Week 8 nfl defense rankings

Getty Images The NFC Championship game between the 49ers and Eagles will be an old-school slugfest with a new-school twist. The new school would be the 49ers' position-less football and Kyle Shanahan's motion offense, and the Eagles' RPO attack led by MVP finalist Jalen Hurts . Sure, there are superstar playmakers all over the field, but make no mistake, this game will still be one for the football purists, fought and won in the trenches. "I expect it to be a battle all the way through," 49ers linebacker Fred Warner told reporters on Wednesday . "Both the Cowboys and Eagles are physical and talented teams who are really fast and have a lot of talent. Just like it was a battle this past week [against Dallas], I'm expecting that, if not more, this week, them being in their home stadium, home crowd behind them. They're going to be juiced up, ready to go." Both teams come in highly rated up front. The Eagles have the No. 1 pass block and pass rush grades at Pro … [Read more...] about 2023 NFL playoffs: Breaking down 49ers-Eagles trench matchup for the ages ahead of NFC Championship game

We have our final four in the NFL playoffs! The Conference Championship games - effectively semi-finals ahead of Super Bowl LVII - take place this Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL; here's your guide to the teams left battling for the right to make it to Arizona on February 12... AFC 1) Kansas City Chiefs AFC West division champions - 14-3 regular-season record Divisional Round result: 27-20 winners vs Jaguars (4) Head coach: Andy Reid is into his 10th season with the Chiefs, and this team has known only success since he's been there, missing out on the playoffs just once in 2014 - albeit still securing a winning record at 9-7, the only time his team failed to reach 10 wins. With victory over the Jaguars in the divisional round of the playoffs, Kansas City clinched a fifth-straight appearance in the AFC Championship game under Reid. Key man: The uber-talented Patrick Mahomes, of course. The 27-year-old is favourite to win a second league MVP title this season … [Read more...] about NFL playoffs: Chiefs, Bengals, Eagles and 49ers – meet the teams battling it out to reach Super Bowl LVII in Arizona

Getty Images The Bills entered 2022 with Super Bowl expectations and ended the season in the divisional round of the playoffs thanks to Sunday's loss to the Bengals . Less than a week later, the team has begun tweaking its staff for 2023, dismissing safeties coach Jim Salgado on Thursday, according to ESPN . Salgado was one of head coach Sean McDermott's original hires back in 2017. He was reassigned to the role of safeties coach just this season. The former Hofstra product spent his first three years as a defensive assistant, then became the Bills' nickels coach from 2020-2021, overseeing the emergence of No. 3 cornerback Taron Johnson . Buffalo's defense finished No. 6 overall in 2022, but the pass defense ranked 15th. The safety position in particular was hampered by injuries. Both of the team's All-Pro starters, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde , missed extended time; and replacement Damar Hamlin missed the end of the year after suffering cardiac arrest on the … [Read more...] about Bills fire safeties coach Jim Salgado in wake of playoff loss vs. Bengals, per report

USATSI The first conference championship matchup between two quarterbacks under the age of 25 will take place Sunday when Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers visit Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2023 NFC Championship Game. The 23-year-old Purdy, who was the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft , has guided San Francisco (15-4) to seven straight victories since taking over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo (foot) as the team's starter, including last week's 19-12 triumph over Dallas. Hurts, 24, has gone 15-1 in his second full season as the No. 1 signal-caller for Philadelphia (15-3) after guiding the club to a 38-7 win over the New York Giants in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs 2023. Kickoff from Lincoln Financial Field is set for 3 p.m. ET. Philadelphia is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Eagles vs. 49ers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 46. Before locking in any 49ers vs. Eagles picks, make sure … [Read more...] about Eagles vs. 49ers prediction, odds, spread, start time: 2023 NFC Championship Game picks by model on 16-6 roll

Getty Images The return of Bill O'Brien as New England Patriots ' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach will come after one of the most dysfunctional seasons in the Bill Belichick Era, according to the Boston Herald . The team's 18.2 offensive points per game were its worst since Year 1 under Belichick in 2000, while its third-down and red zone offense were both the worst in Belichick's 23 seasons as Patriots head coach. 2022 Patriots offense NFL Rank Offensive points per game 18.2 22nd Total yards per game 314.6 26th Third-down percentage 34.9%* 27th Red zone touchdown percentage 42.2%* Last * Worst in Bill Belichick Era (since 2000) O'Brien experienced great success running the Patriots offense as the play-caller in 2011 when the team reached the Super Bowl , and just like Matt Patricia and Joe Judge -- the two longtime Belichick coaches who ran the offense in 2022 -- he's an … [Read more...] about Patriots experienced unprecedented offensive disarray under Bill Belichick during 2022 season, per report

Frank Reich was named the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. Reich becomes the sixth head coach in Panthers history having previously served as the first starting quarterback for the franchise in 1995. The 61-year-old received a second interview with owner David Tepper and the team's search committee this week. He joins the Panthers after being fired by the Indianapolis Colts nine games into the 2022 season. He posted a 40-33-1 record in four-plus seasons in Indianapolis and guided the club to two postseason appearances. Steve Wilks served as the interim coach of the Panthers after replacing Matt Rhule, who was fired October 10 after a 1-4 start. Carolina finished with a 7-10 mark and have missed the playoffs in each of the five seasons since Tepper brought the franchise in 2018 for a then-NFL-record $2.275 billion. Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this Privacy Options Reich is viewed as an … [Read more...] about Carolina Panthers hire Frank Reich as new head coach to reunite with franchise’s first starting quarterback

247Sports on Thursday afternoon released the final edition of the 2023 Top 247 rankings, headlined by the 32 five-star prospects designated annually. Four of those players rose to 100 ratings 247Sports on Thursday afternoon released the final edition of the 2023 Top247 rankings, headlined by the 32 five-star prospects designated annually. Four of those players rose to 100 ratings — 98 represents the five-star threshold — to lead the class. As a reminder, December's pre-Early Signing Period update marked the beginning of the Top247's new five-star era, which will take full effect in the 2024 class. That means the next update to the 2024 Top247 will feature a full 32-player five-star field. Stay tuned for that in the coming spring. Below readers will find a link to the full 2023 Top247 final edition, as well as the final 32-player five-star field for the senior class. As for that quartet of 100-rated prospects atop the board, we provide some context on their standing as well. … [Read more...] about 2023 Top247: Final edition sets 5-star field