Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images SI has both the Rams and Lions in their top-5 power rankings In two games since they swapped Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, the Rams and Lions have split the series. The Rams beat the Lions in 2021, when Detroit was still at the beginning of their rebuild. But the Lions got their revenge in last year’s wild card round, getting a narrow 24-23 victory at home. When the two sides meet again on Sunday Night Football, it’s really anyone’s guess who will win the rubber match but so far it seems the experts are guessing with the Lions and not the Rams. Sports Illustrated posted their Week 1 picks and five out of their six experts went with the Detroit Lions getting the win over the Los Angeles Rams. The one exception picking the Rams was Conor Orr. It seems like a negative, but keep in mind that SI also has the Rams higher in their power rankings than just about any other publication: The Rams are 5th in SI’s first power rankings of the 2024 season. If we reorganize our thinking on the Rams’ defense from “unit trying to recover from the loss of Aaron Donald” to “collection of very exciting, young players,” it feels less irresponsible to have them ranked in the top five of our early power rankings. Like the Packers, I love how their receiver room is organized. One through four, the Rams might have the strongest room in the NFL. The absence of a true “alpha” is more than mitigated by four really strong wideouts who understand the offense and are willing to block and get themselves on the same page as their heady quarterback. The only reason that 5/6 pick the Rams to lose is because the Lions are second in SI’s first power rankings of the year. Essentially, this SNF rematch is boiled down to being arguably the best game of the first weekend and evenly matched on both sides. These writers are picking a really good team at home, whereas maybe the Rams would be the favorites if this game was in L.A. or Brazil.
Only 1 of 6 experts at SI pick Rams to beat Lions
The Ravens’ retooled offensive line delayed the Derrick Henry experience
The Ravens’ retooled offensive line delayed the Derrick Henry experience paulbanks Given that he is known as “The King,” and his offseason signing created excessive hype, Derrick Henry was mainly disappointed last night in the season-opening loss at Kansas City. While his first touchdown as a Raven on the opening drive was a great sight, he only averaged 3.5 yards per carry last night and just 46 yards rushing. His longest run was only nine yards. However, it was not his fault, as the holes weren’t there for him. And as the night wore on, the run lanes never opened, and the Ravens found themselves going away from Henry in the second half. Given how the offensive line is breaking in three new players at the five starting positions, it will take time for everyone to gel. Until they do, we won’t see all that Henry can be. Roger Rosengarten had a great preseason and tremendous potential, but he had a “welcome to the league, rook!” kind of night. The man who started over him, Patrick Mekari, was unimpressive as well, and overall, the unit didn’t get enough forward push in the run game. When they eventually do, you’ll see Henry can be all he can be. It also doesn’t help that they were facing one of the league’s better run defenses in K.C. last night. In the meantime, veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley (who had three illegal formation penalties called against him last night) and stellar center Tyler Linderbaum (who had a blunder that led to Lamar Jackson losing a fumble) must provide stability. At the same time, the other three starters gradually coalesce with them into one more cohesive unit.
Friday Night Football: Packers vs. Eagles picks and open thread
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images Who will start out on top of the NFC? The Philadelphia Eagles will be hosting the Green Bay Packers in a matchup of Super Bowl hopefuls from the NFC. The Eagles collapsed last season after an incredible start. They started out 10-1 before only winning a single game the rest of the way. The team had lost both coordinators the prior offseason, and there were plenty of reports of friction in the locker room. It is a new season, though. One thing that fixes anything is winning, and Philadelphia still has one of the most loaded rosters from top to bottom. The Packers meanwhile are hoping to make a serious step this season. They finished 9-8 and won their Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys, but they lost by just a field goal against the San Francisco 49ers. Quarterback Jordan Love is surrounded by plenty of high-potential young wide receivers, and the team went out and added former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs to help alleviate some pressure on the passing attack. FanDuel has the Eagles as 2.5-point favorites. Which one of these teams gets off to that precious 1-0 start? Here’s how our staff picked this one! Send us your predictions and join the discussion in tonight’s open thread!
Friday Injury Report – Vikings @ Giants
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Final report ahead of Sunday’s matchup The Minnesota Vikings will be releasing their last official injury report of the week later today, but head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed injuries in today’s press conference. The news: No injury designations for the Vikings. Both Jalen Nailor and Jordan Addison were full participants in Friday’s practice, and nobody will have injury designations for the Giants’ game on Sunday. He also mentioned that Harrison Smith and Stephon Gilmore had veteran days off. But bottom line, the Vikings are good to go with nobody out due to injury. For the Giants, S Dane Belton (back), OLB Brian Burns (ankle), QB Drew Lock (abdomen), LB Micah McFadden (groin), WR Gunner Olszewski (groin) were limited in Friday’s practice for the third straight time, but none will have an injury designation for Sunday’s game. So, the Giants will also be full strength without any players with injury designations. Follow me on X @wludford
Jaguars vs Dolphins Week 1 injury report: Miami rules out Malik Washington
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images The Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars have issued their final injury reports for their 2024 Week 1 game. The Miami Dolphins have released their final injury report for their Week 1 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the panic created earlier in the week when 13 players were listed on the initial report was overblown concern. The final report lists two players, with only one out for Sunday’s game. Miami will be without rookie wide receiver Malik Washington who is dealing with a quadriceps injury. Washington was limited in practices on Wednesday and Thursday, but then did not practice on Friday. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who signed a contract extension on Friday making him the highest paid cornerback in the league, was upgraded from a non-participant on Wednesday and Thursday to a limited participant on Friday. He is officially listed as questionable for Sunday as he deals with a hamstring issue. Miami removed linebacker Quinton Bell, center Aaron Brewer, safety Jevon Holland, defensive tackle Benito Jones, linebacker Jaelan Phillips, safety Jordan Poyer, and linebacker Anthony Walker from the injury report, with all of them full participants in practice. They join tackle Terron Armstead, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, cornerback Kendall Fuller, and linebacker David Long as players who were on the initial report on Wednesday, but were removed during the week. The Dolphins were three-point favorites earlier in the week, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That line has moved to Miami favored by 3.5 points, in part because of the updated injury report with the Dolphins have nearly their entire roster available for the game. The Jaguars side of the injury report includes safety Daniel Thomas, who was limited in practice throughout the week and is listed as questionable for the game with an Achilles issue. Jacksonville added defenisve end Arik Armstead on Friday as a non-participant as he received a veteran’s rest day. Miami and the Jaguars kickoff at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday from the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
Jaguars vs. Dolphins 2024 Week 1: TV coverage broadcast area – Where can you watch?
Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Where will the Jaguars at Dolphins game be broadcast? We look at the map. The Miami Dolphins kick off their 2024 NFL regular season at home as they welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars down I95 to South Florida. Both teams will be looking to get off to a fast start this year, with Miami looking to make the playoffs for the third straight season while the Jaguars, who missed the playoffs with a late-season collapse, look to claim their spot in the AFC playoffs this year. The game will be broadcast on CBS, with Kevin Harlan and Trent Green handling the commentary. Whenever Harlan is on the Dolphins’ broadcast, it is a good thing. Somehow, he brings with him good results for Miami, and there is nothing like Harlan’s call, “He’s got Hill…” as the Dolphins strike with the deep pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Tyreek Hill. It has become a love affair in South Florida, and one that will be renewed this weekend – as well as in Week 3 when Harlan covers the Dolphins game in Seattle. Given the two teams’ intrastate rivalry, this weekend’s 1 p.m. ET game will be televised throughout Florida. The coverage will also be throughout most of Alabama (minus some areas along the Mississippi border), Georgia (minus Atlanta), and South Carolina (minus areas along the North Carolina border). The eastern half of Tennessee will also air the game. And, as has become standard now, the Tagovailoa connection to his hometown state has Hawaii scheduled to get the game. Some of these markets could change before Sunday, so we will check back in on Sunday to see if anywhere has added or dropped the Jaguars at Dolphins. Here is the coverage map from 506Sports.com. The Jaguars at Dolphins game is in green. 506Sports.comJaguars at Dolphins in green.
Injury report: DJ Reader questionable; Lions could be down 2 safeties
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Eagles make 2 roster moves ahead of Packers game
Eric Canha-Imagn Images Some news prior to Friday night’s kickoff. The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced two roster moves ahead of their Week 1 Friday night game against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. An overview: OL Nick Gates and TE E.J. Jenkins were temporarily elevated from the practice squad. Note: teams can temporarily promote practice squad players up to three times each in the regular season and an unlimited number of times in the postseason. Let’s sort through this news on a player-by-player basis. NICK GATES Back when the Eagles signed Gates to their practice squad, it was reported that he was going to be temporarily elevated for Week 1. He figures to be their top backup center option behind Cam Jurgens. Gates could also see playing time if there’s an injury or two at guard. The Eagles are obviously hoping that Gates doesn’t have to play. If he does, though, it’s good to know that this is a player with 29 career starts over 44 games played. Experienced depth option. E.J. JENKINS With Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra as the only two tight ends on the active roster, it always seemed like the Eagles would call up another player at this position. It was thought that Jack Stoll, who was TE2 of seasons past, could be that guy. But he was curiously not one of the seven Eagles practice squad members who were brought down to Brazil. And so we’ll instead see Jenkins providing some depth and contributing on special teams.
Giants-Vikings injury report: Brian Burns limited in practice
Graphic by Kyle Howard Giants will have a full complement of players for season opener The New York Giants have released their final injury report before their Week 1 match-up against the Minnesota Vikings, and they’re at nearly full strength. The Giants suffered a rash of injuries in the preseason, with players seemingly leaving games on every other play. Fortunately, few of those injuries were of the long-term variety and every Giant on the report practiced in a limited capacity this week. New York Giants final injury report QB Drew Lock (abdomen) – Limited edge Brian Burns (ankle) – Limited S Dane Belton (back) – Limited LB Micah McFadden (groin) – Limited WR/KR Gunner Olszewski (groin) – Limited All players’ game status is listed as “unspecified”. Minnesota Vikings final injury report WR Jordan Addison (ankle) – Full Practice WR Jalen Nailor (ankle) – Full Practice FS Harrison Smith (rest) – DNP Stephon Gilmore (rest) – DNP The most significant development is the addition of edge defender Brian Burns to the injury report with an ankle injury. This a surprise development, as Burns wasn’t on the injury report before Friday. Prior to the addition of Burns, Belton and McFadden were the most consequential players on the injury report. Both players are expected to play major roles in their defense and could have major roles this year. Belton is one of the Giants’ most experienced defensive backs, and the Giants could use him against the Vikings’ potentially explosive passing attack. McFadden, meanwhile, emerged as a reliable starter last year and helped to solidify the Giants’ long-shaky linebacker corps. Olszewski’s availability — and effectiveness — during the game could be worth watching as well. The Giants are currently 1.5-point underdogs in their home opener and +106 on the money line, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The predictable injury report, with both teams at almost full health, is unlikely to move that line any.
Eagles vs. Packers Week 1 game preview and predictions
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images How are you feeling about this matchup? Really not trying to be a buzzkill, I swear, but I don’t have the Philadelphia Eagles winning their Friday night opener against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. That being said, I do have the Eagles finishing 13-4 this season, so I’m hardly suggesting that a Week 1 loss — and a close one, at that — is going to doom them. I just think the Packers are an ascending team whereas there’s a bit more uncertainty with the Birds. Perhaps I’m not giving the Eagles enough credit. They are coming off a really encouraging summer where these things transpired: The team stayed healthy (for the most part) Jalen Hurts looked better than ever before New coordinators Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore displayed some schematic wrinkles to inspire optimism Young players showed signs of improvement The vibes were positive Maybe the Eagles are going to make me look silly for picking against them in this spot. But, after the way last season ended, I’m not going to kick myself for not giving them total benefit of the doubt. Is anyone going to be truly shocked if Jordan Love picks up where he left off last year and has success against this defense? Is it unthinkable to think that the coaching staff hasn’t completely sorted out all of the issues against the blitz? Is Nick Sirianni definitely going to give his team an edge after failing to do so when we last saw him coach? Let’s see some proof of concept first. For more, check out BGN’s weekly NFL game predictions. Suggested format: Score prediction: Bold prediction: My predictions: Score prediction: 27 to 24, Eagles lose. Bold prediction: Jahan Dotson scores the Eagles’ first touchdown this season. Your predictions: Leave your own score predictions in the comments.
