NFL News

[Futureshock]

Bears will be first team eliminated from its division with a loss and a Vikings win

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 15, 2022, 3:13 PM EST

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Right now, every NFL team is still mathematically alive in its division. After Sunday’s games, the Bears might not be.

The Bears would be eliminated from the NFC North race if they lose on Sunday and the Vikings win, via NFLPlayoffScenarios.com.

A loss on Sunday would drop the Bears to 3-8, and a win on Sunday would improve the Vikings to 9-1. That would mean the best-case finish for the Bears would be tying the Vikings at 9-8. But in that scenario, the Bears and Vikings would be tied in the first two tiebreakers, head-to-head and division record, and the Vikings would finish ahead of the Bears via the third tiebreaker, conference record. So if the Bears lose and the Vikings win on Sunday, the Bears cannot win the NFC North.

That’s the only playoff elimination scenario possible for Week 11. Every other team is guaranteed to remain alive in its division — mathematically, at least — for another week.

[Futureshock]

NFL considers playing games in Spain, France

Posted by Mike Florio on November 15, 2022, 1:44 PM EST

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The 17-game regular season gives the NFL up to 16 potential neutral-site games per year.

Sooner or later, the NFL will be playing that many neutral-site games.

Via Ken Maguire of the Associated Press, Spain and France sit atop the list of the league’s next potential destination, now that the NFL has extended its European footprint from London to Germany.

Brett Gosper, who leads the NFL’s efforts in the UK and Europe, confirmed the interest in two new countries in an interview with Maguire.

“We need to do our homework to make sure that there is the possibility of a place to land any games in those markets, gauge interest of the host stadia, gauge interest of the host city, even the government, as to their enthusiasm to help us bring a game,” Gosper said.

Spain has an edge, given that the Bears and Dolphins have “home marketing” rights in that country. No team has been assigned France.

This year, the NFL will play five neutral-site international games. Four of the games were played at 9:30 a.m. ET on a Sunday. That dynamic could become more and more common, creating four windows on Sundays and roughly 14 hours of non-stop football.

[Futureshock]

Wow. Amari may be worth taking a look

Packers waive Amari Rodgers, Kylin Hill

Posted by Myles Simmons on November 15, 2022, 1:17 PM EST

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The Packers made it clear that they were going to make a change at punt returner after Amari Rodgers fumbled another in Sunday’s win over the Cowboys.

But Green Bay also decided to let him go entirely.

The Packers announced they’ve waived Rodgers and running back Kylin Hill on Tuesday.

Rodgers was a third-round pick in 2021, with Green Bay trading up to draft him. He was a very limited contributor on offense, recording just eight catches for 95 yards in 26 games. In 2022, he’d played only 98 offensive snaps. As a returner, Rodgers averaged 20.3 yards per kick return and 7.0 yards per punt return. But his fumbles were a clear liability.

Keisean Nixon replaced Rodgers at punt returner in Sunday’s victory.

A seventh-round pick in 2021, Hill appeared in the last two games. He took a carry for 7 yards in his one offensive snap in the Week Nine loss. He was on the field for eight special teams snaps combined.

The Packers host the Titans on Thursday night this week.

[Cody_Russell]

Amari Rodgers could be Jeremy Ross 2.0

Common trend with draft prospects that have a back issue…

[Futureshock]

Eagles to sign Linval Joseph

Posted by Myles Simmons on November 16, 2022, 12:35 PM EST

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The Eagles are beefing up the middle of their defense.

According to multiple reports, Philadelphia is signing defensive tackle Linval Joseph to a one-year deal.

Joseph has not been with a team this season after his two-year deal with the Chargers expired following 2021. Joseph recorded 57 tackles with three tackles for loss, two QB hits, and a sack He was on the field for 58 percent of the defensive snaps in the 14 games he played.

Joseph, 34, has appeared in 171 games with 162 starts for the Giants, Vikings, and Chargers.

He recently had a workout with the Jets, but obviously was not signed.

The Eagles could use some more depth at defensive tackle with Jordan Davis out for at least two more games.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Joesph may make his Philadelphia debut on Sunday when the Eagles take on the Colts.

[Futureshock]

8-1 Vikings are home underdogs against the Cowboys

Posted by Mike Florio on November 16, 2022, 11:28 AM EST

USA TODAY Sports

Many believe in the Vikings. Many still don’t.

The Vikings, despite an 8-1 record and a thrilling road win over the Bills, return to Minneapolis as underdogs to the Cowboys.

Dallas, at both the Draftkings and FanDuel sports books, are 1.5-point favorites over the Vikings.

As noted by Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, if the Vikings remain on the wrong side of the betting line, they’ll be only the fourth team since 1970 to be a regular-season home underdog with a record of 8-1 or better.

Twice, the team in question had a backup quarterback on the field.

The Cowboys are 3-0 at U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016. Last year’s win, with Cooper Rush playing in place of Dak Prescott, helped drive an even bigger wedge between Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and former head coach Mike Zimmer, who bristled at Cousins’s decision to play it safe and not take chances given that the Cowboys were playing their No. 2 quarterback.

This time around, the dome will be a-rockin’ when the Cowboys come a-knockin’. Based on how the Vikings played on Sunday in Buffalo, one thing is clear. While Kirk Cousins may have played it too safe, Kirko Chainz is willing to throw caution to the wind — especially when he knows he has Justin Jefferson there to catch it.

[Futureshock]

Who is he to say what words people use?


Aaron Rodgers: I don’t know if offense is sustainable, that’s a word that gets said too much

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 16, 2022, 11:27 AM EST

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The Packers’ offense showed real improvement in Sunday’s win over the Cowboys, but don’t ask quarterback Aaron Rodgers if that success is sustainable.

When a reporter did ask Rodgers if the improvement Green Bay showed on offense is sustainable, Rodgers said he didn’t want to answer.

“I don’t know. Sustainable has become one of those words that gets said a little bit too much, I think, this year. So I’m going to stay away from sustainable,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said he doesn’t want to make any grand pronouncements about where the Packers’ offense is.

“There’s no sigh of relief, there’s no weight of the world off my shoulders. The preparation stays the same, the focus stays the same, the expectations stay the same. But it was nice to play a more complete game on offense,” Rodgers said.

The Packers will get right back at it against another good defense on Thursday night against the Titans.

[Futureshock]

Report: Saints to sign David Johnson to practice squad

Posted by Josh Alper on November 16, 2022, 10:07 AM EST

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The Saints cut a pair of veteran running backs off their practice squad on Tuesday and they’re reportedly bringing another one in on Wednesday.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that the Saints are signing former Cardinals and Texans running back David Johnson to their practice squad. Johnson has been out of the league since wrapping up last season with Houston.

Johnson had 2,118 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns for the Cardinals in 2016, but got hurt in the first game of the next season and has never put together another season to rival that one. He ran 67 times for 228 yards and caught 32 passes for 225 yards in 13 games with the Texans in 2021.

The Saints also made an unsuccessful waiver claim for Eno Benjamin this week, so they’re clearly looking for something else to go with Alvin Kamara in the backfield with Mark Ingram missing the last couple of games with an injury.

[Futureshock]

Report: Saints, Seahawks, Chiefs also put in waiver claim for Eno Benjamin

Posted by Myles Simmons on November 16, 2022, 9:41 AM EST

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The Texans added Eno Benjamin off of waivers on Tuesday after the running back was cut by the Cardinals.

But there were several teams who wanted Benjamin.

According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Saints, Seahawks, and Chiefs also put in a waiver claim for the running back.

Benjamin went to the Texans, who are at the beginning of the claiming order with the league’s worst record.

All four of those teams have running backs who have played well this season. But Benjamin’s versatility apparently was enticing to the brass in Houston, New Orleans, Seattle, and Kansas City.

A seventh-round pick in 2020, Benjamin has rushed for 299 yards with a pair of touchdowns and caught 24 passes for 184 yards this season.

[ghandi]

I saw something that said the Texans are 1-17-1 in their last 19 games.....Even the Lions cant keep up with that pace.

[jaadam4]

It’s still not as bad of a stretch than Cleveland had. 2015 - 3 wins, 2016 - 1 win, 2017 - 0 wins. That shit is crazy

[kreton]

I saw something that said the Texans are 1-17-1 in their last 19 games.....Even the Lions cant keep up with that pace.

Detroit went 0-19 during the Millen years. And 2-35 total if you roll in the Mayhew start.

[Futureshock]

Justin Fields: Legs felt heavy, so “tapering back” in practice

Posted by Josh Alper on November 17, 2022, 7:18 AM EST

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Bears quarterback Justin Fields is on pace to set a new NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback and all that running is impacting his practice schedule for this week.

Fields has run 62 times in the last five games, which is the most of any quarterback in the league and the 15th-most among all players. On Wednesday, Fields said he feels the toll of all the running in his legs and will be working more with trainers than doing sprints or other conditioning work as he goes through the practice week.

“I don’t even know if it was the hits; it’s just the running,” Fields said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “My legs just felt heavy after the game. The guys on the strength staff said that my load has been pretty high, so I’ve just been doing a little bit of tapering back this week in practice. . . . I pretty much get that training during the game. I get that conditioning, extra work during the game, then recover during the week and get my body ready to go on Sunday.”

Fields’ recent success running the ball has given the Bears a more potent offense and the team will likely continue to make whatever practice accomodations are necessary for that to continue over the rest of the season.

[Futureshock]

Several alternate locations under consideration for Browns-Bills

Posted by Mike Florio on November 17, 2022, 9:21 AM EST

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A massive blizzard remains in the forecast for Buffalo, and it could force Sunday’s game between the Browns and Bills out of Orchard Park.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that several alternate locations are under consideration for the Week 11 game, including Detroit.

That would make sense for two reasons. One, the stadium is available, since the Lions play the Giants in New Jersey. Two, the Bills play in Detroit next Thursday.

Other available NFL stadiums in the loosely general vicinity of Buffalo this weekend include Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and FedEx Field in D.C. The NFL likely would prefer to not play the game in Cleveland, since that would give the Browns an unwarranted home-field advantage. (In 2005, a Giants-Saints game that was due to be played in New Orleans was shifted to Giants Stadiums, due to Hurricane Katrina.)

The looming Thanksgiving Day game for the Bills limit the league’s options, since moving the game to Monday or Tuesday would require moving the first of the league’s three Thanksgiving games.

Cabot notes that a decision likely will have to be made by Friday. By then, however, it could be too late to get the Bills out of Buffalo.

However things play out, the disruption won’t make it any easier for the Bills as they try to recover from a two-game losing streak. Especially with games to be played on Sunday and then on Thursday. Followed by a game the following Thursday in New England.

[Futureshock]

Cards HC Kliff Kingsbury’s Seat Warming?


November 16th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Cardinals notched a one-sided win over the Rams — in a game that featured two backup quarterbacks — the team only improved to 4-6. Months after extending the Steve Keim–Kliff Kingsbury–Kyler Murray trio, the Cardinals have put together an underwhelming season.

Increased chatter has pointed to discord in the Cardinals organization, according to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora, who notes the Murray-Kingsbury relationship hovers at the center of this. This relationship has deteriorated to the point Kingsbury, despite signing an offseason extension, may not be a lock to finish the season.

Kingsbury’s offseason extension did not merely buy him an extra year or two; the Cardinals extended both he and Keim through 2027. Financial details of this deal are not known, and the Panthers’ Matt Rhule situation may be relevant in this case. The Panthers will be off the hook for the post-2022 portion of Rhule’s salary if/when he lands a college HC position. Talk around the league has pointed to the possibility of the Cardinals-Kingsbury partnership ending in similar fashion, La Canfora adds, with the former Texas Tech HC potentially a candidate to end up back in the college ranks.

One general manager informed La Canfora he would be surprised if Kingsbury finished the season with the Cards. Considering where this situation was this offseason, that would make for a borderline-shocking outcome. But Arizona has been unable to string together wins this season, with Kingsbury’s offense being a steady concern.

Kingsbury, 43, is 28-30-1 as Arizona’s HC. The Cardinals showed signs of dominance last season, when they started 10-2 despite losing Murray for a stretch. Colt McCoy, as he did Sunday, fared well in relief of the Pro Bowl signal-caller in 2021. But the Cards tailed off, finishing 11-6 and losing five of their past six — including a blowout wild-card loss to the Rams. That made the lengthy Kingsbury extension rather surprising, and this season has not rewarded ownership’s faith.

The Cards have submitted slow starts in most of their games this season, and although productive sequences have taken place this year — a Week 2 comeback over the Raiders, a 42-point performance against the Saints, and the McCoy-led Rams victory — questions came in regarding Kingsbury’s status as the team’s play-caller recently. Kingsbury said he would be open to ceding that responsibility, but he has continued to call plays in his fourth season at the helm. The Saints matchup also featured a Kingsbury-Murray shouting match.

Upon taking the Cards job in 2019 — not long after being fired at Texas Tech — Kingsbury advocated for Murray with the No. 1 overall pick. The Cardinals became the first franchise since the 1982-83 Baltimore Colts (Art Schlichter, John Elway) to select QBs in back-to-back first rounds, trading Josh Rosen during the 2019 draft. Murray has been an original-vote Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons, and the Cards reunited him with college teammate Marquise Brown this offseason. Of course, the Brown-DeAndre Hopkins duo playing together has been delayed due to Hopkins’ PED ban and Brown’s subsequent foot injury. That has undoubtedly hurt this Arizona attack, leading to the team’s Robbie Anderson trade. Murray has slipped to 22nd in QBR; he finished 14th and seventh in 2020 and ’21, respectively.

The Cardinals’ Week 10 win will buy Kingsbury more time, with JLC adding no change is imminent. But it appears Kingsbury will not be safe if the team continues on its current pace. This will obviously be a situation to monitor during the season’s second half.