Jets’ Marshall should steer clear of betting
PITTSBURGH — Antonio Brown is in the driver’s seat in his car bet with Brandon Marshall, so he’s looking for the Jets receiver to turn over the keys.
Marshall felt so confident during the summer that he was going to have a big season, he issued a friendly challenge to the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver on Twitter:
If he had more yards receiving, Brown would give him his Rolls-Royce. If Brown had more, Marshall would give him a Porsche that the Jets had on display outside their facility.
Well, Brown has 1,284 yards receiving, while Marshall has just 788.
On Thursday, Brown reminded Marshall of the wager on Twitter, saying, “you could send me the pink slip, or donate the car to @PROJECT375! Glad we’re both healthy, mentally and physically!!”
Project 375 is Marshall’s foundation, which raises awareness for mental health issues.
FALCONS: Receiver Julio Jones doubts he’ll be at full capacity when playoff-bound Atlanta ends the regular season against New Orleans on Sunday.
After missing the previous two games with a sore toe, Jones played just 39 of 63 snaps, catching four passes for 60 yards, in last week’s win at Carolina.
But Jones, the NFL leader with an average of 101 yards receiving, expects to have enough stamina to be a factor.
There’s a lot at stake. A victory over the Saints will give the Falcons the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed, a bye next week and a home game in the divisional round.
“It’s a week after that,” Jones said. “I’m going to feel better.”
DOLPHINS: Miami cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Jelani Jenkins are expected to miss Sunday’s regular-season finale against New England because of injuries.
Miami will also be without safety Isa Abdul-Quddus, who suffered a season-ending neck injury last week at Buffalo.
Maxwell is expected to sit out his second game in a row because of an ankle injury, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Thursday. Jenkins, who has missed six games already, remains sidelined with knee and hand injuries.
The Dolphins hope both will return for the playoffs next week.
BROWNS: Robert Griffin III can finish what he started. Cleveland’s quarterback was cleared from concussion protocol and will start Sunday at Pittsburgh in the season finale.
Griffin was checked by an independent neurologist — the last step in the NFL’s procedure on head injuries — and practiced as the Browns (1-14) prepared to face a Steelers team assured a playoff spot. Pittsburgh will rest several starters, including stars Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown.
BILLS: Veteran running back Reggie Bush is looking to avoid a dubious distinction with one game remaining.
Bush has a chance of becoming the first non-quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger to finish a season with negative rushing yards (with a minimum of 10 carries). He has minus-3 yards on 12 carries.
According to Pro Football Reference, Bush could become the first non-quarterback to finish the season with negative yardage on double-digit carries since John Adams in 1961.
“Yeah, that’s tough,” Bush said. “I just didn’t have a lot of opportunities this year. So I’m not worried about that … if I had more opportunities, it would be a lot different story.”
PACKERS: The star pass rusher has a sore left shoulder. The team leader in sacks played with a thick left wrap resembling a large oven mitt protecting his injured left hand.
Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are nowhere close to 100 percent healthy. But Green Bay’s outside linebackers head into the regular season-ending showdown in Detroit for the NFC North title with momentum after powering through their injuries against Minnesota last weekend.
“They’re our bookends, they’re our pass rushers. It’s obviously a premiere position on defense for anybody and these guys have been battling injuries all year,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I just give them a ton of credit, ton of love just the way they’re going about it.”
OBITUARY: Former NFL player and Virginia Tech defensive back and special teams standout Keion Carpenter has died at age 39 in Miami, the school said. The cause of death is unclear.
Carpenter intercepted 14 passes during his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons. He blocked six kicks at Virginia Tech, tying the school record.