Photo by Harry How/Getty Images The receiver added, “That’s why we paid him those bucks.” Evan McPherson is bad. Really bad. He missed two field goals against the Los Angeles Chargers last night and is now one of the worst kickers in the league, especially from long distance. FG percentages this season: pic.twitter.com/DWy9sRe3Om — Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) November 18, 2024 Evan McPherson on field goals of 50+ yards, 2021-2022: 14-of-16, 87.5% Evan McPherson on field goals of 50+ yards, 2023-2024: 10-of-19, 52.6% Big-time regression for the #Bengals kicker. pic.twitter.com/rFZDCahlPK — Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) November 18, 2024 And he, unlike superstar receiver Ja’Marr Chase, got an extension this offseason. That can’t sit well with the team right now. Chase didn’t mince words when asked what he said to his kicker, saying: “I didn’t tell him nothing, but he knows to make those kicks. That’s why we paid him those bucks, to make those kicks in crunch time.” Ja’Marr Chase is also frustrated with team’s inability to finish games. How? “Ask Zac. Ask the coaches. Don’t ask me. I play football on the field. I don’t call plays for us.” pic.twitter.com/GOzY5EjOhS — Mike Petraglia (@Trags) November 18, 2024 At this point, the Bengals cannot trust McPherson in any pivotal spot in a game. And, following the season, they just might have to part ways and eat the $3.75 million in dead cap. That’s how bad things have gotten. We’ll see if McPherson, the o-line, and the defense can work through their issues and help Joe Burrow and company go on a streak following the bye. Cincinnati’s next game is at home on December 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ja’Marr Chase on Evan McPherson: “he knows to make those kicks”
Colts-Lions opening odds: Colts face an uphill battle against the red hot Lions
Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Colts return home but have their work cut out for them. The Indianapolis Colts return home to face off against one of the best, if not the best, teams in the NFL. The Detroit Lions came on strong last year and haven’t slowed down at all racing out to a league best 9-1 record. It has been eight years since the Lions visited Lucas Oil in which they were able to kick a late field goal to secure the win. Both teams are coming off wins this week, but FanDuel Sportsbook is giving the Lions a sizable advantage in the spread at 7.5-points. This season, the Lions have been good enough to earn a spread like that, even on the road. The money line sits as +310 with the over/under at 50.5. The Colts turned back to Anthony Richardson against the New York Jets, and the decision couldn’t have been rewarded much better. Not only were the Colts able to get the win, but Richardson had his best game of the season. He completed 66% of his passes with 272-yards and three touchdowns. There were still some miscues and misses, but compared to the rest of the season, it looked like night and day. The majority of his passes were on time and target. He still had some high ones and short misses he probably wished he had back, but he and the offense moved up and down the field to put up 28-points. That is the second most all year and the most with Richardson under center. If the Colts can get more of that, they will be in good shape. Meanwhile, the Lions beat the brakes off the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mac Jones and the Jaguars got off to a 3-0 start, but that was as good as it got. The Lions scored 21-points in the second quarter alone and another 24 unanswered in the second half. A final of 52-6, shows just how dominant the Lions are and how explosive their offense can be. Yes, it was the Jaguars, but putting 52 on a team is no joke. Jared Goff has fully come into his own with Detroit and was able to put up 412-yards and four touchdowns. Add nearly 200-yards on the ground and no one was stopping the Lions offense on Sunday. They will be a handful for the rest of the teams on their schedule going forward. The Colts and Lions are expected to put up some serious points next week. Expect some big plays and lots of highlight reel action. I anticipate seeing Anthony Richardson air it out a little more than last week. Some of those attempts will be because he got that first game back under his belt. The other reason might be that the Colts will need to keep pace with the Lions offense. The Colts have to find a way to keep things close and put together some sustained drives. Giving Jared Goff and the Lions too many opportunities will spell doom. Sit back and enjoy. This one could be a roller coaster.
Raiders’ quick slants: Dolphins edition
Head coach Antonio Pierce and his Las Vegas Raiders fell hard 34-19 to the Miami Dolphins as the team is now riding a six-game losing skid — the longest streak in the NFL. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Lackadaisical Las Vegas leveled in 34-19 loss The offense made baby steps towards improvement. The defense, meanwhile, is going backwards. That was the high-level tale of the tape for the Las Vegas Raiders in a 34-19 thumping handed to them by the host Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. The defeat marks the sixth-straight for the Silver & Black and represents the longest losing streak in the NFL today (the New York Giants are close at five straight games lost) and plants the Raiders firmly in the AFC West cellar with a 2-8 overall record. Like many other teams, the Dolphins used the matchup against the Raiders to remedy the woes that plagued them — namely offense. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdowns as he spread the ball around and fleet-footed running back De’Von Achane carved up Las Vegas’ defense to the tune of 73 yards and a touchdown. Sure, we can point to injuries eroding the Raiders defense, but the way the unit is getting used and abused by the opposition goes beyond lack of depth. It’s either poor coaching, poor player retention, or a combo of both. Because no matter who is out there — starters or backups — the communication issues and breakdowns have resulted in comical errors. Like the 57-yard touchdown Tagovailoa threw to tight end Jonnu Smith — who was left wide open. Jonnu Smith WIDE OPEN for the 57-yard TD! : #LVvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+ : https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/VMOXPnzMzM — NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024 In total, Miami produced 353 yards of total offense and finished an excellent three-for-four in red zone trips where the drives culminated in touchdowns versus short field goals. And the group commanded the time of possession having the ball for 33:12 compared to the Las Vegas’ 26:48. “We’ve got to be (able to figure it out),” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said in the postgame press conference. “When new guys come in, we’ve just got to keep talking. Overcommunicating is what we talk about when you get a younger guy in there or somebody who hasn’t gotten a lot of reps. It’s no excuse, but we’ve got to keep communicating. We knew they were going to motion or shift on every play.” Knowing before hand is one thing. Actually doing something about it is a treacherous mountain to climb and unfortunately for Pierce and his Raiders, they’ve fallen off the cliff with no safety harness. “You can always make excuses and point to other things, but it’s just about details,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said after the game. “We’re just playing for pride at this point.” On the bright side, communication was much better on the offensive side of the ball. Interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner and his father Norv (who is a senior advisor) breathed life into the Raiders’ passing game that produced 282 yards and two touchdowns. And I’m pretty sure Pierce is going to be saying “we need players to have Brock Bowers energy”, a phrase he used repeatedly when it came to the vibe Crosby brings to the team on a daily basis. The resolute rookie tight end paced both teams with a 13-catch, 126-yard performance on 16 targets as he sprinted past Mami’s defense for a touchdown. If it weren’t for Smith’s 57-yard score that gave him six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns, Bowers would’ve been the highlight tight end of the game. “There definitely were a few plays in there for me for sure,” Bowers said displaying his modesty after the game. “But my job is to catch the ball and get yards, that’s about it.” “We’re trying to do everything we can to feature our best player,” Pierce said of Bowers. “He’s playing like that and he’s tough. He’s physical. Doesn’t want to come out of the game. … He’s doing everything that we ask him to do as a rookie.” Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as Bowers and Smith torched the respective defenses: —Where the Raiders offense continues to struggle — despite the coaching changes — is the ground game. Las Vegas totaled 60 yards on 16 carries and if you remove the two carries by wide receivers Jakobi Myers (20 yards) and Tre Tucker (seven yards), that total dips even further. Neither running backs Alexander Mattison and Zamir White (who started the game) produced much with five carries for 19 yards for the former, five carries for nine yards for the former. —Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson and defensive tackle Adam Butler collected the two lone sacks of the afternoon. Wilson’s was a strip sack variety while Butler took advantage of pressure from Crosby to take down Tagovailoa. —Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins represents the fifth time the Raiders have allowed 30 or more points. Las Vegas yielded 41 against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, 32 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, 34 to the Denver Broncos in Week 5, and 36 to the Carolina Panthers in week 3. —Minshew finished 30 of 43 for 282 yards with two touchdown throws and one interception. He was sacked three times and fortunately for him, the pick was his lone turnover of the afternoon. —A once disciplined team under Pierce, Las Vegas has become penalty-prone as the team got clipped for seven penalties for 49 yards against Miami. The Dolphins, in comparison, were flagged four times to the tune of 23 penalty yards. Quotes of Note: “Yeah, we’re down, man. But I tell you, I’ve been on teams where they’ve sent it in, but we’re not doing that. We practice hard, dude. We come up, we show up and lift on Mondays. Everyone’s doing the right things, man. We haven’t been getting the results and we’ve been plays short, but
Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ win over the Chiefs
Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ win over the Chiefs Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Sharif Phillips-Keaton The Buffalo Bills (9-2) came into Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) looking to be the first team in this NFL season that beat the Chiefs. Buffalo entered this matchup with a five-game winning streak in their back pocket to show how well they were playing, but going against Kansas City is always a different beast. The Bills managed to come out on top over the Chiefs, 30-21, thanks to some clutch plays in the fourth quarter, including from star Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who iced the game with an incredible 26-yard touchdown run in the waning minutes of the game. Buffalo had to do its best to overcome the play of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as he threw three touchdowns in the contest to make things interesting. Allen had to do what he could to carry the offense with players like running back James Cook struggling to run the football against the Chiefs’ tough run defense and Allen showed up when Buffalo needed him the most. Here is the Bills Wire’s stock report following Sunday’s win over the Chiefs: Stock Up: QB Josh Allen Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Allen, like he has been asked to do for the past few seasons, did everything he could to carry the offense with Kansas City shutting down Cook and the running game to a halt over the course of the contest. Thanks to how Allen was throwing the ball, four different players had at least 40 yards receiving in what has been an equal opportunity offense since the season began and that was without rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist). Stock Down: RB James Cook Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images As mentioned above, Cook struggled to run the ball against the Chiefs in this one, but he wasn’t the only running back who didn’t show up. Cook had nine of Buffalo’s 31 carries, but for every player who ran the ball aside from Allen, no one averaged more than 3.6 yards per carry, which is a far cry from where the Bills have been running the football this season. Stock Up: LB Terrel Bernard Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images Bernard has been one of the best players on Buffalo’s defense for awhile now and Sunday showed how impactful he can be, especially against someone like Patrick Mahomes who can light you up in a second if you make the wrong move. Bernard not only got to Mahomes for his first sack of the season, but he also made some key tackles and even broke up a pass to show just how much he was flying all over the field. Stock Down: DE Greg Rousseau Mark Konezny-Imagn Images While Rousseau has been arguably the most disruptive player on Buffalo’s defensive line this season, that was not the case against the Chiefs. Rousseau managed to hit Mahomes twice, but that was the extent of how much he did in this game even though the attention he attracts allowed for players like Bernard and Von Miller to get to Mahomes over the course of this contest. Stock Up: WR Curtis Samuel Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Samuel has largely nonexistent within Buffalo’s offense given the nature of how the team wants to spread the ball around and ultimately get the ball to whoever is open on a given play. However, Sunday was a great day for Samuel as he accumulated the most yards that he has in a game this season, the most receptions in a game, and caught his first touchdown of the season to boot. Stock Down: WR Mack Hollins Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images As is the nature of Buffalo’s offense, there will also be someone who fades into a background and on Sunday, that was Mack Hollins. Hollins is more of a deep-threat than anything else and with the Chiefs not wanting to get beat deep, he wasn’t able to get himself going much in a game in which Allen threw the ball 40 times.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73730885/1737592894.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "2024 NFL Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears")
2024 NFL Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
2024 NFL Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears The annual trip to Chicago is upon us The Minnesota Vikings will wrap up their three-game road trip against a familiar foe when they take their annual trip to the shores of Lake Michigan to take on the Chicago Bears in Week 12 NFL action. The Vikings are riding a three-game winning streak, all of which came against teams from the AFC South. The Minnesota defense has allowed just two touchdowns in the last three games and appears to be back in the form they showed in the early stages of the season. Sam Darnold also had a bounce-back game against Tennessee in Week 11 as he accounted for three touchdowns in Minnesota’s 23-13 victory in Nashville and, was credited with only one turnover that wasn’t actually his fault when Aaron Jones fumbled a pitch in the first quarter. The Bears are trending in the other direction, having dropped four in a row following a 4-2 start. They lost their 11th straight game to Green Bay this past Sunday by a score of 20-19 as a potential game-winning field goal was blocked with no time left on the clock and their offense has struggled to the point where they fired their offensive coordinator a couple of weeks ago. The Bears haven’t won a game on American soil since they defeated Carolina in Week 5. . .they beat Jacksonville in London in Week 6 and have not had a victory since. While Soldier Field has often been described as a house of horrors for the Vikings, the purple are actually seeking their fifth straight win in the Windy City. The last Minnesota loss to Chicago at Soldier Field came back in 2019, when the Vikings fell to the Bears by a score of 16-6. The Vikings have won six of their last eight against the Bears overall, but one of those losses was last season’s ugly 12-10 loss on Monday Night Football late in the season. Minnesota has opened this one as an early 3.5-point favorite over Chicago, according to the folks from FanDuel. Kickoff for this one is scheduled for noon Central time on Sunday afternoon, and the game will be carried on the FOX family of networks.
Lions News: Best reactions to Lions decimating the Jaguars
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images The unstoppable Detroit Lions make it eight wins in a row. Here are the best reactions from Sunday. At this point I’ve had to turn to the thesaurus to find new words for the beatdowns the Detroit Lions are delivering to opponents. Settling on “decimated” this week, enjoy some of the best reactions I found for the Lions’ 52-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. #Lions #WeTheLions #TrueGrit #OnePride — Sam Richardson (@SamRichardson) November 17, 2024 Guys, The Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFL. — Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) November 17, 2024 Beat the teams that matter. Annihilate the ones that don’t. The Lions are a machine. pic.twitter.com/eLlZHWSrGB — Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) November 17, 2024 Remember when people were trying to kick the @Lions off Thanksgiving? https://t.co/Tow8lCBmYN — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 18, 2024 Holy heck!!! pic.twitter.com/1S2n3AmdaQ — Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 18, 2024 The Lions’ speed combination of Jahmir Gibbs and Jameson Williams is frightening to contend with defensively. — Todd McShay (@McShay13) November 17, 2024 And on to the rest of your notes. More great content over on rookie Terrion Arnold’s TikTok. @terrionarnold This team is deadly #fyp #explorepagee #detriotlions #viral #terrionarnold ♬ original sound – hoop.angel When they’re not busy winning, the Lions continue to give back to their community. This time they’ve teamed up with the Stronger Warrior Foundation to remodel a home for a disabled veteran in Clinton Township. It’s a whole new world for these Lions — now one of their biggest issues is the ‘pull-your-stars conundrum’. Detroit Free Press’ Mitch Albom explains. There have been quite a few connections between the Lions and the Pistons lately. Justin Rogers takes a deeper dive for Detroit Football Network: In today’s “Three and Out” column, I expand on something I’ve been saying in radio interviews for two years. These Lions remind me of the Bad Boys Pistons. Then, it was in reference to the shared, linear builds. But now, it’s the bully mentality, as well: https://t.co/sBmHw9hN8R — Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network (@Justin_Rogers) November 18, 2024 FYI: If you’re in the Rochester area tonight, stop by and say hi, talk Lions, get a book, watch some Monday Night Football. Applebee’s by Oakland U, 7-8:30 pm pic.twitter.com/Bcf5dVMb5j — Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) November 18, 2024
Lions vs. Jaguars stock report: All risers as the Lions obliterate Jacksonville
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images LIONS STOCK REPORT! See all of the risers after the Lions’ most recent victory over the Jaguars. Rarely in the NFL do you see complete beatdowns like the one we witnessed in Week 11 as the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the 9-1 Detroit Lions by a score of 52-6. I am sure many of you reading this could feel it through your TVs, but the energy was never really there for Jacksonville. They looked overmatched from the jump, and the Lions seemed as if they were on a mission to send a bit of a message to the rest of the league, but also prove some things to themselves. Let’s get into the Week 11 stock report and see where things stand with the Lions now at 9-1 and atop the NFC. Stock up: Jared Goff, QB For everyone making a big deal over a couple of bad bounces during the Lions’ Week 10 win over the Houston Texans, it’s probably time to take a deep breath. 24-of-29 for 412 yards, four touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Those were Lions quarterback Jared Goff’s numbers during his team’s historic rout of the Jaguars. Bad bounces are going to happen throughout the course of a 17-game regular season. That is just the way this league is. Still, that doesn’t take away from the incredible year Goff is having in 2024. For the majority of the season, he has looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Period. Stock up: Aaron Glenn, DC I know the defense was up against a pretty toothless offensive attack led by Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones, but we still have to count this as another strong performance from Glenn’s defense. The run defense was once again suffocating, limiting running back Travis Etienne to just 27 yards on 12 carries. Through the air, Jones looked uncomfortable and it showed in how inaccurate he was in his passes. Most attempts from Jones were checkdowns, and one of the few times he tried to push the ball down the field, Lions safety Kerby Joseph grabbed his league-leading seventh interception on the season. Stock up: Ben Johnson, OC What a rebound from Week 10’s bumpy ride. 52 points, 645 yards of total offense, 38 first downs, and one thorough beatdown of the Jaguars. The Lions set a myriad of records during their Week 11 win, and Ben Johnson had to have been happy about his offense coming out and setting the tone early in the game. Stock up: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR It was another surgical performance from the Sun God against Jacksonville: 11 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns and it all looked very, very easy for the All-Pro. It has been said a ton over the course of the last few years, but the connection between St. Brown and Goff is off the charts. So much of their game is based on timing and trust. A lot of the time the ball will already be in the air when St. Brown is coming out of his break. A lot of time and hard work has been put in to develop the rapport that we are seeing now, and those efforts are a big reason why they are one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the NFL. Stock up: Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch I am not really sure how much more their stock can rise, but it keeps ascending nonetheless. Both Branch and Joseph had big days against the Jaguars, and in doing so—are further cementing their case for the best safety duo around. Joseph grabbed his seventh interception of the season, while Branch finished the day with seven total tackles, including a big hit on Jaguars tight end Evan Engram that drew plenty of noise from the Ford Field crowd. Stock up: Jack Campbell, LB With the news of Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone being out for the next 6-8 weeks with a broken forearm, the timing of Jack Campbell’s ascension is certainly a welcomed sight in Detroit. He has taken several steps since the beginning of the season, and it pops up constantly when you watch his tape. His processing speed has picked up a ton since his rookie year, and with that—his ability to fly to the football has as well. Campbell racked up another nine total tackles against Jacksonville, including one for loss, and a quarterback hit. Stock up: Jameson Williams, WR Great to see Williams with another strong performance, this time to the tune of 124 yards on four catches, including a 64-yard house call that ended with one of my favorite celebrations ever. Williams’ speed is such a game-changer for this already loaded offense. When he is on the field and performing like he is, it is yet another stressor that opposing defenses have to deal with.
Daniel Jones out, Tommy DeVito in — instant reaction
Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images Ed and Tony discuss the move Daniel Jones is out as New York Giants quarterback. Tommy DeVito is in. Ed Valentine and Tony DelGenio took to YouTube to discuss the move on Monday morning. Hear their discussion below: More coverage 2025 NFL Draft order: Giants lose without playing, drop to No. 5 overall Quarterback drama, draft order, among 6 things to watch as New York Giants play out the season As the Daniel Jones era nears its end, let’s look at the last three years What do execs, analysts think of New York Giants GM Joe Schoen? We asked, and here are the answers
2025 NFL Draft order: Giants lose without playing, drop to No. 5 overall
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images The Giants lose three draft spots over their bye week The New York Giants currently hold the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, per Tankathon. While they still have a top-5 pick, it’s a drop from the second overall selection they held after their 20-17 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 10. The Giants weren’t on the field for Week 11, but it was still potentially consequential for them. We’ve since learned that the team has benched quarterback Daniel Jones, and will start 2023 UDFA Tommy DeVito in his place. The decision to bench Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, turns the page on the post-Eli era and effectively starting their search for their next starting quarterback. Even moving back from second to fifth overall could make it difficult for the Giants to select their preferred quarterback in the draft. Current Top 10 Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) Tennessee Titans (2-8) Cleveland Browns (2-8) Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) New York Giants (2-8) New England Patriots (3-8) New York Jets (3-8) Carolina Panthers (3-7) Dallas Cowboys (3-6) New Orleans Saints (4-7) It’s somewhat remarkable that there are five teams with two wins and six teams with eight losses. We should expect the order of the teams in the top ten to shuffle and reshuffle over the next seven weeks. However, it’s notable just how many quarterback-needy teams are within striking distance of the top spot. The Raiders, Jets, Panthers, and Saints could, or will, all be in on this year’s quarterback class. So too could the Browns, if they can navigate the cap implications of Deshaun Watson’s monster contract. Likewise, the Miami Dolphins (12th) and Los Angeles Rams (17th) could be in the market for long term solutions to their quarterback position. The quarterback depth chart in the 2025 draft is generally seen as Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and then everyone else. It’s possible (or perhaps even likely) that the Giants could become enamored with Jalen Milroe’s physical traits, however it’s no lock that he declares for the draft. They could also find Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart appealing, as he’s had almost as good a year as Jayden Daniels had for LSU last year. Dart also has excellent traits in his own right, with plus athleticism and arm talent. However, he hasn’t maintained his level of play against better opponents, which could (or will) be viewed as a red flag. Life is certainly more interesting (read: complicated) for the Giants now than it was a couple months ago. It’s possible that Their Guy at quarterback could fall into their laps, but it’s also possible that they once again find themselves on the outside looking in. How the next seven games play out could have a profound impact on the future of the Giants’ team.
NFL scores and recaps for every Week 11 game
PFF broke down the numbers immediately after every NFL Week 11 game, including advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, players of the game and more.