NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Keenan Allen questionable, Rome Odunze set to play vs. Rams

Bears receiver Rome Odunze is set to play against the Rams on Sunday and Keenan Allen is trending toward being available.

After Odunze was added to Chicago’s injury report on Thursday as a limited participant with a hip issue, he was a full participant on Friday and has no game status.

Allen has not played since Week 1 with a heel injury. But he was a full participant on Friday and is questionable for Sunday’s matchup with Los Angeles.

Odunze caught his first touchdown pass last week. He’s recorded nine receptions for 156 yards with a touchdown in his first three games.

Allen had four catches for 29 yards in Chicago’s season opener.

The Bears added tight end Stephen Carlson to the report with a collarbone injury on Friday. He did not practice and is out.

Defensive lineman Zacch Pickens (groin) and Terell Smith (hip) are also out.

Defensive lineman Andrew Billings (knee) and defensive back Kevin Byard (back) returned to practice as limited participants on Friday and are questionable.

Fullback Khari Blasingame (hand/knee), offensive lineman Nate Davis (groin), offensive lineman Braxton Jones (knee), defensive lineman Montez Sweat (elbow), defensive lineman Darrell Taylor (knee/illness), and offensive lineman Darnell Wright (back) are all off the report and set to play.

 

The Eagles got two key players back on the practice field on Friday.

Reporters at the open portion of the team’s final practice before facing the Buccaneers on Sunday sent word that wide receiver A.J. Brown and right tackle Lane Johnson are both on the field. Both players are dressed for practice and have their helmets after sitting out of practice the first two days this week.

Brown has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury while Johnson suffered a concussion in last Sunday’s win over the Saints. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith also suffered a concussion in that game, but he has not made it back to practice.

That suggests Smith will miss Sunday’s game, but the Eagles will release their official injury report later on Friday.

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Jaylen Warren, Alex Highsmith out; Russell Wilson questionable for Steelers

Reports this week indicated that the Steelers would be playing without running back Jaylen Warren and edge rusher Alex Highsmith this week and confirmation came from the Steelers on Friday.

The team ruled both players out for their game against the Colts. Warren has a knee injury and Highsmith has a groin injury.

Najee Harris and Cordarrelle Patterson will be the backs for the Steelers in Warren’s absence. Nick Herbig had two sacks after Highsmith’s injury last week.

Quarterback Russell Wilson (calf) is listed as questionable after another week of limited practices. Wilson has been inactive as the emergency quarterback the last three weeks.

Guard Isaac Seumalo (pectoral) has also missed the first three games of the season and he’s listed as doubtful to make his debut against Indianapolis.

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The Colts will be down a pair of defensive players against the Steelers on Sunday.

Head coach Shane Steichen said cornerback Kenny Moore II and defensive end Kwity Paye have been ruled out for this week’s game. Moore hurt his hip in last Sunday’s win over the Bears while Paye left that game with a quad injury.

Chris Lammons is listed as Moore’s backup on the team’s depth chart, so it was a plus for the Colts that he returned to practice Friday after missing two days with knee and ankle issues. First-round pick Laiatu Latu may be in a bigger role with Paye out.

Defensive end Tyquan Lewis (calf, wrist), center Ryan Kelly (neck), and right tackle Braden Smith (knee) were out of practice Friday, but they have not been ruled out at this point.

 

Titans place Chidobe Awuzie on IR

Titans head coach Brian Callahan said earlier this week that cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was a candidate for injured reserve and the team revealed its decision on Friday.

Awuzie has been placed on the list due to the groin injury he suffered in last Sunday’s loss to the Packers. He will have to miss four games before he will be eligible to return to action.

 

Defensive end Trey Hendrickson missed practice with an illness the last two days, but it looks like the Bengals will have him as they try to avoid a fourth straight loss to open the season.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Friday, via multiple reporters, that Hendrickson is set to play against the Panthers on Sunday after returning to practice. Hendrickson has three sacks over the last two games.

The news isn’t as good for a couple of other defensive linemen in Cincinnati. Taylor said that defensive tackle B.J. Hill is considered doubtful to play due to the hamstring injury that kept him out of last week’s loss to the Commanders.

Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins also missed that game with a hamstring injury and Taylor said Rankins has been ruled out.

 

His achilles isnt torn. Its more of a tendinitis issue.

 

Falcons caught a bit of a break overnight. Flowery Branch was dead center in the projected track of Helene, and it had already rained for over 24 hours straight even before the storm made landfall in Florida. Fortunately it wobbled a bit and slowed down during the night, giving it a little more time to weaken as it continued inland. Lots of trees are down everywhere and there's significant local flooding and flash flooding in Atlanta, Asheville NC and other areas throughout the southeast. But it could have been much worse.

I'm on a flight to Las Vegas now to speak at a conference. I drove past the Falcons team complex as I was heading out for Greenville-Spartanburg Airport. I didn't see any signs of damage at the team facility or to other buildings in the area. Lots of trees down around Road Atlanta (Petit Le Mans is next weekend) and all the way up I-85 and the driveway into GSP itself.

The airport was still without main power in late afternoon, running off of generators (only one line for TSA, no escalators, no shops or food services etc). It hit ATL in the middle of the night, so if that airport ever did lose power they had it fully restored by the time I got there for my connecting flight. I know they had 171 flight cancellations and nearly 500 delayed flights (including the one I'm on right now) due to the storm. My flight to Vegas was still hitting turbulence from the low pressure areas related to the storm as we flew just south of Memphis.

The cleanup will take a while, but given what was projected just hours earlier, it could have been much worse.

 

Wicked storm and a fast mover. My southern located family still doesnt have power in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Glad you were good to go flying the friendly skies.

 

The NFL hit Packers running back Josh Jacobs hard for the hit he laid on a tackler Sunday against the Titans.

The league announced today that Jacobs has been fined $45,020 for what the league described as, “Unnecessary Roughness (use of the helmet).”

On the play in question, Jacobs took a handoff up the middle and lowered his head into Titans safety Quandre Diggs. In real time, it looked like an ordinary collision we see multiple times in every game. Diggs was none the worse for wear; he popped right up and helped Jacobs up. No flag was thrown and the TV announcers didn’t say anything about it.

But often plays that seem rather innocuous at the time result in harsh discipline once the league office has scrutinized the replays closely, and that’s what happened here. It’s true that Jacobs lowered his head and initiated contact with the crown of the helmet, and that’s the kind of hit that the NFL is trying to take out of the game of football. But Jacobs could be forgiven if he questions why he got such a significant fine for a hit that neither the officials nor anyone else had a problem with at the time.

 

Fun fun. Also some of my fantasy teams are such a mess with like 10 guys on IR and another 10 out. Nuts. I've got both WRs in like 3 leagues and I gotta treat it like a double bye.

 

On the other hand, mine are the exact opposite, thank goodness... no designations, but I still suck.

 

Browns running back Nick Chubb’s return to action is set to take a big step forward this week.

According to multiple reports, Chubb will begin practicing with the team this week for the first time since he suffered a severe knee injury in the second week of the 2023 season.

Chubb is currently on the physically unable to perform list, so he will need to be activated in order to take part in practice with the team. Next week’s game against the Commanders is the first one he will be eligible to play this season and he will have a three-week window to practice before being activated once he is formally designated for return.

The Browns are currently 23rd in the league in rushing yards and 25th in points scored, so a healthy Chubb will be a welcome addition to the lineup in Cleveland.

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Saints’ Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave expect to play vs. Falcons

The Saints should have their leading rusher and leading receiver on the field today against the Falcons.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Chris Olave are both listed as questionable and both expect to play, according to multiple reports.

Kamara has been dealing with hip and rib injuries, while Olave suffered a hamstring injury at practice on Friday.

The Saints’ offense got off to a white-hot start in the first two games of the season before slowing down in Week Three. Kamara is the leading rusher on the team with 61 carries for 285 yards and four touchdowns, and he also has 10 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. Olave has 12 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown.

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Rachaad White set to play Sunday despite illness

The Buccaneers added running back Rachaad White to their injury report on Saturday, but it looks like they will have him on the field against the Eagles on Sunday.

White is listed as questionable with an illness that multiple reports say is food poisoning. His condition has improved, however, and those reports say that White is expected to be on the field in Week Four.

Running back Bucky Irving is also listed as questionable with a hamstring injury and is also expected to play.

While the Bucs are set to be at full strength in the back field, they will be without right tackle Luke Goedeke for the third straight game. Goedeke has been ruled out with a concussion.

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Christian McCaffrey may be gone 'til November.

The 49ers running back, who is still dealing with Achilles tendonitis that has kept him out of the start of the 2024 season, is expected back "at least by early November," NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL GameDay Morning.

McCaffrey remains on injured reserve and cannot return until after San Francisco's Week 6 game against the Seahawks. However, it sounds like the two-time All-Pro tailback won't be back until Week 10 at the earliest.

NFL.com

 

A.J. Brown is OUT for the Eagles (NFL.com)

 

INJURIES ROUNDUP; per NFL.com

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (hip/ribs) and wide receiver Chris Olave (hamstring) are both expected to play versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Kamara popped up on the injury report for the first time this season, missing Wednesday's practice due to the injuries. He was upgraded to limited participation the next two days and had a questionable designation going into the weekend, but ultimately the pair of injuries should not keep him off the field in Atlanta.

Kamara got off to a hot start to the season as a key piece of the Saints' initial offensive explosion, currently ranking fourth in the league in rush yards with 285. He had 115 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in New Orleans' dominating Week 2 win over the Cowboys.

Olave had joined Kamara as questionable after injuring his hamstring during Friday's practice, and now should also join Kamara in being available for this Week 4 matchup against an NFC South foe.

So far this season Olave has 12 catches for 178 yards, both team highs, and had 81 and 86 yards the last two weeks, respectively.

New Orleans (2-1) and Atlanta (1-2) kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

• Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen, who has missed the last two games with a heel injury, is expected to play versus the Rams, per Rapoport.
• Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (quad/groin) is unlikely to play against the Vikings, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on NFL GameDay Morning. Alexander did not practice Friday and was listed as questionable.
• Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle) won't play Sunday versus the Jaguars, according to Rapoport. Mixon had been listed as questionable and was considered a game-time decision.
• Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly (neck) won't play against the Steelers, per Rapoport. He didn't practice Thursday and Friday and was listed as questionable.
• Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis (shoulder) should be able to go versus the Texans, Rapoport reported.
• Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson (concussion) won't play against the Buccaneers after he was not cleared from protocol, the team announced Sunday. Johnson was previously listed as questionable.
• San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf) and left tackle Trent Williams (illness/toe) are both likely to play versus the Patriots, per Rapoport. For Williams, the final decision could come down to his pre-game workout, Rapoport added.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (illness) is expected to play versus the Eagles despite dealing with food poisoning, Rapoport reported.