On Thursday, the NFL announced that the Week 15 Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks game will move to Monday Night Football on ESPN while the Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots matchup will be played at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
Week 15 will also feature an NFL Network tripleheader on Saturday, Dec. 16.
The final Week 15 schedule (all times ET):
Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
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8:15p
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Prime Video
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Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023
Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals
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1:00p
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NFLN
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Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts
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4:30p
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NFLN
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Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions
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8:15p
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NFLN
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Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
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1:00p
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FOX
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Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns
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1:00p
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FOX
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers
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1:00p
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CBS
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New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
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1:00p
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CBS
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Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
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1:00p
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FOX
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New York Giants at New Orleans Saints
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1:00p
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FOX
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Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
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1:00p
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CBS
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San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals
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4:05p
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CBS
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Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Rams
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4:05p
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CBS
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Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills
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4:25p
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FOX
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Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars
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8:20p
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NBC
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Monday, Dec. 18, 2023
Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks
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8:15p
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ESPN/ABC
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Free agent LB Darius Shaquille Leonard was in Philadelphia visiting the Eagles on Wednesday. The three-time Pro Bowler, who the Colts released in early November, also visited the Cowboys earlier this week.
The 28-year-old is coming off back surgery last season, which caused him to miss 14 games in 2022. This season, Leonard played in nine games with the Colts.
Leonard has a history with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Leonard was with Sirianni in Indianapolis when Sirianni was the offensive coordinator with the Colts from 2018-2020, and the two have a close relationship, which he discussed on Wednesday.
“I was close with him when we were in Indy,” Sirianni said about his relationship with Leonard. “I just thought you can learn so much from good players. Just think about how he went about how he attacked the day, and also how he saw the game as an offensive coach. That was always a good perspective talking to him and I just had so much respect for him.
“It was good to be able to catch up with him and relive some memories, but also talk a little bit about what this building is like.”
Sirianni was asked what his pitch was to Leonard, and according to him, he will be honest about why he believes Philly is good for Leonard.
“All I’ll ever do is just be honest with him and tell him what the situation is here, what the situation is in this building,” Sirianni said.
“I think the pitch is just the guys that we have in this building, and some of them he has a prior relationship, too. I want Shaq to make the decision that’s best for him. Because, again, when there is that prior relationship you want to make sure — and that’s what I said to him, ‘I just want you to make the best decision for you. Take all the information from both places and do what’s best for you.’
“So, I’ve called him a bunch the last couple days, and, shoot, he’ll make the decision that’s best for him. I’m confident in that. He’s a good person.”
With Zach Cunningham(hamstring) possibly out for a few weeks, the Eagles need linebacker help, and Leonard would help. If it’s down to the Eagles and Cowboys, Leonard could make his debut when the two teams collide in Week 14. The only question is what color jersey he will be wearing that day.
On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Eagles announced that DeSean Jackson will officially retire as a member of the team on Friday, December 1.
The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, who played eight of 15 NFL seasons with the Eagles, will be recognized as the honorary captain for the team’s big showdown against the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
Originally a second-round draft pick (49th overall) of the Eagles in the 2008 NFL Draft, Jackson spent eight of his 15 seasons in Philadelphia, where he garnered three Pro Bowl nods (2009, 2010, 2013) as a dual-threat on offense and special teams. In 95 career games with the Eagles, he ranks third all-time in receiving yards (6,512), sixth in receptions (379), and ninth in receiving touchdowns (35). As a punt returner, he finished second in punt returns (132), third in punt return yards (1,296), and is the team’s all-time leader in punt return touchdowns (tied Darren Sproles with four).
Jackson’s most decorated season came in 2013 when he set career highs in receptions (82), receiving yards (1,332), touchdown catches (nine), and 100-yard games (five) en route to his third Pro Bowl selection. It was his third season with 1,000-plus receiving yards, which tied the franchise mark set by Harold Carmichael and Mike Quick. His 82 catches that season were the fourth-most in team history and third-most by a wide receiver.
After the 2013 season, Jackson was released by Chip Kelly and the Eagles and signed with the then-Washington Redskins; he would return to Philly in 2019 and would spend two seasons with the Eagles.
“DeSean Jackson was a dynamic playmaker who captivated Eagles fans with his game-breaking speed, unique skill set, and explosive play,” said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles Chairman and CEO, in a press release. “What made DeSean truly stand out during his accomplished 15-year career was his ability to make miraculous plays look routine.”
Here are some highlights of Jackson’s career:
-Became the first player in NFL history to earn Pro Bowl honors at two positions – kick returner and wide receiver.
-Tied the NFL record with eight touchdowns of 50-plus yards in a single season.
-His 52.8 yards per score average during the 2009 season was the highest in NFL history among players with at least 10 touchdowns in a season.
-Became the second player in NFL history to score touchdowns via receiving, rushing, and punt return during each of his first three seasons.
-Became the fifth player in NFL history to have eclipsed 900-or-more receiving yards in each of his first four seasons.
Jackson’s most memorable play came on December 19, 2010, when the Eagles faced off against the division-rival New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Down 31-10 in the fourth quarter, the Eagles remarkably went on to score 21 unanswered points to tie the game, 31-31. With 12 seconds remaining, the Giants were forced to punt from their own 35-yard line. Jackson, the return man, secured the football off the turf and raced 65 yards to the end zone as time expired, which marked the first time in NFL history that a game had ended on a walk-off punt return.
A native of Los Angeles, CA, Jackson played collegiately at the University of California (Berkeley) and played 15 NFL seasons for the Eagles, Washington, Tampa Bay, Rams, Raiders, and Ravens.
Make it two straight for quarterback Tommy DeVito and the New York Giants after defeating the New England Patriots 10-7 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
New York secured the victory when New England kicker Chad Ryland missed a 35-yard field goal with six seconds to go.
DeVito was not great, but he was good enough; he completed 17 of 25 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown; he had zero interceptions, but he did lose a fumble.
However, this game was about the defense, who intercepted QB Mac Jones twice in the first half, and his replacement Bailey Zappe once in the second half, which led to 10 points for the Giants.
In the last two weeks, the Giants forced nine turnovers, but according to a report from FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, there’s a rift between head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
After their win over the Patriots, Daboll discussed his relationship with Martindale.
“I’d say the biggest argument that Wink and I have had is who has the last piece of pizza,” Daboll said. “I got a lot of respect for Wink. He’s done a good job. I’ll leave it at that…
“I got a lot of respect for Wink. He’s a heck of a coach. I’m glad he’s on the staff.”
Back to DeVito, the New Jersey native, who played a high school state championship game at MetLife Stadium, got his first start at MetLife as a pro on Sunday, and he was happy to get another win.
“It feels great,” DeVito said about winning at MetLife Stadium. “Any game after a win is awesome, but to be able to do it here at home for my first time is surreal. I’m going to enjoy the moment.”
The undrafted rookie free agent was excited to hear his name introduced to the Giant faithful.
I’m not going to lie, I kind of blacked out,” he said. “I was kind of just in my element. I didn’t know if people were cheering or booing or what was going on. It could’ve been anything, but I was just locked in, enjoying it.”
Jones(ACL) is out for the season, and Tyrod Taylor(ribs), but Daboll did not wholly rule out going back to the veteran quarterback.
“We’ll have our bye week here,” Daboll said. “We’ll discuss a lot of things. Look at a lot of things. So, over the next few days, that’s what we’ll do.”
New York returns on Monday night, Dec. 11, at home against the Green Bay Packers.
On Monday night, Nick Sirianni got the biggest regular season win as an Eagles head coach when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on the road 21-17 in a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl, which the Eagles lost.
After the game, Sirianni was seen talking a little trash to the Chiefs fanbase, which we’ve seen him do last year following the team’s win over the Colts in Indy.
Chiefs LB Willie Gay called Sirianni’s reaction to the fans “corny.”
On Friday, Sirianni discussed his interaction with Chiefs fans.
‘Yeah, you know, emotions run high in games,” Sirianni said. “I give it to the Kansas City fans. They were rowdy. They had some good things to say coming in at halftime. They had some good things to say when they would score. I don’t hear fans all that often; I did in this game. I definitely heard them at halftime.
“I give them credit. They aren’t Philly fans. They’re not as good as Philly fans, but I definitely heard a couple things they were saying in the game.
“You always look at those things. To me, with everything that I am, I’m not going to hide who I am. I think that, shoot, I talked to my buddy after the [Indianapolis] game last year because I had something like that with the Indy game and he said that he was talking to another teacher because he’s a teacher and he said — how did he say it? It was interesting.
“The other teacher said to my best friend, he was like, ‘Hey, did you see how cool it was that Nick was celebrating with the Eagles fans after the game?’ He laughed. He goes [jokingly], ‘Nick wasn’t celebrating with the Eagles fans, he was talking [trash] to the Colts fans. He’s been doing that since I’ve known him. That’s who he is.’
“You know what? I think if you’re somebody you’re not, that gets seen through by everybody, and so, hey, like that was some — I was emotional after the game. That was a little playful back and forth with the Kansas City fans.
“But, again, I tip my hat to them. They’re not as good as Eagles fans, but they’re good fans, and we heard them. That’s the way it went after the game.”
Sirianni and the Eagles are having a lot of success right now, so his reactions are acceptable. However, if Philly starts to struggle sometime in the future, Sirianni’s reactions might be questioned. At this point, Eagles fans should enjoy the ride.
Broncos safety Kareem Jackson has been suspended without pay for four games for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during this Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Following the Broncos’ Week 7 game against Green Bay, the 35-year-old was suspended for four games for violations of unnecessary roughness rules. On appeal, that suspension was reduced to two games. In addition, Jackson was also disqualified from a Week 2 game against Washington for a similarly flagrant hit and fined.
The 14-year veteran, who can appeal his latest suspension, will be eligible to return to the Broncos’ active roster following the team’s Week 15 game against Detroit.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for a violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 10 (a) which states that “it is a foul if a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent.”
In a letter to Jackson, Runyan wrote:
“With 13:38 remaining in the first quarter, you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules. The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent, and the illegal contact could have been avoided.
“Illegal acts that are flagrant and jeopardize the safety of players will not be tolerated. The League will continue to stress enforcement of the rules that prohibit using your helmet to make forcible contact with your opponent. On the play in question, you lowered your head and delivered a forceful blow to the shoulder and head/neck area of an opponent when you had time and space to avoid such contact. You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to.”
Denver, who is on a four-game winning streak, will host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
What a difference a week makes for New York Giants rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito.
In his second career start, the undrafted rookie free agent completed 18 of 26 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns against the Commanders(4-7). Two of his touchdown passes went to Saquon Barkley, and the third went to Darius Slayton. The Giants (3-8) forced a season-high six turnovers, including an Isaiah Simmons pick-six to seal the game late in the fourth; New York would end their three-game losing streak and defeat Washington 31-19 at FedeXField on Sunday.
DeVito gets his victory as starter in the NFL.
“It means a lot. It means a lot to a sports team, right?” DeVito said after the win. “After the last couple weeks of not getting the result we wanted, just to have that feeling in this game which is not getting the result we wanted in the end, you know, it means a lot. We’re going to enjoy it. We’re gonna celebrate it but we know what it takes.”
The Livingston, New Jersey native, who became the first Giants quarterback with at least five touchdowns in his first two NFL starts since 1950, took a beating on Sunday. He was sacked nine times. This is the first victory in Giants history in a game when their quarterback(s) was sacked at least nine times.
“I hate to put it back to my college days, but I got beat up a little bit when I was in college,” DeVito said. “So I’ve kinda been in some similar situations like that before but I mean that’s part of the quarterback position. You have to stand in there and you’ll take those hits and deliver the ball to your teammates and do that element of it. I mean, I continue to trust in those guys.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll added: “Yeah, I mean, he’s tough. He’s a tough guy. Again, when you have that many sacks, and they weren’t all on the offensive line, I’ll tell you that right now. We could have done some things better, but we did a good job of sometimes capitalizing on them. In terms of getting backed up, a lot of times we had to punt the ball because we got behind the sticks, but he’s a tough-minded guy.”
Despite DeVito’s struggles against the Jets and Cowboys, the Giants stuck with DeVito, and Daboll has been happy with his work ethic and progress.
“Yeah, I mean I was asked a fair amount of questions about bringing in some older guys and thought this guy was a good young player to work with,’ Daboll said. “Again, he’s played in two and a half games, so there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but he certainly has put the work in… There’s a lot of things he did good and a lot of things we can help him improve on.”
Notes:
The Giants improved to 2-2 in NFC East games. Including their 14-7 victory last month in MetLife Stadium, the Giants swept the season series against Washington for the first time since 2020. The Giants are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games against Washington. Both losses occurred in 2021.
The Giants last had three interceptions in a game on Nov. 21, 2021, in a victory against Philadelphia. Darnay Holmes had one of the picks in that game and one Sunday. *The Giants’ three fumble recoveries were their highest total since they had three on Oct. 2 2022, against Chicago.
Super Bowl LVII was an opportunity for the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl, and after 30 minutes, the Eagles led the Chiefs 24-14.
However, Kansas City stormed back in the second half and ultimately defeated the Eagles 38-35.
On Monday night, the Eagles can get revenge when they travel to Kansas City to battle the Chiefs.
Obviously, the Eagles want to win, but that won’t change what happened in February, which the players discussed this week, and what Eagles coach Nick Sirianni discussed on Saturday.
“I mean, the sentiment of they’re not giving us their ring back if we beat them this week,” Sirianni said. “That’s more of like– we’re not going up there to win the Super Bowl. We’re going to play a good football team in a hostile environment and looking to get better this week to put ourselves in position to go 1-0 this week.
“Again, the message, I wouldn’t say that’s been the message. We’ve all talked about that, you know, this game is a regular season game, but every regular season game we play means a lot to us. We got to go up there with our best foot forward to play against a really good team.
“Yeah, again, it’s just that whole mentality of like make sure you’re getting yourself up for every game and doing the right things every single game because they’re all important, and this one is the most important because it’s the next one.”
All these games are important for the 8-1 Eagles, who are looking to get the number one seed in the NFC and a first-round bye, and they have a brutal five-game stretch, which includes games against the Bills, Cowboys, and 49ers, so they have to keep winning. Again, a win over the Chiefs won’t change what happened in the Super Bowl, but it will keep them on track to capture the top spot in the NFC, which would help them get back to the big game.
Houston Texans LB Denzel Perryman has been suspended without pay for three games for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during this Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Perryman, 30, will be suspended for games against Arizona, Jacksonville, and Denver; he’s eligible to return to the Texans’ active roster on Monday, Dec. 4, following the team’s Dec. 3 game against the Broncos.
The nine-year veteran, who signed with the Texans in March, may appeal the suspension.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for a violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 10 (a), which states that “it is a foul if a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent.”
In a letter to Perryman, Runyan wrote:
“With 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, you were involved in a play that the league considers a serious violation of the playing rules. You lowered your head and delivered a forcible blow to the shoulder and then the head/neck area of the receiver. You had unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.”
Runyan noted that Perryman has had multiple offenses for personal fouls of this type – six violations – throughout his career, including in Week 2 against Indianapolis, when he was fined for a violation of the same rule.
“When players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, and particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player, it is appropriate to impose substantially greater penalties,” Runyan wrote.
In October, Broncos S Kareem Jackson was suspended four games for violations of unnecessary roughness rules; however, his suspension was reduced to two games on appeal.
Perryman has 25 tackles and 0.5 sacks in six games with the Texans this season.
On Wednesday, Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Dobbs, acquired via trade from the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 31, filled in for his first appearance as a Viking after QB Jaren Hall left the game at Atlanta with an injury in the first quarter.
He engineered a game-winning, 75-yard drive, connecting with WR Brandon Powell on a six-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left to secure a 31-28 win over the Falcons, the team’s fourth consecutive win, the longest active win streak in the NFC.
The seventh-year pro threw for 158 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions and ran for a career-high 66 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first player in NFL history to have three total touchdowns in back-to-back weeks with two different teams after scoring three in Week 8 with Arizona.
“NFC [Offensive] Player of the Week was a pretty cool accomplishment this week, but just want to give a shoutout – I know we talked about it after the game, but just going back and watching film and everything, it truly was a team effort,” Dobbs said on Wednesday. “There were a lot of plays that our defense made, especially early in the game, to keep the offense in the game. Some efforts on my turnovers of guys rushing down, knocking a guy out of bounds at the 1-yard line to keep it a 3-point possession instead of a 7-point possession. So, a tremendous effort by this team. Obviously, I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to come off a win. But we’ve got a huge opponent, an NFC opponent, coming to town this weekend, so we’re excited to get back to work and get locked in and focused and get ready for Sunday.”
What Dobbs did this week was amazing—a new team, a new system, and having to come off the bench to lead them to victory.
Dobbs and the Vikings get back at it on Sunday when they host the New Orleans Saints.
