Drew Sample injury is the latest hit to Bengals’ 2019 draft class

An injury to Drew Sample is another hit to the 2019 Bengals draft class.

When it comes to the 2019 NFL draft class, the Cincinnati Bengals just can’t win.

That matches the results in the win-loss column, at least. The latest setback for the unlucky class arrived over the weekend in the form of an injury to second-round pick Drew Sample.

The team says it’s an ankle sprain and his immediate availability is in doubt. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, reported Sample could end up on injured reserve.

In other words, right as the Bengals switch to long-term evaluation mode with Ryan Finley under center, Sample goes down and could miss the rest of the season.

Sample was a controversial pick with such a high-value slotting, which is only magnified more due to the issues along the offensive line and at linebacker. He was hardly employed in Zac Taylor’s offense before the injury too, playing just 109 snaps (17.58 percent).

Sample is hardly the first problem for the rookie class. The Bengals started the season without first-round tackle Jonah Williams, who suffered an injury over the summer and might not make it back at all this year.

Third-round linebacker Germaine Pratt has mightily struggled when on the field. Of the three fourth-round picks, Renell Wren isn’t playing often. Michael Jordan lost his starting job and Finley, barring a dramatic change, was drafted largely to be a backup.

A rough start for this draft class wouldn’t seem so bad if the last few classes haven’t struggled so much. But with the Sample injury, it’s yet another Bengals rookie missing out on critical developmental snaps at the best time for them.

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Oakland Raiders vs Cincinnati Bengals: Time, TV schedule, odds, how to watch

Oakland Raiders vs Cincinnati Bengals: Time, TV schedule, odds, how to watch

This week, the Oakland Raiders will host the Cincinnati Bengals in a game Oakland must win in order to stay in the AFC Wild Card contention. To get you prepared for the game, here is everything you need to know about this Week 11 contest:

What: Cincinnati Bengals (0-9) at Oakland Raiders (5-4)
When: Sunday, November 17 at 4:25 p.m. ET
Where: Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, CA
Radio: 95.7 The Game
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Odds: Raiders (-10.5)
Referee: Shawn Smith
TV: CBS

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4 Chiefs players the Chargers must game-plan for in Week 11

The Chiefs are a talented team, but Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out who the Chargers must really hone in on.

The Chargers are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Chiefs are looking to get back on track after losing their last four of six games in Week 11 of the regular season.

With an enticing division battle set for Monday night, here are four Chiefs players that the Bolts have to game-plan for if they wish to come away with a victory.

QB Patrick Mahomes

It didn’t take long for Mahomes to establish himself as one of the best players in the league. After a season that resulted in winning the league’s most valuable player, he continues to take the league by storm. In eight games played, Mahomes has thrown for 2,628 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and only one interception.

The former Texas Tech product missed two games with a knee injury, but he quickly recovered and nearly put up a career-high game against the Titans, passing for 446 yards.

Mahomes can beat you in a multitude of ways, whether it be with his cannon of an arm or with his legs to evade the pocket. The Chargers will need to pressure him early and often, not only with defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but additional pass rushers off the edge to make him feel uncomfortable and to keep him off the field.

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What are the Giants doing to help DeAndre Baker?

New York Giants CB DeAndre Baker is among the worst in football and his hole is only getting deeper, so what is the team doing to help?

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New York Giants rookie cornerback DeAndre Baker is out on an island right now and not the kind of island Darrelle Revis was on, either.

Baker’s island is a deserted one. He’s more like Tom Hanks in the movie “Castaway,” left for dead with no help in sight.

The Giants’ defense is devoid of leadership at the moment as their lineup is stocked with rookies and younger players and the veterans on their team are struggling themselves, so their ability to lead has been compromised.

Baker is being asked to do things that go against the grain of his talent. When the Giants traded up to select Baker with the 30th overall selection, they were getting a quality press corner who used his stickiness and cover skills to shut down receivers.

The Giants’ defensive scheme under coordinator James Bettcher has Baker playing in zones and in soft coverage models where he’s 8-to-10 yards off the line of scrimmage instead of confronting wideouts within five yards.

If they are going to get the most out of this promising youngster, they must meet him halfway and get him some help. Former Giant great and current radio analyst Carl Banks agrees.

Baker has admitted he is having issues grasping Bettcher’s defense and it is showing in his performance. He is ranked at the very bottom of the league at his position after giving up a slew of huge plays this season.

Then, there is the surrender factor. Baker is so screwed up, he appears to give up on some plays as if he’s given up trying to figure things out, which is what Lawrence Tynes was addressing in his tweet prior to Banks’ reply.

The Giants were hoping that veteran Janoris Jenkins would assist in grooming Baker, Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine and Julian Love, but he’s been dealing with his own issues. He was rumored to be on the trading block last month, so his mind was not on developing talent here.

Will the Giants reach back and hire that “tutor” for Baker and the others that Banks suggests or just continue on to shrug their shoulders each time the defense gets torched?

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Jared Goff prepared to play behind makeshift O-line: ‘It’s part of the job’

Jared Goff isn’t worried about playing behind the Rams’ patched-together offensive line.

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In the last two years, the Rams had the same four offensive linemen start all 32 games. The fifth position was occupied by Jamon Brown in 2017 and Austin Blythe last year, meaning the Rams only started six different players up front in two years – a truly remarkable feat.

This season, they’ve already started six different players in nine games, and that number is going to rise by two in Week 11. With Brian Allen and Rob Havenstein both out, the Rams will thrust two new faces into the starting lineup.

Here’s how the offensive line is expected to look on Sunday night against the Bears:

  • LT Andrew Whitworth
  • LG Austin Corbett
  • C Austin Blythe
  • RG David Edwards
  • RT Bobby Evans

Corbett and Evans will be making their first starts for the Rams, while Blythe will be playing out of his normal position (guard). The only remaining starter at his original position in Week 1 is Andrew Whitworth.

Against a defensive front like Chicago’s, Jared Goff could be in for a beating. He’s not concerned about it, though, and will just try to do his job.

“I trust those guys, I feel good with them and they’ve done a great job. Outside of Corbett, we have experience with all of them,” Goff said Wednesday. “Austin, I thought, did a great job last week with his limited time. It’s part of the job. It’s not always going to be perfect back there and if it’s not, I’ll be just fine. If it is – as I do expect them to play well – it’ll be great as well. It’s part of the job description and when you play quarterback, at times, it’s not always going to be like we had the last couple years. I think we had probably 32-straight games with the starting five, and that’s really unheard of. This is more closer to reality and just going to prepare for it.”

Sean McVay expressed similar confidence in the Rams’ new starters on the offensive line, specifically talking about Corbett playing well in limited action on Sunday and Edwards making a seamless switch between guard and tackle.

“To see Austin Corbett seamlessly step in, do a nice job at the left guard spot. To see David Edwards start the game off playing really well at the right guard spot and then transition outside. I think it’s unfortunate, you hate to see your guys get injured. Anytime that occurs, you never like that. When it does occur, you get the chance to really evaluate guys and I thought they took advantage of those opportunities to be evaluated and to step up,” McVay said.

The Rams can do nothing but proceed with the current players they have. They just have to hope to survive the absence of Havenstein for a few weeks until he can return.

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An Andre Iguodala trade could change everything in the NBA

Could it happen soon?

The man who could decide an NBA title is sitting at home.

Andre Iguodala, the X-factor in all those Golden State Warriors championships, was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies this past summer to help the mostly capped-out Dubs acquire D’Angelo Russell.

Since then, he hasn’t played a minute for the rebuilding Griz as he waits for Memphis to either find him a new home via a trade or a buyout. No matter what route he ends up taking to a new team, the truth is this: he may swing the balance of power in an NBA without one clear front-runner, where — as of Thursday — nearly half the league is above .500.

The rumors and reports have connected him to the Los Angeles Lakers, which would make so much sense for veteran forward. His former agent is Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ GM. They don’t necessarily have the best option at small forward off the bench since Kyle Kuzma is more of a stretch power forward.

But fit isn’t the issue — Iggy is still a veteran leader who might have faded offensively in recent years but who is still a force defensively and whose numbers get better in the postseason (he was a one steal, one block, one three player in last year’s Warriors run).

The funny thing to me is I’d actually want Iguodala if I was a West team trying to get by the Lakers — he’s been known to D up LeBron James pretty well in the past. I’d love to see Iguodala in the Nuggets’ rotation despite their glut of small forwards. Just for laughs, I want the Clippers to grab him just to add to their already-nightmarish defense. And what about an East contender? Imagine having to face the Bucks with Khris Middleton and then see Iguodala heading toward the scorer’s table? A reunion with the 76ers would get the fan base pumped.

Here’s the problem with a trade — will a contender deal what might be a high price (a first-rounder?) for a player past his prime? The other: he’s owed $17.1 million this year, so the team that would trade for him would need to make the move work under the salary cap, something tricky if a contender has a stacked rotation it doesn’t want to dismantle for one player.

That all looks to me like a player who’s going to be sitting through the NBA trade deadline in February, receive a buyout and find himself on a roster soon after.

And that might be the move that pushes someone over the top in the postseason.

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Packers coach Matt LaFleur turns 40 on Thursday

The Packers’ first-year coach turns 40 years old on Thursday.

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Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur turns 40 years old on Thursday.

His birthday present? A chance for the first-year coach to recharge his batteries during the bye week and get prepared to lead the 8-2 Packers on a playoff push over the final six weeks of the 2019 season.

LaFleur’s first season as Packers coach has been a smashing success. He became the first coach in franchise history and the first NFL coach since Jim Harbaugh to win seven of his first eight games. Only 19 coaches in NFL history have ever started 7-1.

The Packers are now 8-2, in first place in the NFC North and in possession of the second overall seed in the conference.

LaFleur was the youngest coach hired by the team since Curly Lambeau, a founding member of the franchise who first coached a game at the age of 21. The team hadn’t hired a coach under the age of 40 until landing on LaFleur, then 39, in January.

LaFleur was born on Nov. 14, 1979, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

The Packers coach said the bye week will be centered around both spending time with family and self-scouting.

“The focus will be on what we need to do better moving forward, because there’s a lot to improve upon. I think our guys know that as well,” LaFleur said.

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5 Raiders to watch against the Bengals

The Raiders are riding high and face a winless team in Oakland this week, but watch out — this game is a trap.

With the winless Bengals coming to Oakland on Sunday, it might seem as though the Raiders have an easy task this week — just roll the football out there and voilà, another win notched, and a 6-4 record secured.

But the Raiders must beware — this game is a trap.

As in, it’s a classic trap game. The Raiders are riding high after two consecutive home wins, and upon receiving positive press during an extra-long layoff after a Thursday night game, it’s human nature to relax at least a bit, especially with an 0-9 Cincinnati team on deck.

Here are the Raiders to watch as the team looks to maintain its edge and keep pace in the AFC West.

1. DE Clelin Ferrell

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Defensive end Clelin Ferrell had his best game as a professional in the Raiders’ win Thursday night, notching 2.5 quarterback sacks against the Chargers. As the No. 4 overall choice in the 2019 draft, it was a performance that was overdue.

Ferrell has a great opportunity this week to keep rolling. Bengals quarterbacks have been sacked 31 times this season, and if the Raiders’ offense can get off to a quick start, Cincinnati’s rookie QB, Ryan Finley, will drop back plenty, giving Ferrell ample opportunity to attack the backfield.

Also, keep an eye on fellow rookie DE, Maxx Crosby, and veteran DE Benson Mayowa. But as the No. 4 pick in the draft, even general manager Mike Mayock is watching Ferrell closely.

“We asked him to play a bunch inside, and that’s hard. He’s never played inside in his life,” Mayock said, per Matt Kawahara of The San Francisco Chronicle. Mayock pointed out that Ferrell played the majority of his snaps on the edge and thrived in the Raiders’ wins against the Lions and Chargers.

Watch to see if Ferrell can continue his momentum. He doesn’t have to increase his sack total to accomplish this. Simply setting the edge and disrupting the offense, especially the quarterback, is fantastic progress for the rookie. If he can do that consistently, he’s sure to finish the job and sack the QB with regularity.

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Which quarterback are Bears targeting in latest 2020 NFL mock draft?

The Bears will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and they’ll likely turn to the 2020 NFL Draft for their next QB.

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The Chicago Bears will be looking to improve the quarterback position in 2020, and the NFL Draft would be a good place to start.

While you could argue the Bears are in win-now mode and can’t afford to start over with a young quarterback, free agency isn’t necessarily a cost-effective, production-guaranteed investment.

The Bears will likely turn to the 2020 NFL Draft for their next quarterback, which features a strong class rich with Day 2 talent.

In Draft Wire‘s latest three-round 2020 mock draft, they have the Bears using their first selection — No. 45 in the second round — on Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

While Hurts has gotten some first-round love, it’s likely that he falls to Day 2, where the Bears will be waiting with a pair of second round picks. This season, Hurts is completing 73% of his passes for 2,742 yards and 24 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions.

Hurts is also producing on the ground, where he added 125 rushes for 869 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Hurts isn’t a quarterback that the Bears would insert immediately, which makes sense for 2020, where Mitchell Trubisky will likely still be on the roster potentially with a free agent addition.

The Bears have another pick in the second round just three picks later at No. 48 — which was acquired from the Oakland Raiders in the Khalil Mack trade — where Draft Wire has them going defense with Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell.

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