Category: NFL News

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Sauce Gardner is apparently not interested luring any potential upcoming free agents to come play for the New York Jets. 

Following his team’s latest loss (a 40-14 blowout in Buffalo in Week 17), Gardner actually told Bengals star receiver Tee Higgins not to come to New York. Higgins will be among the NFL’s most prized free agents if Cincinnati lets him test the open market. 

Gardner was asked via Instagram to help recruit Higgins to New York should Higgins test free agency. 

“I will NOT be telling him that,” Gardner replied. 

Based on his response, it’s fair to wonder whether or not Gardner plans on staying in New York after his rookie contract expires. Gardner is signed through the 2025 season, although the Jets will likely pick up his fifth-year option, which would keep him in New York through the 2026 campaign. 

Gardner isn’t the only notable star Jets player whose future with the team is in question. Fellow 2022 first-round pick Garrett Wilson may be looking for a fresh start after suffering through yet another disappointing year with Gang Green. 

The futures of Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are also murky when it comes to their future with the Jets, who will likely undergo a complete reset following what has been quite possibly the most disappointing season in franchise history. 

A year that started with Super Bowl aspirations, the Jets are 4-12 entering the season finale against the Miami Dolphins. New York can end the year on a positive note, however, if it can play spoiler by defeating Miami and knocking its longtime division rival out of playoff contention. 

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The Chargers clinched a playoff berth on Saturday, making them the 10th team to qualify for the 2024-25 postseason. Four more playoff berths remain available. Here’s how the rest of the playoff picture looks heading into Sunday of Week 17:

NFC Playoff Picture

DIVISION LEADERS

1. Detroit Lions (13-2): Clinched a playoff berth.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3): Clinched a playoff berth.

3. Los Angeles Rams (10-6): Could clinch the NFC West as soon as Sunday with some help.

4. Atlanta Falcons (8-7): Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buccaneers.

WILD CARDS

5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2): Clinched a playoff berth, still in contention for the No. 1 seed.

6. Green Bay Packers (11-4): Getting swept by the Lions and losing to the Vikings takes them out of NFC North contention, even though they’re 11-1 otherwise.

7. Washington Commanders (10-5): Stayed alive in the NFC East by beating the Eagles.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

8. Seattle Seahawks (9-7): Stayed alive with win over Bears.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7): Loss to the Cowboys knocked them out of playoff position, for now.

10. Dallas Cowboys (7-8): Mathematically eliminated.

11. Arizona Cardinals (7-9): Mathematically eliminated.

12. San Francisco 49ers (6-9): Mathematically eliminated.

13. New Orleans Saints (5-10): Mathematically eliminated.

14. Carolina Panthers (4-11): Mathematically eliminated.

15. Chicago Bears (4-12): Mathematically eliminated.

16. New York Giants (2-13): Mathematically eliminated.

AFC Playoff Picture

DIVISION LEADERS

1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1): Clinched the No. 1 seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

2. Buffalo Bills (12-3): Clinched the AFC East.

3. Baltimore Ravens (11-5): Clinched a playoff berth.

4. Houston Texans (9-7): Clinched the AFC South and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

WILD CARDS

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6): Clinched a playoff berth, own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chargers.

6. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6): Clinched a playoff berth.

7. Denver Broncos (9-7): Lost to…

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An AFC battle on Saturday has the Denver Broncos (9-6) visiting the Cincinnati Bengals (7-8) in Week 17. The Broncos had their four-game win streak put to an end last week. In Week 16, the Los Angeles Chargers beat Denver, 34-27. Even with the loss, the Broncos are the seventh seed in the AFC playoff bracket. The Bengals are rolling heading into Saturday NFL football. Cincinnati defeated the Cleveland Browns, 24-6, last week, their third straight win.

Kickoff from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. Cincinnati is a 3-point favorite in the latest Broncos vs. Bengals odds from the SportsLine Consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 50.5, up two from the opener. Before locking in any Broncos vs. Bengals picks, make sure to check out the NFL predictions and NFL betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model, as well as everything else that SportsLine has to help you crush your Week 17 picks. 

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 enters Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season on a 28-12 betting hot streak on top-rated NFL picks this year — a stunning 70% success rate. Longer term, it is on a 208-140 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season and a 62-33 roll on top-rated NFL picks since Week 7 of 2022.

The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94% of CBS Sports Football Pick’em players four times during that span. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.

Now, the model has simulated Broncos vs. Bengals 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NFL picks and NFL betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NFL odds and NFL betting lines for Broncos…

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Eagles injury update: Jalen Hurts misses full week of practice originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was not at practice on Friday and has now missed the entire week ahead of the Cowboys game on Sunday.

The Eagles are preparing to start Kenny Pickett.

Even head coach Nick Sirianni, usually evasive about injuries, admitted that Hurts likely won’t be able to play.

“He’s still in the protocol,” Sirianni said on Friday morning. “It’s going to be tough for him to make it this week.”

Hurts suffered his concussion in the first quarter against the Commanders and was replaced by Pickett. Hurts remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

In addition to Hurts, running back Will Shipley (concussion) also missed the full week of practice.

All three players who were limited on Thursday — WR A.J. Brown (rest, knee), DE Josh Sweat (rest, ankle) and Nakobe Dean (abdomen) — were practicing on Friday.

But WR Britain Covey (neck) was not at Friday’s practice. Covey has been a full participant but has now missed three straight games.

But the big news is obviously the quarterback position, where the Eagles will likely start someone other than Hurts for the first time since late in the 2022 season.

On Thursday afternoon, Pickett was already speaking like the starter.

“It’s a big opportunity,” Pickett said. “Been working hard to stay ready. Felt like I was in a good position last game with my preparation. Now having a week to practice, I’ll feel even better going into the stadium. I’m excited. Just want to get the win.”

Pickett isn’t 100 percent healthy either. He suffered a ribs injury during the loss to the Commanders and was listed as limited to start the week. While Pickett didn’t want to get into the specifics of his injury, he said he’ll be wearing some extra padding in his flak jacket this weekend.

Against the Commanders, Pickett completed 14 of 23 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the…

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Two good weeks in a row.

It truly is a Christmas miracle. 

After a miserable run with my NFL picks, it’s been two straight weeks of solid picking for me. I went 9-6-1 against the spread this past week and 12-4 straight up. That ups my straight-up season record to 153-87 and my ATS season record to 110-125-5.

So let’s keep it going and hope no coach does what Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich did last week when his stupidity cost me a chance to win another game I really liked with the Jets over the Rams. When will these coaches quit playing Madden Football?

Oh, well. On to Week 17.

Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

The Seahawks need this game to have any playoff chance, while the Bears look checked out. The defense was bad last week against the Lions. Look for Geno Smith to go in and hit some big plays as the Seahawks win it. 

Pick: Seahawks 27, Bears 20

Saturday, 1 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

This is one of those long, cold trips for a West Coast team. But the Chargers will have been off for 10 days and they are the better team. The Patriots showed well in losing to the Bills, but Jim Harbaugh’s team needs this game. They get it with a good showing by the defense. 

Pick: Chargers 24, Patriots 17

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

This is a like a playoff game for these two. Denver holds the final playoff spot now, but the Bengals are still alive. They have to get it here. Look for Joe Burrow and company to have a big day on offense, but the Broncos will get theirs as well. This should be fun, but the Bengals will win it late. 

Pick: Bengals 31, Broncos 27

Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

The Cardinals are eliminated, so they are playing for pride. The Rams can win the division, so they have the motivation. They are also playing better. Look for Matt Stafford to light up this Arizona defense as the Rams offense gets back on track after two low-scoring efforts. Rams big. 

Pick: Rams 33, Cardinals…

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Below are my Week 17, 2024 positional ranks for PPR leagues.

As always, these ranks are continually updated throughout the week, so check back often. And don’t forget to check out Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry every weekday at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock.

It’s then available on demand on Peacock, the NFL on NBC YouTube channel and of course, wherever you get your podcasts.

And then on Sunday mornings, be sure to tune into Fantasy Football Pregame, 11 a.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET on Peacock and the NFL on NBC YouTube channel.

Let’s get to it.

QB Rankings

Rank

Player

Position

Team

Opp

Bye

1

Josh Allen

QB

Bills

Jets

12

2

Jayden Daniels

QB

Commanders

Falcons

14

3

Jalen Hurts

QB

Eagles

Cowboys

5

4

Joe Burrow

QB

Bengals

Broncos

12

5

Brock Purdy

QB

49ers

Lions

9

6

Baker Mayfield

QB

Buccaneers

Panthers

11

7

Kyler Murray

QB

Cardinals

Rams

11

8

Jared Goff

QB

Lions

49ers

5

9

Bo Nix

QB

Broncos

Bengals

14

10

Sam Darnold

QB

Vikings

Packers

6

11

Justin Herbert

QB

Chargers

Patriots

5

12

Anthony Richardson

QB

Colts

Giants

14

13

Aaron Rodgers

QB

Jets

Bills

12

14

Caleb Williams

QB

Bears

Seahawks

7

15

Tua Tagovailoa

QB

Dolphins

Browns

6

16

Geno Smith

QB

Seahawks

Bears

10

17

Drake Maye

QB

Patriots

Chargers

14

18

Jordan Love

QB

Packers

Vikings

10

19

Bryce Young

QB

Panthers

Buccaneers

11

20

Matthew Stafford

QB

Rams

Cardinals

6

21

Michael Penix

QB

Falcons

Commanders

12

22

Cooper Rush

QB

Cowboys

Eagles

23

Mason Rudolph

QB

Titans

Jaguars

5

24

Aidan O’Connell

QB

Raiders

Saints

25

Mac Jones

QB

Jaguars

Titans

RB Rankings

Rank

Player

Position

Team

Opp

Bye

1

Jahmyr Gibbs

RB

Lions

49ers

5

2

Saquon Barkley

RB

Eagles

Cowboys

5

3

Bijan Robinson

RB

Falcons

Commanders

12

4

De’Von Achane

RB

Dolphins

Browns

6

5

Josh Jacobs

RB

Packers

Vikings

10

6

Kyren Williams

RB

Rams

Cardinals

6

7

Jonathan Taylor

RB

Colts

Giants

14

8

Zach Charbonnet

RB

Seahawks

Bears

10

9

Chase Brown

RB

Bengals

Broncos

12

10

James Conner

RB

Cardinals

Rams

11

11

Bucky Irving

RB

Buccaneers

Panthers

11

12

Breece Hall

RB

Jets

Bills

12

13

James Cook

RB

Bills

Jets

12

14

Aaron Jones

RB

Vikings

Packers

6

15

Chuba Hubbard

RB

Panthers

Buccaneers

11

16

Isaac Guerendo

RB

49ers

Lions

9

17

Brian Robinson

RB

Commanders

Falcons

14

18

Rhamondre Stevenson

RB

Patriots

Chargers

14

19

Alexander…

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It’s crunch time in the NFL. 

With just two weeks left to play in the 2024 regular season, there are still five playoff spots up for grabs and plenty of teams around the NFL will be hoping that Santa delivers them one of those playoff spots this week. 

At this point, the Commanders, Chargers and Broncos all have the same playoff-clinching scenario for Week 17: If they win, they’ll clinch a playoff berth. 

So will all three of those teams make it? Let’s get to our projections and find out.  

These projections are based on data from number-cruncher Stephen Oh of SportsLine. Each week, Oh plugs some numbers into his SportsLine computer and simulates the rest of the NFL season. Using those numbers, we then project the 14 teams we expect to make the playoffs.  

Actually, before we get to the projections, let’s take a quick look at the spots that have already been clinched: 

AFC
Clinched division and playoff spot: Chiefs, Bills, Texans
Clinched playoff spot: Steelers, Ravens

NFC
Clinched playoff spot: Lions, Eagles, Vikings, Packers

Although three of the four divisions have been clinched in the AFC, every division is still up for grabs in the NFC. 

With that in mind, let’s get to the projections heading into Week 17.

AFC playoff projection

Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other AFC teams (with percentage chance of getting into the playoffs in parentheses): Dolphins (8.6%), Bengals (6.7%), Colts (5.8%), Titans (Eliminated), Browns (Eliminated), Jets (Eliminated), Jaguars (Eliminated), Patriots (Eliminated), Raiders (Eliminated)

AFC wild-card bracket projection

(7) Broncos at (2) Bills
(6) Chargers at (3) Ravens
(5) Steelers at (4) Texans

Bye: (1) Chiefs

NFC playoff projection

Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other NFC teams (with percentage chance of getting into the playoffs in parentheses): Falcons (47.1%), Seahawks (12.7%), Cardinals (Eliminated), Cowboys…

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Chargers defensive players celebrate after making a stop in a win over the Denver Broncos on Dec. 19. The Chargers look to put on another strong defensive performance Saturday against the Patriots. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Jesse Minter quickly impressed Chargers players with his calm demeanor during his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator, but as the Denver Broncos rolled up three consecutive touchdown drives last Thursday, even the unflappable Minter started to panic.

He had just spent four days speaking to his players about the proper response to ensure the prior week’s blowout loss to Tampa Bay would be a one-off. They couldn’t afford to make it a trend.

“I was afraid that at one point, I might have spoken that into existence,” Minter said with a slight smile.

Then a second-quarter sack from Joey Bosa sparked a three-and-out. The Chargers kept the Broncos out of the end zone for the last seven drives of the game to hold on for a 34-27 win that put the team on the brink of its first playoff berth since 2022.

Read more: After Cameron Dicker’s historic boot, Chargers get to meet ‘Quad Father’ of free kick

“I do think that momentum is real,” Minter said. “To sort of feel us as a defensive unit get our momentum back, it’s huge.”

By holding the Broncos to six points in the second half, the Chargers reclaimed their lead as the best scoring defense in the NFL, giving up 18.3 points per game. Against the New England Patriots on Saturday, the Chargers (9-6) could become just the sixth team since 1970 to give up 20 or fewer points in eight road games in a season, and the first since the 2010 Chicago Bears.

For a defense hoping to maintain momentum entering the postseason, the matchup is a prime opportunity. The Patriots’ 17.3 points per game ranks 30th in the NFL. New England (3-12) ranks last in passing yards (178.5 per game). Rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who was drafted third in April, has had at least one pass intercepted in seven…

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