NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Since gambling was mentioned, Id be willing to bet the entire League is guilty to an extent and the NFL is more guilty than all of them combined when it comes to coverups, reporting, injuries (especially concussions).

 

Joel Bitonio practiced Friday, questionable to play Sunday

Browns left guard Joel Bitonio remains in play for Sunday’s game against the Texans.

Bitonio missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but he returned to the field on Friday and is listed as questionable. Bitonio is dealing with back and knee issues that the team will monitor before kickoff in Houston on Sunday afternoon.

The Browns are set to get center Ethan Pocic back from a stinger, so having Bitonio active as well would give them their usual interior offensive linemen as they continue to push for a playoff spot.

Safety Juan Thornhill (calf), linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (knee), linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk (calf), and defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (pectoral) will not play this week.

 

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was fined $25,000, and the Falcons franchise was fined $75,000, for violating the league’s injury reporting rules. Smith said today that he learned from the experience.

Smith didn’t explain why he failed to disclose that Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was dealing with an illness that limited him in the Week Seven game against the Buccaneers, but he did say he has been in communication with the NFL about the matter.

“What I will give the league a lot of credit for is there are a lot of things, when you’re going through the injury report, and clearly we understood their point of view, but they also understood our point of view, too, which is why it wasn’t some contentious battle,” Smith said, as transcribed by the Falcons’ website. “As you go through that, just full transparency, there’s an inquiry and usually you have to respond with a letter - so, it’s not like it’s some court case that you’re sitting in - it wasn’t a lot of time spent, just: Here’s how we interpreted it, here’s our intent, nothing was done to try to game anything like that. I understood their point of view, so lesson learned there. It was a good conversation, and there are probably a lot of conversations that are going to be had in the spring. That’s kind of where we ended it. Again, lesson learned, and we completely understand their position. I think they understood where we were coming from. So, that’s what ended up happening.”

That’s a lot of words to say that Smith and the Falcons were in the wrong. Robinson was sick, and the Falcons failed to disclose that on their injury report, as teams are required to do. The fine isn’t a lot of money to any NFL head coach, and certainly not to Smith, the heir to the FedEx fortune. But it’s a statement from the league that Smith broke the rules and got caught.

PFT

 

It looks like the Colts will have their top wide receiver and running back for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

Head coach Shane Steichen told reporters on Friday that wide receiver Michael Pittman has cleared the concussion protocol after returning to full practice participation on Thursday. He was injured on a hit by Steelers safety Damontae Kazee last Saturday. Kazee was ejected from the game and suspended for the remainder of the season due to repeated violations of the league’s player safety rules.

Taylor has also been a full participant in practice after missing the last three games with a thumb injury. Steichen said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, that Taylor “looked good” on the field.

Running back Zack Moss (forearm) will be listed as questionable after missing practice all week. Center Jack Anderson (illness), linebacker Segun Olubi (hip), and right tackle Braden Smith (knee) won’t play.

PFT

 

Mike McDaniel feels good about Tyreek Hill’s status for Sunday vs. Cowboys

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill appears set to return to the field on Sunday against the Cowboys.

Hill, who missed last week’s game against the Jets with an ankle sprain, has done well on the practice field this week, according to head coach Mike McDaniel.

“He’s had a good week, no setbacks,” McDaniel said. “Feel good about him. We have today to work through but he’ll be out there so we’re excited about that.”

Hill is leading the league with 1,542 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, and he was on pace for the first 2,000-yard receiving season in NFL history before he missed last week’s game. Having him back on the field should give the Dolphins a big boost.

The 10-4 Dolphins are one-point home favorites against the 10-4 Cowboys in a game between two teams that are still competing to win their divisions.

PFT
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Good game.

 

Jim Mora would take exception to your take on things. Saints arnt done yet. Morten Anderson after the loss to the Rams went on X and said; "Saints fans deserve better than what we saw tonight." ... that didnt set well with Mora and I personally agree with him.

"No, these guys bust their tail out here — our players and coaches and everything," Mora quickly replied when asked if he agreed with Andersen's assessment.
Mora then pointed out that the Saints' postseason hopes remain alive.

"Don’t tell me the Saints fans deserve something better than that. I mean they get what they get," he said. "They’ve gotta hang in there with the Saints. They may not, but they still could make the playoffs this season. So what’s going to happen when they make the playoffs?"

"He doesn’t know what the hell’s going on. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia. And he’s a kicker," Mora said on WDSU. "Why should he know about the offense and defense and stuff like that? And he voices his opinion? Don’t give me that baloney. Shoot, that was 20 years ago, for crying out loud, when he was playing. And he can watch a game on TV and decide whether or not they’re worth whatever they are and all kind of stuff? That’s not right. I don’t believe in that. I’m not joking. I’m serious."
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Nothing beats a Jim Mora rant.

 

1. Bengals hope to keep Browning cooking, even without Ja’Marr Chase. Browning’s play has been far better than anticipated after replacing an injured , leading the team to three wins in four starts. Browning has thrown into tight windows yet has completed 73.5% of his passes and has been especially dangerous on play-action throws. He’ll be facing a Steelers secondary that will be shorthanded, with suspended for the remainder of the season and ruled out with a knee injury. With also on IR, that means Pittsburgh will be without its top three safeties. also has been listed on the injury report, so cornerback Patrick Peterson might have to move to safety alongside practice-squad callup Eric Rowe. The Steelers typically count on their pass rush -- led by T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith -- carrying the load, but they’ve been less effective at generating pressure recently. However, the Bengals could be playing with a short deck, too. Chase suffered an AC joint sprain in last week’s win over the Vikings and will miss Saturday's game. It’s a big loss, but the Bengals know after last week that Tee Higgins can step up as the go-to guy. Higgins’ insane TD grab in the final moments of regulation last week helped salvage a win in overtime. The Bengals also have leaned on their screen game with RBs Chase Brown and Joe Mixon, and tight end Tanner Hudson has emerged as a receiving threat.
2. Steelers set to turn to Rudolph under center. Rudolph saw mop-up action last weekend, replacing an ineffective Trubisky in a loss to the Colts, and is in line to start Saturday as Pickett remains out due to an ankle injury. It was Rudolph’s first regular-season action in two years; the last time he started was a 16-16 tie against the Lions in 2021. There should be chances for him to thrive Saturday, as the Bengals have the second-lowest passing defensive success rate (50.8%) in 2023, behind only the Cardinals. (Cincinnati also has the lowest rushing defensive success rate.) But can Rudolph count on his receivers? George Pickens and Diontae Johnson have been the Steelers’ two most-targeted pass catchers, and Johnson comes in with a three-game TD streak after not scoring for two years. But their effort has been lacking at times, and Pickens' effort, in particular, has become a major storyline in the Steel City. Pickens gave half-hearted efforts while blocking on a Jaylen Warren run last week and then on a tackle attempt following an INT against the Colts. Johnson also gave up on a fumble recovery in Pittsburgh's first matchup against Bengals on Nov. 26. If they’re not reliable options, Warren and have led the ground game and are checkdown options. Tight end also could be a busy target, assuming his knee injury isn’t an issue. The Bengals have especially struggled to contain tight ends this season, including Freiermuth, who had career highs in catches (nine) and receiving yards (120) against them in the first meeting.

NFL.com

 

Thats how you get things started. Pickens, 86 yard TD. 7-0, Steelers

 

I was about to give high praise to Browning and he tosses a lame duck in the endzone which Peterson picks-off. Gotta just throw it away and stay in line for 3.

 

Watt is pretty good.

 

George Pickens goes off for 195 yards and two TDs, Steelers beat Bengals 34-11

This was the George Pickens game.

After taking some heavy criticism both externally and internally over the course of the week, Pickens was a star on Saturday as the Steelers beat the Bengals 34-11.

Pickens got the Steelers going with an 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the team’s second play from scrimmage. Then he had a long catch to set up a field goal late in the second quarter. And he helped put the game away in the second half with a 66-yard touchdown.

While Pickens had just four catches on the day, he finished with a career-high 195 yards to help pace Pittsburgh’s offense.

He was catching passes from quarterback Mason Rudolph, who made his first start since 2021 with Kenny Pickett still dealing with an ankle injury and Mitch Trubisky ineffective. Rudolph finished 17-of-27 passing for 290 yards with a par of touchdowns — good for a 124.0 passer rating. Running back Najee Harris led with 19 carries for 78 yards with a TD.

Bengals quarterback Jake Browning was able to move the ball but made some critical errors for three interceptions. The first two in the first half led to Pittsburgh touchdowns. The third came in the fourth quarter and resulted in a field goal to give Pittsburgh 34 points.

Browning finished 28-of-42 for 335 yards with a touchdown along with three picks. Tee Higgins led with five catches for 140 yards, scoring an 80-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.

Already leading the league with 16.0 sacks, edge rusher T.J. Watt finished with a sack, four QB hits, a pass defensed, and a forced fumble.

Pittsburgh finished with 397 yards, 16 first downs, and was 7-of-14 in third-down efficiency.

The Bengals’ loss is good news for many of the other teams in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card spot — particularly the 8-6 Bills, who will play the Chargers on Saturday night on Peacock.

Now at 8-7, Cincinnati’s postseason chances have taken a significant hit, particularly because the loss came to an AFC opponent. The Bengals will play the Chiefs and Browns to end the season.

The Steelers effectively kept themselves in the hunt for a wild card spot with the win, improving their record to 8-7 and stopping a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh will be at Seattle and at Baltimore over the next two weeks.

NBC

 

Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. won’t be playing on Sunday, after all.

The Colts have downgraded Pittman to out for the Week 16 game at Atlanta, even though Pittman cleared the concussion protocol on Friday. Pittman also has a shoulder injury.

Pittman was knocked out of last Saturday’s win over the Steelers, thanks to an illegal hit from Steelers defensive back Damontae Kazee.

Earlier in the week, Pittman said he didn’t recall the hit. He also expressed a belief that the Steelers were “head hunting.”

Pittman had appeared in every game this season. He has 99 catches for 1,062 yards.

UPDATE 6:51 p.m. ET: Via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com, Pittman experienced a relapse of concussion symptoms after the Colts arrived in Atlanta.

PFT

 

Stick stuck it. TD Chargers. 10-0, Bolts.

 

Kenneth Walker III is expected to play for Seahawks

The Seahawks are getting quarterback Geno Smith back for Sunday’s game against the Titans and it looks like they will have running back Kenneth Walker III in the backfield with him.

Walker missed two days of practice this week with a shoulder injury before returning to take part in Friday’s practice. He was tagged as questionable on the team’s final injury report of the week and multiple reports say that he will be in the lineup in Tennessee on Sunday.

Walker has 176 carries for 720 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games for the Seahawks this season.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon also returned to practice Friday after missing two days with a hip injury. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that Witherspoon “couldn’t do much” in his return and his status is also questionable for Week 16.

PFT

 

The Seahawks are like the Cowboys, good at home, but icky on the road. I think they will get a loose team in Nashville that will give them all they can handle, hoping so anyways. A Titans victory help the Vikings, so you all know who Im rooting for.

 

By the way, the Seahawks are 3 point favs and Tannehill is going to start for the Titans. If a QB wanted to make a statement and make himself look good, Ryan has the incentives.

 

These are the early games today. Falcons must win. Packers must win. Texans need a way with out CJ, but I like the Browns. Vikings a must win game. Commanders and Jets looking forward to next season... Seahawks must win.

 

Speaking of the Browns, 7-1 at home, 2-4 on the road... they better figure out how to play away from the south shore of Lake Erie.

 

Browns up, 7-0.