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Happy Thursday! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Today we’re taking a look at some news from around the league, a look at some of the week 17 playoff scenarios, and an updated injury report.
Widely regarded as the best quarterback talent in the upcoming 2019 draft class, Justin Herbert is returning to Oregon for his senior year of school to play a season with his brother, who is an incoming freshman tight end.
The 2019 draft has been deemed “QB poor” whether or not Herbert were to enter his name or not, with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins the only other college quarterback thought worthy of a high 1st round pick.
With Herbert returning to school, he puts himself into a talented 2020 draft class that includes Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, and Washington’s Jacob Eason, and effectively puts QB needy NFL teams in a position for a bidding war for Haskins at some point in the top 5 or 10, if he declares.
Adams Closing In On Green Bay Receiving Records
Davante Adams has been one of the few bright spots for a Packers team that has severely underwhelmed this season, catching 111 balls for 1386 yards and 13 TDs. At the beginning of their Sunday game against the Lions, Adams will start just 2 receptions behind Sterling Sharpe’s 1993 single season Packers receptions record. He will also be just 130 yards behind Jordy Nelson’s single season record of 1519 yards, which was set in 2014, and if he goes for at least 114 yards and 2 TDs he will be the first Packers receiver to hit 100 receptions, 1500 yards, and 15 TDs in a single season. Adams has put together a very impressive season that could become historic on Sunday for a world famous franchise.
Pair Of Coaches Interview For Green Bay Job
Speaking of the Packers, they have started their head coach search early to get a head start on the offseason. Former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and former Colts & Lions head coach Jim Caldwell were both brought in for interviews with Green Bay, as reported by Ian Rapaport on Wednesday. Pagano has recently been vocal about his hopes to get back into coaching, and is experienced and highly regarded around the league. Caldwell was also successful in his last 2 stints in the NFL, and will undoubtedly get another chance in the NFL whether it is in Green Bay or not.
Week 17 Playoff Implications
NFC
The Los Angeles Rams (12-3, vs. SF) clinch a first round bye with:
1. LAR win or tie OR 2. CHI loss or tie
The Chicago Bears (11-4, @ MIN) clinch a first round bye with:
CHI win AND LAR loss
The Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1, vs. CHI) clinch a playoff berth with:
1. MIN win or tie OR 2. PHI loss or tie
The Philadelphia Eagles (8-7, @ WAS) clinch a playoff berth with:
PHI win AND MIN loss
AFC
The Kansas City Chiefs (11-4, vs. OAK) clinch homefield advantage with:
1. KC win OR 2. KC tie AND LAC loss or tie OR 3. LAC loss AND NE loss or tie AND HOU loss or tie
They can clinch a first round bye with
1. LAC loss AND NE loss or tie OR 2: LAC loss AND HOU loss or tie
The New England Patriots (10-5, vs. NYJ) clinch homefield advantage with:
NE win AND KC loss AND LAC loss
They can clinch a first round bye with
1. NE win OR 2. NE tie AND HOU loss or tie OR 3. BAL loss or tie AND HOU loss AND TEN loss or tie
The Houston Texans (10-5, vs. JAX) clinch AFC South and first round bye with:
1. HOU win AND NE loss or tie OR 2. HOU tie AND NE loss
The Baltimore Ravens (9-6, vs. CLE) can clinch AFC North with:
1. BAL win OR 2. PIT loss OR 3. BAL tie AND PIT tie
The Los Angeles Chargers (11-4, @ DEN) clinch AFC West and home field advantage with:
1. LAC win AND KC loss or tie OR 2. LAC tie AND KC loss
The Indianapolis Colts (9-6, @ TEN) clinch AFC South with:
1: IND win AND HOU loss
They can clinch a playoff berth with:
1. IND win OR 2. IND tie AND PIT loss or tie OR 3. IND tie AND BAL loss
The Tennessee Titans (9-6, vs. IND) clinch AFC South with:
TEN win AND HOU loss
They clinch a playoff berth with:
TEN win
The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1, vs. CIN) clinch AFC North with:
1. PIT win AND BAL loss or tie OR 2. PIT tie + BAL loss
They can clinch a playoff berth with:
PIT win AND IND-TEN tie
Injury Report
ATL WR Julio Jones (hip) – questionable
BAL EDGE Terrell Suggs (hamstring) – questionable
CAR QB Taylor Heinicke (elbow) – placed on IR
CHI WR Allen Robinson (ribs) – questionable
CHI S Eddie Jackson (ankle) – questionable
CIN WR Tyler Boyd (knee) – questionable
CLE CB Denzel Ward (concussion) – questionable
DAL G Zack Martin (knee) – questionable
DEN RB Phillip Lindsay (wrist) – out
DET WR Kenny Golladay (chest) – questionable
GB OT David Bakhtiari (hip) – questionable
GB DT Kenny Clark (elbow) – placed on IR
HOU EDGE J.J. Watt (knee) – questionable
HOU WR Demaryius Thomas (Achilles) – placed on IR
IND WR T.Y. Hilton (ankle) – questionable
LAR RB Todd Gurley (knee) – questionable
LAR S Lamarcus Joyner (ankle) – questionable
MIN CB Xavier Rhodes (groin) – questionable
NO OT Terron Armstead (chest) – doubtful
NO OT Ryan Ramczyk (shoulder) – questionable
NYG WR Odell Beckham Jr. (quad) – questionable
NYG LB Alec Ogletree (concussion) – questionable
OAK TE Jared Cook (ribs) – questionable
PHI CB Sidney Jones (hamstring) – doubtful
PIT LB Vince Williams (toe) – questionable
SF RB Matt Breida (ankle) – out
SF WR Dante Pettis (knee) – out
SEA EDGE Frank Clark (elbow) – questionable
SEA S Bradley McDougald (knee) – questionable
TB WR DeSean Jackson (Achilles) – doubtful
TEN QB Marcus Mariota (elbow) – questionable
TEN DT Jurrell Casey (knee) – placed on IR
WAS EDGE Ryan Anderson (hamstring) – questionable
The NFC is pretty cut and dry, but the AFC is pretty convoluted, even this late in the season. A lot of the games this weekend have major playoff implications, making them must watch TV. Enjoy the contests and as always, good luck on any action you may have. Cheers!
