Tag: Cameron Heyward

Eagles-Steelers injury report: Brandon Graham DNP, Lane Johnson in concussion protocol

The Philadelphia Eagles had nine players listed as limited participants on Wednesday, and Brandon Graham is dealing with a hamstring injury ahead of Sunday’s matchup

The Eagles released their initial injury report for Sunday’s matchup against the Steelers, and eight players were listed as limited participants coming out of the bye.

Rookie cornerback Josh Jobe returned to full practice status after dealing with a shoulder injury.

Pittsburgh had four players miss practice but did have an All-Pro pass rusher return to the field.

Eagles vs. Steelers: 5 matchups to watch on defense

Here are five matchups to watch on defense when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 8

The undefeated Eagles return to Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, where they’ll face the 2-5 Pittsburgh Steelers in an in-state matchup.

Even as huge favorites, Pittsburgh provides several intriguing matchup problems on offense for the Eagles defense. It’ll be on Jonathan Gannon to ensure that the Steelers don’t explode and find their footing heading into their Week 9 bye.

The matchup will be a homecoming of sorts for New Jersey native and rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett who’ll be making his first start at Lincoln Financial Field.

With both teams returning to practice on Wednesday, here are five matchups to watch when Philadelphia is on defense.

How did these former Ohio State defensive players do Week 7 in the NFL?

How did these former Ohio State defensive players do Week 7 in the NFL? #GoBucks #NFL

As the Ohio State Buckeyes enter the week against the Penn State Nittany Lions, it is fun to sit back and watch how former Ohio State players wreck it in the National Football League. We are incredibly blessed to be Buckeye fans because there are so many talented players that we enjoy on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday after watching current Ohio State players on Saturday.

The list of former Buckeyes is so large we have to split this list into offense and defense. Here are the former offensive Ohio State football players who made a splash during Week 7 of the NFL. Some of these names have been on this before, but some may surprise you.

How the Eagles and Steelers stack up for Week 8

With the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers set for an in-state matchup, here’s a statistical breakdown for both teams ahead of Sunday

The Eagles are 6-0 and set to prepare for the Steelers after a much-needed Week 7 bye.

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts is an MVP candidate among the league leaders in several categories.

Haason Reddick has 4.5 sacks on defense, and the Eagles’ secondary is a top-five group heading into the second half of the season.

For Pittsburgh, the Steelers (2-5) are in last place in the division, and only the Houston Texans (1-4-1) have a worse record among AFC teams.

With both teams set for preparation on Wednesday, here is how they stack up statistically.

Bengals’ offense enters disaster phase with Joe Burrow’s third first-half interception

Joe Burrow’s 2022 season started off as badly as it possibly could, with three first-half interceptions and a fumble.

We already had one post about the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals’ offense falling completely apart in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but at this rate, we’re going to have to put a new wing on the house.

At this point, the Bengals have had five drives. They have ended as follows: Interception, field goal, fumble, interception, interception. Joe Burrow was responsible for the fumble, and for all three interceptions. Not what you’d expect from the NFL MVP candidate, but Burrow will have to do a lot of digging his way out of his first first half of the 2022 season.

Here’s how it’s all gone down.

Burrow’s 2021 season ended with a fourth-down pressure by Aaron Donald in Super Bowl LVI. Burrow’s 2022 season didn’t start any more auspiciously.

With 12:43 left in the first quarter of the Bengals’ home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Burrow tried to hit receiver Tyler Boyd on second-and-15 from his own 17-yard line. It was second-and-15 because Cameron Heyward, the Steelers’ version of Donald, took Burrow down on first down.

So, on second down, Burrow tried to get this going, with less than optimal results.

Clearly, Burrow didn’t see Steelers super-safety Minkah Fitzpatrick ready to close on the ball, and that’s just bad internal scouting. Fitzpatrick has had those kinds of plays on lock for years now.

On Cincinnati’s third drive, edge-rusher Alex Highsmith forced Burrow to heave the ball up in the air, and Heyward came down with the pick.

And… on Cincinnati’s FOURTH drive, Burrow tried this pass, which was intercepted at the line of scrimmage by T.J. Watt, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Okay… deep breath here. On Cincinnati’s FIFTH drive, Burrow tried to hit Boyd again, and this time, cornerback Cam Sutton came away with it. This is getting ridiculous, people.

Burrow has always been aggressive to a fault, but it’s been nothing but faults in the Queen City so far.

The Bengals might need a mercy role at this rate, and the Steelers’ defense is entirely on point.

Bengals’ 2022 season begins very badly on offense

Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick took Joe Burrow’s first pass of the 2022 NFL season right back to the house. That was after a Cam Heyward sack.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s 2021 season ended with a fourth-down pressure by Aaron Donald in Super Bowl LVI. Burrow’s 2022 season didn’t start any more auspiciously.

With 12:43 left in the first quarter of the Bengals’ home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Burrow tried to hit receiver Tyler Boyd on second-and-15 from his own 17-yard line. It was second-and-15 because Cameron Heyward, the Steelers’ version of Donald, took Burrow down on first down.

So, on second down, Burrow tried to get this going, with less than optimal results.

Clearly, Burrow didn’t see Steelers super-safety Minkah Fitzpatrick ready to close on the ball, and that’s just bad internal scouting. Fitzpatrick has had those kinds of plays on lock for years now.

On Cincinnati’s third drive, edge-rusher Alex Highsmith forced Burrow to heave the ball up in the air, and Heyward came down with the pick.

And… on Cincinnati’s FOURTH drive, Burrow tried this pass, which was intercepted at the line of scrimmage by T.J. Watt, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

The Bengals might need a mercy role at this rate, and the Steelers’ defense is entirely on point.

Six former Ohio State players make the NFL’s Top 100 for 2022

Six former Buckeyes were again included in this year’s NFL Top 100. Here’s a look at each former OSU player that made the cut. #GoBucks

It’s become an annual event. The NFL Network has published a list of the top 100 players in the league over the last few years and there always seems to be great representation from Ohio State. It’s called the NFL Top 100. The whole thing is based on voting from current players, and it’s always interesting to see what peers think of each other.

It’s no different for this year’s list which was just finished out after releasing the rankings in bunches from 100 down to No. 1. And just like last season, and the season before, there are six total former Buckeyes included among the top 100.

But which former Ohio State players made the cut according to their peers this season? Here’s a look at each that got the nod according to the NFL Network.

Ohio State football ‘Face of the ‘Position’: Defensive Tackle

What player is the first one you think of historically when talking about the defensive tackle position at Ohio State? Vote and help deterime. #FaceOfThePosition #GoBucks.

It’s the doldrums of almost summer and you are most likely stuck between queueing up last year’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah on the DVR for the umpteenth time, reading rankings and listicles that include Ohio State, and yearning for the start of the college football season.

Sounds like a perfect time to kick off a series we are embarking upon here at Buckeyes Wire. We call it the “Face of the Position” and it’s really exactly as it sounds. When you think of a position group at Ohio State, who do you think of? From quarterback to linebacker, to placekicker and beyond, OSU has some of the most iconic and historical college football players that have taken their place among the best in the game.

However, one player stands out above all else when you shroud them behind the colors of scarlet and gray, and that’s where we are going to ask for your assistance.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting players that are in the running for the face of a position at Ohio State and asking for your vote in a Twitter poll to have one player identified as the one you think immediately at that position.

We’ve already looked at the quarterback position, running backs, wide receivers, offensive linemen, and tight ends. It’s now time to move to the defensive side of the ball and start with an underrated defensive tackle position.

We’ll keep voting up for five days, and at the end of it, we’ll reveal the winner of each. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to cast your vote from the nominees in a Twitter poll and feel free to write in a candidate if you think of another player.

Madden NFL 23: Top 25 highest-rated former Big Ten stars

What does the top 25 highest-rated former Big Ten stars list look like in Madden NFL 23? Four Iowa Hawkeyes crack the top 25.

A player’s rating on any Madden game is an indication of their star power in the National Football League. Now, the full list of player ratings for Madden NFL 23 has been unveiled.

Hawkeyes Wire took a look at which players were the overall top 25 highest-rated players. With an overall rating of 97, one former Iowa Hawkeye was among the top 25 highest-graded players on Madden NFL 23. Of course, that player is former Hawkeyes tight end George Kittle.

Kittle has carved out a reputation as one of the premier tight ends in all of the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2019, the 6-foot-4, 250 pound tight end picked up Associated Press first-team All-Pro honors. Last season, Kittle registered 71 grabs for 910 yards and six touchdowns.

With that in mind, naturally, Kittle will be one of the highest-rated former Big Ten stars in Madden NFL 23. Is he at the very top? Which other NFL players comprise the top 25 highest-rated former Big Ten stars in Madden NFL 23?

Let’s take a look below at the complete top 25 highest-rated Big Ten players in Madden NFL 23.

The NFL’s top 12 interior defensive linemen

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar continues our position lists with the NFL’s 12 best interior defensive linemen.

It’s an interesting time to be an interior defensive lineman in the NFL. Not only do you have to beat guards and centers inside in traditional four-man fronts, you also have to show a lot of positional versatility, and you’ll be moving around anyway as the league transitions to more five-man fronts. We’re not spoiling much here when we say that once again, Aaron Donald is our best interior defensive lineman, and last season for the Rams, Donald played 11 snaps in the A-gap, 430 in the B-gap, 628 snaps over the tackles, and 188 snaps outside the tackles.

What does this tell you? The Rams want Donald aligned everywhere — whether it’s straight over the center, attacking gaps, or blowing tackles off their feet from the edge. These versatility requests are common in today’s NFL to the point where an interior defensive lineman who works from one of two gaps is the exception, not the rule. Even Vita Vea, the Buccaneers’ ginormous interior threat, spent 50 of his 2021 snaps over the tackles, and 10 snaps outside.

So, when we talk about the NFL’s best interior defensive linemen, we’re really talking about run-stoppers and disruptors who make the cake inside, and manufacture the frosting outside to a greater or lesser degree.

Four of the players from last year’s list (Fletcher Cox, Akiem Hicks, Stephon Tuitt, Grady Jarrett) didn’t make the cut this time, which can be put down mostly to injury and attrition. Tuitt, for example, missed the entire 2021 season and then retired. Hicks, a serious problem for any offensive line when healthy, played in just nine games last season. Cox was healthy all season, but as much as he’s built up what will be a pretty decent Hall of Fame argument down the road, 2021 just wasn’t the same — though one of his teammates is part of this year’s new blood. Jarrett just missed the cut, and given what he had around him last season, you could certainly make a case for him.

The new blood makes for some amazing players and defensive schemes, and here are Touchdown Wire’s 12 best interior linemen in anticipation of the 2022 season — another one of our position lists as Mark Schofield and myself lead up to our rankings of the 101 best players in the NFL today.

The NFL’s top 13 safeties

The NFL’s top 12 slot defenders

The NFL’s top 12 outside cornerbacks

The NFL’s top 11 linebackers

The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders