Everything to know from the Packers’ first injury report before playing the Saints in Week 3.
The Green Bay Packers released the team’s first injury report of Week 3 on Wednesday. The team will release two more injury reports, including a final injury report on Friday with official injury designations before Sunday’s showdown with the New Orleans Saints:
Here’s everything to know from Week 3’s first injury report:
— Running back Aaron Jones (hamstring), left tackle David Bakhtiari (knee) and left guard Elgton Jenkins (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. In terms of Sunday, Jenkins is assumed to be out, Jones could be stressed to play and Bakhtiari remains a great unknown week-to-week.
— Receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) got in another limited practice on Wednesday after returning to practice last Friday. He went through individual drills, but there’s no guarantee he’s going to be ready to play by Sunday. Let’s see if he can ramp up his availability over the next two days.
— Outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness (elbow) was a limited participant after injuring his arm against the Falcons. His ability to practice on Wednesday, even with a brace, suggests he’ll be able to play Sunday.
— Outside linebacker Rashan Gary (knee) remains listed as a limited participant, but his snap count went up in Week 2. The Packers are building him back up to being a full-time player after last November’s ACL injury.
— Punter Daniel Whelan is still listed on the injury report with a finger issue. He played in Week 2 and was a full participant on Wednesday, so no concern there.
— The Packers removed receiver Romeo Doubs, linebacker Quay Walker and safety Anthony Johnson Jr. entering Week 3.
— It’s worth noting that the Packers have a quick turnaround from Week 3 to 4. After Sunday, the Packers will host the Detroit Lions for “Thursday Night Football” in Week 4. No team sits healthy players, but the Packers might consider giving injured players like Jones and Watson a few extra days and planning for a full arsenal come next Thursday vs. the Lions.
The key observations and takeaways from the Packers’ first joint practice with the Patriots on Wednesday.
When it comes to deciding playing time or final roster spots on this Green Bay Packers team, nothing will be set in stone following this week. But it’s still a very important week in regards to evaluations with two joint practices and a preseason game on Saturday against the New England Patriots.
“This is going to be a big week for our guys,” said coach Matt LaFleur, “in terms of this just being the most exhausting week of the preseason for these guys.
”We will get two practices versus the Patriots, and we got two more games,” added LaFleur. “I think we got a long way to go yet.”
With the first of those two joint practices with New England having just taken place at Ray Nitschke Field, as always, here are my key observations and takeaways from what I saw:
— There were two new additions to the injury report with De’Vondre Campbell not participating with an ankle injury and Bo Melton out with a hamstring injury. David Bakhtiari did not practice again, but Matt LaFleur said before practice that they hoped to get him on the field on Thursday. Also still out was Caleb Jones, Kenny Clark, Innis Gaines, Corey Ballentine, Tyler Goodson, Lew Nichols, and Tariq Carpenter, along with Luke Tenuta, Eric Stokes, and Tyler Davis. Jaire Alexander was back participating in a portion of team drills.
— I thought today’s performance from Jordan Love encapsulated well what we’ve seen from him overall. He had a few overthrows he’d like to have back. He attacked the flats and middle of the field. He was overall efficient and took care of the ball, going through his progressions, and was also able to generate a big play or two. What’s particularly promising about Love’s performance is that he did it with New England throwing a number of blitzes at him, personnel looks, and late movement from the secondary—all things that I’m sure many defenses will try to confuse Love with.
— Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs were both handfuls for the New England secondary. We really saw this during the two-minute drill, where the offense when from it’s own 20 yard line down to the opponent’s 25-yard line, with only completions to these two.
— The Packers edge rushers and interior defensive linemen with both the first and second units were incredibly impressive today. Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe were dealing with collapsing pockets and pressure all day. The entire edge rusher group, including Brenton Cox and Keshawn Banks on the back end, were getting into the backfield, along with, you guessed it, Karl Brooks inside, who made two pressures during a two-minute drill. Brooks has been playing very well for two weeks now.
— There were also few opportunities in the passing game for New England as well against either the first or second units of the Packers defense. Jones and Zappe often had to go through a few different reads before either getting rid of the ball or being under pressure. The cornerback group with the second unit was made up of William Hoooper and Kiondre Thomas on the boundary, along with Shemar Jean-Charles in the slot.
— With Campbell out, Isaiah McDuffie was starting next to Quay Walker and had a good day. On one play, got outside to stop the ball carrier from turning up field. On another, he filled the running lane at the line of scrimmage to make the stop.
— In pass protection, I thought the offensive line held up well. With the starters, it was the usual grouping of Yosh Nijman at left tackle, followed by Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, and Zach Tom. However, as has been the case in practice, any yards picked up on the ground were hard fought for by Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
— Get ready to hear the names Reed and Musgrave and over the middle a lot this year. Attacking that part of the field is a key component to the LaFleur offense, and with the speed both of these players have, it creates mismatches and YAC opportunities. Both were able to generate some big plays against the New England defense.
— We saw a number of different combinations at safety for the Packers, but today, it was Tarvarius Moore’s turn to play next to Darnell Savage. Earlier in the week, LaFleur mentioned how his physicality and willingness to make tackles on both defense and special teams was on display in Cincinnati.
— We saw again why I think Patrick Taylor is the front-runner for the third running back role. During the two-minute drill with the second offense, Taylor had two key blitz pickups, one of which allowed Clifford to complete a downfield pass to Malik Heath.
— Speaking of Malik Heath, it’s getting very difficult to justify keeping him off the final roster. On the play referenced above, he had maybe half a step on the defender, but made a contested catch on a well placed ball by Clifford. It’s also worth noting he got some reps on special teams as a flier. I imagine contributing in that capacity will be important for him, and it’s worth noting that he played just one special teams snaps in Cincinnati. Something to watch for during this week’s preseason game.
— Anders Carlson started the day 5-for-5, making an extra point and then four kicks all between 40 and 50 yards. However, during the two-minute drill, he went 0-for-2. The first team offense set him up for roughly a 40 yard field goal with a few seconds left, but he missed right. Then with the second team offense, the clock was running so the field goal unit had to hurry on to the field, and from roughly 40 yards again, the ball hung up in the wind and missed short and left. I’m still not exactly sure what happened on that one.
— Confirming what we already knew, Daniel Whelan packs a lot of power. I still picked Pat O’Donnell as the punter on my latest roster prediction, but as more time goes by, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Whelan on the team.
— From the Packers starting offense, we saw a lot of pre-snap motion, which is something Green Bay used still fairly frequently last season even though Aaron Rodgers was not a fan of it. However, that usage of it is going to increase this season. We also saw a heavy rotation of the skill position players. In part, this is to make sure everyone gets enough reps, but with the versatility the Packers have at tight end and receiver, there is what feels like a limitless combination of personnel packages they could use.
— Players of the Day: Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Karl Brooks, and JJ Enagbare
Netflix gave fans some exciting updates on some of its biggest projects at this year’s Tudum.
If you’re a fan of Netflix, some of the platform’s biggest shows unveiled brand-new updates as part of the global Tudum event.
Tudum is a bit like a virtual Comic Con presentation for Netflix fans, where personalities from various television and film projects share updates about what’s coming down the pipeline for their work.
Stranger Things and Squid Game fans got some exciting casting updates for the upcoming seasons of those shows, while Netflix provided sneak peaks at upcoming live-action adaptations like Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece.
Wednesday fans even got to hear from the cast about season 2.
Here are the big five things we saw at this year’s Tudum, sure to leave you hopping on Netflix to prepare yourself for what’s to come.
Someone get Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza in the same project, ASAP.
If the Spider-Man pointing meme featured two of the most recognizable actresses in Hollywood, it was on display at Sunday night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.
While presenting one of the night’s categories, Wednesday star Jenna Ortega and The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza surprised the crowd by joining each other on stage for a moment of absolute gold.
Ortega and Plaza have both made a name for themselves for their delightfully deadpan, meticulously macabre on-screen personas. The pair knowingly winked at the audience for how hilarious it was that they’d be giving out an award together.
Whether it’s starring in a Scream film (Ortega) or playing April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation (Plaza), the two draw easy comparisons and practically beg for someone to cast them together in a movie or television show.
The #Chiefs plan to hold their #ChiefsKingdom #SuperBowl LVII champions parade on Wednesday. Details inside:
The Kansas City Chiefs are going parading after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
It’s a quick turnaround for the Chiefs, who will head home from Arizona in the coming days and prepare for their Super Bowl LVII champions parade. The victory parade is currently scheduled for Noon CT on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The exact route for the parade will be released on Monday afternoon, but it’ll likely mimic the 2019-20 Super Bowl LIV parade route. They began on Grand Boulevard ending up at Union Station, where key players, coaches and fans addressed the hordes of Chiefs Kingdom faithful in a rally. That rally is expected to begin at 1:45 p.m. CT this time around begins in front of Union Station and the National WWI Museum and Memorial north lawn.
This parade is expected to be as big, if not bigger than the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV parade. Local schools are already canceling in order to allow everyone to celebrate the big win in Super Bowl LVII.
To find all of the latest information on transit, public safety, and other news relating to the Chiefs Kingdom Champions Parade, you can sign up to receive notifications from ALERTKC by texting “KCPARADE” to 888-777. You can also visit Kansas City Sports Commission website for all the latest details.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said he’s expecting his injured thumb to be fine by Sunday.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers answered questions at his locker inside Lambeau Field for 20 minutes on Wednesday, as he does during most Wednesdays throughout the regular season.
Here’s a quick recap of his most relevant answers:
– On his injured thumb: Feels “alright,” and appreciated getting the day off to rest it and rehab. Wants to try and practice on Thursday, and he’s expecting to “be fine by Sunday.” Feels better at some rehab on Wednesday, and it’s gotten better every day since the loss in London.
– On throwing Sunday: “I expect to be out there, throwing like normal.”
– He isn’t worried about the defense. Plenty of talent, and plenty of players performing at a high level. “We just need consistency and four quarters from both sides of the ball.”
– Said the specifics and “little details” of the passing game are just a little off. “We all have to get on the same page.”
– On the mix of the run game and deep passing game: “When we run it well and stick with it, that’s going to give us more opportunities for the down-the-field stuff.” The Packers have staple plays for Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon and need to keep rolling with those.
– He said “none of the calls” on Randall Cobb’s nine catches against the Giants had him pegged as the No. 1 target. The veteran slot receiver made strong second-reaction plays and was the beneficiary of some run alerts.
– He feels the offense is close. “I think we’re real close to getting this thing going, and hopefully it starts this week”
– On Jets’ opportunistic defense: “A lot of vision to the football.” Said he has to be good with his eye discipline.
– H called edge rusher Carl Lawson an “important part” of the Jets defense. Said rookie corner Sauce Gardner is a “talented player.” Good talent on the backend.
– On loving the noon starts: “Get in, get out, get home. We all love the noon games.” Maybe not as exciting for fans, but better for players. Packers and Jets kick off at noon on Sunday.
– On timing: “The most important thing for a receiver is to be open on time.” Less about steps and angles. “Gotta be open, on time.”
– On Davante Adams push and assault charge: “I was surprised, I was definitely surprised.” Said he reached out to Adams after the game. Was he more surprised about Adams’ reaction or the charge? He picked the charge.
The Chiefs do have room to bring Whitley back on the practice squad should he clear waivers. The team also made another move on the practice squad as well.
We have activated Practice Squad player DT Taylor Stallworth.
We have signed RB Wayne Gallman to the Practice Squad.
We have waived DE Benton Whitley and terminated the Practice Squad contract of DT Cortez Broughton. pic.twitter.com/Ddxch6I8Fn
We reported that the team released DT Cortez Broughton on Tuesday, we now know the corresponding move there. They’ve signed former New York Giants RB Wayne Gallman to the practice squad. A fourth-round draft pick by the Giants in 2017 out of the University of Clemson, Gallman has appeared in 61 career games with 14 career starts. The 6-foot and 210-pound running back had his best season in 2020, recording 147 carries for 682 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Gallman also is a good pass-catching running back with 81 career receptions for 519 yards and two scores.
The team has four running backs on the 53-man roster in Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Ronald Jones. Gallman should provide some valuable depth there as the season continues for Kansas City.
The Chiefs have not yet placed DT Tershawn Wharton (ACL) on injured reserve. That moved could come later this week should the Chiefs decide to activate McDuffie.
#Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed that four players returned to practice on Wednesday, two from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, one from injured reserve, and one from a personal absence.
The Kansas City Chiefs are getting some good news about their roster ahead of the Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Several Chiefs players who had been absent for a variety of reasons ranging from COVID-19 to personal to injury-related returned for the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Kansas City Star beat writer Herbie Teope spotted four players returning to practice, all of whom hadn’t practiced when the team last took the field for practice over a week ago. Those players included WR Josh Gordon, LB Willie Gay Jr., CB L’Jarius Sneed and rookie DE Joshua Kaindoh.
Just walking off practice field. I saw LB Willie Gay Jr. (50) and WR Josh Gordon out here, a sign they are back from reserve/COVID-19 list.
CB L’Jarius Sneed is also back. Rookie DE Josh Kaindoh out on the practice field, a sign Chiefs designated him to return from IR. pic.twitter.com/HHqSsOfxRc
Gordon and Gay’s presence at practice signals that they’ve been activated off the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Both were placed on the list last week and missed Week 15 as a result. Andy Reid confirmed during his media availability on Wednesday that both players had officially been activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Also returning to practice is CB L’Jarius Sneed. He missed the past two games following the death of his oldest brother. He officially rejoined the team last week, but he was unable to play with the short week of preparation ahead of “Thursday Night Football.”
“We’re glad that he’s back,” Reid said of Sneed. “L’Jarius has had a rough couple of weeks here, but he is in a good place and ready to go. It’s great to get him back in, I think it’s great for the team, I think it’s also great for him just overall to get his mind off the other thing. He’ll be able to move forward there. Everybody is fired up to have him back.”
Finally, there’s the return of rookie DE Joshua Kaindoh. He was placed on injured reserve in October with an ankle injury. His involvement at practice signals that he has been designated to return from injured reserve. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he will play this week. The team now has 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster from injured reserve. Should he not be activated, he’ll remain on the injured reserve list for the rest of the season.
“He’s made great progress,” Reid said of Kaindoh. “We’re glad that he’s back and healthy. We’ll just see how things go.”
The Chiefs are hopeful that they’ll get more players back as the week progresses, specifically, more players returning from the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Still, this is a good spot to be in to start the practice week, all things considered.
The Chiefs are looking as healthy as they possibly could heading into the final week of practice before Super Bowl LV.
The Kansas City Chiefs are trending toward healthy as the practice week ramps up ahead of Super Bowl LV.
According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, everyone is expected to practice for the Chiefs on Wednesday, at least in some capacity. The lone exception being injured LT Eric Fisher, who tore his Achilles against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game and has yet to be placed on injured reserve. Presumably, rookie LB Willie Gay Jr. will also be a non-participant as he’s yet to be placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in practice last week.
Some positive health news for the #Chiefs, as everyone is expected to practice — except LT Eric Fisher, of course. So Sammy Watkins and his calf are in a good place.
The final injury report from last week’s bye saw both RB Le’Veon Bell and WR Sammy Watkins downgraded from limited participants in practice to non-participants. Andy Reid confirmed this past week that those were just precautionary measures to ensure their availability for this week of practice and Super Bowl LV.
Both Sammy Watkins and Patrick Mahomes provided some updates on the respective injuries that they’re dealing with during recent media availability. It sounds like the Chiefs will have everyone on the 53-man roster available and ready to play for the Super Bowl assuming no setbacks or injuries during the final days of practice leading up to the game.
Check back later for the latest injury reports from both teams.
The first injury report of the week for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills ahead of the AFC Championship Game.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have released their first injury reports of the week on Wednesday. There was certainly good news in regards to Patrick Mahomes’ status.
Check out the injury report for each team down below:
