NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • 5 things to watch as Jets return from bye week

    5 things to watch as Jets return from bye week

    The Jets headed into their bye week on a high, after a two-game winning streak improved their record to 3-3.

    Despite the devastating injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the opener and another season-ending injury to stud offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets have proven their mettle against some of the league’s top teams by beating the Bills and Eagles, and almost beating the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

    However, they were also flying high heading into the bye week last year at 6-3, only to flounder down the stretch.

    Here are the biggest stories to watch as the Jets look for better results after the bye this time around…

    Can the Jets perform better early in games?

    The Jets have battled well in the second half of games all year, but they don’t make things easy on themselves with their constant slow starts. The team has trailed by double-digits in the first half of all six games so far.

    The problems start right from their opening drive, where the Jets have been forced to punt all six times. In fact, they’ve only had two first downs on their six opening drives. One of these was a Breece Hall run on the very first offensive snap of the season and the other was on a defensive penalty in Week 6.

    Gang Green has yet to score a first-quarter touchdown and their only early lead was when they went 3-0 up on the Broncos after a muffed punt, only to then go 7-3 down on the ensuring drive. 

    Zach Wilson is averaging 27 passing yards in the first quarter of games but 52 in the second, third, and fourth quarters. Can they give themselves a better platform and a better margin for error against some of these supposedly easier upcoming opponents?

    Are we going to see more from top rookie Will McDonald?

    While the Jets’ defense has kept them in games, first-round rookie McDonald has been a disappointment. He’s barely played in the first six games, was a healthy scratch once and has only flashed a couple of times since the preseason.

    On any other team, McDonald would be…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Huskers offer Indiana edge rusher

    Huskers offer Indiana edge rusher

    The Nebraska Cornhuskers have offered a class of 2025 edge rusher out of Indiana. Uchenyo Ojata is a 6-5, 210-pound defensive lineman out of Carmel High School.

    Nebraska is the most recent offer that Ojata has received. He also holds scholarships from Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), and Toledo.

    Ojata told Husker Online (subscription required) that the Huskers will be recruiting him as a linebacker in their 3-3-5 scheme.

    “Nebraska sees me at the Jack linebacker position. I like the defensive scheme a lot, especially with what I would be doing.”

    Purdue and Indiana have also shown interest in the prospect. He even took a visit to Lincoln on Saturday for the Huskers victory over Northwestern.

    Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

    Story originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • NFL Week 7 grades: Bills get ‘D+’ after shocking loss to Patriots, Ravens earn ‘A+’ for embarrassing Lions

    NFL Week 7 grades: Bills get ‘D+’ after shocking loss to Patriots, Ravens earn ‘A+’ for embarrassing Lions

    USATSI

    Welcome to the Week 7 grades!

    It took nearly a month, but Bill Belichick finally earned his 300th career regular-season win. The Patriots coach picked up his 299th win back on Sept. 24 and after watching his team lose three straight games, Belichick got his 300th win on Sunday in shocking fashion with a 29-25 upset win over the Bills. The 70-year-old is now the third coach in NFL history to reach the 300-win mark, joining Don Shula and George Halas. 

    The only thing more shocking than New England’s win was the way Detroit lost. The Lions’ game against the Ravens was supposed to be a showdown of two of the top teams in the NFL, but instead, it turned into a beatdown with the Ravens winning 38-6. 

    The Lions were one of two teams that received an “F” during the Sunday slate of games. So who else got a failing grade this week? Let’s check out every grade from Week 7, starting with Belichick’s big win. 

    New England 29-25 over Buffalo

    Bills-Patriots grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

    Chicago 30-12 over Las Vegas

    Raiders-Bears grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

    Cleveland 39-38 over Indianapolis

    Browns-Colts grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

    N.Y. Giants 14-7 over Washington

    Commanders-Giants grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

    Atlanta 16-13 over Tampa Bay

    Falcons-Buccaneers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

    Baltimore 38-6 over Detroit

    Lions-Ravens grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades?…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • AP Top 25 poll: Michigan gains ground on Georgia, Alabama tops Penn State in college football rankings

    AP Top 25 poll: Michigan gains ground on Georgia, Alabama tops Penn State in college football rankings

    While the AP Top 25 saw no changes in the top six spots, there are adjustments that reflect what voters learned about the best teams in the country on Saturday. Of note is that while Georgia maintained its spot at No. 1 while off in Week 8, Michigan continues to gain momentum in challenging for the top spot. The voting points margin is as slim as its been all season (1536 to 1504), with a few more first-place votes switching hands. But in the consensus, it’s still Georgia at No. 1, followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Washington and Oklahoma at the top of the rankings. 

    There is some shifting in the wake of Ohio State’s win against Penn State, which saw the Nittany Lions drop three spots to No. 10. That allowed for Texas and Oregon to each move up one spot, while Alabama jumped two spots to No. 9 following its strong second half performance in a rivalry win over Tennessee. 

    North Carolina had one of the biggest drops in the poll this week, tumbling from No. 10 to No. 17 after a loss to unranked Virginia. USC nearly fell out of the top 25 after its loss to Utah, landing at No. 24. Duke and Tennessee each dropped after losses as well, but only four spots each — to No. 20 and No. 21, respectively — after losing on the road to higher-ranked conference foes. 

    James Madison, now at 7-0 after a win against Marshall on Thursday night, cracked the top 25 for just the second time in school history. The Dukes made their AP poll debut in Oct. 2022 but lasted just one week in the rankings. They will put that new ranked status on the line next Saturday against ODU at home. JMU’s entry into the poll was made possible in part thanks to Iowa’s home loss to Minnesota, which bounced the Hawkeyes from the top 25. 

    Here is a full look at…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Curran, Perry share latest details on Belichick’s reported extension

    Curran, Perry share latest details on Belichick’s reported extension

    Curran, Perry share latest details on Belichick’s reported extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

    Bill Belichick’s future as head coach of the New England Patriots has become more and more of a storyline as the team’s season has steadily worsened with each passing week.

    The Patriots enter Sunday’s Week 7 game against the Buffalo Bills with a 1-5 record — their worst mark at this point in a season since 1995. The post-Tom Brady era has been largely lackluster with the exception of 2021. This year’s campaign has been particularly troubling, especially on offense.

    It’s fair to wonder if Belichick is the coach next season given what’s transpired so far in 2023. And that’s why it was interesting to hear NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport report Sunday morning that Belichick signed a lucrative, multi-year extension this past offseason.

    Specific details about Belichick’s extension — or any of his previous contracts with the Patriots, for that matter — are pretty hard to come by.

    Our insiders Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry shared what they’re hearing about Belichick’s reported extension during NBC Sports Boston’s Pregame Live.

    “Yeah, Ian Rapoport reporting that it is a lucrative multi-year extension. So let’s try and interrogate that. My understanding is lucrative — of course, it’s lucrative — it’s Bill Belichick. He makes a lot of dough,” Curran said. “Multi year, that simply could mean 2023 and 2024, for instance. So that extension would satisfy in some ways, perhaps a timeline for Jerod Mayo.

    “Jerod Mayo signed a two-year extension as a linebackers coach at the end of last year. Robert Kraft was very open about talking about Jerod Mayo as perhaps one day a head coach, maybe even here. So I would be stunned. I would be amazed, I would be dumbstruck if Bill Belichick’s lucrative extension ran past 2024. What’s interesting to me, and we’re going to get to it, is the why of this report and what that means going forward into next year.”

    The amount of people who know the…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Back-and-forth scoring, a QB change and a last-second field goal. This year’s Gannon-Mercyhurst football game was a thriller

    Back-and-forth scoring, a QB change and a last-second field goal. This year’s Gannon-Mercyhurst football game was a thriller

    Moving the Niagara Cup had become a yearly task.

    The trophy awarded annually to the winner of the Gannon University/Mercyhurst University football game has made the 3-mile trek between campuses each fall since 2011. That’s the last time either school won consecutive games against their crosstown rival.

    Escorting the Niagara Cup down State Street won’t be necessary this year. Thanks to Fort LeBoeuf High School graduate Eric Scarpino’s last-second field goal, it will stay right where it’s at in the halls of Carneval Athletic Pavilion.

    Scarpino’s 32-yard conversion with six seconds to play capped a 31-28 Gannon victory at Mercyhurst’s Saxon Stadium. It was far from last year’s 49-14 pasting of the Lakers, but in a rivalry like this?

    Head coach Erik Raeburn and the Golden Knights will take it.

    Answering the call

    Raeburn made a crucial decision in the second quarter when Jayden Whitaker replaced Nate Mikell at quarterback.

    Whitaker, a true freshman, capped his first collegiate drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown and followed it with a 10-yard TD pass to Ke’John Batiste. Whitaker stepped up again in the game’s final three minutes, using his legs to help move Gannon into Scarpino’s range.

    “(Whitaker) has been doing great in practice,” Raeburn said. “It really wasn’t anything our starting quarterback did, it was more of the things Jayden showed in practice. We almost did it last week to try to get him in there, but we decided this week we were going to. I thought he played really well, particularly in his first college start.”

    Trading touchdowns

    Each time one offense scored, the other seemed to answer. The same was true with defensive stops.

    Gannon led 21-14 at halftime, but two big plays by Mercyhurst — Adam Urena touchdown passes of 57 and 43 yards — kept the Lakers in it down the stretch….

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Watch Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins: TV channel, live stream info, start time

    Watch Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins: TV channel, live stream info, start time

    Who’s Playing

    Miami Dolphins @ Philadelphia Eagles

    Current Records: Miami 5-1, Philadelphia 5-1

    How To Watch

    When: Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 8:20 p.m. ETWhere: Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaTV: NBCOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Follow: CBS Sports App

    What to Know

    The Dolphins have enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they’ll head out on the road. They will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on the Dolphins, who come in off a win.

    Miami was the big favorite in their most recent match, and for good reason. Everything went their way against the Panthers on Sunday as the Dolphins made off with a 42-21 victory. The victory came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 0:06 mark of the first quarter, when they were facing a 14-0 deficit.

    Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Dolphins to victory, but perhaps none more so than Raheem Mostert, who rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a touchdown. Tua Tagovailoa also helped out by tossing the rock for 262 yards.

    The Dolphins’ defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. Leading the way was Christian Wilkins and his two sacks.

    Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Philadelphia’s good fortune finally ran out on Sunday. They took a 20-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Jets. Philadelphia gained 104 more yards on the day, but it was New York that made the best of use of them.

    The Eagles’ loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Jalen Hurts, who threw for 280 yards and a touchdown, and A.J. Brown who picked up 131 receiving yards. Brown is on a roll when it comes to receiving yards, as he’s now posted 100 or more in the last four games he’s played.

    Miami’s win…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Stanford Cardinal vs. UCLA Bruins: How to watch live stream, TV channel, college football start time

    Stanford Cardinal vs. UCLA Bruins: How to watch live stream, TV channel, college football start time

    Who’s Playing

    No. 25 UCLA Bruins @ Stanford Cardinal

    Current Records: UCLA 4-2, Stanford 2-4

    How To Watch

    When: Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 2:30 a.m. ETWhere: Stanford Stadium — Stanford, CaliforniaTV: ESPNOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Follow: CBS Sports App

    What to Know

    Stanford will be in front of their home fans on Sunday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. The Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins will face off in a Pac-12 battle at 2:30 a.m. ET at Stanford Stadium. UCLA took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Stanford, who comes in off a win.

    Stanford’s four-game losing streak finally came to an end on Saturday. They had just enough and edged Colorado out 46-43. The victory was all the more spectacular given Stanford was down 29 points with 2:57 left in the second quarter.

    Stanford relied on the efforts of Ashton Daniels, who threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns, and Elic Ayomanor, who picked up 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Ayomanor’s longest reception was for an incredible 97 yards. Bryce Farrell was in the mix too, providing Stanford with two touchdowns.

    Meanwhile, UCLA couldn’t handle Oregon State on Sunday and fell 36-24.

    The losing side was boosted by Carson Steele, who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown.

    Stanford’s win on Saturday bumped their record up to 2-4. As for UCLA, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.

    Going forward, UCLA is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 17 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve sitting on a three game streak of covering the spread when expected to win.

    Stanford might still be hurting after the devastating 38-13…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More