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The Steelers got themselves a real star with Minkah Fitzpatrick.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick the team was 0-2 and the season was on the ropes. But thanks to his addition the Steelers defense is playing as well as any in the NFL and he is a legitimate candidate for defensive player of the year. In just seven games with the Steelers, he’s turned himself in a truly elite player.
Here are some of the best shots of Fitzpatrick from his first season with the Steelers.
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The Broncos have added outside linebacker Malik Carney and safety Tyvis Powell to their 10-man practice squad.
After placing quarterback Joe Flacco (neck) and linebacker Corey Nelson (biceps) on injured reserve, the Denver Broncos promoted quarterback Brett Rypien and linebacker Josh Watson from the 10-man practice squad to the 53-man roster last week.
To fill the two spots on the practice squad vacated by Rypien and Watson, the team has signed outside linebacker Malik Carney and safety Tyvis Powell, according to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Carney (6-3, 235 pounds) is a rookie who totaled 176 tackles — including 32.5 tackles for losses — and 17 sacks during his four years at North Carolina. Before this year’s draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Carney to ex-Denver outside linebacker Shaq Barrett.
Powell (6-3, 210 pounds) is a third-year defensive back who has spent time with six different NFL teams, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys in August. He dressed for seven games with the San Francisco 49ers last season and totaled six tackles and forced one fumble.
Before the 2016 draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Powell to Kendrick Lewis, who had an eight-year career in the NFL.
The Broncos’ 10-man practice squad and 53-man roster are now both full.
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Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture going into Week 11.
Losing to the Packers did serious damage to the Panthers’ playoff hopes for 2019. The loss dropped their season record to 5-4 and their chances of making the postseason to just 18 percent.
Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture going into Week 11.
1. San Francisco 49ers (8-1)
2. Green Bay Packers (8-2)
3. New Orleans Saints (7-2)
4. Dallas Cowboys (5-4)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (7-3)
7. Los Angeles Rams (5-4)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
9. Carolina Panthers (5-4)
There’s not much room for error, here. Earlier in the season, the Panthers pulled off a four-game winning streak. They may need another one in order to land a wild card spot.
Carolina’s next four opponents are the Falcons, Saints, Redskins and the Falcons again. Atlanta is just 2-7 this season and Washington (1-8) might just be the worst team in the conference. If the Panthers can find a way to upset New Orleans, winning four in a row is certainly possible.
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Let us know your thoughts on whether or not Minkah Fitzpatrick is a candidate for defensive player of the year.
#steelers question of the day. "Will Minkah Fitzpatrick be defensive player of the year?" RT
— Curt Popejoy (@CurtPopejoySW) November 12, 2019
Despite the fact the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the second game of the season, the Steelers front office decided to mortgage their 2020 first-round pick for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. At the time the move was met with mixed results considering the cost with many calling the price too high.
But nine games into the season the Steelers defense is among the best in the league and Fitzpatrick is a frontrunner for defensive player of the year.
Fitzpatrick’s skillset has allowed defensive coordinator Keith Butler tremendous freedom with his front seven knowing he has No. 39 patrolling the back end. On the season, Fitzpatrick has five interceptions — best in the NFL —- as well as two fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.
But his impact spills over into every aspect of the defense, in particular, deep coverage. In the first two games of the season, the Steelers back to their old ways with shaky deep passing defense. But the presence of Fitzpatrick has turned the Steelers into playoff contenders.
In the final analysis, it is hard to see any player being more impactful to a team than Fitzpatrick is to Pittsburgh. And his play has quieted any concerns about who won or lost that trade.
We pose the question to you: Will Minkah Fitzpatrick be the defensive player of the year? Share your thoughts and join the discussion at the Steelers Wire Forum.
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According to BetMGM, Carolina opened as a 5.5-point favorite for this weekend’s matchup.
The Panthers will look to rebound from their heartbreaking loss to the Packers against a familiar foe this week. On Sunday, they will host the Falcons. According to BetMGM, Carolina opened as a 5.5-point favorite for this weekend’s matchup.
Atlanta might qualify as the most disappointing team in the NFL this year. Expectations were high for them coming into 2019 but they’ve managed to win just two of their nine games so far. The main reason why they have been losing is a porous defense that features the weakest pass rush in the league.
The Falcons did upset the Saints this week though and made some big changes to their coaching staff, so it’s possible they’ve turned the corner and will be tougher to beat going forward. Dan Quinn has surrendered play-calling duties and the defensive coordinator-by-committee they have going seems to be working.
The Panthers haven’t had much luck against Atlanta, lately. They have lost six of the last seven meetings and 30 of 48 all time.
[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]
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The Steelers have made a pair of practice squad roster moves.
Sutton Smith is back on the practice squad for the Steelers. Darrin Hall has been cut. Maybe Smith will last longer than one day this time.
— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) November 12, 2019
Injuries have once again forced the Pittsburgh Steelers to shuffle their practice squad roster. Last week the Steelers brought in an additional running back, Darrin Hall due to a shortage of healthy running backs. This week the running backs are getting healthy but linebacker is a concern so moves must be made.
The Steelers have released Hall from the practice squad and brought back linebacker Sutton Smith. Pittsburgh currently has Ola Adeniyi and Anthony Chickillo injured so Smith will get reps this week just to keep healthy bodies on the field.
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According to Joe Person at the Athletic, the team has signed cornerback Corn Elder off the Giants’ practice squad.
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Corn Elder move will be official Tues. for Panthers, who signed him off Giants’ practice squad.
Depth move and does not indicate bad injury news for one of the other CBs, per source.
No word on corresponding move.— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 12, 2019
The Panthers are bringing back another familiar face. According to Joe Person at the Athletic, the team has signed cornerback Corn Elder off the Giants’ practice squad.
Elder was one of former general manager Dave Gettleman’s last draft picks in Carolina. Gettleman selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. Elder did not see the field much in his first run with the Panthers, though. He appeared in 13 games last season but only played 251 total snaps, mostly on special teams. He was one of the team’s first cuts this year.
Why bring him back now?
It may have something to do with both starting outside cornerbacks James Bradberry and Donte Jackson dealing with groin injuries. Bradberry sat out Sundays’ loss to the Packers and Jackson apparently re-aggravated his, which kept him on the sidelines three weeks earlier in the season.
When Jackson went out against Green Bay, slot cornerback Javien Elliott moved outside to cover for him. Colin Jones took over for Elliott in the slot, which is obviously not an ideal situation. Elder is best suited to play that nickel position.
He may be active against Atlanta, but we probably won’t see him play unless both Bradberry and Jackson are out. That seems unlikely, as Jackson returned against the Packers later on and made some big stops down the stretch.
The move to add Elder is official. To make room, the team waived OL Bryan Witzmann.
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Panthers drop to No. 10 in Week 11 power rankings
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The Panthers had a chance to take down one of the NFC’s top contenders on Sunday, but they came up just a little short after a fourth quarter rally.
As expected, the loss to the Packers hurt their position in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings. Last week, they came in at No. 7 on Doug Farrar’s list. This week, they’ve dropped down to No. 10. If you’re looking for a culprit, the run defense is the reason.
“Carolina is tied with Cincinnati in allowing a league-worst 5.2 yards per carry, and it’s never good to be tied with the NFL’s worst overall defense. . . The Panthers will try to fix this issue against the Falcons and their 3.8 yards-per-carry average next week. Long term, this is the kind of thing that could upend everything else as the Panthers try to contend for the postseason.”
Indeed.
Yesterday, coach Ron Rivera told reporters that there’s no magic fix for the team’s issues defending the runs. That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that Rivera is doing enough to help. Schematic changes may be needed to give his front seven more chances to make stops.
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When a player totals 1,385 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns in just nine games, he ought to earn the respect of just about everyone.
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has set the NFL on fire in 2019, racking up 1,385 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns through just nine games.
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who sees McCaffrey twice a year, is just as impressed as everyone else.
Speaking on Monday ahead of Atlanta’s Week 11 matchup with Carolina, Quinn said he was most impressed with McCaffrey’s growth as an every-down back.
Dan Quinn said McCaffrey is picking up right where he left off last year in terms of him being an every down player. Definitely has a lot of respect for him.
— Kelsey Conway (@FalconsKelsey) November 11, 2019
Coming into the draft a few years ago, many labeled McCaffrey as a third-down back that was not worthy of a high draft pick. The Panthers ignored those critics and took the talented all-purpose back in the first round.
The move would pay off as McCaffrey is legitimately in the MVP discussion this season. The Falcons, despite a 2-7 start, will look to win their second straight NFC South game when they take on Carolina this Sunday.
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The Falcons delivered a satisfying win over the Saints on Sunday after an extremely disappointing first eight weeks of the season. However, fans had already begun to shift their focus to the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Falcons delivered a satisfying win over the Saints on Sunday after an extremely disappointing first eight weeks of the season. However, fans had already begun to shift their focus to the 2020 NFL Draft.
Atlanta’s Week 10 victory won’t change that, although it was a reminder that this team may not be bad enough to get that top-five pick fans were holding out hope for.
According to Draft Wire’s updated 2020 draft order, the Falcons’ win over New Orleans dropped them to pick No. 6.
That probably won’t be high enough to land someone like Ohio State’s Chase Young, but they could still wind up with a top prospect such as Iowa DE A.J. Epenesa, LB Isaiah Simmons, or one of several defensive backs.
Atlanta faces its second of five straight NFC South matchups this weekend when the team takes on the Carolina Panthers.
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