Why modern life needs modern banking

How younger generations are revolutionizing our culture—and banking

By Mashable Brand X

How younger generations are revolutionizing our culture—and banking

By Mashable Brand X

From eschewing bar soap to turning their noses up at mayonnaise, Millennials just want to do things differently—and that’s true in many ways, including reimagining how our society views common life decisions.

Mostly, that means giving today’s rising generations more time before diving into major personal and financial changes. Compared to Boomers and Gen X, Millennials are marrying later, buying homes later, having children later—and that’s if they’re doing these things at all.

Why the delay? For many Millennials, it comes down to their finances. They want to feel a stronger sense of personal financial stability before undertaking a transformative endeavor like marriage or starting a business. This makes sense for a generation raised in the shadow of the 2008 recession, who treat banks differently than previous generations. A recent Gallup report shows only 66% of Millennials have visited a physical bank in the past six months, compared to 81% of Boomers. Where, then, are they banking?

The FinTech revolution

Enter FinTech, or Finance + Technology. The future of banking lies online, and Millennials—as in so many other ways—are at the forefront of rethinking the way we bank and handle our finances. From peer-to-peer payment apps to micro-loan startups, FinTech is stepping into the banking sector to offer fresh solutions for a rising generation.

According to “Smarter Connections,” a new global FinTech study commissioned by Citi, major life events—like marriage or starting a business—are the leading indicators in predicting whether a consumer will try FinTech. Of those polled, 12% said that starting a business was their deciding factor in adopting FinTech, while 6% cited marriage.

The study suggests that when a complicated and often stressful life event is on the horizon, banking customers are more willing to look to FinTech for help. That’s true even if they aren’t aware they’re using FinTech in the first place: the “Smarter Connections” study also showed that 63% of all respondents had not heard of the term FinTech—and while 30% of respondents are currently actively using FinTech, only 14% understood that they are indeed using FinTech services.

Marriage

These days, Millennials are waiting to tie the knot, and this cultural shift means the overall marriage rate in the US might drop to 70%, much lower than the rate for Boomers, Late Boomers, and Gen X (91%, 87%, and 82%, respectively). And with money as the leading cause of arguments between married couples, you might expect it to be a serious contributor to today’s trend of delaying marriage.

Of the FinTech Leaders surveyed in the “Smarter Connections” research study, 82% found it difficult to stay on top of their bills. Unsurprisingly, just over half of Millennial couples have discussed their individual spending and savings habits, and only 42% have discussed joint long-term financial goals.

But modern couples do think about financial health in a proactive way, even if they’re still working on bringing it up with their partners. Twenty-four-year-old Julianne Simson put it this way to the New York Times: “Since marriage is a partnership, I’d like to know… what I’m able to offer financially and how stable I am, before I’m committed legally to someone.” Simson and her 25-year-old boyfriend both named “paying down student loans and gaining more financial security” as their top priorities before considering marriage.

FinTech can help with that. Apps like Citi Mobile and HoneyFi, designed for couples, can aggregate multiple accounts to allow couples to more clearly track their financial well-being. That addresses a major pain point for consumers—FinTech considerers surveyed in the “Smarter Connections” study named “financial account management” as the second-leading issue driving their interest in FinTech. More to the point, HoneyFi and other similar services can jumpstart couples’ difficult conversations about money.

In helping couples better manage their money, HoneyFi and similar apps help them create a more stable financial—and, hopefully, personal—future. But before that, some fun: crowdsourcing apps help wedding guests send money to newlyweds for a dream honeymoon. Once the happy couple has returned from their trip, plenty of other FinTech apps will help them manage expenses more efficiently and transparently. And for major expenses like a home or the wedding itself, FinTech apps—such as LendingTree and Money View Loans—can help them secure loans, comparing offers across providers with an eye toward simplifying the loan process.

Starting a business

For all the talk about their tastes sounding the death knell for certain industries, Millennials sure are starting plenty of small businesses—according to Forbes, they’ve founded almost double the number that Boomers have. Starting your own business can be one of the most exciting moments of your life, and certainly one of the most stressful, so young entrepreneurs are taking things into their own hands. FinTech proves a natural fit for small business owners looking for adaptable, efficient, and inexpensive solutions.

“Smarter Connections” shows that Business Starters are among the most open consumers to using FinTech, especially seeking more efficient payment methods and account management tools. What do these services look like? Quickbooks and Intuit remain industry staples for Citi, American Express, and Chase customers (just to name a few), allowing customers to securely and reliably access account data. PayPal is one of the FinTech properties most familiar to the general public, and “Smarter Connections” showed 29% of Business Starters using that software, compared to 12% of non-business owners. But it isn’t just the realm of business: Payments is the area where people most express interest in FinTech—it’s used by 19% of consumers (30% in Singapore, 16% in the U.S., and 11% in Australia)—which includes peer-to-peer mobile payments, digital currencies, and international money transfers.

Today’s Business Starters, may be looking to keep overhead low and innovate their way to success in their own businesses. They might also look to PayPal and rising all-digital banks for solutions. Meanwhile, other FinTech services claim to offer lines of credit and loan management more simply than traditional banks. Kabbage, for instance, touts mobile loan management and no-fee applications as primary drivers for its small business loan programs. FinTech brands focused on small business loans stake their name on opening up access to capital for small businesses in ways that big banks can’t or won’t do—a lofty promise that will still take some bearing out in the real world, but one within sight.

However modern entrepreneurs choose to manage their small businesses, FinTech can help them streamline their efforts. It’s a new day for anyone wanting to start their own business, and FinTech is here to power the future of business with the future of banking.

Shaping the FinTech future

One of the most exciting things about FinTech is that it’s all still growing. Unlike the traditional banking system, regular consumers have the opportunity to help shape the world of FinTech themselves. That means more of a chance to ensure banking and financial tools that directly address their needs—even as those needs themselves change and develop over time.

Case in point, Canvas designed by Citi, a beta-testing community designed to allow users to help shape the future of Citi’s FinTech properties. Canvas invites users to sign up for announcements about new products, allowing them to weigh in on new product development. That, of course, means helping to define how users manage their own financial lives.

True to the innovative spirit of FinTech, Canvas takes a surprising approach to questions of finance. For example: one of its studies has users testing whether we treat money differently when we view our accounts in terms of “Wants,” “Needs,” and “Goals.” Another has users testing whether the number of daily steps someone takes has an affect on how much they spend that day.

Millennials and younger generations will continue to shape our culture, from the ways we marry to the ways we start businesses, from how we view home ownership to how we eat mayonnaise (or don’t). It’s only fitting that this same generation should shape the future of banking with FinTech. Why let the future be formed without you?

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One of the best early Black Friday gaming deals: Get an Xbox One S Minecraft bundle for $199 at Walmart

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission.

Image: Microsoft

By Kevin BillingsMashable Deals2018-11-19 16:11:00 UTC

Black Friday delivers plenty of choices when it comes to deals, and that’s especially true in gaming. From discounts on games and accessories to consoles and laptops, you should have no problem finding a great deal for the gamer in your life. One of our favorite gaming deals for Black Friday 2018 went on sale over the weekend, and we’re pretty stoked about it.

The Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle is on sale for $199 at Walmart, which is $100 off the original price of $299.

Whether you’re new to Minecraft or have been playing it for years, you’ll get everything you need to start messing around in this blocky world. It includes the full game, 1,000 Minecoins for more items like skins and world textures, the Starter Pack with four themed cosmetic packs, and the Creators Pack to experience some of the content created by the Minecraft community.

The Xbox One S isn’t half-bad, either. With all the games available to enjoy, especially some of the big releases from this fall like Red Dead Redemption 2 (also on sale), there’s plenty available to enjoy. As an added bonus, the system has a built-in UHD Blu-ray player and supports 4K streaming from services like Netflix.

Just make sure to pick it up quick: Black Friday bundles are usually in limited supply and high demand.

More coverage: Black Friday 2018

Black Friday 2018 deals by store

Black Friday 2018 deals by category

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NBA Trade Rumors: Wizards ‘Giving Impression’ John Wall, Bradley Beal Available

SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 26: John Wall #2 and Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards look on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on October 26, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The Washington Wizards are reportedly opening up to the idea of trading John Wall or Bradley Beal as their season continues to crumble.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the two formerly off-limits guards are now available, though they’re not necessarily shopping either player. Washington is 5-11 and has played with a listlessness on both ends of the floor unbecoming of the talent level on the roster.

The Wizards had hoped to salvage the Wall-Beal backcourt and find a third star by trading Otto Porter and/or Kelly Oubre. Neither player has generated much traction in trade talks, leading the Wizards to consider shaking up the guard dynamic.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

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The lifting of UN sanctions will not solve Eritrea’s problems

On November 14, the United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed to lift the sanctions it had imposed on Eritrea with Resolution 1907.

The measure, which included an international arms embargo, travel bans and the freezing of assets of high-profile Eritrean officials, had been in effect since 2009, when the UN accused Eritrea of supporting armed groups in Somalia – something the regime in Asmara always denied.

East African nations and the international community welcomed the UNSC’s decision, which came on the back of a landmark peace deal between Eritrea and Ethiopia.

While the withdrawal of sanctions is a major diplomatic win for Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, it is unlikely to change much for ordinary Eritreans. In fact, the regime continues to maintain its own form of crippling “sanctions” on the general population, limiting its rights and freedoms. And there are no serious signs that these sanctions are going anywhere.

Domestic sanctions

People living in Eritrea have long known that the lifting of the UN sanctions would not improve their lot much, despite the fact that the Eritrean regime regularly used them as a justification for some of its failures.

Likewise, the much celebrated Ethiopian-Eritrean deal also failed to bring major change to the lives of ordinary Eritreans. Months after it was concluded, the mandatory military service is still in place and civilians are still required to work as guards of official institutions as a form of national service. In fact, military drills and re-armament of civilians have intensified in recent days.

The crippling economic policies of the regime are also likely to remain in place. Import and export businesses were banned in 2003 and construction was outlawed in 2006. The movement of goods and labour was severely restricted and Eritrean nationals were banned from withdrawing more than $300 a month from their saving accounts.

These extreme measures crippled the country’s business sector and scared away investors. This, in addition to a massive brain drain caused by the regime’s repressive policies, stripped the nation of its most talented and entrepreneurial people.

As a result of these policies and regardless of the UN sanctions, Eritrean nationals who had the potential to invest and develop businesses relocated to other African countries and non-Eritreans simply did not see the country as a safe investment environment.

The peace deal and rapprochement with Ethiopia also has not done much for the handful of remaining Eritrean businesses so far. In fact, the normalisation led to an informal Ethiopian business “invasion”.

Ethiopians are now able to enter the country and freely sell their goods in the streets of Eritrea, participating in the open market without paying any taxes or being required to acquire expensive licenses. Even for their daily bread, Eritreans are now dependent on Ethiopian producers.

As a result of this highly unbalanced and unfair trade arrangement, no Eritrean business managed to thrive following the rapprochement with Ethiopia.

In this context, probably the only economic sphere that could benefit from the lifting of the UN sections would be mining. But the proceeds from that industry are also unlikely to trickle down to ordinary Eritreans as the regime keeps tight control on mining contracts and profits.

An emboldened Afwerki

Some experts have expressed hopes that the peace deal with Ethiopia and now the lifting of the UN sanctions could usher in changes in the domestic affairs of the country. The absence of a conflict with Ethiopia and some form of international rehabilitation seemingly leave the Eritrean regime no excuse to continue its repressive militarisation of society.

But these major diplomatic developments could also have the opposite effect. They could encourage President Afwerki to continue ruling the country with an iron fist and even embolden to tighten his grip on power even more. After all, none of these diplomatic breakthroughs came in exchange for concessions on human rights or internal political reforms.

For the last two decades, being a pariah in the eyes of the international community, Afwerki was relying on his loyal military commanders to help him hold on to power. However, he has now secured a powerful and widely popular ally in the face of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

With Ahmed on his side and increasing international backing, he no longer feels the need to consult even his most trusted commanders when making decisions. He is now signing treaties and deciding the faith of a nation of over 5 million single-handedly.

Since the peace deal, Afwerki visited Ethiopia three times and Ahmed came to Eritrea twice. The two leaders met twice more – once in the UAE and once in Saudi Arabia – to receive awards. However, the results of these meetings, just like the details of the peace deal between the two countries, have never been shared with the Eritrean people.

Afwerki had always prioritised regional politics over domestic affairs and so far nothing appears to have changed. It looks like he is still more concerned over his own international standing and regional ambitions than improving the lot of his people at home.

He still has old scores to settle in Ethiopia, especially with the old guard of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). It is not unlikely that Afwerki played an indirect role in the recent arrests of former top TPLF officials.

Thus, the rapprochement with Ethiopia has provided the Eritrean leader with the opportunity to pursue his regional grand ambitions at the expense of the Eritrean people. The last week’s decision by the UN will likely allow him to make himself more acceptable in the eyes of the international community and come one step closer to becoming an influential and internationally accepted regional actor.

In light of all this, Eritreans have little reason to celebrate the lifting of the sanctions that will likely benefit no one other than Afwerki himself. What the Eritrean people really need the UN to do is pressure the Eritrean regime to lift the devastating sanctions it has imposed on its own people.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

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A YouTuber’s cat managed to survive the California wildfires

YouTuber Hamish Patterson revealed in a heart wrenching new video on Sunday that his cat, Mike the mini puma, managed to survive the deadly California wildfire that ravaged Malibu.

In the video, Patterson shows his home completely destroyed by the wildfires, mourning the devastation.

“We found the cat,” said Patterson tearfully as he holds onto Mike in the video. “My kitty made it.”

Patterson goes on to say that he doesn’t know how Mike survived the fires, and that he’s amazed by the fact that he survived for nine days alone, with just a bit of food left out by friends and neighbors.

Despite the loss of their home, the entire Patterson clan is doing well — and they’re doing even better now that Mike has returned.

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New ‘Monopoly: Game of Thrones’ game plays the show’s theme song

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By Kellen Beck2018-11-19 15:04:27 UTC

There’s a new version of Monopoly for Game of Thrones fans and this time it plays music.

The second edition of Monopoly: Game of Thrones is coming in January 2019 to make Game of Thrones fans angrier at each other than the television show ever could. Along with some aesthetic upgrades, the new edition of Monopoly: Game of Thrones includes an Iron Throne card holder that plays the Game of Thrones theme song while you play.

With Monopoly: Game of Thrones, players get to control their preferred houses and buy up land all around Westeros and Essos to screw over their opponents and eventually dominate the world through the power of unmitigated capitalism.

To add to the Game of Thrones flair, the normal paper Monopoly currency has been replaced with silver stags and gold dragons (the coins used in Game of Thrones).

Interestingly, due to the nature of the HBO series, this version of Monopoly is intended to be played by people aged 18 and older. It is also the first-ever Monopoly game to have music incorporated into the experience.

Monopoly: Game of Thrones is available to pre-order online at a handful of major retailers for $29.99.

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LeBron James: Kyrie Irving Trade ‘Beginning of the End’ of Cavaliers Era

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) trades high-five's with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, on Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

LeBron James opened up about his decision to leave Cleveland, saying general manager Koby Altman’s lie to him about trading Kyrie Irving was the “beginning of the end” for his second tenure with the Cavaliers.

“Everyone knows that when Kyrie got traded, it was the beginning of the end for everything. It’s not a secret,” James told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon in an interview published Monday.

James said Altman told him that he would not trade a disgruntled Irving to the Boston Celtics, only for the deal to be completed the same day. Altman had taken over for David Griffin earlier in the summer of 2017, and James said he believed owner Dan Gilbert ordered the young general manager to complete the trade.

“You realize at that point in time, take nothing from Koby, because Koby [was just named GM], but at that point in time, you realize that Koby’s not the only one running the team, as [former GM David Griffin] had done, and that’s why Griff was let go pretty much,” James said.

The Cavs traded Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round pick in a move that instantly became a heist in Boston’s favor.

Thomas struggled to return from a hip injury and never fit in next to James. Crowder failed to thrive while playing outside of coach Brad Stevens’ egalitarian system. Cleveland traded both of them in midseason deals that also failed to pan out. Collin Sexton, the player the Cavs took with the No. 8 pick acquired for Irving, has struggled as a rookie.

Irving demanded a trade in part because he no longer wanted to play alongside James. The pair had led the Cavs to three straight Finals appearances, including a 2016 championship. LeBron led Cleveland to a fourth straight Finals without Irving in a herculean effort, but the Cavs were swept by the Golden State Warriors.

James signed a four-year contract (player option for 2021-22) with the Lakers this summer, a luxury he never afforded Cleveland during his return. He popularized the one-plus-one contract in a move that was designed to keep his options open and put pressure on the organization to make winning decisions. The Cavs traded Irving during the lone summer James did not have any bargaining power because he had signed a two-year contract.

LeBron returns to Cleveland on Wednesday for his first game since joining the Lakers.

“I’m returning to a place where I’ve spent 11 years of my career,” James said. “I had some great moments, had some not so great moments, but, all in all, when you give everything to whatever, the franchise, a teammate, a coaching staff, anything, that’s all that matters.”

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Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn ‘arrested for misconduct’

Carlos Ghosn, the chairman of Nissan and one of the world’s most powerful motor industry bosses, is reportedly under arrest in Japan over allegations of financial misconduct.

Japanese media on Monday reported that the Brazilian-born executive had been held after prosecutors questioned him for various improprieties, including under-reporting his income.

A towering figure in the car industry, Ghosn is credited with turning around several major manufacturers. He currently leads an alliance of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi.

The Tokyo prosecutor’s office had no comment on the reports about Ghosn. Mitsubishi and Renault have also not commented, neither has Ghosn’s side.

Nissan’s board to meet

Nissan’s board is now set to meet on Thursday when it is expected to agree to sack Ghosn and Representative Director Greg Kelly.

In a statement, Nissan said it had been investigating Ghosn and Kelly for months, after receiving a report from a whistle-blower. The Japanese car giant has since uncovered misconduct going back several years, the statement said.

“The investigation showed that over many years both Ghosn and Kelly have been reporting compensation amounts in the Tokyo Stock Exchange securities report that were less than the actual amount, in order to reduce the disclosed amount of Carlos Ghosn’s compensation,” it said.

“Also, in regards to Ghosn, numerous other significant acts of misconduct have been uncovered, such as personal use of company assets, and Kelly’s deep involvement has also been confirmed.”

The company said it had provided information to Japanese prosecutors and would recommend that the board of directors “promptly remove Ghosn from his positions”.

Renault, which is aligned with Nissan, is a large employer in France [File: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters]

France’s concern

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Paris would remain extremely vigilant about the fate of Renault and its alliance with Nissan after Ghosn’s reported arrest.

Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, at the start of a two-day state visit to Belgium, Macron said: “It is too early to comment on the facts.”

But he went on to add that the French state, as a Renault shareholder, “will be extremely vigilant to the stability of the alliance and the group”.

Macron said his government would give “all its support” to employees of Renault, one of France’s major companies.

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Mods don’t add much to the Moto Z3— Power Up

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How do the latest popular gadgets hold up in our ever-evolving technological world? Get the pulse on the hottest tech products in this extended digital version of Un Nuevo Día’s “El Pulso via Mashable” segment on Telemundo.

Cassidy Miller

26 minutes ago

Motorola’s Moto Z3 has plenty of mods to adapt your phone into your ideal device. With a super AMOLED screen and a sleek glass and metal build, this phone sure is easy on the eyes. One of the biggest draw backs of this phone is the button placement, which is all over the place. Seriously, who needs a fingerprint reader on the side of a phone? If you can get past the average functional features, this phone might be your perfect match. Alix Aspe has all of the details on mods, battery life, and other capabilities on this week’s episode of Power Up.

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Monday Morning Digest: Is Lamar Jackson the Next Big Thing or a 1-Game Wonder?

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Todd Olszewski/Getty Images

In this week’s typically overstuffed edition of Monday Morning Digest:

Someone in the Saints offense is on pace to smash a record, and it’s not (just) Drew Brees;
The Jaguars smother themselves with their own arch-conservative game plan;
The Alex Smith injury spells doom in Washington and causes chaos in the NFC playoff chase;
Danica Patrick and Condoleezza Rice make NFL news. Yup, that’s a thing that happened this week;
Digest Sportsbook previews the Chiefs-Rams showdown;

and much more, beginning with the much-anticipated—and modestly encouraging—starting debut of Lamar Jackson.

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Todd Olszewski/Getty Images

Lamar Jackson was mesmerizing, dynamic, electrifying and thrilling to watch in his first NFL start.

He just wasn’t very good.Jackson led the Ravens to a 24-21 victory over the Bengals in relief of the injured Joe Flacco, now on his sixth year of personifying overpriced quarterback mediocrity. Jackson rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries, adding 150 yards and an interception on 13-of-19 passing.When a quarterback runs the ball eight more times than he throws it, you know something is up. The Ravens offense with Jackson at the helm looked like a mid-major college.Jackson executed the option, ran quarterback draws on third downs, scrambled frequently and handed off effectively to Gus Edwards and other rushers. He juked, spun and bedeviled defenders who were never quite sure who had the ball. He tossed a few short passes to the flat and fired enough side-armed throws on shallow crosses to keep the Bengals defense semi-honest.Jackson also threw an ugly interception at the end of a playground scramble to set up a Bengals touchdown, heaved a few other dangerous throws up for grabs and failed to convert a 4th-and-1 because everyone in the stadium knew a sneak was the only possibility. What passing game the Ravens had was primitive and conservative. Evaluating Jackson on Sunday was like interpreting midterm election results. If you were hoping for a Jackson wave, you got a win, highlights and stats that don’t look out of place among Jackson’s rookie-quarterback peers. If you belong to the Committee to Convert Jackson to Wide Receiver, well, Jackson looked a little like a wide receiver pressed into emergency service at quarterback a few times. Jackson was still mastering the basics of being an NFL quarterback in August. Both his preseason performances and weekly Wildcat cameos were a lot like Sunday’s game: some OMG-worthy athletic highlights mixed with long stretches of ineffective read-option gadgetry and pocket indecision. Jackson still appears to have a long way to go before he’s an effective every-down passer, and it will catch up with the Ravens quickly if what he showed on Sunday is all he’s got. The Bengals may be flummoxed by read options—the Bengals just fired their defensive coordinator and hired Hue Jackson, for heaven’s sake—but future opponents will render Jackson’s designed runs about as dangerous as Flacco’s one-yard passes on 3rd-and-long.The Ravens are 5-5: still wild-card berth viable, with a winnable Raiders game next week. Flacco should be healthy enough to return soon. Jim Harbaugh’s job may well depend on how the next six weeks play out. But there is no obvious answer to their quarterback dilemma. Jackson is the future for the Ravens. And Flacco is the past. But the present may still belong to the Flacco-Jackson platoon. Whether that’s the best of both worlds or an imperfect compromise, it gives the Ravens the best chance to win, at least until Jackson shows that there’s more to his game than options and potential.

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Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

What happened

The Bears asserted themselves as front-runners for the NFC North title with a dominating defensive performance. Minnesota running backs rushed for just 17 yards in the game, and the Vikings netted just 77 offensive yards in the first half as Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Leonard Floyd dominated the line of scrimmage.

The Vikings clawed back into the game after the Bears took a 14-0 lead with a pair of second-half field goals, but Kirk Cousins threw a pick-six to Eddie Jackson in the fourth quarter, giving the Bears an insurmountable lead.

Cousins made the final score look good with a pair of late touchdowns, but the Vikings once again proved that they don’t belong in the Super Bowl conversation this year and that their hefty financial investment in Cousins won’t be paying the hoped-for dividends.

What it means

The Bears’ Chiefs-like (or Chiefs Lite) offense has gotten most of the attention this season, but it ran hot-and-cold on Sunday, as it often does against decent opponents.

Mitchell Trubisky made some plays with his legs but tossed a pair of ugly interceptions to go with a diving touchdown catch by Anthony Miller. Tarik Cohen mixed in a costly fumble with his jitterbug runs. Trubisky is more accurate and decisive than he was early in the year, and the Bears offense creates plenty of opportunities for playmakers, but Matt Nagy’s scheme is still a work in progress.

The Bears defense, which was outstanding in a three-week run against the Jets, Bills and Lions, proved that it could do more than shut down the NFL’s weakest defenses. Hicks was credited with five tackles for loss. Mack forced a fumble and tossed blockers aside to get to Cousins. The Bears may not be the NFL’s most consistent team, but when they are humming on both sides of the ball, they are among the league’s most complete and dangerous teams.

The Vikings defense played well enough to win, but Cousins and the running backs got no support from an offensive line playing its worst game since the Week 3 Bills loss. Blame the line or the game plan, but the fact remains that Cousins keeps serving up disappointing performances against opponents he’s getting paid $84 million over three years to beat. And some of Cousins’ worst throws, like his pre-halftime interception, can’t be blamed on anyone else.

What’s next

The Bears clobbered the Lions last week, but the Thanksgiving visit to Detroit is always a trickier matchup. Chicago visits the Giants after that and then get the Rams and Packers back-to-back in a series which will help shape the NFC postseason picture.

The Vikings host the Packers and then travel to Foxborough. If they are fighting for anything but the last wild-card spot after that, either Cousins finally found fourth gear or a lot more NFC teams went belly-up.

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Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

What happened

Thomas caught all four of the passes thrown to him for 92 yards and one touchdown in the Saints’ 48-7 vivisection of the Eagles.

Thomas didn’t lead the Saints in receiving—rookie Tre’Quan Smith raced through the smoldering ashes of the Eagles secondary for a 10-157-1 stat line—but with his perfect 4-for-4 receiving performance, Thomas now has 82 catches for 1,042 yards and eight touchdowns on just 91 passes for a mind-boggling 90.1 percent catch rate.

What it means

It’s hard to express just how unbelievable a 90.1 percent catch rate is for a wide receiver.

The NFL’s completion rate entering Sunday was 65.1 percent, the highest in history by over two percentage points. That historic rate includes every single screen and dump-off thrown by every quarterback in the NFL, so receivers like Thomas—who are targeted for many more downfield passes than most running backs or tight ends—rarely have catch rates much higher than 70 percent, even in these days of passing games gone bonkers.

Jerry Rice’s highest catch rate as a starter was 74.2 percent in 1994. Fine, completion rates and offensive levels were lower then. Wes Welker‘s catch rate for the 2007 Patriots, when he hoovered up all of Tom Brady’s short stuff for the greatest offense in history, was 77.2 percent.

The only other wide receiver in history* to catch more than 80 percent of his targets in a season with more than 50 receptions was Austin Collie, who caught 58 of 71 passes (81.7 percent) thrown to him by Peyton Manning on the 2010 Colts. Thomas blows Collie away in every conceivable way.

Lots of credit goes to Drew Brees, of course, who is on his way to another completion percentage record, and to Sean Payton and Thomas’ fellow playmakers. But Thomas has become the hardest receiver in the league to cover this year, if not one of the hardest to cover in history. His catch rate may drop off as the season progresses, but his impact on defenses and the NFC standings will not.

What’s next

The Falcons secondary Thomas faces next week isn’t as injury-plagued and shell-shocked as the Eagles secondary. But it’s close.

*Catch rates on Pro Football Reference only date back to 1992, when targets became a widely available statistic.

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Gary McCullough/Associated Press

What happened

The Jaguars played to not lose after their defense pitched a near-perfect game for almost three quarters. And as a result, they lost.

Jalen Ramsey, the subject of trade speculation in the Sunday morning rumor mill, intercepted two passes and helped hold Antonio Brown to just one catch in the first half. The Jaguars defense as a whole held the Steelers to just 68 yards of offense. But Jacksonville settled for three field goals before Leonard Fournette leapt from the 5-yard line and crowd-surfed Coachella-style for a touchdown that gave it a 16-0 lead late in the third quarter.

Brown struck back quickly with a 78-yard touchdown on a busted coverage. The Jaguars then went three-and-out on four archconservative fourth-quarter drives in a foolish attempt to squat on a 10-point lead for 15 solid minutes. A would-be game-saving interception by D.J. Hayden in the final seconds was nullified by a (blatant) facemask foul, and Ben Roethlisberger jumped across the goal line for a game-winning touchdown in the waning seconds.

What it means

The Jaguars offensive game plan was an embarrassment. High school coaches forced to start freshman quarterbacks in the 1970s had more trust in their passing game than Doug Marrone and his staff have in Blake Bortles, who completed just 10 of 18 passes for 104 yards while enduring six sacks.

The Jaguars got the ball with a 10-point lead and 6:47 to play in the fourth quarter, ran Fournette up the gut twice and threw a pass that wouldn’t have netted a first down even if it were complete. Their defense then allowed the Steelers to march down the field and score at the 2:35 mark, with all three timeouts and the two-minute warning remaining. The Jaguars responded with three plays and a punt. It was an absolute clock-management and play-calling meltdown.

The Jags also committed 11 penalties for 111 yards, including some drive-killing holding calls in the first half and a series of facemask and roughing fouls on defense in the second half.

The only reason Jacksonville should ever try to trade Ramsey is if he demands a chance to get away from a horribly coached team in deep denial about its quarterback situation.

Oh, yeah: Great comeback and late-game effort by the Steelers, who looked sloppy for three quarters in the wake of The Great Le’Veon Bell Locker Caper.

What’s next

The Steelers visit the Broncos. The Jaguars face the Bills, who have gone through four starting quarterbacks and have been a national punchline all season—and have the exact same 3-7 record as they do.

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Joe Robbins/Getty Images

With all eyes on Sunday night’s Bears-Vikings game and the Chiefs-Rams Super Bowl preview on Monday night, it’s easy to lose track of all the wild-card hopefuls and divisional challengers jostling each other for position on the NFC’s second tier. But you can count on Digest to keep track of things by watching Falcons football so you don’t have to.

Washington Redskins: Lost 23-21 to Texans

Alex Smith suffered a nasty leg injury in the third quarter, 33 years to the day after Joe Theismann’s gruesome leg injury at the hands of Lawrence Taylor on Monday Night Football.

Veteran backup Colt McCoy did his best Ryan FitzMagic impression in relief, throwing a touchdown and scrambling for some first downs to make things interesting against a Texans team suffering its usual pass protection and red-zone scoring issues. But Washington is beat up along the offensive line and at the skill positions, and there is nothing in McCoy’s background that suggests he’s capable of doing more than keeping the team comfortable as it slowly sinks from the top of the standings.

Alex Smith’s injury was something no one ever wants to see again. Theismann’s injury was something you can close your eyes, picture, and shudder at 33 years later. It was like a Saw movie, only real.

Dallas Cowboys: Defeated the Falcons 22-19

The Cowboys defense is generating plenty of pressure, Ezekiel Elliott is cruising and Dak Prescott has stabilized at the “workmanlike scrambler” effectiveness setting, allowing the Cowboys to commit far fewer mistakes than the Falcons and Eagles—opponents they have now climbed over in the playoff chase.

The Cowboys aren’t spectacular by any means, but it doesn’t matter: The NFC playoff road is rising to meet them, with the battered Redskins crawling into town to face them on Thanksgiving with the NFC East lead on the line.

Atlanta Falcons: Lost 22-19 to the Cowboys

If you haven’t figured out by now that the Falcons play just well enough to tear out your heart and toss it in the garbage disposal, Digest doesn’t know what else to tell you. Remember how the Falcons supposedly had their red-zone offensive problems solved? Five field goals against the Cowboys later, they are back where they were in September.

Now 4-6 with visits to New Orleans and Lambeau over the next three weeks, the Falcons are cooked.

Carolina Panthers: Lost 20-19 to the Lions

Speaking of teams giving back the offensive gains they made: The Panthers replaced all of the misdirection plays that gave opponents fits in the first half of the year with Cam Newton sacks over the past two games. Newton got crunched so hard he had to leave the game briefly on Sunday, but he returned to lead a pair of late-game comeback drives before misfiring on a game-winning two-point conversion attempt that looked like it was drawn up to purposely negate everything Newton and the Panthers do well.

Two straight losses have jeopardized the Panthers’ wild-card chances. They face the Saints twice in the final three weeks, and those games are starting to look like a potential 1-2 knockout punch.

Philadelphia Eagles: Lost 48-7 to Saints

If it gets any worse, the NFL may just ask for those Super Bowl rings back.

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Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Josh Rosen: 9-of-20 for 136 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

Christian Kirk provided 59 yards and a touchdown on a screen pass, meaning Rosen’s other 19 throws netted just 87 total yards.

Rosen completed just three passes for 22 yards in the entire second half, when the Cardinals possessed the ball for just eight minutes and 11 seconds. Arizona’s second-half drives, in a game that was always within one touchdown either way, consisted mostly of David Johnson runs until it was 3rd-and-long and Rosen could throw an incomplete pass.

Digest was a little hard on the Lamar Jackson game plan earlier. Lots of designed runs can be a sign that a team is hiding a young quarterback’s limits, but they are better than just doing nothing and surrendering to those limits.

Phillip Lindsay, Broncos: 11 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns; 4 catches for 27 yards

Lindsay’s first touchdown was a 41-yarder from a single-setback formation, and his second came on a direct snap play near the goal line. Lindsay caught screen passes from the backfield, slot and split wide and also caught a flat pass after motioning into an H-back position.

Who saw this kind of versatile productivity coming from an undersized, unheralded rookie? Digest will just leave this link here and wink.

T.Y. Hilton, Colts: 9 catches on 9 targets for 155 yards, 2 TD

Hilton picked on second-year Titans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson for most of his production Sunday. Jackson is a tremendous athlete with inconsistent coverage technique who tackles like he’s trying to climb onto the side of a moving dump truck, so Hilton had no trouble deconstructing him on a wide variety of pass routes.

By the way, if you forgot that Hilton was a great receiver—or even existed—during Andrew Luck‘s nine-year shoulder rehabilitation, it’s time to tune back in. Luck-to-Hilton is a scary combination again.

Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick: 25-of-37, 366 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT

Buccaneers quarterbacks have combined for 23 interceptions this season. The Buccaneers defense has intercepted just one pass. It’s hard to win many games with a minus-22 interception differential.

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

This week’s Sportsbook looks ahead to the Super Bowl Preview, the Game of the Century, The Game So Big It Took Two Cities to Host: Monday night’s Chiefs-Rams showdown.

The Line: Rams -3.5

Chiefs-Rams opened at Rams -1 but jumped once the game was moved from the Mexico City mud flats to Los Angeles. The fact that the Rams are 4-6 ATS this year (1-6 since Week 4) and 5-7 as home favorites since 2017 may be baked into this modest line: The public doesn’t love them as big favorites.

Digest wouldn’t touch the Rams past -4 and would love the push cushion of -3 some books were still offering Sunday, but we lean toward taking the Rams and laying the points.

The Moneyline: Rams -175, Chiefs +165

Yuck. The house sees what we all see—high likelihood of a two-to-four-point Rams win—so it’s not giving us any meat on the bone for a straight-up Rams win. The Chiefs are more enticing here if you are feeling a straight-up win for them: Digest doesn’t love the Chiefs, but if we did, we’d rather have a +165 payout than a field goal.

The Number: 63

Yep, that’s scary high, especially since the two teams are a combined 10-9-1 at pole-vaulting over the wild expectations their offenses have created this season. The Chiefs are 2-4-1 against the number since Week 4, with a push in a 30-23 win over the Broncos giving a sense of how dizzyingly high the house has set the bar for them.

Neither of these teams is exactly hapless on defense, and the idea of staying up late on Monday night to lose on a 31-30 final is too much for Digest to bear. We’d rather skip unders than bet them, but if it’s your cup of tea, take the under and cheer for every first-half field goal.

The Parlay: Rams Straight Up and Under: +195

We found this one on the DraftKings app on Sunday and don’t loathe it. You can get the Chiefs and either the over or under at +350, which is a heck of a payout for hunch-players. But we don’t have that hunch. Instead, we see the Rams defense slowing the Chiefs down the way the Broncos did in both meetings and the Rams offense going into high-efficiency ball-control mode, and that combination will allow Los Angeles to pull out some 28-27 win. This parlay, with no spread to worry about, pays a pretty tasty dividend.

Player Props

Most of them are not enticing: Todd Gurley’s rushing-yard over/under was 95.5 as of Sunday, for example. But there are some fun multi-touchdown props out there (according to the DraftKings app). Todd Gurley is just +100 to score two touchdowns against the Chiefs run defense, which has allowed 12 touchdowns this season. But take Gurley up to three total touchdowns, and you can get a +375 moneyline.

Or say you are a big fan of Josh Reynolds taking over Cooper Kupp’s role in the Rams offense. You can get Reynolds +2200 to score two touchdowns on DraftKings and a wild +10000 to score three. It’s practically a Powerball ticket, but it could add some real drama to Rams red-zone trips for a very low price.

All trends and splits courtesy of TeamRankings.com; point spreads and over/unders from OddsShark.

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Bobby Ellis/Getty Images

Defender of the Week

Jalen Ramsey intercepted two passes, one of them in the end zone, and stymied Antonio Brown for much of the afternoon before giving up one fourth-quarter Brown catch down to the goal line. (Ramsey can be seen chasing Brown on his 78-yard touchdown, but that was zone coverage, and a deep safety made a mistake to spring Brown.)

If there are any more rumblings out of Jacksonville about a Ramsey trade, with or without official denials, it’s a troubling sign that the Jaguars are blaming organizational failures on their best players and are preparing to sink back into oblivion.

Offensive Line of the Week

The Ravens offensive line had to switch to a service academy game plan as Lamar Jackson and company ran 54 times for 265 yards on options and quarterback draws. It’s not easy to pick up an entirely new offensive philosophy on the fly, so let’s hear it for Ronnie Stanley, Alex Lewis, Matt Skura, Marshal Yanda, Orlando Brown Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor, who filled in for the banged-up Stanley on a few snaps.

Special Teamer of the Week

Lions punter Sam Martin pinned the Panthers at the 2, 6 and 8-yard lines on Sunday, forcing them to start their average drive from the 16-yard line. The Panthers couldn’t call many of their intricate, long-developing misdirection plays from the shadow of their own goal posts.

Mystery Touch of the Week

Broncos punter Colby Wadman faked out the Chargers special teams with a 12-yard pass to Andy Janovich for a first down. Bet you didn’t know the Broncos punter was named Colby Wadman. Bet you are not surprised at all that the Chargers cost themselves a win with the help of a special teams blunder.

Philly Special Imitators of the Week

The Philly Special has spread this season like imitation Philly cheesesteaks (with weird ingredients like actual steak and cheese), but Frank Reich helped perfect the recipe, so you know his version of the play was authentic. Still, things didn’t turn out all that special when the Colts tried to run the play. Eric Ebron took a reverse handoff near the red zone and floated a pass just out of the reach of Andrew Luck, proving what Reich’s former Eagles employers know all too well: Super Bowl magic ain’t easy to recreate.

Buccaneers Moment of the Week

When Mike Evans recovered a Jameis Winston fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, it was the most 2018 Buccaneers event of the 2018 Buccaneers season. Let’s check the bingo card:

Second-half quarterback change from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Winston? Check.
Sloppiness with the football? Check.
Ridiculous play that led to a near comeback in the second half? Check.
Meant nothing in the standings but caused havoc in fantasy leagues? Check.

The only thing that could have made it the perfect apotheosis of Buccaneers football would have been a missed extra point.

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Morry Gash/Associated Press

Your weekly debate about off-the-field issues.

Le’Veon Bell’s former Steelers teammates loot his locker after he fails to show up for his final reporting deadline.

POINT: Nothing sends a message to a holdout about high standards, teamwork, leadership and professionalism like dividing up his collection of partially used deodorants.

COUNTERPOINT: Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman reports that Bell signing with the Jets next year is a “foregone conclusion,” because passing up $14 million to earn free agency and then nerfing your negotiating leverage by deciding five months early to sign with a team that will probably change coaches and general managers in the interim is considered shrewd career planning these days.

BONUS COUNTER-COUNTERPOINT: Steelers players put all of Bell’s stuff back where they found it. That makes it OK, right? Take video of yourself rooting through the desks of your coworkers, fondling their belongings and then putting things neatly away. You’ll see just how totally OK they are with it.

Danica Patrick says Aaron Rodgers initially hit on her using quotes from the movie Dumb and Dumber.

POINT: Rodgers has Dumb and Dumber memorized after years of mastering Mike McCarthy’s game plans.

COUNTERPOINT: Patrick also says Rodgers is her first paramour who offers to pay when they go out. Digest is above a cheap NASCAR dating joke (let’s shotgun some beers and throw tractor tires in the old quarry, then Waffle House). Instead, we picture Rodgers “offering” to pay, buying time checking for his wallet but finding nothing he likes, scrambling out of the restaurant to look for it and then blaming one of his receivers when Patrick bails him out. The old Discount Double Check, indeed.

Patrick Mahomes reveals that he puts ketchup on both steak and mac ‘n’ cheese.

POINT: Oh, good grief, just because this kid threw a bunch of touchdown passes, now he’s supposed to be some cross-cultural taste influencer? Well, we’re not falling for it! (Pours ketchup into morning coffee.)

COUNTERPOINT: That’s nothing. Andy Reid puts steak in his mac ‘n’ cheese, mac ‘n’ cheese on his steak and stuffs steak and mac ‘n’ cheese into his Thanksgiving turkey.

Colts issue a pamphlet on how to drive in snow to players, including advice like “never warm up vehicle in an enclosed area, like a garage.”

POINT: Slowly asphyxiating from carbon monoxide poisoning is both a terrible way to die and an apt metaphor for the Chuck Pagano era.

COUNTERPOINT: Editors quietly removed team owner Jim Irsay’s icy-road advice—“Remember, the faster you go, the straighter you go”—for liability reasons.

Adam Schefter reports that the Browns want to interview former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for head coaching job.

POINT: (Checks to see if this is a fake Schefter account. Then a fake ESPN page. Then a Matrix-style fake reality. Then checks medications for possible hallucinatory side-effects. Then contemplates going off the grid and living in the woods to escape a society gone mad but realizes he’s afraid of bears.) Definite upgrade over Hue Jackson! (Goes to lie down in bed with a cold cloth over his eyes.)

COUNTERPOINT: Once Rice takes over as head coach, expect immediate friction between her and new general manager Henry Kissinger.

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Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Let’s check in with the teams at the bottom of the standings. Are they quitting? Tanking? Quanking?

(Quanking is utterly quitting but playing it off to ownership and fans as a clever Moneyball tactic to get better draft picks. It’s not that relevant this week, however, because the Bills and Jets are on byes.)

Giants: Haven’t quit

With their 38-35 playground pickup-game win over the Bucs and Monday night’s comeback against the 49ers, the Giants now have back-to-back victories over teams they will likely be jockeying with at the top of next year’s draft order. So the wins are bad for Moneyball and worse for sober analysis of Eli Manning, who went 17-of-18 for two touchdowns on Sunday and is now enjoying a “comeback” narrative against a team led by a third-string randos and one that spots every opponent three free turnovers.

Draft order be damned, it’s great to see Saquon Barkley carving up opposing defenses, even if they aren’t very good defenses, and even if it just costs the Giants a chance to draft a quarterback. Yup, great.

Detroit Lions: Haven’t quit

If you thought (like Digest did) that the Lions would grab their golf bags after Matt Patricia’s let’s practice in the snow like manly men midweek wannabe drill sergeant routine, Sunday’s 20-19 win proved you wrong. Expect the unexpected with the Lions, who will either win or lose by 24 points against the Bears on Thanksgiving: No result in between is possible.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Quit weeks ago

Yeah, they scored 21 fourth-quarter points to make things close against the Giants. They pulled the same stunt against the Panthers and Bengals. The Buccaneers are that person at your office who never does any work but speed-walks through the corridors with a pencil behind his or her ear looking anxious and overworked. He or she will keep faking a winning effort as long as management keeps falling for it.

Come to think of it: Do you think Matt Patricia was the guy in the Patriots organization who never did any work but speed-walked through the corridors with a pencil behind his ear looking anxious and overworked?

Arizona Cardinals: May or may not have quit

The Cardinals’ time of possession was 23:59 in their last-second loss to the Raiders. Their season average for time of possession is 25:46. It’s hard to tell if a team is really trying when it never has the ball.

Oakland Raiders: Quit quitting

The Raiders kept trying to give this game away. They let Christian Kirk outrun their whole defense on a 59-yard screen pass touchdown. Derek Carr and Jon Gruden got into one of their squabbles after a failed third-down conversion. They got stuffed at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter and then let David Johnson run 53 yards up the middle to set up a late go-ahead Cardinals touchdown.

But no matter how hard the Raiders tried to quit, the Cardinals kept giving them opportunities in the form of tip-drill interceptions and fourth-quarter holding penalties. So the Raiders eventually quit quitting and embarked on a game-winning field-goal drive.

Tune in next week when the Raiders quit quit quitting against the Ravens.

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