Tag: matchup

Cameron Jordan expected to face 3rd-string Raiders right tackle on MNF

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is expected to face Denzelle Good, a Las Vegas Raiders backup guard forced to play tackle.

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So, this might be a mismatch: the Las Vegas Raiders are preparing to start reserve guard Denzelle Good at right tackle against the New Orleans Saints, with both the starter (Trent Brown) and backup (Sam Young) doubtful to suit up because of injuries. That puts Good against All-Pro Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan.

Sure, the situation could change in the time before kickoff; Good normally plays guard, not tackle, but was pressed into action last week when the nominal next-man-up (third-year pro Brandon Parker) was inactive. Parker could get a look instead, but the Raiders were encouraged by Good’s performance against the Carolina Panthers.

“Denzelle has played a lot of football,” Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson told Raiders Wire. “He’s played football at a high level, not only here, but in Indianapolis as well. We have high expectations for him, and he has high expectations himself. You certainly hate to lose your starter, it’s not ideal. Hate to lose a backup to him, it’s certainly not ideal, but again they’ll rise to the challenge.”

Good has appeared in 47 games (28 starts) in his NFL career, predominately at the right guard spot. He did play well at Carolina and didn’t allow a sack, but he wasn’t exactly facing a bunch of world-beaters there.

Now Good is slated to face a five-time Pro Bowler coming off a career year. Jordan typically rushes from the left end spot against right tackles, and he’ll be a sky-high challenge for Good to contain. He bagged a personal-best 15.5 sacks last season and was one of three Saints players to take down Tom Brady in Week 1 (backup defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Carl Granderson also recorded sacks).

We’ll see how it turns out on “Monday Night Football” when the Saints and Raiders kick off at Allegiant Stadium. But this is a battle Jordan has to feel confident he can win.

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Drew Brees wants to play the winner of Tom Brady-Peyton Manning golf matchup

Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson are golfing with Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods. Drew Brees and Sergio Garcia want to play the winning duo.

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Tom Brady and Peyton Manning played against each other often in their long NFL careers, so it’s only natural that they will cross paths again during a high-profile charity golf matchup for charity. While Brady has paired up with legendary golfer Phil Mickelson, Manning teamed up with the sport’s icon, Tiger Woods. It’s shaping up for a star-studded afternoon at “The Match: Champions for Charity” at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla.

And Drew Brees wants to play the winner, offering an opportunity to settle which of the three quarterbacks is the greatest out on the greens. He’s bringing backup, too, by volunteering his cousin-in-law Sergio Garcia (the 2017 Masters Tournament champion) to join him. That’s what Brees wrote from his official Instagram account, wishing Brady and Manning well in their efforts at raising money for a charitable cause.

With golf clubs and courses reopening around the country after closures related to the coronavirus pandemic, more celebrity games like this figure to become more common. And it would be fun to see how Brees compares to the quarterbacks whose records he’s broken in football, even if Manning has had a few extra years of practice in retirement. Hopefully the pros take it easy on them.

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2020 Redskins schedule: Ranking the 7 toughest games this season

Washington hase zero primetime games, other than playing the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, which kicks off a tough road stretch in December.

Now that we know the order and time in which the Washington Redskins will be playing their opponents in 2020, we can start to get a feel for how the season might play out. Our biggest takeaway from the Redskins schedule release comes on Thanksgiving and builds from there. The Redskins will travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys on Turkey Day, and that will start a three-game road trip that then goes to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, followed by a trip out west to play the San Francisco 49ers.

So while there are a few games on the docket in which the Redskins should definitely come out victorious, there are also a handful of games in which a win might seem miraculous. Here’s our ranking of those games, from tough to toughest.

No. 7 — at Arizona Cardinals (Week 2)

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

If you went back even a year ago, it would seem absolutely crazy to say that the Cardinals are going to be one of the tougher teams that the Redskins play this season, but I truly believe that Arizona will step up this season in a big way. QB Kyler Murray showed a lot of promise in 2019, and he’s been given All-Star WR DeAndre Hopkins to throw to, who will come in alongside veteran Larry Fitzgerald.

Arizona’s defense isn’t anything that will keep you up at night, but it’s going to take a solid gameplan to slow down their offense and keep points off the board. Washington’s defensive line may be able to get pressure on Murray, but there’s no guarantee that they can get him to the ground before he finds Nuke running wide downfield.

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