Category: NFL news

Eagles rise in latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings

Eagles No. 11 in latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings

The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing to battle the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday and the Birds are feeling good after a refreshing bye week. After two straight victories to move their record to 5-4 on the season, Philadelphia jumped up two spots in the latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings.

Backing the Brinks truck up for a guard often a questionable move … but giving Brandon Brooks a $54 million extension could be a bargain.

The Eagles are using a ton of two-tight end sets with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert and Wentz will likely rely on their versatility while targeting Miles Sanders in the passing game against Dont’a Hightower.

NFL Week 11: 11 bold predictions

Look for the Saints to rebound and the Falcons to pick up their second straight NFC South victory.

Time to match up 11 bold predictions for Week 11 on the NFL schedule.

Rivers and Mahomes to provide air show

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Chargers and Chiefs get together in Mexico City. Last year’s scheduled game for Mexico had to be moved to the LA Coliseum and the Chiefs and Rams put on a classic. Don’t expect 100-plus points this year in the thin air. However, do expect Philip Rivers and Patrick Mahomes to pass the night away. Look for 675 yards between them and at least five passing scores.

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Wide receivers have been a silver lining for the Lions

Detroit Lions wide receivers have the most receiving yards over the last four weeks of any NFL team by a wide margin

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The wins have been tough to come by for the Detroit Lions lately. Don’t blame the wide receivers.

Detroit’s wideouts have been doing an amazing job all season. However, it’s in the last month where Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and company have really thrived.

In fact, no group of wide receivers has caught passes for more yards over the last four games than the Lions wideouts. Detroit is the only team to have its receivers top 1,000 yards.

The Lions are way out in front of the pack. Second-place Kansas City is over 160 yards behind, while the Giants are in fifth place with 335 fewer receiving yards by wideouts.

Graphic courtesy NFL Inside Edge

Jones, Golladay and Danny Amendola have each racked up at least one game over 100 receiving yards and another game with at least 90. Marvin Hall is the only other Lions WR to even see a target in that time, with two receptions for 96 yards since Week 7.

Week 11 NFL TV schedule and game maps

CBS has the Patriots-Eagles and the Texans-Ravens. Fox’s NFC matchups leave a bit to be desired.

This is a great week for CBS and a not-so-great week for Fox. The marquee game on Fox features the Cowboys, but with the Lions at less than full strength, it’s not exactly a must-see. Now CBS has two great games. The early game shown throughout most of the country will be the Texans and Ravens and the late game that CBS has this week is Patriots-Eagles. Let’s get to what game you’ll see. As usual, thanks to 506Sports.com for the maps.

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AFC Playoff race heading into Week 11

The Patriots, Ravens, and Texans are battling for byes while the AFC Wild Card race is getting exciting.

The AFC has two interesting playoff races that don’t have to do with the divisions — because the division races have pretty clear paths. The competition for a first-round bye currently has three teams with clear paths: New England, Baltimore, and Houston. The other interesting thing to look at is the race of the for the wild cards. Buffalo, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Oakland are all vying for two spots with the Titans, Chargers, and maybe the Browns looking frisky if they can run the table.

Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

AFC East

New England Patriots 8-1

This is the toughest stretch of the Patriots season. They should be hoping to go 3-1 over their next four games. A 2-2 record will put the top seed in the AFC at risk — especially if one of those losses is to Houston which is entirely possible. New England should be able to get right the last three games of the season. They should be hoping that the Dolphins game doesn’t matter.

Remaining Schedule: @Eagles, Cowboys, @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 6-3

The Bills looked like they could cruise to 11 wins this season. Now they could be in trouble. They will be underdogs against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots. If they lose all those games, the best they can finish is 9-7. They shouldn’t want to rely on tiebreakers to get them into the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Dolphins, Broncos, @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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ESPN names Steve Slaton the Texans’ top one-hit wonder

ESPN released their list of top one-hit wonders for all 32 teams, and RB Steve Slaton was the Houston Texans’ selection.

There are players who enter the NFL that give their respective clubs hope that they have locked down the position for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, those players turn out to be one-season solutions that still leave the organization in a bind.

ESPN compiled their list of all 32 teams’ “one-hit wonders,” and Sarah Barshop, who covers the Texans for the four-letter network, pegged former 2008 third-round pick Steve Slaton as the franchise’s top one-hit wonder.

What happened: Slaton, a third-round pick in 2008, was quickly named the starting running back for Houston as a rookie. He started 15 games and finished the season with 10 total touchdowns and 1,282 rushing yards, which ranked sixth in the league. Slaton’s best performance came against the Colts, when he ran for 156 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

For Slaton, the turnover bug bit him hard as he coughed up the ball four times through the first five games of his sophomore campaign. Ultimately, coach Gary Kubiak benched Slaton in favor of Ryan Moats. In 2011, the Texans cut Slaton after three games to start the season, and he ended the year played another three for the Miami Dolphins.

Slaton landed at No. 45 on the Texans Wire’s list of 100 greatest Texans.

Should the Eagles attend Colin Kaepernick’s private workout?

The Eagles should not attend Colin Kaepernick’s private workout

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In the famous term made popular by Ricky Watters, “For who? “For what”?

That could definitely be the motto when discussing whether the Eagles should attend Colin Kaepernick’s personal workout on Saturday. The Eagles are known for doing their due diligence whenever a talented player becomes available and with the news that all 32 NFL teams have been invited to Atlanta to watch the former 49ers star perform, the question has to be asked, will the Eagles send front office personnel and scouts?

Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2012, hasn’t played a game since becoming a free agent in the offseason of 2017.

If you’re interested in theatrics and good drama, then attending the workout would make sense, even with the Eagles preparing to face the defending Super Bowl champions just hours later in a huge home game.

Adding to the theatrics, Kaepernick is also the same guy that called Malcolm Jenkins a “sellout” and a “neo-colonialist.” Jenkins is an Eagles captain and carries a ton of weight in the locker room.

If you thought Carson Wentz had eyes behind his head and developed acne on his face from dealing with Nick Foles as his backup for those two seasons, just imagine the stress Wentz will deal with when he’s asked about Kaepernick?

Or how will he deal with questions about gadget plays involving the athletic Kaepernick, or critics and pundits calling for his job the first time he struggles. Both quarterbacks have flourished in the RPO focused offensive system, and Kaepernick’s athleticism could make for interesting conversation in regards to how he’d look commanding the Eagles offense.

The Eagles have had previous opportunities to sign Kaepernick and are unlikely to sign him this go around either. Also pertinent to the matter, the quarterback position isn’t currently a need and there’s no guarantee that Kaepernick would be an upgrade over Josh McCown as the backup.

Due diligence on free agents players is always a must, but in this case, the Philadelphia Eagles may choose to pass.

Eagles Injury Report: Jordan Howard, Jason Peters limited participants at practice

Jordan Howard, Jason Peters limited at Eagles practice on Wednesday

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The Philadelphia Eagles released their first injury report in advance of Sunday’s matchup with the New England Patriots. Jordan Howard and Jason Peters were listed as limited, while Alshon Jeffery and Nigel Bradham did not practice.

Alshon Jeffery was listed as “day-to-day” coming out of the bye week after he suffered an ankle injury during the fourth quarter of the team’s win over the Chicago Bears.

Jason Peters had arthroscopic knee surgery after leaving the Week 6 loss at the Minnesota Vikings. Rookie Andre Dillard has started in his place over the past three games and performed well, but Peters is expected to regain his starting job upon being cleared.

Linebacker Nigel Bradham (ankle) is expected to be limited during workouts, but there is a chance he could play this week.

Cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc (foot), remains on injured reserve but has been eligible to return since Week 9.

Lions will send a rep to the Colin Kaepernick workout

No word on who will represent the Lions at the workout

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is holding a workout in Atlanta this Saturday in an attempt to reboot his career. All 32 teams are invited to the audition, which will include an on-field workout and interview period.

The Detroit Lions have confirmed they will have a representative at Kaepernick’s workout. Coach Matt Patricia spoke about it with the media on Wednesday.

“As an organization, we always do our due diligence on all players that are available,” Patricia said. “So I know (GM Bob Quinn) and his staff will have someone down there to watch the workout and we’ll see where that goes.”

The Lions have unease at quarterback currently with Matthew Stafford’s back injury. Jeff Driskel filled in against the Chicago Bears and showed enough to earn another start in relief. The Lions also have undrafted rookie David Blough on the active roster.

Kaepernick has been out of the NFL since 2016. He gained notoriety for being the leader of the movement which saw players kneel for the national anthem, a wildly divisive act. This will be his first workout for any NFL team since the San Francisco 49ers severed ties with him.

Watch as Patriots’ Jamie Collins Sr. does incredible backflip at practice

A typical day at New England Patriots’ practice Wednesday. Watch as the team goes through its drills and all 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds of linebacker Jamie Collins puts on an incredible display of athleticism and agility. Check this out: So we all knew …

A typical day at New England Patriots’ practice Wednesday. Watch as the team goes through its drills and all 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds of linebacker Jamie Collins puts on an incredible display of athleticism and agility.

Check this out:

Pretty good for a 30-year-old who is in his seventh season in the NFL.

Collins is thriving in his second go-round in New England.

What do you think it is more athletic, Collins’ backflip or the cartwheel by Ohio U’s OL Hagen Meservy?