Category: Latest News

Ravens vs. Browns injury report: DT Brandon Williams given day off Thursday

The Baltimore Ravens saw the addition to defensive tackle Brandon Williams to the injury report against the Browns, but not with an injury.

The Baltimore Ravens have continued their run of good luck this week with injuries. After seeing no players actually miss Wednesday’s practice with an injury, Thursday was the same.

Defensive tackle Brandon Williams was added to the injury report but was listed with a non-injury related designation. Like the four players on Wednesday, Williams is typically given a day off each week to help keep him fresh this late in the season.

Take a look at the latest injury report for the Ravens and Browns in Week 16.

Baltimore Ravens injuries:

Player Position Injury Wed Thur Fri Game status
Mark Ingram RB NIR DNP FP
Jimmy Smith CB NIR DNP FP
Earl Thomas S NIR DNP FP
Marshal Yanda G NIR DNP FP
Chris Board LB Concussion FP FP
Ronnie Stanley T Concussion FP FP
Brandon Williams DT NIR – DNP

Cleveland Browns injuries:

Player Position Injury Wed Thur Fri Game status
Kendall Lamm T Knee DNP LP
Sheldon Richardson DT Back DNP DNP
JC Tretter C Knee DNP DNP
Odell Beckham Jr. WR Groin LP LP
Tae Davis LB Knee LP LP
Dontrell Hilliard RB Neck LP LP
Chris Hubbard T Knee LP LP
Jarvis Landry WR Hip LP LP
Eric Murray S Knee LP LP
Olivier Vernon DE Knee LP LP
Denzel Ward CB Ankle LP LP
Porter Gustin DE Neck FP FP

 

Key:

DNP – Did not participate
LP – Limited participation (anything below 100%)
FP – Full participation
NIR – Non-injury related

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Titans add RB Dion Lewis to Thursday injury report

Here’s a complete look at the injury report for both teams.

Another name was added to the injury report as the Tennessee Titans took the practice field on Thursday ahead of this week’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Wide receiver Adam Humphries (ankle), running back Derrick Henry (hamstring) and cornerback Adoree Jackson (foot) all did not practice.

Wide receiver Corey Davis (ankle) and running back Dion Lewis (ankle) – who was not listed on the report yesterday – were both limited participants.

Linebacker Daren Bates (shoulder) and Wesley Woodyard (knee), as well as wideout Kalif Raymond (knee) practiced in full capacity.

Here’s a complete look at the injury report for both teams.

The Titans and Saints are set to kick off at 12 p.m. CT at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

Billy Price could be back in Bengals starting lineup at RG

Billy Price might be back in the starting lineup,

Cincinnati Bengals former first-round pick Billy Price has been all over the place this year while trying to fit in with a new coaching staff.

Most recently, Price got an emergency start at left guard after Alex Redmond suffered a season-ending injury in warmups, then had some combo of play and a nagging back issue shove him back to the bench in favor of Michael Jordan.

Then last week, Price got into the game on the right side after starter John Miller suffered a concussion.

Now, per the team’s website, Price might end up starting outright at right guard in Week 16 against Miami as Miller works his way through protocol.

Talk about a chaotic year and change for Price, who came off the board in the first round in 2018 and was in and out of the lineup with injury. He couldn’t win the job at center this year, nor the job at left guard. Now he’s had reps at all three spots in some capacity.

This versatility from a backup isn’t unwelcome, though the problem is for now, Price currently stands as the latest example of poor drafting by the Bengals in the offensive trenches.

Maybe Price can still change this narrative when he’s not battling consistent injuries. His latest chance could happen over the weekend.

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Titans S Kenny Vaccaro prepared to face former team on Sunday

Tennessee Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro is no stranger to the opponent the Titans face this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro is no stranger to the opponent the Titans face this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

A short time ago, he played for the New Orleans Saints, who he was with for five seasons.

Of course facing a team he used to be on the roster of feels kind of bizarre in a sense, but Vaccaro isn’t focused on that.

“I really have truly been focused on week to week, but now that it’s here is it like, ‘Oh, wow, we are playing the Saints,’” Vaccaro said on Wednesday. “But I approach it kind of like the way Logan (Ryan) did when we played the Patriots last year. I am not going to make this about me and playing my former team at all, because it is not about that really – it is about us staying in this playoff race.”

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Vaccaro and the defense will be up against a hot Drew Brees, who completed 29-of-30 passes on Monday against the Indianapolis Colts, breaking Peyton Manning’s NFL record for most touchdown passes (541).

Vaccaro has been also been performing at a high level lately, though, posting six tackles and momentum-shifting interception in the end-zone in the 24-21 loss.

He’ll surely be a factor as the Titans take on the Saints at 12 p.m. CST on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Stephon Gilmore jabs at Tyler Boyd after head-to-head matchup

The Patriots corner had some words for Tyler Boyd.

The small back and forth between the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots in the wake of their Week 15 encounter apparently isn’t over just yet.

Stephon Gilmore got the best of the Bengals in that matchup, picking off two passes and returning one for a touchdown. He’s also not done talking in response to comments made by Tyler Boyd.

Gilmore, when asked about Boyd saying he won matchups all day against New England, said the following on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand,” (h/t NESN):

“I don’t know, maybe he was confused, or, maybe, I don’t know. I don’t know what he was looking at. False confidence.”

Gilmore had previously said he knew what routes Boyd was running on both interceptions thanks to film study.

Allegations of predictability aside, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had said his wideouts got beat all day in matchups while defending Andy Dalton. Boyd very publicly said the opposite.

In reality, bad ball placement from Dalton and one of the NFL’s best outright defenders created a combination that ultimately led to the Bengals going down, 34-13.

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Joe Mixon makes public case for A.J. Green staying with Bengals

Joe Mixon wants A.J. Green to stay with the Bengals.

Much has been said and will continue to be said about A.J. Green’s future with the Cincinnati Bengals as he heads to free agency this offseason.

Now Joe Mixon has weighed in on the matter.

Like anyone else, Mixon has watched the events unfold over the past few days. Green visited a foot specialist concerning the injury he suffered on the first day of training camp. He then met with the media and noted he won’t play in either of the team’s final two games but that it wouldn’t impact his ability to work out this offseason.

And in a more extended interview, he made it clear a franchise tag would lead to a holdout of OTAs, at a minimum, because it shows a lack of commitment.

Here’s where Mixon stands on the matter:

It is almost impossible to say how the Green situation ends up now that it has escalated to this point.

But the overarching elephant in the room is simple here — forget Green for a moment, what about Mixon? The star running back is eligible for an extension soon and there isn’t any guarantee the Bengals will be willing to give him a top-flight contract either.

For the majority of fans, they’d probably like to see both guys stick with the team for a long time. Whether the front office will make that happen by playing ball at the negotiation table is a question worth asking.

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Everything A.J. Green said about his contract, the franchise tag and holding out

The Bengals wideout opened up about his future with the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green has confirmed he won’t play in 2019 and offered a few more thoughts on his contract and a potential holdout while meeting with the media Wednesday.

Green said if the team decides to hit him with a franchise tag he wouldn’t hold out — but offseason activities wouldn’t happen.

“I wouldn’t sit out (the season), but you have to understand that the franchise tag means you’re not committed to the long term so the off-season workouts, training camp, stuff like that would be questionable,” Green said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I don’t know about training camp, because I still have to get in football shape. Definitely not OTAs.”

Green, while noting he doesn’t have to prove anything, outlined the contract chatter, per Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Green also spoke on the future with Andy Dalton, per Jay Morrison of The Athletic:

 

The full interview, in which Green stresses he wants to stay in town:

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Ravens vs. Browns injury report: Ravens as healthy as possible Wednesday

The Ravens are as healthy as any team could reasonably be in Week 16 against the Browns, seeing no players miss practice due to injury

The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a bit of a rest after playing the New York Jets on Thursday in Week 15. That’ll give them 10 days from last week’s game to this week’s matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

Thanks to that rest and a little bit of luck, Baltimore’s injury report to start this week is squeaky clean. Though four players did not practice on Wednesday, all were for non-injury reasons — likely a veteran’s day off to keep those specific players fresh for the postseason.

Let’s take a look at Wednesday’s injury report for the Ravens vs. Browns in Week 16.

Baltimore Ravens injuries:

Player Position Injury Wed Thur Fri Game status
Mark Ingram RB NIR DNP
Jimmy Smith CB NIR DNP
Earl Thomas S NIR DNP
Marshal Yanda G NIR DNP
Chris Board LB Concussion FP
Ronnie Stanley T Concussion FP

It’s beyond rare for an NFL team to be this healthy at this point in the season and it’s something that could seriously benefit the Ravens in the playoffs. With a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed this week, Baltimore could have nothing to play for in Week 17 allowing them to rest their starters. And with a first-round bye, in that case, the Ravens could actually head into the playoffs with two weeks of rest to get even healthier.

Cleveland Browns injuries:

Player Position Injury Wed Thur Fri Game status
T Kendall Lamm T Knee DNP
Sheldon Richardson DT Back DNP
JC Tretter C Knee DNP
Odell Beckham Jr. WR Groin LP
Tae Davis LB Knee LP
Dontrell Hilliard RB Neck LP
Chris Hubbard T Knee LP
Jarvis Landry WR Hip LP
Eric Murray S Knee LP
Olivier Vernon DE Knee LP
Denzel Ward CB Ankle LP
Porter Gustin DE Neck FP

 

Key:

DNP – Did not participate
LP – Limited participation (anything below 100%)
FP – Full participation
NIR – Non-injury related

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Ravens keep their No. 1 spot on USA TODAY Sports’ Week 15 power rankings

At this point in the season, the best teams have usually figured themselves out while the rest of the pack has the occasional head-scratching loss. That’s the case this year with the Baltimore Ravens clearly the best team in the league, riding a …

At this point in the season, the best teams have usually figured themselves out while the rest of the pack has the occasional head-scratching loss. That’s the case this year with the Baltimore Ravens clearly the best team in the league, riding a dynamic offense and aggressive defense to blowout wins over quality teams and enough grit to pick up close victories when things don’t go their way.

Against the New York Jets on Thursday, Baltimore was able to completely destroy another NFL team in spite of not playing their best game. They outlasted and bullied the Jets to a 42-21 victory, with quarterback Lamar Jackson coming on strong in the second half to yet another game where he threw five passing touchdowns.

With another dominant win, nothing changed on USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings following Week 15. As has been the trend for the last few weeks, the Ravens sit in the No. 1 spot.

“They’re just one win from locking up AFC’s home field … though it’d be a bummer if Lamar Jackson doesn’t continue breaking records thru Week 17.”

Jackson entered the record books once again this week, this time breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record. He’s also the only quarterback to ever run for 1,000-plus yards while throwing for 2,000-plus yards.

Though fans and analysts have been focused in on Jackson’s prowess on the ground, he’s more than proven himself as a passer this season. Jackson leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (33), has the third-best passer rating (112.8) and the best TD% (8.9%). Even more impressive is just how that TD% stacks up in history and what names Jackson finds himself sitting next to.

The Ravens are set to enter the postseason as the hottest team in the league with a legitimate chance at a 12-game winning streak. That should scare everyone in the AFC.

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Titans sign LB Nigel Harris to active roster, add WR Trevion Thompson

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Thompson originally signed with the Los Angeles Chargers after the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Tennessee Titans made roster moves on Wednesday, signing linebacker Nigel Harris to the active roster and adding wide receiver Trevion Thompson to the team’s practice squad.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Thompson originally signed with the Los Angeles Chargers after the 2019 NFL Draft.

It was a short stint, though, as Thompson sustained an injury during offseason workouts and was waived-injured by the team.

He also saw time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad earlier this season.

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Harris is no stranger to the Titans, and was on the team’s practice squad last season before being added to the 53-man roster for the last two contests.

Also on Wednesday, the Titans signed kicker Greg Joseph and moved kicker Ryan Succop to Injured Reserve.

The Titans are set to face the New Orleans Saints at 12 p.m. CST on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.