The NFL Report: He's Baaack! Lamar Jackson's Return + Panthers Fire DC After TNF Loss

Back. Let's go. The Ravens have missed the two-time MVP, but after missing three games with an ankle injury, Lamar Jackson will play his return very timely against the Bills. We'll explain that. The Bears, they're pushing the chips in the middle of the table. A trade this week and a ridiculously tough test with the Super Bowl champs. What you need to know about a monster matchup. And there is only one perfect team in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings deserve some respect, but our expert thinks their first loss is coming up. very soon.

Hi, I'm Mike Hamill.

We've got a brand new edition of NFL Report. There's a ton to get to. Injury updates that will affect your fantasy team and of course your NFL fandom. My buddy Nick Shook is going to be with us. We'll get a preview of some of the great matchups in week number eight, but we get to the headlines and a big story That centers around the health of Lamar Jackson.

The Ravens, well, they started the year great, 4-1. Lamar suffered a high ankle sprain, missed the last three games. After losing two straight Baltimore goes from first place to last place in the AFC North, he will get the start against Buffalo. Excited.

You know, I'm always excited when I'm able to be back on the field with my guys, man. Put us in the wind column, help us get another dog. That's what I'm ready to do. Yeah, I feel like I'm no longer a statue, man. I'm able to move around a little better so I can.

Give it a shot.

The sense of urgency is extremely high. You know, divisional game, it didn't go the way we wanted to last week. You know, guys just behind the ground running, just trying to get back to where we should be. You know, all phases, special teams, defense and offense.

To that matchup, a little bit more on that game still to come here. Meanwhile, some significant news from a Carolina perspective, and it's not just this game. We'll get to a change on their coaching ranks in just a moment, but there's a look at Jordan Love. Thursday night football against the Panthers squad that's had some struggles. Josh Jacobs, welcome back to the lineup. Second game back for him.

And again, doing some damage as a receiver. I remember I had that receiving touchdown a week ago. Bryce Young, you know the offense can be explosive down here in this fourth quarter. 27-13, signs of life here. Dylan Coker, how about this dude getting into the end zone? A 26-yard touchdown pass for him. Green Bay, though, still on top. 27-19, Love looking to ice this thing. That'll get it done on a third and two. Keep in mind, Watson, by the way, actually had to leave the game, went to the hospital, checked out, said he missed about an hour or so. Dude was so ready to get back on that football field. Lambeau just erupted when he hit the field coming out of that tunnel. And they were slightly loud for this, the Milwaukee Brewers. How about this? The

World Series champs. I mean, we'll get some Lambeau leaps up in here. You got the trophy and that hardware and a city that obviously knows all about winning. Important games for the state, man. It is awesome to see what the Brewers were able to accomplish out on the football field. Now, I made reference to it. The Panthers announcing that they've fired their defensive coordinator, Ezra Evero, and the defensive pass game coordinator in Jonathan Cooley. Now, the defense ranked 30th against the run, 9th versus the pass, 23rd in total defense. Panthers giving up the six most points per game in the league. That is not good defensive line. Coach Todd Washi takes over as the interim defense.

Here's Dave Canales.

Ultimately, this is my decision.

This falls squarely under the responsibilities of the head coach. And so as I was evaluating it and looking for, you know, what was best for the 2026 Carolina Panthers, this was a decision that we discussed and weighed in all the factors, the timing of it, the position of our group. you know, all of those things to make the best decision going forward. But ultimately, it had to come from me, and it had to come from something that I believe in and that I want for our players.

Could not have been an easy decision midseason to let go of Everill. Meanwhile, A.J. Brown, knee issue flared up. Status for Sunday's game against Miami, a little up in the air. He's listed as questionable. Basically, two and a half games of action for A.J.

Brown.

Nine catches, 101 yards, and no touchdowns. He was supposed to be the big ticket item. for this Patriots team this offseason, still haven't seen this offense at the peak of their powers. But Mike Vrabel shared a little bit more context for us.

When you come out of the game or a long week or practice on Monday, evaluate the player. Just wasn't able to be able to practice or finish practice on Wednesday, and so we continue to treat him, and then we'll see where he is tomorrow.

Since he's questionable with A.J., you're not worried at this point that it's like a long-term thing?

I'm focused on today. I'm focused on getting the team ready to go down to Miami and win. That's what my focus is. We'll have 11 out there on offense. I hope that we do. That's our goal. And again, I appreciate all your guys' questions.

They don't have 11 out on offense. That's a bad thing. Speaking of bad things, I got some good news and bad news from an Eagles perspective. Missed the first two days of practice this week. That's Saquon Barkley. but he was able to return to practice today. A bit banged up, gutted through it on Monday night in that loss to the Cowboys, dealing with the back and the hamstring injury.

He will give it a go as the Eagles get the Commanders. Now, that's the good news. Here's the bad. Monte Smith, hamstring injury, missed his second game in a row, did not practice at all this week. The Eagles, 29th in the NFL and scoring just 18 points per game. My God, they could use him in the worst way.

Philly has lost five straight games for the first time since the 2016 campaigns. Some more injury news to get to after missing the last two weeks with an ankle injury. Jeremiah Love, Cardinals rookie running back, is set to return in the matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Dude's looking for his first touchdown since week one of the NFL season.

Love this, man. When it hits your inbox and you get some dramatic news, you just roll with it. Big news of the week, Titans sending their defensive tackle, Jeffrey Simmons to the Bears. Chicago sent two first-rounders to Tennessee. Guy had 11 sacks last year, four already this season. Simmons spoke today, and he sounds like he's ready to be a major contributor.

This team believes in what they have here, and they want it right now. And my game, my passion, my energy, my leadership, I can only help this team even more than what it's got. This is a great locker room from quarterback all the way down, so... Um, my job is to not try to come in here and be nothing more than by myself. And, you know, I'm excited to be able to help this team compete for a championship.

Jeffrey's the guy that we've talked about over the last two years, just admiring his game and almost dreaming of, you know, if we ever could get this guy on our team, what it would do, um, for us on the field and off the field as well. If you do the research, um, you know, Super Bowl teams, um, really probably go back to 2018. Since then, they all have what we call like a red level interior defense alignment.

So in order to get to that, you need one. I really believe that. One thing I want to hit, like I know it's kind of a joke that kind of goes around, but like F them picks is like a big thing. That's really not what we're about. I know it took a lot to get this done, but we absolutely believe that the draft and bringing young talent is a way that you sustain success around here. We're going to challenge, I'm challenging myself and our crew that for the picks that we do have, we have to hit.

Yeah, there's some pressure from that perspective, but that seems to be the going right now in the NFL. Two first rounders for a game changer on defense. Keep in mind, this is Sunday. Schedule more on the Monday night game with the Bears and the Seahawks coming up in just a bit. Top left corner, Ravens and Bills. That one I would take out the Sharpie circle multiple times for a little bit more on the matchup. Nick Shook from NFL.com is with us. Also, power rankings. If you're not watching that on Tuesdays, bad job by you because that is not an easy job to do to rank some of these teams. But look, this is great news. We started the show. Lamar Jackson ready to go coming off the ankle injury. Is that enough to go get a

road win against the Bills team also coming off the bye?

I mean, in theory, it should be enough to get a road win against the Bills. Is it going to make the entire team that much better? It's going to make their offense better for sure. Just the numbers alone show that Lamar Jackson makes this offense much more dynamic. You have to defend every play twice when he's on the field. But is it enough to spark this entire group?

Derrick Henry still not getting going. Heavy reliance on Zay Flowers early, and he disappears in the second half. They've lost two straight in which they've taken double-digit leads in the first half and been silent in.

The second half.

If you look at the points per game difference, it's about 12 per game with Lamar as opposed to Tyler Huntley. And yards per game, it's about 70 yards between the two. But the rushing yards is pretty similar. The giveaways are pretty similar. The win-loss record is not similar. So hopefully the Ravens get back on track. The other question is this defense. This defense was a shell of itself against Cincinnati last week. They gave up 35 unanswered in the second half. Obviously, the offense didn't help them going three and out a lot. But they have to be better as a team. Hopefully, Lamar can elevate them to the point where it's no longer an issue.

I think that's what concerns me. This is a Buffalo offense right now, putting almost 33 points per game, number one offense on top of the fact. I know I made reference to it coming off the bye. Eleven straight seasons now, this Bills team has won their game after a bye week. I just feel like this is tough timing for a Lamar Jackson return.

A little bit of a tough timing, but that stat with how many games they've won after a bye, a little bit different now because you have a different coach in Joe Brady, his first season.

And you also have a Bills defense that's been very leaky. Lamar can take advantage of that.

All right, there's another team that I think is not getting nearly enough respect this season. And maybe there's some people doubting what they can do offensively. It's the Minnesota Vikings, only undefeated squad, but they've scored just 125 points this season, which is about 21 points per game. That's good for 23rd in the NFL. It's actually tied for the second fewest points scored during a 6-0 start in NFL history.

History.

Justin Jefferson, he'll tell you, they're still trying to sort things out.

Sometimes, you know, it's, you know, just growing pains of, you know, just trying to figure out the offense and getting on the same page. You know, that's the main thing. And You know, it takes time, you know, and I is we still, you know, talk about how, you know, that office is going to have one of those games of being complete and, you know, just dialing it up.

And that day is going to come. But it takes time to get there.

And look, maybe it's good timing from a Minnesota perspective. And I don't know what the end result is going to be, but I do know Detroit has struggled this season defensively. They get that win. against Green Bay in this last matchup. But is this the recipe for this offense, just going up against a team that has struggled defensively?

It's a bit of a case of bad versus bad and good versus good. The good being the Lions offense, the good being the Vikings defense. But the question is, can the Lions offense overcome what the Vikings defense brings to the table, which is heavy blitzes, lots of pressure, lots of exotic pressure looks. Jared Goff, I think, is equipped to handle this. His average time to throw a 3.04 seconds when under pressure is the third fastest in the NFL. Only Jordan Love and Michael Penix get it out quicker under pressure than Jared Goff. And his passer rating near 90 under pressure. So that all suggests that he's going to be very good against this blitz look.

And he's going to be prepared for it because they play each other so often as divisional opponents.

But there are.

Some underlying concerns, which is that this offensive line has had a few shuffles. Cade Mays, the center, came back for the first time this season last week and had some struggles. Can he identify where they need to set their protections in tandem with their quarterback? If they can, they rely heavily on Jameer Gibbs, Sam Laporta, shorter passing game.

catch and run situation then they'll be fine and I think they can in fact beat the Vikings because that's how little.

Confidence I have in the Vikings offense.

Are there some signs of life with this Lions defense I think about that matchup against Green Bay four trips into the red zone one touchdown against candidly a pretty explosive offense.

Yeah I mean it's definitely one of those things where you got to get better you have to learn from the mistakes and you have to make the corrections that you you know saw on tape last week but I think that they will and in a division matchup like this they're going to be well-prepared.

It's just a matter of who makes the better plays.

Yeah, I can't wait to see if they win. Minnesota, that is, where you have them slotted Tuesday on power rankings here on the NFL channel. Meanwhile, I'm already thinking about my fantasy lineup. I've had to make some adjustments, guys, that are banged up right now. We told you the news about Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley. Well, and A.J.

Brown.

I'll tell you this. Brees Hall, I feel like we've been talking about him questionable pretty much the entire season. And look, for what it's worth, D.J. Moore, also questionable with that shoulder injury. That's a big loss right now if he can't give it a go. from a Buffalo Bills perspective, almost surprised there, and a Cardinal Tate also out from a Tennessee perspective. A surging Steelers squad that now sits with a 5-2 record, just like the Cleveland Browns.

Todd Monk had the job that he's done. Right now, you'd say coach of the year in the NFL, but the AFC North is the first AFC division to have every team above. 500 entering week eight of a season since 1984, when it was the AFC West doing the math. I was three years old, so that is a very long time ago. You break this down for me, because when I think about this Steelers team, it feels like, hey, this is where they're supposed to be. Cleveland, maybe not as much, but they got that win a couple weeks ago.

Who's got the biggest edge in this game?

That's a great assessment of it, because you're like, this is where the Steelers are supposed to.

Be, but are they that good?

They've been better in the last two weeks, really since the fourth quarter of this game against the Buccaneers, in which they came back, forced overtime, and won the game. It's when Aaron Rodgers accepted, hey, the running game is not working. The deep passing game is not working. Let's just take the short game. And since then, they've been very versatile and willing to adjust in game.

Last week, low scoring affair. Both wins have not really been very pretty.

And yet Rodgers has been able to find ways to get things done within.

What Mike McCarthy wants to do with the offense.

And I think that's the most important thing to unlock the Steelers and their potential this season.

Now against the Browns, history is on their side.

The Browns are 2-25 in Pittsburgh since they reentered the NFL in 1999.

You talked about your age.

The last win that the Browns had in Pittsburgh, week five of 2003. I believe that was a primetime game. I want to say the Browns wore orange pants that night because I remember it because I was 11 years old. So since then, they've lost 22 straight.

I have a bad feeling.

About this, but I don't think that they're going to win and end that losing streak. And the Steelers could get that other side of the one in one split and an advantage in the AFC North.

Look, we're going to come full circle. 2003, what month was that, did you say?

Week five, so we're talking like October.

Okay, I'm going to tell you this right now. I was sitting in my dorm room in college at Fordham. There was Jay-Z going on in the background, a little blueprint. I just hope Super Bowl Sunday at halftime, Jay-Z gives us little girls, girls, girls.

That's all I'm hoping for.

Oh, that's a good little cross right there.

We're bringing it full circle. There's an NFL theme before I get in trouble for going off the rails. By the way, just our research team gave me this nugget. I thought it was phenomenal. If Cleveland wins, and it doesn't sound like he thinks that's the case, but if they do, they'll be 6-2 or better for the first time since 1994. Bill Belichick and Nick Saban were on that staff. Saban was their DC. Belichick, obviously, that kid.

And I was a toddler.

I remember being young and I miss those days. Juicy Monday night matchup for you. Bears and Seahawks, two teams that added all pros. Told you about Simmons a little bit earlier. Quinton Nelson, by the way, going to Seattle. Realistically, all the games are important, but Caleb Williams will tell you the primetime matchups, they just feel special.

I often tell my guys, man, we're the best in the world, B-I-W.

And.

you know, that's, that's the mindset we like to go into games is practice, um, you know, that, that mindset. And so that, that mindset, you have to hold yourself to a certain standard. And, um, you know, that's, that's what these primetime games are. Uh, they're, they're, um, the league seeing us as, as one of those teams, that's, that's the best in football.

And we want to, want to go out there and prove ourselves each and every week.

It doesn't matter if it's primetime or not, but, um, and that, and that sense of, of it being primetime, I mean, that's, that's what the league, you know, wants for us. That's what, We won for ourselves. I think we've shown that from last year to this year. And we want to keep chugging along.

Oh, it's time for Game Picks presented by Hulu Plus Live TV. I am telling you, I am actually really excited for this Monday night matchup. By the way, we'll get you set here on the NFL channel with a fresh edition of Game Day Preview. Make the pick. Is it Caleb and company or is it Sam Darnold and the defending Super Bowl champs?

I'm going to be pretty honest with you.

I made this pick with my heart on Tuesday and the stats don't back me up. But I'm going with Caleb because since he's come back, this offense has been what we expected it to be. The Bears have looked like the team we expected them to be. If he continues at this rate, he'll be in the MVP conversation.

The Bears will be NFC North champions again. But in this matchup specifically, the numbers say he's going to have a hard time. Under pressure, his completion percentage is under 40%. He's only averaging four yards per attempt. His passer rating is under 48. Those are all signs that against the Seahawks team that can generate plenty of pressure that he's going to have a tough go.

Again, I'm going back to my heart. I believe in the superpowers of Caleb.

Williams and throws like that to Romo Dunzay and the throw that he made on Thursday night against the Patriots from the shadow of his own goalpost on third and long to Romo Dunzay.

That was just incredible. Left my jaw on the floor.

I believe in these Bears and I believe in Jeffrey Simmons, the new addition.

Who, by the way, will be playing in this game, which I thought was fairly interesting. I'm glad that you mentioned that the stats don't support this pick. There's these special moments. Last time I checked in, Caleb, the Iceman when he's out there, not the original Iceman, that's George Gervin, but this version of the Iceman, still one of the more spectacular players in the NFL. I would argue the magician in Patrick Mahomes would be the most spectacular, always figuring out ways to make plays. This Seattle defense, was dominant against a team that you, they weren't one in your power rankings, but they were like top two or three.

If I'm not mistaken.

I think they were number two before. Okay, so they were two. This Seattle defense has been phenomenal. I finished watching this game going, this defense, not Minnesota's. I thought the Seahawks defense was the best in the NFL. They hold Kansas City to three points in that game. Seattle, fewer than 300 total yards in six of their last seven games. That is the most in the NFL. They are a dominant unit. The one thing that maybe keeps them in this game is, The questions that you have about the other former USC Trojan quarterback and Sam Darnold, the interceptions and the turnovers have been a thing. But you like Chicago. I will take Seattle in this game.

So you and I would keep going back and forth, man. Like, I feel like last week I said it was going to be a separation week. It wasn't. Generally speaking, you and I agree in a lot of these matchups. Look, Tampa Bay, the Falcons and Buccaneers won in the division. We're going on opposite sides. Falcons, by the way, in the games with Michael Penix, They got the second most scoring points in the NFL behind Buffalo.

They're facing a very hot defense, though, in the Buccaneers.

Yes, which could be a difference maker. And then, obviously, we had a lot of chalk here.

Yeah, too much chalk still.

I'm riding bears.

That's going to really put me in front of you this season.

I'm going to be feeling it on Monday night on Game Day Preview, which, by the way, you can catch at 7.30 p.m. Eastern time. ahead of Monday Night Football. I'll be thinking about your pick. Back here on NFL Report. If you're an NFL fan, I know you are because you're watching this show. What are you doing without NFL Plus Premium? You can get NFL Red Zone. You can watch every touchdown every Sunday afternoon during the regular season.

You can catch game replays and track advanced analytics powered by next-gen stats with NFL Pro. You can sign up today at plus.nfl.com slash fast. Terms and conditions apply. All right, so this just coming into our newsroom a few moments ago. Ian Rappaport putting this out on social media. Not great news from a commander's perspective. Daron Payne suffering a significant foot injury in practice. Ooh, going to not come out for the foreseeable future. Will likely put him on injured reserve.

When you talk about a tough blow, no question that that is going to be the case for a Washington squad. Still looking for some answers right now. Maybe an opportunity to win this week. Brian Schottenheimer, press conference. Halloween party going on outside. Look, we got serious business to talk about.

We're talking about football here. There's no fun on the outside. That is scary. I don't know if anyone saw that, which kind of in the background, that would bother me just a bit. Time for Weekend Vibes. So this is your opportunity to just tell me kind of like what you're feeling heading into this weekend. There's one particular matchup that I think under the radar, Stefanski versus Baker Mayfield.

I don't think this is getting enough play.

Yeah, you know, it's a weekend that's going to have a little bit of a a little bit of frights with Halloween. We're going for revenge with Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski. He said Kevin Stefanski hasn't talked to him since 2021. Those of you who are familiar with Baker's history know that his time with the Browns ended acrimoniously because the Browns decided to get a wandering eye and go find Deshaun Watson instead. and kicked Baker to the curb, sent him to Carolina for a conditional fifth.

That didn't work out.

Baker's come all the way back around.

He's found his place in Tampa, and he's faced his old coach, who happens to be in charge of a division rival in Atlanta. This is his opportunity, his first this year, to get revenge over his former coach at the perfect time, right when the Buccaneers are.

Catching some fire and climbing back into the NFC South.

Are you with me where this means more to Baker than Stefanski?

Absolutely, because I think Stefanski's part robot, and Baker is the opposite of robot.

He's all emotion.

No, no.

He's feeling that one. I think one of the reporters asked Baker Mayfield how he's feeling about it. He's like, I'm doing all right. He just got, what, $ 1. 50 in the offseason?

He's paid and he's ready to go.

Baker is doing fine. By the way, it worked out great for him. I mean, Tampa Bay right now has got a home there. They've had some success. I know this year it's been some struggles. Now, we made reference to the trade that Chicago pulled off. They get Jeffrey Simmons into the mix. Seattle, their Monday night opponent, Quinton Nelson.

We've got all pros here. Who's got the bigger impact for their new team?

Yeah, you think you would leave the AFC South and get away from one of your toughest competitors.

Nope, not Quentin Nelson.

He's going to the Seahawks and immediately playing the guy who probably causes the most headaches in his divisional matchups in Jeffrey Simmons.

Who do I think has the edge? I'm a former offensive lineman. I'm a former guard.

I relate with people like Quentin Nelson. Never nearly as good as Quentin Nelson. But I'm going with Jeffrey Simmons because he is a game disruptor. The big question, you see how he's got the red sleeve on there? Is he going to change to orange in Chicago? I need an identifier.

You have to.

I don't actually think I need an identifier. He pops off the tape every game. He'll be playing against one of the best in Quentin Nelson, but I do think that he'll have the edge and he'll be able to disrupt some of what Seattle's doing, get Sam Darnold a little.

Uncomfortable, force a turnover, and that's why I'm going with the Bears in that game.

All right.

Look, both of these teams loading up, both of them thinking that they can get to the Super Bowl. Certainly Seattle's in that mix because they are the defending champs. Meanwhile, look, it's weekend vibes. We got the great music that just kind of got squashed there for just a moment. But there's one player in particular who is really leaning into the Halloween theme.

Yeah, just living the present, you know, like today, having a great time with you guys and going to have a great Friday practice and just focus on playing against the Dallas Cowboys and trying to get a W at their stadium.

Oh, Buddha Baker and right on cue.

Didn't work in time.

No, no, no. It's all good. But look, I mean, you came in theme. I thought I was repping the Halloween. Just like a little pocket square. I was like, oh, that's Halloween enough. This guy comes in with a stone-called vest. He's got the championship belt.

We're talking costumes. It's Halloween weekend.

Let's go, baby. Look, I can't, I don't think legally I can smash the beverages and pour them down my face. Those who know me know I've been known to do that, but we're all in the mood for the Halloween weekend. I'm glad Buda Baker set the tone. He had to answer some weird questions while in costume, but he stayed largely in character, I guess, between, I don't know what that is, a monster and the monster that he is on the field with a bad football team right now.

We're going to keep all the vibes going positively for him. He doesn't go to a Halloween party, but many other people will. Stay safe out there. Hopefully he can put some frights in their opponents.

Got to tell you, like Buda Baker, not the biggest dude in the NFL, but one of the biggest hitters who's not afraid of contact. If he was rocking that mask under the helmet and that was coming at you like a missile, I'm telling you right now that would scare the.

Bejesus out of me. I mean, a dark visor is enough. That would frighten me.

Well done.

I feel like I needed to bring in like Halloween candy for him.

And that's the bottom line.

I know. We got a bunch at home. We don't even get the trick-or-treaters. I always get bummed out when I see the kids in their costumes. So that candy's got your name on it. We'll see you Sunday for Game Day Preview.

The NFL Report: He's Baaack! Lamar Jackson's Return + Panthers Fire DC After TNF Loss

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