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Bengals vs. Patriots Injury Report: Chase and Higgins limited
Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK Game day approaches. The Cincinnati Bengals were back on the practice field Thursday, preparing for Sunday’s opener against the New England Patriots. As always, Thursday injury reports shed light on who should be suiting up Sunday. For the Bengals, Joe Burrow (right wrist) was again a full participant, as was rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton (toe.) Burton had not shown up on the injury report thus far this week, but he appears to be okay for Sunday. Another new name on the list was wide receiver Tee Higgins, who was limited with a hamstring injury. The team was likely cautious with him to keep him ready for Sunday, but it is something to keep an eye on. Ja’Marr Chase practiced yet again but was listed as a limited participant on account of rest as he works back into form after his hold-in. Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither was also limited with a rest day. Kris Jenkins (thumb) had his entire hand wrapped during practice but appears ready to go. He was listed as a limited participant for the second straight day. Amarius Mims was also limited again, but reports don’t suggest he is in line to play. For the Patriots, their report looks similar to yesterday. The only new addition to their report was running back Antonio Gibson (hip), who was listed as limited. Offensive guard Sidy Sow (ankle) was the only Patriot to not participate, indicating he will not suit up Sunday. Defensive back Johnathan Jones (hamstring), offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (abdomen), Linebacker Josh Uche (foot), and linebacker Oshane Ximines (ankle) were all listed as limited participants for the second consecutive day. Friday is usually a walkthrough during which the team gives a simulated report, so we could learn game statuses as soon as tomorrow. Full Bengals vs. Patriots Injury Report
Giants’ DC Shane Bowen on Adoree’ Jackson’s role, and his defensive philosophy
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Bowen doesn’t like the “bend, don’t break” terminology New York Giants defensive doordinator Shane Bowen discussed the return of cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, the team’s defensive philosophy, and more during on Wednesday as the team prepared for Sunday’s season-opening game against the Minnesota Vikings. Adoree’ Jackson’s return When asked about the decision to bring back cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, Bowen emphasized the importance of getting Jackson ready to play and familiar with the team’s schemes. “Good to get him back here,” Bowen said. “We’re focused on getting him ready to go, get him up to speed as quick as we can. I think my experience with him in Tennessee (Titans) and his experience here with the coaches and the guys, I think, is a benefit as well.” Bowen also acknowledged that players coming in to a team and having to contribute quickly is not unusual. “You can ask all 32 teams. There’s guys that come in on Tuesday that end up playing on Sunday throughout the year,” Bowen said. “(I) dealt with it in my time in Tennessee with some of the injuries we had. It’s the league, the nature of the league. With numbers and injuries that occur throughout, you got to be ready to get guys up to speed relatively quickly so they can go out and execute and hopefully not ask them to do too much too early to where they’re making mistakes and some things come up.” Jackson, Cor’Dale Flott and Nick McCloud are all options at cornerback opposite Deonte Banks. “You want the roster to be as competitive as possible, so guys improve and they feel the pressure of having to come out here every single day, a Tuesday in October, a Monday in December, and get better,” Bowen said. “So, that’s ultimately what we’re trying to get done is just continuing to push all these guys to be the best versions of themselves. “We owe it to the unit to put the best guys out there that we feel give us the best chance to win.” Defining an aggressive defense Bowen has repeatedly stressed the importance of playing an aggressive defense, but he clarified that this aggression goes beyond simply blitzing. “I want these guys to attack. I want them to have an attacking mentality with everything they do,” Bowen said. “You play defensive football, I don’t care if it’s Pee Wee or if it’s up to the NFL, when you play defensive football, there’s an expectation of physicality, toughness, aggression and being aggressive throughout. Totally different than scheme and what that is and where that goes, but it’s more about play style to me.” Bowen also wants players to be smart. “We talk about don’t do dumb crap that hurts the team,” he said. “There’s a fine line between being aggressive and hitting guys when it’s legal and being stupid and hitting guys late, hitting the quarterback high or going low on the quarterback in the pocket. We have to play within the rules. We understand that. Again, we want to toe the edge, we do. We want to get up to the edge of it, but at the same time, we can’t do the dumb stuff that costs the team.” The new hip-drop tackle rule is one that all NFL teams will have to nagivate. It will be a learning process. “There were a few examples throughout the preseason that we send into the league to get a little bit more clarity on,” Bowen said. “Just the examples of, ‘Is this the classified three areas that it takes to really be determined a hip-drop tackle.’ So we’ll kind of see as that goes here these first few weeks, see where they’re at with it. But right now, I think it’s going to be a learning process for us and the officials as we go.” Red zone defense Bowen’s defenses in Tennessee consistently excelled in the red zone, a trend he hopes to continue this season. He downplayed the “bend but don’t break” label often attached to successful red zone defenses. “They score three points instead of seven, that’s a huge difference in a game,” Bowen said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s ‘Bend don’t break,’ as much as it’s, ‘Let’s make sure if they do get down there, we don’t really care how they do, but let’s make sure when they do get down there that we’re defending our house.’ That end zone is our house. We’re going to do everything we can. We’re going to empty the chamber. We’re going to defend our house and find ways.”
T.J. Hockenson Being Forecast for a Post-Bye Week Return
Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images As has been expected The Minnesota Vikings kept tight end T.J. Hockenson on their Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List when they set their 53-man roster, meaning that he is required to sit out at least the first four games of the 2024 regular season. As far as for when he’s actually expected back, it would appear that the timeline is what most of us have been anticipating for some time. Behind the great E$PN paywall, Dan Graziano have put together their “Week 1 Buzz” for teams around the league, and it includes this one small tidbit about Hockenson. The Vikings are loosely targeting a Week 7 or so return for tight end T.J. Hockenson (torn ACL and MCL). A week 7 return for Hockenson would put him back into the fold right after the team’s bye week, which follows their trip to London in Week 5. It would also put him in line to return against his former team, the Detroit Lions, at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Lions were the team that Hockenson suffered his injury against, as we all know. Honestly, if the Vikings can’t bring Hockenson back for the first four weeks anyway, giving him one more game off and the bye week to complete whatever he needs to complete makes the most sense. As much as I dislike the early bye week in most instances, this is one sense where it actually helps the Vikings a bit if they can get Hockenson back as a result of it. I don’t think any of us are surprised that the Vikings are targeting Week 7 for Hockenson’s return, but it is nice to get something of a confirmation on that.
Jaguars vs. Dolphins Week 1 injury report: Jalen Ramsey does not practice, 4 removed from report for Miami
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images The Dolphins and Jaguars updated their Week 1 injury report on Thursday. The Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars updated their injury reports on Wednesday for their upcoming Sunday showdown. The good news for the Dolphins is that four players were removed from the Tuesday version of the report, with players who had received veteran rest returning to practice. The bad news is that a key starter continues to not practice. The Jaguars did not change their side of the report, with safety Daniel Thomas the lone player listed. Thomas is dealing with an Achilles injury and has been limited in both Tuesday and Wednesday practices. The Dolphins continued to see cornerback Jalen Ramsey sidelined with a hamstring injury; he was a non-participant in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. Center Aaron Brewer (hand), defensive tackle Benito Jones (knee), and wide receiver Malik Washington (quadriceps) were all limited in both Wednesday and Thursday practices. The team saw linebacker Jalean Phillips upgraded from a non-participant on Wednesday to a full participant on Thursday; Phillips was given a veteran’s rest day but is also continuing to recover from an Achilles tear that ended his 2023 campaign early. Miami also had safety Jordan Poyer (thumb/vet rest) and linebacker Anthony Walker (knee/vet rest) upgrade on Thursday, both from limited on Wednesday to full participants. Safety Jevon Holland, who was a full participant on Wednesday despite an ankle issue, continued participating in all of practice on Thursday. Tackle Terron Arsmtead and defensive tackle Calais Campbell, both of whom sat out Wednesday’s workout as a vet rest day, were removed from the injury report on Thursday. Cornerback Kendall Fuller and linebacker David Long, who were limited in their workouts on Wednesday as part of the team’s vet rest program, were also removed from the injury report on Thursday. The Dolphins and Jaguars kick off from Miami Gardens’s Hard Rock Stadium, at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Both teams will release their final injury reports for the weekend tomorrow.
The Phinsider Eliminator Challenge 2024: Join our survivor group for the year
John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Join us to see if you can be the last player standing for 2024. The 2024 NFL season begins tonight with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Over the past few seasons, we have hosted an eliminator game here on The Phinsider, and today we are bringing that back. I know it is late to be setting this up. You may have noticed that for much of the summer/training camp and preseason, I was not posting as I normally do (or you may not have noticed because the rest of the team is awesome and kept the site up to date). I was tied up away from the site for most of that time, which also means I did not have a chance to set up our normal games. I apologize for the delay. Eliminator pools are pretty simple. You pick one team to win each week. Once you use a team, you cannot use the same team again. You keep playing until the team you picked loses that week. If you would like to join our eliminator pool for the 2024 season, it is on ESPN. Click here to join and make sure you get your Week 1 pick submitted. (If you need the password for the group, it is Marino13)
Injury report: Ifeatu Melifonwu returns, Rams’ starting CB placed on IR
Sign up for Season 2 of PODD Big things are in store for our newsletter, Pride of Detroit Direct. I’m excited to announce we’ve added Ty Schalter this season. Listen to exclusive podcasts sent directly to your inbox and read more voices from our team at Pride of Detroit by clicking below to sign up for a 7-day free trial today!
7 important quotes from Detroit Lions coordinator press conferences
Sign up for Season 2 of PODD Big things are in store for our newsletter, Pride of Detroit Direct. I’m excited to announce we’ve added Ty Schalter this season. Listen to exclusive podcasts sent directly to your inbox and read more voices from our team at Pride of Detroit by clicking below to sign up for a 7-day free trial today!
Jalen Hurts talks about the Eagles’ season opener
The Eagles QB spoke about the opportunity to play in South America and why he’s so thankful. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke to reporters in Brazil on Thursday, and talked about this unique opportunity, how he’s approaching this year as a leader, and why playing in South America is surreal. “I’m very excited. I’m excited to be here. It’s a beautiful place, and just being blessed and expressing my gratitude for being able to play in general, it didn’t really matter where.” Hurts said that he thinks about growing up in East Houston and trying to find any piece of grass to play and throw the ball around a bit, all for the love of the game, and to see how far that’s taken him — playing internationally —, he has an immense sense of gratitude. The QB talked about the game of football expanding, internationally and with flag football coming to the 2028 Olympics, and how he’s excited to see a game that can be for anybody being introduced more broadly. Hurts acknowledged that it’s very important to come out strong and get a win in a season opener. It’s important that they come out playing fast, and he’s excited to see where this team goes this season, and it all starts with Friday’s game. “I think the number one thing you want to go out there and do is play together, play as a team. That’s the most important thing. No man is an island, you must draw your strength from the next guy. And everyone truly has to do their job for the betterment of the team. So, I’m just excited for that journey, the new roles and new responsibilities we all have on this team. I’m excited to go to work with this group, for sure.” Hurts later emphasized the point of playing together, and explained that is how he’s approached things as a leader coming off the disappointing end of the 2023 season. No individual is going to get it done on their own, they have to do it as a team, but the QB is proud of the work that everyone has done to continue to get better — in the morning, at night, and on off days. His recurring message was how thankful he is for the opportunity, as a kid from East Houston, Texas to be playing American football in South America, and how he’s excited for the atmosphere on Friday night.
Nick Sirianni gets goosebumps thinking about the Eagles playing under Friday Night Lights
The Eagles head coach spoke to reporters in Brazil, and talked about the travel, opportunity, and taking pride in helping grow the game of American football. The Eagles have landed in Brazil, and head coach Nick Sirianni — whose voice has grown more hoarse over the last week — spoke to reporters ahead of their first practice abroad. Sirianni acknowledged that Devin White tweaked his ankle the other day in practice, but said the guys behind him are ready. He wouldn’t confirm that Nakobe Dean will be the starter, but noted the young linebacker had a good, consistent camp and his leadership, playmaking ability, and tackling has shined. The head coach spent most his press conference — that he likened to the ones leading up to the Super Bowl — talking about the opportunity to play in Brazil, his first-ever international game, and admitting they were going to miss Eagles fans in Philly. An international reporter asked about the players who made comments regarding safety concerns in Brazil, and whether there was any misinformation or discussion about security protocols. Sirianni said that everything has been world class since they touched down on Thursday night, noting the hotel staff, airport staff, and people at the stadium have been awesome. “We know how passionate this country is on their sports, and we’re so excited to be here and playing in front of — we like to think that Philadelphia is the best sports town in America, and we know that Brazil is a great sports country, and we’re just getting to know more and more.” The head coach went on to say that the goal is to always keep their game prep the same, whether they are in Philly or traveling, and there were some unknowns in that regard — although he also acknowledged there are unknowns in any city you play that isn’t at home. Sirianni was also asked about preparing the team to play in the warm, dry weather, especially at night, in Sao Paolo. He explained that they’ve had some good hot days in training camp, so they think they’re ready to handle the weather in Brazil. He was excited to be able to use this game to help them prepare for their game in Florida in a few weeks. The head coach talked about it being a home game but not having home field advantage, and made sure to pitch to the Brazilian crowd to be loud when the Packers have the ball, and to be a little quieter when the Eagles have it. But, Sirianni said that they have to be prepared for it to be loud the whole time, and whether it feels like a home game or away game, they have to be ready for both possibilities. “We’re bummed that we don’t get to play our opener in front of our fans in Philadelphia, but we’re so excited.” He was asked what it means to start the season on international soil, and in a place the NFL is playing for the very first time. “This game is awesome. So, the fact that we can spread this game to the rest of the world, I take a lot of pride in that.” Sirianni talked about growing up and how American football players start off playing under the lights on Friday nights, and this game allows them to step back into that moment one more time. He said football is an emotional game, and thinking about getting the opportunity to play on Friday night again gives him goosebumps.
