NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Transfer QB Report Card from September: John Mateer leads the hits, Nico Iamaleava headlines the misses

    Transfer QB Report Card from September: John Mateer leads the hits, Nico Iamaleava headlines the misses

    When former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava hit the transfer portal earlier this spring, it unexpectedly made one of the top-ranked players from the 2023 recruiting cycle available. Iamaleava was the No. 1 overall player in the 247Sports transfer rankings, and on paper, it seemed like a good fit for him to get a fresh start close to home at UCLA.

    Through the first month and change of the 2025 college football season, that decision hasn’t paid dividends for either side in hindsight. The Bruins fired their (former) coach DeShuan Foster after a disastrous loss to New Mexico and Iamaleava has been one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the FBS. 

    UCLA is 0-4 ahead of a matchup against No. 7 Penn State on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS), and the outlook for the remainder of the season looks bleak when trying to find a surefire win on the schedule. Iamaleava, obviously, hasn’t been the sole reason for the slow start, but UCLA had high hopes that the former blue-chip quarterback would bring new life to a program that was starving for success.

    While Iamaleava is a cautionary tale of the grass not always being greener on the other side, in-state rival and former Pac-12 foe Cal has found success at the quarterback position via the transfer portal despite Heisman hopeful Fernando Mendoza transferring to Indiana. Despite a rollercoaster journey to get to Cal, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been one of the best stories of the season and looks primed to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft as early as 2028.

    With that said, here are three transfer quarterbacks who have found immediate success at their new stop and three others who need to improve throughout the remainder of the season. Transfer rankings from Cooper Petagna of…

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  • Fantasy Football: Surviving NFL bye weeks with useful tips, strategy and how to approach trade negotiations

    Fantasy Football: Surviving NFL bye weeks with useful tips, strategy and how to approach trade negotiations

    The first quarter of the fantasy football season is just about done. When the two Monday night games are complete, everyone will have four games on their record — both in the NFL and in fantasy leagues.

    Take a breath. Get out your notebook. The season just got interesting.

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    The bye weeks come knocking in Week 5, and I’ve always maintained this is more feature than bug — at least for the better fantasy players. When the bye schedule starts, our game becomes more challenging, more dynamic. And the standings in your league now have some personality to them — some teams are riding high at 3-1 or 4-0, while other teams are becoming desperate after a rocky 1-3 or 0-4 start.

    Let’s talk about the important themes:

    Now’s the time for honest self-scouting

    How good, exactly, is your fantasy team? Don’t just consider your record, but also your overall points scored — a much better barometer for team strength. Where are you deep? Where are you challenged? Would you project for a playoff spot right now? Would you secure a bye? How far from the playoffs are you?

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    Don’t just analyze your own situation, but compare it to your opponents. Scout them, too. Note which teams have similar shapes to yours, and more importantly, identify teams that have contrasting problems to yours. Those could be potential trade partners.

    What’s more important for your team — today or tomorrow?

    If you’re one of those glorious 4-0 teams, life is pretty great right now. You’ll want to keep the winning going in Week 5, sure, but you have the luxury of looking ahead with your roster decisions and trade negotiations. You might be able to pick off CeeDee Lamb or Rashee Rice at less than market price because you can afford to wait. Or perhaps you can target a player with an early bye week in a trade, because October games aren’t as important to you as they might be to other managers.

    Meanwhile, if the Lamb or Rice manager is on a losing team (or gasp, a winless…

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  • ‘I will f— your world up’: Robert Saleh to Liam Coen in heated exchange after Jaguars’ win over 49ers

    ‘I will f— your world up’: Robert Saleh to Liam Coen in heated exchange after Jaguars’ win over 49ers

    The Jacksonville Jaguars found a way to upset the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, 26-21, but there was some interesting — and not-safe-for-work — action after the final whistle. 

    As the players made their ways back to their respective locker rooms, Fox cameras picked up Jaguars coach Liam Coen bypassing a handshake from 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and then an expletive-filled exchange between the two. The cameras appeared to show Jaguars offensive lineman Robert Hainsey physically holding his coach back, and 49ers staff doing the same for Saleh.

    Check out what happened, courtesy of Action Sports Jax, a CBS/FOX affiliate.

    Here’s the exchange:

    Coen: “Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep my name out of your f—ing mouth.”

    Saleh: “I was trying to compliment your ass. I will f— your world up. You don’t wanna f— with me. I will f—ing end your f–ing life.”

    Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little, who was between the two coaches, then turned toward Saleh and told him to “Get outta here,” and the exchange ended.

    If you were unaware, these two coaches were in the headlines this week. Saleh told reporters that the Jaguars have a “really advanced signal-stealing-type system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation.” Saleh made sure to mention that this system is legal, but it definitely has a negative connotation when you consider what happened with Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines. Either way, apparently the coaches that come from the Sean McVay tree are elite at stealing signs. 

    “They’re almost elite in that regard. That whole entire tree from Sean [McVay] to Kevin O’Connell to all of those guys, they all do it,” Saleh said. “There’s challenges. They’re going to catch us in some situations where they have the advantage and we’ve just got to play sound, fundamental football and do…

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  • Cougar fans discuss possible rivalry with Colorado – Deseret News

    Cougar fans discuss possible rivalry with Colorado – Deseret News

    BOULDER, Colorado — When BYU took the field against Colorado Saturday night in Boulder, it marked the Cougars’ first visit to Folsom Field since 1981.

    Wait, what?

    Yes, BYU and the Buffaloes have only been back in the same conference for a year — the two schools were previously Rocky Mountain and Skyline Conference members together from 1922-47 — but given that they come from neighboring states, it’s still a bit surprising that they don’t share much modern day history.

    Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”

    Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

    In fact, Saturday wasn’t just BYU’s first trip to Boulder since ‘81 — it was the Cougars’ first regular season matchup against Colorado since then.

    BYU played the Buffaloes in the 1988 Freedom Bowl and again in last year’s Alamo Bowl, where Kalani Sitake’s squad won in convincing 36-14 fashion.

    Colorado joining the Big 12 not only brings the Cougars and Buffaloes into each other’s lives again, but it’s a big deal for local BYU fans in the Centennial State who can see their team without traveling too far — a luxury that had largely disappeared after the Cougars left the Mountain West Conference more than a decade ago and stopped playing Colorado State regularly.

    “Growing up, I was always wishing that Colorado would play BYU because I wanted to see both teams play more often,” said BYU alumna McKayla Chambers, who actually grew up in Colorado as a Buffaloes fan. “Now that they are playing each other, it’s kind of a tear. Do I cheer for my childhood team and make my dad proud, or do I root for my alma mater and go with my roots?

    “… I was always jealous that CU always played Utah (in the Pac-12), but it was always easy to cheer for CU in that situation. I’m grateful that…

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  • Colts take 17-13 lead with Michael Pittman touchdown

    Colts take 17-13 lead with Michael Pittman touchdown

    The Colts and Rams mainly traded punts throughout the third quarter after Adonai Mitchell’s untimely fumble.

    But Indianapolis has now used a long drive to take a 17-13 lead over Los Angeles.

    Quarterback Daniel Jones finished the 11-play, 90-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to receiver Michael Pittman.

    The possession took 6:07 off the clock.

    Jones converted third-and-3 with a short pass to Ashton Dulin that went for 11 yards. Then Jones hit tight end Tyler Warren for a 23-yard gain down to the L.A. 2-yard line before connecting with Pittman for the score.

    Jones is now 20-of-27 for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

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  • Tomorrow’s Top 25 Today projects college football rankings entering Week 6

    Tomorrow’s Top 25 Today projects college football rankings entering Week 6

    When we have huge, landscape-shifting weeks in college football, the updated rankings can be some of the most difficult to sort out. Because while the early weeks have some simple moves of winners going up and losers falling, this point in the season brings enough complication that head-to-head results begin to conflict and it creates a puzzle for voters in the AP Top 25 poll. 

    In fact, according to CBS Sports Research, Week 5 was the first time more than three AP top-five teams lost this early in the season since 2008. Losses for No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Georgia have opened up the top of the rankings, allowing winners like Oregon and Ole Miss to make major moves at the top of the poll. 

    Alabama will certainly be on the rise after beating Georgia in Athens, logging a win that solidifies the Crimson Tide as a legitimate threat still to win the SEC. But while that victory could, in theory, make Alabama the highest-ranked one-loss team, the profile is also impacted by the fact their loss came to Florida State, which will be falling in the rankings after losing at Virginia. 

    Voters also have to wrestle with how much they are willing to penalize Penn State after losing at home to Oregon in double-overtime, as well as whether they are comfortable keeping Ohio State as the No. 1 team in the country considering the Ducks’ impressive road win in Happy Valley. There were 55 AP voters who had Ohio State in the top spot last week, and there wasn’t too much to complain about with how the Buckeyes won by double digits against Washington in Seattle, yet the statement made by Dan Lanning’s team on Saturday night on a big stage will kickstart a debate that should be reflected in a more balanced dispersion of first-place votes.  

    Here’s…

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  • Vikings vs. Steelers prediction, odds, time, how to watch: 2025 Week 4 NFL Dublin Game picks by proven model

    Vikings vs. Steelers prediction, odds, time, how to watch: 2025 Week 4 NFL Dublin Game picks by proven model

    The Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to meet across the pond in the 2025 NFL Dublin Game in Week 4. Carson Wentz filled in for an injured J.J. McCarthy in NFL Week 3 and led the Vikings to a 48-10 win against the Cincinnati Bengals, which leaves them in second place in the NFC North with a 2-1 record. McCarthy (ankle) remains out. Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers are 2-1 in the AFC North after taking advantage of the New England Patriots’ mistakes in a 21-14 Week 3 win. 

    Kickoff from Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland is set for 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network. Minnesota is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Vikings vs. Steelers odds, and the over/under for total points scored is 41. The Vikings are -140 favorites on the money line (risk $140 to win $100), while the Steelers are +118 underdogs (risk $100 to win $118). Before making any Steelers vs. Vikings picks, be sure to see what the SportsLine projection model has to say. 

    New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets instantly plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket:

    The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model is on a sizzling 39-19 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.  

    Now, the model has zeroed in on Steelers vs. Vikings. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Vikings vs. Steelers in Ireland:

    Vikings vs. Steelers spread

    Vikings -2.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook

    Vikings vs. Steelers over/under

    41 points

    Vikings vs. Steelers money line 

    Minnesota -140, Pittsburgh +118

    Vikings vs. Steelers picks

    See picks at SportsLine

    Vikings vs. Steelers streaming 

    Fubo (Try for free)

    Why the Vikings can cover

    While Carson Wentz exceeded expectations in…

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  • Colston Loveland is not expected to play on Sunday

    Colston Loveland is not expected to play on Sunday

    Bears first-round pick Colston Loveland’s hip injury is expected to keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

    Loveland was listed as questionable to play because of a hip injury he suffered in last Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys and Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the tight end will not be able to play this weekend. Loveland has three catches for 43 yards this season.

    The Bears have officially ruled out right tackle Darnell Wright, linebacker T.J. Edwards, and defensive lineman Grady Jarrett. Cornerback Kyler Gordon and running back D’Andre Swift were listed as questionable along with Loveland.

    Stephen Carlson was elevated from the practice squad to provide more depth at tight end. The Bears also announced that they have signed linebacker Carl Jones Jr. to the active roster and elevated defensive lineman Jonathan Ford from the practice squad.

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