The Daily Briefing Thursday, September 23, 2021

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Circumstance has handed the reins of the Bears offense over to QB JUSTIN FIELDS.

Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields will make his first career start Sunday as Andy Dalton is expected to be out with a left knee injury, coach Matt Nagy told reporters Wednesday.

“It’s a great opportunity for Justin and for all of us as a staff to be able to take this thing and see where he goes with this,” Nagy said of Fields’ first starting opportunity.

Fields said he believes he is ready for his first NFL start.

“I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time,” Fields said. “My mindset doesn’t change. I’m still going to have to play my football and just prepare the best I can. Like I said before, get a lot of practice reps and study, study, study, and get more comfortable and confident with the plays and stuff like that.”

Dalton suffered the knee injury Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals after landing awkwardly on the Chicago sideline following a scramble. Dalton’s left knee appeared to buckle, and he immediately pointed to Fields to enter the game and headed to the blue injury tent to be examined. Dalton initially appeared to check out OK and reentered the game for a series before going back to the locker room before halftime and later being ruled out.

Nagy reiterated Wednesday that Dalton would be the Bears’ starter once he is healthy enough to play. The coach said the three-time Pro Bowler is week-to-week, though the Bears don’t think Dalton will be placed on injured reserve.

“Andy is still battling through his injury,” Nagy said. “Like I said to you the other day, we’re glad that it’s not his ACL. We’re not expecting him to practice today or to have him available this week, so he’ll be week-to-week.”

Fields went 6-for-13 passing for 60 yards with an interception and rushed 10 times for 31 yards against the Bengals. He threw two passes, both completions, in a Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

We don’t see it mentioned, somewhat amazingly, but the opponents for the Bears are the Browns and the game is Cleveland in the state where Fields made college magic.

DETROIT

The Lions admit they are trying to peddle veteran LB JAMIE COLLINS.  Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com:

Detroit Lions linebacker Jamie Collins didn’t report to the practice facility on Thursday, and coach Dan Campbell confirmed that the team is exploring a trade for the nine-year veteran.

Campbell felt it was important to be transparent throughout the process, explaining that the team has met with the one-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion to communicate their plans.

The Lions are hoping to complete the process sooner than later, Campbell said, but they’re not putting a timetable on it either. Campbell said they have suitors.

“Just felt like it was time for a reduced role and I have too much respect for him to do that,” Campbell said. “We felt like it was time for [Derrick] Barnes and [Jalen] Reeves-Maybin to play more. This is really the reason why we’re making the decision we’re making — we’re trying to move forward.”

After a two-game assessment, Campbell and the coaching staff indicated this was the best decision to open up more opportunities for other guys.

The Lions also signed inside linebacker Josh Woods to the active roster from the Chicago Bears’ practice squad on Thursday, while placing wide receiver Tyrell Williams on injured reserve and kicker Austin Seibert on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

“It’s time for us to start to look at some of our young guys and allow them the chance to go out there and play,” said Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

Collins racked up 10 total tackles with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery in back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Green Bay. Campbell said he feels moving in another direction was the best decision for both sides and would’ve preferred that same openness when he was once an NFL player in their shoes.

“You don’t want to hide from it. You don’t want to sugarcoat it. You just tell it like it is because you can respect that,” Campbell said. “You may not like it, but you’ll always respect it.”

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

G NICK GATES has a fight ahead of him to get back on the field.  Patrik Walker ofCBSSports.com:

Things are taking a very dark turn for Nick Gates and the New York Giants. The veteran lineman was knocked out of the Week 2 contest against the Washington Football Team with a fractured leg, going down on the first play of the Giants second possession of the game — put in an air cast and immediately carted off of the field. Gates was moved to season-ending injured reserve in short order, but the concern on his future availability now goes beyond the remainder of 2021.

According to head coach Joe Judge, the 25-year-old remains in the hospital at this time, and the Giants can’t rule out the possibility of it being a career-ending injury.

“I’d be lying if I said no,” Judge said, via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.com.

There is a least a bit of confidence Gates will dodge such a terrible outcome, thought.

“We’re confident he’ll be able to come back,” added Judge, before circling back to concern. “But yes, it could be career-ending.”

Gates started the season at center for the Giants before being moved to left guard, and his absence will create the need for a long-term shuffle across the offensive line in front of quarterback Daniel Jones — who has already been sacked six times over the first two games of 2021. Gates, an undrafted free agent signing of the Giants in 2018, started in only three games as in Year 2 before being awarded the role full-time last season, going on to start in all 16 regular season games.

He spent the entirety of his rookie season on injured reserve and will now spend the remainder of his fourth year there as well, now fighting to return for a fifth NFL season and beyond.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

Keep an eye on WR DeANDRE HOPKINS for the game in JAX this week.  Josh Alper ofProFootballTalk.com:

Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins wasn’t on the practice field Thursday, but one of his teammates doesn’t think there’s anything to worry about on Sunday.

Hopkins is dealing with a rib injury and has not practiced yet this week. Hopkins only missed two offensive snaps in Week Two and A.J. Green said he doesn’t expect to have to pick up any of Hopkins’ slack against Jacksonville this weekend either.

“Hop don’t miss games,” Green said, via Darren Urban of the team’s website.

Hopkins has missed two games since entering the NFL. The last one came while he was with the Texans in 2019.

Urban passed along word that tackle Kelvin Beachum, cornerback Byron Murphy, and tackle Justin Murray were also missing from the practice field.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

We think we know who BRETT HUNDLEY is, the guy who might start for the Ravens.  Went to UCLA, played with Packers and Cardinals.

So who is QB TYLER HUNTLEY?  We ask because of this from Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t appear on Wednesday’s injury report. He quite possibly will appear on Thursday’s.

Via Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun, Jackson missed practice on Thursday. On Wednesday, he said his hip was sore from landing on it after flipping into the end zone for a touchdown.

Soon, the Ravens will issue their practice report for the day.

If Jackson can’t play, Tyler Huntley would get the nod against the Lions on Sunday. While it’s too early to assume that will happen, it’s apparently not too early to worry about the possibility.

Was he a QB at Utah?  That’s our best guess.

Through the magic of Google, we can say “Bingo!”  He’s from Hallandale Beach, Florida and we even saw him play in person once in Salt Lake City. Three-year starter for the Utes.  And we are ashamed to say we missed that he filled in some for Jackson late last year:

Huntley signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2020.[10] He was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to the team’s practice squad the next day.[11][12] He was elevated to the active roster on December 2, December 19, December 26, and January 2, 2021, for the team’s weeks 12, 15, 16, and 17 games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and Cincinnati Bengals, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.[13][14][15][16] In the fourth quarter against Jacksonville, Huntley stepped in for starter Lamar Jackson and went 2 of 4 for seven yards along with four rushes for 18 rushing yards (which included two kneel downs) as the Ravens won 40–14.[17] Against the Bengals, as the game quickly became a Ravens blowout, he entered the game late in the third quarter. He completed one pass attempt for eight yards while rushing six times for five yards as the Ravens won 38–3.[18] He was elevated again on January 9 and 15 for the team’s wild card and divisional playoff games against the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills, and reverted to the practice squad again following each game.[19] Huntley played the entire fourth quarter of the Bills game after Jackson was knocked out with a concussion. He went 6 of 13 for 60 passing yards along with three rushes for 32 yards, as the Ravens lost 3–17.[20] On January 18, 2021, Huntley signed a reserve/futures contract with the Ravens.[21]

– – –

John Harbaugh joins Ron Rivera in endorsing the crackdown on “taunting.”  Chris Cwik of YahooSports,com:

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh believes the NFL is doing the right thing by cracking down on taunting. Harbaugh came out in support of the new taunting rule Wednesday, saying he wants NFL players to be good role models for kids.

Harbaugh added that he believes the NFL is “out in front” on the issue.

Harbaugh’s full answer read:

“Well, I haven’t personally looked at any of the calls so far. I agree with the idea. Sportsmanship is very important. The way we treat one another is very important. I think the NFL is out in front in so many ways. We’re high profile. Kids watch us all the time. So the way we treat one another on the field is very important. It’s about respect. Respecting one another out there. How it gets interpreted from game to game, I think that’s something you gotta work through. But it’s basically about respect and respecting one another and sportsmanship.”

There have been 10 penalties for taunting over the first two weeks of the 2021 NFL season. Harbaugh’s Ravens were flagged once for violating the rule. The Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers have each received two penalties for taunting. They are the only teams to be flagged more than one time so far.

Harbaugh’s comments echo what Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said about the issue Tuesday. Rivera — who is a member of the NFL competition committee — also came out in support of the new rules against taunting.

Harbaugh is not a member of the competition committee, but the Ravens do have a say in what rules get introduced every season. Former Ravens general manager — and current team executive — Ozzie Newsome is one of the 10 men on the competition committee.

CLEVELAND

After reading this, do you feel good about WR ODELL BECKHAM, Jr. and Sunday with Chicago?  Jake Trotter of ESPN.com:

Odell Beckham Jr. is getting closer to completing his comeback and finally playing again.

But the star Cleveland Browns wide receiver is not ready to make it official just yet.

“We’ll see,” Beckham said Thursday, when asked if he’ll be making his season debut Sunday against the Chicago Bears. “Taking it [one] day at a time.”

OBJ is working his way back from last year’s season-ending left knee injury, which has forced him to sit out Cleveland’s first two games this season. He suffered a torn ACL on Oct. 25, and was a limited participant throughout training camp and practice for the first two weeks of the season.

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But Wednesday, coach Kevin Stefanski said Beckham was “full go” in the practice for the first time.

“Everything going smooth,” Beckham said. “Part of the progression, working my way into it. Everything feeling good. Just taking it day by day.”

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

Who knew that QB BRETT HUNDLEY was with the Colts, much less facing a starting assignment.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

Apparently, the Titans need to prepare for three different quarterbacks.

According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Colts practice squad QB Brett Hundley took the majority of starter reps in Wednesday’s practice. If starter Carson Wentz is not able to play due to his two sprained ankles, then both Hundley and Jacob Eason could both see time against Tennessee on Sunday.

The Colts have until Saturday to elevate Hundley to their gameday roster. Pelissero reports a final decision on whether or not Wentz plays may not come until Sunday.

Hundley has been with Indianapolis since July 31, when Wentz had to undergo surgery to repair his broken foot. Hundley spent the rest of training camp with the club and signed with the practice squad at the start of the regular season.

Hundley’s experience is reportedly a factor in his potential playing time. A fifth-round pick in 2015, Hundley started nine games for Green Bay in 2017 — albeit with middling results. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,836 yards with nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions that season, compiling a 3-6 record as a starter.

While Eason is the team’s backup, he’s inexperienced. That showed last week when he threw an interception to Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey on his second passing attempt last Sunday.

Wentz did not participate in Wednesday’s practice after undergoing aggressive treatment on his ankles. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to participate at all this week, but there is a possibility he plays against Tennessee even without practicing.

Wentz sprained both of his ankles during the Week Two loss to the Rams. Wentz’s right ankle was injured late in the game when the quarterback was twisted down by defensive tackle Aaron Donald. His left ankle was sprained earlier in the contest, but Wentz was able to play through it.

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND

Alex Guerrero sends a message from the TOM BRADY camp about late stage Bill Belichick.  Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:

Tom Brady’s personal trainer, Alex Guerrero, said Patriots coach Bill Belichick “never evolved” in how he treated the star quarterback, a factor that contributed to Brady’s exit in 2020 after 20 seasons in New England.

“It was like Bill never really … I think his emotions or feelings never evolved with age,” Guerrero told the Boston Herald on Wednesday. “As Tom got into his late 30s or early 40s, I think Bill was still trying to treat him like that 20-year-old kid that he drafted. And all the players, I think, realized Tom was different. He’s older, so he should be treated differently. And all the players, none of them would have cared that he was treated differently.

“I think that was such a Bill thing. He never evolved. So you can’t treat someone who’s in his 40s like they’re 20. It doesn’t work.”

Guerrero’s remarks came more than a week ahead of one of the NFL’s most anticipated games of the season, when Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Belichick’s Patriots on Oct. 3.

While the Buccaneers (2-0) visit the Los Angeles Rams (2-0) in a battle of top NFC teams and the Patriots (1-1) host the New Orleans Saints (1-1) on Sunday, the spotlight has naturally shined on the Brady-Belichick dynamic.

“People could have made different choices, and they could have rode out into the sunset together. That could have been a pretty cool story too,” Guerrero told the Boston Herald.

Of Brady’s return to face the Patriots for the first time since his departure in free agency in March 2020, Guerrero told the Herald: “He and I have spent a lot of time together, and we really haven’t spent that much time talking about Week 4. We’ve really spent a lot of time just talking about the week that we’re in and trying to stay focused on that.

“But … I know how I would feel coming back, and I would think he would feel the same. There’s a lot of years spent there. There’s a great excitement to see there, be there, feel the energy, see the fans, feel the fans. I think it’s going to be very exciting.”

THIS AND THAT

COMEBACK

Matthew Berry of ESPN.com on the Greatest Comeback In Fantasy History – made by Jacobb with two Bs:

Any discussion of the greatest comebacks in sports starts with the same list.

Reggie Miller scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds to bring the Pacers back from six down against the Knicks in ’95.

The Red Sox, mired in an 86-year drought, down 3-0 to the hated rival Yankees in the 2004 ALCS and facing Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth down 4-3 in Game 4, winning that game on a Big Papi home run in the 12th, ultimately winning the series and the World Series.

The 2016 Cubs, mired in an even longer drought (108 years!) being down 3-1 in the World Series to Cleveland only to come back and win it all.

That same year, the Cleveland Cavaliers coming back from down 3-1 to the 73-win Golden State Warriors, the most successful regular-season team in NBA history, to win the NBA championship.

There’s then-backup quarterback Frank Reich leading the Bills to victory against the Houston Oilers after being down 35-3 in the 1992 wild-card game. The Bills don’t make it to the third of four Super Bowls in a row if Reich doesn’t make this win happen.

Texas A&M men’s basketball, overtime winners after being down 12 to Northern Iowa with only 44.3 seconds left to play in the first round of the 2016 NCAA tournament.

And, of course, there is “28-3.” The Patriots, down 25 to Atlanta in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, only to come back and win it in overtime.

There are golfers, tennis players and soccer teams. I’m sure you could add any number of your favorites to this list of greatest sports comebacks of all time.

A list that now includes Jacobb Lemos of Yucaipa, California.

Currently a junior studying psychology at Cal State San Bernardino, Jacobb (yes, two B’s) is a longtime fantasy football player, having joined a family league when he was just 10 years old.

He’s playing in two leagues this year, including a 12-team league comprising all his buddies from his summer job working in a local warehouse.

With significant (to a college kid) stakes on the line, and after a ninth place finish last year, Jacobb was determined to right the ship this season. He wasn’t able to get Alvin Kamara (his favorite player) in the draft but he still honored his hero by naming his team “Instant Kamara,” and thanks to big games from Amari Cooper, Antonio Brown and the Saints’ defense, Jacobb started out with a win in Week 1.

But in Week 2, disaster struck. Playing his good friend Art’s “COLTON Lunie,” which started the week hot. I mean, Art got 22 points (22!) from Graham Gano on Thursday night. So Jacobb was already facing an uphill battle heading into weekend.

Jacobb’s Week 1 stars struggled in Week 2. Just a combined 13.1 points for Antonio Brown, Amari Cooper and the Saints’ D. Another five from his kicker, Younghoe Koo, and Jacobb had just 18.1 points from four players, 3.9 points fewer than Gano’s Thursday total.

And Art was pouring it on.

You know, fantasy football is a made-up, online game and (most) NFL players rightfully don’t know or care about whose fantasy team they are on. And yet, perhaps sensing Art’s desperation — he finished last in 2020 and had started this season 0-1 — his team stepped up. In a big way.

Julio Jones (18.8 points) and Ezekiel Elliott (17.7) had big rebound games. Art made a smart start decision with Teddy Bridgewater (21.22), and he got the typical strong games from DeAndre Hopkins (15.4) and Adam Thielen (15.9).

All in all, Art’s team put up 130.72 points in Week 2, a nice score for a 12-team league where you start the usual nine.

Jacobb’s score was 34.1 heading into Monday Night Football.

Down by almost 100 points.

Jacobb still had four players left to play, but do the math. He’d need his four players to average 25 points. Having even one player get 25 points is rare enough, but to get 100 total points from four guys — the right four players — the same NFL game? The odds aren’t good.

Jacobb’s league plays on ESPN, and on all of our matchup pages, we use projections and how the games are going to calculate the odds of victory. Heading into Monday Night, ESPN gave Jacobb a 1% chance of winning, the lowest possible odds for a game still in progress.

Some fantasy managers might have blown off the game, ignored it, mentally moved on to Week 3 and been done with it.

But not Jacobb.

Instead of cursing the fantasy gods, getting mad at himself, or wallowing in self-pity, Jacobb realized that fantasy football had given him a great gift. Fantasy football had given Jacobb a chance.

Great moments are born from great opportunity, and as Jacobb sat down to watch Monday Night Football, he understood what was before him. A chance at the greatest comeback in fantasy football history.

His four players were Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, D’Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson.

First quarter. Aaron Jones catches a pass from Aaron Rodgers for a touchdown. Double points. T.J. Hockenson catches one as well. With 1:52 left in the second quarter, Aaron Jones catches another touchdown pass from Rodgers, this one a short 1-yard dump-off. Another double score and Jacobb starts thinking this might actually be happening.

Third quarter now, and Rodgers throws two more touchdown passes, including his third to Jones. Jacobb is so close he can taste it. But he’s not there yet.

With just 3:07 left in the game, Jacobb is now losing 130.7 to 128.8.

Jared Good throws a pass to D’Andre Swift for 7 yards. Oh wow. 130.7 to 130.5 Three minutes left.

A 5-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown does Jacobb no good. Neither does the Lions’ next play, a 24-yard pass to Trinity Benson. There is just 2:08 left in the game.

And then it happens. A 16-yard pass to Swift, 2.6 points. Jacobb is now at 133.1 and is on the verge the greatest comeback in fantasy football history. A fumble could still cost him. But Swift adds one more 7-yard catch for good measure, and the final score is 134.8 to 130.72.

Amazing. Unreal. Only in sports.

There were a lot of games swung by Monday night, and I heard from so many of you about the comebacks you made.

But man. Basically down 100 points. All four guys need to hit — including a tight end and two different players from each team.

It was a 1% chance. But it was a chance.

Did Berry intentionally call JARED GOFF by the name “Jared Good”, as in not Jared Great – or was that a typo?