WATCH: Chiefs DL George Karlaftis mic’d up vs. Bengals

Check out #Chiefs DL George Karlaftis’ mic’d up performance against the Bengals in Week 17.

George Karlaftis has been an integral part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ pass rush this season and leads the team in sacks ahead of its Week 18 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon.

The former Purdue Boilermaker was mic’d up during the Chiefs’ matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, and video of his outstanding performance hit social media channels as Kansas City prepares for its final tilt this weekend.

The second-year defensive lineman has turned a corner in his development, and his steady presence on the line has helped the Chiefs’ defense become one of the NFL’s top units.

With 10.5 sacks on the season, Karlaftis is blossoming into a force of nature on Kansas City’s defensive front, and in time he may be able to improve on his already impressive numbers.

Expect “Furious George” to do his best to add another sack against the Chargers to extend his lead on the team leaderboard.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors

#Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his six field goal performance against the Bengals.

The Kansas City Chiefs relied on kicker Harrison Butker to score the majority of their points in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and his stellar six-for-six showing against the team’s bitter AFC rival earned him Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Butker accounted for 19 of Kansas City’s 25 points in an effort that helped secure the Chiefs their tenth win of the 2023 season. The veteran kicker started his season with an impressive streak of 23 consecutive three-point attempts made before faltering against the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders in Weeks 15 and 16 respectively, when he missed one attempt in each game.

His bounce-back showing against Cincinnati should have Butker back on track ahead of the playoffs and could be a good indicator that the Chiefs’ golden leg is back to his old ways.

Expect Butker to get another workout against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18 if Andy Reid elects to rest Kansas City’s starters,

Packers QB Jordan Love named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 17

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after producing four total touchdowns in a 33-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 17.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after producing four total touchdowns in a 33-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 17.

Love is the first Packers player to be named Offensive Player of the Week since Aaron Rodgers in Week 15 of the 2021 season.

Against the Vikings, Love completed 24 of 33 passes for 256 yards, three touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He also had a 2-yard rushing touchdown.

Love’s three touchdown passes tied for the NFC lead in Week 17. His 125.3 passer rating and four total touchdowns led all NFC quarterbacks.

Love threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jayden Reed in the first half, and his 9-yard touchdown pass to Bo Melton gave the Packers a 30-3 lead in the third quarter.

The award is the first of Love’s career. He has 30 passing touchdowns and 34 total touchdowns through 16 games this season, his first as a starter in Green Bay.

In the season finale, Love will face Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for Week 17. He had two interceptions and two other pass breakups in the Bears’ win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The last Packers player to win any player of the week award was Keisean Nixon (special teams) in Week 17 of last season. He earned the award after returning a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown during the Packers’ 41-17 win over the Vikings.

How former Alabama players performed in Week 17 of NFL season

Roll Tide Wire takes a close look at how former Alabama players performed in Week 17 of the NFL season.

Alabama is one of the top programs in the country when it comes to producing NFL talent. The Crimson Tide are well-represented on both sides of the ball and at just about every position on the football field.

Week 17 of the 2023 season kicked off on last Thursday night and concluded on Monday night, which means there were a lot of former Alabama players suiting up for their respective professional teams.

Believe it or not, 26 of the 32 teams in the NFL have at least one Alabama player on its roster. There are not many college programs that can say the same.

Roll Tide Wire breaks down how former Alabama players performed in their Week 17 matchups.

Chiefs DL George Karlaftis put together an exceptional performance vs. Bengals

#Chiefs DL George Karlaftis played with his hair on fire against the #Bengals in Week 17.

The Kansas City Chiefs defense has been among the NFL’s best this season, and with just one game remaining on their schedule, the team’s defense seems primed to make something special happen in the playoffs.

Second-year defensive end George Karlaftis has been among the unit’s leaders through 16 games, and put together arguably his best performance of the season against the Bengals in Week 17, tallying 1.5 sacks, six pressures, and a pass rush win rate of 26.7 percent, according to Pro Football Focus.

Numbers like these are no coincidence for Karlaftis, who has steadily developed into Kansas City’s leading sack leader heading into their final matchup of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers.

His presence on the Chiefs’ front four has more than warranted his selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. With another exceptional showing in Week 18, he could cement himself as Kansas City’s preeminent sack-master ahead of the playoffs later this month.

How every former Wisconsin Badger performed in NFL Week 17, 2023

How every former Wisconsin Badger performed in NFL Week 17, 2023

The calendar has turned to 2024 and the NFL regular season is finally entering its final week.

New Year’s Eve was a packed day of Week 17 action. Wisconsin products again were among the biggest headlines, including Russell Wilson being benched in Denver, Jonathan Taylor returning to the lineup and finding the end zone, T.J. Edwards continuing his stellar season, Melvin Gordon finding the end zone for the first time this season and more.

With the playoffs now on the horizon, each former Badger will get one more shot in the regular season to enter the playoffs with momentum, maintain job security or cap off a stellar campaign.

Before we get to that, here is how every former Wisconsin Badger performed in NFL Week 17:

Ex-Falcons WR Roddy White tells Bears to send Justin Fields to Atlanta

Ex-Falcons WR Roddy White to the Bears: “Go ahead and draft Caleb please – we will take Justin [Fields] off y’all hands no problem.”

The Atlanta Falcons were annihilated by the Chicago Bears on the road in Week 17. Sunday’s 37-17 loss stung even more than usual because Bears quarterback Justin Fields did most of the damage.

Back in 2021, the Falcons had a chance to draft Fields, a Georgia native, with the No. 4 overall pick but opted for Florida tight end Kyle Pitts instead. While Pitts has an elite skill set, Atlanta still doesn’t have a quarterback who’s capable of getting him the ball.

Now that the Bears have officially landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, many assume they will take a QB. If that is the case, Fields would almost certainly be traded in the offseason. Former Falcons receiver Roddy White would like to see Fields land in Atlanta.

Fields has passed for 2,414 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for another 630 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games this season for the Bears.

The former Ohio State star is still just 24 years old. Chicago has until May 24 to pick up Fields’ fifth-year option.

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Monday Night Football’s ‘ManningCast’ will return with NFL playoffs

There’s no Monday Night Football matchup or ‘ManningCast’ tonight, but Peyton and Eli will return for a Wild Card game in the playoffs.

After a hilarious fake search for a third host this offseason, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning have returned to ESPN2 this fall for a third season of the ManningCast (without a third host).

As they have done for the past two seasons, Peyton and Eli will have special guests join them on the alternate broadcast of Monday Night Football, but they will remain the two hosts of the popular show.

Disney will continue to carry its standard MNF broadcasts on main ESPN with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman serving as the commentators for the primary broadcast. The ten alternate ManningCasts featuring Peyton and Eli will be broadcast on ESPN2 and available to stream on NFL+.

Here is the full ManningCast schedule of games during the 2023 season.

NFL Week Date Monday Night Football Game TV Channel
Week 1 Sept. 11 Buffalo Bills at New York Jets ESPN2, ESPN+, NFL+
Week 4 Oct. 2 Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants ESPN2, NFL+
Week 5 Oct. 9 Green Bay Packers at Las Vegas Raiders ESPN2, NFL+
Week 7 Oct. 23 San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings ESPN2, NFL+
Week 9 Nov. 6 Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets ESPN2, NFL+
Week 10 Nov. 13 Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills ESPN2, NFL+
Week 11 Nov. 20 Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs ESPN2, ESPN+, NFL+
Week 13 Dec. 4 Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars ESPN2, NFL+
Week 14 Dec. 11 Titans at Dolphins AND Packers at Giants ESPN2, NFL+
Week 15 Dec. 18 Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks ESPN2, NFL+
Wildcard Jan. 15 TBD Playoff Game ESPN2, ESPN+, NFL+

Peyton and Eli both won a pair of Super Bowls as quarterbacks in the NFL.

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Fans call for Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s job after rocky performance vs. Bengals

#Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling trended on Twitter after his abysmal performance against the #Bengals.

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had an exceptionally difficult 2023 season. The veteran pass catcher has become something of a scapegoat on the team’s struggling offense and didn’t help his cause against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.

When Patrick Mahomes needed him most, Valdes-Scantling saw two balls slip through his hands in important situations and even seemed to show up the reigning MVP after one of his drops, as if to imply that the pass that blatantly bounced off his mitts wasn’t well thrown.

Fans across the country went ballistic on Twitter after the first drop and then followed up their outrage after the former South Flordia Bull’s second miscue.

“#CUTMVS” trended on Twitter as Chiefs Kingdom expressed their feelings about Valdes-Scantling, and despite Kansas City’s win on New Year’s Eve, the receiver’s performance seemed to define his team’s performance.

Check out what Twitter said about Valdes-Scantling as all of Sunday night’s drama unfolded:

Chiefs stock watch: Which players impressed during Week 17 vs. Bengals?

Here’s a look at the stock trends for some #Chiefs players after the Week 17 victory over the #Bengals. | from: @EdEastonJr

The Christmas Day poor performance didn’t carry over to New Year’s Eve as the Kansas City Chiefs handled business at Arrowhead Stadium, clinching their eighth straight AFC West division title. The 25-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals guarantees the Chiefs a home game in the postseason.

Patrick Mahomes turned the ball over early, leading to Bengals points and giving unfortunate flashbacks to Monday’s problems against the Las Vegas Raiders. He returned to form with a solid performance through the air while complementing the offensive star of the game, Isiah Pacheco. Rashee Rice has planted his flag firmly as the best wide receiver on this year’s team with another productive game.

The defense successfully applied pressure to the Bengals’ passing game and got into the head of wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Justin Reid played tremendous coverage and collected two sacks on Cincinnati’s last drive, while George Karlaftis added two quarterback takedowns of his own. The unit shut the door on any potential comeback, sealing the much-needed victory.

The victory puts Kansas City in the postseason, with the third seed secured and the regular season finale next week in Los Angeles.

Here’s a look at how the stock is trending for some players after the Week 17 win at Arrowhead Stadium: