Cardinals injury report: G J.R. Sweezy sits out practice with illness

The Cardinals are still quite healthy as they prepare for the Steelers.

The Arizona Cardinals began their week of practice on Wednesday to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They released their first injury report of the week and they are pretty healthy overall. Four players sat out Wednesday’s practice but only two were because of injuries. One player was limited.

Did not practice

  • DL Jonathan Bullard (hamstring)
  • WR Larry Fitzgerald (day off)
  • DL Corey Peters (day off)
  • G J.R. Sweezy (illness)

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury already has said that Bullard will miss multiple weeks with the hamstring injury. Sweezy apparently is sick and probably will be able to play unless the illness lingers all week.

Fitzgerald and Peters usually get days off.

Limited

  • S Jalen Thompson (concussion)

Thompson being limited is good. It means he has progressed through the protocol. If he is symptom-free after practicing, he should be a full participant by the end of the week.

Rookie offensive lineman Lamont Gaillard was also listed on the report as a full participant with a thumb injury.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons sports betting odds and lines, with NFL Week 14 betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Atlanta Falcons (3-9) host the Carolina Panthers (5-7) Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a rematch of the Week 11 meeting which the Falcons won 29-3 as visitors. The Week 14 tilt kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. We analyze the Panthers-Falcons odds and sports betting lines, while providing NFL betting tips and picks for this matchup.

Panthers at Falcons: Week 14 preview, betting trends and notes

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  • The Falcons took a 26-18 loss at home against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving.
  • The Panthers have lost four in a row, with only one of those games played within eight points. They fired head coach Ron Rivera earlier this week and replaced him with Perry Fewell.
  • The Falcons are 1-19 when scoring fewer than 22 points since the start of the 2016 season. They’re averaging 21.7 points per game this year while the Panthers give up 26.7 PPG.
  • Atlanta allows a league-high 408.5 yards from scrimmage per game when at home.
  • The Panthers are 14-0 when not committing any turnovers since the start of 2016. They have a minus-2 turnover differential this year (22 giveaways) while the Falcons are minus-11 (21 giveaways).

Panthers at Falcons: Key injuries

Panthers TE Greg Olsen (concussion) remains in the concussion protocol.

Falcons WRs Julio Jones (shoulder) and Calvin Ridley (toe) were limited in practice Wednesday. TE Austin Hooper (knee) was also limited.

Panthers at Falcons: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 7:50 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Falcons 30, Panthers 23

Moneyline (?)

The FALCONS (-162) are the play at home after their Week 11 domination of the Panthers and QB Kyle Allen. Jones should return after sitting out Thanksgiving and the return of Hooper would be an added boost.

The Falcons have won four straight and seven of the last eight head-to-head meetings.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Falcons to win outright returns a profit of $6.17.

Against the Spread (?)

After winning by 26 in the season’s first meeting, the FALCONS are laying a conservative -2.5 points with -129 odds. Each of their last seven head-to-head victories was decided by more than a field goal.

Atlanta is 4-8 against the spread while Carolina is 6-6, but the Falcons fall an average of just 2.4 points shy of the cover. The Panthers fall an average of 3.3 points short.

Over/Under (?)

Take the OVER 48.5 (+105). The Panthers are 8-4 against the projections and top the number by an average of 4.4 PPG. The Falcons are 4-8 and fall 1.3 points shy of the line on average, but the probable returns of Jones and Hooper will propel this over the number.

Want action on this game? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Esten’s NFL betting record: 34-40

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Titans QB Ryan Tannehill credits supporting cast for team’s success

According to the signal-caller, the Titans’ latest success isn’t all on him.

The Tennessee Titans have looked like an entirely different team since Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback in Week 6, and he’s posted just one loss as a starter for the two-toned blue.

But according to the signal-caller, the Titans’ latest success isn’t all on him — even though his solid play at the position has made a great amount of difference in getting the offense rolling.

“I just think it speaks to the guys around me, they’re playing well,” he said in a report by the team’s Jim Wyatt. “The offensive line giving me time, and guys are catching the ball and getting open downfield. I think it all kind of works together – putting the ball in a catchable spot, and then guys making a play on it. I have a lot of confidence that if I throw a ball, that our guys are going to go get it right now. We just need to keep on that track, building that confidence out here on the practice field and carrying it over to games.”

Since taking the reins in the Titans’ shutout loss to the Denver Broncos, Tannehill has completed 128-of-176 pass attempts for 1,602 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions, while posting an overall rating of 113.9.

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In Tennessee’s latest 31-17 victory over the division rival Indianapolis Colts, Tannehill was 17-of-22 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Tannehill and the Titans will look to stay hot as they face a struggling Oakland Raiders team in yet another road game at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Alabama Football: Week 13 “NFL Freaks Of The Week”

The “NFL Freaks of the Week” is a weekly poll on the Alabama football twitter account

The “NFL Freaks of the Week” is a weekly poll on the Alabama football twitter account, that lets fans vote for an NFL offensive and defensive freak of the week from the previous week’s matchups. 

Last week, Derrick Henry and Landon Collins were the Freaks of the week.

Let’s see who the fans voted for this week! 

Offensively, these were the four candidates twitter got to vote on:

Josh Jacobs | 17 rushes, 104 yds

Calvin Ridley | 8 catches, 91 yds

Amari Cooper | 8 catches, 85 yds

Derrick Henry | 26 rushes, 149 yds, TD, 3 catches, 17 yds

WINNER: Derrick Henry with 88% of the votes

And defensively, these were the four candidates that Twitter got to vote on:

Eddie Jackson | 2 tackles, INT

Mack Wilson | 8 tackles, forced fumble

Landon Collins | 8 tackles, PBU

Dont’a Hightower | 6 tackles, sack

WINNER: Mack Wilson with 60% of the votes 

Which week 13 “freak” were you most impressed with?

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Rams Week 14 injury report: Gerald Everett (knee) still sidelined

Gerald Everett may or may not be able to play on Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up for a huge matchup with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 and they enter this one in better shape than their NFC West rivals. They released their first injury report of the week and only three players were listed with ailments.

Andrew Whitworth got the day off and Gerald Everett was the only other non-participant as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Rob Havenstein was limited with a knee injury, while Darious Williams (ankle) returned in a limited capacity.

Everett is the biggest question mark, especially after the Rams promoted TE Kendall Blanton from the practice squad.

“Obviously, Gerald has been out – he may or may not be able to play this week,” McVay said. “Then, also, Kendall has done a great job. I think he’s earned the right to be able to move up to the active roster and what he’s demonstrated week-in and week-out, I think he’s earned that.”

The Seahawks, on the other hand, had nine players listed on their injury report. The most notable are Jadeveon Clowney, Ziggy Ansah and Mike Iupati, who were all limited, as well as Duane Brown, Luke Willson and Mychal Kendricks, who missed practice.

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Former Kentucky HS soccer coach gets prison for rape, sending nude photos

Andrew Hatton, a former Kentucky high school soccer coach, was sentenced to prison on charges of third-degree rape and distributing obscene matter to minors.

A former high school soccer coach in Kentucky has been sentenced to two years in prison for raping a player and sending nude images to minors.

Andrew Hatton, 29, was sentenced Tuesday on charges of third-degree rape and distributing obscene matter to minors. He pleaded guilty to the charges in August as part of a deal.

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The former Estill County High School coach was accused of sending nude photos to three teen girls. One of them told police she and Hatton had sex. He was arrested in August 2018 and fired a day later.

Authorities said the victims agreed to the prison term and didn’t want to testify at Hatton’s trial. Hatton also was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Brett Brown happy to begin implementing zone defense with Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown is happy to implement a zone defense for the Sixers moving forward.

The Philadelphia 76ers are built to be one of the best defensive teams in the league as they plan to chase an NBA title in the 2019-20 season. To be a great defensive team, you have to have the personnel and the will, but you also have to be willing to switch up your defensive schemes.

Coach Brett Brown has implemented a zone defense in recent games to take advantage of how long his team is and to also limit the opposition’s three-point attempts. The zone defense will never be Brown’s go-to defensive scheme, and they most certainly will not use it on Thursday against the Washington Wizards, but it could come in handy down the road now that he has begun to implement it.

“I think that they’re infrequent and I think that they have been good,” Brown said. “I’m glad that we have it in our package. You’re always wondering ‘What are you going to need in the playoffs?’ You recognize quickly that it ain’t for everybody. For instance, I wouldn’t even consider it against Washington, but I’m glad that we implemented it.”

The Sixers have big defensive impact players on their team led by Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson out on the perimeter and Joel Embiid and Al Horford down low. Any scheme that Brown can come up with should be able to be executed well by the team they have constructed.

“We’ve tried it enough, we have a little bit of a sample size, you can actually coach it, and understand rotations,” the coach continued. “They have a little bit better idea like ‘This is my coverage area. Are we bumping here? Are we going to stay?’ and so on. So I think the small dose has been good enough for me to feel two things: glad that we did it and excited to persevere with it.”

The zone defense is not a popular scheme in the NBA as the man-to-man defense is the more popular way to go, but sending a zone defense can really confuse an opponent midgame. It is an adjustment that Brown and the Sixers can have in their back pocket if things aren’t going their way.

The Wizards are one of the best offensive teams in the league as they are fourth in offensive rating at 113.0 and they are third in the league in scoring at 118.9 points per game. On the flip side, Philadelphia fourth in the league in defensive rating at 103.0 so something will have to give on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=20628,20618,20609]

Grant Williams to make first career start vs. Heat

Boston Celtics rookie forward Grant Williams will make his first NBA start against the high-octane offense of the Miami Heat.

You can understand the thinking. With Boston Celtics defensive mastermind Marcus Smart sidelined with an illness and oblique injury, why not play the guy who is considered a mirror image of Marcus Smart in his place?

Such is the case with rookie forward Grant Williams, who the team — most notably Smart – has taken to because of his infectious energy, hustle and… well… smarts. Though playing inconsistent minutes in Stevens’ rotation due to the team’s depth, flexibility and at times his own poor play, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens  has opted to start Williams in place of Smart against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Williams, the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has averaged 2.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.4 steals in 14.8 minutes per game, shooting just 25.9% from the field (including 0-22 shooting from three).

However, his offense — and his statistics in general — won’t matter as much as his ability to play solid defense all over the floor, make smart decisions on the floor, and continue to make game-changing plays.

Bruce Arians dodges question about Jameis Winston’s future

See what Bruce Arians had to say when asked whether or not he thinks Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston should return next year.

The uncertain status of Jameis Winston has been the elephant in the room all season long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Actually, it’s been more like an elephant sitting on your lap and refusing to get up.

Ever since the Bucs hired Bruce Arians to take over for Dirk Koetter, the biggest question has been whether or not Arians — the alleged quarterback guru who’s worked with players like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck over the course of his NFL coaching career — could save the career of the former number one overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner, who is playing on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.

Winston has put up big passing numbers this year, and could make a run at 5,000 yards. But, as has been the case since he came into the league in 2015, turnovers have been the biggest issue for the Bucs quarterback. So far this season, Winston’s thrown a league-high 20 interceptions, and since coming into the league he’s turned it over an NFL-high 101 times.

Today, Arians was asked point blank if he’d endorse Winston returning beyond this year if Bucs management asked for an evaluation this week.

Take a look at what he had to say.

(Per Jenna Laine of ESPN.)

“I’m gonna pass on that one… I’m gonna wait until the end of December.”

I doubt any of us expected Arians to come right out and give a definitive answer one way or the other, but it’s clear that these last four games will be the most important of Winston’s career. Even if Tampa Bay chooses to go in a different direction and let Winston leave, a strong finish to the season would be a great way to convince other quarterback-needy teams to take a chance on him, even if only on a one-year deal.

The Bucs welcome the Colts to town in Week 14 and then face off against the Lions, Texans and Falcons to finish the season. Those last three opponents rank near the bottom of the league in pass defense, so Winston will certainly get the chance to put up big numbers.

The question is, can he do so without turning it over?

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