Category: NFL News

Aaron Rodgers has been practicing with the Jets for almost three weeks now, but at this point, it definitely doesn’t look like he’ll be returning to play in 2023. 

During an interview with Pat McAfee on Tuesday, Rodgers revealed that even though he’s been practicing since Nov. 30,  he’s still not 100% recovered from the Achilles injury he suffered back in Week 1. 

“If I was 100% today, I’d definitely be pushing to play, but the fact is, I’m not,” Rodgers said. “I’m still 14 weeks from my surgery. And being medically cleared as 100% healed is not realistic at 14 weeks.”

Although there’s been plenty of speculation over the past few weeks about whether Rodgers would be able to return this season, it doesn’t seem like that was ever the plan, at least not for the regular season. According to Rodgers, he thought he might be able to return if the Jets made the playoffs, but getting back for a regular-season game always seemed like a long shot to him. 

“I think the whole time, it’s been hoping that we’re still in [the playoff race], because it was unrealistic to think that I’d be 100% medically cleared at any point in the regular season,” Rodgers said. “I do feel like that in the next three to four weeks that it would be possible to get to 100%, but obviously, not there.”

In the best-case scenario, Rodgers thinks he could be ready in three weeks, but with the Jets eliminated from the playoffs their season will be over in three weeks, so there will be no return for him this season. 

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The Patriots placed offensive lineman Cole Strange on injured reserve Monday, the team announced.

Strange, a first-round pick in 2022, injured his left knee in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs and was carted off the field.

He started 10 games at left guard for the Patriots in 2023.

Fifth-round rookie Atonio Mafi replaced Strange.

Strange had a knee injury in training camp that lingered into the regular season. He was inactive for four of the first six games but had started the past eight games.

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Welcome to the Week 15 grades!

This was a good week for quarterbacks who are trying to revive their career. In Cleveland, the Browns beat the Bears 20-17 after Joe Flacco mustered some fourth-quarter magic out of nowhere. With the Browns trailing 17-7 in the fourth, Flacco responded by throwing for 212 yards in the FOURTH QUARTER alone.

If you’re wondering how impressive that is: It’s the most by any Browns QB in any quarter since at least 1991. AND it’s the most by any player in the fourth quarter in any game this season. 

Another quarterback who had a big day was Baker Mayfield. In Tampa Bay’s 34-20 win, Mayfield completed 22 of 28 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns. He also finished with a 158.3 QB rating, which made him the first visiting QB in the HISTORY of Lambeau Field to finish with a perfect rating. 

With that in mind, let’s get to this week’s grades. 

Cleveland 20-17 over Chicago

Bears-Browns grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Houston 19-16 over Tennessee (OT)

Texans-Titans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

New Orleans 24-6 over N.Y. Giants

Giants-Saints grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Carolina 9-7 over Atlanta

Falcons-Panthers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Tampa Bay 34-20 over Green Bay

Buccaneers-Saints grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Miami 30-0 over N.Y. Jets

Jets-Dolphins grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Kansas City 27-17 over New England

Chiefs-Patriots grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Buffalo 31-10 over Dallas

Cowboys-Bills grades by Garrett Podell (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him…

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The Falcons and Panthers took a while to find the scoreboard, but both teams were able to get on it before the end of the first half.

Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson caught a two-yard touchdown from Desmond Ridder to kick off the scoring in the second quarter and Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro kicked a 34-yard field goal to cut their lead to 7-3 with 22 seconds left to play in the half.

Patterson’s touchdown came a few plays after the biggest offensive play of the day for either team. Ridder and tight end Jonnu Smith hooked up for a 56-yard gain that moved them inside the 10-yard-line for the first time on the day.

The Falcons had 86 yards of offense outside of the Smith play and the Panthers have 112 yards in a game that’s playing out in a heavy rainstorm in Charlotte.

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Last year, Bills quarterback Josh Allen spent much of the season as the favorite to win the NFL MVP award. This year, Allen is more of a long shot, at 20-1 as of Friday.

By Monday, those odds could change.

If the Bills beat the Cowboys on Sunday to move to 8-6, Allen’s eleventh-hour case will be strengthened. The Bills lean on him heavily. If he carries them to the AFC East title, which remains very possible, why wouldn’t he be the MVP?

It won’t be easy. The Cowboys are balanced and dangerous. But the Bills just went to Kansas City and beat the Chiefs. And the Bills need to pick up only one game in the standings over the next three weeks to turn the Week 18 game at Miami into an AFC East championship.

If the Bills steal the division from the Dolphins, why not Josh Allen? He’s one of the best players in the league, and it’s mainly just him making things happen.

How is that not valuable? How does that not make the most valuable player in Buffalo also the most valuable player in the league?

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The Los Angeles Chargers finally moved on from head coach Brandon Staley on Friday, just hours after his team gave up 63 points to the Las Vegas Raiders and lost by 42. Staley was 24-24 in his three seasons as an NFL head coach, failing to win a playoff game with Justin Herbert as his quarterback. 

Despite going to the Chargers with a defensive background, Staley’s L.A. defenses weren’t impressive. The defense never ranked higher than 20th in yards allowed per game and 27th in points allowed per game in his three years. The Chargers ranked 31st in points per game allowed (24.8) and 29th in yards allowed per game (359.6) in Staley’s three seasons.

The Chargers will need a long-term fix with Staley and general manager Tom Telesco fired. Los Angeles is projected to be $42,186,936 over the salary cap heading into the offseason (per Over The Cap), having a roster full of overpaid players and massive holes that need to be addressed in the draft. Basically, the Chargers won’t be spending this offseason to fix this roster for 2024 and beyond. 

Who are ideal candidates for the Chargers job given the situation? Los Angeles still has Herbert at quarterback, two great wide receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and a franchise left tackle in Rashawn Slater. There are pieces to build around on this team. 

Here are the top candidates based on the Chargers’ situation.

7. Matt Campbell

Age: 43Current role: Iowa State HC

Campbell changed the culture at Iowa State in his eight years with the Cyclones, running an NFL-style program and building it from the ground up. He’s coached Brock Purdy and Breece Hall, paving the way for those two to have NFL success. 

Campbell has been courted by NFL teams, but hasn’t made the jump. He’s never coached in the NFL, but is credited for using a spread passing game with a balanced running game. The main factor that makes Campbell desirable is the culture he’s…

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Game environment is the foundational starting point in making fantasy decisions. As such, I’m going to break down each game on the slate into three categories: Binge, Stream and Skip.

Games you want to “binge” are like the show you can’t miss; you’re watching as soon as it goes live and might just crush all the episodes in one weekend. These are the start-all-your-guys fantasy games and ones with season-defining storylines.

Games you want to “stream” are like the shows you certainly watch start to finish, but perhaps you’re finishing it over time instead of one shot. While these games might not feature a ton of “must-starts,” we can pick and choose our spots, and the teams are likely to matter in the NFL playoff picture.

Lastly, the games you want to “skip” are like the shows you’re leaning toward passing on, but you might catch an episode here and there (or might stick to reading recaps online to stay up with the culture). There will be a non-obvious player or two who stands out in these games, but overall, they aren’t the best environment for fantasy football.

Let’s dive into my Week 15 Fantasy Football Viewer’s Guide.

BINGE

DALLAS COWBOYS at BUFFALO BILLS

The stakes couldn’t be higher on both sides. The Buffalo Bills need every win they can get down the stretch to make the playoffs after stumbling at the mid-point of the season. Their margin for error is at a stone zero.

The Cowboys are in a race with the Eagles to win the NFC East and gained some ground after wiping the floor with their division rival last week. Not to mention, a quality win over Josh Allen and co. would go a long way toward cementing Dak Prescott’s MVP legacy.

The name of the game for the Cowboys quarterback in this one will be to continue to elevate the non-CeeDee Lamb pass catchers. Prescott has hit Jake Ferguson in stride perfectly over the last month to set the aggressive tight end up for YAC chances. He pinned the ball perfectly on Michael Gallup for a…

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Just five days after being shut out, the Las Vegas Raiders have scored more points in the first half than they had in the last three weeks. The Raiders lead the Los Angeles Chargers 42-0 at halftime, which is already their most points in a game in five years.

The 42-0 halftime lead is tied for the second-largest halftime lead in NFL history. Only the 2009 New England Patriots had a bigger halftime lead when they led by 45 over the Tennessee Titans at the half. 

It’s also the largest halftime lead in Raiders history, and the largest halftime deficit in Chargers history.

Aidan O’Connell had four touchdown passes in the first half to four different players. The Raiders had five different players score an offensive touchdown in the first half, tied for most in a first half in Raiders history (1972 vs. Rams). The Raiders ended the first half with more touchdowns (six) than Chargers first downs (five), per CBS Sports Research. 

The Raiders hadn’t had a player throw four touchdown passes in a game since Derek Carr in 2018. Kerry Collins is the last Raiders quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in a game, back in 2004. 

O’Connell tied the most first-half touchdown passes by a rookie quarterback in a game since the play-by-play era again in 1991, matching Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. The rookie had just four touchdown passes on the season heading into the game. 

The last time the Raiders had a 35-point halftime lead in a game was 1971. This is the largest halftime deficit in Chargers history. 

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