Flacco out with injury to his neck
Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco has a herniated disk in his neck that puts his season and possibly his career in jeopardy and leaves the team’s dysfunctional offense in the hands of a trio of quarterbacks who have never taken a regular-season snap in the NFL.
Coach Vic Fangio only ruled out Flacco for this weekend when the Broncos (2-6) host the Browns (2-5), saying, “He’ll definitely miss this week. Then we’ll evaluate after the bye and see where it’s at.”
Fangio said Flacco, 34, was taken for an MRI on Monday and he wasn’t sure if surgery was necessary. “They don’t know that yet. I think right at this minute, they don’t think so,” Fangio said. “But those things are fluid.”
Fangio said injured reserve could be a possibility for Flacco, who couldn’t turn his neck after the Broncos’ 15-13 road loss to the Colts on Sunday, after which the veteran QB ripped his coaches for conservative play-calling. Former Arkansas QB Brandon Allen, whom the Broncos claimed off waivers from the Rams last month, will get his first start Sunday since leading the Razorbacks past Kansas State 45-23 in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, 2016.
Fangio said he’ll decide this week between two rookies as Allen’s backup: second-round draft pick Drew Lock, who’s on IR with a right thumb injury, or undrafted QB Brett Rypien, who’s on the practice squad. Flacco said he first hurt his neck a couple of weeks ago and the team’s medical staff worked on his neck in between series throughout the second half Sunday, when he was sacked three times after suffering a career-high eight sacks the week before.
Allen becomes the sixth starting QB since Peyton Manning’s retirement following Super Bowl 50. The Broncos are 22-34 since then, having churned through Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum and Flacco, whom general manager John Elway insisted was still in his prime when he acquired him in a trade with Baltimore after the Ravens had moved on to Lamar Jackson.
Chargers fire Whisenhunt: The Chargers fired offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. The Chargers (3-5) have failed to score more than 20 points in each of their last four games. Whisenhunt, 57, was in his second stint with the Chargers. He was the offensive coordinator in 2013, then spent two seasons as head coach of the Titans. He returned to the Chargers in 2016.
Jets trade DL Williams to Giants: The Jets traded defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Giants for a third-round draft pick next year and a 2021 fifthrounder, according to reports.
Williams was the No. 6 overall pick of the Jets in 2015 and made the Pro Bowl in his second season, but never truly lived up to his lofty draft status. He has 17 career sacks, but none in seven games this season. He actually had one in the Jets’ road loss to the Jaguars on Sunday that was negated by a penalty on a teammate.
It’s the first completed trade since 1983 between the teams that share MetLife Stadium as their home. The Jets sent a conditional pick to the Giants in ’83 for offensive lineman Chris Foote, but the trade was nullified a week later when he was waived.
The 25-year-old Williams, an alum of Daytona Beach Mainland High, d is scheduled to become a free agent after this season. The fifth-rounder the Jets are receiving could become a fourth-rounder if the Giants sign Williams to a contract extension. The Jets are also paying $4 million of the remaining $6 million on Williams’ contract this year.
Panthers sticking with Allen: One day after the biggest loss in franchise history, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he will stick with Kyle Allen at quarterback and not rush Cam Newton back from a mid-foot sprain. Allen will start his sixth straight game Sunday against the Titans. He was 4-0 as a starter before struggling against the 49ers and their top-ranked defense in a 51-13 road loss. The secondyear undrafted QB threw three interceptions with no TDs against the 49ers after tossing seven TD passes and no picks in the previous four games.