Volume 22, #267 -- Saturday Night, January 9th, 2021
News And Notes From Around The League
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Howdy Folks,
We're in the middle of Wildcard Weekend and it's glorious. Plenty more to go. Let's get to the News and Notes.
J
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. IND - QB Philip Rivers uncertain about future
2. WAS - QB Alex Smith expected to miss playoff game
3. NO - RB Alvin Kamara returns to roster
4. BUF - Zack Moss to miss time
5. CHI - Darnell Mooney ruled out
6. IND - Indianapolis out of playoffs
7. BUF - Zack Moss suffers ankle injury
8. LAR - John Wolford taken to hospital
9. BUF - QB Josh Allen joins exclusive club
10. NO - WR Michael Thomas activated from IR
11. CAR - QB Dwayne Haskins to visit Carolina
1. IND - QB Philip Rivers uncertain about future
Source: ESPN.com - Mike Wells
Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers said he is not sure if he will play next season.
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Rivers played some good football at times this season. He led the Colts to the playoffs and it came down to the last throw against the Bills. Rivers is not washed up and he's set to be a free agent this offseason. The Colts will want to know his plans ASAP so they can make their own plans at quarterback.
2. WAS - QB Alex Smith expected to miss playoff game
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Washington Football Team QB Alex Smith (calf) will not play in the Wild Card playoff game. QB Taylor Heinicke will be the starting quarterback for Washington.
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QB Taylor Heinicke will start the Wild Card playoff game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Smith not deemed ready to play. The Buccaneers defense is going to try to make it a long day for the young quarterback.
3. NO - RB Alvin Kamara returns to roster
Source: NewOrleansSaints.com
New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara (illness) was activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, Jan. 9.
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Kamara had to be quarantined through Saturday in order to play. He was practicing virtually with his teammates and should get his normal workload against the Bears on Sunday.
4. BUF - Zack Moss to miss time
Source: NFL Network - Mike Garafolo
Buffalo Bills RB Zack Moss (ankle) will miss some time because of the ankle injury he suffered during the Wild Card playoff game and could miss rest of the playoffs depending on how far the Bills go and how fast he can recover.
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It's still early but it sounds like it could be a high-ankle sprain. Those require more time to heal from and just take rest. A 'regular' sprain would mean rest during the week but perhaps Moss could be available for the Divisional Round. It sounds like that won't be the case, which means Devin Singletary will get a starter's workload for the Bills as they continue on in the postseason.
5. CHI - Darnell Mooney ruled out
Source: ChicagoBears.com
Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney (ankle) has been ruled out for the Wild Card playoff game.
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Riley Ridley and Javon Wims will get a larger workload with Mooney out. The Bears will miss his deep speed in the Wild Card Round.
6. IND - Indianapolis out of playoffs
Source: NFL.com
Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers went 27-for-46 for 309 yards and two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card playoff game. RB Jonathan Taylor rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries, while RB Nyheim Hines rushed for 75 yards on six carries. WR Michael Pittman Jr. caught five passes for 90 yards on 10 targets, TE Jack Doyle caught seven passes for 70 yards and one touchdown on nine targets, WR Zach Pascal caught three passes for 37 yards and one touchdown on five targets and WR T.Y. Hilton caught two passes for 32 yards on five targets.
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The Colts fought hard in this game. They did enough on offense, especially with Taylor rushing the rock. A missed field goal and a failed fourth-and-goal attempt could have turned this thing in the Colts favor. We'll now have to see if Rivers is going to come back as the team's starter for another year in 2021.
7. BUF - Zack Moss suffers ankle injury
Source: BuffaloBills.com - Chris Brown
Buffalo Bills RB Zack Moss (ankle) was carted off the field with an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter of the team's wild-card game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, Jan. 9, and his return is listed as doubtful.
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Moss will be examined after the game and we'll know more about the severity of the injury. A high-ankle sprain could bounce Moss from the Divisional Round. A regular sprain would mean Moss would miss time in practice next week but have a chance to play. Stay tuned.
8. LAR - John Wolford taken to hospital
Source: TheRams.com
Updating a previous report, Los Angeles Rams QB John Wolford (neck) was sent to a Seattle-area hospital as a precaution after suffering a neck injury during the Wild Card playoff game.
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Wolford was running and went down head first only to be hit by Seattle's Jamal Adams. They were checking his neck on the sidelines and he seemed to be in pain. Let's hope everything checks out okay.
9. BUF - QB Josh Allen joins exclusive club
Source: ESPN Stats and Information
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen on Saturday, Jan. 9, became the fifth player in NFL history with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the postseason. The others are QB Nick Foles, WR Julian Edelman, QB Kordell Stewart and RB Freeman McNeil.
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When the Bills offense is hot it has to do with Allen. He was outstanding for the Bills in the game against the Colts on Saturday. Allen is a bright young star and one of the best quarterbacks in the game today.
10. NO - WR Michael Thomas activated from IR
Source: NewOrleansSaints.com
New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas (ankle) was activated from the Reserve/Injured list Saturday, Jan. 9.
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Thomas is back for the Saints in the playoffs, just like they planned. They sat him down on IR awhile ago to give him time to heal. The plan was to get Thomas back for the Wild Card Round, and he'll be back out there as a favorite target of Drew Brees on Sunday.
11. CAR - QB Dwayne Haskins to visit Carolina
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Updating previous reports, free-agent QB Dwayne Haskins (Washington) is scheduled to visit the Carolina Panthers Monday, Jan. 11, according to multiple sources.
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The Panthers seem like a good fit for Haskins. They have Teddy Bridgewater as their clear-cut starter but Haskins could compete as a reserve and get his career back on track. Haskins is taking his time to find a new home and has a few teams interested in making him a reclamation project.
12. BUF - Buffalo advances to Divisional Round
Source: NFL.com
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen went 26-for-35 for 324 yards and two touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card playoff game and also rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries during the game. RB Devin Singletary rushed for 21 yards on three carries, while RB Zack Moss rushed for 21 yards on seven carries. WR Stefon Diggs caught six passes for 128 yards and one touchdown on nine targets, WR Gabriel Davis caught four passes for 85 yards on four targets and WR Cole Beasley caught seven passes for 57 yards on seven targets.
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The Bills defense was gassed by the Colts offense and it came down to the final throw of the game. Buffalo gets their first playoff win since 1995 and now advance to the Divisional Round.
13. SF - Niners unlikely to draft 1st-round QB
Source: ProFootballTalk.com - Myles Simmons
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch says the team isn't likely to draft a quarterback in the first round this spring. 'We certainly could (select a QB, but) I don't anticipate that right now. But we're so early in the process, we'll do what's best for this team,' Lynch said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. 'I do wanna make it clear, and I think Kyle and I have been fairly transparent since we've been here, we have a lot of belief in Jimmy Garoppolo. Where does that come from? It comes from the sample that we have, and when he's been out there, we've been better. We've been successful.'
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Garoppolo has two more years left on his contract but there's not much left in dead money. That means the 49ers could move on from him this offseason if they felt that was the best move. They have the no.12 pick in the first round and with five cornerbacks as UFAs in 2021 they might go defense with that first pick.
That'll do it for today, Folks. Thanks for reading and thanks for being part of the Footballguys Family. We'll see you tomorrow with the Update.
Peace,
J
