Tag: Christmas Eve

Broncos inactives: 7 players won’t suit up vs. Patriots

Broncos inactives vs. Patriots tonight: Ben DiNucci, Nik Bonitto, JL Skinner, Nate Adkins, Thomas Incoom, Alex Forsyth and Elijah Garcia.

The Denver Broncos have announced their list of seven inactive players for a Christmas Eve showdown with the New England Patriots in Week 16.

Broncos quarterback Ben DiNucci, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (knee), safety JL Skinner, tight end/fullback Nate Adkins, outside linebacker Thomas Incoom, center Alex Forsyth and defensive lineman Elijah Garcia won’t suit up today.

Those seven inactive players are members of the 53-man roster who are not eligible to play against the Patriots on Sunday night.

Elsewhere on the roster front, Denver elevated DiNucci and outside linebacker Ronnie Perkins from the practice squad to the game-day roster on Saturday. The Broncos did not activate safety Kareem Jackson to the 53-man roster following his return from a four-game suspension.

Sunday’s game will be nationally televised on NFL Network. Kickoff for the Denver-New England showdown is set for 6:15 p.m. MT. Football fans can stream the Broncos-Patriots game on fuboTV (try it free).

See photos of each of the team’s inactive players below.

Frigid Christmas Eve temperatures in Pittsburgh for Raiders vs Steelers

Christmas Eve game in Pittsburgh the coldest Derek Carr ever played in a Raiders uniform.

Weather warnings are happening across the country today. Basically the only parts of the country not affected are those west of the Rockies. Like Las Vegas. But the Raiders aren’t playing in Las Vegas today. They’re in Pittsburgh. Where it’s positively frozen.

As of 3pm local time, the temperatures are still in single digits, with a wind chill that makes it feel like sub zero temperatures.

The forecast says the winds should calm down by the start of the game at 8:15 local time. But the temperature is still expected to be just 14 degrees.

In case you were wondering, Derek Carr has never played in a game with temps this low before. And has never won a game with a temp below 37 degrees. That temp is gonna seem downright tropical compared to the temperature for tonight’s game.

Typically what this means is lower scoring games with each team relying more on the ground game. That ball is as hard as a rock and so is the field while the players will be wearing more gear to try and stay warm. That’s a recipe for turnovers.

Justin Jefferson overtakes Randy Moss for receiving yards record

The best receiver in the NFL continues to set records

The Minnesota Vikings receiving yardage record was contentious last season as Justin Jefferson was only a few yards from passing Randy Moss’s single-season record. There were multiple opportunities for Jefferson to get the record but former head coach Mike Zimmer didn’t allow it to happen at the end of the game.

On Christmas Eve against the New York Giants, Jefferson surpassed that record with a beautiful 25-yard blaze out on the Vikings’ third drive.

Jefferson is also just two catches away from breaking Cris Carter’s team record of 122 catches which he did in both 1994 and 1995.

Jefferson continues to prove that he is the best receiver in football and the stats leave little doubt.

 

Vikings vs. Giants: 5 players to watch on Christmas Eve

These players could be game-changers on Saturday

This Christmas Eve, the Minnesota Vikings are playing host to the New York Giants after they just completed the biggest comeback in NFL history one week ago.

The Vikings are 11-3 and are slated to host at least one playoff game since they won the division, but this game still holds plenty of weight. The Vikings are trying to hold off the 49ers for the number two seed and, even though the odds are slim, there still is a chance the Vikings can snag the number one seed in the NFC.

Let’s look ahead to this week’s matchup for some players to keep an eye on.

Biggest storyline for Vikings in every game against 2022 NFC opponents

There are plenty of juicy storylines heading into the NFC portion of the Vikings’ 2022 schedule

When it comes to playoff positioning, it doesn’t get much more important than winning games within the conference. While conference games are the fourth tiebreaker, those against divisional foes and common opponents are the two directly ahead of it—both of which are centric upon conference foes.

These games are the opponents you see more often and rivalries start to develop. The Vikings are facing the Cowboys for the third-consecutive season, for one.

This is the second of a three-part series, where I dive into the main storylines of the Vikings opponents for the 2022 season. The first edition focused on the AFC opponents while the second is focused on the NFC. The Vikings play the NFC East and the second place teams in the NFC South and West.