MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Good for him... Im a huge fan.

 

Matt Eberflus on Justin Fields: It’s special



The Bears weren’t able to pull out a win against the Dolphins on Sunday, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort by quarterback Justin Fields.

Fields threw three touchdowns and ran for 178 yards and another score in the 35-32 loss, which set a record for a quarterback’s rushing yards and continued a run of strong play for a quarterback who is taking major strides in his second NFL season. Those strides were the focus for Bears head coach Matt Eberflus when he discussed Fields’ peformance after the loss.


“It’s special,” Eberflus said, via the team’s website. “We are building our football team. We have a young football team. We are building upon that, and the centerpiece of that is the quarterback. That’s the way it is in the NFL. Talk about toughness and grit and the ability to persevere through a lot of different things. Obviously start of the season is feeling his way, and now the last three games he’s really taken off. We are excited about that as a group and we are excited about that for the Chicago Bears and the franchise.”

One of the biggest talking points around the Bears this offseason was that the team didn’t do enough to surround Fields with capable offensive talent. Their 3-6 record speaks to the need to keep upgrading the roster, but Fields is blossoming despite that being a work in progress.

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The Panthers are turning back to P.J. Walker.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Walker will start for Carolina in the club’s Thursday night matchup against Atlanta.


Walker has started the last four games for the Panthers, with the team going 1-3. But after a pair of solid performances, Walker had a disastrous outing against the Bengals in Sunday’s 42-21 loss. He was replaced by Baker Mayfield at the start of the second half after Carolina went into the break down 35-0.

The Panthers had just 32 yards of offense in the first half, with their only first down coming via penalty.

Walker was 3-of-10 passing for 9 yards with two interceptions in the contest.

Overall, Walker has completed 59 percent of his passes this season for 623 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Mayfield was 14-of-20 for 155 yards with a pair of touchdowns in Sunday’s loss. The Panthers also could have turned to Sam Darnold, who was activated off injured reserve on Monday.

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lol, they have seen enough.

 

Report: Josh Allen being evaluated for ulnar collateral ligament injury



Bills coach Sean McDermott said earlier Monday that doctors still are evaluating quarterback Josh Allen’s injured throwing elbow.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that Allen’s elbow injury is to his ulnar collateral ligament and related nerves.


Allen’s status for Sunday’s game is uncertain, but he likely won’t have full practices this week.

The injury did not affect Allen’s arm strength Sunday.

His final pass, an incompletion to wide receiver Gabe Davis, was the farthest pass thrown in the NFL the past six seasons.

The NFL has a microchip in every football for tracking through its Next Gen Stats, and those stats showed that the pass Allen threw to Davis traveled 69.3 yards in the air.

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Sam Ehlinger remains Colts’ starting quarterback



The Colts have a new head coach. They will not have a new quarterback.

Interim coach Jeff Saturday announced at his introductory news conference that Sam Ehlinger will remain the starter this week against the Raiders.


Then-head coach Frank Reich announced Oct. 24 the Colts would start Ehlinger for the rest of the season. Reich called it the best thing for the organization for Ehlinger to start over Nick Foles or Matt Ryan.

That remains the case despite Reich’s departure.

Ryan started the first seven games when the Colts went 3-3-1. He took 24 sacks, losing a league-high 184 yards, and threw a league-high nine interceptions. Ryan also had 11 fumbles, losing three.

Ehlinger is 0-2 with an interception, no touchdowns, 11 sacks and a lost fumble, while passing for a total of 304 yards.

It is the Colts’ inability to find a long-term solution at the position that ultimately cost Reich his job. Ehlinger is the sixth starter at the position for the Colts since Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement before the 2019 season.

Saturday also announced that Bernhard Raimann will remain the starting left tackle. The rookie has started three games this season, including Sunday’s loss to the Patriots.

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A large part of that being the win now philosophy as they have tried to plug and play. Not that it won't or can't work but they have tried to run the same offense no matter who the QB is rather than fine tuning it to the qbs being used (IMHO)

 

No news on Josh Allen’s elbow injury, for now



Monday saw a flurry of reports and official comments regarding the injury suffered by Bills quarterback Josh Allen when his elbow was bent awkwardly and violently late in the Week Nine loss to the Jets. On Tuesday, there was no news.

As noted during Tuesday morning’s PFT Live, the words uttered by coach Sean McDermott on Monday painted a much different picture when considered with the audio and video of his delivery of the message. He seemed anything but upbeat; indeed, McDermott came off as borderline glum.


On Tuesday night, receiver Stefon Diggs tweeted, “Rejoice…” Given the broader context, with Bills Mafia holding it breath like the real mafia sweating out a search warrant, Diggs may have been conveying good news, in vague fashion.

Regardless, the issue remains far from resolved. Allen has an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament. It didn’t stop him from launching a bazooka shot to Gabe Davis late in the game. But the extra stress on his arm surely didn’t make things any better.

Come Wednesday, there will be news — one way or the other. Allen will practice, or he won’t. He’ll be limited, unless he isn’t. And to the extent that Allen misses time in practice, backup Case Keenum will get the first-team reps in advance of a game against the team he took to the NFC Championship during his one-year stint in Minnesota, five years ago.

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Justin Fields named NFC offensive player of the week



Bears quarterback Justin Fields has turned in a string of strong performances in recent weeks, including his work in last Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.

Fields was 17-of-28 for 123 yards and three touchdowns through the air and he ran 15 times for 178 yards and a touchdown. The rushing touchdown was a 61-yarder that featured prominently on highlight reels from the weekend.


Those touchdowns weren’t enough to lift the Bears to a win, but they provided further evidence that Fields has found the right track in his second NFL season. They were also enough for the NFL to name Fields the NFC’s offensive player of the week.

It’s the first time that Fields has taken such honors, but the last few weeks offer hope that there will be more accolades coming his way in Chicago.

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Good for him and the Bears... I like the progression he has shown.

 

Matthew Stafford is in the concussion protocol



Rams head coach Sean McVay delivered a surprising announcement at the start of his Wednesday press conference when he told reporters that quarterback Matthew Stafford has been placed in the concussion protocol.

McVay said Los Angeles’ training and medical staff evaluated Stafford after Sunday’s game and determined Stafford should be in the protocol. He entered it on Tuesday.

“[T]hey felt like that was the best thing for him,” McVay said. “That’s kind of where we’re at with it. It’s more importantly about the person, then the player in these types of things, as we know. And nobody’s more of a competitor in wanting to be out there with his teammates than Matthew. He’s in the protocol, so we’ll take it a day at a time with him. That’s what our medical experts determined, just based on some of the things that they gathered, was the smart and the right course of action.”

McVay said he was unaware of Stafford’s status the last time he spoke with the media on Monday.

While Stafford has not yet been ruled out for Sunday, John Wolford would start against the Cardinals if Stafford is unable to play.

“I’m confident [in Wolford],” McVay said. “I know Matthew is going to do everything in his power to try and be able to be ready. We’ll just take it a day at a time. But John’s a guy that when he’s been in these situations, he’s stepped in and done a really good job. It wasn’t too long ago that he had to come in, in a game that we had to have to be able to get into the playoffs, and he performed incredibly well.”

Wolford’s only career start was in Week 17 of the 2020 season when he helped lead the Rams to an 18-7 victory over Arizona to clinch a playoff berth. Wolford was 22-of-38 for 231 yards with one touchdown in that game. He also had 56 yards rushing on six carries.

Wolford then started Los Angeles’ playoff matchup with Seattle, but had to exit early due to injury.

Stafford has completed 68.4 percent of his passes in 2022 for 1,928 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

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Fields continues to signal he could be right QB for Bears



LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) Justin Fields stepped up as the pocket collapsed around him, threw a pump fake and hopped before taking off.

Fields was looking for receiver Darnell Mooney. Instead, he tucked the ball in and broke a few tackles as he sped up the left side on the way to a highlight-reel touchdown run.

''I was about to throw the ball to Darnell, but I guess he thought I was scrambling already, so he had turned around,'' Fields said Wednesday. ''Once I saw that, I tucked the ball down and ran. Instincts took over from there.''

Fields' 61-yard scoring scramble was the longest run by a Bears quarterback and the highlight of a record performance in a 35-32 loss to Miami last week. He'll try to build on it when the Detroit Lions visit on Sunday.

Fields had been showing signs of progress in recent weeks. His performance against Miami was at a different level.

Fields ran for 178 yards - the most by an NFL quarterback in a regular-season game since at least 1940. He also became the first player since at least 1950 with at least 150 yards rushing and three TD passes in a game. And on Wednesday, he was announced as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

''You see some of those plays from the field level and watch what he does to pull away from people, I think that's pretty special,'' said coach Matt Eberflus, who's in his first season in Chicago.

''He's certainly a lot faster when you see it in person than I thought, for sure. He's strong. That's what I didn't know. I didn't know how strong he was in terms of hanging in the pocket, being able to move guys off of him and be able to stay alive.''

Fields showed flashes of his potential during a shaky rookie season last year after the Bears traded up under former general manager Ryan Pace to draft him with the No. 11 overall pick. As recently as a few weeks ago, there were still big questions about whether Fields was the one to solidify a position that has long been a sore spot in Chicago.

He got off to a rough start, was ranked at the bottom of the league in passer rating. But in recent weeks, things have turned around in a big way.

In the past five games, has thrown for 851 yards, completing 76 of 120 passes, with eight touchdowns with two interceptions. He also has rushed for 455 yards and three TDs in that time.

Is it because of a change in scheme? His own growth?

''I think it's both,'' Fields said.

The Bears tweaked their game plan during a mini-bye following an ugly Thursday night loss to Washington in Week 6, moving the pocket more and designing runs for their quarterback. It paid off the following week in a surprising Monday night win at New England.

Fields threw for 179 yards and a touchdown in that game. He also ran for 82 yards and a score, helping the Bears beat the Patriots 33-14.

He has continued to progress since then.

''Now you're just seeing the big splash plays on the field,'' tight end Cole Kmet said. ''He takes off man, it's special, so it's pretty fun to watch. When you're on the field you just get out of the way and let him do his thing. Yeah, he's special when he's got the ball in his hands, for sure.''

NOTES: The Bears opened a 21-day evaluation period to decide if LB Matt Adams (calf) will return from injured reserve. Adams was injured in a Week 5 loss at Minnesota. ... WR Byron Pringle (calf) remains in a 21-day evaluation window.

AP

 

The Bills may have dodged a bullet with quarterback Josh Allen’s elbow injury.

Allen is set to start tomorrow against the Vikings, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.



That decision came after Allen was able to grip a football and do some throwing at Friday’s practice.

The Bills are not elevating third-string quarterback Matt Barkley from the practice squad, meaning it will just be Allen and backup Case Keenum available at quarterback on Sunday. If the Bills doubted Allen could go, they would call Barkley up, so from all indications they think Allen will be ready to play, and Buffalo can breathe a sigh of relief.

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Tannehill expected to play for the Titans also.

 

Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford both appear unlikely to play in Cardinals-Rams



Today’s Cardinals-Rams game may be a battle of backup quarterbacks.

With Murray nursing a hamstring injury and Stafford in the concussion protocol, both starting quarterbacks are seen as unlikely to play, according to multiple reports. Both Murray and Stafford could still be medically cleared after pregame warmups, but as of early Sunday morning that looks like a long shot.


If Murray and Stafford can’t go, Colt McCoy will start for the Cardinals with Trace McSorley backing him up, and John Wolford will start for the Rams with Bryce Perkins backing him up.

The 3-5 Rams and 3-6 Cardinals are both in the midst of disappointing seasons. One of them will get a win today, but neither team can feel good about where it is heading into Week 10.

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Two teams going nowhere very fast... from hero's to zero's.

 

Matt Ryan returns as starter at QB for Colts vs. Raiders over Sam Ehlinger

In a surprise twist, Matt Ryan is starting at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts' game versus the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon.

This marks Ryan's first start in three weeks, after he was benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger ahead of Indy's Week 8 game. Then-head coach Frank Reich said at the time that Ryan was dealing with a Grade 2 shoulder separation, but even without the injury they would have made the change at quarterback. Ehlinger went 0-2 in his two starts with a 61.5 passing percentage, 304 yards, and two touchdowns.

Since Ryan's benching, Reich has been fired and owner Jim Irsay has hired former Colts center Jeff Saturday at interim head coach, a controversial choice who has now made his first big decision in bringing Ryan back.

Ryan was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason in an effort to bring a consistent presence to the Colts' QB carousel of the past few years, though the veteran was 3-3-1 before Ehlinger took over. But now with a new head coach and a healthy shoulder, Ryan is getting another chance to take the reins and lead his team, starting with today's matchup with the Raiders.

NFL.com
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Ryan wasnt done and he had something to say...

Colts make me scratch my head ... a lot. The hiring of Saturday is ultra strange.

 

Saturday won his debut. Maybe the writers should stop scratching their rearends

 

I dont believe for a second, Saturday had a thing to do with the win, but thats just me, I might be wrong. I think the decision to start Ryan played more into it than anything.

Saturdays hiring is a joke, in my opinion (fwiw) and very peculiar to say the least. Just not a fan nor do i support the decision to hire him. IF they continue to win, i'll gladly eat some crow (fried of course), but I think his hiring was wrong in many ways.

 

Derek Carr: For that to be the result of all that effort pisses me off



Despite going through a coaching change, the Raiders entered the 2022 season with high expectations after finishing last year 10-7 with a playoff appearance.

But things are looking more and more dire for the Raiders after their Week 10 result — a 25-20 loss to a team whose interim head coach was a television NFL analyst a week ago.


Quarterback Derek Carr has seen his share of bad with the franchise since he was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft. But the quarterback was visibly emotional in his press conference after Sunday’s loss.

“I can’t speak for everybody, for every man, what’s going on in their head,” Carr said. “But I can tell you what’s going on in my head and I’m going to give it all that I can every single time.”

At that point, Carr paused, beginning to get overcome with emotion. He was asked whether or not there’s a disconnect between the players and the coaching staff.

“You know, I don’t think so. I love Josh. I love our coaches. They’ve had nothing but success, you know? Way more success than I’ve ever had,” Carr said before pausing again. “I’m sorry for being emotional. I’m just pissed off by some of the things that a lot of us try and do just to practice. What we put our bodies through just to sleep at night.

“And for that to be the result of all that effort pisses me off — pisses a lot of guys off. It’s hard knowing what some guys are doing, like I said, just to practice. What they’re putting in their body just to sleep at night. Just so we can be there for each other. And I wish everybody in that room felt the same way about this place. And as a leader, that pisses me off, if I’m being honest.”

Carr noted that the Raiders’ team leaders addressed the club’s effort in the locker room after the game. He added that no matter what, his effort won’t change.

“I think the emotion of just nine years of stuff hit me today for how much I really love this place,” Carr said.

The 2-7 Raiders will play the 3-6 Broncos on the road next week. Denver is one of two teams Las Vegas has defeated this year. The other was 1-7-1 Houston.

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