Latest news with #Week18
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Josh Allen will not play in Bills preseason opener
Quarterback Josh Allen will not be on the field when the Bills open their preseason slate against the Giants. Head coach Sean McDermott told reporters in his Thursday press conference that Allen will rest on Saturday, with Mitchell Trubisky getting the start at quarterback. But other healthy starters will play in the contest. 'Josh will not play this week. The starters, the ones, will play give or take one quarter, and then it'll flow from there,' McDermott said. McDermott noted the benefit of this plan is to get Trubisky some time with the starters, as that's the group he would be playing with should something happen to Allen during the regular season. 'That's huge,' McDermott said. 'Certainly want to be mindful of Josh, mindful of any starter — any of our players, we never want to see them get injured. The benefit of this, we hold Josh out, we keep him in a good spot. He's been playing extremely well in camp — you guys have been out here — and we get a chance to look at Mitch and some of the other quarterbacks. We'll gain live action with the ones, in this case, for Mitch.' Allen has started every game for the Bills since the 2019 season. Trubisky appeared in nine games last season, mainly in mop-up work, though he did play the majority of the Week 18 matchup against the Patriots. He completed 19-of-26 passes for 179 yards with two touchdowns and no picks in 2024. Kickoff for the matchup between Buffalo and New York is set for 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
USA Today
30-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL analyst says Rams can still win NFC West with Jimmy Garoppolo under center
While there's no cause for alarm yet, the Los Angeles Rams have rolled out backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as their starter during the first week of training camp while Matthew Stafford recovers from a back injury. The Rams don't appear to be worried about Stafford's ability to play in Week 1, but that hasn't stopped the speculation about what the team would look like if Garoppolo started the majority of games L.A. NFL analyst Chris Brockman, though, said he thinks the Rams could still win the NFC West with Garoppolo under center. He asked Rich Eisen if this idea was an overreaction or not, to which the veteran analyst agreed and added, 'That's why they have him. That's why he's a backstop.' However, Eisen qualified this assessment by noting that it likely won't come to this if Stafford's injury is as the Rams have advertised. "Talk to me if he doesn't even practice over the next two to three weeks," Eisen said. While Garoppolo more than likely won't be the Rams' Week 1 starter, it's worth looking at his body of work as an indication of whether he could be successful for L.A. in Stafford's place. Garoppolo lost his only game as the Rams' starter in 2024 — a meaningless Week 18 match where the Rams benched all their starters — but threw for 334 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Garoppolo started 63 other games in his career, including 55 with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2022. He went 38-17 over that stretch as well as 4-2 in the playoffs with one Super Bowl appearance in 2020 and an NFC championship appearance in 2021 (where he lost to the Rams). If Garoppolo needed to start, he'd have arguably one of the better rosters at his disposal with Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams as his main skill position players. The offensive line is solid as well. This wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, and head coach Sean McVay has said Garoppolo is a starter-level player a lot recently. But the Rams' caution with Stafford's injury is more of an indication they'd prefer their current starter to be well-rested and healed before the 2025 season so they don't have to turn to Garoppolo this year. L.A. went 2-6 in the games Stafford missed in 2022 and finished with just five wins as he battled injures all year. Garoppolo is solid insurance to prevent that type of catastrophe again, but the Rams don't want it ever to come to that in a season that they hope ends with another Super Bowl rin.
USA Today
28-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones has unique take on Micah Parsons contract
As star edge rushers around the league cash in on contract extensions, Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Micah Parsons is just trying to keep up with the Joneses. But the Joneses, who own the Cowboys, have proven to be tough negotiators. Cowboys ownership has heard the recent cries from fans to pay Parsons as the edge rusher voices his desire for an extension. However, the team appears to be committed to securing a deal on its terms. "We want to pay Micah too. He's got to want to be paid," Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones told reporters at Cowboys training camp over the weekend. Jones' comment insinuates that the team has made an offer (or several) to Parsons this offseason. The edge rusher just hasn't agreed to any of them yet. Parsons is one of two star pass-rushers still embroiled in a contract standoff with his team – the other being Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals. Both players are looking to cash in on multiple successful seasons they've accumulated under their current contracts before entering the final year of those active deals. Pressure has mounted on both Dallas and Cincinnati as other star edge rushers around the league got paid earlier this offseason: Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt all received massive extensions from their respective teams. "I will never understand it," Parsons said in a recent interview with WWE wrestler Mark Calaway, better known as The Undertaker. "We wanted to do the contract last year – then you go out there and perform again. You would think, 'All right, we'll get it done early, we know some guys are about to get re-paid.' There's Myles [Garrett], Maxx [Crosby] is going, so you would think, 'Hey, let's get ahead of that.' "You can't want us to take less (now) because you're the one that decided to wait." Though Hendrickson has held out of all Bengals offseason activities, Parsons has attended all mandatory team events so far. Parsons is a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time member of the All-Pro first team. He's tallied 52.5 sacks and 256 tackles over his four-year NFL career, along with nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. The Penn State product has played in all but five games in his career: he sat out an inconsequential Week 18 game in his rookie season, and he missed four games last year with a high ankle sprain. Parsons is set to play on a fifth-year option in 2025, the final season of the original rookie contract he signed in 2021.
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Seahawks TE Noah Fant to work out with Cincinnati Bengals
The Seattle Seahawks made the decision to move on from veteran tight end Noah Fant prior to the start of training camp. However, it appears Fant won't have to wait long until he finds his third NFL team. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Fant will have a workout with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, according to reporting from Wednesday. Schultz is also reporting the Bengals won't be the only suitors for Fant's services. Fant had a strong inaugural season with the Seahawks in 2022, recording 50 receptions for 486 yards and four touchdowns. However, Fant only had one more score in 2023 and 2024 combined, and it came in a meaningless Week 18 game last year when Seattle had already been eliminated from the playoffs. Meanwhile, rookie Elijah Arroyo is already turning heads at training camp. We at Seahawks Wire will continue to monitor the situation, and deliver updates as they arrive regarding Fant's future new home.
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Saquon Barkley is selected as top running back by the AP after a record-setting season
Saquon Barkley's first season in Philadelphia featured record performances on the field, a Super Bowl title and a new contract that is the richest ever for a running back. Barkley's performance with the Eagles also helped him score the honor of being voted the top running back in the league by The Associated Press. A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at running back, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Barkley got seven first-place votes and one second to win the voting easily. Baltimore's Derrick Henry was the only other player selected on all eight ballots and came in second with one first-place vote, five seconds, one third and one fifth. Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs got the remaining two second-place votes and finished third. Atlanta's Bijan Robinson and San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey rounded out the top five. Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor, Green Bay's Josh Jacobs and Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving also received votes. 1. SAQUON BARKLEY, Philadelphia Eagles Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season, falling 101 short of breaking Eric Dickerson's regular-season record because he was rested rather than playing in a meaningless Week 18 game. His 2,504 yards rushing including the playoffs broke Terrell Davis' record of 2,476 and featured a record seven TD runs of at least 60 yards. Barkley parlayed that into a two-year contract extension worth $41.2 million with $36 million guaranteed, which is the richest ever for a running back. 2. DERRICK HENRY, Baltimore Ravens Anyone expecting Henry to drop off in his 30s was disappointed last season when a move to Baltimore helped spark a resurgence to his career. Henry, who turned 31 in January, rushed for 1,921 yards last season for the most ever for a player after turning 30, topping the 1,860 yards Tiki Barber had at age 30 in 2005. Henry has the 11th-most yards ever in a season and the most for a player who didn't win a rushing title as he remains one of the best pure rushers in the game. 3. JAHMYR GIBBS, Detroit Lions Skeptics questioned the decision by Detroit to draft Gibbs 12th overall in 2023, but he has more than delivered in his first two seasons as a dangerous runner and receiver. After a strong rookie season, Gibbs took a big step last season when he rushed for 1,412 yards and 16 TDs to go with 517 yards receiving and four more scores. Gibbs' 36 overall touchdowns in the regular season and playoffs are the second most ever for a player in his first two seasons, trailing only the 37 for Hall of Famer Curtis Martin. 4. BIJAN ROBINSON, Atlanta Falcons Picked eighth overall in 2023, Robinson has quickly earned his place among the top running backs in the league thanks to his skill as a runner and receiver. Robinson ranked fourth among running backs last season in yards from scrimmage (1,887), tied for sixth in touchdowns (15) and second in first downs (102). 5. CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, San Francisco 49ers Injuries to his Achilles tendon and knee hampered McCaffrey last season as he played only four games after winning AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2023. But when he's healthy, there are few players more productive than McCaffrey, as evidenced by his 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 TDs in 16 games in 2023. ___
