Week 10 kicked off on Thursday with the Colts defeating the Titans 34 to 17. Now, as the rest of the games are fast approaching, there are a number of headlines to discuss. Here are the latest NFL news and notes heading into the weekend.
Nagy Gives Up Play Calling
As the head coach and play-caller for the struggling Chicago Bears, Matt Nagy told reporters on Friday that he will relinquish play-calling duties on Monday night. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor will take over play-calling when the Bears host the Minnesota Vikings.
“It allows me to really look at all three phases from the head coaching position and focus on that,” said Nagy. “I’m excited to let Bill take this over and he has experience in this role. I think he’s gonna do a great job.”
Nagy has been calling the plays since he became the head coach in 2018. But the last two seasons, Chicago has struggled mightily on offense. The lack of scoring has been particularly bad this season, as the Bears rank 29th in average points scored and yards per game.
This is Lazor’s first year on Nagy’s staff, replacing the fired Mark Helfrich after one season. Lazor spent last season as an offensive analyst with Penn State but was with the Bengals for two seasons prior. Nagy did not say whether Lazor would be calling plays permanently, however.
“I hate to say anything in permanent, but (we’ll) just try to really focus on this week with the Vikings and keep it at that,” said Nagy. He also added, “We need to do what’s best for us, not what’s best for Matt Nagy.”
Despite being the home team with the better record, Chicago is a three-point underdog against Minnesota. It’s the first meeting between these clubs this season.
Eagles Getting Healthy
With the Philadelphia Eagles clinging on to first place in the NFC East, they will be welcoming back some familiar faces. Running back Miles Sanders, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, and right tackle Lane Johnson are all set to return when Philly visits the New York Giants on Sunday.
Sanders and Johnson have both played this season, albeit on and off. Sanders has played in only five games but still leads the Eagles with 434 rushing yards. He has also scored three touchdowns in those five contests. Meanwhile, the former All-Pro tackle Johnson has been out since Week 8 dealing with knee and ankle injuries.
Jeffery is the wild card, as the veteran will be making his season debut. Last season, he racked up 490 yards and four TDs in 10 games. Jeffery will add to a receiving core that is still missing wide receiver DeSean Jackson and tight end Zach Ertz.
The additional starters coming back should help the Eagles against a team they had to come back against to beat a few weeks ago. They are currently four-point favorites against New York.
More Injuries Around the League
As the season goes on, more and more players are trying to fight off the injury bug. But there will be several key players who will miss the action altogether this weekend.
Over in Detroit, it has been a tough injury-ridden season for Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay. The star has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest against the Washington Football Team with a hip injury, the second straight he’s missed. He has only played in five games this year and racked up two touchdowns after also missing the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury.
The Bengals will be without a pair of key players on Sunday when they take on the Steelers. Defensive tackle Gene Atkins will miss the game due to personal reasons while running back Joe Mixon is doubtful with a foot injury. Mixon has already missed two games this year, with Giovani Bernard expected to continue to fill the absence.
Finally, the Chargers will be without their top pass-rusher against the upstart Dolphins. Defensive end Joey Bosa will remain in concussion protocol and miss his second straight game. He suffered the concussion back in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles’ loss to the Broncos earlier this month.
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