Ryder would love to fight Jacobs in New York City

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John Ryder says a win over former IBF Middleweight ruler Danny Jacobs in New York would fire him back in line for another shot at WBA Super-Middleweight World Champion Callum Smith as he spoke to Chris Lloyd in the latest episode of Matchroom Boxing’s podcast ‘The Lockdown Tapes’.

THE LOCKDOWN TAPES WITH JOHN RYDER IS ALSO ON MATCHROOM BOXING’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW!

Ryder (28-5, 16 KOs) pushed Smith all the way at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool in November but lost out in what many thought was a controversial decision. A rematch with ‘Mundo’ is at the top of Ryder’s wish-list but the Islington man accepts he may have to earn another shot.

“The fight that I really want is the rematch with Callum but I know that Chudinov is now in the mandatory position,” said Ryder. “In order to get myself back there then why not someone like Danny Jacobs in New York. He’s a great fighter and I want to test myself against the best.

“It took me a couple of weeks to watch it back and when I did I still had it to myself by a few rounds even being ultra favorable to Callum Smith in the close rounds. I still feel that at worst it was a draw.

“I don’t want to harp on about it and my problem isn’t with Callum or any of his brothers, they’re all lovely people, it’s the judges and the scorecards. It half makes a mockery of the sport. Sometimes you get a dodgy scorecard but I feel that three was a bit wrong.

“Are judges in the best position to score a fight? Should they be behind the scenes watching on a screen so they’re not influenced by the crowd?

“Part of the plan was to build into the fight as we knew he would be dangerous early on so the plan was to take control in the second half. I thought we executed that plan perfectly. The first round I hadn’t planned on throwing a shot but they were there so I ended up throwing a couple.

“Sometimes you can sense a script with commentary teams who are so pro for the puncher or the champion that even if the fight isn’t going a certain way the challenger just gets neglected. I think I won, he thinks he won but the scorecards don’t tell the story of the fight which was close.

As well as speaking about Jacobs and Smith, Ryder talks about losing a close friend at a young age, life in lockdown, fatherhood, fighting behind closed doors and much more.

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Complete schedule for every AFC team

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With all the heartbreak and uncertainty going on with COVID-19, the NFL has kept people engaged. Whether it’s through free agency or the draft, fans have had something to watch during this slow time in sports. 

On Thursday, the NFL gave us more excitement as they announced the schedule for the upcoming season. Whether the schedule will go as planned, is another story, but for now, we think about the possibilities. 

Here are the complete schedules for all the teams in the AFC:

AFC East Regular-Season Schedule

AFC North Regular-Season Schedule

AFC West Regular-Season Schedule

AFC South Regular-Season Schedule

Complete schedule for every team in NFC

Categories NFLLeave a Comment on Complete schedule for every team in NFC

The NFL announced its complete schedule for the 2020 season on Thursday night. At this point, the season is expected to start on time, but with COVID-19, things could change quickly.

Here are the complete schedules for each team in the NFC:

NFC South Regular-Season Schedule

NFC West Regular-Season Schedule

NFC East Regular-Season Schedule

NFC North Regular-Season Schedule

 

Giants’ Judge: ‘I’ll tell you what, when you get the schedule, it definitely does give you a little surge of energy’

Categories NFLLeave a Comment on Giants’ Judge: ‘I’ll tell you what, when you get the schedule, it definitely does give you a little surge of energy’

Two Monday night home games – the season-opener against Pittsburgh and another vs. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – and a visit by the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers highlight the Giants’ 2020 regular-season schedule, which was announced today.

It is the first time the Giants will host two Monday night games in the same season in the 51-year history of Monday Night Football.

The Giants will play their first road game in Chicago, the first time since 2014 that their first road contest won’t be in Dallas. They will play their Thursday night game in Philadelphia, twice travel to the west coast (to face the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks) and end the season at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

“I’ll tell you what, when you get the schedule, it definitely does give you a little surge of energy,” first-year head coach Joe Judge said. “It stimulates a lot of conversation between all areas of the organization – support staff, coaching staff — and you start preparing immediately for it.

“The number one positive is we’re getting ready to play football, so that’s the biggest thing. Once you get the schedule, it starts moving a little bit faster in your mind in terms of preparing for what’s in front of you. The thing we were waiting to see a little bit on was how some of the cross-country games played out. That ties in a little bit to how you plan out a lot of your travel for the year, which is tied to how you practice those weeks. You start mapping out how you’re going to go about each week by week through the season.

“We can start working on hotels and you start having more conversations that are going to tie into how you’re going to plan and prepare throughout the flow of the season. You look at the bye week, you look at how shortly before that is the Thursday night game, which leads into a Monday night game. How can you use some of the breaks in the season to help your players? How can we structure practice accordingly? You’re also tying in the new rules with our limited number of padded practices. You just start calculating as you look on down the list of opponents.”

Since Tom Coughlin became head coach in 2004, the Giants have traditionally traveled to the west coach the day prior to a game. Based on his eight seasons with New England, when will Judge take the Giants to L.A. and Seattle?

“I’d say for the most part, historically, we’ve gone out on Fridays and given them an extra day to get out there and get acclimated to a few things,” he said. “But that’s nothing that’s locked in concrete. We’ll talk as a coaching staff and make sure we hammer what we think is best for this team. To be honest with you, we’ll have a game plan to go out there early and be prepared to cancel the extra day if we need to as we get a feel for how our team goes throughout the season.”

Judge will make his head coaching debut on Monday, Sept. 14 in MetLife Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 7:15 p.m. It will be the Giants’ first Monday night season opener since 2014, when they lost in Detroit (which is also the last time their first road game was somewhere other than Dallas); their first Monday night home opener since 1995, when they lost to Dallas; and the first time their opening home game will be played on a Monday night since 2011, when they defeated the St. Louis Rams in Week 2.

Judge was asked if his first game will be particularly special because it will be showcased on a Monday night.

“For me, any game is going to have the same amount of juice,” he said. “I think everyone is going to have a lot of energy for the opener, us and Pittsburgh. It’s going to be a situation where look, you get to play under the lights, you get to play at home. But it’s the opening game for both teams. Both teams will be coming out of training camp sick of beating up on each other and ready to see an opponent.”

On Sunday, Sept. 20, the Giants will begin their road schedule when they visit the Chicago Bears for the second consecutive year. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Last Nov. 24, the Giants lost in Soldier Field, 19-14.

One week later, also at 1 p.m., the Giants host the 49ers, who lost Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-20. San Francisco will visit MetLife for the first time since 2015.

The Giants begin a two-game road trip when they face the Rams in brand new SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4:05 p.m. The following week, the Giants play their first NFC East game when they visit the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas at 4:25 p.m. That will be the first of five division matchups in a six-game span.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re in a row or spaced out, division games are obviously big for you,” Judge said. “Those are key opponents. It definitely jumps out at you that you have five of those in six weeks and only having a couple of weeks in between each of the opponents with the Redskins and Philly. That’s sometimes a different flavor in terms of how much change can happen within those couple of weeks. How much the opponent’s done differently, how much have you adjusted. That plays more into it than just having a string of division opponents.”

The Giants return home on Sunday, Oct. 18, when they host the Washington Redskins at 1 p.m. Four days later, they will be in Lincoln Financial Field to face the defending NFC East champion Eagles at 8:20 p.m.

After an 11-day break, Brady and the Buccaneers provide the opposition for the Giants’ second Monday night home game of the season on Nov. 2 at 8:15 p.m. Judge, of course, spent the previous eight seasons working with Brady as a member of the Patriots staff.

“I think we’ll be very aware of Tom being on the other team,” Judge said. “At that point of the year, I’m sure everyone is going to get used to him wearing a different color jersey. I’m in a different jersey myself. We’re more conscious of the opponents we’ll be playing. The Buccaneers have a very good defense, they have tons of receivers, tons of weapons, and they made some great additions in the offseason with Tom and Rob (Gronkowski). Seeing those guys over there, no matter where our paths may have crossed in the past, all that’s going to matter is that Monday night.”

The Giants will travel on a short week for the third time for their next game, a rematch with the Redskins in FedExField on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. The following week, they again face a division foe for the second time in four games when they host the Eagles at 1 o’clock.

“Whether it’s a short week or a long week, we’re going to do everything we can to just line it up and get prepared for our opponents regardless of if you play them on a short week or you play them home or away,” Judge said. “I don’t think we really want to make too much of the length of the weeks. It is what it is. You’re fortunate to be able to play in some primetime games. You’re lucky to be able to be under the lights. We’ll just make sure we prepare for those teams a little bit more on the front end to account for a day or so after the game.”

In Week 11 – which includes Sunday, Nov. 22 – the Giants will have their bye. It is the third consecutive season the Giants’ bye is in November.

“Look, it’s a long season,” Judge said. “Wherever you fit that bye in, you’re going to have to find ways to structure your team and how you practice and prepare to account for guys through attrition, through injuries, your guys getting worn down. You have to find ways throughout the year, regardless of when your bye comes, of managing your team. You look at it more in terms of just when it falls and what the stretch looks like afterwards. I’ve had very, very early byes. We’ve had late byes. I think where our bye is right now is a good spot for it. But at the same time, you have a long stretch of games before and you have a lot of tough opponents after it. That bye week is not going to do a whole lot for you when the whistles blow on Sundays.”

When they return to action, it will be to start another two-game trip. On Sunday, Nov. 29, the Giants visit the Bengals in Cincinnati at 1 p.m. The following week, they return to the west coast to play the Seattle Seahawks in CenturyLink Field at 4:05 p.m.

The kickoff for each of the Giants’ final four games, including three at home, is scheduled for 1 p.m.

“I don’t think too much about if it’s a home or away game,” Judge said. “I look at it more as the opponent we have to play. They are all teams that have a lot of explosive qualities on their offense and tough defenses. I’m looking more at who the team is as opposed to where we’re playing them.”

The final quarter of the season begins on Sunday, Dec. 13, when the Arizona Cardinals visit MetLife for the second straight year. Last Oct. 20, the Giants dropped a 27-21 decision to the Cards.

One week later, former Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. and the Cleveland Browns play in MetLife.

The Giants play their final road game of the season on Sunday, Dec. 27, against the defending AFC North champion Ravens in Baltimore.

Dallas provides the opposition for the final regular-season game on Jan. 3 in MetLife.

Some highlights from the Giants’ 2020 schedule:

*The Giants twice play back-to-back road games: Oct. 4 and 11 at the Rams and Dallas; and Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 at Cincinnati and Seattle. They play consecutive home games just once, Dec. 13 and 20 vs. Arizona and Cleveland.

*Five of the Giants’ first 10 games are against NFC East opponents and they are within a six-week span. They finish their season series against both Washington and Philadelphia by Nov. 15, the first time they will conclude their seasonal rivalry with two division foes so early since 1998, when they were finished with the Redskins and Cowboys by Nov. 8.

*In 2020, the NFC East plays the NFC West and the AFC North. Because they finished third in the NFC East, the Giants host the third-place team from the NFC South (Tampa Bay) and visit the third-place team from the NFC North (Chicago). Last season, the NFC West had two playoff teams (conference champion San Francisco and Seattle) and the AFC North had one (Baltimore, the conference’s top seed, which lost in the divisional round to Tennessee).

*The NFC West was the only one of the league’s eight divisions that had three teams over .500. The 49ers were 13-3, the Seahawks finished 11-5 and the Los Angeles Rams were 9-7. The four teams were a combined 38-25-1, a .602 percentage that made it the NFL’s winningest division last year. The four AFC North teams were 30-34. a .469 winning percentage that was the second-lowest in the league (to the NFC East’s .375) and the lowest in the AFC.

*The Giants play five games against 2018 playoff teams: Philadelphia twice, plus San Francisco, Seattle, and Baltimore.

*The Giants play three teams with new head coaches, including two in the NFC East: Dallas (Mike McCarthy), Washington (Ron Rivera) and Cleveland (Kevin Stefanski).

*When the Giants visit the Rams on Oct. 4 in SoFi Stadium, they will play their first game in Los Angeles since Oct. 16, 1994, when they lost, 17-10, a year before the Rams began their 21-year stay in St. Louis.

*The Giants are 25-41-1 on Monday nights, including 9-11 at home.

*This is the third consecutive season the Giants play two Monday night games. In 2019, they lost to Dallas at home and Philadelphia on the road. Two years ago, they lost to Atlanta and defeated the 49ers, both on the road.

*The Giants will face Brady, the six-time Super Bowl winner, in prime time for the second year in a row. Last Oct. 10, they lost a Thursday night game in New England, 35-14, in Brady’s last of 20 seasons with the Patriots.

*The Giants are 4-6 in Thursday night games since 2009, including 2-5 on the road.

*The Giants will play their final regular-season game at home for the fourth consecutive season and the eighth time in nine years.

*“Flexible scheduling” will be used in Weeks 11-17. The Giants will have their bye in the first of those weeks. Under flex scheduling, game times can be changed, and games currently scheduled to be played on Sunday afternoon can be moved to Sunday night on NBC. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games that are played on Thursday or Monday nights.

Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, the NFL schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time.

For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 3. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot.  Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.

In each of Weeks 15 and 16, up to three of five designated matchups will be played on Saturday with the remainder to be played on Sunday. Specific dates and start times for such designated Week 15 and Week 16 matchups will be determined and announced no later than four weeks prior to game day.

*The Giants also revealed their preseason opponents – the Jets, Tennessee, Green Bay and New England. Specific dates and times will be announced at a later date.

This year, the Giants do not play any of their preseason opponents in the regular season.

“I think we have four great opponents to go against in the preseason,” said Judge. “They’re all going to show you something different you have to adjust to and get the team ready for.”

In Preseason Week 1 (Aug. 13-17), the Giants visit the Jets. It will be the second consecutive August – and just the fourth time in their preseason rivalry – the teams will square off in the opener. They also did so in 1983 and 2010, the latter in the first NFL game in MetLife Stadium.

This will be the 52nd consecutive summer in which the Giants and Jets will meet since the series began in 1969. The Giants have won the four previous preseason meetings, including 31-22 last year, to tie the annual series, 25-25-1. The tie was in 1972.

The Giants are 37-30-3 in preseason openers since 1950.

The Giants are on the road in Preseason Week 2 (Aug. 20-24), when they visit the Tennessee Titans. The franchises met four times in the preseason from 1971-90, when the Titans played in Houston and were called the Houston Oilers. The Giants won that 1990 meeting in the Astrodome, 13-10. The teams met in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, in 1985, a 21-20 Giants victory. The Oilers won the first two games in the preseason series.

The Giants play in MetLife Stadium as the home team for the first time in Preseason Week 3 (Aug. 27-30) when they host the Green Bay Packers. It will be the teams’ first preseason matchup since Aug. 22, 1997, when the Packers defeated the Giants in Madison, Wis., 22-17.

The Giants and Packers met every preseason from 1952-66 in cities as varied as Milwaukee, Boston, Bangor and Spokane. This will be their second preseason meeting in New Jersey; on Aug. 22, 1960, the Packers defeated the Giants, 16-7, in Jersey City. Green Bay leads the preseason series, 15-8-1.

For the 16th consecutive summer, the Giants face the New England Patriots in their preseason finale (on Sept. 3 or 4 in MetLife). Last year, Kyle Lauletta threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Alonzo Russell on the game’s final play to give the Giants a 31-29 victory.

The Giants lead the preseason series, 19-10. The two teams first met in the preseason in 1971.

In 2019, the Giants were 4-0 in preseason play, defeating the Jets, Bears, Bengals and Patriots.

Week 1
Pittsburgh Steelers
MetLife Stadium
Monday, Sept. 14, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
Pittsburgh’s 2019 record: 8-8, AFC North second place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants lead, 44-30-3
Pittsburgh won the last two and three of the last four games in the series, which began in 1933. The teams will meet for the first time since Dec. 4, 2016, when the Steelers raced out to a 14-0 halftime lead on their way to a 24-14 victory. They last faced each other in MetLife on Nov. 4, 2012, when Pittsburgh scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind 24-20 triumph. The teams met every season from 1933 through 1969, except when the series was interrupted by World War II in 1943 and 44. Since the Steelers moved to the AFC in the 1970 merger they have played only 10 times, six in New Jersey and four in Pittsburgh. The Steelers lead in those games, 6-4.

Week 2
Chicago Bears
Soldier Field
Sunday, Sept. 20, 1 p.m., CBS
Chicago’s 2019 record: 8-8, NFC North third place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants trail, 29-21-2; Postseason: Giants trail, 5-3
The Giants and Bears will face each other for the third consecutive season and the second year in a row in Chicago. Last Nov. 24, the Giants led at halftime, 7-3, but allowed 16 unanswered points in the third quarter and lost, 19-14. On Dec. 2, 2018, the Giants earned a 30-27 overtime triumph in MetLife Stadium. The Bears scored 10 points in the final 1:13 of the fourth quarter to tie the game. Saquon Barkley’s 29-yard run on the first play of overtime set up Aldrick Rosas’ game-winning 44-yard field goal. These teams first played each other in 1925, making this the Giants’ oldest active series (the Giants’ first-ever road victory was in Chicago on Dec. 13, 1925).

Week 3
San Francisco 49ers
MetLife Stadium
Sunday, Sept. 27, 1 p.m., FOX
San Francisco’s 2019 record: 13-3, NFC West first place, NFC champions
Series Record: Regular season: Giants lead, 17-16; Postseason: Tied, 4-4
The Giants and 49ers have split their last four games dating back to 2014, with each team winning once at home and once on the road. They last faced each other on Monday night, Nov. 12, 2018 in Santa Clara, where Eli Manning’s three-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard with 53 seconds remaining in the game capped a 75-yard drive and gave the Giants a 27-23 victory. The touchdown pass was the 350th of Manning’s career. The 49ers beat the Giants the previous season in Levi’s Stadium, 31-21. The teams split two games in MetLife in 2014 and 2015. How close is this series? The teams have met 41 times combined in the regular season and postseason. The Giants have 21 victories, the 49ers have 20. In those 41 games, they are separated by only five points (Giants 843, 49ers 838).

Week 4
Los Angeles Rams
SoFi Stadium
Sunday, Oct. 4, 4:05 p.m., FOX
Los Angeles’ 2019 record: 9-7, NFC West third place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants trail, 26-16; Postseason: Tied, 1-1
The Giants visit brand new SoFi Stadium for the first time and play their first game in Los Angeles in 26 years when they face the Rams. The teams last met Nov. 5, 2017, when the Rams led by as many as 38 points on their way to a 51-17 victory. That ended the Giants’ seven-game winning streak in the series; they had defeated the Rams in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2016, a stretch of success that immediately followed five consecutive Rams victories in the series. The Giants were 3-10 in regular-season games and 1-0 in the playoffs in Los Angeles when they Rams were based there from 1946-94.

Week 5
Dallas Cowboys
AT&T Stadium
Sunday, Oct. 11, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Week 17
MetLife Stadium
Sunday, Jan. 3, 1 p.m., FOX*
Dallas’ 2019 record: 8-8, NFC East second place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants trail, 68-45-2; Postseason: Giants lead, 1-0
In 2019, the Cowboys swept the Giants for the third consecutive season. The Giants opened their season on Sept. 8 in Dallas, the fifth year in a row their first road game was in AT&T Stadium. After taking an early 7-0 lead, the Giants didn’t score another touchdown until 2:49 remained in the game and lost, 35-17. Saquon Barkley rushed for 120 yards and Eli Manning threw for 306 yards and a touchdown. In the Monday night rematch on Nov. 4, the Giants trailed by a single point after three quarters, but were outscored in the fourth, 21-3 and lost in MetLife, 37-18. It was the most points they allowed all season. The Giants have swept the season series 13 times, while Dallas has 23 series sweeps. The Giants are 20-37-1 in Dallas (5-6 in AT&T Stadium), while the Cowboys are 5-5 vs. the Giants in MetLife Stadium.

Week 6
Washington Redskins
MetLife Stadium
Sunday Oct. 18, 1 p.m., FOX
Week 9
FedExField
Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m., FOX
Washington’s 2019 record: 3-13, NFC East fourth place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants lead, 102-68-4; Postseason: Tied, 1-1
The Giants last year swept the season series for the first time since 2014, ending a four-year streak which saw the teams split their two games. On Sept. 29, Daniel Jones threw for 225 yards and a touchdown in his first start in MetLife Stadium and the Giants allowed a season-low point total in a 24-3 victory. Jones threw a franchise rookie-record five touchdown passes in the rematch in FedExField on Dec. 22, when the Giants held three separate 14-point leads before winning in overtime, 41-35. The Giants have faced the Redskins 174 times in the regular season since their first game in 1932, making this their most frequently-contested rivalry. They are 7-3 vs. Washington in MetLife and 13-9-1 in FedExField. The Giants have swept the season series 33 times.

Week 7
Philadelphia Eagles
Lincoln Financial Field
Thursday, Oct. 22, 8:20 p.m., FOX/NFLN/Amazon
Week 10
MetLife Stadium
Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m., FOX
Philadelphia’s 2019 record: 9-7, NFC East first place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants trail, 85-83-2; Postseason: Tied, 2-2
The Eagles swept the season series in 2019 for the third year in a row and the fifth time in six seasons to take the lead in the all-time series. Philadelphia has won its last seven games vs. the Giants. On Monday night, Dec. 9, the Giants jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead, but the Eagles scored one touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters before Zach Ertz’s second two-yard touchdown reception with 4:50 elapsed in overtime gave the home team a 23-17 victory. The teams met again in the season finale in MetLife Stadium on Dec. 29. Saquon Barkley’s 68-yard touchdown run tied the score late in the third quarter, but the Eagles got a pair of two-yard scoring runs by Boston Scott and scored 17 unanswered points in the final quarter to win, 34-17. The Giants are 2-8 against the Eagles in MetLife (plus 0-1 in the postseason). They have lost their last six games in The Linc, where they are 6-11 in the regular season and 0-1 in postseason play.

Week 8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MetLife Stadium
Monday, Nov. 2, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Tampa Bay’s 2019 record: 7-9, NFC South third place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants lead, 15-7; Postseason: Giants lead, 1-0
The Giants and Buccaneers will meet for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in six seasons. The last three games between the teams were decided by a total of six points. On Sept. 22, 2019, the Giants edged the Bucs in Raymond James Stadium, 32-31. Daniel Jones started his first game at quarterback and threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores, including the seven-yard game-winner with 1:16 remaining in the game. The previous game was Nov. 18 in MetLife Stadium, the Giants held a 17-point third-quarter lead before holding on for a 38-35 victory. And on Oct. 1, 2017 in Tampa, Nick Folk kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bucs a 25-23 victory.

Week 11: Bye

Week 12
Cincinnati Bengals
Paul Brown Stadium
Sunday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m., FOX*
Cincinnati’s 2019 record: 2-14, AFC North fourth place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants trail, 6-4
The home team has won all 10 games in this series and the teams have alternated victories in their last five meetings dating back to 1997. The Giants won that season and in 2008 and 2016, and the Bengals won in 2004 and 2012. They most recently met on Monday night, Nov. 14, 2016, when Eli Manning’s third touchdown pass of the game, a three-yarder to Sterling Shepard early in the fourth quarter, held up for a 21-20 victory. The Giants didn’t fare as well in their last road game vs. the Bengals, losing 31-13 on Nov. 11, 2012, a defeat that left them 0-6 in Cincinnati.

Week 13
Seattle Seahawks
CenturyLink Field
Sunday, Dec. 6, 4:05 p.m., FOX*
Seattle’s 2019 record: 11-5, NFC West second place
Series Record: Regular season: Series tied, 9-9
The Seahawks have a four-game winning streak in the series, with victories in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017, with only the 2014 game in Seattle. The teams last met on Oct. 22, 2017, when the Giants’ early seven-point lead dissolved as Russell Wilson threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns to secure a 24-7 victory. The Giants and Seahawks last faced each other in Seattle on Nov. 9, 2014, a 38-17 victory for the home team. Marshawn Lynch ran for four touchdowns in that game. The Giants are 3-5 in Seattle, including 1-3 since CenturyLink opened in 2002.

Week 14
Arizona Cardinals
MetLife Stadium
Sunday, Dec. 13, 1 p.m., FOX*
Arizona’s 2019 record: 5-10-1, NFC West fourth place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants lead, 80-45-2
The Cardinals will meet the Giants in MetLife for the second year in a row. Arizona has won the last three games in the series, and in each of its last three visits to East Rutherford. On Oct. 20, 2019, the Cardinals earned a 27-21 victory behind Chase Edmonds’ three rushing touchdowns – a pair of 20-yarders in the first quarter and a 22-yarder in the third. Arizona jumped out to a 17-0 lead that the Giants cut to three points by halftime. But the visitors outscored the Giants in the second half, 10-7, to secure the victory. The Cardinals also beat the Giants in Arizona in 2017 and in New Jersey in 2009 and 2014. The Giants’ most recent victory in the series was in State Farm Stadium in 2011. From 1970-2002, the Giants and Cardinals were both members of the NFC East.

Week 15
Cleveland Browns
MetLife Stadium
Sunday, Dec. 20, 1 p.m., CBS*
Cleveland’s 2019 record: 6-10, AFC North third place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants trail, 26-21-2; Postseason: Tied, 1-1
The Giants won their last two and six of their last seven games against the Browns dating back to 1991. The teams last met on Nov. 27, 2016, when three Eli Manning touchdown passes, including two to Odell Beckham, Jr., keyed a 27-13 victory. The Giants and Browns most recently met in New Jersey on Oct. 7, 2012, when the home team overcame an early 14-0 deficit and rallied to win, 41-27. Manning threw three touchdown passes, all to Victor Cruz. From 1950-69, the Giants and Browns had one of the NFL’s greatest rivalries, playing each other twice each season (except for 1968). Since the Browns moved to the AFC in the 1970 merger, they have played each other only 10 times (the Giants own a 6-4 advantage).

Week 16
Baltimore Ravens
M&T Bank Stadium
Sunday, Dec. 27, 1 p.m., FOX*
Baltimore’s 2019 record: 14-2, AFC North first place
Series Record: Regular season: Giants trail, 3-2; Postseason: Giants trail, 1-0
The Giants haven’t won in Baltimore since Sept. 15, 1963, when they defeated the Colts, 37-28. Of course, they’ve since played there just twice, losing to the Ravens in 2004 and 2012. The teams last met on Oct. 16, 2016, when Eli Manning threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham, Jr. with 1:24 remaining to give the Giants a 27-23 victory. In their most recent meeting in Baltimore, on Dec. 23, 2012, the Giants lost, 33-14, as the Ravens gained 533 yards (309 passing, 224 on the ground), and owned the ball for more than 39 minutes. Baltimore also defeated the Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl XXXV on Jan. 28, 2001 in Tampa. The teams met in the preseason every year from 1996-2007 and again in 2010. The Ravens lead that series, 7-5.

*Game subject to flex scheduling.

Preseason

Pre 1 – Aug. 13-17 at N.Y. Jets TBD TBD

Pre 2 – Aug. 20-24 at Tennessee TBD TBD

Pre 3 – Aug. 27-30 Green Bay TBD TBD

Pre 4 – Sep. 3-4 New England TBD TBD

Regular Season

Weel 1 – Sep. 14 Pittsburgh Steelers (Mon) 7:15 PM ESPN

Week 2 – Sep. 20 at Chicago Bears 1:00 PM CBS

Week 3 – Sep. 27 San Francisco 49ers 1:00 PM FOX

Week 4 – Oct. 4 at Los Angeles Rams 4:05 PM FOX

Week 5 – Oct. 11 at Dallas Cowboys 4:25 PM CBS

Week 6 – Oct. 18 Washington Redskins 1:00 PM FOX

Week 7 – Oct. 22 at Philadelphia Eagles (Thu) 8:20 PM FOX/NFLN/Amazon**

Week 8 – Nov. 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mon) 8:15 PM ESPN

Week 9 – Nov. 8 at Washington Redskins 1:00 PM FOX

Week 10 – Nov. 15 Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 PM FOX

Week 11 BYE

Week 12 – Nov. 29 at Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM FOX

Week 13 – Dec. 6 at Seattle Seahawks 4:05 PM FOX

Week 14 – Dec. 13 Arizona Cardinals 1:00 PM FOX

Week 15 – Dec. 20 Cleveland Browns 1:00 PM CBS

Week 16 – Dec. 27 at Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM FOX

Week 17 – Jan. 3 Dallas Cowboys 1:00 PM FOX

Jags’ Schobert: ‘I want to be able to change the culture into a traditional winning culture’

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Winning has not always come easy for Jaguars LB Joe Schobert. In his first four seasons in the league, all with the Cleveland Browns, Schobert has not made the playoffs, but he hopes that will all change in Jacksonville.

Back in March, the 26-year-old Schobert signed a five-year, $53.75 million deal with the Jaguars, which included $21 million in guaranteed money. Although he did not win in Cleveland, Schobert aims to be apart of a winning tradition with the Jaguars. 

“I come from a franchise where I didn’t play in the playoffs,” Schobert said via a conference call on Tuesday. “I was 1-31 my first two seasons; that was my record. I just want to prove that I can be a part of a winning franchise, a winning organization. In 2017, the Jaguars went to the AFC Championship game, but I want to be able to change the culture into a traditional winning culture to be a team that can go to the playoffs year after year and become one of the more successful franchises in the AFC, competing for titles every year.”

With the addition of Schobert, who is expected to be the Jaguars starting middle linebacker in 2020, Myles Jack will move to the outside, which Schobert believes benefits Jack.

“I came in at the same time as Myles Jack, and I remember in college watching UCLA stuff when he was playing running back and linebacker, running all over the field and making plays all the time,’ Schobert said. “I think the 2017 (AFC) championship game against the Patriots if you watched that game, you just see the talent he possesses, how fluid he is as an athlete, and how sudden he can be and explosive.

“My goal for me coming in here is to just take things off of the plate, being able to set the defenses, make the calls, make the checks and their adjustments and let Myles just go be an athlete out there and wreck the game which he has the ability to when he doesn’t have to be caught up in trying to get other people lined up and be responsible for all that communication.”

Jacksonville is hoping to get their defense back to what they were in 2017, which ended with the Jaguars making it to the AFC title game. The Jaguars invested two first-round picks in this year’s draft on defense(CB C.J. Henderson, LB K’Lavon Chaisson), so if Schobert plays well in the middle and Jack gets it done on at the outside linebacker spot, that will go a long way to getting the defense right in 2020.

Andrade: ‘I’m not fighting Canelo or Charlo or Billy Joe behind closed doors’

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Demetrius Andrade hopes to finally get to face bitter rival Billy Joe Saunders when boxing returns – and told Matchroom Boxing’s Podcast ‘The Lockdown Tapes’ that he would ‘bust up’ the Brit if they clashed.

Andrade (29-0 18 KOs) was due to face Saunders in October 2018 for the Londoner’s WBO crown but the Briton failed a drugs test and subsequently relinquished the title.

Andrade would win the vacant belt against Walter Kautondokwa in Boston and has since defended the title with imposing wins over Artur Akavov, Maciej Sulecki and Luke Keeler. The Rhode Island star has been hunting a massive fight to stamp his authority on the 160lbs division before moving up to Super-Middleweight, and the 32 year old ran the rule over his rivals at both weights as he itches to get back in the ring.

“I was willing to fight Billy Joe after a 15 month lay-off but that didn’t happen and I am willing to fight him again,” said Andrade. “If I can’t get Canelo then it’s Billy Joe or Charlo at 160. At 168 we’ve got Callum Smith. I would bust Billy Joe Saunders up at 160 or 168, that’s not a problem.

“I consider Danny Jacobs one of the best Middleweights out there, but would I fight him, yeah! If it came to the point where we were going to make X amount, then we could make it happen, but I grew up with him and we have a brothership and mutual connections. Fighting him isn’t something I’m looking to do.

“I don’t want to talk about Liam Williams because there is nothing to talk about. What do I have to say? We know Jacobs, Canelo, GGG, Sergey Derevyenchenko and Billy Joe want to fight, who am I going to fight? Billy Joe or Liam Williams? Who do you want to see?

“I saw Billy Joe in the airport not too long ago. He said ‘what do you think about me and you?’ and I told him ‘he doesn’t want to fight me and for him to go and enjoy his life’.

“It might be Williams but I’m not fighting Canelo or Charlo or Billy Joe behind closed doors because I want to shut them up in front of people! And tell them ‘It’s me again’!”

THE LOCKDOWN TAPES WITH DEMETRIUS ANDRADE IS ALSO ON MATCHROOM BOXING’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW!

Giants claim former Cowboys QB Cooper Rush off waivers

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The Giants today added a fourth quarterback to their roster when they were awarded Cooper Rush off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys.

The transaction is contingent on Rush passing a physical after travel restrictions are lifted.

In a corresponding move, the Giants waived wide receiver Reggie White to remain at the NFL-maximum 90 players on their roster.

Rush, 6-3 and 225 pounds, will join starter Daniel Jones and veteran reserves Colt McCoy and Alex Tanney in the Giants’ quarterback room.

Rush spent the previous three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, where he worked under coach Jason Garrett, now the Giants’ offensive coordinator. He appeared in five games, including two last year. Rush threw three passes – all in 2017 – and completed one, a two-yarder at San Francisco on Oct. 22. That year, he joined the Cowboys as a rookie free agent from Central Michigan.

White was originally signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2019, from Monmouth University. He was waived on August 30 and was on the Giants’ practice squad from Sept. 1-Nov. 12 and again from Nov. 27 through the end of the season. White signed a reserve/futures contract with the Giants on Dec. 30.

Michael Eisen/NY Giants

Twitter reacts to the death of Don Shula

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The sports world lost another legend today. Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula died today. According to the Miami Dolphins, Shula died at his home. He was 90. 

Shula was the winningest coach in NFL history and is the only coach to lead a team to an undefeated season, which he pulled off with the 1972 Miami Dolphins. In his 33-year coaching career, Shula coached in six Super Bowls, winning two of them.  

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gave his thoughts in a statement on the life of Don Shula:

“Don Shula will always be remembered as one of the greatest coaches and contributors in the history of our game. He made an extraordinarily positive impact on so many lives. The winningest coach in NFL history and the only one to lead a team to a perfect season, Coach Shula lived an unparalleled football life. As a player, Hall of Fame coach, and long-time member and co-chair of the NFL Competition Committee, he was a remarkable teacher and mentor who, for decades, inspired excellence and exemplified integrity. His iconic legacy will endure through his family and continue to inspire generations to come. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Don’s wife Mary Anne, along to his children Dave, Donna, Sharon and Mike, the Shula family, and the Dolphins organization.”

Here is reaction from Twitter:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFL to play all games in United States in 2020

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The​ National Football League announced today that it will schedule all 2020 games in the United States in order for the entire season to be played in NFL teams’ stadia under consistent protocols focused on the well-being of players, personnel and fans.  NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made this decision after consultation with our clubs, national and local governments, the NFL Players Association, medical authorities and international stadium partners.

“After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico and UK,” said NFL Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer Christopher Halpin.  “We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season.

“We also thank our incredible fans in those territories for their passionate support of the NFL. We will continue to serve them through our outstanding media partners and by being active supporters of both grassroots football and COVID-19 relief efforts in Mexico and the UK.” ​

The NFL had been planning to play one game in Mexico City at Azteca Stadium and four games in London – two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and two at Wembley Stadium – during the 2020 season.  The Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins had all previously announced that they would be home teams for International Series Games in 2020. These teams will now play all of their home games this season at their home stadia in the United States. 

Mutombo donating meals to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19

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The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation will donate 466 hot meals for the front-line health professionals at Grady Memorial, Piedmont and Phoebe Putney hospitals in Georgia. Mutombo said, “166 of those meals will go to the front-line health workers at Phoebe Putney hospital in southwest Georgia because it is at the center of one of this state’s COVID-19 “hot zones”. I’m from Congo, so I know about “hot zones” and pandemics.”

The NBA Legend and Atlanta resident knows about “hot zones” because his homeland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been ravaged by several deadly Ebola virus outbreaks in recent history. Unable to send disease fighters to help battle one of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks in history, last June U.S. health officials turned to Mutombo, the basketball hall of famer for help. Regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history and a well-known philanthropist in his native Congo, Mutombo recorded radio and video spots in three African languages designed to persuade the people in the Congo to take the appropriate safety precautions and get care that might stop the disease’s spread. On March 2nd , Dr. Philip M. Ricks, of the CDC’s Global Disease Detection Operations Center reported to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, “some good news about Ebola. No new cases in seven days”. This report was the first time since the beginning of the disease response that no new confirmed cases were reported over a seven-day period.

One major project of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation was the construction of the Biamba Marie Mutombo hospital in the capital city of Kinshasa, DR Congo. This general hospital named in memory of Mutombo’s  mother opened in December 2007 and to date almost 500,000 men, women and children have been treated there. Absolutely no one is turned away for an inability to pay.