Watch the Indianapolis Colts take on the New England Patriots in Frankfurt, Germany live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.30pm Sunday, with kick-off at 2.30pm; the San Francisco 49ers then face the Jacksonville Jaguars from 6pm followed by the Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers.
By Cameron Hogwood, Interviews, Comment & Analysis @ch_skysports
22:39, UK, Friday 10 November 2023
As the NFL marches into the second half of the season, the league’s European road trip prepares for its final stop. We guide you through some of the latest news lines and build-up ahead of Sunday’s Week 10 action…
Editor’s note…
Guten Tag, again. We are in Frankfurt, again. Ready to do it all over again. Sway to Country Roads with Jason Bell again, rave to Germany’s in-stadium techno music again, revel in NFL Europe history lessons with Neil Reynolds again and, this time, watch what could mark one of the final days in the Bill Belichick era. Let’s start there…
A recent report in the Boston Globe has suggested this weekend’s game in Germany, referred to as New England’s Super Bowl for owner Robert Kraft, could play a defining role in any decision over whether or not to move forward with Belichick as head coach. The Patriots are 2-7 at the pit of the AFC, an offense that was supposed to have been fixed remains one of the league’s worst, the Belichick defensive masterplan seems devoid of the sparkle that bludgeoned rivals and sparked schematic trends for years and the NFL-revamped edition of ‘Succession’ is once again being discussed.
A look back at Bill Belichick’s record six Super Bowl wins along with quarterback Tom Brady for the New England Patriots
Behold a sizeable back-drop to the final international game of the season: how close is the clock to zero on Bill Belichick’s glittering career in Foxboro? One would have to question ‘why now?’ should the Patriots make their move mid-season; one might also object to the prospect of not allowing the greatest coach in NFL history to at least see out the campaign. But the NFL is the NFL. Belichick has been famously apathetic to sentiment with player departures over the years; will Kraft follow suit?
Question time has arrived across the league as we move into the second half of the season. ‘Will Belichick be Patriots head coach next season?’ among the most pressing.
Other food for thought: can the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys hang with the league’s front-runners? Can the slow-burning, talented-but-should-be-better Los Angeles Chargers hang with the Dolphins and Cowboys while they try and hang with the league’s front-runners? Can Tyreek Hill reach 2,000 receiving yards? Will Aaron Rodgers defy science and return from his Achilles injury? Are Joe Burrow and Lou Anarumo hoisting the Cincinnati Bengals into ‘team-to-avoid-in-the-playoffs’ territory after a slow start?
Neil Reynolds, Jason Bell and Dante Hall couldn’t help but dance along as the Frankfurt crowd all joined in a rendition of, Take Me Home, Country Roads
Plus: can the Kansas City Chiefs, embellished with and driven by Steve Spagnuolo defensive mastery over the first nine weeks, be stopped if their offense unsticks itself from first gear? And what of fresh Brock Purdy pressure amid a three-game skid for the San Francisco 49ers that has dazed their ominous 5-0 start?
The 2023 NFL season. Chapter Two. The cliche-fuelled ‘business end’ of the campaign is knocking at the door.
Around the league…
Kyler Murray is set to make his first start in 11 months on Sunday when he leads the Arizona Cardinals out against the Atlanta Falcons following his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in December last year.The San Francisco 49ers are due to be boosted by the return of wide receiver Deebo Samuel having been sidelined for the last two games by a hairline fracture to his shoulder, while offensive tackle Trent Williams could also make his return from an ankle injury.
The Tennessee Titans officially named rookie quarterback Will Levis as the starter moving forward following his immediate impact since stepping in for the injured Ryan Tannehill.A familiar race returned to the league this week as former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant signed with the Dallas Cowboys practice squad after being reinstated by the NFL having served an indefinite suspension since 2018 for multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.The New York Giants learned on Monday that quarterback Daniel Jones will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL in the loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, with Tommy DeVito expected to start against the Cowboys in Week 10.Cincinnati Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase is listed as questionable ahead of his side’s meeting with the Houston Texans
Best quotes
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray on his long-awaited return from injury: “I’m kind of emotionless. Not trying to get too high, get too low. It’s been a long, long 10 months.”
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson on his recovery: “The guys and the rest of the coaching staff in this building know my worth on the field and they want me at 100 per cent, as I do as well. I don’t want to go out there at 80 or 90 per cent and have the chance of hurting it again. It’s just day-to-day, and when that time comes, I’ll definitely be ready to step out there.”
Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold discuss CJ Stroud’s heroics against the Buccaneers and the impact the rookie is having on the Texans
Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce on allowing practice squad players to be on the sideline: “They got a Raiders uniform, those guys bust their tails. You’re on the team, you’re part of the team, you’re in there on gameday. The way we practice those two days and what we ask them to do, they deserve to be on our sideline, they earned that right.”
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud: “Basketball players wanna be football players and football players wanna be basketball players and we all wanna play baseball.”
Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold pick who they believe will be the best team in the NFL this season
Eagles center Jason Kelce on his nominated for People magazine’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ award: “It’s honestly just another day. My wife tells me all the time, I’m the sexiest man in the world, so I’ve been wondering what’s been taking so long for this nomination to happen. It’s a win for plus-sized, bearded men all over the world.”
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill on Levis being named as starter moving forward: “It hits hard. I’ve never been in this situation before, so it hits hard and it’s never a situation anyone wants to be in. But it’s the situation I’m in, so I’ve got to walk through it. I want to handle the situation with class. It’s not a fun situation to be in, but I want to be a pro and handle it with class and still be a guy that people can look to.”
What to watch…
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Watch Week 10 live on Sky Sports!
Zaire Franklin touches down in Germany as one of the league’s most efficient missile linebackers in 2023, his 102 tackles in eight games second only to TJ Edwards’ 112 in 10 games as the 2018 seventh-round pick seeks to shake off injury to lead the Indianapolis Colts defense against the New England Patriots this Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
A handful of the league’s most gifted edge rushers then collide as the Jacksonville Jaguars host the San Francisco 49ers. Josh Allen enters with nine sacks and 26 pressures through eight games across from former No 1 overall pick Travon Walker, whose stats arguably do a disservice to his quarterback-displacement qualities. Nick Bosa meanwhile arrives with 24 pressures and three sacks in the company of trade deadline addition Chase Young, the former Ohio State duo reuniting in view of igniting Steve Wilks’ defensive front.
Elsewhere in Hollywood, Lions second-round pick Sam LaPorta glistens as one of the rookie stories of the season and Jared Goff’s trusted targets within Detroit’s sixth-ranked passing offense having become the only tight end in NFL history to reach 40 catches, 400 receiving yards and four touchdown catches in his first eight games ahead of his side’s clash with the Los Angeles Chargerslive from 9.05pm.
Inside the Huddle: More Stroud heroics
Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold discuss the biggest talking points from Week Nine of the NFL season. The pair also take a closer look at another standout day from CJ Stroud as well as Antonio Pierce’s immediate impact as interim Las Vegas Raiders head coach…
The stats
Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat has registered a tied-most 50 quarterback pressures so far this seasonMiami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa currently leads the league in pass EPA through the first nine weeks of the seasonBuffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has the chance to overtake Aaron Rodgers (31 games) and Steve Young (31 games) for the second-most games with at least one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown in NFL history, with Cam Newton (45 games) leading the way
Jeff Reinebold explains the story of Antonio Pierce and why he has had such an impact on the Raiders
With a sack against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, TJ Watt (87), entering his 96th game, would surpass brother JJ Watt (87.5) for second-most sacks by a player in his first 100 games since sacks became an official statistic in 1982Christian McCaffrey enters Sunday’s clash with the Jaguars looking to become the first player in NFL history to score a touchdown of any kind in 18 consecutive games, including the postseason; he would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Lenny Moore
Essential reading: ‘The NFL’s mid-season awards: Lamar leading MVP race?
MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, best surprise package and leading head coach candidates… Sky Sports NFL’s Phoebe Schecter picks her mid-season awards at the half-way stage of the 2023 NFL campaign.
Essential reading: ‘How Frankfurt brought the NFL to Europe’
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The American Forces Network was once Europe’s only destination for NFL commentary
Before Sky Sports NFL, there was Ken Allan and the American Forces Network radio station.
“At one time we had over a million listeners worldwide because we were the only show in town!”
Sky Sports NFL editor Cam Hogwood speaks to one of the original voices of football in Europe ahead of Sunday’s game in Frankfurt…
Her Huddle: Germany’s Super Bowl feel!
Hannah Wilkes is joined by Liz Bhandari and Ash Byrne-Hansen to dissect a thriller in Frankfurt and discuss the Super Bowl atmosphere in Germany…
Thursday night rewind…
Highlights of the Carolina Panthers against the Chicago Bears from Week 10 of the NFL.
Watch the Indianapolis Colts take on the New England Patriots in Frankfurt, Germany live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.30pm Sunday, with kick-off at 2.30pm; the San Francisco 49ers then face the Jacksonville Jaguars from 6pm followed by the Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers.
2023-11-10 20:01:49
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