The Daily Briefing

THE DAILY BRIEFING NFC NORTH CHICAGO The Bears are happy with DL MONTEZ SWEAT, despite the high cost of the midseason trade.  Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com: Chicago Bears defensive line coach Travis Smith was walking through a Soldier Field tunnel following his team’s win over the Detroit Lions on Dec. 10. As Smith made his…

THE DAILY BRIEFING NFC NORTH   GREEN BAY A huge game on Sunday – and the Packers have chosen to play it without their elite cornerback.  Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com: Jaire Alexander’s strange season has taken another turn. Three days after he anointed himself as one of the Green Bay Packers’ captains — and then…

THE DAILY BRIEFING NFC NORTH   MINNESOTA This isn’t good for the Vikings.  Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com: A series of tests revealed that Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson tore both the ACL and MCL ligaments in his right knee during the team’s 30-24 loss Sunday to the Detroit Lions, coach Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday.…

THE DAILY BRIEFING If The Season Ended Today in the AFC: w-l               conf         17        18 Baltimore        North    12-3              7-3          MIA      PIT Miami              East     11-4              7-3          bal       BUF Kansas City    West       9-6             7-3          CIN      lac Jacksonville    South     8-7              6-5         CAR     ten                                                                     Cleveland        WC1     10-5             7-3          NYJ     cin Buffalo             WC2      9-6             5-5           NE      mia Indianapolis     WC3      8-7    …

THE DAILY BRIEFING Sometimes, the NFL seems to use microscopic inspection to overturn calls on evidence that really isn’t “clear and convincing.” But Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks two recent plays indicate the NFL is backing away from long, painstaking reviews and subsequent reversals. One of the problems with the league’s replay-review system is that,…

THE DAILY BRIEFING If The Season Ended Today In The NFC: W-L                Conf            16           17           18 San Francisco*  West     11-3                 9-1           BAL         was        LAR Dallas                East      10-4                 7-3            mia          DET      was Detroit               North     10-4                 6-3           min           dal         MIN Tampa Bay       South       7-7                6-4            JAX          NO        car Philadelphia      WC1      10-4                6-3            NYG         ARZ      nyg Minnesota         WC2       …

THE DAILY BRIEFING If The Season Ended Today, the Ravens and Dolphins reign, but close with tough schedules w-l               conf          16       17        18 Baltimore        North    11-3              7-3            sf       MIA      PIT Miami              East     10-4              7-3          DAL     bal       BUF Kansas City    West       9-5             7-2           LV       CIN      lac Jacksonville    South     8-6              6-5           tb        CAR    ten                                                                     Cleveland        WC1      9-5            …

THE DAILY BRIEFING The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award operates in the same atmosphere as the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.  Here are this year’s eight finalists from Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The NFL announced the eight finalists for this season’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award on Thursday.   The award is given to the…

THE DAILY BRIEFING Despite impressive numbers, Roger Goodell will continue his quest to further diversify the NFL beyond the player pool.  Tashan Reed of The Athletic: Last week, the NFL announced that a majority of club personnel — 51 percent — is made up of people of color and/or women for the first time in…

THE DAILY BRIEFING NFC NORTH CHICAGO A season-ending injury for the Bears.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue’s 2023 season is over.   Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced at a Wednesday press conference that Ngakoue broke his ankle late in last Sunday’s win over the Lions. He will be placed on injured…