MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Brady may want to go to San Francisco too next season. That could be a monkey wrench in the whole plan too.

 

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been sacked twice today by the Broncos. On the second one, Jackson apparently suffered an injury.

Jackson is out and backup Tyler Huntley is in.



After an examination in the medical tent, Jackson went to the locker room.

The Ravens have announced that he is questionable to return with a knee injury.

The Broncos lead the Ravens, 3-0, in the second quarter.

PFT
________
_________________

Terrible news.

 

The 49ers have provided an update on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and it’s not good news.

Garoppolo has been downgraded to out with a foot injury.

Garoppolo was sacked for a 10-yard loss to end San Francisco’s first drive and suffered the injury then. He was first examined in the sideline medical tent before he was carted to the locker room.

San Francisco initially announced Garoppolo as questionable to return with an ankle injury. They changed the injury designation when the quarterback was ruled out.

Brock Purdy — the final pick of the 2022 draft — has entered the game at quarterback for the 49ers. He threw a 3-yard touchdown to fullback Kyle Juszczyk to give San Francisco a 10-7 lead.

Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders nailed a 43-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 with 10:14 left in the second quarter.

PFT

I may have jinxed, Jimmy G

 

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken foot that will require season-ending surgery early during Sunday's 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced.

The injury occurred at the 11:22 mark of the first quarter when two Dolphins, Jaelan Phillips and Jerome Baker, both took Garoppolo down for a sack. Garoppolo's left foot was stuck underneath Phillips awkwardly as he went down. Jimmy G limped off the field, was carted to the locker room for observation and did not return to the game after attempting only four passes.

It's a tough break for Garoppolo, a free agent at season's end, after he went from benched starter to potential hero for a well-rounded club that's now sitting at 8-4 on the season. He had replaced Trey Lance, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, after it appeared at various points this offseason that Garoppolo could be traded or cut.

"I mean, just hearing it, it was pretty crushing," Shanahan said told reporters after the game on Sunday. "We know what Jimmy has been through, how hard he's worked at this."

Brock Purdy, the 2022 NFL Draft's "Mr. Irrelevant" who started this season as San Francisco's scout-team QB, replaced Garoppolo vs. Miami. Purdy went on to complete 25 of 37 passes for 210 yards, two TDs and one pick in the win. Prior to Sunday, he had appeared in three games as a rookie, completing 4 of 9 passes for 66 yards and an interception in a blowout loss to the Chiefs in Week 7.

Shanahan gave Purdy a strong endorsement for his performance Sunday.

"Brock came in and made some big plays," Shanahan said. "We've got to clean some stuff up, obviously, but just throwing him in there in the heat of battle like that (with) how much (all-out pressure) that team did, too, which you guys can see. ... We were having to change a lot of stuff on the fly, so putting a lot of pressure on (Purdy) in that way.


"I thought he did a hell of a job doing it. Protected the ball well, didn't have any turnovers and made some big plays too that I thought weren't there always."

Purdy was a four-year starter at Iowa State, completing 67.7% of his passes, throwing for 12,170 yards, 81 touchdowns and 33 INTs and also rushing for 19 scores. He's the school's leader in completion percentage, passing yards and TDs and led the team to four straight bowl games.

Following Sunday's game, Shanahan even leaned into the Kurt Warner-esque storyline -- unknown Iowa quarterback thrust into the starting lineup out of nowhere – when asked how his team would handle the shocking Garoppolo news, using the same words former Rams head coach Dick Vermeil did in 1999 for Warner that Shanahan would for his new starter.

"We rally around Brock Purdy and play good football," Shanahan said.

Purdy's teammates also expressed confidence in the rookie leading them forward.

"He's played against the best defense in the league for the past 13 weeks," 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said, via NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. "He'll be fine."

Garoppolo and Purdy were the only two quarterbacks on the 49ers' roster this week. To fill the void created by Garoppolo's injury, the 49ers are signing quarterback Josh Johnson off Denver's practice squad as a backup, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.


The Niners also have former Colts fourth-rounder Jacob Eason on their own practice squad.

"We know we've gotta bring in someone else in, at least," Shanahan said.

This is the kind of thing that could sink the 49ers' Super Bowl chances -- or give Shanahan a chance to flex his creative muscles. Long respected for his play-calling innovation, Shanahan might be forced to empty his bag of tricks and use his many multi-purpose tools, such as Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey, in slightly atypical roles.

The 49ers' schedule is somewhat favorable in that three of their final five games are at home, and the team won't have to leave the west coast for the remainder of the regular season. The Niners also have a defense that can keep almost any offense in check and plenty of other offensive talent that can rise up to this newest challenge.

But the injury also robs us of a Garoppolo vs. Tom Brady matchup when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers arrive to face Brady's childhood team next Sunday. Instead, we'll likely see Brady, the Round 6 legend, face off against Purdy, who now has a chance to write his own fairytale story.

Will Mr. Irrelevant become relevant?

NFL.com

 

Report: Tua Tagovailoa’s ankle injury not believed to be significant, he’s expected to start in Week 14



Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa exited Sunday’s loss to the 49ers late in the fourth quarter and was announced as questionable to return with an ankle injury.

Tagovailoa said he was feeling as good as he could after a game, though he admitted he had to undergo some more tests.


But word has now emerged that there isn’t much concern about Tagovailoa going forward.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Tagovailoa’s ankle injury is not believed to be significant and Tagovailoa could have re-entered the game had it not been out of reach. Tagovailoa is expected to start the Week 14 matchup against the Chargers in Los Angeles.

Tagovailoa left the game after he was strip-sacked by Nick Bosa and the loose ball was returned for a touchdown with 1:53 left in the contest. The quarterback had a rough day against the 49ers defense, finishing 18-of-33 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Before Sunday’s game, Tagovailoa had not thrown a pick since September.

PFT

 

The Panthers will (reportedly) be releasing QB Baker Mayfield later today.

 

Good report, Lyman... its now official.

Per, PFT

The Baker Mayfield era in Carolina is officially over.

Mayfield was waived on Monday morning in a move that ends his stay with the Panthers at 12 games. Mayfield started the first five of those games before an ankle injury knocked him out of the lineup and he made one more ineffective start in Week 11 to wrap up his on-field time with the team.


With Mayfield out, the Panthers will send a 2024 fifth-round pick to Cleveland to complete the trade for the quarterback. It could have been upgraded to a fourth-round pick, but Mayfield needed to play 70 percent of the team’s offensive snaps for that to happen.

Per multiple reports, Mayfield asked for his release from the Panthers. Presumably that’s because he hopes to land somewhere he can play over the final weeks of the regular season. Many have pointed to the 49ers as a possibility given Jimmy Garoppolo‘s season-ending injury, but there was reportedly some interest from the Seahawks this offseason and teams like the Rams and Texans could see Mayfield as a better option than the ones currently available to their offenses.

 

I could see him with the Texans and the chance to start there. The 49ers have everything except a QB but Purdy knows the system so I don't know if they'd want him.

 

John Harbaugh: Unlikely, but not impossible, Lamar Jackson plays this week

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh offered an update on quarterback Lamar Jackson’s knee injury on Monday.

Jackson left Sunday’s game against the Broncos in the first half with a knee injury and Harbaugh said after the game that the injury would not end his season. That remains the case after further testing, although it is likely that the Ravens will be playing without him when they face the Steelers in Week 14.


“He’s been through the MRIs and I would say it’s kinda week to week,” Harbaugh said. “It’s gonna be a weekly thing. As the week goes on, we’ll see for this week. It’s probably less likely for this week, but it’s not impossible. After that, it’ll become more and more likely.”

Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson on Sunday and ran for the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game. The Ravens signed Brett Hundley to the practice squad on Monday to give them a backup while Jackson recovers.

PFT

 

Jalen Hurts continues to make his case for MVP

Hurts put 380 pass yards and four total touchdowns (three pass, one rush) on the Titans in Week 13, becoming the first Eagles player with at least 350 pass yards, three pass touchdowns, and a rushing score in the same game. He actually has more games (2) with 300+ pass yards, 3+ pass TD and 1+ rush TD than any other Eagles player in the Super Bowl era combined (1). The only other Eagles player to do so was Michael Vick against Washington on Monday Night Football in Week 10, 2010.

Hurts hit on three touchdowns on deep passes (20-plus air yards, according to Next Gen Stats). It was his second game with at least three deep pass touchdowns this season. He is only the second player in the Next Gen era (since 2016) to have two games with as many deep pass touchdowns (3), after Ben Roethlisberger in 2016.

Hurts broke the Eagles' team record for offensive yards in the team's first 12 games of a season with 3,549 after Sunday. The previous record holder was Donovan McNabb, who recorded 3,539 offensive yards in the first 12 games of the 2004 season. McNabb and the Eagles went on to win the NFC Championship and make an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX that season (lost to Patriots).

All of this is after Hurts rushed for 157 yards last week against the Packers. Hurts is the first quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards a game after rushing for 150 yards.

NFL.com

 

Kyle Shanahan: We’ll discuss Baker Mayfield, but feel good with what we have



Baker Mayfield was waived by the Panthers on Monday and the 49ers lost Jimmy Garoppolo for the season on Sunday, so plenty of people drew some dots between the team and the quarterback after the Panthers let Mayfield go.

The 49ers won on Sunday with seventh-rounder Brock Purdy running the offense in Garoppolo’s place and many wondered if the 49ers would supplement him with the first overall pick of the 2018 draft. That question was posed to head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday.


Shanahan didn’t rule anything out, but did say that the team is comfortable with Brock Purdy and veteran Josh Johnson — the 49ers signed him off the Broncos practice squad — as their quarterbacks moving forward.

“We look into everything,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone. “But that would surprise me right now, and we’ve got to discuss it this afternoon and stuff. I’ve always been a fan of his, but I feel real good about our players.”

The 49ers are 24th in the waiver order, so it’s no guarantee that Mayfield will be available if they do put in a claim for him. Any claims will be processed on Tuesday afternoon, so it won’t be long before we find out where Mayfield will be headed next.

PFT

 

Report: Lamar Jackson has a sprained PCL in knee



On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called Lamar Jackson week-to-week with his knee injury, noting that it’s unlikely the quarterback will play against the Steelers in Week 14.

Now there’s a little more clarity on the nature of Jackson’s injury.


Jackson has a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his knee, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter notes PCL sprains often keep players sidelined for one to three weeks.

Jackson has thrown for 2.242 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He’s also the Ravens’ leading rusher with 764 yards and three TDs, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

A knee injury for a quarterback who runs as much as Jackson isn’t ideal. The Ravens could be more cautious with the signal-caller as he returns.

Tyler Huntley is slated to start at QB while Jackson is out. In two appearances this season, he’s thrown for 187 yards with an interception. He’s also rushed 10 times for 41 yards, including the game-winning touchdown in Sunday’s victory over Denver.

Currently at 8-4 and in first place in the AFC North, the Ravens play the Steelers in Pittsburgh this week. They’ll then take on the Browns, Falcons, Steelers again, and Bengals to close the 2022 regular season.

PFT

 

Rams get Baker Mayfield on waivers



The rumors of Baker Mayfield heading to the Rams were true.

Mayfield was awarded to the Rams on waivers today. He’ll reportedly fly to Los Angeles tonight and could play as soon as Thursday night for the Rams, who are desperate at the quarterback position with Matthew Stafford injured.


The Rams will pay Mayfield $1.35 million for the remainder of this season. Mayfield will hit free agency after the season, and although the Rams are invested in Stafford as their franchise quarterback, they’ll surely evaluate Mayfield for the possibility of bringing him back as Stafford’s backup next year.

There’s no immediate word on how many other teams put in waiver claims for Mayfield, but the 3-9 Rams are currently third in the waiver order, so only the Bears and Texans — the two teams with worse records — could have gotten Mayfield once the Rams put in a claim.

The Panthers, who traded for Mayfield over the summer, are now off the hook for that $1.35 million remaining on his 2022 salary.

PFT

 

Jimmy Garoppolo's foot injury won't require surgery; 49ers QB could return for playoffs

The San Francisco 49ers have a chance at getting their starting quarterback back for a deep postseason run.

Jimmy Garoppolo's foot injury won't require surgery, clearing the way for a potential return sometime in the playoffs should his rehab go smoothly, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday, per a source.

Pelissero added that Garoppolo's recovery timeline would depend on how rehab goes. With the Super Wild Card Round scheduled to begin on Jan. 14, that puts a five-week timeline on a potential return for the start of the playoffs. The Divisional Round (Jan. 21-22) and Championship Round (Jan. 29) follow in the subsequent weeks, with Super Bowl LVII scheduled for Feb. 12.

NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo noted the reason for the optimism concerning Garoppolo is there was no ligament damage, per sources. That was the reason behind the timeline shifting.

Garoppolo suffered a broken foot in Sunday's win over the Miami Dolphins, putting an end to his regular season. Seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy finished that game in Garoppolo's absence, passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns against an AFC team in the playoff hunt. The 49ers on Tuesday signed veteran Josh Johnson to a one-year deal for added depth, and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported San Francisco did not put in a waiver claim for Baker Mayfield, who instead was claimed by the Rams.

Tuesday's news offers new hope for Jimmy G's return for San Francisco this season. The 49ers will have to earn a playoff spot and perhaps a win or two into late January in order to allow Garoppolo's comeback to happen.

NFL.com

 

Texans turn back to Davis Mills at quarterback



The Texans benched quarterback Davis Mills a couple of weeks ago, but it didn’t do anything to change their on-field fortunes so the team is reversing course.

Head coach Lovie Smith told reporters on Wednesday that Mills will return to the starting lineup for this Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. Mills completed 61.9 percent of his passes while throwing 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in the first 10 games of the season.


Kyle Allen started for the Texans the last two weeks. He went 46-of-78 for 416 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions in losses to the Dolphins and Browns.

Oddsmakers installed the Cowboys as 17-point favorites ahead of the Mills news. Given the Texans’ results with Mills, it’s hard to imagine that this news is going to move the needle all that much and it’s even harder to imagine the Texans not making some major moves at quarterback this offseason.

PFT

 

Rams QB Baker Mayfield expected to be active, has real chance to play Thursday vs. Raiders

After being released Monday in Charlotte, Baker Mayfield might play Thursday in Los Angeles.

The quarterback is expected to be active tonight against the Raiders, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported, per sources, and there is a real chance he plays.

Head coach Sean McVay told reporters Wednesday that he was “working through” Mayfield's status leading into the game after the former No. 1 overall pick arrived in L.A. Tuesday night and attended practice Wednesday.

According to Pelissero, Mayfield is up to speed on the game plan, and his role will partly depend on how John Wolford feels while battling a neck injury.

If Mayfield does complete the astoundingly quick turnaround to take the field in any capacity for the Rams, he will become the fourth QB to take a snap in McVay's offense this year.

None of the previous three have been particularly effective. Matthew Stafford, who helped propel the Rams over the Super Bowl hump in 2021 after being traded from Detroit, threw for 2,087 yards, 10 TDs and eight interceptions in nine games this season before going on injured reserve Saturday with a spinal cord contusion.

Wolford has gone winless in two starts, with a completion percentage of 61.3, 390 passing yards, one TD and three INTs. Bryce Perkins received a start, as well, completing 13 of 23 passes for 100 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 26-10 Week 12 loss against Kansas City.


Time will tell if Mayfield sees the field and is able to provide the spark Los Angeles was hoping for by claiming him.

The Rams and Raiders kick off Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET.

NFL.com
___________
______________________

Interesting how he learned the offense on such short notice.

 

Im sure he didn’t learn any nuances.. just the basics here, which every QB in the league has. This is going to be ugly if he has to play.

Fantasy owners of Raiders starting offensive players… play them. They are going to have more opportunities tonight than normal.

 

The Rams offense can’t be any uglier than it has been with their backup in there already.

 

Deshaun Watson expects better results after getting “feel of the game” last week



Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson played in a regular season game last week for the first time since the end of the 2020 season and it was a rocky return to action.

The Browns got a win over the Texans, but they did not score an offensive touchdown and Watson was 12-of-22 for 131 yards and a touchdown against his former team. On Thursday, Watson said that “last week was a lot” in reference to returning to both the field and Houston while also explaining why he thinks that experience sets him up for better results against the Bengals this weekend.


“Because I was able to get the feel of the game, speed of the game,” Watson said, via Scott Petrak of BrownsZone.com. “How defenses adjust, how we’re going to be able to adjust at the same time. It’s my first time in live action with Kevin. He’s gotta feel how I feel, I gotta feel how he feels and we gotta be able to work on the same page and see the same things through the same lenses.”

The Browns have won five straight over the Bengals and their chances of running the streak to six games will be a lot better if Watson can improve on his first outing as a Brown.

PFT

 

Mr. Relevant! Brock Purdy has opportunity to make NFL history as 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo replacement

Mr. Irrelevant will be very relevant in San Francisco.

Brock Purdy, the 262nd and final selection of the 2022 NFL Draft, sits as the 49ers' starting quarterback with Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined by a broken foot.

Purdy jumped into the fray Sunday against Miami, helping lead the 49ers to a 33-17 victory over the Dolphins (8-4). The rookie, who took the field in place of the injured Garoppolo on San Francisco's second drive of the day, completed 25 of 37 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception and taking three sacks. With the victory pushing the Niners to 8-4, San Francisco currently holds the NFC's No. 3 seed, with a one-game lead over 7-5 Seattle in the NFC West race. Purdy has a chance to guide San Francisco to the playoffs. It's quite a development for the seventh-round rookie.

Tuesday's news that Garoppolo's foot injury won't require surgery means the veteran signal-caller could be available to play at some point in January, though Niners coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed that possibility on Wednesday: "There's that way outside chance (of a return) late in the playoffs, but just an outside chance. Not real optimistic about it, but never rule it out."

In other words, this is Purdy's show -- and his opportunity to do something the NFL has never seen before.

Since the draft moved to seven rounds in 1994, no quarterback selected in the final round has started a playoff game as a rookie. Only six seventh-round signal-callers have even appeared in a playoff game during this time period (Jay Walker, Gus Frerotte, Matt Cassel, Koy Detmer, Jarious Jackson and Matt Flynn), with none accomplishing the feat in Year 1. If we expand the parameters to undrafted quarterbacks, we get more postseason hits -- the most famous being Kurt Warner, along with the likes of Tony Romo and, more recently, Taylor Heinicke and John Wolford. But again, none of them were rookies when making that first postseason appearance.

NFL.com