Tag: stn

Steelers vs Browns: 3 big causes for concern this week

Here’s what we are worried about this week vs the Browns.

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

It goes without saying the Pittsburgh Steelers are on a roll. Winners of four in a row, Pittsburgh has risen from the ashes like a fiery phoenix, reborn after a 1-4 start. Three of those four wins have come at home but this week the Steelers go on the road to Cleveland to take on the Browns. Here are our three big concerns this week.

The short week

Everyone knows the football on Thursday night is sloppy. Teams have very little time to recuperate from the previous game, much less prepare for the next one. The Steelers have been notoriously slow starters this season on offense so having a short week only compounds those worries.

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Steelers open as 2.5-point underdogs to the Browns

Pittsburgh is a road underdog this week in Cleveland.

Despite winning four in a row and sitting at 5-4, the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t seem to be getting much respect from oddsmakers this week. Pittsburgh travels to Cleveland this week to take on the 3-6 Browns and in spite of all that, Bet MGM has the Browns as 2.5-point favorites over the Steelers.

This is despite the fact the Steelers have absolutely owned this rivalry. Since 2000, the Steelers lead the series 33-5-1. The Steelers haven’t lost to the Browns since 2014. But there are still some still clinging to all the preseason hype surrounding the Browns when they were going to dominate the AFC North and this new-look roster would be a force to be reckoned with.

The Browns are coming off of a 19-16 win over the Buffalo Bills while the Steelers beat the Los Angeles Rams 17-12.

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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ESPN names Kevin Colbert Steelers MVP of 1st half of season

Kevin Colbert has never been more aggressive than he has been this season.

When you think of team MVP in the NFL, the first person that comes to mind isn’t going to be the general manager. Most think about it from the perspective of a particular player or perhaps even a coach. But when ESPN asked their staff of beat writers to name the midseason MVP of their perspective teams, Pittsburgh Steelers writer Brooke Pryor went another direction with GM Kevin Colbert.

First-half MVP: General manager Kevin Colbert. The Week 3 move to trade a 2020 first-round pick for Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was met with skepticism given the Steelers’ uncertain future at quarterback. But Colbert’s big swing is paying off early: Fitzpatrick has four interceptions, including a 96-yard pick-six against the Colts. The former first-round pick has been a game-changer, and Colbert’s move to trade for him on an inexpensive rookie contract will likely continue to pay off.

Colbert has had his busiest offseason/season to date. First he trades away Antonio Brown, then trades up in the 2019 NFL draft to land linebacker Devin Bush and finally made the in-season move to acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

This team is in the thick of the playoff hunt but just imagine where this team would be if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hadn’t been lost midway through the second game? Colbert might not be coming back after this season if this is the case he’s certainly going out with a bang.

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Steelers vs Browns: Pittsburgh puts out hypothetical Monday practice report

The Steelers put out an estimate participation report for Monday.

Due to the short week of preparation, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a very small window for practice this week. They take on the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night which eliminated any Monday workouts. But this didn’t stop the team from putting out their best guess as to what participation would have been if the team would have worked out on Monday.

Here is what the team sent out for the estimation of participation.

Monday, November 11 (Estimated)
RB James Conner (Shoulder) – Full
OL Ramon Foster (Concussion) – Limited
WR Ryan Switzer (Back) – DNP
RB Benny Snell Jr. (Knee) – DNP
FB Roosevelt Nix (Knee) – DNP
LB Anthony Chickillo (Ribs) – DNP
LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi (Hip) – DNP

The injuries to linebackers Olasunkanmi Adeniyi and Anthony Chickillo happened last week against the Los Angeles Rams. The back injury to wide receiver Ryan Switzer is a holdover from the previous week but got worse during the game.

The good news is they have running back James Conner listed as a full participant. The team has missed him in the backfield the past two weeks and can only be better with him on the field.

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Report: Chiefs DE Emmanuel Ogbah to have season-ending surgery on torn pec

It sounds like the MRI results are in for Kansas City Chiefs DE Emmanuel Ogbah and the news is not good.

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The Kansas City Chiefs defense looks to be losing one of their pass rushers for the remainder of 2019.

Yesterday evening, Andy Reid let us know that they believed DE Emmanuel Ogbah had suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the Chiefs’ 35-32 loss to the Tennessee Titans. It appears that he’s since had an MRI to confirm the initial diagnosis, and according to a new report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ogbah will require season-ending surgery.

It’s not an ideal situation for Kansas City as Ogbah has been a big surprise. He came over to the Chiefs in a player-for-player swap with the Browns where the Chiefs sent safety Eric Murray to Cleveland. Since the trade, Ogbah has seen one of the best seasons in his career, matching his career sack total of 5.5 in just four starts and 10 total appearances with Kansas City.

This could be the last we see of Ogbah with the Chiefs as he’s currently slated to become a free agent in 2020. Kansas City could try and work out a deal to re-sign him but they’re going to be up against the cap trying to fit big contracts for DT Chris Jones and QB Patrick Mahomes.

Replacing Ogbah’s production in the meantime will be a difficult task for the Chiefs as they’ve seen quite a bit of attrition along the defensive line already. Starters Alex Okafor and Frank Clark have both dealt with injuries throughout the season.

Right now, there isn’t a clear move to make when Kansas City decides to send Ogbah to IR. They could potentially elevate Cameron Malveaux from the practice squad or bring in some free agents for tryouts. One thing we’ll likely see is more snaps from Jones at defensive end for the time being. He’s played there several times over the past two weeks due to injuries along the defensive line.

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Falcons OC credits Matt Ryan’s toughness, no-huddle ability

The Falcons offense played well in Sunday’s win, even if the team’s breakout defensive performance stole the show.

The Falcons offense played well in Sunday’s win, even if the team’s breakout defensive performance stole the show.

Quarterback Matt Ryan, who still isn’t 100 percent due to an ankle injury he suffered against the Rams, helped keep the Saints offense off the field. He executed well in no-huddle situations, and made a couple of uncharacteristic scrambles when the team needed it.

Ryan may have been fighting through injury for a 1-7 football team, but he put it all on the line in New Orleans on Sunday.

Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter praised Ryan and said the former MVP QB doesn’t get enough credit for his toughness.

Atlanta came out with more aggression on offense, mixing things up and keeping a really talented New Orleans defense on its heels for most of the game.

As for his quarterback’s scrambling ability, Koetter thought the reported 17 MPH which Ryan was clocked at during one of his runs was a typo:

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Broncos fans love the reason why Terrell Davis yanked his son from a youth football team

Former Broncos running back Terrell Davis wouldn’t let his son play for a youth football team named the “Raiders.”

The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders have been divisional rivals dating ball the way back to their AFL days in 1960. Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis played in 10 of those rivalry games during his career and helped Denver dominate the series 8-2.

Davis gained 1,054 yards from scrimmage and scored 8 touchdowns in those contests against Oakland and he still feels part of the rivalry to this day. Davis dislikes the Raiders so much that he removed his son from a youth football team named after them, according to NFL Network’s Lindsay Rhodes.

Broncos fans on Twitter approved of the ex-RB’s decision.

Davis ranks No. 1 in franchise history with 7,607 rushing yards and 60 rushing touchdowns. He also totaled 1,280 receiving yards and caught five touchdown passes before his career was cut short by injury.

Davis was a key member of the Broncos teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998, rushing for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven playoff games. He was named the NFL’s MVP in 1998 and named the MVP of Super Bowl XXXII following a 31-21 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

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Report: Panthers claim former Bears RB Mike Davis off waivers

According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, the Panthers claimed former Bears running back Mike Davis off waivers.

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According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, the Panthers claimed former Bears running back Mike Davis off waivers.

After playing college ball at South Carolina, Davis (5-foot-9, 221 pounds) was a fourth-round pick by the 49ers in the 2015 draft. He spent two years there, then two with the Seahawks before going to Chicago. He’s played 42 games, totaling 887 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 245 career carries.

Adding Davis now might mean the Panthers are intending to give Christian McCaffrey a lighter work load. Given his build, it makes sense for Davis to get opportunities in short-yardage situations and at the goal line, which has been a problematic area this season. Davis could purely be about depth, though.

Update:

The team has confirmed the news. In a corresponding move, they have waived wide receiver/returner Greg Dortch.

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Broncos still have a chance to reach NFL playoffs

Mathematical, the Broncos still have a shot of reaching the NFL playoffs.

It’s a longshot, but the Denver Broncos still have a shot to reach the 2019-2020 NFL playoffs. If the season ended today, the Broncos would be the AFC’s 12th seed. That obviously wouldn’t be good enough to punch a postseason ticket but Denver has a shot in a wide-open conference.

The Kansas City Chiefs (6-4), Oakland Raiders (5-4) and Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) all rank above the Broncos in the AFC West so Denver’s best hope would be to make it as a Wild Card team, the AFC’s sixth seed.

The Broncos’ competition for that last playoff spot will include the Raiders, the Indianapolis Colts (5-4), Tennessee Titans (5-5), Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5), Chargers and Cleveland Browns (3-6).

Denver has less than a 1% chance of reaching the postseason, according to projections from FiveThirtyEight.com, but with seven games remaining, the Broncos still have a mathematical chance.

Asked about Denver’s playoff chances on Monday, Broncos coach Vic Fangio said the team is focusing on Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings and not looking ahead.

“Our whole focus is trying to get to 4-6,” Fangio said. “As bad as that sounds, we’re trying to win the game we play this week.”

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Broncos still on pace for 9th overall pick in 2020 NFL draft

The Broncos are on pace to select ninth overall in the 2020 NFL draft in Las Vegas.

Coming off their bye week, the Denver Broncos (3-6) are still on pace to select ninth overall in the 2020 NFL draft. Here’s a look at the current order of the top-10 selections, courtesy of Tankathon.com:

  1. Cincinnati Bengals (0-9)
  2. Washington Redskins (1-8)
  3. New York Giants (2-8)
  4. Miami Dolphins (2-7)
  5. New York Jets (2-7)
  6. Atlanta Falcons (2-7)
  7. Cleveland Browns (3-6)
  8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6)
  9. Denver Broncos (3-6)
  10. Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1)

After trading wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the San Francisco 49ers, Denver will have seven selections within the first four rounds of next year’s draft. The Broncos are expected to have at least nine picks next year and that total might increase depending on possible compensatory selections yet to be announced.

Depending on how Drew Lock looks to close out the season, Denver might consider drafting another QB in 2020. The top candidates will likely include Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, Georgia’s Jake Fromm and LSU’s Joe Burrow.

The 2020 NFL draft will take place from April 23-25, 2020 in Las Vegas.

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