Tag: nfl week 18

Patriots Week 18 inactives: Mac Jones OUT, Nathan Rourke IN vs Jets

Mac Jones is a healthy scratch for the Patriots in Sunday’s game against the Jets

After beginning the season as the starter for the New England Patriots, Mac Jones will finish as a healthy scratch in Sunday’s finale against the New York Jets.

Jones was listed as inactive in the lead-up to the Week 18 matchup, which means Nathan Rourke will serve as the primary backup for Bailey Zappe.

There are questions regarding Jones’ future with the Patriots in 2024, and this roster move only thickens the plot with the team likely looking to move in a different direction at quarterback after the season.

The Patriots are expected to approach Sunday’s matchup as any other game with the typical starters being in the lineup. Along with Jones, wideout Tyquan Thornton and offensive tackle Trent Brown were also listed as inactive.

Here’s the full list of inactives for both teams:

Jones will serve as the emergency No. 3 option for the Patriots, if Zappe and Rourke both somehow get injured. Unless something crazy happens, Jones has officially played his final snap of the season.

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Bucs inactives list for Week 18 vs. Panthers

One doubtful player and one questionable player from the injury report will not play for the Bucs in Week 18.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be mostly healthy when they go up against

The Bucs will be missing two players listed as questionable in linebacker K.J. Britt, who was a late addition to the report on Friday with a calf injury, and wideout Rakim Jarrett, who is returning from injured reserve with a hamstring injury and my be a scratch for WR David Moore. Otherwise, the inactives list has looked how it has with the rest of its healthy scratches, with the exception of LB J.J. Russell who is active in Britt’s stead.

Here’s what the Bucs inactives look like for Sunday’s matchup:

  • QB John Wolford (3rd QB)
  • LB K.J. Britt
  • WR Rakim Jarrett
  • OL Brandon Walton
  • OLB Markees Watts

And here’s who’s inactive for the Panthers.

  • K Eddy Pineiro
  • CB Shaquill Griffin
  • T Ricky Lee
  • G Cade Mays
  • G Ilm Manning
  • WR Mike Strachan
  • OLB Marquis Haynes

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Bengals inactive players vs. Cleveland Browns in Week 18

Bengals announce inactives for Week 18 vs. Browns.

The inactives list for the Cincinnati Bengals before they take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 18 features some major names.

The full inactives list:

  • WR Tee Higgins
  • CB Chidobe Awuzie
  • RB Chris Evans
  • OL Trey Hill
  • OL D’Ante Smith
  • TE Irv Smith
  • DT Travis Bell

Tee Higgins is the biggest name and was doubtful entering this one, so his season ends early before a question-filled offseason that has him slated for free agency.

Also slated for free agency is Chidobe Awuzie and his injury holds him out on Sunday, too.

Tight end Irv Smith Jr. was a healthy scratch recently and is again here, seemingly ending his time in Cincinnati.

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Patriots Wire staff picks and scores for Patriots-Jets game

Patriots Wire staff picks for Sunday’s Patriots-Jets game. Who are you taking?

A snowy Foxborough will serve as the backdrop for Sunday’s regular season finale between the New England Patriots and New York Jets.

If anything, the winter wonderland should make the game even more interesting between the AFC East division rivals. Both teams are playing for pride at this point, and none more so than the Patriots, who could be playing in their final game with Bill Belichick as head coach.

There has been endless speculation regarding his fate throughout the season, but there’s no question the legendary coach is on the hot seat after what could be the worst season in his career with the Patriots.

The good news is the Patriots haven’t shown an ounce of quit down the stretch. They’re a feisty team that put up a fight against the Buffalo Bills on the road, along with knocking off the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers in recent weeks.

But will it be enough to end the season on a high note by toppling the struggling Jets? Here’s the round-up of predictions from the Patriots Wire staff members for Sunday’s finale:

Jordy McElroy (7-9) – Patriots 21, Jets 13

Danny Jaillet (13-3) – Patriots 6, Jets 14

Cam Garrity (8-8) – Patriots 10, Jets 24

Michael Braithwaite (8-8) – Patriots 27, Jets 17

There is so much history tied up in this game for the Patriots that it clearly isn’t any ordinary matchup. If Belichick coaches elsewhere next season, this will be a game looked back on for years to come as the end of an era.

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NFL Week 18 TV coverage maps

Check out which Sunday NFL games will air in your area in Week 18.

The Arizona Cardinals their final game of the season Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium. It is one of 14 games on the schedule in Week 18 on Sunday.

Two games were played on Saturday, both airing on ABC and ESPN.

There is no Monday night game, and the Sunday night game on NBC is a battle for the AFC East division title between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

That leaves 13 games to split between FOX and CBS.

In Week 18, both CBS and FOX get a doubleheader, meaning every home has their choice of early games and late games to watch.

What games will air in your area? Check out the coverage maps below with graphics from 506 Sports.

Patriots vs Jets 2024 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online

How to watch Sunday’s Patriots-Jets game

The New England Patriots close out the 2023 regular season with Sunday’s clash against the visiting New York Jets.

Neither team is playoff-bound, but the Patriots are jockeying for a potential top-three pick in the 2024 NFL draft. There’s also the very real possibility that this could be Bill Belichick’s last game as head coach in New England.

So there’s plenty of meaning left in what otherwise feels like a meaningless football game.

The last time the two teams met was back in September at MetLife Stadium, when the Patriots eked out an ugly 15-10 victory. That has been the story for the past 15 straight games with New England coming out on top of each head-to-head meeting.

We’ll see if things turn out differently this time around for a Jets team coming off a loss to the Cleveland Browns last week, while the Patriots fell in a surprisingly close road loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Here’s how to watch Sunday’s game:

Final score predictions for Browns vs. Bengals in Week 18

A final prediction for Browns vs. Bengals in Week 18.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been adamant all week that they will do whatever it takes to win the season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Doing so would mean at least finishing this embattled season with a winning record at 9-8. It would also mean avoiding going 0-6 in the AFC North for the first time since the realignment in 2002.

Luckily for all involved, the task shouldn’t be too hard.

Given the surrounding circumstances, those Browns won’t be playing most of their starters, including elite pass-rusher Myles Garrett. The Browns can’t better their No. 5 playoff seed with a win, so it’s effectively a bye week for them.

The Bengals, though, have Ja’Marr Chase about to play through injury to tough it out for the team. For what it’s worth, he says the shoulder injury won’t require surgery. Defensive end Sam Hubbard also says he’ll play through injury.

The Cincinnati defense shouldn’t have many issues containing Browns backup and former Bengals backup Jeff Driskel. For Cincinnati, Jake Browning should be able to keep the offense humming with Chase.

In a game without a lot of meaning when it comes to wins and losses, of major note is Trey Hendrickson sitting on 17 sacks. He’s two behind Steelers star T.J. Watt, so if he can register at least 2.5 on Sunday, he’ll become the first Bengals player to ever lead the league in sacks.

Also of interest, of course, is Bengals who could be playing their final game with the team, highlighted by wideout Tyler Boyd. It’s almost safe to presume coaches and players attempt to highlight those guys in what should be a winning effort before a critical offseason.

Prediction: Bengals 27, Browns 10

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NFL Week 18 best bets: Winners, spread and total picks for Sunday’s games

Check out our picks for the winner, spread and total for all 14 Week 18 games on Sunday.

The NFL has 14 games left on the Week 18 schedule, all on Sunday. On Sunday, some teams are fighting for the playoffs, for division titles or for playoff seeding.

Others are resting players for the playoffs. Still others are playing for pride.

It is the final Sunday of the regular season, which means there will be far fewer opportunities for betting on games.

Below are my betting picks for the 14 games that will be played on Sunday for the moneyline (winner), the spread and the total.

Bengals vs. Browns live stream, time, viewing info for Week 18

Viewing info for Bengals vs. Browns.

The Cincinnati Bengals season comes to a close on Sunday when the Cleveland Browns come to town for an in-division Week 18 game that looked as if it would be much more interesting at the beginning of the season.

It turns out this game doesn’t mean anything for the playoffs so the Browns will be resting their starters. However, the Bengals are still motivated to finish the season off with a win and have a record over .500 despite the injury issues that plagued the offense over the course of the year. Since Cleveland is expected to not play close to full strength, the Bengals are currently favored strongly.

On the defensive end, Trey Hendrickson currently sits in a tie for the league lead in sacks with T.J. Watt at 17. With former Bengals quarterback Jeff Driskel under center for the Browns in place of Joe Flacco and likely a weaker offensive line, he will have a solid chance at adding to that number and finishing with the lead which would be the first time in Bengals history.

Here’s a quick look at viewing info and key details about the matchup, including the forecast and opponent info.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns on Sunday, January 7 (1:00 p.m. ET)

TV info: CBS

In-market live stream: CBS/Local12, NFL+ (mobile only)

Radio: Cincinnati – WCKY-AM (1530), Cincinnati – WEBN-FM (102.7), Cincinnati – WLW-AM (700)

Location: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio

Forecast: Cloudy, 38 degrees

Referee: Alan Eck

Opponent Wire site: Browns Wire

Odds: Bengals -7

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Alan Eck assigned to Browns vs. Bengals in Week 18

Referee info for Browns vs. Bengals.

In a game that doesn’t have any playoff implications for either team, the Cincinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday to finish the regular season.

In the final game, Alan Eck will be the referee for the first time in a Bengals game this year. In his first year as a referee, he has worked 16 games and is averaging 10.1 flags thrown per game.

It is his first year being a referee, but he was an umpire for the Bengals regular season win over the Kansas City Chiefs last season in which Joe Burrow threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns with just six incompletions.

The Bengals are tied for first in the NFL with just 4.7 penalties per game while the Browns are 29th in the league with 6.8 penalties per game, though their starters won’t be on the field for much of the game their penalty frequency might not apply.

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