Wilson rallies Seahawks by Packers
Russell Wilson threw for 225 yards and his 15-yard touchdown pass to Ed Dickson with 5:08 left was the difference in the Seahawks’ 27-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers last night in Seattle.
In a key matchup in the race for the two NFC wildcard spots, Seattle (5-5) snapped a two-game losing streak by overcoming an early 14-3 deficit. Wilson was shaky at times early in the game, but was outstanding in the fourth quarter, capping the winning drive by recognizing a blitz and hitting Dickson quickly for his second TD pass of the night. Seattle still has not lost three straight games since the middle of the 2011 season.
Aaron Rodgers had a huge first half for Green Bay (4-5-1) and threw for 332 yards, but the Packers had just one scoring drive in the second half, helped by a 57-yard strike from Rodgers to Davante Adams. Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, but nevafter er got the ball back after Green Bay punted with 4:20 left.
Ex-DL Green has ALS
Former NFL defensive lineman Tim Green has revealed he has Lou Gehrig’s disease. Green wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday night that for the past five years he’s been coping with “neurological problems” in his hands. He says doctors first thought the damage his elbows had received during his playing days in the 1980s and 1990s was the culprit. But the problems didn’t go away surgery and his voice also began to get weak before he was diagnosed with ALS.
The 54-year-old Green, a Syracuse All-American who played eight seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, writes that the version of the disease, known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, that he has is slow-progressing and that he’s “extremely grateful” for that.
A best-selling author since his playing days, Green will appear on CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday night to tell his story. He’s one of at least 16 other former NFL players to have suffered from ALS including Patriots running back Kevin Turner, who died in March 2016.
Green and his family have started a non-profit called Tackle ALS.
League awards $35M
The NFL is awarding more than $35 million in funding to five organizations conducting research into diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries.
Through its Scientific Advisory Board established as part of its “Play Smart. Play Safe” initiative, the NFL is awarding grants to investigative teams focusing on concussions and associated conditions, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The groups receiving the funding include Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. William P. Meehan III, and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. Grant Iverson.
Bosa still unsure
Joey Bosa isn’t sure if he will make his long-awaited season debut for the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
The third-year lineman has practiced the last two days as he works his way back from a foot injury that caused him to miss the first 10 games. Bosa said before yesterday’s practice that he is doing team and individual drills and that he feels good. But he also acknowledged that it will likely be a game-time decision if he plays this week.
“I’m just continuing on with the process today,” Bosa said. “We’re sticking to the plan right now, and that’s to practice and take it one day at a time and see how it feels then.”
Bears back kicker
The Chicago Bears continue to back kicker Cody Parkey and expect him to put aside a rough outing.
Coach Matt Nagy says Parkey is confident and “able to rebound.” Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor agreed, saying he knows “what’s under the hood with this kid.”
Last week, Parkey hit uprights each time while missing two extra points and two field goals in a win over Detroit.
He was lampooned by Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show,” and TV news crews shot footage from helicopters when he practiced at Soldier Field on Wednesday. Tabor responded “no comment” when asked what he thought about that.