Andrus Peat expected to miss six weeks with a broken arm

The New Orleans Saints lost starting left guard Andrus Peat to a broken arm against the Atlanta Falcons, and he’s expected to miss six weeks

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Bad news hit the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that left guard Andrus Peat suffered a broken arm in Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Peat went through surgery Wednesday and the team expects him to be sidelined for six weeks, per Schefter’s report. That would put him on the shelf until their Dec. 22 game with the Tennessee Titans.

It’s a big loss for the Saints. Despite his inconsistent level of play, Peat was their best option to start at left guard as well as the immediate backup for left tackle Terron Armstead. He’ll likely be replaced by his own backup, second-year pro Will Clapp, though free-agent signee Nick Easton should also be a candidate to get playing time. Easton has been a healthy scratch in six of nine games after signing a four-year, $20 million contract with New Orleans earlier this year.

It couldn’t come at a worse time for Peat, who is scheduled to test free agency in the spring. The 25-year-old is playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, guaranteeing him $9.625 million in 2019. The sad state of offensive line play around the league means he’ll have plenty of bidders looking to pay him to start at either left tackle or left guard, and probably put him out of New Orleans’ price range even with this injury.

And injury concerns are something that has dogged Peat throughout his career: he’s never played a 16-game season, despite coming close in both 2016 and 2017 with 15 games played in each outing, though his 2017 season ended with a broken leg. He missed three games in 2018 due to a sprained ankle, concussion, and broken hand, but made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. A growing list of injuries, poor positional fits (the Saints tried him out at both tackle and guard on each side of the line before settling at left guard), and a probably-high price tag mean his days in New Orleans may be numbered.

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NFL announces date, time and TV channel for Broncos’ game vs. Lions

The NFL has announced the date, time and television channel for the Broncos’ Week 16 game against the Lions.

When the NFL announced the Denver Broncos2019 schedule in April, the date, time and television channel for the team’s Week 16 showdown with the Detroit Lions was listed as “to be determined.”

Four other games that week — Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Houston Texans, New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders — were also listed as TBD.

The NFL wanted to wait and see how those teams started the season before deciding which games would be nationally televised on NFL Network on Saturday and which games would air on CBS on Sunday.

The league announced finalized dates, times and channels Tuesday.

After Denver started 3-6 and Detriot started 3-5-1, their showdown has been scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 22 at 2:05 p.m. MT on CBS. So unless the Broncos are flexed into “Sunday Night Football” between Weeks 13-15 or in Week 17, all of the team’s seven remaining games will air on CBS.

Houston (6-3) at Tampa Bay (3-6) will air on NFL Network on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 11:00 a.m. MT. Buffalo (6-3) at New England (8-1) will also air on NFLN on Dec. 21 at 2:30 p.m. MT and the Rams (5-4) at San Francisco (8-1) will air on NFLN that same day at 6:15 p.m. MT.

Oakland (5-4) against the Chargers (4-6) will air on CBS on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 2:05 p.m. MT, the same time as the Denver-Detriot contest.

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Wide receiver Collin Johnson is injured again

Coming off his best performance of the season, Collin Johnson is injured again. He is not expected to miss time and will play on Saturday.

At his press conference Monday morning, Head Coach Tom Herman told reporters that star wide receiver Collin Johnson injured his hamstring on the game-winning drive against Kansas State.

Johnson will undergo an ‘aggressive’ treatment this week to make sure he is ready to go against Iowa State on Saturday afternoon. The wide receiver did injure his hamstring earlier in the year, but it is believed to be in a different spot this time around. He missed three games earlier this season with that injury.

Coming off his best game of the season, Johnson continues to be critical for the Longhorns. Not only does he create problems for defenses, but his presence lets other receivers get better.

Seven catches were the second-most in the game behind Duvernay and his 110 yards tied Duvernay for the most for either team. His touchdown came on a red-zone flea-flicker from quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

Johnson will be critical for the Longhorns as they travel to Iowa State on Saturday at 2:30 P.M. CST on FS1.

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AP poll: Texas basketball just misses out

After defeating Purdue on Saturday, the Longhorns narrowly miss out on the top 25. Three other Big 12 teams are ranked, including No. 5 KU.

After the first week of college basketball, the second AP poll of the season was released Monday morning. Even after defeating previously ranked Purdue, the Longhorns are still on the outside look in, receiving 95 votes.

Here is the new poll:

  1. Kentucky
  2. Duke
  3. Michigan State
  4. Louisville
  5. Kansas
  6. North Carolina
  7. Maryland
  8. Gonzaga
  9. Virginia
  10. Villanova
  11. Texas Tech
  12. Seton Hall
  13. Memphis
  14. Oregon
  15. Florida
  16. Ohio State
  17. Utah State
  18. Saint Mary’s
  19. Arizona
  20. Washington
  21. Xavier
  22. Auburn
  23. LSU
  24. Baylor
  25. Colorado
Others receiving votes:

Virginia Commonwealth 137, Florida State 112, Texas 95, Marquette 67, Tennessee 49, Providence 23, Purdue 21, Houston 18, Utah 14, Missouri 13, Arkansas 11, Mississippi State 9, Georgia 4, Liberty 3, San Diego State 2, Creighton 1, Dayton 1, Vermont 1

Three Big 12 teams are inside of the Top 25, as Kansas is the highest ranked at No. 5. Last year’s runner up Texas Tech lands at No. 11, while Baylor slides to No. 24 after a Friday night loss to Washington.

The ACC dominates the top of the poll, as five teams are inside of the top 10. If Texas can beat Georgetown in the 2K Empire Classic, there is a good chance they will face No. 2 Duke in the championship game.

Facing Cal Baptist and Prairie View at home this week, both games can be seen on Longhorn Network. Those two games are 2K Empire Classic campus games, before the real tournament that starts Nov. 21.

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Josh Gordon appreciates Seahawks culture, playing for Russell Wilson

The Seattle Seahawks’ new wide receiver Josh Gordon expressed an appreciation for the team’s culture and playing for Russell Wilson.

The Seattle Seahawks claimed wide receiver Josh Gordon off waivers after being cut by the New England Patriots and he is very satisfied to be with his new team in the Emerald City.

“I’m just grateful to be here,” Gordon said following Saturday’s practice. “I’m grateful to be here. There’s a lot of gratitude. Definitely thankful to land in a spot like this. Could’ve been anywhere, I couldn’t control that. Nonetheless, I’m grateful to have this opportunity to just go out there and do what I do.

“It has been great. It’s been a smooth transition. A great environment, a great football team, and organization. I’m really happy to be here.”

Gordon expressed his appreciation for the culture in the Seahawks’ locker room from the players to the coaches.

“The energy is high energy, all the time, everybody,” he said. “Top to bottom, all across the board. Offense and defense, staff. I love it. Keeps everybody kind of moving, everybody’s on their toes and in the right frame of mind to come in and do what you have to do and just perform, work, and compete.”

Gordon stated he and Russell Wilson discussed playing together for years, and he is looking forward to finally making it happen.

“Me and Russ have been talking about (playing together) for a long time, for a while behind the scenes – how nice it would be,” Gordon said. “Admire his game. I think maybe he respected mine mutually. I love the way he plays, it’s as simple as that. He’s a great ballplayer, he can make it happen from pretty much anywhere.”

Wilson offered words of praise for his new wide receiver after team practice this week.

“Josh, he’s been great since he’s gotten here,” Wilson told reporters on Friday. “He’s been studying like crazy. He sits up (front) and takes tons of notes. He’s highlighting like crazy. He’s in his playbook nonstop. He’s prepared. He’ll be prepared and ready to roll. He’s a true pro. He’s been in different systems and stuff like that. I think that helps him. I think he’s really fired up to be here. We’re fired up to have him.”

Fans hope Gordon can contribute to Seattle’s ambitions as they head into a brutal stretch of schedule through the second half of the season.

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