MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts still dealing with shoulder injury: 'It's a good thing there's a bye week'

Even with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles more than a week away from their first playoff game, there's still concern over the health of the standout quarterback.

Hurts spoke on Thursday after he did not throw in practice earlier in the day, still bothered by a right shoulder injury. He acknowledged that the Eagles earning the NFC's No. 1 seed and first-round playoff bye will be extra beneficial to him while he navigates working through the shoulder discomfort.

"It's a good thing there's a bye week," Hurts said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. Hurts wouldn't deny the chance that he could still be less than 100% healthy for the Eagles' first playoff game next Saturday or Sunday, adding: "But I've played injured before."

Hurts started in Week 18 against the Giants, completing 20 of 35 passes for 229 yards and an interception. It was his first action since suffering the shoulder injury in Week 15 against the Bears, and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after the last game that Hurts was "hurting like hell."

The Eagles will host either the Seahawks, Giants, Cowboys or Buccaneers in the divisional round of the playoffs, either on Jan. 21 or 22 at Lincoln Financial Field.

The team's other two quarterbacks, Gardner Minshew and Ian Book, picked up the throwing slack in Thursday's practice. Minshew started and finished both games down the stretch that Hurts missed, throwing for 629 yards, three TDs and three picks in the two games, plus a rushing score. Book, a 2021 fourth-rounder who was claimed off waivers from the Saints in August, appeared in one game for New Orleans a year ago, an emergency start where he was sacked eight times and picked twice.

Hurts finished the regular season with 3,701 pass yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, also rushing for 760 yards and 13 more touchdowns. He's considered one of the favorites for the 2022 Most Valuable Player award.

NFL.com

 

Jaguars list Trevor Lawrence as questionable



Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been limited in practice for several weeks due to a toe injury, but hasn’t missed any playing time because of it.

Just as Jacksonville did for the de-facto AFC South championship game against the Titans last week, the Jaguars have listed Lawrence as questionable for Saturday night’s playoff matchup against the Chargers.


But given the magnitude of the game, it’s hard to envision Lawrence not being on the field this weekend.

Lawrence threw for 4,113 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the regular season.

The Jaguars have also listed offensive lineman Brandon Scherff (abdomen), receiver Jamal Agnew (shoulder), receiver Kendrick Pryor (shoulder), and long snapper Ross Matiscik (back) as questionable.

While kicker Riley Paterson missed Wednesday’s practice with a right knee injury, he has no status and is expected to play on Saturday.

PFT

 

Translation I'm not playing until I'm getting paid big $$$

 

and…without me, they “still have a chance” albeit a small one.

 

Here's the question, WHAT IF....

What if the Ravens knock off the Bengals this week, does Jackson miraculously recover so a backup doesn't take them further, thus rendering him meaningless?

 

lol... He'd have a hard time explaining that one. I think he has made his bed and has forced himself to sleep in it.

 

I hate the Ravens, but I somehow find myself rooting for them this weekend...

 

I hate the Ravens more then the Bengals. Still hoping Bills take it all though. Wouldn’t it be fun to have the Bills finally beat the Cowboys in the Super Bowl?

 

They are huge underbirds, but I gotta pull for the Bengals in this game. Its fun to see them succeed. I go back to the days of them being the perineal losers and then a nice showing vs Joe Montana's 49ers in 1981 with Kenny Anderson at QB. That was a cool game I barely remember due to my indulgences in the 1980's, but that was a fun game. The Bengals wernt too bad in the mid 70's, but leading up to that 1981 SB, they were a crap team for a few years prior. I guess Im being nostalgic, lol.

 

No.

It would be better for the Minnesota Vikings to beat anybody in a SB.

 

Ravens wont name their starting QB until Sunday... their being stealth.

One thing is certain, it wont be Lamar Jackson... officially ruled out.

 

I always thought you had to have the official depth chart released the Wednesday before a game, pending injuries of course.

 

Im not sure, but there might be a stipulation do to injuries as you stated, I just dont know.

 

Brock Purdy, Skylar Thompson are lowest-drafted rookie QBs to start a playoff game



No rookie seventh-round draft pick has ever started at quarterback in an NFL playoff game. This weekend, two will.

Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson was the 247th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant at No. 262. They both went late in the seventh round, and they were the last two quarterbacks off the board.


They’re also now going to be the two lowest-drafted rookie quarterbacks to start in the playoffs. Purdy will start today against the Seahawks, and Thompson will start tomorrow against the Bills.

This is the first time since the 2012 wild card round that two rookie quarterbacks are starting in the same playoff weekend. In 2012 three rookie quarterbacks started in the wild card round: Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.

Luck and Griffin both lost their wild card games; Purdy and Thompson are looking to become the first rookie quarterbacks to win a playoff start since Wilson in 2012.

In the common-draft era, only three rookie quarterbacks drafted outside the first round have won a playoff start: Wilson in 2012, T.J. Yates with the Texans in 2011 and Shaun King with the Buccaneers in 1999.

Both Purdy and Thompson were third-string quarterbacks who only became starters when the first- and second-string quarterbacks were injured. Purdy has played very well as a rookie, and the 49ers are are nine-point favorites. Thompson has been shaky as a rookie and the Dolphins are 13.5-point underdogs.

PFT

 

Ravens' stance on signing QB Lamar Jackson long-term hasn't changed despite injury

For the second consecutive year, the Ravens face the prospect of their electric QB watching their final game from the sidelines. Last year, it was a bone bruise to his ankle. This year, a PCL sprain.

Yet sources say the Ravens haven't changed their stance on whether Lamar Jackson is their future at QB.

Whenever the season ends -- Sunday against the Bengals or next week or at some point in the future -- they plan to begin negotiating with Jackson with hopes of striking a long-term deal, sources say. They made inroads prior to the season, but never reached the point of getting close to an agreement.

Jackson hopes for as much guaranteed money as possible, perhaps even a deal similar to that of Deshaun Watson, and that was one of the key holdups prior to the season. Jackson played on the $23 million fifth-year option this past season after the Ravens' good-faith efforts did not end in a deal.

Every expectation is that Baltimore will tag him for 2023 if they cannot work out a long-term extension, sources say, though the particular tag is not yet known. Most QBs receive the exclusive tag, which does not allow any other team to have a shot at the player, while other players receive the non-exclusive tag -- meaning there is compensation in the form of two first-round picks if another team pries him away with a long-term deal.

Essentially, sources say, despite the disappointment with Jackson not being able to play in the first round of the playoffs, the Ravens are still all-in.

To be sure, it has been a week for Jackson, who went public with details of his grade 2 PCL sprain and described his knee as swollen and unstable.


While swollen does seem to be accurate, especially after rehab workouts, unstable has not been a way it has been described previously. It does appear Jackson would be at minimal risk of reinjury if he played.

But as he explained in his tweet, that's not the issue. The issue is he doesn't feel like he can be his 100% self if he plays. Thus, Jackson waits, and there is no guarantee next week changes anything.

NFL.com

 

Sammy Watkins hopes Lamar Jackson “decides to play”

The decision of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to suddenly disclose details about his knee injury on Thursday night wasn’t spontaneous, accidental, or coincidental. At a time when the powers-that-be in the organization are becoming frustrated to the point of exasperated with Jackson’s inability (or unwillingness) to play, Jackson’s teammates are starting to wonder what’s going on.

And they’re starting to talk publicly.

“In this league, everybody is pretty much banged up, hurt,” receiver Sammy Watkins told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post on Wednesday. “I don’t want to speak for him and his situation and whatever he’s going through with the contracts. I don’t know what world he’s in. But for me, you got a chance to do something special. We all know with Lamar Jackson out there, this team is really freaking good, and special things can happen. He can will this team to a Super Bowl. I don’t think he’s thinking about it that way. . . .”

That’s a very strong comment, one that questions Jackson’s overall commitment to winning playoff games right now, with his current teammates.

“He’s got an opportunity to win a Super Bowl,” Watkins added. “I hope he hobbles back out there. . . . Put him out for the pass plays, and don’t run him at all. But you never know. That could be wrong. I’m being very selfish right now, just to want him to be out on the field. But, man, what a great thing it would be to see 8 touch the field this Sunday, and we go out there and blow them out. But that’s for Lamar and everybody else to figure out. Hope miraculously something happens, somebody reach out to him, whether it’s a coach or somebody, and he decides to play. But that’s a question if he’s healthy or he’s not. I don’t know. I haven’t been watching him.”

Still, Watkins seems to believe that, if Jackson had his long-term contract, he’d be playing.

“I think the world is ready to see Lamar back on the field, doing what he do best, and get all the stipulations and contract stuff behind him,” Watkins said. “I pray somebody talks to him like, ‘Man, just sign the deal.’ You know what I mean? And he get out there and hopefully, if . . . he’s healthy, he can just come play this Sunday. We all know that’s up to Lamar and whatever goes on. Hopefully, they get something done. The world wants to see Lamar be a Baltimore Raven for the rest of his life. . . . [T]he world wants to watch Lamar Jackson. That’s a phenom talent, a talent that you rarely come by. Things that he do on the field and things that you see, to be quite honest when he’s out there, he makes everybody play better, just to have him in that huddle. I pray that somebody reach out to him or that he’s really truly getting healthy and can play, that he wake up Thursday and be like, ‘All right, forget it. I’m playing.’ I think that would change the whole trajectory of our season.”

Maybe Watkins is the only one on the team who thinks that. Or maybe he’s reflecting the mood of the locker room.

Regardless, it’s probably a good idea for Watkins not to sit next to Jackson on the team plane to Cincinnati.

 

Thanks, Beach. This saga sure has a 'soap opera' feel to it, imo. I still dont know who or whom to believe. IF, Lamar Jackson is not on the field because of contract issues, then he's really a loser and not a team guy.

I also understand, Watkins side of the story, because of the uncertainty and vagueness of the situation. Frankly Im surprised this story isnt getting more heated and vocal, put out there in the open, than it is.

If Lamar wants out, he should say so and still play for his team regardless. If Lamar is seriously unable to go, it ought to be made clearer. All the reports ive heard on Lamar's knee have come from Lamar, not a doctor.

 

Report: Rams to pick up Matthew Stafford’s option, guarantee 2024 salary



The Rams will have head coach Sean McVay back for the 2023 season and quarterback Matthew Stafford won’t be going anywhere either.

Stafford has said he will not be retiring this offseason and Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Rams will pick up Stafford’s $26 million option bonus by the third day of the new league year. That move will also guarantee Stafford’s 2024 salary of $31 million.


That money is also guaranteed for injury and Stafford missed the final weeks of the season with a neck injury, so the Rams might have wound up on the hook either way. Stafford said this week that he feels “really confident” about his health.

The Rams could have made Stafford a post-June 1 cut if they decided to move on from him, but they would incur big chunks of dead money on the cap in 2023 and 2024 if they went that route.

PFT