NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • 2024 NFL playoff schedule, bracket: Dates, times and TV for every round of AFC and NFC postseason

    2024 NFL playoff schedule, bracket: Dates, times and TV for every round of AFC and NFC postseason

    The NFL playoffs are finally upon us. After a wild 18 weeks, the NFL regular-season is finally in the books and it’s now time for the postseason 

    Although there will be some familiar faces in the playoffs this year — like the 49ers, Chiefs and Cowboys — there will also be some new blood. As a matter of fact, of the four teams in NFL history that have never been to a Super Bowl, three of them — Houston, Cleveland and Detroit — are in the playoffs this year. Unfortunately for the Browns and Texans, they’ll be facing each other, which means one of those teams will be going home after the first round. 

    As for Detroit, the Lions will be hosting their first playoff game in 30 years and in a twist, they’ll be facing someone they’re very familiar with: Matthew Stafford. With Jared Goff starting for the Lions, the game between Los Angeles and Detroit will mark the first time in playoff history where both starting quarterbacks are facing their former team. That game will be going down on Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC. 

    As for the rest of the 2024 NFL playoff schedule, you can see that below.

    Super Wild Card Weekend

    Saturday, Jan. 13

    (5) Browns at (4) Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET (NBC). For just the second time in 20 years, the Browns are in the playoffs. These two teams met back in Week 16, but you probably shouldn’t take too much away from that 36-22 win by Cleveland because C.J. Stroud didn’t play. The Texans superstar rookie will be on the field this week and he’ll be facing one of his biggest tests of the season in the Browns defense. (6) Dolphins at (3) Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. ET (Peacock). Tyreek Hill is going to get a second chance at beating his former team, and this time, he gets to do it in Kansas City. These two teams did meet back in Week 9 in a game that Kansas City won 21-14, but that game was played in Germany. The temperature in Kansas City is expected to be below 12 degrees on Saturday…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • 2024 National championship game predictions, odds: Michigan vs. Washington picks for College Football Playoff

    2024 National championship game predictions, odds: Michigan vs. Washington picks for College Football Playoff

    The 2023 college football season has just one game remaining on the schedule. And how about this, but this game to decide the national champion just so happens to feature the top two teams in the country. On Monday night in Houston, Texas, No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington will clash in the College Football Playoff National Championship as both programs look for their first national title of the BCS/CFP era. 

    This is a game of conflicting styles between two teams that will be conference foes come 2024. Michigan has enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory by bullying opponents with a power run game and suffocating defense. While Washington boasts a solid run game of its own, the bread and butter of the Huskies’ attack is in the passing game. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was a Heisman Trophy finalist after posting incredible numbers throwing to the deepest receiving corps in the country.

    Who will emerge from this battle in Houston as national champions? I wish I knew the answer because I could make a lot of money if I did! Alas, I don’t, but I’m more than happy to offer my best guesses about what will play out on Monday night.

    CFP National Championship keys: How Michigan wins | How Washington wins

    National Championship: (1) Michigan vs. (2) Washington

    Spread

    The general narrative surrounding these teams will be that Washington is the better offensive team and Michigan the better defensive team. It’s an accurate assessment but one that’s a bit too generic. Yes, Washington averaged 37.6 points per game, but Michigan averaged 36.0. The vast difference comes in the yardage total, where the Huskies posted 473.6 yards per game to Michigan’s 378.4, but that’s due more to approach than philosophy.

    From an efficiency…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Former Raiders LB Jack Squirek dies at 64

    Former Raiders LB Jack Squirek dies at 64

    Former Raiders linebacker Jack Squirek died Friday after a battle with an illness, the team announced. He was 64.

    Squirek’s interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII remains one of the iconic plays in NFL history. He intercepted a Joe Theismann screen pass intended for Joe Washington and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 21-3 lead in what turned into a 38-9 win.

    Squirek’s run to the end zone made the cover of Sports Illustrated, one of the most memorable covers in the magazine’s illustrious history.

    The Raiders made Squirek a second-round pick out of Illinois in 1982, and he played 53 games with the team before finishing his career with one season in Miami.

    He played 55 games, with eight starts, in his career and made only one interception in the regular season.

    “The thoughts and deepest condolences of the Raider Nation are with the Squirek family at this time,” the Raiders said in a statement.

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Fourth Georgia player transfers to Purdue

    Fourth Georgia player transfers to Purdue

    The Georgia Bulldogs have seen a lot of activity in the transfer portal this offseason. Georgia has seen over 20 total players enter into the transfer portal.

    Additionally, Georgia has been more aggressive than normal in the portal. The Bulldogs have targeted the wide receiver position in the transfer portal since the SEC championship. The Bulldogs have added commitments from three transfer wide receivers, which helps offset the five Georgia receivers (includes one walk-on) that have entered the transfer portal.

    Interestingly, Purdue has been a popular transfer destination for Georgia players. Four Georgia Bulldogs, including most recently wide receiver C.J. Smith, have transferred to Purdue.

    The Boilermakers have the No. 10 incoming transfer class in the nation and are looking to build off a rough 4-8 season. Purdue offers an abundance of playing time against top level competition in the Big Ten.

    Who are the four Georgia players to transfer to Purdue?

    Cornerback Nyland Green

    Former Georgia cornerback Nyland Green is ranked as one of the top cornerbacks in the transfer portal, per 247Sports.

    Wide receiver C.J. Smith

    Explosive Georgia wide receiver C.J. Smith is one of the best Georgia players to enter the transfer portal this cycle. Purdue should have a significant boost from adding four Georgia Bulldogs this season.

    Wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette

    Georgia wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette, a former four-star recruit in the class of 2022, has committed to the Purdue Boilermakers. Morrissette played high school football for North Cobb in Kennesaw, Georgia. He played in three games for the Bulldogs in 2023.

    Edge C.J. Madden

    Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

    Georgia edge rusher C.J. Madden is committed to Purdue too. Madden is ranked as a three-star transfer recruit and the No. 344 transfer in the country, per 247Sports.

    More…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Bill Belichick rumors: At least two teams hope to meet with legendary head coach if he and Patriots part ways

    Bill Belichick rumors: At least two teams hope to meet with legendary head coach if he and Patriots part ways

    The 2023 season will be over on Monday for 18 of the NFL’s 32 teams, and the New England Patriots will be one of those teams for the third time in four seasons without future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. 

    The Patriots are the worst scoring offense in the league this season (14.6 points per game), and sitting with a 4-12 record, the most losses of Bill Belichick’s head-coaching career, there is a chance New England is going to “mutually part ways” — essentially fire — their six-time Super Bowl champion head coach. 

    Per The Athletic, the Patriots have a meeting set for next week between owner Robert Kraft, team president Jonathan Kraft and Belichick to determine Belichick’s future with the team going forward. He reportedly wants to continue coaching, but Dianna Russini reports some who work for the team are “expecting changes” and beginning to network elsewhere. She also wrote that the Washington Commanders, who are expected to fire head coach Ron Rivera, and the Las Vegas Raiders hope to meet with Belichick should he be available.

    Both the amount of losses (12) and points per game (14.6) are the Patriots’ worst since the 1992 season, when they went 2-14. The following season, New England fired head coach Dick MacPherson and hired Bill Parcells.

    Earlier this season, New England became the first team to lose three consecutive games with 10 or fewer points allowed since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals did so nearly 100 years ago. The team has been shut out twice this season. During the Brady era, the Patriots were shut out twice in 20 seasons, including the postseason. 

    Given that Belichick won an NFL-record six Super Bowls for New England, he has had some leeway in the post-Brady era, but outside of a 10-7 year in 2021, New England has had a losing record in three of the four years Brady has been gone. Between the lack of on-field success and the poor roster construction that…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • LSU hires Blake Baker: New Tigers defensive coordinator helped lead Missouri to an 11-2 finish in 2023

    LSU hires Blake Baker: New Tigers defensive coordinator helped lead Missouri to an 11-2 finish in 2023

    Getty Images

    LSU is hiring Missouri’s Blake Baker as its next defensive coordinator, the school announced on Friday. Baker spent the past two seasons at Missouri where he helped orchestrate a significant turnaround for the Tigers defense. Under his watch, Missouri finished 11-2 and knocked off Ohio State 14-3 in the Cotton Bowl to close out the season. It was Ohio State’s lowest point total since a shutout College Football Playoff loss to Clemson in 2016. 

    LSU is expected to make Baker the highest-paid assistant in the country, with an annual salary exceeding $2.2 million, Yahoo Sports reports. 

    Missouri ranked No. 4 in the SEC in scoring defense (20.8 PPG) and No. 5 in the conference in total defense (336.1) in 2023. The Tigers were also No 4 nationally in forced fumbles (17) and No. 11 in the country in sacks (39).

    “Blake brings a wealth of experience and success as a defensive coordinator throughout his career, including the last two years in the SEC at Missouri,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said in a statement released by the school. “His ability to develop and motivate his players while putting together highly successful defenses sets him apart in his field. I am excited to welcome Blake and his family back to Baton Rouge.”

    It’s a bit of a homecoming for Baker, who served as the linebackers coach at LSU during the 2021 season and also. His career has also included stops at Miami and Louisiana Tech.

    Baker will be tasked with turning around what was one of the most disappointing units in college football in 2023. The Tigers dismissed a majority of its defensive…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Alvin Kamara is a game-time decision

    Alvin Kamara is a game-time decision

    Saints running back Alvin Kamara is questionable to play against the Falcons on Sunday, and coach Dennis Allen calls him a game-time decision.

    “He’s one of those guys that is so valuable to our team that we’re going to go all the way up to game time to see where he’s at,” Allen said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN. “He’s made improvement throughout the week and we’ll just wait until game time to make a decision on that.”

    Kamara sprained an ankle against the Bucs on Sunday and missed the entire week of practice.

    He has 180 carries for 694 yards, which would be a career low if he doesn’t play Sunday, and 75 catches for 466 yards with six total touchdowns in 13 games.

    If Kamara can’t play, Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller will see more snaps. Miller, who hasn’t played since Nov. 5 because of an ankle injury, missed Friday’s practice with an illness.

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Gators to get 2025 blue-chip QB on campus for junior day

    Gators to get 2025 blue-chip QB on campus for junior day

    The 2024 college football recruiting cycle still has some loose ends to tie up, but otherwise, the class has ostensibly taken form. With all of that all but wrapped up, Billy Napier and Co. can begin looking forward to 2025.

    Among the many that Florida football has a keen eye on is four-star quarterback Antwann Hill out of Robins (Georgia) Houston County. The 6-foot-5-inch, 215-pound passer will be in Gainesville for the program’s junior day event on Jan. 13, according to Swamp247.

    The coveted play-caller has visited the Swamp in the past, including a stop to see the Gators upset the Tennessee Volunteers in mid-September.

    “They had an electric atmosphere out there. That’s one thing about Florida fans, they’re always going to bring the energy,” Hill noted following the game.

    “A performance like this means the program is just headed back in the right direction with a big win over the Vols. They came out had a great game plan and executed it at a very high level.”

    While it is still fairly early in the young student-athlete’s recruitment, there has not been a shortage of suitors. Hill is also eyeing visits with the LSU Tigers as well as the Louisville Cardinals.

    “He’s wide open right now,” his father Antwann Sr. said. “Anyone has a shot. We haven’t ruled anybody out.”

    The elder Hill also mentioned the Colorado Buffaloes, Memphis Tigers, Auburn Tigers and Florida State Seminoles.

    Hill is ranked No. 66 overall and No. 5 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 76 and 6, respectively.

    Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

    Story originally appeared on Gators Wire

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More