Monday Night Football schedule: Is there a ‘ManningCast’ tonight?

There are two Monday Night Football games on deck tonight, but there’s no ‘ManningCast’ in Week 4. Peyton and Eli will return in Week 5.

Peyton and Eli Manning have returned for a fourth season of the ManningCast with the two former quarterbacks set to provide commentary for 11 weeks of Monday Night Football games this fall.

The brothers released a funny 10-minute musical to promote the upcoming ManningCast season earlier this month. The 2024 slate takes a break tonight despite there being two MNF games on deck in Week 4. The brothers are set to return in Week 5.

Peyton and Eli will welcome new guests on the program each week there is a ManningCast, and Bill Belichick will be featured on every episode this fall.

In addition to 10 weeks of regular-season action, Peyton and Eli will also provide commentary for a Wild Card game in January.

Check out the full schedule below.

ManningCast 2024 Schedule

NFL Week Date Game TV
1 Sept. 9 Jets @ 49ers ESPN2, ESPN+
2 Sept. 16 Falcons @ Eagles ESPN2
5 Oct. 7 Saints @ Chiefs ESPN2
6 Oct. 14 Bills @ Jets ESPN2
7 Oct. 21 Ravens @ Bucs ESPN2, ESPN+
7 Oct. 21 Chargers @ Cards ESPN+
8 Oct. 28 Giants @ Steelers ESPN2, ESPN+
9 Nov. 4 Bucs @ Chiefs ESPN2
11 Nov. 18 Texans @ Cowboys ESPN2
12 Nov. 25 Ravens @ Chargers ESPN2
14 Dec. 9 Bengals @ Cowboys ESPN2, ESPN+
Wild Card Jan. 13 TBD ESPN2, ESPN+

The ManningCast is televised on ESPN2. The primary MNF broadcast will continue to feature Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters on ESPN.

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Packers RB Josh Jacobs fined $45K by NFL for unnecessary roughness in Week 3

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was fined $45,020 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness related to the lowering of his helmet during Week 3 of the 2024 season.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was fined $45,020 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness related to the lowering of his helmet during Week 3 of the 2024 season.

The play came with 5:16 left in the fourth quarter of the Packers’ win over the Tennessee Titans. A penalty wasn’t called on the field, but video review of the play in question created the fine.

Why is the fine so large right away? Jacobs is a repeat offfender; he was twice fined over $21,000 for the same infraction while with the Las Vegas Raiders last season.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network has video of the latest incident involving Jacobs:

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1840121883485954524

At the end of the run, Jacobs does appear to lower his head and initiate contact with the defender. It’s a play seen hundreds of times over the decades of professional football, but the NFL has outlawed it in attempt to protect players.

Jacobs is the first Packers player to be fined by the NFL under gameday accountability rules this season.

The league is posting all fined penalties and actions from the previous week on Saturdays this season.

From the NFL: “Players subject to accountability measures receive a letter informing them of what they did, a video of the play in question, why they are being fined and how much it will cost them. They also receive information on how to appeal the fine. If they choose not to appeal, the fine is withheld from their next game check.”

All appeals are handled appeals officers Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, Kevin Mawae and Jordy Nelson, four former players appointed by the NFL and NFLPA. Fines are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation.

Packers Wire will track the on-field penalties and resulting fines in recurring posts each week.

Week 3: RB Josh Jacobs, $45,020 (unnecessary roughness)

WATCH: Week 3 mini movie of Bills win over Jaguars

WATCH: Week 3 mini movie of Bills win over Jaguarsv

The Buffalo Bills put the league on notice with a 47-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 on ‘Monday Night Football’.

Quarterback Josh Allen threw four touchdowns in the blowout and the Jaguars’ offense looked out of sorts going against the stout Bills defense.

Keon Coleman and Ray Davis each scored their first career touchdown, four others found the endzone, and Damar Hamlin recorded his first career interception.

Relive the special night in Orchard Park with an eight-minute mini movie from the official Buffalo Bills YouTube channel:

Former NFL offensive lineman on Bills’ Spencer Brown: ‘He’s never played better’

Former NFL offensive lineman on Bills’ Spencer Brown: ‘He’s never played better’

Buffalo Bills’ fourth-year right tackle Spencer Brown is fresh off of signing a four-year contract extension in the offseason and is now playing the best football of his life through three weeks of the 2024 NFL season.

According to Next Gen Stats, Brown is the only offensive lineman in the NFL with at least 25 pass-blocking snaps and zero pressures allowed.

He is playing a major part of a Bills offensive line that has allowed the fewest sacks through three weeks of a Bills season since 2012.

Former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL Network and Fox Sports analyst Brian Baldinger took to social media this week to voice his praise for the former third-rounder out of Northern Iowa. While analyzing the film of Brown’s performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, Baldinger had this to say:

“Spencer Brown is playing great football. You look at right tackles in this business… they see great pass rushers every week at that position. He’s gotten better… good coaching by Aaron Kromer. This Bills offensive line is a strength of this team.”

Watch the full video breakdown from Baldinger here:

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New York has one ex-Bronco and Denver has an ex-Jet

Remember Connor McGovern? The former Broncos lineman is now on the Jets’ practice squad.

The New York Jets have one former Denver Broncos player: offensive lineman Connor McGovern is currently on their practice squad.

The 31-year-old McGovern (not to be focused with the 26-year-old Connor McGovern of the Buffalo Bills) entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick out of Missouri with the Broncos in 2016. He spent four years in Denver, starting 36 games from 2017-2019 before leaving in free agency in 2020.

McGovern has spent the last four years in New York. He now serves as a backup swing guard/center for the Jets.

The Broncos also have two ex-Jets on their roster: defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers and backup quarterback Zach Wilson. Denver acquired JFM from New York in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick this spring when the Jets were making room for Haason Reddick (a disastrous move in hindsight).

Through three games with the Broncos, JFM has totaled seven tackles (two behind the line of scrimmage) and one sack. He recorded 17.5 sacks in 52 starts with the Jets from 2020-2023.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). New York is considered a home favorite against Denver this week.

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Rich Eisen says Bucs were ‘ready to stick it’ to Bo Nix

Bo Nix said last week the Broncos would try to get back on track against the Bucs. Tampa Bay’s defenders apparently took that personally.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix continues to receive praise for his career game on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“There’s something about Bo Nix I like,” Rich Eisen said on Tuesday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show.

Eisen said the Bucs had what they believed was bulletin board material from Nix’s comments last week.

I heard Nix saying, ‘If we just beat the Buccaneers, we can use it as a starting point.’ … I heard (what Nix said) did not sit well in Tampa. They were kind of ready to stick it to the rookie, and Sean Payton and Bo Nix hit them in the mouth to start and kept hitting ’em, and then knocked ’em out.”

In the game against the Bucs, Nix went 25-of-36 for 216 yards with no turnovers, adding nine rushes for 47 yards and a score, a far cry from the first two weeks of the season.

“The beat-up moments from the first two weeks lead to him having the fortitude to go on the road (and win),” Eisen said of the QB’s performance.

With the win, Denver improved to 1-2.

“Kudos to the Broncos, man,” Eisen said. “The first road win for a rookie quarterback (of the 2024 season) belongs to Bo Nix.”

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‘Everybody eats’ philosophy has Bills scoring most points in the NFL

‘Everybody eats’ philosophy has Bills scoring most points in the NFL

The Buffalo Bills coined the phrase “everybody eats” as the theme of their offense for 2024, and the team’s 47-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on “Monday Night Football” was the latest representation of it.

To say that everybody ate on Monday would be an understatement.

Six Bills scored a touchdown in the game, 10 players caught a pass (nine in the first half), and five players recorded three or more catches.

James Cook, Ray Davis, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Ty Johnson, and Keon Coleman all found the endzone. Davis and Coleman both recorded their first-career touchdowns on a special night in Orchard Park.

Josh Allen had one of the most efficient games of his career, and he was able to conduct the offense by spreading it around and keeping the defense guessing. And, if Allen is the conductor of the orchestra then offensive coordinator Joe Brady is the one writing the music.

“Everybody eats” isn’t just a phrase for Brady, it’s all he wants for the offense. Because there is trust in the offensive line, and because Josh Allen is at quarterback, Brady is free to use his multitude of skill players in different and creative ways. The creativity and simplification of the processing for Allen have him as the MVP favorite through three games. Brady is putting everyone in positions to succeed.

In a post-practice press conference Wednesday, Josh Allen spoke on the ability of the offense being elevated because they have so many different options to beat defenses:

“I think we’ve shown the ability to be in big personnel and run it and throw it, we’ve shown small personnel to run it and throw it, the run game, play action, drop back… there’s just a lot of opportunities for us to do a lot of different things throughout the game. We have different chess pieces that Joe [Brady] is using really well right now… and they are doing a great job of understanding what everybody’s role is. The ability to at any different time throw it to somebody else and they be our first read… it’s very fun. It’s easy on me and Joe’s been doing a great job of calling plays.”

Sure, the Bills lost their top two receivers from last year, but what they have now is depth at skill positions across the entire offense. And the skill position players all offer multiple flavors themselves. The running backs are threats through the air and on the ground, Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir can be lined up anywhere, and Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox can give you everything you need at the tight end position. Throw in some big-bodied boundary receivers and you’ve got a well-rounded offense.

After three weeks, the Bills (3-0) are leading the league in points per game (37.3) but the road gets tougher ahead for the Bills. Next up is a three-game road stretch (Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, New York Jets). It will be a grind through the next few weeks, but when things get tough for Allen and Brady, they know they’ll have someone in the supporting cast to lean on, because you can’t cover all of them.

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Brian Baldinger breaks down film of Bo Nix, more Broncos players

Brian Baldinger was impressed rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s performance against the Bucs in Week 3.

NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger is back with more film breakdowns of Denver Broncos players following the team’s 26-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the offense came out hot with a back shoulder fade thrown to wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

“It’s perfect, just the way you draw it up,” Baldinger said of the play. After that, Nix threw another deep pass to receiver Josh Reynolds.

Baldinger showed that play and several other Nix throws in this video:

Baldinger also showed examples of Nix’s ability, including his touchdown run and the QB’s viral run after he avoided a sack:

“He’s a good runner,” Baldinger said of Nix. “He was at Oregon, he was throughout his college career, and it really benefited Denver with those first-down runs extending drives.”

Baldinger also reacted to Dondrea Tillman’s impressive NFL debut:

To wrap up, here is Baldinger’s breakdown of safety Brandon Jones’ interception against Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield:

These “Baldy Breakdowns” are always a highlight of the week following Broncos games. Fans in Denver will hope there’s exciting film to review next week following the team’s road game against the New York Jets in Week 4.

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Broncos release depth chart for Week 4 vs. Jets

The Broncos have released their depth chart ahead of Sunday’s game against the Jets.

After making several roster moves last week, the Denver Broncos have released an updated depth chart ahead of their Week 4 showdown with the New York Jets on Sunday.

Last week, the Broncos placed right tackle Mike McGlinchey (MCL) and outside linebacker Baron Browning (foot) on injured reserve, ruling them out for at least four games.

To fill the roster spots formerly held by McGlinchey and Browning, Denver promoted pass rusher Dondrea Tillman and wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey from the practice squad to the active roster.

Note that the team can also call up two players from the practice squad to the game-day roster each week. We’ll find out on Saturday if the Broncos plan to elevate any players in Week 4.

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ depth chart going into Sunday’s game.

Broncos offensive depth chart

WR Josh Reynolds Marvin Mims Troy Franklin
LT Garett Bolles Matt Peart
LG Ben Powers Alex Palczewski
C Luke Wattenberg Alex Forsyth
RG Quinn Meinerz Alex Palczewski
RT Alex Palczewski Frank Crum
TE Adam Trautman Greg Dulcich Lucas Krull
WR Courtland Sutton Lil’Jordan Humphrey Devaughn Vele
RB Javonte Williams Jaleel McLaughlin Tyler Badie Blake Watson
FB Michael Burton Nate Adkins
QB Bo Nix Jarrett Stidham Zach Wilson

Broncos defensive depth chart

DE Zach Allen Jordan Jackson
NT D.J. Jones Malcolm Roach
DE John Franklin-Myers Eyioma Uwazurike
SLB Jonathon Cooper Jonah Elliss
WLB Nik Bonitto Dondrea Tillman
ILB Justin Strnad
ILB Cody Barton Kristian Welch
LCB Pat Surtain Levi Wallace Tremon Smith
RCB Riley Moss Kris Abrams-Draine
NCB Ja’Quan McMillian
S P.J. Locke JL Skinner
S Brandon Jones Devon Key Keidron Smith

Broncos special teams depth chart

PK Wil Lutz
KO Wil Lutz
P Riley Dixon
H Riley Dixon
LS Mitchell Fraboni
KR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith Jaleel McLaughlin
PR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith

The Broncos’ game against the Jets will be regionally televised on CBS. Denver is considered a road underdog in Week 4.

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NFL Network analyst breaks down Broderick Jones’ performance in Week 3

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger breaks down one key play from Broderick Jones’ bounceback performance in Week 3.

Broderick Jones has had an up-and-down start to the year, to say the least.  The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ right tackle struggled with pass protection in Week 1, allowing a pair of sacks against Atlanta’s defense.  His lack of discipline with penalties was on full display early into the Week 2 contest, resulting in his subsequent benching.  Just as fans were starting to lose hope in the 2023 first-round draft selection, he bounced back in a major way with a solid Week 3 performance.

Troy Fautanu suffered a severe knee injury during a Week 2 practice, which led to Jones re-entering the starting lineup.  It was his shot to silence the naysayers, and that’s exactly what he did.

Brian Baldinger, an NFL analyst known for his in-depth player breakdowns, highlighted Jones’ first play of the game against four-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa:

Recording a pancake on one of the NFL’s best edge rushers is guaranteed to get eyes on a player.  Jones looked impressive in his return to starting duties and can continue to rebuild the trust of his team moving forward.

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