Division rivalries on tap in Week 8
For NFL fans who relish division rivalries, this is your week.
Some of them are headliners: the 49ers at the Seahawks, Steelers at the Ravens and slumping Patriots at the Bills. Others — Vikings at Packers, Chargers at Broncos, Cowboys at Eagles — not so much.
Regardless, when familiar foes face off, it makes for intriguing story lines.
Take the 49ers at the Seahawks. The previous time they met, Seattle tight end Jacob Hollister was tackled inches from the goal line on the final play and San Francisco won the season finale and took the NFC West. Soon after, the Niners were in the Super Bowl.
It’s a terrific rivalry usually marked by big plays, which the Seahawks specialize in: making them with star quarterback Russell Wilson, allowing them with a spotty defense.
“They’re giving up a lot of yards. I know their numbers are real bad, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says of the Seahawks. “The way their offense is playing, their offense is playing as good as an offense I’ve seen. They’re putting up the points, they’re putting up the yards. Whenever you do have an offense playing like that, usually the opposing offense is trying to play a lot of catch-up and stuff, and they’re doing a lot of aggressive things. And they’ve given up some explosives, which gets the yards going, but they’re still third in the league in turnovers, which means they cause a lot of problems.”
Unfortunately, both the 49ers (4-3) and Seahawks (5-1) have injury problems that could diminish the quality of Sunday’s game. San Francisco will be without leading rusher Raheem Mostert (ankle), RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (ankle) and No. 1 receiver Deebo Samuel (hamstring). Seattle could be missing top running backs Chris Carson (foot) and Carlos Hyde (hamstring) and cornerback Shaquill Griffin (concussion).
The action began Thursday night when Atlanta finally was able to hold onto a late lead, beating Carolina 25-17 in the rain.
HALL OF FAMER ADDERLEY DIES
Herb Adderley, the
Hall of Fame cornerback who joined the NFL as a running back and became part of a record six championship teams with the Packers and Cowboys, has died. He was 81.
His death was confirmed by the team Friday, with no details given. Nasir Adderley, a safety for the Los Angeles Chargers, tweeted that his cousin was a “unique soul who has had such an incredible influence on my life.”
Herb Adderley played in four of the first six Super Bowls and won five NFL championships with Green Bay and one with Dallas during his 12-year career.
But he was always a Packer at heart.
“I’m the only man with a Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl ring who doesn’t wear it. I’m a Green Bay Packer,” Adderley said in the book “Distant Replay,” a memoir by former Packers teammate Jerry Kramer.
Along with former teammates Fuzzy Thurston and Forrest Gregg, Adderley is one of four players in pro football history to play on six championship teams. Tom Brady is the other. Adderley was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Bart Starr, the Hall of Fame quarterback and a former Packers teammate, once called Adderley the “greatest cornerback to ever play the game.”
ELSEWHERE
Giants: New York running back Saquon Barkley has had surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Giants coach Joe Judge confirmed the surgery on Saturday without giving specifics.
Judge said Ronnie Barnes, the team’s senior vice president of medical services and head trainer, spoke with the surgeon in Los Angeles and said the procedure seemingly went well.
Barkley, the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, was injured against the Chicago Bears in the second game of the season when he was tackled at the end of a run. He has been waiting for the swelling in the knee to go down before having the surgery.
“He seems to be in good spirits and we look forward to getting him back on this side of the country,” Judge said.
The Giants have struggled this season, posting a 1-6 record in Judge’s first season as coach.
Saints: New Orleans have ruled our receivers Michael Thomas and Marquez Callaway for Sunday’s game in Chicago. New Orleans also has listed reserve guard Nick Easton out for for a second straight game because of a concussion.Thomas, named AP 2019 Offensive Player of the Year after setting an NFL record with 149 catches in a season, is missing his sixth consecutive game because of a two separate injuries sandwiched around a one-game suspension.
Patriots: Cornerback Stephon Gilmore will miss his first regular-season game in three seasons when New England visit AFC East-leading Buffalo. Gilmore, who has been dealing with a knee injury, was downgraded to out Saturday, along with rookie safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) and offensive lineman Justin Herron (ankle).