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Jared Goff has silenced many of his critics by playing the best football of his career over the past six weeks to lead the Detroit Lions into playoff contention, but Goff's hot streak has not dimmed the prospects of the Lions taking a quarterback high in next spring's draft, according to one prominent analyst.
He's thrown for 670 yards and five touchdowns in Lions victories over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings the past two weeks and is completing 67.2% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and one interception as the Lions have gone 5-1 in their past six games.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff passes against the Vikings during the second half of the Lions' 34-23 win over the Vikings on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, at Ford Field.
If the Lions still have doubts about Goff's staying power - Goff was considered a system quarterback before his trade from the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 - this could be their last, best chance to take a quarterback high in the draft for the foreseeable future.
"OK, time to address the Lions' defense," McShay wrote of the Porter selection. "We're all excited about the potential of Will Levis in that offense, but if they keep giving up 6.2 yards per play (last in the NFL), it won't matter too much. Jeff Okudah has been up and down after being the No. 3 overall pick in 2020, and Amani Oruwariye and Mike Hughes are both expected to be free agents in the spring. Porter - the son of former Steelers edge rusher Joey Porter - is my top cornerback, showcasing high-level recognition skills, and he'd give that defense more scheme flexibility. He didn't have a pick this season, but he did have 11 pass breakups. Detroit walks away from Round 1 with two hard-nosed, physical playmakers on either side of the ball."
Carter and Anderson are considered the top non-quarterbacks in this year's draft, and the Lions could be tempted to take either if they are available with their first, first-round pick. Carter would give the Lions the interior pass-rushing presence they currently lack, while Anderson would be a bookend pass rusher to pair with this year's No. 2 overall pick, Aidan Hutchinson.
McShay has four quarterbacks going in the top 11 of his mock: Young, Stroud, Levis (No. 6 to the Atlanta Falcons) and Florida's Anthony Richardson (No. 11 to the Carolina Panthers).
Ultimately, that's what the Lions' decision should come down to: For as well as Goff has played the past six weeks, and for whatever cap benefits they might derive from having a rookie quarterback on their roster, if the Lions believe they have a chance to land a Mahomes-type top-of-the-NFL signal caller with their first pick, they can't pass that up.
If they have more reservations about Stroud, Young, Levis or anyone else in this year's quarterback class, than they do whatever defensive player is staring them in the face, then the right play is to pass on the QB.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions take QB C.J. Stroud in Todd McShay's first mock draft
Weather forecasts predict a storm bringing winter conditions will hit the state on Thursday morning. Here's what you should know. | 2022-12-13T20:12:13Z | sports.yahoo.com | Todd McShay has Detroit Lions taking C.J. Stroud in mock draft: Pros & cons of Round 1 QB | https://sports.yahoo.com/todd-mcshay-detroit-lions-taking-185823305.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/todd-mcshay-detroit-lions-taking-185823305.html?src=rss |
Mike Leach, a longtime college football coach with Texas Tech, Washington State and most recently Mississippi State, died Monday night at 61 years old due to complications from a heart condition.
An affable character with a monumental impact on both college and professional football, Leach was an innovator of the Air Raid offense. Since his passing, there has been an outpouring of support from those who knew him and those who appreciated him from afar. A number of Kansas City Chiefs players took to Twitter to pay homage to Leach and pray for his family.
Leach coached at Texas Tech from 2000-2009, actually coaching Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury, who was Patrick Mahomes’ head coach when he was with the Red Raiders. Texas Tech is also where Leach earned his nickname “Pirate.”
Mike Leach took over as the head coach at Mississippi State in 2020, which was after Chris Jones’ time with the Bulldogs. He still had an appreciation for Leach and what he had done for the Mississippi State program.
https://t.co/GiurDEOEbb pic.twitter.com/SgwACXBrqy
— Trey Smith (@treysmith) December 13, 2022
Many are flying the jolly roger in honor of Leach’s “Pirate” nickname, including Chiefs RG Trey Smith. Smith also retweeted the following video of Leach talking about offensive line play and coaching. I think it’s a safe bet that Smith shares this opinion.
“I always thought to be an O-Line coach was fantastic… every practice is great because there’s gonna be some level of violence and getting after somebody…”
RIP Mike Leach 🙁pic.twitter.com/WSvR6w2Frd
Even after a blowout loss, the GOAT exchanged postgame pleasantries with his starstruck opponents, signing autographs and taking pictures | 2022-12-13T20:21:51Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chiefs players pay tribute to Mike Leach: ‘True legend of the game’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-players-pay-tribute-mike-190521391.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-players-pay-tribute-mike-190521391.html?src=rss |
Eddie Czaplicki of Arizona State led the Pac-12 and was No. 8 in the nation with a 45.98 yard average in punting. Now he’ll be transferring to USC to play in Southern California.
The former Sun Devil blasted 16 punts over 50 yards and dropped 15 punts inside the 20.
Czaplicki, originally from Charlotte, N.C., started both seasons with the Sun Devils and was named a first-team All-Pac-12 punter this year.
He also handled 55 kickoffs, averaging 61.6 yards per attempt with 29 touchbacks.
USC didn’t have to punt very often this season, but the Trojans did not have a punter who could flip the field with great consistency. A weak USC defense needed every extra advantage it could get. Hidden yardage on special teams matters. The Trojans didn’t always stand on the right side of the equation. Special teams were very good against Washington State in Week 6, but not on a relentlessly consistent basis. Lincoln Riley pooch-punted with Caleb Williams against Notre Dame so that the Trojans didn’t have to face the Fighting Irish’s elite punt block unit. USC needed a special teams upgrade.
The Trojans have now checked that box. | 2022-12-13T20:23:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | What punter Eddie Czaplicki can do to help USC football in 2023 | https://sports.yahoo.com/punter-eddie-czaplicki-help-usc-182944295.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/punter-eddie-czaplicki-help-usc-182944295.html?src=rss |
Shad Powers, Palm Springs Desert Sun
SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 12: Garrett Shrader #6 of the Syracuse Orange hands the ball to Sean Tucker #34 during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at JMA Wireless Dome on November 12, 2022 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Lionel Messi and Argentina defeated Luka Modri and Croatia to clinch a spot in the World Cup Final. Here are all the updates from before, during and after the game in Qatar.
Meet 20 of the top college football recruits suiting up for Kentucky high schools in 2022
These 20 Kentucky high school football players have caught the attention of colleges coaches from around the country. Meet the top recruits. | 2022-12-13T21:26:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | All 41 college bowl games picked: How Air Force and Syracuse will help you win your office pool | https://sports.yahoo.com/41-college-bowl-games-picked-191408299.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/41-college-bowl-games-picked-191408299.html?src=rss |
The Cowboys struck a deal with longtime Indianapolis Colts star T.Y. Hilton on Monday, the team announced.
"T.Y.’s in today. That’s a great addition," coach Mike McCarthy said, via Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein. "Obviously he’s been working all year so he’s in great shape medically."
Hilton's deal, per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, is worth up to $1.5 million through the rest of the season.
Now, though, they’ve scooped up a veteran receiver who should be able to step in almost immediately. In a younger group of receivers led by CeeDee Lamb, Hilton's presence adds significant depth for quarterback Dak Prescott as they enter the final stretch of the season.
The Cowboys snuck past the Texans on Sunday afternoon in a tight 27-23 matchup at AT&T Stadium in what was their fourth-straight win. It's still unclear when Hilton will make his debut. Dallas will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday before a critical NFC East matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Eve.
T.Y. Hilton hasn't played yet this season after his decade-long run with the Colts ended last year. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images) | 2022-12-13T21:26:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cowboys sign wide receiver T.Y. Hilton after Odell Beckham Jr. saga | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-sign-wide-receiver-ty-hilton-after-odell-beckham-jr-saga-205815649.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-sign-wide-receiver-ty-hilton-after-odell-beckham-jr-saga-205815649.html?src=rss |
This week's article includes Tage on a tear, the Hub rolling as a Flame, a lesser-known winger thriving in the Desert and a not-so-golden Knights' goalie.
Tage Thompson, C, BUF
Thompson took a major step forward last season with 38 goals, 68 points (including 16 with the man advantage) and 253 shots on goal in 78 games. That performance may just be the tip of the iceberg, as Tage potted five goals Wednesday against Columbus and is up to 21 goals and 20 assists in 28 contests. Thompson, acquired as part of the Ryan O'Reilly deal with Buffalo in 2017, signed a seven-year, $50 million contract extension with the Sabres in August. That deal, which looked to potentially be a mild overpayment, could end up a bargain if what we have seen from Thompson the last year is the norm.
Brock Nelson, C, NYI
Nelson, who set new career-highs in goals (37) and points (59) last season, is on an early pace to obliterate those numbers. He's up to 14 goals and as many assists in 29 games. With two goals Friday, Nelson extended his point streak to seven games, which ended Saturday. The Islanders are 11-0-0 this season when the 31-year-old center scores. If you selected Nelson in your drafts, you're reaping the benefits of a player taking his career to the next level the past two seasons.
Brock Nelson is a clear fantasy winner this week. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, CGY
Those who have Huberdeau on their roster can start to breathe a sigh of relief. After finishing second in the NHL last season with 115 points, Huberdeau was part of the massive trade with Calgary; Matthew Tkachuk landed in Florida. Slated to be a free agent after the season, Huberdeau signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension with the Flames in August. He got off to a brutal start, but over his last nine outings, Huberdeau has a pair of goals and seven assists and looks to be rounding into form. Huberdeau sits with just five goals, but he's too talented not to get hot before too long.
Alex DeBrincat, RW, OTT
DeBrincat, who scored 41 goals last season for Chicago, was traded to Ottawa this past offseason. Expectations were high for the team and for the sniping winger, though both have disappointed to date. DeBrincat recently is doing his best to change that narrative, as he's contributed a point in each of his last six games and in nine of his last 10 contests, upping his season totals to nine goals and 15 assists in 28 games. The goals have yet to really come, but I expect that to change in the near future as he looks to be finding his game in Canada's capital.
Matias Maccelli, LW, AZ
Maccelli, drafted in the fourth round (98th overall) in 2019, is making the most of the full-time opportunity he's been provided in the Desert. He has a goal and seven assists in his last seven outings, with helpers accounting for 17 of his 19 points on the year. When Arizona adds more talent over the next several seasons, Maccelli seems to be better suited for a third-line role. For now, though, he is firmly planted in the top six, a role that should continue for at least the balance of the season.
Braden Schneider, D, NYR
As of last Friday, which defenseman had the most goals in the NHL since November 22? I am sure it shocked all to learn it was Schneider, who tallied his fourth in that stretch Friday. There is offensive talent there, though Schneider is more of a defensive specialist at this point. He does have 49 hits and 42 blocked shots while playing 15 minutes per game on the third pair. Don't expect a lot more goals, but Schneider has shown the willingness and ability to join the rush, which should continue to result in some offensive production.
Travis Sanheim D, PHI
Sanheim, like Schneider, is riding a hot streak. As with Schneider, I'm not expecting Sanheim to remain this hot, but he did post 35 points in 2018-19 and 31 points last season. While he has nine points in his last 12 games, one limiting factor is Sanheim's lack of a consistent role on the power play. Enjoy the hot streak for now, but while he's still worth a roster spot in deeper leagues, don't be afraid to jettison him if needed for the next hot flavor of the week in shallower formats.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB
The early-season struggles for Vasilevskiy are now a mere memory. On November 12, Vasilevskiy had a 4-5-1 record with a 3.11 goals-against average (GAA) and a .901 save percentage (SV%). The switch has flipped on, as Vasilevskiy has won three of his last four and seven of his last 10, with a save percentage of .923 over that span. Teams that rostered Vasilevskiy had little choice but to wait for the tide to turn given his draft position, and they're now being rewarded.
Kirby Dach, C, MTL
Dach, the third-overall pick in 2019, wore out his welcome in Chicago after just three seasons. He received a new lease on life following his trade to Montreal this offseason and has generally made the most of that second chance. Dach has seen time at right wing next to Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki but has slumped a bit lately and has been moved to second-line center. Dach has no goals since Nov. 9 and just two helpers in his last eight games. He'll eventually find his game, but for now, some pine time is recommended.
Anthony Mantha, LW, WAS
Mantha has shown some signs of life lately with a goal and three assists in his last three games, but he remains stuck on the third line and is seeing little ice time with the man advantage, limiting his fantasy upside. He's been held off the scoresheet entirely in eight of the last 11 games. The 48 points he tallied in Detroit in both 2017-18 and 2018-19 seem likely to end up as his career high, barring a move up the depth chart and/or additional power play time.
He does have value, just not at the level he seemed to when he was a first-rounder back in 2013.
Logan Thompson, G, LV
Thompson is entrenched as the starter between the pipes for Vegas, aided by the expected season-long absence of Robin Lehner. After a blazing hot start, Thompson has slowly returned to earth a bit recently. In the past month, Thompson is 7-5-0, but that record is mildly offset by a 3.15 goals-against average (GAA) and .906 save percentage (SV%). Compare that to his 6-2-0 record, 2.01 GAA and .934 SV% in his first eight outings of the season. Value still exists, but be aware that his overall numbers are skewed by that hot start.
Chris Morgan looks over Tuesday's slate as Matt Murray and the Maple Leafs host the Ducks. | 2022-12-13T21:26:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Fantasy Hockey Values: The tide has finally turned for Andrei Vasilevskiy | https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-hockey-values-the-tide-has-finally-turned-for-andrei-vasilevskiy-205754700.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-hockey-values-the-tide-has-finally-turned-for-andrei-vasilevskiy-205754700.html?src=rss |
KRPC-TV in Houston reported Pierce has a “mild high ankle sprain” that likely will keep him out one or two games.
“I thought it was effective yesterday,” Smith told reporters. “Two different flavors, and that’s always tough for a defense to prepare with what we were doing with them. As far as what we’re going to do this week going forward, we start evaluating, see what we need to do against another good division leading Kansas City football team. We’ll see how that goes, but both quarterbacks were productive yesterday. Davis Mills, second time in that starting role. I thought he played well, made some good throws. ... We’ll need that type of play to have a chance against Kansas City.” | 2022-12-13T21:26:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Texans likely to be without best offensive player for Sunday’s game against Chiefs | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-likely-without-best-offensive-175155743.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-likely-without-best-offensive-175155743.html?src=rss |
Belichick praised special group of Patriots in speech after beating Cardinals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots faced an almost must-win game Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals, and even though their performance wasn't pretty at times, they got the job done and left State Farm Arena with a 27-13 victory.
One of the storylines from the Patriots' triumph was the excellent play from some of their young players, including a trio of rookies.
First-year running backs Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris combined for 116 total yards and each scored their first career touchdown. Rookie cornerback Marcus Jones tallied his first career interception in the third quarter and made NFL history with his all-around effort.
In his postgame speech to the team in the locker room, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick singled out the team's young players as an important part of the win.
Check out the scenes in the video below:
The Patriots now have a short week to prepare for another critically important Week 15 game Sunday afternoon versus the Raiders in Las Vegas.
New England controls its own destiny in the race for a wild card berth in the AFC, but it has a very tough four-game stretch to end the regular season.
Capitals' Dylan Strome on returning to Chicago: 'I loved playing here'
Dylan Strome wanted to be back with the Blackhawks, but he's found a nice home in Washington and hopes it can be a long-term fit. | 2022-12-13T21:39:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bill Belichick praised special group of Patriots in speech after beating Cardinals | https://sports.yahoo.com/bill-belichick-praised-special-group-200803345.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bill-belichick-praised-special-group-200803345.html?src=rss |
With the holiday season in full swing, Green Bay Packers defensive backs Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes took time out of their evening on Monday to sign autographs for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign. The team documented the event with a flurry of pictures on their official website, and tweeted a picture of the defensive stars with Salvation Army representatives to commemorate the occasion,
pic.twitter.com/3x4YsCbH9g
Alexander has been an outstanding member of the Green Bay community since joining the Packers as a first-round selection in the 2018 draft. Stokes, who is in his second season with the franchise, was also a first-round pick by way of the University of Georgia and is sure to bring much-needed attention to the Salvation Army’s cause ahead of the end-of-month festivities.
Both players have made their presence felt on and off the field this season and are considered key pieces of the Packers’ roster. The experience of serving in the community together is sure to strengthen the bond between these two outstanding members of Green Bay’s secondary.
The Packers are set to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Week 15 action and will look to earn their sixth win of the season in the highly anticipated matchup. Alexander will be on the field for the tilt, but Stokes, who is currently on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, will have to watch from the sideline.
For as much as fans and the media focus on the outcomes of games, the good deeds done by players in their communities during the season are an equally important part of the culture of any NFL team, but especially so for a close-knit squad like the one Green Bay hosts. Watch for more player involvement in the community moving forward, and stay tuned for Alexander’s performance against the Rams on Sunday.
CBS 2's Ryan Baker ringing the Salvation Army Red Kettle bell
CBS 2 is teaming up with the Salvation Army to help raise money for people in need. Join Ryan Baker in The Loop.
Blackshirt Breakdown: Jay Foreman analyzes Kai Wallin, Syncere Safeeullah
Former Huskers star Jay Foreman takes a closer look at new commitments Kai Wallin and Syncere Safeeullah.
Jenna Ortega Nominated for Best Performance at the Golden Globes for Wednesday
The actress is the second youngest competitor in the Best Performance by an Actress in a TV series, musical or comedy category history.
The Milwaukee Brewers have a new name and concept for its left-field corner restaurant, unveiled Monday as part of a partnership with Leinenkugel's.
7 Smart Strategies For Becoming a High-Net-Worth Real Estate Investor
Real estate can create diversification in a portfolio while also acting as a hedge against inflation. Having a higher net worth could make it easier to invest in multiple properties in order to create passive income for yourself. High net-worth … Continue reading → The post High-Net-Worth Real Estate Investors appeared first on SmartAsset Blog. | 2022-12-13T21:39:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Defensive backs Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes signed autographs for Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign on Monday | https://sports.yahoo.com/defensive-backs-jaire-alexander-eric-200645083.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/defensive-backs-jaire-alexander-eric-200645083.html?src=rss |
Matthew Judon may be the New England Patriots’ most prolific pass-rusher, but Judon himself is warning the NFL about one of his teammates.
Josh Uche had a big defensive impact in New England’s win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night with three sacks in the game. That gives him 10 total sacks over his last six games alone. His performances have been notable, given that he had four career sacks coming into the 2022 season.
Uche and Judon have formed a dynamic duo, as the Patriots defense has been a consistent bright spot in a difficult year. Judon, who has 14.5 sacks this season, isn’t shying away from heaping praise on his teammate.
“I told y’all I wasn’t the best pass rusher, and our best pass rusher is emerging,” said Judon, per NESN’s Zack Cox. “People are going to have to block him. If they don’t and they chip my side and they worry about me, Uche will do that every week. I just love the way he’s playing with confidence and poise. This is the most he’s played since he’s been in the NFL, so it’s taking a toll on him, but he’s going out there and he’s having a lot of success.”
The Patriots will need that duo to continue to perform at a high level. New England as a team will need to fire on all cylinders, as they look to maintain their spot in the playoff race.
Vooch joined a club of only four other current players over the weekend.
Good News: Little girl weeps holding new puppy
Three-year-old Haidyn Howe can't contain her emotions as she holds her new furry family member, a puppy named Butters. | 2022-12-13T21:41:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Matthew Judon still insisting he isn’t the Patriots’ best pass-rusher | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-judon-still-insisting-isn-202828255.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-judon-still-insisting-isn-202828255.html?src=rss |
New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker is not happy with the NFL, and it's hard to blame him.
Parker's head crashed against the ground early in the first quarter of his team's 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night at State Farm Stadium.
The veteran wideout got up but was a bit wobbly and didn't really seem to know what was going on. Despite the obvious difficulty he was experiencing, the NFL's concussion spotters did not remove him from the game.
Patriots wideout Nelson Agholor realized that Parker couldn't stand up straight and tried to get the officials to stop the game before the next snap, but the referees only halted the action because the Cardinals challenged the previous play. The Patriots announced in the second quarter that Parker would not return to the game because of a head injury.
The league and NFLPA are reviewing how the situation with Parker was handled, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The NFL and NFLPA are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the sequence of events of #Patriots WR DeVante Parker’s concussion last night and his removal from the game.
It's unknown at this time if Parker will be able to play Sunday when the Patriots take on the Raiders in Las Vegas. Either way, his situation Monday night was a clear failure by the league and its medical personnel. | 2022-12-13T21:41:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | Patriots WR DeVante Parker puts NFL on blast for handling of head injury | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-wr-devante-parker-puts-205630670.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-wr-devante-parker-puts-205630670.html?src=rss |
Only four weeks remain in the 2022 NFL regular season, but some Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans still haven’t given up hope that Rob Gronkowski could come out of retirement yet again to reunite with Tom Brady for another potential Super Bowl run.
Gronkowski recently spoke with USA TODAY Sports’ Mackenzie Salmon about making another reunion happen with Brady, and while he’s totally on board with it, it’s not quite the way Bucs fans might have hoped.
While he admits he “could definitely help out” on the field this year, Gronk is more interested in bringing Brady over to his side of things.
It’s been reported that Brady already has a lucrative agreement with Fox Sports to join their NFL team after his retirement.
“He’d be talking his football knowledge,” Gronk continued. “He’s got incredible football knowledge, and it’s just gonna be wonderful once he gets to the Fox studio and he’s able to share it. I mean, I’ve been spending so many meetings with him where he can just break down the game of football just like that. And I just feel prepared, ready for the game in just 30 minutes, because I know everyone on the defense and how they’re gonna play, because he can just break it down that easily to myself and to our teammates whenever we’re in a meeting. And so it’s just gonna be great to hear his knowledge, to hear his perspective on the game of football.”
Gronk knows that Brady will have plenty of options after the 2022 season, as his contract with the Bucs expires, but he’s clearly angling for his buddy to join him on the media side of the football world. | 2022-12-13T21:41:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rob Gronkowski on Bucs’ struggles, reunion with Tom Brady: ‘I could definitely help out’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/rob-gronkowski-bucs-struggles-reunion-205051731.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rob-gronkowski-bucs-struggles-reunion-205051731.html?src=rss |
After practicing at full speed on Tuesday, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs said he expects to play this week against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
Doubs has missed the last four games with an ankle injury he suffered against the Detroit Lions in Week 9. The injury occurred on the offense’s first play from scrimmage when Doubs made an 18-yard catch that ended with a hard hit on his right ankle. He never returned after being carted to the locker room.
In nine games this season, Doubs has caught 31 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns on 50 targets. He is averaging 10.1 yards per reception.
Doubs returned to practice the Wednesday before the team faced the Chicago Bears in week 13 but was officially ruled inactive before kickoff so he would have extra time to heal during the following bye week.
Now healthy, Doubs will return to a Packers team looking to make one final playoff push. Doubs was one of Green Bay’s best young playmakers before the injury and will have the chance to join forces with fellow rookie Christian Watson.
Doubs has not played alongside Watson since his emergence and didn’t get much of a chance early in the season, either. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovksy, Doubs and Watson have only been on the field together for 52 snaps.
Expect that to change moving forward, with both receivers showing a lot of promise as rookies. Doubs could be limited to a pitch count against the Rams, but this week should give us our first look at what he and Watson can do in prominent roles for Green Bay’s offense.
The approval from the Plan Commission came after 3 1/2 hours of discussion that featured disagreement over the proposed location. | 2022-12-13T21:41:59Z | sports.yahoo.com | Romeo Doubs (ankle) expects to play vs. Rams | https://sports.yahoo.com/romeo-doubs-ankle-expects-play-200356117.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/romeo-doubs-ankle-expects-play-200356117.html?src=rss |
Well, it looks like it’s time to take Steve Wilks’ Carolina Panthers seriously.
A Week 14 win over the Seattle Seahawks now have these cats just one game behind first place in the NFC South and jumping up across the power rankings. Let’s see where they rank heading into Week 15.
Take: “It is a testament to the Panthers how they haven’t given up to gear themselves for a road date with the Seattle Seahawks and come away with a win. A lot of Carolina’s problem was coaching. They still need to settle on a quarterback for the future in the offseason.”
Take: “Win their final four games – all against teams currently with losing records – and Carolina will win the NFC South for the first time since its 15-1 2015 regular season culminated with a loss in Super Bowl 50.”
Take: “The Panthers are alive and well in the NFC South race after an impressive road win over the Seahawks. Sam Darnold played mistake-free football in his second start this season, but Carolina won the game behind a bruising rushing attack that bullied the Seattle front seven in crunch time. Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman combined for 148 of Carolina’s 223 yards on the ground, and Raheem Blackshear put the game away with an 8-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. The 5-8 Panthers control their destiny in the NFC South — win out, and they host a playoff game in January. If they do that, Steve Wilks will have his interim label removed at his NFL Coach of the Year press conference.”
Take: “The Panthers have been much more efficient since interim coach Steve Wilks took over and committed to the running game. They’ve averaged 154.6 yards rushing and scored 10 rushing touchdowns in their past seven games, a big reason they are 4-4 under Wilks. On defense and special teams, the Panthers are about where they should be: playing at a high level. This defense can travel, and punter Johnny Hekker has been useful.”
Take: “They are in the playoff mix. Think about that. With Sam Darnold, they could make the playoffs. Amazing.”
Take: “Steve Wilks is making it harder and harder for David Tepper to not hire him.”
For the second time this season, the Panthers have waived DT Daviyon Nixon.
Yes, the Patriots won by 14 points Monday night in Arizona. But they didn't exactly resolve the issues that finally may come to a head over the final four weeks of the season, writes Tom E. Curran. | 2022-12-13T21:42:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Where do Panthers stand in power rankings heading into Week 15? | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-panthers-stand-power-rankings-210029206.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-panthers-stand-power-rankings-210029206.html?src=rss |
DETROIT — It’s hard to characterize a game against a reeling Detroit Pistons team as a “must win,” but the Los Angeles Lakers wore the look of relief following a road swing that saw them multiple time zones away from their building for 11 days.
It’s even harder to believe they’ve stopped the boat from capsizing after a disastrous 0-5 start, considering that they lost three in a row before surviving a Pistons surge on Sunday.
James looked road weary but not wholly exhausted following a 35-point performance in a game in which his biggest play was an assist to Austin Reaves on a corner triple to effectively conclude matters in the final minute.
If Herculean performances from a man who turns 38 in a couple of weeks will be necessary to keep the Lakers afloat, that doesn’t seem like a recipe for long-term success. Davis has contributed his best stretch of consistent, dominant play in years — at least since the pre-bubble season.
Even with his one-point showing against Cleveland — he played just eight minutes due to illness — his past 11 games have been ridiculous: 31 points, 13.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks on 66.7% shooting.
There appears to be a formula, at least until or if the Lakers make a significant personnel move. Put relentless pressure on the rim (the Lakers get to the line more efficiently than anyone else) to compensate for the lack of 3-point shooting. Be opportunistic in the open floor when the moment requires.
Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis, left, shoots over Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey and center Jalen Duren during their NBA game Sunday in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Defend — or at least attempt to — hoping Davis can protect the rim, stay out of foul trouble and stay healthy.
The three-game losing streak that ended in Detroit salvaged a road trip and showed perhaps a modicum of mental toughness. The crushing overtime loss in Philadelphia followed a furious rally to come back in the final minutes, and that could’ve had a hangover effect.
“You’re right that that was a heartbreaking loss the way we lost it. But we got to pick ourselves back up. You know, that was a big part of the film this morning,” Ham said Sunday afternoon. “They scored in the midst of us making that run. And we just kept coming and kept coming and kept coming. And that has to be the way we approach the rest of our season.”
Russell Westbrook didn’t play in the fourth quarter Sunday, and it wasn’t because he had a disastrous night. It wasn’t a career night, but he did compile 11 points with nine assists in 21 minutes, making five of nine shots.
Ham said postgame that he liked the unit that was going and stuck with it. Among the reserves, only Reaves played more than Westbrook.
Ham, though, seems to have the equity and honesty with Westbrook for something like that to happen and not have it cause big-time issues down the line. Ham has been direct publicly while also pumping life into his players — a delicate balance.
If Westbrook were performing terribly, it would arguably be a harder sell for Ham to claim he was rolling with the group. Westbrook could very well take it personally or as a signal that his coach doesn’t believe in him or isn’t willing to ride with a veteran player with star pedigree through his struggles.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, right, talks with guard Russell Westbrook during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 30 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Ham brought up an instance from the previous game, when Dennis Schroder was supposed to check in but motioned to the coaches to keep the current group on the floor. That particular sacrifice was mentioned in the morning meeting, and of course, Ham had no clue he would have to call on it two nights later.
“You can’t really just always look at stats. Now look at the rhythm of the five guys that are playing on the court,” Ham said. “And I felt like we had a group out there that was in a really good rhythm.”
Of Schroder, he said: "And that’s the type, those three words: competitiveness, togetherness and accountability. And that was a big, huge exhibit of togetherness. And we have to be that way if we’re going to turn this thing around.”
The soberness of the last point signifies where the Lakers are. Ham could certainly praise his team for a better-than-expected road trip, but he’s well aware that they’re still in a deep deficit, with much more work to be done.
When you start 2-10, every victory is precious, but no victory can be big enough to exhale. The Lakers have no margin for error, even if they control the trade board.
It’s easy to say the Lakers should do the prudent thing — take a reverse cue from the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, who put everything on the line for one Super Bowl win but look dreadful now — and hold on to their first-round picks that are years away.
But they knew the drill when they signed James four years ago, as he helped bring them out of the NBA’s abyss. As long as he’s great, he will require all of your resources in the name of contending.
While he’s no longer at the top of the hill, performance-wise, he can summon a night every now and again where few compare — not just at his age, but with no qualifiers.
Those nights don’t come along as often as they used to, to be sure. But when they do — and even when they don’t — he remains at the top of the basketball conversation.
The West isn’t exactly wide open, but there's enough sunlight to give the folks who’ve never seen it rain in Southern California a little hope.
Vadim Krasikov, now serving a life sentence in a German prison for a “state-ordered murder,” was reportedly proposed by the Russian government as part of a prisoner swap that never happened. Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan remains imprisoned in Russia because the U.S. could not persuade Germany to give up Krasikov. | 2022-12-14T02:04:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Lakers found a successful formula, but building around LeBron James is always a priority | https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-found-a-successful-formula-but-building-around-lebron-james-is-always-a-priority-001220937.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-found-a-successful-formula-but-building-around-lebron-james-is-always-a-priority-001220937.html?src=rss |
Pittsburgh Steelers v Atlanta Falcons
Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota is out. Literally.
After being benched for rookie Desmond Ridder for performance reasons, Mariota has left the team. And the team doesn’t know if he’ll be back.
Coach Arthur Smith has said Mariota will be placed on injured reserve. The minimum four-game absence would knock him out for the rest of the regular season. Via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com, Smith said Tuesday that Mariota is currently not with the Falcons.
Smith told Mariota last Thursday that he’ll be benched for Ridder. On Friday, Smith learned that Mariota planned to “step away” from the team.
In lieu of placing Mariota on injured reserve, the Falcons could cut Mariota. He’d then head to waivers, like Baker Mayfield did last week.
Mariota was the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. The Titans benched him for Ryan Tannehill in 2019.
After two seasons with the Raiders, Mariota signed a two-year deal with the Falcons. He received a $5 million signing bonus, and a fully-guaranteed salary of $1.75 million for 2022.
After benching, Marcus Mariota leaves Falcons originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
Sarama Resources Ltd. (" Sarama " or the " Company ") (ASX:SRR, TSX-V:SWA) is pleased to announce that exploration drilling at its 100%-owned (4) , multi-million-ounce Sanutura Project (the " Project ") has returned several encouraging near-surface intersections of new mineralisation in the south of the Tankoro Mineralised Corridor. | 2022-12-14T02:13:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | After benching, Marcus Mariota leaves Falcons | https://sports.yahoo.com/benching-marcus-mariota-leaves-falcons-004836505.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/benching-marcus-mariota-leaves-falcons-004836505.html?src=rss |
The Green Bay Packers released wide receiver Dede Westbrook from their practice squad on Tuesday ahead of their matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15. The sixth-year wideout was signed by the team on November 15th, and was not elevated for gameday during his tenure in Green Bay,
Westbrook was once considered among the most promising receiver prospects in the NFL after his prolific 2016 campaign at the University of Oklahoma when he brought in 80 passes for 1,524 yards and 17 touchdowns en route to placing fourth in Heisman voting. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2017 draft by way of the Jacksonville Jaguars but never managed to find much traction at the NFL level.
After playing in just two games in 2020, he saw some action last year with the Minnesota Vikings, but only managed to accrue 10 receptions for 68 yards in 15 games played. Hopes were high that he might find a niche in the Packers’ offense as a veteran presence to pair with Aaron Rodgers, but his release on Tuesday would spell the end of any chance he had of making an impact for Green Bay on Sundays.
The Packers are still carrying three receivers on their practice squad after Westbrook’s departure from the team, so the coaching staff’s commitment to developing the next wave of pass-catchers on the unit remains intact. They will be able to choose from Jeff Cotton, Travis Fulgham, and Juwaan Winfree to replace Westbrook’s snaps in practice for the rest of the week.
Though his time in Green Bay has come to a close, any team in need of an experienced and explosive receiver to fill out their depth chart would be wise to seek the services of Westbrook moving forward. He might not be the star he once was as a Sooner, but in the right situation, Westbrook could prove to be a consistent playmaker with upside as a returner on special teams.
Hind Sabouni bristles with pride as she recalls her country's history-making World Cup run as it eliminated one European soccer powerhouse and former Africa colonial power after another — Belgium, Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal — to become the first African and Arab nation to reach the semifinals. For the 26-year-old English teacher in Morocco's capital, and many of her countrymen both inside the North African nation and throughout the diaspora, it's about to get more complicated. Next up is France: Morocco’s former colonial ruler for much of the first half of the 20th century.
Alabama men's basketball sophomore guard Nimari Burnett suffered an injury to his left wrist, which required surgery | 2022-12-14T02:14:33Z | sports.yahoo.com | Packers release wide receiver Dede Westbrook from practice squad | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-release-wide-receiver-dede-004805111.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-release-wide-receiver-dede-004805111.html?src=rss |
For those that were still holding out for Cooper Kupp to play again this season for the Los Angeles Rams, the odds of him returning are near zero. When giving an update on Kupp’s status, Sean McVay shared that he doesn’t envision a scenario where the All-Pro wideout plays again this season. | 2022-12-14T02:14:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Sean McVay shuts down idea of Cooper Kupp playing again this season | https://sports.yahoo.com/sean-mcvay-shuts-down-idea-011318662.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/sean-mcvay-shuts-down-idea-011318662.html?src=rss |
After impressive rookie year, Shakira Austin says she 'did nothing crazy special'
After impressing, Shakira Austin says she 'did nothing crazy special' originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
By all accounts, Shakira Austin had a stellar rookie season with the Washington Mystics. Expectations were not only met but surpassed within the first week of the season. After being named a starter in just her second game, Austin recorded a double-double against future Hall-of-Famer Sylvia Fowles.
The rookie assumed the starting center job permanently not long after that and was the fifth-leading scorer on the team. That was fifth behind a two-time MVP, a two-time All-Star, the WNBA's leader in assists and a budding star in Myisha Hines-Allen.
Yet, despite all of the success that has come her way following her No. 3 selection in the 2022 WNBA Draft, Austin believes that's nothing compared to what she's capable of on the basketball court.
"I think I started off at a pretty good base for a rookie year," Austin said at the end of the season. "Personally, I feel like I haven't done too much, nothing crazy special. But that alone just motivates me to come in and show that I have a lot more to offer and that I can do a lot more for a team."
Her point guard Natasha Cloud and those at the top of the sport share those sentiments. For as good as Austin was in 2022, there's more to come in 2023 and beyond.
Cloud said that she can already tell Austin is "going to be one of the best bigs to ever come through this league."
Already, she's assuming a role among the elite. Following the conclusion of the season, there was no downtime for the 6-foot-5 center. Las Vegas was her destination to join Team USA's training camp for the FIBA World Cup. A roster she would make, joining fellow bigs Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones for a Gold medal.
Gaining that respect and being able to produce how Austin did is something she's proud of, considering the expectations placed on her before the season started.
"Just my ability to create for myself," Austin responded when asked what she was proud of this season. "I think coming in this year, there wasn't really an expectation for me to do much for the team and I came in and I established myself. Like I stayed within the role I was given, no plays were called for me, I was told to be a defender and a rebounder and I came in and still tried to make as much impact as I could within that."
The Mystics frankly didn't need the 15 points and 4.3 3-point attempts per game she averaged in her final year at Ole Miss in the 2022 WNBA season. A core of Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins, Cloud and Hines-Allen was supposed to supply the offense. Mix in Alysha Clark coming back from her Lisfranc injury and the addition of Elizabeth Williams, and there was already a lot of firepower and talent on the roster.
Still, Austin's role of cleaning up the glass as a rebounder and providing post defense were areas she thrived. With Williams overseas for the better part of the first month of the season, along with Delle Donne and Clark missing games, Austin proved herself in the time she was given. It was clear, she should be in the starting group.
After May 20, she started every game for Washington.
The minutes were granted but the play design to fit her talent wasn't. Washington kept the focus, and rightfully so, around the trio of Delle Donne, Atkins and Cloud. Austin was there for offensive rebounds and to take advantage of an opponent using an ill-advised defensive switch. Schematically, the coaching staff said no plays were run for the talented 22-year-old.
In her first season, she finished with 8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, along with four double-doubles. Her 54.7% field goal percentage led the team. She was the runner-up to the Dream's Rhyne Howard in Rookie of the Year voting.
"I think the rookie season is definitely a great opportunity to just go out there and shock people," Austin said. "I think this year, I wasn't really able to shock them as much as I wanted, but I was just able to be as efficient as possible. So they can't really scout a great IQ player, a high IQ player who just knows how to cut and is aggressive and plays with high energy. I just think that's what I came in and did and, like I said, you can't really scout too much about that."
There's no lack of confidence from Austin. Nothing really surprised her in her transition to the highest women's professional basketball league in the world. She knew the quality of basketball and pace would improve from the NCAA. She also expected- er rather welcomed - the physicality in the WNBA.
Next year, Washington - with its revised organizational structure - will have a full season to prepare how they want Austin integrated into the offense. As with most players, her role should expand in Year 2.
Mike Thibault, who is now in a general-manager-only role, agrees that Austin has a lot more to contribute. But, he wants to see what she worked on with Team USA and also while playing overseas in Israel.
"It's not all gonna come at once. She would like to be more involved in the offense, which I think she will be, but part of that is the individual work she's been doing on her game, on her shooting routine. Part of it for her is just being a better student of the game and not that she's not, she has great basketball instincts, but it's a whole new world going from college to the pros," he said after the season.
"The hardest thing for her is that she's going to now go overseas for four months and we don't get to see her every day. And, how do you have the discipline to maintain the workouts that you want to do? She's got to check in with our coaches. We may send a coach over there to spend some time with her. But we'll have videos of her and we'll have FaceTime chats with her to kind of stay on plan," Thibault continued.
It's clear that the future is bright for both Austin and the Mystics. That was the goal when they won the rights to the No. 1 pick before the 2022 WNBA Draft and traded back to third for Austin.
Now, Washington has a dynamic post player who could develop into a star for the organization's new chapter. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to maximize Austin's current potential and the Mystics' current franchise player into another run at a championship.
"She has she's barely scratched the surface in my opinion," Thibault said. | 2022-12-14T02:57:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | After impressive rookie year, Shakira Austin says she 'did nothing crazy special' | https://sports.yahoo.com/impressive-rookie-shakira-austin-says-150000969.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/impressive-rookie-shakira-austin-says-150000969.html?src=rss |
announces that CEO, Jeremy Martin and CFO, Simon Retter, will provide a project update to investors via the Investor Meet Company platform on 15 December 2022 at 10:00am GMT.
Nneka Ogwumike will serve a third term as president of the WNBA Players Association after being re-elected. The Los Angeles Sparks star has served as WNBPA President since 2016, first winning re-election in 2019. “I’m honored to serve another term as WNBPA President, and to represent the phenomenal members of this historical Union,” said Ogwumike. | 2022-12-14T02:57:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Satou Sabally named to WNBA Player’s Association Executive Committee | https://sports.yahoo.com/satou-sabally-named-wnba-player-152750922.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/satou-sabally-named-wnba-player-152750922.html?src=rss |
The NFC West is officially a two-team race. The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams are both eliminated from competing for the division title.
It comes down to the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers extended their lead in the division in Week 14.
This is what the NFC West standings look like entering Week 15.
The Cardinals are technically ahead of the Rams in third place because they hold a common games tiebreaker, as they split the season series with each other and have the same division record now.
Let’s look at what happened in Week 14 and what is coming up in Week 15.
Without Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, the 49ers absolutely demolished the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7.
The built a 28-0 halftime lead, extended it to 35-0 and the cruised the rest of the way.
Brock Purdy had 185 passing yards and two touchdown passes. The 49ers rushed for 209 yards as a team, led by Christian McCaffrey’s 119 yards and a score.
Meanwhile the 49ers defense picked off Tom Brady twice and held the Bucs to 4-of-16 on third down.
They have a two-game lead over the Seahawks with four to go.
The Seahawks lost 30-24 at home to the Carolina Panthers.
Geno Smith threw three touchdown passes but was also picked off twice, and the Carolina defense held Seattle to only 287 total yards.
As if the season had gone badly enough, quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL on the third play from scrimmage and the Cardinals lost Monday night to the New England Patriots 27-13 and were eliminated from division contention.
Colt McCoy, in relief, was picked off once and sacked six times.
Trailing 16-3 late in the fourth quarter, new Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield led the Rams to two touchdowns in the final 3:19, including the game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds left in the game to beat the Las Vegas Raiders 17-16.
In Week 15, the schedule kicks off with a huge matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks. A 49ers win will nearly wrap up a division title. They play Thursday night in Seattle.
The Cardinals are on the road against the Denver Broncos. As Broncos quarterback is in concussion protocols, it might be Colt McCoy against Brett Rypien.
The Rams play on Monday night on the road against the Packers.
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Arizona’s Henri Veesaar talks perfect shooting night vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Arizona student-athlete Henri Veesaar joins Pac-12 Networks' Matt Muehlebach and Jordan Kent following the No. 9 Wildcats' victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Dec. 13 in Tucson. Follow Pac-12 men’s basketball this season with the Pac-12 Now App. Download the Pac-12 Now App today and set alerts for Pac-12 men’s basketball to make sure you never miss a moment of the action. Pac-12 Now is available today in your app store for iOS, Android, and Apple TV.
Amgen (AMGN) has agreed to buy Horizon Therapeutics PLC (HZNP) for $27.8 billion. This put the spotlight on pharma ETFs, which could be the best way for investors to tap the opportunity arising from the proposed deal. | 2022-12-14T05:16:22Z | sports.yahoo.com | 49ers extend lead in NFC West in Week 14 with Brock Purdy | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-extend-lead-nfc-west-041418150.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-extend-lead-nfc-west-041418150.html?src=rss |
Remember when the Washington Commanders were sitting at 1-4 on the season after quarterback Carson Wentz’s pass was intercepted at the goal line in a heartbreaking loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 5? It was Washington’s fourth consecutive loss after a season-opening win over the Jaguars.
No one was thinking about the playoffs. Many were calling for head coach Ron Rivera’s job. Some blamed Wentz. Others blamed the offensive line. There was plenty of blame to go around.
Fans were already looking ahead to the 2023 NFL draft.
The Commanders defeated the Chicago Bears in a forgettable 12-7 Thursday Night game. The most memorable part of that game was the drama surrounding owner Daniel Snyder. After the win, Rivera was hardly in a celebratory mood.
After the game, it was revealed Wentz fractured a finger on his throwing hand and would miss between 4-6 weeks. Taylor Heinicke would return to the starting lineup.
With Heinicke under center, the Commanders would win five of their next seven games. Included in that stretch was a last-second loss to Minnesota in Week 9 and a tie with the Giants in Week 13. Suddenly, Washington sat at 7-5-1 and in possession of the No. 6 playoff position in the NFC after its bye week.
Now, the Commanders head into a Week 15 rematch against the Giants that was flexed to Sunday Night Football. Washington and New York have identical records and the winner likely locking down one of the NFC’s final two wild-card spots.
While a win on Sunday wouldn’t clinch a playoff spot for the Giants or Commanders, it would go a long way in determining their postseason fate, according to Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders.
The playoff leverage for Sunday night's #Commanders–#NYGiants game is immense.
Per Schatz, if the Commanders win Sunday, they have an 86% chance of making the playoffs with three games remaining. The Giants’ odds are slightly better at 90%.
The Commanders are coming off their bye week while the Giants are reeling from a blowout loss to the Eagles.
FTX 'One of the Biggest Financial Frauds in American History': Prosecutor Damian Williams
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York gave insight today into the charges levied against Sam Bankman-Fried. | 2022-12-14T05:16:35Z | sports.yahoo.com | A Commanders’ win on Sunday almost guarantees a playoff spot with 3 weeks remaining | https://sports.yahoo.com/commanders-win-sunday-almost-guarantees-042524267.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/commanders-win-sunday-almost-guarantees-042524267.html?src=rss |
Carolina Panthers legend Luke Kuechly is getting a familiar feeling, and that’s thanks to the admirable job Steve Wilks is currently doing.
The former linebacker and current Panthers radio analyst joined WFNZ’s The Mac Attack on Tuesday to talk some Carolina football. When asked if he feels the same way many fans do about promoting Wilks to the interim-less head-coaching position, he wholeheartedly agreed.
“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. “It feels a lot like that 2014 season—when everybody counts you out, you kinda get hot, you kinda get on a roll, the team galvanizes together and you make a run. And I think that’s kinda the position where we’re at right now. There’s a really good energy around the building. There’s a lot of guys that are excited. There’s a lot of excitement.”
In 2014, Kuechly and the Panthers swept up the final month of their schedule—rattling off four straight wins to a 7-8-1 mark and an improbable NFC South crown. Wilks, of course, was there for that ride in his third season as the defensive backs coach.
Eight years later, Wilks is at the front of this ship—one that could take a similar trip to that of the 2014 squad. Being that Carolina is now in control of their own destiny, they too can win out to a division title at a not-so-sexy record.
Kuechly was then asked if he’d consider one day joining the team’s coaching staff—specifically under Wilks. And he didn’t say no . . .
“I gotta figure that out,” he said. “I’m working with South Charlotte Patriots football right now. I gotta see if I can get out of that contract. I gotta see if that’s a vertical move or if that’s a lateral move.”
To be fair, that Pop Warner gig—alongside former teammate and franchise great Greg Olsen—is a pretty cushy one. So it may take a lot to sway Kuechly back to an NFL sideline.
But until then, the Panthers might start partying like it’s 2014. | 2022-12-14T05:16:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | Luke Kuechly doesn’t shoot down possibility of joining Panthers coaching staff | https://sports.yahoo.com/luke-kuechly-doesn-t-shoot-050054961.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/luke-kuechly-doesn-t-shoot-050054961.html?src=rss |
The Houston Texans almost proved to the NFL they weren’t the worst team overall — at least for Week 14.
According to Mark Lane from the Touchdown Wire, the Texans came close to getting away from the No. 32 overall ranking, but they weren’t able to finish off the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Dallas stuffed Houston on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 3:27 to go, and then marched 98 yards in 11 plays to win the game 27-23.
Houston is the last place team in the power rankings for the seventh consecutive week.
The Indianapolis Colts were on a bye and dropped one slot to No. 29. The Jacksonville Jaguars improved to No. 17 with a win over the Tennessee Titans. The Titans’ loss to the Jaguars dropped the AFC South leaders to No. 11, just one slot behind the 6-7 Detroit Lions. | 2022-12-14T05:17:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | Texans almost got away from being No. 32 in Touchdown Wire NFL power rankings | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-almost-got-away-being-043022025.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-almost-got-away-being-043022025.html?src=rss |
The Houston Texans went with an unconventional style in their Week 14 tilt with the Dallas Cowboys.
Although second-year signal caller Davis Mills was named the starting quarterback leading up to the matchup, Houston mixed in backup Jeff Driskel, who was called up from the practice squad, to help move the ball in the 27-23 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Sunday.
Mills had one of his more efficient games of the season as he completed 16 passes on 21 attempts for 175 yards. His lone interception was the result of a Hail Mary attempt on the game’s final play.
According to receiver Chris Moore, who talked with reporters Tuesday, the difference in Mills’ efficient play was simply execution on the offense’s part.
“I think it was just executing our plays and taking advantage of the opportunities we were given to be honest,” said Moore, who had a career-high 10 catches for 124 yards. “I don’t think there was anything too much different than that. It’s just another game where we executed better than we have been in the past. Like I said, we took advantage of the opportunities that were given to us. In the past, we haven’t been doing that as much. I feel like that’s just the biggest difference.”
Driskel had 13 snaps for the Texans. The former San Francisco 49ers 2016 sixth-round pick rushed seven times for 36 yards and also went 4-of-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Moore says it didn’t matter who was under center; the offense was doing its job.
Said Moore: “I think it’s just us on the field executing. I think if Davis or Jeff were out there (the entire time), we would have still executed the same way.”
The Texans could go with the dual quarterback offense as Houston hosts the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium.
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is just the third player in NHL history to score 800 career goals. | 2022-12-14T05:17:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | WR Chris Moore says the Texans’ offense executed regardless of who was quarterback | https://sports.yahoo.com/wr-chris-moore-says-texans-044200815.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/wr-chris-moore-says-texans-044200815.html?src=rss |
For a few minutes, it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers were getting the best win of their season. Then the Boston Celtics woke back up.
In one of the wildest NBA games of the season, the Celtics defeated the Lakers 122-118 in overtime on Tuesday. It shouldn't have been a very notable game considering Boston was up 20 points midway through the third quarter, and yet it was thanks to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers' twin stars led their team on a 32-5 run between the third and fourth quarters to take a double-digit lead with only a few minutes remaining. Crypto.com Arena was rocking, but the team was unfortunately gassed.
The Celtics responded with their own comeback, eventually finding themselves down two points. With about 45 seconds left, the Lakers had the ball, but a pair of brutal free throw misses by Davis left the door open for one Jayson Tatum to send the game to overtime:
Overtime saw a smaller Celtics comeback. The Lakers went up four points via back-to-back baskets from Russell Westbrook, then watched the Celtics score on four straight possessions to take a 119-114 lead they would never relinquish.
Tatum finished the game with 44 points on 15-of-29 shooting (5-of-10 from deep) with nine rebounds and six assists, continuing an early-season MVP campaign. Jaylen Brown had 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Meanwhile, James had 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, while Davis had 37 points and 12 rebounds.
It's weird to call a game a must-win for the team with the NBA's best record, but the Celtics were coming off two straight losses, one an embarrassing blowout in the same arena against the Los Angeles Clippers. A loss to the Lakers, now 11-16, would have triggered a mini-panic after a dream start to the season.
Instead, it's the Lakers left searching for answers. The Celtics were clearly favored, but the fatigue the veteran team showed down the stretch has to inspire some uncomfortable questions for anyone who believes a mid-season surge could be coming for Los Angeles.
The Lakers just couldn't stop Jayson Tatum in their wild loss to the Celtics. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Lakers' 20-point comeback falls short in overtime loss to Celtics
The Lakers came back 20 points down but the comeback fell short in overtime in the 122-118 loss to rival Boston Celtics on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
Top plays from Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
Top plays from Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, 12/13/2022
Baidu's (NASDAQ:BIDU) stock is up by a considerable 30% over the past month. However, we wonder if the company's...
A fan was ejected following a complaint by Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green during a game at Milwaukee on Tuesday night, and the Bucks said they are investigating the incident and consulting with the NBA. Security personnel removed the man, who was sitting a few rows beyond the baseline, during a stop in play with 5:19 left in the third quarter. The fan said “some threatening stuff to my life," Green said. | 2022-12-14T06:39:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | Celtics pull out wild OT win after exchanging 4th-quarter collapses with Lakers | https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-pull-out-wild-ot-win-after-exchanging-4th-quarter-collapses-with-lakers-055342886.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-pull-out-wild-ot-win-after-exchanging-4th-quarter-collapses-with-lakers-055342886.html?src=rss |
Penn State went 2-0 against Auburn on the football field the past two seasons, and the Nittany Lions are hoping to score a recruiting victory against the Tigers with a wide receiver in the transfer portal. And this wide receiver is one Penn State is very familiar with.
Penn State and Auburn are believed to be the final two schools in the running for Dont’e Thornton, a wide receiver who entered the transfer portal this month from Oregon. Prior to his commitment to Oregon in the Class of 2021, Thornton was previously committed to Penn State as early as 2019. Thornton, a four-star wide receiver in 2019, committed to Penn State in February 2019 but backed off his commitment later that summer. In 2020, Oregon emerged as the favorite to land Thornton’s commitment.
The Baltimore native is coming off a season with a late breakthrough on the field with 17 catches for 366 yards and a touchdown. Interestingly, according to our friends at Ducks Wire, neither Penn State nor Auburn were among the top schools in Thornton’s final stages of the recruiting process. Yet, it is these two schools who appear to be the biggest players in his transfer portal recruitment.
247Sports has yet to record any predictions for Thornton’s transfer destination at this time, but the On3 prediction machine is heavily in favor of Auburn. According to On3’s prediction calculation, Auburn has a 97.3% chance of securing Thornton’s transfer commitment. But it should be noted that figure could be heavily influenced by a recent official visit to Auburn’s campus last week.
I’m in Auburn with the vibes 🔥 #WarEagles?👀 pic.twitter.com/vdBC4DF0Mb
— Macc11🥷🏿 (@IamDTJ11) December 13, 2022
Considering how many times Thornton visited Penn State during his high school recruiting process with unofficial visits, football camps, and official visits, the lack of visits to Penn State now should not be too concerning as he is likely extremely familiar with what Penn State’s campus is like both in and out of season. Those previous trips don’t weigh in on the current calculation from On3’s prediction machine.
Penn State is also believed to be active in the transfer portal with former West Virginia wide receiver Kaden Prather, another former recruiting target Penn State missed out on originally. Penn State has a need for wide receiver depth out of the transfer portal with Parker Washington declaring for the NFL draft and Mitchell Tinsley graduating. Tinsley was brought to the Penn State program for the 2022 season out of the transfer portal from Western Kentucky. | 2022-12-14T11:21:59Z | sports.yahoo.com | Could Penn State welcome back a former commit who is in the transfer portal? | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-penn-state-welcome-back-110117260.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-penn-state-welcome-back-110117260.html?src=rss |
25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Tommy Kramer, Ahmad Rashad provide the Miracle at the Met
On the fourteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: The Miracle at the Met.
The current generation of Vikings fans will never forget Case Keenum’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs as time expired in the fourth quarter that gave the Vikings a 29-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints in an NFC Divisional playoff game on Jan. 14, 2018. Dubbed “The Minneapolis Miracle” that ending sent the Vikings to the NFC title game.
Exactly 33 years and one month earlier, another improbable finish left Vikings fans rocking the erector set that was Met Stadium in Bloomington, Minn. I was among those in attendance and a month earlier had turned 11 years old. Already in love with sports, the end of this game was the first time I realized just how special a moment of sports pandemonium could be whether young and old.
The temperature at kickoff on Dec. 14, 1980, was 20 degrees but the wind chill made it feel like 11. The Vikings entered with an 8-6 record and a chance to clinch the NFC Central with a victory. The Browns, who were favored by 3 points, were 10-4 and needed a win to secure a playoff berth.
The Browns held a 13-0 halftime lead, but quarterback Tommy Kramer’s 31-yard touchdown pass to tight end Joe Senser early in the third quarter cut Cleveland’s lead to 13-6. The Vikings’ Rick Danmeier, who had missed the extra point, traded field goals with the Browns’ Don Cockroft and a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Cleo Miller in the fourth quarter gave Cleveland a 23-9 lead early in the final quarter.
The Vikings began to rally as Kramer connected with running back Ted Brown on a 7-yard touchdown pass with just over 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Danmeier again missed the extra point. (This is confirmation of just how far back the Vikings’ kicking issues go.)
This left the Browns up by eight points — which was two scores because the two-point conversion had yet to be adopted by the NFL — and in possession of the ball. It was on this Browns drive that it became clear this might be the Vikings’ day after all.
Cleveland was keeping the ball on the ground, and running clock, until quarterback Brian Sipe threw a pass on second-and-9 from his own 41-yard line that was intended for Reggie Rucker at midfield. It never got to him. Bobby Bryant intercepted the pass from the quarterback who would be named the 1980 NFL MVP.
Kramer, known as “Two-Minute Tommy” for his ability to lead comebacks, wasted no time in leading the Vikings on a five-play, 47-yard drive that took 37 seconds and ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ahmad Rashad. It was Rashad’s first touchdown in 10 games. Danmeier didn’t miss this extra point but the Vikings still trailed by one with 1:35 remaining.
The Browns recovered the onside kick at the Vikings’ 44-yard line, but an illegal motional penalty backed up Cleveland and linebacker Scott Studwell stopped Mike Pruitt a yard short on third-and-9.
There were 23 seconds left when the Browns punted and Minnesota took over on its own 20-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. Kramer threw a pass to Senser at the Vikings 30; the tight end lateraled to Brown, who gained 39 yards before going out of bounds to stop the clock with 5 seconds left.
The play call that came into the huddle was known as “Squadron Right,” sending three wide receivers (Terry LeCount, Sammy White and Rashad) to line up on the right side of the formation. All ran go routes to the end zone and Kramer aired it out.
Kramer dropped back and threw a Hail Mary pass from his own 47-yard line. Browns safety Thom Darden tipped the ball at the Cleveland 5. Rashad was able to sort through the chaos to haul it in with one hand at the 1-yard line. There was no time remaining on the clock when he backed into the end zone for a 28-23 victory.
“A flea flicker is what beat us as much as anything,” Cleveland’s Calvin Hill told reporters afterward. “A damn good flea flicker, that Senser-to-Brown play.”
That gave Grant had his 11th NFC Central title as the Met erupted. The euphoria wouldn’t last long. The Vikings opened the playoffs in Philadelphia and were beaten 31-16 by an Eagles team that would go on to lose to Oakland in the Super Bowl.
Nonetheless, the Met had its miracle and Kramer, Rashad and Vikings fans had a memory for a lifetime. | 2022-12-14T11:22:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | 25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Tommy Kramer, Ahmad Rashad provide the Miracle at the Met | https://sports.yahoo.com/25-skol-christmas-tommy-kramer-110559056.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/25-skol-christmas-tommy-kramer-110559056.html?src=rss |
In a surprise, Cole Beasley has returned to the Buffalo Bills.
On Tuesday, the team announced that Beasley was added to the practice squad and it’s expected that he could be called up to the active roster pretty quickly.
However, the Bills (10-3) had to make room for that transaction. The corresponding move came in the form of Marquez Stevenson as the team announced he had been released from their practice squad.
Stevenson has had a journey in recent weeks with the team.
Last week, Buffalo released him. He was let go on the same day his 21-day injured reserve window ended. The Bills previously designated Stevenson to return from IR and had to make a choice and decided to release him in hopes they could get him back on their practice squad.
That exact scenario unfolded… and the Bills eventually ended up letting Stevenson go anyway to make room for Beasley.
Stevenson, a 2021 sixth-round draft pick, had foot surgery in August after a training camp injury. His release turns some heads because Buffalo also has the likes of KeeSean Johnson and Tanner Gentry on their practice squad–Both wideouts.
The Bills still opted to release a former draft pick over them. Perhaps Stevenson had not yet progressed from his injury as the team had hoped.
In addition to the creative receiver moves, Buffalo made a switch at defensive tackle. Brandin Bryant, who was previously with the Bills and signed by Houston this season was released by the Texans last week. Bryant has since signed to Buffalo’s roster and CJ Brewer was released to make room for him. | 2022-12-14T11:22:30Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bills release Marquez Stevenson to make room for Cole Beasley | https://sports.yahoo.com/bills-release-marquez-stevenson-room-105551741.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bills-release-marquez-stevenson-room-105551741.html?src=rss |
The Denver Broncos are planning to invest $100 million worth of refurbishments into Empower Field at Mile High, according to a report from Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal.
“The team is seeking a loan through the NFL’s G-4 program for the work, which is subject to a vote of fellow owners [this week],” Fischer wrote on SBJ‘s website.
The team’s stadium was damaged during a fire in March. The $100 million upgrades are not a sign that new ownership has ruled out the possibility of eventually building a new stadium.
“Observers have widely expected the new owners to eventually build a new stadium, but for now, this project addresses more targeted upgrades,” Fischer wrote.
After the SBJ story broke, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis echoed the reporting that the refurbishments do not cancel out potential new stadium plans.
“I’m told this is not related to any long-term decision on stadium’s future,” Klis tweeted last week. “Ownership wanted to immediately enhance fans’ experience.”
The Broncos are now majority-owned by Rob Walton, and his son-in-law, Greg Penner, is a co-owner and the team’s new CEO. Penner said in August that the team has nearly 10 years remaining on the lease at Empower Field, and they are not rushing a potential stadium decision.
So a new stadium is not imminent, but still a possibility down the road. | 2022-12-14T11:22:37Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL owners to vote on loan for Broncos to upgrade stadium | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-owners-vote-loan-broncos-100050457.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-owners-vote-loan-broncos-100050457.html?src=rss |
Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson is expected to miss the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Georgia. Henderson battled injuries throughout the 2022 college football season.
The former five-star running back is having surgery on his foot. Henderson suffered a foot injury in Sept. and has been fighting through it ever since.
TreVeyon Henderson has 107 rushes for 571 yards and six touchdowns this season. Henderson had an outstanding true freshman season last year. In 2021, Henderson rushed for 1,248 rushing yards on 183 carries and scored 15 rushing touchdowns. When healthy Henderson is a talented receiver out of the backfield. He recorded 27 catches for 312 yards and scored four receiving touchdowns as a freshman.
Hopefully TreVeyon Henderson can return to full health for the 2023 college football season. When healthy, Henderson is one of the most dynamic players in all of college football.
Now, Ohio State will have to heavily lean on powerful running back Miyan Williams. This season, Williams has 817 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. However, Williams is not as much of a receiving threat and has only five receptions for 27 yards in 2022.
Freshman running back Dallan Hayden will be asked to have a larger role. Hayden has 510 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, but does not have impressive receiving numbers (four receptions for 23 yards).
Both Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will not be able to suit up for the Buckeyes in the CFP.
The 6-6 New Mexico State Aggies play the 6-6 Bowling Green Falcons in the Dec. 26 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.
Good Afternoon, Michigan Football: Expectations for the semifinal
M&BR's Dennis Fithian is back with another episode of Good Afternoon, Michigan Football!Topics discussed include:- JJ McCarthy on Ronnie Bell 00:00-1:16- Mike Leach 1:17-3:58- This season great no matter ... | 2022-12-14T13:28:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | Talented Ohio State RB out for CFP | https://sports.yahoo.com/talented-ohio-state-rb-cfp-114242602.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/talented-ohio-state-rb-cfp-114242602.html?src=rss |
At 41-years-old, Anderson is not only the oldest player in the NHL, but happens to be one of very few goalies in the history of the league to still be suiting up at his age. Fresh off a 40-save shutout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, Anderson owns a 2.58 goals against average (GAA), along with a .919 save percentage (SV%) through 12 games. For comparison's sake, the league-average save percentage in 2021-22 was .907.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals - Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals, 12/13/2022
(Bloomberg) -- Germany is speeding up efforts to make it easier to dismiss extremists from the armed forces following last week’s raids that swept up members of a far-right group allegedly plotting to overthrow the government.Most Read from BloombergApple to Allow Outside App Stores in Overhaul Spurred by EU LawsMusk Loses World’s Richest Title to Arnault With Tesla UnwindingElon Musk Is Ruining Trump’s Presidential CampaignTesla Stock Has Never Been This Cheap — And It Could Still Drop FurtherU
Colorado Avalanche vs. Philadelphia Flyers - Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Colorado Avalanche vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 12/13/2022
The playoffs are still months away for Pittsburgh and Dallas. For two of the NHL's highest-scoring teams, playing responsibly on the defensive end in December can be a challenge. Evgeni Malkin's flip into an essentially open net with 34 seconds remaining provided the difference. | 2022-12-14T14:16:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | NHL: Craig Anderson impressing for Sabres at age 41 | https://sports.yahoo.com/at-41-craig-anderson-is-doing-what-few-goalies-have-done-in-nhl-history-022959302.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/at-41-craig-anderson-is-doing-what-few-goalies-have-done-in-nhl-history-022959302.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears (3-10) will host the Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to snap a six-game losing streak. But it won’t be easy against arguably the best team in the NFL.
The Bears’ Week 15 game will air on FOX at Noon CT. The television commentators for the game are Joe Davis (play-by-play), Daryl Johnston (analysis) and Pam Oliver (sideline).
Chicago is coming off a much-needed bye week, but they face a difficult matchup against a surging Eagles team that could make things rough on an already-depleted roster.
Justin Fields did make his return back in Week 13, where the Bears opened up the passing game in their loss to the Green Bay Packers. This feels like a game where we could be in for some Fields magic, even if Chicago still ultimately loses.
The Bears will be tested on both sides of the ball, where Philadelphia ranks among the top of the NFL on both sides of the ball. These teams are headed in opposite directions. The Eagles appear bound for the Super Bowl while Chicago is trending toward a top-three draft pick. | 2022-12-14T14:26:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | Announcers set for Bears vs. Eagles Week 15 game | https://sports.yahoo.com/announcers-set-bears-vs-eagles-141405735.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/announcers-set-bears-vs-eagles-141405735.html?src=rss |
Trevor Lawrence’s 368-yard day against the Tennessee Titans that included three touchdown passes and one ad-libbed touchdown run was enough to convince many that the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has arrived as a star quarterback.
Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson isn’t quite ready to anoint Lawrence yet, though.
“He’s on his way to there,” Pederson said Tuesday on The Rich Eisen Show. “I would say he still has some room to grow and get better, but he’s definitely taken steps in the right direction.
“You go back and look at the beginning of our season and we were a little bit careless with the football, situational ball wasn’t quite there yet. … This is where his growth has come.”
Lawrence, 23, had a nightmarish rookie season with 12 touchdown and an NFL-leading 17 interceptions. After a hot start to his second season, Lawrence struggled in the month of October, throwing four touchdowns and five interceptions over a five-game stretch.
But it’s tough to imagine Lawrence being any better than he’s been since the start of November. In his last five games, the Jaguars quarterback has completed 71.8 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 111.7 passer rating.
If there’s room for improvement, it’s hard to imagine there’s very much outside of consistency over the course of a year. Because if the Jaguars got the kind of play from Lawrence that it got in Week 14 on a weekly basis, he’d be a runaway NFL MVP.
How Minnesota snowplow drivers are preparing for wintry weather
Ahead of intense snow this week, hear how Minnesota's department of transportation tackles the herculean task of keeping roads clear throughout the North Star State.
Whether you're a seasoned marathoner, trail dog, or lacing up running shoes for the first time, it's essential to wear the right shoes. You may not think your shoe type matters, but according to foot doctors, wearing the right pair of shoes can make all the difference in getting the most out of your runs and keeping injuries at bay. "Running shoes, especially for anyone who experiences chronic foot pain, including heel pain, arch pain, or plantar fascia, need to keep feet stable during strenuous
You're surely well aware of the fact that your regular eating habits can affect your body in all kinds of fascinating ways. For example, what you eat can impact how well your blood circulates throughout your body as well as impact your blood pressure. On top of that, a recent study has found that a healthy diet can also benefit your blood vessels.In the study that was recently published in Nature Metabolism, researchers examined how diet could benefit overall health by reducing molecular signatu | 2022-12-14T14:27:42Z | sports.yahoo.com | Doug Pederson on Trevor Lawrence: ‘He still has some room to grow’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/doug-pederson-trevor-lawrence-still-124559710.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/doug-pederson-trevor-lawrence-still-124559710.html?src=rss |
Another award for Brandon Graham and the Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles are 12-1 and the accolades keep rolling in.
Brandon Graham has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his three-sack performance against the Giants on Sunday in the Eagles’ 48-22 win.
Graham, 34, also won the award back in Week 3. He becomes the third Eagle ever to take Defensive Player of the Week honors twice in one season, joining Eric Allen (1993) and Seth Joyner (1991).
Graham is also the first defensive player to win twice in the 2022 season. He’s the second Eagle this year to win two Player of the Week awards, though. Jalen Hurts won NFC Offensive Player of the Week back-to-back in Week 12 and Week 13.
This award for Graham is also the Eagles’ eighth Player of the Week award this season. That’s the most among any team in the NFL.
Here’s a quick look at the trophy case:
Week 14: Brandon Graham, NFC Defensive Player of the Week
Through 13 games this season, Graham is already up to 8 1/2 sacks, which is even more impressive because he’s now a rotational player and is coming off an Achilles injury that ended his 2021 season very early.
Graham is playing fewer snaps than ever and he’s producing crazy numbers.
At 34 years and 352 days old, Graham on Sunday because the oldest player to have three sacks in a game since Dwight Freeney (35 years, 311 days) back in 2015.
"It felt good," Graham said after the game. "It’s been a minute since the last time I had three in a game. The Jets was the last game I
had three. I’m just happy at this age to still trying to stay relevant and stay helping the team."
In Week 3, Graham had 2 1/2 sacks against the Commanders in that 9-sack game against Carson Wentz. He then went six straight weeks without a sack but has been heating up recently. In his last four games, Graham has 5 1/2 sacks and is now just 1 sack away from his career high.
With four games left in the 2022 regular season, Graham has a shot at his first double digit sack season.
The Eagles, meanwhile, lead the entire NFL in sacks with 49 through 13 games. This is the second-most sacks they’ve ever had through 13 games, behind just the 1987 squad with Reggie, Clyde and Jerome. | 2022-12-14T14:27:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles’ Brandon Graham named NFC Defensive Player of Week again | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-brandon-graham-named-nfc-134501156.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-brandon-graham-named-nfc-134501156.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants head down to the nation’s capital to face their division rivals, the Washington Commanders, on national television this Sunday night.
Here are five things to know about the Week 15 game.
An unusual 'back-to-back' matchup
The Giants and Commanders faced each other at MetLife Stadium two weeks ago. The teams tied, 20-20. The Giants played the Philadelphia Eagles last week, losing 48-22, but the Commanders had a bye, manning they’ll be facing the Giants in consecutive games.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the third time since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger that a team will play the same opponent in consecutive games. The other instances happened in 1991 (Seattle-San Diego) and last year (Cleveland-Baltimore).
This will be the first time the Giants have been an opponent in consecutive games since November 20 and 27, 1960 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
A lot at stake
Both teams head into the game at 7-5-1. This game will serve as the tiebreaker between the two teams should they be deadlocked at season’s end.
A rare Sunday night game
The Giants have only played three times on Sunday night since 2017. Their last victory was on October 15th of that year, a 23-10 win over the Broncos in Denver.
This is the Giants’ third appearance on national television this season. Their other two games were against Dallas on Thanksgiving Day and on Monday night in Week 3.
The Washington franchise is 19-18-1 all-time on Sunday Night Football. It is the first time they have hosted Sunday Night Football since Week 3 of the 2017 season versus Oakland.
Washington is 5-2 in seven primetime games under head coach Ron Rivera. They have a .714 winning percentage over that span — the highest in the NFC.
Saquon flaming out
Giants running back Saquon Barkley began this season with a bang, putting up big numbers while leading the Giants to a 7-2 record in the first nine games. He was on pace to lead the NFL in total yards from scrimmage.
Over the last four games, however, Barkley has cooled down considerably. He has gained just 152 rushing yards and caught only 13 passes for a total of 64 yards while scoring twice.
The Giants are 0-3-1 over that span.
Giants defense crumbling
The Giants’ defense is beginning to crack, mainly due to the many injuries they’ve incurred as the season has unfolded.
Over the first nine games, they allowed just 19.2 points per game. Over their last four, they’ve permitted 31.7 points per contest.
Their offense can’t keep up with that as they have scored more than 24 points just once this entire season.
The defense has been getting shredded on the ground. Philadelphia ran for 235 yards last week and the Giants had been allowing an average of 164 yards rushing over the prior three weeks leading into that game.
The New York Giants fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, 48-22, in Week 14 and the Giants Wire team grades reflect that performance. | 2022-12-14T14:27:54Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants vs. Commanders: 5 things to know about Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-vs-commanders-5-things-135513347.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-vs-commanders-5-things-135513347.html?src=rss |
The cream always rises to the top, and New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche is rising.
He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 14 for the demolition job he did against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. Following the game, three-time NFL Pro Bowler Matthew Judon referred to him as the Patriots’ best pass-rusher.
It’s proving to be more than just talk considering the third-year defensive player racked up five total tackles, three sacks and four quarterback hits in the 27-13 victory.
Opposing teams can no longer get away with simply putting all of their attention towards stopping Judon, if they don’t want to get crushed by Uche on the other side.
An argument could be made that Uche has been the best pass-rusher in the league over the last few weeks. He has recorded multiple-sack games in three of his last four outings.
Just in his last five games alone, he has compiled a total of 10 sacks. It’s an impressive run that’s showing no signs of slowing down. The Patriots hoped for a breakout year from Uche, and he’s showing it in the latter half of the season.
Better late than never, right? | 2022-12-14T14:28:13Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jose Uche nabs AFC Defensive Player of the Week after wrecking Cardinals | https://sports.yahoo.com/jose-uche-nabs-afc-defensive-141200366.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jose-uche-nabs-afc-defensive-141200366.html?src=rss |
So the NFC West scenario is easy, but by the end of Sunday’s action the 49ers could be sitting in the No. 2 seed with a guarantee to finish no worse than the No. 3 seed.
The Vikings host the Colts on Sunday, and a loss for Minnesota combined with a 49ers win would move the 49ers up to the No. 2 seed. Both clubs would be at 10-4, and San Francisco would hold the conference record tiebreaker. They’re 7-2 against NFC, while the Vikings are 6-3 within the conference.
There could still be residual benefits on the schedule for the 49ers even if Minnesota wins and the No. 2 seed stays out of reach. If the NFC South-leading Buccaneers lose at home to the Bengals, they’d fall to 6-8, ensuring the NFC South winner has no more than nine wins and stays in the No. 4 seed.
49ers win + Vikings win = 49ers stay at No. 3 seed
49ers win + Vikings loss = 49ers jump to No. 2 seed
In the wake of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s diversity controversy, and their pursuit to increase representation, this year’s selection of diverse TV and film nominees in acting, songwriting, film score, directing and writing is actually up over last year’s: 30 to 26. However, numbers don’t always tell the whole story as the town yearns […] | 2022-12-14T14:28:26Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL playoff picture: 49ers can clinch and climb in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-playoff-picture-49ers-clinch-130034754.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-playoff-picture-49ers-clinch-130034754.html?src=rss |
The Green Bay Packers have taken a noticeable step backward in 2022, but have a chance to secure their sixth win of the season against the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 15. They have won their last four games against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field by a margin of 116-59 points.
Though they’ll have their patented home-field advantage in this game playing in front of the Green Bay faithful, the matchup will be anything but a cakewalk. The Rams are exceptionally well-coached under Sean McVay and his exceptional staff of experienced assistants and can put a hurt on any opponent that takes the challenge of playing them lightly.
Los Angeles will be led by former first-overall pick Baker Mayfield under center, who was claimed by the Rams last week before starting his first game for the team in what would turn into one of the most improbable comeback efforts of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mayfield’s struggles at the NFL levels are well-documented, but his natural talent makes him a threat as an improvisational playmaker with the ability to find open receivers downfield with expert precision.
The Packers will also have to contend against the Rams’ exceptional defense, headlined by former defensive player of the year Aaron Donald and a cast of up-and-coming talent that has played some scrappy football this season. Donald can take over any matchup against lesser offensive linemen when he is schemed into favorable matchups, and Aaron Rodgers will need to stay on his toes to avoid letting the defensive lineman take over the game.
All in all, Green Bay has the skills and talent necessary to extend their home winning streak against Los Angeles, but they certainly can’t afford to get complacent in their efforts on Monday. Watch for Matt LaFleur to bring a heady game plan into the matchup to dissect the Rams’ defense, and for Rodgers to make some incredible plays to help lift the Packers to victory. | 2022-12-14T14:28:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | Packers look to build on four-game win streak at Lambeau against Rams | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-look-build-four-game-141332937.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-look-build-four-game-141332937.html?src=rss |
The Seattle Seahawks are set to square off this week against the San Francisco 49ers for the second time this season. The first go around, way back in Week 2, did not bode well for Seattle, who fell to San Francisco 27-7.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf hope things go a bit differently on Thursday night.
“Just looking back at our mistakes and what not to do,” Metcalf told reporters on Tuesday. “They held us to seven points, and we didn’t score a point on offense. I’m just erasing all the penalties and mistakes that we had in that game and like I said, we are a different offense and a different team since that game.
“I know ever since that game, we turned our whole offense of thinking and scheming around to where we have been moving the ball up and down the field and scoring whenever we wanted to.”
The 49ers have a new-look offense on the field as well, now down to third-string quarterback Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in this year’s NFL draft. And despite his draft position, Purdy has been off to a stellar start.
The division rivals are scheduled to kick off from Lumen Field Thursday night at 5:15 p.m.
Column: 'Booooooo!' Get ready, Carlos Correa. Dodger fans are going to boo you the loudest | 2022-12-14T14:28:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Seahawks are different team since last facing the 49ers in Week 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/seahawks-different-team-since-last-140015266.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/seahawks-different-team-since-last-140015266.html?src=rss |
New England Patriots legend and Hall of Famer Ty Law loves the fire in quarterback Mac Jones, following the team’s 27-13 win against the Arizona Cardinals.
Jones was seen barking at offensive coordinator Matt Patricia during the course of the game. Multiple camera angles showed the quarterback shouting profanities, as he was upset with the play-calling at certain points.
It was a frustrating night for the Patriots offense. Jones managed 235 yards passing and an interception. His 75.3 passer rating was his lowest since he appeared in the Chicago Bears game on October 24. Nevertheless, the combination of the running game and New England’s defense allowed the organization to pick up their seventh victory of the year.
Law appeared on The Greg Hill Show Tuesday afternoon and praised the quarterback for having a fire lit under him, as transcribed by Zack Cox of NESN.com.
“Hell no. I love it. That’s what a leader is supposed to do,” said Law. “He’s supposed to step up. I think he’s doing the right thing. No one says anything when Tom Brady’s breaking tablets. [Has] he earned the right because he’s Tom Brady? Yes, but as a quarterback you have to step up and show the team that you want it. Tell the offensive coordinator that I don?t like this call. There have been plenty of times, [co-host Jermaine Wiggins], on our end that if we didn’t like a call we’d let [Bill] Belichick know, we’d let [former defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel] know, ‘We don’t like this call!’
“As a quarterback and what they’re facing right now, they don’t have a true offensive coordinator, what is a man supposed to do? You’ve got to show that team that, ‘Look I’m the leader. Follow me. Step up.'”
The play-calling on the offensive side of the football has been a hot topic, following New England’s loss to the Buffalo Bills at the beginning of the month. The offense struggled on Monday, and Jones has made it known he has not been pleased.
New England will look to form a winning streak, as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. This is another game with implications in the playoff race, as both teams are fighting to firmly secure themselves in it.
In just a few days, audiences everywhere will finally get to see Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron's return to Pandora that's been more than a decade in the making and stretches to more than three hours across the big screen. Now the reviews are in, and though not everyone is convinced, it sounds like Camerson's sequel was something worth waiting for. Set more than 10 years after the first film, The Way of Water follows the Sully family as they leave the forests of Pandora for the planet's | 2022-12-14T14:28:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | If Tom Brady breaks tablets, NFL legend believes Mac Jones should be able to dispute play-calling | https://sports.yahoo.com/tom-brady-breaks-tablets-nfl-130252748.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/tom-brady-breaks-tablets-nfl-130252748.html?src=rss |
The New England Patriots are still treading water, following a much-needed 27-13 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Make no mistake, however, the team is still swimming upstream with a murderer’s row list of opponents to finish out the season. They’ll have a run-in with the hapless Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon, but then again, the Raiders are coached by Josh McDaniels, who knows the Patriots’ organization inside and out.
Then there are even tougher matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills awaiting them in what could quickly turn into a crash landing.
Will the offensive play-calling be good enough to score points, and even more importantly, is Mac Jones good enough to overcome everything that is wrong with this Patriots team?
The answers to those questions will mean the difference between playing on wild card weekend and facing an early exit. Here’s what the AFC playoff picture would look like, if the season ended today.
On the bubble teams | 2022-12-14T14:28:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | Where would the Patriots rank in playoffs, if the season ended today? | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-patriots-rank-playoffs-season-133415757.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-patriots-rank-playoffs-season-133415757.html?src=rss |
U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl died of an aortic aneurysm while covering the World Cup in Qatar, Wahl's wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, said in a statement on Wednesday. Grounder said Wahl's body was returned to the United States on Monday, where an autopsy was performed.
"An autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office. Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium. The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death."
An aortic aneurysm happens when the aorta, the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body, develops a balloon-like bulge. According to the CDC, it can build for years, often with no symptoms or symptoms that can seem like something else (like pain in the back, belly or side). When the pressure on the aorta gets too great, it can rupture.
Wahl, just 48 years old, had not been feeling well in the days leading up to his death. On his podcast, he revealed that he had been to a medical clinic twice, and that he had bronchitis. Wahl died suddenly on Friday while in his seat in the stadium press box where he was covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands. Paramedics arrived almost instantly and tried to revive him, but were unsuccessful.
Some initially suspected Wahl's death was the result of foul play, as Wahl had been outspoken in his criticism of the Qatari government for their treatment of migrant workers. Wahl's brother, Eric, initially suspected Grant had been killed, perhaps in connection to his recent act of protest in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. Homosexuality is outlawed in Qatar, but Wahl decided to wear a rainbow shirt to a match on Nov. 21 in support of Eric, who is gay, and the LGBTQIA+ community. Grant Wahl wrote on his Substack that he was detained by security and forced to remove the shirt before being released.
However, Eric tweeted on Tuesday that he no longer suspected his brother's death was the result of foul play.
"While the world knew Grant as a great journalist, we knew him as a man who approached the world with openness and love," Grounder wrote. "Grant was an incredibly empathetic, dedicated, and loving husband, brother, uncle, and son who was our greatest teammate and fan. We will forever cherish the gift of his life."
The wife of U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl has said that he died of an aortic aneurysm while at the World Cup in Qatar. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images)
Check your Powerball numbers | 2022-12-14T15:39:25Z | sports.yahoo.com | World Cup 2022: Grant Wahl died of aortic aneurysm, wife says | https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-2022-grant-wahl-died-of-aortic-aneurysm-wife-says-142822150.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-2022-grant-wahl-died-of-aortic-aneurysm-wife-says-142822150.html?src=rss |
a Goalie Save from Detroit Red Wings vs. Carolina Hurricanes
(Detroit Red Wings) with a Goalie Save from Detroit Red Wings vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 12/13/2022
Soaked with beer and still wearing his No. 8 jersey, Alex Ovechkin held three pucks in his right hand as he posed for a picture with the rest of the jubilant Washington Capitals in the visiting locker room at the United Center. Ovechkin became the third NHL player to reach 800 career goals when he scored three times Tuesday night, touching off a wild celebration for his team and an appreciative Chicago crowd. “Soon as it happened, kind of relief,” Ovechkin said after Washington’s 7-3 win over the Blackhawks. | 2022-12-14T15:43:30Z | sports.yahoo.com | a Goalie Save from Detroit Red Wings vs. Carolina Hurricanes | https://sports.yahoo.com/goalie-save-detroit-red-wings-030312946.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/goalie-save-detroit-red-wings-030312946.html?src=rss |
Analyzing every MLB free-agent signing: Giants reel in Carlos Correa on 13-year deal, make their offseason splash
Does it make sense for the Giants? When Buster Posey retired after 2021, it marked a hard stop on an era that had unexpectedly gone out on a high note, with their improbable 107-win season. That miracle run harkened back to the glory days, but make no mistake: the early 2010s were a long time ago and the Giants needed a new star around whom they could build a new dynastic contender. For the first few years of his tenure in San Francisco, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi avoided long-term deals to set the franchise up for precisely this kind of commitment. And sure, at the outset of the offseason, the assumption was that it would go to the hometown kid who could double as a mascot, Aaron Judge. But in Correa, they got an all-around player whose patience, power and defense add up to MVP candidate expectations, even if he hasn't yet actualized an all-world season. FanGraphs’ Steamer projection system pegs Correa for 5.1 WAR in 2023, and Judge for 6.9. You can expect that gap to shrink, and then flip, in coming seasons. Correa, still in his 20s, has plenty of time to put that together, and has already excelled in dozens of postseason games. On top of that, he brings a uniquely outspoken kind of leadership to a clubhouse already known for its embrace of forward-thinking information. The length of the deal does seem a little outrageous if you start calculating your own age at the time, but that’s just how teams are structuring big contracts this offseason.
Farhan Zaidi and the Giants went big on Tuesday like they never have before, agreeing to a 13-year, $350 million deal with Carlos Correa.
Seven-time major winner and Olympic gold medalist Inbee Park announces she’s pregnant
Park, 34, last competed on the LPGA in August at the AIG Women’s British Open, where she tied for 22nd.
Twitter reacts to Carlos Correa, Giants agreeing to massive $350M contract
The Giants agreed to a massive 13-year, $350 million contract with shortstop Carlos Correa and Twitter went wild. | 2022-12-14T15:47:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | Analyzing every MLB free-agent signing: Giants reel in Carlos Correa on 13-year deal, make their offseason splash | https://sports.yahoo.com/analyzing-every-mlb-free-agent-signing-giants-reel-in-carlos-correa-on-13-year-deal-make-their-offseason-splash-142210152.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/analyzing-every-mlb-free-agent-signing-giants-reel-in-carlos-correa-on-13-year-deal-make-their-offseason-splash-142210152.html?src=rss |
"I definitely had a fear of death," Rodgers said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." "Ayahuasca and psilocybin really helped me with that."
He said the use of those drugs relieved stress of him feeling the need to "accomplish things before I actually die.” He remembered as a teenager during Y2K that he had this fear.
The seemingly-out-of-nowhere topic of death was spurred by a question from A.J. Hawk following a brief chat about what Rodgers did during the Packers' bye week. But then Rodgers called it "a great question" and dove deep into his answer that resurfaced the topic about his ayahuasca use and also provided him an opportunity to pay tribute to Mike Leach, the successful college football coach who died Monday night.
Rodgers explained he's not talking about life and death in seeing ”the other side“ but "the veil between the seen and unseen world."
In September, he clapped back at those who called ayahuasca a drug because it's made from a plant and that he'll likely be called again to use it. Ayahuasca is banned in the United States and contains DMT, a Schedule I substance. There are currently no accepted medical use for hallucinogens in the U.S.
Psilocybin or "magic mushrooms" are naturally occurring and are consumed for their ability to alter human perception. Consuming psychedelics can have adverse short term and long term side effects, including elevated heart rate, nausea and vomiting, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
The topic of "fear" isn't out of the ordinary when Rodgers goes on "The Pat McAfee Show." He often used the word "fear" when discussing COVID-19 last season throughout the saga regarding his vaccination status.
He said he didn't have fear because he took ownership over his own health but he had empathy for those who had fear, which he often said was caused by the media.
"Revolutionalized the college game," Rodgers said, referencing his teams' Air Raid attack.
Rodgers said he marveled at Leach's high-powered offense, especially after hearing stories from one-time Packers teammate, Graham Harrell, who set multiple NCAA passing records as a quarterback at Texas Tech under Leach from 2004-08.
Rodgers also got to see a Leach-led offense up close when his California Golden Bears played the Red Raiders in the 2004 Holiday Bowl. Texas Tech beat Cal, 45-31, in what was Rodgers' final college game.
“You watch him on the sidelines, he had like a 4x6 little index card that he was calling the plays on sometimes,” Rodgers said. “He just knew the system so well and had such a good feel for the game.”
"Genius," Rodgers called the system Leach, a two-time national coach of the year, ran for his programs.
More:Remembering the legendary Mike Leach: What to know about coach's family, football legacy | 2022-12-14T15:47:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers pays tribute to Mike Leach and talks about ayahuasca (again) on 'Pat McAfee' | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-quarterback-aaron-rodgers-pays-224505578.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-quarterback-aaron-rodgers-pays-224505578.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears are coming off a much-needed bye week. They’re 3-10 and have been eliminated from playoff contention. After two weeks of injury-riddled football, the Bears are hoping to change things and flip the script on their six-game losing streak.
But it won’t be easy as they face off against the 12-1 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Chicago last played against the Eagles in a losing effort in 2019. With a rested team, this is the perfect time to play the best team in the NFL.
Here’s where the Bears rank in the power rankings going into Week 15.
Coming out of the weekend, Chicago was the only NFC team eliminated from playoff contention. And not going to be easy finding win No. 4 with the final month of the schedule serving up three division leaders (Philadelphia, Buffalo and Minnesota) and a hot pride of Lions.
The Bears have a really tough finish to the 2022 season. Three of the four teams they are playing against are playoff teams, and the other is in the hunt for a spot. At least Justin Fields will be getting more reps. We’ll see how well he does compared to some of the other young studs in the league against Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.
The rebuilding Bears entered the season with more rookies on their Week 1 roster than any team in football. The biggest surprise of the bunch through the bye week? Chicago-area native Jack Sanborn, an undrafted linebacker who has thrived since replacing Roquan Smith as the starting middle linebacker. Over the past month, Sanborn has largely equaled the production of Smith, who has thrived in his own right since his trade to the Ravens. “Sometimes good football players are overlooked because their arms aren’t 32 (inches) or their hands aren’t 10 (inches) and you’re not running 4.4 and all those things,” defensive coordinator Alan Williams said last month. “That doesn’t mean you’re not gonna be a really good football player. And so (Sanborn) transcends that.”
This is the worst defense since the Marc Trestman era. John Fox rebuilt it, Matt Nagy managed it, and it’s now been torn to the ground to be rebuilt yet again. With the Roquan Smith trade, the fear was they’d be lost at middle linebacker. Credit to Jack Sanborn, a Chicago-native who has stepped up big time, playing out of his mind this season.
It’s not that often that fans of a three-win team are excited about the future. But while the Chicago Bears aren’t winning games, they appear to have found their quarterback.
Now they just need to keep him in one piece.
If Justin Fields can log 95 rushing yards over the last month of the season (which would seem likely given that he’s averaging over 75 yards per game), the second-year pro out of Ohio State will become the third quarterback in NFL history to gain 1,000 yards on the ground in a season. However, running the ball means more hits taken, and as head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters, the key for the Bears is mitigating that additional punishment.
“I’ve said from the beginning for several weeks now, we want to be very protective of Justin to makes sure he is out of harm’s way,” Eberflus said. “That is either being smart by him working to the sideline, working out of bounds, sliding correctly. Or things like that, different designs that we might give our halfback.”
Getting Fields through the rest of the season is just Step 1 in Chicago’s rebuild plan. And even bigger one will be how the team handles the 2023 offseason. Fields needs better passing-game weapons around him. The Chicago defense needs help at all three levels.
There’s a lot of work to be done if this year’s excitement is to have any chance of meaning anything a year from now.
Keeping Fields healthy for the rest of the season is step one. Building around him this offseason is step two. Fields is a talented young quarterback who has all the potential in the world to be a franchise QB. It’s up to Ryan Poles this offseason to put the pieces around him, including a real offensive line and another wide receiver, to help Fields be successful. If they do that, there are no excuses in Year 3.
The Bears have seen a considerable uptick in offensive efficiency since Week 7, averaging 25.3 points per game. Using Justin Fields’ dynamic rushing ability to its advantage has kept Chicago battling down the stretch of games despite sitting on a six-game losing streak. The defense owns a league-worst rank in sacks and pressures, which has hindered the Bears’ ability to stop opposing quarterbacks. Despite that, Chicago still ranks 11th in pass defense (allowing 204.2 yards per game). Kicker Cairo Santos has struggled lately, having missed three field goals since Week 11. The Bears have been at the top of the league on kickoff returns, but they rank in the bottom 10 on punt returns, having only one of 20-plus yards.
This Bears offense, since Week 7, is by far the most exciting offense they’ve had since 2018. The issue is, they haven’t won a single game. That’s not entirely on the offense, that’s also on the special teams and defense. Missed field goals and extra points and poor defense has caused more losses than there should be for this team.
They come off their bye with a tough game against the Eagles. It should be a good way for Justin Fields to get an idea of what might come next year by watching Jalen Hurts.
No matter the outcome, Bears fans can get a taste of what Year 3 could look like with Fields with what they see in Hurts. Hurts is a talented young player with a similar skill set to Fields. If the Bears can build an offense like the Eagles, who knows how well they’ll dop in 2023.
AB “Ignitis grupė” (hereinafter – the Group) informs that on 14 December 2022 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – the Government) passed a resolution to extend the partial compensation of electricity and natural gas prices for private consumers until the end of the first half of 2023 as well as compensation of the regulatory differences accumulated throughout the second half of 2022. This will have a positive effect on the Group’s working capital. The Government’s resoluti | 2022-12-14T16:01:22Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bears NFL power rankings round-up going into Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-nfl-power-rankings-round-152134594.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-nfl-power-rankings-round-152134594.html?src=rss |
Cowboys LB won't give Jalen Hurts credit for MVP season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles-Cowboys rivalry hasn’t really clicked in recent years, largely because the two teams haven’t been this good at the same time. But Jalen Hurts and the Eagles playing at this level, along with the Cowboys’ very strong season thus far, have rekindled the flame.
Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons was a guest on Bills’ LB Von Miller’s podcast, and the topic of the MVP race this season came up. Parsons just couldn’t bring himself to admit that the Eagles QB is truly having an MVP-caliber year.
Miller: I think right now it’s down to two.
Parsons: [Patrick] Mahomes and [Josh] Allen?
Miller: Josh is coming back, but it’s down to two.
Parsons: Who else… who else would you put?
Miller: I’d probably put Hurts and Mahomes.
Parsons: [pauses] It’s hard for me to really speak on this… I’m playing him in a couple weeks, I don’t want him to make me pay.
Miller: [laughs]
Parsons: [laughs] […] It’s hard, like, when you put talent around, it makes it easier, ok…
Parsons: When you look at the Eagles, is it Hurts or the team?
Miller: I think it’s a little bit of both, man! [laughs]
Parsons: It’s system and team!
Parsons: I’m not trying to make no enemies. I just, like.. I just love the game so much and understand it so much that, like… I can’t, when things are off I just can’t hold it in, I just gotta say something.
Parsons tried like hell to avoid saying anything, positive or negative, about Hurts, but then closes the topic with “when things are off?” What exactly is off about a quarterback who is leading the NFL in passer rating and has led his team to the best record in the league with four games left in the season?
If you don’t want to give him all the credit for the team’s success, fine. The team is stacked right now. The acquisition of A.J. Brown is likely the most significant offensive addition of any team in the league this season. But how can you shortchange the quarterback of a team who is 12-1? A guy who has led his team to 41 points a game over its last three without a major offensive weapon in Dallas Goedert?
Parsons goes on to say in the podcast that he believes Mahomes will be the MVP. Cool. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But when you bring up the “player vs. system” argument when you’re talking about a quarterback, you say without saying it that you don’t respect that quarterback. Plain and simple.
Not entirely sure this qualifies as bulletin board material for Hurts, but as he said after Sunday’s win, “I carry my scars with me everywhere I go. I don’t forget.”
James van Riemsdyk with a Goal vs. Colorado Avalanche
James van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia Flyers) with a Goal vs. Colorado Avalanche, 12/13/2022 | 2022-12-14T16:01:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cowboys LB won't give Jalen Hurts credit for MVP season | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-lb-wont-jalen-hurts-145715417.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-lb-wont-jalen-hurts-145715417.html?src=rss |
The added benefit of Eagles' winning in blowouts originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles didn’t just win against the Titans and Giants the last couple of weeks.
They crushed them.
They beat the Titans 35-10 and they beat the Giants 48-22. And the Eagles did it quickly enough to empty their bench in the fourth quarter of both of the wins.
The biggest benefit to getting Jalen Hurts and the rest of the starters out there is pretty obvious. It eliminates the risk of injury as the Eagles get close to what they hope will be a long and successful playoff run. Every time a player lands awkwardly or is slow to get up over the next month, you’re going to hold your breath.
But the other benefit is pretty important too. These blowouts are giving the Eagles’ younger players opportunities to get some live game action in the regular season.
“Unbelievably valuable,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said. “I talk about there are a lot of ways to learn. To me in my opinion the biggest learning tool that you have are game reps. When you can play five snaps here or 10 snaps here or 15 snaps here, those snaps add up.
“It's cool, too, because those guys bust their ass when they're out there, and you like to get them in the game and let's see what you can do and they want to play. Ultimately when they do -- you never want to have a guy that needs to go in and start and not having played any snaps on defense. You'd like to get him out there and play a little bit.
“Those are huge snaps for us as a defense, as an organization, for those guys. They want to get out there and play, and I thought they did a very good job.”
Here’s a list of young defensive players who have benefitted from these recent blowouts. Next to their names are how many snaps they played the last two weeks and in parenthesis is their snap count before the last two weeks:
LB Nakobe Dean: 27 (4)
LB Christian Elliss: 22 (0)
CB Zech McPhearson: 24 (75)
CB Josh Jobe: 12 (0)
S Andre Chachere: 10 (0)
OLB Kyron Johnson: 10 (8)
A couple weeks ago, Dean got in there for some extended time after Kyzir White got banged up but he still played more snaps because of the blowout. And the third-round pick made several plays in his limited time, which is good to see. And Elliss also picked up a bunch of tackles as a practice squad elevation.
The corners McPhearson and Jobe benefitted too. While McPhearson is the next man up on the outside and has seen some time on defense before, those 12 snaps from Jobe against the Giants were the first of his career.
All 10 snaps for Chachere and Johnson came against the Titans. Chachere was back on the practice squad against the Giants and Johnson had to leave the game with a shoulder injury.
And that’s just the defense.
“It’s great. That stuff is invaluable,” offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said. “When you can get those young guys in to play there, because at some point, if something happens to somebody, the next guy has got to be able to step up and play. So, to get those reps late in the game is awesome for them.”
Here’s a similar list of offensive players:
Gardner Minshew: 14 (11)
Britain Covey: 14 (5)
Andre Dillard: 20 (15)
Cam Jurgens: 16 (17)
Jack Driscoll: 21 (194)
Tyree Jackson: 17 (14)
While Minshew certainly doesn’t qualify as a young or inexperienced player, getting some snaps in the offense is definitely a good thing for the backup quarterback. You hope the Eagles never need to see him in any other situation but it’s a good thing for him to be ready.
A few of these offensive players are unique cases. Dillard filled in some at guard after injury and Driscoll has a ton of experience. But gettin Jurgens in there at center is nice. The second-round pick has spent most of his season on the bench.
As the Eagles get ready to face the Bears on Sunday in Chicago — as 8.5-point favorites — it seems possible they might get another chance to clear the bench.
But they’re not taking the Bears lightly.
“The way we've been winning has been awesome,” Steichen said. “But again, like each week is a new week, and we've got the Bears this week.
“They're a young team. They've got a lot of young players playing for them. If you look back, I don't care about their record, whatever it is. They've had a lot of one-score games. They've been right in the thick of it. We've got to be ready to go with our preparation and take care of business.” | 2022-12-14T16:02:02Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles getting young players snaps thanks to blowouts | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-getting-young-players-snaps-145921392.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-getting-young-players-snaps-145921392.html?src=rss |
The Eagles made a handful of roster moves on Tuesday, but the biggest move was made on Wednesday morning after the team activated the 21-day practice window for tight end Dallas Goedert.
Goedert has been out since the Week 10 loss to the Commanders on Monday Night Football, and he’ll make an already dangerous passing game that more explosive.
One of the top five tight ends in the NFL, Goedert has 43 catches on the season for 544 yards and three touchdowns.
He’s also among the league leaders in yards per catch and yards after the catch.
Noem's order applies to all but 11 counties: Bon Homme, Clay, Davison, Hanson, Hutchinson, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner, Union and Yankton. | 2022-12-14T16:02:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles open the 21-day practice window for TE Dallas Goedert | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-open-21-day-practice-150659483.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-open-21-day-practice-150659483.html?src=rss |
In Roob stats: Historic sack numbers keep adding up originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Just how much of a Giants killer is Boston Scott? How rare is what Miles Sanders and A.J. Brown are doing? Can the Eagles get close to NFL records for sacks and rushing touchdowns in a season?
We take a look at those questions and lots more in this week’s non-Jalen edition of Roob’s 10 Eagles Stats. (The Jalen Hurts version appeared Tuesday.)
1. At 34 years, 352 days, Brandon Graham became the oldest NFL player with three sacks in a game in seven years, since Dwight Freeney of the Cards (35 years, 311 days) had 3.0 against the Packers at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., in December 2015. Graham is the second-oldest Eagle ever with three sacks in a season. In 1996, William Fuller – at 34 years, 289 days – had 3.0 in a 29-19 win over the Cards at the Vet. Graham increased his season total to 8 ½ sacks and is now the second-oldest player in Eagles history with 8.0 or more sacks in a season. Fuller had 13.0 in 1996. Graham has 29.0 sacks since he turned 30. Only Fuller (35 ½) had more in his 30s.
MORE: How Eagles' defensive line has grown into NFL's best
2. The Eagles’ 49 sacks are the most by any team through 13 games since the Saints had 49 in 2001. The last team with more sacks through 13 games was the 2000 Saints, who had 56. It’s the most the Eagles have had after 13 games since the 1987 strike season, when they had 52. That includes 12 sacks in the three strike games played with replacement players (2 ½ for Fred Smalls, 2.0 for Elois Grooms, 2.0 for Ray Phillips, etc.). The Eagles need 14 sacks the last four weeks to tie the franchise record of 62, set over 16 games in the 1989 season. They’re on pace for 64, which would be the 8th-most in NFL history.
3. Haason Reddick reached 10 sacks on Sunday, and Graham (8 ½), Javon Hargrave (8.0) and Josh Sweat (7 ½) are all within range of 10. The Eagles haven’t had two pass rushers reach double digits in sacks since Jason Babin and Trent Cole in 2011 and they haven’t had three in the same season since Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons and Reggie White in 1989. No NFL team has ever had four players with 10 or more sacks in a season, but the Eagles will do it if Graham adds 1 ½, Hargrave 2.0 and Sweat 2 ½ over the last four weeks.
4. If Jalen Hurts scores one more rushing touchdown – and why wouldn’t he? – the Eagles will become the second NFL team ever and the first in 62 years with two players with at least 11 rushing touchdowns in a season. Miles Sanders, who didn’t score any last year, has 11 rushing touchdowns and Hurts has 10. The only team with two players with 11 rushing TDs in a season is the 1960 Packers, with Hall of Famers Paul Hornung (13) and Jim Taylor (11). That team lost to the Eagles in the NFL Championship Game at Franklin Field. A.J. Brown is also in double figures with 10 touchdown catches. This is the first time the Eagles have had three players with double-digit TDs. Last time they had two was 1996, with Ricky Watters and Irving Fryar. The Eagles are the 18th team all-time with three 10-TD players. But only five teams have had three with 11 TDs – the 1948 49ers, 1961 Oilers, 2013 Broncos and 2014 and 2020 Packers.
5. Boston Scott has never been a regular running back – he’s averaged 6.3 touches per game since 2019 - but he’s always been a notorious Giants killer. His touchdown Sunday was his ninth against the Giants. He has seven total vs. every other team. Since 2019, only two players have scored more than five touchdowns against the Giants – Scott and Ezekiel Elliott. Scott has 94 career touches vs. the Giants, so he’s scored every 10.4 times he’s touched the football against the Giants. He has the 83rd-most career offensive touches vs. the Giants but the 19th-most career touchdowns. The only Eagles all-time with more TDs against the Giants in a series spanning 181 games that dates back 90 years are all-timers Tommy McDonald (11), Timmy Brown (11), Wilbert Montgomery (10) and Brian Westbrook (13). Scott, Steve Van Buren and Harold Carmichael each have nine. Scott has averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 51.4 yards in seven lifetime games against the Giants and 4.1 yards per carry and 16.8 yards in 54 games against everybody else. Scott also had 66- and 35-yard kickoff returns against the Giants Sunday.
6. Miles Sanders and A.J. Brown are both on pace for over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns, Sanders with a 5.0 rushing average and Brown with a 15.0 receiving average. No team in NFL history has ever had a WR and a RB with those numbers the same year.
7. The Eagles’ 27 rushing touchdowns are a franchise record and 10th-most in NFL history through 13 games and most since the Chargers had 30 after 13 games in 2006. Before that you have to go to 1976 to find a team with 27 rushing TDs through 13 games. The previous high for the Eagles was 25 in 1945 and 1949. The Eagles are on pace for 35 rushing TDs, which would tie the 2nd-most in NFL history behind the 1962 Packers, who scored 36. The 1948 49ers scored 35.
8. Jalen Hurts (7-for-77, 11.0) and Miles Sanders (17-for-144, 8.5) became only the second pair of Eagles ever with at least 75 rushing yards and an 8.5 average in the same game. On Nov. 15, 2010, in the Eagles’ historic 59-28 win over Washington at FedEx Field, Michael Vick ran eight times for 80 yards (10.0) and Jerome Harrison 11 times for 109 yards (9.9). Interestingly, the only other NFL team with two players over 75 yards with an average over 8.5 yards this year was the Ravens in October – also against the Giants. Lamar Jackson, like Hurts, was 7-for-77 (11.0), and Kenyon Drake was 10-for-119 (11.9) in a 24-20 loss to the Giants.
READ: ESPN's first Eagles mock draft of the year is ridiculous
9. By scoring 40, 35 and 48 points the last three weeks, the Eagles have scored 35 or more points in three straight games for only the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 2002. In 1949, they actually scored 38 or more points in five straight games, the longest such streak in history. Their 123 points against the Packers, Titans and Giants are their most in any three-game span since 1950, when they scored 125 (45-7 win over the Cardinals, 56-20 win over the Rams, 24-14 win over the Colts).
10. With 29, 26 and 27 first downs against the Packers, Titans and Giants, the Eagles for the first time since the NFL began tracking first downs in 1992 have recorded at least 26 first downs in three straight games. They had done it twice in a row several times, most recently in 2019. There have been only 13 streaks in NFL history longer than the Eagles’ current three-game streak.
ALA-Gilbert North makes statement atop 4A with blowout win over Arizona Prep
ALA-Gilbert North beat Arizona Prep, 47-7, in a battle of the top two ranked teams in 4A.
James Harden with a 3-pointer vs the Sacramento Kings
James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers) with a 3-pointer vs the Sacramento Kings, 12/13/2022 | 2022-12-14T16:02:16Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles stats: The historic sack numbers keep adding up | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-stats-historic-sack-numbers-144033405.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-stats-historic-sack-numbers-144033405.html?src=rss |
The 39-year-old said he’s feeling “a lot better” coming back from the bye and re-energized for the stretch run.
“The thumb is doing a lot better. It was nice to have that week off. The ribs are doing a lot better too. My body is feeling a lot better,” Rodgers told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday.
Rodgers broke his thumb in Week 5 in London against the New York Giants but played through the injury for eight straight games. In Week 12 in Philadelphia, Rodgers left the contest with a rib injury but returned a week later and helped the Packers beat the Chicago Bears.
The Packers’ bye in Week 14 – the latest in the NFL this season – finally gave Rodgers a chance to rest up for the final four games. He called the time off “refreshing” for himself and the team, especially after beating the Bears and getting extra time off.
“It always feels good coming back after the bye,” Rodgers said. “It’s nice to get that week off.”
Rodgers and the Packers are 5-8 but have a chance to make the postseason with a 4-0 finish. The journey begins on Monday night when the Los Angeles Rams come to Lambeau Field for a Week 15 showdown.
The Packers need to win out – against the Rams, Dolphins, Vikings and Lions – and get some help from teams like the Giants, Commanders and Seahawks.
“We have a lot to play for but we also need some help,” Rodgers said. “We can’t control that part. But we have three of four at home. We always expect to win our home games, and definitely expect to win once the weather turns. Get this one, and then a warm weather game in Miami, and then things could get interesting.”
Can a healthy Rodgers be the catalyst for a win streak that keeps the Packers in the hunt to end the 2022 season? | 2022-12-14T16:03:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | Packers QB Aaron Rodgers says injuries ‘feeling a lot better’ coming back from bye | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-says-150756366.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-says-150756366.html?src=rss |
After a hellish 12 weeks with the Carolina Panthers, it took quarterback Baker Mayfield only two days to turn himself into the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the Los Angeles Rams. And although he didn’t see those results in Charlotte, his former teammates have to be quite happy for him.
They’re also probably happy for one of their own current teammates upon Wednesday morning’s rollout of honors.
Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in Seattle. This is the second such accolade for the 27-year-old, who notched his first back with the Chicago Bears in his rookie campaign of 2019.
Piñeiro booted through all three of his field goal attempts (47 yards, 32 yards and 39 yards) and all three of his extra point tries in the 30-24 triumph over the Seahawks. He has now converted on 25 of his 27 field goals (92.6 percent) in 2022—which ranks second amongst all qualifying kickers—and 21 of his 23 extra points. | 2022-12-14T16:03:23Z | sports.yahoo.com | Panthers K Eddy Piñeiro named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week | https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-k-eddy-pi-eiro-142535269.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-k-eddy-pi-eiro-142535269.html?src=rss |
The Los Angeles Rams will have the benefit of a mini-bye this week after playing last Thursday night and not taking the field again until Monday night. It’s as long a break as a team can have without having an actual bye week, which is perfect timing with Baker Mayfield still getting up to speed with his new team.
The team the Rams are facing, the Green Bay Packers, will be even more rested, however. They had their bye in Week 14, getting some time to rest and recover before the final four games of the regular season.
Since Sean McVay took over as head coach in 2017, the Rams have actually fared pretty well against teams coming off a bye week. They’ve only played five such games since 2017, but the results have been decent.
Here are their results the week after their opponent had a bye.
Week 12, 2020: Loss vs. 49ers, 23-20
Week 8, 2020: Loss at Dolphins, 28-17
Week 13, 2019: Win at Cardinals, 34-7
Week 8, 2018: Win vs. Packers, 29-27
Week 9, 2017: Win at Giants, 51-17
On the flip side, the Packers have not been very good following a bye week under Matt LaFleur, who was hired in 2019. They’re just 1-2 following a bye week in the last three years, and they were blown out in both of their losses.
Last year, they beat the Bears 45-30 at home thanks to a terrific performance by Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns in the win. In 2020, they were steamrolled by the Buccaneers, 38-10. That game was on the road and Rodgers struggled mightily, throwing no touchdown passes and two picks with only 160 yards passing. In 2019, the Packers were blown out by the 49ers, 37-8, following their bye. Rodgers threw for 104 yards and a touchdown in that one, getting sacked five times.
The Packers are in much better shape than the Rams heading into Monday’s contest, so they’re heavily favored in this game. The Rams are once again without Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald is questionable to play, too.
A win by the Rams would be seen as a significant upset, so expectations should be somewhat low. But both teams should be well-rested. | 2022-12-14T16:03:36Z | sports.yahoo.com | How have Rams fared vs. teams coming off a bye week since 2017? | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-fared-vs-teams-coming-150333156.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-fared-vs-teams-coming-150333156.html?src=rss |
Maliek Collins has been on a tear.
The Houston Texans’ defensive tackle has tallied 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits in the past five games. Against his original draft team, the Dallas Cowboys, Collins generated four tackles and a tackle for loss.
The former 2016 third-round pick says that staying on the sidelines with injuries helped him see the game from another vantage.
“Being out for a couple of games, I got to see it from a different perspective,” Collins told reporters Dec. 13. “As far as how I can impact, like the different things I can do as far as penetrating and getting off the ball, I feel like I’ve found my niche a little bit in ways I can help in the run game.”
Collins was on the injury report with a chest injury starting in Week 2, and he missed Weeks 8-9. Having the time away also allowed him to recovery from the nicks and dings that can hamper players.
“Early in the season, I didn’t feel like I was really healthy,” said Collins. “I kind of got banged up in the first game, and it kind of lingered for a few weeks until the [Las Vegas] Raiders game (Week 7) when I got hurt.”
Collins used the time away to do more film study.
Said Collins: “Just assessing and knowing which plays are coming. Knowing, ‘They’re only going to run this play or that type of play, and that’s my play to make.’ I’ve got to make those. It’s that type of mentality for us.”
The Texans will be challenged in Week 15 as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs, who are first in the NFL in total offense. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from NRG Stadium. | 2022-12-14T16:04:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | Texans DT Maliek Collins attributes better health to increased productivity | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-dt-maliek-collins-attributes-154351619.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-dt-maliek-collins-attributes-154351619.html?src=rss |
USC’s Caleb Williams just won the Heisman Trophy and since he’s just a sophomore, he could very well win it again in 2023.
But winning the Heisman doesn’t mean you’ll have a stellar NFL career. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota knows that all too well. It was thought the only Duck to ever win the prestigious award would go on and tear it up in the NFL.
Unfortunately, Mariota is on his third team in eight seasons and just left the Atlanta Falcons after the team has decided to go with rookie Desmond Ridder for the rest of the season.
But there have been many successful Heisman winners and some are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. USA TODAY writer took the task of ranking the last 25 Heisman winners according to their success on the next level.
Bryce Young - Alabama
Heisman Year: 2021
NFL accolades: Young is still at Alabama
Jason White - Oklahoma
Preston Mack-USA TODAY Sports
NFL accolades: White wasn’t drafted, signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent before retiring with bad knees. He never played in the NFL.
Eric Crouch - Nebraska
John Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
NFL accolades: Crouch was an option quarterback and the NFL’s offenses weren’t as dynamic as they are now. He was drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Rams as a receiver. He never played in the NFL, but played in several pro leagues such as the CFL and NFL Europe.
Johnny Manziel - Texas A&M
NFL accolades: Manziel started eight games in two seasons for the Cleveland Browns, but off-the-field issues derailed his career. He has since played in the CFL and a couple of other minor pro leagues.
Troy Smith - Ohio State
Neal C. Lauron – USA TODAY Sports
NFL accolades: Smith played four seasons and made eight starts with the Baltimore Ravens (2007-09) and the San Francisco 49ers (2010).
Chris Weinke - Florida State
NFL accolades: At 28, Weinke was the oldest-ever Heisman winner. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers. Weinke started all 16 games in his rookie season, but the Panthers went 1-15. After that, he made five starts in six seasons.
Matt Leinart - USC
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Network
NFL accolades: Leinart was the 10th overall selection by the Arizona Cardinals and started just 18 games in six seasons.
Ron Dayne - Wisconsin
Rick Wood – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
NFL accolades: Dayne played seven years in the NFL where he rushed for 3,722 yards and scored 28 touchdowns.
DaVonta Smith - Alabama
NFL accolades: Smith was taken 10th overall by Philadelphia and he caught 64 passes for 916 yards and five touchdowns in his rookie season. Smith is doing even better in 2022 for the team with the league’s best record.
Tim Tebow - Florida
NFL accolades: Tebow made 16 starts in three seasons, but will always be remembered as the guy that brought the Denver Broncos back from a 1-4 start to 8-8, many of those wins late in the game. He also led the Broncos to a playoff win over the Steelers.
Marcus Mariota - Oregon
NFL accolades: Mariota has made 61 starts in six seasons with the Titans, Raiders and now the Falcons. He has thrown for over 15,500 yards and 92 touchdowns.
Jameis Winston - Florida State
NFL accolades: Winston was the first overall pick in 2015 by Tampa Bay and never blossomed into the star quarterback they had hoped for. He has played in one Pro Bowl, however, and is currently the starter for New Orleans.
Robert Griffin III - Baylor
NFL accolades: RG3 was the second overall pick by Washington and was the NFL’s 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year. But he suffered a major knee injury in a playoff loss to Seattle and was never quite the same without the mobility factor. He’s now a college football analyst on ESPN, and a good one at that.
Kyler Murray - Oklahoma
NFL accolades: Murray was the No. 1 pick in 2019 to Arizona and was the Offensive Rookie of the Year. He’s one of the best young quarterbacks in the league today.
Sam Bradford - Oklahoma
NFL accolades: He was the No. 1 overall pick in 2009 and was the Offensive Rookie of the Year, but knee injuries severely affected his career. He did play for eight seasons with four teams and threw for almost 19,950 yards and 103 touchdowns.
Mark Ingram - Alabama
NFL accolades: Ingram has had a very good career for the Saints. He’s rushed for over 8,100 yards, 75 total touchdowns (65 rushing), and has appeared in one Pro Bowl.
Baker Mayfield - Oklahoma
NFL accolades: Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns … the BROWNS, to the playoffs in 2020, ending 12 straight losing seasons for that franchise. That alone got Mayfield in the Top 10 on this list.
Reggie Bush - USC
NFL accolades: After being the No. 2 pick in the 2006 NFL draft, Bush played 11 seasons in the NFL, scoring 58 total touchdowns via the run, pass, and kickoff returns. He also has a Super Bowl ring as he was a vital member of the New Orleans Saints team that won Super Bowl XLIV (44) in Miami. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 for their first-ever title.
Ricky Williams - Texas
Photo By USA TODAY Sports
NFL accolades: Williams was a First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 2002, rushed for over 1,000 in two different seasons, and won the rushing title (1,853) with the Dolphins. In his 11 seasons, Williams rushed for 10,009 yards and 66 touchdowns.
Carson Palmer - USC
© Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
NFL accolades: Palmer had 15 productive seasons with the Bengals and Cardinals. His 46,247 passing yards are the most ever by a Heisman winner.
Derrick Henry - Alabama
NFL accolades: Henry has become a prolific tailback for the Titans. He led the lead in rushing twice (2019-20) and became the eighth player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. Henry is a two-time Pro Bowler.
Joe Burrow - LSU
NFL accolades: Burrow didn’t let a knee injury in his rookie season stop him in the following years. He was able to lead the Bengals to a surprising run to last year’s Super Bowl before falling to the Rams. Arguably, he’s the best quarterback Cincinnati has had since Boomer Esiason.
Lamar Jackson - Louisville
NFL accolades: Jackson is already one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He was the 2019 MVP. In that season, he broke Michael Vick’s rushing record for a quarterback with 1,206 yards, and later, he became the first signal caller with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Cam Newton - Auburn
NFL accolades: Newton was the 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2015 NFL MVP and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He became the first player in NFL history to accumulate 30,000-plus passing yards and 5,000-plus rushing yards during his career.
Charles Woodson - Michigan
© Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Content Services, LLC
NFL Accolades: Woodson is the only player on this list, for now, to have a bust inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He was also the 1998 Defensive Rookie of the Year, the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the 2000s all-decade team, a nine-time Pro Bowler and has a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers.
The #Falcons have brought Nate Landman back to Atlanta, signing the linebacker to their practice squad on Tuesday
The Cardinals are highly confident in Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback after Kyler Murray was deemed out for the season.
Joe Burrow's dad visits elementary school
Jimmy Burrow visited with elementary school students in partnership with COSI to teach students about science.
PurpleFi is a web3 financial technologies start-up developing products and services using blockchain. PurpleFi launches is native token $PURP in London for the very first time on 29th November, 2022. | 2022-12-14T16:04:16Z | sports.yahoo.com | Where Marcus Mariota ranks among recent Heisman winners based on NFL success | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-marcus-mariota-ranks-among-142708050.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/where-marcus-mariota-ranks-among-142708050.html?src=rss |
The middle of December means the unleashing of the playoff-clinching multiverse.
The Philadelphia Eagles already clinched a playoff berth with a victory over the New York Giants in Week 14. The NFC East and the No. 1 overall seed in the conference can’t be decided just yet.
The same goes for the AFC. While the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills can get playoff berths, the No. 1 seed is still being contested, even with the Bills the presumptive No. 1 thanks to their head-to-head victory over Kansas City.
Here is a look at which teams can clinch a playoff spot in Week 15 and what the paths look like to do so.
Miami Dolphins (8-5) vs. Buffalo Bills (10-3), Sat., Dec. 17, 8:15 p.m. ET on NFL Network
What is at stake: playoff berth
All the Bills have to do is win. It is that simple. The AFC East will still have to be decided over the coming weeks.
If they want to take the scenic route, it would involve tying with the Dolphins along with a Los Angeles Chargers loss.
Another complicated path is for the Bills to tie, the New York Jets and the New England Patriots both to lose.
The most convoluted way Buffalo could clinch a playoff spot in Week 15 would be if they tied, the Jets lost, and both the Patriots and Chargers tie in their respective games.
Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) vs. Houston Texans (1-11-1), Sun., Dec. 18, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
What is at stake: AFC West division title
All the Chiefs have to do is beat the Texans, which shouldn’t be too hard. Ask 11 of the 13 teams they’ve faced this year.
If the Chargers lose, the Chiefs will also clinch the AFC West. Of course, that could hurt Kansas City’s quest for the No. 1 seed in the conference.
A Chiefs tie and a Chargers tie also warrants them the division crown.
Kansas City can punch their ticket for a generic playoff berth with a tie and either of the following occurring:
Jets loss plus Patriots loss
Dolphins loss plus Patriots loss plus Jets tie
Dolphins loss plus Jets loss plus Patriots tie
Dallas Cowboys (10-3) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8), Sun., Dec. 18, 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX
If the Cowboys beat the Jaguars, they are in the postseason.
The Cowboys can also get in if they tie and the Seattle Seahawks lose or tie.
However, if the Cowboys tie, the New York-Washington game cannot end in a tie.
If the Cowboys lose, the Seahawks have to also lose plus the Detroit Lions losing or tying.
Dallas can also get in with a Seattle loss and a Washington loss.
Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) vs. Minnesota Vikings (10-3), Sat., Dec. 17, 1:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network
What is at stake: NFC North division title
All Minnesota has to do is win or tie, or the Lions have to lose or tie.
San Francisco 49ers (9-4) vs. Seattle Seahawks (7-6), Thur., Dec. 15, 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video
What is at stake: NFC West division title
The 49ers beat the Seahawks and they earn their first division title since 2019.
39 Christmas side dishes for a very merry holiday spread
Because your holiday ham needs a worthy sidekick. | 2022-12-14T17:33:25Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2022 NFL playoffs: Which teams can clinch in Week 15? | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-nfl-playoffs-teams-clinch-161236504.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-nfl-playoffs-teams-clinch-161236504.html?src=rss |
Purdy marvels at how quickly CMC learned 49ers' offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SANTA CLARA — Shortly after Christian McCaffrey’s arrival with the 49ers, then-backup quarterback Brock Purdy spent a lot of time with him.
As Purdy gladly helped McCaffrey learn the 49ers’ plays, he also learned a lot in the process.
“I’m like, man, this is what greatness looks like,” Purdy said.
Purdy is scheduled to make his second consecutive start on Thursday in relief of injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy will face the Seattle Seahawks, as long as his sore oblique and rib will allow him.
Purdy said he marveled at McCaffrey’s approach after he came to the 49ers in the Oct. 20 trade from the Carolina Panthers.
“We would always sit down and go over the scripts together before the game,” Purdy said. “Literally, he wanted me to read every single play. He would say where he’s lining up, what he’s doing, his assignment.
McCaffrey has played a huge role in the 49ers’ turnaround from a 3-4 record after their 44-23 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs to a team that would clinch the NFC West title in Week 15 with a victory over Seattle.
RELATED: Purdy getting treatment for oblique, limited in practice
McCaffrey has 426 yards rushing and three touchdowns since coming to the 49ers. He also has 35 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns.
“I feel like they (opposing defenses) always have to account for him because he can do so much,” Purdy said. “He doesn’t just run the football. He can do stuff out of the backfield, he can line up out as a receiver and make plays that way.
“Literally, there is so much. He’s like a Swiss army knife.”
Lionel Messi is the greatest player of his era – whether or not he wins the World Cup | 2022-12-14T17:33:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | 49ers' Brock Purdy marvels at Christian McCaffrey's quick study habits | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-brock-purdy-marvels-christian-160500187.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-brock-purdy-marvels-christian-160500187.html?src=rss |
The Rams are gearing up to face the Packers on Monday night, their third meeting with Green Bay since the 2020 season. Unfortunately, this game will once again be at Lambeau Field, which is a notoriously tough place to play – especially late in the season.
The Rams haven’t had much success against the Packers in the last few years, but this is one of the weaker teams Green Bay has had in recent seasons.
Here are seven stats and facts to know for Monday night’s showdown at Lambeau Field.
Rams are 0-2 vs. Packers in last two seasons
Since Matt LaFleur was hired by the Packers in 2019, the Rams haven’t been able to beat Green Bay. They’re 0-2 against the Packers, with both of those games coming in the 2021 calendar year. The first was in the playoffs following the 2020 season, a 32-18 loss in Green Bay – a game in which Aaron Donald was nowhere near 100% healthy.
Last season, the Rams lost to the Packers in November, also at Lambeau Field. The score of that one was closer, 36-28, but the Rams still couldn’t pull off the win on the road. The only win the Rams have over the Packers since 2007 was back in 2018, a two-point home victory.
Packers are 1-2 following bye week under LaFleur
The Packers are coming off a Week 14 bye but they haven’t been very good following a week off under Coach LaFleur. They’re just 1-2 after a bye since 2019, and they got blown out in both of those losses: 38-10 vs. TB in 2010 and 37-8 vs. SF in 2019. They did beat the Bears, 45-30, following their bye last year, but those two lopsided losses stand out in a big way.
The Rams, on the other hand, are 3-2 against teams who are coming off a bye week since 2017, though they have lost their last two games – both in 2020.
Packers have 3rd-worst run defense in NFL
This Packers team has several weaknesses, but perhaps none bigger than their run defense. Green Bay ranks 30th in rushing yards allowed and yards per carry allowed, giving up a whopping 5.0 yards per rush and already surrendering a total of 2,012 yards on the ground in 13 games.
Pro Football Focus grades their run defense as the seventh-worst in the NFL with a grade of 47.2. The Rams have the best run defense, per PFF, with a grade of 89.2. It’s the second straight year the Rams have the highest run defense grade.
Rams and Packers are among best teams with halftime leads since 2017
Sean McVay’s perfect record when leading at halftime was well-known, but that streak has since been snapped. He’s now 50-4 when his team has a lead at halftime, which is the second-best winning percentage of any team since 2017.
LaFleur is 33-4 when holding a halftime lead, the fourth-best winning percentage since 2017; LaFleur took over in 2019, so he’s done that in just four years.
Rams rank 31st in yards per rush and net yards per pass attempt
The Rams offense simply isn’t very efficient or explosive right now. Los Angeles averages just 5.3 net yards per pass attempt and 3.7 yards per carry, both of which rank 31st in the NFL. The Rams weren’t very good running the ball last year, ranking 25th in rushing yards per attempt, but they were very efficient throwing it; Los Angeles ranked second in net yards per pass attempt in 2021.
Opponents have better starting field position vs. Rams than any other team
Part of what’s hurt the Rams’ defense statistically is the field position given up by the offense and special teams. The Rams’ opponents have an average starting field position of their own 30-yard line, which puts Los Angeles 32nd in the NFL in that category.
The Rams also rank 31st in average starting field position themselves, beginning at their own 25.8-yard line on average. So not only are the Rams struggling to move the ball on offense, but they don’t afford themselves very good starting field position either.
Aaron Rodgers has thrown his most interceptions since 2010
Rodgers isn’t typically easy to pick off. He threw just nine interceptions in the last two seasons combined and hasn’t thrown more than eight in a season since 2010. But this year, he already has nine interceptions in 13 games, the third-highest interception rate of his career.
If he throws five more interceptions this season, he’ll set a new career-high, surpassing the 13 he threw in 2008, which was his first season as a starter. | 2022-12-14T17:33:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | 7 stats and facts to know for Rams vs. Packers in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/7-stats-facts-know-rams-164325734.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/7-stats-facts-know-rams-164325734.html?src=rss |
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t clinch the AFC West division title last week, but they’ll have an opportunity to do so again in Week 15.
This time around there are three different clinching scenarios for the AFC West title. The Chiefs only need one of the following things to happen in Week 15 in order to clinch the AFC West for the seventh consecutive season.
Chiefs win over Texans OR
Chargers loss to Packers OR
Chiefs tie and Chargers tie.
If Kansas City clinches the AFC West, they’ll become the first team in division history to ever win the division seven times in a row.
While clinching the AFC West division is the likeliest scenario for the Chiefs this week, there are also three different ways that the team can simply clinch a playoff berth. All of those would start with a K.C. and Houston tie in Week 15.
Chiefs tie + Jets loss + Patriots loss OR
Chiefs tie + Dolphins loss + Patriots loss + Jets tie OR
All these different outcomes would at least mean that Kansas City clinches a wild card spot. A tie wouldn’t be a good outcome for their chances at the No. 1 seed. They need to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills and hope they lose one more game in order to secure that first-round bye week. Frankly, it wouldn’t look too good for the Chiefs’ hopes of a successful playoff run to have a tie against a one-win Texans team either. The best-case scenario is that the team takes care of business on the road in Houston and secures another AFC West division title. | 2022-12-14T17:34:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | Here’s how Chiefs can clinch AFC West, playoff berth in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-clinch-afc-west-playoff-155002140.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-clinch-afc-west-playoff-155002140.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants defense has been getting trampled by the run for over a month now. In the three previous games leading up to last week’s debacle against the Philadelphia Eagles, they were allowing an average of 164 yards per game on the ground.
On Sunday, the Eagles ran them right out of East Rutherford with a 235-yard onslaught. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence knows this is just not embarrassing, it’s entirely unacceptable and can’t happen again if the Giants plan on making a run for the postseason.
“It can’t happen because you’ll lose,” Lawrence told reporters on Tuesday. “We all have to execute our job. We all have to be aware of — play good technique, what plays are coming and how to defend those plays.”
Part of the reason the Giants are struggling is due to the absence of Leonard Williams (neck) in the middle of the line next to Lawrence but they weren’t exactly stonewalling the run with him in the lineup.
Lawrence was asked what could be done to stop the bleeding and turn the tide on the poor showing against the run.
“Just continue to challenge the guys around us and ourselves. Challenge each other. Challenge guys to watch a little bit more, study their matchups a little bit more. It’s just doing what we already do, just a little bit more type of thing. That’s how you see it change in your play, your confidence and your belief,” he said.
The spirit is certainly willing but the flesh may be weak, especially if Williams is out against this week. The Giants face the Washington Commanders in a key divisional/playoff battle and will have to contend with the combination of Antonio Gibson, rookie Brian Robinson and wideout Curtis Samuel, who rushed for a total of 165 yards against them two weeks ago.
Lawrence understands the importance of this matchup as well as anyone.
“Around this time in December, all games get critical. It’s another division game that’s a must-win because it’s the next one, and you want to go 1-0. This game is a playoff game, and the next game will be one. It’s just all talking it step by step,” he said. | 2022-12-14T17:34:23Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dexter Lawrence challenges Giants teammates to ‘do a little bit more’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/dexter-lawrence-challenges-giants-teammates-155529776.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dexter-lawrence-challenges-giants-teammates-155529776.html?src=rss |
In a year where concussions have been at the forefront of conversations in the NFL due to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s situation, the league let down another player on Monday night.
Former Dolphin DeVante Parker, now with the New England Patriots, caught a crossing route in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals before hitting his head on the ground. When the wideout stood up, he was clearly unstable, even falling into rookie left guard Cole Strange.
While this instance would normally call for the NFL’s concussion spotter to have Parker removed from the game to be evaluated, the 29-year-old was allowed to stay in. New England was about to run a play, with Nelson Agholor trying to get the referee’s attention to stop the game, and if it weren’t for a coach’s challenge they may have continued.
Throughout the game and into Tuesday many platforms were appreciating Agholor’s efforts to help his teammate, but it was a clear failure of the system put in place by the league.
Once the dust settled, Parker took to social media to call out the NFL and thank Agholor for his help.
(The original post did include an expletive.)
If the NFL wants to seem like they’re taking care of their players, mistakes like this can’t happen. | 2022-12-14T17:34:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Dolphins WR takes NSFW shot at the NFL | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-dolphins-wr-takes-nsfw-163006465.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-dolphins-wr-takes-nsfw-163006465.html?src=rss |
Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Travon Walker is “day-to-day” after an MRI showed the rookie has a high ankle sprain, according to coach Doug Pederson.
Walker, who turns 22 on Sunday, suffered the injury at some point during the second half against the Tennessee Titans. It ended somewhat of a breakout performance for the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, who forced a turnover early in the game with a strip-sack.
After the game, Walker wasn’t wearing a boot when he exited the locker room. However, the Jaguars have been conservative on the injury front, keeping running back Travis Etienne Jr. out for almost an entire game after he was cleared to return, and keeping safety Andre Cisco out the last two weeks.
Through 13 games of his rookie year, Walker has 3.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Behind Walker is former first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson, who was recently activated from the injured reserve after missing eight weeks due to a meniscus injury. Chaisson played only eight defensive snaps in the Jaguars’ 36-22 win over the Tennessee Titans.
The Jaguars could also use Arden Key or Dawuane Smoot at outside linebacker if Walker is held out against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. | 2022-12-14T17:35:01Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jaguars rookie OLB Travon Walker has high-ankle sprain | https://sports.yahoo.com/jaguars-rookie-olb-travon-walker-163827179.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jaguars-rookie-olb-travon-walker-163827179.html?src=rss |
On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they are placing defensive lineman Chris Wormley on IR. Wormley suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens and it is going to require surgery.
To replace Wormley on the roster, Pittsburgh signed defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall from the New York Jets practice squad and placed him on the 53-man roster. This week the Steelers take on the Carolina Panthers on the road and their record currently sits at 5-8. | 2022-12-14T17:35:33Z | sports.yahoo.com | Steelers place DL Chris Wormley on IR | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-place-dl-chris-wormley-165431365.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-place-dl-chris-wormley-165431365.html?src=rss |
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after a nearly flawless performance against the Tennessee Titans.
Lawrence, 23, threw for 368 yards and three touchdown passes in a 36-22 win in Nashville, and also freelanced on a play near the goal line and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Lawrence joined Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow as the four players who are two-time winners of AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season. A three-touchdown performance in a blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 was the other week Lawrence earned the distinction.
Prior to 2022, the last Jaguars player to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors was quarterback David Garrard in 2010.
In 13 games this season, Lawrence has 20 touchdown passes with six interceptions and a 95.4 passer rating. | 2022-12-14T17:35:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | Trevor Lawrence named AFC Player of the Week for a 2nd time | https://sports.yahoo.com/trevor-lawrence-named-afc-player-170833513.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/trevor-lawrence-named-afc-player-170833513.html?src=rss |
Alabama men’s basketball program fended off a late comeback attempt to defeat the Memphis Tigers. The Tide clawed its way to a 91-88 victory, but will now have to quickly shift focus to Gonzaga.
Offensively, freshman Brandon Miller led the charge with 24 points. He also added five assists and eight rebounds. Glass-cleaning freshman Noah Clowney led the Tide with nine rebounds.
It took everything the Tide had to fend off former NBA great Penny Hardaway’s squad. After all, this win could look good toward the end of the season.
Alabama improves to 9-1 and will return to action on Saturday in a non-conference battle against No. 15 Gonzaga. Last season, the Tide defeated the Bulldogs in Seattle by a final score of 91-82.
So far in the 2022-2023 season, Gonzaga has lost three games. Though the team is still ranked within the top-25, it’s somewhat of a disappointing start for the annual contenders.
Oats and his team will have to not only focus on the strategic aspect of the upcoming contest, but the physical too. In the game against Memphis, numerous Crimson Tide players battled through minor injuries. Miller finished the game a bit bloodied.
"I'm pretty beat up. I have blood all over me," Alabama freshman Brandon Miller said of a physical 91-88 win over Memphis. | 2022-12-14T18:50:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Alabama MBB battles to defeat Memphis, looks ahead to Gonzaga | https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-mbb-battles-defeat-memphis-151638432.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-mbb-battles-defeat-memphis-151638432.html?src=rss |
Xavier head coach Sean Miller shouts to his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The IARP report released Wednesday said former assistant coach Emanuel Richardson was given a 10-year show-cause penalty after he ''solicited and accepted $20,000 in cash bribes and paid $40,000 for a fraudulent academic transcript.''
Another former assistant coach, Mark Phelps, was given a two-year show cause after he provided ''an impermissible benefit to a student-athlete and then directed the student-athlete to conceal the violation.''
The infractions report said it ''found no violation for the former head men's basketball coach because the hearing panel determined that the former head men's basketball coach demonstrated that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance and monitored two of his assistant coaches regarding the academic eligibility of men's basketball prospective student-athletes, rebutting the presumption of head coach responsibility.'' | 2022-12-14T18:50:25Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Arizona coach Miller not sanctioned in NCAA case | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-arizona-coach-miller-not-181632521.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-arizona-coach-miller-not-181632521.html?src=rss |
Finals Week: Offensive Defensive Line
Finals week continues with grading the offensive and defensive lines at K-State and seeing what PFF says
Azuolas Tubelis had 20 points and 13 rebounds and No. 9 Arizona hit a season-high 15 3s in a 99-61 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday night. Henri Veesaar scored a career-high 16 points off the bench, Oumar Ballo had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Cedric Henderson Jr. had 11 points for the Wildcats (9-1). Arizona played most of the game without junior point guard Kerr Kriisa after he was subbed out at the first media timeout. | 2022-12-14T18:50:26Z | sports.yahoo.com | No sanctions for Xavier coach Sean Miller in the Arizona IARP case | https://sports.yahoo.com/no-sanctions-xavier-coach-sean-171506200.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/no-sanctions-xavier-coach-sean-171506200.html?src=rss |
The Dodgers have acquired pitcher J.P. Feyereisen from the Tampa Bay Rays. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
The Dodgers acquired right-handed reliever J.P. Feyereisen in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday morning, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.
The Rays finalized right-hander Zach Eflin's $40 million, three-year contract on Tuesday, the largest deal for a free agent in Tampa Bay history. Eflin, who spent portions of seven seasons with the Phillies, joins a rotation that includes All-Star lefty Shane McClanahan, and right-handers Tyler Glasnow and Drew Rasmussen. Tampa Bay was an AL wild card team in 2022, but got swept by Cleveland in the opening round.
Aledmys Diaz and Jace Peterson, who both can play the infield and outfield, reached agreements with the Oakland Athletics on two-year contracts through the 2024 season. | 2022-12-14T18:50:57Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dodgers acquire right-handed reliever J.P. Feyereisen from Rays | https://sports.yahoo.com/dodgers-acquire-handed-reliever-j-170039884.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dodgers-acquire-handed-reliever-j-170039884.html?src=rss |
But what if there is no playoff game for Brady and the Buccaneers? It's possible.
There also is the question of whether Brady will keep playing next season at age 46, but that has nothing to do with the 2022 NFC South race. The Buccaneers have played themselves into a position in which a division title is not assured anymore, even though BetMGM's odds have them as a big favorite.
It's time to consider whether the Carolina Panthers can beat out the Bucs, and cash a nice ticket for bettors in doing so.
Week 14 was an interesting one in the NFC South. The Buccaneers looked awful in a 35-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. They've looked bad most of the season but because they have a ton of recognizable stars and play in an easy division, everyone has assumed they'll make the playoffs and turn it on there. The Bucs suddenly playing well in the postseason seems more farfetched as the weeks pass.
And they might not even make the playoffs. The Panthers won last week at the Seattle Seahawks and that pulled Carolina to within a game of the Bucs in the NFC South race. Carolina is 5-8 and Tampa Bay is 6-7. BetMGM's odds have the Buccaneers at -350 to win the division. Carolina is +375. The 5-8 Atlanta Falcons and 4-9 New Orleans Saints are still alive, but the Panthers' win over the Buccaneers gives them a more realistic shot at the division title. Tampa Bay is 1-0 against Atlanta and New Orleans this season.
The Panthers came into an Oct. 23 game against the Buccaneers with a 1-5 record. They had fired coach Matt Rhule after their fourth loss. When they beat Tampa Bay 21-3 in that game, it seemed like a fluky outcome. Instead, it predicted that the Panthers would play a lot better under interim coach Steve Wilks and the Buccaneers were nowhere near the team we thought they'd be.
It also looms over the division race. If the Panthers win on Jan. 1, they take the head-to-head tiebreaker due to a season sweep. Realistically, Carolina has to win that game to take the division. But if you've seen the two teams play lately, you know that's possible. And if the Panthers do beat the Buccaneers in Week 17, they just need to match their record in the other three games. This week the Panthers are 2.5-point favorites against the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Buccaneers are 3.5-point underdogs against the Cincinnati Bengals. The NFC South could have a first-place tie after this week.
The odds are favorable to the Panthers. A +375 underdog is about a 10- or 10.5-point underdog in a single game. The Panthers won't be double-digit underdogs for that all-important game at Tampa Bay. Carolina is playing pretty well lately, especially on defense.
Eva Marcille Reveals What She Really Thinks About SHE by Shereé
Back in September, after 14 long years, Bravoholics finally got to see the SHE by Shereé fashion show during an episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta — a fashion show with fashions, that is. After Shereé Whitfield debuted “a total of 24 looks, plus a few extras” on the runway, people were impressed. Now, RHOA alum Eva Marcille — who's spent a lot of years in the fashion game herself — is weighing in with her take. "It's a long time coming [...] I'm glad she finally did it," Eva shared during | 2022-12-14T18:51:16Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL betting: Panthers have a shot to win NFC South over Tom Brady's Buccaneers | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-panthers-have-a-shot-to-win-nfc-south-over-tom-bradys-buccaneers-181028735.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-panthers-have-a-shot-to-win-nfc-south-over-tom-bradys-buccaneers-181028735.html?src=rss |
How Red Sox' lineup, rotation, and bullpen could look in 2023 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Red Sox won't be unrecognizable when they take the field for 2023 Opening Day, but they will take some getting used to.
Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox front office made a handful of notable additions to the roster, but there's more work to be done before next year's campaign gets underway. Until then, here's what Boston's roster projects to look like when it takes the field on March 30.
Wong will split time behind the plate with Reese McGuire if the Red Sox don't sign or trade for a catcher before Opening Day.
Dalbec reportedly was placed on the trading block this offseason, but he'll serve as a backup first baseman/DH if he remains with the club. Refsnyder slots in as a solid fourth or fifth outfielder after being a pleasant surprise in 2022.
At this point, Sale cannot be counted on to anchor the staff even if he's healthy. The Red Sox should be looking to add a reliable front-end starter before Opening Day. With most of the top free-agent options off the table, they'll likely have to shift their attention to the trade market.
The Red Sox have made a concerted effort to improve their bullpen this offseason. They've signed southpaw Joely Rodriguez, veteran right-hander Chris Martin, and three-time All-Star closer Kenley Jansen. That's a significant upgrade over last season when the back of the bullpen was a flat-out mess.
Troubled electric vehicle (EV) start-up Faraday Future Intelligent Electric (NASDAQ: FFIE) will provide a business update for investors tomorrow, but it prefaced that with some news that concerned investors yesterday. As of 12:33 p.m. ET, Faraday Future shares were still lower by 10.4%. Faraday has previously warned investors it would need to secure more funding to be able to launch its first electric car. | 2022-12-14T18:51:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | Red Sox 2023 Opening Day roster projection: Lineup, rotation, and bullpen | https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-2023-opening-day-175000054.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-2023-opening-day-175000054.html?src=rss |
LUSAIL, Qatar — At the end of the semifinal symphony that he had conducted, after the bear hugs and amid the instant euphoria, Lionel Messi shuffled into place. He had just been named the “man of the match,” the star of a show that lifted Argentina into a World Cup final. But as celebrations took shape, he became merely one of 26. He threw his right arm around Rodrigo De Paul and his left around Nicolás Tagliafico. He blended in as Argentine players, shoulder-to-shoulder in a straight line facing their fans, bounded up and down, rejoicing and singing.
Then Messi paused, and peered up into the sea of white and blue, almost entranced.
And the boyish grin that had overtaken his face at the final whistle, the one that tells of pure happiness, the one that brings family and friends back to his pre-teen days in Rosario, almost took on a tint of amazement and disbelief.
Because finally, after 16 years of upheaval and incoherence, he, Lionel Messi, is the critical cog in a humming Argentine machine rather than a genius bridled by chaos. Because finally, everything is working.
For years, Messi had underperformed for his national team, but his pain had been the team’s doing as much as his. He’d suffered under incompetent managers, and in ill-suited systems that failed to amplify his gifts. He struggled in squads afflicted with Messi Dependencia, whose other stars shrunk in his shadow and became dependent on him. At his previous World Cup, in 2018, a complicated web of incompatible relationships, among players and staff, on and off the field, nearly led to a mutiny — and did lead to a Round of 16 exit.
But here, in Qatar, at Messi’s last World Cup, and specifically in his latest triumph, puzzle pieces have fallen into place.
Messi lit up the Lusail Stadium with a goal and an otherworldly assist on Tuesday, but the underlying story of Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Croatia was one of team-wide competence. It was yet another tactical masterstroke from manager Lionel Scaloni, and a crew of underappreciated World Cup newbies who know their roles and execute them.
"I think this team, apart from their strength, it’s very intelligent,” Messi said afterward. It’s a group, he explained, that “knows how to suffer when you have to suffer, knows how to keep the ball when you need to keep it, knows when to pressure, knows how to read the plays.”
It’s a “coachable team,” Messi said in Spanish, “that doesn’t leave anything to chance.”
It’s a rotating cast of center backs — Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez and others — who have, with astuteness and intensity, anchored a defense that by some measures has been the best of the tournament.
It’s Nahuel Molina, an unheralded 24-year-old right back who helped create the second goal with a lung-bursting 70-yard run that left Croatian defenders scrambling.
It’s a midfield that gradually seized control of Tuesday’s game away from Croatia’s dynamic trio of Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Luka Modric.
And it’s a 22-year-old forward who helped them.
That forward, Julian Álvarez — nicknamed “El Araña,” the spider — scored Argentina’s latter two goals and won the penalty that led to their first. He carved out a place in Albiceleste lore when he drove with the ball from inside his own half all the way into Croatia’s box. When he poked a bumbling ball past a helpless keeper, he sent a nation overwhelmed by anxiety into raptures.
But he also ran, relentlessly, side-to-side to pressure Croatia’s defenders all night. He dropped deeper to mark Brozovic, which was crucial, Scaloni explained, when Argentina’s narrow midfield diamond got stretched wide.
“It was awesome the way he covered,” Scaloni said in Spanish. “He’s young, and it’s normal that he wants to eat the world.”
“He played an extraordinary game,” Messi said of Álvarez. “[He was] running at everything, crashing into everything, fighting.”
He was doing the work, essentially, that Messi doesn’t do, the physical labor that enables Messi’s brilliance.
Messi walks more than any player in elite soccer. It’s a conscious choice that allows his body to maintain energy and his brain to process and dissect the 21 moving parts around him. He seemed especially stagnant on Tuesday. He covered 5.12 miles, per FIFA tracking data, the fewest of any outfield player who went 90 minutes — and he was the only player who covered a majority of his ground at a walking pace (under 4.4 miles per hour).
His teammates, though, compensate. They’ve spoken here in Qatar about how Messi inspires their indefatigable running. They know that it preserves Messi’s legs for the moments that change or clinch games, like his undressing of Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol on Tuesday.
“A lot of the time, the analysis that I do while I’m playing leads me to try to make him run less,” said De Paul, who’s developed a reputation as Messi’s “bodyguard” on and off the pitch. “To make less wear and tear, and to [give him] more space to play with — these are things that cross my mind during the match. So the dialogue with him is constant. We understand each other with a look.”
They are far from the first Argentina team that has labored for Messi, but they are the first with such a symbiotic relationship, and the first with the “intelligence” that Messi and Scaloni have mentioned. They’ve played at least three distinct shapes at this World Cup, all by Scaloni’s design.
“We talk about formation numbers often,” Tagliafico said Monday. Whether it’s a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2, “that depends on what's going on in the match or how a player moves,” the left back explained. “And that's one of our traits, you can use the same players and be able to change the style of play or their positioning on the pitch. … That's a virtue this team has.”
They are far more refined than past iterations, and that’s a credit to their coach, whom Messi has effusively praised. “We’re not lost,” Messi said after Tuesday’s win, through a translator. “We know what to do in every moment of the game.”
They have been organized yet dynamic, intense and sometimes frantic but often comfortable. They have, as Messi said, essentially faced five consecutive finals ever since that stunning loss to Saudi Arabia in their opener. And yet they have grown into the tournament, toward Tuesday, which goalkeeper Emi Martinez said was their most complete performance yet.
Now they are here, in the actual final, largely because of a single magisterial man, of course. Messi, in the words of Romero, “es una locura.” Crazy. Madness.
But he has always been that. In the past, when everything around him was una locura in the opposite sense, it inhibited him.
Now the team is elevating him toward an elusive World Cup trophy. “In the end, we all want it,” Messi said postgame. “The important thing is to be able to achieve the group objective. That is the most beautiful thing of all, and we are a small step away.”
Let’s be clear: They definitely wanted beer. “It’s weird!” roared Mark Walker, a giant of a rugby player, though he first used a far riper adjective. Qatar has presented its World Cup – the first ever in an Arab, Muslim nation – as a chance for different cultures to come side by side and get along.
Police are investigating a crash involving a pedestrian that happened in front of an elementary school in Lowell on Wednesday morning. | 2022-12-14T18:51:35Z | sports.yahoo.com | Secret to Argentina's run to the World Cup final: More than just Lionel Messi | https://sports.yahoo.com/secret-to-argentinas-run-to-the-world-cup-final-more-than-just-messi-122446512.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/secret-to-argentinas-run-to-the-world-cup-final-more-than-just-messi-122446512.html?src=rss |
The South Carolina football team is managing transfer portal departures ahead of the Gator Bowl.
Marshawn Lloyd is among the biggest Gamecock players who’ve decided to leave the team, announcing his plans to transfer on Monday via social media.
Head coach Shane Beamer said he spoke with Lloyd the Tuesday after the win over Clemson and had a good conversation at the time.
“Could not have been more positive,” Beamer said. “We had a fantastic conversation and things were absolutely fantastic.”
After that, something changed.
Lloyd went home to Maryland and ultimately made the decision to leave. Beamer added that he spoke with Lloyd and his mother for “a long time.”
“Some things in his mind changed that I was not aware of, or that we didn’t talk about that day” after the Clemson game, Beamer said. “Wish him well.”
Lloyd was South Carolina’s most productive offensive weapon before he sustained an injury against Missouri. He finished the season with 749 total yards and 11 offensive touchdowns in nine games.
Beamer acknowledged that the team’s departures as a whole reflect the current nature of the transfer portal in college football.
“It’s tough out there, guys,” Beamer said.
Lloyd isn’t the only key offensive player to depart through the transfer portal. Jaheim Bell announced his decision to transfer last week and has since landed at Florida State. Austin Stogner decided to transfer back to Oklahoma.
For Beamer, though, there is now ill-will toward the players who enter the transfer portal.
“Try to leave on good terms and wish them well,” Beamer said. “I don’t mean this in a negative way, but I don’t spend a whole lot of time worrying about the guys that aren’t here. We’ve got a bunch of really special young men in this program right now that are here and excited to get back to work.” | 2022-12-14T18:51:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | Shane Beamer reacts to MarShawn Lloyd’s departure from South Carolina | https://sports.yahoo.com/shane-beamer-reacts-marshawn-lloyd-162103070.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/shane-beamer-reacts-marshawn-lloyd-162103070.html?src=rss |
The Buccaneers are bringing up a player from their practice squad to the 53-man roster. Cornerback Anthony Chesley has been signed to the active roster. Chesley has appeared in three games for Tampa Bay this season, with all his snaps coming on special teams. But with Sean Murphy-Bunting, Antoine Winfield, Mike Edwards, and now Jamel [more] | 2022-12-14T19:04:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | 49ers' Brock Purdy prepared for 'hostile' Seattle environment vs. Seahawks | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-brock-purdy-prepared-hostile-165943686.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-brock-purdy-prepared-hostile-165943686.html?src=rss |
Expectations were high for Cam Akers coming into this season, even with Darrell Henderson Jr. lurking behind him on the depth chart. But when the season began, it was Akers who was the backup and Henderson operating as the No. 1 back in the offense.
It’s been an incredibly frustrating season for the entire offense, and Akers isn’t excluded from that. He’s struggled on the field and had a disagreement with the coaching staff, which led to him nearly getting traded before eventually returning to the team after a few weeks.
Even though he’s averaging just 3.3 yards per attempt this year, he’s shown improvement in recent weeks. According to Inside Edge, Akers is tied for second among all qualified running backs with an average of 2.3 yards after contact per carry since Week 11.
Up next, he gets a Packers defense that’s given up 1.9 yards after contact per carry since Week 11, which is tied for the third-worst rate in the NFL.
Is Cam Akers on the comeback train for the Rams?#RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/0Kk4SIHUAT
— Inside Edge NFL (@IE_NFL) December 14, 2022
Akers is still a below-average running back and ranks second-to-last in rush yards over expected (-76), according to Next Gen Stats, but it’s good to see him improving in the last month or so. In his last four games, he’s averaged 3.92 yards per carry with three touchdowns and 200 yards on 51 attempts. | 2022-12-14T19:05:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cam Akers ranks 2nd in this key rushing stat since Week 11 | https://sports.yahoo.com/cam-akers-ranks-2nd-key-184433517.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cam-akers-ranks-2nd-key-184433517.html?src=rss |
The Miami Dolphins were defeated by the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, dropping their second game in a row.
Miami’s offense was unable to do much of anything. They had two long touchdowns – one on a long touchdown reception by Tyreek Hill and one on a fumble return touchdown by Hill as well.
Throughout the year, Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane has been producing weekly NFL power rankings. Miami had jumped to the top spot earlier in the season, but they’ve now slid back down to ninth ahead of their road matchup with the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Ahead of Miami are the Los Angeles Chargers (7-6), Minnesota Vikings (10-3), Dallas Cowboys (10-3), Cincinnati Bengals (9-4), Kansas City Chiefs (10-3), San Francisco 49ers (9-4), Buffalo Bills (10-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (12-1). | 2022-12-14T19:05:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dolphins fall again in Week 15 power rankings after SNF loss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-fall-again-week-15-183008135.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-fall-again-week-15-183008135.html?src=rss |
On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts signed former Alabama wide receiver Robert Foster to their practice squad. Foster was last a part of the New York Giants practice squad.
Foster entered the NFL in 2018 as an undrafted free agent. Since joining the league, he has played for the Bills, Packers, Commanders, Dolphins, Cowboys, and Giants.
In his professional career, he has hauled in 32 receptions for 642 receiving yards and three touchdowns. With the Colts lacking production at the wide receiver position outside of Michael Pittman Jr., Foster could join the active roster fairly soon.
It will be interesting to see what the Colts decide to do with Foster. Their season is likely over in terms of the playoffs. Foster could receive an opportunity to make a name for himself.
The #Colts waived WR Keke Coutee and signed WR Robert Foster to the practice squad.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama players in the NFL. | 2022-12-14T19:05:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Alabama WR joins Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-alabama-wr-joins-indianapolis-173056168.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-alabama-wr-joins-indianapolis-173056168.html?src=rss |
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Zach Wilson is moving up on the New York Jets' quarterback depth chart this week.
''Zach's been doing a great job,'' Saleh said. ''He has been deliberate in his approach over the last three weeks. He's been holding himself accountable with regards to how he wants to attack practice, how he's been performing in practice going against our defense - which I think is a pretty good defense to go against - and working on all the different things we've been asking him to accomplish.''
White told The Associated Press at a charity event Tuesday night his ''ribs are good'' and was waiting to get clearance from doctors.
''We're still working as if he's playing this week,'' Saleh said, adding that Wilson's promotion was just ''a coincidence'' in timing.
The Jets wanted Wilson to sit as part of a mental and physical ''reset'' to focus on fundamentals such as extending the pocket, moving the football and getting his footwork corrected.
''He's been good,'' Saleh said. ''Obviously, it's not over. Continue working and understanding you're the next man up.''
''I'm still in that same mindset, guys, with regards to Zach,'' the coach said. ''He's a very talented young man - very talented young man. We're in the business of developing guys and I've said it before: This is Mike White's opportunity and he's attacking the heck out of the opportunity and is doing a great job with it.
''But at the same time, we've still got to make sure we're doing everything we can to develop Zach to the spot we know he's capable of getting to.''
NOTES: Saleh said DL Quinnen Williams (calf), DL John Franklin-Myers (flu), CB Brandin Echols (quadriceps) and WR Corey Davis (concussion protocol) wouldn't practice Wednesday. Williams, who has a career-high 11 sacks, remains ''50-50'' to play, according to Saleh. ... OTs George Fant and Duane Brown were expected to be limited, as would DE Micheal Clemons. ... The Jets signed OL Eric Smith to the practice squad. It's the third stint with New York for Smith, who was most recently with Tennessee.
Mike White got tackled again Monday morning, this time by his 15-month-old twins. The New York Jets quarterback got up - just as he did all game Sunday. White is dealing with a rib injury after he was rocked throughout the Jets' 20-12 loss at Buffalo, including being forced to leave twice because of a pair of particularly rough - but legal - hits. | 2022-12-14T19:06:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jets move Wilson up to No. 2 QB, still expect White to start | https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-move-wilson-no-2-164535787.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-move-wilson-no-2-164535787.html?src=rss |
The Los Angeles Rams better dress warm for their trip to Green Bay this week because it’s going to be cold. Like, cold cold.
The high of the day on Monday is 14 degrees with 10 mph winds making it feel even colder. The low? Just 3 degrees.
At the time of kickoff, it’ll be around 11 degrees with winds blowing 8 mph. So not only will it be frigid, but the wind is going to make it even more challenging to throw the ball – something that’s been difficult enough for both teams in 2022.
Looking back, it’s been a long time since the Rams played a game this cold. And they never have under head coach Sean McVay. According to Stathead, the coldest outdoor game the Rams have played under McVay was in 2018 when they visited the Broncos and the temperature was 25 degrees.
You’d have to go back even further to find a game that was close to the temperatures the Rams will see on Monday night. The last time they played a game where the temperature was 20 degrees or colder was in 1992 – not coincidentally at Lambeau Field against the Packers.
The Rams lost that game, 28-13, falling to 5-10 on the year. The temperature at kickoff was 11 degrees.
Since 1970, the Rams have only played five outdoor games in sub-20-degree conditions, and they went 2-3 in those games. All of them came between 1972 and 1992, so it’s been a while since they’ve had to bundle up the way they will on Monday night.
Of course, the weather forecast can change between now and kickoff, but even if the temperatures rise just a little bit, it’ll most likely be the Rams’ coldest game under McVay. | 2022-12-14T19:06:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Monday night vs. Packers slated to be Rams’ coldest game in 30 years | https://sports.yahoo.com/monday-night-vs-packers-slated-173218895.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/monday-night-vs-packers-slated-173218895.html?src=rss |
The Los Angeles Chargers (7-6) meet the Tennessee Titans (7-6) in Week 15 of the 2022 regular season.
The Chargers are coming off a 23-17 victory over the Dolphins.
Under constant duress, Justin Herbert still put together a masterclass, finishing 39-of-51 for 367 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the short-handed defense held Tua Tagovailoa to 10-of-28 passing, with four of his completions coming on Miami’s final drive, for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Titans were downed by the Jaguars, 36-22, marking their third-straight loss. Trevor Lawrence carved up Tennessee’s defense, posting a career-high 368 passing yards. Offensively, they couldn’t get anything going and four turnovers caused the crumble.
The last time the Chargers and Titans met was in 2019. Tennessee won, 23-20.
Sunday’s contest will begin at 1:25 and be televised on CBS.
A quarter life crisis isn't easy without superpowers in the Extraordinary trailer
We’re all familiar with stories about twentysomethings caught adrift in life, working dead-end jobs and going on disastrous dates while their peers seem to effortlessly find their dream careers and long-term relationships. In the new Hulu series Extraordinary, being a late bloomer gets compounded by not having superpowers for Jen (Máiréad Tyers). | 2022-12-14T19:06:37Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL betting: Point spread, over/under for Chargers vs. Titans in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-point-spread-over-183212826.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-point-spread-over-183212826.html?src=rss |
The Houston Texans went back to Davis Mills in Week 14. They needed their second-year quarterback to lead the offense on the road against the Dallas Cowboys.
Mills split time with backup Jeff Driskel, who was elevated from the practice squad the day before the game. Nevertheless the former Stanford product went 16-of-21 for 175 yards and an interception — a desperation heave on the game’s final play — in Houston’s 27-23 loss to Dallas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
According to Josh Edwards from CBS Sports, Mills’ performance was considered an A-minus in his Week 14 summation of young quarterback play throughout the league.
Mills told reporters after the game that he thought he “played well for the most part.
Said Mills: “Obviously I want to go back and see a couple of things, but there might have only really been one throw that I missed to my standards, that was that slant to the middle of the field to [Phillip] Dorsett on maybe third and eight the first half. But other than that, I thought we played a clean game offensively. I’ve just got to try to find a way to get the ball to end zone on that red zone series when the defense gave us the ball back late in the game.”
Houston may continue to deploy the two-quarterback offense with Mills and Driskel. As long as Mills is able to stay efficient and lead Houston on drives ending in points, it should help him develop over the final four games. | 2022-12-14T19:07:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | Texans QB Davis Mills earned A-minus grade for outing against the Cowboys | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-qb-davis-mills-earned-173750278.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-qb-davis-mills-earned-173750278.html?src=rss |
How Week 15 game vs. Raiders impacts Pats' chances of making playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots desperately needed to beat the Arizona Cardinals in Monday night's Week 14 game, and by accomplishing that objective the Pats jumped into the AFC's third wild card playoff spot as the No. 7 seed.
But the Patriots' work is far from done.
New England has a very tough schedule remaining, and its only "likely win" -- if we can even call it that -- is Sunday's Week 15 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road.
The Raiders are 5-8 with a poor defense and an unproven coaching staff led by former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Las Vegas has blown many leads this season and has often failed to win close games (3-7 record in matchups decided by one score).
How will Sunday's game in Las Vegas impact the Patriots' chances of reaching the playoffs in back-to-back seasons? Here are the playoff odds related to each of the three possible outcomes, via FiveThirtyEight's predictive model.
The Patriots control their own destiny in the race for a wild card spot in the AFC, and a victory over the Raiders gives them a 59 percent chance of securing a postseason berth, per FiveThirtyEight.
The real challenge comes over the last three games. The Patriots host the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, they host the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 and then travel to Buffalo to play the first-place Bills in the Week 18 finale. The Bengals and Bills are two of the three-best teams in the conference. The Bengals, Dolphins and Bills have a combined record of 27-12 entering Week 15.
Oddsmakers like the Patriots' chances of beating the Raiders. New England is a 1-point road favorite right now, and Bill Belichick's team has won six consecutive games versus the Raiders. The last time the Patriots lost to the Raiders was in 2002.
The Patriots are very much in the playoff race going into Week 15, but a loss to the Raiders could end up being a setback too severe to overcome given their brutal schedule over the final three weeks.
Raiders send LB Jayon Brown to injured reserve, sign 2 to practice squad
Jayon Brown's season is over as he heads to IR. Raiders also add two to the practice squad | 2022-12-14T19:07:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | How Week 15 game vs. Raiders impacts Patriots' chances of making playoffs | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-15-game-vs-raiders-174844150.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-15-game-vs-raiders-174844150.html?src=rss |
In the process of evaluating USC relative to the rest of the college football world this year, one interesting point emerges: Would USC’s season be vieweed as more of a success (and less of a failure) if the Trojans had lost to Oregon State and Utah but then ran the table in their remaining games and finished 10-2? USC’s last game of the season would have been the win over Notre Dame. USC would have finished the season on a five-game winning streak. The Trojans would not have lost by 23 points to Utah in Las Vegas in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Would that mean USC had a better year than the 11-2 season we just witnessed?
Look at Penn State as a relative comparison. Penn State lost twice in the middle of the season to Michigan and Ohio State, but it went unbeaten in November.
Never mind the fact that Penn State beat Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, and Michigan State in November, four ordinary-to-mediocre teams. Because Penn State finished the year on a winning streak, some people will think the Nittany Lions did better than USC, which failed against Utah.
However: Is this true? Did Penn State have the better year?
Trojans Wire talked about this at The Voice of College Football: | 2022-12-14T19:12:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2022 USC offered a reminder about how we remember and evaluate college football seasons | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-usc-offered-reminder-remember-184712043.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-usc-offered-reminder-remember-184712043.html?src=rss |
If you were to ask yourself — or anyone around you — whether USC or Penn State had the better season in 2022, it’s easy and reasonable to think that Penn State had the better year.
The Nittany Lions did make the Rose Bowl. USC is playing Tulane in the Cotton Bowl. If you swapped positions and put USC in the Granddaddy and Penn State in the Cotton Bowl opposite Tulane, you would very likely say that the Trojans had the better year than the Nittany Lions.
However, there’s a distinction to be made between a team’s quality of performance and results and — on the other hand — the bowl bid it receives at the end of the season.
Want a good example of this? Let’s use USC’s 2023 Cotton Bowl opponent, Tulane, as an example.
In 1998, Tulane went 11-0 in the regular season, but the bowl system couldn’t give the Green Wave an elite bowl slot. Tulane was relegated to the Liberty Bowl against BYU.
Meanwhile, a 9-2 Florida team which notably underachieved that year went to the Orange Bowl.
Tulane obviously had the better season, but Florida had the better bowl outcome.
It’s similar with USC and Penn State in 2022.
Penn State gets the Rose Bowl, which is great for the Nittany Lions. However, over the course of the regular season, USC won big games versus UCLA, Oregon State, and Notre Dame. Penn State’s best win in 2022 was against Purdue. USC won 11 games, Penn State 10.
USC performed better. Penn State got the better bowl bid.
USC had the better season. Penn State benefited more from the bowl bid allocation process.
We sorted this out with Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:
#USC won't punt a lot, but when the Trojans do punt, they need to flip the field. Now they have a punter who is likely to do that on a consistent basis. | 2022-12-14T19:12:16Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2022 USC season illustrates the difference between quality of play and quality of bowl outcome | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-usc-season-illustrates-difference-181610573.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-usc-season-illustrates-difference-181610573.html?src=rss |
THE AWARDS CONTINUE: Michigan football's Blake Corum, Olusegun Oluwatimi named consensus All-Americans
ON THE MOVE: Michigan football defensive lineman George Rooks enters transfer portal
The duo combined for perhaps the most important play of that season, when All caught the game-winning touchdown pass at Penn State; a 47-yard drag route with 3:29 to play in the game in Happy Valley to help the Wolverines survive the Nittany Lions and preserve their chances at a Big Ten title.
Erick All, left, celebrates with Mike Sainristil after scoring the winning touchdown against Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 13, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania.
All had a career year in 2021, catching 38 passes for 437 yards (11.5 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. He caught a career-high 10 passes for 98 yards that year in the Wolverines' lone regular season loss, 37-33, to rival Michigan State in East Lansing. McNamara also had a career day statistically on that October afternoon, throwing for 383 yards, his only game with more than 300 passing yards.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end was an All Big-Ten honorable mention.
Michigan tight end Erick All catches a pass against the Hawaii during the first half on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Ann Arbor.
All put some feelers out to the NFL following his junior season before opting to come back for his senior year. However the tight end was never completely healthy. He tried to battle through nagging back problems (that stemmed from the 2021 season) and was never fully himself in 2022.
He caught one pass in each of the first three non-conference games for a total of 36 yards before he was shut down for the year.
On Oct. 21, All posted on social media that he went through a 'life-changing' surgery. He had been seen on the sideline for a number of games before and after the surgery, most recently UM's 45-23 victory over OSU in Columbus.
"Wolverine nation Love you guys but it's time for me to move on. I know some of you are wondering why I would leave and the answer to that question is unexpected. 1/2," All began. "Not everything/everyone are what they seem and I learned that from my time here at Michigan. Sometimes you have to let go and do what's best for you and your family. Love you guys. Go Blue 2/2."
Michigan didn't have any drop off in production in the tight end position this season with Luke Schoonmaker, Colston Loveland, Max Bredeson and Luke Honigford all elevating their roles.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Michigan football captain Erick All transferring to Iowa
Clemson football Jeremiah Trotter Jr a leader and quarterback of the linebacker room says Coach Dabo Swinney
Clemson football Jeremiah Trotter Jr a leader and quarterback of the linebacker room says Coach Dabo Swinney during a pre-travel to Miami practice day in Clemson in December 2022. | 2022-12-14T19:12:35Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Michigan football captain Erick All transferring to Iowa, joining Cade McNamara | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-michigan-football-captain-erick-180823031.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-michigan-football-captain-erick-180823031.html?src=rss |
Ohio State lost its quarterback for the 2023 recruiting cycle a few weeks ago when Brock Glenn decommitted and flipped to Florida State. Today, they found their replacement by flipping a QB of their own.
T.F. Riggs (S.D.) four-star QB Lincoln Kienholz announced on Twitter this morning that he’s changed his commitment from Washington to Ohio State.
Keinholz (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) is ranked No. 13 among quarterbacks in his class. One of the nation’s top dual-threat QBs, Keinholz racked up 3,422 passing yards and 46 touchdowns as a Senior. He added another 1,436 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground. Here’s the highlight reel.
Keinholz may feel he has a better chance to break through at Ohio State, where current starter C.J. Stroud is expected to declare for the draft after the college football playoffs. Meanwhile, Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. recently announced he’s staying for another year at Washington.
The Buckeyes now have 20 commitments in their 2023 class, which ranks fifth in the country. The Huskies’ recruiting class has dropped to No. 29.
Top-ranked EDGE Keon Keeley commits to Alabama
USA TODAY HSS Top 100: 2023 recruiting rankings
Coffee Machine Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Drip Filter, Pod/Capsule, Espresso, Bean-to-Cup), By Application (Commercial, Residential), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030New York, Dec. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Coffee Machine Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Application, By Region And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06373226/?utm_source=GNW Coff | 2022-12-14T19:13:01Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ohio State flips 4-star QB Lincoln Kienholz from Washington | https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-flips-4-star-182717391.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-flips-4-star-182717391.html?src=rss |
We talked about this throughout the offseason, and we followed the preseason polls and the analyses of various college football pundits and publications: Could USC be good again?
Lots of people felt USC was going to be 8-4 in 2022, maybe 9-3 at best. Plenty of analysts and experts voiced open skepticism that USC could compete for the Pac-12 championship (if “compete for a Pac-12 championship” was defined as making the Pac-12 Championship Game) and immediately lift itself to a noticeably higher level.
An 8-4 season would not have answered the question about whether USC can be good again, because 8-4 is not good for USC. An 8-4 record is rarely if ever acceptable at USC. An 8-4 record would have been a clear failure for Lincoln Riley, his staff, and his players.
If we are to explore why this season was so positive, the seven-win turnaround from four wins to 11 speaks for itself. Yet, there’s a specific point to make about the positive impact of this 2022 campaign: It immediately ended any questions about whether USC can compete for championships and return to the top tier of the sport. After 2022, the only question which matters is whether USC can ascend within the top tier. It’s already in the upper reaches of the sport once again. Now it’s about measuring itself against the top programs, and no one else. So many questions which applied heading into 2022 can now be brushed aside. We don’t have to deal with them anymore. Now it’s all about attaining true elite status. No one will pick USC to go 8-4 for a very, very long time.
We had more to say to Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:
Michelle Obama has hilariously reacted to a viral video of a woman calling former president Barack Obama “fine as a motherf***er” at a campaign event. Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC | 2022-12-14T19:13:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | One specific positive outcome of USC’s 2022 season: It raised the bar back to a high level | https://sports.yahoo.com/one-specific-positive-outcome-usc-175317470.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/one-specific-positive-outcome-usc-175317470.html?src=rss |
Watch Joel Embiid score 53, 76ers pick up win over Hornets 76ers blow 9-point lead in final 34 seconds, then hang on to beat Lakers... NBA Power Rankings: Nobody is knocking the Celtics off the top spot this...
Philly’s Joel Embiid: ‘Sixers fans, they want to trade me’ originally appeared on NBCSports.com
Joel Embiid with a dunk vs the Sacramento Kings
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) with a dunk vs the Sacramento Kings, 12/13/2022
As Week 8 of the NBA regular season ends, Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid and New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson take home NBA players of the week conference honors.
In this universe, everything revolves around “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” To the surprise of no one, A24’s innovative sensation from The Daniels led the Critics Choice Awards nominations with 14 nods, after a strong showing at the Golden Globes where it picked up six nominations. That followed its Gotham Awards win for best feature. […] | 2022-12-14T20:21:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Philly’s Joel Embiid: ‘Sixers fans, they want to trade me’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/philly-joel-embiid-sixers-fans-173044306.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/philly-joel-embiid-sixers-fans-173044306.html?src=rss |
The Denver Broncos returned to the practice field on Wednesday without quarterback Russell Wilson, who remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
“We’re going to do everything the way that the medical doctors say — the independent doctors,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said of Wilson’s status on Monday. “We’re going to do every single thing. His safety is by far the No. 1 most important thing. We’ll continually talk to him — and to everybody else — about that and make sure we do the right thing.”
Hackett was asked Monday if there’s a possibility that Wilson might not play this week even if he does clear the protocol.
“Right now, we’re just concerned for his safety,” the coach said. “We want to make sure that he’s healthy. We’ll take that day-by-day and continually talk to our medical team and to Russell.”
If Wilson does not play against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Brett Rypien will start in his place.
Elsewhere on the injury front, outside linebacker Jacob Martin (knee) was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Meanwhile, fellow pass rusher Randy Gregory (knee) returned to practice Wednesday, giving him a chance to play against the Arizona Cardinals later this week.
DENVER (AP) Linebacker Josey Jewell hesitated for a second after picking off Patrick Mahomes with the Denver Broncos trailing the Kansas City Chiefs 27-0 on Sunday. Surely that would be a bad look for a team down by four scores and one whose plummet toward the NFL basement will only benefit the Seattle Seahawks, who stand to get the second overall pick in the 2023 draft as part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver. This was the fifth-year pro's first career interception, and by game's end, he'd have a pair of them. | 2022-12-14T20:37:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Broncos injuries: Russell Wilson still in concussion protocol | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-injuries-russell-wilson-still-194011106.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-injuries-russell-wilson-still-194011106.html?src=rss |
There is no sugarcoating it. The Minnesota Vikings defense is playing like the worst unit in the National Football League. They currently rank last in total defense allowing over 400 yards per game and they have allowed more than 400 yards in each of hte last five weeks.
The unit needs to make some adjustments so the Vikings can truly make a playoff run, but there is some real skepticism in achieving that. After his press conference on Wednesday afternoon, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell didn’t give us any reason for optimism.
The quotes were so off-base for a man that has been in the NFL for over 25 years. It’s blatantly evident that things aren’t working, but the tone of his press conference felt like a defense of what he has been doing.
“We want to win the first second of the down to make it hard for the quarterback to see the pass scheme oriented. That’s a work in progress right now and we’re not accomplishing it, but it doesn’t mean there’s not a great opportunity coming.
It is disguise and it’s unveiling sameness and likeness looks to slow down the quarterback. When you do that with the coverage and rush, you have the picture you want. We have a vision out there. We know what it looks like. We’re just not quite there.”
We can blatantly see that it’s not being accomplished. Why isn’t it happening? How come 13 weeks into the season there isn’t enough confidence from the players to disguise the coverages and pass rush plans? That’s on the coaching staff. I get that it takes time for this to fully sink in, but we should be a lot closer than what we are.
The next quote in my opinion speaks volumes on stubbornness.
“I don’t think it’s ever drastic” when asked about changes needed. “We’d like to take some of the air out of the coverage. You want to be tighter… whether in man or zone.”
At a certain point, maybe you do need some sort of drastic changes. I get that this scheme is widely used across the National Football League, but the issues that your personnel are having with the scheme is something that you need to factor in and make those necessary adjustments.
One player that has played well despite his struggles adjusting to this system is Danielle Hunter. Early in the season, Donatell said that it’s always rough in the first month and wasn’t concerned about his transition from the 4-3.
“Every guy that has ever made this transition, his first month looks a lot like that. … There’s a getting used to this role. It’s very, very normal.” Donatell on October 6th.
Now that things aren’t going well, Donatell is saying that it will take the whole year for Hunter to get used to it.
“I think he’s getting more comfortable every week. It’ll take the whole year. Standing up and playing in our base is a little new to him, still…”
Now, I understand that the quotes are different in context, but the tone from the first quote definitely leads me to believe he will be fine. Now, he’s still not comfortable? That’s not exactly what you want to hear. Why is an elite pass rusher like Hunter still getting used to playing in a new defensive scheme? This is unacceptable and is a major red flag for the future.
Should the Vikings move on from Donatell right now? I don’t think that you can fire him with a 10-3 record midseason, but it gives me a heck of a lot less confidence in him moving forward after this season.
The commemorative edition is one of many Royal Oaks in the comedian's collection. | 2022-12-14T20:38:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ed Donatell shows no accountability for defensive performance | https://sports.yahoo.com/ed-donatell-shows-no-accountability-192521464.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ed-donatell-shows-no-accountability-192521464.html?src=rss |
After opening the season with a 1-6 record, the Lions have won five of their last six games. They have a relatively favorable schedule down the stretch. However, they're still 1.5 games out of the last playoff spot in the NFC. Can they complete their epic comeback or will they run out of time? Let's take a look at the current playoff picture across both conferences and the betting odds surrounding each team's hopes of getting in.
Sitting at 10-3, the Dallas Cowboys are also safe bets to get in. They'll need a lot to go their way to win the division, but they will be in the playoffs unless there's an epic collapse. That's four of seven NFC playoff spots that seem rather locked in.
Of course, one of the final three playoff spots in the conference will go to the winner of the NFC South. Tampa Bay is a sizable -350 favorite to win the division, but Carolina certainly isn't dead and currently holds a lot of key tiebreakers. Yahoo's Frank Schwab takes a look at why Carolina might be worth a bet here.
The Commanders opened the season 1-4 but have gone 6-1-1 in their last eight games prior to the bye week. After the Giants, Washington has San Francisco, Cleveland and Dallas to finish the year. It's a tough schedule, but if they take care of business as home favorites this weekend, they'll be in a good spot.
After opening the season with a 7-3 record, the New York Giants are now underdogs to make the playoffs at +115. New York is in the nation's capital this weekend for the aforementioned meeting with the Commanders. New York still has trips to Minnesota and Philadelphia on the schedule as well. Their best chance for a victory comes against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17. New York will likely need to pull off some upsets down the stretch to get into the playoffs.
After the Giants, we get to the talk of the league in the Detroit Lions. The Lions have won five of their last six games and have looked very good in the process. They are a 1-point road underdog against the Jets this weekend. That might be the toughest remaining game on their schedule as they finish the year with games against the Panthers, Bears and Packers. It's certainly not out of the question for Detroit to win out.
With the current form of the Giants and the Seahawks, maybe both teams completely collapse down the stretch and swing the door wide open for Detroit. However, it's getting late and the Lions are still 1.5 games back of the playoff cut line. That's why Detroit is a +240 underdog to get in. If the Lions get a big road win against a good Jets team this weekend and the Seahawks and Giants both lose as underdogs, it'll create an epic final three weeks.
Of the bubble teams, Miami still has the best odds of getting into the playoffs. They are -300 favorites to get in. However, there's certainly questions now that Tua is struggling and teams have done a good job of quieting their receivers. Their schedule isn't ideal either. They have cold weather games coming up in Buffalo and New England. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see this come down to the Week 18 game where Miami hosts the Jets.
The next most likely team to get in according to the betting odds is the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers earned a huge victory as 3.5-point home favorites against the aforementioned Dolphins last weekend, and they're in a good spot as a result. The Chargers host the Titans this weekend, who have lost three straight. Los Angeles is a 2.5-point favorite. The Chargers finish the year with matchups against Indianapolis, the Rams and Denver. The Chargers are -185 favorites to get into the playoffs, but nothing will ever feel safe or secure when it comes to this franchise.
New England still has Buffalo, Cincinnati and Miami on their schedule. It's certainly a tough stretch to end the year. The Jets have a slightly more favorable schedule, but it's still far from easy. The Jets finish with games against the Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks and Dolphins. There's no certain losses on that schedule and there's certainly no easy wins.
The Dolphins still have games against both the Patriots and Jets to finish the year. If they take care of business in those games, they'll be a playoff team. However, if they continue to struggle against the teams chasing them, it's going to be a heartburn-inducing finish. | 2022-12-14T20:39:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL betting: Will the Detroit Lions make the playoffs? It's still a long shot according to the oddsmakers | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-will-the-detroit-lions-make-the-playoffs-its-still-a-long-shot-according-to-the-oddsmakers-200847881.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-will-the-detroit-lions-make-the-playoffs-its-still-a-long-shot-according-to-the-oddsmakers-200847881.html?src=rss |
Dallas Cowboys' Chauncey Golston is called for roughing the passer on Chicago Bears' Justin Fields during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
IRVING, Texas (AP) The NFL is considering ejections for roughing-the-passer penalties and hits on defenseless players, although league executive Troy Vincent expressed caution on how such rulings would be enforced.
''The officials, I must say, have been pretty consistent with and very accurate when making that call,'' said Vincent, the league's vice president of football operations. ''But they're human.''
''It's a personal foul and there's a ton of fouls in that category,'' Vincent said. ''Where does it end? Again, the most impactful play in football is pass interference. Now we start including the personal foul. But that's why we'll discuss it. I'll be looking forward to this discussion.''
''I think chasing perfection is a dangerous place to go for the National Football League and, frankly, for officiating,'' Vincent said. ''And that's what happens with the cameras, replay. You begin chasing perfection, which is not a good place for the game.''
AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Qatar on Wednesday to attend the World Cup semifinal match between France and Morocco, a politically charged encounter between the north African country and its former colonizer. Macron was standing beside FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the stands at Al Bayt Stadium after the national anthems for both countries were played before kickoff.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah went on injured reserve with a foot injury on Tuesday and the Browns moved to replace him on their 53-man roster on Wednesday. The team announced that they have signed linebacker Jermaine Carter to the active roster from their practice squad. They also announced that they have signed linebacker Storey Jackson and [more] | 2022-12-14T20:39:25Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL discussing ejections on roughing-the-passer penalties | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-discussing-ejections-roughing-passer-190703520.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-discussing-ejections-roughing-passer-190703520.html?src=rss |
The Rams added a couple of new faces on Wednesday ahead of their upcoming game against the Packers. The team announced it has signed defensive tackle Khalil Davis and defensive back Richard LeCounte to the practice squad.
Davis came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick with the Buccaneers in 2020 and has played just three total games since. He hasn’t appeared in a game yet this season, spending time on Tampa Bay’s practice squad. He also had a stint with the Steelers and Colts last year.
LeCounte was a fifth-round pick by the Browns in 2021 and has played 10 games since. He was waived by the Browns in October and re-signed to the practice squad, but was then released a couple of weeks later. | 2022-12-14T20:39:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rams sign DT Khalil Davis, DB Richard LeCounte to practice squad | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-sign-dt-khalil-davis-193248579.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-sign-dt-khalil-davis-193248579.html?src=rss |
“We have to keep going,"” Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said after their win against the Dolphins on Sunday night. “I think there is a lot of football left to be played.”
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams (81) celebrates with wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5) and offensive tackle Foster Sarell (73) after catching a 10-yard touchdown pass in the first half against the Miami Dolphins at SoFi Stadium.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AFC playoff picture has Chargers out. Here's why they will make it | 2022-12-14T20:40:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Why Los Angeles Chargers seem poised to make playoffs for first time since 2018 | Opinion | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-los-angeles-chargers-seem-201612245.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-los-angeles-chargers-seem-201612245.html?src=rss |
The founding of NASCAR: The story of who's who at Daytona's Streamline Hotel meetings
NASCAR’s diamond anniversary season owes plenty to a series of meetings held 75 years ago Wednesday at the historic Streamline Hotel. There, founder Bill France Sr. met with 35 other leaders from stock-car racing’s earliest days, aiming to establish rules and regulations that culminated in the launch of NASCAR nearly two months later.
The style-moderne hotel had only been open seven years at the time of the meetings, and the landmark still welcomes guests at its South Atlantic Avenue location. The legacy of the smoke-filled Ebony Lounge, where some of the sport’s origins were conceived lives on, both in legend and in a handful of photographs preserved from those early conferences at the Streamline.
RELATED: NASCAR 75 logo makes debut
Who were the founding fathers in that historic photo, gathering around the long table strewn with papers and ashtrays for those formative talks? Big Bill France is recognizable at the front and center, and other names and faces may be familiar to racing history buffs. Other names may be less known, their identities faded by the passage of 75 years’ time.
The prominence of the figures seated along that table, however, deserves further recognition as NASCAR marks one of its earliest anniversary moments. With information culled from research in the archives, here are their stories.
Seated, from left to right
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Bob Richards
Bob Richards (Atlanta): A well-connected businessman with a wide network of dealings in the Georgia capital, Richards also held an ownership stake in the E&S Racing Shop with Ed “Jug” Williams, a noted bootlegger. His racing background also included a role as a driver in the late 1930s.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Freddie Horton
Freddie Horton (Providence, R.I.):
Car owner whose stature in and knowledge of the New England racing scene was sought after by France, who envisioned NASCAR’s long-term growth from a regional series into a national presence.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Jack Peters
Jack Peters (Berea, Ohio):
Promoter of Indy-type events in the Midwest, Peters came to the table with expertise in roadster racing. That car division was suggested for NASCAR sanction — along with Strictly Stock and Modified classes — but never fully materialized after the meeting.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Ed Bruce
Ed Bruce (Berea, Ohio):
Business partner to fellow Ohioan Peters. It was reported that when balloting stalled over the name of the new organization, Bruce — eager to turn the conversation to roadster racing — suggested the “NASCAR” acronym that master mechanic Red Vogt had first coined and made a motion to adopt it. Peters seconded, and the name passed in a voice vote.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Chick DiNatale
Chick DiNatale (Trenton, N.J.):
Second vice president for the American Stock Car Racing Association (ASCRA), a rival racing organization that operated for just four seasons in the late 1940s. His brother, Rocky, was ASCRA treasurer. Chick competed in Eastern Stock Car Racing Club events and made one Cup Series race in the circuit’s first season, crashing out at Langhorne (Pa.) Speedway and finishing 37th in 1949.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Harvey Tattersall Jr.
Harvey Tattersall Jr. (New York):
Tattersall was a driver, car builder and owner before World War II, later making the transition to a racing official and the eventual co-founder of the United Stock Car Racing Club. He was promoter for 27 years at Riverside Park in Agawam, Mass., and later the owner/promoter at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl. Tattersall was elected to the inaugural class of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 1998.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Tom Galon
Tom Galon (New York):
Business partner to Tattersall in the United Stock Car Racing Club, Galon was a co-promoter and a track announcer for motorsports events on the New England racing scene.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Alvin Hawkins
Alvin Hawkins (Spartanburg, S.C.):
Hawkins joined France as the co-founders of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Weekly NASCAR racing continues to this day at the quarter-mile track, run by Hawkins’ descendants. A close associate of France, Hawkins was also NASCAR’s first flagman. He has been a nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Landmark Award in recent years.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Bill Tuthill
Bill Tuthill (New Rochelle, N.Y.):
Tuthill raced motorcycles in his youth before taking on roles as a radio broadcaster and event promoter, later earning the trust of France for his business savvy. He steered the Streamline meetings as their unofficial chairman and was elected as NASCAR’s first secretary. Tuthill emerged from the company’s formation with a 40% ownership stake, which he later sold to France. Tuthill later worked as a racing official and a historian, operating the Museum of Speed in south Daytona Beach from the mid-1950s into the ’70s.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Bill France Sr.
Bill France Sr. (Daytona Beach, Fla.):
The former racer and promoter known as “Big Bill” sought to bring together industry figures from other walks of auto racing, even as he aimed to get his own business plans on paper. He was elected president of the fledgling organization and soon charted a course for promoting races under the NASCAR name. The Modified Division launched in 1948, followed by the Cup Series (then called Strictly Stock) the next year. France built major speedways in Daytona and Talladega, leading the sport’s growth in its formative years.
Streamline Hotel meeting recording secretary Mildred Ayers
Mildred Ayers (Ormond Beach, Fla.):
Recording secretary who kept the hand-written minutes at the series of Streamline Hotel meetings that gave NASCAR its beginning.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Joe Littlejohn
Joe Littlejohn (Spartanburg, S.C.):
Expert promoter and racer who organized events in his hometown stock-car hub and in neighboring states. He first made a name for himself as a driver in the 1930s and ’40s and raced in the first two Cup Series races on the Daytona Beach road course, placing fourth in the 1949 inaugural. He also was the first to clock more than 100 mph in the measured mile in a stock car on Daytona’s sand. Littlejohn later took over operations at Atlanta Motor Speedway as its general manager in 1966 and was credited with helping France select the site of a future 2.66-mile superspeedway in Talladega.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Jimmy Cox
Jimmy Cox (Mt. Airy, N.C.):
Respected mechanic from the North Carolina foothills who was appointed to the organization’s newly formed competition committee after the meetings. Cox is holding a copy of Speed Age magazine in the photo, but his face is turned away from the camera and partially obscured; this picture is from another Streamline photograph, taken from the outside rooftop.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Eddie Bland
Eddie Bland (Jacksonville, Fla.):
A former championship-winning car owner in the 1930s and ’40s, Bland promoted races throughout the Sunshine State, including on Jacksonville’s beaches. In the months before the Streamline meeting, Bland built and opened Jacksonville Speedway — later known as Speedway Park, site of Cup Series races from 1951-63. He was named to NASCAR’s first board of governors as vice president.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Joe Ross
Joe Ross (Boston):
Midget-car driver who competed across the northeast in Bay State Midget Racing Association and New England Auto Racing Association competition. His racing schedule included Norwood (Mass.) Arena Speedway, where he later became the track announcer.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Sam Packard
Sam Packard (Boston):
A former campaigner of midget cars in the New England area, Packard competed in multiple racing disciplines — sprints, Indy cars, motorcycles, boats and stock cars. He operated a speed shop in suburban Providence, R.I., and eventually moved to Daytona Beach in 1959. Packard was the last surviving attendee of the Streamline meetings until his death in 2003 at age 93.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Bill Streeter
Bill Streeter (Trenton, N.J.):
Promoter who led the creation of the American Stock Car Racing Association, where he held the role of secretary. He raced Indy-type cars in his younger days, and was also a pit-crew member for Johnny Hannon, a National Sprint Car Hall of Famer as a driver. Streeter later took on a front-office position as promoter at Delmar Speedway in Delaware and helped to refurbish the Langhorne (Pa.) Speedway in Pennsylvania.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Lucky Sauer
Lucky Sauer (Daytona Beach, Fla.):
Former stock-car and midget driver who competed throughout Florida, Sauer attended as one of two local dignitaries with the Daytona Beach chamber of commerce, along with Jimmy Roberts (not pictured).
Standing, left to right
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Larry Roller
Larry Roller:
Journalist representing the International News Service, a news wire founded by William Randolph Hearst that merged with Universal Press International in 1958. France invited select reporters to the Streamline in an effort to document the process and spread the word about the meetings.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Fred Dagavar
Fred Dagavar (New York):
Businessman, car owner and racer who later hailed from Philadelphia, Dagavar made one Cup Series start, placing 17th out of 48 cars at Langhorne (Pa.) Speedway in 1950 and earning $50 for his efforts. He later ventured into sports-car racing, campaigning a 1954 Jaguar XK120. He came away from the Streamline meetings with a place on the eight-member Board of Governors.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Bob Osiecki
Bob Osiecki (Atlanta):
Top car and engine builder who helped guide Dodge and Plymouth into stock-car racing, Osiecki also excelled as a famed hot-rodder in drag racing and achieved land-speed records. A car of his own design topped the 180-mph mark on Daytona’s sands. As a gifted mechanic, he fielded cars in the NASCAR Cup Series for drivers such as Marvin Panch, Ralph Earnhardt and Darel Dieringer. Osiecki also staged auto shows and opened a Dodge dealership in Florence, S.C. He died of a heart attack in 1964, aged just 45.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Jimmy Quisenberry
Jimmy Quisenberry (Hyattsville, Md.):
Journalist and co-founder of Speed Age, billed as “America’s First Motor Racing Magazine.” The first edition of Speed Age was published just seven months before the Streamline meetings. The publication solely focused on motorsports at first, later adding news and reviews of passenger cars to its coverage.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Ed Samples
Ed Samples (Atlanta):
Noted driver who claimed the 1946 championship of the U.S. Stock Car Drivers Association and later made 13 Cup Series starts. He twice cheated death — living after being shot three times in a pre-war moonshining dispute, then surviving a 1950 crash at Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway that left him with a head injury and two broken wrists. He returned to add Alabama to his list of state championships in 1954, retiring two years later to run a speed shop in Birmingham. France appointed him to the helm of NASCAR’s technical committee after the Streamline meetings.
Streamline Hotel meeting attendee Marshall Teague
Marshall Teague (Daytona Beach, Fla.):
Teague went far back with France, working at his gas station as a teenager. He served in the Air Corps in World War II but returned to racing with gusto. Teague was elected as NASCAR’s first treasurer after the Streamline meetings. He later won seven NASCAR Cup Series races in the dominant No. 6 Hudson Hornet, including back-to-back triumphs on the Daytona beach-and-road course (1951-52). He was also champion of the AAA National Stock Car division in 1952 and ’54. Teague died when his “Sumar Special” streamliner car crashed as he pursued a closed-course speed record at Daytona International Speedway in 1959.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Two-time NFL rushing champ Derrick Henry absolutely believes his position coach Tony Dews would make a great head coach in the NFL. Henry just has one request. ''Hopefully he can stay with me as long as he can until then,'' Henry said. | 2022-12-14T21:48:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | The founding of NASCAR: The story of who's who at Daytona's Streamline Hotel meetings | https://sports.yahoo.com/founding-nascar-story-whos-daytonas-152235067.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/founding-nascar-story-whos-daytonas-152235067.html?src=rss |
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and things won’t get easier when the Cincinnati Bengals come to town Sunday.
One of the hottest teams in the NFL, the Bengals boast one of the league’s best quarterback/wide receiver tandems in Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, and Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is well aware of the challenge they’ll present his defense.
“I don’t have all the adjectives that everybody said about him,” Bowles said Wednesday, when asked about Burrow. “He’s great, he’s poised in the pocket, he throws a great ball all over the field, he can throw at any angle, he can make any throw, he has some great receivers to throw to, he has a good understanding of the offense and the game, he can take advantage of what you’re trying to give him, he can run the ball when he has to run the ball, he can throw people open, he can use his feet. He has a knack for the game. Certain guys when they come out of college that young have a knack for the game already – he has it.”
“[He has] outstanding hands, outstanding size, [he is] very good at getting off the ball, his catch radius is enormous – him and Tee Higgins, actually – as soon as the ball touches his hands, he’s getting up-field right now,” Bowles said of Chase. “It’s rare to see somebody get up-field that quick with that size. He has a natural knack for the game and he looks great doing it.”
After giving up 35 points to a third-string rookie quarterback last week, Bowles and the Bucs defense obviously have their work cut out for them against the Bengals this weekend. | 2022-12-14T22:07:40Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bucs HC Todd Bowles heaps praise on Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase | https://sports.yahoo.com/bucs-hc-todd-bowles-heaps-212427878.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bucs-hc-todd-bowles-heaps-212427878.html?src=rss |
Week 13 saw the Houston Texans welcome back their former franchise quarterback, who was making his debut with the Cleveland Browns. Fans showered him with boos inside NRG Stadium.
The Texans have another reunion upcoming as the Kansas City Chiefs visit for Week 15. Former safety Justin Reid will be suiting up for the 10-3 squad that just needs a win to clinch a playoff spot.
Reid, a former 2018 third-round pick from Stanford, is looking forward to his return to NRG Stadium.
Reid was well thought of during his time with the Texans, earning the Ed Block Courage Award in 2019, an award voted on by his teammates.
The 25-year-old was also onboard with the promotion of Lovie Smith from defensive coordinator to coach in February.
Reid has 60 combined tackles, two quarterback hits, and two pass breakups in his 13 games with the Chiefs, all of them he has started. | 2022-12-14T22:08:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chiefs S Justin Reid ‘excited’ for Texans reunion in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-justin-reid-excited-texans-215103473.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-justin-reid-excited-texans-215103473.html?src=rss |
The New England Patriots defense just went from scary to downright terrifying with news of Christian Barmore’s return to the practice field on Wednesday.
You’d have to go all the way back to Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns since the second-year defensive tackle has played in a game, and the team has clearly missed his otherworldly talents along the defensive front.
He’s a defensive wrecking machine that carried comparable hype, if not more, in the offseason than emerging linebacker Josh Uche, who just won honors for AFC Defensive Player of the Week. His return gives the Patriots an elite run-stuffer with the power to force quarterback pressures up the middle.
There are already some incredibly impactful playmakers on the Patriots defense, and Barmore returning would take things to the next level.
New England will have 21 days to add him to the 53-man roster and keep him from reverting back to injured reserve. It’s clear the team needs him with a murderer’s row slate of opposing offenses next on the itinerary.
A player like Barmore isn’t just an added boost to the defense. He’s a complete game-changer with room to grow. | 2022-12-14T22:08:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Christian Barmore being back changes everything for Patriots | https://sports.yahoo.com/christian-barmore-being-back-changes-210928007.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/christian-barmore-being-back-changes-210928007.html?src=rss |
The Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) are coming out of the bye week with four games remaining before the offseason arrives.
Coming out of the bye week, the Colts couldn’t do anything to truly help their standing in the power rankings. They hold a top-10 pick, and there’s a chance they move up the draft order a bit over the final four games of the season.
Author’s Take: “Pretty cool to read about deposed HC Frank Reich continuing his community service efforts in Indianapolis – his foundation, kNot Today, aiming to hinder sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking of children.”
Author’s Take: “The Colts were on a bye. They get back in action on the road at the Minnesota Vikings.”
Author’s Take: “As the Indianapolis Colts have navigated a miserable 2022 season that already saw head coach Frank Reich be fired, they have already changed the starting quarterback—twice.
Maybe the third time will be the charm.
Granted, Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday didn’t explicitly say that Matt Ryan was going to get the hook for the second time this season. But after getting embarrassed in Week 13 in a game in which the Colts turned the ball over five times and were outscored 33-0 in the fourth quarter, Saturday also didn’t say he wouldn’t.
“We’re going to look at everything—no position in particular, but everybody—and look and see what we think is going to be best,” Saturday told reporters. “I told the guys we’ve got a four-week season. That’s almost a quarter of the season, and it’s for all the marbles. So we need the best 11 on the field.”
Given that the Colts already tried youngster Sam Ehlinger under center (with disastrous results), it stands to reason that Nick Foles would be next up on the quarterback carousel. But while Ryan hasn’t played well, he also isn’t the only reason the Colts have face-planted in 2022.
And from all indications, when the 2023 season dawns for the Colts, it will do so with the team’s seventh different Week 1 starter in as many seasons.”
The offense is, perhaps, the most vivid example you’ll find of why the Colts have struggled this season. They are not a completely hapless team devoid of talent. Their FPI rankings on defense and special teams are in the top half of the league, and that feels like an accurate reflection of what we’ve seen on the field. But that isn’t nearly enough to overcome an inept offense that has a league-worst minus-14 turnover margin and ranks 31st in scoring (16.1 PPG). The Colts are fundamentally bad on offense, struggling in critical areas like protecting the football and blocking, which explains a lot.
Author’s Take: “The Colts gave it their best with Jeff Saturday and now get to play on a Saturday in a tough post-bye matchup against the Vikings in Minnesota. They’ve no doubt been one of the league’s huge disappointments, too.”
Author’s Take: “The Colts played well against Dallas for three quarters in Week 13 but took an absolute shellacking in the fourth quarter, unlike we’ve seen for a long time at the NFL level. They were outscored 33-0 in the final 15 minutes.
Nobody yet knows what will become of Chris Ballard in the offseason, but the Colts GM must swiftly figure out the team’s QB situation in a hurry if he’s to survive 2023, That is, if he survives to see 2023 at all.”
Author’s Take: “The Colts got a bye week to sit with their embarrassing 54-19 prime-time loss to the Cowboys in Week 13. How pleasant. Interim coach Jeff Saturday started a new week with optimism — claiming Indianapolis has “four winnable games” to close the season with matchups against the Vikings, Chargers, Giants and Texans. Expect Matt Ryan to take this team to the finish line if his body allows it. “He has battled. He is a realist,” Saturday said. “We talked about it about Dallas and even about our game vs. Pittsburgh not being what we want, and I think he shoulders a lot of the burden.” Added the coach: “If we are going to win, we need Matt playing his ‘A’ game.” Ryan hasn’t had his “A” game in several years now, of course, but he still profiles as the best option in a lost year.”
Author’s Take: “They come off their bye with a Saturday game at Minnesota. Is this the final four-game stretch for the Jeff Saturday experiment?”
Colts QB Matt Ryan says his arm is healthy, will that result in more explosive plays?
With 4 games left, Colts playoff hopes still alive
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor discusses the team's playoff chances. | 2022-12-14T22:08:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | Colts power rankings roundup Week 15: The home stretch | https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-power-rankings-roundup-week-203605690.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-power-rankings-roundup-week-203605690.html?src=rss |
Commanders excited for 'playoff-like atmosphere' vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders still have four games left in the 2022 regular season, but the club's postseason chances will be significantly swayed one way or another following Sunday night's tilt against the New York Giants.
Entering Week 15, the Commanders (7-5-1) currently hold a 73% chance to make the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. A victory over the Giants (7-5-1) on Sunday Night Football boosts Washington's postseason odds to 91%. A loss to Big Blue, however, drops the Commanders' hopes of playing meaningful mid-January football to 34%. The Giants also have similar odds based on how Sunday's game goes.
As the numbers show, there's a lot on the line, obviously, when these two teams meet in Week 15. There's a reason the NFL moved Commanders-Giants to Sunday Night Football, the league's most optimal primetime window.
"This is the most important game we're going to play because it's the one we're about to play," head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday. "That's the focus. That's the way we're going to approach it."
Although the playoffs are still over a month away, Sunday night's matchup carries similar importance. Commanders players understand what's at stake, with several looking forward to the opportunity in front of them.
"We've been in some big-time games, some close games. It's a division game, people are pumped up for it," quarterback Taylor Heinicke said. "We know what's ahead of us. We know we need to win this game; it'll help us tremendously in the playoff race. Guys are excited for it and they've been yearning for this moment for a while now. ... I think we're ready for it."
"We love the game, man," safety Darrick Forrest added. "It's nothing for us to go out there and play hard, especially when it's our moment, our shot for us to go show the world what we can do. We love that."
For years, Washington struggled in primetime games. But upon Rivera's arrival three years ago, the club has been widely more successful in such matchups.
In 2020, the Commanders won both their primetime games: a Thanksgiving thumping over Dallas on the road and a Week 17 win in Philadelphia to clinch the NFC East. Last year, Washington went 2-1 in national audience contests, winning both of their home primetime games.
That success has carried over to this season, as the Commanders are 2-0 in primetime clashes in 2022, including Washington's most impressive victory of the year: a road win over the previously-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11.
Under Rivera, the Commanders have played some of their best football on the biggest stage. That's not a coincidence, either.
"Primetime games, everybody is watching," star receiver Terry McLaurin said. "That gives people a little bit more juice. You want to put your best product on the field in those primetime games."
"[These] are the games you dream of as a kid," Heinicke added. "Playing in front of everybody, the whole world is watching. It's an opportunity to showcase, as a team, what you got. Guys get really excited for that."
With a lot at stake for Sunday's game, it'd be easy for Commanders players to get caught up in the build-up to the contest. McLaurin is doing whatever he can to prevent those distractions from entering the building.
"There are a lot of opportunities to get distracted in a big-week game," McLaurin said. "A lot is riding on the game: playoff seeding, the crowd, primetime. You've got to really have a routine that you can settle into and make that your focus throughout the week, to make sure you don't look over any details or anything necessary for you to be successful on Sunday."
Rivera made it clear that this Sunday's game against the Giants is a little different than the Eagles matchup earlier this season, largely because the Commanders are favored in the contest. Nobody expected them to knock off Philadelphia a few weeks ago, minus those in the building in Ashburn.
Now, Washington is expected to win. And it's up to the club to take care of business.
For several years, FedEx Field has been a venue where opposing fans have little issue filling seats. Heinicke said Wednesday that last year's Thursday night home game against the Giants felt split 50-50 between fans of both teams. Whenever the Eagles and Cowboys play in Washington, several of their fans travel, too.
With Sunday's game against the Giants being such an important contest, multiple Commanders players -- headlined by Jonathan Allen and Charles Leno -- are giving away tickets in an effort to get Commanders fans to pack the stadium.
"I want to see a packed house with a lot of burgundy and gold out there," Leno said. "I just want to see a playoff-electric environment."
Rivera also had a message to Commanders fans: show up and make a difference.
"We need them to be there, be loud and be supportive," the head coach said. "We've worked to try and become relevant. We've worked to get their focus and attention back on us. To have the fan support out there, it would be awesome."
Regardless of how the attendance is split between Commanders and Giants supporters, Sunday evening's game will undoubtedly feel like a playoff game. With the season essentially on the line, the club is looking forward to embracing the opportunity ahead.
"I think it's going to be a playoff-like atmosphere," McLaurin said. "With this being similar to a playoff game, with a division game on the line, I think the fans are going to be really excited. The best way we can perform is to try and win the football game. That continues the momentum I feel like we have. I'm looking forward to hearing the chants and seeing what a playoff game could kind of feel like around here. I never experienced that."
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Rising swimwear label TRIANGL has unveiled an exclusive new collection for all year long bikini... | 2022-12-14T22:08:25Z | sports.yahoo.com | Commanders looking forward to 'playoff-like atmosphere' vs. Giants | https://sports.yahoo.com/commanders-looking-forward-playoff-atmosphere-210000721.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/commanders-looking-forward-playoff-atmosphere-210000721.html?src=rss |
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