Category: NFL News

49ers openly debate if Guerendo sacrificed TD on long run vs. Seahawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SEATTLE — There is debate among 49ers players and coaches about whether or not rookie running back Isaac Guerendo intentionally went down before reaching the end zone on his 76-yard run late in Thursday night’s 36-24 win over the Seahawks.

The 49ers, leading by five points, had the ball on their own 19 with 1:39 remaining in the game, and they called a first-and-10 run for Guerendo, who burst through the right side and down the sideline before going down at the Seahawks’ 5.

“I’m sure he was fast,” Guerendo said of Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who was the closest defender in pursuit and credited with the tackle on the play. “But I kind of had it in my mind once I looked to the sideline and everybody was like, ‘Get down,’ so I had to make a business decision.”

“I had to make a business decision.”

Isaac Guerendo maintains he went down purposely on his long rush after some locker room controversy 😅 pic.twitter.com/mKtIx1pFzM

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 11, 2024

Guerendo took another shot at the end zone with 1:24 left for what would have been his first NFL touchdown, but he was pushed back for a 1-yard loss. On the next play, fullback Kyle Juszczyk carried the ball 6 yards into the end zone to stretch the 49ers’ lead to 12 points and seal the win.

“I don’t know if he slid down by himself or not,” Juszczyk said of Guerendo with a wry smile. “I think he did. But, man, what a way to end the game. I definitely owe him. I definitely owe him. The thing is, I don’t care if he was trying to go down or if he got caught. I got in there, so I appreciate him.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan simply was happy the 49ers’ offense was able to ice the victory at Lumen Field, but he also gave credit to Witherspoon, who appeared to keep Guerendo out of the end zone.

“Hell no, we want him to score,” Shanahan said of Guerendo with a laugh. “I don’t…

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Welcome to Week 6 of the 2024 NFL regular season. Like always, we’ve got several notable injuries to follow throughout the league as we get closer to this weekend’s games. 

The Bears won’t have safety Jaquan Brisker on Sunday as they’ll be missing a few starters on defense for the London contest against the Jaguars. The Panthers will be down their top two centers for their NFC South clash against the Falcons. 

Fortunately for you, we’re keeping tabs on every notable injury throughout the league. Below, you’ll see each team’s notable injury news from Friday’s final practice of the week. Make sure you continue to check this page out as we’ll be updating it throughout the evening. 

All NFL odds via SportsLine consensus.

The Jaguars won’t be taking Campbell off IR/designated for return this week, while all the questionable players were limited on Friday. Running back Travis Etienne (shoulder) will play, but the player to watch is Engram, who has been out several weeks with a hamstring injury. 

The Bears likely won’t have two players in their starting secondary for this game in Brisker and Stevenson, as Stevenson did not practice on Friday. Smith is also out, leaving them thin at cornerback. Martin practiced in full all week as he is on IR/designated for return. 

Robinson didn’t practice all week, so the odds of him playing don’t appear to be very good. That would possible lead to heavier workload for Jeremy McNichols, who already has three rushing touchdowns this season. 

Baltimore always seems to be dealing with injuries, and this week has been no exception. The good news is that each of the Ravens’ questionable players were limited during Friday’s practice. 

Chad Ryland will fill in at kicker for Arizona if Prater can’t go. A 2023 fourth-round pick of the Patriots, Ryland made three of his four field goal attempts in last week’s win over the 49ers. 

Alexander and Morgan…

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49ers rookie Mustapha reveals special plan for first career INT ball originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Malik Mustapha has special plans for his first NFL career interception ball.

The 49ers rookie safety shared his well-thought-out proposal with reporters after San Francisco’s 36-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Lumen Field.

“I got to get like a glass box and have it on display,” Mustapha said, “maybe a little thing where it rotates in my house or something. I got to do something special with the first one, for sure.”

Mustapha grabbed the pick off an overthrown Geno Smith pass intended for Tyler Lockett during Seattle’s opening drive and ran out of bounds at the 2-yard line.

The play was dead once he stepped out of bounds, but the hyped rookie wasn’t done running as he celebrated the major accomplishment.

The 49ers’ damage was minimal following the takeaway, settling for a field goal, but that didn’t subtract from how special the moment was for Mustapha.

After an impressive start in his second NFL start, the 22-year-old exited the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return.

His status is unknown for the coming weeks, but a post by the rookie on X should give the 49ers Faithful some hope.

For now, the 49ers leave Lumen Field with a dub, and Mustapha leaves with unforgettable memorabilia.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

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USATSI

Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams reportedly requested a trade last week , but on Wednesday coach Antonio Pierce sounded like he believed Adams isn’t going anywhere. That would be a stark contrast from what felt like an inevitable split.

“The update is Davante is doing well, hamstring is getting there. He’s closer and closer to getting back on the field, the practice field. Good spirits. We talked. Everything is good,” Pierce said with a smile at his press conference on Wednesday. 

Naturally, the Las Vegas press core followed up on Pierce’s initial comment and asked the coach if there’s a scenario where Adams actually plays for his current team again. Pierce made it clear he feels that Adams will return to the football field for the Raiders when his hamstring injury heals up. 

“He’s still a Raider. He’s never not been a Raider,” Pierce said. “He’s still a Raider. When he’s healthy and can play, we’ll play him. He’s just not healthy right now. He’s getting closer though, that’s the good part. He’s working everyday to get his hamstrings right. He’s in the right headspace mentally. We talked recently and had a good conversation. He’s ready to play football.”

Pierce confirmed the superstar receiver is doing his rehab for his injury at the team facility, indicating that there isn’t a schism between the team and the six-time Pro Bowler. It would be stunning to some to see Adams remain in Las Vegas this season, but that is the expectation of the Raiders going forward. 

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Jerod Mayo had a plan.

Its principles were clear even when its timeline wasn’t.

The New England Patriots’ first-year head coach would allow veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye to duke it out through 2024 for the starting quarterback position.

As long as Brissett held the edge, he would start. When that was no longer apparent, Maye was the guy.

“If he beats Jacoby out, I mean, there’s nothing else really to be said — and hopefully he continues to get better,” Mayo told Yahoo Sports during an August training camp visit. “When I talk about competition, it’s not just in training camp. It’s on a day-to-day basis throughout the season, in the meeting room, during walkthrough and on the field. So you always have to have that sense of urgency that someone’s going to take your job.

“We talk about competition all the time.”

With frustration mounting and the oft-discussed bumps in the road becoming increasingly steep, the Patriots elected to promote Maye to starter this week against the Houston Texans, a person with knowledge of the decision confirmed to Yahoo Sports on Tuesday afternoon.

Jerod Mayo and the Patriots are turning to Drake Maye as their new starting quarterback, and hopefully for the long term. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The decision makes sense in the scheme of the Patriots wanting to win and win soon. But it begs several questions when it comes to the best way to set up the third overall selection of the 2024 NFL Draft for a long, successful career.

Mayo acknowledged this tension Monday on the eve of transitioning. The coach was no longer confirming Brissett was his surefire starter. He shifted instead to explaining his dilemma.

“It’s natural for fans and for the media to say, ‘Well, we have a good quarterback waiting in the wings as well,’” Mayo said. “At the same time, our mentality is, ‘How do we develop him? How do we get the guys on the field around him to develop, and…

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The New York Jets are moving on from their head coach, as they made the decision to fire Robert Saleh on Tuesday, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones confirms. Jones also reports that Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as the interim head coach.

The Jets began the 2024 season 2-3, with the most recent loss coming to former Jets’ No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings in London. The last NFL head coach to be fired five games into a season was Matt Rhule in 2022, by the Carolina Panthers.

Saleh, who came to New York after a successful stint as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator, went 20-36 as head coach of the Jets, and never had a winning season. That was expected to change when the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers, but through five weeks, it’s clear that the offense — and team as a whole — is still searching for its identity. 

Finding success with the four-time NFL MVP the Jets traded for was something Saleh had to do if he wanted to keep his job. Yet Rodgers is off to the worst start of his career, having recorded the fewest passing yards (1,093), his worst yards per attempt (6.0) and worst passer rating (81.6) through five games in his Hall of Fame career.

Saleh has fielded one of the best defenses in the league over the past few years. In fact, the Jets enter Week 6 as the No. 2 unit in terms of total yards allowed per game (255.8). But Saleh’s offenses have always disappointed. The Jets averaged the fewest points per game in the NFL with Saleh as lead man (17.3), while starting six different quarterbacks in Rodgers, Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle. 

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Eagles open practice window for two players as they return from bye originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles will be welcoming back two members of their team at practice on Wednesday as they return from the bye week.

On Monday afternoon, the team opened 21-day practice windows for safety Sydney Brown and receiver Ainias Smith.

By activating these practice windows, the Eagles will have 21 days to make a decision on both of these players. By the end of three weeks, they must either activate them to the 53-man roster or shut them down for the rest of the season.

Brown, 24, has been on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for the first month of the season. He has been recovering from an ACL tear suffered in Week 18 of his rookie season at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 7.

The news of Brown’s return to practice is not a surprise. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio before the Week 5 bye said he expected Brown’s practice window to be opened upon their return. Getting the third-round pick back in the mix could definitely help Fangio’s defense.

“He’s a good football player that brings energy,” Fangio said last week. “I think he’s a good tackler. I’m excited to see him for the first time. Where he’ll exactly fit in, we’ll have to see.”

During recent practices, it had been clear that Brown (5-10, 211) was getting close to a return. He has been working hard on a side field with trainers. While Brown’s initial goal was to be ready for the start of his second season, he had to take things a tad slower, which was probably wise.

As a rookie third-round pick last year, Brown played in 14 games with 6 starts. He had 45 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception that he retuned 99 yards for a touchdown. He also played 220 special teams snaps in 2023.

During his first season in the NFL, Brown played a couple different positions on defense — safety and nickel — but Fangio said last week that they’d like to ease Brown back into…

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