National Football League News and Rumors
Mike Ditka suffers minor stroke; says it’s ‘no big deal’Doug Farrar, yahoo.com You would expect uber-tough former Chicago Bears tight end and head coach Mike Ditka to shrug off most things that would take lesser men right out. If Ditka in his prime were attacked by an actual bear (cue the Swerkski Superfans), we're pretty sure he'… |
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Fan found dead after ejection from Bills gameNov 16, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com A fan ejected from Thursday night's game between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins was found dead in a small creek Friday morning near Ralph Wilson Stadium, according to multiple reports. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Colts coach Chuck Pagano surprised his team earlier this month. He surprised them again on Friday. Via the Associated Press, Pagano showed up at practice, two days before the Colts face the Patriots in a battle of 6-3 teams. “It was a beautiful moment… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With former Raiders great Ray Guy sounding off on the absence of punters from the Hall of Fame, Guy has given the media fresh meat for the questioning of NFL types. Surprisingly, the subject prompted Pats coach Bill Belichick to offer up something much … |
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Jones-Drew says he’s still a couple of weeks awayNov 16, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last Thursday, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew told NFL Network that he’s roughly two weeks away from returning to action with a sprained foot. This Thursday, Jones-Drew adjusted his assessment. Sort of. “Hopefully I will be back in a coup… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Alabama coach Nick Saban attended this year’s NFL draft and saw five of his players go in the first 35 picks. Next year NFL teams are likely to take a similar haul of talent from Saban’s roster. Our friends at College Football Talk pass along the word… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The New Orleans Saints chased a 13-3 regular season with an 0-4 start. They snapped out of it in Week Five with a win over the Chargers, and New Orleans has now won four out of five. So when was the actual turning point for the team? All-Pro tight end… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The Lions complained after their loss to Minnesota that Vikings players took cheap shots at receiver Calvin Johnson and cornerback Chris Houston. The league office agrees with one of those. The NFL has confirmed that Vikings linebacker Jasper Brinkley w… |
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Week 11 injury report roundupNov 16, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com It’s late Friday afternoon and that can mean only one thing. The weekly look at the injury reports submitted by all of the teams playing on Sunday. If I said it was something like waking up on Christmas morning to see what was under the tree, I’d be l… |
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Harbaugh returns to Niners after heart procedureNov 16, 2012
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- Jim Harbaugh practically galloped through the locker room, lively as ever, offering a wave and a smile to long snapper Brian Jennings before putting his arm around right guard Alex Boone. |
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Quarterbacks headline the Week 11 injury reportsNov 16, 2012
Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com We begin our roundup of key injuries in the NFL with - what else - the quarterback position. Though the Chicago Bears' final injury report before Monday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers is not due until Saturday, head coach Lovie Smith has |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com During the November 4 Colts-Dolphins game, referee Tony Corrente yelled an obscenity at one of his fellow referees. Corrente is far from the first person to yell an obscenity at a co-worker, but Corrente made one big mistake: He forgot to turn his micro… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Chiefs linebackers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston each played a role in the most significant play of Monday night’s 16-13 loss to the Steelers, although the NFL was a little more concerned with their actions on other plays in the game. Hali and Houston, … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick called Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes “a punk” for a shot he took during Sunday’s game. Now the league office has confirmed that it views Spikes’ hit as a cheap shot. Spikes was fined $25,000 for a roughing t… |
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Terrance Knighton fined $25,000 for hit on LuckNov 16, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton was fined $25,000 for last week’s hit on Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Knighton’s fine letter said he “made helmet-to-helmet contact with a defenseless player,” and it was the second time the hit cost hi… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Saints tight end Jimmy Graham was named the NFC offensive player of the week for his exploits against the Falcons and everyone knows there’s only one way to celebrate such an accomplishment. You sit down with the folks from Pro Football Talk on NBC Spor… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The settled stadium situation in Minnesota became quickly unsettled on Tuesday. Now, it’s settled again. Sort of. According to the Associated Press, the chairperson of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority says that Personal Seat Licenses (techn… |
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Steelers to get Mendenhall back vs. RavensNov 16, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Insisting he feels well with no setbacks after a full week of practice, running back Rashard Mendenhall is set to return for the Pittsburgh Steelers. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Falcons coach Mike Smith said Thursday that wide receiver Julio Jones and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon were “moving in the right direction” in their attempts to get their ankles healthy enough to play against the Cardinals this Sunday. They weren’t … |
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Browns' Haden game-time call vs. CowboysNov 16, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Browns starting cornerback Joe Haden will be a game-time decision on Sunday against Dallas with an oblique injury. |
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Which TV Market Is Getting Screwed This Sunday? An Analysis Of Week 11 NFL Viewing MapsNov 16, 2012
Reuben Fischer, deadspin.com The NFL's regional programming rules are famously byzantine, but luckily the506.com cuts through the bullshit for you, providing weekly maps that allow us to answer the only question that really matters: Which fans are the most screwed this Sunday? More… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The heart procedure 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh underwent Thursday was not his first to correct an accelerated heartbeat, after having a different procedure done during his playing days. Harbaugh said doctors performed a “cardiovert,” an electrical proce… |
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Cowboys' Murray (foot) doubtful vs. BrownsNov 16, 2012
Todd Archer, ESPN.com For the first time since spraining his left foot, DeMarco Murray has not been ruled out by the Dallas Cowboys. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Rob Ryan was fired, along with the rest of the Browns’ coaching staff, at the end of the 2010 season. He hasn’t forgotten or forgiven. As Ryan, now the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys, spoke to reporters today about Sunday’s game against the Br… |
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Garcon set to return for Redskins against EaglesNov 16, 2012
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Washington Redskins receiver Pierre Garcon and safety Brandon Meriweather appear set to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. |
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Cutler won't play versus 49ers; Campbell to startNov 16, 2012
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will miss Monday's game at San Francisco because of a concussion. |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com The NFL is a league of attrition and no team is feeling the financial brunt of that fact quite like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who currently have a league-high $30.1 million of their 2012 cash payroll on Injured Reserve, according to league-wide salary d… |
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Which NFL Pundits Have Made The Worst Predictions So Far This Year? Grading ESPN, CBS, And YahooNov 16, 2012
PunditTracker, deadspin.com Republished with permission from PunditTracker.com. More » |
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Eagles rule Vick out, Foles to start vs. RedskinsNov 16, 2012
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will miss Sunday's game vs. the Washington Redskins due to the effects of a concussion. |
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Goodell again mentions shorter preseasonNov 16, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The prepared remarks presented on Thursday by Commissioner Roger Goodell at the Harvard School of Public Health made no mention of the impact of the potential expansion of the regular season from 16 to 18 games on the league’s overriding concern to prom… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham gave an entirely Gunther Cunningham response when asked about the anonymous scout’s comment that Ndamukong Suh was “coddled” and an underachiever. Cunningham called the comment “obnoxious,” and said… |
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Report: Aaron Hernandez will miss another gameNov 16, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com When writing about tight end Aaron Hernandez practicing for the Patriots on Thursday, we included a reminder that Hernandez’s practice status wasn’t a great predictor of his ability to play in that week’s game. It looks like this week will provide m… |
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Pierre Garçon: I should be good to go on SundayNov 16, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Thinks looked fairly bleak for Pierre Garçon not so long ago, but the skies have brightened significantly this week. The Redskins have listed him as questionable, but the signs are pointing toward Garçon’s return to the lineup after a long spell on … |
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Vick update confirms significance of concussionNov 16, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com When Mike Vick’s concussion was labeled “significant,” many reacted by saying, “They’re all significant.” But there are degrees of concussions, and it sounds like Vick’s is indeed serious. Trainer Rick Burkholder provided an update to the me… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The Saints have officially listed running back and return man Darren Sproles as questionable on their injury report for Sunday’s game at Oakland, but the Saints’ coaching staff sounds optimistic that he’ll be able to handle a full workload if swelli… |
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Fumbles won’t cost McGahee playing timeNov 16, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Plenty has gone right for the Broncos this season, but not everything’s gone right for Willis McGahee. The running back has fumbled five times on 160 carries this season, the most of any season in his career and more than any other running back in the N… |
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Josh Cribbs feels “caged” in ClevelandNov 16, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Not long ago, Browns receiver Josh Cribbs said he was weary of more changes in Cleveland. Now, he may welcome them. After touching the ball on offense only eight times in nine games, Cribbs tells Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “I feel c… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com That Tony Dungy has proven to be a good and decent human being is not breaking news. But his latest foray into the community stemmed from a simple act of honesty. In February, Dungy backed into a car in a church parking lot. He left a note on the windsh… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Lost and largely forgotten in the league’s various legal entanglements is the fact that a class-action lawsuit still lingers regarding the seating fiasco at Super Bowl XLV in Dallas. As the case proceeds, a fight has emerged regarding the question of wh… |
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Brandon Weeden confident he can be franchise QBNov 16, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com As with everyone in the Browns organization, rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden has seven weeks to prove himself, before the expected changes begin. But Weeden, the “other rookie quarterback” in a class including Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Rya… |
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The Colts head into their Week 11 showdown against the Pats with a surprising 6-3 record. Peter King explains why the young Colts are ready for Tom Brady and Co. in his Game Plan. |
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Cutler (concussion) out, Campbell starts MNFNov 16, 2012
Jeff Dickerson, ESPN.com Chicago Bears starting quarterback Jay Cutler will not play Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers due to a concussion he suffered Sunday night on an illegal hit from Houston Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins, the team announced Friday. |
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Official says Vikings have right for seat licensesNov 16, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com The head of the authority overseeing construction of a new Minnesota Vikings stadium says she expects any fees for personal seat licenses would be in line with those charged for other new stadiums recently built in the state. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Falcons obviously need to run better. But it might also help if they got together to get their stories straight as to why they’re not running better. After center Todd McClure said he didn’t want the line taking all the blame for the recent proble… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Steelers find themselves headed into a big divisional game this weekend without Ben Roethlisberger. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will join Mike Florio to look ahead to the game, with particular emphasis on how he thinks Byron Leftwich… |
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Report: NFL retirement board paid $2 million to ex-players while league denied concussion risksNov 16, 2012
Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com According to documents obtained in a joint investigation by PBS' "FRONTLINE" program and ESPN's "Outside the Lines," the National Football League's retirement board awarded at least $2 million in disability payments to at least three… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Ray Guy is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and neither is any other punter. And Guy is not happy about the Hall of Fame voters who, he says, don’t appreciate punters. Guy told Yahoo Sports that when he’s around young punters, he feels badly for … |
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Vick out, Foles in for SundayNov 16, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com In a development that will surprise no one, multiple reports indicate that Eagles quarterback Mike Vick won’t play on Sunday at Washington, given his “significant” concussion - as it was described on Monday by his head coach. Instead, rookie third… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Packers wide receiver James Jones hasn’t dropped a ball yet this season. That’s worthy of noting for a player who led the NFL in drop percentage over the last three seasons. Plenty of those drops caused frustration in Green Bay, but there’s not much… |
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Tom Ley, deadspin.com The picture above was sent to us by a tipster shortly after the conclusion of last night's Bills-Dolphins game. That appears to be the NFL Network's Michael Irvin attempting to enter the stands, and he doesn't look too happy. Here is what our tipster ha… |
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Barry Petchesky, deadspin.com This year's edition of the Jets' public meltdown began in earnest this week as the Daily News ran a series of anonymous quotes from the locker room blasting Tim Tebow's gimmickry and poor quarterbacking. (You could just have easily framed the same quote… |
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Ryan Clark cleared to practice, expects to playNov 16, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Steelers safety Ryan Clark suffered his second concussion in three weeks against the Chiefs on Monday night, but it looks like he’ll be in the lineup against the Ravens on Sunday night. Clark went through a full practice on Thursday, putting him on trac… |
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OTL: Mixed messages from NFLNov 16, 2012
Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru, ESPN.com The NFL's disability board concluded playing football caused brain injuries, even as officials issued denials for years . |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com When Marques Colston arrived in New Orleans as a seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra in 2005, he was fighting just to make the roster. If you had told Deuce McAllister, the team’s biggest star at the time, that Colston would some day break his franc… |
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DeAngelo Hall on fine: “Back up off me, bro”Nov 16, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Well, it beats “no comment.” When Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall was approached by reproters yesterday asking about his $30,000 fine for berating an official, he replied as only he can. “Back up off me, bro,” Hall said, via Mike Jones of the Wa… |
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Friday morning one-linersNov 16, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Having the Bills running back job all to himself worked out just fine for C.J. Spiller. Dolphins CB Nolan Carroll had more penalty yards than the offense had total yards in the first half of Thursday’s loss. LB Brandon Spikes says he isn’t hurt by ang… |
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Brian Schottenheimer carried no grudges to St. LouisNov 16, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Are we sure Brian Schottenheimer was really a Jets coach for six years? Now the Rams offensive coordinator, Schottenheimer steadfastly refused to throw gas on the big, green dumpster fire his former team has become. “[A victory Sunday] wouldn’t count … |
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Timothy Burke, deadspin.com The noisefest that is the Thursday Night Football post-game show on NFL Network usually proceeds like an unfunny version of TNT's Inside The NBA: full of wackiness, but lacking the charm or anything memorable. You can usually rely on Michael Irvin to do… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Lions center Dominic Raiola says his team still has a chance to make the playoffs, despite a 4-5 start. And he doesn’t appreciate suggestions otherwise. “I think what makes me upset more is people are writing us off because of whatever,” Raiola told… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The ticking stopwatch finally struck “go” time. Last week, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers expressed disappointment regarding the manner in which he was portrayed in a 60 Minutes profile. On Thursday, Rodgers reiterated his concerns. In response… |
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Struggling Bills defense finally stands upNov 16, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Bills defense was supposed to be this good all year. They just waited until November to show it. The Bills finally locked someone down, holding the Dolphins to 184 net yards in a 19-14 win. “That’s how it’s supposed to be week in and week out,”… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com On Sunday, some shortness of breath signaled a bigger problem for Texans defensive line coach Bill Kollar, as he was taken to the hospital with blood clots in his lungs and calves. By Thursday, he was back on the job. “We had a great win and I’m alive… |
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The Foolish Brilliance of Eli ManningNov 16, 2012
Toni Monkovic, nytimes.com The Giants quarterback's interceptions and errors come from the same mentality that produces his daring successes, an analyst says. |
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Marty Mornhinweg defends Eagles’ use of LeSean McCoyNov 16, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com One of the many criticisms the Eagles’ coaching staff has heard this season is that they haven’t made good use of the talents of running back LeSean McCoy. Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, however, says that criticism is not valid. When … |
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Benjamin Hoffman, nytimes.com Indianapolis will be able to score against New England, but will the Colts be able to stop Tom Brady? |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com In the last two weeks, the Miami Dolphins have played two of the worst defenses in the league in the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans. Offensively they’ve managed to score just 10 points in those two games. Miami had an offensive touchdown drought… |
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Pierre Garcon still limited by torn ligament in footNov 16, 2012
Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon is still feeling pain in his injured right foot. Garcon returned to practice this week after missing the last four games with a torn ligament in his right foot. The Redskins held an additional practice on … |
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McKelvin TD leads Bills past 'FinsNov 16, 2012
Leodis McKelvin had a 79-yard punt return for touchdown and the Bills held off a fourth-quarter Dolphins rally to record a 19-14 win, their first victory in prime time since 2001. |
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Bills outlast Dolphins 19-14 in prime timeNov 16, 2012
Did the Bills discover their defense in a 19-14 win over the Dolphins. Or was it simply a case of Miami's offensive woes continuing? Chris Burke says we don't have the answer yet. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Fullback Marcel Reece is expected to get a second straight start at running back for the Oakland Raiders this week if Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson are unable to play. McFadden and Goodson have yet to practice this week as each is dealing with a high… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com With the holiday season upon us, the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills played a game on Thursday night that played on the "Season of Giving" concept. For 58 minutes, each team tried to give the game to the other, until Miami rookie quarterback … |
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In celebration of the NFL's release of the all-22 and end-zone film for the 2012 season, each week we'll be bringing you the best in offensive- and de... |
