Carson Palmer Out For the Season
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. Arizona’s backup quarterback Drew Stanton already has some starting experience this season when Palmer missed some time due to a nerve in his shoulder. However, this is a devastating blow to Palmer. This is the same ACL he tore back in 2006. While all ACL recoveries are long and tedious and very difficult both mentally and physically, it’s going to be harder this time around for Palmer since it’s the second tear of the same ACL.
Ronnie Hillman to Miss Two Weeks
The Denver Broncos have another injured running back on their hands. Ronnie Hillman suffered a midfoot sprain on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. He is likely to miss two weeks. However, this injury is especially tricky for running backs as it can linger since they’re so reliant on sharp cuts and stutter steps. This isn’t the first starting running back the Broncos have lost; early season starter Montee Ball went out with a groin injury in early October and just started practicing again last week.
NFLPA Files Grievance to Remove Adrian Peterson From Exempt List
Last week running back Adrian Peterson accepted a plea deal of no contest to one count of misdemeanor reckless assault. On Monday, the players union took action against the league to make Peterson’s reinstatement quicker. They released a statement on Monday that said: “The NFLPA has filed an expedited, non-injury grievance to remove Adrian Peterson from the Commissioner's Exempt list based on explicit language in a signed agreement dated September 18, 2014. We asked the NFL to honor the terms of that agreement last week and as of now, they have failed to respond or comply. It is our obligation to protect all players' rights, and we will pursue any and all breaches of any contract between a player and his team or the NFL.” According to league sources, Peterson should be back by sometime in December. Another big question that still remains is if the Minnesota Vikings want him back.
Santa Clara DA Will Not Files Charges Against Ray McDonald
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald was arrested in late August on suspicion of domestic violence against his fiancée. The 49ers didn’t suspend him or deactivate him all season because they repeatedly said they wanted to wait for the legal process to play out and respect due process. Well, on Monday it played out. The Santa Clara District Attorney will not be pressing charges on McDonald due to insufficient evidence. Therefore, his status with the team will not change moving forward.
49ers Save Their Season in OT Win Over Saints
Coming into this week’s game against the New Orleans Saints the 49ers were sitting at 4-4 and three games back in their division. With the Arizona Cardinals sitting atop the division with only one loss, the 49ers could ill afford another loss. After sending the game into overtime, the 49ers defense took control. Outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks forced Saints quarterback Drew Brees to fumble the ball and rookie linebacker Chris Borland made the recovery. Phil Dawson came on the field almost immediately to kick the game winning field goal. This win possibly saved their season. It put them above .500 and prevented them from dropping four games out of the division and kept them only one game back of a playoff spot. For a team that is about to starting getting some major pieces back on defense, this was a huge win.
Branden Albert Out For Season for Dolphins
Adding insult to injury after the Miami Dolphins lost to the Detroit Lions in heartbreaking fashion, they found out Sunday afternoon that left tackle Branden Albert will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL and MCL. This will force them to move first round pick Ja’Wuan James to left tackle and will cause a major downgrade at the right tackle position. The timing couldn’t be much worse either as they host the Buffalo Bills’ talented defensive line this Thursday night.
Cleveland Browns Primed For Playoff Push
After 10 weeks of the NFL season the Cleveland Browns sit alone in first place of the AFC North. I’m pretty sure no one predicted this. And with the way this team has been playing, they’re not looking to slow down. Not to mention they should be getting star wide receiver Josh Gordon back from suspension soon. With eight games left to play and with the Browns playing the best football out of all the teams in the division, there’s a good chance they make the playoffs for the first time in a long time.
Calvin Pryor Benched for Being Late to Meetings
Rookie safety Calvin Pryor was benched on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in favor of Jaiquawn Jarrett. This move paid dividends for the Jets as Jarrett had two interceptions, a sack, and a fumble recovery in their 20-13 victory over the Steelers. After the game it came out that Pryor was benched because of his inattention to detail and the fact that he’s been late to multiple meetings this season. Pryor was regarded as one of the top safeties in last year’s draft class and he clearly has a lot of work to do to live up to that billing.
Aldon Smith Not Reinstated Early, Did Not Meet Counseling Requirements
A few weeks ago there were reports coming out that 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith would be reinstated from his nine game suspension early. That did not come to fruition. Before this week’s game against the Saints, the league came out and said he was not reinstated early because he did not meet the counseling requirements from the league. Smith’s agent came out Monday and said that Smith had no specific requirements for counseling but he received counseling provided by the league and externally. Why Smith wasn’t reinstated early we might not ever really know. However, it’s a moot point now because he will be begin practicing with the team on Tuesday and will be playing against the New York Giants on Sunday.
The NFC South is Still Wide Open
The NFC South is led by a team that is 4-5, the New Orleans Saints. No one wants to take control of the division. The Carolina Panthers are in second place at 3-6-1, the Atlanta Falcons are in third at 3-6, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in last at 1-8. It wouldn’t surprise me to see any team besides the Buccaneers win the division, but whenever one team seems to be in a good spot to move ahead, they squander the opportunity. It is by far the worst division in football from top to bottom and it could come down to who can get to 8-8 to win the division.