The Cleveland Browns are taking numerous precautions following a positive COVID-19 test for one of their players.
The Browns announced on Saturday that they were closing their team facility. They also delayed their flight to New Jersey so they could conduct contact tracing.
The Browns are scheduled to play at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday at the New York Jets.
Cleveland is 10-4 this season and hoping to clinch a playoff berth in a tough and competitive AFC. A win over the Jets and a loss by the Colts, Dolphins or Ravens would allow Cleveland to make the postseason. But first they will do their best to ensure their franchise avoids any spread of COVID-19.
Tom Brady took care of business in 30 minutes of football against the Detroit Lions, and he did so well he was able to take a seat in the second half.
Brady put together a game’s worth of statistics in the first half. He went 22/27 for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Brady even became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ leader for most passing touchdowns in a season with 34.
After putting up a perfect passer rating in the first half, Brady gave way to Blaine Gabbert. And guess what? Gabbert picked up where Brady left off and threw a touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski on his first pass. Gabbert even threw a touchdown pass to Mike Evans on his second drive.
After allowing 47 points through three quarters, you can understand why radio analyst Jim Miller had some criticism for Detroit.
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The Detroit Lions were taken apart on Saturday in the first half by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who put up 34 points. Detroit is 5-9, has a replacement coach filling in for their interim coach, and clearly has packed it in for the game.
Westwood One radio analyst Jim Miller noticed that and was extremely frustrated during the first half. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Miller compared the Lions’ defense to a sixth grade pick-up team.
The commentary is fitting. The Lions embarrassed themselves in the first half and that only continued in the second half.
If the team won’t even play for pride, then Miller is right to call them out for their shoddiness.
The Detroit Lions were definitely up against it facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, but even under the circumstances, it was shocking to see how bad they were in the first half.
The Lions trailed at halftime 34-0 as they were consistently torn apart by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers’ offense. In total, it was the worst first half performance by any NFL team from a defensive standpoint in a decade.
There are games where teams don’t get 410 yards of total offense, much less halves. Things were so lopsided that the Buccaneers simply sat Brady for the second half, bringing in Blaine Gabbert to see out the rest of the game while resting some regulars.
While few would have predicted it would get this bad, the Lions being flat isn’t exactly a shock. The major figures on their coaching staff are missing for this reason, and the team is looking ahead to 2021. That doesn’t excuse the performance, but there’s some context to how bad it is.
The Minnesota Vikings lost 52-33 to the New Orleans Saints on Friday, leaving coach Mike Zimmer fuming about his defense.
Zimmer’s teams are known for their tough defenses, but the 2020 Vikings have been anything but that. Zimmer admitted as much after the defeat in some incredibly blunt terms.
“Yeah, this is a bad defense,” Zimmer said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “Worst one I’ve ever had. Really disappointed defensively. You’ve gotta work really hard to give up 52.”
The stats bear this out. The Vikings are 27th in the league in both yards and points allowed. Those are easily the worst marks during Zimmer’s tenure as Minnesota’s head coach.
The Vikings are a disappointing 6-9 and have failed to meet expectations. The problems aren’t limited to the defensive side of the ball, either. They’ve got a long offseason of reckoning coming up.
Utah running back Ty Jordan was killed in an accidental shooting in Texas on Friday night at the age of 19.
Details were scarce, but Jordan was at home in Denton, Texas when the incident took place. A preliminary investigation determined that Jordan was shot and killed when the gun accidentally discharged, according to Josh Newman of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham confirmed the death in a statement.
“Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan,” Whittingham said. “Ty’s personality and smile were infectious and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us. He leaves an indelible mark on each of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts, all of us in the Utah Football Family want to say we love you Ty and may you rest in peace.”
Jordan emerged as a standout player quickly in his freshman year at Utah. He was named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year after rushing for 597 yards and six touchdowns in five games.
Kellen Moore is a familiar name for Boise State faithful, and the school legend might not be done creating his legacy there.
According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Moore is a name to watch in the school’s head coaching search. He’s currently serving as the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, and has quickly become a hot name in NFL circles. Feldman says it would be “hard to imagine” the Broncos turning Moore down if he wants the job.
Moore is a Boise State icon who went 50-3 as the team’s starting quarterback from 2008-2011. He holds pretty much every career passing record at the school. He is in his second season as Dallas’ offensive coordinator, and has even maintained playcalling duties despite the hiring of offensive-minded Mike McCarthy as head coach last offseason.
Moore’s efforts have been criticized lately, taking a bit of the shine off his growing reputation. Still, he’s a legend at Boise State, and it seems they’d love him as head coach if he wants it.
The New Orleans Saints wrapped up the NFC South on Friday with their win over the Minnesota Vikings, and it’s fair to say they took some time enjoying the moment.
Coach Sean Payton wasn’t shy about enjoying himself after the win. In fact, his locker room dance moves went viral thanks to a video from the party.
The Saints obviously have Super Bowl ambitions, but they’re enjoying the journey. This may not be the ultimate destination, but they’re not taking this step for granted, either.
Payton has made it a habit of celebrating big wins like this. We can only wonder what he’ll come up with if the Saints taste playoff success.
Marshon Lattimore responded on Twitter Friday after a Minnesota Vikings reporter called him out for dancing.
Lattimore was covering Vikings emerging rookie receiver Justin Jefferson during Friday’s 52-33 win by the New Orleans Saints. Jefferson had six catches for 85 yards in the loss. In the final two minutes of the game, Jefferson went down with an injury and exited after an incompletion on a 3rd-and-10 play.
Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan took issue with Lattimore mimicking Jefferson’s dance as Jefferson walked off the field with what appeared to be an injury.
Souhan felt Lattimore’s actions lacked class.
Lattimore saw the criticism and responded on Twitter. He told Souhan to “shut up.” Though the lack of punctuation in his tweet made it somewhat confusing to read, Lattimore seemed to be calling the criticism “lame.” He also defended himself by saying that Jefferson wasn’t injured, but merely cramping.
Lattimore’s team got the victory, so they also get the last laugh. But this sort of thing isn’t new for Lattimore, who takes great enjoyment in his successes on the field and often rubs it in.
Alvin Kamara was the story of the NFL on Christmas as he rushed for an incredible six touchdowns in the New Orleans Saints’ 52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Friday.
Kamara’s six rushing touchdowns were the most in an NFL game since Ernie Nevers accomplished the feat in 1929. That’s incredible.
Beyond the six touchdowns, Kamara also drew plenty of attention over his Christmas-themed cleats. He wore a red cleat on his right foot and a green cleat on his left foot.
The cleats are a violation of the NFL’s uniform policy, which puts Kamara in jeopardy of a fine. He called the NFL the “Grinch” for possibly fining him over the cleats.
Teammate Cam Jordan had a hilarious remark about the possible fine.
Kamara rushed for six touchdowns in a game. Six! We doubt he’ll let any possible fine ruin his week.
