Category: NFL News

Damar Hamlin’s first career interception was cause for celebration in Buffalo on Monday night. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

In January 2023, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field during a Monday night game in one of the most frightening scenes in the history of American sports.

Less than two years later on Monday night, Hamlin recorded his first career interception, sending his teammates and a home Bills crowd into a frenzy.

The play took place late in the second quarter of Buffalo’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Bills leading, 20-3, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a downfield pass on first-and-10 targeting rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Instead, he found Hamlin, who picked off the pass at the Buffalo 40-yard line and returned it 19 yards.

The Highmark Stadium crowd erupted into cheers as Hamlin ran down the sideline to celebrate in the end zone with his fellow Bills defenders. He continued to receive accolades and congratulations from his teammates on the sideline.

It was a special moment for Hamlin, the Bills and the entire NFL community, which watched in horror on a Monday night in 2023 unsure if Hamlin would survive. Not only did Hamlin survive but he’s now thriving as an NFL starter.

After a lengthy recovery process, Hamlin returned to the Bills last season in a largely ceremonial role. He was a member of the roster in the 2023 season, but played sparingly in a reserve role in five games, recording two tackles on the season.

Prior to Buffalo’s Sept. 8 season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced that Hamlin would return to his starting role that he held prior to his cardiac arrest.

“What else can’t this young man do?” McDermott said on Sept 4. “He went through what he went through on the field, you guys have written about that over and over, and to come back from that — it’s one thing to come back from an ACL or a broken bone.

“It’s another thing to come…

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The Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) will visit the Buffalo Bills (2-0) in an AFC showdown as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader. The Jaguars will likely come out aggressive in this matchup as they look to avoid an 0-3 start. Last week, the Cleveland Browns beat Jacksonville, 18-13. On the other sideline, the Bills are rolling. In Week 2, Buffalo blew out the Miami Dolphins, 31-10, on Thursday Night Football. 

Kickoff from at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, NY., is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Buffalo is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Jaguars vs. Bills odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 45.5. Before locking in any Bills vs. Jaguars picks, make sure to check out the NFL predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine expert Mike Tierney.

A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Mike Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. Mike is 154-124-9 in the NFL the past two seasons, returning $1,586 to $100 players. Tierney also has a strong read on the Jags. In fact, he is 41-18 (+2161) on his last 59 NFL picks in games involving Jacksonville. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Tierney has locked in on Jaguars vs. Bills and just revealed his coveted NFL picks and sports betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and NFL betting lines on the spread, money line and over/under for Bills vs. Jaguars:

Jaguars vs. Bills spread: Buffalo -5.5Jaguars vs. Bills over/under: 45.5 pointsJaguars vs. Bills money line: Buffalo -250, Jacksonville +203BUF: Bills have hit the 2Q money line in 10 of their last 19 games JAX: Jaguars have covered the 1H spread in 13 of their last 21 gamesJaguars vs. Bills picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Bills can cover

The Bills are averaging 299.5 yards of total…

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It’s never too early to look toward your next matchup and a chance to bolster your fantasy football lineups. Here are some options to consider for Week 4.

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (35% rostered)

There have been more than a few whispers around the fantasy football community regarding the rise of rookie running back, Bucky Irving. It all stemmed from the idea that Rachaad White just isn’t an efficient runner, that Irving would likely supplant White on early downs and in the red zone.

Well, Week 3 only further fueled that growing fire.

Irving touched the ball 12 times while White touched it 11, but Irving got nine carries to White’s 6; White got five catches (on six targets) to Irving’s 3 (on 3 targets). More importantly, Irving turned his touches into 84 yards; White’s went for just 35.

It’s better to be early than late. Irving’s role continues to grow week-to-week, putting White’s at risk. Irving should be added everywhere.

Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets (36% rostered)

In a similar vein as Irving, rookie fourth-round pick Braelon Allen should be added in every league. Not because he’s suddenly going to supplant All-World Jets RB, Breece Hall, but because he has shown to not only be a valuable insurance back, but if the last two weeks are any indication, Allen could even be a flex option.

Allen has shown potency both on the ground and through the air (he’s scored a rushing and receiving touchdown this season), and he’s been a powerful complement to Hall. Allen shouldn’t be on so many waiver wires.

Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears (40% rostered)

Number-one overall pick Caleb Williams once again had turnover issues in Week 3, throwing two picks and losing a fumble. But he threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, and we may have gotten a glimpse at who his favorite targets are in this passing game.

Wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore led the way in Keenan Allen’s absence, but tight end Cole Kmet had a huge day himself.

Kmet tied with Odunze for the lead in targets…

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The Houston Texans will be without running back Joe Mixon for their Week 3 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings due to an ankle injury he suffered on an illegal hip-drop tackle delivered by Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards during Houston’s Week 2 victory.

Edwards was not penalized for the now-illegal tackle when it happened, but he was fined $16,883, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The hip-drop tackle has yet to be called and penalized in a game, but it’s being fined after the fact. Edwards, Nick Bolton and C.J. Mosley were all fined $16,883 for illegal tackles in Week 2. 

Mixon took to social media earlier this week to sound off on the new rule that has yet to be upheld.

“The NFL and NFLPA made it a rule and an emphasis for a reason,” Mixon posted. “Time to put your money where your mouth is.”

Now, he’s being forced to miss at least one game due to the dangerous play. 

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The 49ers are dealing with a long list of injuries and no one would argue that’s where the team wants to find itself as they head into a Week Three matchup with the Rams.

One veteran member of the team thinks that dealing with the absences could help the team in the long run, though. Left tackle Trent Williams cited quarterback Brock Purdy’s rise to the starting lineup while saying that there can be “a blessing in disguise” when players are forced into the lineup because they can show they belong.

“It’s just next man up,” Williams said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “It sucks. Those guys are the best in the world, but who really feels sorry for us? So it’s a next-man-up league. It’s a couple guys that we want to see get more action anyway. Hated it had to come on the heels of somebody being injured, but this is when opportunities present themselves.”

Williams could point to Jordan Mason in addition to Purdy as an example of what he’s talking about. The running back has 247 yards and two touchdowns in two games in place of Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers would welcome similar production from other fill-ins in the coming weeks.

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The NFL is nothing if not unpredictable. After all, two weeks into the 2024 campaign, who expected the Minnesota Vikings to be 2-0, or the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals to be a combined 0-4? It’s all part of the fun of the season: the “any given Sunday” uncertainty. And yet, as we look ahead to Week 3, is it possible there are still some “safe bets” to be made in the next wave of high-profile matchups?

We’ve collected all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them in one place, so you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more. Ready? Let’s jump in.

All NFL odds via SportsLine consensus odds.

Which picks can you make with confidence in Week 3? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine, as its incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up almost $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception.

Giants at Browns

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)  
Open: Browns -5.5, O/U 43.5

SportsLine’s Projection Model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Week 3 of the 2024 season on a 187-130 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates to the 2017 season. The Browns (-6.5, 38.5) cover the spread against the Giants almost 60% of the time in projections, but you can find the full betting breakdow right here.

Packers at Titans

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free) 
Open: Packers -4, O/U 44.5

“If the Titans can go a week without giving up a blocked punt and if Will Levis can go a week without making a dumb turnover, I actually think they…

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There was a lot to like from the Jets in their dominant win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

Aaron Rodgers and the offense looked the best it has so far in this young season and the defense kept the Patriots from gaining any traction all night. But there was one odd moment caught by the broadcast.

In the second quarter, Rodgers went up to head coach Robert Saleh on the sidelines. Saleh looked to try and give his QB a hug but Rodgers stuck his forearm out to seemingly block it before saying something.

After the win, we finally know what actually happened.

“It wasn’t awkward at all,” Rodgers said with a smile. “He’s not a big hugger, usually, so I didn’t know he was going for the hug. He likes to do the two-hand chest push as well.

“He talks a lot about two-score leads. So I just kind of gave him a push and said ‘two-score lead.’ That’s what happened.”

“Part of the things that we’ve been talking about is to give the defense a two-score lead,” Saleh said with a laugh. “It was a two-score lead so he wanted to see something on defense.”

Rodgers certainly did see something from the Jets defense. Gang Green allowed the Patriots to amass only 139 yards of total offense and sacked the quarterback seven times.

But it wasn’t only the defense. The Rodgers-led offense picked up 400 yards of offense and had 27 first downs. Rodgers’ two touchdowns went to Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard, with Breece Hall punching in a third Jets touchdown.

It was an overall team effort and one the Jets wanted to see after their season-opening loss to the 49ers and squeaking by the Titans in Week 2.

But now with a 2-1 record, for the first time since 2015, the Jets will get some much-needed rest before hosting the Denver Broncos back at MetLife.

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Chicago’s defense has been disruptive through its first two games, racking up four takeaways and six sacks with a pressure rate of 31%. The Bears also have one of the best third-down conversion rates defensively at 25%, causing them to go under the total in their first two contests. They head to Indianapolis on Sunday during the Week 3 NFL schedule in a game that has a total of 43.5 in the latest Week 3 NFL odds. Two of the league’s youngest quarterbacks will go head-to-head, Anthony Richardson (Colts) and Caleb Williams (Bears), but should you expect a low-scoring game when you place your Week 3 NFL against the spread picks?

Richardson has thrown four interceptions and fumbled twice in his first two outings, while Williams was sacked seven times by the Texans last week. Williams has the better defense backing him up, but the Colts are 1-point home favorites in the Week 3 NFL odds. Before you make any Week 3 NFL picks, you need to see the NFL against the spread, over-under, and money line predictions powered by SportsLine AI.

Built using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques by SportsLine’s Data Science team, AI Predictions and AI Ratings are generated for each game. The AI predictions are determined by statistically learning from each team’s historical data and then quantitatively evaluating the strength of the opponent’s defense by assigning a numeric value out of 100 called a matchup score. 

Once a prediction is formulated, the AI rating is generated using the prediction, the matchup score, and the odds of the market. For example, you could see an A-rating on an over bet if a team is facing a poor defense, their prediction differs from the line and there are favorable odds.

In addition, SportsLine AI is the first fully automated predictive model at SportsLine. It continuously refreshes on the most recent available data and can help you spot the…

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