Steve Zavala Articles - Page 21

One of the main storylines for the Carolina Panthers heading into their Week 1 opener against the Cleveland Browns centers on just how many snaps will Christian McCaffrey receive on offense in the contest. Overall, not much went McCaffrey’s way over the past two seasons, as multiple nagging injuries sidelined him from a multitude of […]

Multiple rookies on the Kansas City Chiefs roster made the most out of their snaps played in training camp and also in the preseason, including George Karlaftis. After a three-season run at Purdue, Karlaftis wound up being selected by the Chiefs in the opening round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He then went on to […]

The San Francisco 49ers will have a pivotal test right out of the gate in Week 1 of the upcoming season, as they are set to square off with the Justin Fields-led Chicago Bears offense. 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans game planned against Fields last season, and his defense had mixed results. While the 49ers […]

Derek Carr is set to once again meet former teammate Khalil Mack, as the Las Vegas Raiders will square off with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. Mack made a name for himself in the NFL during his four-season run with the Raiders, where he amounted to 40.5 sacks and 84 total quarterback hits. […]

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has earned a multitude of accolades and honors over his run in the NFL so far. Still, there is one notable award that is missing from his trophy cabinet: NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Not only has Garrett not claimed an NFL Defensive Player of the Year win […]

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. had quite a performance in his team’s home win against Arkansas State. Harrison was C.J. Stroud’s go-to target in the contest, as the versatile wideout simply made the most out of his receptions. Overall, he logged seven receptions for 184 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns on the […]

The New York Giants are set for quite a test in their Week 1 opener, as they will meet the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The Giants will see multiple new faces on the field and also on the sidelines during their clash with the Titans. For one, Giants general manager Joe Schoen opted to shift […]

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts left quite a first impression on many coaches across the league over his rookie season. Pitts ended up finishing the 2021 campaign as a contender for the season’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honor. The versatile tight end blossomed as now-former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s go-to option in […]

New York Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux may have to wait a bit more to make his long-awaited debut in the NFL. The Giants officially listed Thibodeaux as doubtful for their Week 1 road opener against the Tennessee Titans. Thibodeaux has been nursing a sprained MCL injury since being cut-blocked by tight end Thaddeus Moss […]

There may never be another tight end like Rob Gronkowski in the NFL. For Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, he well recognizes just how unique of a tight end Gronkowski was during his run in the league, which will make it quite a task to replace him this season. After months of speculation, […]

The Houston Texans’ new-look defense is set to have quite a challenge in Week 1, as it will face the Jonathan Taylor-led Indianapolis Colts rush offense. Taylor had his way against the Texans in the 2021 regular season, recording a combined 288 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in two such games played. Whether it […]

The NFL’s roster cut-down day came and went, as Blake Martinez wound up being listed on the New York Giants’ initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season. This did not last very long, as the Giants decided to release the veteran linebacker two days later, which reportedly was a mutual decision. Martinez is coming off […]

For the third time in his NFL career, Mac Jones will face off against the Miami Dolphins. The New England Patriots are set to meet the Dolphins for a crucial road matchup in Week 1. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will have a front-row seat to watch Jones in an NFL game for the first […]

The Alabama Crimson Tide’s front seven group is set to have quite a test in its second game of the season, as it will meet the Bijan Robinson-led Texas rush offense on Saturday. Robinson, a popular pick to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy honor, did not open up the campaign on a dominant note on […]

The 2021 NFL Draft was quite a franchise-altering one for multiple teams across the league, including the Chicago Bears. In need of a quarterback after they decided to not bring back Mitchell Trubisky, the Bears opted to trade up to the No. 11 pick in the draft to select Fields. There was much speculation at […]

Barring any major move from now until their Week 1 opener, the Cleveland Browns will roll with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt atop their running back depth chart against the Carolina Panthers. Hunt did reportedly request a trade from the Browns last month, but the front office declined his request. Over the early stages of […]

The main storyline for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into their Week 1 opener against the Dallas Cowboys remains on whether Chris Godwin will feature in any snaps of the contest. Godwin has had a slow and steady injury recovery process for the torn ACL ailment he suffered during the 2021 regular season. While he […]

The stretch run of the 2022 MLB regular season has finally arrived, and there are a few must-watch division races. Among them, the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves are battling it out for the top spot in the National League East. At one point earlier in the year, it seemed as if the […]

The injury woes for the New York Yankees have continued to go from bad to worse. Following the Yankees’ 2-1 road win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, manager Aaron Boone noted that Andrew Benintendi broke the hook of his hamate bone during Friday’s clash with their AL East rival. As a result, the […]

The New York Yankees decided against parting ways with all of their top-three ranked prospects ahead of the MLB trade deadline, including shortstop Anthony Volpe. Even as Volpe, who currently ranks at No. 5 in MLB.com’s prospect rankings, was regularly in the rumor mill regarding a possible move away from the Yankees, he stayed put […]

Multiple players who received Heisman Trophy hype in the offseason shined in their debut games of the season, including Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. Overall, Richardson had a quiet day throwing the football in the Gators’ 29-26 home win against No. 7 Utah, recording a mere 168 passing yards. On the ground, Utah had no answer […]

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud opened up his 2022 Heisman Trophy award candidacy with a crucial performance in the Buckeyes’ non-conference home win over Notre Dame on Saturday. Stroud did not pick up where he left off from the 2022 Rose Bowl Game with a record-breaking showing, although he did anchor two second half touchdown […]

The Oklahoma Sooners opened up the Brent Venables era at the program in convincing fashion, as they took care of business with a 45-13 home win over UTEP. Multiple players on offense for Oklahoma made the most out of their snaps played in the contest, including both running back Eric Gray and wideout Marvin Mims […]

The Chicago Bears roster is filled with multiple players who have much to prove in the coming season, including linebacker Nicholas Morrow. The Bears are slated to roll out a 4-3 base defense this year, with Roquan Smith set to once again lead the team’s linebacker group. He will tag along with a few new […]

For over a decade, the New Orleans Saints were quite accustomed to seeing Matt Ryan lead the Atlanta Falcons. Following the Falcons’ call to ship off Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason, the Saints will now have to game plan against quarterback Marcus Mariota twice a year, and their first matchup is set […]

Over the years, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has gone all out to revamp his team’s linebacker group. Among the moves that he has completed to retool the position, Grier took a chance on Jaelan Phillips. The Dolphins selected Phillips in the opening round of the 2021 NFL Draft, which came as Miami was […]

Expectations for the San Francisco 49ers’ 2022 season can vary depending on whom one would ask. For longtime tight end Vernon Davis, he sees that the sky is the limit for what his former team can achieve in the coming months. Davis recently took some time to speak on 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” […]

The New York Mets were regularly in the rumor mill regarding a possible move for a potent hitter ahead of this season’s MLB trade deadline. Even as there was much speculation that they would end up acquiring an All-Star hitter such as Juan Soto, Mets general manager Billy Eppler opted for low-risk, high-reward moves instead […]

For the seventh time ever, college football powerhouses Ohio State and Notre Dame will face off, as the two are set for a non-conference matchup on Saturday. The Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish each enter the contest with plenty of preseason hype of their own. While Ohio State lost five total talents on offense to […]

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had one of the more notable breakout seasons in all of college football in the 2021 campaign. Smith-Njigba blossomed as a reliable target for quarterback C.J. Stroud, as he led the team in both receptions (95) and receiving yards (1,606). The stout chemistry that Stroud and Smith-Njigba displayed last […]

This year’s transfer deadline day was quite a chaotic one for a multitude of clubs across Europe. Among them, Chelsea ended up completing multiple moves, including the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona. Chelsea signed Aubameyang from the Catalan side for a €12 million transfer fee. Aubameyang not only agreed to return to the Premier […]

The injury bug has hit the Cleveland Guardians at quite an unfortunate time in the season, as they will be without starting pitchers Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale for the time being. The Guardians announced ahead of their home series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Friday that they placed both Plesac and Civale on […]

The upcoming MLB free agency period is set to be filled with a multitude of veteran first basemen, from Yuli Gurriel to Josh Bell. New York Yankees slugger Anthony Rizzo reportedly plans to join this group. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman provided updates on several players who will be eligible to hit free agency […]

Several Alabama Crimson Tide wideouts will receive an increased role in the 2022 season following the departures of Jameson Williams and John Metchie III. Among them, much attention will be set on Traeshon Holden and the team’s plans for him this year. Ahead of its non-conference home clash with Utah State, Alabama released its first […]

There were multiple surprise moves made across the NFL ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut-down deadline. For one, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to part ways with wide receiver Tyler Johnson, who ended up being claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans. Johnson is coming off of a 2021 season where, although he did not haul […]

The injury woes for the Chicago White Sox have continued to mount by the week. This time around, they may need to keep a close watch on another possible injury concern regarding outfielder Eloy Jimenez. The White Sox announced on Thursday that Jimenez left their day home game against the Kansas City Royals due to […]

With the 2022 NFL regular season set to kick off in just a week, many are now providing their own hot takes for the upcoming campaign. In the case of former linebacker Bart Scott, he is predicting that New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston will shock the NFL this season. During a Thursday appearance on […]

The Donovan Mitchell trade saga came to a close on Thursday, as the Cleveland Cavaliers wound up being the winners of the sweepstakes. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted that the Cavaliers shipped off three players, three unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps to the Utah Jazz for the versatile scorer. The Knicks were heavily linked […]

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge each bolstered their respective 2022 American League MVP Award resume over the Los Angeles Angels’ home series win over the New York Yankees. Ohtani recorded two home runs and five RBI in the three-game series. The reigning AL MVP Award winner also had the last laugh in the series finale […]