Before we kick off our picks and rankings for Week 13, we need to point an eye back to the previous weekend of the NFL season and focus on the fallout of the last Thursday through Monday of action. It’s been eventful to say the least.
ELI MANNING IS DONE IN NEW YORK
New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo has leaned into his eventual unemployment by informing Eli Manning that his quarterback services would no longer be needed. McAdoo apparently offered Manning a shot to continue his starting streak as he tries out Geno Smith and Davis Webb at quarterback. Manning decided he wanted no part of that.
Now, the NFL is very much a meritocracy and if Manning was playing poorly the benching would be warranted, but he’s been anything but the problem for the Giants. No, the biggest problem is McAdoo himself, so if he really wanted to improve the team, he’d go ahead and resign.
https://twitter.com/89SteveSmith/status/935652780026597376
But, no, McAdoo has decided to point his worthless finger at Manning, ending his consecutive starts streak at 210 and pissing off every former New York player on the planet. There’s a thought that if McAdoo is fired in the off-season, and he most certainly will be, that Manning might stay in New York. I don’t see that happening.
Nope, Eli is gone and will be suiting up for the Denver Broncos or the Jacksonville Jaguars next season.
Now, the blame has been rightly placed on McAdoo, but apparently team co-owner John Mara was all for it. If you’re wondering why your team is going to suck ass for the next five seasons, Giants fans, be sure to factor in that one. When Manning is taking another team to the playoffs and maybe beyond, remember this moment.
The last two Hall of Fame quarterbacks that were run out of their towns prematurely made it to the Super Bowl. Kurt Warner did it once with the Arizona Cardinals after the St. Louis Rams kicked him to the curb. Eli’s brother Peyton twice with the Broncos after the Indianapolis Colts cut him. But, hell, at least they got Andrew Luck out of the deal.
Manning has a no-trade clause in his contract, but he’ll likely wave that. He’ll be 37 years old next season and probably has at least three more seasons worth of football left in him.
@BobPapa_NFL & I just took a break from our radio show to grab a coffee to see only 2 @Giants players in the cafeteria. It was Eli Manning sitting next to Davis Webb mentoring him #Respect #Character #Selfless
— Coach David Diehl (@davediehl66) November 29, 2017
Geno Smith will make the official start for the Giants against the Oakland Raiders. Once it was announced, the line has already bumped up 1.5 points, from Raiders -7 to -8.5. It might hit 10 points by Sunday.
For his part, Manning is being a good teammate. He’s helping Smith and Webb prepare for the game, for whatever it’s worth.
Speaking of the Giants, they lost Pro Bowl cornerback Janoris Jenkins for the rest of the season Sunday. Jenkins injured his ankle scoring on an interception return against the Washington Redskins last Sunday.
TOM BRADY’S ACHILLES MIGHT BE A REAL PROBLEM
For the second straight week New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has missed practice with a sore Achilles. It’s not affected his game day preparation or his performance… yet.
There’s plenty of reason to worry. Just a few weeks ago Richard Sherman had a sore Achilles and it ended up tearing it when making a tackle. With the beating Brady has taken this year, there has to be some concern.
Did Tom Brady aggravate his Achilles injury Sunday against the Dolphins? https://t.co/xU0qdXC2gu pic.twitter.com/VnOMZz26rw
— NESN (@NESN) November 29, 2017
Meanwhile, the Patriots have all of jack shit behind Brady. Brian Hoyer is his back up and all that means is a quick playoff exit and all the work New England put forth to get this far is down the toilet.
Last week Brady threw for 227 yards and four touchdowns while Hoyer cleared out two levels of Candy Crush on his Microsoft Surface Tablet.
MICHAEL CRABTREE AND AQIB TALIB GET SUSPENSIONS REDUCED
After their UFC throwdown last Sunday, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree and Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib were each suspended for two games. After appealing their suspensions, both men got their punishments reduced to just one game apiece.
Crabtree will sit out this week against the Giants and return to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 4. Talib will miss Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. He’ll be back for the New York Jets.
Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib do not like eachother pic.twitter.com/KJHl0W2ADP
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) November 26, 2017
Crabtree has caught 42 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns this season. Talib has 19 tackles, six passes defended, a pick and a touchdown this season.
In other Raiders wide receiver news, and it’s not good, Amari Cooper is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol after getting knocked from last week’s game. On top of that, he’s dealing with an ankle injury too. CBS Sports is reporting that Cooper probably won’t suit up Sunday. That means Seth Roberts and Cordarelle Patterson will likely be starters this week.
Cooper has 42 catches for 499 yards and five touchdowns this season. Roberts has 24 catches for 262 yards and a score. Patterson has 21 hauls for 186 yards. He’s rushed 10 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
IT’S JIMMY GAROPPOLO TIME!
After filling in for an injured C.J. Beathard last Sunday, Jimmy Garoppolo will finally be handed the keys full time for the San Francisco 49ers. He’ll make his first start for his new team at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears.
Jimmy Garoppolo's first 49ers snap pic.twitter.com/uN7BhLhpmk
— Superdrunkmark69 (@cjzer0) November 27, 2017
Garoppolo attempted only two passes last week against the Seattle Seahawks, completing both of them including a 10 yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy. This will be Garoppolo’s third career start. He went 2-0 with the New England Patriots last season, completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 502 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. In fact, Garoppolo has attempted 96 passes as a pro without throwing a pick.
KEY WEEK 12 INJURIES
The Paxton Lynch era ended in Denver just as quickly as it began. Lynch went down with an ankle injury late in the game with the Raiders and will miss 2-to-4 weeks. That means it’ll be Trevor Siemian or Brock Osweiler again, so hide the sleeping pills and razor blades, Broncos fans. Lynch was a pathetic 9-of-14 for 41 yards and an interception in the 21-14 loss and was sacked four times.
Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Connor Barwin will miss at least three weeks after injuring his forearm in their 26-20 win over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday. Barwin underwent Surgery early this week. In his place, rookie Samson Ebukam will see plenty of action opposite Robert Quinn. Barwin has 25 tackles, four sacks and one fumble recovery this season. Ebukam has 10 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.
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