Tag: Detroit Lions

NFL Trade Deadline: Lions acquire Browns DE Za’Darius Smith for playoff run

The Detroit Lions have acquired Cleveland Browns pass rusher Za’Darius Smith ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline

In a move that could make Detroit the favorites in the NFC, the Lions have acquired pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns for late-round draft picks.

Smith, 32, has played for the Ravens, Packers, and Vikings and previously stated that he’d welcome a trade to Detroit since it would allow him to compete directly with two of his former teams.

Smith has five sacks in eight games this season and gives Detroit the perfect replacement for Aidan Hutchinson, who’s out with a fractured fibula.

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NFL power rankings: Detroit Lions remain on top

The Chiefs remain undefeated, but the Lions are the No. 1 team in our NFL power rankings this week.

The Detroit Lions remain the No. 1-ranked team in our NFL power rankings this week after they took care of business with a 24-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon.

Elsewhere in the NFC, the Arizona Cardinals are still alive after coasting to a 29-9 victory over the Chicago Bears, and the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Dallas Cowboys.

Over in the AFC, the New York Jets got a much-needed win over the Houston Texans, and the Buffalo Bills squeaked by the Miami Dolphins.

The Baltimore Ravens made a statement with a convincing victory over the Denver Broncos, and the Cincinnati Bengals easily handled the Las Vegas Raiders.

Following those results, here’s how teams stack up in our latest rankings.

NFL power rankings after Week 9

  1. Detroit Lions (7-1)
  2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)
  3. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
  4. Washington Commanders (7-2)
  5. Buffalo Bills (7-2)
  6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
  7. Houston Texans (6-3)
  8. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
  9. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
  10. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
  11. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
  12. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
  13. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
  14. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
  15. Los Angeles Rams (4-4)
  16. Denver Broncos (5-4)
  17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
  18. Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
  19. Chicago Bears (4-4)
  20. Cincinnati Bengals (4-5)
  21. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
  22. Miami Dolphins (2-6)
  23. Cleveland Browns (2-7)
  24. New York Jets (3-6)
  25. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
  26. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)
  27. Tennessee Titans (2-6)
  28. Carolina Panthers (2-7)
  29. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
  30. New Orleans Saints (2-7)
  31. New York Giants (2-7)
  32. New England Patriots (2-7)

Week 10 will kick off when the Ravens host the Bengals on Thursday.

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Will Jerry Hughes play this week? Latest injury updates for Texans DE

Houston Texans DE Jerry Hughes has been dealing with a hip injury. Here are the latest updates entering Monday’s practice.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The Houston Texans aren’t back to full strength yet, but they could gain an essential part of their defensive depth in the trenches for Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions on NBC.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes was cleared to practice first time in four weeks on Monday afternoon. Here’s what happened and his current status entering Sunday Night’s matchup at NRG Stadium.

Jerry Hughes injury update

Hughes, 36, was placed on the injured following Week 4’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a hip injury. The veteran had been limited in his play time, often used on pass-rushing downs late in games.

Houston elected to activate Hughes’ 21-day windows to be restored to the active roster. The team will have until Nov. 25 to decide if they’ll bring him back to the 53-man squad or return him to the injured reserve for the remainder of the regular season.

Jerry Hughes stats

Entering his third season with the Texans, Hughes only recorded one tackle before being placed on the IR back in September. A former first-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts, the Pro Bowl defensive end led Houston with nine sacks in 2022.

A native of Sugar Land and former TCU star, Hughes has totaled 70 career sacks, 480 tackles, 142 quarterback hits and 19 forced fumbles.

Texans DE depth chart

With Hughes out, former 2023 fourth-round pick Dylan Horton has seen an expanded role in Houston’s defensive front. Here’s the rest of the defensive ends on the active roster:

  • Will Anderson Jr.
  • Danielle Hunter
  • Denico Autry
  • Dylan Horton

Autry is coming off his best outing in Texans’ uniform after totaling two sacks and a tackle for loss in Thursday’s 21-13 loss against the New York Jets.

Anderson, who left Thursday’s game with an ankle injury, is currently on pace to win Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 7.5 sacks in eight games. He also led the NFL with 11 tackles for loss entering Week 9.

Barnett has been an ideal No. 3 option this season. In Thursday’s loss, the former first-rounder totaled three pressures and a tackle.

Drake London and Amon-Ra St. Brown both broke out the viral TD celebration from Incarnate Word’s Jalen Walthall

The start of a new celebration trend?

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. So, with that in mind, Incarnate Word wide receiver Jalen Walthall should be pumped to see his celebration make multiple appearances on NFL Sunday.

The junior receiver at the FCS school went viral on Saturday for celebrating his 50-yard touchdown grab with a headstand that rolled into a somersault of sorts. It was creative enough for Walthall’s celebration to get picked up on prominent sports accounts all over social media. And some NFL receivers clearly took notice when it came to Week 9’s games.

It happened twice!

First, Falcons receiver Drake London broke out the celebration after his catch against the Cowboys. London was hurt on the touchdown grab but still managed to do the celebration before leaving the game.

In the late slate, Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown did his version of the celebration after a touchdown against the Packers.

We could be looking at the start of a new celebration trend.

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Brian Branch got ejected and the football world is angry about it

Twitter reactions and what peopel are saying about the Brian Branch ejection

The Lions had a strong first half, with a pick-six late to give them a 17-3 lead over the Green Bay Packers at the break. But there was a little bit of ugliness in there as well.

During the second quarter, safety Brian Branch was ejected for targeting on Packers wide receiver Bo Milton. Branch was also hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he was ejected.

So how is social media taking the news?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Brady may have violated his ownership restrictions when he criticized NFL officials for Brian Branch’s ejection

The league doesn’t want Brady to criticize refs.

When the NFL finalized its ownership agreement to give Tom Brady a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, it put the league in an unusual spot.

Brady — despite having a financial incentive in the Raiders’ success — is Fox’s lead NFL analyst where he’s expected to act as an impartial expert. In an effort to keep Brady from showing conflicts of interest, the league office placed several restrictions on what Brady can do and say with Fox.

And while the rules effectively made it impossible for Brady to be a successful analyst, the most glaring rule of them all prevented him from criticizing NFL officials.

He may have broken that rule on Sunday.

During the Week 9 matchup between the Lions and Packers, Lions defensive back Brian Branch was ejected for a dangerous hit to the helmet. The call for an ejection evidently came from the league’s officiating office. And though the hit clearly warranted a 15-yard penalty, it was definitely questionable as an ejectable offense.

Brady tried to express that and said, “I don’t love that call at all.”

Now, Brady may have found a loophole there by making the criticism about his feelings rather than saying an official missed the call. But we’ll have to see if the league actually cared for Brady’s valid critique there.

After all, if he can’t speak freely, what’s the point of even having him in the booth?

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Lions vs. Packers Week 9 inactives: Jordan Love playing, Jaire Alexander out for Green Bay

The list of inactives for the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in Week 9, including top Packers CB Jaire Alexander

The Lions and Packers have announced their inactives for their key Week 9 showdown at Lambeau Field.

The following players are inactive for the Lions:

RB Sionr Vaki
LB Malcolm Rodriguez
OL Giovanni Mau
OL Christian Mahogany
OL Colby Sorsdal
DL Josh Paschal
DL Mekhi Wingo

The Lions are hoping to get Paschal back next week against the Texans. He missed last week’s win against the Titans with an undisclosed illness. Wingo is out with an ankle injury.

As far as the Packers go, these players are out:

WR Malik Heath
CB Jaire Alexander
S Evan Williams
DL Brenton Cox Jr.
C Josh Myers
OT Travis Glover

Quarterback Jordan Love was questionable with a groin injury but is active and will start today, as will running back Josh Jacobs (ankle). Alexander suffered a knee injury last week against the Jaguars and did not practice at all this week. Look for Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine to be on the outside with Keisean Nixon in the slot.

ESPN Insider gives update on Za’Darius Smith trade rumors

Adam Schefter reports that an NFC front-runner continues to poke around…

Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith has been a popular player to label as a potential guy on the move at the NFL trade deadline.

However, Smith is still a member of the Browns, who are 2-6 and have another AFC matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on the horizon. If the Browns improve to 3-6 in a dismal AFC, could they hold onto assets in hopes of making a run at a wildcard spot?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter gave a bit of an update with the NFL trade deadline just two days away. According to Schefter, the Detroit Lions remain in contact with the Browns about acquiring Smith’s services. Earlier this week, it was rumored that the Browns want a “decent Day 3 pick” for Smith.

Will the Browns move their starting defensive end? One might think that the outcome of their game against the Chargers could play into their decision with the deadline nearing.

Lions elevate two from practice squad for Week 9

Lions elevate two from practice squad for Week 9

The Lions announced Saturday they have elevated two players from the practice squad for Week 9 against the Packers. Detroit called up tight end Shane Zylstra and outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad.

Zylstra has surpassed Parker Hesse as the No. 3 tight end. Detroit released Hesse Saturday but he is a candidate to return on the practice squad. This is the third and final elevation the Lions can use on Zylstra. Expect him to be signed to the practice squad very soon.

Muhammad was called up last week against the Titans and had six pressures in the 52-14 win. It was his first appearance for the Lions. Detroit can elevate Muhammad one more time from the practice squad before having to sign him to the active roster.

Lions release Parker Hesse, sign two to active roster

The Lions made a few active roster moves Saturday.

The Lions effectively swapped tight ends Saturday. They released Parker Hesse while once again elevating Shane Zylstra from the practice squad.

Hesse appeared in five games this season for the Lions. He joined the team this season after three years with the Atlanta Falcons. Hesse has more or less been overtaken by Zylstra as the No. 3 tight end.

The Lions also added two players to the active roster, linebacker Abraham Beauplan and defensive lineman Chris Smith.

Beauplan had been on the Lions’ practice squad since the end of the preseason after joining the team during training camp. He spent his rookie season in Minnesota.

Smith is in his second season with the Lions. He appeared in the season opener against the Rams but was cut and later added to the practice squad a few days later.