Author: InsideTheNFLNews
The final NFL weekend is here.Two of Florida’s NFL teams still have playoff hopes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the best chances.New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., SundayFor the Bucs, it’s simple: win and they’re in.The Bucs lead the NFC South with a game against the Atlanta Falcons, who host the lowly Carolina Panthers, also at 1 p.m. Sunday.If the Bucs lost and the Falcons won, Atlanta would make the playoffs based on tiebreakers, and Tampa Bay would be left out. If they both lose, the Bucs still enter.You can read the latest news at USA Today’s…
The New England Patriots are in need of internal changes after failing to make much progress in their rebuild. The team clinched last place in the AFC East and is on track to hold first place overall. As bad as the current situation is, the Patriots have some reasons to be optimistic heading into the offseason. Drake Maye is the franchise quarterback. They control their own destiny for the No. 1 draft pick and have nearly $140 million in cap space entering free agency. New England needs the right leadership around the coaching staff to capitalize on these opportunities, which…
The Arizona Cardinals won’t know their official roadmap for 2025 for a while. They do, however, have an idea of who they will be lining up against next season. These matchups include the Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys. Contributing to this was the San Francisco 49ers’ Monday Night Football loss to the Detroit Lions, which locked Arizona into sole possession of third place in the NFC West. While the two division foes could find themselves in a record tie with a 49ers victory this week at State Farm Stadium, the Cardinals hold the edge in the tiebreaker…
Browns third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe, who could take his place on the infamous quarterback jersey as the 40th to start a game for the Browns since 1999, is used to being thrown into the fire. After all, he spent the first two seasons of his career playing for Bill Belichick in New England, where he went 4-4 as a starter after being selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft in the Western Kentucky. Football Insider Newsletter Free Trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s…
Injury-wise, the Ravens are surprisingly healthy for this stage of the year. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike both returned to practice in limited capacity after missing Tuesday’s session due to illness. Guard Patrick Mekari (illness) and running back Justice Hill (concussion/illness) were both out for a second straight day. Coach John Harbaugh on Monday summarized the absences as “flu-like symptoms and illness-like elements.”
Joe Sargent/Getty ImagesTJ Watt directed Pittsburgh Steelers history again. The All-Pro pass-rusher was named the Team MVP for the 2024 seasonmarking the fifth time he has earned the honor, a franchise record. Watt continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest defensive players in the world. Steelershistory and an icon of the NFL.This season, Watt has changed the game week after week. He accumulated 11.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and several key plays in critical moments. Whether it was harassing quarterbacks, stopping the run or rallying the defense with his relentless energy, Watt was the heartbeat of the…
Stephen Holder, ESPNJanuary 1, 2025, 2:40 p.m. ETCloseStephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and the NFL as a whole. Stephen finished first in feature writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he was a previous top 10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national competition. He has reported on the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005 to 2013 and the Colts since 2013. He previously worked for the Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times, the Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.INDIANAPOLIS — Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson…
.THE Houston Texans will finish the regular season Sunday afternoon on the road in an AFC South battle against the Texans.While this may be their last game of the regular season, they will have at least one more playoff game at NRG Stadium in the wild-card round next week. The Texans (9-7) are locked into the No. 4 seed and will face the top-ranked AFC wild-card slate.Houston looks to claw its way to a second 10-win season under DeMeco Ryans in this matchup between the two AFC South contenders. With a win, it will also be the first time the…
December 25, 2024; Houston, Texas, United States; Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud (7) walks onto the field before the play against the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium. Mandatory credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn ImagesSeventeen weeks after the start of the season, the Houston Texans (9-7) have an ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) of -0.1, which ranks 16th in the NFL.The Tennessee Titans (3-13), who host the Texans in Week 18, are ranked 24th with a -2.7 FPI rating.FPI is “a measure of a team’s strength that is intended to be the best indicator of a team’s performance for the remainder of the…
Strike 2: If someone had told you last August that the Denver Broncos would have to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field on the final Sunday of the NFL regular season to make the playoffs, you would have figured it out by a second. . All the Broncos can control is their performance in the biggest game this franchise has played in nearly a decade. The enemy is appropriate, given that the leaders are the archenemy of today and tomorrow. At 15-1, the defending Super Bowl champions are already the top seed for the upcoming playoffs in the…