The Seahawks may be without Duane Brown on Sunday, but left tackle George Fant’s strong performance has the team confident he will step up.
The Seattle Seahawks switched things up at left tackle in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, replacing Jamarco Jones with George Fant – both who were playing in place of veteran Duane Brown who is dealing with “a pissed off knee” – according to coach Pete Carroll.
Brown is a longshot to play on Sunday against the Eagles, which likely means the team will roll with Fant for the second consecutive week.
While the Seahawks will no doubt miss Brown if he is unable to suit up, Fant earned the praise of his coach after holding 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa in check last week.
“He looked good again,” Carroll said on Monday. “Played very solid, very confident. Played physical football and got out on the perimeter and did some nice blocks and did some things that we like doing with Duane. That’s a really good sign for us. We’re really happy because we need him to come through and he came in and did a nice job going against one of the best pass rushing groups in the NFL. He handled what he needed to handle pretty well for the most part.”
Fant has primarily played tight end this season, serving as an extra run blocker in Seattle’s big packages up front. He has played well in that role, but his performance as a pass-protector on Sunday is what has the Seahawks confident he can continue to help them if they remain without Brown.
“It just gives us some confidence moving forward,” Carroll continued. “We’re a little uncertain how that was going to look, particularly this past week. These guys coming up are good, too. They rush like crazy, so we’re going to need him.”
Seattle is still holding out hope that Brown will make it back this week, but if he doesn’t, expect Fant to start again at left tackle.
How he performs will have a big impact on if this team advances to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs this year.
Seattle Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown recently underwent knee surgery and there is a very slight chance he could return to play in Philly.
The Seattle Seahawks have sorely missed left tackle Duane Brown, who has been inactive for the last two matchups with a knee injury.
“His knee was really irritated in general, it was kind of a pissed off knee,” coach Pete Carroll said Monday. “He needs to come back from that. We’re trying to get it quieted down and all that and see if he can get back out. Structurally, he’s in good shape We just got to make sure that his knee is quieted down and he doesn’t have swelling and that kind of stuff and he can get moving again. I don’t know if that will happen this week or not.”
Brown recently underwent minor knee surgery to try to correct the problem. While the procedure was a success, Carroll said he won’t know how far along Brown is until at least Wednesday or Thursday.
“He did some things this weekend to try to help him along the process,” Carroll noted. “By the end of the week, he has it in his mind maybe there’s a chance he can make it back.
“That would be a miraculous recovery.”
With or without Brown, the Seahawks are slated to take on the Eagles this Sunday in Philadelphia at 1:40 p.m. PT.
The Seattle Seahawks are selecting 26th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, and history suggests they could find a hidden gem.
The 2020 NFL draft order has been set, and the Seattle Seahawks hold the No. 26 pick in the first round.
The Seahawks have selected 26th one other time, back in 2005 when they took center Chris Spencer out of Mississippi – two spots behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers and just before receiver Roddy White and tight end Heath Miller.
However, Seattle is known for wheeling and dealing on draft day, and it is entirely possible the team will move up or down in the draft a handful of times before and during the three day draft weekend.
If they do keep the 26th pick, history suggests they could find themselves a nice player. Left tackle Duane Brown (2008) and outside linebacker Clay Matthews (2009) were both taken No. 26 overall, along with Hall of Famer Ray Lewis (1996) and potential future Hall of Famer Alan Faneca (1998).
Receiver Calvin Ridley (2018) and pass rusher Takkarist McKinley (2017) are two recent players who are both panning out well from that draft slot, and Montez Sweat had a solid rookie season after going 26th to the Redskins last year.
It is anyone’s guess this early in the process what the Seahawks will do with their pick, but you can bet they already on their way toward finding an impact performer who could be around at that spot, or else pinpointing teams they can wheel and deal with to acquire more picks in the middle rounds.
The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers will meet in the final regular season game of the NFL season on Sunday at 5:20 p.m. PT.
The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are playing the last, and arguably best, regular season game of the season on Sunday night.
Whichever team wins will secure the NFC West title and a top three seed in the playoffs, while a loss would move Seattle into fifth place and a first round road game against either Dallas or Philadelphia.
That alone makes this must-watch football, and factoring in the triumphant return of Marshawn Lynch to the Seattle offense should make this game an instant classic, much like the team’s first matchup in Week 10.
How much action Beast Mode gets, how Seattle handles George Kittle and pass protection issues up front are three of the biggest storylines in this game, and all three are previewed in this article.
Kickoff tonight is at 5:20 p.m. PT. You won’t want to miss out.
Jamarco Jones struggled filling in for Duane Brown at left tackle for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, which could force a change in Week 17.
Among the many things that didn’t go well on Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks in their loss to the Arizona Cardinals was the pass protection all across the offensive line.
Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones, who has been a thorn in Seattle’s side for years, absolutely dominated on Sunday, racking up four sacks, six quarterback hits and two forced fumbles. Jones did most of his damage against fill-in starter Jamarco Jones, who was making his first NFL start at left tackle in place of Duane Brown, who was out after having surgery on his arm.
“It was hard,” Pete Carroll said of Jones’ performance. “He went against a great guy and it worked him the whole day. He did a lot of things that were really good. The sacks that his guy had weren’t all on him. It didn’t all happen because of his protection and all. He was tested. That was a real test. Chandler [Jones] is an amazing player.”
Jones earned a pass protection grade from Pro Football Focus of 17.4, one of the worst marks of the week across the league.
It’s a bit unfair to judge Jones on this one performance, particularly against a strong opponent, but it has given Carroll pause for how they plan to handle a similarly strong pass rush attack from San Francisco in Week 17.
Carroll wouldn’t commit to Jones starting in place of Brown again this week, and it would make sense for Seattle to try George Fant, who has played much more left tackle in his career, in that spot instead.
The team likes keeping Fant in that role as an extra run blocker, but perhaps trying Jordan Roos, or Jones, in that role will be the game plan on Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll provided a litany of injury updates ahead of the team’s Week 17 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Seattle Seahawks head into Christmas with a brand new backfield, although the two new names aren’t exactly unfamiliar ones.
Still, Seattle has a lot of work to do to get Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin up to speed before they take on the 49ers on Sunday night.
Fortunately, it sounds like many of Seattle’s other starters are on their way back to the field, which should help shore things up, in particular on the defensive side of things.
Carroll confirmed that both Jadeveon Clowney and Shaquill Griffin practiced on Tuesday, and their status looks very promising for Sunday. That gives Seattle two huge components of their defense back after they missed Sunday’s dud against the Cardinals.
Carroll was much less confident about safety Quandre Diggs.
“It’s going to be slow early in the week,” Carroll said on Wednesday. We’re going to take it all the way until the end of the week and see how he responds. . . It’s going to be slow. It’s going to be later in the week before we know anything about him.”
Carroll had similar thoughts about SAM linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who did play on Sunday but has been nursing a hamstring injury for the past few weeks.
“He made it through,” Carroll said. “He’s a little sore from the work. I won’t know how he’s doing until later in the week.”
Lastly, Carroll provided an update on the left side of the offensive line, starting with guard Mike Iupati.
“Mike is practicing today,” Carroll said. “Seems to be alright.”
Carroll reported the minor surgery Duane Brown had went well, but that they won’t know much about his status until later in the week.
“No surprises, but a very necessary clean up that was needed,” Carroll continued. “He’s just a couple days out. He just got back here today, I think. We don’t know a whole lot. Everything was reported to be exactly like they had anticipated and there were no surprises.”
The Seahawks won’t practice on Wednesday, but an estimated practice report will come out in the afternoon and will give fans an idea of how close many key pieces to the team are to playing on Sunday in a battle for supremacy in the NFC West.
On the heels of a wild weekend that transformed the NFL playoff picture, Touchdown Wire unveils its weekly NFL Power Rankings.
Heading into Week 17, we already know the Baltimore Ravens are the best team in the league and the Cincinnati Bengals are the worst.
In Week 16, we found out two positive certainties for the Ravens and Bengals. First, by guaranteeing the league’s worst record, the Bengals clinched the No. 1 spot in the 2020 NFL draft.
At least at the moment, it appears likely they’ll use it on Heisman Trophy winner and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. That’s the silver lining in Cincinnati’s dismal season.
Baltimore earned a gift with its great season. At 13-2, the Ravens clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, meaning they have a bye and hold home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Lots of other scenarios were clinched in Week 16. But many more, including a number of playoff seeds, won’t be known until after Week 17.
We touch on that and more in this week’s Touchdown Wire NFL Power Rankings.
32. Cincinnati Bengals
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
(1-14. Last week: 32)
Finally, there’s something to celebrate in Cincinnati. It took an overtime loss to Miami, but the Bengals officially clinched the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. That almost certainly will be used on a quarterback, and most draft experts currently believe LSU’s Joe Burrow is the top prospect. While that seems like a certainty, the status of first-year head coach Zac Taylor isn’t a given. Bengals owner Mike Brown has been notoriously patient and frugal in the past, but a one- or two-win season may not be enough for Taylor to survive. Besides, there is plenty of room to question Taylor’s decision to go back to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton after briefly benching him in favor of rookie Ryan Finley. Yeah, Dalton threw four touchdown passes Sunday, but it’s clear he’s got no future with the Bengals. Apparently, Finley doesn’t either. This looks like a team that already has settled on Burrow.
31. Washington Redskins
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(3-12. Last week: 31)
There hasn’t been much for Washington fans to cheer for this season, especially after Sunday’s overtime loss to the New York Giants dropped the Redskins into sole possession of last place in the NFC East. But there is one bright spot: the play of rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Coming off the best game of his career, Haskins continued to show progress by completing 12 of 15 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an ankle injury. That means whoever is coaching the Redskins next year might already have his quarterback. The Redskins are going to have a premium draft pick and might decide on Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, who is more of a sure thing than any of the quarterbacks who will be available.
30. Detroit Lions
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(3-11-1. Last week: 29)
Things continued to get worse for Detroit with a 27-17 loss to Denver. That was to be expected because the Lions are down to third-string quarterback David Blough, who totaled just 117 passing yards and took four sacks against the Broncos. This season has long been over for the Lions. But the real story here is about next season. Ownership came out last week and firmly said that coach Matt Patricia will be back for a third year and general manager Bob Quinn also will return. That’s somewhat surprising since Patricia’s tenure has been a disaster, and there haven’t been many signs of progress. But I can see the case for giving Patricia another year. He deserves a shot to see what he can do with quarterback Matthew Stafford healthy all season. If Patricia can’t win with Stafford, then it will be time to move on.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
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(5-10. Last week: 27)
The Jaguars made news last week by firing executive vice president Tom Coughlin. Some assume that means coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell are safe for next season, but that’s not necessarily the case. Marrone has lost 21 of 31 games since taking the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game after the 2017 season. Coughlin’s firing was about more than the team’s record. It was a reaction by owner Shad Kahn after the NFL Players Association issued a warning to players about signing with the Jaguars due to a high number of grievances against the organization. Those issues were a poor reflection on Coughlin. But the team’s poor record is a reflection on Marrone and Caldwell. Kahn might be better off cleaning house and starting over again.
28. Miami Dolphins
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(4-11. Last week: 30)
Remember back early in the season when everyone thought the Dolphins were purposely losing to acquire better draft picks? At first, it seemed to be true, but they were just good enough to win their way out of the top pick — and it was fitting that their overtime win against Cincinnati helped the Bengals clinch the No. 1 pick. Miami stuck with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick over second-year pro Josh Rosen most of the season. That was pointless, because Fitzpatrick is no long-term answer for a team that needs a major rebuild. By missing out on the No. 1 pick, the Dolphins apparently will miss out on consensus No. 1 quarterback prospect Joe Burrow. They probably still will draft a quarterback. Instead of Burrow, it likely will be Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
27. New York Giants
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(4-11. Last week: 28)
Sure, the Giants are 4-11, and Sunday’s victory against a bad Washington team came in overtime. But I’m going to go way out on a limb and declare the Giants the favorite to win the NFC East in 2020. Seriously. Why? The Giants have the brightest future of the bunch. You could see Sunday that the Giants are set at quarterback and running back for the long term. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones returned from injury and threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns. Second-year running back Saquon Barkley ran for 189 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 90 yards and another touchdown. Jones and Barkley could be superstars. Sure, there’s plenty of work to be done on the defense, at receiver and on the offensive line. But Jones and Barkley give the Giants hope and something to build around. Their presence and promise probably is enough to keep coach Pat Shurmur employed.
26. Carolina Panthers
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
(5-10. Last week: 25)
Perhaps the most insightful NFL quote of the week came from veteran Carolina tight end Greg Olsen, who has a bright future in broadcasting. After an embarrassing loss to Indianapolis, Olsen put Carolina’s situation into perfect context.
“It’s a really tough way to operate,” Olsen said. “Players are underperforming. It’s right now a very collective failure, organizationally a failure.”
The Panthers might be in the most disarray they’ve been in since coach George Seifert’s final year, a 1-15 season in 2001. Interim coach Perry Fewell hasn’t come close to winning a game since taking over when Ron Rivera was fired. It’s become obvious that Fewell will not get the permanent job. Owner David Tepper has to go out and find the right guy. If general manager Marty Hurney sticks around and has any input, his track record suggest he’ll favor a rising coordinator and not a former head coach or a college coach.
25. Los Angeles Chargers
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(5-10. Last week: 23)
The Chargers lost to the Raiders on Sunday, but the big story here came in the postgame. Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers told reporters he wants to continue playing. Rivers is 38 and in the final year of his contract.
“I’m capable enough physically and mentally, there’s no question,” Rivers said. “Yes, I do want to play football. I do, and that’s how I feel deep down as I stand here.”
But the bigger question is do the Chargers want Rivers back? Despite all he’s done for the franchise through the years, Rivers has endured a bad season. His 18 interceptions rank second in the NFL to Jameis Winston’s 28. The Chargers have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams and haven’t developed much of a fan base in Los Angeles. They’ll be moving into a new stadium next year, and it might be time for an infusion of excitement at quarterback, whether through the draft or via free agency.
The Seattle Seahawks suffered a devastating loss to the Arizona Cardinals Week 16, with players struggling on both sides of the ball.
For the fifth time in the last seven years, the Seattle Seahawks were embarrassed at home by the Arizona Cardinals. For whatever reason, the Cardinals always seem to know the trick to defeating the Seahawks in Seattle.
Of all the losses in the past seven years, Sunday’s was without a doubt the most disastrous in the recent series. The Seahawks looked absolutely futile in every aspect of the game, leaving little room for hope moving forward.
Before the day began, the Seahawks were on the inside track for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a first-round bye, and a division title. Now, they are staring directly at a wild card spot, perhaps even as low as the No. 6 seed, with a trip to either Lambeau Field or a return to Philadelphia.
There is no other way to put it – this one was brutal. As a result, there are only duds and no studs in Week 16.
Inactive Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown will undergo knee surgery on Monday.
The Seattle Seahawks have been absolutely decimated by injuries over the last few weeks, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. However, that all changed on Sunday with the loss of two running backs and an offensive lineman – potentially for the remainder of the season.
The final hit came after the game when coach Pete Carroll announced left tackle Duane Brown would undergo knee surgery on Monday. Brown was inactive for Seattle’s loss to Arizona.
“He needs to get his knee fixed,” Carroll said after the game. “He tried like crazy to get through it this week just couldn’t. He did everything during the week and couldn’t get it to quiet down. He just needs to get his knee cleaned up.”
Carroll did note that the procedure is not considered a major surgery and Brown does have a chance to return this season. However, Brown will likely be up against the clock to get back in time as Seattle continues its run at the playoffs.
