Matthew Schmidt Articles - Page 49

The New Orleans Saints have had 11 months to digest their gut-wrenching, controversial loss to the Los Angeles Rams in last year’s NFC Championship Game, and now, they are ready to right their wrongs. Unlike last season, the Saints didn’t secure a first-round bye, but they are still considered NFC favorites by some as they […]

For the fourth time in five years, the Houston Texans are AFC South division champions, but this time, they are actually looking to make a deep playoff run for the first time in franchise history. Since entering the NFL in 2002, the Texans have never made it past the Divisional Round, and it’s not like […]

The New England Patriots suffered a shocking home loss to the Miami Dolphins in their regular-season finale this past Sunday, meaning they will have to play a Wild Card Round playoff game this coming weekend. Their opponent? The Tennessee Titans, who embarked on a second-half surge to steal a postseason berth in the AFC. While […]

The Cleveland Browns were expected by many to be Super Bowl contenders going into 2019, but they ended up finishing with just six wins and missing the playoffs. The Browns’ ineptitude resulting in the firing of first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens immediately after the regular season concluded, as Kitchens clearly had trouble managing all of […]

Now three years into his NFL career, Joe Mixon is eager to get a contract extension done with the only franchise he has ever called home. The Cincinnati Bengals running back is eligible to work out a new deal this offseason, and he hopes the two sides can at least begin negotiations. “I want to […]

There isn’t a sport where the officiating is more criticized than the NFL, so it’s no surprise whenever a coach or player has something to say about the process. While Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll chose his words carefully so as to avoid a fine, he stated that he wishes the league used more […]

The Jacksonville Jaguars have claimed safety Josh Jones off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Jones was released by the Cowboys on Saturday. He will not officially be assigned to the Jaguars’ roster until the conclusion of the playoffs. The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at North Carolina State, […]

The Kansas City Chiefs needed a win over the Los Angeles Chargers and a New England Patriots loss to the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday to lock up a first-round bye in the AFC. The former seemed likely. That latter seemed impossible. Well, somehow, both events occurred, and the Chiefs nailed down the No. 2 […]

Antonio Brown is at it again. The free-agent wide receiver took to Twitter on Monday to lob his latest insult at former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster, criticizing him for his play in 2019: https://twitter.com/AB84/status/1211725503297728512 The beef between Brown and Smith-Schuster dates back to Brown’s final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year when Brown […]

The Philadelphia Eagles are a hot team entering the playoffs. Sound familiar? Of course, circumstances are quite a bit different this time around. Nick Foles is not walking through that door, and the Eagles have been ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball. Can Philadelphia once again overcome the odds and go on […]

Led by Derek Carr, the Oakland Raiders fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 16-15 in their season finale on Sunday, completing the 2019 campaign with a record of 7-9. It wasn’t a terrible final year in Oakland for the Raiders, as they were 6-4 at one point and were in the driver’s […]

The Seattle Seahawks have been without safety Quandre Diggs for the last couple of weeks due to a high-ankle sprain, but they may have him back for their Wild Card Round matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday. During an appearance on ESPN 710, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that the expectation is that […]

Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith is just over a year removed from a gruesome broken leg injury that has kept him out of football ever since, but Smith still dreams of returning to the gridiron. On Monday, Smith said that his goal is to play again in 2020: “I still have dreams of getting back […]

The Cleveland Browns were expected by some to be Super Bowl contenders going into 2019. Instead, the Browns ended up winning just six games and missing the playoffs, resulting in the firing of first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens. Of course, Kitchens is not the only person receiving blame. Second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield has also been […]

Denver Broncos president John Elway says that the team will look to sign running back Phillip Lindsay to a new contract this offseason, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. “Phillip has done a tremendous job,” said Elway. “… As Vic [Fangio] said last night, there were 32 dumb-dumbs that didn’t draft him, and I […]

To no one’s surprise, Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is “well aware” that the club will likely relieve him from his duties as head coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport notes that Garrett met with his players before meeting with Cowboys brass on Monday and thanked his players while telling them […]

Add another player to the Philadelphia Eagles’ ever-growing list of injuries. On Monday, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said that offensive lineman Brandon Brooks will be out for the remainder of the year after suffering a shoulder injury during Philadelphia’s regular-season finale against the New York Giants on Sunday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL […]

If the Kansas City Chiefs are going to make their long-awaited run to a Super Bowl, they are going to have to do it without a key member of their defense. On Monday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that safety Juan Thornhill suffered a torn ACL during Kansas City’s regular-season finale against the Los […]

Momentum appeared to be building toward the Washington Redskins hiring Ron Rivera as their next head coach, but things seem to have stalled. According to Les Carpenter of The Washington Post, a person with knowledge of the discussions between Rivera and the Redskins says that negotiations are moving slower than expected. While no further details […]

The Oakland Raiders have agreed to terms on a two-year, $14 million contract extension with offensive lineman Richie Incognito, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal contains $6.35 million in guaranteed money. Jay Glazer of The Athletic first broke the news that the Raiders and Incognito were striking a pact. Oakland initially signed […]

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway says the team is exercising its 2020 option on pass rusher Von Miller, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Miller will earn $17.5 million next season. The 30-year-old just posted his least productive campaign since 2013, registering 46 tackles and eight sacks. He did earn his sixth straight […]

The New York Giants fired Pat Shurmur from his post as head coach on Monday morning, and Jay Glazer of The Athletic says that the franchise is in damage control mode. How? Well, Glazer notes that the Giants are spreading the word that Shurmur had just as much say in personnel decisions as general manager […]

The New England Patriots suffered a devastating and incredibly uncharacteristic loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, resulting in the Patriots losing out on a first-round bye. The Dolphins have been sort of a thorn in the Patriots’ side for quite some time, but generally, that has only been the case when the games have […]

The San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West and locked up the No. 1 overall seed in the conference with their win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, capping off what has been a pleasantly surprising regular season in the Bay. Now, the 49ers will begin their quest to win their first Super Bowl […]

The New York Giants have requested permission to interview New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for their head-coaching vacancy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Giants and Panthers now have requested permission to interview Patriots' OC Josh McDaniels for their vacant HC job, per source. Browns already have requested permission as well, so that's […]

Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard was arrested on charges of domestic battery on Sunday night, and on Monday morning, the Dolphins issued a brief statement on Howard: “We are aware of the situation and currently gathering information,” the Dolphins said in the statement, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. “We will have no further comment […]

The Carolina Panthers not only have to hire a new head coach, but they also have to make a potentially franchise-altering decision at quarterback this offseason. Will the Panthers bring back Cam Newton for another season? The 30-year-old played in just two games this year due to a foot injury, and after Kyle Allen’s strong […]

The Seattle Seahawks blew their chance to win an NFC West division title on Sunday night, falling to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 26-21 at home. It’s certainly not the worst thing in the world, as the Seahawks will still be making yet another playoff appearance in what has been a decade […]

The 2019 NFL campaign was a strange one for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston led the league with 5,109 passing yards and threw 33 touchdowns, but he also tossed an NFL-worst 30 interceptions, making him the first player in history to finish with 30 touchdowns and 30 picks in a single season. Obviously, […]

Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has told 105.3 The Fan that he is scheduled to meet with management on Monday. “I don’t know. I don’t know,” Garrett said when asked about his future. “We’ve got a team meeting at noon, and I’m scheduled to meet with the Joneses after that.” It’s hard to imagine […]

The New York Giants may have fired Pat Shurmur from his post as head coach, but it looks like general manager Dave Gettleman is safe. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Giants will be keeping Gettleman, who will be meeting with reporters on Tuesday. Gettleman took over as New York’s general manager in […]

The New York Giants fired Pat Shurmur from his post as head coach on Monday morning, and according to Troy Renck of Denver 7 ABC, Baylor head coach Matt Rhule is the favorite to replace him. Rhule was a serious candidate for the New York Jets’ head-coaching vacancy last offseason but withdrew his name from […]

Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said after the Bills’ regular-season finale on Sunday that he plans to retire when Buffalo’s season ends: “Yes, obviously, it was a decision I made before the season, and at this point, we still have to play Houston next week,’’ Alexander said, according to Leo Roth and Ryan Miller of […]

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray sustained a hamstring injury in Week 16, but that did not stop the rookie from suiting up during his team’s season finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. After the loss to the Rams, Murray said his hamstring felt sore before the game and that he had to be […]

The Cleveland Browns fired Freddie Kitchens from his post as head coach on Sunday night after just one season, and now, former college coach Urban Meyer is considered a potential candidate to replace him. SportsLine lists Meyer at plus-800 odds to become the Browns’ next head coach in a list that also includes Mike McCarthy, […]

The Carolina Panthers have requested permission to interview Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head-coaching vacancy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport notes that the Panthers are planning to interview him this week. Bieniemy was a candidate to land a head-coaching job last offseason, but he ultimately returned to the […]

On paper, things look just fine in Colorado. Mike Malone and his Denver Nuggets are 21-9 and sit in second place in the Western Conference standings, just two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the loss column. They also had a seven-game winning streak going until it was snapped by the New Orleans Pelicans […]

Rumor has it that Dennis Smith Jr. wants out of the New York Knicks, something that the young guard has denied. When asked about whether or not things will work out in the Big Apple, Smith said he is not thinking about that and he is focusing on improving himself with the Knicks. “I like […]

The Sacramento Kings’ nightmarish season continued on Thursday night, as they lost to the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves in double overtime and saw both De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley leave the game with injuries in the process. On Saturday night, the Kings will take on the Phoenix Suns, but they will probably have to do it […]