Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Thursday news and updates. The Philadelphia Eagles issued their second official injury report on Thursday in advance of their Week 3 road game against the New Orleans Saints. Three players DID NOT PARTICIPATE: A.J. Brown, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Johnny Wilson. Brown is clearly on track to miss his second straight game, which isn’t a surprise after he told ESPN he expects to miss at least one more week. The Eagles will certainly miss him. CJGJ is an unexpected addition to the injury report. It’s weird because CJGJ played 100% of the snaps in Week 2 … and then wasn’t listed on Wednesday’s injury report following the team’s walkthrough (in lieu of a real practice) … and now he’s not practicing. If the former Saints defensive back can’t suit up, the Eagles have just two healthy full-time safeties on the roster: starter Reed Blankenship and backup Tristin McCollum. Of course, top nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox saw plenty of reps at safety during the offseason, so he could be a factor there with Cooper DeJean potentially playing the slot. Wilson appears to be on track to miss Sunday’s game, meaning the Eagles will likely temporarily elevate Parris Campbell from the practice squad to have at least four receivers: DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey, and Campbell. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY) DID NOT PARTICIPATE WR A.J. Brown (hamstring)S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (foot)WR Johnny Wilson (hamstring) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY) Four changes to the Saints’ injury report from Wednesday: 1) Starting safety Will Harris was added to the report. He did not practice due to a shin issue. Seems like he might suddenly be in jeopardy of not playing this weekend. 2) Taysom Hill was upgraded from DNP to limited, as expected. Seems like the Saints’ Swiss Army Knife might be able to play. The Eagles will have to figure out how to account for him. 3) Depth linebacker D’Marco Jackson was upgraded from DNP to limited. 4) Depth receiver A.T. Perry was added to the injury report. He was limited due to illness. It’ll be interesting to see how some key limited players (such as Marshon Lattimore, Taliese Fuaga, Tyrann Mathieu) are listed with game statuses on Friday’s final injury report. DID NOT PARTICIPATE S Will Harris (shin)DT Khalen Saunders (calf)OT Landon Young (foot) LIMITED PARTICIPATION CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring)OT Taliese Fuaga (back)TE Taysom Hill (chest)LB D’Marco Jackson (calf)S Tyrann Mathieu (heel)WR A.T. Perry (illness)WR Cedrick Wilson (abdomen) FULL PARTICIPATION WR Rashid Shaheed (hip)LB Jaylan Ford (hamstring)
Eagles Injury Report: C.J. Gardner-Johnson unexpectedly misses practice
2 more key 49ers miss practice due to injuries
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images The 49ers could be without TE George Kittle, in addition to WR Deebo Samuel and RB Christian McCaffrey The San Francisco 49ers will be without receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, but two more key starters missed practice on Thursday due to injury: Tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward. 49ers CB Charvarius Ward (hamstring, knee) also is not practicing today. https://t.co/jI2Dsm5epA — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 19, 2024 No team has suffered more key offensive injuries to start the season than the Rams, but the 49ers are apparently trying to catch up to them. If Brock Purdy does not have Kittle, McCaffrey, or Samuel, he will be without three of the best starters at their position. Kittle had 76 yards last week against the Vikings. Kittle hasn’t been as much of a receiving factor against the Rams recently: His last game with more than 50 yards against the Rams was back in 2020. Ward is San Francisco’s top cornerback, so his absence would also be significant. Which players on the Rams and 49ers will be injured? It could be easier to list those who are not.
Nate Wiggins, Ronnie Stanley among 5 key Ravens to return to practice ahead of Week 3
Nate Wiggins, Ronnie Stanley among 5 key Ravens to return to practice ahead of Week 3 Share this article glenn erby The Ravens need a win badly on Sunday against the Cowboys and received some good news on the injury front. Baltimore had five players not practice on Wednesday, which was reversed on Thursday, as all five took the practice field in some capacity. Wiggins missed the Week 2 loss to the Raiders with a neck injury and was wearing a non-contact red jersey at the onset of practice. Ronnie Stanley suffered an ankle injury last Sunday but only missed one day before returning.
Bengals got some cap relief from Joe Burrow’s injury
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images Interesting stuff. The Cincinnati Bengals are trying to find their footing with the 2024 season underway. After taking a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday, there is some positivity you could draw from the first two weeks. Joe Burrow is coming off a wrist injury that sidelined him for the last seven games of the 2023-24 season, and is looking like he will be able to return to his old self in no time. It has also come out that the franchise got some cap relief due to a portion of his contract being insured during his injury last season. Joel Corry of CBS Sports was asked about the cap relief on Burrow’s deal, and it appears the Bengals saved some space. According to Corry, the franchise has gotten $163,870 of 2024 salary cap relief due to the policy. The Bengals have gotten $163,870 of 2024 salary cap relief from Joe Burrow’s wrist injury that kept him out of 2023’s last 7 games because $59.5M of his contract extension was insured at signing. https://t.co/CJkzVwbLd7 — Joel Corry (@corryjoel) September 19, 2024 The relief is not a lot overall, but it does help a tad. So far this season, Burrow has posted 422 yards on a 67.7 completion percentage and two touchdowns. He will get the chance in primetime on Monday night to help push the Bengals to their first win of the season, as well as continue to show how healthy he really is. Who Dey!
Lions Thursday injury report: 2 starters return to practice
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NFL Week 3 Game Picks
Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images Predicting the winners of this week’s football matchups. Our Week 3 picks for the 2024 NFL season are in! Bleeding Green Nation staff members are here to predict the winners of every game on the schedule. We’ll tally the results along the way and see who comes out on top at the end of the season. Feel free to post your own predictions or discuss the writer predictions in the comments. You, the reader, can also join in on the fun by voting for who you think will win the games (scroll down for polls). I’ll tally those results in a “BGN Community” section under our picks table generated by Tallysight. After Week 2, Dave Mangels and Tyler Jackson are tied for first place. The BGN Community is right behind them in third. When it comes to this week’s Philadelphia Eagles game, the Birds are currently 2.5-point underdogs against the New Orleans Saints (via FanDuel). The BGN staff is split on which team will win this game. As someone who took the Saints, I’m surprised at the faith in the Eagles. MAKE YOUR PICKS Vote for your picks below. (If you can’t see the polls, click here and open the article from the front page.)
Ghobrial: Greg Joseph, Jude McAtamney competing for Giants’ kicking job
Jude McAtamney | Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images Seriously? It would seem obvious that veteran Greg Joseph, signed this week to replace the injured Graham Gano, would be the New York Giants’ placekicker Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, though, opened the door on Thursday for rookie Jude McAtamney to be elevated from the practice squad to handle that job. “It’s going to be good competition,” Ghobrial said. Still, it would be a major upset — and probably another personnel decision that would leave the Giants open to criticism — should McAtamney be the choice and ultimately fail on Sunday. Ghobrial also defended the decision not to have McAtamney available vs. the Washington Commanders with Gano on the injury report with a groin issue. “We had ultimate confidence in him (Gano) to be able to kick kicks and he did a good job. He hit a 58-yarder in pregame. He looked good,” Ghobrial said. ‘Demoralizing’ missed opportunities One of the under-the-radar issues with the Giants defense over the first two games has been giving up too many first downs on third-and-long situations. Some of that has been via penalty, and some via not being able to make a play when an opportunity has been present. I asked linebacker Micah McFadden about that this week: “When you do give up a third-and-13 or you give up third-and-10, those longer situations where you feel like you have them on their heels and we can make a play, those are a little bit more demoralizing than that midrange or the short yardage third down,” McFadden said. Too much Malik? Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers was targeted 18 times in Week 2 against Washington. That has led some to wonder if the Giants are going to become overly reliant on the No. 6 overall pick. “I think just every week is going to be different,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said on Thursday. “You look at the defense they present, you look at the matchups and you try to put your best players in the positions to be successful. So, within the game, that could change. And certainly, you go in thinking one thing, they want to play a bunch of man or a bunch of zone. They switch, we have to make sure we go and adjust. And then it’s about putting those guys in positions. “So, whether that’s the same or not this week or in the future, I don’t know. You have to see how the game declares itself. But I think you always want to put your best player, your best scheme, or your best players in those spots so that they can be successful.” Thursday injury report Did not practice CB Nick McCloud (knee)LB Isaiah Simmons (not injury related – personal) Limited participation LB Darius Muasau (knee)LB Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder)
‘This guy shouldn’t even be a starting quarterback’
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images Thoughts on DeShaun Watson and more in this week’s ‘5 questions’ segment The Cleveland Browns are a team with high expectations, but a question at quarterback that could hold them back in 2024. With the New York Giants set to take on the Browns Sunday, we turned to SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature for this wee’s ‘5 questions.’ Chris Pokorny answered our deep, probing, analytical questions. Ed: After two games, how would you assess the 1-1 Browns? Chris: The defense is as expected. Even though they aren’t ranked No. 1 statistically yet like they were a year ago in terms of yards, they have the same degree of aggressiveness that makes it difficult for opponents without a polished offense to move the ball. On offense, it’s still a struggle with Deshaun Watson, because you never quite feel like the offense is fully functional. It’ll be interesting to see how things look whenever Nick Chubb returns, and also when the team’s two starting offensive tackles return. For now, the offense is having issues with dropped passes, scoring touchdowns, pushing the ball downfield, and getting consistency from their top receiver (Amari Cooper). The easiest fix should be getting Cooper in sync again. Overall, Cleveland has signs of a talented team that needs to get their chemistry together — which is why it’s good that it’s early in the season when there is still time to correct these things. Ed: The DeShaun Watson trade has been “what” for Cleveland? Chris: “Return to sender.” We are in year three of Deshaun Watson’s contract, and it still feels like we have barely seen the guy play, and when he does play, everyone usually thinks the same thing: “This guy shouldn’t even be a starting quarterback.” Now, granted, he did a good job improving from his disastrous Week 1, but even with that, the offense only scored 16 points against a Jacksonville defense that wasn’t very good. Compare that to last year, when Joe Flacco came off the couch and was leading them to 30 points per week, and then the deficiencies of Watson become even more glaring. I am still hoping that the lightbulb magically turns on for Watson so that the Browns can be a top contender, but until that happens, not many people have faith in his ability to lead a consistent Browns offense. Ed: If you could take one player off the Giants’ roster and put him in Cleveland’s lineup who would it be? Why? Chris: Without question, it would be left tackle Andrew Thomas. I know the Giants have a couple of impressive players in their secondary, but the Browns’ defense is already stacked back there. Our left tackle, Jedrick Wills, is entering the final year of his rookie deal. For a former first-round pick, I wouldn’t call him a bust per se, but he’s always just been a bit average. Thomas would be a significant upgrade, and with Myles Garrett dealing with a foot injury, I’m already expecting Thomas to have an edge on him more than he usually would. Ed: Dalvin Tomlinson is a 2017 second-round pick by the Giants. He just seems to keep going and going. How important a player is he for the Browns’ defense? Chris: Despite the Browns having a top-ranked defense a year ago, Dalvin Tomlinson underachieved a little bit. This year, he had his knee scoped before the season, so he has been eased into the lineup during the first two weeks. I’d rather have him than not, but at this point, I wouldn’t label him as an essential player for the defense. Instead, it’s the cumulative impact that Tomlinson, Quinton Jefferson, and Shelby Harris have as a rotation of players that do a fair job up front. Ed: The Browns will win Sunday because? The Giants will win because? Chris: The Browns will win Sunday because the defense will play tight coverage on the Giants receivers, and Daniel Jones won’t be able to beat them or consistently out-run the pass rush when the safety is coming up to help or spy. And then, with the Giants’ run defense struggling, Cleveland will have some sustained drives. The Giants will win if Deshaun Watson plays like he did at home in Week 1, and their defense creates some short fields for them.
NFL betting advice: Eagles-Saints pick and Week 3 props
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Weighing the odds. Steve Maltepes, known as “The Philly Godfather,” will impart his gambling wisdom on the Eagles and where the smart money is going on various pro football games each weekend this season. Maltepes is one of the nation’s hottest sports betting experts who appears weekly on national radio and has his own website, www.thephillygodfather.com [thephillygodfather.com]. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) at New Orleans Saints (2-0), 1 p.m. Sunday The Line: Saints minus-2.5/Total: 48.5 What is the line telling you: This line originally opened for a banged-up Eagles team as being 1.5-point road favorites, with a combined total set at 49.5. Since then, the price on this matchup has flipped, with the Saints now being 2.5 to 3-point favorites, and gone down to 48.5, depending on what sports book you use. The early public action, in Vegas and offshore is all over this red-hot New Orleans Saints team. Their average margin of victory is 31 points. But they did play the Panthers and the Cowboys. What hurts the Eagles and their fans is that All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown will not be making the trip. Everyone knows the Philly offense is not the same without him. With that said, this is a week-to-week league, and anytime you are with the majority, you have to reflect back. At the start of the season, the Saints’ expected win total was set at 7.5, and the Eagles were at 10.5. When you dig a little deeper, you realize the Saints beat a Panthers team that was not expected to win four games this season, and a Dallas team that was coming off a physical game against one of the better defenses in the league in Cleveland. The Cowboys were also supposed to regress this season, with an expected record slightly over .500. The Eagles are fortunate to start the season 1-1, with the turnovers and coaching mistakes that they have made. Bottom line: The Eagles are the better team. We like the Eagles plus-3 or better. Three is a key number. Look for sports books that have the Eagles as 3-point underdogs. The Eagles are in a buy-low spot. The Saints will come down to earth this week. Prop bets for the game Jalen Hurts anytime touchdown plus-130 Chris Olave anytime touchdown plus-130 DeVonta Smith anytime touchdown minus-120 Both quarterbacks to have over 225 yards passing OTHER FOOTBALL BETS We like Oklahoma State (3-0) plus-3 and on the moneyline against Utah (3-0), 4 p.m. Saturday Baltimore Ravens (0-2) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1), 4:25 p.m. Sunday The Line: Cowboys minus-1/Total: 48.5 What is the line telling you: After starting 0-2, the Ravens are playing for their season in Dallas. They lost to Kansas City and had a horrible fourth quarter against the Raiders. If Baltimore loses this game, teams in the NFL that start their season 0-3 miss the playoffs close to 80-percent of the time. Everyone knows that. This is a huge game for Baltimore. Bottom line: The Ravens are the better team. We like them on the moneyline or plus-1. Dallas loses this game at home. (Betting lines via FanDuel are subject to change.)
Rams-49ers Q&A: Will Brandon Aiyuk shake off the rust against LA?
Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images “It’s not a huge surprise to see him stumble out of the gate,” says Niners Nation of Aiyuk The Los Angeles Rams return to the friendly confines of SoFi Stadium in its home opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams are desperate for a win, so huge thanks to the Vikings for likely making LA fans miserable this weekend as the Niners are heavily favored to bounce back. I’m sure optimistic today, aren’t I? To gain further insight into an opponent we (sadly) know all too well, I spoke with Marc Delucchi from SB Nation’s 49ers blog Niners Nation: Q – San Francisco is expected to be an NFC favorite, yet has experienced its fair share of struggles in close games. Since the start of the 2023 campaign, SF is 3-5 in one-score games. What could be the explanation for these issues and how does Kyle Shanahan’s squad try to buck this trend as the season progresses? A – Despite his innovative reputation as an offensive schemer, Shanahan has often had a conservative/old-school approach to game management. He has shown a little more willingness to be aggressive on fourth down since Brock Purdy has taken over, but Shanahan still tends to take a field goal, punt, or run out the clock at the end of the first half far more often than most other top head coaches around the league. In close games, when the margins are that much smaller, the costs of an unoptimal decision may be magnified. Q – Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has shown some rust after signing his four-year extension on August 30. Aiyuk has just 6 receptions for 72 yards and no touchdowns through the first two games. Were there any progressions in Aiyuk’s play against the Vikings compared to the season opener and how could he shake off the rust to become more involved in the offense, particularly with Deebo Samuel out the next couple weeks? A – Aiyuk has always been a bit of a streaky player and so it’s not a huge surprise to see him stumble out of the gate after such a tumultuous offseason. Granted, his inconsistent production has been the source of plenty of fan discourse, often arguing that his dips in production were tied to play calling (or quarterbacking) that was deprioritizing his skillset. Nevertheless, with McCaffrey and Samuel sidelined, Aiyuk should get plenty of opportunities to get back into a rhythm. Aiyuk was more of a factor against the Vikings than he was in Week 1, lending some credence to the idea that he should be well-positioned to shoulder a more sizable workload as well. Q – Through the first two weeks, have there been any standout players for Rams fans to be on the lookout for this weekend? A – Jordan Mason is the easy answer. With a lineup chock-full of Pro Bowlers, Mason has stepped in for Christian McCaffrey and delivered incredible rushing production. Mason has his struggles in pass protection and is a far cry from McCaffrey as a receiver, but if he can deliver his third consecutive 100-yard game, the 49ers offense will probably be in good shape. Q – It’s looking like the injury-depleted Rams might be on the wrong end of a blowout this week so what is your prediction for Sunday’s game and how does SF get back into the win column? A – This is definitely an early-season gauge game for the 49ers. Everyone understandably expects the Niners to be back in Super Bowl contention this year, but an offseason of tense negotiations and some early-season injuries to critical pieces could easily snowball into a derailed campaign. I’m predicting the 49ers to bounce back from their first loss of the year to pull out a commanding 33-17 victory over the Rams, but we haven’t seen San Francisco put everything together yet in this young season, and with McCaffrey and Samuel out, they may be more fallible than we expect.
