Tag: Week 7

What should Dolphins fans root for in Week 7 slate of games?

What should Dolphins fans root for in Week 7 slate of games?

The Miami Dolphins are off this weekend, leaving Dolphins fans salivating and awaiting the debut of Tua Tagovailoa in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams. All good things to those who wait, Dolphins fans! But as we near the midway point of the season, there are still plenty of items of interest for Dolphins fans to key on this weekend, even without the Dolphins themselves playing. What should you be rooting for this weekend while the Dolphins are off? We’re glad you asked.

Here are three big storylines relevant to the Miami Dolphins.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 19: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts with teammates Eric Fisher #72 and Mitchell Schwartz #71 after a fourth quarter touchdown pass against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

A Chiefs win

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to square off against the Denver Broncos this weekend in an AFC West clash that really doesn’t offer any impact to Miami — right? Well, not necessarily. As Miami looks to jostle and position themselves among the AFC’s would-be wild card contenders, betting distance between themselves and Denver is imported. A head to head win for Miami when these two teams clash will be important — but a game of distance between them now plus an eventual head to head tiebreaker puts Miami in the driver’s seat to finish ahead of the Broncos. Denver currently sits at 2-3 and with a loss would fall a full game behind Miami in the standings, completing step one of Miami’s path to better the Broncos.

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Packers’ first injury report of Week 7 is 13 players long

Five players missed practice, and another seven were limited during Wednesday’s practice.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said his team was a little banged up coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Wednesday’s injury report, the first of Week 7, reflected his words.

The Packers listed 13 players on the injury report, including five players who didn’t practice in any capacity on Wednesday.

All five are regular starters or important contributors and could be in danger of missing Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. Left tackle David Bakhtiari (chest), running back Tyler Ervin (wrist), defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster (shoulder), safety Darnell Savage (quad) and tight end Robert Tonyan (ankle) all missed Wednesday’s practice. All but Ervin were injured during the 38-10 loss to the Buccaneers.

Bakhtiari, who hasn’t missed a start since 2017, would be the big loss if he can’t play Sunday. The Packers don’t have an obvious backup left tackle candidate, although veteran Rick Wagner played there in the second half on Sunday in Tampa Bay.

Savage is a starter at safety and, if healthy, would be a key part of containing the Texans’ downfield passing game. Lancaster, a run plugger, has been on the field for roughly 42 percent of the defense’s snap. Tonyan, the starting tight end, leads the team in touchdown catches.

Seven other players were limited. Linebacker Krys Barnes (shoulder/calf), linebacker Rashan Gary (ankle), cornerback Kevin King (quad), tight end Marcedes Lewis (knee), linebacker Preston Smith (shoulder), linebacker Za’Darius Smith (ankle) and receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (knee) were all less than full-go on Wednesday. Barnes and Preston Smith suffered new injuries against the Bucs.

King missed Sunday’s loss but could be on track to return against the Texans if he can get through the week of practices without a setback.

Romeo Crennel’s team was without three players at practice Wednesday. Another six were limited, but the Texans are mostly healthy entering Week 7.

The Packers will practice again Thursday and Friday, assign official injury designations on Friday afternoon and then fly out to Houston on Saturday. The two teams are scheduled for a noon CT kickoff from RNG Stadium in Houston.

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Detroit Lions Wednesday Week 7 injury report: Frank Ragnow, Trey Flowers, Marvin Jones, and Desmond Trufant don’t practice

Examining the Detroit Lions Wednesday injury report as they get ready for a Week 7 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Detroit Lions (2-3) returned to the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare to travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons (1-5) in Week 7, and four Lions starters missed practice today.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Injured reserve/PUP list

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Frank Ragnow Groin No Practice
Marvin Jones Knee No Practice
Trey Flowers Wrist No Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice

Ragnow injured his groin last week Wednesday, missed Thursday’s practice, returned Friday, and was able to play every offensive snap on Sunday. This is most likely a maintenance day for his injury but worth keeping an eye on.

Jones and Flowers were also able to play their full complement of snaps on Sunday, so this may also be rest days for banged-up veterans, but it could also be something that popped up after the game, which would be more concerning.

Trufant’s revenge game against the Falcons may be put on hold as he is once again starting the week off unable to practice. If he can’t play, Amani Oruwariye and Jeff Okudah have held down the fort admirably in his stay.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Danny Amendola Foot Limited Practice

Amendola is another new name on the injury report this week. Limited is a good sign, and with his work ethic, expect him to do everything in his power to be available on Sunday.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Joe Dahl Groin Full Practice

Dahl spent three weeks on injured reserve because of his groin but was able to return to practice last week and contributed in a limited role against the Jaguars. A full practice is a great sign and it’s possible the offensive line gets shaken up again if he is ready to reclaim his starting role at left guard.

It’s worth noting that Da’Shawn Hand (chest), Nick Williams (shoulder), Christian Jones (knee), and C.J. Moore (calf) were listed on last week’s injury report and are no longer listed this week, indicating they’re good to go moving forward.

Chiefs open as big favorites over Broncos in Week 7

Kansas City goes to Denver as favorites after a Week 6 win on the road.

The Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) are big favorites on the road against the Denver Broncos (2-3) in Week 7.

BetMGM’s betting lines for Week 7 have the Chiefs listed as favorites over their AFC West division rival Broncos. Both teams are coming off of wins in Week 6. Kansas City knocked off the Buffalo Bills and Denver took down the Patriots, only kicking field goals on their way to victory.

At BetMGM, the Chiefs are currently listed as 9.5-point favorites over the Broncos. The current money line is at -477 for Kansas City and +355 for Denver. The over/under point total is set at 46.5 points. The Chiefs have an implied win probability of 80.65% in this matchup.

This seems a bit overzealous by the oddsmakers. 9.5 points ties for the second-highest margin that Kansas City has been favored by so far this season. The last time they were favored by 9.5 points was Week 1 against the Houston Texans. The highest mark was the team’s Week 5 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, ahead of which they were favored by 12 points.

This is a road matchup against a division rival that hasn’t had much success against the Chiefs lately. The Broncos are coming off a game where they failed to score a touchdown, but their offense is certainly capable of doing some damage. Overall it feels like the recipe for what is often considered a trap game, so bettors should proceed with caution on this one.

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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Vegas Watch: Lions open Week 7 as 2 1/2-point underdogs to the Falcons

Examining the Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons betting lines for Week 7. The Lions open as 2 1/2 point underdogs.

Both the Detroit Lions (2-3) and Atlanta Falcons (1-5) are coming off victories and will be looking to start a winning streak in Week 7. The Lions jumped on the Jaguars and never let up, winning 34-16, while the Falcons got their first win of the season by dropping 40 on the Vikings, who could only manage 23 points.

With the game being played in Atlanta, the home team gets the traditional 2.5-point edge — according to BetMGM — but this betting line points to this game should be a close contest.

The 34 points scored last week were the most ever put up by a Lions team under coach Matt Patricia, and their offense wasn’t even as sharp as it has been in previous weeks. Factor in, wide receiver Julio Jones returning to game action and the Falcons coming off a 40 point contest, and it’s no surprise the over-under is at 56.5 points.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look at the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread, and over/under.

Moneyline

Lions +115
Falcons -136

Spread

Lions +2.5 -110
Falcons -2.5 -110

Over/Under

Total points scored Over Under
56.5 -110 -110

Lions total points scored

Lions total points Over Under
18.5 -527 +360
21.5 -295 +220
24.5 -167 +130
27.5 -110 +115
30.5 +135 -176
33.5 +210 -278
36.5 +320 -455

There will also a considerable amount of player prop bets added throughout the week, including touchdowns scorers, the first player to score, quarterback passing props (yards, touchdowns, interceptions, attempts, completions, longest completion), running back props (rushing yards, attempts, rushing + receiving yards), and receiver props (receiving yards, receptions, longest reception).

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Vegas Watch: Lions open Week 7 as 2 1/2-point underdogs to the Falcons

Examining the Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons betting lines for Week 7. The Lions open as 2 1/2 point underdogs.

Both the Detroit Lions (2-3) and Atlanta Falcons (1-5) are coming off victories and will be looking to start a winning streak in Week 7. The Lions jumped on the Jaguars and never let up, winning 34-16, while the Falcons got their first win of the season by dropping 40 on the Vikings, who could only manage 23 points.

With the game being played in Atlanta, the home team gets the traditional 2.5-point edge — according to BetMGM — but this betting line points to this game should be a close contest.

The 34 points scored last week were the most ever put up by a Lions team under coach Matt Patricia, and their offense wasn’t even as sharp as it has been in previous weeks. Factor in, wide receiver Julio Jones returning to game action and the Falcons coming off a 40 point contest, and it’s no surprise the over-under is at 56.5 points.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look at the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread, and over/under.

Moneyline

Lions +115
Falcons -136

Spread

Lions +2.5 -110
Falcons -2.5 -110

Over/Under

Total points scored Over Under
56.5 -110 -110

Lions total points scored

Lions total points Over Under
18.5 -527 +360
21.5 -295 +220
24.5 -167 +130
27.5 -110 +115
30.5 +135 -176
33.5 +210 -278
36.5 +320 -455

There will also a considerable amount of player prop bets added throughout the week, including touchdowns scorers, the first player to score, quarterback passing props (yards, touchdowns, interceptions, attempts, completions, longest completion), running back props (rushing yards, attempts, rushing + receiving yards), and receiver props (receiving yards, receptions, longest reception).

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Detroit Lions elect to protect TE Isaac Nauta and CB Dee Virgin in Week 7

The Detroit Lions have declared the practice squad players they wish to protect in Week 7 and they include tight end Isaac Nauta and cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin.

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The Detroit Lions have declared the practice squad players they wish to protect in Week 7 and they include tight end Isaac Nauta and cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin.

Nauta and Virgin have been protected players for the Lions every week in 2020 and each has been elevated to the active roster for one game — Virgin in Week 2 versus the Arizona Cardinals and Nauta in Week 6 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ironically, those are the two games the Lions have won this season.

Despite having the option to protect up to four practice squad players each week, this is the second week in a row the Lions have protected fewer than the maximum — in Week 6 they only protected three players.

Last week, in addition to Nauta and Virgin, the Lions protected quarterback David Blough, but since then, Blough has been signed to the active roster, and the Lions elected to leave his protection spot open.

The only other players the Lions have used a protection label on are running back Jonathan Williams — who has since been released — and running back Kerrith Whyte — who is currently on the practice squad injured reserve’s list.

Florida’s two Kyles still under consideration for the Heisman Trophy

Florida Gators stars quarterback Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts remain on USA TODAY Sports’ Heisman Trophy Watch after dropping down in Week 7.

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Editors note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below. 

There is no such thing as a foregone conclusion in the wild world of college football, particularly this season in the world of COVID-19 where the unpredictable is predictable.

Perceptions could change when the Big Ten and other conferences finally kick off starting this weekend. But for the moment, There’s an air of inevitability developing around the notion that Clemson and Alabama are unstoppable forces again destined to square off for the national title and that the Heisman winner will be the quarterback of one of those programs.

Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence continues to hold the lead in the weekly USA TODAY Network Heisman survey. He tossed five more TD passes last week as the Tigers routed Georgia Tech, though he did throw his first interception of the season. He has 15 scoring passes thus far in 2020 and a total of 1,544 yards.

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Alabama’s Mac Jones was every bit as impressive in the Crimson Tide’s win against Georgia in a top-five showdown. He moved 14 points closer to Lawrence in the survey and added three first-place votes to last week’s total. Jones’ first pass was picked off,  as well, on his first attempt of the game, but he bounced back to add four TDs to his ledger, bringing his season total to 12 with 1,518 yards.

Jones’ teammate, running back Najee Harris, is also on the radar in fifth place with the most points among non-quarterbacks.

Another prolific passer, BYU’s Zach Wilson, has moved up to third and could be emerging as a dark horse. Though he hasn’t faced quite the same level of competition, he impressed a national television audience Friday night in the Cougars’ important victory at Houston. Through five games he is averaging 328.2 yards through the air. He has a total of 12 TD throws with just one pick, and has also run for six more scores.

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USA TODAY Sports’ bowl predictions have Gators playing for peaches

There is still a ways to go but after Week 7 of college football USA TODAY Sports projects the Florida Gators to play in the Peach Bowl.

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Editors note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below. 

The College Football Playoff outlook changed Saturday night. Yes, Alabama beat Georgia. That wasn’t unexpected. However, the potential for the Bulldogs winning the rematch in the SEC championship game became less clear. The Crimson Tide’s offense was too much for them.

Georgia can still run the table in its remaining games – the only ranked opponent left is No. 8 Florida on Nov. 7. But without a conference title, it’s hard to see a compelling argument for them in the playoff unless at least two of the Power Five conference champions are clearly inferior.

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The biggest beneficiary of Saturday night is Oregon. The Ducks will only play six conference games and a Pac-12 championship game — if they make it that far. None of their scheduled opponents is currently ranked. How would a 7-0 Oregon stack up against a 9-2 Georgia with its only losses to Alabama? That’s sure to be an interesting debate if we reach that point.

There’s also the American Athletic to consider. Cincinnati and SMU are the league’s only unbeatens. They play Saturday with the winner taking a big step forward in the playoff race. It’s conceivable either could make the field with an 11-0 record given the overall strength of the league this year being comparable to the Pac-12 and Big 12.

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For now, the projected spot in the playoff behind Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State goes to Oregon. The Ducks don’t start until Nov. 7, so it will still be some time before they can be assessed.

The rest of the postseason has been cleared up with the NCAA waiving any win requirement for bowl eligibility. No replacement teams should be needed as conferences are expected to fulfill their bowl allotments.

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