NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Rams clinch playoff berth with Seahawks loss to Steelers

The Rams are officially in the 2023 postseason.

After defeating the Giants on Sunday, Los Angeles clinched its playoff berth with Seattle’s loss to Pittsburgh in Week 17.

This is the fifth postseason appearance for the Rams in seven seasons under head coach Sean McVay.

The team has won the NFC West three times and earned a Wild Card berth three times. L.A. won Super Bowl LVI in 2021 and appeared in Super Bowl LIII in 2018.

The Rams will take on the 49ers in Week 18, with San Francisco having nothing to play for after the club clinched the No. 1 seed on Sunday.

Peter Schrager of NFL Media noted that the Rams’ team plane in Newark, N.J. was waiting to see the result of Pittsburgh-Seattle before taking off for Los Angeles. After a Steelers victory, that should be a long, happy flight back to the West Coast.

NBC

 

Sunday Night Football: Jordan Love throws three TDs, Packers beat Vikings 33-10

After the Seahawks lost to the Steelers earlier on Sunday, the Packers and Vikings both entered their Week 17 matchup controlling their own outcome for a postseason berth.

The Packers took full advantage of the situation, coming away with a 33-10 victory over Minnesota on Sunday Night Football.

Green Bay started off well, taking a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter when Love connected with Jayden Reed on a 33-yard touchdown pass. Then Love took in a 2-yard run in the second quarter and fired another 25-yard touchdown to Reed for a 23-3 halftime lead.

Looking for ball security out of the quarterback position, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell turned to Jaren Hall to replace Nick Mullens. But Hall was ineffective in the first half, tossing an interception that led to Reed’s first touchdown and fumbling on a sack to lead to Reed’s second score.

Nick Mullens replaced Hall in the second half but couldn’t get the ball in the end zone in the third quarter, turning it over on downs. The Packers responded with a 13-play, 91-yard drive that ended with Love hitting Bo Melton with a 9-yard touchdown to make the score 30-3.

The Vikings did score after a Green Bay muffed punt gave them first-and-goal at the 7. But an Anders Carlson 37-yard field goal got the game to the final score, with Green Bay winning by 23.

Love finished 24-of-33 for 256 yards with three touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown. Sean Clifford came in at the end of the game to ice it, completing his one pass to Melton for 37 yards on a third down.

Aaron Jones had 20 carries for 120 yards to lead the way. AJ Dillon had seven carries for 27 yards, exiting the game with a stinger. Reed had six catches for 89 yards with two TDs before leaving the contest with a chest injury. Melton caught six passes for 105 yards with a TD.

Hall was just 5-of-10 for 67 yards with an interception and a lost fumble. Mullens finished 13-of-22 for 133 yards with a touchdown and no picks.

Justin Jefferson had a quiet night, catching five passes for 59 yards.

Green Bay was dominant offensively, racking up 470 yards and 28 first downs. The club was 9-of-14 on third down. The club also led time of possession 37:32 to 22:28.

Now at 8-8, the Packers will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Bears at home in Week 18. That game will be played at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.

The 7-9 Vikings will need a road victory over the Lions and a lot of help to make it to the playoffs. Minnesota’s game against Detroit will be played at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.

PFT

 

WEEK 18 - IT LOOKS LIKE THIS

 

It was a PITIFUL showing your at home and on National TV if your flat that happens but that.was something as a Vikings fan I NEVER!!!! saw anything like it...have the Vikings taken brutal beatdowns yes they have but this was on another level

 

The Dolphins’ fears on edge rusher Bradley Chubb’s knee injury have been confirmed.

Per multiple reports, Chubb suffered a torn ACL during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Ravens.

Chubb will now miss the rest of the 2023 season and it’s unknown when during the 2024 season he’ll be able to return.

 

Puka Nacua needs 29 yards vs. 49ers to break one of the NFL’s oldest records

In 1960, rookie receiver Bill Groman of the Houston Oilers had 1,473 receiving yards. Sixty-three years and many rule and strategy changes favoring the passing game later, that remains the rookie receiving record.

On Sunday, it may no longer be the record. Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has 1,445 receiving yards, meaning if he gets 29 on Sunday against the 49ers, he’ll have the new record.

For Nacua, 29 yards should be a breeze — he’s topped that total in 14 of his 16 games this season, and knowing that’s what he needs for the record, the Rams shouldn’t have much trouble getting it to him. That’s especially true because Sunday’s game against the 49ers isn’t particularly meaningful for either team: The 49ers have clinched the NFC No. 1 seed, and the Rams are guaranteed to be either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed.

In fact, it’s possible that Rams head coach Sean McVay will decide not to risk injuries to his top players and keep Nacua on the sideline on Sunday. But it seems more likely that McVay will allow Nacua to play at least long enough to get 29 yards and a longstanding NFL record.

PFT

 

Thanks to that disgusting display, my wife lost her fantasy football championship game. Her opponent had the Packers D.

 

Ouch.

 

Dan Campbell says he won’t rest his starters on Sunday.

“Yeah, that’s the plan right now, play our guys,” Campbell said when asked if he plans to play the same starters the Lions put on the field every week. “Our players will be ready to roll. I know they will.”
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Im not sure thats the right approach, but im just a couch fan, not a coach.

 

McCaffrey out week 18, mild calf-strain.

 

The Vikings are in trouble the Lions will take out there frustration on the Vikings this Sunday could be another beatdown....me too I'm also a couch fan

 

Kevin Stefanski: We’ll do what’s best for team in terms of resting players this week

The Browns are heading into a Week 18 game against the Bengals that has no implications for them.

Whether they win, lose or tie in their regular season finale, the Browns will be the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs and that position means that this week will be an opportunity to rest some players in order to be as healthy as possible for the Wild Card round of the playoffs. On Monday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski sounded like he plans to take advantage of that opportunity but are still “working through all those things” at this point.

“You’re just trying to make what’s in the best interest of your football team, whether you play your guys, rest your guys, and as you know, you can’t rest everybody,” Stefanski said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “There are roster limitations to that. We took care of business last week, but we have to finish strong. That’s our mentality, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

One spot of particular interest will be quarterback and Stefanski said he’ll consult with Joe Flacco about what direction they’ll take for their anticlimactic finale.

NBC

 

Im still waiting on the NFL in this. Tepper needs to be dealt with ASAP and with as much enthusiasm as they have placed on the fans at games. You dont heave things on fans without repercussions. Fans are dealt with ASAP when caught or identified, Tepper is not above the laws. Ive seen the video, its obvious, so why are we still waiting for Tepper to get what he's got coming?

 

Jets will cut Dalvin Cook

Running back Dalvin Cook’s short tenure with the Jets is coming to an end.

Cook’s agents at LAA Sports announced on Tuesday, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, that their client and the Jets have mutually agreed to part ways. The hope is for Cook to catch on with a team going to the playoffs and he will be subject to waivers once his departure from the Jets becomes official.

According to multiple reports, Cook will forfeit his remaining guaranteed money in order to facilitate the move. His deal called for a guaranteed $5.8 million salary this year.

Cook signed with the Jets this summer as a free agent in a move that gave the Jets insurance against Breece Hall not being all the way back from his torn ACL. Hall turned out to be in great shape, however, and Cook has just 67 carries for 214 yards and 15 catches for 78 yards this season.

That’s a big drop from the four straight 1,000-yard seasons that Cook posted with the Vikings before hitting the open market last offseason. We’ll find out in the coming days if Cook can put up better numbers for someone else before the year is out.

NBC

 

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who has cornered the Brad Allen beat of late (i.e., someone who doesn’t like Brad Allen has been spoon-feeding Schefty), reports that Allen’s crew has been assigned Saturday’s nationally-televised game between the Steelers and Ravens.

 

Well, just don't go for two.

 

Panthers, Mingo was placed on IR today. Hearing that news, Danielle Boone was very saddened.



(for you older fellas like me)

 

Bears edge-rusher Montez Sweat has chance to accomplish incredible feat

Chicago Bears edge-rusher Montez Sweat has a chance for an incredible accomplishment this season that seems almost impossible to imagine. There is a chance that he could end the 2023 NFL season leading two different teams — his current team in Chicago and his former team the Washington Commanders — in sacks.

Entering Week 18, he sits atop the leaderboard of both teams in sacks, leading the Commanders with 6.5 sacks and the Bears with six sacks.

The Bears made the surprising decision to be buyers just before the NFL trade deadline, adding Sweat from the Commanders for a 2024 second-round draft pick and then signing him to a long-term contract extension worth $98 million over four years. He has had an immediate impact on the team's defense and helped them to a 5-3 record down the stretch following his addition.

YAHOO