Category: NFL News

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen returned to practice on Friday, which seemed like a good sign for his chances of playing against the Patriots on Sunday despite a quad injury.

That appears to be the case. According to multiple reports, Allen is expected to play for the Chargers as they try for a road win in New England.

Allen leads the NFL with 97 catches and he’s third with 1,117 receiving yards through the first 11 games of the Chargers season, so it’s clear that his presence is significant for the team’s offensive plans.

Right tackle Trey Pipkins is the only other questionable player for Los Angeles. He’s dealing with a wrist injury.

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Week 13 is in full swing and teams are starting to truly jockey for playoff position as we rocket down the stretch run of the regular season. Of course, with it being so late in the year, injuries continue to be a predominant storyline to monitor heading into each slate and this weekend is no different. Specifically, the quarterback position in Cleveland has taken an interesting turn with veteran Joe Flacco named the starter against the Rams with Dorian Thompson-Robinson ruled out with a concussion. And that’s just one situation that we’ll be monitoring below.  

Here’s a look at all of the final injury reports for Week 13.

All NFL odds via SportsLine Consensus odds.

Chargers: OL Zack Bailey (back), DB Ja’Sir Taylor (illness), TE Nick Vannett (concussion), S JT Woods (illness) OUT; WR Keenan Allen (quad), T Trey Pipkins III (wrist) QUESTIONABLEPatriots: WR Kayshon Boutte (shoulder), WR Demario Douglas (concussion) OUT; LB Chris Board (back), OT Trent Brown (ankle), RB Ezekiel Elliott (thigh), OL Riley Reiff (knee), G Sidy Sow (ankle), DL Deatrich Wise Jr. (shoulder) QUESTIONABLE

Allen made his return to practice on a limited basis on Friday and is officially questionable for Sunday’s matchup in New England due to a quad injury. Meanwhile, Pipkins was also limited on Friday. 

The Patriots will be down a couple of wide receivers as Douglas and Boutte have been ruled out after not practicing on Friday. For Douglas, he missed the entire week due to a concussion he suffered against the Giants, while Boutte was downgraded on the injury report on Thursday and missed back-to-back days due to an illness on top of his shoulder injury.

The Lions just designated Hooker for return, who has been rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered at Tennessee last year, this week so the rookie quarterback was not expected to be activated this week. Meanwhile, Anzalone did not practice at all this week, so his prospects…

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The NFL MVP race, at least at this point in the season, seems pretty simple going forward.

Not only will the NFC East champion get a home playoff game, that team’s quarterback has a good shot at MVP.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is steadily rising up the odds board at BetMGM. He had a fantastic game Thursday night in the Cowboys’ comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks, and on Friday his odds were down to +375, passing Patrick Mahomes for the second-best odds. The only player he trails is Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. Hurts is the favorite at +180 odds.

The NFC East race will be very important in a few ways.

Dak Prescott in the MVP conversation

Prescott is having a tremendous season, though it has taken some time for the MVP buzz to start.

On Thursday night he threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, and threw the game-winner with a little more than four minutes remaining. That continued an absolutely torrid pace for him that started in mid-October.

Over Dallas’ last seven games, Prescott has posted a passer rating of at least 109.3 six times. In the other game, he had a 95.3 passer rating in a 33-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. Overall in those seven games he has 2,173 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions with a passer rating of 121.5. Probably more important to voters, the Cowboys are 6-1 in those games.

Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys is getting more NFL MVP buzz after another win on Thursday night. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Prescott has been absolutely tremendous, his team is on its way to the playoffs, he gets plenty of exposure as the quarterback for one of the NFL’s most visible teams and he was a well-known entity coming into the season. Those are all ingredients that are usually vital in the MVP race.

Prescott’s ascension up the odds board reflects his hot streak. Last week he was +1800. After a Thanksgiving win over the Washington Commanders with a massive audience watching, those odds dropped to +800. They got even…

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Joe Flacco might start for the Browns. Brock Purdy could deliver payback to the Eagles. Aaron Rodgers could be nearing a return four months after his Achilles injury. It’s just another week in the life of NFL quarterbacks. Here are 10 observations packed with world-class stats, video and analysis on the QB position entering Week 13.

1. The secret to Dak’s MVP campaign 

Dak Prescott has been playing like a man possessed since an embarrassing 42-10 loss to the 49ers in Week 5. Since then he’s completed 70 percent of his passes while averaging over 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes per game — a stretch that only five QBs have matched in a seven-game span all-time (Russell Wilson, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady).

What’s been the key? He gave us the secret on the set of Amazon Prime’s postgame show on Thursday, sharing a realization he had after the 49ers game:

“I’ve gotta extend plays more, I’ve gotta use my legs more, and honestly, that’s the way I grew up playing this game, that’s when I feel most free, and so, yea, it’s been a little bit of a conscious effort to use my legs,” he said.

To Prescott’s point, his average time to throw is 2.90 seconds since the loss to San Francisco, up from 2.53 seconds prior. That’s nearly a half-second, which is an eternity for a QB. He has a perfect passer rating (158.3) when taking at least 3.33 seconds to throw in this hot stretch (37-of-47 passing for 7 touchdowns)

Nothing shows the difference quite like this play.

He’s turning back the clock with his legs, getting great protection and separation from his wide receivers. Now we’ll see if he can continue this play in probably the toughest stretch of his career with games against the Eagles, Bills, Dolphins and Lions coming up. 

2. Jordan Love’s sidearm throws

What a difference a month makes. The Packers GM didn’t give glowing reviews on Jordan Love a month ago when…

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Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s work with a groin injury. He was a limited participant.

Jeudy has 37 receptions for 440 yards and a touchdown in 10 games this season.

Kicker Wil Lutz (right hip) and wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (hamstring) both remained limited, while outside linebacker Baron Browning (wrist) was again a full participant.

The Broncos added cornerback Damarri Mathis (back) to the report as a limited participant.

Tight end Chris Manhertz and defensive lineman Mike Purcell also were on the report for the first time this week, but neither is injured. Both players had rest days.

Wide receiver Brandon Johnson (hamstring) was a full participant for the second consecutive practice and was removed from the injury report. He remains on injured reserve.

The Broncos will announce game statuses for Week 13 on Friday.

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FRISCO, Texas —  The Seattle Seahawks have been coached by Pete Carroll since 2010, and they have had a vision in which they use to build out their secondary: tall, lengthy, physical cornerbacks. From the “Legion of Boom” days that featured outside cornerbacks Richard Sherman (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) and Brandon Browner (6-foot-4, 221 pounds) to today’s group — Pro Bowl, second-year corner Riq Woolen (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and 2023 fifth-overall pick Devon Witherspoon (6-foot, 185 pounds) — Carroll has a type. That’s something the Dallas Cowboys (8-3) have clearly noted as they ready to host the Seattle Seahawks (6-5) on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 13. 

“I’ve respected what their play style is, how they play, I think that’s consistent,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think when you look at coaches that have coached a long time, your teams have an identity that is pretty consistent in your time there. Pete’s background being a defensive coach, as far as the way they play and the importance of the run game, I think they’re definitely doing some unusual things from a formation standpoint that will challenge you during the course of the week in the prep.”

Woolen’s eight career interceptions are tied for the third-most in the NFL since 2022 with Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III. Six of those occurred in 2022, which co-led the league. Witherspoon, meanwhile, has 14 passes defended and three sacks this season. He is one of nine players with such a season in the past 18 years, and that list includes two Hall of Famers (Charles Woodson in 2008 and Brian Dawkins in 2005) and one future Hall of Famer (JJ Watt in 2012). 

“You study the tape and you see not only, we call them POA tapes, the profiles of each guy, what do you think their strengths are,” McCarthy said Sunday when asked about the Seahawks’ length at corner. “Also being in touch with our guys. We don’t have just one…

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Wide receiver DeSean Jackson said over the summer that he was not retired from the NFL, but that we would all know when he decided to hang up his cleats.

That news came on Wednesday. The Eagles announced that Jackson will retire as a member of the team on Friday and serve as an honorary captain for Sunday’s game against the 49ers.

Jackson entered the NFL as an Eagles second-round pick in 2008 and made three Pro Bowls while playing for the team through the 2013 season. He moved on to Washington and Tampa before returning to the Eagles in 2019 and 2020. He closed out his career by playing with the Raiders, Rams, and Ravens over the last two seasons.

Jackson has 641 catches for 11,263 yards and 58 touchdowns in 183 career games. He also ran 72 times for 463 yards and four touchdowns and returned four punts for scores, including a walk-off return against the Giants in 2010 that likely goes down as his most memorable NFL moment.

Jackson is 75th in catches and 38th in receiving yards in NFL history. He ranks sixth and third in Eagles history in those two categories.

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USATSI

The Philadelphia Eagles will meet with Shaquille Leonard on Wednesday, according to CBS Sports HQ Senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson. The team is hoping to sway the former Colts linebacker to come to Philadelphia after he left his visit with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday without signing a deal.

The Eagles did reach out to Leonard’s camp to gauge his interest prior to Zach Cunningham suffering a hamstring injury in Sunday’s win over the Bills. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis when Leonard was there. Being together for three years, Sirianni mentioned Monday he has a great relationship with Leonard. 

“Made a lot of plays, that’s for sure,” Sirianni said. “He had a knack for the football and how to get the football. What I remember is just how, as an offensive coordinator, how hard he was to throw around. His length was comparable to Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone at Syracuse. He’s going to make a play in the passing lane.

“He was a great teammate and I really enjoyed being around him. I still have a relationship with him. I think he is a great person, great teammate, and like I said, the main thing was the ball and the length that come to mind with that.”

The Eagles are already down a linebacker with Nakobe Dean (injured reserve) and could be without Cunningham for an extended period pending on his MRI results. If Cunningham is out, Christian Elliss would be next in line to start opposite of Nicholas Morrow at linebacker. 

Off-ball linebacker is a priority regarding all the injuries, but Leonard is the biggest prize left in free agency.

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