Waddle Sets Rookie Receptions Record
The 17-game NFL regular season sees another record fall. In the Dolphins’ first drive of today’s game against the Patriots, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found his favorite target, receiver Jaylen Waddle, three times, pushing Waddle’s rookie-season total receptions to 102 and cementing that Waddle would end the day with an NFL record.
Waddle finished the game with 5 catches for only 27 yards, but those first three catches resulted in Waddle passing Anquan Boldin for most receptions in a single season for a rookie in NFL history. Boldin’s record of 101 receptions has stood since 2003. Waddle came into the game with 99 catches, so his 5 today make the new mark to beat 104.
Like most records this season, this will have a bit of an asterisk on it, since the record was reached in an 18-week season, as opposed to a 17-week season. While Waddle did technically catch more balls in the same amount of games as Boldin, Waddle did have the benefit of a week of rest outside the traditional bye week when he missed their Week 15 game against the Jets on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Waddle was joined today by T.J. Watt who tied Michael Strahan’s record for most sacks in a single season with 22.5. While Watt also had the luxury of being able to miss a game and still play the same amount of games that Strahan did back in 2001, Watt actually accomplished his total while only appearing in 15 games this year. This is sure to be a continuing trend in the coming years as players are given an additional opportunity to pad their stats.
Saints’ Hill Suffers Lisfranc Injury
According to a tweet from Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com, Saints’ head coach Sean Payton informed Fox’s Laura Okmin that quarterback Taysom Hill suffered a Lisfranc injury in the first half of the Saints’ Week 18 matchup in Atlanta. The injury to his left foot, if serious, could take Hill away from play for the rest of the year and potentially some of next year. 
A Lisfranc injury is what downed Jaguars’ rookie running back Travis Etienne in the preseason and kept him from playing for the entire season. When serious the injury can take up to 11-12 months to recover and has, in some instances, forced a couple of players into retirement. Hill suffered a similar injury to his right foot in 2015, when he was quarterbacking the BYU Cougars in their season opener against Nebraska. Hill finished the game, once it was confirmed it wouldn’t cause further damage, but when the game ended, then-head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced the injury would end his season.
This could be a major blow to the Saints as they are attempting to become the first NFL team in the league’s history to make it to the postseason after having started four different quarterbacks throughout the season. Due to season-ending injuries and COVID-19 infections, the Saints have seen Hill, Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, and Ian Book all start games under center. They can get into the playoffs today with a win in Atlanta and a 49ers’ loss in Los Angeles to the Rams.
A playoff berth would certainly be a testament to Sean Payton’s ability to keep the boat afloat no matter who is at quarterback, but going into the postseason with your first- and second-string quarterbacks unable to play may prove to be their toughest challenge of the season.
Playoff-Clinching Tie
Coming into today, the Sunday Night matchup between the Chargers and Raiders in Las Vegas was being billed as a winner-takes-all game with the winner continuing their season past Week 18. While that is still technically a true statement, it’s not the only path for either team to make the playoffs.
With the Colts’ loss to the Jaguars this afternoon and the Steelers’ win in Baltimore, an amusing possibility has been presented to both squads preparing for tonight. If Sunday night’s game were to end in a tie, both the Chargers and the Raiders would make the playoffs. While there are seeding scenarios at play for the Raiders (a win could put them at the 5th or 6th Seed, potentially, and a tie would clinch the 7th seed), the Chargers have no motivation to play the game if the Raiders were to propose an intentional tie.
While Los Angeles head coach Brandon Staley said earlier this week, “We’re going to do everything we can to go win this game,” that was when the tying scenario was a long shot, as the Colts were heavy favorites to beat Jacksonville today. Staley’s tune might change now that he has a very real opportunity to give his team a week of rest before a grueling playoff schedule.
As far as the rulebook goes, there’s nothing that says two teams can’t intentionally play an entire game for a tie. I’m sure the NFL is doing everything they can to get themselves out of the corner they backed themselves into, but it was a truly strange decision for the NFL to schedule a game with this potential in the final regular season time slot. The NFL certainly likes for the regular season’s final game to hold the highest stakes, and we’ve seen some of the most entertaining games in that time slot. The 2019 regular season finale between the 49ers and Seahawks comes to mind, as San Francisco won with a fourth down stop on their own 1-yard line.
It’s certain the NFL was hoping for similar fireworks tonight, but an implosion by the Colts and the battling of the Steelers brings up what could be one of the most unique season finales in NFL history.
Field For AFC’s Top Seed Narrows
The Chiefs’ win tonight over the Broncos eliminated the razor-thin hopes that the Bengals and Patriots held for a first-round bye. With a Chiefs loss, the Bengals could have clinched the #1 Seed with a win over the Browns and a Titans loss to the Texans. The Patriots could have clinched with those three teams losing, a win over the Dolphins, and a Bills loss to the Jets. 
The Chiefs’ win ensures that they will finish with a top 2 seed, at the very least, with a chance to earn a first-round bye if the Titans lose tomorrow in Houston. Cincinnati, seeing the long odds required to get them a rest next week, had already made the decision to rest some of their starters this week in their regular season finale in Cleveland, despite the fact that seeding between them and the AFC East winner is still at play.
Tennessee is a 10.5-point favorite over the Texans, but the Titans are one of Houston’s four wins this year. Chaos could certainly ensue as we look to close out our first ever 18-week NFL regular season.
Bucs, Vita Vea Agree To Extension
One of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL, Vita Vea agreed to a shiny, new contract tonight, extending his stay in Tampa Bay for another four years. The new deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, is worth over $73MM and will give Vea one of the six highest annual salaries for a defensive tackle in the NFL. 
The 12th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Vea has been a starter since his rookie season. Vea suffered fractures in his right leg and ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season which forced him to miss the remaining eleven regular season games and the Buccaneers’ first two postseason games. Vea returned in time to help his squad win the NFC and Super Bowl LV over the Chiefs.
Vea’s new deal gives him the highest annual salary on the Buccaneers’ defense and second-highest salary on the roster behind only quarterback Tom Brady. In exchange, Tampa Bay has locked down the leader and future of their defensive line for the next four years.
Cinci’s Desmond Ridder Declares For Draft
Quarterback Desmond Ridder said goodbye to his home of the past 5 years with a video posted to his Twitter account last night. While it seems obvious that a red-shirt senior is headed to the 2022 NFL Draft, because of the COVID-shortened season, Ridder had the option to return for a sixth year.
In an early mock draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay had Ridder as the fourth quarterback off the board and the 19th overall pick in the first round. The Kentucky native isn’t considered a consensus first-round pick, but he is consistently ranked as one of the 6 quarterbacks in the top-tier with Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh), Matt Corral (Mississippi), Sam Howell (North Carolina), Malik Willis (Liberty), and Carson Strong (Nevada).
As a three-star recruit out of St. Xavier in Louisville, Ridder chose Cincinnati over Eastern Kentucky and went on to amass a starting record for the Bearcats of 44-6. Ridder and his teammates did what most assumed was impossible when they became the first Group of 5 program to qualify for the 2022 College Football Playoff.
Ridder and cornerback Ahmad Gardner are striving to become the first Bearcats taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since defensive lineman Bob Bell was taken 21st overall in 1971. Regardless, Ridder has certainly made a name for himself as the University of Cincinnati’s winningest quarterback of all time, ranking 3rd overall in the statistic for all college football with his 44 wins trailing only Boise State’s Kellen Moore (50) and Texas’s Colt McCoy (45).
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/8/22
Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB D’Ernest Johnson
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Malcolm Smith, DB Denzel Ward
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Jayron Kearse
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: S Darian Thompson
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Taylor Decker, T Penei Sewell
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: RB Rodney Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Ezra Cleveland, T Christian Darrisaw
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Caleb Benenoch
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Sharrod Neasman, C Ross Pierschbacher
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Joe Haden, C Kendrick Green
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR James Washington
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Dontae Johnson, S Jimmie Ward, CB K’Waun Williams, CB Darqueze Dennard
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: LB Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Kyle Fuller
Washington Football Team
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/8/22
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: K Dominik Eberle
- Released: CB Jalen Julius
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Dazz Newsome
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DB Saivion Smith
- Released: WR Juwan Green, RB Rodney Smith
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: K Ryan Santoso, LS Carson Tinker
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Clayton Thorson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: K Matthew McCrane
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: K Sam Sloman
- Released: WR Tyler Vaughns
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: TE Tanner Hudson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Tyler Mabry
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22
Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Breon Borders, LB Markus Golden, OL D.J. Humphries, LB Devon Kennard
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Zach Kerr, LB Tanner Vallejo, TE Maxx Williams (from IR)
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Marlon Davidson, S Jaylinn Hawkins, TE Hayden Hurst, WR Tajae Sharpe, LB James Vaughters
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: G Willie Beavers
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Josh Oliver
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: CB Kevin Toliver
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Darryl Johnson, LB Haason Reddick, TE Tommy Tremble, QB P.J. Walker
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Yetur Gross-Matos
Chicago Bears
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jesper Horsted (remains on IR), OLB Charles Snowden
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Trenton Irwin, DB Trae Waynes
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Scotty Washington
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Vonn Bell, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, DE Trey Hendrickson, C Trey Hopkins, G Quinton Spain, DT B.J. Hill, RB Joe Mixon
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Elijah Lee, LB Tony Fields
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB Nick Mullens, S Tedric Thompson
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB D’Ernest Johnson, RB Dexter Williams
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: S Jovante Moffatt
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Quinton Bohanna, LB Micah Parsons (story), LB Keanu Neal
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: S Tyler Coyle, T Isaac Alarcon, CB Kyron Brown
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Josh Ball
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT Josiah Bronson
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE McTelvin Agim, LB Baron Browning, DB Bryce Callahan, LB Bradley Chubb, LB Jonathon Cooper, DB Mike Ford, WR Jerry Jeudy, T Bobby Massie, WR Tim Patrick, NT Mike Purcell, DB Caden Sterns, LB Stephen Weatherly
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Tyrie Cleveland
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Kalif Raymond
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Joel Heath, TE Hunter Bryant (from NFI)
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Elgton Jenkins, T Dennis Kelly, S Darnell Savage, WR Amari Rodgers, DE Kingsley Keke
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: K J.J. Molson, LB Ray Wilborn
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Billy Turner
Houston Texans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Danny Amendola, TE Antony Auclair, LB Ron’Dell Carter, T Tytus Howard, RB David Johnson, DB Lonnie Johnson, WR Chris Moore
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: K Dominik Eberle, TE Paul Quessenberry
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: Luke Rhodes
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Dan Arnold (remains on IR), TE Jacob Hollister, WR Jaydon Mickens, DT Jay Tufele
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Josh Hammond
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: P J.K. Scott
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: DB Josh Jackson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Carl Nassib, G Jordan Simmons, TE Darren Waller
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Kamaal Seymour (from NFI)
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Nick Vigil, QB Kirk Cousins, T Brian O’Neill
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Chris Herndon, DE Tashawn Bower
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: CB Parry Nickerson
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Ryan Ramczyk, DB Dylan Mabin
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Kevin White, TE Ethan Wolf
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Albert Huggins
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: CB Jordan Miller
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Korey Cunningham, DE Dexter Lawrence, T Matt Peart (remains on IR), NT Danny Shelton, WR Darius Slayton
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: LB Omari Cobb, CB Ka’dar Hollman
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: NT Woodrow Hamilton
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Tevin Coleman, TE Tyler Kroft, DE Quinnen Williams
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: G Isaiah Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR KeeSean Johnson
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR John Hightower, RB Craig James, TE Noah Togiai
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Dallas Goedert
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Zach Banner, LB Devin Bush, DB Arthur Maulet, RB Anthony McFarland, LB Joe Schobert, DE Chris Wormley
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Anthony Miller, WR Steven Sims, WR Tyler Vaughns
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Joe Haden
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Dontae Johnson, DB Jimmie Ward, DB Ambry Thomas, CB Deommodore Lenoir
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Blessuan Austin
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Gavin Heslop, DE Alton Robinson, DT Myles Adams, DT Al Woods
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Jaelon Darden, P Bradley Pinion
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Monty Rice
Washington Football Team
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: P Tress Way, G Ereck Flowers, RB Antonio Gibson
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Deshazor Everett, DB William Jackson
Latest on Antonio Brown, 1/5/22
It’s only been three days since Buccaneers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown walked off the field mid-game to much animosity, but the numerous updates have been nearly as dramatic as his exit. 
By now, I certainly don’t need to recap the origin of this conversation, but, in case you’ve been living under a rock, you can read about how Brown left the field mid-game due to a disagreement over playing with a lingering ankle injury and how head coach Bruce Arians made his stance clear that he wanted Brown off the team, but, up to this point in time, Tampa Bay has not released him in order to keep him from joining an opposing team.
In case this soap opera was not entertaining enough, the NFL washed their hands of the matter today, according to a tweet from Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud, claiming that Brown is not subject to the league’s personal conduct policy.
In the same day, Brown appeared on the team’s injury report with the designation “Not Injury Related – Personal,” while Arians said Brown’s roster status is a management decision, making it clear that Brown is not part of the team going forward.
If this is too much drama for you, I’ve got bad news. Later in the day, Brown’s attorney, Sean Burstyn, posted a Twitter thread wherein he, on behalf of his client, accused Tampa Bay of the fairly serious acts of ordering his client to play with a known and documented injury and then attempting to cover up their malfeasances by asking Brown to take the blame off of them and to put it on mental illness. He calls out the team for disowning his client while still retaining his client’s rights and promises a future statement from Brown, which came about an hour later.
Adam Schefter, of ESPN, tweeted out the typed-up statement that details the entire confrontation, as well as its precursors and after-effects, from Brown’s point-of-view. Brown pulls no punches in the statement, doubling down on his lawyer’s accusations and painting a portrait of a domineering organization that has no regard for his physical or mental health.
There’s sure to be a rebuttal from Tampa Bay, but, usually in media, the loudest voice is the most recent. And just like he says his “business” will be next season when he’s healthy, right now, Brown’s voice is “BOOMIN!”