NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • National experts make predictions for Oregon Ducks vs. Iowa game

    National experts make predictions for Oregon Ducks vs. Iowa game

    There have only been a couple of games for the Oregon Ducks this year that carried real intrigue as far as the overall outcome goes. In Week 5 against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Ducks were underdogs on the road in Happy Valley, and they managed to get a win in double overtime. Two weeks later, against the Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon entered as a favorite, but lost its home-winning streak to the now No. 2-ranked team in the nation.

    Now, they go on the road against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes in Kinnick Stadium, and there is some speculation as to whether or not they can win this game. With two great defenses going up against each other, and one bad offense against another offense that is deserving of some questions, this will be one of the best games of the weekend.

    So who is going to come out on top? That is a matter of opinion, at this point. The Ducks are favored by 5 1/2 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but they are one of the most popular upset picks in the nation this weekend, according to college football experts.

    A handful of analysts have dived into this contest and forecast what’s to come either straight up or against the spread. Here’s what we’ve found so far from the top guys:

    Joel Klatt

    Pick: Oregon 17, Iowa 13

    “So Iowa +6.5. What do we do with that? After everything that I just said, Well, you know what? You take the points. I think Oregon wins the game. Oregon is going to find a way to win the game, with its sheer grit and determination. With their head coach, Dan Laning, and their quarterback, Dante More, they win it 17-13, but I’m taking the six and a half with Iowa.”

    Kirk Herbstreit

    Pick: Iowa

    “Oregon loses Saturday. We all love Dan Lanning, we all love the Ducks and their potential, but there’s just something about certain teams at Iowa when you go into November.”

    Josh Pate

    Pick: Oregon -6.5

    “Oregon…

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  • Geno Smith: I felt like I could tough it out

    Geno Smith: I felt like I could tough it out

    Raiders quarterback Geno Smith had a rough Thursday night across the board.

    Smith threw his league-high 12th interception of the season and was sacked six times by the Broncos in a 10-7 loss that dropped the Raiders to 2-7 on the season. Smith could only lead the Raiders to 188 yards in the loss and the poor performance wasn’t helped by a quad contusion that forced him out of the game early in the fourth quarter.

    Smith returned after missing two offensive snaps, but he was clearly impacted by the injury and said after the game that he was in “a lot of pain” as a result of the injury. He also explained why that wasn’t enough to keep him from returning.

    “That’s just kinda how I’m wired,” Smith said in his press conference. “I never want to leave my teammates out there alone. I feel like it’s a big responsibility of mine to be out there and to do whatever I can to help us win. I felt like I could try to tough it out, and that’s what I tried to do.”

    Denver was able to run out the clock after the Raiders missed a field goal with about four minutes left in the game and Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said Smith would not have returned to the game had they gotten the ball back,

    The Raiders play their next game on Monday night in Week 11, so there’s extra time for Smith to recover but the offensive issues stretch beyond Thursday night and, healthy or not, it’s not clear that Smith will be able to solve them.

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  • Georgia DL Jordan Hall to miss remainder of the season due to knee injury

    Georgia DL Jordan Hall to miss remainder of the season due to knee injury

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    The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs have lost a starter on the defensive side of the ball, as CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports defensive lineman Jordan Hall is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury suffered in the 24-20 victory against the Florida Gators. Hall went down in the first quarter of Saturday’s SEC showdown, and was eventually ruled out.

    Hall has started in each of Georgia’s first eight games, and recorded 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. The Jacksonville native was a five-star recruit who came to Athens as a member of the No. 2-ranked 2023 class. In 24 collegiate games played, he’s recorded 26 tackles.

    Georgia’s defense is allowing 309.4 total yards per game, which ranks No. 21 in the FBS and No. 2 in the SEC. This unit held the Gators to 2 of 11 on third downs without Hall, and just 281 yards of total offense.

    Up next for the Bulldogs is Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday, with a historic streak on the line. Georgia has won 46 straight games vs. unranked teams, which is the longest active streak in the FBS. With a win this week, the Bulldogs will tie the second-longest win streak vs. unranked teams in the FBS over the last 30 years. Georgia has won five straight, and 14 out of the last 15 vs. Mississippi State. 

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  • Broncos could give Raiders a road loss streak the NFL hasn’t seen in 40 years

    Broncos could give Raiders a road loss streak the NFL hasn’t seen in 40 years

    Pete Carroll’s first year in Las Vegas has been a total disappointment. The Raiders are sitting at 2-6, and now they’re on the road on Thursday night for a Week 10 showdown with the Denver Broncos. 

    If the divisional clash goes anything like the Raiders’ last two road games, things could get ugly. In Week 6, Carroll’s team traveled to Indianapolis and suffered a 40-6 blowout loss against the Colts — their largest loss in four years. Two weeks later, the Chiefs handed Las Vegas their largest shutout loss since 2014 with a 31-0 result.

    The Raiders have lost two straight road games by at least 30 points, and if they lose by 30 or more in Denver, that will make it three straight, which is almost unheard of in the NFL.

    The last team to lose three straight road games by 30 points or more was the Buffalo Bills, who did it during a stretch that went from the end of the 1984 season into the 1985 season, according to CBS Sports Research. It’s literally been 40 years since any team has struggled like that on the road, and the Raiders could match them on Thursday.

    The fact this game is being played in prime time probably isn’t going to help things because the Raiders haven’t won a road prime-time game in eight years (their last win came on Nov. 5, 2017). Since then, they’ve gone 0-7.

    To make things even more difficult, the Raiders have to face the hottest team in the NFL. The Broncos will be heading into Thursday’s game on a six-game winning streak, which is tied with the Patriots for the longest in the league. The Broncos have also won nine straight home games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL and Denver’s longest home winning streak since 2015 when it won Super Bowl 50. 

    If you think the Broncos have a chance to beat the Raiders by at least 30 points, oddsmakers like FanDuel Sportsbook have priced those odds accordingly: Denver -29.5 is priced at +1100 (a $10 bet wins…

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  • LSU reportedly not playing ‘word games’ while clarifying Verge Ausberry’s role

    LSU reportedly not playing ‘word games’ while clarifying Verge Ausberry’s role

    LSU will keep Verge Ausberry as the school’s athletic director. 

    Just a day after newly-appointed LSU President Wade Rousse removed Ausberry’s interim tag, there was a report by the Louisiana Illuminator putting everything into question and appeared to backtrack.   

    “I’ll remove the interim LSU reportedly not playing ‘word games’ while clarifying Verge Ausberry’s role and then we’ll assess the situation. I can’t make a very good decision on the job for eight hours,” Rousse said. However, another 12 hours later and there was more clarification from LSU.

    “Verge Ausberry is THE athletic director at LSU. Period,” a source within the president’s office told LouisianaSports.net. “There is no intent or desire to play word games with this issue. Athletics needs a stable hand at the helm, and that is Verge Ausberry. Verge is fully empowered to find our next football coach and to run the athletic department.”

    The next order of business of the docket for LSU is finding a new head coach, which Ausberry will lead the search to usher in a new era for the Tigers. 

    LSU fired Brian Kelly in the middle of his fourth season in Baton Rouge. He went 34-14 and 19-10 in SEC play during his tenure. The final message from Kelly to LSU’s admin was leaked on Wednesday. 

    “As we discussed in our meeting, I’m open to your desire to reach a settlement of what’s owed to me under the contract, although of course it would have to make sense financially,” Kelly wrote. “Despite your decision to let me go today, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this program over the last four years and wish you all the best going forward.”

    The 64-year-old coach remains on LSU’s payroll through the end of 2025, collecting monthly payments of roughly $740k from his $10.1 million annual salary. LSU looks to reduce the buyout amount from the 10-year, $95 million…

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  • Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: 4 deep stashes to consider adding heading into Week 10

    Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: 4 deep stashes to consider adding heading into Week 10

    Justin Boone identifies under-the-radar stashes to consider adding to your roster before they become top fantasy football waiver-wire pickups in future weeks.

    [Upgrade to Fantasy Plus and gain your edge in player projections and much more]

    While the bar might move occasionally, the general focus is to search among the group of players who are rostered in 15% of the Yahoo leagues or less.

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    Ray Davis, RB, Bills (13% rostered)

    James Cook finished last week’s game, but didn’t practice on Wednesday due to foot and ankle soreness.

    While there is still plenty of time for him to get back on the field and suit up for an enticing Week 10 matchup with the Dolphins, his status will need to be monitored all week until we get clarity on the situation.

    If Cook is unable to go, the Bills will likely turn to a combination of Davis as the lead back and Ty Johnson as the change-of-pace option. In the lone game that Cook missed last season, Davis ran the ball 20 times for 97 yards and added another 55 yards on three receptions. He finished as the RB14 on the week.

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    Even if Cook is active, it’s possible the Bills reduce his workload in a game where they are favored by 9.5 points.

    For now, you should be scooping Davis up as a potential fantasy RB2 if Cook is unable to play or at worst a one-injury away stash.

    Honorable mention: Blake Corum, Rams (10% rostered), Emanuel Wilson, Packers (7% rostered), Isaiah Davis, Jets (11% rostered), Sean Tucker, Buccaneers (6% rostered), Terrell Jennings, Patriots (1% rostered)

    DeMario Douglas, WR, Patriots (8% rostered)

    Kayshon Boutte suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to leave last week’s game early and could lead to him missing Week 10.

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    In his absence, Douglas didn’t see much of an increase in playing time but he did earn his highest target total since the opener with six passes thrown his way. Douglas made the most of the added opportunity, catching four balls and a touchdown en route to the first…

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  • ‘Thursday Night Football’ predictions, odds: Raiders vs. Broncos picks from expert on 8-2 roll

    ‘Thursday Night Football’ predictions, odds: Raiders vs. Broncos picks from expert on 8-2 roll

    The Denver Broncos will look to win their seventh consecutive game when they take on the AFC West-rival Las Vegas Raiders on ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Denver is coming off an 18-15 win at Houston on Sunday, while Las Vegas dropped a 30-29 overtime decision to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Raiders (2-6), who have lost two in a row, are 1-3 on the road this season. The Broncos (7-2), who lead the AFC West by one game over the Los Angeles Chargers, are 4-0 on their home field.

    Kickoff from Empower Field at Mile High in Denver is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. Las Vegas leads the all-time series 73-56-2, but Denver has won the last two meetings. The Broncos are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Raiders vs. Broncos odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 42.5 via SportsLine consensus. Before making any Broncos vs. Raiders picks, be sure to check out what SportsLine expert Zack Cimini has to say. 

    New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets if your bet wins + 3 months of NBA League Pass:

    A Las Vegas handicapper who’s never afraid to buck conventional wisdom, Cimini was profitable in the NFL (35-25-4, +$727) last season, and he’s on an 8-2 roll (+585) on his picks involving the Raiders. Anyone following him at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen impressive returns. 

    Now, Cimini has zoned in on Raiders vs. Broncos. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL betting lines and NFL odds for Broncos vs. Raiders:

    Raiders vs. Broncos spread

    Denver -8.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook

    Raiders vs. Broncos over/under

    42.5 points

    Raiders vs. Broncos money line 

    Denver -493, Las Vegas +376

    Raiders vs. Broncos picks

    See picks at SportsLine

    Raiders vs. Broncos streaming 

    Amazon 

    Why the Broncos can cover

    Quarterback Bo Nix powers the Denver offense. In nine…

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  • 2026 NFL mock draft: Predicting every first-round pick after trade deadline

    2026 NFL mock draft: Predicting every first-round pick after trade deadline

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