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Patriots Sign PK Forbath

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FOXBORO – (Staff Report from Wire Services) – he New England Patriots released kicker Nick Folk after he underwent an appendectomy earlier this week, the team announced on Friday.

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Replacing him on the roster ahead of Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans is free agent kicker Kai Forbath.

Forbath, 32, has yet to play in the NFL this season after appearing in three games with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018, going 4 of 5 on field-goal attempts. Forbath was the Minnesota Vikings’ full-time kicker in 2017.

Rookie punter Jake Bailey, who kicked field goals in high school, has handled the Patriots’ kickoffs for the past seven weeks.

It is the second time this season the Patriots have needed a replacement at kicker after Stephen Gostkowski (hip) was placed on season-ending injury reserve. They previously signed Mike Nugent but released him after a month, during which he made 5 of 8 field-goal tries and 15 of 16 extra-point attempts.

Folk went 7 of 9 on field-goal tries and 3-for-3 on PATs for the Patriots since he was signed Oct. 30.

–Field Level Media

NFL Thanksgiving Round-Up

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ATLANTA – Taysom Hill scored two touchdowns and Wil Lutz kicked four field goals as the visiting New Orleans Saints clinched the NFC South championship by beating the Atlanta Falcons 26-18 on Thursday night.

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Hill, a backup quarterback who plays a variety of roles, deflected a punt to set up his touchdown reception from Drew Brees, and he replaced Brees on a third-down play that produced his rushing touchdown.

The Saints (10-2) won their third consecutive division title by avenging a 26-9 home loss to the Falcons 18 days earlier.

Brees had relatively modest statistics, completing 18 of 30 for 184 yards, but that was more than enough thanks to Hill’s big plays and the Saints defense, which created three turnovers and sacked Matt Ryan nine times. Ryan completed 35 of 50 for 312 yards and two touchdowns but he threw two interceptions.

Bills 26, Cowboys 15

ARLINGTON – Josh Allen threw for 231 yards and a touchdown, completing 12 straight passes at one point, and the defense checked Dallas after an opening touchdown drive in Buffalo’s win in Arlington, Texas.

Buffalo (9-3) tightened its grip on a playoff spot and moved within 1 1/2 games of AFC East leader New England, which plays at Houston on Sunday night.

Dallas (6-6) now is a half-game ahead of Philadelphia in the NFC East. The Eagles visit Miami on Sunday.

Bears 24, Lions 20

DETROIT – Mitchell Trubisky passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead, 3-yard score to David Montgomery with 2:17 left, and Chicago spoiled a surprisingly strong NFL debut from David Blough.

Montgomery rushed for 75 yards on 16 carries and caught two passes for 12 yards. Anthony Miller caught nine passes for 140 yards, while Allen Robinson hauled in eight for 86 yards and a touchdown for the Bears (6-6), who have won two in a row.

Blough, a third-string quarterback, passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns before getting picked off on the team’s final possession. Kenny Golladay had four receptions for 158 yards and a 75-yard touchdown for the Lions (3-8-1), who have lost five straight and eight of nine.

–Field Level Media

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NFL: Thanksgiving Night

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New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

When: 8:20 PM ET, Thursday, November 28, 2019
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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ATLANTA – The New Orleans Saints were riding a six-game winning streak when they were blindsided by the visiting Atlanta Falcons three weeks ago. The NFC South-leading Saints shouldn’t be in danger of overlooking the Falcons again when they travel to Atlanta for their Thanksgiving night game.

The Saints are trying to prove their misstep against the Falcons was an outlier, and they’ve bounced back with wins at Tampa Bay 34-17 and at home against Carolina 34-31. New Orleans can clinch the division crown with a third consecutive victory. Atlanta’s stunning 26-9 win in Week 10 snapped a three-game skid against the Saints, and the Falcons were able to repeat the performance a week later in a 29-3 rout at Carolina. The Falcons weren’t able to keep the momentum rolling despite being at home last week as their surging defense regressed in a 35-22 loss to Tampa Bay. 

TV: 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: New Orleans -7. O/U: 48.5

ABOUT THE SAINTS (9-2): Although New Orleans is in command in the NFC South, its defense is trending in the wrong direction. After holding five straight opponents to fewer than 260 total yards, the Saints have given up at least 317 in their past three contests, and the 351 total yards they surrendered to the Panthers last week marked their highest total since Week 3. Drew Brees and the offense slumped for a couple games before putting up 418 total yards last week as Brees threw three touchdown passes for the second straight game.

ABOUT THE FALCONS (3-8): After temporarily righting the ship, Atlanta was back to its signature struggles last week against the Buccaneers. The Falcons surrendered 446 total yards and had a hard time getting the run game going with 57 rushing yards. Matt Ryan (377 passing yards, two TDs) and Julio Jones (11 catches, 147 yards) went off against the Saints last Thanksgiving, and they will likely need a similar performance for the Falcons to sweep the season series.

EXTRA POINTS

  1. Brees threw four touchdown passes and posted a 111.9 rating in a 31-17 home victory over the Falcons last Thanksgiving.
  2. Saints WR Michael Thomas leads the NFL in receptions (104) and receiving yards (1,242), and has posted at least 10 catches and 100 receiving yards in three straight games at Atlanta.
  3. Atlanta has topped 100 rushing yards only twice this season.

PREDICTION: Saints 30, Falcons 23

NFL Thanksgiving

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Lions and Bears, Oh My!

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

When: 12:30 PM ET, Thursday, November 28, 2019
Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

DETROIT – Mitchell Trubisky has struggled to answer questions about the future of the Chicago Bears’ quarterback position while the Detroit Lions are addressing immediate issues heading into their Thanksgiving Day showdown in Motown. Trubisky will look to boost the Bears’ rail-thin postseason aspirations with another strong performance against the Lions.

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Trubisky has thrown for just 10 touchdowns this season, although three were recorded in Chicago’s 20-13 victory over Detroit on Nov. 10. The former second overall pick threw for a score and rushed for another in Sunday’s 19-14 win over the New York Giants, lifting the Bears to their second victory in three outings on the heels of a four-game losing skid.

Detroit has lost four in a row and seven of eight overall after dropping a 19-16 decision at Washington, with backup Jeff Driskel tossing three interceptions in that contest. Driskel showed up on Monday’s injury report with an ailing hamstring and was limited in Tuesday’s practice, raising concerns as to whether he or undrafted rookie quarterback David Blough will be under center on Thanksgiving Day.

TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Pick. O/U: 38.5

ABOUT THE BEARS (5-6): Trubisky, who threw for 355 yards and three scores in a win over the Lions last year, will look to exploit Detroit’s third-worst NFL pass defense (275.5 yards per game) on Thursday. Allen Robinson had six receptions in the previous meeting with Detroit and matched that number for a season-best 131 yards receiving and a touchdown against the Giants last week. Running back Tarik Cohen reeled in a scoring strike in the previous encounter with the Lions to give him four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) in five career games against Detroit. The versatile dynamo had seven catches and a receiving score versus the Lions in last year’s Thanksgiving Day tilt.

ABOUT THE LIONS (3-7-1): Bo Scarbrough has provided a presence in the backfield that had been missing since Kerryon Johnson sustained a knee injury last month, with the former rushing 18 times for 98 yards against the Redskins. The passing offense has taken a significant hit without Matthew Stafford, with Kenny Golladay limited to just eight catches for 152 yards and one touchdown in his last three games. Golladay’s score was a result of a fortunate 47-yard heave from Driskell with 5:53 to play in the fourth quarter against Chicago. Fellow wideout Marvin Jones, who leads the team in receptions (56) and is tied in TD catches with Golladay, has just 89 receiving yards over his last two games.

EXTRA POINTS

  1. Blough, who played collegiately at Purdue, threw for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions during the preseason.
  2. Chicago has recorded points on just one of its 11 opening offensive drives this season.
  3. Lions DT Mike Daniels has collected at least one sack in each of his last three games versus the Bears.

PREDICTION: Bears 20, Lions 14

Thanksgiving in Dallas

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Buffalo Bills at Dallas Cowboys

When: 4:30 PM ET, Thursday, November 28, 2019
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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ARLINGTON – Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was pretty direct with his comments after the team’s latest loss on Sunday, and then cleared up any mystery two days later about head coach Jason Garrett and his staff. The Cowboys look to give Jones something positive to say and strengthen their bid for the playoffs on Thursday when they host the Buffalo Bills.

“When you’re general manager, which I am, those coaches are out there at my ultimate decision,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “It’s very much within my realm of purview, if you will, to not only be standing there as an owner but be standing there as the general manager who put the staff there to begin with.” Dallas remains atop the NFC East despite dropping two of its last three games, including a 13-9 decision to New England that saw the Cowboys’ top-ranked offense fail to get untracked and star wideout Amari Cooper held without a catch. That’s not promising news with Buffalo boasting the NFL’s third-ranked defense, one that limited Denver to just 134 yards in a 20-3 rout on Sunday. Defensive end Shaq Lawson collected two of the four sacks by the Bills, whose 8-3 record is the team’s best since 1996.

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Cowboys -7. O/U: 46

ABOUT THE BILLS (8-3): Josh Allen answered his four-touchdown performance (three passing, one rushing) in Buffalo’s 37-20 win over Miami on Nov. 17 by tossing two scoring strikes versus the Broncos. The 23-year-old also rumbled for 56 yards in both games, with that total pushing him over 1,000 in his first 23 NFL games to join Lamar Jackson, Robert Griffin III, Michael Vick and Cam Newton as the lone quarterbacks to accomplish the feat. Speedy John Brown reeled in his third touchdown reception in two games on Sunday while former Cowboys wideout Cole Beasley led the team with six catches for 76 yards and a score. “Maybe it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but definitely my usage, I’m very happy with the things I get to do during the game,” the 30-year-old Beasley said, per the Dallas Morning News.

ABOUT THE COWBOYS (6-5): Garrett wasn’t interested in publicly getting into a back-and-forth with Jones or debating what the team needs to do in order for him to keep his job. “We just focus on what we need to do to coach and play our best and get ready for this ballgame,” Garrett said Tuesday. “Buffalo’s a good football team, so we’ll just keep our attention right there.” Dak Prescott (NFL-best 3,433 yards) answered three straight three-touchdown performances and a 444-yard passing day versus Detroit on Nov. 17 with less than half that yardage total (212) while completing a season-worst 57.6 percent of his throws versus the Patriots. Ezekiel Elliott rolled up 126 scrimmage yards (86 rushing, 40 receiving) last week and traditionally has feasted on foes on Thanksgiving, amassing 263 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in two holiday games.

EXTRA POINTS

  1. Cooper would love a repeat performance of last year’s effort on Thanksgiving, as he had eight catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns in Dallas’ 31-23 win over Washington.
  2. Buffalo rookie RB Devin Singletary recorded season highs in carries (21) and yards (106) on Sunday.
  3. Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch is expected to miss his second straight game with a neck injury, per Jones.

PREDICTION: Cowboys 24, Bills 17

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