Tag: timely

Titans vs. Commanders Player of the Game: QB Will Levis

The Tennessee Titans fell to the Washington Commanders, 42-19, in Week 13 and quarterback Will Levis is our Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans traveled to Landover, Maryland on Sunday to face the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium.

In a game that started out poorly for the Titans with the Commanders scoring on their first four possessions, the Titans shot themselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties and allowed the Commanders to score 21 points in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, that huge lead was too much for the Titans to overcome and they lost 42-19.

Still, we saw some good things from the Titans as they held the Commanders to 14 points over the remaining three quarters and ended up scoring some points of their own. They never gave up and worked hard to come back, and that was largely thanks to quarterback Will Levis’ play and leadership on the field, which is why he is this week’s Player of the Game.

Levis, for just the second time this season, did not have a single turnover on Sunday. On top of that, he went 18-for-37 for 212 yards and two touchdowns and was sacked only twice, largely because he escaped the pocket or got rid of the ball before being tackled.

For the first time this season, Levis not only played well, but he looked like a leader on the field. He rallied the offense to move the ball down the field and found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the end zone twice. He put the offense on his back this week, and if he continues to do that, the Titans will start seeing success.

Next week, the Titans host the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first of two divisional matchups against them remaining this season.

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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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Darren Rizzi has a big opportunity to buck one of Dennis Allen’s worst trends

Darren Rizzi has a big opportunity to buck one of Dennis Allen’s worst trends. His predecessor lost four times after shutting out an opponent in the first half:

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi has a chance to buck an alarming trend that started under Dennis Allen, after holding the Los Angeles Rams scoreless in the first half.

Saints fan and professional statistician Jeff Asher shared an interesting stat; Allen-led New Orleans teams had lost four games after not allowing the opponents to score in the first half. Sean Payton never once lost one of those games.

And the only other time the Rams had been shut out under Sean McVay was the infamous Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots. Los Angeles will be entering unknown territory here.

The Saints were only able to muster six points themselves, so the game could still go either way. It’s another important test for Rizzi, and a big opportunity for him to buck one of the most troubling trends of his predecessor’s tenure.

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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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First look AAC Championship Game: Tulane at Army odds and lines

Looking at Friday’s Tulane at Army AAC Championship Game college football odds, lines and trends. Here’s what you need to know.

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The Tulane Green Wave (9-3, 7-1 AAC) meet the No. 23 Army Black Knights (10-1, 8-0) in an American Athletic Conference title battle in West Point Friday. The opening kickoff at Michie Stadium will be at 8 p.m. ET (ABC). Below, we look at Tulane vs. Army odds from FanDuel Sportsbook’s college football odds before making our expert college football picks and predictions later in the week.

Tulane heads north after losing 34-24 to the Memphis Tigers as a double-digit home favorite Saturday. The favored-by-12.5 Green Wave were undone in part by a minus-3 in turnovers. The loss snapped an 8-game win streak straight up (including 5 road games) and a 4-game win streak against the spread (ATS). The 5-1 on-the-road Wave hasn’t lost away from New Orleans since losing at the Oklahoma Sooners Sept. 14.

Army bounced back from a Nov. 23 setback against the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish with a 29-24 Saturday home conquest of the UTSA Roadrunners (ATS loss on -6 spread). The Black Knights trailed 17-13 late in the third quarter, but then pulled off a 16-0 run in a 7-minute stretch to take control. QB Bryson Daily rushed for 147 yards and 2 TDs while throwing for a season-high 190 yards and another score.

– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports

Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+

Tulane at Army odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated Sunday at 4:31 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline: Tulane -178 (bet $178 to win $100) | Army +146 (bet $100 to win $146)
  • Against the spread (ATS): Tulane -4.5 (-106) | Army +4.5 (-114)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 48.5 (O: -106 | U: -114)

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2024 betting stats

  • ML: Tulane 9-3 | Army 10-1
  • ATS: Tulane 9-3 | Army 7-4
  • O/U: Tulane 7-5 | Army 6-4

Tulane vs. Army head-to-head

The Green Wave and Black Knights are meeting for the 24th time. Tulane leads 13-9-1 in a series launched in 1953.

The teams last met on Nov. 14, 2020, when Tulane defeated Army 38-12 in New Orleans. Tulane has defeated Army in 4 straight games since 2015.

In 10 meetings since 2006, TU has gone 7-3 ATS with the Over going 6-4. The last 5 games in New Orleans have seen the Green Wave go 3-2 SU and  ATS.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

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Mike Tomlin has a ‘Joey Porter Jr.’ sized penalty problem

Joey Porter Jr.’s penalties overshadow his coverage skills in the Steelers’ Week 13 victory.

Joey Porter Jr. has delivered some great coverage performances thus far in 2024, but his issues with penalties continue to haunt the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first three quarters of Week 13’s matchup between the Steelers and Bengals, Porter committed several completely unnecessary penalties that put Cincinnati in prime scoring position.

With less than nine minutes to go in the fourth-quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 13 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, Porter added two more penalty-worthy plays to what has been a lackluster day from the young Steelers defender.

Porter not only held Higgins on the play but committed his second pass interference penalty in the end zone, practically gift-wrapping the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals offense a touchdown.

While Porter’s first pass interference in the end zone was technically uncatchable, it was still a poor decision by the Steelers CB.

Porter continues to rack up additional penalties, with his most recent being an illegal hands to the face with less than three minutes remaining in Week 13.

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Falcons lose due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping Saints’ hopes alive

The Falcons lost to the Chargers on Sunday due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping the Saints’ playoff hopes alive:

Don’t look now, but there might be a quarterback change on the horizon for the Atlanta Falcons. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw the game away in their Sunday loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who won 17-13, which teed up a fascinating scenario for the New Orleans Saints as they prepare for kickoff with the Los Angeles Rams. How did we get here?

Cousins played one of the worst games of his pro career, throwing four interceptions without a touchdown pass. One of those interceptions was credited to former Saints safety Marcus Maye, who arrived in Los Angeles just this week after being waived by the Miami Dolphins. Talk about making the most of your opportunity.

As for the implications on the NFC South? That remains to be seen, but for now the Saints are still in this. The Saints go into their game with the LA Rams at 4-7, trailing the Falcons (now at 6-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), who visit the upstart Carolina Panthers (3-8) this afternoon.

Everything depends on the Saints sending the Rams away from New Orleans with a loss, but at this point the division — and the coveted playoff berth — are within reach for Darren Rizzi’s team.

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Dalton Schultz injury update: Texans TE returns, scores TD vs. Jaguars

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz left during the third quarter of Week 13’s game with a shoulder injury.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The Houston Texans are looking to secure their seventh consecutive road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars entering the fourth quarter, but the offense could be missing a signature player.

Tight end Dalton Schultz left during the third quarter with a shoulder injury and could be out for the rest of the game, depending on further evaluation. The Texans need a win to secure a 4-1 record in conference play before next week’s bye.

Here’s the latest on the Texans’ veteran tight end.

Dalton Schultz injury update

During the third quarter, Schultz suffered a shoulder injury when he hurdled a defender trying to pick up a first down. He remained down on the ground for a moment and was slow to get up before heading to the sidelines.

The Texans listed the tight end as questionable to return, though he managed to be healthy enough to come back in for the fourth quarter. He hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud for his first scoring opportunity of the regular season.

Losing him for an extensive period of time would have been a concern because the Texans are short of tight ends.

Following the scoring drive, Schultz has caught five passes for 61 yards.

Texans TE depth chart

If Schultz were to miss the rest of the game, Houston would be limited to rookie Cade Stover and former Alabama star Irv Smith Jr. Stover has mostly seen action as the team’s H-back or in 12-personnel this season after being drafted out of Ohio State last April.

Report: Calvin Austin III ruled OUT in Week 13 against Bengals

WR Calvin Austin III has been ruled out of the Steelers Week 13 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals after multiple big hits.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ injury woes continue to mount. WR Calvin Austin III, who has been instrumental in the Black and Gold’s deep passing attack, has been ruled out of Week 13’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals with a head injury.

To kick off the Steelers’ first drive of the game, the speedy wideout took a huge hit from Cincinnati Bengals LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, resulting in a pass interference penalty. Austin, who is listed at 5’9″ and under 170 lbs, is not a big receiver by any means and needed time on the sideline to recover from the hit.

However, Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt once again delivered a hard hit on Austin following a routine catch, resulting in the Steelers receiver’s injury.

While Austin’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the wideout, who was in the midst of back-to-back impressive performances, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense continued to steamroll over the Cincinnati Bengals defense, with Russell Wilson carving up the opposing secondary in Week 13.

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Texas A&M unsurprisingly drops out of the AP Top 25 after falling to Texas

Here are the lastest AP Top 25 rankings after Texas A&M’s 17-7 loss to the Texas Longhorns

Texas A&M (8-4, 5-3 SEC) ended the 2024 season with a disappointing loss to the Texas Longhorns (11-1, 7-1 SEC), who are now headed to the SEC Championship game amid the program’s first season in the conference.

Credit to Texas for keeping A&M’s offense out of the end zone, as the only touchdown came off of cornerback Will Lee’s pick-six, while Aggies OC Collin Klein came up short on several head-scratching play calls that led to two fourth-down stops in the red zone.

Head coach Mike Elko’s season will end at 8-4, which was predicted by many of us before the season began. However, the injury to star running back Le’Veon Moss completely changed the Aggies’ offensive gameplan, forcing QB Marcel Reed to drop back more than his lack of passing development could handle.

Texas A&M will now play in a meaningless bowl game with a chance to earn nine wins on the year. At the same time, the Longhorns are headed to the SEC Championship game amid their first season in the conference, so credit to head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team for accomplishing something the Aggies couldn’t in 12 seasons.

With all the conference games set, here are the latest AP Top 25 rankings, as Texas A&M has officially dropped out of the rankings:

AP Top 25 Rankings after Week 14:

  1. Oregon (12-0)
  2. Texas (11-1)
  3. Penn State (11-1)
  4. Notre Dame (11-1)
  5. Georgia (10-2)
  6. Tennessee (10-2)
  7. Ohio State (10-2)
  8. SMU (11-1)
  9. Indiana (11-1)
  10. Boise State (11-1)
  11. Alabama (9-3)
  12. Arizona State (10-2)
  13. South Carolina (9-3)
  14. Miami (FL) (10-2)
  15. Ole Miss (9-3)
  16. Iowa State (10-2)
  17. BYU (10-2)
  18. Clemson (9-3)
  19. UNLV (10-2)
  20. Colorado (9-3)
  21. Illinois (9-3)
  22. Missouri (9-3)
  23. Syracuse (9-3)
  24. Army (10-1)
  25. Memphis (10-2)

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