By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 2015 finalists live Thursday on Gold Jacket Finalists on NFL Network. But as with any round of cuts, objections follow.
Fans took to NFL.com’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Vote to provide their input on who they think should be in the 2015 group, and the results essentially mirrored the actual finalists — save for one exception. Continue reading
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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The winding tale of Terrelle Pryor has seen its latest twist.
After spending the 2014 season on the tryout circuit, Pryor has found his latest team. NFL Media’s Albert Breer reports, per a source, that the quarterback has signed a 1-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Pryor tweeted his excitement about his latest opportunity: Continue reading
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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NFL teams spend all season battling for the right to go to the postseason. Once a berth is locked up, the prime objective through Week 17 is to secure the best possible seed. Why?
Because the highest seed gets home-field advantage in the playoffs, and there’s no better place to play postseason football than at home. Crowds are raucous, stakes are high and historical records are in the favor of those wearing the home uniforms.
Postseason football on the road is often the most difficult, a fact proven by Wild Card weekend. Visiting teams went 1-3, and only one game was a one-possession contest inside two minutes.
That matchup — Cowboys vs. Lions — and its controversial end will likely be debated for days, before the collective attention of fans and media alike turns to Packers/Cowboys. The clock is ticking on that one.
But despite the loss, Detroit still featured at least a couple commendable performances. We’ll get to those later.
In the meantime, since we’ve reached the postseason and Baltimore is in said postseason, that one E word is going creep into consciousness.
But I have one pressing question: Is this column elite?
Here are Wild Card weekend’s greatest on the road:
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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In the confusing aftermath of the final minutes of the Dallas Cowboys‘ 24-20 Wild Card win over the Detroit Lions, the officiating crew assigned to the game made an attempt to clarify just what happened.
Referee Pete Morelli spoke with reporter Todd Archer following the game and described how the officials decided to pick up a flag that had initially been declared as pass interference on the Cowboys‘ Anthony Hitchens. Continue reading
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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Sunday of Week 17 offered us an appetizing slate of extremely important matchups for more than a few road squads. Some prospered, and some faltered.
Carolina’s defense played the game of its collective life, terrorizing Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons‘ offense and the tri-county area of Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett on Sunday. If I could give the award to the Panthers‘ defense I would, but I have to pick names, and it’s hard to decide between Roman Harper‘s 31-yard pick six, Tre Boston‘s 84-yard pick six and Thomas Davis‘ 33-yard fumble return.
San Diego, on the other hand, choked away the simplest of paths to a playoff berth, falling to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium when all they needed to do was win, and they were in.
And then, of course, there’s the career performance put on by Geno Smith in Rex Ryan‘s final stand, a statistical masterpiece in Ryan’s swan song.
I can tell you can’t wait to scroll down. Let’s get to the stars of Sunday, the best away from home. Continue reading
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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The Bengals lost their shot at the AFC North division crown on Sunday night, but that might not be all.
A.J. Green has entered the league’s concussion protocol, NFL Media’s Aditi Kinkhabwala reported Sunday night, after sustaining a blow to the head from Steelers safety Mike Mitchell late in the fourth quarter of the Bengals‘ 27-17 loss.
The hit came less than a second after Green hauled in a 17-yard pass and was wrestled down toward the ground by Antwon Blake, forcing a fumble. The result was a pivotal recovery by the Steelers, ending the Bengals‘ drive. Continue reading
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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Who says offensive linemen aren’t nice guys?
The Oakland Raiders — a franchise with a savage for a mascot and an aura of intimidation about it — feature one kind-hearted soul housed inside a gargantuan frame.
In a story first reported by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, offensive tackle Menelik Watson donated his Week 16 game check to the family of a 4-year-old girl in need.
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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It’s that time of the year. It’s that time when we all start to tire of holiday advertisements, get paper cuts from overpriced wrapping paper and develop a serious disdain for Scotch tape. It’s that time when bad football teams face equally awful football teams and they call it the “Top College Football Player X Bowl.” But most importantly, it’s that time when late-season divisional games populate the schedule, and suddenly, we have very, very important football on deck.
Such was the case across the league on Sunday. Indianapolis clinched the AFC South with a win over division rival Houston, Denver did the same to claim the AFC West crown against San Diego, Buffalo kept its playoff hopes alive in a stunning win over Green Bay, and Carolina somehow gained control of its previously unlikely playoff aspirations. Oh, and the Jets managed to win the Marcus Mariota Bowl in Tennessee, prompting Rex Ryan to tell reporters he doesn’t give a you-know-what about the Heisman Trophy winner or the No. 1 pick.
Meaningful football typically brings the best — and sometimes, the worst — out of players on all levels. You know the saying: Big-time players make big-time plays.
Here are this week’s best big time players on the road.
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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If you’ve ever shaken and stared into a snow globe, wondering what it truly felt like to be the Santa Claus figurine inside as fake snow swirled around him, Monday night’s game might provide a bit of insight.
With winter fast approaching, fans at tonight’s Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons game will get a taste of the season thanks to the region’s frigid climate at this time of year. The forecast for the evening in Green Bay includes a temperature of 27 degrees (18-degree wind chill) and snow flurries, meaning it’s going to be cold, windy and snowy. Continue reading
By Nick Shook | NFL.com
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The word of Week 14 is “mobility.”
Mobile quarterbacks put on impressive road performances, and a certain running back (whom we’ll mention later) used his mobility to become the first since Walter Payton to post 200-plus yards from scrimmage in three straight games.
Week 14 was also a great week for mobile teams — those playing away from home — which won 10 of 15 road games.
Mobile quarterback Teddy Bridgewater posted his fifth win as a starter, a total greater than the rest of the rookie quarterbacks combined this season.
Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck used his mobility to score a rushing touchdown in a hotly contested game that produced a road victory for the Colts. Speedy receiver T.Y. Hilton wasn’t too shabby, either, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final minute and posting a final stat line of 10 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. That man canmove.
Here are this week’s most magnificent men of mobility. Continue reading
Nick Shook 