Police release details on Marshawn Kneeland's death

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Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

I don't know how it happened, but the 2025 NFL campaign is officially halfway done. There are 18 weeks in the season, and nine of them are already in the books. Since we're at the halfway point, we decided we're going to celebrate by having a midseason extravaganza: Not only will we be handing out some midseason grades, but we'll also be making some bold predictions for the second half of the year.

However, we'll be starting on a sad note with the death of Marshawn Kneeland.

1. Cowboys' Marshawn Kneeland dies at 24: Police offer details on what happened

Tragedy hit the NFL on Thursday with the death of Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who was only 24. Kneeland died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Here's what we know:

Kneeland appears to have been involved in a police chase Wednesday night. According to DPS, "Troopers attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation [at 10:33 p.m. CT]. The driver refused to stop, resulting in a pursuit with DPS Troopers." The pursuit was eventually terminated after troopers lost sight of the vehicle.
Police were asked to do a welfare check on Kneeland just before midnight. At 11:40 p.m., the Plano Police Department got a call "for a welfare concern associated with Mr. Kneeland," according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Authorities made their way to Kneeland's residence, but they didn't make contact with anyone during the visit.
Kneeland's car was involved in a crash soon after the chase. Troopers later found the car they had been pursuing, but it was abandoned and had been involved in a crash. After searching the area near the crash, police found Kneeland at 1:31 a.m. "deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
The Cowboys announced his passing on Thursday morning. "It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning. Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization."
Kneeland's agent released a statement. Jonathan Perzley, who represents Kneeland, had this to say on Thursday morning. "I am shattered to confirm that my client and dearest friend Marshawn Kneeland passed away last night. I watched him fight his way from a hopeful kid at Western Michigan with a dream to being a respected professional for the Dallas Cowboys. Marshawn poured his heart into every snap, every practice, and every moment on the field. To lose someone with his talent, spirit, and goodness is a pain I can hardly put into words."
Kneeland scored his first career touchdown just three days ago. Kneeland was a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and although he saw some action during his rookie year, he was getting a lot more playing time in 2025. Kneeland had played in seven games this year with three starts, and his most impressive performance came on Monday when he returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against the Cardinals.

The Cowboys are on a bye this week, which is definitely for the best, because it would be hard to imagine them playing after going through a tragedy like this. For the full details on this tragedy, you can read our story here.

2. Thursday night preview: Picks and best bets for Raiders at Broncos

The Broncos (7-2) enter Thursday night on a six-game winning streak, which is tied for the longest active streak in the NFL. Denver has been nearly unstoppable this year, especially at home, where it's 4-0 on the season. On the Raiders' end, they're 8.5-point underdogs, but don't count them out just yet. They got Brock Bowers back in Week 9, and they're a completely different offense when he's in the lineup. Las Vegas has averaged 21.2 points per game when he's on the field and 8.7 points in the three games he missed due to injury.

If the Raiders (2-6) can top 20 points, they'll have a fighting chance: The Broncos are 5-0 when they hold their opponent under 20 points, but just 2-2 when they surrender 20 points or more.

Here's one reason why each team should be feeling confident going into the game:

Why the Raiders can win: There is no team better at sacking the quarterback than the Broncos. They have 40 sacks on the season, which leads the NFL. However, there is a way to beat their pass-rush: You have to throw the ball quickly, and it helps if you get the ball to your running backs and tight ends. That's actually been the exact recipe for moving the ball on the Broncos defense this year. In Denver's two losses, which came against the Colts and Chargers, both teams were successful at getting the ball to their running backs and tight ends. (The Chargers got 11 catches for 105 yards from the combo of Omarion Hampton and Oronde Gadsden II, while the Colts got six catches for 129 yards and a touchdown from the tandem of Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren.) If Ashton Jeanty and Bowers put up big numbers in the passing game, that likely will mean Geno Smith isn't taking a lot of sacks and that the Raiders are moving the ball. If that's the case, they'll certainly have a chance to pull off the upset.
Why the Broncos can win: The Broncos will be going into this game with one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. Denver is averaging 133.6 yards per game on the ground, which is the seventh-highest number in the league. If the Broncos get their offense moving on the ground, it's hard to see them losing. (The Broncos are 5-0 this year when they rush for 120 yards or more.) Also, if Denver is able to jump out to a quick lead, this could turn into a blowout, because it would allow the Broncos' sack-happy defense to pin its ears back and go after Smith, who's already taken 21 sacks this year -- the sixth most of any quarterback.

You can get a full preview of the game from Zach Pereles.

If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props (odds via BetMGM):

ONE QB PROP I LIKE: Bo Nix OVER 21.5 rushing yards (-115): Nix has gone over this number in four of Denver's past five games. If you think this is going to be a close game, you should definitely take the over here. The Broncos have played in seven one-score games this year and Nix has gone over 21.5 rushing yards in six of them. On the other hand, the Broncos have won two games by 10 points or more and Nix finished with under 10 rushing yards in both of those, so if this is a blowout, he likely won't look to run as much. With Maxx Crosby chasing him around, I feel like we'll see Nix take off quite a few times.
ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE: Daniel Carlson OVER 1.5 extra points (-110): Carlson has only gone over this number in four of the Raiders' eight games this season, but three of those came when Bowers was playing. The Raiders offense is a different animal with Bowers on the field, so I think Vegas will be able to score at least two touchdowns, which will allow Carlson to hit the over.

If you're wondering how my props are doing this year, I'm 21-19 (8-10 on kicker props and 13-9 on all other props).

Now, it's time for some picks.

PICKS FOR 'TNF'

Pete Prisco's pick: Broncos 28-14 over Raiders
Jared Dubin's pick: Broncos 26-14 over Raiders
My pick: Broncos 24-17 over Raiders
Tyler Sullivan's pick: Broncos 27-17 over Raiders
Jordan Dajani's pick: Broncos 27-17 over Raiders (Yes, Jordan and Tyler picked the same score. They swear they didn't copy off each other.)

We've got some more picks over on our CBSSports.com predictions page.

3. NFL Week 10 picks: Steelers and Ravens both lose to add even more drama to AFC North race

I just spent three hours badgering Pete Prisco, Jordan Dajani and Tyler Sullivan for their Week 10 picks. If they would return my text messages, this process would go a lot faster, but that's neither here nor there because I finally have their picks in my hand to share with you.

Last week, Dajani claimed his first solo title of the year by going 10-4 with his picks. He beat me by one game. I blame the Bengals. If they had not given up a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left to play, I would have won -- but they did, so here we are.

Anyway, if you're new here, here's how things work: I'll give you one Week 10 pick from each writer and then link you to the rest of their picks for the week. That way, if you like their pick, you can click over and check out all their Week 10 selections. If you hate it, you can ignore the rest and move on with your life.

Pete Prisco -- Buccaneers (-2.5) 30-24 over Patriots. "This is the best game of the week, with both teams legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The Bucs are coming off a bye, which they needed. They are getting healthier. It's also nice to be at home. Baker Mayfield will outplay Drake Maye to win it as the Bucs snap the Patriots' winning streak." Prisco's full Week 10 picks are here.
Tyler Sullivan -- Texans (+1.5) 23-20 over Jaguars. "C.J. Stroud is out and while it would certainly bolster my conviction about taking the Texans if he was playing, I like them regardless. I think Davis Mills is a capable backup, but this is more of a fade against Jacksonville than anything else. Offensively, they are hard to trust, specifically when it comes to Trevor Lawrence." Sullivan's full Week 10 picks are here.
Jordan Dajani -- Vikings (+4.5) 27-24 over Ravens. "The Ravens are rejuvenated with the return of Lamar Jackson to the lineup, but I think J.J. McCarthy's performance against the Lions was the most surprising development of Week 9. Seriously, the Michigan product didn't look like he even belonged in the NFL for the majority of his first two starts, and then he shows up to Detroit and beats the Lions coming off a bye? I know Lamar is 13-1 in his career on the road vs. NFC opponents, but if you're giving me 4.5 points with a home dog, I'll take it." Dajani's full slate of picks will be released on Friday, but you can get a preview here.
John Breech -- Chargers (-3) 34-27 over Steelers. "This game is all going to come down to which Steelers defense shows up on Sunday. In Week 9, the Steelers pulled off an upset over the Colts by forcing six turnovers. That was the good Steelers defense. But let's not forget about Week 7 when Joe Flacco threw for 900 yards against them in a 33-31 Pittsburgh loss. That was the bad Steelers defense. I think we see the bad Steelers defense on Sunday night." You can find the rest of my Week 10 picks here.

For more Week 10 NFL picks, you can check out our CBSSports.com picks page.

4. NFL playoff projections heading into Week 10

With nine weeks in the books, that means we're officially halfway through the NFL season, and because of that, I think that means we're finally allowed to talk about the playoffs without sounding crazy, so that's exactly what we're going to do.

To figure out who's going to make the playoffs this year, we had Stephen Oh of SportsLine simulate the rest of the season. We then used those simulations to project the 14 teams we expect to make the playoffs.

Here's how our projection breaks down for both conferences:

AFC
1. Bills
2. Broncos
3. Colts
4. Steelers
5. Patriots
6. Chiefs
7. Chargers

NFC
1. Buccaneers
2. Seahawks
3. Eagles
4. Packers
5. Rams
6. Lions
7. 49ers

The craziest thing about these projections is that 13 of the 14 teams that currently hold a playoff spot are projected to get in. The only team that got left out was the Jaguars. The Jags are currently in the seventh spot in the AFC, but Oh has the Chiefs getting in over them.

This is our first projection of the year, which I'm only mentioning, because in our first projection from the 2024 season, Oh correctly projected all seven AFC playoff teams and five of the NFC's seven.

According to Oh's projections, the Bills are currently the team favored to win it all. If you want more details on the projections, including the individual playoff chances for each team in the NFL, be sure to click here.

5. Midseason report card: Grades for all 32 teams

Every Monday, we hand out grades to every team based on how they played over the weekend. We love doing that so much that we're going to hand out even more grades with our midseason report card. Tyler Sullivan put on his professor hat and graded all 32 teams based on how they've looked through the first nine weeks of the season.

Let's check out some of the most interesting grades:

Bengals (3-6): F. "The Bengals have been one of the more maddening teams in the NFL. Yes, Joe Burrow got hurt and has been sidelined, which has put them behind the eight ball. That said, this team has had opportunities to weather the storm, but has failed miserably in doing so. Defensively, they might be the worst unit in the NFL. It doesn't matter if the offense drops anywhere between 38 and 42 points; they'll find a way to let the opposition score more."
Chiefs (5-4): C. "Kansas City remains the betting favorite to win Super Bowl LX, but that's largely based on reputation. In a vacuum, it's been up and down for them in 2025. ... They are still well within range of making a Chiefs-like surge in the second half, but they'll need to be gangbusters out of the bye. To this point, it's been hot and cold."
Commanders (3-6): D. "The Commanders have taken a considerable step backward after bursting onto the scene in Year 1 with Jayden Daniels. They've gone from an NFC Championship participant to a 3-6 club that is struggling to stay in the playoff picture. Of course, a key reason for their downtrodden 2025 campaign has been due to injuries, particularly with Daniels."
Rams (6-2): A. "Matthew Stafford should be getting more MVP attention. The veteran is white-hot at the halfway mark of the season, leading the NFL with 21 passing touchdowns. That number already exceeds his total from last season (20 passing touchdowns). Stafford has thrown 16 touchdowns over the last five games and has tossed zero interceptions over that stretch as well. That play gives L.A. a championship-caliber season, especially with the defense playing equally as well."

If you want to know how the other 28 teams graded out, you can check out Sullivan's full story here.

6. Five bold predictions for the second half of the season

We are going to end our midseason extravaganza by making some bold predictions for the second half of the season. Tyler Sullivan got a little crazy and came up with five bold predictions. We're going to check out three of them below.

Patriots earn the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. "New England has the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL, meaning there is a path for them to continue piling up wins. The Colts are the front-runner for the top seed right now, but they have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. We also shouldn't ignore that Daniel Jones just had a five-turnover game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9. Was that a one-off bad game? Or was it him starting to come back down to earth? If it's the latter, that only sets New England up even better to snatch the top seed."
Vikings win the NFC North. "In his return to action after missing time due to a high ankle sprain in Week 2, J.J. McCarthy looked good in Week 9, leading the Vikings to an upset win over the Lions in Detroit. ... That victory in Detroit improved Minnesota's record to 2-0 against the NFC North this season, with home games against the Lions and Bears left on the docket, along with both matchups against Green Bay. The Vikings also possess the easiest remaining schedule of their division rivals. Beyond the path ahead, the Packers, Lions, and Bears have each shown flaws through the first half of the season, leaving them susceptible to a team like Minnesota to come out of the woodwork if the right pieces fall into place."
Tua Tagovailoa gets benched. "When the Dolphins reach the point where they are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the objective throughout the entire organization is going to change from competing in 2025 to preparing for 2026. That'll feature taking stock of what they have on the roster, which includes at quarterback. They already know what they have in Tagovailoa. They don't know what they have in rookie seventh-round pick and former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers."

You can check out all five of Sullivan's bold predictions here, including his predicted winner for the AFC North.