In the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, a new era begins for the Raiders with their prized quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, waiting in the wings. Coach Josh McDaniels revealed that Garoppolo, the recipient of a lucrative three-year, multimillion-dollar contract, is temporarily benched during the team’s organized activities.
The reason? The quarterback diligently recuperates from a fractured left foot in December. As the anticipation builds and the lights of the Las Vegas Strip shine bright, all eyes are fixed on Garoppolo’s impending return, eagerly awaiting the moment when he can showcase his skills and lead the Raiders to gridiron glory.
McDaniels said, “He’s going through his process just like we knew he would,” he further added, “Nothing has happened that would surprise us based on the information we had.”(an article from USA Today reported)
Taking over for former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who was let go by the organization in February following nine seasons with the organization, is 31-year-old Jimmy Garoppolo. He is coming off of a season in San Francisco in which it was not anticipated that he would play on the pitch, and he will soon begin his tenth season in the league.
But before Trey Lance, the starter at the time, fractured his ankle in Week 2, Garoppolo completed 67.2% of his passes for 2,437 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just four interceptions in 11 games. After breaking his foot in Week 13, Garoppolo could not play again, and backup Brock Purdy performed admirably in his place.
Jimmy Garoppolo, the talented quarterback, brings his skills and leadership to the Las Vegas Raiders. With a lucrative three-year contract, Garoppolo is poised to impact the team significantly. Despite being sidelined due to a broken left foot suffered in December, the anticipation grows for his return to the field. As the Raiders’ new signal-caller, Garoppolo’s presence adds excitement and hope for success in the Silver and Black.
The Las Vegas Raiders have benched quarterback Derek Carr for the final two games of the NFL season with Jarrett Stidham given the starting role for Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers.
Last week’s defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers leaves the Raiders with a 6-9 record and only the slimmest of outside chances of making the post-season.
Carr threw three interceptions in the 13-10 loss to the Steelers and his 14 interceptions this season ara a league high.
In his ninth season with the franchise, Carr’s pass completion rate of 60.8% is his worse since his first year.
Remarks by the Raiders’ coach
“None of us is happy with where we’re at, but we think it’s an opportunity to evaluate a younger player who hasn’t had much time to play,” Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said on Wednesday.
“Talking to Derek — who was great — he understands the scenario that we’re in and the situation,” he added.
Carr signed a three year $121.5 million contract extension in April but the deal is structured in a way which provides a relatively painless way out for the Raiders if they wish to move on from their quarterback.
Reports say that the Raiders would have to pay a relatively low $5.625 million if he is cut or traded within three days of February’s Super Bowl.
However Carr’s entire 2023 salary ($32.9 million) plus $7.5 million of his 2024 salary is fully guaranteed if he were to get injured in the remainder of this season, NFL.com reported.
McDaniels was wary of discussing what moves the Raiders might make over Carr’s future.
“We’ll see how this goes going forward. I’m not going to sit here and predict the future. There’s a lot that could happen and we’re gonna take those things one day at a time, and right now we’re going to get ready for the 49ers,” he said.
The 26-year-old Stidham, who played college football with Auburn, joined the Raiders in May after three years as a back-up with the New England Patriots and will be making his first start in the NFL.
The Philadelphia Eagles will be without their starting quarterback Jalen Hurts for Saturday’s trip to the Dallas Cowboys where they could secure the top seed in the NFC.Hurts has been ruled out with a shoulder injury and the Eagles are confident he should be ready to return for the playoffs.
In the meantime, they hope that back-up Gardner Minshew can help them secure the NFC East title and the number one overall top seed which brings with it home field advantage in the post-season.
The 26-year-old Minshew has started 22 regular season games in his career, the bulk of them during his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is confident he will be up to the task.
“Gardner will be our guy, and Gardner will be ready,” Sirianni said.
“Gardner worked his butt off for this opportunity against a really good football team and had a great practice (on Wednesday). A lot of energy out there. He’s ready to go.”
Excellent season
Hurts has enjoyed an excellent season for the Eagles with his average 8.2 yards per pass attempt placing him second in the league and helping the Eagles to a league-best 13-1 record.
Minshew brings less mobility and rushing ability than Hurts and that is likely to lead to some changes in approach from the Eagles. But having had to be patient as he waited for his opportunity the quarterback isn’t fazed by the chance awaiting him.
“I’m going to do something I’ve done my whole life, play football and I’m going to do my part,” Minshew said. “Just be me and play my game. I’m looking forward to it.”
The Cowboys (10-4) suffered a surprise loss to the Jaguars last week, ending a five game winning streak, but the visit of their divisional rivals offers them a chance to answer some of their doubters ahead of their post-season push.
Quarterback Dak Prescott has struggled with interceptions in recent weeks, none more significant than the tipped pass against Jacksonville that led to the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Prescott has thrown ten interceptions in the eight weeks since he returned from a thumb injury but coach Mike McCarthy isn’t overly concerned by that statistic and doesn’t want his quarterback to play too safe.
Since Prescott returned, the Cowboys lead the NFL in points scored, third-down conversions and yards.
“Most importantly — he needs to keep firing. He needs to keep going. So let’s make that clear. Because we’re not slowing down,” he said.
The Eagles beat the Cowboys 26-17 when they met in Philadelphia in week 6.
The Cincinnati Bengals (10-4) will look to extend their winning streak to seven games when they take on the New England Patriots (7-7).
Victory for the Bengals will secure a return to the playoffs for last season’s Super Bowl runners-up.
The Patriots had won five in six to get in contention for the post-season themselves but a costly error on a bizarre lateral play in the final stages saw them suffer a morale-sapping defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders last week.
While that unexpected move was costly for the Patriots, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow says they need to be alert for the surprise plays from Bill Belichick’s team that do work.
“They’re going to have a good plan. You see it every week and on film. They’ll have a plan for certain guys. They’ll have a third-down plan that you probably haven’t seen. They’ll have a red-zone plan you haven’t seen, so you’ll have to make adjustments,” he said.
On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins look to get their playoff ambitions back on track when they host the Green Bay Packers — themselves still in with a slight chance of making the post-season.
The Dolphins have lost their last three games, all of them on the road and will want to make the most of being back in South Florida.
“We love our home venue, but it’s not exactly like, ‘Oh, finally. We’re home.’ It’s more that we need another opportunity to play football because it’s a bad taste that you want to try to get rid of,” said head coach Mike McDaniel.
The Los Angeles Rams said on Friday that head coach Sean McVay would be continuing in his role and would be in charge for the 2023 NFL season.
Remarks regarding Sean McVay
“Sean McVay informed the team he is excited to return next season,” the team said in a brief statement on twitter.
After a disappointing 5-12 season concluded on Sunday, he had said he was going to take his time to make a decision over his future plans.
McVay, who led the Rams to a Super Bowl triumph last season, has a contract that runs until the end of the 2026 season.
The 36-year-old has been in charge of the Rams since 2017 having previously been offensive coordinator with Washington.
Speaking on Monday at his end of season press conference, McVay said that he needed time to process his thinking.
“I don’t get the sense in the least bit I’m done coaching,” McVay said. “It’s just a matter of what does that look like as it relates to the immediate future is more about what you’re really working through right now.”
He said that he felt “unconditional support” from the team’s owner Stan Kroenke and top executives.
“In some instances, it almost creates more challenges. But you are so grateful, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of the unconditional support that I feel from Mr. Kroenke and from those guys as it relates to how we move forward accordingly,” he said.
Deshaun Watson says he’s “locked in on being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns” as he prepares to helm the team in Houston on Sunday in his return from an 11-game NFL ban.
Watson was suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.
Watson missed the entire 2021 season amid the allegations while with the Houston Texans. He didn’t face criminal charges and landed a five-year, $230 million deal with the Browns.
His long-awaited debut will come against his former team in Texas, where attorney Tony Buzbee said this week that some 10 of the Watson accusers he represented were planning to attend the game.
“They thought it important to make clear that they are still here and that they matter,” Buzbee said.
“I’m not worried about the atmosphere,” Watson said Thursday in his pre-game press conference.
Watson has denied wrongdoing, and on Thursday deflected questions about the accusations, his suspension and the counselings that the NFL mandated he receive.
“There are only football questions that I can address at this time,” he said. “I’m focusing on football.
“At this time, I can’t address any of that stuff. Who knows what the future holds? Right now, I’m locked in on being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.”
Watson took his first throws as the Browns starting quarterback in practice on Wednesday.
He takes over a Browns team that are 4-7, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers behind the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals — both at 7-4 — in the AFC North division.
Jacoby Brissett guided the Browns to a dramatic 23-17 comeback win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but the Browns are hoping the arrival of Watson will expand their offensive horizons and resuscitate their playoff hopes.
“He’s special,” running back Nick Chubb said. “He’s a playmaker. He puts the ball exactly where he needs it to go. Guys like that. Guys are excited. We all are. We’re ready.”
Elsewhere, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was planning to lead the Packers against the Chicago Bears despite being forced out of the team’s 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday with a rib injury.
The four-time and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player said after the game that he went to the locker room to get checked out because of the intense pain and trouble breathing that had him fearing a punctured lung.
But Rogers, who was already playing with a broken thumb, said on Wednesday he was “feeling better than I thought I was going to feel … definitely encouraged by the last couple of days.”
Rodgers expects to play through pain on Sunday but “nothing that I can’t deal with.”
Eagles flying high
And he’s eager to try to pile up a few more wins, even though the 4-8 Packers’ playoff hopes are all but dead, and not yet contemplating stepping aside for young backup and heir apparent Jordan Love.
“Pride, for one. Love of the game,” said Rodgers of soldiering on. “I love to compete, and I want to be out there with my guys.”
The 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles could clinch a playoff berth on Sunday, but they’d need plenty of help to lock up a post-season spot this early along with a victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Philadelphia’s dynamic quarterback Jalen Hurts piled up 310 total yards — including 157 rushing yards — in last week’s victory over Green Bay.
Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel, whose Titans top the AFC South, is the latest to try to figure out how to stop — or at least slow — Hurts.
“He’s going to be difficult to defend,” he added of the QB who has accounted for 25 touchdowns — 17 passing and eight rushing — this season.
Aaron Rodgers wants the Green Bay Packers to embrace their underdog status as the struggling team bids to snap a three-game losing streak against the in-form Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
After winning three of their first four games, the Packers’ season has gone off the rails in recent weeks with defeats to the New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Commanders leaving the team at 3-4.
On paper, there couldn’t be a worse time for the Packers to be heading to Western New York to face Josh Allen and the Bills (5-1), who are well-rested after a bye week that followed a statement victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
But Rodgers believes the fact that the Packers are being written off — bookmakers make the Bills favorites to win by more than 10 points — can be turned into a positive.
“Embrace the fact that nobody is expecting you to win … I’ve always enjoyed that feeling,” the veteran Green Bay quarterback said this week ahead of Sunday’s nationally televised prime-time fixture.
“For these guys with a lot to prove, hopefully they embrace that as well. It’s time to make a name for yourself in this league. There’s a lot of guys that are going to get opportunities on Sunday on national TV with millions and millions of people watching.
“Great time for some of those guys to step into the limelight.”
Rodgers could head into Sunday’s game with an offense denuded by injuries.
Star receiver Randall Cobb has already been ruled out, while Allen Lazard is also doubtful with a shoulder injury.
It has left some wondering whether the Packers may even struggle to reach the playoffs this season.
However, Packers coach Matt LaFleur says his team can’t hide behind the injuries to explain recent difficulties.
“To me, that’s nothing more than an excuse,” LaFleur said of the Packers’ injury problems.
“You’ve got to find a way. We’ve got to do a better job of putting our guys in position. We’ve got to do a better job collectively.”
Rams eye 49ers revenge
Elsewhere on Sunday, the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams have the chance to get their season back on track in a divisional battle against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Rams have stumbled through the opening weeks of the campaign, struggling to find the offensive consistency that carried them to an NFL championship last season.
The Rams (3-3) were comprehensively outplayed by the 49ers earlier this month, losing 24-9.
Since then, the 49ers have strengthened their offense with the recruitment of running back Christian McCaffrey, giving Rams coach Sean McVay another defensive headache going into Sunday’s game at SoFi Stadium.
“There’s no limitations in his game,” McVay said of McCaffrey.
“So we have to be able to play sound defense, do a great job. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
A victory for the Rams could see them pull ahead of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West divisional race.
The Seahawks (4-3) host the New York Giants (6-1) on Sunday in what is the only fixture between two teams with winning records.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll has spent the week devising a plan to nullify Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who is currently second in the league for overall rushing yards with 726.
“He has everything,” Carroll said.
“He’s got power, he’s got speed, he’s got tremendous elusiveness and his tackle-breaking ability is as good as anybody that plays the game.
“He poses the ultimate threat … This is as hard as it gets.”
The Philadelphia Eagles (6-0), meanwhile, will be expected to extend their perfect start to the season to seven games when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles signaled their determination to mount a championship campaign this week after trading for top pass rusher Robert Quinn from the Chicago Bears.
Quinn will make his debut against the Steelers (2-5) in what should be a straightforward assignment for Philadelphia.
