Nick Mangold does not feel like my story to tell. The reaction of his former coach, Rex Ryan, says it all.
Rex Ryan mourns the loss of his former player Nick Mangold following his death from kidney disease. pic.twitter.com/xhpJJ0yue3
— ESPN (@espn) October 26, 2025
The reactions of teammates Bobby Carpenter, Darrelle Revis, and Nick Folk add more. Folk fought back tears as he said, "At the end, he was there with us."
Mangold stayed close with the Jets organization following his retirement. Coach Aaron Glenn was a Jets scout during Mangold's career. Glenn: "I was here as a scout when he was playing, and he was the heart and soul of the team."
Quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver Garrett Wilson were alumni of Ohio State, like Mangold. Wilson mentioned the mentorship that Mangold had provided.
There is a certain sense of irony that the Jets played in Cincinnati this week. Mangold grew up about an hour from the city. The Jets came in with a 0-7 record, and Fields was under fire. The universe works in funny ways. Folk played seven years with Mangold. His extra point to put the Jets up 39-38 proved to be the decisive score.
Mangold's football career was just one chapter of his life.
To me, he was a friend.
Writing about him is conflicting. It blends lines in my life. But today, anything else feels trivial.
Our families spent time together. Our wives are close. Two amazing women whom we were lucky to end up in their lives. Nick was kind and generous. The life of the party. A loving father and husband.
The best of us.
Nick taught me the humanity behind the players we watch every week. I once followed him through a crowded Times Square, and the path he cleared distinctly hit me with the feeling of "so this is how it works for a running back." He made something that felt a world away into a reality. Understanding these humans who sacrifice their bodies, go home to tiny humans, and are just "dad."
That reality makes a drop or turnover for your fantasy football or rooting interest sit differently.
Thank you, Nick.
You will be missed.
And now, The Roundup.
Blind Resume
| Player | AP All-Pro 1st Team | Pro Bowls | Years Starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 7 | 11 |
| B | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| C | 3 | 8 | 15 |
| D | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| E | 6 | 7 | 11 |
Just something that matters to me this week.
Stats Of The Week
To be honest, it was a disappointing week for SOTW. Bijan Robinson had a 90-game scrimmage yard streak broken at 12 games. Christian McCaffrey had a 50-yard receiving streak broken at seven (the second longest in history for a running back). Josh Jacobs ' three-game streak of two rushing touchdowns was snapped. Cam Skattebo's five-game streak of 90 scrimmage yards —the longest by a rookie since Najee Harris in 2021 —was broken. He suffered an injury that could end his season.
Still, some players did cool things.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans - 600 Receptions
Kamara became the fourth running back in NFL history to cross the 600 receptions threshold. He is 24 behind third-place LaDainian Tomlinson.
With 91 receiving yards, he can become the fifth back to join the 5,000 / 5,000 club, a club Christian McCaffrey joined in Week 8.
Derrick Henry, Baltimore - 112 Rushing Touchdowns
Henry broke a tie with Walter Payton, moving into sole possession of fifth place on the career rushing touchdown list. He needs eight to catch Adrian Peterson for fourth place and 11 to reach Marcus Allen.
It was his 29th game with two rushing touchdowns, breaking a tie with Peterson for the third most in history. Tomlinson has 38, and Emmitt Smith has 36.
Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati - 12 Receptions, 91 Receiving Yards
Chase joined Michael Thomas as the only players in NFL history to record 38 receptions over a three-game span. He has 70 receptions through the first eight games of the year, becoming the seventh player to have that many in the first half of a season. Wes Welker had 79 through eight games in 2009.
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia - 150 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing Touchdown, 24 Receiving Yards, 1 Receiving Touchdown
The long national nightmare is over. Barkley had a spike game. It was the 63rd time in NFL history a back has posted 150-1 / 20-1. Jonathan Taylor also hit the marks in Week 8; they are the only two backs to post a game above these thresholds. It was Barkley's third career game with these numbers, tying Priest Holmes for the second most in NFL history. Marshall Faulk did it four times.
James Cook, Buffalo - 216 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing Touchdowns
Cook's 216 yards are the most in the NFL in 2025. It ties seven players for the 70th-most in NFL history and ranks as the sixth-highest game in Bills history. The last Bills game at this number came in Week 12 of 1976. This game moved Cook from 11th on the Bills' franchise rushing yardage list to 8th. His two touchdowns moved him from a tie for 9th to a tie for 7th, with 27 career, tied with Travis Henry. It can be a quick jump into the Top 4, with Carlton Wray (29), Fred Jackson (30), and Cookie Gilchrist (31) sitting ahead of him.
Breece Hall, NY Jets - 1 Passing Touchdown, 133 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 2 Receptions, 14 Receiving Yards
The Running Back Trinity of Awesomeness Section
Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, and Bijan Robinson have separated themselves at the top of the fantasy leaderboard. The Trinity is accomplishing weekly statistical milestones worth their own section. What did they do this week?
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco - 5,000 Rushing Yards and 5,000 Receiving Yards
McCaffrey became the fourth back in NFL history with 5,000 rushing and 5,000 receiving yards, joining Marshall Faulk, Tiki Barber, and Marcus Allen.
McCaffrey's streak of 50 receiving yards ended at seven. It tied his previous long streak and Lydell Mitchell for the second-longest in NFL history. Herschel Walker's watch has ended, his record of ten straight games is safe.
He sits in seventh in the running back career receiving yardage list, needing 158 yards to reach sixth place, Barber.
Attention shifts to his reception number of 580. Currently in eighth place, he has a cluster above him of Ronnie Harmon (582 - 7th), Barber (586 - 6th), Allen (587 - 5th), and previously mentioned Kamara at 600.
McCaffrey needs 123 rushing yards for 7,000 in his career. He would be the 73rd back to hit that mark.
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis - 153 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 2 Receptions, 21 Receiving Yards, 1 Receiving Touchdown
Taylor moved into a tie with Lenny Moore for second on the Colts franchise rushing touchdown leaderboard. His next rushing touchdown will tie him with Edgerrin James for the Colts' franchise record of 64. James has played 96 games with the franchise, while Taylor has played 75. James is well ahead in career rushing yardage, 9,226 compared to 6,863.
Taylor scored three touchdowns for the fourth time in 2025. That puts him in a nine-way tie for the fourth most in a year. Marshall Faulk and Chuck Foreman had five. LaDanian Tomlinson holds the record with six. Taylor's four have come over the last six games.
He now has 12 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown in his last six games. He is the fourth player in NFL history to hit those marks in six games, joining Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith, and Lawrence Johnson.
Taylor's league-leading 850 rushing yards are the 56th most through the first eight games of a season. He is slightly trailing Saquon Barkley (925 through eight) and Derrick Henry's (946) paces of 2024. He is on pace for 1,806 rushing yards. He would need to average 128 yards per game over the second half of 2025 to hit 2,000. He has averaged 106 in 2025.
Taylor holds the Colts' single-season franchise mark, hitting 1,811 in 2021. His 18 touchdowns that season are also the record. He stands just six away from that mark.
Taylor needs 147 yards to hit 7,000 for his career.
His 150-2 / 20-1 stat line is the first player since De'Von Achane in 2023 to hit those numbers. It is the 31st time a back has hit that stat line in NFL history.
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta - 25 Rushing Yards, 3 Receptions, 23 Receiving Yards
Robinson wears the cone of shame this week. His 90 scrimmage yards streak ends at 12 games. It was the first time since Week 15 of 2023 that he did not have 50 scrimmage yards. Everything looks a lot less cool after a 25/23 game. Better games ahead.