Hill has been battling a foot injury for the majority of the 2024 season. He played through it for an extended period, including during Nebraska’s last two games against UCLA and USC, respectively.
“Everything’s a collaboration, but I can’t put him out there anymore,” Rhule said during his press conference on Thursday. “[Tommy Hill] cares about his teammates and wants to be out there, but he’s only hurting himself and giving up touchdowns.”
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule says that DB Tommi Hill will be OUT for the final two games of the season.
“Had the foot injury and it’s just never quite been the same.”
“I can’t put him out there anymore.”
“He’s only hurting himself and giving up touchdowns.” #Huskers
Hill has recorded 21 tackles, one interception and one pass deflection through seven appearances in 2024. Those numbers are all a big drop from his production as Nebraska’s top cornerback in 2023 — 26 tackles, four interceptions and nine pass deflections.
As Rhule noted, the veteran cornerback has struggled at times this season while battling through the lingering foot injury. Rhule noted that he expects younger players to contribute in Hill’s absence both on Saturday against Wisconsin and in Week 14 against Iowa.
The veteran cornerback will now look to get healthy before the 2025 Reese’s SeniorBowl and NFL draft process.
Nebraska enters Saturday’s matchup allowing 210.9 passing yards per game, including 259 to USC and new quarterback Jayden Maiava in the Cornhuskers’ Week 12 loss.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, needs an offensive boost after scoring just 36 total points over the team’s last three games — losses to Penn State, Iowa and Oregon, respectively. The Badgers fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo after the latest loss.
Hill’s injury may not completely change Saturday’s game, but it is a variable to consider when QB Braedyn Locke and the Badgers passing offense looks for its best performance in a month.
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Previewing the 49ers ahead of Sunday’s NFC North showdown at Lambeau Field in Week 12.
The Green Bay Packers will attempt to solidifying their standing in the NFC playoff race and get a little postseason revenge when the San Francisco 49ers come to Lambeau Field for a Week 12 showdown on Sunday.
The Packers are 7-3 and can gain another advantage over a playoff contender with a win on Sunday. The 49ers are 5-5 and in big danger of missing the playoffs if they can’t win in Green Bay.
The 49ers held a 17-13 lead late in the fourth quarter but gave up an 80-yard touchdown drive, losing 20-17 when Geno Smith scrambled in for the go-ahead score with 12 seconds to go. Kyle Shanahan’s team was one first down away from clinching the win but couldn’t get it done, and Smith found big completions to DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the final drive before his go-ahead rushing score. Brock Purdy scrambled for a touchdown in the first half and found Jauan Jennings for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. Jennings caught 10 passes, Christian McCaffrey went over 100 total yards and Purdy rushed for 40 yards. The 49ers delivered four sacks and a takeaway on defense, and the offense converted 7-of-11 third downs, but Shanahan’s team also committed nine penalties. Like Packers-Bears, 49ers-Seahawks was a low-possession game.
Quarterback play
Brock Purdy’s efficiency as the leader of the 49ers offense hasn’t reached 2023 levels, but he’s still completing 66.0 percent of his passes and averaging 8.5 yards per attempt (third best) while adding a dynamic scrambling ability (267 rushing yards, four touchdowns). By overall PFF grade, Purdy ranks ninth among quarterbacks. His big-time throw percentage is down, but so is his turnover-worthy play percentage. He’s also holding the ball much longer this season, possibly due to the injuries to stars on the 49ers offense. The Packers must be aware of Purdy’s scrambling ability — he ranks second among all quarterbacks with 37 scrambles this season. Purdy doesn’t have elite size but he is a quick and creative runner.
Line of scrimmage
The 49ers rank 13th in pass-blocking grade and first in run-blocking grade at PFF. Brock Purdy has been sacked 20 times, but he’s held the ball longer this season. The run game is averaging 5.0 yards per attempt, a top-5 mark. The Packers defensive front will be challenged by an offensive line featuring veteran All-Pro Trent Williams and solid rookie Dominick Puni. Tight end George Kittle is a game-changing blocker, but he missed last week with a hamstring injury. Defensively, the 49ers are giving up just 4.3 yards per carry, a top-10 mark, and have 26 sacks. Nick Bosa is the star up front, but Leonard Floyd and Maliek Collins both have 30 or more pressures. At PFF, the 49ers rank 27th in run defense grade and 13th in pass-rushing grade, so it’s possible this is an underperforming defensive front through 10 games.
Turnovers
The 49ers are plus-3 in turnover margin this season, ranking 11th overall. Of the offense’s 13 turnovers, eight have come via interceptions thrown by Brock Purdy, including one last week on a deflected ball. The defense has 16 takeaways, ranking ninth. The 49ers are one of nine teams with 10 or more interceptions this season, so Jordan Love must be careful with the football. All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner has a league-high four forced fumbles, plus two picks. The 49ers are only 1-3 when forcing one or zero turnovers this season, and 2-5 when they have at least one giveaway. San Francisco turned it over multiple times in losses to the Chiefs, Cardinals and Vikings.
Injury situations
The 49ers are missing a lot of big pieces. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk, defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and safety Talanoa Hufanga are all on injured reserve. Defensive end Nick Bosa is dealing with a couple of lower-body injuries. Tight end George Kittle missed last week with a hamstring injury. Running back Christian McCaffrey is still working his way back from a calf/Achilles injury. Cornerback Charvarius Ward has missed time due to a devastating off-the-field issue but could return thisk week. More will be known on the 49ers injuries later on Wednesday.
Players to know
LB Fred Warner: The Packers need to know where No. 54 is on every snap. He’s one of the true game-wrecking linebackers in the NFL.
WR Jauan Jennings: A big, physical receiver who has 42 catches and a team-high 588 receiving yards this season. He can block, make contested catches and win after the catch.
LB De’Vondre Campbell: The former Packers linebacker has allowed catches on 40 of 46 targets into his coverage and has missed a team-high 11 tackles.
TE George Kittle: He leads all tight ends with seven touchdown catches, and he’s arguably the most impactful blocking tight end in the NFL. Will he return from a hamstring injury?
CB Deommodore Lenoir: He’s picked off two passes and broken up four more, and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 68.4 when targeting him in coverage.
Normally, that would be enough stakes alone. But how each team has reached this point is significant to note.
Wisconsin was 5-2 through seven games after a win over Northwestern capped an impressive three-game winning streak. The season has somewhat tanked since then, with demoralizing losses to Penn State, Iowa and Oregon, respectively.
The Badgers fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo after the latest loss, signaling the current state of affairs in year two of the Luke Fickell era. Overall, the program is far from where many expected it to be.
The Nebraska side is somehow even worse. The Cornhuskers were 5-1 to start the year, headlined by a big win over Colorado. They appeared to be at the start of a resurgence in year two under Matt Rhule.
Since that point: 56-7 loss to Indiana, 21-17 loss to Ohio State, 27-20 loss to UCLA and 28-20 loss to USC. Nebraska brings a four-game losing streak into Saturday’s matchup.
That four-game losing streak means a bit more to Nebraska than Wisconsin’s losing streak does to its program. Nebraska has not made a bowl game since 2016. It is now a whopping 0-9 in games with bowl eligibility on the line during that time, including now 0-8 under Rhule — 0-4 in 2023, 0-4 in 2024.
The FBS record for consecutive losses with bowl eligibility at stake is 10 (Mike MacIntyre and Colorado from 2017-18 and Lou Holtz at South Carolina from 2002-04). Another loss for Rhule would bring him within one defeat of the record. Losses to both Wisconsin and Iowa to close the season would bring him to that mark.
That’s what Wisconsin has to play for on Saturday, other than the famous Freedom Trophy — that Nebraska has yet to possess. With a win, the Badgers would put Nebraska in a record category of programs to lose 10 straight games with bowl eligibility at stake. With a loss, Wisconsin would forever be the team that ended that record bowl drought.
There are larger Fickell vs. Rhule implications after both were high-profile hires before the 2023 season. But that conversation can wait until postgame. Just note: coaches that lose nine or ten straight games with bowl eligibility on the line usually don’t stick around for very long.
Nebraska's record under Matt Rhule is now 0-8 when they've had a chance to clinch a bowl game.
Since 1936, only 11 other FBS coaches have a streak that long.
Wisconsin and Nebraska will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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Everything to know about how to watch the upcoming matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns.
The New Orleans Saints got back to the right side of the win column in shocking fashion last week with a 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The team could not have asked for a better start to the Darren Rizzi era after parting ways with Dennis Allen in Caesars Superdome, and will have the perfect opportunity to keep the momentum rolling with a matchup against the 2-7 Cleveland Browns as they make their way to the Big Easy.
Cleveland is slightly favored in this matchup by a mere point in a game that is almost certain to come down to the wire. And it will mark the Saints’ first opportunity in months to prove they can stack wins after snapping an abysmal seven-game losing streak.
Here’s how to watch the Saints and Browns game, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:
What channel is Saints vs. Browns game on today? Time, TV schedule
TV Channel: FOX
Start time: 1 p.m. ET
Saints vs. Browns will broadcast nationally on FOX in Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season. Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Jonathan Vilma (color analyst) and Jennifer Hale (sideline reporter) will be on the call.
Where to watch Saints vs. Browns on livestream
Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
For FUBO:
[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Saints vs Browns live on Fubo (free trial)” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]
Saints vs. Browns predictions, picks, odds
Saints 23, Browns 20: The Saints and the Browns have been two of the NFL’s lowliest teams for sometime now with similar records. But the Saints come into this one with a new sense of momentum and optimism in the second game of the Darren Rizzi era after knocking off the Atlanta Falcons with a 20-17 statement win. The Saints build off of this one in Caesars Superdome with a 23-20 win, as long as they keep Nick Chubb from getting back to doing Nick Chubb things.
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All the latest updates and news on Wisconsin’s injury report ahead of a Week 12 game vs. Oregon
The Wisconsin Badgers (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) and No. 1 Oregon Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) are close to 90 minutes away from kickoff at Camp Randall Stadium.
Wisconsin enters as a sizable underdog, looking to pull its first upset over an AP No. 1 overall team since it defeated then-No. 1 Ohio State back in 2010.
Oregon is the consensus No. 1 team in the country with a flawless record and strong resume. It has won each of its last four games by at least 21 points, including a 39-18 win over Maryland in Week 11.
In advance of the opening coin toss, each team released its final injury status report. There are several notable updates, including Oregon missing two of its top players:
Wisconsin injury report
OUT: RB Chez Mellusi (for season), QB Tyler Van Dyke (for season), WR Joseph Griffin (for season), S Kamo’i Latu, OL Evan Brown, OL Leyton Nelson, TE Rob Booker, DL James Thompson Jr.
OUT: EDGE Jordan Burch, DB Jahlil Florence, DB Khamari Terrell, WR Tez Johnson, WR Kyler Kasper, OL Marcus Harper, OL Matthew Bedford, DL My’keil Gardner
QUESTIONABLE: None
Wisconsin WR Bryson Green injury update
Badgers veteran receiver Bryson Green appears poised for his first game action since suffering a lower-body injury in Wisconsin’s Oct. 5 win over Purdue.
Oregon WR Tez Johnson injury update
Tez Johnson went down with a shoulder injury during Oregon’s win over Michigan a few weeks ago. The injury is not considered season-ending, but he isn’t ready for Saturday’s contest.
Oregon edge Jordan Burch injury update
Oregon star defensive end Jordan Burch injured his ankle in the Ducks’ win over Maryland and will miss the Wisconsin matchup.
Wisconsin WR Tyrell Henry injury update
Wisconsin WR and kick returner Tyrell Henry is questionable for the Oregon game after missing several weeks due to injury. S Hunter Wohler has handled punt return duties in his absence.
Wisconsin and Oregon will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
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Nick Chubb has struggled since returning from a major injury, and the Browns’ bye week may have been exactly what he needed. The Saints can’t allow him to bounce back:
This can’t be the game Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb returns to form, not if the New Orleans Saints want to win a second consecutive week.
Prior to being injured at the beginning of the 2023 season, Chubb was one of the best running backs in the league. There was hopes he could help add a spark to the Cleveland Browns offense upon his return. That simply didn’t happen.
Chubb’s best game was against Baltimore, where he averaged 3.2 yards per carry and ended with 52 yards.
Struggles should have been expected, and surpassing those expectations should have been a welcomed surprise.
Coming off a bye week seems like an optimal time for Chubb to step up his performance. Facing the Saints’ struggling also presents a chance to return to form. Missed tackles have plagued New Orleans this year.
Allowing Chubb to have a bounce back game will allow to the Browns to unlock their preferred method of offense. It also attacks the weaker point of the Saints defense. That’s a double whammy New Orleans can’t afford.
The Saints started with their shortest injury report in weeks before Sunday’s game with the Browns. Team health is finally trending up:
This is what you want to see. The New Orleans Saints shared their shortest injury report in weeks, if not months, ahead of Week 11’s home game with the Cleveland Browns. Just nine players were listed this time after what’s felt like double-digit injury reports had become the norm.
And of those nine, only three didn’t practice on Wednesday. Linebacker Pete Werner (hand), guard Lucas Patrick (ankle), running back Jamaal Williams (groin) weren’t able to go, though in Werner’s case he’s said to be day-to-day with a chance to play on Sunday. So really that’s two inactives and a single starter down to start the week
Of course that doesn’t mean everything is great. The team’s two best receivers, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, are both on injured reserve and might be done for the year already. But we’ll take our wins where we can find them. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi expressed optimism that starting center Erik McCoy (groin) could return from I.R. this week, and that rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (hamstring) may return to the starting lineup after missing a few games with an injury of his own. That’s progress.
As for the Browns? Their injury report is even more brief than the Saints’, with the most notable listing being wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (knee), who practiced fully on Wednesday. Health won’t be in the Saints’ favor this week, but for possibly the first time this season it may not be actively holding them back.
Previewing the Bears ahead of Sunday’s NFC North showdown at Soldier Field in Week 11.
The Green Bay Packers will come out of the bye and travel to Chicago to play the rival Bears in Week 11 of the 2024 season.
The Packers, at 6-3 and in good shape in the NFC playoff race entering the second half, are hoping to get hot over the last two months of the season. The Bears, meanwhile, have lost three straight games following their bye week and just fired their offensive coordinator.
Can the Packers continue their dominance over the Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field?
Here’s a closer look at the Bears entering Week 11:
Last week (Loss, 19-3 to Patriots)
The Bears gained only 142 total yards, allowed nine sacks, scored only one field goal and gave up five scoring drives in a disappointing loss to the lowly New England Patriots at a boo-filled Soldier Field last Sunday. The Bears were 6.0-point favorites but lost by 16 — the third biggest defeat of Week 10. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams completed 16 passes for only 120 yards and lost 51 yards on nine sacks. The Bears had only one play from scrimmage over 15 yards. Chicago’s defense delivered an interception of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, but the Patriots rushed for 144 yards, allowed only one sack and won the time of possession battle. The Bears tied the game at 3-3 in the second quarter, but the Patriots scored 16 straight points to end the game.
Quarterback play
First overall Caleb Williams is struggling. After throwing four touchdown passes in a win over the Jaguars in London before the bye, Williams has completed 48 of 95 passes (50.5 percent) for 468 yards (4.93 per attempt), zero touchdowns and zero interceptions while taking 18 sacks and losing a fumble. The Bears have scored only 27 total points during the three-game losing streak. Williams loves to hold the football and improvise, but he’s found it difficult to play consistently using this playstyle at the NFL level. Among 34 qualified quarterbacks, Williams ranks 32nd in completion percentage, 29th in yards per attempt, 30th in success rate, 28th in passer rating, 33rd in sack percentage and 31st in net yards per attempt. He’s also last in PFF pass grade. Now he’ll be operating under a new playcaller just 10 games into his rookie season.
Line of scrimmage
By pass-blocking grade at PFF, the Bears are actually quite good up front on offense — ranking 10th overall entering Week 11. Injuries have affected the starting five in recent weeks, but Caleb Williams’ desire to hold the ball and improvise is a big reason why the rookie quarterback has been sacked an NFL-high 38 times in nine games. Running the football has been an issue — the Bears are averaging just 4.0 yards per carry and among the league’s worst in rushing success rate. The Bears defense has also struggled against the run, giving up 4.8 yards per carry. They are better rushing the passer, with the 10th best pass-rushing grade at PFF. Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, Demarcus Walker and Darrell Taylor all have 19 or more pressures this season.
Turnovers
The Bears are actually one of the league’s best teams in turnover margin. With only eight giveaways (tied for fifth fewest) and 16 takeaways (tied for fifth most), the Bears are plus-8 overall, trailing only the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers for the NFL lead. After turning the ball over six times in the first three games, the Bears have just two turnovers — an NFL low — over the last seven weeks. Defensively, Chicago is 4-2 when producing two or more takeaways this season. Winning the ball will be a big part of winning Sunday for the Packers.
Injury situations
Last week, the Bears were without safety Jaquon Brisker (concussion), offensive tackle Braxton Jones (knee), edge rusher Darrell Taylor (knee), defensive lineman Andrew Billings, offensive tackle Darnell Wright (knee) and defensive back Jaylon Jones. Guard Teven Jenkins left the loss to the Patriots with an ankle injury. This is a hurting Bears team along the line of scrimmage. Wednesday’s injury report will provide additional updates on the Bears’ injury situation in Week 11.
Players to know
RB DeAndre Swift: He leads the Bears in total touches (167) and total yards (794). The Bears have struggled to get him going as a runner (4.0 per carry, 45.7 percent success rate).
S Kevin Byard: The veteran safety is having an excellent first season in Chicago. He is the Bears’ highest graded defensive starter at Pro Football Focus through 10 weeks.
DL Gervon Dexter: The 6-6, 312-pounder interior disruptor has a team-high 4.0 sacks and 13 quarterback hits. He’s quick and powerful as a pass-rusher.
WR Rome Odunze: The Bears’ other first-round pick leads the team in receiving yards (414), and he’s averaging more yards per catch and more yards per target than D.J. Moore.
TE Cole Kmet: He’s averaging 9.3 yards per target and has a team-high three touchdown passes, so it’s possible he’ll become a bigger part of the passing game down the stretch.
P Tory Taylor: The rookie punter actually has more punting yards (2,153) than Caleb Williams has passing yards (1,785) in 2024.
Where Wisconsin football stands in ESPN SP+ entering big game vs. No. 1 Oregon
Wisconsin will enter Saturday’s matchup against the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks as sizable underdogs.
Aside from the Las Vegas spread, every metric system projects a big gap between the two teams — and understandably so. Oregon is 10-0 on the season, 7-0 in Big Ten play and has won each of its last four games by at least 21 points. Wisconsin, meanwhile, is 5-4 on the season and recently allowed 329 rushing yards in a blowout loss to Iowa.
ESPN SP+ is one of those metrics. Wisconsin exits its bye week ranked No. 44 overall (No. 86 offense, No. 22 defense) with an overall rating of 5.9. Oregon is up at No. 3 overall (No. 2 offense, No. 10 defense) with a rating of 27.4.
Ignoring factors like home-field advantage, SP+ sees the Ducks as 21.5 points better than the Badgers at this stage of the season.
SP+ RANKINGS AFTER 11 WEEKS (after maybe its best week of the season):
* Tulane: 📈📈📈 * FSU, Florida and Washington: 📉📉📉 * NO. 4 SEED SMU * The Résumé SP+ top 15, once again led by your mighty, indomitable Indiana Hoosiershttps://t.co/MnZsUntkJO
Wisconsin enters the matchup after consecutive the losses, including the mentioned blowout at Iowa. The team sits one win short of bowl eligibility. It could clinch a postseason berth and then some with an upset win over the Ducks.
The matchup is Wisconsin’s first home game against a No. 1-ranked team in the AP Poll since it famously defeated then-No. 1 Ohio State in 2010. Luke Fickell and company will look to repeat that well-known performance.
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Most experts have picked the Chiefs to beat the Broncos on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs (8-0) will host the Denver Broncos (5-4) in Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season on Sunday afternoon. Check out NFL.com’s video preview and expert game picks below.
After taking on the Chiefs, the Broncos will return home to host the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 10.
