn more about Sling TV’s pricing here . In addition, NFL fans can get the Sports Extra package to the Sling Blue for an extra $11/month to gain access to the NFL RedZone network. Learn more about the Sling Sports Extra add-on here .USA powers its way to victory over Germany in world junior championship openerPasta dental y Grabovoi: 10 desinformaciones sobre salud desmentidas en 2024 | HechosCalifornia urges Buttigeg to grant last-minute cash for LA-SF bullet train as DOGE looms
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