Tag: NFL

Mike Edwards injury vs. Panthers: Latest news on Bucs S

Bucs safety Mike Edwards has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Panthers with a hamstring injury.

Bucs safety Mike Edwards has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Panthers with a hamstring injury. It is unclear when Edwards suffered the injury though it may have come on Carolina’s second quarter drive that ended in kicker Eddy Pineiro’s second missed field goal.

Mike Edwards injury update

 

Bucs Safety depth chart

Even before Edwards’ injury, the Bucs were already very thin in the secondary. Starting safety, Jordan Whitehead was put on injured reserve this week with a pectoral injury, and nickel corner Tykee Smith has missed the last two weeks with a knee injury.

Backup safety Christian Izien is already playing nickel corner in Smith’s place. Tavierre Thomas is the only other healthy safety on the roster, though he primarily plays special teams. The Bucs cannot afford many more injuries in the defensive backfield, which has struggled all year in the face of injuries and generally inconsistent play.

Leonard Williams makes history in Seahawks victory over Jets

Leonard Williams makes history in Seahawks victory over Jets

Going into the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 13 showdown against the New York Jets, one of the biggest talking points was quarterback Geno Smith’s “homecoming” against the team that drafted him back in 2013. But a lesser talked about storyline was another “homecoming” for star defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

Of course, we at Seahawks Wire were well aware of the significance of Williams returning to face the team that picked him No. 6 overall during the 2015 NFL draft.

Big Cat reminded the Jets faithful why their team spent such precious draft capital on him, and why they should have found a way to keep him a lot longer than they did. Williams was an absolute terror in Week 13, sacking Aaron Rodgers twice, snagging an interception and returning it for a touchdown. In fact, his dominance was quite literally historic!

For the record, 1982 was the first year the NFL started to tack sacks as an official statistic. So as far as the official league record books are concerned, this could very likely be the only time this has ever happened.

The Seahawks inked Williams to a three-year, $64 million extension this past offseason. After his dominant game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12, then his historic one in Week 13, I think it is safe to say he is worth every penny the team has (and will pay) him.

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Mike Tomlin sends clear message to George Pickens after win

Mike Tomlin needs George Pickens to grow up in a hurry.

It would be easy to dismiss the latest antics of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens because the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals. But that isn’t an option for head coach Mike Tomlin. He needs his best receiver to be better and on Sunday he wasn’t.

Pickens got flagged for two separate personal fouls, both of which were just a product of immaturity and 100 percent avoidable. Pickens was flagged for taunting after a catch and then later in the game got another when he did a finger-gun celebration after a catch.

After the game at his post-game press conference, Tomlin actually addressed the issues and was surprisingly candid about Pickens lack of maturity.

“You know he just has to grow up man,” Tomlin said  “He’s got a target on his back because he’s George, but he has to grow up. He has to grow up in a hurry.”

Pickens led the team with 74 receiving yards and is obviously the team’s best receiving threat. But he is putting Tomlin in a brutal position if he can’t control himself on the field down the stretch.

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Cardinals lose ground in NFC West with loss to Vikings

The Cardinals now trail the Seahawks by a full game after losing on Sunday and the Seahawks beating the Jets.

The Arizona Cardinals entered Week 13 tied with the Seattle Seahawks at 6-5 atop the NFC West, although Seattle held a head-to-head tiebreaker to be the leader.

After games in Week 13, the Cardinals lost ground.

They blew a 13-point second-half lead on Sunday, falling 23-22 to the Minnesota Vikings, falling to 6-6.

What made things worse was seeing the Seattle Seahawks rally back from 14-0 and 21-7 deficits to beat the New York Jets 26-21, improving them to 7-5.

The Cardinals are now a full game behind Seattle in the division and have a critical game home against them next week. Win and they eliminate the tiebreaker. Lose and they will be essentially three games behind because of the two-game lead and head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Cardinals can’t afford to lose three in a row after winning four straight.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Joe Burrow praises Steelers’ Cameron Heyward after dominant performance

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow lauds standout performance by Pittsburgh Steelers veteran defender Cameron Heyward.

In the aftermath of a frustrating offensive performance, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took a moment to spotlight an opponent who made a significant impact: Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.

After a challenging 2023 season marred by injury, Heyward has roared back in 2024, delivering another standout showing with five tackles, including two for loss, a pass defended, and his fifth sack of the season.

Burrow acknowledged Heyward’s pivotal 3rd quarter sack, an eight-yard loss that underscored the veteran defender’s dominant presence.

“Cam Heyward made a great play,” Burrow said of his takedown by Heyward.

The performance further cements Heyward’s reputation as a relentless force and locker room leader.

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KJ Britt injury vs. Panthers: Latest news on Bucs LB

Bucs linebacker KJ Britt is questionable to return to Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers with an ankle injury.

(This post was updated following an injury update on K.J. Britt)

Buccaneers inside linebacker KJ Britt exited Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers with an ankle injury and has been ruled out by the team. Britt was injured on the first play of the Panthers’ first touchdown drive of the game.

K.J. Britt injury update

 

How long will K.J. Britt be out?

He was replaced by reserve linebacker JJ Russell though recent roster addition Vi Jones will get work in Britt’s stead as well.

Bucs LB depth chart

The Bucs have been platooning their inside linebackers, with Britt typically taking early-down snaps. Britt has been exposed this year on passing downs and has seen reduced usage from last season when he took over for Devin White.

The position itself doesn’t have much more depth to support a serious injury, so the Bucs hope that this is minor.

Rams just snapped a 129-game streak by getting shut out in 1st half vs. Saints

The Rams had gone 129 straight games without getting shut out in the first half before Sunday’s game against the Saints

The Los Angeles Rams came into Week 13 looking to find something on offense after putting up just 20 points against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the first half went about as poorly as it could have. After gaining just 4 yards in the entire first quarter against the New Orleans Saints, the Rams continued to struggle in the second quarter with just 89 total yards and zero points.

They went into halftime at the Superdome trailing 6-0, getting outgained by the Saints, 174-93. Alvin Kamara had 80 yards rushing by himself, which was just 13 fewer yards than the Rams had as a team.

It was the first time in the Sean McVay era that the Rams were shut out in the first half of a regular-season game. Coming into this game, they had an NFL-long 129 game streak without getting shut out in the first half, but that came to an end with their abysmal performance in the first 30 minutes against New Orleans.

The last time they were shut out in the first half of a game was in December of 2016, before McVay was even hired. Currently, the Ravens have the longest streak of games without being shut out in the first half, extending it to 124 games on Sunday.

Steelers offense comes to life in big win over Bengals

Russell Wilson and Najee Harris led the way for the Steelers offense in Sunday’s win.

It’s been nearly six years since we saw the type of offensive outburst we saw on Saturday. On a weekend when the defense didn’t have the answers for the Cincinnati Bengals, the offense carried the load, leading Pittsburgh to a 44-38 win in an AFC North shootout.

You could tell the Steelers offense took the extra time off to work on some problems. Quarterback Russell Wilson did a much better job getting the football out of his hands quicker, leading to fewer hits for him and resulting in 414 passing yards. The last time the Steelers topped 400 passing yards an a game was all the sway back in 2018.

The Steelers defense bent but never broke and took advantage of three turnovers and four sacks of Joe Burrow to keep the damage to a minimum. Of the 38 points Cincinnati scored, one touchdown didn’t fall on the defense as it was a pick-six.

No time to sit back and enjoy this one as the Steelers now have to come back home for a rematch against the Browns, who beat them just two weeks ago.

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Seahawks escape from New York with a 26-21 win over the Jets

Seahawks escape from New York with a 26-21 win over the Jets

The Seattle Seahawks just escaped from New York in one of the most bizarre, sloppy, and confusing games we’ve seen in quite some time. But as I’ve always said, style points don’t matter in the NFL… only wins do.

The Seahawks are now 7-0 when playing at MetLife Stadium, which has become a home away from home.

It certainly was not easy for Seattle to get this win. The Jets may have been only a three-win team, but they put up a fight, especially in the first half. Thanks to special teams miscues by the Hawks, New York capitalized for 21 points. But the Seahawks defense clamped down after intermission and suffocated the life out of the Jets. New York only had four possessions, and they went as follows:

  • Punt
  • Fumble
  • Punt
  • Turnover on downs

Part of the limited opportunities for the Jets in the second half was the fact the Seahawks controlled the clock to close out the game. They had drives of 12, 10 and 9 plays. Their first drive of the second half ended in frustrating disaster. After eight tries at the goal line, Geno Smith’s sack on 4th and goal turned the ball over on downs and Seattle came away with nothing. Thankfully, the Hawks forced a fumble which was recovered by rookie Tyrice Knight.

Smith then marched the team 39 yards to connect with another successful Jason Myers field goal to cut the lead 21-19.

However, the true miracles took place on the next possession. Trailing by two points, it was happy hour at the Last Chance Saloon for Seattle. It likely should have been lights out for the Seahawks, but the Jets continued to give Seattle more and more opportunities. New York was flagged four times on the Seahawks’ game winning drive – three of which were on 4th downs where Gang Green actually had Seattle stopped. The Jets were flagged 12 total times – 10 of which were in the second half alone.

The Hawks took advantage of those continued opportunities and capped it off with a go-ahead touchdown run by Zach Charbonnet. After Aaron Rodgers’ pass on 4th-and-15 fell incomplete, Seattle officially completed the comeback and Geno Smith earned his 11th game-winning drive since the start of 2022.

Aaron Rodgers was held in check, completing 21-of-39 passes for only 185 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Meanwhile his counterpart on the other sideline, Geno Smith, was his usual efficient self, completing 64% of his passes for 206 yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks are now 7-5 and extended their lead in the NFC West thanks to Arizona losing to Minnesota 23-22 earlier in the afternoon. Seattle will once again take on the Cardinals next week, but will do so in the Valley of the Sun.

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