Tag: breaking

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh gives stellar praise to Texans ahead of playoff game

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is excited to take on a hot Houston Texans roster at the right time.

As the Houston Texans prepare for their wild-card round matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, most pundits aren’t giving the AFC South champions much hope to advance.

First-year Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t one of those doubting Houston’s potential in a winner-take-all showdown. He understands that at their peak, the Texans can cause defensive fits for Justin Herbert and a surging Chargers offense.

“Defensively, really good,” Harbaugh said following Sunday’s Week 18 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. “Really good against the run, not a lot of people running the ball on them. They’re playing really well on the back end.”

Fresh off a 23-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans, the Texans might have refound their mojo. The defense recorded four sacks and scored a 36-yard fumble recovery thanks to defensive tackle Derek Barnett.

Offensively, Nico Collins and Joe Mixon made headlines on the opening drive, each surpassing 1,000 yards receiving and rushing on the season. Dameon Pierce also provided a spark on the ground with his 176-yard rushing performance.

The headline of Saturday’s showdown will be between C.J. Stroud and Herbert. The last time Houston fans saw the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, he went 6-of-6 passing for 53 yards and a touchdown.

“C.J. Stroud is really elite,” Harbaugh said. “Nico Collins is elite. They’ve got great playmakers, great competitors. It’s gonna take our A-game. We’ll turn all our preparation and focus towards the Texans. I know we’re gonna have to play good, that I can tell ya.”

With a win, the Texans would advance to the divisional round for the second time under DeMeco Ryans. In a similar situation to Saturday’s contest, the Cleveland Browns entered Houston as a 3-point favorite and a better record.

That didn’t stop Stroud from setting a playoff record en route to a 45-14 victory at NRG Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT. The game will be nationally televised on CBS and Paramount+.

Jets request to interview Chiefs OC Matt Nagy

According to a report, the New York #Jets requested to interview Kansas City #Chiefs OC Matt Nagy to be their next head coach.

According to a tweet from NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, the New York Jets have requested to interview Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to be their next head coach.

The Jets had a disastrous 2024 campaign and finished third in the AFC East with a 5-12 record with enigmatic quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center.

After firing head coach Robert Saleh just five games into the season, the Jets gave defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich the reins, which did little to help right the ship.

Now set to enter a rebuilding period, New York is doing its due diligence on qualified candidates who may be able to lead the Jets back to playoff contention.

Nagy may prove to be one of New York’s most enticing options, given his role in Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII victory and the Chiefs’ recent regular season success.

Nagy spent four seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bears and will be a hot commodity during the offseason for teams wishing to hire an experienced skipper.

John Harbaugh shares update on Zay Flowers’ knee injury, which isn’t season-ending

Zay Flowers is considered day-to-day with a knee injury, which John Harbaugh says is not season-ending

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers went down with a knee injury in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns and was unable to return. There were concerns that it could be a long-term injury for Baltimore’s top receiver, but John Harbaugh’s update Monday provided further clarity on the situation.

Harbaugh told reporters that Flowers is considered day-to-day and that his knee injury is not season-ending.

“It’s not a season-ending injury. It’s just going to be day-to-day. Try to do everything he can to get back as soon as he can and we’ll see where that takes us,” Harbaugh said.

It’s unclear whether Flowers will be ready to go for Saturday night against the Steelers in the wild-card round, but Harbaugh didn’t close the door on it yet.

Flowers caught 74 passes for a career-high 1,059 yards this season, hauling in four touchdown passes from Lamar Jackson. He also rushed for 56 yards on nine carries, earning his first Pro Bowl selection.

AFC team interested in Texans OC Bobby Slowik for head coach opening

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik could be in line to coach another AFC team in 2025.

The Houston Texans’ offense might have taken a step back following C.J. Stroud’s record-setting rookie season.

That’s not stopping at least one team from meeting with the man behind the playbook for its head coach opening.

The New York Jets put in a request to interview offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik for their head coaching vacancy, according to multiple reports.

Fresh off a 5-12 finish, the Jets also have requested to interview Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Detriot Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

Slowik’s focus for now is on helping the Texans advance past the wild-card round on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Since Houston is in the playoffs, allowed to do a virtual interview with the Jets until three days after the wild-card game.

No in-person interviews can take place until after the conclusion of the divisional round. Even then, that’s only for coaches on teams who have been eliminated from the postseason.

Glenn, along with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who has drawn interest from other teams, can virtually interview during the week since their teams are on a bye.

Interviewing for openings isn’t new for Slowik. After helping Stroud win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, he met with multiple teams for openings and was a finalist for both the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons openings.

But the job wasn’t done in Houston, thus leading to Slowik taking his name out of the running. A year later, the Texans return to the postseason, but the offense has regressed.

When Slowik was hired, his play design torqued up an offense that ranked 31st in total yards to 12th. Working with Stroud, Slowik helped the Ohio State gunslinger become the fifth rookie in leauge history to throw for 4,000 yards in their first season.

In 2024, the Texans finished 22nd in total yards and 20th in scoring. Stroud doubled his interception total and decreased his completion and passer rating.

The Jets own the No. 7 pick in the upcoming NFL draft and feature several key offensive weapons, including running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

The Patriots, Bears, Jaguars, Saints and maybe Titans and Raiders could be looking for a new head coach, so Slowik’s run toward a new job might not be over after his meeting with Gang Green.

Bills’ James Cook on milestone day: ‘Something I’ve been working for’

Bills’ James Cook on milestone day: ‘Something I’ve been working for’

The Buffalo Bills lost their final game of the 2024 NFL regular season against the Patriots in New England.

However, the game was played more like a preseason contest.

The Pats got a 23-16 win and lost the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft, while the Bills rested many of their starters and played backups, depth players, and rookies.

But they also took some opportunities to help some of their starters and vets reach incentives and milestones.

Two of which went to the team’s RB1 James Cook.

Cook tied the Buffalo franchise record with his 16th rushing TD of the season and finished the regular season campaign with over 1,000 yards rushing.

 

Midway through the third quarter Cook ran up the middle for 2 yards on first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. He followed that up with another carry for 1 yard out for the touchdown.

“It was big,” Cook said to the media in the postgame. “Just to have your name in the record book is great, man. First of all, I’ve gotta give thanks to my O-line, though. Without them, nothing would be possible. Just blessed.”

Going into the matchup the third-year pro needed just 19 rushing yards to surpass 1,000 on the season, and one more touchdown on the ground tie O.J. Simpson (16.)

“It was nice, it was just a good moment,” right guard O’Cyrus Torrence said via The Buffalo News. “Because we talked about it all week. We knew he needed 19 yards to get to 1,000. And we knew he needed at least one touchdown to tie the record. So, we (were) glad we were able to get both of those.”

Cook did just that on 10 carries finishing the regular season with 1,009 yards total to go with 32 receptions for 258 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Initially, he saw limited action but noted “We discussed it during the week, and it happened,” and how “that was always the plan” for him to reach the mark.

“It’s great,” he added. “That’s just something I’ve been working for and working hard throughout the year. I mean, to do that, and to go for 1,000 yards for my second year is a blessing.”

It took the RB 17 weeks to achieve the mark (as the Bills had a Week 12 bye) and it’s worth noting that there were only 14 games in 1975 when Simpson set the mark. Nonetheless, Cook’s matching the total could be a forecast of seasons to come.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott spoke after the game about helping Cook have a chance to gain over 1,000 yards while having a shot at the franchise rushing touchdown mark.

“No. 1, you’re trying to make sure you’re protecting (Cook) as much as you can and we’re smart with it,” McDermott said during his postgame press conference. “He’s worked all year. The offense has worked all year, the O-line and James, and so get a chance to get it on a short run was good to see.”

It was Cook’s second consecutive year with 1,000+ rushing yards becoming the first Bills RB since LeSean McCoy to do so in back-to-back campaigns (2016-17.)

His improvement of +14 in rushing TDs going from two in 2023 to 16 in 2024 is tied for the third-largest improvement all-time among players to play 16+ games in consecutive seasons in NFL history.

The running back plans to keep the ball from the touchdown and to get it painted as a keepsake.

“Just something that I can tell my kids, and their kids’ kids, something that had never been done in some years,” Cook shared. “So, just a blessing.”

Seahawks fire former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb

The Seattle Seahawks parted ways with Ryan Grubb after just one season.

On January 6, 2024, Ryan Grubb was preparing Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, and the Washington Huskies for a battle with the Michigan Wolverines in the national championship. One year later, he’s searching for a new job after just 11 months as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator.

On what is known as Black Monday around the NFL, Grubb was fired by head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider after an up-and-down first year at the NFL level.

“It’s really as simple as I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision that I had for our team and we felt like it was a necessary decision at this point,” Macdonald said in an interview on the Brock and Salk show.

He oversaw the breakout of 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who finished his second season with 100 catches for 1,130 yards and 6 touchdowns, but also saw plenty of struggles. The Seahawks offensive line was one of the league’s worst units and allowed 54 sacks, which tied for third-most in the league.

Even though quarterback Geno Smith threw for a career-high 4,320 yards, he also threw 15 interceptions, which tied for No.3 in the league. As questions about his play-calling arose, Seattle also struggled to run the ball, finishing No. 28 in the league in rushing yards with 1,627.

If Grubb doesn’t choose to stay in the NFL, he could return to the college level and reunite with coach Kalen DeBoer as the offensive coordinator of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Wisconsin basketball gains ground in AP Poll after win over Iowa

Wisconsin basketball gains ground in AP Poll after win over Iowa

Wisconsin basketball (11-3, 1-2 Big Ten) remains on the outside of the latest AP Poll Top 25 entering its road matchup at Rutgers.

The Badgers gained ground after their 1-0 week, however. They received 31 total votes (30th overall) in the newest poll, up from last week’s total of 18 votes (37th).

Related: Big Ten basketball power rankings (Jan. 6): Illinois, Indiana surge in first week of 2025

Wisconsin is inching toward the AP Top 25 after a record-breaking 116-85 win over Iowa. The win extended the team’s win streak to three as it rebuilds momentum after an early December losing streak dropped it from its previous No. 11 ranking.

The Badgers are eighth among Big Ten teams that are ranked or receiving votes behind Illinois (No. 13), Oregon (No. 15), Michigan State (No. 16), Purdue (No. 20), UCLA (No. 22), Michigan (No. 24) and Nebraska (receiving votes, 62).

Tennessee still holds the top spot after a 14-0 start. The Volunteers are followed by Auburn (13-1), Iowa State (12-1), Duke (12-2) and Alabama (12-2), just as in the latest coaches poll.

The rest of the top 10 is Kentucky (12-2), Marquette (13-2), Florida (13-1), UConn (12-3) and Texas A&M (12-2).

Of note, Wisconsin’s three losses came against the AP No. 7 (Marquette), No. 13 (Illinois) and No. 24 (Michigan) teams. Its resume is highlighted by wins over Pittsburgh (receiving votes, 91) and Arizona (receiving votes, three).

The Badgers will have plenty of chances for resume-building victories as the Big Ten season continues. The team is back on the court on Monday night for an important road test at Rutgers (8-6, 1-2 Big Ten). Another undefeated week (at Rutgers, vs. Minnesota) could launch Wisconsin back into the top 25 and into Big Ten contention.

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Top Photos from Texans Week 18 dominant win over Titans

Here are some of the top photos from Week 18’s battle between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.

The Houston Texans capped off their 2024 season with a 23-14 win on the road over the Tennessee Titans.

Behind a 176-yard performance from running back Dameon Pierce, the Texans secured a 10-win campaign for the second time under DeMeco Ryans. Both running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Nico Collins surpassed the 1,000-yard marker in rushing and receiving, respectively.

Here’s some of the top photos from Sunday’s showdown at Nissan Stadium.

Commanders-Cowboys Week 18: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

Here are the offense, defense, and special teams snap counts that contributed to the Washington Commanders win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The Washington Commanders ended their season with a 12-5 record, their first season with more than 10 wins since 1991. They won their last five games of the season, culminating with a hard-fought victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18.

The Commanders didn’t plan to rest any of their starters and only replaced Jayden Daniels with Marcus Mariota after Daniels took a hit and Dan Quinn decided he didn’t want Daniels to get injured ahead of the playoffs. Mariota filled in well, as he has all season, and led the Commanders to a come-from-behind victory to close the 2024 regular season.

Let’s take a look at the snap counts that contributed to the Commanders’ win.

Offensive snaps: 58
Defensive snaps: 78
Special teams snaps: 28

As you can see, there was a lot more rotation on the offensive side of the ball than the defensive side of the ball. That’s largely because the Commanders’ defenders were needed to keep the Cowboys offense in check.

The offensive rotation is largely due to the quarterback switch. Player protections and personnel can vary between quarterback based on their skillset. Daniels is more of a runner than Mariota, even though Mariota is a capable scrambler, so how the line protects him is different.

The Commanders have their first playoff game this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kickoff is set for 8pm EDT from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Texans-Titans Week 18: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The Houston Texans secured a 10-win season on the final day of the regular season against the Tennessee Titans. Here’s the snap count.

Joe Mixon and Nico Collins entered the Houston Texans‘ history books.

It only took a drive for the duo to accomplish the feat before DeMeco Ryans elected to rest his offensive starters.

Mixon, the bell cow of the Texans’ ground game, became the sixth running back in franchise history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. He became the first runner since Carlos Hyde in 2019 to accomplish the feat as the Texans coasted past the Tennesee Titans, 23-14.

“When you start clicking at the right time, you just want to keep seeing this,” Mixon said, using his hand to indicate a rising motion. “Keep trending upward. And pretty much we came out there and executed the game plan.”

The Texans (10-7) looked dead on arrival heading into the postseason. They had just come off perhaps the most embarrassing loss of DeMeco Ryans’ era with Queen Bey in the house.

Players said that this wasn’t Texans’ football, but most fans had seen enough regression during the regular season to call it a lie.

Maybe it was the competition or perhaps the frigid weather that gave the offense a spark, but Houston was playing loose.

It was having fun with backups like Dameon Pierce and Derek Barnett making must-see play in the second and fourth quarters, respectively.

“We enjoy being around one another,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “This year has been a lot of ups and downs. We’ve always stuck together. Every obstacle we face we always meshed well more.”

Win or lose, Houston was always locked into the No. 4 seed. They’ll host the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday afternoon with a chance to be the first team to punch their ticket to the AFC Divisional Round.
The Texans needed a win for morale over the record, but 10 victories sure sounds better than nine.
Here are the snap counts from both teams.

Offensive Snaps: 60

Defensive Snaps: 62

Special Teams Snaps: 23

Kickoff from NRG Stadium against Los Angeles is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS.