NFL - NEWS & NOTES

{tightens chin strap on tin foil hat}

It's a conspiracy I tell Ya !!!

 

Titans started it.

 

Thursday’s game between the Ravens and Steelers has been moved to Sunday. The next question is whether it moves from Sunday.

It can’t move to Monday or Tuesday, unless the league also moves next Thursday night’s game between the Cowboys and Ravens.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Ravens outbreak could get worse. The league and the team know how the outbreak began, and the league and the team believe that, by Friday, it will be known whether the outbreak is contained.

The fact that they won’t know until Friday made it impossible to play the game on Thursday.

If it isn’t played on Sunday, the game likely will become the first game played in an eighteenth week of the 2020 regular season.

Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, seven Ravens players have generated positive tests in the last three days, including most recently defensive lineman Calais Campbell, offensive lineman Patrick Makari, and offensive lineman Matt Skura. The incubation period and the lag between sample collection and result generation creates a potential cascading effect of positives.

NBC

 

The Ravens-Steelers game originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night has moved to Sunday afternoon, with a 1:15 p.m. ET kickoff on NBC.

The game, which was postponed because of several COVID-19 cases among Ravens players and staff, had been slated for prime time, as part of NBC’s Sunday Night Football package. Instead NBC will air it on Sunday afternoon, meaning games will air on NBC, FOX and CBS simultaneously in most markets.

NBC will show Bears-Packers on Sunday night in prime time, as previously scheduled.

The NFL has had to juggle its schedule several times this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic but has so far managed to avoid having to cancel any games.

NBC

 

COVID 19 has caused havoc with the NFL schedule

 

NFL’s chief medical officer hints at possible postseason bubble



The NFL has resisted the concept of a regular-season home-market bubble. The NFL may be warming to the idea of a postseason bubble.

Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, appeared Thanksgiving morning on Today. Among other things, Craig Melvin asked Sills about the possibility of an NBA/NHL-style bubble model over the balance of the season.

“[W]e’ve said throughout that all options remain on the table,” Sills said. “We’re going to look at whatever the most appropriate decision is, based on the data and the science. We’ve been in regular communication with those other pro sports leagues. I’ll just say there are some pros and there are some cons. There is some risk and benefits to each model. And right now, we’re doubling down on our intensive protocols for each team. We made some additional protocol changes this week. We have a lot of confidence in those steps, and we’ll be monitoring the data very carefully over the next few weeks to see what makes the most sense come January.”

“Come January” likely means “come the playoffs.” Which implies that the league intends to get through the rest of the regular season (or at least try to) by sending all players back into their communities after each day of work. Come January a/k/a the postseason, when only 14 teams remain, the NFL could then hunker down with home-market hotel stays or one or more harder, regional bubbles.

Frankly, a mandatory bubble may not be necessary when January rolls around. What playoff team won’t set up a “voluntary” bubble at that point? What team won’t consist of players who volunteer to stay there, as they chase a championship?

Until January rolls around, the league will be playing beat the clock. Infection rates quite possibly will soar even more after Thanksgiving, as all the people who traveled and gathered and traveled again spark more and more and more spread of the virus. Unless the league separates players and coaches and essential staff from the rest of society, more players will test positive. More outbreaks will potentially happen. More games will be jeopardized.

The Ravens’ situation could be an accident, or it could be the start of a trend. If it is, the final five weeks of the regular season could feature an endless string of fits and starts and postponements and, potentially, cancellations.

The overriding problem continues to be collective bargaining. The NFL doesn’t want to sweeten the pot to get players to stay in a hotel, and the players won’t agree to stay in a hotel without the pot being sweetened. Meanwhile, labor and management continue to flash their best poker faces while their innards churn under the stress of the possibility that stubbornness eventually will result in the loss of millions of dollars in TV revenue and game checks.

NBC

 

Derrick Henry: Dalvin Cook is the best back in the NFL



Titans running back Derrick Henry has a narrow lead over Vikings running back Dalvin Cook in the race to lead the league in rushing. But Henry says Cook is the No. 1 runner in the NFL.

“Dalvin Cook is having a phenomenal season,” Henry said, via SI.com. “Right now, I would say he’s the best back in football. Just week after week, always dominating. Always having a great game. Running the ball. Catching the ball. Very explosive.”

When the Titans played the Vikings in Week Three, Cook ran for 181 yards and a touchdown, while Henry had 119 yards and two touchdowns. But Henry said that’s not the only time he’s watched Cook.

“I love watching him run on film,” Henry said. “He is doing a great job this year. That guy’s just been incredible the whole year. He runs hard, runs through tackles, makes guys miss. He’s just been balling.”

Henry leads Cook by just 10 rushing yards this season, so Henry will be keeping an eye on Cook the rest of the way, and trying to stay ahead of him in the rushing race.

NBC

 

Texans top Lions, Matt Patricia’s seat gets hotter



The Lions’ annual Thanksgiving appearance served, more than anything else, as a reminder of how far Detroit has fallen in Matt Patricia’s three seasons as head coach.

The Texans’ 41-25 win improved Houston’s record to 4-7 and dropped the Lions to 4-7. Houston has already fired its coach this season, and Detroit may soon do the same.

When Patricia arrived in Detroit, he was taking over for Jim Caldwell, who was fired after guiding the Lions to back-to-back 9-7 seasons. Now Patricia has failed to improve on that 9-7 record in each of his three seasons as the Lions’ head coach.

Patricia is 13-29-1 with the Lions, and it’s hard to imagine he won’t be fired soon. But what’s harder to imagine is what Lions ownership was thinking when they stuck with him after he won only three games last year. This has become a wasted year for the Lions, who catered their personnel moves to Patricia’s priorities and are now in a deeper hole.

The situation in Detroit could be so much different. If the Lions had fired Patricia, hired Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, drafted Bieniemy’s choice of either Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert, and made this the year to develop the young quarterback with Matthew Stafford as the starter the same way the Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith, they’d be in great shape.

Instead, the Lions are in awful shape. In fact, they’re in worse shape than the Texans. Although Houston is also in the midst of a disappointing season, the Texans at least know that Deshaun Watson is their franchise quarterback of the future. The Lions have no idea who their quarterback will be the next time they’re in playoff contention.

And the Lions also have no idea who their head coach will be the next time they’re in playoff contention. But it won’t be Patricia.

NBC

 

Washington takes over first place in NFC East with blowout of Cowboys



Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy will face questions about his decision-making after two fourth-down attempts blew up in his face. Washington stopped Dallas on its two fourth-down tries — one on a pass on fourth-and-one and another on a fake punt on fourth-and-10 — setting up touchdown drives of 19 and 23 yards.

That — and Washington receiver Terry McLaurin chasing down Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith to save a touchdown on an interception return — helped Washington to a 41-16 victory in the Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving game. It has Washington alone atop the NFC East with a 4-7 record, a half game ahead of the Eagles with the Giants 3-7 and the Cowboys now 3-8.

Washington scored 21 points in a nine-minute stretch of the fourth quarter — touchdown runs of 23 and 37 yards by Antonio Gibson and a 12-yard interception return by Montez Sweat — to turn the game into a rout.

Maybe it would have turned out a blowout anyway, but Washington had three possessions start deep in Dallas territory. An Ezekiel Elliott fumble at the Dallas 33 led to a Washington field goal and McCarthy’s two fourth-down calls set up Washington touchdowns.

The game was tied 10-10 when the Cowboys opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 34 with 5:22 left in the first half. Andy Dalton‘s pass was incomplete to CeeDee Lamb, who appeared to be interfered with by Ronald Darby, but no flag was thrown. On top of that, Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Washington took over on the Cowboys 19-yard line. Five plays later, Logan Thomas caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith.

The Cowboys had a chance to tie it late in the third quarter when Smith intercepted a Smith pass intended for McLaurin. Smith had nobody in front of him for what should have been a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown, but McLaurin caught him from behind at the 4-yard line.

It proved large as Dallas never got any closer, going backward before settling for a 28-yard Greg Zuerlein field goal. The Cowboys kicked three field goals on red zone possessions that reached the Washington 15, 14 and 10.

With Washington clinging to a 20-16 lead, Dallas attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-10 from its own 24. Cedrick Wilson was tackled for a 1-yard loss on a reverse, and Gibson scored on the next play.

Gibson finished with 115 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 20 carries. He also caught five passes for 21 yards. Thomas had a run of 3 yards, threw a 28-yard pass to McLaurin and caught four passes for 20 yards and a touchdown.

Washington ran for 182 yards as it gained 338 total.

Smith went 19-of-26 for 149 yards with a touchdown and an interception in winning back-to-back starts. McLaurin had seven catches for 92 yards.

Elliott had 10 carries for 32 yards and lost his fifth fumble of the season. He leads all running backs in fumbles lost this season. Dalton was 25-of-35 for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception, with Amari Cooper catching six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.

NBC

 

Lamar Jackson tested positive for Covid19...

 

Just coming on to say that I saw that too. I wonder if the NFL tries to move this game or cancel it. I don't really know how they can do that. The Ravens also play next Thursday as well. If he's positive I think he misses that too.

 

Cowboys what the hell happened after the effort against the Vikings I thought there would be fireworks by the Cowboys

 

Lamar Jackson tests positive for COVID-19



The NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player has tested positive for COVID-19.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has tested positive, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Jackson is the most prominent NFL player yet to test positive for the virus. The Ravens have had a major outbreak within their team, causing their game against the Steelers that had been scheduled for tonight to be postponed.

At the moment, Ravens-Steelers is set for Sunday afternoon. With Jackson out, Robert Griffin III would be expected to start at quarterback for the Ravens. But whether the Ravens are able to field a team remains to be seen. The pandemic is raging across America, and positive tests are increasing around the NFL just as they are around the country.

NBC

 

The return of multiple additional positive COVID-19 tests on Thanksgiving night has thrust the Ravens into even more turmoil. It also has created significant confusion regarding the status of Sunday’s scheduled game against the Steelers.

Per a league source with direct knowledge of the situation, decisions have not been made regarding whether the game will proceed on Sunday and, if not, when it will happen. A decision, as of Wednesday, was expected to be made on Friday. A decision, as of right now, is expected to be made on Friday.

There’s an increasing belief within the Baltimore organization that the game cannot proceed as scheduled. Whether it’s moved to Monday or Tuesday or it’s shifted to an eighteenth week or the Ravens forfeit (unlikely, but possible) isn’t known. Whether the game will proceed on Sunday won’t be determined, again, until Friday.

Against this basic reality, ESPN has reported that Ravens coach John Harbaugh has told players they won’t return to the team facility until Monday at the earliest. This communication, if it occurred (and Harbaugh apparently has gone on the record to confirm that it did), is not binding on the league; ultimately, the league will decide whether the game proceeds. And, again, the league has not yet made a decision.

A cynic would wonder whether Harbaugh is trying to speak a postponement into existence. The more likely explanation is that he’s reacting to concerns being expressed to him by players who are rattled by the uncontained spread of the virus, which most recently infected quarterback Lamar Jackson. As one source explained it to PFT, at this point the Ravens are far more concerned about stopping the outbreak than playing the game.

Its also possible that the Ravens would travel to Pittsburgh and play without returning to the team’s facility. However, the people carry the virus; the facility can be cleaned. The question is whether individuals are still incubating the virus, and whether they will shed virus onto others before it’s known that they have tested positive.

Will the Ravens agree with the league’s final decision about the game? Maybe, maybe not. But the situation remains a league decision not a team decision, and the league has not yet made a decision. The decision is coming Friday.

NBC

 

With more positives on Thursday, they have to postpone this game for safety reasons, not competitive dis-advantage .

 

As a Steelers fan, the knee-jerk reaction is to want the Ravens to play short handed so victory is more probable. But in the end, the safety of the Steelers players is involved too. I really want players and staff for all teams to be safe and healthy and that's the first priority.

Still, from a logistics standpoint, what does the NFL do for each team. This game means a lot.

 

Off the top of my head, what I think they might do is move the game to Monday or Tuesday and postpone TNF till Sunday. Thats really the only option available unless they add a week because of cancellation... which is something they are trying to avoid.

 

Texans faked an injury to save a timeout



The Texans may find themselves in hot water with the league after they engaged in some poor sportsmanship to get themselves a free timeout in their Thanksgiving win over the Lions.

With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Texans realized they had 12 players on the field on defense. Two players, A.J. Moore and Charles Omenihu, started to run off the field to avoid a penalty. Then Omenihu, realizing they were now going to be left shorthanded, just flopped onto the ground and pretended he was hurt. An official called an injury timeout and the Texans were able to get the right personnel on the field before the next play. The Texans weren’t penalized and didn’t lose a timeout.

Omenihu was obviously faking; he was shown on the sideline afterward laughing and not getting medical attention.

This is a blatant violation of NFL rules. In 2012 the Steelers and Emmanuel Sanders were fined after Sanders faked an injury, and in 2013 the league sent a memo to all 32 teams reminding them that fake injuries can result in “fines of coaches, players, and clubs, suspensions or forfeiture of draft choices.”

The NFL should crack down on the Texans and Omenihu, unless the league wants to tell every team that they can cheat and get away with it.

NBC



BUSTED !!!

 

As a Browns fan, I do too. We aren’t catching the Steelers and getting another game cushion on the Ravens would be AWESOME.
Like you, I just want everyone to be healthy.. well maybe not Ben.. but that’s another personal issue that’s well documented and we won’t go any further on it.

 

Maybe i missed the announcement or something but it sure feels like there's been a very quiet change of tactics with regards to managing this season.

Whenever it was that this stuff started making an impact, like week 6 or 7 or whenever, the league went thru a short spell of moving games around like crazy over what seemed like very few actual infections.

Fast forward another 6weeks and it feels like they are trying their best not to get into schedule changes now despite what feels like more infections being recorded.

I get they dont have bye weeks to play with in the same way now but it sure seems like they're shifting the goal posts in order to not have to go into a week 18 or the season ending on a date later than the SB was meant to end. Without actually telling anyone that this is the new plan?