Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Bengals have a guard issue that’s crippling this offensive line. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is doing everything he possibly can do, and then some, to win football games, but his work is constantly being undermined by his defense, special teams, and his offensive line. According to PFF, Bengals guards Cordell Volson and Alex Cappa have the lowest pass-blocking grades of any guards who have taken 80 percent or more snaps, with 50.1 and 53.1, respectively. PFF also credits the pair for nine of Burrow’s 26 sacks, which is a disproportionate amount when the running backs and tight ends (if they’re pass-blocking) are added into the equation. According to Gridiron Grading, of the 77 qualified guards in the NFL through Week 11, Volson ranks dead last in pressures allowed with 33, and Cappa is ranked No. 75 of 77 with 27. With Orlando Brown Jr. dealing with a knee injury and a talented rookie, but rookie nonetheless, on the other side, Burrow needs the interior of the offensive line to produce enough room for him to step into a pocket. With both of his guards getting beaten like drums, that pocket doesn’t exist. Fortunately for Bengals fans, Joe Burrow is a magician at times, capable of what surely seems to be teleportation to some of the defensive linemen who think they have him in their grasp. If it wasn’t for that, the Bengals may not even be 4-7. ESPN’s Ben Baby believe Cappa, who signed with the Bengals as a free agent before the 2022 season, is on the hot seat when it comes to his job. “Going off the numbers, Cappa did not have a very good campaign in 2023,” he wrote. “And those same metrics suggest this season hasn’t gone much better. Cincinnati’s right guard ranks 60th out of 62 qualifying players in pass block win rate at that position (87%). Sure, the Bengals’ offensive linemen are under more duress than their peers because of how much Cincinnati drops back to pass. But after being a priority signing following the team’s Super Bowl LVI loss, Cappa is part of an interior group that has struggled at times.” The Bengals are heading into their Week 12 bye, and have to play the 8-2 Steelers at Paycor Stadium, where they have only won a single game this season. Realistically, the team likely needs to win out, finishing with a 10-7 record to have a chance at the playoffs. If they lose one game, and finish 9-8, they’d have to rely on someone else losing to get in, if it was possible at all. To win out, the Bengals will need to solve their interior offensive line issue. They could turn to Matt Lee, kicking center Ted Karras to the right, but that still leaves the issue of Volson. Hopefully as the Pittsburgh game nears, Brown is able to retake his spot at left tackle so Volson has a little more veteran support than what Cody Ford can give him. Also, considering Cappa’s struggles are known and have followed him from one season to the next, it would be wise for the Bengals to make a change. If they don’t, it seems an awful risk to a quarterback who is having an MVP-caliber season despite the team’s losing record.
Alex Cappa and Cordell Volson have struggled mightily this season
Colts re-sign longtime veteran RG to practice squad as potential starting option
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Colts have re-signed a familiar face to the team’s practice squad, who could be an immediate answer to potentially start at right guard for the rest of the 2024 season. The Indianapolis Colts announced on Thursday that the team has re-signed former longtime starting veteran guard Mark Glowinski to the team’s practice squad and released cornerback Tre Flowers in a corresponding roster move: We have signed G Mark Glowinski to the practice squad and released CB Tre Flowers from the practice squad. — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 21, 2024 Through 2018-21, Glowinski started in 55 games for the Colts and was a solid starter at right guard—particularly regarding his run blocking, helping to pave the way for star workhorse Jonathan Taylor and company in the ground game. However, Glowinski signed with the New York Giants on a 3-year, $21 million deal, as a veteran free agent during the 2022 offseason. Glowinski started in 29 games for the Giants from 2022-23, but his play dipped with the Giants, and he was a veteran cap casualty this past March. He was coached by current Colts offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. (then an assistant offensive line coach) while with New York. He had not signed with anyone prior to rejoining the Colts on Thursday. Since losing breakout starting right guard Will Fries for the season due to a broken tibia, the Colts have yet to find a consistent answer at the position. Undrafted rookie free agent Dalton Tucker initially flashed as his replacement, but really struggled this past weekend—especially in pass blocking. Rookie interior lineman Tanor Bortolini, who was a 2024 4th round pick of the Colts, is currently filling in for veteran Ryan Kelly at starting center—who remains on injured reserve. Even when Kelly returns, Bortolini at 6’4”, 303 pounds, much like Danny Pinter (at 6’4”, 301 pounds) might be much more naturally suited as a center at the pro level. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Glowinski elevated from the practice squad for the Colts starting right guard spot much sooner rather than later. Honestly, this has shades of what the Colts have done with longtime veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer in the past. It may take Glowinski a week or two to get his conditioning and familiarity with the Shane Steichen offensive playbook and scheming up to speed, but he could be a veteran replacement stopgap for the Colts at starting right guard during the rest of the 2024 campaign.
Raiders 2025 free agents preview: Stacked at safety
Jevon Holland | Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images Raiders have some decisions to make at back of defense While there are still seven weeks remaining in the Las Vegas Raiders season, it is not too early to start thinking abut the 2025 offseason. The Raiders are to be loaded with salary-cap room (they are currently projected to have the third most cap space in the NFL. So, they will be able to do some things in free agency, which is important because they will likely have a lot of needs. Teams with most projected cap room for 2025 (51 man roster, $272.5M cap+carryover): 1. Patriots- $125M2. Cardinals- $101M3. Raiders- $98.7M4. Commanders- $82.9M5. Bears- $67.8M6. Vikings- $65.1M7. Chargers- $62.5M8. Jaguars- $56.5M9. Bengals- $55.6M10. Lions- $53.6M — Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) November 13, 2024 However, it is not expected to be a great free agency class. Most positions are thin. One position, though, that has a chance to be deep is safety. The Raiders may be in need at the spot. Both of their Week 1 starting safeties, Tre’von Moehrig and Marcus Epps, are slated to be free agents. Epps suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the season, Moehrig is having a solid season. He has 65 tackles and is one pace for a career high in tackles and he has two of his six career interceptions this season. The Raiders may try to extend the 2021 second-round pick soon. If the Raiders don’t bring back both Moehrig and Epps, they could pursue a safety on the open market. It’s a strong crop featuring Jevon Holland of the Miami Dolphins, Camryn Bynum (Minnesota Vikings), Talanoa Hufanga (San Francisco 49ers), Budda Baker (Arizona Cardinals) and Andre Cisco (Jacksonville Jaguars). So, there are some interesting decisions coming for the franchise soon.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky breaks down Josh Allen TD vs. Chiefs (video)
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky breaks down Josh Allen TD vs. Chiefs (video) ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky breaks down Josh Allen TD vs. Chiefs (video) Nick Wojton Once again, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky was impressed with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen… this time, as many were. Allen sealed his team’s 30-21 win over the Chiefs with a 26-yard touchdown run on fourth down in the outing. On the play, Allen improvised, and took it to the house. As Orlovsky explains, a lot more than that went into what happened. “The answer is, you got to go and make a play,” Orlovsky said. “And that’s the mindset you see with Josh.” Check out his breakdown in the One Bills Live clip below: Read all the best Bills coverage at the Democrat and Chronicle and Bills Wire.
Vikes Views: Which Legend Would You Bring Back for the Vikings
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images The Minnesota Vikings take on the Chicago Bears this weekend. It had me thinking about former Viking (and Bear) Alan Page. Then I saw a post about the Lions daydreaming about Calvin Johnson on this current Lions team. It has me thinking, which legend the Vikings would bring back in their prime. For this exercise, I am leaving out the QB, because Sam Darnold replacement is the obvious choice. My apologies to Fran. I’ll give you my 4 nominees. Randy Moss – Moss will be on this list no matter who the Vikings have at WR. A WR lineup with Moss, Jefferson and Addison. The 3 Deep Shirts would sell themselves. Alan Page – Just like Moss, Page will always be on this list for me. The first ever defensive player to win MVP and one of the best DTs to ever play the game. This defensive line could use a stud like Page in the middle. The most sacks for a pure DT ever. A force on and off the field. Randall McDaniel – One of my favorite Vikings ever. As a kid, I always enjoyed the watching big guys up front. The OG spot has been a weakness for what seems like forever. McDaniel would be an upgrade to every team’s OG lineup. McDaniel didn’t miss a single start in his final 12 seasons. Adrian Peterson – Aaron Jones has been good. However, he is oft injured. His ribs were the latest. If you had Peterson with a receiver like Jefferson, I don’t think the defense would know what to do. You can’t put 8 in the box and double Jefferson. This would be an OCs dream. John Randle – Sometimes you just need a screw loose to be a football player. Randle was the ultimate competitor at DT. I’d like to see him in a Flores defense as a DT on 3rd and long with all the LBs moving behind him. Randle would be fun to watch. It’s no coincidence these 5 are the ones I picked. Randle and Moss are the reason I’m a Vikings fan. McDaniel was who I really enjoyed as I watched the team. Page is someone I admire probably more than anyone on this planet. Getting to watch Peterson’s entire career was a great joy.
Steelers vs Browns Week 12 Thursday Night Football odds. spread, winners picks and predictions
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Washington Commanders visit their NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles on Week 11’s Thursday Night Football. Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season is here with a Thursday Night Football kickoff between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. The AFC North rivals will meet twice over the next 17 days, completing their annual home-and-home series in Week 14. The Steelers come into the game at 8-2 and in first place in the division while the Browns are 2-8, having fallen into last place in the AFC North. Tonight’s game is at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. Eastern. The game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video. What are the FanDuel Sportsbook odds? As of publication, the Steelers are 3.5-point favorites. They are -184 on the moneyline to come away with the straight-up win, while the Browns are -154. The point total is 36.5. All odds are brought to us by FanDuel sportsbook. How did our contributors do in Week 11? We were pretty consistent across the board in Week 11, with James McKinney and Sumeet Jena both finishing the week 10-4 while Marek Brave and I were both 9-5. How are our contributors doing for the 2024 season? With the results from last week, here are our current season-long standings: James McKinney (110-56)Sumeet Jena (109-57)Marek Brave (108-58)Kevin Nogle (107-59) Week 12 Thursday Night Football picks Our picks for tonight’s game are in. Our contributors primarily make their picks based on the moneyline/straight-up winner for the game. They can, however, make picks against the spread and on the point total as well. You can check out all our picks right here, thanks to the widget provided by Tallysight.
NFL Week 12 staff picks: Moneyline, spread, over/under predictions
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The POD staff make their predictions for the Week 12 slate of games in the NFL. This is the week: the push for a playoff spot officially begins this week as teams launch into the back end of their schedule. Here at Pride of Detroit, our staff have made their picks for not only Thursday night’s game, but the entire slate of Week 12 games. For another week in a row, a divisional matchup gets served up as Thursday’s primetime offering when the Pittsburgh Steelers meet the Cleveland Browns. Catch this one on Amazon Prime for “Thursday Night Football” at 8:15 p.m. ET. On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New Orleans Saints all get a break while the rest of the NFL is back to work with 11 games scheduled. To kick off the matchups on Sunday afternoon, the Metro Detroit audience (and virtually the entire state of Michigan) will get the broadcast of the hometown Detroit Lions against the Indianapolis Colts in the 1 p.m. ET slot over on FOX. Some folks in the state will also get a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Carolina Panthers on CBS at 1 p.m. ET as well. At 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS a certain portion of the Metro Detroit audience will get an AFC West showdown between the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. FOX will counter with a rematch from the playoffs last year when the San Francisco 49ers travel to Wisconsin to take on the Green Bay Packers at 4:25 p.m. ET. “Sunday Night Football” will see two more NFC playoff teams from a year ago square off when the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Los Angeles Rams for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff on NBC/Peacock. “Monday Night Football” on ESPN/ABC is the latest installment in the Harbaugh Bowl: Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers at 8:15 p.m. ET. As we have done in past seasons, our staff will be making weekly predictions for every game on the NFL schedule. Each of the Pride of Detroit staff will pick the moneyline (winner of the game, no spread), but some of the members will also pick against the spread and even the over/under lines—there’s an easy toggle button in the widget below to cycle through the settings. You can also check out all of the odds for this week’s games courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Here is who our staff is picking on the moneyline, spread, and over/under for all 14 games on the NFL Week 12 schedule:
Lions News: Watch Dan Campbell mic’d up for Jags blowout
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images The charismatic Dan Campbell was mic’d up for the Jaguars. You aren’t going to want to miss it. Ever the quote machine, Dan Campbell was mic’d up and ready to go in the Detroit Lions’ victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday. With a final score of 52-6, you can already guess the Lions head coach was having a good time. Two phrases I didn’t know Campbell often uses? “That a baby” and “BAM!” You learn something new everyday. In all seriousness, the episode also includes Campbell meeting some veterans, honored at last week’s game as part of the team’s Salute to Service initiative. It was all around a great episode. My favorite quote: “You got a back like an armadillo.” And some of my favorite non-Dan Campbell quotes: “Who’s going to be the f***ing savage today?” – Jared Goff “Will you stop smashing everything you touch?” – Scottie Montgomery “We gotta dance, you know what I mean?” – Jameson Williams Isn’t this so much fun? Enjoy the full video below. And on to the rest of your notes. Speaking of Scottie Montgomery, he joined “Good Morning Football” to discuss Sonic and Knuckles. The brains behind the dynamic RB duo and honorary executive producer of Angry Runs Assistant Head Coach of the @Lions Scottie Montgomery joins the show #OnePride pic.twitter.com/93ELmxRPoa — Good Morning Football (@gmfb) November 21, 2024 “With the way Philly is playing, Dan Campbell’s group can’t afford to let its foot off the pedal.” NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri closely examines the postseason picture. It just warms my millennial heart that the year is 2025 and people are still getting slimed. Congrats to these two! .@MontgomerDavid and @Jahmyr_Gibbs1 got a surprise when claiming their @Nickelodeon NVP Awards! pic.twitter.com/yvDCgPbm1w — Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 21, 2024 Also super cool. #Lions’ Taylor Decker is featured in the Detroit Auto Show’s newest campaign with his 1968 Ford Bronco — like his jersey No. 68. The auto show is scheduled for Jan. 10-20, 2025, at Huntington Place. pic.twitter.com/YcOaKFaogm — Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) November 19, 2024 Good news for our friends up north — the Lions are hosting two fan events in Canada open to the public, including a tailgate party and a watch party. Jared Goff makes a cameo in this compilation of best wishes to Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal for winning the 2024 AL Cy Young Award. Ace. Competitor. Relentlessly consistent. Hard worker. Dedicated. Monster. Dawg. Dominant. Leader. Cy Young Award Winner. Congrats, Skub! #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/T8m392r4KW — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) November 21, 2024 An interesting hypothetical I had to include for funsies. What say you? Let’s play a hypothetical game here… If the #Lions would be guaranteed to make it to the Super Bowl this year, but ALL the other Detroit pro teams would miss the playoffs for the next 7 years, would you take that? pic.twitter.com/uTb8ENROpk — Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) November 21, 2024
5 Giants-Bucs questions: Sterling Shepard’s role, how to beat Tampa Bay, more
Sterling Shepard | Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Let’s learn more about the Buccaneers The New York Giants have a game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With everything going on with the Giants currently it is easy to overlook that simple fact. Let’s check with SB Nation’s Bucs Nation for this week’s ‘5 questions’ segment. Evan Wanish answers our questions. Ed: The Bucs are 4-6. How would you describe their season to date? Evan: Simply put, a roller coaster. They still remain being the only team to beat the Detroit Lions this year and did so on the road while short handed on defense but then they get swept by Atlanta and their hopes of a division title suddenly take a huge nose dive. That being said, 2023 was quite similar. They had a stretch during the middle of the season where they struggled but then flipped the switch in the second half of the season to win the division. We’ll see if that happens again. Ed: Ben Bredeson and Sterling Shepard are former Giants playing big roles for Tampa Bay. Tell us about how they have done and what they mean to the team. Shepard is of particular interest since we thought his career was over after last season. Evan: Both guys have come in and played a role for Tampa Bay. Shepard is probably playing a bigger role than the Bucs imagined or hoped he would when they signed him. He was supposed to be veteran depth but with the wide receiver room being banged up, Shepard has become one of the team’s top options in terms of receivers. I have actually been pleasantly surprised with how Shepard has looked. Definitely seems to be at least a little more gas left in the tank. As for Bredeson, he’s been steady at the left guard spot. Nothing spectacular, but he’s gotten the job done and on a one year, small contract that’s a fine outcome for the Bucs. Ed: If you could take one player off the Giants’ roster and put him in Tampa Bay’s lineup, who would it be? Why? Evan: This one is easy. Brian Burns. While the numbers are there for the Bucs in terms of sack numbers (10th in the NFL with 28) watching the games tell a different story. Too often will the Bucs give opposing QBs ample amounts of time to find open targets. Adding Burns to the lineup and having him on the outside with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey in the middle would be a huge boost for the Tampa Bay pass rush and defense as a whole. Ed: Are there a couple of under-the-radar players on the Bucs that Giants fans might not know a lot about but should be aware of on Sunday? Evan: Rookie nickel corner Tykee Smith has quietly been one of the better rookie defenders in the league this year. He’s battled through some injuries but when he’s in the lineup, the Bucs defense is better. We’ll see if he can make a big play or two on Sunday. Ed: If you are game-planning AGAINST the Buccaneers how would you attack them on each side of the ball? Evan: If I’m an opposing offense, I keep the Bucs defense uncomfortable by mixing in the run and the pass. When running, I try and spread things out and stretch that defense out so Vita Vea can’t hurt me as much on the inside. In terms of passing, throw intermediate stuff over the middle to pick up 7-8 yards a pop and continue to move the sticks. On defense, I try and confuse Baker Mayfield as much as I can by showing different blitz packages and make him get the ball out quicker than he may want to. Make it an effort to stop the Bucs rushing attack so they become one dimensional and the pass rush can then tee off.
Fantasy Football RB Report: Touches, schemes, matchups, more ahead of Week 12
Here are the top running back takeaways over the first 11 weeks of the 2024 season that could greatly impact fantasy points in Week 12 and beyond. Fantasy Football RB Report: Touches, schemes, matchups, more ahead of Week 12 2Y8PT8D Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, left, hands off to running back Chase Brown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) By Michelle Magdziuk Posted Nov 21, 2024 8:48 am EST • Chase Brown is a league-winner: With Zack Moss on the sidelines, Chase Brown has played 84% of the Bengals’ offensive snaps and leads the NFL with 81 touches since Week 9. • Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert is out of the picture: Over the Dolphins’ last two games, Mostert has been on the field for just 18 snaps and has accumulated -2 rushing yards. • Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now! Estimated reading time: 6 minutes With so many running backs splitting their backfield in today’s NFL, it is more important than ever to figure out which players are receiving the most valuable snaps and touches on their team and who is slowly losing their workload to teammates who are outproducing them. Here are the top running back takeaways over the first 11 weeks of the 2024 season that could greatly impact fantasy points in Week 12 and beyond. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey plays a league-high 94% of snaps in Week 11 Christian McCaffrey is back in our fantasy lineups, but his production has yet to reach the elite level we’ve come to expect. Through his first two games in 2024, he’s averaging just 59 rushing yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry, a noticeable drop from his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year campaign when he averaged 91.2 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry. The good news is McCaffrey remains heavily involved in the offense and continues to produce as a receiver. Since his return in Week 10, he has totaled 42 touches, including 10 receptions, while playing 115 offensive snaps—the second most among running backs in that span. In Week 11, no running back logged a higher percentage of their team’s offensive snaps than McCaffrey. As he regains his rhythm and playing speed, his production will likely return to elite form. Plus, he has a favorable upcoming schedule against the Packers, Bills, and Bears — all teams that are very beatable on the ground. Upcoming matchups: at Packers, at Bills, vs. Bears Bengals Chase Brown is a workhorse back and fantasy league winner The first half of the season was a disaster for the Bengals’ backfield, with Chase Brown and Zack Moss splitting snaps and touches. However, since Moss suffered an injury before Week 9, Brown has taken over as the lead back, playing 84% of the Bengals‘ offensive snaps. He has become a workhorse, handling 86% of the team’s rushing attempts—the highest rate in the NFL during that span. Brown leads the league with 81 scrimmage touches since Week 9 and ranks first among running backs in targets (23), receptions (19), and receiving yards (146). He has also been a fantasy standout, scoring 68 fantasy points over that stretch, trailing only Saquon Barkley and Joe Mixon among running backs. With the Bengals returning from their Week 12 bye, Brown is positioned to be a league-winning asset for fantasy managers in the stretch run of the season. Upcoming matchups: bye, vs. Steelers, at Cowboys, at Titans Panthers Chuba Hubbard has played 71% of the Panthers snaps in 2024 Heading into the Panthers’ Week 11 bye, Chuba Hubbard ranked among the NFL’s most productive backs. From Weeks 3-10, he recorded the second-most scrimmage touches (171) and rushing touchdowns (6), trailing only Alvin Kamara in touches and Derrick Henry in touchdowns. This breakout stretch has made him one of the best values from the 2024 fantasy drafts. However, there are signs that Hubbard’s fantasy value could take a hit in the coming weeks. The first is that second-round rookie Jonathon Brooks is finally expected to make his NFL debut this weekend. I do not doubt that Hubbard will remain the lead back in Carolina, but he will likely lose a solid chunk of the fantastic volume fantasy managers have become accustomed to. Plus, the Panther’s upcoming schedule is most definitely not a friendly one for fantasy running backs. Upcoming matchups: vs. Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, at Eagles Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson gets 20 carries for the third time in the last four games It looked grim at the start of the season when Steveson wouldn’t stop fumbling the ball, which led to his benching for Antonio Gibson. However, things can turn around quickly in the NFL, and the Patriots have started to trust Stevenson and rely on him heavily to carry their offense over the last month. Since Week 8, Stevenson has played on 75% of their offensive snaps, with Gibson seeing the field only 15% of the time. His 207 offensive snaps since Week 8 are the third most by any running back behind only Kyren Williams and Chase Brown. During that span, Stevenson has 83 touches and 70 carries, both ninth most in the NFL since Week 8. Not only is Stevenson logging heavy playing time, but the offense has improved with quarterback Drake Maye under center, giving him more opportunities in the red zone and near the goal line. Since Week 8, Stevenson has 18 red zone carries (tied for third-most in the NFL) and eight carries inside the 5-yard line (second-most). This kind of volume positions Stevenson for fantastic fantasy performances in the weeks ahead, especially with a favorable schedule. The Patriots’ backs will face a top-10 matchup in each of their next three games. Upcoming matchups: at Dolphins, vs. Colts, bye, at Cardinals