Set Number: X163917 TK1 Very good news! The Cincinnati Bengals are hitting the field for their first official game-week practice of the 2024 season. As they continue preparing to host the New England Patriots, all eyes are on contract hold-in Ja’Marr Chase, who has sat out all but two practices since training camp began. For Wednesday’s practice, Chase was present and in uniform, so it looks like he’s ready to rock this week. And we got a positive update on the situation from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler… Ja’Marr Chase is in uniform heading to practice. — Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) September 4, 2024 There’s some optimism inside #Bengals that Ja’Marr Chase will practice today. His participation has been a moving target, but Chase has at least given the impression that he will be out there. He was a part of team meeting for Week 1 prep. Contract talks ongoing. — Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 4, 2024 This development comes on the heels of ESPN’s Ben Baby saying, “If things don’t get wrapped up quickly, Chase will trend toward not playing in the team’s season opener.” So yeah, seeing Chase return to practice would be a great development. There’s effectively a deadline to get a deal done by Sunday, or else this hold-in could drag out into the regular season. Now that Chase is practicing, you have to wonder if he’s committed to playing this week regardless if he gets a contract extension. If Chase were to miss Sunday’s game, the Bengals would really need second-year wide receivers Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas to step up and help take pressure off of Tee Higgins. It doesn’t sound like we should expect rookie Jermaine Burton to make much, if any impact this week. In other news, Amarius Mims was present for Wednesday’s practice as he works his way back from a pectoral injury suffered in the preseason opener. Mims was sidelined for several weeks but has slowly worked his way back to practice, so that’s a good sign he could be available this week. Check back later today for the first injury report of the new season. https://t.co/1Mz0EveNns pic.twitter.com/IfxR8MCYtH — Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) September 4, 2024 Want more Cincy Jungle coverage? Then follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get all the latest Cincinnati Bengals news and views. And Who DEY!
Ja’Marr Chase and Amarius Mims present for Bengals’ Wednesday practice
Will Chris Ballard’s ‘run it back’ Colts secondary survive the Texans’ C.J. Stroud?
Filed under: Will Chris Ballard’s ‘run it back’ Colts secondary survive the Texans’ C.J. Stroud? One of the biggest questions facing this year’s Colts is whether a largely young, unproven secondary can hold up—starting with the regular season opener hosting the Houston Texans. By Luke Schultheis Updated Sep 4, 2024, 11:15am EDT
Raiders-Chargers Week 1: Rookie watch
Jackson Powers-Johnson | Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images What to expect from Raiders’ rookie class in opener The Las Vegas Raiders’ rookie class will make its NFL debut Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m. PT. Here is what to expect from the class: Brock Bowers: The team is hopeful he will play despite missing a few weeks of practice with a foot ailment. Expect the No. 13 overall pick to be a big part of the offense and play at multiple spots, including, of course, in the a double tight-end set, with second-year tight end Michael Mayer. Jackson Powers-Johnson: The initial thought was the second-round pick from Oregon would be the starting left guard in Week 1. But he missed the first three weeks of training cap due to a concussion and will start the season as a backup to Cody Whitehair. It’s conceivable, Powers-Johnson could be starting within a few weeks. D.J. Glaze: The third-round pick is backup and will only play on offense in this game if there is an injury to starting right tackle Thayer Munford. He will likely play on some special teams units Sunday. Decamarion Richardson: The fourth-round pick a backup and should play on some special teams units Sunday. Tommy Eichenberg: The fifth-round pick missed time in the preseason due to a personal reasons and an injury. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders activate him for the game or they give him more time to practice before playing. He will be mostly a special teamer to start his career. Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty ImagesDylan Laube Dylan Laube: He is starting out as a fourth-string running back, who will likely mostly play on special teams. But there could be some designed plays for him on offense as well, even though he followed up a strong training camp with a lackluster play in the preseason. Not on roster Seventh-round pick, safety Trey Taylor is on the injured reserve, for, at least, four games, and seventh-round pick, cornerback M.J. Devonshire was cut and is on the practice squad. Undrafted free agents: Linebacker Amari Gainer, wide receiver Ramel Keyton, safety Thomas Harper, defensive tackle Jonah Laulu. It will be intriguing to see if any of these players will be active in the game. It wouldn’t be a shock if Gainer will get a chance to play on special team right away after a terrific preseason that earned him a spot on the 53-man roster.
Damar Hamlin to start at safety for Bills vs. Cardinals
McDermott’s announces it: Damar Hamlin to start at safety for Bills vs. Cardinals Nick Wojton Damar Hamlin will be the other starting safety for the Buffalo Bills against the Arizona Cardinals in their 2024 NFL season opener. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott revealed the news via video conference on Wednesday ahead of the matchup. Like many, Hamlin’s incredible journey over the past few years, suffering cardiac arrest and now a starting defensive back in Buffalo, is what stood out the most for the coach. “What else can’t this young man do?” McDermott said. “To come back from that, you know, it’s one thing to come back off of an ACL or a broken bone. It’s another thing to come back off of what he came back off, right? Let alone just to decide to play football and contact football in full pads at the NFL level.” Hamlin will start for the Bills defense alongside Taylor Rapp. Rapp was named a starter early on in the offseason but Hamlin was in a three-way battle for the job. The others in contention were Mike Edwards and second-round rookie Cole Bishop. While Hamlin is the Day 1 starter, that could always change. McDermott even noted that part of the reason Hamlin edged out the competition was because of availability. Edwards (hamstring) and Bishop (shoulder) missed extensive time during training camp due to injury. That hampered their ability to learn the defensive scheme which Hamlin has already spent years in. All things considered, Hamlin will be one of the top players to watch on the Bills defense against the Cardinals. McDermott discussing Hamlin being named a starter can be found in the clip below: https://billswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/65/2024/09/mcdermott-hamlin-Made-with-Clipchamp.mp4 Read all the best Bills coverage at the Democrat and Chronicle and Bills Wire.
Giants-Vikings Wednesday injury report: All 53 Giants participating in practice
Drew Lock | Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images The big question still seems to be whether Gunner Olszewski will be able to return punts All 53 members of the New York Giants’ active roster practiced on Wednesday as the Giants prepared for Sunday’s season-opening game against the Minnesota Vikings, per head coach Brian Daboll. While the official Wednesday injury report is not out yet, Daboll expected wide receiver/punt returner Gunner Olszewski (groin), linebacker Mich McFadden (hip), quarterback Drew Lock (hip/oblique), and safety Dane Belton (back) to be listed as limited. The biggest concern has been the availability of Olszewski, who is now on the long end of what had been estimated as 2-4 week recovery period from his groin injury. Here is what Olszewski looked like returning punts on Wednesday: Gunner Olszewski, working back from a groin injury, fielding punts on Wednesday during NYG practice. pic.twitter.com/lruSnypt8e — Big Blue View (@bigblueview) September 4, 2024 If Olszewski can’t return punts on Sunday, the Giants might have to turn to newly-signed cornerback Adoree’ Jackson to handle that role. If they don’t want Jackson, who was injured returning punts for the Giants two seasons ago, to do it they might be forced to make a roster move. On Wednesday, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said Jackson is a “dynamic” player with the ball in his hands. Jackson said this week he would be happy to return punts in the opportunity presents itself. “I’m always in the mindset that I’m a returner. I’ve always been one at heart, regardless of what may happen,” Jackson said. “As you all have seen, I go back there and it’s just second nature, just like you get up, walk out of bed, go wash your face, brush your teeth. I get up, go back there, punt return, catch it and figure out what’s going to happen next.” Lock was expected to test his injuries by participating in team work on Wednesday. Daboll also expected McFadden to participate in team work. Lock, the backup quarterback.
Minnesota Vikings Reacts Survey: Gearing Up for Week 1
Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images Let’s start the party! Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Minnesota Vikings fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Okay, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for our first official SB Nation Reacts poll of the regular season as we get ready to watch the Vikings take on the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon. Today, we’ve got a trio of questions for you to weigh in on. Reminder that if you want to sign up to be polled on the national questions that are e-mailed out every week, there is a link for you to do so above. For this week, our first question is the one question that we’ll be asking our readers every week: How confident are you in the direction of the Minnesota Vikings? We’ll be doing our best to track these from week-to-week. As far as things that are specific to this week, we are asking everyone to call their shot about how many wins you think the team will have this year. The expectations for the Vikings from most of the Really Smart Football People™ aren’t terribly high, but maybe we’ll get a different result from those of us who keep closer track of the team. Last, we want to know who you think will be the first to find the end zone for the Vikings on Sunday. We’ve got some of the more obvious options for you to pick from, as well as a couple of catch-all choices if you don’t like any of those. If you do like one of the catch-all selections, you can always let us know which specific player you think it will be in the comments section. With that, feel free to cast your vote in our survey and make your opinions known in the comments! We’ll have the results of the survey for you here in a few days. Please take our survey
Jaguars vs. Dolphins Week 1: Reviewing the recent history between the teams
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK The Miami Dolphins open the 2024 NFL season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. How have the teams fared in recent matchups? The Miami Dolphins open their 2024 regular season with a home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game will be the 11th all-time regular-season meeting between the two Florida AFC franchises, breaking a 5-5 time in the head-to-head standings. The teams have met one time in the playoffs – but we should all continue to repress the memory of that debacle. The Jaguars finished the 2023 season in second place in the AFC South with a 9-8 record. They missed the playoffs, landing ninth in the AFC standings, with the top seven teams qualifying for the postseason tournament. The Dolphins did make the playoffs, finishing second in the AFC East with an 11-6 record, good enough for the sixth seed. They did not last long in the tournament, however, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round – extending a streak that is now at 24 seasons since their last playoff win. What is the recent history between the Dolphins and the Jaguars? Time to take a look. All-time Dolphins vs. Jaguars record Tied at 5-5 (Regular season) Jaguars 1-0 (Playoffs) Most recent meeting 2021 Week 6 (Oct. 17, 2021)Tottenham Stadium, London, England Dolphins 20 – 23 Jaguars The Dolphins opened the scoring with a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle on the game’s opening drive. The Jaguars answered with a field goal four minutes later. The first quarter ended with the Dolphins at the Jacksonville 20-yard line and leading 7-3. Three plays into the second quarter, the Dolphins extended the leader with a Jason Sanders field goal. The next three drives, two by the Jaguars one from Miami, ended with punts before the Dolphins were able to add a second field goal in the quarter. After another round of traded punts, the Jaguars started a possession at the Miami 49-yard line, using the field position to score on a touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Lawrence to wide receiver Marvin Jones. A missed 58-yard desperation field goal attempt from Miami with no time on the clock ended the first half with Miami leading 13-10. The Jaguars scored on the second half’s opening possession when running back James Robinson punched the ball into the endzone from one-yard out. Miami punted on their first drive of the half before defensive lineman Zach Sieler recovered a Lawrence fumble on a defensive lineman Christian Wilkins sack, giving the Dolphins the ball back. Miami did not hold onto the ball for long, with Tagaovailoa throwing an interception on the next play. The quarter ended with Jacksonville leading 17-13. Jacksonville attempted to convert a fourth-and-one early in the final period, but failed to gain a first down when linebacker Jerome Baker was able to stuff Robinson at the line of scrimmage. Miami scored on a 91-yard drive after the turnover on downs, with Tagovailoa finding Waddle in the endzone for a two-yard score. A trade of points was followed by a Jaguars field goal, tying the game at 20 with 3:40 to play. Miami failed to convert on a fourth-and-one attempt of their own, leading to a Jaguars field goal as time expired, giving Jacksonville the 23-20 victory. Surplatives Current streak: Jaguars – 1 win Recent results: Jagaurs 3 wins in last 4 Longest Dolphins streak: 3 wins (2009-2014) Longest Jaguars streak: 2 wins (2015-2018) Largest Dolphins victory: 21 points (24-3, 2012 Week 15) Largest Jaguars victory: 14 points (24-10, 2006 Week 13 – Regular season); 55 points (62-7, 1999 AFC Divisional Round – playoffs) Closest Dolphins margin of victory: 4 points (14-10, 2009 Week 14) Closest Jaguars margin of victory: 3 points (23-20, 2015 Week 2 and 2021 Week 6) Most Dolphins passing yards: 359, Ryan Tannehill (2015 Week 2) Most Jaguars passing yards: 319, Trevor Lawrence (2021 Week 6) Most Dolphins rushing yards: 108, Ricky Williams (2009 Week 14) Most Jaguars rushing yards: 135, Fred Taylor (2000 AFC Divisional Round) Most Dolphins receptions: 10, Jaylen Waddle (2021 Week 6) Most Jaguars receptions: 8, Fred Taylor (2003 Week 6) Most Dolphins receiving yards: 121, Chris Chambers (2006 Week 13) Most Jaguars receiving yards: 155, Allen Robinson (2015 Week 2) Former Teams Dolphins who played with/coached for Jacksonville: Darrell Bevel, quarterbacks coach (Offensive coordinator/interim head coach in 2021) Calais Campbell, defensive tackle (2017-2019) Max McCaffrey, offensive assistant (played WR in 2017) Jalen Ramsey, cornerback (2016-2019) Jaguars who played with/coached for Miami: Doug Pederson, head coach (played QB in 1991-1994) Kris Richard, defensive backs coach (played DB in 2005 training camp)
Week 1 Reacts Survey: Will the Lions repeat as NFC North champs?
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK Checking in with Detroit Lions fans for our latest SB Nation Reacts survey: Will the Lions repeat as NFC North champs? Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. With the regular season returning, SB Nation is bringing back their Reacts Surveys for every week of the season. As we have done in the past, there will be a question or two specifically geared toward Detroit Lions fans, with an article exploring the results later in the week. This week we have two questions, the first being a recurring weekly question, and the second designed for Week 1: 1. Are you confident the Lions are headed in the right direction?2. Will the Lions repeat as NFC North champs? The Lions have routinely lived near the top of the rankings when it comes to fans’ confidence in the direction of the organization. Last season, the Lions opened with 99% of fans expressing confidence in the Lions after beating the Chiefs in Week 1. Things remained in the high 90s for the majority of the season with the low point coming in weeks 12-14, dropping as low as 58%. They jumped back to 96% after dismantling the Broncos the following week and stayed in that range for the rest of the season, finishing the year at 98%. After yet another highly successful offseason, the Lions continue to make fans across the NFL. In a recent survey of all NFL fans, over 90% of NFL fans approved of the direction the Lions organization is headed, the highest percentage of all 32 teams. For our second question—Will the Lions repeat as NFC North champs?—we have given fans four options to choose from: Lions remain Kings of the North No, Packers return to glory No, the Bears time is now No, Vikings overcome the loss of J.J. McCarthy According to the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lions are the favorites to win the NFC North with +125 betting odds, followed by the Packers with the second-best odds (+210), Bears (+340) third, and Vikings (+850) wrapping up the group. If you’re inclined to believe that the division will finish in this exact order, you can also make that wager with +600 odds. Alright, time to vote in the polls below and keep an eye out later in the week for the results. Please take our survey
Dan Campbell reacts to Applebee’s ad, says ‘there’s more to come’
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images Lions coach Dan Campbell reacted to the Applebee’s ad and promised (warned?) there’s more to come. A little sneak peek here: On Tuesday, an Applebee’s ad featuring Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell hit the internet and was widely praised for both its overall humor and Campbell’s impressive acting chops. Wednesday, Campbell provided his reaction to the ad campaign—and his reaction to the reaction of the ad. “I got off the practice field yesterday, and I come in, my phone’s on my desk, I turn it over and I’m like, ‘Oh my god,’ I’m just blow(ing) up,” Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket. “The first thing you’re thinking is, ‘I hope there’s not a death in the family.’ And then you realize it’s ‘Hey, I’ll have the 50 cent wings’ from a cousin of mine. It’s endless. ‘Hey, nice one, man. Give me one of those wings.’ So you’re just getting picked at. I’m like, ‘Oh god, they dropped the commercial.’” Campbell admitted he was hesitant to even do the campaign, but encouragement from his wife and his daughter eventually was enough to convince him to do it. And in pure Dan Campbell form, he wanted to make sure the production crew got its proper shoutout. “The staff and crew that worked with us were unbelievable,” Campbell said. “The actors were awesome, they made it what it is. They were unbelievable. They made me feel comfortable and we just did it.” When asked if had experience doing advertisements from when he was a player, Campbell noted that he did a small spot for the Dallas Cowboys back in the day, but was coy on the details. Unfortunately for Campbell, the internet was already a few steps ahead of him and found the ad where he briefly cameos. And if that hasn’t satiated your fix for Campbell commercials, well… good news. “Unfortunately, there’s more to come, I’m afraid,” Campbell said. You can see the original Applebee’s ad here, and below there’s a little extra bonus from his ad campaign already: Drama. Football. Boneless Wings. Take a behind the scenes seat every week and watch as we go from your favorite franchise to a dining dynasty. pic.twitter.com/jKKWs16QPo — Applebee’s Grill + Bar (@Applebees) September 3, 2024
5 things to be excited about the 2024 Eagles
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images Saquon Barkley is just one of the things to be most excited about with opening night almost here. I understand why the NFL higher-ups want the Eagles and Packers to play their first game of the 2024 season in Brazil. I really do. The NFL wants to be the NBA. They want to be a global league. They want to have Brazilian superstars and French superstars and German superstars and so on. They want to rake in the billions of dollars in foreign cash the NBA does, and utilizing the Eagles and Packers, two marquee franchises and Super Bowl contenders to promote the sport in a country like Brazil makes sense from a long-range financial standpoint. But it stinks. Starting off the season on a Friday night in a foreign country is just about the last way you’d want a team like the Eagles to kick things off in Week 1. This is a team whose schedule last year was all over the place, and with so much uncertainty about the roster and the coaching staff, with so many unanswered questions and coming off a historic collapse the season before, you’d like to start the 2024 season with a good ‘ol fashioned 1pm Sunday kickoff. So while I am looking forward to seeing Jalen Hurts, Jalen Carter and the rest of the 2024 Eagles get the season started on Friday night, I am not looking forward to seeing them do it in Brazil, and I’m certainly not looking forward to seeing how it affects them in the weeks after making this ridiculous trans-continental trip to a city with a sky-high crime rate. That being said, here are five things I am most looking forward to this season with kickoff just a few hours away! Saquon Barkley’s Impact on the Offense The Eagles have not had a true No. 1 running back since Shady McCoy, who led the Eagles in rushing from 2009-14. Over the last decade there has been a collection of RB-by-committee members — DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Jay Ajayi, LeGarrett Blount, Josh Adams (a team-leading 511 rushing yards in 2018!!!), Miles Sanders, D’Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell to name a few — and I am ready to give my heart to one player once again. Saquon Barkley is going to be “the guy” in the new Eagles offense. Head coach Nick Sirianni said this week the team was ready to fully unleash the former Giants star and Pro Bowler, saying “He can go for it here” after watching a Barkley run in practice Monday that made him do a double take. I’m also fascinated to see if the Eagles can finally utilize a running back out of the backfield as a pass-catcher, and how much that will help Jalen Hurts. I’m excited to see what Barkley can do running behind a real quarterback in a real offense with real weapons that teams have to focus on other than him. In New York, all eyes were on him. In Philadelphia, he may be option No. 3 or 4 at times. Some believe the offense will run through Barkley, but whether that’s true or not, I’m most excited about a potentially monstrous season from him. Jalen Carter Dominating the NFL With Rams star Aaron Donald now retired, Jalen Carter has a chance to replace him as the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in the NFL. That’s not hyperbole. He has the potential to be an All-Pro defensive tackle, and all accounts from training camp are that he’s in better shape than a year ago and been utterly dominant. Carter played well at time last season, but wore down during the 17-game, 18-week marathon, hardly a surprise development for a player who didn’t play every snap in college in a highly rotational defense at Georgia. The departure of Fletcher Cox from the defensive line rotation leaves a pretty big hole. Even in his final season, Cox was excellent, consistently performing every week while tallying five sacks. Carter would appear to be the heir apparent, and I’m excited to watch him take the next step forward in 2024. Kellen Moore’s Offensive Design By the end of last year, it became clear the Eagles’ offensive schemes needed more than just a makeover. They needed a renovation. And what do you do when you need to renovate something? You hire someone to come on board and strip things down to the studs and rebuild. Enter former Cowboys and Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. His task is to freshen things up and insert new ideas into Nick Sirianni’s existing scheme. Almost certainly we’ll see more pre-snap motion after last year when Sirianni used it just 10.9% of the time, far and away the lowest percentage in the league. But there will be more to it than just pre-snap motion. Perhaps we’ll see an offense that is able to not only be destroyed by blitzing, but actually exploit it. Perhaps we’ll see more designed passing to their new star running back. Perhaps we’ll see more of A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith in the slot. Perhaps we’ll see different designed runs for Hurts, new blocking schemes, and/or the utilization of Dallas Goedert more. The good news is Moore has so many weapons with diversified skill sets, the possibilities are literally endless. He also has a quarterback that appears ready to match his MVP-caliber 2022 season. Jalen Hurts looks and sounds like a man on a mission, ready to put a distracted and disappointing ‘23 season behind him. If Hurts runs the ball with the same kind of effectiveness we saw two years ago, I just don’t know how anyone stops this offense, even without future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce at the center of the offensive line. A.J. Brown & DeVonta Smith Do you really need more than 30-40 words from me to talk about why I’m excited to see the best wide receiver duo the franchise has ever seen? I didn’t think
