'Do We Need More Women in Football?': Cam Newton Applauds Carlie Irsay-Gordon Amid Colts’ 7–1 Start
NFL ownership has long been a boys’ club, but a new era is quietly taking shape, led by women like Carlie Irsay-Gordon. Of the dozen female owners now holding significant power across franchises, few have made their presence felt quite like the Indianapolis Colts’ new CEO.
Since taking over following the passing of her father, Jim Irsay, in May 2025, Carlie has redefined what ownership looks like. Unlike nearly all her peers who prefer watching the game from a luxury suite, she’s on the sidelines, headset on, notepad in hand, listening to play calls and observing every strategic detail unfold.
Irsay-Gordon even attends meetings, questions decisions, and holds her football executives accountable out of the belief that leadership begins with understanding. And as it’s turned out, her approach has mirrored the Colts’ transformation on the field.
Under HC Shane Steichen, Indianapolis has soared to a 7-1 record, its best start in over a decade, and leads the NFL in total points (270) and scoring efficiency.
Daniel Jones, once written off in New York, has been reborn in blue and white, throwing 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions while guiding the league’s top-ranked offense. Even running back Jonathan Taylor is back to All-Pro form, while Michael Pittman Jr. continues to torment defenses with consistent brilliance.
For many, it is no coincidence that this resurgence began under Irsay-Gordon’s stewardship. And even ex-NFL MVP Cam Newton couldn’t help but take notice. On the recent episode of his
“I’ve been seeing Carlie make her presence felt — yes, very much so,”
The Panthers legend was honest enough to admit that he was initially hesitant to discuss her involvement over concerns of micromanagement. But he has since come to see it differently, thanks to the Colts’ unprecedented success.
This observation made Newton ask a question that’s echoing across the league: “Do we need more women in football?… Does a woman’s presence provide a different element to not just football, but to sports … a male-dominated commodity … that we probably didn’t even know we needed?”
He didn’t leave it rhetorical. “Women are more detailed, more organized, more sharp… And with the addition of Carlie Irsay-Gordon, she’s brought a different culture to the table… the culture has definitely shifted, for sure,”
As things stand, it’s hard to argue otherwise because the Colts just can’t stop winning and dominating their opponents. And at the heart of that, headset on and eyes locked in, is an owner in Carlie Irsay-Gordon who refuses to be a figurehead.
Patrick Mahomes Shares Scary Thought About Chiefs Offense After Week 8
After the Kansas City Chiefs routed the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared a simple thought about the current KC offense entering Week 9, and it should terrify the rest of the NFL.
While talking about bouncing back from penalties to finish drives and consistently put points on the board, Mahomes revealed the following.
“It speaks to the mindset [that] this team has,” the Chiefs QB said during his Week 8 postgame press conference. “That’s kind of the mindset that I had early in my career — that the penalties weren’t going to affect us, we were going to go out there and score no matter what.”
As a reminder, earlier in his career, Mahomes led one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL year after year, including two 5,000-yard passing seasons and one campaign with 50 passing touchdowns in 2018.
Mahomes is not quite on that sort of pace in 2025, but he has only just gotten his full complement of playmakers back, with star wide receiver Rashee Rice returning in Week 7. Needless to say, if he and this current KC offense can mirror 2018 down the stretch, that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
Chiefs Offense Turns It Up a Notch in the Second Half in Week 8 as Patrick Mahomes & Co. Match Commanders’ Energy
After the game, Mahomes admitted that he felt the Chiefs’ offense didn’t match the Commanders’ energy in the first half of the Week 8 Monday Night Football outing. That’s fair, considering it was a 7-7 scoreline entering the break.
From there, Kansas City promptly closed the game out with 21 unanswered points and three Mahomes passing touchdowns.
“When we got in the locker room [at halftime], we just talked about executing, you know?” Mahomes told reporters. “Sometimes you want to press and make stuff happen, especially in a big game like Monday Night Football… They had more energy than we did; their defense versus our offense, and so we had to match their energy and execute at a higher level. And we were able to do that in the second half. It started off with that first drive, and then we kind of continued that momentum through the rest of the second half.”
The Chiefs’ offense really displayed its true potential in quarters three and four, facing the Commanders.
Whether it was Travis Kelce getting loose in the secondary, Rice gashing the opposition, Isiah Pacheco hammering the defensive front, Kareem Hunt leaking out in the passing game, or Xavier Worthy bringing his speed element, KC was firing on all cylinders.
And they didn’t even utilize a couple of early-season playmakers like Hollywood Brown and Tyquan Thornton all that much.
This Chiefs offense is more diverse and more dynamic than it has been in a long time, and more than anything else, that speaks volumes. Mahomes sees it, and soon the rest of the NFL will, too.
Chiefs’ Offensive Leaders in Week 8
GettyKansas City Chiefs veteran playmakers Kareem Hunt (left) and Travis Kelce (right) celebrate a touchdown in Week 8.
Kelce led the way in receiving yards in Week 8, finishing just 1 yard shy of 100 (6 for 99). He also caught a historic touchdown to add to his Hall of Fame career.
After a somewhat slow start in the first half, Rice nearly matched Kelce in yardage by the end of the game, with 93 receiving yards off 9 catches. Rice also notched another TD.
Worthy was next with 5 catches for 53 yards, and veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster got on the board with 2 receptions for 29 yards, as did backup tight end Noah Gray (2 for 23).
Finally, Pacheco rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries, while Hunt added 40 rushing yards on 9 carries. Hunt finished with 2 touchdowns in this outing, 1 rushing and 1 receiving, and Mahomes finished with 299 passing yards and 3 touchdowns despite 2 early interceptions.
The Chiefs’ next matchup is a big one, as Kansas City will head to northern New York to face the AFC rival Buffalo Bills in enemy territory.
