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NFL Week 18 Power Rankings: Titans will be tough out, especially with Derrick Henry returning; Cowboys plummet

January 8, 2022 Bella

In mid-November, the Tennessee Titans were 8-2 and were the top seed in the AFC. They looked to be on their way to earning that spot, despite having lost running back Derrick Henry in late October.

But then things went bad. They lost three of four games, including a bad home loss to the Houston Texans and a blowout at the hands of the New England Patriots. Things looked bleak as their playoff hopes were being jeopardized and the No. 1 seed seemed like a real long shot.

Fast forward to today. The Titans are currently the top seed in the AFC and need only to beat the Texans this week in Houston to claim that and get the first-round playoff bye. If they do get the extra week, there is a great chance they could have Henry back for the playoffs. (He returned to practice Wednesday.)

The Titans regrouped the past two weeks to beat the San Francisco 49ers at home and the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday. Their toughness was on display in both games, which we’ve come to expect from this team.

They’ve taken on the mentality of coach Mike Vrabel, who just might be the Coach of the Year. They will play tough, physical defense and pound the football. They’ve navigated through the Henry injury, several others on the offensive line and their receiving group has been in and out all year. They’ve played so many players this year you can hardly keep track.

There are still doubts as to whether the Titans can pass the football well enough in the playoffs to win it all. Ryan Tannehill can be streaky, but if the run game works he is more than capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.

The Titans are sixth in

NFL Week 17 injuries: Jaire Alexander, D’Andre Swift return; Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields limited on Wednesday

January 1, 2022 Bella

Week 17 in the NFL is right around the corner, but we’ll have to wait a little longer than we’ve grown accustomed to with no Thursday game on the docket. The bulk of the action will go down on Sunday with the Browns and Steelers wrapping things up on Monday night. While we only have two weeks left in the regular season, the playoff picture is still pretty open, especially in the AFC with only the Chiefs currently owning a ticket into the postseason.

Naturally, injuries will play a big part in how the playoffs ultimately come into form, so the statuses of various players leading into Week 17 will be of critical importance. As teams hit the practice field for the first time on Wednesday, we’ll take a look at the initial injury reports to see which way some of those playmakers are trending heading into the rest of the week.

All NFL odds come via Caesars Sportsbook.

The Falcons were without cornerback Fabian Moreau on Wednesday as he is dealing with an injury to his ribs. Moreau was the only player listed on the injury report, but the team is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak as several players have been added to the reserve list, including Jonathan Bullard, Jaylinn Hawkins, Hayden Hurst, and practice-squad player Willie Beavers.

Buffalo conducted a walkthrough practice on Wednesday but did hold out defensive tackle Vernon Butler (illness) and safety Jaquan Johnson (illness). Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (knee) and defensive tackle Ed Oliver were the only players limited due to injury, while others were given veteran rest days. Meanwhile, the Bills were able to activate several players from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, including receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis.

NFL Week 16 picks, odds: Rodgers makes MVP statement on Christmas, Patriots hand Bills another bitter defeat

December 27, 2021 Bella

Week 15 is up there in terms of the most insanely bizarre NFL weeks I’ve ever seen. Obviously having two games Monday and two games Tuesday is a good start to that,

The Texans scored 30 points in a cakewalk victory, the Lions beat the Cardinals and Tom Brady scored zero points in a home, prime-time loss. It was a weird week all around, fittingly coming in the longest week in NFL history.

Hopefully everyone can have a winning and happy Christmas, and in the spirit of Christmas miracles, I’m going to write up fewer of these picks and toss some scores for meaningless games at the bottom.

My ATS record against the spread this year is just awful, but 9-5 last week is strong. A strong close to the season can salvage this year ATS so let’s get hot over the holidays.

All NFL odds are via Caesars Sportsbook

NFL Week 16 Picks

Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network | Stream: fuboTV (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App

Latest Odds:

Tennessee Titans
+3.5

Week 15 featured plenty of underdogs barking loudly, so I’m a little hesitant to jump onto a road favorite on a short week. But the 49ers are starting to cook. Deebo Samuel appears to be the catalyst for this run game, with his presence in the backfield wrecking havoc on opposing defenses. Kyle Shanahan’s playcalling has been outstanding and the Niners appear to have a pretty good stable of backs capable of producing on a weekly basis — with Elijah Mitchell out, Jeff Wilson stepped up nicely against the Falcons. Tennessee has been good against the run this season but the 49ers should be able to stretch them horizontally. The one thing I’d be wary of if you’re backing Jimmy Garoppolo and Co.

NFL Week 16 injuries: Mike Evans out; Darren Waller doubtful; Adam Thielen questionable

December 26, 2021 Bella

The NFL is attempting to manage copious amounts of positive COVID-19 tests, and several contenders are dealing with injuries as well. Bumps and bruises are beginning to mount, as all 32 teams are playing through pain. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of those contenders trying to weather a rash of injuries, as they lost Chris Godwin for the season, placed Leonard Fournette on injured reserve and will be without star wideout Mike Evans this week as well.

Below, we will break down the final injury reports for all 30 NFL teams set to kick off this weekend. Remember, we have a Christmas double-header, so four teams will be playing on Saturday. If you have a question about who’s in and who’s out in Week 16, we have you covered.

All NFL odds come via Caesars Sportsbook.

The Browns are hurting defensively, and may be without their best player. Garrett is questionable with his groin injury and did not practice all week, while Johnson has already been ruled out with a hamstring injury. The Browns did activate Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry, so they’ve got that going for them.

For the Packers, Bakhtiari is not yet ready to make his 2021 debut. Wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on the other hand passed concussion protocol and is ready to roll. Green Bay also gets back defensive lineman Kenny Clark, who was on the COVID list last week.

The Colts will be without Sendejo and Kelly on Christmas. Sendejo is still dealing with a concussion while Kelly is attending to a personal matter.

For the Cardinals, the storyline is Conner, who did not practice at all this week and is listed as questionable. Thankfully, Arizona returned Chase Edmonds to the lineup earlier this month. Moore is another player to keep an eye

Kenny Vaccaro retiring from NFL after eight seasons to launch esports organization

December 18, 2021 Bella

Kenny Vaccaro is calling it a job and right away stepping into a new, digital arena.

The previous Titans and Saints defensive again is retiring and shifting his interest to the launch of a new esports group co-established by Vaccaro and two professional gamers/business people, according to a news launch from the business, G1 (also recognised as Avid gamers Initially).

“This isn’t really a reflex determination for me it can be a thing I’ve considered about for a long time,” Vaccaro stated in the statement. “I’ve been a gamer for even extended than I have played football, and I’ve constantly assumed of myself as a gamer initial. So this is the realization of a extensive-phrase dream for me. And though football has been how lots of have outlined me, G1 is proof for other athletes as effectively that lifestyle will not finish just due to the fact you put down the helmet. You can reinvent yourself.”

Vaccaro is investing his soccer helmet for a headset, aiming to go after a globe esports championship in the first-particular person shooter video game acknowledged as Halo. He leaves guiding a soccer occupation that incorporated 110 online games played (109 starts off), 610 occupation tackles, 35 tackles for decline, 10 interceptions and 44 passes defensed in 8 seasons.

A initial-round decide on out of Texas in 2013, Vaccaro replaced veteran Roman Harper in the Saints’ initial month of the 2013 time and went on to thrive, earning PFWA All-Rookie Group honors in his first NFL season. It was an inspiring get started to a vocation that mostly leveled out from there, with Vaccaro providing reliably enough engage in but by no means quite ascending to the Pro Bowl or All-Pro status envisioned of a very first-spherical decide.

The Saints eventually parted means

N.F.L. and Other Athletics Schedules in Flux Amid New Covid Surge

December 18, 2021 Bella

The N.F.L. on Friday postponed a few online games that have been slated for this weekend, the most up-to-date juggling of sports activities schedules as scores of faculty and experienced athletes and coaches have tested positive for the coronavirus in the pandemic’s newest surge.

With the Washington Soccer Staff and Cleveland Browns probably owning to start off quarterbacks signed from their observe squad and the Los Angeles Rams getting shut down their amenities simply because of outbreaks, game titles involving people groups were being delayed two times.

Cleveland will now perform the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday in its place of Saturday, and Washington will participate in the Philadelphia Eagles whilst the Seattle Seahawks will perform the Rams on Tuesday alternatively of Sunday.

The N.F.L. postponements produced the finest consideration yet were considerably from the only disruptions induced by spikes in virus scenarios. 3 rated men’s faculty basketball teams, U.C.L.A., Seton Hall and Ohio State, ended up amid additional than a dozen men’s and women’s packages that shut down temporarily.

Following Seton Hall canceled Saturday’s men’s basketball recreation at Madison Square Backyard in opposition to Iona mainly because of a coronavirus outbreak, Iona Mentor Rick Pitino took to Twitter to allow any individual out there know — probably 5 men from Rucker Park — that there was a 3 p.m. slot available to perform at the world’s most renowned arena. (There have been no takers.)

In the N.H.L., the Calgary Flames have experienced 4 video games canceled this week mainly because Coach Darryl Sutter and 16 other crew associates had been positioned in Covid-19 protocols. And in the N.B.A., groups like the Nets and Los Angeles Lakers have been actively playing with skeleton rosters mainly because of virus outbreaks.

If the closely-vaccinated American sporting activities earth imagined it was skating