No prime time for Bucs-Raiders
Moved up after COVID test, SNF gets Seahawks-Cardinals
The NFL has shifted the Las Vegas game against Tampa Bay out of prime time after several Raiders players have been unable to practice this week because of contact tracing from the coronavirus.
The game in Las Vegas was originally scheduled to be played at 5:20 p.m. PDT Sunday night in the national television window on NBC but now has been moved to 1:05 p.m. PDT in a regional window on Fox.
The game between the Seahawks and Cardinals in Arizona has been moved into the prime-time window.
The league says the changes were made out of an “abundance of caution” to make sure a game would be available for Sunday night.
The Raiders placed starting right tackle Trent Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
The team also sent home the other four starting offensive linemen, left tackle Kolton Miller, guard Denzelle Good, center Rodney Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson, while officials determine how much contact those players had with Brown. Safety Johnathan Abram also has been unable to practice because of contact tracing.
Vikings ship Ngakoue to Baltimore
The Minnesota Vikings traded defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens for draft picks on Thursday, less than two months after acquiring the fifth-year pass rusher in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ngakoue is tied for fourth in the NFL with five sacks in six games, including two forced fumbles, but the Vikings entered their bye week with a 1-5 record and thus more incentive to focus on the future than stay competitive in 2020.
“This was an opportunity that I felt would accomplish both the short and long term as we move forward, but these decisions aren’t easy to make,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said.
With Everson Griffen gone via free agency and Danielle Hunter injured since the beginning of training camp with a potentially season-ending neck injury, the Vikings on Aug. 31 sent a second-round draft pick in 2021 and a conditional fifthround selection in 2022 for Ngakoue. He wanted to leave the Jaguars after accumulating 37 1/2 sacks in four years and called his arrival in Minnesota “a breath of fresh air.”
The Vikings have Ifeadi Odenigbo in place at defensive end, and fourth-round draft pick D.J. Wonnum will now be in line to start at the other spot.
“What you envision sometimes unfortunately doesn’t always come true,” Spielman said.
Minutes after Spielman’s previously scheduled video news conference with reporters, NFL Network reported Hunter has decided to have surgery. The Vikings were initially hoping he’d be able to return with rest and rehabilitation, and Spielman said acquiring Ngakoue was not related to Hunter’s injury. Since then, outside linebacker Anthony Barr was also lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle suffered on Sept. 20.
“You try to readjust with some of the top playmakers you don’t have, especially on the defensive side. That’s what the coaches are doing right now,” Spielman said.
“Our goal every week is to go out there and win football games. You have to balance out both. I still think we have a very talented team,” Spielman said.
The Vikings didn’t disclose specifics of the acquired draft selections. ESPN reported the Ravens will send a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick.
Both teams are on their bye week.
Landry playing with broken rib
One of Jarvis Landry’s ribs is broken. The Browns wide receiver’s playing and receiving streaks are still unharmed.
Landry revealed he played the past two weeks with a broken rib, an injury he sustained early in the Browns’ 32-23 win over Indianapolis on Oct. 11 and one that didn’t keep him out of last week’s game in Pittsburgh.
“There is no one tougher on the team,” said offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “He’s made out of burlap.”
Landry, who has never missed a game in his NFL career, took a vicious hit in the side from Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin after a 32yard reception during Cleveland’s first series. He crawled to the sideline for medical attention.
But the five-time Pro Bowler, who served as the Browns’ captain for that game, returned to the field and also played against the Steelers and their hard-hitting defense despite being limited in practice.
Landry said he’s never dealt with a broken rib before and that “normal stuff” such as sleeping and breathing have been affected.
“It hurts. It hurts,” he said. “Depending on the play or whatever, at times it is bearable, but we have done a good job of making sure that I am getting protection here throughout the week and making sure that I cover it up and do whatever I need to do to play on Sundays.”
Landry has dressed for and played in 102 consecutive games since starting his career with Miami in 2014, a noteworthy accomplishment for any player, but especially at a skill position where knees, ankles and ribs are exposed to big hits at high speeds.